This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
Harker’s global education program sent upper school English teacher Jennifer Siraganian to Saint Stephen’s College on the Gold Coast of Australia, as part of this year’s teacher exchange with the school.
During her two-week stay, Siraganian lectured to 125 grade 10 students on the subject of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” She also taught Claudius’ famous soliloquy from “Hamlet” to grade 12 students and illustrated the Gunpowder Plot’s influence on Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” to grade 11 students.
“After observing over 40 English, writing, ESL and history classes, I noticed that the St. Stephen’s teachers are warm, wonderful and dedicated to their students,” Siraganian said. “The students were so friendly, excited and personable. In addition, the kids were fascinated with California, often asking me if I knew any famous people.”
During her breaks from teaching, Siraganian visited a local wildlife sanctuary with St. Stephen’s teacher Sam Cleary, who visited Harker in the spring, and went with a number of St. Stephen’s teachers to the popular dinner show “Australian Outback Spectacular.”
Personal highlights from the trip included “timing sprinters at the St. Stephen’s Athletic Fair. I sampled Australian delights such as Pavlova and Lamington squares at a real Aussie ‘barbie’ hosted by the English department.”
This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
It’s been a year since Wendy Tsai ’04 spontaneously moved to Shanghai to work for the Neri & Hu Design and Research Office, an internationally renowned multidisciplinary architecture and furniture design firm.
Tsai was in New York researching boutique hotel precedents while working for another architectural firm when she came across an intriguing magazine article about the Hotel Waterhouse, located in Shanghai and designed by Neri & Hu.
Tsai was immediately struck by the impressive architectural detailing of the hotel, a 1930s warehouse now made over into a small yet elegant hotel noted for fusing modernism with the city’s storied past. The 19-room hotel boasts a renovation with many of the old walls remaining intact while new elements sprout out of the old, creating a rare architectural linkage between then and now.
“I really liked the details in Neri & Hu’s work, so I sent them an email telling them so … and ended up moving to Shanghai to work for them four weeks later!” recalled Tsai incredulously.
Having only been to Shanghai once for a family vacation when she was 10, she didn’t know what to expect. But, she figured, with so many exciting architectural developments now happening in China, “Why not check it out and see how it is to live in Shanghai while I can still explore and move around?”
The decision turned out to be a wise one for Tsai, who is learning much while on the job at Neri & Hu. The award-winning firm, regularly featured in international design magazines, was founded in 2004 by partners Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu.
One of the things that attracted Tsai to Neri & Hu was its global reach in providing architecture, interior, master planning, graphic and product design services. Currently working on projects in eight countries, Neri & Hu has a multicultural staff with a capacity to speak more than 20 different languages.
“The projects we have at the office are very diverse and interesting,” said Tsai, noting, for example, that she’s had the opportunity to oversee the design and completion of a new store concept of a luxury retailer dedicated to young contemporary designers like Harker’s own Alexander Wang ’98.
“The design opportunities are definitely a lot more interesting here in Shanghai – it’s like the new American dream, where anything can happen,” she said.
Yet, despite her new, exciting life, Tsai will always have fond memories of her time spent at Harker. “I really miss the Harker days,” said Tsai, who got her start at the middle school back in 1999 with the then-available boarding program. “The dorm years, as well as the high school years, will always have a special place in my heart.”
According to Tsai, Harker fostered a supportive learning environment, both academically and socially, leading the way for her to explore various art media that helped prepare her portfolio for architecture schools.
Tsai now advises other Harker alumni who wish to take on work abroad to travel and explore as much as they can while not yet completely tied down by obligations.
For Tsai, following the path to her dream architectural job has been quite an adventure and memorable experience. “At first I was in cultural shock. Now, I enjoy learning something new every day … nothing ceases to be surprising!” she said.
This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
What began as an interest in sailing morphed into a crusade to save the Earth’s waterways from plastic pollution for Dolan Dworak, grade 7.
Dworak enrolled in sailing lessons a couple years back and that led to his current volunteer efforts with the Sea Scavenger Conservancy, a nonprofit San Francisco-based organization working to rid our waterways of plastic pollution.
