In late February, AP Studio Art students put their works on display at a special reception held in the Nichols Hall atrium. Using a variety of media, grade 12 students created paintings, drawings, sculptures and photographs covering a vast range of styles and themes. Each student used a central subject or theme as the inspirations for his/her pieces. Inspired by Tim O’Brien’s book, “The Things They Carried,” Emily Wang created a series of drawings depicting famous historical events, such as the raising of the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima, the Tiananmen Square protests and the Vietnam War. A series of sculptures by Sylvie Dobrota illustrated principles of tension and movement that came to mind while examining a knot. Eric Swenson’s photograph portraits featured subjects as they imagined key moments in their lives, such as the passing of a loved one or a climactic scene in a movie.
The Blackford Theater came alive on March 15 for the annual Evening of Jazz, a concert featuring student musicians from all three campuses playing selections both modern and classic. The Upper School Jazz Band, directed by Chris Florio, got things under way with the famous Latin-flavored Dizzy Gillespie tune “Manteca,” and contined with the theme song to the most recent James Bond film, “Skyfall,” sung by Nina Sabharwal, grade 12.
Louis Hoffman and the Lower School Jazz Ensemble took the stage next, kicking off their set with a piece by student Anika Fuloria, grade 4, titled “Jazz in the Park,” followed by Horace Silver’s “Song for My Father” and the theme to the late 1950s-early ’60s television show “Peter Gunn” by Henry Mancini.
Harker Winds, the grade 6 middle school ensemble directed by Dave Hart, then performed their own arrangement of the 1930s American popular song “You Are My Sunshine” and “Cantaloupe Island” by Herbie Hancock. Hart proceeded to lead the Middle School Jazz Band in a set of four tunes, including “Four” by Miles Davis and “St. Thomas” by Sonny Rollins. The middle school musicians were soon after joined by the lower school jazz ensemble to perform Miles Davis’ “Blues by Five.”
Count Basie’s lively “Jive at Five” was the first of five songs performed by the Upper School Lab Band, directed by Hart, followed by no fewer than three Horace Silver songs and finishing with “Malaguena” by Ernesto Lecuona. Florio and the Upper School Jazz Band returned to perform a five-song set, including the Broadway favorite “My Funny Valentine,” the Irving Berlin classic “Blue Skies” and concluding with “Frequent Flyer” by Rich Woolworth.
The show ended with the jazz bands from the upper and middle schools performing the familiar favorite “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
Field trips are a much anticipated highlight of the year for Harker’s third graders. Their last outing was to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where they participated in the Discovery Lab, a hands-on lab providing students with a fun introduction to some of Monterey Bay’s most precious habitats and the animals that live there.
“Live marine invertebrates and the science processes were used during this activity,” explained Jeannette Bhatia, grade 3 science instructor, noting how much students enjoyed their visit to the aquarium.
After their time in the lab, the youngsters were free to explore the aquarium further, where they took full advantage, enjoying the splash zone, jellyfish, touch pools, puffins and kelp forest.
Come May, the third graders will be heading off to the California Academy of Sciences for another fun learning adventure!
On March 16, more than 143 students from 23 high schools came to the Harker campus for the third annual Harker Invitational Programming Contest. The event pits teams of three students against each other in two challenge rounds of problem-solving and programming.
The Harker Invitational is the only high school programming contest in the Bay Area that is organized and run by high school students. Harker junior Divyahans Gupta, grade 11, and seniors Lynda Tang, Maddie Dawson and Wilbur Yang led the effort which included fundraising, problem writing, generating the scoring software, getting a keynote speaker and organizing a college fair.
The event was originally created by Christine Chen ’10 in order to provide a forum that lets students interested in computer science, especially girls, compete. Many schools lack a computer science program, especially schools in economically disadvantaged areas. Even in affluent areas, many schools lack a CS program. One key objective of the contest is to give these students an outlet for their interest in computing.
This year’s contest attracted students from throughout the Bay Area, including San Francisco and Albany.
