Harker Quarterly Fall 2014

Endowments Take Student Research to the Next Level

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Summer Camps Spread Sunshine Harvest Festival Continues Grand Tradition Volu m e 6 路 N u m b e r 1

Cover Photo

H

arker sent a group of students to Tanzania for the second year in a row, and

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this time there was a strong component

Pam Dickinson Director

of outreach. Students saw and did it all,

from watching a gazelle bring down a cheetah to learning Maasai dance. Anita Chetty, science department chair, initiated and led the expedition both years and, this year, took hundreds of stunning photos of the veldt and its denizens, including this wonderful photo of two students with a Maasai woman and her donkey.

Along with learning about tribal customs and hunting with the Hadzabe, students provided a variety of medical assistance to both Maasai and Hadzabe tribes. The details and more photos are on page 26, along with stories on other student summer trips.

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

Photos and More Photos!

If there is one thing our community loves, it is photos of students at work and play. To that end, we are now on Instagram!

Instagram is an app devoted to sharing photos. The photos will come from all campuses, from faculty and staff members, and from our photographer, of course. Follow via computer or phone @harkerschool on Instagram. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, too; following us on social media is a great way to hear about and see our students in action! And if you’re on campus and take a great photo, email it to us at news@ harker.org. You may see it in our feed that day!

William Cracraft Editor Catherine Snider Jenn Maragoni Copy Editors Kyle Cavallaro Photo Editor

Jenny Alme Stefan Armijo Robert Boucher Steven Boyle ‘06 Debbie Cohen Nicole DeVelbiss Jessica Ferguson Melinda Gonzales Edward Hejtmanek ‘06 Zach Jones Devin Nguyen ‘12 Diane Villadsen ‘11 Contributors Blue Heron Design Group Rebecca McCartney Triple J Design Design Diamond Quality Printing Printing

Harker News (HN) was launched in April 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 HN via RSS feeds or a daily digest email 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

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

Preschool: 4525 Union Ave., San Jose, CA 95124 K-Grade 5: 4300 Bucknall Rd., San Jose, CA 95130 Grades 6-8: 3800 Blackford Ave., San Jose, CA 95117 Grades 9-12: 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129 Published four times a year, 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: december 2014 2

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inside

features

Endowments Add Special Layer to Student Experience

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Summer Brings Out the Fun! 10

Harvest Festival Includes New Games and Teacher Challenges 22

departments

26

10

18

Advancement 18

Milestones 24

25 Summer Travel 26 Business & Entrepreneurship 28 Performing Arts 30 28 Eagle Report 32 Greater Good 34 Debate 36 Passages 37 30 Alumni 38 Looking Ahead 46 Global Ed

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Headlines

By Christopher Nikoloff Head of School

Finding Balance Between

the ‘Experiencing Self’ and Editor’s note: This speech was presented by Mr. Nikoloff at the matriculation ceremony on Aug. 22.

G

ood morning. I would like to welcome the classes of 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015 to the 2014 matriculation ceremony. Matriculation is a ceremony initiated with the first class of the Harker upper school, the Class of 2002. During this ceremony new students to the upper school take an oath promising to follow the Honor Code, a document written by students in the early years of the Harker upper school and updated periodically.

The Honor Code outlines how students as a community wish to live together and wish to be treated by each other.

Honesty and respect, for instance, are important tenets of the Honor Code.

Each year I begin matriculation with an aspiration I have for the students for the school year.

Because I have basically invited myself to speak at both matriculation and graduation, and I have accepted my own invitation, I try to confine my remarks to one page of singlespace, size-12 font. I am adapting my aspiration for you this year from a TED talk given by the Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman, author of “Thinking Fast and Slow.” Kahneman begins his TED talk by pointing out that studies of happiness are often confused by a lack of clarity around which self’s happiness we are discussing, the “experiencing self” or the “remembering self.”

What are the experiencing and remembering selves? According to Kahneman, the experiencing self is the self who lives his life from moment to moment; the remembering self is the self who thinks about his life. The experiencing self is the self the doctor inquires about when he pokes you and asks, “Does this hurt?”

The remembering self is the self he inquires about when he asks how you have been feeling over the last few weeks. If you go on vacation, the self who is enjoying each moment is the experiencing self; the self who is planning the vacation beforehand and recalling it fondly while looking at pictures afterward is the remembering self. The experiencing self is your

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

life and the remembering self thinks about your life. What is

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my hope for you this year? My hope for you this year is that you

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Headlines the ‘Remembering Self’ achieve a healthy balance between your experiencing self and your remembering self.

We need both selves. If we only had the experiencing self, we would live like a piece of music in which each note has no relation to the note that went before or the note that comes after. I think we all know people like this, and in some ways kids live more as an experiencing self. We need the remembering self to have what the philosopher Alan Watts calls “resonance.” It isn’t much good to be happy unless you know you are happy. Memory and metacognition are forms of feedback that give life resonance, just as good acoustical feedback gives our voice resonance. The remembering self is a kind of a neurological echo.

However, we can live under the tyranny of the remembering self, especially in high school. The remembering self compares with others, makes judgments, sets expectations and plans. The remembering self, when hyperactive, can create the same kind of zaniness that occurs when we have too much feedback, like when a cave produces too much echo or when we are overthinking a performance. Here is one of Alan Watts’ favorite limericks:

“There once was a man who said though, it seems that I know that I know, yet what I would like to see is the I that knows me when I know that I know that I know.”

Kahneman asks what kind of vacation you would choose if you could take no pictures and your memory would be wiped upon return? High school is a time for

“Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans.”

—John Lennon

planning and preparing, but what kind of life would you plan if your experiencing self, not your remembering self, were choosing? Too often we choose a path based

on the remembering self’s ideas, not the experiencing self’s intuition. Whichever path you choose, hopefully your experiencing self will have some say and will be there to experience the joy of your flourishing.

Living too much with the remembering self can remove us from the life all around us. John Lennon sang in his song “Beautiful Boy,” “Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans.” By achieving the right balance between the experiencing and remembering selves, we hope that you will find the life that is waiting for you, both this year and beyond. Thank you.

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Broaden Student and Teacher Horizons; More than

By Zach Jones

By Zach Jones

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

ince their foundings in 2009 and 2011, respectively, the John Near history endowment and the Mitra humanities endowment have become symbols of the Harker community’s dedication to helping students pursue a broad array of interests. The endowments have funded 21 meticulously researched historical analyses to date.

Established after the 2009 passing of beloved history teacher John Near and funded by his parents, Jim and Pat Near, The John Near Excellence in History Education Endowment echoes Near’s passion for history education. In addition to funding the continued development of the John Near Resource Center, the endowment provides students with opportunities to do high-level academic research on their chosen historical topics.

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Two years later, Harker parents Samir and Sundari Mitra (Sachin ‘10; Shivani ‘13) established The Mitra Family Endowment for the Humanities, a $100,000 fund that further expands research opportunities into areas such as philosophy, languages and the arts. This endowment exemplifies the Mitras’ “whole mission” philosophy, which emphasizes not just mathematical and scientific know-how but also the ability to know what people need, “so that you can create something to help make the world a better place,” said Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement.

Each year, Harker seniors submit proposals on topics in history and the humanities that they would like to explore. Those chosen to receive Near and Mitra grants are then assigned a faculty mentor and spend the next year researching and writing their papers. Their journeys often lead to

a Score of Papers Produced fascinating discoveries. Shivani Mitra, one of the first Mitra scholars, traveled to Mexico City to speak with members of Frida Kahlo’s family for her project on the life and impact of the legendary painter and feminist icon.

She also unearthed archival photos that provided further insight into Kahlo’s life and how it influenced her work.

“The grants haven’t just enhanced learning opportunities for the scholars.

They’ve helped bring balance to the entire student body.” — Apoorva Rangan, grade 12

Gilbert and Library Director Sue Smith, who evaluate and approve student proposals for the grants, admitted to trepidation about the programs upon their initial launch.

“That first year, we kind of held our breath; we weren’t sure if anyone was even going to want to do it,” Gilbert said.

“Are they going to line up to do independent research in their senior year that’s going to take hours and hours of their time?” Smith remembered asking at the time.

Their concerns were allayed both by the response to the grant programs, which attracted dozens of applicants this past school year, and the quality of the resulting papers. Students have begun asking about the grants as early as grade 9, “and not just as a resume builder, but with a genuine interest in a topic,” Gilbert said.

The grant programs also have acted as a source of professional development for the faculty mentors, who often find themselves caught up in the subjects that the students are studying. “We’re all intellectually interested ourselves,” Smith said. “I’ve watched mentors do research simultaneously with the kids

Photos by Kyle Cavallaro

“We had so much fun,” said history department chair Donna Gilbert, who mentored Mitra during her research.

“Neither of us had seen any of those archival photographs before.”

to stay one step ahead so that they can help them.”

sustain those of us in education for weeks at a time.”

Just this summer, Smith bumped into Apoorva Rangan, grade 12 and one of this year’s Near scholars, and found herself in a conversation about Rangan’s research on news coverage of the Vietnam War and the resulting tension between news media and the federal government. The discussion turned to how Rangan planned to focus her project after learning how the Freedom of Information Act affected television coverage of the war. “She’s seeing things in history colliding and questioning what affected what,” Smith said.

“Those kinds of things

For Rangan, the importance of the Near and Mitra grants lies in how they reinforce Harker’s mission to help students discover and

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John Near foster their love for any topic. “The grants haven’t just enhanced learning opportunities for the scholars,” Rangan said. “They’ve helped bring balance to the entire student body. They’ve helped emphasize to students that you can make any subject as rigorous as you want it to be.”

The effort and passion that goes into these projects also can have lasting effects that

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

Photo by Ashley Batz

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“Dr. Meyer then explained that the policy change paper could have more of an impact in the real world, if I published [it] in a few years, once I have established my advocacy work, and once I have solidified my [knowledge of the] historical background of the disability rights movement.”

Photo by Ashley Batz

In their proposals, students frequently cite work they have done in previous years, Smith said. “Oftentimes they provide a resume in their application for the grant,” she said.

“The point is that they see our research scope and sequence in the history department as preparation.”

For Jawadi, one of the greatest benefits of being a Near scholar was the mentorship she received from Smith and history teacher Ruth Meyer, both of whom offered advice on how to create a paper that would bolster her long-term goals. “Dr. Meyer and Ms. Smith mentioned in my first meeting in senior year that I should focus on the history of the disability rights movement rather than the policy change,” she said.

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

The grants also provide additional motivation for students to excel in social studies and the humanities, something to which Rangan can personally attest. “When I was thinking about proposal topics for the grant, I found myself more involved and engaged in my history classes,” she said.

extend far beyond the students’ high school careers. While working on her paper about the impact of the feminist and civil rights movements on the disability rights movement of the 1960s and ’70s, Near scholar Zina Jawadi ’13, who is hearing impaired, also began devising a plan for how to improve the lives of people with disabilities, particularly the removal of barriers to educational opportunities.

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Though they are happy with the grant programs as they currently exist, Gilbert and Smith have discussed some possible future improvements. Gilbert would like to see Near and Mitra scholars share and discuss their work with the community more often, hoping that “students will see research not necessarily as a burden or as … just another assignment that they have to check off, but [as] transformative.”

Another possibility is adding more multimedia elements, such as links to videos or sounds embedded into the electronic versions of the papers. “When somebody interviews Frida Kahlo’s family, it would be fabulous to be able to have a video clip embedded in the paper,” Smith said.

Above all, Gilbert and Smith hope that the grants continue in their mission to

History Endowment Mitra Humanities Endowment This endowment exemplifies the Mitras’ “whole mission” philosophy, which emphasizes not just mathematical and scientific knowhow but also the ability to know what people need, “so that you can create something to help make the world a better place.” ­

offer research opportunities to students who wish to explore the subjects they love.

“I feel like we are so in touch with the kids’ interests and can support them in this program,” Smith said. “This is the ultimate individualized learning program.”

Mitra and Near Scholar papers have all been summarized and the summaries can be found in Harker News at news. harker.org; search “endowment.” The papers themselves can be found on our website at http://library.harker.org/ nearmitra.

