![“[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)
The Performing Arts department has changed the Spring Musical to Pippin, which it will perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival next summer instead of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
The rites for Spelling Bee were pulled since the musical will have a world premiere in London in summer 2011 on the West End; therefore, no other productions of Spelling Bee could happen in Europe at the same time.
“I was neck-and-neck between Pippin and Spelling Bee, so I knew it was going to be one of them,” said Laura Lang-Ree, K-12 Performing Arts Department Chair and director of the musical.
Initially, she wanted to direct Spelling Bee because it was light and would be a nice contrast to last year’s production of Les Miserables, which was a very intense show, she said.
“I’m over it,” she said of Spelling Bee. “At first I was disappointed, and it was hard to pull myself out and rethink it.” As of now, she plans on doing Spelling Bee next time at the Fringe.
Nevertheless, Lang-Ree is more than excited to be directing Pippin. “The entire production staff is really excited to do Pippin because it tells the story of a youth journey trying to figure out who they are, and it’s a little bit of intrigue and mystery and darkness, and it’s very edgy and compelling, which the Fringe festival kind of is too,” Lang-Ree said. “They have a lot of rich shows there, and I thought it would be a perfect fit.”
Lang-Ree says that Pippin is particularly a good fit for our school. “This is a very intellectual school, and our students like to have something they can sink their teeth into.”
Other shows she considered were South Pacific, Candide, and A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum. According to Lang-Ree, Pippin in particular has a strong ensemble that requires a team of players who are talented, diverse, and ready to play different characters throughout the show.
Auditions will take place on the week of September 20, and the audition process remains the same despite the change. The cast size is also going to remain small as planned, around 29 students.
