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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

An American Eagle ad featuring Sydney Sweeney sparked controversy about 
political bias in advertising. Some brands aim to stir strong reactions rather than convey a clear message. (Illustration by Emma Li)

American Eagle uses “outrage farming” to drive engagement

by Suhani Gupta and Janam Chahal August 29, 2025

Clothing brand American Eagle released an ad on July 23 where actress Sydney Sweeney crossed out the word “genes” in a billboard saying “Sydney Sweeney has great genes” and replaced it with “jeans.” Many...

Americorps pauses President’s Volunteer Service Award, altering incentives for students to volunteer. “When I first found out that PVSA was  removed, I was extremely enraged,” junior and prospective PVSA applicant Demi Zheng said. (Illustration by Sarah Wang)

President’s Volunteer Service Award pause prompts student to reflect on volunteering motivation

by Risa Chokhawala and Chelsea Xie August 29, 2025

Junior Demi Zheng eagerly clicked into the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) application, already imagining the gold medal and certificate she would receive in the mail after logging over 100...

The explosion of large language models like ChatGPT undermines students' abilities in written expression and critical thinking. Building a dependence on AI, students not only curtail their own creativity, but also their sense of identity as they accept external ideas without independent analysis.

Generative AI in writing undermines creativity and critical thinking

by Suhani Gupta and William Jiang August 27, 2025

Large language models (LLMs) experienced a massive rise in popularity in 2022 with the release of ChatGPT. Three years later, more people have access to LLMs than ever, and many students often turn to...

Yearbook adviser Kevin Oliver joins TALON editors to show off their Best of Varsity Yearbook prize, celebrating the staff’s national recognition. Oliver led the yearbook staff to win a Pacemaker Award from the National Scholastic Press Association this April.

Three years of laughter and excellence

by Chayce Milheim and Yifan Li June 13, 2025

If there’s one thing unforgettable about our time in high school, it’s TALON Yearbook Adviser and Coach Kevin Oliver: our loving, supportive and often-hilarious mentor.  We met Oliver on our first...

After teaching at Harker for 23 years, vocal music teacher Susan Nace retires this year. “It's not about what I teach or even how I teach, it's about who the student I teach is," Nace said. "I don't teach music — I teach about life.”

Leading students, lifting voices

by Victoria Li, Humans of Harker Managing Editor June 10, 2025

The opening notes to “How Can I Keep From Singing?” drifted through Patil Theater at the spring choral concert as auditioned music group Capriccio sang in harmony. Midway through the piece, over 20...

Clifford Hull holds up an ancient artifact, sharing his love for archaeology and the connections it offers to the past. After 47 years of teaching, Hull is retiring at the end of this school year.

Teaching with the Hull heart: Harker bids farewell to Latin and history teacher Clifford Hull

by Heather Wang, Humans of Harker Managing Editor June 8, 2025

After taking five years of Latin in high school in South Africa, Latin and history teacher Clifford Hull entered college with no plans of ever taking another Latin course. However, a college class sparked...

Code-switching is the practice of switching between two or more languages or dialects depending on the social context. At Harker, many multilingual students code-switch naturally as a way to express themselves and navigate different cultural settings.

Embrace codeswitching for authenticity and linguistic diversity

by Chelsea Xie, A&E/Lifestyle Editor May 11, 2025

While taking classes at school, a student might speak to teachers in formal English during class discussions, while using casual slang with friends in the hallways. However, as soon as they step through...

Chemistry Teacher Ran Tao tends to her Abraham Darby Roses. Over her years as a gardener, she has noticed thematic similarities between gardening and teaching. (Provided by Ran Tao)

Meet your staff: Composure through cultivation

by Wenjie Zou and Nathan Yee May 6, 2025

Roses are red and hydrangeas are blue — but only at low soil pH. Roses can also be orange, as chemistry teacher Ran Tao learned. Some can even be brown, like the Koko Loko rose, Dr. Tao’s favorite.  Gardening...

A group of Harker volunteers pose for a picture at Second Harvest of Silicon Valley's Cypress Center in North San Jose on January 20. Harker reserved two shifts on the Martin Luther King Junior Day of Service, sorting 6974 pounds of food. (Provided by Second Harvest)

Second Harvest Food Bank: Transforming food waste into lifelines

by Vivek Moorjani, Humans of Harker Managing Editor May 2, 2025

Hundreds of food pallets stretch toward the ceiling in the back of Second Harvest of Silicon Valley’s Cypress Center warehouse. The scent of oranges surrounds the cooler, mingling with the warm smell...

English Teacher Eric Hengstebeck paddleboards on Lake Tahoe. After moving to California in 2019, he discovered his love for paddleboarding and now paddleboards often after school and during weekend trips. (Provided by Eric Hengstebeck)

Meet your staff: Paddleboarding toward peace

by William Jiang April 29, 2025

Morning fog still clings to the redwoods as English teacher Eric Hengstebeck glides across Lake Tahoe’s glassy surface on his paddleboard. Out here, each stroke brings him farther from the pace of the...

Customers order Starbucks  merchandise at the counter inside the Pike Place Starbucks store. The store offers unique Pike Place-themed cups, mugs, coffee and other merchandise.

Discovering coffee roots at Pike Place Starbucks

by Jonathan Szeto, William Jiang, and Sam Li April 26, 2025

SEATTLE — Customers line up in front of the entrance of the Starbucks in Pike Place Market at 10 a.m. on Thursday. As they enter, they are greeted by the words “Espresso” and “Cappuccino” in...

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