This story was originally published in the summer/spring 2019 edition of Harker Magazine.
On a typical day at the upper school campus, a casual observer might notice something that would seem peculiar at other high schools: students wearing T-shirts and hoodies adorned with the names (and sometimes faces) of their teachers, akin to merchandise purchased at a rock concert.
It’s a sign of appreciation for Harker’s long-running advisory program, which has become a crucial component of student life at both the middle and upper schools.
“It’s what makes independent schools unique, I think, particularly a school of our size,” said Kevin Williamson, upper school dean of students. “The advisory program for me helps keep that small school feel.”
At both campuses, advisory is often an opportunity for students to turn their focus away from academics and enjoy some downtime. Students are assigned an advisory – each overseen by a different faculty member – upon entering grade 6, and stay with that advisory through grade 8. Once they enter the upper school, they are placed in a new advisory for the duration of their high school years.
Middle school advisory sessions are held twice a week for 15 minutes each, while upper school advisories meet once a week for 30 minutes. During this period, activities can range from board games to guided discussions to simply chatting about whatever comes to mind, and are largely determined by what students tend to enjoy and what helps them bond as a group.
“The ones I see that work really well are the teachers who are willing to just sit and have conversations with the kids and share some food and laughter,” Williamson said.
Some activities even extend beyond campus. At the upper school, junior and senior advisories often trek to the local Starbucks, and Arabelle Chow’s grade 6 advisees are big fans of boba tea. “We try to eventually get off campus here and there when there’s a long advisory,” said Chow. “It’s such a big deal for them to get off campus [as a group].”
Advisors often find that students feel much more comfortable discussing certain topics within the relatively open-ended environment of the advisory period. “The kids tend to be more themselves in advisory than in a class, where they’re graded, and they’re doing assignments and being tested. There’s a different dynamic,” said Patricia Burrows, assistant middle school head. “In your advisory, if you come in and you have a bad day, your advisor might be someone who can be more tolerant of your mood.”
The beginnings of the advisory program can be traced to the to the start of the upper school, “as early as when Howard and Diana Nichols started visiting schools back East and planning what this high school should look like,” recalled Williamson. “I think the advisory is a big part of what they saw as interesting, and so it started out more as a homeroom, where you’re disseminating information to kids.”
As the school was very small, so too were advisories, made up of an average of just five to six students. As the school grew over the following few years, the administration sought ways to deepen the advisory program while keeping advisories at a maximum of 10 students each. Several faculty members attended a workshop on advisories and returned with “this sort of bible on how to build advisories,” said upper school theater teacher Jeff Draper, who is also the freshman advisory dean. “We did that for a couple of years, then we realized that teachers had a lot of their own ideas and that that book we were giving them didn’t need to be used as much.” Although advisors have considerable leverage over how their sessions are conducted, overarching goals and guidelines are communicated and pursued. At the upper school, these pillars include providing downtime and education on character and ethics, which includes visits by the upper school Honor Council.
Wellness is another key benefit of the advisory program, and in addition to providing a place to destress, advisories also attend talks by guest speakers and workshops in the upper school’s LIFE (Living with Intent, Focus and Enthusiasm) program.
“Having regular discussions about non-academic aspects of school definitely helped me glean various student perspectives,” said senior Kelsey Wu. “As a member of student council who focuses on promoting mental health at school, student happiness is really important and valuable to me. Advisory is also a great outlet for stress, as it’s a time designated to purely have fun.”
Family Bonding
Each advisory also spends one day each year on a special outing to foster teamwork and bonding. Incoming freshmen enjoy their orientation day playing team-building games on Davis Field. During sophomore year, students traverse ropes courses in Santa Cruz and La Honda, and juniors go whitewater rafting. Just days before graduation, seniors embark on the senior trip to reminisce before the end of their high school careers.
“Orientation Day involves a lot of field activities, and one that really stands out to me was the water pipe activity. Essentially, every advisory got a vertical PVC pipe with water in it, but the pipe had holes that advisory members were only allowed to block with their bodies,” said Wu. “It was a lot of fun, and a great bonding experience for us.”
The early class outings are a crucial way in which students connect, as they drive home the importance of supporting their fellow advisees. “[The ropes course trip is] a time when advisories work as a team and troubleshoot, problem-solve and also have to support each other – literally carry each other’s weight as half the group is climbing in the trees and the rest are belaying, helping them hold the ropes,” said Draper. “And that metaphorical idea of being supportive, when it’s literal, all of a sudden they feel it and I just can see the groups being closer the next day.”
As their years together draw to a close, the senior trip provides a way for students to close the loop on their advisory experience. “Days before graduation, they are with their advisory groups for a lot of that time, and it’s just this miniature family that has clicked over the years,” Draper said. “And it’s a really positive part of what I think the Harker experience is.”
Overall, however, advisors have discovered that the character of their advisories can change drastically with each new class, and that different classes receive the benefits of the advisory program in various ways.
“My last two advisories loved playing games,” said Nicole Hall, the upper school administrative services manager. “So I thought [with my current advisory], I’ll make sure I have a lot of games. But it turned out they’re not really into games. So it definitely took some time to find what would work for them, and they tended to really like just having discussions.”
Both the middle and upper school programs place advisors in the role of guides and advocates who can be consulted when students have questions about their academic path or when disciplinary issues arise. “We have [one-on-one] discussions with the kids about changing maybe from honors to AP or vice versa,” said Williamson. When there are disciplinary concerns, “as an advocate, it doesn’t mean I’m their defense attorney. I just want to help [them] figure out how to address the concerns this teacher has.”
Chow stressed how important it is for students to feel like advisory “is a home base, and they’re not going to get in trouble for things, and I’m there to support them rather than knock them for things that they might not be doing right.” Although advisors are notified when a student has a disciplinary problem, the ensuing discussion “is about ‘what could we have done differently’ instead of ‘I can’t believe you did this.’”
The “home base” aspect of advisory is talked about often at the middle school, where the program is similar to the upper school’s in that it provides a nonacademic space where students can receive support and participate in various activities. “It’s a home base for students to have a place to consistently meet an adult who provides some guidance for them,” said middle school Spanish teacher and advisory dean Julie Pinzás. “Sometimes they discuss what happens around school, their everyday adolescent fears; study strategies are sometimes incorporated.”
