![“[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)
As a sea of yellow-clad sophomores walked onto the Bucknall blacktop, they began searching for their third grade Eagle Buddies, whom they met for the first time today.
After exchanging letters over the past few weeks, the groups had their first activity session together. Each third grader was paired with one or two sophomores, and they spent roughly an hour and a half eating lunch, participating in activities such as making friendship bracelets, and playing games like wall ball and soccer.
The Eagle Buddies program was designed to allow high school students to interact with kids who are seven grades below them.
“I really enjoyed the fact that it actually kind of brings [the Upper and Lower school] together,” Hannah Bollar (10) said. “It gives […] the older kids a little kid in their life.”
Because this was the sophomores’ first meeting with their Eagle Buddies, the main goal was to break the ice and allow the buddies to get to know each other.
“[We played] various kinds of tag and just basically ran around on the field. It was fun,” Jeremy Binkley (10) said.
Those who attended Lower School on the Bucknall campus were able to give advice about their former teachers and school in general to their Eagle Buddies. Many sophomores agree that spending time with their buddies who are much younger than them has allowed them to reminisce about their own experiences at the Lower School.
The program is beneficial for Upper School students, according to sophomore advisor Erin Redfern.
“[The sophomores] gain some insight into their own development because they look at the Bucknall campus, and it looks so tiny compared to when they were there and they understand how much they’ve grown,” she said. “They [also] get this immediate benefit from playtime with their little buddies, who wore them out. They gain the really good feeling of having this adorable little third grader look up to you and think you’re just the coolest thing.”
Some sophomores have already decided what they want to do with their Eagle Buddies for their next meeting.
“I’m really excited because we already made plans for what we should do next time. We’re going to […] make better friendship bracelets,” Maya Nandakumar (10) said.
At the end of the event, the sophomores bid their buddies goodbye and headed back to their buses, while the third graders met up with their homeroom teachers. The sophomores will stay with their Eagle Buddies until 2015 when they graduate and the third graders enter middle school.
