Swapnil Garg, grade 10, won a gold medal in this year’s U.S. Physics Olympiad, sponsored by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT). Although he did not make the team that will participate in this year’s International Physics Olympiad, Garg was one of only 35 students (out of about 400 who qualified to take the USA Physics Olympiad Exam) to earn a gold medal.
Peter Wu and David Zhu, both grade 11, received silver medals in the contest, while sophomore Jimmy Lin, and seniors Jonathan Ma and Michael Zhao received honorable mentions.
Grade 9 students Natasha Maniar and Kelsey Wu won first place at the DECA State Career Development Conference in March for a product they designed called CardioBand. “CardioBand is an innovative three-in-one personal medical and fitness device which will revolutionize the way people monitor their heart health,” said Maniar. The proposed device will function as an electrocardiogram, emergency alert and a fitness monitor. Utilizing a Velcro harness and an app, CardioBand would be able to detect irregular heartbeats and prevent deaths related to sudden cardiac failures.
The students drafted a five-page plan that includes a marketing and sales strategy. They also conducted a survey of potential customers to learn more about what features they would like, preferred colors, a possible price point and when they would be most likely to wear the device.
Maniar and Wu recently had their plan reviewed by venture capitalists and financial analysts, and are happy with the feedback they received. “CardioBand is a huge step up,” said Alex Antebi of Connective Capital Management. “It leap-frogs the competition with its continuous monitoring and proactive notification system. I believe CardioBand is a best-in-class biometrics service.”
“We looked into FDA regulations and what similar companies in the wearables space, like Kardia and Qardio, had gone through to decide the time it would take us to introduce CardioBand in the market,” Maniar said, adding that research also has been done on target markets, creating “a more detailed and accurate analysis of each potential demographic of customers comparing it to other health wearable device companies such as Fitbit to defend our plan.”
As a top scorer in the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO), Swapnil Garg, grade 10, was recently invited to participate in the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program (MOSP) at Carnegie Mellon University.
“The purpose of the MOSP program is to broaden participants’ view of mathematics and foster their excitement toward further study,” said Anthony Silk, upper school math teacher. “It prepares students for possible future participation on our International Mathematical Olympiad team, as well as for possible careers involving mathematics.”
Garg is one of several Harker students who qualified to take part in the USAMO and the USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO) based on their performance in the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) and American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME).
Other USAMO qualifiers were senior Richard Yi, junior Kai Ang and junior David Zhu. Sophomore Jimmy Lin, and freshmen Katherine Tian and Michael Wang qualified for the USAJMO. More than 200,000 students took the AMC 10 (grades 10 and below) and AMC 12 (grades 12 and below) exams.
The top 230 scorers on the AMC 10 qualify to compete in the USAJMO. The AMC 12’s top 270 scorers are eligible to participate in the USAMO.
Latin 1, all grade 7 unless noted. Every student enrolled in Latin 1b earned an award this year, which is a first! Magna cum laude: Haley Arena (grade 8), Elizabeth Szeto, Abbie Blenko, Roberto Salgado. Maxima cum laude/silver medal: John Lynch, Shalini Rohra, Blake Richmond, Saloni Shah, Sidra Xu, Betsy Tian, Angela Cai. Summa cum laude/gold medal: Sara Yen, Jason Lin, Linus Zheng, Sriya Prathuri (grade 8), Kimi Butte, Maria Vazhaeparambil, Akshay Manglik, Annamma Vazhaeparambil. Perfect paper/summa cum laude/gold medal: Arohee Bhoja.
Latin 2, all grade 8 unless noted. Magna cum laude: Darshan Chahal, Kashov Sharma, Rachel Abellera, Lauren Fu.
Maxima cum laude/silver medal: Henry Wiese, Angele Yang, Catherine Zhao, Vedanth Sundaram, Kyle Li, Mahika Halepete, Bryan Wang, Kalyan Narayanan, Jai Bahri, Jatin Kohli, Katelyn Chen. Summa cum laude/gold medal: Datha Arramreddy, Jasmine Wiese, Cynthia Chen, Allison Jia, Alyssa Huang, Andrew Cheplyansky, Ashley Duraiswamy, George Wehner (grade 7), Jack Hansen, Jin Tuan, Eileen Li, Montek Kalsi. Perfect paper/summa cum laude/gold medal: Avi Gulati, Jeffrey Fung.
