![“[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)
Twenty students competed in the schoolwide Shakespeare Monologue Contest in Nichols Auditorium during lunch on Nov. 14 for the opportunity to advance to the national stage of the English-Speaking Union Shakespeare Competition.
Each participant memorized a monologue from Shakespeare’s plays and performed a dramatic interpretation of the scene. English teachers Beth Wahl, Susanne Salhab and Nikolai Slivka and theater teacher Brandi Griffith judged the contest.
On Friday, they announced the first place winner as sophomore Lana Tariq, who performed Queen Margaret from “Henry VI: Part 3.” Sophomore Maddie Avila took second place as Cassius from “Julius Caesar,” and sophomores Dhanya Ramanan and Sophia Zhu tied for third place.
Lana will have the opportunity to proceed to the regional Shakespeare contest in San Francisco, where she will perform her monologue alongside other students from across Northern California. She considers the contest an enriching experience.
“I liked the monologue options –– there were hundreds of them and they really varied,” Lana said. “Some were comical or emotional. Mine was more vicious.”
After the event announcement, students were given three weeks to prepare their monologues. They memorized their lines while deciding on gestures and inflection to match the meaning of their scenes. Some also attended a feedback session with Dr. Wahl and Griffith on Nov. 8 to refine their performances.
“I spent about three hours or so memorizing the lines, watching YouTube videos and trying to replicate the parts that I thought were important into my monologue,” Maddie said. “When I memorized it, I practiced in front of the mirror and then in front of my parents.”
Sponsored by the international English-Speaking Union, the competition hosts thousands of high schoolers across the nation each year. It aims to engage students with Shakespeare’s work and promote performers’ confidence, communication, and knowledge of the language arts and drama.
Some English teachers offered extra credit for participation in the contest, encouraging students to interact with Shakespeare’s plays beyond required classroom reading. Contest participant Vivaan Sahay (9) felt that learning his monologue brought him greater insights into his chosen play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
“I was actually in Harker’s production of the play too,” Vivaan said. “Doing the monologue and the fall play helped me understand Shakespeare a lot more.”
Dr. Wahl emphasized the educational value of performing and viewing Shakespeare. Similar opportunities include the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where Harker students immersed themselves in English plays during a three-day trip in September. Students could connect the works they studied in their English classes to the nuances of theater.
“I’m really interested in having students get the chance to experience Shakespeare the way he intended, which is actually seeing it performed,” Dr. Wahl said. “Anything I can do to expose students to more performance aspects of Shakespeare makes me really happy. The more you speak the language, the more opportunities you have to really comprehend the role of the character.”
