While on Harker’s national parks field trip, Alexis Gauba, grade 7, received exciting news from her parents: she’d been accepted into the 2012 Western Division Junior High Girls Honor Choir!
“The audition process involved singing two scales to show range and intonation. We were also required to sing a song selected by them, ‘My Country ‘Tis of Thee,’ and one song of my choice; I chose ‘Sebben Crudele,’ an Italian song. I prepared for the auditions by practicing the pieces over and over until they were perfect, and then I submitted the recordings. The waiting process was pretty nerve-racking,” said Gauba.
The audition process can be scary, and Dave Hart, a middle school instrumental music teacher, acknowledged the bravery needed to participate. “You never know what will happen with these types of auditions. The hard part is putting yourself out there and giving yourself a chance to be selected. You have to be willing to fail [in order] to create new and wonderful opportunities for yourself.”
The choir, part of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Western Conference, received auditions from up and down the West Coast, as well as from Arizona, Utah and Hawaii. According to Hart, “These conferences invite choral educators from around the West Coast to attend. Along with wonderful lectures and poster sessions, top educators are invited to work with [the honor choirs].” This year’s conference will be held in Reno, Nev., which means Gauba will have the chance to work with a variety of excellent choral educators when she travels there in February.
Hart participated in choirs such as this one when he was in school, and found the experience very rewarding. “It is special when you get a chance to spend time with other people who have a similar passion for music. When I heard about the ACDA Western Division Junior High Honor Choir, I was excited to offer the opportunity to audition to the members of my choir.”
Gauba said she’s, “Elated. I was so excited at getting this wonderful opportunity. I believe that The Harker School choir and all the audition practices and performance opportunities helped me in my preparation and I am grateful for that.”
On a Saturday morning in mid-January, Max Isenberg, grade 12, Ananth Subramaniam, grade 12, and Stephanie Chen, grade 10, along with Evan Yao, grade 12, sat down for the 11th annual Quiz Kids to take on Stuart Hall in the San Carlos studio.
Bradley Stoll, the mathematics department chair, was the one who originally heard about the trivia competition. Though he no longer remembers how he first got students started in it, it’s a long-running tradition now, with houses so packed people can’t always find seats. Stoll cheered the team on to a victory over Stuart Hall – Harker won by a wide margin, and the students had a fantastic time.
Harker’s chapter of the Cum Laude Society brought poet Robin Ekiss to the Nichols Hall auditorium on Feb. 2 to discuss her collection of poetry, “The Mansion of Happiness,” and share the life experiences that have inspired her work.
Sitting at the edge of the stage, Ekiss, who received a Rona Jaffe Award for emerging women writers, explained that the title of her book was inspired by an 1800s board game of the same name. The daughter of a miniaturist, Ekiss was constantly surrounded by dolls, dollhouses and dollhouse furniture as a child, and dollhouses occupied every room in her childhood home. “When you’re a little girl, that’s kind of a super cool thing,” she said, “but when you’re an adult, you realize how incredibly creepy that is.”
Several of the poems in her book use toys and their histories as metaphor, such as “Preface,” containing the lines, “Imagine: a dollhouse in every room/In every room, another room/In every girl, another girl.”
Another poem, “Edison in Love,“ was inspired by the story of Thomas Edison’s dream of creating and mass-producing a doll that could walk and talk, which failed spectacularly. “I wondered what it would take for someone like Thomas Edison, who was so passionate and inventive and interesting, to create something that failed so miserably but still want to do it regardless,” she said.
The Harker Speaker Series is pleased to announce that author Joel Bakan will be the next speaker for the 2011-12 season, appearing at 7 p.m. at Nichols Hall on the upper school campus on Feb. 22.
Bakan is the internationally bestselling author of “The Corporation,” which inspired the acclaimed documentary of the same name. His newest book is titled “Childhood Under Siege: How Big Businesses Target Children,” also currently being adapted into a documentary. Focusing on the United States in particular, Bakan demonstrates how marketers target children, and rips the cover off the industry known as “kid marketing,” something he notes was a $50 billion industry 20 years ago, and is now a $1 trillion dollar industry. “As governments retreat from their previous roles of protecting children from harm at the hands of corporations,” Bakan writes, “we, as a society, increasingly neglect children’s needs, expose them to exploitation, and thus betray what we, as individuals, cherish most in our lives.”
