More than 3,500 Harker community members headed to the upper school campus this past Saturday for the second annual Harker Day. Families spent the day enjoying food, games, sports and live entertainment by Harker students.
The many games on offer included Skee-Ball, air hockey, foosball and electronic basketball. Elsewhere, younger students enjoyed pumpkin painting and an inflatable slide. Food trucks and Ms. Carly’s Café served patrons a wide variety of foods throughout the day, and animal rescue organizations brought in puppies, kittens and guinea pigs that were very popular with visitors of all ages. Meanwhile, Harker performing arts groups from the lower, middle and upper schools entertained large crowds at the Patil Theater.
Students also sold food and drinks at concession areas throughout the day to raise money for their classes. Senior Arissa Huda was one such student. “I love selling stuff,” she said. “I’ve actually made quite a bit of money for the senior class and for WiSTEM.”
Ally Lee, grade 12, a representative of Harker’s Art Club, helped organize and run the pumpkin decorating table and said she enjoyed “seeing a bunch of the alumni and teachers I’ve had.”
Loren Due ’85, one of many Harker graduates lounging at the special alumni area, said he enjoyed Harker Day because of how it “brings all the campuses together, especially with the sports and having the opportunity for the middle and upper school to participate on the same campus on the same day.”
Laena St. Jules ’04 remarked at how much the campus had changed since she graduated. “I really just am enjoying seeing how much everything has transformed, everything is building and growing in a very positive direction and offering students new things,” she said.
Several Harker sports teams were in competition during the day, and Eagle fans showed up to cheer on the boys and girls volleyball and water polo teams, as well as the grade 8 flag football team. Other sports activities included a morning tennis clinic and a water polo clinic in the afternoon.
Just before the start of Homecoming festivities, the 2022 Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony welcomed three alumni – Alex Abarca ’09, Daniza Rodriguez ’13 and Amanda (Polzin) Sullivan ’06 – and the entire 2007-08 girls varsity volleyball team into the Harker Athletic Hall of Fame.
As the varsity football Homecoming game against the Delta Charter Dragons approached, attendees moved to the bleachers at Davis Field to view the third-place tug-of-war contest between the juniors and seniors, which ended in a victory for the Class of 2024. The crowd also enjoyed pre-game appearances by Junior Cheerleaders and the Eaglets, as well as the Harker Choir’s rendition of The Harker School Song and the National Anthem.
The Eagles took control of the game early, surging to a 35-12 lead by halftime. This year’s halftime entertainment was provided by the Harker Cheer Quad and the Harker Dance Company, and the crowd was also treated to the finals of the tug-of-war contest, which saw the sophomores declared champions. Halftime festivities concluded with the crowning of seniors Atri Banerjee and Sawyer Lai as the 2022 Homecoming Royals. In the second half, the Eagles cruised to a 48-20 victory to improve their record to 5-1.
An estimated 2,500 people visited the upper school campus on Oct. 9 for the inaugural Harker Day, which combined two Harker traditions – the Family & Alumni Picnic and Homecoming – into a full day of games, food, sports and more.
Attendees traversed the campus, playing a variety of games, including Dance Dance Revolution, air hockey and Skee-Ball. Ms. Carly’s Café, Yoshi and ABVE the Basics served many different kinds of food throughout the day and people packed the Patil Theater to watch performances from lower, middle and upper school performing arts groups. Mini Cat Town, a San Jose-based cat rescue organization, had one of the more popular attractions at the event, as guests flocked there to play with adorable kittens.
Students in attendance were glad to see the community reunite in person after so many months away. “I think the community bonding here is a really nice thing,” said Harshini Chaturdevala, grade 10. “Everyone from all the campuses getting together, it’s a really fun experience.”
Loren Due MS ’85, who lounged at the special alumni meetup area, enjoyed returning to Harker to see “all the teachers and students and staff. It’s great seeing all the activities here.” Due noted that he had seen how the original Family & Alumni Picnic evolved and looked forward to seeing what was in store for Harker Day. “It’s a good carryover from Howard Nichols’ original idea of bringing a community together,” he said.
