On Jan. 25, Emily Wang, Gr. 9, was presented with an Outstanding Art Award for the piece she submitted, titled “Reaching Out,” to the middle school publication “enlight’ning.” The magazine, published every spring, showcases artwork, poetry and prose created entirely by middle school students. The drawing was composed and submitted to the magazine while Wang was attending the middle school in Gr. 8.
The magazine itself was awarded a Gold Medal Certificate by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, scoring 979 out of 1,000 points. During the 2008-09 school year, “enlight’ning” received the CSPA’s Gold Medalist Certificate and Gold Crown awards.
Tickets for the 2010 Harker fashion show, “Outside the Box,” are now on sale! Register now at the reservations page to get preferred seating at one of the premiere Harker events of the year. Held at the San Jose Convention Center, Harker’s annual fashion show fundraiser has become a highly acclaimed, and incredibly fun, Silicon Valley event.
Featuring the latest styles from our fashion sponsors and high-energy student performances by Harker’s outstanding performing arts groups, the event is non-stop entertainment. Both the luncheon and the dinner gala feature sumptuous showcases, and the dinner show includes a live auction of one-of-a-kind adventures followed by dancing the night away. And it’s all for a great cause: all proceeds benefit Harker’s Scholarship Fund, professional training for faculty, and much-needed projects such as a new library at the upper school.
Since its establishment in 1893, The Harker School has continuously provided the community with leaders in numerous fields through an incomparable education. Today, Harker’s excellence is recognized nationwide as our students make the news with their academic achievements, outstanding performing arts program and local and global philanthropic endeavors. As a renowned college-prep institution, Harker’s students and programs need the support of parents, faculty, staff and friends – like you – to continue their outstanding contribution to the communities of Silicon Valley and beyond. So please join us in supporting Harker’s annual fashion show event, and help our rising stars continue to shine!
The Harker School was presented one of two $7,500 grants from HSBC Bank at the Jan. 27 grand opening of their new branch at Paseo de Saratoga in Saratoga.
In keeping with the bank’s mission of supporting education and the environment in the communities they serve, Harker’s grant was awarded for the school’s science research program and Harker’s Research Symposium. “We’re proud to be in this community, and Harker is an integral part of it,” said corporate relationship manager Matt Cherian.
Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academics, and Anita Chetty, Harker’s science department chair, represented Harker in accepting the grant. “We’re very grateful for HSBC’s support of our science research program and our annual research symposium,” said Gargano. Chetty expressed her gratitude on behalf of the students. “We’ll use the award to provide materials and resources that directly impact student research,” she explained. The other HSBC grant was presented to the North American Chinese Educational Federation for their work with under-served children.
Also sharing a few words at the event, which included refreshments and a ribbon cutting, were Dominic O’Hagan, regional president; Kathleen King, mayor of Saratoga; Liz Kniss, county supervisor; and Marilyn White, Saratoga Chamber of Commerce board chair.
Chris Nikoloff, Harker’s head of school, said the grant will be announced to the school community at student and faculty meetings this week. “HSBC’s contribution will enable our students to explore their scientific interests, contribute original findings to the body of scientific research available, and present those discoveries to the academic and scientific communities.”
The public is invited to Harker’s annual Research Symposium on Sat., April 10. For more information, visit the Web site.
“They really are losing their minds!” said psychologist Dr. Laura Kastner about teenagers. The third speaker in the 2009-10 Common Ground Series, Kastner addressed a gathering of 200 parents at Harker’s Nichols Hall atrium Jan. 26.
A University of Washington professor and author of four books on adolescents, Kastner reminded parents that normal teenagers “slough off half the neural branches” in the thinking portion of their brains around age thirteen. The loss precedes a huge bloom of synapse growth over the next ten years, but leaves young adults temporarily dependent on their emotional brains. Hence reactive behavior, mood swings and outbursts.
Combining neuroscience and psychology, Kastner provided a road map for parents anxious to navigate the emotional landmines of adolescence. Fully-developed adults also have emotional centers in their brains – called the amygdala – but tend to rely more heavily on the thinking brain – the frontal cortex.
Parents aware of their teen’s physiological dependence on emotional response and careful avoidance of letting their own amygdalas take over will provide better guidance for their kids. Parents of teens, says Kastner, should “accept teen behavior as normal” and “get going with good parenting.”
Good teen parenting, said Kastner, includes thoughtful, empathic reaction to outbursts and incentivizing teen self-critique rather than falling victim to emotional spiral typical of adolescent anger.
On the heels of the recent announcement of Harker’s four Intel Science Talent Search (STS) semifinalists, word came Jan. 27 that Namrata Anand, Gr. 12, was named a finalist in the contest. Anand, whose project analyzed the chemical composition of stars in the Andromeda galaxy, received $7,500 and will travel to Washington, D.C. in March to compete for the $100,000 grand prize with 40 other finalists from across the country. She will also have a chance to meet and greet with Nobel laureates and President Barack Obama.
