![“[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)
Upper school students and staff wore matching outfits for Twin Day and built Lego castles outside of Manzanita Hall during lunch on Thursday.
Harker Spirit Leadership Team offers students and staff a chance to earn spirit points by dressing up throughout Spirit Week. Students who “twinned” with their peers could check in with HSLT representatives inside Manzanita Hall. For Thursday’s theme, students were required to check in alongside their twin or group.
The daily dress-up themes encourage students to explore outside of their day-to-day fashion. Friends Haden Andrews (11), Shiv Deokar (11) and Ryder Hewitt (10) donned matching Golf Wang button-ups to honor the brand’s creative director, Tyler, the Creator, and show off their shared interest in music.
“What inspired my Twin Day outfit was our collective love for music,” Haden said. “Especially the combination of music and fashion, which has a lot to do with Golf. We also love the artist behind [the fashion label].”
HSLT also organized a Lego castle building competition. The group initially planned for each class to participate separately, but after delays due to rain, students from different classes worked together on their castles.
“There were some hiccups as the plan was changing,” HSLT member and event leader Hannah Jeon (10) said. “None of us were completely sure what we were going to end up doing, but we feel like it [ended up] going smoothly.”
Students collaborated to construct their towers for the last 20 minutes of lunch. HSLT Community Committee Coordinator Anish Jain (12) and Associated Student Body Spirit Coordinator Luke Mehta (12) judged the castles based on height, visual appeal and creativity, awarding juniors Andre Lu and Alex Zhong first place. Both winners received Lego Minifigure packets as a prize.
Upper school drama teacher Brandi Griffith stopped by towards the end of the competition and noted the impact of these smaller events on the community heading into Friday’s spirit rally.
“I think these touchpoints during a week like Spirit Week boost the morale and keep the momentum of the excitement going into the big rally on Friday,” Griffith said. “It’s always fun to pop in and see who gets creative and jazzed about these sorts of things.”
