Last week, the lower school library hosted its annual Book Fair, where attendees partook of a wide selection of books for all reading levels. A variety of fiction (from sci-fi to historical fiction to mysteries) and non-fiction (history, sports and biographies) were available for both children and adults.
“The Book Fair promotes reading at all levels, and provides more books to our community,” said lower school librarian Kathy Clark. Because the Book Fair coincided with Grandparents’ Day on Friday, “parents and grandparents purchase books that their students are interested in reading, titles for summer reading and gifts,” she continued. Families also often show their generosity and gratitude to Harker teachers by purchasing books for the classrooms. Money raised by the Book Fair goes into library budget so that more books can be purchased.
By Clark’s estimation, the Book Fair started in 1998 and was first held in the lower school gym’s lobby. In addition to being a great way to find new books, the Book Fair also fosters “a sense of community!” Clark said. “Students and their friends meet in the library, sharing the books they find. Parents meet in the library too, talking about the books their students want to read. Our library staff spends a lot of time recommending titles that are appropriate for the various age levels, and it gives us a chance to get to know the parents a little better.”
Parents also get involved with the Book Fair by volunteering to run the cash registers and assist students in finding books that interest them. “We can’t operate the fair without them,” said Clark. “Some volunteers return year after year because they enjoy working during the fair.”
Last week, the lower school library hosted its annual Book Fair, where attendees partook of a wide selection of books for all reading levels. A variety of fiction (from sci-fi to historical fiction to mysteries) and non-fiction (history, sports and biographies) were available for both children and adults.
“The Book Fair promotes reading at all levels, and provides more books to our community,” said lower school librarian Kathy Clark. Because the Book Fair coincided with Grandparents’ Day on Friday, “parents and grandparents purchase books that their students are interested in reading, titles for summer reading and gifts,” she continued. Families also often show their generosity and gratitude to Harker teachers by purchasing books for the classrooms. Money raised by the Book Fair goes into library budget so that more books can be purchased.
By Clark’s estimation, the Book Fair started in 1998 and was first held in the lower school gym’s lobby. In addition to being a great way to find new books, the Book Fair also fosters “a sense of community!” Clark said. “Students and their friends meet in the library, sharing the books they find. Parents meet in the library too, talking about the books their students want to read. Our library staff spends a lot of time recommending titles that are appropriate for the various age levels, and it gives us a chance to get to know the parents a little better.”
Parents also get involved with the Book Fair by volunteering to run the cash registers and assist students in finding books that interest them. “We can’t operate the fair without them,” said Clark. “Some volunteers return year after year because they enjoy working during the fair.”
Senior Ellie Lang-Ree was recently named a finalist in the Steve Silver Foundation and Beach Blanket Babylon “Scholarship for the Arts” competition. This annual contest for Bay Area high school students awards winners in three categories – acting, dancing and singing – with a $15,000 scholarship to put toward their college education. Lang-Ree, a finalist in the singing category, will perform on June 3 at San Francisco’s Club Fugazi for a panel of judges, which includes Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, actor Will Durst and opera composer Jake Heggie. Congratulations and best of luck!
By Elaine Zhai, Harker DECA Director of Communications
The Harker DECA chapter traveled to Orlando, Fla., in late April to attend the 2019 International Career Development Conference (ICDC), where participants faced competitors from all around the world. ICDC this year consisted of difficult competitions and memorable experiences, and Harker DECA performed exceptionally, with eight teams staging in their event during the preliminary round and six teams advancing as finalists. Three teams placed in the top 10, with one team taking first.
Finalists are as follows:
First Place
Phil Han and Evan Cheng, both grade 11; Travel and Tourism Team Decision Making
Top 10 Finalists
Claire Luo, grade 10, Business Finance Series, and Thomas Rainow, grade 11, Automotive Services Marketing
Naveen Mirapuri, grade 11, Business Services Marketing
Pranav Varmaraja, grade 9, Principles of Business Management and Administration
Upon arrival in Orlando, students had the opportunity to converse with members of DECA Japan during dinner at Maggiano’s Little Italy before returning to the hotel and relaxing after a long day of travel.
