![“[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)
Drop in emissions has occurred due to less travel during the pandemic
November 10, 2020
The transportation sector is in decline in 2020 due to reduced travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Air travel is projected to drop by 66% in 2020 when compared to last year’s numbers, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade association representing airlines from 120 countries, and in addition, surface transportation, modes of transport excluding airplanes, has decreased by more than 50% in over 50% of the world’s population.
According to the Rhodium Group, an economic data research provider, the United States experienced minimal change in greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector in 2019, decreasing by 0.3% after a few years of growth. However, a study published in August for Nature Climate Change indicated that in 2020, country-level transportation emissions are within a 20% decline.
“Overall, the pandemic has decreased fossil fuel consumption by a lot,” Jeff Sutton, upper school AP Environmental Science teacher, said. “If we can pivot into using less fossil fuels and jump right into solar and wind and renewable energies, we can continue to see a decrease in greenhouse gases that are being released through transportation.”
Transportation in the Bay Area is taking a toll due to the pandemic, as fewer riders have led to reduced operating hours and fewer buses and trains. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has experienced an 84.7% drop in ridership from Sept. 1 to Oct. 15, compared to baseline values from last year. In addition, Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) buses are running on reduced service until further notice as ridership has decreased by a similar amount during the pandemic.
“As far as public or community transportation, it’s disappeared [during the pandemic], and I think that when things start to get back to normal, it won’t really change,” Arthur Jakobsson (12), who took the bus to school before the pandemic, said. “There might be a negative effect of people taking less public transportation because they don’t want to get infected.”
Intercampus shuttles that ran during the school year before school and in the afternoon have been halted, and bus service to Silver Creek, Fremont and Peninsula has also been paused as school continues in remote learning.
