This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
What began as an interest in sailing morphed into a crusade to save the Earth’s waterways from plastic pollution for Dolan Dworak, grade 7.
Dworak enrolled in sailing lessons a couple years back and that led to his current volunteer efforts with the Sea Scavenger Conservancy, a nonprofit San Francisco-based organization working to rid our waterways of plastic pollution.
Today, as the junior “SeaEO” of Sea Scavenger, Dworak represents the organization as a spokesperson, educating fellow Harker classmates, speaking at scout troop, church, school and city council meetings, and even attending international marine biology conferences to spread the word about the dangers of petroleum, a byproduct of plastic waste infesting our oceans, seas and tributaries. He is also busy recruiting other Bay Area students to serve on Sea Scavenger’s junior board of directors and helps coordinate monthly shoreline cleanup efforts and publicity for the cause.
Last year he gave an engaging presentation at the lower school about his work with Sea Scavenger. He brought along an art project titled “The Picket Line: Protest Plastic Pollution” to show the younger students what he and several students from the middle school (along with art instructor Elizabeth Saltos) created with trash they picked up during a cleanup at a local beach. “The Picket Line” will soon be displayed at multiple locations in the Bay Area.
All five of the world’s oceans contain gyres – massive islands of trash afloat off the coast. The plastic breaks down through wind, sun and wave action and the chemicals leach into the wa- ter. Sea animals mistake the plastic for food, ingest it, are poisoned and die. Humans ingest the harmful chemicals through tainted water and seafood.
“Too much marine life is dying due to plastic pollution, and my generation can stop the problem and save the animals,” said Dworak.
Founded in 2008, Sea Scavenger works to establish ongoing cleanup operations in the remote ocean gyres where great concentrations of plastic are accumulating. They also strive to develop new technologies for plastic extraction and seek innovative uses for recycled ocean plastics.
The entire Dworak family takes part in a monthly shoreline cleanup effort along the Bay. The plastic debris is sorted to determine its origin and so the group can work with its manufacturers to try and find alternatives to using plastic.
Dworak attended the fifth International Marine Debris Conference in Hawaii as junior spokesperson for Sea Scavenger. The event, held every 10 years, hosts 38 participating countries, and attracts a large number of participants, including hundreds of scientists; Dworak had the distinction of being the only child in attendance.
Next up on Dworak’s agenda is a trip in June of 2013 to Seward, Alaska, to participate in Gyre X, an international expedition led by the Alaska Sea Life Center. Dworak has been asked to serve as Gyre X’s youth social media coordinator. The expedition will include an array of scientists and artists who will study and collect marine debris from remote parts of Alaska that will later result in an exhibit sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution travelling to museums around the world.
“I hope to get more people involved and to increase awareness, because the less plastic we use means the quicker the problem is solved,” said Dworak.
Plastic pollution is a huge problem, but one that is not impossible to solve. Scientists are studying the environment. Industry is redesigning products. And organizations – with the help of passionate participants like Dolan Dworak – are creating awareness.
This article was originally published in the fall 2012 Harker Quarterly.
For the last four years, Jaap Bongers, Harker’s upper school art department instructor and chair, has used the summer break as a unique opportunity to personally donate items to needy children in the Republic of Zambia, a landlocked country in Southern Africa.
In preparation for the annual sojourn, he uses the school year to collect toys, children’s clothes and children’s books (many of which have been donated by Harker students) for the Zambian children, often accompanied by friend Ben Spencer-Cooke, upper school English teacher.
Come summer, he fills a big plastic storage box with the donated items, which he takes with him to Zambia. There, he donates the toys, books and clothes to needy children.
“I do this while traveling to very remote villages where there are still wonderful ages-old original culture. Initiation rituals, traditional dances by masked actors and healing ceremonies by witch doctors can still be found, although it is getting harder and harder to locate them.”
After handing out the storage box of donated toys, Bongers then refills it with ancient traditional artifacts he discovers and buys on his travels. “I note down their use, meaning and age. I have found objects and heard about customs that were not yet known. Once I return to Harker, I use this information, the items and the pictures for my Study of Visual Arts class,” he said.
A particularly interesting find this year was an old food box from the Lozi tribe, which Zambian women use to present food to their husbands.
During the 1970s, Zambia began sliding into a poverty from which it has not yet recovered – which is why the donated goods Bongers collects during the school year and hands out in the summer are so appreciated.
After an informative middle school orientation meeting held on the morning of Aug. 27, parents headed to the multipurpose room where they mingled with one another, enjoyed a delicious breakfast, and learned about the various volunteer opportunities at Harker.
