Each year grade 8 Latin students participate in contests sponsored by Ancient Coins for Education (ACE). Harker students Edgar Lin and Praveen Batra were named school winners in ACE’s recent essay contest.
Batra’s essay on Roman emperor Tiberius went on to win first place in the junior category, according to middle school Latin teacher Lisa Masoni. Both students received ancient Roman coins as prizes.
ACE’s goal is to encourage learning about the classical world through the use of primary sources. This is achieved by providing ancient coins for the students to identify and holding essay contests throughout the year.
Meanwhile, at the upper school, Harker recently received results from the National Classical Etymology Exam, which students in grade 9 and 10 took late last year. Fourteen Harker students participated in exam, sponsored by the National Junior Classical League, reported upper school Latin teacher John Hawley.
“The exam is designed to test a student’s ability to handle both Latin and Greek derivatives and their usage in the English language,” he said.
Of the 14 participants, 13 received either gold or silver medals for their prowess. Advanced level students who earned gold medals are Kevin Duraiswamy and Helena Huang, both grade 12, and Sophia Shatas, grade 11. Silver medals went to Tiffany Chu and Sreyas Misra, both grade 12, and Maya Nandakumar, grade 11.
Intermediate level students who earned gold medals are Rishabh Chandra, Elisabeth Siegel and Allison Wang, all grade 10, and Venkat Sankar and Arjun Subramaniam, grade 9. Silver medals went to grade 9 students Aditya Dhar and Nikhil Manglik.
Maruko Ishigami, a visiting exchange teacher from Tamagawa Academy K-12 School & University – Harker’s sister school in Tokyo, Japan – was touched by the warm welcome she received from students and faculty during her visit to Harker Jan. 7-18.
“This has been a very good experience. I am impressed by the children’s artwork here,” said Ishigami, who teaches art at Tamagawa’s elementary school and spent time observing classes at Harker’s lower, middle and upper school campuses.
She also helped teach art classes for grades 2-5, showing the second and third graders how to make traditional Japanese wood coasters and instructing the fourth and fifth graders in various painting techniques used in her country.
Grade 2 students Emi Fujimura, Shayla He and Shareen Chahal agreed that the best thing about making the wood coasters with Ishigami was “building it” from scratch, noting that the process reminded them of putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Fellow classmate Vivek Nayyar said he especially enjoyed having a “visiting teacher” come to the classroom.
“It has been a truly fantastic experience having Maruko here,” agreed Gerry-louise Robinson, Harker’s lower school art teacher. “All the students warmed quickly to Maruko’s wonderful smile and gentle approach. Both grades 2 and 3 embraced this project with enthusiasm and determination!”
Ishigami also observed ceramics classes at the middle school and sat in on graphic arts, stone carving, drawing, photography and other art courses at the upper school.
Because her English is not fluent, Ishigami was aided by several Japanese-speaking faculty members who offered to be interpreters, joining her for meals and serving as friendly faces around campus.
From the moment her plane touched down at the San Francisco International Airport, Ishigami was kept engaged and busy. In addition to spending time observing and teaching classes at Harker, other highlights of her visit included lunch with the administration, a visit to the San Jose Museum of Art, and sightseeing expeditions to Monterey Bay and San Francisco.
“I’ve really enjoyed showing Maruko around. She is very interested in everything that we do at Harker and is eager to learn all she can about our school and students. As an art teacher, she enjoyed viewing all the types of artwork our students are doing. It’s been fun seeing the students enjoying showing her their work,” noted Jennifer Walrod, Harker’s director of global education.
Tamagawa, a K-12 school and university, was founded in 1929 as an elementary education organization. Secondary education divisions were added later, and in 1947 Tamagawa University received approval for establishment as an “old system” (pre-war) university. As a comprehensive institution (gakuen), they currently provide education from kindergarten to graduate school on a single campus.
The global education department kicked off the new school year with a visit from Jin Yanfen, a teacher with a specialty in English as a Second Language from the World Foreign Language Middle School (WFLMS) in Shanghai, China.
Jin (who goes by the name Fendy) was the first exchange teacher this school year to visit from WFLMS, Harker’s Chinese sister school. Established in 1996, WFLMS is located in the southwest part of the Xuhui District in Shanghai, an area regarded as an important educational location.
During her recent schoolwide visit, Jin observed and taught classes in both world history and Mandarin at the middle school. She also taught a Mandarin class at the upper school and read a book about Chinese writing to kindergartners at the lower school.
Voicing her support of Harker’s global education program, Jin, who had never been to Harker before, expressed how welcome she had been made to feel upon her arrival at Harker and her belief that “two minds are always better than one.”
