This article originally appeared in the summer 2011 Harker Quarterly.
The second installment of the Harker Concert Series brought the Taylor Eigsti Trio to the stage of the Nichols Hall auditorium on March 25.
Eigsti, the 26-year-old jazz piano phenom and Grammy nominee who started leading bands as early as age 12, was joined on this evening by bassist Reuben Rogers, a collaborator with Wynton Marsalis and Roy Hargrove, among others, and drummer Colin McDaniel, 19, a fellow at the Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific.
The trio began the first of their two sets with an instrumental interpretation of Sachal Vasandani’s “Please Mr. Ogilvy” and performed a diverse mix of covers and Eigsti’s own works as the show progressed. Eigsti’s dexterity was apparent from the outset, but his technical ability was very nearly overshadowed by his expressive syncopation and note choice. Rarely was this illustrated better than in the trio’s rendition of Mussorgsky’s “Promenade” from “Pictures at an Exhibition,” quite possibly the highlight of the first set. At first blush an odd choice of song for a jazz concert, the beloved piece sounded right at home in the trio’s capable hands, as did their cover of Coldplay’s “Daylight.”
What impressed about Eigsti more than anything, however, was the deft sense of placement. Be it a blistering chromatic run, a rapid succession of octaves or even a flurry of closed fists banging against the keyboard, every technique in Eigsti’s vast arsenal was wisely chosen and never overused.
As a special treat, Harker’s own Dave Hart, the middle school music teacher and trumpeter who formed a childhood band with Eigsti, was welcomed onstage to perform Dave Brubeck’s “In Your Own Sweet Way” with the band during the second set. Although visibly humbled by the gesture, Hart effused confidence during his extended, skillful improvisations.
Through it all, Eigsti made sure that the talents of his bandmates were as much a part of the show as the marquee name. Rogers’ many solos showcased his astonishing grasp of both theory and feel, and the interplay between him and Eigsti was always a joy to watch. Likewise, the young McDaniel seems destined for great things, his work behind the kit tasteful, layered and, yes, mature.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2011 Harker Quarterly.
Harker has a strong reputation for producing students who excel in math and science. This tradition of success can be traced back to foundations laid in the lower and middle school curricula, which emphasize methods and hands-on learning that open the door to later growth.
These seeds of success are planted early in the youngest Harker students, the kindergarten and grade 1 students. At this level emphasis is placed on defining what science is and what scientists do. So, for three periods a week, kindergarten students are engaged in hands-on projects that, according to Michelle Anderson, who teaches kindergarten science, math, social studies and English, “are more real to kindergarten minds.” Anderson explores essential, introductory themes like “the five senses, the solar system and changes in life cycles.” One of the kids’ favorite sections is focused on life cycles, where the students are
able to observe caterpillars as they develop from their larval stages to their chrysalises and then become butterflies. These broad topics, explored through reading, activities and experiments, lay a structure for later study.
Once students have progressed to grade 2, they begin to enter into more intensive science programs. The students are learning increasingly broader topics, such as measurement (a necessity for any burgeoning scientist), water, the human body, and electricity and magnetism. These topics are taught using the Lawrence Hall of Science’s Foss curriculum, which emphasizes the key principle that science is learned through conducting experiments and understanding concepts in a hands-on manner. Katy Sommer, grade 2 science teacher, notes that Harker students “devote a large amount of time to science, four periods a week, which helps them build strong foundations.”
In grade 5 students have advanced to more complex life science topics. Here students learn about scientific method in detail and spend a substantial amount of time on essential topics such as taxonomy. At this level students continue to be exposed to real-life applications of what they learn in their textbooks. In order to associate theory learned in class into hands-on knowledge, this year’s entire grade 5 class explored the tide pools at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Monterey in April. Catherine Le, grade 5 science teacher, said that her students could find many of the things in tide pools they had just finished learning about in class. Learning the characteristics of the echinoderm phylum becomes more real when a student can hold a sea star and physically observe it.
As the students enter middle school, the fundamental topics and ways of thinking that have been established begin to come into contact with the more complex scientific concepts that will be emphasized in high school and college. In grade 6 experimental design and methods of data gathering are explored through the physical sciences. At the end of the year, students are tasked with designing an experiment, conducting it and interpreting the resulting data. The students then synthesize the information into a poster board presentation.
