Winged Post Volume 25, Senior Issue

WINGED

Honoring the class of 2024

Seniors prepare for graduation ceremony at Mountain Winery

The senior class’s graduation ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. at the Mountain Winery on Thursday, May 23. Graduation marks the end of the seniors’ high school

experience and serves as a transition to a new stage in their lives.

For many seniors, graduation has often felt far on the horizon, so the reality of this milestone is both exciting and surreal. Associated Student Body President Daniel Lin shares these sentiments.

DANIEL LIN ASB PRESIDENT “

I’m excited to go through this momentous part of our lives with all of my closest friends.

“For all four years of high school, I’ve always looked forward to this moment,” Daniel said. “I don’t think it’s processed yet. I’m excited to go through this momentous part of our lives with all of my closest friends.”

Seniors must arrive to Mountain Winery by 3:30 p.m., and the ceremony will begin at 5 p.m., lasting approximately an hour and a half. Each senior received 10 guest tickets to invite family and friends, who will gather to celebrate the special day.

Throughout high school, the class of 2024 has undergone remote learning, social distancing and other challenges, but they have also enjoyed spirit rallies, sports games, performances and other fun events that have fostered a sense of community.

“My favorite part is the closeness, the friendships,” Daniel said. “I feel like I could walk into any of these classes with 2024 people and I could easily talk to any of them as if they’re my friends.

That’s a unique thing that’s special about the class of 2024.”

SAY CHEESE The senior class poses for a picture on the bleachers in the Zhang Gymnasium during Matriculation on Aug. 18, 2023. Matriculation marked the return to campus for all high school students and marked the beginning of the seniors’ final year together. Since matriculation, the senior class has experienced countless memorable moments.

ariana goetting

CHICKEN DINNER

Don’t chicken out: Senior Assassin game infiltrates campus

The class of 2024 embarked on an annual game of Senior Assassin tag, themed “chickens” for this year, on Tuesday, April 16 at 8 a.m. Senior Student Activities Board (SAB) initiated the event, drawing inspiration from the rules and guidelines of the past two years’ games.

A few weeks before the start of the game, SAB collaborated with Senior Student Council, senior class dean Carol Green and administration to craft the regulations for this year’s game. They deliberated over which locations would be considered “safe zones,” how immunity would work and more logistical details to make the game as smooth as possible.

Once administration approved the rules of the game, SAB announced the chicken distribution day, which occurred on Monday, April 15th during long lunch. During the designated time frame, participants could pick up their rubber chickens with randomly assigned numbers on each. That evening, SAB sent out emails to all 198 participants, which included the names of their targets for the next few days. Senior SAB member Alice Tao (12) contributed significantly to the inner workings of the game and enjoyed observing her peers’ interactions with their targets.

“My favorite part of the game was that I knew everything that was going on,” Alice said. “It’s kind of funny to see how everyone was paranoid every time someone walked by. I’d look around and see if people were trying to get someone out, and I wouldn’t say anything. It was really funny.”

After seven days of competing, 82 participants proceeded to the semifinal round, during which the rules changed. Rather than fending for themselves, everyone was placed into eight groups

You have to make the decision that makes the most amount of people happy and also makes the most sense.”

winning group, Team G, flaunted a total score of 8 points.

ALICE TAO (12) SENIOR SAB

MEMBER PROVIDED BY ALICETAO

of nine people, and each group targeted the members of two other groups. If an assassin eliminated a target, their group received one point, the target’s group lost one point and the individual also received one point to their personal elimination count. At the end of three days, the

The game culminated in a finals round with fifteen participants, which included members of the winning semifinals team, three of the top-ranked assassins from the eliminated teams and three more randomly selected chickens. All previously eliminated participants automatically became targets, and finalists competed to eliminate the most people from a shared target list of 20 people and from their personal target lists. After two more days, Kabir Ramzan (12) claimed his victory with a total of nine eliminations.

shareen chahal

LET THE GAME BEGIN (TOP) Senior SAB and Student Council distribute chickens. CHICKENS UP (BOTTOM) Period 4 Advanced Journalism seniors pose with their chickens on the first game day.

Ask your alumni: Harker graduates answer your questions

School’s out!

seniors share summer bucket lists

kinnera mulam & ananya sriram

To many, summer offers a world of opportunities and time to explore interests and hobbies outside of the classroom. For seniors especially, the summer after high school serves as a crucial milestone in the transition to college. In this column, we asked seniors how they plan to spend their summers, and responses ranged from part-time jobs to novel travels to explorations of hobbies.

