![“[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)
Chinese Culture Club holds first club week of school year
Chinese Culture Club members Logan Bhamidipaty (11), Alycia Cary (11) and Helen Yang (11) sell boba from Teaspoon at a table outside of Manzanita. Students could either pay in cash or have the 6 dollar purchase charged to their student account.
October 13, 2017
Chinese Culture Club sold boba and hosted a celebration of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival for their club week this week.
Club members first announced Chinese Culture Club’s activities during Tuesday’s school meeting. For Tuesday, Thursday and today after school, members of the organization offered boba from Teaspoon for 6 dollars in front of Manzanita to passing students. Those who chose to purchase a drink were given the option to pay either in cash or through their student account.
The club also invited students and faculty to celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, a holiday observed in some Asian countries on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, with mooncakes in Mandarin teacher Dr. Shaun Jahshan’s room during long lunch today. Club members Alycia and Logan Bhamidipaty (11) presented a slideshow and a YouTube video detailing the history of the holiday.
“During the Mooncake Uprising, which inspired the festival, secret resistance fighters Liu Bowen and Zhu Yuanzhang asked for permission to distribute thousands of mooncakes to Chinese residents in the capital as a ‘blessing to the longevity of the Mongol emperor,’” Alycia said during the presentation. “The mooncakes had a piece of paper inside that read: ‘Kill the Mongols on the 15th day of the eighth month.’ The rebellion was successful, and Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty after.”
Next week’s club week will be hosted by Academic Decathlon.
Trays of lotus paste mooncakes sit on a table for students to enjoy while a YouTube video detailing the history of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival plays in the background. The celebration was held in Mandarin teacher Dr. Shaun Jahshan’s room today.
