This story was originally published in the spring 2012 issue of Harker Quarterly.
Throughout its long history The Harker School has proactively adapted to changing environments to meet the needs of its growing student population. Now, with breaking news that Harker was the top bidder on a desirable, available campus property, the school finds itself at yet another turning point.
For years Harker, the largest K-12 independent school in California, has leased its middle school campus on Blackford Ave. And, while this has worked well, Harker’s forward-thinking administration has long dreamed of owning all three of its campuses. With the current bid accepted and pending final county approval, that vision of building permanency and security seems poised to become a reality.
Chris Nikoloff, head of school, reviewed the plans for acquiring the ideally suited campus property located near Union Ave. and Highway 280 at a recent benefactor’s luncheon.
“We found an available campus structure that is exactly the right fit … so there is a strong sense that we should move on it,” Nikoloff said during the luncheon, after thanking attendees for coming out and partnering with Harker.
He then introduced some Harker science students, who came to the meeting to echo his gratitude to the school’s funders. The students also shared updates on their impressive research projects, with topics ranging from autism studies and embedding enzymes, to lab work towards fighting HIV infections and cancer.
“When I was in high school my biggest concern was why wouldn’t my teacher let me play Ping-Pong at recess,” joked Nikoloff, after congratulating the students on their accomplishments, which illus- trate how far the upper campus has come since its creation in 1998.
Nikoloff used the metaphor of “putting toothpaste back in the tube,” when comparing the option of having to move the middle school back to the upper school campus after the current Blackford lease runs out. “In other words, it is not a viable option,” he said, explaining the school has grown too much and that it would lead to serious problems of overcrowding.
Speaking on behalf of the administration and board members who have been diligently working to secure a suitable property, he added, “We are bullish on the Union property. It just doesn’t happen every day that you find something in the exact area you are looking for, with the exact features.”
The subsequent decision to put in a bid on the building was the result of an exhaustive community-wide effort to secure Harker’s future direction.
Alice Siegel (Elisabeth, grade 8; Kathryn, grade 12), who attended the benefactor luncheon, said that she trusts the school administra- tion to take the lead in moving forward with the bid. A parent of a Harker “lifer,” Siegel said she has watched the school, along with her children, successfully grow and change over the years.
Calling the new campus acquisition process part of the school’s cornerstone campaign, Joe Rosenthal, executive director of ad- vancement, elaborated that purchasing a third campus was one of four previously set strategic financial priorities, including ongoing program excellence, building out a master site plan and increasing endowment and reserves.
“Even when the bubble burst during the economic recession, givers to the advancement campaign pulled through, with continued enthusiasm for the expansion project,” said Rosenthal, noting that additional funds were raised through the capital campaign, which may enable Harker to purchase the new building outright.
“While excellent programs are always at the heart of the school, those programs are enhanced by the facilities and infrastructure that support them,” said Rosenthal.
If the county approves, and the bid does, indeed, move full steam ahead, the purchase and sale would likely close by the end of the summer. And that, said Nikoloff, would be a “major milestone” for Harker’s future.
This story was originally published in the spring 2012 issue of Harker Quarterly.
Golfers basked in the warmth of a lovely day on the Stanford University Golf Course, sipped fine wines at a beautiful home and also walked away with the good feeling that comes from helping others.
In keeping with a Harker motto, “aim high; have fun,” and thanks to those involved, the event raised more than $30,000. The money will go towards Harker’s general endowment fund, to help benefit generations of students to come.
“This was a win- win for everyone. It was a great game and a great opportunity to unite as a community in support of the school,” said Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement, of the day.
The golf course, designed in 1930 by renowned golf course architects William Bell and George C. Thomas, is located in the foothills above the Stanford University campus and is consistently rated one of the finest in the world. In 2009 Stanford was rated the nation’s third best college course by golf coaches.
