Faculty members at Harker’s lower school can’t speak highly enough of Helping Hands, a BEST (Bucknall Enrichment and Supervision Team) program created to provide K-5 teachers with an extra pair of hands while working on a special or labor-intensive project.
Helping Hands began in the 2010-11 school year as an attempt to bridge academics with BEST, explained Kim Cali, director of the program. “We all had the common goal of providing the best experience for the children; however, teachers and BEST staff didn’t know much about each other,” she recalled.
Cali said another driving force behind the Helping Hands program was that many BEST staffers are young adults who want to forge careers in education. “What better way to get some hands-on experience than to learn and work with the best (teachers, that is)?” she added, noting that she also viewed the program as a way for students to see teachers and BEST staff working together toward a common goal.
Lower school teachers, however, credit Helping Hands with being a lifesaver at times. For example, grade 3 teacher Elise Robichaud reported that Helping Hands staff jumped right in to help her homeroom accomplish an extraordinary amount of holiday crafting in just two short periods. “I would not have been able to do any of it without their help. I truly appreciate their amazing efforts!” said Robichaud.
Another teacher, Eileen Schick, said that without assistance from Helping Hands her kindergarten polyhedron ornament project would not have been possible. “Many hands were required to help the students cut, fold, tape and decorate their ornaments. The patience, guidance and encouraging words from the BEST staff made this project successful and a special memory for our kindergarteners!” she said.
This year the BEST staff has put at least 50 hours into the Helping Hands program, according to Cali, “and they are always eager to do more!”
BEST staff member Ali Bo said, “It’s awesome being able to work hands on with the children in a classroom setting, as well as getting to know the teachers across different grade levels. The best part about Helping Hands, from my perspective, is that everyone involved benefits. Not only are the teachers able to accomplish more, but while working in the classrooms, I’m also able to learn from the teachers how to better manage and direct students. It’s a nice treat to the BEST staff when a teacher does need help, because it’s something new and different and opens our eyes to a variety of ways to be involved at Harker!”
“It’s incredible what time in a classroom can teach you about a kid you’ve known for five years. I can’t overstate the significance of getting to know our children as students,” added fellow BEST staffer Troy Townzen ’08.
The Helping Hands program operates quietly and without fanfare, leading many lower school teachers to speculate that it may, indeed, be one of Harker’s BEST kept secrets.
The desire to lead is what unites 13 graduates of KidLead, Harker’s successful after-school offering for lower and middle school students.
Ready and armed with the tools to take on leadership positions, many KidLead graduates are now role models for their peers. From community outreach to student government, performing arts, sports and team academics, there are many opportunities for young leaders to use their talents. Several years ago, to help foster leadership development early in students’ academic careers, Harker became one of the firstschools nationwide to implement KidLead, an executive-caliber, globally recognized leadership training program designed especially for preteens.
“We believe this unique program is consistent with the values and ideals fostered at Harker. It is not simply a leadership education program; it attemptsto focus on developing leaders who have already demonstrated aptitude in this area and expands upon it,” explained Greg Lawson, assistant head of school for student affairs.
Lawson was instrumental in bringing KidLead to Harker, first to the middle school and more recently to the lower school. Now, he is thrilled that the enrichment program has turned out more than a dozen graduates. Run by the lower and middle school’s BEST departments, KidLead – a nonprofit organization based in Monterey – has created an age-appropriate leadership skill curriculum for 10- to 13-year-olds called “LeadNow” that Harker is using. The after-school program is separately run on the lower- and middle school campuses during a series of eight 90-minute sessions. In the fall quarter there were eight students enrolled in the lower school program and 10 in the middle school offering.
Shafieen Ibrahim, a grade 7 student and KidLead graduate, put his leadership skills to use last year by establishing his dream club, the Blackford Computer Game Development Club. After getting the green light from Cindy Ellis, middle school head, and assistance from some of his teachers, Ibrahim launched his club, which has since grown and branched out into two different groups, one for boys and another for girls.
