Alumni from throughout the years took to the court in Harker’s new Athletic Center over the Thanksgiving break for what turned out to be a great match at this year’s alumni basketball game! In the end, Coach Matt Harley led the Evens team to victory against Coach Butch Keller’s Odds with a final score of 84-63. It was a great afternoon to hang out with friends and get some exercise at the same time! Interested in playing in next year’s big game? Contact alumni@harker.org.
By Elaine Zhai, Harker DECA director of communications
Harker DECA celebrated DECA Month this year with multiple chapter events to allow members to bond with each other and build excitement about the upcoming DECA competitive season.
Furthermore, Harker DECA also completed the #DECAMonth Social Media Challenge, posting daily on all our media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Red Cross
During lunch on Nov. 29, Harker DECA partnered with Harker’s Red Cross Club on campus to assemble kits that held common toiletries, including toothbrushes, toothpaste and hand sanitizer, as well as stuffed animals to give to children from low-income families. DECA officers initiated the effort to help those who are less fortunate, and the packages were donated to the Safe Kids Committee of Silicon Valley Red Cross to hand out. Everyone enjoyed this simple opportunity to make a big difference in the community.
Teacher Thank You Gifts
To show appreciation for support from the faculty, Harker DECA individually thanked staff members by handing out customized travel/toiletry bags to every faculty member on the upper school campus. The gifts included a personalized note thanking teachers for their unending support and explaining about DECA. The small gift brought smiles and joy to all those who received them and also reinforced the strong relationships that Harker DECA hopes to maintain with the school community.
Volunteering for Thanksgiving
The Harker DECA officer team donated items, including ponchos, socks, water bottles, washcloths and more, for people in need to Haven to Home, allowing Harker DECA to make an impact on the greater community and also fulfill Harker’s community-oriented pillar. This was a great way to have fun while serving others and emphasized selflessness of leadership, especially in the times of need considering the recent California wildfires.
Basketball Knockout (Students vs. Faculty)
In late November, Harker DECA partnered with Harker Spirit to coordinate an upper school campuswide basketball knockout competition between the faculty and the students. Students were given the opportunity to represent their grades and play for spirit points as part of an ongoing competition between the classes. Furthermore, DECA sold Cream ice cream as part of its initiative to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
To encourage more students to attend, Harker DECA’s public relations team promoted the event by posting on all our social media handles, including Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook. At school meetings, several DECA officers also announced this event and encouraged attendance among all grades by pinning fliers around the school advertising the event.
Although the basketball knockout competition was the largest event of DECA Month, the club held various other fundraisers, and handed out free bagels and Dippin’ Dots. During the week of the basketball competition, Harker DECA earned a net profit of about $2,500. All proceeds were donated to the MDA.
“Hosting a basketball knockout game was an amazing way for us to raise awareness for MDA,” said Anay Karwal, grade 11. “Because our school community loves basketball, many students came out to play and watch, and we were able to talk about MDA’s mission and how they could help. Selling ice cream and bubble tea also allowed us to raise a lot of money, which will go towards muscular dystrophy research. As a whole, not only was the event an immense success, but we also were able to work for a good cause.”
Mock Conference and Alumni Panel
On Nov. 17, Harker DECA hosted an intramural mock conference to provide students with an opportunity to gain experience and receive valuable feedback to better their knowledge and skills for the Silicon Valley Conference. The mock conference was the perfect opportunity to actively engage in their skills and apply entrepreneurial thinking. By inviting industry professionals to act as judges, students were able to hear real-life experiences and lessons. Harker DECA also invited six Harker alumni to speak on Nov. 16 about the knowledge that they acquired from DECA and how their experiences have helped them in college and beyond. Focusing on their personal journeys with entrepreneurship, students were able to interact with previous members and ask them questions about DECA and other business and entrepreneurship programs that Harker offers.
“The mock conference was an extremely interactive and engaging experience in which participants could receive feedback and advice from some of the best in the business on their role plays and soft skills,” said Elvis Han, grade 9.
