![“[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)
Summit brings about gradual improvements
Harker Summit attendees Namitha Vellian (12), Peter Connors (10) and Kobe Howard (9) discuss concerns of the student body in small groups.
November 28, 2015
Changes as a result of suggestions given at the Harker Summit, which occurred on Sept. 25, are continuing to be implemented throughout the year.
Recent changes include creating a quiet study space for students during free periods if the library is full as well as putting into effect the new schedule, which had already been underway before the Summit. The administration will implement the new schedule from January to February and will run on a trial basis. If successful, the new schedule will be used during the next academic year.
Honor council adviser Evan Barth, head of the Summit, reflects on whether or not he believes the outcome of the Summit was a success.
“We got 119 people together to talk about our school. How cool is that?” Barth said. “Not every school does that, so I would consider it a success,” Barth said. “Could it have been better? Could we have loftier and more concrete results? Yes. We’re not done yet, and I think some of the bigger picture items that they were talking about are longer term changes that maybe we can work towards.”
Alayna Richmond (11) believes that the suggestions that are being taken into account as a result of the Summit are improving the school.
“I’m glad that the Honor council is considering suggestions students made at the summit because I think there are many ways that our school can be improved,” Alayna said. “The new study spaces are especially helpful because the library is always full, and for a long time there have been few other quiet places to work.”
Evan Barth, Academic Dean, presents at the Summit. The Harker Summit was previously titled the Honor and Ethics Conference, but administration changed the name to stimulate discussions regarding the community.
Barth explains that other suggestions that came up during the Summit cannot be implemented solely by the Honor Council.
“Some of the other issues that came up from the Summit–[they] are bigger things that are not easily action items from the students in the Honor Council,” Barth said. “They are more of the okay now here is my idea–where we going to go with it in terms of the culture of the school.”
Other suggestions given during the Summit will continue to be applied into the Harker community throughout the year.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on November 20, 2015.