“In the club, I was given teacher privileges to teach my peers Scratch, a program to develop computer games. The club now includes both video games and board games. We will be moving onto teaching app development soon. I had [used] Scratch for many years, and I thought that it was very interesting and fun,” explained Ibrahim. He said he enrolled in the KidLead program while in grade 5 and that it took him a little over a year to complete all the requirements to graduate. “I always wanted to be a leader … to be able to work with a team well, develop leadership capabilities, and grow out of my shell,” he added.
“We couldn’t be happier and prouder and I’m so thankful for having Shafieen complete the KidLead program. It has helped him tremendously!” enthused his mother, Zeba Ibrahim. This past fall, another KidLead graduate, grade 8 student Aliesa Bahri, took it upon herself to organize a commemorative event on the middle school campus celebrating the International Day of the Girl Child, which raises awareness about the issues girls face both in the United States and internationally. She urged eighth graders to show their support for the cause by dressing in blue, and asked that sixth and seventh graders wear some type of blue accessory.
“I wanted to raise awareness about girls’ rights … and I chose the color blue since it is typically associated with boys and goes against the ‘pink is for girls’ stereotype,” recalled Bahri.
Bahri used the campus lunch hour on the Day of the Girl to hold a special video presentation for grade 7 and 8 students about the plight of girls in Pakistan, where just over half of all girls make it to a primary school classroom, and only 12 percent make it to secondary school.
“I found out about KidLead from a flier that arrived in my take-home folder one year. The program intrigued me, as I knew that one day I hoped to be a leader in my community. What I did not know was how to be one. KidLead gave me the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone in a safe environment and be a leader in different group situations,” said Bahri.
KidLead founder Dr. Alan Nelson said he is impressed with both the students and staff involved with the program at Harker. Nelson, who has given well-attended talks to Harker parents about how to foster leadership skills in their children, called Harker “the flagship school” for being an early adopter of the program.
Weekly KidLead program sessions are led by certified instructors and “koaches” (all Harker teachers and staff members) who assist students in activities designed to improve qualities that are grouped into four color-coded modules. Each module has four sections stressing a value, an attitude, a relationship and a decision – such as ethics, honor, communication and power.
Harker’s current list of certified trainers and “koaches” are: Lawson; Keith Hirota, middle school social studies instructor; Patricia Lai Burrows, middle school English teacher; Jennifer Walrod, director of global education; Eric Kallbrier, club/ programs coordinator; Gerry-louise Robinson, lower school art instructor; Arabelle Chow, middle school English teacher; Cathy Hsieh, lower school science teacher; Eric Leonard, lower school language arts teacher; and Ken Allen, lower school dean of students. At the lower school, Robinson said the Bucknall effort had several graduates last year, as well as a returning student this year.
Alexander Young graduated from KidLead at the lower school in grade 5. Now a seventh grader, he praised it as an amazing experience. “It gave me the opportunity to interact with fellow classmates and teachers to learn about important leadership skills; these often proved useful when working with others both in and out of the classroom. Topics such as responsibility, commitment, optimism and communication were discussed and practiced so that I could use them in everyday life. I found that I could strategize and coordinate to make tasks smooth and straightforward. Overall, KidLead is a course that I would definitely recommend,” he said.
Current KidLead participants can already be found flexing their leadership muscles. In fact, several of them were among the group of grade 7 students who earlier this year held an assembly to mark the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. “The motto of KidLead is, ‘If you want to change the world, focus on leaders. If you want to change leaders, focus on them when they’re young,’” said Robinson.
Chow said she decided to become a KidLead “koach” because she wanted to help students grow leadership skills. “It’s exciting to see the students participate in the activities and learn, not just from the trainer, but from one another as well. Their enthusiasm and genuine desire to learn is what brings me back each quarter,” she enthused.
Kallbrier agreed: “After many years of working with young Harker students, I noticed that we have a very high volume of motivated young leaders who hunger to grow and develop their abilities. KidLead has been the perfect place for these students to learn, practice and discuss practical aspects of leadership … while having fun!”