In grade 8 students conduct three experiments in their biology classes. These experiments utilize tools to explore human physiology, allowing students to measure characteristics like lung capacity and heart rate and also track the student-designated variable of interest.
The general process of designing and conducting experiments becomes more complex as the students move from grade to grade. When considering their progress, Lorna Claerbout, K-8 science department chair, says “the learning spirals as it moves upward. Threads are repeated as students have a higher capacity to understand.”
These repeating threads, with their heavy emphasis on data gathering, critical thinking and pattern recognition, mean that Harker students are consistently recognized as exemplary. At the Synopsys Championship Fair, held March 6-7, Harker students were recognized at many levels for their outstanding work. The middle school students produced more than a half dozen award-winning projects. They were recognized for laudable work in physics, medicine, environmental sciences, biochemistry, botany and zoology subjects for both individual efforts and team submissions.
These results are but the latest in a long line of strong Harker performances in the sciences, and while the high caliber of student cannot be discounted when tracing the roots of their success, we must certainly pay tribute to where they began, in the lower and middle school science classrooms.
[Update #3: July 5, 2011]
Coxswain Colby Rapson ’10 and University of California, Berkeley’s freshman crew won the 2011 Henley Royal Regatta Temple Challenge Cup on July 3, capping off an undefeated season after soaring past the Netherlands’ Amsterdamsche Studenten Roeivereeninging Nereus to win by four-and-a-half lengths. Their finish time equaled a course record they set the previous day, winning over Harvard by one-and-a-quarter lengths.
[Update #2: July 1, 2011]
The University of California, Berkeley’s freshman crew, including coxswain Colby Rapson ’10, continued their winning streak earlier today in London at the Henley Royal Regatta. Competing in the Temple Challenge Cup, Cal beat Imperial College London by two-and-a-half lengths. The regatta continues through Sun., July 3. Go, Colby!
[Update: June 30, 2011]
The University of California, Berkeley’s freshman men’s rowing squad, including Colby Rapson ’10 as coxswain, earned another victory and set two records at Henley-on-Thames in the Temple Challenge Cup. The squad beat the University of Groningen, Netherlands by two-and-a-quarter lengths, breaking both the Barrier and Fawley records with times of 1.46 and 3.00, each one second beneath the previous record. The Barrier record of 1.47 was set in 1995 by Oxford Brookes University and tied by U.K. and U.S. teams four times, last by the University of Washington in 2010. Shortly after Cal set the record today, it was tied in another match, but Cal’s freshman squad will hold the record until broken. The Fawley record was set by Oxford Brookes in 1995 as well, but has not been matched until Cal’s team broke it, today.
June 29, 2011
Colby Rapson ’10 and the University of California, Berkeley’s freshman men’s rowing squad have claimed a first-round victory over the University of Warwick at the Henley Royal Regatta. The event takes place June 29 through July 1 at Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, on the River Thames, a competition that dates back to 1839 and has been held every year, canceled only for the two World Wars. In May, the Cal men’s team won the Pac-10 championship and in June won the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship. Rapson is the first woman coxswain recruited by the team.
Harker’s long-held commitment to environmental issues informed every decision in the current capital expansion project, and environmentally focused features have been incorporated into the design of the new science and technology center, Nichols Hall, which is designed to be LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
According to the U.S. Green Building Council’s website, “LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.” LEED certification is based on a point system recognizing performance in the aforementioned five areas. XL Construction Corporation and DES Architects + Engineers, Inc. have designed the building so that it is on target to become LEED silver certified, which ranges from 37 to 43 points.
During production, 95 percent of the construction debris generated by demolition and construction were sent to recycling facilities instead of landfills. Additionally, more than 10 percent of the materials – steel, concrete, carpet, casework – used for construction are manufactured from post-consumer and pre-consumer recycled content. Eighty percent of the steel content itself is recycled. All of the paint, adhesives, sealants, carpet and other products used are low VOC and the wood products used have low urea-formaldehyde, earning the building four points for improving the indoor environmental quality. Air quality was also monitored during construction and before occupancy. All the air handlers were cleaned and capped after each day of work to prevent dust collection and no combustion vehicles were allowed on site during construction. Once the construction was done, there was a flush-out period to ensure good air quality.
