![“[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)
Storm reaches the Bay Area
Hurricane force winds, pouring rain, and flash flood warnings permeated the Bay Area this morning, causing the school administration to excuse absences, late arrivals, and early pickups.
Dubbed the “Pineapple Express,” the storm is expected to be the strongest in six years. The National Weather Service predicted between three and eight inches of rain and up to 75 mph winds in parts of Northern California. Marin, Sonoma, and San Francisco counties are already experiencing major flooding of rivers and roads, as well as power outages.
Over 35 Bay Area schools and school districts, including the Alameda, Fremont, and Oakland Unified School Districts announced that they would be closed today in an effort to keep community members safe and secure.
As of now, flash flood warnings in San Jose are anticipated to last until 12:15 p.m.
The Office of Communications sent out an email last night to Harker parents and faculty members advising the community to “err on the side of caution.”
“I don’t think [the weather] is as bad as the news said it would be,” Kevina Xiao (11) said. “It’s a little bit harder to navigate between classes, but it’s bearable.”
While many students abstained from driving to school this morning due to the poor weather conditions, others actually found the drive to be amenable. Some teachers who live in areas like San Francisco and Santa Cruz decided to remain at home, dodging the dangerous road conditions and weather.
“There was no traffic because people did not want to drive in the rain, so I actually got here earlier than usual,” Jeremy Binkley (12) said.
The storm also caused a ceiling leak in the library classroom.
“We’ve had recurrent leaks in the classroom,” Sue Smith, Upper School librarian, said. “[The maintenance workers] can’t fix it until the rain stops because they’ve got to get up on the roof.”
Meteorologists expect the aftermaths of the storm to subside by early Saturday morning.
Additional reporting by Jenna Sadhu, Ashley Jiang, and Alix Robinson-Guy.
Anokhi Saklecha (12) is the Global Editor for the Winged Post. She has been in the journalism program for the past three years. She loves the creativity,...
Kaity Gee (12) is the assistant Editor in Chief of Wingspan. Serving as a reporter for TALONWP freshman year, Kaity has written pieces for Winged Post...