![“[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)
Psychologist discusses mental health at school assemblies
Thurber presents an analogy regarding the “yolk” of an egg while emphasizing the importance of mindset. The main focus of yesterday’s assembly was mental health.
September 13, 2016
An acclaimed psychologist presented a talk about happiness and how to maintain it to the students and faculty in two separate special assemblies in Nichols Atrium during long lunch on Monday afternoon.
Due to the limited space in the gym because of the orchestra extension, the entire student body and faculty could not be accommodated in one building.The underclassmen and upperclassmen attended two separate assemblies during long lunch. The underclassmen listened to the presenter before lunch and the upperclassmen after. Psychologist Dr. Christopher Thurber was invited to speak as an acclaimed guest presenter for the special assemblies.
Sophomore Ally Wang talked about the methods of being happy that were presented during the talk.
“I really liked how [Thurber] was giving us advice on how to not only help ourselves with being happy, but also other people to be happy,” Ally said.
Thurber, a clinically certified psychologist and the school psychologist at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, conveyed how happiness can be found through savoring moments. He mentioned that taking the time to appreciate moments in life is beneficial for mental health.
“The crux of what differentiates savoring from anything else is you’re changing the pace, or you’re changing your approach, or you’re changing your mindset so you appreciate and enjoy something in a different way than you otherwise might,” Thurber said in a description of the process of savoring.
Thurber also established the difference between permanent and temporary changes in mood, sadness and depression in the presentation.
“If your dog dies, you’re going to feel awful, and you might feel awful for quite a while. And that’s not depression. Those are normal feelings of bereavement and sadness and eventually, with social support, that will lift,” Thurber said. “That’s not what we’re talking about.”
Throughout the talk, Thurber elicited various reactions from the audience including laughter through the videos and pictures he displayed. He also interacted with the crowd by asking questions and playing a word game that emphasized the importance of of mindset in impacting a person’s decisions and mood.
In response to Thurber’s presentation, Anika Banga (11) compared his talk to the previous exposure she had to psychology.
“Over the summer, I did a psychology research internship, so I already knew a lot of what he presented,” she said. “But I really agreed with what he said that having a positive outlook can really influence how you feel. Even though it’s hard to maintain that positive attitude, I realized that it’s really important.”
Following the assembly, Thurber answered questions about why he does presentations on mental health.
“It’s really energizing to hear people’s laughter, or sighs or other indications that they’re connecting, that they understand it, and that it’s relevant,” Thurber said. “I certainly remember being in high school and not getting a lot of good guidence, so it’s fun to be able to do something for [these students].”
