Softball
Softball continued their undefeated streak with two big victories in late September, boosting their record to an impressive 4-0. In their 12-3 victory over Sacred Heart Prep, Regan Heslop, grade 7, had an excellent day on the mound, throwing 12 strikeouts. She also hit a home run. The offense was helped by Safia Kouja, grade 8; Jordan Thompson, grade 6; and Gillian Wallin, grade 8. The Eagles had a home game against Woodside Priory, winning 10-2. Marita Del Alto, grade 7, pitched a complete game and gave up only two runs. Regan contributed again on offense with another home run. Ankita Sharma and Tong Wu, both grade 7, also turned in hits while Alisa Wakita, grade 7, got on base three times and stole three bases.
Cross Country
The cross country team ran at their third meet of the season at John D. Morgan Park in late September. The race was the longest of the year at just over 1.5 miles. Corey Gonzales, grade 8, posted the fastest time and placed eighth. Gabi Gupta, grade 8, earned the team’s highest place, finishing seventh in her race. Rounding out the places were Mary Najibi, grade 7, finishing tenth, and grade 6 students Meilan Steimle and Stephanie Scaglia finishing at 13 and 14, respectively. For the first time this year, Harker placed as a team, taking fourth in the grade 6 girls race.
The team competed last week in their toughest race of the season at C.T. English. The course, while not the longest, is in the Santa Cruz Mountains and is the hilliest race of the year. This didn’t deter Alex Deller, grade 7, from continuing her tradition of excellence by taking third place. In the grade 8 races, Alyssa Amick finished sixth, Thomas Doyle, grade 8, took eighth and Gonzales placed 11th. Rounding out the Eagles’ top placers was Najibi, who finished 12th. Congratulations to all the runners and good luck in future races!
Football
Junior varsity A continues their undefeated streak, as well, compiling a 5-0 record to date. In late September, they showed solid defense with a 20-0 shutout over Woodside Priory. Last week the streak continued with big wins over Menlo and Valley Christian San Jose. The Menlo game was an offensive shootout, with both teams scoring over 25 points. The Eagles emerged victorious 33-26 and were led by Alex Yuan and Nick Bean, both grade 6. Nick Weisbloom, grade 6, also added impressive rushing. In their game against Valley Christian the Eagles showed that they don’t lack defensive skills, holding the Warriors to only 12 points. The Eagles, on the other hand, scored an impressive 33 points and soundly defeated their opponent. Sandip Nirmel, grade 6, returned an interception for a touchdown and Varun Baldwa, grade 6, had two sacks while putting intense pressure on the Warriors’ offense throughout the game.
Varsity A football posted two big wins in late September, bringing them to 2-2 in league play. The Eagles defeated Crystal Springs 40-27 in an important league away game. At home, the team beat a tough King’s Academy squad 19-12. The offense has been led by quarterback and running back Allan Huang, grade 8. He is supported by Erick Holt and Billy Bloomquest, both grade 8. Srivinay Irrinki, grade 8, has been solid on the line, providing critical support for the rest of the team. Last week, they posted a victory over league opponent Pinewood 35-13. In their second contest of the week the Eagles had an extremely close game with King’s Academy, which ended in a 12-12 tie.
Varsity B football is 3-1-1 after their league win over Menlo School in late September. The score was a nail-biting 9-7. The team’s defense has been key to their success this year, and played a huge part in both of their victories. Last week they posted a big win over league opponent Crystal Springs. Coach Manny Martinez attributed the 26-12 outcome to a solid defensive effort by the Eagles. The team also competed in the West Valley Middle School Tournament, where they went 2-1-1 and took an impressive second place. Their performance was due in large part to excellent play by the offensive line. Vishal Vaidya, grade 8, played especially well in this respect.
Swim
The combined lower and middle school swim had their first competition of the year at Castilleja in early September. The team did quite well, with 33 students earning medals. Jeremy Binkley, grade 8, took first in both the 50 freestyle and 200 freestyle races in his class. Seventh-graders Justin Su and Peter Wu won their 50 flystroke and 50 backstroke races, respectively. Justin Culpepper, grade 6, and Mason Menaker, grade 5, won separate 5/6th 25 freestyle races while Swetha Tummala, grade 6, took first in girls freestyle. Mason also won the boys 100 freestyle. In the 25 flystroke, Kayvon Solaimanpour, grade 6, took first while Kendall Ka, grade 6, and Swetha won their 25 backstroke races. Rounding out the Eagles’ top finishers were Eddie Shiang, grade 6, and Kai- Sang Ang, grade 6, who both won their 25-breaststroke races.
