![“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)
![“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)
![“[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)
![“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 wasn't 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)
Performing Arts students dance for spring musical audition
Prospective cast members of this year’s spring musical, The Wedding Singer, met to learn the Roger Rabbit and the Robot for dance auditions today after school.
Students who had already performed a monologue and solo piece Monday and Tuesday, were split into groups of 10 and taught choreography over 30 minutes.
The Wedding Singer is a 90’s look at the 80’s, poking fun at the big hair and gaudy fashions of the decade. Its score is a blend of hard rock and light 80’s pop.
The Wedding Singer is adapted from a 1998 movie set in the 80’s starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barymore. It follows the story of Robbie Hart (Sandler), the most popular wedding singer in New Jersey, as he falls in love with Julia Sullivan (Barymore), who is engaged to a rich businessman.
Although the majority auditioning were underclassmen, freshmen and sophomores explained that they would be happy with ensemble positions because only upperclassmen get speaking roles most of the time.
Arjun Subramaniam (9) agreed that options are limited for younger students. “It happens very rarely,” he said, “that a freshman gets a speaking role,”
However, some underclassmen remained optimistic. “If I was able to get a role,” said Mary Najibi (10) “I’d want to be the grandma because she’s super cute.” The grandmother is the comedic backbone of The Wedding Singer, with several comedy relief scenes, including an impromptu rap performance.
Older students discussed how “The Wedding Singer” differs from the musicals Harker has done in past years.
“It’s definitely unique,” said Stephan Pellissier (12). “The only parallel I can think of is Tommy because it has more of a contemporary feel.”
The performing arts department tries to put on differing styles of musicals every year to provide variety for the students. “Throughout your four years, you should get to do a range of styles,” Caroline Howells (11) said.
Caroline was one of around twenty people called back to read for a speaking part, saying, “It’s all about figuring out where everyone fits in the big picture.”
Meilan Steimle (12) is co-Editor-in-Chief of the Winged Post. She was a reporter her freshman year, Winged Post Opinion Editor her sophomore year and Winged...