![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“[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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
Drenched classes compete in pouring rain during rally
Led by spirit coordinator Edward Sheu (12), the senior class participates in their last scream-off of high school during the rally. Despite rainy weather, upper school students closed Spirit Week by competing in the annual Spirit Rally on Davis Field on April 22.
May 9, 2016
Spirit rallies means sweaty crowds cheering under the unbearable heat of the sun, right? Not so much. Students and faculty crowded under umbrellas and plastic bags to shield themselves from the pouring rain during the annual Spirit Rally on Davis Field on April 22.
“Looking back on it, I liked the rally in the rain. I didn’t like it that much in the moment, but now I think it’s fun,” Hazal Gurcan (11), a member of the varsity dance team, said. “It was pretty cool being with the elements, and I feel like it made us more spirited to be in the rain.”
This year, Harker’s Green Committee coordinated with the Spirit Club to celebrate Earth Day on the same day as the Spirit Rally.
“During first semester, we knew that [Spirit Week] was coming,” Green Team adviser Diana Moss said. “And also partly because the Green Committee wanted to make sure we acknowledged Earth Day because we haven’t in the past, in a very significant way, and it has always coincided with Spirit Week.”
During the rally, the junior class defeated the seniors in the scream contest. Overall, the juniors also won the spirit contest, with 54 points. The seniors earned second place with 51 points, while the freshmen came in third with 50 points. The sophomore class came in fourth place with 43 points.
“I think my favorite part was winning the scream-off during the spirit rally while it was raining,” Maile Chung (11), Harker Spirit Competitive Events Committee director, said. “I thought it was really different because normally the spirit rally and all the rallies that we have, like homecoming, it’s always really hot but this one, since it was raining, it kind of gave a new sort of adrenaline and a new feeling that was really exciting.”
While spirit week culminated in Friday’s rally, students and faculty dressed up all week according to various themes: Sports Madness Monday, Time Travel Tuesday and Wacky Wednesday. For Thursday’s class choice, the seniors chose red, white and blue; the juniors wore pajamas; the sophomores decided to host a twin day and the freshmen dressed up like greasers and socials.
“Even though we got fourth place [in the regatta], everybody came together. Everybody was cheering, everybody helped out,” Neil Ramaswamy (9) said. “I felt that people who had spirit – you could really see it in them. It’s raining, it’s miserable, but they’re still repping their classes.”
The sophomores met with their eagle buddies right after the rally for an event to celebrate Earth day and eat lunch together. Some sophomores, however, felt that the rally in the rain spoiled their activities with the third graders.
“There were many shivering, young sophomores that had eagle buddies looking at them as if they were dying, so not the greatest,” Justin Xie (10) said. “However, some prepared people, like myself, were warm, which was good, but in general, rain and spirit rallies – I don’t think they go well together.”
Spirit Week and Saturday’s prom marked the end of this school year’s spirit activities.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on May 4, 2016.
