With family members, coaches and friends smiling on the sidelines, four Parker student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent on Feb. 3, committing to continue their favorite sport for collegiate teams. 

Head Basketball Coach Jim Tomey took the Varsity boys team on an unforgettable trip to South Africa over the summer.

The student athletes did service work at an orphanage, built a basketball court out of bricks and conducted basketball clinics.

It was a 15-day experience that continues to fuel the Lancers' team. Watch the Fox5 story here. 

Parker’s Zero Robotics team has made it to outer space.

The team – comprised of 10 sophomores, two juniors and two seniors – completed its best season yet in the annual Zero Robotics High School Tournament. Preliminary rounds are conducted in virtual environments with the finalists earning a spot in the finals held aboard the International Space Station.

Read the full story in the Times of San Diego.

A documentary produced by Parker students Ben Clark and Adam Linssen that details the challenges of those risking their lives to cross the border illegally will be screened March 19 at the 23rd Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival.

“Every year we try to seek out the best work from students in the San Diego region, and we thought this film was beautifully shot and included some very interesting content,” said Lisa Salus, Teen Program Coordinator at the Media Arts Center San Diego, which sponsors the Latino Film Festival.

Si Supieras (If You Knew) includes interviews with politicians, lawyers, and the founder of the Minuteman Project, Jim Gilchrist. Ben and Adam toured the region with the U.S. Border Patrol, traveled to Jacumba and Holtville, and stayed at Casa de Migrante in Tijuana.

“It is a documentary that addresses a lot of misconceptions,” said Salus.

At 18 minutes, Si Supieras is the longest of 15 student films being screened at the Youth Visions Showcase. Si Supieras is set to be shown at 2 p.m. March 19 at the AMC 18 in the Fashion Valley Mall. It also will be featured in separate private screenings for high school and middle school audiences. The 23rd Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival runs from March 10-20 at the AMC 18 in at the Fashion Valley Mall.

The San Diego Latino Film Festival was established as a student film festival focusing on works by Latinos and/or about the Latino experience. Since that time, the San Diego Latino Film Festival has developed into one of the larger and well-respected Latino film festivals in the country. More than 285,000 people have attended during the past few years and some 3,480 films and videos from across Latin America and the United States have been screened.

Si Supieras also was featured at University of San Diego’s Border Film week in February.

Are you looking to display your Lancer pride?

Parker Athletics recently launched a new Parker spirit wear online store at http://www.parkerspirit.com/. A large selection of jackets, hats, shirts and more—in sizes for all members of the family—are available. You'll also find items like stadium blankets and chairs in the accessories section.

The Parker Spirit Store will also take orders for the purchase of Middle School PE uniforms. Go Lancers!

In a sparkling display of talent, the Drama Club earned superior rankings in many categories at the California Thespian Festival in Upland in early April 9.

Senior Caroline Lezny and Junior Kaelyn Kappes, successfully auditioned for the All-Festival Opening Dance. Only some 40 students from throughout California were selected for this honor.

The following students received superior scores from festival judges qualifying them to compete at the International Thespian Festival this summer:

• Caroline Lezny - Solo Musical Theater
• Hershey Suri - Solo Musical Theater
• Kaelyn Kappes and Emma Steiner - Duet Acting
• Hershey Suri and Justin Washabaugh - Duet Musical Theater
• Bryce Kelety - Lighting Design

Three students received callbacks for their performances, meaning they were among the best in the state:

• Caroline Lezny - Solo Musical Theater
• Kaelyn Kappes and Emma Steiner - Duet Acting

From those callbacks, Caroline Lezny tied for first place in Solo Musical Theater statewide.

Congratulations the Lancer Baseball team for an awesome game at Petco Park on Thursday, April 14. And props to the La Jolla Country Day Torreys for showing great sportsmanship and spirit. Final score was Parker 9-1.

During the game, junior Nick Allen went 2 for 3 with an RBI and sophomore Sterling Hayes went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI’s. Also knocking in runs for the Lancers was senior Haydan Hastings, freshman Michael Campagna and sophomore Michael Yourg. Junior Ethan Risse pitched 5 innings allowing just three hits and one earned run. Sterling Hayes recorded the save, allowing one hit and no runs in two innings of work.

Parker student-athletes and adult leaders continue to shine! Congratulations to the recent standouts on their accomplishments and well deserved recognition. Go Lancers!

• Parker senior Jonathan Taylor was honored with the CIF Spirit of Sport Award for San Diego. This award recognizes one male and one female student-athlete during each season of sport. Athletes are selected based on exemplary sportsmanship, school/community service and leadership.

• Parker senior Drey Gerger was selected as one of the National Football Foundation - Walter J. Zable/ San Diego Chapter Scholar Leader-Athletes for 2015-16. Each year the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, through 119 chapters, selects students who demonstrate outstanding academic, athletic excellence and community leadership for a special award.

• Athletic Trainer Niki Dehner was named the San Diego High School's Athletic Trainers' Association of Year for her dedication to student-athletes and to the profession of Athletic Training. Ms. Dehner was also invited to be an athletic trainer for the Women's National Rugby 7's team and assist at their Las Vegas International 7's Tournament. The team finished 3rd overall in the tournament and has qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio this summer. Read the story here.

