![“[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)
Duncan Marquardt (10) and English teacher Lizzy Schimenti won the first Bookopoly raffle drawing of the year on Jan. 30, claiming a Boba Dragon Squishmallow and Oxford Comma Preservation Society tote bag, respectively.
The library and Harker Book Blog’s Bookopoly reading contest challenges students and faculty to complete a Monopoly-style game board by reading books that adhere to certain categories. Librarians and Book Blog club members aim to inspire a love for leisure reading, offering exclusive prizes as an additional incentive to participate in the game.
“Reading for pleasure is something that students do a lot, but we don’t necessarily hear about it,” librarian Meridith Cranston said. “Playing a game like this brings to the forefront how much joy there is to be had in reading recreationally while also attaching fun prizes to it.”
The competition launched on Nov. 22 and runs until Apr. 24. The Bookopoly board consists of 20 categories, like specific genres or settings, that participants may pursue individually or in teams. For each category completed, readers punch their game board and earn a raffle ticket to enter one of the end-of-month prize drawings. A secret grand prize awaits the first team to conquer all twenty categories.
Library assistant Sarah Smet proposed Bookopoly after discovering similar contests hosted by local libraries while browsing Pinterest. She realized the idea’s potential as a standalone competition and worked with campus librarians to curate rules and criteria to adapt it for Harker’s community.
“I wanted a wide variety of options when choosing categories,” Smet said. “I wanted students to read books that they wouldn’t normally read but I also wanted people to have to think outside the box. There’s 20 categories and I wanted people to be exposed to things that are outside their normal preferences.”
With 95 participants currently enrolled in the competition, and a noticeable surge in library circulations, the librarians remark that the enthusiasm and competitiveness surrounding Bookopoly far exceeded their expectations. They plan to elevate the challenge by expanding the game to feature fifty categories next year.
“The reception has been very exciting,” librarian Amy Pelman said. “Just in its first month, it has already proven to be more than successful in meeting our original goals.”
Long-time reader Sathvik Vemulapalli (11) joined the competition in hopes of diversifying his reading experience, using the categories as a guide to explore new genres in the library. He particularly enjoys the collaborative spirit of the contest, partnering with three other students to tackle the categories.
“Reading with my friends has been the most enjoyable part of the contest for me,” Sathvik said. “Our strategy is that we divide up the categories between us and take charge of our own. It’s very organizational and satisfying to see everything fill up.”
