![“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)
Filling out extensive wish lists, sneakily placing gifts into stockings, and anonymously creating mysterious clues describe the long-lived holiday tradition of Secret Santa.
Evident from numerous Upper School groups that participated, Secret Santa is a popular event before the holiday break, as students play the role of Santa Claus for a fellow classmate, teacher, or coach.
Members of the journalism program participated in this year’s annual tradition of Secret Santa, giving and receiving numerous gifts as well as a clue about themselves throughout the week. At the holiday parties on December 7 for yearbook members and December 8 for newspaper and TalonWP members, Secret Santas were revealed along with the “large,” final gift.
The Varsity and Junior Varsity dance teams were combined to carry out the annual tradition of Secret Santa. Differing from most other Secret Santas within the school, gift themes, including food, fuzzy items, sparkles, dance, and large items, were assigned each day of the week to specify the type of present to give. The Santas were then revealed on Friday, along with the “big” gift.
“My favorite part of Secret Santa is getting a small themed gift everyday and trying to figure out who it was through the clues,” Varsity dancer Darby Millard (10) said.
This year, the student council took part in the Secret Santa pursuit for the first time. Pairs were chosen randomly, based on a lottery drawing. This Secret Santa is unique because no wish lists were involved in the choice of gifts. Thus, the “Santas” were required to get to know their partners in order to learn about their likes and dislikes. Gifts were expected to be around $25 and were revealed last Monday at the student council meeting.
“It was fun to see how different people surprise other people and try to figure out what other people like,” junior class treasurer Rohith Bhethanabotla (11) said.
Many advisories also decided to participate in holiday activities including Secret Santa as well since it is a fun activity for advisees to bond, according to sophomore advisor Nicholas Manjoine. Through the clues given throughout the week, advisees were able to learn more about each other and what each other like.
Advisee of math teacher Lola Muldrew, Ajay Chitkara (10) found Secret Santa to be special since their advisory decided to implement the idea of putting stockings in her room for everyone to place a small gift into everyday.
“Secret Santa is a really fun tradition that we’ve had for two years now, and I just really appreciate it,” Ajay said.
Sports teams, including girls’ basketball and girls’ soccer, also took part in Secret Santa with their teammates during this holiday season. The soccer team’s tradition continues for three weeks of clues and gifts. Similarly, for three weekdays, the basketball team exchanged one gift per day, increasing in price.
“I feel like Secret Santa has really allowed me to connect with my classmates and bond with people that I really didn’t know much about,” Varsity soccer player Gabi Gupta (10) said. “When I bought them their gift and found out their preferences, I learned a whole new side of them.”
Varsity basketball player Alana Shamlou (11) also enjoyed the bonding aspect of Secret Santa.
“The coaches are included, so it’s kind of just like family and we do it every year,” Alana said.
The tradition of Secret Santa at school continues throughout the rest of the week in time for holiday celebration.
