During the third week of January, 22 students from the Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy visited Harker as part of an annual exchange program with the school, which has existed for more than 20 years.
The students arrived on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 14, and met up with their homestays. The WFLA chaperones enjoyed a day of sightseeing in San Francisco courtesy of technical theater teacher Paul Vallerga. The following day, grade 3 department chair Kathy Ferretti shuttled the chaperones to Monterey and Gilroy, and on Monday, lower school English department chair Kate Shanahan took them shopping in the San Jose area.
On their first day at Harker, the students observed classes with their buddies, made crafts in the middle school’s innovation lab and learned how to play American football. The next day, they toured Stanford University and visited the campus’s Cantor Arts Center. Thursday’s cooking class was especially fun for the students, who “had a great time making sloppy Joes, deviled eggs, clam chowder and apple pie,” said Jennifer Walrod, global education director.
Friday was packed with activity, as the WFLA students enjoyed a Chinese paper-cutting activity with lower school students, then headed to Cesar Chavez Park in downtown San Jose to enjoy a bag lunch before exploring the Tech Museum of Innovation. That afternoon, they returned to the middle school for a farewell party, where they and their buddies had great fun using the photo booth and making sundaes.
Just before boarding their flight home on Saturday, Jan. 21, the WFLA students shared an emotional farewell with their Harker buddies.
Over the fall semester, Harker Honors and AP Japanese students participated in a video exchange with their friends at Tamagawa Academy in Tokyo. Each student had two buddies at Tamagawa – one they interacted with in Japanese and another they spoke with in English. In the videos, the students discussed topics such as life at their respective schools, hobbies, college plans and their families.
Emma Yu, grade 11, said she enjoyed the project because it enabled her to get to know her buddies on a more personal level. “It was actually seeing them in a video instead of just writing down letters,” she said, “because you can see their personality and habits, and you can feel a stronger connection to them.”
“I really think that the questions and answers really said a lot about their personalities, interests, etc.,” said sophomore Sumantra Banerjee. “I enjoyed being asked and answering questions the most as that’s how the conversation moves forward.”
Other students said it also provided an opportunity to further build on their Japanese language skills. “I would like to do it again, as conversing with the Tamagawa students proved to be beneficial for my oral Japanese skills,” said Leon Lu, grade 10. “I enjoyed creating Japanese videos and emulating the speech styles of the Tamagawa students, and the most challenging thing for me was to be able to use the correct vocabulary and grammar to get my point across.”
While senior Kaitlin Hsu discovered that she and one of her buddies shared an interest in journalism, she felt that “the most interesting things I learned about my friend were actually kind of the most trivial ones, like when we talked about horoscopes and blood type. Just getting to know these kinds of quirks that you don’t usually share with anyone else, but it’s always kind of in the back of your mind.”
Grade 6 students received a warm visit from their friends at Tokyo’s Tamagawa Academy in mid-October. The Tamagawa students arrived at Harker on Oct. 14, and enjoyed a welcome dinner, where they caught up with their Harker buddies. Tamagawa students then met up with their homestays and spent the weekend visiting sites around the Bay Area, including San Francisco and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
The following week, Tamagawa students spent time observing their buddies’ classes and partaking in various fun activities, including making tie-dyed T-shirts with both the Harker and Tamagawa logos printed on them. They also learned the Virginia Reel, a 1600s folk dance, from middle school history teacher Melanie Ramsey.
On their final day at Harker, the Tamagawa students met with Head of School Chris Nikoloff, enjoyed an origami activity and attended a special homecoming assembly.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
Over spring break, a group of 16 Harker history students in grades 9 and 10 took an amazing trip through Italy and Greece, absorbing the rich history and culture of both countries. The journey gave the students the rare opportunity to see many historical sites in person and hear the fascinating stories behind them.
The students, accompanied by upper school world history teacher Andrea Milius, global education director Jennifer Walrod, and upper school dance teacher Karl Kuehn, arrived in Rome after a 12-hour flight. They checked into their hotel, then headed off to dinner, which included authentic Italian pizza and fried mozzarella.
The next day they ventured to the famous Trevi Fountain and Piazza Venezia before heading to Piazza Navona for gelato. After trekking through the city and sampling more local food, they headed to the Spanish Steps for a bit of shopping, then to the Piazza Del Popolo to take in some local scenery.
A highlight of the day was a trip to Vatican City, where the group toured the lovely gardens and a museum filled with papal carriages that had been used in the last several centuries to protect the pope on international visits. At the Vatican’s renowned art galleries, the students viewed works such as the sculpture of “Laocoon and His Sons.”