Wu, who became a Harker student at grade 5, enjoyed the idea of advisories from her first days at the middle school. “Having a smaller group of eight to 10 students in which mental health, student stress, and just plain fun is prioritized was really refreshing,” she said. “I think something like this is really valuable at a place like Harker or even the wider Bay Area, where students are very driven and passionate about their own goals.”
Advisories at the middle school have more direction from advisors, who often have their advisees engage in activities that involve telling the other members of the advisory about themselves. “In my advisory we have students present about themselves to start us off,” said Pinzás. “They include their families, what they did during the summer, their likes and dislikes, some of their hobbies.”
Chow’s advisees also do presentations about themselves and bring along snacks to share. Often these snacks have some importance to them, such as being a part of their cultural background or something they enjoyed growing up. “They’re kind of responsible for sharing about themselves with advisory, and they tend to bring snacks that are connected to them in some way,” said Chow.
Avi Gulati, a junior who started at Harker as a third grader, remembered one middle school activity that helped him grow closer to his fellow advisees: performing a dance routine to Justin Bieber’s “Baby.”
“We were all Beliebers,” he recalled. “Although our dance was initially uncoordinated, with practice – a lot of practice – we soon mastered the routine. This is the capstone and one of the defining memories of my middle school advisory experience.”
Middle school advisors periodically receive new guidelines on what to work on with their advisories. Recently, advisories have emphasized that students are more than their grades. “We are having them think about what they do outside of school and their interests,” said Pinzás. “They are a brother, a son, a friend, a basketball player.”
“Obviously grades are important, but we want them to think about what else they bring to the table,” said Chow. “It’s also another opportunity to get to know what they do outside of school, because they’re so involved in so many things, and we just never know about it. Oh, you’re a top fencer, and I had no idea!” The middle school advisory also includes the house system, which was introduced in 2008 to help middle school students in different grades connect with one another. Within each house, sub-groups of three students from each grade were introduced this year, “because we want students to be able to get to know other grades as well, and there are some challenges with that,” said Burrows.
Houses compete each year for spirit points, but there are also cross-grade activities designed to foster connections between students in different grades. “They’re not just one grade, but several grades, and they work together and they benefit from each other’s strengths,” said Pinzás. “It does help them see that there are other people out there, other than the students in their grade.”
Avenue for growth
Students have found that advisories have helped them stay up to date on school events in addition to being an opportunity for play and relaxation. “Advisory helps a lot with keeping up with announcements and other assemblies during the week,” said Keren Eisenberg, grade 6. “I also find it very fun and relaxing to have 15 minutes in the day to do nothing and play around a little bit.”
Sixth grader Harriss Miller appreciates how advisories help him keep track of things like assemblies. “Also, the time I have in advisory is very soothing. There is very little work required for advisory, and it is great for relaxing,” he said.
This year, middle school advisories have begun to further incorporate social-emotional learning to help students learn more about themselves and in turn become better at understanding others. “When we talk about social-emotional learning, we’re talking about things like self-awareness, self-management, self-regulation, interpersonal relationships,” Burrows said. “Those are the kinds of skills that we have the opportunity to develop in advisory.”
“It’s my goal as an advisor that my kids are all just really good people,” said Chow. A recent advisory activity involved creating a chain-like display honoring social justice heroes, which led to a discussion about “why it’s important to use language that’s not hurtful to people.”
These experiences are important to help students navigate conversations involving topics that are often uncomfortable to discuss. “You just have to embrace that discomfort, and figure out how to have the discussion in a mature way,” said Chow.
Burrows identified advisories as an “important avenue” for teaching students social-emotional skills. “It’s in advisory that you can have the conversations about being a better person,” she said.
One reason the advisory may be so well suited to learning how to empathize with others is that students are put in direct contact with other students they may not have otherwise met. “Their best friend might not be in the group,” said Pinzás. “They’re mixed up a little bit so that they can have an experience with a different group of people and learn how to cooperate and work together.”
According to Burrows, creating those connections with others and learning to work through the differences and problems that may arise in bonding with students they may not normally interact with is central to the mission of the advisory program. “When they move into high school, where things are less structured, and with less guidance, they have some tools to make decisions that will be healthy for them,” she said.
Even with those tools, transitioning to high school life can be a challenge. Making this adjustment easier for incoming freshmen was a primary reason Draper became freshman class dean in spring 2018. “I get to help them with that first thing, getting started in high school and feeling safe, secure, happy, meeting friends, knowing how this all works, and then feeling like they’re at home as early as possible,” Draper said. Of great assistance in this task is the Link Crew, a group of Harker juniors and seniors who act as guides and mentors to freshmen, visiting and running advisories several times a year as well as being available to answer questions and listen to concerns.
“We have so much student leadership at this school, and they’re empowered and they want to help each other out; they problem-solve and they work together, and they collaborate with each other, and with the new students,” Draper said. “And it’s just fun to watch that whole program work and run as well.”
Students’ appreciation for what they do and learn in advisory extends well beyond wearing personalized attire during the school day. “At the end of the year, the seniors create a card and shout out to teachers and administrators who they really connected to,” Williamson said. “The thing that gets mentioned more than anything else is advisory. They’re so grateful for their advisory group, for their advisor.”
Wu, who was in Chow’s advisory during middle school, greets her former advisor whenever they cross paths. For Chow’s part, visits from advisees who have gone on to the upper school or graduated is something she has come to expect. “The ones who always come and visit me from the high school or even after high school are my advisees,” said Chow. “Even though you don’t see them every day, it is one of those relationships that’s super strong and they tend to remember after leaving Harker.”
For Gulati, the benefit of the support system gained from advisory cannot be overstated. “I can’t stress how important it is for students, especially in middle school and high school, to feel like they’re a part of a group of people that supports them,” he said. “That’s the goal of advisory. It’s such a regular part of my schedule … that I overlook how meaningful it is.”
This article originally appeared in the winter 2018 issue of Harker Magazine.
In this 125th anniversary year, I hope you are enjoying learning about the people, events and traditions that are celebrated on the banners and poster boards at our four campuses. I am struck by how often teachers are featured in these memories. While varied in the ways they have impacted the school over the past 125 years, the teachers at Harker always have been at the forefront of our efforts to bring out the best in every student. Recently, the words from one of my most influential elementary school teachers, Mrs. Robinson, were pulled to the front of my mind as I observed some of the exciting things going on at Harker in 2018.
