![“[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)
Classes paint float and eagle during Spirit Night
Miranda Larsen (10) paints the sophomore class eagle. The sophomores got fourth place for their eagle during spirit week.
In preparation for Homecoming week, students from each class met to work on their eagles and floats during Spirit Night on Sept. 25 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
This year, the general theme was animal habitats. The freshmen chose jungle, the sophomores picked beehive, the juniors selected barn and the seniors chose ocean.
Each grade painted its own statue of an eagle and assembled its parade float in the style of their Homecoming week theme selection.
“I think it’s important because it really brings us together and we actually have a lot of people here,” Lyndsey Mitchell (11) said. “It’s really cool to see all of us working together really hard.”
Many students pitched in with the setup of this annual event.
“We had to organize, reserve, pop up tents and then everybody brought their stuff,” student activities coordinator Kerry Enzensperger said. “We had a lot of people helping so it was pretty quick.”
Most of the freshmen, who were new to this high school tradition, came together as a group and when they attended the event.
“I think spirit night is really important especially as a freshman because you get to get together with your class and work toward a common goal and showing spirit for your school,” Elise Meyer (9) said.
Members of the Class of 2016 were filled with mixed emotions in knowing that this would be their last spirit night. This class had the greatest number of students in attendance.
“I think it’s our senior year so everyone is more spirited and wants to get involved,” Sri Gulukota (12) said. “You know it’s the last time. You get the artists to come out that you don’t see that often, you get the robotics kids doing the float, so it’s everybody coming together.”
Despite all the hard work and planning at the time, students and faculty mostly looked forward to the actual spirit rally on the field.
“At this time, the small committees are working, but when we are all out on the field cheering, that is when it feels really unified,” junior class dean Jeffrey Draper said. “The flag is waving, people are cheering and that’s always exciting.”
The rally took place on the day of the homecoming dance, Friday Oct. 2.
Maya Valluru (12) is a News Editor for Harker Aquila. She enjoys writing short stories and doing service with Harker Key Club. She joined journalism in...
Ashley Jiang (11) is the photo editor for Winged Post. This is her third year in the journalism program, and she was a reporter her freshman and sophomore...