![“[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)
Threat drills perpetuate fear rather than treat it
“Duck-and-cover” to “lockdown”
The Federal Civil Defense Administration used Bert the Turtle to demonstrate “Duck and Cover” to elementary students during the 1950s. Although these drills seem impractical in retrospect, they are not so different from campus intruder drills currently used to combat gun violence.
January 27, 2016
At the height of the Cold War, every student knew what to do if they saw a blinding flash of light: “duck and cover”. Crouch beneath your desk, lock your hands behind your neck to avoid injury, lie still, and wait. Bert the Turtle, an absurd character created by the Department of Defense, cheerily retreated into his shell every time he was surprised to illustrate the technique to the smallest of children.
The pointless drills of the 50s are gone. Today, students hide under their desks not to avoid the distant flash of a nuclear bomb, but to escape the muzzle flash of an AK-47 assault rifle. Today, we don’t “duck and cover;” we “run, hide, and defend.” Children from preschool to college know that in case an aggressive gunman sets foot on campus, they must either evacuate, lock themselves in a room and remain silent, or prepare to fight for their lives.
When the Upper School intruder drill took place a few months ago, I sat in my AP Physics C class; like clockwork, we overturned desks, covered up windows, and barricaded the locked doors. The mood was calm; we read books and did homework crouching under the lab counter. Yet we had fortified to guard against the murderous rampage of a gunman.
Sadly, a history of gun violence, from the Columbine to Sandy Hook, renders these drills necessary. According to Newsweek, over 134 mass shootings occurred in the period from 2009 to 2015, a systemic crisis far deadlier than any medical epidemic. Each side of the debate has a pet solution, from banning firearms altogether (as France has done) or arming teachers to defend themselves. For years, the NRA has repeatedly used the straw-man argument that the government is “coming for citizens’ guns.” Save for the recent executive actions from the White House expanding background checks, few changes have been made.
With every passing day, the death toll from gun-related violence will only increase. No student should have to prepare for a threat of looming death; whether by changes in mental health care, aggressive gun control, or even “smart firearms” that only allow their owners to fire them, we need a reality where gun violence drills in schools are as irrelevant as the “duck and cover” drills of the Cold War.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on Jan. 27, 2015.