They also got an up-close look at the many paintings adorning the walls and ceilings of the Sistine Chapel, including the famous works of Michelangelo and Botticelli, and took a stroll through St. Peter’s Basilica, which houses Michelangelo’s sculpture of “Pieta.” After taking a break for lunch at St. Peter’s Square, they explored the Domitilla Catacombs, which Milius observed “were comprised solely of volcanic ash, which we could scrape off.” Returning to Rome, the students enjoyed more shopping, gelato and dinner near Via del Corso before returning to their hotel to rest up.
The students got an early start on day three with an 8 a.m. bus ride to the Colosseum, where they learned that Colosseum gladiators were “criminals, slaves or men looking to pay off their debts; they were trained in a school adjacent to the structure,” wrote Nikhil Dharmaraj, grade 9, in one of several blog entries about the trip. “Because of the prize money and adoration, over time men would choose this profession.”
Their tour of the Colosseum was followed by a walk past the Arch of Titus, the Temple of Vesta, the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the Senate House and more. Their hike through Rome continued with stops at the Castel Sant’Angelo (the burial site of Hadrian, one of the “Five Good Emperors”), the Palazzo delle Esposizioni museum and Via del Corso.
The day was capped off by another delicious meal and reflections on their trip through one of the world’s most historic cities. “We are sad to leave Rome, but excited to explore Naples and Capri tomorrow,” wrote Dharmaraj.
Waking up early the next morning, the students traveled by bus to Naples, where a spectacular view of the Mediterranean Sea awaited them. The group took a boat to the nearby island of Capri, where they admired its amazing rock formations and learned about its history as a popular vacation spot for Roman emperors and home to authors such as Norman Douglas, Friedrich Alfred Krupp and Axel Munthe.
At Capri Village, the group explored the various shops and purchased products made from lemons, a fruit for which Capri is particularly famous. They then boarded a boat bound for Sorrento, where they stayed the night. After unloading their luggage, they enjoyed dinner and a sampling of Sorrento’s nightlife. “It was awesome,” reported Dharmaraj, “We bought many different things, like ties, tea cups, leather gloves, sunglasses and clothes for great prices. We even saw a mini puppet show!”
The next day, everyone traveled by bus to Pompeii, the city famous for being buried under ash and rock during the 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The students viewed casts of some of the bodies discovered by archaeologists, and their tour guide gave them a look into Pompeiian daily life and commerce.
“Pompeii was a business city, so there were small businesses around every corner,” Dharmaraj wrote. “Along these streets, various items were sold: clothes, drinks and foods.”
After wrapping up their tour of Pompeii, the group boarded a ferry to Greece to begin the second stage of their trip. On their first day in Greece, the group started their lengthy trip to Delphi, stopping for lunch in Glovinos and enjoying a brief jaunt on the shore of the Ionian Sea. Upon reaching Delphi, they explored the narrow streets and local shops, and purchased food to feed the stray dogs they encountered. “From goats to stray cats and chickens, we were pleasantly surprised by the wonders of this alcove in the altitudes of Greece,” Dharmaraj wrote.
The group awoke early the next morning ready for a full day in Greece which began with a tour of Delphi’s historical sites, including the Temple of Apollo.
“Our tour guide Angelica first introduced us to some background on Delphi itself, the small town actually originally being a religious center rather than a city,” Dharmaraj reported. “Legend has it that Apollo’s first arrival in Delphi angered Mother Nature, so to reconcile with her, he demanded that priestesses instead of priests should be the main religious guides.”
These priestesses of the Oracle of Delphi were said to receive divinations by inhaling gases and then sharing their insights with visiting diplomats and rulers. Continuing on, the group also explored the ruins of the stadium, which was the site for many Olympic games. Their last stop in Delphi was a nearby museum, which housed one of only two Greek charioteer
statues left in the world. Dharmaraj briefly recounted the story of its miraculous discovery: “An earthquake buried this statue, saving it from Emperor Nero, who stole most of the others.”
On the bus trip to Athens, the group admired the Greek countryside and stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. Upon arriving, they enjoyed a short walk through the town square and briefly explored the city. That evening, they took a guided tour of the legendary Greek Orthodox church, the Metropolis, and explored the streets of Athens and its many shops and eateries before returning to their hotel for a good night’s rest.
The next morning the students toured numerous landmarks in Athens, including the statues of important Greek Civil War-era politicians and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
“Whereas in America, the memorial contains a tomb of the remains of an actual unidentified soldier, the memorial in Athens is dedicated to the numerous soldiers who died in all the wars of the history of the Peloponnesian peninsula,” observed Brian Park, grade 9.
