Harker Magazine - Spring/Summer 2020

A PUBLICATION OF THE HARKER SCHOOL l SPRING/SUMMER 2020

M A G A Z I N E

PA N D E M I C

NEAR/MITRA

A LU M N I AT H L E T E S

M A G A Z I N E

SPRI NG/SU M M ER 2020, V O LU ME 11, N U MB E R 2 Pam Dickinson Office of Communication Director Catherine Snider Managing Editor Mark Kocina Photographer Jennifer Maragoni Copy Editor Zach Jones Rebecca McCartney Staff Contributors Blue Heron Design Design Have an idea?

Contact us: news@harker.org 408.345.9273 Or write: Harker Magazine 500 Saratoga Ave. San Jose, CA 95129 Harker is a Bay Area Green Certified Business of Santa Clara County. As part of our many sustainability efforts, Harker Magazine is printed on 100% recycled paper.

On the cover: An excerpt from “The Harker School Song” to uplift us all.

On this page: Gifts and students’ belongings are assembled for lower school pickup day.

On the back: Teacher Alison Axelrad ‘10 gives a socially distanced high-five at the middle school pickup day.

Photos by Mark Kocina.

HAR K E R MAGA Z I N E l SPRI N G/S UM M E R 2020

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30 CONTENTS Pandemic Harker responds to the coronavirus.

Eagle Buddies Program Grows Up Faculty and students reflect on 10 years of lower and upper school bonding.

Scholarly Endeavors Celebrating 10 years of the Near/Mitra scholars program.

Winning On and Off the Field Alumni athletes gain valuable life skills.

Student Excursions The power of interactive learning.

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Headlines: Head of School Brian Yager addresses our

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challenging times.

Top Stories: A summary of the most-read articles from

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Harker News.

Face Time: Up close and personal with teachers and staff.

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Gallery: Photo highlights from the past semester – sports, senior tribute, performing arts, end of year. 12, 28, 36, 50 Passion & Impact: Alumni following their dreams and 14, 20, 38, 48 making a difference in the world.

Staff Kudos: Happenings in the professional lives of our faculty and staff.

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Class Notes: Alumni news and photos.

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From its early beginnings in 1893 – when Stanford University leaders assisted in its establishment – to its reputation today as a leading preparatory school with graduates attending prestigious universities worldwide, Harker’s mission has remained constant: to create an environment that promotes academic excellence, inspires intellectual curiosity, expects personal accountability and forever instills a genuine passion for learning. Whether striving for academic achievement, raising funds for global concerns, performing on stage or scoring a goal, Harker students encourage and support one another and celebrate each other’s efforts and successes, at Harker and beyond. Harker is a dynamic, supportive, fun and nurturing community where kids and their families make friends for life.

HARKER MAGAZINE Harker Magazine is published biannually, in December and June, to showcase some of the top news, visionary programs and inspiring people of the greater Harker community. This magazine and its predecessor, the Harker Quarterly, have been recognized with CASE silver and bronze awards, and two gold and three platinum MarCom awards.

Subscribe to Harker News and get the latest daily updates. Visit news.harker.org.

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The Harker School is an independent, coed, college-prep school serving TK through grade 12.

K-Grade 5: 4300 Bucknall Rd., San Jose, CA 95130 Grades 6-8 & TK: 3800 Blackford Ave., San Jose, CA 95117 Grades 9-12: 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129

Produced by the Harker Office of Communication 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129 communications@harker.org · 408.345.9273 NEXT ISSUE: FALL/WINTER 2020

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headlines

About Harker

Hard Lessons: Learning During Challenging Times

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y grandmother lived close to the elementary school my brothers and I attended. Whenever we became sick during the school day, she would drive the four blocks up the road, pick us up, and return us to her house to recuperate. Invariably, as we lay on her couch (sometimes with a bowl of ice cream in our laps, others with a thermometer in our mouths), she would turn on the old record player and we would listen to the symphonic recording of the story “Peter and the Wolf.” I can still feel the vibration of the bass drum that would fill the room, simulating the sound of Peter’s firearm. And I can easily recall the image of the sunlight shining on the rim of the couch, dust illuminated by the rays, and I can still capture the smell of my grandparents’ house – a mixture of the lemon blossoms and cut grass from outside mingled with the faint smell of cigarette smoke sneaking out of my grandmother’s room.

I never considered it odd that some of my fondest – and clearest – memories from my time with my grandmother are from those days when she was taking care of me when I was ill. Looking forward, it seems likely that our experiences today in this time of COVID-19 and social unrest will occupy an important place in our memories when we reminisce on our lives many years from now. The disruption to our routines caused by this illness and the uncertainty it brings, followed by the transgressions of justice and the ensuing protests, illuminates for us that it is times when we are most disrupted that we remember (and learn from) the most. After all, there is not much that is memorable about the routine, or much that is educational about times that are easy.

In my remarks at this year’s virtual baccalaureate ceremony, I noted that Nietzsche said, “Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled.

We would not be as strong as what we could have been.”

It is times when we are most disrupted that we remember (and learn from) the most.

There have been many ways that we have been challenged this year, as individuals, as communities, and as a school. But, as we shifted to remote learning, it has also been a time for us to shine. At Harker, the spirit of our endeavor has lifted us to levels of learning and accomplishment that have been inspiring. While things have not always been smooth, the efforts of teachers, students and parents have been sublime.

Our struggles, and the obstacles we have faced, have allowed us to flex new muscles, and even sprout wings to help us overcome unexpected hurdles. As noted throughout this issue and in the communications to our community this year, there have been many moments, efforts and accomplishments worthy of celebrating, and that will stick with us throughout our lives, reverberating like the

WORDS BY BRIAN YAGER PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK KOCINA

bass drum on my grandmother’s well grooved “Peter and the Wolf” album.

But even as our own Harker community was rallying to meet the challenges of the shelter-in-place orders and the coronavirus, we were called upon as American citizens to face the systemic racial inequality that has plagued our country for centuries, and that was recently laid bare by the senseless killing of George Floyd.

How, then, do we guide our students through such a time, as we bade farewell to them for the summer?

Harker’s mission statement is clear: it includes the language that we strive to “foster kindness, respect and integrity within a safe and nurturing environment…. We honor individuality, embrace diversity, and promote leadership and service….” As a school, not only do we have a commitment and obligation to ensure that Harker is a safe and supportive place for all, we also need to know that the education we are offering helps our students be prepared to contribute to the solutions that are so needed in our country.

We embrace this responsibility and the conversations we need to have with students, alumni, teachers, staff and parents – and any changes we need to make – to ensure that our students are prepared to be the changemakers needed in our country.

Our unusual circumstances bring to my mind a work of author Edward Abbey, called “Desert Solitaire.” In it, Abbey shares his experiences living alone in the windswept and vermillion canyons of the Utah desert. While perhaps more germane to the isolation caused by the coronavirus, there are lessons to be learned for all of the struggles we face.

The first is that there is great beauty all around us, and that when we have the time and the inclination to look for it,

grand discoveries await in places – both physical and mental – which we take for granted. It is interesting how many people have remarked about the cleaner air and prevalence of bird song these past two months. While both of these things may be more abundant now than they were two months ago, it also seems likely that the bigger change has been our ability – and desire – to notice more fully what was already around us.

Another is that we are all more capable of enduring hardships – physical, emotional, interpersonal – than we think we are.

Abbey’s trials came climbing peaks beneath the sun’s pounding rays, in moments of consuming loneliness on starry nights, and in conflicts with those who desecrated the environment he loved. Our hardships have taken different forms, but have been no less affirming of our resilience.

When we each look back on this frame many years from now, we will remember different things and draw different conclusions and lessons from our current experiences. Yet some memories and lessons will be universal in our collective conscience, and among these will be the ability of Harker students, teachers and parents to remain dedicated to learning and to bettering ourselves at every turn, not just because the situation has demanded it, but because the situation has given us the ability to do so. I realize now that this was true of my grandmother as she took care of us as children. In her eyes, our illness and her proximity did not provide her with an obligation, but instead, an opportunity.

Harker will continue to embrace diversity and take its place with the other organizations and individuals who believe that racial injustice for some is racial injustice for all. We take seriously the mandate to practice what we preach, and teach our students to do the same.

May we all reflect deeply on the opportunities for betterment that this time brings us, while also warmly anticipating the time when we can see each other again.

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top stories

Top Stories

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK KOCINA UNLESS NOTED

Recent stories reprinted from Harker News online.

Harker News publishes stories online about our students and faculty, highlighting accomplishments and celebrating successes. Top Stories reprints the most widely read Harker News stories since the last issue of Harker Magazine (fall/winter 2019) went to press. Visit news.harker.org to see full stories and hundreds more articles noting the truly remarkable efforts of our Harker students and faculty.

Dec. 4, 2019 https://wp.me/pOeLQ-asJ Sophomore Spencer Cha recently won the Southwest division of the Music Teachers National Association’s Composition Competition and will head to Chicago in March as a national finalist. Cha, who has studied piano for more than 12 years and has studied composition for three years, also will perform with the Golden State Youth Orchestra in May. Cha also has won numerous piano competitions, including the California Association of Professional Music Teachers State Honors Competition, the San Francisco Chopin Competition for Young Pianists and the Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition, in addition to being a soloist with the Palo Alto Philharmonic and performing at Carnegie Hall. He currently performs with the upper school orchestra as an oboist.

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Photo provided by Kelsey Wu ‘19

Sophomore named national finalist in music composition competition

Alumna’s Near Endowment paper published by Harvard undergrad magazine Dec. 19, 2019 https://wp.me/pOeLQ-aus Kelsey Wu ’19 has scored big in her first semester at Harvard.

Her paper, written at Harker as a John Near Excellence in History Education Endowment Fund scholar, was published in the fall issue of The Harvard Undergraduate Research Journal.

The paper, “The Loneliness Disease: Challenges of FirstGeneration Chinese-American Parents of Autistic Children,” was selected by The Harvard Undergraduate Research Journal (THURJ) not only for publication, but also as the recipient of the Best Manuscript Award with

a $700 stipend. The article is featured on the cover of the magazine as well. “I’m endlessly grateful for the Near/Mitra program for providing me such a unique opportunity to engage in college-level humanities research in high school. It has laid a solid foundation for my research and academic writing skills in the social sciences, which are definitely conducive to my pursuit in college,” Wu said.

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Senior Cynthia Chen named top 40 finalist in Regeneron Science Talent Search Jan. 22, 2020 https://wp.me/pOeLQ-awi The Society for Science & the Public this morning named senior Cynthia Chen one of the top 40 finalists in the 2020 Regeneration

Photo provided by Lifetouch

and foster hope in troubled times.

The contest’s theme is finding hope during a pandemic, and each category encourages students to submit work relating to the theme.

Science Talent Search! As a finalist, Chen was invited to attend the final portion of the competition, which was scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. in March but was postponed for safety reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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11 seniors win National Merit $2,500 Scholarships Science & Engineering Fair, which has been canceled along with the International Science and Engineering Fair, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sixth graders Brenna Ren, Kallie Wang, Hubert Lau and Serena Lau were also first award winners.

Photo provided by Lifetouch

At the high school level, juniors Krishay Mukhija, Sidra Xu, Russell Yang, Nicholas Yi and sophomore Harsh Deep all won grand prizes.

