Congratulations to Public Forum debaters Kelsey Hilbrich, Gr. 11 and Kaavya Gowda, Gr. 12, for their win at the National Tournament of Champions (TOC) held in May at the University of Kentucky. The TOC is considered to be one of the most prestigious tournaments in the nation. Students compete on the national circuit all year against some of the best teams in the country to earn qualifying legs to the TOC. For most students, just qualifying to the TOC is a high school dream. Once at the TOC, debaters are pitted against the best, since every team in the tournament had to make it to late eliminations at other elite national tournaments. This means that every preliminary round (there are seven) is essentially a semifinal or final round at a regular season tournament.
When the dust clears after seven preliminary rounds, the top 16 teams at the tournament are left to battle in the elimination rounds. Much like a sports tournament, the winning team in each debate advances except there is no best of three or five, it is a single elimination. Hilbrich and Gowda defeated a number of top-tier teams, round after round for three days straight. In their semifinal round, they defeated the National Debate Coaches Association champions, and in finals they went head to head with a team who had been in a number of national final rounds including the largest national high school invitation in the fall (the Glenbrooks).
The entire year for debate culminates in the three national championship title competitions, so this win was a perfect end to the school year. Carol Green, debate teacher and coach, was thrilled with the girls’ per formance and stressed the difficulty of this achievement. Green explained, “It is rare that a national championship in debate is brought to a high school considering the thousands of schools that compete for the oppor tunity each year. As a coach I can honestly say this may be one of the highlights of my career!”
Hilbrich and Gowda were presented with their trophies in late May, and they presented the school with a framed award to be displayed perpetually on campus. The girls were also featured on the front page of the National Forensics League Web site. Congratulations to both the coach and our national champions!
In other forensics news, the Harker policy team comprising juniors Arjun Mody and Adam Perelman had a good showing at the National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament in Albany, N.Y. The boys went 3-2 in prelims and made it to double-octofinals (top 32) in Policy Debate. This is the first time a Harker policy team has made it to elimination rounds at Grand Nationals. Nice work!
Meanwhile, David Kastelman, Gr. 12, made it to the four th level of competition in the Lions Club Speakers Contest, an annual speech competition for high school students. The topic for this year’s contest was “Water: Will California Be Left High and Dry?” Kastelman was defeated at the four th level after defeating Jyoti Narayanswami, Gr. 11, at the third level, and Kevin Kim, Gr. 12, at the second level. Kim had previously defeated Akshay Aggarwal, Gr. 10, at the first level. “This is the first time multiple Harker students have competed against each other at the various levels and we look forward to continuing this success in future years,” said Green.
Anand Natarajan, Gr. 12, has been chosen as a member of the team that will represent the United States at the International Physics Olympiad in Mexico this summer. In April, Natarajan and classmate Vikram Nathan, Gr. 12, as well as Andrew Zhou, Gr. 11, were chosen as semifinalists to become a part of the team. Harker’s total of three semifinalists was higher than any other school in the nation.
Scheduling conflicts prevented Natarajan and Nathan from being able to attend both their Harker graduation and the Physics Olympiad training camp. Nathan, the 2009 valedictorian, stayed behind in California to speak to his fellow graduates. Natarajan made the difficult decision to attend the required training camp in Maryland in lieu of his graduation ceremony, and his hard work deservedly paid off. “The AAPT (American Association of Physics Teachers) would not let him miss a single day of the physics camp in Maryland, so he made a choice between two once-in-a-lifetime experiences,” said US physics teacher Eric Nelson.
At a special ceremony in late May, Butch Keller, US division head, presented Natarajan with his high school diploma, with family present.
It all started with author/photographer Rick Smolan’s visit as part of the Harker Speaker Series. That visit spurred the founding of the MS Blue Planet Group and culminated with the visit of Scott Harrison, founder of charity: water.
