![“[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)
From winning two national titles as a coach to training local middle school students, Scott Chisam, the new Head Cross Country coach this year, has brought his experiences of running and coaching to the Upper School.
Having developed a passion for running in middle school, Chisam began focusing on the sport during his years at Arcadia High School in southern California where he was named top cross country and track performer, according to the Arcadia Tribune. During his senior year, he placed second in the sectional cross country race and continued to run for the cross country and track teams at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
After graduating from college in the 70’s, Chisam returned to Arcadia High School where he began his coaching career. During his time there as assistant coach, he helped initiate the Arcadia Invitational, one of the most well-known meets in the country in which over a hundred Olympic athletes competed as high school students, according to www.runnerspace.com.
“I just love working with youngsters,” he said. “I still have boys and girls that I coached at Arcadia tell me about what they’re doing.”
From 1975 to 1985, Chisam took up the job as Head Coach at UCLA where he trained the women’s track and cross country teams. In particular, he led the track and field team to win the first and second Division I Women’s Outdoor Track and Field NCAA Championships in 1982 and 1983.
“I was very fortunate because we had some very good people. It was incredibly rewarding [but also] stressful,” he said. “I still get people calling me about that because it’s historically the first coach ever to win a NCAA women’s title.”
In 1985, Chisam moved to northern California where he continued coaching at Stanford University as assistant track coach while also helping out with the men’s and women’s cross country teams. According to Chisam, during his time at UCLA and Stanford, he coached 41 All-American and Olympic trial athletes at the collegiate level.
Now returning to the high school setting, Chisam hopes that both Upper School boys’ and girls’ cross country teams will qualify for the Central Coast Section (CCS) Championships this season.
“I love to get everybody involved in a sport that everybody can do. Not everybody on the team is going to win the championships, but everybody is going to improve [and participate],” he said. “I want to do it as a team because that’s what it’s all about. It’s a team sport.”
Chisam is planning on coaching the track and field team in the spring as well.
