![“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)
School meeting recap 4/18
Diversity Committee faculty advisors Dr. Lola Muldrew and Mark Janda encouraged students to apply for the upcoming Student Diversity Leadership Conference, which will be taking place this year from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 in Anaheim. Students may apply through an online link by April 28.
April 18, 2017
Students can purchase tickets for this year’s spring musical, “High School Musical,” at lunch outside of Manzanita or online for $8. Available performance times are Thursday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at both 2 and 7 p.m. Friday night’s performance at 7 p.m. is currently sold out.
The dance department will hold tryouts for the junior varsity and varsity dance groups next Tuesday in the dance room from 3:45-5:30 p.m. Kinetic Knew auditions will be next Thursday 3:45-5:15 p.m.
Green Team has its club week this week. Students can come to their table outside Manzanita Wednesday to write to legislators about environmental issues. Members of the club will also be selling baked goods after school and during office hours all week to raise money for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an animal orphanage in Kenya.
Speech coach Marjorie Hazeltine will host a clothing swap Friday at lunch in Dobbins 209, where anyone can come and take clothing and accessories. Students wishing to donate clothes can bring them to her room throughout this week.
The Upper School Diversity Committee invites students to apply to attend the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, where high schoolers across the United States will discuss issues of diversity and ways to bring about social justice. The conference will be held in Anaheim from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 this year. The Diversity Committee plans to bring six students to the conference, and students must apply by April 28.
The fourth annual Artstravaganza will take place Thursday during long lunch in the Nichols atrium. The event features exhibitions and readings of students’ Scholastic art and writing award-winning pieces, the release of the student literary magazine HELM and a performance by Jazz Band. The reception will be from 12:15 to 1:25 p.m., and HELM and Scholastic readings will be from 12:45 to 1:25 p.m..
Spirit Week is next week. Students can participate in a human bowling competition Tuesday during long lunch for spirit points, and Thursday is an all-day treasure hunt with prizes.