Eighth grade science teacher Lorna Claerbout and many of her students went to hear Smolan speak. “Smolan’s talk opened my eyes to the need for clean water worldwide,” said group member Emily Wang, Gr.8.
Varun Gudapti, Gr. 8, added “he gave me the knowledge to make others aware of the impact of water.” Classmate Sondra Costa suggested the group could raise money to support one of Smolan’s “water heroes,” Scott Harrison, whose charity charity: water uses 100 percent of donations to build wells to get potable water to people in need.
Thus was born the Blue Planet Group. “About 45 people showed up to our first meeting,” said Lori Berenberg, Gr. 8. “Since then, we have focused on getting organized into committees that have their own focus in educating and fundraising to achieve our goal of funding a well,” she said. The group managed to raise $5,000, enough for the building of a new well in Africa, and doubling their original goal of $2,500.
Harrison heard about the Harker effort and offered to visit while on a visit at the end of May to speak at Apple, Google and Twitter. Harrison came first to the MS campus, then to the US campus to address student assemblies.
Just before the assembly began, Harrison tweeted, “about to talk to kids in San Jose about water. I used to hate first period!” After the assemblies he tweeted about “awesome kids at Harker.” In fact, he was so impressed with the original educational posters created by the Blue Planet Group that he took a photo of one and put it on posted a tweet of it, noted Claerbout.
Harrison’s impact was felt immediately and Berenberg posted comments to the club’s forum right after the visit: ”Well, the big day has come and gone. Scott Harrison gave his speech, and personally, I think it was a great success. I know a lot of my friends who weren’t really into it before are now so excited to help and realize that the clean water crisis is a real issue. That is really what we were trying to achieve here and we got it! I’m so proud of everyone because if it weren’t for each and every one of us, he wouldn’t have come and we would be nowhere near where we are today.”
Students have used a variety of efforts to educate and raise funds, including a school meeting presentation, a bake sale, a photo booth, and a water-themed school dance. “We decided it would be great if we could make it water-themed so people … understand what they are donating to if they gave money to the Blue Planet Group,” said Berenberg.
“The middle school students have been passionately working on the issue since Smolan’s presentation, so it was a fantastic way for the students to not only wrap up their current fundraising project, but help them continue their momentum when they start at our upper school next year. A partnership between middle and high school students has been proposed and is the works for next year,” said Claerbout.
In addition to the student club, water is the focus of a number of class projects. Angela Neff, Assistant Director of Instructional Technology at the Middle School and computer science teacher, noted her Population Studies classes have been “focusing their research on the international water crisis all year as a part of our Global 20/20 program sponsored by NAIS,” she said, further noting, “Tim (Culbertson’s) (computer science) classes are doing infectious diseases which are deeply exacerbated by water: too much, too little, or too dirty.”
Finally, Spanish teacher Susan Moling said her Unit 5 in Spanish class is all about conservation. “My students just made some amazing mini-posters about conservation including water, culminating in video public service announcements created in Spanish. I think the cross-curricular application is wonderful and gives the kids a real sense of pride knowing that everyone is working on such a critical issue,” she said.
For next year, Jennifer Abraham, global education director, is working with interested eighth grade teachers on a water project in collaboration with the Bayn Garden School in Saudi Arabia. Locally the focus will be to learn more about our own watershed and water issues here in California.
Alyssa Donovan, Gr. 12, has her research paper, “Whaling in the International Whaling Commission: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Organization’s Failures,” selected for potential publication in The Concord Review, over the next year. The Review will notify Donovan a month before publication if selected. Donovan wrote the paper for Ramsey Westgate’s International Issues and Public Policy class, and it was presented earlier this spring at the Harker Research Symposium.
The paper deals with Donovan’s perception of the need to transform the IWC’s “bureaucratic and power structure to allow for enforcement of laws, re-evaluate its policy-making strategies to fairly and accurately portray both current scientific data as well as the nation-states affected, and …extend the reach of both its enforcement and political policy to non-state as well as state actors.” Concord Review founder Will Fitzhugh thanked Donovan for what he called a very good paper.
