![“[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)
Head of Upper School Paul Barsky opened the second school meeting of the year on Monday.
He encouraged students to present themselves in the best image daily. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of balancing academic workload with leisure activities such as lounging in the orchard with rented picnic blanks found at the front office or going to the counselors’ office for candy or puzzles.
Green Team Co-Presidents Shreyas Chakravarty (12) and Eric Zhang (12) spoke on the recent increase in the school’s food waste compared to the previous two years and advocated for people to take less food during lunch. They suggested green alternatives for students, like appropriately disposing trash, turning off the car engine while idling, and reducing overall plastic use.
Theater teacher Brandi Griffith and English department chair Dr. Pauline Paskali invited students to sign up and attend the Oregon Shakespeare Festival from Sept. 27 to 29, where students will watch the plays MacBeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Jane Eyre and Corioilamus.
Mock Trial Attorney Lead Yasmin Sundarsanam (12) and Co-President Suhana Bhandare (11) invited students to the upcoming mock trial, where twenty participants will roleplay as the prosecution, defense and witnesses of a courtroom as they debate a court case. There is an interest meeting for this event on Friday during long lunch.
Model U.N. members Victoria Ma (11), Sophia Ou (11) and Tarush Gupta (10) announced the upcoming HMUN Weekend on Sept. 20 and 21. Students from seven different schools across the bay will convene to act as United Nations diplomats and engage in public speaking and negotiations.
Conservatory representatives Shruti Srinivasan (12), Yinan Zhou (12), Arthur Wu (12) and Jessica Skylar Chen (10) declared the Festival Chorus’s and Capriccio’s performances at Disneyland next March and encouraged students to participate in this year’s Dance Production by mentioning that participation awards P.E. credits. They added that the Jazz Ensemble and pianist Elena Wang (12) will be performing at next month’s Monterey Jazz Festival.
ASB Spirit Coordinator Daniel Chen (12) and HSLT President Robert Fields (12), donning an inflatable cow costume, announced the Spirit Kickoff with the theme of “Wild Wild West.” The spirit officers reminded students to dress up in this theme on Friday to help their grade earn class points and to attend the Spirit Kickoff afterschool in the Quad.
After two weeks of technical failures, ASB presented a video, which was made with student councils, introducing the class of 2028 to the upper school campus. Initially scheduled for showing at matriculation, the video guided the frosh through making friends, acquiring lunch, attending school events and obtaining help from staff and other students.
ASB President Sam Parupudi (12) concluded the meeting by reminding students of the late start day on Friday, with extended office hours occuring in the morning.
