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.
Adhir Ravipati ’05 played four sports his senior year: football, basketball, volleyball and track. He was named Harker’s most valuable player in the first three sports and earned all-league placement in each, sealing his entry into Harker’s Athletic Hall of Fame with four years of dedicated athleticism.
Ravipati made his mark on Harker athletics early on, receiving the JV Eagle Award his freshman year for both football and basketball. From then on, his accolades appeared regularly in Harker News.
In April 2003, at the end of his sophomore year, Harker News reported Ravipati’s hitting helped win the baseball season opener, adding a fifth sport to his list. That year he lettered in football, basketball and baseball.
In his junior year, Ravipati was noted early in the season when Harker News wrote, “… the Eagles flew to the ball and played like a team to be reckoned with. Seniors Matt Vucurevich and A.J. Reid led the Eagles, with strong performances turned in by junior quarterback Ben Shapiro and junior receiver Adhir Ravipati.” That year, Ravipati earned letters in football, basketball and volleyball, along with second team honors for the first two and first team-all league honors for volleyball.
Charging ahead to basketball in winter 2004, Harker News notes, “The team then proceeded to dismantle an overmatched Pinewood squad 48-24, with a 21-5 first quarter barrage, punctuated by a steal and crowd-pleasing dunk by junior Adhir Ravipati.” That team also earned a 2004 Scholastic Championship from the Central Coast Section (CCS) with an average 3.74 GPA.
For volleyball in spring 2004, the team finished in second place, and Harker News noted, “The team had an outstanding season, finishing 16-6 and 9-3 in league. The team was led by PSAL league MVP A.J. Reid and first team all-league player Adhir Ravipati.”
On to senior year! In the very first football game of the year, Ravipati caught a touchdown pass that set up a win in the last 18 seconds, and to that was added a paen to the true value of athletics. Again, from Harker News, in October 2004, author unknown, but very likely Jack Bither, athletic director at the time:
“On the fields and courts, friendships and memories will be forged that will last a lifetime. Hopefully, many as exciting as the dramatic finish of the first football game of this season. Behind 13-6 with only 18.8 seconds remaining in the game, the team was about to learn a lesson they will carry on with them their entire lives. ‘Never quit,’ ‘It’s not over till it’s over,’ however you want to say it, these phrases now have meaning that will last a lifetime. As the Eagles’ opponent lined up to punt the ball away, in all likelihood securing their victory, the ball suddenly popped over the punter’s head. As several Eagle defenders converged upon the hapless punter, it became Harker’s football, with only 13 seconds remaining. With time for one play, sophomore Jason Martin [Harker Athletic Hall of Fame, 2018] hurled a perfect spiral 35 yards on a halfback option pass to sprinting receiver, senior Adhir Ravipati, touchdown Eagles! Yet the team was still behind by one point, 13-12. With determination and courage, [senior] Najm Haque barreled over the goal line with only inches to spare to secure the dramatic 14-13 victory for Harker! Teenage boys and grown men aren’t known to hug all that often, but a world record for hugs and high fives may well have been set! Athletics does matter. It creates experiences and emotions unique to sports, a feeling everyone should experience at some point.”
Continuing his career, in February Ravipati was back on the hardwood: “The never-say-die team roared down the floor with only seconds remaining and took home the victory,” noted Harker News. “The team is led by senior post-player Adhir Ravipati.”
In spring, Ravipati hit the volleyball court with his usual vigor, and though they finished third that year, the team went out with a bang, defeating league champion The King’s Academy in their final match.
To sum up his senior year in athletics, Ravipati lettered in football, basketball, volleyball and track. In football, he caught 42 balls for 750 yards and eight touchdowns. He was named first team all-league and team offensive MVP and selected to the Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Game. In basketball, he was first team all-league and team MVP; in volleyball, he was named first team all-league and team MVP. In track, he was second in the league for the long jump.
