![“[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)
Harker Spirit holds annual ice skating trip at Solar4America Ice
Charlotte Blanc (10) and Cas Ruedy (10) skate around the Solar4America Ice rink together. Trip attendees had the option of taking the bus from the upper school at 7 p.m. and returning to campus at 9:30 p.m. or driving to the venue separately.
March 2, 2018
Students attended Harker Spirit’s annual ice skating trip at Solar4America Ice today.
Various skaters of different skill levels came out to skate; some students preferred to stay at the bucket-pushing section while others practiced ice dancing skills around the circular rings in the main section of the rink.
Participants had the option of taking the bus from the upper school at 7 p.m. and returning to campus at 9:30 p.m. or driving to the rink separately. Permission slips due Feb. 26 were required for the former. A fee of $13 was required to rent skates and step onto the ice. Dinner was not provided; however, students were able to purchase food and snacks at the venue’s food court.
“About three years ago, our leadership team was looking for fun ways to celebrate the winter season and somebody suggested ice skating, and so we went and got a large group of kids for an outing,” Harker Spirit advisor Eric Kallbrier said.
The event was open to all students. One of main goals of the event was to bring a variety of different students together.
“[The trip] strengthened our friendships, which got us through the tough time of learning how to ice skate,” Anish Kilaru (9) said. “I got to hang out with my friends and go ice skating, which is something I haven’t done in a long time. That made it a really fun experience.”
Harker Spirit was happy with the number of students attending this year. They hope to have as many students as possible come in the future.
“We’ve been doing ice skating for the past two years, so it’s kind of like a tradition,” Harker Spirit member Jennifer Hayashi (11) said.
Harker Spirit is currently looking for artists for the upcoming “Flight Zone” logo redesign competition. All submissions are due by March 9.