Today, as the junior “SeaEO” of Sea Scavenger, Dworak represents the organization as a spokesperson, educating fellow Harker classmates, speaking at scout troop, church, school and city council meetings, and even attending international marine biology conferences to spread the word about the dangers of petroleum, a byproduct of plastic waste infesting our oceans, seas and tributaries. He is also busy recruiting other Bay Area students to serve on Sea Scavenger’s junior board of directors and helps coordinate monthly shoreline cleanup efforts and publicity for the cause.
Last year he gave an engaging presentation at the lower school about his work with Sea Scavenger. He brought along an art project titled “The Picket Line: Protest Plastic Pollution” to show the younger students what he and several students from the middle school (along with art instructor Elizabeth Saltos) created with trash they picked up during a cleanup at a local beach. “The Picket Line” will soon be displayed at multiple locations in the Bay Area.
All five of the world’s oceans contain gyres – massive islands of trash afloat off the coast. The plastic breaks down through wind, sun and wave action and the chemicals leach into the wa- ter. Sea animals mistake the plastic for food, ingest it, are poisoned and die. Humans ingest the harmful chemicals through tainted water and seafood.
“Too much marine life is dying due to plastic pollution, and my generation can stop the problem and save the animals,” said Dworak.
Founded in 2008, Sea Scavenger works to establish ongoing cleanup operations in the remote ocean gyres where great concentrations of plastic are accumulating. They also strive to develop new technologies for plastic extraction and seek innovative uses for recycled ocean plastics.
The entire Dworak family takes part in a monthly shoreline cleanup effort along the Bay. The plastic debris is sorted to determine its origin and so the group can work with its manufacturers to try and find alternatives to using plastic.
Dworak attended the fifth International Marine Debris Conference in Hawaii as junior spokesperson for Sea Scavenger. The event, held every 10 years, hosts 38 participating countries, and attracts a large number of participants, including hundreds of scientists; Dworak had the distinction of being the only child in attendance.
Next up on Dworak’s agenda is a trip in June of 2013 to Seward, Alaska, to participate in Gyre X, an international expedition led by the Alaska Sea Life Center. Dworak has been asked to serve as Gyre X’s youth social media coordinator. The expedition will include an array of scientists and artists who will study and collect marine debris from remote parts of Alaska that will later result in an exhibit sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution travelling to museums around the world.
“I hope to get more people involved and to increase awareness, because the less plastic we use means the quicker the problem is solved,” said Dworak.
Plastic pollution is a huge problem, but one that is not impossible to solve. Scientists are studying the environment. Industry is redesigning products. And organizations – with the help of passionate participants like Dolan Dworak – are creating awareness.
This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
For the last four years, Jaap Bongers, Harker’s upper school art department instructor and chair, has used the summer break as a unique opportunity to personally donate items to needy children in the Republic of Zambia, a landlocked country in Southern Africa.
In preparation for the annual sojourn, he uses the school year to collect toys, children’s clothes and children’s books (many of which have been donated by Harker students) for the Zambian children, often accompanied by friend Ben Spencer-Cooke, upper school English teacher.
Come summer, he fills a big plastic storage box with the donated items, which he takes with him to Zambia. There, he donates the toys, books and clothes to needy children.
“I do this while traveling to very remote villages where there are still wonderful ages-old original culture. Initiation rituals, traditional dances by masked actors and healing ceremonies by witch doctors can still be found, although it is getting harder and harder to locate them.”
After handing out the storage box of donated toys, Bongers then refills it with ancient traditional artifacts he discovers and buys on his travels. “I note down their use, meaning and age. I have found objects and heard about customs that were not yet known. Once I return to Harker, I use this information, the items and the pictures for my Study of Visual Arts class,” he said.
A particularly interesting find this year was an old food box from the Lozi tribe, which Zambian women use to present food to their husbands.
During the 1970s, Zambia began sliding into a poverty from which it has not yet recovered – which is why the donated goods Bongers collects during the school year and hands out in the summer are so appreciated.
