In late May, at the US athletics awards ceremony, awards were announced for outstanding athletes in all sports. Some awards were voted on by students and some determined by coaches. The Super Eagle award is awarded to the athlete who has participated in three competitive sports at Harker during one school year. Awardees for 2009 were seniors Barrett Glasauer, Kevin Laymoun, Harry Schwartz, and Candace Silva-Martin; juniors Jose Costa, Kyle Drummer, Stefan Eckhardt, Kevin Fu, Tara Hansen, Sean Morgan, Aadithya Prakash, Mark Roh and Rohan Shah. For the sophomores, Monisha Appalaraju, Rex Chen and Baran Ozdemir all were three-sport athletes, as were freshmen Saira Ahuja, Shivani Bigler, Proteek Biswas, Neda Ghaffarian and Rahul Madduluri.
The Eagle Award is voted on by the team members of each sport. The winning athlete displays enthusiasm at all times, support for the team and individuals throughout the season, hustle in every task, is a positive role model and has a selfless giving approach to the athletic program. For fall sports, the following students earned this award: David Belogolovsky, Gr. 12, football; Christy Emery, Gr. 12, volleyball; Lauren Moser, Gr. 12, tennis; Michael Clifford, Gr. 11, boys water polo; Angeli Agrawal, Gr. 12, girls water polo; Andrea Kim, Gr. 12, golf; Elena Madan and Sam Levine, Gr. 12, cross country; John Ammatuna, Gr. 10, cheerleading. Winter sport Eagle Awards went to Alex Abarca, Gr. 12, boys basketball; Nafeesa Laiwalla, Gr. 12, girls basketball; Sean Mandell, Gr. 12, boys soccer; Esther Belogolovsky, Gr. 11, girls soccer; Shirley Galbiati, Gr. 12, wrestling. The spring Eagle Awards were won by Bogdan Botcharov, Gr. 11 and Kristie Sanchez, Gr. 10, for track and field; Daniel Tien, Gr. 12, volleyball; Stefan Eckhardt, Gr. 11, baseball; Jeremy Whang, Gr. 11, golf; Alyssa Boyle, Gr. 12, lacrosse; Sammi Lowe, Gr. 12, softball; Vivian Wong, Gr. 1, and Darren Syu, Gr. 11, swimming; Harry Schwartz, Gr. 12, tennis.
The Coaches’ Award is given to senior athletes who have given tremendous effort and have contributed greatly to the athletic program. This is a high honor voted on by the head coaches. Boys receiving this honor were Levine, Glasauer, Tien, Schwartz, Julian Stahl, Ian Hoffman, Taylor Martin and Andrew Chin. Female honorees were Agarwal, Emery, Madan, Alyssa Boyle, Clara Lyashevsky, Michelle Lin, Dominique Dabija, Tara Panu, Sarah Christiano and Kaytee Comee.
The criteria for the Athlete of the Year award is similar to the Coaches’ Award with more of an emphasis on athletic drive, desire, and ability. These individuals are chosen regardless of grade. They are the students who the coaches feel are the representatives of Eagle athletics from Gr. 9-12. The awards for both male and female athlete of the year was shared this year, with the male award going to seniors Alex Abarca and Arman Gupta, and the female award to seniors Kristina Bither and Silva-Martin.
The Bucknall Orchestra & Choir Concert in May was a special occasion for all involved. Talented musicians from K-Gr. 5 performed in the program, which featured works by Beethoven, Mozart and Handel.
One of the evening’s most memorable moments came when LS history teacher Howard Saltzman, who retires this year after 30 years of service, acted as guest conductor for The Harker School’s theme song, which was performed by the entire roster of Bucknall instrumentalists and singers.
Later on, LS instrumental studies director Louis Hoffman led the Bucknall Orchestra in their rendition of the theme from “Star Wars,” which he conducted using a plastic replica of a light saber while wearing a Darth Vader helmet.
The show concluded with the Bucknall Orchestra and Bucknall Choir (directed by LS music teacher Jennifer Cowgill) collaborating on the famous “Hallelujah Chorus” by George Frederic Handel.
Vivace, the MS classical vocal ensemble, traveled to Anaheim in mid-May to sing at the Heritage Festival, an annual celebration of middle school choirs. Each choir sang three pieces of contrasting style for a panel of three judges and then received a clinic from one of the judges. “There are choirs from all around the country at this festival, so the students will have the opportunity to listen to other groups,” said the group’s director, Jennifer Cowgill, before they left.
