Andy Fang ’10, co-founder of the Palo Alto based on-demand food delivery startup DoorDash, was included on Forbes magazine’s prestigious “30 Under 30” list of young movers and shakers in the consumer tech category.
DoorDash (www.doordash.com) hires its own drivers to offer home delivery from restaurants unable to provide such service. In just two years, 22-year-old Fang, a Stanford graduate with a degree in computer science, and business partner Stanley Tang, have raised an impressive $19.7 million in startup funding. DoorDash now serves five major metropolitan areas.
A leading source for reliable business news and financial information, Forbes is well known for its annual lists and rankings. The 30 Under 30 list (http://www.forbes.com/30under30/#/) prides itself on predicting the brightest and most ambitious young adults to watch in the coming year.
The 2015 categories include venture capital, enterprise technology, consumer technology, sports, social entrepreneurs, science, retail, music, media, marketing, manufacturing, law, entertainment, health care, games, food, finance, energy, education and art. More than 600 millennials were featured on the lists, with Silicon Valley at the forefront of startup culture.
Fang, a former Harker Quarterly cover boy (having been featured in a graduation photo in the summer 2010 edition), said he is honored to have been selected. “I’m grateful for my friends and family for helping me get to this point and glad to have the support of the Harker community!”
If any readers know of other Harker alumni to have made the Forbes lists that we may have overlooked, please bring them to our attention by writing News@harker.org.
Registration for Harker’s 2015 summer programs is now open, giving K-grade 5, middle school and high school students a huge variety of summertime opportunities for academics, sports and just plain fun!
For students in K-grade 5, Harker’s Summer Camp+ offers a comprehensive program of morning academics and afternoon activities. Core Focus for grades 1-5 presents a variety of classes in math and language arts. For grade 1-5 students interested in the literary arts, Learning Opportunities in Literature (LOL) is a unique experience built around a central theme. Camp+’s youngest participants can enjoy a unique learning experience at KinderCamp, which includes language and math instruction in specially designed classrooms, followed by age-appropriate afternoon activities. New this year is an art and music program for grades 2-5, which will include an artist’s studio and an orchestra, a rock band and songwriting workshops.
Students in grades 6-12 will find a wealth of options at Harker’s Summer Institute, whether they are looking to get a head start on the school year or simply enhance their learning experiences outside the usual curriculum. Middle and high school students will have access to several for-credit courses in subjects such as algebra, geometry and economics. For-credit elective courses in programming and advanced programming are available to students in grades 9-12. Students interested in enhancing their knowledge of a specific subject will find opportunities in math, science, writing and more through the Summer Institute’s enrichment courses.
Harker’s world-renowned English Language Institute (ELI) brings top-level English instruction to international students every year. ELI is tailored to many skill levels and is designed to offer a nurturing environment to students looking to improve their language skills or prepare for admission to American boarding schools and English-speaking international schools. Small class sizes and experienced teachers help students develop speaking, reading and writing skills to ensure their readiness.
For student athletes, Harker’s sports camps are a great way to learn a new sport, prepare for an upcoming season or simply have fun on the field or in the gym. Harker’s experienced coaches will conduct camps for basketball, soccer, volleyball, water polo, wrestling and TRX training in a fun and positive environment. This year, The Harker School will also host a weeklong San Francisco Giants Baseball Camp at the middle school campus.
Finally, the Harker Swim School helps participants fully enjoy one of summer’s quintessential activities. Available to swimmers of virtually every age and skill level, the swim school teaches everything from basic strokes to advanced competitive swimming techniques, all at the beautiful Singh Aquatic Center on Harker’s upper school campus.
For more information about Harker’s summer programs, including schedules and pricing, visit http://summer.harker.org.
The College Board recently announced that Albert Zhao ‘14 was one of only 15 students world wide who got perfect scores on their AP Microeconomics exams, taken in spring 2014. AP Exams are graded on a scale of one to five, with five being the top score, but Zhao went a step further, earning every point possible on the examination, answering every multiple choice question correctly and earning full points on the free-response section of the exam.
The notification letter from the College Board, which administers the tests, noted that only 285 students worldwide received perfect scores across all AP exams and applauded Harker’s ability to engage students and enable them to thrive while studying at a college level.
Last year Harker had an unprecedented 11 perfect scores by 10 students (one had perfect scores on two exams!). We’re proud to see Zhao on this year’s list of perfect scores. Go Academic Eagles!
