Varun Sivaram ’07, a senior at Stanford majoring in engineering physics and international relations, has been named a Rhodes Scholar for 2010. Sivaram, 21, who attended Harker through grade 8, is a Truman Scholar and has won Stanford prizes for excellence in humanities, political science and engineering. The Monte Sereno resident is also chair of the undergraduate senate, the undergraduate representative to the board of trustees, has researched in Germany and at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, and has two patents pending relating to solar energy design. He plans to earn a doctorate in solar energy materials at Oxford. The award is one of only 32 presented to U.S. students and will provide for all expenses for up to three years of study.
The fabulous cast of the upper school musical “Pippin” extended its Fringe-driven fundraising efforts to Thanksgiving week, holding a car wash at Rosenthal Field on Nov. 22. “The Fringe (an annual event held in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a wonderful opportunity that only the top performing schools in the nation can attend through The American High School Theatre Festival’s (AHSTF) annual competition,” said cast member James Seifert. Faculty, parents and students, many on campus for parent-teacher conferences, all got a shiny car and a warm conscience for only $5. By noon, a line of cars were already finished with a half dozen waiting their turn.
Harker only enters the AHSTF competition every four years, so with their chance to participate in the Fringe this year, those connected to “Pippin” are especially motivated to raise funds. Cast and crew ran a booth at homecoming selling funnel cakes and cozy hats and scarves. They will also run concessions and sell flowers at major productions. In addition, there are other fundraisers in the planning stages, including a dinner and dessert outing, a special pre-Fringe production of “Pippin” and a Super Bowl party. The group is also hoping to hold a winter ball for adults, to take place at the same time as the students’ Winter Ball, but on the Blackford campus!
Third-graders went to work before the Thanksgiving break on their annual Thanksgiving math project of planning a meal for 15. Students “shopped” for menu items via food advertisements and calculated the price of the meal. “It’s a great hands-on math activity with lots of comparison shopping and discussion, and the kids love choosing food and drinks for their “guests”! said teacher Stephanie Woolsey.
Senan Ebrahim ’08 and his running mate Bonnie Cao have won the Undergraduate Council elections at Harvard University. Ebrahim was named a Presidential Scholar while at Harker. The pair earned 45 percent of the vote, about 1,400 votes, then took the contest with a majority when third-place votes were re-allocated to the two top tickets. Ebrahim’s tenure as student life committee chair gave him a boost, as much of the contest was about student social life.
On a balmy Friday evening in mid-November, Harker’s Saratoga campus and Davis Field were lit up for Homecoming and filled with color, pomp and excitement. Despite riding high on a 7-2 record going in and giving their best efforts, the Harker Eagles, plagued by injuries to starters, had their worst outing all season in the actual game, losing 57-8, but the crowd supported their team all the way.
As a K-12 school, Harker’s annual Homecoming is unique and involves the entire community. Spirit week led up to the game and featured hijinks on all three campuses including rallies and visits by varsity players to the lower school, the classic dress-up days at the middle school and a full schedule at the upper school starting with the painting of the class eagles and culminating in the tug-of-war tug-off at halftime.
At game time, under the Davis Field lights, Harker won the toss and Valley Christian-Dublin took the kickoff. On the first play VC-D ran for their first touchdown, adding two more TDs before the end of the first quarter. Harker’s Chris McCallaCreary, grade 12, scored and classmate Greg Cox ran in the two-point conversion to put Harker on the board, but that was the end of Harker’s offensive success. Speaking about the whole season, coach Karriem Stinson said, “I am really proud of what this team has done. They are the tightest group I’ve ever been around and I’m really proud to have coached them.”
Off the field, however, the fun preceded the games (JV lost, as well, after a tough fight) and kept going throughout, including multiple cheers by the Eaglets, the littlest Eagles; musical blasts, including “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath, from the Harker Jazz Band; constant spirit-building from the Harker cheer squad; and a mid-field routine by the Varsity dancers as Mad Hatters performing to a song inspired by the Alice Wonderland movie, under Laura Rae, director of the upper school dance program.
