This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Emotions ran bittersweet on the afternoon of June 4, when members of the Class of 2021 officially ended their journey as lower school students during the grade 5 promotion ceremony, held in the lower school gymnasium.
The ceremony opened with a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance by grade 5 class president Ashley Gauba, and continued with Chris Nikoloff, head of school, greeting the students, parents and faculty in attendance. He congratulated the students on reaching this important next step in their academic careers.
The grade 4-6 dance group Dance Fusion, led by Gail Palmer, delighted audience members with an exciting performance called “We Danced All Night.” Then, a special slideshow recapping the entire school year was shown, with narration by Cathy Hsieh, lower school science teacher. Excited students then walked up to receive their promotion certificates.
Kellie Binney-Smart, lower school choral music teacher, led the newly promoted students in singing songs (including “The Harker School Song”) before incoming middle school ASB president Kelsey Wu, grade 7, gave a special welcome speech to the students who will be starting middle school in the fall. Kristin Giammona, elementary division head, gave a heartwarming closing speech.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
In early June a promotion ceremony was held for Harker’s grade 8 class, marking the end of students’ middle school years.
Kicking off the touching ceremony, Cindy Ellis, middle school head, welcomed the eighth graders and congratulated them on reaching this important milestone and beginning a new stage in their academic lives.
Julie Pinzás, middle school Spanish teacher and Class of 2018 advisory dean, gave a moving farewell address to the soon-to-be upper school students, encouraging them to welcome the many opportunities that await them over the next four years.
Next up was a beautiful performance of the song “Home” by the middle school vocal groups Harmonics and Vivace.
A welcome address to the Class of 2018 was delivered by rising senior Sarah Bean, who will be next year’s upper school ASB president.
Finally, members of the grade 8 class received their promotion certificates from Chris Nikoloff, head of school, and Ellis, who made some warm closing remarks. A special happening, not listed in the program, followed as the eighth graders surprised teachers with their own special “thank-you” slideshow, which they had secretly created earlier. The slideshow included numerous memorable moments shot by the students throughout the school year.
The ceremony concluded, as in years past, with the singing of “The Harker School Song,” followed by a recessional and well-attended reception held in the amphitheater.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Good morning. I would like to welcome members of the board of trustees, administration, faculty, staff, parents, friends and family, alumni, and the true guests of honor, the graduating Class of 2014. I have the privilege of saying a few words of farewell to our graduates each year. Like most graduation speeches, my talk takes the form of advice, like “Dare to Singletask” or “Love Like a Labrador.” Since my talk is the only remaining formality standing between you and your diplomas, I will continue the tradition of confining my remarks to one page of single-space, size twelve font. I am so confident that I can achieve this goal that I have even spelled out the number twelve. But I will make no promises about the size of my margins.
Today I turn for inspiration to the award-winning song “Let It Go” from the Disney movie “Frozen.” I know, I know, by now we all are tired of the song. My boys howl from the back seat when I play the song in the car, let down my hair, and belt out its chorus. I can do it here if you would like. But Rolling Stone Magazine calls “Let It Go” a “bona fide anthem that’s Disney’s single-biggest and best song in a generation.” Also, this year’s Oscar win for best song brings one of the writers of “Let it Go,” Robert Lopez, what the magazine calls “a rare EGOT (wins for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony).” (By the way, EGOT is an unfortunate acronym; why not the more stylish TOGE or pithy GOET?)
The song is sung powerfully by Idina Menzel, or, as John Travolta mispronounced her name at the 2014 Oscars, “Adele Dazeem.” In case you didn’t know, there is now a widget that will “Travoltify” your name for free. For instance, my name Travoltified is Catherine Nicheems. “Travoltify,” unlike “selfie” and “derp,” hasn’t made it into the Oxford English Dictionary. If it does, however, it will have the unique classification of being a proper name that is also a transitive verb with only one possible direct object: another proper name. Spooky. Nonetheless, Menzel’s glorious voice makes the song so meaningful and memorable that even 2-year-olds know the words. I know you do, too.
