Harker held its annual TEDx conference this past weekend, bringing some great speakers and booths to the campus.
Speakers included Priti Hegde, Ph.D., director and global franchise lead for cancer immunotherapy biomarkers at Genentech, whose talk was on “Our Immune System and Our Defense Against Cancer.” Dale Hitt, a Silicon Valley innovator who helped bring to market the Motorola Android phone and the first TiVo DVR, also spoke. His talk was titled “AI is Watching You … and it is a Good Thing,” a very hot topic at the moment.
Cynthia Zhai, voice coach, speaker and author, talked about “The Transformative Power of Your Voice.” Zhai has helped business professionals from around the world to speak with impact and conviction. Finally, Simar Bajaj, grade 12, spoke on “Breaking the Locks: Why I cut My Hair After 17 Years.” Bajaj is studying history and medicine and has worked as a paid fellow in Stanford’s cardiothoracic surgery department.
One of the highlights of the day was a lunch with 20 mentors from a wide variety of businesses. They included Tony Wong, who has worked for Salesforce, Oracle and Siebel Systems; Ekta Sahasi, vice president of the North American Business Innovation Center and managing director of research for Konica Minolta; and Jeff Rothschild, an entrepreneur and engineer specializing in system architecture, storage software and infrastructure software.
Booth displays included Pomodoro Architects, which uses 3D modeling software and virtual reality to create designs; EyeCloud.ai, which specializes in AI smart vision embedded devices; and CloudMosa, which aims to empower the world’s phones through cloud computing to make them universally powerful and useful.
On Oct. 12, the student-founded nonprofit KidzRule held the second-annual Santa Clara Children’s Business Fair. The event, held in Santa Clara’s Live Oak Park, was co-founded last year by Harker sixth grader Mikhil Kiran. The organizers worked closely with the city of Santa Clara to put on the fair, and Kiran had several key responsibilities, including raising funds, getting plans approved by the city council and marketing the event.
Several businesses started by Harker students were present at the fair, including third grader Ayza Tahirzad and fifth grader Bazigh Tahirzad’s Pet Rocks; seventh grader Avayna Glass’ Kissify Soaps; fifth graders Risa Chokhawala and Trisha Shivakumar’s Books and Bottlecaps; and C3 Custom Card Cases, founded by sixth graders Ruhan Arora and Alejandro Cheline, and fifth grader Ian Cheline. In total, 99 young entrepreneurs were showcased at the fair.
Attendees spent their time visiting booths and listening to the businesses pitch their products. Some of the businesses sold all of their available inventory. A custom greeting card business received a large corporate order and another was given an opportunity to market therapeutic pillows through a local physical therapy business.
Several prizes were awarded to the business at the fair, and C3 Custom Card Cases took first place in Best Salesmanship in the ages 10-12 category. Businesses were judged by a panel that included Harker DECA members Alivia Li, grade 10; Lisa Barooah, Bryan Zhang, Elaine Zhai, all grade 11; and seniors Mahi Kolla and Christine Tang, led by business and entrepreneurship teacher Juston Glass.
Santa Clara city councilmember Kathy Watanabe was a guest speaker at the event, and expressed her appreciation for the organizers’ hard work and the important learning opportunities the fair offered. “I was so impressed by the product creativity, marketing but most importantly how some entrepreneurs used this as a way to give back to communities in need,” she said.
The girls golf team had another great week as it defeated Notre Dame Belmont 195-296 with Tina Xu, grade 10, shooting a 35 for the top spot. Later in the week, the team took care of Notre Dame Belmont and Mercy Burlingame in a tri-match 186-293-302 with Xu and Natalie Vo, grade 11, each shooting a 36 to take co-medalist honors. Finally, the girls locked down at least a share of their second consecutive league title with a 178-221 win over Notre Dame San Jose on Senior Night, with the lone senior, Katelyn Vo, grade 12, and Claire Chen, grade 9, each shooting a 34 to take co-medalist honors. The Eagles finish up the regular season against Menlo on Monday before beginning the WBAL Tournament on Wednesday.
Girls Tennis
Last week, the girls tennis team defeated Castilleja 7-0 and Crystal Springs Uplands 6-1 to go to 10-1 on the year. The Eagles finish up the regular season hosting Menlo on Tuesday and traveling to Sacred Heart Prep on Thursday.
Cross Country
This week, the Eagles travel to Baylands Park to take on the rest of the league at the second WBAL meet of the year.
Girls Water Polo
Last week, the girls water polo team picked up two more league wins as it defeated Lynbrook 14-2 and Wilcox 13-3. The 16-3 Eagles host Cupertino on Tuesday for Senior Night and travel to Milpitas on Thursday to finish up the regular season.