Bakan is a Rhodes Scholar, with degrees from Oxford, Dalhousie and Harvard. Now a professor of law at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Bakan also serves as a frequent media commentator. His public speaking is popular in the United States and abroad, and Harker looks forward to hosting him.
On Jan. 20, the lower school celebrated the success of this year’s pajama donation program and book drive with a special assembly, during which all the students wore pajamas. This year, 425 pairs of pajamas and 475 books were donated to families in need. Pallie Zambrano, co-president of the Northern California chapter of the Pajama Program, congratulated the students on their accomplishment, noting that in the last five years, Harker has donated more than 1,800 pairs of pajamas.
The assembly also had some special visitors from the upper school, as grade 10 students visited their grade 3 friends in the Eagle Buddies program. The sophomores, also wearing pajamas, sat down with their third grade friends, and each pair or group read a book that the grade 3 student chose for the assembly.
Butch Keller, upper school head, then read to the students a book call “The Spiffiest Giant in Town,” which fittingly enough tells the story of a giant who offers his clothes to those in need.
Laughter rang through Saratoga and Blackford campuses on Feb. 3-4 when Harker was visited by Baby Wants Candy, a musical comedy improvisational troupe who led workshops and performed to a sold-out audience.
Baby Wants Candy was founded in 1997, and has permanent troupes in New York and Chicago; at any given time they may have 40-50 performers forming groups that tour, including to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where their relationship with Harker began. Last August the group came to see The Harker Conservatory’s production of “Pippin” at the Fringe, and they were so impressed they “adopted” the cast. The cast reaped the benefits of a special workshop and a shout-out from the stage at a performance of Baby Wants Candy during that week. When Al Samuels, a BWC performer, contacted performing arts chair Laura Lang-Ree and asked about coming West to Harker for more, Lang-Ree jumped at the chance.
The troupe performed at an upper school assembly on Feb. 3, and spent both lunchtimes answering questions from Conservatory students at a “Life in the Arts” workshop. Then the work began. On Friday and Saturday afternoons, Harker students who had signed up for the privilege of working more closely with the cast were put through their improv paces in five hours of workshops. Samuels and musical director/pianist Jody Shelton, who also improvises everything he plays, spent Friday breaking down the elements of improv, sharing effective warmups both for the brain and voice, and giving a fabulous primer on this difficult art form. Saturday they were joined by more of the cast, and the lessons continued, eventually preparing the students for participation in the BWC show on Saturday night.
The Blackford Theater was packed and buzzing by the time the show started at 7 p.m. The first half of the show allowed the Harker workshop students to spread their improv wings and test out all they had learned in the past days. BWC cast members led the kids through all manner of improv games, all based on suggestions from the audience, none of which were prepared or rehearsed.
Then it was time for the BWC cast to show why so many of its members have had successful runs with Saturday Night Live, Second City and numerous improv-based television shows. An audience member suggested the title “Presidents on Jeopardy,” and a fully choreographed, plotted and staged musical unfolded, replete with topical political references, hilarious rhymes, and the Jeopardy theme song woven throughout several of the musical numbers, thanks to Shelton’s ingenuity.
The generosity of the BWC players in traveling from New York and teaching so much of their craft, all with grace, humor and kindness, will be felt by Conservatory students for years to come … and Harker audiences may remember their raucous evening for a bit, too!
The Harker Concert Series is in its second year, yet has already established itself as a must-see event for lovers of classical and jazz repertoire. Pianist Adam Golka sold out Nichols Hall’s auditorium on Feb. 4 as the third installment of this year’s series, following Opera San Jose and the Gerald Clayton Trio. The 2011-12 season will conclude in March with the Afiara String Quartet.
Texan Golka is only 24 years old and has had a grueling concertizing schedule for some time. Winner of several major international piano competitions, including the Shanghai International Piano Competition in 2003 and the Gilmore Young Artist Award in 2008, Golka added Harker to his list of impressive collaborations, which include Carnegie Hall with the New York Youth Symphony and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. According to his online biography, Golka currently studies with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore.
The second star of the show was the piano, a seven-foot-eight-inch Bechstein, generously leant for the evening by Piedmont Piano Company. Golka’s program showed off not only his own technical mastery, but the warmth of this wonderful instrument.
Fittingly for the Bechstein’s rich and dramatic sonority, Golka played a program of Romantic music, with a Beethoven sonata, three intermezzi by Brahms and Liszt’s famous “Mephisto Waltz” in the first half of the concert. After intermission, Golka was a tour de force, playing what is generally considered by pianists to be Beethoven’s most difficult piece, the “Hammerklavier” sonata. Each movement of this 45-minute piece showcased a different strength of both Golka and the Bechstein, with furious staccato passages, flowing, almost post-Romantic interludes and Bach-inspired fugal passages.
