![“[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)
Visual Arts teacher Josh Martinez opened the school meeting by announcing this year’s Dickinson artist-in-residence, Anna Teresa Fernandez. Fernandez, a full-time artist originally from Tampico, Mexico, creates pieces centered on the themes of identity, migration, ecology and the relationship between humans and nature.
In a short video message, Fernandez spoke about her work and encouraged students to leverage their passions to develop their own creative language in their art. Installation of her artwork will begin in mid-October.
Eagle Updates host Charlotte Ludlow (12) and new co-host Pedro Castro (11) announced that Varsity Girls’ volleyball player Elie Ahluwalia (12) earned Athlete of the Week after 24 kills in the team’s 5-set season opener against Branham. They also commended Varsity Girls’ golf’s 2-0 start for the season and cross country member Ava Alvarez (11) leading the team to a fifth-place finish at the Lowell Invitational. Charlotte and Pedro reminded athletes to post their game statistics on MaxPreps to be eligible in future updates.
Future Problem Solvers (FPS) officers Pratulya Ragavalazza (11), Nirav Adavikolanu (11) and Beibei Shen (11) introduced Harker’s FPS organization, where students prepare for international competitions by analyzing future scenarios, identifying 16 problems, brainstorming 16 solutions and writing a short essay. They then invited students to explore and practice systematic thinking, creative problem solving and essay writing at the FPS Launch Event on September 27 from 9 a.m to 2 p.m at the Middle School campus.
Model United Nations (MUN) presidents Victoria Ma (12) and Sophia Ou (12) invited students to the Harker MUN Kickoff and the Pan-Bay Area MUN Conference on September 19-20. These beginner-friendly conferences simulate United Nations committees where students represent countries, debate global issues, and work together to write and pass resolutions. Both conferences are beginner-friendly and free, offering students the opportunity to develop public speaking, diplomacy and problem-solving skills. They also informed students that sign-ups are open for the Stanford MUN Conference, held on November 7-9.
Co-editors-in-chief of Oeconomia Chelsea Xie (11) and Leana Zhou (12) announced the club’s first print issue of its magazine Equilibrium this semester, following last year’s solely online editions. They opened submissions for articles, reports, infographics, comics and opinion pieces, encouraging students from all backgrounds to explore any economic subject of their interest.
HSLT community events secretaries Kayla Chen (11), Kristiyan Kurtyev (11), Megha Unny (11) and Evan Yuan (11) revealed last Friday’s Spirit Kickoff prize winners. The jelly bean jar estimation challenge winner Aila ElCharif (9) guessed 1,382, only 4 off the correct number of 1,386 jelly beans. They also announced the five raffle winners: Jacob Cao (9), Stephen Gao (9), Audrey Yang(12), Resham Lamba (9) and Wanke Li (11), who received lego-sets. The HSLT secretaries crowned Trisha Deshpande (9), Maggie Hu (9), and Kiara Rani (9) after winning the scavenger hunt, granting them front-of-the-lunch-line privileges for a week.
ASB Vice President Amishi Gupta (12) closed the meeting with a reminder for next week’s Club Fair on September 16.