Boys Water Polo
The boys water polo defeated Lynbrook 12-8 and Saratoga 10-9 last week to improve to 9-10 on the year. This week, the boys host Cupertino for Senior Night on Tuesday, travel to Milpitas on Thursday and wrap up the regular season with the Varsity Halloween Classic at Lincoln High on Friday and Saturday.
Football
The football team fell to the California School for the Deaf last Thursday 50-14 bringing its season record to 1-4-1. This Friday is Senior Night as the Eagles host Stevenson.
Girls Volleyball
The girls volleyball team went 1-1 last week with a 3-0 win over Sacred Heart Prep and a 0-3 loss to Menlo. The girls finish up the regular season this week with home matches against Notre Dame Belmont on Tuesday and Senior Night against Notre Dame San Jose on Thursday.
Earlier this month, eighth grader Arjun Gurjar earned his second-degree black belt in karate after a rigorous series of tests spanning three days, which covered sparring, grappling, open forms and other techniques. Gurjar, who has studied martial arts for eight years, plans to take a break before pursuing his third-degree black belt. Congratulations and best of luck!
As a top 10 finalist in this year’s 3M Young Scientist Challenge, eighth grader Reshma Kosaraju is eligible to win the Improving Lives Award, which is given to the project that the public believes to be the most beneficial. Voting is now open, and visitors can vote for their favorite project once a day until Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. eastern time.
June 26, 2019:
Yesterday, rising eighth grader Reshma Kosaraju was named one of the top 10 national finalists in the 2019 3M Young Scientist Challenge. Her project investigated how machine learning and neural networks could be used to predict and prevent forest fires. Each student participating in the competition submitted a video about a solution they devised for a common problem. As a finalist, Kosaraju has earned the opportunity to enter a special mentorship program, in which she will work with a 3M scientist to create a prototype of her project. She also is eligible to participate in the final competition, which will take place in late October at the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minn. The grand prize winner will receive $25,000.
The girls golf team went to 7-0 in league as it defeated Castilleja 201-244 and rival Menlo 191-204 last week. Natalie Vo, grade 11, and Claire Chen, grade 9, each shot a 39 against Castilleja to lead the way, and Vo shot a 35 against Menlo to lead the Eagles again. This week, the girls take on Notre Dame Belmont on Tuesday, Mercy Burlingame and Notre Dame Belmont in a tri-match on Thursday and Notre Dame San Jose for Senior Night on Friday.
Girls Volleyball
The girls volleyball team defeated Mercy Burlingame 3-0 last week to improve to 15-6 on the year. The Eagles host Sacred Heart Prep on Tuesday and travel to Menlo on Tuesday.
Girls Water Polo
Last week, the girls water polo team dropped its first league game of the year as it fell to Santa Clara 9-11 before bouncing back with a 14-5 win over Monta Vista and finishing third at the Milpitas Water Polo Tournament defeating Willow Glen and Wilcox and falling to Presentation. This week, the Eagles host Lynbrook on Tuesday and travel to Wilcox on Thursday.
Girls Tennis
The girls tennis team defeated Sacred Heart Prep 6-1 last week to go to 8-1 on the season. This week, the Eagles host Castilleja on Tuesday and Crystal Springs Uplands on Thursday.
Football
The football team fell to St. Vincent De Paul 6-34 on Homecoming night. The Eagles are now 1-3-1 on the year and travel to the California School for the Deaf on Thursday night.
Cross Country
The cross country team competed at the first WBAL meet of the year last week. The top varsity finishers were Anna Weirich, grade 11, who finished fourth and Alex Hu, grade 10, who finished 16th. In the JV division, Rigo Gonzales, grade 9, took first place while Kara Kister, grade 9, finished 13th. On Friday, the Eagles travel to Fresno to compete at the Rough Rider XC Invitational.
Boys Water Polo
The boys water polo team dropped two league games last week with a 6-12 loss to Santa Clara and a 3-6 loss to Monta Vista. The 7-10 Eagles host Lynbrook on Tuesday and travel to Saratoga on Thursday.
The Harker community showed up in the hundreds for Saturday night’s Homecoming to enjoy company with friends and family, sample a variety of foods and cheer on the Eagles, who took on the Saint Vincent de Paul Mustangs.
Guests began showing up roughly an hour before game time for the tailgate festivities, perusing tables of pizza, soft drinks, hot dogs and other goodies set up by Harker staff, students and families, as well as food trucks which set up shop on the upper school parking lot. Students raised funds for class activities by selling pizza and candy to attendees, often walking the area with boxes in hand.
From their station on the bleachers, the Harker Pep Band kept things lively throughout the evening as they entertained onlookers and energized the players. The pre-game entertainment also included two beloved Harker Homecoming traditions, a performance by the Junior Cheerleaders and the Eaglets flyby, which were warmly received as always by the audience gathered in the stands.