Bagels for Business
On Nov. 15, Harker DECA handed out free bagels in front of Manzanita Hall along with pamphlets about opportunities to become more involved in different entrepreneurship programs around the campus and in general. This event helped attract students who are not currently involved in Harker’s business and entrepreneurship programs, and many students were encouraged and inspired to explore and participate. Moreover, the bagels were a welcome treat during a stressful weekend, contributing to Harker DECA’s purpose of improving our community and student well-being. Each attendee left with a happy stomach and an eagerness to become more actively involved in business and entrepreneurship.
Middle School Announcement
On Nov. 12, three Harker DECA Officers and their advisor traveled to the Harker middle school campus to announce the DECA Idea Challenge during a school meeting. Students learned of the logistics of the challenge, the potential prizes involved, and the mystery item that they were required to incorporate, which, for the 2018-19 DECA year, is paper clips! Interested students were given a chance to ask the DECA officers questions about the Idea challenge and DECA in general. A great opportunity to introduce entrepreneurship to prospective high school students, the Idea Challenge encouraged students to consider joining DECA in the future. The announcement left many students excited to explore entrepreneurship opportunities as they submit innovative proposals.
Yard Sale
On Nov. 9, Harker DECA promoted the program by providing the community with previous DECA merchandise and inciting excitement for the upcoming DECA year. Selling the vintage clothing offered an opportunity to recycle rather than waste while also fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Furthermore, the yard sale helped spread DECA’s brand image; after purchasing old sweatshirts and other clothing, students were often spotted wearing these items around campus. As a whole, this event allowed us to promote DECA in our upper school community and help the students by providing lower priced, quality clothes.
“I bought a hoodie from the DECA yard sale for $8. I had a lot of fun and now I can rep my DECA merch,” said Devanshi Mehta, grade 12. “It was a really smart way to earn revenue after last year’s season as well as get rid of excess quantities of merchandise. Go DECA!”
Ice Cream Social
On Nov. 2, Harker DECA hosted an ice cream social after school outside Manzanita Hall from 3-5 p.m. to mark the beginning of DECA Month. All students were invited to drop by for free ice cream with unlimited toppings in order to refresh themselves and relax after a long day. Bringing all members of the community together, the ice cream social allowed the DECA Officer Team to network with students and introduce some of the business and entrepreneurship programs that Harker offers.
“The ice cream social this year really allowed for the Harker DECA community to bond,” said Anvitha Tummala, grade 10, director of written events. “It was great to see so many excited Harker DECA kids and was a lot of fun!”
DECA Launch
On Aug. 18-19, more than 65 students attended Harker DECA’s fifth-annual DECA Launch, an event to introduce DECA to prospective members and to provide an overview of The Harker School’s business, economics and entrepreneurship department. Through alumni panels, detailed presentations, guest speakers, mock tournaments and interactive activities, students received a realistic idea of the upcoming DECA year. Furthermore, DECA Launch also featured the Innovation Challenge, which invited participants to create an innovative solution to solve a real-world problems. The products that teams developed included a virtual fitting room app, climate change-solving oil drill, and Tinder for roommates, among many others. As a whole, DECA Launch succeeded in exciting students, especially new members, for the new year.
“Through the numerous activities that we have planned, DECA Launch provides a great opportunity for students to become familiar with not only DECA and the B.E. department, but also the upper school as a whole,” said Shania Wang, grade 12, Harker DECA’s CEO. “This year, we introduced a lot of new changes based on feedback from previous years, which allowed us to host the best possible event for all of the students. We also had the most attendees compared to previous years, so I’m excited and hopeful for a successful year.”
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.
By Elaine Zhai, Harker DECA director of communications
Harker DECA celebrated DECA Month this year with multiple chapter events to allow members to bond with each other and build excitement about the upcoming DECA competitive season.
