NOVEMBER 2003 (VOL. 10, NO. 2)
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M O N T H L Y
N E W S L E T T E R
est. 1893 • K-12 college prep
F R O M
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H A R K E R
S C H O O L
Harker Students Receive Extraordinary AP Distinctions
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At press time Harker was notified by the College Board that 139 Harker students were recognized as AP Scholars this year for their extraordinar y achievements in the Advanced Placement program. According to the College Board, nationally about 15% of the over one million students who take AP exams are recognized as AP Scholars. At Harker, 50% of the students who took AP exams in 2003 earned AP Scholar awards, including 62 seniors, 66 juniors, and 10 sophomores.
S P E C I A L Homecoming Edition First Harker Fashion Show heating up....page 4 MS wins national recognition for enlight’ning .............. 11 The Big Weekend a big success .......... 3, 8, 9 & 13 Bucknall elects student body officers ........................... 6
• 44 students earned the AP Scholar award for receiving grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams on full-year courses or the equivalent. • 42 students earned the award of AP Scholar with Honor for receiving an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams on full-year courses or the equivalent.
• 52 students earned the award of AP Scholar with Distinction for receiving an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams on full-year courses or the equivalent. This number includes the eight students noted below who were also named National AP Scholars. • 8 recent Harker graduates earned the award of National AP Scholar for receiving an average grade of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams on full-year courses or the equivalent. One current Harker student has attained this outstanding National AP Scholar status as a sophomore (see sidebar). “Naturally, we are extremely proud of our students and faculty,” said Head of School, Diana Nichols. “This is one of the many ways Harker students and faculty demonstrate their commitment to excellence.”
Alan Malek Only Sophomore in America Named National AP Scholar Alan Malek, currently a junior, has been named a National AP Scholar based on work completed through his sophomore year. Between 8th, 9th and 10th grade, Malek took a total of nine AP Exams and earned a 5 on all nine. According to the College Board’s published data, up until this year no students in the world had achieved National Scholar recognition based on work through 10th grade. This year, Malek and a student from outside the U.S. earned this extraordinary and historic AP Scholar with Honor recognition. Congratulations to Malek for this truly outstanding achievement!
Wed., Nov. 19, 5 p.m., $5 Preview for Gr. 4-8 families only Thurs., Fri., Sat., Nov. 20, 21, 22 8 p.m., $10 Sat., Nov. 22, 5:45 p.m., $50 Dinner and Theatre Event Limited seating! See page 3. All performances in Saratoga Gym Tickets available in Bookstore and at tickets@harker.org
Mark Tantrum
Danish Educators Visit Harker
On Oct. 10 Harker was pleased to host a delegation of 15 science educators from Aarhus Akademi of Aarhus, Denmark, who were here to explore how Harker incorporates technology into our math and science curriculum. Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark with a population of over 250,000 people and a reputation for being a City of Education. Group organizer from the school, Gert Hansen, noted that in planning the study tour, they were looking for a school
to visit in the Stanford - San Jose area. “As a member of the American Association of Physics teachers, I receive the journals, ‘The Physics Teacher’ and ‘The Announcer,’ and in my browsing of these journals I happened to notice...Harker School winning at a physics contest.” Bill Bost, international programs director, said that the daylong visit included over 15 classroom visits, as well as meetings with administrators to share ideas and information.
Several thousand students, parents, faculty and alumni enjoyed a fabulous fall day of fun at Harker’s 53rd Annual Family & Alumni Picnic on Sun., Oct. 18. The 2003 theme brought out princesses, mice, giants, ogres and tigers that enjoyed the day of games, great food and fabulous entertainment. While the “spring back to fall” date change had our event organizers and dedicated parent volunteers working double time this year, the results were storybook perfect. The official picnic wrap-up will appear in the next edition. However, it’s clear that Once Upon a Picnic had a happy ending—check out the photos on page 9!