Unlike her debut this February, Priya hosted the event independently and the designs were not made of recycled materials, but instead based on Indian designs.

“I wanted to expand my portfolio and experience and have at least one independent show under my belt before I head off to New York City,” she said.

Although this resulted in a little more stress, she also said that the fashion show was stressful as well because it was during the school year.

Priya began designing her outfits in early May this year. For this show, over 35 pieces were used for her models and decided to play more with the fabric than the design.

“It’s hard to describe it […] while I sketch, I watch TV shows I love. I base my ideas off the relationships between people and how they interact with one another,” she said.

She changed her outfit-creating process this time around as she did not have a solid vision.

“I’d go to the fabric store, and I’d pick out what I wanted for the top and bottom rather than decide on a style and then pick the materials that would flatter it,” Priya said.

Michelle Vu (12), one of her many models, did not participate as a fashion model in February, but once she saw Priya’s designs, she seized the opportunity to model for her.

“I wanted to model for Priya because I thought her designs for the fashion show were amazing, and I really loved wearing some handmade creations of hers,” Michelle said.

Priya Banerjee (’10), who modeled in both her shows, thought the designs were very unique. “They were Indian but had such a modern twist on them … I’ve never seen anything like them,” she said. “She’s going to be so famous one day!”

Priya’s creations received positive feedback from the audience as many were enthralled by her take on her American representation of Indian fashion.

“I got a really good response, which I am super excited about. I’ve sold a few of my outfits, and I got a few custom orders from others. It’s been a bigger success than I previously imagined,” she said.

Isha Patnaik (10), who watched the show, definitely believes that fashion is her forte.

“She’s really talented and has a bright future as a revolutionary designer. I could see myself walking into a store and buying something she designed,” she said.

Isha’s mother, Namrata Patnaik, was a volunteer backstage. She had never seen all the pieces together until the day of the show.

“The collection fit together very well. I wished the show was longer… it was too short!,” she said.

Priya hopes to pursue her fashion career and eventually work in the fashion industry.

Priya said, “From here, I’ll go wherever the wind blows me. I love the business aspect of it all, but I love being able to use my creative side as well,” she said. “Hopefully, ten years from now, I’ll be doing what I love, whether it’s designing or working behind the scenes during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.”

Working with another conservatory member outside of school was not anything new for Snider, since this was her 18^th time working with the company.

“As soon as the conservatory was really flying, I was always on the lookout for kids who might be able to come and audition for me when I was doing an out of Harker show,” she said.

John felt that working with Snider outside of school was different than school productions. He said that not being in a school environment made working with a teacher more relaxed.

“It was cool to see how different [Snider] was working with a different group of people, like without having the Harker rules and not having to be in the Harker environment,” John said. “She was much more relaxed, and she wasn’t constantly teaching. It was just like having her in class except a lot less strict.”

While John thought that the professional productions differed from school shows in various areas such as the set and cast, Snider argued that shows inside of school differ only slightly from outside ones, especially the cast.

“Ms. Lang-Ree and I are very firm about treating Harker exactly the way we do it in professional life. We really try hard to do it the same way. The only difference is going to be that these are adults,” Snider said.

Although this was only John’s second musical performance outside of school, he has had many years of experience performing in school.  Because of this background, he felt he could quickly learn the choreography and music. One of John’s biggest obstacles was that he was the youngest of the cast.

“In terms of learning, I was pretty fast for my age because I have had a lot of experience at Harker. [The choreographer] was really intense, and she moved really fast. You had to be on your toes constantly trying to catch up with everyone,” he said.

While John’s challenge was his age, Snider had to deal with a different issue: more technology to help adjust to the set. Instead of being placed in the usual orchestra pit, the band was on stage, in costume, but not visible by the actors.

“The fact that we were eight feet in the air and way upstage in the far back of the stage meant that nobody in the cast could see me because they always were facing the audience, and so they always had their backs to me,” she said. “And I couldn’t see them because I had my back to them. So we had to have extra technology … And so with all three of those cameras at all times, any of us could see each other.”

Even though the technology helped the cast see the musical director, it created problems for Snider.

“For some reason, there was just that much of a delay, probably a second between my visual cue and the sound. So, what I was noticing was that I would cut off the cast and the band at the same time, and the cast would physically stop singing just a second after the band,” Snider said. “I had to start giving a cue slightly earlier with my left hand and slightly later with my right hand to try to cue. It was really pretty tricky and hard to coordinate because of that odd delay.”

