![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.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)
Manjoine will teach four English classes next year
SWITCHING LANGUAGES: Nicholas Manjoine, who currently teachers French, will be transferring to the English department. He has a B.A. and a M.A. in French Literature from the University of Iowa as well as a M.A. in Liberal Arts from Stanford.
Nicholas Manjoine, 16-year French teacher at the Upper School, will be teaching four classes of English next year.
After teaching for 24 years, Manjoine decided that he should extend his skill set and teach in a different department. Not only does he want to pursue the school’s mission of lifelong learning, but he also believes he has reached a point where he needs a change and to escape his comfort zone.
He also wants to experience a different classroom setting, which he believes can be more enriching.
“When you teach foreign language, interactions with students are mediated by a language that the students aren’t really comfortable with,” he said. “[A] different dynamic is created; having taught courses in English, there’s a kind of different way of communicating [and] different kinds of things to talk about.”
He has taught all the French classes that the school has to offer, ranging from French One to Advanced Placement and will continue to be on the Test Development committee for the French Language and Culture exam. He also taught in the History and English department through classes such as Great Novels, Speculative Fiction, and Ethics from 2006 to 2008 until French enrollment increased.
Next year, Manjoine will teach two Honors English 3 classes as well as two English 2 classes. Ideally, he would like to teach both French and English, in which he has less experience. Although it is difficult to give up his current position, he also plans to return to teaching French later on.
Galinda Tchourilova, who currently lives in Southern California, will be teaching French next year as his replacement.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on May 16, 2014.
Priscilla Pan is the features editor for the Winged Post and co-creator of In a Nutshell. She is a senior and has been part of the journalism program for...