Two teams of Harker students performed admirably at this past weekend’s Middle School Science Bowl regional competition. The first team, consisting of eighth graders David Dai, Harsh Deep, Shounak Ghosh, Rishab Parthasarathy and William Zhao, went undefeated throughout the competition and emerged as the winner, earning a trip to Washington, D.C., for the national finals. Team two, made up of seventh graders Rohan Bhowmik and Brian Chen, and eighth graders Mark Hu, Kailash Ranganathan and Aditya Tagore, advanced to the double elimination round after going 5-0 in the round robin portion of the event.
Both teams were coached by upper school students Leon Lu, Kaushik Shivakumar and Alexander Young, all grade 11; and sophomores Emily Liu and Kyle Li, all of whom participated in the Science Bowl as middle school students. With this victory and the upper school team’s previous regional win, Harker will send two teams to the Science Bowl national finals for the first time in Harker history!
This past Saturday, 35 Harker upper school students, along with biology teacher Anita Chetty and Mandarin teacher Shaun Jahshan, visited the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge on an environmental service trip. Located in Alviso on the southern edge of the San Francisco Bay, the refuge is surrounded by uplands, marshes, salt ponds and a freshwater tidal slough. Students took a short walk along the trails and boardwalk and learned that Santa Clara Valley would flood without the refuge’s dikes and wetlands. They also learned about the animals and plants that make their homes in the bay wetlands, and saw a beautiful American kestrel up close, along with three huge white pelicans, other waterbirds and some very assertive Canada geese. Then the group worked in the upland garden area, removing invasive plants, building wire plant cages and planting and watering native plants.
“We are very fortunate in the Bay Area to have many groups and individuals who are passionate about preserving our beautiful natural open spaces,” said Spanish teacher Diana Moss, a member of Harker’s Green Committee. “The springtime is the perfect time to get out and explore them by hiking, biking or volunteering to help in their maintenance.”
Three Harker alumni were named to this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 lists, which feature 600 young stars in 20 different industries. Siddarth Satish ’06, founder of Gauss Surgical in Cupertino, was selected in the health care category. Forbes noted, “Using the iPad’s built-in camera and computer vision algorithms, Siddarth Satish has developed an FDA-cleared app to monitor blood loss in the OR. It’s been used for thousands of patients to make childbirth safer. The company has raised $24.6 million.”
Chadwick Manning ’07, co-founder of ElectrIQ Power Inc. in Palo Alto, made the list in the energy category. ElectrIQ (pronounced “electric”) is an energy storage, monitoring and management company. It innovates integrated hardware and intelligent software solutions to help homeowners and small businesses access more affordable and sustainable electricity, Manning explained.
Following his appointment to the Forbes list, Manning noted “success is a road always under construction. You fail many more times than you succeed. The ones who make it typically aren’t the most intelligent, but they are the ones that have true grit, they admit when they’re wrong and change course, and they surround themselves with passionate, trusting people with complementary skill sets.” When he’s away from the office, Manning gets outdoors and travels as much as possible. “Hiking, skateboarding, biking, tennis and golfing are my favorites,” he said.
Meghana Dhar ’06 is director of retail partnerships for B8ta, located in San Francisco, and is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in the retail and e-commerce category. Her Forbes profile notes, “The eBay alum is responsible for opening 700 stores for B8ta by 2018. The company launches brick and mortar stores for trendy tech products and provides them with customer engagement and interaction data.”
Late last month, the College Board revealed that seven Harker students and one 2017 alumna received perfect scores on Advanced Placement exams they took in May 2017, earning every possible point as well as the maximum score of five. Seniors Akhil Arun and Adriano Hernandez and 2017 graduate Divya Rajasekharan earned three of just 60 perfect scores on the AP Macroeconomics exam, while senior Vignesh Panchanatham earned one of only 26 perfect scores in AP Microeconomics.
