Harker’s Nichols Hall, a LEED Gold Certification winner, was runner up at the 2009 Structures Awards held by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. The awards recognize the best in Silicon Valley real estate, construction and development and winners were announced at a dinner and featured in a special publication in late September. Nichols Hall was one of only two finalists in the Green Project of the Year – Private category and over 500 attended the dinner to honor the finalists.
Harker’s speech and debate team got off to an exciting start this year, earning a Tournament of Champions (TOC) bid at the first tournament of the year. Michael Tsai, Gr. 11, brought home the first TOC qualifying bid for Harker by making it to the final round of Congressional Debate at the Wake Forest Earlybird Invitational. Ziad Jawadi, Gr. 11 and Aakash Jagadeesh, Gr. 10, made it to the round of 16 in Public Forum debate and James Seifert, Gr. 11, made it to semifinals in Dramatic Interpretation.
The following weekend four public forum debaters earned high marks at the Grapevine Invitational in Grapevine, Texas. The teams of Appu Bhaskar and Benjamin Chen, both Gr. 11, as well as junior Justine Liu and sophomore Akshay Jagadeesh made it to the quarterfinal round of the tournament.
The team wrapped up September at the St. Francis Invitational in Mountain View. Seifert placed third in Dramatic Interpretation while Connie Lu, Gr. 12, was named fourth speaker in policy debate. Jawadi and sophomore Aakash Jagadeesh made it to semifinals in public forum while Liu and Akshay Jagadeesh were eliminated again in quarterfinals. Liu was named fourth speaker in public forum debate while Jagadeesh earned the fifth place ranking.
The first weekend in October meant the Coast Forensics League season opener. Sophomores Rohan Bopardikar and Daryl Neubieser earned a wild card spot at the state qualifier in February by going undefeated in the varsity public forum division. Freshmen Shivani Mitra and Isabelle Connell achieved top marks by going undefeated in the junior varsity division of public forum debate.
A book review by Nikita Agrawal, Gr. 12, was published in the October issue of the nationally distributed Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA). A professional journal read by librarians serving teens in school and public libraries, VOYA boasts a readership of over 20,000. Agrawal worked closely with Lauri Vaughan, US librarian, who underwent an application process before she became a regular critic of professional, non-fiction and fiction titles for the journal two years ago. VOYAassigned Vaughan and Agrawal “The Deep” by Helen Dunmore and sent advanced copies of the title last June. Agrawal and Vaughan submitted their reviews, which they prepared independently, to editors shortly afterward. The reviews provide a short introduction and critical analysis as well as ratings for popularity and quality. Agrawal and Vaughan each gave favorable assessments to the book, the third in the popular “Ingo” series by the British author. An avid reader and member of the US Reading Club, Agrawal follows in the footsteps of alum Denzil Sikka ’09, who was also published in VOYA. The book and the review are currently on display in the upper school library.
Gr. 7-8 parents and students saw what’s in store for them at the high school level during the upper school’s annual preview night on Oct. 1. The evening began with a performance in the gym by the upper school vocal and dance group Downbeat, which was followed by speeches and presentations from students detailing everyday life at Harker for US students. Parents then visited classrooms around the Saratoga campus and meet with teachers, who discussed the classes they teach and their various teaching methods.
Over at Nichols Hall, students set up displays containing information on the many clubs available to students. Guys’ Gig, an all-male vocal club, also performed to close the evening on an entertaining note.
Alumnus Taylor Martin ’09 spent part of his summer in Italy as a member of a team of baseball players assembled from around the country to compete against other teams from around the world. Martin, whose brother Jason ’07 plays baseball for San Jose State University, was praised by his coach, Matt Vince, for his performance on the international stage. “I have been to Italy three times, and this year’s group was the best I have had the pleasure to work with and you were a big reason our trip was such a success,” Vince said in an e-mail, adding that Martin led in offense along with another teammate, “and when combined with your base-running and defensive play, it would be very hard not to name you the Most Valuable Player for this year’s tour.” The Martin boys are the sons of Harker’s executive chef, Steve Martin.
Lower and middle school sports teams were busy in September; football, cross country, softball and swimming have kept our after-school athletes literally on the run! Take a look at the slide show at the bottom of this post to see for yourself.
Football
The Gr. 8 varsity A flag football team completed a very successful month by placing third in the annual eight-team Harker Flag Football tournament. Quarterback Brian Bither and running back Kevin Moss provided many of the offensive fireworks as the Eagles swept three games in pool play to earn a spot in the semifinals. The duo combined for four of the team’s six touchdowns in those three games, while touchdowns by wide receiver John Hughes and running back Arjun Goyal completed the scoring. The wins earned the Eagles a semifinal showdown with St. Joseph’s. Ian Richardson and Adarsh Battu led a strong defensive effort as the two teams battled to a 6-6 tie before St. Joe’s advanced to the finals after winning the California tiebreaker. Harker then earned third place with a 14-0 win over Menlo’s varsity B team. The 4-0-1 tournament record left the Eagles at 8-1-1 overall for the year, 3-1 and in second place in West Bay Athletic League play.