The song and the movie have had their share of controversies. The biggest controversy is the transformation of Elsa into a slender, elegantly gowned ice diva at the moment of her liberation during this song. I will not address these controversies, but I will add one of my own: why is the male hero, an ice harvester named Kristoff, so good looking and oafishly charming? Why aren’t there any movies with stuffy administrators, like, say, heads of schools, as the heroes? Instead of Kristoff the hero could be named, well, Chris Nikoloff. I could swoop into a life or death situation, devise some policy, form a committee and save the day.
In any case, the song’s message is to, well, “let it go.” What exactly are you letting go? On one level, the song can be taken to suggest letting go of inhibitions, the past, caring what others think, or even fears. This is not unlike Buddha’s third noble truth. Buddha’s second noble truth is that we suffer because we desire, or “cling” to be exact. His third truth recommends letting go of desire, or clinging, a process called nirvana, which literally means to blow out, or “whew” as translated by Alan Watts. Buddha’s students would point out that this puts them into the paradoxical bind of desiring not to desire. Luckily there is a way out of that trap, but that is for another graduation. In any case, some of these interpretations have gotten the song into trouble, but I think there is a more precise message anyway.
For those of you who have taken psychology, you may be familiar with Carl Jung’s concept of the shadow, the unconscious part of yourself that you dare not recognize but that you eventually must integrate to become whole. Elsa’s secret power that turns everything into ice is her shadow, the part of herself that she hides to conform to society’s expectations. She sings “Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know.” Your 2014 baccalaureate student speaker, Efrey Noten, captured this sentiment with a quote from David Wallace: “Everybody is identical in their secret unspoken belief that way deep down they are different from everyone else.” It is Elsa’s shadow that she accepts, after years of concealing, and lets go. When she lets her shadow go, she builds a marvelous ice castle in the mountains; her shadow is finally liberated, as is her hair when she lets it down.
Acceptance and liberation aren’t enough, however; Elsa still has to integrate her shadow. Not until she allows herself to love her sister, and her complete self, does she fully integrate her shadow and use her powers for good, like creating ice skating rinks for her adoring subjects. Also, because shadow material contains all of your so-called imperfections, integrating your shadow means dropping perfectionism, too. Elsa sings, “That perfect girl is gone.” I know that good is the enemy of great, but perfect can be the enemy of good enough, and believe me, there will be plenty of times in your life when good enough will have to be, well, good enough.
In closing, all of the weaker, less desirable parts of yourself, those parts that you hide to conform, can be sources of power, of your unique expression in the world. They are the metaphorical frogs that transform into princes, or the dragons that fight for you instead of breathing fire at you. In the movie “Shrek,” remember how helpful Dragon becomes once she discovers love with Donkey? So my advice to you today is to let it go, with the “it” being that part of yourself that no one, not even you, acknowledges. Lao Tzu, the great author of the Tao Te Ching, said the following: “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” You have spent 18 years becoming what you are and if you dare to let it go, you will discover just how wonderful who you are really is. Thank you.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Good morning. I would like to welcome members of the board of trustees, administration, faculty, staff, parents, friends and family, alumni, and the true guests of honor, the graduating Class of 2014. I have the privilege of saying a few words of farewell to our graduates each year. Like most graduation speeches, my talk takes the form of advice, like “Dare to Singletask” or “Love Like a Labrador.” Since my talk is the only remaining formality standing between you and your diplomas, I will continue the tradition of confining my remarks to one page of single-space, size twelve font. I am so confident that I can achieve this goal that I have even spelled out the number twelve. But I will make no promises about the size of my margins.
Today I turn for inspiration to the award-winning song “Let It Go” from the Disney movie “Frozen.” I know, I know, by now we all are tired of the song. My boys howl from the back seat when I play the song in the car, let down my hair, and belt out its chorus. I can do it here if you would like. But Rolling Stone Magazine calls “Let It Go” a “bona fide anthem that’s Disney’s single-biggest and best song in a generation.” Also, this year’s Oscar win for best song brings one of the writers of “Let it Go,” Robert Lopez, what the magazine calls “a rare EGOT (wins for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony).” (By the way, EGOT is an unfortunate acronym; why not the more stylish TOGE or pithy GOET?)