The Golf Classic offered various packages for single players, couples, foursome and twosomes. It also included some impressive add-ons for avid golfers and wine enthusiasts, culminating with wine tasting at the hilltop home of Harker parents Scott and Susan McNealy (Scout, grade 5; Colt, grade 7; Dakota, grade 8; Maverick, grade 11).
The McNealys graciously opened up their home to golfers, their guests and non-golfers who sponsored a Harker golf team member. Over delicious wine and appetizers, guests reminisced about highlights of the day, from tee-off to their last putt.
More importantly, they left secure in the knowledge that they had played a key role in leaving a lasting legacy by helping to provide a perpetual stream of income to the school.
In addition to the McNealys, the Golf Classic was also sponsored by Gary and Pooja Gauba, Ram and Indira Reddy and Sandeep and Priya Vij. Hole sponsors were WayIn, Cheryl Young Associates, Sarah Hansen Watercolor Artist, Beshoff Motor Cars, Delectus Winery, Jarvis Winery, Vintage Wine Estate, Martin and Dorothy Scarpace and Joe and Blanca Rosenthal.
Overall winners with a score of 60 were Tony Morici (parent of Antonio Morici ’89 and Alexia Lerner ’90), Pam Costello, Steve Hallgrimson and Erik Hallgrimson.
This story was originally published in the spring 2012 issue of Harker Quarterly.
Upper School
Basketball
The boys varsity basketball team had an outstanding season, making the semifinal round for the first time in school history, where they lost to rival Sacred Heart Prep, ending their season at 18-9 overall. Girls varsity basketball made it nearly as far, losing in round two 53-49 to finish with a 17-9 overall record, 7-3 in league play.
Wrestling
Wrestlers Darian Edvalson, grade 10, and Corey Gonzales, grade 9, competed in the Central Coast Section championships held in late February at Independence High School, Edvalson in the 160 lb. weight class and Gonzales in the 106 lb. Though both lost their first round matches, “it was a great experience for both of them because they are young they have a chance to improve next season,” said coach Karriem Stinson.
Boys Soccer
“Boys soccer had a successful season in terms of what our program is trying to accomplish for the next few year,” said Shaun Tsakiris, the team’s coach. “Our soccer program continues to grow as we gain more and more interest about the sport on our campus. Our JV team had the best year in five years, and the coaching staff is really looking for our younger players to continue to develop and contribute in the years to come.
“Our season was not as successful in terms of wins and losses as we would have liked. Giving up points on a few tough home matches put us out of contention for playoffs which was disappointing, but our boys continued to show great personality, attitude and desire to improve throughout the season. My goal as the head coach at Harker is to continue to develop the soccer program and I think we are on the right path!” Tsakiris concluded.
Girls Soccer
Given that freshmen outnumbered the juniors and seniors combined this year, the girls’ season could have gone in any number of directions, said coach Jason Berry. “The senior leadership, however, combined with the spirit of 10 freshmen, paved the way for a rather smooth campaign.”
The lady Eagles won a key first-round game at a tournament in Bakersfield and finished fourth, and finished the season in third place at a tournament at Skyline, securing one first-team All-League player, three second-team All-League players, and a couple of honorable mentions. They finished the league season at 10-4-2, with an overall record of 11-6-3.
“As we look forward to both next season and beyond, we have much to expect,” added Berry. “We will certainly build upon the almost unprecedented success in terms of wins, but we will also grow the team’s recognition of tactical play in terms of shape of play. Looking ahead in years, we hope to build a more fluid relationship with the middle school program as well as continue the rich tradition of the Kicks Against Cancer program. In short, the girls program is on the cusp of the playoffs, and next season will prove to be quite telling.”
Lower and Middle School
Soccer
We had great results in lower and middle school sports this season. The grade 7 girls basketball team are champions, grade 5 girls basketball took second in championship play, and both the grade 7 and junior varsity B boys soccer teams finished first in their leagues. Congratulations to all hardworking teams, coaches and, of course, the supporting parents!
