The middle school forensics program traveled to Birmingham, Ala., in June to compete at the National Junior Forensics League National Tournament. The team as a collective brought home the National School of Excellence Award that recognizes the top three speech and debate programs in the country. The team also earned the National Debate School of Excellence Award given to the top six debate programs in the country.
As individuals, the students earned many awards including two national championships. The team of Aditya Dhar and Alexander Lam, who both start grade 9 next year, debated the benefit of drone strikes in Public Forum debate and after nine tough rounds were declared the national champions.
In Congressional debate, the Harker team had the top four students in the event which is a monumental achievement. Winning his second national championship, Lam took first place. Dhar took second, rising freshmen Emaad Raghib was third and Misha Tseitlin was fourth. Rishab Gargeya, who also recently finished grade 8, was also a finalist. Last year at Nationals Dhar won first place and Lam won second place.
In Policy Debate, recent middle school graduates Raymond Xu and Rahul Shukla advanced to the final four in their discussion about transportation infrastructure. Rising eighth grader Megan Huynh and Anika Jain, a freshman next year, advanced to the top 16.
In Lincoln Douglas debate, the students discussed the desirability of an oppressive government over no government. Rising grade 8 students Serena Lu and Sagar Rao advanced to the top sixteen. Lu and Liza Turchinsky, also in grade 8 next year, were recognized as being exceptional speakers and winning the seventh place and fifth place awards in that category. Turchinsky also received second place in the continuation rounds.
Harker also had students who competed in Original Oratory, a 10-minute speech students write themselves that call the audience to action. Jain, Nikhil Dharmaraj, rising grade 8, and Carissa Chen, starting grade 9 in the fall, all advanced to the elimination rounds. Chen advanced to finals and received the fifth place award; she was also recognized for her impromptu speaking skills and advanced to the top 12 in this event.
The students had an amazing performance and the coaches are all very proud of their success. “Thank you for all of your support of middle school forensics throughout the year,” said middle school forensics teacher Karina Momary. “I know our schedule is not the easiest to accommodate but your flexibility and support is what allows the students to participate and excel. A special thank you to Jonathan Brusco. Jonathan gave topic lectures to the Public Forum and Lincoln Douglas debaters before Nationals. His insights helped the boys win the finals!”
In May, rising junior Andrew Jin won a second-place award in the medicine and health sciences category at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Phoenix, Ariz. His project, titled “Breast Cancer Prognosis through Gene Expression Profiling and Tumor Morphology,” also earned him a $1,500 prize. The American Statistical Association also honored Jin with a third-place special award, which included a $250 cash prize and a five-year school license for Harker for the JMP statistical software suite.
This story was submitted by Harker rising junior Cindy Liu.
On July 2, a team of eight Harker rising juniors placed first in the nation in the 9/10 division for the 2013 Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science (TEAMS). The competition took place during the national Technology Student Association (TSA) conference held from June 28 to July 2 in Orlando, Fla. The team members included Andrew Jin, David Lin, Cindy Liu, Steven Wang, Rachel Wu, Stanley Xie, Leo Yu and Andrew Zhang.
TEAMS is an annual science, technology, engineering and mathematics competition challenging students to work collaboratively and apply their math and science knowledge and problem-solving skills in practical, creative ways to solve real world engineering challenges. The 2013 TEAMS theme was “Engineering a Secure Cyberspace.” The first part of the competition, held locally in March, included 80 multiple choice questions and eight short essays on the theme. The team ranked number one in California in the grade 9/10 division and were invited to participate in second part of the competition at the national level. The part II test consisted of three categories: a research essay on cybersecurity, a written problem-solving exam with complex math, physics and computer science scenarios and an extemporaneous debate on one of three topics: social media, work place privacy and cloud computing. All of the students benefited from the knowledge they had accumulated in Harker classes, such as their math courses, AP Physics, AP Computer Science and the debate program.
The TSA is a national organization that supports more than 60 STEM competitions for middle and high school students nationwide. TSA membership includes more than 190,000 students in 2,000 schools spanning 48 states. In addition to the TEAMS competition, students attended ceremonies recognizing TSA development and were able to meet with participants of other TSA projects. All of the participating teams qualified for the national round by placing in the first four places in their states.
In late June, middle school math teacher Vandana Kadam traveled to Turkey to participate in the Junior Balkan Mathematical Olympiad (JBMO). It was the first time the U.S. had been invited to compete in the event, and Kadam acted as an observer on a panel of 25 mathematicians who selected problems for the exam that was administered at the JBMO.
