![“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)
School meeting recap 10/28/22: Messages from administration, Halloween festivities and club announcements
Upper School Head Paul Barsky thanks the students involved in various school events, including the cast and crew of the fall play and those in the athletics program. He also delivered announcements about the new crosswalk and the Eagle Store.
November 1, 2022
Associated Student Body (ASB) Vice President Gordon Chen (12) welcomed students and faculty to the school meeting on Friday and sent the seniors best wishes for their college applications.
Upper School Head Paul Barsky thanked students involved in the production of this year’s fall play “You Can’t Take It With You,” as well as the production’s director and upper school theater teacher Jeffrey Draper, for their hard work in putting the show together. Then, he congratulated fall sports athletes, managers and coaches on their strong work this season. He encouraged students to support their peers by watching the fall play on Saturday and attending the football team’s senior night which was on Friday at 7 p.m. Finally, he recognized those participating in Open House on Sunday and thanked them for taking time out of their weekends to represent the Harker community.
Barsky then announced that the Eagle Store will now be open until 4:30 p.m. starting Nov. 1 and hinted that free snacks and goodies may be available. He also reminded students who eat lunch at the tables outside of Manzanita Hall to be cautious not to throw away plates and utensils and instead to put them in the designated dish areas.
Barsky then shared that the school has painted new crosswalks in the loading zones for the security of pedestrians crossing. He urged students to use the crosswalks to remain safe, even if they are in a rush. He also mentioned that speed bumps will be added to the parking lots in the near future.
Following Barsky’s announcement, Head of School Brian Yager acknowledged staff members Donna Gilbert, Nicholas Manjoine, Abel Olivas and Catherine Snider, who were all present during the first year of the Harker upper school division 25 years ago. He also listed and thanked the teachers who started working at Harker before the establishment of the high school and moved campuses later in their careers: Theresa Smith, Joe Rosenthal, Laura Lang-Ree, Brian Larsen, Diana Moss and Kerry Enzensperger.
Harker Conservatory representatives Sam Parupudi (10), Luke Mehta (11), Samvita Gautham (12) and Richard Zhang (12) provided updates on performing arts events. Sam congratulated the cast and crew of the fall play on their opening nights last Wednesday and Thursday and thanked Barsky and Yager for their prior acknowledgements. Luke, Samvita and Richard announced details of the 2022-23 Concert Series, hosting Grammy-nominated saxophonist, band leader and composer Donny McCaslin on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center (RPAC). Tickets are available on the Harker Concert Series webpage and are free for Harker students if reserved by Nov. 2.
Following, Harker Robotics played a video summarizing their off-season competition Capital City Classic, which the team attended two weeks ago. Executive President Emma Biswas (12), Operations President Ada Praun-Petrovic (12) and Technical President Vivek Nayyar (11) announced that the Harker Robotics team was the first pick of the sixth seat, advancing them to the quarter finals of the competition. Vivek encouraged students interested in exploring the different aspects of robotics to attend some of their recurring meetings.
Key Club officers Kaitlyn Wang (11) and Anish Jain (11) performed a short skit and introduced the club’s candy donation initiative. Those with leftover candy after Halloween can drop it off any time this week in the donation boxes outside of Manzanita Hall or the RPAC. The candy will be used to make care packages to donate to homeless families at the Bill Wilson Community Center in Santa Clara.
Medical Club co-presidents Johnathan Mo (12) and Jessica Zhou (12) announced the annual Evening of Medicine, to be held on Nov. 4 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The event will feature speakers Dr. Peter Tass and Dr. Janey Pratt as well as multiple interactive workshops. There is no cost to participate, and dinner will be provided at 5:30 p.m. Free merchandise will be available for students who attend, students can sign up at this form.
Harker Spirit Leadership Team (HSLT) representatives Paulina Gicqueau (12), Sonia Yu (10), Ariana Gauba (10), Anja Ree (12) and Sawyer Lai (12) reminded students of the pumpkin carving competition, which was last Friday during long lunch. The members also promoted their movie night event, held last Friday after school in the Nichols Atrium, where students could decorate cookies and watch the movie “Coraline.” They also encouraged students and faculty to dress up on Monday for Halloween. Recognized individuals or groups will have the opportunity to win prizes in various categories for their costumes, and Art Club will host a face painting booth available for everyone.
Sawyer announced that HSLT will partner with Art Club through color-themed dress up days according to the Art Wall in RPAC. Starting this Thursday, every Monday and Thursday will have a dress up day based on each new color on the Art Wall. Those who participate can put their name in a raffle and have the chance to win prizes at the end of the three weeks.
Art Club presented a video introducing Stripe Club, created in partnership with this year’s artist-in-residence Leah Rosenberg. Every Monday and Thursday from 3 to 4 p.m., Stripe Club will meet in front of the RPAC while Rosenberg paints a new layer on her mural in the art exhibition inside. Students can stop by to print stripes of the color of the day on bandanas and collect colors from each meeting. Free food prizes will be provided to those who collect every color, and a makeup printing session will be held this Thursday in case students missed previous meetings.
CareerConnect Executive Directors Sara Wan (12) and Trisha Variyar (12) announced a speaker panel that took place Friday during long lunch in the Innovation Center. The event featured two Harker alumnus, Aditi Ghalasi (‘20) and Claire Luo (‘21), who shared their experiences in high school and what colleges are looking for in students.
Harker DECA Public Relations Vice President Shreeya Merchia (11) introduced DECA month, this year in honor of their chapter advisor’s late father, and the various initiatives they are undertaking for their cause. Their primary fundraising event is Pumpkin Parcels, where students can send their peers small five-dollar packages containing chocolates, a plushie and a customizable note. Throughout DECA month, various other events will take place, including Donations for Dares, where DECA officers will perform fun dares once their GoFundMe reaches specific milestones.
Football team members Daniel Lin (11), Kevin Bettencourt (11) and Nicholas Delfino (12) encouraged students to attend Senior Night to celebrate the last football game of the season, which took place last Friday at 7 p.m. This year, Senior Night honored nine seniors: Nicholas, Rohan Gorti, Ryan Jeffers, Dylan Parikh, Zeke Weng, Freddy Hoch, Sukrit Kalsi, Chris Tonev and Tyler Beede.
ASB Spirit Coordinator Zubin Khera dismissed the meeting.