Ravipati became the second Harker football player to play football in college, and his passion for sports led him to a career in coaching football in the Bay Area, where his successes have grown over the years as he has matured in that role. He has a coaching record of 38-15 for Menlo Atherton, including winning the state championship in 2018, and a long list of accomplishments and titles, including many coach-of-the-year awards – five of them in 2016. Check out these awards and stats!
Ravipati has a 38-15 record (17-3 in PAL-Bay Division) in his four years as head football coach at Menlo-Atherton High School. He was an assistant coach for five years prior to becoming head coach. His teams won PAL-Bay Division titles in 2015, 2016 and 2018. They won CCS and NorCal titles in 2016 and 2018. He coached the team to the state title in 2018.
Ravipati has earned numerous awards for his football coaching:
2012 Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Game Coach
2015/2016/2018 PAL Coach of the Year
2016 San Francisco 49ers Coach of the Week
2016 and 2018 GetSportsFocus Coach of the Year
2016 Mercury News Bay Area Coach of the Year
2016 California Coaches Association NorCal Coach of the Year
2016 Regional and National Positive Coaching Alliance Double Goal Coach Award Winner
2017 Marines Semper Fi Coach of the Year
2018 NorCalPreps Coach of the Year
In addition, Ravipati has been assistant varsity basketball coach at Menlo-Atherton for six years. In 2016, his team was a NorCal finalist; in 2013 the team was a CCS finalist, and the basketball team won PAL-South titles in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019.
Ravipati looks back on his time at Harker with fondness. “My favorite memories are the time with my teammates and best friends at practice, on the bus rides, team bonding and on the field competing,” he said. “Specific on-the-field memories are either my game-winning TD catch against Hillsdale as a senior, or my game-winning shot against King City as a junior to win our first CCS playoff basketball game.”
He also, of course, remembers those who accompanied him on his journey. “I’d like to thank my athletic director Jack Bither,” Ravipati said, “and coaches Karriem Stinson in football, Jeremiah Brewer in basketball, Jason Reid in volleyball, CJ Cali in baseball and Vonda Reid in track. I’d also like to thank [coach] Richard Amarillas. All of them taught me so much as a person and athlete.”
The takeaways, aside from a very successful career as a coach, are numerous. “Sports taught me a lot that a textbook can’t,” Ravipati said, “It put me in mental, physical and emotional situations that I learned a lot from in how to deal with situations in life. It made me a better person and taught me teamwork, but most importantly leadership and mental toughness/discipline. Playing sports at Harker was special. It was unique being a part of the formative years of the high school and seeing the sacrifices we made to establish a sports program that kids could be a part of in the future and take pride in.”
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.
Kristina (Bither) Gurney ’09, a Harker Lifer, was a force to be reckoned with on the court and on the pitch, and she will be inducted into Harker’s Athletic Hall of Fame this Saturday before the Homecoming game. She played volleyball and soccer all four years at the upper school, which means she was a member of the dynamite 2007 state finalists team that went 38-5 for the season, ending up NorCal champs and second in the state.
Bither was a natural athlete who played a variety of sports at the lower and middle school level, including volleyball, basketball, soccer and flag football. “She started out mainly as a soccer player but quickly transitioned to volleyball without any difficulty in high school,” said Theresa “Smitty” Smith, who coached the volleyball team. “I remember her as being one of our most fit players who often set and held the pace for the rest of the team. She was a hard worker, a tough kid and a huge part of the 2007 team’s success as one of the outside hitters.”
Harker News is replete with references to Bither‘s contributions to her teams. In February 2006, Evan Barth, then a soccer coach, noted, “Kristina Bither, grade 9, continues to find the back of the net with three goals in league play, and when not scoring, she does a great job setting up her teammates, with two assists so far.” Two months later, Bither was named MVP and all-league first team, having scored a team high of 16 goals.
