Students at the lower school were treated to an assortment of exciting end-of-year field trips. These included the annual all-grade trips to the Exploratorium, the California Academy of Sciences, the Oakland Zoo and a special expedition to Golfland for select third- through fifth-graders.
In April, kindergarten students went on their annual adventure to the Oakland Zoo. The zoo has a variety of exhibits, with more than 650 animals for visitors to see. There are collections of geographically grouped animals, including those native to the rain forest, African savanna and California.
Every year, students in grade three are treated to a trip to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The academy includes an aquarium with live penguins, as well as a planetarium, a natural history museum and a rain forest dome. It provides students with an excellent means to learn about science and animal life in a fun and hands-on way.
The annual end-of-year field trip for students in fourth grade is a trip to the Exploratorium, also in San Francisco. This facility is famous for its interactive approach to science and art. Students get to learn about the science behind everyday actions like hitting a baseball or the growth of plants. The goal of this trip is not only to spark the children’s interest in science, but to also get them to think about how they view the world.
As a reward for their stellar picnic ticket sales, qualifying students at the lower school earn a trip to Golfland. Students in grades three through five must sell at least 100 tickets to go on the outing. The kids are allowed a day off from school where they can golf, play video games in the arcade and, weather permitting, enjoy the water slides. This year about 50 students met the criteria for the trip, which was postponed a day due to late spring rains. The students who attended had a blast and agreed that the wait for a sunny day was well worth it.
Every year students at the high school put out the HELM, which stands for Harker’s Eclectic Literary Magazine. The entire upper school community is asked to submit works that are then published in print and electronically. The magazine features a variety of works including poems, short stories, photography and drawings. This medium provides a wonderful outlet for students and staff to express themselves and show off their artistic talents to their peers. If you would like to learn more or obtain a digital copy you can e-mail the staff at harkerhelm@gmail.com.
In April, alumna Noel Duan, ’09, a freshman at Columbia University, wrote an article about college admissions for Mochi Magazine, an online publication geared toward Asian-American teens. Duan is the magazine’s fashion features editor and blogger.
The article provides insight from Harker college counselor Kevin Lum Lung, who discusses many of the misconceptions about both the college admissions process and the criteria colleges consider when evaluating potential new students.
Ashlee Jensen, national program coordinator for the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE), visited the Saratoga campus on June 25 to film rising juniors Shreya Indukuri and Daniela Lapidous as they discussed their efforts to improve green standards there.
The two students received a special grant from ACE in 2009 and used the money to help fund improvements to the campus. They included the installation of smart meters to monitor energy usage, adding insulation film to the windows of Shah Hall and the planting of an organic garden. The footage Jensen obtained will be used as part of a series of videos ACE is creating to highlight the schools that have received grants.
Indukuri and Lapidous plan to build upon these projects in the coming year. A public dashboard where students can view the school’s energy usage from their laptops should be available by the fall. They also want to become more involved with the gardening club, which was instrumental in planting the organic garden outside Shah Hall.
As people around the world follow their nation’s team in the World Cup, students from around the Bay Area are coming to Harker to spend time improving their own game. Harker’s summer soccer clinic offers athletes ages nine to 16 a chance to work on their skills under the supervision of some of the best coaches in the area.
The program is directed by upper school boys varsity soccer coach Shaun Tsakiris. Tsakiris played soccer at UCLA, where he was nominated MVP and was part of a team that won the national championship. He also played on the United States national under-17 and under-20 teams. After college he played professionally before a fight with cancer ended his career; he has now been coaching for over a decade. At each camp he is supported by three to five assistant coaches who have either played at a highly competitive level or are, as Tsakiris says, “very comfortable coaching.”
Each clinic runs one week from 9 a.m. to noon, and gives kids a chance to work on all aspects of the game. Tsakiris has worked hard to ensure that the athletes stay focused on soccer. He said the goal was to “have less of a day care and more of a soccer-specific camp. A lot of camps in the area seem to maybe not be as specific with soccer […] we wanted to get away from the idea of it just being a place [for] parents to drop their kids off and more of a soccer-oriented camp.”
The students, about 60 a week, are divided into groups based on age and playing ability, allowing them to work on skills in an environment that is competitive as well as fun. Each day is broken into sessions working on different skill sets such as passing, receiving, defense and shooting. The athletes end the day with a variety of games highlighting the skills they have learned.
The relatively new Davis Field is the site of the clinic and is a major draw for students, parents and coaches alike. Tsakiris had “heard a lot about Harker on an academic standard, but as far as their athletics they are really trying to turn it around and they’re really trying to make this an athletic place” too. According to him, Davis Field is a great example of this goal.
Students also get to use the new Singh Aquatic Center after practice as a fun way to cool down. This is another feature that sets Harker’s summer soccer camp apart from others offered in the area.
So far, most of the clinic’s participants have been in the 10- to 13-year-old range. This age group works well because the students are old enough to be athletically coordinated yet young enough not to have too many bad habits. Tsakiris says that for the August camp he is trying to encourage older students to sign up.
