Taking a short break from algebraic theories, a group of middle school math students took time out at the end of the school year to create a giant dome.
Students in mathematics teacher Margaret Huntley’s Algebra 1 class built the impressive, huge geodesic dome in about half an hour, with assistance from other students who helped roll out newspaper beforehand in preparation.
The class dome construction project was not part of the regular curriculum. According to Huntley it was something she had done previously as a geometry teacher and now served as a “bit of mathematical fun at the end of the year.”
Using 65 sheets of newspaper and some masking tape, the students based their dome on the work of famed inventor Richard Buckminster Fuller, who pioneered the use of geodesic domes as houses.
“It was great to see the students all working together to create something so amazing out of pieces of newspaper. I think at the start they didn’t really believe it would work and seeing it take shape was great.”
Even though it wasn’t related to the algebra curriculum, Huntley elaborated that it helped students see and appreciate the beauty of math. “Seeing the reactions of my other classes as they walked in was pretty cool, too. The students took turns doing their review for finals in it. I like to think that it’s better studying math in a dome!” she added.
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.
“I have been going there every summer and one time I even went during the Christmas break,” said Bongers, explaining that, 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.
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 the neediest children he encounters.
“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 and emptying the storage box of donated toys, Bongers then re-fills 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 Art class,” he said, noting that his house is filling up with an impressive collection of ancient traditional African art.
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. In addition to discovering such treasures, Bongers also enjoyed such cultural experiences as buying an ancient artifact from a witch doctor, watching a traditional masked dance at night in Kaoma, and meeting Makishi dancers near Mongu in the Western Province.
The remote villages that Bongers visits are reminiscent of the hunter-gatherers and migrating tribes who inhabited the country for thousands of years before Zambia was claimed and occupied by the British as protectorate of Northern Rhodesia towards the end of the 19th century. In 1964, the protectorate gained independence with the new name of Zambia, derived from the Zambezi River which flows through the country.
Zambia’s economy has been traditionally dominated by the copper mining industry, however, during the 1970s, the country 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 the spring, Harker upper school students participated in the annual Physics Bowl, organized by the American Association of Physics Teachers, and finished with the top overall Division II team score. Harker was also the highest-scoring Division I school in its region. Ashvin Swaminathan, grade 12, was one of the top 10 overall division II scorers, and Rahul Sridhar, grade 11, was the highest Division II scorer in his region.
Every year, an estimated 10,000 students participate in the Physics Bowl, in which students take a test administered by the participating schools. First-year physics students are placed in the Division I category, and second-year physics students take the test in the Division II category. Each division is made up of 15 regions.
Harker published an updated website design today, www.harker.org, to better address visitor needs and give it a fresh look. The updated site has more information, more photos and the addition of helpful visual markers to assist in navigating the site.
“The updated look and content better reflects our vibrant community,” said Pam Dickinson, Office of Communication director. “We’ll continue to post fresh information and updates to ensure our website remains as vital as the community it represents.”
Harker alumni are back on campus helping out and, incidentally, picking up a paycheck. Alumni have helped out as volunteers in the past but, this year, several were hired as paid employees and brought their Harker knowledge to the job.
“We do big searches for administrative assistants,” said Chris Florio, the academic summer principal. “Finding the right person for the right job is so critical.” Along with administrative spots, several students are assisting with science and computer classes.
While alumni have informally worked on campus in previous years, this summer was the first time they had to fill out applications and turn in stellar references. Florio has found the students they hired to be “great” and “inspiring,” saying he would “absolutely bring them back,” and most of the students said they’d love to return.
Maddie Rao ’12 has had her first taste of a desk job and likes it. She’ll be attending Scripps College in the fall, and is considering majors in biology or foreign languages. Until then, she’s been working full-time doing library and attendance work for Harker. “I’ve learned a lot about time management and organization,” Rao said. She’s also enjoying helping students and the summer office assistant.
Other alumni have had a chance to experience life from the other side of the teacher’s desk, so to speak. Akhil Prakash ’12 has been helping science students in the morning program from 8-11 and then tutoring students for an additional four hours a day and has really learned to enjoy the teaching process. He has helped fellow students in class as a student, but always had his own work to attend to, as well. He enjoys being able to devote himself to the students without that concern.