In January 2007, Bither was named all-league first team in volleyball. A month later, she was back out in front as Harker’s high scorer as soccer season hit its stride. A month later, with 15 goals to her credit, Bither was among the top scorers in the league.
In December 2007, Harker’s girls volleyball team was fighting every step of the way for a shot at the championship. In CCS quarterfinal play against The King’s Academy, Bither, then a junior, was service leader with four aces and racked up 10 kills, including the game-winning kill in game three. The team went on to the championship but succumbed, finishing second in the state, a record for any Harker team at the time.
In fall 2008, during her senior year, Bither again dominated the court, with 10 kills in the team’s first three-game match. The team had solid successes that year, with Bither named all-tournament first team at the Los Gatos Tournament.
The team finished that year with a 9-12 record, but Bither held the top kill record in the league with 4.7 kills per game and was fourth in the league in digs per game. She was named to The Mercury News All-Star team as an outside hitter, with an honorable mention.
Soccer then ramped up and by March 2009, Bither was noted as a critical player by coach Troy Thiele, who said, “Harker has been led by senior Kristina Bither, who is not only the CCS leading scorer, but also the 23rd leading goal scorer for all girls winter soccer players in the nation!” Bither was named San Francisco Chronicle Athlete of the Week honorable mention for her eight goals in a three-game span in mid-January. According to MaxPreps.com, Bither was ranked 23rd in scoring nationwide in January.
In April, the girls soccer team locked in second place with a 6-2-2 record, and Harker team members garnered 10 of the 28 all-league awards handed out that year. Bither, with 21 goals, was named league MVP of the newly formed Skyline Division of the WBAL, and again made The Mercury News All-Star team with an honorable mention. In mid-April, Bither signed papers to compete in volleyball for Villanova.
Thiele was impressed by Bither’s skills, noting that, “Kristina was probably the purest athlete to ever be an upper school student (at least in the time I have been here), male or female. She was a Division 1 volleyball player, but easily could have been a Division 1 soccer player if that is where she had put her heart,” he said.
“She literally won games for us single-handedly,” Thiele added. “The first game I ever coached (I was a mid-year replacement), I did not really know what the team was like, and we were losing by several goals and really had no business being on the field with the other team. In the last 10 minutes of the game, Kristina scored two or three goals all by herself to give us the win. She also dropped back and basically prevented the other team from scoring the tying goal as well.”
Bither joined the Villanova team and had a solid first season, playing in 95 sets, averaging 1.75 digs per set, and reaching a career high of 18 digs in a game vs. Princeton. In 2010, her second year at Villanova, she played in 55 sets, made 70 digs, including two games where she got double digits. She was named a Big East Academic All-Star for the 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. Unfortunately, Bither suffered a back injury, ending her career at Villanova during her second year.
Bither went on to complete a marketing degree at Villanova, then studied at Tufts School of Medicine to become a physician assistant.
Bither looks back on her years at Harker with fondness. “My favorite memory is, of course, when our volleyball team was able to play in the state championship game,” she said. “I will never forget how the entire Harker community rallied behind us. It was also really special to be able to play with my younger sister, Veronica, for one year.
“I am thankful to have had such a close relationship with Coach Smitty, who coached both my Harker and club volleyball teams. I am absolutely a more fearless and resilient person today because of her. I would also like to thank Coach Barth, who always made me feel valued, respected and capable of succeeding.”
Being an active athlete in high school also was helpful in life, Bither noted. “I think I have gained skills in time- and stress-management, as well as important perspectives on how to work well as a team. Now having worked in both the emergency department and operating room settings, I am able to stay calm and function well under pressure, which is a strength I believe came from all of my sports training.
“I enjoyed athletics at Harker because I was able to play on so many different teams and make relationships with a lot of people that I wouldn’t have otherwise. It truly is inspiring to see the successes of so many Harker athletes nowadays!” she added.
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.
