This article originally appeared in the winter 2017 issue of Harker Magazine.
Compiled by Kristina Alaniz, alumni director, The Harker School
Alumni from all classes through 1997 are listed under the years they would have completed grade 8 at The Harker School, Harker Academy, Harker Day School or Palo Alto Military Academy (PAMA). For all classes after the Class of 1997, alumni are listed under the class years they would have graduated from high school, regardless of whether they completed high school studies at Harker. For unlisted classes, we invite you to email alumni@harker.org if you are interested in becoming a class agent or would like to nominate a classmate. All photos submitted by the subject unless noted.
1990
Chris Yamashita, founder of the locally famed Brown Chicken Brown Cow in Campbell, was awarded The San Jose Mercury News’ 2017 Best Burger in the Bay title.
1996
Sam Lepler, middle school graduate and current Harker upper school teacher, received the Teacher of the Year award from the California Association of School Economics Teachers (CASET). Read more on this story in our student publication, Harker Aquila: https://harkeraquila.com/38875/news/economics-teacher-samuel-lepler-receives-california-teacher-of-the-year-award-from-caset/
2002
The upper school’s inaugural graduating class celebrated its 15-year reunion in style at the Anchor Brewing Distillery in San Francisco. In attendance were Isabella Liu, Paul Picazo, Heather Browning, Vijay Nayak, Tiffany Duong, Ben Hu, Sameep Lad, Akhsar Kharebov and Joe Rosenthal , executive director of advancement.
2003
Kari [Saltzman] Snell and her husband, Jason, welcomed twins, Dextor and Maddox Snell. They join big sister Kiora.
Deepa Mathew and her husband, Nishant Goyal, welcomed their first child, Kian Mathew Goyal, born Aug. 22, 2017.
Vivek Saraswat was married to Neha Vyas in August at the Vintners Inn in Sonoma County. They met at the Stanford Graduate School of Business where they bonded over their mutual love of singing, and received their MBAs in 2014. They are now living in San Francisco and working at tech startups.
2005
On Nov. 11, Shikha Mittal married Jameel Khalfan, almost exactly six years after the day they met. They were introduced by Shikha’s Harker classmate Suhaas Prasad at the birthday party of yet another Harker classmate – and Shikha’s best friend – Ruchi Jhaveri. Jameel proposed to Shikha in an elaborate treasure hunt that started in San Francisco and ended in Los Angeles, atop the SLS Hotel’s rooftop pool, the venue of their six-month anniversary. The wedding occurred in Palm Springs and started with a Coachella/Burning Man-themed sangeet. Pictured standing left to right are Karun Amar, Jhaveri, Khalfan, Mittal, Arjun Naskar, Arjun’s date; on the ground are Prasad and Bharat Reddy.
After playing Cordelia in “King Lear” at The Guthrie earlier this year, Kimberley Wong is currently working at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, where she just closed a successful run of “Hamlet” in her dream role, Ophelia. She is about to open their Christmas production, “Miss Bennet: Christmas at
Pemberley.” She was also seen this fall on HBO’s “The Deuce” as a recurring character, a bartender named Suzi.
Alan Malek and Yuanyuan Pao ‘07 were married March 25 at the Cornerstone Sonoma, an event venue at the junction of Napa and Sonoma counties.
2006
Meghana Dhar was included on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. Meghana is responsible for opening 700 stores for B8ta by 2018. The company launches brick and mortar stores for trendy tech products and provides them with customer engagement and interaction data.
2007
Jenny Ma and Andrew Fandrianto were married on July 7, 2017 in Oahu, Hawaii. “We’ve been best friends since middle school and would often spend most of our lunches and after-school hours playing handball.” In attendance were (all Class of 2007 unless otherwise noted) Alex Fandrianto ’08, Anthony Fandrianto ’11, Michael Ma ’14, Alex Wu, Jay Han, Michael Chaykin, Alexander Hansen and Tiffany Lin.
Jessica Dickinson Goodman has been accepted as a Fellow with the New Leaders Council for 2018, a program that trains and supports the next generation of progressive leaders. ”My application focused on my experiences working in government as a scheduler for now-U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris and staffing the chair of the Washington State Appropriations Committee during a constitutional budget crisis; my international work supporting women’s empowerment, including teaching classes to bridge the digital divide in Sierra Leone, the West Bank and Gaza; and my commitment to resisting the many ways the current administration is attacking the social fabric of our country, specifically fighting back against their initiatives targeting DACA recipients, giving succor to white supremacists and wrecking the ACA.” See our profile on Jessica on page 32.