All KidLead graduates walk away upon successful completion of the program with a T-shirt, book for parents, class materials, and an eagerness to roll up their sleeves and get to work on becoming future leaders – starting today. “According to Harvard, the average age of a first, formal leadership training is 42. So Harker students in this program are getting a 30-year head start!” said KidLead’s Nelson.
The latest installment of TEDxHarkerSchool was held March 22 at the upper school campus. Launched in fall 2011, the student-organized series of events gives high school students interested in entrepreneurship the chance to hear inspiring speakers and meet with mentors from many different fields.
Organizers put together another impressive lineup of speakers for this year’s event. Among them was Harker student Arjun Mehta, grade 12, who has received much attention for his most recent endeavor, a conferencing app known as Stoodle, which already boasts thousands of users since its launch in December 2012. With the assistance of his father, Karl, Mehta’s previous business idea grew into PlaySpan, which sold for $200 million.
Mehta detailed what he believed were key steps for young entrepreneurs. He advised students to look for “pain points” in their everyday lives, seeking solutions to problems they regularly encounter. In response to the differences he noticed between Harker and his previous school, Mehta founded Stoodle to help give students at other schools a chance to collaborate and share their knowledge with one another. Mehta also encouraged future entrepreneurs to work in familiar spaces. Because Mehta was a high school student, he and his Stoodle collaborators were treated as “experts in the room” when meeting with older, more experienced entrepreneurs.
Mehta also offered advice on how to reconcile the busy life of a young entrepreneur with the obligations of a high school student. He cited a “willingness to be misunderstood” due to not having as much time for friends and extracurricular activities.
During the Q&A session that followed his talk, Mehta demonstrated his 30-second elevator pitch to the audience. He added that he plans to continue working on Stoodle while in college and keep it free to all.
A morning break allowed students to converse with the speakers and mentors in attendance. Students also got the chance to sit down with various entrepreneurs during lunch, gaining knowledge and sharing ideas.
“I find the mentor luncheon to be the most unique aspect of TEDxHarkerSchool, as it gives attendees an opportunity to interact with professionals on a more personal level,” said Glenn Reddy, grade 11, who helped organize and run the event.
New this year, various companies showed their products in the Nichols Hall atrium. This year’s exhibitors were GoPro, Master Images, Stoodle, Fuhu and Lighting for Literacy. “The attendees jumped at the chance to check out the booths in the atrium, and they were one of the most popular parts of the day,” Reddy said.
Antoine Delcayre, a grade 10 student at Branham High School who also attended last year’s TEDxHarker event, found the speakers helpful and “really enjoyed the knowledge they shared.”
Fellow Branham student Saumya Bhatia, grade 10, said attending TEDxHarker the previous year helped inspire her and her friends to start a DECA chapter at their school. She particularly enjoyed the talk from Stanford University lecturer Rashmi Menon, who said that it was good for people to admit to needing help. “I think that’s really important because I feel like a lot of times I don’t admit to not knowing things and I sort of want to be the expert in everything,” Bhatia said. “But I feel like she really clarified that it’s OK to ask for help and that in the end it’s for your own benefit.”
One of the more popular afternoon speakers was Dr. Ronda Beaman, chief creative officer at PEAK Learning and clinical professor at Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business. Known for her infectious speaking style and stage presence, Beaman started her talk by leading the audience in the Hokey Pokey. Beaman told the audience about the importance of neoteny, which is the ability for people to keep their “childlike qualities” – such as curiosity, creativity and an inclination toward experimentation – through their adult lives. The “neotenous mind” is what allows for the creative entrepreneurship that leads to exciting ideas such as phones that converse with their owners, and microfinance organizations such as Kiva, she said.
“Most of us are right-answered, brown-desked, tested right out of our original selves,” she said, lamenting the loss of creativity that occurs as children grow up. Beaman suggested that to help themselves retain the adventurousness of childhood, students could carry around a picture of their much younger selves as a reminder of the qualities they had at that age. She also suggested carrying around a crayon to smell, which greatly amused the audience. “The scent brings you back to kindergarten, before you knew ‘no,’ before you were told to sit down, before you were told to be quiet,” she said. “It just takes you back to possibility and color, and I hope you colored outside the lines.”