Photos by Kyle Cavallaro

— Joe Rosenthal, Executive Director of Advancement

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“Once again, we enjoyed a successful summer … and were thrilled to be able to offer exciting new programming!”

- Kelly Espinosa, Director of Summer Programs

en

By Debbie Coh

Innovative New fferings Programs and O r e k r a H t a 4 1 0 2 r e Highlight Summ back Below is a look

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Photos by Diane Vil

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grinding rocks into sand!” she enthused.

Photo by Devin Nguyen ‘12

happily grabbed their backpacks and headed off to the (imaginary) forest.

During the second session Hart recalled that the children had a great time meeting new forest animal friends, building with logs, digging in the dirt, pitching tents, creating with found objects, exploring common outdoorsy tools, and enjoying everything nature had to offer. “It was all the fun of a camping adventure without the worries of bears or mosquito bites!” she said.

grade 3 Harker student, said she enjoyed the camp’s climbing wall and had a lot of fun going on a field trip to the Oakland Zoo. “I liked seeing all the animals … especially the turtles,” she said.

Camp+ students in grades 1-6 had the option of enrolling in one of two academic morning programs: Core

Classmate Miley Liu, also 4, said she liked “making a beach in a box,” an activity in which students filled plastic containers with sand, shells and other items one would see at a beach.

Meanwhile, in music and movement class, students made drums that sounded like the ocean, explained teacher Mara Beckerman.

Then, in her aftercare class, they explored surfing to the upbeat music of “Wipe Out.”

Photos by Jessica Ferguson

Highlights of the first session included water play on “Splash Days,” as well as explorations of both sand and water. Four-year-old camper Luca Chan especially enjoyed the many ocean-themed books introduced and discussed during group times.

In art class the children enjoyed sea foam watercolor painting, sand sculpture, sea life printmaking, lobster claw still life and shell weaving, among other activities.

“We also discussed where pearls come from and what they look like at a beadmaking table,” recalled art instructor Alexandria Kerekez.

Harker’s Summer Camp+ filled up at record speed, attracting 774 K-6 campers to the lower school campus. This year’s program had a fun-filled afternoon circus theme, called “Under the Big Top.” Once again, Camp+ provided morning learning experiences followed by ageappropriate afternoon electives. Grade 5 Harker student and Camp+ enthusiast Jack Hayashi said his favorite thing about the program was playing ball hockey and going to the archery range. He also liked that there was plenty of time for simply “clowning around.”

Focus or Learning Opportunities in Literature (LOL). Core Focus was a more traditional learning environment with language arts, math and academic electives for each grade level. LOL featured academic courses designed around literary subject matter; this year, LOL focused on the work of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss.

Both Core Focus and LOL shared the same afternoon options, including arts and crafts, dance, water play, wall climbing, archery, Photo by Devin Nguyen ‘12

The first summer session was filled with surf, sand and sun as the children “soaked in” all there was to see and do around this well-loved theme, noted Andrea Hart, director of Harker Preschool. “Together we explored sea life and play through sand and water, singing silly songs and reading stories about friends who live and play on the salty shore. All were inspired by our new pet hermit crab.

There were also some excellent sandcastles that the children made themselves by manually

Summer Camp+ Enjoyed Record-Breaking Attendance

Meanwhile, firsttime Camp+ participant Rhiannon Sikand, a

Photos by Jessica Ferguson

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Photo by Devin Nguyen ‘12

and teachers; and provide enormous opportunity for continued English language development, according to ELI director Anthony Wood. Additionally, older students interested in attending American boarding schools or universities had the opportunity to visit and meet with staff at some of the area’s best schools.

Highlights of the VIP trip included whale watching in Monterey, a Jelly Belly factory tour, educational visits to University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University, a Giants (vs. Chicago White Sox) game, a scavenger hunt at Huddart Park and a day of fun at Great America theme park.

Photo by Diane Villadsen ’11

However, customer Grace Cao, a grade 11 Harker student, said that she simply happened upon the stand on her way to an SI class. Of the lemonade she ordered, she said, “It tasted great!”

In Yosemite National Park, ELI students viewed the majestic Yosemite Falls and

New VIP Tour Took Learning on the Road for ELI Participants

Zhou explained that to offset costs, such as cups and ingredients, drinks were sold for $1 for regular flavor and $1.50 for specialty flavors like mango or strawberry. “But we passed out coupons for 25 cents off to attract customers,” she said, noting that refills also came with a 25 cent discount.

Zhou’s F.I.T. classmate, grade 9 Harker student Eric Tran, said he was surprised at how much money the lemonade stand netted, noting that, “We made $85 in just the first half hour of its opening.” In addition to passing out coupons to help attract customers, Tran said that a lot of marketing was done “word of mouth” and by “putting up signs around campus.”

Adding an international flair to summer at Harker, ELI provides overseas students with an opportunity to learn and practice their English skills. Many participants go on to attend top American and international schools.

First-time ELI student Hui-Hsuan (Maggie) Cheng, a grade 6 student from Taiwan, fondly recalled visiting tide pools. Cheng said that in a lesson prior to the field trip, her teacher had explained the importance of gently handling the tide pool animals.

New to ELI this summer was an optional “Very Interesting Places” (VIP) tour.

Available to all ELI students (ages 6-16), the six-day VIP tour took place at the conclusion of the program’s regular fiveweek academic session. The trip, held in mid-August with 21 participants, took the students to local theme parks, museums, various school campuses and tourist attractions, culminating with an overnight stay in Yosemite National Park.

Destinations were carefully chosen to elevate historical and cultural awareness; allow students to create closer relationships with their peers

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

had attended Harker’s Camp+ program, held at the lower school.

This summer 57 upper school students and 42 lower school children came to Harker from countries around the globe to attend the increasingly popular English Language Institute (ELI).

visited the area’s museum and cultural center, with educational activities led by a park ranger. A short hike to the lower falls provided inspiration for a writing assignment and picture journal.

“A specially designed instructional component made each day’s adventure a learning experience catered to individual proficiency levels. Students wrote, spoke and read about their destinations, learned new vocabulary related to each new site, and had daily challenges involving English interaction in real-life situations. A travel journal was kept to document their learning … and of course all the fun!” recalled Wood.

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Summer Spor

ts Camps

Water Polo C am Focuses on F p Adds Second Week, undamentals After

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by Zach Jo

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“We teach th em what th need to be ey a complete player no m The weeklon le ve l atter what they choose g camp, wh to play at.” ich ran June 16 -20 and July 14-18, was design Volleyball Ca ed for studen m ts in grades 4-8 Improving Sk pers Enjoy new to the sport, emphasizin ills and Learn g fundamen New Ones ing tal skills such as egg beater kickin g (or “eggbeateri The summer ng”), passin coed g an d sh ooting. “We vo lleyball cam on teaching really conce p, among the fundam ntrate entals of th Harker’s mos these kids h e game, as t p ave never p opular a lot of layed water summer offe said. “Water polo before, ri n g polo’s a pre s, gave ” Lamb tty tough sp students of know what ort if you don many skill you’re doin ’t g.” levels the ch ance to hon The most p e their skills u opular part n der the of the water scrimmagin instruction polo camp is g, or the info of top-level rmal pickup playing of th in g structors. Fu am es e game is so . “The n was the mething that enjoy,” Lam top priority they really b said. at the camp , which grou ped studen ts Basketball Ca by age and skill level, m and included Fundamentals pers Learn warm-up Phot Under Vetera n’s Tutelage drills, volleyball-themeds,gam os by Stefan Armijo Harker’s sum es and team mer sports camps kicked play. with basketb “We’ve had off in late Ju all camp, w m an y returning ne hich ran June 23 campers, w we’re doing -27 at the m hich is a sig something ri iddle n ght. That’s school camp en co u ra always very ging,” said us. Focused D an M on the fund ol in, Harker’s upper schoo amentals of l athletic dir the ector and sport, the ca b oy s vo lleyball coac mp was open h. A veteran to students coach of mor in grades 4 e than 20 ye -8 and was led ars at the collegiate, h by veteran igh school an basketball co d club levels, Molin ach and cam co-directed p the camp director Joh with Theres n “Sarge” S a “Smitty” S iers. mith, who has worked at Harker fo A longtime r 22 years friend of Bu and was th tch e 2007 Mer Keller, upper cu ry News CC S Volleyball C school divis oach of the ion head and va Ye ar . rsity basketb all coach, Siers Each day st has been te arted with a aching at su dynamic war camps since u p session of m m er m1985. His co basketball stretches an aching philo first, “[Camp d ball-contr exercises. Fo sophy is that ers] must hav ol llo w in g a half-hou e fun. When play, the ca r of team they have fu mpers moved n, to drill statio that emphas ns ized various volleyball sk ills, 14

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including passing, setting, hitting and serving.

Soccer Campers Learn the Finer Points of the Game With World Cup fever in full force, Harker’s summer soccer camp provided players of many skill levels with the opportunity to learn about one of the world’s most popular sports in a fun and supportive environment. The camp was directed by Harker soccer coach Shaun Tsakiris, who worked with coaches from San Jose’s De Anza Force soccer club to offer campers an enjoyable and comprehensive learning experience.

Photos by Stefan Armijo

Each day started with a dynamic warm-up routine that incorporated gymnastics maneuvers such as rolls, flips and handstands. Students would then practice techniques with the camp coaching staff, work on situational wrestling and play games before breaking for lunch. Each coach at the camp taught something new to the campers each day.

“The themes are the same. We always want to make sure we make it entertaining and challenging for kids,” said Tsakiris, who competed in four NCAA tournaments and received the MVP award from UCLA in 2000.

(For more on Tsakiris, see the Eagle Report on page 33.)

Summer Swim School Caters to Variety of Swimmers

“It’s really fun,” said Patrick Geleziunas, a grade 8 student at Ralston Middle School. “I’m learning new stuff and [meeting] new players, and it’s fun playing with them.”

Wrestling Camp Brings Great Coaches, Enthusiastic Wrestlers Together

Photo by Devin Nguyen ‘12

The second year of Harker’s summer wrestling camp expanded on last summer’s successes and brought together a team of qualified coaches, as well as special guest Anthony Robles, the 2011 NCAA National Champion in the 125-pound weight class.

Whether looking to learn how to enjoy one of summer’s quintessential activities or exploring its more competitive aspects, Harker’s Summer Swim School had something to offer to swimmers of every skill level. The summer-long program, which started in mid-June and ended the first week of August, offered swim lessons for individuals and groups, as well as a junior swim team camp for students in grades 2-8 that introduced enthusiastic swimmers to competitive swimming.

Photos by Kyle Cavallaro

Campers started each day with a half hour of agility, strength and balance training. Instructors made an effort to incorporate a soccer ball into exercises as much as possible. Students then broke off into groups, with one going to the middle school campus for futsal (indoor soccer) while others worked on soccer skills at Davis Field, rotating through stations for shooting, passing and receiving, and dribbling. Students also practiced one-on-one situations and participated in game play.

Among the staff at this year’s camp was legendary local wrestling coach Jay Lawson.

A De Anza Hall of Fame inductee and longtime supporter of Harker’s wrestling program,

Lawson brought decades of experience to help camp attendees perform at their very best. “Jay has been a mentor of mine since I was in my early 20s.

When we first got into the league that Harker is in, he was one of the guys who took me under his wing,” said Harker wrestling coach Karriem Stinson, who co-directed the camp. “He was always positive. He always gave me encouragement and told me, ‘You’re building a great program there, keep going.’”

Photos by Kyle Cavallaro

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The progra m took place at the upper school campus’ Sin gh Aquatic Center, wh ose 75-by112.5-foot p ool and 13 swimmin g lanes Photos by Ky offered an id le Cavallaro eal spot for swimmers. many place “There are s in the Bay not Area that yo lessons in su u can get p ch a beauti ri va te ful facility,” Dondero, sw said Melissa im school d irector.

