![“[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)
Boston announced as American 2024 Olympic bid
A rendition of what a Boston Olympics venue may look like. Boston 2024 plans to construct a temporary 60,000 seat stadium to cut down costs.
After months of deliberation, the United States Olympic Committee announced on Jan. 8 that Boston, Massachusetts has been chosen as the American candidate for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
A preliminary round reduced the number of applicant cities from 35 to a mere four: Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington DC. Boston will continue into an international round, where a city from around the world will be chosen to host the Olympics.
Students seem mostly indifferent to the fact that a local city did not win the bid.
“I’m not very affected by the Olympics,” sophomore Michael Jin said. “I know some other people may, but I don’t have as much preference about where they’re held.”
However, an American Olympics would be more accessible by an American audience.
“It’d attract people from all over the nation since it’s in America, and that’s a first in a while,” Taylor Iantosca (10) said.
Being an Olympic host is a very large commitment for any city, requiring years of coordination, building facilities, and logistics. Some residents of Boston believe that hosting the games is an opportunity for growth, and may boost the economy. Boston 2024, a campaign for Boston as host, believes that the Olympics will be an opportunity to “accelerate the delivery of improvements in transportation, infrastructure, and housing.”
“I think it would be a tremendous opportunity […] in so many different ways,” Boston’s mayor Martin Walsh said in an interview with the Boston Globe. “I think it adds value to our convention business. I think it adds value to our tourism business.”
Other Bostonians have pointed out the cost that comes from hosting the Olympics. Historically, the costs of the games have been under estimated. For instance, London’s estimate for their 2012 games was originally at four billion, yet ultimately cost around 20 billion.
“The average price tag for hosting a Summer Olympics is $15 billion,” the anti-campaign No Boston Olympics website claims. “[That’s] more than what the Commonwealth of Massachusetts collects annually in income taxes.”
Regardless, the prospect of an American Olympics is nevertheless exciting.
“I grew up in Boston, so I think it would be cool to go and visit family and watch the Olympics,” Taylor said.
The Olympics Committee plans to release more information on the games in the upcoming years.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on January 28, 2015.
Derek Yen is a senior and the Opinion Editor of Winged Post. Derek served as the STEM Editor of Aquila and Winged Post during his junior year and as a...