2006 November Harker News

november 2006 (VOL. 13, NO. 2)

A

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

T H E

H A R K E R

S C H O O L

inside

Picnic recap .................... 4-6 Comments on standardized testing by Head of School ...... 3 CinéFest fashion show readies for opening night ................. 7-8 US students collect cans for World Hunger Day ............. 16

photos Many more picnic and homecoming photos online – visit the password-protected photo galleries linked from each of the division home pages!

events US Conservatory presents

THE LARAMIE PROJECT Thurs. - Sat., Nov. 2 - 4 All Shows 7 p.m.

Blackford Auditorium 3800 Blackford Ave. Tickets: $15 Reserved • $12 Adults $10 Student/Senior Buy tickets at US Bookstore or e-mail tickets@harker.org For more details see page 2.

Harker News — November 06

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editor’s note Between homecoming, picnic, spirit weeks, weeklong MS trips, and more, October had plenty to keep us all busy! A special kudos to the US for collecting over 5,000 cans of food for Second Harvest in their World Hunger Day activities (see pg. 16), an outstanding example of the generosity and compassion of our students.

—Pam Dickinson, Director, Office of Communications pamd@harker.org

who knew?

13

The number of languages spoken fluently among the 17 students in one of Stephanie Woolsey’s LS math classes.

175

The number of ties Chris Nikoloff, head of school, has. One for every day of the school year!

29

The number of boys with the name Alexander or Alex at Harker.

15

The number of girls with the name Tiffany or Katherine (Catherine, Kathryn) at Harker.

What do YOU want to know?

Send your “Who Knew?” ideas to communications@harker.org.

got wheels?

We’re seeking another courier vehicle to replace the Ford Windstar that was generously donated to the school a few years ago. The Windstar won’t come close to passing the California smog test, has in excess of 200,000 miles and already has had one engine replaced, so it’s now beyond saving.

If any of you have a suitable vehicle – preferably a van – you’d be willing to donate, please contact Bob Keefer, security and transportation manager, at bobk@harker.org or 408.345.0113.

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november dates

annual giving

Visit the Web calendars for the latest detailed date information for each division.

Heartfelt Thanks!

■ Mon., Nov. 20 and Tues., Nov. 21 — K-Gr. 12 Teacher/Parent Conferences. No classes.

■ Wed., Nov. 22 to Fri., Nov. 24 — Thanksgiving Holiday. No classes.

■ Mon., Nov. 27 — K-Gr. 12 classes resume.

Performances This Month

The logo appearing at the end of some of our stories throughout the year indicates those activities or programs funded by Annual Giving. See page 6 for update.

■ The Laramie Project Thurs.-Sat., Nov. 2-4, 7 p.m., MS Campus - Blackford Auditorium This moving piece explores the consequences on a small town of a brutal murder - the killing of college student Matthew Shepard in 1998. “This play is built from actual interviews of over 200 citizens of Laramie, Wyo., and the acting style is more naturalistic and subtle than anything we’ve done at Harker before,” says director Jeff Draper.

Harker is one of only a few Bay Area high schools that has not yet done this play, and Draper is excited that our students are now able to tell this important story. Draper, who saw the original production and has himself acted in a production, has gathered 34 actors to present this evening of humorous and tragic monologues guaranteed to move you and inspire reflection.

Note: Due to some language and the show’s theme, “The Laramie Project” is appropriate for high school age and above. We advise MS parents to use discretion and consider whether or not the play is appropriate for their children.

For more information about the show, visit http://www.time.com/time/classroom/laramie/.

■ Choral Concert Fri., Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m., US Campus - FDR Admission free but tickets required (available in Bookstore) Rule Britannia! Cantilena’s fall concert, under the direction of Susan Nace, will feature music from Britain’s 20th century giants Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten. Accompanying Cantilena will be harpist (and Harker mom) Ruth Mohanram. Guests for the concert include Vivace and Guys’ Gig. Vivace, the MS chorus directed by Jennifer Cowgill, will sing traditional folk songs. Guys’ Gig will spice things up with a song arranged by two of its members.

A varied program, Cantilena’s pieces include songs sung in English translations from a Hindu holy text and Middle English poetry. The groups, as well as senior Conservatory vocal certificate candidates, will also present selections from a folk opera.

Turkey Tennis Camp ■ K-Gr.8 Harker Thanksgiving Week Tennis Camp Nov. 20, 21, 22 & 24, 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. each day No camp Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23 $200 per student Oakwood Tennis Center, 700 S. Saratoga Ave., San Jose In the event of inclement weather, camp will be held at one of the school gyms.

Charges may be billed to your student account (no refunds for missed or partial attendance). Registration form can be downloaded from the Harker Web site (division pages and home page) or contact Craig Pasqua, Harker tennis coordinator, at 408.590.7347 or 408.983.5888, craigp@harker.org.

in the news ■ Aug. 2006 – San Jose Magazine In its second annual feature on extraordinary educators in the Bay Area, San Jose Magazine honored veteran Harker LS teacher Pat Walsh for his engaging and thoughtprovoking teaching methods.

■ Sept. 21 – San Jose Mercury News Junior volleyball player Tanya Schmidt was named Female Athlete of the Week.

■ Oct. 2006 – RISE Beginning in October, Janise Chan, junior and Winged Post reporter, will be reporting on Harker teams each month for this Bay Area sports publication.

new!

In October Harker’s athletic programs started using new scheduling tools to better deliver team information to the entire Harker community in a timely manner.

Scores, stats, images and schedules via this new tool are already linked from the Harker Athletics home page.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the new system, please e-mail us at communications@harker.org.

Harker News — November 06

topics

Outstanding Showing on AP Exams Harker has received the Advanced Placement Scholar report for 2006.

This program, sponsored by the College Board, recognizes students who have shown outstanding work on their AP exams. AP exams are scored on a 1-5 scale; a passing score is 3, and a 5 is the highest.

The report cites a remarkable 237 Harker students. The awards are cumulative, meaning students did not necessarily take all of their exams in the same year.

Sixty students (11 from the class of ’08, 38 from the class of ’07 and 11 from the graduated class of ’06) were named AP Scholars (receiving a 3 or higher on at least three AP exams).

Forty-three students were named AP Scholars with Honor (an average grade of 3.25 on all AP exams taken and a 3 or higher on at least four AP exams): six from ’08, 21 from ’07 and 16 from ’06.

There were 134 students named AP Scholars with Distinction (an average grade of 3.5 on all AP exams taken and a 3 or higher on at least five AP exams): two from ’08, 34 from ’07 and 98 from ’06.

National Scholars receive an average grade of 4 on all APs taken and a 4 or higher on eight or more APs. Forty-five Harker students (three from ’07 and 42 from ’06) were

named National Scholars, which are also counted in the Scholars with Distinction.

Finally, each year one male and one female from each state is named a State Scholar – grades of 3 or higher on the greatest number of AP exams and then the highest average grade (at least 3.5) on all AP exams taken. Yi Sun ’06 was named the male State Scholar for California. He earned a score of 5 on all 17 (yes, 17) AP exams he took!

These numbers are made more remarkable when looked at by percentages. Twelve percent of the class of 2008 were recognized as AP scholars, as were 55 percent of the class of 2007. Most amazingly, 87 percent of the class of 2006 were scholars – that’s 125 students; only 18 members of the class were NOT named AP scholars.

In 2005, Harker boasted 35 National Scholars, 119 Scholars with Distinction, 31 Scholars with Honor, and 45 Scholars for a total of 195 students recognized.

Congratulations to our students and their wonderful Advanced Placement teachers for such an outstanding showing!

Keeping Harker Safe and Secure Each day schools across the United States face the possibility of an unexpected event that may endanger the well-being of students and adults. Although we can’t prevent those occurrences, we can work toward minimizing the possibilities and strengthening our preparation for responding effectively.

At Harker, we have campus-specific response plans in the event of earthquakes, fires and unwanted intruders that have been rehearsed by faculty and staff. These procedures are predicated on the dedication and support of all the employees and the cooperation of the students. Periodic drills are held to ensure that the community is confident and prepared in the unlikely case we would have to respond.

We are also fortunate to have security personnel on each campus Harker News — November 06

during the school day, serving as a visible demonstration of the private nature of each property. Each campus is also equipped with a closed-circuit video surveillance system for observation or review.

We continue to make the adult community aware of specific issues or concerns that may need extra attention. Visitors on campus are welcome and necessary, however we need to remain cognizant of who they are and their whereabouts. In order to best provide for the uniqueness of each group of students and their campus, we are measuring the appropriate level of access we offer at each.

Keeping our community safe is something we can all help with, and we appreciate your support with our ongoing efforts.

—Joseph J. Gill, Assistant Head of School

head

lines

A Note on Standardized Testing First in an occasional series of columns by Head of School Chris Nikoloff.

Standardized testing has been in the news lately, mostly due to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal legislation.

NCLB requires that schools demonstrate “Adequate Yearly Progress,” or AYP (the alphabet soup of standardized testing is thick with acronyms). AYP means that students must demonstrate proficiency and meet standards in math and English at their grade levels on an acceptable standardized test. This requirement has put standardized testing both in the spotlight and on the firing line once again in the national education debate. This is not an unusual place for standardized testing.

Because we frequently tout the fabulous scores our students receive on standardized tests, such as the recently received scores at left, we are sometimes accused of caring only about these results. I think images of administrators pouring over AP results by candlelight in the wee hours of the morning come to mind. But standardized testing is not all we care about at The Harker School. In fact, it is only a very small fraction of what is on our mind in any given year.

We celebrate our standardized testing results because we are proud of our students. We are proud of their results on standardized tests in the same way that we are proud of members of the debate team earning a spot at the Tournament of Champions; or our performing arts department receiving an invitation to the Fringe Festival; or our girls volleyball team getting ranked in the Bay Area; or our entire student body being called Silicon Valley’s “most philanthropic youth group” by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Doing well on standardized tests is a byproduct of learning, not a goal of learning. Doing well on standardized tests is evidence of some learning -- evidence that educators need to consider every year. But we know that results

on standardized tests do not represent all learning, or not even the most important kinds of learning. These results are a necessary but not sufficient measure of learning. In fact, a five-minute conversation with a student about a current event or a historical concept reveals as much about the kinds of learning our students achieve as any test.

