Harker Quarterly, Winter 2009

The Greening of Harker The Harker Fashion Show Research Symposium New Ways to Give Ben Norton, Gr. 1, grins for the camera on Crazy Hair Day during Homecoming Week

Harker Speaker Series Homecoming: A Davis Field First

See story, pg. 12

WINTER 2009

V o l u m e 1 路 N u m ber 1

Director’sNote A

s the needs of our community – as well as the methods, means and definition of communication – continue to evolve, so have we. We’re very proud to deliver to you the first edition of the Harker Quarterly!

This is not the first magazine Harker has produced in its history. For many years, the advancement office produced a color magazine several times a year. The transition from that magazine to a black and white monthly newsletter in 2001 as our new upper school was launched was to fill a need for more frequent information at a time of great change. That was also when Howard and Diana Nichols saw the need for an office of communication that could oversee Harker’s publications, marketing, public and media relations for a school that was on the path to be one of the finest schools in the country. It’s been an honor and an inspiration for our entire department to do so each and every day.

In reviewing our communication plan for this year, our parent habits and the national trends had finally converged. There was also a shared desire by all to conserve resources – both paper and financial – wherever prudent, so Harker News Online (HNO) was born May 8, 2009, and our small and very busy news team has been posting almost daily every since.

The Harker Quarterly, which will publish winter, spring, summer and fall, combines both current and alumni student news and features, and will be a venue to showcase selected programs, student work and more. It’s printed on recycled paper, and we encourage you to save each edition as a keepsake, pass along to friends or drop your copy by the front offices and we’ll use them at our open houses, for lobby reading and more. We also invite your ideas as we shape this new magazine to meet the needs, and satisfy the interests, of the extraordinary, unique, passionate, caring, diverse, global community that is Harker. Enjoy!

Harker QUARTERLY

W I N T E R 2 0 0 9 / V o lUM E 1 · N UM B E R 1 Pam Dickinson Director William Cracraft Editor Catherine Snider Copy Editor Mark Tantrum Photo Editor Zach Jones Catherine Snider Lauri Vaughan Stephanie Woolsey David Woolsey ‘06 Jessica Dickinson Goodman ’07 Jessica Liu ‘04 Theresa Halol Contributors Desiree Mitchell Distribution Blue Heron Design Group Design Diamond Quality Printing Printing

Cover photo by Mark Tantrum

Pam Dickinson, Director Office of Communication pamd@harker.org

All photos by Mark Tantrum unless noted The Harker School is a K-12 independent, coed, college-prep school.

K-Grade 5: 4300 Bucknall Rd., San Jose, CA 95130 Grade 6-8: 3800 Blackford Ave., San Jose, CA 95117

Harker News Online (HNO) was launched in March 2009 and reports timely news on the activities, programs and accomplishments of The Harker School and its students, faculty and alumni. You can subscribe to HNO via RSS feeds or a daily digest e-mail alert. Visit http://news.harker.org/.

Find, Friend & Follow Us!

Join us for tweets, videos, announcements, photo-sharing and more! http://www.facebook.com/harkerschool http://www.youtube.com/harkerschool http://twitter.com/harkerschool http://www.flickr.com/groups/harkerschool Contact communications@harker.org or 408.345.9243. ®

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Grade 9-12: 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129 Published four times a year, the Harker Quarterly showcases some of the top news, leading programs, inspiring people and visionary plans of the greater Harker community.

Produced by the Harker Office of Communication · 500 Saratoga Ave. San Jose, CA 95129. communications@harker.org · 408.345.9273

Next Edition: March 2010

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inside The Greening of Harker Homecoming: A Davis Field First The Harker Fashion Show Research Symposium New Ways to Give Harker Speaker Series Brings the World to Harker Picnic Recap Alumni

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8 12 15 18 19 20 22 35

8 12 18 Director’s Note.................................................... 2 Headlines............................................................ 4 Greater Good...................................................... 6 Out and About.................................................. 21 Kid Talk.............................................................24 Student Work....................................................25 Eagle Report.....................................................26 Milestones......................................................... 31 Performing Arts................................................32 Class Notes........................................................36 Flash Forward...................................................38 Looking Ahead.................................................39

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Headlines

J

ust recently on campus, I saw a couple of students casually talking with a teacher, a common scene, especially around lunchtime and after school. They concluded their brief chat with a gentle, playful knuckle crack. Was this the new handshake in this post-H1N1 world, presumably because viruses have more difficulty jumping from knuckle to knuckle than from palm to palm? Perhaps the students taught the teacher the new handshake to assist him in being more cool.

This easy, respectful exchange is one of hundreds of such exchanges that happen between teachers, staff, coaches and students daily within a learning community. Ever since Socrates debated with his students in the Agora, educators have touted the benefits of real dialogue with live human beings within proximity of each other as optimal for stimulating thought.

After a recent town meeting with upper school students, I had a student approach me privately to tell me that he benefits more in classes that have dialogue, where students are placed in a circle of desks or around the table, all facing each other. He felt that no student can hide in this arrangement, that the class worked more as a community and the dialogue pushed everyone towards better thinking. He added that when students face each other and talk about concepts, everyone becomes responsible for the learning and the discussion.

The Digital Age, however, is upending all traditional assumptions about what shape education ought to take in the future. What should schooling look like in an age where I can download all of the works of Proust on my iPhone for free? It was not too long ago that most of humanity considered owning a book a luxury. Giving lectures in the Middle Ages meant reading from a book because the lecturers, usually priests, were the only ones who owned books. Lecture comes from the Latin “legere,” meaning “to read.”

“The Digital Age, however, is upending all traditional assumptions about what shape education ought to take in the future.”

I also have downloaded most of the main texts of the seven major religions on my iPhone for free. I read from them while I am waiting for my wife in the car. There was a time when few families could afford to own the Holy Bible or even read from it. I think of the millennia of wisdom distilled into those texts compared with the ten seconds or so it takes for me to acquire them. People have lived and died by these holy texts, and I zap them into my phone while in the checkout line.

We are all struggling to envision the school of the future, or the shape that common schooling will take for most students in the future. Right now, the educational landscape seems to be fragmenting, not converging. There are more choices of structure than ever: public, private, charter, online, homeschooling and all variations in between. No one structure seems to have a claim on the future – perhaps no one structure ever will.

Proponents of online schools and homeschooling understand that students still need proms and band practice. Brick-and-mortar schools cannot fail to capitalize on the pedagogical applications of YouTube (yes, there are plenty). Educators and parents are acutely aware of the more competitive world young people are inheriting. As Tom Friedman, author of “The World is Flat” and other bestsellers, is fond of saying, “It used to be better to be a B+ student from Brooklyn than an A student from Bangalore.” Not anymore.

Anyone can compete from anywhere.

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Headlines Some businesses are working under a new paradigm called “clicks-and-mortar.” Schools are doing the same. Throughout history, we developed large libraries and cultivated educated teachers and professors who slowly meted out access to knowledge through coursework and circulation desks. Now those clicks in the “clicks and mortar” model have bypassed all access controls. Learning is asynchronous, not synchronous. Students and teachers do not have to be in the same room at the same time to conduct schooling. More radically, some believe that we do not need teachers – all of the world’s knowledge exists in the “cloud.”

“Educators and parents are acutely aware of the more competitive world young people are inheriting. ...

Anyone can compete from anywhere.”

We have been here before. Diderot’s effort to compile huge swaths of knowledge in the “Encyclopédie,” some 35 volumes in length, typifies the Enlightenment Age’s impulse to categorize knowledge in accessible ways. It was believed that the chalkboard, film strip, radio and television would revolutionize classrooms. So far, the chalkboard has had the biggest claim to fame in that regard.

Neil Postman, author of “Amusing Ourselves to Death” and other books on education, reminds us that the invention of the printing press made traditional schooling more necessary, not less. The unprecedented access to knowledge the printing press inaugurated made it necessary to control and organize the flow of information to youngsters in age- and developmentally-appropriate ways.

Traditional schooling was not made obsolete by the printing press; rather, it was made more necessary because of the deluge of information the printing press poured over the masses.

Do we have a similar condition with the Internet? Does the Internet, with its even greater and easier access to information than the printing press, make background knowledge and context that much more necessary? I will never forget a faculty meeting during which teachers were discussing the importance of content knowledge in the learning process. John Near, a beloved 31-year history teacher who recently passed away, said something extraordinary. All of his best researchers, he said, were also his most knowledgeable history students. He did not mean that they became knowledgeable history students through good research. He meant that they knew how to research, whether online or traditionally, because they already knew so much about history.

The Internet is a wonderful tool. I had to pop online several times while writing this article to confirm facts. Was it Diderot who was hired to edit the “Encyclopédie”? I could confirm this fact more quickly on the Internet than anywhere else. But I had somehow to remember Diderot’s association with the “Encyclopédie” during the Enlightenment to have a fact to confirm in the first place.

What will schools look like in the future? None of us can be sure, and there are many models up for grabs. I hope that whatever model or models hold, there is room for human exchanges and extreme care around the context of knowledge that is shared. I don’t think we can take the humans out of what is essentially a human activity. An “educated” baseball glove has all of the warmth, texture and character of the human hand that wore it for countless games and practices. Socrates may or may not have knuckle-cracked with his students, but he did touch their minds, and ours, forever.

Christopher Nikoloff Head of School

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GreaterGood

Outreach

Greater Good

By Lauri Vaughan

F

rom reaching far across the seas to helping out right here at home, Harker students are steadily involved in outreach to the many communities of which the school and all who attend and work in it are a part.

The results have been inspiring.

Laura Yau, Gr. 10, with Marcus, a second grader at Scott Lane School

After author-activist Rick Smolan enlightened the community about the growing global fresh water crisis, Harker’s upper school Global Empowerment and Outreach (GEO) club got right to work raising money to support projects of benefit to people lacking access to clean water. They set a goal and proceeded to vastly surpass it, generating a five-figure donation to charity: water.

Most of the outreach work happens quietly, but sometimes it makes a big noise. Vivace and Harmonics, both middle school vocal ensembles, bring their mellifluous tones to nursing homes, including Lytton Gardens in Palo Alto.

Bel Canto and Downbeat, two upper school vocal groups, likewise visit senior centers and hospitals each year; Bel Canto presents carnations to the women residents for Mother’s Day, and Downbeat fills Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital bins with toys at the holidays for young cancer patients.

Smolan said he was “humbled at such an amazing response from people at such a young age who not only feel a sense of connection to others around the world in need, but who have the gumption and initiative to actually do something about it.”

The GEO club, which makes such efforts one of its primary foci, is hardly alone in reaching out to help others. Harker student outreach efforts range from carefully coordinated donations for distant earthquake victims to presenting rousingly performed songs for local nursing home patients.

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While choirs sang, speakers spoke. Along with the Harker Speaker Series (see page 20), Harker hosts one or two visits per year from On Common Ground speakers. In November, Harvard psychiatrist Dr. John Ratey paid a visit to the Saratoga campus, appearing as part of the series,

GreaterGood “Attendees and committee members alike commented on how responsible, caring and poised our students were,” said Pam Dickinson, director of Harker’s Office of Communication, who also participated in the event, which raised more than $38,000 and garnered television coverage.

