![“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)
Upper school celebrates Howard Nichols’s birthday
October 11, 2017
The upper school celebrated former head of school Howard Nichols’ birthday today through a presentation about his life and legacy during school meeting, followed by cookies, Nichols’ favorite snack, served to the Harker community outside the Main office and the pool.
Nichols, a visionary and administrator, built Harker into a school that valued both character and academics. He expanded the school to lower, middle and upper school campuses and created an extensive performing arts department. Through his leadership, Harker became the school it is today.
“Mr. Nichols knew every employee personally and made an effort personally to connect with students, staff and faculty,” Spanish teacher Diana Moss said.
During today’s school meeting, Academic Dean Evan Barth, whom Nichols hired 18 years ago, gave a tribute to Nichols for his contributions to the school. Barth described how Nichols meticulously picked up gum wrappers he saw on the ground to maintain the campus’s beauty and mentioned that the succeeding heads of school, Chris Nikoloff and Brian Yager, followed his lead. He shared a story about how Nichols sprinted from Main to Dobbins during a fire drill while everyone else stared in awe.
Barth gave a brief background on Howard Nichols’s life during school meeting yesterday. Harker celebrated what would have been Nichols’s 77th birthday this year.
“The look on his face was, ‘I’m putting out the fire in my building,’” Barth said.
Nichols served as head of Harker from 1973 until 2005. He was known for keeping a jar of chocolate chip cookies on his desk to welcome anyone who wanted to talk to him. To honor him, the kitchen faculty served chocolate chip cookies today to all students, faculty and staff.
Although many students do not remember much about Nichols, they still have good impressions of him.
“He always listened to people,” Naviya Kapadia (10), who was in first grade when Mr. Nichols passed away, said. “Even though he was head of school, he made time for others.”
Nichols’s devotion to the school and its students has left a lasting impression on the Harker community, even to those who only know of him as a distant figure.
“His care and dedication for the school translates into our daily lives many years later,” Arjun Virmani (9) said.
