![“[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)
On Wednesday, September 12, the gym was buzzing with excitement during long lunch due to the annual Club Fair, where students from all grades gathered to discover new interests and enroll in clubs that appeal to them.
From spirit to chemistry and robotics, over 45 clubs are currently open for students to join. Booths were set up with poster boards to inform people about the various clubs. There were also demonstrations at the booths, and Guys’ Gig had a small performance to entertain the attendees.
“Club fair is a really interesting experience because we get to see people try new things […] and it shows you sides of other people that you’ve never seen.” Chemistry Club president Bobby Kahlon (12) said.
In hopes of kindling others’ passion for the sciences, Bobby represented his club at the fair to “show what chemistry’s all about.”
Other clubs hoped to raise awareness about events around campus. Eagle Nation’s co-presidents Nikhil Panu (12) and Raghav Sehtia (12) claim their club is more of a campaign.
“We’re trying to get more people out to sporting events to support their teams.” Nikhil said.
Similar in that its primary function is to promote familiarity with a topic, The Cancer Awareness Club, a branch of the Medical Club, was started this year by Sina Mehran (11).
“[We want] to help students be more aware of their surroundings and what causes cancer. We recently planned a fundraiser and hope that’ll go through,” Sina said.
Some students established clubs that embody their own interests, hoping to open new doors for their peers. Areej Hasan (11) founded the Puzzle Toy Club this year, which combines two of her passions: puzzles and community service.
“I always liked puzzles and community service, so I tried to merge the two. We provide an outlet for people to do puzzles, but we also go to different organizations to help kids play with puzzles or toys,” she said.
Several freshmen attended the event as well to discover new interests. Oisin Covney (9) enjoyed the diversity of the event and the wide range of people who attended.
“There was such a variety of things to do. The fact that there’s a lot of people that you might share common interests with is great,” Oisin said.
Many of the freshmen found that the fair was a new experience, much different from the club system in the middle school.
“The room was so big and there were so many posters, so I was really overwhelmed by how many clubs there were,” Michael Zhao (9) said. “It was really exciting, and I think that Harker provides a lot of opportunities for us by giving us so many clubs.”
Aside from the new clubs that have been added this year, a significant change has been made in the communication process between club officers and members.
“Every single club now has a [Athena2] club page that they’re responsible for maintaining, versus people just signing up and not showing up. It’s now up to the students to enroll themselves in the club and be involved,” said Kerry Enzensperger, Director of Upper School activities and Student Activities coordinator.
According to Enzensperger, the Athena2 page will require students to be more responsible in keeping up to date with club events.
Some students felt that enrolling online would just mean an extra step in joining a club.
“It’s not bad, but I think it’s just an extra hassle,” Arthur Shau (11) said.
Others thought the enrollment in Athena2 would not significantly affect the signup procedure, though it may help students keep track of their clubs and remember to attend meetings.
“I feel like it doesn’t make much of a difference since all the clubs [at the Club Fair] were still putting up their sign up sheet. It’s not a really big deal for me to sign up on Athena2, so I thought if that helps the clubs, I’m glad they’re doing it then,” Shreya Dixit (10) said.
To be considered an official member of a club, students are required to enter the enrollment key given to them at the fair into Athena2. Enzensperger also sent an email to all students with a list of each club’s enrollment key for those who did not attend the event.