Prior to kickoff, the third place tug-of-war match between the sophomores and the freshmen ended with the Class of 2022 emerging the victors. The finals of the tug-of-war took place at halftime, with the juniors taking first place and celebrating ecstatically on Davis Field.
An especially eventful halftime also saw performances by the Harker upper school cheer squad and the Harker Dance Company, as well as a special appearance by Harker Athletic Hall of Fame inductees Kristina Bither Gurney ’09, Adhir Ravipati ’05 and former athletic department staffer Chris Collins, who had been inducted before the start of the game. Closing out halftime was the showing of this year’s Homecoming Court and the crowning of seniors Grant Miner and Kathy Fang as this year’s Homecoming Royalty to much fanfare.
The final score for the evening was 34-6 in favor of St. Vincent de Paul, who were thanked by Head of School Brian Yager for being gracious opponents and guests.
Harker’s year-old Athletic Hall of Fame doubled in size tonight, when four new inductees were presented with their awards and formally entered as hall of famers.
Adhir Ravipati ’05 was inducted for his multisport prowess at Harker and his stellar coaching record as the Menlo High School football coach. Kristina Bither Gurney ’09 was a member of the state finalist volleyball team in 2007 and played a wicked game of soccer, as well. Maverick McNealy ’13 has been a household name – at least in golfing households – for years as he contributed heavily to the many fine finishes of Harker golf teams, and now he has gone pro. Former athletic department staffer Chris Collins was a critical part of the department team as Harker ramped up its athletic offerings, and a friend to all students needing help.
Following deeply heartfelt speeches by athletic directors Dan Molin (upper school), and Theresa “Smitty” Smith (lower and middle school), each inductee was presented with a beautiful crystal award (Butch Keller, upper school head, accepted for McNealy as he is currently on the PGA tour). The ceremony was very well attended by friends and family of the other inductees, including a large contingent celebrating with Collins.
There was a reception prior to the induction in the athletic center’s multipurpose room for the inductees and family, where past acquaintances were renewed with fellow alumni, coaches, teachers and administrators.
Read a bit about them on our webpage, which has links to summaries of their athletic careers. Huge congrats to these four! https://www.harker.org/halloffame
Maverick McNealy ’13 gave notice early on that he would be a force on the Harker golf team and his outstanding play and conversion to a pro put him front and center to be inducted into Harker’s Athletic Hall of Fame this Saturday before the Homecoming game. In March 2010, as a freshman, McNealy turned out the lowest scores for two of the team’s first three matches. The team qualified for CCS regionals for the first time in school history and finished eighth. McNealy qualified for CCS individuals and finished in the top 10, qualifying as an alternate to the NorCal championships.
The following season McNealy, then a sophomore, qualified for the CCS championships for the second year in a row, placing 44th of 64 in that event.
In his junior year, when the team beat Crystal Springs and Pinewood to earn a 6-1 record, McNealy “continue(d) to blister the competition shooting a 33 and 31,” according to Harker News. It was indeed a banner year for him as he took second place at the U.S. Junior Amateur qualifying golf tournament then went on to make the final eight at the USGA Junior Amateur Championship. McNealy won the WBAL title and The Mercury News also named him as a member of its boys golf first team.
Finally, just before his senior year at Harker, he made the quarterfinals of the Northern California Golf Association’s Amateur Match Play Championship and won the Silver Creek Valley Junior tournament. Following these remarkable showings, in November, McNealy signed a letter of intent to play golf for Stanford University.
But golf was not McNealy’s only game. He played hockey for the Junior Sharks for years, captaining the team at least one year, and also played soccer for Harker in his senior year. Harker News tells us he scored in at least two games, so his skills extend beyond the links to the pitch and rink.
In his senior year, McNealy continued to amaze, once again winning the WBAL individual title, being named to the Mercury News’ first team and ending his high school career by tying for fourth place at the CCS championships.
Of course, McNealy rose to greater heights as he grew as a golfer. He made the traveling squad at Stanford in his freshman year and was named to the Pac-12 Conference All-Freshman Team. He qualified for the U.S. Open, the first Harker alumnus to do so. The Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner all published articles featuring McNealy’s qualification.
In 2015, his trajectory continued. He won the Haskins Award as the top college linksman and was the 2015 Division I recipient of the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award.
An article posted at www.Nicklaus.com noted McNealy’s accomplishments that year:
“A sophomore from Portola Valley, Calif., McNealy led NCAA Division I with six collegiate victories this year. He posted a dominant 10-stroke win at the Pac-12 Conference Championships, where his 18-under aggregate score of 262 established a new league tournament scoring record. The Pac-12 Conference player owns a 69.05 season scoring average, the second best in recorded NCAA history. McNealy claimed medalist honors at the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional, Southwestern Intercollegiate, Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational, The Prestige at PGA West and The Goodwin. McNealy was selected to compete this summer on the United States Palmer Cup team.”
