![“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)
Upper School Assistant Division Head Kelly Horan opened the school meeting with academic updates, beginning with a message drawn from the film “KPop: Demon Hunters.” She focused on the theme of embracing one’s “duality” or one’s different sides to their identity, and encouraged students to live more authentic lives through their various unique passions, just like Rumi, the film’s protagonist.
Horan then reminded students that they can request to reschedule an exam if they have three or more in the same day. Such students should email all three teachers directly with a concrete plan and copy their parents on the email. Horan also announced that registration for self-studying AP exams is open until Oct. 3, and students who register should follow the guidance of Director of Standardized Testing and Scheduling Troy Thiele.
Conservatory representatives Simon Kirjner (12), Taylor Summers (12), Anika Basu (11), Megha Unny (11) and Emma Zhou (10) revealed that this year’s spring musical will be “Something Rotten!” with auditions on the week of Sept. 15 and callbacks on Sept. 20. Additionally, the Kirsten Edkins Quartet will perform in the Patil Theater on Sept. 5th at 7 p.m.
They also announced two performing arts department spring trips: the instrumental music department will be visiting Los Angeles from March 28-31 to see the LA Philharmonic and perform at Royce Hall. The theater and choir departments are traveling to New York City to participate in the Heritage Festival, take part in Broadway workshops and attend shows.
Theater department members Taylor, Daniel Miao (12) and Holly Templeton (12) promoted the Oregon Shakespeare Festival trip to Ashland, Oregon from Sept. 26-28. Attendees will participate in workshops and see four plays: “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “Into the Woods” and “As You Like It.”
Harker Robotics Executive President Brenna Ren (12), Technical President Mihir Kotbagi (12) and Operations President Aanika Kapoor (11) introduced the Robotics program, highlighting their past success and opportunities to join subteams to learn real-world skills like problem solving, team management and outreach. They announced tryouts for the drive team this Saturday and a mentoring opportunity with lower school students.
HSLT members Kairui Sun (12) and Leana Zhou (12) revealed that the theme for the Spirit Kickoff this Friday is “Renaissance Faire.” The event will feature a medieval-themed bouncy castle, root beer floats, soft pretzels, french fries, ax throwing, a scavenger hunt and a photo booth.
ASB Secretary Sophia Zhu (11) provided updated guidelines for submitting school meeting announcement requests, which can be found on announcements.harker.org. ASB President Luke Wu (12) then announced a new trial policy for hot food service after school meetings, where one grade will have priority for the first 10-15 minutes before opening to all students.
Upper School Dean of Students Kevin Williamson concluded the meeting by reviewing evacuation protocol and outlining the semester’s safety drills: an evacuation drill immediately following the meeting, an earthquake drill on Sept. 18 and a lockdown drill on Oct. 29. Afterward, students headed to the field for the evacuation drill.
