The Harker School
Encyclopedia
The Harker School is a private, co-educational, non-profit college preparatory school in San Jose, California
, United States
. Founded in 1893 as Manzanita Hall by Frank Cramer, Harker now has three campuses: Bucknall, Blackford, and Saratoga, named for the streets on which they lie. Bucknall is the Lower School campus, educating kindergarten
through grade 5. The Middle School, grades 6 to 8, is on the Blackford campus, and the Upper School, grades 9 to 12, is on the Saratoga campus.
The current Harker administration is led by Christopher Nikoloff, who succeeded Howard and Diana Nichols following their retirement after the 2004-05 academic year. Howard Nichols was the son of Major Donald L. Nichols, who created the present day Harker School by merging the Palo Alto Military Academy in Palo Alto
(as Manzanita Hall was then called) with Harker Day School in 1972 and moving to the Saratoga campus. The Upper Division is led by Samuel "Butch" Keller, the Middle Division by Cindy Kerr Ellis, the Elementary Division by Kristin Giammona, and the Primary Division by Sarah Leonard.
, Princeton
, Stanford, Duke
, Brown
, Caltech, Columbia
, Cornell
, MIT, UC Berkeley, the University of Pennsylvania
, and others. Harker students are selected largely based on their academic aptitude.
Harker has the #1 ranking in the world by The College Board for Advanced Placement
test scores for AP Computer Science
, AP Psychology
, and AP Chemistry
, as well as the #1 ranking in the world for Calculus
.
Many Harker students are involved in research, which is also shared annually at the Harker Research Symposium. Coined the "The 'It' School For the Next Einsteins" in the San Jose Mercury News, the school fosters a culture of student-generated, original research. In the Siemens Competition, Harker produced four national semifinalists in both 2006-07 and 2007–08 and six in 2008-09. Similarly, in each of the 2006-07, 2007–08, 2008–09 and 2009-10 Intel Science Talent Search
, 3-6 Harker seniors were named national semifinalists, the largest number of semifinalists produced by any school west of the Mississippi those years. Harker student Yi Sun (class of 2006) and Intel finalist won the $75,000 second place award in the Intel Science Talent Search
in 2006. In 2009-10, Harker had another Intel finalist, Namrata Anand, noted by New York Times columnist, Thomas Freedman, in his column "America's Real Dream Team." In 2010-11, Harker was the only school in the nation to have two Intel Finalists.
, volleyball
, soccer
, track and field
, basketball
, baseball
, tennis
, golf
, softball
, lacrosse
, cross country running
, swimming
and diving
, water polo
, wrestling
, cheerleading
, yoga
, fitness
, physical education
, and dance
. High school sports programs are rapidly improving, and advanced sports facilities, such as the new Davis Field and the Singh Aquatic Center (which features a state-of-the-art racing pool), are quickly developing because of monetary contributions. Students are allowed and encouraged to participate in sports from 4th grade onwards. Some sports such as lacrosse, diving, tennis, track and field, and tennis are only offered in middle school and high school. Most sports are separate for girls and boys but others are co-ed. The school is in the Central Coast Section of the California Interscholastic Federation
and is classified as Division III in some sports and Division IV in others.
Its Conservatory program allows high school students to "major" in a specific discipline within the performing arts, requiring them to take specialized classes and participate in performances in order to graduate. At the end of their senior year, there is a senior showcase where candidates perform and then receive their certificate at the end of the show. The Harker Conservatory was invited to perform at the 2007 Fringe Festival, taking that year's spring show, Urinetown: The Musical to Edinburgh, Scotland. Harker has also been invited back to the 2011 Fringe Festival and performed Pippin.
Vocal groups include the jazz-focused Downbeat!, the a cappella
Guys Gig, the classical and all-female Cantilena, the classical choir Camerata, and the choir Bel Canto. In addition, Harker has a play each fall, a musical each spring, and a student-directed showcase each winter. Harker's instrumental music program includes an orchestra and a jazz band. The dance program at Harker focuses on many different styles of dance and also allows selected Upper School Dance Conservatory students to choreograph many of the numbers in the annual Upper School Dance Production at the end of January. Two audition-only groups, Varsity Dance Troupe and Junior Varsity Dance Troupe, perform at various events and venues throughout the school year.
