![“[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)
Domestic violence issues in NFL spark reform
Starting with the dismissal of former Baltimore Ravens runningback Ray Rice from the NFL, nationwide media has been awash with debates concerning domestic violence and its alleged prevalence in the NFL.
Following allegations that Rice abused his then-fiance Janay Palmer in February at a hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the NFL suspended Rice for two games in July, according to USA Today. TMZ Sports released surveillance footage from the altercation, which showed Rice assaulting Palmer and knocking her unconscious in an elevator, on Sept. 8. The release of this video led to Rice’s lifetime suspension from the NFL.
Controversy arose when a law enforcement official from the hotel in New Jersey claimed to the Associated Press that he sent the footage to NFL headquarters in April, although the Ravens maintain that they had not seen the video until it was released on TMZ.
“I feel that the NFL and the Baltimore Ravens covered up a lot of information,” Sidhart Krishnamurthi (12) said. “Once all the information came out, he was suspended from the whole season. I feel that he should have been suspended for life from the start.”
The NFL revealed a new domestic violence policy on Aug. 28 that set the punishment for violating the league’s terms against domestic violence at a six-game unpaid ban for the first offense and a lifetime ban for the second.
Rice’s altercation was one of several domestic violence incidences reported recently. Ray McDonald of the San Francisco 49ers was brought into custody on Aug. 31 for an alleged felony domestic abuse charge. According to SFGate, the 49ers and the NFL have not suspended McDonald, as they intend to wait for the criminal investigation’s results.
Wide receiver Quincy Enunwa of the New York Jets and runningback Jonathan Dwyer of the Arizona Cardinals were also involved in domestic violence cases on Sept. 4 and Sept. 17 respectively. Enunwa was arrested for simple assault after an alleged instance of domestic violence between Enunwa and his girlfriend, while Dwyer stands accused of head butting his wife and throwing her phone to prevent her from calling 911. Neither of the cases have a determined resolution yet.
From a wider scope, according to the NFL arrest database from USA Today, over 83 arrests of NFL players for allegations of domestic violence have occurred since 2000.
Russell Wilson, quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks, wrote an editorial on Oct. 2 in the Player’s Tribune, calling for a “Pass the Peace” movement to avert and reduce domestic violence rates within the league.
“If we start being honest about our pain, our anger, and our shortcomings instead of pretending they don’t exist, then maybe we’ll leave the world a better place than we found it. For those of us in the NFL, there’s no excuse for violence off the field,” Wilson wrote in his editorial.
According to a study from Five Thirty Eight, NFL arrests for domestic violence make up 55.4 percent of all domestic violence arrests for men ages 25 to 29.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on October 16, 2014.
Elisabeth Siegel (12) is the editor-in-chief of the Winged Post. This is her fourth year in Journalism, and she especially loves production nights and...
Shay Lari-Hosain (12) is the Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of Wingspan Magazine. Shay has interviewed 2013 Nobel Laureates, authors like Khaled Hosseini...