![“[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 President senior Daniel Lin commenced the school meeting on Nov. 14.
Head of School Brian Yager acknowledged rising levels of antisemitism in the United States and the hardships faced by the people directly impacted by the war between Israel and Hamas. He emphasized that Harker students should be respectful towards each other in the wake of rising antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate. Towards the end of his speech, Yager praised the Harker community for supporting and being kind to each other and asked students to keep the community a safe place by adhering to Harker’s core pillars.
Winged Post co-Editors in Chief seniors Kinnera Mulam and Ariana Goetting previewed the third issue of their newspaper, which was distributed on Nov. 16. This issue featured both lighthearted pieces on topics like the meme “Skibidi toilet” and more serious topics such as the use of artificial intelligence to invade privacy.
Daniel returned to the floor to announce the results of a schoolwide poll on the name of a black cat with jade eyes that has recently been frequenting the Harker campus . He revealed that the cat would be named Tony, after upper school math teacher Anthony Silk, and announced a video of the cat which was later released on the Harker ASB Instagram.
ASB Lifestyle Committee members Fiona Yan (12) and Rushil Jaiswal (11) introduced improvements to the lunchtime logistics, including a vegetarian line in the Auxiliary Gym and a table for used trays and utensils that will be located near the Journalism room.
Honor Council representatives Margaret Cartee (12) and Jonathan Xue (11) reminded the school about Honor Week, which took place from Nov. 13 to Nov. 17, and stressed the focus on accountability for Nov. 14. They then invited upper school Speech and Debate teacher Scott Odekirk to speak on accountability. He emphasized that “great” people achieve their status by being accountable, not skilled. Instead of acting as a punishing agent, he described accountability as a trait that Harker students should follow to help both themselves and the world.
Harker Spirit Leadership Team representatives juniors Daniel Chen and Kashish Priyam hosted Harker’s version of Family Feud. Three representatives from each class participated as a “family.” Over the course of three rounds, participants guessed Harker’s most popular answers to several questions, ranging from the most common Halloween costume to the best Thanksgiving dishes. The senior class came out on top, followed by the sophomores, juniors and the frosh.
Daniel congratulated the girls golf team and cross country runner Robinson Xiang (10) for qualifying for their respective Central Coast Section state championships. He also announced that students could destress with rocking chairs for students to destress in the Shah patio or quad or find food after the meeting in Manzanita Hall.
