![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.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)
Honors Chemistry students launched hydrogen rockets on the Davis Field on Thursday and Friday, concluding a three-day lab exploring chemical reactions and gas laws.
Once students captured a combination of oxygen and hydrogen inside plastic bottles, chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine ignited the mixture, generating a large exothermic reaction for a successful takeoff. Sophomore Brandon Du noted that milk jugs and other thin plastic containers often burst when ignited, while soda bottles tended to shoot straight up and reach higher altitudes because of their thicker material.
“The experiment was unpredictable, because sometimes the spark wouldn’t spark, but when it did, you could see some of the rockets go really high and some, unfortunately, exploding sideways,” Brandon said. “The loud boom after it ignited was a really enjoyable part.”
Students brought their own plastic bottles ranging from 1 to 4 liters to class for the experiment. They first calculated the appropriate hydrogen-to-oxygen ratio for their rocket before using a graduated cylinder to accurately measure the total volume of their bottles. To prepare the rocket, students submerged their bottles upside down in tubs of water while using a tube to pump the gases directly into the containers.
After completing the lab, students completed two final questions on the lab worksheet about the role of the spark in the combustion reaction and the “explanation for why the bottle lifts off.” Sophomore Isabella Pop highlighted the initial struggles with launching her bottle.
“There were a few problems with igniting the gas, but overall it was enjoyable,” Isabella said. “These activities really keep us engaged, give us something to look forward to, and finalize the year off with something that ties everything together, like with stoichiometry and ideal gas laws. I felt proud that all my calculations worked.”
Irvine started this activity in 2015 after learning about it during a chemistry education conference from a fellow teacher at Pasadena High School. He emphasized the importance of providing students with entertaining activities to look back on.
“What students will remember from my class are the exhilarating moments, and I hope that this is one of them,” Irvine said. “I do this rocket lab with all my chemistry students at the end of the year. I also spent an hour trying to make a new ignition system and it didn’t work out, but we got it done.”