“This is our one big event to present all the parent volunteer options,” explained Jennifer Hargreaves, director of Harker’s middle and upper school volunteer programs, noting that veteran parent volunteers were on hand at each sign-up table to share their experiences and encourage other parents to become involved.
Current volunteer options range from big community events such as the picnic or fashion show to working with clubs like debate or helping with the cancer walk. “There is something for everyone – from leadership and ongoing positions to one-time tasks. This year we were fortunate to have had many parents come and lots of sign-ups,” said Hargreaves.
Any parents who did not have a chance to sign up can email Hargreaves at JenniferH2@harker.org and she will send them a list of available volunteer opportunities. “It’s not too late!” she said.
Harker showed its appreciation for the many parent volunteers who offer their time at school events and other functions by treating them to a special lunch at the lower school campus on May 16. Jennifer Cowgill led the Bucknall Choir in a much-applauded performance before the parents enjoyed food and conversation in the warm spring weather.
Present and future Harker volunteers were treated to an informative and entertaining workshop May 10, hosted by volunteer directors Teré Aceves (K-8) and Sue Prutton (upper school). The event, meant to educate interested parents on the large variety of volunteer opportunities at Harker, also served as a conversation starter, with experienced parents relating the necessary skills, time commitment and nature of each available opportunity.
“The event went extremely well,” said Prutton. “This year we brought in Dr. CK Andrade, associate clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, to talk about volunteering – its benefits and how to get the most out of the experience without getting overloaded. She was both insightful and very amusing, sharing several anecdotes from her own experiences.”
Parents at the workshop learned of new programs and opportunities, and particularly appreciated hearing from fellow expert volunteer parents, who talked about their experiences and were enthusiastic about the fun they had in their various tasks.
According to Prutton, participation in the Harker volunteer community is more important than necessarily being the most active volunteer. “We have volunteers who work on multiple programs in leadership roles each year and those who can only give an hour, but we’re appreciative of all our volunteers no matter how much or how little time they can give.” To Prutton, it’s all about the passion: “Each year a majority of our families volunteer some time to a program they and their students are passionate about and that’s what matters most to Teré and me.”
This article was originally published in the summer 2012 Harker Quarterly.
Circle Celebration Honors School Donors The Head of School’s Circle Celebration on May 4 brought together hundreds of donors and members of the Parent Development Council (PDC) to honor their generosity and thank them for their part in helping the school achieve its goals.
The audience was treated to special performances by three of Harker’s top performing arts groups: the upper school show choir Downbeat, High Voltage, the middle school all-male dance group and Showstoppers, the middle school girls dance group.
Giving Back: Harker Faculty and Staff Reach Record Level of Participation in Annual Giving Campaign Early this school year, the administration challenged Harker employees to beat the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) average of 94 percent faculty/staff participation in school annual giving campaigns. Harker stepped up with 99 percent participation.
The stage was set last year, when Harker parents Samir and Sundari Mitra (Shivani, grade 11) established the Mitra Family Endowment for the Humanities, which matches gifts for the annual campaign up to a total of $100,000.
“I heard about this initiative,” said Jonathan Brusco, grade 7 social studies teacher.
Brusco then urged others to contribute to annual giving, and was asked to join the newly created Faculty Development Council, a group working to increase faculty participation in the annual giving process. As a result of the record setting faculty/staff drive, many parents were also inspired to make a gift or pledge to the annual campaign.
“We are grateful to the many faculty and staff who participated in annual giving this year. Their contributions benefit and impact every student, parent and teacher here at Harker!” said Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement.
For more information about annual giving opportunities at Harker, contact Melinda Gonzales, director of development, at melindag@harker.org.
Volunteer Workshop Informs, Rallies Parents Present and future Harker volunteers were treated to an informative and entertaining workshop May 10, hosted by volunteer directors Teré Aceves (K-8) and Sue Prutton (upper school). The event, meant to educate interested parents on the large variety of volunteer opportunities at Harker, also served as a conversation starter, with experienced parents relating the necessary skills, time commitment and nature of each available opportunity.
“The event went extremely well,” said Prutton. “This year we brought in Dr. CK Andrade, associate clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco to talk about volunteering – its benefits and how to get the most out of the experience without getting overloaded. She was both insightful and very amusing, sharing several anecdotes from her own experiences.”
Parents at the workshop learned of new programs and opportunities, and particularly appreciated hearing from fellow expert volunteer parents, who talked about their experiences and were enthusiastic about the fun they had in their various tasks.