Away from the field, groups were congregating at their rallying points, including a great turnout in the alumni area under their own pavilion on the northeast corner of the field near Singh Aquatic Center. The senior class and Eagle Buddies had food and fun gatherings in the parking lot between Rosenthal Field and the main academic building, bounce houses were on Rosenthal Field and there were various food booths, including one (funnel cakes) staffed by performing arts students and parents to raise funds for a trip to the Fringe Festival next fall.
Just prior to the game the Eaglets did their now-traditional fly-through, then lined up with the older cheerleaders to form a passage for the varsity team to take the field. The halftime tug-of-war result is in doubt as one team had too many players on the rope, but a decision will be forthcoming or a rematch will be held!
The homecoming court was also introduced at halftime and was made up of freshmen Andrew Wang and Claudia Tischler, sophomores Rohit Agarwal and Tiphaine Delepine, juniors Jason Kuan and German exchange student Julia Lambertz; and seniors Amanda King, Brianna Tran, Ben Tien and Santosh Swaminathan, with Greg Cox and Anisha Agarwal, also of the Class of 2011, named king and queen.
“Juniors turned Shah into a pirate-themed still-life portrait complete with Davy Jones and treasure chests filled with doubloons,” said Jason Berry, English teacher and assistant spirit coordinator. “Seniors decorated the campus with clever references to Harry Potter (the 2011 class theme for Homecoming). To close the week’s spirited activities, the senior class hosted the Homecoming dance, cleverly interweaving the classes’ themes with cute decorations and streamers, turning Nichols into a veritable dance hall menagerie,” said Berry.
“Overall school spirit was amazing!” said Kerry Enzensperger, student activities coordinator. “Classes took it upon themselves to decorate Shah, Dobbins and Main Hall; I would like to thank the class spirit officers for all their hard work!”
Photos for the slide show were provided by Ashley Batz, Winged Post/Talon photographers and Robert Boucher.
While grade 6 hiked through Yosemite and grade 7 explored America’s national parks, the eighth graders traveled east to the Washington, D.C., area. The students and chaperones landed in Willamsburg, Va., on Saturday and enjoyed a dinner buffet at a local pizza restaurant before checking into the hotel.
The next day, the group made their first major stop of the trip at Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement on American soil. Tour guides gave them an in-depth look at the day-to-day lives of settlers in the 1600s, such as how they prepared food and made clothes. Harker students were prepared to give presentations to each other on what they were seeing all throughout the trip, and the first presentations were in Jamestown, given by Sophia Shatas, Ashir Bansal and Helen Wu. Next up was Colonial Williamsburg, which was kicked off by lunch at the King’s Arm Tavern, one of the area’s finest restaurants in 1772. During the tour of the area, students learned much about life in Williamsburg during colonial times, including the workings of the court system and, of all things, how wigs were made and worn. Here, Neil Movva, Apporva Rangan, Harry Xu and Kelly Wang gave presentations.
Following dinner, everyone got to experience an interactive African music program. “For many students, this was the highlight of the day,” said Jennifer Gargano. “We were able to experience music and dance in a slave quarter in Colonial Williamsburg. Not only were the students able to learn about the importance of music at this time but they also actively sang and danced with the family during this program.”
On Monday, the students and chaperones made another trip to Colonial Williamsburg to tour the governor’s mansion. “Seeing the 18th century décor was interesting, but the highlight for the students was walking through ‘the maze’; a six-foot tall hedgerow maze located in the gardens behind the Governor’s Palace,” Gargano reported. After leaving the mansion, students visited colonial-themed businesses such as the blacksmith and silversmith. They also played a round of the colonial game trap-ball, a precursor to the sport we now know as baseball.
