![“[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)
Orchestra trip to Sonoma County
Nichole Chen
Upper school orchestra director Chris Florio conducts at the annual Winter Concert this past January. The orchestra will travel to Sonoma County for their yearly trip to compete in the Fourth Annual Sonoma Invitational Wind, Band and Orchestra Festival.
March 3, 2016
The upper school orchestra will travel to Sonoma County for a two-night trip from March 22 to 24 for the Fourth Annual Sonoma Invitational Wind, Band and Orchestra Festival.
They will perform at Sonoma State University in the new concert hall, Green Music Center. Some of their pieces include Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story” and Franz Liszt’s “Les Préludes”.
This is the orchestra’s first year at this specific festival. In previous years, they participated in festivals and competitions in other locations, such as in Portland and Chicago.
“We like to do at least some sort of travel every year,” director and conductor Chris Florio said. “Sometimes we do big trips to East Coast or Europe, but I also like to do smaller stuff and I wanted to do something local where maybe parents or friends can come watch us.”
Aside from the opportunity to play in the new concert hall and to observe other schools play, Florio anticipates spending quality time with the orchestra.
“I’m looking forward to really every part of it,” said Florio. “I’m mostly excited to travel with the orchestra since it’s so much and they have such a good time.”
From past experiences, these annual trips provide the orchestra with a chance to bond and grow closer together as a group, which can be heard through their music.
“I feel like we always grow a lot from our trips, mostly because the group bonds so much,” Florio said. “When people like each other and really bond in that way, they just perform a lot better, so that’s really been big for us over the years.”
For the orchestra’s seniors, this will be their last high school trip. Kristen Park (12), principal
clarinetist, looks forward to one of the last chances to perform with the rest of the ensemble.
“This orchestra has meant a lot to me in my high school experience, so I’m looking forward to just having an experience with these guys again,” Kristen said. “It’s very bittersweet, just cause the future has a lot of new opportunities and whatnot, but I’ll really miss these guys and Mr. Florio.”
Plans for the trip include a dinner the night before the concert as well as senior speeches.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on March 3, 2016.
