![“[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 annual Upper School Art Exhibition commenced during long lunch today with the distribution of prizes to 12 student artists.
The exhibition, which continues until May 24, showcases more than 150 pieces in various genres such as paintings, ceramics, advanced photography, 3-D models, and sketches. Teachers and student peers alike marveled at the canvassed pieces displayed in the Nichols Hall Atrium gallery.
For drawing, seniors Lynda Tang and Emily Wang placed first and second respectively. Lynda also won first prize for painting, followed by Svetlana Petrova (12) in second. Senior Eric Swenson placed first in photography, while seniors Tiphaine Delepine and Jasmine Gill tied for second prize. For graphic arts and digital drawing, senior Simon Orr placed first, followed by both Megan Prakash (11) and Daniel Wang (12) in second. Senior Jessica Son won both first and second prizes for sculpture. Senior Amanda Kalb won first prize for ceramics, followed by Elizabeth Bettencourt (10). The Best In Show award was presented to Simon.
This year’s juror was Ace Lehner, an artist, arts and culture writer, and art educator based in Oakland, CA. In judging the works, she looked for technical proficiency, critical engagement or inspiration, and most importantly originality.
“The final, and in some ways, most important criteria by which I considered the artwork was originality-work that was fresh, engaging and unique rose above its competitors,” she said.
Many students participated in the event, including both creators and visitors.
“I liked the variety of pieces that were there. I saw a lot of different styles and media being used to express different ideas,” said Doreene Kang (9), who plans to take more art classes in the next few years.
The event is the culmination of many students’ year long efforts in various art classes such as ceramics, drawing, graphic arts, photography, and sculptures.
“This is our exhibition of great artworks from this year’s art classes,” said Pilar Aguero-Esparza, who teaches fine arts courses and is responsible for the “behind the scenes” work for the exhibition. “The event was primarily a showcase showing the best of the the year.”
Although the showcase had many pieces on display from various student artists, it differed from a professional art exhibition.
“I have been to professional art exhibitions, and of course, they can’t be compared in a lot of ways,” photographer Eric said. “The installment space and setups are much more advanced, but considering what we have to make do with, it turned out quite well.”
The exhibition also featured food, DJ music, and “Face” cake to attract more students to the works of their peers.
