This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
On May 3 Harker took a historic step toward building its new athletic and performing arts centers. On that day, students, faculty, staff, donors and the board of trustees gathered and broke ground during an afternoon ceremony on Rosenthal Field, site of the new facilities.
Since Harker’s founding in 1893, the school has been committed to bringing out the best in students by helping them discover their talents and reach their full potential. It was with this clear vision in mind that Head of School Chris Nikoloff made his opening remarks to the crowd before introducing Diana Nichols, chair of the Harker Board of Trustees and former head of school.
Nichols thanked the donors for their vision and generosity. She gave a special thank you to alumni parents Suhas and Jayashree Patil (Teja Patil ’02) who were in attendance and were among the first visionary benefactors who supported the expansion of Harker to include a preschool. The theater in the performing arts center will be named in their honor. Nichols acknowledged the close involvement of the Harker trustees, noting that they have worked quietly and in the background on every detail; without their effort the project could not have come to fruition.
Addressing the students, she said: “Students, you are the very heart of this project. Everything we have done and are doing is for you, and I thank you for being the kind of student body that inspires the adults in your life to want to do good things for you.”
Nichols noted that Harker was fortunate to have true leaders in Harker parents Jeffrey and Marieke Rothschild (Isaac ’14; Jackiel, grade 12). “The Rothschilds’ $10 million matching gift was crucial to making the project possible and inspired others to rise to the challenge,” she said.
Shortly after, the Harker Eaglets presented flowers to the Rothschilds. In addition, the Patils were honored for being the first donors to support the capital campaign for a theater. Numerous groups of people were then given the honor of breaking ground with gold-painted shovels. Members of the board of trustees, donors including faculty and staff members, the construction team, performing arts chair Laura Lang-Ree, athletic director Dan Molin, as well as student council representatives of every grade level, all took turns digging.
Harker continues to focus on all aspects of the school’s mission by supporting numerous, broad extracurricular programs that enhance opportunities for students to discover their passions and thrive in their respective fields of interest. Whether playing on the court, taking center stage or participating in one of many extracurricular events, these new facilities will have a long-lasting positive impact on all students and their families.
Beginning in June 2016 Harker launched two new state-of-the art building projects on the upper school campus, the result of a $45M capital campaign. The 33,000 square-foot athletic center, opening August 2017, features a 12,000 sq.-ft. gym, athletic training room with advanced hydrotherapy unit, and spacious team rooms. The Rothschild Performing Arts Center, opening spring of 2018, features a 450-seat theater with fly loft and hydraulic orchestra pit, a state of the art scene shop, vocal, instrumental, theater/musical theater classrooms and dressing rooms. For more information visit the news and video links below or contact communications@harker.org
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
The 2016 Harker Golf Classic united Harker parents, alumni, alumni parents and their friends at the renowned Stanford Golf Course to raise funds for Harker’s general endowment. For the second year in a row, the event was presented by the Harker Alumni Association.
The April 11 event brought 96 golfers out on a pleasant spring day. Jeremy Pomer ’91 was the event chair, while former Harker faculty member Howard Saltzman and current lower school math teacher Pat Walsh served as honorary marshals for the day. The marshals had a great time handing out prize ribbons and libations to golfers.
“Everyone had a wonderful time, made all the more meaningful with the knowledge that it was good fun for a good cause!” enthused Karri Baker ’84, director of alumni relations.
A variety of special awards and prizes, as well as numerous generous sponsors, helped make the day special. Capping off the event was a 19th hole reception with live music on the clubhouse patio for golfers, as well as non-golfers wishing to join in on the fun.
A highlight of the day was the announcement of the winning foursomes. The winning men’s foursome comprised Harker parent Mike Armstrong, Trask Leonard, Josh Breeding and Rodney Plett ’81. The winning women’s foursome comprised Thu Ka, Connie Kim, Kavita Patel and Kavita Tankha, all Harker parents.
