![“[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)
Debate team travels to Tournament of Champions
Sebi Nakos (12) argues in his round. Upper School debaters traveled to the Tournament of Champions from April 26-28.
Twenty-two Upper School debate students attended the Tournament of Champions hosted annually at the University of Kentucky from April 26 to 28.
If the competitor reaches a certain round after prelims and also earns two bids there by placing in those previous tournaments, the student qualifies for the Tournament of Champions.
Upper School students participated in four out of the five events offered: Public Forum, Congressional Debate, Lincoln Douglas, and Policy Debate. Freshman Aditya Dhar was the only Upper School student, out of all the events, who made it to the Congressional Debate semifinals, although he did not place. Qualifying high school students from all over the nation competed in this tournament. There were 101 teams in Public Forum, 98 entries in Congressional Debate, 100 entries in Lincoln Douglas, and 85 entries in Policy Debate.
Along with the students participating, debate coaches Carol Green, Gregory Achten and Jenny Heidt mentored the students throughout the competition.
As a senior, Kevin Duraiswamy found this tournament, the last one of his high school career, to be a great bonding experience for the team.
“Overall it’s a very emotional experience in that you spend the entire year usually working to get towards this tournament, because it’s not just any tournament,” he said. “It’s a tournament that’s really hard to qualify to.”
Similarly, Alexander Lam (9) recognizes the amount of work that goes into preparing for this one event and reflects on his experience at the tournament.
“I put a lot of time and effort into this,” he said. “I think it’s a really great foundation for me. Since I’m a freshman, I can use this as a good starting point and it’s a good experience for me.”
The Tournament of Champions was the last debate tournament for the 2013-2014 school year.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on May 16, 2014.
Raveena Kapatkar (12) is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Harker Aquila. She is a senior and this is her fourth year on staff. As a freshman, she was a reporter...
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...