“As we start to prepare for the holidays, I like to see my students take a moment to reflect on the good fortune they have been blessed with while also taking the time to make a concerted effort to improve the lives of others who are less fortunate.”

which was started by a group of Bay Area schools to feature experts in a variety of fields for the benefit of parents in various communities.

“Everything went so smoothly with their help. We couldn’t have done it without them,” affirmed Karen Storey, executive director of TWCSV.

Along with singing and speaking, Harker’s outreach efforts include walking. Middle school students participated in the third annual cancer walk last May, earning nearly $10,000 to support Camp Okizu, a camp for children suffering from cancer. Members of the upper school Women in Science, Technology, Electronics and Mathematics (WiSTEM) club followed up the battle against cancer by raising $1,500 at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in October.

Similarly, upper school students pitched in for the — Pat Walsh fifth year in a row to help set up San Jose’s Christmas in the Park Celebration in Plaza de Cesar Chavez. Nineteen students helped build booths and decorate displays for the city’s thirtieth annual program that runs from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

In November lower school students collected nearly 300 bags of food and $3,450 during the annual Gr. 5 food drive, all of which will be delivered to St. Justin’s Church in Santa Clara. “As we start to prepare for the holidays, I like to see my students take a moment to reflect on the good fortune they have been blessed with while also taking the time to make a concerted effort to improve the lives of others who are less fortunate,” said Gr. 5 math teacher Pat Walsh, in an announcement to parents.

Other local efforts include upper school programs that provide support at Scott Lane Elementary and Kipp Heartwood Academy, a San Jose charter school.

Heartwood, the recipient of the efforts of Harker’s National Honor Society (NHS), hosts bi-monthly tutoring sessions by the students. “I think it is critical for kids to realize that providing educational resources and basic necessities to underprivileged children at local schools is as important and meaningful as raising money to provide food or water to families in developing nations,” said NHS president Anjali Menon, Gr. 12.

Fundraising is an effective method of projecting the spirit of sharing across great distances, but it is hardly the sole form of Harker outreach. Members of the upper school’s Junior State of America organization, named Chapter of the Year for the Northern California region for 2007-08, registered voters, while a dozen Harker students, staff and alumni volunteered at an inaugural fundraising event held by The Wellness Community – Silicon Valley (TWCSV) to honor professional, volunteer and family caregivers.

In addition to weekly visits, Key Club members helped pair up upper school advisories with specific classes at Scott Lane Elementary.

One senior advisory collected printer paper, markers, crayons, construction paper, books and calculators to provide badly needed classroom supplies for Jamie Torres’ Gr. 4-5 combination class of 35 students.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 35

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The Greening of Harker

By Catherine Snider

“Sustainability on campus instills a sense of stewardship in the students who are going to inherit this planet ... so we practice what we preach and teach these kids firsthand what it means to be sustainable ....”

— Mike Bassoni, Facility Manager

S

ustainable site development? Check. Water savings? Check. Energy efficiency and materials selection? Check and check. How about indoor environmental quality? Also check. With attention paid to these criteria established by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines, plus an extra push by Harker students, Nichols Hall earned its gold LEED certification in July 2009.

Originally designed for silver certification, the building was put over the top by the initiative of students in Jeff Sutton’s AP Environmental Science classes. Eight groups of students designed displays for each of the eight LEED categories, and the two additional LEED points for displays and the education of visitors put the building in the gold category.

Not only is Harker the first school in Santa Clara County to earn gold LEED certification, but the building was named a runner-up at the 2009 Structures Awards held by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, making it one of only two finalists in the Green Project of the Year – Private category. “[Sustainability on campus] instills a sense of stewardship in the students who are going to inherit this planet,” said Mike Bassoni, facility manager, when asked about Harker’s green commitment. “We’re hoping to instill a sense of preservation in our students, so we practice what we preach and teach these kids firsthand what it means to be sustainable, and hopefully that will carry … throughout their lives ….”

Nichols Hall is only the latest in a long history of greening efforts at Harker. In the late 1980s, Howard and Diana Nichols (former president and head of school, respectively) had an electric car built, which Diana Nichols’ environmental science classes studied and rode in. “We were told that we wouldn’t get enough charge from the sun to use it for mileage….

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Howard and Diana Nichols with their electric car.

brackets …. We wanted to … increase our students’ understanding of environmental problems and empower them to face those problems,” Nichols said of the initiative.

Today the Our Trees Project is going strong, taught as part of the Gr. 6 environmental science and computer science curricula.

Facility manager Mike Bassoni explains the living roof to students.

They were wrong. We drove it to school every day for about three or four years,” said Nichols. She said they got about 12 miles a day on sunshine, the car went 6570 mph, was silent and required no maintenance except battery water. Nichols, who directed Harker’s efforts at the City of San Jose’s Earth Day Celebration in the early 1990s, displayed the car at several functions and was eager to disseminate the idea of solar energy for cars.

Diana Nichols’ green efforts also led to the initiation of the Our Trees Project, the goal of which “was to have students from different parts of the world work on the same problems,” said Nichols. Nichols wrote the program with then-technology director Sharon Meyers and brought in five public schools and the Tamagawa Gakuen school in Japan, Harker’s sister school to this day. In time the project involved just Harker and Tamagawa until 2002, when the Neerja Modi School in Jaipur, India, joined in. “We wanted to model a new kind of education using the Internet to connect people in different locations and socioeconomic

Bassoni was well aware of Harker’s green history when Nichols Hall was begun. “Harker has had a strong support of environmental awareness and green thinking, so from day one … it was always our intent to design a building that supported our philosophy and had the potential to be LEED-certified,” he said.

Current students have joined the movement as well, and the school has accomplished phenomenal feats with its young activists leading the way.

Inspired by a visit from photographer/environmentalist Rick Smolan, middle school students formed Blue Planet Group to raise money for clean drinking water awareness.

Population Studies and computer science classes have woven the cause into their curricula. The students’ efforts reached the ears of the nonprofit organization charity: water, whose founder, Scott Harrison, came to Harker to thank the students personally. In November of this year the upper school raised $10,000 for charity: water to build two wells in African villages with no clean water source.

Olivia Zhu, Gr. 11, was one of four students selected by UNICEF USA to participate in the first-ever Children’s Climate Forum, held together with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark, H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

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THE GREENING OF HARKER

“Harker’s going to continue to support the philosophy of green thinking, to create buildings that have a warm and open environment, and we’ll continue to seek out the very best products to promote the sustainability of our planet in future construction projects.”

– Mike Bassoni

Dan Geiger, executive director of the U.S. Green Building Council, far right, presents Chris Nikoloff and Diana Nichols with Nichols Hall’s gold LEED certification.

Nichols Hall’s Green Features in early December. Zhu’s application emphasized incentivizing investment in sustainable energies such as solar, wind and geothermal power, and modernizing electricity grids worldwide. “It’s important to get as much information about climate change policy out there as possible, as it has a major impact now and will have an even bigger one on future generations,” said Zhu. Priya Bhikha, Gr. 12, and a team of upper school students are preparing a segment for Harker’s 2010 fashion show, with clothes made out of recycled materials. Bhikha has put out a call to all three campuses to help supply her with plastic bags, soda can tabs, paper clips, coffee filters, CDs, drinking straws and more to make her recycled fashions.

Shreya Indukuri and Daniela Lapidous, both Gr. 10, took it upon themselves to apply for a grant to improve Harker’s energy efficiency.

The girls, with the help of Valence Energy, successfully earned a $5,500 environmental grant, allowing Valance to install smart meters, devices for monitoring energy use, at the lower school campus. They also hope to apply some of the grant money towards an organic garden and window-insulating film at the upper school, and plans are underway to install smart meters at that campus, as well. This fall the pair attended the Governors’ Global Climate Summit in Los Angeles as two of 25 climate youth leaders; they presented their findings to the assembly and enjoyed an audience with Gov. Schwarzenegger. UNICEF picked up on the girls’ story from there, and sent a camera crew from New York in October to interview them for a documentary on youth activism.

“If we don’t do anything about [global warming] now, we’ll really regret it in the future and history will label us as the generation who sat back and watched the world go up in flames. People will either be part of the problem or part of the solution, and it will take an extremely grueling period of effort by a lot of people to come up with even a fraction of a solution, but every contribution counts. We know the work is hard, and it does seem rather intimidating, but we’re just taking it one baby step at a time,” said Lapidous.

A gold, green building? Students ready to effect change? A strong history of environmental awareness that will continue long into the future? Check.

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• Atrium display shows real-time Nichols Hall energy usage.

• Over 80% of steel content used is recycled.

• Cabinetry, glues and finishes are low-VOC wood from replanted forests; carpets have 64-73% recycled content.

• Surfaces are about 90% petroleum-free recycled products.

• Heating, ventilating and air conditioning system means the building consumes one-sixth the electricity of a traditional system, and is Freon-free.

• Three direct/indirect evaporative cooled air handlers use one-tenth the amount of electricity consumed by regular air conditioners that use compressors and Freon.

• Industrial boiler is 10-15% more efficient than a standard Title 24 compliant boiler.

• Domestic hot water heater is more efficient than a standard one.

• Automatic sliding doors open when there is too much air pressure inside the building.

• Native plants on the roof require very little water.

• Solar electric panels on the roof provide 12% .consumption annually; plan to expand to 25%.

• Energy-saving light bulbs use approximately 20% less electricity than conventional light bulbs.

• Lights have ambient monitors to continually adjust classroom light according to the amount of natural light available.

• All sinks are low-flow, and urinals use one-eighth the water required to qualify as a “low-use” fixture; the building’s design reduces overall water consumption by 20%.

THE GREENING OF HARKER

Links: You can check in on a real-time use of solar energy at Nichols Hall! Go to http://www.harker. org/page.cfm?p=1534.

The San Jose Business Journal published a cover story on Nichols Hall during the construction process which highlights its green features.

Go to www.harker.org/thinkgreen.

For more information on Harker’s green initiatives, head to http://www.harker.org and click “Being Green at Harker” under the “News & Events” heading.

Daniela Lapidous, second from left, and Shreya Indukuri, second from right, presented their project to Governor Schwarzenegger at the Governors’ Global Climate Summit in Los Angeles.

Student-Led Schoolwide Green Efforts The upper school Biology Club, Key Club, Global Empowerment and Outreach Club (GEO) and Harker Environmental and Animal Rights Team (HEART) have: • placed stickers on towel dispensers in bathrooms at all three campuses asking users to use sparingly; • grown an organic garden on campus which has already been served up for lunch by the upper school kitchen staff; • invited a speaker from Alliance for Climate Education, which specializes in engaging high school students to become active in stopping climate change, to address the campus; • checked tire pressures on campus and corrected them to suggested PSIs, offsetting an estimated 3,232.83 kg of carbon entering the atmosphere – equivalent to having planted 147 trees. This action earned HEART a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition on May 18, 2009, as winners of Rep. Mike Honda’s Go Green Contest. The same group won the award for technological innovation for their presentation at Santa Clara University’s Sustainability Decathlon on May 9, 2009.

