The Business Insider named Harker the second “smartest” private school in the country on its list of the top 50. According to the article, Niche.com “determined the bulk of the rankings by weighing each school’s composite SAT/ACT score, the average score of the colleges attended by graduates, and the percentage of graduates who go on to attend a four-year college.” We confirmed with Niche that the composite SAT/ACT scores are based on scores reported by students and are not verified. Read more about Niche’s methodology and the full Business Insider story. Go academic Eagles!
Shortly after their arrival at the San Francisco International Airport, 23 students from the World Foreign Language Middle School (WFLMS) in Shanghai, China, were welcomed by their Harker middle school buddies.
This year, Harker students enthusiastically greeted their WFLMS buddies at the airport, adding to the excitement of their Jan. 26 arrival. They then spent the day together at the California Academy of Sciences before returning to Harker. After the school day ended, the Harker students took their pals to their respective homestays to live with their families until their departure on Feb. 2.
“The kids had a fantastic time! As we gathered to say our goodbyes, several families told me that they were really going to miss their guests. Our students asked me several times how soon we will be leaving for our visit to China,” recalled Jennifer Walrod, Harker’s director of global education.
Harker student Jai Bahri, grade 7, said that having his buddy stay with him was a wonderful experience. “I learned a lot about my buddy and in such a short amount of time, we got to know each other extraordinarily well.”
Arjun Kilaru, grade 8, said, “The best memory [was] when I took him to a burger joint. He had a half-pound burger with a lot on it and he ate it all for his first time!”
Harker’s relationship with the school in the People’s Republic of China began in 2003 and is the first of its kind. The visiting students were accompanied by several chaperones (all teachers at WFLMS). They were welcomed to Harker and officially introduced during a meeting at the middle school.
Harker students and their WFLMS buddies had been corresponding since the fall. On March 25, a contingent of Harker students headed to China as part of the annual reciprocal exchange program, which is a highlight of the middle school experience for many grade 7 and 8 students.
While here, the exchange students enjoyed going on a number of field trips, including touring the campus at Stanford University and visiting the Tech Museum in San Jose. They also observed and attended several middle school classes, including history, art, drama and dance.
Other fun activities included a scavenger hunt on the middle school campus, making Native American dream catchers and doing a Chinese paper cutting activity with students at the lower school. The WFLMS students’ visit ended with a viewing of the upper school dance show followed by a fun farewell party.
Upper school vocal group Bel Canto earned an “Excellent” rating at the California Music Educators Association’s Choral Festival in mid-March. The students were evaluated based on criteria including sound quality, technique, musicality and how they expressed song lyrics. They also were shown a short piece of music and given five minutes to learn and perform it for the judges.
“This festival was a really great venue for the students to learn about working toward a collective goal, which is to create a beautiful sound and musical expressiveness as a group,” said upper school music teacher Jennifer Sandusky, who directs Bel Canto. Because groups are not permitted to sing pieces that showcase one performer, the togetherness of the group is especially important. “The achievements they made were because each one of these singers worked together and supported each other.”
An added benefit of appearing at the festival was that it provided valuable experience in performing outside Harker. “After singing for months in my tiny room that isn’t acoustically designed for singing, they had to adjust to hearing themselves in a large auditorium with a concert grand piano supporting them,” Sandusky said. “For the first time, they were able to experience the music in a beautiful concert space, and they had to adjust balance, blend and performance energy accordingly without any rehearsal time in the space.”
Upper school members of the Japanese National Honor Society (JNHS) recently held a fundraiser, at which they sold takoyaki (a Japanese snack), candies and shaved ice, to raise money to help Tohoku earthquake survivors rebuild their lives. Students raised $223.98 in the sale, which was held after school in late February.
“The JNHS students worked really hard on the fundraiser during Japan Week. They practiced making takoyaki during a long lunch prior to the event in my classroom,” said Yumiko Aridomi, JNHS advisor and upper school Japanese language teacher.