Harker opened the season and league play with wins over Pinewood and Crystal Springs Upland before dropping a tough 28-19 decision to Menlo. The Eagles rebounded from that loss to defeat King’s Academy 15-13, rallying from a 13-6 halftime deficit on a touchdown by Battu and a late safety by Richardson. The following day Harker rolled over Valley Christian 25-7. In addition to those mentioned above, coach Mike Delfino commends the strong play of Sean Youn, Sean Knudsen, and Andrew Zhu. The team has two remaining home games, Oct. 6 and Oct. 13.
The Gr. 7 varsity B football team has a record of 5-1 in season play, along with a tie for fifth place at the Harker tournament. The record does not reveal that the team had given up only four touchdowns and one extra point in the first few games. Coach Justin Sullivan credits the entire team with tenacious defense, and reports that the offense is starting to move the ball more each game as the season progresses. The team beat Valley Christian 19-0 on Sept. 24, and hopes to beat them again on Wed., Oct. 7 at Valley. Come out and cheer on the boys!
The Gr. 6 J.V. A football team has a 4-2 record, with impressive wins against Crystal Springs Uplands (41-0) and Priory (20-13). The team has two home games left on Oct. 6 and 14.
Fifth graders on the J.V. B team have played their way to a 2-1 record, with wins against Woodland (39–19) and St. Matthews (15-13). Remaining home games will be against St. Joseph’s on Oct. 6, and Keys on both Oct. 13 and 15.
Coaches Jim McGovern and Tomas Thompson report that the Gr. 4 boys are off to a solid start with flag football. The players are learning positions, pass patterns, the intricacies of hand-offs, listening for the snap count and pulling flags. Teamwork and fair play have been emphasized for the beginning of the season and the boys are extremely enthusiastic out on the field each day. Standout performances so far have included Michael Kwan and Brando Pakel both showing exemplary leadership early on in the season. Positive attitude and overall great effort have been shown by Albert Drewke, Rohit Shah and Maxwell Woerhrmann.
Cross Country At the Sept. 24 meet at JD Morgan Park, the MS cross country runners continued to perform well. Calvin Kocienda, Gr. 6, took ninth for the boys and Alexandra Dellar, Gr. 6, placed third. Alyssa Amick came in third for the Gr. 7 girls, and Claudia Tischler and Nicholas Navarro, both Gr. 8, took fourth and sixth, respectively. At the meet against C.T. English on Sept. 30, Dellar and Kocienda earned fourth and tenth; Amick again came in third, with Corey Gonzales, Gr. 7, taking sixth. Tischler and Navarro both took fourth.
Softball The MS varsity A softball team started off strong with a 13-4 victory over Priory. According to coach Raul Rios, “We had strong pitching from Regan Heslop, Gr. 6, who had eight strike outs and was relieved by Marita Del Alto, Gr. 6, who shut down the Priory offense.” The team played great defense, allowing only four hits. Laura Thacker, Gr. 8, “was like a wall behind the plate for us this game.” Hits from Safia Khouja, Gr. 7, Sarah Bean, Gr. 7, Heslop, Thacker and a long ball smash double by Nithya Vemireddy, Gr. 8, contributed to the high score of this win. They are now 2-2, with losses to King’s Academy and Valley Christian and an additional win against Castilleja 7-6.
The LS J.V. B softball team, coached by Casey Henderson and Michelle Hopkins, is undefeated with three wins, beating Woodland 17-3, St. Josephs 10-9, and Pinewood 9-8. Henderson reports, “The girls are still learning but we are hoping to continue the advancement of their technique and enthusiasm. Special thanks to all of the wonderful and supportive parents!”
Swimming
The LS and MS swim teams have had another great turn out this year with over 60 MS swimmers and 65 LS swimmers participating. The Gr. 6-8 girls had their first meet on Sept. 25 at Castilleja, and all the swimmers are gearing up for their meet Oct. 7 at the Bucknall campus. Come out and cheer on the team at the only home meet of the season!
John Richard Near
May 28, 1953 – September 26, 2009
John Near, longtime and beloved history teacher at The Harker School, passed away at home – with his wife and daughter at his side – after a four-year journey with colorectal cancer. John’s career at Harker spanned 31 years as a middle and upper school teacher, coach and department chair, and in spite of the cancer, he taught full-time until May. Over the years John inspired countless students to love history, and more recently, he and his family touched the entire community with their life-embracing dignity and courage in the face of great adversity.
Minnesota-born, John moved to the Bay Area when he was three, and graduated from Del Mar High School and the University of California at Santa Barbara. John began teaching world history and geography at Harker in 1978. For many years, he taught eighth grade U.S. history; in 2000, he moved to the newly launched upper school where he served as department chair and taught AP U.S. History and AP U.S. Government and Politics.
In the classroom, John represented a unique blend of gravitas and heart that brought out the best in his students. He challenged his students with his legendary steely gaze, but they always knew they had his unerring support. The students returned his affection by inviting him, on multiple occasions, to deliver the Baccalaureate address, an end-of-year farewell to seniors.
