![“[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)
Honors Analytical Chemistry students conduct in-person lab over Thanksgiving break
Nilisha Baid (12) pours out the contents of a volumetric flask into a sink during an experiment as her lab partner, Vaishnavi Murari (12), looks on via Zoom. Six out of the seven students in Honors Analytical Chemistry participated in the Nov. 21 in-person lab.
December 1, 2020
With her hair tied back and safety goggles on, senior Nilisha Baid carefully lets some solution out of the buret and into an Erlenmeyer flask on Nov. 21 as part of an on-campus Honors Analytical Chemistry titration experiment. Her lab partner, Vaishnavi Murari (12), looks at the experiment via Zoom, offering input as needed.
Six Honors Analytical Chemistry students, taught by upper school chemistry teacher Robbie Korin, headed back onto the upper school campus to conduct their first in-person experiment of the year on Nov. 21, five days after Santa Clara County moved back into the purple tier. While on campus, students kept their masks on and were rapid-tested for COVID-19 before entering the classroom.
“Just knowing that we got rapid-tested, we were all going to be super safe, wearing masks and staying distant, I wasn’t that concerned,” Nilisha said. “If there are future labs, I would definitely go.”
The six students each conducted an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) titration to determine water hardness, with lab equipment having been set up beforehand at their individual stations. In addition to masks, students kept on their gloves and were mindful of remaining socially distant.
“It was definitely a lot of fun to be there with other people and to be able to have a trial and error process,” Hari Bhimaraju (12) said. “It felt a lot more like actual chemistry. You just learn a lot more by doing it in person.”
Korin, who thought that the lab went well, is hoping to schedule a three-hour in-person Honors Analytical Chemistry lab for Dec. 12, but he is still waiting for approval from the upper school administration. He also wants to schedule some in-person labs next year for his two AP Chemistry classes depending on the situation with COVID-19.
“I think we’ll have a better idea in January whether we’re going to come back [to school] at all or not,” he said. “The more kids there are in a class, the more complicated it becomes to arrange in-person labs.”
