![“[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)
Power outage at Upper School
The Upper School experienced a power outage today at 8:01 a.m. Classes are back in session following the regular schedule.
The Upper School experienced a power-outage at 8:01 a.m. this morning.
The lights flickered on and off until 8:17 a.m. when the power came back on. Lights were back on but WiFi had to be restarted and only came on at 8:43 a.m.
The loss of WiFi impacted teaching and caused management issues. Colleen Krisman, receptionist in the Dobbins Office, shares how the power outage changed the way they communicate with and keep track of the student body.
A announcement posted on the student portal briefed students about the power outage, which was part of a larger outage in San Jose. While power and WiFi have been restored earlier than estimated, some web services are still unavailable.
Assistant Head of School Gregory Lawson claims no lead to the source or cause of the blackout, though the power outage is “very unusual.” Quick security measures include checking for functioning signals, such as traffic signals, to ensure local safety.
“We just sort of wait it out, and if we find out that [the blackout is] not going to be too long then we sort of hang in there,” he said. “If we had found out from PG&E that the power was going to be out all day, the administrators would have probably come together and made some sort of big time decision on what to do. But since it was short term, we just carried on, but we have a communication chain that we carry on, like today it ends up being door to door and we split off to different parts of campus.”
Lawson continued to clarify information regarding the “communication chain,” by which school administrators make their way around campus, from one class to another, and notify instructors and students of the current situation.
Teachers and students were forced to make alternate plans due to the lack of electricity. Juniors Darby Millard and Noel Banerjee used their phone flashlights to help English teacher Ohad Paran continue teaching despite the darkness.
Other classrooms utilized natural light emitting from the class windows. Dr. Pauline Paskali’s English class was one which depended on the sunlight, and despite complications, continued with the scheduled class plans.
“We got in a little huddle, had a good Gatsby sesh, and we had a lot of class bonding and loving,” Aaron Huang (11) said.
Had the blackout persisted until lunch, students would receive cold lunches and make use of the school’s emergency food supply, including paper and plates and food stored in coolers. Although recycling matters would arise following the measures, the lunch process would progress smoothly. The necessity of the procedure has never arisen.
The last power outage occurred on March 31.
*Additional reporting by Ashi Gautum, Vivek Bhardwaj, Kacey Fang, Elisabeth Siegel, Kshithija Mulam, Arthi Iyer, and Kavya Ramakrishnan.
Vasudha Rengarajan is the Editor-in-Chief of Harker Aquila. As former Features editor and Sports editor for Aquila and a reporter for The Winged Post,...
Mariam Sulakian is the Features Editor of Harker Aquila. She has been a member of the journalism program for four years and appreciates the opportunities...
Shannon Su is the Managing Editor and Executive News Director of Harker Aquila. She joined the program as a reporter her freshman year and has held many...
Roshni Pankhaniya is the Sports Editor of the Winged Post. She is a senior and has been previously been a reporter and the Sports Editor for Harker Aquila....
Sheridan Tobin is the co-Editor in Chief of The Winged Post. She is a senior and this is her fourth year on staff. She was the Global Editor and Opinion...