![“[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)
California experiences heavy storms, power outages
A student stands in a small puddle near the Quad. Although most of the storms’ effects are lessening on campus, the Sierra Nevada mountains are still experiencing heavy blizzards.
January 11, 2017
California is finally witnessing some temporary relief for its current drought spell in the form of snow, wind and the heaviest rainstorms the state has experienced in months.
Storms blowing in from the Pacific Ocean first caused problems for Bay Area residents last Tuesday; according to PG&E, approximately 12,515 customers lost power in their homes, an incident believed to be caused by heavy rain and wind in a region spanning both the Santa Clara and Alameda counties.
Heavy rainfall caused the Russian River, which runs through the Mendocino and Sonoma counties, to overflow, resulting in 13 inches of rain in Sonoma County and prompting individuals living near the waterway to evacuate their homes. The National Weather Service also issued a coastal flood advisory from last Tuesday through last Friday.
Another storm hit the Bay Area last Friday and caused power outages in many Bay Area cities, including Los Gatos, Oakland and San Jose. On Saturday, National Park Service officials conducted an evacuation of Yosemite Valley after the Merced River overflooded.
“My WiFi was down in the morning,” sophomore Clarissa Wang, who lives in Mountain View, said. “It wasn’t down for very long, so my homework and debate work weren’t affected. I also live in an area that’s easily accessible, unlike Santa Cruz, so there were no problems travelling to places either.”
The severe weekend weather also resulted in four deaths; a 57-year-old San Leandro resident lost control of his vehicle while driving and crashed near the Oakland International Airport, a motorcyclist crashed on Interstate 880, a San Ramon resident died after a tree fell on her at a golf course and a Novato resident swerved off a road and into a creek in Marin County.
In the Bay Area, Sunday saw a break from the storms; however, the Sierra Nevada area experienced conditions of heavy rainfall and snowfall amounting to around 20 feet of snow on the mountains’ peaks, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service. Parts of the California section of Interstate 80 closed after a blizzard caused snow buildup on the highway.
Rainfall began again on Monday, and the National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Warning for the Napa and Marin counties yesterday. The announcement encouraged Ross Valley and San Anselmo residents to leave the Corte Madera Creek valley and to seek shelter at higher ground.
Rockslides in Santa Cruz also damaged a KGO-TV news van on Highway 17 when an avalanche of rocks and mud rolled down and trapped the driver in his vehicle.
”[I normally drive] down 1 and up 17. My commute was terrible [on Monday],” upper school history teacher Mark Janda said. “I left home at 5:20 a.m. and I got here at 7:50 a.m. It normally takes me about 35 minutes to get here, [but] it took two and a half hours instead today. It took me almost an hour and a half to go just the first 12 miles.”
While storms have continued through today the National Weather Service predicts an end to the rainfall as early as Thursday and also forecasts an upcoming rain-free weekend.