Our students learn well, and consequently do well on standardized tests. The tests are never the goal. They are not in our mission statement. Learning is.

“Doing well on standardized tests is a byproduct of learning, not a goal of learning.”

Aristotle said that happiness is the only goal that we pursue for its own sake; that all other goals are pursued for some other purpose. I believe he is right.

Though an ideal in and of itself, we do not even pursue learning for its own sake. We want our students to learn because ultimately we believe that it will deepen their happiness in life, not because they will do well on a standardized test. We are preparing them for the ultimate test: life itself. Compared to that, most standardized tests will be a cinch for The Harker School students.

—Christopher Nikoloff, Head of School

Steven Wong

hot

Nikoloff and family at this year’s picnic – see pages 4-6 for recap!

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Mark Tantrum, Steven Wong, parent, Padma Bhetanabhotla, parent, David Belogolovsky, student, Excel Cue, student

picnic

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down under

Harker News — November 06

An Awesome Aussie Adventure!

Crikey, mate! The 56th annual Family and Alumni Picnic was truly an Awesome Aussie Adventure on Sun., Oct. 15! Visitors were taken on a tour of Down Under, with animals, auctions, trains and entertainment to be seen along the trip. Perhaps you found yourself swimming on by the Great Barrier Reef outside the gym, with its jellyfish, sand, shells and colorful fish. Or you may have visited the Manzanita Opal Mines, and placed bids on fabulous silent auction packages or had a drink at the Coolah Bar. Others strolled along the Bondi Beach Walkway in front of Manzanita, where they could touch a real kangaroo or alligator, try to win a jewel in the Gem Scoop or enjoy Aboriginal face painting.

Or maybe you tried to become a kangaroo or koala by peeking your face through a cardboard cutout. Music wafted over from the Kookaburra Karaoke.

The Land Down Under (gym) was filled with favorites – the children, teen and adult prize wheels, the Harker souvenir booth, yummy chocolate fountains and frozen treats from I ♥ Yogurt, the shop run by picnic sponsors the Ammatuna family.

The Outback (Rosenthal Field) was an extravaganza of booths and food, and scene of the fabulous entertainment presented by the performing arts department. Under Monica Mackinnon’s direction, Harmonics students narrated a tour of favorite Australian sights and sounds: the J.V. dance troupe moved to the haunting sounds of a didgeridoo, the Gr. 4 class sang of “Kooky” laughing kookaburras and ShowStoppers hopped up and down to “Kangaroo.”

Continuing the animal theme, Bel Canto mimicked native birds and cicadas and Downbeat presented Harker News — November 06

“Crocodile Rock.” Harmonics paid tribute to famous export Olivia Newton-John with a song from “Grease,” and Dance Fusion went Down Under with “Shake Your Body Down….” Meanwhile, over

in the Quad, the Jazz Band kept us hopping. Many thanks to the performing arts teachers and technicians!

The prize drawings were suspensful and fun (see next page for a complete list of winners). US math teacher Melinda Gaul won two of the picnic baskets – trips to Mexico and Napa! But lest anyone get frustrated at her double win, let Gaul explain: “I was shocked and extremely excited to win both trips! I just got married in July and

we did not take a honeymoon. So now we will!” Congratulations!

Behind every booth, game, cart or microphone was a member of the Harker faculty or staff. In an effort as big as the continent of Australia itself, the whole community came together to work on and enjoy the picnic. Many, many thanks to the teachers and staff for so cheerfully passing along the Aussie spirit!

Harker’s sense of community drives the success of the picnic each year. Head of School Chris Nikoloff pointed out in a letter to parents and staff, “Much of the entertainment is low-tech, oldfashioned fun. The wooden balls and plastic rings are slightly worn from human touch; the putters for miniature golf are a little banged up; the dunk tank target sounds

a metallic click when it is hit; the petting zoo has real animals. All of this is very tactile, very human, warming our hearts as we play.”

On a more personal note, Nikoloff added, “Walking around with my wife, Corina, and son, Alexander, for the first time, the meaning of the word ‘family’ in Family and Alumni Picnic deepened for me. I have always understood the importance of the picnic as a K-12, communitybuilding event, but I now have a new lens through which I view the picnic – that of family.”

A huge standing ovation to coordinators Lynette Stapleton and Kelly Espinosa and all the “blokes” and “sheilas” in their awesome Boomerang Gang for once again putting this event together and giving the whole Harker community reason to celebrate.

“We are a community: we all have things in common, and we relate to each other through these common entities. But we are family too: committed to each other’s growth and well-being, and possessed with a willingness to understand each other.”

—Chris Nikoloff

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picnic

down under

2006 Picnic Winners Congratulations to the winners of the top five prizes at the Picnic Grand Prize Drawing: ■ FIRST PRIZE ($10,000) Tomas Thompson Sold by Jordan Thompson, Gr. 2

■

Alumni Drawing: Quan Howard ‘78

■

Picnic Prize Baskets

■

■ THIRD PRIZE (Canon Rebel XT LSR camera) Chris Beck Sold by Brandon Stoll, Gr. 2 ■ FOURTH PRIZE (21-speed mountain bike) Todd Gross Sold by Nicholas Navarro, Gr. 5 ■ FIFTH PRIZE (30 GB iPod) Be Behan Sold by Glenn Reddy, Gr. 4

2006 Top Sellers Staff Ticket Sales: Lori Villarreal – 340 Christine Chang – 258 Colleen Lindsay – 250

MS Ticket Sales: Preston Yeung, Gr. 6 – 1085 Christophe Pellissier, Gr. 7 – 530 Brianna Tran, Gr. 8 – 260

Middle School Class Race: Gr. 6 - $5,531 Gr. 7 - $2,808 Gr. 8 - $2,565

US Ticket Sales: total of $3,175.50 (up from $1,240 in 2005!)

Glenn Reddy, who sold the winning 5th prize ticket for the iPod won

by Be Behan

fund Class of ’08 Gift

Last month our dedicated group of parent volunteers took to the phones during our pledge week phone-a-thon. Our 70 Parent Development Council volunteers made hundreds of calls to our Harker families, asking for their support of the 2006-07 Annual Giving Campaign.

The Class of 2008’s senior class gift will be an aquatic feature located between Manzanita and Dobbins Halls, announced Emilie Robb, donor relations manager. The aquatic feature will complement the existing redwood grove, known as Graduate Grove. “By voting for this I think it really says a lot about this particular graduating class, because I think it is so important for us to be aware of the natural world,” said Anita Chetty, biology and science instructor and science department chair.

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Le Nguyen, US teacher, winner of iPod Super Pack

LS Ticket Sales: Brandon Stoll, Gr. 2 – 1605 Lauren Yee, Gr. 2 – 1460 Nicholas Navarro, Gr. 5 – 936 Alexis Gauba, Gr. 2 – 710 Jason Peetz, K – 570 Jordan Peetz, Gr. 4 – 570

Thank Goodness for Volunteers!

On behalf of the entire Harker community, we would like recognize our Parent Development Council members for their hard work and dedication to our students: Doug and Linda Emery, Betsey Lindars, Tamra Amick, Shyamoli Banerjee, Anju Bansal, Aloke Bhandia, Suzanne Bohl, Denise Brodersen, Roy Chetty, Alice Chi, Sabina Chitkara, Karen Coates, Rebecca Cox, Christine Davis, Lisa Dorrian, Barbara Drummer, Grace Edvalson, Galina Gaknoki, Melinda Gonzales, Regina Gupta, Vivek Gupta, Sangeeta Gupte, Jimm

Tomas Thompson, LS teacher, winning $10,000 Grand Prize

Boomerang Bay Getaway with Miss Kelly: Pearl Murici An Awesome Adventure...in Mexico: Melinda Gaul An iPod Super Pack: Le Nguyen Napa Valley Up-Up and Away Getaway: Melinda Gaul

■ SECOND PRIZE (Las Vegas trip) Aneesh Chona Sold by Eesha Chona, Gr. 3

harker

■ Annual Giving Drawing: Tony and Wendy Wong, parents of Gene (Gr. 7) and Tiffany (K), won a VIP tour, wine tasting, and picnic lunch at Trefethen Vineyards - plus two nights’ accommodations in Napa - for being one of the hundreds who contributed to the Annual Giving Campaign by Oct. 15!

Heerwagen, David Heslop, Marcia Hirtenstein, Colin Hsi, Debbie and David Hutchings, Deepa Iyengar, Nina Jauw, Helena Jerney, Vidya Kamat, Robert Kendall, Miyeko Kohlmann, Angie Krackeler, Sandhya Kulkarni, Vidya Lakshmi Chari, Arne Lang-Ree, Manjit Mangat, Roopal Mayor, Sangeeta Mehrota, Caryn Melrose, Brian Moss, Vidhya Narasimhan, Suchitra Narayen, Rene Newton, Kiran PAdwekar, Kim Pellissier, Kathy Polzin, Rodney Rapson, Jayanthi Ravikumar, Brian Richardson, Marcia Riedel, Tanya Ringold, Abhay Salukhe, Janet Savage, Robert Schwartz, Mark Shapiro, Preeti Sharan, Abha Shukla, Debra Speckman, Huali Chai Stanek, Trish Tobin, Carol Underwood, Chitraleka Vivek, Nina Walvekar, Judy West, Regina Wong, Carol Zink.

The interdisciplinary value of the feature drove Chetty to advocate the installation. English students reading Emerson and Thoreau as well as photographers and artists can all enjoy it, she noted.

Chetty had proposed an aquatic feature in part to round out Harker’s outdoor classrooms project consisting of a series of biomes, or ecological communities. Other portions include the greenhouse, a nascent arid zone and a planned native garden. The senior gift project will be funded by gifts from senior parents.

to date 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10%

$718,790 Harker News — November 06

fashion FA S H I O N S H O W

show

DANCING

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

S H O W C A S E D R AW I N G

7 0 0 2 , 3 2 . b e F , . i Fr

SE TH E SA N JO

R O N C EN TE C O N V EN TI

LIVE & SILENT AUCTIONS

Watch Our Stars Shine!

11 a.m.

Luncheon Fashion Show

5:30 p.m.

