![“[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)
Dance performs at Great America
The junior varsity dance team poses for a picture along with middle school dance troupe, Showstoppers, after their performance. The two dance groups performed at “Dance Days” at Great America for the park’s 40th anniversary.
May 5, 2016
Harker’s dance teams, junior varsity dance and Showstoppers, performed their routines at California’s Great America for its “Dance Days” show on April 9.
In total, JV Dance had six routines. One routine consisted of Christie Chen (9), Miranda Larsen (10) and juniors Noor Singh and Surabhi Rao presenting a jazz combination they developed at the USA Dance Camp they attended last summer. Showstoppers, the all-girls middle school troupe, performed three dances. Overall, the teams performed a variety of dances ranging from jazz to hip-hop to lyrical.
Great America hosts two “Dance Days” annually, both in April. ‘Dance Days’ offer different schools the opportunity to showcase their students’ dancing abilities on a professional stage in a non-competitive environment. Harker had the chance to attend Great America’s most recent “Dance Days” show for the first time. This year’s show was part of the celebration of the amusement park’s 40th anniversary.
“We contacted Great America for ‘Dance Days,’ a program that [the amusement park] does, and they have different dance companies and schools to go and perform at the park,” Rachelle Haun, the choreographer of JV Dance, said. “It was a half-hour show, so there was a lot of dancing and not a lot of breaks.”
After the performance, the girls celebrated and enjoyed their day by riding the carousel.
Sonal Muthal (9), a member of JV dance, described her newfound experience by performing at the amusement park for the first time along with Showstoppers.
“It was actually amazing going there and performing for the crowd, but it wasn’t very busy, so that was kind of a letdown,” Sonal said. “At the end, we all rode the carousel, and it was a good bonding experience because some people on JV didn’t know dancers on Showstoppers.”
The JV troupe performed for the final time this year on April 22 during the upper school’s annual spring rally.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on May 4, 2016.