Basketball
Grade 8 (varsity A) girls basketball had a bit of a rough season but they never gave up and demonstrated amazing determination and fortitude. There was a vast amount of skill development and improved knowledge of the game demonstrated over the course of the season, and their coaches are all very proud of their effort and positive attitudes. Their final record was 0-9.
The Grade 7 girls basketball team (varsity B) finished the league season with a record of 7-2, good for a second place finish in WBAL regular-season play. They advanced through the playoffs to the championship game and defeated Priory in the finals of the WBAL tournament in mid- March, 18-10, to take the tournament championship, finishing 10-2 overall!
The Grade 6 girls basketball team (junior varsity A) finished the league season with a record of 6-3, earning them a fourth-place finish in the WBAL regular season. They lost early in the playoffs but triumphed in the consolation playoffs, taking first.
Grade 5 girls basketball (junior varsity B) finished the league season with a record of 5-1, earning second place by making the championship match in March (see the cover photo)! Their 28-6 victory over Woodland put them in the semifinals; then they defeated St. Matthews 41-14 to put them in the big match. After a tough game, they lost 18-10, but grew a foot along the way! Their final record is 7-2, with second place in league and second place in the WBAL tournament.
The junior varsity C girls basketball team finished with a record of 2-4.
Wrestling
Grade 6-8 wrestling had two matches this season. In the first they had consistent winners (6-0, 5-2, 4-1, 2-1, 2-1), but didn’t have enough wrestlers in any weight class to claim a victory. They participated in the New Brighton Classic on March 17 at Soquel High School, but results were unavailable at press time.
This story was originally published in the spring 2012 issue of Harker Quarterly.
Harker’s journalism program began as a club, grew quickly and steadily, and for the past eight years has been a full- fledged period 7 option course putting yearbook and newspaper production, design and editing in the hands of students. The program, led by Chris Daren, has gained national recognition, sent its students across the globe and helped at least one alumna find her niche – she has just been hired by one of the most prestigious newspapers in the country.
The newspaper, The Winged Post, and the online presence, TalonWP.com, and the students who run them have enjoyed some well-deserved recognition in the past several years. In 2009, participating in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s (CSPA) summer journalism camp in New York, several students won awards, including Mahum Jamal, then grade 12, who won Top All-Around Journalist.
In 2010 The Winged Post won a Silver Crown and TalonWP.com won a Gold Crown from the CSPA for excellence in writing, coverage and content. The Gold Crown is the highest recognition given annually by the CSPA, which recognizes student print or online media for overall excellence. In 2011, TalonWP.com took home the Silver Crown.
The journalism program also features some amazing working retreats. During the summers of 2008 and 2010, Daren took students to Maui, Hawaii, for a training camp and retreat. The budding journalists interviewed locals and posted trip articles online; they also, of course, managed to fit in some surfing and snorkeling.
In summer 2011, the group, assisted by English teacher Pauline Paskali, traveled to Europe, where they learned and wrote about the continent’s rich culture and history. The group began their journey in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, where they interviewed the country’s minister of tourism, energy and industry, and took in breathtaking sights like Skógafoss Falls and the Sólheimajökull glacier.
Next up was England, where veteran New York Daily News and Associated Press photographer Harry Hamburg regaled the group with anecdotes and journalistic know-how. Hamburg later visited Harker to give a lunch-time lecture to the student body, and he was also the keynote speaker for the Quill and Scroll induction ceremony in early March.
While in London, the students interviewed Member of Parliament Yasmin Qureshi of the Labor Party and saw the House of Commons and House of Lords in session. Also on the itinerary were Venice and Paris, each explored, photographed and written about by the avid news seekers.
The journalism program is open to all upper school students by an application process. Students come away with an understanding of basic journalism law, and practices and skills used by journalists. Emphasis is placed on styles of writing, photojournalism and design.
Students choose whether to pursue the yearbook or newspaper concentration or both; the classes combine theory with real-time application to better understand the dynamic journalistic environment of the outside world. Within the program, students in the newspaper concentration are responsible for writing, photographing, editing, designing, posting and laying out the The Winged Post.
