![“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)
Sophomores participate in annual ropes course class trip
Aditya Dhar (10) and Sanjana Marce (10) pull the belay in order to help a member of their advisory climb a tree. Teamwork was a key component of making each activity a success.
The sophomore class went on in its annual class trip on Thursday, August 21 and participated in group activities and ropes courses in various outdoor locations.
Compared to previous years, the school administration decided to move the date of the class trips to the day before matriculation. Most students took this as a positive change.
“I think that this was the best possible way to start the year,” Alex Mo (10) said.
The grade was split into four groups each containing either five or six advisories. Students were taken to different spots, such as a wilderness area in Half Moon Bay and YMCA’s Camp Campbell, an outdoor recreational facility in Santa Cruz.
Every location consisted of many team building activities to encourage bonding with classmates as well as extensive ropes courses.
Although some found the teamwork-heavy exercises uninteresting, others found the time with their advisory to be beneficial, especially on the ropes courses.
“I thought that some of the other team bonding activities were boring, especially because the camp worker kept trying to press us into discussing them afterwards,” Molly Wancewicz (10) said.
After students began to step out of their comfort zones, many found the day to be a rewarding experience.
Activities consisted of climbing redwood trees, ziplining, and taking the “leap of faith” off a small platform set up on a pole. Each activity emphasized working as a team in order to reach a common goal.
“We bonded over the various trust activities that we were made to do, and it was a lot of fun,” Nina Levy (10) said.
Not everyone felt that the day ran smoothly, and some wished that the day had been run differently.
“There wasn’t enough time for some of us to go on the different events, and I think that could be improved on with a better balance of time,” Ezra Bekele (10) said.
After finishing up, the sophomores headed back to the Upper School campus, where they ended the day with a barbeque and pool party.
“The day was both physically and mentally challenging, but it was a great experience,” Jonathan Liu (10) said.
Many students left early from the barbeque in order to get a good night’s rest, as the next day began with the annual matriculation ceremony.
Ria Gandhi (11) is the Aquila Features Editor. This is her third year on staff after being the Assistant Sports Editor in her sophomore year and a reporter...