![“[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)
Three ways to stay in shape this winter
Sophomores Trisha Dwivedi, Alayna Richmond, Haley Tran, Anuva Mittal, Anika Jain and May Gao pose for a picture at Christmas in The Park in San Jose during winter break.
With the temperatures dropping down to low 50s and 60s during winter, instead of staying in bed watching one movie after the other, try some of these fun activities to stay fit and healthy: Head to your local gym, ice skate with some friends or go skiing.
Gym:
Going to the gym for at least 30 minutes or an hour a day, especially during winter when it is raining or cold outside, is a great way to keep in shape. Gyms offer a variety of exercise machines, such as treadmills, stairmasters and rowing machines.
Each machine has its own benefits, for example, running on the treadmill, the same as jogging, can help prevent diseases for women, like breast cancer.
The stairmaster helps burn calories–it forces you to lift your own body weight, which helps burn lots of calories.
A rowing machine can help tone muscles: rowing uses almost every major muscle group, resulting in a toned body.
Sophomore Lucas Wang regularly goes to the gym in order to stay healthy.
“I try to visit the gym at least a couple times a week during breaks because it is a really great, easy and practical way to stay fit and keep in shape,” he said. “Also, now that it is winter, it is easier to exercise indoors rather than outside.”
Ice Skating:
Ice skating with friends is a way to stay healthy while having some fun. Ice Skating helps tone muscles and increases your metabolic rate due to the increased muscle. In addition to gaining muscle, your endurance also increases.
Seniors Shannon Su and Sarah Bean went ice skating to Sharks Ice in San Jose during winter break.
“Skating is always fun, mostly because you spend most of the experience just trying not to fall down,” Sarah said. “I loved skating with my friends because it’s okay to look silly with them and I know they will try to catch me if I’m about to fall–or just fall with me!”
There are ice skating rinks throughout the Bay Area, such as Union Square in San Francisco. The skating rink in Union Square will remain open until Jan. 19.
Skiing:
Head out to Tahoe and you will find plenty of places to ski at. Skiing helps exercise your thighs, hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes because you are constantly in a crouching position. It also strengthens your knees, which will help prevent diseases such as osteoporosis.
Some places to ski are Alpine Meadows, Northstar, Squaw Valley, Sugar Bowl, Heavenly, and many others.
Sophomore Alayna Richmond commented on her experience skiing at Alpine Meadows.
“I like skiing because it allows me to enjoy nature and be outside in the fresh air while still getting exercise in,” she said.
The Upper School plans on hosting a ski trip on Jan. 16. Signups were sent through an email by Eric Kallbrier, the Assistant to Directors of Activities and Business and Entrepreneurship Programs, and were due by Dec. 15.
Raveena Kapatkar (12) is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Harker Aquila. She is a senior and this is her fourth year on staff. As a freshman, she was a reporter...