![“[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)
Honoring our mentors: Upper school celebrates Teacher Appreciation Day
The Upper School celebrated Teacher Appreciation Day today. Members of student council and ASB hosted a Teacher Appreciation Breakfast for the faculty this morning.
April 21, 2017
Festivities for Teacher Appreciation Day at Harker begin early in the day, with ASB and student council hosting a Teacher Appreciation Breakfast for Harker’s faculty and staff in Manzanita the morning of the holiday. The event, which ran today from 7:15 to 7:50 a.m., invited teachers to share a morning meal prepared by members of the kitchen staff.
Teacher Appreciation Day in the United States typically falls on the Tuesday of the first full week of May. However, the Upper School follows a slightly different tradition—by celebrating the holiday two weeks earlier before AP exam season.
The official observance of Teacher Appreciation Day dates back to 1980, when Congress declared March 7 as the National Teacher Day for that year. However, the concept of a holiday honoring the contributions and achievements of instructors had first been introduced to the United States government around 40 years prior, when teachers began writing to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1940s about the idea of creating such a day.
Although Congress did not continue to celebrate National Teacher Day after 1980, the National Education Association (NEA) and the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) held festivities on March 7 every year until 1985, when the National PTA established the first full week of May as the year’s official Teacher Appreciation Week. The NEA Representative Assembly then voted to designate the Tuesday of that week as the year’s National Teacher Day.
In 1994, UNESCO proclaimed October 5 as World Teachers’ Day, a holiday the organization labels as “a day devoted to appreciating, assessing and improving the educators of the world.”
Though observances of days dedicated to honoring teachers’ contributions and achievements vary from country to country, the celebration of the power of instruction and learning continues to transcend international borders to this day. This year, the NEA and the National PTA invited students to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Day and participate in a Teacher Appreciation Day social media challenge by posting a picture of themselves with a teacher from their school with the hashtag #ThankATeacher.