The group performed “Sound the Trumpet” by Henry Purcell, a Spanish piece called “La Manana in Segovia” by Amy F. Bernon, and a medley of spirituals that included “This Train,” “Get on Board, Little Children” and “River Train.” The festival was held in the performing arts building at Fullerton College, and the students attended an awards ceremony in Disneyland with stellar results.
“The choir received a Superior rating from the adjudicators,” said Cowgill. “This is a huge accomplishment for these kids since this is the first time that I know of that a middle school choir from Harker has attended one of these festivals. I think that their confidence is much higher now! Because of this rating, we now have the opportunity to perform in one of Heritage’s gold level invitational competitions in either New York or Chicago next year.”
Crowds packed the Blackford Theater in May to catch two performances of the MS spring musical. This year, the troupe put on a rousing performance of the Broadway mainstay “Into the Woods,” Stephen Sondheim’s masterpiece, which intertwines the stories surrounding several popular fairy tale characters, such as Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Cinderella. In the process, the story also reveals the consequences of the characters’ actions and how they affect the lives of those around them. Because of the small cast size, the show was double-cast, meaning one group of performers did the show one night, and a second complete cast performed the next show.
MS performing arts teacher Kikau Alvaro directed and choreographed the casts, who sang and danced admirably throughout the elaborate production. Music teacher Roxann Hagemeyer was the musical director, while Paul Vallerga designed the beautiful scenery and props. The production was also helped along by student crew members Nicolas Semenza and Jeton Gutierrez, both Gr. 6, Wilbur Yang, Gr. 8 and Brian Tuan, Gr. 7.
Harker’s Future Problem Solvers had another great year, garnering honors at both the state and international levels in April and May.
At the Future Problem Solving (FPS) California state finals, held on the Saratoga campus in April, Harker emerged as the state champion in a remarkable nine of 12 categories, and won the junior division for the very first time. The junior (Madhu Nori, Juhi Muthal, Simran Singh and Tiara Bhatacharya, all Gr. 6), middle (Daniela Lapidous, Akshay Tangutur, Chaitanya Malladi and Laura Yau, all Gr. 9) and senior (Namrata Anand, Sarah Wang, Jeanette Chin and Monisha Dilip, all Gr. 11) teams advanced to the international finals in Michigan.
In a stroke of luck, the second place team of eighth graders Ria Desai, Emily Wang, Pooja Shah and Sonia Gupta was invited to the international finals when one team dropped out due to the swine flu scare.
Two other Harker teams earned high rankings. Ninth graders Jennie Xu, Daanish Jamal, Ananth Subramaniam and Jackie Jin took third, while eighth graders Karan Das Grande, Shelby Rorabaugh, Jacqueline Wang and Connie Cheng earned fourth.
Harker also had the top middle and senior scenario writer, Rorabaugh and Olivia Zhu, Gr. 10. Alex Han, Gr. 11, was the top senior individual contestant, and qualified for the international finals.
For action plan presentations, Harker won at all three levels. Senior presenters were Christopher Berglund, Dominique Dabija, Ananya Anand and Nikhil Raghuram, Gr. 12, and Tim Chou, Gr. 10. Harker’s middle division action plan team was joined by Brian Tuan, Gr. 7, while Allen Huang and Sahana Rangarajan, both Gr. 7, joined the junior team to present their action plan.
Additionally, Cyrus Merrill, MS history teacher, was re-elected to be the state president of the nonprofit organization that runs FPS in the state of California.
At the international finals Michigan, all four Harker teams finished in the top half of their categories. The junior team fell just short of entering the final round, finishing third.
First place wins went to individual competitor Alex Han and to the team of action plan presenters in the senior division: juniors Monisha Dilip, Sarah Wang, Jeanette Chin and Alex Han, and sophomores Isaac Madan and Olivia Zhu. Namrata Anand fell ill and was absent from the finals, but managed to contribute via speakerphone while the team was preparing.
Shelby Rorabaugh, meanwhile, took third place in scenario writing, while Ananth Subramaniam took third in the middle division alternates category.
At the WBAL track meet, Gr. 4-8 boys and girls represented Harker well.
Boys
For the Gr. 4 boys, Evan Dorrian took second in the 100 and sixth in the 200 meters; Arben Gutierrez-Bujari was fourth in the 200 meters, sixth in the 400, and sixth in the 800. Eric Pei also took second in the 800, and the Gr. 4 relay team took third place in the 4 x 100.
These Gr. 5 boys also did well. Johnathon Keller was third in the 50 meters, fourth in the 100 and sixth in the 400. Noko Stearns placed sixth in the 50 and fifth in the 100 meters. Jonathan Yiu took sixth in the 100 meters, Calvin Kocienda was second in both the 200 and 400 meters, Nick LaBruna took fourth in both the 200 and 800 meters, Trevor Lee was sixth in the 800 meters, and the 4 x 100 relay team placed third.