Grade 7 Student Victorious in National Chess Tournament
Shafieen Ibrahim, grade 7, participated in the March 29 national playoffs of the 2014 US Amateur Team West Chess Tournament. His NorCal House Team emerged as the champions for the second year in a row. Ibrahim will be featured in an article in the April issue of Chess Life Magazine and is slated to appear on its May cover. To read more about the chess win: http://www.uschess.org/content/view/12598/757/.
Grade 5 Student Wins PayPal San Francisco Junior Squash Tournament
Avid squash player Vivek Sunkam, grade 5, recently participated in the PayPal San Francisco Junior Silver tournament. Participants included ranked players, such as top-seeded Mario Reifschneider (ranked 63rd by US Squash in the Boys Under 13 category). Sunkam, ranked 85th by US Squash in the Boys Under 13 category, was the second seed going into this tournament.
In the final, Sunkam was paired against Reifschneider for the championship in a best of five games set. Sunkam narrowly lost the first two with scores of 9-11 and 11-13. Then he started fighting back, winning the next two games convincingly with scores of 11-7 and 11-7. The deciding game was tense, with both players under pressure and tired. Both Sunkam and Reifschneider saved quite a few match points as they drew even at 10-10, 11-11 and 12-12. Ultimately Sunkam prevailed with a score of 14-12. The last game was definitely championship quality! Congrats, Vivek, on your first Boys Under 13 (BU13) squash tournament win!
Middle Schooler Has Solid Performance at Regional Spelling Bee
Katherine Zhang, grade 7, represented Harker in the CBS Bay Area Spelling Bee oral final competition on March 15 in San Francisco. Zhang breezed through the first six rounds, correctly spelling “praline,” “cedilla,” “sagacity,” “cheka,” “pennyroyal” and “herpetology,” but in the seventh round misspelled “embayment” as “enbayment”.
A total of 49 students from the Bay Area participated in this final round, after successfully emerging from 132 students who, as winners of the spelling contests at their respective schools in December, took the written semifinal round in February. Students vied for the opportunity to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which takes place in Washington, D.C., in May.
Although Zhang did not qualify, she found the experience to be very rewarding. “First, I have greatly expanded my vocabulary. I learned a lot of words from other languages, and I now know the roots of a lot of words,” she said. “Secondly, the experience further teaches me that hard work pays off. I had thought that I worked hard enough, but apparently someone else worked much harder. The winner practiced hours per day by getting up as early as 5 a.m.!”
A half-hour documentary on the regional spelling bee aired on March 29 at 7 p.m. on CBS Channel 5. It will re-air on April 12 at 7:30 p.m. CBS has created a promo video for the documentary.
Last week, the undefeated boys golf team took down undefeated Menlo to remain in first place.
This week, they did it again, eking out a 191-194 victory against Sacred Heart Prep. The boys are now in sole possession of first place in the WBAL. Junior Shrish Dwivedi and sophomore Dakota McNealy both shot 2-over-par 37’s to give Harker a three-stoke lead after the first group. Freshman sensation Avi Khemani gave Harker its best score of the day with a 1-over-par 36, crushing his opponent by five strokes and giving Harker a thrilling victory.
Harker’s male golfers are off to the best start in their history, after becoming the first Harker team to defeat both Menlo and Sacred Heart Prep in the same season.
Volleyball
The boys went 3-0 last week, trouncing Eastside College Prep twice and handing then-undefeated Lynbrook (13-0) their first defeat of the season! The hot week bumped the boys’ record up to 10-2 overall and 4-1 in league. Senior Andrew Zhu led the team in kills over the week, with senior Will Deng, junior Shiki Dixit and freshman Andrew Gu right behind him. Junior Matt Ho led the team in assists. This Friday and Saturday, Harker is a host site for the Bellarmine Tournament, in which some of the top teams in the state will compete.
Soccer
The season is over, but the accolades keep coming! This week, three of Harker’s female athletes were featured in the San Jose Mercury News as honorable mentions for the All-Mercury News girls soccer team: freshman forward Joelle Anderson, junior defender Gabi Gupta and senior goalkeeper Alicia Clark.
