This story first appeared in the Summer 2010 edition of the Harker Quarterly
Since starting at the upper school in 2001, robotics at Harker has grown into an opportunity for both middle and upper school students to learn real-life engineering skills in addition to providing a fun, competitive environment. This year, the programs at both levels have achieved success on all fronts.
“Organizationally, the team functioned better than I have ever seen,” said Eric Nelson, upper school computer science department chair and mentor to the US robotics team. “They had a good business structure, created an initial business plan, made promotional elements, maintained the website and managed the engineering elements of the program.”
Under Nelson’s direction, the program has been designed to emulate the structure of a Silicon Valley start-up firm. Students manage the budget of the program, select officers to run the would-be company, oversee and execute the engineering and programming of the robots, train the members of the team, purchase parts, develop partnerships and promote the team. “The only thing the team does not deal with is a payroll,” Nelson said.
Andrea Lincoln, Gr. 12, served as the executive president of the upper school robotics team during the 2009-10 school year, and said she enjoyed the cohesiveness and intense, hands-on approach offered by Nelson’s unique take on the program. “Over only six weeks the core members will work over 400 hours, an average of 60 hours a week,” she said. “That 60 hours does not include school or homework, so the build period is really intense and bonds us together as a team.”
Both of Harker’s robotics teams participate in competitions by FIRST, a nonprofit organization that holds robotics competitions for various grade levels nationwide.
The US team had a strong showing at the Sacramento regional, finishing in the top 24 out of 50 teams, impressive for a team that is almost entirely run and maintained by students. “Most winning teams outsource a large part of their efforts to professionals or semiprofessionals,” Nelson said. “We outsource very little. I require that the students learn to manage the team, the structure, the design, the construction and the testing, to name a few.”
Nelson added that the team “is moving in the direction of a sustainable, successful organization. It’s just going to take a while to get there as they learn how to, and not to, do it along the way.” At the middle school level, the robotics program began as a club during the 2005-06 school year before becoming an elective in 2009-10. The class is used as a way to introduce students to a method of programming focused less on details and more on the end result.
“The secret is to divide things into smaller, more manageable problems and conquer strategically,” said Michael Schmidt, the team’s instructor. The class originated as a student club, but as interest and the need for more meetings grew, the club this year became an elective class that met every day for one semester, in addition to eight Saturdays.
The MS robotics team competes in the FIRST Lego League (FLL), which is offered to students in grades four through eight and uses robots from the LEGO Mindstorms product line. The competition guidelines dictate what is taught in class. “Each year, FLL creates a new theme and a set of tasks to perform,” said Schmidt. “These tasks must be performed by the robot autonomously with no help from the students other than pressing the run button.” The students create, load and run the programs that contain the orders the robot must follow to win the competition.
Schmidt said this year was considered “very successful,” with three Harker teams advancing to the state level of FLL competition. “This class provides a technological experience that is very educational for the kids, but is also on the costly side,” Schmidt said. “More teams are sponsored by parents than schools. So this really puts Harker’s middle school at the forefront of computer science instruction, since we are capable of absorbing those costs, and providing a class that meets regularly to focus on specific goals.”
Students Shreya Indukuri and Daniela Lapidous, both grade 11, appear in a video (beginning at 2 minutes and 12 seconds) produced by the organization Unite for Climate in collaboration with the UNICEF Education for Development network. The video covers the grant the students won to install smart meters on the lower and upper school campuses, and how the meters have been used to monitor the school’s energy usage. It tells of how the pair helped discover previously unknown sources of consumption and reduce the overall amount of energy used by the school.
In May, alumnus Jason Martin ’07 was one of two players on the San Jose State University baseball team to land a spot on the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII Baseball First Team. Martin, a psychology major, is one of five student athletes in the Western Athletic Conference to be honored for his achievements both in the classroom and on the diamond. According to sjsuspartans.com, Martin boasts a college career batting average of .348, ranking 12th all-time in the Spartan baseball record book.
In mid-August, inmates transformed San Mateo Women’s Correctional Center’s kitchen into a bustling culinary scene reminiscent of Iron Chef.
In the timed cooking contest, four teams of former and current inmates, JobTrain students and celebrity chefs whipped up delectable dishes for a panel of judges, including Harker’s very own chef Danae McLaughlin.
