![“[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)
During long lunch on Wednesday, September 19, the four classes competed in the annual dodgeball competition in the gym, the first major spirit event of the year.
The first half of the event consisted of two rounds between the freshmen and the seniors, a battle of black and white; the seniors reigned victorious in both rounds. Following the seniors’ victory, the sophomores and juniors competed in two consecutive rounds, where the juniors triumphed over the sophomores both times.
“It was definitely exciting to see the seniors win in two rounds,” Wendy Shwe (12) said.
The dodgeball match was well-received by other students as well.
“It’s just a good break from studying and school,” Savi Joshi (10) said.
However, some students enjoyed the event because it allowed them to interact with students from other grades.
“My brother is a senior, so this year is so fun because I get to see him around and play dodgeball with him,” Eesha Chona (9) said.
According to Assistant Spirit Director Andrew Irvine, this year’s dodgeball competition was more organized than last year’s due to a few changes that were made, including the banning of videography. This rule was enacted to prevent post-game controversy due to possible cheating scandals.
“It went much more smoothly than it did last year; it was well organized by our wonderful seniors,” Irvine said.
Next Wednesday, also during long lunch, the victorious seniors and juniors will compete in a decisive last round to determine which class will be the champion of the dodgeball competition.
Because of the seniors’ victory last year, some juniors expressed concern of whether they could win the seniors next week.
“I definitely have faith that we can beat them, but they also do have wins under their belt that we don’t, so it’ll be a challenge,” Namrata Vakkalagadda (11) said.
Similarly, the freshmen and the sophomores will battle next Wednesday to see who will come in third and fourth place. Freshman Kevin Kim believes that his class will have an easier time playing against the sophomores due to the experience they gained this Wednesday.
The overall champions will face off against the faculty at another game in the weeks to come.