The song is sung powerfully by Idina Menzel, or, as John Travolta mispronounced her name at the 2014 Oscars, “Adele Dazeem.” In case you didn’t know, there is now a widget that will “Travoltify” your name for free. For instance, my name Travoltified is Catherine Nicheems. “Travoltify,” unlike “selfie” and “derp,” hasn’t made it into the Oxford English Dictionary. If it does, however, it will have the unique classification of being a proper name that is also a transitive verb with only one possible direct object: another proper name. Spooky. Nonetheless, Menzel’s glorious voice makes the song so meaningful and memorable that even 2-year-olds know the words. I know you do, too.
The song and the movie have had their share of controversies. The biggest controversy is the transformation of Elsa into a slender, elegantly gowned ice diva at the moment of her liberation during this song. I will not address these controversies, but I will add one of my own: why is the male hero, an ice harvester named Kristoff, so good looking and oafishly charming? Why aren’t there any movies with stuffy administrators, like, say, heads of schools, as the heroes? Instead of Kristoff the hero could be named, well, Chris Nikoloff. I could swoop into a life or death situation, devise some policy, form a committee and save the day.
In any case, the song’s message is to, well, “let it go.” What exactly are you letting go? On one level, the song can be taken to suggest letting go of inhibitions, the past, caring what others think, or even fears. This is not unlike Buddha’s third noble truth. Buddha’s second noble truth is that we suffer because we desire, or “cling” to be exact. His third truth recommends letting go of desire, or clinging, a process called nirvana, which literally means to blow out, or “whew” as translated by Alan Watts. Buddha’s students would point out that this puts them into the paradoxical bind of desiring not to desire. Luckily there is a way out of that trap, but that is for another graduation. In any case, some of these interpretations have gotten the song into trouble, but I think there is a more precise message anyway.
For those of you who have taken psychology, you may be familiar with Carl Jung’s concept of the shadow, the unconscious part of yourself that you dare not recognize but that you eventually must integrate to become whole. Elsa’s secret power that turns everything into ice is her shadow, the part of herself that she hides to conform to society’s expectations. She sings “Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know.” Your 2014 baccalaureate student speaker, Efrey Noten, captured this sentiment with a quote from David Wallace: “Everybody is identical in their secret unspoken belief that way deep down they are different from everyone else.” It is Elsa’s shadow that she accepts, after years of concealing, and lets go. When she lets her shadow go, she builds a marvelous ice castle in the mountains; her shadow is finally liberated, as is her hair when she lets it down.
Acceptance and liberation aren’t enough, however; Elsa still has to integrate her shadow. Not until she allows herself to love her sister, and her complete self, does she fully integrate her shadow and use her powers for good, like creating ice skating rinks for her adoring subjects. Also, because shadow material contains all of your so-called imperfections, integrating your shadow means dropping perfectionism, too. Elsa sings, “That perfect girl is gone.” I know that good is the enemy of great, but perfect can be the enemy of good enough, and believe me, there will be plenty of times in your life when good enough will have to be, well, good enough.
In closing, all of the weaker, less desirable parts of yourself, those parts that you hide to conform, can be sources of power, of your unique expression in the world. They are the metaphorical frogs that transform into princes, or the dragons that fight for you instead of breathing fire at you. In the movie “Shrek,” remember how helpful Dragon becomes once she discovers love with Donkey? So my advice to you today is to let it go, with the “it” being that part of yourself that no one, not even you, acknowledges. Lao Tzu, the great author of the Tao Te Ching, said the following: “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” You have spent 18 years becoming what you are and if you dare to let it go, you will discover just how wonderful who you are really is. Thank you.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Good morning. I would like to welcome members of the board of trustees, administration, faculty, staff, parents, friends and family, alumni, and the true guests of honor, the graduating Class of 2014. I have the privilege of saying a few words of farewell to our graduates each year. Like most graduation speeches, my talk takes the form of advice, like “Dare to Singletask” or “Love Like a Labrador.” Since my talk is the only remaining formality standing between you and your diplomas, I will continue the tradition of confining my remarks to one page of single-space, size twelve font. I am so confident that I can achieve this goal that I have even spelled out the number twelve. But I will make no promises about the size of my margins.