The online news site, TalonWP.com, is a joint venture by the entire journalism program, with all students and editors contributing to the website. The site was completely designed with code by Devin Nguyen, grade 12, and has recently been nominated for a Gold Crown from CSPA and a Pacemaker Award from the National Scholastic Press Association.
Jackie Jin, grade 12, editor- in-chief of TalonWP.com, admits there are challenges to keeping the news website fresh. “The hardest part of keeping TalonWP up to date is probably just keeping up with all the events that happen at Harker,” says Jin. “There’s always so much going on, and there’s definitely some organization required in making sure we not only get everything covered, but that the content is timely and relevant.” To keep the gears turning, Jin says TalonWP “started a system that has two journalists, one from Talon and one from Winged Post, covering every weekday. This ensures that major news events get covered, and also gives both programs equal representation on the site.”
Students in the yearbook concentration are responsible for the writing, editing and photography of the pages for Harker’s yearbook, The Talon, which means year- round photography and story gathering and editing. In addition to learning a variety of writing styles and current design trends, students learn how to use the latest in desktop publishing software.
Jennie Xu, grade 12, is the current editor- in-chief of the Talon yearbook. “Journalism has developed not only my writing and photography abilities but also my interpersonal skills. In the journalism room, we share a sense of camaraderie, and we call ourselves the journalism family. Outside the classroom, being part of yearbook has encouraged me to attend sporting and performing arts events of all kinds, ones I probably wouldn’t have experienced if it weren’t for the pages I worked on.”
Another part of the journalism experience is a chance to interview world-renowned luminaries. In the past, students have inter- viewed politicians like Senator Dianne Fein- stein, Gavin Newsom and Kofi Annan; entertainers such as JJ Abrams, Harrison Ford and Diane Lane; and sports figures such as Billie Jean King, Kristi Yamaguchi and members of the San Jose Sharks hockey team.
There is also an advanced course within both the newspaper and the yearbook concentrations, which is designed for editors. All courses are year-long, and because they are extra period option courses, students may take them in addition to their full academic loads.
“I got my first taste of what it’s like to be an editor from Harker’s yearbook program,” said Emily Chow ’08, who just graduated from the acclaimed Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. “It was the first time I had to make tough decisions, step into some big shoes and really learn how to edit critically and how to manage a group. I’ve held several editor positions in my four years at Northwestern, and each experience has built on top of the Harker experience.”
The journalism program evolves each year. New this year is a dedicated videographer/editor who shoots, edits and posts video to TalonWP in a matter of hours. The staff even evolved a whimsical magazine publication to enhance their skills, called Hatched!
Daren was first asked to take over the upper school newspaper program in 2003. “One of the most important things people don’t see is how much pride the journalism students put into their jobs; they take their position as the student voice of the community very seriously,” he said.
When the upper school opened, Daren started the Talon yearbook program with nine students. It has since grown from a club to an option course, complete with homework, quizzes, a textbook and tests. “They put in countless hours,” says Daren. “No one understands how many hours they put into producing the news and photos, editing, laying out the information for the print Winged Post, for Talon, for the TalonWP website and, now, for our video feed.”
With 84 students currently in the journalism program, Daren aims to make sure they leave his classes knowing that teamwork is important and that all the skills they learn are transferable to any career they choose.
At Harker, said Chow, “I learned how to interview, how to write, how to take photographs, and I learned to enjoy them all. I think my strongest ‘journalism’ memories come from the summer workshops we would do at Columbia or on our own.
“On my very first Talon trip, our peers taught us how to use InDesign. Chris took us out to the beach by our house in Hawaii to shoot photographs. In Europe and New York, he sent us out on assignments to interview strangers and we spent hours doing photo critiques.