Anand is Harker’s first Intel STS finalist since 2006, when Yi Sun went on to claim second place and won a $75,000 scholarship.
Kate Schafer, upper school biology teacher, credited the mentors involved who assisted the semifinalists, and also recognized the “many students that enter and put in amazing amounts of time” into their projects.
Anand and other students working on Andromeda-related projects received mentoring from Raja Guha Thakurta, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California at Santa Cruz, as well as UCSC P.h.D students Evan Kirby and Kristen Howley. Karoline Gilbert, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Washington Seattle, also assisted with Thakurta with mentoring the students. The mentors provided everything from custom software to personal guidance to the contestants as they worked on their projects.
Four Harker upper school students were named Intel Science Talent Search semifinalists at a special assembly on Jan. 13. Each student was awarded $1,000 and has a shot at becoming one of the 40 finalists who will compete in Washington, D.C., for the $100,000 grand prize. A total of 300 semifinalists were chosen nationwide from an initial pool of 1,700 contestants.
Of the four semifinalists, all of them seniors, three were selected for projects focusing on the Andromeda galaxy. Namrata Anand’s project analyzed the chemical makeup of stars to learn more about the galaxy’s history, while Andrew Zhou studied the different star types in the galaxy. Kevin Zhang looked at the similarities between Andromeda’s stars and those found in other galaxies. Vishesh Jain was awarded for his project that analyzed heart disease diagnosis techniques.
Last year, Harker produced six semifinalists, the most ever by a West Coast school and the seventh-most in the nation. Harker alumnus Yi Sun ’06 took second place in the 2006 finals, earning $75,000.
Senior Priya Bhikha is putting a green spin on Harker’s fashion show. She is working on a line of recycled fashions made of items like duct tape, lollipop wrappers and water bottle labels for wear in the show.
Under construction are a total of nine outfits, six for females and three for males, all designed by Bhikha. She has been interested in design for [quote]some time and took a design course at Santa Clara University to add to her skills. It is particularly challenging to fit the garments to models – selected by Bhikha last fall in order to begin making the custom outfits – due to the non-uniform nature of the materials.
Bhikha also created a logo for her line, Rinnovo: Renewal for the Runways. Her goal with the project is to “let people know that there’s more to fashion and that with a little ingenuity and creativity, you can use your passion (fashion) and spin it a ‘green’ way.” Watch the runway at this year’s fashion show, “Outside the Box,” Fri., Feb. 19, for these unique designs. Tickets are on sale now!
Sue Smith and Lauri Vaughan,upper school librarians, were featured speakers at the Bay Area Association of Independent School Librarians (BAISL) winter meeting Jan. 15 at the Branson School in Ross, Calif. In a talk titled “How We Learn,” Smith and Vaughan spoke about the changing dynamics of information delivery in the digital world and how it affects student learning. The librarians were invited to share the spotlight by BAISL president Billie King shortly after they facilitated a seminar of the same name at Harker’s Teacher Tech Institute last June.
“We were honored to be invited to speak,” said Smith. BAISL’s membership of over 150 librarians from local private schools meets twice annually. Approximately 60 information specialists attended the meeting and heard Smith and Vaughan’s presentation.
“Attending professional conferences is always enriching,” said Vaughan. “Getting the opportunity to speak to such a gathering of experts and colleagues was a real treat!” Enid Davis, library director, and Bernie Morrissey, middle school librarian, also attended the conference.
The Harker School’s English Language Institute (ELI), known worldwide for its quality English language training program, will be hosting a series of local and international receptions for those who wish to learn more about the 2010 ELI program.
Local receptionswill be held on the Saratoga campus on Sat., Jan. 30, 9-11 a.m. and Sat., Feb. 6, 9-11 a.m. RSVPs for these events are now open. For a complete list of the international events visit our ELI Web page.
Students from all over the world gather each summer to participate in this intensive academic program, which focuses on improving English and writing skills. Many students enroll in Harker’s ELI program to prepare for admittance into some of the nation’s best boarding as well as international schools worldwide.
Beginning and intermediate students have class Monday through Thursdays, and each afternoon join with other summer camp attendees to meet new friends, practice their English skills with native speakers and learn to play typical American games and sports including swimming, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, inline skating, archery and more.
Advanced students follow a curriculum that mirrors Harker’s regular English program, focusing on mastery of writing, comprehension and oral presentation, and applicants must pass an exam to be admitted. To accelerate learning, native “conversation partners” engage international students in academic discussions about their writing and language projects.
ELI has also partnered with Go Beyond to provide families from China a variety of services including testing, translation, registration assistance and more. Please visit their Web site for more information.
