![“[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)
Quadchella talent show features comedy, poetry, music, juggling
Staff photographer Mark Kocina performs his juggling act during Quadchella on Thursday. The song “Take On Me” by a-ha accompanied his act.
November 11, 2018
Harker’s third Quadchella event attracted many students and faculty to the quad to watch a variety of performances during long lunch on Thursday.
The name of the talent show is a play on the annual Southern California music festival Coachella. Senior Ashwin Reddy opened the show with a stand-up comedy set, and Innovation and Design Director Diane Main and English teacher Christopher Hurshman performed a rendition of “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper from the movie “A Star Is Born.”
“It feels like it is a fun way to bring the whole school community together, and I think it is great that it is student-run,” Main said.
Other performances included a juggling routine by staff photographer Mark Kocina, a vocal act from junior duo Katelyn Chen and Mahika Halepete, stand-up comedy from Ajay Madala (10), Abhinav Joshi (12) and Aniket Kriplani (10), and a piano version of Chopin Etude op. 10 no. 3 from freshman Spencer Chao.
“I was super anxious, more anxious than I have ever been for any other piano performance I have given,” Spencer said. “I thought I did well, and I will definitely perform next year.”
Some pieces were originals, such as sophomore Anika Fuloria’s song “Imperfect Perfections” and senior Tamar Sasson’s poem “A Conversation with America.”
“For me, poetry and fiction are outlets, whether I conceal the meaning with literary devices or not. The poem was pretty straightforward, but it covered a lot of what I am frustrated about with the current state of the country,” Tamar said.
Juniors Thomas Rainow, William Rainow and Joshua Valluru closed out the show with an instrumental performance.
After two successful Quadchella shows last year, one in the fall and the other in the spring, Student Council Student Event Committee head Shania Wang (12) decided that this event served the beneficial purpose of representing student and teacher talent and unifying the Harker community.
“The purpose of Quadchella is really to provide our community with a platform to share their talents while also bringing the school together to relieve stress and foster camaraderie,” Shania said. “After seeing how popular Quadchella was last year, I’m hoping that the event continues to go well, if not better.”
Sign-ups for the event closed on Nov. 2. Each performer was required to fill out a form and submit a video of their act to junior class president Avi Gulati, who vetted the different acts.
Aside from watching the performances, audience members could also have their face painted, put on temporary tattoos, pick out different laptop stickers and take pictures at a Student Council photo booth. Additionally, as a part of their club week, WiSTEM sold popcorn and drinks at the event.
Students can sign up to perform at future Quadchellas via the link tiny.cc/quadchella.
