![“[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)
Open house hosted at the upper school on Sunday
Courtesy of Harker DECA
Director of Finance Sanil Rajput introduced the DECA program to prospective students. The open house occurred on Sunday.
November 3, 2015
Around 175 families of prospective Harker applicants attended the upper school open house on Sunday to learn about the classes and extracurricular activities that Harker offers from the perspective of students, teachers, and parents.
The event focused on displaying firsthand experiences of being a student and exposing visitors to various clubs and programs offered at the upper school.
“It’s just a chance for us to tell [prospective applicants] about the breadth and depth of the courses and extracurriculars, and athletics that we offer and help them make sure this is a place that they actually want to apply to,” upper school admissions director Jennifer Hargreaves said.
This year showed an increase in attendance from previous years, with a total of 675 individuals or 240 families enrolled. Around 175 families actually attended the event.
Hargreaves accounts this growth to a variety of reasons including the redesigned school website and the school’s expanding reputation.
The event started with speeches from head of school Christopher Nikoloff and upper school division head Butch Keller. Then, Naomi Molin (12) and Jonathan Yiu (12) spoke about their experiences at Harker, with a focus on extracurriculars.
“I think having students talk about things other than academics lets them know that Harker does in fact have more than academics,” Naomi said. “The outside perception of Harker is that it’s purely academically focused, so I think it’s important to know, going into a school, you’re going to have well-roundedness”
Trisha Connors, mother of Peter Connors (10), also spoke about balancing different activities, from the point of view of a parent. The speeches concluded with chemistry teacher Dr. Smriti Koodanjeri, who discussed her favorite parts of teaching at the Upper School.
The visitors were then given tours by student guides, who led them to classrooms where they were able to interact directly with teachers.
“They really liked the performances as well as speeches from the students because some of the students offered insight from their experiences at Harker,” Jerry Chen (10), a student guide, said.
Visitors visited one humanities class, one STEM-related class and one elective.
Another channel for applicants to take a look at the school is Harker Live, which will start in December. Prospective students and their parents will be able to observe snippets of actual classes.