National Mythology Exam
Bronze Medal (90-94%): Madelyn Jin, Arnav Jain, Alex Zhang, Aaron Tran, Anoushka Khatri, Aaron Lo, all grade 6; Shalini Rohra, Blake Richmond, Jason Lin, Arohee Bhoja, Saloni Shah, Elizabeth Szeto, all grade 7; Ashley Duraiswamy, Angele Yang, Allison Jia, Matthew Jin, Henry Wiese, Jedd Hui, Jack Hansen, Jai Bahri, Kalyan Narayanan, Alyssa Huang, Andrew Cheplyansky, Jin Tuan, Lauren Fu, Jasmine Wiese, Catherine Zhao, Vedanth Sundaram, all grade 8.
Silver Medal (95-99%): Nicole Tian, Angela Jia, Brandon Park, Jacqueline Hu, all grade 6; Sidra Xu, Akshay Manglik, Betsy Tian, Linus Zheng, all grade 7; Katelyn Chen, Kyle Li, both grade 8.
Gold Medal (100%): Angela Cai, Kimi Butte, Annamma Vazhaeparambil, all grade 7.
In addition, a number of Latin students signed up to take some optional contests:
Medusa Mythology Exam
This is a challenging themed exam, originally open only to high school students. The theme this year was “Hercules, the First Avenger.” Corona Olivae (Olive Wreath): Brandon Park (grade 6), Montek Kalsi (grade 8). Corona Laurea (Laurel Wreath): Saloni Shah, Annama Vazhaeparambil, Akshay Manglik, all grade 7; Jeffrey Fung, Kyle Li, Allison Jia, all grade 8. Bronze Medal: Arohee Bhoja, grade 7; Katelyn Chen, grade 8.
National Classical Etymology Exam
This exam tests knowledge of English words from Latin and Greek roots.
Bronze Medal: Sriya Prathuri, Bryan Wang, both grade 8; Silver Medal: Allison Jia, Montek Kalsi, Eileen Li, Kalyan Narayanan, all grade 8. Gold Medal: Arohee Bhoja, Annamma Vazhaeparambil, Linus Zheng, all grade 7; Jeffrey Fung, Avi Gulati, Jack Hansen, Kyle Li, Jin Tuan, Angele Yang, all grade 8.
National Roman Civilization Exam
This exam covers Roman history and culture. Bronze Medal: Arohee Bhoja, grade 7. Silver Medal: Annamma Vazhaeparambil, grade 7; Avi Gulati, Jack Hansen, Eileen Li, Kalyan Narayanan, all grade 8. Gold Medal: Cynthia Chen, Jeffrey Fung, Allison Jia, Kyle Li , all grade 8.
National Latin Vocabulary Exam
Students must master a posted list of vocabulary words for their level. Latin 1/2. Bronze Medal: Angela Jia, Thresiamma Vazhaeparambil, both grade 6
Latin 1: Bronze Medal: Sriya Prathuri, grade 8. Silver Medal: Jason Lin, grade 7. Gold Medal: Arohee Bhoja, Akshay Manglik, Annamma Vazhaeparambil, Sidra Xu, Linus Zheng, all grade 7.
Latin 2:
Bronze Medal: Allison Jia, grade 8. Silver Medal: Cynthia Chen, Avi Gulati, Kyle Li, Kalyan Narayanan, all grade 8. Gold Medal: Jeffrey Fung, Jack Hansen, Montek Kalsi, Eileen Li, Jin Tuan, all grade 8.
Last week, Harker held its first LID (Learning, Innovation and Design) Vision Day, during which teachers shared with fellow faculty members the technology-based methods they have been using in their classrooms. On the lower, middle and upper school campuses, teachers held special sessions that were attended by other faculty members. Teachers used a mobile app called Guidebook to help them find the sessions, which covered a wide variety of topics.
At the upper school, physics teacher Scott Pflaumer showed teachers how to add questions to YouTube videos with an app called Edpuzzle. English teacher Ruth Meyer hosted a session that showed how coloring and meditation can aid in teaching world religions, and biology teacher Mike Pistacchi demonstrated the effects of teaching choices on student stress.
Middle school teachers had the opportunity to learn from social studies teacher Jonathan Brusco, who explained how to use Badgelist and gamification to promote student learning by setting milestones. History teachers Cyrus Merrill and Ramsay Westgate also showed how gaming could enhance learning in their session about classroom video games.