• named charity: water GEO’s partner organization for the year, inviting speakers to address the campus on the need for clean drinking water throughout the world.

Middle school students grow edible annuals in an organic plot to donate to a San Jose soup kitchen.

• using grant money from the National Science Foundation. Pairs of students are choosing, researching and growing one edible annual in a 4x4 organic plot and harvesting the resulting plants for a San Jose soup kitchen. Additional compost comes from Harker lunch waste.

The middle school is decreasing its carbon footprint by:

• collecting all unclaimed papers from faculty printers for one month, drawing attention to the amount of paper used and immediately recycled.

• recycling used cell phones to send to troops abroad;

The lower school:

• printing assignments only when necessary and opting for online copies;

• planted 200 daffodil bulbs to support Keep San Jose Beautiful Day;

• giving each student a water bottle and phasing out paper cups on campus.

• installed smart meters, with the initiative of two upper school students (See The Greening of Harker, page 8.)

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Homecoming: A Davis Field First

By Stephanie Woolsey

Homecoming 2009 blended old

and new traditions on a crisp fall evening Nov. 13.

Held for the first time on campus, but incorporating many old traditions, homecoming at Davis Field provided a home field advantage for both players and fans.

Early in the evening, K-Gr. 12 students, alumni, staff, parents and friends enjoyed the junior varsity game despite the 18-9 loss; tailgate parties and the traditional pre-game and half-time entertainment got the crowd excited and ready to watch the big game.

Fan favorites – the class tug-of-wars, the Eaglets’ performance and the homecoming court – were accompanied by the addition of a Bounce Zone with slide and bounce house, on adjacent, well-lit Rosenthal Field.

Although Davis Field has been open for three years, the logistics of holding homecoming on campus have been daunting. Previous homecoming events were held at PAL stadium and at Foothill College. This year, through 12

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the tireless efforts of staff and administration, parking, seating and entertainment were all organized to fit the smaller venue. Upper school students vacated their parking spaces in good order to make room for grade-level and alumni tailgates, as well as the traditional team tailgate at Christine and John Davis’ (Cole, Gr. 12) motor home. The arrangement created a safe zone where parents and students could come and go freely throughout the game.

One of the more obvious advantages to having the event on campus was having executive chef Steve Martin’s tasty food right to hand. To accommodate the crowd of over 1,200, additional bleacher seating was brought in, shuttles ran to the Blackford parking lot, and the homecoming court traveled green, arriving via pedicabs instead of the traditional convertibles.

Chris Daren, upper school activities and yearbook/newspaper advisor,

homecoming: A DAVIS FIELD FIRST

uniform) and Mahum Jamal were crowned Homecoming King and Queen. Other members of the court included freshmen Rahul Nalamasu and Maya Sathaye, sophomores One of the refinements of the home field Aaron Bisla and Laura Yau, juniors Nirjhar location was the above-mentioned Bounce Mundkur and Brianna Tran, as well as Zone, supervised by ever-vigilant BEST “It just felt seniors Thomas Enzminger, Valerie Hwa, staff, heavily used by an enthusiastic Arjun Mody and Jackie Ho. In another right being on Davis crowd of younger Eagles until close to long-established tradition, faculty Field: it’s where we have the end of the game. cheerleaders rallied the crowd prior to the start of the second half. all of our spirit events This year, with a real “home coming,” the crowd was energized. Before the and football games As in previous years, the crowd was varsity game, attendees were treated entertained throughout the game by the and class meetings to an impressive routine by the varsity sounds of the upper school’s Jazz Band, and such.”

Dance Troupe, directed by Laura Rae, led by Chris Florio. In the stands and on and an enthusiastic performance by the field, students and players reveled in —Danielle Buis, Gr. 12 the lower school’s junior cheerleaders, the first on-campus homecoming. “It just instructed by Melinda Beason. Prior to kickoff, felt right being on Davis Field: it’s where we vocal groups from all three campuses sang both have all of our spirit events and football games and the Harker anthem and “The Star-Spangled Banner,” class meetings and such,” said Danielle Buis, Gr. 12. “So directed by upper school music teacher Catherine Snider. much activity happens on Davis Field, so it’s just always going organized an entertaining week of spirit events for the Saratoga students as well as the homecoming court event.

The first half was a hard-fought struggle, with coach Karriem Stinson’s Eagles behind 12-7 when the halftime whistle blew.

Throughout the first half of the game, the junior cheerleaders from Bucknall, with the upper school cheerleaders, coached

by Chris King, led the crowd in rousing cheers in support of the gridiron gladiators on the emerald field below.

During halftime, the finals of the upper school tug-of-war contest took place, with seniors maintaining the status quo by taking first over the juniors. More halftime entertainment was provided by the cheerleaders, who put on an acrobatic display of school spirit.

Irresistibly cute, the Gr. 1-2 Eaglets, instructed by lower school dance teacher Gail Palmer, performed their annual dance, this year held in the home grandstand, and, shortly afterward, the 2009 homecoming court arrived on the field via carriages pedaled by class deans. Seniors Kevin Fu (playing running back and defensive end, thus in his football

to bring back those good memories of high school and all the things we did together. We have a lot of spirit and pride in what we do at the high school and homecoming is just our way to show it off to the other campuses.”

Football player Gautam Krishnamurthi, Gr. 11, playing wide

receiver and cornerback, concurred: “The fact that it was ‘home’-coming was really defined by the atmosphere that was there at this last game because of the proximity of the fans as well as because it was where we practice and play every day.” Krishnamurthi also liked the fact that the game was held after the regular season and that the opponent, Berean Christian, provided a challenge, which made the game exciting to watch.

Even the younger students enjoyed the home field event.

Jithin Vellian, Gr. 8, has attended homecoming games since he was in the lower school. Although he played football with H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

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homecoming: A DAVIS FIELD FIRST

his friends during the game, which is what he says he has done every year, he felt that having the game at the Saratoga campus made it special. “I like how homecoming was at the school itself, instead of some random place. It was nice to have it somewhere I’ve been before.” Victor Shin, Gr. 4, liked the game being at home. Shin explained, “I really liked the food and being with my friends, but I didn’t like that we lost.”

The crowd was thoroughly fired up for the second half and both teams showed great competitive spirit. The game was announced throughout by our own Greg Lawson, assistant head of school for student affairs.

Although Harker eventually lost the grueling contest 25-13, Homecoming 2009 allowed our ever-growing athletic department to show off one of the many upper school sports, as well as our impressive facilities.

Since its inception, the athletic department has been steadily growing, adding sports and facilities and training increasingly talented athletes. In 2005-06, approximately 50 percent of the upper school student body played afterschool sports; now, 65-70 percent compete in at least one sport.

Currently, 14 former Harker students are playing athletics at the college level, in swimming, gymnastics, tennis, football, baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball and diving. Schools include Penn State, Northeastern, Cornell and Villanova as well as West Coast schools University of Puget Sound, UC Berkeley, Santa Clara University, Pepperdine and San Jose State University. Current seniors Cole Davis, Arthi Padmanabhan, Michael Clifford and Greg Plauck all are planning to play college athletics as well. Davis has already been accepted to swim at Stanford, and Plauck will be playing baseball at Santa Clara next year.

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Harker teams have won an impressive list of titles and championships, including 14 league titles, one Nor-Cal championship, over 35 section scholastic championships, and three state scholastic titles since Dan Molin took over as athletic director in 2005.

Already this year, Harker has had two more firsts: the football team qualified for playoffs for the first time in school history, and the girls tennis team made it to the CCS quarterfinals.

“I’m continually amazed at and inspired by what Harker student-athletes accomplish,” said Molin.

“They always rise to the occasion and go beyond our expectations on the court, field or pool.”

Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancment, added, “Looking to the future, there have been and continue to be meetings to rally support for a new gym building to be built at the same time as the planned performing arts center.”

Homecoming at Davis Field this year was just another step in bringing our athletic department to a higher level, and we look forward to the continued growth of Harker sports.

Related story: Eagle Report, page 26.

The Harker

Fashion Show

Photo by Michelle Lo Gr. 10

H

arker’s annual fashion show fundraiser has become a highly acclaimed event. Our 2010 fashion show – Outside the Box: Chic and Unique! – will be nothing short of amazing, given our talented Harker fashion show executive team, Christine Davis and Marcia Riedel. Blending the latest styles from our fashion sponsors with high-energy Harker student performances, the event is nonstop entertainment. Both the luncheon and dinner gala feature sumptuous showcases, while the evening event includes a fast-paced live auction of one-of-a-kind adventures followed by dancing the night away with a live band. And it’s all for a great cause: proceeds from Outside the Box benefit the Harker Scholarship Fund and much-needed projects, such as the new library at the upper school. And it’s all thanks to some wonderful sponsors - see pg. 17 for the full list!

Reserve your table!

This must-go event takes place on Fri., Feb. 19, at the San Jose Convention Center. Ticket sales will be online, starting on Jan. 4. You may want to start organizing your table now to sit with friends. Reserve early (fashionshow@harker.org) to get the best tables! Tickets prices are $85/lunch, $175/dinner.

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THE HARKER FASHION SHOW

Showcases A Little Bit of Luck Brings Lots of Fun! Showcases are exciting, themed collections of fabulous gifts with a wide range of appeal, and this year’s Outside the Box showcases are no exception! Our showcases will be designed by some of Silicon Valley’s top designers: • Dennis Baldwin of Dennis Baldwin Interiors • Marie Peterson of Chelsea Court Designs • Robert Miller & Jacob Scherer of Miller Design Co. • Craig Shannon of Stems • Fred Ojeda of Acanthus Interiors • Rita Patel of Omesha Eternal Elegance Inc. • Dr. Priya Vij, Harker parent and returning showcase designer We’re always looking for more donations of amazing prizes and help with procurement. Contact Naren Nayak at nn­_nayak@pacbell.net.

Photo by Devin Nguyen, Gr. 10

Be sure to buy tickets for the showcases – because at the fashion show, dreams really do come true!

Inside the Row Satisfy the serious shopper in you with an amazing selection from the best of Santana Row: dining, apparel and jewelry – Oh my!

Submit to spa splendor after your ultimate shopping extravaganza.

Designers: Dr. Priya Vij & Rita Patel Off Limits Caution – extreme fun ahead! There’s no limit to the good times in store for the lucky winner of this action-packed, funfilled showcase for kids of all ages.

A Stunning Surprise!

Stephen and Cynthia Sun (Christopher, Gr. 9) were delighted to win the Dennis Baldwin “Picture Perfect Getaway” showcase at our last fashion show.

The package included use of an Aston Martin DBS Coupe, accommodations at the Monterey Plaza Hotel and The Lodge at Pebble Beach along with massages, dinner, Concours d’Elegance tickets, golf package, a custom couture outfit by Azadeh and more. They had not won anything before, so what a wonderful surprise!