Working outside of school with Snider was a great experience according to John. For other students looking to perform out of school, he advises them to learn etiquette.

“First and foremost show etiquette, which is being on time to rehearsals, which is being [15 minutes] early,” he said. “You want to know your stuff, and learn everything early.”

Already a Prius owner, Elchert received a phone call from the company a month and a half ago asking if she would be interested in participating in the preview test.

“I love cars – I was interested in the new technology; I have solar panels in my house, and I am environmentally friendly, so I was just so excited to have the opportunity,” Elchert said.

In order to participate, Elchert had to be the only person driving the car throughout the six weeks trial period.  After a training session where she learned about the vehicle, she took full advantage of her time.

The car had 16 miles on it when Elchert first received the car.  To date, she has driven a total of 2065 miles, of which 16 percent was on electric power.

Elchert explained the mechanism by which the car functions.  Once the charge on the lithium-ion battery is depleted, the vehicle switches to hybrid mode, functioning not on gasoline but as a hybrid vehicle.

“This switch from electric to hybrid makes the car very practical,” Elchert said. “When the car runs out of battery, you can still drive and be environmentally friendly.”

The car needs to be plugged in and recharged to resume its electrical capabilities.  “It costs about 50 cents to charge electrically, so I feel good about using it,” she said.

This mechanism proved especially helpful when Elchert drove to Kings Canyon National Park.  Because it was a road trip, she did not plug-in the vehicle during the day, so it would automatically switch to hybrid mode.

“Several people came up to me and said, ‘I didn’t know these were available,’” Elchert said. “They were also especially interested in the vehicle and how it worked, maybe because they were environmentally friendly too.”

The plug-in hybrid vehicle has several distinct characteristics, among them a noiseless engine.

“There is actually a proposition to make electrical vehicles make noise to aid blind pedestrians and such,” Elchert said. To compensate, this vehicle beeps while reversing to alert others of its presence.

Additionally, the plug-in vehicle uses a power button instead of a key to start its engine.

However, there are also some disadvantages to the vehicle. “The sight lines along the side are not ideal,” Elchert said, feeling her side view was restricted more compared to her Prius.

Moreover, though the vehicle can run for twelve to fourteen miles on purely electrical energy, it still needs to be recharged. “It is not quite practical to have a vehicle run only on electric [power],” Elchert said.

Toyota nonetheless maintained an optimistic view on the test. “Through this program consumers will be informed on how these new mobility alternatives will fit with their transportation needs, their lifestyles and their budget,” John Hanson, Toyota’s manager of environmental, safety and quality communications, said.

Elchert also has a positive attitude about the vehicle’s effect on the future of energy consumption.

“People are certainly looking at electrical power as an adjunct to gasoline,” Elchert said. “This is a good start, and I’m hopeful that it will take hold in the future.”

Yet, too often we live passively, aimlessly, and apathetically.

We pass time with one eye open and the other closed, blinking half-hearted goodbyes to all the life rushing past us. A speaker is going to give a surely great lecture in Nichols this Wednesday? Eh, it’s our only long lunch of the week. I want to hang out with my friends and finish this homework. Maybe next month. The talent show is coming up? Nah, so many others are going to participate. They don’t need me. Maybe next year. Besides, I could use the auditioning and practice time for something else. An elusive goal, perhaps.

We plop down in front of our computers, open Facebook and AIM, and that “saved” time vanishes.

We know this. We know we don’t live the way we could or should. But we don’t change – we’re too busy. We’ll do it next time.

Well, now a new year is beginning. It’s the perfect time to shed old habits and limitations. A new year is a blank page. Our records are clean, and anything goes.

So let’s start anew. Let’s set some “New School Year’s Resolutions,” long-term goals to guide us at all times. We can aim for that elusive A or earnestly participate in that writing or science competition.

Of course, they don’t have to be traditional goals. We can branch out, explore our horizons, and perhaps discover a passion. We hear this sage advice from Matriculation year after year, but do we ever really take it to heart?

The goals don’t even have to be school- or extracurricular-related. Maybe we could resolve to connect more with our families and truly relish every moment with them before we have to face the world alone after graduation. Or we could try to take pleasure in the day-to-day joys of life. We could stop to appreciate the delicate arch and soft glow of that streetlamp at the corner or the placid watercolor blues of the sky; we could learn to cook and really relish our food.

