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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

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...

Many young athletes struggle to prioritize mental health while juggling academic and athletic commitments. A survey conducted by the University of Wisconsin found that 68% of student-athletes have anxiety high enough to require therapeutic support.

‘No athlete wants to step back’

by Sarah Mohammed and Tiffany Chang November 27, 2021

Basketball and track and field athlete Alexa Lowe (12) remembers the winter and spring seasons when she would arrive home late at night after a tiring day of practice. The pressure to be more efficient...

Smoke fills the sky ahead of upper school Spanish teacher and Green Team adviser Diana Moss’s car as she is about to drive past the Dixie Fire. The fire has burnt over 963,309 acres.

‘It burns and it burns and it burns’: California wildfires raze 2.4 million acres in midst of climate emergency, community members recover and reflect

by Sabrina Zhu and Arely Sun October 10, 2021

“It was like driving into hell.” A pitch black sky surrounded upper school Spanish teacher Diana Moss as she neared the Dixie fire, while she passed through the small city of Red Bluff in ​​Tehama...

Over the past three weeks, discussions of the enforcement of dress code have spilled over to lunch tables, taken over Instagram posts and generated polarizing conversations in class. 
Students argued that their commitment to embrace diversity, love of learning and obligations to foster kindness and integrity, as stated in Harker’s mission statement, ought to be the metric for respect, not apparel.

Editorial: Trust in transparency

by Editorial Board September 25, 2021

In a survey sent out to members of the Harker Journalism news staff, 38 of the 41 respondees indicated that they agreed with the stance of this editorial. One respondee partially agreed. Over the past...

Students and faculty fall fashion bring new shopping and styles to this school year. Some have explored thrifting and trends from social media.

Fall fashion: Rise in the realm of thrifting

by Sally Zhu, A&E and Lifestyle Editor September 7, 2021

Fashion, by definition ever-changing and transitory, inevitably continues to evolve in the form of trends or individual styles. After more than a year of shelter-in-place, thrifting and secondhand shopping,...

Upperclassmen have not yet experienced the true weight of being role models for the younger students. Take comfort in the fact that you can make a difference in their high school journeys simply by reaching out. Let underclassmen know that you are here for them.

Editorial: Together we rise

by Editorial Board August 29, 2021

The last time we were here together, we were sitting in our classrooms during the last period of the day, anxiously waiting for the school bell to ring.  The last time we were here together, we were...

An illustration of the COVID-19 virus.
This article addresses common myths surrounding COVID-19, the delta variant and vaccines and provides accurate answers from the CDC and The New England Journal of Medicine.

Myth-busting COVID-19 and the vaccines

by Arjun Barrett and Nicole Tian August 28, 2021

Do I still need to wear a mask if I’m vaccinated? Yes. Though the CDC only requires unvaccinated individuals to wear a mask, all vaccinated individuals are encouraged to continue wearing masks. Unvaccinated...

A pair of bronze eagles stand in a fountain in front of Shah Hall. The sculpture, a gift from the Class of 2021, had previously been installed in Dobbins Hall.

Graduates’ gift: Class of 2021 funds new eagle fountain, places near Shah Hall

by Sabrina Zhu and Nicholas Wei August 17, 2021

A pair of sparring bronze eagles grasp at a flowing American flag, suspended over a glassy pool of water. The birds of prey lock claws in the air, their talons gleaming in the sunlight. Two rings of stone...

More than 1000 protestors gather at San Jose City Hall to protest hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) on Sunday March 21. The protest was just one of many happening across the nation after the recent spotlight of Asian-directed attacks.

Pulse of the People: Not a new issue

by Alysa Suleiman and Nicole Tian March 22, 2021

This article has been updated on March 26 to reflect additional resources provided for the upper school community. What does an “Asian American” represent? A computer engineer at a Silicon Valley...

Senior Sachi Bajaj received her vaccine today. She and her family qualified to receive the vaccine as caregivers for her grandparents, who are at high risk of contracting the coronavirus.

Harker staff and students receive COVID-19 vaccinations, more scheduled this month

by Lucy Ge, Winged Post News Editor March 1, 2021

With upper school faculty and students beginning to receive their COVID-19 vaccines, more Harker staff are set to be vaccinated in Phase 1B of California’s vaccination plan.  All education workers,...

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