As fall sports ramp up teams are building skills and garnering wins!
Volleyball
Varsity volleyball continued their undefeated season with wins over Del Mar, Saratoga and Leigh high schools, making them 7-0. All three victories were achieved in three sets in a best of five series, illustrating the Eagles’ dominance on the court. The girls face Silver Creek at home this Friday and will attend the Cupertino classic this weekend.
Junior varsity also posted three wins last week, improving their record to 10-2 on the season, and spent a weekend honing skills at a Spikefest tourney.
The freshmen team had their first game ever last week against Sacred Heart. Though the game ended in defeat, the girls put on an impressive show. The girls have been working hard all season; look for them to improve as the year progresses.
Football
Football continued their winning streak last week, now 3-0, with a 36-20 victory over Soledad last Friday. Quarterback Rishi Bhatia, grade 12, passed for over 200 yards and four touchdowns including two to Gautam Krishnamurthi, grade12; one to Daanish Jamal, grade 11; and one to Greg Cox, grade 12. Jamal also scored an additional touchdown on an interception return. Come show your support this Friday as the Eagles face Lynbrook in a contest of undefeated teams.
Cross Country
Last Saturday the team competed in the Chieftain Classic in Salinas. Tyler Yeats, grade 10, ran an impressive 18:26 which earned him 16th place in the boys race. In the girls race, Ragini Bhattacharya, grade 10, finished in 11th place with a time of 21:09. The team will travel to Stanford for their invitational this Saturday.
Girls Tennis
For the second year in a row our girls tennis team placed a strong second behind St. Francis Sacramento at last week’s Santa Catalina Tournament in Monterey. Sophomore Jenny Chen became the third Harker player to win the number one singles flight while Shwetha Bharadwaj, grade 9, won the number two singles. Sophomores Daria Karakoulka and Chau Nguyen in addition to Jaya Chandra, grade 11 and Sylvie Dobrota, grade 10, almost won their doubles flights, finishing as runners-up.
Harker’s number one doubles team, Tanya Piskun, grade 11 and Katia Mironova, grade 9, made it to the semifinals, and Harker’s number two doubles team, Sahithya Prakash, grade 9 and Aranshi Kumar, grade 11, made it to the second round. The girls have a big week with matches against Presentation, Mitty and Priory, all at Blackford.
Water Polo
Both the boys and girls teams fell to tough Wilcox teams last week. They look to rebound this week with two home games. The boys will face Cupertino and Saratoga, and the girls will face Mountain View and Cupertino.
Golf
The girls golf team opens league play this week with matches against Castilleja and Notre Dame.
Harker’s open houses begin in early November with the first of two upper school open houses on Sun., Nov. 7. at 7:00 p.m. Open houses put on display the many facets of student life found at Harker, from academic requirements to athletics and student-run clubs, and give interested parents a chance to visit with teachers and administrators. Students at all three campuses give presentations of their activities and act as guides for visitors.
The lower school open house is Sun., Nov. 14. Those parents interested in the kindergarten program attend from 11 a.m.-12 p.m.; grades 1-5 from 12 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Along with faculty and administrators, BEST staff will be on hand to answer questions about the after-school programs.
In addition to the open house, parents interested in learning more about Harker’s kindergarten offerings can attend one of four Cookies and Kindergarten tours scheduled for Jan. 7, 11, 20 and 25 at 9 a.m. A tour of the lower school campus will be conducted on each date, and parents will also have a chance to get a look at an ongoing class and chat with the admission office. Reservations are required for Cookies and Kindergarten tours. Please call 408.871.4662 or e-mail admissionK5@harker.org to make a reservation.
The second upper school open house is Thurs., Dec. 2, 11:30. Students will make presentations on school work and other facets of student life and share some of their Harker experiences. The varsity Dance Troupe has appeared in the past and students act as guides to help parents see the campus and answer questions.
The middle school open house is Sun., Dec. 5, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and will be hosted in the Blackford gym and multipurpose room. Along with on-hand faculty and administrators, the event will feature student singers and dancers from school groups, along with BEST staff and other activities staff.
For more information, and the complete open house and Cookies and Kindergarten listings, visit the admission pages of our website.
Curbside Crazies, the morning drop off of gifts and prizes for the 60th Harker Family & Alumni Picnic are wrapping up! During the week of Sept. 20 to 24, parent volunteers have been gathering at the curb outside the Blackford and Bucknall campuses each morning during student drop-off to collect donations of prizes for the game booths at this year’s picnic.
