Over the summer, sabreur Regina Chen, grade 10, finished third out of 89 competitors in her age group and weapon at the Summer National Fencing Championships in Reno. Ranked 29th going in, she seeded 30th after pools and upset the 19th-ranked fencer to advance to the final eight. There, she defeated the sixth-ranked fencer to reach the semifinals where she was defeated by the ultimate national champion, leaving her tied for third place. Chen is now ranked 26th in the U.S. in points. With that finish, Chen earned an A-2011 rating, the first A rating held by any fencer from Harker! In addition, Chen has been named to the 2010-11 First Team of the USA Fencing All-Academic Team for having a GPA of 3.85 or greater. Chen also competes throughout the year at local tournaments and won the gold medal in her event at the Super Youth Circuit tournament held in San Jose in March. She trains at and competes for Cardinal Fencing Club on the Stanford campus.
The Common Ground speaker program kicks off this year with Paul Stoltz, Ph.D., speaking on resilience and optimism; he will be appearing at Harker on Tues., Oct.4 a 7 p.m. in the Nichols Hall atrium on the upper school campus at 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose. Stoltz is founder and CEO of the PEAK Learning research and consulting firm and one of the nation’s top experts on human resilience. He created the AQ (Adversity Quotient) Method of measuring and fostering resilience, which is currently used by many Fortune 500 companies and leading business schools. In this back-to-school special, Stoltz explores how families may apply AQ techniques to encourage positive mindsets that promote greater learning, optimism, resilience and happiness. Stoltz’ best-selling books include “Put Your Mindset to Work” and “The Adversity Advantage: Turning Everyday Struggles into Everyday Greatness.”
Parents of students enrolled in Common Ground member schools may attend free of charge. Non-members may attend for a $20 admission fee.
Common Ground is a coalition of Bay Area schools that organizes events featuring experts in various fields to enhance parent education. Hosting of these events is rotated among the various schools throughout the year.
Dr. Paul Stoltz’ appearance schedule:
Tues., Oct. 4, 9 a.m.
The Nueva School
6565 Skyline Boulevard
Hillsborough
Tues., Oct. 4, 7 p.m.
The Harker Upper School
500 Saratoga Avenue
San Jose
Wed., Oct. 5, 7 p.m.
The Priory
302 Portola Road
Portola Valley
The class of 2015 received a warm welcome on Aug. 19, as they visited the Saratoga campus for freshmen orientation. After an enthusiastic greeting from the Link Crew – a special group of grade 11 and 12 students who help the freshmen with their transition to the upper school – the students made their way to the gym, where each one of them was designated a certain type of farm animal, such as a chicken or cow. A fun and hilarious game then ensued, with the students making the trademark noise of their animals to find their advisors and advisory groups. They were also introduced to key administrators such as: Butch Keller, upper school head; Greg Lawson, assistant head of school for student affairs; and Evan Barth, dean of studies .
Everyone then headed to Davis Field to practice for their first emergency drill. Following the drill, the freshmen and Link Crew students enjoyed some fun team-building games out on the field, courtesy of APEX Adventures. In one game, students had to help each other manipulate a wooden structure across the field by pulling on ropes to keep the structure from falling. In another, groups of students raced to fill a tube with water, while other students plugged holes in the tube to keep it from leaking. The day’s warm weather was ideal for swimming, so students also swam and played more games at the Singh Aquatic Center.
The Harker Conservatory completed its second appearance at the largest arts festival in the world, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with a successful run of “Pippin” in August.
In 1947, eight uninvited theatrical groups descended on the newly formed Edinburgh International Festival, performing “on the fringes.” The trend caught on, and in 1959 the Fringe became official. In 1994, the American High School Theatre Festival (AHSTF) formed and instituted a competition to choose and facilitate the appearance of high-caliber secondary school drama departments at this mecca of arts festivals.
The Harker Conservatory was first nominated for the Fringe by the now-defunct American Musical Theater of San Jose back in 2006. After an in-depth application process and review of years of The Harker School shows, Harker was selected from more than 300 applicants as one of 38 schools to appear under the AHSTF banner, and “Urinetown: The Musical” performed to impressive crowds in 2007.
Laura Lang-Ree, chair of the performing arts department K-12, has set a goal of attending the Fringe once every four years, and in 2010 Harker was one of 45 schools accepted. Choosing just the right show is a challenge, Lang-Ree says: “It’s about finding the right mix of sophistication and edginess. The Fringe is not the place to bring something that is the equivalent of vanilla yogurt. It’s got to zing, it’s got to grab the attention of thousands of potential audience members and it’s got to be memorable.”