We should keep these New School Year’s Resolutions in heart and mind every single day, for they’re goals to give us direction and purpose in our lives so that we don’t find ourselves wasting away. How many times in the past have we loitered day after day, simply because we had no true aims, so that one week later, we couldn’t honestly name anything we did that we were proud of? Maybe we halfheartedly did our homework and chores, but we didn’t really do or grow much in any significant or enduring way. We never felt that fulfilling pride and satisfaction that comes with accomplishing something we craved and worked for. But this year, if we remember and constantly strive for these new goals, we won’t feel so empty.

And there should be no excuses for straying from these goals. No I’m still in summer mode, no I’ll do it tomorrow’s, no maybe next time’s, and definitely no it’s too late’s. It’s a new year, a new beginning, and for freshmen especially, it’s the best time to aim higher and farther than ever. For upperclassmen, it’s most definitely not too late. Year after year, seniors try out new activities and classes just to broaden their range of interest; why can’t we? As for lifestyle-related goals, grade is simply irrelevant.

Of course, we’re human and we’re teenagers. We’ll most certainly slip up at times. But if we remember that a mistake is not failure and maintain our continual efforts, eventually, living with a purpose will become a habit.

One of the easiest places for us to go wrong, ironically, is actually when we’re “relaxing.” Time and time again, we say to ourselves that we’ll take a break from homework and hop onto Facebook. After viewing 300 photos of that boyfriend of a cousin of a friend while IMing and texting seven friends, we rub our eyes and glance at the clock. An hour has passed. Yet we’re still just as tired as and not a bit happier than before. On the other hand, going outside and really seeing the world or meeting up at a coffee shop with those seven friends is actually refreshing. Rather than robotically clicking, paradoxically, we should put real life and passion into our leisure.

Mr. Nikoloff said it best last year at graduation: we need to learn to single-task. We’re always so distracted that we never manage to give anything – neither fun nor work – our very best.

Ultimately, we just need to live with passion, direction, and purpose. When working, we can work for an end, not just because we have to and have time to spare. When relaxing, we can give ourselves wholeheartedly to fun.

And above all, we should always take pride in what we do. We should do what we do for ourselves, not for others, and when we say we’re finished, we should know we did all we could. There shouldn’t be any halfhearted twitches of effort.

We have the power to make this year whatever we want. Let’s embrace the new era, not cling desperately to the receding coattails of languid summer and old times past. It’s a fresh start.

Let’s go forth and make this our best year yet.

Three of the four placed within the top three in their respective competitions, topping students from 32 other states.

“It’s amazing to get anywhere in the top ten at this particular place [nationals] because there’s literally hundreds of people you’re competing against,” Latin teacher and JCL Advisor John Hawley said.

NJCL is an organization of middle and high school students who work to improve their knowledge of the cultures, languages, and literature of ancient Greece and Rome. The four participants in the convention supplemented their knowledge by reading books beyond the curriculum and taking the JCL class as a non-academic period option.

“The thing about the national convention is it’s sports, graphic arts, creative arts, academics, and then they have this special thing called certamen,” Hawley said. Certamen is a quizbowl-style competition testing knowledge of many aspects of classical civilizations.

Nik Datuashvili (10), Richard Fan (10), and Sean Fernandes (10) competed for level three, while Jessica Lin (11) participated in contests for level four.

Nik placed first in both Ancient Geography and Hellenic History, while Richard placed fourth in Ancient Geography in their level.  Jessica placed second in Roman Life in her level and also won fifth place in the tenth grade for an essay she wrote on site. Richard also participated in the junior boys Olympika, winning first place in the 800 meter run and second place in the marathon.

“[The convention] is more than just an academic thing. It’s very much an overall experience,” Hawley said.

Along with different competitions, the NJCL convention offered other activities for the participants, including officer elections, presentations of 20-year attendance awards, and spirit sessions. The students also went to dances three of the four evenings they spent in the college dormitories, while they participated in a “find the giftcards in the haystack” activity the last night, Hawley said.

The convention not only facilitated bonding with the other California delegates through spirit sessions, but also provided a friendly atmosphere throughout the contests.

Hawley said, “It can be competitive, but it’s a kind of a competition where you know that people are going to go over and congratulate people when they win.”

“It was the most incredible night of my life,” she said.

Frankie’s newly released debut album, titled Everything Must Change, is comprised of her original music and both vocal and instrumental covers of classic jazz songs.

