![“[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)
Fresh mex closed as punishment
Students received a C for yesterday’s lunchroom cleanup, which resulted in the shut down of the Fresh Mex station for tomorrow during long lunch. Punishments will continue to occur until trash is no longer an issue at the Upper School.
The respective class councils announced at the class meetings today that the Fresh Mex station will be closed and desserts will not be available tomorrow as part of the punishment for poor lunchroom cleanup.
The Upper School was warned by ASB President Arjun Goyal (12) during Monday’s school meeting that if the low grades continued to be given out, the punishment would be enforced. Yesterday, kitchen staff gave students a C as a reflection of the lack of cleanliness in the eating area.
“I certainly agree with the student council that this is a community problem. This is about self-respect as a community and us individuals within the community,” Biology teacher Dr. Matthew Harley said. “We need to do a better job in our place of keeping our school clean aesthetically pleasing, a good learning environment, and we are not doing that.”
Though three A’s and two B’s were given out last week, students received many low marks throughout the weeks before.
“[This new system] has been working, but at the same time we still need to be very diligent about it because after getting a bunch of A’s, some people may relax on cleaning after themselves,” ASB Secretary Vincent Lin (12) said.
Madhu Nori (11), one of the many students who enjoy the Fresh Mex station, was “disheartened” by the announcement at class meeting.
Some students felt that this punishment will have the intended effects, making people clean up after themselves during lunch so that they won’t face the consequences.
“I do think it is necessary because people at Harker take the lunch staff for granted and people should be more aware of their surroundings and try to help out even if they didn’t leave any trash,” Divya Periyakoil (10) said.
Others felt that the students should be punished in other ways.
“School lunch is included in our tuition so for them to take away the Mexican food and dessert is unfair,” Isabel Lai (9) said. “But I do understand where they are coming from.”
Punishments will gradually worsen if student performance does not improve in regards to trash and cleanup.
Shannon Su is the Managing Editor and Executive News Director of Harker Aquila. She joined the program as a reporter her freshman year and has held many...