![“[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)
Freshmen class of 2024 participates in virtual orientation
Provided by Daniel Lin
APEX Adventures Director Shaw Dunton explains the rules of a breakout room activity. During the virtual orientation on Thursday, freshman advisory groups participated in team-bonding activities.
August 22, 2020
Members of the class of 2024 participated in various advisory bonding activities during their freshman Zoom orientation on Thursday, marking the start of their transition to virtual learning.
Link Crew, Apex Adventures and various faculty members organized the orientation. The freshmen met their advisory for the first time in breakout rooms and played icebreakers, such as Hangman and Mafia. Each advisory was then split up into two groups to play a point-based “escape room” activity consisting of 10 challenges — including solving puzzles and deciphering Morse codes — and a bonus questionnaire.
Link Crew member Ian Williamson (12), who led half of upper school vocal music teacher Susan Nace’s advisory, found the orientation engaging.
“I definitely thought that by the end, at least my half of the advisory felt more connected, which is great just over the period of one day,” he said.
For the members of the Class of 2024, especially those new to Harker, the event was a valuable opportunity to bond with their classmates.
“Getting to know our other advisory members and our advisors was really nice,” Gordy Sun (9) said. “As a new student, I’m a lot more comforted by these events, which shows me there is a welcoming community at Harker. I already feel like a Harker eagle.”
Still, many freshmen expressed disappointment with reduced social interaction due to a remote start.
“I was from a really small school and we had a really small campus,” Sydney Ling, a freshman new to Harker, said. “I was looking forward to a different campus and meeting a lot of new people [in person]. The fact that we didn’t get that was definitely a bummer.”
Aeliya Grover (9), who graduated from the Harker middle school with the rest of her class through an online ceremony, felt similarly about not being able to see classmates in person.
“Most of my friends don’t have the same classes as me, and we mostly hang out during break periods, but now we can’t do that,” she said.
Additional reporting by Aditya Singhvi.