Donovan worked with several faculty members on the piece, including librarians Lauri Vaughan and Sue Smith. Smith noted the acceptance is a historic moment in Harker history and Anita Chetty, science department chair and organizer of the Harker Research Symposium said, “This is an incredible achievement,” and suggested the paper be made available for teaching purposes.
Founded in 1987, The Concord Review is a quarterly academic journal which publishes 10 or 11 papers per issue from around the world. It only publishes about seven percent of submissions and over 10 percent published authors attend Harvard, with many others attending Princeton, Stanford and Oxford
Beautiful weather and a spectacular setting awaited family and friends of the Class of 2009 as they arrived at the newly remodeled Mountain Winery in Saratoga for the upper school’s eighth commencement exercises. Graduation was held on campus last year because of the extensive renovation to the famous music venue, and seniors were eager to be the first class to utilize the beautiful new space.
Music provided by Chris Florio’s chamber orchestra wafted over the amphitheater as guests arrived; then the ensemble played the traditional “Pomp and Circumstance” as the graduating seniors, faculty, administration and Board of Trustees slowly paraded from the Winery’s main building, through the audience and down to their seats, their path lined by Gr. 7 students holding floral garlands. After the 2009 Graduation Chorus sang the “Star-Spangled Banner,” arranged and conducted by Susan Nace, Butch Keller, US head, welcomed the assembly. Vikram Nathan spent his last few moments as a Harker student delivering the valedictory address, and the chorus, this time including seniors who were members of vocal ensembles, returned to sing a poignant version of “You Raise Me Up,” conducted by Catherine Snider.
The keynote address was delivered by attorney Larry W. Sonsini, chairman of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Sonsini gave an overview of the turbulent and boom times of Silicon Valley, and urged the students not to stay fixed in habits; to keep interested in their priorities; and to try to remain optimistic by using unpredictability to their advantage.
Graduate Mohit Bansal, the outgoing president of the National Honor Society, passed the lamp of knowledge to Anjali Menon, Gr. 11 and incoming president, who promised to continue the academic and ethical integrity the seniors had modeled for them. Then it was Head of School Chris Nikoloff’s turn to give his parting words of advice to the seniors.
Nikoloff drew on his experiences as the father of 1- and 3-year-old sons, and based his humorous address on the adventures of a popular children’s literary character. “Be like Curious George,” he said: always have good intentions, keep your curiosity, and let those intensions and curiosity fuel your innovation. “Where we see mundane, George sees wonder. Who has the better vision?” he asked.
Then it was time for the seniors to process up onto the stage one by one, as their beloved class dean Jeff Draper read their names and Nikoloff handed them their diplomas. Several Harker faculty and staff and two trustees had children graduating this year: trustees Linda Emery (Christine) and Huali Chai Stanek (Andrew), executive chef Steve Martin (Taylor), US librarian Sue Smith (Kevin Laymoun), US biology teacher Gary Blickenstaff (son D.J. and niece Emma), US math teacher Gabrielle Stahl (Julian), LS math and science teacher Nina Anand (Ananya), LS P.E. teacher Paula Bither (Kristina), assistant business manager Sharon Paik (Paul) and MS English teacher Stacie Newman (Sophie).
Nikoloff and Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs, released doves to symbolize the graduates’ new journey onwards, and the faculty recessed, lining the Winery road and applauding the new graduates as they passed before their teachers for the last time.
Congratulations and best of luck to the Class of 2009!
Baccalaureate, a ceremony with roots in 15th century Oxford, formally began the graduation festivities on the Thursday before the big day. In a warm and sunny quad on the US campus, music was played and speeches were spoken.
