![“[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)
Annual Winter Ball, themed “Starry Night,” lights up campus
Sana Pandey (10) does the cha-cha to a mix of music from the DJ. Winter Ball took place on Jan. 20 in the Nichols Atrium.
February 6, 2018
The upper school’s annual Winter Ball, themed “Starry Night” this year, took place in Nichols Atrium on Jan. 20 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.
The junior class council and Harker Spirit hosted the dance as a fundraiser for the junior class and were facilitated by Director of Upper School Community Service Kerry Enzensperger and Assistant to Activities Director Eric Kallbrier.
“We thought that ‘Starry Night’ would most accurately capture the Winter Ball theme. We wanted to do something that would look fancy [and] classy,” junior class president Kelsey Wu (11) said. “It would provide us [with] a lot of freedom in terms of decoration and food.”
In the atrium, giant stars and strings of yellow lights hung from the second floor. Lamps bathed the building in swatches of blue. Round tables covered with star-shaped glitter and decorated with balloon centerpieces stood around the room.
“I don’t think people know how long it takes to put it together,” Enzensperger said. “[But] the junior class council is extremely organized. I basically just facilitated [and] helped everything that they asked for happen.”
Throughout the night, a confetti cannon fired sporadically into the crowd of over 350 students. The junior class council also supplied students with glow sticks during the dance.
“I was with my friends and we were dancing,” Elaine Zhai (9) said of her first high school dance experience. “I thought the songs at Winter Ball were really cool… and there were confetti cannons! They never had that stuff at the middle school. There are a lot more people; it’s a lot more fun.”
At the end of the night, DJ RJ Navalta, a breakdancer for the Golden State Warriors, performed a flip over the heads of several sitting students and showcased some of his breakdancing skills in the middle of a ring of cheering students.
This year’s Winter Ball featured a series of new highlights, including a telescope set up by physics and research teacher Chris Spenner outside Nichols and an open-air photo booth.
The junior class council’s budget for Winter Ball preparations was $6,000. They spent over $5,500 on the dance.
“Just coming to a consensus on everything is definitely a challenge,” Kelsey said. “Also, some things that we wanted to do [were] out of our budget.”
Juniors and seniors, as well as freshmen and sophomores if invited, may attend prom on April 28.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on February 5, 2018.