Teachers Enh a

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The Junior Swim Team program gre year, with ro w significan ughly 15 stu tly this dents per w Dondero sa eek particip id. This pro ating, gram is for interested in students wh learning ke o ar e y principles swimming, of competitiv but haven’t e yet decided compete an if they’d lik d are “a littl e to e bit nervou that means, s about wh ” she explain at ed. Under th experienced e guidance instructors, of swimmers p land warm-u articipated ps before h in dryeading into on stroke te the water to chnique, en w ork d urance and aspects of co other impor mpetition. tant

nce Skills

By Zach Jo

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Never ones to rest on th eir laurels d summertim uring e, several H arker teach skills by taki er s learned n ng part in th ew e learning in grant progra novation m. Formerly known as te the learning ch grants, innovation grants afford opportunity teachers th spend part e of their sum skills that w mer acquirin ill help them g in and out of the classroo Lower schoo m. l math teac her Stephan created a re ie Woolsey source for te achers usin and a bookm g Google Sites arking serv ice called S arranges boo ym baloo, whic teacher’s qu kmarks in a h estions by u graphical in easy to und sing remotes terface that h andheld dev erstand and or other is ices. Teacher edit. “I took resources, fo ex s, in turn, ca is th ti ng math e class answ rmerly house n show how ered the qu d in Athena, additional re estion using as well as in real time. sources, an d ata gathered Schafer said d compiled that teacher them into on this will en better gaug s can access ab e le si e te her to the students and add to,” “Teachers ca ’ understan said Woolsey material. n now look ding of the . for online so interactive urces for sites, PDFs, PowerPoints of topics in “Since all st , etc., on a va one location udents will riety .” be answerin I will have g the questi an idea of th ons, Woolsey also e level of und ac ross the clas worked wit erstanding sroom, inclu h Lisa Diffen of learning, ding those derfer, direc are less likel innovation students wh tor y to particip and design school, to cr o at at e th in class discu sa e eate spread lower id. Because ss sheets in G io th n e ,” i > sh contain mat cl e icker system oogle Docs participatio h test questi requires full that n, students ons that can cl modified by as s are more lik easily be which will other math ely to be en help them re teachers. “T gaged, timesavers ta hese tools ar in m “F or for the teac in e informatio ally, when e hers, which n. there isn’t a time to wor gives us mor student con the answer k on other m e sensus on , the use of cl aterials and classrooms, ickers can p projects for to-student d ” Woolsey sa romote stud our iscussion th id. entat enriches th ex p erience and e learning Inspired by so lid ifi es understan the work of concepts,” S Stanford Un ding of maj and Nobel la chafer said. or iversity phys ureate Carl ic is t Wieman, up biology teac p er A sc s her Kate Sch hool with last ye afer investig ar’s grant p i >clicker, a rogram, par ated the use teachers mad system that ticipating of e short, info allows stud ents to answ rm ative videos th eir projects, er a showcasing which were shown at th orientation e teacher meetings in mid-August .

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Bay Area Educators Attend Harker Teacher Institute Harker once again invited Bay Area educators to the upper school campus for the Harker Teacher Institute on June 7. Celebrating its 10th year, the event featured presentations by 17 Harker faculty members, who gave workshops on various ways to improve the learning experience in classrooms. It was also sponsored by the Silicon Valley affiliate of Computer Using Educators, an organization dedicated to the innovative use of technology in education.

The workshops explored many different tools and techniques. For example, lower school math teacher Eileen Schick’s presentation on Singapore model drawing demonstrated a visual method of solving word problems.

Meanwhile, lower school English teacher Ann Smitherman demonstrated how using questions in feedback helps students better internalize the feedback they receive, and showed her use of comments in Google Docs to achieve this goal.

Photos by Kyle Cavallaro

For his workshop on project-based learning, Juston Glass, business and entrepreneurship teacher, had attendees break off into groups and build structures using Tinkertoys to show how classroom projects can engage students and help them become

more invested in the learning process.

Diane Main, the upper school’s learning, innovation and design director, showed how MinecraftEdu – an educational version of the popular computer game Minecraft – can be used to create classroom environments in which students learn how to work together to solve problems.

Celebrating its 10th year, the event featured presentations by 17 Harker faculty members, who gave workshops on various ways to improve the learning experience in classrooms.

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Advancement

Calling All Families: Help Us Meet the Match!

Deadline for pledges is Oct. 12

B

y now, you likely have seen parents and staff holding signs curbside on Fridays during dropoff, or perhaps the Rising to the Challenge banners and flagpole signs on each campus have caught your eye.

Maybe you even took the time to stop by the campaign tent at a volunteer breakfast or campus barbecue at the start of school.

We are in the middle of the biggest capital campaign in Harker’s history! Last spring, we were thrilled to announce a $10 million matching gift challenge put forth by Harker parents Jeff and Marieke Rothschild (Isaac ’14; Jackiel, grade 11) to help fund the proposed events center on the upper school campus. In the process of fulfilling that challenge, Harker’s Board of Trustees and Board of Fellows joined with the

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Rothschilds and established a matching gift fund to support annual giving. Both matches run through Oct. 12.

How It Works The Rothschild challenge: All capital campaign gifts pledged between April 21Oct. 12, 2014, and paid by Dec. 1, 2016, will be matched.

The trustees/fellows challenge: Pledging the same amount to annual giving that you gave last time and making a capital campaign pledge, regardless of size, qualifies your annual giving pledges for the next one, two or three years to be matched. The match on your annual giving gift will go directly toward the events center.

Special conditions apply. If you are a current parent, please refer to the insert you received with your annual Guide to Philanthropy or visit www.harker.org/ eventscenter for more details.

Harker parent and parent development council member Zulfikar Ramzan (Kabir, grade 3; Ameera, K) has graciously put together an instructional video in the style of Khan Academy to help families understand how to maximize the impact of their matching gift pledges. To view the video, please go to: www.harker.org/matchvideo

Advancement “By Oct. 12, each and every Harker family will know about the campaign, how it works, understand its importance and impact, and be inspired to participate, stretching as much as they can to give, relative to their individual financial situation.”

- Diana Nichols, Chair, Board of Trustees

Graphics provided by the Advancement Office

Second Match Ensures Ongoing Program Excellence As an independent private school, Harker receives no outside funding from government, religious or other organizations. Each year, in addition to the tuition and fees charged, Harker relies on annual charitable giving to provide what we call the “Margin of Excellence” – things like special classroom equipment, excursions and more that take the Harker experience to the next level.

The boards recognized that preserving these annual funds was critical while the school worked toward meeting the Rothschild match for the capital campaign. With their matching gift fund, the boards hope to inspire families to

continue giving at the same amount to annual giving while also making a contribution to the events center.

Resources at Upcoming Events

Exceptional Facilities Help Fulfill Programmatic Goals

Harker staff and parent development council members are ready to answer your remaining questions and assist you in the pledge process:

There is a direct correlation between a strong culture of philanthropy and the quality of an academic institution.

Charitable gifts to Harker go to support each of our four cornerstones of success, as outlined in Harker’s 2020 Vision Statement (available at www.harker. org): students and family experience; faculty, staff and learning; curriculum and programs; and facilities and infrastructure. Together, each of these four priorities support and reinforce one another.

Homecoming – Oct. 4 Harker Phone-a-Thon – Oct. 5 and 6 Family & Alumni Picnic – Oct. 12 At Homecoming and the picnic, be sure to stop by the Rising to the Challenge tent to see the latest drawings of the interior and exterior of the events center and check out the naming opportunities available to donors who help us meet the match. If you have already made a pledge, we welcome you to check in at the tent and pick up your “I Met the Match!” sticker!

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Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

Advancement

At www.harker.org/eventscenter, you’ll find: Match Calculator: Enter different amounts and see the total impact of your gifts.

Giving History: Look up your last gift to find the baseline for your annual giving pledge.

Events Center Case Booklet: Read about the details and benefits of the proposed events center.

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Ready to Pledge?

Pledges can be made on the Harker website for both the annual and capital giving campaigns, submitted via a pledge envelope (available in your Guide to Philanthropy and at all upcoming events) or dropped off at the front desk of any Harker campus.

Photo by Nicole DeVelbiss

Visit the Events Center Webpage

For more information:

2020 Vision Statement: Review Harker’s four cornerstones of success.

Joe Rosenthal, executive director of advancement joe.rosenthal@harker.org

Setting the Stage for the Next Century Video: Listen to thoughts from students, faculty and parents on the current campaign.

Melinda Gonzales, managing director of advancement melinda.gonzales@harker.org

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Ellen DiBiase, director of donor relations ellen.dibiase@harker.org

Photo by Nicole DeVelb iss

aryEllis Dea Photo by M

le Sherry May Photo by

laro

Photo by Kyle Caval

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

Photo by Kyle

Cavallaro

Photo by Nicole DeVelbiss

con

Welcome to the start of a new school year!

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

Provided

by Harker News Provided by Harker News

Photo prov

ided by U S

Journalism

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

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Fall into Fun at the

Annual Harvest Festival

By Melinda Gonzales

Sun., Oct. 12 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Blackford Campus

Photo by Ky

le Cavalla

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O

nce again the Harker community will come together in celebration of the fall season and the opening of school at the 64th annual Family & Alumni Picnic, the Harker Harvest Festival, held on the middle school campus on Sun., Oct. 12. We’ll be bringing back old favorites and introducing some new thrills. From top-notch student performances in the Harvest Hoedown to exciting games and fabulous food, the picnic offers a day of delights for all ages!

Photo by

The point of picnic day is to spend time having fun with family, friends and faculty, so we’ll feature field games like sack races, spoon races and more. We’re expanding the Teachers’ Clubhouse (located in the gym), which was a giant hit last year, where you can take on your favorite teachers at Ping-Pong, foosball or basketball. Or, challenge faculty members to one of the new games: golf, darts or baseball.

Robert B

oucher, p

arent

Laser tag was popular when we introduced it last year, and we’re making it even better this year. We’ll have more barriers to hide behind and shoot around, and we’ll feature some cool new decorations, too. Tickets may be purchased online.

Be sure to stop by the pumpkin patch, the place to pick out a perfect Halloween decoration for your house. Ours will again be located next to the dedicated preschool area, which will have ageappropriate games and activities for our youngest students and littlest picnic-goers.

You also won’t want to miss our super Silent Auction. Along with fantastic teacher packages and vacations, we will have a sign-up board for the lower school sleepover, a popular tradition. You’ll also want to check out the adorable homeroom quilts up for bid. This year all bidding will be online, and we’ll be opening the auction three weeks before the picnic to give you plenty of time to make your best bids!

What’s New at the Picnic?

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One of the best things about coming to the picnic is checking out what’s new. This year we’re launching Witch’s Flight, a 300-foot long, adrenaline-filled zip line. Flying 30 feet above the Harvest Festival, you’ll have the best view of the action. Parents and kids are welcome to ride, if you dare! Tickets may be purchased at the ride (minimum weight 42 lbs.).

Photo by Robert Boucher, parent

llaro Kyle Cava

FUN FOR ALL!

Photo by

We’ve redesigned the raffle this year to be even more exciting, with more chances to win. Instead of students selling tickets, we will sell them at all school events at the beginning of the year and on the day of the picnic. Prizes will range from kids’ baskets to spa getaways, and you’ll be able to choose which prize you want to try for by dropping your ticket in the box for that prize.

Put all your eggs (tickets) in one basket (raffle box) to maximize your chances of winning that prize, or spread out your tickets for a chance to win multiple prizes!

Photos by Kyle Cavallaro

Two booths will provide information about new school initiatives. Come to the Rising to the Challenge booth to see drawings of the proposed new

events center on the Saratoga campus and find out more about the school’s exciting capital campaign to raise money for its construction. Picnic day is the last day to make your pledge and take advantage of the generous $10 million Rothschild family matching gift challenge, and you can pledge at the booth. Last year the school began a new waste management process, and our new “green” booth will test your knowledge of which trash is “wet” or “dry,” with opportunities to win prizes – all environmentally friendly, of course!

