![“[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)
Learning management systems updated
Harker recently released several updates to their online coursework, homework and gradebook management systems, Athena2 and PCR, on April 21 and April 30 respectively.
The administration will be moving from the Moodle software currently employed on athena2.harker.org to a Schoology learning management system (LMS) hosted on athena.harker.org for the upcoming school year.
The new Schoology powered system features a better interface, a news feed with a “like” ability, groups to help with organization and resources to connect with other study related apps.
Along with upgrading Athena2 for next year, PCR has also been updated with several additional homework viewing options for the current school year.
There are now four main viewing options: the first shows assignments on the days that they were created by teachers, the second is an option to view assignments based on the specific dates they are due and the third is an option to show assignments on both the dates of creation and the dates of completion.
The fourth and final option shows an assignment on each day from when it was assigned until it is due. On the last day in this range of days, the assignment has an alert icon, and it is shown at the top of the homework list.
Junior Dhanush Madabusi believes that both PCR and Athena2 can be improved, but that as a whole the two learning management systems are effective.
“I think PCR and Athena are in general good systems. Both definitely have flaws, and a lot can be improved upon,” he said. “[PCR] has an awkward system for daily announcements, and it’s not very user friendly. I have not had many problems with Athena2 and teachers seem to be happy with it. I would only say to improve the design.”
Mathematics teacher Mary Mortlock believes that although PCR could be improved for teachers, Athena fits her current needs.
“I find it [PCR] frustrating because sometimes […] it’s got a life of it’s own. I’d like it to be a little bit more reliable,” she said. “Athena I think is actually okay […] and there’s so many things you can do. I don’t use it much, but when I do use it, […] Athena is perfectly adequate.”
MyAthena is currently live and imported with second semester courses, so teachers may begin experimenting with creating assignments on the new system immediately.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on May 13, 2015.
Vineet Kosaraju (12) is the STEM Editor for both Harker Aquila and Winged Post. He is a senior and has been part of the journalism program for the past...
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...