“I was one of only two women on this panel,” Kadam said. “It has been a highly rewarding experience for me.”
The United States team placed fourth out of the 21 countries competing in the Olympiad, with all six members of the team earning medals, including three gold, one silver and two bronze. The team had the second-highest number of gold medals behind Turkey, who had four.
It’s “the summer of wow!” over at the lower school’s Summer Camp+ program, just as the colorful sign hanging near the entrance to the Bucknall campus proclaims.
The wow factor ran high during a recent visit by Harker News Online to Camp+, where children could be seen joyfully climbing up a rock structure, hula hooping and cooling off in the pool or with a water mat and hose out on the field.
Indeed, campers are able to choose from a wide array of appropriate age-related summertime activities, creating the perfect environment for youngsters in K-6 to let loose and have some fun outdoors following earlier morning indoor academics.
Students have the choice of enrolling in either CoreFocus or LOL (Learning Opportunities in Literature) for the academic portion of the day. CoreFocus is a three- or four-week math- and language arts-focused program. LOL is a two-week integrated curriculum centered around a literary theme. Both programs leave room for the optional added afternoon activity program.
Each year, a spirited four-way game of “color clash” kicks off the beginning of the fun Camp+ activities. The traditional gathering, held in the Bucknall gymnasium, groups students in yellow, red, green and blue teams competing in an array of silly games cheered on by captains (aka camp counselors) wearing color-coordinated outfits running the gamut from superheroes to hula skirts and silly hats. Kindergartners stay for the beginning of color clash before heading outside to the lawn where they have their own special activities, including art projects.
Enthusiasm ran high at this year’s event, held in June. In a nice gesture of team spirit, campers got bonus points for loudly cheering for not only their own group but for everyone else as well. (Check out all the action in this video taken at the program: http://youtu.be/r_LDnLG7U7c.)
“Go, team yellow!” shouted camper and second grader Enzo Lucketti, also a regular student at the lower school. His favorite things about camp so far have been climbing on the rock structure outside and getting his study skills up in the academic portion of his day.
According to Joe Chung, program director of Camp+ and an elementary computer science teacher at the lower school, there is something for everyone in the program. On-site highlights include a patriotic games bash, water carnival, sleepover for older campers, presentation for parents and birthday celebration for camp mascot “Ray.” Campers also partake in numerous off-site field trips – from local outings for bowling and miniature golf to farther trips out to the Oakland Zoo and Coyote Point.
Afternoon activities are grouped by ages and weeks, with kindergartners attending kindercamp. First and second graders are in the owls group, third and fourth graders are called condors, and fifth and sixth graders are referred to as eagles. This year, the first session of camp included such themes as wow, whamo, wipe out and work out. The second session will feature weeks called wisdom of wizards, waiting on winter and wonders of wildlife.
“This is my third time at Camp+, and I really recommend it!” enthused grade 3 student Alexis Nishimura. To her, the best part about camp is “hanging out with friends,” followed by “all the fun activities and outings.”
Laughing and shielding their eyes from the sun, a group of Summer Institute (SI) participants casually tossed a Frisbee to one another out on Rosenthal Field. Meanwhile, in the upper school gym, another group of students playing volleyball couldn’t help but notice the delicious aroma from the nearby kitchen where a cooking class was underway.
From backyard games held on the field to volleyball boot camp and “cooking corner” in the gym and kitchen, SI students this year are enjoying brand-new specialty class period offerings. It’s all part of Harker’s increasingly popular Summer Institute program, now up and running on the Saratoga campus.
Open to both Harker students and the general public in grades 6-12, the institute got underway on June 17 and runs until Aug. 9.
Holding a plate of freshly-made scrambled eggs in her cooking class, Romina Parimi, a grade 6 student at San Jose’s Challenger Berryessa School, called it her favorite special activity so far. As a non-Harker student and first-time participant to SI, she said she was impressed by how beautiful the upper school campus is. “The academics are good; the activities are good!” she enthused.
The unique specialty classes are available via SI’s afternoon activity program (A.P.) where many middle school-aged students like Parimi sign up for courses, which change weekly. In addition to outdoor games, volleyball and cooking, other rotating class options include art, jewelry-making, magic, improv, dance, tech, junior lifeguard, chess and circus arts.
SI has two separate tracks, one designed for middle schoolers and another geared toward upper school-aged students. All SI participants typically combine a morning academic program with afternoon activities, allowing them to earn credits and learn new skills, yet still have plenty of time left over for summertime fun.
