![“[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)
Students reunited with their ReCreate Reading groups, ruminating on their books and sharing snacks with friends on Aug. 22 in different classrooms on campus. Sophomores, juniors and seniors chose a summer reading book from a wide variety of genres last April, spanning from classic horror stories like “Dracula” to comedic reads like “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.”
Teachers were free to choose how they directed their sessions. Some groups watched parts of their book’s movie adaptation during the session, like “Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life” by James Paterson, which was sponsored by Modern and Classical Languages department chair Abel Olivas, Ariana Gauba (12) and Jia Jia Jiang (12).
History teacher James Tate and senior Jessica Wang sponsored “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller. Many students were challenged by the book’s stereotypical characters, so Tate encouraged a discussion for students to voice their contrasting opinions.
“I enjoyed [Catch-22] a lot,” Tate said. “There was a good level of engagement and people wanted to talk about it. Since I love it so much, I like hearing other people’s thoughts on it, whether they be complimentary or negative.”
Junior Anika Rajaram read “The Last Lecture,” a book about a professor’s final lecture before dying. She appreciated the story’s thoughtful stance on the fleetingness of life.
“The book was a memoir which consisted of multiple short stories and each of them showed the author in a new light,” Anika said. “Recreate Reading gives you a way to discuss books with peers and their deeper meaning.”
Students led 25 book sessions this year, with various teachers sponsoring each selection. Most reading groups were capped at 15 members, although an exception was given to co-teacher sponsors, like assistant upper school head Kelly Horan and physics teacher Lisa Radice, who sponsored “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus.
Sophomore Lauren Xi read “Good Omens” by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, which they sponsored alongside their friend Beibei Shen (10) and math teacher Ambi Bobmanuel. Lauren appreciated the relaxed atmosphere and the opportunity to talk with her peers.
“I got to hang out with my friends because we were all in the same Recreate Reading group,” Lauren said. “[My favorite part] was the snacks. Bobmanuel brought so much Capri Sun, and someone baked their own cookies with toffee in it. We got to actually make the book fun.”