In the afternoon, the Harker Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place, honoring Cole Davis ’10, Drew Goldstein ’13 and Jessica Khojasteh ’11 for their athletic achievements as well as the example they set in becoming global citizens.
In addition to the Homecoming football game, the JV and varsity boys water polo, JV and varsity girls volleyball and varsity girls water polo teams were also in competition, with fans showing their support. Varsity boys and girls water polo, JV boys water polo and JV girls volleyball all picked up wins, while varsity girls volleyball fell to Castilleja.
Toward the evening, guests moved to Davis Field for the start of the 2021 Homecoming festivities, including the tug-of-war contest between the freshman and the sophomores, which was won by the Class of 2024. After two intense quarters of football between the Eagles and visitors Marina High School, audiences enjoyed performances by the Harker cheer squad and the Harker Dance Company and watched the tug-of-war finals between the classes of 2022 and 2025, in which the seniors emerged victorious. The Homecoming game ended with the Eagles falling to Marina with a final score of 26-42.
The Harker community showed up in the hundreds for Saturday night’s Homecoming to enjoy company with friends and family, sample a variety of foods and cheer on the Eagles, who took on the Saint Vincent de Paul Mustangs.
Guests began showing up roughly an hour before game time for the tailgate festivities, perusing tables of pizza, soft drinks, hot dogs and other goodies set up by Harker staff, students and families, as well as food trucks which set up shop on the upper school parking lot. Students raised funds for class activities by selling pizza and candy to attendees, often walking the area with boxes in hand.
From their station on the bleachers, the Harker Pep Band kept things lively throughout the evening as they entertained onlookers and energized the players. The pre-game entertainment also included two beloved Harker Homecoming traditions, a performance by the Junior Cheerleaders and the Eaglets flyby, which were warmly received as always by the audience gathered in the stands.
Prior to kickoff, the third place tug-of-war match between the sophomores and the freshmen ended with the Class of 2022 emerging the victors. The finals of the tug-of-war took place at halftime, with the juniors taking first place and celebrating ecstatically on Davis Field.
An especially eventful halftime also saw performances by the Harker upper school cheer squad and the Harker Dance Company, as well as a special appearance by Harker Athletic Hall of Fame inductees Kristina Bither Gurney ’09, Adhir Ravipati ’05 and former athletic department staffer Chris Collins, who had been inducted before the start of the game. Closing out halftime was the showing of this year’s Homecoming Court and the crowning of seniors Grant Miner and Kathy Fang as this year’s Homecoming Royalty to much fanfare.
The final score for the evening was 34-6 in favor of St. Vincent de Paul, who were thanked by Head of School Brian Yager for being gracious opponents and guests.
Nearly 1,000 community members visited the upper school tonight for the 2018 Homecoming celebration, where families, faculty and staff socialized, reminisced and cheered on their Harker Eagles.
The evening started with the grand opening of the Harker Athletic Hall of Fame in the new athletic center. Inaugural Hall of Famers are Adam Vucurevich ’02, Jason Martin ’07 and Tanya Schmidt ’08, along with Phyllis Carley, known as “Mrs. Carley” (1920-2009), Harker’s first super fan, represented by her nephew Dale Johnson ’80. Watch for the full story and bios soon.
Revelers began arriving at around 6 p.m. to partake of the food at Mrs. Carley’s Café and watch the teams warm up on Davis Field, while the Harker Pep Band took its place in the stands to provide the evening’s music. Attendees gathered in the bleachers just before kickoff to see the annual pregame traditions: a performance by the lower school’s junior cheer squad and the Eaglets Fly-By. Soon after, the Harker Eagles sprinted through the Gauntlet of Spirit to take the field for their game against the Lobos of Elsie Allen High School. Minutes prior to the start of the game, a brief memorial was held for former head of school Diana Nichols, to honor the tireless effort and depth of vision that was so crucial to making Harker what it is today.
