![“[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)
Warriors win the Kevin Durant lottery
Wikimedia Commons
August 31, 2016
Former Oklahoma City Thunder player Kevin Durant announced his decision to become independent of the Thunder organization and sign a two-year $54.3 million contract with the Golden State Warriors on July 4.
Durant’s decision elicited a multitude of reactions, with some applauding Durant for his signing and others criticizing his move, seeing his decision as taking the easy way out and joining the team that beat him in the Western Conference Finals.
Still others consider Durant’s projected effect on the Warriors next season and on the league in general, believing that Durant will only complement the Warriors’ lofty status at the top of the NBA.
Amidst the hype surrounding Durant and the Warriors’ new “super team,” some people see the addition of Durant as somewhat detrimental to the team.
“Most people will say that the Warriors are going to become a super team, but in order to get enough cap space [to pay] for Durant, they had to release [Harrison] Barnes, [Andrew] Bogut, [Festus] Ezeli and some other role players, so I would say the Warriors haven’t actually become better, despite the hype,” Kevin Xu (11) said.
To open up the portion of their spending needed to sign Durant, the Warriors needed to trade or elect to not resign many of the members of their record-breaking team from the previous season. The loss of these players to fill specific roles could create some difficult situations for the Warriors.
Other people see the addition of Durant as a boost in the entertainment value of Warriors games.
“I think the Warriors will be even better now, and it’ll be fun to watch them destroy some other teams,” Arnav Tandon (12) said.
Prameela Kottapalli (10) expects an opposite outcome from this dominant Warriors lineup.
“I feel that the NBA won’t be as fun anymore because the Warriors are just going to dominate the league,” she said.
Viewers have already received a taste of the Warriors’ level of play next season through the Olympic team, where they could see Durant playing with his future teammates, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on August 26, 2016.
