![“[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)
Santa Clara County announces shelter-in-place directive
A shelf for soap, bleach and disinfectant is almost cleared out at a local Safeway. The shelter-in-place order mandates that individuals must remain in their residence unless performing “essential” activities, which include grocery shopping, obtaining healthcare, or performing a job for an “essential business.”
March 17, 2020
The Santa Clara County Public Health Department announced a “shelter-in-place” directive for all residences yesterday, joining five other Bay Area counties as the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 155 within the county and 4,226 nationally.
Six counties — Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin and Alameda — issued similar orders yesterday, effective as of 12:01 a.m. today and in place until April 7. The order, which can be read in its entirety here, mandates that individuals must remain in their residence unless performing “essential” activities, which include grocery shopping, obtaining healthcare, or performing a job for an “essential business”.
“We were seeing a tipping point here in Santa Clara County with exponential growth of our cases,” Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said during a news conference on Monday. “We decided collectively we need to take swift action as soon as possible to prevent further spread.”
In addition, all businesses — exempting “essential businesses” such as grocery stores, laundromats, and delivery-based restaurants — were instructed to cease physical operations. All public and private gatherings of “any number of people” are also no longer permitted. Violation of the orders is considered a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine or imprisonment.
Individuals are still allowed to engage in outdoor activity — such as hiking and running — provided they follow social distancing procedures, which the County defines as maintaining a distance of at least six feet from others.
In an email sent out to Harker families at 5:10 p.m. yesterday, head of school Brian Yager assured parents that the shelter-in-place directive would not affect the remote learning routine, which began yesterday for students across all four campuses.
“We will be reducing our staffs at each campus, and there will no longer be in-person front desk coverage,” Yager wrote. “The Mayor of San Jose’s announcement clarified that we can remain open for teachers who need resources on campus.”
In preventing non-essential gatherings, the directive also effectively bans students from interacting in-person, although many have been communicating via apps like Zoom or FaceTime instead. In a Schoology announcement today, the counselors suggested several ways to combat “social isolation” and “anxiety” for students at home, including following a routine, exercising, staying virtually connected with friends and setting aside time for self-care.
Student-athletes who planned on informally meeting with teammates to practice their spring sports over the remote learning break are also moving towards individual workout options.
“[I’m] going to throw every day and probably do a lot of catcher’s work because I have the gear with me,” Nicholas Coulter (11), captain of the varsity baseball team said. “I’m also going to practice hitting at least 3 times a week.”
This action represents a larger movement towards “flattening the curve,” which refers to the concept of slowing the spread of the virus so as to not overwhelm the healthcare system, allowing patients to receive adequate care.
“The scientific evidence shows that at this stage of the emergency, it is essential to slow virus transmission as much as possible to protect the most vulnerable and to prevent the health care system from being overwhelmed,” the directive states. “By reducing the spread of the COVID-19 virus, this Order helps preserve critical and limited healthcare capacity in the County.”
This is a developing story. Check Harker Aquila for more updates.