Today I turn for inspiration to the award-winning song “Let It Go” from the Disney movie “Frozen.” I know, I know, by now we all are tired of the song. My boys howl from the back seat when I play the song in the car, let down my hair, and belt out its chorus. I can do it here if you would like. But Rolling Stone Magazine calls “Let It Go” a “bona fide anthem that’s Disney’s single-biggest and best song in a generation.” Also, this year’s Oscar win for best song brings one of the writers of “Let it Go,” Robert Lopez, what the magazine calls “a rare EGOT (wins for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony).” (By the way, EGOT is an unfortunate acronym; why not the more stylish TOGE or pithy GOET?)
The song is sung powerfully by Idina Menzel, or, as John Travolta mispronounced her name at the 2014 Oscars, “Adele Dazeem.” In case you didn’t know, there is now a widget that will “Travoltify” your name for free. For instance, my name Travoltified is Catherine Nicheems. “Travoltify,” unlike “selfie” and “derp,” hasn’t made it into the Oxford English Dictionary. If it does, however, it will have the unique classification of being a proper name that is also a transitive verb with only one possible direct object: another proper name. Spooky. Nonetheless, Menzel’s glorious voice makes the song so meaningful and memorable that even 2-year-olds know the words. I know you do, too.
The song and the movie have had their share of controversies. The biggest controversy is the transformation of Elsa into a slender, elegantly gowned ice diva at the moment of her liberation during this song. I will not address these controversies, but I will add one of my own: why is the male hero, an ice harvester named Kristoff, so good looking and oafishly charming? Why aren’t there any movies with stuffy administrators, like, say, heads of schools, as the heroes? Instead of Kristoff the hero could be named, well, Chris Nikoloff. I could swoop into a life or death situation, devise some policy, form a committee and save the day.
In any case, the song’s message is to, well, “let it go.” What exactly are you letting go? On one level, the song can be taken to suggest letting go of inhibitions, the past, caring what others think, or even fears. This is not unlike Buddha’s third noble truth. Buddha’s second noble truth is that we suffer because we desire, or “cling” to be exact. His third truth recommends letting go of desire, or clinging, a process called nirvana, which literally means to blow out, or “whew” as translated by Alan Watts. Buddha’s students would point out that this puts them into the paradoxical bind of desiring not to desire. Luckily there is a way out of that trap, but that is for another graduation. In any case, some of these interpretations have gotten the song into trouble, but I think there is a more precise message anyway.
For those of you who have taken psychology, you may be familiar with Carl Jung’s concept of the shadow, the unconscious part of yourself that you dare not recognize but that you eventually must integrate to become whole. Elsa’s secret power that turns everything into ice is her shadow, the part of herself that she hides to conform to society’s expectations. She sings “Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know.” Your 2014 baccalaureate student speaker, Efrey Noten, captured this sentiment with a quote from David Wallace: “Everybody is identical in their secret unspoken belief that way deep down they are different from everyone else.” It is Elsa’s shadow that she accepts, after years of concealing, and lets go. When she lets her shadow go, she builds a marvelous ice castle in the mountains; her shadow is finally liberated, as is her hair when she lets it down.
Acceptance and liberation aren’t enough, however; Elsa still has to integrate her shadow. Not until she allows herself to love her sister, and her complete self, does she fully integrate her shadow and use her powers for good, like creating ice skating rinks for her adoring subjects. Also, because shadow material contains all of your so-called imperfections, integrating your shadow means dropping perfectionism, too. Elsa sings, “That perfect girl is gone.” I know that good is the enemy of great, but perfect can be the enemy of good enough, and believe me, there will be plenty of times in your life when good enough will have to be, well, good enough.