At the Acropolis, known first as a citadel for Athens and later as a place of religious significance, the students took in the wonder and history of one of the world’s most famous landmarks. “According to legend, King Cecrops, the first king of Athens who also happened to be half man half snake, built his palace there,” Park wrote. “As time passed, the Acropolis of Athens soon became a place of worship.
During the Golden Age of Athens, temples such as the Parthenon began to be constructed.” The Acropolis’ accompanying museum housed many statues that were once housed in the famous structure. “While many of the statues were damaged in some shape or form, we were able to see how careful the sculptors were in constructing them,” wrote Park.
For more student comments, details and photos from this trip, visit the Italy and Greece student blog!at http://harkeritalygreece2016. blogspot.com/. To read more global education stories, visit Harker News at https://staging.news.harker.org/tag/ global-education.
In mid-September, Melody Tang, a teacher at the World Foreign Language Middle School in Shanghai, visited Harker as part of the Global Education annual teacher exchange between the two schools. During her visit, Tang had the opportunity to visit the lower, middle and upper school campuses.
“I have observed so many lessons, and they have all different characteristics, and I like them very much,” Tang said.
On her visit to the lower school, she taught a lesson on the autumn festival, which is celebrated in China. She also let students “write a poem about the moon, and they were very interested in that.”
Tang also received a lot of encouragement from Harker’s middle school teachers. “I have learned a lot of practical reading and writing skills, and these teachers are so kind and so helpful,” Tang said. “They recommended to me some books about reading and writing.”
Of the upper school campus, Tang noticed that students “take an active part in class discussion.” She also enjoyed the general atmosphere of the campus, and said “the teachers are very professional and they give a lot of useful guidance and advice.”
During her visit, Tang also enjoyed some leisurely activities, including a day trip to San Francisco, where she and Kate Shanahan, K-5 English department chair, visited the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman’s Wharf.
Thanks to a nationwide effort co-sponsored by Harvest Snaps and Table for Two (TFT), Harker’s middle school students were able to help combat hunger simply by enjoying free samples of Harvest Snaps snacks handed out by members of the Academic and Cultural/Cuisine Exchange (ACE Club).
The ACE Club, co-led by Jennifer Walrod, director of global education, and middle school math teacher Kathy Pazirandeh, coordinated the arrival and distribution of the snack donations. They were handed out to students during lunchtime last month.
For each snack handed out, Harvest Snaps donated 25 cents to TFT to provide healthy school meals for children in East Africa, as well as in low-income communities in the U.S. ACE Club members raised $250 by distributing 1,000 bags of Harvest Snaps, reported Walrod.
By participating, Harker students had the opportunity to learn about healthy eating habits while providing nutritional school meals for malnourished children. The goal of the program was to elevate awareness on both childhood hunger and obesity around the world.
Through their partnership, Harvest Snaps and TFT raised enough money nationwide to provide more than 100,000 school meals to African children in Rwanda, Tanzania and Ethiopia, as well as in the U.S. In Africa, 25 cents funds one school meal for a child, and in the U.S. it enables school meal upgrades for healthier options in low-income neighborhoods.
“It was fun – and easy!” recalled Walrod, sharing that ACE Club members had created a PowerPoint about the project, which they presented at a schoolwide meeting in advance of the effort.
ACE Club members Jackie Hu, Ritika Rajamani and Niecey Atwood, all grade 6, called the project a great way to have fun while helping others.
“It’s a creative way to not only advertise their project but to raise awareness of the needs of good school lunches. We have good lunches but other schools do not,” said Rajamani.
“It’s something where you can be social and raise awareness of a good cause,” added Atwood.
According to TFT statistics, of the more than 7 billion people in the world, 1 billion suffer from hunger and malnutrition, while 2 billion are overweight or obese.
Throughout the school year, lower school students participated in an engaging global education exchange program with their peers at the Bayan Gardens School (BGS) in Saudi Arabia. As part of that effort, students in Sejal Mehta’s grade 2 class held an informal Skype session with the BGS students in April.
Prior to the Skype session, the Harker students had watched videos created by the BGS students about their culture and school, as well as read a book about BGS (also created by the Saudi Arabian students). During the Skype session, students from both schools gave tours of their classrooms and participated in a fun and informative question and answer exchange.
“The global education department looks forward to hosting more of these Skype sessions in the lower school during the coming school year!” said Jennifer Walrod, director of global education.
This article originally appeared in the spring 2016 Harker Quarterly.
