![“[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)
Students participated in the pumpkin carving contest and cheered on their classmates in front of Manzanita Hall during long lunch on Oct. 29. The juniors and seniors tied for first, the sophomores came in second place and the frosh in third place.
The seniors carved their pumpkin to the theme “Locked in,” with smaller pumpkins trapped inside a jail. The juniors’ pumpkin was shaped like a carriage, with one small white pumpkin within, another mounted on the stem and another white pumpkins for the wheels.
“Our pumpkin showcases the four pillars of Harker in terms of integrity, personal accountability, respect and kindness,” Class of 2026 dean Meredith Cranston said. “I think we got it in the bag. As you move from design to function, you have to make some changes, and they’ve done that seamlessly and collaboratively and I’m just so impressed with them.”
The sophomores created “Donald the Pluhmpkin,” a nod to both Donald Duck and their class mascot, Pluh the Duck. On the front of their pumpkin, the frosh cut out a conventional jack-o’-lantern scary face, and wrote “2028,” decorated with shooting stars, on the back.
Frosh Annie Yu, one of the main designers of the frosh’s pumpkin, described the intention behind their carving.
“I chose this design specifically because it looked really cool, and it also represents our cohesiveness as a class,” Annie said. “The back represents our willingness to come together, to collaborate and make something, and generally how spirited we are.”
Throughout the 70-minute time frame, each class faced challenges when trying to carve their pumpkins. Instead of having their own set of tools, the grades had to share materials, with the sophomores and frosh specifically struggling with sharing the single scraper.
Sophomore Lana Tariq reflected upon her class’ teamwork and unity while carving their pumpkin.
“It was really good for our class bonding,” Lana said. “I talked to a lot of people I’ve never talked to before, and I got to work together with people I wouldn’t normally work with. This whole experience was super fun and super chaotic.”
Prior to the contest, each grade’s Student Activties Board and HSLT members traveled to Spina Farms Pumpkin Patch to pick out their pumpkins.
Junior Nikhil Sharma applauded his class’ teamwork and camaraderie during the event, observing how the pumpkin carvers were able to successfully work together to create something authentic.
“Today’s collaboration and our pumpkin carving went really well,” Nikhil said. “We were all focused and driven, and we bounced off each other really well—the dynamic was great.”
