![“[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)
- December 17Festive cheer and family traditions
- December 17Predictions for the 67th Grammys
- December 17Embrace winter magic with Aquila
- December 16Tiny love stories: End of year nostalgia
- December 14Junior varsity boys basketball trails behind Mountain View 36-43
- December 14Downbeat dazzles crowds at annual holiday tour
- December 13Annual Winterfest celebrates community and holidays
- December 12Destress Week helps students unwind before finals
- December 11Gingerbread house building inspires class spirit
- December 10Ease into finals prep with Aquila
![Lower school division head Sarah Leonard. "I hope [students] walk away with a love of learning and that on their own, they will want to explore and make new discoveries, and learn more and more about the world," Leonard said. (Provided by Sarah Leonard)](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Mrs.-Leonard-1-1200x844.jpeg)
![Varun Thvar (10) writes a message in Anwen Hao (10)'s yearbook after distribution on May 15. "We work on [the yearbook] the whole year as a team, so seeing it finally come out and seeing people with the book in their hands being like ‘Oh hey, there’s you’ and ‘Oh hey, there’s me’ is super fulfilling,” said Angelina Hu (11), TALON Co-Editor-in-Chief for the 2023-24 school year.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/AZ1A1843-900x600.jpg)
![Phoebe Castle (11) takes in a work from the "Color Trip: Yoshida Hodaka’s Modern Prints" exhibit at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco during a field trip on Mar. 27. "I was immediately drawn to the different themes of color in each one of the [prints]," she said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/IMG_5194-Large-900x675.png)
![“Soccer shapes my personality, not holding back any effort you have. Through club, I've learned about having self-confidence. Playing amongst people who are UCLA commits — it could be intimidating, but you just need to play to your own strengths. [I’ve also learned how to be] patient and encouraging with those who have never played soccer before,” Lexi Wong (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/LexiWongHOH_FC-602x900.jpg)
![Katie Wang (12), Laurie Jin (12), Zubin Khera (12), Jacob Fernandez (12), Miki Mitarai (11) and Sawyer Lai (12) sing Christmas songs during the Winterfest celebration in front of Manzanita Hall on Thursday after school. “[Winterfest] was a huge success, and that's down to the hard work, the dedication and the creativity of our HSLT,” Director of Student Organizations Eric Kallbrier said. “A lot of our HSLT members
didn't even get to participate in the activities, but they got their joy out of making joy for others."](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/WinterSpirit_EmmaGao1-900x601.jpg)
![Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced in a press release on Oct. 28 an additional $275 million of aid for Ukraine to help in the country’s resistance against Russia. “[I think that the U.S. should be] increasing aid, providing more refugee opportunities,” Stefan Maxim (10), who has observed the evolution of the war over its duration, said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ukraine-900x600.jpeg)