Vintner’s Roulette Take a spin and you might take home some exceptional Napa wine from Joseph George. Perhaps pair it with the sumptuous gourmet meal prepared in your home by a private chef. Cheers!

Designers: Craig Shannon & Fred Ojeda

Designer: Dennis Baldwin O Zone Eco-friendly meets ultra fab! This stylish collection of conscientiously chic and sustainably savvy items opens your family to the possibilities of big fun with a small carbon footprint.

Designer: Marie Peterson Out & About If you’ve got a case of first-class wanderlust, we’ve got your ticket to ride!

Whether it’s a memory-making family adventure or a much-needed romantic escape, get ready to pack your bags!

Photo by Michelle Lo, Gr. 10

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Designers: Robert Miller & Jacob Scherer

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Photo by Devin Nguyen, Gr. 10

THE HARKER FASHION SHOW

FASHION SHOW SPONSORS * denotes sponsors of five years or more

15K: Barry Swenson Builders 10K: Santana Row * Tiffany & Company

Photo by Simran Mazloom ‘09 for the Harker Talon

Going Once, Twice … SOLD! The live and silent auctions are a highly anticipated part of the fashion show dinner gala. Interested in…

• touring Alexander Wang’s (MS ‘88) design studio in New York ... and a fabulous signed handbag?

• your child modeling the newest back-toschool clothes in Gentry magazine?

• playing golf with a PGA pro in England?

• driving a different sports car for each day of the week?

• a five-star hotel vacation for your dog?

• throwing out the first pitch for the Oakland A’s?

• riding the Zamboni and enjoying the Sharks?

• Asharya jewelry, as featured in Gossip Girl, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar?

• an Azadeh dress designed just for you?

Please consider making a donation. Contact Ingrid Semenza at ingrid_s@sbcglobal.net.

Tiffany anyone?

New this year is a wonderful “Buy the Box” program sponsored

by Tiffany. Beautiful porcelain Tiffany gift boxes will be sold prior to the fashion show ($150/ lunch, $300/dinner). Tiffany will deliver these to you at your table, and you may be the one lucky person to find a surprise Tiffany jewelry piece inside the box at

lunch, and a significant Tiffany jewelry piece at dinner. Only 20 boxes will be sold for lunch, and 30 for dinner – so chances of winning are great!

5K Ajay and Lata Shah Banerjee Chopra Family Club Auto Sport Davis Family * Doherty Family Heritage Bank of Commerce Krish and Nina Panu Marcia and Chris Riedel - Hunter Labs * Vernon and Sherian Plaskett Family Sathaye Family Foundation Sutardja Family Madala Family Jain Family Trust Mehrotra Family Rector Motors 2.5K Air Systems, Inc. * Denise Brodersen, CFP ® UPS Financial Services, Inc. XL Construction IN-KIND SPONSORS Diamond Quality Printing* Joseph George Wines Triple J Design - Jaja Hsuan Jones James Craig Haircolor & Design* Signature Images by Lori Rose Contacts Volunteering: Sue Prutton, suep@harker.org Sponsorships: Shyamoli Banerjee, shyamolib@hotmail.com; Archana Sathaye, archanasathaye@gmail.com Donations: Showcases – Naren Nayak, nn_nayak@pacbell.net.

Silent & Live Auction: Ingrid Semenza, ingrid_s@sbcglobal.net.

Online ticket sales begin Jan. 4 - order early for best seats at fashionshow@harker.org.

Compiled and written by Loretta Nierat (Sean, Gr. 9), fashion show committee member.

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Research symposium

By Zach Jones

S

ince 2006, the Harker Research Symposium has offered students with a passion for a science a forum to present and discuss the results of their many hours of research and experimentation. Visited by more than 300 people annually, the symposium has featured students presenting on a wide variety of topics and has attracted an impressive array of guest speakers.

Upper school science department chair Anita Chetty began the research symposium to allow students to share their work with their outside peers in a noncompetitive environment. “Harker is extremely good at winning competitions. The kids really work hard in order to excel,” Chetty said. “I wanted to have a place, a forum, where all of this sharing could happen, and there was no competition involved whatsoever.”

The symposium is open to students in Gr. 6-12 who wish to share their work with fellow students, parents or even those currently working in the field of research. Students often give paper presentations, which consist of 12-minute talks about research documents they have produced, followed by an eight-minute Q&A session. They also have poster presentations, in which they display their research results on three-panel boards and take questions from attendees.

It is largely student-run, with much of the planning and execution done by the student organization Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine (WiSTEM). “WiSTEM has always played a key role in organizing the symposium,” said current WiSTEM president Anita Satish, Gr. 12. “Our goal is really to simulate as best as possible the atmosphere of a professional research conference.”

This atmosphere can help students in their post-high school careers by familiarizing them with the kinds of events in which

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they may later participate. “The symposium gives students a chance to present their work in a professional setting, which simulates any conference or poster session they may attend after high school,” Satish said. “That is really great, because I think they get a pretty good idea of what to expect after participating in Harker’s symposium,” she finished.

Bolstering the symposium’s professional image are the various keynote speakers it has featured. Last year’s guest speakers included Nimet Maherali, who is currently at Harvard studying stem cells, and Dr. Andy Chan, vice president of immunology research at Genentech, one of the world’s largest biotech companies.

Alumni are also a big part of the event. Alfred Pokmeng See ’04 appeared at last year’s symposium via video conference from Johns Hopkins University, as did Nikhil Deshmukh ’04 from Princeton. The 2010 symposium will feature an appearance

by Jacob Bongers ’07, currently an undergraduate student at the University of Southern California who has already had his researched published. He will speak to students about the importance of getting published as much as possible before going to graduate school.

Year after year, Chetty says she is highly impressed with the quality of the work presented by students at the symposium. “You can feel the pride,” she says. “They are so incredibly proud of what they’ve accomplished.”

Fifth Annual Harker Research Symposium April 10, 2010 at Nichols Hall, 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Registration at front of Nichols Hall Lunch available for $5 per person For general questions, contact Anita Chetty: anitac@harker.org

New wWay Ways ays to

I

n a culture of philanthropy, constituents support an organization’s mission and recognize the need for charitable contributions to help achieve that mission. In recent years we have seen Harker’s culture of philanthropy take root and flourish within our school community.

This past fall we have been the fortunate recipients of three types of charitable gifts that are new to the school.

By Melinda Gonzales

New Ne ew

Gift Planning: to Three New Ways to Support Harker Students and Teachers

series of gifts, which make up a principal amount. That principal is permanently restricted and will only be used to generate interest income. A pre-set amount of the annual interest is used each year to support the purpose for which the endowed fund was established or the general fund, depending on the donor’s wishes. Endowed funds can continue to grow over time if the interest earned on the principal exceeds the set amount used for the annual payout, and the excess is added the principal. The pre-set interest on endowed funds will support the purpose for which they are created year after year in perpetuity.

New wWays to 2

Privately Held Stock Gifts

Harker parents Selvaraj Venugopal and Sumathi Selvaraj (Raghav, Gr. 9; Anu, Gr. 2), Raj and Shailaja Velagapudi (Anish, Gr. 6; Anmol, Gr. 1) and Michel and Sudha Susai (Kevin, Gr. 9; Jessica, Gr. 4) are transferring shares of privately-held stock in their companies to the school.

L to R: John Near’s wife, daughter and father: Pam Dickinson, Casey Near ‘06, Jim Near; Chris Nikoloff, head of school and Donna Gilbert, history department chair.

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Endowed Gifts

The John Near Excellence in History Education Endowment Fund Harker received its first endowment in memory of a 31-year veteran of Harker’s teaching staff, John Near, who passed away in late September. Near’s parents, James and Patricia Near, are funding the $300,000 endowment by taking advantage of the IRA Charitable Rollover Extension, which they learned about in the November 2008 issue of the Harker News. This rollover extension allows them to contribute funds from their IRA without having to pay the tax on the appreciation. The proceeds will be used to “help develop the history department, both through the acquisition of resources and providing growth opportunities for both faculty and students,” as John Near articulated in August of this year as he and his parents planned this gift.

Give i Given Harker’s location in Silicon Valley, it is not surprising that a large number of our constituents are entrepreneurs. Making a gift of privately-held stock is a way for some of our parents who have funds tied up in their start-up companies to share their entrepreneurial successes with the school.

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Private Equity Fund Gifts

Current Harker parents Srini and Durga Madala (Samantha, Gr. 7; Ajay, Gr. 1) became Visionary Benefactors during Phase 3 of the school’s capital campaign two years ago, and they are leading the way again by introducing a new type of charitable gift. The Madalas are contributing an Endowment Management Account, the funds of which are invested primarily in private equity.

Returns from private equity investments usually pay out over several years. With the gift structured to ensure that the school has no liability for capital calls, and assuming the fund continues to grow, the school will eventually receive not only the current value of the fund, but any growth the fund achieves as well.

Those wishing to contribute to the John Near endowment fund or to discuss these or other gift types should contact Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement, at joer@harker.org.

To create an endowed fund at Harker, a donor makes a gift or H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

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Harker Speaker Series Brings the World to Harker

By Lauri Vaughan

P

resenting free talks on timely topics by prominent speakers, the Harker Speaker Series (HSS) continues to make a mark on the local cultural environment, stimulating staff, students and their families to engage in the issues of our age.

From astronomer Seth Shostak and wrestler Kyle Maynard to foreign correspondent Dahr Jamail, activist and author Rick Smolan, and, the most recent visitor, travel writer Rick Steves, the HSS has sought to involve the broader community.

Paul Woodruff (Katherine, Gr. 9; Helen, Gr. 6) “very much enjoyed the SETI Institute [Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence] talk,” by Shostak. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more humorous, somewhat technical, discussion before. I am not sure if I laughed more or learned more.”

Joining enlightenment and entertainment can be useful approach, said John Jerney (Cristina, Gr. 9; John Nicolas, Gr. 6), who, with his wife, Helena, has helped bring in four of the five speakers through an extensive network of friends and acquaintances. Having a diverse audience can spur useful discussion, Jerney noted.

“Having parents and students attend together makes the experience that much richer because it stimulates dialogue outside of school and deepens the learning by making it a shared experience.

“The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, especially when people find out that every speaker offers his or her time and commitment without any cost to the school,” said Jerney. “Following the model of the Commonwealth Club of California,

we have never offered an honorarium, ensuring that all speakers who join our series do so because of a passion to share a message and engage students and parents with their experiences.”

Maynard, a highlyKyle Maynard motivated paraplegic and the only speaker Jerney did not help arrange for, was an exception.

He came to Harker at a request from the administration and spent the entire day with students before speaking that evening, and was paid for his appearance.

The series features two to four speakers per year, and may grow. Jerney, who watches speakers’ schedules to try to attract them while they are in the Bay Area for other events, touts the value of listening to experts who “speak passionately about their work, especially when it’s about something you don’t typically encounter, such as Dr. Shostak describing the search for intelligent life on other planets or Dahr Jamail describing his experiences as the sole unembedded American reporter in Iraq at the start of the war,” Jerney said.

