![“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)
Behind the scenes: Conservatory Santana Row performance
Courtesy of Noor Singh
Freshman members of 2013-2014’s JV Dance Troupe, LeAnn Nguyen, Lindsey Trinh (10), Noor Singh (10), Tamlyn Doll (10), Hazal Gurcan (10), and Surabhi Rao (10) pose before performing at the Santana Row Tree Lighting ceremony. They danced to the Christmas classic song It’s a Wonderful World.
As the holiday season nears, most students begin to look forward to Thanksgiving break and the opportunity to relax for a whole week, but for performers in JV Dance, Varsity Dance and Downbeat, late november means long hours of hard work to prepare for their Santana Row performance.
Every year, these performance troupes produce holiday-themed numbers to perform at the Santana Row Tree Lighting Ceremony. This ceremony usually consists of a meet-up with Santa Claus, various performances by nearby studios or schools, and a featured celebrity; this year the featured celebrities are Vernon Davis, Sourdough Sam, and the 49ers Gold Rush Girls. The entire holiday celebration is held in the middle of Santana Row in front of the 40-feet tall Christmas tree.
Each year, the performing arts department’s performances are different from the last.
“We’re doing upbeat and something creepy and fun and something acapella,” Downbeat singer Madi Lang-Ree (12) said. “I think that our music is more varied this year because normally we just do three very showy number but this year were doing sort of diverse one that’ll be really fun.”
The Santana Row performance is known throughout the performing arts world for forcing performers to adapt to what is given since it is often unpredictable.
“Last year it was raining and water was getting on the stage, so people had to come and wipe the stage, but they wanted to try to talk to the performers. One of our performers even slipped and fell,” said Gracean Linthacum-Janker (9), a member of the Junior Varsity dance troupe.
The weak, thin, and portable stage that has a large cut-out in the center for the Christmas tree is always a distinctive trait for any Santana Row performance.
“I’m so excited; Santana Row is always so fun because you never quite know what shape the stage is, and there’s so many people in the crowd.” said Erika Olsen (12), a dancer on the Varsity dance troupe.
This year’s performance will be held on Tuesday, November 18 from 5 P.M. to 9 P.M.
Eleanor Xiao is a junior and Co-Student Life Editor for TALON Yearbook. This is Eleanor's third year on staff. In her free time, Eleanor enjoys dancing,...