Mrs. Robinson’s words are etched in my memory, forever providing guidance. She was our grade 6 teacher at Montecito Union School in Santa Barbara, and, like all great teachers, she sought to instill in us wisdom that would remain with us long after we had moved on from her classroom. Her favorite message always started with a question: “What is the most important time in your life?” She’d ask us this when we were at our best, eagerly paying attention, following directions and primed for reinforcement, and she’d ask us when we were having a tough day, or she was. The pause between her words and ours was essentially nonexistent, for from the first day of class we learned the response she sought – the single monosyllabic key to all of our focus. “What is the most important time in your life?” Mrs. Robinson would ask. Our chorus was firm and instantaneous: “Now.”
This message was on my mind during some seminal Harker experiences, the first of which was the seventh grade national parks trip. In Utah and Arizona, among the wind and water-carved sandstone arches and vermillion cliffs, the brief span of our lives relative to the workings of our Earth comes into focus. The landscape of the Grand Canyon took millions of years to emerge from the sandstone deposits of our continent’s primordial lake. In this landscape, it would be easy to feel that the present is of little significance. Yet, even among the grandeur of the formations, one can see the effects of each blow of wind, each cycle of freeze and thaw in the fissures of the rocks, and each footstep on the sandy base of the trails. Even to the landscape that defines our nation, now is still the most important time, and for us as visitors, the juxtaposition of the work of millennia and our brief visit invited all of us to make the most of each day on the trip and throughout our lives.
In addition to being exposed to the beauty of the landscape, the seventh graders also were fortunate to spend some time among the Navajo. Their tradition of orienting all exterior doorways to the East reflects an appreciation for the sun and the arrival of each new day – to focus on the now, even while honoring the past and preparing for the future.
The upper school’s first fall production in the Patil Theater in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center similarly spoke to the importance of the present. The play, a beautiful rendition of “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder, challenged our actors to explore the importance of the ordinary, everyday moments in our lives. One of the play’s central themes is that it is easy for us to emphasize, if not fixate on, our lives past and future, but that meaning comes from the present, and that now is what matters most.
The present for Harker is an exciting one. In addition to the ongoing processes of the school year, we are in the midst of an accreditation cycle and also are celebrating our 125th year of educational leadership. As we look to the future and plan for the next 125, we are taking the opportunity to reflect on our measures of success in three crucial areas. The first two relate to the opening line of Harker’s mission statement, which reads: “Our mission is to educate students for success at college and beyond.” What does it mean for our students to succeed in college? What does it mean for them to succeed beyond? The third question we are exploring is, what does it mean for us to succeed as an institution?
All three of these questions in essence look to the future, for even as we reflect on how we define institutional success, we must recognize that our efforts are aimed at positively impacting the entire lifespan of each of our students. It is an interesting dichotomy that while our efforts as an educational institution are focused in the moment, the process of education is, by definition, one of optimizing the future.
The central challenge of assessing our efficacy is that the manner in which we succeed in preparing students for life does not materialize immediately. Education requires committing to delayed gratification. To be sure, there are daily joys and constant evidence of student growth and achievement, often to a profound degree. However, the long-term impacts – arguably the most important outcomes – can only be viewed and assessed with the gift of time. Some of the seeds we plant germinate quickly. Others take time to sprout, and, even then, like the valley oaks and redwoods around us, might take decades to reach their full size, and longer still to mature to their full potential.
Yet, as Mrs. Robinson continuously reinforced, our commitment to the present is the best path for a successful tomorrow, however we define that success. Thank you for being part of the Harker community as we continue to strive to live our lives fully and guide our students toward their futures … now.
This article originally appeared in the winter 2018 issue of Harker Magazine.
Words by Vikki Bowes-Mok
When Jacob Bongers ’07 was a young boy, he would visit his grandfather in Geleen, The Netherlands, and they would trek to ancient Roman sites in southern Holland and France.
“During these trips, I marveled at the Roman architecture and developed a deep interest in making archaeological discoveries to learn more about the past,” remembered Bongers with a smile. “The relationship between my grandfather and me was absolutely critical for developing my passion for archaeology.”
Bongers is grateful to have realized his passion so young and has taken that curiosity to the highest levels of academia as he prepares to receive his Ph.D. in archaeology from UCLA.
When Bongers joined Harker in high school, he had to adapt to the academic rigor, but his focus on archaeology remained steady.
He was determined to gain some hands-on experience, so he searched online for opportunities. He found a dig on the Archaeological Institute of America website and immediately knew he had to participate. So when he was 16 years old, he packed up his bags and went to Portugal to work on a Roman site near the border of Spain.
“It was the first time I’d traveled by myself and I was so excited,” said Bongers with energy bubbling from his voice. “I absolutely loved the experience – meeting people, exploring the site and uncovering the past.”
As he ponders his past, he reflects about how important it is to remain open to all opportunities, listen deeply to what brings you joy and not feel pressured to choose the “right path.”
“When I went to USC, I majored in archaeology, but I minored in game design, and I’m so glad I did that,” said Bongers. “Every experience you have helps shape the person you become, so always explore and be open because you never know what will ignite your passion.”
His intellectual curiosity and passion for archaeology put him on a path that has led him around the world. He has field experience in Portugal, Chile, Peru and Ethiopia, and he even met his wife, Ioana Dumitru, on a dig in Oman.
“Jacob is simply one of the most dedicated, bright and hard-working young scholars that I have ever known,” said Charles Stanish, director and professor emeritus at the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA. “He does not posture or play games; he loves intellectual debate and is open and extremely generous with colleagues.”
Bongers’ academic career started at USC, where he received his B.A. in interdisciplinary archaeology, summa cum laude, in 2011. After a few digs and some soul searching, he landed at UCLA to work on his master’s and now Ph.D. He won four extramural grants at the beginning of his graduate career in 2013: a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, National Geographic Young Explorers Grant and a Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid.
“There is no question that he will be at the top of his field in a very short time,” said Stanish. “With most students, it is necessary to push them to think more broadly; with Jacob, we actually had to reel in some of his enthusiasm to focus on more manageable topics.”
