![“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)
Associated Student Body President Sam Parupudi (12) opened the first school meeting of the year on Monday.
Performing Arts Production Manager Brian Larsen began with his annual tutorial on proper microphone use for all upcoming speakers. He recommended that people imagine the microphone as a handle to their heads and keep it close to their faces at all times.
Head of Upper School Paul Barsky then congratulated students on a strong start to the school year and emphasized the importance of upholding Harker’s four core values: kindness, integrity, respect and personal accountability. He introduced new classroom protocols during assessments to ensure academic integrity, including the storage of all electronic devices in the back of the classroom and the randomization of test problems and seating arrangements.
Performing arts teachers followed with updates for the Conservatory program. Director of Performing Arts Laura Lang-Ree announced that the Conservatory Kickoff would be at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Theater teacher and fall play director Brandi Griffith introduced this year’s fall play, “A Midsummer’s Night Dream.” She invited students to auditions from Aug. 26-28 and to an information session in the RPAC on Aug. 29. Callbacks are scheduled to be from Aug. 29-30.
Instrumental music teacher David Hart highlighted the orchestra trip to Chicago during spring break next semester, encouraging students who play instruments to join the orchestra. He also announced the Jazz Band trip to the Monterey Jazz Festival from Sept. 27-29. Dance teachers Rachelle Haun and Jill Yager announced the start of the after-school dance program next week, along with Dance Production auditions on Sept. 6 from 3:15 to 5:15.
Student Diversity Coalition members Ariana Gauba (12), Ruhan Sahasi (12), Elie Ahluwalia (11), Arushi Sahasi (11), Alexis Leo (10) and Dhanya Ramanan (10) then introduced themselves and shared their mission to create an inclusive space and educate the community. They also promoted the upcoming Student Diversity Leadership Conference from Dec. 4-7, a national event for student leaders focused on cross-cultural communication and community building. Harker plans to send six students to the conference in Denver, with applications due by September 4.
Next, Winged Post co-editors-in-chief Victor Gong (12) and Katerina Matta (12) announced that the first issue of the year will be distributed on Friday, providing a sneak peek into articles about new teachers on campus, female pop icons of the summer and more. Harker Aquila co-editors-in-chief Emma Milner (12) and Alison Yang (12) discussed their photo policy, requesting that students only use photos after publication and credit the photographers when reposting.
Investment Club co-presidents Ruhan Arora (11) and Nicole Dean (10) invited students to participate in the Wharton Global High School Investment Competition, with an opportunity to attend the final round at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. They also announced open officer positions in the club.
HarkerDev admins Saanvi Bhargava (12), Aarav Borthakur (12) and Nelson Gou (12) introduced some of the apps their organization develops to improve life on campus, such as the Harker Bell Schedule and the new Activities app for club management. They urged all students, even those without coding experience, to join HarkerDev.
Athletic Director Dan Molin and Assistant Athletic Director Alfredo Alves introduced the coaching staff. Molin encouraged students to participate in fall sports, including football, water polo and cross country, with winter sport interest meetings coming soon. Alves advised students to check their PE credits, and he announced that signups for after-school PE options, including fitness, self-defense and yoga, will be opening next week.
ASB Secretary Jia Jia Jiang then explained school meeting announcement policies, asking students to fill out a Google Form to request announcement time slots. Sam notified students of snacks in Manzanita Hall and dismissed everyone.
