![“[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 10/22/18
Junior spirit representative Vance Hirota (10) picks a number from a basket to draw for a pumpkin in preparation for a pumpkin carving competition later this week.
October 23, 2018
Chatter engulfed the student body as students sat by advisory and settled down in their seats for the eighth school meeting of the year.
ASB President Neil Ramaswamy (12) spoke first, giving details about the upcoming Quebec trip. All interested students were asked to attend an informational meeting on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Nichols Auditorium.
Matthew Hajjar (12), Adhya Hoskote (11) and Grace Hajjar (11) gave the Eagle Update, inviting students to support the varsity girls volleyball team as they advance to CCS. Girls and boys water polo also competed in their CCS league championship games in the past week.
Diane Main, Director of Learning, Innovation and Design, then took the mic to announce a new Schoology group for the entirety of students, faculty, and staff on campus. All students were automatically added into the group, where school-wide announcements will be made through the Schoology feed, replacing the Daily Announcement emails from PCR. Resources, events, important dates and lunch menus will be posted on the group. Currently, only administrators of the group can add updates, but anyone who would like access can email Main.
The HELM officer team announced their deadline for all creative work on Dec. 16. The HELM digital issue will be released in January, and all art, writing, music and film is accepted. Research and other academic projects will not be accepted. Any submissions and questions can be sent to [email protected].
AI Club then spoke about their club week. They sold boba, pizookies and iced coffee this week. All students were also invited to a presentation by Dr. George John, a guest speaker from Stanford who spoke on the “Business of AI” in Nichols Auditorium on Monday during long lunch.
Career Connect followed, encouraging students to attend the Quickbooks Connect conference on Nov. 6. All permission slips must be turned in to the Innovation Center by next Tuesday.
Brian Park (12) next introduced Fencing Club. All information about coaches, materials and sign-ups can be found by emailing [email protected], and the first class will be next Thursday. No prior experience is required.
History Club announced the first Shah Salon of the year next Wednesday from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m.. Four different sessions will be held. “#Me 2.0” will be held by Donna Gilbert and Lola Muldrew; “Election 2018” will be held by Carl Green and Julie Wheeler; “Toxic Masculinity” will be held by Mark Janda and Pilar Aguero-Esparza and “Is Democracy at Risk?” will be held by Byron Stevens.
Upper school English teachers Charles Shuttleworth and Jennifer Siraganian announced a creative writing workshop held on Monday at 12:50 p.m. Students interested in writing competitions were encouraged to attend.
Art Club then announced Timmy Chang (12)’s gallery, “Neptune and Nymphs”, taking place in the Shah Gallery this week, held with a closing reception on Friday at 12:45 p.m.
Next, a promotional video for the fall play, “Our Town,” played. Following the video, cast members encouraged students to purchase tickets outside of Manzanita all week. Performances took place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m.
Harker Spirit then took the mic to announce pumpkin carving, which was held on Thursday during lunch. Spirit coordinators for each grade chose a pumpkin for their class, followed by an announcement about a costume contest next Wednesday with spirit points awarded to the winners.
Prior to students being dismissed, Neil restated the $150 cap on students’ purchases through Harker Pay, and said that all organizations looking to fundraise were required to visit pay.harker.org/sell to set up prior to their event.
