![“[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)
Fun-sized: Get to know four lesser-known clubs
March 23, 2016
Clubs are an important part of student life at the upper school and provide opportunities for people to meet others and make friends outside of the classroom. Members of clubs bond through a shared interest and participate in events together. Students have many options when deciding which club to join; however, there are some choices that are lesser-known than others. Here are some clubs that you may not have known about!
Teacher Appreciation Club
Teacher Appreciation Club, which is advised by Diane Main, Director of Learning, Innovation and Design at the Upper School, is a club that allows students to show their gratitude for members of Harker’s faculty and staff by sending them appreciation packages, which .
The club members ask others for the names of teachers they would like to send appreciation packages to and later make and deliver them together to the teacher’s room.
“It’s just a little token of appreciation because they are really grateful for the fantastic faculty we have and feel like it’s just nice to get some mark of appreciation out of the blue,” Ms. Main said.
Jordan Goheen (11), a member of Teacher Appreciation Club, feels that students although students appreciate their teachers, they do not express their gratitude in obvious ways.
“A few days ago, I gave a gift to Ms. Stahl,” Jordan said. “It’s awesome seeing their faces light up when they see that they got a present from Teacher Appreciation Club.”
Teacher Appreciation Club meets once a month to discuss and plan the organization and distribution of gifts.
Cooking Club
Cooking Club, advised by computer science teacher Anu Datar, invites students to participate in samplings and tastings of various foods and desserts.
“I think Cooking Club is a great way for students to bond because I think food is something everyone is or should be passionate about,” Ms. Datar said. “The purpose of Cooking Club is just to encourage people to get together outside of the classroom; as people are very pressured at this school, we need a place where students don’t have to think about academics and grades.”
Samali Sahoo (12), the current president of Cooking Club, describes how the club members decide what foods or desserts to make during their meetings.
“We use the Harker kitchen facilities to make one of many recipes voted on by members in the beginning of the year,” Samali said.
Members of Cooking Club experimented with pumpkins during Halloween and baked gingerbread cookies in December.
Programming Club
Programming Club, advised by computer science teacher Susan King, held its first meeting in 2011 and is currently run by Sadhika Malladi (12), who has been president of Programming Club since junior year.
Members of Programming Club hone their computing skills by participate in programming competitions online and learning about programming algorithms.
“If a student is interested in programming algorithms and is competitive, I think Programming Club is a great outlet,” Ms. King said. “It sharpens your skills as a programmer and it allow you to explore a variety of topics that you don’t necessarily discuss in the classroom.”
Programming Club hosted the Harker Programming Invitational in Nichols Hall on March 20.
Lego Club
Lego Club, which is advised by math teacher Anthony Silk, provides time for students to relax and collaborate together through constructing lego buildings.
“I actually think that it’s great that this club exists, and I think that it really helps students just have fun and build with legos,” Silk said.
President Connor Martin (11) created the club in order to encourage relaxation while building with legos, which he enjoys.
“I don’t really stress that much, but I know other people who are stressed out, and it’s a time for them to de-stress,” Connor said.
Members of the club meet on Wednesdays in Mr. Silk’s room to build lego structures together.
“Lego club has deteriorated into Conor sitting in Silk’s room playing with Legos,” said Lego Club Vice President Amrita Singh (11).
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on March 23, 2016.