Sometimes the payoff has been obvious.

Harker’s GEO club, inspired by Smolan’s passionate appeal for attention to the worldwide water crisis, raised more than $10,000 for the nonprofit charity: water.

Head of School Chris Nikoloff noted that upper school and middle school students were “galvanized into action” after Smolan’s speech. “We certainly hoped that the HSS would spur both thought and action, but

Rick Steves

we never imagined such a positive response so quickly,” he said.

Pam Dickinson, who heads Harker’s Office of Communication, which helps run the speaker series, says the program is “a perfect fit with our mission – academic excellence through the development of intellectual curiosity. It’s a meaningful way for us to invite the greater community to share in that quest.”

Everyone has a favorite among the visiting luminaries. Rashmi Sharma, Gr. 12, agreed that the HSS has succeeded in “really expanding our perspective in how we think about various different subjects.” She called Maynard’s presentation “inspiring” and said of Steves’ talk, “I don’t think I’ll ever think of traveling the same way again!”

Tina Najibi (Alexander, Gr. 10; Mary, Gr. 6) appreciated PBS star Steves’ advocacy of travel as a political act, noting that she was “quite impressed that he did a special on Iran – not the most likely vacation destination.”

Upper school history department chair Donna Gilbert expressed hope that Steves “inspired students to travel and do so with a sense of global awareness and social responsibility.”

The speaker series embodies Harker’s desire to bring the whole community together in interesting, entertaining and meaningful ways.

Check the Harker Online Calendar or http://news.harker.org for upcoming speakers, or contact communications@ harker.org.

Rick Smolan 20

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OutandAbout 2

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Head of School Gatherings In a tradition begun by Head of School Chris Nikoloff, Harker parents gathered at area private homes to hear him discuss the latest plans for the future development of the school. Nikoloff shared the recent accomplishments of students and teachers and showed the proposed master site plan for the Saratoga campus. These events, held in the fall and winter, also offered a chance for parents to provide feedback on those plans. Thank you to these gracious parents for opening their homes to us: Gary and Pooja Gauba, Sean and Leslie Doherty, Krish and Nina Panu, Ajay Shah and Lata Krishnan and Shirish and Archana Sathaye.

1. Parents, faculty and administrators listen to details of Harker’s master plan for the Saratoga campus at the home of Sean and Leslie Doherty (John Patrick, Gr. 9; Emma, Gr. 6); 2. Lata Krishnan and Ajay Shah with son Rohan Shah,

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Gr. 12, and Chris Nikoloff at the Shah/Krishnan home; 3. Laura Lang-Ree, department chair, explains the performing arts center concept; 4. Maria Lu and husband, Dr. Po-Kang Wang, (Carolyn ’07 and Emily Wang, Gr. 9) flank Becky Cox and John Cox (Siobhan, Gr. 9).

PDC Lunch with Chris Nikoloff Parent Development Council members had the opportunity to share a preThanksgiving luncheon with Head of School Chris Nikoloff in early November.

This event is an opportunity to thank the hard-working parent volunteers for their work during Pledge Week and throughout the year. The PDC raises more than $1.25 million each year in charitable contributions to fund the annual operations of many student programs.

Alumni Parent Event

for a potluck social in Nichols Hall in November. Formerly known as the Joint Venture, this year’s College Exchange drew more attendees than ever. This event provides an opportunity for upper school parents to talk informally with alumni parents about their children’s experiences with the college selection process and at college itself. Typically this event is held twice each year, once in fall and once in the spring. The potluck dinner completed the cycle of sharing: dishes were generous and dee-lish, according to Christina Yan, alumni director.

5. Tina Najibi (Alex, Gr. 10; Mary, Gr. 6) and Cynthia D’Agosta (D.J. Blickenstaff ’09); 6. Left to right: Venkat Rangan (Ramya, Gr. 10; Apoorva, Gr. 7), Manish Gupta (Anika, Gr. 8) and Vlad Dabija (Dominique ’09). Both photos by Simon Prutton, parent.

More than 200 current upper school parents and alumni parents came together

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PicnicRecap T

Picnic sponsors: PROUD PICNIC SPONSORS “Climb High Club” PICNIC IN THE PINES PEAK Paramitas Foundation Winston Chen and Phyllis Huang THE HARKER HILL Yogurt The Ammatuna Family - I Communicart Graphics & Printing - Ken Azebu The Stapleton Family SARATOGA SUMMIT Event Decor The Pellissier Family The Polzin Family BLACKFORD BLUFF Baysport, Inc. The Chen Family Chuanjing Liu and Mei Tang The Riedel Family BUCKNALL BOULDER The Jin Family Interior Plant Design Guojin Liang and Orapin Kanchanachoosak Tico Construction Co., Inc. Vintage Wine Merchant Feng Ming Wang and Aida Kung PINE CONE CLIFF Tony and Grace Chu Cupertino Bakery Friend of Harker Thomas and Karen Ivey Eunsoon and Chang Kim The Kosolobov Family Laguanitas Brewing Company The Ma Family Jeffrey Nott Insurance Services Chester Rivera Round Table Pizza

See the great photo slide show at Harker News Online: http:// news.harker.org. Just search on “picnic.”

To get involved in next year’s picnic, contact lynettes@ harker.org.

he Harker Family and Alumni Picnic is a 59-year-old tradition and is one of our most popular events for the entire Harker community. This year’s Picnic in the Pines, at our Blackford campus, drew a sunny day crowd, where children of all ages enjoyed a fun-filled festival of food, games, prizes, themed activities and entertainment.

Families gathered at 11 a.m. in the Campfire Clearing for our traditional student extravaganza featuring Chris Nikoloff, Greg Lawson, Jennifer Gargano and performing arts students from Gr. 4-12. What a performance! Other entertainment included the Wild Wilderness Harker Jazz Band, the live animal California Critters show, and Puppet Art Theatre.

What fun to roam through the Critter Creek and Forest of Fun games, stop for refreshments at the Drooling Moose and bid for the best at our Auction Under the Stars.

The teacher packages were a favorite as were Super Sign-Ups for sleepovers and

By Bill Cracraft movie nights along with our annual Golf Outing for grown-ups.

A highlight of the day was the 4 p.m. Grand $10,000 Drawing won by the very happy Richardson family (Brian; Eileen; Ian, Gr. 8; Shannon, Gr. 6.) They all gathered on the stage to hold the giant check. What a great way to end the day!

By the time the sun settled behind the tree tops, Picnic in the Pines had brought the Harker community together once more to celebrate the end of summer, the return to school and the joy of working together to make the picnic a success!

Our Volunteers are the Best!

As we reflect on this year’s Picnic in the Pines and begin to prepare for next year’s 60th Family and Alumni Picnic, we can’t help but think about all the wonderful people who dedicate themselves to carrying on Harker’s time-honored tradition. Through the many months of preparation, it’s always the laughter, creativity and talent, the sheer will to get every last detail right, the willingness to help each other and the joy created for all, that touches our hearts every time. We’re so thankful for each and every one of you!

We’d like to extend special thanks to alumni parent and longtime field set-up expert, Fred Carr; masterful silent auction co-chairs, Becky Cox and Lori Saxon; decorations coordinator extraordinaire Debbie Buss; tireless raffle co-chairs Shankari Sundar and Jane Villadsen; T-shirt chair, sponsor coordinator and all ‘round great assistant, Kim Pellissier; adult wheel chair and treasured team coordinator, Janet Rohrer; teen wheel chair and set-up superstar, Kathy Polzin; sports bar fun aficionados Greg Martin and Carol Underwood; dedicated admissions chair, Sandhya Jagadeesh; child’s wheel chair and true right arm, Robyn Peetz; amazing artist and setup master, Mark Peetz; wonderful wine booth chair Mary Malysz; creative plant booth chair and table decor expert, Kelly Delepine; bake booth chair and artistic gem, Alice Schwartz; and longtime publicity guru, Ken Azebu.

We also extend heartfelt thanks to our many dedicated parent committee helpers and booth volunteers, talented students, supportive sponsors, and our amazing administrators, faculty and staff who went above and beyond to make picnic 2009 a memorable day for everyone!

We love you all!

Lynette Stapleton

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Kelly Espinosa

“Picnic in the Pines brought the Harker community together to celebrate the end of summer, the return to school and the joy of working together to make the picnic a success!�

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KidTalk What was the biggest news in the last few months?

Army Bigler, Gr. 1, said, “I heard that a rocket ship was gonna blast off, and I heard that there was going to be a meteor shower!”

Olivia Long, Gr. 4, said she is sort of worried about the swine flu. “My relatives up in Seattle, their whole family got it.”

Ishani Thakur, Gr. 5, said that the economy was the biggest issue she had heard about lately. “Basically, the U.S. is making it worse by printing more dollars and reducing the value.”

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Alec Kiang, Gr. 6: Obama’s stimulus package and how he won the Nobel Peace prize. “I don’t think Obama should get the Nobel Peace prize because he hasn’t really created peace yet.”

Calvin Kocienda, Gr. 6: “Pulling the plug on Obamacare, because I’m an Obama fan and I really think that his health care [package] will change things and make it better for everyone.”

Vikram Vasan, Gr. 6: “I’m a big tennis fan, so the biggest news is that Juan Martin del Potro beat Roger Federer in the U.S. Open finals.”

Jacob Chappell, Gr. 11: “I find it interesting personally that a lot of people think the recession is over, which it isn’t, obviously. Until GDP grows enough to where it’s going to come out from that, my guess is it’s going to be five, six, seven years until we’re completely out of it and into a growing economy.”

Stanley Zhao, Gr. 6: “They sent a [bomb] to kamikaze into the moon and shake up moon dust. It’s really cool because I like astronomy.”

Michael Prutton, Gr. 11: “Possibly the fact that 60 to 70 percent of Xboxes get the red ring of death. Mine recently crashed.”

“They sent a bomb to kamikaze into the moon and shake up moon dust.

It’s really cool because I like astronomy.”

WINTER 2009

StudentWork Each Harker Quarterly will feature selected student work - such as poetry, photography and writing – and for this edition we asked our fine arts faculty to share some of their students’ creations. Enjoy!

Lower School

A picture of a frog by Brandon Ma, Gr. 3, created in Sue Bass’ art class.

Medha Shah, Gr. 5, works on a painting for a “mini market” project, in which a student creates miniature 3-D renditions of establishments such as coffee or pastry shops.

Black and white drawing by Cuebeom Choi, Gr. 5, based on the pen and ink works of Vincent Van Gogh.

Middle School Clockwise from upper left: Two black reliefs by seventh graders Christina Andrus (top) and Hannah Baz (bottom) of object assemblages inspired by the works of Louise Nevelson; Emma Malysz, Gr. 7, with a painting of a pink elephant in the early 20th century “Fauves” style; Baz proudly displays her own painting in the “Fauves” style.

Upper School Black and white drawing on left: Self portrait

by Jackie Ho, Gr. 12, using a graphite pencil and a mirror for reference.

