![“[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)
SAT conflict reduces Homecoming dance attendance
Homecoming King Edward Sheu (12) and Ray Song (11) dance together at the Homecoming Dance. Ray was one of 45 juniors attending the dance.
The spirit program and senior student council hosted the Homecoming dance on Oct. 2, the night before the morning of the October SAT, leading many juniors to skip the event.
Attendance at the dance dropped significantly for juniors, with only 45 total attending, 14 percent of the student body at the dance. Comparatively, seniors, sophomores and freshmen comprised 25 percent, 24 percent and 37 percent of attendees respectively.
Because the Central Coast Section (CCS) schedules the Homecoming game, Harker Spirit did not have control over the date of the Homecoming dance, although they were aware of the conflict.
“We looked to see if there was another week we could do the Homecoming dance, but there are conflicts every single weekend, so that’s why we just stuck with this,” said Kerry Enzensperger, Director of Upper School Community Service and Student Activities Coordinator. “We all discussed it and figured this is the best day to have it even though it is an SAT weekend.”
“I kind of want to cram, get the best score I can,” Jordan Goheen (11) said. “I had fun last year and the year before when I went to Homecoming; I was really disappointed, you know, to hear that it was on such a bad timing.”
Students who wanted to leave the dance early had the option of calling their parents into the dance to speak with a faculty member before going home. As both one of the planners of the dance and a senior taking the SAT, Layla Walker, Spirit President, used this as a compromise to avoid skipping the dance altogether.
“I’m taking the the SAT the next morning. We tried to think of ways we could fix it, and this was the only way we could do it,” she said. “Hopefully people are still willing to come out for an hour, as long as they can. That’s what I’m planning on doing.”
The October SAT date holds significance partially because it remains one of the last chances to take the SAT before it changes format in 2016, with different scoring rules and question types. Many juniors and some sophomores chose to take the SAT early rather than prepare for a new test.
“I want to have leeway. That way I can take the October test and then the November test and not have to take the SAT in March,” Neymika Jain (11), who did not attend the dance, said. “The new one is in March.”
The Homecoming game, the evening after the SAT on October 3, saw normal attendance from juniors.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on October 16, 2015.
Meilan Steimle (12) is co-Editor-in-Chief of the Winged Post. She was a reporter her freshman year, Winged Post Opinion Editor her sophomore year and Winged...
Tiffany Wong (11) is the Executive News Editor for Harker Aquila. She was a reporter her freshman year, a co-copy editor for Harker Aquila the first semester...
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...