Summer job

I got a job. I’m working at Pizza Antica in Santana row over the summer to keep myself busy.

LUKE MEHTA

Travel with family

My dad and I are doing a daddy-daughter trip to Machu Picchu, and I have some camping planned with my cousins at Crater Lake.

ANIKA MANTRIPRAGADA

Senior trip

I want to go on an SF daytrip with some of the new college friends I made, [and] I want to watch the sunrise in Santa Cruz with my friends.

SRIRAM BHIMARAJU

I’m actually so nervous about being homesick. I’m an only child; my parents are my whole family and whole world. I’m going to miss their constant presence in my room, in the house, etc. I’m also going to miss playing ball with my dog and having her in my lap. I know there’s still FaceTime and messaging in college, but how do I deal with the lack of their physical presence?

I think homesickness is something that pretty much all incoming college students experience, and it’s not a feeling that ever goes away completely. Your relationships with your parents, hometown friends, etc. are incredibly important, and it is so normal to miss them. However, as you start forming good friendships and feeling more situated in college, the homesickness will begin to subside. A part of you might always miss the comfort and familiarity of home, but remember that all the important people in your life are only a phone call away. It’s important to not let your homesickness prevent you from branching out and meeting new people! Give it time, and college will eventually start to feel like a second home with amazing people and communities.

I’m fortunate to live in the same city as many of my high school friends, so I often meet them for dinners, hikes and game nights. I keep in contact with those that have moved away over text, FaceTime and GamePigeon games. I’ve also had the privilege of traveling with some of my Harker friends, which allows us to catch up and experience a new place together! And we all always make sure to meet when we’re back in the Bay.

Where do you make most of your friends (from classes, clubs, dorms, etc...)? Do I have to start reaching out to people now to make friends?

How do you still keep in contact with your high school friends?

I met most of my friends through clubs and classes, but it’s different for each person. My biggest advice is to put yourself out there and introduce yourself to as many people as possible early on. This could mean approaching a stranger in the dining hall, attending a campus event or joining a new club or organization. It can definitely be intimidating at first, but once you realize that everyone is in the same boat, it’s not so bad! As for introducing yourself to people on social media beforehand, I don’t think it’s super necessary. It’s definitely a lot easier to make genuine connections when you’re in person.

Being productive

I want to learn to drive and get a job if I can, also maybe take some online courses so my brain doesn’t rot.

SELINA XU

“

I’m super happy to go to a place with a lot of school spirit. I think it will be really refreshing.

MEISHIN YEN

“

I am definitely looking forward to having more freedom in college with managing my own schedule more and also being away from home, which is a plus and a minus.

FIONA YAN

“

I’m really excited to meet new people, try out new food spots around campus and join an A cappella group. I’m also looking forward to taking new classes and meeting my professors.

SOUTHERN SOUTHERN

CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA

harshini chaturvedula

justin chen

selina chen

katherine fields

iris fu

ariana goetting

sania gupta

katelyn hsu

ruby johnson

emily kwan

jackson lara

jack ledford

sydney ling

anika mantripragada

emily mccartney

jason monaghan

katie reed

christina rex

isabella ribeiro

lachlan rossi

ellie schmidt

kai stinson

om tandon

annabel yang

jack yang

maryam zehra

jonathan zhang

the americana at brand

INDIANA INDIANA

phoebe castle

brindha chandran

saahil kajarekar

isha kotalwar

anika maji

ian ogden

eira saraff

rhiannon sikand

holiday world & splashin’ safari

COLLEGE MAP

CLASS OF 2024, WHERE YOU

NEW YORK NEW YORK

andrew au nila dharmaraj

emi fujimura

varun fuloria

ashley hong

david jang

serena janny

chloe lee

jerry li spencer mak

ariav misra

jack shen juli shi

alena suleiman

joelle weng

cecilia yang

ella yee

angelina zhu

top of the rock

MISSOURI MISSOURI

diya mukherjee

cafe provence

PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA

neo alpha

daphne avkarogullari

laurel davies

angelina hu

anish jain adrian liu

evan matvey dustin miao

miki mitarai

veyd patil carol song

ananya sriram

picklesburgh

ILLINOIS ILLINOIS

kabir buch

shanaya dhawan

ceren erdogan

aeliya grover

edward huang

heidi lu

desiree luo

ipsita mandal

rani patel

selina xu

kevin zhang

millennium park

RHODE

ISLAND ISLAND

max xing

providence place

dina ande edis mesic anjali yella CONNECTICUT CONNECTICUT

the essex

NORTH NORTH

CAROLINA CAROLINA

trisha iyer

jordan labio

dhruv trivedi

dry falls

UNITED STATES

WASHINGTON WASHINGTON

DC DC

claire bauschlicher

mariana rai

zaytinya by josé andrés

OHIO OHIO

shareen chahal nathan liu

little italy

COLLEGE MAP 05

YOU AT?

