![“[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)
Community reacts to recent NBA playoff results
The Warriors began setting up for the MVP ceremony honoring Stephen Curry before their game against the Memphis Grizzlies on May 5. They lost the game 97-90, resulting in a 1-1 score for the best-of-seven series.
With the first round of the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs in the books, the conference semifinal round of the tournament has begun, leading Upper School students and faculty to alter or support their predictions.
In the first round, the Golden State Warriors swept the New Orleans Pelicans, winning the series 4-0. In their Western Conference semifinal series, the Warriors look ahead to winning the next three games in a best-of-seven against the Memphis Grizzlies after winning 101-86 in Game 1 of the second round.
With the Warriors setting a franchise record of 67 wins during the regular season, all 14 NBA analysts polled by Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) believe that Golden State will defeat Memphis in the second round.
During the first round of play, basketball player Darius Yohannan (11) constructed a playoffs bracket in which he predicted a NBA Finals matchup between the Warriors and the Chicago Bulls.
“We said that the Warriors are going to win it all,” Darius said. “You know, Golden State they’re doing [great].”
Winning four games straight against a playoff team is not normal for the Warriors. Their last playoff sweep occurred 40 years ago against the Washington Bullets in the Finals. Sweeping the Pelicans serves as a sliver of hope for Warriors fans, who believe that their team will win the championship this year.
“The way that they have played all year, I feel that they are up to the task of advancing to the Finals with their talented and deep squad and dominant defense,” Shreyas Chandrashekaran (9) said.
The other Western Conference semifinal features the Los Angeles Clippers and the Houston Rockets. The Clippers scraped by the reigning NBA Champions, the San Antonio Spurs, on May 2 after a tight seven-game series that was won on a last-second shot by point guard Chris Paul. The team is favored to defeat Houston in five games, according to the ESPN poll.
According to Mathematics teacher and avid Spurs fan Bradley Stoll, the Clippers-Spurs series was the most exciting series in this year’s playoffs.
“[That was] certainly the best series,“ Stoll said, remarking on the numerous Spurs-Clippers games that were decided in the fourth quarter. “It’s just a shame that they had to meet [so] early.”
In the Eastern Conference, the Washington Wizards will face off against the Atlanta Hawks, who had the best regular season record in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta, the number one seed, recently eliminated the eighth-placed Brooklyn Nets in a contested six-game series.
The fourth semifinal matchup features the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls. Both teams are facing off after solid first round victories. However, polls predict that this matchup will be the most closely contested, with ESPN analysts divided over which team will win.
Now that the Clippers eliminated the Spurs, Warriors fans, such as Mathematics teacher Troy Thiele, are more optimistic about entering the next round.
“Their chances got a lot better when the Clippers beat the Spurs because the Spurs have been a nemesis for the Warriors for years.” Thiele said. “After seeing [the Warriors’] results [from Game 1 of the semifinals], people have to think they’re the odds-on favorite to beat the Grizzlies in the second round.”
Only time will determine which teams will successfully break through the second round to compete for the conference crown.
Ria Gandhi (11) is the Aquila Features Editor. This is her third year on staff after being the Assistant Sports Editor in her sophomore year and a reporter...
Aditya Varshney (12) is the opinion editor of Harker Aquila and the Winged Post. This is his second year on staff. During his junior year, he occupied...
Trisha Dwivedi (12) is the Managing Editor of Harker Aquila. She was a reporter her freshman year, Business Manager of the Winged Post her sophomore year...