RG07_The Harker School (K-12), 1998 - 2013
Scope and Contents
These records document the operation, organization, and institutional history of The Harker School, from 1998 – 2002. The material in this collection is the product of several accessions from August 2002 - 2004. The collection is organized by Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools beginning with 1998, the first year that the school included a high school. Prior to 1998, the records are organized like those of the other record 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, and no executive meeting minutes.
Dates
- Majority of material found within 1998 - 2013
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Administrative History
Beginning in the late 1990’s and in response to parent and community interest, the Administration began to consider the addition of an upper school. In 1997, a team of faculty led by Diana Nichols, then Assistant Head, visited top rated preparatory schools to define Harker’s vision for its upper school. A new campus was purchased for the lower school and the junior kindergarten program ended, in order to make room for the upper school on the Saratoga campus. This record group was opened to reflect the expansion of the educational program to include an upper school.
The Harker School welcomed its first class of incoming freshmen in the fall of 1998 and added an additional freshman class each year until the high school offered all four levels in the academic year 2001-02. The first high school Commencement Exercises were held in May 2002.
Harker Boarding ProgramThe Harker Boarding Program ended in June 2002, in part to meet the continuing space needs of Harker’s expanding K-12 program. A boarding program had operated continuously - in varied form and for varied ages - since the inception of the Miss Harkers School and Manzanita Hall. When the Saratoga campus was purchased in 1972, many of the boarding students moved from Palo Alto to the new campus. The Harker News wrote in 2002, “The decision almost two years ago to close the program at the end of this school year was extremely difficult for President Howard Nichols who was once a Harker boarding student himself. . . Caring, capable staff have taken care of the health, academics and social lives of approximately 1,377 school year boarding students over the years and approximately 2,100 summer boarding students. Study hall, meals, recreation, shopping, haircuts—all the daily needs—were met by the enthusiastic, dedicated dorm staff.”
Common Ground speakersAs part of its outreach to the greater community, Harker joined Common Ground speakers (CG) in September 2004. CG, a coalition of 24 Bay Area schools committed to strengthening families and communities through parent education. Sessions are open to faculty and parents of the member schools.
Harker Teacher InstituteHarker Teacher Institute, launched in 2004 and presented by Harker's Instructional Technology Department, invited local educators to explore some of the latest instructional technologies each summer.
The Harker Speaker Series and Concert SeriesThe Harker Speaker Series, launched in 2007, and the Concert Series, launched in March 2011, were created as part of the school's commitment to share thoughtful, entertaining and engaging events with the greater Bay Area community. The Harker Speaker Series was sought to bring in leaders and visionaries from a wide variety of fields to share their expertise or unique experiences with Harker parents, faculty and students as well as the greater community. The Concert Series featured world class musicians representing many genres. All events for both series are open to the public.
The John Near Excellence in History Education EndowmentThe John Near Excellence in History Education Endowment, established in 2009 and managed by the History Department with support from the Library, sponsors research grants to seniors each year on topics of their choosing in United States history. The program includes a faculty mentor and librarian for each student, to help guide the process. It was made possible from an endowment by the Near family, in memory of John Near, a 31-year veteran teacher and coach.
The Mitra Family EndowmentThe Mitra Family Endowment was established in 2011 to sponsor research grants in the humanities, including literature, art, music, and the social sciences. In 2011, Harker parents Samir and Sundari Mitra (Shivani, 2013) established the Mitra Family Endowment for the Humanities to expand the support of student research to topics beyond history. The MItra program is also co-directed by the History Department and Library.
Extent
50 Linear Feet (Number of containers: 104 Boxes)
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 grade 12 education (1998-2013). While no name change occurred during this time, the addition of a high school in one year increments starting in 1998 until the first class graduated in 2002. This records group reflects the first eight years of what has become one of the most renowned college preparatory schools in the country.
This record group was closed in 2013 due to the purchase of the Union Avenue property and the addition of a preschool program in the fall of 2014.
Acquisitions Information
The original archival collection, accumulated by various offices and stored informally within the school prior to 2002, 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 included Enid Davis, Library Director, Pam Dickinson, Director of Communications, Terry Walsh, Alumni Director, and Chris Darren, Yearbook and Photography coordinator. Susan Smith was an ad-hoc member. The project grew into the development of the Harker Archives.
The materials in this record group were accumulated by The Harker School between 1998 and 2013. Materials continued to be accessioned into the Archives periodically. There is no indication of a records management program at any time.
Updated Acquisitions (April 2009)Former Harker employee and board of trustees 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 in April 2009 and Terry Walsh and Harker employees Kelly Espinosa and Carol Sosnowski sorted and boxed up all items related to Harker or its predecessor schools at her home. The boxes with Board of Trustees papers were moved to a secured area of the school for Diana Nichols, who passed in 2018. The rest of the boxes were moved to archives for processing.
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 Dale Johnson, grandson of former Harker employee and trustee, Phyllis Carley, after her death. As board secretary, she held files related to the Board of Trustees and personal school mementos in her home. 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 fireproof file cabinet filled with files to archives. The files were moved to a standard file cabinet for archival processing and the fireproof file was moved to Archives Room 7. The fireproof file cabinet stores our oldest items in archives, including Manzanita Hall brochures, and the handwritten board minutes of the MIss Harker School. The files in this transfer contained 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 the archives. The boxes contained employee and 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.
Updated Acquisitions (September 2013)Upon her retirement, P.E. teacher and former P.E. Dept. Chair, Deb Shaw contributed her personal lesson plans, department meeting agenda, Spirit Week Guide, P.E. Teachers Handbook, P.E. and Athletics Handbook and Health Education curriculum. Shaw worked at Harker from September 1984 to June 1995 and from May 2010 to June 2013.
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
- RG07_The Harker School (K-12)
- Subtitle
- The Harker School (K-12), 1998 - 2013
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- These records were created by The Harker School.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2002.12: Processed by: Susan Smith, Archivist-Intern, San Jose State University
- 2022.10: Processed by: Susan Smith, Archivist
Repository Details
Part of the The Harker School Archives Repository