![“[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)
Lights strewn across the Santana Row Christmas tree bathe spectators’ faces. Murmuring in anticipation, the crowd surrounds the stage as two students clad in sparkling gold dresses and black scarves and gloves make their way onto the stage.
Performing arts groups from the Lower, Middle and Upper School performed at Santana Row’s “Spirit of the Row” on Tuesday Dec. 4. The event features local performing arts groups in Santana Row each Tuesday of December.
After introductions by Downbeat members and emcees Ananya Das (11) and Bhavya Srinivasan (11), Harmonics began the set with “A Holly Jolly Christmas.” Showstoppers performed to Gryffin’s “All You Need To Know,” followed by High Voltage’s dancing to Wham!’s “Last Christmas.”
Middle School choral director Kristen Pfeiffer led Harmonics with middle school theater teacher Katie Champlin. Pfeiffer enjoys the spirit and environment of the annual tree lighting, from the decorations to the diversity in performers.
“Everybody brings something different,” Pfeiffer said. “It’s always very inspiring for my students to see Downbeat rehearse, to see that level of professionalism. I’ve already got a couple of my students asking ‘What does it take to be in Downbeat?’”
The benefits of cross-campus interaction go both ways. High school performers, like Harker Dance Company (HDC) member Yasmin Sudarsanam (11), find gratification in mentoring and inspiring the younger performers.
“Getting to watch the younger kids and help with their hair or supervise them is always really fun and rewarding,” Yasmin said. “I’ve seen some of the girls ever since they were in kindergarten or first grade in the dance show and seeing them move on from Fusion to Showstoppers to HDC with me makes me very happy.”
Downbeat’s female members entered the stage with a spirited version of “Jing Jing a Ling.” Ananya enjoyed the rush of having to both emcee and perform.
“I was feeling pretty nervous because me and Bhavya had some pretty quick narration,” Ananya said. “Then performing, we didn’t have a lot of time before, and we never really got to run the whole show once ever. So we weren’t exactly sure how it was going to go, but I think it went pretty well.”
After Downbeat exited the stage, Kinetic Krew took over the show with a routine choreographed to Justin Bieber’s version of “Little Drummer Boy.” HDC brought a French spin on Christmas, performing two routines full of kicklines and the can-can.
“We’ve been learning this for about two months now,” Yasmin said. “Since the stage is obviously a lot smaller than the other stages we’ve been performing on, we taped out a little square in the dance room where we stayed in. Another really cool thing this year is that we have these big skirts, so we practiced with similar skirts in the dance room to get ready for the real show.”
Middle school team Dance Fusion, bedazzled in red sequins, performed a set to Snoop Dogg’s “Funky Christmas.” Downbeat closed the show with a performance of “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing.” Dance Fusion dancer William Ludlow (6) reflects on the time pressure they faced preparing for the show.
“Preparation was hard,” William said. “You don’t have that much time to do it or many practice runs, because we only meet each Monday. It’s a little time-crunched. We are always ready, though.”
Harker’s annual presence at “Spirit of the Row” is an opportunity for connection and growth, both within and extending outside the school’s community. Kinetic Krew member Nikhil Sharma (10) emphasizes the enjoyment and appreciation that comes with performing outside of Harker.
“This is really fun because we can actually go outside of Harker and perform for other people,” Nikhil said. “We’re always at the high school, so we can go to other campuses, but this time we’re actually outside of school, so I really appreciate that.”
