![“[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)
Juniors, sophomores, freshmen enjoy grade trips to kick off academic year
Reiya Das (10) crosses the Incomplete Bridge, a series of wooden planks strapped between two trees. This was one of many rope courses offered throughout the day.
August 24, 2017
Freshmen attend annual Grade 9 Field Day
The Class of 2021 began their freshman year today on Davis Field with an orientation event and several advisory bonding activities.
“Today’s activities showed me that you need teamwork in all aspects of life, and I think that’s one thing people don’t really expect to learn from school,” Kushal Shah (9) said.
Each advisory participated in a series of competitions which required collaboration from the entire group to complete. Some activities included plugging the holes in a tube in order to fill it with water, lifting objects with sticks and depositing them in a bucket and silently organizing themselves in order based on playing cards, without each individual knowing what their card is.
“It’s really important for them to get along and know each other really well,” Link Crew member Anooshree Sengupta (12) said. “The activities are really fun in that they force you to work together and they get everyone to start talking to each other.”
The activities were hosted by APEX Adventures, who has been working with Harker for over 15 years.
“I try to have a mix of some activities that are more physical than others and some others that are more cerebral without being sedentary but really take a lot of thought and problem solving,” Shaw Dunton, owner of APEX Adventures, said.
Sophomores participate in ropes course trip
The Class of 2020 began the new school year with a ropes course trip in the Santa Cruz Mountains today.
The sophomore advisories were split among four different sites: Walden West, Chaminade, Koinonia and Apex. Students had the opportunity to participate in high ropes activities with their classmates.
Elements such as the Giant’s Ladder, an immense ladder stretched between two trees that students could climb in pairs, and a zipline tested the students’ balance and agility. The ropes course allowed students to build stronger bonds with their advisories and classmates as they climbed their way through the towering redwood trees.
“I’m terrified of heights so it was scary for me when I looked down, but I just screamed as I jumped,” Adhya Hoskote (10) said. “It was actually really fun, so I’m just really happy.”
Juniors whitewater raft on the American River
Class of 2019 members participated in the annual whitewater rafting junior class trip east of Sacramento today.
Juniors and their advisors left the Blackford campus for the South Fork American River in four buses from 6:25 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Participants rafted in groups of seven to nine with guides from O.A.R.S., the rowing company supervising the trip. Rafters covered the 12 river miles between Beaver Point and Salmon Falls.
“There’s some streamlining that happens to make the logistics go smoother [with a larger group than normal], but I think spacing out into groups allows everybody to have a personal experience with the river, not a crowd experience,” Laurence Alvarez-Roos, an O.A.R.S. guide on the trip today, said.
Students and advisers traversed American River rapids up to class III, or intermediate level, passing landmark rapids like the Devil’s Cesspool. Rafters were also invited to swim in calmer areas.
“It was a really fun experience. I especially liked doing the rapids with my friends,” Riya Singh (11) said. “The last rapid was my favorite because it was grade III-plus, and it was super fun to navigate and get splashed.”
Trip attendees returned to Blackford before 8 p.m.
“Despite the fact that it’s a really long day, I’ve only ever heard really positive things, and it really lived up to it,” junior class dean Chris Florio said. “It’s really adventurous out there. All I saw were happy people having a good time, and that’s what it’s all about.”