According to Prutton, participation in the Harker volunteer community is more important than necessarily being the most active volunteer. “We have volunteers who work on multiple programs in leadership roles each year and those who can only give an hour, but we’re appreciative of all our volunteers no matter how much or how little time they can give.” To Prutton, it’s all about the passion: “Each year a majority of our families volunteer some time to a program they and their students are passionate about and that’s what matters most to Teré and me.”
This article was originally published in the Fall 2011 Harker Quarterly.
Parents from every division celebrated the opening of school at welcome breakfasts, and in the process came together to see how they could help the diverse programs at The Harker School.
The 500 attendees were welcomed by a great group of parent peers and school representatives and the positive response happily overwhelmed volunteer directors Teré Aceves (lower and middle schools) and Sue Prutton (upper school).
Guests shared a delicious breakfast with friends and new acquaintances, met their grade level leaders and heard about the many volunteer opportunities available at the school. The events were themed Celebrate and Hats Off to Harker to correspond to the themes of the annual fashion show and Family & Alumni Picnic (see page 8); tables were decorated with flowered hats and delicious mini cupcakes.
“The events radiated energy and enthusiasm across the school divisions,” said Aceves. “We created this event as a treat out of gratitude for their efforts, but instead Sue and I received the pleasant surprise of seeing many happy and eager-to-help parents – we got the treat!”
Indeed, the meetings resulted in many new volunteers signing up. “From room parent teams, to traffic volunteers to robotics and library, many programs of the school were represented,” said Prutton. “And, surprisingly, inquiries about next year’s volunteer lead positions are coming in. In every division, the number of attendees was up significantly over last year – as much as double in some cases, which just goes to show the energy and enthusiasm of our parents and a growing interest in involvement and sense of community!”
On April 29 Teré Aceves, director of K-8 volunteer programs, led the first yearly series of Harker Parent Volunteer Workshops along with Sue Prutton, director of upper school volunteer programs. Aceves said the goal of the workshops was “to create awareness of the different volunteer opportunities in the school as well as to share with the parents the value of volunteering.”
The workshops were very successful, as evidenced by the high attendance and enthusiasm from the parents who participated. Approximately 140 parents arrived for the workshops, 60 parents from the lower school and 80 from the middle and upper schools. While there were some long-time volunteers who took part, most of those in attendance were brand new volunteers, a key indicator of high parent interest. This is great news for the Harker community as many of the school’s popular programs, such as robotics and debate in the upper school, and activities, like the Lunar New Year celebration in the lower school, are dependent on parent volunteers.
The workshops will become a yearly fixture at Harker, in order to bring more of these invaluable volunteers into the community. If you missed the workshop, or wanted to get more information about how to volunteer, email Aceves at terea@harker.org.
This article was originally published in the Harker Quarterly Spring 2011 Edition
Last year close to 800 volunteers supported the different events and programs at Harker and there are probably 50 at the three campuses on any given school day, said Teré Aceves, director of K-8 volunteer programs.
Volunteers help out in some highly visible places, like staffing event venues, but most of the effort is behind the scenes; one is apt to spot a dedicated helper assisting in classrooms and libraries, chaperoning field trips, supporting extracurricular programs like performing arts, athletics and debate, and holding down a multitude of critical positions at big fundraisers like the Harker Family and Alumni Picnic and the annual Harker Fashion Show (see page 18). They also help at community building events such as Grandparents’ Day (coming up this year on May 6; see page X for details).
“Our extraordinary parent volunteers also organize a range of community events after school hours and on weekends, from three day camping trips to museum tours, movie nights, coffees, lunches and play-dates in the park,” said Aceves.
Volunteers are deeply appreciated at Harker, and in recent months a support system for K-8 volunteers was introduced to offer immediate assistance and advice, and represent volunteer interests.
“For example,” said Aceves, “for Lunar New Year this year, parents from the grade 3 class have worked very closely with grade level coordinators and me to give the third graders a truly authentic cultural experience. They arranged to have authentic food, decorations, kids’ activities and the highlight – a specially invited group of young dancers to perform a traditional Chinese dance.”
Volunteers are a special group and Aceves notes the hidden value of being a volunteer. “There is a special bond that mothers and fathers make with the students when they volunteer,” she said. “I have observed how proud the children are to see their moms or dads. When our parents volunteer in the classroom they are touching dozens of lives in a unique way, not to mention creating memorable experiences for all the students; this is a value that cannot be purchased.”
Sue Prutton, director of volunteer programs at the upper school, added, “Volunteers also have a wonderful opportunity to get to know fellow parents and staff members, often building strong friendships that can last beyond their time with Harker.”
Volunteers are just as often working parents as not. “I have a parent who is there for the program every time I need a volunteer, and she works full time,” Aceves said. “We have a group of parents with very busy schedules and huge work responsibilities who are still happy to come and write thank you notes early in the morning, before they go to work.”