Feast Your Eyes and Taste Buds on Great Food Choices In addition to favorites such as grilled items, pizza and cuisine from Indian restaurant Arka, this year we’re offering more variety with food trucks. The Patty Wagon will feature potatoes made in various ways, and other trucks will have gourmet hot dogs, tacos, grilled cheese sandwiches, seafood, Korean barbecue and more. Save room to sample all the goodies!

Photo by Pam Dickinson

Don’t “Leaf” Anyone at Home!

Admission for adults and children 3 and older is $10 each if purchased online by Oct. 3.

Children younger than 3 and adults over 75 are free. Admission is $15 at the entrance on picnic day. Admission includes the Harvest Hoedown, field games and activities in the Teachers’ Clubhouse.

Our Awesome Alumni in Autumn Our alumni barbecue luncheon has become a tradition all its own, drawing record numbers each year. This gathering takes place from noon to 1 p.m. (following the Harvest Hoedown) in the shady alumni grove and welcomes Harker alumni young and old. More information on admission and activities for alumni is available on the picnic website.

Everything’S Online this Year

Although the picnic offers good, old-fashioned fun, there’s nothing old-fashioned about the conveniences we offer our guests. This year admission passes, carnival tickets, T-shirts and laser tag tickets are available for purchase online at www.harker.org/picnic until Oct. 3. These items (except T-shirts) will also be available for purchase the day of the event.

Our exciting silent auction also will be online this year, with bidding opening three weeks before the picnic. This means you’ll be able to set your maximum bid on items and will be notified on your mobile phone if you are outbid. And if you can’t be at the picnic at the time the auction closes, you can still participate in the final bidding using your phone. Check the picnic website for information about registering for the auction.

Pitch In! Thanks to Our Harvest Helpers We want to recognize our devoted picnic committee members, teachers and staff who have helped to create an event that appeals to our entire community. We are grateful for their hard work, amazing creativity, dedication and team spirit!

T-shirt Tuesdays Make sure you buy your child’s picnic T-shirt online at www.harker.org/picnic before they sell out! Lower and middle school students can wear their picnic T-shirts to school with jeans on T-shirt Tuesdays. The first T-shirt Tuesday is Sept. 9, followed by Sept. 16, Sept. 23, Sept. 30 and Oct. 6.

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Also presenting at the AP National Conference was Derek Kameda, director of standardized testing and scheduling, who gave three workshops. His first was an all-day workshop geared toward helping new AP coordinators learn how to manage the programs at their respective schools. He also offered tips on how to run a stress-free AP program by improving efficiency and showed how to improve AP performance through more rigorous examination of score reports.

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Leader Summit in Arizona, where he was given the 2014 Outstanding New Adviser Award for the initiatives he helped start during the 2013-14 school year, including the Harker DECA chapter’s Launch2014 event.

Diane Main, upper school director of learning, innovation and design, did a lot of traveling this summer, giving presentations on both coasts and in Atlanta. At the Google Geo Teachers Institute in Philadelphia in early August, she showed attendees how to integrate Google Maps into their curricula.

Photo by Mariah Bush ‘06

Business and entrepreneurship program director Juston Glass and economics teachers Sam Lepler and Damon Halback were invited to host workshops at the Stanford Summer Economic Institute for Teachers in late July. Glass presented on projectbased learning in the classroom, while the duo from the economics department shared their secrets of success in teaching AP Economics (10 Harker students achieved perfect scores on the AP Microeconomics exam in 2013; one of those also earned a perfect score on the AP Macroeconomics test).

This is just the latest in the many steps Stanford and Harker have taken to forge strong relationships and collaborations across programs.

Back on the West Coast at the Computer Using Educators Rock Star Teacher Camps in Lake Tahoe and Monterey, she discussed the merits of MinecraftEdu, an educational version of the popular computer game Minecraft; using software to create parody songs to make the classroom more fun; and integrating Google Drawing into the classroom. In Atlanta, she presented at the International Society for Technology in Education’s Unplugged event and its National Conference. She was also a presenter on Google Geo applications at the Google Summit, held at Gunn High School in July.

In addition, Glass attended PricewaterhouseCoopers’ seminar for high school educators on business and financial responsibility at The Wharton School. The course focused on how to teach financial literacy, a topic important enough to be legislated into the education agenda for California public schools this year. Further attention was given to how to teach students valuable lessons in personal finance, investing, credit and budgeting.

Glass also stayed busy over the summer by attending the DECA Emerging

At a workshop for international school counselors in Miami, college counPhoto provided by Martin Walsh

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

At the AP National Conference, held in Philadelphia in July, upper school teacher Nicholas Manjoine gave two workshops. The first dealt with the speaking portions of AP language exams and how to help students improve their performance in this area. His second presentation showed how incorporating short videos into the teaching of AP French Language can help students understand French language and culture. Manjoine demonstrated how to find and integrate online videos and offered examples of how they might be used.

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

Dan Molin, athletic director, traveled to Salt Lake City in July to help deliver a workshop at the Independent School Management Summer Institute. Titled “Directing the Athletic and P.E. Programs,” the workshop focused on how to develop an athletics program that fits with a school’s overall mission, locate coaches who best fit a school’s athletics program and market the program.

Photo by Juston Glass

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

Milestones

Milestones selor Martin Walsh gave a seminar on college admissions to counselors from schools in various countries, including Belgium, Columbia, Brazil, Indonesia, China, Japan and Burkina Faso.

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

In January, middle school English teacher Mark Gelineau became a published fiction author, his work appearing in a collection of historical

pulp fiction called “High Adventure History.” Just this summer, Gelineau was notified that his story, “The Hanged Man: The 13 Coils” was so well-received that he has been given the opportunity to produce a series of short stories for Pro Se Productions featuring the character from “The Hanged Man.” Congratulations!

Lisa Diffenderfer and Scott Kley Contini, lower school and middle school directors of learning, innovation and design, respectively, were both present at the Lausanne Learning Institute in Memphis, Tenn., in July, where

they each held breakout sessions on technology use in the classroom. Diffenderfer discussed the grade 5 1:1 Chromebook program, which included live demos of the Chromebooks used in Harker classrooms. Kley Contini held two sessions. The first focused on managing laptop use by allowing teachers to remotely view student screens, while the second introduced attendees to tools that allowed them to produce videos using tools such as Camtasia and Screencast-O-Matic.

Follow us on Instagram @harkerschool!

GlobalEducation Teacher Explores Australia, Works with Students on Yearly Exchange

By Zach Jones Middle school art teacher Elizabeth Saltos headed to Australia this past summer for Harker’s annual teacher exchange with St. Stephen’s College, a PK-12 school located on the Gold Coast in the Australian province of Queensland.

Her trip started in Sydney, where she visited the Royal Botanic Gardens, rode the Manly Ferry for a scenic view of the city and went kayaking at Sydney Harbor.

Later, she traveled to Cairns to go snorkeling and kayaking at the famous Great Barrier Reef, calling the experience “a big bucket list highlight.”

After visiting Michaelmas Cay and Fitzroy Island, Saltos boarded a plane to Brisbane and rode a train to the Gold Coast suburb of Coomera. There, she stayed at the home of St. Stephen’s College headmaster Jamie Dorrington.

During her time teaching at St. Stephen’s, Saltos worked in the school’s visual arts department, Photos provided by Elizabeth Saltos teaching blind modeling in clay, doing clay relief projects and teaching grade 10 students about cubist perspective.

She also gave presentations on her own work to grades 11 and 12, and collaborated with students of St. Stephen’s art department chair, Samantha Reynolds, to create a silkscreen.

Saltos said that she found the grading process at Australian schools to be very unique. “The school awards a grade and then the students submit their work to a panel of educators statewide and these professionals award a grade,” she said.

“The two grades are then averaged and this is the grade looked at for entrance into university.”

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Students Travel ‘Round the World Students Learn and Give During Excursion to Tanzania

By Zach Jones In June, more than a dozen upper school students, accompanied by upper school science teachers Anita Chetty and Mike Pistacchi, embarked on an eye-opening trip to Tanzania.

Students had amazing interactions with some

of Tanzania’s tribal people.

The Hadzabe people are the oldest hunter-gatherer tribe.

They speak with clicks and are entirely unfamiliar with cities or cars. The tribe welcomed the students to their village, sharing stories about their lives and culture. The chief of the tribe taught the students how to build a fire and to use a bow and arrow before taking them on a two-hour hunting excursion through the wilderness. Before parting ways with the Hadzabe, the group delivered medical and diagnostic

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{and in California’s beautiful backyard}

equipment that they had raised money to purchase.

During their visit with the Maasai village of Esilalei, the students ran an eye clinic, fitting and delivering 50 pairs of glasses that they had collected from Harker community donations, in addition to donating 15 goats. Harker’s Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (WiSTEM) organization also donated uniforms and book bags for 40 children, enabling them to attend school.

While on safari through Tanzania’s Tarangire and Serengeti national parks and the Ngorogoro Crater, the students had the rare opportunity to see the Big Five over two separate days: elephant, rhino, leopard, lion and Cape buffalo.

Students also saw a cheetah stalk, chase and kill a gazelle. During a Jeep tour of Tarangire National Park, the students observed impalas, elephants and a herd of more than 500 buffalo.

At one point, several female and baby elephants wandered to within 20 feet of the group, who gladly took pictures.

Photos provided by Anita Chetty

Journalism Students Head to Hawaii to Boost Their Skills

By Zach Jones Over the summer, seven Harker journalism students – chaperoned Photo provided by Jacqui Villarreal, by journalism teacher Ellen Austin grade 12 and librarian Lauri Vaughan – ventured to the Hawaiian island of Maui to bolster their skill sets in preparation for the 2014-15 school year.

California is the Classroom for Successful Middle School Backpacking Trip

By Debbie Cohen In mid-June, 19 students and three teachers set off on a five-day backpacking adventure in Yosemite National Park, packing in their own supplies and making their own food.

Science teachers Ben Morgensen and Daniel Sommer, and math teacher Margaret Huntley, accompanied students on the trip, which began at Crane Flat Campground.

“The backpacking trip was incredible!” recalled Huntley. “We hiked to and camped at the truly amazing May Lake, with a pristine lake, snow-capped peaks and view out across Yosemite. We did a day hike to Mt. Hoffmann (10,856 ft.) then hiked to Murphy Creek and camped there for a night before hiking out and driving home. We had beautiful weather and a great mix of first-time and returning

“The goal of the trip was to realize what we needed to improve upon and learn the steps to take in order to get where we wanted to be,” said journalism student Jacqui Villarreal, grade 12. During the trip, the yearbook staff had the honor of working with Laura Parker and Tina Cleavelin of Jostens, the company that prints the yearbook. “Not only did they open our eyes about what we could do differently, they also created fun for us to have after a six-hour work session,” Villarreal recalled.

Villarreal said the trip inspired them to change the design principles and work flow in the journalism department.

hikers, some sleeping in a tent for the first time and others taking on real leadership roles.”

lake to watch a spectacular sunset and thunderstorm unfold over the great valley of Tuolumne Meadows and lightning strike the highest peaks of the region.”

After Crane Flat, the group drove to the May Lake Trailhead. “On the way…we watched the Photo by Daniel Sommer land unfold in front of us, The next morning, with towering peaks jutting sharply into the students climbed Mt. Hoffman then the deep blue sky and babbling brooks descended to Murphy Creek where many merrily cascading down deep gorges,” of them fished for trout in the lake. That reminisced Andy Semenza, grade 9. night, some of the group opted to spend the night in sleeping bags on the granite.

Once at the trailhead, it was a short hike up to May Lake through the alpine landscape. Upon their arrival at the lake beneath Mt. Hoffmann, they proceeded to set up camp and cook dinner.

“The need to purify all water instilled a greater appreciation for nature,” Semenza said. “Once we had finished our repast, we scrambled up a rock outcropping near the

Students Explore Costa Rica, Perform Field Research By Zach Jones In late July, 10 upper school students embarked on a summer research trip to Costa Rica, where they had the unique opportunity to perform field research with working scientists and experience the country’s lush beauty.

After spending a relaxing first day in the Costa Rican capital city of San José, the group departed for the La Cusinga Lodge in Uvita.

