![“[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)
Lightning strikes tree in parking lot’s back loading zone
A San Jose Fire Department truck arrives at the scene of the lightning strike. By the time the firefighters arrived, the tree’s fire had already gone out.
September 11, 2017
Lightning struck a tree near the upper school parking lot’s back loading zone near Main Hall today at around 5 p.m.
Director of Upper School Community Service and Student Activities Coordinator Kerry Enzensperger was standing by the parking lot when the lightning struck.
“I was trying to shoot video of the sky, and then it was like an explosion,” she said. “I looked over and the tree was on fire, and the ground [next to] my car was on fire.”
The San Jose Fire Department soon arrived at the scene after the fire went out. Assistant Head of School Greg Lawson and Dean of Students Kevin Williamson also visited the site of the lightning strike to assess the situation. Though late in the school day, some students and faculty were still on campus at the time of the lightning strike.
“I was standing next to Ms. Ellen [Austin]. The lightning hit all of a sudden and I just pushed you out of the way to [help] find cover. It was scary; I’ve never seen anything like it before,” custodian Johnny Lockett said in an interview with Harker Aquila editor-in-chief Meena Gudapati (12). “I’m ex-military and I was in the Army, and that’s the first thing you do when something happens like that; you take cover immediately.”
Director of the Office of Communications Pam Dickinson sent out an email to upper school students’ parents soon after the lightning strike notifying the community of the situation. Students and faculty on campus at the time of the lightning strike were directed to Shah Hall for pickup.
“Just a heads up to our upper school families that one of the trees along the back loading zone fence line was struck by lightning in the storm today. Thank you to our parents for their support today as we redirected traffic,” Dickinson wrote in her message. “There are no changes to the loading zone drop off in the morning.”
A professional arborist will visit the upper school campus tomorrow to inspect the damaged tree.
Assistant Head of School Greg Lawson, Dean of Students Kevin Williamson and four San Jose Fire Department firefighters analyze the tree for damage. A professional arborist will be visiting Harker to inspect the tree tomorrow.