This article was first printed in the Summer 2014 Harker Quarterly
The San José City Council honored The Harker School at the Dec. 9, 2014 council meeting for “dedication to environmental stewardship and successful implementation of the wet/dry collection program.” Chris Nikoloff, head of school, along with the teachers who spearheaded the new wet/dry initiative – Katherine Schafer, Diana Moss, Gerry-louise Robinson, Enni Chen and Margaret Huntley – accepted the recognition on behalf of the school. The real payoff is that, thanks to the entire school’s efforts, Republic Services reports that Harker’s diversion of waste from landfill has gone from 15 percent to 70 percent. To read more about Harker’s wet/dry program see Harker Quarterly, Summer 2014, page 16.
DECA has been busy! A Harker team was named the middle school global winner in the DECA Idea Challenge 2014! A featured event of Global Entrepreneurship Week, the DECA Idea Challenge 2014 dared elementary through college students to find an innovative, feasible and sustainable new use for newspaper in just eight days.
Teams of three to four students pitched their invention in YouTube videos demonstrating creativity, innovation and critical-thinking skills in repurposing newspaper. They also were judged on their ability to work effectively as a team and to effectively communicate results. Ethan Choi, Ajay Madala and Andrew Chavez, all grade 6, designed a pencil pouch, which they enthusiastically demonstrated in their video
Competition was tight, with more than 1,700 entries this year from Canada, South Korea, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. A global win is a huge feather in the cap of Harker’s middle school team!
Finish Line Challenge Finalists
There is even more good news. Harker also has a team in the finals of the DECA 2014-2015 Finish Line Challenge. Glenn Reddy, grade 12, and Logan Drazovich, grade 11, are one of only three teams in the finals of this real-world challenge.
Participants assisted Finish Line, a retail shoe chain, by analyzing the company’s strategies for marketing across mobile technology, the Internet, social media, offline media and in-store experiences.
Participants developed recommendations and created a video to present their findings. Finish Line executives reviewed participants’ videos and named the three finalists. Here is the Harker finalist entry.
Reddy and Drazovich will travel to Finish Line’s corporate headquarters in Indianapolis in late February or early March, where they will present their research and recommendations for improving current strategies to Finish Line executives.
The winning team will be awarded an all expense-paid trip to DECA’s International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Fla., in April.
“We are excited for Glenn and Logan to be traveling in the coming weeks to present their research to the Finish Line executive management team,” said Juston Glass, director of Harker’s business and entrepreneurship program.
Go Harker DECA Eagles!
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.
Each fall, grade 7 students enjoy a fun-filled Southwestern adventure on the middle school’s annual national parks trip.
This school year was no exception. From viewing the unique red rock formations in Utah and Arizona to experiencing the incredible hiking trails of the Grand Canyon, the students learned firsthand about the American Southwest.
The first stop on the trip was Montzuma Castle National Monument, located 50 miles south of Flagstaff, Ariz., reported Lana Morrison, middle school dean of students. While there, students and chaperones listened to a Navajo presentation before heading to nearby Sedona for some hiking.
The next day’s adventure began with a visit to Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim, where students participated in an organized trust walk (listening to directions while walking with eyes closed). “Students were blindfolded while they walked from the parking lot to the rim,” Morrison recalled. “With one hand on the backpack in front of them and the other on a rope, Harker chaperones provided step-by-step and turn-by-turn directions. Upon arriving at the rim, Harker chaperones counted to three for students to take off their blindfolds and see the Grand Canyon together as a group. I noticed many of the foreign tourists watching us seemed more amazed by this activity than the majestic Grand Canyon!”
Another trip highlight was a tour of Monument Valley, known to many as “the eighth wonder of the world.” Monument Valley, located in Southeast Utah, has been a significant place for centuries, and houses ruins that some believe to belong to the mysterious Anasazi people who disappeared from the area hundreds of years ago. The area is also notable for the fact that it is not a national park, but rather a Navajo park.
Monument Valley became an icon in the late 1930s, thanks to valley resident Henry Goulding (owner and founder of Goulding’s Lodge), Morrison explained. Goulding heard about a new Western movie being made in Hollywood and decided that the valley should be the location. Acclaimed film director John Ford agreed, and the film “Stagecoach,” starring John Wayne, showed the majesty of Monument Valley to the world. The iconic buttes and open sky continued to be emblematic of the American Southwest, and can been seen in movies such as “Forrest Gump,” “Cars,” “The Lone Ranger” and “A Million Ways to Die in the West.”
After leaving Monument Valley, the contingent drove to nearby Moonlight Springs Ranch, which is owned by the Holiday family. Members of the Holiday family taught the group about “The Navajo Way,” as part of a special program for Harker students.
“During our stay, we learned how to make delicious tasting fry bread and created sand paintings. Members of the Holiday family also sang traditional Navajo songs and danced with some of our students and chaperones. At the end of the ceremony, the eldest member of the family chanted a blessing for the rest of our trip and travel back to San Jose,” recalled Morrison.
