India West – June 30, 2014: Recent graduates Rahul Sridhar and Vikram Sundar are mentioned in a story about the Indian American students who represented the United States at the International Physics Olympiad in Kazakhstan.
The New York Times, San Jose Mercury News, SFGate.com – June 10-11, 2014: Maverick McNealy ’13, a talented young golfer who recently finished his first year at Stanford, was the subject of three stories about his participation in the U.S. Open.
ABC7News.com – April 29, 2014: Recent graduate Zina Jawadi is the subject of a story about her efforts to help hearing-impaired students.
Santa Clara Weekly – April 2-8, 2014: A recap of the VEX Robotics State Championship highlights features Harker teams Eaglebots (rising eighth graders Andrew Chang, Rithvik Panchapakesan, Chris Gong and Kaushik Shivakumar) and Raining Sunshine (Anooshree Sengupta, Mona Lee, Maya Kumar, Jessica Susai and Aria Coalson, all entering grade 9).
San Jose Mercury News – March 8, 2014: The After School sports blog recaps the Harker boys basketball team’s loss to Sacred Heart Prep.
San Jose Mercury News – Feb. 25, 2014: Campbell’s Brown Chicken Brown Cow restaurant, owned and operated by Harker alumnus Chris Yamashita MS ’90, receives a favorable review.
In mid-June, 19 students and three teachers set off on a five-day backpacking adventure in Yosemite National Park. The annual summer Middle School Backpacking Trip required students to carry their own supplies, as well as make their own food, teaching them independence and resilience.
With California as their classroom, science teachers Ben Morgensen and Daniel Sommer, and math teacher Margaret Huntley, accompanied students on the trip, which began with setting up an overnight camp at the Crane Flat Campground.
“The backpacking trip was incredible! We hiked to and camped at the truly amazing May Lake, with a pristine lake, snow-capped peaks and view out across Yosemite. We did a day hike to Mt. Hoffmann (10,856 ft.) then hiked to Murphy Creek and camped there for a night before hiking out and driving home. We had beautiful weather and a great mix of first-time and returning hikers, some sleeping in a tent for the first time and others taking on real leadership roles,” recalled Huntley.
After leaving the Crane Flat Campground, the group drove along Tioga Road to the May Lake Trailhead. “On the way, as we steadily rose from the lush conifers of Crane Flat to the barren alpine landscape of Yosemite’s High Country, we watched the land unfold in front of us, with towering peaks jutting sharply into the deep blue sky and babbling brooks merrily cascading down deep gorges,” reminisced rising grade 9 student Andy Semenza.
Once the group arrived at the trailhead, it was a short hike up to May Lake through the alpine landscape, made more difficult by the heavy loads they carried. Upon their arrival at the lake beneath Mt. Hoffmann, they proceeded to set up camp and cook dinner.
“The need to purify all water with iodine instilled a greater appreciation for nature inside of us,” Semenza said. “Once we had finished our repast, we scrambled up a rock outcropping near the lake to watch a spectacular sunset and thunderstorm unfold over the great valley of Tuolumne Meadows and lightning strike the highest peaks of the region.”
The next morning, the students made their incredible climb up Mt. Hoffmann. Then, after a grueling descent into Murphy Creek, many of them successfully fished for trout in the lake. That night, some of the group opted to forgo the shelter of a tent and spent the night in sleeping bags on the granite.
“Throughout that week, we learned many lessons only possible outside the confines of the classroom walls – from the crippling effects of altitude to the feeding practices of ospreys. However, we also had to cope with more psychological issues, like managing a good pace for a group or dealing with tent mates,” surmised Semenza.
Harker Preschool’s inaugural summer camp recently wrapped up its first session, which featured a fun, beach theme called “Down by the Shore.”
This year marks the first time the preschool, which opened last fall, has operated a summer camp at its Union Ave. campus. The preschool now joins the larger Harker community’s long-running tradition of offering programs after the regular school year ends.
Summer camp at Harker Preschool is held in two sessions, each designed to engage and excite young children through familiar summer themes. The program is staffed by year-round Harker teachers, assistant teachers and aides. Students are grouped by age, with families choosing one or both sessions to match their summer schedules.
