The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

Santa, Cant You Hear Me plays on Spotify as a wrap on the holiday season. Assistant news editor Ananya Sriram offers her top five holiday song picks.

Friday Five: Holiday songs

by Ananya Sriram, Assistant News Editor January 7, 2022

“10, nine, eight, seven, six …” I hear, as the broadcast of the famous Times Square New Years eve ball drop plays on my television screen. When the clock hits zero, a wave of cheers erupts, prompting...

The audiobook edition of “Chain of Gold” by Cassandra Clare borrowed from Sora stands next to the hardcover edition. This novel was the first audiobook I ever listened to, and it introduced me to a new form of consuming media that I had previously shunned due to misconceptions.

Reading audiobooks isn’t cheating

by Irene Yuan, Co-Managing Editor December 14, 2021

Listen to the audio reading of the following article at the link below.  harkeraquila · Listen-ature is valid, reading audiobooks isn’t cheating"DAYS PAST: 1897,” a voice intoned. “Lucie Herondale...

Since hundreds of thousands of people are constantly using electricity to continuously process and verify these transactions, Bitcoin miners, people who participate in verifying blocks, alone consume about 195 terawatt-hours of electricity every year, which is comparable to 34.2% of Canada’ annual energy consumption. Bitcoin itself has an annual footprint of 92.6 megatons of carbon emission, similar to the footprint of the whole country of Nigeria.

Cryptocurrency must solve its wasteful energy consumption

by Margaret Cartee, Reporter December 6, 2021

The mystery of the ever-perplexing “blockchain” often obscures access to cryptocurrency, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are becoming the new, trendy future of digital art collecting for the wealthy...

I flip through an array of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. Although some of the films lack top-notch, logical writing and center around almost all white male heroes, the continuity between them make the MCU immersive and somewhat addictive.

Friday Five: Marvel Cinematic Universe movies

by Arely Sun, Aquila Co-Managing Editor December 3, 2021

I’ve been a huge Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fan since my friend persuaded me to start a MCU marathon with “Iron Man” in eighth grade. Within the next few months, I powered through all the movies,...

Sleep deprivation causes an unwanted domino effect on one’s health and safety, leading to a higher risk of obesity, depression and drowsiness during driving and difficulty concentrating in class for high school students. Giving students the opportunity to curtail chronic sleep loss with a later school start time would improve overall student wellness, including physical and mental health, academic performance and quality of life.

Time for wellness: Upper school should consider later start time

by Ella Yee, Reporter December 1, 2021

I reluctantly force my eyes open as the dreaded “Constellation” ringtone that is set for every weekday morning reaches my ears. The familiar strong chimes with quicker, twinkling notes in the background...

As we come back, we’re questioning what we used to consider “normal.” Sometimes, it all feels like too much.

Editorial: Changing our meaning of ‘normal’

by Editorial Board November 17, 2021

We've been back for 11 weeks on our upper school campus at Saratoga, finally back to lunches with friends, back to commuting in the morning, back to after-school sports practices and games, performing...

Sofia Mohammed, Sarah Mohammeds little sister, chooses a bright assortment of emojis to send in a text to her mother. This weeks Friday Five presents Sarahs top five emojis.

Friday Five: Emojis

by Sarah Mohammed, Features Editor November 13, 2021

Emojis pepper my texts. Whether I’m chatting with a friend, talking to my parents, or communicating with classmates for a group project, I find myself returning to these bite-sized morsels of love, laughter...

As a Chinese-American, I initially admired BTS as a beacon of Asian representation in America. But with “Dynamite,” BTS directly negated these ideas, and I could no longer see them as positive figures for Asian representation.

“Dynamite” disappointment: Rise of English songs by BTS hurts Asian representation in the west

by Emma Gao, Reporter November 10, 2021

Blinding white lights illuminate the backs of the seven still silhouettes on stage, creating an almost halo-like glow. As the crowd chants their names and the first notes start playing, they hop out of...

In honor of Taylor Swift’s recording of her album “Red” next Friday, today I will present my top five Taylor Swift songs of all time — from debut to “evermore” and “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” and everything in between.

Friday Five: Taylor Swift

by Sally Zhu, A&E and Lifestyle Editor November 5, 2021

In honor of Taylor Swift’s recording of her album “Red” next Friday, today I will present my top five Taylor Swift songs of all time — from debut to “evermore” and :Fearless (Taylor’s Version)"...

Playing the cello became a chore, rather than a luxury. While practicing, I could feel my hope disappearing as I counted the number of minutes I played.

This I Believe: The right decision for myself

by Sally Zhu, A&E and Lifestyle Editor November 4, 2021

My fingers fly across the cello’s four strings, my mind focuses on maintaining the tempo as I sit in the soft black chair in my room. A music stand with black and white pages of notes stares back at...

A mixture of candy rests in a cauldron from Harker Spirit Leadership Team adviser and Director of Student Organizations Eric Kallbrier. This Friday Five repeater ranks top five brands of Halloween candy.

Friday Five: Halloween Candy

by Muthu Panchanatham, Opinion Editor October 29, 2021

Friday five is our new opinion repeater in which a staff member presents top five items across various categories. Reasoning will be provided, views challenged and debates expected. In spirit of the spooky...

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