![“[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)
Following an announcement by student council during school meeting, students, faculty, and kitchen staff alike are noticing a decrease in dirty dishes left strewn over Manzanita Hall at the end of lunch.
On Monday the student council brought to light the fact that students have been leaving their leftover food and empty dishes, which have to be cleaned up by kitchen staff, on the lunch tables. ASB emphasized, showing a video of the dirty lunchroom tables, that students are making the mess and need to be the ones to clean it up.
“The administration receives news almost daily that students leave their trash, dishes, and food on the tables, which the kitchen staff has to devote time to clean everyday. We need to remind students that it is not the kitchen staff’s duty to clean up after us,” ASB President Raghav Sehtia said. “When anyone sees the filth, it puts Harker in a negative light and shows that Harker students are irresponsible, which everyone know is not true.”
Many students quickly responded to the announcement and proceeded to hold up to their end of the deal by making more of an effort to clean up after themselves during lunch over the course of this week.
“A lot of my friends don’t always necessarily clean up their stuff, so I’ve been trying to remind them that there isn’t anyone else to clean up for them,” Neil Chitkara (10) said.
Teachers believe that the message relayed on Monday has resonated with the students and think that they will continue to keep their eating area clean for the remainder of the school year.
“They’ve totally taken the challenge on. They’ve been cleaning up much better and really took it upon themselves,” environmental sciences teacher Jeff Sutton said. “I’m always optimistic.”
The kitchen staff is very appreciative of the work that the students have put in to ensure that their lunch area stays cleaner and hope Upper School students continue to take care of Manzanita Hall.
“Yeah, it’s actually been a lot better. I’m impressed. I hope it keeps up,” kitchen staff member Tirath Singh said.
Despite a marked improvement, students still need to clean up better before the lunch tables are completely devoid of all leftover dishes and food.
“It looks better, although only a fraction better. It’s a start, but there’s still definitely a ways to go,” Katherine Woodruff (12) said.
As break quickly approaches, many hope that when school resumes, students will not forget about their effort to make Manzanita Hall a cleaner area.
