![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[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)
Winter Ball: a dance of elegance, excitement, and extravagance
Spirit Club and the junior class of 2015 hosted the annual Winter Ball in Nichols Atrium on Jan. 18 from 8 to 11 p.m., incorporating this year’s theme, “The Great Gatsby.”
Dim lighting, elegant glass chandeliers, and vibrant formal dresses welcomed the attendees of this year’s dance as they stepped into the decorated hall of Nichols.
“This year we are trying to incorporate part of upstairs and the Atrium, so the decorations are going to be different because there are different designs and different themes every year,” said Julia Wang (11), the Co-President of Spirit Club.
The junior class aided Spirit Club in planning and arranging Winter Ball, which has usually been done solely by Spirit Club in past years.
“The junior class is sponsoring [the dance] as a fundraiser to make some money for their class as well. We’ve done that differently this year,” said Activities Coordinator Kerry Enzensperger.
Golden drapes created a canopy over the heads of students as they milled around on the dance floor. Attendees of the dance sipped at glasses of apple cider while standing near tables of chocolate-covered strawberries and other delicacies. Other students chose to enjoy themselves by dancing to popular tunes played by the DJ.
“Spirit Club does a really good job with the decorations, and they really transform the atmosphere of the room,” said Alana Shamlou (12), who has attended Winter Ball since freshman year.
The junior class and Spirit Club said they struggled with ticket sales, despite the decorations and impressive atmosphere of the event.
“The problem this year is [the dance] is on a three-day weekend, there’s a debate tournament, and people are worried about SATs. And there’s a wrestling tournament and volleyball tournament in addition,” Enzensperger said.
Low attendance may also be attributed to the price of the tickets to Winter Ball. Ticket prices were lowered this year to an initial price of $25: in the past, sales began at 35 dollars. Prices for the dance are high due to the cost of setting up and decorating the hall for the event; this year’s budget totaled to about $6000.
“The tickets are $25, and the Winter Concert tickets or Dance Show tickets are about $8; I think it’s kind of expensive for just going and dancing,” Hazal Gurcan (9) said.
Freshmen were more reluctant to attend the dance as well due to rumors floating around days prior to the ball.
“I know a lot of freshmen think that Winter Ball is a couples’ dance, but it’s really not,” Haley Tran (9) said. “It’s really fun to just go out with your friends and hang out and dance.”
Despite struggles regarding ticket sales and pricing, the number of people attending the ball increased due to tickets sold on the night of the dance.
Winter Ball is the last formal dance of the year for many freshmen and sophomores. The club-funded Sadie Hawkins’ Dance has not been confirmed, and the annual Prom is exclusively for juniors and seniors unless otherwise invited.
Shannon Su is the Managing Editor and Executive News Director of Harker Aquila. She joined the program as a reporter her freshman year and has held many...