At Pamplin Park, one of the most faithfully preserved battle sites from the Civil War, the group visited the Civil War Museum and learned about the lives of soldiers who served in the war. Students Hement Kunda, Megy Appalaraju, Simran Sing and Dylan Patel gave presentations to their groups on the park. After exploring the park and reenacting some moments from the battle, two bus groups visited the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, while another went to the Jefferson Memorial. “It was absolutely beautiful to see in the evening,” Gargano said of the FDR Memorial.
The next day started with a guided tour of Capitol Hill. One group of students was introduced to a Capitol Hill employee who purportedly spoke 59 languages. One by one, 10 students held a conversation with him in a different language. “They were impressed, to say the least, and immediately understood why he might be a valued employee at Capitol Hill,” Gargano said.
From there, it was off to the Arlington National Cemetery, where the students got to see the eternal flame at the grave site of President John F. Kennedy, the memorial for the space shuttle Challenger and several other important monuments. “ The highlight, of course, was watching the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by the laying of the wreath ceremony,” Gargano reported. During the ceremony, students Stanley Xie, Ransher Dhaliwal, Nikita Mittal and Savi Joshi laid the wreath at the tomb, with a ribbon inscribed with “The Harker School.” During the bus ride from the cemetery, students Arya Kaul, Nikhil Kishore, Allison Kiang and Nephele Troullinos gave talks about the importance of Arlington National Cemetery to each bus group.
The next stop on this particularly busy day was the American History Museum, where the students got to see the “First Ladies at the Smithsonian” exhibit, which displayed various dresses worn by past first ladies. Students also enjoyed the exhibition “Science in American Life,” which shows how various scientific advancements have affected American culture, for better or worse. Finally, the group ended the evening with a viewing of the play “Shear Madness” at the Kennedy Center.
On Wednesday, the students visited the Newseum, which features interactive exhibits about news and journalism. Quite a few students told Gargano “that this was one of their favorite activities thus far.” After watching a film about some of journalism’s most important milestones, the students spent time discovering the Newseum’s many fascinating exhibits. “From what I heard from students,” Gargano said, “they seemed to particularly enjoy the exhibits about Hurricane Katrina and Elvis.” While at the Newseum, students Neil Chitkara, Glenn Reddy and Tiara Bhatacharya gave presentations.
Next was a trip to Gettysburg, site of one of the most pivotal battles of the Civil War, where they received a guided tour of the historic battleground. “Many of the chaperones, in particular, were moved when a few of our students delivered the Gettysburg address by memory on the same grounds where Lincoln first delivered that speech,” Gargano said. The famous speech was recited by students Allison Kiang, Pranav Reddy, Glenn Reddy and Apoorva Rangan. After dinner at Dobbin House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the “underground railroad” that was used to traffic slaves out of the South, the students visited various memorials, including the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial and the World War II Memorial.
More student presentations were given to help put the visits into perspective. Nikhil Reddy, Julia Wang, Lekha Chirala and Jai Ahuja presented on Gettysburg and the Dobbin House, and Leo Yu, Matt Ho and Leena Kim gave presentations on the memorials.
The final day of the trip was “probably our best thus far from the students’ perspective,” Gargano said. It began with visits to three of Washington, D.C.’s most iconic sites: The Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial and Korean War Memorial.
A quick tour of the White House was next on the agenda, and students visited several rooms on the first floor. “The tour was quick but the students were excited they were able to see the interior of the White House,” Gargano reported.
The final two weeks of October were very eventful for the students of grade 6, who met face-to-face with their buddies from Tokyo’s Tamagawa Gakuen during a trip to Francis Beach at Half Moon Bay. Later that day, the entire group visited Lemos Farm for some Halloween-themed fun, including a rousing romp through a haunted house.
