![“[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 9/21
Dean of upper school Kevin Williamson recaps the dress code forum that took place last Monday. Students can now wear old Harker apparel and advisory apparel.
The Harker Summit discussion will occur this Friday. One student from each advisory and one officer from each club are required to attend the meeting during first, second and third periods. Next week during advisory, Harker Summit attendees are required to talk about the discussion and the conclusions reached.
On Oct. 17, students are invited to attend the HarkerTedX event. Speakers include activists and experts in medicine and science. Tickets will be sold next week during both lunches in Manzanita.
Harker conservatory is holding an apprentice workshop for all freshmen and students in the certificate program on Wednesday. The workshop will take place from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in the Dobbins rehearsal room. Interested participants can sign up using a document on Athena.
Spirit night will take place on Friday in the gym. On Saturday, spirit will hold a meeting at 11:30 a.m. in the quad. Homecoming tickets will be sold this week, and voting for homecoming king and queen will be in front of Manzanita.
Kevin Williamson, dean of the upper school, briefly recapped the dress code forum held last Monday. A new change to the dress code permits students to wear all old Harker and advisory apparel. From here on out, other attire that depicts logos must be approved by Williamson for future reference.
The upper school girl’s golf team came in sixth place at the Helen Longfield Tournament. The team will open the league with a match against Menlo at the Menlo country club and a match with Notre Dame tomorrow.
Varsity football won against California School for the Deaf last Friday. This Friday night, the team will take on Gunn High School at 7 p.m.
Varsity and junior varsity volleyball beat Westmont High School last week. They will face Presentation high school in Blackford tomorrow and Valley Christian on Thursday. JV will play at 4 p.m. and varsity will play at 5:30 p.m.
Water polo lost to Saratoga High with a score of 11-10. JV girls lost to Monta Vista as well. The teams will play against Homestead at Singh Aquatic Center tomorrow at 4:30 p.m.
Girl’s tennis will open their season tomorrow against Notre-Dame Belmont at the Santa Clara Tennis Center at 4:30 p.m.
Cross country will compete Saturday at the Westmoor Invitational.
There are no special schedules this week. This weekend is a three-day weekend for the first fall break.
Vijay Bharadwaj (11) is one of the opinion editors for The Winged Post and Aquila. She served as the assistant opinion editor and the Wingspan copy editor...