As Bongers is putting the final touches on his dissertation, he is pondering his next step but has the gift of focus that will help guide him.
Vikki Bowes-Mok is also the executive director of the community nonprofit Compass Collective.
This article originally appeared in the winter 2018 issue of Harker Magazine.
Last year, the upper school graduated its 20th class, a major milestone and validation of the massive risk and effort undertaken by Howard and Diana Nichols, as well as the staff, faculty and administrators who ran the school in its early years.
The idea of adding a high school program to Harker had been discussed as early as the late 1980s, as Harker parents had long expressed their wish for their children to receive a Harker education beyond the eighth grade. In 1996, Howard and Diana Nichols – then the president and head of school, respectively – decided it was time to pursue the idea in earnest. They formed a team of teachers and administrators to visit a selection of East Coast private schools, with the idea of incorporating their best practices into Harker’s approach to establish a high school that would also reflect Silicon Valley’s reputation for innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.
“Most of what was in the South Bay then were Jesuit schools,” recalled upper school history teacher Donna Gilbert, who joined Harker the year the upper school opened. “[Howard and Diana] Nichols tapped into something that was necessary, which was a nonsectarian college prep school for the valley. They hit the nail on the head.”
Diana Nichols set to work designing the school’s curriculum, working with the University of California to craft academic programs that would meet UC requirements. She was later appointed to a special committee of educational leaders formed by the University of California for the express purpose of helping other high schools develop UC-approved curricula. This proved to be one of the most challenging but crucial pieces of the upper school program. “Harker had never been in the high school business before, but knew we wanted to be a top-flight high school educational institution,” recalled facilities manager Mike Bassoni. In addition to visiting East Coast schools such as Phillips Exeter Academy and Choate Rosemary Hall, the Nicholses also attended hiring fairs in the New England area to capture the interest of teachers who they felt were a match for Harker’s mission.
“Diana and Howard were amazing. They were incredible leaders,” Gilbert said. “They had a vision, but they really wanted input from those of us who they hired.”
Harker’s upper school opened in fall 1998, with most of the first freshman class matriculating from the middle school. “I’d been at Harker [most of] my entire scholastic life at that point, and it felt more natural to stay and try launching this new high school than to not be an Eagle for those four years,” said Tiffany Duong ’02, who started at Harker as a first grader in 1990 and now works as a conservationist, restoring coral reefs along the Florida Reef Tract. Many among the first few upper school classes found the opportunity to set the standard for future generations exciting, dubbing themselves “guinea pigs” as a nod to the unique possibilities offered by a newly founded high school. “It was an exciting adventure and a chance to really form our own futures and a lasting legacy at Harker,” Duong said.
Teachers felt similarly, as many had come from established East Coast schools and were eager to help create a culture that would ensure success of the school’s mission in the coming years. “I just kind of felt like I was on the ground floor here, shaping culture, shaping curriculum, shaping courses,” said Abel Olivas, who started at Harker in 2002 as the upper school Spanish teacher and is now chair of the foreign languages department. “And also kind of shaping the minds of these young people.”
“We didn’t just have to create curricula, get them UC approved, get our classes up and running,” said Gilbert, “but build the culture of the school, the programs and the polices. It just sort of felt like an all-hands-on-deck kind of process.”
The feeling of being brand new also became evident to many students, some of whom felt hesitant at the prospect of spending their high school years at Harker. “There was definitely some hesitancy on my part about attending a new high school,” said Gabrielle DeMers ’03, who intended to pursue performing arts as a career. At the time, Harker’s upper school performing arts program was in the very early stages, and DeMers had planned to pursue music outside of school. “After my freshman year, Laura Lang-Ree became in charge of the performing arts and started building the Conservatory Certificate program.”
More faculty were added to the program, and before long, “Harker developed a very active performing arts program,” recalled DeMers, who received dual certificates in theater and music, in addition to being one of the directors featured in the first Student Directed Showcase. She went on to study music at the University of Southern California and the University of Maryland and is now a regular performer in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore metro areas.
As more students and programs began to fill out the campus, the upper school began to feel more “legit,” as Duong recalled. “It wasn’t that we weren’t legitimate to start, but it’s hard for 100 kids to really feel like a high school,” she said. “As new, younger faces were added, traditions like class rivalries, Homecoming, junior prom and pep rallies came into being. This is when we really started to feel more like a high school instead of a brave new endeavor.”
For faculty, one of the major early changes to the upper school was the formation of chair positions for its various academic programs. This provided a process for teachers to express their ideas and concerns to administration, and share their day-today experiences. “It gave teachers more of a voice at the school and it just felt more democratic in a lot of ways,” Olivas said. “It would affect policies that impacted in-the-trenches work with the students. I think it was a very healthy change.”
Students at the time also saw their potential to impact school policy. In 1999, students wore jeans to school to protest what they felt was a toostringent dress code in what became known as the Jeans Rebellion. “Everyone who participated was thrown in detention and there was a school assembly to address our insubordination,” said DeMers. “We certainly got the administration’s attention and eventually compromises were reached on the dress code.”
They also realized their ability to blaze trails in other areas. Several student clubs were founded during the upper school’s first year, some of which still exist today or set a precedent for clubs or programs that would be established in later years. The Literary Magazine club first published Harker’s Eclectic Literary Magazine (HELM) during the 1998- 99 school year, and the periodical will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2019. Additionally, the speech and debate club later evolved into one of the country’s highest-ranked speech and debate programs.
The following year saw the founding of what is now known as the Gender and Sexuality Alliance, or GSA, which has become one of Harker’s most active advocacy groups. Olivas saw the need for such an organization after overhearing students make derogatory remarks to one of their classmates in his first year as a teacher. He spoke with the students about their behavior, and “at one point, the kids were like, ‘Why do you care so much about this? Are you gay or something?’ And I said, yeah!”
Olivas and Gilbert, who had both been involved with similar movements on the East Coast, later met to discuss the formation of GSA. They agreed that being out to their students and the community was a crucial part of the groundwork. “We both knew that there had to be out teachers leading the movement to set the right tone and example,” she said. In the years since the GSA’s founding, Olivas has noticed more students comfortably expressing their sexuality and gender identities. “Now there are so many LGBT+ kids that are out at our school, and it was just interesting [to see the] evolution of the school, [because] for years the GSA was the [straight] allies, not the LGBT+ folks,” he said.