Registration for the contest filled almost immediately. Given the demand, the Programming Club hopes to increase the number of teams by about 15 percent next year. In addition to competing in the programming contest, students were treated to an amazing interactive talk by Dr. Dan Garcia of the University of California, Berkeley, who spoke about his research in game theory. The auditorium in Nichols Hall was filled with students who participated in several activities orchestrated by Garcia that illustrated his work. The students were spellbound and participated eagerly.
Following lunch in the Edge catered by Harker chef Danae McLaughlin, participants visited with professors from the University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara University, Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Tom Cortina of CMU commented on how well the contest was run and said that he is looking forward to being invited to next year’s contest; he said it was well worth the trip from Pittsburgh.
The contest was made possible by generous donations from the Harker parent community and SanDisk. The officers and members of the Programming Club are to be congratulated for another overwhelmingly successful day of computer science.
After participating in the middle school’s second annual “Geo Bee,” Soham Khan, grade 8, has been selected to represent Harker at the state finals of the National Geographic Bee, slated to occur in Sacramento in early April. Khan also won the Harker Geo Bee last year and qualified to go to the State Bee.
Khan was one of 14 participants who took part in the Bee, held on the middle school campus. He emerged as the winner of the contest, which was intended to serve as a qualifying round for further competition against other schools at the state and national levels.
Each year thousands of schools across the country participate in the National Geographic Bee. Using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society, the highly competitive contest encourages teachers to include geography in their classrooms and spark students’ curiosity about the topic.
During the Harker Bee, fellow eighth grader Nikhil Manglik came in at a close second to Khan. According to Andrea Milius, grade 7 world studies teacher, both students answered all the championship-stage questions and had to go into extra rounds. “It was so sweet, when Soham won, Nikhil promptly wished him congratulations! All of the participants did a great job,” she said.
Following his win at the middle school, Khan successfully took a test in order to be able to go on to represent Harker at the next stage of the competition: the state level. For the final, national level, the Geography Bee only takes the top 100 qualifiers from each state.
The entire middle school wished Khan well during a recent school meeting. Marked by the Bee’s 25th anniversary and Alex Trebek’s final year as host, the much anticipated grand finale will take place in May at the historic National Theater in downtown Washington, D.C.
Harker senior Sumit Minocha is the fastest male runner in all of CCS and was named an Athlete of the Week by the San Jose Mercury! Minocha’s 10.84 in the 100m is the number one time in the league and the number five-ranked time in all of California. His time in the 200m – 22.38 – is also the best in CCS. Minocha put up both of those league-leading marks at the Gilroy Invitational this past Saturday.
At the Gilroy Invitational, senior Isabelle Connell ran her best ever time in the 100m and missed first place in the race by just .01 seconds. Her personal-best 12.59 ultimately earned her second place in the race. Connell came back, though, to win a very competitive 200m, running a Harker-record 25.21. That mark gave her the second-best time in CCS this year and the 15th best time in the state. Connell was named to the San Jose Mercury’s Highlight Reel this week for her efforts!
Sophomore Corey Gonzales bested his own school record in the 800m, landing in fifth place with a 2:04.17 run. Minocha, Connell and Gonzales have all been invited to the prestigious Stanford Invitational this weekend. Congratulations to all three!
Lacrosse
Girls lacrosse crushed Woodside on Tuesday in their first league match of the year, 21-6. Wendy Shwe, grade 12, and Hannah Bollar, grade 10, each racked up seven goals. Michelle Douglas scored four times, while Brinda Perumal, grade 11, Tara Rezvani, grade 12, and Tiphaine Delepine, grade 12, each added a goal apiece. Thursday, they defeated Stevenson 19-3 to improve to an impressive 7-1 overall. Goal scorers were Douglas with nine, Shwe with two, Delepine with three, Bollar with four and Alison Kiang, grade 10, with one.