On the final day of the trip, the seventh graders spent time in Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park, where students and chaperones alike marveled at the world-famous Hoodoos (pillars of rock formed by erosion).
The trip ended with the now close-knit group traveling to Zion National Park before packing up for their return flight back home. The grade 7 visit to the national parks of the Southwest was one of several weeklong middle school class trips held during the fall. Grade 6 went to the Santa Cruz Mountains and grade 8 traveled to Washington, D.C.
The much-anticipated Jan. 16 arrival of grade 10 students to the lower school campus signaled the start of two beloved annual Harker happenings: the schoolwide Pajama Day Assembly and grade 3 Eagle Buddies get-together.
The sophomore students participated in the assembly as part of the Eagle Buddies program. Held in the gym, the event celebrated a grade 3 service project in which students collected items to donate to the Pajama Program (www.pajamaprogram.org), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing new sleepwear and books to kids waiting to be adopted.
For the past eight years, to make life a bit better for children living in local shelters, the lower school has donated countless pairs of pajamas and boxes of books to the program. While the final numbers for this year’s drive are still being tallied, last year’s drive collected 2,000 pairs of pajamas and 2,400 books, according to representatives of the Pajama Program’s local chapter.
Although the drive was primarily a grade 3 effort, all elementary school families were invited to participate by dropping off items in the gym’s lobby. Prior to the assembly, Ken Allen, lower school dean of students, urged parents to encourage their children to bring a pair of never worn pajamas or a new book to donate to the program, noting that each “small donation will go a long way for someone that is less fortunate.”
The assembly occurred on a special dress pajama day, when all the students and faculty were encouraged to wear their favorite jammies to school. The program got underway with Butch Keller, upper school head, reading from the book “The Most Magnificent Thing” by award-winning author and illustrator Ashley Spires. Students enjoyed hearing to story, and seemed equally enthralled with seeing Keller donned in a comfy robe and slippers, seated in a rocking chair on the stage.
“Raise your hand if you brought a book for your Eagle Buddy to read,” said Keller, after he finished the story. A bunch of eager hands went up. Shortly after, the third grade students had the opportunity to read with their upper school Eagle Buddies, who had also been encouraged to bring items to donate to the Pajama Program.
Wearing a colorful assortment of robes, pajamas, slippers and snuggly knit hats, the grade 3 students and their big buddies then headed outdoors for a pizza lunch, socializing and field games.
“I have a little sister at home, so I am used to being around younger kids. However, it is always the same group of younger kids – her friends – so I really liked getting to know a totally new group of lower school students through this program,” said grade 10 Eagle Buddy Kshithija Mulam.
Her grade 3 pal, Alisha Jain, said “I like hanging out with my buddies. I really liked doing the relay races together. That was a lot of fun.”
Jain’s other buddy, sophomore Vienna Wang, observed that “being an Eagle Buddy is a great stress reliever. You get to act like a kid again!”
Keller created the Eagle Buddies program to help bridge the upper and lower school campus divide. The buddies stay together for three years, until the sophomores graduate and the third graders matriculate into middle school.
Another Eagle Buddies activity is slated for Jan. 29, when the juniors will host their fourth grade friends for “clown day” at the upper school. After eating lunch in the gym together, the students will watch a performance by professional clowns and even get to try a few clown tricks themselves.
The varsity boys are 5-1-1 overall after an undefeated week in which they triumphed over Crystal Springs and ECP. Junior Omar Hamade leads the team in goals so far with 10 in seven games, while senior Alan Guo leads the team in assists. The future is also bright for the junior varsity squad, which has five wins in seven games. The girls, meanwhile, lost to both Menlo and Sacred Heart last week. The teams play Friday in their annual Kicks Against Cancer games. The boys will host Priory, while the girls will play Notre Dame.
Wrestling
While the wrestlers lost as a team to Santa Clara last week, 36-30, they did earn five victories by pin. Their next competition is Thursday at Blackford, where they will play Milpitas at 4:30pm.
Basketball
Eighteen points from sophomore Jordan Thompson and 9 points from freshman Elizabeth Beamish weren’t enough for the girls to defeat a tough Mercy-Burlingame team. They will look to rebound against Priory on Friday. The boys are also in the midst of a tough stretch, losing to both Sacred Heart Prep and Pinewood last week to fall to 8-6 overall. They will hit the road to take on Priory on Friday as well.
Today Society for Science & the Public announced that Harker seniors Andrew Jin, Rohith Kuditipudi and Steven Wang were named finalists in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), making Harker the only school in the country with three finalists. This also breaks Harker’s previous record of two finalists, set in 2011. Harker has now produced a total of nine finalists since it began participating in the Intel STS during the 2005-06 school year, when Yi Sun ’06 took second place nationally.
