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

Fill your head with words, not worries. Reading is a useful tool when youre looking to take your mind off, well, anything–whether its a text left on read or an unfinished calculus test.

How to practice self-care

by Prameela Kottapalli, Winged Post Features Editor April 12, 2018

It’s come to that point in the semester. The days are longer, the nights are shorter, and school feels harder. Freshman year finally starts to feel like high school. Sophomore year, for many, brings...

“Golf is pretty unpredictable,” Jin Kim (12) said. “Even the best in the world have bad days and its pretty hard to deal with it, but its a growing experience because I have to learn to deal with bad rounds. In the end, it just feels really good leaving the course after practice because I knew I worked really hard that day and I could go home and rest easy.”

Humans of Harker: Jin Kim derives easygoing attitude from golf

by Shreya Srinivasan, Reporter April 10, 2018

Jin Kim (12) typically wears a hoodie, sweatpants and a T-shirt of some generic brand — an outfit that reflects his mellow and laid-back personality. Instead of going overboard with the activities...

History department chair Donna Gilbert and Library Director Sue Smith direct students interested in applying for a Near or Mitra scholar grant for the next school year to the programs information hub and LibGuide. Applications and a parent permission form were due by 6 p.m. on April 24.

School meeting recap 4/10

by Anvi Banga, Aquila Asst. News Editor April 10, 2018

Kaitlyn Nguyen (12) announced that today's school bells were changed to the Mii Channel theme to celebrate the 10th anniversary of "Mario Kart Wii."  Harker Athletics gave a short update about games...

In sophomore year, I lost my best friend and neighbor in a car accident, Vedant Shah (12) said. I was in my room for an hour, staring at a wall, and it came to me that my life was way too short to be holding grudges and being a mean person — because the only constant we have in our life is that nothing is constant. Even though we all have aspirations and were all trying to get to our respective places, its important to recognize when to stop and take in the moment and the people around you.

Humans of Harker: Vedant Shah drives to connect past and present

by Prameela Kottapalli, Winged Post Features Editor April 9, 2018

Vedant Shah (12) has always loved cars. He and his best friend used to spend hours upon hours raving about the latest models, engaging in turbulent discussions about BMW M3’s and Lamborghinis. Together,...

I used to be one of those kids who always thought it would be super embarrassing to dance in front of others and would just kind of awkwardly stand to the side with the other big kids while all the uncles and aunties and little kids would dance at the big Indian parties to which all the families I am really close with would be invited, Tanvi Singh (12) said. But then last year, I thought to myself, Okay, Tanvi, this is really stupid. You know you want to dance: you’re always tapping your foot or nodding your head to the beat when you stand on the side. Just do it. So I did, and it felt amazing just dancing with absolutely no inhibitions. Everyone was shocked. And once the party was over and everyone started leaving, almost everyone came up to me and said something along the lines of, You’re an amazing dancer, bheta. I didn’t know you had it in you. And it wasn’t because I pulled off ten pirouettes in a row or did a triple backflip or anything. In fact, I’m pretty sure my moves were pretty basic. I think it’s because I brought a lot of energy to the dance floor. When the adults dance they usually just clap in a circle and move a little or half-heartedly do the standard pick-the-nose move and when the little kids dance they usually just swing their arms around. So someone dancing their non-existent tail off was pretty unprecedented.”

Humans of Harker: Tanvi Singh embraces “non-judgmentalness”

by Sydney Takemoto, Reporter April 8, 2018

“Indian parties are such wonderfully chaotic affairs,” Tanvi Singh (12) began. “The sound of pooris boiling and aunties laughing in the kitchen mixes with the screams of colorfully dressed children...

You guys all saw me on Davis at 7:30 in the morning, practicing, because I didn’t want to make a complete fool of myself, Vignesh Panchanatham (12) said. I was just doing different dribbling drills. I brought out the cones, and whenever the goals were out, I tried to shoot as well. I knew I wasn’t going to be better than anybody there, but I wanted to be semi-competent. And as the season went on, I could see that I was getting better and better. Traps that I would have missed out on before, I started to get them. My shot got better; I ended up scoring a goal. It was just as time went by and I kept putting in that same amount of effort, I became less of a beginner and more of someone who has a lot to work on.