The highlight of the June camp came on Friday when Joe Cannon, goalkeeper for the San Jose Earthquakes, stopped by. He took the time to talk to the kids about soccer, sign autographs and present a banner to the player of the week. Alex Courdillon, Gr. 8, said about the visit, “It was a good experience to talk to a guy who plays professional soccer. You learn a little bit more about how you can prepare to become a great soccer player […] it’s really inspirational.”
When asked about his experiences with the clinic, Harker rising sophomore Michael Amick said, “I think it’s just a great program to […] improve your skills, [with a] great group of people to play with, good coaches, good overall experience and I’d definitely do it again.”
Tsakiris wants to extend an open invitation to anyone who wants to get involved in soccer this summer. The next session starts the first week of August. For more information go to our Summer Soccer Camps page!
Harker’s summer programs kicked off during the first week of June, offering a vast array of academic and recreational programs to students in grades K-12.
This year’s Summer Institute began June 7 and offers for-credit courses to Harker upper school students. The institute offers three-week and six-week courses that are equivalent to those taken during the academic year, and include classes in math, science, art and English.
Kamya Arora, who starts as a freshmen at Quarry Lane School in the fall, enrolled in a ceramics class at Saratoga for the summer. “It’s really fun, because we get a lot of materials that we can use so we’re not really limited by what we don’t have,” she said. “I find it really exhilirating to have a lot of projects.”
Another ceramics student, Stevenson High School rising sophomore Nurihan Park, said he likes the class “very much” because he and other students are afforded “a lot of freedom” to create.
A driver’s education course wrapped up June 14, while the Forensics Institute begins in August and will provide students with the opportunity to improve their competitive debating skills in events such as the public forum debate, Lincoln-Douglas debate and policy debate. New to the Forensics Institute this year is the Forensics Experience, where a week is devoted to training for the student congressional debate before moving on to individual events.
Harker’s Summer Camp for K-Gr. 8 students has also returned, providing a well-rounded combination of academics and recreational activities. At the camp, which began June 21, students spend the mornings learning subjects such as math, language arts and science. In the afternoons there is a wide variety of fun activities to enjoy, including sports, music, arts and dancing. Campers will get to go on field trips to several California landmarks.
For kindergartners, the Kindercamp prepares students for the fall semester by teaching basic language and math skills. Students who stay for the afternoon play games, make crafts, hear stories and will also take field trips of their own.
Harker summer camp is offered in four-week and two-week sessions. The second four-week session runs July 19-Aug. 13, while the remaining two-week sessions run July 6-July 16 and July 19-July 30.
Finally, the English Language Institute (ELI), Harker’s intensive program for students who wish to improve their English speaking and writing skills, got under way in late June. Students are learning vocabulary, study skills, reading comprehension, grammar, writing and oral presentation. Students also get to practice their newfound skills by conversing with native English speakers. ELI has proven to be a valuable aid to international students hoping to gain admission to American boarding schools and English international schools. New to ELI this year is the Primary Program for beginning English speakers ages 6-8. The program is held at Bucknall and furnishes an environment designed specifically for the youngest participants in the program.
Summer athletic programs The Swim School, which began June 7 and runs until Aug. 6, is offering quality instruction to swimmers as young as 3 years old—watch for the whole story, soon!
Just in time for World Cup fever, Harker’s Soccer Clinics have returned to bring professional instruction to soccer lovers ages 5-16. Two options are being offered this year. The Training Clinic, for ages 10-16, and Just4Kicks for ages 5-12.
Tennis Camp, running through Aug. 6, features two programs, both headed by Craig Pasqua, Harker tennis coach and a certified professional with the United States Professional Tennis Association.
Coverage of this year’s summer programs will continue as the season progresses. Please visit the Summer @ Harker website for more information.
This year’s Harker Summer Aquatic Program promises to be a hit with both kids and parents alike. The offerings include swim lessons, free swim and a swim camp. About a third of the participants are Harker students, with the rest hearing about our program through Parents magazine and word of mouth.
The staff ranges from former collegiate water polo players and swimmers, to Harker alums and P.E. teachers. The camp’s director, Melissa Dondero, has been working with Harker summer programs since 1999 and has been in love with water almost her entire life. Her staff is made up of three swim teachers and one lifeguard, with two additional swim teachers in training. Dondero really “likes working with the staff we have … they are fantastic people.”
Swim lessons are 30 minutes and are scheduled a week at a time. Students can choose individual, semi-private or group lessons. The lessons aren’t all work though. Leonard Wong, Gr. 5, said that his favorite part is “having my free time and playing in the water.” He added that “swimming [lessons are] also good. My mom says I’m getting a lot of exercise.”
The swim camp is a two-week program aimed at middle school students and focuses on fitness and water safety. It includes physical training, classroom learning and skills instruction.
