This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
As the 2015-16 school year wound its way to a close, so too did the annual Keller Tours, led by Butch Keller, upper school head, and his wife, Jane Keller, an upper school math teacher.
The couple uses the tours, which occur throughout the year, as opportunities to visit with Harker alumni attending various colleges throughout the United States. The first Keller Tour occurred in spring 2009 when the couple headed to New York to attend a performance by The Harker School Orchestra at Lincoln Center.
Several alumni living in the area heard the Kellers were in town and asked them to stop by. Soon after, requests began flooding in from other alumni to “come out and see us,” recalled Butch Keller.
Today, the tours serve as an opportunity not only to stay in touch with alumni, but also to visit with them while they are still in college, gaining invaluable feedback on how well Harker prepared them for university life.
In early September, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) junior Andy Perez ’13 traveled to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to play soccer against UCLA junior Michael Amick ’13 in a match between their respective schools’ teams. Before the game, the Harker Alumni Association sponsored a small gathering for Harker graduates and parents, held in UCLA’s Hall of Fame. About 15 Harker supporters attended, cheering on both teams in the game, which UCSB ultimately won.
Later in the year, over spring break, the Keller Tours headed south again, this time to visit the University of California, San Diego and UCSB, which included an oceanfront dinner with various alumni. It was there that Perez shared the exciting news that he had been named a captain of UCSB’s soccer team for next year.
The largest Keller Tours gathering this year was at the University of California, Berkeley, where they met with more than 30 students who shared stories from their first quarter. After spring break the Kellers continued their trek of the UCs by visiting the University of California, Santa Cruz for a campus tour with Nick Nguyen ’15 followed by dinner with him and Lydia Werthen ’13.
The final stop on the Keller Tours was the University of California, Davis. “We had a fantastic dinner with students of every grade,” recalled Jane Keller “from senior Ila Dwivedi ’12 to freshman Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari ’15. Sophomore Huck Vaughan ’14 shared stories of his summer bike trek from Santa Cruz to San Diego while Michael Chen ’13 talked about his rafting adventures. Andre Tran ’13 shared stories of club volleyball, while Dwivedi talked about her post-graduation plans to pursue a master’s at USC.”
“This year it was again evident that Harker alums enjoy reminiscing with one another … in their current college environment. The Keller Tours reconnect them in a special way,” said Butch Keller.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
The inaugural Harker Alumni Networking Luncheon attracted some 100 graduates from various class years. The event was held on April 9 during the 11th annual Harker Research Symposium at the upper school campus.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
Jacqueline Rousseau ’07 has such fond recollections of her time on Harker’s robotics team that, upon graduating from college and landing a job, she decided to donate funds annually to Harker Robotics.
Rousseau, who now works as a trader in foreign exchange options at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York, said that some of her best memories of Harker revolved around time spent on the robotics team.
“We would spend up to 40 hours a week during the six week build season, constructing and testing the robot before going to FIRST Robotics Competitions. Not only did I learn programming, and electrical and mechanical design skills, but the experience of working with other students to complete a full engineering project on schedule was invaluable,” she said.
In mid-March, while in town visiting family, Rousseau dropped by the alumni office to say hello and was treated to a surprise visit from one of her former mentors, Eric Nelson. Nelson is the upper school’s computer science department chair and supervisor of the robotics team.
Since launching at the upper school in 2001, the robotics program has grown into an opportunity for both middle and upper school students to learn real-life engineering skills in addition to providing a fun, competitive environment.
The program is designed to emulate the structure of a Silicon Valley startup company.
“It was so touching to see the two of them reuniting!” said Karri Baker ’84, Harker’s director of alumni relations. Baker called Rousseau an alumna with a strong history of giving, who now serves as a role model for other alumni wanting to give back. Rousseau said one of the best things about Harker is that the teachers encourage students to question the world around them and to keep learning. “Harker helped give me a foundation of critical-thinking skills that have proven useful no matter what tasks I’m working on,” she said, advising current Harker students to take as broad a range of electives as possible.
“Harker’s teachers are some of the best in their fields, and the breadth of electives offered is truly impressive. It’s a great opportunity to take a semester course that may open up a new field of study to you,” she noted.