panav gogte rachel hernandez medha yarlagadda GEORGIA GEORGIA

world of coca-cola

OREGON OREGON

james blenko kate russell

tualatin river national wildlife refuge visitor center

CANADA CANADA

sasha ivkov brittany tsui

michael chang vivek nayyar kuga pence andrew tang WASHINGTON WASHINGTON

bellevue square

sebastian dionne COLORADO

restaurants shopping attractions CANADA

ENGLAND ENGLAND

luke mehta zihua wang

WISCONSIN WISCONSIN

anaya mandal adam sayed

kalahari resorts & conventions

MARYLAND MARYLAND

sathvik chundru jasmine ishikawa anya saksena catherine wong maggie yan

port discovery children’s museum

vardaan ghai sarah westgate

MASSACHUSETTS MASSACHUSETTS

bobby costin alex guo kyle johnson amit karoshi reshma kosaraju ethan liu shreeya merchia arjun moogimane kinnera mulam masha velikhovskaya michelle wei brandon zau alec zhang

NORTHERN NORTHERN

CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA

sonya apsey ritu belani sriram bhimaraju gautam bhooma

carey chang

emma gao ramit goyal arjun gurjar shayla he siddhi jain ella lan joe li claire miao nikhil ranjit ansh sheth ishani sood claire su gordy sun arnav swaroop alice tao aniketh tummala cynthia wang kaitlyn wang olivia xu ryan zhang

MICHIGAN MICHIGAN

meishin yen

goblin

TEXAS TEXAS

emma cai margaret cartee ben cha matthew goetting medini halepete ashwin kuppahally kyle leung

kabir ramzan wiliam zhang

newbury street northpark center

Dear Harker

SIGNING OFF

Graduating seniors reflect on past 4 years

Reflecting on my time at Harker, I am reminded of how incredibly thankful I am to have been a part of such a supportive and inspiring community. First, thank you to my advisory for welcoming me to Harker and always providing me with a space to relax, share experiences and have fun. We’ve had quite the journey over the past four years and I’m going to miss all the heated UNO battles and our constant confusion over who’s bringing snacks. You all are like family to me and I’m so lucky to have had the chance to grow alongside all of you. Next, I’d like to thank all of the fabulous teachers I’ve had the privilege of learning from. No matter the lesson or activity, you all exude an infectious passion for your work and inspire me to embrace a love for learning—a gift I will always treasure. To all my teammates and coaches on the volleyball team, thank you for making the court both a classroom and home for me. From winning CCS my freshman and junior year to exploring the beach in San Diego this year, we’ve shared so many exciting experiences that I’ll never forget. Finally, to the class of 2024: thank you for making my high school experience special. Watching our class grow closer together through the years has been amazing, and I’ll always cherish our memories.

DINA ANDE

It’s been a wild but exciting four years, and we’re finally at the end of chapter 24! The last graduating class of Zoom babies (I hope)! I could not be more thankful to have been a part of a community of the most intelligent, driven and amusing people I’ve met. I know it was a difficult journey (Odysseus has got nothing on us); we battled the Circes of finals and APs and conquered the Polyphemus’s of sleep deprivation, but we made it all in one piece! We may have looked like a funeral procession at every spirit rally, but we were certainly ALIVE! The junior year rafting trip is one core memory I will forever cherish. A day fully dedicated to getting to know each other and participating in an activity unfamiliar to most, something we’ve had to do a lot of these past four years. I felt so much more connected with our class and my advisory as we helped each other up onto the rafts, showcased our latest sunburns, listened to our laughter echo in the narrow passageways and swam in the chilling Lotus waters under the hot sun. Harker created many opportunities for us to make these memories, and for that I am eternally grateful! I’ve looked up to so many of you. There’s so much to miss, but I’ll miss seeing your faces light up while performing, joking in class, playing your sports or ambushing your chicken assassin’s target. In whatever great things you’re involved in, don’t forget to smile!