Dinner Gala with Fashion Show

COUTURE FASHIONS BY

Azadeh TUXES BY

Tuxedo Wearhouse

Barry Swenson Builder

Sathaye Family Foundation Air Systems Inc • Banerjee Chopra Family • Communicart Graphics & Printing • Connell Family • Davé Family Trust • Davis Family • Diamond Quality Printing • Jain Family • Mantra Restaurant & Lounge • Morgan Stanley, San Francisco • Krish & Nina Panu • Santana Row • XL Construction Denise Brodersen UBS Financial Services • Brooks Family • Cho Family • Courtesy Chevrolet • Heritage Bank of Commerce • Jackson Family • David Mendoza • Riedel Family • Smith Barney, Hall Walswor th Group • Stevens Creek BMW • Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP Harker News — November 06

Casting Call: Model Tryouts

CinéFest hopefuls turned out in full force for model tryouts on Oct. 7! The MS MPR was filled with excitement as over 150 students, alumni, parents, faculty and staff took a turn down the catwalk. Many thanks to our independent panel of judges: Sandy Baker, 1998 National Aerobics Champion and current artistic judge for the National Aerobics Championship; Sheila Barrett, professional model and model trainer; Ed McNally, vice-president and store manager of Macy’s West; Craig Stanley, owner of James Craig Salon, and supporter of the annual fashion show since its inception; and Beverly Zeiss, fashion director for this year’s show.

The CinéFest chair, assistant chairs and members of the Models Committee extend a warm “thank you” to everyone who tried out. At press time the final list of models had not been released, so be sure to check back next month to see who was selected!

■ Your Name in Lights . . . become a Sponsor or Advertiser!

There’s still time to become a sponsor and receive all the benefits that sponsorship provides! You can also purchase an ad to highlight your company or business, or to thank teachers and staff, congratulate your children, their sports teams, or...the possibilities are endless!

But hurry – the sponsorship deadline is Oct. 31 and the advertising deadline is Dec. 19. Visit the Web site for more details!

■ Special recognition goes out to the premiere advertisers who signed on in August: Academic Expeditions; Capers; Dr. David

Constant, DDS; Joe Escobar Diamonds; First City Bancorp Mortgage Inc; Daniel Hall, DDS, MSD; Hand in Hand Parenting Organization; Heda Koh, DDS; Keith Kosakura Optometry; Merry Mart Uniforms; Hishimura Dental Group; Neil Najibi/Zip Realty.

■ And a heartfelt thanks to our newest group of advertisers: All About Eyes Optometr y;

Alan Everett, DDS; Eco Struction; KPMG LLP; McPharlin, Sprinkles & Thomas LLP; Medallion Rug Galler y; Odwalla; RJ Dailey Construction Co. and Transcultural Promotions. More fashion show news on next page.

Photos supplied by Joan Brooks & Lisa Blickenstaff

fashions by

Proceeds from CinéFest benefit the Harker Scholarship Fund, professional training and continued education for faculty, and the new Science and Technology Center at the US campus – so when you support CinéFest, you support the school!

C O N TA C T S

sponsors

VOLUNTEERING: Lisa Blickenstaff - lisabl@harker.org PROGRAM AD SALES: Tina Najibi - tmm@cadence.com SPONSORSHIPS: Shyamoli Banerjee - shyamolib@hotmail.com DONATIONS: Showcases - Christine Davis - christine@tmfcinc.com • Live Auction - Bob Schick - sjbob13@aol.com RESERVATIONS: Jeannine Hammersley - jhammersley@comcast.net • Regina Wong - reginaywong@gmail.com WEB SITE: www.harker.org/news.htm - click on Fashion Show link INFO LINE: 408.345.0115 • E-MAIL: fashionshow@harker.org

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fashion

show

Feature Presentation: Jerry Maguire We all remember that great line from “Jerry Maguire”: “Show me the money!” This year’s Featured Presentation donation drawing prize is $5000 CASH. Tickets are only $25 each, and just one lucky ticket could have YOU jumping up and down, screaming “Show me the money!” Look for more details in next month’s newsletter.

Blockbuster Releases: Smashing Showcases A Showcase is a wonderful, themed collection of items that will provide hours, days, maybe even weeks of fun and excitement! Here, along with their famously quotable lines, is the debut of this year’s fabulous moviethemed showcases: ■ “GOLDFINGER”: “My name is Bond - James Bond.” ... a collection of refined sophistication ■ “STAR WARS”: “May the force be with you!” ... state-of-the-art electronics, gadgets and technology toys ■ “THE SECRET GARDEN”: “The whole world is a garden.” ... uniquely useful outdoor items ■ “PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN”: Four Treasure Chests to be awarded at the luncheon show One (or more!) of these wonderful showcase collections could be yours – all it takes is one winning ticket! Pre-sale order forms will be coming soon, and a sheet of 10 tickets will go for $25/sheet. Be sure to take advantage of the pre-sale blockbuster offer: three sheets of tickets, a $75 value, for only $60!

Double Feature: Live Auction and Silent Auction The dinner show’s always-popular Live Auction will have you at the edge of your seat as you try to win unique items – remember last year’s Emmy Awards package? And this year we’re adding a new component to both the luncheon and dinner shows: a movie-themed Silent Auction! Watch this space next month to find out more.

Our Talent Scouts are Searching . . .

… for items we can add to our Showcase and Auction credits. Do you have something special to donate? Contact Christine Davis at christine@tmfcinc. com or Bob Schick at sjbob13@aol.com.

You can be a part of this shining event!

Invitations won’t go out until January, but the box office will open for online reservations on Jan. 2 – the earlier you reserve, the better your seats will be!

And there’s still time to become part of the CinéFest crew – join us at our Nov. 9 meeting at the Blackford MPR starting at 8 a.m., or visit the CinéFest Web site for more information.

Event Chair: Archana Sathaye Assistant Chairs: Violet Boyle Joan Brooks Susan Cho Roni Wolfe

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Next Meeting: Thurs., Nov. 9 Online Tickets: Jan. 2 http://faculty.harker.org/adm/fashionshow ■ Committee Info ■ Sponsorships ■ Program Advertising ■ Showcase Donation Drawing ■ and more!

sports

briefs

LS Sports ■ Volleyball The Gr. 5 girls volleyball team is coming off an unbelievable victory over Valley Christian’s Gr. 6 team, scoring 25-23, 19-25, 16-14! Our team is currently 1-1 and is looking forward to the Apostles Lutheran tournament on Oct. 21. The Gr. 4 and Gr. 5 volleyball teams are also looking forward to their volleyball clinic on Oct. 25, where the thirteenth-ranked Harker varsity volleyball team will be working with our up-and-coming Harker volleyball players. Great work, girls!

■ Flag Football The Gr. 5 flag football team is currently 1-1. They battled Queen of Apostles down to the wire and had a chance to tie/win on the last play of the game, but lost 12-18. The boys rebounded with a good showing in their friendly scrimmage with the Harker fourth grade. Both the Gr. 4 and Gr. 5 boys are developing their football talents and have improved dramatically over the course of the season.

MS Sports ■ Flag Football The Gr. 8 flag football team is currently 4-4. They have victories over Valley Christian (24-12), Egan (2013), Kings Academy (21-20) and Achiever Christian (7-6). The team, led by coaches C.J. Cali and Justin Sullivan, plays its final game of the season on Oct. 30 against Achiever Christian. Gautam Krishnamurthi leads the team in interceptions with seven.

Spencer Jordan has been outstanding on both offense and defense and leads the team in tackles. Kenny Wong leads the team with 14 receptions and six touchdowns. Timmy Lin has thrown 10 touchdown passes, and Nick Kehriotis anchors both the offensive and defensive lines as well as leading the team in sacks.

The Gr. 7 flag football team is currently 4-4. They have victories over Valley Christian (18-12), St. Christopher’s (40-31) at the St.

Catherine’s tournament where the boys took third place, and Egan (33-26). They also played a friendly, intraschool scrimmage against Harker’s Gr. 6 which finished in a victory for the Gr. 7 boys 15-12.

The Gr. 7 team has benefited from a number of fine individual performances. Leading the way is quarterback Grant Napier who, in

addition to his fine play at quarterback, has also returned three kicks for touchdowns. Also having outstanding seasons are wide receiver Stephen Hughes, center Saagar Sarin and tight end Ananth Subramaniam.

The Gr. 6 flag football team is currently 3-1. They have victories over Valley Christian (28-18 and 39-0), and also Menlo School (28-26). The boys played very well in the friendly Gr. 6-7 scrimmage, losing only by three points! Mainstays of the squad are Andy Perez, David Cutler, Spenser Quash and Michael Chen.

■ Softball The MS softball team is currently 1-4. They have played some of the toughest competition in the area and have been improving their skills each and every game. The team enjoyed a victory over CSD 5-1 and are looking forward to their remaining games with St. Simons and CSD. The team is led by starting pitcher Ashley Del Alto, Gr. 6, and the growing diamond smarts of classmates Sonia Gupta and Sammi Schlernitzauer.

■ Cross Country The cross country team has had a phenomenal year this year! At the Cupertino meet Michael Amick, Gr. 6, took first place and classmate Sumit Minocha took third place.

Harker News — November 06

US Sports ■ Girls Golf Topping off sports news at press time is that the Harker girls golf team is now West Bay Athletic League champion! The linksters left the competition in the rough, winning by a 20-stroke margin at the championship match on Oct. 11.

“Their months of hard work combined with coach Chris Colletti’s guidance have paid off. Please congratulate these girls for their remarkable accomplishment,” said Dan Molin, athletic director.

Steven Wong

Team members are freshman Sonya Huang; sophomores Tiffany Chang, Andrea Kim and Rachel Wang; juniors Stephanie Herh, Diane Wang and Elissa Patel; seniors Elyse Kim (captain), Jennifer Whang (captain) and Kristie Cu. ■ Girls Volleyball Tanya Schmidt, Gr. 11, of Harker’s varsity volleyball team, was named a Mercury News Female Athlete of the Week for her

31-kill performance against Los Gatos in September and her fine performance at the prestigious Menlo Tournament the next day at which the team placed second. The girls, under coach Theresa Smith, also broke into the rankings again at the number 10 slot.

The team won its Oct. 6 match against Mercy Burlingame and won a tough match against Castilleja at St. Joseph’s School in Atherton.

