![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.jpg)
![“[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)
Varsity girls basketball team crushes San Jose High School 58-4
Lexi Nishimura (11) prepares to pass the ball to teammate Alexa Lowe (12). The varsity girls basketball team is currently undefeated with a record of 7-0.
December 15, 2021
The varsity girls basketball team defeated San Jose High School 58-4 at home on Dec. 4.
The game began at 12 p.m., and the Eagles dominated the first quarter, barely allowing the San Jose Bulldogs a chance at the basket. Claire Miao (10) scored the sole three-pointer in the eight-minute period, and as the clock expired, Anjali Yella (10) stole the ball and drove it down the court for an open layup to put the Eagles up 18-0.
According to team member Lexi Nishimura (11), the team sets objectives for themselves before each match, many of which they achieved during the game.
“Being aware of our surroundings is something that we [have] really improved [at] since the beginning of the season,” Lexi said. “I think that’s something we’re continuously getting better at. One thing our team did really well today was being communicative with everything that was happening during each possession.”
Gemma Chan (9) opened the second quarter with a three-pointer, and the Bulldogs followed by scoring their first basket in the game, bringing the score to 21-2 in favor of the Eagles. For the rest of the quarter, it was all Harker — the Eagles continued to control the court and ended leading 37-2, with Anjali scoring the last six points with three two-pointers.
Aside from two free throws late in the third quarter, the Eagles defense successfully shut out the Bulldogs. Meanwhile, the Eagles offense continued to perform: Anjali and Gemma hit three-pointers, and Alexa Lowe (12) made a layup in the final seconds to bring the final score to 58-4. Anjali netted 11 points during the game, the most of any player, followed by Claire and Isabella Lo (9) with nine points each.
Emily Mitnick (9) appreciates the team’s strong start this season. According to Emily, they learned from the film that they watched before the match and therefore improved on defensive techniques such as rebounding and “boxing out.” Still, she believes the team has room to improve offensively.
“I think we could calm down a little more and not get overwhelmed by everything that’s going on and see the entire court so we can find the best opportunities to score,” Emily said.
Gemma, a shooting guard on the team, was pleased with her shot selection during the game.
“I took the shots I usually don’t take,” Gemma said. “I usually settle for the outside shots, but I tried to drive it in today.”
Team captain Cindy Su (12) sets her sights on future games.
“It feels good to win, but at the same time we know we’re going to get into more difficult games later in the season,” Cindy said. “I think [this game was] a good opportunity to get to know the team and to know how we play.”
Following their dominant showing versus San Jose, the girls defeated King’s Academy 51-49 on Wednesday, South San Francisco 70-38 on Thursday and Willow Glen 50-41 on Saturday to boost their season record to 7-0.
