![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[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)
School Meeting Recap – 4/28
English department chair Mark Hufnagl makes an announcement about Recreate Reading. Required reading books for rising freshman and seniors taking AP Literature will be announced on the library portal on May 1.
Debate Club is hosting a speech showcase in the NIchols Atrium this Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event will feature performances from Divya Rajasekharan (9), Sana Aladin (9), Lisa Liu (10), Nephele Troullinos (11), Madhu Nori (11), Rohith Kuditipudi (11), Steven Wang, Zina Jawadi (12), Andy Wang (12), and Kenny Zhang (12).
Prom will take place on May 16 and tickets are on sale this week during lunch. Freshmen and sophomores may only attend if invited by a senior or junior.
There will no longer be a required reading book for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors not taking AP Literature. The required reading book for freshmen will be revealed on the library portal on May 1.
Choir senior night will take place in the Nichols auditorium at 5:30 p.m. this Friday. Seniors participating in Camerata, Guys’ Gig, Bel Canto, or Downbeat will be recognized at the event.
Key club is selling baked goods, Pinkberry, and AP survival kits throughout the week during lunch and after school. This week is also Teacher Appreciation week. Sticky notes on which students can write notes for their teachers are available after school from Monday through Thursday in addition to long lunch.
Rising juniors and seniors interested in diplomacy regarding international nuclear energy policy should see Physics teacher Eric Nelson by the end of the school year.
The end of the year art exhibition will open this Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. The event will also feature readings from both Scholastic award winners and HELM writers.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival will take place in the fall. For more information, visit Dr. Pauline Paskali’s room, room 2, during extra help on Friday.
National Honors Society (NHS) is hosting a test prep book donation drive. Students can donate their unused or lightly used prep books in donation bins located around campus. Books will be donated to schools lacking resources.
Forms for senior shoutouts for issue 7 of The Winged Post are available outside the journalism room this week and next week. Forms can also be ordered by emailing [email protected] by the end of next week.
Drinks from Tpumps will be sold after school today by the sophomore class council.
There are no alternate schedules this week.
Maya Jeyendran (11) is the Lifestyle Editor of Harker Aquila. She been a part of Harker's journalism program since her freshman year, and has previously...
Shannon Su is the Managing Editor and Executive News Director of Harker Aquila. She joined the program as a reporter her freshman year and has held many...
Alexis Gauba is a reporter for The Winged Post. She is a freshman, and it is her first year on the staff. Alexis is on the varsity girls golf team and...