“I just wanted to go for it, and have something that would be a product of mine, of who I am, and be able to share myself with people,” Frankie said.

Coming from a family with deep American roots, Frankie was raised around jazz music, watching old Fred Astaire and Gene Kelley movies as a baby.

“My parents really introduced me to music when I was a little kid,” she said. “And I don’t know, I caught something. It was like my calling.”

Between writing lyrics, recording her music, mixing the tracks, and arranging a photoshoot, Frankie was in and out of the studio for about six months. However, she said the most difficult part was not working around her school schedule, but instead choosing the songs she would put on the album.

“There’s so much more than just the music,” she said. “And honestly, I don’t think that I was set on the songs until the album came out, and I had no choice about what was going to be on it anymore.”

The album feature tracks such as a cover of Nat King Cole’s  “On the Street Where You Live,” Frankie’s original songs “Forever” and “In Your Eyes,” and her younger brother Nicolas Nagle’s  (10) instrumental composition “As Per Your Request.”

Though the songs she wrote are close to her, Frankie said her favorite on the album is her version of the Al Jarreau song “I Will Be Here For You” because of its unique arrangement.

“Originally it’s really funky, but I got to tie in my bluegrass, ‘old-timey’ roots with this funk and I loved that fusion of music,” she said.

Also featured on her album are Frankie’s vocal teacher Nate Pruitt and her banjo and guitar teacher Rick Vandivier. Frankie spoke highly of her vocal teacher as “incredible” and “a god,” and referred to her guitar teacher as “amazing” and “genius” for his ability to teach her banjo on the guitar.

“When I was talking about who to get to play on bass and drums, Jason Lewis and John Shifflett’s names kept coming up with Rick and Nate, my teachers,” Frankie said. “It was kind of an obvious choice in the end.”

Frankie started out playing bluegrass and old-time Americana music on her guitar, but she quickly became interested in the banjo after seeing many artists use the instrument in fusions of jazz, bebop, funk, and classical music.

“I started playing banjo because it was common with bluegrass, but I realized it’s not just your instrument; it’s a tool you use to convey,” she said. “You can do whatever you want with your voice or your instrument.”

When asked about future albums, Frankie said, “We’ll see how things go—it’s a journey right now. I have no idea what’s going to happen next.”

Bradley Stoll, Mathematics Department Chair, took first place in a Pie Eating Contest at Tlaquepaque Village’s annual Independence Day Celebration.  Stoll participated in this competition during his family’s two-month stay in Sedona, Arizona.

The contest involved Stoll’s hands being tied behind his back as he attempted consume a full pie as fast as possible.

“There were nine of us sitting at this long table, and we all had either chocolate cream or banana cream pie, whichever we chose,” Stoll said. “I had three firemen from Sedona next to me, so I felt kind of bad beating them.”

Stoll’s was convinced to participate by his son Brandon, who took second place in the competition for his own age division.

Although Stoll managed to win the contest, he admitted that the task was not as easy as it appeared.

“It was okay at the time,” Stoll said, “but after eating an entire banana cream pie, well, it took a while for my stomach to forgive me.”

To honor his achievements, Stoll was awarded a $25 gift certificate to “a fabulous Mexican restaurant.”

“Next year, I’ll do it again if we’re there around the fourth [of July],” Stoll said. “I might have to defend my title.”

The rites for Spelling Bee were pulled since the musical will have a world premiere in London in summer 2011 on the West End; therefore, no other productions of Spelling Bee could happen in Europe at the same time.

“I was neck-and-neck between Pippin and Spelling Bee, so I knew it was going to be one of them,” said Laura Lang-Ree, K-12 Performing Arts Department Chair and director of the musical.

Initially, she wanted to direct Spelling Bee because it was light and would be a nice contrast to last year’s production of Les Miserables, which was a very intense show, she said.

“I’m over it,” she said of Spelling Bee. “At first I was disappointed, and it was hard to pull myself out and rethink it.” As of now, she plans on doing Spelling Bee next time at the Fringe.

Nevertheless, Lang-Ree is more than excited to be directing Pippin.  “The entire production staff is really excited to do Pippin because it tells the story of a youth journey trying to figure out who they are, and it’s a little bit of intrigue and mystery and darkness, and it’s very edgy and compelling, which the Fringe festival kind of is too,” Lang-Ree said.  “They have a lot of rich shows there, and I thought it would be a perfect fit.”

