![“[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)
On Teacher Appreciation Day, students recognized faculty members and staff for their work at the school.
Throughout the day, teachers were given special privileges such as “free dress”, access to a massage chair which was located in the Nichols sky loft, and a celebratory teacher breakfast which took place this morning in the Edge.
To make the breakfast memorable, ASB and student council members teamed up with the kitchen staff to create a buffet-style meal for the teachers. Students created small “menus” for the faculty and served them based off their selections.
“The entire ASB and the entire student council worked together on the breakfast,” freshman class president Michael Zhao said. “We just wanted to give back to the teachers because they help us every day […] The kitchen staff set aside a buffet with a bunch of amazing food, and we had people running to get food and serving the teachers.”
Another display of appreciation located in the Edge was the posters showcasing small notes that students wrote for their teachers. The idea was created by Connie Li (11), who organized and completed the project through Key Club. A new addition to Teacher Appreciation Day this year, these posters were sorted by subject and consisted of numerous messages, both heartfelt and humorous, from students.
While some students chose to show appreciation for their teachers by giving them small gifts such as candies and flowers, the majority enthusiastically wished their teachers “Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!” during class.
Faculty members appreciated the efforts of the student body and enjoyed their free dress privilege, as many showed up to school dressed in T-shirts and jeans.
“I love it. [Student government] has done this for a few years now, and it’s nice to know that one’s appreciated,” English teacher John Heyes said. “There were [also] those post-it notes that various students had written to their teachers, and that was very touching and unexpected.”
Teacher Appreciation Day will also be in effect next year.
