![“[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)
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Director Patricia Burrows opened school meeting by presenting orchestra and jazz band on Monday.
Orchestra director Jaco Wong introduced the piece “Malambo” from the ballet “Estancia” by Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera to honor Hispanic Heritage Month. Violin players ended the performance by standing up and circling their chairs while continuing to play, a nod to the original ballet.
ASBssociated Student Body president Sam Parupudi (12) introduced sophomore Dhanya Ramanan to speak about her coming out story in honor of National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11. Dhanya emphasized the importance of treating LGBTQ+ youth with support when they come out.
Conservatory representatives Shruti Srinivasan (12) and Jessica Skylar-Chen (10) announced the upcoming fall play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Oct. 24-26. They played a short video highlighting behind-the-scenes rehearsal moments. Conservatory representative senior Arthur Wu gave senior Zachary Soraire the Performing Arts Student of the Month award, highlighting his hard work and dedication in his role as student tech director and dancer.
Co-presidents and curators of TEDX Naiya Daswani (12) and Sara Glusman (12) introduced this year’s TEDX speakers Mike Wallz, Drew Joiner and senior Savya Agarwal. The event will host booths for student Incubator projects and outside businesses like BioEra and will take place this Friday.
Student Events Committee members Sam, Eric Zhang (12), Amishi Gupta (11), Andrew Shin (10) and Amber Wang (9) announced open auditions for Chellaween, a student talent show, in the quad on Oct. 30. Chellaween will also feature arts and crafts booths like paper bag making by the Origami Club.
Community Events Secretaries Kairui Sun (11) and Robinson Xiang (11) informed students of the homecoming dance this Saturday from 7-10 p.m. They announced the winners of the Spirit Week raffle, awarding frosh Isabella Wu a front of the line pass at the homecoming photo booth, junior Mikhil Kiran two customizable bobas and junior Eva Cheng a guaranteed song choice during the dance. They also asked students to suggest songs for the dance.
Visual Arts department chair Josh Martinez presented Connie Zheng as this year’s artist in residence. In a video, she described her project based on envisioning seeds as sculptures. He asked students to not bring backpacks, food or drink into the RPAC while she is installing her art as the sculptures will occupy the downstairs mural space.
Head of the Upper School Paul Barsky introduced the new “Caught You Doing Something Good” program. Staff members will hand slips of paper to students who perform good deeds. Those students can turn in the papers to win a prize like front-of-the-line lunch passes.
Sam closed the meeting and announced hot food for the juniors in Manzanita.
