This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
Susan Smith
Susan Smith, Harker’s library director, participated in the California Conference on Library Instruction in April. She and a colleague gave a talk titled “Step Over the Threshold with Us,” addressing six anchoring threshold concepts that frame an academic re- search process. One of those concepts, “Scholarship is a Conversation,” was the crux of their talk. It involves mas- tering disciplinary ways of thinking and communicating including using nuances in syntax, specialized vocabu- lary and subject-appropriate evidence to convey ideas in an appropriate me- dium or genre, shaped for a particular audience and context. Read more here: http://www.cclibinstruction.org/ ccli-2015-speakers-sessions-breakout- session-speakerstopics/
Diane Main
Diane Main, upper school director of learning, innovation and design, received the Gold Disk award from CUE (formerly known as Computer Users in Education). The Gold Disk is CUE’s oldest recognition program. Since 1983, honorees have been recognized for their contributions to CUE and to technology in education. Gold Disks celebrate member contributions of time and talent to CUE, both of which Main has contributed to for two decades! On another note, Main hit the national radar as one of 50 educators to follow on Twitter! Read more here: http://blog.enotes.com/2015/03/25/ teachers-who-tweet-50-educators- you-should-follow/
Jaap Bongers
K-12 visual art department chair Jaap Bongers was one of five featured artists at Artik Art & Architecture’s 20th annual open house. The May show, held at Artik’s offices/art studio in San Jose, is billed as part hoedown and part gallery show. This year, more than 100 pieces were on display from about 90 Bay Area artists.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
A Look Back at the 2014-15 Keller Tour
Every year Butch Keller, upper school head, and his wife, Jane, an upper school math teacher, look forward to the “Keller Tour.” The much-anticipated tour is actually an annual series of trips during which they visit with Harker alumni attending various colleges throughout the United States.
With the 2014-15 Keller Tour now behind them, the couple took time out to share some of the highlights.
“It seems like so long ago that we were chaperoning a debate trip at the Bronx Science High School and were able to slip away for dinner with the Columbia and NYU alums. That marvelous dinner was just a hint of the fun we would later be having during the Keller Tour,” recalled Butch Keller.
He went on to reminisce about the sun setting on a cold and windy day as he and his wife walked around the Boston College campus on a “wonderful tour” led by Michelle Douglas ’13, followed by a dinner with her and other alums attending the college.
The next day the Kellers visited Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where they enjoyed dinner with a large group of alumni there. Soon after, WeiWei Buchsteiner ’14, Shreya Indukuri ’12 and Kimberly Ma ’14 graciously showed them around campus.
Butch Keller noted that a fun fact of Keller Tour history is that Michelle Vu ’11 now “leads the way” with three Keller Tour din- ner appearances. “She first joined us in Boston her freshman year, then joined us this fall in New York while visiting friends, and then finally this year we were with her at the Boston College event,” he said.
Speaking of fun, he added, Naomi So ’11 was in Houston visiting Michelle Lo ’12 while they were on campus at Rice University. Won Hee Le ’10, also a Rice graduate, was also in Houston and joined along. “We truly appreciated those three spending their day with us!” Jane Keller said.
Dinner that night was casual yet informative as the Kellers caught up with three additional Rice students: Kevin Mohanram ’14, Sapna Suresh ’14 and Shilpa Nataraj ’12. While in Houston, the Kellers had the unexpected pleasure of spending time with Duke University student Drew Goldstein ’13 who was in town for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament as one of the team managers.
After the trip to the Northeast, the Keller Tour was off to sunny Southern California where Johnny Hughes ’14 escorted them around the Loyola Marymount campus, showing his dorm, class buildings and other hangout spaces with great pride.
“It was obvious that Johnny had chosen a perfect home for his college experience. The LMU campus was beautiful with views spanning all of Los Angeles and out to the Pacific. Dinner following was a continuation of stories about his life at LMU [and] recollections of his time at Harker and how well-prepared he felt to begin his new journey,” noted Butch Keller.
The following day, as the trip wound its way to a close, the Kellers traveled to Chapman University to tour the area with Nick Navarro ’14 before joining Alice Tsui ’13 at a local bistro for lunch.
The first Keller Tour occurred in spring 2009 when the Kellers 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, he added, the tour serves 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.