Session one ran from June 23-July 18 with 55 enthusiastic beach campers filling the preschool’s sunny cottages, play yards and specialty classrooms (STEM, music and movement, and art.) Session two began on July 21 and will run until Aug. 8 with the theme “Little Cabin in the Woods.” For the second session, children will be grabbing their backpacks and heading off to the (imaginary) forest.
Highlights of the first session included water fun on “Splash Days,” as well as explorations of both sand and water. At one point the youngsters made their letter of the week “S” in honor of the word sand. They also had a great time using sand sensory tables (playing kinetically with both sand and seashells), comparing the texture of starfish to that of sandpaper and creating sand dollars. Campers also learned about erosion and how sand is formed when rocks are rubbed together.
Four-year-old preschool camper Luca Chan, who also attends Harker Preschool during the regular school year, especially enjoyed the many ocean-themed books introduced and discussed during group times.
Fellow student Miley Liu, also 4, said she liked “making a beach in a box,” an activity in which students filled plastic containers with sand, shells and other items you would see at a beach. “And we get to take them home!” she said.
Meanwhile, in music and movement class, students made ocean drums that really sounded like the ocean, said teacher Mara Beckerman. Then, in her aftercare class, they explored surfing to the upbeat music of “Wipe Out.”
In art class the children enjoyed activities including sea foam watercolor painting, sand sculpture, sea life printmaking, lobster claw still life and shell weaving. “Along with observing and drafting whale shark characteristics with oil pastels, artists were invited to create collages with seaweed, shells, and images of sea life. We also discussed where pearls come from and what they look like at a pearl bead making table,” recalled art instructor Alexandria Kerekez.
The first summer session was filled with surf, sand and sun as the children “soaked in” all there was to see and do around this well-loved ocean/beach theme, explained Andrea Hart, director of Harker Preschool. “Young children really love to learn by doing; together we explored sea life and play through sand and water, singing silly songs and reading stories about friends who live and play on the salty shore. All were inspired by our new pet hermit crab and overflowed with questions about ocean life. There were some excellent sandcastles made, sometimes even from sand the children made themselves by manually grinding rocks!” she enthused.
Now, with session two under way, the children are trekking into the imaginary woods to discover all the wonders of life in the great outdoors.
“They’ll meet new forest animal friends, build with logs, dig in the dirt, pitch tents, create with found objects, explore common outdoorsy tools and enjoy everything nature has to offer. All the fun of a camping adventure without the worries of bears or mosquito bites!” said Hart.
Harker’s Summer Camp+ is in full swing, with K-6 students enjoying a fun-filled afternoon circus theme called “Under the Big Top.” This summer, the increasingly popular program filled up at record speed, attracting 774 campers.
Held on the lower school campus, Camp+ provides morning learning experiences followed by age-appropriate afternoon electives, with the theme rotating annually.
Rising grade 5 Harker student and Camp+ enthusiast Jack Hayashi said his favorite thing about the program this summer has been playing ball hockey and going to the archery range. He also likes that there’s plenty of time for simply “clowning around.”
Meanwhile, first-time Camp+ participant Rhiannon Sikand, a rising grade 3 student at Harker, said she enjoys the camp’s climbing wall (located on the lower school field) and had a lot of fun going on a field trip to the Oakland Zoo. “I liked seeing all the animals … especially the turtles,” she noted.
Camp+ students in grades 1-6 have the option of enrolling in one of two academic morning programs: Core Focus or Learning Opportunities in Literature (LOL). Core Focus is a more traditional learning environment with language arts, math and academic electives for each grade level. LOL features academic courses designed around literary subject matter. This year LOL is focusing on the work of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss.
Both Core Focus and LOL feature the same afternoon options, including arts and crafts, dance, water play, wall climbing, archery and array of other field sports – and of course, plenty of circus arts this year!
Campers are grouped together for activities according to their ages: kindergartners attend KinderCamp, first and second graders are called Owls, third and fourth graders are Condors and fifth and sixth graders are Eagles.
The afternoon activity calendar for the first session of Camp+ (June 23-July 18) was broken up by weekly themes: Lions, Tigers & Bears – Oh, My; All-American Acrobat; High Divers & Sideshow; and Clowning Around. The second session (July 21-Aug. 8) features Favorite Animal Parade, Masquerade Party and Great Escape.