To give back to the community and provide skills that can aid offenders after release, chef Elihu Kittell, who runs the kitchen at the jail, started the program in 2006 with chef Adam Weiner. Weiner works for JobTrain, a nonprofit educational and training institution that helps communities break out of poverty, crime and drugs by providing courses, job training and additional assistance for all ages.
McLaughlin, who has competed and received medals from the American Culinary Federation, initially became involved with JobTrain after meeting Weiner at a competition geared towards youth leadership and career development. Impressed by JobTrain’s mission and various programs, McLaughlin and Steve Martin, Harker’s executive chef, judged one of JobTrain’s competitions and then began hiring JobTrain students as interns in the Harker kitchen.
McLaughlin served as a kitchen judge and tasting judge, commenting on the teamwork and also on the salads, salmon, jambalaya and pecan pie placed before her. She also had the opportunity to chat with the inmates about her experiences as a woman in a kitchen and becoming a Certified Executive Chef.
McLaughlin joined a galaxy of public officials including judges Sheriff Greg Munks, Supervisor Adrienne Tissier and Assistant Sheriff Trisha Sanchez, in congratulating everyone for their effort and awarding Team No. 4 – Amilia Otis, Laura Engman and Captain Quinlan – for winning the competition.
“It was really a great feeling that I could actually be a role model for them!” McLaughlin said. “This event gave all these women something to look forward to and something to work towards. In the end, it was the look of accomplishment and empowerment that I saw on all their faces that was the best thing about being involved.”
To view broadcasts of the event, visit KTVU, CBS5 or ABC7.
Flexible and dynamic. Such are today’s students’ information needs. And, by design, the description also applies to Harker’s new upper school library. The building’s first visitors, who toured the just-finished, 3,803-square-foot facility Aug. 20, awarded the learning space rave reviews.
“I love it!” said exuberant senior Christina Li, an avid library user. Her sentiments were echoed by dozens of parents, students and teachers as they perused the library’s sunlit main reading room, stacks, soft seating areas and classroom. Some teens were drawn to the low chairs and ottomans near the magazines and newspapers. Others made a beeline to high speed browsing computers mounted at standing height at the end of each range of books. More tested the sound-dampening effects of the library’s classroom walls by opening and closing the door. Still others tried the tablet chairs that combine cushioned comfort with a purposeful laptop surface.
Allika Walvekar, grade 12, envied underclassmen. “I wish I had this for all four years instead of one. It’s beautiful!” Happily weary from a full day of orientation activities, Vikrum Sundar, grade 9, who toured the library with his parents Jagane and Shankari Sundar, confirmed he’d be making regular use of the space.
The facility’s flexibility is no accident, according to Sue Smith, library director. “The library department was invited to participate in the design from the very beginning,” said Smith. “The result is a space tailored to the needs of learners in a dynamic information world.”
Features such as a classroom equipped with eBeam technology, expanded study tables with lighting and outlets and enhanced wireless connectivity empower the teaching and learning of information literacy. Information Literacy, the ability to seek, evaluate and use information effectively, was introduced to teachers as a curricular enhancement six years ago by former library director Enid Davis. Since then, Info Lit, as it’s often called, has become a mainstay of teaching across disciplines at the upper school.
The location of the new library – central to student traffic on the upper school campus – serves as a metaphor for students’ need for the robust virtual space the library program already provides: an online catalog, over 80 subscription databases, 30,000 searchable books and a myriad of additional tools, all available to the Harker community 24/7 through the library portal.
“The new library enhances our educational program of 21st century learning beautifully,” said Smith. “The enthusiasm of our first visitors confirms that the space is a welcome addition to our community.”
[Update] Shannon Richardson, grade 7, took a silver medal in the 2010 USA Volleyball Beach Junior Tour Championships – Open Division in the Girls U12 Category Aug. 22 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Richardson’s usual teammate, Selin Ekici, also grade 7 (both girls played for Harker’s undefeated grade 5 and 6 teams), was unable to attend, so Richardson teamed up with another girl for the event. Congrats Shannon!
