![“[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 hosts movie night
Harker Spirit screened the movie “Home Alone” for students to watch today. The movie was played in Manzanita.
December 4, 2015
Harker Spirit hosted a movie night, in which it screened the movie “Home Alone” from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Manzanita tonight.
The approximately 20 students in attendance sat on chairs and beanbags while watching the movie projected on the screen, helping themselves to free pizza, popcorn, candy and hot chocolate.
“It was a good turnout,” Director of Upper school Community Service Kerry Enzensberger said. “People had fun; it’s all we’d ever want.”
In “Home Alone,” eight-year-old Kevin McCallister gets the house to himself when his family accidentally leaves him behind from their holiday vacation. Confronted with the challenges of everyday life, he pretends to be a man while ordering pizza, combats robbers using household items and even goes grocery shopping on his own.
The spirit committee chose “Home Alone” because of its timelessness.
“We just wanted [a movie] that was a classic, and we know that a lot of people enjoy this movie,” Harker Spirit president Layla Walker said. “It’s hard to dislike it. It’s really fun just eating food and watching a movie on a winter night.”
The showing of “Home Alone” is a continuation of last year’s showing of “Elf,” which Harker Spirit hopes will become an annual tradition.
Watching “Home Alone” refreshed the memories of students who had seen the movie in their childhood and had since forgotten the plot.
“The movie was a very good throwback and at the same time was very emotional,” Neil Ramaswamy (9) said.
Throughout the movie, students “awwed” at Kevin’s antics and cringed at the painful pranks he played on the robbers.
“[The movie] was very heartwarming,” junior Jonathan Schwartz said. “It was nice stress-reliever, kind of just taking my mind off of school before finals.”
Harker Spirit is planning holiday-themed events as a way to de-stress students before finals and to promote class spirit.
“We’re still trying to see if we will be doing an ice-skating [event], but we have our Christmas tree decorating [and] graham cracker house building,” Harker Spirit Vice President Arben Gutierrez-Bujari (11) said. “On the Friday before finals week we are doing a first time event where if anyone wears a Santa hat or any holiday-themed hatwear they’ll be getting free cider in the morning.”
The next spirit event will be next Friday. Students can wear a Santa hat or holiday-themed hat to receive free cider.