Student with painting on right: Kelsey Chung, Gr. 12, with her oil-on-canvas painting depicting her mother, lower school department chair Diann Chung, working in the kitchen.

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EagleReport Lower & Middle School Sports Softball The varsity A softball team ended the season with the best record in school history, 8-2 overall and 8-1 in league, taking second place in the WBAL. The only league loss came early in the season against a tough King’s Academy in which they battled to extra innings but came up short 6-3.

Coaches Raul Rios and Chrissy Chang were impressed by the improved play of all players, and especially commended the outstanding pitching

“This 2009 season has truly brought out the amazing sportsmanship and athleticism that the team has developed. We are so proud to have had these amazing players with their trust and dedication.”

LS/MS Sports

— Coach Casey Henderson

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of Regan Heslop and Marita Del Alto, both Gr. 6. They also were pleased with the solid defense and teamwork of Safia Khouja, Gr. 7, Sarah Bean, Gr. 7, Alisa Wakita, Gr. 6 and catcher Gillian Wallin, Gr. 7. The offense of power hitter Nithya Vemireddy, Gr. 8 and clutch hitter Ankita Sharma, Gr. 6, rounded out this strong team. In addition, this was the first year the girls were able to beat league rival Castilleja, a game they won 7-6. At the end-of-season celebration, Heslop was named MVP, Bean was given the Eagle award and Vemireddy won the Coaches Award. Rios exclaimed, “If

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they stay together and keep playing together these girls are going to become a powerhouse team!”

Coach Casey Henderson complimented the JV B Gr. 4-5 softball team for their attitudes and team encouragement.

“This 2009 season has truly brought out the amazing sportsmanship and athleticism that the team has developed. We are so proud to have had these amazing players with their trust and dedication.” Fifth graders were the award winners this year, with Lindsey Trinh awarded the team MVP award, Amrita Singh given the Coaches Award and Priyanka Chilukuri, who had the most catches during the games, earning the Eagle Award. Henderson says to all the girls, “Go-Go-Tomatoes!” She explained, “Last year they found a couple slices of tomato on the field during a practice and they say it was good luck, so it became one of our primary cheers.”

Football Varsity A (Gr. 8) football finished the year 13-4-2 overall, including 6-11 in league play second only to St. Joseph’s (7-1). Coach Mike Delfino, lower school computer science teacher, described the season finale: “A Brian Bither touchdown pass to Adarsh Battu midway through the fourth quarter was the difference as the team defeated King’s Academy 25-19. The win capped off a thrilling final week for the Eagles and clinched second place in the West Bay Athletic League, just onehalf game behind St. Joseph’s.” That week started with

a 13-6 non-league win over Valley Christian. In that game, Kevin Moss provided the winning margin by turning a short swing pass into a long touchdown. The following day the Eagles raced to an 18-0 halftime lead then held off a furious St. Joe’s rally to hand the Gators their only league loss. Moss, Bither, Ian Richardson and Sean Knudsen turned in strong defensive efforts in the win. Two days later the Eagles travelled to Menlo hoping to avenge an earlier loss to the Knights. A Menlo touchdown with just five plays remaining in the game gave the Knights a 19-12 lead.

On the second to last play of the game, Bither scrambled 20 yards for a touchdown, then hit Sean Youn with the conversion as the game ended in a thrilling 19-19 tie. Delfino explained, “I am extremely proud of this group.

They worked hard all year and really seemed to enjoy a great chemistry.

Their strong finish was truly an indication of the effort and hard work they put in this season.”

The varsity B football team’s improvement this season was outstanding. They started the season slowly, with a 1-4 record heading into the Harker Football Tournament. Though the boys did not place in the tourney, they gained valuable experience, which they parlayed into a winning record the second half of the season. The squad finished the final five games of the season 3-2, and out-scored their opponents by a margin of more than 40 points.

The JV A flag football team finished with an overall record of 2-6-1. Their wins included an exciting win over Priory’s Gr. 7

EagleReport Nick Navarro, Gr. 8, first place; Corey Gonzales, Gr. 7, ninth place; Samir Baz. Gr. 8, 10th place; Calvin Kocienda, Gr. 6, 18th place; Rahul Balakrishnan, Gr. 7, 21st place. For the girls, Claudia Tischler, Gr. 8, took third, Alyssa Amick, Gr. 7, came in fifth, Alexandra Dellar, Gr. 6, came in 15th, Gabi Gupta, Gr. 7, was 17th, and Diba Massihpour, Gr. 7, took 25th.

Swimming

team, 20-13, and a resounding victory over Crystal Springs, 41-0. The majority of the games were very close in score and the boys and girls worked very hard to improve their performances against some tough WBAL teams. The team was led by Nathaniel Stearns, who unfortunately was injured for part of the season, Nicholas LaBruna and MVP Hunter Riedel, all Gr. 6.

Coach Walid Fahmy reports the Gr. 5 football season was very exciting for the boys. They finished the season 2-2-1, with both losses coming against St. Joseph’s. Fahmy explained, “In the last game of the season, the Eagles found themselves down 19-7 late in the second half to the Gr. 5-6 team of Keys Middle School, but rallied back to tie the game with only two plays left, completing a strong season.” The Eagle’s strong running attack was led by many, including Nicolas Bean, Alex Youn, Michael Jin, Nikolas Weisbloom and Varun Baldwa, and the aggressive defense led by Ryan Vaughan, Ezra Bekele and Edmond Wu kept them close in all of their games. The passing attack was led by tight ends Alex Mo

and Quentin Delepine who hauled in some key first downs and touchdowns throughout the season that contributed to the wins. Overall, the season was a great success – look out for these boys as they move to the Blackford campus next year!

This year’s Gr. 4 flag football season ended on a very positive note.

Coaches Jim McGovern and Tomas Thompson, lower school P.E. teachers, reported that improved fundamentals, outstanding team play, sportsmanship and high team morale were all key components to the boys’ enjoyment of the season. Outstanding effort and attitudes were demonstrated all season long by Maxwell Woehrmann, Vince Vu, Dolan Dworak, Albert Drewke, Josh Broweleit and Vedant Shah.

Both our lower and middle school swim teams had another successful season.

Coach Mel Robinson, lower school P.E. teacher and aquatics director, reported that the teams competed in three swim meets, placing at the top at all three.

Standout swimmers include fifth graders Kendall Ka, Hazal Gurcan and Andrew Gu for the lower school, and Emma Malysz, Gr. 7; Charles Manchester, Gr. 8; and Renu Singh, Gr. 8, for the middle school. Harker was well represented at the final WBAL meet, bringing over 50 swimmers. The team placed at the top in many events, even winning the final relay for the Gr. 8 girls by just a half second! The coaches all passed on their thanks to all of the swimmers and their families for their support and hard work over the season.

Cross Country The middle school cross country team wrapped up its season with the West Bay Athletic League meet at Bayfront Park on Oct. 20. Both boys and girls teams earned second place finishes (boys out of eight schools and girls out of nine schools). Individually, the following boys placed in the top 25:

Sports

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EagleReport Upper School Sports team in tackles, played quarterback on offense, and was also a strong team leader. October athletes-of-the-month were seniors Kelsey Hilbrich, who won the league championship in cross country, and Michael Clifford, for being among the league leaders in water polo goals and winning the league’s co-MVP award.

Football

US Sports

Harker football had the longest season and the best record in school history, advancing to the NCS playoffs and ending the season with a 7-5 record.

Homecoming was held for the first time at Davis Field on the Saratoga campus (see page 12) and the playoff game against Middletown ended the season with a loss, but coach Karriem Stinson “couldn’t be prouder” of his team. Support for the team was strong throughout the season, with a rally bus taking fans to Middletown Nov. 20.

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all sports teams have concluded their seasons and winter sports practices are well under way.

September athletes-of-themonth were chosen: tennis player Arthi Padmanabhan, Gr. 12, went 10-0 in singles matches and won the Santa Catalina tennis tournament; Christina Ma, Gr. 12, scored over 30 goals in September for her water polo team and was a strong team leader; and Cole Davis, Gr. 12, led the football

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In one of their last home games, against the Anderson Valley Panthers on Oct. 24, the Eagles took control of the game early with a Bogdan Botcharov, Gr. 12, 48-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, reported coach Ray Fowler. Jose Costa, Gr. 12, kicked the extra point which made the score 7-0 Eagles. Before the first quarter ended, defensive lineman Sean Morgan, Gr. 12, scooped up a fumble and returned it 21 yards for the Eagles’ second touchdown. Rohan Shah, Gr. 12, passed to Patrick Smith, Gr. 12, for the conversion, increasing the Harker lead to 15-0. Botcharov scored on a two-yard burst for his second touchdown of the game as the second quarter began. Quarterback Rishi Bhatia, Gr. 11, completed a 43-yard pass to running back Kyle Drummer, Gr. 12, for the Eagles’ fourth touchdown. At halftime, the Eagles led Anderson Valley 27-0.

The Eagles continued their dominance in the second half. Costa split the uprights with a 20-yard field goal to push the Harker lead to 30-0. The Eagles’ final score came on an 11-yard pass from Zach Ellenberg, Gr. 10, to wide receiver Greg Cox, Gr. 11, in the third quarter. The Panthers proved a worthy opponent and avoided the shutout with a 50-yard touchdown run as the third quarter ended. The Panthers kept pressing and scored two more times on runs, four yards and 39 yards respectively. However, the Eagles proved too much for the Anderson Valley squad and effectively controlled the ball in the waning moments of the game.

The Eagles’ impressive offensive output followed key defensive plays by several Harker players. Gautam Krishnamurthi, Gr. 11, stopped an early Panther drive with an interception. In addition to Morgan’s fumble recovery, Bhatia, Jerry Shteynberg, Gr. 11, Rohan Prakash, Gr. 12, Jacob Schwartz, Gr. 12 and Stephen Wang, Gr. 12, also recovered fumbles during the game. With thirteen seniors leaving the team this year, Stinson has some rebuilding to do, but we look forward to seeing the team again next year!

Cross Country The cross country boys went into league finals tied for first and finished fourth in the race, placing them fourth overall in the WBAL league. Seniors Aadithya Prakash (who took second in our league finals) and Stefan Eckhardt (who placed fourth at our league finals) both qualified for CCS, where Prakash placed ninth overall with a time of 16:33, thus earning the number one alternate spot at state. Eckhardt finished 31st running a 17:27. Both runners had an outstanding year and

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EagleReport will be greatly missed next season.

The girls team went into league finals in third place, but outstanding running put them in second place overall after the finals. Kelsey Hilbrich, Gr. 12, placed first, Isabelle Connell, Gr. 9, came in tenth overall and Adrienne Mendel, Gr. 9, took 14th out of 80. The girls moved on as a team to CCS where they took sixth out of 14 teams. Hilbrich ran an 18:53, a personal record for the Crystal Springs course, taking third overall; thus she has competed at state for the second year in a row. The girls had an outstanding season, stepping it up quite a bit towards the end of the season, especially at our league finals.