While walking on the beach, the students also were fortunate enough to observe a sea turtle laying her eggs. “They got to observe the entire process up close and we were able to get back to the lodge by 10 p.m.,” said upper school chemistry teacher and trip chaperone Smriti Koodanjeri.

The next day was packed with thrills, as the students went river and ocean kayaking before jumping into the water with snorkeling equipment. “We did more kayaking after the swim and also learned how to find, shuck and open coconuts with only a large stick and a rock,” Koodanjeri said. That evening, the students attended a lecture about how geographic information systems (GIS) are used to keep tabs on marine mammals such as whales and dolphins.

“Throughout that week, we learned many lessons only possible outside the confines of the classroom walls – from the crippling effects of altitude to the feeding practices of ospreys. However, we also had to cope with more psychological issues, like managing a good pace for a group or dealing with tent mates,” said Semenza.

Over the next few days, the students worked on their research projects at Cabo Blanco Natural Reserve and the Monteverde Institute. At Cabo Blanco, the students went on a guided snorkeling exhibition and took part in a field research exercises, where they collected and identified shells and used the data collected to estimate the number of snail species in the area. “The controlled collection and analysis took most of the afternoon and was an excellent introduction into drawing quantitative conclusions even with a limited data set,” Koodanjeri said.

At the Monteverde Institute, the students analyzed the data they had gathered at Cabo Blanco and used it to create research projects that they later presented at a small conference. For their hard work, the students each received a certificate from the University of Georgia, which has a campus in Monteverde.

On their final night, the students went hiking through the Tirimbina rainforest.

Photo by Eric Nelson

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Business & Entrepreneurship

By Edward Hejtmanek ’06

Productive Summer Paves Way for Exciting Year The summer events finished strong with the inaugural DECA Launch2014 event.

This summer the business and entrepreneurship department focused on following up its outstanding first year with an even stronger second year.

In July, Harker’s DECA chapter’s operations team traveled to Phoenix to attend the Emerging Leader Summit. At the event, which featured DECA leadership from across the U.S. and Canada, students attended workshops aimed at helping them improve the Harker chapter. The team also showed off its plan for its upcoming DECA Launch2014 event, which won an award for the best project model.

The summer’s headline event was the University of Pennsylvania Wharton Entrepreneurship in the Classroom program. The program brought Whar-

ton professor Keith Weigelt to Harker to teach 20 student attendees about entrepreneurship through lectures and activities that ranged from composing a business plan to running a business.

The weeklong program challenged the students as they spent entire days learning from the professor and working in small groups.

For their business, the students decided to model the Harker Incubator program, which is designed to encourage young entrepreneurs to develop their ideas and build companies. The students broke into four teams that focused on finance, operations, benchmarking and marketing. After working on these four areas, the team united to present the business plan for the Harker Incubator.

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The summer events finished strong with the inaugural DECA Launch2014 event. Held the week before the school year began, the event’s goal was to re-energize current DECA members Photos by Diane Villadsen ‘11

and introduce new members to the chapter, as well as get the entire chapter’s competitive instincts ready for an intense DECA year.

The twoday event featured teaching, collaborative activities, keynote presenta-

The DECA chapter and the B.E. department now look forward to the upcoming year. Highlights include the opening of the Innovation Center on the upper school campus. The center, lined with whiteboard walls, is designed to foster collaboration in a totally modular environment, with moveable tables, chairs, and a top-notch audio visual system.

Students will gather in the center to discuss their ideas, akin to brainstorming sessions held at local tech companies.

In October, the B.E. department will introduce its newest event: a business

Photos by Diane Villadsen ‘11

After a number of speakers and role-playing events the second day, Launch2014 closed with a ceremony where parents could view the results of students’ hard work.

and economics convention titled BECon2014. The department’s 80 students will be expected to present at the convention, alongside a number of Stanford scholars, who will present their ongoing work and lead student discussions.

Parents could view the results of students’ hard work at the close of Launch2014. tions, lectures and role-playing. The first teaching event, geared toward giving new students an overview of the DECA chapter’s divisions and activities, was capped off with a delicious Chipotle-catered burrito lunch.

The second teaching event was an introduction to the many competitions that the DECA chapter will compete in during the 2014-15 school year.

Photo provided by Juston Glass

Photo provided by Alexis Gauba, grade 10

Students Take First Place in Stock Market Game at DECA Conference At the DECA International Career Development Conference in May, Harker students Alex Tuharsky, grade 12, and Nihal Uppugunduri ’14, took first place in the event’s stock market game. Tuharsky (pictured at left) appeared at a school meeting early in the year, with trophy in hand, to promote Harker’s DECA club.

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PerformingArts Senior Performs with National Youth Orchestra at Carnegie Hall

By William Cracraft Helen Wu, grade 12, who was selected to play and travel with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America this summer, embarked on a two-week national tour in late July that included performances at Carnegie Hall, Seiji Ozawa Hall in Photo provided by Helen Massachusetts, Jay Pritzker Wu, grade 12 Pavilion in Chicago, Green Music Center at Sonoma State University, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and more. Wu is one of only three violinists from California who were selected to join the prestigious orchestra this summer!

“This is one of the greatest accomplishments and honors a Harker instrumentalist has ever achieved, so I’m really proud to share it with you,” said Chris Florio, leader of The Harker School Orchestra.

Photos provided by Karl Kuehn / Rachelle Haun

Dance Teams Receive Superior Award at August Spirit Camp

By Zach Jones In August, members of Harker’s varsity and JV dance teams attended a four-day dance camp with the United Spirit Association at University of California, Santa Cruz. Harker received the highest award – a superior – for choreography, and the team also was honored with the “Hardest Working Team” plaque.

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Individual awards were given to Emily Pan and Ankita Sharma, grade 11, for their drill-down technique. Meanwhile, among the 150 participants, Noel Banerjee, Darby Millard, both grade 12, and Liana Wang, grade 9, were recognized as All-American dancers, earning an invitation to perform in London.

While it is always amazing to be awarded for hard work and technique, “the most memorable part of camp was being told by the USA instructors that Harker’s dancers were incredibly polite, dedicated, humble and supportive of both their team members and the other participating schools,” noted Karl Kuehn, dance team director. “Their passion to learn and grow as dancers fueled the team’s success, and I could not be more proud of this fantastic group of students.”

PerformingArts Performing Arts Faculty Stay Busy Over Summer

By Zach Jones Middle school drama teacher Monica Colletti traveled to New York City to spend a week training in improvisation with the famous Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe. The session concluded with a public performance in New York, which Colletti was more than happy to brag about!

Big things happened for middle school dance teacher Rachelle Haun, who performed at San Francisco’s Mission in the Mix with the Gems Dance Team, and also successfully auditioned for the Raiderettes!

Photo provided by Karl Kuehn

Laura Lang-Ree, performing arts department chair, was busy on vocal duties with the Los Gatos-Saratoga Big Band, which performed at numerous venues over the summer. Her performance at the San Jose Jazz Festival landed her on the front page of the local section of the San Jose Mercury News. She also joined the roster at Halvorson Model Management, signing with the agency in their commercial and voice-over division.

In addition to starring in Harker’s “Happy” video, upper school dance teacher Karl Kuehn worked with San Jose’s Atlas School of Dance as both a choreographer and performer. He also helped out the Bay Area-based Ragazzi Boys Chorus, teaching movement classes and choreography in preparation for the chorus’ performances in South Africa in 2015.

Correction In the summer 2014 edition Photo provided by Carena Montany

Middle school music teacher Dave Hart was commissioned by Bay Area woodwind group Frequency 49 for his compositional talents. He also lent his expertise to the International Society of Music Educators composition competition, which judges pieces by students in grades 6-12. At the Stanford Jazz Workshop, he taught and performed “with a fantastic international jazz faculty.” He also performed with acclaimed pianist and singer Dena DeRose and longtime friend Taylor Eigsti, in addition to instructing the Stanford Jazz Mentors, a group of college students seeking to sharpen their skills as jazz educators.

of Harker Quarterly, recaps of the Evening of Jazz and Spring Orchestra Concert were inadvertently omitted from the performing arts section. These stories can now be found at the Harker News website at news. harker.org by searching for “Evening of Jazz” and “Spring Orchestra Concert.” The Office of Communication regrets the errors.

At the Feierabend Association for Music Education (FAME) conference in Hartford, Conn., lower school music teacher Carena Montany learned a great deal by attending sessions and exchanging insights with other music teachers. Founded on the teachings of John Feierabend, a leading figure in the teaching of music and movement, FAME is an organization that seeks to spread his teachings to music educators.

Photo provided by Carena Montany

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

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EagleReport

By Steven Boyle ’06

Sports Successes Continue Through Summer and Fall could ask a group of young women like that to represent our school any better.”

Water Polo Boys water polo won one and lost three at the Lynbrook Tournament Sept. 5-6.

Golf The varsity golf team took care of some old business this week: hanging the banners for last year’s league championship and the banner for winning the state academic championship!

Middle School Flag Football Photo by Brighid Wood

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elcome back! After a long summer, the fall season is up and running, with cross country, golf, volleyball, football, water polo and tennis matches just now underway. The summer was not without news, however, as a Harker coach snagged a top award for the second straight year, lacrosse athletes were recognized for their academic achievements and a member of the Harker Board of Trustees grabbed the gold.

Fall Sports

Fall sports are just starting as we go to press, but we do have a few results and photos in!

The middle school Varsity A flag football team, coached by Karriem Stinson, Jeff Martarano and Scott Rudolph, nailed it versus Menlo the second week of September, winning 14-0. The photo is from practice earlier in the week.

The girls tennis team went 5-0 and was crowned Division 6 champions at the prestigious California Tennis Classic in Fresno.

The girls earned their victories while battling 100 degree heat in early September. Congratulations, girls!

Volleyball

Photo by Brighid Wood

Girls varsity volleyball lost to a strong Homestead team Sept. 5 at Blackford, one game to three. “They did really well,” said Brighid Wood, assistant to the athletic director, “and I don’t think you

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Photos by William Cracraft

Photo by William Cracraft

Tennis

Football Our young football squad lost to Overfelt 38-21 in the season opener. Quarterback Keanu Forbes, grade 12, threw touchdown passes to freshman Nate Kelly and senior Christian Williams. He also ran 13 yards for a touchdown. Alyssa Amick, grade 12, kicked an extra point. The Harker cheerleaders did a fantastic job supporting the team, noted Dan Molin, athletic director.

Photo by Scott Graham

EagleReport

Middle School Cross Country

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

Soccer Another year, another huge honor for the upper school boys coach, Shaun Tsakiris, who was named U.S. Soccer Development Academy Coach of the Year for the Western region.

Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

This year’s award comes on the heels of his recognition last year by the U.S. Soccer Development Academy as its national Coach of the Year.

A former college star and draftee of Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution, Tsakiris has found enormous success as a coach. When cancer cut his professional playing career short at age 26, he transitioned to coaching, focusing his expertise on developing the next generation of American soccer stars. Today, he is the soccer coordinator for grades 4-12 at Harker, as well as the varsity boys coach. As a player, Tsakiris won the 1997 NCAA Division I title with UCLA, then played in the 1999 Under-20 World Cup alongside future U.S. Olym-

pic goalkeeper Tim Howard.

This past winter, Tsakiris coached the boys to an 11-6-2 record, missing CCS despite winning nearly two-thirds of their games. They’ll be back at it this December!

Lacrosse This summer, five Harker students were named as U.S. Academic AllAmericans by the U.S. Lacrosse Association. Christine Lee, Mabel Luo and Brinda Perumal, all of whom graduated in June, and seniors Hannah Bollar and Allison Kiang received the honor.

This past spring, those girls helped lead the team to a second place finish, including a redemptive victory against Sacred Heart Prep in the final game of the season to avenge an earlier loss.

Off the field, the team claimed a CCS Scholastic Championship Team Award as well, finishing with a cumulative 3.67 GPA, the second best in the league.