Heather Russell, lower school English teacher, showed her fellow teachers the merits of interactive HyperDocs, while Scott Murphy taught teachers how to use YouTube more effectively by exploring YouTube’s own functionality as well as apps.
“It is great to see our highly talented colleagues present these workshops right under our roof,” said middle school computer science teacher Sharmila Misra. “It is fun learning from our own.”
San Jose Mercury News: April 27, 2016 – Junior Niki Iyer is highlighted for her fourth place finish in the girls 1600-meter run at the CCS Top 8 Classic.
Pepperdinesports.com: April 16, 2016 – Izzy Connell ’13, now at Pepperdine, is highlighted for breaking a personal record in the 200-meter run at a recent track competition.
The Hindu: April 9, 2016 – Vignesh Panchanatham, grade 10, is the subject of a brief story about his win at the US Chess National High School Championships.
Last weekend, the National Scholastic Press Association awarded Harker Aquila, Harker’s online student news site, with its first Online Pacemaker Award for schools with an enrollment of fewer than 1,500 students. The Pacemaker is a national honor that also is awarded to student newspapers, yearbooks, magazines and broadcast reports. Winners for these categories are still to be determined.
Journalism’s success didn’t stop there. The Winged Post, the upper school student newspaper, took third place in Best of Show for newspaper broadsheets of 17 or more pages in length.
This article originally appeared in the spring 2016 Harker Quarterly.
On a brisk afternoon in mid-January, grade 8 students gathered in the middle school’s multipurpose room to receive special visitors. A group of 20 students from the World Foreign Language Middle School (WFLMS) in Shanghai had arrived for the first part of this year’s exchange between the two schools, continuing a tradition that began in 2003.
The WFLMS students, who are well-versed in English, took turns giving presentations about their daily academic lives: how they use technology to learn, their Halloween and Christmas celebrations and their annual science and art festivals. At the end, a Chinese student offered her solo acoustic guitar and vocal cover of Taylor Swift’s “Safe and Sound.” Following enthusiastic applause, the Harker and WFLMS students departed to begin their week together in earnest.
Harker’s exchange with WFLMS began shortly after the Shanghai school’s founding. Its then-head of school, Madame Luo Peiming, whose great aunt attended Harker, approached Harker’s then-head of school, Diana Nichols, about creating an exchange between the two schools.
“Just like Harker, it’s an ever-growing school,” said Jennifer Walrod, Harker’s director of global education. “They now have several campuses. They have several different types of programs.”
The two schools agreed to begin the exchange, and true to Luo’s predictions, it was a success. “It was a great fit,” Walrod said. “And so from there, it’s turned into an annual exchange.”
Students from Harker and WFLMS begin interacting months in advance of the visit by participating in discussion forums on technology and global issues, such as the effects of media on society and issues sur- rounding youth and the use of technology.
To qualify to apply for the exchange, the WFLMS students must be deeply involved in the study of English, and participation in the forums is required for those making the trip to Harker. Each year, discussions begin in the fall and last several weeks, leading up to the January visit by the WFLMS students, who spend the week staying with their Harker buddies. A second round of discussions is held toward the end of the school year before the Harker students visit China.
“We really put it in the hands of the students to be emailing back and forth,” Walrod said.
The forum discussions present an opportunity for students from both schools to learn about one another before meeting in person.
“I got to learn some things about them that helped me gauge their personality and the activities they enjoyed doing,” said Jackie Yang, grade 8.
Anna Weirich, grade 7, agreed. “It was very interesting to see what [my guest] did differently than what I did in the United States,” she said. “I loved learning about the diverse yet unique culture of the Chinese.”
During their week at Harker, the WFLMS students visit and observe classes with their buddies, embark on field trips to famous California landmarks and bond with their Harker hosts during their homestays.
In the last few years, a tour of the Stanford University campus was added to the exchange at the request of WFLMS administrators. “A lot of the kids are interested in going to college in the U.S., so now that’s just a standard field trip,” said Walrod.
They also get a big sampling of Silicon Valley culture by visiting The Tech Museum of Innovation in downtown San Jose, as well as various sites around San Francisco and Monterey.
