![“[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 school meeting by expressing appreciation for events like Spirit Week and the musical for bringing the community together. He honored board chair Diana Nichols and announced that her birthday will be honored with cannolis on March 24.
Junior Alana Brill encouraged students to wear colorful, mismatched socks on Friday to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day.
Mythology Club president Sathvik Vemulapalli (11) announced a trip to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum on April 12 and an information meeting on March 24 during long lunch.
Art Club president Sophia Liu (12) and Book Blog officer Lily Peng (10) announced the annual Fan Art contest with submissions due on April 7. Students can use any medium, but AI and tracing are prohibited. Winners will receive gift cards from Blick Art Supplies, with first place earning $50, second $40 and third $30.
Speech and Debate Team captains Sahngwie Yim (12), Anoushka Chakravarty (11) and Ananya Pradhan (11) announced Harker’s 10th consecutive debate sweepstakes win in the Cal Berkeley Invitational and highlighted the Tournament of Champions qualifiers for speech, Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum.
Student Diversity Coalition sophomore representatives Alexis Leo and Dhanya Ramanan shared information about Nowruz, the Persian New Year that began on March 20. The school cafeteria served traditional Persian dishes to celebrate during lunch on Thursday. They also spoke about Neurodiversity Week from March 17 to March 21 and reminded students that SDC application forms are due on Thursday.
Conservatory representatives Maya Affaki (12), Ananya Das (12), Yinan Zhou (11), Hanz Baek (10), Megha Unny (10) and Léa Kandl-Zhang (10) congratulated Students of the Month Capriccio member Carissa Wu (11) for February and Downbeat member Jason Shim (12) for March. They encouraged students to perform at Piece by Piece, a new event run by Harker International Thespian Society on April 24 in RPAC.
Yinan invited students to An Evening of Jazz, featuring Lab Band and high and middle school Jazz Band on April 11 in the Patil Theater. Maya introduced three dance workshops on March 27, April 11 and April 18 after school. The group then shared a trailer for the fall musical “Guys and Dolls.”
Film Club co-president Ethan Guan (12) introduced the first Harker Film Festival, a student film exhibition during the annual Artstravaganza, where videos and films submitted through the form will play on the big screen in Nichols during the art show.
ASB Student Events Committee members Eric Zhang (12), Amishi Gupta (11), Andrew Shin (10) and Amber Wang (9) announced Curly Fryday, offering curly fries with multiple topping options during Spirit Night on Friday. They also opened auditions for Earthchella, with submissions due by April 6 for the event on April 18 during long lunch in the Quad.
ASB Community Service Committee members Aaron Bao (12), Kallie Wang (11), Luke Wu (11), Nicole Dean (10), Sophia Zhu (10), Avi Gupta (9) and Aydin Mesic (9) announced the addition of two new beanbags in Shah Hall. They also introduced Martha’s Kitchen Food Fight from March 23 to April 30, where students can donate money, contribute canned foods or volunteer at Martha’s Kitchen while competing against other local high schools.
ASB Vice President Alicia Ran (12) reminded students to vote in the primary elections for next year’s ASB and announced that hot food after school meetings is now available for all grades.