Furthermore, Harker DECA also completed the #DECAMonth Social Media Challenge, posting daily on all our media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Red Cross
During lunch on Nov. 29, Harker DECA partnered with Harker’s Red Cross Club on campus to assemble kits that held common toiletries, including toothbrushes, toothpaste and hand sanitizer, as well as stuffed animals to give to children from low-income families. DECA officers initiated the effort to help those who are less fortunate, and the packages were donated to the Safe Kids Committee of Silicon Valley Red Cross to hand out. Everyone enjoyed this simple opportunity to make a big difference in the community.
Teacher Thank You Gifts
To show appreciation for support from the faculty, Harker DECA individually thanked staff members by handing out customized travel/toiletry bags to every faculty member on the upper school campus. The gifts included a personalized note thanking teachers for their unending support and explaining about DECA. The small gift brought smiles and joy to all those who received them and also reinforced the strong relationships that Harker DECA hopes to maintain with the school community.
Volunteering for Thanksgiving
The Harker DECA officer team donated items, including ponchos, socks, water bottles, washcloths and more, for people in need to Haven to Home, allowing Harker DECA to make an impact on the greater community and also fulfill Harker’s community-oriented pillar. This was a great way to have fun while serving others and emphasized selflessness of leadership, especially in the times of need considering the recent California wildfires.
Basketball Knockout (Students vs. Faculty)
In late November, Harker DECA partnered with Harker Spirit to coordinate an upper school campuswide basketball knockout competition between the faculty and the students. Students were given the opportunity to represent their grades and play for spirit points as part of an ongoing competition between the classes. Furthermore, DECA sold Cream ice cream as part of its initiative to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
To encourage more students to attend, Harker DECA’s public relations team promoted the event by posting on all our social media handles, including Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook. At school meetings, several DECA officers also announced this event and encouraged attendance among all grades by pinning fliers around the school advertising the event.
Although the basketball knockout competition was the largest event of DECA Month, the club held various other fundraisers, and handed out free bagels and Dippin’ Dots. During the week of the basketball competition, Harker DECA earned a net profit of about $2,500. All proceeds were donated to the MDA.
“Hosting a basketball knockout game was an amazing way for us to raise awareness for MDA,” said Anay Karwal, grade 11. “Because our school community loves basketball, many students came out to play and watch, and we were able to talk about MDA’s mission and how they could help. Selling ice cream and bubble tea also allowed us to raise a lot of money, which will go towards muscular dystrophy research. As a whole, not only was the event an immense success, but we also were able to work for a good cause.”
Mock Conference and Alumni Panel
On Nov. 17, Harker DECA hosted an intramural mock conference to provide students with an opportunity to gain experience and receive valuable feedback to better their knowledge and skills for the Silicon Valley Conference. The mock conference was the perfect opportunity to actively engage in their skills and apply entrepreneurial thinking. By inviting industry professionals to act as judges, students were able to hear real-life experiences and lessons. Harker DECA also invited six Harker alumni to speak on Nov. 16 about the knowledge that they acquired from DECA and how their experiences have helped them in college and beyond. Focusing on their personal journeys with entrepreneurship, students were able to interact with previous members and ask them questions about DECA and other business and entrepreneurship programs that Harker offers.
“The mock conference was an extremely interactive and engaging experience in which participants could receive feedback and advice from some of the best in the business on their role plays and soft skills,” said Elvis Han, grade 9.
Bagels for Business
On Nov. 15, Harker DECA handed out free bagels in front of Manzanita Hall along with pamphlets about opportunities to become more involved in different entrepreneurship programs around the campus and in general. This event helped attract students who are not currently involved in Harker’s business and entrepreneurship programs, and many students were encouraged and inspired to explore and participate. Moreover, the bagels were a welcome treat during a stressful weekend, contributing to Harker DECA’s purpose of improving our community and student well-being. Each attendee left with a happy stomach and an eagerness to become more actively involved in business and entrepreneurship.