Rousseau said she is driven to be philanthropic for two main reasons: to give back to communities that were critical in shaping her and to support the education of children who don’t have the same opportunities she had. “I’ve been donating to Harker Robotics since I graduated college so other students will be able to have the wonderful experiences I did,” she said.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
Students of all ages displayed works in a colorful array of art exhibits held across all four campuses. The entire Harker community was invited to enjoy the annual shows, which featured the talents of both budding and seasoned student artists. Enjoy this special Harker Quarterly art show retrospective!
Preschool Year-Round Exhibits
Throughout the year, Harker Preschool holds various art exhibits. The third annual Year-End Art Showcase featured works from every student on campus. The captivating exhibit, which ran during the last month of the school year, was also a highlight of Grandparents’ Day at the preschool, held in May.
“Every other month at the preschool, we displayed new studio artwork in the art gallery. Our Grandparents’ Day showcase was a culminating event that highlighted the variety of processes experienced by the artists throughout the year,” said Alexandria Kerekez, Harker Preschool’s art specialist.
When asked about their favorite art project of the year, many of the 4- and 5-year-olds responded that it was “The Canvas Project.” That project, which was included in the art showcase, comprised a collection of canvas paintings crafted by the eldest preschoolers.
The representational work consisted of drafting an image of “a wish” and then translating it into an acrylic painting. Meanwhile, transitional kindergartners started a new art studio project known as “The Shell Shop,” in which they created shells not for exhibit, but to be sold on-site in a store, complete with name tags for employees and a cash register.
Lower School: Art On and Off Campus
The Lower School Art Show opened on the morning of April 25 at the Bucknall campus, with grade 5 docents on hand to help guide parents through the show and serve refreshments afterward.
Sponsored by the lower school art department and afterschool art program, the show featured a wide array of creative works, including drawings, paintings and ceramics. The display, which ran until May 20, was arranged by themes and grade levels, with all classes represented.
Adding to the excitement this year was the fact that, for the first time, a dozen lower school students also had their work represented at the 59th annual Saratoga Rotary Art Show, held the weekend of April 30. The Rotary show displays the best works of up-and-coming artists, ages 5-13, from local schools as part of its larger, daylong event held at West Valley College in Saratoga.
“This was the first time we have done this, and I was so excited! I hope to enter our wonderfully creative students annually in the years to come. I was so proud of each one that it was very difficult to select so few,” recalled lower school art teacher Gerry-louise Robinson.
Middle School: Winter Preview Exhibit and Spring Exhibition
It wasn’t business as usual for the middle school art show this year. For the first time, an art exhibit was held at the conclusion of each semester, instead of one show at the end of the school year.
The Middle School Preview Exhibit, held Jan. 5-29 in the Blackford campus’ multipurpose room, showcased the works of Art I students. The Spring Exhibition featured the works of Art II students. It opened on April 8 at the upper school’s main lobby gallery and then moved to the middle school campus on May 9 where it remained for the year.
A special morning art reception with tea and coffee was held on May 12 for parents. Splitting the shows not only allowed each semester’s students to enjoy a show devoted to their work, but it allowed more physical space for each piece, giving attendees room to more fully enjoy the art.
“The result [of having two shows] was breath around the pieces!” recalled Elizabeth Saltos, middle school visual arts teacher. Both shows included colorful paintings, sketches, ceramics, figurines and wire sculptures. For the second year in a row, there was also a campuswide cake party held in the multipurpose room during the lunch periods on May 18. Attendees had a blast eating cake and checking out the art on display.
Upper School: Winter AP Studio Art Exhibition and Spring Artstravaganza
In late April, upper school artists, writers and musicians showcased their work at the annual Artstravaganza, held in the Nichols Hall atrium.
Students, faculty and parents perused artwork and writing (including several winners of Scholastic Art & Writing Awards) while music poured in through the rotunda, courtesy of The Harker School Jazz Band in its final performance of the year. The event afforded students the opportunity to share their work with the Harker community in a relaxed setting.
“It’s something that students and faculty look forward to quite a bit, because it’s always a fun thing and they’re always amazed,” said Jaap Bongers, visual arts department chair. “It boosts [the artists’] self-confidence; it makes them proud. That’s really the main benefit – and it’s a party at the end of the year!”
Back in February, students in AP Studio Art showcased their Advanced Placement exam portfolios. A throng of visitors took in a wide variety of paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints in many different styles and media.