Preparing for the Fringe takes a full year, not the least of which is trimming the show to fit into a strict 90-minute format. The set must accompany the actors as well, putting additional demands on Paul Vallerga, Harker’s innovative set designer.
When the reworking was complete, the set, costumes and props were divided up among the cast’s luggage, and the troupe arrived in London for some sight-seeing, a workshop at the reconstructed Globe Theatre and a performance of “Billy Elliott” in London’s West End theater district.
After two days in London, the cast boarded what they fondly dubbed “The Hogwarts Express,” the train from King’s Cross Station to Edinburgh – known to this generation for being the station at which Harry Potter and friends board the train to their school. An AHSTF guide met the train and escorted the cast out of the station in a slow march behind a bagpiper, giving an air of formality to the occasion and creating quite a stir among the other passengers.
Once settled in their dorm rooms on the campus of the University of Edinburgh, the cast’s adventure began in earnest. A packed schedule of rehearsals, publicity, shows and shopping ensued. Fundraising efforts during the school year meant that Lang-Ree was able to arrange for several group meals together as well as attendance at 12 professional shows of varying genres.
One highlight was the relationship Harker developed with an American improv troupe called “Baby Wants Candy.” They create an hour-long musical based on a title suggested by an audience member, and the “Pippin” cast met them during publicity times and promised to attend each other’s shows. The BWC troupe gave a shout out from the stage to the Harker group at their performance, and were gracious enough to arrange a special workshop at the dorms for Harker and another California high school.
AHSTF arranged for a day’s outing to Stirling Castle via a beautiful coach ride through the Trossachs, Scotland’s lower highlands; they also gave students tickets to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, an extravagant celebration of the U.K.’s many regiments from around the world; and arranged for them to go to a ceilidh, where all the AHSTF students learned traditional Scottish dancing.
But of course the highlight of the trip was performing “Pippin” at the beautiful Church Hill Theatre. Participating AHSTF schools support each other by attending at least four other high school shows, so the challenge for each school is to fill the theater’s seats with “regular” Festival-goers in addition to the high school students.
In addition to the show, each school is allotted one 20-minute slot on a small stage on Edinburgh’s main street, The Royal Mile. “Pippin” cast members braved the rain in full costume and gathered a huge crowd with their opening number, after which they took to the Mile with a three-card Monty game whose trick card was printed with all the “Pippin” information. The cast was able to “trick” locals, foreigners, other performers and, in one notable occasion, two local police officers into choosing the info card, and the hard work paid off with approximately 240 people attending one of the four performances of “Pippin,” including many of the other high schools who weren’t required to attend but who had heard the buzz.
The demands of mounting a Fringe show led to the cast reaching deep within themselves for stamina, flexibility, humor and grace under pressure, and they all rose to the occasion beautifully. The final performance had 125 people in the audience (Fringe shows average seven people), and Lang-Ree was surrounded by other American directors asking, “How did you do this?” Lang-Ree recalled, “This moment was a professional highlight for me; such a huge compliment to the cast and crew and an even bigger compliment to the entire performing arts department at Harker as our kids really are a reflection of their K through Life experience.”
An online arts group reviewed the show, giving it four stars and writing, “An excellent production of Pippin by an enthusiastic and well-drilled cast.” The final accolade came from the head of AHSTF, who asked the Harker cast to provide the only performance at their closing ceremonies. One final time, the stalwart cast donned makeup and costumes and wowed the 800 people in attendance.
Lang-Ree mused, “We were selected by AHSTF as one of the best and brightest musical theater programs in America, so I think it’s very important that what we bring to the Fringe – artistically, technically, creatively – be a home run. This event is not a ‘dress rehearsal’ for theater life – the Fringe is the real deal.”
Enlight’ning, a magazine published every spring at the middle school which showcases artwork, poetry and prose created entirely by middle school students, has been awarded a gold medal by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA).
The judges commented on the exceptional prose, citing, among others, eighth grader Samyukta Yagati’s “Snack Cart,” which they called “a gem. It’s syntactically advanced and strongly plotted.”
The poetry was praised as well – eighth grader Cindy Liu’s poem “Painting” was in fact called, “one of the best two pieces here,” and was noted for its “vibrant imagery.”
And for their artwork, Carissa Chen, grade 6 and Kevin Ke, grade 7, were told their pieces were “strikingly precocious” and “hilarious and well-executed,” respectively.
The magazine scored a comprehensive 823 points out of a possible 1,000.
The CSPA was founded in an effort to improve student publications by providing members with an annual written review of the previous year’s publications. Harker’s “Enlight’ning” has continually received high marks.
