![“[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)
The Madness Continues
Teachers and students await results of the NCAA March Madness Tournament
March Madness excitement is brewing as the nation awaits the results of the Final Four match-ups to see which team will be crowned champion of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Basketball Tournament.
College basketball transcends the nation all through March and into April as committed fans, basketball newcomers, and everyone in between predict the scores and winners of the tournament. March Madness is an American tradition where people watch as favorites show off their refined abilities and Cinderella teams rise to the occasion.
Students and teachers alike urge the Harker community to take part in bracket groups across campus. Teachers Jeff Sutton and Julie Wheeler encourage their students to fill out brackets.
“It is an American cultural experience that they need to be aware of whether they know anything about college basketball or not, but also I think it’s a very interesting experience for students to be exposed to a whole number of different colleges that they may have never heard of,” said Wheeler. “It gets very exciting and it sparks conversations on a number of different levels. Overall, it’s fun for everyone to get involved, and it adds some fun competition into my class.”
Students also took the opportunity to engage in the tournament. Srivinay Irrinki (11) started a bracket group for the Junior class.
“I’m a really big basketball fan, and I think it’s a good way to bring our class together. You never really know what’s going to happen,” said Srivinay. “People who maybe don’t normally watch basketball start getting really into it, and it’s a really exciting three weeks.”
The close scores and major upsets that have occurred throughout the tournament continue to fuel the excitement. No. 10 ranked Stanford knocked out No. 2 ranked Kansas in the second round with a score of 60-57, and Kentucky ended Wichita State’s previously undefeated season with a nail biting 78-76 finish and then went on to beat rival Louisville. Duke’s loss to Mercer in the first round and Dayton’s victories over Ohio State, Syracuse, and Stanford to advance to the Elite Eight are among the most notable upsets of the season.
Florida ended Dayton’s unexpected tournament run, and Wisconsin beat out favorite, Arizona, in a close 64-63 victory to advance to the Final Four along with Connecticut and Kentucky.
Natasha Mayor (10), who created the Sophomore class bracket, got involved with March Madness for the first time this year.
“This is my first year making a bracket, and all the excitement around March Madness is intoxicating,” said Natasha. “The biggest upset for me was Duke losing to Mercer in the first round. I had thought Duke would win the entire competition, so I was definitely upset when they lost.”
With popular apps and websites, students have found it easier than ever to keep up to date with March Madness scores and brackets. It is convenient to make and follow the progress of brackets with the ESPN Tournament Challenge App. Live streaming on the NCAA’s live website (www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live) allows students to watch games in real time.
The semifinal games between the Final Four will take place tomorrow and the Championship game will be on April 7 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
This article was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on April 4, 2014.
Megy Appalaraju (12) is the Sports Editor of Harker Aquila. This is her second year in the Harker journalism program. Her favorite part about journalism...