More than 3,500 Harker community members headed to the upper school campus this past Saturday for the second annual Harker Day. Families spent the day enjoying food, games, sports and live entertainment by Harker students.
The many games on offer included Skee-Ball, air hockey, foosball and electronic basketball. Elsewhere, younger students enjoyed pumpkin painting and an inflatable slide. Food trucks and Ms. Carly’s Café served patrons a wide variety of foods throughout the day, and animal rescue organizations brought in puppies, kittens and guinea pigs that were very popular with visitors of all ages. Meanwhile, Harker performing arts groups from the lower, middle and upper schools entertained large crowds at the Patil Theater.
Students also sold food and drinks at concession areas throughout the day to raise money for their classes. Senior Arissa Huda was one such student. “I love selling stuff,” she said. “I’ve actually made quite a bit of money for the senior class and for WiSTEM.”
Ally Lee, grade 12, a representative of Harker’s Art Club, helped organize and run the pumpkin decorating table and said she enjoyed “seeing a bunch of the alumni and teachers I’ve had.”
Loren Due ’85, one of many Harker graduates lounging at the special alumni area, said he enjoyed Harker Day because of how it “brings all the campuses together, especially with the sports and having the opportunity for the middle and upper school to participate on the same campus on the same day.”
Laena St. Jules ’04 remarked at how much the campus had changed since she graduated. “I really just am enjoying seeing how much everything has transformed, everything is building and growing in a very positive direction and offering students new things,” she said.
Several Harker sports teams were in competition during the day, and Eagle fans showed up to cheer on the boys and girls volleyball and water polo teams, as well as the grade 8 flag football team. Other sports activities included a morning tennis clinic and a water polo clinic in the afternoon.
Just before the start of Homecoming festivities, the 2022 Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony welcomed three alumni – Alex Abarca ’09, Daniza Rodriguez ’13 and Amanda (Polzin) Sullivan ’06 – and the entire 2007-08 girls varsity volleyball team into the Harker Athletic Hall of Fame.
As the varsity football Homecoming game against the Delta Charter Dragons approached, attendees moved to the bleachers at Davis Field to view the third-place tug-of-war contest between the juniors and seniors, which ended in a victory for the Class of 2024. The crowd also enjoyed pre-game appearances by Junior Cheerleaders and the Eaglets, as well as the Harker Choir’s rendition of The Harker School Song and the National Anthem.
The Eagles took control of the game early, surging to a 35-12 lead by halftime. This year’s halftime entertainment was provided by the Harker Cheer Quad and the Harker Dance Company, and the crowd was also treated to the finals of the tug-of-war contest, which saw the sophomores declared champions. Halftime festivities concluded with the crowning of seniors Atri Banerjee and Sawyer Lai as the 2022 Homecoming Royals. In the second half, the Eagles cruised to a 48-20 victory to improve their record to 5-1.
An estimated 2,500 people visited the upper school campus on Oct. 9 for the inaugural Harker Day, which combined two Harker traditions – the Family & Alumni Picnic and Homecoming – into a full day of games, food, sports and more.
Attendees traversed the campus, playing a variety of games, including Dance Dance Revolution, air hockey and Skee-Ball. Ms. Carly’s Café, Yoshi and ABVE the Basics served many different kinds of food throughout the day and people packed the Patil Theater to watch performances from lower, middle and upper school performing arts groups. Mini Cat Town, a San Jose-based cat rescue organization, had one of the more popular attractions at the event, as guests flocked there to play with adorable kittens.
Students in attendance were glad to see the community reunite in person after so many months away. “I think the community bonding here is a really nice thing,” said Harshini Chaturdevala, grade 10. “Everyone from all the campuses getting together, it’s a really fun experience.”
Loren Due MS ’85, who lounged at the special alumni meetup area, enjoyed returning to Harker to see “all the teachers and students and staff. It’s great seeing all the activities here.” Due noted that he had seen how the original Family & Alumni Picnic evolved and looked forward to seeing what was in store for Harker Day. “It’s a good carryover from Howard Nichols’ original idea of bringing a community together,” he said.
In the afternoon, the Harker Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place, honoring Cole Davis ’10, Drew Goldstein ’13 and Jessica Khojasteh ’11 for their athletic achievements as well as the example they set in becoming global citizens.
In addition to the Homecoming football game, the JV and varsity boys water polo, JV and varsity girls volleyball and varsity girls water polo teams were also in competition, with fans showing their support. Varsity boys and girls water polo, JV boys water polo and JV girls volleyball all picked up wins, while varsity girls volleyball fell to Castilleja.