Aridomi, who was born and raised in Osaka, Japan, recalled how the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami created both a humanitarian and economic crises in Japan, with over 300,000 refugees in the region.
In addition to the fundraiser, Aridomi reported that some students in her Japanese program participated in the Tohoku Update project to further support relief efforts. Called “Tohoku Update 2015, The Next Generation,” the program has been sponsored by the Japanese American Museum in San Jose for the past four years since disaster struck.
During the program, several groups of students from Tohoku paired with high school students from Harker, Los Gatos High School and the Wesley Church to work on projects to help bring awareness and tourism back to the Tohuku region. The event featured student presentations and an interactive Q&A session, with the Tohoku groups being included live via Skype.
The JNHS recognizes and encourages scholastic achievement and excellence in Japanese study by working with teachers and administrators to develop and maintain high standards of Japanese language education and by promoting cultural activities.
Over the weekend of March 14-15, the Willow Glen Thunder National Junior Basketball team, which features grade 6 students Hunter Hernandez, Courtni Thompson and Dylan Williams and is co-coached by Hunter’s father, Sam Hernandez, took home the NJB All-Net National Championship! The team was undefeated the entire weekend, using a fast-paced play style, rock-solid defense and perimeter shooting to finish with a 16-1 overall record on the season. The three girls also were part of the Harker JVB basketball team that earned the league championship a few weeks ago!
That same weekend, Freddy Hoch, grade 4, and Om Tandon and Justin Chao, both grade 3, who play for the NJB Saratoga D3 All-Star team, helped their squad win the Silicon Valley Championship. They will play in the All-Star championship tournament this weekend in Anaheim. Wish them luck!
Ten members of the new-last-year Technology Student Association (TSA) club traveled to Bakersfield for the TSA State Conference and came home with plenty to talk about!
At the conference, students competed in a variety of individual and team events, all incorporating future technology. The competitive event topics range from essay writing to architecture and fashion design to teaching. This year, despite being the smallest group attending – one school brought 60 students – Harker students were awarded five first-place medals, two second-place medals and two third-place medals. Some students competed in more than one event.
In the end, every student came home with at least one medal, and club president, Sophia Luo, grade 11, earned multiple first place awards. In addition, Karen Qi, grade 11, was elected as a state officer.
This is especially impressive because until now, the founding California TSA school (Diamond Bar High School near Los Angeles) had held all state positions. “All in all, a remarkable achievement,” said advisor and upper school math teacher Tony Silk. “Last year we cracked open the TSA door; this year, we have it wide open.”
Based on their achievements, all 10 students qualified for the National TSA Conference, which takes place this summer in Dallas. If you see any of these students, be sure to congratulate them! Participants were Eric Cheung, Craig Neubieser, Eric Wang, all grade 12; Cynthia Hao, Kevin Ke, Sophia Luo, Karen Qi, Belinda Yan, all grade 11; Adrian Chu, Randy Zhao, both grade 9.
In early March, the upper school’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) Club hosted a week of fun activities in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (as well as queer and questioning) communities.
The week kicked off with a GSA video presentation, shown at the upper school’s regular Monday school meeting. The video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLkc9Eho0Vk) showcased an interview with four of the upper school’s gay and lesbian teachers: Donna Gilbert, history and social science department chair; Karl Kuehn, dance director; Jeffrey Draper, performing arts teacher; and Abel Olivas, Spanish teacher and modern and classical languages department chair.
The next day, the GSA held a fundraiser during extra help periods and after school, selling rainbow bracelets and Hobee’s famous blueberry coffee cake, donated by the gay owner of the popular local restaurant chain. Proceeds were directed toward a local youth support group called “Outlet.” Founded in 1997, Outlet (http://www.acs-teens.org/what-we-do/outlet/) empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth, and builds safe and accepting communities through support, education and advocacy.