Photo by Stefan Armijo

Summer Sports

The middle school cross country team ran the Crystal Springs Relay at Hallmark Park in early September. Pictured are second place winners for grade 8, Lilia Gonzales, Aneesha Kumar, Julia Amick and Karen Krause. The grade 7 boys – Vedanth Sundaram, Grant Miner, Datha Arramreddy and Mihir Sharma – also took second, and grade 7 girls Anna Gert, Jasmine Wiese, Jenny Shaw and Gina Partridge, took third.

Swimming and Diving Harker Board of Trustees member Martin Lundie won gold medals in both the 3-meter and platform diving competitions for athletes ages 60-64 at the World Masters Diving Championships in Montreal, beating out rivals from across North America and Japan.

Lundie’s performance is a triumph of perseverance and dedication, and his lifelong passion for excellence, development and athletic competition sets a sterling example for Harker’s young sports stars. Last spring, the Harker swim team qualified for all of the relays at CCS and sent a solid half of its swimmers and diver Stacey Chao, now grade 12, to the championships. So check back in a half century to see if any Harker alumni can match Lundie’s success!

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JCL Sponsors Fundraiser Dance

By Debbie Cohen For the last three years the upper school’s Junior Classical League has sponsored a Sadie Hawkins dance as a fundraiser for charity. The proceeds this year totaled $700 and were given to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an organization that responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives.

The IRC was founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein. It offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster in more than 40 countries. The purpose of the Junior Classical League is to encourage an interest in and an appreciation of the language, literature and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. “[Fellow Latin teacher] Scott Paterson and I have always chaperoned the Sadies dance and other teachers have graciously donated their time for the event,” reported John Hawley, upper school Latin teacher.

In a thank you letter to Hawley, David Miliband, president of the IRC, stressed his gratitude for Harker’s gift, which will help his organization further its ongoing mission of aiding people on their journeys “from harm to home.”

Photo by Zach Jones

He also wrote that the students’ gift enabled his organization to deliver emergency health care, clean water, counseling, safe spaces for children and other aid to families caught in crisis in the Middle East, South Sudan and elsewhere around the world. The gift will also go to assist thousands of newly settled refugees as they rebuild lives in 22 cities throughout the U.S. “Your contribution is also allowing us to provide vital assistance to communities in Pakistan, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other countries as they rebuild their hospitals, schools and other crucial infrastructure in the aftermath of conflict or natural disaster,” said Miliband in the note.

Middle School Campus Hosts Scam Stopper Seminar

By Zach Jones In mid-August, the office of District 28 State Assembly member Paul Fong held a special seminar at the middle school campus designed to help senior citizens identify and prevent fraud. A panel of experts instructed seniors on how to hire contractors, spot Medicare scams, prevent identify theft and more.

The seminar was held in response to an increase in the activity of door-todoor salespeople in Cambrian and Willow Glen, two areas Fong represents.

Photo by Anu Moudgal

GreaterGood

Families and Faculty Volunteer for StandUp For Kids

By Debbie Cohen About a half dozen members from the Harker community spent time volunteering for StandUp For Kids (SUFK), a national outreach organization and center for homeless teens that seeks to end the cycle of youth homelessness throughout the United States.

From two of Harker’s upper school students painting an art mural to lower school parents donating folding chairs to members of the school’s faculty and staff preparing meals – these individuals have all helped the nonprofit, volunteerdriven effort in their own unique ways.

Stephanie Woolsey, a lower school math teacher at Harker, has been a longtime volunteer with SUFK. She said the Silicon Valley branch is an entirely volunteer-run center that survives on donations from the community.

Most recently, Avni Barman and Jessica Yang, both grade 12, painted a mural on a wall at the StandUp For Kids’ San Jose facility. They designed and created the painting using donated paint they secured themselves.

“Avni arranged getting some donated

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GreaterGood Sarah Zareen, director of the SUFKSilicon Valley mentor program, said that it warms her heart when young people come together to help homeless youth. “The talented teen artists from The Harker School came to paint a mural in The Village. The beautiful mural not only adds color but also is inspiring,” she said.

In addition to the student artists, Woolsey noted that Harker parents Mustafa Gurleroglu and Monique Cabral (Emma Gurleroglu, grade 5) donated folding chairs to the organization last year.

“The talented teen artists from The Harker School came to paint a mural in The Village Outreach Center. The beautiful mural not only adds color but also is inspiring.”

- Sarah Zareen, director of the StandUp For Kids mentor program

“Chef Steve [Martin] is also donating meals one day a month (SUFK provides meals Monday and Thursdays, as well as showers, clothing, etc.) and I bring them to the center,” Woolsey added.

The primary goal of SUFK is to establish and build relationships with runaway, homeless and street-dependent youth and young adults, ages 13-25. Through supportive relationships with caring adults the organization helps young people adjust to safe and appropriate alternative living arrangements while becoming independent, self-sufficient, contributing members of society.

The SUFK Street Outreach Team literally goes to the streets to locate homeless and at-risk youth; extensive training helps the volunteers iden-

tify those who need help, who often blend into the crowd for their own safety. The organization also provides an outreach/drop-in center to provide a protective environment for at-risk youth who are looking to escape the dangers of the streets.

summer following her sophomore year and typically works with children ages 4-15, who have come to look forward to her visits and special one-on-one time.

Now, Barman is looking to expand the Art for Recovery Project to include more volunteers and implement the program in many Bay Area hospitals and shelters. Her long-term goal is to find other art students who would like to join her in teaching art to the sick and needy in the Bay Area.

StandUp For Kids is currently seeking both volunteer and financial contributions. For more information about SUFK and its work: http://www. standupforkids.org/.

Students Offer Help to Tribes in Tanzania

“After personally seeing the therapeutic effects of art on patients in hospitals and troubled children in homeless shelters, my goal is to reach every needy shelter in the Bay Area. I welcome like-minded students from the Harker student body (artistic or not) to join me in scaling this program. Harker’s enriching environment has driven me to start something that leverages my passion, while serving the community,” she said.

During their summer trip to Tanzania, Harker students offered help to local tribes by donating medical supplies and running an eye clinic. Turn to this issue’s Summer Travel section, page 26, for more, then visit the Harker News website at news.harker.org for the full story!

Barman’s innovative art therapy endeavor was written up in the San Jose Mercury News. To read that story: http://www.mercurynews.com/ ci_26462913/harker-student-avnibarman-shares-her-passion-art.

Senior Shares Love of Art in Hospitals and Shelters

For more information or to volunteer with Art for Recovery, email artforrecovery01@gmail.com or visit art4recovery.com. To donate to the Art for Recovery Project, visit piggybackr.com/ arttherapy.

By Debbie Cohen Avni Barman, grade 12, has founded a successful art therapy program designed to bring the joy of art to local hospitals and homeless shelters.

To date, she has implemented her Art for Recovery Project at the following local organizations: My Friends (a pediatric healthcare center), Regional Medical Center, Family Supportive Housing, as well as the shelters StandUp For Kids and Abode Services.

Barman, who has spent her life immersed in art, made cards for hospital patients and senior homes as a lower and middle school student. She first began to work with patients at Kaiser Hayward in the

Photo provided by Avni Barman, grade 12

paint and materials from the Home Depot, and she and Jessica created the design, which was approved by the leadership at SUFK. I also donated artist paints and materials,” said Woolsey.

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Debate

By Jenny Alme

Debaters Kick Off New Season The speech and debate team had a busy summer and is now prepping for this year’s competitions.

Middle School Team Wins National Titles Our middle school program performed fabulously at the National Speech & Debate Association Championship in June in Overland Park, Kan. For the third year in a row, the squad received an Overall School of Excellence Award, which is given to the top three middle school debate programs in the country. Many students performed well to contribute to this title. Karina Momary, middle school communication studies teacher, gave a special mention to Aliesa Bahri and Megan Huynh, both grade 9, for taking home the championship in policy debate, and to Nikhil Dharmaraj, grade 8, for winning first place in original oratory.

Debaters Studied at Universities Across the Nation Harker debaters spent anywhere from one to seven weeks studying debate at various universities. The summer debate institutes took place at Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, Georgetown University, Michigan State University and Harvard University. Stu-

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dents lived in the dorms and worked with some of the top debate instructors in the nation.

Panny Shan, grade 11, said, “My teachers and peers allowed me to rapidly improve my skills while still having fun.”

A highlight of the Georgetown camp was when Ayush Midha, grade 12, interviewed Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., about his experiences as a leader in the civil rights movement. Georgetown debate students were also able to visit the U.S. Supreme Court and were present for the controversial Hobby Lobby decision. “These experiences offered me some incredible insight into the inner workings of our political system and gave me a unique appreciation for American politics,” Midha said.

Several dozen students also attended a camp for public forum and individual events, hosted at Harker by Carol Green, communication studies department chair. The camp featured a great staff of Harker teachers and alumni, as well as other respected coaches in the community. Thirty students attended the public forum debate segment and 12 students attended the individual events, including several experienced Harker middle school students. At the end of the two weeks, the speech students performed in a showcase for the entire institute and the public

forum students had a tournament and performed their final round for the whole institute. The debate faculty looks forward to holding the summer program again in 2015.

New Topics This year’s national topics promise to be interesting and educational. Policy debaters will be arguing about ocean development, such as offshore oil drilling, Arctic exploration or aquaculture regulations. Lincoln-Douglas debaters have as their first topic the question of whether or not people should be obligated to be organ donors. Public forum students are weighing the value of athletic franchises to their local communities.

Zarek Drozda, grade 11, enthused, “I am looking forward to another great year of Harker debate. We have a very strong team this year and I can’t wait for the first tournament!”

Greg Achten, who advises LincolnDouglas debate, concurred. “We have a fabulous lineup of talent and strong team leaders,” he said. “It will be one of our best seasons to date.” The team will compete throughout California as well as in Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and a few other states.

Photos provided by Jenny Alme

Passages

In Memoriam Harker Community Mourns Loss of John McKenna MS ’05

By Debbie Cohen

It was with great sadness that The Harker School announced that John Foster McKenna MS ’05 passed away on Aug. 8, after a 20-month battle with brain cancer.

Photos provided by Melanie McKenna

The son of Harker middle school P.E. teacher Melanie McKenna and her husband, John William McKenna, he is also survived by his grandparents, John Eugene McKenna and Marilyn McKenna, along with numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

After attending Harker through middle school, McKenna went on to attend Bellarmine College Preparatory and Gonzaga University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

The funeral was held St. Victor’s Catholic Church in San Jose and was followed by a reception. In lieu of flowers, the McKenna family honored John’s wishes and requested donations be made to Bellarmine and The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center.

Fred Carr: An Appreciation Aug. 1, 1937-July 11, 2014

By Kelly Espinosa

Kelly Espinosa is the director of summer and preschool programs and longtime picnic coordinator.

The Harker community was deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of alumna dad, longtime volunteer and all around great guy, Fred Carr.

As soon as his daughter (“Lifer” Emily Carr ’09) joined Harker in 1996, Fred could be seen volunteering all around campus. He sat on the development council from 19972003, was a dedicated library volunteer for many years, served as an ambassador for new parents, and helped with the fashion show and many performing arts events. He did it all!

Where Fred left his biggest mark was as a loyal and indispensable member of the picnic committee for almost 18 years. His handyman skills and his creative but practi-

cal perspective made him the “go-to guy” in a field of mostly mom volunteers. Fred brought his own tools, built things at home, scouted out new ideas and was a favorite of the facilities crew because, as one of the crew said, he “actually knew what he was doing!” Even after Emily graduated from Harker in 2009, Fred’s commitment to the picnic never wavered. He came to picnic meetings, spent weeks building games, put in late nights and never stopped prepping for all the crazy things the picnic committee dreamed up. He was always the first one to arrive on picnic morning and made sure he was available throughout the day for whatever needed to be done.

Fred was a strong, quiet man, with a warm, gentle nature and a dry sense of humor. He was always there when we needed him, and we truly could not have run the picnic for all those years without him.