“It was really cool to meet with DECA Japan and learn about their perspective on DECA, especially with this being their first year competing at ICDC,” said Luo, Harker DECA vice president of operations and top 10 finalist in the Business Finance Series. “We talked about what we had in common, such as the books and the shows that we liked, and it was unique to be able to interact with them and share our experiences with each other.”
On Saturday, the chapter participated in the DECA 5K run at the West Concourse to raise money and awareness for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Participants had the opportunity to meet and network with other competitors from California. For the rest of the afternoon, some students enjoyed the attractions of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park while others relaxed and prepared for their competitive event. At night, Harker DECA attended the Grand Opening Session, joining over 22,000 other participants from around the world. Featured in this session was key-note speaker Ben Nemtin, producer and star of “The Buried Life” and author of “What Do You Want to Do Before You Die?”
“Just being able to witness 22,000 people in one room moving as a unit or like a colony of ants was awe-inspiring,” said Andrea Thia, grade 9. “Interacting with various countries such as Pakistan and Malaysia, and communicating with young entrepreneurs and industry professionals in the exhibit halls were once-in-a-lifetime experiences I will never forget.”
On Sunday, members attended their event briefing and took their written examinations throughout the morning and into the afternoon. Then students and chaperones were given the rest of the day to relax, prepare for the competitions ahead, and catch up on some homework. To end the day, Harker DECA assembled for a chapter dinner at the Rainforest Cafe.
Monday, students attended their competitive event preliminary competition. Throughout the day, all participants also had access to the exhibit hall booths, which included exhibits from various business colleges and corporations, serving as a great chance for Harker DECA to meet and network with other participants. Visitors received beneficial information about various professional opportunities and merchandise to keep as souvenirs. Additionally, those who were campaigning for a position on the 2019-20 Executive DECA team also set up booths and presentations. Afterward, students and chaperones spent the evening at Universal Studios.
With Tuesday being the last full day of ICDC, students and chaperones convened for the Achievement Awards Session to find out whether they had advanced to the final round of competitions, which would take place later that afternoon. After top participants for presentations, career cluster exams and overall performers were acknowledged and praised, the top 20 teams that would continue competing were announced for each event.
With eight teams recognized on stage and six teams headed to the final round, Harker DECA performed incredibly, supporting these finalists with pride. The rest of the chapter had the afternoon to themselves and had the option to finish some homework or visit the Epcot Theme Park. Later that evening, Harker DECA prepared for the Grand Awards Session and, as the top 10 finalists were called onto the stage, proudly sent three teams. With Travel and Tourism Team Decision Making being the last event that was announced, Harker DECA gathered in support of Han and Cheng, who won first place. Members celebrated with a quick chapter photo before heading off to meet California DECA for the State Dinner, where the top participants were again celebrated and recognized for their accomplishments at ICDC.
“These past three years, I’ve been searching for validation through DECA,” said Han, Harker DECA co-CEO. “Because it was my dream for so long, when it actually happened what I felt was almost indescribable. I was suddenly hit with a flurry of emotions, awe, overwhelming joy and pride. But most importantly was a resonating gratitude for everyone who supported me and of course, my partner, Evan.”
With many new experiences and opportunities, ICDC 2019 was definitely memorable for all of its participants and served as a fantastic way to close the 2018-19 competitive season.
“This year’s ICDC was a fantastic experience for students and chaperones and definitely helped the chapter become closer,” said Kolla, Harker DECA co-CEO. “Many members were able to stage for their event, which was a reflection of the dedication and hard work that they put into DECA from the very first study session all the way up until the final moments before their competition. It was absolutely amazing to see everyone so supportive of each other, and this ICDC served as a competitively shaping experience for the chapter.”