David Linder and his wife, Dena, were married in downtown Chicago surrounded by family and friends. His passion for web analytics and e-commerce led him to a new role as product manager of Yield Optimization at Prodege LLC.
2009
Kevin Kim has had an eclectic mix of career opportunities since graduating from Cornell University. In 2016, Kevin transitioned into software engineering to work in the field of custom data analytics development and visualization. After living and working for four years in Washington, D.C., Kevin decided to chase the love of his life to New York City when she started law school at Columbia. They got engaged this past October in New York.
Chef Iso Pastry (chefiso.com), created by Justin Iso, is a website all about pastry art. It recently won Editor’s Choice for best baking and sweets out of 30,000 nominations in Saveur Magazine’s 2017 annual Blog Awards. Justin launched the website in 2015 to showcase the art and science of haute pâtisserie.
2011
Brianna Tran got engaged to Chris Miller in September on top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. The 14-mile, 4,800-foot hike took them 12 hours, but it was well worth it! They met at a rock climbing gym, have been together for more than three years, and plan to marry on Sept. 29, 2018.
2012
After completing a Fulbright teaching assistantship in Poland, Bridget Nixon is piloting a children’s choir at a new private school in Warsaw. She is very happy to be singing again, and is looking forward to coordinating the school’s Christmas production.
2013
Katherine Woodruff graduated from Pacific University in Oregon with B.S. in environmental biology, and is now attending the University of Exeter in England to receive her master’s degree in animal behavior. She is currently enjoying the English culture while learning further research skills in her field, and plans to pursue a Ph.D. following completion of the course. She is also teaching a judo class on the weekends, an activity that she has enjoyed since early childhood.
Multi-Class Meet-Ups
The first alumni basketball game in the new athletic facility took place on Nov. 25. Parents, friends and fans reunited in the stands to cheer on 35 players from the classes of 2006-17. This year’s recipient of the Alumni Basketball Championship trophy was Team Evens.
Team Odds: Coach Butch Keller, Lucas Motro ’07, Howard Lio ’11, Nirjhar Mundkur ’11, Nilesh Murali ’11, Zach Mank ’11, Gautam Krishnamurthi ’11, Nikhil Panu ’13, Kevin Cali ’13, Kevin Susai ’13, Spenser Quash ’13, Nick Nguyen ’15, Justin Yen ’15, Nathan Dalal ’15, Rohith Kuditipudi ’15, Ashin Mehta ’15, Dylan Patel ’15 and Jordan Goheen ’17.
Team Evens: Coach Alfredo Alves, Bernie Lee ’06, Charlie Fang ’08, Alan Wong ’08, Andy Fang ’10, Kevin Fu ’10, Ryan Fan ’10, Rohan Chopra ’10, Lung-Ying Yu ’10, Stephen Hughes ’12, Sean Pan ’14, Wei Wei Buchsteiner ’14, Nick Navarro ’14, John Hughes ’14, Huck Vaughan ’14, Dhanush Madabusi ’16, Raghav Jain ’16, Rohan Jiro Desikan ’16 and Evan Lohn ’16.
Glenn Reddy ’15, Adarsh Battu ’14, Haley Tran ’17 and Lucas Wang’17 video conferenced in as guest panelists in Juston Glass’ DECA class. The alumni talked about their experiences in DECA and how the networking skills they acquired here at Harker have helped them in their current lives as college students.
Nikhil Panu ’13, Sean Pan ’14, Sheridan Tobin ’15 and Haley Tran ’17 came back to Harker as guest speakers for a senior class L.I.F.E. assembly. They covered such topics as the pitfalls they encountered as they entered college, things they have learned about the college process and things they wish they had known as seniors at Harker. Read more on this story at: https://staging.news.harker.org/seniors-learn-about-college-life-from-harker-alumni-at-assembly/.
And for more college insights from alumni, see Sophomores Speak, this issue.
