This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
The Harker School is proud of its faculty, who set an example for the Harker community by going “all in” last year with a record-breaking 100 percent participation in the school’s annual giving campaign drive.
“This is just one of many ways our faculty show their dedication to our students’ education,” said Melinda Gonzales, managing director of advancement.
Now, with the fall launch of this year’s “All In!” annual campaign, parents are poised to join faculty in supporting student programs by making a gift themselves. The official campaign phoneathon is the week of Sept. 30, but parents may make their gift any time by going online to www. harker.org/onlinegiving or by using the envelope included in this publication.
If parents have any questions about making their gift, they are urged to contact Gonzales at melindag@harker.org. They are also invited to visit Harker’s new “Recognition & Thanks” page on the parent portal at www.harker.org/rt.
“Each month we recognize our most recent donors and volunteers – those people who help to create our strong and vibrant community,” noted Gonzales.
In what has become a much-anticipated annual event, grade 1 students from Imelda Kusuma’s and Rita Stone’s classes united for their annual Friendship Party on Sept. 20.
Stone’s grade 1 homeroom joined Kusuma’s class for the afternoon gathering, which included a story about friendship followed by tasty treats and a unique pencil craft project to be donated to a local nursing home.
The party, which launched five years ago, was borne of the idea that the classes could get to know each other better while simultaneously learning about friendship. That initial successful event set the stage for future gatherings, which always begin with a story around the central theme of friendship intended to promote productive discussions.
Kusuma and Stone also thought it would be meaningful for the students to extend a friendly hand to others, so they came up with the idea of having them make a craft project to give to residents of a nursing home, another continued and beloved party tradition.
“This event is always a delightful time. At this gathering we were lucky enough to have a couple of BEST helping hands pitch in. We also had some wonderful parents providing assistance with the craft project and bringing in the treats,” recalled Stone.
For the craft project, students used florist tape and added a lovely flower to a pencil, which Stone said was “not as easy as it might sound!”
According to grade 1 student and party participant Ryan Barth, the best part about the gathering was making the craft for donating because he likes to help other people. He also said he liked making it because he “likes to twist things.”
The class of 2015 split into two groups and visited ropes courses in La Honda and Santa Cruz on Sept. 24 to participate in exercises designed to build trust and teamwork in the students. Harker journalism students captured the full story, which is posted at TalonWP.com.
This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
Harker’s middle school speech and debate team capped another strong season on June 18, earning one of only three all-around school of excellence awards at the National Junior Forensic League (NJFL) National Championships in Indianapolis. This honor recognizes the combined accomplishment of the 26 students who competed. The team also extended their streak as one of the five recipients of the school of excellence in debate award to three consecutive years.
Aditya Dhar, now grade 8, earned an individual national championship – Harker’s third straight. He was joined in the final round of congress by teammate Alexander Lam, grade 8, who earned second place.
Harker also enjoyed its best performance to date at nationals in policy debate by advancing all three teams it entered. Numerous public forum debate teams advanced to elimination competition as well.
The all-around school of excellence award was made possible by a breakthrough for Harker’s forensics program, as the school entered a significant number of students in the speech events for the first time. Though the middle school speech program is new, several students excelled at the tournament.
Harker’s growing accomplishments at NJFL Nationals have occurred under the leadership of Karina Momary, the director of middle school forensics. This year the school also welcomed new assistant coach Marjorie Hazeltine, who has ably coached the fledgling group of speech competitors. The returning middle school students look forward to continuing their tradition of success next season in preparation for the 2013 NJFL Nationals in Birmingham, Ala.
This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
For middle and high school students, summer at Harker is an opportunity to both get a leg up academically and relax and have fun – the best of both worlds! By combining a morning academic program with afternoon activities, Harker’s Summer Institute (SI) gives students in grades 6-12 the chance to earn credits, learn new skills, follow their passions and have a whole lot of summer fun.
Open to all students in those grades, a total of 722 students enrolled in the program this summer, more than half of whom were non-Harker students. The institute’s learning program, held in the morning, offered rigorous for-credit courses such as algebra, economics and programming, as well as non-credit opportunities for enrichment and growth like creative writing, drawing and robotics.
In the afternoon, middle schoolers participated in a range of group activities, while high school students had 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 was included as part of the overall program.
Middle school activities included sidewalk art and tiki masks, having water wars and boogie board relays in the pool, playing Hawaiian handball in the gym, and going on field trips to the beach.
On one particularly gorgeous sunny day, a group of SI participants was immersed in an exciting game of street hockey out on the front blacktop. Meanwhile, another group was equally engaged in a drum-making activity on the adjacent field.
Taking a break on a bench on the sidelines, participant Daniel Liu miller, 11, said he learned about the program from a friend who attends Harker. Now back for his second year at the institute, he said he especially looks forward to all the fun afternoon activities.
According to Chris Florio, director of the SI program, the wide range of choices and flexibility allows each student to design a schedule around his or her own academic needs and personal interests, giving everyone just the right mix of summer activity, learning and fun.
