![“[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)
Associated Student Body (ASB) President Daniel Lin (12) opened the fifth school meeting of the year on Thursday.
Winged Post Co-Editors-in-Chief Ariana Goetting (12) and Kinnera Mulam (12) introduced the second issue of the Winged Post, announcing articles from various topics, such as the homecoming game and the Roman Empire trend. Copies of the issue are available in news box locations around campus, like in front of Shah or Nichols. Journalism staff members also distributed the papers on Friday.
Upper school English teacher Beth Wahl and upper school performing arts teacher Brandi Griffith explained the Shakespeare Monologue Competition which invites students to perform a monologue for a chance to win prizes and qualify for regional competitions. The information meeting took place last Thursday at 1 p.m. and the competition will occur on Nov. 18.
Upper school media arts teacher Joshua Martinez introduced the 2023-24 Artist in Residence, Pantea Karimi. Karimi displays her work in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center (RPAC) and will interact with all students from November to March.
After sharing a video for awareness about Alzheimer’s disease, founders of the Girls Give Back Foundation MacKenzie Blue (10), Minal Jalil (10) and Kimi Yashar (10) announced The Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which took place Saturday at Lake Cunningham Park. Students and faculty members wore purple clothing and stickers on Friday to commemorate loved ones and for awareness.
TEDxHarkerSchool Curators Alena Suleiman (12) and Daniel invited students to attend TEDxHarker 2023 this Friday in Nichols, which features speakers Don Box, Deepti Gupta and student speaker Rhiannon Sikand (12). No registration or fee is necessary to attend the event, and multiple booths featuring small businesses will present their products.
Harker Spirit Leadership Team (HSLT) representative Charlotte Ludlow (10) announced the Athletes of the Week, including girls varsity water polo goalie Jasmine Hansra (10) and varsity football co-captain Daniel.
ASB Student Events Committee members Ameera Ramzan (9), Amishi Gupta (10), Sam Parupudi (11), Shareen Chahal (12) and Ella Lan (12) introduced Chellaween, a Halloween themed Quadchella on Oct. 31. Auditions are due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m., and students and staff can audition regardless of skill.
Upper school history teacher Chuck Witschorik commemorated National Coming Out Day, which was on Oct. 11, and he explained his story of his experiences of coming out and what National Coming Out Day means to him. He also mentioned that the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) handed out rainbow smiley stickers during lunch on Thursday to show support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Cast member Iris Fu (12) talked about the fall play, “The Laramie Project,” which runs from Oct. 26-28 at 7 p.m. for all days. The play narrates the story of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student who was violently murdered. Students and faculty can purchase tickets and the show will run for two hours with a fifteen minute intermission.
Daniel praised students for keeping the campus clean and concluded the school meeting, reminding students that there were muffins in Manzanita Hall and hot drinks for seniors outside the RPAC.
