![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“[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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
New yearbook reflects program’s changes
Extra TALON yearbooks flood the journalism room. Last-minute books can be purchased by joining a wait-list, available in the journalism room.
TALON staff delivered over 400 yearbooks to the 68 freshman, sophomore, and junior advisories and staff today during a 20-minute advisory period, and seniors while on their annual trip.
On average, 600 books are sold each year, but like the shift in numbers, many changes came to follow.
Each year, people forget that they ordered books, so we tried to change that by giving the books directly to the students
— TALON photo editor Jacqui Villarreal (11)
Previously, students would pick up their yearbook in front of the journalism room. TALON staff would personally sign each person out, as students waited in long queues stemming outside the glass building.
Our leading question was “What inspires you?”. We [also] changed the typical 500-word article format to shorter, 200-word highlights to maximize the number of people and stories we could feature.
— Editor-in-Chief Megan Prakash (12)
The new yearbook is not just textual transformation, but also an entirely new concept in style and design.
Editor-in-Chief Megan Prakash (12) crafted the yearbook around the theme, Life in Color, showcasing the unique personalities in the Harker community, while exhibiting the Upper School bond.
“I really think that we achieved most of our goals with Life in Color,” said Megan. “I can’t have asked for a better group of people to work with during my senior year, and I think we’re closer to each other than any of the 15 staffs before us.”
This year’s edition of TALON features Harker’s vibrant community, in all of its hues and shades, representing how we live our lives in color.
Kaity Gee (12) is the assistant Editor in Chief of Wingspan. Serving as a reporter for TALONWP freshman year, Kaity has written pieces for Winged Post...