The Summer Camp+ program traditionally kicks off and ends with Color Clash, a fun event held in the lower school’s gymnasium. Groups of campers on yellow, red, green and blue teams participate in an array of silly games cheered on by captains (aka camp counselors) wearing color-coordinated outfits that run the gamut from superheroes to hula skirts and fun hats. This year’s Color Clash finals showcased a video highlighting happenings from previous events.
According to Joe Chung, program director of Summer Camp+ and Harker’s elementary computer science teacher, other on-site happenings often include a water carnival, sleepover for older campers, presentation for parents and a birthday celebration for the camp mascot, “Ray.” Campers also enjoy numerous field trips.
“I would recommend Camp+ to anyone!” said Hayashi.
The Harker School has offered extensive summer programs for more than 50 years. The Summer Camp+ program is accredited nationally by the American Camping Association.
Adding an international flair to summer at Harker, students from countries around the globe have come to the lower and upper school campuses to participate in Harker’s increasingly popular English Language Institute (ELI).
ELI provides overseas students with an opportunity to learn and practice their English skills. Many participants go on to attend top American and international schools. This summer, 57 students enrolled for the secondary division and 42 are attending the primary division.
First-time ELI student Hui-Hsuan (Maggie) Cheng, a rising grade 6 student from Taiwan, said that the best thing so far about the program has been “going to visit the tide pools and making new friends.” Cheng recalled that in a lesson prior to the field trip, her teacher had explained the importance of gently handling the tide pool animals.
ELI initially began as a year-round boarding school program, which closed in 2001 due to Harker’s upper school expansion. It evolved into the current summer program, which launched in 2004.
New to the program this summer is an optional “Very Interesting Places” (VIP) tour. Available to all ELI students (ages 6-16), the six-day VIP tour will take place at the conclusion of the program’s regular five-week academic session. The trip promises to take learning on the road, with California as the classroom. Come mid-August, 21 students will board a classic yellow school bus, setting off for an adventure. After visiting local theme parks, museums, various school campuses and tourist attractions, the trip will culminate with an overnight stay in Yosemite National Park.
According to ELI director Anthony Wood, all destinations have been carefully chosen to elevate historical and cultural awareness; allow students to create closer relationships with their peers and teachers; and provide enormous opportunity for continued English language development.
Additionally, older students interested in attending American boarding schools or universities will have the opportunity to visit and meet with staff at some of the area’s best schools.
Highlights of the VIP trip will include whale watching in Monterey, a Jelly Belly factory tour, educational visits to UC Berkeley and Stanford University, a Giants (versus Chicago White Sox) game, a scavenger hunt at Huddart Park and a day of fun at Great America theme park.
In Yosemite National Park, ELI students will view the majestic Yosemite Falls as well as visit the area’s museum and cultural center, with educational activities led by a park ranger. A short hike to the lower falls will provide inspiration for a writing assignment and picture journal.
“A specially designed instructional component will make each day’s adventure a learning experience catered to individual proficiency levels. Students will write, speak and read about their destinations, learn new vocabulary related to each new site, and have daily challenges involving English interaction in real-life situations. A travel journal will be kept to document their learning … and of course all the fun!” said Wood.
In the spring issue of Harker Quarterly, we ran a class note with Margie Harris reporting that Shirley Temple’s only son, Charles Black, was a student at Harker who graduated in 1966. However, it was brought to our attention that Charles, in fact, graduated from Harker’s predecessor, the Palo Alto Military Academy. We regret the error.
Jerry Chi got engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Shirei Jiyoung Hori, in February on their “1,000th-day anniversary.” Their wedding will be in Seoul, Korea, later this year. Jerry also will be shifting roles where he works at Google, from analyzing ads to analyzing Google Play/ Chrome/Android for the Asia- Pacific region.
Ryan Moreland (MS ’98) is finishing up his first year as an MBA student at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also celebrating the five-year anniversary of his winery, Corvalle Napa Valley. In the past year, Ryan visited Japan, Guatemala and Belize, and embarked on a two-week leadership retreat on a glacier in Alaska. This summer, Ryan will be interning as a strategy consultant in Los Angeles.
