![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[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)
Girls varsity basketball wins first home game of season against Kirby Prep
Jordan Thompson (12) attempts a lay-up.
December 7, 2016
The varsity girls basketball team won against Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory School 62-31 in a non-conference game at the Blackford gym yesterday.
The Eagles led following the first quarter by a score of 18-4, and maintained the lead in the second quarter, entering halftime with a score of 38-13. The girls built upon their lead in the second half, ending the third quarter at 50-24 and finishing the game with a score of 62-31.
The game was the team’s first home game of the season, and the win brings their league record to 5-0.
A common sentiment among the players and coaches is that strong players and their tight bond makes their team successful.
Assistant Coach Dan Pringle attributed the team’s success to its unity and its leadership.
“We motivate each other as a team. Everybody has team unity,” assistant coach Dan Pringle said. “They have a lot of strength. They get along with each other very well. Having a special player like Jordan Thompson on the team – she’s the leader of the team, so when the young players see her work hard, they come along and work hard as well.”
Senior captain Jordan Thompson believes that the motivation of the coaches is an important factor in the team’s success.
“Coach Pringle makes our team special,” she said. “He inspires us.”
Annabelle Ju (9) also credits the team’s success to their cooperation, hard practice and motivation from the coaches.
“We mesh really well,” she said. “Coach Tomas [Thompson] pushes us super hard in practice, so the game is actually a lot easier than normal practice.”
Kirby Prep coach Kendra Hanson also stresses teamwork in her team.
“My team motivates themselves by setting goals and working towards them. They come up with them as a group and everything that we do in practice and in games is working towards the goals that they set out in the beginning of the season,” Kirby Prep coach Kendra Hanson said. “It was a frustrating game for them because they didn’t play as well as they would’ve liked.”
The girls will play their next game against Leland High School at the Blackford gym this Friday at 6 p.m.