As the years progressed, “students began to have more of a voice and impact on the Harker environment,” DeMers said. “I remember wanting to switch into different classes with different teachers, like … taking Honors Latin IV instead of AP Latin. I basically ended up in a Latin class by myself. It feels like that sort of thing could only happen at Harker.”
Although the upper school grew at a steady pace, students and teachers at the time nevertheless felt closely connected as a community due to its relatively small size. “Even as we [grew as a] school, I didn’t notice so much a change in the level of intimacy, but a change in the level of activity,” said Jessica Liu ’04. “We were able to have more sporting teams, dances, and maybe lay the beginning foundations of school spirit. I felt proud to be part of something new and different.”
Other alumni noted how that feeling was common among the first graduating classes. “Being part of the second graduating class felt special because we had an intimate experience with the other inaugural classes,” Julia Gitis ’03 remembered. “Even though I was in the Class of ’03, I feel close to folks in ’02 and ’04. We all kind of went through it together.”
For some students, this provided comfort as they navigated the unfamiliar territory of a new school. “You practically knew the entire school, students and staff … whether you had classes together or not,” said Liu, who is now a clinical pharmacist. “I loved it. Coming from a large public school, this was something I’d never experienced before, and it immediately made the process of starting over at a new school less daunting.” The Class of 2002 also often took it upon themselves to make the students in grades below them feel welcome, perhaps remembering their own experiences dealing with uncertainty at a new school. “When they were juniors, they invited us sophomores to their prom,” said Gitis. “So the Class of 2003 was the only class with three proms: sophomore, junior and senior year. That was fun.”
Olivas recalled the environment his first year feeling “self-contained. Most of us taught at East Coast schools and we tried to get to know each other. We seemed kind of clique-ish at first. With time, we broke out of that and got to know the rest of the school better.”
Teachers also frequently found themselves in many roles. “We coached all the sports and ran all the clubs and chaperoned all the dances,” said Gilbert. “There was a lot of energy, because we had to do everything. I sort of felt like I was a first-year teacher again.”
While the task of starting a high school that matched Harker’s reputation often felt monumental, educators were inspired by the Nicholses’ vision for the school as well as its students. “The thing I liked about the Nicholses’ vision was this idea that they really believed that learning was fun,” said Gilbert, “and that engagement in class with ideas is exciting and energizing and it wasn’t this sort of mundane boring thing that you have to kind of doctor up to keep kids interested.”
Having moved to the Bay Area from Boston, Olivas originally planned to teach only for a short time before making a career change. “I … ended up enjoying teaching more than I ever had. That first year, I was having a really good time with my students and the energy was different [than on the East Coast],” he said. “I just felt better.”
Alumni have similarly vivid and fond memories of their years as Harker’s first upper school students. One in particular that Duong recalls is the beginning of an ongoing senior class tradition, the senior prank. “We took all the desks out of the classrooms and stacked them outside on the blacktops and then lined Dobbins Hall with little cups filled with water, blocking most door entrances to the classrooms,” she said. “It wasn’t crazy by any means, but it was awesome to see a math quiz being taken outside on the blacktop on those desks because they couldn’t get into their classroom.”
For many in the classes of 2003 and 2004, the departure of the first senior class in 2002 was a “a big deal,” said DeMers, who remembered doves being released to commemorate the milestone, a tradition that continues today. “Some of us joked that when … the members of the second class graduated, they’d release pigeons.”
The experimental spirit of the guinea pigs of the Class of 2002 – as well as the encouraging faculty and staff – inspired members of later classes to dream big and be daring in their own ways. “I think Harker instilled in everyone involved in those first years of the high school an entrepreneurial spirit and drive to do more,” said Duong. “That means our teachers were also sometimes our coaches. That our debate captain was also captain of the football team. That our student body president also took sculpture class and built our class gift. That the same students who led the Jeans Rebellion also led the class at Homecoming.”
Alumni frequently mention how the lessons learned from these experiences have been applied throughout their lives. “I felt close with my teachers and administrators,” said Gitis, who later became a teacher and now works as a product manager at Khan Academy. “They encouraged me to pursue my wacky creative ideas, like launching a video yearbook for our class. Those moments were empowering and pivotal in my growth.”
“I feel extremely lucky to have been a guinea pig, as it afforded me so many chances to step up and shape my own life and surroundings,” said Duong. “This confidence in my own problem-solving, resourcefulness and inventiveness has helped me at every juncture in my life.”
In addition to crediting Harker with helping her develop a solid work ethic, Liu said her time at the school facilitated “some of the best relationships and friendships I have today. It gave me the opportunity to meet some of the most intelligent, passionate, caring, hard-working and honest people that I have yet to meet anywhere else.”
This article originally appeared in the winter 2018 issue of Harker Magazine.
By Vikki Bowes-Mok
The kitchen is bustling at Brown Chicken Brown Cow in Campbell, and at the heart is Chris Yamashita ’90. Yamashita is laughing with his employees as he patiently teaches a new cook how to put together a Psychedelic Goat Cheese Burger, complete with BCBC goat cheese mixed with truffles and mushrooms.
Yamashita opened the popular eatery in 2013 and his passion for people is what drives him every day. Whether it’s his employees, customers or former teachers who frequent the restaurant, Yamashita is always ready with a quick smile and genuine kindness. “If I didn’t like people, I wouldn’t be in the restaurant business,” Yamashita said. “I love good food and enjoy running a business, but my biggest passion is people.”
Yamashita grew up in Silicon Valley and attended Harker from grades 4-8 before heading to Bellarmine College Preparatory.
“Chris was the type of kid who got along with everybody. He was well liked and respected by all of his classmates, primarily because he went out of his way to treat everybody with genuine kindness,” said Pat Walsh, who was Yamashita’s math teacher in the lower school. “Chris really loved school, and his enthusiasm and positive energy were qualities that helped make my classroom a warm inviting place.”
Yamashita said he really did love school and appreciates many of the important life lessons he learned at Harker, including solid study skills, the drive to succeed and compassion for people as individuals.
His time at Harker wasn’t over after he graduated. He came back to work as a summer camp counselor during high school and while in college at Santa Clara University.
