![“[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)
Sophomores, juniors and seniors meet with Eagle Buddies
Charlotte “Charley” Huang (10), Jerrica Liao (10) and Jessica Wang (10) take a selfie with their Eagle Buddies. The sophomore class traveled to the lower school campus on Jan. 15 to meet with their Eagle Buddies at the culmination of the third grade’s service project to collect pajamas and books.
January 31, 2016
Three events from the Eagle Buddies program, which has allowed students from the Saratoga campus to connect with their Bucknall campus counterparts since its 2009 founding by former history and social sciences teacher Carol Zink, will be taking place this month.
The sophomores traveled to the Bucknall campus to meet their third grade Eagle Buddies with pajamas and children’s books for Pajama Day on Jan. 15. Tomorrow, the juniors’ fourth grade Eagle Buddies will visit the Saratoga campus for circus-related activities on Clown Day, and the seniors will go to the Bucknall campus to watch their fifth grade Eagle Buddies perform in the annual fifth grade show. Students not participating in Eagle Buddies events attend a LIFE assembly instead.
Jane Keller, a mathematics teacher at the Saratoga campus and co-coordinator of the program this year, spoke about her favorite aspects of Eagle Buddies activities.
“For me, the best part is watching the lower school and upper school kids play. That’s my favorite part,” Keller said. “Even if it’s just them coloring, I just love watching the connection.”
Anooshree Sengupta (10) explained what she likes about the programs.
“It’s fun for sure,” Anooshree said. “I think it’s a great idea. I only got to see really one side about it because I’m a sophomore, so I didn’t have Eagle Buddies when I was in the elementary school, but the elementary schoolers seem to really enjoy it and they’re really cute, so I like it.”
Junior Vienna Wang also discussed her feelings for her Eagle Buddies.
“The first time [my buddies and I interacted], it was a struggle because all they wanted to do was play with their own friends, but now they get to know us better,” she said. “I like how they graduate at the same time and that each buddy gets to see how the upper school kids are at school and stuff, because I never went to [the] Harker Lower School so it’s nice to see how they are.”
Eric Kallbrier, assistant to the directors of the Activities and Business & Entrepreneurship Programs as well as co-coordinator of the events alongside Keller, commented on the most appealing points of the Eagle Buddies program to him.
“It’s a chance for our upper school students to be little kids again,” Kallbrier said. “I think the people who get the most out of the Eagle Buddies program are people who aren’t afraid to let loose a little bit and just be themselves.”
The upper school Eagle Buddies in the junior class have met with their lower school partners already this school year.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on January 27, 2016.
