![“[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)
Language teachers leave positions for upcoming school year
Upper School Latin Teacher John Hawley plans on retiring at the end of this school year. He will act as a substitute teacher in the future.
Upper School Spanish Teacher Daniela Rozanes and Latin Teacher John Hawley have announced that they will not be returning to their positions in the upcoming 2015-2016 school year.
Rozanes has been teaching at the Upper School since 2008 and is planning to move to Florida for familial reasons.
“My grandmother is [in] Florida,” she said. “My parents live in Boston, but they will retire in a couple of years, and Florida is the Mecca for all the old people in the east coast. So seeing that a lot of our family is there, we think it is the right moment to go.”
She plans to continue teaching at an independent school in Florida, similar to Harker, but will miss the Upper School’s environment.
“It will be very hard for me to get used to a new community after Harker,” she said. “It is a great community [here], [and] I will miss the students.”
Unlike Rozanes, who plans to continue teaching, Hawley will retire next year. He reflected on his most memorable moments at the Upper School.
“Probably the most wonderful things are the wonderful interactions with students, and it is not a one time thing, it’s all the time,” he said. “And for the most part the students here at Harker are very kind and generous and thoughtful and that is a part [of my most memorable moments] as well.”
Hawley plans on visiting his family next year, but will act as a substitute teacher for the Upper School when necessary. Both of Hawley’s daughters graduated from the Upper School.
Other teachers who have left include Computer Science Teacher Richard Page, who departed from Upper School at the end of March, and English Teacher Alexandra Rosenboom, who left for maternity leave at the end of March and will not return to the Upper School next year, as she will be teaching at The Athenian School, located in Danville.
Rosenboom and her husband live in Oakland, so teaching at The Athenian School will cut down her commute by about 30-60 minutes each way. She will be teaching English and History to freshmen, juniors and seniors.
Mathematics Teacher Mary Mortlock, History Teacher Ray Fowler, Counselor Caroline O’Sullivan and Security and Traffic Officer Emily Manigo also plan on retiring for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year.
The original version of this piece, which was published in the pages of the Winged Post, incorrectly said that Alexandra Rosenboom was retiring to take care of her children. Rosenboom is retiring for the reasons mentioned above.
Raveena Kapatkar (12) is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Harker Aquila. She is a senior and this is her fourth year on staff. As a freshman, she was a reporter...
Vijay Bharadwaj (11) is one of the opinion editors for The Winged Post and Aquila. She served as the assistant opinion editor and the Wingspan copy editor...
Adrian Chu (12) is a columnist for the Winged Post and Aquila. He has served as an Opinion Editor for The Winged Post. This is his fourth year in journalism,...