Sept. 3, 1020
Middle school students Selin Ekici and Shannon Richardson, both grade 7, competed in several beach volleyball competitions as a team this summer and earned a chance to compete in the USAV Beach Volleyball Junior Tour. The pair placed third at the NoCal Open in Santa Cruz on Aug. 7, and secured a trip to the Junior Tour Championships, which were held Aug. 22 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Over the summer, Christopher Sund, grade 8, was accepted to the THINK Summer Institute, which provides a comprehensive college experience to 60 gifted students around the country. The program also offers the opportunity to earn college credit by taking courses from university faculty members.
Maverick McNealy, grade 10, made headway in the youth golf world during the summer, winning the Ray Anderson Memorial Junior Golf – Tournament in Milpitas, and finished 12th at the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego, which featured 152 players from across the country.
A camera lost by a student from Tamagawa Gakuen during a trip to Korea was recently recovered thanks to a kind citizen who researched the Harker name.
During a trip to Japan in May, Spencer and Connor Powers met with their Tamagawa buddy Yusei Sakamoto, whose mother took many photos of the Powers’ visit. Later in the summer, Yusei and his mother were vacationing in South Korea, and the camera was unfortunately lost on a bus in Seoul.
Another bus rider, Heywon Chae, discovered the camera and began looking through the photos for clues as to whom it may have belonged. In it, she found the photos of Spencer and Connor wearing their Harker uniforms and did some quick research.
Chae soon found the Harker website and e-mailed Liat Noten at Harker’s Office of Communication, who forwarded the message to Jennifer Abraham, director of global education. After several more e-mails, the camera was finally sent back to its rightful owners in Tokyo, who were eternally grateful to Chae for her kindness and good will.
Abraham was pleased to find that the situation had come to a satisfying conclusion despite the long distances reached to resolve it, saying that it “really personifies the essence of what global education is all about!”
Upper school students and faculty took a break from the bustle of the first week of school to reminisce over summer – summer reading, that is. For a half hour, students met in small groups with faculty members as part of ReCreate Reading, the annual summer reading program.
Over 30 groups were organized around a specific title proposed by a teacher and selected by students last spring. Available choices included Andre Agassi’s “Open,” Eoin Colfer’s “And Another Thing,” Stephen Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time,” Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”and Greg Mortensen’s “Three Cups of Tea,” among many others. Some groups, including all freshman advisories, allowed students to choose their books, precipitating rich sharing sessions.
Allika Walvekar, grade 12, had a hard time picking her group. “I especially enjoyed the variety of choices this year,” she said. Eventually she decided on a collection of Tennessee Williams plays facilitated by Jeffrey Draper, performing arts teacher.
English teacher Jason Berry, who led a discussion about the graphic novel “Road to Perdition” by Max Allan Collins agreed, saying “The breadth and depth of what is offered and the choice allowed in choosing a book signal that reading is not some dull, laborious task that must be suffered.”
A highlight of ReCreate Reading was a heavily subscribed discussion of the award winning “Columbine” by Dave Cullen. Cullen, who spent ten years gathering material for his reportage, participated in a live Skype session with over 40 readers in Nichols Hall auditorium. Enthusiastic students’ questions were delivered to history teacher and facilitator Ally Montana who queried Cullen.
“The amount of research he has done is incredible,” said Nicole Dalal, grade 11. “To talk to him about how much his work affected his emotional behavior was really incredible.”
“The interactive format of this ReCreate Reading session was extremely engaging,” said Pooja Shah, grade 10. “Being able to ask the author questions about his or her book is a great opportunity for everyone.”
Other groups enjoyed thoughtful discussions with their faculty leaders. Max Maynard, grade 11, reported his discussion leader “found thought-provoking questions that led us to study society as a whole.” That group discussed Lev Grossman’s “The Magicians,” a fantasy title described as “a sophisticated Harry Potter.”
Alice Loofbourrow, grade 12, echoed Maynard. Her group’s discussion of Max Brooks’ “World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War”was facilitated by science teacher Andrew Irvine. “We had fun just talking about zombies and what we’d do in the event of a zombie attack,” she said. “We also talked about the psychological components of the book and the idea of irrational fears.”
And yes, like most teens, Harker students did complain about summer reading activities; but they generally took a different tack than what might be expected. Most oft heard about the books: “Too short!”
Gail Nakano ’06 recently auditioned for the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and to her delight has been accepted for the 2010-11 season. Nakano just earned a chemistry degree from Vassar College where she was very involved in the choral and opera programs. For the past two years she has been with the Simon Carrington Chamber Singers. Singing in the San Francisco chorus has been a dream of hers since seeing them as a child.
