![“[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)
87 students auditioned for the upper school dance production ‘Once Upon a Time’ in the Patil Theater on Friday from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Harker Dance Company captains Aurelia Spura (11) and Hannah Jiang (11) taught the dancers auditioning a short routine to “Breakin’ Dishes” by Rihanna, blending multiple styles of dance to identify the strengths of each dancer. After practicing the routine for an hour, students split into groups of ten to audition in front of the judges, who included dance teachers Jill Yager and Haun, as well as two guest choreographers.
For the first time, this year’s audition included an additional two counts of eight for dancers to improvise and exhibit their unique skills. Frosh Zooey Lan, who has danced at Harker since kindergarten and performed in Dance Jamz all throughout middle school, felt that she saw a wider range of techniques exhibited in the high school production.
“I really enjoyed it,” Zooey said. “At first, I was quite nervous because everyone else is older and more experienced than me, especially in the dance production. It’s just a lot more diverse with the different styles and how everyone has their own different talents that they’re doing.”
This year’s auditions saw approximately forty less dancers than last year. Dance teacher Rachelle Haun explained that this year’s smaller cast meant fewer routines but more attention to detail for each aspect of the show.
“Having fewer dancers means I have more time to make sure we have cool props for dances and cool costumes,” Haun said. “This theme lends itself really well to strong dances and a lot of props and sets. I’m really excited to take the audience completely out of everything that’s happening in the real world and just making them really excited for the hour of the dance show.”
Though Kinetic Krew captain Nikhil Sharma (12) did not have as large a role in directing the choreography of the auditions as last year, he expressed his excitement for this year’s show and his happiness at seeing everyone dancing together for the first time during the audition.
“I’m excited to dance with my fellow seniors, my fellow juniors and my underclassmen,” Nikhil said. “In dance production, you can make a lot of new friends because when you’re dancing with other people, it’s very easy to make connections. And during auditions, there’s a lot of energy, so it’s always a really exciting way to set the tone for the start of dance production season.”
