![“[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)
Student language organizations host week of activities
A group of Taiko drummers performed a set of pieces outside the journalism room last Tuesday. This event was hosted by the Japanese National Honor Society, who also held a Super Smash Bros. tournament after school last Wednesday.
March 6, 2017
French, Chinese and Japanese National Honor Societies raised money for Doctors Without Borders by hosting activities and selling food after school throughout last week.
According to their website, Doctors Without Borders aims to “help people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters or exclusion from health care.” The National Honor Societies chose to donate their proceeds to Doctors without Borders because it is an international organization that has a global reach and benefits people around the world.
French National Honor Society
Members of French National Honor Society sold croissants and ice cream for two dollars, crêpes for three dollars and mini-muffins for 50 cents. Students could pay in cash or have their purchase charged to their student account.
“It was extremely successful, and I think that we spread our name a pretty great distance,” French National Honor Society Vice President Tiffany Zhu (12) said. “It’s really great promotion for our international club week.”
French National Honor Society also hosted their cultural night last Friday from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Madame Tchourilova’s classroom. They screened a French comedy and offered a wide range of food, from cookies to brownies to croissants, to students attending.
“I think it’s a good celebration of French culture and there’s lots to eat, and the movie’s very entertaining,” attendee Jack Pearce (9) said. “It’s also a French movie, which means I can pick up on some of the words and feel a little bit better about knowing more French.”
Japanese National Honor Society
Last Tuesday, the Japanese National Honor Society invited Taiko drummers from San Jose Taiko to perform outside the journalism room during long lunch. Senior Maile Chung, who was one of the performers, explained kiai as the numerous shouts and noises Taiko drummers make when they play.
“Kiai really increases the energy of the group, and the energy just ricochets off of the players and into the audience,” she said. “It’s always fun when you’re playing with a group and kiai, because it sometimes feels like you’re having a conversation. Whenever I play taiko, all my stresses melt away. Taiko gives me an outlet to focus on the music and art.”
The Japanese National Honor Society also hosted a Super Smash Bros. Brawl competition after school last Wednesday.
Chinese Club and Chinese National Honor Society
Chinese Club and Chinese National Honor Society held a dragon-making contest during last Tuesday’s long lunch. Each grade created their own dragons using a cardboard box and construction paper.
“Our class council’s been preparing for a couple weeks with some ideas, gathering materials and coming up with a concept,” sophomore class dean Chris Florio said. “We really wanted to include all the advisories, like we have all year, to show a lot of class unity.”
At the end of lunch, students paraded and showed off their dragons in front of the judges. The sophomore class came in first.