Deep, Muhkija, Xu and Yang also took home first awards. Other upper school first award winners were juniors Michael Eng and Aditya Tadimeti and sophomores Akhilesh Chegu and Deven Shah.

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Middle and upper school students win big at 2020 Synopsys Championship April 8, 2020 https://wp.me/pOeLQ-aEf Harker students had a great showing at the 2020 Synopsys Science & Technology Championship, winning multiple first awards and grand prizes.

Eighth graders Gautam Bhooma and Ramit Goyal were each grand prize winners, and also won first awards along with fellow eighth graders Zachary Blue, Alex Guo, Jordan Labio, Nathan Liu, Ella Lan and Heidi Lu. All won first awards and qualified for the California

Alumna joins Crown Education Challenge to help students find hope during COVID-19 pandemic April 27, 2020 https://wp.me/pOeLQ-aGs Amy Jin ’18, currently attending Harvard, is now a team member for the Crown Education Challenge, an international contest for K-12 students that contains tracks in art, STEM and writing. Founded in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent wave of worldwide school closures, the contest hopes to inspire students to continue their learning, become active in global issues

May 13, 2020 https://wp.me/pOeLQ-akp In May, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the second round of winners in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program, and 11 Harker seniors were among them. They are: Kathy Fang, David Feng, Jeffrey Fung, Alyssa Huang, Sahil Jain, Allison Jia, Eileen Li, Kyle Li, Jack Pearce, Thomas Rainow and Bryan Wang. These students are among 2,500 high school seniors chosen to receive National Merit $2,500 Scholarships. More winners are set to be announced in June and July.

The previous month, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the first round of winners of 2020 National Merit scholarships, and seniors Rohan Cherukuri, Mahika Halepete, Madison Huynh, Jessica Jiang and Nellie Tonev were named winners of corporate-sponsored scholarships. Each of the students had reached the finalist portion of the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Competition. In late September, 63 seniors were named semifinalists in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program, and additionally, 72 seniors were named commended students for their outstanding performance on the PSAT/NMSQT. Altogether, Harker’s National Merit semifinalists and commended students comprise 68% of the Class of 2020!

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WORDS BY ZACH JONES PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK KOCINA OR PROVIDED BY SUBJECTS

HARKER RESPONDS

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“We need 100% compliance on this one,”

Debra Nott wrote to lower school teachers in late January, imploring them to place hand sanitizer in their classrooms. Harker’s health services director had been receiving emails from concerned families regarding the new coronavirus that had just begun spreading in U.S. cities. “The coronavirus is like a big wave,” she cautioned. “We either ride ahead of it, choosing our path, or it will tumble us around out of control.”

Harker administration had started tracking the spread of the coronavirus earlier that month, and with news that COVID-19 was spreading, talks of what to do in the event of a closure were becoming more common.

“When the talk of possible school closure came up, I had no idea of how we were going to continue with our classes,” said middle school math chair Vandana Kadam.

“I also did not think it would happen so soon after the initial [faculty] discussions on the closures.”

In February a protocol was put in place for the school to close if a member of the community tested positive for COVID-19.

It was enacted on March 12, when it was learned that a parent of a non-teaching staff member had tested positive. Days later, with COVID-19 cases rapidly increasing in California, Santa Clara County issued a shelter-in-place order to begin March 17. Students, faculty and staff began readying themselves for a shift to remote learning. “As we had been preparing for the transition both emotionally and logistically, I found that my feelings were a mix of disappointment that we could not continue in our in-person mode, but confidence in our ability to optimize the experience for ourselves and our students,” said Brian Yager, head of school.

School was originally scheduled to reopen H AR KE R MAG A Z INE l SPR ING/SUM M ER 2020

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how everyone dealt with it, how everyone was ready and how the Harker community helped everyone,” she said.

Going Remote

in April, but as the situation surrounding the pandemic developed, the question became how to effectively continue classes for the remainder of the year. Cases were increasing exponentially across the world, and shelter-in-place orders were being extended as the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus in the U.S. – and concerns – grew.

“When I realized I would not be able to go to school for a while, I was devastated that I would not be able to see my friends, the campus and Harker staff,” said Elie Ahluwalia, grade 6.

Reports that schools may shut down for much longer than originally anticipated worried fourth grader Aarya Vaidya, but she was heartened by how the community adapted. “What surprised me the most was

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With a long history of delivering assignments and homework online, the transition to fully remote learning was relatively smooth. As closure loomed, teachers were briefed on how to conduct classes online via Zoom, a video conferencing platform that saw a massive surge in popularity. “The basic instruction about online teaching that was given just before school closed helped us get started,” Kadam said. After that, we were able to contact the [Learning, Innovation and Design] team and the administration for any clarifications.”

Preparation for the transition also became a community effort. “A friend and I started a document to compile Zoom links and other advice before the school closure in case we needed to transition to remote learning,” said eighth grader Kabir Ramzan. “The Harker community responded with overwhelming support, and when the school declared that we would be transitioning to remote learning, hundreds of students added links, answered questions and suggested what people could do when they were bored.”

Teachers quickly became savvy with Zoom sessions as the new default classroom, and though these online meetings were no replacement for in-person instruction, the limitations didn’t prevent teachers from turning their virtual classrooms into dynamic spaces. Working from home allowed lower school science teacher Shital Ashar to give a lesson on seed anatomy by making a salad from her kitchen, an activity her students happily also performed. Upper school dance teacher Rachelle Haun’s students enthusiastically recorded themselves dancing at home with stuffed animals or while doing chores. Preschool teacher Amanda Crook snail-mailed her students a likeness of herself she made using the website Bitmoji. She later received photos and videos of the parachutes and amusement park rides students had made for the miniature version of their teacher.

“I am so touched and impressed how quickly teachers and the entire school regrouped and ensured that our kids continue to receive top quality education,” said Alina Gicqueau, mother

of Benjamin, grade 11, and Paulina, grade 9. “I am so grateful for our teachers’ and administration’s dedication and exemplary professionalism and helping us with maintaining normalcy and regular cadence of our children’s lives.”

For their part, students also adapted well to the remote learning environment, organizing all manner of community events, which often leveraged the Zoom platform in clever ways. “With the help of so many dedicated leaders, my friends, and the administration, we’ve been able to pull off virtual elections, talent shows, movie nights, a mask drive, a check-in newspaper, Zoom background contests, a virtual road trip and so much more,” said senior Avi Gulati, who served as

upper school Associated Student Body president during the 2019-20 school year.

Seizing on the internet trend of people posting the backgrounds they used in Zoom meetings, the upper school held its own Zoom background contest.

Students even devised a way to move the twice-a-year Quadchella music festival to Zoom, playing recorded student performances for attendees. The remote format also had unexpected benefits, allowing for a greater diversity of talents to be showcased, including cooking and clothing design.

“While being in quarantine has its limitations, it also forces us to think outside of the box with regards to having fun,” said Rani Sheth, grade 12.

“I’ve had Netflix parties, danced to a Zumba video, and FaceTimed while doing workouts with my friends. It’s nowhere close to the norm, but looking back on it 10 years from now, those are memories that I will cherish.“ Ahluwalia and her friends even devised a way of meeting in-person, organizing what she called “trunk playdates,” during which they meet at a friend’s house and converse with one another from their parents’ cars. And in the lower school, beloved events such as the talent show and art show shifted online.

To Yager, the community’s response was impressive but far from shocking.

“Nothing surprised me,” he said. “I knew H AR KE R MAG A Z INE l SPR ING/SUM M ER 2020

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that the adults and students were ready and prepared to optimize the transition, and that we would approach the change with a determined attitude and professional approach befitting the Harker community.”

Leaning In, Reaching Out

The community was spurred to action outside of school as well, as service efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic ramped up dramatically. There was a massive outpouring of support for medical workers, as families sent large caches of medical supplies to local hospitals and also produced homemade masks and 3D-printed face shields. Harker parent Virag Saksena (Riva, grade 12,

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and Anya, grade 8) even went so far as to convert his single-malt whisky distillery into a producer of hand sanitizer, which required getting approval from the Food and Drug Administration, itself a difficult task.

Initiatives also were kicked off to help those affected by the pandemic.

Recognizing the risk of displacement faced by many South Bay families, the upper school’s Associated Student Body and Student Council organized a schoolwide donation drive that won praise from San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and raised more than $11,000. Larissa Tyagi, grade 12, organized a blood drive to offset the American Red Cross’ massive blood shortage. The Student Council also joined the Medical Club and Key Club to deliver 640 homemade masks to the local homeless population through LifeMoves, a Bay Area-based organization that offers shelter, food and other services to people facing homelessness.

(For more stories on those contributing to the relief effort, visit Harker News and search “outreach.”)

Bittersweet Endings

There remained, however, a sense of loss due to the cancellation of many yearly activities, including the particularly busy spring performing arts lineup and the end-of-year activities the senior class had been anticipating for years.

“When school closed, my initial reaction was disappointment that I wouldn’t be able to partake in so many activities trips, get-togethers, ceremonies,” said Sheth. “As a second-semester senior, I was looking forward to spending time with my friends and relishing my last bit of time at the upper school campus.”

The Class of 2020 sadly did not get to experience its graduation exercises, but staples such as baccalaureate and the Senior Showcase went on, with videos created from submissions participants created at home, and launched for viewing at the time the events would

“COVID-19 tried to stop so many students from celebrating and commemorating aspects of the high school experience, but in the end, it couldn’t.”

– Avi Gulati, ASB president

have taken place. A heartfelt video, “Lights On for 2020,” was produced to help provide a fitting send-off to a class that thrived under the most extraordinary of circumstances. Other divisions also moved their traditions online, such as the middle school’s Student LID Vision Day, during which students gave talks on homemade inventions, performed music and showed off a virtual rendition of the middle school campus made in Minecraft. Lower school traditions such as the grade 5 promotion ceremony

were compiled from individual recordings and released online, as was the grades 4 and 5 talent show.

school for academic affairs. “I knew we would rise to the occasion to achieve these goals.”

“COVID-19 tried to stop so many students from celebrating and commemorating aspects of the high school experience, but in the end, it couldn’t,” said Gulati.

As the coronavirus situation evolves, Yager has remained similarly confident about the community’s ability to adapt.

“While the uncertainty of what we will be required and allowed to do as a school in the coming year makes it difficult to predict just how school will be modified next year, one thing is certain,” he said.

“The Harker community of staff, students and parents will meet the challenge and exceed expectations.”

“We have a community of individuals whose primary goals are to make sure our students’ need and desire for shortand long-term intellectual growth and general well-being do not go unmet,” said Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of

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UNLESS NOTED

Photo by Nick Gassmann

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sports

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK KOCINA

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he winter and spring seasons were the epitome of highs and lows, as winter saw historic finishes while spring was cut short before it could really get started. The boys varsity soccer team led the way in winter as it won the first CCS title in program history, advancing all the way to the NorCal finals. Girls soccer won its first league title since 2014. The middle school’s VB boys and girls basketball teams, as well as the lower school’s JVC girls basketball team, won league titles with their undefeated seasons. The spring season was only two weeks old when all extracurricular activities were shut down because of COVID-19. Several video tributes to our outstanding senior athletes have been posted on our social media pages. View them by using the #harkerathletics2020 hashtag on Instagram and Facebook!

