The award-winning cast and crew of “Pippin” will put on a special show prior to traveling to the 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe at 7 p.m. on Fri., July 29 at the Blackford Theater. Tickets are $15 reserved and $10 at the door, if available, but be aware that the show sold out during its spring run. The cast will be presenting the play in its Fringe iteration, so audiences will see the cast run into a blank space, prepare the sets, perform the show, dismantle the sets and leave the theater, in accordance with the Fringe’s strict 90-minute “in-and-out” policy.
Plenty of food will be available at the venue. The content of the play is mature, so we recommend attendance only by those middle school-aged and up. Tickets can be purchased by anyone through Vendini and through tickets@harker.org for parents who’d like to charge to their accounts.
Directed by Laura Lang-Ree, performing arts department chair K-12, “Pippin” is a coming-of-age tale based loosely on the life of Pepin, Charlemagne’s son. “Pippin” was chosen by Lang-Ree for its appeal at the festival, where it would “resonate with our young American and European audiences who, like Pippin, are trying to find their way in these times of global economic depression and civic revolution,” she said.
The production showcases the depth of Conservatory members with a compelling and edgy choice that Lang-Ree expects to draw in a sophisticated audience at the festival, an influential launching pad for theatrical trends.
Pippin’s journey is framed by a theatrical troupe of players who manifest for him the various vignettes he lives out. These sly and darkly irreverent players, directed by Lang-Ree to represent “the darkness in Pippin’s mind and the negativity that can eat away at all of us,” flesh out the environment of voices and dancers who surround the plot.
Lang-Ree framed the production as a contemplation of the “too-hyped American Dream,” where one man is “told that he can have it all if he just works hard enough.” “When you’re extraordinary, you think of extraordinary things,” Pippin tells us early on, lamenting, “Here I am, to seize my day – if someone would just tell me when the hell it is.” In the end, he sings, “I wanted such a little thing from life. I wanted so much.”
Don’t miss the chance to see the Fringe version of this terrific show!
To read the full review, search on “Pippin” in Harker News Online.
The Harker Summer Camp for students in grades 1-6 is both academically stimulating and tons of fun! In the morning, students grouped by age study language arts, math and an elective of their choice. The first session, June 20 through July 15, is in full swing and students are finding the work fun and interesting.
Classes don’t have homework and the second half of the day is pure fun. Students participate in group activities including arts and crafts, circus arts, slip and slide and relay races. In addition, students get a chance to spend time in the swimming pool both during group time and during Special Interest time, from 3:30 to 5 p.m., if desired. Students can play with friends outside their group and participate in crafts, games and more.
Christopher Smith, who will be going into grade 6 at Harker in the fall, has the usual morning regimen of Learning Opportunities in Literature (LOL), math and Truth or Folklore for an elective, and will take Go Green for his elective the last two weeks of his four-week session.
For him, the best thing about coming to Harker is “just the environment and the teachers, all the nice people you meet. My favorite part of the day is when we get together with the other classes and play games — it’s a rivalry, and swimming is fun because they teach you how to play water polo.”
Ilana Josephson, age 10 and going into grade 5, said she likes Harker camps because, “It is kind of fun meeting new people and not being bored at home,” and loves the swimming component because “it’s really hot!”
Brooklyn Cicero, who attends Harker during the school year and will be in grade 2, also likes the swimming. “I like friendship recess,” where groups of dfferent ages mix to play games, she added.
Field trips are a nice diversion for campers and include a variety of outings. Harker’s own transportation director organizes the bus, group leaders, counselors and camp directors lead and supervise. “Yesterday we went to LazerQuest,” said Smith. “That was so much fun.”
Fellow camper Sebastian Casellas also enjoyed the laser tag trip and looks forward to the other outings during his session. “In the third week, I think we have having an overnight here,” he noted, “and in the last week we are going to an ice rink.”
Casellas is in his fifth year at Harker Summer Camp. “This is actually my favorite camp here. In the morning I take LOL then math or Truth or Folklore.” In the afternoon, he enjoys the recreational activities. “I like hanging out with all my friends that I meet every day, I like going to the game room, I like swimming, I like playing on the playground,” said Casellas. And he clearly enjoys the overall experience! “The counselors are the nicest people on earth — they are really nice to me, they are really inviting and all the kids here are super-nice and they just speak to me really well — they are really nice to me,” he said.
