![“[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)
Seniors and juniors attend 2016 Baccalaureate ceremony on Wednesday
The junior class sits in the front of the crowd across from the seniors during the ceremony. The upper school’s annual Baccalaureate ceremony took place on May 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the Quad.
May 19, 2016
The Upper School’s annual Baccalaureate ceremony took place today at 6:30 p.m. in the Quad to bid a final farewell to the Class of 2016 before they graduate on Thursday and welcome juniors into their senior year.
The junior class, the senior class and their families were all invited to attend the event.
Prior to the ceremony, at around 5:30 p.m., some seniors participated in the annual brick-laying ceremony, watching bricks be placed into the cement pathway to the Patil Performing Arts Building. The Upper School has observed this tradition since the spring of 2002.
After the ceremony, starting at approximately 6 p.m., juniors began convening in Dobbins Hall while seniors waited in Manzanita Hall. In the baccalaureate procession that followed, juniors entered the Quad first while seniors followed minutes later.
The ceremony began with an introductory address by assistant head of school Jennifer Gargano on the history of the Baccalaureate ceremony, a tradition which dates back to the 15th century at the University of Oxford, where all artium baccalaureus (A.B.) candidates performed sermons in Latin. Gargano then welcomed upper school choir Cantilena to the stage to perform the Glee version of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me.”
“Baccalaureate is a fun way to send off the seniors to college,” junior Maya Rai said. “The speeches were really inspiring and the performance by Cantilena was probably the highlight of the evening for me. I had [a] really good time and it made me super excited for my own graduation.”
Following Cantilena’s performance, Head of Upper School Butch Keller gave a quick speech directed towards the parents of the seniors. Keller told of how well-behaved and confident the seniors were throughout their years at Harker and especially during the trip to Laguna Beach. He then introduced the faculty speaker Martin Walsh.
A college counselor, Walsh shared humorous anecdotes concerning the college recommendation process. In his speech, Walsh urged students to value all ceremonies as they are important milestones in one’s life.
After Walsh’s address, Keller introduced student speaker Edward Sheu (12), who shared stories about his time on the varsity water polo team and urged students to welcome new challenges as high school students.
The senior class selected Walsh and Edward as their baccalaureate faculty and student speakers in April. The Class of 2016 will graduate tomorrow at Mountain Winery to a commencement speech from philanthropist, pediatrician and former lower school science teacher Priscilla Chan and a farewell address from Class valedictorian Anika Mohindra (12).
