![“[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)
Language National Honor Societies host joint club week
March 15, 2019
The Chinese, French, Japanese, and Latin national honor societies hosted various activities and fundraisers for the school community during the week of Feb. 25, in order to spread awareness of their clubs and raise money for Doctors Without Borders, an international humanitarian organization that provides medical aid in over 70 countries.
Chinese National Honor Society:
Members of the Chinese National Honor Society (CNHS) and the Chinese Language and Culture club sold pearl milk tea and a variety of other baked goods during their fundraising last week. Because the club’s dragon-making competition was cancelled due to the weather, adviser Dr. Shaun Jahshan notes that CNHS screened a movie instead and aims to host the event, or a similar version of it, later in the year for class spirit points.
“From my perspective, I think the most important thing [the club spreads] is a sense of pride, because there are a lot of people who are of Chinese descent, and for others who are not of that community, a sense of sharing the traditions and learning about them,” Dr. Jahshan said. “We all love pearl milk tea, we all love Chinese food, and we live in a community where Chinese culture is all around us, so it’s nice to make everyone feel like they can share in that.”
Kelly Shen (12), French teacher Agnes Pommier and Aryana Far (12) play a game of Scrabble in French. The French National Honor Society (FNHS) raised money by selling an assortment of French pastries and desserts, such as crepes, croissants and meringues.
French National Honor Society:
The French National Honor Society (FNHS) raised money by selling an assortment of French pastries and desserts, such as crepes, croissants and meringues, to spread French culture and an appreciation for the language among other students.
“We really want people to be able to experience French cuisine and be able to try these foods,” senior Kelly Shen, president of FNHS, said. “The point [of the week] was to bring this food that we don’t often see at school so that everyone could try it and enjoy it.”
Additionally, the club hosted a French Culture Night on Thursday, inviting all French students to participate in a variety of French-themed activities, from playing games to watching movies.
“This is a rare opportunity to get together where it doesn’t matter what level you are and what is your grade in [the class],” French teacher Galina Tchourilova said. “You just come and enjoy French culture, good company, good food, [and] good music.”
Students play in the Japanese National Honor Society (JNHS) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate video game tournament on Friday of their club week. JNHS organized the tournament and sold traditional Japanese snacks throughout the week.
Japanese National Honor Society:
During the club week, the Japanese National Honor Society (JNHS) organized a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate video game tournament on Friday.
The organization also sold popular Japanese treats like spam musubi, a sushi-style snack made with grilled spam, and ramune, a carbonated soft drink, in order to raise money for Doctors Without Borders.
“We decided [to host a] Smash Ultimate tournament because it is a really popular game that recently came out from Nintendo, a Japanese company, and gaming is a pretty major aspect of Japan,” junior Kenya Aridomi, a JNHS officer, said. “We thought that if we incorporate Smash Ultimate, it would help people realize the fun that Nintendo and Japanese culture can bring.”
Ann Ryan (9) sells snacks to Catherine Feng (9) for JCL’s club week. JCL sold contemporary and ancient Roman treats for their club week.
Latin National Honor Society:
Members of the Junior Classical League (JCL) club organized a fundraiser for their club week, selling both traditional and contemporary treats, from ancient Roman honey cookies to gelato, a popular dessert in Italy.
“JCL is a pretty niche organization; our Latin program isn’t huge, and since we’re a small club people don’t tend to see us around campus a lot,” JCL member Arohee Bhoja (10) said. “We wanted to take this opportunity to spread awareness and interest in what the club does, as well as allowing people to learn about ancient Roman culture.”
Arohee adds that the club also hopes to share Doctors Without Borders’ mission with the Harker community, because it aligns with JCL’s goals of embracing the classical world with the modern.
“Like Doctors Without Borders, which aims to ignore cultural differences and help all people by spreading awareness about different nations, we too are trying to educate people about and acclimate people towards cultural differences,” she said.
Additional reporting by Nicole Tian.