“The Keller Tour concluded this year with many smiles and joyous moments leaving us excited to plan ahead for the 2015-16 tour!” he said.
Record Attendance for Alumni Families Easter Egg Hunt
The beautiful Union campus was once again the perfect setting for the fifth annual Harker Alumni Families Easter Egg Hunt. Held in March, the egg hunt attracted a record high of more than 130 people, with over 1,250 eggs hidden.
Previously, the egg hunt had been held at the lower school campus. This year saw age divisions for egg hunting, and arts and crafts activities. Eggs were strategically hidden throughout the grounds. The day also featured a fun bounce house and surprise visit by the Easter Bunny, who posed for photographs with the children.
“It was a wonderful morning of catching up with old and new friends,” recalled Karri Sakai Baker ’84, Harker’s director of alumni relations.
Harker Alumnus Travels the World Working as a Private Chef
Harker alumnus and class agent Stephen Worsley ’72 has had an incredibly interesting and unique career, living out of a suitcase and traveling around the world working as a top Michelin-rated chef.
Professionally known as “Chef Stephen,” the alumnus who “loves to cook and travel” recently stopped by the upper school for a visit with Karri Baker ’84, Harker’s director of alumni relations.
Harker Quarterly met up with Worsley for lunch in the Edge, where he was reminiscing with Baker about his days at Harker’s predecessor, the Palo Alto Military Academy (PAMA), a school for boys in grades 1-9. Together, he and Baker pored over old photos taken when Worsley was a young PAMA boarding student.
Harker food, he observed, has come a long way since PAMA’s school cafeteria. Worsley said he was “amazingly impressed” with all the lunch offerings at the upper school, made from scratch with fresh, locally purchased, well- balanced quality items. He even had a chance to chat with Harker’s kitchen staff about their work and healthy food philosophy, which is similar to his own.
Worsley recalled watching with fascination as the PAMA cook, Mrs. Kennedy, made grilled cheese sandwiches and tater tots for the boys. “I used to love hanging out and watching her. It was so exciting to me. It probably had something to do with planting the seeds of my becoming a chef!” he said.
To date, Worsley has worked as a chef in more than 134 countries, studying and preparing many types of cuisine for luxury vacationers worldwide. He spent two boating seasons as a chef for a cruise ship in Croatia on the beautiful Dalmatian coast. His working motto, he noted, is: “Have knife, will travel.”
One interesting aspect of working as a chef on a boat is that, although you get to travel a lot, you never really see much of the sights, Worsley said. “Because the next meal is the most important thing, the moment I step off the boat I’m heading for the local market in search of the best fresh fruits and vegetables they have,” he explained.
Worsley makes himself available for private hire, ready to go almost anywhere at a moment’s notice. He especially likes to work with “foody” sailing families (of up to eight with a crew) specializing in fresh fish presentations. Among his tailor-made culinary experiences are classical French catered dinners, romantic candlelit dinners, casual yet sumptuous lunches, and a variety of other gourmet meals.
“I love the international markets as I learn so much from these hardworking people, from Calcutta to Rio,” he said, adding that one of the most important lessons of working as a chef is to always “consider the audience” and know the tastes of those for whom you are cooking.
Worsley credits his time at PAMA with helping to instill a strong work ethic. He worked his way up through the PAMA ranking system to win a special “Drill Down Award” and become the school’s “most improved cadet.” He said he also learned how to juggle two worlds – that of a young man attending a military academy while simultaneously growing up in the radically changing times of the ’60s and ’70s.
“I am a living reminder of Harker history,” he said, referring to PAMA’s creation in 1919 under the direction of Richard P. Kelly. Donald L. Nichols assumed leadership of PAMA in 1950 and Howard E. Nichols assumed leadership of the school in 1973, eventually dropping the military program and expanding academics and other program offerings.
Alumni Association Warmly Welcomes Class of 2015
The Class of 2015 was officially welcomed into the Harker Alumni Association during an induction luncheon in the Nichols Hall atrium on May 21.
The event took place after the seniors’ graduation rehearsal at Mountain Winery, giving the students a chance to pause and reflect upon their final year at Harker.
During the luncheon, prizes were handed out to students who had participated in the senior trip’s volleyball tournament and sandcastle-building contest. The seniors were then introduced to their class agents, who will act as liaisons between Harker’s alumni department and the 2015 graduates.
