![“[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)
Keller’s Korner – 5/1
Students had the opportunity to enjoy the annual art show and the Upper School choir concert last week. Additionally, the teachers received recognition and appreciation for all of their hard work throughout the year Teacher Appreciation Day, which took place on Friday.
We had some pretty big school wide community events, the art exhibit the “artstravaganza” was pretty amazing when you think about the talent our students have it just blew everybody away and the addition of the poetry reading and the short stories that was exciting for me. I know that Mr. Nikoloff, Ms. Gargano, and all of the teachers that were there everyone enjoyed it so that was a big deal for our community.
The “artstravaganza” featured multiple mediums including photography, sculpture, and paint. During long lunch when the exhibit winners were announced, some of the Upper School scholastic and HELM writers read parts of their work.
The student council held a breakfast Friday morning to thank the teachers for all of their work. All students had the option to write thank you notes on colorful postits to a teacher, that were posted on a board outside of the Edge for teachers to see.
[For] the Teacher Appreciation breakfast, the student council really blew the doors off of it this year and the teachers really enjoyed it. Thanks to all the students who wrote notes to their teachers and it’s really important for the teachers when they get positive feedback from students.
Also on Friday was the Upper School Spring Concert. “The concert is going to be amazing,” Keller said the morning of the show. Performing arts groups, including Downbeat, Cantilena, Camerata, and Guys’ Gig, performed a medley of songs for the audiences entertainment.
Alyssa Amick (12) is the Co- Editor in Chief of Harker Aquila. She has been part of the journalism program since her freshman year. Her favorite part of...