JANUARY 2004 (VOL. 10, NO. 4)
A
M O N T H L Y
N E W S L E T T E R
F R O M
T H E
H A R K E R
S C H O O L
Harker Forms New Partnership with Shanghai School
inside S P E C I A L Alumni Edition Alumni Update .................. 20 Most recent graduating class reports in from college with great advice for our underclassmen ......................... 23 Staying dry part of the fun on annual Gr. 5 Headlands trip ... ....................................... 11
Harker and the Shanghai World Foreign Language Middle School (SWFLMS) of the People’s Republic of China officially signed a sisterschool agreement during the December visit of the Shanghai delegates, formalizing a relationship that began on a trial basis last year with an online student forum between the two schools.
JSA brings home awards from recent conference ............. 14 New foreign students at Harker share their stories ............ 16
The new agreement includes establishing an 8th grade student exchange beginning in the fall of 2004 and a pledge to continue to look for new ways to improve understanding between the two schools. Madame Peiming Luo, principal of SWFLMS, and Grace Zhu, English dept. chair, spent a
Mark Tantrum: both photos
week visiting Harker MS and US
See pages 8 & 9 for update!
est. 1893 • K-12 college prep
classrooms, meeting with administrators and teachers and visiting area attractions that the Shanghai students will tour during their winter 2005 visit (visa issues are still being addressed). Harker parent volunteers Carol Lam, Jo Leung, Sy-
Jye Her, Tammy Huang and Emily Shu served as ambassadors and translators for the guests, and Jian Chai, Harker’s US economics teacher, served as official interpreter during the sister-school agreement negotiations. “SWFLMS and Harker have a great deal in common,” said Diana Nichols, head of school. “They have a strong academic foundation and a priority to reach the whole child by offering courses in music, art, physical education and character development. We’re thrilled to add this school to our exciting international program offerings here at Harker.” (The area media also took a great deal of
interest in this new partnership. See In the News on page 3). SWFLMS is known in Shanghai as one of the strongest academic schools in the city, earning a number of honors for their work in teaching English. Bill Bost, international program director, visited Shanghai in November on behalf of Harker (with expenses paid by an anonymous donor) to get a first-hand look at the school, give a presentation on life at Harker, hold meetings with teachers, students and administrators and research some of the potential sites Harker students will see during their exchange visit. “We’ve had a wonder ful relationship with our sister school in Japan at the Tamagawa Gakuen, and we look forward to watching the cooperation between Harker and SWFLMS reach the same level,” said Bost.
Renowned Author Visits Harker Renowned author Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston spoke at an US assembly in December to discuss her book “Farewell to Manzanar” about the years she and her family spent in a Japanese internment camp in California. The book, written in 1973, has sold over a million copies and become a staple in secondary and college coursework. The author, now in her sixties, spent the better part of the day with our students, providing a rare opportunity for small group discussions in addition to her assembly presentation as part of the US Distinguished Speakers Series. She joined one of John Near’s US A.P. History classes and attended an intimate lunch in the conference room with selected students and faculty to further discuss her experiences. Students in attendance were Maya Hey, John Tepperman, Mina Lee, Stephanie Chun, Ashley Morighe, Vyvy Trinh, Joel Wright, Kamilla Khaiderov, Anita Gupte, Josh Zloof and Sumana Rao. Houston’s visit was arranged by Richard Hartzell, US division head, who launched the Distinguished Speakers Series as a forum for in-depth topic exploration as part of the weekly US assembly program. Hartzell said the students asked questions “nonstop” at the luncheon, and Houston was so impressed by the level of discourse that she agreed to continue the discussion with the same group and will be returning some time in March for her second luncheon. “Jeanne Houston has a keen interest in education,” said Hartzell. “Her visit to Harker is indicative of her sincere commitment to helping foster understanding in our nation’s future leaders.” Kudos to Hartzell for arranging this special visit, to our students for their lively questions and discussion and many thanks to Houston for sharing her experiences with our school community.