![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and its played such a major role in who Ive become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something Im [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala (21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“Im not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
Freshmen and sophomores attend annual LIFE assemblies
Freshmen gather in Nichols Atrium for the LIFE assembly on Friday. Speaker Diane Main addressed the topic of digital citizenship during the meeting.
March 11, 2017
Upper School Director of Learning, Innovation and Design Diane Main and writer D’ Anne Burwell, author of the memoir “Saving Jake: When Addiction Hits Home,” spoke to the freshman and sophomore classes, respectively, at a series of LIFE assemblies yesterday.
Main spoke in the Nichols Atrium about digital citizenship and explained the psychology of the teenage mind, emphasizing the differences between the development of the frontal lobe of an adolescent and one of an adult.
“We want to make sure that students are aware of all the different ways that their decision making and what they are going through as teenagers can present challenges,” Main said. “Social media is definitely a place where a lot of students are, so I want them to understand the risks involved so they can be there, but be there safely.”
On the other hand, Burwell shared her experiences with coping with her son Jake’s struggles with overcoming a drug addiction.
“I hope [Jake’s story] causes my audience to think and helps them decide what they will or won’t do when faced with the choice of using illegal substances,” Burwell said. “If students have family members and friends impacted by this, I hope my talk encourages them to be empathetic and to not stay silent.”
Before the introduction of the LIFE program, freshmen were required to attend a health class after school. Due to a lack of positive student response to this course, Head of School Butch Keller and mathematics teacher Jane Keller, who first created and now organize both LIFE and the Eagle Buddies program, decided to replace the health class with LIFE, a different program unique to Harker that would cover topics useful and relevant to high school life and students.
“What some students don’t realize is that the things they post and do on social media, while they believe they are deleted or aren’t captured, can actually stay with them as part of their digital footprint,” Mrs. Keller said.
Freshman Avi Gulati enjoyed the presentation because it allowed him to learn more about how the adolescent mind plays a role in one’s social media presence.
“I was amazed because Ms. Main brought in so many different aspects of our student lives, like sleeping and our brains—prefrontal cortices to be specific—and connected these various and disparate aspects into the one idea of a digital footprint,” he said.
While the sophomores and freshmen attended LIFE assemblies, the seniors and juniors spent time with their Eagle Buddies at the Bucknall and Saratoga campus, respectively.
