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- January 31School meeting recap 1/24/23: Valentine's grams, AI Journal and Black History Month
- January 29Humans of Harker: Critical thinker, community builder
- January 28Humans of Harker: Symphony of colors
- January 28Kevin McCarthy elected House Speaker after unprecedented 15 rounds of voting
- January 27Upper school speech and debate teacher Greg Achten elected to NDCA Board
- January 27Humans of Harker: Athletic artistry
- January 27Lunar New Year welcomes in Year of the Rabbit
- January 26Humans of Harker: Gold medal, gold heart
- January 25Humans of Harker: Ardor for art
- January 25Math Club hosts speaker event and wins Arete Competition
![Cross country head coach Kevin Oliver hands flowers to seniors Kara Kister and Ada Praun-Petrovic. “It’s really sad [to be leaving]; I cried a bunch today,” Kara said. “Since I’ve been on the team for so long, and I see them every single day and all these people, it’s really sad to be leaving.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/DSC_3554-900x596.jpg)
![“[In] golf, I realized that there’s only so much you can control through technique. If you can really just focus on feeling the club and getting your shot and executing something you visualize, you have a much more productive and enjoyable experience. I tend to view a lot of things like that. Even in the way I study, the way I approach the classes, I try to make them as artistically enjoyable as possible, always trying to find a way to sort of visualize an outcome and play around with things until I get it, Athreya Daniel (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/AthreyaDanielHOH_JX-600x900.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“[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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
![Upper school speech and debate teacher Greg Achten was recently elected to the National Debate Coaches Association (NDCA) Board. “I want to make debate a more open and inclusive and kind of awesome place for students to come together and express their ideas,” Achten said. “Thats what I would like. [The debate coaches at Harker] all share the same vision of having a vibrant community where we all appreciate each others work.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Mr.Achten.jpg)
![The Pearl Post adviser Adriana Chavira speaks to student journalists at the Journalism Education Association (JEA) NorCal Media Day at Palo Alto High School today. “There’s a section of the Ed Code 48907 that protects advisers from retaliation,” Chavira said. “That was added about 15 years ago. The Ed Code 48907 was actually added back in the late 70s, and [it’s] the first such law for student journalists in the country. Were lucky we have this: it’s giving you First Amendment protections.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Keynote1_SallyZhu-900x600.jpg)
![“Ive experienced a lot of disappointing moments, but the ratio of good to bad moments is so stark that [it] makes the good moments so good, because they stand out more. Piano has taught me how to go through struggle, how to persevere and that its okay to not be a perfectionist, Yejin Song (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/YejinSongHoH_AlysaSuleiman-900x599.jpeg)
![Students from the classes of 2022 and 2023 listen as Cantilena performs an arrangement of Youre My Best Friend by John Deacon during baccalaureate on Davis Field. “[Performing at baccalaureate] is definitely a very bittersweet occasion,” Cantilena leader Teresa Cai (‘22) said. “I’ll definitely miss being at high school and the people Im with, but Im excited to go off and make the people here proud.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/baccalaureate_OX3-900x596.jpg)
![“I feel like [my diverse extracurriculars has] shaped me as a person. It allowed me to connect [with] a lot of different people [and] meet a lot of new communities. This whole aspect of connection is really important. I value meeting new people and learning about peoples cultures and backgrounds, Camilla Lindh (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/CamillaLindh_EshaGohil-582x900.jpeg)
![“Supporting yourself in your endeavors and achievements is a big part of the feminist movement. Being the president [of FEM Club] is something Ive had to grapple with. People ask me questions about certain topics that I don’t know, and its okay if I don’t know. Whatever position you are [in], you’re always learning new things, and thats my favorite aspect of FEM club, Simone Merani (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/SimoneMeraniHoH_MedhaYarlagadda-900x596.jpeg)
![“Golf takes a lot of methodical thinking and calculations. Various factors, like the slope of a hill or the green or the wind or your current lie [angle], everything plays a factor in golf. You have to think about all those factors as you take that shot. That’s something that resonates with me; I like to think things through before I do [them], Raj Patel (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/rajpatelhoh_eshagohil-703x900.jpeg)
![Instead of trying to cling on to my routine during the pandemic, I was like, ‘I cant live like this for the rest of my life.’ Thats when I started to try and change things a little bit, [and] that made me proud of myself: being able to recognize that and [change] my mindset, Emma Cabral-Gurleroglu (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/EmmaGurlerogluHoH_OliviaXu-900x730.jpeg)
![“[My motto is] shoot for the moon, and even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. Theres unexpected benefits in everything that you do. Whether its skating or science research or life in general, [when] Im not so successful, I would like to remember that theres always still hope and if I keep trying, Ill be able to get to a better place, Alice Feng (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/alicefenghoh_oliviaxu-e1639553706962-596x900.jpeg)
