![“[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)
An array of brilliant colors trickled into the Edge, tails bouncing, hats bobbing, buttons fastened, and gag glasses tightened. Many students and faculty members dressed up today, the second day of Spirit Week, to celebrate Halloween.
A number of students chose to collaborate with their friends, planning their costumes accordingly.
Coordinating their outfits, freshmen Nadia Palte, Chandler Nelson, Caroline Skrobak, Caitlin Benge, Kirsten Talbot, and Akshaya Premkumar dressed up as characters from one of their favorite books, Divergent.
“At first, I thought of the idea on my own, and then another person thought of the same idea, so then it just worked out perfectly,” Akshaya said.
Matching with each other, Yasemin Narin (9) and Sai Shreya Sunkara (9), chose to dress up as bumble bees.
“I’ve been dressing up since I was a little kid, and Halloween is the only day where you can pretend to be someone else,” Yasemin said. “It allows you to dress up in crazy clothes, and it’s really fun. It’s not everyday when you can dress up.”
Also taking a humorous approach, Nick Nguyen (10) decided to dress up as a princess at the urging of his friends.
“My friends told me to do it last night. People did a lot of crazy things like onesie pajamas,” he said, referring to a group of sophomore girls dressed as Ty Beanie Babies. “It was fun; people can express themselves, and they can be whatever they want.”
Some students, however, did not share the same sentiment because of both lack of interest and time restraints.
“I think Halloween is kind of childish, and I don’t see the point of dressing up”, Madhu Karra (9) said.
Freshman Jonathan Trinh echoed Madhu’s concerns, drawing on the fact that he was too busy to take time and plan a costume.
“Because of the many activities I had to tend to, I was not able to dress up for Halloween,” Jonathan said.
On the other hand, English teacher John Heyes was one of the many faculty members who embraced the spirit of Halloween. Sporting sparkly red heels, a wig with two braids, and a blue dress, Heyes continued his tradition of dressing as a Wizard of Oz character.
“I am Dorothy. In recent years I’ve come as the Wicked Witch of the West and the Scarecrow. Everybody knows [the story]. It’s easily recognizable,” he said.
Heyes’ elaborate costume attracted the attention of many students and faculty members. He described the various surprised reactions and explained the effort he put into the costume.
“It wasn’t very expensive,” he said. “Obviously, I’d need to shave my beard. My wife made me up this morning: the foundation, the blush, the eyeshadow, the eyeliner, and the mascara.”
Many students and faculty said they enjoyed the event, along with the parade held during lunch. The following day of Spirit Week, Thursday, will be the class dress-up days for the upperclassmen and their advisors.
