![“[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)
Upper school students perform in annual Spring musical
Upper school students perform in the spring musical “Bye Bye Birdie” on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.
April 15, 2016
Parents, friends, students and teachers gathered to watch the Harker Upper School’s production of the musical “Bye Bye Birdie” on Thursday, April 12.
“Bye Bye Birdie,” written by Michael Stewart, is a satire about pop music and the second World War. The story was inspired by the singer Elvis Presley’s draft notice into the United States army in 1957. The original Broadway production of “Bye Bye Birdie” won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1961.
“I like the play this year because it features a huge cast and so even if you are not a major character, you still have your moment,” Chandler Nelson (12), who plays the role of the Mayor’s Wife, said. “I play a character who hangs out in the back, but she gets one part of the show to really take center stage, which is nice because every single background character gets that and nobody feels super excluded.”
Upper school students perform in the spring musical “Bye Bye Birdie” on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.
Tickets went on sale for Thursday, Friday and Saturday night shows as well as the matinee on Saturday throughout the school week, with tickets for the Friday night performance selling out before the end of the week. Student tickets were $8, adult seats were $15 and reserved were $25.
“I am looking forward to having all of our friends coming to watch it,” Matthew Hajjar (9) said. “We have been working on it for a long time now and I am excited to see how people react to it because I am pretty sure the audience will love it.”
Before their Thursday night show, the cast performed for retirement homes on Wednesday.
“It was a really cool experience and we were given the unique opportunity of using our passions for something good,” Anika Banga (10), who plays the role of the Mayor’s Daughter, said. “All of the people who came really enjoyed it and seeing the joy that we gave them was really heartwarming.”
Namitha Vellian (12) and Kayvon Solaimanpour (11) perform in lead roles in the spring musical “Bye Bye Birdie” on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.
