![“[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)
Contributors to Capital Campaign sign girder
Donors for the Capital Campaign as well as a number of students signed the I-beam, a vital piece in the new Performing Arts building. While the beam was only meant to be signed by those who contributed to the construction of the center, the enthusiasm of students who wrote on the steel was still appreciated.
January 16, 2017
Donors for the Capital Campaign signed a white painted I-beam in Nichol’s atrium throughout last week to commemorate contributions to and the progress of the construction.
The atrium hosted two events for donors with the opportunity to sign the beam, and around 400 people in the Harker community gathered at lunch and evening event on Thursday. Executive Director of Advancement, Joe Rosenthal, headed the event.
“The most important thing to me is to try to express our gratitude for the impact that their contributions are going to have for our students and for them to be able to feel good about the impact that they’re making for our students,” Rosenthal said.
Before the event, the beam and the felt tip pens were left out, with no clear purpose. On the way to their meetings, a few students wrote on and signed the beam, including the phrase “do dank memes melt steel beams” written in large print.
“There were a bunch of people crowding around the beam,” said Priyanka Taneja (12) who herself did not sign the beam. “There were sharpies laid out, so people just assumed [they] could sign it.”
The administration was understanding, attaching signs to the steel girder explaining its intended function. In addition, the students who signed the beam faced no disciplinary consequences.
“We appreciate the senior’s enthusiasm,” Managing Director of Advancement, Melinda Gonzales said. “But that wasn’t the intended purpose.”
Rosenthal and the Advancement team took no issue with the incident, saying that ideally many more people in the Harker Community could have a chance to leave a message.
“The tradition is that the donors sign it,” Rosenthal said. “But I would totally be okay with the idea of every member of the community that has to put up with a little bit of a sacrifice in respect to loss of space or parking or traffic: that’s a contribution towards this cause as well.”
For Rosenthal, the beam signifies an idea coming to fruition. The architectural plans have the beam placed in “section 10” in the Performing Arts building which, according to Rosenthal, is integral to the theater’s structure.
