![“[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)
Second round of parent-teacher conferences added
Michael Sikand (9) talks with his math teacher Jeanette Fernandez. Fernandez looks forwad to meeting him and his parents during the second round of parent-teacher conferences.
A second round of parent-teacher conferences is scheduled to take place at the Upper School on March 26.
This is the first year that there are two instead of one parent-teacher conferences, as there were requests to have another conference by parents.
“Parents asked for more one-on-one time with teachers,” Upper School Dean of Students Kevin Williamson said. “I think it’s great that we are setting aside time to say that this is important enough that we are going to take away time from the school day.”
Sophomore Kailee Gifford likes the idea of having another parent teacher conference.
“I think it’s a great opportunity now that my teachers know me better,” Kailee said. “They can provide better advice to my parents on how to help me continue to do well at school.”
During this round of conferences, students will be allowed to attend, but some may choose not to.
“I don’t think I will be attending because I feel like [teachers] will be less inclined to talk about the real matters like how I’m actually doing,” Anthony Luo (11) said. “If I’m there, they’ll probably sugarcoat it a bit and that’s not what I want.”
With many parents and teachers looking forward to this meeting, parents should prepare to start signing up for time slots with their student’s teachers.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on March 13, 2015.
Justin Su (11) is the Aquila sports columnist. He has been a part of the journalism program since his freshman year. He hopes to bring his passion for...