![“[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)
Upper School students were given free dress on Thursday, August 29, in honor of English teacher and coach Jason Berry’s death.
In an email sent out on Wednesday evening, Upper School Dean of Students Kevin Williamson informed faculty and students that the following day would be a free dress day at the Upper School.
“The family is asking for everyone to wear a Harker jersey, club or class T-shirt or jersey of your favorite team,” Williamson said in the email, “They know he would love casual, spirited dress, and wouldn’t want anything that felt formal or stuffy.”
Students were also encouraged to wear orange, purple, and white in honor of Clemson University, Berry’s alma mater.
“I thought it was a good way to let the students who knew him kind of mourn over his loss and a good way to appreciate him,” Yasemin Narin (10) said.
Sophomore Alisa Wakita agreed that free dress served as a way of remembrance.
“I think it was really supportive of him. I think he’d be happy if he was watching,” she said. However, she added that she thought “some people took advantage of it, like the people who didn’t know him,” she said.
In addition, a special schedule was instituted to accommodate Berry’s memorial, which was held at WestGate Church in Saratoga, with a reception taking place at the Upper School afterwards. Students and faculty were dismissed at 2 p.m. and had the option of taking a shuttle to attend the service.
“I thought the administration did a good job in making sure we could take advantage of time in our classes, but also had the opportunity to go to the memorial and had the option of a shuttle,” Lekha Chirala (11) said.
Students who were able to attend the service found it to be a touching communal gathering.
“The memorial showed how much the community actually loved Mr. Berry and it really displayed how different Harker is from other schools. The students care for the teachers so much, just how the teachers feel the same way about the students,” John Hughes (12) said.
Though this death greatly jolted the Upper School community, students and faculty honoring Jason Berry through school spirited free dress helped keep his memory alive.