In fact, it was a warm summer afternoon near the flower beds at Harker when Yamashita realized his culinary dream. He and a friend, Mariam Morshedi ’90, were shooting the breeze and he said, “I want to open to my own restaurant.”
But then life happened and he got busy doing other things – until he saw her again. “It was years later and she asked me about opening a restaurant,” Yamashita remembered vividly. “She reminded me of my dream and it changed my course.”
Yamashita decided to see if he could transform his dream into a reality. So he started at the bottom of the food chain (literally!) and worked every possible position in local restaurants, including Kyoto Palace and Cin-Cin. While he was taking a crash course in Restaurant 101, he also launched his own catering business.
After a lot of planning and learning, Yamashita opened the bright orange doors to BCBC in 2013.
“When the space was being constructed, my then girlfriend, Jordan, and I were walking home from Campbell and she jested ‘Brown Chicken Brown Cow’ about something that had nothing to do with the restaurant,” remembered Yamashita, who has a 2-yearold son, Andy, and a baby on the way with his now wife Jordan. “We looked at each other and registered the name with the county the following Monday. I had the concept and the menu finalized, and the name was just perfect.”
Yamashita created a warm inviting place at BCBC with natural light pouring in, crayon-colored chicken and cow pictures lining the small hallway, and a bustling restaurant filled with smiling customers.
“I had a very clear idea what I wanted to serve — elevated burgers, high-quality chicken sandwiches and fresh salads — but I wanted to try new flavor combinations,” said Yamashita. “It turns out that people are more willing to try unusual combinations on a sandwich or a salad.”
As they say at BCBC, every menu item has been carefully crafted to satisfy even the toughest of food critics. “If it’s not good enough for Chris, then it’s not good enough to be served at Brown Chicken Brown Cow,” states the restaurant’s website.
Vikki Bowes-Mok is also the executive director of the community nonprofit Compass Collective.
This article originally appeared in the winter 2018 issue of Harker Magazine.
Colin Goodwin teaches lower school English, and he and his wife have two kids who attend Harker. A Colorado native, Goodwin tells us that his family also includes “an annoying cat, whose name, Shizuka, means quiet but is anything but!” It doesn’t take long to figure out that Goodwin is funny, and that he – a self-described “latchkey kid” – is passionate about being a dad who is always available for his children. That passion shares space with a love of music and all things Japanese, an obsession that began when he taught English there in 1996.
What is your most treasured object and why?
My double bass. Since I was a little rug rat listening to my parents’ 45s to when I was a skate rat in high school listening to reggae, for me, it’s always been about the bass.
What is one experience you’ve had that you don’t believe anyone else has ever experienced?
Sitting in the green room of Osaka, Japan’s Blue Note jazz club, surrounded by all the pictures of famous jazz artists who had sat there before me, all the while knowing that I was there dressed as Santa Claus waiting to go on stage for my school’s Christmas party.
What are you doing when you feel most alive?
Hiking with my family in Grand Teton National Park. When I first met my wife, she had just started a job working at the lodge. We went rock climbing for our first date. To see our children enjoying the same place is a wonderful thing. Of course, my daughter is not fond of the bears.
Why do you do what you do?
When my father and I moved from Massachusetts to San Diego my freshman year of high school, I had a heavy metal haircut, clothes straight out of the movie “Breakin’” and a head full of insecurities. Teachers, skateboarding and reggae saved me. I teach to pay back all the teachers who helped me. [They were] there for me in ways that my family could not be.
What is something interesting about you that almost no one knows?
Mr. Ramsey asked me for advice on how to improve his mixed martial arts fighting.
This article originally appeared in the winter 2018 issue of Harker Magazine.
Karen Glovka teaches Spanish at the lower school, but her classroom isn’t the only place she utilizes her language skills. She teaches Spanish-speaking children through her church, and often helps Hispanic immigrant families understand the ins and outs of public school. She also teaches in Harker’s ELI program each summer. And to aid her Harker students with oral comprehension, she wrote a series of stories featuring her 16-year-old cat, Chiquita. Read on to learn more about this caring and fun teacher.
What are two things you like to do when you have a block of free time?
Reading and watching Turner Classic Movies – always with a good cup of coffee for both.
Why do you do what you do?
I’m from inner-city San Francisco. Many of my school friends could not read, even in middle school while I was consuming novels. A teacher encouraged me to help others with their schoolwork. As they made progress, I was very excited to watch them learn. It’s why I am a teacher.
What is the biggest risk you have taken in your life?
In 1985 I went to teach with a church group in Cali, Colombia. It wasn’t a safe place, but I had seven fulfilling years there.
What gives you a reason to smile?
Kid logic and funny stories. I have a rather quirky, “Far Side” kind of humor.
Where in the world are you the happiest?
Most Thursday nights I’m at choir practice. Music makes me very happy!
For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
I was diagnosed with a severe hip problem at an early age. The first doctors said I would never walk. Thanks to skilled surgeons and continued improvement in treatment, I walk, and I am very grateful.
Face Time: Karen Glovka
Karen Glovka teaches Spanish at the lower school, but her classroom isn’t the only place she utilizes her language skills. She teaches Spanish-speaking children through her church, and often helps Hispanic immigrant families understand the ins and outs of public school. She also teaches in Harker’s ELI program each summer. And to aid her Harker students with oral comprehension, she wrote a series of stories featuring her 16-year-old cat, Chiquita. Read on to learn more about this caring and fun teacher.
What are two things you like to do when you have a block of free time?
Reading and watching Turner Classic Movies – always with a good cup of coffee for both.
Why do you do what you do?
I’m from inner-city San Francisco. Many of my school friends could not read, even in middle school while I was consuming novels. A teacher encouraged me to help others with their schoolwork. As they made progress, I was very excited to watch them learn. It’s why I am a teacher.
What is the biggest risk you have taken in your life?
In 1985 I went to teach with a church group in Cali, Colombia. It wasn’t a safe place, but I had seven fulfilling years there.
What gives you a reason to smile?
Kid logic and funny stories. I have a rather quirky, “Far Side” kind of humor.
Where in the world are you the happiest?
Most Thursday nights I’m at choir practice. Music makes me very happy!
For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
I was diagnosed with a severe hip problem at an early age. The first doctors said I would never walk. Thanks to skilled surgeons and continued improvement in treatment, I walk, and I am very grateful.