Since the area where Nichols Hall stands was originally a field and no buildings were demolished for the construction of the new science center, the location selected earns the building one point under sustainable site development. Nichols Hall also earns another point for community development, because the school has pedestrian access to residential neighborhoods and shopping centers. The proximity to bus stops, availability of bike racks and locker rooms, limited parking capacity and preferred parking for carpools and low-emitting and fuel efficient vehicles encourage the community to use alternative transportation, giving the building an additional four LEED points.
The building also has bioswales, turf cell paving and a green roof that provide a storm water management system. The bioswales, located around the building and alongside the parking lot, act as a natural earthen filter for the rainwater before it goes to San Tomas Aquinos Creek on its way to the bay. The turf cell paving effectively absorbs rainwater into the ground and minimizes storm water runoff and also preserves the soil from human activity. The green roof has a two-fold purpose: while the vegetation filters rainwater particulates and reduces storm water runoff, the green roof also acts as a natural insulator, keeping the heat in the building during the winter and out during the summer. The green modules as well as the surrounding reflective white coating on the roof help minimize the heat island effect caused by solar absorption of traditional black rooftops.
Nichols Hall also uses targeted exterior lighting and low-contrast yellow lighting to reduce undesirable light and night sky pollution. The interior lighting is designed to maximize brightness throughout the building while minimizing excessive energy use. For example, the recessed lighting used in the atrium decreases glare and also lights up large areas without taking up a lot of space. XL Construction has also installed occupancy sensors in all the rooms to minimize power consumption, improving the indoor environmental quality.
The use of water-efficient features allow the building to use 40 percent less water than a typical building of the same size. These features include low-flow sinks, also included in the labs, as well as dual-flush toilets and ultra-low flush urinals, which use only 0.125 gallons per flush.
Additionally, the building operates 27-33 percent more energy efficiently than a baseline building of the same size due to features like the improved air handling system, heating, lighting, photovoltaic cells and building envelope.
The building envelope includes the low-emissivity glass windows used for the atrium and rotunda and the green roof. The polycrystalline solar panels will generate more than 2.5 percent of the energy used, offsetting a significant amount of greenhouse gases. The efficient HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) system will help the building consume $30,000 less in electricity annually with the help of features like the directive/indirect evaporative cooling air handlers that use one-tenth the amount of electricity generated by regular air conditioners that use compressors. Instead of using Freons, the air conditioning system uses enhanced refrigerant made entirely of water, so no ozone-depleting chemicals are used within the building. Also, the HVAC system uses air circulated from outside and has more air changes than required by code, ensuring good air quality indoors. To increase thermal comfort, each room has individual temperature controls to maximize energy efficiency and comfort for building occupants.
Additional points will also be considered for educating the community and going above and beyond the requirements in energy efficiency. With a rolling display of the solar panel energy production as well as displays explaining all the LEED-certified features of the building, students can learn just how “green” the building is.
March 2009
In only the second year that Harker has sent teams for all three levels, Harker’s Japanese program swept all three first-place team prizes at the National Japan Bowl in Washington, D.C., over spring break. The top-level team and their teacher were awarded a 10-day trip to Japan this summer where their itinerary includes the honor of meeting Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado.
The Japan Bowl is an annual team competition for high school students across the U.S. studying Japanese as their foreign language. There are three levels of competition – II, III and IV, with level IV being the most challenging – and three students per team. The competition tests not only the students’ language skills but also their knowledge of history, geography, politics, current events, U.S.-Japan relations and variety of cultural aspects such as arts, festivals, religions, pop culture, etiquette and gestures.
“Although it is a very challenging competition, we have shown very steady improvement every year,” said Masako Onakado, Japanese teacher. “Last year, we earned second place in both level II and level III and fourth place in level IV, which was our best record until then. Earning the first place in all levels in this 17-year-old competition this year was truly remarkable.”
Chris Nikoloff, head of school, also noted, “This is an amazing accomplishment. Congratulations to the students and thanks to Masako for all of her efforts on their behalf.”
Student winners were: Level IV Sarah Wang, grade 11, team captain; Roslyn Li, grade 11 and Kevin Wang, grade 12. Level III Kelly Chen, grade 11, team captain; Jerry Sun, grade 10 and Katie Liang, grade 10. Level II Nirupama Gadagottu, grade 12, team captain; Tiffany Jang, grade 9 and Victoria Liang, grade10.