A large contingent of picnic volunteers (from 1996 to the present day) gathered at his Celebration of Life ceremony, held in mid-August, to remember him and support his wife, Candy, and Emily. There’s no doubt we will miss him and that every October his picnic pals will be lifting our glasses and offering a tearful toast to our dear, dear friend.

Photos by Kyle Cavallaro

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AlumniNews

By Debbie Cohen

Alumni App Makers Discuss Latest Inventions

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With cell phones practically an extension of our bodies, useful mobile apps have the power to directly affect and improve the quality of everyday life. Indeed, app invention is fast becoming part and parcel of the digital revolution and widely being incorporated into computer science education curricula as the demand for fun, easy to use, new apps grows.

This is music to the ears of several Harker alumni, who have launched, or are about to launch, innovative new apps. Meet app designers Neeraj Baid ’13, Govi Dasu ’12, Daanish Jamal ’12 and his business partner, Adhir Ravipati ’05.

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Giftbook: A Mobile Wallet that Stores Gift Cards

Photo provided by Neeraj Baid '13

hese days, it seems, there is an app for just about everything, and young app developers have become one of the fastest-growing groups of technological inventors. Often working from home with little or no overhead, using free or low-cost app development tools, creative app makers are attracting the attention of technology companies and users worldwide.

Before designing his latest app, called giftbook, developer Neeraj Baid ’13 had a vision: that no one should have to carry or lose plastic gift cards again.

That desire led to the creation of giftbook (https:// gftbk.herokuapp.com/), Baid’s fourth app for iOS (a mobile operating system developed by Apple for use with their iDevices), which stores gift cards in a centralized location.

“Giftbook is an app that makes spending and keeping track of your gift cards easy,” Baid said. “You can save cards from any retailer on your iPhone so you never worry about forgetting one at home,” he added.

The app, which is now available at Apple’s app store as a mobile gift card

wallet, already has received overwhelmingly positive customer reviews.

However, Baid is planning a design overhaul and a major update in midOctober that will enable users to purchase and send gifts through giftbook.

“I build features as they come up. For a major update like the one coming up, I’m often working the equivalent of a full-time job to ensure it’s ready

by October. There’s also a fair amount of non-technical work involved, such as working with partners to allow me to sell gift cards in giftbook,” Baid explained.

In addition to his work as founder of giftbook, Baid also attends the University of California, Berkeley, where he is getting a degree in electrical engineering and computer science. Additionally, he worked as an iOS intern at Venmo, a company that provides a free, friend-to-friend, mobile payment platform app.

Among giftbook’s features is one that lets users know when they are near a retailer with a relevant gift card (with directions to closest locations); the card simply appears

AlumniNews on the phone’s lock screen with easy accessibility. The app also uses a standardized approach to displaying barcodes, so gift cards are accepted by all retailers. To ensure security, sensitive gift card data (such as serial numbers and pins) are never stored on a server.

The apps Baid created prior to giftbook are Take Me Away, SpeakToSnap and a URL shortener for Google. Take Me Away allows users to travel the world from their iPhones by tapping a location button for any global destination, where they can view photos taken by real people, among other features. SpeakToSnap is a voice-activated camera, while the URL shortener allows users to quickly and simply shorten long and unwieldy URLs, using Google’s goo.gl shortening service.

Baid’s first app, SpeakToSnap, came about after taking the Global Online Academy iOS class offered at Harker during the spring of his senior year.

“Harker really helped lay a critical computer science foundation,” he recalled.

“Every app I have built comes out of necessity for something I want in my own life,” he said. “For example, I built giftbook after graduating from high school. I needed a way to manage the huge number of gifts I received from graduation parties and already had from before. I’ve found that working on something you personally want is the best way to remain dedicated and complete it at the highest quality possible.”

The best way to learn iOS development, he advised, is simply by doing

Neeraj Baid ’13 had a vision: that no one should have to carry or lose plastic gift cards again.

software could be made more comprehensive and effective for users in the developing world. One of his test users was a middle-aged cook named Geeta, who dropped out of school after second grade and does not know how to read any language (but can speak two). Extensively working with her

it. “Your first app won’t be your best – and it shouldn’t be. You’ll learn a lot from building something silly like a URL shortener, and that knowledge will be invaluable as you build your next apps. There are incredible iOS resource tutorials available online and pre-made app components,” he noted.

Learning Dollars: A Pilot Project Designed to Help English Learners in Developing Countries Land Jobs Govi Dasu ’12 recently returned from a trip to India, where he spent his summer doing background research for an app he is designing, now in the pilot stage, called Learning Dollars. The socially conscious app aims to help individuals in developing countries improve their economic situation by landing higher paying jobs.

Dasu said he plans to accomplish this by first helping users to learn English and then connecting them with helpful resources to find better employment. The higher paying jobs in developing countries include vocations such as hotel workers, airport employees, cashiers, clerks and call center staff – all of which require English language mastery.

While in India, Dasu worked exhaustively on an experiment to see whether Rosetta Stone (a $400 software program) could teach English to someone unable to speak the language.

In doing so, he noted the ways the

Photo provided by Govi Dasu '12

helped Dasu gain an understanding of what kind of education technology works in developing countries, especially with people who are illiterate and (like Geeta) may not have used a computer before.

Dasu noted the ways the software could be made more comprehensive and effective for users in the developing world.

Before conducting his work abroad, Dasu believed that, if successful, “a free smartphone app that uses Rosetta Stone’s method might be able to help people in the developing world to learn English in order to gain access to higher paying jobs and higher education.”

While he walked away from India with mixed feelings about the viability of the Rosetta Stone program, it did not deter him from moving forward H A R K E R Q U A R T E R LY

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AlumniNews MVP, it becomes a quicker process developing the product based on user feedback.

with work on his own app. Indeed, the testing process allowed him to note ways in which the software could be improved for users in the developing world.

Presently the talented duo are devoting themselves full-time to working on NextSpot. Jamal has taken a leave of absence from Georgetown University and Ravipati left his previous startup earlier this year to focus on launching the app.

Photos provided by D. Jamal '12 and A. Ravipati '05

He said he came up with the name, Learning Dollars, because it has “learning” in it (i.e., learning English) but at the same time, it sounds like “earning” (as in earning dollars). He said he hopes to get a minimum viable product (MVP) out in the coming month. The program uses a Google app engine setup and coincides with his goal to dedicate his life to fighting poverty, promoting democracy and protecting freedom.

“Often the dollar – which besides being the U.S. currency, is the international reserve currency – is associated with a strong purchasing power in many developing countries,” said Dasu, who recently graduated (after just two years) from Stanford University.

During his years at Harker, he participated in many extracurricular activities, including serving as the school’s ASB vice president.

NextSpot: A Mobile App for Fluid Group Events When Daanish Jamal ’12 and Adhir Ravipati ’05 partnered to create NextSpot, a mobile app that helps coordinate everyday meet-ups, they wanted to create something that they and their peers would find useful in their own lives.

Now available in Apple’s app store, NextSpot streamlines the details of such things as grabbing lunch between classes, catching a movie at the end of the week, enjoying a day at the beach, playing a game of basketball or planning a night on the town. It is integrated with Yelp and saves past favorite meeting spots, among other features.

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“Say you’re a college student, trying to get 20-25 friends over for a party.

What we’ve learned is that you’re not going to create a Facebook event (or Evite or Eventbrite) because that sets too formal a tone. On the other hand, messaging/group messaging is casual but too unorganized. NextSpot fits this use case – casual, organized events,” Jamal explained.

“Harker has a great track record of occupational and entrepreneurial success amongst its graduates.”

“We released a beta this past spring to select fraternities and sororities at Georgetown, USC, Stanford, Oregon and UC Santa Barbara. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive, and we are gearing up for our launch in a few weeks as well as raising our next round of funding,” added Ravipati.

– Adhir Ravipati ’05

Generally, it takes at least a few months to develop an MVP with the core functions of an app, Jamal and Ravipati agreed. After releasing an

They believe that their time at Harker helped pave the way for their current perseverance. “Harker has a great track record of occupational and entrepreneurial success amongst its graduates. I don't know if it can be narrowed down to one or two things, but rather developing a problemsolving mindset that challenges you to look at problems differently,” said Ravipati.

AlumniNews ALUMNI

Alumni Pay Their Respects to Former English Teacher Sylvia Harp

OCT. 4

Calling all Harker alumni: Please join us on Sat., Oct. 4 for a family-friendly Homecoming tailgate party at the upper school campus, hosted by the alumni office.

OCT. 12 Photo by Kyle Cavallaro

Over the summer, many alumni returned to Harker to attend the memorial service for Sylvia Harp, one of the school’s cherished former faculty members.

Harp died of liver cancer on March 29.

She began teaching grade 8 English at Harker in 1986 and went on to become head of the school’s English department before her The alumni community also retirement in 2003. Pictured here (LR), at her moving memorial, are: Mark mourns the loss of John McKenna Gelineau ’90, Alka Tandan '90, Casey MS ’05. See the full story in the Near ’06, Rohini Venkatraman ’06, Passages section on page 37.

Meghana Dhar ’06 and Ira Patnaik '06.

SAVE THE DATES

EverTrue App for Alumni Available Soon!

The Harker School’s alumni office is proud to announce the upcoming launch of the EverTrue app to help promote networking and keep alumni connected and up to date, all from their mobile devices. The app is set to go live on Oct. 4, the day of Homecoming.

“It will be great for our alums to be able to have easy access to one another right from their pockets!” enthused MaryEllis Deacon, director of alumni relations, adding that it enables alumni to locate each other, whether they’re traveling, moving to new cities, or starting at new schools or jobs.

Celebrate the changing of the seasons with us at the harvest-themed 64th annual Harker Family & Alumni Picnic, held on the middle school campus on Sun., Oct. 12! Reconnect and reminisce with fellow alumni at the picnic’s special alumni luncheon. The alumni relations office is providing free admission to alumni and their immediate families, and hosting a luncheon from noon-1 p.m. (immediately following the performing arts show). So come on out for some old-fashioned fun and new surprises!

DEC. 6

Santa’s Winter Wonderland, slated for Sat., Dec. 6, promises to once again bring together alumni and their families. The special annual holiday celebration is held on the lower school campus for Harker alumni, faculty, staff and their families.

Children will have the opportunity to take turns sitting on Santa’s lap and having pictures taken with him, as well as have fun playing games and doing arts and crafts.

Stay Connected

The EverTrue Harker alumni app will be available from iTunes and Google Play for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. It uses email verification and can only be accessed by confirmed alumni.

Connect with alumni through Facebook and LinkedIn as your new social and professional lives ramp up! We’d love to hear from you!

The information in the mobile app will comprise material from profiles created by alumni. After downloading the app, alumni sync their profiles with LinkedIn, where they can make updates, and edit or hide personal information.

Submitting a class note, registering for a reunion or connecting with a classmate has never been easier!

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Harker-Alumni166447 (or just go to LinkedIn and search for Harker alumni) https://www.facebook.com/ HarkerAlumniAssociation (or – you guessed it! – search for Harker Alumni Association while logged in to your Facebook account)

“Can’t make it to Homecoming? Still download and be entered to win a gift card that will be drawn at the Family & Alumni Picnic. Or show the app at an event for a prize on the spot!” said Deacon.

