![“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)
School Meeting Recap – 5/27
English teacher Pauline Paskali discusses the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The festival will take place from Sept. 26 – 28.
The new ASB conducted the last school meeting of the year in the gym from 9:50 to 10:10 a.m. today.
The Green Team, formerly the BOSS Club, announced a campaign that encourages drivers to refrain from leaving their car engines running unnecessarily. An email announcement containing more information will be sent out later this week.
Students planning to take AP Physics C, 11th or 12th grade AP Chemistry, AP Latin, AP French, AP Japanese, AP Spanish Literature, or any AP art class will have summer assignments that will be posted on the student portal within the next two weeks.
Several students were recognized for their achievement in computer science by the National Center for Women in Information Technology Award for Aspirations in Community. Students acknowledged are among the top 15% of over 2300 applicants nationwide.
Maurice Caldwell, an exoneree who spent 20 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, will be revisiting the Upper School tomorrow in the Nichols auditorium from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. He will also attend AP US History and US History classes.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival will take place from Sept. 26 to Sept. 28. Students interested in attending should contact Pauline Paskali at [email protected] and deposits are due Friday.
The upcoming fall play, selected by a student committee, will be “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
The used textbook exchange will take place on June 28 and July 26 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. It will take place at the quad, providing an opportunity for students to both buy and sell old textbooks.
Students interested in becoming Eagle Update speakers for next year should either email Dan Molin at [email protected] or visit his office.
Eagle Update: Freshman Niki Iyer won two league track and field titles in the 1600m and 3200m. Niki also qualified for CCS Finals this Friday by running a 10:51.59 3200m, a new school and personal record. Senior Wei Wei Buchsteiner also broke the school record in the high jump by 12 inches, winning a league title in the process. Swimmer Eric Wang (11) placed in 14th in the 200-yard individual medley and 12th in the 100-yard breaststroke at CCS Finals. Senior Kimberly Ma placed 14th in the 500-yard freestyle, and junior Stacey Chao placed in diving.
There is a special schedule on Thursday for long advisory and locker cleanout; 8th period will also be replaced with extra help. Friday’s schedule will be a Monday schedule.
Maya Jeyendran (11) is the Lifestyle Editor of Harker Aquila. She been a part of Harker's journalism program since her freshman year, and has previously...