In preparation for college, each senior received what has become a fun Harker tradition: a laundry bag along with instructions on doing one’s own laundry. Finally, the soon- to-be-graduates wrote special messages to friends, teachers, parents and others to be placed in a time capsule that will be opened at the Class of 2015’s 10-year reunion. They hung out after the event to sign yearbooks and visit with friends from other grades.
Alumni Association Sponsors Harker Golf Classic at Renowned Stanford University Course
This year marked the first time the annual Harker Golf Classic was presented by the Harker Alumni Association. The successful event took place on April 13 at the Stanford University Golf Course, raising funds for Harker’s general endowment fund.
The 2015 Harker Golf Classic brought together Harker alumni, parents, alumni parents and their friends, totaling about 80 golfers. The fundraiser was largely spearheaded by Jeremy Pomer ’91 and Jeff Rogers ’84. Former Harker faculty member Howard Saltzman and current lower school math teacher Pat Walsh served as honorary marshals for the day, handing out prize ribbons and libations to golfers.
A variety of special awards and prizes, as well as numerous generous sponsors, helped make the event special. Capping off the occasion was a 19th-hole reception on the clubhouse patio for golfers, as well as non-golfers wishing to join in on the fun.
At the end of the day, the winning foursome was announced: Jen Eng, Raymond Hsieh, Herb Repp and Robert Nakamura.
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.
“It was a great game of golf and, more important, all the participants left with the wonderful knowledge that they had helped raise funds for Harker’s general endowment, which will benefit future generations of students,” enthused Karri Sakai Baker ’84, director of alumni relations.
Alumni Celebrations
Please join us in congratulating the following alumni:
Sasha Stepanenko ’06 has had a busy year, finishing her Ph.D. program in clinical psychology and getting married in March. Many of her classmates were in attendance, including Casey Near, who officiated, and Gail Nakano and Ankur Gupta, who were in the wedding party. Sasha and her husband, Ryan Soykin, also enjoyed spending time with Alexi Ladonnikov ’05, Casey Blair ’06, Naushad Godrej ’06, Mariah Bush ’06, Steve Boyle ’06 and Shivani Bhargava ’06.
Last year for the summer issue we ran an alumni Celebrations photo about a couple (Heidi Wang ’08 and Neil Chao ’06) who had some of their engagement photos taken at Harker’s upper school campus. This year, we are thrilled to report that a couple from 2003 took things a step further and actually got engaged on campus! Congratulations to Jigish Patel, who proposed to Charitha Reddy in the gym at the upper school, which had been cleverly decorated to look like a scene from a high school dance, thanks to assistance from Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement. Rosenthal recalled coaching Jigish in basketball back in grade 5, and was thrilled that Jigish contacted the alumni office and expressed how much Harker still meant to both him and Charitha. “We had been good friends in high school and reconnected a few years ago so it seemed like a natural place to propose since it was filled with good memories for both of us! It was really hard keeping it a secret but I had a lot of help from both of our families so she would be surprised!” said Jigish.
“We are so glad to have them share this special moment as part of the Harker family!” said Rosenthal.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
2002
Congratulations to Alexander Wang (MS ’98) who was named one of “The 100 Most Influential People” by Time Magazine. The magazine recently released its annual list and Alex was one of the few fashion designers among the elite to make the cut.
2003
Maheen Kaleem is a recent Georgetown University Law Center graduate. She was featured (with both a quote and photo) in a thought-provoking front-page article in The Washington Post on the future value of a legal degree. In the piece, she shared that she wants to practice public interest law, but said she didn’t enter law school with “blinders on about the job market.” To read the full piece: http://wapo.st/1J4ESAO.
Jigish Patel and Charitha Reddy got engaged at Harker’s upper school campus. Please see the Celebrations section for details!
2006
Steve Boyle has been getting rave reviews for his work directing the play “Exit, Pursued by a Bear,” which had a successful run with the City Lights Theater Company, ending mid-June.
Of the play, critic John Orr at Regarding Arts said, “Director Steve M. Boyle has this cast and show ticking like a fine Swiss watch.” Steve worked with the Santa Cruz Shakespeare performing arts theater last summer and, during his senior year at Harker, was a student director in the Conservatory. Look for a full profile on Steve and his performing arts work in the fall issue of Harker Quarterly!