Humans of Harker: Vignesh Panchanatham perspires for greatness

by Melissa Kwan, Humans of Harker Managing Editor April 6, 2018

On those 40-degree October mornings, Vignesh Panchanatham (12) might as well have been the only person on Davis Field. He’d bring a soccer ball and cleats to school every day, dribbling between the...

I joined this ballet dance academy — it is a Russian one — in sixth grade because my mom wanted me to stand up straighter, Patrick Zhong (12) said. My first memory of doing ballet was the teacher having her hand above my head and I had to jump and touch it. I enjoy expressing myself, but mainly, I like the performances because it is very thrilling being on stage. I kept going, and its been seven years.

Humans of Harker: Patrick Zhong pursues computer science, ballet

by Laura Wu, TALON People Editor April 4, 2018

“We basically talk about coding a lot. Coding and memes,” Edgar Lin (12) said of his friend Patrick Zhong (12). “Most of our interactions are him and Adriano [Hernandez (12)] trying to indoctrinate...

I started doing yoga at CorePower, and at first, I really didn’t like it because I’ve never been really coordinated, Vanessa Tyagi (12) said. I’m really bad at dancing; flexibility: I have none. I’m kind of just this stiff pole. I walked into this yoga studio, and I was so self-conscious of myself. I went alone, and I was putting myself in this very uncomfortable situation, but I think when I started to enjoy it, that’s when I felt successful. I found happiness in it. And I’m not that bad anymore. I can actually move, and I don’t look like I’m in pain every time I’m doing a position.

Humans of Harker: Vanessa Tyagi builds purposeful habits

by Megan Cardosi, TALON Student Life and Sports Managing Editor April 2, 2018

Like many things she does, Vanessa Tyagi (12) started modeling on a whim. “It was just one of those impulsive things that I do, so I was like might as well do it — I’ve always wanted to,” she...

I am very interested in the extremes, so either really big or really small, Nick Acero (12) said. So like astronomy or nanoscience. I have been drawn to this idea of what we don’t know. We don’t know much about space; we don’t know much about the really small. We don’t know anything about really anything below the size of an atom itself. We don’t know what an electron looks like anything like that. We don’t even know what is going on with the sun on the other side of the spectrum. I think that’s just really interesting.

Humans of Harker: Nicolas Acero is intrigued by the extremes

by Saloni Shah, Reporter April 1, 2018

Senior Nicolas Acero finds himself drawn to the unknowns — the enormity of space, the minutia of the atom. “I am very interested in the extremes, so either really big or really small, he said. “So...

“It’s hard for me to read and write in general,” Daniel Little (12) said. “I feel [dyslexia is] going to affect me that way. I want to become something in engineering, which means lots of write-ups, which is going to be painful. But it’s on a topic that I’ll actually enjoy.

Humans of Harker: Daniel Little finds strength in numbers

by Anoushka Buch, Reporter March 31, 2018

Some students feel at ease surrounded by familiar letters and words, but Daniel Little (12) is at his happiest in the midst of numbers and mathematical operations. Daniel discovered he had dyslexia...

Neha Premkumar (11) holds her purchase of Pinkberry from Interact. Members of the organization sold Pinkberry and Pizookies during their club week to fundraise for education for girls in Burkina Faso.

Interact sells Pinkberry and Pizookies during club week

by Julia Huang, TALON Academics Editor March 30, 2018

Interact sold mango, chocolate hazelnut and tart flavored frozen yogurt from Pinkberry with unlimited toppings for $5 and Pizookies for $3 this week for their club week, raising about $1,600 for education...

Princess Jasmine intensely stares down the camera, revealing her pouted lips, seductive eyes, and stressed hourglass body. This depiction is an actual scene in the movie “Aladdin.”

Media Matters: Misconceptions of Beauty

by Farah Hosseini, Reporter March 29, 2018

Seven years ago, my father asked me why I favored a certain contestant after watching the season finale of “American Idol”.  I responded that I liked her blonde locks and perfectly shaped body, but...

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