This article originally appeared in the winter 2018 issue of Harker Magazine.
Middle school chemistry and physics teacher Rajasree Swaminathan has found balance in her life. Firmly planted in the STEM world, first as an engineer and then as a teacher, she has an equal passion for art, sketching and painting to relax, rejuvenate and deepen her teaching. Justly proud of many things, Swaminathan revels in her volunteer work with art and pediatric cancer organizations, her Harker students, and her son, Ashvin ’13, a Harker valedictorian and Harvard graduate.
What one piece of advice you would offer anyone who asks?
Respect all, fear none and compete with only oneself. The “fear none” part is hard to do.
What gives you a reason to smile?
When I see my students walk into class asking me what we are doing today, and when I reply, they yell, “Yes!”
What are you obsessed with?
Health. Being a cancer survivor and having retinoschisis in one eye, I’m into smoothies, super foods, supplements and exercise.
What is something you would love to do so much that you would be OK with failing at it?
One of my dreams is to write illustrated science books with which I can teach young kids basic science concepts through pictures. I have started by illustrating chemistry elements as female characters. I’ve already completed the illustrations for 22 elements; 96 more to go!
What helps you persevere when you feel like giving up?
In spite of many setbacks in my life, I persevere because I never want to be in a position later on in my life when I would say, “If only I had tried again.”
Where is the one place in the world that you like to escape to?
My home, where I can quietly sit and paint.
This article originally appeared in the winter 2018 issue of Harker Magazine.
Lauri Vaughan begins her new job as library director in January, so it’s no surprise that books come up a lot when discussing her favorite things. Though she wishes everyone in the world had free access to books of all kinds, and says if she’s not neck-deep in a book for a while, she knows her life is out of balance and needs attention, she also finds time to volunteer with Second Harvest Food Bank each week. At Harker, she runs the ReCreate Reading program and is on the Sustainability Committee. Oh, and she really loves her puppy, Aiko!
Why do you do what you do?
I love information. Not just books and certainly not just fiction. I love the power of information. I love searching for it and finding it. And, it’s more accessible than most people think.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten?
Celebrate the successes of others, large and small. It’s an indelible form of kindness that is so easy, is never disingenuous and always makes your life richer.
What gives you a reason to smile?
I am so often delighted with the questions, comments and actions of Harker kids! Often, it’s the little things they do that make me smile: ask a great question, come up with a remarkable idea, wear a brilliant costume, etc.
What is something interesting about you that almost no one knows?
I have an identical twin sister, which for the first half of my life, everyone knew because we lived together. [Now] even my closest friends don’t really know me as a sister of a twin. We are very close.
What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?
Hands down, raising my son. It’s still not over, but I think he’s a pretty wonderful person and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done physically, emotionally, intellectually. But the biggest payoff, too.
Brag about something.
If there were a world series of napping, I’d win.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2018 issue of Harker Magazine.
By Jennifer Maragoni
The competition was fierce but smiles abounded as upper school students and staff, wearing matching T-shirts and colorful accessories, competed for class points in fun contests during Harker’s fall Homecoming rally. Harker spirit was just as palpable at the football game the next day, as students, faculty, staff and alumni filled the bleachers – donning Harker sweatshirts, hats and temporary tattoos – to cheer their Eagles on to victory.
Harker students certainly know how to work hard, and they earn many academic accolades to prove it, but they also know the value of playing hard. From organized activities to spontaneous shows of spirit, Eagle pride soars on Harker’s campuses.
“Harker spirit isn’t just limited to the occasional spirit activities and competitions – it’s really a mindset regarding what you care about in this school,” said ASB president Jimmy Lin, grade 12. “For me, it means supporting all my fellow classmates, whether it’s attending their orchestra concerts or cheering them on at their basketball home games.”
Be it performing at an assembly, competing in a lip-sync contest, dressing up for a holiday or cheering on Harker’s sports teams, Harker students relish the opportunity to have fun and bond with their classmates. Other events, such as holiday toy and food drives, incorporate both spirit and service and unite students – and often the greater Harker community – in a common goal.
“Spirit has changed and evolved much over the years but has always held firm in its goal of uniting the community through self-expression and the celebration of each person’s unique value to the school,” said Eric Kallbrier, assistant to the director of activities and an upper school Spirit Club advisor. “It provides an opportunity for students (and faculty) to unwind, de-stress and reach outward.”
When needed, Harker spirit rises to meet the occasion. For example, in October, the school canceled the annual Harker Family & Alumni Picnic due to poor air quality resulting from the North Bay fires. The Harker community rallied and donated ticket sales, as well as additional money and a busload of supplies, to disaster relief efforts.
“School spirit shows up in how we treat each other and the world around us,” said Head of School Brian Yager. “Service to our own community and to the larger world around us – the last line of our mission statement is that we ‘prepare students to take their place as global citizens’ – is both a goal and a reflection of our collective spirit.”
Beginnings
Harker has always had programs intended to promote school spirit. But the Spirit Club dates back to the mid-1990s, when Harker was a K-8 school. Harker alumnus and then dean of students Dan Gelineau (Palo Alto Military Academy ’65) formed the club with a focus on student activities, explained his son, middle school English teacher Mark Gelineau ’90. These days, Spirit Clubs are active on the lower, middle and upper school campuses.
“[The club] has students taking on roles of leadership as they organize and execute activities for their peers,” said Gelineau. Harker spirit comes naturally to Gelineau; he was spirit commissioner in eighth grade and is now a middle school Spirit Club advisor. “I dig the irony that I’m here as an adult as well,” he added.
Spirit touches on most aspects of student life at Harker, with faculty and staff often getting in on the fun. For example, at a recent assembly, a spoof of the popular TV game show “To Tell the Truth” featured both upper school students and administrators.
“From our student cheering section ‘Flight Zone’ at athletic events to our rallies in the fall and spring to school dances, spirit is connected to many pieces of student life,” Kallbrier said. “At a school as academically challenging as Harker, spirit is an important part of creating a well-balanced community.”
While spirit evolves over time, many events have become beloved traditions. Cookie Day in October, for example, celebrates former longtime Harker president Howard Nichols, who was known for keeping a jar of cookies in his office for passersby to enjoy. On that day, students on all campuses enjoy chocolate chip cookies in honor of Nichols.
