![“[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)
Upper School Head Butch Keller named Administrator of the Year
Zach Hoffman
Harker Aquila Editor-in-Chief Raveena Kapatkar and Winged Post Managing Editor Sahana Srinivasan congratulate Upper School Head Butch Keller with balloons. Keller won the award for Administrator of the Year today.
August 24, 2016
Upper School Head Butch Keller was named Administrator of the Year by the Journalism Education Association (JEA) this morning at 10 a.m.
The award is presented to administrators who support the rights of the student press and are dedicated to education in journalism. Administrators were nominated by JEA members throughout the year.
“I’m happy for Harker, I’m happy for [the journalism program],” Keller said. “There are some other things that come along with this. Ms. Austin and I are going to work on some outreach programs for other programs and try to build on them, so I couldn’t be happier.”
The winning administrator is encouraged to present a session at the JEA Fall National High School Journalism Convention and will give a five-minute speech at the convention’s awards luncheon. The administrator may also propose an ambassador project to emphasize the importance of scholastic journalism to other administrators.
This project, along with convention expenses, will be funded by the JEA, and the school’s journalism program will also receive a $1,000 award.
Sharanya Balaji • Aug 26, 2016 at 11:30 am
Congratulations Mr. Keller! You have done nothing but support the journalism program and I am super proud to have been a part of such an amazing school 🙂 Keep up the good work journ kids!
– Your former EIC <3