She elaborated that when students are able to have an ongoing exchange, they have more options and ways to face problems. “When we talk with each other, both schools develop more quickly.”
Harker’s teacher exchange program is an example of its ongoing effort to build progressive academic and cultural partnerships between institutions around the world, providing meaningful experiences for students at all grade levels and preparing them to be true global citizens.
“We (WFLMS and Harker) have known each other for a long time. Our students enjoy the chance to communicate with an English-speaking friend; we especially want to know about America,” said Jin.
During her time at Harker, Jin was diligent about introducing information about Chinese culture and its traditional festivals, food and Confucianism so that students could more readily understand it. She also informed both Harker teachers and students alike about how China’s educational system operates.
“Our students – at all campuses – really benefit from these exchanges. They always approach me, asking questions about our guests and wanting to find out more about them,” reported Jennifer Walrod, Harker’s director of global education.
Middle school Spanish students have recently returned from Costa Rica for this summer’s Spanish language immersion trip, accompanied by Spanish teachers Julie Pinzás and Susan Moling, who sent email dispatches from the trip that can be read below.
July 29:
What an exciting day we had today! We drove about an hour and a half through the lush Costa Rican countryside to San Luis. There we spent the morning and early afternoon on a canopy tour that featured ziplining across the canopy of the rainforest through a series of 12 platforms. Midway through we went on a “Tarzan” swing and ended our tour using the “Superman” harness in which you lay face down as you ride across a breathtaking canyon for nearly a mile. As you sail along this canyon, a rustling river and waterfalls could be seen amidst the lush forest. It was a definite highlight of the trip so far!
Afterward we returned to the casitas to freshen up and rest a bit before dinner. We enjoyed more of the amazing local cuisine for dinner and then a surprise birthday cake for rising eighth grader Tanvi Singh, who is turning 13 today.
Tomorrow the children will start their clases de español at the ACCE language school.
-Susan Moling
July 30:
Yesterday morning we had our orientation at the ACCE Language School. After a warm reception, the kids all took their diagnostic tests and were placed in small groups of three to four students per teacher. As usual, they impressed the director and their Costa Rican teachers with their Spanish! During the week, students normally begin their classes at 1:30 p.m. and have two breaks before finishing their lessons at 5 p.m. They are provided with a fresh snack and drink such as small sandwiches, cheese empanadas, yucca frita and plátano frito during the first longer break. Following dinner, we had a movie night where the kids enjoyed watching Man of Steel (Hombre de Hierro) while eating palomitas (popcorn). It is such a pleasure to see how the kids have bonded as a group, playing games in their free time with each other.
Today, we set off for the nearby town of Sarchí. The town is very historic because it lies along the old Pan American highway, which connects Central and South America. Sarchí is also renowned for its colorfully painted oxcart wheels and beautifully hand-carved wood furniture and crafts. We went to the Eloy Alfaro factory, which was founded in 1920, to learn about how the wheels are made during a tour of the factory.
Then the students had a painting class where everyone got to learn the basic skills of wheel painting from a local artist, Don William. Students all got a small, white wheel to work with and everyone followed the steps toward creating a beautifully painted miniature oxcart wheel. After the painting class, everyone did some shopping in the extensive gift shop followed by a delicious buffet-style lunch on the second floor of the factory.
-Julie Pinzás
August 1:
Although yesterday morning started off with a bit of rain, it cleared up just in time for our guide, Minor, to treat us to a tour of Grecia. Our first stop was the local post office. Interestingly enough, there are no street signs in Costa Rica. Therefore addresses are more descriptive. The school’s, for example, is “50 metros al oeste de la estación de Bomberos en Grecia centro; segunda planta de Restaurante Galería.” (50 meters East of Grecia’s Downtown Fire Station; second floor of the Galería Restaurant). Our next stop was a local indoor market. Students were able sample passion fruit and other indigenous fruits. The last stop of our tour was Costa Rica’s version of Jamba Juice, Cosechas Grecia. Here students were able to sample a yummy fruit smoothie.
Part of our group then walked to the polideportivo (sports center) where they were able to enjoy some playtime in the pool. The other half of the group went to a local woman’s home where they participated in a cooking class and enjoyed a wonderful, home-cooked luncheon. Everyone helped Sra. Lavinia prepare a sumptuous arroz con pollo (chicken and rice), a traditional Costa Rican dish which features several local vegetables, special seasonings and chicken. This dish was served with fried bananas (plátanos maduros) and a refreshing cas-pineapple smoothie.
Last night, after school, we visited a private K-12 school, Centro Educativo Nuevo Milenio, where our entire group had a chance to participate in the high school’s English Day Talent Show a la “America’s Got Talent.” They all did a fantastic job and impressed our hosts with their talent and level of confidence!
