![“[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)
Day two of spirit week features Twister, tie-dye and snow cones
Spirit week continued today with games of Twister during both lunch periods, free snow cones during extra help and a tie-dye themed dress up day.
“I like spirit week. [It] gets our brains to think in a different way,” Anastasia Cheplyanksy, one of the freshman participants in the period six Twister game, said. “The spirit event today was fun.
During period five lunch, the seniors came out on top, with freshmen taking second place, sophomores third and juniors fourth.
In period six lunch, juniors came in first, sophomores second, seniors third and freshmen fourth.
Although each giant game of Twister was initially intended to have 16 participants, two boys and two girls from each grade, not enough students volunteered and the games had to start with fewer than the requisite number of players from each class.
Despite this, spectator Linus Li (9) expressed surprise at the turnout.
“Twister, surprisingly, had more people than I expected, and it was interesting to see more people participate, especially after the student council speeches,” Linus said. “Overall, I feel like it was a pretty good start to spirit week, and I’m excited to see what’s happening next.”
Edward Sheu (11), Class of 2016 Spirit Coordinator, won the period six game and explained why he likes to participate in spirit events.
“You can just go out and you can have fun in competitions with your friends. A little competitive edge always makes it fun against the other classes,” he said. “I just love that the other students can come out and have fun [with] random activities, and it’s purely non-academic stuff.
Just like it gave away free cereal yesterday morning to tie in with the theme of pajama day, the spirit club had free snow cones outside Manzanita during extra help.
One station provided students with the ice and another with several flavors of syrup that matched students’ multicolored attire.
Tomorrow is “Would you be my friend if I wore this every day?” day, also known as “Wacky Wednesday.” The powderpuff football game, in which girls play football and boys perform a cheerleading routine, will take place during long lunch on the field.
Sahana Srinivasan (12) is the Editor-in-Chief of the Winged Post and Wingspan, having previously served as Managing Editor, Asst. STEM Editor and a reporter....