Team MVP awards went to varsity runners Prakash and Hilbrich; junior varsity MVP runners were sophomores Christophe Pellissier and Laura Yau. Eckhardt and Mendel earned the Coaches Award, as did JV runners and sophomores Fred Enea and Sonya Shekhar. The Most Improved award went to varsity runners Tyler Yeats, Gr. 9 and April Luo, Gr. 11. The team was coached by Paul Nangle.

Tennis Girls tennis also had an outstanding season, ending second in the WBAL and making it to the CCS quarterfinals for the first time in school history. At quarterfinals against Monta Vista, the girls earned three-set wins in the top two singles contests against Monta Vista and also triumphed in number one doubles, but lost the overall contest 4-3. Number one singles player Arthi

Padmanabhan, Gr. 12, won 6-1, 5-7, 10-8, and Jenny Chen, Gr. 9, number two singles, won 7-6, 0-6, 10-6. In number one doubles, seniors Kelly Chen and Brittany Chu easily won 7-6, 6-2.

To make it to the quarterfinals, the girls narrowly defeated eighth-seeded Menlo-Atherton 4-3. In that contest, freshmen Daria Karakoulka and Chen each won deciding matches, with Chen clinching the final match. The number one doubles tandem of Chen and Chu, and number three doubles team, Vivian Huang, Gr. 12, and frosh partner, Chau Nguyen, contributed as well. Number two doubles lost a close match, losing a sudden-death tiebreaker in the third set.

Number one singles player Padmanabhan and number four singles player Aranshi Kumar, Gr. 10, lost well-fought matches.

They were also written up in The Monterey County Herald for their 7-0 win against Carmel. The girls also defeated Sacred Heart Prep for the first time in school history this year. They ended the season 16-4.

JV girls tennis also had a strong season.

After going undefeated for over half the

season, the team finished second in the league. Coach Rachel Gast commended the players as being “a great group of hard workers and respectful players.” Juniors playing this year were Lydia Demissachew, Supraja Swamy, Swetha Repakula, Kaavya Cherukuri and Frankie Nagle. Sophomores included number one player Ishika Peravali and number five singles player Divya Sarathy along with number two doubles player Priyanka Sharma. Freshmen were Marissa Moser, Emily Wang, Maya Sathaye, Anika Radiya-Dixit, Akarsha Gulukota and Isha Patnaik. The girls had some great wins against Sacred Heart Prep, Mercy Burlingame, Mercy San Francisco and Notre Dame San Jose and some close losses to Menlo and a tie against Castilleja.

Gast added, “The team always played well and gave 110 percent in games and in practice. I am very proud of how well we did this season, and the entire team plans to play hard in the offseason, because next season we have plans to beat Menlo!”

Volleyball The girls volleyball season ended with a four-set loss to Notre Dame. The team was competitive in every match and improved throughout the season. Thank you to our

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EAGLE REPORT

seniors Danielle Buis, Amy Rorabaugh and Tiffany Kyi. The girls played their best volleyball of the season against Menlo, where they lost a down-to-the-wire, fiveset match with the score of the fifth game a close 16-14. They also went 3-2 at the Milpitas Tournament and were Yellow Division Champions.

The JV girls volleyball team had a 3-7 league record, but coach Peter Yee reported that, “With one exception, game scores improved in each head-to-head rematch towards the end of the season culminating in a come-from-behind victory against Notre Dame San Jose to conclude the season. The girls also started off the season strongly with some noteworthy tournament finishes.” The team MVP award went to middle blocker Tara Rezvani, Gr. 9 and the Most Improved award was won by setter Shivani Bigler, Gr. 10.

Girls Water Polo Although the varsity girls water polo team ended league play with a 4-8 record, there were many tournament wins and some strong play shown this year. In a defeat of Santa Clara 5-2, Keri Clifford, Gr. 9, scored two goals, as did Tina Ma, Gr. 12.

Cynthia Shwe, Gr. 11, also scored one goal.

At the Lincoln Tournament the girls lost to Lincoln 8-6, but defeated Mt. Pleasant 11-10. Scorers in the victory were Clifford with two, Amy Johnson, Gr. 9, Monisha Dilip, Gr. 12 and Kelsey Chung, Gr. 12, with one goal each, and Ma with six. Sarah Jane Estrada, Gr. 12, had a strong performance against Lynbrook, scoring five goals, where Ma scored four and Clifford and Melanie Herscher, Gr. 12, each scored one goal. The seniors will be missed next year!

of the girls’ comeback win against Monta Vista after the third attempt and the top four finish at the Homestead Tournament.

The MVP and leading scorer for the JV team was Shwe, and the Most Inspirational award went to Lynda Tang, Gr. 9.

Boys Water Polo The boys varsity water polo team had a high-scoring season this year, and will need to compensate next year as they will lose two seniors, Michael Clifford and Stefan Schwartz. Both seniors will be missed for their leadership and scoring ability. Clifford was a consistent scorer throughout the season, although he missed a few games due to an early injury. He scored 10 goals, for example, in a recent 17-16 overtime win against Saratoga High School. In that game, Schwartz scored five, with Akshay Ramachandran, Gr. 10 and Chris Ng, Gr. 11, each scoring one goal.

The boys ended their league season at 4-8 and went 2-1 in the SCVAL Tournament.

Coach Fana Fuqua reports that the JV season was a great learning experience for all players. Beginning the season with little to no experience, she explained, “In the three months of the high school season we came together as a team, through the wins and losses. They repeatedly impressed me with their positive attitude and ability to stick together as a team.”

She added, “They became better shooters, goalies, passers, communicators, defenders and players and I am very proud of their efforts. This enthusiasm will carry into the seasons to come and I’m excited to see them progress.” Fuqua is especially proud 30

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Cheer The cheer squad improved continually throughout the season. Performing at football games, the girls have added stunts and many new routines this year.

Saira Ahuja, Gr. 10, was the flyer and both Amanda King, Gr. 11 and Amanda Kalb, Gr. 9, consistently performed crossing round-offs into two consecutive back handsprings.

Girls Golf The girls golf team (4-6 overall, 4-6 WBAL) ended its league play by defeating Notre Dame 197-208 at San Jose Municipal Golf Course. This contest served as the last league match for seniors Sonya Huang and Jackie Son. Displaying her consistency, Huang was the low scorer for the Eagles in every match this year! Son shot her season low with a 54.

Rounding out the scores were Karen Wang, Gr. 10, with a 52, Patricia Huang, Gr. 9, career low 46, Katie Liang, Gr. 11, 54 and Jessica Son, Gr. 9, career low 54.

The girls missed qualifying as a team for CCS by just three strokes, placing third overall at league qualifying with a team score of 363 for 18 holes at Poplar Creek.

Sisters Sonya and Patricia Huang competed in the CCS Girls Golf Tournament and represented Harker admirably, placing 56th and 70th, respectively, out of 103 golfers. Coach Le-Chen Cheng described her senior players with fondness: “In my mind, Jackie has one of the purest swings I've seen.” She added, “Sonya has been the cornerstone of Harker golf for the past four years. Her decorated career will be one that belongs in the record books.”

Congratulations to the golf team and to all our Eagles for a great fall sports season!

Milestones Staff Updates

I

Culinary Student. She recently completed the required courses to become a certified executive chef through the American Culinary Federation and is seeking her third gold medal in order to become a judge at culinary competitions.

n July, Craig Pasqua, US tennis coach and director of the Harker Oakwood Tennis Training System and Summer Tennis Camp programs, was on a panel of athletes at the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) Kids Town Hall Forum at the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford.

Pasqua also worked this summer in Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska with Standing Tall Tennis (SST), an organization that provides tennis, sports and educational opportunities to Native American children on reservations.

Pasqua is the president of STT and chairman of USTA’s diversity committee.

Effective this school year, Dan Hudkins, director of information systems, is managing the network administration team led by Mark Locascio, the help desk and technical support group led by Jesse Lara and the application development and systems integration group led by Preeti Sharan.

Harker photographer Mark Tantrum of the Office of Communication has had one of his photos published in a large format book, “175 Photographers: A Collection of Contemporary Photography from JPGmag. com.” Tantrum’s photo, taken in Toyohashi, Japan, in 2001, is titled “One Man’s Treasure is Another Man’s Junk.” Tantrum is also a first-place winner in the Altpick Awards Photography Single category for “Balloon and Needle,” taken in 2009, earning him a Nikon Cool Pix camera and sundry other prizes.

Terry Walsh has moved from director of alumni relations to archivist. With her vast knowledge of Harker, accumulated over her 30 years at the school, she adds tremendous value to this important endeavor. As an archivist, she will help preserve Harker traditions and history.

Christina Yan ’93 has returned to Harker as director of alumni relations. See story, page 37.

Danae McLaughlin is now assistant to the executive chef in the Harker kitchens and will assist in overall business management of the food services department. McLaughlin joined Harker in 2007 after attending the

“Balloon and Needle” by Mark Tantrum

Professional Culinary Institute in Campbell, where she graduated with honors and received the Bert Cutino award for Outstanding

College counselor Kevin Lum Lung was a presenter at the Challenge Success conference at Stanford in late September.

Challenge Success is an expansion of the successful SOS (Stressed-Out Students) Project at Stanford University, founded

by Dr. Denise Pope, who spoke at Harker several years ago. Lum Lung was a panelist and presenter for a session titled “College Admissions: The Long View.”

John Near Memorial: October 10, 2009 (May 28, 1953 - Sept. 26, 2009)

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he life and contributions of John Near, 31-year veteran U.S. history teacher and coach, were celebrated with tears and laughter by a crowd of nearly 500 on Oct. 10 in Nichols Hall on the Saratoga campus. The moving tribute brought Near’s family, friends, fellow teachers, alumni, students and parents together to share anecdotes, reminisce, and, ultimately, celebrate a life well-lived.

From a stage featuring Near’s classroom and coaching memorabilia, including a roll-top desk and sports jerseys, speakers reminisced on how Near contributed immeasurably to the development of the school – and thus thousands of students. Speakers included Diana Nichols, former head of school and current Harker trustee and consultant; Head of School Chris Nikoloff; three of Near’s lifelong friends; alumnae Jessica Liu ‘04, VyVy Trinh ’07 and Near’s daughter, Casey ‘06; and Jim Near, John’s father.

“The life and contributions of John Near ... were celebrated with tears and laughter ...”

There was a slide show set to music that illustrated Near’s many roles: teacher; coach; husband of Pam Dickinson, director of Harker’s Office of Communication; father; son; brother; and friend. Attendees shared their special John Near memories and moments during open mic time, each anecdote illustrating a caring, passionate teacher. Following the program, Near’s favorite snacks, such as popcorn, apples and brownies, were served. From the dozens of anecdotes and memories, it is clear Near’s life and impact leave a legacy that will continue to inspire his thousands of students, scores of peers and friends and his own loving family. Visit Harker News Online for a slideshow of the memorial.

