This article was originally published in the summer 2012 Harker Quarterly.
Across Harker, new technology is being put to use in several capacities, ranging from how students receive and read classroom texts to how teachers run classes.
The Eagle Store, the new online marketplace for Harker books and logo merchandise, went live in early May, giving students and parents a new way to purchase and rent new and used textbooks. It also allows students to input their student ID numbers and see all of the required texts for the classes in which they’re enrolled, saving valuable time for students, parents and teachers alike. The online bookstore and book list for the fall 2012 semester went live on June 25. Coming soon is a bookstore for members of the Harker community who wish to purchase eBooks for personal interest, and the school will receive a portion of the sales made at this store, which is powered by Barnes and Noble.
“We’re trying to leave more room to make sure we cover the broadest spectrum of possible editions that are available,” said Dan Hudkins, director of instructional technology, explaining the reason for making the fall 2012 bookstore and book lists available at a later date. As a special deal, any orders of more than $99 made within two weeks of the June 25 opening will be shipped free of charge.
Students are now also able to take advantage of MBS Direct’s buyback feature to sell their books back once they are no longer needed. Users simply fill out an online form and receive a quote for their used books, which they then mail back. Once the books are received and processed, the user receives a voucher in the amount that the books were decided to be worth.
For added convenience and to save costs on shipping, two on-campus buyback dates were held in May and June for students in grades 6-12.
A change in policy now also allows students to use electronic textbooks, as long as their contents match with their hard-copy counterparts. This was done to “offer more choices to teachers, and get weight out of the backpacks,” said Hudkins. Upper school students will be allowed to use any laptop or tablet device to view e-text versions of textbooks, as long as they are legitimately acquired and match the physical copies.
At the middle school, e-texts will be allowed on approved reader applications, which have yet to be announced. “We’re going to restrict to things that have an app that will run on Mac and Windows,” Hudkins said. “If it also runs on an iPad or an Android tablet, and they want to download it on that as well, great, but it’s got to be something that they bring to school, and at the moment what they bring to school is either a Mac or Windows computer.”
While e-texts are not currently permitted at the lower school, students and teachers are still finding innovative ways to use cutting-edge technology. This year, a small selection of kindergarten and grade 1 teachers began using Apple iPads as teaching tools in their classrooms. The devices proved to be highly versatile and were used to make movies, perform drills and lead activities. Cindy Proctor, grade 1 homeroom teacher, used her classroom iPad to make movies of her students performing magic tricks. She then posted the movies on Open Classroom, an online forum where the students could watch the videos and leave comments about them.
Another class used the iPads to make miniature virtual aquariums while learning about the Great Barrier Reef.
“We were ready to replace the classroom computers with newer technology,” said Lisa Diffenderfer, assistant director of instructional technology for K-5. “We decided to go with the iPads because they were so much easier for the younger students to use.”
She added that many students took to the iPads quickly: “They already know how to use them because they might have some sort of Apple touchscreen device at home.”
Teachers found them highly useful as well, so much so that their use will be greatly expanded next year. “Many of the teachers started using them so extensively that we ordered five more for the math and language arts teachers,” Diffenderfer said. Beginning next year, the devices will be used by every kindergarten and grade 1 math and language arts teacher and will also be introduced to grade 2 classes.
They will also be able to integrate their laptops into the curriculum using software called Doceri, which displays the laptop’s screen on the teacher’s iPad, which can then be projected onto a whiteboard, essentially turning the teacher’s laptop into a touchscreen device that can be carried around the classroom. An example of this in action would be a teacher placing an iPad on a student’s desk and having her solve a math problem from her seat, with the screen projected onto the whiteboard for the entire class to see.
In order to prevent misuse of or damage to the iPads, they are only used under teacher supervision and cannot be taken home.
For grades 3-5, a pilot program using Google Chromebooks began this year with a small selection of students. The laptops, whose primary function is to connect to and use the Internet, have so far been so well-suited to educational purposes that all grade 5 students will be issued Chromebooks during the next school year, which they will be able to take home.
Students have used the Chromebooks to do research, write essays and receive assignments from teachers through Google apps. Diffenderfer will spend time over the summer doing research on various applications that could prove useful to teachers. Additionally, grade 5 social studies teacher Jared Ramsey and grade 5 English teacher Shelby Guarino have received grants from Harker’s technology grant program to find ways to get the most out of using Chromebooks in the classroom.
