![“[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)
National Honor Society welcomes new members in induction ceremony
Ariana Goetting (11) receives her NHS certificate from NHS adviser Chris Davies. Altogether, NHS members accumulated 2,523 volunteer hours over the course of the year.
May 2, 2023
Harker’s Chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) inducted new members in a formal ceremony in Nichols Auditorium on April 12.
NHS leadership kicked off by introducing themselves to the students, parents and faculty present, then declared the values that the organization strives to uphold. Presidents Mir Bahri (12) and Zubin Khera (12) introduced scholarship and service, and Vice Presidents Fiona Yan (11) and Om Tandon (11) spoke about leadership and character.
“A leader has self confidence and will go forward when others can’t, no matter what power and resources may exist in a school community or nation,” Fiona said. “[Leaders are] ineffectual without the guidance of a wise leader. Leadership is always needed; thus to lead is a meaningful and substantive charge to each of our members.”
To illustrate these values in action, NHS invited faculty members and students to present about gratifying volunteer experiences. Upper school Spanish teacher and Green Team adviser Diana Moss shared her service leading environmental conservation efforts inside and outside of Harker, through the Green Team and organizations dedicated to conservation efforts and environmental justice.
“Nature has been so important to me, and I feel that we need to be learning more about the consequences of our actions on this planet,” Moss said. “We are so fortunate to have a whole community of people who fight to preserve the beautiful natural spaces that we can enjoy and keep us healthy.”
After the presentations, NHS adviser Chris Davies invited Upper School Head Paul Barsky, Assistant Division Head of Upper School Kelly Horan and Assistant Head of School Jennifer Gargano to the stage for a game. Davies prompted the participants to guess the total number of volunteer hours that NHS inductees completed before the ceremony date. Laughter rippled across the room as each participant gave their guesses: Barsky guessed 2,499 hours, while Horan estimated 1,647 hours and Gargano 600 hours.
Davies announced the correct answer, 2,523 hours, after each contestant gave their guess, and Barsky received a Skittles packet as a reward.
Students who exceeded the expected NHS inductee goal of completing at least five volunteer hours before the ceremony were praised for their efforts to go above and beyond, with some completing several hundred hours of service.
The event culminated in each NHS inductee walking on stage to receive a keychain emblazoned with the NHS logo, along with a certificate that formally recognized their acceptance.
New inductee Shaila Tandon (10) appreciated hearing about others’ volunteering experiences and looks forward to investing more time into volunteering and helping her community.
“In terms of volunteering, I’m looking forward to discovering more opportunities,” Shaila said. “I really enjoyed the student presentations because it gave me an insight into a lot of the different opportunities out there that I didn’t know existed. I hope that next year I can get more hours and do more volunteering.”
