![“[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)
Hard-hitting: Concussions and sports-related injuries rise for adolescents in the United States
November 30, 2015
Following multiple studies uncovering the dangerous life-long effects of concussions, concern over athlete safety continues to grow.
Since September, a total of eight high school students have died from football-related injuries nationwide, and 11 since July, up from the national average of three deaths per year in the past decade.
2013 recorded eight deaths and last year, 11 students died, five of which came from on field injuries, such as head and spinal injuries according to a survey by National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injuries Research at the University of North Carolina. The other six died from indirect heart-related, heat stroke and hypernatremia related causes.
“It’s not really influenced my mentality really because at that level, the level of athleticism and the speed that they go at is incredibly different than that which we go at,” junior Rishabh Nijhawan said.
It was a normal tackle, but to star senior football player Luke Schemm and his family, the night of Nov. 2 was life changing.
17-year-old Schemm from Wallace County High School in Sharon Springs, Kansas, died almost immediately after scoring a touchdown on Tuesday, Nov. 3. He crashed into the sidelines, causing him to collapse. Schemm was later transferred to a hospital in Denver, Colorado, where the doctors announced him brain dead.
Spinal fluid that surrounds the brain protects it from the hard skull, but if a person is hit hard, the brain can hit the skull causing a concussion, which does not always lead to passing out. The person can forget what happened right before the injury indicating brain damage. Recovery from the concussion ranges from a few hours to a few weeks.
A spinal cord injury is damage done to any part of the spine, causing changes in strength and body functions below the injury. When all sensory feelings are lost below the place of the injury, that is called complete. Incomplete is when motor or sensory abilities still remain below the site of the damage.
Playing football since the age of seven, varsity football team captain Nate Kelly (10) believes that concussions and injuries are inevitable.
“I mean yeah, I’m going to protect myself and everything because I’m aware of what could happen, but I know it’s a dangerous sport,” Nate said.
