This article originally appeared in the fall 2015 Harker Quarterly.
Middle school library assistant Renee Ting was recently awarded a Spectrum Scholarship from the American Library Association; she plans to continue her graduate studies in library and information studies at San Jose State University. This scholarship was awarded to 60 library and information studies students nationwide. According to an ALA press release, the majority of this year’s applicants – more than three times the number of available scholarships – were considered “highly fundable.” Congratulations!
Karriem “Coach K” Stinson, Harker’s longtime wrestling coach, was profiled in The California Wrestler in July. The story recaps his history as a competitor at San Jose High Academy and his coaching method, as well as his extensive efforts to promote the sport of wrestling. In addition to coaching during the school year, Stinson also runs the summer wrestling camp and TRX training camp.
In July, upper school French teacher Nicholas Manjoine (now teaching English) visited the AP Annual Conference (APAC) in Austin, Texas, where he gave two talks. The first covered how the AP French Language and Culture course and exam can promote student research and how the wide variety of media resources available to students enhances their learning and exposure to Francophone culture. His other talk focused on how to enhance the use of reading and listening materials when teaching French.
Also at APAC, Derek Kameda, Harker’s director of standardized testing and scheduling, hosted a workshop titled “Organizing Your AP Exam Administration.” More than 30 AP coordinators attended, including several from Europe, the Middle East and China. “It was an all-day workshop during which we shared best practices and traded ideas on how to successfully run an efficient and organized AP program,” Kameda said. “It was the sixth time I’ve been asked to present at the AP Annual Conference.”
Congratulations to middle school science teacher Thomas Artiss, who was named the 2015 Outstanding Biology Teacher for California by the National Association of Biology Teachers. Each year, the Outstanding Biology Teacher awards recognize excellent biology teachers in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Canada, Puerto Rico and other overseas territories. As a recipient of the award, Artiss is now eligible to attend a special honors luncheon at the 2015 NABT Professional Development Conference, to be held in November in Providence, R.I.
Special events director Danae McLaughlin took part in the Garlic Showdown at this year’s Gilroy Garlic Festival. Having been a judge for another festival event, the Garlic Bowl, since its inception, McLaughlin entered this year’s Garlic Showdown when one more team was needed to fill a spot. She and her partner were given one hour to create two entrées from a batch of specially selected ingredients. “Our first dish was pork tenderloin roulade stuffed with spam, spinach and squash blossoms, lentils with rosemary and garlic, and a summer herb salad with nectarines and white balsamic and garlic dressing. Our second entrée was smoked chicken (yes, we smoked it during our time) with a fruit compote, mashed sweet potatoes, and sautéed fennel and shaved cucumbers.” Though McLaughlin’s team did not win the competition, “We had people from the audience come up to us afterward and say they thought we [should have] won,” McLaughlin recalled.