The Eagles scored 21 points in the first quarter and were up 35-0 by halftime, during which the crowd witnessed the exciting finale of this year’s tug-of-war contest, in which the seniors triumphed over the juniors. The upper school cheer squad and varsity dance team performed to an enthusiastic response from the crowd, just before Dr. Teja Patil recieved Harker’s 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award, followed by the crowning of this year’s Homecoming Monarchs, seniors Kelsey Wu and Neil Ramaswamy. The Eagles won with a final score of 56-0.
Saturday night’s Homecoming celebration brought hundreds of members of the Harker community together to watch the soaring Harker Eagles, who had a 4-0 record going into the game, face off against the Rams of Rio Vista High School. Prior to the game, families socialized and enjoyed a variety of food options at the tailgate area, while performances by the lower school’s junior cheerleaders and the always-popular Eaglets got the crowd amped for the main event.
Rio Vista scored early to go up 7-0, but for the remainder of the half, it was all Eagles, who scored 23 unanswered points.
At halftime, the crowd enjoyed energizing performances by the Harker cheerleaders and the varsity dance troupe, and celebrated the crowning of this year’s Homecoming king and queen, seniors Peter Connors and Eleanor Xiao.
In the second half, Harker extended its lead by 10 points, which remained until Rio Vista responded in the fourth quarter with a last-second touchdown. Harker won with a final score of 33-13.
This morning’s Homecoming Rally capped off Spirit Week with fun, games and plenty of cheering! Classes gathered on Davis Field to compete for spirit points in a series of friendly and exciting games, as well as enjoy performances by the Harker cheer squad and varsity dance troupe! Seniors were awarded a whopping 100 spirit points when advisor Diane Main won “Name That Tune,” and also prevailed over the sophomores in the annual Tug of War. In addition to winning their Tug of War match against the freshmen and taking first in this year’s relay race, the juniors also were voted the winners of the skit competition for their hilarious and creative take on time travel. The juniors and seniors will face off in the finals of the Tug of War competition during halftime at tomorrow’s Homecoming game.
This article originally appeared in the winter 2015 Harker Quarterly.
A blustery early autumn evening set the stage for Harker’s 2015 Homecoming celebration, and the football team turned it into a great night with a 23-13 hard-fought win. This year’s Homecoming saw people from across the Harker community gather at the upper school campus to cheer on the Harker Eagles football squad as it faced off against Santa Cruz at Davis Field. In addition to the game, Homecoming offered a chance for Harker community members – students, parents, alumni, faculty and staff – to socialize and reminisce.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for the whole community to get together,” said Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs. “From preschool to the upper school, everyone can come together as one community, to support our students in the game, but also in the various ways that they’re participating, whether it’s musically or through cheer or selling pizza.”
Attendees began arriving in droves as early as two hours before the 7 p.m. kickoff, enjoying a variety of food from Mrs. Carley’s Café and a delicious array prepared by the Harker kitchens – the staff had been at work since 7 a.m. preparing for the big event – alongside pizza and candy sold by Harker students. Lower, middle and upper school campuses had tables filled with confections and chips for parents and students to snack on, while Harker’s alumni of ce had a special area with white linen and great food, which enjoyed a steady stream of visitors. “It’s really exciting and everyone’s having fun,” said Elizabeth Yang, grade 9, who was selling candy to raise funds for her class.
Prior to the game, the early arrivals enjoyed special performances by Harker’s junior cheerleaders and the time-honored Eaglets fly-by. Just before the game, several of Harker’s vocal groups, directed by lower school performing arts teacher Carena Montany, sang “The Harker School Song” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The upper school jazz ensembles combined to provide accompaniment and the varsity cheerleaders maintained a steady blast of cheerful encouragement from the sidelines.
The first half of the game was hotly contested, with Santa Cruz reaching the end zone early, followed by a strong answer from Harker, which scored a safety and a touchdown to take a 9-6 lead at halftime.
