Jasmine Hansra

Seniors Emma Li and Joy Hu participate in a game of blindfolded Jenga with their friends. The workshop was made to forge deeper bonds within the senior class.

Class of 2026 attended the Senior Retreat, where they participated in teacher and alumni-led  workshops and seminars to prepare for the upcoming year on Aug. 20.

Seniors listened to a panel of alumni from the Class of 2025 hosted by Director of Alumni Relations Caren Furtado. Maya Affaki, Stephanie Bossalina, Steven Jiang and Arthur Wu advised seniors on how to handle the college application process and make the most out of their senior year, emphasizing tips like only worrying about aspects they can control.

Students then attended two sessions of teacher-led workshops, like “Poetry Refresh” with English teacher Pauline Paskali to manage stress or “Keeping the Balance” with Academic Counselor Kelly Leahy McKeown to cultivate teamwork before a rigorous school year.

“Ms. Leahy McKeown’s Blindfolded Jenga was a new team game that I hadn’t played before, so it fostered collaboration,” senior Umair Paranjpye said. “Working with others was my favorite part because everybody had different roles in the game. For example, you had both some hecklers and some guides. I worked with people I’m not normally friends with, so it was a good experience.”

Administrative Assistant to the Upper Division Head Michelle Martinez planned the Senior Retreat and enjoyed seeing the students reunite.

“The best part of the day was when everyone was arriving, lining up for their t-shirts and catching up on what they’ve been doing over the summer,” Martinez said. “Senior Retreat is important because it gets you into your mindset of starting senior year and the overall importance of community before the real work starts.”

In Patil Theater, Upper School Head Paul Barsky acknowledged the workload and stress of senior year and encouraged students to face new challenges with the saying “and that too.” 

Senior Class Dean Meredith Cranston led students through an activity to create a personal mantra for fostering positivity and guidance in Nichols Auditorium. She emphasized visualizing success to keep morale up through the stress of classes and college applications. After her speech, seniors were instructed to write letters about what they wish to accomplish in the year to their future selves.

“In Harker, self-deprecation is really common, so we all really needed that speech,” senior Anna Wang said. “Reminding yourself to stay grounded and that you’re better is helpful when you’re really stressed. [Cranston] gave concrete examples of imagining the best version of yourself, which is a helpful strategy to not stress out when balancing everything that we have to do.”

To close the day, students enjoyed a barbeque dinner and recessed to swim, play on the field or enjoy the bouncy castle on Davis Field.

“Any moment to relax and just do whatever is nice,” senior Simon Kirjner said. “The higher anxiety from colleges means that we need slime or sudoku or painting rocks to take unstructured time for ourselves. One main takeaway is to know when to relax, hang out with my friends and not worry about school for a bit.”