![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[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)
Director of Standardized Testing and Scheduling Troy Thiele began the school meeting by informing students about requesting official transcripts. In order to access an up-to-date transcript, students must send a request through Parchment, the official platform for accessing academic transcripts, which Thiele will then process.
TK-12 Learning, Innovation and Design (LID) director Lisa Diffenderfer announced the Student Created AI Showcase, a new initiative that allows students to share any AI tools they have built using Flint to enhance their learning. The showcase is intended to promote active learning, metacognition and student agency. All projects must be submitted through a google form by Feb. 20 and will be reviewed by teachers and the LID team.
Mindy Truong (12), Léa Kandl-Zhang (11), Shridhar Chaware (10), Anya Lu (10) and Aarya Vaidya (10) introduced themselves and Jessica Skylar Chen (11), who was absent, as the new conservatory representatives for semester two. They shared a video that previewed this year’s Dance Production, themed “Once Upon a Time,” which will take place on Jan. 30 and 31 The show will feature student-choreographed routines by Selina Wang (12), Serena Lau (12) Hannah Jiang (11) and Brianna Madrigal (11).
Eagle Updates host Pedro Castro (11) revealed the athletes of the week: Stanley Chen (12) and Vova Schegrov (11), both players on the Varsity Boys Soccer team. Vova scored three goals and one assist while Stanley scored four goals and one assist this season.
LIFE Physical Wellness Committee representatives Aanya Sharma (11) and Mara Pistacchi (10) invited students to a kickball game on the field event scheduled for this Tuesday during long lunch. The event was meant to bring students together for a low-stress, active break from the school day.
Garden Club officers Elaine Zou (11), Nyssa Kansal (11) and Ishaan Dhillon-Patel (10) promoted a radish harvesting event, which took place on Jan. 27 during lunch. They invited students to help pick radishes that the club has been growing. The radishes will be donated to the school kitchen to use in meals.
Visual Arts Department teachers Joshua Martinez, Pilar Aguero-Esparza and Brian Caponi unveiled El Árbol de la Vida, a new collaborative public sculpture created with 2026 artist-in-residence Ana Teresa Fernandez. The clay installation, located in the garden area in front of the Zhang Gymnasium, was made by middle and upper school art students and depicts endangered Bay Area plants and animals. The teachers also announced upcoming Honors Senior Capstone exhibitions by Celina Li, Christy Ma, Tara Nemati and Aanya Shah in the months of February in March as well as the AP Studio Art Exhibition in the month of April.
Harker’s Eclectic Literature and Media magazine editors Raeanne Li (11) and Lana Tariq (11) announced that they have extended the submission deadline for the magazine to Jan. 30 at midnight. They encouraged students to submit creative work across categories such as art, writing and video, adding that submissions are not required to relate to the theme “Stray.”
ASB Community Service Committee members Amishi Gupta (12), Andrew Shin (11), Amber Wang (10) and Siddharth Hosakere (9) invited students to make free Valentine’s Grams, including bracelets, notes and Hershey’s Kisses, during long lunch and morning office hours on Jan. 26 and Jan. 27.
ASB President Luke Wu (12) noted that, in addition to Valentine’s Grams, more than a dozen clubs and the ASB Community Service Committee made posters in the gym on Jan. 23 during lunch for an upcoming fundraiser, with more details to be shared at a future school meeting. He ended the meeting by announcing hot food priority for the frosh.
