![“[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–4/11
Members of the Green Team explain the events that they are hosting for Earth Day next week. Students can download an app and earn points for their class.
April 11, 2016
The sophomores will have a fundraiser for their class next Wednesday during Spirit Week. They will be selling sweet potato fries and three flavors of milkshakes from The Counter. Anyone interested must place an order to the sophomore class officers ahead of time, via an email that will be sent out later today.
The Green Team will be hosting the first Harker Green Challenge in celebration of Earth Day next week. The challenge will include a class competition involving the SJEnvironment application, which includes environmental questions for students to answer.
Alongside the classes, upper school staff and upper school parents, will participate in the competition, which will run from April 13 through April 20 and will also include individual awards for the highest scorers using the app.
The Green Team will be outside of Manzanita to answer questions during the challenge. The team will also host a book drive, which will support programs at the Santa Clara library.
In recognition of National Volunteer Week, Melinda Wisdom (11) described her work in community service, including the people that she worked with and her experiences helping them.
Harker Science for Youth will host a musical fundraiser this Saturday in the Nichols Auditorium. Tickets are on sale for $5 and can be purchased from Harker Science for Youth by emailing them at [email protected].
The Harker Swim team competed last Thursday in a meet at Menlo School, facing the hosts along with Mercy-Burlingame and Pinewood. The team will face against Mercy High School, Notre Dame High School, Woodside Priory School, Sacred Heart Preparatory and St. Lawrence Academy this Friday.
Last Tuesday, the girls softball team beat Notre Dame 15-2. The girls play Mercy High School tomorrow at 4 p.m., and at Pinewood on Friday.
Girls lacrosse defeated Newark Memorial High School 9-4 last week. They play Woodside High School at home tomorrow at 5:30 p.m.
Boys baseball suffered a loss to Del Mar High School last Thursday. The boys face San Mateo High School this week, playing away on Tuesday and at home this Thursday at 4 p.m.
The Harker Chess Team traveled to Atlanta, Georgia for the National High School Chess Championships this past spring break. The team of Vignesh Panchanatham (10), Michael Wang (9), Richard Yi (12), Shaunak Maruvada (9), Evan Lohn (12) and Richard Wang (9) came in first place. Vignesh won first place overall with six wins and one loss.
This year’s musical, “Bye Bye Birdie”, will be held at the Blackford Theater on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale during lunch.
Next year’s ASB officers will be Sandip Nirmel (11) as president, Eddie Shiang (11) as vice president, Alexander Lam (11) as secretary, and Ray Song (11) as treasurer.
There will be a Recreate Reading meeting for students and the sponsors of their book tomorrow. The Upper School will follow a special schedule on Wednesday to accommodate an assembly.
Spirit Week is next week and will feature a different theme and activity each day. Monday will have a Sports Madness theme and a spirit activity for class presidents during the meeting. There will also be a Powderpuff banner and poster-making activity.
Tuesday will feature a Time Travel theme and relay race during lunch. There will also be candy and other treats available. Wednesday’s theme is Wacky Wednesday and the Powderpuff game and cheerleading will be held during long lunch. There will also be a bubble-blowing contest.
Thursday is Class Choice Day, where the theme will be decided by the class officers, and will feature the regatta. There will be cereal available before school starts. Friday is Class Spirit Day, and students are encouraged to wear their class colors. Friday will feature the Spirit Rally.
Prom tickets are on sale throughout the week for $120.