The middle school is located on the Blackford campus, the former site of Blackford High School. The site was rented starting in the 2005-06 school year. Before 1998, the eighth grade was the final year at Harker; however, middle school graduates now have the opportunity to choose between matriculating to the upper school or continuing their education at another high school. Uniforms, which are navy blue, are required in the middle school. There is a school meeting every Monday in the morning. Announcements are made, and the student council will address any school issues to the students or teachers. Free dress days occur every other Friday with the exception of photography days and certain rehearsals. 8th graders get an extra free dress day every month. Many components aid in the shift from the Lower School to the Middle School, including various athletic and artistic programs. There is also a fine arts requirement: students in 7th and 8th grade must take at least one arts class or participate in one arts event in order to graduate, although 6th graders are encouraged to do so as well.
. Kindergarten tuition is $25,060; elementary tuition is $26,545; middle school is $33,080; upper school is $36,435. Textbooks, uniforms (K-8), and laptop fees are additional. Lunch is included in the tuition for grades 6-12, offering regular, vegan, and vegetarian options by a professional chef on each campus. Extended care (7 a.m. to 6 p.m) and after-school activities are also included in tuition for all grade levels, but does not include music, performing arts, and sports fees.
From kindergarten through grade eight, Harker offers extensive after-school offerings by Harker's B.E.S.T. Program (Bucknall or Blackford Enrichment and Supervision Team). In the upper school, dozens of clubs and a full athletic program extend the day and contribute to the school's sense of community.
As an independent school without an endowment, annual tuition and annual giving cover the operating expenses of the school. The tuition increases by about 7-10% each year. Capital campaign projects expand the school's offerings, including the recent expansion completed with the opening of Gold LEED-certified Nichols Hall in August 2008.
37.31322°N 121.9689°W
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Founded in 1893 as Manzanita Hall by Frank Cramer, Harker now has three campuses: Bucknall, Blackford, and Saratoga, named for the streets on which they lie. Bucknall is the Lower School campus, educating kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
through grade 5. The Middle School, grades 6 to 8, is on the Blackford campus, and the Upper School, grades 9 to 12, is on the Saratoga campus.
The current Harker administration is led by Christopher Nikoloff, who succeeded Howard and Diana Nichols following their retirement after the 2004-05 academic year. Howard Nichols was the son of Major Donald L. Nichols, who created the present day Harker School by merging the Palo Alto Military Academy in Palo Alto
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
(as Manzanita Hall was then called) with Harker Day School in 1972 and moving to the Saratoga campus. The Upper Division is led by Samuel "Butch" Keller, the Middle Division by Cindy Kerr Ellis, the Elementary Division by Kristin Giammona, and the Primary Division by Sarah Leonard.
Upper School
The upper school, offering grades 9-12, is located on the Saratoga Avenue campus, which is where the original K-8 San Jose campus has been located since Harker moved from Palo Alto in 1972. The new upper school was added to the existing K-8 program in 1998, with the first class of graduates in 2002. Currently, there are about 700 students in the upper school. Harker completed the largest capital expansion project in its history with the completion of a new athletic field in September 2007, a new aquatic center in April 2008, and a Gold LEED-certified Science and Technology center, Nichols Hall, in time for the start of the 2008-09 academic year. It was the first school in Santa Clara to have a Gold LEED-certified building. http://www.usgbc-ncc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=270 The building cost approximately $25 million to build.Academics
Many of Harker's graduates are regularly accepted into selective colleges throughout the country, many going on to attend Harvard, YaleYALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Stanford, Duke
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, Brown
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, Caltech, Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Cornell
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, MIT, UC Berkeley, the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, and others. Harker students are selected largely based on their academic aptitude.
Harker has the #1 ranking in the world by The College Board for Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
test scores for AP Computer Science
AP Computer Science
Advanced Placement Computer Science is the name of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn college credit for a college-level computer science course...
, AP Psychology
AP Psychology
The Advanced Placement Psychology course and corresponding exam is part of the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course is tailored for students interested in the field of psychology and as an opportunity to earn placement credit or exemption from a college-level psychology course...
, and AP Chemistry
AP Chemistry
Advanced Placement Chemistry is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and earn college-level credit.-The course:AP Chemistry is a course...
, as well as the #1 ranking in the world for Calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
.
Many Harker students are involved in research, which is also shared annually at the Harker Research Symposium. Coined the "The 'It' School For the Next Einsteins" in the San Jose Mercury News, the school fosters a culture of student-generated, original research. In the Siemens Competition, Harker produced four national semifinalists in both 2006-07 and 2007–08 and six in 2008-09. Similarly, in each of the 2006-07, 2007–08, 2008–09 and 2009-10 Intel Science Talent Search
Intel Science Talent Search
The Intel Science Talent Search , known for its first 57 years as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search is a research-based science competition in the United States for high school seniors. It has been referred to as "the nation's oldest and most prestigious" science competition. In his speech...
