![“[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)
Preview: Spring Spirit Week kicks off, with events and dress-up days to follow
The class of 2026 works on their banner in front of Manzanita Hall after school Friday. Each class received a different city on which to theme their banner, with the frosh painting Chicago.
Spring Spirit Week, hosted by Harker Spirit Leadership Team (HSLT), will take place next week, featuring a different dress-up theme each day as well as events such as a sports showcase, regatta and the Spirit Rally.
The event kicked off yesterday after school with class banner paintings and signings. Each grade’s team of painters polished their work in front of Manzanita Hall, and students stopped by to help out or sign their respective grade’s banners. Each class will win spirit points based on the quality of their work.
Next week’s dress-ups and events will earn spirit points for each class as well. Throughout the week, students can win points for dressing up by checking in with HSLT in the Auxiliary Gym during lunch. Final spirit standings will be announced at the end of Friday’s Spirit Rally. Juniors currently lead the rankings with 2000 points, followed by seniors with 1725, frosh with 1475 and sophomores with 1250.
Monday, 3/27: Spring Sports Rally and “Cities” dress-up
The spring sports rally will occur from 9:30 to 10:05 a.m. in the Zhang Athletic Center and showcase athletes from girls lacrosse, boys volleyball, boys golf, boys tennis, baseball, swimming and track and field. Activities will include cup stacking, guess the song and sports trivia.
In line with Monday’s dress-up theme of cities, seniors will wear clothing inspired by Los Angeles, juniors New York City, sophomores Las Vegas and frosh Chicago.
Tuesday, 3/28: Lego Building Competition (Ultimate Frisbee Cancelled) and “Salad dressing” dress-up
In response to the forecast of heavy rain for Tuesday, HSLT has combined the ultimate frisbee games and moved them to Thursday. Instead, they will host a lego skyscraper building contest in a classroom in Main during lunch. The winning grade will receive a prize.
On Tuesday, students will fashion salad dressing-inspired outfits, with seniors as ranch, juniors as blue cheese, sophomores as thousand island and frosh as caesar.
Wednesday, 3/29: Regatta, Belly Flop and “Dress Up or Down”
If the weather permits, the regatta and belly flop will take place at the pool from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. For the regatta, four delegates per grade will compete in a race across the pool in floats. Depending on the severity of the weather, these events may not occur.
Students can choose to either dress-up or dress-down, which will win their class two points and one point, respectively.
Thursday, 3/30: Ultimate Frisbee Match and “Disney Day” dress-up
Ultimate frisbee will take place from 11:35 to 11:50 a.m. on Davis Field, featuring student volunteers from each grade level. Juniors and sophomores will take on the frosh and seniors, and the two winning grades will receive a gift of doughnut holes.
Students can dress up in Disney-themed merchandise or as a character from a Disney movie.
Friday, 3/31: Spirit Rally and Class Colors dress-up
The annual spring Spirit Rally will feature a scream-off, class dances and relay activities from 11:10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Davis Field. At the end of the event, spirit coordinators will count the total number of points for each class and announce this year’s spirit winner.
Students will dress up in their class colors, with seniors sporting yellow, juniors black, sophomores white and frosh green.
Emma Gao (12) is a co-managing editor for Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, she hopes to explore writing a variety of articles...
Shareen Chahal (12) is a co-managing editor for the Winged Post, and this is her third year on staff. This year, Shareen hopes to extend her coverage to...