Sophia Angus, a second-year Harker student who will be entering grade 6 this fall, said it was her initial experience going to camp at the lower school that prompted the switch to becoming a year-round Harker student. She said the best thing about SI, and Harker, are “the incredibly supportive people,” including her coaches, teachers and friends.
Although it was her first time at a Harker summer program, Jenna Sadhu, grade 7, has been attending the school since kindergarten. “Yeah, I’m a Harker K-lifer,” she enthused, noting how much she has enjoyed meeting new summer friends. “It’s more laid back than during the regular school year … with more activities and freedom. I’m really glad Harker made the Summer Institute and highly recommend it!”
This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
Harker’s 2012 English Language Institute (ELI) program kicked off with a welcome reception for ELI participants and their guardians on June 24 and ran until mid-August.
The globally recognized program attracts international students ages 6-16 who are bound for either American boarding schools, universities or internationally-based, primarily English-speaking schools. They come to ELI to prepare for and increase their chances of admission to their next educational institution.
“ELI is a smart thing, and a good idea. It’s a unique opportunity,” said Joe Rosenthal, Harker’s executive director of advancement. Rosenthal noted, “In our culture we place great emphasis on finding meaningful work and helping to make the world a better place.” He noted former ELI participant Alexander Wang MS ’98, now a major figure in the fashion world, quickly worked his way into regular Harker classes after spending time in the ELI program when young.
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. For the younger ELI students, instruction takes place at Harker’s lower school campus. At the conclusion of formal instruction each day, learning for these students continues with enrichment programs, such as swimming and playing games. Often they are able to join in activities with children attenting the regular on-site summer camp, allowing them to have fun while improving language skills. They also enjoy outings to such kid-friendly locations as “Pump it Up!”
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 Science, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Santa Cruz Natural Bridges State Park and the Tech museum.
Often times these children are so busy having fun, the learning doesn’t even feel like hard work. “I like reading and playing with my friends,” enthused ELI first-timer Lily Yang, 8, who came to the program knowing little english. 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. They will also have likely gained new friendships and increased confidence in their ability to travel, speak and learn in the U.S.
This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
Located on Harker’s lower school campus, Summer Camp+, where K-6 students have a full morning of academics followed by fun, action- packed afternoon activities, offers full, partial-day and morning-only options.
Students have the choice of enrolling in either Core Focus or LoL (Learning opportunities in Literature). Both programs conclude at 11:30 a.m. to make room for an afternoon activity program. Core Focus is a three- or four-week math and language arts-focused program. LoL is a two-week integrated curriculum centered around a literary theme.
This year, a spirited four-way game of “color clash” kicked off the beginning of Summer Camp+. The traditional event, held in the bucknall gymnasium, saw team groups yellow, red, green and blue competing in an array of activities coached by enthusiastic camp counselors. Wearing hula skirts, capes and silly hats, counselors kept the huge room filled with enraptured campers. It was all part of an effort to unite and welcome Harker’s youngest summer camp participants as a group.
Standing near a door leading out to the gym’s lobby, the camp’s art specialist Arwen Lange explained, “This was an easy way to bring all the campers together in one spot, to unite them as a group and raise the camp spirit.” Lange, who also works as assistant director of the lower school’s BEST program, said this is her second year working at the summer camp, an endeavor she plans to continue.
Officiating at the event was Joe Chung, director of Summer Camp+, who took center stage, flanked by colorful balloons and banners celebrating the teams. Decked out in yellow and sporting a bright hat adorned with a huge slice of cheese, he held timed contests for the enthusiastic campers. During one event, the pass the hula hoop activity, there was a four-way tie … a first time in camp history!
New this year, under the rubric of morning academics, were expanded music workshops open to instrumental students entering grades 2-6 with at least one year of experience playing violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, guitar, piano or percussion.
These two-week workshops offered exposure to music theory and composition, improvisation, ear training, singing, ensembles and full orchestral playing. A concert was performed at the end of each session and a recording and printed score given to each student.
“Making music can be isolating,” said Louis Hoffman, Harker’s K-5 instrumental coordinator, who started the program with the goal of keeping his students playing over the summer. “often what happens with learning an instrument is that kids work hard all year, then stop during the summer, and have to start over or even worse, get frustrated and quit. My goal is to keep students engaged.”
Indeed, noted Chung, keeping young students engaged over the summer, no matter what camp option they ultimately select, is the overriding goal of Summer Camp+.
An abridged version of this article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
By Mark Brada
Editor’s note: Mark Brada teaches upper school physics. He submitted this article after chaperoning Harker’s Costa Rican adventure.
On July 27, 14 Harker students and two teachers left their homes and set out for an adventure in the wilds of Costa Rica. Upper school chemistry teacher Mala Raghavan and I accompanied grade 11 students Adarsh Battu, Allen Cheng, Albert Chu, Tiffany Chu, Nathan Dhablania, Darian Edvalson, Chris Fu, Dennis Moon, Daniel Pak, Shreyas Parthasarathy and Renu Singh and grade 12 students Jonathan Cho, Zoya Khan and Alice Tsui. Upon landing in the Alajuela airport we were met by our guide, Jimmy Trejos, who took us to breakfast at a hotel overlooking the central valley of Costa Rica before boarding a small 20-seat airplane bound for the Nicoya peninsula. From there we took a bus to the Absolute Reserve at Cabo Blanco National Park, one of the most remote sections of the country.
