![“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)
Dress code reversal
2013-2014 policy remains in place until advisory council meets
Student council representatives discuss the dress code change with Dean of Students Kevin Williamson on Aug. 13. The meeting helped establish the reason for the change and suggest alternatives.
As of last Thursday, the 2013- 2014 dress code will take precedence over the version in the 2014-2015 student handbook. A dress code advisory committee aims to start meeting in early October to consistently review and update the dress code.
The 2014-15 dress code originally required that skirts reach the top of the knee for enforcement issues, according to ASB president Sarah Bean.
“If a teacher saw a skirt they thought was too short and sent the student to [Dean of Students] Mr. Williamson for follow-up, they would have pulled down the skirt to four inches by the time they got to his office,” Sarah said. “There were a lot of people pushing it too far.”
Williamson clarified his goals with the knee-length requirement as well as the creation of the dress code council.
“My objective is to create a learning environment here that is not distracting,” Williamson said. “My sense is that we are looking at two polar ends of the spectrum, so it would really help me and the administration come up with something good for the school if we had more input.”
The committee will consist of faculty, male and female students, and parents. As of Wednesday, Williamson hopes to have the council begin meeting in the first week of October. The administration has some interested faculty members and is deliberating the process for parent involvement.
The knee-length requirement was widely discussed over social media, resulting in the creation of a Facebook group called “Skirt the Rules,” which intended to coordinate a student response to the new code.
“I was disappointed at the freedom it prohibited,” Helen Woodruff (11) said. “Also, it implied that it is more important for a girl to worry about distracting others rather than to better her education.”
Although some think the council will benefit the school by getting a variety of opinions, others question how much of an impact it will have, as it will be hard to satisfy everyone.
“Clearly the students, parents, and faculty have really different definitions for what appropriate schoolwear is,” said Aishu Murari (11). “There are always going to be people who are unhappy with the results.”
The last largely untested change to the dress code was made before the 2011-2012 school year when flip flops were removed from the list
of acceptable footwear.
“I think there’s a major lesson from this situation,” ASB Vice President Jessica Chang (12) said. “Whatever rule
the administration decides, we need to respect.”
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on August 29, 2014.
Sharanya Balaji (12) is the Editor-In-Chief for Harker Aquila and has been on staff for the past three years. Additionally, during her freshman year she...
Apoorva Rangan (12) is the Editor-in-Chief of The Winged Post and a fourth-year staff member. She has previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor...