Harker seniors Annmaria Antony, Brian Chen, Krish Maniar and Sarah Fatima Mohammed were recently named semifinalists in the 2022-23 Coca-Cola Scholars Program. They were among just over 1,500 students selected from more than 91,000 applicants. Following an application review process, 250 of these semifinalists will go on to become regional finalists, 150 of whom will be named Coca-Cola Scholars and receive a $20,000 scholarship. The Coca-Cola Scholars Program is the country’s largest corporate-sponsored scholarship program, and has provided more than $81 million in scholarships since it was founded in 1986. Last year Dawson Chen ’22 was named one of the 150 nationwide Coca-Cola Scholars.
The classes of 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 gathered at Davis Field on Aug. 20 for the 2021 matriculation ceremony, which was held in-person after the COVID-19 pandemic forced last year’s matriculation to be held online.
The juniors and seniors were seated before the freshmen, who received enthusiastic applause as they approached to take their seats. Brian Yager, head of school, was the first of the morning’s speakers and remarked about the resilience shown by the Harker community during the pandemic. “It was a tough year, but we bore it, and in amazing fashion many of you thrived,” he said, later commenting on the confidence he had in the community to face the coming year. “Given the host of challenges we all faced last year, we are in the position to have a wonderful rebound year this year, and the ability to benefit from and enjoy this year lies squarely with you, our students.” Yager then introduced the upper school vocal group Cantilena, which performed “Rise Up” by Cassandra Batie and Jennifer Decilveo.
Per tradition, upper school head Butch Keller also took the podium to address the students. He first praised the student leadership who stopped to help out the maintenance staff who were drying off the moisture that had collected on the seats overnight. “That’s what I call a community,” he said. “That’s what I was proud of.”
Keller spoke to grade 9 on how they should define success during their upper school careers. “I hope that what you’re chasing looks more like earning a spot in the fall play, being a good teammate on the volleyball team or the football team,” he said. “Or maybe it looks like being an integral part of the speech and debate team being led by those great coaches.
“I hope what you’re chasing looks more like making lifelong friends,” he continued. “I hope what you’re chasing, whatever that is, is sincere. I hope it means that you’re going to be the best that you can possibly be.”
Dawson Chen, a senior and the Associated Student Body president, then offered the freshmen some key points of advice on how to make the most of their time as upper school students, which he livened with humor, such as when he told them what a proper parenthetical citation looks like. He also encouraged students to make use of the upper school’s incredible resources and to practice open-mindedness. “Be open to perhaps extraordinary or unfamiliar perspectives,” he said, “whether it’s in an English class discussion or a debate with a friend at lunch.” In closing, he implored the freshmen not to “spend four years trying to fulfill other people’s expectations of you,” and to “find friends who are like family.”
Chen then introduced the members of Harker’s Student Diversity Coalition – seniors Uma Iyer and Brooklyn Cicero, juniors KJ Williams and Mir Bahri, and sophomore Dina Ande – who spoke to their fellow students about SDC’s mission. Bahri explained that the SDC is a student organization that is “designed to foster an inclusive environment for all members of our community.” Part of their mission is to provide safe spaces for students and staff to discuss topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion. The establishment of the Black Student Union and the Latinx Affinity Group last year were crucial to this goal.
Cicero told the audience that Harker’s first affinity group was founded in the wake of the June 2020 protests that erupted across the world after the murder of George Floyd. “We wanted to stop being complacent with the microaggressions and biases that we were receiving on and off campus,” she said. The members went on to summarize the SDC’s activities over the previous year – such as the talks by Leon, a Holocaust survivor and Bettina Love – and promoted the open meetings that all Harker community members are invited to attend. Once a director of diversity, equity and inclusion has been hired, the SDC plans to establish more affinity groups to make Harker more inclusive and welcoming.
Following the speeches, all students in attendance recited the matriculation oath, and the grade 9 students each took their turns signing the matriculation book, while The Harker String Quartet, directed by Dave Hart, performed Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.”
