![“[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)
Students and faculty members crowded into the gym during long lunch on September 21 to watch and participate in the final events of the annual dodgeball competition.
In the first game, the sophomores faced the juniors for a final round to settle the controversy of the previous week. The round lasted two minutes, and the juniors triumphed and advanced to play against the seniors for first place.
Next, the freshman and sophomores battled against each other for second place. The sophomores eliminated all but one freshman in the two-minute round to secure third place.
The next game involved the juniors facing the seniors in maximum of three rounds to decide the winner. The juniors won two straight rounds, defeating the Class of 2012.
“I was glad how it turned out […] I was very pleased by the result,” David Lindars (11) said. “I think that we deserved to get first place and we showed our potential.”
“The Junior victory today really reflects how close our class of 2013 is becoming. Throughout the games, we were all on the same page, knew what we had to do, and executed!” Junior Class President Simar Mangat said. “ We’re basically evolving from a class to a family, and this progression foreshadows great things in Spirit for this year. The 2013 class is here to dominate, and dodgeball is but the first event where we show our swag.”
Despite their loss, the senior class still looks forward to a year filled with unity and class spirit.
“Even though we lost, we had great class unity when we all burst through the doors together to surprise the other classes,” Saira Ahuja (12) said. “I know that we will be able to continue this in future spirit events this year.”
The final match of the afternoon was unofficial, and took place between the juniors and the faculty. The juniors eliminated the majority of the faculty in the first round, but won by a narrow margin, six juniors to four faculty members, in the final one.
The final results for the event were juniors in first place, seniors in second, sophomores in third, and freshman in fourth.
