![“[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)
Earthchella kicked off Earth Week with environment-themed lunchtime performances in front of a large crowd in the Quad on April 18.
The event featured acts like junior Ryan Pham’s piano rendition of “From the Start” by Laufey and seniors Rumi Gupta, Jia Jia Jiang, Sam Parupudi and Arthur Wu’s Earth Day-themed cover of “Snowman” by Sia. Instrumentalists on the drums, saxophone, clarinet and more, including junior Eric Dong performed John Williams’s “Cantina Band” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.”
“Earthchella was really fun last year so we decided to do it again, with new freshmen [clarinetists],” Eric said. “A large part of that is getting to perform, but also just by being here, we’re able to help raise awareness about our environment and Earth Week.”
ASB Student Events Committee and Green Team collaborated to coordinate the logistics of the performances and set up blankets for audience members. Committee member Amber Wang (9), who organized auditions for the event in late March and early April, emphasized how Earthchella fostered school bonding.
“People don’t tend to respond to lectures really well, but incorporating this into a school-wide event is an engaging way to get people’s attention,” Amber said. “There was a lot of appreciation for the performers. The act of performing makes you a little bit vulnerable, but then you get the reward for it since everyone is really impressed by you.”
In between acts, Green Team adviser Andrew Irvine and members Audrey Dagum (11) and Siddhartha Daswani (10) conducted a raffle for students who participated in the Clothing Drive in the past month. Winners received succulents and homemade brownies.
Irvine also spoke about the origins of Earth Day and the importance of environmental activism, describing the growth of the renewable energy sector and the toxicity of microplastics. Midway through the performances, Irvine invited members of the audience to taste dried insects on stage to promote sustainable eating, pointing out that several countries in Asia and Africa engage in insect consumption as a part of their culture.
“As our opener for Earth Week, we wanted to try and create awareness about sustainability at Harker,” Irvine said. “That includes making sustainable choices, thinking about our planet and our impact on it as humans. Unfortunately, [the students’] generation is going to have to handle this, but I do take hope in that they are hardworking, multitalented people.”
