Harker’s in-person summer programs returned this year after the 2020 sessions were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students in the middle and upper school Summer Institutes and the lower school Summer Camp Plus attended these sessions with precautions in place, engaging in a wide range of hands-on lessons and activities.
“Several Harker teachers offered specialty enrichment courses from philosophical thinking to cooking,” said Carol Green, principal of this year’s upper school Summer Institute. “These classes were a great opportunity for students to dive deep on topics we don’t normally offer during the school year while teachers got an opportunity to share passions they don’t get to teach during the academic year.”
One example was a cooking class in which students learned how to make everything from French cuisine to cheap dishes that could be made in college dorm rooms. Green sat in on Mark Janda’s class on American popular culture and its discussion of hip hop, observing that “the students and Mark had the opportunity to not only examine the evolution of this genre of music but also discuss its larger implications.”
Students were happy to return to learning in an in-person environment after spending multiple school semesters learning remotely. “I have had so many positive interactions with students about being in person for classes,” Green said.” They appreciate being off screens and engaging in the classroom, not to mention hanging out with new and old friends during breaks and lunch.”
“We are thrilled to be back in person again,” said Alison Ung, middle school Summer Institute co-principal. “The campus has been buzzing with student energy and laughter. They are so excited to be participating in everything from strawberry dissections in Forensic Science class and app development on Harker Android tablets in our App Inventor class to playing games at recess and simply sitting on the grass with friends.”
In classes such as the middle school’s Summer Science Research Society, students learned how to perform original research and engaged in activities such as making toothpaste and designing rockets. English teacher Mark Gelineau directed a class on pirates that covered their factual and fictional history, in which students learned semaphores and 18th and 19th century sword fighting. The middle school sports camp included returning favorites such as volleyball and TRX fitness, which uses a suspension training system to improve athletic performance and conditioning. Students were also seen enjoying themselves practicing martial arts, badminton and fencing.
Thorough safety precautions were practiced at each campus, with students and staff wearing masks and undergoing temperature checks as well as practicing social distancing.
Summer Camp Plus, offered to students in grades 1-5, featured morning academics in a variety of subjects, followed by a wide selection of outdoor activities and crafts as well as special events such as an assembly hosted by Happy Birds, which featured trained parrots performing a variety of tricks. There were also picnics held at lunchtime, and “students were able to have rotations of music and movement, science and art in their morning academic times taught by their specialist teacher,” said Summer Camp Plus co-principal Ali Bo, who also said students “loved” being back on campus for the summer. “Even though they had to wear masks, I could see the excitement on their faces to just be at school with their peers,” she said. “There was so much laughter, joy and learning going on throughout the entire six weeks, that when Summer Camp Plus was over, it felt like it just began.”
In October, Harker alumni Cole Davis ‘10, Drew Goldstein ‘13 and Jessica Khojasteh ‘11 will be inducted into the Harker Athletic Hall of Fame. The three former student athletes will be honored for their athletic achievements and for their exemplary efforts in becoming global citizens. The induction ceremony will be part of the Harker Day celebration on Oct. 9, which also will include the annual Homecoming football game and the Family & Alumni Picnic. For more information, email news@harker.org. Come on out and support these incredible alumni!
Young theater enthusiasts returned to upper school campus this summer for another run of Summer @ The Conservatory, during which students in a variety of grade and experience levels learned the fundamentals and finer points of performing for stage and screen.
The first session was a three-day course on screen acting, in which attendees underwent training in various film acting techniques and principles. “Students spent the first two days learning the art of how to act on camera and how it’s different from acting in on stage,” said performing arts chair and Summer @ the Conservatory artistic director Laura Lang-Ree. “They are on camera from day one, learning the nuances of being a film actor in real time.”
Students also did screen tests and created a short film on day three of the workshop. “They have a whole full shoot day on the third day, where they are filmed on-set,” said Lang-Ree.
In July, Summer @ The Conservatory featured a three-week session that included Conservatory Presents for grades 5-9 and Conservatory Intensive for grades 9-12. Students from each group auditioned for roles in productions of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “In the Village of the Brothers Grimm” and “Star-Cross Lovers,” which were all performed on the final day of the program.
