![“[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)
22 sophomore advisories gathered for a class potluck and brought a wide variety of food to the Auxiliary Gym during advisory on Jan. 31.
Each advisory coordinated snacks to bring to the potluck, allowing students to enjoy food and drinks such as homemade brownies, Bundt cakes, chips, lemonade and boba. Sophomore student council members, who planned the event, also provided 200 donuts for advisories to share. Students browsed rows of tables set up across the gym, with advisories displaying their snacks in stations designated by name tags.
Sophomore student council organized the potluck as a new class bonding activity to start off second semester.
“There was a lot more food than I expected, but I really liked that there was such a wide selection,” Brenna Ren (10) said. “I especially liked the Thai tea station that the Slivka advisory set up. We were able to spend time with our friends that we don’t usually see in advisory.”
In addition to the food, sophomore student council provided music and games like Connect Four, checkers, chess and cornhole. Students spent time with friends and socialized while browsing the different food stations.
“It was really relaxed, and everyone immediately gravitated towards something to do,” upper school history teacher and sophomore adviser James Tate said. “There were lots of options for everyone. You could hang out and talk; you could chill and eat; you could play a lot of different games. It felt like everyone was doing something, and there was no pressure for anyone.”
Student council promoted the event in class meeting and through Schoology announcements. Although participation in the potluck was optional for each advisory, only three out of 25 advisories chose not to attend.
“We wanted to have our class bond beyond the advisory games in class meeting, and previous ideas like bake sale and class trip were rejected,” student council member Luke Wu (10) said. “We thought the ’26 potluck could host advisories whose own members contributed to a share of the class’ enjoyment.”
In May of 2023, student council organized Frosh Week, a week of class events for the class of 2026. Following this precedent, student council plans to coordinate more class bonding activities. Luke reflected on the success of the potluck and possible future plans.
“From what I could tell, from the boba lines to the empty boxes and plates, I think the potluck was super popular with the students and had a good impact,” Luke said. “We may do something like this again and have even more food and more games and more fun.”