Lang-Ree says that Pippin is particularly a good fit for our school. “This is a very intellectual school, and our students like to have something they can sink their teeth into.”

Other shows she considered were South Pacific, Candide, and A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum. According to Lang-Ree, Pippin in particular has a strong ensemble that requires a team of players who are talented, diverse, and ready to play different characters throughout the show.

Auditions will take place on the week of September 20, and the audition process remains the same despite the change. The cast size is also going to remain small as planned, around 29 students.

On Monday, August 23, the school officially completed the construction of the new library, allowing it to be used by all students, faculty, and staff.

As a project that took nearly 15 months to finish, the librarians were especially eager to settle into their new environment. Although the duration of the process exceeded expectations, both librarians Susan Smith and Lauri Vaughan agree that it was worth it.

Upper School Division Head Butch Keller was pleased with the finished building and felt that the entire project was a success. “It’s the best student-centered library that I’ve ever seen,” he said.

In addition to the new location of the library, several large changes have been made towards the building itself. “Probably the most significant difference is the capacity to hold more people. That was something we were really trying to achieve, and we have,” said Vaughan.

Not only is there more space for students, but the size of the building also allows for a greater number of books.

“With the last order in the spring, we literally had [the books] on carts because there was no more shelf-space. The reality is that this is a good sized library,” said Smith. “Even though a lot of our resources are electronic, and we’re not solely looking for growth in terms of books, we did pick up almost 50 percent more shelf space.”

Furthermore, an entirely separate room has been added to serve as classroom space. “This addition provides a lot more flexibility in the space that we have and allows us to teach in there,” Vaughan said.

Along with the increased capacity is the more laptop-friendly environment provided by the new building. “Everyone [is] able to plug in their computers at the desks and there will be plug-ins in the classroom space as well,” Vaughan said.

Keller also feels that the simple things, such as the casual, classroom, and personal spaces are all great additions to the library. “You get the best of all worlds,” he said.

All these new features are efforts to try and make the library as convenient and effective as possible. Yet while a bigger, newer, and more technologically advanced building is a great resource on campus, the librarians can only wish for one thing: for students to actually use this new space.

“I hope it continues to be a central learning place for students. It certainly was for a certain part of our community, but I hope it becomes that for an even larger part of our community. Libraries are more than just a room full of books; they’re a place of inspiration, and I really believed that Harker had achieved that even before the new space,” Vaughan said.

Likewise, Smith hopes that more people will use this facility not only in the beginning of the school year, but throughout. “New places attract new people. We hope that some new people will come to the library who didn’t come before,” Smith said. “Our mission statement is to be the intellectual heart and mind of the school, and libraries are wonderful places for that reason.”

There is a regular process for appointing: a nominating committee suggests names of people, and the vote then goes to the full board. Nichols was elected unanimously.

Nichols looks forward to “being able to work with the school to fulfill its mission statement,” she said, as well as “be[ing] able to work with all the board members on providing for the future of the school.”

Over this past summer, Nichols and the Board worked in conjunction with the school’s attorney, Tamara Watts, to update the written foundations of the school. They modernized the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws as well as the Board’s Conflict of Interest Policy, updating each with the current legal situation in mind.

One main obstacle that Nichols expects to face as Chairman of the Board is problem of not owning the Blackford campus. “Finding a solution to that situation is going to be very important for the school moving forward,” Nichols said. She has tried very hard to buy the campus for the school but does not think that the district will give in and sell it.

Aside from these challenges, Nichols feels that it is “very important to maintain the family atmosphere of the school,” she said. “You want to keep your teachers as happy as you can possible make them. The attitude of the teachers is very important in the day to day experiences of the students,” she explained, “[because] if the teachers love the school and love the students, [then] the students are going to love the school.”

Along with keeping up the high standards of the school, Nichols feels that “if we’re doing our job right, the students should be able to find their niche – something that they love and want to develop. That’s really finding yourself – and we have an obligation to help [students] do that,” she said.

Nichols feels that her husband, Eternal Trustee Howard Nichols (1940-2008), would agree. “When it came to the vision for the school, we had very similar views,” she said. A large part of this vision was the family environment as well as the various enriching activities that supplement the academic curriculum of the school.

“I just love Harker, I really do,” Nichols said. “I guess a lot of that is that I spent a good part of my life trying to build the school” from its small, 300-student population years ago. “Over the years, I’ve come to love the people, the staff, the faculty, and the students. I want to see that continue and get better in all different ways.”