Lower School
With the enthusiasm that young children bring to activities, Harker spirit soars on the lower school campus, with much-anticipated annual activities including a Halloween parade, Valentine’s Day lipsync contest and scavenger hunts.
Spirit and service often go hand in hand at Harker, and at the lower school, the two efforts are directly linked by a combined Spirit and Service Club. In February, students enjoyed the 11th annual Pajama Day, an event that oozed both spirit and service. Led by grade 3, students collected 246 pairs of PJs and more than 500 books for the local chapter of the Pajama Program, which seeks to improve the life of children in shelters. On the final day of the drive, students celebrated by wearing their pajamas to school and reading books at an assembly. In addition, a Character In Action program holds kids accountable for doing the right thing; students who are “caught” making good choices are awarded a ticket to put in a quarterly raffle for prizes.
Holidays are particularly fun at the lower school. At a spirit rally in December, students donned Santa hats, made crafts and competed in holiday-themed games, including Pin the Nose on Rudolph. “My favorite spirit events were the Halloween and Christmas events,” said Summer Adler, grade 5, “because we got to decorate pumpkins on Halloween, and on Christmas we had a really funny Four Corners [trivia game] activity.”
To celebrate the Lunar New Year in February, students enjoyed Chinese food and learned to tie various Chinese knots. For St. Patrick’s Day, students were encouraged to wear green, with prizes awarded to the most “greened out” student in each homeroom. The day included many fun activities, including a hilarious Irish Jig freeze dance.
When asked what her favorite spirit event is, fifth grader Vika Gautham couldn’t narrow it down. “My favorite spirit event is all the spirit events, because Spirit and Service is a really fun activity that I love to go to. It’s a great opportunity to make new friends and plan amazing events that everyone loves.”
Spirit events give students a chance to have fun and show their school spirit, explained Walid Fahmy, lower school P.E. teacher and Spirit and Service Club advisor.
“Overall, I think our Spirit and Service Club is designed to strengthen our Harker community, make the school a better place, share Harker pride and, of course, have fun!” he said.
Middle School
At the middle school, most spirit events are student driven. Students vote on spirit themes, help decide which games to play and set up activities. During Spirit Week in the spring, students are encouraged to dress to match daily themes, such as Pajama Day and Twin Day. The week culminates in a much-anticipated lip-sync contest.
“We believe in giving them ownership,” said Kevin Reduta, a middle school Spirit Club advisor. “It keeps the students invested in the club and gets them excited and engaged for each event.” At the middle school, “houses” compete for points, much like in the “Harry Potter” series. Advisories are grouped into four houses, each of which includes sixth, seventh and eighth graders to level the playing field. The names of the houses – Praestantia, Constantia, Beneficium and Scientia – come from the school seal, meaning excellence, constancy, service and science in Latin.
Spirit commissioner Ayan Nath, grade 8, said his favorite events are those that bring the entire campus together, such as an annual take on the TV show “The Price is Right” and the lip-sync contest. Last year, the Spirit Club introduced a new game called “Famous Faces,” in which students viewed a scene from a movie or TV show, then worked together to name the actor or actress, their character and the movie or show. “We try to get students to have fun as a school and we get students to spend more time with their advisory,” Nath said. “It just feels good making people smile and happy.”
While many activities focus on having fun with classmates, others spread happiness more subtly. In November, middle school students painted “kindness rocks,” inscribed with positive messages such as “Be Happy” and “You are Worth It” to place around the school. Though not organized by the Spirit Club, the project demonstrated that Harker spirit seeps into many aspects of student life. In late March, the club helped organize the annual Cancer Walk, which raises money for Camp Oziku, a summer camp for children with cancer.
Both Nath and fellow spirit commissioner Alysa Su, grade 8, said they hope even more students will join the Spirit Club and get involved in activities.
“Some people might feel unsure or shy about joining because we’re a very outgoing group and not many people know about the behind-the-scenes work for creating Cancer Walk posters, selling snowman grams or creating spirit events,” Su said. “I would love more people to join, because our spirit group is definitely a big family that’s always willing to help, create and inspire others to keep up the Harker spirit!”
Upper School
Like at the middle school, upper school spirit activities involve students competing for spirit points. Freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors battle for class points throughout the year. Muchanticipated events include pumpkin carving and gingerbread house building contests at Halloween and Christmas.
During fall Spirit Week, prior to Homecoming, students compete for points by painting 4-foot-tall eagle statues, performing skits and dressing up for various themes, among other activities. On Friday of that week, students dressed in class colors and costumes march through campus to Davis Field, where the classes compete in games and skits, and where this year the seniors prevailed in the annual scream-off. High-energy performances by the Harker cheer squad and Varsity Dance Troupe add to the excitement.
Whereas fall Spirit Week helps kick off the school year, spring Spirit Week helps keep students energized as the school year winds down.
“Spring Spirit Week has always been my favorite,” Lin said. “Everyone’s in a constant energetic mood throughout the week thanks to the daily spirit events and dress-up themes, and it all culminates in the massive spirit rally that really unites the entire school.”
The upper school Spirit Club comprises three committees. A competitive events committee plans activities in which classes compete for points; an athletic affairs committee promotes spirit around athletic events; and a community events committee encourages community bonding through noncompetitive events, explained Kallbrier.
In addition, other student groups sometimes organize activities. For example, to celebrate the Lunar New Year, Harker’s Chinese National Honor Society held a dragon-building contest. Students created colorful dragons, which they paraded through campus. Earlier in the year, Harker’s DECA chapter partnered with the Spirit Club to organize a dodgeball competition in the new gym. The event gave students a chance to unwind, promoted DECA and raised money through boba sales for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
While many spirit events have become ingrained in Harker culture, new events bring added excitement to campus. In November students organized the first-ever Quadchella festival, a light-hearted event featuring student and faculty musicians and poets. Harker spirit shows up in both expected and unexpected ways, noted Yager.
“I love hearing students support each other in everything from performing arts and sports venues, to poetry readings and student assemblies,” he said. “Spirit is also visible in the student-led projects that serve our mission, and in the work of the staff at every campus, through things as obvious as decorations at holidays to things like kind and supportive comments to students and colleagues that might not be noticed by anybody.”