![“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 and teachers competed in the regatta race and belly flop performances at the Singh Aquatic Center during lunch, and pink clothing dominated the campus’s outfits for Wednesday’s dress up theme On Wednesdays We Wear Pink.
The juniors narrowly beat out the seniors in the regatta race, while the sophomores and frosh trailed behind in third and fourth place. The class of 2025 earned 200 spirit points, followed by the class of 2024 with 150 points, 2026 with 100 points and 2027 with 50 points. Four students from each grade manned a round pool floatie, and each group used a paddle to help them row back and forth across the lane.
Harker girls swim team member Shimeka Sahu (10) participated in the sophomore regatta team along with Yash Greene, Janam Chahal and Ishan Mysore.
“Collaborating with the rest of my team was fun, and the race was exhilarating,” Shimeka said. “My favorite moment is when I fell off the boat, and my teammates weren’t mad at me. They were just like, ‘Ok, we’re going to help you back in.’ All four of us agreed that we would do it next year.”
The poolside events continued with the non-competitive belly flop showcase. The class of 2026 group won, followed by the class of 2025, 2027 and 2024. Sophomore performers earned Starbucks $5 gift cards as a reward. Frosh Samaara Patil and Demi Zheng opened the belly flops with a short dance to “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Chainsmokers before diving into the pool.
“It was a little bit scary, honestly, being in front of everyone,” Samaara said. “But it was really fun to know that I got to have this memory with my friends in my first freshman spirit week.”
Sophomores Stanley Chen, Timmy Chen, Spencer Chang, Kairui Sun, Brady Tse and Terry Xie presented the next belly flop, acting out the idol scene from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and an elaborate fight sequence. Juniors Sam Parupudi and Jia Jia Jiang performed a dance to “Careless Whisper” by George Michael, and seniors Anish Jain, Daniel Lin, Kai Stinson and Kabir Buch acted out a short game of football to “Ima Boss” by Meek Mill and Rick Ross.
Judges Michelle Martinez, Kelley McCoy and Kadar Arbuckle graded belly flops based on a rubric which rated the height and diameter of the splashes as well as the flair of the performance.
“I think it’s cool because a lot of the students put all their time into the spirit stuff,” Arbuckle said. “I actually really like how they make it more official with the judges. I was just here today to add to that.”
Biology teacher Matthew Harley and history and social science teachers Carol Green and Jonathan Rim acted out a scene to the lyrics of “I’m Just Ken” by Ryan Gosling. Frosh Arav Vuppala, Nikhil Bawa and Liam Lee splashed into the water to their original hip hop song about jumping into the pool. Juniors Caio Cammer and Rajas Apte closed the belly flops with an affectionate performance set to “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley.
“[My favorite moment was] our flop in and seeing people’s reactions afterwards,” Caio said. “I enjoyed this event because it was entertaining and a great way to bond with my friend. It gathers a large amount of the school into one area and allows less spirited classmates to display themselves.”
Throughout lunch, students who dressed up in Wednesday’s pink theme could check in for spirit points with Harker Spirit Leadership Team representatives outside Manzanita Hall. Crafts and Conversations club also hosted a small table outside of Manzanita with pink craft supplies like string, beads and Rainbow Loom rubber bands.
Students can match outfits with each other to earn spirit points for Thursday’s twin day theme, and HSLT will also host a LEGO castle building competition in Manzanita Hall at lunch.
