![“[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 and seniors reflect on Spirit Week experiences
Freshmen cheer for their class during the scream-off. This was the first rally for the freshman and the last homecoming rally for the seniors.
As the first spirit week of the school year comes to an end, freshmen reflect on their first high school rally while seniors think about one of their last rallies.
This year’s spirit rally had the same events as previous years: a tug of war competition, screaming competition, homecoming court relay race, name that tune competition between class advisors, and class skits. In the past, freshmen do not do as well, as it is their first spirit event of high school, and seniors do very well, as they are determined to end their last homecoming on a strong note. This year, the freshmen outperformed expectations, winning the tug of war competition against the juniors, something that has never happened in previous years.
“I was really surprised, Jerry Peng (9) said. “We were all really excited about that. I thought that was really interesting that the freshmen won.”
The seniors on the other hand, initially lost to the sophomores during the tug of war. Upon further consideration, the victory was turned over to the seniors.
“I did know that we were very disorganized,” Doreene Kang (12) said. “Initially I was disappointed when we lost, but I was happy that we ended up being able to be in the finals.”
During spirit week and the spirit rally, the class council usually remains in charge of encouraging their grade to dress up and attend spirit events. The elected members of the freshmen class council had not yet been released during spirit week, but several candidates had brought supplies for those without costumes and encouraged fellow class members to participate.
“I think freshmen lived up to their expectations,” freshmen president Kelsey Wu said. “I didn’t think that our class would be as spirited as we are now, but I feel that it’s going pretty well. I’m definitely pleased by the outcome of this spirit week.”
Both classes won and lost events at the spirit rally, and the points from the event have yet to be revealed. Seniors and freshmen classes had similar overall feelings towards the final outcome of the spirit event.
“I think it was awesome, the spirit from everybody in the crowds,” Oisin Coveney (12) said. “It was definitely a good start to the school year.”
Lauren Russell (10) is a reporter in her second year on staff for the Winged Post. After joining the staff for freshman year, she looks forward to continuing...