![“[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)
Twenty-six students participated in the annual Poetry Out Loud recitation contest in the Nichols Auditorium on Jan. 27.
Senior Eric Zhang and junior Daniel Miao won first and second place, respectively, and will participate in the Santa Clara County competition. Sophomore Abigail Sachse and junior Holly Templeton received third place and honorable mention, respectively.
Eric performed “Backdrop addresses cowboy” by Margaret Atwood. He appreciated the different interpretations and rhythm of the lines, especially when spoken out loud.
“The poem was interesting because it had so many twists and turns,” Eric said. “There was intense emotion that you got to portray. Poetry breaks the formal rules of grammar and form to create emotion through the language itself. It really highlights the beauty of how authors can put together words and syntax. Then you perform it, and it gets more beautiful.”
Participants chose a poem from an online selection ranging from the historically inspired “Charge of the Light Brigade” by Lord Alfred Tennyson to the dialect poem “Ships that Pass in the Night” by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
Frosh Angela Pang selected the poem “The Gamble” by Laura Hershey because of her current volunteer work at a disability center and her speech research topic on assisted dying.
“A lot of people, even outside of disabilities, are being restricted by their own mind or the people around them,” Angela said. “People are confined and restrained—no one should put up with that. So, the poem reminds me to not stay in that trapped situation and actually make a move.”
English teachers Nicholas Manjoine, Susanne Salhab, Jennifer Siraginian, Lizzy Schimenti and Beth Wahl judged the contestants based on criteria like interpretation, articulation and overall performance. Siraginian hosts the competition annually with the hope of fostering improved public speaking skills and an appreciation for poetry as self-expression for students.
“Poetry changed my life for the better,” Siraginian said. “My hope is that there’s even one or two students who fall in love with poetry and have a deeper understanding of literature. I’m proud that so many students signed up and attempted to recite poems. The fact that they devoted time and energy to this competition shows that poetry is alive and breathing on campus.”