Today, the grade 4 holiday toy drive came to a successful end as students delivered 435 toys to St. Justin’s Community Ministry in Santa Clara. All Bucknall families were invited to join the 10-day effort by bringing unwrapped toys to the lower school gymnasium lobby. Each year, St. Justin’s serves thousands of people by providing necessities, such as food and clothing. The annual holiday toy drive gives underprivileged families the opportunity to “shop” for the ideal toys for their children. Elementary division head Kristin Giammona and lower school dean of students Mary Holaday accompanied the students during the drop-off at St. Justin’s, which was no doubt glad to receive the massive contribution!
Middle schoolers worked hard to fulfill holiday wishes for families in need during the campus’ Family Giving Tree drive, which ended on Monday. In late November, students were given wishes to fulfill and in the subsequent weeks set out to acquire the gifts described in the wishes. In all, more than 400 gifts were donated to help local families have a happy holiday season!
Upper school students have been busy with service projects this holiday season! On Monday, students loaded up vehicles with 170 gifts to be donated to Family Giving Tree, which each year delivers goods to thousands of impoverished Bay Area families. Additionally, Harker sponsored 10 families through Family Supportive Housing’s Adopt-A-Family program, sending provisions to families in crisis during the holiday season, and students helped carry out a drive that provided two carloads of basic necessities to local charity Sunday Friends.
On Dec. 8, several Harker performing arts groups gave their annual holiday assembly performances at the lower, middle and upper school campuses. Orchestras from all three campuses made appearances, as did upper school vocal groups Downbeat, Cantilena, Bel Canto and Camerata, as well as middle school singers from Vivace, Dynamics, Harmonics and Concert Choir. The lower school’s Bucknall Choir spread some cheer to their friends on the lower school campus. In addition, the upper school’s varsity and JV dance troupes and Kinetic Krew, middle school dance groups Showstoppers and High Voltage, and the grade 4-6 dance ensemble Dance Fusion performed upbeat holiday-themed dance routines. The shows were warmly received by those in attendance as they headed into the weekend!
The Lower School Winter Concert on Dec. 7 brought together lower school instrumental and vocal groups – including the choir, orchestra, jazz ensemble and string ensemble – to perform a variety of well-loved tunes, including several holiday favorites. As a special treat, middle school and after-school music instructors took the stage for a special group performance of their own!
The American Mathematical Society today announced that Ashvin Swaminathan ’13 was awarded the 2018 AMS-MAA-SIAM Frank and Brennie Morgan Prize for Outstanding Research in Mathematics by an Undergraduate Student! Swaminathan received the award for exceptional research in algebraic geometry, number theory and combinatorics. His work has appeared in numerous well-regarded professional level journals.
Swaminathan also has been awarded Princeton’s Centennial Fellowship, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and the David B. Mumford Prize (for most promising mathematics concentrator at Harvard). Some of his research has been in the University of Minnesota Duluth Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program and the Emory University REU program.
For more information on this award and Swaminathan, see the AMS press release.
Harker DECA celebrated November (National DECA Month) this year with numerous chapter events intended to bring the school community together and excite members of the chapter for the upcoming DECA competitive season. Aside from hosting numerous activities, Harker DECA also completed the #DECAMonth Social Media Challenge by posting daily on handles, including Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat.
DECA Launch
Hosted by the Harker DECA officer team, DECA Launch is a two-day event held Aug. 21-22 for potential new members or returning member of Harker DECA. DECA Launch consists of workshops, activities and lectures to introduce potential new members to DECA, and it gives returning members a head start for the school year. The event is held in the Innovation Center at the upper school campus.
This event allows new members to experience a taste of DECA prior to the school year by giving them a glimpse of all aspects of the chapter. The officer team hosts DECA Launch to educate new members and get them excited for the upcoming DECA year. This year, more than 60 students attended DECA Launch. They had the opportunity to learn about various competitive events, listen to student entrepreneurs, participate in an Idea Challenge, bond with officers and more. Overall, the event encouraged many new members to join DECA.
Ice Cream Social
Harker DECA hosted an Ice Cream Social outside Manzanita Hall after school on Friday, Nov. 3, to kick off DECA Month. An annual event, the Ice Cream Social was the perfect way to end a long week of school. Members of the officer team handed out free ice cream with unlimited toppings for all students to enjoy, which was a well-appreciated treat. The Ice Cream Social marked a great beginning DECA Month, and it brought members of the school community together.
