![“[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)
Monday November 7 marked the first day of Homecoming week, and it was the Freshmen’s day to take over the campus with their theme: Candyland.
The class of 2015 took full advantage of their designated decoration day, covering the campus with Candyland-themed props ranging from lollipops planted in the ground to the placement of large wrapped candies on top of the Manzanita Hall sign.
Freshmen and advisors had the option of either dressing as characters or pieces from the board game. Bright stripes and neon flooded the halls of the typically more subtly toned campus.
The lunchtime spirit activity of the day was the “Candy Pass,” where ten participants from every class, standing in rows, were each given a spoon to hold in their mouth. Students were to pass a gumball down the row of people using only the spoons, and were forced to begin from the start of the line if the gumball dropped.
Sarika Asthana, one of the Senior participants in the Candy Pass, thought the game was a fun beginning to the festivities, and hopes for continued Class of 2012 participation throughout the next few days.
“I think Homecoming week is off to a good start,” Sarika said. “The competition was fun […] I just hope the seniors remember that it’s our last chance to do these activities in high school, so we might as well embrace the opportunity.”
Sophomore secretary Vincent Lin also participated in the competition.
“I am very happy with how my class did during the competition at lunch today.” Vincent said. “But I do think that the point of spirit events is not to win, but to have fun trying to win.”
In the 6th period lunch, the Juniors took a swift victory. Seniors took second place, followed by the Freshman class in third and the Sophomores in fourth. In 5th period lunch, the Juniors won once again, followed by the Sophomores in second and the Seniors in third, and the Freshman class in fourth.
“It was a difficult but fun activity,” Kerry Enzensperger, Student Activities Coordinator, said. “I think it went really well.”
In addition to a day of candy-themed events, the class eagles were rolled out for display, marking the true start to the week of festivities.