Track and Field
The Eagles are off to a hot start, posting 15 personal bests in their first league track meet. The top three finishers in the high jump were Harker athletes, led by senior Parth Kothari. Senior Claudia Tischler and freshman Niki Iyer won their 1600m and 3200m, with Iyer’s time of 5:08:84 from last week holding up as the top freshman time in the state. Harker senior Arjun Kumar and sophomore Arthur Ye won their divisions in varsity and junior varsity shotput, respectively. Senior Nithya Vemireddy and junior Julia Wang placed third and fifth in the shotput and second and third in the discus, respectively.
Swimming
The girls beat out King’s Academy last week with a tense 81-78 victory, while the boys fell 77-90. The varsity event winners included senior Manon Audebert, senior Kimberley Ma, sophomore Angela Huang, sophomore Sandhana Kannan, sophomore Grace Guan, junior Aaron Huang, junior Craig Neubieser and freshman Michael Auld. Guan, Angela Huang, Ma, Auld and Aaron Huang all qualified for CCS.
Softball
Harker’s sluggers earned their first victory of the season in blowout fashion, dominating Andrew Hill 16-4. Junior Sarah Bean, junior Vivian Isenberg, freshman Marti Sutton and sophomore Alisa Wakita each had more than one hit.
Baseball
The boys nearly pulled off a triumphant comeback but finally fell short in an 8-7 loss to Priory. Freshman Varun Haltore had two RBI’s, while junior Keanu Forbes had two hits. On the mound, freshman Nic Bean and senior Varun Kamat combined for 11 strikeouts.
Tennis
The boys lost to state powerhouse Menlo last week, but still own a winning record at 8-5. The junior varsity team has a 4-2 record.
Lacrosse
The girls suffered some tough league losses last week to rivals Notre Dame San Jose, Gunn and Mitty. Goals were scored by junior Hannah Bollar, junior Allison Kiang, senior Mabel Luo and senior Mary Liu. Senior Christine Lee had 43 saves in goal over those three games.
Late last month, Bradley Stoll, mathematics department chair, was named the recipient of an Inspirational Teacher Award from MIT. Alumna Lorraine Wong ’13 nominated Stoll for the award, saying of him, “I am immensely grateful that you believed in me in math, and more importantly, in life, and that you are not afraid to share your belief that being a kind human is more important than getting the best grades in a class.”
Stoll expressed gratitude at being nominated and said he was honored by Wong’s sentiments. “Lorraine’s nomination will be a constant reminder to me that I need to see and treat each student as an individual and not compartmentalize them by their grades,” he said “that I need to be compassionate, that sometimes I need to be their teacher, sometimes I need to be their friend.”
This story originally appeared in the spring 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Students who want to learn a new sport, improve as athletes or simply work on their overall fitness will have plenty to choose from at Harker’s summer sports camps. Harker’s staff of experienced, well-trained and caring coaches will ensure that students gain the skills they need in a positive, fun and nurturing environment. For more information and to register for Harker’s summer sports camps, click here.
Wrestling
After a successful first year, Harker’s summer wrestling camp will have students in grades 4-12 taking to the mat once again to brush up on both beginning and advanced techniques. Catering to a wide range of skill levels, the camp will have students working on takedowns, reversals, and other important skills. Students also will train on a TRX system, work on managing weight, setting goals, and being mentally prepared. In addition, students will have the opportunity to learn from college coaches and wrestlers who will visit the camp.
Among this year’s special guests is Anthony Robles, who won the 2010-11 NCAA championship in the 125-pound weight class despite being born with just one leg.
“One of the new things about camp this year is we have more coaches to help,” said camp director Karriem Stinson. “I went out and got some of the best coaches in [the Central Coast Section]. Two of them have been CCS honor coaches of the year and one has been named Mercury News coach of the year.”
Stinson is Harker’s middle school assistant athletic director and the middle and upper school wrestling coach. During his time at Harker, he has coached three members of the California national wrestling team and many other wrestlers who have gone on to placements in CCS.
