![“[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)
Head of school Brian Yager hosts first Parent Connect meeting
Head of School Brian Yager addressed a group of parents in his first annual Parent Connect meeting. In this meeting, Yager touched upon the recent accreditation process, as well as his hopes for the future.
April 11, 2019
In a “town-hall” style meeting today, Brian Yager addressed three topics: Harker’s recent accreditation process, the new middle school campus, and future goals for the Harker community. Speaking in Nichols Auditorium, Yager spoke to approximately 30 parents of students from various grades, answering questions from the audience throughout the course of the evening.
Alighting on the recent accreditation process, Yager walked through the steps Harker underwent, as well as the commendations and suggestions proposed to the school by the reviewers. The accreditation process was run jointly by the California Association of Independent Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Giving Harker 30 commendations rather than the usual 15 in an unofficial report, the reviewers also proposed suggestions such as continuing efforts with wellness and balance, reviewing and simplifying Harker’s mission statement, exploring and reflecting on diversity at Harker, and utilizing data from alumni to affirm and refine the program.
Yager then covered the plan for the new middle school campus. As the Blackford campus’ lease comes to an end, the middle school is expected to move to the Union campus by August 2021. Architectural layouts have been created, and with a few modifications for both recreational and extracurricular space, the campus will be ready for use.
Lastly, Yager highlighted his vision for the future. While addressing the suggestions from the accreditation committee, Yager also hopes to focus on the quality of students’ lives during and after Harker, working to prepare them as well as possible for the real world following high school.
“I hope to inspire students to understand and address the issues of their generation,” Yager said, “Our most important output of the school is [the] kids. Our output is, your kids prepared for their future. We always, as an institution, have recognized, and need to, even more so, realize that the lives that our alumni lead represents their success during their time with us.”
