![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“[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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
Freshman class welcomed during matriculation ceremony
Head of School Christopher Nikoloff speaks to the students at the matriculation ceremony. The matriculation ceremony took place on Aug. 19.
August 29, 2016
The freshman class of 2020 was officially welcomed into high school during the annual matriculation ceremony on Aug. 19.
The ceremony started on Friday morning with the processional of the teachers followed by incoming freshmen. After everyone was seated, Head of School Christopher Nikoloff opened the ceremony with introductory remarks that welcomed new students to the Harker community.
Next, Cantilena, the all women upperclassmen chorus, performed the vocal piece “This Little Light of Mine” under the direction of vocal music teacher Susan Nace.
“It was a good day, I got to see people, and for the performance for Cantilena, we messed up a bit, but it was okay,” Aryana Far (10) said. “We got a lot of clapping and people received us well. Also, the skit was really funny.”
Their performance was followed by a speech from Upper School Division Head Butch Keller. During the speech, Keller addressed the values of respect, integrity and character while stepping out of his comfort zone by not speaking at the podium or looking at notes.
“I was part of the freshman team, so I was welcomed with the freshmen. It was very warm and inviting, and I enjoyed it,” Chemistry teacher Dr. Koodanjeri said. “I also enjoyed Mr. Keller getting out of his element and being vulnerable and open to doing his speech a different way, which shows the entire student body that it’s okay to try new things. You know, he failed a couple times and people clapped and he asked them to, so it was awesome.”
Next, ASB president Sandip Nirmel addressed the construction going on at school and spoke to each individual class during his speech.
“I enjoyed Sandip’s speech, especially his humor and the random allusions kind of spiced it up a little bit,” David Zhu (12), senior class treasurer, said. “Mr. Keller’s as well, I was happy that I was here to listen to his speech. I liked the new approach.”
Sandip then introduced the members of the 2016-17 ASB council.
Assistant Head of School Jennifer Gargano then led a reading of the Matriculation oath and introduced the String Quartet, consisting of violinists May Gao (12), Cuebeom Choi (12) and Jerry Peng (10) as well as cellist Edward Oh (12). The quartet performed the piece “Nothing Else Matters” originally by Metallica, led by Instrumental Music Teacher Chris Florio.
Next, members of ASB and class student councils performed the annual “Freshman 101” skit, meant to humorously introduce life in high school to the freshmen.
“I thought Freshman 101 was really fun, even though some of the skits were cheesy,” Cynthia Chen (9) said.
The skit portrayed Bob the Builder as the main character and a freshmen and his humorous interactions with various comic superhero groups that represented upperclassmen including the PowerPuff Girls, Captain America and Iron Man.
“For the very first time, I saw Freshman 101 sitting in the audience,” Dr. Koodanjeri said. “As a teacher we always sit in the back and we only get to hear the skit, so this year, I enjoyed it much more this year than in previous years. The skit was pretty useful for telling the kids about the expectations at the high school.
The ceremony closed with remarks by Nikoloff and the recessional of faculty.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on Aug 26, 2016.