The Stanford Golf Course, designed in 1930 by renowned golf course architects William Bell and George C. Thomas, is located in the foothills above the Stanford University campus. In 2009, it was rated the nation’s third-best college course by golf coaches.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 Harker Quarterly.
As a parting gesture, this year’s graduating class dedicated its senior gift toward helping to finance an extension to the Shah patio area. Through class fundraising and their senior donations, the students rallied together to raise more than $6,500 for the project.
“Every year the graduating class leaves behind a senior gift. The idea of this year’s gift is to enable Shah patio to serve as an expanded recreation setting for seniors, as well as allow students travelling to Shah by way of Davis Field to take a shorter route,” explained Joe Rosenthal, Harker’s executive director of advancement.
At the beginning of this school year, the senior class lost access to the Sledge, a former senior-only lounge that was converted into the faculty dining room and a meeting space for students in the DECA program. The new patio will allow Shah Hall to serve as an informal gathering spot for future seniors.
Plans are in the works to have an on- site patio with tables and an awning to provide shade, surrounded by planter boxes. There is also discussion of including benches with motivational phrases that reflect Harker values, like “kindness, patience and respect.”
Last year, the senior class gift went toward honoring beloved former faculty member Jason Berry by creating an orchard in his memory. The Berry Orchard is now located in the space between Dobbins and Nichols halls.
This article was originally published in the winter 2014 Harker Quarterly.
A special accommodation has been made by the Rothschilds, trustees and fellows. This accommodation will allow those who have not yet participated during the short six-month original period of the Rothschild challenge to still double the impact of their gifts and become a part of the Partners’ Circle.
The accommodation will allow Harker to “replace” up to the $2.5 million used from the Trustees & Fellows Fund with new contributions from those who have yet to participate or who wish to increase the amount of their existing pledge. Current families, alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents and staff who would like to know how they can participate in the Partners’ Circle should contact Joe Rosenthal at joe.rosenthal@harker.org, or visit www.harker.org/eventscenter and click the “pledge now” icon.
This article was originally published in the winter 2014 Harker Quarterly.
In keeping with Harker’s culture and tradition of philanthropy, more than 1,000 families rallied to help meet the school’s historic $10 million Rothschild Matching Gift Challenge.
Chris Nikoloff, head of school, announced the remarkable achievement at the conclu- sion of the annual Family & Alumni Picnic on Oct. 12. He said that Jeff and Marieke Rothschild’s intention was to inspire other members of the community to act and join them in supporting the construction of a new events center by accelerating fundraising to a level that enables Harker to move from the conceptual design stage to actually bidding out the project.
The challenge was met with $7.5 million in direct capital gifts and $2.5 million of the $5 million Trustees & Fellows Matching Fund, which matches qualifying gifts made to annual giving. “With the Rothschild challenge met, we went from just under $5 million dollars to just over $25 million dollars in our overall campaign goal in just six months,” Nikoloff reported.
All donors who made gifts helping Harker to meet the challenge will be recognized as members of the Partners’ Circle and will have their names listed on a special plaque in the new events facility.
This article originally appeared in the winter 2013 Harker Quarterly.
The Krishnamurthi/Iyengar Family
From sports to performing arts to longrange strategic planning, Ashok Krishnamurthi, his wife Deepa Iyengar, and their two sons (Gautam ’11 and Sidhart, grade 11) have been involved in just about every Harker activity imaginable.
In 2006 Krishnamurthi, a current member of the Harker Board of Trustees, and his wife helped make Phase III of Harker’s master site plan a reality. Krishnamurthi and Iyengar supported the planning and construction phases of Nichols Hall, Davis Field and the Singh Aquatic Center; Krishnamurthi had the honor of making the inaugural swing of the Foucault pendulum at the Nichols Hall opening gala in 2008.
The Krishnamurthi Physics Center in Nichols Hall was a visionary gift to the campaign, and was named in memory of Krishnamurthi’s father, a former diplomat for the World Health Organization who emphasized the importance of global citizenship among his children.
