![“[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 dishwasher installed in Manzanita Hall
The new dishwasher is in the form of a conveyer belt, so it can help reduce the usage of water and energy. The kitchen staff hopes that by reopening the dishwashing system, it will help reduce trash consumption and traffic in Manzanita Hall.
September 19, 2016
Students and faculty began using reusable metal utensils and plastic trays again as the upper school kitchen staff reopened the dishwashing system in the middle of Manzanita Hall after three weeks of using paper boats and plastic utensils.
Construction for the new station began over the summer but extended into the first few weeks of the school year. The new washing area is larger, since the kitchen staff needed more room to arrange the dirty dishes before they go into the dishwasher itself. There is also more space to dry all the dishes and trays on a rack after they are washed.
“The dishwasher is a little different now because it is a little longer in length,” Callie Stanley, Executive Director of Food Services, said. “It’s now a conveyor belt versus the one last year that you have to fill up, taking more time. It’s all one continuous wash.”
Before the dishwashing station reopened, the school dealt with a lot more waste due to the use of paper products; however, Stanley hopes that this new system will result in a reduction in trash as well as less traffic for the students.
“The flow last year was hard, trying to get everyone in that little window, so this new one creates more flow and hopefully as the year progresses, it will all be one fast motion,” Stanley said.
Additionally, the new dishwasher is more energy and water efficient than the previous machine. Due to an ongoing flow on a conveyer belt, there is no longer a need for rushing water to wash every dish.
“I think that the dishwasher room finally opening is going to solve some of the problems that happened these past few weeks like the trash increase and maybe this will save the water consumption,” Stephanie Xiao (10) said. “But I don’t know that in the long run it will work, since now this is gonna create a new long line in the middle of Manzanita.”
Junior Shreyas Chandrashekaran discussed the improvements the dishwashing system could help solve.
“It may cramp up Manzanita and not leave direct access to the Bistro, but it will definitely help in areas of water and energy,” he said. “Plus, there aren’t fluctuating levels of trash, which is quite a benefit because sometimes the trash cans get so filled up, I have to walk over to another one to put my trash down.”
The kitchen staff is pleased about the new energy efficient system and hopes to see the benefits of decreased waste and improved traffic flow as the year advances.
