![“[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)
Juniors reunited with their fourth-grade Eagle Buddies at the Bucknall campus while sophomores met with their third graders in the Athletic Center for Pi Day activities during their last Eagle Buddy events of the school year on March 14.
Eagle Buddies tossed beanbags, weaved lanyards and colored pictures indoors at Bucknall.
Lower school Bucknall Enrichment Staff Team member Zeke Gallegon supervised the lunchtime activities and appreciated how the juniors were excellent role models to the fourth graders.
“The fourth graders met people who also came from Harker and had similar experiences,” Gallegon said. “They get to see the opportunities of success that they have in the future. Everyone is having fun, and everyone’s doing something different. It’s like a big party.”
Juniors also played basketball, soccer and playground games like wall ball with their buddies.
Brenna Ren (11) cheered on her Eagle Buddy in his basketball game and commented on how the event allows her to reminisce on her own time at the lower school.
“I always love coming to eagle buddies, and it’s always super seeing how much he’s improved at basketball,” Brenna said. “I like talking to my eagle buddies and learning about their lives. Eagle Buddy events give fourth graders a chance to talk to high schoolers whom they usually don’t have a chance to talk to, and it’s fun for us because we can feel like fourth graders again.”
Sophomores hosted their Eagle Buddies on the upper school campus for the first time this school year, participating in Pi Day-themed activities.
Groups explored the high school campus in a scavenger hunt, venturing through buildings in search of Pi-themed cutouts. The clues spelled out “250 years,” referencing the 250 years that have passed since the letter pi was used in mathematics.
After that, some Eagle Buddy groups made bracelets and colored, while others played games with hula hoops. Director of Student Organizations Eric Kallbrier shared the planning that went into Pi Day specific activities.
“This year was a little bit different because it happened to fall on Pi Day,” Kallbrier said. “So we thought it was a wonderful way to celebrate the fact that we are a STEM school and bring a theme to it. We also wanted the upper school students to be able to show the lower school students around.”