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ClassNotes

Submitted by Class Agents

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

1973

1982

1988

1995

Class Agent: Alan Stevens (alanclassreunion@earthlink.net)

Class Agents: Tina (Johnson) Murray (tinammurray@earthlink.net); Pauline (de Vos) Aasen (thedutchfox@gmail.com); Keil Albert (kaalbert@geo-consultants.com)

Class Agents: Eric Xanthopoulos (eric.xanthopoulos@gmail.com); Aileen Eveleth (a_eveleth@yahoo.com)

Class Agent: Lisa (Bowman) Gassmann (lisagassmann@gmail.com)

1976 Class Agents: Joy Aliason Younes (joycyounes@yahoo.com); Cindy Cottrell DeAngelo (cldeangelo@yahoo.com)

1977 Class Agent: Mike Pons (michael.pons@gmail.com)

1978 Class Agent: Silvia Malaccorto (smalaccorto@contoural.com)

Class Agents: Karri Baker (karribaker@me.com); Kristin Quintin (kquintin@intevac.com)

Photo by Rafael Agustin Delgado

1980

1981 Class Agent: Kristin (Scarpace) Giammona (kristing@harker.org)

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May. During her four-year term, she will be guiding the organization and U.S. volleyball team to the Rio Olympics in 2016! To read more about her appointment: http://www. teamusa.org/USA-Volleyball/ Features/2014/May/23/LoriOkimura-Elected-USAV-BoardChair

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Class Agent: Ashley S. Franke (ashley.franke@gmail.com)

1997

Class Agent: Chris Yamashita (iamtheyamo@yahoo.com)

Class Agents: Chelsea Gilliland (cgilliland@gmail.com); Lindsey Hochrine (lynn.laka@fireskyresort.com)

1991

2002

1990

Lori Okimura, now living in Los Angeles, was elected chair of the USA Volleyball (USAV) board of directors in

Class Agent: Chip Zecher (chipzecher@hotmail.com)

Class Agent: Greg Argendeli (slackmaster@gmail.com)

Class Agent: Katie Wilson (mkate_wilson@yahoo.com)

1984

1979

1989

1996

Class Agent: Ashley Anderson (anderbruin@gmail.com)

Class Agents: Akhsar Kharebov (axarharebate@gmail.com);

1992

Yasmin Ali (yasminfali@gmail.com); Isabella Liu (isabella.a.liu@gmail.com)

Class Agent: Amanda Mathias Bonomi (amandambonomi@gmail.com)

2003 1993 Class Agents: Joy Paterson (joypaterson@gmail.com); Tala Banato (tala.banato@gmail.com); Kelle Sloan (kelles@harker.org)

1994 Class Agent: Leyna Cotran (leynacotran@gmail.com)

Class Agents: Julia N. Gitis (juliag@gmail.com); Maheen Kaleem (maheenkaleem@gmail.com)

2004 Class Agents: Jacinda A. Mein (mjacinda@gmail.com); Jessica C. Liu (jess.c.liu@gmail.com)

ClassNotes

Photo by Hugo Jordan

2005 Class Agent: Erika N. Gudmundson (erika.gudmundson@gmail. com)

2009

role with Facebook in the winter Harker Quarterly, which will feature a story about alumni living abroad.

Jason Martin was recently named a player of the week by the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.

Congratulations to Jason, who is on the coaching staff at Harker for the JV football and varsity baseball teams. To read more

2006 Class Agents: Meghana Dhar (meghanadhar@gmail.com); Jeffrey Le (Jeff87@gmail.com); Casey Near (caseylane@gmail.com)

2007 Class Agents: Cassie Kerkhoff (ckerkhoff@ucsd.edu); Audrey Kwong (audmusic@gmail.com) Adam Creasman has accepted an exciting new position to help expand Facebook’s presence in the U.K. Currently in the process of moving to London, where he will remain for the next one to two years, Adam said he is “looking forward to this next adventure.” Look for further coverage about his new international

Class Agents: Rachel Wang (rachel.serendipity@gmail.com) Stephanie Guo (stephanie.j.guo@gmail.com)

Photo provided by Jason and Stephen Martin

After a decade working in acting and graphic design in Los Angeles, Emma Hawley has relocated to Chennai, India, for the second half of 2014.

She now resides in the ashram headquarters for Sahaj Marg, a spiritual practice in natural path meditation (www. sahajmarg.org). Recruited to take over as an editor for the mission's quarterly English publication, she has volunteered to help revamp the magazine for the new year. She said she is thrilled at this opportunity to deepen her skill sets and the practice that has begun to satiate her internal quest. Feel free to email Emma at hawley.emma@gmail.com.

Alan Malek is a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his master’s degree in statistics last year; previously, he earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford.

Alan and his long-time girlfriend, Yuanyuan (Yuni) Pao ’07, met at Harker’s Robotics Club when he was a junior and she was a freshman. They’ve been together more than 10 years now! Yuni graduated from MIT in 2011 and received a master’s degree from Stanford last year. She now works in the data-driven marketing field in Cupertino.

Congratulations to Tiffany Chang, who was recently named as a recipient of the inaugural Tracy T. Lefteroff Fund Awards for her work with the Fogarty Institute for Innovation. Located on the campus of El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, the institute is an educational nonprofit dedicated to medical technology innovation.

Tiffany received her award through the Lefteroff intern program. “The award has allowed me to learn from and work with inspiring professionals in the medical device industry,” she enthused. To learn more: http://www. fogartyinstitute.org/news20140716.html.

2010 Class Agents: Kevin Fu (kf800@yahoo.com); Adrienne Wong (adriee@gmail.com)

about it: http://www. americanassociationbaseball.com/2014/06/30/ amarillos-martin-earnsamerican-association-player-of-the-week/.

2011

See Class of 2005 notes for an update on Yuni Pao and Class of 2012 notes for an update on Debanshi Bheda.

Class Agents: Rani Mukherjee (rani.mukherjee18@gmail.com); Hassaan Ebrahim (hassaan.e@gmail.com)

2008

2012

Class Agents: Stephanie Syu (ssyu363@yahoo.com); Senan Ebrahim (sebrahim@fas.harvard.edu)

Class Agents: Will Chang (12williamc@students. harker.org); David Fang (12davidf@students.harker. org)

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ClassNotes

at the Spain vs. Chile game at the Maracanã stadium in Rio.

2013 Class Agents: Kathir Sundarraj (13KathirS@alumni. harker.org); Nikhil Panu (13NikhilP@alumni. harker.org); Nicholas Chuang (13NicholasC@alumni. harker.org) Michael Amick was named a starter for the UCLA varsity soccer team! To read more about it: http://www. uclabruins.com/ViewArticle.

When Maverick McNealy qualified for the U.S. Open (making him the first alumnus known to do so) the Harker community was filled with excitement. There was also a flurry of local

to Graduates’ Grove, features benches and a podium for teaching.

2014 Class Agents: Nithya Vemireddy (nithya.vemireddy@gmail. com) Adith Rengaramchandran (adithram@gmail.com) Connie Li (connieli32@gmail.com) Regina Chen was chosen

by Cornell University as one of six fencers to join the squad for the 201415 season. Regina is a member of the Cardinal Fencing Club, where she has participated in multiple national and international events. She placed 13th at the 2013 Junior Olympic Championships and seventh at the 2011 NAC. She also earned a bronze medal at the 2012 Hong Kong Fencing Association U17 Championship, while finishing seventh overall at the 2012 Hong Kong Fencing Association U20 Championship.

Aaron Lee is among four local high school students who won $2,000 scholarships from the Auxiliary of Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose for their volunteer service and health-care career goals. Aaron, who currently attends Cornell University, said he was a volunteer at Good Samaritan Hospital from January 2012 to June 2014.

“I applied for the scholarship as I do intend to go on a premed track in college and the scholarship was for students who want to enter the medical field. Looking back, the scholarship probably also feels great knowing that it came from a community I found in high school. [Good Samaritan] was a great place that supported me while I volunteered and also learned to be a leader,” he said.

This past spring, Zina Jawadi was the subject of an ABC (channel 7) news story about her efforts to help hearing-impaired students. Over the summer she went on to receive an award from the Silicon Valley chapter of the

Photo provided by Maverick McNealy '13

The Class of 2013 left its legacy by gifting the school with water-filling stations, as well as an outdoor classroom. The final touches were put on the classroom this summer, and it is now being used by students and faculty! The classroom, located adjacent Photo provided by Regina Chen '13

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Photo provided by Aaron Lee '14

media activity singing his praises. While Maverick, who is on the Stanford University golf team, did not make the final cut, he performed brilliantly, coming in at a strong 145, which means that Photo provided by Pranav Bheda '14 he missed the cut by just five Sachin Jain Pranav Bheda strokes. In fact, he was still and Debanshi Bheda ’07 in the running right up until traveled to Brazil to cheer the last two holes, where on the U.S. and enjoy the World Cup. Here they are pic- he shot four over. Congratulations, Maverick! tured with two friends

ClassNotes Hearing Loss Association of America. Zina was one of three such scholarship recipients this year. An honorary potluck luncheon was held for Zina and the other award winners in June, where they also received certificates of merit from Santa Clara County. Jawadi is the first of the association’s scholarship recipients to have attended Harker.

Renu Singh debuted as the sole performer in “Bharatanatyam Arangetram,” a show presented by the Kala Vandana Dance Company.

The successful show was held at the Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater in San Jose at the end of June.

Congratulations, Renu!

Photo by Eric Marten

The Class of 2014 agents would like to wish their

fellow alumni good luck as they begin university this fall and settle in to their new lives!

Email your listed class agent with photos and updates or contact MaryEllis Deacon at maryellis.deacon@ harker.org

Alumni Adventures Alumni of all years united for a fun regional gathering at the San Francisco Giants vs. Chicago White Sox game, held at AT&T Park on Aug. 12.

More than 70 alumni attended the outing, which featured special guest Pat Walsh, the lower school’s beloved grade 5 math teacher (and a lifelong Giants fan), as well as a personal visit from Giants mascot Lou Seal (aka Joel Zimei).

Tickets to the game were provided by Harker’s alumni office on a first-come, first-served basis. Everyone got a kick out of the prominently displayed billboards welcoming Harker alumni and cheering the Giants on!

Connect. Reunite. Explore.

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

Photos provided by MaryEllis Deacon

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LookingAhead Pledge Week

Get your tickets today!

Oct. 5-11, 2014

Rising to the Challenge Make your pledges to annual giving and capital giving by Oct. 12 to qualify for the Rothschild and the Trustees/Fellows matching gifts.*

*To find out more and make your pledges go to www.harker.org/matching.

OPEN HOUSE EVENTS GRADE

DATE

LOCATION

9-12 Ages 3-5 6-8 K-5 Ages 3-5

Sun., Nov. 2 Sat., Nov. 8 Sun., Nov. 9 Sun., Nov. 16 Sat., Jan. 10

Upper School Preschool Middle School Lower School Preschool

K-5 9-12 6-8

Fri. Oct. 17 Tues., Dec. 2 Fri., Jan. 16

Lower School Upper School Middle School

SUN., OCT.12 10 A.M.-3:30 P.M.

HOMECOMING Davis Field | Sat., Oct. 4

presents

January 8, 13, 22, 27 January 15, 23, 29

RSVP! www.harker.org 46

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A Midsummer Nights‘ Dream Thurs.-Sat., Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2014

Concert Series 2014-15

LookingAhead Fri., Oct. 17 8 p.m.

Frank Almond Photo by Brian McConkey

with the Lipinski ´ Stradivarius Wed., Jan. 28 8 p.m.

The Taylor Eigsti Trio Photo by Devin DeHaven

Alfie Kohn: The Myth of the Spoiled Child Wed., Nov. 12 | 7 p.m. | Saratoga Campus

Fri., March 13 8 p.m.

Afiara Quartet

THE HARKER SCHOOL GALA

Save the Date!

Photo by Joseph Kan

General Admission: $20 Pre-event reception one hour prior to each performance.

Complimentary hors d'oeuvres and soft drinks included.

Cash bar for wine and beer.

Tickets: www.harker.org/concertseries

Nichols Hall Auditorium | Upper School Campus 500 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose For more information contact communications@harker.org or call 408.345.9243.

Fri., Feb. 27, 2015

Harker Quarterly (USPS 023-761) is published four times per year (September, December, March and June) 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 Quarterly, 500 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA 95129.

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Circa 1960s

Harker Academy

Photo courtesy of the Harker Archives

C

lassrooms sure started to change after the 1960s! Social awareness came into the classroom, followed by educational graphic displays, overhead projectors and, ultimately, computers. But one thing still found in every classroom is a teacher leaning over a student, helping her or him find that “aha!” moment. Harker classrooms don’t have lift-top desks or inkwells anymore, and the campuses continue to modernize, with the next big step coming on the upper school campus as our $10 million capital campaign matching funds effort reaches its zenith in early October. Read more about it on page 18!

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