Middle School Announcement
On Nov. 12, three Harker DECA Officers and their advisor traveled to the Harker middle school campus to announce the DECA Idea Challenge during a school meeting. Students learned of the logistics of the challenge, the potential prizes involved, and the mystery item that they were required to incorporate, which, for the 2018-19 DECA year, is paper clips! Interested students were given a chance to ask the DECA officers questions about the Idea challenge and DECA in general. A great opportunity to introduce entrepreneurship to prospective high school students, the Idea Challenge encouraged students to consider joining DECA in the future. The announcement left many students excited to explore entrepreneurship opportunities as they submit innovative proposals.
Yard Sale
On Nov. 9, Harker DECA promoted the program by providing the community with previous DECA merchandise and inciting excitement for the upcoming DECA year. Selling the vintage clothing offered an opportunity to recycle rather than waste while also fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Furthermore, the yard sale helped spread DECA’s brand image; after purchasing old sweatshirts and other clothing, students were often spotted wearing these items around campus. As a whole, this event allowed us to promote DECA in our upper school community and help the students by providing lower priced, quality clothes.
“I bought a hoodie from the DECA yard sale for $8. I had a lot of fun and now I can rep my DECA merch,” said Devanshi Mehta, grade 12. “It was a really smart way to earn revenue after last year’s season as well as get rid of excess quantities of merchandise. Go DECA!”
Ice Cream Social
On Nov. 2, Harker DECA hosted an ice cream social after school outside Manzanita Hall from 3-5 p.m. to mark the beginning of DECA Month. All students were invited to drop by for free ice cream with unlimited toppings in order to refresh themselves and relax after a long day. Bringing all members of the community together, the ice cream social allowed the DECA Officer Team to network with students and introduce some of the business and entrepreneurship programs that Harker offers.
“The ice cream social this year really allowed for the Harker DECA community to bond,” said Anvitha Tummala, grade 10, director of written events. “It was great to see so many excited Harker DECA kids and was a lot of fun!”
DECA Launch
On Aug. 18-19, more than 65 students attended Harker DECA’s fifth-annual DECA Launch, an event to introduce DECA to prospective members and to provide an overview of The Harker School’s business, economics and entrepreneurship department. Through alumni panels, detailed presentations, guest speakers, mock tournaments and interactive activities, students received a realistic idea of the upcoming DECA year. Furthermore, DECA Launch also featured the Innovation Challenge, which invited participants to create an innovative solution to solve a real-world problems. The products that teams developed included a virtual fitting room app, climate change-solving oil drill, and Tinder for roommates, among many others. As a whole, DECA Launch succeeded in exciting students, especially new members, for the new year.
“Through the numerous activities that we have planned, DECA Launch provides a great opportunity for students to become familiar with not only DECA and the B.E. department, but also the upper school as a whole,” said Shania Wang, grade 12, Harker DECA’s CEO. “This year, we introduced a lot of new changes based on feedback from previous years, which allowed us to host the best possible event for all of the students. We also had the most attendees compared to previous years, so I’m excited and hopeful for a successful year.”
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.
By Elaine Zhai, Harker DECA director of communications
Harker DECA celebrated DECA Month this year with multiple chapter events to allow members to bond with each other and build excitement about the upcoming DECA competitive season.
Furthermore, Harker DECA also completed the #DECAMonth Social Media Challenge, posting daily on all our media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Red Cross
During lunch on Nov. 29, Harker DECA partnered with Harker’s Red Cross Club on campus to assemble kits that held common toiletries, including toothbrushes, toothpaste and hand sanitizer, as well as stuffed animals to give to children from low-income families. DECA officers initiated the effort to help those who are less fortunate, and the packages were donated to the Safe Kids Committee of Silicon Valley Red Cross to hand out. Everyone enjoyed this simple opportunity to make a big difference in the community.
Teacher Thank You Gifts
To show appreciation for support from the faculty, Harker DECA individually thanked staff members by handing out customized travel/toiletry bags to every faculty member on the upper school campus. The gifts included a personalized note thanking teachers for their unending support and explaining about DECA. The small gift brought smiles and joy to all those who received them and also reinforced the strong relationships that Harker DECA hopes to maintain with the school community.