In mid-September, five Harker seniors joined 75 volunteers involved with the California Coastal Cleanup Day by spending several hours picking up litter scattered about Los Gatos Creek between Park and Santa Clara Avenues in downtown San Jose. The coastal cleanup program is the state’s largest volunteer effort and covers all coasts and inland waterways.
“We helped picked up nearly three tons of garbage, including a two-person inflatable raft, sofa, mattress, box springs and a couple of car batteries,” recalled Izzy Connell, whose father helped spearhead the effort, which concluded with a raffle for a bike from REI and time out to enjoy a bagged lunch.
Pictured here are Harker volunteer participants Izzy Connell, Daniel Wang and Ryan Mui.
This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
A dynamic group of Harker moms and their student daughters participated in this year’s Relay for Life event, held in Los Altos on June 9-10 in support of cancer research. Relay for Life is the signature activity of the American Cancer Society and the Harker team “Girls for the Girls” has raised nearly $3,872 towards the cause. Shown here are team members (from left) Sue Prutton and daughter Hannah Prutton, Chris Douglas and daughter Michelle Douglas, Heather Wardenburg and daughter Amy Wardenburg; all daughters are grade 12.
This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
Harker ties run deep, as demonstrated by the many alumni and parents of alumni who continue to support the school long after their association with Harker has ended. Highlighted in this issue of Harker Quarterly are several such donors who support the school in this impactful and meaningful way.
“The entire Harker community is enormously grateful to them,” said Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement, reporting on the strong and enduring connections of both former Harker students and parents of Harker students.
Silvestri Family
Among the Harker supporters are Chet and Irene Silvestri, who have two sons, Adam ’97 and Matt ’93, who attended Harker back when it was a K-8 school (Matt Silvestri’s wife, Tiffanie, also appears in the photo). After the boys finished at Harker, Irene Silvestri continued to be actively involved in the school as a long-term substitute teacher.
“The Silvestris learned about the positive impact our exciting plans are going to have for the school and were inspired to make a generous leadership gift to our capital campaign,” said Rosenthal, noting that Irene Silvestri continues to be involved with Harker by sitting on the school’s advisory board.
Mandell Family
Jay and Susan Mandell’s two sons, Jeffrey and Sean, both graduated from Harker’s upper school in 2009 and are currently attending Stanford University. While their sons were attending Harker the Mandells became benefactors with their very generous gift to the school’s capital campaign, supporting the scienceand technology center, athletic field and aquatic center.
Following their sons’ graduation, the Mandells continued to support both the annual giving and capital campaigns. Susan Mandell also remains actively involved as a member of Harker’s advisory board.
Shalini Mohan ’02
Another Harker supporter, Shalini Mohan ’02, was a member of Harker’s first upper school graduating class.
She graduated from medical school and successfully completed a six- year combined Bachelor of Liberal Arts/M.D. program at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. She was later awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health and is currently postdoctoral fellow at the Stanford Institute for Neuro-Innovation and Translational Neurosciences.
After a return visit to Harker, which included a chat with her former science teacher Anita Chetty, Mohan took the unique opportunity to name the jellyfish aquarium located in the atrium of Nichols Hall with her generous gift to the capital campaign. In doing so she joined another alumni donor, Neal Mehta ’02, who was his class’ first capital campaign donor.
“It’s an incredible feeling to be fortunate enough to have a career I love and the ability to give back to the school that set me on this amazing path,” enthused Mohan. “I will always be proud to be a Harker Eagle!”
This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
Harker parents became better acquainted with the school’s vibrant community by bonding with fellow parents and exploring the many volunteer opportunities available during a series of recent back-to-school events which kicked off the new year.
On hand at all events were current parent volunteers and advancement office personnel to welcome newcomers and answer any and all questions about volunteering.
At the lower school, immediately following drop-off on Aug. 31, was a special breakfast for parents, with volunteer information and sign-up sheets on display.