During halftime, Harker’s cheer squad and varsity dancers gave energetic, crowd-pleasing performances. Shortly after, this year’s Homecoming court took the eld, with seniors Edward Sheu and Stephanie Huang named the 2015 Homecoming King and Queen.
In the second half, both teams pushed hard. Santa Cruz took back the lead to make it 13-9. Push literally came to shove in the fourth quarter as each team tried to hang on in fourth-down situations to get a drive going. Finally, with 10:40 remaining in the game, Harker marched down field and scored a touchdown to make it 16-13. For the next eight minutes the crowd was on the edge of their seats knowing if Santa Cruz found the right gap, the score would reverse, again.
Indeed, the ball changed hands several times, but neither team was able to capitalize until very late in the fourth quarter when Harker put paid to the match with a great run to make it 23-13 with less than two minutes left. Harker D was fired up and bottled up Santa Cruz, nailing the lid on the win. It was a great night out with a big, lively crowd! Huge congratulations to the football team, including coaching, training and other support staff for a great, well-fought game. Go, Eagles!
This article originally appeared in the winter 2013 Harker Quarterly.
This fall, two festive happenings – the Harker Harvest Festival and Homecoming game – brought many alumni back to campus, where they enjoyed seeing old friends and catching up with the Harker community.
On Sept. 27, Harker’s Homecoming game was held on Davis Field, where alumni were warmly welcomed home during a familyfriendly tailgate party held in an end zone. A number of alumni turned out for the party, where they enjoyed dinner, mingled with faculty and staff, and watched the Eagles play.
Then on Oct. 13, alumni came out in recordbreaking numbers for the Harker Harvest Festival, the school’s 63rd annual Family & Alumni Picnic. More than 200 alumni attended the daylong event, held at the middle school. During the picnic there was a special area reserved just for alumni, with a delicious barbecue. This year alumni also were invited to volunteer at the picnic, and many signed up to work shifts at various booths.
This article originally appeared in the winter 2011 Harker Quarterly.
The atmosphere at Harker’s Homecoming was jubilant in defiance of intermittent rain on Nov. 11, as both the JV and varsity Eagles met Cupertino High School at Davis Field. Both contests were thrillers, each decided by a single-score deficit, with JV losing 18-15 and varsity winning 35-28.
Aside from the games, the many attendees had plenty to keep them occupied. Prior to the varsity game, the Harker Jazz Band warmed up the crowd from the stands and the lower school’s junior cheer squad performed, to the delight of the audience. The Eaglets’ fly-by, a Harker Homecoming tradition, saw lower school students donning their trademark eagle costumes to perform a spirited and well-received dance routine. In a continuation of the spirit rally earlier in the day, students in grades 9 and 10 met to compete for third place in the tug of war contest, with the sophomores declared the winner.
Another special pre-game event was the singing of Harker’s school song as well as “The Star-Spangled Banner” by students representing vocal groups from all three Harker campuses.
In the stands and in areas around Davis Field, the atmosphere remained festive as people from virtually every corner of the Harker community came together. Lower and middle school students met and made new friends with upper school students. Returning alumni reunited and caught up with their former teachers and reminisced about their days as Harker students. “This brings back a lot of memories of last year,” said Chris McCallaCreary ’11. “I just hope these guys cherish it while they still have it.”
The upper school parking lot was active for the duration of the event, with student organizations setting up tables to sell food and souvenirs. John and Christine Davis, parents of Cole Davis ’11, brought their RV to the special alumni section, which was busy with alumni and parents chatting and enjoying the many food options available. The Eagle Buddies also had their own section, where students in that program, as well as their parents, met and socialized. “It’s just a great way for the K-12 community to get together and support the school,” said Chris Nikoloff, head of school.
Following an exciting first half which left the varsity teams of Harker and Cupertino tied at 14 points, the crowd was treated to performances by the upper school cheerleaders and varsity dancers and also watched the tug of war contest between grades 11 and 12, who vied for first place. The seniors won the contest, continuing grade 12’s dominance in tug of war.