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impact WORDS BY VIKKI BOWES-MOK PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CHADWICK MANNING ’04 UNLESS NOTED

Alumnus making an impact on the planet and on people through two different startups

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hadwick Manning ’04 is an entrepreneur working to solve big problems, from tackling global energy challenges to helping people quit vaping. He’s making an impact on the planet and on people – and he’s just getting started.

Manning’s Harker journey began in elementary school, where he remembers learning about the stock market in Bill Boss’ fourth grade math class. Boss would give students paper money and teach them how to invest and then throw parties when the stock market hit 10,000. These joyful celebrations are one of Manning’s favorite Harker memories. He also fondly remembers his grade 5 teacher, Pat Walsh.

“Chad was high energy, very positive and had what I love in a student: drive, enthusiasm and appreciation,” said Walsh, who is now retired. “He was respectful and often very humorous; he was hard not to like – a lot.”

Manning attended Harker from grades 3-8 before heading to Bellarmine College Preparatory.

“One of things I appreciated most about Harker is that [teachers] really empowered us to be independent and curious,” said Manning. “They

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Photo by Mark Kocina

“When I realized that I’m really good at taking risks and getting people to believe in crazy ideas, I never looked back.”

—Chadwick Manning ’04

and asked a friend to introduce him to Jim Lovewell, an electrical engineer and mad scientist. The two raised $10 million in seed financing and ElectricIQ was launched.

encouraged us to ask questions, seek answers and take education into our own hands.”

It’s an approach that Manning, a serial entrepreneur, has taken throughout his life.

While attending the University of San Diego, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting, Manning founded his first startup – Torero Laundry Services, an on-campus pickup/drop-off laundry service. Although he got a taste of entrepreneurship, he decided to take a job at PricewaterhouseCoopers after college.

“[Working at PwC] was an invaluable experience, because I learned about how companies were formed, how to read a term sheet and how to structure deals,” remembered Manning.

“But to be honest, I hated it and after three years of too many 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. days, I realized I needed to make a change.”

Manning left PwC to work for a couple of startups before starting ElectrIQ. As he saw the world become ever more reliant on technology, he realized that home batteries would become more essential and didn’t see anyone integrating batteries and a power source with intelligent software. He saw a business opportunity to create a smart home battery backup system to help consumers save on electricity costs and protect against blackouts. That’s when he created a two-page business plan

“I was always interested in renewable energy,” said Manning. “So I decided to follow my dreams because I figured that you might as well fail at something you love than hate.”

Manning was recognized for his work by Forbes “30 Under 30” list and also was named a Grist 50 honoree. Grist, which describes itself as an independent, irreverent news outlet, “scour[s] the sustainability space to find up-and-coming people doing potentially game-changing work,” according to its website.

And life-changing work is happening all over the globe. In Haiti, ElectrIQ donated two systems to a school in Cité Solée in Port-au-Prince that allows more than 400 students to receive an education; in Puerto Rico, right after the hurricanes, the company donated another two systems that helped many families keep their power on.

ElectrIQ is still going strong, but Manning left to pursue a new cause.

He had started vaping and wanted to quit, so this past March he launched Fluux, a digital health company, to help people moderate their usage and ultimately quit.

“I love what I’m doing now because I always felt like a cog in a machine at larger companies,” Photos (clockwise from upper said Manning. “It takes a lot of left): Puerto Rico; Harker Research Symposium; Haiti; persistence and many failures discussing solar power in before you find success, but when Saudi Arabia; Free Electrons I realized that I’m really good at accelerator program, Lisbon; cover of Forbes, Oct. 2018; taking risks and getting people front page, San Francisco to believe in crazy ideas, I never Business Times looked back.”

Vikki Bowes-Mok is also the executive director of the community nonprofit Compass Collective.

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WORDS BY ZACH JONES PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK KOCINA AND KYLE CAVALLARO

EAGLE BUDDIES Program Grows Up: Faculty and Students Reflect on 10 Years of Lower and Upper School Bonding

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ne morning in October 2010, third graders gathered at the lower school campus field to await a busload of sophomores, with whom they’d spent weeks corresponding. As their friends approached, the students clapped and chanted “Eagle Buddies!” signaling that the new program was off to a promising start.

This fall, the Eagle Buddies program will begin its 10th year as a bridge between the lower and upper school communities. The program connects students in grades 3 and 10, and lasts until the lower school students finish grade 5 and the upper school students graduate. Once the younger students reach grade 10, they are introduced to grade 3 students and re-enter the program from the other perspective.

The inspiration for Eagle Buddies came from upper school head Butch Keller and upper school math teacher Jane Keller’s stint at a previous school, which had a similar program that paired younger and older students in an effort to help younger students forge lifelong bonds within the school. “[At the school where I previously worked] in Virginia, we had a big brother, little brother, big sister, little sister program,” Jane Keller recalled.

“And it was at a K-through-12 school.

Granted, we were on one campus, so it was a little more inclusive, but it made a big difference for the little kids to be connected to the older students and for the older students to remember what it’s like to be young.”

Because Harker has multiple campuses, the Kellers felt it was even more important to provide a bridge between the school’s younger and older students. “If we get into our own little

island and think only about what happens at the upper school without regard to the other campuses, and the other campuses may be feeling the same, that to me inhibits a smooth transition and growth process for our students,” said Butch Keller.

“We kind of all have to be beads on the same thread, so that we’re taking the steps in the same direction,” said Jane Keller. “Not necessarily the exact steps, because everybody does things differently, but we still have to be teaching the same elements, the same values along the way.”

The idea was met with excitement at the lower school, and planning began in summer 2010. Weeks before their first face-to-face meeting, the third graders and sophomores exchanged cards and messages to generate excitement for the kickoff. “I thought it was great because at the time my son [Matthew ’13] was part of the first class [of sophomore buddies],” said Kristin Giammona, elementary division head, who still remembers fondly the first visit by the sophomores. “Just seeing those kids get off the bus and how much they’d grown up [since elementary school], and then seeing how much the little kids loved them, it was just great.”

The enthusiasm from both the third graders and sophomores was precisely what organizers

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had been hoping to see. Lower schoolers in the program, Giammona said, enjoy learning more about their older buddies’ experiences and gaining a look into what their own daily lives will be like once they reach high school. “I think they just love the idea that that they get to go to the upper school campus,” she said. “The big kids show them, here’s my locker, here’s what I did during the day, this is what you should be doing.”

It also helps the lower school students feel closer to the community as a whole.

“Meeting with upper school students helps the lower school students know that the upper school exists, and makes them feel

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EAGLE BUDDIES

like they’re part of the whole school,” said Butch Keller. “And it reminds our big kids of what it was like to be little.”

Many cross-campus activities have been organized for Eagle Buddies events,

“In my experience, the Eagle Buddies program encourages whimsical exploration and simply having fun, which is just as important as being busy.”

– Jessica Jiang, grade 12

including carnival games, face painting, clown shows and visits to see buddies perform at annual shows, such as the upper school spring musical and the grade 5 show, as well as the yearly upper school visit to the lower school to celebrate the conclusion of the year’s Pajama Program. But often it is the less structured activities that create the most enduring memories.

Senior Jessica Jiang had an especially energetic younger buddy who once engaged her in an impromptu face-painting

activity with another upper school friend, decorating their faces with eyebrows, hearts and mustaches. The experience was an example for Jiang of how Eagle Buddies gives upper school students a unique opportunity to be “extremely silly.”

“Most of the time I don’t think about having fun or relaxing or being in the moment, because there’s so much to do, both in school and outside of school,” she said. “In my experience, the Eagle Buddies program encourages whimsical exploration and simply having fun, which is just as important as being busy.”

Seniors who joined the program as third graders, such as Sachin Shah, found it

“Meeting with upper school students helps the lower school students … feel like they’re part of the whole school …. And it reminds our big kids of what it was like to be little.”

– Butch Keller, upper school head beneficial to see how older students experienced the world, which they extended to their younger buddies once they reached the upper school. “I think that just getting a perspective on life

from someone at a different stage of it was really nice,” Shah said. “I remember my older buddies trying to teach me how to enjoy middle school, and I remember trying to chase my younger buddies as they played soccer.”

Upper school students have found that simply learning to talk to someone several years younger than them has been a valuable experience. “Being in the Eagle Buddies program has taught me mainly that I have no idea how to talk to kids,” laughed Jiang. “I’m still figuring out how to best communicate with children, but I love how Eagle Buddies makes us learn how to interact with people younger than us.”

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passion impact

Orchestrating the right career

Photo by Mark Tantrum

WORDS BY VIKKI BOWES-MOK PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY AUDREY KWONG ’07 UNLESS NOTED

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Alumna’s passion for music played out in unforeseen ways Audrey Kwong ’07 was 2 ½ years old when she took her first violin lesson.

“Music has been such a big part of my life from the beginning,” said Kwong.

“Music is about community and finding your people.”

–Audrey Kwong ’07

Kwong attended Harker from grades 6-12 and was very involved in every aspect of performing arts, from orchestra and choir to dance. She was the featured violin soloist when the orchestra traveled to Budapest, Vienna and Prague her sophomore year and France her senior year.

“Audrey was the music gal of her graduating class. She not only sang in Cantilena but was concertmaster of the orchestra and participated in the dance show,” said Susan Nace, upper school choral teacher. “Audrey was a curious and provocative student, and most memorably, she chose an unusual piece for her senior showcase performance. Rather than the usual classical concerto or sonata movement, she went rogue and played a jazzy solo violin version of Gershwin’s ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’ from ‘Porgy and Bess,’ complete with choreography! It was an unexpected delight in an otherwise very classical evening of Vivaldi, Haydn, Chopin and Fauré.”

When Kwong wasn’t performing at school, she played in the California Youth Symphony

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Photo by Warren Kwong ‘11

Photo courtesy of the Harker Archives

from grades 6-12 and took to the stage with Children’s Musical Theater. She attended Interlochen Center for the Arts one summer during high school and was completely filled up by being surrounded by people who were so passionate about music.

After graduating from Harker, Kwong went on to study violin performance at the University of Southern California, where she practiced violin for six to eight hours every day. Before her senior year, she had an internship with the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, where she broadened her views about a career in music.

Kwong realized that she needed a little more “marination time” before she launched her career and was encouraged to consider an arts management program. After being accepted by a variety of schools, she decided to attend graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University.

“Thank goodness for Harker’s excellent academics, because Carnegie’s arts management program was much more academically rigorous than USC’s music program. It was a complete shift, but I was ready for it,” remembered Kwong with a smile. “Then I interned with the Pittsburgh Symphony as an operations intern and I realized that logistics was my thing.”

That realization has guided her career in music ever since.

First Kwong interned at the Aspen Music Festival and School, a massive musical festival with 400 public events over eight weeks. The experience, which she calls “the craziest thing I’ll ever do,” confirmed her love of logistics.

She enjoyed it so much that she took a full-time position at the Aspen Festival and stayed for six seasons, where she said she grew up professionally.

