![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“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 it's played such a major role in who I've 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 I'm [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)
![“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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't 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)
![“[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)
![“I'm 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 there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's 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)
Campus grieves shooting death of longtime college counselor
Sandy Padgett was the director of the college counseling program at the Upper School. Current juniors visited the college counseling office to schedule appointments and meet with their counselors.
The shooting death of longtime college counseling director Sandy Padgett yesterday brought the campus community together to hear the shocking news from Upper School Division Head Butch Keller.
Padgett, who joined the Upper School in 1998, founded the college counseling program and guided numerous students through their college application process.
After a 15 minute meeting with the teachers and staff, Keller came into the gym to announce the news to the students. A general feeling of somberness was seen on the faces of students and teachers alike as Keller began speaking about the heartbreaking “loss to our community.”
Although the school was not informed of the circumstances around Padgett’s passing, Keller stated that Padgett passed away Sunday, April 21 in a shooting incident at her home and that further information would be announced as it was received. The report was met with a collective gasp by students, followed by tears from many of those who knew her.
Immediately after the 2:45 assembly, students were dismissed from school and all after school activities were made optional.
As listed in Head of School Chris Nikoloff’s email to the community, school counselors as well as outside resources are available for students and families.
Center for Living with Dying
(408) 243-0222
1671 The Alameda, Suite 201
San Jose, CA 95126
www.billwilsoncenter.org
Bill Wilson Center
(408) 243-0222
3490 The Alameda
Santa Clara, CA 95050-4333
KARA Grief Counseling Agency
(650) 321-5272
Jim Bronson, Director of Community Outreach
457 Kingsley Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
www.kara-grief.org
Darian Edvalson the Editor-in-Chief of Harker Aquila. He is a senior and has been part of the journalism program since his freshman year. His positions...