Cantilena, directed by Susan Nace, and a string ensemble, directed by Chris Florio, provided beautiful and thoughtful musical selections to set the tone. In her opening remarks, Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs, told the junior class it was time to say goodbye to the seniors and prepare to accept their new leadership role. She reminded the audience of juniors, seniors, senior parents and faculty that this was a time when we are “celebrating each and every one of you… as individuals and as a class.”
Math teacher Anthony Silk, selected by the graduates to represent the faculty, delivered a talk he based on a popular NPR radio program, “This American Life.” His theme: The Road Not Taken. His time in the Navy encouraged him to learn how to find small things that can give one a quick lift or encouragement in hard times. His venture into the rat race of software engineering taught him that, “Our lives don’t have one correct route to the cheese…don’t make your life a race.” And he urged the seniors to think about the people who helped them. “None of us get anywhere without someone else,” he remarked, adding that history teacher John Near, a frequent and accomplished Baccalaureate speaker, has been an inspiration to him.
Graduating senior Daniel Kim had the honor of addressing his class as salutatorian, a word he says he looked up in the dictionary and found to mean the speaker who “salutes” the incoming senior class. He thus directed his remarks to the juniors, telling them that appearances don’t matter, it’s the attitude that counts; to follow one’s passion, saying “what you love is what you are”; and be thankful to those who have paved your way.
As seniors departed for more class activities and juniors left with the understanding of their new role, parents and faculty mingled and talked about the students they were sending off to the next phase of their lives.
Editor’s note: US drama teacher Jeff Draper received this e-mail in early May from Diane Kitamura, a guest at a hotel where Anthony Chen, Gr. 12, was also staying.
“I am compelled to write this e-mail concerning one of your students, Anthony Chen, who I had the opportunity to meet this past weekend in Los Angeles. When I say opportunity, it truly was by chance that we met under a circumstance where we had to deal with a medical emergency together in the hotel in which we were both staying.
“At approximately 2 a.m., I was walking … back to my room on the ninth floor when a woman in her nightgown came running out of her room screaming for help and to call 911. She was speaking in English and Korean and saying there was something wrong with her husband. She was quite hysterical. I had (an) intern with me who is bilingual in both English and Korean whom I told to assist the woman while I went down stairs to get help, because the door had shut behind the woman so we could not get back into the room to help her husband.
“The woman had tried to call the front desk but there was no answer. I went downstairs to get help and found a security/hotel staff person to get to the room because there was a medical emergency and we could not get into the room to what was wrong with the man.
“Security finally arrived at the scene to open the door. The man was lying on the bed and appeared to be unresponsive and possibly not breathing. Security was on my intern’s cell phone talking to 911 which asked in anyone knew CPR.
“Anthony was staying in the room next door and heard all of the commotion and was watching the situation. When security asked if someone knew CPR, Anthony volunteered since he had just completed the CPR course a month prior. Anthony immediately got on the phone to 911 when he saw the man’s chest and realized he might have had heart surgery because of a large surgical scar down the middle of his chest.
“He reported this to the 911 operator and was told to move the man to the floor and check for breathing. Anthony determined the man was breathing although it was barely detectable.
“I took the woman and had her begin packing items and changing clothes as we waited for the ambulance to arrive. The gentleman woke up and was incoherent and very angry about a situation that occurred earlier in the evening. Anthony, along with my intern who translated for 911, continued to stay with the man until paramedics arrived.
“Paramedics arrived and transported the man to the hospital where he stayed overnight. I met with the man and woman yesterday and they reported that the man had had a mild heart attack and is unable to fly for another two weeks.
“The couple were very grateful for Anthony’s help in this emergency situation. He was calm, cool and collected during the situation and represented The Harker School well. As a former assistant superintendent, I would be very proud of Anthony and I know you must all be proud as well of the tremendous courage and leadership Anthony demonstrated during this situation.”
Turns out Chen took CPR at Harker earlier this year. “The incident has made me appreciate life so much more,” he said. “The pure feeling of having a man’s life literally in your hands is enough to make anyone appreciate everything that this life has given us. I really encourage everyone to take CPR certification classes because at any moment and anytime you may be the only person in the entire place that knows CPR and can save a person’s life.”