Although she loved her time in Aspen, it was small-town living and she was looking for a new challenge when an opportunity opened up in St. Louis. Kwong was excited to become artistic operations manager, helping the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra from behind the scenes. She wears many hats, including coordinating musicians with stage and house managers to keep performances on time and budget, to managing tours and special events.

When she’s not keeping the symphony on track, Kwong plays in two bands, Boxcar and Andrew & the Dolls.

“Playing in these bands feeds a totally different musical side because a lot of what we play is improv, but then I’ll grab napkins and write down the notes so I can play it again,” said Kwong enthusiastically. “Music is about community and finding your people; and I’m able to do this whether I’m playing in bands or working for the Photos (clockwise from upper symphony, both of which feed left): Harker Senior Showcase; my musical passion.”

Harker student band The Vikki Bowes-Mok is also the executive director of the community nonprofit Compass Collective.

Pizookies; Kyoto, Japan, 2019; Harker orchestra concert; album release party, 2020; Harker fall play, “A Christmas Carol”

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Endeavors Near/Mitra scholars celebrate 10 years of academically rigorous, independent research

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imar Bajaj, a Harker senior with dual interests in history and medicine, spent a large part of his senior year researching and writing about the complex impacts of the “The Flexner Report” of 1910, a landmark paper that established high standards for today’s four-year medical school system while also nearly eliminating the path to medicine for women, African Americans and the working class.

“The report’s most harmful effect was to make the medical profession the domain of white middle- and upper-class men,” said Bajaj, who conducted much of his research at Stanford University’s Lane Medical Library, pouring over countless journal articles and books related to the history of medicine.

Photo by Mark Tantrum

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Seniors Kathy Fang and Ellen Guo also were hard at work conducting independent research on topics about which they are passionate.

The three students and five of their classmates were this year’s participants in Harker’s Near/Mitra scholars program, which is celebrating its 10th year. The program supports eight to 10 seniors in pursuing academically rigorous, independent research

becomes “ Ita personal

journey of exploration.”

– Lauri Vaughan, library director

on a topic of their choice in U.S. history, literature, art, music and the social sciences. The student scholars are selected in the spring of their junior year, after which they work with one or two faculty mentors and a librarian to refine their research topics. The majority of their research is conducted over the summer, with additional research and writing continuing through the fall and winter. Their lengthy papers, similar to a college thesis, are published by Harker and presented at a reception in April.

Fang spent last summer at the University of Cambridge, the National Archives in London’s Kew Gardens and the Folger Institute in Washington, D.C., examining the portrayal of women and gender roles in Restoration adaptations of Shakespeare in light of the advent of actresses in public theaters. Her research led her to conclude that “women’s status in the public sphere was degraded by playwrights who created oversexualized female characters,” she said.

Meanwhile, Guo focused on examining bisexuality in the queer theory canon. She conducted a close read of Eve Sedgwick’s “Epistemology of the Closet” and then applied modern theorizing about bisexual identity and experience to the author’s theses. “This project has expanded my thinking beyond binary-isms and the limits of naturalized, Western thought,” she said.

Photo by Mark Tantrum

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SCHOLARLY ENDEAVORS

project has expanded my “ This thinking beyond binary-isms and the limits of naturalized, Western thought.

– Ellen Guo, grade 12

”

The skills and lessons Near/Mitra scholars learn are varied, said library director Lauri Vaughan, who co-directs the program with history teacher Donna Gilbert. Overall, students strengthen their critical thinking, writing and reading comprehension skills through high-level interdisciplinary research. They also become more tenacious and resilient.

“We don’t give the Near/Mitra scholars a roadmap, so they undertake a big, messy process of truly organic research,” Vaughan said. “It becomes a personal journey of exploration.”

High-Level Research Support Launched in 2009, the Near/Mitra scholars program is managed by the history department with support from the library. The John Near Excellence in History Endowment, founded in 2009, and the Mitra Family Endowment for the Humanities, added two years later, provide small grants to students to cover research expenses, such as travel costs, book purchases, and archive and library fees. The funds also have allowed Harker’s library to expand its student access to electronic databases essential for higherlevel research. The first Near scholars were from the Class of 2011, making this the 10th year of senior research papers. Mitra scholars began submitting papers in 2012. Near/ Mitra scholars can enjoy the comfort and privacy of the John Near Resource Room in Shah Hall, which is available to them as a study space.

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

John Near was a beloved history teacher at Harker until his death in 2009. His career spanned 31 years as a middle and upper school teacher, coach and department chair.

His parents, Jim and Pat Near, together with his wife, Pam Dickinson, director of Harker’s Office of Communication, and his daughter, Casey Near ’06, established the Excellence in History Endowment according to John’s wishes.

“John’s vision was to promote professional development and pedagogical excellence in history education,” Gilbert said. “John wanted students to build research skills through a deeper dive into history.” To that end, she and former library director Sue Smith developed the scholars program, engaging librarians to guide the students in research skills and information literacy, as well as faculty members to serve as subject matter advisors.

“That first year, we worried no one would want to do it,” said Smith, noting that Near/Mitra is a research program with a level of rigor not often seen at the high school level. “But Harker being Harker, we have amazing students who have always embraced the love of learning.”

Six students were selected as Near scholars in the first two years of the program, completing papers on such topics as the suitability of military justice during the

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Vietnam War and Sino-American economic relations from 1972 to 1989.

In 2011, an endowment established by Harker parents Samir and Sundari Mitra expanded the program to include support for students who wished to conduct research in the humanities, including literature, art, music and the social sciences. The first Mitra scholar was Sarah Howells ’12, who wrote about Winston Churchill’s efforts to unify Britain from 1940 to 1941. Her paper won first place at the 2012 Churchill Research Paper competition at the University of Minnesota.

“This program transforms students from those waiting for teachers to take the lead into students who take the reins of their learning,” said upper school librarian Meredith Cranston, who has advised Near/Mitra scholars since 2011. “It’s so rewarding to see the delight in their eyes as they make discoveries and connections. The rise in their intellectual confidence is amazing to watch.”

The program emphasizes the process of conducting rigorous research and writing a lengthy paper; therefore, Near/Mitra scholars are not graded on their work, nor is there any monetary prize awarded to them.

“Because the program operates outside of the normal high school evaluation process, our students don’t have to focus on having achieved what they may think is success or failure based on a final grade,” said history teacher Damon Halback, who has mentored nine Near/Mitra scholars. “It’s more important that they learn what serious advanced academic scholarship looks like and achieve a level of critical thinking they can carry with them lifelong.”

Wide-Ranging Research Interests Sixty-one Harker students have participated in the Near/Mitra scholars program in the first decade of its existence, and the research topics they’ve chosen have been as varied as the students themselves.

“As the program grew, we saw a rise in interdisciplinary interests,” said Smith, who retired from Harker last year. “That reflects students’ thinking that solving problems isn’t siloed in a singular field.”

Some Near/Mitra scholars have gone beyond expectations for their research. For example, Mitra scholar Shivani Mitra ’13 – the daughter of program benefactors – wrote a paper on artist Frida Kahlo. She traveled to Mexico City to visit museums and archives and communicated with one of Kahlo’s relatives. Near scholar Leon Lu ’19 talked his way into the Library of Congress to study the original works of his research subject, jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus.

Lu, a first-year student at Columbia University, said access to those materials was pivotal to his research.

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

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SCHOLARLY ENDEAVORS

The shelter-in-place did not dampen the enthusiastic celebration of this year’s scholars, who presented their papers in a webinar on April 28. Mentors were also on hand to offer words of congratulations to each scholar.

A new endowment was also announced, established by May Chen and Yabo Lin (Millie ‘18, Jason, grade 11), to support the faculty mentors.

“I got great perspective into Mingus’ temperament and how he approached writing music, including that every note he placed on the paper had meaning. It also gave me a portal into the Civil Rights era during which he was writing,” Lu said.

Mitra scholar Elisabeth Siegel ’16 wrote an algorithm to help her examine how news organizations used language to portray Palestinians during the summer of the 2014 offensive in Gaza. She then drew connections to an existing scholarly system about the impacts of colonialism.

Photo by John Ho

“It was my first in-depth and focused look at Middle East politics,” she said. “I gained a lot of knowledge about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict that I was able to bring with me to college.”

She is a senior international relations major at Yale University and her Mitra paper was published in the university’s Review of International Studies in March 2017.

Near/Mitra scholars agree that what makes the program so successful is the expertise and guidance of their faculty mentors and librarians.

Near scholar Andrew Rule ’17, a junior studying comparative literature and Chinese at Williams College, examined the coinciding of the increase in published Native American literature with the rise in activist movements between 1968 and 1978.

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

“My mentors taught me how to effectively construct and write an advanced academic argument,” he said. “I felt well prepared for comparative literature courses in college and had the expected ability to digest dense literary criticism, since I’d already done that in high school.”

Near scholar Kelsey Wu ’19, a first-year student at Harvard University, wrote about the role culture plays in the challenges faced by first-generation Chinese-American parents of autistic children. Her paper was awarded the Best Manuscript Award in the fall 2019 issue of The Harvard Undergraduate Research Journal.

Wu’s mentors were her “most valuable resources,” she said. “Beyond a deeper knowledge of my topic, I learned how to properly cite sources, how to avoid plagiarism and how to use keywords effectively to find the exact sources I needed. These are research skills I’m using in college.”

The gratitude for the program goes both ways, with mentors equally relishing their work with students. “Most teachers and librarians would say Near/Mitra is an incredible opportunity to work one-on-one with students,” Smith said.

“That’s something we could never have foreseen when we began this program in 2009 – that it would become such a joy for faculty. It’s so rewarding to see that it’s blossomed into an amazing experience for everyone involved.”

Marla Holt is a freelance writer based in Minnesota.

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face time

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constant source of calm humor and graceful leadership, Debra Nott, director of health services, shepherds the school through everything from scraped knees to air quality issues and pandemics. She has also lent her expertise to the California School Nurses Organization as president of its Bay Coast section, where she implemented conference standards that continue to this day. Nott and her husband of 40 years have sent two daughters through Harker, one of whom was an Olympian (“I sewed over a hundred synchronized swimming suits and headpieces …”). This nurse who loves dancing, step aerobics and Zumba shared a little more about her favorite things.

What piece of advice have you given your children?

“Be careful of what you need to believe or have to believe.” Sometimes we desperately need to believe something is true, regardless of evidence to the contrary. Recognize that and think it through again.

What would constitute a perfect day for you?

I had a perfect day in Rio de Janeiro. Our daughter Andrea qualified for the Olympics in the morning. She placed first; the American flag was raised high and we sang our national anthem. In the afternoon, my husband and I jumped off a cliff in a tandem hang glider (with an expert) and landed on the beach. That night we watched the sunset from Sugarloaf Mountain.

What are you obsessed with?

Star Trek and Star Wars.

What gives you a reason to smile?

I love it when our youngest students want to re-enact how an injury occurred, sometimes complete with jumping off a chair and rolling around on the floor!

What do you love most about your life?

Students and adults come to me every day. My goal is that when they leave, they will feel better.

If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?

Although I love being a nurse, my first career goal will always be astronaut. Unfortunately, I get motion sickness at the drop of a hat, and let’s just say calculus and I didn’t see the world in the same way!