Volunteering for Thanksgiving
The Harker DECA officer team donated items, including ponchos, socks, water bottles, washcloths and more, for people in need to Haven to Home, allowing Harker DECA to make an impact on the greater community and also fulfill Harker’s community-oriented pillar. This was a great way to have fun while serving others and emphasized selflessness of leadership, especially in the times of need considering the recent California wildfires.
Basketball Knockout (Students vs. Faculty)
In late November, Harker DECA partnered with Harker Spirit to coordinate an upper school campuswide basketball knockout competition between the faculty and the students. Students were given the opportunity to represent their grades and play for spirit points as part of an ongoing competition between the classes. Furthermore, DECA sold Cream ice cream as part of its initiative to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
To encourage more students to attend, Harker DECA’s public relations team promoted the event by posting on all our social media handles, including Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook. At school meetings, several DECA officers also announced this event and encouraged attendance among all grades by pinning fliers around the school advertising the event.
Although the basketball knockout competition was the largest event of DECA Month, the club held various other fundraisers, and handed out free bagels and Dippin’ Dots. During the week of the basketball competition, Harker DECA earned a net profit of about $2,500. All proceeds were donated to the MDA.
“Hosting a basketball knockout game was an amazing way for us to raise awareness for MDA,” said Anay Karwal, grade 11. “Because our school community loves basketball, many students came out to play and watch, and we were able to talk about MDA’s mission and how they could help. Selling ice cream and bubble tea also allowed us to raise a lot of money, which will go towards muscular dystrophy research. As a whole, not only was the event an immense success, but we also were able to work for a good cause.”
Mock Conference and Alumni Panel
On Nov. 17, Harker DECA hosted an intramural mock conference to provide students with an opportunity to gain experience and receive valuable feedback to better their knowledge and skills for the Silicon Valley Conference. The mock conference was the perfect opportunity to actively engage in their skills and apply entrepreneurial thinking. By inviting industry professionals to act as judges, students were able to hear real-life experiences and lessons. Harker DECA also invited six Harker alumni to speak on Nov. 16 about the knowledge that they acquired from DECA and how their experiences have helped them in college and beyond. Focusing on their personal journeys with entrepreneurship, students were able to interact with previous members and ask them questions about DECA and other business and entrepreneurship programs that Harker offers.
“The mock conference was an extremely interactive and engaging experience in which participants could receive feedback and advice from some of the best in the business on their role plays and soft skills,” said Elvis Han, grade 9.
Bagels for Business
On Nov. 15, Harker DECA handed out free bagels in front of Manzanita Hall along with pamphlets about opportunities to become more involved in different entrepreneurship programs around the campus and in general. This event helped attract students who are not currently involved in Harker’s business and entrepreneurship programs, and many students were encouraged and inspired to explore and participate. Moreover, the bagels were a welcome treat during a stressful weekend, contributing to Harker DECA’s purpose of improving our community and student well-being. Each attendee left with a happy stomach and an eagerness to become more actively involved in business and entrepreneurship.
Middle School Announcement
On Nov. 12, three Harker DECA Officers and their advisor traveled to the Harker middle school campus to announce the DECA Idea Challenge during a school meeting. Students learned of the logistics of the challenge, the potential prizes involved, and the mystery item that they were required to incorporate, which, for the 2018-19 DECA year, is paper clips! Interested students were given a chance to ask the DECA officers questions about the Idea challenge and DECA in general. A great opportunity to introduce entrepreneurship to prospective high school students, the Idea Challenge encouraged students to consider joining DECA in the future. The announcement left many students excited to explore entrepreneurship opportunities as they submit innovative proposals.
Yard Sale
On Nov. 9, Harker DECA promoted the program by providing the community with previous DECA merchandise and inciting excitement for the upcoming DECA year. Selling the vintage clothing offered an opportunity to recycle rather than waste while also fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Furthermore, the yard sale helped spread DECA’s brand image; after purchasing old sweatshirts and other clothing, students were often spotted wearing these items around campus. As a whole, this event allowed us to promote DECA in our upper school community and help the students by providing lower priced, quality clothes.
