![“[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)
In hopes of relieving stress during AP testing, Spirit Club continued last year’s tradition of setting up a table for students to create friendship bracelets.
Placed in Manzanita, the table provided materials, such as multiple colors of string and scissors, for students who wanted to make the bracelets.
“We thought that it was a fun way for people to take their minds off of the testing and just have fun and make things for friends,” Spirit Club president Andre Tran (12) said.
Spirit Club found the activity to be popular among students because materials had run out very quickly last year.
“I think students really enjoy doing silly fun little things. You kind of go back to your childhood making friendship bracelets and stuff like that,” Spirit Club advisor Kerry Enzensperger said.
Many students thought that making friendship bracelets helped relieve them from their worries, mirroring the purpose of the table.
“I think it’s a really good idea and it’s a lot of fun for people,” said Amy Wardenburg (12), who is already finished with all of her AP tests.
Some students such as Arthur Ye (9), however, did not find the table helpful as he did not take any AP courses this year. Other students, though they enjoyed creating bracelets at the table, believed that it was geared more towards girls.
“I actually think [making friendship bracelets] are very helpful in that it’s just something to fiddle with if you are studying,” Hannah Bollar (10) said. “But there is a problem with that and I think it mostly centers around girls so maybe [there should be] something else for boys to do like a video game center.”
The table will be available for students to make bracelets until the end of the AP testing period.
