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!”
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!”
Numerous middle school students were recently recognized in the 2018 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Each year the contest, which began in 1923, presents regional and national awards to students in grades 7 to 12 in a variety of literary and artistic categories. All students recognized will have their work showcased at local events, and Gold Key recipients will have their work evaluated to determine who will be named national medalists and honored at a special ceremony in New York City.
Students who received recognition in literary categories are:
Brian Chen, grade 7: Honorable mention (poetry)
Catherine He, grade 8: Honorable mention (personal essay and memoir)
In late January, 63 upper school students received recognition in the 2018 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized the work of middle and high school students in the visual and literary arts. Past awardees include Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath and Topaz Winters.
Students who received Gold Keys, Silver Keys and honorable mentions will have their work featured at local events. A panel of luminaries will judge the work of Gold Key winners to determine who will receive national medals and travel to New York City for the National Ceremony.
This year’s awardees for literature are:
Emily Chen, grade 12: Three Gold Keys (critical essay, poetry, writing portfolio), two Silver Keys (poetry, short story), three honorable mentions (poetry)
Gwyneth Chen, grade 12: Silver Key (personal essay and memoir)
Aditi Ghalsasi, grade 10: Honorable mention (personal essay and memoir)
Sophia Gottfried, grade 9: Silver Key (poetry)
Rose Guan, grade 11: Silver Key (journalism)
Ellen Guo, grade 10: Gold Key (critical essay)
Aarzu Gupta, grade 10: Two honorable mentions (poetry, personal essay and memoir)
Mahika Halepete, grade 10: Two honorable mentions (journalism)
Jacqueline He, grade 12: Two Gold Keys (poetry, writing portfolio), two Silver Keys (poetry), four honorable mentions (poetry, science fiction and fantasy, two in short story)
Larissa Tyagi, grade 10: Gold Key (personal essay and memoir)
Joshua Valluru, grade 10: Gold Key (critical essay), Silver Key (critical essay) and honorable mention (personal essay and memoir)
Liana Wang, grade 12: Silver Key (poetry)
Shania Wang, grade 11: Silver Key (personal essay and memoir)
Kelsey Wu, grade 11: Two Silver Keys (critical essay)
Helen Yang, grade 11: Two Silver Keys (flash fiction)
Alexander Young, grade 11: Two honorable mentions (poetry)
Katherine Zhang, grade 11: Two Gold Keys (journalism), three Silver Keys (journalism) and three honorable mentions (flash fiction, journalism, and short story)
Tiffany Zhao, grade 11: Silver Key (personal essay and memoir) and honorable mention (critical essay)
Awardees in visual arts are:
Raymond Banke, grade 11: Two Gold Keys (design and mixed media), Silver Key (design), four honorable mentions (design, drawing and illustration and two for painting)
Anoushka Buch, grade 9: Three honorable mentions (drawing and illustration, digital art and photography)
Cynthia Chen, grade 10: Gold Key (photography), two Silver Keys (drawing and illustration, and photograph), two honorable mentions (printmaking and drawing and illustration)
Katrina Liou, grade 11: Silver Key (drawing and illustration), four honorable mentions (two for mixed media, two for drawing and illustration and one for editorial cartoon)
Raveena Panja, grade 12: Honorable mention (drawing and illustration)
Rani Sheth, grade 10: Honorable mention (drawing and illustration)
Catherine Wang, grade 11: Gold Key (drawing and illustration), two Silver Keys (drawing and illustration)
Elizabeth Yang, grade 11: Gold Key (painting)
Emma Yu, grade 12: Honorable mention (art portfolio)
Anna Wang, grade 11: one Gold Key (painting), two Silver Keys (design and painting), two honorable mentions (drawing and illustration)
Joshua Zhou, grade 10: Three honorable mentions (photography)
Swapnil Garg, grade 12, has been invited to participate in the Romanian Masters of Mathematics competition in Bucharest. The invitation to participate is based on a series of tests, called the team selection test (TST) or team selection exam (TSE); these tests are given to top finishers in the USA Mathematical Olympiad (ASAMO) and ultimately determine the national team for the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).
