![“[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)
Students, parents, faculty and alumni filled the Upper School campus for Harker Day, Harker’s largest annual event, enjoying festivities from food trucks and student booths to games and performances on Saturday.
Director of Special Events Loni Keller handles all the scheduling, communications and activities for the day. She noted the scale of Harker Day and its impact on members of the community.
“This is the only event at Harker throughout the entire year where we gather our whole community,” Keller said. “Harker Day is special because it’s the one time that every single group can gather in one place for fun and spirit. My favorite part is seeing the younger students interact with the older students and get a preview of what it’s going to be like when they get to this campus.”
Faculty members ran various games throughout the day, including life-sized tetris, foosball, air hockey and ring toss. Lower school math teacher Mira Vojvodic supervised the foosball table and reflected on seeing familiar faces.
“I love seeing my previous students come to say hello,” Vojvodic said. “My favorite part of the day was when my students from three years ago came and hugged me. The whole community comes together, and it’s really lovely to see that.”
Food trucks like MC sushi and Halal Bites across campus served a variety of cuisines, giving attendees a chance to refuel throughout the day. Students participated in activities including the banner painting event, where they collaborated on a large piece of community art.
In the Auxiliary Gym, caricature and face painting artists hosted booths surrounded by chatting students as they waited their turn. Among them was eighth grader Claire Svenson.
“I’ve made a lot of good friends at Harker Day and I feel like that’s where everything happens.” Claire said. “I really like face painting, but also just hanging out with my friends and the games and snacks.”
Along with the festivities, student organizations like CareerConnect, Physical Sciences Club and DECA hosted booths in Nichols and the Auxiliary Gym where members introduced their clubs to the wider Harker community.
Volunteer director Kerry Enzensperger ran a dog adoption center encouraging attendees to meet and adopt unhoused pugs as part of the Tiny Paws Pug Rescue organization.
“Being the community service director, I feel it’s really important to practice what I preach,” Enzensperger said. “I volunteer with this organization called Tiny Paws Pug Rescue, and they were willing to come out here with us to show adoptable dogs. A lot of these dogs have come from bad situations — hoarding, homelessness, abuse. It’s just great exposure to have them seen by our families.”
For many students, Harker Day served as a welcome break from the usual school routine, a chance to learn about extracurriculars, cherish the campus and spend time with friends.
“It’s the one day when I can really be a kid,” seventh grader Max Brown said. “I don’t have any homework to worry about. I enjoy Harker Day because I can basically do whatever I want and have fun.”
Alum Hillary Brooks (‘15) attended the Alumni Reunion Event with her daughter Margot to experience the campus after having graduated.
“It’s my 10th high school reunion this weekend, which is wild,” Brooks said. “It’s gone by so fast, and I wanted to see the campus and all of my friends. Getting to see all the new buildings, it’s just very different. This place has such special memories for me, and it’s so special to bring my daughter to the place I went to high school.”