Today in the morning the same two groups from yesterday switched and enjoyed the cooking class/pool activities. Then after school today, we headed off to a local indoor soccer pitch to play with Minor’s son, Christopher, and some of his classmates. Everyone got into the game and had a lot of fun playing an exciting match of soccer non-stop for an hour. To top it off, students enjoyed dinner at a local soda. A soda is a family-run restaurant, similar to a small North American diner. Sodas are a great place to find quick home cooking, usually the stick-to-your-ribs variety – think rice and beans, hamburgers and fries.
-Julie Pinzás
August 2:
In the morning we awoke early to head off an immigrant neighborhood known as La Carpio, just outside of the capital city, San José, and about an hour’s drive away. This area, home to some 34,000 people, is made up of mainly immigrants from the neighboring country of Nicaragua who escaped to Costa Rica for a better life following the civil war there. As a result, most of the inhabitants of La Carpio are extremely poor. One organization, the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation, founded by an American expatriate, Gail Nystrom, has accomplished much in nearly every facet of life for these people for some 30 years. One of them is the creation of an affordable day-care for working parents, the Guadería la Libertad.
This year, the organization is focusing on the one of the poorest sections of La Carpio. Our students thoroughly enjoyed painting the outside of the metal and concrete housing structures, bringing a bit of color, pride and sense of ownership to the inhabitants. We then trekked down to the bottom of the river to deliver invitations and hang posters for a health fair the following day. Afterwards, we went back to the Fundación Humanitaria for a simple lunch before heading back to ACCE for their Spanish classes. That evening we went to a local mall just outside of Grecia to have dinner and enjoy some window-shopping.
-Susan Moling
August 3:
Yesterday we got off to an early start for Manuel National Park, about three hours north of Grecia. We took a newly paved highway that supposedly cut the drive down by an hour. On the way we stopped and walked across a bridge to observe Central American crocodiles that live along the Tarcoles River. We were lucky enough to see three pairs of bright scarlet macaws in flight as we walked along the seismic suspension bridge.
Our next stop was the beautiful Rainmaker Park, which is a lush rainforest where we went on a 90-minute hike – this year with a downpour of rain, thanks to mother nature. They got a true sense of why it is called a rainforest! We observed many species of flora and fauna native to the rainforest. Our guide pointed out some green poison dart frogs, centipedes and different plant species, just to name a few. We walked across a system of suspension bridges spanning a total of 250 meters above the forest canopy. Six bridges extend over platforms attached to massive hardwood trees which allow visitors to explore the rainforest from a bird´s eye perspective, such as rushing waterfalls below. We ended our tour with a delicious lunch of arroz con pollo, black beans and rice. We drove on for about another hour, and then settled into our hotel which is located just outside the famed Manuel Antonio Park we will be exploring tomorrow. The kids spent the afternoon frolicking in the beach.
-Susan Moling
August 4:
Costa Rica blessed us with perfect weather today despite forecasts of a possible storm and rain all weekend for our visit to one of the country’s smallest but most spectacular national parks, Manuel Antonio. Once we entered the park, we enjoyed an easy hike through the rain forest as our guide pointed out many fascinating insects, plants and animals. Nothing compares to seeing two- and three-toed sloths and capuchin monkeys amongst the trees in person in their natural habitat.
After the brief hike, we arrived at the long-awaited beach, which looked like it was from a movie set with majestic palm trees surrounding a turquoise bay. Needless to say, the kids were in the water within minutes, enjoying themselves tremendously. After a few hours of satisfying play in the water and on the sand, we headed back to the hotel for lunch and spent the afternoon in the pool.
We enjoyed another of many scrumptious meals for dinner. The kids have definitely adapted to Costa Rican cuisine and all agree that they love the food! It was definitely a memorable weekend excursion for all.
-Julie Pinzás
August 6:
Yesterday, after our drive home from Manuel Antonio, we stopped at la Casona de Maiz, a typical Costa Rica Restaurant, for lunch. Students then dropped off their luggage at the casitas and went to afternoon classes. That evening they had fun watching “Megamente” (Megamind) in Spanish with Spanish subtitles.
This morning we went again to the organization Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation, the immigrant neighborhood La Carpio, just outside of the capital city, San José (La Carpio, history). Today the students visited a special preschool created by this organization to prepare immigrant children for entering kindergarten in the Costa Rican school system.
Our students spent their time helping the 25 or so children, whose ages ranged from 4 to 5 years old, with their lessons. They read to the kids, helped them color, sang songs and played with them. We noticed how our group used their Spanish to communicate with the children and how sad the little ones were when we left. Warm hugs were exchanged all around. Their director complimented us on how well our students interacted with hers. She said we were her best group yet!
