![“[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)
On the third day of Spirit Week, April 25, both students and staff gathered on Davis Field, donning their Decades Day gear either to participate in or to cheer on the Powderpuff teams.
Though both sides showed great effort, the Sophomore-Junior team eventually dominated the Powderpuff game, winning with an overall score of 24 to 0 against the Freshmen-Senior team.
Even with the defeat, the freshmen had an enjoyable time participating in their first powderpuff.
“[Playing Powderpuff] was really fun. It gave me an opportunity [to] bond with my friends in a spirit activity, and it got the class fired up,” Nikita Mittal (9) said.
During halftime of the flag-football game, the male cheerleaders presented their routines. The sophomores were led by Lauren Cali (10), while cheerleaders Daniela Lee (9), Riya Godbole (9), Saira Ahuja (12), and Jessica Lin (12) coordinated the routines for the freshmen and seniors.
“Cheerleading was a fun experience and has been for the past three years for me. It was a chance for all of us guys to go out there and have fun, be crazy, and show the entire school how much spirit we have,” Rohit Agrawal (11) said.
For the rest of the week, activities will continue being held during both lunches for students to earn spirit points for their class. To culminate Spirit Week, students and staff will gather on Davis Field once again on Friday for the Spring Rally.