On a brisk afternoon in mid-January, grade 8 students gathered in the middle school’s multipurpose room to receive special visitors. A group of 20 students from the World Foreign Language Middle School (WFLMS) in Shanghai had arrived for the first part of this year’s exchange between the two schools, continuing a tradition that began in 2003.
The WFLMS students, who are well-versed in English, took turns giving presentations about their daily academic lives: how they use technology to learn, their Halloween and Christmas celebrations and their annual science and art festivals. At the end, a Chinese student offered her solo acoustic guitar and vocal cover of Taylor Swift’s “Safe and Sound.” Following enthusiastic applause, the Harker and WFLMS students departed to begin their week together in earnest.
Harker’s exchange with WFLMS began shortly after the Shanghai school’s founding. Its then-head of school, Madame Luo Peiming, whose great aunt attended Harker, approached Harker’s then-head of school, Diana Nichols, about creating an exchange between the two schools.
“Just like Harker, it’s an ever-growing school,” said Jennifer Walrod, Harker’s director of global education. “They now have several campuses. They have several different types of programs.”
The two schools agreed to begin the exchange, and true to Luo’s predictions, it was a success. “It was a great fit,” Walrod said. “And so from there, it’s turned into an annual exchange.”
Students from Harker and WFLMS begin interacting months in advance of the visit by participating in discussion forums on technology and global issues, such as the effects of media on society and issues sur- rounding youth and the use of technology.
To qualify to apply for the exchange, the WFLMS students must be deeply involved in the study of English, and participation in the forums is required for those making the trip to Harker. Each year, discussions begin in the fall and last several weeks, leading up to the January visit by the WFLMS students, who spend the week staying with their Harker buddies. A second round of discussions is held toward the end of the school year before the Harker students visit China.
“We really put it in the hands of the students to be emailing back and forth,” Walrod said.
The forum discussions present an opportunity for students from both schools to learn about one another before meeting in person.
“I got to learn some things about them that helped me gauge their personality and the activities they enjoyed doing,” said Jackie Yang, grade 8.
Anna Weirich, grade 7, agreed. “It was very interesting to see what [my guest] did differently than what I did in the United States,” she said. “I loved learning about the diverse yet unique culture of the Chinese.”
During their week at Harker, the WFLMS students visit and observe classes with their buddies, embark on field trips to famous California landmarks and bond with their Harker hosts during their homestays.
In the last few years, a tour of the Stanford University campus was added to the exchange at the request of WFLMS administrators. “A lot of the kids are interested in going to college in the U.S., so now that’s just a standard field trip,” said Walrod.
They also get a big sampling of Silicon Valley culture by visiting The Tech Museum of Innovation in downtown San Jose, as well as various sites around San Francisco and Monterey.
The time the buddies spend together is especially valuable, as students from two different cultures learn about one another. on one occasion, the family of seventh grader Leland Rossi read a section of his assigned reading on Chinese history with his WFLMS buddy present. “As we read through the text and discussed it together, we were so lucky to have the perspective of Hu Fei, the eighth grader from China!” enthused Rossi’s mother, Lesley Matheson. “It was amazing to hear him bring his view of the history and politics alive. He loved it, too.”
Students also find that the exchange helps the two different cultures find common ground.
“I enjoyed going to school with them, because my buddy often found ways to relate Harker with her experiences at WFLMS and would often tell me interesting things about her school,” said Yang.
Walrod said the students are extraordinarily good at hosting due to the empathy they show for their WFLMS buddies. “They’re really good at putting themselves in their buddies’ shoes,” she said, adding that many students are initially nervous at the prospect of hosting “because it’s not like having someone over to your house for dinner.”
Seeing their buddies have a great time visiting Harker is a big confidence booster. “They really put their heart into this. They really want their buddies to have a good time,” said Walrod.
During the spring semester, Harker middle schoolers visit and stay with their WFLMS buddies as part of the annual exchange with China. For many Harker students who regularly visit family in China, the exchange program’s trip to Shanghai offers the chance to enjoy their time in the country visiting their WFLMS buddies and spending time as everyday Chinese citizens. oftentimes, Walrod said, spending time among the local citizens is a highlight of the trip for Harker students.
“That has been the regular feedback,” she said. “Everyone just thought they were typical Chinese students, and that’s what they’ll mention to me as one of their best memories.”
This article originally appeared in the winter 2015 Harker Quarterly.
This year marked the 20th anniversary of the middle school visit between Harker and Tamagawa Academy in Tokyo, which has become a pillar of Harker’s global education program. In addition to giving students and faculty the chance to venture abroad and experience another culture, the relationship between the two schools has resulted in many new friendships.