Additionally, there were other welcome events affording new and returning parents the opportunity to mingle, including an elementary school-age barbecue, kindergarten barbecue and lower school parents-only coffee and social time.
Meanwhile, on Aug. 27, middle school parents enjoyed a breakfast at the Blackford multipurpose room immediately following the parent orientation, where volunteer information and sign-ups were available. And on Sept. 6, upper school parents had the opportunity to attend a volunteer informational breakfast in the Nichols Hall atrium.
“These happenings are a fun and important way for new parents to become a part of the Harker community by getting involved and learning from returning parents,” said Teré Aceves, who directs K-5 volunteer programs.
This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
The weather was as warm as the atmosphere as nearly 200 guests turned out for a summer evening reception for new parents held at the Silver Creek Valley Country Club in San Jose this past June.
The annual event welcoming newcomers to Harker was graciously hosted by board member Sally Anderson, with opening remarks by Chris Nikoloff, head of school, and Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement.
After time for mixing and mingling, Rosenthal kicked off the evening’s program by showing clips from televised news stories about Harker and its students. Many of the new parents had not seen the clips and were clearly impressed at the school’s many newsworthy accomplishments.
Following that, Casey Near ’06 spoke about her years and experiences at Harker, noting the impact her peers had on her and how well- prepared she felt for college and beyond.
Attendees were visibly moved by the event. They also enjoyed appetizers, drinks and dessert while connecting with one another as they prepared to become a part of the Harker community.
This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
Harker athletics started the 2012-13 year on a high note with wins in football, volleyball, tennis, water polo and cross country. As the fall sports season had just begun at press time, the most recent results were not available, but stay tuned to Harker News Online (news. harker.org) and keep an eye out for the winter 2012 issue of Harker Quarterly for the latest!
Varsity Football
The Eagles got off to 2-0 start after victories over Yerba Buena High School and Andrew Hill High School. “They executed very well,” said Ron Forbes, head coach. “When we got a big lead the boys didn’t play down – they did well for a young team.” Defensive play has been key, thanks in large part to defensive coordinator Mike Taribassi.
Boys Water Polo
Boys water polo started the season with an overall 4-2 record, going 2-1 in consecutive weekend tournaments, with victories over Harbor High, San Lorenzo Valley, Willow Glen and Santa Clara and losses to Monterey and Pioneer.
Girls Golf
Harker lost an early-September non-league match to Notre Dame-Belmont, but Kristine Lin, grade 11, led all golfers with a score of 38.
Girls Volleyball
Varsity began the season 2-1, after a five-set, exciting win over Priory, a victory over Fremont and a tough loss to a seventh-seeded Homestead. JV also started strong, going 3-0 with crushing defeats of Priory and Fremont and a close win over Homestead.
Cross Country
The runners’ season opened with a solid performance in a late-August scrimmage at Gunn High. Harker had first and sixth place finishes in the boys varsity race, and the girls had one runner in the top 10.
Girls Tennis
Harker had a great start on the courts in early September, decisively defeating Milpitas High and Fremont. The girls had a particularly strong showing against Fremont, winning every set.
Golfer McNealy’s Summer Highlights Include Top Eight Finish at USGA Tournament
Harker golf standout Maverick McNealy, grade 12, had an eventful summer highlighted by a top-eight finish at the prestigious USGA Junior Amateur Championship in July. McNealy faced Canada’s Matthew Scobie in the quarterfinal match, where he rallied back from four down after eight holes, winning three straight holes with birdies. On hole 18, McNealy earned a par to force the match to extra holes. Both players scored par on hole 19, but Scobie parred on the 20th hole to finally win the match.
“I was very, very happy with my first performance on an international stage,” McNealy said. “By making the top eight, I earned an exemption from qualifying for next year’s Junior Amateur at Martis Camp in Tahoe! Very exciting!”
McNealy’s second place finish earned him the final spot in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship by a single shot, becoming one of 150 golfers in the country younger than 18 to compete in the championship.