On the AP Computer Science A exam, senior Swapnil Garg, junior Ryan Adolf and sophomores Eileen Li and Kyle Li earned four of 112 perfect scores. Harker was one of just 17 schools that had four or more students earn perfect scores on AP exams last year. According to the College Board, nearly 5 million AP exams were taken by almost 3 million students in 2017. Only 511 students earned every possible point.
Harker middle school students had a great showing at the Santa Clara Valley MathCounts competition on Feb. 10, winning the team event and setting a new Harker record with four students earning perfect scores.
In individual competition, eighth graders Alexander Hu, Mark Hu and Rishab Parthasarathy and seventh grader Sally Zhu all had perfect scores of 46, tying with 11 other students at the event. Such a result demonstrates the level of competition in the Santa Clara Valley chapter, which “is known to be the toughest chapter for MathCounts in the country,” said middle school math teacher Vandana Kadam. The contest went to a tie-breaker, from which Parthasarathy emerged victorious. Connie Jiang, grade 7, was among the 15 students who tied for second place, and won the tie-breaker round to officially take second with 45 points. Grade 8 students David Dai, Rohan Thakur and Kevin Wang, as well as Riya Gupta, grade 7, placed in the top 25 percent at the event, which featured more than 400 competitors from 46 schools.
The team of Alex Hu, Rishab Parthasarathy, Sally Zhu and eight grader William Zhao won the team competition by a slim margin, inching past Miller Middle School by just a quarter of a point. This victory advances the team to the state competition, to be held March 31 at Stanford University. Due to their performances in the individual event, Mark Hu and Connie Jiang also advanced to the state level. Qualifiers from the state competition will travel to Washington, D.C., for the MathCounts National Championship in May.
Earlier this week, upper school students donated backpacks and school supplies to children from low-income families at East San Jose’s Ocala Middle School. More than 40 backpacks were dropped off at the school, along with pencils, pens, notebooks, binders, reusable water bottles and other supplies.
The initiative was led by three students: Andrea Simonian, grade 11, came up with the idea and organized the project; senior Amitej Mehta set up the donation through his mother Nivisha’s connection with the Alum Rock Counseling Center, which assists local low-income families; and junior Kelsey Wu managed logistics to ensure the effort went smoothly.
Students initially intended to deliver the supplies inside the backpacks, but “we received a large excess of supplies to put in the backpacks, so we decided to donate the supplies in boxes instead of inside the backpacks to ensure equal distribution among students,” said Mehta. “Each advisory that participated went above and beyond what was expected, which was amazing, donating more than one of each requested item on the list.”
Last week, the boys soccer team picked up two more wins to bring its season record to 14-0-3. The Eagles defeated Menlo 2-1, followed by a historic 2-0 win over Eastside College Prep to give the boys soccer program its first league title in school history. The boys look to finish up an undefeated regular season at The King’s Academy on Monday before starting CCS next week.
Girls Soccer
Last week, the girls soccer team tied Notre Dame San Jose 1-1 to bring its season record to 8-7-1. The Eagles sit in third place in the WBAL Skyline division, just a half game out of second place. This week, the girls travel to Castilleja on Monday before hosting Mercy Burlingame on Wednesday for a Valentine’s Senior Day.
Girls Basketball
On Feb. 1, the girls basketball team lost to Castilleja 37-45, with Satchi Thockchom, grade 12, leading the Eagles with 10 points. Then last week, the Eagles defeated Mercy Burlingame 61-43 on Senior Night. Selin Sayiner, grade 12, scored 17 points to lead the offense. The Eagles finish the season on the road as they travel to The King’s Academy on Tuesday and Crystal Springs Uplands on Thursday.
Boys Basketball
The boys basketball team dropped two league games last week. In a 40-65 loss to Menlo, Richard Wang, grade 11, and Jarrett Anderson, grade 11, each had 10 points to lead the Eagles. Later in the week, the boys fell to The King’s Academy 56-67 with Anderson dropping 16 points and Jack Connors, grade 10, adding 15 points. The Eagles finish their season this week as they travel to Pinewood on Tuesday before hosting Sacred Heart Prep for Senior Night on Friday.