“It’s amazing to celebrate the 20th anniversary,” said Tamagawa’s Michiko Horikane, an English teacher who has led the Tamagawa-to-Harker trip 17 times. Each trip yields something new to be discovered, she said, adding that she has always been impressed by the enthusiasm and hospitality of Harker’s students and faculty. “Tamagawa students can learn a lot of things through this exchange,” she added. “They are impressed with the kindness and hospitality, and they can learn how to express themselves and build friendships.”
In mid-October, 28 Tamagawa students in grade 5 came for a ve-day visit, during which they stayed with Harker sixth graders. They received a very warm welcome, being presented with a Halloween-themed cake commemorating the “20 years of friendship” between the two schools. Harker students lined up to greet their buddies with handmade signs displaying their buddy’s name written in Japanese. After being matched up with one another, each pair of students took a photo in front of a Halloween-themed backdrop before heading off to a special lunch.
The ensuing week was packed with activity, as Tamagawa students and their Harker buddies enjoyed a scavenger hunt, made T-shirts and created origami sculptures. Tamagawa students also headed to the lower school campus to read to a class of Harker’s younger students. Some time was also set aside for the Tamagawa students to meet and interact with Harker’s fth graders.
The Tamagawa students attended classes with their Harker buddies to get a sense of what day-to-day life is like for Harker students. They also participated in a number of classes, including Elizabeth Saltos’ art class and Gail Palmer’s dance class. Tamagawa student Miori Yoneyama remarked on the politeness she experienced from Harker’s teachers and how it made the classroom experience delightful despite the language barrier. “I did not understand the classes in English, but there were a variety of teachers – enthusiastic teachers, and the teacher who showed interesting videos through YouTube,” she recalled via a translation by Harker upper school Japanese teacher Yumiko Aridomi. “All these teachers talked to us nicely.”
The Tamagawa guests enjoyed many off-campus outings as well, including a visit to Cucina Bambini, a local children’s cooking school, to learn how to make American cuisine. That same day, the students headed to The Tech Museum, one of Silicon Valley’s popular tourist attractions.
After the Tamagawa students returned home, Harker students looked back fondly on the time they had spent with their newfound friends. Kavita Murthy said the visit gave her the opportunity to learn about the greatly varying personalities of the Tamagawa students. She reminisced about the time she spent with her buddy, Sayana, who greatly enjoyed both Japanese and Western cuisines, treating her to “both Japanese and Italian-American restaurants.” She also mentioned being proud to be part of such a momentous anniversary. “I felt special knowing that this exchange has been going on for a while and I had the honor to participate in it. This was a very fun exchange for both buddies!”
“It made me feel special because it was fun to learn about how they lived and learn more about their traditions,” said Harker student Syna Gogte. “I hope to learn more when I [visit Tamagawa in the spring semester].”
Malar Bala was thankful for the opportunity to spend time and bond with someone who spoke a different language. “This Tamagawa visit was a very unique experience,” she said. “It helped me understand how I could still make friends and enjoy my time with someone who doesn’t even speak the same language as me. I felt honored to participate in this exchange. The 20th anniversary is a big deal.”
Aside from her memorable experiences with Harker teachers, Yoneyama said she also enjoyed visiting the Golden Gate Bridge with her buddy. “I had not walked on such a big bridge,” she said. “I took a lot of pictures in the middle of the bridge, and it became the highlight of my homestay.” She added that she hopes to take her buddy to a similarly interesting Japanese landmark one day.
Upon seeing how Harker’s students had developed their time-management skills, Tamagawa student Hinano Yajima said she wished to learn how to manage her time more effectively as well. “I saw people buying snacks at the store and having fun during the recess, but they all went to their classrooms when the bell rang,” she recalled. “I thought that I must be more punctual and draw the line between play time and study time like Harker students.”
Yajima also fondly remembered after-school activities such as visiting an arcade and an outing to a local amusement park. “When my buddy comes to Japan to visit me in May, I would love to host her with the utmost hospitality,” she said.
“When we visited Harker for the first time, we brought six boys and six girls,” said Horikane, alluding to how much the program has grown in the past two decades. “Since then, we have been trying to arrange a better program every year.”
Toward the end of the last school year, middle school performing arts teacher Monica Colletti’s grade 7-8 students worked with the SAAS Marina School in Moscow to create video projects in which they performed one-minute monologues. The students were asked to interview someone they knew about their family life growing up. Using the information gleaned from the interview, each student then recorded a one-minute video monologue, mimicking the interviewee as accurately as possible. Videos from both schools were later edited to make one longer video that was submitted to a local school video competition.