![“[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–1/22
Sophomore class president Jimmy Lin, junior class president Sandip Nirmel, ninth grade treasurer Shania Wang, ASB president Michael Zhao along with Honor Council presidents Kevina Xiao (12) and Vineet Kosaraju (12) speak in front the student body at the school meeting. The student council addressed many of the topics that were brought up during the Harker Summit that was held in October, where students from all grades discussed school issues.
January 22, 2016
In the past two months, the student council addressed various issues that the students were facing. ASB organized the holiday decorations project for the past holiday season by setting up lights in Main and placing snow globes and Christmas trees around the campus.
Student council collaborated with track and field coach Scott Chisam to bring in therapy dogs during finals week to provide students with an outlet for stress and pre-test anxiety.
There will be no Sadie’s dance this year because in previous years, student council lost fundraising money for the dance due to a low turnout.
Honor Council spoke to academic dean Evan Barth about potentially reducing the number of prerequisites to take certain courses; however, administration decided to keep these requirements in place because students must display proficiency in a certain course before entering the next level.
The Honor Council is also offering tutoring sessions, and all students interested in signing up should contact the Honor Council.
Any requests regarding maintenance issues with Upper School facilities should be sent to [email protected].
From now on, the suggestion box will only be used for the Honor Council, and student council inquiries should be sent through email to any ASB officers.
Results from the survey regarding the pilot bell schedule, sent out by ASB, show that majority of students are in favor of extending the block schedule for the rest of the semester. Currently, ASB is discussing the possibility of prolonging the bell schedule with administration.
Student Council and Honor Council are also working on addressing the topics of opening more gender-neutral bathrooms and amending the late-slip detention policy.
Head of school, Chris Nikoloff will hold a philosophy seminar during the next long lunch.
Kicks against cancer will take place on Friday Feb. 5, and sign ups for Butts Up, kicking a soccer ball at teachers, will be available next week. Teachers who plan on participating in butts up will post signs outside their door.
Jared Anderson (9) scored the winning goal against Eastside College Prep, leading the boys varsity soccer team into a 2-1 victory. The team will play today at 3 p.m. against The King’s Academy.
The dance show premieres this upcoming week on Friday and Saturday. The theme for this year is “Mixed Tape” and features hit songs from the eighties and nineties. One hundred and forty student dancers and 12 faculty dancers will be performing in the upcoming production. Tickets will be sold in manzanita during lunch next week.
Placement tests for AP computer science will occur next week after school. An announcement regarding further details will be posted on the PCR announcements page.
Eric Kallbrier held a short air-guitar contest for the Sharks-Coyotes hockey game on Feb. 13. Lyndsey Mitchell (11) was the winner of the contest.
The green team advises all students to turn down the heat and be mindful of their energy usage in cold weather. Wearing warm layers of clothing, sealing drafty windows and turning down the heat during the nighttime are all ways to conserve energy this winter season.
The Harker “Oscars,” the annual talent show, will be held on March 18. All those interested in being an MC should contact [email protected] before Jan. 29.
