In this month’s construction update video, facility manager Mike Bassoni talks about the metal studs used to form the interior and exterior walls of the new buildings and how they improve safety and expedite the construction process. Take a look!
Tags: Construction, constructionvideo, eweekly, middle schoolThanks to a nationwide effort co-sponsored by Harvest Snaps and Table for Two (TFT), Harker’s middle school students were able to help combat hunger simply by enjoying free samples of Harvest Snaps snacks handed out by members of the Academic and Cultural/Cuisine Exchange (ACE Club).
The ACE Club, co-led by Jennifer Walrod, director of global education, and middle school math teacher Kathy Pazirandeh, coordinated the arrival and distribution of the snack donations. They were handed out to students during lunchtime last month.
For each snack handed out, Harvest Snaps donated 25 cents to TFT to provide healthy school meals for children in East Africa, as well as in low-income communities in the U.S. ACE Club members raised $250 by distributing 1,000 bags of Harvest Snaps, reported Walrod.
By participating, Harker students had the opportunity to learn about healthy eating habits while providing nutritional school meals for malnourished children. The goal of the program was to elevate awareness on both childhood hunger and obesity around the world.
Through their partnership, Harvest Snaps and TFT raised enough money nationwide to provide more than 100,000 school meals to African children in Rwanda, Tanzania and Ethiopia, as well as in the U.S. In Africa, 25 cents funds one school meal for a child, and in the U.S. it enables school meal upgrades for healthier options in low-income neighborhoods.
“It was fun – and easy!” recalled Walrod, sharing that ACE Club members had created a PowerPoint about the project, which they presented at a schoolwide meeting in advance of the effort.
ACE Club members Jackie Hu, Ritika Rajamani and Niecey Atwood, all grade 6, called the project a great way to have fun while helping others.
“It’s a creative way to not only advertise their project but to raise awareness of the needs of good school lunches. We have good lunches but other schools do not,” said Rajamani.
“It’s something where you can be social and raise awareness of a good cause,” added Atwood.
According to TFT statistics, of the more than 7 billion people in the world, 1 billion suffer from hunger and malnutrition, while 2 billion are overweight or obese.
Tags: Featured Story Photo, Global Education, middle school, OutreachIn mid-May, grade 7 students, on the threshold of reaching their much-anticipated “senior status” at the middle school, participated in some special activities alongside their advisors.
“We were very fortunate to have had facilitators from Synergy Learning Systems, a team and leadership development company who works with clients worldwide, here to guide and direct us all through many interesting activities,” recalled Cindy Ellis, middle school head.
Synergy Learning Systems has worked with many of Silicon Valley’s largest companies, as well as with startups, nonprofits and student groups. They use fun and challenging activities paired with thoughtful facilitation to promote learning in leadership and communication, reported Ellis.
The Harker middle school students were encouraged to participate in a series of experiential learning exercises designed to foster their understanding of many different styles of leadership and communication. During these activities, students were asked to engage fully, step outside their comfort zone to promote growth and reflect on each activity to highlight key concepts.
“One of Synergy’s core values is the mantra ‘challenge by choice.’ Though we asked all students to participate fully, they individually determined how to engage with these activities while taking care not to detract from other students’ learning,” said Ellis.
After an informative morning of activities, the students enjoyed a celebratory Mexican lunch fiesta while Ellis discussed what it would be like to become members of the middle school’s senior class. Students were then invited to relax and enjoy a movie, as well as engage in a fun “selfie” station, complete with props.
“The day was enriching and fun – just like eighth grade will be for this exceptional class!” said Ellis.
Tags: Featured Story Photo, middle schoolShortly before the school year came to a close, middle school math teacher Kathy Pazirandeh and her advisees delivered toiletries they had collected to LifeMoves (formerly known as InnVision Shelter Network), a local shelter for homeless women and children.
“As an advisory, we collect toiletries all through the year and make care packets and donate them to the shelter at the end of the school year. This year we made 210 care packets, which we sorted, packed and delivered,” reported Pazirandeh.
According to the LifeMoves website, the nonprofit’s recent name change captures its mission and expectation that its clients will break their cycle of homelessness. Last year, 97 percent of families and 82 percent of individuals in interim housing who completed the LifeMoves program successfully returned to stable housing and self-sufficiency, according to the site.
Tags: Featured Story Photo, middle school, OutreachGrade 8 students Kathy Fang and Amla Rashingkar received certificates of recognition from the Promising Young Writers Program, sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Fang and Rashingkar were among just 122 eighth graders in the United States and Canada who received this recognition for superior writing. Papers were judged for content, purpose, audience, tone, word choice, organization, development and style.
“This contest was an opportunity for me to see if my voice in writing is eloquent enough to be heard. The results of the contest have proven the saying ‘be yourself’ to be true; by expressing my thoughts and testing my creativity, I have emerged as a winner,” said Fang.
