Winged Post Volume 20, Issue 4

Page 1

Pg. 3: GLITZ AND GLAMOR

Pg. 12: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ATHLETE

Pg. 13: TO GRIND OR NOT TO GRIND

Looking back on the “Red Carpet” Dance Show

Behind the scenes of a day of upper school athletics

A discussion on the merits of a balanced workload

WINGED POST THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE HARKER UPPER SCHOOL

500 SARATOGA AVENUE, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA 95129

VOL. 20 NO. 4

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

IRINA MALYUGINA

LIGHTS, CAMERA, DANCE! FINE FINALISTS Harker’s 2019 Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists, all seniors, pose for a picture. From left to right: Ayush Alag, Natasha Maniar and Ruhi Sayana.

3 seniors named as Regeneron finalists aditya singhvi sports editor

NICOLE CHEN

Seniors Ruhi Sayana, Natasha Maniar and Ayush Alag were named three out of the 40 finalists for the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) announced on Jan. 23. The original list of the 300 “scholars” was announced on Jan. 9, and included seniors Cameron Jones, Katherine Tian, Cindy Wang and Richard Wang in addition to the three finalists. Each scholar received a $2,000 prize, with an additional $2,000 given to Harker for each of the seven semifinalists. The finalists earn the chance to compete nationally in Washington D.C. from Mar. 7 to 13 and showcase their work to professional scientists, as well as win up to $250,000 for a first place finish.

STEP BY STEP Sophomores Elaine Xiao and Austin Killam dance together in a tap routine choreographed by Timothy Wang (12).

irene yuan & lucy ge & varsha rammohan reporters & copy editor

The house lights dim as the curtain opens and the stage lights come on. Five seniors pose on stage, backs to the audience, wearing identical white robes. Olivia Esparza (12) stands center, flanked on either side by varsity dance seniors who pose on chairs in front of vanities. As the music begins, they turn around, the light reflecting off of the pink and gold sequins on their costumes. The annual upper school dance production took place on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, with one matinee show and two

READY FOR THE RETREAT Former PS-12 Library Director Sue Smith and workshop facilitator Lana Guernsey prepare for the faculty retreat on Feb. 9. Faculty members from all four campuses came to the upper school to participate in the retreat, which focused on increasing sustainability on campus and incorporating sustainable actions into daily life. The retreat featured discussions and a keynote speech from Climate Narrative Project Founder Jeff Biggers on environmental sustainability.

NEXT UP IN FEBRUARY Feb. 23

The 125th Anniversary Gala will be held in the athletic center and the Rothschild Performing Arts Center this Saturday.

Continued on 4.

Students attend inaugural Diversity Gathering Upper school hosts 70 students, 20 faculty from Bay Area schools varsha rammohan copy editor

The first Student Diversity Leadership Gathering took place at the upper school on Saturday, Feb. 2 from 8 to 4 p.m with more than seventy attendees from local independent high schools. Faculty members of the Diversity Committee, including co-chairs Tyeshia Brown, Lola Muldrew, Pilar AgüeroEsparza and Mark Janda, organized the school-sponsored event after they were unable to reserve a spot at the annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), which was held in Nashville last December, for upper school students. “Bringing the schools together gives us an idea that even though we might think we’re diverse, we’re not as diverse as we probably can be,” Brown said. Throughout the day, students and faculty attendees participated in breakout sessions, open space conversations and

other activities. “The conference is to bring Rodney Glasgow, who is the SDLC extraordinaire, here on campus,” Brown said. “[Students] can come in and sit with Rodney, talk about affinity groups and speak with their peers around the area.” All student sessions were led by Glasgow, a nationally-recognized educational activist who has worked extensively in promoting diversity and inclusion within independent schools. Glasgow also delivered a keynote speech to all attendees. “When I take my shoes off, it is a remembrance that wherever I stand and put my feet firmly on the ground and there is nothing between me and it, I have the ability to create a holy experience,” said Glasgow as he stepped barefoot onto the stage. “Removing my shoes reminds me that the work I do is deeply spiritual.” Additional reporting by Catherine Feng.

VARSHA RAMMOHAN

IRINA MALYUGINA

Faculty across 4 campuses attend retreat

fellow dance teacher and assistant director Rachelle Haun, choreographed “Glam.” “I enjoy seeing this spark of an idea that I have at the very beginning of the process develop into a show that is performed by so many students,” Kuehn said. Along with Kuehn and Haun, guest instructors and students choreographed their own dances. Student choreographers were seniors Olivia, Sonal Muthal, Aditi Anthapur, Christopher Gong and Timothy Wang, and juniors Vance Hirota, Chloe Chen and Charlotte Blanc.

VARSHA RAMMOHAN

MOMENT OF THE WEEK

night shows. This year’s show marked the first year the event was held at the Patil Theater in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center, which finished construction shortly after last year’s production. This year’s theme was “Red Carpet,” with four acts showcasing different award shows like the Grammys and the Emmys. Each act consisted of four to six different dances, which embodied a specific piece of the respective award show. The show opened with Christina Aguilera’s “Glam” and members of JV Dance, Varsity Dance and Kinetic Krew. Upper school dance teacher and dance show director Karl Kuehn, along with

A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE (TOP) Student Diversity Leadership Gathering (SDLG) attendees participate in a “silent movement” activity. (BOTTOM) Keynote speaker Rodney Glasgow, a nationally-recognized educational activist, addresses the SDLG crowd. The student portion of the event was facilitated by Glasgow himself.


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Winged Post Volume 20, Issue 4 by Harker Aquila - Issuu