![“[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: 09/21/22: CareerConnect, Student Directed Showcase and “Guess That Song”
Harker Spirit Leadership Team officers, some donning dinosaur costumes, discuss Homecoming week activities at yesterday’s school meeting. Other topics included Student Directed Showcase announcements, CareerConnect opportunities and Honor Week activities.
September 22, 2022
Associated Student Body (ASB) President Kris Estrada (12) opened the school meeting yesterday.
History club President Rupert Chen (12) and Vice President Sarah Mohammed (12) introduced their trip to the Renaissance Fair in Hollister on Oct. 1. They also informed the student body that officer applications for History Club will be open until Oct. 3. Ariya Reddy (12), co-editor-in-chief of the Harker Herald, a peer-reviewed historical research journal, announced that applications for the publication will open soon, and students can email [email protected] for more information.
“The fair is a fun place to learn about the past in a visceral manner,” Rupert said. “Some of you may have visited Williamsburg in 8th grade, and if you enjoyed that, we’d love to have you join us.”
Civil Discourse club President Neo Alpha (11) and Co-Vice President Iris Fu (11) invited students from all grades to their first meeting, which took place yesterday during long lunch in Mr. Tate’s room, where participants discussed interventionism.
CareerConnect co-directors Trisha Variyar (12) and Sara Wan (12) announced a CareerConnect opportunity to visit the Zoom Headquarters and talk with the Marketing, Sales and Product Management team and the CEO. The trip will take place next Wednesday from 12:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the deadline to register is tomorrow. Spots are first come first serve.
Campus Life Committee representatives Gordy Sun (11), John Cracraft (12) and Rushil Jaiswal (10) notified students that the wings and pizza stations will swap locations starting next week, and they also reminded students to put their dishes away properly.
Honor Council senior representatives Austina Xu, Gary Ding and Gwen Yang announced next week’s Honor Week, which will involve activities including a community discussion board and a campus clean-up during the advisory period.
Living with Intent, Focus and Enthusiasm (LIFE) Board members Lavanya Subramanian (12) and Gwen provided information on Eagle Buddies this Friday as well as the LIFE Board’s mentorship program. Additionally, they announced the topics for the frosh and junior LIFE assemblies this Friday, which will be time management and substance abuse, respectively. More information can be found on Schoology, and students can email [email protected] with any questions.
This semester’s Conservatory representatives Samvita Gautham (12), Luke Mehta (11) and Richard Zhang (12) revealed the plays to be produced in this year’s Student Directed Showcase (SDS). Aastha Mangla (12) will direct “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” Samvita will direct “Working,” Zubin Khera (12) will direct “Actor” and Harper Brada (12) will direct “The Potman Spoke Sooth.”
Staged readings for the productions took place yesterday during long lunch and after school, and will continue after school tomorrow in Room 502. Conservatory will also host a screenwriting workshop with Harker Alumna and screenwriter Mallika Dhaliwal next Wednesday during long lunch in Room 502. They also invited students to the Harker Concert Series presenting the San Jose Chamber Orchestra, which will be on Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. in the Patil Theater. Admission is free for Harker students.
The Harker Spirit Leadership Team (HSLT) gave several announcements, including the winners of the Spirit Kickoff contests. Anya Saksena (11) and Claire Luo (11) correctly guessed 24 Swedish Fish, Saanvi Bhargava (10) estimated 25 gummy bears and Robert Fields (10) held onto the motorized shark for a record time of 71 seconds. HSLT also released the events schedule for Homecoming Week, which will take place from Oct. 3 to Oct. 7. On Monday, there will be the Dodgeball Preliminary Round, on Tuesday the Advisory Parade and Tug of War, on Wednesday the Dodgeball Finals, on Thursday the Homecoming Spirit Rally and on Friday the Homecoming Dance.
To end the school meeting, BB Ajlouny (12), Abhi Namala (12) and Zain Vakath (12) gave this week’s Eagle Update.
The cross country team earned strong finishes at the De La Salle Invitational over the weekend, with Veyd Patil (11) and Kara Kister (12) reporting times of 16:36 and 20:37, respectively. Their next competition will be on Oct. 1 at the Artichoke Invitational in Half Moon Bay.
The Harker Girls Golf team won second place in the Helen Lengfeld tournament, with Claire Chen (12) finishing in the top five. Their next match was yesterday at Bay View versus Castilleja and Crystal Springs.
The football team beat Burton 58-0 last week and will next play an eight-man match against Crystal Springs tomorrow.
The Boys Water Polo team notched victories against Lynbrook, Gunn, Novato, Palo Alto and Gunn before falling to Valley Christian, and they will play Los Gatos at home today.
Girls Water Polo beat Lynbrook but lost to Gunn last week, and they will host Los Gatos on Thursday before playing at Aptos tomorrow.
Girls Varsity Volleyball defeated Evergreen Valley, lost to Westmont and then swept Priory 3-0. They will play Eastside College Prep at home today.
Finally, the team captains of in-season sports as well as Upper School Assistant Athletic Director and Varsity Boys Basketball Head Coach Alfredo Alves played a game of “Guess That Song,” with Ryan Jeffers (12) eventually winning the contest.