Gr. 6 students continued the success with Corey Gonzales placing fourth in the 400 and winning the 800 meters. Avik Wadhwa was fifth in the 400 meters, Vedant Thyagaraj placed third in the 800 meters and Nikhil Kishore took sixth in the 800 meters. Arjun Ashok took fourth place in the softball throw and Jeremiah Anderson was third in the long jump. The sixth graders also showed their teamwork in the 4 x 100 with the A team taking third and the B team taking fifth.
Adarsh Battu, Gr. 7, placed fifth in the 50 meters, fourth in the 100, third in the 200 and fourth in the softball throw. Classmate Ravi Bhandia was fifth in the 200 meters, and the Gr. 7 relay team took third place in the 4 x 100 relay.
Eighth graders were also well represented. Michael Chen took third place in the 50 meters and second place in the long jump; David Lindars was sixth in both the 200 and 800 meters. Sumit Minocha placed sixth in the 50 meters, second in the 100, and third in the 200, 400, and 800 meters. Ramakrishnan Menon was fourth in the 400 and fifth in the 800 meters, and J.P. Doherty placed fourth in the softball throw. Displaying strong teamwork, the A relay team took second and the B team took sixth in the 4 x 100.
Girls
Gr. 4 girls results were as follows. Sarah Baz won the 400 meters, placed sixth in the 50, third in the 100 and fourth in the 800. Joelle Anderson took fourth place in the 100 meters, second in the 200 and third in the 800 meters, while Meilan Steimle was fifth in the 400 and second in the 800. The relay team finished fifth place in the 4 X 100.
The Gr. 5 girls spread the wins around more than some of the other grades, with Nadia Palte taking fourth place, Panny Shan placing fifth and Shannon Richardson coming in fifth in the 50 meters. Lauren Speckman was sixth in the 100, Regan Heslop won the softball throw and Valerie Wang placed second in the softball throw. The relay team took fourth place in the 4 x 100.
Sixth grade girls also demonstrated a large group of contenders, as Michelle Stack took fifth place in both the 100 and the softball throw; Diba Massihpour placed fourth in both the 200 and 800 and second in the 400 meters, and Alyssa Amick placed fourth in the 400 and third in the 800. Julia Wang was fifth in the 400 meters, Katie Sanchez took fifth in the 800, Safia Khouja took fourth place and Gillian Wallin tied for fifth in the softball throw. The A and B relay teams took fourth and fifth places, respectively, in the 4 x 100.
Our Gr. 7 girls didn’t place in any events, but Roshmi Bhattacharya, Gr. 8, won the 800 and 1200, and placed fourth in the 400. Jacqueline Jordan, Gr. 8, came in second in both the softball throw and the long jump, and placed sixth in the 800 meters. The Gr. 8 relay team placed sixth in the 4 x 100.
With all these impressive results, Harker’s future in track and field looks bright indeed!
The Harker Environmental and Recycling Team (HEART) presented activities and actions to help promote a greener school at the Santa Clara University Sustainability Decathlon on May 9, 2009. Senior Raghav Aggarwal, the club’s outgoing president, Akshay Aggarwal (incoming president), Gr. 10 and Christina Ma (incoming vice-president), Gr. 11, attended and won the award for technological innovation for their presentation.
Highlights of their presentation included how HEART is involved with helping students be more environmentally friendly and aware with their daily actions. They also mentioned how checking and maintaining adequate tire pressure could reduce carbon emissions by two tons, and illustrated how HEART recycles paper for the school on a weekly basis. In addition, the team encourages the reuse of plastic water bottles, as plastic takes a long time to decompose, and promotes the use of recycled paper in classrooms and for printing. Other efforts were the “Un-Plug That Appliance” Initiative, which encourages teachers to unplug classroom electronics when not in use. HEART also began work on a Wall of Fame in honor of students that have contributed to their efforts.
Even while school’s out, MS and US student athletes can work on athletic conditioning. Two options for incoming Gr. 7-12 students are the Eagle Iron conditioning program and a strength training program.
Eagle Iron, a tough, well-rounded workout for incoming Gr. 7-12 Harker student-athletes, is Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. June 15 to July 30. Paperwork must be completed in advance, but attendance is optional.
Participants should eat a nutritious carb-heavy breakfast, wear workout clothes and bring a water bottle. In addition to this conditioning program, Jaron Olson, US athletic trainer, will provide ongoing treatment of athletic injuries as well as strength training instruction. Students who need attention outside of Eagle Iron hours can schedule appointments.
