![“[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)
The main event of this past week was the school’s annual fashion show. In addition, sophomores held their own newspaper fashion show. This week includes a feature on the varsity swimming teams.
“I don’t think we’ve seen the highlight of the week yet. […] You have to look to the fashion show. We got a preview of the fun newspaper fashion show, and I think everybody that was there enjoyed it. The real fashion show is going to be fun as always,” Butch Keller said.
This year, the varsity swimming teams are lead by senior captains Tariq Jahshan, Albert Wu, Tiffany Wong, and Lucy Cheng. The new head coach, Ron Usher, has been leading practices since late January. The first meet will be held against Lynbrook High School on Friday, March 2.
The sophomore class held their first ever newspaper fashion show on Thursday, February 23 during advisory in honor of the annual school-wide fashion show. Advisories had the opportunity to send a model down the runway in the Nichols Atrium wearing a dress made entirely of newspaper and duct tape in front of the rest of the class. The sophomores plan to make this an annual tradition.
Concluding the week was the school’s annual fashion show on Friday, February 24. Themed Celebrate: K Through Life!, the show featured numerous students, parents, and faculty. Shows were held in the afternoon and the evening, both of which included performances by Downbeat, the Varsity dance troupe, and the Upper School Jazz Band and quartets in addition to groups from other campuses. The evening show ended with a live auction and a dance party.
More events to look forward to next week include WiSTEM week, the Quill and Scroll induction ceremony, and an update on Varsity baseball.