Chromebooks also have great security features, as they allow only teacher approved websites to be accessed. “We’ve only whitelisted the websites that the teachers said they want to use for academic purposes,” Diffenderfer said. In fact, the only complaint Diffenderfer received from students about the Chromebooks was that “they couldn’t play any games on it.”
The San Jose Stage Top Honors awards ceremony honored the best in Bay Area high school theater on June 4, and the Harker Conservatory’s cast of “The Drowsy Chaperone” walked away with with the award for best chorus.
The cast and staff was nominated in 11 categories, including best actor and actress, chorus, director, musical director and best show, earning the right to perform at the awards ceremony. “We performed the big song and dance number from the show,” said director Laura Lang-Ree. “The kids were fabulous, tons of energy … the audience loved them.” Newly graduated seniors Noel Witcosky and Tristan Killeen also performed as part of a best actor/actress nominee montage.
The best chorus award, which Harker also took home last year for “Pippin,” is the award the directing staff most appreciates winning. “It reflects the hard work, talent, dedication and commitment of the entire cast,” said Lang-Ree. “It’s ‘easy’ to feature a fabulous lead, but when you can take the entire ensemble of 43 and elevate them to that same level of joy and storytelling, that’s another story. We are all so proud of the team.”
This is the fourth year that Harker’s musical theater program has won this award, which was actually originated for Harker after the judging staff wanted to acknowledge the cast’s work in “Oklahoma!” in 2002.
On March 7, some of Harker’s middle school and upper school students competed in the Synopsys Championship, a regional competition that showcases achievements in math and science. Harker has been competing in the Synopsys Championship for years in both the junior (grades 6-8) and senior (grades 9-12) categories. The competition draws hundreds of students from all types of schools, and awards and prizes are given in many areas.
In the competition, students work both independently and in teams to answer questions in many areas, including computer science, environmental science, medicine and health, chemistry and biology.
Chris Spenner, an upper school physics and science teacher, said that, “Harker students arrive at Synopsys along a variety of avenues: the research class, the Open Lab program, the Harker-arranged summer internships, and direct mentorship by Harker faculty. A few students pursue research independently of Harker programs.” To qualify, “students completed an application form which was reviewed for procedural safety, ethics and minimum quality standards by Synopsys volunteers. The fair is open to all projects in the sciences and engineering,” Spenner said.
The middle school students performed admirably at the fair. Anika Mohindra, grade 8, won the second award in the botany category, while Sneha Bhetanabhotla, grade 7, took home the first award in the physics category as well as second place for grades 6-8 for the Vacuum Coaters Society. Kristin Ko, grade 8, won the second place award for grades 6-8 for the American Society of Civil Engineers. Rishabh Chandra, grade 8, and Jonathan Ma, grade 8, took first award for the physics category, for their joint project. Both Avi Khemani, grade 7, and Manan Shah, also grade 7, brought home an honorable mention for the environmental sciences category for their project. Michael Zhao, grade 8, took the second award for his project in biochemistry/microbiology. Finally for the middle school, Venkat Sankar, grade 7, took home the first award in the botany category.
The upper school students also performed very well, with 27 students earning awards. Sriram Somosundaram, grade 9, took the first award for the biochemistry/microbiology category, as well as winning first place for the Inez M. Lechner award. Prag Batra, grade 12, took home an honorable mention in the med-immune category as well as a grade 12 individual project award. Stephanie Chen and Kristine Lin took home the second award in the chemistry category for their joint project, while Paulomi Bhattacharya and Eesha Khare, both grade 11, took home awards for outstanding sustainability as well as an honorable mention in the chemistry category for their project. Vikas Bhetanabhotla, grade 10, took home the first award in the physics category. Lucy Cheng, grade 12, took home the first award in the Earth/space sciences category, while Emily Chu, grade 11, and Payal Modi, also grade 11, took home the second award in the environmental sciences category. Another successful joint project was developed by Christopher Fu and Matthew Huang, grade 10 and grade 9 respectively, and it took home an honorable mention award in the physics category. Anika Gupta, grade 10, won the first award in the environmental sciences category. Another upper school student, Rishabh Jain, grade 9, received a second award in the computers/mathematics category. Saachi Jain, grade 10, also took home an award – the first award in the chemistry category.