Rudy Mui

At the J.D. Morgan meet the Gr. 8 girls team took second place, with Kristie Sanchez taking fourth place. Rangini Bhattacharya, Gr. 6, took fifth place, Minocha took third place and Amick took first place.

At the C.T. English meet the Gr. 8 girls team took first place, Sanchez took third place, Bhattacharya sixth place, Minocha fourth place and Amick took home another first place! The team is looking to conclude their season with a home meet at Blackford on Oct. 18.

Harker News — November 06

■ Football Congratulations to our football players for their recent victories!

On Sept. 28, the varsity football team under coach Karriem Stinson defeated CSD in Fremont 33-14.

Grayson Hurd, Gr. 12, scored two touchdowns while Arman Gupta, Gr. 10, Gregg Ringold, Gr. 12, and Jason Martin, Gr. 12, each scored one touchdown. The win brought the team up to 3-2, but things got even better.

The team won its outing Oct. 6, and, “for the first time in Harker history our football team has started a season with a 4-2 record,” said Molin. “Our boys traveled to Merced and defeated Stone Ridge Christian 20-0. Junior Kyle Mui rushed for two touchdowns and Gupta ran in for one.”

The team had a bye week to gear up for homecoming where they will face Rincon Valley Christian of Santa Rosa – see the cover story.

■ Girls Tennis Harker’s girls tennis team has been fighting an uphill, but successful, battle. “The varsity tennis team entered WBAL play, after posting a 4-2 nonleague record, with wins over Presentation, Pinewood, Cupertino and Gunn. Last week, the Eagles beat

Castilleja and lost to Notre Dame in WBAL action,” said Craig Pasqua, tennis coach.

“The Eagles have had to play without senior co-captain and two-time WBAL MVP Christina Yee because of injury. Freshman Kelly E. Chen has been impressive, going 7-1 in her singles matches and scoring the only points in our losses to Sacred Heart Prep and Santa Catalina,” Pasqua said.

“This year’s team is very young with three freshmen – Chen, Arthi Padmanabhan and Shizuka Tiernan – making significant contributions.

Sophomores Sarah Christiano, Dominique Dabija and Lauren Moser along with senior co-captain Jocelyn Ko have also had good results. The team looks forward to the challenge of earning their first-ever bid to the CCS team tournament.

Recently, the tennis team had an outstanding weekend in Monterey at the Santa Catalina Tournament at which they placed second out of 16 teams. Chen made it to the finals of #2 singles and juniors Kavitha Narra and Divya Mandava made it to the finals of the #3 doubles. Others making it to the semi-finals were Tiernan, Christiano, Dabija, Moser, Ko, and Natalie So, Gr. 11.

■ Cross Country Both boys and girls cross country teams had very respectable fourth place finishes in October at Golden Gate Park. Some boys highlights include: Jay Japra, Gr. 12, who came in first for Harker’s boys varsity, placing ninth; Sam Levine, Gr. 10, who came in second for Harker, placing 14th overall; and Evan Maynard, Gr. 10, came in third for us, placing 17th overall. Other scorers for the

varsity team included Adam Perelman, Gr. 9, Kevin Xu, Gr. 10, Roger Kim, Gr. 12 and Henry Yan, Gr. 12.

Girls team scorers were Brea Borlas, Niti Shahi and Christine Trinh, all Gr. 9; Namrata Anand, Roshmi Bhattacharya and Elena Madan, all Gr. 10; and Andrea Wong, Gr. 12. Their next meet was Oct. 17 at Crystal Springs, too late for results to be printed.

■ Boys Soccer Boys soccer played well in a close loss Oct. 6, losing 5-4 in overtime against Valley Christian-Dublin, then beat St. Lawrence on Oct. 10. Se-

nior Adam Rubin leads the scoring this year.

■ Water Polo Harker hosted its first-ever water polo matches in September, with the girls losing to Wilcox and the boys to Lynbrook.

Nonetheless, they were great matches and it was exciting to host a new, growing sport at Harker.

Boys water polo sent a J.V. squad to the Monta Vista tournament on Oct. 6-7 and went through the round-robin matches undefeated!

Girls water polo, lead by team captain Christina Nixon, Gr. 12, is well underway. Although the girls are young and, for the most part, inexperienced, they show an enthusiasm and dedication to the sport that instills pride. While the sport is new to Harker this year, the girls are committed to the team and are having fun along the way. Their hard work, along with the number of returning players including sophomores Becky Yanovsky and Kaytee Comeé, shows that this team has great promise of making quite a splash in the future!

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Students Key in to AlphaSmarts What is an AlphaSmart, anyway?

The AlphaSmart 3000 is a portable word processor issued to Harker Gr. 4-5 students to help them

Fun in Bloom at Annual Garden Party

my mom likes the way that you can’t go on the Internet with them,” said Brian Tuan, Gr. 5.

In addition, the AlphaSmarts are more rugged than laptops, thus more suited to younger students. “I like it because you can carry it around and you don’t have to take all of these

Harker first graders enjoyed a day in the sun planting flowers and vegetables and creating garden crafts on Sept. 26 at their

Assembly Promotes Love, Acceptance

master keyboard skills, write and revise writing assignments and even complete lab reports and vocabulary assignments – but for an educational tool, they have turned out to be a hit with students.

The LS met Sept. 20 for the Color of Love assembly, a multimedia production designed to help students recognize that love is a combination of all colors, that we all have a lot in common and can learn from each other.

“Parents have told me that their kids are using them for extracurricu-

The production focused on teaching students that loving yourself is key to solidifying self worth and

Since the AlphaSmart has limited formatting capabilities, students focus on content rather than font size and color; plus, the limitations mean students aren’t distracted by the gaming and messaging functions of laptops. The machines cannot even connect to the Web, a feature parents are quick to note. “They are really convenient and

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The units have been in use for five years at Harker and the school will be upgrading the word processors, including adding two newer models (the Neo and the Dana) in the long term.

“I like the AlphaSmarts because it is easier to find your work, because you can’t lose your AlphaSmart as easily as you can lose your papers,” said Ian Richardson, Gr. 5. Clearly, students are grooving on the easy-to-use boxes!

developing life-long good habits, and on loving others – reaching out to those who may not be as socialized because they are new to the school or different in some way. Three large video screens featured clips from recent movies, a soundtrack of popular music and true stories all aimed at helping students accept themselves and reach out to others.

Students Guide Parents Big thanks to these valiant students who gave up an evening at home to act as guides during the LS Back-to-School nights, Sept. 18 and 19.

This year’s student guides, all Gr. 5, were: Maia Adar, Manon Audebert, Vikas Bhetanabhotla, Lauren Cali, Mercedes Chien, Darian Edvalson, Urvi Gupta, Shazdeh Hussain, Saachi Jain, Varun Kamat, Sean Knudsen, Anna Levine, Stephanie Lu, Samar Malik, Kevin Mohanram, Maneesha Panja, Katherine Paseman, Rahul Sridhar, Sapna Suresh, Brian Tuan and Andrew Zhu.

kudos Harker students took first and second places at the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship Qualifier at WildHawk Golf Club in Sacramento. Kengo Aoshima, Gr. 2, won the world championship qualifier in his bracket on June 19, and classmate Ryan Vaughan was right on his heels in second place. The boys topped the field with 34 and 37 strokes, respectively, on a nine-hole course. A few weeks later, on June 29, Aoshima took first, again, with Vaughan taking third, at the Shoreline Golf Links. Vaughan also competed in the Junior Worlds this summer in San Diego. He finished 55th out of 91 in the 7- and 8-year-old bracket, and seventh in the 7-year-old bracket.

Supplied by Teresa Thomas

papers around and it’s fun typing on it,” noted Anisha Padwekar, Gr. 5.

lar activities like writing stories just because they enjoy using them,” said Lisa Diffenderfer, assistant director of instructional technology at Harker, who is managing the program.

annual Garden Party.

The sunflower-themed party, hosted by Gr. 1 teachers Cindy Proctor and Diann Chung, featured the planting of snapdragons, tulips, sweet peas and broccoli.

Parents assisted with the festivities, helping the young horticulturists create crafts like garden crowns, butter fly gliders, bookmarks and more. The students also enjoyed a snack of carrots and dip, as well as homemade sunflower-shaped cookies.

Cindy Proctor

LOWER

Harker News — November 06

From Pirates to Potter: Drop Everything and Read!

The Drop Ever ything and Read assembly took place Sept. 25 and was a great success! Head

kid talk Spirit week is a high point in the year, a week to ease up on routine, get a little crazy and spend time with teachers and friends. For this issue, fifth graders were asked what they like best about Spirit Week.

Nick Gassman - all photos

Lauren Cali speaks from experience.

I like the events. The “fourth and fifth grades hold events that boost your spirit up. We’ll get up in teams and we’ll have contests and all the teachers get to be in.

”

Suraj Chandrasekher, in his first year at Harker, is

of School Christopher Nikoloff led the group. He later noted that he greatly enjoyed hosting the assembly. “Regardless of the recent advancements in technology, reading remains the foundation of all learning and a continuing source of enjoyment and growth in life,” he said.

looking forward to the “different activities, the 70s days. ” Was he planning to wear a 70s outfit?

“Maybe.”

Shaggy hair?

“I don’t know.”

Michelle Gorshteyn, also in her first year at Harker, is tuned in.

LS Spirit Week

It’s a good day at school when a dog licks your face. Max the police dog and Officer Ken Davis of the San Jose Police Department stopped by Sept. 14 to help make a story come alive for first graders.

Led by instructors Diann Chung and Cindy Proctor, the group of 30 students “had been following the story of ‘Officer Buckle and Gloria,’ a police officer and his dog who travel to schools to share safety tips,” said Proctor. Student Jerrica Liao said, “I liked it when Max did

Spirit week permeated the campus Oct. 16-20. Each day, students had something new to keep them focused on the big game and building Harker spirit.

Cindy Proctor - both photos

First Graders Take a Good Licking! tricks. When Officer Davis said to sit, he sat.” More viscerally, “Max licked us,” said Nirban Bhatia. But the solemn finger of the law wagged even here: “I didn’t know handcuffs were so heavy,” noted Anyssia Kokinos. To round out the project, Proctor and Chung’s students, after

reading the story and meeting a live officer and his canine partner, drew pictures of the K9 unit pair, which they then sent as a thank you to Officer Davis for the memorable experience!