“Kicking off DECA Month, the Ice Cream Social allowed the Harker community to bond with one another on a rainy day,” said Ishaan Chandra, grade 10, director of community engagement. “The line went outside the door, and that was really exciting to see.”
Dodgeball
Our largest event of DECA Month was held on Thursday, Nov. 9. Harker DECA collaborated with Harker Spirit to organize a game of dodgeball for the entire student body, held in the main gym at the upper school during lunch.
Many students from the Harker DECA chapter, as well as other students, gathered in the gym to cheer on their classes for spirit points. Freshmen went up against the juniors, while sophomores played against the seniors. Alongside dodgeball, the officer team covered the awareness portion of the event by selling boba from Teaspoon in front of Manzanita Hall. All proceeds went toward the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Furthermore, we invited MDA representative Victoria Trujillo to come in between games and discuss MDA’s partnership with DECA, as well as to raise awareness for the MDA and present opportunities to get involved.
“Dodgeball was a very enjoyable event for not just students, but also teachers. It was a great opportunity for them to have fun in the midst of their stressful school weeks,” said Shreyas Chandrashekaran, grade 12, co-CEO of Harker DECA. “It was the first time dodgeball was brought back to the school in a few years, and DECA and Spirit were proud to be able to organize it.”
In the dodgeball matches, the juniors ended up winning against the freshmen, while the seniors defeated the sophomores. On Friday, Nov. 17, the sophomores and freshmen competed in a consolation round for third place, while the juniors and seniors played for the championship.
The seniors took first place against the juniors, and the sophomores acquired third place over the freshmen. To encourage students to attend, Harker DECA promoted the event by posting on various social media sites, such as Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook. Furthermore, representatives of the chapter volunteered to say a few words at various school meetings, and a video was made to advertise the event.
Although dodgeball was organized as a way for students to unwind and have fun in the midst of schoolwork, its primary purpose was to raise money for the MDA, a great organization that serves a great cause. Through boba sales, Harker DECA raised about $600 for the nonprofit.
“I really love DECA’s partnership with MDA for multiple reasons, one being the fact there are so many enjoyable ways to raise money,” said Allison Jia, grade 10, director of written events. “I’m really glad that the chapter is also recognizing the charitable aspect of the event through food sales. I think it is a great idea.”
Dodgeball turned out to be an extremely successful event, with a great turnout of students at the games as well as a respectable amount of money raised for the MDA. Through this event, many students were inspired to continue or begin raising money for all sorts of nonprofit organizations. As dodgeball came to an end, many students left feeling motivated to make a difference in the world by contributing toward charities and associations similar to the MDA.
Yard Sale
On Friday, Nov. 10 from 3-5 p.m. during our weekly study session, Harker DECA sold limited-edition merchandise from the Harker business and entrepreneurship department programs, including DECA, TEDx, BEcon and more. Held in the Innovation Center, students were able to purchase sweatshirts, T-shirts and other items from previous years at extremely reduced prices. All money raised from this event went toward the MDA. Overall, the Yard Sale was an immense success. Aside from raising more than $250, the event attracted countless students, including many not currently involved in DECA.
“The Yard Sale was a great opportunity for students to purchase business and entrepreneurship merchandise and raise money for MDA,” said Ronit Gagneja, grade 10, director of finance. “It also was helpful in promoting the B.E. program throughout the school, as students in and out of the programs came out to purchase clothes.”
Movie Night
On Friday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m., members of the Harker DECA chapter traveled to AMC 14 in Saratoga for an annual tradition: Movie Night! This year, the chapter watched “Thor: Ragnarok,” released on Nov. 3. This event was a great opportunity for members to bond with one another and relax with their friends after a long, busy day. Candy was also handed out to the students, and all proceeds from the event went to the MDA.
Mock Conference and Alumni Panel
On Tuesday, Nov. 12, Harker DECA held a Mock Conference and an Alumni Panel in the upper school’s Innovation Center after school from 3-6 p.m.; both events were open to all members of the chapter. The annual Mock Conference gave members a chance to take a practice exam, participate in a roleplay tournament, work on their written plans and presentations, and receive advice from officers and mentors. Since many of the attendees were first-year members, the Mock Conference gave them a realistic taste of their first competitive experience.
