![“[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)
A new perspective on second-hand clothing: students and faculty participate in clothing swap
Grace Hajjar (9) browses through a selection of shirts at speech and debate teacher Marjorie Hazeltine’s clothing swap and exchange session. Students were encouraged to donate any clean and unwanted pieces to the exchange.
April 21, 2017
Students and faculty browsed through a wide variety of second-hand clothing, collected from a drive that spanned three weeks, in Dobbins 209 today during long lunch at a clothing drive hosted by speech and debate teacher Marjorie Hazeltine.
The classroom, temporarily transformed into a boutique, housed various types of clothing, including a peach polka-dot dress, a ruffled maroon sweater and delicate bead earrings. Bright green plants adorned the negative space between the clothing on one of many tables. Empty spaces on the walls were covered in clothes hanging on thumbtacks, and two racks stood in the space in front of the desks.
“I really like setting up the clothes in a really aesthetically pleasing way so that it feels like you’re shopping,” Hazeltine said. “I think it’s also fun to think of it as an alternate economy where nobody is exchanging money—you’re just sharing.”
Clothing swaps also help reduce excessive clothing waste while promoting second-hand clothes.
“I wanted to help out because I think it’s a great cause,” Nikhil Dharmaraj (10) said. “However, there’s not that much clothing that I would personally wear.”
The clothing drive was initially inspired by Hazeltine’s passion for second-hand clothing. With encouragement from students, she decided to try hosting a clothing swap at school.
“I still have some things that I got at clothing swaps,” Hazeltine said. “Some people have hang ups about used clothing, but I mean, just wash it because it doesn’t have to be new to be useful and valuable.”
The clothing swap also helps to dispel the preconception that second-hand clothing is less valuable than store-bought clothing.
“It’s amazing that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure,” Cassandra Ruedy (9) said.
The original clothing swap was to be held on April 14, but to give students and faculty more time to bring in clothes, it was pushed back one week. Because this Friday’s lunch was slightly shorter than last Friday’s, the original time for the clothing swap, the clothing swap may also be open next Monday, April 24, depending on whether or not there are still clothes left, so that students and faculty can have more time to browse through the selection.