The plays performed by the students were chosen by directors, who looked for works that would be both fun and appropriately challenging. “We love to pick things that will excite our students and challenge them in their acting world,” said Ellie Lang-Ree ’19, who directed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the Conservatory Presents program. Directors also teach theater classes in the mornings and offer support to students in their learning. Students also dove into the study of musical theater, including dances from musicals such as “Hamilton.” “They got a taste of a bunch of different musical theater styles,” said Brandi Reinhard, a director who graduated from Chapman University with a BFA in theater performance.
The Conservatory Intensive program was open by audition only to students entering grades 9-12 who wished to deepen their knowledge of theater and expand their acting skills into new territory. This year’s students explored concepts including comedia – a style of three-act play from the Spanish Golden Age that incorporated comedic elements – and abstract forms of theater. “This particular group is really close,” said Laura Lang-Ree, “and they get into skills that are appropriate for their age level. Summer @ the Conservatory grows with our students and our performers love to return year after year, growing as theater artists.”
The program also received visits from industry professionals, who delivered special workshops. Improv performer Justin Smith, who has worked with the Upright Citizens Brigade and Second City, returned to deliver another improv workshop, and actor Fred Cross, whose credits include “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “The Office,” gave a workshop on film acting.
Live music is returning to Harker, as the 2021-22 season of the Harker Concert Series kicks off Nov. 5 with an appearance by Grammy-award winning drummer Jared Schonig, who has recorded and performed with instrumentalists including Nicholas Payton, Lonnie Smith, Donny McCaslin, Miho Hazama and Ernie Watts, as well as vocalists including Broadway legend Kristen Chenoweth, Emmy and Tony award winner Cynthia Erivo and Welsh singer-songwriter Donna Lewis. He has also released five albums as co-leader of The Wee Trio, garnering praise from respected publications such as Downbeat and All About Jazz.
The Emerald Brass Quintet, made up of graduates of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., will perform Feb. 4. Since forming in 2006, EBQ has performed with highly respected ensembles including Canadian Brass and the Eastman Wind Ensemble. They also have been featured guests at the Gualala Arts Center Concert Series and have appeared on WXXI 91.5’s “Backstage Pass,” as well as the 2009 Brass in Frankenwald festival in Hof, Germany. Their first album, “Danzón,” was released in November 2020. Individually, EBQ members have performed at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Allen Room and with orchestras all over the country.
The final act of the season will be the Daedalus Quartet, which has been collecting accolades around the world for 20 years. Winners of the 2001 Banff International String Quartet Competition, the Daedalus Quartet have performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Vienna’s Musikverein, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and many more prestigious venues throughout the world. The New Yorker called them “a fresh and vital young participant in what is a golden age of American string quartets,” and The New York Times has praised their interpretations of Haydn, Beethoven, Berg and Dutilleux.
Admission to each Harker Concert Series event will be $25, and concerts will be held at the Rothschild Performing Arts Center at the upper school campus. A 6 p.m. reception with hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be held before every concert, which will start at 7 p.m. in the Patil Theater.
For the safety of Harker’s guests, ticket sales and seating will be adjusted to comply with any event capacity and/or social distancing protocols in place at the time of ticket sales. Receptions at each event will be held outdoors. Face coverings are expected to be required while attendees are indoors. Attendees will be informed of any updates to face covering requirements.
Last weekend, senior Erica Cai gave a presentation about colorism in Japan at an event held by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE). During the spring 2021 semester, Cai became an honoree of the 2021 Reischauer Scholars Program along with fellow seniors Kailash Ranganathan and Daniel Wu. The Reischauer Scholars Program selects 25 to 30 high school students each year to embark on an intensive study of a topic related to Japan. The program was named in honor Edwin O. Reischauer, a former ambassador to Japan.
Recent graduates Vivian Jin and Katie Li were today announced as winners of college-sponsored scholarships in the final round of National Merit Scholars announced in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program. The announcement brings the total number of Harker winners to 20. Congratulations to all of the students who were recognized in this year’s program!
