![“[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)
First gradebook reports of school year released on student and parent portals
Assistant to the Head of the Upper School Lori Villarreal sent out an email to all students and parents this morning notifying them of the gradebook reports release. Teachers were able to input grades until Oct. 16.
October 18, 2017
Gradebook reports for students were released on the student and parent portals today at 5 p.m.
This past week, the students have had many different reactions and emotions to receiving their first gradebook report for the year. Some freshmen were anxious to see their first high school gradebook report.
Assistant to the Head of the Upper School Lori Villarreal sent out an email to all students and parents this morning notifying them of the gradebook reports release. Teachers were able to input grades until Oct. 16.
Alex Kumar (9) said that he was not nervous about his grades, but for those of his friends.
“I’m not nervous as much for myself, but I’ve been hearing from a lot of my fellow students that they’re stressed out of their minds,” he said. “So, I’m kind of stressed about that, for them more than me.”
Earlier in the school year, many students’ advisors held 10-minute meetings with individual advisees to discuss their grades. Nishka Ayyar (11) stated that she wasn’t anxious about the gradebook reports release because she was able to check up on her progress for this year with her school counselor before Wednesday.
“I’ve given into my grades,” Nishka said.
Geometry teacher Jeanette Fernandez felt that her students were not nervous about the gradebook reports, as she has already met with some to go over their understanding of topics taught in class.
“If [a student] were in trouble, [he or she] would’ve been speaking to me already or have been assigned office hours already, so no surprises,” Fernandez said.
Report cards for this semester will be released after semester one finals, which will take place from Dec. 12 to 15.
