![“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)
Upcoming upper school performances
Anoushka Khatri (12) and Samvita Gautham (11) rehearse on Feb. 4 in the Patil Theater for the Spring Musical. This year’s Spring Musical will be “The Drowsy Chaperone,” performed yesterday, today and tomorrow.
March 25, 2022
Spring Musical: “The Drowsy Chaperone”
March 24-26
This year’s Spring Musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” will take place today and tomorrow at 7 p.m. and a 2 p.m. show tomorrow in the Patil Theater. The cast has already performed once yesterday at 7 p.m. and will continue with three more shows.
Directed by performing arts director Laura Lang-Ree, the story follows a middle-aged narrator with a love for musicals as he watches a recording of his favorite play, the performance’s title. The story acts as a parody of musicals and their tropes, according to ensemble member Sonya Apsey (10).
“Meeting everyone in the cast has been my favorite thing,” Sonya said. “Meeting different cast members and interacting with the whole group as an experience is really nice.
Hoscars
March 30
The Hoscars show will take place on March 30, featuring dance, singing and instrumental performances from students of all grade levels.
The annual performances will return to in-person in the Patil Theater. Groups in dancing or singing created audition videos and have prepared in the previous weeks to refine their performances, including the AP Art History class’s tradition of an art scene tableau.
An Evening of Jazz
April 14
Upper and middle school Jazz Bands and Lab Band will perform at “An Evening of Jazz” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on April 14 in the Patil Theater.
The upper school ensembles that will perform, Jazz Band and Lab Band, led by Dr. David Hart will play pieces they’ve worked on this semester.
Just Dance
April 1
The Just Dance performances will occur on April 17 from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Patil Theater with routines from all upper school, middle school and lower school dance teams.
The upper school dance teams include Harker Dance Company and Kinetic Krew, taught by Karl Kuehn and Rachelle Haun.
Spring Choral Concert
April 21
All upper school choirs will participate in the Spring Choral Concert on April 21 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The choirs, which are conducted by upper school choir directors Jennifer Sandusky and Susan Nace, feature students of all grade levels and a variety of vocal ranges.
A previous version of this article stated that Just Dance is performing on April 17 instead of April 1. This article has been updated on Friday, March 25 to reflect the correction of that error.
