![“[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)
This week focused on spring sports in addition to the annual Red Cross blood drive.
“The Red Cross club has put a lot of time and energy into the blood drive. I think that the culmination of all the work and good will that’s being done with all of the donations will be the sliming of the ASB on Monday,” Butch Keller said. “If you think about the work that they’ve done, we segue into the sports teams and think about the amount of time and dedication they’ve put into their sport and representing their school in that way. I’m really proud of all the kids who are involved.”
After hosting sign-ups to donate blood last week, the Red Cross club held a blood drive on Wednesday, March 20. All non-anemic students 16 years of age and above who qualified height and weight restrictions were eligible to donate. Because the club met its goal in terms of the number of volunteers, it will reward the student body by sliming ASB members at Monday’s school meeting.
Following its first West Bay Athletic League (WBAL) meet, the Varsity track and field team competed in the St. Francis Invitational on Saturday, March 16. Sophomore Corey Gonzales, Isabelle Connell (12), and Sumit Minocha (12) all set records in the mile, 400 m, and 100 m respectively. The team also participated in the Garlic Invitational on March 23 at Gilroy High School.
On Wednesday, March 20, the Varsity boys volleyball team defeated Los Gatos High School in four sets with scores of 25-21, 22-25, 25-14, and 25-19. The boys currently have a season record of 3-3 and took part in their first alumni game ever on March 23 at the Blackford gymnasium.
More events to look forward to next week include a community service spotlight and a feature on the Hoscars.