-Julie Pinzás
August 9:
Sadly we are sending you our last report from picturesque Costa Rica!
Yesterday we had another leisurely breakfast at 8:30 a.m. We then headed off to a dance studio to learn some typical Latin dances. The whole class was taught in Spanish! Our instructor, Carlos, taught us how to do the bachata, cumbia, salsa and merengue. He was impressed on how enthusiastic our students were and their level of understanding and dancing skills. Everyone had a lot of fun!
In the evening our group played another indoor soccer match with local Costa Rican youth. Needless to say, it was an even more exciting match for they scored lots of goals!
Today we set off for downtown Grecia for the “cazapistas” (scavenger hunt). This activity was developed by one of our wonderful local contacts here, Amy Paschal. Students were divided up into groups of three to four and then had to follow the steps on their individualized scavenger hunts in both Spanish and English. The design of the activity was really ingenious – some of the tasks involved students having to find out information from local townspeople; and for others they had to ask someone to take a photo of their group in front of a particular landmark. Everyone did a great job completing their cazapistas.
Tonight we had a lovely farewell barbecue party in the “Rancho” at the casitas where we have enjoyed these past two glorious weeks here in Costa Rica. There was a sumptuous vegetable and rice dish, barbecued meats, black beans and homemade salsa and chips. After eating, some of the teachers from the school presented each student with a beautiful group photo as a memento of their time here.
Everyone is sad to leave tomorrow but eager to get home and tell you all about their amazing experiences. ¡Pura vida!
The Harker chapter of the Spanish National Honor Society (known in Spanish as La Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, Capítulo Isabel Allende) took a trip to the local Mexican eatery Mexico Lindo on April 10 to induct the new Spanish NHS members. The group enjoyed a delicious buffet, after which the new members received certificates for their induction, which was followed by a recitation of the Spanish NHS oath.
Students must be enrolled in honors or advanced placement Spanish and receive at least an A- in their classes the previous semester, as well as finish three semesters of high school-level Spanish, in order to qualify for induction into the Spanish NHS.
This year’s inductees are: Manon Audebert, Juergen Buchsteiner and Ariana Shulman, all grade 11; Stacey Chao, Nathan Dalal, Shreya Dixit, Riya Godbole, Corey Gonzales, Juhi Gupta, Matthew Huang, Vivian Isenberg, Rahul Jayaraman, Andrew Jin, Allison Kiang, Daniela Lee, David Lin, Cindy Liu, Samantha Madala, Juhi Muthal, Nicholas Nguyen, Sachin Peddada, Archana Podury, Karnika Pombra, Apoorva Rangan, Sindhu Ravuri, Nikhil Reddy, Anokhi Saklecha, Vedant Thyagaraj, Helen Wu, Menghua Wu and Samyukta Yagati, all grade 10.
Nineteen enthusiastic grade 7 and 8 students recently returned from the annual middle school trip to China, where they spent time with their buddies at the World Foreign Language Middle School (WFLMS) in Shanghai.
Adding to the excitement of this year’s visit to Harker’s sister school in China, which ran from March 27 to April 7, was the addition of the seventh grade student participants, who joined the trip for the first time.
Originally based around the grade 8 computer science class’ global issues forum, the China trip will now also incorporate the grade 7 historical component of learning about ancient China. According to Harker’s global education department, including seventh graders on the trip proved to be such a success that it will be the norm going forward.
To be able to go on the China exchange trip was a dream come true for grade 7 student Raveena Panja, who said that in Shanghai, spending time with her buddy Jasmine (who attends WFLMS) taught her a lot about Chinese family values.
“My favorite memory with Jasmine was when she took me to an outdoor night market – it was so pretty with all the night lights and everyone I met was so sweet and welcoming. Beijing was also very beautiful, for it holds the historical and traditional side of China. The Great Wall was breathtaking! Traveling to China exposed me to a new culture, allowed me to make lifelong friends halfway across the world and made me realize I am a part of a bigger global community which is filled with wonderful people, regardless of where they are from,” recalled Panja.
Greg Lawson, assistant head of school for student affairs, who headed this year’s trip, said that the Harker group of student participants was accompanied by four faculty member chaperones. One of the chaperones, middle school computer science teacher Abigail Joseph, had preceded the group to spend some rewarding time working as an exchange teacher at WFLMS.
“I most enjoyed watching the students engage in round-table discussions with their buddies on various topics affecting youth from homework loads and family rituals to United States-China relations. They were very interested in learning about and sharing with one another. As a teacher it was really wonderful to see two different communities collide and sit down at the table to have real dialogues about personal matters. This made me know the future of dialogue and deliberation is in good hands,” observed Joseph.