For more information on the Eagle Iron program, please contact Coach Theresa Smith at theresas@harker.org or coach Karriem Stinson at karriems@harker.org. To contact Olson about strength training or treatment of athletic injuries, please call 408-345-9245, or e-mail him at jarono@harker.org.
Phyllis Gwynn Carley, much beloved member of the Harker community for over 50 years, passed away in her sleep April 25, 2009. She was 88 years old. At a school that values its deep ties to the community, Mrs. Carley, as she was known to so many, was an institution and an irreplaceable tie to our past.
Nichols Hall hosted a gathering celebrating her life May 7 in Nichols Hall. The packed auditorium was the finest testimony the Harker community could make to the contribution Mrs. Carley made as the school grew from a boarding school in Palo Alto to the three-campus institution it has become today. The memorial included a welcome from Chris Nikoloff, head of school, and words from Diana Nichols, former head of school, on what Mrs. Carley meant to the school over the years.
Alumna Lauren Ammatuna ’08 sang “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” a paean to the deep love Mrs. Carley had for wide open spaces gained on horseback in her girlhood in Modesto. Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement, spoke on Mrs. Carley’s legacy of caring and dedication; her stepson, Ken Blase, told stories of her from his childhood; and the memorial wrapped up with members of the audience sharing poignant, moving and joyous memories of how this outstanding, kind woman had touched their lives.
Born December 29, 1920, Mrs. Carley came of age prior to World War II in the Salinas Valley where in 1937, in one of her cherished moments, she was named Hostess of the California Rodeo in Salinas and awarded a pair of silver spurs she always treasured. She was a life-long aficionado of rodeos – always pronounced “ro day’ o” – and returned to Salinas to attend the California Rodeo every year, as well as attending other rodeos in central and northern California as often as possible.
The Harker School was graced with Mrs. Carley’s presence in a number of valuable roles, culminating with her services as secretary to the Board of Trustees and as a private clipping service for Harker’s Office of Communication. She opened her Harker career in 1952 in Palo Alto as a driver, shuttling local students to and from school. She progressed by virtue of her wonderful disposition and hard work to become secretary first to Donald Nichols, then to Howard Nichols and remained in that role for many years, though her contribution to campus life went far beyond her desk in the administration building.
As a student in the Central Valley, Mrs. Carley played polo, basketball and softball and noted once that being involved with Harker allowed her to relive her childhood, and for the duration of her life, she was one of Harker athletics’ biggest fans. “I love watching students of all ages coming together and having fun,” she said in a Winged Post (Harker’s student newspaper) article.
After retiring from Harker, Mrs. Carley continued to provide critical services to the school as secretary of the Board of Trustees. She was also a familiar face to current students and, as an avid sports fan, could be spotted at many home games. It didn’t matter what sport, she just enjoyed seeing kids active. Of no less value were her eight years of service to Harker’s Office of Communication where she scoured local newspapers for any mention of Harker. She dropped off the marked newspapers and her typed summary of news about Harker each week, and her visits were a welcome moment as she passed from office to office in the hallway – and also across the campus – dropping off clippings, sports scores and stories.
In 2006, Mrs. Carley received the Harker Alumni Association (HAA) Service Award, which was immediately renamed the HAA Phyllis Carley Service Award in her honor. Nikoloff noted, “Whether cheering our students at games or serving as secretary to the Board of Trustees, Phyllis Carley’s long career at The Harker School embodied the true spirit of service. Everyone at Harker enjoyed seeing Phyllis around campus, and her attitude of service and love has helped make Harker the special place it is today.”
Mrs. Carley lived the advice she once gave high school students, to “enjoy life and consider your friends. Academics are important, but so are our attitudes. Your attitude will stay with you throughout your life.” Mrs. Carley’s attitude, her dedication to her family and friends and to Harker will always inspire those who knew her.
She is preceded in death by her husband Rue Carley and survived by her grandson Dale Johnson (Harker Academy Class of 1980), stepsons Edwin and Ken Blase, as well as many other nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Excitement was in the air in the Bucknall gym in late May, as the Gr. 1-5 dancers took the stage at the LS dance show. The show, titled “Road Trip,” featured a wide array of styles and themes based on exploring different parts of the United States. One rollicking number was set to the Elvis Presley classic “Viva Las Vegas,” while another displayed the Hawaiian art of hula dancing. Many faculty and staff members were in the spotlight as well, including Gr. 4 English teacher Katie Molin, who did the splits during one routine to a highly impressed audience.