More than 3,500 Harker community members headed to the upper school campus this past Saturday for the second annual Harker Day. Families spent the day enjoying food, games, sports and live entertainment by Harker students.
The many games on offer included Skee-Ball, air hockey, foosball and electronic basketball. Elsewhere, younger students enjoyed pumpkin painting and an inflatable slide. Food trucks and Ms. Carly’s Café served patrons a wide variety of foods throughout the day, and animal rescue organizations brought in puppies, kittens and guinea pigs that were very popular with visitors of all ages. Meanwhile, Harker performing arts groups from the lower, middle and upper schools entertained large crowds at the Patil Theater.
Students also sold food and drinks at concession areas throughout the day to raise money for their classes. Senior Arissa Huda was one such student. “I love selling stuff,” she said. “I’ve actually made quite a bit of money for the senior class and for WiSTEM.”
Ally Lee, grade 12, a representative of Harker’s Art Club, helped organize and run the pumpkin decorating table and said she enjoyed “seeing a bunch of the alumni and teachers I’ve had.”
Loren Due ’85, one of many Harker graduates lounging at the special alumni area, said he enjoyed Harker Day because of how it “brings all the campuses together, especially with the sports and having the opportunity for the middle and upper school to participate on the same campus on the same day.”
Laena St. Jules ’04 remarked at how much the campus had changed since she graduated. “I really just am enjoying seeing how much everything has transformed, everything is building and growing in a very positive direction and offering students new things,” she said.
Several Harker sports teams were in competition during the day, and Eagle fans showed up to cheer on the boys and girls volleyball and water polo teams, as well as the grade 8 flag football team. Other sports activities included a morning tennis clinic and a water polo clinic in the afternoon.
Just before the start of Homecoming festivities, the 2022 Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony welcomed three alumni – Alex Abarca ’09, Daniza Rodriguez ’13 and Amanda (Polzin) Sullivan ’06 – and the entire 2007-08 girls varsity volleyball team into the Harker Athletic Hall of Fame.
As the varsity football Homecoming game against the Delta Charter Dragons approached, attendees moved to the bleachers at Davis Field to view the third-place tug-of-war contest between the juniors and seniors, which ended in a victory for the Class of 2024. The crowd also enjoyed pre-game appearances by Junior Cheerleaders and the Eaglets, as well as the Harker Choir’s rendition of The Harker School Song and the National Anthem.
The Eagles took control of the game early, surging to a 35-12 lead by halftime. This year’s halftime entertainment was provided by the Harker Cheer Quad and the Harker Dance Company, and the crowd was also treated to the finals of the tug-of-war contest, which saw the sophomores declared champions. Halftime festivities concluded with the crowning of seniors Atri Banerjee and Sawyer Lai as the 2022 Homecoming Royals. In the second half, the Eagles cruised to a 48-20 victory to improve their record to 5-1.