![“[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)
Freshman class participates in annual community service
Freshmen walk up the side of a hill searching for trash at the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy. The entire class went on a community service trip to Guadalupe River Conservancy while the sophomores and juniors took the PSAT on Wednesday.
The class of 2019 participated in the annual freshman community service day at the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy on Wednesday.
While in previous years, advisories had attended various service sites, this year, there was only one location for the event.
Freshman advisory groups rotated to different stations within the site to do a number of different service activities throughout the afternoon.
“The whole freshman class is heading to one location and volunteering together,” said Director of Community Service Kerry Enzensperger. “Normally, we go to eight or nine different sites, at various different times, whereas now, everyone will be going to the same time and place. It is a really big change.”
The service trip has been an annual tradition since the school’s inception. It has given freshmen the opportunity to gain firsthand experience with volunteering while bonding with their advisories and classmates.
“Community service is a big part of the school’s mission in developing character and utilizing all of their talents and intelligence,” said Assistant to Director of Student Activities Eric Kallbrier. “This is, for many people, the first introduction to service. That’s a really great opportunity that Harker provides, where people can feel how good it feels to give back.
Abigail Wisdom (9), who went on the trip, believes the experience was valuable.
“It was really fun, we cleaned up a lot of trash and found a lot of interesting stuff,” Abigail said. “We learned a lot about the different type of trees in the area, and we helped the environment.”
Freshman are required to have a total of ten hours of community service by April of this year. By the end of high school, all students must complete 30 hours of community service as part of their graduation requirements with students having to complete at least ten hours in their freshmen, sophomore, and junior years respectively.
While the freshmen went to Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, the sophomores and juniors took the PSAT until 11:30 a.m, and the seniors took the day off.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on October 16, 2015.
Anjay Saklecha (12) is the Senior Winged Post Copy Editor and Columnist. This is his fourth year on staff. He was the Copy Editor last year and former...
Neil Bai (12) is the senior copy editor for Harker Aquila and is tasked with copy editing and approving all articles before they are published. Neil’s...