Harker News — November 06

Monday was Got Spirit Day and the Spirit Club Student Morale Committee set a crazy free dress day to get students excited about the week’s events. Tuesday, the Harker Homecoming Spirit Banner was displayed at lunch and the Decades Freeze Dance was held to get the kids excited about the next day’s free dress. On Wednesday – Double Decades Day – students dressed up in the clothing of a decade gone by, with a buddy or alone. And Thursday – Paradise Day – students dressed up like they were in a tropical paradise and participated in a recess-time scavenger hunt. Finally, on Game Day Friday, students were encouraged to wear green to show support for the homecoming activities, including the big game.

say you have to dress “likeThey a Hawaiian person, and you get to wear different clothes and you support the school. I like the Hawaiian dress.

”

Arman Mortazavi, another first year student, said,

forward to twin “dayI’mandlooking maybe twinning with a lot of my other friends, just twinning in a group.

”

Annika Jackson knows the ropes and also has a birthday during Spirit Week. think it is fun, I like “theI just twin days and that sort of stuff, and me and my friends dress up and do fun things together.

”

Ravi Bhandia said he likes the 70s days,

it is fun to dress “up‘cause as what they used to do in the old days. And I like to dress up with a funky hairdo and stuff.

”

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Agents of Change Think Locally They sound like a band of avenging citizens, poised to rekindle the struggle for liberty and good citizenship. They are the Agents of Change, “a service club that meets to find ways to think and act locally for the good of our neighbors,” said Craig Michalski, English instructor and club adviser.

‘Black Ford’ Mascot on the Move Most students have seen this trim little roadster sitting in the office at the Blackford campus, but now it has begun its nine-month sojourn around the school. The freshly

“ The best thing about being in the group is

the planning. When we decide on a project, members think of ideas, research the options and call representatives.

Daniela Lapidous, Gr. 7, is in her second year in the club. She wanted to be in an organization that “could decide on a plan, put it into action and see the results – not limited to our school,” she said. “The best thing about being in the group is the planning. When we decide on a project, members think of ideas, research the options and call representatives.”

Last year the group collected eyeglasses for the visually impaired, served a meal at the San Jose Family Shelter, notified the City of San Jose about a need for a crosswalk at a busy intersection used by school children and joined foster children in painting Easter decorations, noted Michalski.

“Although Mr. Michalski does play a large role, it’s nice thinking that kids can receive a fair response,” Lapidous said. “I hope that we can figure out ways to get a bigger number on the campus involved and that people will be inspired to do service outside of school, as Harker is not the only community affected by our actions.” Those interested in being an Agent of Change should contact Michalski, in room 45, or at craigm@harker.org.

refurbished Black Ford mascot, stuffed with entertainment, snacks and drinks, is the prize advisory groups will vie for throughout the school year, and it has already made its first run.

Algebra instructor Scott Graham’s advisor y won the first spirit contest of the year and was rewarded with a Black Ford and wagon full of goodies.

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CORRECTION

New MS student council members were elected Oct 6. Congratulations to those students who won and thanks to all who stood for office, as well as those who voted! The new officers are: Gr. 6 – President Tiphaine Delepine, Vice-President Nikhil Baradwaj, Spirit Coordinator Bobby Kahlon; Gr. 7 – President Daniela Lapidous, Vice-President Priyanka Mody and Spirit Coordinator Keethana Moudgal; Gr. 8 – President Ava Rezvani, Vice-President Molly Mandell and Spirit Coordinator Priya Sahdev.

The car, a stylized reproduction of a 1932 Ford, comes black, with flames on the side and a big shiny grill. Now garaged in Graham’s advisor y, after the picnic it will move to the next spirit victor’s room.

Each time it relocates, the rolling confectionar y will be restocked with goodies.

3-2-1 Blast Off! Rocket Club Soars It’s Rocket Club! What could be better than firing off rockets with a bunch of other people who want to fire off rockets? The MS Rocket Club, hosted by Daniel Sommer on Tuesdays, period 9 in Rm. 5, is in stage one. The members, 40 strong, are building the rockets in small groups.

The first launch date has yet to be determined, but you can

New Student Council Elected

“Just imagine stretching out with your advisees watching a flick, slurpin’ sodas, and chowin’ down on treats all because you had fun at a spirit event – can life get any better than that?” queries Kerr rhetorically.

Doug Knight

”

“The rumble seat in this puppy is the per fect size for a por table DVD player and the cab can hold a cooler filled with soda, popcorn or other treats,” said Cindy Kerr, MS division head.

bet when it arrives there will be some rockets going off. Those interested in joining can stop by or call or e-mail Sommer at 408.553.0313, daniels@harker.org.

In the October 2006 edition, Harker News stated in the eCybermission stor y that the Harker eCybermission team members, the Silver Fireflies, were inter viewed by Laura Garcia of NBC following their regional win. The students were actually interviewed later, in Washington, D.C., during their par ticipation in the national eCybermission finals. Harker News apologizes for the error.

Harker News — November 06

Heartfelt Thanks

In a mad combination of plastic toys and futuristic robotics, students are furiously preparing for a robotic competition. The Harker MS has two Lego robotics teams entered in the First Lego League competition, Dec. 2, in Carlsbad, Calif. “This is the second year of what will be the annual Harker Lego Robotics Team at the Middle School,” said Michael Schmidt, club advisor.

Heartfelt thanks go out to all the student guides who volunteered their time to help make Back-toSchool night on Sept. 20 a great success. “It goes without saying that these students did a tremendous job assisting parents as they made their way around the campus. The faculty and administration are extremely proud and grateful for their help in making the evening a success,” said Steven Hewitt, faculty coordinator for the event. Student guides were: Gr. 8: Anisha Agarwal, Andrew Cutler, Katie Forsberg, Ashley Hejtmanek, Douglas Hutchings, Ashtyn Ka, Molly Mandell, Malika Mehrotra, Shreya Nathan, Priya Sahdev; Gr. 7: Neha Kumar, Daniela Lapidous, Montana Miller, Shival Dasu, Indraneel Salukhe, Akshay Tangator, Ishen Taneja; Gr. 6: Keri Clifford, Sondra Costa, Sonia Gupta.

Michael Schmidt - all photos

Students Building Up to Annual Lego League Contest Students invest as many as four afternoons a week in their projects and with only a month to go, 25 Gr. 6-8 students are busily creating, testing and programming robots for the competition.

“The interest in the team was so high, that two teams had to be created,” Schmidt said.

NXT Robotics kits were donated to the club and Schmidt has had ver y little trouble organizing such a large group.“The parents are the real reason this program is running as smoothly as it is,” Schmidt proclaimed. Watch Harker News for results of the competition!

Powerful Microscopes Enable Students to Study Cells A far cry from the microscopes of only a few years ago, when you never knew if you looking at the slide or your eyelash, Harker students are focusing on cell structures with high-tech, more powerful microscopes.

The microscopes combine traditional microscopy with advanced technology and have been used in several experiments so far this year to the delight of students in Lorna Claerbout’s and Scott Kley Contini’s Gr. 8 science classes.

“Students have been using these ’scopes to observe the behavior of a variety of live protozoans, to see the live action of contractive vacuoles in paramecium, and to print images of their own cheek cells,” said Claerbout.

Students were enthusiastic. “With the extra magnification, digital camera, and many other cool features, Harker News — November 06

I’ve seen things that I’ve never seen before, all because of the new microscope,” said science student James Seifert.

Classmate Trevor Dutrow agreed. “The new Swift Digital microscopes allow students not only to view images at higher power, but also to take videos and pictures,” he said. “The internal camera produces images that can either be displayed on the LCD screens mounted on top or viewed on a computer for editing, printing and saving. They’re great!”

“Now I can share my work or even see it later. But it isn’t all about the camera. The microscope adjustments and sensitive diaphragm make viewing organisms or cells more precise, producing better images,” Dutrow noted.

Laptops Coming for MS Students Plans to supply Harker MS students with laptops proceed apace and are on course to start issuing laptops in one year. The latest step is to provide laptop carts on the MS campus that teachers can keep in their classrooms for several days to acclimate both instructors and students to working in a one-laptop-per-student environment. “This helps teachers develop units of study that will take advantage of the power that laptops can add to student learning,” said Dan Hudkins, director of instructional technology.

Current laptop uses include accessing the ExploreLearning program, an online site that offers to “enhance math and science learning for grades six through twelve.” The site offers a variety of interactive tools, graphs and simulations that help students understand concepts being studied.

See the article on Vernier Motion Detectors on page 14 for an example of a simulation.

MS Students Get a Peek at US Anticipation is one of the more subtle spices of life and on Oct. 5, Harker Gr. 7-8 students got a taste. Preview Night brings the Harker middle schoolers to the US campus to sample the sweetness of high school: benches under the trees, mysterious glyphs on whiteboards and text books with long names.

All seventh- and eighth-grade Harker families were invited to the US preview and many US students were on hand to act as guides or to provide insight or explanations about Harker’s Gr. 9-12 programs. The US vocal ensemble Downbeat performed a rousing swing medley to kick off the evening.

Thanks to all our great US student volunteers: Gr. 9: Ankur Ahuja, Kelsey Hilbrich, Eugene Huang, Noriko Ishisoko, Kapil Kolhatkar, Won Hee Lee, Arjun Mody; Gr. 10: Roshmi Bhattacharya, D.J. Blickenstaff, Lizzie Cutler, Hanh Dang, Ayush Jain, Elizabeth Liu, Richard Ly, Elena Madan, Sachin Rangarajan, Chetan Vakkalagadda, Kevin Wang, Susan Wang, Kevin Xu; Gr. 11: Lauren Ammatuna, Tanya Schmidt, Frank Wang; Gr: 12: Caitlin Contag, Adam Creasman, Julia Havard, Sharon Huang, Danyal Kothari, Robert Lougheed-Lowe, Aseem Shukla, Siobhan Stevenson, Natasha Sarin, Ashu Sheth, Cooper Sivara, Patrick Sweeney, Harry Tseng, Nina Vyedin, Matt Wong, Mounica Yanamandala.

