Our highly qualified teachers build the academic foundation of our students’ success in college and beyond.
Upper School Teachers
Our faculty is the cornerstone of our upper school. They invest in our students, collaborating with academic counselors to create personalized curriculum plans and offering extra help during office hours both in and after the school day.
They also bring passion and expertise to their classrooms. Many of our teachers hold advanced degrees in their subject areas and participate in ongoing professional development. Others find time to actively contribute in their professional fields by publishing literary works or academic papers, performing on stage, or receiving artwork commissions.
Upper School Teachers
Our upper school teachers invest deeply in each student's success, often working with academic counselors to personalize curriculum plans. Their dedication extends beyond the classroom, with many offering additional support during office hours to ensure students thrive academically.
Visual Arts
Pilar Agüero-Esparza
BIO
With extensive experience in arts education and administration, Pilar Agüero-Esparza has contributed to the development of the upper school’s visual arts department since 2006. Through teaching and in her own art practice, she values the power of the arts to transform lives, cultivate understanding, and foster social change.
- Started Harker: 2002
- Recipient of the 2023-2025 Fleishhacker Foundation’s Eureka Fellowship
- A Diversity Committee member and chaperone for the annual NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference, Ms. Agüero-Esparza loves sharing the importance of DEI work!
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Education:
- B.A. Art, University of California, Santa Cruz
- M.F.A. Spatial Art, San Jose State University
Spanish
Diana Moss
BIO
A Bay Area native, Diana Moss grew up in Los Gatos and has taught Spanish for over three decades. Ms. Moss favors an approach to language learning in which students acquire language skills useful in everyday situations. She brings the Spanish language and culture alive in the classroom by maintaining a lively pace and utilizing a wide variety of content and activities.
- Started at Harker: 1996
- Ms. Moss has additional studies at the University of Madrid and Portland State University.
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Education:
- B.A. Spanish, University of California, Santa Barbara
- E.S.L. Certificate, San Jose State University
History & Social Science
Donna Gilbert
BIO
Donna Gilbert is the chair of the history and social sciences department at the upper school. She has also taught world history and ancient Greek and Roman history. Ms. Gilbert enjoys food, wine, travel, reading, design and art, and relaxing at home with her partner and dog.
- Started at Harker: 1998
- She was raised just outside of Washington, D.C.
- Ms. Gilbert is an avid San Francisco Giants fan who loves hiking, walking and golfing
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Education:
- B.A. Art History, Trinity College
- M.A. Classical Archaeology, Tufts University
- M.A.T. Teaching Education, Simmons College
Performing Arts
Laura Lang-Ree
BIO
Laura Lang-Ree has held leading or supporting roles in over 50 productions with companies around the Bay Area, and chairs Harker’s K-12 performing arts department, where she teaches acting and directs the annual upper school musical. Her book, “The Cancer Parent’s Handbook,” will be published next year.
- Started at Harker: 1995
- Ms. Lang-Ree loves to travel and is an avid scuba diver.
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Education:
- B.A. Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles
- M.A. Academic Theatre Arts, San Jose State University
Librarians
Our inquiry-based teaching approach hinges on information literacy – knowing how to find, verify, use and cite information available in print and on the web. Teachers and library staff work collaboratively to augment classroom lessons with outside resources available in our extensive library.
In a world deluged with information, our information literacy program sets our students up for success as they move forward to college where study and research skills are invaluable.
My teachers were just as excited about integrals as they were about seeing each of us grow. It’s why our teachers came to our performances and games, and why we come back many years after graduation to see them (and to eat Harker lunches). We saw each and every day that our teachers loved what they did, and they inspired us to find the same passion in our own lives.
Casey Near '06
Technology Specialists
At Harker we teach students how to use technology meaningfully and effectively to explore deeply, solve problems and represent information and data in new ways. In classes like Human Anatomy and Physiology students are learning about the human body with an advanced 3-D touch interactive dissection table, and advanced math classes and our robotics lab use 3-D printers to create tangible models of concepts. Through intentional and targeted technology integration into our curriculum, our technology specialists help teachers use these tools to increase student knowledge and open doors to discovery.
Professional Development
Teacher development is an essential component of our upper school program. Our teachers enjoy internal and external professional development opportunities, like our Vegesna Foundation Teacher Excellence Program, that make it possible for teachers to pursue unique professional development opportunities that will impact Harker student learning. Our own Vegesna Foundation Teacher Excellence Program allows selected faculty to travel the U.S. and abroad to hone skills they can bring back to their classrooms.
Harker teachers taught me to look at the world from a non-scientific view. I owe a lot to them, because even in science there’s art.Rupan Bose’07, MD, MB USC Medical Center