![“[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)
Winter Ball, themed “Yule Ball,” welcomed students to a night of Harry Potter-inspired dance and celebration on Jan. 25. Watch the video to relive the event and view the behind-the-scenes work of Harker’s Spirit Leadership Team.
Finley Ho (10): We wanted a winter theme and “Yule Ball” is the winter dance in Harry Potter, so we just thought it’d be a good thing to do. At the entrance to the gym is a brick wall, and it’s supposed to be Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Getting the brick wall done, it took a while. It took a lot of paint, a lot of hard work. I’m spending the time enjoying the music with my friends and enjoying the food. We haven’t gone to the photo booth yet, but we’re going to. We’ve been watching the movie a bit as well.
Robinson Xiang (11): Initially, I was thinking we just use fake LED trees like these ones, and then Chase Milheim (12)‘s dad got us actual trees. We put the trees in the stands and then we moved them inside. We wanted Harry Potter themed stuff, so jelly beans, chocolate frogs, and butterbeer. You walk in the doors to Maine, you just immediately hit with the “oh, it’s Harry Potter.” All the decorations, we moved it from the spirit closet, brought it over to ox, people who came, we divided tasks, we, we moved trees, we put fairy lights up,, we figured out planning for like where everything just where everything went day off, so like entrance into Maine and then we also had a nice little separated area in the corner of the Aux Gym with tables, chairs and trees surrounding them.
Aaron Bao (12): They added a big screen with all the effects. It’s really, really cool. I think HSLT is really innovating their stuff this year.
Rushil Jaiswal (12): The food’s amazing, the DJ is amazing, the circle we’re able to create is amazing.
Aaron: I just really enjoy getting to hang out with my friends, getting to dance with my friends. That’s the best part for me. These dances work best when everyone is really buying in, and “You Belong with Me” really brought all of us together.
Sophie Wu (9): It’s great. I love the DJ, a great DJ from Homecoming. The song choices, the order and the queue that he prepared has a way of keeping the crowd hyped up through certain parts. It was nice getting to spend the night with my friends, getting dressed up and Harry Potter all around. Having that DJ in the dark ballroom sets the mood, and it’s a lot more hype than if we’re just trying to dance while we hang out.
Robinson: It’s the only time where such a large number of Harker students can be together really of their own free will. They wanna be together and have fun and dance, away from the stress of the school. It’s really fulfilling for us as HSLT because everything we do has a direct impact on these students’ lives, on our classmates’ experiences. We know that if we put in the effort, we have a vision and we care about the community, it’s going to be an amazing time for the school and anyone who shows up.