“I bought a hoodie from the DECA yard sale for $8. I had a lot of fun and now I can rep my DECA merch,” said Devanshi Mehta, grade 12. “It was a really smart way to earn revenue after last year’s season as well as get rid of excess quantities of merchandise. Go DECA!”
Ice Cream Social
On Nov. 2, Harker DECA hosted an ice cream social after school outside Manzanita Hall from 3-5 p.m. to mark the beginning of DECA Month. All students were invited to drop by for free ice cream with unlimited toppings in order to refresh themselves and relax after a long day. Bringing all members of the community together, the ice cream social allowed the DECA Officer Team to network with students and introduce some of the business and entrepreneurship programs that Harker offers.
“The ice cream social this year really allowed for the Harker DECA community to bond,” said Anvitha Tummala, grade 10, director of written events. “It was great to see so many excited Harker DECA kids and was a lot of fun!”
DECA Launch
On Aug. 18-19, more than 65 students attended Harker DECA’s fifth-annual DECA Launch, an event to introduce DECA to prospective members and to provide an overview of The Harker School’s business, economics and entrepreneurship department. Through alumni panels, detailed presentations, guest speakers, mock tournaments and interactive activities, students received a realistic idea of the upcoming DECA year. Furthermore, DECA Launch also featured the Innovation Challenge, which invited participants to create an innovative solution to solve a real-world problems. The products that teams developed included a virtual fitting room app, climate change-solving oil drill, and Tinder for roommates, among many others. As a whole, DECA Launch succeeded in exciting students, especially new members, for the new year.
“Through the numerous activities that we have planned, DECA Launch provides a great opportunity for students to become familiar with not only DECA and the B.E. department, but also the upper school as a whole,” said Shania Wang, grade 12, Harker DECA’s CEO. “This year, we introduced a lot of new changes based on feedback from previous years, which allowed us to host the best possible event for all of the students. We also had the most attendees compared to previous years, so I’m excited and hopeful for a successful year.”
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.
The boys basketball team went 1-2 at the Lynbrook Tournament last week. The Eagles opened the tourney with a 31-41 loss to Los Altos with Giovanni Rofa, grade 11, leading the scoring with 11 points. The boys then defeated host Lynbrook 54-38 with Jack Connors, grade 11, leading the way with 15 points. Finally, the Eagles fell to Mills 32-48 in their final game with Connors once again leading the offense, this time with nine points. This week, the boys travel to Redwood Christian on Tuesday.
Girls Basketball
The girls basketball team went 1-2 at the Santa Clara Tournament last week, bringing its season record to 5-2. The girls lost to host Santa Clara 34-51 in the opening round with Akhila Ramgiri, grade 12, scoring 17 points. In the second round, the Eagles fell to Capuchino 25-65 with Ramgiri, Maria Vazhaeparambil, grade 10, Advika Phadnis, grade 10, and Prameela Kottapalli, grade 12, each chipping in four points. The girls finished the tourney with a 55-39 victory over Andrew Hill. Ramgiri and Brooklyn Cicero, grade 9, led the way with 10 points each. This week, the Eagles travel to Harbor on Tuesday and host San Lorenzo Valley on Thursday.
Boys Soccer
Last week, the boys soccer team defeated Saratoga 4-0 to up its record to 2-1. The boys host Del Mar on Wednesday and travel to Lynbrook on Friday.
Girls Soccer
The girls soccer team fell to San Mateo 1-5 and Wilcox 1-0 last week. This week, the Eagles host Yerba Buena on Tuesday and Lincoln on Thursday.
Fall All-League
Congratulations to all the fall athletes named to their respective all-league teams.
Girls volleyball finished second in CCS and was led by Emily Cheng, grade 11, who was named to the first team; Katrina Liou and Allison Cartee, both grade 12, who were second team selections; and Michelle Ning, grade 10, who was an honorable mention.
