![“[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)
Homecoming Week launched with animation studio-themed dress-ups and a photo booth in front of Manzanita Hall on Monday.
Students and faculty dressed up as PBS for frosh, Nickelodeon for sophomores, Universal Studios for juniors and Disney for seniors. Some students donned coordinating attire like Mario and Luigi, while others sported individual costumes like Dora or Goofy.
Frosh Sophia Woodhouse followed her class theme by dressing as Bob the Builder and matched outfits with her friend.
“Dressing up is important because it adds spirit to Harker,” Sophia said. “Spirit really connects the campus, and I felt that connection with my peers.”
Students posed behind a cardboard cutout of a mock film frame with their friends, showing off their costumes. Harker Spirit Leadership Team co-community events secretaries Kairui Sun (11) and Robinson Xiang (11) carried this prop around during lunchtime for students.
HSLT tracked dress-up participants at the booth and awarded class points and tickets for the raffle. Winners will be drawn over the weekend, receiving front-of-the-line lunch passes and free boba.
Spirit Flight Crew member Alex Zhong (12) helped keep track of students who dressed up.
“I don’t know the freshman class that well, so doing spirit checks is a great way for me to meet new people,” Alex said. “One person that stood out to me was Avi Gupta from the Class of ’28 who had the yellow hat from the man from Curious George because they kept passing it onto other people.”
This week’s spirit events gave students an opportunity to relax and express themselves creatively.
“Spirit means everyone in our community can forget about academics, forget about outside activities and just focus towards one goal: to bond with each other,” Robinson said. “Today, we have a community of people all gathering inside of our handmade photo booth. It’s amazing to see the diverse group of people all dressing up for one goal.”
