![“[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 Daniel Lin (12) welcomed students to the first school meeting after Thanksgiving break on Monday. Daniel requested that students disconnect from their phones and remain present throughout the meeting.
Harker Robotics presented a video featuring their recent participation in two off-season competitions, CalGames and Capital City Classic. Harker Robotics Team Technical President Chiling Han (11) noted that the team placed sixth and fifth at Calgames and Capital City Classic, respectively. Operations President Tiffany Gu (11) highlighted the team’s recent robot demonstration at Santana Row and discussed the off-season training available for club members of all skill levels. Executive President Aeliya Grover (12) invited students to attend the team meetings at 3:45 p.m. on Thursdays or 12 p.m. on Saturdays.
Conservatory representatives Shareen Chahal (12), Luke Mehta (12), Iris Cai (11), Sam Parupudi (11) and Jason Shim (11) performed a skit to introduce upcoming holiday events from the performing arts department. Iris promoted Downbeat’s home show on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Nichols Auditorium. Downbeat will travel to various parts of the Bay Area during the day, including Harker’s Transitional Kindergarten and the Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco with the goal of spreading joy and holiday spirit through music. Students are invited to attend their show on Friday and enjoy the hot cocoa bar afterward.
Luke and Sam encouraged students to attend the Santana Row Christmas tree lighting on Dec. 5 to support their peers from Harker Dance Company (HDC), Kinetic Krew and Downbeat, as well as Harker middle school performers from Dance Fusion, Showstoppers and High Voltage.
Jason announced Harker’s upcoming Big Assembly Day (BAD), which will feature over 320 singers, dancers and instrumentalists from all three campuses on Dec. 15. Students will watch the performance during lunch, which will be split into two shows for underclassmen and upperclassmen.
Transgender Affinity Group Vice President Charlie Folk (11) and Secretary Ollie Masoni (10) informed students about Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day celebrated on Nov. 20 to memorialize transgender people who have been targeted and killed for their gender identity. The day originally honored the death of Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman, and now highlights the decades-long violence towards transgender and non-binary individuals. Charlie and Ollie invited students to participate in a moment of silence in honor of all transgender individuals lost to violence and hate.
Daniel apologized to students for not having snacks available after the meeting but noted that there would be food available on Wednesday following advisory. He dismissed students 20 minutes earlier than usual to celebrate the first day of school after the break.