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G’Day for a Kangaroo Sack Race

It’s a What?

On Oct. 4, 50-60 Gr. 6-7 students participated in the Kangaroo Hop Sack Races as part of the G’Day picnic festivities during lunch. Teams of three students hopped in relays striving for Dum Dum lollipops.

It’s a fan cart gizmo and, once again, it is science.

“The fan cart gizmo helps students to see the direct effect of force and mass on acceleration (Newton’s second law: a=F/m),” said Ilona Davies, Gr. 7 science instructor. “We are currently studying Newton’s laws of motion, so this gizmo ended up being a two-day lab.”

Ilona Davies - both photos

The 80 seventh graders used the software to display a red cart traveling across one of the interface panels against various measurements.

“Students add different num-

Students Study Motion with High-Tech Devices front of the detectors.”

Science in motion – literally – is being practiced in Gr. 7 science classes. MS science instructor Raji Swaminathan’s 85 students in five classes use Vernier motion detectors and LoggerPro software to create real time graphs of motion.

“The Vernier motion detectors are used to graph their own motion,” said Swaminathan. “Using the motion detector, Vernier interface and LoggerPro software, students are able to graph their position vs. a time graph for different speeds of walking in

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The interactive nature of the Vernier labs draws students into science and helps to reinforce the physics concepts the students learned in class. Aside from detecting motion, which is pretty cool, using tools like the Vermier motion detector helps students build data collection and graphical analysis skills that carry over to other disciplines.

bers of fans and masses to the cart and then watch the cart accelerate,” Davies noted. Another panel of the interface shows a graph.

“The gizmo generates distance-time, velocity-time and acceleration-time graphs from the motion of the cart.

Students can clearly see that the greater the force the more the acceleration; likewise, the greater the mass the less the acceleration,” Davies finished.

Ultimate Frisbee Club Flying High The Harker Ultimately Bent Ultimate Frisbee Club meets ninth period on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the fields behind the buildings at Blackford, as it has for the past two years. The club is named after

the bent blunt dissecting probe, the favorite implement of the Gr. 8 founders of the club. The club had custom Frisbees made last year, when about 40 students chose Frisbee as their outdoor activity.

The club, led by Tim Culbertson and Scott Kley Contini, hopes to set up matches against other schools this season.

Harker News — November 06

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WiSTEM Swinging into Action The Harker’s WiSTEM Club (Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) “is a club whose mission statement is to promote interest in mathematics and sciences for young women in the club, the Harker community and the greater community,” said Jessie Li, Gr. 12, co-president. “Our goal is to allow more young women to become fascinated with math and science and eventually pursue careers in those fields.”

To that end, the club has planned an astronomy night with science faculty member Eric Nelson and a trip to the San Jose Tech museum, noted co-president Allison Wong, Gr. 12. In addition the group helps organize and run the Harker Research Symposium, now in its second year. This event, slated for Apr. 14, 2007, showcases student and alumni independent research projects from summer internships or performed as class work.

“The WiSTEM girls play a very active role in the actual organization of the symposium,” said Anita Chetty, biology and science instructor, department chair and adviser to the Harker WiSTEM group.

Distinguished Speakers Address Students on Vital Topics As part of the Distinguished Speakers Series, two luminaries have visited the Harker campus to date: Beshara Doumani, associate professor of history at UC Berkeley and Dr. Rafael Pelayo, assistant professor of medicine at Stanford and director of the Pediatric Sleep Service at the Stanford Sleep Clinic.

Given the recent events in Israel, Lebanon and the neighboring countries, Richard Hartzell, head of the US, decided to devote two assemblies this year to the Middle East. The first speaker on that subject, Doumani, spoke on Oct. 29 about his specialties in both the history of the Middle East, with a particular interest in Palestine, and the post-9/11 issues pertaining to academic freedom. He has published four books and numerous articles on these and other topics.

“Our goal is to allow more young women to become fascinated with math and science and eventually pursue careers in those fields.”

“People from all over present their projects, products, etc.,” said Wong. The group “helps contact speakers…and we and some of our women mentors have a special conference after the symposium.”

The group also plans to raise funds for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) which “provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies to foster women’s empowerment and gender equality,” according to its Web site. Those interested in joining the group should contact Chetty at 408.345.9280 or anitac@harker.org.

Update Debate Director of Forensics Matthew Brandstetter reported that Harker students traveled to the East Coast the weekend of Sept. 15 to participate in two national speech and debate tournaments at Wake Forest and Yale Universities. Harker students excelled at both locations in policy and Lincoln-Douglas debate. At Yale University, Deepa Ramakrishnan, Gr. 11, advanced to the round of eight remaining competitors (quarterfinals) in Varsity LincolnDouglas debate before losing to Milburn High School. Her accomplishment earned her the first of two required Tournament of Champion legs to the University of Kentucky the first weekend in May 2007. At Wake Forest University, Prachi Sharma and Pratusha Erraballi, both Gr. 10, earned seventh and ninth speaker awards, respectively, while advancing to the field of eight remaining teams (quarterfinals) in J.V. Policy debate before losing to Henry High School. Nafeesa Laiwalla and Kunal Modi, both Gr. 10, also advanced to the field of 16 remaining teams (octafinals). Laiwalla also earned 15th speaker award for her tournament experience.

Harker students and staff had a special treat at Yale University when Harker alumnae Catherine Kim ‘03 and Amira Valliani ‘06 joined the team as judges during the weekend tournament event. Additionally, word reached the squad that Alex Iftimie ‘03, who was participating at a college tournament at Gonzaga University, earned the first place speaker award and was preparing to debate in the quarterfinal round of the same tournament. Iftimie, a senior at the University of Southern California, is squad captain.

Harker News — November 06

Supplied by Beshara Doumani

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On Oct. 6, Pelayo spoke on the science that can educate students about sleep and its relation to learning or performance.

In January, the second speaker on issues in the Middle East, Joel Beinin, professor of Middle Eastern history at Stanford University, will address the US assembly.

Martin Luther Not Guilty in 2006 Martin Luther may have been exiled for heresy in 1521 by the Holy Roman Emperor, but, Harkerside, he was given a pass by Carol Zink’s AP European History class members. The students staged a mock trial of Luther, the forward-thinking leader of the Protestant reformation movement against the Roman Catholic Church. In costume, students argued in support of or against Luther and his ideas to help them understand the complex issues of this critical religious schism and the Catholic Church’s

response. Although the Edict of Worms, under Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, ultimately declared Luther an outlaw and thus subject to the death penalty, the reformer monk was well-protected politically and escaped to exile. He was later released and continued his work.

When asked if he would recant his heresy, in words we can all draw strength from, during his hearing in 1521, Luther said: “I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.”

Students in Cathy Snider’s choir Bel Canto admire poster boards made by classmates and Downbeat students.

The students each drew a famous musician’s name out of a hat, then created a poster and gave an oral presentation detailing the musician’s life and work.

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College Reps Woo Students

World Hunger Day Comes to Harker

To paraphrase the old saying, “If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door,” Harker is building better students and top universities are beating a path to our campus.

World Hunger Day, titled a Day of Real Heroism, was observed on Oct. 16 on the Harker US campus with a food drive that doubled as a spirit competition. The WAC (World Awareness Committee) sponsored World Hunger Day at Harker and the canned food drive was sponsored by the Harker chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS).

process more human, in my mind.”

Students are likely to feel less intimidated by a college if they meet

“Colleges come to Harker for a variety of reasons,” said Alistair Grant, Harker college counselor. Many colleges and universities visit Harker, Grant said, “because of a phenomenal reputation and because of the reality that our students here are more than prepared to succeed in a college environment.”

“The fact that Harker offers such a strong and supportive learning environment allows students to excel, both academically and personally. Ultimately, those are the students that colleges and universities want to enroll.”

The big benefit of having college and university representatives visit our campus is that, “students have the opportunity to meet with a representative, who is often the person who reads (their) applications,” added Grant. “It makes the

a friendly “rep” and can learn more about the colleges from someone who is extremely knowledgeable, stated Grant.

Visits from Princeton, Yale, University of San Francisco and Georgetown have or will occur. “It is important to note that while most of the top colleges do come, so do many others that are much less competitive.

In fact, the diversity of colleges and universities that visit Harker is remarkable,” he added.

kudos Last spring, following in-school awards, Harker sent several students to the California State Science Fair. Hann-Shuin Yew ’06 took many honors for her project, “Investigation of Homo-Polymeric Runs in C. Elegans Genome With Novel Model for Control Sequences,” winning first place in Microbiology and a $1,000 prize and certificate of achievement at the Synopsys Silicon Valley Science and Technology Championship (SSVSTC), along with the Grade 12 Individual Project award and a $200 prize; the Genencor Biotechnology Awards Grand Prize, and Best of Championship in Biological Sciences for a first place Technical Paper; and a trip to the California State Science Fair where she took third place in the Microbiology category.

Students headed to Shah Field to drop off their donations and have the results tallied by class. “Our goal was to collect 3,000 cans in the 30 minutes of the school meeting time,” said Jennifer Whang, Gr. 12, community service director of NHS. “It was a spirit competition for homecoming week (and) if we collect 3,000 cans, all the students get a half day off as an added incentive. We will donate the cans we collect to Second Harvest Food Bank,” Whang noted. At press time, students had donated 5,109 cans of food.

Later that day, the “world” facet of the day kicked in. “During both lunches, classes had lunch on the field,” said VyVy Trinh, Gr. 12, WAC president. Students ate from, “decorated brown bags from home to save money for the project known as Children’s Town in Zambia, (which) provides for children orphaned by AIDS. It was an awesome event launched by many on-campus clubs, and part of the homecoming week,” Trinh added.

week, to raise money for Children’s Town, reported Mai Lien Nguyen, one of the club’s advisers. Teas included sharbat (Persia), pearl milk (Taiwan), chai (India) and jamaica (Mexico). In September, on Global Day for Darfur, WAC members ran a Darfur table during the lunch period and sold more T-shirts for the relief of conditions in Darfur. “We want to be sure we don’t abandon the crisis and keep the awareness on the issue going,” said Trinh.

