![“[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 2/23/23: United Voices, ReCreate Reading and Culture Week
Student Diversity Coalition (SDC) representatives Ariana Gauba (10) and Fern Biswas (10) speak about Culture Week, which took place from Feb. 27 to March 3. Culture Week featured cultural performances from members of the Harker community, cultural visual arts and culture booths.
March 9, 2023
Associated Student Body (ASB) President Kris Estrada (12) opened the school meeting on Feb. 23 by remarking on the date’s resemblance to the senior class’s year of graduation.
Dean of Students Kevin Williamson then discussed Harker’s policy on food delivery services on campus. Harker does not allow individuals to order food services on campus, but if clubs and organizations have a need for food for an event, they should speak with him.
Upper School Librarian Meredith Cranston announced ReCreate Reading, the Harker Upper School’s summer reading program. She encouraged students to reach out to teachers to sponsor books with them: to do so, students must have a faculty co-sponsor and fill out a form soon to be posted on Schoology.
WiSTEM co-presidents Eileen Ma (12) and Ella Yee (11) invited students to attend their 17th annual research symposium on Saturday, April 15, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The motto of this year’s symposium is “STEM for all, all for STEM.” The event will feature speakers such as Janice Chen, who co-founded Mammoth Biosciences, data scientist Rohit Vashisht, and Harker alumni Simar Bajaj ‘20 who currently is a pre-med at Harvard University. In addition, Harker students who have conducted research can sign up to present or speak at the symposium. This year, the event will be free-of-charge.
The Spanish National Honor Society then spoke on La Noche Cultural Hispana 2023, the Spanish Cultural Night, which will occur on March 10 from 6 to 9 p.m. All current and former Spanish students are welcome to attend. Students and faculty will perform at the event, and there will be food as well. Auditions for performances took place on Feb. 27 and March 3 in Main 21.
Dr. Beth Wahl encouraged students to perform in the Shakespeare monologue contest. She held an informational meeting on Thursday during long lunch. The competition will occur on March 9.
President of the Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA) Aastha Mangla (12) introduced the year’s second Books with Barsky that took place on Feb. 25. This meeting was LGBTQ+ themed, and all students were invited to come with a book in mind that related to the theme.
Harker Conservatory presented United Voices with a video featuring students from across the campuses. United Voices performed on March 3. Additionally, they invited all students to audition for the Harker Jazz Band, with recordings that were due on March 6.
Green Team Officer Shreyas Chakravarthy (10) announced the Food Waste Audit, in collaboration with the Cleanliness Committee, to measure the Harker community’s food waste. The first audit occurred on Feb. 25, and the next will be held on March 17 and April 13.
Ariana Gauba (10) and Fern Biswas (10), members of the Student Diversity Coalition (SDC), spoke on Culture Week, which took place from Feb. 27 to March 3 and featured cultural performances from members of the Harker community, cultural visual arts and culture booths. Frosh and Sophomores also attended Challenge Day last Friday.
After the Eagle Update, where they presented Claire Anderson (10) and Abhi Namala (12) as athletes of the week, seniors were invited to the class of 2023 movie night, featuring How to Train Your Dragon, which took place on Feb. 24. Gordon Chen (12) led the attendees in a birthday song for Kris, before dismissing the meeting.