Debra Nott

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senior tribute PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK KOCINA

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his past spring, members of the Class of 2020 spent the final months of their high school experience at home as the COVID-19 pandemic caused school closures around the world. Milestones that previous senior classes enjoyed – prom, graduation exercises, concerts and a host of other traditions – were postponed or canceled entirely as students made the shift to remote learning. Zoom meetings became the new way to congregate, acting as both the classroom and the quad.

Navigating bizarre and unprecedented circumstances, seniors coordinated spirit activities, created music videos and devised new ways to connect with their classmates and community.

Because a special class deserves special recognition, this center spread is a tribute to the Class of 2020 and the incredible adaptability this year’s graduates displayed in the face of dramatic and often troubling change.

Their example of resolve and positivity is one for future classes to follow.

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Alumni athletes say Harker sports made them better competitors, instilled valuable life skills

“I realized I couldn’t change the outcomes, only my attitude.” – Rohit Shah ’18

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uggling competitive sports and rigorous academics isn’t easy, but alumni athletes say the payoff is well worth it. Not only do players improve their game – with some going on to compete in college and beyond – they also build relationships and develop skills that last a lifetime.

Balancing academics and sports “took a lot of hard work and dedication from a young age, and pushed my physical and mental limits to the extreme at times,” said Rohit Shah ’18, who played soccer at Harker and is now a midfielder on the team at Macalester College. “Nonetheless, I feel like it was worth it in terms of what I gained personally.”

Shah said playing soccer at Harker not only prepared him to take to the field in college, it prepared him for life by instilling confidence, mental toughness and resilience. Especially during his junior and senior years, he said he learned to focus on the things he could control, such as working hard and having fun, and let go of things he couldn’t control, such as results or what people thought of him.

“I realized I couldn’t change the outcomes, only my attitude,” he said, adding that he is grateful his coaches pushed him as both a soccer player and a person.

Photos by Christopher Mitchell

The ultimate goal of Harker athletics is that players have a positive experience and can apply lessons learned during the season to other areas of their lives, emphasized Dan Molin, upper school athletic director. “We want [players] to graduate with a greater sense of teamwork, leadership, sacrifice, kindness and respect while doing so in a competitive environment,” he said. “The lessons learned in athletics, whether they realize or not, will carry with them in life.”

Fun and friendship

One of the most rewarding aspects of sports is the camaraderie among players.

Being part of a team gives students a chance to nurture friendships outside of the classroom with peers who share a passion for the same activity and are working toward the same goals. At Harker, coaches emphasize the value of building relationships, supporting each other and having fun together.

“One valuable lesson I learned over the years was that it is not all about winning and scoring goals,” said Joelle Anderson ’17, who played soccer for three

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WINNING ON AND OFF THE FIELD

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she said she developed more compassion and sympathy for others, which has served her well in other aspects of her life.

“Golf is an innately individual sport,” she explained. “Harker golf taught me how to be both a team player and a leader.”

“Harker golf taught me how to be both a team player and a leader.”

– Katherine Zhu ’18

years and basketball for a year during high school and is now a midfielder/forward on the soccer team at Pepperdine University.

“I will forever remember the friendships I formed on the team and the memories I made, not only on the field, but more importantly off the field.” Anderson isn’t the only one in her family playing collegiate sports. Her brother, Jarrett ‘19, is on the volleyball team at Springfield College.

beside you is more important than the man in the mirror.”

Golfer Katherine Zhu ’18, who now plays for the University of California, Berkeley, echoes that sentiment. “My favorite part of high school golf was being able to meet new people and the new relationships that were formed due to it,” she said, adding that she has very fond memories of her time on Harker’s golf team. “In every event, [coach Ie-Chen Cheng] taught us how to have fun while competing at a respectable and competitive level.”

“By the time I was a senior and a leader on the team, the most rewarding thing I could do was help a younger player learn and get better, whether it was teaching a couple of moves as the hole set (center forward) or reassessing a game after we played,” said Hajjar, who is now on the water polo team at Caltech.

Likewise, Zhu said she learned it’s more important to be the best teammate than the best player on the team. As a member of Harker’s golf team,

Photo by Jan Volk SportsPix LLC

Harker coaches also emphasize the importance of being positive role models for their teammates and classmates. “If you are a good teammate, the character and values you need are always up front,” said Butch Keller, upper school division head and longtime basketball coach, adding that a team motto is “the man

Sports also can bridge the gap between upperclassmen and lowerclassmen, since players in different grades often compete side by side. Water polo player Matthew Hajjar ’19 said he misses his Harker teammates, “from the seniors I played with as a freshman to the freshmen on the team when I was a senior.

For many, sports also ease the transition to college, giving freshmen a built-in sense of community. Since water polo is a fall sport, Hajjar arrived on Caltech’s campus a month and a half early to begin practicing, which enabled him to acclimate and make friends before classes started. Jadan McDermott ’18, who played both football and basketball at Harker, had a similar experience at Tufts University, where he is now a defensive lineman on the football team.

“One of the hardest things about starting college is being forced to make new friends and being separated from your old life.

Being on the football team immediately gives you 75 people that you interact with every day and share experiences with,” he said, adding that he runs into teammates on campus all the time. “Having something like that in college has more value than can be put into words.”

But players aren’t the only ones who benefit from athletics. Team sports also help foster school spirit among the greater Harker community. Students get especially pumped up for big games, such as Harker’s Homecoming football game.

In the weeks leading up to

Photo by Alonso Nichols/ Tufts University

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“Every week, we received support from our classmates and teachers in preparation for our games,” recalled McDermott. “There was no better feeling than going down the hallways and getting a ‘good luck today!’ or remarks of that nature. Playing in front of friends and family embodies a big aspect of what makes sports fun.”

In March, Harker’s boys soccer team won the section championships for the first time in school history, as did both the boys and girls volleyball teams last year – creating lasting memories for both players and the Harker community.

“The school pride and spirit was unlike anything we’ve seen,” recalled Molin. “It’s not just about the teams succeeding and competing at a high level. I place a lot of value in what that brings to the school community in the form of spirit, pride and fun.”

Training for life

art Photo by Ben Barnh

High school is a challenging time for many students as they begin to discover who they are and what matters to them. Sports reinforce the idea that by doing things well, one will be rewarded, said former Harker head football coach Michael Tirabassi.

“These lessons can be expanded to life lessons on interpersonal relationships,

leadership, etc.,” he said. “In general, I think high school sports can help athletes define their principles, which they will carry with them the rest of their lives.”

Alumni athletes agree that playing sports at Harker was a great training ground for life, helping them develop valuable skills, including time management, stress management and professionalism.

Balancing demanding academic and sports schedules forces athletes to set priorities and manage their time effectively.

Photo provided by California Institute of Technology

the game, anticipation builds among the entire Harker community, with spirit days, a rally and a pre-game tailgate party, among other activities.

“My days were pretty packed because I wanted to excel in both [academics and golf ],” said Zhu, explaining that since she spent two to three hours a day practicing with the golf team, she had to use free periods to finish homework.

“Efficiency is key!”

As a student athlete, you cut out unnecessary activities and “find new ways to create time for work,” added McDermott. “Whether it’s working while you are waiting to get picked up after practice or doing worksheets before conditioning, it’s essential to use any spare time for getting your work done.”

Harker students who succeed both on and off the field are “masters at managing their time,” said Keller. “When they go to college, they are prepared to face the real life pressures of prioritization.”

In setting priorities, athletes also learn to make sacrifices. Through this process, Anderson said she became a better soccer player and a better person.

“There were a lot of sacrifices I had to make, with my social life specifically, in order to keep up in school and continue to excel in soccer, but it paid off in the end,” she said. “All the sacrifices I made during high school felt worth it in the long run because of the amazing opportunities it gave me to take my soccer career to the college level.”

Anderson said she is grateful that her Harker coaches pushed her to be the best version of herself both on and off the field. She has found a similarly supportive environment at Pepperdine, where the coaches often remind players that they are trying to develop “women of character,” not just stellar athletes or a game-winning team.

Tirabassi said he and his fellow coaches urged players to “live their lives motivated by the impact they can make” on others, including their family, community, teammates and friends. The more effort players put into positively impacting those around them, the more successful they will be in sports and in life, he said.

“Many sports teams have negative connotations with their behavior or

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WINNING ON AND OFF THE FIELD

a tough loss,” McDermott recalled. Those experiences formed an “unbreakable bond” among

Photo by Stephen Wandzura

teammates, he added.

demeanor,” McDermott explained. “Coach Tirabassi had our team challenge those misconceptions. He helped the players understand that being a student athlete means excellence on and off the field.”

Likewise, Zhu said golf coach Cheng instilled the importance of being professional, “and enforced it everywhere, whether it was at country clubs or even on snack runs!”

Pushing the limits

Many athletes dream of playing their sport in college, but not all have the required discipline. Keller said he is proud of Harker athletes who made this dream come true. Their dedication pays dividends both on and off the field.

“Being an athlete anywhere, not only Harker, is one of the avenues by which young people are able to build resilience,” said Keller. “In the middle of a game or practice, you have to accept the events and adjust in the moment. These are real life experiences.”

Those often challenging experiences also strengthen the team. “We faced the same adversity whether it be extremely hot days, excessive conditioning or even

As a water polo player at Harker, “the biggest takeaways were perseverance and dedication,” Hajjar said. While some people pressured him to quit the team to focus on his schoolwork, he was determined to manage both well, adding that his life is more balanced and organized during the water polo season. He said water polo gives him the opportunity to de-stress and focus on something other than school.

“When I get out of the pool, I’m refreshed and ready to tackle my studies with a clear and improved mindset,” he said. “I rarely waste time, and since I’m working out, I make sure to get enough sleep and stay healthy.”

Even those who ultimately leave competitive sports say the experience made them stronger and more confident.

Mahi Gurram ’19 played both softball and golf at Harker. She joined the softball team her freshman year, having never played before, which she said was “one of the best decisions” she made at Harker. Her experience as a rookie and in the years that followed gave her the confidence to try crew as a freshman at Colgate University.

“Harker’s teams taught me to push myself past the limits I set for myself,” she said.

“Walking on to the softball team is what inspired me to walk on to the rowing team.

I thought it was worth trying out a new sport because of how much I enjoyed playing softball at Harker.”

Although she enjoyed rowing and said the workouts taught her to “dig deep”

and push herself, she ultimately made the difficult decision to quit the team to focus on her pre-med studies.

“I was definitely stressed out academically, but it was a very rewarding experience,” she said. “I enjoyed my brief time on the [crew] team, because it taught me that I am capable of things I didn’t know I could do.”

Leveling up

While playing sports has many benefits, a key motivation for most players is, of course, to improve their game. Both individual players and teams at Harker have set records and earned many accolades over the years. Many Harker players have gone on to play sports in college, some earning scholarships to do so, and a few alumni have even gone pro.

For example, Jason Martin ’07 played semi-pro baseball for several years. Tanya Schmidt ’08 played pro volleyball in Europe for two years between college and graduate school. And one of Harker’s most notable alumni athletes, golfer Maverick McNealy ’13, went pro in 2017.

“We’re so proud of all of our athletes who have pursued their sport beyond high school,” Molin said. “Though it’s not the main goal of our program, we want to celebrate their achievements and let it be known that athletes at Harker can, if they work hard, continue their athletics after high school.”

