![“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)
Performing arts students attend the 2021 school year Conservatory Kick-Off
Students attended the 2021 Conservatory Kick-Off on Wednesday in the Patil Theater. Multiple teachers announced upcoming events such as the Fall Play and Dance Production and new classes.
August 27, 2021
Students attended the Conservatory Kick-Off for the 2021-22 school year in the Patil Theater on Wednesday, a mandatory event for students interested or involved in any performing arts at Harker. The Kick-Off consisted of dinner provided to the students and introductions by all the faculty that lead Conservatory programs or classes along with several announcements of guidelines and upcoming events.
This year’s Dance Production theme, announced by Upper School Dance Director Karl Kuehn, is “Blast from the Past,” where songs from previous years’ productions will be reused with different choreography, including from ten student choreographers. The auditions will be on Sept. 11, and after school dance classes will start next week.
“[The Kick-Off] was actually pretty fun, and it felt like everyone was enjoying it there,” Sonia Yu (9) said. “I’m looking forward to all the performances, the holiday tour where we go to every campus [in particular]. I think it’s going to be fun performing the holiday dances.”
Following this, orchestra co-director Dr. David Hart and orchestra, Jazz Band, Lab Band Director and middle school instrumental music teacher Clark Brown introduced the 2021-22 Concert Series. The series will feature jazz drummer Jared Schonig on Nov. 5 and the Emerald Brass Quintet, the Daedalus Quartet and pianist Taylor Eigsti in later months. Upper school vocal music teachers Jennifer Sandusky and Susan Nace announced several new classes for this year, including Arranging and Composing and Basic Conducting. Upper School Production Manager Brian Larsen and technical theater teacher Paul Vallerga introduced this year’s technical theater classes and upcoming workshops.
Upper school theater teacher Jeffrey Draper announced the 2021 Fall Play, “Much Ado About Nothing,” a fast-paced comedy by William Shakespeare. Auditions will be held on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, and the play will be performed by two casts; the teachers are still deciding between performing the production on stage where masks need to be worn or outdoors with no masks. Harper Brada (11), a member of the theater Certificate program, anticipates the events for this year and continues to grow and learn in the program.
“I hope that [the program] improves me as an actor, but I hope it teaches me how to improve on my own and how to identify what needs to improve, because that’s stuff you can take on forever,” Harper said. “[The program] is almost like a sports team, you just have a big old group of people.”
Finally, Upper School Performing Arts Director Laura Lang-Ree presented the four seniors directing this year’s Student Directed Showcase performances: Richie Amarillas, Ysabel Chen, Josh Field and Saumi Mehta, with auditions the week of Oct. 11. Lang-Ree also announced the 2022 Spring Musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” a Drama Desk and Tony Award winning musical. An audition workshop will be held on Saturday, with auditions being held in mid-September.
“We’re excited to be together again and reignite that joy and passion that our students have for the arts,” Lang-Ree said. “[I’m looking forward to] everyone together, and connecting with our audiences and our staff and our student body. We can’t wait.”
Students interested in the Certificate Program should fill out this form, and all Conservatory students should complete this questionnaire.
Additional reporting by Aastha Mangla and Sabrina Zhu.
