![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)
Head of Upper School Paul Barsky opened the first school meeting after winter break for grades 9, 10 and 11 in the Athletic Center on Tuesday. Meanwhile, seniors gathered for a meeting about their end-of-year Laguna trip in the Nichols Auditorium.
Barsky encouraged students to prioritize aspiration and personal growth over solely focusing on GPA or the number of AP classes when selecting courses. He emphasized the distinction between ambition, external goals, and aspiration, internal goals, encouraging students to take both into consideration when selecting courses for the next academic year.
Conservatory representatives Shruti Srinivasan (12), Arthur Wu (12), Yinan Zhou (12) and Jessica Skylar Chen (10) announced this year’s Student Directed Showcase, directed by seniors Ananya Das, Avanya Glass, Leo Sobczyn and Hannah Streeper. Featuring topical satire, sci-fi and comedy, the showcase will run Friday and Saturday night from 7 to 9 p.m.
Harker Spirit Leadership Team member Charlotte Ludlow (11) highlighted standout athletes in the weekly Eagle update. The first athlete of the week was junior Claire Yu, the top scorer on the varsity girls basketball team, followed by senior Bowen Xia, ranked 13th for free throws on the varsity boys basketball team. Senior Claire Anderson, captain of the varsity girls soccer team, also received the athlete of the week title, along with junior Vouk Praun-Petrovic, who led the varsity boys soccer team in goals per match average. Charlotte then announced that there will be a track and field interest meeting on Thursday during long lunch.
Assistant Upper School Division Head Kelly Horan played a video of comedian Michael Jr., encouraging students to focus on the “why” behind actions rather than just the “what” when considering course selection. She highlighted the addition of several new electives like Indigenous Science, a Greek Myth English elective and advanced topics in Chinese and math. Additionally, she shared changes in curricula, including new foundational courses in visual arts and the introduction of the Technical Theater 1 course.
Horan then mentioned that students should ask in person for teacher recommendations for summer programs and internships, fill out the online form and be considerate of teachers’ time. She concluded the school meeting by reminding students, “just because you can doesn’t mean you should,” emphasizing the importance of making thoughtful and balanced choices during course selections.
