![“[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: Upper School students prepare for 2015 Dance Show
Aditya Dhar (10), Alexander Lam (10), and David Zhu (10) rehearse for their dance. This year’s dance show will be themed “Jungle”.
Donning sweatpants, a shirt with an animal face, and a gold beanie, Aditya Dhar (10), Alexander Lam (10) and David Zhu (10) are looking forward to as part of their dance “Animal Beats.”
The annual Upper School Dance Show will take place in the middle school on Friday and Saturday, with this year’s theme focusing on the “Jungle.”
This year’s dance show, partitioned into about 20 different dances, include many dancers involved in multiple dances. There will be 135 dancers participating, wearing 240 costumes in the show.
“[In] the first act, all the dances are based off of a jungle theme, whether it’s the environment, the temperature, [or] the sounds,” Upper School Dance Director Karl Kuehn said. “The second act is called ‘Animal Inhabitants’ and it’s all related to jungle animals.”
According to Kuehn, the show will be featuring a mix of some new songs, classic songs, and interesting instrumental music. With the theme centering on the jungle, Kuehn is excited for the variety of projects possible.
Student choreographers of this year’s dances include Ryan Pachauri(12), Sindhu Ravuri (12), Darby Millard (12), Erika Olsen (12), Ashir Bansal (12), Andrew Zhang (12), Jacqui Villarreal (12), Noel Banerjee (12), Helena Dworak (11), Ankita Sharma (11), Allison Wang (11), and Emily Pan (11).
Senior Ryan Pachauri thinks that there will be many new dance styles stemming from the theme of the jungle.
“Since the theme is [the] Jungle, there’s going to be lots of different interpretations of what a Jungle is,” he said. “Mr. Karl and Mrs. Haun worked really hard to tie everyone around the theme. We have the most student choreographers ever, so there’s going to be lots of innovative styles along with some beautiful mixes of dance.”
Natasha Mayor (11), a performer in the Howl and Tribal Dance segments, is looking forward to the upcoming show and has enjoyed the practice thus far.
“I’m really glad I decided to be in the dance show this year,” Natasha (11) said. “The rehearsals have been fun; I met some new people, and I’m excited to perform in front of my friends.”
Jerry Chen (9) is performing in the “George of the Jungle Boogie” dance and believes that the Upper School productions have been an improvement over the middle school’s shows.
“There is better choreography, more grade diversity, and there is a theme to it.”
However, he thinks improvements can be made to the costumes.
“It’s a zebra slash leopard skin print tank top” he said. “It is interesting because it has animal prints and stuff and it reflects the theme.”
Showings for the Upper School Dance production start on Jan. 30 at the middle school and tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for students.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post.
Neil Bai (12) is the senior copy editor for Harker Aquila and is tasked with copy editing and approving all articles before they are published. Neil’s...
Vedant Thyagaraj is the Science & Technology Editor for Harker Aquila. He is currently a senior and has been on staff for the past three years. Vedant...