![“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)
Spring Spirit Week began today with a class theme dress-up and a “Coffee House”-style karaoke booth outside Manzanita during lunch.
Each class wore outfits corresponding to movie franchises assigned for their spirit themes: “Star Wars” for the seniors, “Fast & Furious” for the juniors, “Avengers” for the sophomores and “Men in Black” for the frosh. The seniors took the first dress-up victory with 47.3% dress-up turnout, followed by the juniors with 42.7%, the frosh with 31.6% and lastly the sophomores with 28.9%.
Seniors dressed in all-white and all-black outfits, with some donning robes and holding lightsabers as props. Senior Suhana Bhandare, who wore a white dress, brown belt and space buns to cosplay as the “Star War’s” protagonist Princess Leia, enjoyed seeing other Leia costumes within her grade.
“I was deciding between Rey and Leia, but my cousin gave me this white dress, and I really wanted to use it,” Suhana said. “I didn’t see that many people dressed up, but the people who were dressed up did a great job — I’m glad people are taking spirit week seriously, especially with some of the elaborate ‘Men in Black’ costumes.”
Juniors showcased racing flags and leather jackets to accompany their “Fast & Furious” theme, while the sophomores wore Marvel-themed t-shirts and colors associated with certain heroes.
Various frosh advisors joined in on the spirit as well, accompanying the students in wearing black suits and ‘Men in Black’ badges. Frosh Danya Arun, who wore a combination of her favorite casual black shirt and jeans, highlighted their joint class participation.
“It was so interesting to see how each person interpreted our theme,” Danya said. “Whether they came in full formal attire or simply just dressed in all black, our class’s collective efforts brought the frosh community together. I’m excited to see what people wear during the rest of the week.”
Junior SAB member and Harker Spirit Leadership Team events secretary Megha Unny helped set rules for dress-up guidelines, which were stricter this year given the broad movie themes. She noted how there was a large amount of denied costumes due to insufficient incorporation of the theme.
“Checking in outfits this year has been different because I have had to tell a lot of people that their outfits don’t count, which made me feel really bad,” Megha said. “The whole reason I love spirit is because of the way it brings people together. The first day sets the theme for the rest of the week.”
Beyond sponsoring the dress-up competition, HSLT collaborated with Tri-M to host a Coffee House karaoke booth, where students sang contemporary hits like “Promise” by Laufey and “Don’t Smile” by Sabrina Carpenter. HSLT provided speakers and a microphone, and students had the option to select their choice of song.
Spirit Week continues tomorrow with a Surfers vs. Bikers dress-up theme, the dodgeball finals and the annual Regatta competition.
Leah • Mar 24, 2026 at 6:05 pm
I love the headline guys. It’s the read absolute cinema!