“You get to see peoples’ grades and really know who you need to help out,” Prakash said. “Sometimes people getting bad grades don’t want to speak up. This way, you can give them your undivided attention.” Prakash is going to Carnegie Mellon, where he will major in math or computer science. He’s enjoying interacting with students, and enjoying inspiring a love of programming in them. In addition to some one-on-one teaching, he also feels he’s learned how to communicate better.
Lucy Xu ’12 has also gotten a glimpse of life from the other side of the desk. She’s worked 40 hours a week as a teaching assistant for science classes this summer before she heads to Brown University. “It’s different being a teacher than it was being a student,” she said. “As a student, you don’t realize how much forethought and preparation goes into [the science experiments]. All the little things you don’t consider.” Xu has helped with grading as well as lab work this summer.
Sarah Wang ’10 has also spent her summer as a teaching assistant in science classes, preparing solutions for experiments and grading assignments. She’ll be entering her third year at Georgetown, and was searching for something to do before she heads out for some time abroad in Japan. “I like being in a familiar setting and working with students,” Wang said. “I’m not majoring in a science, and it’s nice to go back to that.” She also agreed with Xu’s perspective on teaching, saying, “Things are not always what they seem. In high school, you have an idealized version of teachers as knowing everything they’re doing and having everything appear in front of them, and it’s not that easy.”
Sachin Jain ’12 is coming from a different angle, volunteering in science labs for three hours per day. He’d love to return next year as a paid assistant. Along with helping students and setting up labs, Jain has made several video tutorials teaching basic programming, which can be used during the school year to supplement classes. “There are so many different ways to write the code,” said Jain. He’ll soon be off to the University of Michigan, but for more than a month, he’s been on campus hard at work finding ways to explain programming concepts.
Jeff Sutton, an upper school science teacher, has truly enjoyed having alumni as assistants. “They’ve been amazing,” he said. “We’ve had professional chemistry teachers come help in the past, but these gals are way better. They kind of know what we expect, and they grade on a higher level.” Because they know “the scene,” as Sutton put it, they’re conscious of their time and of what needs to be done next. “I really like having them in the classroom,” he said.
All the alumni on campus have gracefully transitioned from students to workers. “They’re walking into the staff lunch room and getting coffee in the teacher room,” said Florio. “I knew they’d do a great job, but it’s still surprising to see just how great.” In fact, he said, by having them on campus, “I’ve further grown to enjoy what we do here.”
Summer at Harker got off to a great start as, in early June, a record-breaking number of educators from around the Bay Area attended the eighth annual Harker Teacher Institute.
More than 175 participants came out for the event held on the upper school campus to learn about technology and different methods to improve classroom curricula. Hosted by Harker’s instructional technology department and sponsored by the Silicon Valley Computer Using Educators (SVCUE), the annual institute has become increasingly popular.
Harker has long held ties with SVCUE, the local affiliate for San Mateo and Santa Clara counties of Computer-Using Educators, Inc. of California (CUE). CUE and SVCUE are committed to networking, resources, and the integration of all forms of technology throughout the curriculum.
This year’s event focused on free or inexpensive classroom technology tools and kicked off with a welcoming address from Dan Hudkins, Harker’s K-12 director of instructional technology. The half-day institute included a continental breakfast, afternoon lunch and three breakout sessions with a number of workshops to choose from. Presenters were primarily Harker teachers from K-12, with one presenter from the local community.
Workshop titles included “NoodleTools: Tools for Student Research,” presented by Kathy Clark, Harker’s lower school librarian, who has used NoodleTools with students in grades 4-5 for the past six years. Clark led a discussion of “NoodleBib,” which assists students in creating properly citated bibliographies.
Another popular workshop was Renee Ramig’s “iPads in Middle School Classrooms.” Session leader Ramig, director of technology at Seven Hills School in Walnut Creek, has been working in educational technology for the past 26 years at a variety of Catholic, public and independent schools. She shared some apps that middle school teachers have successfully used in their classrooms.
Extremely relevant in today’s quickly evolving world of publishing was Hudkins afternoon session, “Where are We Going with eText?” With so many variations of readers and texts from Kindle to Nook to iPad, it can be confusing to navigate as the textbook world begins to move from paper to digital format. Hudkins presented informative background on today’s pitfalls, options and opportunities.