Harker plans a small ceremony to honor Chen in late May.
John Near, 30-year veteran faculty member – and much more – of The Harker School, has been moved to intermediate care following an aggressive bacterial infection that required surgery. Near has been battling cancer and has reduced immunity from treatments which allowed the infection to take hold. He checked in to El Camino Hospital Monday and underwent surgery to remove infected tissue in his left leg from hip to knee. Wife Pam Dickinson, Harker’s director of communications, and daughter Casey Near ’06 a student at Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., have been with him all along.
Dickinson said, “He has multiple doctors working with him daily – general surgeon, oncologist, orthopedic surgeon, infectious disease doctor – and each, to a person, have found his response and healing to the disease amazing and far above their expectations. I swear it’s the Viking genes.”
At this time, Near cannot have visitors or even flowers. “He’s in a private room in intermediate care now – which is great – so all is going well,” said Dickinson. “Check his Caring Bridge page for the full update, and to post messages. We’ll be posting updates there from now on rather than sending e-mails, and feel free to pass this along to anyone else who might love to check up on him.”
Virtually the entire population of the Blackford campus arrived at the field on April 24 for the third annual Harker Cancer Walk. Students, parents, faculty and staff all showed up with their walking shoes on to raise money for Camp Okizu, an organization that provides recreational activities and peer support to families with cancer-stricken children.
Money was raised by selling t-shirts, wrist bands and bake sale items, as well as through donations, which were still being collected after the event concluded. The current total is $9,677, most of which was raised on the day of the Cancer Walk. “I continue to be humbled by the level of giving from this community as this year we raised even more than we have in the past,” said MS computer science teacher Michael Schmidt, who began coordinating the Cancer Walk in 2007 after his mother passed away battling the disease the previous year. “In fact, we achieved an unprecedented feat – we sold out of everything! I think the teachers would have sold the tables and chairs if possible.”
The event had visitors from the Bucknall and Saratoga campuses as well, making it a collaborative schoolwide effort. As a highlight, Schmidt performed a special victory dance, and was soon joined by dozens of others to bring the event to a fittingly celebratory close.
“It is truly a blessing to find myself amongst such a wonderful group of people,” Schmidt said. “The outpouring of support for the Cancer Walk is why it’s such a wonderful time.”
In only the second year that Harker has sent teams for all three levels, the Japanese program swept all three first-place team prizes at the National Japan Bowl in Washington, D.C., over spring break. The top-level team and their teacher were awarded a 10-day trip to Japan this summer where their itinerary includes the honor of meeting Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado.
The Japan Bowl is an annual team competition for high school students across the U.S. studying Japanese as their foreign language. There are three levels of competition – II, III and IV, with level IV being the most challenging – and three students per team. The competition tests not only the students’ language skills but also their knowledge of history, geography, politics, current events, U.S.- Japan relations and variety of cultural aspects such as arts, festivals, religions, pop culture, etiquette and gestures.
“Although it is a very challenging competition, we have shown ver y steady improvement ever y year,” said Masako Onakado, Japanese teacher. “Last year, we earned second place in both level II and level III and four th place in level IV, which was our best record until then. Earning the first place in all levels in this 17-year-old competition this year was truly remarkable.”
Chris Nikoloff, head of school, also noted, “This is an amazing accomplishment. Congratulations to the students and thanks to Masako for all of her ef for ts on their behalf.”
Student winners were: Level IV Sarah Wang, Gr. 11, team captain; Roslyn Li, Gr.11 and Kevin Wang, Gr. 12. Level III Kelly Chen, Gr. 11, team captain; Jerry Sun, Gr. 10 and Katie Liang, Gr. 10. Level II Nirupama Gadagottu, Gr. 12, team captain; Tiffany Jang, Gr. 9 and Victoria Liang, Gr. 10.