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June 2:
Utkarsh Priyam ’21 was today announced as another winner of a National Merit College-Sponsored Scholarship from Purdue University, bringing the total number of Harker winners this year to 18. These scholarships are funded by US colleges and universities and provide winners with funding for their undergraduate education for up to four years at the institution financing the scholarship. In April, Priyam was named a semifinalist in the 2021 Presidential Scholars competition. The next round of National Merit scholarship winners is slated to be announced July 12.
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May 19:
An additional 15 seniors won National Merit scholarships last week, bringing the total number of winners so far to 17. This round of $2,500 scholarships was awarded to National Merit finalists in each state who were assessed according to their academic achievements and their potential to do well in college. The winners were: Manasa Bhimaraju, Preston Ellis, Jason Lin, Andrew Lu, Claire Luo, Arya Maheshwari, Akshay Manglik, Krishay Mukhija, Aditya Singhvi, Andrew Sun, Betsy Tian, Daniel Wang, N Wang, Sidra Xu and Russell Yang.
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April 30:
Yesterday, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced winners of corporate-sponsored scholarships in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program. Seniors Fonda Hu and Helen Zhu were named winners in this round, each receiving scholarships from NVidia. Corporate sponsors award scholarships to National Merit finalists who are children of employees, are residents of the companies’ local communities or are pursuing careers in industries the sponsor supports.
This is the first round of winners announced in this year’s National Merit Scholarship Program. This story will be updated if and when more Harker winners become known.
Harker’s sports successes continued on Tuesday and Wednesday, as the boys and girls golf teams both became CCS champions. The boys team scored 388 to defeat Mitty (393) and Bellarmine (394), while the girls scored 386 to put away Valley Christian (400) and St. Francis (427). Natalie Vo ’21, who committed to play golf for the University of Colorado Boulder, shot a 71 and was named the CCS girls golf individual champion.
Girls basketball made history with its narrow 54-53 win over Carmel High on Tuesday, advancing to the CCS semifinals, the furthest the team has gone in the history of the program. They will play top-seeded Half Moon Bay High School on Thursday.
The boys volleyball squad completed a mid-season turnaround to win its second-ever CCS championship against Prospect High on Saturday. Congratulations to recent graduates Billy Fan, Anish Kilaru, Deven Parikh, Brian Pinkston, Ethan Steeg and Avery Young; juniors Vishnu Kannan and Raymond Xu; sophomores Tyler Beede and Johnny Kuehnis; and freshmen Adrian Liu and Edis Mesic!
In its opening round CCS game, the boys basketball team defeated Monte Vista Christian 74-67 and is slated to face top-seeded Sacred Heart Prep on Tuesday in the quarterfinals. Good luck and go Eagles!
Yesterday, fifth graders celebrated their final day as lower school students at the grade 5 promotion ceremony. Due to COVID-19 safety restrictions, only students were permitted to attend in person. Families of the students viewed the ceremony from home via a livestream.
“It has been a pleasure being your principal for the last two years,” said Kristin Giammona, grades 4-5 division head. “I know you’re going to love your new campus and represent The Harker School well in the future in all of your endeavors.”
Kate Shanahan, grade 5 English teacher, was chosen by students to deliver some farewell remarks to the Class of 2028. Shanahan congratulated the students on completing their journey through the lower school and completing an entire school year remotely. “Your next chapter includes having the honor of being the first sixth graders to step foot on a brand new middle school campus with teachers and students who can’t wait for you to arrive,” she said. “All of us here at Bucknall look forward to seeing what you do.”
The newly minted middle schoolers then stepped up to receive their certificates one by one, each handed to them by Brian Yager, head of school.
Rising eighth graders Ananya Pradhan and Luke Wu then spoke to the incoming sixth graders to give them a preview of what awaits them in their future lives as middle school students, including advisories, extracurricular activities and new electives. “We welcome you and we hope that you are equally thrilled to be coming up here,” said Pradhan.
Harker girls tennis made history over Memorial Day weekend, winning its first-ever Central Coast Section championship with a 6-1 win over Menlo School. It was the fourth team CCS championship in school history.
Harker swimming also had a successful weekend at the CCS Swimming Championships, as Matthew Chung ‘21 became the CCS champion in both the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard butterfly.