![“[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)
Student-Directed Showcase presents comedies, dramas under seniors’ direction
Sarah Raymond (10), who plays the character Miriam, shows a bag to Lisa Barooah (10), playing Olivia, and Joel Morel (11), playing Cody. In “And Action,” Miriam is a high schooler who plays a French villain in her friend’s movie.
January 16, 2019
This year’s four Student-Directed Showcase (SDS) shows, directed by seniors Dilara Ezer, Emmy Huchley, Ellie Lang-Ree, and Neha Premkumar, were performed last Friday and Saturday in the Patil Theater.
SDS is an annual project of the upper school’s Conservatory program, giving four seniors the chance to cast and direct a play of their choice. Emmy directed “And Action,” written by Eleanor Burgess, about a group of high school students trying to film a heist movie. Neha’s play “26 Pebbles,” written by Eric Ulloa, portrayed the town of Newtown, Connecticut, recovering after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
After an intermission came Ellie’s play, “Stop Kiss” by Diana Son, about two women in New York City who fall in love but face a hate crime. Each night ended with “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged),” a play about a troupe of actors trying to perform every work by Shakespeare, directed by Dilara and written by by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield.
Each show provided its director with the chance to put her own visions and ideas onto the stage.
“I’ve been in a lot of shows as an actor, and directing is really different, but I like it a lot,” Emmy said. “When I’m acting in a show, of course I have ideas about what I would do if I was directing it, but directing [has] been the opportunity for me to actually put things into play. It’s been really cool.”
For Austin Killam (10), SDS was a valuable learning experience, allowing him to familiarize himself with a style of acting he was less familiar with.
“This year was [only] the second time I’ve done a show where I really looked in depth into my character, where I really thought about who they were as a person,” Austin, who plays Daniel in “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)”, said. “I’m a personal believer [that] no matter who you’re playing, there is always something deeper to a person. So trying to figure out the internal workings of my character has definitely been a highlight.”
The shows brought together the various casts, which started rehearsing in early November.
“There’s this camaraderie that builds between the cast members, and it’s a really strong bond,” Simar Bajaj (11), who plays the Rabbi in “26 Pebbles,” said. “Even when doing such a show as ‘26 Pebbles,’ you have fun with your cast doing the show, performing the show.”
Tickets were $8 for students, and sold starting Tuesday, both in front of Manzanita and online at tiny.cc/sds2019.
“[The show is] a roller coaster, and it ends on an all time high,” Simar said.
