![“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)
With a flurry of bandanas, eye-patches, and hoop earrings, the junior class stormed the campus on November 10 as pirates, bringing life to their theme Treasure Island and winning first place in the long-lunch competition.
Decorating Shah Hall with red and black streamers, skeletons, and words of caution on the glass windows and doors, the juniors sought to make the most of the third day of the annual Homecoming festivities dedicated in their honor.
“[The] juniors were great and totally enthusiastic. I loved their class pride, [with] all [their] decorations in Shah Hall, [which] wasn’t even for points,” Kerry Enzensperger, Spirit Club advisor and Activities Coordinator, said.
The long-lunch event, “Pirate Booty,” was a two-minute relay; in each of two rounds, the underclassmen faced each other, and the upperclassmen, likewise. In the beginning, each class had a hula-hoop with an array of pirate-themed trinkets: spyglasses, rings, necklaces, and gold coins.
Each class had to stash away as many trinkets as they could, stealing from their prime opponents and later even other classes. Rules such as grabbing only one trinket at a time and no guarding added to the difficulty; gaining more trinkets than losing was the ultimate goal.
The final results were the juniors with 140 pieces stashed; the freshmen with 131 pieces; sophomores with 102 pieces; and seniors with 71 pieces, according to Enzensperger.
“We [the juniors] were pretty consistent, [getting] second on [both rounds]. While other classes got first [in one round], they didn’t do well later on. Our consistency and our unity really helped us win,” Junior Class Treasurer Sankalp Raju said.
Claudia Tischler (9), one of the competitors for the freshman class, said she enjoyed the event but was concerned about the cheating.
“It was fun […] but I don’t like the cheating, which happened in a lot of the [other] spirit events,” Claudia said.
Junior class advisors were impressed with the efforts of their advisees as nearly all of them dressed up, unveiling class spirit.
“I was blown away by […] the spirit of the junior class,” said Julie Wheeler, history teacher and a junior class advisor. “We’ve come together, Shah Hall looks incredible, and everybody was out and about dressed as pirates today. It seems like everybody was on board—pun intended. It seems like everybody was having fun.”
![“Probably the most important thing that I can do is to help raise awareness amongst youth because [students] are the ones that sadly are going to inherit this mess. It’s important for us, the people who helped take the planet to the place it is now, to really lean in and make a difference about this issue," Moss said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DSC_9315-e1778880890147-1200x873.jpg)
