![“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)
Administration adds more three day weekends to fall, increases long weekend count to six total
The school increased the number of long weekends from four to six this year. The school added an additional fall break day on Sept. 29 and another day for CAIS on March 9.
The administration added two new three-day weekends to this year’s school calendar, raising the number of long weekends from four to six.
The new vacation days are an additional Fall Break day held on Sept. 29 and another day for a teacher meeting held on March 9.
The second fall break day was added because of the sophomore and junior trips and the wish for an additional day to relax. Since the class trips were previously in the middle of two academic days, students and teachers found it inconvenient to miss class. To fix this, the trips were moved to the day before Matriculation.
By the end of September, students really wanted a break from school to get some sleep and catch up on their studying, so the additional fall break day was added.
“So we started school a day earlier with the trips and freshman orientation, and had matriculation on Friday,” Head of School Butch Keller said. “Now, the class trips have happened, students and faculty said that they were glad their day was not interrupted. Lots of students said that they couldn’t wait for the break, and they are telling me that they can’t wait for this [second Fall Break day] now.”
The vacation day on March 9 was added due to a California Association of Independent Schools’ (CAIS) teacher meeting. The CAIS meeting is a gathering for teachers and administrators where they can discuss ideas and attend workshops with their colleagues.
“The meeting happens every other year. Some schools send few teachers. Harker faculty presents at many of these workshops,” Keller said. “For instance, we presented the Eagle Buddy program for Harker. All of Harker faculty attends these meetings, which is why it’s a day off.”
Other three-day weekends on the school calendar include Labor Day in September, Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, and Memorial Day in May.
The addition of three-day weekends allows students and faculty more time to relax during the school year. Some students and teachers responded positively to the addition of more vacation days, saying that they can use this time to unwind.
“We teachers work really intensely like you students. I can understand some students getting tired,” history teacher Dr. Ruth Meyer said. “Teachers could also use a break like this here and there throughout the year.”
Other students encouraged the idea of having more vacation days but wished that
they were not spread apart from each other on the calendar.
“I think there should be one week-long break in October instead of small three-day weekends. That way, we can get all our breaks in a week and have a long, relaxing time instead of smaller [breaks],” Nina Levy (10) said.
The next three-day weekend that is approaching is the second Fall Break Day on Oct. 27.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on October 17, 2014.
Kshithija “KJ” Mulam (12) is the Winged Post Editor-in-Chief. Serving as the Winged Post News Editor in her junior year, Winged Post Photo Editor in...