![“[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)
New bell schedule put into effect for trial period
Students use ten minute passing periods to play football before class. The new bell schedule was implemented starting Jan. 4 and will continue until Feb. 1.
January 9, 2016
A student walks around a circle of teens sitting on the ground, tapping them on the head and chanting, until finally shouting and running away. This classic game of duck-duck-goose is expected at the lower grade levels, but not in high school. The longer 10 minute passing periods have given rise to various creative activities, like summer camp games, for spending the extra time between classes.
The upper school administration implemented a pilot bell schedule with daily block periods for the month of January and the first day of February.
Each class period is now 85 minutes long, 10 minutes more than block periods from the old schedule. There are four different lettered block schedules that rotate every day. Every week will have three of some classes and two of the others.
“I feel that the time parameters [of the classes] don’t feel so intense,” upper school history teacher Andrea Milius said. “It feels more relaxed and natural to me. I talk a lot, and sometimes I even forget to give breaks.”
The longer periods allow more time for learning, but the duration of the classes makes it hard to pay attention the whole time.
“[The class periods are] kind of long, and it’s a little hard to stay focused the entire time, but it helps that the teachers are giving us breaks,” Kelsey Wu (9) said.
The new schedule includes ten-minute passing periods, two 75-minute long lunches and four extra helps.
“There’s a lot more free time now,” Kevin Wang (12) said. “We have two long lunches and almost daily extra help, so there’s a lot more time to get homework done and hang out with friends.”
The schedule will revert to its previous form on Feb. 2nd, and students and parents will be able to give feedback in the week following the end of the pilot period.