“I remember attending Kofi Annan’s MacArthur Award ceremony with Kaytee Comée ’09 only because Chris encouraged us to tell the event coordinators we were student journalists and ask if we could attend last minute. These sorts of events meant that I stepped into my first collegiate journalism class with previous photography, design and reporting experience,” Chow said.
For students looking to pursue journalism in college or professionally, Harker’s journalism program is a demanding, but rewarding (and award-winning) choice. “The best part for me was learning to navigate these waters – from having an advisor I could speak candidly with to learning how to create a fun atmosphere in a high stress environment,” said Chow. “At the end of it all, it was the people I met that made yearbook and newspaper such an integral part of my high school experience.”
Chow, following her introduction to journalism at Harker and four tough years at Medill, got the payoff. She has been hired as a graphics editor (her college concentration) at the Washington Post.
This story was originally published in the spring 2012 issue of Harker Quarterly.
Among 200,000 paintings, short stories, writing portfolios, poems, digital art pieces and other works submitted to the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, only the top seven to 10 percent of submitted works make it to the national level, where the pieces are juried by luminaries in the visual and literary arts. Five Harker students were awarded Gold Keys, which will move them on to the national judging level, which takes place this month.
Cindy Tay, Grade 12
Cindy Tay, grade 12, won the Gold Key for her creative writing portfolio. After keeping most of her work to herself and close friends and teachers, Tay decided to submit her portfolio to the Scholastic Art and Writing contest. “It was time for me to put myself out there and get some new eyes on my work,” said Tay.
The pieces Tay chose were a reflection of her personality and experiences: “Meditations on Frozen Vegetables,” a story about Tay’s inability to remain calm under all circumstances; “Rice Paper and Red Eyes,” written about the struggles of a first-semester senior; “Needlework,” a piece about the afterlife; and her favorite, “Soliloquy to the Lost Hour,” a tale of teenage sleep deficiency.
To Tay, writing is how she best expresses herself. “I can be a little shy and sometimes lost for words. On writing assignments, however, my pen becomes the sassy, sharp tongue I wish I could deploy physically.” To future students, Tay says to actively pursue feedback, even from those who may not have a creative writing background. She also has a bit of college application advice: “Keep all your pieces for senior year …. Many of my college essays were derived from personal memoirs I had written previously.”
Meilan Steimle, Grade 7
Meilan Steimle, grade 7, submitted nine of her works to the competition. Three won Silver Keys, one an Honorable Mention, but it was her short story, “Yosemite Grasslands,” that won the Gold Key. The story is about a trip to Yosemite and “a girl who is as kooky as her parents, but fails to recognize it until she is forced to room with ‘normal’ people.” Originally an English assignment in grade 6, Steimle revised it heavily and submitted it to Enlight’ning, the middle school’s literary magazine. After revising the piece again this year, Steimle submitted the piece to Scholastic. “A lot of my other stories are pretty dark, and most of my family prefer ‘Yosemite Grasslands’ because it is lighter and funnier,” said Steimle. “It wasn’t my personal favorite, but I guess it’s all subjective.
Echoing the feelings of many writers before her, Steimle recognized the most challenging part of creating her piece was returning to it and revising it. “I just felt like I had already been there and done that.” After all revisions were complete, however, the story had been changed for the better. For aspiring writers, Steimle says not to worry if a favorite piece receives no recognition, as writing is subjective. Ultimately, says Steimle, “Write because you want to. If you read something you wrote and it makes you laugh or cry or even smile, you’ve won, even if you didn’t get recognition. In the end, your most important audience is yourself.
Carissa Chen, Grade 7
Carissa Chen, grade 7, won a Gold Key for her self- portrait, shown at left. She entered the competition to receive feedback and improve, as well as for the opportunity to share her art with others. “One of the necessities in drawing is to understand what you are drawing and what you are trying to ‘say,’” says Chen. She chose her self-portrait because it felt like a journey; exploring every crevice and detail of her face was meticulous, but rewarding. “It helped me understand my physical image as well as incorporate little hints of my own personality into a drawing.”