This summer, middle and high school students are seizing the opportunity to gain school credit and enhance their overall educational experience by attending classes at Harker’s Summer Institute, which runs through Aug. 12. Classes at this year’s program are being offered in three categories: for-credit, upper school enrichment and middle school enrichment.
For-credit courses provide students an opportunity to earn academic credit through a variety of rigorous courses in math, arts and technology. The small class sizes ensure that students will receive the right amount of individual attention. Students enrolled in middle and upper school enrichment classes are taking advantage of programs that foster their interests. Classes in these programs include everything from pre-calculus to robotics to musical improvisation, all taught by dedicated, skillful and experience instructors.
J Gaston, who teaches graphic arts and photography, thinks students benefit both from the small class sizes and the longer class sessions. “The four-hour classes give the opportunity to get in-depth with projects and take the time that the process of art and design really requires,” he said. “We do end up getting more done, simply because the students can complete the projects without having to start and stop.”
Joshua Beavin, a Harker student who will start grade 12 in the fall, is enrolled in Gaston’s photography class and enjoys the time he is allowed to focus on the subject matter. “I think the summer’s a really good time to take these classes, especially because most of them require several hours to really focus on your work,” he said.
Another Harker student, Anisha Padwekar, who will be in grade 10 in the fall, is enrolled in Graphic Arts and AP Chemistry. She enjoys the small class sizes, and Summer Institute also allows her to experiment with other academic areas that she may be interested in exploring further in her later high school career. “I was planning on taking AP Studio Art in my senior year,” she said, “but I wasn’t sure what type of art I wanted to do.”
In addition to the academic courses, this year the Summer Institute also offers an after-class activity program, wherein students can remain on campus for a wide variety activities, including studying, swimming, crafts, games and more. Students can choose which weeks to sign up for the program to make sure that it meets their class schedules.
[Update #3: July 5, 2011]
Coxswain Colby Rapson ’10 and University of California, Berkeley’s freshman crew won the 2011 Henley Royal Regatta Temple Challenge Cup on July 3, capping off an undefeated season after soaring past the Netherlands’ Amsterdamsche Studenten Roeivereeninging Nereus to win by four-and-a-half lengths. Their finish time equaled a course record they set the previous day, winning over Harvard by one-and-a-quarter lengths.
[Update #2: July 1, 2011]
The University of California, Berkeley’s freshman crew, including coxswain Colby Rapson ’10, continued their winning streak earlier today in London at the Henley Royal Regatta. Competing in the Temple Challenge Cup, Cal beat Imperial College London by two-and-a-half lengths. The regatta continues through Sun., July 3. Go, Colby!
[Update: June 30, 2011]
The University of California, Berkeley’s freshman men’s rowing squad, including Colby Rapson ’10 as coxswain, earned another victory and set two records at Henley-on-Thames in the Temple Challenge Cup. The squad beat the University of Groningen, Netherlands by two-and-a-quarter lengths, breaking both the Barrier and Fawley records with times of 1.46 and 3.00, each one second beneath the previous record. The Barrier record of 1.47 was set in 1995 by Oxford Brookes University and tied by U.K. and U.S. teams four times, last by the University of Washington in 2010. Shortly after Cal set the record today, it was tied in another match, but Cal’s freshman squad will hold the record until broken. The Fawley record was set by Oxford Brookes in 1995 as well, but has not been matched until Cal’s team broke it, today.
June 29, 2011
Colby Rapson ’10 and the University of California, Berkeley’s freshman men’s rowing squad have claimed a first-round victory over the University of Warwick at the Henley Royal Regatta. The event takes place June 29 through July 1 at Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, on the River Thames, a competition that dates back to 1839 and has been held every year, canceled only for the two World Wars. In May, the Cal men’s team won the Pac-10 championship and in June won the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship. Rapson is the first woman coxswain recruited by the team.
In early June, recent graduate Vladimir Sepetov and rising senior Jessica Lin attended a special ceremony held at Carnegie Hall in New York City for the national winners of this year’s Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Sepetov received a silver medal award for mixed media, and Lin won a silver medal in the novel writing category.
“It was awesome,” Sepetov recalled. “A lot of really talented students were there and it was really amazing to see the breadth of work that won and was exhibited.” One of the highlights for Sepetov was seeing famed conceptual artist John Baldessari speak at the ceremony. “I was actually able to meet him before the ceremony for a quick handshake,” Sepetov said. “It was super cool.”
