![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.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)
Behind the scenes of skit preparation
All students watched the skits performed at Friday’s spirit rally, but not everyone is aware of the effort that each grade’s sikit committee put in to the productions.
The freshman class was the most timely in their skit production, starting preparation two days after committees were announced and finishing their last rehearsal two days before the rally.
“It’s been very smooth,” said Divija Bhimaraju (9), one of the freshman skit leaders, of the process. “Everyone contributed a lot, and practices were almost always focused.”
The eight freshman in the skit committee rehearsed mostly on spirit night and chose to say their lines live instead of pre-recording the audio like the other classes. To get a better feel for the Mickey Mouse theme, each skit participant watched half an hour of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show.
“We realized by the nature of the theme our class had chosen that our skit was going to be lame,” Divija said. “So we thought we might as well make it cheesy.”
The sophomore class went through several revisions before arriving at their final product, a lighthearted story in which sophomores save the other classes. The skit was originally completely different, but after receiving feedback that it sounded too cynical, the sophomores rewrote the script during spirit night.
Another problem the sophomores faced was a lack of workers. “Many people did sign up,” said Sravya Cherukuri (10), one of the skit committee leaders. “But due to conflicts few participated.”
Still, Sravya thinks that the few who worked on the skit did a good job. The sophomores finished their audio file Wednesday and ran their first rehearsal Thursday.
“The process has been fun just by thinking of cool ways to incorporate the other classes themes and make jokes,” she said. “It honestly made me feel closer to the people I never really had a chance to talk to.”
Like the sophomores, the juniors had their first rehearsal the day before the rally. Sanil Rajput (11), one of the skit leaders, described that it was stressful to prepare in such a short period of time while juggling a packed junior schedule.
“Since we’re juniors, we’re all very busy,” he said. “It’s difficult to bring all the participants together.
The juniors drew inspiration for their script from pop culture and the Harry Potter universe for theme coherency. Despite the difficulties in putting the skit together, Sanil remained optimistic about his class’s chances.
“I don’t feel ready for tomorrow,” he said. “But 2016 is used to only having one run through. This year we are filled with passion and spirit and I believe we will pull through.”
Sanil Rajput (11)
In their last year before graduation, the senior class had the largest participation in their skit, with around twenty participants. The seniors stayed ahead of the sophomores and juniors in terms of time management, recording voiceovers the before spirit week and starting rehearsals on Monday.
“Inspiration for the skit idea to be honest came from many many late night Google Hangouts between me and [Riya Godbole (12)],” Arjun Ashok (12) said, one of the two senior class skit leaders. “After a point the idea just came to us.”
Although Arjun acknowledged a few “hiccups” in the process, he felt pleased with the end product and the humor involved.
“ I think we’ll rock it,” Arjun said. “I have the utmost confidence that it will turn out well for us.”
Rankings for skit performances among the classes will be announced at a later date.
Meilan Steimle (12) is co-Editor-in-Chief of the Winged Post. She was a reporter her freshman year, Winged Post Opinion Editor her sophomore year and Winged...