Toward the evening, guests moved to Davis Field for the start of the 2021 Homecoming festivities, including the tug-of-war contest between the freshman and the sophomores, which was won by the Class of 2024. After two intense quarters of football between the Eagles and visitors Marina High School, audiences enjoyed performances by the Harker cheer squad and the Harker Dance Company and watched the tug-of-war finals between the classes of 2022 and 2025, in which the seniors emerged victorious. The Homecoming game ended with the Eagles falling to Marina with a final score of 26-42.
Last week, the lower school library hosted its annual Book Fair, where attendees partook of a wide selection of books for all reading levels. A variety of fiction (from sci-fi to historical fiction to mysteries) and non-fiction (history, sports and biographies) were available for both children and adults.
“The Book Fair promotes reading at all levels, and provides more books to our community,” said lower school librarian Kathy Clark. Because the Book Fair coincided with Grandparents’ Day on Friday, “parents and grandparents purchase books that their students are interested in reading, titles for summer reading and gifts,” she continued. Families also often show their generosity and gratitude to Harker teachers by purchasing books for the classrooms. Money raised by the Book Fair goes into library budget so that more books can be purchased.
By Clark’s estimation, the Book Fair started in 1998 and was first held in the lower school gym’s lobby. In addition to being a great way to find new books, the Book Fair also fosters “a sense of community!” Clark said. “Students and their friends meet in the library, sharing the books they find. Parents meet in the library too, talking about the books their students want to read. Our library staff spends a lot of time recommending titles that are appropriate for the various age levels, and it gives us a chance to get to know the parents a little better.”
Parents also get involved with the Book Fair by volunteering to run the cash registers and assist students in finding books that interest them. “We can’t operate the fair without them,” said Clark. “Some volunteers return year after year because they enjoy working during the fair.”
Last week, the lower school library hosted its annual Book Fair, where attendees partook of a wide selection of books for all reading levels. A variety of fiction (from sci-fi to historical fiction to mysteries) and non-fiction (history, sports and biographies) were available for both children and adults.
“The Book Fair promotes reading at all levels, and provides more books to our community,” said lower school librarian Kathy Clark. Because the Book Fair coincided with Grandparents’ Day on Friday, “parents and grandparents purchase books that their students are interested in reading, titles for summer reading and gifts,” she continued. Families also often show their generosity and gratitude to Harker teachers by purchasing books for the classrooms. Money raised by the Book Fair goes into library budget so that more books can be purchased.
By Clark’s estimation, the Book Fair started in 1998 and was first held in the lower school gym’s lobby. In addition to being a great way to find new books, the Book Fair also fosters “a sense of community!” Clark said. “Students and their friends meet in the library, sharing the books they find. Parents meet in the library too, talking about the books their students want to read. Our library staff spends a lot of time recommending titles that are appropriate for the various age levels, and it gives us a chance to get to know the parents a little better.”
Parents also get involved with the Book Fair by volunteering to run the cash registers and assist students in finding books that interest them. “We can’t operate the fair without them,” said Clark. “Some volunteers return year after year because they enjoy working during the fair.”
Last week, the lower school library hosted its annual Book Fair, where attendees partook of a wide selection of books for all reading levels. A variety of fiction (from sci-fi to historical fiction to mysteries) and non-fiction (history, sports and biographies) were available for both children and adults.
“The Book Fair promotes reading at all levels, and provides more books to our community,” said lower school librarian Kathy Clark. Because the Book Fair coincided with Grandparents’ Day on Friday, “parents and grandparents purchase books that their students are interested in reading, titles for summer reading and gifts,” she continued. Families also often show their generosity and gratitude to Harker teachers by purchasing books for the classrooms. Money raised by the Book Fair goes into library budget so that more books can be purchased.
By Clark’s estimation, the Book Fair started in 1998 and was first held in the lower school gym’s lobby. In addition to being a great way to find new books, the Book Fair also fosters “a sense of community!” Clark said. “Students and their friends meet in the library, sharing the books they find. Parents meet in the library too, talking about the books their students want to read. Our library staff spends a lot of time recommending titles that are appropriate for the various age levels, and it gives us a chance to get to know the parents a little better.”
Parents also get involved with the Book Fair by volunteering to run the cash registers and assist students in finding books that interest them. “We can’t operate the fair without them,” said Clark. “Some volunteers return year after year because they enjoy working during the fair.”