![“[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)
Preview to annual ReCreate Reading program
Lauri Vaughan, upper school campus librarian, was awarded the 2017 Margaret A. Edwards (MAE) Award for Best Literature Program for Teens by the The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Vaughan’s program, ReCreate Reading, is a program that promotes reading to all levels of the school, involving students, faculty, administration, staff, and coaches alike.
From “The Bunker Diary” to “Bowie: a Biography,” students will be offered a wide variety of choices in this year’s ReCreate Reading book selection.
Librarians Lauri Vaughn and Susan Smith started the program in the fall of 2009 after campus discontent with the former summer reading program, which required students to read two titles from lists released by each academic department. They proposed the current system, where students choose a faculty member-sponsored book to read over the summer, to Head of Upper School Butch Keller, who approved the idea.
Inspired by the ability of the “What I’m Reading” posters around campus to form connections between teachers and students, the librarians sought to form a new system that sparked a passion for reading for pleasure among students, instead of the drudgery created by the former system.
“We were so thrilled that [students and faculty] were talking about what they were reading. I think that when people think about reading, they mostly think about it as a mostly singular personal activity, which it is of course, but on the other hand it’s also a very social activity,” Vaughn said. “Most people get their next book from another human being. Most people don’t get their next book from a book review or a book display or a librarian.”
This year’s book selections vary widely, from graphic novels to translations of Latin works, reflecting the wide-ranging interests of faculty and students.
Participating in ReCreate Reading for the first time this year, Upper School history teacher Tim Case chose to sponsor “A World Destroyed” by Martin J. Sherwin, a historical account of the origins of the arms race and the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
“I’m kind of excited about instilling a love of history beyond just the textbook,” Case said.
“A World Destroyed” by Martin J. Sherwin sits on a shelf alongside other book choice available for students. Upper School history teacher Tim Case will sponsor the book this year.
ReCreate Reading gives students more freedom than traditional summer reading programs where students are assigned specific books to read.
“Serial” was the first audiobook selected for ReCreate Reading.
Only 15 students are allowed per group and registration will begin next week.
Current juniors will be able to register next Tuesday during class meeting, sophomores Wednesday during long lunch and freshmen during advisory on Thursday.
Individual reading groups will meet in the rooms of their faculty sponsors on April 20 for a pre-summer discussion on their chosen novels.
Kavya Ramakrishnan (12) is the managing editor of the Winged Post. This is her fourth year on staff, having previously held the positions of reporter and...