Afterward, we hosted an Alumni Panel by Skyping DECA alumni (or inviting them to attend in-person). They discussed their journeys as members of the Harker DECA chapter and the impact that DECA had on their lives in high school, college and beyond. The Alumni Panel was also a great chance for members to learn more on how to be competitively successful.
Middle School Announcement
On Monday, Nov. 13, two Harker DECA officers, as well as our advisor, traveled to the middle school for an announcement regarding the DECA Idea Challenge. Students were told about the logistics of the challenge, the mystery item they had to use, and the potential prizes involved if they win.
Many students were intrigued and immediately started brainstorming as the mystery item of rubber bands was announced. Also, interested students had the chance to ask questions at the end to gather more information about the Idea Challenge and DECA in general. This announcement was the perfect opportunity to encourage entrepreneurships for students to think outside of the box and try something new. Not only that, it encouraged them to consider joining DECA when they begin their high school journey.
Red Cross Assembly Kits
On Monday, Nov. 13 during lunch, Harker DECA collaborated with the Red Cross Club to assemble disaster kits for those bearing losses from the recent natural disasters. Members of the chapter came together to raise awareness for all those affected by the catastrophes. Members of the chapter worked together to assemble kits that included toothbrushes, toothpaste, Band-Aids, hand sanitizer and more. Through this effort, Harker DECA hopes to express its sympathy for those affected by the natural disasters, while also giving back to the larger community beyond just our school campus.
Bagels for Business
On Wednesday, Nov. 15, during the school day, the Harker DECA officer team handed out free bagels from Noah’s Bagels in front of Manzanita Hall, which is our school cafeteria. Alongside the bagels, several other officers provided information about the B.E. program here at Harker and educated students on ways to get more involved. This event helped attract more members to not only the DECA chapter, but the entire B.E. program. Many students left feeling more encouraged to participate in various entrepreneurship opportunities. Furthermore, the bagels were a nice treat amidst the stressful school week, epitomizing Harker DECA’s focus on the school community and student well being.
“I think it was really nice of Harker DECA to provide bagels for students, especially if they were stressed and tired,” said Roma Gandhi, grade 10. “It was definitely something that cheered them up and made their day.”
Christmas in the Park
On Tuesday, Nov. 21 from 10 a.m. to noon, Harker DECA went to Christmas in the Park in Downtown San Jose to decorate our very own Christmas tree. A beloved local tradition, Christmas in the Park encompasses the holiday spirit and features decorations created by local organizations and schools. This year, Harker DECA received a tree to decorate. Members had the opportunity to come together as a chapter and enjoy the holiday festivities by DECArating (decorating) the tree. Our tree, which was DECA-themed, added to the beauty of the park that will be enjoyed by thousands of visitors for the holidays throughout the holiday season.
As the DECA competitive season approaches, Harker DECA continues to prepare at the remaining study sessions and looks forward to having a great year!
About The Harker School DECA
Harker DECA is an International Competitive Business Organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in four fields of business: marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Our DECA chapter integrates classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business, and promotes competition in order to prepare the next generation to be academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders.
The last fittings are being bolted into place in the new Rothschild Performing Arts Center; in a few short weeks, it will debut. All the hardware, all the sound gear, the plush curtain and the 450 seats in the Patil Theater will be brought into motion by students, parents, faculty and staff on Feb. 2. The building will go live in the finest sense of the term.
From the basement to the fly and with the stage in between, the theater will be busy (for more on the behind-the-scenes and classroom features see news.harker.org. In the basement, students will be prepping in the dressing rooms, those comforting havens where performers can stash their stuff, get into their performance outfits, get their ‘faces’ on and have a last calming sip of water before turning to the audience; and to whence they can return, energized and exhausted, after performing.
The dressing rooms include spacious restrooms and each dressing room will feature counters around three sides, said Kevin Hart, of Kevin Hart Architecture, which co-designed the building with Studio Bondy Architecture. There will be continuous mirrors above the counters, as well as continuous lights above. Outlets are at counter height for hair dryers, razors, curling irons, etc., and those outlets are all switched off at the door, for safety. The rooms are carpeted and the wall and ceiling assemblies are noise-reductive due to their proximity to the stage and auditorium, Hart added.
While downstairs the dressing rooms teem with preparations, upstairs, the audience, up to 450 strong, will have found their way past an intimate plaza featuring one of the oak trees carefully preserved during construction and now replanted in front of the center, perhaps picked up tickets from the will-call window in the tasteful, airy lobby, waved to friends on the lobby balcony and stopped to enjoy a unique art installation: a 34.5-foot-wide, 15-foot-high color LED display.
