![“[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)
During the 30-minute “club period” today, club presidents received a gift of time to hold club meetings or to organize their agendas.
According to Spirit Club advisor Kerry Enzensperger, the club period was scheduled in hopes of freeing up long lunch for spirit events, class competitions, and socializing.
“Some people don’t get to see their friends during lunch because they all have different clubs, so this is a way for everyone to be free,” Enzensperger said.
Another goal of the project was to increase attendance at club meetings. Student Council met with the administration several times this year to finalize the schedule.
“The Club Days are designed to free students from other commitments, such as taking tests, studying, or other activities, to have full attendance at club meetings,” said Maverick McNealy (12), who helped pitch this project to the administration.
Clubs mainly held meetings as normal, but some chose to get organized and fulfill logistical requirements for the year.
“We mostly took club photos, which I guess is really important for yearbook,” said Agata Sorotokin (10), a member of the National French Honor Society.
While Red Cross Club officer Alan Soetikno (12) attended and held club meetings during the period, he questioned its effectiveness.
“Even if my club didn’t meet during the club period, we would have still met during lunch,” he said. “It’s more just moving things around than actually giving us more time.”
While the period was intended as a time for clubs to meet, many students, including Alan, ended up using the club period as an extension of extra help.
To sophomore Nitya Mani, while the option of having an extra time for clubs to convene is helpful, it caused over-scheduling.
“While it’s a nice idea in theory, it didn’t really work in reality because every single club scheduled their meetings at the same time,” Nitya said.
According to Maverick, Student Council hopes to continue having club periods roughly every four weeks, “on days that would most benefit both clubs and the student body.”
Future Club Days are planned for March 20 and April 24.
