![“[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 – 1/26
WiSTEM’s diabetes awareness week raised $1,068. All proceeds were donated to the American Diabetes Association.
The National Linguistics Olympiad will be held on Jan. 29. Students interested in participating should visit the NACLO website. Students can also visit the Linguistics club meeting tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in Shaun Jashan’s classroom.
Art club will be painting three benches every Wednesday during long lunch. These benches will be used as VTA benches.
15 Upper School students were recognized as Intel Science Talent Search semifinalists. Steven Wang (12), Rohith Kuditipudi (12) and Andrew Jin (12) were recognized as finalists.
The journalism program is launching a new publication titled Wingspan. Wingspan is a longform feature magazine that consists of in-depth articles regarding a variety of topics. The magazine will debut on Wednesday, Jan. 28, and the theme of this publication is the hidden gems of Silicon Valley.
CareerConnect will host a medical panel during long lunch this Wednesday in the Innovation center from noon to 12:45 p.m.
Harker’s Eclectic Literary Magazine (HELM) has extended its deadline for submissions to Feb. 28.
This year’s Upper School dance show, themed “Welcome to the Jungle,” will take place this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a Saturday performance at 2 p.m., and all performances will take place at the Blackford Theater. Tickets are available in the edge during lunch.
Eagle Update: Girls’ soccer defeated Priory and Notre Dame last week. Boys’ soccer lost to Kings Academy but defeated Priory at Kicks Against Cancer. Girls’ basketball defeated both Priory and Crystal Springs last week and face Mercy Burlingame this Tuesday. Boys’ basketball won over Eastside College Preparatory (ECP) and Priory last week and are now 10-6 overall. Springs sports begin Monday.
Students interested in the English Speaking Union’s National Shakespeare Competition should audition to represent the Upper School during long lunch on Wednesday, Feb. 18.
There is a special schedule on Thursday for LIFE/Eagle Buddies.
Maya Jeyendran (11) is the Lifestyle Editor of Harker Aquila. She been a part of Harker's journalism program since her freshman year, and has previously...