Last weekend, Harker’s upper school National Science Bowl team A qualified for the national finals after going undefeated in the regional competition at Stanford’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The team comprises seniors Swapnil Garg, Rajiv Movva, Derek Yen and Shaya Zarkesh, and sophomore Emily Liu, all coached by Gary Blickenstaff. This marks the second straight year Harker has qualified for the national finals.
Utilizing a game show format with a buzzer system, the National Science Bowl tests student knowledge on a variety of topics, including biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics. The competition was established in 1991 by the United States Department of Energy with the goal of “making math and science fun for students to encourage them to pursue studies and careers in math and science,” according to the NSB website.
This year’s national finals are set to take place April 26-30 in Washington, D.C.
Update, Feb. 14: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory’s Michael Ross recently posted a recap of the Feb. 3 competition that includes more details about the event, such as the app created by a Stanford Online High School student that was of great use to competitors that weekend.
Last month’s Kicks Against Cancer soccer game raised $2,756 for Camp Okizu, a nonprofit organization that offers outdoor activities for children with cancer and their families. Harker’s annual soccer game, started in 2010 by members of the upper school girls varsity soccer team, raises funds by selling tickets, T-shirts, bracelets, baked goods and the chance to kick soccer balls at faculty members in the popular halftime game called “Butts Up.”
“I have been watching the upperclassmen run Kicks Against Cancer since I was a freshman,” said Krishna Bheda, grade 12, who led the effort this year. “I have appreciated how raising this money for Camp Okizu can really make a difference.”
Each year, the fundraiser is held around the start of the spring semester, and culminates with an evening series of games featuring Harker soccer teams. This year, the upper school girls faced off with Castilleja, and the varsity and junior varsity boys teams played against Menlo.
In the process of planning the event over the years, team members have met with families helped by Camp Okizu and representatives from the organization. “Because of this, it has become really near and dear to my heart,” Bheda said.
Planning for this year’s event started at the beginning of the soccer season. Bheda said her team of organizers – made up of seniors Adyant Kanakamedala, Meena Gudapati and Stephanie Scaglia and junior Julia Amick – helped make sure that the planning process went smoothly.
Several other student groups on campus also contributed to the fundraising mission. The Student Council set up a tailgate to sell food during the games, and the Spirit Club promoted the event on social media and during lunchtime on campus. Students also prepared baked goods to sell, and members of other soccer teams created posters and videos to raise further awareness. “It was a great bonding experience,” Bheda said.
The Rothschild Performing Arts Center opened tonight to an excited crowd of nearly 700 visitors. The state-of-the-art facility opened its doors at 6:30 p.m. to a throng of students, parents, faculty and staff, alumni, alumni parents and guests.
Guests included Jeff and Marieke Rothschild, for whom the facility is named, and Suhas and Jayashree Patil, daughter Dr. Teja Patil ’02, family members DJ and Devika Patil and their children, Veyd grade 6 and Samaara, grade 3, for whom the 450-seat theater is named. Other guests of honor included Diana Nichols, board of trustees chair, and members of the architectural and construction teams, as well as many of the major donors.
“It is a gorgeous building,” said Marieke Rothschild. “Harker has been known for its STEM students, and deservedly so, but the talent that is here in the arts – this gives them a home. It reminds me of the Bing Concert Hall (Stanford University) and the smaller theaters in New York. It is 450 seats, it is a good sized theater, but it is intimate.”
Diana Nichols, board chair, consultant to Harker and lifetime trustee, spoke eloquently on the passion the performing arts department faculty bring to their students: “Their talent their motivation, their ability to inspire students and move them to greater heights.” She went on to thank the donors along with the multitude of others, from architects to builders that helped make the 50,000-square-foot center possible, singling out Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement, for his years of work on the $45 million capital campaign for the performing arts center and the athletic center that opened in August.