Lauren Harries recently traveled to Georgia on a secret project with a lo- cal theater company to compete against a diverse pool of entertainment groups in a reality variety show called “Fake Off.” The first episode aired on May 6. “Episodes air at 10 p.m. (Eastern time) on the TruTV network every Wednesday through June 10 (the finale). If you don’t have the network in your cable package, episodes may be watched through the network’s website the morning after the air date,” reported Lauren. Check out the show’s main webpage: http://www.trutv.com/ shows/fake-off/index.html.
Sharon Her recently graduated with her M.A. in education with an emphasis on child life in hospitals and is currently working as a certified child life specialist (CCLS) at Sutter Children‘s Center in Sacramento. She helps support the psychosocial well-being of all the kids and families there through procedural preparation and support, education and play.
After three years of working from 3 a.m.-4 p.m. on the trade floor of the world’s largest asset management company, Roshni Mehra left her job in finance to pursue her passion in philanthropy. Most recently, Roshni started working at Stanford University‘s Graduate School of Business in the external relations and development office, and is a freelance writer for the health and nutrition section of India.com. Roshni also sent in a photo taken at an impromptu ’06 mini-reunion in Ghirardelli Square. Shown, from left, are: Shilpika Lahri ’07 and ’06 alums Priya Takiar, Roshni, Amulya Mandava and Jaya Pareek.
Sasha Stepanenko got married. Please see the Celebrations section for details!
2008
Alex Underwood has returned to Harker – to work! Alex recently joined the Harker staff as a theater technician in the performing arts department at the upper school campus. Welcome back to Harker, Alex!
Catherine Chiu, now in medical school at UCSF, returned to the upper school with fellow former classmate Neelaysh Vukkadala (also a UCSF medical student) to lead an engaging suturing workshop for advanced science students at the end of April.
2011
In mid-March, upper school math teacher Victor Adler met up with 19 Harker alumni at Gather restaurant in Berkeley. The alumni in attendance were from the classes of 2011 and 2014.
2012
Rachelle Koch co- authored a research pa- per about a University of Chicago study in which participants were taught to identify piano notes by sound alone, demonstrating that absolute pitch can be a learned skill.
This new study was published by the scientific journal “Cognition.” See more at: http://news.uchicago. edu/article/2015/05/28/ acquiring-perfect-pitch- may-be-possible-some- adults#sthash.6I39ZNdx. a0eF7fet.dpuf.
2013
Maverick McNealy is getting serious attention for his golf game, though he says he’ll probably still go into business (sooner or later) after college! Recently there was a great KTVU (http://bit.ly/1J6zTjr) piece on him, and here are a couple of articles, both from the Wall Street Journal, on his plans and how his presence could affect the game. And, in breaking news as Harker Quarterly was about to go to press, Maverick won the Haskins Award for his stellar performance on the links as part of the Stanford golf team! This prestigious award is given to the top college player in golf. Read all about it: http://bit. ly/1Fq9shp. http://www.wsj.com/ articles/the-golfing- upstart-of-silicon- valley-1431125032 http://www.wsj.com/ articles/what-golf-needs-a- rival-for-rory-1428506420
Over spring break, some 2013 alums – Curran Shah, Kevin Susai, Rags Selvaraj, Neel Bhoopalam and Tiphaine Delepine – met up at USC. They had a blast catching up and meeting each other‘s new friends. Not pictured: Nick Chuang, Ragini Bhattacharya, Raghav Sehtia, Michael Amick and Adithram Rengaramchandran.
Cecilia Lang-Ree was named national champion in late May for Individual Advanced Walk-Trot-Canter at the national finals of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association in Springfield, Mass. She competed as an individual, representing Stanford University, where she’s a sophomore.
Drew Goldstein is now sporting an NCAA Championship ring following Duke University’s successful basketball season. Drew is team manager and helps throughout the season with game videos, sideline needs and equipment wrangling, all of which contributed to the team’s success. “It was great to watch him during and after a game,” said Butch Keller, upper school head. “We had a couple of text exchanges and he is so excited – as he should be!” Take a look at Drew’s sportscenter’s Instagram account; he is the red-haired guy on top of the pile! https://instagram. com/p/1KLr9GH_qZ/?taken- by=sportscenter.
