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

This is Illiterate Lexicology, a podcast where Aquila staff members delve into the history and evolution of words.

Illiterate Lexicology Episode 1: ‘Commencement’

by Erica Cai and Irene Yuan January 15, 2022

This is the first installment of Illiterate Lexicology, a podcast where Aquila staff members delve into the history and evolution of words. In this episode, Erica and Irene explore the word “commencement.”  harkeraquila...

Rupert Chen (11) reaches to hand a book to Nicholas Wei (11) as their fellow Book Party attendees share their thoughts on the books featured at the gathering.

Flipping and scrolling through the pages

by Sydney Ling and Emily Tan January 6, 2022

“We’re happy, free, confused and lonely in the best way…”  Taylor Swift’s “22 (Taylor’s Version)” plays in the background as students mill about in the library classroom, picking up...

Upper school Latin and world history teacher Clifford Hull examines excavated fossils that he has collected and stores in his room, Main 1. Hull is passionate about archaeology, collecting and the past, as evinced by objects atop his cabinet such as the bust of Caesar pencil holder and the American flag he was given when he first came to the country.

Meet your teacher: Excavating upper school history teacher’s world

by Sarah Mohammed and Tiffany Chang December 10, 2021

Bright green, pink and yellow orange squeezers; teapots from Finland from the 50s and 60s and mid 19th century Victorian Age relics of urinals are a combination of objects you’ll most likely never find...

Diya Mukherjee (10) reads a note from her Eagle Buddy during lunch at the upper school on Nov. 12. The cards, written by third graders in response to notes sophomores had sent two weeks prior, were delivered to sophomores that morning after a LIFE session.

Across campus and age differences: Eagle Buddy program unites Harker community

by Trisha Iyer, Asst. Features Editor December 8, 2021

Heated discussions vying for possession of colored pencils and markers crowded the air of many classrooms during a special Oct. 20 hour-long advisory period. During this time, the sophomore class took...

An illustration of a photo album, reminiscent of those of families that were forced to give up personal belongings such as family photos due to being forced to enter concentration camps.

Pulse of the People: ‘Never forget, never again’

by Alysa Suleiman and Emily Tan December 3, 2021

Harker Aquila spoke with upper school faculty and students, local Jewish synagogue members and Holocaust research experts on the lasting impacts of the Holocaust and the value and necessity of integrating...

Hygrangea macrophylla (hygrangea) flowers bloom as groundskeepers Urdelin Justo and Jose Hernandez prune shrubs in the quad on Sept. 16.

Our garden, our home

by Emily Tan, Julie Shi, and Edward Huang December 3, 2021

For the grounds team, the workday starts early — pre-sunrise, 6:00 a.m. early, when the sun's fingers just start creeping over the horizon and the campus lies still, fast asleep. That is when Director...

Vivian Bi (11) teaches Makayla Aguilar (11) how to fold a paper crane. The LIFE Board organized a project to fold 1000 paper cranes for upper school math teacherJane Keller, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

Students fold 1000 paper cranes for upper school math teacher recovery

by Alena Suleiman, Reporter December 2, 2021

Laughter emanated from Manzanita Hall and the orchard during the morning office hours block of Oct. 14 as LIFE Board members handed out slips of origami paper, inviting students of all grades to help them...

Seniors Aimee Wang, Emily Zhou and Tina Zhong sit on Davis Field during a 10-minute break in upper school history teacher Donna Gilberts third period AP Art History class on Oct. 26. Upper school students have been receiving varied amounts of break times in different classes since the beginning of the school year.

Do in-class breaks matter?

by Sarah Mohammed, Anika Maji December 1, 2021

Every day her Introduction to Journalism classes meet, upper school journalism teacher Whitney Huang gives all her students a five-minute break, sectioning off the 85 minutes into two blocks with a small...

From left to right, upper school science department chair Anita Chetty, upper school chemistry teacher Dr. Mala Raghavan, computer science teacher Anu Datar, attendance coordinator Ritu Raj, upper school mathematics teacher Dr. Anu Aiyer and upper school computer science teacher Marina Peregrino dress in traditional garments to celebrate Diwali. This year, the holiday occurred on Nov. 5.

Triumph of light over darkness: Students, faculty celebrate Diwali

by Emma Gao and Isha Moorjani November 30, 2021

Upper school math teacher Dr. Anu Aiyer wears a sari of wrapped deep purple cloth with a strip of golden embroidery, a piece of the fabric falling behind her shoulder. With her hands lightly pressed together...

Native American tribes such as the Muwekma Ohlone used bundles of tule, a wetland bulrush plant, to construct boats for transportation. The month of November, officially recognized as Native American Heritage Month by President George H. W. Bush in 1990, commemorates the history and culture of Native American peoples.

‘We are still here’: Native American Heritage Month pays tribute to rich tribal history and traditions

by Michelle Liu and Selina Xu November 29, 2021

When Aneesha Asthana (11) attended the Women for the Rivers Gathering in Minnesota this summer, she knew little about the cause behind the movement. They had originally attended for their sister, who does...

New York-stationed journalist Isabelia Herrera smiles, tucking her hair behind her ears. Herrera writes about music and Latinx culture as an Arts Critic Fellow at The New York Times.

So you wanna be a music and arts critic?

by Sally Zhu and Sarah Mohammed November 27, 2021

2021-22 New York Times Arts Critic Fellow and 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 Media honoree Isabelia Herrera never thought she would be a critic. She always loved music, especially music that reminded her of home,...

Time management is the act of organizing and allotting your time to different activities in order to optimize the 24 hours that are given in a day. A study from Princeton University found that adopting small habits such as having a routine, having an organized environment, and properly planning out your schedule are important keys to integrating good time management into a daily ritual.

Tick tock: Time management plays important role in student lives

by Rachel Ning and Smrithi Sambamurthy November 18, 2021

When Tanya Karpinchyk (10) started in-person school this year, an overload of homework suddenly hit her, leading to procrastination and unprecedented levels of stress. Although the need to quickly adapt...

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