![“[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)
Upper school athletic department helps athletes stay in shape with spring sports season cancelled
![The tennis courts at Westmont High in Los Gatos remain locked up. “It’s sort of hard to transition from playing tennis every single day to just not doing anything and sitting around,” varsity tennis co-captain Ramanand Vegesna (12) said. “Sometimes when you’re doing your own workouts it’s hard to stick to something and you kind of get lost in what you want to work on, so I think [Volt is] a really good tool, and people who don’t have a lot of experience working out can use it and figure out what exercise they want to do.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IMG_3499-900x675.jpg)
The tennis courts at Westmont High in Los Gatos remain locked up. “It’s sort of hard to transition from playing tennis every single day to just not doing anything and sitting around,” varsity tennis co-captain Ramanand Vegesna (12) said. “Sometimes when you’re doing your own workouts it’s hard to stick to something and you kind of get lost in what you want to work on, so I think [Volt is] a really good tool, and people who don’t have a lot of experience working out can use it and figure out what exercise they want to do.”
April 18, 2020
Eight upper school sports have had their seasons canceled after the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the statewide regulatory body for high school sports, released a statement on April 3 announcing the statewide cancellation of the spring sports season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The eight spring sports include boys golf, girls lacrosse, baseball, softball, swimming, boys tennis, track and field and boys volleyball.
While upper school Athletic Director Dan Molin knew that the cancellation was likely impending due to recent statewide developments at the time, the end of an entire season still remained very disappointing for athletes.
“Ultimately, it wasn’t a surprise. We all assumed this was coming. But it is still very, very sad. All of our athletes work very hard, and [they had] a season taken away from them, ” Molin said.
The athletic staff has been prompt in responding to the situation, immediately supplying athletes with ways to stay fit so that they are ready to excel when they return. Football Head Coach Loren Powers suggested Volt, a fitness app that uses artificial intelligence technology to analyze performance and plan workouts, to the upper school community as one such method of staying in shape.
Boys tennis co-captain Ramanand Vegesna (12) noted that the app is helpful in making sure athletes stay dedicated to training.
“It’s sort of hard to transition from playing tennis every single day to just not doing anything and sitting around,” Ramanand said. “Sometimes when you’re doing your own workouts it’s hard to stick to something and you kind of get lost in what you want to work on, so I think [Volt is] a really good tool, and people who don’t have a lot of experience working out can use it and figure out what exercise they want to do.”
Softball captain Natasha Yen (11) saw the upcoming season as a way for new players to become comfortable with high school softball and for the team to become stronger as they played more games together. Despite social distancing, Natasha is now focusing on keeping the team together by talking to them regularly and making sure they stay healthy.
“For team bonding, we entered into the TikTok competition as a team and we are currently looking to hold Zoom meetings together, ” Natasha said.
Although the athletic department has answered many pressing concerns, they face tough decisions ahead as the shelter-in-place order continues. One such question is that of senior night. Another important issue is college signing ceremonies. Molin said that both of these concerns will be addressed in the foreseeable future.
![An empty Davis Field, home to Eagles' athletics. “As long as school is in session and we feel everything’s in place, we’re business as usual until we’re told otherwise,” upper school athletic director Dan Molin said. “We’re anticipating [game cancellations], and we’ll cross that bridge when we get there with each individual game.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/IMG_3680-300x200.jpg)
