In the past week, Aquila and The Winged Post have been contacted by members of the Harker community asking for a response to a recent article in the Saratoga Falcon regarding our school. The article, published in its Nov. 21 print edition and online, discussed a former student’s experience at the Harker Middle School and her feeling of being trapped by a grade-obsessed culture.

The Harker community voiced concerns that the piece undermined our students’ multidimensionality and thoughtlessly referenced a loss in our community.

The Aquila editorial board is not looking to add to the criticism of the reporter and publication, but rather to learn from our reactions to the article’s content.

The author is a fallible person like the rest of us, who at her core, just wanted to express her feelings about a bad experience she had. Could the Falcon have used more care and sensitivity in its editing process? Yes.

However, we want to set the record straight. In the same way that her middle school experience was not reflective of each person’s experience at Harker, the content of this piece does not define the reporter or Saratoga’s journalism program. The characterization of Harker felt unfair to us, but one article does not define an entire newspaper, which has received national commendation for coverage of its own stressors and tragedies.

At the base level, the article sought to call attention to the personal toll academic stress takes on students.The stereotype of a culture of stress is based on truths about many Bay Area schools’ academic rigors. One facet of our school is not indicative of the whole. In reaction to the article, members of our community revealed an important counterpoint to our strong academic foundation.

This week, in the face of approaching finals and college decisions, we recognized the strength of Harker’s foundation as a whole. We defended our joy through comments on the article and our own lunchtime conversations — our ability to hold foosball tournaments and talent shows and holiday movie nights. Our community defended our athletes, performers, debaters, and the thinkers within us all, independent of our grades.

We are more than the set of numbers or letters we earn.

The healthy academic attitude that we strive for lives in our community, as undeniable as the academic stress also present. This week and next week bring first semester finals, “app week,” and a flood of college decisions. But it also brought long advisory parties, stress prevention spirit activities in Manzanita, and today’s holiday assembly, in which we found members of our community reaching out to help us mitigate our academic stress. Both at Harker and Saratoga, resources exist to relieve heightened pressure and anxiety.

At this critical time when it may seem as though numbers and results define us, it is important to remember the multidimensionality we have so vehemently and rightfully defended. As a community, we must remember that we are far more than the sum of our numerical successes.