![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.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)
School meeting recap 2/18
ASB treasurer Rohith Bhethanabotla (12) wishes school President Arjun Goyal (12) a happy birthday through a comical presentation during the weekly school meeting.
Students and faculty were reunited after a weeklong break at today’s school meeting, which encapsulated a review of upcoming events and analysis of affairs from the past two weeks.
Director of Harker CareerConnect Sarah Bean (11) opened the meeting with an announcement about upcoming activities held by CareerConnect. According to Sarah, the club “helps understand what you want to do with the rest of your life” by teaching students how to write resumes and create LinkedIn profiles with the supervision of mentors. More announcements on the status of the club to come.
At the DECA State Conference, Feb. 6 to 9, the Upper School placed fourth overall out of 70 participating schools and first for all schools under enrollment of 2,000 students.
English instructors Dr. Pauline Paskali and Mark Hufnagl announced the 2013 regional Scholastic Writing Award recipients, which included 21 awards out of the 54 submitted schoolwide. Six of the 21 students were honored with a Gold Key in the competition and will advance to the nationwide round. Results from nationals will be released March 17.
Physics educators Mark Brada and Miriam Allersma credited participants in the annual international United States Association for Young Physicists Tournament (USAYPT) held Feb. 1. The Upper School took first place in the contest.
In recognition of the Harker Medical Club week, members will host a fundraiser after school and during advisory this week. The club has also invited neonatologist Dr. Sivakumar from the Stanford School of Medicine to speak in the Nichols auditorium tomorrow at lunch.
Eagle Nation Report
Soccer:
- Girls won 8-2 against Mercy-Burlingame last Tuesday. If the team wins today against Summit Preparatory, it will advance as the school’s’ first ever girls’ soccer league champion.
- Boys lost to Menlo but beat Crystal Springs, now ranking 10-5-2 overall. They will play Pinewood tomorrow and host ECP on Thursday, also Senior Day.
Basketball:
- Boys won 60-36 against Priory but lost to Menlo last week. Senior Night will be held this Thursday, Feb. 20 against Pinewood.
- Girls lost to Castilleja and Mercy-Burlingame but proved victorious over Alma Heights, ensuring their Cross Country Sectional (CCS) qualification.
Wrestling:
- CCS qualifiers Darian Edvalson (12) and Davis Howard (9) placed sixth in their respective wrestling categories at league championships. Davis is the third freshman in the school’s history to qualify for CCS.
Spring Scrimmages:
- Boys golfers compete against Gunn High today.
- Baseball faces Lynbrook on Thursday.
- Girls’ lacrosse challenges Menlo on Saturday.
In honor of Presidents’ Week, ASB treasurer Rohith Bhethanabotla (12) wished school President Arjun Goyal (12) a happy birthday through a comical presentation displayed during the meeting.
Arjun took the stage to remind students that pre-school breakfast is served for teachers only. He then reported the following lunch grades from Feb. 3 to 7:
Mon. A+
Tue. B
Wed. A
Thur. A
Fri. C
Student council plans to reward students with a prize if consistent A’s are received during lunch.
There are no alternate schedules this week.
Mariam Sulakian is the Features Editor of Harker Aquila. She has been a member of the journalism program for four years and appreciates the opportunities...
Riya Chandra is a reporter of Harker Aquila. She is a freshmen and has a passion for photography, as well as writing. She is also part of the DECA Club...
Avni • Feb 18, 2014 at 10:11 pm
I don’t know what I’d do without these updates. Keep shining Mariam.
Suraya Shivji • Feb 18, 2014 at 10:08 pm
Voice of an angel.