![“[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)
Lockdown drill canceled after discovery of threatening graffiti message leads many students to stay home from school
The quad during lunch today, which was unusually empty due to the large number of student absences. Many students chose to remain home today, following the discovery of a threatening graffiti message in a Dobbins boys bathroom yesterday.
November 6, 2019
This story was updated at 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 6.
This is a developing story. Check Harker Aquila for future updates.
Following the discovery of a threatening graffiti message in a Dobbins boys bathroom, tomorrow’s lockdown drill has been canceled, and the school day will follow a normal B-day schedule, with school meeting from 9:35 a.m. to 10:05 a.m., office hours from 10:10 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. and sixth period from 10:50 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
“While we are committed to routine drills of all kinds on all of our campuses to help our community be prepared, we feel that the timing of this will increase anxiety for the students. We will reschedule this at a more suitable time,” Head of School Brian Yager wrote in an email to upper school parents.
To ensure campus safety, both uniformed and undercover police officers will continue to be present on campus tomorrow and will remain through the end of the following week. Student absences will be excused throughout the week.
According to Yager’s email to parents, the school has opened investigations into the source of the graffiti, with the help of the San Jose Police Department and outside investigators. Administrators are also working on organizing an optional parent meeting next week for parents to raise concerns, ask questions and receive advice from experts. The time of this meeting will be announced by the end of the week.
According to Assistant to the Dean of Student Affairs Amy Hauck, about 50 percent of upper school students were absent from school today, leading to the readjustment of teachers’ class plans and the cancellation of various school events, including today’s senior class meeting and some after school activities.
Tomorrow’s track and field interest meeting has been canceled as well and will be rescheduled to a later date. All other school activities will resume as usual tomorrow.
Students with any concerns or information are encouraged to speak with teachers, counselors, administrators and any other adults on campus.
Additional reporting by Eric Fang and Lucy Ge.