To even qualify to take the TST, a student must first do exceptionally well on the American Mathematics Competition. He or she is then invited to participate in the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME), followed by the USAMO and Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO and USAJMO).
The top students from the USAJMO are invited to participate in the Mathematical Olympiad Program the summer after the exam. Those students are then eligible to be selected for the six-member team that will represent the United States at the IMO the following summer.
Garg will travel to Bucharest with three teammates and two adults; the group departs Feb. 20. Attending the Romanian Masters Mathematics competition is a huge honor! Good luck Swapnil! See all participants here.
On Wednesday, grade 3 students celebrated Dress for History Day by wearing costumes inspired by modes of dress from different cultures and historical periods. The costumes, each made by a student on a small budget, were worn throughout the school day and included miners, hippies and Civil War veterans.
“The idea behind Dress for History Day is to give students the opportunity to explore the past in a different way and to use their creative problem-solving skills to come up with a costume,” said history teacher Heidi Gough, who started the annual project in 2009.
Students were given their choice of any historical period and used their creativity and knowledge of that period’s dress to create a costume without spending more than $10. They also were asked to be ready to explain the history behind the outfits they made.
“I believe strongly in giving students choice in how they learn and what they do, both to develop creativity and keep curiosity at the forefront of learning whenever possible,” Gough said. “This seemed like a fun way to do that.”
To see how Harker makes history come alive throughout the school, check out the Harker Magazine article published last summer!
This season has been incredible for the Harker speech and debate team, particularly in original oratory competitions. Throughout the season, at tournaments from Southern California to South Florida, three Harker students stood out among the nation’s very best.
For these competitions, students write, memorize and perform a 10-minute speech on a topic of their choice. The performance is highly choreographed and revised multiple times during the season.
For much of the season, Avi Gulati, grade 10, has been the top ranked orator in the nation. He has been consistently featured in the finals of a number of tournaments, including Glenbrooks and Blue Key. Gulati’s speech is about mimicry and the risks of conformity.
Haris Hosseini, grade 11 also has held the No. 1 ranking. In his first year of competition, he was crowned champion at the prestigious Blue Key tournament and has been a finalist elsewhere. Hosseini’s speech is about the problems with toxic masculinity.
Over the course of his illustrious six years of competition, Nikhil Dharmaraj, grade 11, has amassed numerous awards. Recently, he gave finalist performances at tournaments including ASU and Sunvitational. Dharmaraj’s speech is on the enchantment and magic of everyday life.
These three are not the only students who have achieved success in original oratory. Meghna Phalke, grade 11, made it to elimination rounds twice, and in January, while Alycia Cary, grade 11, took first place at the Milpitas League tournament.
“It is pretty exciting for all of these students to be legitimately competing for the national championship in June,” said Scott Odekirk, speech and debate teacher. “I think it is even more exhilarating for them that some of their primary competition is sitting next to them in their speech class.”
Congratulations to seniors Rajiv Movva and Justin Xie, who today officially became finalists in the 2018 Regeneron Science Talent Search! They will both be headed to Washington, D.C., in March for final judging to compete for a grand prize of $250,000. During the trip, the students will also have their work shown to the public and meet with distinguished scientists. As finalists, Movva and Xie will each be awarded a minimum of $25,000.
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Jan. 9, 2018
The Society for Science & the Public announced today that six Harker seniors were among the top 300 in the 2018 Regeneron Science Talent Search, tying with Lynbrook High School for the most students qualifying from a single school in California. Amy Dunphy, Amy Jin, Jimmy Lin, Rajiv Movva, Eleanor Xiao and Justin Xie are now eligible to be among the 40 finalists who will head to Washington, D.C., in March for the final stage of the competition.
Each of the top 300 scholars will receive a $2,000 prize, with an additional $2,000 donated to each of their respective schools. The finalists will be announced on Jan. 23.
