![“[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)
National Honor Society welcomes new members in Induction Ceremony
Sandip Nirmel (11) lights a candle as an initiation for NHS. The NHS officers and faculty held a ceremony yesterday to welcome the 30 new members to the organization.
The National Honor Council (NHS) held an induction ceremony at Nichols for the 30 new members at 6 p.m. yesterday.
During the ceremony, the returning members of NHS welcomed the new members of the club. Each incoming member recited an oath and received a certificate to indicate their acceptance into the association. The new members then light candles, which symbolizes their acceptance into the organization as part of Harker tradition.
“All the new members light[ed] a candle while the officers deliver[ed] a speech on one of the pillars of the honor code,” secretary Soham Khan (11) said. “It [was] a pretty nice affair.”
NHS officers president Elisabeth Siegel (12), vice president Sahana Narayanan (12), secretary Soham and community service director Manan Shah (11) gave speeches about the four pillars of NHS: scholarship, service, leadership and character.
Faculty NHS advisor Smriti Koodanjeri spoke at the induction ceremony about the connection between NHS and the honor council as well as the promotion of honor and character on campus.
The organization conducts service events for the Harker community. Every year, during the first week of finals, they present the freshman class with a surprise, such as the hot chocolate they served last year. They also volunteer and sponsor the ziplines during the picnic and collect AP books after the exams.
“So I think [to] me, personally, it’s a way to bring some sense of values into my life and share it with other people,” Sahana said. “In terms of the honor code, I think it’s the same kind of thing. It’s a way to bring a sense of values into our lives, and it’s a shared thing, by everyone following it creates a sense of community.”
To qualify for NHS, students need to not only have a 3.7 grade point average, but also have the board of teachers assess how well the applicants exemplify the principles of the honor code, the four pillars of NHS, and what they can provide for the organization.
“Again, it comes to the four pillars,” faculty advisor Michael Pistacchi said. “They need to actually have letters of recommendations attesting to at least three out of theses four characteristics.”
To maintain membership within the club, NHS members are required to have one school-related, one outside activity and a total of 100 points by the end of the year by performing different services for the community. Each designated school service has 10 points per hour, except for attending NHS meetings, which is five points. Students earn 10 points per hour for volunteering for outside activities in general, except KIPP Heartwood tutoring, which is 25 points per session.
NHS will set up a zip line as a service event for the Harker community during the picnic on Sunday.
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