![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.jpg)
![“[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)
Additions and advancements: New courses announced for 2023-24 school year
Corporate Finance, Venture Capital, Latin American History, Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies and two new vocal courses will be offered next year
In the 2023-2024 school year, the upper school will offer new courses in a variety of topics, including: Corporate Finance, Venture Capital, Latin American History, Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies and several course evolutions including new vocal classes Rhapsody and Dolce Voce; and changements to both French electives: Honors French Prose, and Honors French Literature & Film.
Latin American History, offered by Dr. Chuck Witschorik, will cover the pre-colonial period, all the way to modern day developments in Latin America. Dr. Witschorik, who currently teaches AP United States History and World Religions, has always had a passion for the region. He believes that it is an important course because of how much Latin American history is intertwined with the history of the U.S.
“They are our neighbors, and it’s a very important region,” Dr. Witschorik said. “Because we will also be studying the United States in relation to Latin American history, I believe that it is a relevant course for all Americans.”
Corporate Finance, introduced in the 2021-22 school year, and Venture Capital (VC) are two honors courses in the Business and Economics field, both taught by upper school history and economics teacher Matt McCorkle. Both courses require several prerequisites prior to taking the course: Honors Corporate Finance is open to eleventh and twelfth grade students who have taken Economics, AP Economics or Principles of Business & Entrepreneurship, and Honors Venture Capital is only open to those who have taken Honors Corporate Finance.
“If you have any interest in investing in private or public companies, these two are the courses to take,” McCorkle said.
Honors Corporate Finance will study and analyze how companies choose to invest in new projects and companies and discuss how to finance those specific projects. Students will also learn to look at shares and determine what share of profits will return to investors. Building on the skills learned in Corporate Finance, Honors Venture Capital will discuss the process in which VC’s raise capital and will specifically analyze case studies, produce industry reports and even follow the progress of previously established VC investments.
Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies will be taught by Donna Gilbert, upper school AP European History and AP Art History teacher. It is a course designed to have discussions regarding the spectrum of gender, the system of patriarchy and why such systems have been put into place in society.
“It’s important to de-personalize [gender] into an academic setting and step back and understand [gender] based on its system,” Gilbert said. “[One of the] goals of this course is to understand the critical role of gender in society.”
In addition to the four new classes offered, course evolutions of French and singing will also be implemented for the 2023-2024 school year. In regards to French, the three electives of Honors French Literature & Film, Honors French Renaissance & Classical Literature, as well as Honors French Romantic & Modern Literature are all advanced French courses which require AP French, or Honors French 4 to be able to take the course.
Finally, the singing groups of Bel canto and Camerata will be replaced with two vocal ensembles: Dolce Voce and Rhapsody. Instead of having two groups of more general choirs for students to participate in, these two courses will be based on each student’s voice type.
“Rhapsody will be the group that focuses on basses and tenors, while Dolce Voce will be the group that focuses on altos and sopranos,” Assistant Division Head of upper school Kelly Horan said.
Claire Bauschlicher (12) is a reporter for Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, Claire wants to focus on writing more fun and...
Mirabelle Feng (12) is a Student Life editor for the TALON Yearbook, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, she looks forward to creating unique...