![“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 gathered for the annual Homecoming Dance in the auxiliary gym and quad on Oct. 13 from 7 to 10 p.m.
Due to this year’s location change for the dance from Nichols Hall to the Auxiliary Gym, HSLT needed to improvise to adapt to the new format. According to upper school head Paul Barsky, concerns for the safety of the fish tanks and new electronic equipment like the gene sequencer prompted the change. Barsky also noted the effort that Harker staff and HSLT put into bringing the dance together.
“There were a lot of smiles, a lot of good energy … It was really well-organized, so kudos to the students and adults that helped organize it,” Barsky said. “[In future events], I’m looking forward to the kind of energy that we had tonight — a lot of pride in being an Eagle and being a community member.”
Students felt the impact of the location change as well as other modifications to the dance. Metrica Shi (12), who attended the dance last year, shared her perspective on some of this year’s changes.
“I thought it was interesting that they chose to do [the dance] in Aux, which made the environment something I wasn’t used to,” Metrica said. “They played a lot of different songs this year, which was cool.”
Over the course of the afternoon, Harker staff began to set up water and snack stations with candy and cupcakes, a ping pong table, cornhole boards, a s’mores station and friendship bracelet station all in the Quad. Members of the Harker Spirit Leadership Team (HSLT) decorated the aux gym and the Quad with lights, streamers and banners.
Homecoming dance attendees wore semi-formal clothing including button-ups, blazers and dresses. A DJ at the front of the gym played songs like “Rich Flex” by Drake and 21 Savage, “Just Wanna Rock” by Lil Uzi Vert and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)” by Katy Perry. Dance attendee Sathvik Chundru (12) commented on the overall atmosphere of the dance.
“Once the lights turned off and the songs got better, people got more and more into it and then it became fun,” Sathvik said. “Once people lose that self consciousness and they get in their mood, then it gets lit.”
Throughout the course of the dance, teachers, including upper school chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine and upper school English teacher Christopher Hurshman, chaperoned the event for safety measures. Some students invited guests from other schools to attend the dance, who were required to pay a $20 entry fee and bring a student ID.
For many students, the dance serves as an opportunity to take a break from Harker’s stressful academic environment. Taking place on a Friday night, the dance allowed many students to relax and utilize the weekend to recharge.
“I decided to go to the [Homecoming] dance because I wanted to have a fun time with my friends and get a break from school,” dance participant Aanya Shah (10) said. “I really enjoyed last year[‘s dance], especially since I was new to Harker. I felt like it was a good experience that helped me bond with people and make new friends.”
The DJ played the final song at 10 p.m, and students departed from the front and back loading zones. The homecoming dance serves as one of Harker’s most prominent spirit events, bringing students from all grade levels together.
“I always love seeing the kids come in and have a good time,” learning, innovation and design director Diane Main said. “When everybody comes in with the right spirit and they just want to have fun together, it’s always a good time.”