Coach Berry said, “Harker’s starters set the tone in the first 15 minutes to allow the reserve players plenty of time on the field. The first 13 minutes saw the Eagles soar fast and often, netting 10 quick points. The rest of the way, however, Harker’s younger players received the bulk of playing time against a Stevenson team that has, in previous years, beaten Harker 15-3, 20-5 and 14-4. After spring break, the girls face Mercy Burlingame and the game will certainly have league championship implications. Please come out and cheer on the girls in a contest that will prove to be exciting.
Softball
Harker softball is undefeated through their first four league games of the season after hanging on for a tight 6-5 victory over rival Castilleja. Ashley Del Alto, grade 12, had hits in all four of her at-bats and knocked in a run. Brianna Liang, grade 10, went 3-4 with an RBI as well. Nithya Vemireddy, grade 11, hit a triple. Alison Rugar, grade 12, smoked a double. Alisa Wakita, grade 9, Sarah Bean, grade 10, and Laura Thacker, grade 11, all had hits as well. They lost, however, Thursday, to Yerba Buena, 2-1, in a tight game. Marita Del Alto, grade 9, pitched and performed well, striking out seven. Ashley Del Alto went 3 for 3 with a home run and Thacker had a hit. The girls face Pinewood and Notre Dame after the break.
The victory over Castilleja was the girls’ second one-run win in a row. The previous game, they pulled off a thrilling walk-off victory in the bottom of the 7th inning to defeat Mercy-Burlingame 5-4. In that game, Rugar excelled on both sides of the ball, striking out 13 while smacking a triple and knocking in a run.
The girls head off on the road to play Yerba Buena on Thursday, then return to Harker for a home game against Harbor on Friday.
Baseball
The boys blew out Lincoln-SF yesterday to the tune of 12-4. The win puts the boys over .500 on the year, as their record now stands at 5-4-1 overall. Jacob Hoffman, grade 12, led the way on offense, going 2-3 with a triple and two RBIs. On the mound, Varun Kamat, grade 11, took home the win after striking out eight.
Golf
The boys lost to Sacred Heart Prep yesterday, 193-210. Maverick McNealy, grade 12, earned co-medalist honors after shooting a 36 at Palo Alto Hills.
Tennis
Boys tennis lost to Bellarmine, to go to 6-4, then upped their record to 7-4 by beating Pinewood on Thursday, 6-1. Doubles results: Kevin Xue, grade 11/Justin Yang, grade 12 (Harker) def Dan Saflgrove/Rahul Narula (Pinewood) 6-0, 6-1; Jon Dai, grade 9/Pranav Bheda, grade 12 (Harker) def Brennan Kwo/Matt Quo (Pinewood) 6-1, 6-0; Vivek Sriram, grade 10/Thomas Lee, grade 9 (Harker) def Matt Kong/George Hung (Pinewood) 6-0, 6-0. The boys face Priory and Aragon after the break.
Swimming
The varsity girls came in first in the four-team meet and the JV girls placed second on Wednesday, and had many exciting races and CCS qualifiers. In the 100 free: Angela Huang, grade 9 (55.27) and Manon Audebert, grade 11, (56.28) placing 1-2 in the race; 200 free: Audebert, 2:01.85; 500 free, Kimberly Ma, grade 11, 5:29.27; freshman Grace Guan had a great day qualifying for CCS in both the 200 IM (2:16.69) and the 100 breast (1:12.01).
JV girls had a great meet, coming in first in the first event of the evening! Sanjana Kaundinya, grade 10, came in first in the 100 IM while Karen Tu won the 50 breast. Elisabeth Siegel, grade 9, won the 50 fly for the second meet in a row.
Students at the lower school were greeted with an afternoon of great weather in early March, following a night of rain, during this year’s Jump Rope for Heart event.
By the time the K-5 youngsters got out on the blacktop of the Bucknall campus to celebrate having raised $997 for the American Heart Association, the ground was dry – and perfect for jumping rope, high jumping onto soft mats, limboing, leaping over makeshift hurdles, crawling through obstacle courses, shooting basketball and other fun activities.
