![“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)
Weekend recap 9/15/18
A white, unpainted eagle is one of four standing outside Manzanita Hall this week. Before painting their eagles to correspond with their spirit themes for the homecoming rally, each class needed to remove the paint from previous years.
September 14, 2018
In a senior tradition, the class of 2019 gathered on Davis Field on Aug. 27, the first day of classes, to watch the sunrise.
The Upper School observed Labor Day with no classes on Sept. 2.
Green Team members attended the Rise for Climate, Jobs & Justice, a march addressing the impacts of climate change, last Saturday and the Global Climate Action Summit between Wednesday and Friday. They had previously announced about the events, which took place in San Francisco, at class and school meetings.
The Girls Programming League annual programming contest, aimed at middle and high school girls interested in computer science, was held on campus last Saturday. The event also included two keynote speeches and a panel discussion.
Prestige Portraits took senior portraits in the auxiliary gym on Saturday and Sunday. Seniors who did not sign up for one of these dates must schedule appointments with Prestige Portraits studios so that their portraits are taken before Sept. 25.
Tuesday marked the 17th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States.
Student Council’s snack bar, held during morning office hours, has changed location from the Chowda House near Manzanita Hall to the concession stands in the Athletic Center.
Classes have begun to paint their eagle statues for the homecoming rally. Representatives from each grade started the process by removing the paint from last year’s eagles on Tuesday, and painting will continue through the month.
Nominations for homecoming court representatives opened Thursday and will close Monday. This year’s homecoming game, against Elsie Allen High School, is on Oct. 5.
Programming Club hosted a talk from Karthik Kannan, a representative from software company Splunk, during lunch on Friday.
Parents speak with representatives of various extracurriculars, including robotics, debate, athletics, DECA, journalism and HELM, at Back to School Day in Nichols Atrium today. Parents could also speak with their students’ teachers at the event.
The upper school’s annual Back to School Day took place on campus today. Parents could gain information about several extracurriculars from booths in Nichols Atrium and met their students’ teachers in 15-minute blocks from 10:15 a.m. to 12:55 p.m.
Students could audition for this year’s dance show, themed “Red Carpet”, in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center today from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