The institute’s academic portion offers rigorous for-credit courses such as algebra, economics and programming, as well as non-credit opportunities for enrichment and growth like creative writing, Web design, debate and robotics. A driver’s education course is available for students aged 15 and up.
For middle school aged participants (grades 6-8) A.P. provides many options for specialty classes and recreational activities. Weekly sessions are divided by themes, such as superhero, western, fantasy, Harry Potter, Disney and animation. There are also off-campus field trips every couple of weeks to such hot spots as the shoreline, the Tech Museum and Capitola.
“The wide range of choices and flexibility allows each student to design a schedule around his or her own academic needs and personal interests,” explained Keith Hirota, summer middle school director.
Grade 9 students have the option to either participate in A.P. or join the older high school students who have no organized afternoon activity program but enjoy free, drop-in access to the library, pool, art room, Ping-Pong table, basketball courts and study spaces. For all grades, an on-site prepared lunch is included.
According to Hirota, a total of 920 middle and upper school students are enrolled in this summer’s overall SI program, of which 550 participants are non-Harker students. He added that an average of 80-85 students per week attend A.P., with about 50 of those individuals coming from the general public.
After more than a year preparing, Harker received final approval July 18 for its new preschool, which opens Sept. 3.
Located on Union Avenue, Harker Preschool sits on an 8-acre site that has been under renovation since January.
“We’re very excited to add the preschool to our K-12 school community,” said Chris Nikoloff, head of school.
The new play-based preschool offers programs for 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds and transitional kindergartners. With a focus on child-centered learning and teacher-guided explorations, the curriculum is rich with music, art, movement and nature. All preschool teachers have college degrees – some with multiple and advanced degrees — and backgrounds working with children.
“We are building a very special place for young children, with kind, passionate and highly qualified teachers giving guidance,” said Andrea Hart, director of the preschool. “We also have a large, thoughtfully developed campus, and the best blend of early childhood education philosophies enabling children to develop and learn while engrossed in rich, hands-on play experiences.”
A Bay Area native, Hart spent 11 years teaching at the Bing Nursery School, the play-based laboratory preschool at Stanford University, spent years teaching in local Montessori preschools and was a student of the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership at Columbia University.
Applications for admission to the preschool are currently being accepted and interested parents may register online at http://preschool.harker.org or by picking up a registration packet at any of the other three Harker campuses. There will be tours for prospective parents July 18 at 9 a.m., July 21 at 10 a.m. and July 23 at 5:30 p.m. For parents to get the most out of these events, they are encouraged to arrange child care for their little ones.
“We are all so excited about the new preschool,” said Kelly Espinosa, who oversees the school’s summer and preschool programs. “It is a beautiful facility that promises to be a one-of-a-kind experience for young children.”
In April, Anand Natarajan ’09 became the second Harker alum in three years to receive the J.E. Wallace Sterling Award for Scholastic Achievement from Stanford University, one of the university’s highest academic honors.
For the ceremony, Natarajan was asked to invite the teacher he felt was most influential during his school years, and he chose upper school physics teacher Eric Nelson, who shared his thoughts on the experience of having Natarajan as one of his students. In one memory that Nelson shared, Natarajan was “tasked with modeling the trajectory of a projectile that was subject to drag forces. The projectile was a ‘poof’ ball that was being fired out of our offering for the 2006 FIRST robotics competition,” he recalled. “Anand was memorable because he was so persistent in wanting to model the motion of the ball, but what really stood out was the fact that his email correspondence was so articulate that I thought at first that I was addressing his parents.”
Another favorite memory of Nelson’s was when Natarajan discovered and corrected an error in a calculus model Nelson had developed. “It was really quite remarkable, especially considering that he was only 12 years old at the time,” Nelson said.
The hot, late-afternoon sun could not deter a group of lower school English Language Institute (ELI) students from heading outdoors for recess, where they located a shady spot by the play structure and happily constructed a tower out of wooden blocks.
Although the group spoke several different languages, they expertly communicated in the silent yet universally-understood language of childhood play. Few words were spoken, but concentration ran high as the group stacked block upon block.
Once satisfied with their work, they took time out to talk (with interpretive help from a counselor) to Harker News Online about their experience in the school’s growing ELI program for elementary school-aged children held at the Blackford campus.
Nine-year-old ELI student Helen Kozak shared that going on a recent field trip to the beach at Santa Cruz reminded her of being back home in Ukraine, where she lives near the sea. “I like the ocean very much,” she said in remarkably good English, adding, “I swim all day long.”