, 3-6 Harker seniors were named national semifinalists, the largest number of semifinalists produced by any school west of the Mississippi those years. Harker student Yi Sun (class of 2006) and Intel finalist won the $75,000 second place award in the Intel Science Talent Search
Intel Science Talent Search
The Intel Science Talent Search , known for its first 57 years as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search is a research-based science competition in the United States for high school seniors. It has been referred to as "the nation's oldest and most prestigious" science competition. In his speech...
in 2006. In 2009-10, Harker had another Intel finalist, Namrata Anand, noted by New York Times columnist, Thomas Freedman, in his column "America's Real Dream Team." In 2010-11, Harker was the only school in the nation to have two Intel Finalists.
Athletics
While known primarily for its academic focus, Harker offers an extensive athletics program, consisting of footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, cross country running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
, wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
, cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
, physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
, and dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
. High school sports programs are rapidly improving, and advanced sports facilities, such as the new Davis Field and the Singh Aquatic Center (which features a state-of-the-art racing pool), are quickly developing because of monetary contributions. Students are allowed and encouraged to participate in sports from 4th grade onwards. Some sports such as lacrosse, diving, tennis, track and field, and tennis are only offered in middle school and high school. Most sports are separate for girls and boys but others are co-ed. The school is in the Central Coast Section of the California Interscholastic Federation
California Interscholastic Federation
The California Interscholastic Federation is the governing body for high school sports in the state of California. It mirrors similar governing bodies in other states; however, it differs from some of the others in that it covers most high schools in the state of California, both public and...
and is classified as Division III in some sports and Division IV in others.
Performing arts
Harker also has a diverse K-12 performing arts program. There are six disciplines in the upper school program with one faculty member corresponding to each discipline.Its Conservatory program allows high school students to "major" in a specific discipline within the performing arts, requiring them to take specialized classes and participate in performances in order to graduate. At the end of their senior year, there is a senior showcase where candidates perform and then receive their certificate at the end of the show. The Harker Conservatory was invited to perform at the 2007 Fringe Festival, taking that year's spring show, Urinetown: The Musical to Edinburgh, Scotland. Harker has also been invited back to the 2011 Fringe Festival and performed Pippin.
Vocal groups include the jazz-focused Downbeat!, the a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
Guys Gig, the classical and all-female Cantilena, the classical choir Camerata, and the choir Bel Canto. In addition, Harker has a play each fall, a musical each spring, and a student-directed showcase each winter. Harker's instrumental music program includes an orchestra and a jazz band. The dance program at Harker focuses on many different styles of dance and also allows selected Upper School Dance Conservatory students to choreograph many of the numbers in the annual Upper School Dance Production at the end of January. Two audition-only groups, Varsity Dance Troupe and Junior Varsity Dance Troupe, perform at various events and venues throughout the school year.
Middle School
Lower School
The elementary school is located on the Bucknall campus, the former site of Bucknall Elementary School. The campus was sold to Harker by the Moreland School District, and was first used by the former in the 1998-99 school year. The Lower School also has an after-school orchestra, as well as sports and other activities. Uniform is required for the lower school children.Tuition
Harker's tuition is higher than most private schools in the Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. Kindergarten tuition is $25,060; elementary tuition is $26,545; middle school is $33,080; upper school is $36,435. Textbooks, uniforms (K-8), and laptop fees are additional. Lunch is included in the tuition for grades 6-12, offering regular, vegan, and vegetarian options by a professional chef on each campus. Extended care (7 a.m. to 6 p.m) and after-school activities are also included in tuition for all grade levels, but does not include music, performing arts, and sports fees.
From kindergarten through grade eight, Harker offers extensive after-school offerings by Harker's B.E.S.T. Program (Bucknall or Blackford Enrichment and Supervision Team). In the upper school, dozens of clubs and a full athletic program extend the day and contribute to the school's sense of community.
As an independent school without an endowment, annual tuition and annual giving cover the operating expenses of the school. The tuition increases by about 7-10% each year. Capital campaign projects expand the school's offerings, including the recent expansion completed with the opening of Gold LEED-certified Nichols Hall in August 2008.
Annual giving
The Harker School has an annual giving fundraising session used to pay for the 30% of the school's expenses that the tuition does not pay for. This includes the performing arts, clubs, and athletic programs. Currently a $25 million annual campaign is underway, supported by parents, alumni, and corporate contributions. Also, seniors can purchase a walkway brick with a cost corresponding to the graduation year (e.g. Class of 2008 = $2008).External links
37.31322°N 121.9689°W