As is custom, the ceremony ended with “Freshman 101,” a series of skits designed to inform the Class of 2025 of many key aspects of upper school life, including the honor code, the many clubs on offer and the spirit competition. Students donned costumes inspired by famous characters from “The Avengers,” the “Harry Potter” franchise, Disney’s “Frozen” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”
Upper school students packed the campus quad on Friday for the 2019-20 Matriculation Ceremony, in which they celebrated the start of the school year and formally welcomed the Class of 2023 to the upper school community. Head of School Brian Yager opened the ceremony with some words for the incoming students, telling them to “enjoy and embrace the process and look to the students in the grades above you for guidance and inspiration as well as for examples of what will be expected of you in the years to come.”
The assembled students also heard from ASB president Avi Gulati, grade 12, who stressed to the freshmen that the community was there to help them succeed when the demands of high school life seem daunting. “You have counselors, advisors, teachers [and] upperclassmen here for support,” he said. “The entire community prides itself on ensuring that you thrive.”
Keeping with tradition, the ceremony also featured great musical performances. Cantilena sang David Montoya’s “Jambo Rafiki Yangu,” directed by Susan Nace, and The Harker String Quartet performed its renditions of the Elvis Presley hit “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”
While the quartet played, grade 9 students each signed the matriculation book and honor code. After returning to their seats, the audience was treated to the annual “Freshman 101” series of skits, which featured students in the role of characters from famous pop-culture properties such as “Star Wars” and Marvel Comics, humorously outlining various aspects of student life, including the dress code, club opportunities, athletics teams and the honor code.
Upper school students packed the campus quad on Friday for the 2019-20 Matriculation Ceremony, in which they celebrated the start of the school year and formally welcomed the Class of 2023 to the upper school community. Head of School Brian Yager opened the ceremony with some words for the incoming students, telling them to “enjoy and embrace the process and look to the students in the grades above you for guidance and inspiration as well as for examples of what will be expected of you in the years to come.”
The assembled students also heard from ASB president Avi Gulati, grade 12, who stressed to the freshmen that the community was there to help them succeed when the demands of high school life seem daunting. “You have counselors, advisors, teachers [and] upperclassmen here for support,” he said. “The entire community prides itself on ensuring that you thrive.”
Keeping with tradition, the ceremony also featured great musical performances. Cantilena sang David Montoya’s “Jambo Rafiki Yangu,” directed by Susan Nace, and The Harker String Quartet performed its renditions of the Elvis Presley hit “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”
While the quartet played, grade 9 students each signed the matriculation book and honor code. After returning to their seats, the audience was treated to the annual “Freshman 101” series of skits, which featured students in the role of characters from famous pop-culture properties such as “Star Wars” and Marvel Comics, humorously outlining various aspects of student life, including the dress code, club opportunities, athletics teams and the honor code.
Upper school students packed the campus quad on Friday for the 2019-20 Matriculation Ceremony, in which they celebrated the start of the school year and formally welcomed the Class of 2023 to the upper school community. Head of School Brian Yager opened the ceremony with some words for the incoming students, telling them to “enjoy and embrace the process and look to the students in the grades above you for guidance and inspiration as well as for examples of what will be expected of you in the years to come.”
The assembled students also heard from ASB president Avi Gulati, grade 12, who stressed to the freshmen that the community was there to help them succeed when the demands of high school life seem daunting. “You have counselors, advisors, teachers [and] upperclassmen here for support,” he said. “The entire community prides itself on ensuring that you thrive.”
Keeping with tradition, the ceremony also featured great musical performances. Cantilena sang David Montoya’s “Jambo Rafiki Yangu,” directed by Susan Nace, and The Harker String Quartet performed its renditions of the Elvis Presley hit “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”
While the quartet played, grade 9 students each signed the matriculation book and honor code. After returning to their seats, the audience was treated to the annual “Freshman 101” series of skits, which featured students in the role of characters from famous pop-culture properties such as “Star Wars” and Marvel Comics, humorously outlining various aspects of student life, including the dress code, club opportunities, athletics teams and the honor code.