“The community was generous and supportive, and because of that, we’ll be able to make a nice donation to Outlet to support the great work they do,” said Olivas, who serves as an advisor to the GSA, one of more than 30 clubs started by Harker’s upper school students.
On Wednesday, GSA members asked the Harker community to pick up a free rainbow sticker in front of Manzanita Hall during the long lunch and to wear it for the remainder of the day to show their support for the cause, and particularly for Harker’s own LGBT students and faculty. At noon on the same day, GSA sponsored a salsa lesson in the dance room, inviting participants to bring a dance partner of either gender.
All of the events were consistent with the GSA’s mission to raise awareness about the LGBT community and promote acceptance of a group that adds to the rich diversity of both Harker and the larger society, Olivas explained.
Kuehn, who also advises the GSA, said he was very pleased with GSA week. “I’ve received numerous compliments regarding the video shown at the school meeting, and had a great time selling baked goods and bracelets after school. It has been an honor to work with students so committed to giving back to the community. When I was in high school, we did not have a GSA club, so getting involved and interacting with students, while promoting awareness and education, has been very rewarding,” he said.
Harker student Jenny Bourke, grade 11, is one the group’s eight members. “I feel that the success with which we sold our cake and bracelets was the highlight of the week. We raised $450!” she enthused.
“I am very grateful to work in an environment that celebrates diversity and honors the full interests and education of our students,” added Kuehn.
The final concert of The Harker Concert Series’ fifth season, featuring the Afiara Quartet, was a special one. Returning to Nichols Hall auditorium after their first performance in 2012, the Canada-based group of elite players arrived with some special guests and surprises in store for the sizable crowd.
Afiara are an animated group of performers, an asset they employed throughout the flowing peaks and valleys of Anton Webern’s “Langsamer Satz,” moving in time with its contours and varying intensities, their expressiveness evoking Webern’s striking imagery. It proved equally effective as they frolicked through the opening movement of Haydn’s “String Quartet No. 37,” its darting melodies conjuring a bucolic atmosphere. The entire quartet took flight in the brisk final movement, effortlessly navigating the wilderness of complex harmonies.
This concert was part of a four-day residency during which the members of Afiara worked with Harker students, visiting the lower and middle school campuses in addition to preparing the students of the Harker String Quartet for a special sit-in performance. Joined by seniors Helen Wu and Eugene Gil on violin, Matthew Huang on cello and Austin Lai on viola, Afiara and company launched into the first movement of Felix Mendelssohn’s “Octet in E-Flat Major.” The students’ presence was immediate from the opening notes, the ensemble’s sound full, robust and locked in, especially during the more frenzied sections of the piece.
“We all had a lot of fun,” Wu said during the intermission. “It was one of those performances that was really energizing. I think their abilities definitely bolstered us up and I definitely think we improved as a quartet because of their being here.”
“One thing we immediately realized is that playing with them is so much fun,” Huang added. “We never really had that kind of experience, playing with a professional quartet. And they really did bring out the spirit in the music for us.”
Mendelssohn made another appearance on the evening’s program as Afiara came back from the break, sliding into the delicate harmonies of his “String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor,” which gave way to a significant tonal and rhythmic shift, as violinist Valerie Li picked up and ran with the Adagio’s tortured melody. A more subdued second movement followed as Afiara’s bodily movement slowed to match the mood and pace. The somewhat light-hearted Intermezzo, featuring some of the evening’s most enjoyable playing, was countered by the fury of the Presto movement, performed with both passion and mastery.
The extended standing ovation that followed was rewarded with an encore, an unexpected but fascinating rendition of “The Enemy Guns” by indie folk rockers DeVotchKa. The song, which recalled Romani folk music and Ennio Morricone, was well-suited to the quartet’s talents, in particular the latent whistling skills of violinist Timothy Kantor.
Four Harker students were recently named national winners in this year’s Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, earning a total of five medals. Kaity Gee, grade 11, won a gold medal for her piece in the Flash Fiction category, titled “If I Have a Daughter.” Harker’s other gold-medal winner, Suzy Lou, grade 12, won in Poetry for “Searching for Strongly Regular Graphs.”