Krishnamurthi grew up in New Delhi and received his master’s degree in computer engineering from Syracuse University. He has held engineering and management positions with Sun, Philips, Xerox, PARC and AT&T Bell Labs, and was one of Juniper Network’s original engineers, subsequently advancing to the role of executive vice president of engineering there in 2003.
In 2004, Krishnamurthi left Juniper to join his brothers S.K. Vinod and R.K. Anand to found Xsigo Systems. Xsigo provides input/output virtualization solutions for data center server connectivity and management and has operated as a subsidiary of Oracle since 2012.
Iyengar also holds a master’s degree in computer engineering and has worked for Thomson Multimedia, TVCom International and Grundig Designs. She is a very active parent volunteer at Harker, having assisted with the Harker Family & Alumni Picnic, Grandparents’ Day, classroom parties, arts, athletics and admissions. She also has been a member of the Parent Development Council since 1998.
Gautam and Sidhart have been active in both arts and athletics at Harker through the years. While attending Harker, Gautam played varsity football and basketball, participated in performing arts shows and was a member of the link crew and student council; he is now a wide receiver for the Stanford football team. Sidhart is participating in varsity football, link crew and DECA this year.
The Chen/Huang Family
Though their young daughters have yet to begin their studies on the upper school campus, Dr. Winston Chen and Phyllis Huang already have pledged to make a visionary level gift to support programs and capital improvements on multiple campuses at Harker. Via the Paramitas Foundation, which Chen founded in 1994, the Chen/Huang family gives generously each year to causes and organizations in the areas of education, wildlife conservation and community services.
Chen has served as chairman of the Paramitas Foundation and Paramitas Investment Corporation since 1994, after working for Solectron for 16 years. Solectron, one of the largest electronics manufacturing service companies in the world, benefited under the guidance of Chen first as an executive vice president and later as the CEO and chairman of the board. Prior to his positions at Solectron, Chen worked at IBM and later served on the board of Intel. Within the field of higher education, Chen has been a trustee of both Santa Clara University and Stanford University and is currently an advisory board member of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. He holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University in applied mechanics and applied mathematics.
With a reputation as a highly intelligent, hard-working innovator, Chen lends his tenacity and good will to Harker with his participation on the Harker Board of Fellows, as well as the newly minted Harker business and entrepreneurship committee.
The couple met in the Yun Lin Temple in Berkeley, and together they have supported events such as the Harker Family & Alumni Picnic and the fashion show. Daughters Karina, grade 5, and Nicole, grade 7, have both been active in performing arts, and Nicole currently participates in forensics at the middle school.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
To honor beloved former faculty member Jason Berry, who unexpectedly passed away last summer, this year’s graduating class has dedicated their senior gift to creating an orchard in his memory.
“The Berry Orchard is this year’s senior class gift. It will be a beautiful orchard located in the space between Dobbins and Nichols halls, in memory of Jason. The seniors have raised most of the money to fund it, to pay for trees, a statue, a pathway, a bench,” said Melinda Gonzales, Harker’s managing director of advancement.
Through class fundraising and their senior donations, the students rallied together to raise $8,414. A donation from the graduating class also will be made to The Jason Berry Endowed Scholarship Fund.
An initial tree-planting ceremony heralding the coming of the orchard took place at the end of April, with many students participating, including Berry’s former advisees, soccer players he coached, English students he taught and members of the senior class.
According to Gonzales, Modern Woodmen of America also donated and took part in the planting of four fruit trees for the planned orchard. In past years, representatives from Modern Woodmen of America have donated trees to the upper school campus, in conjunction with Earth Day and National Tree Planting Day, as part of the group’s charter to give back to the community. Founded in 1883, Modern Woodmen of America is a fraternal society that provides financial services and other benefits to its members, which number more than 750,000 nationwide.