John also loved sports, and was a natural athlete. He played basketball and golf in high school – and continued both for many years – and coached several sports at Harker, including football, basketball, soccer, softball and, in more recent years, girls varsity basketball. Being in a John Near classroom or on a team was about infinitely more than just learning history or basketball. It was about life lessons, integrity, truth to oneself, goodness and honesty.
John’s piercing insight always advocated for policies that promoted teaching excellence, institutional kindness, and most importantly, care for students. After a lengthy faculty dialogue, John would sometimes say, “That’s true, but what about…” and typically astonished the room with uncommon common sense on how we ought to think about teaching and children. This year, John was awarded Harker’s Phyllis Carley Lifetime Service Award for his tremendous career at the school. The history department also named the annual history award given to an outstanding senior in the subject the John Near Excellence in History Award. Finally, the Near family has endowed the John Near Excellence in History Education Endowment Fund to promote professional development and pedagogical excellence in history education.
Family members missing John immensely are his wife (and forever girlfriend) Pam Dickinson; daughter Casey Near; parents Jim and Pat Near of Hawaii; brother Bob Near of Aptos; brother Randy Near and wife, Sherrie, of Gilroy; sister Nancy Lawton and her husband, Tyler, of La Jolla; brother Rob Vanderhoof and his wife, Helen, of Grass Valley; two brothers-in-law and their partners, Bruce and Amy Dickinson, and Jimmy Dickinson and Jan Mallory; and many Near and Dickinson nieces and nephews. John was predeceased by his mother Marguerite (Berg) Near. His closest friends – Steve Tedesco, Craig Pettingill and Mark Difiore – were those he met in the first grade at Monroe Elementary School, and they and the rest of “The Group,” and all of John’s wonderful Harker colleagues, have been his other family.
A memorial will be held at Nichols Hall on the Saratoga campus of The Harker School on Sat., Oct. 10 at 1:30 p.m. The Harker School is at 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, 95129. Please RSVP to johnnearmemorial@gmail.com so appropriate parking, seats and refreshments may be prepared. In keeping with John’s wishes and style, this event is casual. Please wear your sports jerseys, Harker T-shirts, etc.
At John’s request, in lieu of flowers donations may be made to any one of the following:
The John Near Excellence in History Education Endowment Fund (Harker School Advancement Office; 3800 Blackford Ave; SJ 95117; checks to The Harker School, memo line “John Near Endowment Fund”)
Those interested in learning more about John’s journey, reading posts or leaving a message for the family are welcome to do so at www.caringbridge.org/visit/johnnear/.
The final matches of the upper school’s dodgeball competition took place Sept. 30 at the Saratoga gym. Classes faced one another in best-of-three rounds, with the freshmen defeating the sophomores and the seniors defeating the juniors. The main event saw the seniors take on the faculty in a game that was handily won by the class of 2010.
The competition began the second week of September, when the juniors defeated the sophomores. The following week, the seniors won over the freshmen. The seniors’ victory over the juniors on Sept. 30 sent them to the final game against the faculty and staff.
An interest in Harker’s Latin program brought alumnus Thomas Garvey MS ’95 back to the Saratoga campus on Sept. 21. Currently working on his Ph.D. in ancient Greek and Latin at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Garvey was invited by US Latin teacher John Hawley to be a guest teacher.
“When I was here, there was neither a high school nor a Latin program; I was interested just in seeing what the program was like,” Garvey said. “I e-mailed John Hawley, and he very graciously said I could come and observe, and actually asked me if I could guest teach a class.”
In the class, Garvey had students read and translate poems and discussed grammar, culture and etymology.
Garvey said he expects to be finished with his Ph.D. in May of 2010 and is currently seeking teaching positions and professorships at various universities.
Since graduating the eighth grade, he has been following the growth of Harker over the years by reading the school’s newsletters.
“I sort of found it hard to believe that it could get any more fantastic than when I was here,” Garvey said, “But it seems to have done it!”
Harker’s own Enid Davis, library director, was a featured presenter at the BayNet Librarian Conference at the San Francisco Public Library on Sept. 23. BayNet, a multitype library organization of information specialists from around the Bay Area, invited Davis to speak about her Harker experience at their annual event, themed “Future of Libraries 5.0: The Recovery Engine on the Hard Times Train.”
Davis, the only school librarian to present, shared her experience of taking the Harker program from a single professional in one facility to a staff of five librarians and six clerks in three libraries over her sixteen-year career at Harker. Davis’ presentation, titled “Case Study: School Library Staff as Partners in an Educational Community,” focused on making the most of staff talents, forming partnerships within the school community and the importance of information literacy for learners of all ages.
“Since so many public schools are without librarians, children’s librarians are going to have to help young patrons learn how to use databases and achieve some level of information literacy,” explained Davis. “For example, our lower school campus librarian, Kathy Clark, demonstrated to her colleagues at the Mountain View Public Library (where she works part-time) how to use their suite of EBSCO databases.”
“Enid made her presentation memorable by using her story-telling style and creativity to captivate the audience,” said Sue Smith, US campus librarian, who also attended. Smith described Davis’ use of a dozen wig stands and a plethora of hats to illustrate her presentation. “She stole the show!”