![“[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)
On Thursday, November 10, the upper school community convened on Davis Field for the Homecoming Rally, held one day earlier than expected due to rain forecasts.
This year, the themes for each grade were Candyland for the Freshmen, Monopoly for the Sophomores, Clue for the Juniors, and Risk for the Seniors. Each class dressed according to their own class color.
There were many performances during the rally, including class skits and routines from the varsity dance troupe and cheerleaders. Other activities, like the tug-of-war, Guess-That-Tune, Homecoming Court obstacle course, and scream-off measured class spirit and skill.
The Freshmen performed the first skit. An army of candy men confidently overtook both the Sophomore and Junior territories before finally regaining control of their Candy Castle from the Seniors. Next, the Sophomores acted out a Monopoly game between the classes, complete with gigantic boxes designed like dice and game cards, and eventually defeated all other grades.
The Juniors investigated the mystery of who stole the eagle, interviewing various Clue characters representing the classes before realizing it was actually taken out for cleaning. The Seniors created an army that defeated other grades one by one before tackling Homecoming rival Cupertino High School Pioneers. As a whole, the senior class was able to bring down the opposition and restore control before celebrating their class in the middle of the field.
All grades expressed their spirit by cheering their classmates on during events. Students and teachers alike seemed to enjoy the rally.
“It was one of the best ones ever, even though we had to do the skits a day early,” said Diana Moss, Dean of the Freshman class.
In addition, each class seemed proud of their work. “I think the Seniors did a really good job. But Freshmen did fantastically, much better than we did Freshman year,” said Tristan Killeen (12) about his class skit.
Check back for updates as Homecoming Week concludes on Friday evening with the football game on Davis Field, against the Pioneers.