Berry was an English teacher and athletics coach at Harker. He died suddenly on Aug. 24, 2013 of a pulmonary embolism resulting from a blood clot in his leg. A memorial was held Aug. 29, and family and friends filled nearby WestGate Church to say goodbye. Heartfelt memories of his childhood and early years as a teacher were shared; the loss to his family and the community was mourned.
A large group, many of whom were alumni, then proceeded to Harker’s upper school campus for a reception. Family members joined the group shortly thereafter, and Head of School Chris Nikoloff and two of Berry’s colleagues briefly addressed the group, followed by more memories exchanged, and more tears shed for the life cut short.
Born in New Hampshire and highly regarded by students during his five-year run at Harker, Berry wrote as a critic during his time as a member of the American College Theatre Festival and was honored for excellence in teaching by the Clemson University PanHellenic Council. The Harker Class of 2012 selected him as the faculty speaker for the 2012 baccalaureate ceremony, during which he said to the soon-to-be graduates, “Be who you want to be, and if that doesn’t agree with you, then find, once again, your center, your inner voice; don’t settle for an imitation of yourself. Bend the rules, but try not to break them.”
During his high school years, Berry was a decorated All-American soccer player, an experience he later applied at Harker as a head coach of the girls’ soccer team, leading the team to record seasons during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years.
“Jason’s life reflected his wise counsel, and he was always, authentically, himself,” said Nikoloff. “He impacted many with his wisdom, wit and warmth, and is deeply missed.”
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
In early May, Grandparents’ Day events were held at Harker’s lower school and, for the first time, at the new Harker Preschool. On this charming day, grandparents and grandfriends visited the campuses to tour and participate in activities with the special children in their lives.
“Grandparents’ Day is already a wonderful and long-standing tradition at Harker’s lower school. Now, preschoolers on the Union campus have joined in on the fun!” enthused Andrea Hart, director of Harker Preschool.
The captivating morning of exploration and play for students and their honored guests served as an opportunity for preschool teachers and specialists to provide a glimpse of all the incredible happenings at Harker Preschool, according to Hart.
“On hand was a variety of displays and interactive activities from the preschool’s talented staff, including the art instructor, music and movement teacher and STEM specialist,” she said.
At the lower school, the event was marked by an elaborate circus theme.
During the day, students and their special guests were treated to entertaining demonstrations by an array of circus folks, including hula-hoopers, stilt walkers, jugglers, clowns, balloon artists and face painters. The entertainers walked throughout the lower school campus, interacting with participants.
“Our goal was to entertain and also to create awareness about the abuse of circus animals. We had more than 450 visitors,” reported Teré Aceves, director of preschool-5 volunteer programs.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Harker once again hosted the annual Harker Golf Classic at the Stanford University Golf Course, consistently rated one of the finest university courses in the world. The event, held April 14, raised $28,000 for Harker’s general endowment fund.
First-place winners were Greg Lawson, Meurig Morgan and Allen Beede. Second-place winners were Scott and Susan McNealy, and Andrea and Chris Umdenstock. Longest drive went to Erik Verbeek (men) and Susan McNealy (women). Closest to pin was achieved by Evan Barth (men) and Dorothy Scarpace (women).
After the final round, golfers were joined by spouses and guests at the McNealys’ home for a fabulous wine reception (son Maverick ’13 plays on Stanford’s nationally third-ranked golf team and just qualified for the U.S. Open). Participating wineries were Corvalle and Left Bend, as well as distributor Joseph George Fine Wines. The Stanford golf course, designed in 1930 by renowned golf course architects William Bell and George C. Thomas, is located in the foothills above the Stanford University campus. In 2009 it was rated the nation’s third-best college course by golf coaches.
After the event, the advancement department gave special thanks to the day’s presenting sponsors: Sarvajna and Seema Dwivedi, Shi An Liu and Ping Xu, Ram and Indira Reddy and social network company Wayin. Further sponsorship was provided by Big Valley Ford Lincoln, Golfsmith, Golftec, C. Denise Brodersen and Harry and Lovelee Singh.