Some teachers got in on the action too, as each grade level rotated to different stations for various activities, held both outside and inside the school’s gym. Unlike other times, this year’s event was run during P.E. classes, instead of as a whole school happening.
Students also had the option to take a quick break and enjoy some healthy snacks over by the lunch tables. Nearby was the “Heart Wall,” where they could attach small paper hearts adorned with special messages for loved ones or others in need.
Earlier, while encouraging his colleagues to attend the event, Jim McGovern, Harker’s assistant department chair of physical education, had said, “We encourage everyone to be involved in the fun by coming to the gym and watching the students participate in all the activities. If you have never seen kindergartners or first graders jump rope, that would be a special treat!”
He further noted that students were told that they were going to “jump, run and have fun,” all while raising money for a good cause. Donations, which were collected both online and in person, were still rolling in after the day ended.
The beautiful new Union campus was the site of the third annual Harker Alumni Families Easter Egg Hunt. Held on the morning of March 23, the event attracted more than 100 attendees, triple the number of participants over previous years.
In the past, the egg hunt had been held at the Bucknall campus. So for many alumni it was their first visit to Harker’s recently acquired third campus, home of the soon-to-be-launched preschool opening this fall, and future permanent site of the lower school.
Some of the alumni who came out for the fun family event are now themselves parents of current Harker students (or soon-to-be Eagles). Hearing the sounds of their own children at play on the new campus served as a perfect backdrop for those who opted to take a guided tour of the property, which many remarked already felt like an elementary school, despite the construction under way.
The atmosphere of the egg hunt was playful, with eggs strategically hidden throughout the grounds of the Union building. Adding to the festive mood was a bounce house and arts and crafts tables complete with child-friendly make-it-yourself projects, including egg shaped magnets, bunny masks and color-your-own crowns. A visit by the Easter bunny rounded out the morning.
“It was a wonderful day shared with family and friends,” enthused MaryEllis Deacon, director of alumni relations. “Being on the new campus and watching past generations and future Eagles all together was an added bonus for our special alumni community.”
The 12th annual Diana Nichols Math Invitational on March 10 was a “super success,” according to middle school math teacher Vandana Kadam. More than 300 participants from 23 schools took part in the contest, with several Harker students earning high placings.
In the grade 6 individual category, Rose Guan took fourth. Jerry Chen and Jimmy Lin took second and fifth, respectively, in the grade 7 individual contest. In the grade 7 team competition, Harker’s team of Chen, Jimmy Lin, Michael Kwan, Edgar Lin, Jeffrey Ma, Alexander Wang and Randy Zhao took first place.
The event included generous help from more than 30 upper school volunteers who helped administer the tests and write problems, and performed other tasks to make sure the event was well run. Grade 10 students Cindy Liu, David Lin and Ashwath Thirimalai, all of whom were participants at the invitational in their previous years at Harker, wrote problems for the exams. Liu also created the design that went on the T-shirts for this year’s event. “It is with pride I can say that the students who went through these contests as middle school students come back to write problems as upper school students,” Kadam said.
With the knowledge that there is nothing like a favorite “blankie” to comfort a suffering child, grade 7 middle school students in the advisories of Karina Momary and Julie Pinzás teamed up in early February to create blankets for donation to the South Bay chapter of Project Linus.
A volunteer-driven nonprofit organization giving blankets to children who are seriously ill or living in shelters, Project Linus works to provide a sense of security, warmth and comfort through the donation of handmade, washable blankets lovingly created by volunteer makers or “blanketeers.”
The blanket creation for Project Linus was the middle school students’ community service project for this year. Working in pairs, students produced 12 blankets for donation to the local branch of Project Linus.
To date, Project Linus has delivered more than 4,000,000 security blankets to children around the world and has nearly 400chapters in the United States. Although the organization originally donated blankets to pediatric cancer patients, recipients now include any child who is seriously ill or traumatized in some way.
“What a great opportunity to be able to use our advisory time to make a collaborative impact on our community to help children in need of comfort,” said Pinzás.