Other clubs are doing their part. For example, the International Club sold a type of tea from a different country each day during the

Fellow graduates Shruthi Bhuma, Swathi Bhuma and Karen Chiu’s project, “A Comparison of Two Sites in the Rio Guacimal Using Visual Assessment and Aquatic Macroinvertebrates,” won first place in its category at the SSVSTC and the Grand Prize Alternate in Biological Sciences from the Santa Clara Valley Science and Engineering Fair Association (SCVSEFA) Board of Directors, as well as a trip to the California State Science Fair where they won honorable mention in the Environmental category.

Jocelyn Ko’s (Gr. 12) project, “A Bacterial Test System for the Carcinogenicity and the Global Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation,” won first place in its category and first honorable mention in the SSVSTC, earning her a trip to the state fair.

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Harker News — November 06

Heroes and Villains Reign Supreme During 2006 Sprit Week Spirit week 2006 – spearheaded

by Chris Daren, US activities director – started with a bang, took a breather mid-week and finished up with a whoosh of activity! Classes were in the final stretch to earn spirit points, with advisers dressing to the daily theme to try to tip the scales in favor of their groups.

Monday, Freshman Day, themed “Star Wars,” featured first a campuswide meeting on Shah Field where students brought canned food to help with World Hunger Day activities. On the lighter side, one of the lunchtime activities included Heroes Races, where students spun in relays around a parking lot race course on tricycles.

Displays created by our US students – based on this year’s theme of Heroes and Villains – were under construction all week outside Dobbins. Creativity reigned, with eye-catchers like outlines of bodies created by juniors and a complete, non-floating pirate ship by the seniors, who won the booth competition.

Sophomores took over on Tuesday, themed for the “Mutant Ninja Turtles,” with a spirited class competition of Capture the Flag played on Shah Field. On their day, the sophomores man-

Harker News — November 06

aged to edge out the juniors in a madcap flurry involving rubber dolls instead of flags, prisoners captured and released, and a few “tags” that sent players down in a heap.

Students, teachers and organizers took a breather on Wednesday to prepare for the big finish. Thursday was Junior Day, with a Cops and Gangsters theme. The spirit competition, a pool event over at the LS campus, was wet and wild, and followed by Harker varsity teams hosting tennis, water polo and volleyball matches.

Then Homecoming Friday! On Senior Day, themed Pirates, the big event was the all-school rally.

Activities included “Name That Tune” with the Harker Pep Band playing clips of theme songs about heroes and villains, and the faculty vs the student council guessing (faculty won). Each class performed skits, the fall sport teams were recognized and the Dance Troupe performed a great number in superman costumes (with snazzy gold boots). “It was really exciting – all the classes were very spirited,” said junior Tanya Schmidt. “It was really fun, I liked the themes,” added junior Nitasha Ranganath.

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Model UN Group Holds First Event, Preps for Multi-School Meet their destruction along with the welfare of children affected by armed conflict.

Facilitators of the assembly from the UC Santa Cruz MUN program recognized Harker students for exceptional performance in the following areas: Best Position Paper – Denzil Sikka, Gr. 10, representing France; first runner-up – Anjali Menon, Gr. 12, representing

Photos supplied by Donna Brandstetter

The Harker communication studies department held its first-ever Model United Nations (MUN) conference on Oct. 7, on the Saratoga campus. Harker students representing 32 nations gathered in the FDR to conduct a mock United Nations General Assembly. Resolutions and topic paper discussions focused on the general and complete disarmament of anti-personnel mines and

Qatar; second runner-up – Yasmin Fatemi, Gr. 10, representing Islamic Republic of Iran. Best Delegate – Adam Creasman, Gr. 12, representing the United Kingdom; first runner-up – Aseem Shukla, Gr. 12, representing Brazil; second runnerup – Stephanie Benedict, Gr. 11, representing the United States of America. Best Delegation – Shukla; first runner-up – Benedict; second runner-up – David Kastelman, Gr 10, representing Israel.

Best Diplomat – Sophia Gilman, Gr. 10, representing the Russian Federation; first runner-up – Nikita Sinha, Gr. 10, representing Turkey; second

runner-up – Vivek Reddy, Gr. 10, representing Cameroon.

Special kudos to debate teacher Carol Green for her exceptional organization of this one-day event.

There are 66 students in the MUN program. The next MUN Conference, in conjunction with other schools, will be held at Stanford University, Nov. 10-12.

Students Push Social Limits — In the Name of Psychology Research It is hard to be different – even when it is a psych assignment.

How socialized are we? What do we do, or not do, that we don’t even think about, to avoid being seen as weird? Naomi Schatz, AP Psychology instructor, asked her students to break social rules to test the responses of those around them.

“I think the interesting part is the amount of anxiety and nervous energy people felt leading up to breaking the social norm,” said

Schatz. “Even if it is something perceived as small/simple/easy, we all still feel a great deal of cognitive dissonance when we do something that we don’t think is ‘right.’” Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines cognitive dissonance as, “psychological conflict resulting from incongruous beliefs and attitudes held simultaneously.” Schatz said examples of behavior students might try are singing out loud in an elevator, asking an older person for a seat on a bus or sitting at a

stranger’s table in a restaurant.

One student, Rupan Bose, Gr. 12, pushed the boundaries in the personal space surrounding men taking care of a vital function. He stood too close, when there was plenty of open space, and asked mildly intrusive questions that would not be out of place in line at a store or even on a bus, but are rarely asked of strangers so engaged. His subject evinced discomfort, said Bose, with the young man hurrying through sanitary

procedures and generally displaying discomfort with the encounter.

Bose went out on a limb when he selected his experiment for the assignment. “Not only did it make things very uncomfortable for him, but also for me. It was a breeching of my personal space. But, above all, it was a breeching of the mancode that you never talk to another while standing next to him (while so occupied), let alone try to actually make eye contact with him. It took a lot of courage,” he concluded.

Judicial Committee Update

Back-to-School Night Thanks

Harker’s Judicial Committee is setting itself up for the year. This committee handles honor code violations and helps keep the students informed and thinking about moral issues related to scholarship.

The US Back-to-School night was a resounding success thanks to dedicated student guides who helped parents find classrooms and other features of the evening. Thanks to all of this year’s guides. Gr. 9: Ankur Ahuja; Gr. 10: Rohan Agrawal, Kelly Chen, Winny Huang, Ayush Jain, Diana Lai, Brian Soetikno, Kevin Wang, Susan Wang, Connie Wu, Emily Yeh, Kevin Xu; Gr. 11: Sharon Su, Gwynnie Vernon; Gr. 12: Philip Perkins.

Keeping students informed is done with an annual assembly. “We take on a topic dealing with academic integrity, or, as we did last year, invite students in smaller settings to grapple with the concept in conversation with each other,” said John Hawley, committee adviser.

“Sometimes we will show a video to the school as a whole, as we did several years ago,” he added.

The tougher job is handling honor code violations. “We generally hope we never have to do this, but last

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year, we had at least half a dozen cases in which cheating on tests, or passing off some else’s work as their own was under scrutiny,” said Hawley. Once an offense has been confirmed, the Judicial Committee makes a decision as to the penalty.

“Usually our solutions are creative enough that they aren’t amended by the administration,” Hawley added.

Members of the committee are: sophomores Raghav Aggarwal and Pratusha Erraballi; juniors Aarathi Minisandram and Tonia Sun; seniors Richard Kwant, Carolyn Wang, and Jessica Dickinson Goodman; and from the faculty are Hawley, Evan Barth and Cheryl Cavanaugh.

Venerable Jian Hu spoke to Shaun Jahshan’s ethics class on Oct. 13. The monk from the Zen Center in Sunnyvale told the students to be grateful for what they already possess, and to show that appreciation to family, friends and teachers especially.

He emphasized that people can reach greater happiness through overcoming greed and ignorance of others.

Harker News — November 06

Performing Arts Group To Attend Prestigious Festival in Scotland The world’s largest arts festival will be larger by about 35 people next summer – our musical theater cast and crew! Since 1947, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has attracted performing artists to Scotland each summer to immerse themselves in music, dance and theater in venues all over the city. Laura Lang-Ree, Harker’s performing arts chair, was notified last spring that the American High School Theater Festival had nominated Harker for inclusion in Fringe 2007, based on the consistently excellent work produced in the US musicals of the last several years.

Lang-Ree submitted the lengthy application, and Harker was accepted as one of a handful of high schools to perform in Scotland next August.

The students will be performing “Urinetown: The Musical,” an uproarious comedy that itself premiered at a Fringe festival – the New York Fringe – and moved on to Broadway. Nominated for 10 Tony awards, the musical took home the prizes for Best Direction, Best Book

and Best Original Score in 2002, as well as Broadway.com’s audience award for Favorite New Musical.

The unappealing title is part of the show’s charm. Set in an unnamed metropolis in the not-so-distant future, the show examines what would happen if water has almost completely disappeared. In fact, private toilets have become illegal, and citizens must queue up and pay to use public restrooms, which are regulated by the corrupt Urine Good Company. A people’s rebellion isn’t far behind, and the leader of the rebellion has fallen for the evil boss’s daughter! A scathing satire partially based on the ideas of the 18th century economist Thomas Malthus, the show is reminiscent of Berthold Brecht’s epic works, poking fun at his magnum opus “The Threepenny Opera,” and the film “The Cradle Will Rock.”

The show’s brilliance lies in its parody of the archetypal conventions of musical theater – the innocent ingenue, the strong hero, the

Bobby Strong: Patrick Sweeney Old Man Strong: Yoshi Kuroi Josephine Strong: Kriti Lodha Urine Good Company: Caldwell B. Cladwell: Aseem Shukla Hope Cladwell: Siobhan Stevenson Senator Fipp: “It also, of course, makes merciless David Mihai Mr. McQueen: fun of its own title and subject Josh Pinzás Mrs. Millenmatter. ‘Urinetown: The Musical’ nium: Nina Vyedin will have you laughing out loud.”

Staff: Alison Axelrad, Kendra and Dolls,” “Fiddler on the Roof” Moss, Amaresh Shukla, Melinda and more. It also, of course, makes Wang merciless fun of its own title and The Rebellion: subject matter.

