![“[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)
Harker community members evacuate in response to California wildfires burning over 1 million acres
Lightning strikes from thunderstorms were seen across the Bay Area on the morning of Aug. 16. The storms, which came after record-breaking heat, helped fuel the fires, according to a press release from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
August 25, 2020
This is a developing story. Check Harker Aquila for future updates.
Over 100,000 California residents have evacuated due to ongoing evacuation orders issued for parts of the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma, as hundreds of wildfires continue to burn over 1 million acres.
Members of the Harker community have had to leave their homes due to the fires. Many more were affected by the heavy smoke in the air, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) remaining at “unhealthy” levels for some Bay Area regions.
“We’re on the evacuation watchlist,” Saumi Mehta (11), who lives in Milpitas, said on Aug. 21. “It’s really smoky here. We were told that, in 24 to 48 hours, we might have to evacuate.”
Record-breaking heat started on Aug. 14, prompting PG&E rolling blackouts that affected at least 220,000 residents. The heat wave, combined with lightning strikes, fueled the fires according to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press release on Aug. 18, in which he declared a state of emergency.
According to Cal Fire, the two largest fire clusters — SCU Lightning Complex and LNU Lightning Complex — are burning over 700,000 acres combined. In the Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, the CZU Lightning fire cluster is raging on in over 78,000 acres with 17 percent contained. A wide stretch of the Santa Cruz Mountains has also been asked to evacuate, as shown by this map from Mercury News.
The SCU Lightning Complex fire affects parts of Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Evacuation centers are located at Creekside Middle School Milpitas Library and Ann Sobrato High School Performing Arts Building.
“On the map right now, my house is under moderate risk, so we’re just getting ready for the worst case scenario,” Ayan Nath (11), who lives in Cupertino, said. “We didn’t pack too much stuff, we just packed documents, things like that.”
Cal Fire recommends that citizens each have an emergency supply kit in case of evacuation with three days’ worth of nonperishables and three gallons of water for each person, a map marked with evacuation routes, prescriptions and medications, extra clothing, eyeglasses or contact lenses, an extra set of car keys, credit card and cash, first aid kit, flashlight, battery-powered radio, batteries, sanitation supplies, pet food and important documents like birth certificates and passports.
To keep up with updates for a specific fire cluster, check the Twitter account associated with the Cal Fire unit responding to the fire cluster: @calfireSCU for the SCU Lightning Complex, @CALFIRELNU for the LNU Lightning Complex and @CALFIRECZU for CZU Lightning.
Head of school Brian Yager sent out an email to the Harker community on Wednesday evening expressing support for Harker faculty and students affected by the fires, assuring that the school “will be very sensitive to the needs of [those] who may have relocated.”
Kathy Fang • Aug 25, 2020 at 4:29 pm
Great photos!