Jessica Wang

Claire Perng (11) plays Connect Four with her fourth grade eagle buddy at the team room in the Athletic Center. The buddy families also had the option to participate in activities like friendship bracelet making, karaoke and board games.

Seniors, sophomores and frosh attended Living with Intent, Focus and Enthusiasm (LIFE) sessions while juniors spent time with their Eagle Buddies at the upper school campus on Nov. 2. 

Upper school Psychology teacher Julie Turchin discussed how to have difficult conversations at the seniors’ LIFE meeting in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center. In preparation for the workshop, students submitted their topics of greatest concern to a survey released Oct. 16, like keeping situations from escalating and framing arguments. During the meeting, students had the option of filling out a worksheet with a chart guiding them through various mental exercises to consider for a potential future difficult conversation.

“I went in expecting something about college but definitely got more out of it,” Anaya Mandal (12) said. “It was how to talk about problems in relationships, but really could be applied anywhere. Even though you can’t always compromise your values or someone else’s, it’s important to find common ground.”

The sophomores attended a presentation by California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Miceli in the Nichols Auditorium on the dangers of distracted driving and the importance of being aware of one’s surroundings. Anika Akkiraju (10) reflected on both her takeaways from the event and the topic’s importance for students her age.

“The number one cause for death in teenagers are car accidents,” Anika said. “People should be aware of our surroundings: we all need to take into account the decisions we’re making in order to drive safely and prevent these deaths.”

The frosh class attended a LIFE session in the Auxiliary Gym led by Assistant Upper School Division Head Kelly Horan, who discussed how to approach class scheduling in a way that allows students to pursue their interests during their time at the Upper School. Horan informed students about options for summer courses, the requirements for taking them and the attendance policy for those who were interested. Prior to the meeting, students were required to create a first draft of an academic plan for high school. Finley Ho (9) recounts their experience learning about what classes to take and the requirements for their graduation. 

“They emphasized taking classes that you are genuinely excited about, not classes because you’ve been pressured into taking them or just for having more APs,” Finley said. “It helped me see the bigger picture of what I wanted to do through high school and helped me know how to allocate my time and really focus on what I want to do and get better at.”

The juniors spent time with their fourth-grade Eagle Buddies in activities scattered throughout Davis Field, the Athletic Center and the RPAC like friendship bracelet making, karaoke and board games. Abigail Samuel (11) expressed her delight at being able to form a connection with the younger students.

“My Eagle Buddies are teaching me about what it’s like to be in elementary school,” Abigail said. “I’m trying to reflect on my Harker Lower School years to better connect to them. They really remind me of my cousins who are younger. They’re just really excited and genuine and just happy to be here.”