One of the featured artists, Kaylan Huang, grade 12, used ink and colored pencil to create small-scale drawings of cities including Tokyo, San Francisco and Amsterdam. Fellow senior Ankur Karwal used clever graphic design to examine the symbolism of famous brand names including Louis Vuitton, Apple and Nike.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
This past spring, two of Harker’s popular outreach efforts, the middle school’s annual Cancer Walk and the upper school’s Kicks Against Cancer event, raised money for the same cause: Camp Okizu. The 10th annual Harker Cancer Walk raised about $14,000, while Kicks Against Cancer raised $1,500, for a total of $15,500.
The funds from both events benefited Camp Oziku, a nonprofit organization that allows children with cancer to “just be a kid for a week.” Located in the Berry Creek area of the Sierra foothills, Camp Okizu offers a free weeklong summer camp that gives cancer patients and their families a sense of normalcy and stability.
Students, parents, family members, faculty and staff from all four campuses gathered at the middle school field on March 22 for the Cancer Walk. “This time was a bit more special as it was our 10th anniversary celebration walk!” said Michael Schmidt, middle school computer science teacher and department chair.
Schmidt had the idea for the walk following the passing of his own mother due to cancer. “This is an event that Harker was kind enough to let me start in 2007 in honor of loved ones afflicted with cancer,” he continued. “Since then, it has been used as a moment for our entire community to come together and celebrate the lives of those we love and those we’ve lost. It is a symbolic walk that is measured not by the miles covered, but by the love and understanding between us all.”
Prior to the walk, students engaged in various activities to learn about different forms of cancer and cancer prevention strategies. In a further show of support, many teachers displayed door decorations with themes designed to promote cancer awareness.
And during the walk, honor flags – honoring someone who is fighting or has fought cancer – were placed in the ground along the inner edge of the field’s walking path.
Meanwhile, although the upper school’s soccer teams lost this year’s Kicks Against Cancer games to Menlo High School, Harker students were still excited over the real winner of the event – Camp Okizu. The seventh-annual soccer match took place on Feb. 5, with the junior varsity boys, varsity girls and varsity boys playing against their respective Menlo High School teams. The JV boys lost 0-2, the varsity girls lost 0-3 and the varsity boys lost 1-4.
Sparsh Chauhan, grade 10, scored the only goal for Harker during the last game of the night. After the JV boys finished their game, the varsity girls team presented a check for funds raised to four visiting Camp Okizu families. To help raise money for the camp, Kicks Against Cancer onlookers had the opportunity to buy T-shirts and wristbands, make monetary donations and purchase yummy treats at a bake sale.
During halftime of the last game, spectators were given a chance to play “Butts Up” with some faculty members lined up on the goal line. Cheerleaders, meanwhile, performed a special routine. Be sure to check the Harker News website at http://news.harker. org/tag/outreach for more Greater Good stories.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
In early May, Grandparents’ Day was held at both Harker Preschool and the lower school. On this charming day, grandparents and “grandfriends” toured the campuses and participated in activities with the special children in their lives.
A long-standing tradition at Harker, the day gives students on both the lower school and preschool campuses the opportunity to welcome grandparents or adoptive “grandparents-for-the-day” to the school for an educational and memorable visit in their honor.
On the preschool campus, the morning of exploration and play allowed teachers and specialists to provide a glimpse of all the incredible happenings at Harker Preschool. There were a variety of displays and interactive activities from the preschool’s talented staff, including the art, music and movement and STEM specialists.
At the lower school, the theme of the day was “Hawaii,” with entertainment and activities such as hula lessons, lei and other craft making, a photo booth, luau food and Hawaiian shave ice. Other highlights of the day included performances by lower school ukulele players, singers and dancers, and extended book fair hours.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
This year’s Head of School’s Circle Celebration, held in early April, was a momentous event as it recognized the generous donors who made gifts of $2,500 or more to the school in the last year.
The event allows donors to see the impact that their contributions have had on students’ educational experiences. The evening began with a champagne welcome and remarks from Chris Nikoloff, head of school.
Parents were then entertained with performances by Varsity Dance Troupe, Downbeat and Dance Fusion. Between each performance, students shared how various programs have enriched their educational journeys at Harker.
Senior Jonathan Yiu spoke about joining the basketball team, classmate Kristen Park explained how dance and orchestra gave her a newfound passion, which she is carrying on to college, and Shannon Richardson, also a senior, spoke about her volleyball experience and how it made her not only a well-rounded athlete but also a well-rounded student.