Amira Valliani recently wrapped up her duties as senior adviser to the deputy national security adviser for strategic communications at the White House, where she worked on a range of foreign policy, press and public diplomacy issues. Before that, she worked in the office of the Secretary of State under Hillary Clinton, where she was special assistant to the State Department’s deputy chief of staff and wrote speeches for Secretary Clinton. She recently packed up her apartment in Washington, D.C., and backpacked around Myanmar with Mina Lee and will continue traveling around Southeast Asia and Europe for the summer. She’ll be attending graduate school at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government to get her MPA/MBA this fall and said she is excited to join the Harker-in-Boston crew! In spring, she ran in the Boston Marathon in an effort to raise money for the Aga Khan Foundation, one of the world’s largest international development organizations. “Our team of three runners successfully raised over $60,000 … and Amanda Polzin came out to watch!” she reported.
Meghana Dhar graduated with high honors from UC Berkeley in 2010 and has been living in San Francisco since then. “I’ve been working in strategy and marketing and analysis, first at Visa, and now at eBay. I’m very in touch with Harker, from staying connected with the debate team, to currently living with two of my best friends from Harker High! I will be leaving the city in the fall and attending Harvard Business School,” she said.
Singer Tara Chandra recently released a limited 7″ vinyl edition of a single she released last summer called “Who You Do.” We look forward to more updates on her singing career!
Akhil Mehta helped teach a class for Harker’s middle school science research program. He recently finished his master’s program at UC Berkeley and is in the process of applying to medical school.
2007
While chaperoning the grade 8 students on an outing to Great America, Harker’s middle school Latin teacher, Lisa Masoni, ran into former student Elizabeth Cutler. “She is now teaching English and history at the Cornerstore Academy in San Francisco and was at the park chaperoning her own seventh and eighth grade students,” said Masoni.
2009
Daniel Kim was awarded a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans of up to $90,000 toward the study of medicine at Yale University. He was one of 30 winners in a national competition that attracted more than 1,200 applicants. These awards are of special note because they honor and support young New Americans: immigrants and children of immigrants. To read more on this, please see the full story at: http://news.harker. org/?p=22865
2010
Arthi Padmanabhan wrote in with a tennis update from Pomona College.
“We’ve had a really exciting year! We recently jumped to number six in the national rankings after a few frighteningly close wins during spring break. Individually, I’m captaining and playing singles and doubles for the most part. In doubles, my partner, Mae Coyiuto, and I reached the semifinal of the ITA Regional Championship in the fall and later, The Ojai Tennis Tournament,” she reported.
2012
Sachin Jain was recently in town and met with Harker upper school math teacher Gabriele Stahl for dinner.
Neel Salukhe was recognized by his coach for maintaining a high GPA while excelling at football at the University of Washington.
2013
Drew Goldstein, Michelle Douglas and JP Doherty had a blast cheering on their hometown and new college town teams in Boston for the A’s/Red Sox series.
Maverick McNealy qualified for the 2014 U.S Open, the first Harker grad known to do so, and he has been garnering all kinds of attention! Stories have been published in the San Francisco Chronicle, The San Francisco Examiner, the San Jose Mercury News and Golf Week. His whole family – mom Susan; Dakota, grade 10; Colt, grade 9; and Scout, grade 7 – will be in the stands and dad, Scott, will be caddying for him. The Open started as Harker Quarterly went to press, so we weren’t able to report on how he did, but our pride in having him there is unrelated to his score! We’ll report more in the fall issue!
2014
Congratulations to the Class of 2014 on your graduation and welcome to the Alumni Association! We look forward to hearing updates from you!
Members of Harker’s varsity and JV dance teams returned today from a four-day dance camp with the United Spirit Association at UC Santa Cruz. Harker received the highest Superior award for choreography, and the team also was honored with the “Hardest Working Team” plaque. Individual awards were given to Emily Pan and Ankita Sharma, both rising juniors, for their drill-down technique. Meanwhile, among the 150 participants, Noel Banerjee, Darby Millard, both rising seniors, and Liana Wang, rising freshman, were recognized as All-American dancers, earning an invitation to perform in London.
While it is always amazing to be awarded for hard work and technique, “the most memorable part of camp was being told by the USA instructors that Harker’s dancers were incredibly polite, dedicated, humble and supportive of both their team members and the other participating schools,” noted Karl Kuehn, dance team coach. “Their passion to learn and grow as dancers fueled the team’s success, and I could not be more proud of this fantastic group of students.” Go Dance Team Eagles!