![“[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)
National Chinese Honors Society (NCHS) celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival by hosting a booth in front of Manzanita hall during long lunch on Oct. 10.
The Mid-Autumn Festival takes place on the fifteenth day of the 8th month on the Chinese lunisolar calendar, where the moon was historically at its brightest and fullest. Originally established to honor the autumn harvest, the festival now serves as a time for gathering with family and friends. NCHS first brought the annual event to Harker in 2017.
“Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most significant holidays in Chinese culture, so that’s definitely an important reason why we do it every year,” NCHS president Grace Fu (11) said. “It doesn’t require as much planning as say a performance. We can just hand out snacks and share little tidbits of our culture without having to do an elaborate setup.”
NCHS officers served moon cakes and rice crackers to passersby. Moon cakes, also called yue bing, are one of the most iconic foods associated with the Mid Autumn festival. As a Chinese student, sophomore Brian Ma appreciated the opportunity to enjoy a familiar snack during lunch.
“I’ve had a lot of moon cakes growing up, so it’s definitely a very nostalgic food,” Brian said. “But also you can taste just how much effort went into making them cause it’s a really long process. The crust is very flaky, so that’s always good.”
Participants pulled down paper slips containing riddles from hanging lanterns, simulating the lantern riddle tradition often performed at festivals. Officers awarded those who answered correctly with pens as prizes.
“The riddles are supposed to contain messages of wisdom and good fortune, so we made the riddles fun and related to prosperity,” Grace said. “A lot of the riddle answers were about things like the moon, as it’s an important part of Chinese culture.”
In addition to the Mid Autumn Festival Celebration, Gender Student Association handed out stickers for National Coming Out Day, and administration served cookies for former Harker president Howard Nichols’ birthday in front of Manzanita as well. Head of Upper School Paul Barsky highlighted how the celebration contributed to the lively atmosphere.
“[The lantern riddles] entered me into the enthusiasm of a celebration of one of the great civilizations and oldest civilizations that the world has ever seen, so I was glad to have a part to be able to celebrate it,” Barsky said. “There’s a lot of activities during lunch today, so it’s a good day.”