Honoring Near’s wishes, donations can be made to any one of the following: The John Near Excellence in History Education Endowment Fund (Harker School Advancement Office; 3800 Blackford Ave; S.J. 95117; checks to The Harker School, memo line “John Near Endowment Fund”); Hospice of the Valley www.hospicevalley.org/giving.html; CaringBridge www.caringbridge. org/visit/johnnear/; Silicon Valley Wellness Center www.svwellness.org/. To order a DVD of the memorial, e-mail communications@harker.org.

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PerformingArts

Galileo

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he Harker Conservatory presented “Galileo,”

by Bertolt Brecht, in late October. The play uses the later years of Galileo Galilei, who was persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church for his scientific discoveries, to explore conflicts between dogmatism and science.

Director Jeffrey Draper said the play offered “a unique series of challenges to the actors and designers as the action takes place over 30 years in 13 scenes throughout Italy.” Students worked hard to prepare and were assisted by a visit from Dr. Paula Findlen, chair of the department of history at Stanford University. “Dr. Findlen often teaches a course on Galileo at Stanford and we were very lucky to have her address our students and give us an invaluable context for the events of the play,” Draper noted.

There were some unique aspects to the production, including splitting the title role.

Adi Parige, Gr. 11, played the more familyoriented Galileo, while Kendra Moss, Gr. 12, played his ambitious and scientific side.

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The show had a large musical production number staged as an extravagant puppet show with music created and performed by Nico Nagle, Gr. 9; Kovid Puria, Gr. 10; John Ammatuna, Gr. 11; and Allika Walvekar, Gr. 11.

Paul Vallerga, technical director at the middle school, created a wonderful set, allowing one Galileo to pass off his character to the next while melting back into the scene. Caela Fujii and Brian Larsen of the performing arts department were wardrobe manager and production manager, respectively.

Conservatory students ran the production: Erica Hansen, Gr. 12, was the stage manager, Robert Maxton, Gr. 10, ran the light board and Scott Underwood, Gr. 12, ran the sound board. All in all, Draper guided his actors and crew successfully through an intellectually challenging show with complex production values and acting requirements.

PerformingArts

The cast included students from all three grades and one of the neatest parts of the production was having the students play “extras” in various scenes.

“The audience loved it. There were so many surprises as the actors came out as various characters – they never knew what was coming next!” said Monica Colletti, performing arts lead teacher who

produced the show. “I also really enjoyed watching the actors get creative in their slow-motion dream transitions.”

Even the extras had a blast: for example, Jacob Erlikhman, Gr. 8, Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari, Gr. 7 and Selin Ozcelik, Gr. 6, wore red beanies on their heads and became the buzzers for a game show; Saachi Jain, Gr. 8, played a little old lady driver in the background of a police scene; and Nicholas Semenza, Gr. 8, was the water cooler guy in the background of an office scene.

One of the highlights came after the performance when the cast did the “Jai-Ho” dance from “Slumdog Millionaire” during the curtain call.

“It was quite a sight!” said Colletti.

“The audience loved it. There were so many surprises as the actors came out as various characters – they never knew what was coming next!”

MS Fall Play

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iddle school students presented their third annual fall play, “The Education of Janet O’Malley,” in mid-November.

The comic look at the value of schooling starred nearly a score of students. Audience and players enjoyed the production, with “student Janet,” played by Anna Kendall, complaining to friends “Denise” and “Jackie,” played by Anna Levine and Shenel Ekici, all Gr. 8, about the pointlessness of school, but coming to find, through unlikely scenarios and dream sequences, that school really is important.

— Monica Colletti H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

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PERFORMING ARTS

Performing Arts Voices

“Around the World: Part I,” on Nov. 19 in Nichols Hall, showcased three upper school vocal ensembles in an intimate, ambitious recital.

Guys’ Gig, an all-male, a cappella club run by its members and advised by Susan Nace, opened the evening with two songs of African style. Offering art songs and arias from Europe were four soloists: sophomores Bridget Nixon, Lauren Pinzás and Govinda Dasu, and Vrinda Goel, Gr. 11.

Bel Canto, the chamber choir directed by Catherine Snider, presented an African-American spiritual, a Caribbean song written by Harry Belafonte, to which the singers added percussion, and the group’s most ambitious piece to date – three portions of a song cycle in Hebrew written by modern American composer Eric Whitacre.

Cantilena, directed by Nace, closed the evening with

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a modern African processional, also enhanced by percussion, an elegant Estonian piece and a song by English composer Edward Elgar. They finished the concert with their signature song, “How Can I Keep From Singing?”

“Around the World: Part II” is April 29 and will feature songs from several Asian countries.

Alumni

GREATER GOOD - CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

Sometimes outreach means bringing others in. Finalsite’s University West conference drew attendees from around the world Nov. 5 to discuss educational software, while over 100 public and private school educators from around California attended Harker’s third annual Harker Teacher Institute on June 18.

“Having opportunities like this to share with our fellow educators not only helps all of their students and our community, it helps our presenters reflect and improve their own teaching,” said upper school computer science department teacher Fred Triefenbach, who organizes the annual event.

Sometimes our students garner special recognition for their generosity. For his work over two summers assisting adults afflicted with Down Syndrome and autism in Seoul, South Korea, Alex Han, Gr. 12, has been named one of the top runners-up in the 2009 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards in California.

Dear Harker Friends, Greetings! It’s an exciting time for alumni relations at Harker. Harker truly is “K through Life,” and the alumni relations office is here to support our alumni throughout their lives after Harker. Our academic programs and other student resources have expanded dramatically in the past decade and student successes have been equally “In the coming months, we will dramatic. The alumni program be building new features for is evolving now, too, so that all alumni: an online, searchable members of our community can take advantage of our collective alumni directory; class pages variety of resources. Since joining managed and personalized by Harker this fall as the new director your class agents; more online of alumni relations, I have dedicated photos; expanded, active myself to increasing alumni communication, participation and regional and interest-specific networking. As an alumni base, we groups; career networking have tremendous potential.

events; and new opportunities to volunteer, give back to or reconnect with Harker.”

We’ve had successful alumni turnouts at the Family and Alumni Picnic and at our first homecoming on Davis Field; and the migration of a large and loyal fanbase to our Facebook page (www.facebook. com/HarkerAlumniAssociation) has been outstanding. In my first few weeks here, I was delighted to see how many alumni come back to visit with teachers and friends, affirming what a positive experience so many young people have had at our school.

In the coming months, we will be building new features for alumni: an online, searchable alumni directory; class pages managed and personalized by your class agents; more online photos; expanded, active regional and interest-specific groups; career networking events; and new opportunities to volunteer, give back to or reconnect with Harker.

There is an abundance of talent in our alumni community, – both among graduated students and our dedicated parents. As we enrich the programming available to alumni, we aim to share these gifts with each other by finding useful and enjoyable ways to connect with one another.

Interested in being part of the excitement? Be in touch! I love to hear from alumni and alumni parents, so please feel free to reach out any time to share ideas and suggestions that will improve your experience.

Sincerely,

Christina Yan ’93 Director of Alumni Relations phone: 408.345.9205 e-mail: christinay@harker.org H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

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FlashForward Alumni Q & A William Jarvis ’97 graduated from Santa Clara University in molecular biology in 2006, and in 2011 will receive an M.B.A. from Stanford, where he currently lives. A science experiment Jarvis began as an eighth grade boarding student at Harker has recently been released by his family’s winery as “Will Jarvis’ Science Project,” and was given 93 points by the Beverage Testing Institute and 92 points by Wine Spectator.

L. Bruce Jones, PAMA ‘71, attended Culver Military Academy, Trinity University, St. Mary’s University and the University of Washington. He makes his home in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where he is the CEO of U.S. Submarines, Inc., Poseidon Undersea Resorts LLC and Triton Submarines LLC. the summer of my sixth grade year at PAMA [Palo Alto Military Academy], and that was the start of a lifelong fascination with being underwater.

Q:

What do you find most exciting about your career or current project?

A: WJ: An M.B.A. is exciting William Jarvis, right, with Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement.

because it opens lots of doors and presents you with educational and career opportunities you would not have access to otherwise.

A: LBJ: We’re currently building

the world’s first sea floor resort and the very first permanent, oneatmosphere undersea residence. It’s the culmination of a dream for me.

Q:

What personal traits make you successful at what you’re doing?

A: WJ: I have a good sense of what

L. Bruce Jones

Q: When you were at Harker, did you

dream of doing what you do now?

A: William Jarvis: I always knew,

even at an early age, that I wanted to attend a graduate business program and eventually run my own business.

After finishing my undergraduate education I worked for three years doing research and development at a biotech company called Codexis. My work experience helped me gain admittance to the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where I am currently enrolled as a first-year M.B.A. student.

A: L. Bruce Jones: I learned to dive 38

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my priorities are and I focus my time and energy accordingly. I do not let myself get sidetracked by the non-essential.

A: LBJ: Hard work and perseverance.

Q: What in your life so far took you

the longest time to learn?

A: WJ: Developing effective

leadership skills is a lifelong process and this is an area where I continually seek improvement.

A: LBJ: Balancing work with family

and leisure.

What’s on the top of your personal and professional “lists” right now?

Q:

A: WJ: I am in the middle of the “on

campus recruiting” process at Stanford, looking for an appropriate summer internship. I believe that work experience outside of the family business will allow me to contribute in a more meaningful way to the winery.

A: LBJ: Teaching my wife and

teenage boys to fly in preparation for an around the world journey in a small plane in two years. Continuing to grow the submarine and the undersea resort companies.

Tell us something surprising about yourself.

Q:

A: WJ: I bought a Japanese sports

bike (motorcycle) when I was 20 years old and I have been riding ever since.

A: LBJ: I won the 1977 Collegiate

National Skydiving Championships when in college.

What advice do you have for current Harker students?

Q:

A: WJ: Focus on your academics and take advantage of all the opportunities that are available through Harker, but also put some time aside for your personal development. It is important to develop a sense of perspective and see yourself and your aspirations in a broader context than what you are accustomed to. If you have the opportunity, traveling can be a great way to expand your horizons.

A: LBJ: Do what you love and don’t give up when it’s difficult. When the time comes, find a mate that supports you and your career choice.

LookingAhead Summer @ Harker A unique balance of learning and fun!

· Math · Science · Language Arts Also: · Swim · Crafts · Sports and more!

Summer.harker.org 408.553.0537

Harker Quarterly (USPS 023-761) is published four times per year (December, March, June and September) by The Harker School, Office of Communication, 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129. Periodicals Postage Paid at San Jose, CA and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Harker News, 500 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA 95129.

H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

WINTER 2009

39

John

Near

Harker U.S. History teacher and coach for 31 years

“I love teaching high school and coaching basketball, but no more so than I loved teaching eighth grade.

I realized that my ‘path’ was simply teaching; in the end, the grade level made no difference. John Lennon said, ‘Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.’ By all means, dream. Plan a path if you can, but also realize it will likely take many a turn …”

– John Near, Baccalaureate speech ‘08

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C a l i f o r n i a O of C: 12/09 (BHDG /DQP) 4585