![“[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)
New guidelines for dress code implemented
Wearing leggings, Sanjana Marcé (11) walks in the rain along with Trisha Dwivedi (11) and Kshithija Mulam (11). The new dress code was implemented on Nov. 31.
January 7, 2016
The Upper School Committee of Dress revised the dress code and changed it into a new set of guidelines, now called the “Community Standards for Dress,” replaced the dress code on Nov. 30.
The new dress code targets toward upholding the standards of respect, engagement, kindness, integrity and courtesy. It also emphasizes the importance that the clothing must represent the pride that students have to be part of in the Harker community as well as the way it presents the students to each other, guests and outside events.
“I think the new dress code gives more leeway for personal expression, like it’s not something as stringent where we have to follow specific rules,” Sarah Tien (11) said. “It’s more like guidelines that we can follow and I think that allows for a community that is not so critical of it.”
Student council held a forum on Sept. 14 amongst the students and faculty to discuss the regulations and guidelines about the dress code, which led to an all female discussion on Sept. 23.
“The faculty were all wanting clarification about different aspects of it, so there was a real need to clarify some things and also to address some issues, wishes, and trying to create a sense of community that was more current given the world which we live in today,” Muldrew said.
New parts of the dress code states that “clothing covers the body from the top of the chest to fingertip length (at minimum). Footwear must be worn at school. Some clothing is too casual and cannot be worn, for example: sleepwear, sweat pants, yoga pants, gym pants or shorts, gym tank tops.”
“I can actually wear things that are in my closet now,” Matthew Hajjar (9) said. “I don’t have to pull out my clothes the night before and find things that have logos smaller than my hand, which is really unnecessary.”
Students are permitted to wear attire from clubs, advisories, teams and programs that they represent. In order to create Harker-related clothing, there is an approval process involving an application that can be found in the dean’s office in Dobbins.
