![“[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 performing arts department hosts annual Conservatory Kickoff
Performing arts director Laura Lang-Ree speaks about the upcoming opening for the performing arts center. The theater will be finished in January 2018, and the ribbon cutting ceremony will be held in February 2018.
August 30, 2017
Students and parents interested in participating in the upper school’s performing arts program for the school year attended the department’s annual Conservatory Kickoff for a glance into the year’s events today at 6 p.m. in the Blackford gym.
The informational meeting was held to help freshmen and new students become acquainted with the Conservatory program and to provide a summary of productions, workshops, auditions and other events that they could be a part of throughout the year.
“I just want to find out more about the different things that are happening over the year [in the] different productions and groups,” Vaishnavi Murari (9) said.
The meeting opened with an overview of the Conservatory program by performing arts director Laura Lang-Ree, followed by a brief preview of the new performing arts center. Middle school science teacher Kathy Peng (‘05), a vocal music Certificate graduate, was invited to speak, and a video message from Melody Wong (‘12) was played after. Both alumni spoke of their personal experiences in the arts and emphasized the unique environment of the Conservatory,
“The arts have really been a really important part of my life, and I really thank Harker and the Conservatory program for keeping it alive for me,” Peng said.
Assistant Head of School Greg Lawson then reviewed the Conservatory’s audition policies before dance teachers Karl Kuehn and Rachelle Haun revealed the theme for the dance production in January to be “Viva Las Vegas.”
“Mr. Kuehn and Ms. Haun always come up with really interesting ideas, and this is the one time where you can find out the entire thing for the whole year and how things are going to be built,” dance Certificate candidate Linus Li (12) said. “Since this is my last year doing this production, I’m really excited about this.”
Instrumental music teacher Chris Florio provided an overview of the upcoming events for orchestra, jazz band and lab band, and vocal music teachers Jennifer Sandusky and Susan Nace explained the “flow of choirs” to freshmen and new students.
Production manager Brian Larsen and technical theater teacher Paul Vallerga then spoke about the various opportunities for students to work on backstage production crews throughout the year.
The first performing arts production this year and the last play in the Blackford theater will be Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors.” Theater teacher Jeffrey Draper explained that the play will be set in the American Southwest and performed on a thrust stage modeled after the Globe Theater.
“I’ve never done a show in the southwest, and it had the right kind of comedy stereotypes; it had the really big, large-size characters that might fit in that location,” Draper said. “It was well before, of course, the hurricane, and now that Houston is underwater, I want now to use that location as a reason to have a fundraiser to help the people who are there now in need.”
Theater teacher Jeffrey Draper describes his plans for the fall play this year, which will be Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors.” Auditions for the play will be held next Tuesday and Wednesday, and callbacks are scheduled for next Thursday.
Lang-Ree then introduced seniors Anika Banga, Haley Keller, Sameep Mangat and Jessica Skinner as the four student directors for the Student Directed Showcase (SDS) program this year.
“SDS is such a unique experience,” Sameep said. “During SDS, you get the opportunity to test the waters to see if performing arts is for you, or if you know you love performing arts, just keep doing it.”
Seniors Anika Banga, Haley Keller, Sameep Mangat and Jessica Skinner invite students to audition for the Student Directed Showcase. Staged readings for the four plays will be held from Sept. 7 to 11.
Lang-Ree then announced that this year’s spring musical, the first major production in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center, will be “42nd Street.”
“For us, it’s a very quintessential, perfect show to open a theater like this,” she said. “It’s a show about Broadway and about musicals and about being onstage, and we’re so excited.”
All sign-ups for workshops and auditions as well as further announcements can be found on the Conservatory group on Schoology, which can be accessed by typing in the code KH47J-V3WJX.
Correction: August 31, 2017
A previous version of this article mistakenly omitted information about the technical directors. It has now been edited to include information about Greg Lawson, Brian Larsen and Paul Vallerga.