DECA Direct, the national newsletter for DECA, announced today that the Harker team has won the 2018 Herff Jones Marketing Results Challenge in Houston. The challenge was to create marketing campaigns to increase yearbook awareness and sales on campus. Team members are DECA member Vignesh Panchanatham, grade 12, and Sharon Yan, grade 12, TALON managing editor and Devanshi Mehta, grade 11, TALON seniors editor, who joined DECA to participate in the challenge.
The Harker team prepared a video highlighting methods and results that won over the Herff Jones executives who judged finalists at the 2018 Herff Jones International Sales Conference. The team will receive $5,000 for travel to the DECA International Career Development Conference in Atlanta where it will be recognized on stage.
Team members all gained insights to the world of print production and distribution.
“I’ve been on the yearbook staff for four years since the first day of my freshman year,” said Yan, “and I’ve seen how much the journalism program has grown and changed and all the innovation and improvement that’s happened inside the journalism program with our whole process and staff.
The hardest part of this project was consolidating all of the data and analyzing it in order to present concrete numbers about our program’s growth in sales over the last five years,” Yan added. “We included significant multimedia in our presentation, such as examples of completed articles and videos from our Humans of Harker project as well as other short yearbook videos we displayed at weekly school meetings to be more transparent with the student body. In the formal presentation, we also featured examples of dynamic pages from this year’s book to demonstrate how inclusive and thorough our coverage of school-wide events is and how the yearbook staff is experiencing an upwards trend in writing quality and photographic expertise.”
Mehta was interested in the business process. “I hadn’t fully realized just how much “business” a yearbook comprises,” he said. “Even though the process of creating a book requires writing and photos and design, the path to getting that book into the hands of the community is all about marketing strategy and public relations. I’ve really learned more about how yearbook is both a student publication and a business through this project.”
Panchanatham concurred. “I’ve gained a “behind-the-scenes” view of how the yearbook really comes together, which has made me more aware of the work and care that the staff puts into the yearbook each year,” he noted.
Be sure to congratulate the team members! Check out the DECA press release! and here’s a link to the winners’ video.
Dec. 15, 2017
DECA members Devanshi Mehta, grade 11 and Sharon Yan, grade 12, TALON yearbook staff members, and Vignesh Panchanatham, grade 12, DECA member, are finalists in the 2017 Herff Jones Marketing Results Challenge. Herff Jones produces class rings, yearbooks and other academic memorabilia. DECA and Harker’s upper school Talon team are collaborating in the contest, focusing on business aspects of the yearbook.
Herff Jones will fly the finalists to Houston to present their analysis, methodology and results to Herff Jones executives. After the presentations, Herff Jones will choose a single winning team and will award a $5,000 travel prize to help cover that team’s expenses to the International Career Development Conference in Atlanta for general-session recognition.
“They are implementing this project to help increase sales and yearbook participation across campus,” said Juston Glass, business and entrepreneurship teacher and DECA advisor. “It’s been a great study/analysis on what journalism can do, with the partnership of DECA consulting/advising to meet their revenue and sales targets.”
This is a national competition and the first round was judged via video submissions. The second round, in Houston, will be in January. Both Glass and Ellen Austin, director of journalism and advisor to TALON, will accompany the team. The International Career Development Conference will be in late April.
“I’m so pleased that Harker is one of the two national finalists,” said Austin. “This is exciting, and it’s the first direct collaboration opportunity between these two Harker programs – great to see the result. Congrats to DECA and journalism on this joint inter-curricular venture!”
Mallika Dhaliwal ’11, who earned a vocal certificate from Harker’s upper school Conservatory, stopped by to share her insights about the world of performing arts. About a dozen students joined her, along with performing arts chair Laura Lang-Ree, for the session. Following Harker, Dhaliwal attended the University of Southern California from 2011-17, earning a double major in critical studies and creative writing from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, and a master’s degree in fine arts in producing from the school’s prestigious Peter Stark Producing Program.
Dhaliwal has worked at large studios including Universal, BBC and Lionsgate, as well as smaller companies, including Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment and George Clooney’s Smokehouse Pictures. Most recently, she worked as assistant to the head of talent at Anonymous Content, and assistant to Brian Yorkey, the showrunner of Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why.”