• Mr. Marc Thiebach, Upper School assistant head and head coach of Varsity Girls Soccer, won his 300th game with Parker in February in a 1-0 victory over Escondido Charter.

Parker Sailing team completed valiantly at the PCISA Gold Pacific Coast Championship in Long Beach, April 16-17. The Lancers finished in fifth place competing against the top sailing teams in the western United States.

The Lancers were in first place after day one and well on their way to capturing one the coveted bids to compete in the National Championships. To qualify, Parker needed to finish in the top four. Unfortunately, the team finished just one point behind Santa Barbara 179-180 and finished in fifth. Still an amazing accomplishment based on the talent of the competition.

Great job Lancers!

W.A.R. Lords captured the "Engineering Inspiration Award" again and are looking strong as they head to the World Championships with sponsorship from NASA.

Junior Olia Javidi, the team's pneumatics lead, was one of two Dean's List finalist. Senior Olivia Heifetz, the team's safety captain, earned her third consecutive Hard Hat Award at the Orange County FIRST Stronghold robotics competition in April.

The team set themselves apart by dedicating more than 1,000 hours to STEM education activities in their community this season to win the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Engineering Inspiration award celebrating outstanding achievement of teams in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering and science in their school and community.

"Winning this award twice is an amazing indicator of how far this team has come,” said Olia Javidi, Parker sophomore and W.A.R. Lords team member. “Not only are we able to put immense energy into being a high-performing team robot-wise, but we are a team that recognizes the importance of spreading STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) education and really making a positive impact through our community.”

Many of those hours were spent teaming up with other robotics students and mentoring them through competitions or helping them start their own FRC teams. In fact, the W.A.R. Lords helped start 22 FIRST LEGO League teams - a robotics competition league for students in grades 4 - 8.

“We are able to take the amazing opportunities we've been given as a part of both FIRST and Parker, and channel that into programs like our Family Science Nights, Robo.Camp, Project Mercy (house building in Mexico), and mentorship to other FIRST teams," said Olia.

Last summer, the W.A.R. Lords partnered with FRC team 987, based out of Las Vegas, to host a robotics camp for elementary and middle school students.

Encouraging young women to pursue a passion for STEM education, the W.A.R. Lords team is 37 percent female and their student leadership team is 63 percent female. Parker senior Olivia Heifetz, the team's safety captain, earned her third consecutive Hard Hat Award at the Orange County competition and Parker junior Olia Javidi, the team's pneumatics lead, was honored as one of two Dean's List finalist that day.

“To be nominated by our mentors alone, is a huge honor. But being recognized by FIRST, a huge organization I've been a part of for three years, is just mind-boggling. I love this team more than words can say, and I've put countless hours into this team. Because of it, I've gained so many skills, (both STEM related and non-STEM related),” said Olia.

The 2016 FIRST World Championships, an international collection of more than 600 teams of robotics enthusiasts, runs April 27 to 30 in St. Louis.

The Black & White Ball Auction is LIVE. Click here to begin bidding.

If you are attending, you should have recently received a text with your bid number. Even if you are unable to attend, you may register as an absentee bidder. If you have not registered as a remote bidder and would like to, click here. You will receive a text with your bid number within 24 hours.

- Auctions close on the night of the event: silent auction at 7 pm, premium auction closes at 7:30 pm.

- Live auction items are only for preview online.

- If you want to look at the auction items by section, click on the menu button (3 horizontal lines next to the search magnifying glass).

- Book mark the auction link, fpsbwb.ggo.mobi, so you can shop at your leisure.

Parker's Athletics Department is pleased to announce their latest mission statement, which can be found here.

The Class of 2016 year end activities are posted on the “Class of 2016 Senior Information” page. Check this page frequently to get the latest on grad night, prom and final exams.

Click here to visit the page.

Francis Parker School’s robotics team, earned the Industrial Design Award at the 2016 FIRST Robotics World Championships in St. Louis on April 29. The W.A.R. Lords (We Are Robot Lords) were one of only four teams among the 600 international teams competing selected for the honor.

Sponsored by General Motors, the Industrial Design Award celebrates the teams whose robots demonstrated efficient design that effectively handled the game obstacles.

"This was the last of the five engineering awards that the team had yet to win. Winning all five categories is a feat that relatively few teams have accomplished," said Ryan Griggs, Parker science teacher and robotics team faculty mentor. "This speaks to the recent strides in the growth of the Parker robotics program. We have won all five of these awards in the last four years, most of them multiple times."

 In addition, the team finished the season with two Engineering Inspiration Awards for dedicating more than 1,000 hours to STEM education activities in their community.

Since the team was established in 2008, the W.A.R. Lords have logged more than 1,000 hours of community service. Much of the time was spent working with students at other schools and coaching fledgling robotics teams through competitions or helping to launch new teams. To date, the W.A.R. Lords have helped start 22 FIRST LEGO League teams - a robotics competition league for students in grades 4 - 8.

