![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.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)
Freshmen win the musical chairs spirit event
After seniors have been eliminated from the game, the remaining students circle the three chairs, waiting for the right moment to spring for one. Students from all grades participated in today’s spirit event during both lunches, which consisted of a variation of the game musical chairs.
Students from all four classes competed in a variation of the game musical chairs during both lunches today in the second spirit competition of Homecoming week.
Led by Spirit Club advisor Andrew Irvine and various Spirit Club officers, students circled a row of chairs on Rosenthal Field, dashing to claim the nearest chair each time Irvine’s music stopped.
In a twist on the standard game, the event required players to touch chairs with specified body parts, including their noses and feet.
The idea for the game was conceived by members of the Spirit Club board and built off the success of previous years.
“Musical chairs is something that usually the student body enjoy[s]. Last year everyone was pushing each other off chairs trying to win, so this year we decided to do something a little different,” Spirit Club co-president Katy Sanchez (11) said. “All the classes showed up, which was good. On the other hand, it’s kind of disappointing how we have to yell at people to join, but once people get there, they have a good time.”
The freshmen lasted the longest in the game during both lunches, winning them first place overall. Juniors followed in second place, and third place was taken by the sophomores in fifth period lunch and the seniors in sixth period lunch.
Though the seniors were the first to be eliminated in her lunch period, ASB Vice President Sahithya Prakash (12) was unfazed.
“I’m just really happy that we had enough people to come out to the event,” she said. “We had the spirit and the energy, and that’s all I ask for.”
Irvine also enjoyed seeing students come out to the event and participate in school spirit.
“For me personally, having kids show up is a big deal. The Harker community is very spirit-ful. We also kind of don’t like to get out of our comfort zone, which means, for a lot of kids, being silly and kid-like. That’s what this whole spirit thing’s about, in that it’s important to be silly sometimes,” he said. “I like being silly. I like just yelling at people through a megaphone. That’s my favorite part.”
Although the participants needed a few reminders for them to take part in the event, Irvine was happy with the turnout. In the future, he hopes for more motivation from the less-represented sophomore and junior classes in displaying their school spirit.
Spirit events during lunch will continue throughout the week, with the annual Panoply of Chaos taking place tomorrow during long lunch.
Kacey Fang (12) is the Managing Editor for The Winged Post. She has been part of the journalism program since freshman year and served as Features Editor...