![“[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)
The Harker Spirit Leadership Team, Student Activities Board, Class Council and Associated Student Body connected at the Spirit of Harker retreat on August 9 at the upper school campus.
This event marked the first time that SAB, Class Council and ASB were invited to attend, with new activities aiming to create bonds between the four organizations.
“This retreat was a really fun way for everyone to get together before school and meet new people while reconnecting with old friends,” Student Council Member Amishi Gupta (11) said. “There were a lot of fun activities that united all of Class Council, SAB and HSLT, so we can all work together cohesively in the upcoming year.”
Director of Student Organizations Eric Kallbrier kicked off the retreat by introducing four vinyl album covers to the attendees. He highlighted how the passage of time changes as people grow and encouraged students to cherish every moment. He established this year’s goal of fostering unity between HSLT, SAB, Class Council and ASB.
Students then grouped up to compete in games to form the best poker hand and to create five-minute interpretations of popular films like “Avengers,” “Harry Potter,” and “Titanic.”
“It was just fun seeing everyone just have fun and look stupid at the start because that’s kind of what being on Spirit is for — like looking stupid when nobody else wants to,” HSLT President Robert Fields (12) said. “So I think that was just good to see everyone’s very enthusiastic and willing to put themselves out there, and it was a great start to the day.”
After the games, students split into their respective councils to prepare for frosh orientation, from filming informative videos for the frosh class to creating signs that help guide them around campus.
Three student speeches highlighted the afternoon. HSLT Community Events Secretary Robinson Xiang (11) spoke about how the power of believing in himself helped him achieve his goals. HSLT Committee Member Oscar Baumgarte (12) followed up with his journey of redefining what success means to him. Lastly, Robert spoke about the importance of perseverance as everybody sat around a firepit.
Students laughed together and made double marshmallow s’mores, competing to create the perfect chocolate to graham cracker ratio. Even though some students burned their marshmallows, HSLT ended the retreat with s’mores and songs including “Mamushi” by Megan Thee Stallion, “Apple” by Charli XCX and “Sunshine” by One Republic.
“It helped us get to know each other because a lot of us would have just gravitated toward people we already know, but it was nice that we sat with people that we didn’t know so then we could get to know each other better,” SAB representative Ava Alvarez (10) said. “I think it really did bridge the gap between student council, SAB, and HSLT, which is the ultimate goal.”