We were also welcomed by professors Milton and Diana Lieberman, who proceeded to give the students a crash course in doing field research in the tropics. This involved lectures, brainstorming sessions, guidied hiking and snorkeling sessions, as well as many hours of collecting and analyzing samples.The students undertook a variety of research projects, including a project to identify and characterize body wall oscines in two species of sea cucumbers and a project that examined the shell selection criteria of marine hermit crabs. After three-and-a-half days of this, it was time to move to a new venue: Caramonal Beach to observe marine turtles and to perform some community service.
We all went with our guides, Nelson and Jimmy, at around 8 p.m. to the beach and were greeted by an olive ridley turtle that had just came up from the water to lay her eggs. Once she finished making her nest and had moved back to the water, Nelson, who is the director of the Caramonal Beach National Wildlife Refuge, dug up the nest and moved the eggs to a location that is safe from egg poachers as well as other predators. The entire experience was both amazing and humbling.
The next morning we headed to the University of Georgia research station in the San Luis Valley below the Monteverde cloud forest. Here the students continued to work on their research projects. Their projects culminated in an evening colloquium where they presented their preliminary research findings to a public audience. Their presentations were incredibly detailed and showed a great deal of insight into the problems that they had investigated while in the country. I was particularly impressed with the questions that the students asked after each presentation, which showed that they not only grasped the other students’ presentations, but had been able to glean the key information and provide helpful feedback to them as well. Overall the night was a resounding success.
The students also enjoyed a great time in the country, including some white water rafting, zip-lining through the forests near Monteverde and taking a chocolate tour in the Sarapiqui region, where we saw a great deal of wildlife. We saw dozens of different species including keel-billed toucans, white-faced monkeys, a caiman and blue jeans poison dart frogs to name just a few. Everyone had a great time on this remarkable trip.
This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
By Diana Moss
Editor’s note: Diana Moss teaches upper school Spanish. She chaperoned this trip and gave us this report.
Eight Harker travelers had the adventure of a lifetime in the Galapagos Islands this summer. Jeremy Binkley, grade 10, Divya Kalidindi, Avi Agarwal, Damon Aitken, Kenny Zhang, all grade 11 and Taiwanese ELI student Winnie Lin, along with chaperones Eric Nelson, upper school physics teacher, and myself, flew to Quito, Ecuador, then to the Galapagos, where we boarded a 140-foot yacht to cruise around the islands for seven days, ending with a day in the port city of Guayaquil.
We visited a total of seven different islands, all of which varied in topography from barren desert black lava flows to scrub, tropical jungles and mangrove lagoons. Each day we went on hikes, raft tours along the coast or snorkeling along with extensively trained and knowledgeable park naturalists. A highlight of the islands was our proximity to the wildlife. We saw adorable sea lions napping, posing and frolicking in the surf, land and marine iguanas, blue footed boobies with fluffy cotten chicks, frigates that floated in the air currents behind the boat, as well as males displaying their distinctive red pouches under their beaks to attract females to their nests, colorful crabs along the black lava rocks, finches, sea turtles, sharks, whales, rays, penguins, flamingos, many varieties of colorful fish and of course the giant Galapagos tortoise, both in the wild and in captive breeding centers. Most of these creatures could be approached without showing them any fear!
Life aboard the ship was also enjoyable; we dined on delicious buffet meals, star-gazed from the top deck, played cards, chess, spoons and even Twister and Jenga (difficult on a rocking boat). Spanish students had the additional benefit of having their land tours delivered in Spanish, as there were Puerto Ricans, Spaniards and Ecuadorian travelers aboard the ship. Additionally, we had the opportunity to visit Colegio Miguel Angel Cazares in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, where students had a lively exchange about their schools and cultures. The trip culminated with a day in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and a tour of the beautiful Malecón 2000, a miles-long riverfront with parks, monuments and museums.
This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
Upper school music teacher Susan Nace visited Tamagawa Gakuen in Tokyo as part of this year’s teacher exchange. The trip started in late June and lasted through the first week of July.
Nace taught classes to students in grades 8, 10 and 11. “I had a lot to share about vocal and choral techniques that were unknown to them,” Nace said. “I also shared some of my teaching materials.”
Nace found that the students were very receptive and eager to learn, and that the teachers “were very curious and interested in vocal pedagogy, as their choral teachers are instrumentally trained.” She was also impressed with how artistic the Tamagawa students were. “Everyone sings in a choir and takes art classes every year,” she said. “Each of the upper grades has its own choir, which sings major works. They have several large lecture/recital halls and music rooms in which to hold rehearsals.”
Aside from teaching, Nace also had many opportunities to experience the rich Japanese culture, visiting the famous Rikugien Garden and sampling many different foods, including “every conceivable way to eat tofu, conger eel, salmon roe, cockles and fish that I am unfamiliar with.”
The students even taught her a bit of Japanese. “One taught me to write my name in katakana so that I could sign her songbook!”