[Update Aug. 15, 2011)
The cast and crew of “Pippin” wrapped up their Festival Fringe experience with a workshop with the cast of the American improv troupe “Baby Wants Candy.” BWC asks for the title of a fictional show from its audience each night and improvises an hour-long musical, complete with songs, scenes, plot and choreography. Harker and another high school group were able to have a private workshop with the cast of BWC, who taught the students the tricks of the improv trade!
[Update Aug. 11, 2011]
The “Pippin” cast and crew are working all the angles at the Festival Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland. Read all about it on the Talon news site!
Aug. 4, 2011
The award-winning cast of “Pippin” arrived in London yesterday and will be headed to Edinburgh today (this evening, United Kingdom time) for their performance at this year’s Fringe Festival. The group has already had some fun in London, attending an acting workshop at the Globe Theatre and attending a performance of “Billy Elliot the Musical.”
Alexandra Mattraw Rosenboom, an award-winning poetess and Harker English teacher, has a Harker-inspired poem included in “Black and White,” the summer 2011 exhibition of New York’s Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition. The show, which opened July 16, is in a huge Civil War-era coffee warehouse, and Rosenboom’s poem, “Inside the Construction: The Brain,” is mounted and displayed at the entrance. “The poem was inspired by notes I took during our February faculty retreat,” said Rosenboom. The guest speaker at the retreat was a neuroscientist who discussed the way we develop thoughts. “Because my poem explores how humans think in black and white before our brain processes things in color, it worked quite well with the show’s theme,” she said. The show will run on weekends until Aug. 21. In addition, Rosenboom has two poems in the latest number of American Letters & Commentary, issue 22. More information on Rosenboom and her poetry can be found at her website.
Excerpt from “Inside the Construction: The Brain” by Alexandra Mattraw Rosenboom:
“… Survival in context as the reason for memory, I mistake your finger for mine. The fire hydrant for fire. Because periphery only believes in movement, city snow ticks us through signaled streets. Power lines thicken tulle fog. Colors appear but we only see in black and white first : The perfidy of an oil blackened road ….”
The annual grade 8 trip to China was once again a fun-filled and enlightening experience for all. After arriving on May 29, the students did some sightseeing around the Shanghai area, visiting such places as the Oriental Pearl TV tower.
The next day, the students met with their friends at the World Foreign Language Middle School (WFLMS), where they took part in an assembly at which student Neil Sadhu gave a brief speech about the student exchange between the two schools. During their visit to the school, Harker students participated in a number of classes, including Chinese opera, where they made their own opera masks. They also learned about traditional Chinese musical instruments and had the chance to play them after watching the WFLMS students perform. Following lunch, the students visited the World Expo China exhibition, and that evening they viewed an amazing acrobat show.
Next on the itinerary was a visit to Zhujiajiao, the water town known for its canals and historic buildings dating back 1,700 years. Several students bought live fish and turtles that were released into the water to symbolize good luck.
After shopping and a scenic boat ride, the students then returned to WFLMS to watch the school’s P.E. classes and take part in a tug-of-war as well as several other sports with the Chinese students.
On May 31, everyone headed to the Yuyuan Gardens in downtown Shanghai to see the breathtaking Chinese architecture from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The students marveled at the ornate decorations of the gardens as they were led through the many pathways.
Back at WFLMS, the Harker students attended shadow boxing and painting classes, and learned how to use an abacus.
The students said goodbye to their buddies the next morning and hopped on a plane to Beijing. There, they visited the Temple of Heaven, which the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties visited annually to offer prayers for a good harvest. Next, they explored the hutongs, Beijing’s traditional alleyways, riding on rickshaws to the house of a man who allowed the students to take a tour of his home. The man graciously answered many of the students’ questions about his life and thoughts on a variety of subjects. Before leaving his home, he advised the students to appreciate all that they have in their lives.
The next stage of the trip saw the students leaving Beijing for the Ming Tombs. On the way, they visited a jade factory to learn more about the stone and see some of the items being made. Upon arriving at the tombs, the students couldn’t resist taking photos of the statues that lined the famous “spirit way.” They were led to the dragon-headed turtle pavilion, where they rubbed the statue’s tail for a long life, and its head for continued happiness.
The group’s next major stop was none other than the Great Wall of China. “We took a ski lift to the top of the mountain where we could enter onto the wall. It was amazing!” said Jennifer Walrod, Harker’s global education director. “It was a clear sunny day, and we could see for miles.” Many photos were taken of the renowned structure, and the students were thrilled to take a toboggan ride down the side of the mountain.
