![“[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)
Harker Day welcomed students, staff, parents and alumni to festivities across campus on Saturday.
Clubs hosted booths with posters and activities for attendees in the Nichols Atrium. Many organizations featured games for lower and middle school students, while other stations included activities for both students and parents. Attendees could make slime, practice origami and play with kendamas, a traditional Japanese toy, at the Japanese National Honor Society (JNHS) booth.
“We wanted both the kids and high schoolers to have fun,” JNHS member Ava Cruz (10) said. “Making slime was a good choice since a lot of people did it. Someone even made a big ball with origami, and all the calligraphy being done was pretty cool too.”
The stations allowed clubs to introduce themselves and share their missions with Harker Day attendees. Harker Robotics showcased the club’s work and upcoming events, allowing students to control a previous year’s robot.
“We hope people leave with a desire to do robotics,” Electric and Field Fabrication Director Agastya Ravuri (12) said. “Robotics is really beautiful, and we hope to get more people involved through our demo and booth.”
An artist painted attendees’ faces with colorful patterns in the Auxiliary Gym. Key Club sold candy to raise funds for community service opportunities, while Green Team sold smoothies made with a bike-powered blender created by Harker Robotics.
Attendees also had the opportunity to get a caricature drawn and blow gigantic bubbles with nets and wands in the Quad. Gender and Sexuality Alliance members helped students pot plants and succulents, and Women in STEM officers talked about the club’s mission and events and sold candy and popcorn chicken.
Students played various carnival games including High Striker, in which they attempted to ring a bell at the top of a tower by striking a hammer as hard as they could; Space Miner, where students scored points by balancing a ball between two sticks and dropping it in specific places; and Shock Wave, in which they tried to maneuver a wand with a loop up a wire.
The Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center (WERC) showcased several of its rescued animals and shared facts about each species in the Nichols Auditorium. WERC volunteers Anna Pascual, Olivia Perteet and Brennan Lim
brought out a great horned owl, a red-tailed hawk, a western screech owl and a gopher snake named Noodle. At the end of the presentation, audience members were invited to take a closer look at the animals and touch different animal bones.
“My favorite part was meeting Noodle and learning the differences between the different types of snakes,” attendee Odin Wang (3) said. “The coolest part was actually to feel and touch a real animal’s bone, like a pelican and a deer.”
Students could pet and walk dogs in a petting zoo next to Graduates’ Grove, and parents in each grade level held potlucks at tables outside the Rothschild Performing Arts Center. In addition to the sushi, lobster, taco, halal and burger trucks lined along the RPAC and Nichols, frosh sold pizza and refreshments from 12.pm. to 6 p.m. to raise money for their class budget outside the Zhang Gymnasium.
“Selling pizza with our advisories helps with advisory bonding,” frosh Patricia Li said. “We also get to meet new people from all three campuses and help our community by fundraising. I’m proud to represent my class and help fundraise for our class activities.”