In addition to swimming, her favorite things about ELI so far have been archery, circus arts and computer lab. “I like it all,” said Kozak, who has been to the United States several times but never before in the ELI program.
“My favorite thing about ELI is recess … which we are in right now!” enthused 11-year-old Aaron Guo of China. The first-time ELI participant added that his second favorite activity is basketball. He also liked all the “fun outings” to places like the Golden Gate Bridge and tide pools at the ocean.
Each summer the lower and upper school campuses are filled with excited students like Kozak and Guo, who come from abroad to improve their English speaking and writing abilities. And this year the lower school has a greater number of attendees than in previous years; in the lower school alone there are children from China, Korea, Japan, Ukraine and Turkey.
According to Anthony Wood, ELI director, the program saw a notable increase in enrollment at the beginner level, with more foreign students over at the Blackford campus than ever before, requiring a total of four classes. Older students (middle- and high school-aged) attend ELI on the Saratoga campus.
In addition to The Harker School’s rich global educational programming offered throughout the school year, summer at Harker brings with it its own special international flavor, as students meet and interact with peers from all over the world.
ELI initially began as a year-round boarding school, which closed in 2001. Its current summer program evolved and has been around since 2004. There are more than 60 students enrolled for the secondary division over the course of this summer, and at least 55 enrolled in the primary division.
Many ELI students and their families learn about the institute via the recommendation of American friends or relatives familiar with the program. But long before Harker launched the successful ELI program, the school had already earned a worldwide reputation for being among the finest in the United States, which further explains why ELI annually attracts students from diverse Asian and European countries.
The ELI program runs for an eight-week intensive session and is always kicked off with a welcome reception for ELI participants and their guardians. Students ages 6-16 are bound for American boarding schools, universities or internationally-based primarily English-speaking schools. They come to Harker to prepare for and increase their chances of admission to their next educational institution.
For the younger ELI students, formal class instruction is combined with enrichment programs, such as swimming and playing games. Often ELI students are able to join in activities with children attending the regular on-site summer camp, allowing them to have fun while improving language skills.
Karen Glovka, ELI primary program teacher, said the program for younger students teaches English in the context of what children like to do. True beginners, who know no English, learn greetings, colors, shapes, numbers, the alphabet (names of letters and sounds) and school and family vocabulary. Students with more developed skills work on reading, writing and computer skills.
“We strive to keep the learning fun,” explained Glovka, who for the past 10 years has also taught Spanish during the regular school year at Harker’s lower school.
The most advanced ELI students, usually middle and high school-aged, stay at the Saratoga campus and work on special projects tailored to their needs, including SAT preparation. They are assisted by mentors (called buddies or conversation partners) who are Harker juniors, seniors or recent graduates.
These older ELI students receive visits from admissions directors from some of the finest boarding schools worldwide, who come to Harker personally to meet with them and give presentations about what their schools have to offer.
Joe Rosenthal, Harker’s executive director of advancement and the former director of Harker’s elementary boarding program, is also a frequent guest lecturer to the ELI program on the topic of studying in the United States. This past spring Rosenthal organized a series of receptions in Asia on behalf of ELI, which provided a chance for the school to reconnect with several alumni now residing there.
At the end of their time at Harker, ELI students, upon full completion of either a three- or seven-week course, are eligible to receive a certificate (handed out during an official closing ceremony) and recommendation from their teachers.
On field trip days ELI students of all ages can be seen sporting green program T-shirts as they head out for cultural adventures to such diverse attractions as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Exploratorium, Academy of Sciences, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Santa Cruz Natural Bridges State Park and the Tech Museum.
Some ELI participants and their guardians opt to live with friends and relatives in the area. Others choose to stay at The Marriott Residence Inn, which made housing available for ELI students this year.
ELI participants at both the lower and upper schools may come with the primary goal of being able to travel, speak and learn in the States, yet they often leave with something they might not have anticipated: wonderful memories and strong ties to their new Harker community!
During the spring semester, rising seniors Kevin Zhu and Rahul Sridhar became the highest and second-highest Division II scorers in the region, respectively, in the 2013 Physics Bowl, administered by the American Association of Physics Teachers. Zhu scored 30 points, tying for the second-highest score nationally, and Sridhar scored 29 points.
As a team, Harker was the second-highest scoring school in the country with 144 points, just one point below the nation’s top-scoring school.