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

With red flowers in the background, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” plays on an iPhone. According to Billboard, it was the top Holiday Song for 30 weeks last winter.

Too Yule for school: The treble with Christmas music

by Nilisha Baid, TALON Asst. Business and Social Media Editor December 12, 2018

During the holidays, verses of Christmas music can be heard ringing through households across the country. Everyone knows the tune to “Jingle Bells” or “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” While Halloween...

Rani Sheth (11) paints with watercolors from the Palo Alto Art Center Teen Pop-Up. Students could experiment with mediums in the workshops, which were held in the art building.

Palo Alto Art Center workshops allow students to explore creativity

by Ryan Guan, Executive News Editor December 12, 2018

The Palo Alto Art Center brought Teen Pop-Up workshops to the upper school's art room on Nov. 16, Dec. 3, Dec. 5 and Dec. 7. Students could explore different mediums and styles.

The Miró Quartet in an undated photograph from their websites press kit.

Miró Quartet brings the strings to upper school Concert Series

by Ryan Guan, Executive News Editor December 12, 2018

This year's Harker Concert Series continued as the Miró Quartet performed in the Patil Theater last Friday at 8 p.m. The string quartet, comprising violinists Daniel Ching and William Fedkenheuer,...

“A lot of people come into the high school with huge friend groups thatre very set and think thats not going to change. But friends are going to switch out; not everyone grows the same way throughout high school. Be open to everything and try new things. Dont be set on how your high school life specifically will go. I feel like coming in from eighth grade, I very much had a set plan of how I was going to progress throughout high school, and that plan changed, and its okay for those ideas to change,” Claire Newman (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Big heart, bright smile

by Helen Zhu, TALON Reporter December 11, 2018

Thoughtful. Wild. Creative. Funny. Driven. The list goes on. Her effusive energy seen during class meeting and spirit rallies, her creativity and relentless dedication on and off the field and her exuding...

“I tried to leverage dance as a way to engage my community. I hope by explaining the benefits of dance in a scientific way I can make people more engaged, maybe try it out…by really showing its benefits, Riya Singh (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Reaching out on relevé

by Nicole Tian, Reporter December 10, 2018

Strolling into Manzanita on a Friday afternoon, Riya Singh’s (12) understanding smile envelops her figure in a quiet dignity. Slinging down her backpack and an extra pair of tennis shoes, she nods thoughtfully...

Representative for Texas’ 7th District, ambassador to the United Nations, chairman of the Republican National Committee, director of the Central Intelligence Agency — George H.W. Bush wore several hats during his life but was most well-known for his role as the 41st president of the United States. Bush died at the age of 94 on Nov. 30 at his home in Houston, Texas.

Harker community commemorates legacy of former president George H.W. Bush

by Varsha Rammohan, Copy Editor December 9, 2018

Representative for Texas’ 7th District, ambassador to the United Nations, chairman of the Republican National Committee, director of the Central Intelligence Agency — George H.W. Bush wore several...

Greg Lawson gestures with a fork to illustrate the importance of putting metal utensils in bins where they will be washed, not throwing them in the trash or on the ground.

School meeting recap 12/3/18

by Arushi Saxena, Global Editor December 9, 2018

As students scuffled through the bleachers to find their seats at the 2nd to last school meeting before Winter Break, Matthew Hajjar (12) opened with a stentorian chant as Adhya Hoskote (11) and Grace...

Warming up your winter with four hot new movies

Warming up your winter with four hot new movies

by Erica Cai, Reporter December 8, 2018

As winter break is approaching, people are scrambling to make holiday plans and book last-minute flights. However, for those not interested in straying too far from the comforts of home, these four movies...

“As Ive continued to do things, its kind of gotten to this point where no one really cares. And I mean that in a very positive way. No one cares if you mess this up and no one cares if you fall down and no one cares if you shave your head and no one cares if you cant swim butterfly. So you might as well just do it even if its embarrassing for you, and even if it pushes you to be uncomfortable. Just because something doesn’t feel right, and just because something isnt your gut instinct, doesnt mean you shouldnt do it, Lily Wancewicz (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Story unfinished

by Saloni Shah, Asst. Humans of Harker editor December 7, 2018

Eagerly pulling out her phone, Lily Wancewicz (12) giggles as she beams at a picture of her senior portrait with her petite fluffy Calico kitten, Poppy. Walking through the library, her shoulders relaxing,...

I stopped thinking so short term—I realized that life is more about the bigger picture. Sure, I have three tests tomorrow, that’s a worry, but in the big picture, it’s a very insignificant aspect of my life, so it just helps me put in perspective a lot of things,” Gene Wang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Embodying the “bigger picture”

by Nicole Chen, Editor-in-chief December 6, 2018

At a soaring 6 feet 3 inches, Gene Wang’s (12) presence dominates the gym floor of the athletics center. Sporting his signature Harker basketball gear and his black Nike PG2 sneakers, he leaps into the...

Dance teacher Karl Kuehn attempts Arrive Alives 
impaired driving simulation. The tour visits school campuses and other locations to spread awareness of how dangerous distracted driving can be.

Arrive Alive tour teaches dangers of distracted driving

by Ryan Guan, Executive News Editor December 6, 2018

The Arrive Alive tour, an organization that brings simulations and information about distracted driving to the likes of school campuses, visited the upper school today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Students...

The sun shines a bright orange-red color due to the smoke. The Camp Fire in Butte County started in November, causing air quality issues through northern California.

How to support the Northern California Camp Fire victims from campus

by Ryan Guan, Executive News Editor December 5, 2018

After the state's deadliest wildfire ravaged several Northern California counties last month and recovery efforts continue, several groups on campus will host fundraisers in order to assist victims. The...

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