“The audition went fairly well,” said Nakano. “The sight reading got a little tough for the a cappella pieces, but my piece and the excerpts in the second part … went a lot better I think. They haven’t figured out which pieces I’ll be in yet, but I’m so happy!”
In addition, Nakano earned a chorus spot in the West Bay Opera’s fall production of “La Forza Del Destino.”
International students bound for schools in the U.S. find Harker’s well-established English Language Institute (ELI) a near-essential part of their preparation.
The ELI students, aged six to 16, come primarily from Asia, but many of the continents were represented this year with students attending from such diverse countries as Russia, Bolivia, Brazil and Ethiopia.
Many students come to ELI to increase their chances of admission to college preparatory boarding schools in the United States, said Anthony Wood, ELI director. A few have been “admitted conditionally and referred to the program by their admissions directors,” he said, speaking to both the program’s renown and value.
Those with better English skills often have attended international schools in their home countries where much, if not all, of the instruction takes place in English. They come here, said teacher Lyle Davidson, “to either solidify or improve what they already know and to get extensive practice.” He noted students choose Harker because of its worldwide reputation, and, no surprise, “to experience California.”
As a mature program, the ELI provides value-plus and that includes a good look at U.S and California culture. While the focus is on learning English from 8:00-3:30 most days, cultural adventures this year included visits to the Roaring Camp Railroad in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the San Jose Tech Museum and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
While in the Monterey area, the group stopped at the Carmel Mission for some historical context on California’s development. U.S. history was integrated into the curriculum to give students moving on to U.S. schools a good background for learning more about the U.S. This year, Jared Ramsey, Harker history teacher, taught a specialized curriculum introducing major events that have shaped the United States. “He added great variety and expertise to our program,” said Wood, “and the students really enjoyed his creative teaching methods.”
At the conclusion of formal instruction each day, learning continues in the enrichment program, which takes different forms for different ages. The younger students swim and play games. On Mondays and Fridays, they join the summer camp program at Bucknall.
“It’s an opportunity for the kids to immerse themselves with American kids who speak English as their first language,” said Wood, “They get to make new friends and practice their English, but they also get to do the climbing wall, sports and other things.”
The most advanced students, usually aged 14-16, stay at the Saratoga campus and work on special projects tailored to their needs. For many, that means SAT preparation. They are assisted by mentors (sometimes called buddies), who are often Harker juniors, seniors or recent graduates.
Davidson, a 13-year ELI veteran who oversees the advanced students’ curriculum as well as the mentor program, said students arrive with a pretty good understanding of grammar, but they often need help in other areas. “The SAT asks very tricky questions in reading comprehension,” he says. “The buddies…are able to take a teaching role and model how they would confront the problem — and they do it all in English.”
Mentor Brian Lee, a 2010 graduate of Harker, says he really enjoys hanging out with the students. They talk about music a lot, he says, and, with the natural curiosity of young people, “they ask questions about our personal lives, like where we come from.”
One student “thought that I was Vietnamese, but I am actually Chinese…and I know Cantonese and Mandarin,” Lee said, but the real surprise came “when I said I came from here.”
“It’s good to keep them on their toes,” says mentor coordinator Cynthia Huang, who is working toward her master’s in education and speaks Mandarin, Taiwanese, and some Japanese. “Children that are out of their element are going to group together–by language, age or gender, because that’s their comfort zone. We want them to be outside their comfort zone in order to push them to that next step,” she says.
Not that they shouldn’t enjoy plenty of comforts while they are here. All of the students travel with a parent or guardian and most choose to stay next door in the Oakwood Apartments, with which Harker has a special arrangement.
Angel Lin, from Taiwan, thinks it’s fun to stay at Oakwood. “It’s all students,” she says. Indeed, Wood said he was impressed when he attended a party thrown by parents at the end of the first session. “They all seem close even though they are from different countries. They all get together and obviously the kids make friends.”
The school days are long, but the students seem to thrive on it. Huu Li, from Vietnam, is in Davidson’s advanced class and says he really likes his teacher. “He’s very funny. He knows how to make the students feel happy and we never feel tired when we study.”