![“[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 week of Valentine’s Day, the French National Honor Society (FNHS) hosted a variety of events to motivate students’ involvement in French-related activities, according to co-president Jason Young (12).
This year, FNHS had a significant increase in participation compared to previous years.
“Two years ago, there wasn’t really anything going on,” co-president Susan Tu (12) said. “It’s definitely more successful than before.”
The week began with a special Valentine’s Day song for couples during lunch and ended with a showing of Persepolis, an animated French film about an Iranian girl who moves to France.
Members of FNHS sold crepes everyday after school and organized a draw-off on Friday, which tested students’ ability to draw the Eiffel Tower.
Their second publication of their annual newsletter, Sans Limite, which came out at the beginning of French week, covered a variety of topics from fashion to food. They could only afford to publish 85 color copies this year, with each copy costing $2.50.
“[The newsletter] was a learning experience for all the members,” Jason said. “It allowed the writers to do research in areas they were interested in.”
Besides the newsletter, members of FNHS are now working on creating a website towards the end of the year to publicize their events and the club itself. They will host a speaker to talk to French students about the language itself, and they will also begin a pen-pal program.
French teacher and co-FNHS advisor Nicholas Manjoine encourages members of FNHS and the French Language Club to fulfill their goals.
“What happens in the classroom is sometimes isolated, so [organizing events] is another way to integrate [French language students’] enthusiasm with the rest of the community,” Manjoine said.
FNHS hopes to use the money earned from selling crepes to reimburse the school for the cost of their annual newsletter. The total amount made has not been confirmed yet, but it is has been estimated to be around $100.
Susan believes that motivating students to take part in their activities outside of class is important when learning different languages.
“[Spreading the word about French activities] is noteworthy for the same reason we take foreign languages at all: to know another culture other than your own,” she said.
French III student, Ashwin Chalaka (9) agrees.
“A lot of people can express themselves through their culture,” he said. “[French week] was a great way for non-French students to get involved.”
Jason and Susan both hope that FNHS continues to grow in the upcoming years. They want to use their successes this year as an incentive to continue publishing newsletters as well as creating new events in the future.
