![“[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 1/14/19
Amy Pelman will join the program as a librarian next semester with the retirement of K-12 Library Director Sue Smith’s this Friday.
January 16, 2019
The second meeting of the year began with Eagle Update. Various spring sports interest meetings will be taking place this week.
The History and Languages Departments announced a lecture by Celine Glon about the French Revolution in French teacher Agnes Pommier’s room during lunch on Monday.
Career Connect is holding a series of workshops about professionalism this week. A workshop on LinkedIn tips was held today during lunch, and forthcoming workshops will be one on interview tips and tricks next Wednesday and mock interview sessions on Jan. 29.
This year’s Hoscars talent show will be March 8. Interested students can sign up at harker.io/hoscars2019 and must submit a video audition by Feb. 8.
K-12 Library Director Sue Smith will be retiring on Friday, after 13 years at Harker. Current upper school campus librarian Lauri Vaughan will take Smith’s position during the second semester, librarian Meredith Cranston will become the campus librarian, and Amy Pelman will join the program as a librarian.
Lab Band, Jazz Band and Orchestra will perform their winter concert in Patil Theater on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.harker.org/about/events.
Biology teacher Dr. Matthew Harley and chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine gave a presentation about the negative health effects of vaping, which can include nicotine addiction, airway blockages and harmful chemicals. They urged students to be aware of these effects.