DESIREE LUO

Harker is sunlight hitting the flowers in the orchard before first period. “Let’s go check if there are cookies.” Mr. Hurshman’s guitar. Squirrels eating pizza slices in tree branches. Tony (or Athena/Atlas/Chaos). Standing on tables to adjust umbrellas. Toasted ravioli. Watching the World Cup broadcast on miniscule phone screens—during lunch, definitely not in class. One-finger hallway waves. Dr. Paskali and Noah’s Bagels. “Could I please interview you for Harker Aquila?” Art in Nichols. Mr. Barsky’s sneakers. Standing ovations, countless hugs and bouquets in the RPAC. Starbucks. San Francisco. Paris. Harker is walking to class with an open laptop, waiting for an assignment to submit, maybe tripping in the process. Sacrificing lunch for the library. Dark circles concealed with face paint during spirit week. Trembling outside a classroom before a test. Sobbing in the corner of Dobbins. Looking back on everything with a smile. Life always moves on. Harker is ephemeral and everlasting. I will forget that one test score that meant so much in a few years, but I will always appreciate the quiet understanding and the “Don’t worry about the tissues.”

A classmate’s shared morsel of wisdom in a discussion will outlast the inconvenience of a last-minute reading, as will the uncontrollable lunchtime laughter I can never recreate. Harker would not be Harker without it all. I would not be who I am without it all.

It’s midnight. As you bring your essay to a close, your relief quickly turns to doubt. At this point, most students would ignore this and submit. However, as Harker students, we reread the paper, trying to figure out what went wrong. We reach out to friends, who put everything down to help us. We keep going until we are satisfied and proud of the work we put in. As I reach the end of thirteen years at Harker, I’ve started to realize how this school has shaped me into the man I am today. My work ethic, communication skills and drive would not be the same without Harker. Most importantly, I wouldn’t have this amazing community and support system. Each project, each late night preparing for a final exam and each class spirit win or loss, has bound us tightly together. As I step into the next chapter of my life, I carry with me not only the skills that Harker has instilled in me but also the spirit of collaboration and resilience that defines us as Eagles. So, thank you, Harker, for not just being a place of learning, but a place that equips its students with the confidence and experience to soar high into our futures.

A fond farewell: Winged Post leadership signs out

Dear class of 2024, Welcome to the senior issue, a time capsule to remember the memories and milestones from our past four years of high school. In this issue, we delve into the moments that have shaped our grade’s collective experiences, from the chaos of senior assassin to nostalgic memories from elementary school.

Our class has traversed the ups and downs of high school together: we began high school with an unconventional frosh year on Zoom, we skidded across the field during sophomore year tug-of-war, we white-water rafted with our advisories to kick off junior year and we watched the sunset during the senior retreat.

Each step of the way, our class has forged a tangible sense of camaraderie

and community. Harker journalism has been documenting the memories along this journey. Whether it be through covering class events in articles published to Harker Aquila or honoring each senior’s story in the form of Humans of Harker articles, we strive to create living records that honor the stories defining our class.

In this senior issue of the Winged Post, we sought to amplify the voices and experiences of our peers in the class of 2024 through interviews, memoirs and photos. As we reflect on these experiences, it’s clear how much we’ve all grown both individually and collectively. This senior issue serves not only as a reflection of our journey in light of graduation but also as a tribute to the resilience and spirit of our class.

We hope that you all have enjoyed each issue of the Winged Post this year and that this special senior issue resonates with you as you reflect on your high school

experience and prepare to embark on a new one. We wish that you continue to time, grad caps in the air, this has been your 2023-24 Winged Post strategic team.

GREATEST GOODBYES Winged Post

Editor-in-Chiefs Kinnera Mulam and Ariana Goetting and Winged Post Managing Editors Ananya Sriram, Edward Huang and Shareen Chahal pose with Winged Post hand signs.

ananya sriram, ariana goetting, kinnera mulam, shareen chahal & edward huang

OM TANDON

I’m super thankful to all the teachers I’ve had over these 13 years who have helped us throughout the process. It’s been so interesting to see everyone grow from where they were years ago.

EMILY MCCARTNEY GRADUATING SENIOR

Roll the tape: Lifers celebrate 13 years at Harker

ananya sriram

Five and six-year-olds dressed in blue pants and skirts, white polos and navy blue sweaters make their first entrance onto campus, clutching small backpacks as they take small, tentative steps. These same students, now seventeen and eighteen, the class of 2024 lifers, will graduate, marking their exit from the school they have attended for the past 13 years.

Lifers hold a treasure chest of memories: the kindergarten show of “At the Hop,” the fifth grade “Hobbit” wars, the National Parks trip in seventh grade and online school in frosh year.