Upon their arrival in China, the students were warmly welcomed at the Pudong International Airport by their pals from WFLMS. From there, they hopped on a bus for the short drive into the city to meet their host families.
“The variety of experiences they were extended by their host families gave them all a marvelous glimpse into life in Shanghai, and these were augmented by our further travels. The students also had a chance to make regional arts comparisons, attending both the Shanghai acrobats show and the Beijing ‘Legend of Kung Fu’ spectacle. As usual, a highlight for them was the trip to the Great Wall of China,” Lawson reported.
During their time at WFLMS, the Harker students enjoyed attending classes with their Chinese friends and taking part in special activities such as making dumplings and creating culturally-based art projects. In fact, Harker and WFLMS students grew so close that as their time together came to a close, there were numerous touching goodbyes, speeches, performances and heartfelt promises to stay in touch.
After spending time at WFLMS, the Harker contingent prepared to depart for the next phase of the trip: Beijing. Their first adventure in Beijing consisted of a rickshaw tour of the Hutong, or ancient alleyways that once covered the city.
Next on the itinerary was a visit to the Great Wall of China. Taking a ski lift to the top of the mountain, they entered onto the wall. Many photos were taken of the renowned structure, and the students were thrilled to take a toboggan ride back down the side of the mountain.
The group returned to Beijing the next day and visited Tiananmen Square, site of the 1989 protests and ensuing military action. They then headed to the Forbidden City, where they were guided through several of its 980 palatial buildings.
After enjoying lunch, they went to Silk Street Market, a famous shopping center, where they had fun haggling with its many vendors. From there, they enjoyed a final outing to the Summer Palace, China’s largest imperial garden, where they rode a dragon boat to the palace’s pavilion.
The grade 7 and 8 students arrived back home in early April, feeling bonded and eager to share their trip experiences with friends, family and fellow middle-schoolers. And this year, the good news for grade 7 students is that they will have a chance to repeat the wonderful experience of the China trip all over again in grade 8!
This story was submitted by middle school Latin teacher Lisa Masoni and upper school Latin teacher Scott Paterson.
Over the weekend of March 16, Harker Junior Classical League (JCL) students headed south to Sage Hill School to attend the JCL State Convention. They enjoyed workshops, fellowship with Latin students from all over the state and competitions involving many aspects of classical knowledge. The students performed admirably, winning many prizes and earning the middle school first place at the middle school level and the upper school second place at the high school level.
Upper school students brought back the following awards in individual categories:
In the HS-2 category (for Latin 2 students):
Jessica Chang, grade 10: first in Roman Daily Life; Serena Wang, grade 10: first in Mottoes, Quotes and Abbreviations; Tyler Yeats, grade 12: first in Latin Derivatives; Anthony Luo, grade 9: second in Classical Mythology.
In the HS-3 category (for Latin 3 students):
William Bloomquist, grade 10: first in Catullus Recitation; Elisabeth Siegel, grade 9: first in Academic Pentathlon, second in Classical Mythology, second in Grammar; Sreyas Misra, grade 11: tied for second in Latin Derivatives; Allison Wang, grade 9: tied for third in Academic Pentathlon, third in Classical Mythology, third in Mottoes, Quotes and Abbreviations.
In the HS-Adv division (for students in Latin 4 and above):
Nik Datuashvili, grade 12: tied for first in Latin Sight Reading (Prose), first in Reading Comprehension, first in Latin derivatives, second in Latin Vocabulary, third in Latin Sight Reading (Poetry); Kevin Duraiswamy, grade 11: tied for first in Latin Sight Reading (Prose), first in Catullus Recitation, first in Mottoes, Quotes and Abbreviations, second in Grammar; Richard Fan, grade 12: tied for first in Ancient Geography, first in Classical Art, second in Roman Daily Life; Maya Nandakumar, grade 10: first in Dramatic Interpretation (Girls); Erik Andersen, grade 12: tied for second in Latin Derivatives, fourth in Grammar; Sean Fernandes: second in Ancient Geography; Billy Bloomquist (playing up a level): second in Latin Sight Reading (prose); Helena Huang, grade 11: tied for third in Classical Mythology, tied for fourth in Latin Derivatives; Laura Pedrotti, grade 12: tied for fourth in Latin Derivatives; Sophia Shatas, grade 10: fourth in Classical Mythology; Eric Zhang, grade 12: third in Ancient Geography.