Drawing is Chen’s preferred form of expression. “I’m actually a shy person and I tend to plaster and veil my own thoughts. Drawing helps me show my own ideas.” Though she loves to draw, Chen was worried about facing the possibility of rejection when entering the contest. “Because I put hours of work and my own ideas into my drawing, the idea of it being rejected would not only hurt my pride as an artist, but also what I believe in.”
To future students, Chen advises hard work, dedication and rejecting limiting beliefs like “you have to be born with it.” To Chen, being a good artist is about much more than having technical ability: “Artistic talent isn’t the ability to draw a perfect circle naturally or place the colors in the right order or way. Rather, it’s the ability to become vulnerable in each drawing and the desire to work hard.”
Max Maynard, Grade 12
Max Maynard, grade 12, won the Gold Key for his digital art piece, “Depression,” first created in his AP Studio Art class. Maynard enjoys creating digital art because of its ease of manipulation and the endless creative possibilities engendered by working on a computer. He likes that he needs nothing more than his computer to do the work, as well as the creative options available to him through digital art. “It is possible to perhaps create something by the combination of elements that aren’t always able to combine in other media,” says Maynard.
The greatest challenge for Maynard while producing his piece was making sure he followed the proper creative commons licenses when using others’ photos, an important consideration for any digital artist. For those interested in creating digital art, Maynard counsels, “Technical skill in art comes with experience, so don’t worry too much about that. Focus more on your vision for the work as an artist.”
Cherry Xie, Grade 12
Xinyi “Cherry” Xie, grade 12, won the Gold Key for her painting, “Balcony,” which also received the first place painting award in the upper school’s juried art exhibit in May. Of everything she has done in the past few years, it’s the piece with which she is most satisfied. What she likes most about the piece are the colors. “I love the greens and contrasting red-orange, the shades of brown and blue and the caramel-like tone on the side.” The way in which the colors were mixed played into Xie’s technical skills as a painter. “I think I’ve always been super-sensitive to colors and somewhat obsessed with balancing palettes.”
To future AP Studio Art students, Xie has some sage advice: “Listen to [your teacher] and submit your pieces! It’s worth the extra effort!” Xie says as the creator of a piece of art, it is difficult to judge it objectively, and hard to realize that what was created was in fact very special. “No matter how you feel about your works,” says Xie, “that should not prevent you from just taking a leap of faith and showing it to others or submitting it in contests, because you never know how special it might be for someone (or everyone) else. Believe in yourself.” Sage advice, indeed!
For more information on the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, visit www.artandwriting.org.
This story was originally published in the spring 2012 issue of Harker Quarterly.
Nineteen students from the World Foreign Language Middle School (WFLMS) in Shanghai, China, visited Harker in mid-January for this year’s exchange between the two schools. The visitors stayed with grade 8 families who kept them busy with activities, including visits to the many beautiful and historic sites in the area.
While at Harker, the students spent their days observing and participating in classes, such as Monica Colletti’s drama class and Elizabeth Saltos’ art class. They also made Native American dream catchers with middle school history teacher Keith Hirota and embarked on a scavenger hunt on the middle school campus.
Another highlight of their visit was a trip to Stanford University, where they toured the large campus and got to peruse its bookstore. Later that day, back at Harker, they enjoyed a dance class taught by Gail Palmer.
On the final day of their visit, the students were treated to a farewell breakfast, where students from both Harker and WFLMS gave special performances. The Harker students will visit their WFLMS friends in China in late March.
This story was originally published in the Spring 2012 issue of Harker Quarterly
Dozens of Harker middle school students participated in an email pen pal exchange with the Nazarbayev Intellectual School in Astana, Kazakhstan, with whom they recently shared a video conference.
The exchange was initiated by Lauren Gutstein ’06, currently teaching English at the Kazakh school. “Lauren was home for a visit, came to meet with our students and gave them cards that her kids made,” said Jennifer Walrod, director of global education. “Our kids, in turn, sent back many cards with her for their buddies. Email exchanges followed.