Revanth Kosaraju, grade 12, took home two awards: an honorable mention in med-immune as well as a first award for biochemistry/microbiology. Neil Movva, grade 9, received first place for the Inez M. Lechner Award. Suchita Nety, grade 11, also placed, and was awarded the second award in the chemistry category. Anika Ridiya-Dixit, grade 11, received a prestigious award – a certificate of achievement from the United States Army for her project in the areas of medicine/health. Upper school student Tara Rezvani, grade 11, took home the first award in the behavioral/social areas. Vikram Sundar, grade 10, won the second award in the bioinformatics category. Vedant Thayagaraj, grade 9, was awarded second in the medicine/health/gerontology category. Sarina Vij, grade 11, also took home an award as a finalist in the Synopsys Outreach Foundation prize. Also at the fair, Albert Wu, grade 12, was awarded first in the bioinformatics category. Finally for the upper school, Stanley Xie, grade 9, took home an honorable mention in the medicine/health/gerontology category, while Samyukta Yagati, also grade 9, was awarded first in the computers/mathematics category.
Rising seniors Anuj Sharma and Aneesh Chona were crowned national champions in public forum debate at the National Forensic League’s National Tournament on June 15. Recent graduates Akshay Jagadeesh and Aakash Jagadeesh (no relation) reached the top 30. The tournament featured more than 260 teams, and thousands of students across the country competed just to qualify for the tournament.
Harker also won a School of Excellence Award in the Debate category. These awards are given to schools with multiple successful teams.
Rising seniors Anuj Sharma and Aneesh Chona were crowned national champions in public forum debate at the National Forensic League’s National Tournament on June 15. Recent graduates Akshay Jagadeesh and Aakash Jagadeesh (no relation) reached the top 30. The tournament featured more than 260 teams, and thousands of students across the country competed just to qualify for the tournament.
Harker also won a School of Excellence Award in the Debate category. These awards are given to schools with multiple successful teams.
Rising seniors Anuj Sharma and Aneesh Chona were crowned national champions in public forum debate at the National Forensic League’s National Tournament on June 15. Recent graduates Akshay Jagadeesh and Aakash Jagadeesh (no relation) reached the top 30. The tournament featured more than 260 teams, and thousands of students across the country competed just to qualify for the tournament.
Harker also won a School of Excellence Award in the Debate category. These awards are given to schools with multiple successful teams.
Harker Future Problem Solving (FPS) teams, middle and upper school, took home multiple championships at the international finals (11 countries, 40 states) held in Indiana in June. Chris Nikoloff, head of school, said it all in a word: “Outstanding.” A complete listing of awards is at the end of the article, but Cyrus Merrill, FPS coach, tells the story below.
By Cyrus Merrill
Our amazing success is a direct result of the legacy of so many talented FPSers who have been part of our program, which is now a little more than a decade old and which has now earned over 10 world championships.
The topic at the international finals was pharmaceuticals and the scenario this year involved challenges and complications surrounding international regulatory acceptance of a new personalized (to your own DNA) medical pill being produced in Brazil.
Harker is now one of the single most successful programs around the world. For the first time ever Harker finished in first place in more than one age division and category. Harker was in the prestigious top 10 in the written booklet competition – in boththe middle and senior divisions.
We finished fourth in the middle team division and we were the overall champions in the incredibly tough and competitive senior/high school team booklet division. We also returned to our strong, proud tradition of being the presentation of action plan (skit) international champion (middle division) for the sixth time in the past seven years.
There is a link below to watch these amazing eighth and ninth graders in their final skit, which they were asked to reprise in front of thousands of people at the awards ceremony. Multiple coaches from several countries all came up to me and asked, “When is California (implying Harker) presenting its action plan skit?” because we have become so well known for our success in that area.
It is a big deal to be in the top 10 in any portion of the competition and we finished with six teams or individuals in the top five and two overall team championships – not bad, especially when you consider that this was out of six categories total.
Finally, I am also especially proud that two of the international finalists in the junior division were from other California schools where our own Harker students had helped to mentor and train those very student competitors and their coach this year.