Being a lifer means watching your peers grow right in front of your eyes: kindergarten playground friends turn into classmates in a Calculus class while the elementary school campus, once a home for six years, becomes a location of nostalgia.

Today, as we graduate, take a chance to roll the tape on the last thirteen years.

(LEFT) TO THE GROOVE Kai Stinson dances to the beat during seventh grade Dance Jamz, the middle school dance production. (TOP RIGHT) CIVIC ENGAGEMENT Students smile in front of the U.S. Capitol during the annual eighth grade trip to Washington D.C. (BOTTOM RIGHT) SPORTY SPICE Katie Reed dribbles a soccer ball during a sixth grade soccer game.

It’s amazing how many memories and experiences I’ve had the opportunity of sharing with so many people, and I’m excited to see how my learnings will help me in the future.

(LEFT) SANTA’S ELVES Kindergartners pose for a photo during breakfast with Santa. (TOP RIGHT) BLOOMING ACTORS Brittany Tsui and Sarah Westgate perform during the second grade Ogre Awards. (BOTTOM RIGHT) SONGS OF CELEBRATION Students sing to Meghan Trainor’s “Better When I’m Dancin” during fifth grade promotion.

AELIYA GROVER GRADUATING SENIOR

(LEFT) BACK IN BUSINESS Kate Russell waves to a friend during the first day back to school after a year of online school in frosh year. (MIDDLE) MUSICAL MUSINGS Andrew Tang plays the Cello during the upper school Winter Instrumental Concert in Junior year. (RIGHT) SPIRIT IN SYNC Kuga Pence plays the role of Glinda during the Homecoming spirit rally lip sync in Senior year.

FULL CIRCLE Lifers for the class of 2024 pose for a group photo during senior year matriculation. Lifers represent a body of students who attended The Harker School every year from kindergarten to senior year.

THAT’S A WRAP

Countdown to graduation

Countdown to graduation :

As the end of the school year approaches, we take a moment to honor the graduating seniors of The Harker School, reflecting on the journey we’ve traveled and the memories we’ve created. Our year’s graduating class has faced unique challenges and incredible milestones from the pandemic to winning our junior spirit rally. Now, we stand at the cusp of new adventures.

The journey began with an unprecedented start as the first year was held entirely online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the physical distance, the Harker community found ways to support one another through a challenging time and reunited in person the next year.

“The end of quarantine was a big moment for me,” Zihua Wang said. “It was really impactful to meet friends I hadn’t seen for over a year on the first day back to in-person school.”

Even though our frosh year presented itself in an atypical manner, the class of 2024 made the best of the situation.

Seniors reminisce on best moments from past four years

“I really like quarantine overall because every day, I would just play soccer with my sister at home and not have to try super hard in school,” Jack Yang said.

I don’t think high school ending has hit me yet, but I think it’ll hit me after grad. BRITTANY

Returning to campus brought a renewed sense of appreciation for the everyday interactions and experiences that make high school memorable. Throughout their high school years, students created lasting memories, from spirited class competitions to spontaneous adventures on various class trips.

“My favorite moment from senior year is when I went to Petco with my friend, Heidi, and we played with

puppies during an office hours,” Brittany Tsui said.

The class of 2024’s senior year included a multitude of senior traditions such as senior sunrise , senior retreat , the Laguna Beach trip and our chicken assassin game. For many senior class members, these events marked moments when our community gathered together to celebrate our class.

“I like the dances, the sports games, the senior night games, especially as a senior,” Matthew Goetting said. “Senior night is a fun way to cap off your friends’ high school sports careers and it just means a lot more when it’s people you know.”

As graduation finally approaches, the reality of leaving high school behind starts to sink in for seniors. Whether you joined Harker in kindergarten or high school, the feeling of graduation on the horizon — or in other words, just a few hours away — is both exciting and bittersweet.

“The thought of high school ending is pretty sad because my whole routine is going to be changed,” Brittany Tsui said. “Honestly, I don’t think high school ending has hit me yet, but I think it’ll hit me after grad.”

Senior night is a fun way to cap off your friends’ high school sports careers and it just means a lot more when it’s people you know.

MATTHEW GOETTING

I really like quarantine overall because every day, I would just play soccer with my sister at home and not have to try super hard in school.

JACK YANG

kinnera mulam & ananya sriram

SOARING HIGH Spring spirit rally dancer Kai Stinson strikes a pose. The junior class won the year’s spirit competition.