In the general HS category (including all levels of high school Latin):
Sarika Bajaj, grade 11: first in Photography, third in Multimedia; Andrew Luo, grade 12: first in Chess; Maya Nandakumar: first in Vocal Competition; Sreyas Misra: second in Chess
Middle school students brought back the following awards for group competitions:
William Bloomquist, Rishabh Chandra, grade 9, Kaushik Sankar, grade 9, and Allison Wang: first in HS-3 Competitive Certamen; Elisabeth Siegel (playing up a level), Nik Datuashvili, Kevin Duraiswamy and Richard Fan: second place in HS-Adv Competitive Certamen; second Chariot Race (Girls)
Finally, Elisabeth Siegel won the Individual Academic award for HS-3 by earning the most points overall within her level.
A t the Middle School 1 level (all grade 6):
Robert Bloomquist: first in Latin Vocabulary; Nikhil Dharmaraj: first in Sight Latin Reading, second in Brass/Winds, fourth in Latin Vocabulary; Taylor Lam: first in Mottoes, Quotes, and Abbreviations, first in Dramatic Interpretation, third in Latin Sight Reading; Arthur Oung: second in Mythology
Middle School 2 (all grade 7 unless otherwise noted):
Justin Au: first in Reading Comp I, first in Dramatic Interpretation, first in Brass/Winds, second in Grammar I, second in Sight Latin Reading, third in Latin Oratory, fourth in Latin Vocabulary; Praveen Batra: first in Mottoes, Quotes, and Abbreviations, first in Mythology; Rahul Bhethanabotla: second in Classical Art, fourth in Ancient Geography; Adrian Chu: first in Classical Art, second in Roman History; Derek Kuo: fourth in Classical Art; Michael Kwan: third in Ancient Geography; Nikhil Manglik, grade 8: first in Ancient Geography, second in Academic Pentathlon, fourth in Mythology.
Middle School 3 (all grade 8):
Aditya Dhar: first in Latin Derivatives, first in Mythology, second in Academic Pentathlon, second in Dramatic Interpretation; Alexander Lam: first in Mottoes, Quotes, and Abbreviations, second in Reading Comp II, second in Latin Oratory, fourth in Latin Vocabulary; Venkat Sankar: first in Ancient Geography, first in Roman Daily Life, first in Reading Comp II, first in Sight Latin Reading; Arjun Subramaniam: second in Latin Derivatives, second in Mythology, third in Reading Comp II; Arnav Tandon: first in Reading Comp III, second in Grammar II; Austin Tuan: first in Grammar II, first in Academic Pentathlon; Albert Xu: fourth in Mythology; Raymond Xu: first in Classical Art, first in Roman History, fourth in Ancient Geography.
In the chapter competitions, the Certamen (quiz bowl) teams also did well, benefiting from their depth of knowledge and quick thumbs on the buzzers: Middle School 1 placed third (Bobby Bloomquist, Nikhil Dharmaraj, Taylor Lam and Arthur Oung; Allison Cartee, grade 6, also played on the team at the qualifying rounds in February); Middle School 2 placed third (Justin Au, Praveen Batra, Rahul Bhethanabotla, Adrian Chu and Nikhil Manglik; Justin Su, grade 7, also played on the team at the qualifying rounds in February); Middle School 3 placed second with an edge-of-the-seat five-point loss to Mirman (Aditya Dhar, Alexander Lam, Venkat Sankar and Arjun Subramaniam).
JCL club members who were unable to attend the convention contributed greatly to Harker’s success in chapter contests. Harker was second place in the banner, T-shirt (designed by Heidi Zhang, grade 6), scrapbook (created by Allison Cartee, grade 6) and spirit contests, and third in the chariot race.
When all the sweepstakes points were added up, Harker middle school students swept the state champion results. The winners of the Individual Academic sweepstakes were Taylor Lam (MS1), Justin Au (MS2) and Venkat Sankar (MS3). All three then went on to win Individual Combined as well.
This article was originally published in the spring 2013 Harker Quarterly.
Harker’s middle school recently played host to 19 students and four chaperones visiting from the World Foreign Language Middle School (WFLMS) in Shanghai, China as part of Harker’s student exchange program with its Chinese sister school.
Come spring, a contingent of Harker students will head to China as part of the annual exchange program which is a highlight and culmination of the middle school experience for many grade 8 students.
During their stay from Jan. 22-25, the WFLMS students observed and attended several middle school classes and headed over to the lower school for a traditional Chinese paper cutting project with grades 4 and 5. In their free time, the visitors ventured out for some sightseeing activities.
This article was originally published in the spring 2013 Harker Quarterly.
Harker progresses in its mission to help students become global citizens, the school’s foreign language department has been instrumental in not only equipping students with the skills to communicate, but also instilling familiarity, understanding and admiration of many different cultures.
From on-campus cultural events, to visits by authors and musicians, to trips overseas, the foreign language program strives to create an immersive experience to make students enthusiastic about languages and the cultures of the people who speak them.
