![“[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)
Pingpong table becomes exclusive to seniors
Senior Peter Wu plays pingpong outside Shah. Student council has privatized access to the pingpong tables, only allowing seniors the privilege to use it.
September 28, 2016
Student council announced that use of the pingpong table outside of Shah Hall will become exclusive to seniors.
The senior class purchased the pingpong table with their class funds at the end of last year. In the beginning of this year, seniors told their class council that the table was always overcrowded with students from other classes, preventing them from getting a chance to play. After the senior class council petitioned for the table to become exclusive to seniors, Class of 2017 dean Jeffrey Draper, student council and Upper School Head Butch Keller approved the idea of privatizing the table.
“During long lunch, I went to check out and see how the pingpong table was doing maintenance wise, and it turns out it is extremely popular,” 2017 class president Alex Youn said. “Considering we went through all this for [our class], it is nice to see them actually using the table to their advantage.”
Rahul Shukla (12), a regular player at the pingpong table, believes that the new rules will not only cut down lines but also entice more seniors to join the games.
“Its awesome because we can bond more as a class and play senior-only games, which is insanely fun,” he said. “It used to be that juniors, sophomores and freshmen would be on the courts and seniors would be afraid to interrupt a game, so I see more seniors coming to play.”
The other classes will still be allowed to play on the pingpong table owned by Harker Spirit that is usually stationed outside Manzanita. However, the juniors, sophomores and freshmen will be permitted to play on the senior’s foosball table because there are no alternatives to it.
“Usually, us non-seniors have another pingpong table to play at, so I guess it is somewhat fair even though there are longer lines,” Gary Tsai (11) said.
The privilege to use the pingpong table Shah will extend to seniors in future years, so current juniors will have exclusive access to it next year.
“From the student council standpoint, it was trying to strike a balance between what our class wanted and what the other classes will think about what we do,” Alex said. “We found that to be extremely important, considering especially when we are trying to help our class and leave a good legacy for future years.”
