![“[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)
Upper school implements weekly COVID-19 testing for all students
A technician from Inspire Diagnostics gives directions to students before taking their COVID-19 tests. Testing will take place weekly on Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Nichols rotunda.
February 9, 2022
All upper school students underwent COVID-19 testing on Feb. 4 in the Nichols rotunda with Inspire Diagnostics as a new weekly testing procedure.
Upper school nurse Jennifer Olson announced in an email to upper school students on Jan. 31 that COVID-19 testing, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, will take place every Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Previously, students tested during advisory, which was implemented for the week of Jan. 24.
“It is very important to get tested because with so many viruses coming in in the world, we don’t know who has it,” Victor Chavez, a swabber from Inspire Diagnostics, said. “It’s just better to be safe than sorry, and it’s just better to protect ourselves.”
All students received a QR code from their advisors. Students already testing weekly, such as indoor athletes and musicians, used previously received QR codes.
“We’re given cards with a QR code for each student, so each code is an individual code,” upper school mathematics teacher and senior advisor Jeannette Fernandez said. “That allows it to be a much easier process for students to just send in a card rather than them going in there and having to go through the registration process.”
Upon entering the rotunda, students scanned their QR codes with technicians from Inspire Diagnostics and received instructions on how to take their COVID-19 test. After swabbing both their nostrils 10 times, students needed to swirl the swab around in their vial for 10 seconds, throw the swab away and put the vial in a container on the technicians’ tables.
“On-campus testing is a really good effort to just minimize the spread of COVID, and it’s also a good initiative on behalf of the school, and it’s also to keep all of us safe, so I think overall it’s really nice,” Emily Zhou (12) said.
Students who previously contracted COVID-19 do not need to test for 90 days after their infection date.
Reporting by Alysa Suleiman and Arely Sun.