Junior Kayvon Solaimanpour, a member of Downbeat, explained how various programs allow students an opportunity to achieve balance between academic work and extracurricular interests.
The event showcased programs from various divisions, including the lower school’s Makerspace program, middle school’s Discovery X, the robotics program, the Near and Mitra scholar endowments, and the Vegesna Foundation Teacher Excellence Program, as well as numerous academic competitions in which students participate, including math and economics.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
In late April, the 2016 John Near and Mitra scholars were honored at a reception in the Nichols Hall auditorium. Then in May, six Harker teachers were announced as grant awardees from the Raju and Bala Vegesna Teacher Excellence Program, allowing them to pursue a variety of professional development opportunities.
Near and Mitra Endowments Established in 2009 and 2011, respectively, The John Near Excellence in History Education Endowment Fund and the Mitra Excellence in Humanities Endowment have allowed students to pursue research on a wide variety of topics.
Donna Gilbert, upper school history and social science chair, opened the Near and Mitra event by remembering beloved history teacher John Near, who passed away in 2009, saying, “He inspired in his students a love for the excitement of historical exploration, which lives on in this special program.”
Gilbert also shared her appreciation for the Mitra family, “whose vision and kindness extended the scholars program to allow students opportunities to study topics in the broader disciplines of the humanities and social sciences.”
This year’s John Near scholars were seniors Jasmine Liu (“A House Divided: Residential Segregation in Santa Clara County”), Sadhika Malladi (“Graphic Soldiers: Popular Sentiment as Reflected in Captain America and Spider-Man”), Zarek Drozda (“Learned Lessons: Financial Innovation and the Panic of 1873”) and Sahana Narayanan (“‘Bee-Boppa-Doe’: The Sounds of Musical Revolution”).
The 2016 Mitra scholars were seniors Elisabeth Siegel (“Ideology Through Subliminal Propaganda: A Critique of Portrayals of Palestine and Palestinians in Israeli and Western Online News Media during Operation Protective Edge”), Kaitlyn Gee (“Pretty in Punk: An Examination of European Female Punk Rock of the 70s and 80s Through a Feminist Lens”), Natalie Simonian (“Whispers in Russia: The Influence of the Rumors Surrounding Empress Alexandra Feodorovna on the Russian Revolution and Their Role in the German Effort to Overthrow the Tsarist Regime”) and Kavya Ramakrishnan (“The Eggleston Effect: Color Photography as Fine Art”).
These eight seniors conducted “hundreds of hours of research that led … to scholarly analysis of musical scores, journals, maps, images, song lyrics, interviews and on and on,” said library director Sue Smith. All of the scholars took the stage to share their thoughts on their research and thank their mentors for their invaluable guidance.
Malladi also thanked her parents “for almost believing me when I said I was reading comic books for research. “Being a Near scholar has been an incredible experience,” she continued. “I realized it was my responsibility to think critically about what I read.” Gee also had kind words for her mentors, upper school English teacher Ruth Meyer and Smith. “Their encouraging, patient and accommodating nature is beyond compare,” she said. She also expressed her gratitude to Harker “for providing me with 13 years of outstanding education.” A video of the entire reception is now available for viewing at https:// harker.wistia.com/medias/asuuh39xd1.
Vegesna Teacher Excellence Program
The 2016-17 awardees in the Raju and Bala Vegesna Teacher Excellence Program were also recently announced. Launched in 2015, this program awards grants to teachers seeking professional development opportunities.
It is the most recent opportunity provided by the Raju and Bala Vegesna Foundation, which has also supported the summer tech grant program and the Harker Teacher Institute. Scott Kley Contini, middle school director of learning, innovation and design, will use his grant to provide Harker teachers with a special class on design thinking, taught by a professor from Stanford University’s d.school.
Preschool science teacher Robyn Stone will work with the Lawrence Hall of Science in a series of workshops about early childhood education, titled “Physics and Engineering Design.” Galina Tchourilova, upper school French teacher, will attend a program in Vichy, France, that instructs French teachers from around the world on teaching methodologies.
Upper school history teacher Andrea Milius will travel to Greece to attend a summer session at The American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Finally, upper school science teachers Kate Schafer and Chris Spenner will head to Alaska to participate in a program at the Inian Islands Institute to learn how to improve student understanding of climate change.
