![“[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)
Harker FPS Members Travel to Laguna Niguel State Bowl
An Upper School Future Problem Solvers team approaches the stage to receive commendation for its performance at the State Bowl. The closing ceremony for the Laguna Niguel State Bowl was held from April 26 to 27.
Thirty-nine FPS members, 21 middle schoolers and 18 high schoolers, coached by middle school History teacher Mr. Merrill, participated in the Laguna Niguel state bowl from April 25 to 27, an annual event in California.
One team qualified for internationals, and two senior division teams won first place in both categories and third place in presentation. The junior division teams won first place in the Presentation Category and second in the Written Packet Category.
To qualify, members must have completed packets filled with various problems at the beginning of the year. The students found solutions to them through extensive research. Afterwards, there was a final, qualifying problem, and if students did well, they were eligible to participate in the state bowl.
Students are given a packet which consists of a scenario that they must find 16 challenges in, and an underlying problem. They are then expected to find 16 solutions for the underlying problem, and then go over and critique their best solutions. Finally, they write an action plan for the solutions. All of this must be finished within a time limit of two hours.
Despite the heavy workload and challenging process, most FPS members love the State Bowl and the club.
“[FPS] has made me more of a critical thinker and has encouraged me to think outside of the box in a limited amount of time,” said Kendall Ka (9). “Also, it has taught me how to work with other people.”
After the written section is over, the members make a small skit of their action plan, which they then present in front of the other teams. They make props and costumes out of a kit that they are given, consisting of stationary such as markers, tape, paper, plastic bags, and paper towels.
“I truly respect students working together and problem solving in rich and deep ways on their own,” said Cyrus Merrill, head of FPS at Harker and teacher of U.S. History at the Middle School. “I love that I can set up the process and then ‘get out of the way’ while students do things themselves. I am most proud of the structure where older, veteran students train the younger new students.”
The senior division team, comprised of Nikhil Dillip (12), Shannon Hong (11), Karen Tu (11), and Emily Pan (11), qualified for Internationals and will compete from June 12 to 15.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on May 16, 2014.
Lavinia Ding is a senior and the Organizations Editor for TALON Yearbook. This is Lavinia's fourth year on journalism staff, and she enjoys making atrocious...