Today’s Family & Alumni Picnic brought hundreds of members of the Harker community to the lower school campus to enjoy games, food, student performances and more. Ever-popular carnival games attracted visitors to the campus blacktop to try their hands at winning various prizes. Despite the unseasonable warmth, attendees also ventured out of the shade to drive around in bumper cars, climb the rock wall and attempt to drop Harker teachers into a dunk tank. One of the more popular attractions was a mechanical unicorn that students attempted to ride without being thrown off.
At the Nichols Hall amphitheater, various student performing arts groups entertained the lunchtime audience with a show based on the popular board game Candy Land, featuring none other than Head of School Brian Yager as the Candy King. The food court was another favorite destination of this year’s picnicgoers, who dined on pizza, Indian food and more while also partaking of the confections offered at the bake sale and senior class’ candy sale. Meanwhile, the pony rides were a hit with the youngest attendees, and assortment of adorable animals at the petting zoo drew a steady crowd.
Many thanks to all who gathered with their fellow community members at this year’s picnic. See you next year!
Last week, Abigail Joseph, the middle school’s learning, innovation and design (LID) director, was named one of the first-ever recipients of the Computer Science Teachers Association’s Equity Fellowship. “I am part of a cohort of 10 educators from around the U.S. that are participants of the Computer Science Teachers Association organization’s inaugural Equity Fellowship,” Joseph said yesterday. “This is a true honor to be chosen out of 112 applicants, and I am happy to share my journey with all of you.”
The program provides various opportunities for career development to support efforts to increase equity in computer science education. “CSTA’s Equity Fellowship is a selective, year-long program that elevates educators who have demonstrated success in disrupting the disparities impacting females, underrepresented students of color, English language learners, and students with special needs in order to bring their inclusive teaching practices and leadership to educators across the country and around the world at the 2020 CSTA Annual Conference,” according to the organization’s website.
Brian Chen is headed to Washington, D.C.! Today, the freshman was named as a finalist in the 2019 Broadcom MASTERS competition. He and the other finalists will spend Oct. 25-30 in the nation’s capital, competing in the final stage of the competition, as well as meeting government officials and displaying their projects to the public. Winners will be announced on Oct. 29. Best of luck!
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Seven students were named to the Top 300 in the 2019 Broadcom MASTERS competition! Arjun Barrett, Rohan Bhowmik, Gordon Chen, Brian Chen, Jacob Huang and Nicholas Wei, all grade 9, and Reshma Kosaraju, grade 8, were selected from more than 2,300 applicants for this year’s competition. The students were selected for projects they entered in science fairs last year, when they were in middle school.
On Sept. 18, 30 of the Top 300 will be announced as finalists and will travel to Washington, D.C., in October to compete for awards and prizes totaling more than $100,000. Each year, the Society for Science & the Public selects the top 10 percent of middle school science projects submitted to society-affiliated science fairs to enter the Broadcom MASTERS competition.
Deven Parikh, grade 11, joined his mother, Dev Parikh, ACS vice president of Go to Market for Oracle, at a communication debate workshop at Oracle in late July to help sixth grade girls learn the basics of speech and debate. Parikh has been in the Harker speech and debate program for five years, and expressed a desire to teach others the skills he has gained in the program.
At the workshop, Deven Parikh presented a 20-minute lecture on public speaking. “Prior to the actual workshop, I spent ample time communicating with a representative from Apple to obtain donated Apple iPads,” he said. “Many of the children we would be working with did not have electronics at home, so by providing them with iPads, they were able to research a topic to debate. At the end of the workshop, they were able to keep the iPads.”
Parikh helped both sides prepare their arguments for a debate on the U.S. policy on immigration. “During the actual debate, I was the moderator and provided tips at the end to help them improve their public speaking and research skills,” he added.
“It was great helping out the other children who are not as lucky as we are. Going to Harker, everyone has an iPhone, AirPods and an updated MacBook, yet others are not as lucky as we are. It felt great to help the community,” he finished.