![“[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)
From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on November 4, all four grades came together on the school’s first Spirit Night to work on Homecoming activities such as eagle painting, float building, and decorating the campus.
Spirit Club hosted the event so all four classes could complete unfinished tasks the Friday night before Homecoming Week.
Because of the newly added float component of Homecoming, “the deans were worried there wouldn’t be enough time,” said Kerry Enzensperger, Student Activities Coordinator. “So, I came up with the idea of ‘Spirit Night,’ thinking it would be a great idea for people to get together and have fun and finish their class stuff.”
Seniors felt the time was essential to the completion of their projects, especially the painting of the eagle.
“[Spirit Night is] really helpful because we need a set time […] we’ve been so busy with college apps, and without this, I’m pretty sure everything would be a lot worse,” Cherry Xie (12) said. “We definitely needed this session.”
The night allowed the classes to bond and show their class pride outside of the regular school day.
“[Spirit Night provides] a more specific time for all the classes to be able to have that class unity,” said Michelle Lo (12), Spirit Club Co-President.
David Lindars (11), Junior Class Secretary, expressed a similar sentiment.
“We wanted spirit to be less stressful,” allowing students to “come out and have a good time [on a] nice, enjoyable Friday night with a bunch of fun friends,” he said.
Like upperclassmen, underclassmen also utilized Spirit Night to their advantage.
“With our already packed schedules […] the fun of spirit events dry out [and] starts to become another thing in our infinitely large to-do list,” Rohith Bhethanabotla (10), Sophomore Class Treasurer, said. “But with this time grant given to us, we could put aside all our other activities, and revitalize the slowly withering spirit in our class.”
Freshman Class Treasurer David Lin also agrees.
“[Spirit Night is] one time where a bunch of us can actually come in one place to work on homecoming activities, because otherwise people are busy with extracurriculars,” he said.
Along with working on spirit activities, dinner was provided for the Upper School students. These included treats such as root beer floats.
“People have been having fun, and it could be a new tradition,” Enzensperger said.
With Homecoming week starting next Monday, students will be able to showcase their work on the skit, eagle, float, and decorations.