Indu Seeni and Shreya Vemuri recently dropped by the alumni relations office for a visit. Indu is attending St. Bonaventure University in upstate New York, and Shreya is enrolled at Carnegie Mellon University. Both were home for spring break. Indu had just enjoyed lunch with classmate Jenny Chen. Shreya and Indu were friends from Harker’s middle school, and still keep in touch.
2014
Zina Jawadi was elected president of the Hearing Loss Association of America, California State Association (HLAA-CA). She has been HLAA-CA webmaster since July 2013 and served as HLAA-CA Facebook moderator from 2013 to 2014. Zina has interned at the UCSF Otology and Cochlear Implant Center and at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles. Zina is a three-time recipient of the United States President’s Volunteer Service Award, is the recipient of the 2014 HLAA Outstanding Young Adult Award, and was the founder of the Disability Awareness Program at Harker. Zina attends Stanford University.
2015
The Class of 2015 is already making news. Four of the 20 featured in Business In- sider’s story of the most impressive high school grads are from Harker! The Harker students included in the article are Samantha Madala, Rohith Kuditipudi, Andrew Jin and Daniela Lee. To see the full story: http://www.businessinsider. com/most-impressive-kids- graduating-from-high- school-2015-5?op=1.
Congratulations to the Class of 2015 on your graduation and welcome to the Alumni Association! We look forward to hearing updates from you!
This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
1972
Stephen Worsley is living and working abroad as a private traveling chef. Read all about it in the Alumni News section on page 57.
1976
Andre Woodvine wrote that he attended Harker Academy from 1973-76 and has fond memories of playing in the Harker band under musical director Dana Morgan. In 1976 his family immigrated to the Caribbean island of Barbados.
After initially studying for a career in sciences, Andre realized his abilities and love for music were stronger. In 1986 he earned a music degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston. Andre has released four albums of original Carib bean jazz, assisted in the creation of an associ ate degree of music program in Barbados, and regularly performs concerts in France and the Caribbean. “Follow your passions toward your own definition of success” is Andre’s advice to future musicians.
1989
Harker lower school math teacher Pat Walsh recently had the opportunity to reconnect with David Owens, whom he taught back in the fifth grade. Now David works as a grade 5 teacher himself, at Hall Middle School in Lark spur. “I’ve attached a photo of me with my wife, Karen, from our annual fifth grade Colonial Day. We co-teach two grade 5 classes. We currently live in San Francisco,” he said.
Since launching the Capri Sun Recycling Program in March 2014, the middle and upper school campuses have collected and shipped a combined total of about 70,000 Capri Sun containers for recycling.
The middle school’s Green Club began the program to keep Capri Sun drink containers out of landfills by using a service called TerraCycle, which collects and recycles materials that are difficult to recycle. The money generated from the effort was donated to environmental programs.
Points earned through the program by the middle school campus were used to make donations totaling nearly $1,000 to help fund 360 miles of trails built in national and state parks, eight acres of wildlife land adopted, 8 tons of carbon removed from the atmosphere and various green school initiatives, according to middle school mathematics teacher Margaret Huntley.
“We still have a bit left to donate,” she said. “Or we can use this money to further fund our own school-based green initiatives if we wish.”
Meanwhile, at the upper school, members of the Student Council took on Capri Sun recycling efforts. Council representatives reported that collections during the last school year had been going well, with at least several hundred dollars’ worth of funds now slated for future green efforts at Harker.
The Capri Sun Recycling Program is part of Harker’s recent overall schoolwide effort to “go green.”
This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
It’s official: The first group of Harker Preschool students to go on to attend kindergarten at the lower school are now rising grade 1 students. The young trailblazers now join the ranks of “big kids” on the Bucknall campus, paving the way for a new batch of preschoolers to matriculate to kindergarten come the start of the school year.
With kindergarten successfully behind them, the students have reached an important milestone by completing their initial year at the lower school.
“We were so proud to send our first group of preschoolers off to kindergarten. It has been so much fun to stop by and see them thriving in their K classrooms this year. I look forward to watching them grow for the next 12 years! In fact, I hope to be invited to tell fun stories of their preschool years at their high school graduation!” enthused Andrea Hart, director of Harker Preschool.
Going to kindergarten is an important life event that can leave preschoolers and their families feeling excited, as well as a bit worried, according to The National Association for the Education of Young Children, the world’s largest organization for early childhood educators.
