![“[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 1/11/23: Pasta Party, Make Our Schools Safe and Winter Instrumental Concert
Public Health Club officers Fiona Yan (11) and Johnathan Mo (12) speak about China’s newest COVID-19 policies. The Public Health Club held a discussion about these topics on Friday during long lunch.
January 16, 2023
Content warning: This article mentions gun violence. We advise readers who may be sensitive about these topics to reconsider reading this piece.
Associated Student Body (ASB) Vice President Gordon Chen (12) opened the school meeting on Wednesday.
Juniors Gordy Sun, Ella Lan, Anaya Mandal and Daniel Lin introduced “Pasta Party,” which will be held by Truffle Shuffle. Pasta Party is a pasta making class for Harker upper school students, and will be held on Jan. 19 through zoom. During the event, students will be making pasta from scratch at home, and can sign up at tinyurl.com/harkerpasta.
Next, Public Health Club officers Fiona Yan (11) and Johnathan Mo (12) discussed China’s most recent COVID-19 policies. To provide a space for those who have either been personally affected, or wished to talk about these recent events, Public Health Club hosted a group discussion about these topics on Friday during lunch in Main 2.
Then, Dance Club president Nupur Gupta (12) notified students that Dance Club will be holding Bollywood dance workshops to prepare for the Culture Week showcase during the week of Feb. 27. Those who are interested can sign up, and there is no previous experience required.
CareerConnect speakers Callie Yuan (11) and Carey Chang (11) announced an event featuring Atit Jariwala, who is the CEO of Bridgeton Holdings. The event was held during the second half of long lunch on Wednesday, and attendees learned about Jariwala’s experiences in the field as an investor and CEO.
Co-founders of Make Our Schools Safe at Harker, Katherine Fields (11) and Divya Venkat (11), then showed a video about Alyssa Alhadeff, who died in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018. Make Our Schools Safe is a non-profit organization, created by the parents of Alhadeff. Their first meeting will be held during long lunch on Jan. 18 from 1 p.m. to 1:25 p.m. in Dobbins 209, where they will be going over what the club is about as well as planning for projects.
Green Team continued with the “Starcups” raffle, where Rick Lu (12) won a $10 Starbucks Gift card. Green Team reminded students and faculty that if they take reusable cups to the Starbucks across the street, they will get a 10% discount and will be entered into the raffle. Those who do not have reusable cups can get one in upper school Spanish teacher Diana Moss’s room. Green Team will be holding their next meeting on Jan. 20.
Harker Conservatory representatives Samvita Gautham (12), Richard Zhang (12), Luke Mehta (11) and Sam Parupudi (10) went on to announce that Dance Production tickets will go on sale on Jan. 16, and the shows will be held on Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. night, as well as on Jan. 28 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.. They then showed a video about the Winter Instrumental Concert, featuring Orchestra, Jazz Band, and Lab Band. Flutist Ashley Ma (12) held her concerto at the concert, in addition to four other string soloists. Tickets are free, and the concert took place on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Finally, students put their eagles up for the weekly Eagle Update, and ASB Treasurer Abhi Namala (12) dismissed the meeting.
