![“[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)
Sitting vs Standing during the Anthem
October 11, 2016
San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick has recently received criticism from some and support from others after deciding not to stand during the national anthem before football games.
His protest started during the preseason to protest injustices against African-Americans and other minorities in the U.S. Since then, other NFL players and even high school football players around the country have adopted his protest to show consolidation.
“I think it’s wrong to kneel against the anthem, but protesting against racial injustice is [good] and [racial injustice is] definitely a big problem, and I think he’s doing a very good job about it,” upper school offensive lineman Saketh Gurram (12) said. “It’s not like he’s just kneeling during the national anthem and not doing anything about it. He said he’s going to be donating his first millions to organizations to help improve the lives [of those people].”
Other players are far less supportive of what Kaepernick is doing.
“It’s America, and you have the right to believe in and say what you believe in, but I don’t think he should abuse that right, and I think that is what he’s doing,” upper school quarterback Nate Kelly (11) said. “I don’t really stand for what he’s doing, and it’s something I definitely wouldn’t do—I think it’s a sign of disrespect.”
According to football coach Mike Tirabassi, no upper school football players have knelt during the anthem.
“Our procedure has always been to stand on a line, helmets off, shoulder-to-shoulder, facing the American flag; that’s always been what we’ve done. [This year] I haven’t said anything differently than I always have,” Tirabassi said. “If one of them did approach me, I would really want to listen to why they wanted to do that and try to understand why they wanted to do anything and try to understand before I made a decision on what we would do, but I would first want to understand their perspective.”
The athletic department has no policy against silent protest, and students who wish to act similarly to Kaepernick are within their rights to do so.
“We don’t have an official policy, but we respect the students’ freedom of speech as guaranteed by the constitution,” Athletic Director Dan Molin said. “We won’t deny that opportunity.”
“This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on October 11, 2016.“