In closing, all of the weaker, less desirable parts of yourself, those parts that you hide to conform, can be sources of power, of your unique expression in the world. They are the metaphorical frogs that transform into princes, or the dragons that fight for you instead of breathing fire at you. In the movie “Shrek,” remember how helpful Dragon becomes once she discovers love with Donkey? So my advice to you today is to let it go, with the “it” being that part of yourself that no one, not even you, acknowledges. Lao Tzu, the great author of the Tao Te Ching, said the following: “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” You have spent 18 years becoming what you are and if you dare to let it go, you will discover just how wonderful who you are really is. Thank you.
Rising senior and Harker Conservatory student Agata Sorotokin was recently featured on “From the Top,” a radio program that highlights the talents of young musicians aged 8 to 18. Distributed by National Public Radio to 250 radio stations across the country, “From the Top” is recorded in front of live audiences in concert halls from coast to coast. A member of the upper school women’s vocal group Cantilena, Sorotokin performed movements from Sofia Gubaidulina’s “Musical Toys,” including one section thathad the young pianist playing notes with her nose.
Grade 8 students enrolled in advanced Spanish, French, Japanese and Mandarin language courses recently partook in several fun and educational outings to local restaurants. All four outings served up plenty of delicious food, stimulating conversation and authentic cultural atmosphere.
Students taking Spanish with instructors Julie Pinzás and Susan Moling visited Habana Cuba Restaurant. The menu included lightly buttered rice with or without beans, fried bananas, chicken, pork and vegetarian options. Moling noted that the advanced Spanish students had been immersing themselves in Cuban culture prior to the outing.
“I really enjoyed it and so did all of my friends,” recalled student Shaya Zarkesh. “The restaurant’s chandeliers and decorations made for a relaxing, peaceful atmosphere. The staff was very courteous and not at all disruptive, making the restaurant perfect for having a conversation with friends. As for the food itself: in short, it tasted outstanding. I ordered the chicken meal. Before I knew it, my plate was finished and I craved more, despite my full stomach! I would certainly recommend Habana Cuba Restaurant to anyone in San Jose looking for Cuban food.”
Classmate Millie Lin remembered that “a small crowd of hungry teenagers” piled onto the bus to go to the Cuban restaurant. “I was one of the people in that group. The restaurant gave off a rather warm, festive feeling to its diners. Its colorful walls were painted red, yellow, green and blue, and there was lively music playing in the background. I could imagine that I was really in Cuba, with all the colors and sounds around me,” she said.
Carol Parris, who is a French teacher as well as chair of K-8 modern and classical languages, reported that her students had a lovely luncheon at the Left Bank on Santana Row.
“They had a private room surrounded by French murals with cozy round tables dressed in white linen and French flag centerpieces,” she said. “The restaurant also encouraged me to bring my own decorations from the classes’ last celebration for Mardi Gras, where beads abounded and King Cake from New Orleans was devoured.”
She said the meal was delicious, with a choice of three French dishes, dessert and many baskets of French bread. “The students commented on the warm, friendly atmosphere at the restaurant. During the lunch, an awards celebration was held. The students had just learned how to use the superlative of adjectives. Their assessment was an opinion poll where they voted for their classmates in 12 categories, including best in French, best dancer, most generous, etc. Good spirit was shown by all as they applauded the winners in each category,” she said.
Meanwhile, students in Kumi Matsui’s Japanese 2M course headed to Tomi Sushi. “The staff of this restaurant spoke native Japanese and they served authentic Japanese dishes. The students had the opportunity to order dishes only in Japanese. The students benefitted from practicing Japanese outside the classroom while learning Japanese food culture. After lunch, we went to Hakone Gardens to experience a tea ceremony. This was a wonderful opportunity for the students to learn about Japanese culture,” recalled Matsui.
Rounding out the foreign language field trips, middle school Mandarin teacher Virginia Mau took her students to lunch at the Southland Flavor Cafe in Cupertino, followed by a scavenger hunt in which they were randomly divided into three groups. During the hunt, students had to speak entirely in Chinese, including asking for directions, if necessary. The goal was to discover where Mau was waiting for them.