In late August 2016, before beginning his senior year at Stanford, McNealy won the McCormack Medal as the top-ranked amateur golfer in the world. That award automatically qualified him for the 2017 U.S. and British Open championships. A few months later, he was named the male amateur athlete of the year by the San Jose Sports Authority Hall of Fame.
By spring 2017, McNealy was a true star in the golf world. In April, he was ranked No. 1 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, tied with Tiger Woods on the Stanford all-time wins list, and received the 2017 Byron Nelson Award. Only graduating seniors are eligible for the award, and a golfer’s entire collegiate and academic career, plus his integrity and character, are considered when selecting the winner.
A month later, after being nominated for the third time, McNealy received The Ben Hogan Award, given annually to the top men’s college golfer. Colonial Country Club, Friends of Golf and the Golf Coaches Association of America take into account all collegiate and amateur competitions over the last year when selecting finalists.
By that time the speculation was red hot on whether or not McNealy would turn pro or start a business career with the degree in management science and engineering he earned at Stanford. In October 2017, following graduation, McNealy ended the speculation when he signed a promo deal with Callaway Golf and started his pro career.
This August, McNealy reached a new milestone in his career when he was handed his PGA tour card by placing in the top 25 on the Korn Ferry Tour.
McNealy also has committed to raising funds for education. This season, his Birdies for Education campaign is supporting Curriki, an organization helping to lower the cost of education by providing free educational materials online. He has raised $400,000 so far. Read more here.
Founded in 2018, The Harker School Athletic Hall of Fame honors those who have made outstanding contributions to its athletic program. Candidates for selection exemplified desirable character traits during their years at Harker and beyond, and have distinguished themselves in competition representing Harker, their college or at the professional level. Candidates may also be non-graduates who, through long service to Harker, have distinguished themselves in the field of athletics.
To celebrate her dedication and hard work, Chris Collins, athletic department stalwart, will be inducted into Harker’s Athletic Hall of Fame this Saturday before the Homecoming game. Collins started with Harker in 2001 as assistant to the dean of students and the athletic director. After a brief hiatus in 2004, she returned to support the academic dean in 2005 and, in 2007, again added support for the upper school athletic director to her duties. In 2008 Collins moved exclusively to the athletic department. Seven busy years later, in December 2015, much to her regret, Collins had to leave Harker due to several serious health issues, and her loss was deeply felt.
“Chris is a true Eagle,” said Dan Molin, the upper school athletic director since 2005. “She gave her heart and soul to Harker, and the kids and coaches. Her behind-the-scenes work was a major reason for our and our students’ success over the years of her tenure. She was very responsive and responsible. She did everything for us, and would never leave a task undone.”
Collins held down a desk in the main academic hall before the new athletic center was built, and was accessible to anyone passing by. “Chris is very caring; she has a very maternal aura about her and that reflected very positively,” added Molin. “People gravitated to her and people trusted her. The athletic office can be quite busy at times, but she would always stop what she was doing to answer any question from an athlete, coach, parent or teacher, making them aware that their question was of the utmost importance and deserved her undivided attention.”
Over and above her regular duties, “Chris also, on her own, took on the task of selling athletic logo wear at football games and other big events we hosted,” Molin said. “She would lug all the boxes out there with a cart and set up a little logo wear table at football games on Friday nights. That is something she didn’t have to do; she just did it to get the spirit wear out there. She was always at games, always supporting the kids.”
Collins noted she loved giving out uniforms to the kids at the beginning of each season and seeing how excited they were when they received their uniforms. Another high point was getting flowers for seniors and their parents on each sport’s Senior Day.
“I was surprised and very happy to be selected to the Harker Athletic Hall of Fame,” said Collins. “To be given this honor for doing a job I truly loved is a blessing. Dan Molin was a fantastic boss. I felt like Dan and I were a wonderful team and I hope I helped him as much as he helped me! I loved the whole Harker family, administrators, teachers and the kids who made it an awesome place to work and I miss everyone so much!”
Molin noted Collins brought calm to the busy athletics office throughout her time at Harker. “She never got rattled, no matter how crazy and hectic things could get,” he concluded. “She was always very even-keeled about things – the calm in the eye of the storm. She cared for and loved the kids and enjoyed seeing them compete. She’s phenomenal.”
Founded in 2018, The Harker School Athletic Hall of Fame honors those who have made outstanding contributions to its athletic program. Candidates for selection exemplified desirable character traits during their years at Harker and beyond, and have distinguished themselves in competition representing Harker, their college or at the professional level. Candidates may also be non-graduates who, through long service to Harker, have distinguished themselves in the field of athletics.