“We use ePals (a secure emailing site), and I have found that some kids are emailing each other [at least once a week],” Walrod said.
Students noted they don’t really know a lot about this region and commented that Kazakh kids look very similar to Harker kids. As Kazakhstan is sandwiched between Asia, the Middle East, Russia and Europe, Kazakh kids have a variety of ethnic makeups.
Gutstein also noted parallels between the two schools. “These schools are for high-achieving students and they are somewhat experimental,” she said. Nazarbayev is working with many international groups, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, University College London and others, to bring new ideas to what is still a very Soviet system of education.
“Math and science competitions and olympiads are a big deal,” said Gutstein, “and most students have extra classes after school and on Saturdays. National dance and music (like the dombra, a national instrument) are also common extracurriculars. My fellow foreign teachers and I are trying to add to this with activities like creative writing, choir, book club and various drama clubs.”
Walrod hopes the exchange will continue in subsequent years, and was pleased with an inaugural video conference in early February, when the students were able to interact face to face for the first time. It was initiated by the Kazakh students as part of their English Week activities. The students participated in a question and answer session, as well as a fun show-and-tell about current trends, fashions, games and talents, and the conference concluded with an exchange of Russian and Kazakh idioms and slang.
This story was originally published in the Spring 2012 issue of Harker Quarterly
Rina Sakuraba and Maki Shibata, two upper school students from Harker’s sister school in Tokyo, Tamagawa Gakuen, spent a month at the upper school experiencing the life of Harker students firsthand.
The students had a schedule of classes and activities for each week of their stay. Shibata enjoyed psychology class and listening to the Harker orchestra during rehearsal, while Sakuraba had fun participating in Masako Onakado’s Contemporary Japanese class and sitting in on Cantilena’s class sessions to listen to the talented singers.
The students also had a great time at the Winter Ball and went on a trip to Santa Cruz on a day off, where they had fun on the rides at the famous beach boardwalk. Middle school Japanese students were also paid a visit by the two students, who gave presentations on Japanese cultural topics such as origami, kabuki and Japanese hot springs (known as onsen).
Prior to heading back to Japan, Sakuraba and Shibata said they found Harker students to be very friendly and hoped to strengthen their newfound friendships in the future.
This story was originally published in the Spring 2012 issue of Harker Quarterly
A group of 27 grade 7 students and four chaperones traveled to Japan in December to see the country’s many cultural wonders and visit their friends at Tamagawa Gakuen in Tokyo.
The contingent spent the first stage of their trip traveling through Kyoto, Japan’s former capital city, viewing the famous Golden Pavilion, as well as visiting the Gion district, well-known as a center of geisha culture in Japan. There, they also painted fans using their own unique designs.
Next, they boarded a bullet train bound for Hiroshima, where they visited Miyajima Island and its famous Itsukushima Shrine. “Although it was low tide, it was too muddy for the kids to walk up to the torii gate, but they were able to take many photos of this UNESCO World Heritage site,” said Jennifer Walrod, global education director. The students then revisited Kyoto to tour Nijo castle, the stronghold of the shogun during the Tokugawa era.
Upon arriving in Tokyo, the students were greeted by a teacher from Tamagawa and escorted to their hotel. The next morning, they were greeted with excitement by their friends at Tamagawa, who treated them to a special welcome ceremony. Over the next few days, the students attended classes with their Tamagawa buddies and visited various sites around Tokyo, sampling the many different foods and treats.
This story was originally published in the Spring 2012 issue of Harker Quarterly
Kouya Asahi, music teacher at Tamagawa Gakuen, spent two weeks in January teaching students at all three Harker campuses. Middle school music teacher Dave Hart visited Tamagawa in October to teach their students and came away excited at the prospect of having Asahi bring his unique vision to Harker’s orchestras. In addition to teaching Harker’s students Asahi was also treated to a performance of the musical “West Side Story” at the San Jose Center for Performing Arts.