Little Becky Two Shoes: Ananya “Urinetown: The Musical” will have Anand you laughing out loud. Don’t miss Soupy Sue: Julia Havard it! Congratulations to the cast Hot Blades Harry: Cailin MacKen(crew has yet to be determined), zie who will perform the show at Tiny Tom: Alex Underwood Harker April 19-21, and in EdinBobby the Stockfish: Kartik Venkaburgh, Scotland, in August! traman Rebels: Namrata Anand, Emma Officer Lockstock: D.J. Blickenstaff Blickenstaff, Alex Creasman, Officer Barrel: Joe Hospodor Scott Mohanram, Shilpa Rajgopal, Penelope Pennywise: Ariel Gaknoki Neha Sabharwal Little Sally: Lauren Ammatuna evil villain in cahoots with corrupt politicians, to name a few – as well as famous musicals themselves, with direct musical and choreographical references to “West Side Story,” “Les Misérables,” “Guys

Senior Bricks are Permanent Mementos that Honor Harker Graduates Each senior class leaves its mark on the Harker legacy, but the Senior Walk in Graduates’ Grove is a clear reminder of those who have passed through our portals.

The tradition started with the first US graduating class when, in 2002, a group of grateful senior parents decided to honor their graduates by buying an engraved brick for each of their students to lay in the sidewalk between Manzanita and Dobbins halls.

This special appeal by the Parent Development Council to senior families gives them the opportunity to show appreciation for their students’ experiences at Harker.

“Twenty-one bricks were laid for the class of 2006, and six have already been ordered for the class of 2007,” said Emilie Robb, donor relations manager.

Harker News — November 06

The engraved bricks can be had by making a donation to the Annual Giving Campaign in the amount of the graduating class year; so the cost of a senior brick this year is $2,007. These donations can come in at any point during the fiscal year (June 2006May 2007). “The first installation of Class of 2007 bricks will take place Mon., Nov. 13, and bricks will be laid periodically as donations are processed and the corresponding bricks are prepared,” said Robb.

Senior Bricks Installed: Benjamin Hu ’02 and Family, Daniel Lee ’02 and Family, Jerry Chi ’02 and Family, Georgia Manry ’02 and Family, George Chen ’02, Adam Vucurevich ’02 #17, Leena Prakash Bhalerao ’02 and Family, Myron Nagalingam ’02 and Family, Dianna L. Chang ’02 and Family, Alex Sung

’02, Neil Mehta ’02 and Family, Sunil Subhedar ’02, Alexandra Thurston ’02, Matthew Q. Wong ’02, Valedictorian Joseph Scheuer Sofaer ’02, Erika Banuelos ’02, Ed Williams ’02 Class President ’01-’02, Paul Picazo ’02 and Family, Alan V. Liu ’02, Christopher Keyashian ‘02, Christiana Rattazzi ’03, Irene Chang ’03, Ryan Lindsay Graumann ’03, Jessica Cu ’03, Heather Baratz ’03, Cosme Fagundo Jr. ’03, Kevin C. Hartsoch ’03, Jigish Patel ’03, Christopher Naehoon Kim ’03, Maheem Kaleem ’03, Catherine Y. Kim ’03, Andrew Zhang ’03, Jacinda Ann Mein ’04 and Family, Thomas Polzin ’04, Eric W. Berglund ’04, Matt Vucurevich ’04, Sumana Rao ’04, Anita A. Gupta ’04, LeAnn My Duong ’04, Jennifer Lin ’04, Karla Pracker ’04, Danna Rubin ’04, Irina Khaimovich ’04, Sergey Lossev ’04, Ethan Karpel ’04, Daphne Karpel ’04 and Family, Jessica C. Liu ’04, Kathryn Lee ’04, Lisa Nakano ’04, Wesley J. Wu ’04 and Family, Laena Keyashian ’04 and Family, Laurie P. Alexander ’05, Erika Gudmundson ’05 and Family, Jeffrey Shih

’05, Hillary Lauren Brooks ’05 and Family, Jerry Hong ’05, Nicholas Rattazzi ’05, Estelle Charlu ’05, Benjamin Shapiro ’05, Gregory Perkins ’05, Weiyi Liang ’05, Christopher Holmes ’05, Solomon J. Awe ’05, Jason Gutstein ’05 and Family, Emily E. Hsi ’05, Jason Han ’06, Varun Ram ’06, Amanda Polzin ’06, Gail Nakano ’06, Brian Lin ’06, Sameer Chopra ’06, Amulya Mandava ’06, Marco Angelo A. Abellera ’06, Jackson Davis ’06, Nandini Datta ’06, Michael G. Kim ’06, Timothy Ho ’06, Gavin Dutrow ’06, Lauren Gutstein ’06 and Family, Sharon Her ’06, Wilson Huang ’06, Jeffery Van Cha Liu ’06 and Family, Christopher Sutardja ’06, Hailey Lam ’06, Candace Chang ’06, Karen Chiu ’06, Erin Newton ’07, Emily Isaacs ’07, Matt Emery ’07, Greggory Ringold ’07, Carolyn L. Wang ’07, Jacqueline Rousseau ’07.

Bricks ordered, but not yet installed: Sylvia Schmidt ’06, Aaron Chang ’07, Tiffany Dai ’07, Matthew Holmes ’07, Lucas Motro ’07, Jennifer Whang ’07, Adam Creasman ’07, Adam Rubin ‘07.

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Research Skills are the Goal There is an intellectual effort in motion to nullify the mind-numbing effect of the too-much-information superhighway. Harker librarians, along with the instructional technology teachers, classroom teachers and Heather Blair, academic dean, formed the Information Literacy Committee last year. They recognize that among the critical education issues facing modern students is “the ability to access, evaluate and synthesize information,” said Enid Davis, Harker’s library director.

The committee’s focus is to integrate specific information literacy skills into the schoolwide curricula. Many of these skills are needed by students from early in their educational careers through and past graduate school.

“It is about problem solving when information is a component of the solution,” Davis said.

The committee adapted a K-Gr. 12 scope and sequence continuum that nails what skills should be learned at what grade level; when to introduce and reinforce them; and when a student should be expected to have mastered the skill so a teacher shouldn’t have to review it.

In addition to how to do research, the continuum involves skills relating to the cooperative and ethical use of information. Such skills include citation, legal use of resources and, when appropriate, sharing resources with each other.

In addition to the continuum, the committee is introducing a research methodology called The Big 6, an easy-to-understand process of doing research that applies to students in Gr. 3 through graduate school. The K-Gr. 2 students will learn a simplified method called The Super 3.

Committee members have access to an online teacher workshop where they can locate a variety of tools that the librarians are developing for student use. For example, librarian Lauri Vaughan created a Web site evaluation worksheet and a Web site evaluation checklist. Committee members will use these tools before they are recommended to the entire faculty.

The committee has grown this year and is meeting on each campus. The three groups will have met by mid-October to map out their work for this year.

For additional questions, please call Davis at 408.553.0307 or e-mail her at enidd@harker.org.

up close and personal Debra Nott, R.N., has been head nurse at Harker since 1989. She says the best part of her job is “the opportunity to make people of all sizes feel better.” But she also has a knack for making them laugh. “She is the only person I know who can make a bloodborne pathogens review for teachers so hysterical that they don’t mind doing it,” says Pam Dickinson, director of Harker’s Office of Communications.

We spoke with Nott about her off-campus interests, which range from “Star Trek” to synchronized swimming.

Tell us about your family.

I’ve been married for 27 years to my husband, Jeff, who sells computer software. I have two daughters, Valerie and Andrea, both of whom were Harker students.

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Photo supplied by Debra Nott

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We hear you are a Trekkie?

I do love “Star Trek,” the series and the movies. What I like best is the idea that, in the future, humans will be able to cure most diseases, treat most injuries, and pursue education and exploration as our primary mission in life.

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I usually dress up for Halloween as Beverly Crusher, the chief medical officer on the Enterprise in “Star Trek: Next Generation.”

We hear that you are also a “synchronized swimming mom”?

My older daughter, Andrea, swims for the U.S. Synchronized Swimming Team and

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The first volunteer thank-you luncheon of the year was held on Sept. 28.

Volunteers were recognized for their contributions to the ambassador program and LS/MS picture day. Over 70 volunteers attended this event.

Harker News is published monthly except July, Aug., and Sept., by The Harker School, Office of Communications, 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129. Application to mail at Periodicals Postage Rates is pending at San Jose, CA and additional mailing office.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Harker News, 500 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose CA 95129.

The Harker News provides timely information, news and features about the Harker community to current and alumni Harker families.

Editor: Pam Dickinson; Lead Writer: Bill Cracraft; Copy Editors: Catherine Snider, Jennifer Maragoni; Production: Crystal Boyd, Blue Heron Design Group, Jaja Hsuan; Photos: Mark Tantrum, unless noted; Contributors: Laura van den Dries; Printing: Carol Sosnowski; Mailing Coordinator: Desiree Mitchell.

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The Harker School is a K-12 independent, co-ed, college-prep school.

will be representing the United States at the Olympics in Beijing in 2008.

Being the parent of a synchronized swimmer is like having another part-time job. I decorate an ever-increasing number of swim suits every year. But it will all be worth it when I’m holding up that big American flag and cheering my daughter and the rest of the U.S. team at the Olympics!

What other activities do you enjoy?

I just ran the San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon. As expected, the Kenyans beat me by a couple of hours.

I’m not speedy, but I am persistent. My goal is to run a little slower every year.

By the time I’m 80, I may be the last one across the finish line, but I will finish!

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I’m also a Medical Volunteer for Disaster Response for Santa Clara County.

My volunteer status gives me up-to-theminute access to the county’s emergency preparedness plans.

This has been very helpful to me in planning our school’s response to large-scale medical emergencies.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Although being an astronaut was my first career choice, I really love being head nurse for Harker. I often see children enter school as kindergartners and watch them learn and mature every year through high school graduation.

It’s a unique perspective and one that I treasure.

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Grades K-5: 4600 Bucknall Rd., San Jose CA 95130 Grades 6-8: 3800 Blackford Ave., San Jose CA 95117 Grades 9-12: 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose CA 95129

Harker believes that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunity and does not discriminate against its employees or applicants because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), national origin, ancestry, age (over 40), marital status, political affiliations, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, or any other basis protected by state or federal laws, local law or ordinance.

Harker News — November 06