![“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)
Next year’s dress code altered
FOCUSING ON CHANGE: Students and faculty gather at the Oct. 20 focus group meeting to discuss dress code alterations. They decided to change restrictions on boys shirts and girls skirt lengths.
A revised dress code will be proposed to the administration within the next month, after the Dress Code Committee incorporates suggestions from Wednesday’s faculty meeting and October’s focus group meeting.
Faculty members established focus groups comprised of teachers and advisory representatives to discuss ideas for a revised Upper School dress code. The results of the forum and a separate parent meeting were incorporated into the dress code.
“The focus is really now on values and what you should do, not what you can’t do,” said ASB Vice President and Dress Code Committee member Jessica “Fred” Chang (12).
Sophomore Hazal Gurcan, who attended the focus group, shared her opinion on the proposed rules. Under the “fingertip rule,” students’ fingertips would need to reach the hemline of dresses, skirts, and shorts with their fingertips while standing fully upright.
“I 
feel that the fingertip rule and value-based rules could easily be manipulated,” she said. “But I think it’s a change for the better that gives students more freedom of expression in what they wear,” she said.
Other students also had reservations about the fingertip rule. As of Wednesday, the proposal states that first violations will receive a “warning conversation” with subsequent violations “result[ing] in further consequences.”
“I dont know if everyone is going to be cautious about it if they’re not going to be checking us every five minutes,” Sahiti Avula (12) said.
Earlier this school year, the administration amended the dress code, requiring that all skirts must be at least knee length for ease of teachers’ enforcement. Many teachers had a positive reaction to this month’s update.
“I’m all in favor of it,” English teacher Dr. Ben Spencer-Cooke said.
Some students do not feel as affected by the coming changes.
“I think the current rules are fine,” Ellen Minkin (9) said. “But, it’s smart to make skirts fingertip length because many girls have different leg lengths, this rule would be customized to everyone.”
In the next few weeks, the proposed dress code will reach the administration.
“Ideally, the proposal will be going in with student, faculty, and parents on board,” Fred said.
The official review period for the student handbook begins in March.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on November 21, 2014.
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...
Meena Gudapati (12) is the Editor-in-Chief of Harker Aquila. Her favorite part of journalism is making her humorous podcast "Get Skool'd" and writing interesting...
Jenna Sadhu (10) is a Social Media Reporter for the Winged Post and has been a part of the Harker community since Kindergarten. She plays on lacrosse,...
Shannon Su is the Managing Editor and Executive News Director of Harker Aquila. She joined the program as a reporter her freshman year and has held many...