Capping off the halftime festivities was the appearance of the Homecoming court, each couple riding in golf carts driven by their class advisors. Nikoloff went out on to the field to thank the crowd for the great attendance and enthusiasm, before bestowing the title of Homecoming queen on Michelle Lo, grade 12, and naming Revanth Kosaraju, grade 12, this year’s Homecoming king.
The Eagles football players, thoroughly pumped to play two more quarters, burst through a large paper sign to signify the start of the second half. For the rest of the evening, onlookers watched as the Eagles soared to a hard-fought and well-deserved win.
On the following Monday, Greg Lawson, assistant head of school for student affairs, extended his thanks to all who helped make Homecoming “a rousing success. From the teams on the field, to the performers, to those working in the background on logistics; from food service, to the advancement staff, to the amazing facilities team; from the adults who volunteered or were assigned to work, to the athletic department; and finally, to those who simply attended and contributed to the wonderful spirit that could not be dampened by the rain – you have my thanks and appreciation for your contributions.”
Check out our Homecoming video posted on YouTube — search on “Harker Homecoming 2011”!
This article originally appeared in the winter 2009 Harker Quarterly.
Homecoming 2009 blended old and new traditions on a crisp fall evening Nov. 13. Held for the first time on campus, but incorporating many old traditions, homecoming at Davis Field provided a home field advantage for both players and fans.
Early in the evening, K-Gr. 12 students, alumni, staff, parents and friends enjoyed the junior varsity game despite the 18-9 loss; tailgate parties and the traditional pre-game and half-time entertainment got the crowd excited and ready to watch the big game. Fan favorites – the class tug-of-wars, the Eaglets’ performance and the homecoming court – were accompanied by the addition of a Bounce Zone with slide and bounce house, on adjacent, well-lit Rosenthal Field.
Although Davis Field has been open for three years, the logistics of holding homecoming on campus have been daunting. Previous homecoming events were held at PAL stadium and at Foothill College. This year, through the tireless efforts of staff and administration, parking, seating and entertainment were all organized to fit the smaller venue. Upper school students vacated their parking spaces in good order to make room for grade-level and alumni tailgates, as well as the traditional team tailgate at Christine and John Davis’ (Cole, Gr. 12) motor home. The arrangement created a safe zone where parents and students could come and go freely throughout the game.
One of the more obvious advantages to having the event on campus was having executive chef Steve Martin’s tasty food right to hand. To accommodate the crowd of over 1,200, additional bleacher seating was brought in, shuttles ran to the Blackford parking lot, and the homecoming court traveled green, arriving via pedicabs instead of the traditional convertibles. Chris Daren, upper school activities and yearbook/newspaper advisor, organized an entertaining week of spirit events for the Saratoga students as well as the homecoming court event.
One of the refinements of the home field location was the above-mentioned Bounce Zone, supervised by ever-vigilant BEST staff, heavily used by an enthusiastic crowd of younger Eagles until close to the end of the game.
This year, with a real “home coming,” the crowd was energized. Before the varsity game, attendees were treated to an impressive routine by the varsity Dance Troupe, directed by Laura Rae, and an enthusiastic performance by the lower school’s junior cheerleaders, instructed by Melinda Beason. Prior to kickoff, vocal groups from all three campuses sang both the Harker anthem and “The Star-Spangled Banner,” directed by upper school music teacher Catherine Snider.
The first half was a hard-fought struggle, with coach Karriem Stinson’s Eagles behind 12-7 when the halftime whistle blew. Throughout the first half of the game, the junior cheerleaders from Bucknall, with the upper school cheerleaders, coached by Chris King, led the crowd in rousing cheers in support of the gridiron gladiators on the emerald field below.
During halftime, the finals of the upper school tug-of-war contest took place, with seniors maintaining the status quo by taking first over the juniors. More halftime entertainment was provided by the cheerleaders, who put on an acrobatic display of school spirit.