“There’s just so much energy connected to the immersive experience that really motivates the kids,” said Abel Olivas, upper school Spanish teacher and foreign language department chair. “It’s almost like they don’t even really realize that they’re learning.”
One indicator of how valued foreign language education is at Harker is its early introduction into the curriculum. In grade 1, students attend one period of Spanish each week. Students in grades 4 and 5 attend two periods a week. Upon reaching grade 6, they may take Spanish, French, Japanese, Latin or Mandarin for four periods each week.
“It’s wonderful to introduce foreign language study as early as possible,” said Carol Parris, K-8 foreign languages department chair. “In terms of oral fluency, young students are generally good mimics and less inhibited about speaking than students who start the study of language in later years.”
Diana Moss, an upper school Spanish teacher, says beginning early also helps students pick up patterns in different languages, enabling them to transition from one foreign language to another much more easily. “I do think that there is something to the effect that once you’re working with language, it’s easier and easier,” she said. “You understand how to put languages together.”
This foundation often results in students taking level 3 language classes in their first year of high school. “Very few high schools encourage freshmen to enter level 3 language classes,” Parris added.
This level of proficiency, however, isn’t just the result of starting young. At every level, teachers go to great lengths to keep their students engaged and excited about learning languages. “Language students enjoy learning about the countries and cultures where the languages are spoken,” Parris said. “In addition to language, they learn about geography, art, music and customs, participate in holiday celebrations, have food tastings, etc. A highlight of 2M classes [for students who have taken the three-year middle school language sequence] is going to a restaurant of the appropriate nationality.”
Such activities take students beyond the often rote process of learning a foreign language to help them develop a more emotional connection to the languages they are learning. “Let’s face it,” Moss said. “Grammar and learning vocabulary are not the most exciting things in the world. The thing that makes a foreign language fun is the culture.”
Olivas, for example, teaches students in his classes how to dance salsa. “It’s one of the things that they seem to really enjoy, even the kids who are not dancers,” he said. They also delve into the lives of famous salsa artists, such as Cuban-American legend Celia Cruz.
Other teachers treat their students to local cultural events, such as the Japanese tea ceremony in San Francisco which was attended by the students of middle school Japanese teacher Kumi Matsui. Similarly, upper school Mandarin teacher Shaun Jahshan has taken her students to local Chinese-American marketplaces, where they use their knowledge of Chinese to order food and milk tea.
Angela Ma, grade 11, who has studied French at Harker since grade 6, said the cultural elements in her classes have enhanced her enjoyment and understanding of the language. “All of my French textbooks dedicate many pages to cultural and social comparisons, which my French teachers then expand on in class,” she said. “These extra mini-lessons on French tradition not only make everyday French class more relevant, but also remind the students that French is a language that encompasses much more than grammar and vocabulary.”
Teachers also liven up the classroom by inventing games to make the learning process more fun for their students. One of Olivas’ most popular classroom activities is the fly swatter game in which Olivas says a word or phrase in English or Spanish and students use a fly swatter to slap a synonymous Spanish word or phrase written on the board.
“Because they’re having a blast with it, the energy level goes up, and this learning process doesn’t feel like grunt work. It’s actually enjoyable,” Olivas said.
“We spend a lot of time having students practice in pairs, do group works and play games for reviewing materials, and there is always lively interaction going on in class, which makes foreign language classes unique from the rest of academic classes,” said Masako Onakado, who teaches upper school Japanese.
“The nice thing about foreign language is that it’s really whatever you want to talk about,” Moss said, remembering a time when Olivas walked into her classroom to ask her students what they thought of his sweater, sparking a long and lively discussion about his wardrobe, entirely in Spanish.
To create a more immersive environment, teachers often enforce a “No English” rule while class is in session. Olivas said this helps students mentally associate people and places with a language, thereby making use of the language feel more natural. “If you can get them to associate people and places with that language then it becomes more automatic; it’s like a switch comes on,” he said. Not surprisingly, foreign language teachers at Harker are full of stories about encountering their students outside the classroom, who then speak to them in their second languages almost automatically.
In addition to its unique approach to teaching languages, Harker’s foreign language program also offers an unusually wide array of languages for students to learn. “It might be difficult for some people, but the variety is amazing,” said Erik Andersen, grade 12, who started learning Latin in grade 10 and now studies Japanese. “The availability of Latin, Romance and Asian languages has been a rewarding experience for me, allowing me to learn about many different aspects of language and culture.”
Moss said support from Harker families, many of them multilingual, is a big reason for the depth of foreign language options. “The families here really value second-language education,” she said. “They have seen firsthand how important it is in this world economy to have languages under your belt.”
