![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.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)
Harker Spirit undergoes change in structure to encourage participation
Activities Coordinator Kerry Enzensperger, Assistant to Activities Coordinator Eric Kallbrier, President Layla Walker (12) and Vice President Arben Gutierrez-Bujari (11) gather in Kerry’s room to discuss upcoming spirit events. The leadership team also collaborates with all class Spirit Coordinators so that students of each grade can participate as much as possible.
Harker Spirit revamped its leadership structure this year in order to create a positive “school-wide program that encompasses every single member of the community,” according to Assistant to Activities Coordinator Eric Kallbrier.
Driven by the goal of more inclusivity and participation in spirit, Harker Spirit President Layla Walker (12) and Vice President Arben Gutierrez-Bujari hope to generate more participation in spirit this upcoming year.
“We saw spirit and we saw the joy that it could bring us, but we felt that it wasn’t reaching the whole of the Harker community, and that really is what we want,” Layla said. “We want to give everybody an opportunity to have something outside of classes to bring just a little bit of joy to their life.”
Now that the organization extends to the entire student body, the leadership team created the Competitive Events Committee, Community Events Committee and Athletic Affairs Committee to cover all aspects of spirit. The Competitive Events Committee takes care of the class competitions often held during Wednesday long lunch. The Community Events Committee oversees off-campus recreational activities, such as movie night, ice skating and beach trips. The Athletic Affairs Committee is in charge of encouraging people to attend sports games and support their fellow classmates. Two additional Public Relations directors were also added to the officer board.
The heads of Athletic Affairs Shannon Richardson (12) and Oisin Coveney (12) also manage the new group Harker’s Sport Supporters, which offers sports fans a concrete place to cheer for their friends at games. They succeeded in gathering a large group of students at last Friday’s football game against Yerba Buena.
A throng of students roar after the Eagles score a goal. The people behind Harker’s Sports Supporters helped to provide pompoms for fans to cheer on athletes as well as promote the game on social media.
Harker Spirit also experienced a growth of over 100 people compared to last year at Spirit Kickoff on August 28.
“That just shows that there’s an interest in having something on campus that is going to reach out to students and give them a place to bond and have stress-free opportunities to compete with one another in a more positive spirit,” Kallbrier said.
With a new freshman officer, the leadership team hopes to welcome the Class of 2019 into the world of spirit.
“If there weren’t a freshman, then I’m not sure how many freshmen would show up because they might be kind of not willing, like nervous in a new atmosphere, and they would not want to go out as much,” Public Relations officer Andrew Skrobak (9) said.
Facing off the junior class, sophomore Brandon Mo gets ready to fling the ball during the dodgeball tournament. Spirit Kickoff had an increase of 100 people compared to last year’s turnout.
Harker Spirit has also developed new ways to suit the needs of different individuals in the student body.
“One thing that they’re working is low risk, medium risk, high risk,” Activities Coordinator Kerry Enzensperger said. “[They’re trying] to encompass the entire student body at different levels of their comfort for going out and doing spirit activities. Not everybody wants to get up and make a fool of themselves, so maybe there’ll be a different competition like a Rubik’s cube—who can solve it fastest.”
Harker Sport’s Supporters will also be present at today’s home game against Del Mar at 7 p.m. Check Harker Spirit’s Instagram here or Harker Sport’s Supporters Facebook page here for more updates.
Kathy Duan is a senior and Co-Editor-in-Chief for TALON Yearbook. After three years on staff, she practically lives in the journalism room. She enjoys...
Jonathan Dai (12) is the editor-in-chief of TALON. This is his fourth year in journalism, and he was previously the photo editor. In his free time, he...
Sharon Yan is a junior and Co-Student Life Editor for TALON Yearbook. This is Sharon's third year on staff. In her free time, Sharon enjoys hanging out...