While few college athletes make a career of their game, most anticipate sports will always be a part of their lives, noting the benefits of staying active on their health and well-being.

“Even if I may not be able to compete at a professional level, I hope to have golf in my life in some form because of all the happiness and joy it’s brought me thus far,” said Zhu. Jennifer Maragoni is a freelance writer and editor based in Folsom.

“I place a lot of value in what [athletics] brings to the school community in the form of spirit, pride and fun.” – Dan Molin, upper school athletic director 34

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Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

Professional accomplishments of our faculty and staff.

staff kudos

staff kudos

WORDS BY ZACH JONES PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK KOCINA

Every year, Harker employees who have been with the school for five years are recognized for their service to the community by receiving commemorative pins. Every subsequent five years, a diamond is set into the pin to signify the employees’ continued dedication. This year, three teachers celebrated a major milestone: 30 years with the school! Congratulations to Pete Anderson, middle school P.E. department chair; Gail Palmer, dance teacher and lead performing arts teacher for K-8; and Theresa

Photo provided by Vandana Kadam

“Smitty” Smith, lower and middle school athletic director.

In May, speech and debate teacher Scott Odekirk was named Coach of the Year by the California Coast District of the National Speech & Debate Association. Odekirk was recognized for his students’ run at the 2019 NSDA National Tournament, in which Haris Hosseini ‘19 and senior Avi Gulati took first and second place, respectively, in original oratory.

Middle school math chair Vandana Kadam coached two teams to victory in February, when a team of eighth graders placed first in a Santa Clara chapter MathCounts competition and another group of grade 8 students became regional champions at the Middle School Science Bowl.

Diana Nichols, Harker’s former head of school who passed away in 2018, was inducted into the second class of the performing arts department’s Life in the Arts honorees. Nichols was the driving force behind the development of the school’s performing arts department and the creation of the Rothschild Performing Arts Center.

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lthough the spring portion of the 2019-20 performing arts season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, there was plenty of excitement as the Student Directed Showcase featured the directorial and acting talents of many, and the upper school dance production brought together nearly 200 students performing stunning pieces set to “Remixed & Reimagined” hit songs. Upper school instrumentalists inspired awe at this year’s instrumental winter concert, and the grade 5 show offered a humorous retelling of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Then it was the middle school dancers’ turn to dazzle audiences at the annual Dance Jamz show. Senior Showcase was released as a video. A special shout out to the casts, dancers, vocalists and instrumentalists of the following shows, who were deep into preparation when remote learning began:“Damn Yankees,” There Will Be Singing, Just Dance, An Evening of Jazz, “Swamped” (the kindergarten show), In Concert, the lower, middle and upper school spring orchestra concerts,“Frozen, Jr.,” the Grade 6 Musicale and the Bucknall Dance Concert.

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impact

Alumna’s work at The Washington Post making an impact

“I enjoy figuring out how to get stories into the world in an easy and readable form.”

–Emily Chow ’08

WORDS BY VIKKI BOWES-MOK PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY EMILY CHOW ’08 UNLESS NOTED

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mily Chow ’08 enjoys digging into important problems with smart people – and that’s exactly what she does every day as site product director for washingtonpost.com.

“Part of what drew me to journalism and keeps me at The Washington Post is our mission to inform the world and build a better democracy,” said Chow from her office in Washington, D.C. “We have incredible reporters writing groundbreaking stories, and I enjoy figuring out how to get stories into the world in an easy and readable form.”

Chow’s role sits at the intersection of journalism, design and technology, and she appreciates the impact that good stories have on a healthy democracy. As the site product director, she works with product managers, engineers and designers to drive the strategy and direction of offerings to Washington Post readers and subscribers.

Her interest in the field was nurtured at Harker, where she was a yearbook staff member during her four years at the upper school. Chow also spent a lot of time in the dance room, usually auditioning for annual showcases.

“Emily Chow is a force of nature – inquisitive, intelligent and thorough, with a great eye for composition and detail. Journalism appeared to come very naturally to her in her time at Harker,” remembered Brian Larsen, the performing arts department’s

Photo courtesy of the Harker Archives

production manager. “It was no surprise to me she pursued it as a career, and it makes sense that her skills and passion landed her with The Washington Post.”

After her Harker college counselor put Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism on her radar, Chow never looked back.

While at Northwestern, she worked with many student publications, including North by Northwestern, nuAsian and Northwestern Magazine, where she covered events, took photos and designed layouts. During college, she even interned at Harker, writing stories, taking photos and editing audio and video for the website.

“When she worked for our department, she was a star. She captured some great images and we loved having her help. The perspective of an alumna always improves what we do,” said Pam Dickinson, Office of Communication director. “We have followed her path in journalism and are so incredibly proud of her.”

In addition to student publications and working for Harker, she also worked as an intern at Sunset magazine, the Chicago Tribune and The Washington Post.

“I got my first taste of what it’s like to be an editor from Harker’s yearbook program,” Chow told Harker Quarterly magazine in the spring 2012 story “Award-Winning Journalism Program Builds Valuable Skills.” “It was the first time I had to make tough decisions, step into some big shoes and really learn how to edit critically and how to manage a group.

I’ve held several editor positions [since Harker] and each experience has built on top of the Harker experience.”

Her internship at The Washington Post included working with the graphics team and the news design team.

Photo by Mark Tantrum

Chow had worked at The Washington Post for more than five years when she decided to try something new and took a position with Mapbox, and online platform for custom maps.

After more than a year at Mapbox, she realized that she missed working in news and happily returned to The Post.

“I enjoy working near the original startup of all startups – the newsroom – where deadlines are daily, unexpected fires can crop up at any time, and grit, scrappiness, determination and resilience are qualities All workplace images - Washington Post; bottom right that drive success,” said Chow. images - interning at Office of Communication and as student Vikki Bowes-Mok is also the executive director of the community nonprofit Compass Collective.

photographer; lower right, previous page - Harker dance production

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Photo courtesy of the Harker Archives

“I learned a little bit about everything I wanted to do,” said Chow. “So when I graduated a quarter early and the graphics team offered me a job, I was excited to get started.”

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T N E D U T

The power of interactive learning in education

WORDS BY LORI L. FERGUSON PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK KOCINA

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hile some may see field trips as simply a day off from school, this is far from the case at Harker. Talk to a teacher or student from any grade and it quickly becomes apparent: This is an institution where education and real-world experiences are indelibly linked. From preschool through grade 12, teachers work hard to ensure that students are afforded opportunities to enhance their classroom learning through field trips around the area.

The impact is profound. Students of every age evince delight in seeing classroom learning come alive and indicate time and again that interactive learning bolsters their understanding of the subject matter.

“Children learn best using a variety of modalities – kinesthetic, visual, auditory – and field trips allow students to experience the many ways in which concepts they’ve encountered in the classroom integrate into real life; that is very powerful,” observed Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs.

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now hanging in my room,” said Kyra Varro. Natasha Chatterjee is similarly enthusiastic. “I really liked the hanging mobile craft because it shows who I really am,” she said.

For grade 4 and 5 students, the art experience is a children’s musical theater production at San Jose’s historic Montgomery Theater. This year’s offering was “Into the Woods,” Stephen Sondheim’s fanciful take on the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. “It was especially exciting for the children to see this show because there was a Harker middle school student in the production,” said Robinson.

Lower School Kindergarten teacher Michelle Anderson has repeatedly witnessed the magic of off-campus learning. Each year she takes her young charges on a series of excursions designed to reinforce classroom learning and teach life lessons such as how to be a welcome guest and behave responsibly in public.

Anderson begins the year with the Teddy Bear Picnic in a nearby park, then continues with trips to a Gilroy pumpkin patch and the De Anza College Fujitsu Planetarium. In late April most years, she completes her science unit with a visit to the Oakland Zoo. “The trip allows the children to get close to the animals they’ve studied in class. They view their habitats and seek out their favorites.

“The kids love our field trips – we all do,” she continued.

“They learn how to be good stewards for Harker and enjoy public outings while respecting rules and boundaries. It’s fun for everyone.”

For visual arts teacher Gerry-louise Robinson, the joy of field trips rests in teaching children to live in the moment. For her grade 2 students, Robinson organizes a trip to the San Jose Museum of Art to view art and then make their own works. The outing stimulates the children’s curiosity and encourages them to embrace new concepts without fear.

“They discuss what the artists have done and why,” she explained. “They look at art and decide whether they like it – there are no wrong answers – and then explore their own creative impulses.”

The children respond with enthusiasm.

“My favorite part was when we got to see all the paintings,” said Kristian Warmdahl. “I liked when we made the art project of the mobile; it’s 42

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Attending a live theater performance imparts many lessons, Robinson explained. “The most interesting thing I learned was that the show took one to two months [to create],” marveled Nicki Yazdi, grade 5, who also welcomed the chance to learn in a new setting.

“What makes trips off campus so fun is that we get to be with friends while learning something new.”

Watching a live performance also compels students to engage with the experience in real time, Robinson asserted. “They can’t press the pause button like they can when watching a video at home, so they learn to be present.” For many students, this appreciation of the moment holds true for the entire outing. “My favorite part of the trip was probably the bus ride,” said Ivanya Sadana, grade 5. “I got to hang out with my friends, and I got to spend time with my mom,” she observed.

Whatever students’ takeaway, offering them opportunities to embrace the arts is critical, Robinson contended. “We have some incredibly talented students at Harker; I want to be sure they know that their path in life can encompass their passion for the arts.”

“What makes trips off campus so fun is that we get to be with friends while learning something new.”

– Nicki Yazdi, grade 5

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emotionally by appreciating their shapes, colors and sounds. I think everyone can have a connection with art, and I want to foster that connection.”

Siegmann’s students see the value in these excursions. “Unlike traditional classes, the skills you learn in art can be interpreted in many different ways outside the classroom and are more of a tool for artists to express their thoughts,” observed Anika Mantripragada, grade 8. “I truly believe that class trips are an integral part of the learning experience.

They have broadened my views on how the skills we learn in class can be applied outside.”

“[Field trips] have broadened my views on how the skills we learn in class can be applied outside.”

– Anika Mantripragada, grade 8

Middle School Middle school visual arts teacher Sofie Siegmann also believes deeply in the power of art and views field trips as an essential part of her curriculum.

“Arts education not only involves creating art but also looking at art,” she asserted. “It’s a very direct experience and I want my students to be aware of the resources around them.”

Since joining the Harker faculty three years ago, Siegmann has explored a variety of options for exposing her students to the area’s rich visual culture. “We’ve been to Stanford to see the Anderson Collection of modern and contemporary art and the Cantor Arts Center and we’ve done Downtown Art-Walk San Jose,” she said.

Although Siegmann’s courses are electives for students, she maintains they’re no less important to their overall education. “I press my students to think critically about what they’re seeing and ask themselves ‘What is art? How does an artist think?’ and ‘How do artists choose their materials?’

I also encourage them to experience the works

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“Harker students are very good at analyzing and studying, but I also think it’s important for them to have experiences that are more impulsive, organic and in the moment,” Siegmann observed. “My students see slides and videos of art all the time, but I want them to understand there’s great joy in experiencing art face-to-face as well.”