We are now the only school (and state or foreign country for that matter) to have been awarded a first place in more than one age group and in all of the categories of problem solving: 2012 – team and Plan of Action (several years); 2011 – Alternates (also in 2008 as part of an international group of students from different countries); 2009 – Individual.
The only problem solving category we have not had an overall champion in remains the adult and coaches division, however, I joked with the kids that I promise to eventually pull my own weight, having finished third this year and second several years ago.
I could not be more proud of our wonderful young students than I am at this moment. I want to thank all of them for their amazing efforts and late nights spent reviewing and brainstorming about the topics this year. I want to thank all of the parents for their support of the program as well.
I look forward to next year, when Harker will host the state bowl in April, and to continuing our remarkable success in an amazing program where kids have to work to research topics and analyze future crises all on their own. I love the FPS process and its motto, “Teaching kids how to think, not what to think,” but I would personally add “and then getting out of the way to let them do it on their own.”
RESULTS:
First Places:
International champions, beating out powerhouse teams from New Zealand, Great Britain (actually coached by a former coach at the Nueva School in California ) and Singapore! Remember, Kentucky teams go to FPS camp in the summer for several weeks and meet daily to prepare for the competition, and FPS is a statewide program in Texas and in several other states. Some schools spend more than 10 hours a week working on just FPS! Harker students, on the other hand, completed their school finals and then hopped on a plane the very next day so we were certainly at an apparent “disadvantage” with regard to our ability to prepare for or focus on the international finals topic.
Senior division – booklet competition: rising seniors Ria Desai, Sonia Gupta, Pooja Shah; rising junior Nikhil Dilip.
Middle division – presentation of action plan: rising sophomores Tiara Bhatacharya, Juhi Muthal, Madhu Nori, Sindhu Ravuri, Ankita Pannu, and rising freshman Michael Zhao. An amazing video of this group’s skit/action plan presentation is available. Go to 28:54 to listen to their action plan and 30:40-35:37 to watch their amazing skit being performed in front of nearly 3,000 people in the theater and a live Web audience as well. They wrote this skit and designed it in a mere couple of hours.
Second Place:
Senior division – alternate competition joining competitors from other countries to form a team – Andy Wang, rising junior
Third Place:
Adult division – booklet competition (Cyrus Merrill)
Fifth Place:
Senior division – scenario writing (first ever top five placement by someone from California). Shelby Rorabaugh, rising senior. Because of her finish she is now a published writer as the top five are published and sold.
We also had a second middle division team of rising eighth graders Evani Radiya-Dixit, Sneha Bhetanabhotla, Angela Kim, Priyanka Taneja, Swetha Tummala and Neymika Jain, who finished tied for second place in the preliminary round (and the top two teams out of 11 from each preliminary round advance). They lost out in essentially a coin flip/tie breaker or they would have been finalists as seventh graders in a division ranging from grades 7-9, so the future of our program looks good, too! Our one other international competitor was rising senior Joy Li who missed out on a top three position this year, but was “merely” the first place alternate champion last year as a sophomore.
The middle school Science Bowl team, Rishabh Chandra, Jonathan Ma and Michael Zhao, all grade 8, and Aneesh Samineni and David Zhu, grade 7, took fifth place at nationals at the end of April.
The team won the regional Science Bowl competition held at NASA AMES research center on March 3, earning an invitation to the national competition in Washington, D.C. – the middle school’s first exposure to the Science Bowl national competition.
Forty-four teams, all regional winners, took part in the finals. The Harker team did an excellent job in the round robin tournament, handsomely beating all six teams in their bracket. This led to double-elimination where Harker defeated two teams in a row, but unfortunately lost their third and fourth matches, including one to Hopkins who has finished in the top three for the last three years and went on to win the national championship title again this year.
The results put Harker fifth in the entire country, and earned the school a tidy $1,000 in award money. B.J. Hathaway, of Harker’s BEST program, chaperoned the trip in place of coach Vandana Kadam, who could not attend the nationals due to a schedule conflict.
“In addition to the academic part of the competition, National Science Bowl requires students to make a car using a lithium ion battery,” said Kadam. “Our team constructed the car based on the specifications before heading to D.C. Harker took fifth here, too, covering 20 meters in 7.05 seconds. Great job, gentlemen – congratulations!”
