![“[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 3/23/23: Diana Nichols’ birthday, FEM Club and ‘Spelling Bee’
Guest speaker Afsoon Roshanzamir Johnston, world medalist and pioneer in women’s wrestling in the United States, speaks at the school meeting. Johnston spoke about the story of her life and journey as a woman wrestler.
March 26, 2023
Students entered the Zhang gymnasium on Thursday to a slideshow of women throughout history in honor of Women’s History Month, ranging from Margaret Hughes, the first professional English actress, to Amelia Earhart, the first female aviator to fly across the Atlantic alone.
Guest speaker Afsoon Roshanzamir Johnston, world medalist and pioneer in women’s wrestling in the United States, presented the story of her life and journey as a woman wrestler. From her immigration from Iran to America, to her time as 2016 Olympic wrestling coach for the United States, she emphasized chasing one’s goals and never giving up on a dream. FEM club hosted a roundtable with her during lunch later that day.
Harker Speech & Debate presented the Harker Speech Showcase, where Joy Hu (9), Kashish Priyam (10), Fiona Yan (11), Gordy Sun (11), Michelle Jin (12) and Dyllan Han (12) will present speeches to attendees. The event will be on April 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the Nichols Auditorium.
Jacob Huang (12) announced Emergency Bucket x Harker CTF from April 7 to April 9. The competition will be held online and features a $2,500 prize.
The Harker Spirit Leadership Team (HSLT) then announced Spirit Week events to occur next week. On Monday, students should dress in the themes of their respective cities, and on Tuesday, students should dress in accordance with their assigned salad dressing theme. On Wednesday, students dress-up or dress-down, while Thursday is Disney-themed day and Friday is class color day. Throughout the week students will have the opportunity to attend various events ranging from belly flop competitions to Ultimate Frisbee games.
Members of the Associated Student Body (ASB) student events committee presented the third Quadchella of the year — Earthchella — to coincide with Earth Week. Auditions are due on April 7, and the performances will take place on April 23.
The Harker Conservatory announced the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the upper school spring musical, with performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Additionally, Just Dance, the school-wide dance show, will perform next Friday. Harker Dance Company (HDC) and Kinetic Krew auditions are scheduled for Monday, April 10.
After the Eagle Update announced a football interest meeting that occurred on Thursday, the ASB announced the Promposal Raffle for the junior and senior classes. Students can film their promposal and submit it to a raffle for prizes.
Head of upper school Paul Barsky then spoke on the fallen tree, inviting the student body to speak with the counselors in the team room during long lunch later that day. He then spoke about the legacy of Diana Nichols, former head of school. To that end, to mark her birthday, he announced that the community could share in cannoli, her favorite food, after school meeting. Zubin Khera (12) then dismissed the school meeting.
