![“[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 3/17
Senior Zina Jawadi was recognized with the monthly school-wide community service spotlight. She plans to donate the $200 reward to the Hearing Loss Association of America. Students interested or with any questions can contact [email protected] for more information about the foundation.
CareerConnect will host a business panel for students during long lunch this week between 11:30 p.m. to 12:15 p.m. Featuring speakers such as Maneesh Chandra, Tina Bean, and Archana Baldwa, the event will include open questioning after the panel, as well as potential internship opportunities.
As part of its club week, FEM (Female Empowerment) will be hosting a bake sale every day. Milkshakes and root beer floats will also be sold from Wednesday to Friday. The club will also be sponsoring a showing of Half the Sky in chemistry teacher Rachel Freed’s room. Proceeds collected through the course of this week will be donated to the She’s the First foundation, which supports girls’ education in the developing world.
A jazz concert will be held at Blackford on Friday at 7 p.m., showcasing over 40 performers from Jazz and Lab band. Ticket prices are $8 for students and $15 for adults.
Eagle Update:
Boys’ and girls’ swimming are starting their seasons on a strong 3-0 record after defeating Pinewood, Priory, and Crystal Springs at home last week. The girls will face Notre Dame, Castilleja, and Mercy at the Singh Aquatic Center on Wednesday.
After defeating three teams, both boys’ Junior Varsity and Varsity tennis both went undefeated last week. The teams will play Crystal Springs tomorrow.
Boys’ Varsity volleyball soared to a victory at its season opener against Westmont last week, led by senior Andrew Zhu with 14 kills. Boys’ Junior Varsity also won in its final game. The teams will travel on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday this week.
A small team of Eagles competed at the St. Francis Track & Field Invite on Saturday. Highlights included freshman Niki Iyer setting a school record for her second place finish in the 800m run with a time of 2:21:21. The team will compete at Soquel High School’s Garlic Classic on Saturday.
After playing Crystal Springs twice and The King’s Academy last week, boys’ golf set a school record by shooting a par 180 as a team. Junior Shrish Dwivedi earned medalist honors at all three matches. The team traveled to Meadow Club’s Wildcat Invitational today and will host Pinewood tomorrow.
Girls’ softball lost against Pinewood on Friday. The girls will host Del Mar at Blackford on Wednesday.
Boys’ baseball was defeated by Crystal Springs last week. The team travels tomorrow and will host Pinewood on Thursday.
Varsity girls’ lacrosse earned its first victory of the season against Santa Catalina last Wednesday. The girls will host Burlingame tomorrow at home.
WiSTEM reminded the student body of the 9th annual Research Symposium to be hosted at the Upper School on March 29 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Featuring keynote speaker Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy, the event will have varying ticket prices for students, ranging between $5 and $15 and between $10 and $20 for adults.
A video featuring all the titles presented in this year’s Recreate Reading program was shown. Students will be making their book selections through the course of this week, depending on their grade levels.
Lunch Grades:
Monday – A
Tuesday – A
Wednesday – A
Thursday – B
Friday – B
Because students did not earn lower than a B last week, the Mexican food and dessert stations will remain open.
Student council is particularly searching for nonvocal acts to perform at the Hoscar’s this year on Friday, March 27.
There will be no special or alternate schedules this week.
Juhi Gupta is the Multimedia Editor for Harker Aquila. She is a junior and has been part of the journalism program since her freshman year. Her position...