The time the buddies spend together is especially valuable, as students from two different cultures learn about one another. on one occasion, the family of seventh grader Leland Rossi read a section of his assigned reading on Chinese history with his WFLMS buddy present. “As we read through the text and discussed it together, we were so lucky to have the perspective of Hu Fei, the eighth grader from China!” enthused Rossi’s mother, Lesley Matheson. “It was amazing to hear him bring his view of the history and politics alive. He loved it, too.”
Students also find that the exchange helps the two different cultures find common ground.
“I enjoyed going to school with them, because my buddy often found ways to relate Harker with her experiences at WFLMS and would often tell me interesting things about her school,” said Yang.
Walrod said the students are extraordinarily good at hosting due to the empathy they show for their WFLMS buddies. “They’re really good at putting themselves in their buddies’ shoes,” she said, adding that many students are initially nervous at the prospect of hosting “because it’s not like having someone over to your house for dinner.”
Seeing their buddies have a great time visiting Harker is a big confidence booster. “They really put their heart into this. They really want their buddies to have a good time,” said Walrod.
During the spring semester, Harker middle schoolers visit and stay with their WFLMS buddies as part of the annual exchange with China. For many Harker students who regularly visit family in China, the exchange program’s trip to Shanghai offers the chance to enjoy their time in the country visiting their WFLMS buddies and spending time as everyday Chinese citizens. oftentimes, Walrod said, spending time among the local citizens is a highlight of the trip for Harker students.
“That has been the regular feedback,” she said. “Everyone just thought they were typical Chinese students, and that’s what they’ll mention to me as one of their best memories.”
Junior Venkat Sankar was recently named one of 20 national finalists in this year’s USA Biology Olympiad. He will attend a special training program to decide which finalist will represent the United States at International Biology Olympiad this summer in Hanoi, Vietnam.
“It feels great to be selected as a finalist,” Sankar said. “I’m excited about spending 12 days at the camp with other finalists who are very passionate about biology.”
The USABO begins with two rounds of exams. The first is a 50-minute series of multiple-choice questions, and the second contains multiple-choice questions with more than one possible correct answer and an essay portion. Sankar put considerable time into preparing for the exams. “The baseline preparation was to master Campbell Biology, the AP Biology textbook,” he said. “Beyond that, I also used a college level book on plant biology.” His 2015 summer internship also gave him additional advanced knowledge on biochemistry and molecular biology, “which turned out to be very useful as well.”
Sankar said he will be studying cell biology and reviewing wet lab techniques to prepare himself for the final stage of examinations, which take place in June. Good luck!
This article originally appeared in the spring 2016 Harker Quarterly.
Harker’s middle school students have enthusiastically welcomed the transformation of several classrooms into contemporary flexible learning spaces. The recent ergonomic make-overs provide positive in-class outlets for their natural energy – including the ability to stand, swivel, slide and even bounce while learning.
These innovative “moveable classrooms” were designed within the last couple of years to bene t middle schoolers, who often have a hard time sitting still for extended periods of time. The redesign has been a labor of love for three forward-thinking middle school teachers: Patricia Lai Burrows, English; Scott Kley Contini, computer science; and Thomas Artiss, biology.
Their students, meanwhile, report they nd it easier to stay on task and learn in class. Among the most popular items in the moveable classrooms are swivel chairs, stand-up desks, yoga balls, bouncy bands and podiums that students can use with either a stool or yoga ball.
“At some point in classes, you need to move around,” said Cameron Main, grade 6. He called the new moveable classrooms “relaxing” and said they help keep him focused, “unlike unmovable furniture.”
Classmate Minali Kapadia agreed. “I love it! I always feel really squirmy in classes and nd it hard to pay attention. The chairs make me feel comfortable. I feel like I’m more relaxed, and that is the reason my grades are significantly better than previous years,” she said.
Burrows said she was inspired to change her room after reading articles about people – both adults and children – spending so much time sitting. She wanted to create an environment that would enable her students to move and wiggle since “that is what their bodies want to do.”
So she brought in a variety of items that would allow students to expend energy in class without disturbing others, including yoga balls for students to use instead of chairs, bouncy bands (resembling giant rubber bands) and bicycle pedals that attach to the front legs of the traditional student desks.
She noted that some of her best classroom discussions now take place as students gather in a circle and sit either on yoga balls or on the floor. She also said she loves using swivel chairs on wheels because she and the students can easily wheel them around for small or large group discussions, or simply move them out of the way for added floor space.
