![“[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)
BREAKING: Sprinkler bursts near library, temporarily drenches walkway
Students look on as the sprinkler sprays others exiting the library. “I was very surprised, of course, you don’t really see that kind of thing every day,” said Richie Amarillas (12), who was outside the library when the pipe burst. “When I looked outside I just thought it was raining because it was supposed to rain today, but no, it was a sprinkler.”
April 21, 2022
Additional reporting by Sabrina Zhu, Sally Zhu, Arjun Barrett and Isha Moorjani.
This is a developing story. Check back on harkeraquila.com for more updates.
A sprinkler head outside the upper school library burst due to a damaged pipe this morning before first period, causing water to spew out around the library’s entrance, according to groundskeeper Urdelin Justo.
“I was very surprised, of course, you don’t really see that kind of thing every day,” said Richie Amarillas (12), who was outside the library when the pipe burst. “When I looked outside I just thought it was raining because it was supposed to rain today, but no, it was a sprinkler.”
Shortly after the leak, Justo arrived with another staff member and temporarily blocked the leak with a rock, and then a trash can, to give time for repairs. No damage was done to the surrounding areas in the orchard or near the library, and the water released was clean water intended for irrigation. The library entrance remains open at this time, and the sprinkler is now repaired.
A member of the repair team, José Hernandez, worked throughout first period to fix the damaged sprinkler.
“[It happened] because they were working with a [shovel] around here, with the very low pipes, which caused them to break,” Hernandez said.
According to Justo, these malfunctions generally only happen when the grounds team is working on the sprinkler system.
“This type [of sprinkler system is] only a half-foot underground,” Justo said. “So sometimes, when we try to maintain [the grounds], we hit it with [a shovel]. We don’t know [for sure, but] this is a problem we have had before.”
Harker Aquila’s interview with José Hernandez was originally conducted in Spanish and translated to English.