As performers finish preparing, stage crew members put the final touches on sets and musicians rustle sheet music into place, the audience will be settling into comfy seats by Series Seating. Series has provided seating for many performing arts venues worldwide, including Her Majesty’s Theater in Adelaide, Australia and the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.
Series provided several alternatives to choose from, and sent mockups of final options so school officials and the design team could actually sit in the chairs and check out the fabric. Seat trim will match the maple in the wall trim and ceiling sound reflectors, and the seat coverings will match the stage curtain. Seats are of a few slightly different widths and staggered so that the view from every seat is between the heads of the row right in front, noted Hart.
Audience seating is in three sections – orchestra, parterre and balcony – and each is at a different angle to optimize views of the stage, noted Hart. “The floor of the orchestra section is sloped, while the parterre and balcony are stepped,” he said. “All three sections are curved to focus on the stage, creating a bowl-like floor. There are also two special rows in the balcony which are a few steps down from the second floor, closer to the stage. The room is extraordinarily intimate: every one of the 450 seats will seem quite close to the action on stage.”
One of the stars of the theater is a Bösendorfer concert grand piano. Bösendorfers are considered one of, if not the, top concert pianos in the world and Harker’s will be stored just off stage in a special closet. The grand opening program has not been set, but perhaps those attending the opening will get a special treat if the Bösendorfer is played as these pianos are in the finest concert halls in the world. The Harker Bösendorfer will provide an unparalleled instrument on which students can refine their skills. In addition, the piano will be a significant draw in attracting top level performers to Harker for master classes and performances. It is a game changer in the world of concert pianists.
The piano that will grace Harker’s Patil Theater stage is a model 214VC CS. VC stands for Vienna Concert and CS stands for Conservatory Series. “The piano is actually a bit of a rarity; CS plus VC is not common and we are lucky we got it,” said Chris Florio, instrumental music teacher and orchestra director.
The model 214VC is seven feet long and the Vienna Concert features are “characterized by projecting an unheard array of colours and optimized mechanical interplay of all action components,” according to the Bösendorfer website. What does that translate to in English? The VC was released in January 2017 and Yamaha’s literature notes the VC has
New action and keyboard scaling design for perfect control and direct touch and feeling,
Optimized placement of string section and bridges at the soundboard for even string load, supporting the flexibility and effectiveness of the soundboard assembly resulting in improved sustain, projection and dynamics.
New innovative soundboard design for a stable three-dimensional soundboard crown leading to enhanced resonance, dynamic spectrum and sustain.
An outer rim that maintains the traditional Bösendorfer resonance case principle with a spruce core for obtaining a maximum range of rich tonal colors.
Conservatory Series pianos come with a distinctive satin finish and simplified cabinet features, practical attributes for piano in a learning environment.
Harker’s Bösendorfer has one final customization that provides a subtle, but important, feature. “We have had large stage casters installed on the piano,” said Florio, “the same casters that are usually on the (Bösendorfer) 280 and 290 concert grands. The piano does not come with stage casters and the use of a grand piano dolly, like we have in Nichols Auditorium, raises the height of the piano. This was a modification to the piano we worked out with Bösendorfer through our vendor.”
Florio noted it was nip and tuck to get the desired piano in the timeframe and within budget.
“Susan Nace (vocal music teacher and director of three Harker choirs) and I tried out pianos last spring,” said Florio. “We collectively decided that the seven-foot Bösendorfer was the best piano for the theater, and one we hoped would fit our budget. It turned out that our budget was not quite enough but, luckily, Yamaha, who owns Bösendorfer, came back with an additional 10 percent off of the sale price.”
Then, a turn for the worse: in the interim, the chosen piano had been sold. It can take up to six years for a piano to be finished; Bösendorfer offers nine models and several special editions, and produces fewer than 300 pianos each year, so getting another 214VC CS by the Feb. 2 grand opening of the RPAC was looking dodgy.
Nonetheless, the muses smiled on Harker and it only took a couple of weeks for another 214 VC CS to come out of production. That was good, but it was July: Florio was away on vacation and the 30-day window to complete the purchase was closing. That was bad, and there was another hitch. “As the sales tax on the piano brought the final cost over our budget, we needed the approval of both Brian Yager [new head of school starting that week] and Diana [Nichols, chair of the board of trustees] to move ahead with the purchase.
