RG06_The Harker School (K-8), 1992-1998
Scope and Contents
These records document the operation, organization, and institutional history of The Harker School, from 1992 – 1998. The material in this collection is the product of several accessions from August 2002 - 2008. The records are organized like those of the other records groups; by originating department, leader, student, parent, or alumnae. The collection includes advertisements, newspaper clippings, ephemera, brochures, rosters, photos, memorabilia, yearbooks and media describing the activities of the leaders, students, parents and alumni during this period. There are no financial records, other than some pertaining to Development activities. Included in this record group are the minutes from one Board meeting.
Dates
- Majority of material found within 1992 - 1998
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Administrative History
The Harker Academy was renamed The Harker School in 1992, when the Administration and Board decided that the school’s image should leave behind any vestiges of its military academy roots. A letter dated January 14, 1992, that was sent from Howard Nichols to parents stated “…the word ‘Academy’ seems to conjure images of military, all boys, rigid structure and other highly inaccurate descriptions.” This was not universally accepted by parents and alumni, since some felt the “Academy” more aptly described the scholarly mission and atmosphere of the school. Although the name change signaled that the school was leaving behind its military past, no other significant organizational changes were made, and the structure of the school remained in place until the high school was opened in 1998. The records for The Harker School, K-12, can be found in Record Group 7.
Extent
3 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Contains brochures, news clippings, student newspapers, newsletters, rosters, alumni information, advertisements, programs and flyers from The Harker School when it provided a Kindergarten through Eighth grade education (1992-1998). Formerly Harker Academy, the school removed “Academy” from its name in 1992 to shed the last ties to its past as a military academy. In the fall of 1998, The Harker School admitted its first freshman class and added a new high school grade in the subsequent three years. The first high school class graduated in 2002. Records for The Harker School after 1998 can be found in Record Group 7.
Acquisitions Information
These records were accumulated by The Harker School between 1992 and 1998. The materials were accumulated by various offices and stored informally within the school. They were accessioned by the Archives in August 2003. There is no indication of a records management program during or since the time these records were created. This collection was processed by Susan Smith, Harker Archivist, and Enid Davis, Harker Library Director. The Harker History Committee was formed in August of 2001, initially at the request of the Administration, to find historical materials to help promote and market the school, research the lives and careers of the founders of the predecessor schools, and to organize and preserve aging photographs. Original History Committee members include Enid Davis, Library Director, Pam Dickinson, Director of Communications, Terry Walsh, Alumni Director, and Chris Darren, Yearbook and Photography coordinator. Sue Smith was an ad-hoc member. The project grew into the development of the Archives. The initial accessioning began in September of 2003 and was completed in 2008.
Updated Acquisitions (April 2009)Former Harker employee and board of trustee’s member, Phyllis Carley kept all of the files related to the Board of Trustees and her personal items related to the schools in her home. She asked Harker employee Terry Walsh to move the items to Harker upon her death. Mrs. Carley passed away on April 25, 2009 and Terry Walsh and Harker employees Kelly Espinosa and Carol Sosnowski sorted and boxed up all items in her home, related to Harker or one of the schools in our history. The boxes with Board of Trustees related papers were moved to a secured area of the school for Diana Nichols. The rest of the boxes were moved to archives for processing. The boxes contain items that span the years and schools from the 1950’s to present time.
Updated Acquisitions (June 2009)In June 2009, during construction, 3 boxes of archival materials were found in the hallway behind the Saratoga campus gym. These materials were likely present when the 2001 items were accessioned, but were only recently transferred to the Archives. These boxes contained various items from Miss Harker’s School, Harker Day School, PAMA and financial records and correspondence of Major Donald Nichols.
Updated Acquisitions (March 2010)School related items were received from former Harker employee and trustee, Phyllis Carley. As board secretary, she held files related to the Board of Trustees and personal school mementos in her home and these were given to The Harker School by her grandson, Dale Johnson, after her death in April 2009. Some items were accessioned to the Archives in 2009 – 2010 and some items remain with the Administration.
Updated Acquisitions (October 2010)Triona Coyne, assistant to Head of School sent a fire proof file cabinet filled with files to archives. The files were moved to a standard file cabinet in the archives processing office and the fireproof file was moved to Archives Room 7. The fireproof file cabinet stores our oldest items in archives. The files from this cabinet contain building & facilities files that include site plans, notes, bids, blueprints, samples, personal notes and various other documents for campus remodels and construction including on the Saratoga campus: KDG building, Dorm, Dobbins & Shah Halls, Portable classrooms and on the Bucknall Campus, all construction.
Updated Acquisitions (Spring 2011)Administrative files from Diana Nichols were sent to archives on several different dates in the spring of 2011. These files were Diana Nichols files that had been stored in a special storage room and the room was being cleared out for a remodel. Chris Doll (Nichols admin assistant) and Nichols sorted through the files to determine what files could be moved to archives. The files contained various administrative documents from both Howard and Diana Nichols, programs, newsletters, yearbooks, memorabilia and other items that spanned the years of Harker Academy to present. The files were in no particular order. The files seemed to contain many items that may have been stored in the Mrs. Carley files that were secured by Diana Nichols in April 2009.
Updated Acquisitions (June 2012)Upon her retirement, Ruth Tebo, Harker admissions assistant sent several boxes to archives. The boxes contained employee & student rosters, calendars, beginning of the year paperwork, admissions materials, and many other annual documents. In addition, Tebo cleared out files in Chris Doll’s office that contained photos, memorabilia, personnel handbooks, newsletters, annual documents and more that spanned the years from about 1980 to present.
Publication Rights
The Harker School possesses physical property rights through ownership of the materials. However, copyright may reside with the individual or corporate body responsible for the creation of the materials, or with their heirs. It is the user’s responsibility to respect the provisions of the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code). Permission to reproduce or publish from the collection must be secured by the user from the copyright holders.
- Title
- The Harker School (K-8)
- Subtitle
- The Harker School (K-8), 1992-1998
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- These records were created by The Harker School.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2008.04: Processed by: Susan Smith, Archivist | Alex Lux
Repository Details
Part of the The Harker School Archives Repository