![“[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)
Homecoming parade displays class floats and costumes
Upper School Director of Instrumental Music, Chris Florio, leads the Jazz Band in the head of the Panoply of Chaos parade during long lunch on Halloween day. The parade also gave the chance for the classes to display their Homecoming floats.
During long lunch today, students and teachers participated in the annual Panoply of Chaos parade in which classes showcased their themed floats and displayed their Halloween costumes.
The parade was led by Assistant Spirit Director Andrew Irvine and followed by the Jazz Band. Each class proceeded to display their floats, and many classes played music related to their Homecoming themes.
The junior class faced a challenge when their float collapsed during the parade.
“It was surprising, but we were able to quickly recover. […] Hakuna matata, no worries,” said Kenny Zhang (11), spirit coordinator of the junior class.
Many people enthusiastically participated in the parade or watched from the sides. Although Michael Lin (10) did not participate in making the float or walking in the parade, he was not satisfied with the performance of his class in the event.
“I don’t really think there was much effort put into [the float]. I don’t think it should get first place,” Michael said.
Upon participating in their first Homecoming parade, many freshmen were enthusiastic about the spirit activities taking place.
“There’s so much more spirit here than in the middle school,” Naomi Molin (9) said. “It was nice to see everyone getting involved.”
On the other hand, the seniors took part in their final Upper School Homecoming.
Senior Neel Bhoopalam described that he is trying to take advantage of his last Homecoming by participating in every spirit event he can. One of these events was helping out with the float, and he was pleased with its outcome.
“I think it came up pretty well,” Neel said. “When I saw it, it was in its beginning stages, but this is totally amazing.”
Spirit events for the rest of the week include Complete the Disney song lyrics game and a spirit rally to lead up to the Homecoming game this Friday night.
Kacey Fang (12) is the Managing Editor for The Winged Post. She has been part of the journalism program since freshman year and served as Features Editor...