Students frequently find that their study of languages has applications beyond the classroom. “I chose French, in particular, because I do ballet and all of the dance steps are named in French,” said Ma. “Learning French has allowed me to understand ballet in a much more meaningful way by exposing me to the history and origins of the art.” She has also had the chance to use her French skills overseas during trips to France and Switzerland. “Two years ago, I traveled to Switzerland with the Harker Exchange Program. While I was there, I spoke almost entirely French the whole time,” she said. “Speaking French helped me become closer with my host family and appreciate the way of life in Switzerland.”
Andersen has found that his studies in Latin have enabled him to pick up on the meanings of English words that were previously unknown to him. “It might also help me if I decide I want to try to learn a Romance language later on,” he said.
Another important component of Harker’s foreign language education is trips to parts of the world where the languages are spoken natively. Students visit Japan, China and other countries every year to immerse themselves in their cultures and converse with native speakers. In 2011, middle school Spanish students embarked for the first time on a language immersion trip to Costa Rica, where they visited various important landmarks, participated in cultural celebrations and visited with the local population, using their Spanish language skills to communicate. This summer, middle school students will again participate in this trip, which is scheduled to take place every other summer.
Once overseas, Moss said, students often find themselves less apprehensive about using their second languages. “There’s really nothing like the actual experience of being in a foreign country and using a foreign language,” she said. “Kids tend to be kind of timid in the class. They don’t think they speak very well, but when they get out in the real world, they say, ‘Oh, my gosh, I can communicate,’ and it’s exciting for them.”
For many students, this passion for languages continues after graduation. “In the past few years, we have had growing number of students continuing to study Japanese in college,” Onakado said. “In this past year alone, we had four alumni going to Japan on study abroad programs.” Several more students, she said, are planning to study in Japan to learn more about the country’s culture and improve their proficiency with the language, even though most of them are not Japanese language majors.
Katherin Hudkins ’06, daughter of lower school art teacher Susan Bass and Director of Instructional Technology Dan Hudkins, spent a year in Ecuador as a birth doula and worked as a midwife’s apprentice in Guatemala. She Skyped from Ecuador with a Spanish class in 2009, and visited Harker in 2010 to speak to the students about her experiences.
“By the time they’re done with our program, I think that they really feel that … this is one of their languages,” Olivas said. “We haven’t heard back from them for a couple of years, and then all of a sudden you hear either that they’re minoring in the language or that they just spent a year in South America or they just did this great community service work.”
The importance of foreign language studies at Harker has resulted in many awards and honors for its students. Japanese language students have taken top honors at the Japan Bowl in Washington, D.C., several times and once even earned the opportunity to visit Japan and meet with the Imperial Princess. Harker also inducts dozens of students into the National Honor Societies of its foreign language programs. Students on many occasions have also taken top spots in linguistics competitions. Andersen, for example, helped his team win first place at last year’s International Linguistics Olympiad in Slovenia.
Ultimately, Moss views foreign language education as another way of helping students become citizens of the world and not just of the country in which they grew up. “Our students understand that they are global citizens, and it’s not about just living and understanding [American] culture,” Moss said.
Olivas also stressed that learning a new language, though useful, is more than just learning about how people talk: “It’s connected to how people live and how they express themselves, the ways in which they’re unique, the ways in which their societies are rich.”
On March 8, Harker’s Spanish Honors Society held its annual Spanish Cultural Night at the upper school gym, which was attended about 75 current and former Spanish students. Attendees dined on eight varieties of paella, made by students Mabel Luo, Anika Gupta and Krishan Kumar, all grade 11, and Maddie Dawson, grade 12, with the guidance of upper school Spanish teacher Diana Moss. Attendees enjoyed a series of wonderful performances, each showcasing a selection from (or their own works inspired by) Hispanic cultural, starting with a poetry recitation by Nathan Dalal, grade 10. Musical performances were given by guitarist Shreyas Parthasarathy, grade 11, pianist Carlos Johnson-Cruz, grade 12, and vocalists Avi Nayak, grade 11, Nina Sabharwal, Nayeon Kim, Isha Patnaik and Rohan Chandra, all grade 12.
The musical acts were followed by a series of dance performances. Vasudha Rengarajan, grade 12, showcased a Latin dance style, while upper school math teacher Jeanette Fernandez and her daughter, Sofia, grade 4, performed a dance in the Mexican folklórico tradition. The final performance of the evening was given by Chandra, Simar Mangat, Sumit Minocha and Maverick McNealy, all grade 12, as well Nayak and Kevin Moss, grade 11, who offered their interpretive take on Latin dance.
Following the performances, Spanish teacher Abel Olivas taught students some rudimentary Latin dance steps, and a salsa dance contest was held in which Johnson-Cruz and Roshan Daran, grade 12, came away the victors.