Rashingkar added that the competition really helped push her limits as a writer. “Moreover, I now can say I am one of the top writers in the nation, and the win inspired me to keep writing,” she said.
The Promising Young Writers program represents NCTE’s commitment to early and continuing work in the development of writing. The school-based writing program was established in 1985 to stimulate and recognize students’ writing talents and to emphasize the importance of writing skills among eighth-grade students.
Students, who must be nominated for the honor by their teachers, are required to submit a best writing sample in response to a themed topic.
Tags: Featured Story Photo, middle school, topachievementGrade 6 student Callie Mayer and five of her classmates (Shivani Thaakur, Julie Broch, Gloria Zhu, Madeleine Hansen and Emma Gurleroglu) enjoyed a free-dress day and delicious luncheon on April 19, thanks to an Alumni Family Picnic teacher auction package that her parents won.
Chris Nikoloff, head of school, and Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs, served as the stellar waitstaff for the ninth annual luncheon, which was held at the Blackford campus amphitheater.
“The parents of a middle school child bids on this, with the winner picking five classmates as their guests. They select the menu and theme, which this year was llamas. They had strawberry smoothies, homemade guacamole and chips, Caesar salad, rolls and butter, sushi, an ice cream trolley for make-your-own sundaes, cream puffs in the shapes of llamas and chocolate covered strawberries,” recalled middle school teacher Kate Murphy, the picnic package sponsor.
Tags: Featured Story Photo, middle schoolRemi Edvalson, grade 7, recently competed in the weeklong USA Diving Synchronized National Championships, held in San Antonio, Texas. Representing the Stanford Diving Club, she and her partner, Francesca Noviello, won both the girls 13-and-under platform and 3-meter events.
“I love the excitement of competition!” said Edvalson.
Tags: Featured Story Photo, middle schoolOnce again, the middle school Wildlife SOS Club created watercolor cards and origami spinning toys, which they then sold to parents during the recent parent-teacher conferences, to raise money for animals in need.
The group, made up of students in grades 6 and 7, raised a record-breaking $135 for Wildlife SOS, an organization that rescues and cares for abused elephants and other animals.
“By selling our toys and cards, we contribute in a way that makes us feel proud for helping elephants while convening weekly with friends,” said club member Vienna Parnell, grade 6.
Science teacher Raji Swaminathan and Japanese teacher Kumi Matsui (who came up with the idea to make the origami toys) are the club’s mentors. They said working with the club members is incredibly rewarding.
“Every card and toy is very special, since it takes several club periods for a child to finish one,” said Swaminathan. “Club members have done this [fundraiser] in the past. Each time, they made about $70 to $80, which provides for the food of an elephant for a month. It is a small financial contribution from the students, but a lot of work and love go behind it.”
Meanwhile, club members said the benefits of being in Wildlife SOS Club include working together as a team, learning craft making skills, and relaxing together while raising money for wildlife in distress.
“These cards are better than Hallmark’s!” said grade 6 student Alysa Su, proudly.
Tags: Featured Story Photo, middle school, OutreachOn a warm, sunny day in mid-March, students, parents, family members, faculty and staff from all four campuses gathered at the middle school field for the 10th annual Harker Cancer Walk.
Funds raised from the walk benefit young cancer patients attending Camp Okizu. Thanks to monetary donations and funds raised from the sale of baked goods and other items, more than $14,000 will go to the camp this year, reported Cindy Ellis, middle school head.
Located in the Berry Creek area of the Sierra foothills, Camp Okizu provides a safe place for children with cancer to enjoy regular summer camp activities and social events.
“This time was a bit more special as it was our 10th anniversary celebration walk!” said Michael Schmidt, middle school computer science teacher and department chair. Schmidt had the idea for the fundraiser following the passing of his own mother due to cancer.
“This is an event that Harker was kind enough to let me start in 2007 in honor of loved ones inflicted with cancer,” he continued. “Since then, it has been used as a moment for our entire community to come together and celebrate the lives of those we love and those we’ve lost. It is a symbolic walk that is measured not by the miles covered, but by the love and understanding between us all.”
Prior to the walk, students engaged in various activities to learn about different forms of cancer and cancer prevention strategies. In a further show of support, many teachers displayed door decorations with themes designed to promote cancer awareness. And during the walk, Honor Flags – honoring someone who is fighting or has fought cancer – were placed in the ground along the inner edge of the field’s walking path.
Tags: Featured Story Photo, middle school, OutreachSam Boucher, grade 6, and his teammates on the Santa Clara Blackhawks 12 and under travel ice hockey team finished first in their regular season. This earned the team a spot in the NORCAL playoffs, held in San Jose in mid-March. After struggling in the first game, the Blackhawks rallied to win four straight games, including beating the Santa Rosa Flyers twice, to claim first place. The Blackhawks are now one of four teams that will go on to play in the statewide California Amateur Hockey Association championships in early April.
Tags: Featured Story Photo, middle school