Stinson will be joined by Shawn Henebry, a three-time CCS winner and former captain of the wrestling team at California State University, Fullerton, where he later was assistant coach. Henebry finished first place in the 85kg category at the 2012 Veterans U.S. National Championships and his coaching successes include a CCS champion and several state qualifiers.
Swim School
Harker’s summer swim school has something for everyone looking to participate in one of the quintessential summertime activities. Whether looking to improve their overall skill, prepare for an upcoming competition or just enjoy a good time in the California sun, both children and adults will find programs tailored to their needs and preferences.
Experienced swim instructors will offer half-hour lessons that will help swimmers build their skills sequentially and heighten confidence in their abilities. Ten different skill levels have been designed to accommodate the widest possible range of swimmers, from those who are uncomfortable being in water to experienced freestyle competitors. Private and group lessons are available for students ages 5-18.
For swimmers in grades 3-8, the junior swim team portion of the camp is a great way to gain competitive swimming skills in a fun and supportive atmosphere, where students will focus on improving their technique and endurance. Students who wish to participate in the junior swim team must be able to swim unassisted freestyle for a length of 25 meters and show a basic understanding of the four competitive strokes.
The swim school will offer weekly sessions from June 16 to Aug. 7 at the beautiful Singh Aquatic Center at Harker’s upper school campus. The aquatic center’s 25-yard pool, which features 13 swimming lanes, provides an ideal area for swimmers to learn, practice and have fun!
Water Polo
For students interested in learning a new sport while also enjoying outdoor summer fun, Harker’s water polo camp is an ideal choice. Geared toward students who are new to the sport, the camp will offer a primer in the sport’s history, rules, basic techniques, water and dry land conditioning and more.
Those who are interested in signing up for this camp must be able to swim 25 yards. Skills taught during the camp include shooting, passing, eggbeater kicking and other essentials of the sport. Campers also will play scrimmages to employ the skills they’ve learned.
Due to its popularity in past Harker summer programs, there will now be two sessions of the water polo camp, one from June 16-20 and another from July 14-18.
Coaches Allie Lamb and Ted Ujifusa will return to direct the camp. Having played for such illustrious coaches as University of California, Berkeley’s Rich Corso, Santa Clara University’s Keith Wilbur and former Olympic coach Ricardo Azevedo, Lamb draws on a wealth of knowledge gained during her 15-year water polo career. She was captain of the SCU water polo team in 2009 and has coached Harker’s water polo team for the past two seasons.
Ted Ujifusa, currently the head coach of Harker’s boys water polo team, brings nearly 50 years of water polo experience to the camp. During his senior year at UC Berkeley, his team won the NCAA championship. Since he began coaching in 1974, he has coached two Central Coast Section public high schools to championships, the only coach in CCS history to do so. Other accolades include being named Coast Conference coach of the year during his time with De Anza College and winning the National Master’s Championship.
Basketball
Young basketball enthusiasts will have the opportunity to solidify their fundamental skills at Harker’s summer basketball camp. Designed to prepare students for team competition, the camp will have students focus on important skills such as ball handling, shooting, rebounding and fundamentals on both offense and defense.
Camp sessions include shooting and stretching daily. Then, students will rotate between stations that focus on different fundamental aspects of the game. The camp also will feature daily five-on-five games and fun activities to liven the atmosphere.
Directing this year’s camp is Harker varsity basketball coach Mark Collins, who spent 10 years in Denmark as a professional player, being named an All-Star player five times. He also directed the Golden State Warriors training camp for six years.
Soccer
Harker’s elite soccer camp is back and registration is live! This coed camp for students in grades 4-12 is ideal for players of all abilities, whether new to the game, looking to try out for a team or preparing for upcoming competition. Instruction at the camp will teach and bolster fundamental skills and also help to build students’ skills through psychomotor training, tactical development and a variety of team games.
