![“[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)
Annual Club Fair held during long lunch
Interact Co-Presidents Alice Wu (12) and Kevina Xiao (12) cut a balloon for their booth during Club Fair. The annual Club Fair helped clubs attract new members.
Students attended the annual Club Fair in the gym today during long lunch.
In an effort to draw more attention from prospective members, Club Fair expanded the outdoor section and tried to increase interaction between clubs and students. Clubs were allowed to walk around for sign-ups, and Music Production Club deejayed at the event.
“One of the changes we wanted to make to Club Fair this year was to involve more clubs in an interactive production,” Assistant Activities Coordinator Eric Kallbrier said. “We hope that’s going to be a way to encourage membership, bring excitement into the event and change the overall view that people have of Club Fair.”
During the event, clubs handed out business cards, hosted challenges and competitions and distributed free food to students. Other clubs also set up activities for prospective members: Linguistics Club offered a puzzle while Multimedia Club filmed students to create a promotional video.
Club officers expressed their satisfaction with Club Fair and how they looked forward to meeting new underclassmen.
“I feel like this year the underclassmen were a lot more enthusiastic,” Interact Co-President Alice Wu (12) said. “We got a lot of sign-ups and a lot of people.”
Club officers also felt optimistic about the upcoming year of club activities.
“I think it’ll be a pretty good year,” DECA Director of Examinations Lucas Wang (11) said. “We did well competitively last year.”
For prospective members, clubs explained what they planned to do during the upcoming school year.
“Last year we painted benches for the VTA bus,” Doreen Kang (12), Art Club Co-President, said. “This year we’re working on the mural design mostly, so that’s our largest project, and we’re probably going to do some small stuff as well.”
Sophia Angus (9) enjoyed Club Fair and was excited about getting involved in the clubs she joined.
“It was good, and I really liked the music; that was really cool.” Sophia said. “I’m looking forward to WiSTEM and the Harker Medical Club.”
In the future, Club Fair coordinators hope to further increase interaction between clubs and membership. Next year, clubs may also present on stage to passing students instead of being confined to a single booth.
Kaitlin Hsu (11) is the Editor-in-Chief of Wingspan Magazine. In her freshmen year, she was a reporter, and in her sophomore year, she was the Features...
Shania Wang (9) is a reporter for the Winged Post in her first year on staff. As a new Harker student, she is extremely excited to meet and work with everyone....