To help ease the transition, Harker Preschool prides itself on its rich program, which prepares students to enter a kindergarten classroom. Classes utilize curriculum materials that align with those used in kindergarten, and their schedules follow many of the routines they can expect in a Harker kindergarten class.
Learning goals are achieved through teacher- directed experiences designed to expose children to school-age learning situations and expectations in a developmentally appropriate manner, explained Hart. And for the youngest kindergarten-eligible students (many of whom might require a bit more guidance) Harker Preschool offers a special transitional kindergarten program.
All of the preschool classrooms practice and develop important school-age social and emotional skills, including listening, following directions, waiting and sharing. Highly trained teachers are facilitators, observers and instructors for students. Teachers guide children through the enriching environment they have established by supporting, challenging and encouraging them to be sure they are thinking creatively and critically as they explore and learn.
Michelle Anderson, who teaches kindergarten at Harker, said having an on- campus preschool is extremely exciting for her kindergarten team. “We love the fact that we can articulate with the current preschool teachers about ways we can bridge the gap and make it a successful transition for each child who decides to continue on at Harker. The former preschool students made new friends and loved kindergarten, and now they are more than ready to enter first grade in the fall,” she said.
Former Harker Preschool student and recent kindergarten grad Spencer Mo said he enjoyed kindergarten at Harker because he could play Legos with his new best friends. “At Harker kindergarten, I learned how to be confident. I learned how to be nice to others and show respect,” he said.
When asked for his thoughts during the school year, Mo’s classmate Rishi Kutty said he liked being at the lower school for kindergarten because, “I play more outside games like soccer. I also like my language arts class where I can write stories.”
Other students said they enjoyed the wider variety of classes in kindergarten, like being able to take computers, P.E. and math lab. Former Harker Preschool student and recent kindergarten graduate Lauren Rossi said that what she loved best about kindergarten was science.
“In preschool we got to watch tadpoles turn into frogs. … In kindergarten we watched caterpillars turn into butterflies,” she recalled.
And, like those science class caterpillars that grew into butterflies, the former preschoolers (turned kindergartners, turned rising grade 1 students) are enjoying learning to spread their own wings as part of the Harker community.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
Crowds poured into The Mountain Winery in Saratoga. Students cheered for each other, parents snapped photos and the graduates marched in, their graduation caps proudly displaying the names of the colleges they’ll be attending in the fall.
As the excitement echoed throughout the outdoor amphitheater on May 23, Butch Keller, upper school head, walked up to the podium and greeted the audience, then the graduates.
“This has been correctly labeled a journey,” Keller said. “Take a deep breath. Enjoy this moment. This is a class that has achieved so much.”
But before taking the next steps on their journey, the Class of 2015 listened to poignant words about two things integral to their near-future: choice and fear.
Class valedictorian Samyukta Yagati spoke first, about the meaning of choice and its essential role in shaping not only where they have been but also where they will go.
“In some ways, it’s been a long four years,” Yagati said. “But also, incredibly short in other ways.”
Yagati began her speech by reminding her classmates to give thanks to each other for the support system that they created over the past four years. She then dove into the speech she crafted for her classmates, beginning with a quote from “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” by author J.K. Rowling.
“’It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities,’” she said to her classmates and the audience. “It’s only recently that I’ve had a chance to pay attention to the choices I’ve made,” Yagati continued. “We’ve made choices without noticing, choices that have brought us here today.”
From spending an hour on homework rather than with friends to schedules and studying, there is always a choice to be made, even if it goes unnoticed.
“We’ve all been making these trade-offs,” Yagati said.
She recalled a time that she made a choice, rather impulsively, to forgo academic work for a chance to paint an eagle for spirit week.
“There was nothing tangible to be gained and I don’t think it was a conscious choice,” Yagati said. “But I decided to try something new to me and this choice has reminded me to have fun.”
Amid academics and other responsibilities, it’s easy to forget to enjoy the moments, the friendships, she said.
“We all have learned to understand the meaning of conscious, deliberate choices,” Yagati said. “We are getting accustomed to getting to choose. That’s what growing up is all about.”
Hannah Allam, foreign affairs correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers, then gave the keynote address, discussing fear – what it should and shouldn’t be within their futures.