Themed the Peace Love Picnic, it will take place Oct. 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Blackford campus. The picnic organizers have asked for items such as gift cards, candy, stuffed animals, electronics and room décor. All week, volunteers could be seen carrying colorful signs decorated with 1960s-themed slogans such as “Thanks Man” and “Cash is Cool Too,” for those who didn’t have time to shop but still wanted to donate.
Over the summer, enlight’ning, Harker’s middle school literary magazine, was recognized by the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) and Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) for its exemplary product.
The National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) awarded the 2009-2010 edition of enlight’ning the First Class award with marks of distinction for concept, writing and editing. ASPA named Kevin Ke, now Gr. 7, Best Artist for his artwork “Octopus Wreck” and gave the publication first place with special merit. “We are all very proud of the staff members’ work,” adviser Patricia Lai Burrows said.
enlight’ning editor Nila Banerjee, now Gr. 9, was delighted to hear about the awards. “As part of the staff, I really enjoyed working as a team to build the magazine,” she said, “It’s such a great feeling when everyone enjoys something that you help make.”
CSPA named this edition a Silver Medalist winner, scoring the design, writing and organization very highly. The adviser-judge who critiqued enlight’ning offered ways to improve and also offered her praise, calling “Changing Life” the best poem in the magazine. The judge also commended the clean look and standout images and gave the literary magazine a comprehensive 741 points out of 1000.
Softball
Softball is currently undefeated, with two big wins last week. Their first game was an 8-3 victory over a tough Valley Christian team. The Eagles started things off right with a seven-run first inning. Big players included lead-off hitter Alisa Watika, grade 7, catcher Gillian Wallin, grade 8, and pitcher Regan Heslop, grade 7. Even though the offense was impressive, Coach CJ Cali said it was the defense that sealed the deal. In their first league game the team defeated Menlo 10-4. Heslop, Marita Del Alto, grade 7, and Safia Khouja, grade 8, all played exceptionally well in this victory. The team as a whole has had zero errors so far this season, which explains how the Eagles have outscored their opponents more than two to one.
Flag Football
Varsity A had two games last week, which they split. They lost a close game to the much larger St. Joseph’s 6-0 despite great play by quarterback Allen Huang, grade 8. Their second game was a come-from-behind victory over Valley Christian. The final score was 39-27 but at one point the Eagles were down by 18 points.
Varsity B also split their games last week with a tough loss to Valley Christian and a big win over cross-town rival St Joseph’s. In the latter game the Eagles were down 18-0 but mounted a huge comeback to tie the score. As the clock wound down Andrew Kirshner, grade 7, had a game-changing interception that gave the Eagles one last chance for victory. Shannon Richardson, grade 7, had the game-winning touchdown reception. St Joesph’s responded with a hail Mary pass that was caught and run almost to the end zone. Luckily, Nick Labruna, grade 7, was there to make the tackle that sealed the Eagles’ victory. The offense is led by the stylish play of Jonathan Keller and Nathanal “Noko” Sterns, both grade 7.
Junior Varsity A is undefeated with a win over Crystal Springs last week, 25-7. Quarterback Alex Youn, grade 6, ran for two touchdowns and threw for one. The defense clinched the win with interceptions by sixth graders Sandie Nirmel, Ryan Vaughan and Edmond Wu.
Cross Country
The cross country team ran in its first league race last week at Rolling Hills Middle School. In the grade 8 boys race, Thomas Doyle took eighth place and Corey Gonzales took ninth. The boys had times of 7:19 and 7:41 respectively. Diba Massihpour and Gabi Gupta, both grade 8, took fourth and sixth in the girls race with times of 8:21 and 8:29. In the grade 7 race, Alexandra Dellar took the team’s highest place, third, with a time of 8:35, followed by Mary Najibi, who placed 10th, finishing at 9:05. Rounding out the team were grade 6 girls Meilan Steimle, 9:19, and Rachel Cheng, 9:42, who finished eighth and 13th in their grade’s race.
Pilar Aguero-Esparza, upper school art teacher, has been participating in an artist residency in Zero1’s biennial project, “Out of the Garage,” with fellow artist H. Dio Mendoza. The pair spent time with Aguero-Esparza’s father in his shoe shop in South Central Los Angeles. They then furnished their Zero1 artist’s space in San Jose with similar equipment in order to create huarache sandals – traditional, modern and artistic – and other shoes. The Zero1 space will be open through the weekend as various events put on by all the participating artists take place. Aguero-Esparza and Mendoza presented their new line of huarache footwear at a fashion show on Sept. 18, from 7-9 p.m. at Works Gallery in San Jose. Here is a profile of their work and a video of their journey to becoming shoemakers.