Andrew Rule, grade 10, won two silver medals for his short stories “Abbeyman Funerary and Post-Mortem Services” and “The Cellar-Keepers’ Tale.” Meilan Steimle, also grade 10, picked up a silver medal for “Differentiating Equations” in the Personal Essay/Memoir category.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have brought attention to the work of young creative minds for nearly a century. Notable past recipients include Sylvia Plath, Andy Warhol, Truman Capote and Joyce Carol Oates. More than 300,000 submissions were reviewed for this year’s awards, for which the top 5-7 percent were considered for national recognition.
It was a busy week for Harker sports, as swim teams, a tennis team, a volleyball team, the softball team, the baseball team, the lacrosse team, a golf team, and the track and field squad all played games!
Swimming
The girls crushed Crystal Springs 112-44 and defeated Mercy-Burlingame 107-80 in last week’s opener. Junior Angela Huang qualified for CCS in the 50 Free with a time of 25.47, while freshman Vivian Wang qualified in the 100 Free (54.51) and 200 Free (1:59.21). The girls also qualified in the 200 IM relay with a time of 1:58.47 thanks to great swims by freshman Taylor Kohlmann, junior Grace Guan, Huang and Wang. For the boys, senior Aaron Huang qualified for CCS in his two individual events, the 100 Breast (1:01.53) and 200 IM (2:01.55).
Other highlights included senior Delaney Martin dropping more than 22 seconds from time in the 500 Free, sophomore Catherine Huang tying for second in the JV 50 Free with her all-time best of 36.94, and freshman Shikar Solanki swimming his personal best in the JV 100 Free with a time of 1:03.92. Our swimmers compete next at Sacred Heart Prep.
Track and Field
The track team posted many personal bests in the K-Bell Invitational last Saturday at Los Gatos. Freshman Anthony Contreras and senior Allen Huang each dropped their 100m times and continue to rank in the top 10 in the league. Contreras also won his 200m race by a whopping 20m. Sophomore Winnie Li and freshman Gloria Guo each ran seasonal bests in the 100m hurdles and the 800m, and Li added a personal best in the 100m. Sophomore Davis Dunaway posted his best-ever marks in the 65m hurdles and the triple jump, while junior Lev Sepetov ran a strong fifth in his 800m race, posting a season’s best of 2:20. The boys 400m relay team opened with a very fast 49.12 race, good enough for second place in their heat. The team participates in their first league meet this Wednesday at Bellarmine. Some of the group will also race in the St. Francis Invitational next Saturday.
Tennis
The boys team extended its undefeated streak to eight matches to start the season with victories over Pinewood and Priory last week. They’ll look to stretch that mark to 10 when they travel to Crystal Springs and Sacred Heart this week.
Volleyball
The boys won their season opener against Oak Grove in four games last week but lost a tough five-set match against ECP Friday in their league opener. Junior Kurt Schwartz had 16 kills in the win over Oak Grove. They’ll host Los Gatos on Wednesday.
Softball
Softball defeated Mercy-SF last week but fell to 3-2 overall after losses to strong King’s Academy and Alvarez teams. Freshman Kristin LeBlanc had two hits against Mercy and junior Marita Del Alto pitched very well throughout the week.
Baseball
Baseball lost to Mills twice last week to open league play, evening up their record at 3-3 overall. Junior Miles DeWitt went three for three on Thursday with two RBI’s and a triple. The team plays Westmoor and Lynbrook this week.
Golf
The boys are still undefeated in league after a 187-208 win over King’s Academy last week. They face league rival Menlo twice this week.
Lacrosse
The girls lacrosse team lost to Sacred Heart Cathedral Friday by the score of 12-7. They’ll travel to play Woodside on Wednesday, then return home to host Carlmont on Friday.