![“[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 orchestra performs in annual Spring Concert
The Upper School Orchestra performed in Harker’s annual Spring Concert, held at De Anza’s Visual and Performing Arts Center, today. The Spring Concert was the last performance of the school year for Harker’s orchestras.
April 14, 2017
The Upper School Orchestra performed in this year’s annual Spring Concert at De Anza College’s Visual and Performing Arts Center today.
The event also featured both the middle and lower school orchestras. Tickets for the concert, which cost $8 for students and seniors, $15 for adults and $25 for reserved seats, went on sale two weeks before the production. Students were invited to purchase seats for the event through an online link.
The Spring Concert is the final performance of the year for Harker’s orchestras, and members of the Upper School Orchestra ended the night by commemorating each of the graduating seniors of their group. Players from every section of the orchestra gave speeches about their favorite memories with the seniors of their sections. Oboist Arushee Bhoja (10) presented the speech for principal oboist Antony Sagayaraj (12).
“I definitely put a lot of effort into the speech I gave for Antony. I wanted to make sure I honored all the hard work he’s contributed to the group over the past few years,” Arushee said. “I think giving speeches is a really fun way for us to bond as an orchestra.”
Upper School Orchestra conductor Chris Florio also spoke about each senior and his experiences with working with them as musicians during their high school music career.
“Our Spring Concert is always a challenging program but also our senior musicians’ last performance, so a lot of the night will be about them. That’s always what I’m most excited about—honoring them and all the work they’ve done this year and all the years before,” Florio said.
Friends and family members of the orchestra seniors brought gifts, cards and posters to honor their loved ones’ musical accomplishments.
Although the Upper School Orchestra has had to adjust to their new classroom in the gym as a result of construction, they have continued to perform in many different performing arts concerts throughout the year. Over spring break, the orchestra traveled to New York and performed in Carnegie Hall.
