![“[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)
Editors’ Note: Our take on the purpose of the paper
September 3, 2018
A new year, a new class of freshmen, a host of new teachers — and with it, a new issue of the Winged Post! We, as your editors-in-chief, are excited to welcome you to Volume 20.
A couple weeks ago, editors of the journalism staff gathered together to discuss the duties and values we, as student journalists, pledge to uphold, which included accurate, timely reporting that represents a multitude of perspectives in our community and promotes understanding. We hoped not to change the values of the newspaper but rather to make them clear to our community at-large.
It’s worth saying that these ideas all draw inspiration from the thought and work of previous Winged Post editors-in-chief, as well as journalists all over the world. In discussing our mission, we hope not to change the core values of the newspaper but rather to emphasize them and make them clear to our community at-large.
In that vein, much of the Winged Post will look familiar to you — the Global section, a new addition last year, will continue, along with a slate of repeaters ranging from a teacher profile to a political news recap. We also look forward to featuring new recurring content, including an athlete profile and columns across all sections.
With that being said, there will be some shifts in the paper as well. A quick skim over the sixteen pages of this issue might show you that we have decreased the number of news briefs. With such limited space, we hope to go as in-depth as possible into the local, national, and international issues that impact all of us— so expect to see more in-depth features and profiles of students in every section.
Of course, we still maintain our dedication to truthful and timely news reporting, but the Winged Post is released once a month, while our online counterpart, Harker Aquila, will have fresh content every week. We hope that Aquila will soon become our news hub and allow all of our readers to hear about the events they care about in a more timely manner.
Another change we are piloting this year is the addition of a strong panel of columnists in all sections. By doing so, we aim to establish a sense of regular voices in the paper for our readers to follow and look forward to each issue. Columns will revolve around an array of topics–from entertainment to professional sports to politics– that reflect the varying perspectives and diverse interests within/of our school community.
As always, we love hearing from our readers, whether it be through feedback or a guest column. We encourage you to write a letter to the editor, in which you can respond to an article from the latest issue, or a guest column about your experience at Harker for our Heart of Harker column. To submit to either, email us at [email protected].
Looking forward to a great year, and see you next month!
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on Aug. 31, 2018.