Face-to-face learning is also favored by middle school history and social science teacher Cyrus Merrill. Each year following the completion of his class unit on the 1920s, Merrill hosts a Roaring ’20s dinner for all grade 8 students. “I put a big emphasis on social history in my teaching process. My lessons on the period center on FAME: fashion, art, music and entertainment.”

For years, Merrill ended the 1920s unit with a classroom party. “Then about five years ago, I decided to step it up and host a dinner party outside the school,” he said. The dinner takes place at a local restaurant owned by collectors who have decorated the place in period-specific style and greet students in costume. “You walk into the place and it feels like [the 1920s],” marveled Merrill. “It’s filled with player pianos and other mechanized instruments as well as artwork of the day. The kids

eat food cooked from 1920s recipes, drink sodas and fizzes common to the period, and listen to music from the time. It’s a lot of fun.”

Merrill encourages students to come in costume and distributes talking points culled from class content in advance of the evening to encourage discussions on issues of the day. “I ask students to try to have at least 10 things they could talk about from that list and then during the course of the evening, I stop by each table group and say, ‘Tell me about a fashion trend or a song you like.’ I expect them to draw on things they’ve learned in class, for example by using slang from the period while conversing or distinguishing ragtime from blues or 1920s hot jazz.”

The goal, said Merrill, is for students to have a fun evening that’s content inspired. “I’m a big believer in experiential learning; I like to bring history alive by challenging the kids to step into the past,” he said. “My hope is that they come away from the experience with a curiosity about life in different time periods.”

Student reactions indicate Merrill’s dream is being realized. “The party felt extremely authentic. I felt as

if I had been transported back to the 1920s and was living my life from that time,” said Samvita Gautham, grade 9, of last year’s adventure. Classmate Deeya Viradia agrees. “Although we learned much about the ’20s in the classroom, this dinner taught us about the ways that people lived and interacted with each other,” she said. “Experiencing that firsthand is nothing like reading about it in a textbook.” Grade 9 student Amruta Dharmapurikar delighted in seeing history lessons come to life. “We’ve seen photos of old telephones and pianos and toilets, but it’s a different experience to see it all up close – it’s not just an abstract idea – they actually used those things and there’s proof right in front of us.”

Upper School Fostering curiosity about life in other eras is also the impetus for upper school English teacher Charles Shuttleworth’s field trip to City Lights bookstore and The Beat Museum in San Francisco. After months of studying the works of Jack Kerouac and other Beat writers such as Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti in Shuttleworth’s Beat Generation class, students hop a bus to San Francisco to experience H AR KE R MAG A Z INE l SPR ING/SUM M ER 2020

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STUDENT EXCURSIONS Photo provided by Charles Shuttleworth

“Physically standing in the same places and talking to the same people [as the Beat poets] was an unforgettable experience.”

– Jatin Kohli, grade 12

Photo provided by Diana Moss

the power of this formative generation for themselves. They spend an hour or so with famed Kerouac biographer Dennis McNally – author of “Desolate Angel: Jack Kerouac, The Beat Generation and America” – and then tour the museum and bookstore.

“The Beat Generation was the beginning of gay rights, women’s rights, freedom of expression and the ecology movement, but my students have had little contact with the subject matter because the 1950s are so far in the past for them,” said Shuttleworth.

“Exposing them to the period’s energy and passion beyond the walls of my classroom is a big thing.

They meet people who were directly involved in the movement; it’s a very visceral way to connect them with the subject matter they’ve been studying.”

Students appreciate the chance to unite coursework with the real world. “The trip to San Francisco was a different way of learning apart from class notes, books and discussions,” said senior Sahil Gosain. “Meeting people who lived through this time period made the learning more personal.” Classmate Jatin Kohli concurred: “The trip added a whole new perspective to the course and made it feel like we were part of the history; physically standing in the same places and talking to the same people [as the Beat poets] was an unforgettable experience.”

Standing together and talking with others is what the trip to the 2019 Silicon Valley Youth Climate Strike was all about. And as the Harker Green Team’s faculty advisors, upper school teachers Kate Schafer and Diana Moss were eager to facilitate their students’ involvement. “Our students are concerned about climate change and want to do something meaningful here and now, but they don’t always realize they have the power to make a difference,” said Schafer, who teaches biology. “Many aren’t from cultures where it’s commonplace to attend rallies or city council meetings to promote a cause, so we’re always looking for opportunities for students to get involved in ways they might not otherwise consider.”

mayor and council members. “We want the kids to realize that they have a voice, that activism matters and that public officials will respond,” said Moss, a Spanish teacher. “This is the world they will inherit, so it’s important that they engage now.”

Students found the rally energizing. “I sometimes feel isolated because it seems like a lot of kids at school don’t care that much about environmental issues,” confessed Green Team member Anvi Banga, grade 12.

“But at the Climate Strike, I met many young people who care about the giant problem we have and who are willing to spend their time and energy to fight for something they believe in, which was super cool.”

“Sometimes I feel like kids are all talk and no action,” agreed senior Aditi Ghalsasi. “Going to the strike felt good because I was doing something about an issue that’s important to me.” Classmate Anthony Shing was also inspired. “Getting people together to share their beliefs instills the idea that we can make a change in our community and the wider world.”

The experience also offered students a valuable illustration of the difference between theory and practice. “You can talk a lot of theory in class, but when you get involved, you get an immediate check on your wild ideas,” said Ghalsasi. Fellow student Allison Jia agreed: “When you immerse yourself in an environment, it bolsters your understanding of the subject matter and gives you a fresh perspective on things you’ve learned in class.”

And this, said Gargano, is the whole point. “Learning about a subject by hearing or reading about it is one thing. Having a personal experience with that subject is another,” she observed. “In the classroom, knowledge is sometimes imparted in segments, so when we expose our students to concepts in the real world, they’re integrated into an even more comprehensive framework, and that can make all the difference.”

Lori L. Ferguson is a freelance writer based on the Florida Gulf Coast.

The youth-organized climate strike was the perfect vehicle. Prior to the strike, students discussed climate change and made posters, then traveled to San Jose City Hall to share their concerns with the 46

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Photo provided by Diana Moss

face time

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an Francisco native Paul Vallerga is the man behind the exquisite set designs for all middle and upper school performing arts productions. He also teaches a grade 7-8 Production and Design class. Vallerga likes the classics: He listens to baseball on the radio, watches old movies and named his “occasionally evil” cat Iago. He likes guiding his students into the word of technical theater with a sense of calm and attention, encouraging people around him to stay relaxed. Here’s a little more that Harker Magazine learned from this creative teacher, who is grateful to have made a career in the arts.

What is the one thing in the world you would fix if you could wave a magic wand?

We seem to be in a time where anger, bullying and a general incivility are not only acceptable but admired. I would fix that.

What makes you feel like a kid again?

Cheesy monster movies. Occasionally a new one pops up that, even with millions of CGI dollars, still gets the right vibe. The latest “Godzilla” got this right – he still looks like a guy in a rubber suit.

What is the biggest risk you have ever taken in your life?

I had just graduated with a B.A. in theater. I landed a temp job at Fairchild Semiconductor, and I designed one show at the California Theatre Center. I was offered permanent work at both places the same week. After some soul searching, I took the theater job, though it was lower paying. I was there for 20 years, and it led me directly to Harker.

What is your most treasured object and why?

I have a picture of my father right at the end of his life, with me in the background, and we both are (without knowing it) making the same hand gestures. I really love that picture.

What is something that you pretend to understand when you really don’t?

Baseball free agency.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten?

Don’t sweat the small stuff – and it’s all small stuff.

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passion impact

At the intersection of

Alumnus combines two passions into one successful career

WORDS BY VIKKI BOWES-MOK PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY ALEX IFTIMIE ’03

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lex Iftimie ’03 arrived at Harker in seventh grade and was excited to be in Silicon Valley at a school with plenty of technology offerings. He loved to take computers apart and rebuild them, and he used his rudimentary coding skills to help middle school teachers create their first classroom websites in the late ’90s.

He imagined getting his MBA and working at a tech company, but that all changed when he discovered debate in ninth grade.

“The best part about working for the Department of Justice was the sense of mission and purpose.”

– Alex Iftimie ’03

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“Debate opened my mind to policy issues, got my competitive juices flowing and gave me confidence that I could succeed academically,” remembered Iftimie. “It set me on a different path and also allowed me to practice English.”

English was Iftimie’s third language. He was born in Romania and lived there until he was 6, when the revolution prompted his family to leave. After that, he spent six years in Canada, speaking French before his family moved to Silicon Valley when he was 12.

“Alex is an extraordinary human being whose participation in debate was noted not only by sheer excellence but also by his humility and regard for others,” said Matthew Brandstetter, Iftimie’s debate coach who is now a speech and debate coach at Milton Academy in Massachusetts. “Alex was a debate coach’s dream student, and his continued success in life is no surprise.”

After high school, Iftimie decided to parlay his passion for debate into a law degree. He attended the University of Southern California, where he studied international relations and global business, knowing that he would go on to law school. While at USC, he was captain of the Trojan debate team and advanced to the quarterfinal round at the prestigious National Debate Tournament College Nationals.

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Paige Eden Photography, Inc.

After graduating from USC, Iftimie took a year away from school to work on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.

“Having come from communist Romania, I was always interested in this neat idea that you could participate in your government and that candidates won elections through the force of their ideas,” remembered Iftimie.

“Obama was an inspirational leader who captured for me the virtue of government and public service.”

Iftimie’s focus on public service prompted him to study law at Yale Law School and spend his summers at government internships in Washington, D.C. When he graduated, he clerked for an appellate court judge and then took a job with the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

“The best part about working for the Department of Justice was the sense of mission and purpose. I had the privilege to work with committed civil servants and to pursue justice every day,” said Iftimie.

As he pursued a career in law, Iftimie’s background and interest in technology allowed him to find his niche. “A key part of my success in the government went back to the fact that I understood technology.”

This foundation allowed him to work on hard legal issues at the intersection of technology and national security law, such as intelligence collection reforms, terrorists’ use of the internet and investigations of nation-state sponsored cyberattacks.

After nearly six years at the National Security Division, he served as a prosecutor in the National Security and Cybercrime units in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, where he brought charges against those involved in Russian efforts to interfere in the 2018 midterm elections.

Although he remains committed to public service, he recently moved to the private sector to broaden his legal experience, and to use his government background to advise clients on complex cybersecurity and national security issues. He started with Morrison & Foerster in Washington, D.C., and just relocated to San Francisco with his new wife, Melissa Antal.

As a middle schooler who enjoyed tinkering with computers and participating in debate, Iftimie didn’t know where his path would lead. But he has successfully forged a career that combines his passions for technology and law.

“Alex was one student who really opened my eyes to what is possible. He could absorb and learn new ideas and concepts at a rate that was absolutely breathtaking,” said Rand Harrington, Iftimie’s physics teacher at Harker Photos (clockwise from left): who is now head of school at panel on national security Kent Denver School. “Alex was challenges, Harkin Institute, Des Moines, Iowa; with the epitome of what I had always then-Attorney General Loretta envisioned as the ideal student — Lynch; with Dena Simmons, a fierce intellect, highly motivated emceeing 20th anniversary conference of Paul and and intensely curious.”

