![“[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)
From countrysides to cityscapes: Homecoming 2019
October 17, 2019
This year’s spirit rally wrapped up this year’s homecoming week on Oct. 11, bringing students and faculty together in the athletics center for a series of festivities and competitive events before Oct. 12 homecoming game against St. Vincent De Paul High School.
The cheer team kicked off the rally with their homecoming routine, after which students from each class participated in a scream-off and a lip sync competition. The Harker Dance Company then performed their homecoming number, staying in sync even in the face of technical difficulties with their music.
Finally, teacher representatives put their music knowledge to the test in a game of “Name that Tune,” and members of the homecoming court raced each other in a relay across the gym.
Sophomores won the scream-off, and juniors placed first for the lip sync and relay. The results of the eagle competition were also announced at the rally, with seniors placing first and juniors placing second, followed by sophomores in third and freshmen in fourth.
Throughout the rally, the four classes bonded over each challenge and each triumph, uniting in cheers and chants in support of their peers.
“It’s this magical feeling when your class—which is 200 separate people, each with their own personalities—it’s truly magical when they’re all coming together, all cheering the same chant, all cheering for our class and making loud noises,” sophomore spirit coordinator William Chien (10) said. “It’s amazing because I get to witness that in its full intensity.”
Before the homecoming game, the sophomores and the freshmen faced off in the first round of the tug-of-war finals, with sophomores pulling into third place and freshmen placing fourth. During half-time, the seniors and the juniors battled for first place, and after a tight struggle between the two teams, the class of 2021 triumphed, taking first place while seniors took second.
Earlier in the week, a variety of activities and events ranging from an advisory parade on Oct. 8 to the tug-of-war semifinals on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10 built up spirit throughout the upper school community. Each day also featured a specific dress-up theme, and across campus, students and teachers donned unique outfits, dotting the hallways with cowboy hats, flashes of pink and swarms of black, white, green and yellow.
“Spirit has an amazing way of uniting our community in ways outside of the classroom that get brought inside the classroom,” Harker Spirit Leadership Team president Grace Hajjar (12) said. “You hear kids on spirit days super excited to be dressed up, things like that. It brings a sense of joy to campus… and I think it’s a really, really important part of making a community strong.”
Additional reporting by Michael Eng.
A shorter version of this piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on Oct. 17, 2019.
