![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[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)
Juniors attend sex-ed LIFE assembly
Upper school math teacher Jane Keller leads the juniors’ LIFE discussion on sex education this morning. The next event for the juniors will be an eagle buddies event on Jan. 28.
January 15, 2016
The LIFE assembly that discussed sex education with juniors took place this morning in the Nichols auditorium.
Upper school math teacher and head of the LIFE program Jane Keller led the discussion, grabbing the students’ attention with Al Vernacchio’s humorous TED Talk video comparing sexual activity to pizza and baseball.
Keller continued to discuss safety measures, kinds of relationships and decision-making. By speaking frankly and without much hesitation, Keller normalized this tabooed subject with the students. She stated that informing teenagers of ages 16 or older about such topics is vital to their wellbeings.
“Not all juniors, but many juniors, are beginning to explore beyond their current realm of high school activity,” she said. “Second semester before junior year is typically when students begin to go to more parties, and they start having deeper relationships with their partner or start looking to have a partner. It’s time for them to have an idea of how to talk about it, because sex is hard to talk about.”
Many students thought this seminar provided some helpful tips and interesting facts. Maya Rai (11) found it especially helpful, as she does not often discuss topics regarding sex with adult figures.
“I think [the assembly] was necessary because, especially in my family, my parents never discuss sex with me, or I’m too embarrassed to ask my parents about these things,” she said. “It was good to have this and learn about the importance of consent.”
The juniors listen as upper school math teacher Jane Keller leads the LIFE discussion on sex education this morning. The next event for the juniors is on Jan. 28, where they will be meeting their eagle buddies.
Others, however, did not find it as informative as they had hoped it would be. Chelsie Alexander (11) felt the assembly was redundant and did not introduce any useful information.
“It was helpful for people who didn’t know about this stuff before,” Chelsie said. “Otherwise, it was just reinforcing what we already know. It was just, ‘Think about what you’re doing before you do it’.”
While Keller always expects an awkward response to this discussion, she feels that the ideas she explains will aid the students during future experiences in which they must make decisions quickly.
“You can’t effectively hit all 200 people,” she said. “You can throw it out there, and shake the tree a little bit, and leaves fall, and some people get it and need it. Some of the people will have heard it, and it will pop back into their head when it becomes important.”
The next event for the junior class is an Eagle Buddy gathering on Jan. 28 at the Upper School.