Vikki Bowes-Mok is also the executive director of the community nonprofit Compass Collective.

Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans (photo by Paige Eden Photography, Inc.); U.S. government plane during Lynch’s final trip to Birmingham, Ala.

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end of year

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s the school year drew to a close, division heads, teachers, staff and students tried to find some closure without the time-

honored traditions that typically cap off the school year. Many things went virtual, and some things remained in-person, if socially distanced. This gallery highlights a few of the wonderful moments that allowed the school to bid farewell to the students: the grade 5 and 8 promotions; baccalaureate; the “Lights On for 2020� senior tribute; and the pickup days, when students came to campus to gather belongings and receive gift packages from the school.

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class notes

class notes

Keep up to date on the lives of your classmates.

Alumni from all classes through 1997 are listed under the years they would have completed grade 8 at The Harker School, Harker Academy, Harker Day School or Palo Alto Military Academy (PAMA). For all classes after the Class of 1997, alumni are listed under the class years they would have graduated from high school, regardless of whether they completed high school studies at Harker. For unlisted classes, we invite you to email alumni@harker.org if you are interested in becoming a class agent or would like to nominate a classmate. All photos submitted by the subject unless noted.

1980

1993

Joe Sabeh has a successful track record of 20 years in the real estate industry and averages $50 million to $75 million a year in sales. He had the highest Byron DeLear, host of the podcast “Intention,” interviewed fellow Harker Academy sale in the city of Fremont’s history in graduate Tiffany Tate (who now goes by Tate Orick). In the podcast’s third epi2018, and more than 60 percent of his sode, they cover everything from their shared history at Harker (including Byron’s business comes from referrals from past father, who attended Palo Alto Military Academy) to the episode’s main topic, “Job clients. Joe learned the value of service Loss, A Hammered Economy, and the New Abnormal.” Byron attended Harker for and hard work from his late father, grades 4-6 from 1975-1978. Check out the podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.

Joseph Sabeh, also an outstanding top com/963421/3374647 producer in the real estate industry. His favorite part of the job is helping people negotiations with a few colleges to speak accomplish their goals, whether it’s sell1982 on their campuses in the near future. ing for the highest price or finding their Renee Conrad recently changed firms Mayor Sam Liccardo took great interest dream home. Joe also gives back to the and is now working as an attorney at Gilin Justin’s book at one of his North San community by donating to STAND and fix & La Poll Associates in Palo Alto doing Jose development round table meetings; SAVE, nonprofits committed to supportestate planning and trust administration. he even purchased a copy! ing survivors of domestic violence.

1989 Justin Pogue is working as a real estate consultant and an author in San Jose, and he’s completed his first book, “Rental Secrets.” By teaching renters how landlords think, he’s helping them negotiate better while improving our national housing conversation. The book is not just for renters; landlords, realtors and lenders can benefit as well. Justin is in 52

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2004 Jennifer Lin and her husband, Steve Waite, welcomed son Hudson Lin Waite on April 17.

Congratulations!

In Memoriam Alex Anderson passed away on May 26, at the age of 38. Alex was a Harker boarding student for six years (grades 3-8). “Alex’s general enthusiasm and his natural ability to so comfortably interact with such a diverse group of friends was truly a special skill,” said Joe Rosenthal, who was the boarding director at that time. “Alex had a magnetic personality, set a very good example of how to treat one another, and was well-liked by hundreds of his peers who boarded at Harker from all over the world.” He is survived by many loving family members and friends, including his sister, Ashely Anderson ’91 (pictured with Alex), and his fiancée, Sarah Branam. He touched many lives and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Alex was assaulted in Denver and died from his injuries.

In lieu of flowers, Alex’s loved ones ask that donations be made to their GoFundMe page, which will be used to increase his Crime Stoppers reward, as well as medical and memorial expenses: http://gf.me/u/x4sdzw. You can share memories and condolences with the family here: https:// horancares.com/obits/alex-anderson/

Photo by Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group

Alex Anderson ’95

Khadija Zanotto, store manager of family-owned and operated Zanotto’s Family Markets, was featured in a San Jose Mercury News article titled “Standing in harm’s way – essential workers on the front lines of COVID-19.” Read the entire story: https://bayareane.ws/2xU9Gac In mid-March, Zanotto’s began designating exclusive shopping hours for seniors, to better support the local elderly population, a practice that larger chain stores would quickly adopt. Khadija shared the story on her Facebook page: “In this time of need, our family is committed to our community. Thankful to the many news channels that helped us spread the word and inspire bigger stores to do the same.

Proud to pioneer this in our area.” See more: https://cbsloc. al/3540cWj

2005

2006

Kim Wong is the latest Life in the Arts recipient, awarded by Harker’s performing arts department.

Jaya Pareek married Vipul Chhajer on Sept. 7, 2019, at Bear Flag Farm in Winters. Many Harker friends attended, including classmates Naeha Bhambhra, Akshay Bhatia, Tara Chandra, Meghana Dhar, Mina Lee, Amulya Mandava, Amit Mukherjee, Aalok Patel, Swasti Sarna and Priya Takiar. Friends from other classes were Vivek Patel ’02, Rishi Bhatia ’11 and Sahil Takiar ’09. The ceremony was officiated by Jaya’s brother, Ravi Pareek ’08.

Kim’s love of the arts began at age 8 when she attended a Shakespeare camp, and she later fell in love with acting. After Harker, where she was Lifer and a musical theater certificate graduate, she headed East to study at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Since receiving her drama degree from NYU, Kim has amassed stage and television credits. She has had recurring and guest starring roles on HBO, NBC, CBS, The CW and Netflix, including “Law & Order: SVU,” “Blue Bloods,” and “FBI: Most Wanted.”

Fun fact: Kim has performed in 31 Shakespeare productions, spanning 18 plays and 66+ different roles!

Jaya attended Santa Clara University. Vipul went to the University of Michigan and then Harvard University for business school. They live in San Francisco and both work at tech startups.

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class notes 2009

Back in November, the Class of ‘09 held its 10th reunion at the Coterie Winery in downtown San Jose. More than 65 alumni and Harker faculty and staff gathered for wine tasting, charcuterie platters and warm conversation filled with memories and laughs.

In March, Sabrina Paseman founded the nonprofit Fix the Mask (http://www. fixthemask.com), which has developed a do-it-yourself method for constructing a surgical mask brace using rubber bands.

The pandemic has caused a surge in demand for N95 surgical masks, leading to a shortage that has put medical workers at risk of infection, as the surgical masks currently in use do not attach to wearers’ faces tightly enough. The surgical mask brace developed by Fix the Mask significantly improves the efficacy of surgical masks and lowers the risk of infection.

The company has posted a how-to video on its website.

And more recently, some ‘09 friends didn’t let the quarantine stop them from getting together on a Zoom meetup for a “Brady Bunch” style photo op! Shown from left to right, top to bottom are: Sean Mandell, Stephanie Guo, Barrett Glasauer, Brian Chao, Evan Maynard, David Kastelman, Jennifer Huang (friend of ’09), Daniel Tien and Alex Achkinazi.

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2010

Mark-Phillip Pebworth and his wife, Hanna, are pleased to announce the birth of their son, Elliott Ames Pebworth, on June 8, 2019. He was 7 lbs., 13 oz., and 21 inches long. He’s now nearly a year old and growing well! Mother and baby have been safe through this crazy COVID-19 season.

2012 After graduating from Columbia School of Social Work in 2018, Kristi Sun obtained her licensed master social worker degree and started working with formerly homeless low-income seniors at the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, which provides permanent long-term housing in New York City. In February 2020, she was promoted to senior social worker and now runs her own building, using Mandarin, English and Spanish to communicate with her wide range of international residents. Kristi is currently the youngest supervisor in the agency, working directly with the director of clinical services, and she loves her job.

She credits Harker Spanish teachers Sra. Rozanes, Sra. Pinzás and Sra. Grande for igniting her interest in Spanish, and Ms. Horan for her AP Psychology course; these classes were the building blocks that led to her current career.

2014

Mary Liu was awarded a Schwarzman Scholarship. The program is “designed to prepare its graduates to build stronger relationships between China and a rapidly changing world and to address the most pressing challenges of the 21st century,” according to its website.

Mary’s bio notes she is a Gilman Scholar, studied applied mathematics at Columbia University and dedicated a year in service to rural communities in China and Thailand, where she volunteered as a community organizer, teacher and website developer. Mary is passionate about increasing economic opportunity in rural communities. https://www. schwarzmanscholars.org/

Vikram Sundar was recently named a Hertz Foundation Fellow, offering full funding for his Ph.D. at MIT starting in the fall. Vikram is currently an AI resident at Google, and has degrees from Harvard (math, physics) and the University of Cambridge (chemistry). The official press release is here: https://bit.ly/2ZCZVJ2

2015

Felix Wu worked on Elizabeth Warren’s campaign. In this video, he talks to her about his parents’ experience as immigrants. https://www.facebook.com/felix. wu.90/videos/10220343078630817/ H AR KE R MAG A Z INE l SPR ING/SUM M ER 2020

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class notes 2016 Shannon Hong started a quarantine diary in April (https://medium.com/ quarantine-diaries) to give members of the Harker community a space to share their experiences while living through the COVID-19 pandemic. Originating as a shared document between friends to bring each other closer during a time of separation, it has been expanded to include Harker students, faculty, staff and alumni. “It is valuable to write down that which we do, think and experience during these times,” said Shannon. “We decided that this project was one that we wanted to share with other people, to partake at least a little in each other’s lives.”

2017 Molly Wancewicz earned two recognitions for her writing and research this year. In fall 2019, her paper “Environmental Law and Agents of Profit Throughout History” was published in the Texas Undergraduate Law Review (volume 8, issue 1). Then, in spring 2020, she won second place (and $300) in Rice University’s Fondren Undergraduate Research Awards for her paper, “Organized Labor and Faction in the United States, 1930s and 1940s.”

Molly will be presenting her research to the board of Fondren Library next month.

Katherine Zhu was named the University of California, Berkeley’s women’s golf MVP. The award is given to the player with the lowest stroke average after the completion of the spring season. The player must have played in 75 percent of the season’s tournaments. Katherine’s stroke average was 73.5. Congratulations!

2019 Kelsey Wu’s Near/Mitra paper was published in a Harvard journal. The report of Kelsey’s achievement was one of the most-read Harker News stories. Check out more on page 4.

2018 Amy Jin, currently attending Harvard, is now a team member for the Crown Education Challenge (https://www.crowneducationchallenge.org/), an international contest for K-12 students that contains tracks in art, STEM and writing. Founded during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent wave of worldwide school closures, the contest hopes to inspire students to continue their learning, become active in global issues and foster hope in troubled times.

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Jarrett Anderson was recently named AVCA D3 Northeast Region Newcomer of the Year and NVA/AVCA D3 First-Team All-American. Jarrett plays volleyball at Springfield College in Massachusetts.

We look forward to resuming both the Keller Tours as well as regional tours and will keep alumni posted as soon as those dates become available!

IT’S HAPPENING!

The Union Ave. campus has begun its transformation in anticipation of the middle school beginning there in fall 2021.

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Preschool

I

Summer Programs

Thewww.harker.org Harker School 500 Saratoga Ave. San Jose , CA 95129

final frame

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