Head of School Brian Yager then conducted the ribbon cutting, done in three sections by donors, faculty and staff, and the architects and builders.
“Our main program,” Yager noted, “is to prepare kids for success in college and life, as well as to take their place as global citizens – those are the two bookends of our mission. The arts and performing arts are essential to both elements. In terms of preparing them for success in their own lives, performing arts open incredible opportunities for kids, not just professionally, but in terms of exploring who they are, understanding themselves and the world around them. That blends into the second part, which is making a difference in the world. You have to have an appreciation for others, for beauty and for the creative process to make a difference and this building provides a great platform for gaining that appreciation.”
As the doors opened, the crowd flowed into the building, filling the theater for the very first time. In a moment that sent a chill down the spine, in a darkened house, the show began with Laura Lang-Ree, chair of the performing arts department rising up from the orchestra pit, singing a few lines from that old show tune, “There’s No Business Like Show Business.” Check out this video of the show!
Following opening remarks by Lang-Ree and Jeff Draper, drama teacher (and a delicious pass across the stage by Karl Kuehn, dance teacher!), the very first act performed on the new stage was by Suhas and Jayashree along with their grandchildren, Veyd and Samaara, dancing to “Never Knew Love Like This Before.”
Next, Dr. Teja Patil, who was in the first graduating class from Harker upper school and an original member of the Harker Conservatory who performed in many Harker shows, took the stage and delivered heartfelt remarks that dovetailed beautifully with Yager’s comment. She noted that Draper’s instructions to her as a performer were instrumental in her development. Following his insightful instructions to seek to move the audience while on stage one day, “I felt so powerful and confident and inspired,” she said. “So much of growing up is about gaining confidence, it is about learning how to express yourself and Harker theater did that for me.”
She went on to note that, “Theater … really helps you to understand other people. Theater builds empathy. When you ask a child to play a character, you are really asking them to think deeply about someone outside of them self. It is emotional. It is a different kind of learning. Through that kind of transformative experience, you build your emotional intelligence. You gain empathy.”
Patil noted that as a doctor at the Stanford Palo Alto Veterans Hospital, she deals with men aged 60 to 100, people quite different than herself. “They lived, sometimes, quite difficult lives. They have fought for our country. It is not just my job to care for them, but to connect to them. Everything I know about understanding other people, feeling empathy, my emotional intelligence, it was built here, not in biology class, but here, in the theater. This space is physical proof that Harker cares about raising the whole, caring, emotionally intelligent, well-rounded student.”
Three great performances followed Patil, showcasing the great acoustics of the auditorium. First was a piece by Mindy Truong, grade 4, rendering a truly incredible version of ”Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op. 66” by Frédéric Chopin on one of the features of the new center, a Bösendorfer piano.
Two alumni working in performing arts took the stage in turn, starting with Michelle Holt ’11, a Harker vocal conservatory certificate graduate who went on to The Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Holt, who will be trying out for Opera San Jose this spring, sang “Regnava nel Silenzio,” from “Lucia di Lammermoor.”
John Ammatuna ’11, a musical theater Conservatory certificate graduate who attended Marymount Manhattan College for musical theater, is currently working on Broadway as “Brother Bear.” Ammatuna reprised a tune from “Pippin,” the upper school musical he and Holt both played in in 2011, singing “Corner of the Sky.”
Both singers were accompanied by Catherine Snider of the performing arts department, an accomplished pianist and musical director, on the Bösendorfer.
The audience was enthralled, and applauded each act and video in turn.
Marieke Rothschild had some inspiring words for those thinking of trying a performing art: “Don’t be afraid to fail, go out there and fail, go out there and carry that tune, just do it! And if you don’t want to be on stage, then be behind the scenes. The arts have so much to offer, there is so much there! You don’t have to be a star, just try it!”