“It was really magical to be surrounded by other young artists who share amazing dedication and passion for the arts,” Lin said. “Everyone became friends really quickly, and we took turns telling the crazy stories behind our projects.”
Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk also appeared as a surprise guest speaker, as he was one of the judges for new video game category. The Empire State Building was also illuminated during the night of the ceremony.
The day after the ceremony, Scholastic’s “Talk & Tours” program gave attendees the opportunity to view lectures and get a better view at various art and design programs. Sepetov went to a lecture at the School of Visual Arts that discussed how the arts could be used to benefit society. “I plan on majoring in design next year so it was really cool to get another look at design professionally,” Sepetov said.
Both students looked back fondly on their experience participating in the competition. “As a young writer/painter/sculptor/etc., there’s a lot of uncertainty about your work and you don’t really know where to start,” said Lin. “The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards gives young artists an opportunity to gain recognition and confidence.”
After a long overnight train to Venice, Italy, the traveling journalism students and teacher Chris Daren arrived at a new city and country. “We took water taxis to San Marco Square and rolled, carried and dragged the luggage about 300-400 yards to our hotel,” said Daren. “Some students are wishing they would have listened about what size of luggage to bring!”
After quick showers, students went off to find food groups of four or more. “Of course, many decided that the perfect way to finish their meals was with gelato,” said Daren. “So far one student is up to 10 scoops (they are small)!” The group later went to dinner at the new Hard Rock Café in preparation for a tough day on the streets where finding a story, photo work and sightseeing are on the agenda, said Daren.
Gentry Magazine – June 2011: The Harker “Dream Big” Fashion Show fundraiser was recapped with a full page in the June 2011 (page 46) issue of Gentry. Harker community members featured included Hemant and Monisha Bheda and son Pranav, grade 10; Chris Douglas and sister-in-law, Cathleen Douglas; Gary and Pooja Gauba; Trevor Creary with sons Matthew, grade 5 and Chris McCallaCreary, grade 12; and Archana Sathaye and Christine Davis. Other photos from the event include runway shots of Sally Zhu and Annalyn Bean, both K; Amanda Kalb, grade 10; Brianna Tran and Clara Blickenstaff, both grade 12; John Davis at the live auction; and a touching photo of honorary chair Diana Nichols, receiving flowers from a student on stage. Please click here to view it.
San Jose Mercury News – June 8, 2011: Class of 2011 member Karthik Dhore was named a member of the Mercury News’ Boys Tennis First Team.
San Jose Mercury News – May 24, 2011: Recent graduates and Intel Science Talent Search finalists Rohan Mahajan and Nikhil Parthasarathy are mentioned in an article about the children of immigrants in science competitions.
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal – May 13, 2011: This year’s fashion show is covered in the “Valley Life” section with a pair of captioned photos. The first photo shows lower school dean Joe Connolly and parent Phillip King (Amanda, recent upper school graduate). Directly below is another photo of parent Trevor Creary with his sons Matthew McCallaCreary, grade 5, and Chris McCallaCreary, recent upper school graduate.
San Jose Mercury News – April 20, 2011: Softball player Alison Rugar, rising junior, is mentioned in Varsity Extra’s Highlight Reel section for her 13-strikeout game against Mercy-Burlingame.
The Future Problem Solving Program International (FPSPI) has recognized a newly-graduated Harker student, Olivia Zhu ’11, with a scholarship as one of two students across the country who have “exceptional dedication and participation in Future Problem Solving.” In order to win the scholarship, students had to submit a completed application, essay and two letters of recommendation.
Zhu is a six-year future problem solving veteran. Among her many accomplishments with the Harker FPS club is competing at FPS competitions every year, mentoring younger students, raising funds for California FPS clubs and founding the Harker FPS branch. Zhu is also involved in an ongoing project to enable the different FPS clubs to collaborate on research.
Years ago, when asked whom he would want to found the Harker FPS club with, Cyrus Merrill, middle school history teacher, half-jokingly replied, “Olivia Zhu,” who turned out to be an excellent choice. When writing about her, Merrill said, “I technically coach her in terms of Future Problem Solving, but in a real sense she coaches all of us in both FPS and in personal ethics and selfless dedication to others.” We’d like to congratulate her on the award and look forward to hearing of her future efforts post-Harker.
