![“[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)
Conditioning sessions and cross country resume, other sports remain on hold
Erica Cai and Muthu Panchanatham
(Left) Alex Hu (11) sprints at a cross country meet last year. (Right) Rigo Gonzales (10) lunges with a medicine ball during a workout session in July.
January 21, 2021
The upper school’s strength and conditioning program will resume this Thursday after a brief hiatus in December due to the new regulations implemented by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases last month.
According to an email from upper school athletics director Dan Molin, proper social distancing and frequent sanitization will be practiced at these workout sessions in order to ensure the safety of everyone participating. Athletes who are involved in groups outside of school will not be allowed to attend these sessions in-person. That being said, remote variants of these workouts (held over Zoom) will be offered as well.
A football-specific sports cohort will be offered exclusively to members of the football team, and they will meet Mondays to Thursdays from 4:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. For those who are not a part of the football team, two in-person sports performance cohorts will be available, one meeting every Monday and Wednesday and the other every Tuesday and Thursday from 4:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m each day. The remote strength and conditioning cohort will meet over Zoom on B-days from 3:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Those looking to sign up for one of these options can do so here.
Cross-country officially began their team practices on Tuesday, and COVID-adjusted cross-country meets will be held as soon as the stay-at-home order for Santa Clara County is removed. Those interested in joining the cross country team should email Coach Mia Purnell at [email protected].
“We are limited to only a few different parks to run at because the usual ones like Rancho and St. Joseph’s Hill are too crowded.” cross country athlete Rigo Gonzales (10) said. “Other than that, practice is pretty much [normal]. That’s the great thing about cross country: it’s one of the only sports that you can do under these conditions.”
News regarding the “Purple Tier” sports, which include golf, tennis, swimming and track and field will be announced by the athletics department soon.
“[As for the remaining sports], I’ll relay the plan as soon as I know the will of [their respective] leagues. I do think there will be some form of competitions this year, COVID-modified, of course,” Molin said.
In order to help students fulfill the graduation requirement for two units of physical education, the administration will also be offering a variety of other exercise options for credit. Students can visit the Upper School Physical Education Information Site for more details about these classes. Registration for these classes began at 12 p.m. on Tuesday for students in grades nine through 12.
“Regarding [physical education] credits, [the administration] will be understanding and grant what is reasonable given these unusual times,” Molin said.