“I personally have been taking students out on this type of trips for over 10 years, but this is the first time ever at Harker!” enthused Mau, who helped launch Harker’s middle school Mandarin program in 2011. “Ten students from my Mandarin 2M classes went on the trip. The kids had a great time, and were very happy and proud to use what they had learned!”
There were lots of smiles during Harker Preschool’s inaugural “Happy Hour” event, held on a spring evening at the beautiful new Union campus. The Preschool Happy Hour served as a unique opportunity to welcome new families into the Harker community, help answer their most pressing questions and introduce them to one another. Adding to the celebratory atmosphere were fun “mocktails” and yummy assorted appetizers.
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk set the scene for a memorable field trip enjoyed by grade 6 students in June. On the agenda for the Sixth Grade End-of-Year Boardwalk Blast was a day of fun in the sun!
“We had a terrific day at the Boardwalk. The students really seemed to enjoy themselves, and it gave them a wonderful memory with which to end their first year at the middle school,” recalled grade 6 lead advisor and English teacher Patricia Lai Burrows.
The inaugural event was planned by a committee of grade 6 teachers. “At the beginning of the year, five sixth grade teachers formed a committee to plan a celebratory end-of-year trip for the grade 6 students. Every year, the sixth grade attends a field trip on the Tuesday of the last week of school. In the past, we have visited the Chabot Space Center in Oakland, the Cal Academy of Science, and last year we went to Roaring Camp Railroads. This year, we wanted to plan a trip that we knew the kids would love and remember; this gave birth to the Boardwalk Blast field trip,” explained Lai Burrows.
The students started their day by playing in the sand, waddling ankle deep into the cold ocean water and just having fun together. When the amusement park opened later in the morning, they ventured over for thrilling rides, fun games and yummy food.
“The students rose to the occasion beautifully; they behaved politely, respectfully and gratefully. And, because of the location, there was something for everyone to enjoy,” said Lai Burrows. Upon the students’ return to campus, they united by wrapping up the day – and the year – with a special gratitude circle.
“Even though it lasted for just under five minutes, it gave each person at least one opportunity to share what they appreciated about the day with someone else,” she added, noting that the outing was such a success it will now become an annual tradition.
In other year-end middle school news, back in May, grade 7 students celebrated the coming of summer by having a special on-campus activity day with their advisors. Also in May, eighth graders went on a celebratory field trip to Great America.
Enlight’ning magazine has gone digital. After a print tradition spanning 12 years, the award-winning art and literary journal, published annually at Harker’s middle school, is now available exclusively online.
At the end of May, Enlight’ning moved to an all-digital format, joining a growing trend in publishing. This move should give the magazine a wider readership, as it is now available to anyone with web access. The preview edition is available at http://enlightning.harker.org.
Like its print predecessor, the online publication will showcase artwork, poetry and prose created entirely by middle school students. But the digital format makes it more interactive. For example, the current issue contains songs by numerous student musicians, as well as a video upload about Bollywood. The video, titled “A Glimpse of Bollywood,” was made by grade 7 student Devanshi Mehta.
The online journal had taken its “first baby steps out into the greater world,” explain Enlight’ning editors, adding that by the end of summer the website will be more fully constructed and boast a stronger multimedia experience. There are still a few glitches to be worked out, so the editors advise readers to use Chrome or Safari browsers, not Firefox, for the best user experience. Also, to see the text as it was intended (either from the central scrolling area or from the “category” listings), click on the titles, as clicking on the photos and artwork will enlarge them to full screen.
Current features of the online magazine include a blog and issue archives, as well as category pages for art, poetry, photography, music, prose and video. Faculty advisors for this year’s publication were Sabina Grogan, middle school expository writing instructor, and Bernie Morrissey, middle school librarian.
“Enlight’ning Online can now publish a greater variety of mediums, including more photography, as well as music and film, representing a wider range of the creative work of Harker middle school’s students. We hope some day Enlight’ning may serve as a central hub of arts at the middle school,” wrote magazine editors and rising grade 9 students Praveen Batra, Nastya Grebin and Andrew Semenza.