He wrapped up his summer in mid-August by making it to the quarterfinals of the Northern California Golf Association’s Amateur Match Play Championship. After winning his first two matches, he later fell behind by two with four holes remaining. He nearly rallied with two birdies to force a playoff, but hit the bunker in the sudden- death playoff, allowing his opponent to advance.
Earlier in August, McNealy won the Silver Creek Valley Junior, shooting 65-72. He scored birdie no fewer than seven times in the first round. “It felt good to finally win one, though my results in bigger events have been exciting,” he said.
Frosh Wins Nationals after taking Three Golds and a Silver on High Performance Camp Training Tour
Harker volleyball team member Shannon Richardson, grade 9, wrapped up a stellar July by winning the USA Beach Junior Volleyball Championships (National Division) age 14 and under category, with her partner, Alexandra Kim of Daly City. The event was held in Milwaukee. In the two days of play, Richardson and Kim went undefeated.
Richardson and Kim competed against 16 other teams from around the country for the title.
In her warm-up to nationals, Richardson had a great round in July, including four tournaments and a high performance camp and mini- tournament that was even tougher than the national event.
Her first event was July 14. Richardson and her partner for the trip competed in a California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA) Cal Cup Qualifier in Pacific Palisades, earning first place in the age 14 and under category, qualifying them for the Sept. 2 championships in Manhattan Beach.
Next stop was the USA Junior Beach Volleyball High Performance Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. There, Richardson participated in a mini-tournament; she was the only camper who did not lose a single match with any of her partners.
Immediately afterwards, Richardson moved on to the USA Junior Beach High Performance Championships at Hermosa Beach, July 19-21. Richardson’s team advanced to finals where they took the gold medal, beating the one team they had lost to in pool play.
Next, July 22, the pair went after the 16-and-under category in a CBVA tournament in Doheny, Calif., where they earned second place.
Richardson’s last outing in this trip was a CBVA Qualifier in Santa Barbara July 24, where Richardson and her partner took first place, beating the team they lost to in Doheny two days earlier. The Milwaukee triumph followed.
Richardson has played volleyball at Harker since grade 4 and clearly has a great future!
Cross Country Team Gains New Head Coach
New to the Harker athletics coaching staff this year is Scott Chisam, head coach of the Harker cross country team. Chisam’s past experience includes head coaching positions at UCLA and Stanford University. At UCLA, he coached the women’s track team to its first two NCAA championships. He was also the head coach of the United States team at the 1984 World Cross Country Championships, and has served as assistant coach to a number of high schools in the Central Coast Sec- tion of the California Interscholastic Federation.
In addition to his extensive athletics experience, Chisam is also a certified emergency medical responder and was a member of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team. Chisam is sure to be a valuable asset to Harker’s fast-growing athletics program. Welcome!
Olympic Medalist Swimmers Speak to Harker Athletes
Harker athletes had the unique opportunity to meet two Olympian swimmers Sept. 6, when three- time gold medalist Ambrose “Rowdy” Gaines and silver and gold medalist Cullen Jones spoke to students at the Singh Aquatic Center at the upper school campus.
Gaines, who won his three gold medals at the 1984 summer games in Los Angeles, shared his story of perseverance and determination. He began swimming competitively at age 17 after being denied spots on his high school football, baseball, basketball, golf and tennis teams.
“I am living proof it’s never too late to achieve your dreams,” he said, reminding students that setbacks are a part of the journey, such as when he broke a world record in 1980, only to find out the next day that the United States would be boycotting that year’s Olympic games.
Undaunted, he pressed on, practicing rigorously six days a week, winning SEC and NCAA titles and qualifying for the 1984 games, where at age 25 he became the third-oldest Olympic swimmer to date to win a gold medal.
After Gaines spoke, Jones took his turn to tell about his experience at the 2012 games in London, touching on his stay at the Olympic Village and his daily regimen, which consisted of a near-constant cycle of training and nutritional intake. Gaines was also at the London games, as the swimming commentator for NBC.
Aside from winning the silver and gold, highlights of the London games for Cullen also included meeting athletes such as NBA stars Dwyane Wade and LeBron James as well as tennis legend Serena Williams.