Jin, Kuditipudi and Wang were among 15 semifinalists from Harker – the most of any school in the nation – who were named earlier this month. They now join 40 other high school students from across the United States who will travel to Washington, D.C., in March for the final stage of the competition, where more than $1 million in cash prizes will be awarded.
While in Washington, the finalists will have the opportunity to demonstrate their research to key figures in the scientific community and national leadership. Winners will be announced at a special invitation-only gala at the National Building Museum on March 10.
A Harker middle school DECA team earned first place in the United States in a global business competition and other Harker DECA teams distinguished themselves recently at the Silicon Valley Career Development Conference.
The middle school DECA team, which ranked No. 1 among elementary and middle school teams nationwide, will represent America in the global finals of DECA’s Idea Challenge. More than 1,700 teams submitted entrees.
In the Idea Challenge, teams have only eight days to complete a business project. This year the students had to find an innovative, feasible and sustainable use for old newspapers. The teams of three or four students then presented their idea in a one- to three-minute YouTube video.
Ajay Madala, Ethan Choi and Andrew Chavez, all grade 6, fashioned a pencil pouch out of newspapers and created a persuasive sales video. The budding Harker entrepreneurs will compete with a team from the United Arab Emirates for global idea domination.
DECA is a worldwide organization that prepares students for careers in marketing, finance and hospitality management. Harker has a robust DECA program and Harker students shine consistently in the many DECA competitions and activities.
Harker DECA students returned triumphantly from the Silicon Valley Career Development Conference, with 42 students making it into competition finals and 20 of those students finishing the competition in the money.
Three Harker students were also elected to regional leadership positions. Shannon Hong, grade 11, was elected executive vice president, Sophia Luo, grade 11, vice president of communication, and Haley Tran, grade 10, vice president of operations.
Out of 28 events in which Harker students participated, they garnered seven first-place finishes, three second-place finishes and three third-place finishes. Those wins were by 42 of the 90-plus Harker students who attended, so it was a real team effort! Harker had the fourth-most wins among the more than 1,100 students from nearly 20 Silicon Valley schools who participated.
Almost half of Harker’s wins were in the top three in their categories. Members placing in the top three were as follows:
First-Place Winners
International Business Plan: Shannon Hong, grade 11; Sophia Luo, grade 11; Leo Yu, grade 12
Travel & Tourism Team Decision Making (TDM): Hong, Luo
Entrepreneurship Written Alexis Gauba and Riya Chandra, both grade 10
Business Service Marketing: Gauba
Personal Financial Literacy: Ray Xu, grade 10
Marketing Communications TDM: Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari and Glenn Reddy, both grade 12
Entrepreneurship Innovation Plan: Peter Wu and Arnav Tandon, both grade 10
Second-Place Winners
Marketing Communications TDM: Manthra Panchapakesan and Simran Singh, both grade 12
Entrepreneurship Written: Lucas Wang and Ria Gandhi, both grade 10
International Business Plan: Aathira Menon and Natasha Santhanam, both grade 11
Third-Place Winners
Principles of Marketing: Mona Lee, grade 9
Apparels & Accessories Marketing Individual Series Event: Felix Wu, grade 12
Advertising Campaign: Rahul Mehta, grade 9
The team stayed at the Marriott Hotel. The conference kicked off Friday night with opening remarks, followed by a talent show called the SV Factor emceed by Harker’s Luo. The winners of the talent show were offered the opportunity to “pie” the officers of SV DECA, and Harker’s Shannon Hong and Haley Tran took the cream pies in the face.
The 1,100 students gathered Saturday morning for their competitive events, followed by elections for the next Silicon Valley District Action Team. Harker had three candidates in the running and all were elected – Hong, Luo and Tran. Saturday culminated in a dance where students relaxed after the full day of competing and learning.
Awards were handed out over breakfast on Sunday.
The experience was a great one for DECA members. “Silicon Valley DECA is a great event for new members, especially because it introduces our members to the DECA experiences and gets everyone pumped for States and ICDC,” said Gauba, Harker DECA Director of Technology.
“I loved networking and meeting new friends from all over the Silicon Valley,” said Jessica Skinner, grade 9. “SVCDC was an amazing event, and I felt like I was finally where I was meant to be.”
There was a note of nostalgia among seniors, for whom this was the last local event. “I can’t believe that this was my last SVCDC!” said Savi Joshi, grade 12, CEO of Harker DECA. “It felt like it went by so quickly, and I finally understand how much DECA means to me and how much it’s given me. I’m going to miss this next year.”
The state DECA Conference takes place Feb. 26-Mar. 1 in Santa Clara. Harker students will compete there with thousands of their peers from all over California.