![“[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)
ReCreate Reading 2017 kicks off with pre-summer meetings
ReCreate Reading groups met for the first time today during the first 10 minutes of the advisory period. Students will read their selections over the summer before participating in a second book discussion early in the 2017-2018 school year.
April 10, 2017
Students from the junior, sophomore and freshman classes met with their ReCreate Reading groups for a pre-summer meeting today during the first 10 minutes of the advisory period.
This morning’s discussions, hosted in the classrooms or offices of the advisors for each reading group, allowed students to get to know the the students and the faculty member reading the same selection. Some groups also spent part of their meetings composing written responses to questions related to topics discussed in their ReCreate Reading book.
“Besides the obligatory break talk, we just started with introductions and activities designed to get to know our group members,” Lilia Gonzales (10), a member of history teacher Julie Wheeler’s reading group for the novel “Manhunt” by James L. Swanson, said. “I’ve never read a book of a similar genre before, so I’m really excited to start reading over the summer.”
A Google Sheets ReCreate Reading master list organizing students by their class year, name, advisor, book selection and meeting location was shared with the student body today both via today’s daily announcements email and the homepages of students’ personal Harker portals.
The book selection and registration process for this year’s ReCreate Reading program took place the week before spring break, with the juniors registering on March 27, the sophomores on March 29 and the freshmen on March 31. Students were encouraged to prepare first, second and third choices should their favorite title’s reading group fill up quickly.
After the summer, ReCreate Reading groups will meet again early in the 2017-2018 school year.
