![“[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)
Captured freelance journalist James Foley beheaded in Syria
Steven Senne
Photo of American journalist James Foley, who was beheaded in a video released on Aug. 19 by The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a Sunni jihadist group, after being held hostage since Nov. 2012.
American journalist James Foley was beheaded in a video released on Aug. 19 by The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a Sunni jihadist group, after being held hostage since Nov. 2012.
Foley, who was covering the Syrian uprising, was originally detained while traveling to the Turkish border with his translator. According to Syrian sources, he was captured by the Dawood Brigade, which pledged allegiance to ISIS last month. Foley’s captors allegedly demanded a ransom equivalent to approximately $132 million from his parents, as reported by The New York Times.
“This situation is a really good reminder that even though news is conveniently passed over the internet, radio, and television, there is a human voice behind every story we get,” Apoorva Rangan (12), Editor-in-Chief of The Winged Post, said. “That voice takes the courage of a single individual, and it makes journalism one of the most important duties anyone can have.”
President Obama deployed troops for a rescue operation in July, but the mission was ultimately unsuccessful after forces could not locate the hostages.
On Aug. 19, a video was uploaded depicting a masked member of ISIS executing Foley. In the video’s “Message to America,” ISIS demanded Obama to halt air strikes against the organization, threatening the death of another American journalist in ISIS’ custody, Steven Joel Sotloff. The U.S. National Security Council validated the video’s authenticity.
Journalists are often caught in the midst of social turbulence, as evidenced by the consistently high death rates of journalists worldwide. According to the U.S based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 50 journalists have been killed on assignment this year, and an estimated 20 journalists are currently missing in Syria.
American freelance journalist, Peter Theo Curtis, was released last Sunday after he was held captive in Syria by Islamic rebels for nearly two years.
He was captured in Oct. 2012 by Jabhat al-Nusra, a rebel group linked to al Qaeda, and released to United Nation peacekeepers in the Israeli controlled Golan heights.
As of Tuesday night, Curtis has returned to the U.S.
Curtis covers stories in the Middle East for several publications, including the New Republic, The Huffington Post, and The London Review of Books.
This article was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on August 29, 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...