“I was in Tahoe when the 30 days was coming up,” said Florio, “and I got in contact with the manager of the dealership to see if we could finalize the deal while I was gone. As luck would have it, Joe Rosenthal [executive director of advancement] was working back in San Jose and Brian was just in for his first week of work.”
Everyone signed off on the deal, “with the understanding that Joe would find a donor to cover the over-budget,” said Florio. “So, in good faith, Joe went ahead and processed the payment for the piano while I ironed out the contract details while on vacation in Tahoe. We had a donor cover the extra cost by the end of summer. It was a hectic week but we got the deal done and got the piano we wanted!”
The “Bösey,” as one Harker pianist referred to it, is currently being stored and will be delivered to the stage in late January. It will be professionally “voiced” for the space but it will likely take a good amount of time for the piano to completely acclimate to the theater. “It’s going to be such a perfect piano for the space,” said Florio.
And that piano will be played. All the equipment in the performing arts world will not breathe life into the building the way the performers will and that is what Laura Lang-Ree, performing arts chair, can’t wait to see. “It’s really not about the details, but rather the overall impact for the audience and kids,” she said.
“Students and audience will be thrilled and overwhelmed each time they walk into the space and realize it’s theirs,” she noted. “We’ve never had anything like it before and it’s state-of-the-art, across the board. We are not just stepping up, we are transforming both in the classroom and onstage by virtue of the building itself. It is the entire impact of an actual building designed for performing arts that is the feature!”
This article originally appeared in the winter 2017 issue of Harker Magazine.
On Aug. 18, 2017, Harker history was made as the new athletic center opened its doors to the public. The 33,000-square-foot facility boasts a 12,000-square-foot gym floor that allows two games to be played side-by-side simultaneously. The court, named after former school president Howard Nichols, will host volleyball and basketball games, as well as meetings and other school events. The facility seats 900 spectators, which is the required minimum to host a Division 4 CCS event, and also is big enough to hold the entire upper school student body.
When asked what the most impressive aspect of the new building is, Mike Bassoni, facilities director, stated, “The ease and flexibility of gym usage. The bleachers can be retracted completely or be extended just enough to meet the needs of a smaller competition. The volleyball and basketball standards that drop from the ceiling make for quick transition from student meetings to competitive matches. Very well thought out.” Dan Molin, upper school athletic director, concurred, and added, “What I’m most excited about is the increased sense of community.”
Overlooking the gym floor is a 1,400-square-foot multipurpose room, which gives the cheer team a much-needed practice space, but also allows an area for other clubs and teams to work out. The sliding barn door mirror also allows for a unique view of the action below.
The athletic teams now have state-of-the-art locker rooms complete with name placards for varsity athletes, customized Harker benches and projectors for film review. It’s a far cry from the bathrooms and old storage shed the teams had been using. “My favorite part of the building is the team locker room,” said volleyball player Lauren Napier, grade 12. “Being able to take showers after practice is really nice and our varsity lockers have so much space for everything we need.”
The hidden jewel of the new athletic center might be the training room. In addition to brand new Harker-emblazoned equipment, the training room boasts a HydroWorx 300 underwater treadmill, normally used by NFL teams and orthopedic hospitals; it is a first at any high school in the country. Athletes can also use the Grimm Scientific cryotherm pool to help heal injuries.
The athletic center definitely has made a positive impact on those in and out of the Harker community. Parents, visiting teams and admission open house attendees have delighted in the beauty of our new building. “There has not been a single person who has walked into the athletic center thus far who hasn’t been completely amazed,” exclaimed Theresa “Smitty” Smith, varsity volleyball coach, and lower and middle school athletic director. “The ‘wow factor’ is huge!”
Molin noted, “We recently had an alumni basketball game, and some of the players haven’t been on campus since they graduated in 2006. They were absolutely blown away by our athletic transformation.”
The girls volleyball team broke in the new facility with a scrimmage against St. Francis High School early on Aug. 18, before the community grand opening. Since then, the center has become a welcome part of the Saratoga campus landscape. “Even though it is brand new, it was awesome to already fill the new facility with so many memories,” said Napier.