New volunteers are always welcome, said Aceves. Along with the aforementioned activities, volunteers can help with morning drop offs at the middle school and with the annual middle school cancer walk, to name just two. Parent volunteers are always needed at the upper school to support programs like robotics, debate, JCL, performing arts and athletics as well as division wide opportunities like the mentor and ambassador programs. “The great thing is that if parents would like to volunteer and have a particular interest or expertise, we can usually match that interest to a volunteer activity,” said Aceves. “It gives them an extra reward and sense of satisfaction for the use of their time.
“Volunteers bring an incredible value and energy to events as they work tirelessly behind the scenes to support our community building and fundraising efforts. It is all about the personal touch. At Harker we are extremely thankful for every second and every thought that any of our volunteers have given to benefit thousands of students.”
This year’s volunteer workshops, to create awareness of opportunities and to invite new parents to get involved, will be held at the middle school campus on April 14 for lower school volunteers and April 29 for middle and upper school volunteers. “We will have a panel of volunteers representing the various volunteer opportunities at the school and volunteers can sign up for programs they are interested in,” said Aceves.
Aceves and Prutton send out their gratitude to all volunteers. “We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support of our school and our children, also we would like to encourage everyone to be part of their children’s life at school. It does not need to be a monthly or a weekly commitment; it can be as flexible as you need. No experience is required and you will have a lot of support!”
You might wonder how the Harker Family & Alumni Picnic became such a time-honored tradition at Harker, celebrating sixty years and still so much fun. Well, the reason is simple. It’s the people! There are so many individuals to thank, who genuinely love the picnic – the hard-working, talented, dedicated, fun-loving people who support this event year after year.
At its core, the picnic is nurtured by a group of parent volunteer committee chairs who give it their all to create a unique and fun-filled day for the entire Harker community. With a team like this you just can’t miss!
Peace and Lots of Love to our 2010 Committee:
Ken Azebu, artfully and skillfully producing our colorful picnic publications and printed materials; Debbie Buss, tirelessly coordinating and creating amazing picnic décor (especially in the auction area); Fred Carr, serving for many years as master builder and booth setup king; and Nancy Claunch, acting as picnic historian and photo coordinator extraordinaire, along with making cameo appearances as one of the original Curbside Crazies;
Becky Cox, leading us to new heights in sponsor recruitment while offering her expertise in auction setup; Kelly Delepine, kindly stocking and creating the plant booth display along with all the table centerpieces throughout the picnic; Sandhya Jagadeesh, singlehandedly and remarkably handling all pre-picnic admission ticket sales; and Shalini Jain, taking on the coordination of the Adult Wheel of Fortune display with style and grace;
Lalitha Kumar, happily co-chairing T-shirt sales and offering invaluable assistance with raffle ticket accounting; Mary Malysz, serving as our super positive and innovative “wine wizard” as she acquires donated wine and sets up our wine game year after year; Greg Martin, again creatively and efficiently taking charge of the ever popular MPR Bar (what fun!); and Melody Moyer, proving once again that creativity is alive and well at Harker as she adds her special magic to décor and costumed Curbside Crazy appearances;
Mark Peetz, offering his many artistic talents as our resident painter extraordinaire; Robyn Peetz, coordinating setup and cleanup duties in addition to the awesome Child’s Wheel of Fortune display and cheerfully assisting with anything and everything related to event setup;
Kim Pellissier, tirelessly helping with everything imaginable, organizing T-shirt sales, assisting with general event setup, coordinating sponsor check-in and seating, and more; and Janet Rohrer, serving as our fearless team meeting manager with wit and wisdom and offering guidance and help with anything and everything, including Adult Wheel of Fortune setup;
Lori and Ron Saxon, graciously returning to lend their expertise to auction setup; Alice Schwartz, displaying her amazing creative talents wherever needed; Ingrid Semenza, enjoying and excelling at being a first-time Teen Wheel coordinator; and Carol Underwood, happily assisting with the creative setup of our favorite MPR Bar;
Shankari Sundar and Jane Villadsen, serving as our silent heroes of the picnic, as they graciously organize a huge team of volunteers to tally thousands of raffle tickets and distribute a wealth of student incentive prizes, even working tirelessly throughout picnic Sunday.
These are the people who make it happen, with the help of many, many more!
We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to the nearly 700 loyal parent volunteers who worked the booths and served on committees, along with our amazing administrators, faculty, staff, students and alumni. Your help as sponsors and donors is deeply appreciated, too! It’s so gratifying to be able to come together year after year as a truly dynamic community. We can’t thank you enough!