Registration for the English Language Institute opens Feb. 1, 2010. For more information about summer programs for international students, please contact English Language Institute Office E-mail: ELI@harker.org; Phone: 001.408.553.0524; Fax: 001.408.376.0283.
The voices of Bel Canto were the star attraction at WinterSong, a special concert held at Nichols Hall on Jan. 22. Directed by Catherine Snider, who also provided piano accompaniment for most of the evening’s soloists, this upper school group sang in a variety of styles, ranging from pop to classical. Several pieces included percussion, such as their performance of Harry Belafonte’s “Turn the World Around,” during which the singers erupted into an amusing chorus of animalistic hoots and hollers while playing drums, sticks and shakers. Piano accompaniment during Bel Canto’s performances was provided by Elodie Nguyen, Gr. 12.
Bel Canto’s performance was highlighted by a stirring rendition of Eric Whitacre’s “Five Hebrew Love Songs,” a series of challenging pieces that the students were thrilled to perform after months of hard practice.
Several solo singers were also heard throughout the show, including Shireen Moshkelani, Gr. 11, singing “When I Have Sung My Songs” by Ernest Charles, Vrinda Goel, Gr. 10, performing Roger Quilter’s “Spring is at the Door,” freshman Nina Sabharwal’s version of the classic “Stormy Weather” and a performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Younger Than Springtime” by junior John Ammatuna, accompanied by Diane Villadsen, also Gr. 11. Foreign language songs were sung by Sebastian Herscher, Gr. 10, performing a German lied, and Alex Najibi, Gr. 10, who sang Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi’s “La donna e mobile” in its native language.
The concert also featured two appearances by students performing on piano. Sophomore Andrew Lee performed his own four-movement composition, and Lydia Demissachew, Gr. 11, played Johannes Brahms’ “Rhapsody , Op. 70, No. 2.”
Varsity A Soccer Varsity A soccer had an exciting season, led by Mercedes Chien and Urvi Gupta, both Gr. 8, and Alyssa Amick, and Gabi Gupta, both Gr. 7. Coach Chrissy Chang, reports, “We faced many tough opponents but were still able to put the ball in the back of the net.” She added, “Every player contributed to our awesome soccer season.“ Nikita Parulkar, Gr. 7, was a big contributor with her offensive arsenal, while Claudia Tischler and Alicia Clark, both Gr. 8, played outstanding offense and defense for the lady Eagles.
Basketball
The Gr. 6 boys basketball team finished the season strong after battling injuries early in the year. Early in the season, they lost Jacob Diaz with a shoulder injury, and sustained many other minor injuries to key players. After overcoming these setbacks, the Eagles rebounded through the leadership of superstars Nicholas LaBruna and Rohan Desikan to finish strong in league. Coach Walid Fahmy, said, “Overall, the season was a great success. Look out for these boys as they move on to seventh grade!”
Coach Mousa Katwan credits the camaradarie of the JV B1 team for helping them finish the season strongly. On December 14, the boys beat Saint Joseph’s Sacred Heart in the WBAL tournament, after losing to them twice earlier in the season. Katwan remarked, “Strong play down low from Alex Mo gave us an advantage on offense, while the strength and heart of Nick Bean on defense stopped opposing teams’ efforts. Overall the boys learned a lot and grew together while having fun.”
The Gr. 4 team got off to a slow start with only two days of practice before the team’s first game. Coach Jim McGovern reported, however, “The boys jelled quickly and worked on playing an exciting fast-break style of basketball.” Although the season record was 3-5, the boys were very close to flipping those numbers as two losses were only by one point each. Standout performances were by Eric Andrus, who received the Eagle award for his outstanding effort and team play all season long, and Sid Chari and Brando Pakel who received Coaches awards for their extraordinary defense and hustle. McGovern added, “I look forward to the continued effort and love for the game by this group of players.”
Jan. 26 2001 The lower and middle schools’ early winter sports of boys basketball and girls soccer recently concluded with some impressive results from our young athletes; but first, some wrapping-up information from last season:
Harker News Online mis-reported the varsity A flag football team final record. The team finished the season with an impressive 13-3-2 record.
The Gr. 4-5 JV girls softball team was league champion with a 5-1-1 record.
The cross country team, boys and girls, took second place overall at the WBAL meet at Bayfront Park in Menlo Park in mid-October.
Both boys and girls swim teams, Gr. 5-8, took third place at the end-of-season WBAL meet at Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep in San Francisco in Mid-October.
On to this season!
