![“[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)
Keller’s Korner – 10/17
TSA officers serve fantasia milk tea to Harker students. TSA sold cupcakes and milk tea all throughout last week.
Last week was irregular in its schedule, the information released, and the food options provided. The Technology Student Association (TSA) sold bubble tea and cupcakes, the school schedule changed to accommodate PSATs, and mid-semester grade reports came out this week.
TSA celebrated its club week by selling bubble tea from Fantasia Coffee and Tea and cupcakes from Pure Yum Frozen Yogurt and Little Cakes.
Students and faculty could purchase one tea or cupcake for three dollars or buy two items for five dollars. In the event that the total bill was five dollars or more, students could charge their expenditures to their student account.
Since TSA is a national organization, they have to charge membership fees. To avoid making each member pay fifteen dollars like last year, officers hosted their club week to cover the membership costs.
“We don’t need that much money for fees, so we decided to prioritize the community and charge people less so that everyone’s happy,” explained TSA President Sophia Luo (12).
Wednesday was an irregular schedule for everyone. Freshmen went on a service trip that will fulfill five of their ten-hour freshmen service requirement.
Harker students wait in line to buy Fantasia milk tea and Pure Yum cupcakes. TSA sold cupcakes and milk tea all throughout last week.
“We cleaned up poop,” said Morgan Douglas (9). “It was pretty fun.”
Sophomores and Juniors took the PSAT in the morning and had the option to return home after its completion, though the campus stayed open until 6 p.m. For sophomores, the PSAT was a practice and does not count towards any scholarships or go on a record. For Juniors, the PSAT will count for National Merit. Those who took the test can expect to receive their results near the beginning of December.
“It was pretty easy,” said Andrew Tierno (10). “I suppose it’s good practice for the actual practice test.”
Seniors had the day off.
Students and their parents received their mid-semester grade reports on Wednesday. Student grade reports are available year round, but this was the first time the grades were formally sent to each student and parent.
“I didn’t really want to see them because I know my parents would probably always want me to do better,” said Liana Wang (9) of her first high school grade report.
Grade reports also mark the halfway point in the semester.
Meilan Steimle (12) is co-Editor-in-Chief of the Winged Post. She was a reporter her freshman year, Winged Post Opinion Editor her sophomore year and Winged...