![“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)
Tree in quad cut down during spring break
A 40 year old oak tree in the Quad was cut down during spring break after being deemed in a state of distress for the past decade. There are currently no known plans for the freshly cleared land.
April 7, 2016
Students arrived on campus after spring break on Monday to see that the oak tree in the Quad next to the kiosk was cut down while school was out of session.
Facility director Mike Bassoni explained that maintenance had been trying to revive the tree for several years but ultimately had to remove it.
“The oak tree was deemed in distress nearly 10 years ago. We have made extensive efforts to save the tree over that period,” he said. “Unfortunately our certified arborist determined that it was at a state to be considered unsafe and unsalvageable.”
He then went into further detail about the exact illness the plant was suffering from.
“The tree basically died from oak root fungus,” he said. “That form of fungus exists throughout much of California. It can lay dormant in the soil for decades before being triggered by specific environmental conditions. Once it attacks a tree, it is virtually unstoppable. An oak can be in decline from this condition for 10 years or longer but will eventually die. For the safety of the Harker community, we were forced to take the tree down.”
According to biology teacher Dr. Kate Schafer, the tree was about 40 years old, planted around the early 1970s in the same place it stood only about a week ago. Keep in mind: this means that the tree was planted at around the same time many of our parents were born.
Dr. Schafer brought her third period biology class to examine the colony of formica ants, named for the smell of the formic acid within their bodies, that she explained have been living in the trunk for several of years.
Later, the group of students was joined by chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine who allowed the giant formic ants to crawl all over his arms.
Several students found the event shocking, with some explaining the deep sentiment they held towards the tree in relation to their high school experience.
“My friends and I sat around this tree on the first day of school and we called it ‘Trina’,” Prameela Kottapalli (9) said. “Now that it’s gone, it fills my heart with nostalgia and little bit of sadness—but then I realize that all good things must end. It’s like the circle of life.”
Check back with Harker Aquila soon for more updates on the plans for this cleared land.