Students who enroll in the soccer camp will be placed in groups appropriate to their skill levels to ensure that their abilities are properly matched and challenged by other players. They will be grouped according to age, current skill level and gender (in that order). Each day, a different age-appropriate skill will be emphasized and incorporated into team play. Enrollees can also look forward to special visits by professional players and other notable guests each week, as well as a fun all-camp gathering with students and staff.
Returning to direct this year’s soccer camp is Harker varsity soccer coach Shaun Tsakiris, who played in four straight NCAA tournaments, winning a national championship in 1997 and receiving an MVP award from University of California, Los Angeles, in 2000. Tsakiris spent four years as a professional player in the United Soccer Leagues, playing for the Rochester Rhinos from 2002-06. Joining Tsakiris will be a team of experienced coaches who will work directly with attendees of the camp.
Volleyball
Harker’s summer coed volleyball camp will provide a fun learning environment for volleyball players in grades 4-9. Designed for players of all levels, the camp will help students build their skills through drills, exercises and team games.
Skills emphasized include passing, setting and hitting, blocking and serving, as well as offensive and defensive strategy. Students will be evaluated both individually and as teams. The camp will feature special visits by college coaches and players.
The morning routine will start with warm-up exercises followed by ball control drills. Students will then work on individual player skills, followed by team skills such as working in formations and transitioning. The day will conclude with students forming teams and playing games to put the skills they have learned to use.
The camp will be directed by Harker volleyball coaches Dan Molin and Theresa “Smitty” Smith. Molin, Harker’s upper school athletic director, has more than 20 years of experience coaching volleyball at a variety of levels in California and Hawaii. During his years as a player, he was named one of the “Fab 50” by Volleyball Magazine and is recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as a 200-win coach. Smith, a 22-year Harker veteran, was a member of the U.S. Amateur Olympic volleyball team in 1990 and in 1992 was honored for her years at St. Francis High School by being inducted into the school’s hall of fame. In 2007, she was named CCS volleyball coach of the year by the San Jose Mercury News.
TRX
The Harker TRX training camp will return for its second year, offering students a comprehensive workout with the TRX suspension training system. Developed by former Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick, the TRX system allows users to fine-tune the level of challenge by adjusting their position and resistance settings.
“It is a good camp for those who want a change from the traditional weight room,” said camp director Stinson, who is a certified TRX instructor and will coach the program. “We have fun and work muscles that you never knew existed.”
Offered to students in grades 6-12, the camp will help build a solid core, develop muscular endurance and boost their athletic abilities. “We will focus on learning good position with our bodies and work our cores,” Stinson said.
Football
Harker’s youth football camp is an ideal opportunity for gridiron enthusiasts in grades 6-8 to improve overall ability and prepare for competition in the coming school year. The camp is geared toward intermediate to advanced players, so campers are expected to have at least one year of experience in full-contact football.
Each day of the weeklong camp begins with a dynamic warm-up and stretch session, followed by rotation through stations emphasizing speed and agility drills specialized for football. Campers will then move on to drills for specific positions.
Linemen will run through live inside drills and players at skill positions will run seven-on-seven drills. Campers will then split into teams for an 11-on-11 game.
Students will have the option of registering for a full day or a half day, and can enjoy lunch for an extra fee. A camp practice jersey will be given to all students who register for the camp. Players are encouraged to bring their own helmets and shoulder pads and must provide some other equipment.
The football camp is led by Harker head football coach Ron Forbes, a 15-year collegiate Division 1 veteran. His career includes successful stints at the University of Florida and Stanford University, coaching more than 60 future NFL draftees. Also on hand will be certified sports medical staff, who will provide water and Gatorade to keep campers healthy and hydrated.
This story originally appeared in the spring 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Applications are now being accepted for Harker’s long-running and highly successful English Language Institute (ELI), held on both the lower and upper school campuses.
ELI provides overseas students with the opportunity to learn and practice their English skills, enabling many participants to go on to attend top American and international schools.
New to the program this year will be an optional “Very Interesting Places” (VIP) tour available to all ELI students (ages 6-16). After receiving a number of requests, Wood decided to introduce the VIP program, to allow students to discover California outside the classroom. The tour will take place at the end of the regular five-week session and will take students around Silicon Valley and the Bay Area to visit theme parks, museums, companies, school campuses and more, capped off with an overnight trip to Yosemite.
