![“[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)
Green Team attended a community service trip to tend to the Martial Cottle Community Garden in San Jose on Nov. 4.
Accompanied by Green Team Adviser Diana Moss and upper school English teacher Nikolai Slivka, 10 attendees worked with the Our City Forest organization to tend to the gardens. Participants spent the day watering plants and creating pinecone bird feeders with seeds and sun butter. To clear up the land for Our City Forest’s wildflower garden, which is scheduled for seeding in a couple of months, attendees also cleared out the 1-foot deep mulch and weeds.
“I really enjoyed it,” Green Team member Sathvik Vemulapalli (10) said. “I learned a little bit more about what plants need and how mulch is actually used. I’ll [also] hopefully do a better job with my own personal garden in terms of taking care of it, and I now have a lot more respect for nature.”
Our City Forest, a Silicon Valley-based nonprofit, advocates for urban forestry health by gathering volunteers to cultivate local gardens. The organization also aims to help people start their own at-home gardens. They offer options for people without the finances to support a garden through initiatives like “Cool and Green,” in which Our City Forest transports and plants trees for free. Additionally, volunteers can plant seeds at Our City Forest’s gardens, and the organization will help take care of the growing trees so that the volunteers can come back and visit their plants. Green Team plans to revisit Martial Cottle Community Garden next year after the wildflower garden grows.
In regard to future club plans, Green Team prepares for their upcoming club meeting on Nov. 16, including a visit from Jessica Holmes (‘03), who will speak about her work for the Climate Reality Project.