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students and mentors work during a six-week period to build game-playing robots that weigh up to 120 pounds (54 kg).

On June 6, 2016, a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the 121 members of the Class of 2016 received their diplomas and celebrated the culmination of thier Parker academic careers.

In her captivating keynote speech, San Diego Chief of Police Shelley Zimmerman told the graduates: "The journey of life is rarely a straight line...Embrace [the]twists and turns because they may lead you to places you never imagined were possible."

Head of School Kevin Yaley capped the milestone event by encouraging the graduates to " slow down long enough to think about where you truly want to go and what is right for you." He closed by reminding them that Parker will always be your home" and the "Parker family will always be here for you."

Parker Sophomore, Adam Nussbaum, Class of 2019, wins second place in senior individual documentary category of the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest in Washington, D.C. Adam’s historical documentary titled Silence Kills: Temoignage and the Dilemma of Humanitarian Aid impressed judges during the June national competition.

This will be Parker’s 10th time qualifying for nationals, sending four Parker Middle School students and ten Upper School students to DC this past June 12-16. More than 600,000 students from the United States and international schools created projects to the 2016 theme “Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History” and less than 1 percent qualified for the competition in DC.

“The National History Day Contest requires intensive research and analytical thinking skills,” said NHD Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn in a press release. “ Each student involved in the competition spends countless hours deliberating, researching and editing, and traveling miles to present superb historical research. Adam Nussbaum should be proud of this accomplishment. It takes a truly remarkable project to receive an award at the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest.”

Adam’s documentary examines the historical evolution of Medecins sans Frontieres (aka Doctors Without Borders) efforts in providing humanitarian aid in countries with political unrest. The award-winning documentary can be viewed by clicking here: https://youtu.be/vyfpurMHvrc. The video deals directly with the impacts of war and famine. Viewer discretion is advised.

Parker also received the following awards from the National History Day Contest:

Upper School students interested participating in the 2016-17 Global Studies program should register by Aug. 1 for priority placement. Click here to read the 2016-17 travel itineraries.

Parker student Megan Pai, Class of 2018, hit all the right notes in the American Fine Arts Festival’s just completed 2015-16 season, leading to a stirring piano performance of Rachmaninov's Prelude in G-sharp minor, opus 32, No. 12 at Carnegie Hall on June 18.

Opus 32 comprises 13 preludes for solo piano composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff in 1910.

"We are so proud of Megan for being chosen to perform at Carnegie Hall. She is a wonderfully gifted young lady who is accomplished in so many areas of study," said Jim Witt, Parker's Music Department Chair. "We are fortunate to have this talented and gracious individual share her music with us at Parker."

The annual American Fine Arts Festival Competition in the piano, strings, winds, voice and chamber music categories is a lengthy process that includes live auditions in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and California, in addition to video auditions. Because of the demands on her time, Megan submitted her audition in a DVD format.

Top musicians in their class were invited to perform at Weill Recital Hall, an intimate, 268-seat venue in Carnegie Hall that is home each year to hundreds of recitals, chamber music concerts, and master classes.

Megan’s performance came during the Winners’ Recital Concert.

Megan, who plays violin for the Parker orchestra (and who has played for a California Youth Conservatory Theatre production of Les Miserables at the Lyceum in San Diego), has been studying piano since she was 4 years old. Soon after learning the basics from her mother and a neighborhood piano teacher, Megan began studying with Rinna Livshin, a San Diego instructor whose pupils have included local prodigies.

Besides playing the piano and violin, Megan is an accomplished writer and photographer who serves as Art Director for Parker's student magazine, The Scribe.

Parker alumna and Yale University graduate student Emily Wier has been selected as a White House Intern.

Wier, Parker Class of 2006, is a first year master’s candidate at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies studying cities and climate change.

"Even among a group of outstanding classmates, Emily was an excellent student," said Rose Hanscom, who was Ms. Wier's science teacher. "We are all very proud of her accomplishments. She is certainly poised to fulfill Parker's mission of making a meaning difference in the world."

Interns are chosen through a highly competitive process that must detail a track record of leadership in the community and a commitment to the Obama Administration mission.

Interns work in one of several White House departments, including the Domestic Policy Council, the National Economic Council, the Office of Digital Strategy, the Office of Legislative Affairs, the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach, and the Office of the White House Counsel.

Assignments on any given day could include conducting research, managing incoming inquiries, attending meetings, writing memos, and staffing events. “Most importantly,” states the program’s website, “the internship experience includes an emphasis on service and interns participate in regularly scheduled service projects at schools and non-profit organizations in Washington, D.C.”

Wier's background includes engaging as an environmental advocate for climate action plans in both San Diego and New Haven, Connecticut; working as a biologist at Dudek, an environmental consulting firm; volunteering as a Steering Committee member for SanDiego350.org, a local grassroots climate change awareness organization; and serving as a member of the City of San Diego’s Sustainable Energy Advisory Board.

After graduating from Parker, Wier attended Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology while immersing herself in various environmental causes that enabled her to research habitat conservation and environmental protection in New England, South America, and Africa.

Wier’s internship runs through mid-August.