Tamagawa students spent Oct. 20-22 at the Blackford campus attending class sessions to observe as well as participate, and took part in special art, dance and drama classes. They also had great fun touring the Exploratorium and its many engaging exhibits with their Harker buddies. While visiting San Francisco, they enjoyed lunch at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. Friday evening was spent at a special barbecue dinner hosted by the Gauba family (Alexis, grade 6; Ashley, grade 2). Over the weekend, the Tamagawa students played laser tag and had dinner as a group.
The Harker grade 6 class spent the week of Oct. 25 taking in the natural beauty of Yosemite National Park, while their Tamagawa buddies also explored the park as a separate group. The travelers, which included chaperones Chris Nikoloff, head of school, Cindy Ellis, middle school division head and Susan Moling, middle school Spanish teacher, arrived safely on Monday and enjoyed the “clear blue skies,” said Ellis, who phoned in her daily reports due to limited Internet access. “The night sky was full of brilliant stars and the moon shone brightly throughout the night.”
Everyone made sure to get plenty of rest for Tuesday’s hike to Vernal Falls, which were highly active due to rainfall during the previous week, which also fed the rushing Merced River. Nikoloff accompanied Moling’s group to Glacier Point to witness some of the most spectacular views Yosemite has to offer. Tuesday was a special day for the students, who met up with their Tamagawa buddies at the Boystown amphitheater. Harker students gave some brief speeches to show their appreciation for the Tamagawa visit, and the Tamagawa students sang a song bidding their Harker friends farewell before they departed for Japan the following day. That evening, the Harker students embarked on a night hike beneath the star-filled sky.
Ellis checked in on Oct. 28 to report that everyone was “having a blast.” Hiking was the order of the day for the students, who enjoyed a campfire that evening to recuperate and reflect on the trip. The students returned to the Blackford campus at about 5:30 p.m. on Friday, just in time to enjoy the long weekend and the Halloween festivities.
A score or more attended the official opening of the John Near Resource Center on Nov. 5, celebrating this inspiring room that reflects the late teacher’s love of American history. Near taught at Harker middle and upper schools for 31 years prior to his passing in 2009. His legacy includes many hundreds of students left with a love of learning and history and now, the John Near Excellence in History Education Endowment Fund and this center.
The endowment, the first of its kind at Harker, also funds robust online research databases for students, as well as grants to students or teachers each year for research on history projects of their choice. The first three recipients of John Near Scholar Grants have already received their funding and are listed in a display alongside photos of Near and a plaque commemorating his contribution to Harker and philosophy for the fund’s use. As only interest from the Endowment will be spent, and none had yet accumulated, the first grant recipients, initial data bases and the center itself were funded by special contributions from the Class of 2010 (with 100 percent participation!), a John Near Fun Run, a benefit poker game and special contributions from alumni.
Those attending the wine and cheese reception included history department faculty members, administrators, office of advancement staff, longtime employees, John’s wife, Pam Dickinson, director of Harker’s office of communication, and daughter Casey Near. Key members of the John Near Resource Center planning committee were also present, including Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of academic affairs; Donna Gilbert, history department chair; Susan Smith, head librarian; Mike Bassoni, facilities manager; and Sarah Covey, a ’91 alumna and interior designer who donated her expertise to the project. All were instrumental in making the room come to life.
Once the gathering was underway, Dickinson acknowledged John’s parents, Jim and Pat Near, who established the endowment fund in their son’s honor – and based on John’s own wishes – just months before he passed away. She also recognized the special role so many played in achieving the final outcome. “We all agreed this space needed to be inspirational, warm and comfortable,” she said. “Each person involved just intuitively knew the right thing to do, and did it. It’s an amazing space, and John would have loved both the space and the process.”
The room features media and periodical libraries that will each expand over time, a flat screen and DVD/VHS player, a collaborative work table, comfortable sofa seating, and bookcases of Near’s books from his personal library. Poster–sized, framed black and white photos decorate the walls – from singer Billie Holiday to president John F. Kennedy – each representing iconic facets of American history and culture that had resonated with John Near.
