![“[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)
150 students took the American Mathematics Competition (AMC) 10 and 12A exams in the Auxiliary Gym from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday.
The 75-minute AMC exam, hosted by the Mathematical Association of America, consisted of 25 multiple choice questions on algebra, geometry, number theory and combinatorics. Students in 10th grade and under were eligible to take the AMC 10A, and those in 12th grade and under could take the 12A exam.
Frosh Lucas Yuan emphasized the importance of performing well on the AMC, highlighting that it enables students to qualify for more advanced competitions.
“It’s the entry level competition,” Lucas said. “You have to do it to qualify for anything on the path to Olympiads. It also trains your ability to handle stress and think fast because you can’t crash out during the test.”
To aid students in their preparation, Math Club hosted meetings to help students familiarize with competition level math and common problems.
Sophomore Math Club officer Jonathan Li explained the topics officers covered during their hour-long lunchtime sessions.
“We had a series of four AMC lectures where the officers made handouts for each of the four major competition math topics,” Jonathan said. “We taught those topics, lectured and gave them problems to solve. For people who haven’t done competition math, it’s a good way to get exposed to it.”
Ishaan Mysore (11), who took the AMC 12A, described the way he studied and practiced for the exam.
“I practiced a lot of problems using unfamiliar approaches,” Ishaan said. “On the test, when I see a problem, I’ll know how to solve it. Drilling my weaknesses and focusing on areas that I’m less successful at is very helpful for this exam.”
Math Club adviser Dr. Anu Aiyer appreciated the accessibility of the exam, noting that students from a broad range of math backgrounds can approach AMC problems with confidence.
“The type of problems that are given don’t require you to know calculus,” Aiyer said. “If you’re a pretty decent student in Honors Algebra 2 or Precalculus, you can make a lot of headway with these problems. The AMC is also a stepping stone for the next level, as opposed to just a stand alone competition.”
Next week, active Math Club members who signed up for the AMC 10 B and 12 B exams will take it on Tuesday after school in the Dobbins classrooms for another chance to qualify for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination.
