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THE HARKER SCHOOL
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THE UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE HARKER SCHOOL
500 SARATOGA AVENUE, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA 95129
COVID-19 UPDATE
VOL. 24 NO. 1
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2022
Matriculation welcomes class of 2026
MASKS OPTIONAL FOR 2022-23 SCHOOL YEAR
KATELYN ZHAO
TESTING NOT MANDATORY FOR ASYMPTOMATIC STUDENTS
Class of 2023 arrives early for Senior Sunrise
Wildfires ravage Northern California, burn thousands of acres sabrina zhu Over five thousand wildfires have burnt through hundreds of thousands of acres in California, with numbers predicted to rise as we enter fire season. Residents of vulnerable regions are encouraged to prepare evacuation plans in case of emergency; there are currently no active wildfires near the Bay Area. The McKinney Fire of Siskiyou County, the largest fire of the summer, has been only recently contained and took the lives of four. Additionally, the Oak Fire of Amador and Mariposa Counties has forced areas of Yosemite National Park to temporarily close down. Visit harkeraquila.com for full article.
Director of DEI starts new position on all school campuses olivia xu Brian Davis will assume the new role of Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at the lower, middle and upper school campuses. Prior to joining Harker, Davis served as the Associate Director of Equity and Inclusion at St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco. Continued on page 9.
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RISING CLASSES Frosh students read the matriculation oath while standing. Associated Student Body (ASB) vice president Gordon Chen (12) led the recitation of the oath.
sally zhu & isha moorjani Upper school students and faculty gathered on Davis Field on Friday for the 2022-23 Matriculation ceremony to welcome the class of 2026 to the upper school and mark the commencement of the new academic year. The ceremony began at 9:30 a.m. with the class of 2026 entering Davis Field to the applause of the sophomore, junior and senior classes. To begin the ceremony, Head of School Brian Yager discussed the upper school’s 25th anniversary before offering advice to the class of 2026. “Enjoy and embrace this process,” Yager said in the speech. “Look to the students in the grades above you for guidance and for inspiration, as well as for examples of what will be expected of you in the years to come. The students around and before you have accomplished an incredible
amount. Stand on their shoulders to reach your own heights in the next four years.” Yager then introduced Cantilena, who performed their rendition of “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” by Stevie Wonder. New Head of Upper School Paul Barsky then took the stage and delivered a speech providing historical context surrounding 1892 and 1893, the dates to which the earliest stages of The Harker School can be traced back. “As we enter the school’s 130th year, we bring a wide ranging perspective and experiences,” Barsky said in the speech. “Regardless of our length of time or experience, we build upon the deeds of the past, the adherence to Harker’s value and our commitment to ‘samfund sind’ and ‘umwelt’. I wish you a remarkable year ahead and I’m proud and so excited to share it with you all.” Following this speech, Barsky introduced Associated Student Body (ASB)
KATELYN ZHAO
SKITS AND SPEECHES (Upper) Junior council member Ella Lan (11) performs in a skit. The sophomore, junior and senior class councils each created skits. (Bottom) Head of Upper School Paul Barsky speaks to the school community at matriculation. Administrators, along with various student council members, gave speeches.
President Kris Estrada (12), who encouraged students to explore interests. ASB Vice President Gordon Chen (12) then invited the attendees to stand and repeat after him in a recitation of the Matriculation Oath. As per tradition, the freshman class signed the Matriculation Book to recognize their dedication to the oath and upper school. During the signing process, the upper school councils took the stage, performing small skits of “Upper school 101,” themed with SpongeBob, Phineas and Ferb, Squid Game, and The Office, to familiarize the freshmen to life at the upper school. “I enjoyed the skits they had out because they were educational and funny. They taught me more about extracurriculars and where to find my classes,” Mindy Truong (9) said. “I think [matriculation] was a good transition day before I actually had to go to school.” Visit harkeraquila.com for full article.
Juniors and sophomores travel off-campus for class trips ella yee To celebrate the start of the new school year, freshmen attended orientation at the upper school campus while sophomores and juniors participated in ropes courses and rafting off campus on Thursday. These were the first times that sophomores or juniors had class trips since 2019, as trips in the last two years were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and wildfires. The junior class met at 6:10 a.m. on the Upper School campus before taking a three-hour bus ride to the South Fork of the American River. Students first attended a safety orientation led by guides from the O.A.R.S. rafting company and then suited up in life vests and helmets. After a quick lunch, the juniors separated into their advisory groups and entered the
DAY OF ADVENTURE A junior advisory paddles on a raft together. The junior class participated in a rafting excursion in the American River the day before matriculation.
rafts, where the O.A.R.S. guides instructed them on proper rowing techniques. “It was really nice to get together since we haven’t had an off campus class trip in a while,” Kaitlyn Wang (11) said.
“For our sophomore class trip, we went to the middle school campus, but I thought the place we went [for rafting] was a good location with lots of activities to do.” Continued on page 2. DESIGN BY SABRINA ZHU
ELLA YEE
Approximately 100 seniors participated in the annual tradition of Senior Sunrise, which took place on Monday at Davis Field. Class of 2023 students arrived at 6:15 to watch the sunrise together, an activity that symbolizes their journey into their final year in high school. The senior council and senior class dean, upper school Performing Arts Production Manager Brian Larsen, organized the event and brought hot chocolate and donuts for students. Seniors sat together on blankets, took photos, and relaxed until the schoolday started. Visit harkeraquila.com for full article.
KATELYN ZHAO
sabrina zhu