In early June, recent graduate Vladimir Sepetov and rising senior Jessica Lin attended a special ceremony held at Carnegie Hall in New York City for the national winners of this year’s Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Sepetov received a silver medal award for mixed media, and Lin won a silver medal in the novel writing category.
“It was awesome,” Sepetov recalled. “A lot of really talented students were there and it was really amazing to see the breadth of work that won and was exhibited.” One of the highlights for Sepetov was seeing famed conceptual artist John Baldessari speak at the ceremony. “I was actually able to meet him before the ceremony for a quick handshake,” Sepetov said. “It was super cool.”
“It was really magical to be surrounded by other young artists who share amazing dedication and passion for the arts,” Lin said. “Everyone became friends really quickly, and we took turns telling the crazy stories behind our projects.”
Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk also appeared as a surprise guest speaker, as he was one of the judges for new video game category. The Empire State Building was also illuminated during the night of the ceremony.
The day after the ceremony, Scholastic’s “Talk & Tours” program gave attendees the opportunity to view lectures and get a better view at various art and design programs. Sepetov went to a lecture at the School of Visual Arts that discussed how the arts could be used to benefit society. “I plan on majoring in design next year so it was really cool to get another look at design professionally,” Sepetov said.
Both students looked back fondly on their experience participating in the competition. “As a young writer/painter/sculptor/etc., there’s a lot of uncertainty about your work and you don’t really know where to start,” said Lin. “The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards gives young artists an opportunity to gain recognition and confidence.”
After a long overnight train to Venice, Italy, the traveling journalism students and teacher Chris Daren arrived at a new city and country. “We took water taxis to San Marco Square and rolled, carried and dragged the luggage about 300-400 yards to our hotel,” said Daren. “Some students are wishing they would have listened about what size of luggage to bring!”
After quick showers, students went off to find food groups of four or more. “Of course, many decided that the perfect way to finish their meals was with gelato,” said Daren. “So far one student is up to 10 scoops (they are small)!” The group later went to dinner at the new Hard Rock Café in preparation for a tough day on the streets where finding a story, photo work and sightseeing are on the agenda, said Daren.
In what has been an outstanding year for Harker in the performing arts, seeing both individuals and groups recognized for dedication to their art and excellence in execution, another Harker student is being honored. Rising junior Nina Sabharwal has been recognized for her vocal excellence and will be singing with the All National Honor Choir in Washington, D.C., this June.
Sabharwal will perform under the direction of former San Jose State University professor Dr. Elena Sharkova at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Sabharwal enjoys singing classical and jazz pieces and prefers lyrical and story-centered pieces. She is currently a member of Camerata, directed by Susan Nace, and will be singing with the Harker Jazz Band, directed by Chris Florio, next year.
Of the event, Sabharwal has said that she is “excited to take what I’ve learned from my lessons and from singing in Harker choirs and build on that with this opportunity.” Sabharwal will be singing alongside fellow Harker student James Seifert.
Karl Kuehn, Harker dance teacher, has been featured on “So You Think You Can Dance,” the reality show juggernaut that features young, talented dancers who compete to win the prize of America’s top dancer. Kuehn, who has danced and choreographed his way around California, was one of the few dancers to it make to the end of the beginning round.
While he did not progress into the top 20 dancers, his success in the show is a testament to his talent and dedication to his craft. Monica Colletti, middle school performing arts teacher, in light of Kuehn’s appearance on the show, said, “I feel so proud to be working with so many talented artists, and Karl is the latest in a long line of professional successes we have had here at Harker. Congratulations, Karl!”
We’d like to echo the sentiments and congratulate Kuehn on his success.
Rising senior Jessica Lin has been recognized for her piece “The Road to Pieces,” contributed to the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers. Lin was awarded the national silver medal in the 2011 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition. The Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to identify “teenagers with exceptional artistic and literary talent and bring their remarkable work to a national audience.”
Lin can now count herself among distinguished company; the Alliance has recognized the work of many young artists who went on to become extremely successful, including revolutionaries such as Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote and Robert Redford. Out of the thousands of submissions it receives every year, the alliance has chosen to recognize Lin for her creativity, and so do we … congratulations!