“I was extremely proud of how our students did this year at ICDC and throughout the 2018-19 competitive season,” said Juston Glass, Harker DECA advisor. “It was amazing seeing their growth from the beginning of the year, especially with all the underclassmen that we had. They really worked their hardest and never gave up, putting forth their best effort into their competitive events. I can’t wait to see them continue to develop professionally the next four years to become emerging leaders, and I’m so grateful to be their DECA advisor.”
About The Harker School DECA
Harker DECA is an International Competitive Business Organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in four fields of business: marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Our DECA chapter integrates classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business and promotes competition in order to prepare the next generation to be academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders.
Contact Information
To learn more about this story, please contact:
Elaine Zhai, Director of Communications
21elainez@students.harker.org
www.harkerdeca.org
Some of Harker’s Honors Entrepreneurship students got in front of some of Silicon Valley’s most important executives when they sat on a panel at the Association for Corporate Growth Silicon Valley (ACGSV) 2019 GROW Awards in mid-April. The organization bills itself as the premier organization for C-suite leaders in Silicon Valley. The GROW awards recognize the outstanding growth company and top emerging growth company in the area.
This year’s awards ceremony celebrated leadership and the role Silicon Valley plays as an international hub of innovation and entrepreneurship. Four young entrepreneurs from Harker formed a roundtable, moderated by ALOM CEO Hannah Kain. The four students were Riya Gupta and Nishka Ayyar, both grade 12, from PromElle, and Andrew Sun, grade 10 and Suraj Pakala, grade 12, from Nanoseed.
A huge congrats to the five Eagle swimmers (Matthew Chung, Jason Kwok and Rhys Edwards, all grade 10, Ethan Hu, grade 11, and Alex Yu, grade 12) who represented Harker at the CCS Championships on Saturday. The boys took home a third place CCS finish as a team thanks to these amazing finishes:
– The 200 medley relay team (Chung, Kwok, Hu, Edwards) finished first, setting a new CCS record.
– Hu took first in the 200 IM and the 100 fly, setting CCS records in both events.
– Kwok took second in the 100 breast and 34th in the 50 free.
– The 200 free relay team (Chung, Kwok, Hu, Edwards) took second.
– Chung finished third in the 200 IM and 500 free.
– Edwards was ninth in the 100 free and 10th in the 50 free.
– Yu took 13th in the 500 free.
The boys will compete at the State Championships beginning this Friday at Clovis West High School.
Boys Volleyball
The boys volleyball team finished the regular season with a 29-5 record and ranked No. 12 in the nation and No. 2 in CCS after falling to Monta Vista (No. 7 in the nation, No. 1 in CCS) 0-3 and defeating Los Altos 3-0. The Eagles were rewarded with a No. 1 seed in the CCS D3 bracket, and open at Sacred Heart Prep on Tuesday night.
Boys Tennis
The boys tennis team won its opening CCS match with Aptos 7-0, but was knocked out of the playoffs with a 0-7 loss to No. 1 seeded Menlo. However, the doubles team of Ramanand Vegesna and Mihir Sharma, both grade 11, qualified for CCS and opens play against Carmel on May 14.
Lacrosse Last week, the lacrosse team defeated Notre Dame Belmont 18-3 and Priory 17-7 to win its second consecutive WBAL-Skyline Championship. The ladies finished the regular season 14-3 and ranked eighth in CCS. The Eagles host Aragon in the quarterfinals of the WBAL Championships this Tuesday at 5 p.m. on Davis Field.
Track and Field
At the WBAL Track & Field Championships last Friday, Alexa Lowe, grade 9, won the league championship in the triple jump, upsetting four others seeded ahead of her. Gio Rofa, grade 11, placed second in the triple jump and Ayush Vyas, grade 12, placed second in the shot put with a three-foot personal best. All three will be competing in next Saturday’s CCS trials.
Boys Golf
The boys golf team took third place in the WBAL Championships last week. The Eagles play in the CCS regionals on Tuesday at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch.
