![“[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) initiated the school meeting on Oct. 20 by advertising the TEDxHarkerSchool event to take place later that day at 3:45 p.m. in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center (RPAC).
Members of the Student Diversity Coalition (SDC) Dina Ande (12) and Iris Fu (12) announced the first Harker Social Justice Conference. The Social Justice Conference will take place on Nov. 10 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and features eight different workshop options discussing topics like social privilege and power, the natural world and visual expression. The day will be a no test day in all classes, and attendees can sign up before Thursday via forms which Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Brian Davis sent in a Schoology announcement.
Co-President of Middle Eastern Student Association (MESA) Sonya Apsey (12) invited students to join MESA, the Jewish Affinity Group and the Muslim Student Association in Zhang Gymnasium Team Room A as part of a moment of silence and a safe space regarding events in Israel and Palestine over the course of the past month.
Green Team played a video to discuss different ways students can be more environmentally conscious like sorting trash correctly, drinking from a reusable water bottle and taking only what they will eat at lunch. Afterwards, Green Team Co-Presidents Siddhi Jain (12) and Kinnera Mulam (12) announced a speaker event featuring Jessica Holmes ‘23, who will discuss her work with The Climate Reality Project, on Thursday.
TALON Co-Organizations Editors Chayce Milheim (11) and Charlie Folk (11) announced a change in Club Photo Day procedures in an effort to ensure students can appear in photos for all of their clubs. Clubs now sign up for photo slots which will take place during morning office hours over the course of the year. TALON will contact club leaders with the sign-up sheet.
Harker Conservatory representatives Shareen Chahal (12), Iris Cai (11), Sam Parupudi (11) and Jason Shim (11) played a trailer for “The Laramie Project,” the upper school fall play. The play discusses the aftermath of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student who lived in Laramie, Wyoming. Actors have been performing from Thursday to Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Patil Theater each day. Conservatory representatives announced the second installment of the Harker Concert Series, featuring cellist Jonah Kim and dancer Julia Rowe, on Friday. Students can buy tickets to “The Laramie Project” here and the Concert Series here.
Charlotte Ludlow (10) and Norah Mehanna (11) announced the athletes of the week: girls tennis player Pavith Khara (10), and girls volleyball player Juhi Madala (12). Charlotte and Norah also invited students to attend tennis and volleyball senior nights which happened on Tuesday.
ASB Lifestyle Committee and Honor Council played a short video featuring an interview with station chef Rupa Banerjee. They encouraged students to thank kitchen staff more often during lunch and asked students to pick up after themselves.
Upper School Head Paul Barsky reminded students of the moment of silence to take place after the school meeting and announced that snacks were available in Manzanita Hall to close the meeting.
![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.jpg)
