Harker School
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| Harker School | |
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| Location | |
| 500 Saratoga Avenue San Jose, California United States |
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| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Motto | Aim High, Have Fun |
| Established | 1893 |
| Head of school | Christopher Nikoloff |
| Staff | 386 |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Color(s) | Green and white |
| Mascot | Eagle |
| Tuition | Gr. 9-12: $36,435
Gr. 6-8: $33,080 Gr. 1-5: $26,545 Kindergarten: $25,060 |
| Website | www.harker.org |
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.[1][2] 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.
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[edit] Components
[edit] 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.[2] 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. [1] The building cost approximately $25 million to build.
[edit] Academics
Many of Harker's graduates are regularly accepted into selective colleges throughout the country, many going on to attend Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Duke, Brown, Caltech, Columbia, Cornell, MIT, UC Berkeley, the University of Pennsylvania, and others.[3] 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.[4]
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.[5][6] 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.[7] 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.[8][9] In 2011-12, Harker had 11 Intel Semifinalists, the most ever in California and the second most behind Stuyvesant High School in New York.
[edit] Athletics
While known primarily for its academic focus, Harker offers an extensive athletics program, consisting of football, 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.
[edit] 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 Guys Gig, the classical and all-female Cantilena, the classical choir Camerata, and the choir Bel Canto.[10] 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.
[edit] Middle School
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.[11] 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.
[edit] 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.[12] The Lower School also has an after-school orchestra, as well as sports and other activities. Uniform is required for the lower school children.
[edit] Tuition
Harker's tuition is higher than most private schools in the Bay Area.[13][14][15][16] 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.
[edit] 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.[17] Also, seniors can purchase a walkway brick with a cost corresponding to the graduation year (e.g. Class of 2008 = $2008).
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.harker.org/page.cfm?p=1737
- ^ a b http://www.harker.org/page.cfm?p=95
- ^ http://www.harker.org/page.cfm?p=887
- ^ http://www.harker.org/page.cfm?p=1398
- ^ http://www.mercurynews.com/traffic/ci_7995408
- ^ http://www.societyforscience.org/sts/68sts/state.cfm?state=ca
- ^ http://sciserv.org/sts/65sts/Sun.asp
- ^ KTVU
- ^ Mercury News
- ^ http://www.harker.org/arts/vocal.htm
- ^ http://www.svcn.com/archives/campbellreporter/20031217/ca-news8.shtml
- ^ http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/1998/02/09/story5.html
- ^ http://www.harker.org/page.cfm?p=112
- ^ http://admissions.ndsj.org/s/1168/RtCol.aspx?sid=1168&gid=1&pgid=305
- ^ http://www.pres-net.com/admissions/tuition.html
- ^ http://www.sfhs.com/admissions/tuition.aspx
- ^ http://www.harker.org/uploaded/main/pdfs/Harker_News_Archive/08Feb_CCsupp_LoRes.pdf
