![“[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)
JV and Varsity Dance Troupe Auditions held
On Wednesday May 16, dance teacher Karl Kuehn, held auditions for Junior Varsity (JV) and Varsity Dance Troupe in the dance room.
Currently, there are eight dancers in JV and nine dancers in the Varsity Dance Troupe.
“[The number of dancers accepted] varies year by year. It depends on what we’re looking for that year and how many dancers audition and we don’t really have a set number each year. It fluctuates,” Kuehn said.
In the audition, dancers were expected to learn a combination and later perform it in small groups.
Students from the eighth grade to 11th grade were eligible to audition.
Molly Wolfe (11), who is currently in Varsity Dance Troupe, is looking forward to the new additions to the team next year.
“I’m excited to see what the new eighth graders have to bring, and I’m excited for next year’s Varsity [team] especially for the incoming sophomores, cause they always bring a lot of energy to the team,” she said.
Additionally, students who are new to the JV and Varsity dance programs tried out as well.
“I’m kind of nervous, but I feel that it’ll be fine once we start learning the combination and it’ll be a good experience for me,” said Noel Banerjee (9).
Results from Junior Varsity and Varsity Dance Troupe audition will be emailed to student accounts on Friday.
Shannon Su is the Managing Editor and Executive News Director of Harker Aquila. She joined the program as a reporter her freshman year and has held many...