![“[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)
Final exams have finished and students are just about ready to begin summer; some of them, however, will be returning to school to take one of the various summer courses offered.
Many of the courses offered are for-credit courses, while others are options students can take out of their own personal interest.
There is a wide selection of for-credit courses that cover subjects such as Biology, Chemistry, Programming, Economics, and Algebra, to name a few. Many students who are interested in taking the Advanced Placement (AP) course for chemistry and biology are required to take the summer course for that respective subject.
Those who take the math for-credit courses are looking to skip a level of math in the following school year. Students who take the programming courses are either seeking to simply learn more about the subject or wish to do the AP Computer Science Course the following year.
“I’m doing the [AP Biology] summer course because i am interested in biology. By taking the course, I expect to learn all the biological processes in living things including where they get their energy from all the way to how they function,” Sriram Somasundaram (10) said.
There is also a multitude of non-credit courses, some of which include photography, creative writing, driver’s education, robotics, and forensic science. In addition, there are sports camps that train students in volleyball, swimming, softball, football, basketball, soccer, wrestling, and water polo.
Summer courses are offered for not only high school students, but also students in middle and lower school as well.
“I have been going to the school’s summer camps for a while and absolutely love them, as they are really fun and interesting,” Sushant Thyagaraj (7) said. “They also give me something productive to do during my summer.”
The school’s summer courses are open to students of other schools as well. Course durations range from one-two weeks all the way to six weeks for some science courses. There are typically two sessions in a day, an AM session and a PM session.
The school’s summer program is one aspect that distinguishes it from other schools and has constantly been improving year by year.