Baseball
The baseball team went 1-1 last week to bring its season record to 13-8. In a 15-4 win over Crystal Springs Uplands, Zach Hoffman, grade 12, and Levi Sutton, grade 10, each drove in two runs. Later in the week, the Eagles fell to South San Francisco 3-7. This week, the team hosts Thomas More for Senior Night on Monday and finishes off the regular season on Tuesday at Westmoor.
Softball
The softball team went 2-1 last week to improve to 6-12 on the season. The girls started the week with a tough 1-23 loss to Fremont, with Emma Crook, grade 9, driving in the lone run. The Eagles bounced back with a 17-0 win over Mercy SF, with Cameron Zell, grade 12, driving in four runs and Brooklyn Cicero, grade 9, adding three more RBIs. Taylor Lam, grade 12, threw 3 innings of one hit, six strikeout ball before the mercy rule was applied. The Eagles ended the week with a forfeit win over Crystal Springs Uplands. This week, the Eagles finish their season traveling to Mercy Burlingame on Tuesday before Senior Night on Thursday against ND San Jose.
This year’s collection of papers written by John Near and Mitra Family endowment scholars have some fascinating titles. Each year, the scholars are honored at a reception in the Nichols Hall auditorium, celebrating the completion of their intensive research and writing projects.
At the reception, each student talked about the journey to self-knowledge that comes from writing such a complex paper. Each was generous in acknowledging the program’s value to their growth and in praising the mentors who helped them succeed. Each scholar had vivid memories of the road to completing their paper.
2018-19 Near Scholars:
Logan Bhamidipaty, mentored by Byron Stevens and Lauri Vaughan: “Plain Language: Henry George, Denis Kearney, and the Anti-Chinese Movement in Nineteenth-Century California”
Prameela Kottapalli, mentored by Mark Janda and Sue Smith: “Deliberately Unafraid: Audre Lorde as a Pioneer of Intersectional Feminism”
Leon Lu, mentored by Carol Green, Susan Nace and Meredith Cranston: “Soul of the Jazz Resistance: Charles Mingus and the Civil Rights Movement”
Kelsey Wu, mentored by Kelly Horan and Sue Smith: “The Loneliness Disease: Challenges of First-Generation Chinese-American Parents of Autistic Children”
2018-19 Mitra Scholars:
Nikhil Dharmaraj, mentored by Clifford Hull and Meredith Cranston: “The Evolution of Evolution: Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura and Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species”
Ryan Guan, mentored by Ruth Meyer and Meredith Cranston: “The Rattle of the Bones: Reading T. S. Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land’ as a Response to World War I”
Haris Hosseini, mentored by Andrea Milius, Josh Martinez and Sue Smith: “Unveiled: The Appropriation of Afghan Women in the War on Terror”
Katherine Tian, mentored by Damon Halback, Chris Spenner and Lauri Vaughan: “Does God Play Dice? Understanding the Role of Uncertainty at the Intersection of Antirealist Philosophy and Quantum Mechanics”
VA (Grades 7-8) Boys Basketball: The Varsity A team, coached by Richard Amarillas, finished in second placein the WBAL with a record of 8-2 and went 8-3 overall. Team awards went to Brandon Wang, grade 8, and Matthew Chen, grade 8 (co-MVPs), Om Tandon, grade 7 (Eagle) and Michael Sullivan, grade 8 (Coaches).
VB (Grades 7-8) Boys Basketball: The Varsity B team, coached by Tim Hopkins, finished in third place in the WBAL with a 4-2 record and went 4-3 overall. Team awards went to Kyle Leung, grade 7 (MVP), Zachary Blue, grade 7 (Eagle) and Max Pflaging, grade 8 (Coaches).
VB2 (Grades 7-8) Boys Basketball: The Varsity B2 team, coached by Jon Cvitanich, finished in fifth place in the WBAL with a 2-4 record. Team awards went to Jordan Labio, grade 7 (MVP), Kai Stinson, grade 7 (Eagle) and Vishal Rohra, grade 8 (Coaches).
