![“[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 9/3/19: Self-study APs, Spirit Kickoff and upcoming auditions
Diversity Committee faculty members Dr. Lola Muldrew, Pilar Aguero-Esparza and Tyeshia Brown speak to the upper school community about an upcoming assembly featuring Jay Smooth, a cultural commentator. To introduce Smooth, Diversity Committee played his YouTube video about race at school meeting yesterday.
September 4, 2019
The second school meeting of the year kicked off yesterday with an announcement from National Honors Society (NHS) by NHS president Jai Bahri (12). NHS is now taking new applicants and will send an application form later in the week for sophomores, juniors and seniors who are interested. Students involved in NHS will be asked to meet a certain GPA standard, as well as a variety of community service requirements.
Following NHS, Academic Dean Kelly Horan informed students about school policy for self-studied AP tests. According to Horan, students are discouraged from self-studying APs that are offered as school classes, but students who do choose to self-study an AP exam must speak to Director of Standardized Testing and Scheduling Troy Thiele. Students who have self-studied an AP exam are also not allowed to take the corresponding AP course at the upper school after their exam.
Harker Spirit Leadership Team president Grace Hajjar (12) then announced the upcoming Spirit Kickoff, which is themed “Beach Boardwalk” this year and will take place this Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Students will be given the opportunity to dunk their class dean or spirit coordinator at a dunk tank, among a number of other activities. Spirit officers also presented visual examples of dress code-appropriate outfits for Kickoff, and some of the clothing items that are not allowed include swimsuits and towel skirts.
Rohan Varma (11) then live-interviewed football captain Devin Keller (12) for today’s Eagle Update, asking Devin about his hopes for the upcoming season as well as his favorite memories with the football team.
Winged Post editors-in-chief Gloria Zhang (12) and Eric Fang (12) made an announcement about the release of Issue 1 as well as the Winged Post’s efforts towards campus sustainability, some of which are using compostable printing materials.
This year’s performing arts representatives Alex Kumar (11), Vance Hirota (12), Maya Franz (11), Annabelle Ju (12), Vaishnavi Murari (11) and Chloe Chen (12) summarized the upcoming auditions for fall play, spring musical and dance show. Fall play auditions are taking place today and tomorrow, with callbacks on Thursday; musical auditions will start next week, from Sept. 9 to 17 and dance show auditions will be on Sept. 14.
Diversity Committee faculty advisors Mark Janda, Pilar Aguero-Esparza, Dr. Lola Muldrew and Tyeshia Brown presented a preview of an upcoming assembly featuring Jay Smooth, a cultural commentator from New York City. The assembly, the first all-school assembly of the year, will be next Monday, and in anticipation of Smooth’s arrival, Diversity Committee played Smooth’s video on conversations about race, then presented definitions of a few social justice and cultural terms, including “social justice,” “equity” and “cultural appropriation.”
Finally, Anna Miner (12) delivered a presentation on the stories of 9/11, emphasizing the importance of remembrance, even among the first generation of American youth to be born after Sept. 11, 2001. Her presentation featured a video as well as a speech by U.S. history teacher Katy Rees about her 9/11 story, and Anna also announced that the following week will be dedicated to 9/11 remembrances. Bells will be rung on Sept. 11 at each of the times when a building was struck or a plane crashed, and during the advisory period on Sept. 11, students and advisors are encouraged to share their respective 9/11 stories.
ASB president Avi Gulati (12) ended the school meeting with a divergence from the traditional closing line, deciding instead to read the weather report. According to Avi, the high yesterday was 86 degrees, with a humidity of 83%.