At the end of the day, beyond enjoying a good game of golf, all the participants left secure in the knowledge they had helped raise funds for Harker’s general endowment, which will benefit generations of students to come.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2014 Harker Quarterly.
At the annual Head of School’s Circle Celebration on May 2, Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement, announced that Jeff and Marieke Rothschild (Isaac, grade 12; Jackiel, grade 10) had generously made a $10 million matching gift challenge. The annual celebration honors Harker’s leadership donors, who are recognized, thanked and shown the impact of their donations.
The Rothschilds will match, dollar-for-dollar, all gifts to the capital campaign up to $10 million that meet the following criteria: 1) pledges must be made between April 21 and Oct. 12, 2014, and 2) pledge payments must be made in the years 2014, 2015 and/or 2016.
The challenge is meant to inspire all members of the Harker community to join in and make a gift to help build a much-needed theater and gymnasium. The matching gift challenge, if achieved, will allow the school to begin construction on the new events center a full year earlier than previously thought possible without a gift of this magnitude.
“Marieke and I looked at the Harker community, what the school has meant to our children; we know that this events center is not going to be here for their benefit, directly, but everything on this campus is here for a reason. It is here because the Harker community envisioned it and pulled together and made it happen, and this project will be no different,” Rothschild said at the event, surrounded on stage by performing arts and athletics students.
The Rothschilds had previously made a $1 million gift to the school to help with the purchase of the preschool campus. They decided to contribute again with a transformational gift, leading the fundraising effort for the events center because they recognize the impact the building will have on the entire Harker community. Structuring their matching gift challenge as they did – by matching the pledges and gifts made within the given time frame – will enable Harker to provide this much-needed facility to benefit the students and families one year sooner.
If the match is met and construction goes as planned, the Harker community will cut the ribbon on the events center in fall 2016. Current Harker families, as well as alumni and parents of alumni, will be able to enjoy games and productions in much more suitable facilities, improving the experience significantly. The enhanced school spirit and pride invoked by the activities that will take place in this new building is one of the most anticipated benefits.
Preparing students for college and beyond by providing academic and programmatic excellence is at the heart of the Harker mission and will continue to be the central focus of the school’s whole-mission approach. Head of School Chris Nikoloff said that the events center will have a positive impact on Harker’s century-old mission both directly, from the numerous activities and events that will take place there, and also through the ability to allow other departments to expand into spaces currently used by athletics and performing arts that will be vacated when those activities move into the new facility.
Donors who rise to the challenge and make a capital gift during the match period will be recognized as a member of the Partners’ Circle, with their name added to an inaugural plaque in the atrium of the events center. Securing the $10 million in matching gift pledges from the Harker community over the next few months is a tall order, but, as the Rothschilds said at the Head of School’s Circle Celebration, “Together we can all make this happen. The sooner, the better.”
Many parents and faculty members already have started planning their pledges and making gifts to be matched. Harker parents Alex Franz and Keiko Horiguchi (Kai, grade 7; Maya, grade 5; Nina, grade 3) stated, “We can see the strategic importance of the theater and gymnasium project for all of Harker, so we wanted to join the campaign to support this construction. Harker provides an exceptional setting where kids can unfold their potential and reach for the stars. The amazingly generous matching grant, which lets us double our contribution, led us to donate before the beginning of the next school year, and we wanted to support the best-case construction schedule so we just decided to make the donation right away.”
Those interested in learning more about the proposed events center can visit www.harker.org/eventscenter to review the “Case for Supporting the Events Center” booklet. A video featuring a virtual tour and several members of the Harker community – students, parents and teachers alike – sharing the impact they envision the new building will have on the Harker community is also available on the website, alongside Harker’s Vision Statement, which illustrates how the construction of the events center is aligned with Harker’s overall strategic plan through 2020.
Interest in making a capital pledge can be expressed by clicking the “Pledge Now” button on the events center website or by contacting Rosenthal directly at joe.rosenthal@harker.org or 408.345.9266.