![“[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)
Students sign up for summer Recreate Reading books
The books for recreate reading are on display by the entrance of the library. Juniors chose their titles first, followed by the sophomores and freshmen.
Students chose from an array of 65 different books of varying genres for Recreate Reading last week.
With titles ranging from the zombie-themed “World War Z,” to a biography of Einstein by Walter Isaacson, these books are for reading over the summer, followed by a discussion at the start of school next year.
The seniors chose on Monday, juniors chose on Tuesday, sophomores Wednesday, and freshman today.
By the time that seniors and juniors had chosen their books, five titles had been completely filled up, more than in most previous years. Some of these popular books include “Avatar: the Last Airbender – the Rift,” by Gene Luen Yang, “Bossypants” by Tina Fey, “Silence of the Lambs,” by Thomas Harris, and “A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming” by Dylan Tuccillo, Jared Zeizel and Thomas Peisel. These books will be hosted by Ms. Lieberman, Ms. Sandusky, Mr. Halback, and Dr. Meyer, respectively.
“Usually in summer, I’m watching TV, but this will get me off it and get me onto a school track and reading and get me more proactive so I’m not watching netflix or amazon all day,” Jessica Skinner (9) said.
In place of summer reading assigned by English classes, rising sophomores and juniors will merely have their recreate reading books.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on April 22, 2015.
Lauren Russell (10) is a reporter in her second year on staff for the Winged Post. After joining the staff for freshman year, she looks forward to continuing...