![“[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)
Attendance disrupted by warehouse fire near Highway 101
A plume of smoke rises from the side of Highway 101 due to a warehouse fire. This caused a traffic delay leading to many students arriving late to school.
Many students arrived late due to a warehouse fire near Highway 101.
Sue Prutton of the attendance office described how the fire is heavily impacting attendance and was thus unable to give a quote.
The fire is causing traffic delays, but the highway remains open. The Mercury News reported that the blaze began before 5:30 a.m. and that the building is near North 28th and Julian streets, with the latter closed at 7 a.m.
UPDATE: The Sacramento Bee reported that firefighters have been able to get the fire under control thus the California Highway Patrol has re-opened the Julian street area.
According to the Mercury News around 100 firefighters responded to the emergency.
KRON reports that the fire is not completely under control, but that firefighters are continuing to pour water on the blaze to extinguish it.
Priyanka Chilukuri (9) talked about how the fire delayed her.
“We were really late. It took us about 50 mins to get here when it normally takes about 35,” she said.
Monica Thukral (12) described the scene at the blaze which she saw during her morning commute.
“Between the 280 on-ramp and the 880 on-ramp was this fire on the left. I could see on the freeway there were news trucks with cameras and hoses everywhere and it was really, really big,” she said.
Alexis Gauba is a reporter for The Winged Post. She is a freshman, and it is her first year on the staff. Alexis is on the varsity girls golf team and...