JVA (Grade 6) Boys Basketball: The Junior Varsity A team, coached by Mike Delfino, finished in fourth place in the WBAL with a 4-2 record and an overall record of 4-4. Team awards went to Vyom Vidyarthi (MVP), Gary Jin (Eagle), and Advay Monga and Bowen Xia (Coaches).
JVB6 (Grade 6) Boys Basketball: The Junior Varsity B6 team, coached by Raul Rios, finished in undefeated first place in the WBAL with a 5-0 record! Team awards went to Rohit Yalla (MVP), Rushil Jaiswal (Eagle) and Haden Andrews (Coaches).
MS Intramural Boys Basketball: Team awards went to Ramit Goyal, grade 7 (MVP), Sriram Bhimaraju, grade 7 (Eagle) and Reza Jalil, grade 7 (Coaches). The team was coached by Adam Albers, Dini Wong and Vanessa Rios.
JVB1 (Grade 5) Boys Basketball: The Junior Varsity B1 team, coached by Karriem Stinson and Walid Fahmy, finished undefeated in first placein the WBAL with a 5-0 record and took first place in the WBAL tournament finishing with a 8-0 record overall! Team awards went to Brennan Williams (MVP), Rishan Thoppay (Eagle) and Topaz Lee (Coaches).
JVB2 (Grade 5) Boys Basketball: The Junior Varsity B2 team, coached by Spring Wang, finished in fourth place in the WBAL with a 1-3 record. Team awards went to Jaskaran Ahluwalia (MVP), Krish Arora (Eagle) and Siddharth Sundar (Coaches).
JVC (Grade 4) Boys Basketball: The Junior Varsity C team, coached by Karriem Stinson and Walid Fahmy, finished in second place in the WBAL with a 5-1 record. Team awards went to Kai Nishimura (MVP), Brandon Labio (Eagle) and Mason Brooks (Coaches).
LS Intramural Boys Basketball: Team awards went to Jonathan Li, grade 4, and Dillon Ho, grade 4 (Eagle) and Max Maki, grade 4 (Coaches). The team was coached by Tobias Wade.
VA (Grades 7-8) Girls Soccer: The Varsity A team, coached by Brighid Wood and Hannah Grannis , finished in eighth place in the WBAL with a record of 0-5. Team awards went to Amrita Pasupathy, grade 8 (MVP), Kate Grannis, grade 7 (Eagle), and Haley Hernandez, grade 8, and Maya Hernandez, grade 8 (Coaches).
JVA (Grade 6) Girls Soccer: The Junior Varsity A team, coached by Lex Serafino and Sara Pawloski, finished in fifth place in the WBAL with a record of 1-4-1. Team awards went to Samhita Parupudi (MVP), Isabella Lo (Eagle) and Genieve Malinen (Coaches).
JVB (Grade 5) Girls Soccer: The Junior Varsity B team, coached by Colleen Campbell and Brittney Moseley, finished in second place in the WBAL with a record of 2-2 and an overall record of 3-4. Team awards went to MacEnzie Blue, grade 5, (MVP), Kristin Anthony, grade 4 (Eagle) and Lauren Rossi, grade 4 (Coaches).
LS Intramural Girls Soccer: Team awards went to Amelie Tomberg, grade 4 (MVP), Ameera Ramzan, grade 4 (Eagle) and Ava Zarkesh, grade 4 (Coaches). The team was coached by Colleen Campbell and Brittney Moseley.
LATE WINTER
VA (Grades 7-8) Girls Basketball: The Varsity A team, coached by Richard Amarillas, finished in second placein the WBAL with a 6-2 record and took second place in the WBAL tournament finishing 7-3 overall. Team awards went to Maya Hernandez, grade 8, and Haley Hernandez, grade 8 (co-MVPs), Anjali Yella, grade 7 (Eagle) and Avery Olson, grade 8 (Coaches).
