![“[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)
Winter sports season begins
The winter sports season began last week with two varsity girls’ soccer home games. Winter sports include soccer, basketball, wrestling and cheerleading.
“This year we have a large amount of freshmen, unlike last year,” Joseph Krackeler (10) said. “We have a lot of new players.”
The first varsity girls’ soccer game, vs. Lynbrook High School, ended in a tie. The second game, vs. Fremont High School, ended in a loss.
Upcoming home games include varsity girls’ soccer vs. Redwood Christian High School this Tuesday and vs. Terra Nova High School this Thursday. Both games will start at 3:30 p.m.
This Friday, boys’ varsity and junior varsity soccer will play against San Mateo High School, and girls’ varsity basketball will play against Oceana High School. The boys’ varsity team will play at the Upper School campus at 3 p.m., followed by the junior varsity team at 4:30. The girls’ varsity basketball game will take place at 5 p.m. at the Middle School campus.
This Saturday, the girls’ varsity basketball team will play against James Lick High School at the Middle School campus. The match will start at 4 p.m.
For a list of all upcoming games, including Middle and Lower School games, visit the Athletics Events calendar here.
Spring sports such as baseball, softball, lacrosse and swimming will follow the winter sports season.
Praveen Batra (9) is a reporter for the Winged Post. He enjoys informative writing, design, and typography. In his spare time, he likes to write mobile...