To learn more about the Near and Mitra grants, visit http://library.harker.org/upperlibrary/ nearmitra. For more information on Harker’s endowment giving opportunities, visit https://www.harker.org/giving/ endowment-planned-giving.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
On May 3 Harker took a historic step toward building its new athletic and performing arts centers. On that day, students, faculty, staff, donors and the board of trustees gathered and broke ground during an afternoon ceremony on Rosenthal Field, site of the new facilities.
Since Harker’s founding in 1893, the school has been committed to bringing out the best in students by helping them discover their talents and reach their full potential. It was with this clear vision in mind that Head of School Chris Nikoloff made his opening remarks to the crowd before introducing Diana Nichols, chair of the Harker Board of Trustees and former head of school.
Nichols thanked the donors for their vision and generosity. She gave a special thank you to alumni parents Suhas and Jayashree Patil (Teja Patil ’02) who were in attendance and were among the first visionary benefactors who supported the expansion of Harker to include a preschool. The theater in the performing arts center will be named in their honor. Nichols acknowledged the close involvement of the Harker trustees, noting that they have worked quietly and in the background on every detail; without their effort the project could not have come to fruition.
Addressing the students, she said: “Students, you are the very heart of this project. Everything we have done and are doing is for you, and I thank you for being the kind of student body that inspires the adults in your life to want to do good things for you.”
Nichols noted that Harker was fortunate to have true leaders in Harker parents Jeffrey and Marieke Rothschild (Isaac ’14; Jackiel, grade 12). “The Rothschilds’ $10 million matching gift was crucial to making the project possible and inspired others to rise to the challenge,” she said.
Shortly after, the Harker Eaglets presented flowers to the Rothschilds. In addition, the Patils were honored for being the first donors to support the capital campaign for a theater. Numerous groups of people were then given the honor of breaking ground with gold-painted shovels. Members of the board of trustees, donors including faculty and staff members, the construction team, performing arts chair Laura Lang-Ree, athletic director Dan Molin, as well as student council representatives of every grade level, all took turns digging.
Harker continues to focus on all aspects of the school’s mission by supporting numerous, broad extracurricular programs that enhance opportunities for students to discover their passions and thrive in their respective fields of interest. Whether playing on the court, taking center stage or participating in one of many extracurricular events, these new facilities will have a long-lasting positive impact on all students and their families.
Beginning in June 2016 Harker launched two new state-of-the art building projects on the upper school campus, the result of a $45M capital campaign. The 33,000 square-foot athletic center, opening August 2017, features a 12,000 sq.-ft. gym, athletic training room with advanced hydrotherapy unit, and spacious team rooms. The Rothschild Performing Arts Center, opening spring of 2018, features a 450-seat theater with fly loft and hydraulic orchestra pit, a state of the art scene shop, vocal, instrumental, theater/musical theater classrooms and dressing rooms. For more information visit the news and video links below or contact communications@harker.org
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
The 2016 Harker Golf Classic united Harker parents, alumni, alumni parents and their friends at the renowned Stanford Golf Course to raise funds for Harker’s general endowment. For the second year in a row, the event was presented by the Harker Alumni Association.
The April 11 event brought 96 golfers out on a pleasant spring day. Jeremy Pomer ’91 was the event chair, while former Harker faculty member Howard Saltzman and current lower school math teacher Pat Walsh served as honorary marshals for the day. The marshals had a great time handing out prize ribbons and libations to golfers.
“Everyone had a wonderful time, made all the more meaningful with the knowledge that it was good fun for a good cause!” enthused Karri Baker ’84, director of alumni relations.
A variety of special awards and prizes, as well as numerous generous sponsors, helped make the day special. Capping off the event was a 19th hole reception with live music on the clubhouse patio for golfers, as well as non-golfers wishing to join in on the fun.
A highlight of the day was the announcement of the winning foursomes. The winning men’s foursome comprised Harker parent Mike Armstrong, Trask Leonard, Josh Breeding and Rodney Plett ’81. The winning women’s foursome comprised Thu Ka, Connie Kim, Kavita Patel and Kavita Tankha, all Harker parents.
The Stanford Golf Course, designed in 1930 by renowned golf course architects William Bell and George C. Thomas, is located in the foothills above the Stanford University campus. In 2009, it was rated the nation’s third-best college course by golf coaches.