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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

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...

Under Trump's administration, many feel that women outside traditional gender norms are less respected. "American culture is founded on the principles of respect, and I feel like that's being eroded," English teacher Dr. Beth Wahl said.

Pulse of the People: Trump administration shifts womens’ gender roles

by Mendy Mao and Elizabeth Zhang April 15, 2025

As the Trump administration rolls out new policies reducing DEI and abortion rights, many women worry for the future. In a changing political and social climate, some feel the right-leaning administration...

Minal Jalil (11) and her family hosted a Chand raat party the night before Eid on Saturday, March 29th. The party featured a variety of food and dessert, women putting on mendhi, people moon-sighting and games being played between children in the front yard. Chand raat is a South Asian tradition that celebrates the festivities of Eid on the night prior to it.

Reminiscing Ramadan’s teachings

by Minal Jalil, Reporter April 12, 2025

Ramadan commenced with a dinner in Downtown Palo Alto. Since the Islamic calendar follows the lunar calendar, Ramadan began at sunset on the night of Feb. 28 before the first fast the next day. To celebrate,...

Gender stereotypes ingrain the understanding of gender as a binary category, excluding individuals in society who don’t conform to either. Intersex individuals stand as one such prominent group of individuals.

Beyond the binary

by Ashley Mo and Hima Thota April 3, 2025

While gender is often reduced to a binary of male and female, it is widely regarded as a social construct shaped by a combination of cultural and societal influences. Centuries-old stereotypes continue...

The bear statue next to Dobbins references Jason Berry's nickname "Bear" and commemorates his impact on the Harker community. "You would think he was here forever," English teacher and department head Pauline Paskali said. "It seems his presence is still here with us, and I know we all teach with him in mind."

Campus Compass: Jason Berry’s Bear Statue

by Emma Li, Opinions Editor March 30, 2025

Students stream out of Dobbins Hall as the bell rings. A curiously shaped installment draws gazes, prominent against Dobbin’s bright pink backdrop. Before the wall, a metal teddy bear with a collar and...

Many students cited dissonance between their perceptions of their time at Harker and the administration’s large emphasis on celebrating Harker’s diversity, from the annual Culture Week to Student Diversity Coalition announcements at school meetings. Multiple students recalled feeling that their lack of representation was overlooked or simply not talked about enough.

It’s time to talk about diversity

by Katerina Matta, Winged Post Editor-in-Chief March 30, 2025

There’s no question that Harker is a diverse place. From the range of extracurricular offerings to our academic interests, each student is profoundly different from the next. Yet, there remains one staggering...

Seniors of the Witschorik advisory Khanhlinh Tran and Aarav Borthakur play make-shift ping pong during advisory. They call this tradition "Chuck Pong" after their advisor's name.

Advisory traditions build bonding

by Jeremy Peng, Caden Ruan, and Lily Peng March 27, 2025

During students’ fast-paced four years of high school, advisory serves as a point of constancy: time dedicated to a small, familiar group outside of academics. But advisories also present opportunity...

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