![“[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)
Spirit week activities to begin tomorrow
The freshmen step into formation while rehearsing their dance routine on April 1 on Davis Field for spirit week. The dance was choreographed by freshmen Maya Affaki, Yasmin Sudarsanam and Sonia Yu.
April 10, 2022
This is a developing story. Check harkeraquila.com for more updates throughout the week.
Additional reporting by Kinnera Mulam and Isha Moorjani
Upper school students will take part in spirit week activities organized by Harker Spirit Leadership Team (HSLT) and Student Activities Board (SAB) including dress-up days and competitive activities between classes this week.
Monday: Disney Day
The week will start with a Disney-themed dress-up day on Monday in which students have the opportunity to come to school as their favorite Disney characters.
Tuesday: Sports Day
Sports Day will take place on Tuesday for students to show their love for a sport or a team. Tuesday will also feature the Regatta and Belly Flop competitions from 9:35 to 10:40 a.m. at the Singh Aquatic Center. The March Madness finals for Ping Pong will be held at 12:45 p.m. in the Athletic Center (AC).
Wednesday: Pride Day
Pride Day will take place on Wednesday and spotlights activities planned by the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) and HSLT, including a “Be U” board and pride bracelet-making station for the entire day, rainbow desserts and T-shirt tie-dying from 3 to 4 p.m., all outside Manzanita. HSLT recommended that students interested in participating in the tie-dye session should bring their own T-shirts.
Thursday: Class Theme Day
On Thursday, students will dress according to specific class themes, featuring TV show villains for the freshman class, TV show heroes for sophomores, movie villains for the juniors and movie heroes for seniors. Juniors will face the freshman team while the seniors compete against the sophomores in dodgeball finals at an undecided location and time on Thursday.
“I’m most excited for the dodgeball tournament given that dodgeball actually happened way earlier on in the year, roughly the very first spirit week, and we actually beat the seniors,” said Zubin Khera (11), Student Activities Board (SAB) member and next year’s Associated Student Body (ASB) Spirit Coordinator. “I’m very excited because it’s been a long time in the coming.”
Friday: Class Colors Day
Class Colors Day will end the week, encouraging students to dress in their class colors of white for the freshmen, black for sophomores, yellow for juniors and green for seniors. The spirit activities will also conclude with the spring spirit rally from 9:35 to 10:40 a.m. on Davis Field with chariot races, musical chairs and dance routines choreographed by team leaders in each grade.
Spirit Week Dance Leaders:
Freshmen: Maya Affaki, Yasmin Sudarsanam, Sonia Yu
Sophomores: Selina Chen, Luke Mehta, Kuga Pence, Kai Stinson
Juniors: BB Ajlouny, Nicholas Delfino, Nupur Gupta, Eileen Ma, Anja Ree
Seniors: Kai Due, Nikki Kapadia, Brandon Park, Irene Yuan, Brooklyn Cicero, Sujith Pakala
A previous version of this article failed to mention that Brooklyn Cicero (12) and Sujith Pakala (12) are also leaders for the senior dance. The article has been updated on April 11, 2022, to reflect the correction of this error.