“This is your time. This is it. The day you were waiting for. Right here, right now, and I’m incredibly humbled to be here,” Allam said to the audience at the ceremony, which marked her first graduation keynote address.
Allam began by asking the question, “Who are Harker students? Mysterious millennials? Who are they really?”
The seasoned reporter did what came naturally to her prior to writing her speech: she did her homework. Between Googling Harker and doing some social reconnaissance via Harker tweets and a Skype session with students, the answers to her initial questions began to unfold.
“It painted a picture of brilliant, renaissance, self-assured students,” she said.
A common theme and experience also emerged in her Harker research: fear.
“Even here among the high-achieving students, [there is] the fear of what comes next,” Allam said. “I understood that.”
Allam shared how she initially felt when she was named bureau chief at the age of 27. She had the realization that it was both an opportunity to make her parents proud as well as a chance to “blow it.”
“I’d say, it’s OK to be scared,” Allam said to the graduates. “Just don’t let fear paralyze you. Don’t let the fear of failing trump the joy of a challenge. Even you will expect setbacks but it keeps you humble and lights a fire under you.”
This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
Like many Harker graduates before them, members of the Class of 2015 walked up the center of the upper school quad on May 21, while family, friends, faculty and staff welcomed them with a standing ovation to their baccalaureate ceremony.
Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs, warmly welcomed the audience and introduced Cantilena, which kicked off the ceremony with a rendition of “For Good,” directed by Susan Nace. This was promptly followed by The Harker String Ensemble’s rendition of “Andante Festivo,” directed by Chris Florio.
Baccalaureate services are thought to have originated at the University of Oxford in 1432. At that time, each student was required to give a sermon in Latin as well as a musical and/or dramatic performance as part of the academic requirement.
“No doubt the ceremony has evolved since,” said Butch Keller, upper school head, to the graduates. “Our speeches are now spoken in English. And the presence of the juniors is indicative of the send off and their readying to take your place.”
Keller then introduced math teacher Mary Mortlock, who gave the faculty farewell to the students who would be graduating just days later.
“Mary is innovative and always looking for new ways to teach students, many times with food,” Keller quipped.
“This Saturday is a time for your parents; however, today is your day,” Mortlock said to the soon-to-be graduates. “Look at the past but also look to the future.”
She emphasized that the students should make decisions, and keep trying and going up to bat … just because.
“You are now part of the whole world,” Mortlock said. “Whatever you do now is just because.”
Mortlock insisted that students look to the future, make decisions that are out of their comfort zones and above all else, not get hung up on disappointments. She shared that when she was a student, she jumped out of an airplane six times – with a parachute, of course.
“Be grateful, be confident, be nervous and be yourself,” she said. “Dust yourself off and start all over again … just because.”
The true “moment” of the night, however, came when this year’s student baccalaureate speaker, Ethan Ma, stepped up to the podium. “The Native Americans have the Bear Dance to welcome the spring, but here at Harker, we have baccalaureate,” Ma said.
The graduating senior began his speech with an anecdote about coming to Harker in first grade. The young Ma had been proudly sporting a “rat tail” hairstyle, which he said was the “light of his life.” But, according to Harker’s dress code, boys were not allowed to have hair past the shoulders.
At this point, the young Ma looked at his mother and asked if he could be a girl, but was met with a “no.” The two came to a compromise that made sense to both at the time.
“Mama would be cutting my rat tail but, on my 18th birthday, she would put the hair back on my head with her fairy powers, which I believed in at the time,” Ma said, a smile on his face.
He went on to share that indeed, on his 18th birthday, his mother presented him with his beloved lock, but upon inspection, he found it to be a withered version of his memory of it. And, although the two watched it for some time, the rat tail did not reattach itself to Ma’s head.
“We must be stewards of history,” he told the audience. “ We keep the memories alive within us. And through it all, remember to share your joys and sorrows with each other.”
This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
Good morning. I would like to welcome the board of trustees, administration, faculty, staff, parents, friends and family, alumni and the true guests of honor, the graduating Class of 2015. Each year, I have the privilege of saying a few words of farewell to our graduates. Like most graduation speeches, my talk takes the form of advice, such as “Dare to Lose Your Mind” or “Be Like Curious George.” Since my talk is the only remaining formality between you and your diploma, I will continue the tradition of confining my remarks to one page of single-space, size-12 font. I will continue, however, to make no promises about the size of my margins. I am not above manipulating the spacing between my lines either.