Anna Weirich, grade 10, Ritika Rajamani, grade 9, Ryan Adolf, grade 12, and Aditya Singhvi, grade 10, each earned cross country honorable mentions.
The girls tennis team earned a CCS berth with Santoshi Tirumala, grade 10, and Liza Egorova, grade 12, each making the first team, with Gina Partridge and Amanda Cheung, both grade 11, earning second team honors, and Sachi Bajaj, grade 10, receiving an honorable mention.
The co-league champion girls water polo team was represented by MVP goalie Arushi Madan, grade 11; first team selections Abigail Wisdom and Samantha Yanovsky, both grade 12; and Cassandra Ruedy, grade 11, who earned a second team selection.
The CCS Academic Champion boys water polo team was represented very well on the all-league rosters. Matthew Hajjar, grade 12, was league MVP and a CCS honorable mention, with Bobby Bloomquist and Jacob Kim, both grade 12, earning first team selections. Andrew Chang, grade 12, made the second team and Arjun Akkiraju, grade 11, and Leon Lu, grade 12, received honorable mentions.
The Harker football team is not affiliated with a league, but the coaches did give out team awards. Jared Anderson, grade 12, was the team MVP; Marcus Tymous, grade 12, was the Defensive Skill Player of the Year; Ayush Vyas, grade 12, was the Offensive Line Player of the Year; Anthony Meissner, grade 12, was named Offensive Skill Player of the Year; Devin Keller and Giovanni Rofa, both grade 11, earned the Special Teams Players of the Year; Trevor Thompson, grade 12, was the Co-Defensive Line Player of the Year; and John Zeng, grade 9, was the Scout Team Player of the Year.
Girls golf had a historic year as the team was the league champ, second in CCS and seventh in NorCal. Sophie Zhang-Murphy, grade 9, was league champ and the league MVP, with Katelyn Vo, grade 11, Natalie Vo, grade 10, and Tina Xu, grade 9, earning first team selections. Olivia Guo, grade 10, landed on the second team.
On Nov. 28, the Harker Speaker Series relaunched after an extended hiatus with an appearance by entrepreneur and author Magdalena Yeşil, a first investor and founding board member of Salesforce. Interviewed by junior Mahi Kolla, a student in Harker’s incubator program, Yeşil discussed her latest book, 2017’s “Power Up: How Smart Women Win in the New Economy.”
The book was spurred by stories Yeşil read of women having bad experiences in the tech industry. Fearing that more women would not want seek a career in technology, she decided to take action. “I felt that it was my responsibility to tell my story as well as other women’s stories,” she said. Yeşil interviewed 27 women for the book, sharing challenges and success stories of women in the industry in what she hopes to be a “very pragmatic, very practical book to inspire young women.”
Yeşil also shared some instructive stories, such as the time she had dinner with her 31-year-old niece, who asked what Yeşil was doing at the same age. Yeşil responded that she was unemployed at the time. “I became an entrepreneur because I couldn’t find a job,” she said. “I had to create a job for myself.” After interviewing at several companies, she decided “to recreate myself by making myself an expert in an area where a lot of people were not experts.” That area turned out to be the internet, which at the time was primarily the domain of universities and the government.
After the talk, Yeşil took some questions from the audience and offered advice to young entrepreneurs on what challenges they could expect in their careers. She stressed the importance of finding co-founders and advised students not to get discouraged when generating funds, explaining that venture capitalists will predict incorrectly “no matter what or how brilliant the idea is.”
Yeşil also spoke briefly about her latest startup, which uses artificial intelligence to upload loan documents via smartphones, drastically improving the approval process.
More than 200 people arrived at the Patil Theater this evening to see the Miró Quartet perform at the second event of the 2018-19 Harker Concert Series season. Since its founding in 1995, the Miró Quartet – comprising violinists Daniel Ching and William Fedkenheuer, violist John Largess and cellist Joshua Gindele – has claimed first place at numerous competitions, including the Banff International String Quartet Competition. In 2005, it was the first string ensemble in history to receive the Avery Fisher Career Grant.