Her classroom also contains podiums, which students can opt to use with a chair, stool or simply by standing. “The students seem jazzed about coming to class because it feels a little more like play than work, but at the same time, when they are working, they are doing so with focus and diligence,” she said.
Kley Contini, who in addition to teaching computer science is also the middle school’s director of learning, innovation and design, shared that he has been having much success using flexible space desks with moveable chairs. He said he appreciates that they allow for individual and group work to occur fluidly.
He first got the idea for the new classroom set-up after present- ing at the Merit Conference at the Krause Center for Innovation at Foothill College. “I fell in love with the center’s flexible classrooms. one item that I really liked was a moveable desk on rollers with an adjustable work surface. I was able to redesign the look of the room in minutes and enjoyed watching participants completely change the layout to their own comfort by either moving closer to the presentation, nearer to a window, toward an available outlet or to be closer to colleagues,” he recalled.
“By allowing students to have the mobility and flexibility in their own learning space, I feel that the needs of both the teacher and the students are best met. Students are able to swivel, shake, roll … whatever they need to stay focused without interfering with other students. By releasing them from the rigid rows of traditional desks, they have been allowed to relax, nd their best zone of focus and contribute to the learning more efficiently,” he said.
Artiss agreed, reporting that his biology classroom has really benefited from the addition of standing desks. He had been thinking about incorporating the desks ever since his previous job as a department head at a private school in Seattle.
“Back then, we went through a complete redesign in the science department there. We were considering what desks to put into our newly renovated classrooms. At the time, there were stories in the news about desks that were high, had stools instead of fixed chairs and had foot swings, which we ultimately chose,” he said.
“Whoever made fixed chairs and desks has never taught middle school!” he said, adding that kids are restless and fidgety as well as really kinetic. “Forcing them to sit in immovable chairs and tiny desks doesn’t make sense. The foot swings also allow students to get rid of excess energy that might go other places. Kids love the foot swings. Students from other classes and other grades come into my classroom at lunch just to sit and try them out. And parents loved them at Back to School Night.”
Not only are the tall stools and option to stand at their desk better for students’ posture, but it also seems to keep them awake and focused, Artiss pointed out. Students particularly like standing at their desks while they are working together. “The desks are big – sort of like drafting tables – and students really like their space,” he said.
According to pediatric occupational therapist Angela Hanscom, the ability to sit still for an extended duration is counterintuitive to the middle school student’s normal need for movement. In an article (http://wapo.st/1PQE8E5) in The Washington Post, she reported that if middle schoolers have to learn by staying in their seats most of the day, their brains will naturally tune out after awhile. “Why do we assume that children don’t need time to move or play once they reach sixth grade?” she questions in the article, noting that “learning doesn’t have to be done in a chair.”
Although moveable classrooms are a deviation from more rigid traditional ones, Kley Contini believes they can be a welcome addition for both students and teachers alike. “I am looking forward to helping more teachers, when they are ready, to move into the flexible learning environment. They just need to roll on over and ask!” he said
Award-Winning Design Firm Visits Harker Classroom
Back in the fall, representatives from IDEO, an award- winning global design and consulting firm, visited Burrows’ classroom as part of their research into the various teaching environments of middle school classes both in the United States and abroad. Burrows recalled that during their visit, the IDEO team pointed out that the new chairs in her room had been ones they, in fact, had helped to create. “It was a complete surprise!” recalled Burrows.
“For this particular project, we are designing something to help students have a more individualized education,” explained Miki Heller, an educational designer at IDEO.
“At this early point, we are visiting schools to learn both what the needs are (from the teachers’ and the students’ perspectives) and to get inspiration by seeing what others are doing well.
“It was such a treat to visit Harker! We saw so many interesting and creative ways that Ms. Burrows and her students are innovating in their classroom. We all left incredibly inspired,” added Heller, whose visit to the middle school was arranged by fellow IDEO colleague Rohini Venkatraman ’06, a Harker alumna. Venkatraman began working as a business designer at IDEO last year.
“I collaborate with teams of designers to help clients solve customer problems in ways that also meet their business goals,” said Venkatraman. “The work has been both fun and challenging, and I am continually learning from and inspired by the people here. The Harker visit is a great example of what we do at IDEO; we go into the field to talk to real people and better understand the lives of the target customer. This project was one focused on the teaching space.”