![“[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 1/5/22: Traffic and safety, Kicks Against Cancer and Student Directed Showcase
Upper school Dean of Students Kevin Williamson introduces upper school security guard Josh Conti, who followed Williamson with more advice about parking lot safety, reminding students to not risk their safety when rushing to class in the morning and to walk on the sidewalks. Conti also urged both students and faculty to not text and drive, sharing a personal anecdote from when he was hit by a driver who was texting while driving.
January 11, 2022
Associated Student Body (ASB) Treasurer Aaditya Gulati (12) began the school meeting last Wednesday.
Aaditya introduced Dean of Students Kevin Williamson, who gave an announcement about parking and traffic. Student drivers who have interest in receiving a parking spot on campus must submit an application by today, and the parking lottery to determine the recipients will take place this week. Student Affairs sent an email with information on how to apply on Dec. 8, which included the parking application and the Google form that students need to fill out as part of the application. He also reminded students about safety, urging them not to congregate and socialize in the parking lot.
Upper school security guard Josh Conti followed Williamson with more advice about parking lot safety, reminding students to not risk their safety when rushing to class in the morning and to walk on the sidewalks. Conti also urged both students and faculty to not text and drive, sharing a personal anecdote from when he was hit by a driver who was texting while driving. The speed limit on campus is 15 miles per hour.
Upper school librarian Meredith Cranston spoke about Recreate Reading, the upper school’s summer reading program. Cranston noted that teachers will choose books to sponsor for Recreate Reading soon, and any students who are interested in sponsoring a book can find a teacher to co-sponsor with them. The librarians posted a form on Schoology with more details, and the deadline is Feb. 7. Students can email the librarians with any questions.
Junior class council representative Jacob Huang (11) reminded students that the deadline to audition for Hoscars, the annual talent show, has been extended to Jan. 14. Students can submit auditions to tiny.cc/hoscars22.
Kai Due (12), Kris Estrada (11), Anoushka Khatri (12) and Anya Warrier (12) congratulated Downbeat, who qualified for The Varsity Vocals International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA). Downbeat members include Richie Amarillas (12), Shareen Chahal (10), Kris, Lucy Feng (11), Josh Field (12), Samvita Gautham (11), Shayla He (10), Alan Jiang (11), Anoushka, Callie Mayer (12), Daniel Wu (12), Melody Yazdi (12) and Anthony Zhao (11).
Student Directed Showcase (SDS) performances took place on Jan. 7 and Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. The four SDS plays include “Squad Goals” by Don Zolidis, “Removing the Glove” by Clarence Coo, “The Complete History of America” by Adam Long, Austin Tichenor and Reed Martin and “Governing Alice” by C. Derby Swanson.
Harker Aquila co-editors-in-chief Nicole Tian (12) and Alysa Suleiman (12) and Aquila co-managing editor Lucy Ge (12) took to the stage to introduce Aquila’s new community pitching form as a platform for members of the community to suggest story ideas for Harker Journalism to cover. Students and faculty can submit story ideas to bit.ly/aquilastoryideas, and the form will be checked weekly.
Michelle Liu (12) and Gloria Zhu (12) from Harker Art Club announced their Artist Talk event, which will feature Britta Clausnitzer, the 2022 Dickinson Artist in Residence. The talk, originally scheduled to take place on Jan. 7 from 12:45 to 1:30 p.m. in the Nichols Auditorium, has been postponed to Jan. 18. The reception, which was originally scheduled for Jan. 10 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center (RPAC) lobby, has also been postponed to a later, undecided date. Tigerfeast, Clausnitzer’s exhibit, will take place from Jan. 7 to April 29 in the downstairs RPAC gallery.
Eileen Ma (11), Nikhil Devireddy (11), Alivia Li (12) and Samvita, officers of Harker Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), introduced an upcoming event on Jan. 11 at 3:30 pm in the Nichols Atrium, which will feature more information about HOSA’s opportunities. Harker HOSA offers 36 events in 6 categories, which include Health Science, Health Professions, Emergency Preparedness, Leadership, Teamwork and Recognition.
BB Ajlouny (11), Zain Vakath (11) and Elvis Han (12) delivered the Eagle Update.
Varsity girls basketball defeated Menlo-Atherton and Lynbrook during winter break and went 3-0 in Los Angeles at the North Tournament. They will play against Notre Dame at their campus on Jan. 11.
Varsity boys basketball defeated Del Mar, Andrew Hill and Gunderson during the winter break, bringing them to 3-1. They played a home game against Crystal Springs on Jan. 5 and went to ECP on Jan. 8. The varsity boys basketball team has also qualified for the Central Coast Section (CCS) Championship.
Varsity girls soccer reached 6-0 in their season after dominating Cupertino 5-0 on Dec. 17, and they played against Notre Dame yesterday. They were scheduled to play against Monta Vista Christian last Friday during Kicks Against Cancer, but Kicks Against Cancer will be postponed to a later date according to an email from upper school athletic director Dan Molin, as opponents have canceled the games due to COVID-19.
Ashley Barth (12), Ishaan Matripragrada (12), Laszlo Bollyky (12), Kate Leafstrand (12) and Sarah Leafstrand (12) thanked the upper school community for participating in Harker Soccer’s Chipotle fundraiser for Kicks Against Cancer, which raised over $800. The soccer program sold baked goods, blankets, T-shirts, lanyards and more outside Manzanita Hall during lunch last week.
Tiffany Chang (11) and Sawyer Lai (11), co-presidents of Protecting Animals Worldwide (PAW) Club, also thanked students for participating in making blankets for shelter animals. Future meetings will take place during most lunch periods, and participants can help cut and tie fleece blankets in upper school history and Latin teacher Clifford Hull’s classroom. They announced that they will also offer volunteer hours.
To conclude the meeting, Aaditya reminded students to stay safe and continue to stay consistent with wearing masks. He also announced that the snack bar would be open after the meeting.
