![“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)
Students leap, twirl and jump during annual “Just Dance”
Joel Morel (11) grins at the audience as he dances in perfect coordination with his fellow members of Kinetic Krew. Kinetic Krew, an all-boys group directed by Rachelle Haun, features dancers from 9th to 12th grade.
April 15, 2019
As a medley of multicolored lights flush the stage, dancers prance into their starting positions and strike a pose. The music begins, and with a graceful turn, “Just Dance” begins.
Six dance groups from the lower, middle and upper schools joined together on the stage of the Rothschild Performing Arts Center to perform in “Just Dance” the annual spring dance showcase last Friday. Dancers performed to a variety of music, from pop to rock to ballads.
The performance commenced with a performance by the upper school’s JV dance team, directed by Rachelle Haun. They were followed by performances by High Voltage, directed by Kento Vo, and Dance Fusion, directed by Gail Palmer, and Showstoppers, directed by Kimberly Teodoro.
With bright smiles, Kinetic Krew, directed by Rachelle Haun, preceded the Varsity Dance Troupe, directed by Karl Kuehn, which then closed out the first round of the show. As soon as all of the dance groups had run through the program once, they returned in the same rotation once again, performing twice throughout the course of the evening.
As the performance came to a close, dancers rushed out to a mash-up of songs, group by group, to assume their spots for the finale. Audience members clapped in conjunction to the beat of the music, cheering as their favorite groups came out.
To end the night, Dance Teacher Karl Kuehn honored all of the senior dancers in the show. Calling up each senior one by one, members of Dance Fusion hugged the seniors and handed them a bouquet of flowers as the veteran dancers posed for pictures at the front of the stage.
As the seniors sat back down in their respective spots on stage, the lights dimmed, accompanied by the roaring din of the audience’s applause.