Wood said that enrollment for the VIP tour is expected to fill up quickly. He also noted that ELI teachers will accompany the students on the tour and provide a specialized curriculum to continue with their language learning.
To help get the word out about ELI, current Harker and alumni families are sponsoring receptions around the world including Russia, Turkey, China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan.
Joe Rosenthal, Harker’s executive director of advancement, who directed the school’s former elementary boarding program for 20 years, will be on hand as well. Rosenthal is a frequent guest lecturer at the current ELI program on the topic of studying in the United States.
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. Last summer, more than 60 students enrolled for the secondary division and a record-breaking 55 enrolled in the primary division.
“The goal is to keep the program small and offer a very high-quality experience,” explained Wood.
This story originally appeared in the spring 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Come June, the upper school campus will be filled with students in grades 6-12 who are participating in Harker’s Summer Institute (SI), a unique program open to both Harker students and those from other schools.
The Summer Institute has two tracks, one designed for middle schoolers and another for high school students. Participants typically combine a morning academic program with afternoon activities, allowing them to earn credits and learn new skills, yet still enjoy summertime fun.
The academic portion of the day offers rigorous for-credit courses such as algebra, economics and programming, as well as non-credit opportunities for enrichment and growth including creative writing, Web design, debate and robotics. A driver’s education course is available for students ages 15 and up.
For middle schoolers (grades 6-8), SI’s afternoon activity program includes many specialty classes and recreational activities; students in grade 9 are also invited to sign up for the afternoon activities. Specialty classes include backyard games, volleyball boot camp and cooking. Other classes include art, jewelry-making, magic, improv, dance, tech, junior lifeguard, chess and circus arts. There also will be off-campus field trips every couple of weeks to sites such as The Tech Museum and Capitola.
Keith Hirota will reprise his role as SI middle school director and Evan Barth, upper school dean of studies, has enthusiastically taken on the role of SI principal for the upper school students.
Barth – who joined Harker in fall 2000 and has been a class dean and served on the Honor Council – said he is looking forward to working with SI’s older students this summer. In his present capacity as the dean of studies, he meets with each incoming student to create an academic plan for high school.
Both Hirota and Barth agreed that the variety of choices and flexibility of the SI program allows students to design their own perfect schedule, taking into consideration individual academic needs and personal interests.
This story originally appeared in the spring 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Come June, the upper school campus will be filled with students in grades 6-12 who are participating in Harker’s Summer Institute (SI), a unique program open to both Harker students and those from other schools.
The Summer Institute has two tracks, one designed for middle schoolers and another for high school students. Participants typically combine a morning academic program with afternoon activities, allowing them to earn credits and learn new skills, yet still enjoy summertime fun.
The academic portion of the day offers rigorous for-credit courses such as algebra, economics and programming, as well as non-credit opportunities for enrichment and growth including creative writing, Web design, debate and robotics. A driver’s education course is available for students ages 15 and up.
For middle schoolers (grades 6-8), SI’s afternoon activity program includes many specialty classes and recreational activities; students in grade 9 are also invited to sign up for the afternoon activities. Specialty classes include backyard games, volleyball boot camp and cooking. Other classes include art, jewelry-making, magic, improv, dance, tech, junior lifeguard, chess and circus arts. There also will be off-campus field trips every couple of weeks to sites such as The Tech Museum and Capitola.
Keith Hirota will reprise his role as SI middle school director and Evan Barth, upper school dean of studies, has enthusiastically taken on the role of SI principal for the upper school students.
Barth – who joined Harker in fall 2000 and has been a class dean and served on the Honor Council – said he is looking forward to working with SI’s older students this summer. In his present capacity as the dean of studies, he meets with each incoming student to create an academic plan for high school.
Both Hirota and Barth agreed that the variety of choices and flexibility of the SI program allows students to design their own perfect schedule, taking into consideration individual academic needs and personal interests.