Grade 6 students boarded a Tokyo-bound plane on May 10 for the annual trip to Japan. The 18 students, along with chaperones Jennifer Walrod, global education director, and Dan Hudkins, director of instructional technology, arrived in Tokyo after an 11-hour flight and were greeted by a tour guide and an English teacher from Tamagawa Gakuen. At a rest stop on their way to their hotel for their first night’s stay, the students sampled Japanese snacks, ice cream and fried chicken.
Their first stop on the weeklong trek was Hakone National Park, where they visited the Hakone sekisho (“checkpoint”), an important inspection area for travelers during Japan’s Edo period, and walked along Lake Ashi. A boat ferried the group to the other side of the lake, where a beautiful wooded area awaited them. “We stopped at a small Shinto shrine where the kids wished for good luck before heading back,” Walrod said in one of several emails to the parents she sent during the trip. “The kids then had the opportunity to create a wooden mosaic cup placemat, taking their time gluing each individual piece together.”
Afterward, they rode a gondola to the top of a nearby mountain, where they took photos of the breathtaking scenery.
Saturday was special for the Harker students, as they reunited with their buddies from Tamagawa. En route to the school’s campus, the students practiced their Japanese speeches and asked questions about their homestays. “As we drove across the Tamagawa campus we could see all our buddies, families and teachers outside the middle school awaiting our arrival. The kids were so excited!” Walrod said.
At their welcome ceremony, the Harker students were treated to a performance by Tamgawa’s handbell ensemble, accompanied by two singers. “Our students did a great job with their Japanese speeches!” exclaimed Walrod. Two Harker students, Sameep Mangat and Ania Kranz, sang a duet to their Tamagawa friends. During the rest of their time at Tamagawa the students enjoyed a scavenger hunt and a variety of Japanese treats. Afterward, the Harker students went to enjoy the rest of the day with their homestay families.
During their first full school day at Tamagawa, the Harker kids accompanied their Tamagawa buddies to a number of classes, including math, Japanese, science and P.E. Later, they met with Yoshiaki Obara, president of Tamagawa, to share with him their experiences so far during the trip. “He told the kids that this trip was good for them as it made them realize that not everyone spoke English,” Walrod wrote. “He then encouraged the kids to be sure to speak slowly when talking with their buddies and other Japanese kids.”
The students later gave presentations on American culture during an English class, covering topics such as the Fourth of July, music and food.
May 15 started with the Harker students being introduced to all of Tamagawa’s middle school students. “It was a wonderful experience for our kids listen to their peers sing a few songs, including their school song, in four-part harmony,” Walrod wrote. From there, the students received a tour of some of the Tamagawa facilities, including the planetarium and the Future Sci Tech Lab, where they saw a presentation by a representative from their Plant Factory Research Center and Space Farming Lab, during which they learned of Tamagawa’s involvement with the research of crop production in space.
Later, the students enjoyed lunch with their Tamagawa friends and spent the afternoon in a calligraphy class.
The following day was the Harker students’ last day at Tamagawa. In the morning, they were introduced to Tamagawa’s lower school students and visited several classes, where they played games, folded origami, enjoyed activities with hula hoops and more. After a potluck lunch, the students enjoyed a farewell party. “Tamagawa kids sang, played the piano, danced and gave speeches, all performed and organized by the ‘Harker Welcome Committee,’ a student run group who had organized much of our visit to the school,” Walrod said. Mangat and Kranz again sang to their Tamagawa friends, and Rajiv Movva gave a moving speech. The Harker visitors each then received a gift bag from their Tamagawa buddies.
“As the bus drove away, we passed tons of kids and families lining the sidewalk waving goodbye,” Walrod remembered. “Between the sounds of the kids laughing and sharing their homestay stories with one another, we could hear several kids still sniffling and crying, sad to see such a wonderful experience come to an end.”
Thursday began with a two-hour shinkansen (“bullet train”) ride to Kyoto, where they met with Ms. Sawa, who would act as their guide for the rest of the group’s stay in Japan. They first visited Kiyomizu Temple, a Buddhist temple constructed without the use of any nails. The temple’s veranda offered a wonderful view for taking photos, and the students also paid to receive their fortunes, “and for those of us who got not-so-good fortunes, we were sure to tie the paper fortunes onto a railing provided so we could keep the adverse fortune at the temple,” Walrod said.