Irresistibly cute, the Gr. 1-2 Eaglets, instructed by lower school dance teacher Gail Palmer, performed their annual dance, this year held in the home grandstand, and, shortly afterward, the 2009 homecoming court arrived on the field via carriages pedaled by class deans. Seniors Kevin Fu (playing running back and defensive end, thus in his football uniform) and Mahum Jamal were crowned Homecoming King and Queen. Other members of the court included freshmen Rahul Nalamasu and Maya Sathaye, sophomores Aaron Bisla and Laura Yau, juniors Nirjhar Mundkur and Brianna Tran, as well as seniors Thomas Enzminger, Valerie Hwa, Arjun Mody and Jackie Ho. In another long-established tradition, faculty cheerleaders rallied the crowd prior to the start of the second half.
As in previous years, the crowd was entertained throughout the game by the sounds of the upper school’s Jazz Band, led by Chris Florio. In the stands and on the field, students and players reveled in the first on-campus homecoming. “It just felt right being on Davis Field: it’s where we have all of our spirit events and football games and class meetings and such,” said Danielle Buis, Gr. 12. “So much activity happens on Davis Field, so it’s just always going to bring back those good memories of high school and all the things we did together. We have a lot of spirit and pride in what we do at the high school and homecoming is just our way to show it off to the other campuses.”
Football player Gautam Krishnamurthi, Gr. 11, playing wide receiver and cornerback, concurred: “The fact that it was ‘home’-coming was really defined by the atmosphere that was there at this last game because of the proximity of the fans as well as because it was where we practice and play every day.” Krishnamurthi also liked the fact that the game was held after the regular season and that the opponent, Berean Christian, provided a challenge, which made the game exciting to watch.
Even the younger students enjoyed the home field event. Jithin Vellian, Gr. 8, has attended homecoming games since he was in the lower school. Although he played football with his friends during the game, which is what he says he has done every year, he felt that having the game at the Saratoga campus made it special. “I like how homecoming was at the school itself, instead of some random place. It was nice to have it somewhere I’ve been before.” Victor Shin, Gr. 4, liked the game being at home. Shin explained, “I really liked the food and being with my friends, but I didn’t like that we lost.”
The crowd was thoroughly fired up for the second half and both teams showed great competitive spirit. The game was announced throughout by our own Greg Lawson, assistant head of school for student affairs. Although Harker eventually lost the grueling contest 25-13, Homecoming 2009 allowed our ever-growing athletic department to show off one of the many upper school sports, as well as our impressive facilities.
Since its inception, the athletic department has been steadily growing, adding sports and facilities and training increasingly talented athletes. In 2005-06, approximately 50 percent of the upper school student body played after- school sports; now, 65-70 percent compete in at least one sport.
Currently, 14 former Harker students are playing athletics at the college level, in swimming, gymnastics, tennis, football, baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball and diving. Schools include Penn State, Northeastern, Cornell and Villanova as well as West Coast schools University of Puget Sound, UC Berkeley, Santa Clara University, Pepperdine and San Jose State University. Current seniors Cole Davis, Arthi Padmanabhan, Michael Clifford and Greg Plauck all are planning to play college athletics as well. Davis has already been accepted to swim at Stanford, and Plauck will be playing baseball at Santa Clara next year.
Harker teams have won an impressive list of titles and championships, including 14 league titles, one Nor-Cal championship, over 35 section scholastic championships, and three state scholastic titles since Dan Molin took over as athletic director in 2005. Already this year, Harker has had two more firsts: the football team qualified for playoffs for the first time in school history, and the girls tennis team made it to the CCS quarterfinals.
“I’m continually amazed at and inspired by what Harker student-athletes accomplish,” said Molin. “They always rise to the occasion and go beyond our expectations on the court, field or pool.”
Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancment, added, “Looking to the future, there have been and continue to be meetings to rally support for a new gym building to be built at the same time as the planned performing arts center.”
Homecoming at Davis Field this year was just another step in bringing our athletic department to a higher level, and we look forward to the continued growth of Harker sports.