![“[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)
Fall play premieres tonight
Rishabh Chandra (12), Naomi Molin (12) and Marina Newman (11) portray a scene where a reporter from the Tectonic Theater company interviews Laramie inhabitants. “The Laramie Project” will be performed this evening at 7 p.m.
October 29, 2015
This year’s fall play, The Laramie Project, premieres in the Blackford cafetorium at 7 p.m. this evening.
Jeffrey Draper previously directed The Laramie Project, a dramatic play set in the late ’90s in Laramie, Wyoming, at the Upper School. He chose to direct this play again to introduce students to a more dramatic acting style.
“I’m really happy with not only [the actors’] performances, but also their growth.” Draper said. “They’ve worked very hard and I’m seeing some really new and exciting acting out of them.”
The actors have been rehearsing since mid-September, and recently began dress rehearsals on the Blackford campus in preparation for tonight, tomorrow and Saturday’s shows. The fall play’s swing cast, a cast of understudy performers, will perform the show on Halloween day at 2 p.m. at Blackford.
Emmy Huchley (9) is a member of the swing cast for Saturday’s performance of The Laramie Project.
“Everybody is understudying somebody” she said. “There’s a lot of interpretation you can take with [the play] so it’s really helpful to have that other person that’s also working on [the same role].”
Tickets have been on sale during both lunches in Manzanita Hall last week and are still available to purchase through The Laramie Project’s Facebook page. Performances will begin at 7 p.m. tonight, tomorrow evening and Saturday evening.