James Seifert ’11 placed an exclamation point on his remarkable season in June in Dallas, Texas, reaching finals in Dramatic Interpretation of Literature at the National Forensic League National Championship Tournament. Having already made history as the first Harker student to qualify for NFL Nationals in a speech event, he advanced through all 13 rounds of competition to claim fourth place among the 236 students competing in Dramatic Interpretation.
Since last September Seifert has been on a competitive trajectory that suggested such an accomplishment was possible. He began his season by winning the Wake Forest University tournament, then followed that result with third place honors at Stanford University and another championship at the UC Berkeley tournament, the largest invitational in the nation. He also qualified for the National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament, reaching the octafinal round (top 56) at that tournament in Washington, D.C., over Memorial Day weekend.
Competition is always fierce at NFL Nationals. Seifert traveled with his coach, Jonathan Peele, to the tournament on June 12. He progressed through six preliminary rounds and six elimination rounds before reaching the final round, held on stage before an audience of 3,400 attendees and several thousand more watching the streaming broadcast on the NFL’s website. All 236 of the competitors Seifert faced were already champions in their own right, having qualified for NFL Nationals by being among the top finishers in the NFL’s 107 district qualifying tournaments.
His finish represented the school’s best showing at NFL Nationals since 2008, when Carol Green coached Stephanie Benedict ’08 to sixth place in the Congressional Debate Senate chamber and the team of Kaavya Gowda ’08 and Kelsey Hilbrich ’09 to seventh place in Public Forum Debate. “Our NFL district has such stiff competition from programs like Bellarmine and Leland that even qualifying for NFL Nationals is a tremendous accomplishment. I am proud that James was my first qualifier at Harker and converted his opportunity into such a tremendous finish,” said Peele, who has now coached 31 students to the tournament in his 11-year career.
Seifert performed selections from “I Am My Own Wife” by Doug Wright this season for competition. “Next year as a Stanford freshman he will likely remain involved with our team as a coach and judge, so James can put his expertise to use for our growing group of young forensics students,” added Peele. “We’ll use the experience of this past week in Dallas to motivate our team for years to come.”
James Seifert and coach Jonathan Peele with his NFL National fourth place trophy for Dramatic Interpretation
Tags: Featured Story
June 13, 2011
Harker’s peripatetic Green Girls made another trip to Washington, D.C., this weekend, and this morning, Mon., June 13, shared a podium with Steven Chu, the United States energy secretary.
The event was a meeting where White House and Congressional officials discussed Building the 21st Century Grid, a report on restructuring the United States’ electrical grid to facilitate growth through the 21st century. John Holden, director of the office of science and technology, opened the meeting and Nancy Sutley, chairperson of the White House council on environmental quality, introduced Shreya Indukuri and Daniela Lapidous, rising seniors, who shared their story of improving Harker’s energy analysis and consumption with 150-200 audience members. “There were government officials from every level, CEOs of clean tech companies, representatives of the Consumers Union and of private companies there,” said Lapidous.
The two climate crusaders were followed by Thomas James “Tom” Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, and Chu. After the meeting, the two girls attended a breakout session where policy was discussed. “At first it was difficult to understand,” said Lapidous, “but after we started listening it was pretty interesting. At other events they have had a lot of rhetoric; here they were actually being practical,” she continued. “They seemed much more willing to listen to young people,” added Indukuri.
The pair plans to ramp up their outreach this year to get more schools, including Castro Valley High School, Castelleja School and Bellermine College Preparatory, to agree to install smart meters or make other energy consumption changes. The pair is also working on a plan to get more Harker students involved in climate change to ensure a legacy of climate crusaders when they depart a year from now for college.
Lapidous and Indukuri began making a name for themselves as climate activists in their sophomore year. In September 2009 they were two of 25 climate youth leaders selected to attend the Governor’s Global Climate Summit co-hosted by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; in February 2010 the girls spoke at Google’s offices in San Francisco at the annual Teens in Tech Conference; a year later the two spoke at Power Shift ’11 in Washington, D.C., to 8,000 attendees, then had a private meeting with Aneesh Chopra, U.S. chief technology officer in the Obama administration, who blogged about the meeting later that week. For more about Indukuri and Lapidous’ activity, search on either name in Harker News Online
