![“[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 12/3/18
Greg Lawson gestures with a fork to illustrate the importance of putting metal utensils in bins where they will be washed, not throwing them in the trash or on the ground.
December 9, 2018
As students scuffled through the bleachers to find their seats at the 2nd to last school meeting before Winter Break, Matthew Hajjar (12) opened with a stentorian chant as Adhya Hoskote (11) and Grace Hajjar (11) took the mic and went over the Eagle Update.
Arthur Jakobsson (10) talked about the end of Robotics’ first season, announcing the beginning of the next season on Jan. 5. The robotics team placed well at the last two competitions they competed in.
The Model UN officer team then announced their Berkeley tournament from March 1 to 3 and their New York tournament from March 5 to 9. They held an intro session on March 5 at 1 p.m. in history teacher Carol Green’s room along with a discussion about the Global Migrant Crisis. Any questions can be sent to [email protected].
Shania Wang (12), ASB Vice President, announced the Arrive Alive simulator, which was brought to Harker on Dec. 5, featuring 2 minute simulations which taught students the importance of drinking sober and fully focused on the road.
Performing Arts continued the meeting with an announcement about Downbeat’s Holiday Tour on Dec. 7, with a final performance at the Fairmont at 8:30 p.m.
Prameela Kottapalli (12) and Kat Zhang (12), the editors-in-chief of the Winged Post, informed the student body of the redesign of the paper. Both content and formatting redesign was undertaken, and student-based focus groups will soon be asked to offer feedback on both the Winged Post and Harker Aquila.
Spirit announced a Christmas tree decoration contest, which took place from Dec. 3 to 7, with the week closing with a gingerbread house contest on Dec. 7 during lunch in Manzanita Hall. Spirit also announced the Harker Snow Day, inviting students to Harker’s annual ski trip open to skiers of all levels. The trip will be in Tahoe on Feb. 9.
Red Cross club promoted their club week starting on Dec. 3, with all proceeds going to wildfire relief.
Nearing the end of the meeting, Andrea Simonian (12) spoke of the devastation of the Camp Fire and announced that all proceeds from the Snack Bar in December would go to Northern California wildfire relief. Any gift card or other donations can be dropped off in community service director Kerry Enzensperger’s room or journalism teacher Ellen Austin’s room.
Arjun Kilaru (12) closed the meeting with an announcement about a school-wide “While Elephant” held before finals.
