![“[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 9/10
Performing arts representative Emmy Huchley (12), Alex Kumar (10), Vance Hirota (11) and Ellie Lang-Ree (12) announced information about upcoming dance show auditions, which will be held in RPAC this Saturday afternoon.
September 11, 2018
As students settled in their seats for the second school meeting of the year, Harker Aquila’s photo slideshow displayed the highlights of the past two weeks.
ASB President Neil Ramaswamy spoke briefly and welcomed students before passing the mic to Brian Larsen, Production Manager of K-12. He instructed presenters on the correct use of mics, teaching the student body how to correctly amplify their voice and adjust the height of the stand.
Adhya Hoskote (11), Grace Hajjar (11) and Mahi Gurram (12) gave the Eagle Update, updating students on the scores of past water polo, volleyball, football, cross country and tennis matches.
Next, Harker Programming Club’s Katherine Tian (12) and Bryan Wang (11) announced about the Girls Programming League, which took place Sunday, with more than 150 attendees. The club is introducing a new industry demo series, featuring executives from various Silicon Valley companies to show the use of computer science in various industries today. Their first talk will be held on Friday, featuring an executive from Splunk talking about how they tailor their work to the needs of customers from restaurants to the government.
Ronit Gagneja (11) and Phil Han (11) announced the Stock Market Game. Sign-ups are open until Friday, and winners are eligible to attend DECA Internationals in Orlando, Florida.
Evan Cheng (11) and Alyssa Huang (11) followed, announcing the Class of 2020’s Dippin’ Dots Fundraiser on Sept. 20 during lunch.
Computer science department chair Dr. Eric Nelson announced the Critical Issues Forum, which studies nuclear non-proliferation treaties in collaboration with the Monterey Institute for International Studies and will attend a conference in Monterey later this year. He invited students to a meeting on Sept. 20 in Room 312 at 1 p.m. for further information.
Next, Greg Lawson detailed the emergency procedures. He mentioned an emergency preparedness drill which will be taking place later this week, and followed with a reminder on how to safely evacuate the Athletic Center in case of an emergency. Lawson closed with a reminder to all students to be dropped off on campus itself, rather than in the parking lots of La Terraza or the shopping center across the street.
Harker Green Team announced their support of SB 100, a law to encourage the use of 100 percent renewable energy in California. They asked students to call Governor Jerry Brown to voice their support of the bill, and also announced the Global Climate Action Summit, taking place from Wednesday to Friday in San Francisco. Additionally, Green Team invited students to the Green Arts Festival on Wednesday in San Jose. They closed with an announcement about the International Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, which students may attend for additional service hours. Any additional questions can be sent to [email protected].
Performing arts representatives announced the theme of the dance show, “Red Carpet.” The show this year will feature songs from the Grammys as well as popular songs from movies. Auditions will be held on Saturday in RPAC Room 511. All participants must turn in a contract and a time sheet.
Auditions for “Urinetown”, this year’s musical, were also advertised. The cast of this year’s musical will be attending the Fringe Festival in Scotland in August. All audition information is available on Schoology.
Neil returned to announce that the Snack Bar is now open; students can buy snacks at the Athletic Center concession stands during B and D days office hours. This year, any snack recommendations can be emailed to [email protected].
Harker Dev announced the re-launch of www.pay.harker.org, an online pay system for purchasing food and other goods during the school day. Each student has a limit of $150 a month, and anyone that wants selling capabilities must email [email protected] a week in advance.
Katherine Zhang, ASB Secretary, announced www.tiny.cc/schoolmeeting, on which clubs can now sign up for school meeting time slots. Any changes to an initial request for a time slot should be sent to [email protected].
Neil offered closing remarks and dismissed students to Office Hours.
