![“[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)
All artists enrolled in AP Studio Art held a reception in Nichols Hall yesterday displaying the pieces they have created during the course.
Many students and faculty attended to support them and snack on small finger foods.
Students in this senior-based course choose a specific medium to create their works, ranging from photography to sculpture to painting. All the pieces in each artist’s collection falls under the same category, whether it be Drawing, 2-D, or 3-D Design. While most students chose to maintain consistency, several varied the mediums they worked with.
Senior Simon Orr’s piece entitled Ferment aims to “investigate sentimentality.” The piece consists of jars filled with sourdough starter, a “wild ferment in which yeasts are floating freely in their environment.”
Simon also engaged in a live demonstration, sculpting a pre-columbian style flute while connected to a computer which recorded the electrical characteristics of his body movement and emitted a tone based upon these readings.
Each piece the students created was designed for a universal theme or message. They found inspiration for their themes from a variety of sources.
“We own a plot of land an hour out of Tahoe, and it’s really really gorgeous,” said Svetsy Petrova (12), noting how she chose the theme for her oil paintings. “This whole thing started out as a series of three works as practice because I needed landscape painting practice and then I really liked it so I thought I might as well use it for my concentration.”
On the other hand, Amy Gendotti (12) explored the combination of her two “guilty pleasures: shoes and candy,” crediting artist Wayne Thiebaud as an influential figure in her creative process because of his juxtaposition of ordinary items with vibrant colors.
Sophomore Suzy Lou who attended the art show expressed that she was able to connect to certain pieces.
“All the exhibitions had a little text thing next to it that explained the artist’s intentions and there’s some that I could really relate to,” she said.
In May, after further development, AP Studio Art students will submit their compiled works to College Board in a portfolio to be judged based on quality, concentration, and breadth.