At the Jishu shrine, the group found two stones placed approximately 20 feet away from one another. Local legend told that those who could find their way from one stone to the next with their eyes closed would find true love. Those who needed assistance would need a “go between” to help them in finding their mates.
Students also had the chance to write their troubles on a paper doll, which was then placed into a bowl of water to be dissolved, along with their worries.
After exploring more of the temple, the next stop was the famed Kinkakuji, also known as the Temple of the Golden Pavilion. The brilliant golden building, situated in a pond, is surrounded by gorgeous trees, with the scenery reflecting off the surface of the water. The students were instructed not to talk. “We walked around the pond and through the trees, stopping to take photos of the natural beauty,” said Walrod.
Later the students tried their hand at landing a coin in a bowl placed in a tree. If successful, the thrower was supposedly guaranteed good luck. The students also purchased candles that were said to bring good fortune and enjoyed snacks from vending machines.
Finally, the students visited a yuzen cloth dying center, where they made their own scarves with stencils and paint.
On their last full day in Japan, the group boarded the shinkansen to Hiroshima. There, they stopped briefly at Hiroshima castle for a quick photo op, then continued on to Miyajima Island. The group enjoyed lunch at a restaurant that specialized in okonomiyaki, a pancake made with egg, pork, soba noodles and other ingredients. “The kids seemed to really enjoy this meal as there were lots of empty plates at the end of lunch,” Walrod said.
With lunch finished, everyone headed to Itsukushima Shrine and its famous torii (“gate”). The gate was covered with scaffolding due to a storm that blew off the top of the structure, but students nevertheless took several photos of the historic site.
The next stop on this very busy day was Peace Memorial Park, where they visited the Atomic Bomb Dome, which marks the spot where the first atomic bomb landed in Japan. The ruins at the site are dedicated to those who died at the site. Later, they delivered 1,000 paper cranes they had folded earlier this year to the Children’s Memorial, referencing the famous true story told in the book “Sadako and the 1,000 Paper Cranes.” The cranes were hung in an enclosure along with thousands of other similar cranes delivered by kids from all over the world.
Continuing through the park, the group stopped briefly at the Flame of Peace, which has burned since first being lit in 1964. “This flame continues to burn as a symbol of the Japanese anti-nuclear resolve to burn the flame until all nuclear weapons are gone from this earth,” said Walrod.
Finally, at the Peace Memorial Museum, the students learned about the events surrounded the bombing of Hiroshima and the effects thereafter. The museum contained artifacts owned by survivors of the bombing and some of the paper cranes folded by Sadako Sasaki, the titular figure of “Sadako and the 1,000 Paper Cranes.”
The trip back to the hotel gave the students time for reflection on the meaning of peace and the fun-filled, memorable journey they had embarked on over the last week.
On May 19, the last day of sightseeing, the group went to the scenic Arashiyama, a popular tourist spot located just outside of Kyoto. While hiking up Arashiyama Mountain, the students noticed some of the area’s wildlife. “The kids were excited to spot the first monkeys running up the side of the mountain and in the trees,” Walrod said. “At the top of the mountain, there were dozens of monkeys wandering around.” The kids also got to feed the monkeys in a special “people cage.”
The final stop of the day was at Kyoto’s Nijo Castle, home of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The visitors removed their shoes before entering the castle, which had special floors installed during the Tokuagawa period that made noise when walked upon so that assassins could not walk about the castle undetected. “Only highly trained ninjas can walk on these floors silently,” said Walrod. After taking photos and viewing scenes and paintings of life as a shogun, everyone headed back to the airport for the long flight home.
Upper and middle school baseball players and coaches took a group trip to Oakland on Monday to watch the A’s trounce the Angels 2-1. The evening bonding trip was sponsored by Kari Wolff, mother of Drew Goldstein, grade 11, and Arthur Goldstein, grade 8. The group was lucky enough to enjoy the game in a luxury suite, owned by Lew Wolff (Kari Wolff’s father). Harker athletics organizes crossover get-togethers like these specifically to foster a sense of connectivity between the upper school and middle school teams, in conjunction with an overall program goal to connect campuses across all sports. Here’s to many more bonding trips in the near future!