![“[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 8/29
Students and faculty gather outside the athletic center before the start of today’s school meeting. The next school meeting of the year will be on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
August 29, 2017
Production manager Brian Larsen reminded students to maintain proper mic etiquette while speaking at school meetings.
Email ASB secretary Kat Zhang (11) at least 48 hours in advance to speak at a school meeting. Her email is [email protected].
Student council invites both students and faculty to attend their weekly meetings on Mondays at 3:45 p.m. in Main 4. A recap of each meeting is also available at tiny.cc/stuco2017.
Upper school librarian Lauri Vaughan reminded everyone of the upcoming Thursday ReCreate Reading meetings. Freshmen will discuss their summer reading books with their advisories instead of attending ReCreate Reading meetings.
Jeff Chang, author of “We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation,” will be visiting Harker to speak about his book, which was also one of the ReCreate Reading titles this year. He will be hosting a talk at 12:45 p.m. this Thursday in Nichols auditorium.
The performing arts department’s annual Conservatory Kick-off will be held in the Blackford gym tomorrow. There will be a picnic dinner from 5:15 to 5:45 p.m. and a meeting for students and parents until 7 p.m. Freshmen and new students interested in the Certificate Program will attend an additional talk until 7:30 p.m.
Upper school theater teacher Jeffrey Draper announced this year’s fall play, “The Comedy of Errors” by William Shakespeare. Auditions will be held in Draper’s room next Tuesday and Wednesday, with callbacks scheduled for Thursday. More information will be available at the Conservatory Kick-off and at the audition workshops later this week.
Harker Spirit announced their annual Spirit Kickoff, which will be held at the auxiliary gym this Friday. Attendees can participate in poster making, enjoy some food, play dodgeball and spectate the varsity football team’s season opener game against Cupertino High School.
Journalism presented a video about their project Humans of Harker. Seniors interested in participating will be featured with either a video piece or a written article. Humans of Harker was introduced to the Harker community last year, with its inaugural trial focusing on the Class of 2017.
Members of Harker Spirit, along with Head of School Butch Keller and head athletic trainer Jaron Olson, then showcased the features of the new athletic center and reminded students that street shoes and food are not allowed on the courts with an educational video.