VB Girls Basketball: The Varsity B team, coached by Tim Hopkins, finished undefeated in first place in the WBAL with a 8-0 record and took second place in the WBAL tournament finishing 9-1 overall. Team awards went to Isha Kotalwar, grade 7 (MVP), Kate Grannis, grade 7 (Eagle) and Medha Yarlagadda, grade 7 (Coaches).
JVA (Grade 6) Girls Basketball: The Junior Varsity A team, coached by Jon Cvitanich, finished undefeated in first place in the WBAL with a 6-0 record and took first place in the WBAL tournament finishing 8-0 overall. Team awards went to Isabella Lo (MVP), Claire Anderson (Eagle) and Angelina Burrows and Gemma Chan (Coaches).
MS Intramural Girls Basketball: Team awards went to Samhita Parupudi, grade 6 (MVP), Shaila Tandon, grade 6 (Eagle) and Menaka Aron, grade 6 (Coaches). The team was coached by Raul Rios and Adam Albers.
JVB (Grade 5) Girls Basketball: The Junior Varsity B1 team, coached by Karriem Stinson, finished undefeated in first place in the WBAL with a 6-0 record and took first place in the WBAL tournament finishing 8-0 overall. Team awards went to Minal Jalil (MVP), MacEnzie Blue (Eagle) and Tanvi Sivakumar (Coaches).
JVC (Grade 4) Girls Basketball: The Junior Varsity C team, coached by Spring Wang and Belle Carley, finished third place in the WBAL with a 4-2 record. Team awards went to Selena Chen (MVP), Finley Ho (Eagle) and Lily Peng (Coaches).
LS Intramural Girls Basketball: Team awards went to Anika Rajaram, grade 5, and Jessica Hu, grade 5 (Eagle) and Ameera Ramzan, grade 4 (Coaches). The team was coached by Tobias Wade.
VA (Grade 8) Boys Soccer: The Varsity A team, coached by Brighid Wood and Hannah Grannis, finished in fifth place in the WBAL with a record of 0-8. Team awards went to Rigo Gonzales (MVP), Michael Pflaging (Eagle) and Edward Sun (Coaches).
VB (Grade 7) Boys Soccer: The Varsity B team, coached by Brighid Wood and Sam Salfen, finished in fifth place in the WBAL with a league record of 3-3-1. Team awards went to Alexander Guo (MVP), Ryan Barth (Eagle) and Chase White (Coaches).
JVA (Grade 6) Boys Soccer: The Junior Varsity A team, coached by Lex Serafino and Dini Wong, finished in fifth place in the WBAL with a record of 1-5. Team awards went to Bowen Xia (MVP), Daniel Chen (Eagle), and Vyom Vidyarthi and Advay Monga (Coaches).
JVB (Grade 5) Boys Soccer: The Junior Varsity B team, coached by Colleen Campbell and Brittney Moseley, finished in first place in the WBAL with a record of 5-1. Team awards went to Ryder Hewitt (MVP), Simon Kirjner (Eagle), and Kaan Kurtoglu and Jackson Powell (Coaches).
LS Intramural Boys Soccer- Team awards went to Vladimir Shchegrov, grade 4 (MVP), David Kelly, grade 4 (Eagle) and Ayden Grover, grade 4 (Coaches). The team was coached by Walid Fahmy.
Congratulations to all our athletes and coaches for a great winter season!
Preschoolers had a great Earth Day last week! Parent volunteers were key to making the day special: one parent volunteer talked about climate change and read “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss to the class. Other parent volunteers stood by to demonstrate various ecological investigations for our students to explore: solar, wind and water energy stations, a water filtration station and germination station. It was a great week for students, parents and teachers!
Preschoolers had a great Earth Day last week! Parent volunteers were key to making the day special: one parent volunteer talked about climate change and read “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss to the class. Other parent volunteers stood by to demonstrate various ecological investigations for our students to explore: solar, wind and water energy stations, a water filtration station and germination station. It was a great week for students, parents and teachers!