The workshops taught by Clark, Ramig and Hudkins were just a few of many useful options to choose from.
The institute started as a summer session that trained Harker staff to use mathematics software and develop a project-oriented curriculum. In 2008, however, Fred Triefenbach, assistant director of instructional technology and a computer science teacher at the upper school, had the idea that Harker should share this knowledge with the community at large – which led to the creation of the Harker Teacher Institute.
This year’s event was bittersweet for Triefenbach, who is preparing to retire after 12 years of working at Harker. “Over the years, the event has really evolved into a huge success,” he said proudly, adding how gratifying it has been to share his knowledge about technology in education with the wider educational community.
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.
Summer camp time: academics or outside activities? Harker has both for youngsters.
During the summer many parents wonder whether to provide their children with a learning-based or play-based camp experience, so Harker offers Summer Camp+, where students in K-6 have it all: a full morning of morning academics followed by fun, action-packed afternoon activities.
Located on Harker’s lower school campus, the program affords parents the chance to choose sessions by their preferred format, with full, partial-day and morning-only options. Students have the choice of enrolling in either CoreFocus 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 staff, 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!
Kindergartners stayed for the beginning of color clash before wandering outside to the lawn where they had their own special activities, including art projects. First-time camper Sophie Grace, aged 5, said her favorite thing so far has been “making hearts.” Demonstrating her artistic talent, she proudly showed off a visor adorned with her pretty heart decoration. Grace, who is not a Harker student, said she is enjoying making new friends this summer.
During the regular school year Chung serves as Harker’s elementary computer science teacher. He said that in addition to the kickoff color clash game, several other big events marked the first session of camp, including numerous field trips, a patriotic games bash, a water carnival, an on-site sleepover for older campers, a presentation for parents, and a birthday celebration for the camp mascot, “Ray.”
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+.
In July, a group of Harker water polo players made up of rising seniors Karan Das-Grande, Ryan Hume and Gilad Nilo along with rising junior Stephan Pellissier, competed at a tournament in Hungary, one of the world’s hotspots for the aquatic sport.
As part of a club team from Sacramento, the students performed well at the tournament, taking fourth place overall and defeating a Hungarian team and another American team in the process. “The way the Hungarian teams play is a lot more physical than most other U.S. teams. If you’re against another player in America, you usually don’t wrestle with another player unless you’ve got your hand up to catch the ball or if you have the ball,” Pellissier said. “There, though, it is a lot more physical. You spend a lot more time fighting underwater with the other player.”
The students had plenty of fun during the trip as well, partially because the tournament was hosted at a water park. “When we weren’t playing, we had a blast going down the water slides,” Pellissier said. The trip also gave the students a chance to enjoy the rich local culture, including an Olympic museum, centuries-old churches and a museum that is reputed to have once been a holding place for enemies of the state.
Four recent graduates and two upper school student musicians with the San Francisco Symphony’s Youth Orchestra participated in the Symphony’s European tour from June 20 to July 7. Cellist Melody Huang, cellist Jeffrey Kwong, violist Jessica Shen and flautist Pavitra Rengarajan, all recent graduates, as well as flautist Apoorva Rangan, grade 10, and violinist Ashvin Swaminathan, grade 12, traveled to Germany, Luxembourg and Austria, playing to audiences in several of Europe’s most famous concert halls.
The orchestra performed four concerts in Germany at the University of Regensburg, Munich Philharmonie, Rheingau Musik Festival and the Berlin Philharmonie. One concert was performed in the quaint Luxembourgish border town of Echternach at the prestigious Festival International Echternach, and the final concert was performed at Salzburg in Austria. The Youth Orchestra performed in the same concert halls that the San Francisco Symphony performs in during their European tour.
The SFS Youth Orchestra was a hit with critics, including Klaus Geitel, one of Berlin’s most prominent classical music critics. Additionally, the Youth Orchestra visited Weimar, where the famous composer Franz Liszt lived. They also visited Leipzig, where Johann Sebastian Bach lived and died, and attended a service at the St. Thomas Church where Bach used to be an organist and which is also his final resting place. In Salzburg, they visited the house where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born and lived as a child with his family.