![“[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 10/23
Anthony Meissner (11) raises his chosen pumpkin into the air during today’s school meeting. Pumpkins for this Friday’s pumpkin carving contest were chosen by representatives from each grade level in order of seniority.
October 23, 2017
Physics teachers Scott Pflaumer and Miriam Allersma announced that the physics teachers will be hosting a Haunted Physics Lab on Nov. 1 during long lunch. The event will take place in Pflaumer and physics teacher Lisa Radice’s rooms and will feature 60 interactive exhibits and free candy.
English teachers Jen Siraganian and Charles Shuttleworth announced a writing information session about writing competitions, student publications, writing camps and internships, which took place at 12:50 p.m. today in Siraganian’s room.
Harker CareerConnect spoke about the annual Quickbooks Connect conference, which will take place on Nov. 16. Applications to attend the conference were emailed to students this afternoon and are due on Oct. 27.
Computer science department chair Dr. Eric Nelson announced this year’s Physics Olympiad, which will take place in early January. The application deadline for the competition is Dec. 1, and applicants must email Dr. Nelson with the subject line “F = ma” to register for the screening test before the competition.
Shania Wang (11) announced that signups for the Nov. 3. Quadchella event close on Oct. 27.
Sumati Wadhwa (12) and Joel Morel (10) announced this year’s Regional Honor Choir results. Praveen Batra (12), Krishna Bheda (12), Morgan Douglas (12), Rithi Jayam (11), Karli Sharp (11), Grace Huang (10), Niki Karra (10), Joel Morel (10), Vaishnavi Murari (9), Stephanie Shen (9) and Meilin Yen (9) are members of this year’s Regional Honor Choir. Mille Lin (12) has been accepted into the National Honor Choir.
The girls’ volleyball team announced their senior night, which will take place at 6:15 p.m. tomorrow in the upper school gym. The team also played a video to commemorate their seniors.
The girls’ lacrosse team announced that there will be a meeting for students interested in playing lacrosse this year on Oct. 27 from 12:50 to 1:20 p.m. in chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine’s room.
Harker TEDx will be hosting a weekend speaker series forum on Nov. 4 at 9 a.m. in the Nichols Auditorium. There will be five speakers, including Andrew Semenza (12), and tickets will be sold during lunch next week. Tickets and more information are available at tedxharker.org.
Winged Post opinion editor Derek Yen (12) announced an opportunity to write for Heart of Harker, a recurring guest column in the Winged Post for students and teachers to write about memorable experiences at the upper school, for the upcoming issue of the newspaper. For more information, email Derek at [email protected] or [email protected].
Tri-M’s club week is this week, and they are hosting a vocal fundraiser after school tomorrow and Oct. 26 to support Music for Minors, an organization which helps provide musical education for underprivileged children.
Concessions sold during the Fall Play will be donated to Habitat for Humanity to help aid relief efforts for the recent eastern hurricanes and Northern California wildfires. Student council members sold boba today during lunch and plan to sell more on Oct. 25, and they will also sell Dippin’ Dots during lunch on Oct. 26 and Oct. 27. All proceeds will be donated to Habitat for Humanity.
Honor council representatives reminded students about SuggestionOx, an anonymous feedback tool for students and faculty to give suggestions on how to improve honor culture at the upper school. The link to SuggestionOx can be found on the student directory.
Harker Spirit announced a pumpkin carving contest from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. outside Manzanita on Oct. 27. Representatives from each grade chose their pumpkin for the contest during the meeting today.