In its second Harker Concert Series appearance, the quartet’s program consisted of works by Franz Schubert, Leoš Janáček and Felix Mendelssohn, and the Patil Theater proved to be a splendid venue to hear them performed by a group of superb, accomplished musicians. Schubert’s bittersweet melodies and the fiery, tumultuous passion of Janáček’s “Intimate Letters” (believed to be inspired by the affectionate letters he exchanged with a woman many years his junior) rang brilliantly through the theater’s acoustics. During a brief talk between the first two pieces, Largess remarked that those in attendance made up “the youngest audience we’ve played for in a long time,” which was fitting given that Schubert and Mendelssohn were both in their teens when they composed the pieces in this evening’s show.
Following intermission, the quartet closed with Mendelssohn’s “Quartet in A minor, Op. 13,” another piece created by someone in love, albeit much earlier in life. Though perhaps less intense than Janacek’s work, it expressed a similar range of emotion, fully realized in the Miró Quartet’s very capable hands.
More than 200 people arrived at the Patil Theater this evening to see the Miró Quartet perform at the second event of the 2018-19 Harker Concert Series season. Since its founding in 1995, the Miró Quartet – comprising violinists Daniel Ching and William Fedkenheuer, violist John Largess and cellist Joshua Gindele – has claimed first place at numerous competitions, including the Banff International String Quartet Competition. In 2005, it was the first string ensemble in history to receive the Avery Fisher Career Grant.
In its second Harker Concert Series appearance, the quartet’s program consisted of works by Franz Schubert, Leoš Janáček and Felix Mendelssohn, and the Patil Theater proved to be a splendid venue to hear them performed by a group of superb, accomplished musicians. Schubert’s bittersweet melodies and the fiery, tumultuous passion of Janáček’s “Intimate Letters” (believed to be inspired by the affectionate letters he exchanged with a woman many years his junior) rang brilliantly through the theater’s acoustics. During a brief talk between the first two pieces, Largess remarked that those in attendance made up “the youngest audience we’ve played for in a long time,” which was fitting given that Schubert and Mendelssohn were both in their teens when they composed the pieces in this evening’s show.
Following intermission, the quartet closed with Mendelssohn’s “Quartet in A minor, Op. 13,” another piece created by someone in love, albeit much earlier in life. Though perhaps less intense than Janacek’s work, it expressed a similar range of emotion, fully realized in the Miró Quartet’s very capable hands.
More than 200 people arrived at the Patil Theater this evening to see the Miró Quartet perform at the second event of the 2018-19 Harker Concert Series season. Since its founding in 1995, the Miró Quartet – comprising violinists Daniel Ching and William Fedkenheuer, violist John Largess and cellist Joshua Gindele – has claimed first place at numerous competitions, including the Banff International String Quartet Competition. In 2005, it was the first string ensemble in history to receive the Avery Fisher Career Grant.
In its second Harker Concert Series appearance, the quartet’s program consisted of works by Franz Schubert, Leoš Janáček and Felix Mendelssohn, and the Patil Theater proved to be a splendid venue to hear them performed by a group of superb, accomplished musicians. Schubert’s bittersweet melodies and the fiery, tumultuous passion of Janáček’s “Intimate Letters” (believed to be inspired by the affectionate letters he exchanged with a woman many years his junior) rang brilliantly through the theater’s acoustics. During a brief talk between the first two pieces, Largess remarked that those in attendance made up “the youngest audience we’ve played for in a long time,” which was fitting given that Schubert and Mendelssohn were both in their teens when they composed the pieces in this evening’s show.
Following intermission, the quartet closed with Mendelssohn’s “Quartet in A minor, Op. 13,” another piece created by someone in love, albeit much earlier in life. Though perhaps less intense than Janacek’s work, it expressed a similar range of emotion, fully realized in the Miró Quartet’s very capable hands.