Today I want to make you aware of a way of life that will not guarantee success, happiness and overall good hygiene. That way of life is the philosophical life. I studied philosophy at the greatest university in the world, Boston University, which, by the way, is located in Boston. You might be familiar with some other minor universities located in that area. At Boston University I chose the very practical degree of English literature with a minor in philosophy. Upon graduation I put this practicality to use by applying for my first job as a sales associate at Foot Locker in Harvard Square. During my interview, for some reason I thought it important to share with the hiring manager my true love for philosophy. I confessed that had I discovered philosophy earlier, I would have majored in it instead of only minoring. For some reason I didn’t get the job.
So my advice for you today is not from the 1982 song by Olivia Newton-John, “Let’s Get Physical,” recently re-popularized by cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester on the hit TV show “Glee”; rather, despite its inability to promise fame, glory or even Facebook likes, my advice is “Let’s get philosophical.” By “Let’s get philosophical” I mean, think deeply about the meaning of life, your purpose, the big picture, human nature and why we are all here. Don’t be afraid to ask deep questions, like “Who am I?” or “Why do Americans eat so much cereal?” Don’t just think outside the box, but ask why there is a cereal box in the first place.
Although we cannot promise any practical results from this way of life, philosophy is not without what philosophers and economists call “utility.” The Economist magazine, in its article “Philosopher Kings,” says that business leaders would do well to look inward instead of outward and that a surprising number of CEOs studied philosophy. The online magazine salon.com, in its article “Be Employable, Study Philosophy,” says in its tagline that philosophy teaches you how to think, which is useful in any type of work. Plato famously believed that philosophers, after training in both theoretical and practical matters, make the best rulers.
Besides these practical considerations, there is serious intrinsic value to studying philosophy too, as it will deepen your life or any pursuit you have. Philosophy can make it more difficult for you to be fooled, because you will recognize the roots of any so-called new trend or idea. Consider the ancient Greek slave and stoic philosopher Epictetus’ aphorism about the power of thought: “Men are disturbed not by the things which happen, but by the opinions about the things.” Epictetus saw this centuries before the more recent trends of positive psychology. Philosophy can also give you perspective. Here is the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, a real-life philosopher king: “Consider both how quickly all things that are, are forgotten, and what an immense chaos of eternity was before, and will follow after all things.” Now perhaps I am morbid, but I find that sentiment extremely uplifting!
A caveat, however, for your pursuit of philosophy: Don’t expect any satisfactory answers. The beauty of philosophy is in asking the questions, not finding the answers. The great Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti dedicated his life’s work to the notion that “Truth is a pathless land.” Similarly the Buddha, the most psychological and philosophical of all the religious thinkers, advised his students to “Place no head above your own,” meaning to trust your raw experience over any doctrine.
Another caveat: Don’t take your own thought too seriously. In Douglas Adams’ modern classic “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” a supercomputer named “Deep Thought” takes seven and a half million years to calculate “The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.” The supercomputer eventually spits out the answer everyone is waiting for, and that answer, according to Deep Thought, is the number 42. Even though this answer sent generations of numerologists on a hunt to understand why 42 is central to the universe, Douglas Adams himself said he just randomly chose an ordinary number. The 20th century philosopher Alan Watts reminds us that, “Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.”
To conclude, have fun with philosophy and life. Think deeply but do not take yourself or your thought too seriously. Philosophy means the love of wisdom. At the end of the day, philosophy is not really limited to an academic subject – the love of wisdom is the love of life itself. If you “get philosophical,” you will not only begin to know yourself, but you will also begin to know life and all of the beauty and depth that you and the world hold. Thank you.
Programming includes the event’s keynote and alumni speakers. New episodes will air monthly starting with entrepreneur Dr. Suhas Patil and data scientist Dr. DJ Patil, followed by climate scientist Dr. James McClintock, and wrapping up with Harker alumna and entrepreneur Shabnam Aggarwal.
CreaTV also will air the 2015 Harker Research Symposium on its new Bay Voice Channel (cable channel 27 in Atherton, Campbell, Cupertino, East Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Menlo Park, Milpitas, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Stanford University and Sunnyvale) on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. starting in July.