Gilbert noted that the room, adjacent to Near’s most former classroom, has already been in use by both students and teachers for various uses, and has become a bit of a sanctuary for teachers to enjoy a few moments away from the bustle of the hallways. Each year the room will also host a reception for the John Near grant scholars when they receive their awards, but from day to day, Near’s scholarly soul, represented by the photos and books he loved, fills the room, providing a lasting memory of one of Harker’s finest teachers.
Harker’s 2010 Homecoming, the second at Davis Field, is Fri., Nov. 12, against Valley Christian of Dublin, and preparations have begun. Balloting for the Homecoming king and queen took place at the end of October but a score of tough backstairs jobs are underway. A few days before game day, additional bleachers will be erected to accommodate the crowd, public address equipment will be checked and re-checked, placement for others on and near the field – alumni, cheerleaders, Eaglets (the littlest Eagles), the jazz band – will have been allocated and the groups notified.
Parking, always tricky at big events, is being carefully regulated. Parking information is posted on the Harker website. Please note the main parking lot will be closed to all but those with appropriate placards and everyone should park at Blackford and take the shuttle to Saratoga. Student pick-up on game day will be only at the rear loading zone.
Up front, things are equally organized. In front of Main, the Davis family’s motor home will again host guests of honor while a few yards away, on Rosenthal Field, tailgaters will deploy and bounce houses will go up. Alumni will have a special area to congregate, dodge the crowd and see friends.The real action starts at 4 p.m., when the JV team takes the field. Barbeque will be available for purchase starting at 5 and the ever-popular Carley’s Café food trailer opens at 6 p.m.
Before the game starts, though, will come the semifinal round of the traditional tug-of-war contest, along with a dash of entertainment by the Varsity Dance Troupe and the Harker Jazz band.
Prior to the Big Game, Junior Cheerleaders take over the field, followed by the unforgettable Eaglets Fly-Through, and the national and Harker anthems will be sung by all the Harker choirs combined. At halftime the Homecoming court will be presented, with the king and queen announced at the Homecoming dance on Saturday evening. Get your tickets now, because this is sure to be a real extravaganza!
Serenaded by a string octet playing Led Zeppelin’s “Over the Hills and Far Away,” the former Lord Mayor of Westminster, Lady Catherine Longworth, along with her husband, John, today officially invited the Harker Orchestra to play at the 2012 New Year’s Day parade celebration in London.
Wearing her official crimson, fur-trimmed robe, Lady Catherine presented the invitation to Butch Keller, upper school head. She further presented the school with the Westminster City crest and made a gift of cuff links to two leaders of the octet. In return, the school presented her with a basket of classic California goods, including a bottle from the Jarvis winery, California fruits, Ghirardelli chocolate and a variety of Harker souvenirs.
The ceremony opened with Bob Bone, executive director of London’s New Year’s Day parade, explaining, with inimitable dry British humor, how the parade, though only 25 years old, rivals the greatest parades in the U.S., including Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, with 750,000 parade goers and a TV audience of over 100 million. Bone noted that the Harker Orchestra will play in some of the finest venues in London on their visit, including Cadogan Hall, home of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Following the ceremony and entertainment, Sue Prutton, director of upper school volunteer programs and an Englishwoman, accompanied the visitors as they took a brief tour of the campus led by members of the octet.
“Well done, everyone!” said Prutton, following the visit. “Several members of the delegation including Lady Catherine and her husband told me just how impressed they were. Mr. Longworth, in particular, was especially complimentary (of the octet’s performance) and talked about (their) obvious talent for quite some while afterwards. You certainly represented Harker and, indeed, America, very well today.”
The parade will be the first official event celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee and London’s Olympic year. In addition, the parade’s Festival Concerts, in which Harker’s orchestra will play, are also the first events of London’s 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
Harker is among a number of schools selected from around the U.S. to be invited to perform in the parade and associated venues around London.