![“[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 12/13/18
Avi Gulati (11), who won the Harker division of the annual Shakespeare Competition last year, performs a monologue from “King Lear.”
December 14, 2018
Grace Hajjar (11) and Adhya Hoskote (11) began the last meeting of 2018 with the Eagle Update. A meeting for students interested in boys tennis was held today at 1 p.m. in the team room, while students who want to play football next year should attend a meeting in the team room tomorrow at 3:15 p.m.
The Student Council Happiness Committee brought therapy dogs to campus during lunch today and Tuesday as part of their initiatives to improve student happiness.
English teacher Charles Shuttleworth introduced the annual Shakespeare monologue competition. Students can pick one of 250 monologues to perform in the Nichols auditorium on Jan. 18 at 12:45 p.m. The top three performers will win prizes, and the Harker winner will perform at the regional competition in San Francisco on March 2. People who could not attend the informational meeting in Shuttleworth’s classroom today can stop by his classroom to choose a monologue. To promote the competition, Avi Gulati (11) performed his winning monologue from last year, a soliloquy by the character Edgar in Act 2, Scene 3 of “King Lear”.
Math teacher Anthony Silk announced two upcoming mathematics competitions, TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science) and the AMC (American Mathematics Competition). Teams of eight students can participate in the TEAMS contest in February, which includes an essay on “The Engineering Brain” and a test with a multiple-choice section and a design section. Silk will hold an informational meeting in his classroom tomorrow at 3 p.m.
The AMC 10A and 12A exams will be held on Feb. 7. All upper school students may sign up, and a special schedule that day means that test-takers will not miss any class. All students can take the AMC 12, while only underclassmen may take the AMC 10. The AMC 10B and 12B alternate exam later in February is only open to active Math Club members. Posters with information about how to sign up for these contests are in math teachers’ classrooms and around Dobbins Hall.
The Shah student art gallery hosted Elizabeth Yang (12)’s exhibition “Immersion” today. At her reception during lunch, Elizabeth took down the exhibit, which featured sticky notes arranged in a grid pattern on the walls. After Winter Break, Katrina Liou (12) will exhibit in the gallery.
Production Manager Brian Larsen reminded students to not eat in the RPAC, as food sticks in the carpeting and attracts cockroaches.
Spirit announced the results of contests from last week. In the gingerbread house competition on Friday, the juniors won, the sophomores took second place, the seniors finished third and the freshmen came fourth. In the weeklong Christmas tree decorating contest, the sophomores and seniors tied for first place, the juniors came in third and the freshmen were fourth. Students can drop off gifts for tomorrow’s white elephant exchange in the Activity Center.