Golka met with audience members in the atrium after the performance.
Dear Family and Friends (and Students past and present) of Sharron Reynolds Mittelstet,
Many of you have asked that I let you know as soon as I had details of the scholarship fund in Sharron’s memory. See below for details on the Harker Scholarship fund. In the meantime, many of you in Texas have discussed making your contribution to the Borger High School scholarship fund. I think that is a great idea, too.
So whichever makes the most sense to you, we’d very much appreciate your making a contribution to the fund of your choice instead of sending flowers. Sharron is blessed to have been able to call so many of you friends, including those of you who were her students (whether from Amarillo 40 years ago or Harker as recently as three months ago) and she loved you all.
(signed) John M
“We all consider it an honor to have these contributions be given in loving memory of Sharron,” said Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement. “Sharron Mittelstet made a tremendous, positive impact on the lives of many children during her distinguished teaching career here at The Harker School. In return, initiated by Sharron’s husband John Mittelstet, we are proud to provide scholarship assistance in honor of Sharron to motivated and talented children who would otherwise not be able to attend Harker. “
Families wishing to contribute to this endowed scholarship fund can make their checks payable to The Harker School in memory of Sharon Mittelstet. Contributions will be invested in the associated endowed scholarship fund. “Through this fund, Sharon will continue to positively impact Harker students in perpetuity,” said Rosenthal.
It is with great sadness we announce that Sharron Mittelstet, longtime English teacher at The Harker School, passed away last night, Feb. 2, after a brave battle with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. She was 67 years old. Our hearts go out to the Mittelstet family at this difficult time.
Mrs. Mittelstet began teaching English at Harker in 1992 and has been a familiar, friendly face in the Harker halls for the past two decades. She began teaching in the middle school and joined the upper school in its second year. The students lucky enough to be in an English class taught by Mrs. Mittelstet will always remember her passion for literature, her warmth and her razor-sharp Southern wit, which was in evidence right up until the last. Her impact on the lives of Harker students will be felt for generations.
Sharron Mittelstet is survived by John, her husband of 47 years, and their daughter, Claire.
There will be a memorial for Mrs. Mittelstet on Sat., March 10, on the upper school campus. Details will follow. Lori Villarreal, assistant to the upper school head, is collecting thoughts and wishes for the Mittelstet family at loriv@harker.org or at 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, 95129. Read the student-written Talon/Winged Post article at http://www.talonwp.com/2012/02/featured/beloved-english-teacher-sharron-mittelstet-passes/.
About 50 people, Harker Alumni, faculty and staff, joined Santa Claus in December for a pre-Christmas celebration. “Past and present Harker community came together for this,” said MaryEllis Deacon, director of alumni relations. Santa was played by Butch Keller, upper school dean of students and members of the Student Alumni Relations group (STAR) helped with the crafts. “We had alumni from the 80s and 90s join us with their children,” said Deacon. “The children worked on crafts included snow globes, reindeer prints and cards and, later, Santa read stories to the children. Our alumni had a great time seeing people they haven’t in years and shared a great morning together!”
The Harker School is proud to have many students participating in the FIRST Lego League (FLL), a program for students aged 9-16 that releases a new FLL Challenge every September. Part of each challenge is the Robot Game, in which students participate by programming an autonomous robot to score points on a themed playing field. Another integral part of the challenge are the FLL Core Values, which students must be guided by throughout the duration of their projects. These include learning together, honoring the spirit of friendly competition and displaying gracious professionalism and cooperation in everything they do.
Five grade 6 students from Harker formed a team called The Fruitest Five, and took home top prizes for the Robot Game and for their commitment to the core values. Kavita Tankha, parent of team member Aliesa Bahri, said, “The Robot Performance award goes to the team with the most points earned by completing robot missions, and the Core Values award is given for teamwork and gracious professionalism. The judges called out the ‘girls in pink’ for their enthusiasm, inclusiveness and teamwork.” The other members of Fruitest Five, Anooshree Sengupta, Aria Coalson, Maya Kumar and Jessica Susai, along with Sengupta, overcame a nervous moment early in the competition when a loose connection in their robot caused it to stop working. Everything was smooth sailing from there on out, and the team came out on top, moving them to the East Bay Championship Round.