Former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant among 9 killed in helicopter crash
by Aditya Singhvi, Anna Vazhaeparambil, and Alysa Suleiman
January 26, 2020
Kobe Bryant, former NBA superstar, died at the age of 41 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA, this morning shortly before 10 a.m., according to major news outlets The New York Times and Los Angeles Times. Bryant’s daughter, Gianna “Gigi” Maria-Onore Bryant, 13, and Orange Coast College baseball coach John Al...
Daily updates: Senate continues impeachment trial proceedings, president’s defense team begins argument
by Kathy Fang and Arushi Saxena
January 26, 2020
As the Senate proceeds with the historic impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump, this article will be updated with the latest news. Check Harker Aquila for more updates. Jan. 25 The impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump continues with the beginning of the defense presentation, in which...
English teacher leaves upper school, handing over classes
by Kathy Fang, Editor-in-Chief
January 26, 2020
English teacher Dr. Anne Douglas will not be returning to the upper school for the second semester. Her two sections of AP English Literature will be taught by English teacher Nikolai Slivka, and her sophomore British literature class will be taught by English teacher Christopher Hurshman. Dr. Dougl...
New coronavirus outbreak spreads globally, raising public health concerns
by Kathy Fang and Eric Fang
January 24, 2020
The outbreak of a new coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China, has elevated public health concerns as it spread globally to countries as far as the U.S. and France. The spread of this virus has also complicated travel plans locally as upper school students and families prepare for Lunar New Year festi...
Humans of Harker: Flowing with words
by Kushal Shah, Sports Columnist
January 24, 2020
Dressed in a sharp, two-button black suit and red tie, his eyes glimmer with excitement as he rises to deliver his first speech of the debate on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. He clears his throat, then starts his speech, speaking at a slow and calm rate, while gradually increasin...
Humans of Harker: Looking through a new lens
by Sabrina Zhu, Reporter
January 23, 2020
Staring intently through a Sony A7R3 camera, hands steadily gripping a GorillaPod, Matthew Jiang (12) gazes at the scene set out in front of him. He smoothly adjusts the angle to better capture his subject, who sits in a classroom and discusses the hardships and difficulties immigrants face when learning a...
Inside the fishbowl: Students explore diversity and race at the Student Diversity Leadership Gathering
by Isha Moorjani and Irene Yuan
January 23, 2020
The Diversity Committee hosted the second Student Diversity Leadership Gathering at the upper school on January 20 from 8 a.m. from 4 p.m., and it was also Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day on which people reflect on the civil rights activist’s work during the Civil Rights Movement and his hopes f...
Senior named one of 40 Regeneron finalists in nation
by Varsha Rammohan and Arushi Saxena
January 22, 2020
Senior Cynthia Chen was selected as one of 40 finalists in the 2020 Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s oldest math and science research competition for high school seniors. Cynthia’s research focused on using computational methods to uncover patterns that predict cancer types. Her project was...
Upper school music groups celebrate end of semester with annual winter concert
by Sarah Mohammed and Saurav Tewari
January 22, 2020
The upper school orchestra, jazz band and lab band performed in their annual winter concert on Friday in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center, commemorating their work this semester. The orchestra played a variety of specially picked pieces, including George Gershwin's “American in Paris Suite,”...
Humans of Harker: Find your inner artist
by Ritika Rajamani, TALON Photo Editor
January 22, 2020
With a paintbrush in her hand, Zara Vakath (12) stares decisively at the white canvas. After dipping her paintbrush into bright, textured oil paints, she lifts it up to the canvas. Without thinking, her hand flicks, leaving a smooth brushstroke of the bright paint on the canvas. At the age of six,...
School meeting recap 1/17/2020: Mercutio, Thirsty Thursday, and free yearbooks
by Lucy Ge, Asst. News Editor
January 22, 2020
Avi Gulati (12) welcomed everyone to the last school meeting of the semester. On behalf of the performing arts program, Annabelle Ju (12) announced the Winter Concert, which was on the night of Friday, Jan. 17 at 7:00 p.m. in the Patil Theater. Upper school lab band, jazz band and orchestra all perf...