A dinner of Peking duck was enjoyed that evening, and the students were treated to a “Legend of Kung Fu” show, featuring graceful and skilled dancers.
The group arrived back in Beijing the next day and began “a busy and long day full of sightseeing,” wrote Walrod in one of several dispatches to parents. In the morning, they visited Tiananmen Square and spoke of the 1989 protests and ensuing military action. They next headed to the Forbidden City, where they were guided through several of its 980 palatial buildings.
After enjoying lunch, the students went to the Silk Street, a shopping center where they could exercise their haggling skills with its many vendors. “We left the place carrying bags filled with our loot,” Walrod wrote. Later, the group arrived at the Summer Palace, China’s largest imperial garden, and rode a dragon boat to the palace’s pavilion. There, they enjoyed ice cream and viewed the paintings on the roof of the covered walkway.
The students arrived safely back home on June 6, ready to rest and reflect on a trip they won’t soon forget.
On June 15, Harker held its sixth annual Harker Teacher Institute to give educators around the Bay Area the chance to learn about how new instructional techniques and technologies can assist them in the classroom.
Various sessions were held at the upper school campus led by Harker faculty and staff members, who demonstrated various new technology tools available to teachers. In one session, Michael Schmidt, middle school computer science teacher, showed off Scratch, a new open-source programming language that is designed to make programming a fun and engaging activity for children and teenagers. Paul Vallerga, a teacher and designer in Harker’s performing arts department, showed how teachers could use Google SketchUp, a free 3-D modeling tool, for student art projects, demonstrations and more.
Other classes showed how already popular tools could be leveraged in new and useful ways. Mark Gelineau, middle school English teacher, and Rebecca Williams, middle school writing teacher, held a session to show how teachers could greatly reduce the stress of grading papers by using macros in Microsoft Word. WolframAlpha, as upper school math teacher Bradley Stoll demonstrated, could be used as a statistical research resource as well as a mathematics tool.
Other classes focused on effective teaching techniques, such as upper school Spanish teacher Diana Moss’ session on how poetry can be integrated into all levels of Spanish classes. Susan Nace, upper school music teacher, held a session to help teachers relax and reconnect “what you do with who you are,” using the arts and spirited conversation as a means to rejuvenate their passion for teaching.
This year’s Teacher Institute was once again sponsored by Silicon Valley Computer Using Educators (SVCUE), the local chapter of Computer Using Educators, a nonprofit corporation that aims to use technology to improve student achievement. It was organized and hosted by Dan Hudkins, instructional technology director, Fred Triefenbach, upper school assistant technology director, Lisa Diffenderfer, lower school assistant technology director and Angela Neff, middle school assistant technology director.
Harker journalism students started their summer off with an exciting and eye-opening trek to Europe to learn and write about the continent’s rich culture and history. The first stop on their trip was the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik, where they searched out stories and took a tour of the new Harpa concert hall, whose artistic director agreed to be interviewed by the students. From there, they went to relax at the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa.
Next on the agenda was an interview with Katrin Juliusdottir, Iceland’s minister of tourism, energy and industry, followed by a day of fun and sightseeing traveling along the Golden Circle, a popular tourist route in the south of Iceland. Among the many breathtaking sights were Skogarfoss Falls, the Solheimajokull glacier and a still-sunny sky at 11:48 p.m.
The group then traveled to England, where they stayed at the Old Rectory in Tattingstone, Suffolk, to complete their assignments from Iceland and begin work for fall journalism activities. On June 18, they went to Ipswich to find more stories. Back in Tattingstone, the students were visited by veteran Associated Press photographer Harry Hamburg, who shared his vast knowledge and many amusing anecdotes with the group.
After a productive time in England, the students boarded a train bound via the Channel Tunnel for Paris, then took the overnight train to Venice. After enjoying some food and sightseeing, the students went on another story search in Venice’s San Marco area. The remainder of their time in Venice was spent sightseeing and working on their assignments, as well as enjoying a special dinner at a 700-year-old restaurant.
On June 25, everyone gathered on a train to return to Paris, enjoying lunch during a brief stop in Milan. During their stay in the City of Lights, the students visited the famous Louvre and toured the Seine river and Notre Dame Cathedral. They also stopped by the Eiffel Tower, where they enjoyed authentic French crepes.
On June 28, after their excursion through Paris, the group hopped a train back to England, this time to London. While in the English capital, they interviewed Member of Parliament Yasmin Quresh of the Labor Party, who gave the students a tour of Parliament and answered questions about her job. The group even got to see the House of Commons and House of Lords in session.
The students arrived home safely on June 30. Articles and photos chronicling their journey through Europe are posted at www.talonwp.com.