The physical training segment is comprised of a combination of fitness and strength training. These activities are done on the field as well as in the pool and help to promote exercise and overall physical fitness.
In the classroom the kids learn part of the American Red Cross GuardStart program, which focuses on topics such as responding in an emergency and the prevention of aquatic accidents. Dondero explained that the camp “covers CPR and first aid stuff that focuses on skills for kids rather than the general, more adult CPR classes.”
After doing a swim workout at the pool, students are given an opportunity to practice lifeguard skills. This helps them remember the skills they have learned.
The free swim portion of the program is offered to other groups of students using the upper school campus. The English Language Institute students, for example, are able to free swim at the pool as part of their program. Between 40 to 75 students take part. Kids participating in the soccer clinics are allowed to free swim in the afternoon as well.
There is also a group of students who come from the Bucknall campus to use the pool for water polo. Isis Chu, Gr. 6, explained that on a typical day, “We do some shots and drills and we swim back and forth.” When asked about her coach she exclaimed, “Mr. Ted [Ujifusa] is really awesome!”
When asked about her favorite part of the program Dondero said, “We run a very nurturing program where children progress at their own rate. There is no forcing of any kind of activity….we just want to see the swimmers have a ton of fun learning how to swim.” Prorams run through Aug. 6. See our Swimming Program page for details!
Each year a select group of seventh graders serve as escorts during graduation. Those specially chosen by their teachers for this year’s graduation were: Samyukta Yagati, Vishal Vaidya, Vedant Thyagaraj, Alex Thomas, Vivek Sriram, Sriram Somasundaram, Simran Singh, Sophia Shatas, Apoorva Rangan, Darby Millard, Juhi Muthal, Nikhil Kishore, Allison Kiang, Safia Khouja, Matthew Huang, Billy Bloomquist and Hannah Baz.
Graduation exercises officially began May 20 with the baccalaureate ceremony, during which the Class of 2010 reflected on and celebrated their accomplishments and wished each other well. It was also a time for the torch to be passed to the juniors, and to welcome them into their new role as leaders.
During the event the soon-to-be graduates and rising seniors were treated to a pair of special performances. Cantilena, directed by Susan Nace, sang “The Circles of Our Lives” by David Brunner. The Harker String Orchestra also played, following a brief introduction by Jennifer Gargano. The orchestra, directed by Chris Florio, performed “La primavera” (“Spring”) from Vivaldi’s the Four Seasons concertos.
The Class of 2010’s dean (and upper school psychology teacher), Naomi Schatz, gave a rousing speech to the departing graduates. Some of the ideas for her speech had been running through her head as recently as that morning, she revealed, including a musical number with science teacher Kate Schafer. “I was going to sing ‘Hey Soul Sister’ while she accompanied me with an interpretive clog dance,” she joked. Proclaiming that she felt fortunate to have a job that she loves, Schatz advised the students to live their lives passionately. “Find out what it is that makes your heart sing and your soul soar, and by all means make sure to keep that as a major part of your life,” she said.
Schatz concluded by leading the seniors in sing-a-longs to the songs “Build Me Up Buttercup” and “Forever Young.”
Valedictorian Andrew Zhou then spoke to his fellow graduates and to the juniors who would soon be carrying the torch. Because he was a finalist for the U.S. Physics Olympiad team and was in Maryland for training camp, Zhou was not able to attend the graduation ceremony. Therefore, he and class salutatorian Adam Perelman switched the traditional roles, allowing Zhou to speak at Baccalaureate, while Perelman filled in for him at graduation.
Zhou reflected on both the “halcyon” and “tempestuous” times that he and his classmates have had since their freshmen year, and managed to work into his speech an astonishing number of the vocabulary words and literary classics the seniors studied together in class. “And now we stand,” Zhou said, “fledglings no more, prepared to leave this eagle’s nest to pass the torch on to our successors.”
The Gr. 5 class received an affectionate send-off at the Gr. 5 Awards and Promotion Ceremony on June 2. Held to commemorate the achievements of the fifth grade students as they make their next step to middle school, the ceremony began with a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a welcome message from Chris Nikoloff, head of school. Dance Fusion, the Gr. 4-6 dance group directed by Gail Palmer, gave an electrifying performance to the Madonna hit “Vogue.”
Several students received awards in a wide range of categories, including citizenship, effort, academic honors, fitness, individual subjects, academic excellence, leadership, personal presentation, courtesy, cooperation, athletics and sportsmanship. Following the award hand-outs, a slide show to recap the 2009-10 school year was enjoyed. The Gr. 5 students then proudly walked up one at a time to receive their promotion certificates.
Having officially completed the fifth grade, the entire class, led by lower school music teacher Jennifer Cowgill, then celebrated by singing “Today is the Day” by Teresa Jennings and, appropriately, “The Harker School Song.”
Kristin Giammona, elementary school division head, closed the ceremony by wishing the Gr. 5 class well as they continued on their scholastic journey.