Students thronged the gym in early September shopping for a club or clubs that suit their fancy. Choices range from the robust Robotics Club to cultural clubs like the Japanese Club to the Tri-sports Club(Fencing, Ultimate Frisbee, Four Square), and included offerings from the Gay Straight Alliance and the Chemistry Club. Held during a long lunch, students ate and ran, or brought a bite to eat, to the gym. Clever recuriters strewed mini candy bars on their tables and reaped email addresses of interested students. Harker has a legacy of club activism and the tables of stalwarts like GEO (Global Empowerment and Outreach) and HEART (Harker Environmental and Animal Rights Team) were staffed by those long-committed to contributing to the world.
In mid-August, inmates transformed San Mateo Women’s Correctional Center’s kitchen into a bustling culinary scene reminiscent of Iron Chef.
In the timed cooking contest, four teams of former and current inmates, JobTrain students and celebrity chefs whipped up delectable dishes for a panel of judges, including Harker’s very own chef Danae McLaughlin.
To give back to the community and provide skills that can aid offenders after release, chef Elihu Kittell, who runs the kitchen at the jail, started the program in 2006 with chef Adam Weiner. Weiner works for JobTrain, a nonprofit educational and training institution that helps communities break out of poverty, crime and drugs by providing courses, job training and additional assistance for all ages.
McLaughlin, who has competed and received medals from the American Culinary Federation, initially became involved with JobTrain after meeting Weiner at a competition geared towards youth leadership and career development. Impressed by JobTrain’s mission and various programs, McLaughlin and Steve Martin, Harker’s executive chef, judged one of JobTrain’s competitions and then began hiring JobTrain students as interns in the Harker kitchen.
McLaughlin served as a kitchen judge and tasting judge, commenting on the teamwork and also on the salads, salmon, jambalaya and pecan pie placed before her. She also had the opportunity to chat with the inmates about her experiences as a woman in a kitchen and becoming a Certified Executive Chef.
McLaughlin joined a galaxy of public officials including judges Sheriff Greg Munks, Supervisor Adrienne Tissier and Assistant Sheriff Trisha Sanchez, in congratulating everyone for their effort and awarding Team No. 4 – Amilia Otis, Laura Engman and Captain Quinlan – for winning the competition.
“It was really a great feeling that I could actually be a role model for them!” McLaughlin said. “This event gave all these women something to look forward to and something to work towards. In the end, it was the look of accomplishment and empowerment that I saw on all their faces that was the best thing about being involved.”
To view broadcasts of the event, visit KTVU, CBS5 or ABC7.
Flexible and dynamic. Such are today’s students’ information needs. And, by design, the description also applies to Harker’s new upper school library. The building’s first visitors, who toured the just-finished, 3,803-square-foot facility Aug. 20, awarded the learning space rave reviews.
“I love it!” said exuberant senior Christina Li, an avid library user. Her sentiments were echoed by dozens of parents, students and teachers as they perused the library’s sunlit main reading room, stacks, soft seating areas and classroom. Some teens were drawn to the low chairs and ottomans near the magazines and newspapers. Others made a beeline to high speed browsing computers mounted at standing height at the end of each range of books. More tested the sound-dampening effects of the library’s classroom walls by opening and closing the door. Still others tried the tablet chairs that combine cushioned comfort with a purposeful laptop surface.
Allika Walvekar, grade 12, envied underclassmen. “I wish I had this for all four years instead of one. It’s beautiful!” Happily weary from a full day of orientation activities, Vikrum Sundar, grade 9, who toured the library with his parents Jagane and Shankari Sundar, confirmed he’d be making regular use of the space.
The facility’s flexibility is no accident, according to Sue Smith, library director. “The library department was invited to participate in the design from the very beginning,” said Smith. “The result is a space tailored to the needs of learners in a dynamic information world.”
Features such as a classroom equipped with eBeam technology, expanded study tables with lighting and outlets and enhanced wireless connectivity empower the teaching and learning of information literacy. Information Literacy, the ability to seek, evaluate and use information effectively, was introduced to teachers as a curricular enhancement six years ago by former library director Enid Davis. Since then, Info Lit, as it’s often called, has become a mainstay of teaching across disciplines at the upper school.
The location of the new library – central to student traffic on the upper school campus – serves as a metaphor for students’ need for the robust virtual space the library program already provides: an online catalog, over 80 subscription databases, 30,000 searchable books and a myriad of additional tools, all available to the Harker community 24/7 through the library portal.
“The new library enhances our educational program of 21st century learning beautifully,” said Smith. “The enthusiasm of our first visitors confirms that the space is a welcome addition to our community.”