![“[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)
On October 29, Lady Catherine Longworth, former Lord Mayor of the city of Westminster, London, visited the Upper School to formally invite the orchestra to the 2012 London New Year’s Day Parade and Festival.
Her husband, John Longworth, as well as Robert Bone, the executive director of the New Year’s Day parade, accompanied Lady Catherine, a patron of the festival.
During the school assembly, Bone and Lady Catherine each gave a speech introducing the festival to the students through an engaging tone. Students were adorned in Halloween costumes, and Lady Catherine commented that she herself was not dressed up for Halloween, but rather that her robe was the formal wear of the Lord Mayor, bringing applause from the audience.
Lady Catherine presented Head of Upper School Butch Keller with an official seal of Westminster, gave a gift to Performing Arts Department Chair Laura Lang-Ree, and awarded a set if cufflinks to Warren Kwong (11) and Albert Chen (10), members of the Octet.
After the invitation to the parade was presented to Keller, the String Octet performed Led Zeppelin’s “Over the Hills and Far Away,” a classic rock British piece. The Octet members then led the British delegation on a tour around the campus.
“It has been great and wonderful. Everyone has been very kind and very welcoming. I enjoy seeing the school, and I enjoy seeing so many faces out there [in the assembly], obviously keen and interested in what was going on,” Lady Catherine said.
Jeffrey Kwong (11), one of the octet performers, also thought that the event was “very exciting.”
“[Lady Catherine] was very nice. We took her around the school, and we were exchanging what it is like to go to school in England and what it is like to go to school here,” Jeffrey said.
According to its website, The New Year’s Day Parade and Festival in London is one of the world’s greatest street shows with up to 10,000 performers, three-quarters of a million street spectators, and tens of millions of television viewers. The 26th New Year’s Day parade is unique because it also celebrates the Olympic year in London and the Diamond Jubilee.
The Upper School orchestra is one of selected few Californian schools participating in the festival’s Gala concert series. The concerts will be held in prestigious venues around London such as the Cadogan Hall, home to the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and St. John’s Smith Square.
“It’s just a great deal. There seems to be nothing but really positive and great energy around the whole thing. […] I’m planning on definitely performing some kind of great British work and perhaps a couple other fantastic pieces. I really want to go there and shine,” Chris Florio, Orchestra Director, said.
The orchestra will be traveling to London during the winter break to attend the festival that runs from Dec. 27, 2011, to Jan. 4, 2012.
![Winged Post Editor-in-Chief Katerina Matta and Managing Editor Young Min were selected as first place winners from a pool of around 2,000 students. “This page [shows] how much we paid attention to detail and how much we pushed ourselves to ensure the best quality that we could,” Young said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_4254-900x1200.jpeg)