MS Basketball In middle school boys basketball the Gr. 8 varsity A team finished 3-7. In the last game, the boys lost to Pinewood in the in the fifth-place game of the WBAL tournament. The team was led in scoring all season long by Brian Bither, who was also the team’s best defender. One big blow to the team came when starting forward Kevin Moss broke his finger at the beginning of winter vacation and was unable to play for the remainder of the season. In his place, Huck Vaughan and Adarsh Battu stepped up and played much bigger roles in his stead to complement the team’s other primary forward, Sean Youn. The team’s Gr. 7 player, lefthander Eric Holt, showed a great deal of promise for the future and had a couple of strong games, including one in the WBAL playoff game versus Crystal Springs. Nick Navarro and John Hughes shared the other guard spot most of the season, and Ashwin Chalaka played a supporting role, along with Travis Chen. Kevin Duraiswamy also provided some help early in the season before moving on to success in debate. The team’s three victories came against Pinewood, Crystal Springs and Woodside Priory.
According to coach Greg Lawson, “The varsity A squad improved defensively over the course of the season, but were frustrated at times by difficulty putting the ball in the basket.” He added, ”There was wonderful and broad support from the boys’ parents, who were regulars at every game. I want to make sure that they know how much I and the boys appreciated their presence and support.” Lawson added that he also thanks the boys for their effort and hard work throughout the season.
The Gr. 7 varsity B team finished league play 7-0 making them league champs!The Gr. 7 varsity B2 team finished 3-4, and our Gr. 7 varsity B3 team finished 1-6. In Gr. 6, our JV A team finished 2-7 and our JV B team finished 4-5.
LS Basketball Our Gr. 5 JV B1 team finished 4-4, and the JV B2 team finished 2-7. The Gr. 4 JV C team finished 3-5.
Coaches Tobias Wade, also a LS social studies teacher, and David Ramos both enjoyed the season with the B2 team. “Our boys practiced and played hard,” Wade reported. “Even though our record did not have as many wins as we wanted, we gave our best effort. We left everything we had on the court. It was a learning experience for our boys and everyone improved throughout the whole season.
“Our boys matured and developed both on and off the courts. Good sportsmanship and fun were a priority. I am proud of their effort, and have nothing but respect for them. Well done, guys!” Finally, the coaches thank all the parents for their help and support. Wade concluded, “We could not have done it without you!”
MS Soccer In middle school girls soccer our Gr. 8 varsity A team finished the season with a 2-5 record. The Gr. 7 varsity B team was 2-5 and Gr. 6 varsity A ended 1-5.
Coach Justin “Sully” Sullivan commented on the vast improvement of the Gr. 7 varsity B team, which showed in their strong finish of their final four games, where they won two of the four and nearly earned a draw in another. Excellent goaltending and field play by Savi Joshi was an important part of the team’s improvement.
Sullivan mentioned several field players as having particularly strong play, including Diba Massihpour, with excellent hustle and consistent hard play, Megy Appalaraju, who displayed dedication, hard work and a positive attitude and team leader Reena Sandhu, who had a late season goal streak. With several returning players, next year’s soccer season looks to be an exciting one.
Despite the season record of the JV A team, coach Cyrus Merrill, also a MS history and social science teacher, has many memories that show the strength and growth of his team. He recalls Mary Najibi incorporating scissors (a foot maneuver she learned in practice) “to burn by a defender,” and contributing fast runs down the flank, making nice crosses to Alisa Wakita,” who used her incredibly quick feet to score several goals. Regan Heslop was commended for a strong dominant lead in both the central defense and in helping to tutor the goalkeeper. Tong Wu never missed a practice and developed into a very tough outside defender and Ankita Sharma contributed a very strong leg on long crosses. Shannon Richardson played physically tough at forward and scored on one of the league’s toughest teams, while Jenny Kim helped anchor the defense with confidence and excellent ball control.
Merrill added, “The ladies played even with a number of the teams in the league and surprised many of them with early goals and strong play. We played a number of nail-biter games where we would either go ahead and the other team would come back to score goals to tie it up … or in dramatic fashion we scored three goals in the second half to come back and draw even with one of the other soccer powers in our league.” The girls enjoyed practicing next to the upper school girls soccer team at Blackford this season. Merrill noted, “These ladies should contribute in the years to come and to hopefully one day be members of the high school varsity soccer team.”
LS Soccer
The Gr. 5 JV B girls soccer team finished 5-0-1 to take the league championship! This makes it back-to-back league championships for the Gr. 5 girls softball and soccer teams this year. Coach Casey Henderson reports that goal keeper Marti Sutton was amazing and fearless of the ball. She also added, “The girls demonstrated a wide variety of skills and enthusiasm during the season. We can only be proud and hope that the girls continue to develop their skills for years to come.”
Henderson also coached the combined Gr. 4-5 intramural team. “The girls showed a lot of heart and love for the game. They were always in a great mood with their amazing encouragements for their fellow players. Vanessa Tyagi, Gr. 4 and Amrita Singh, Gr. 5, could always brighten the field.”
