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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

“Knowing that I’m helping other people and other girls feel empowered to make their own money, save money, and be conscientious, and knowing that I’m doing that and even making a small difference in people’s lives, that’s what makes it worth it,” Nishka Ayyar (12) said.

Humans of Harker: When 110 percent effort comes with smiles all around

by Nicole Chen, Editor-in-chief October 2, 2018

CEO. Philanthropist. Volleyball player. At first glance, Nishka Ayyar (12) appears to be an ambitious person who stops at nothing to get what she wants. In reality though, at her core, she’s your carefree,...

Olivia Guo (10) watches on after hitting the ball. Led by captain Katelyn Vo (11), the girls won a convincing 196-261 victory. Freshman Sophie Zhang Murphy shot par at 36, Katelyn followed with a 39 and Natalie Vo (10) and Olivia both shot 40.

Varsity Girls Golf wins against Sacred Heart Prep, maintains streak

by Anthony Xu, TALON Co-Academics Editor October 1, 2018

The varsity girls golf team won its match 196-261 against Sacred Heart Preparatory at Sharon Heights Country Club last Monday, bringing their overall record to 5-0. The girls were coming off of a 4-0...

“I think you have to measure your impact and what you’ve done for other people–to know that you’re doing good with what you’re doing. You have to create a world for yourself, with your actions, that you would want to live in,” Ryan Guan (12) said. “For myself, I want to have something that I strive for– and that’s making a difference.”

Humans of Harker: Power in thought

by Prameela Kottapalli, Editor-in-chief October 1, 2018

Unlike Ryan, the question is unremarkable. But it’s narrow in an attempt to capture his detail-oriented persona: “Why do you wear a watch?” While considering the question, he lounges on a modernist...

Serena Williams shines spotlight on sexism, exposes racist media

Serena Williams shines spotlight on sexism, exposes racist media

by Eric Fang, News Editor September 30, 2018

The Women’s Grand Slam Tennis Championship was riddled with contentious penalties against tennis superstar Serena Williams, ranging from a coaching violation to verbal abuse. Overshadowing Naomi Osaka’s...

Hurricane Florence is seen from the International Space Station on Sept. 12, when it was classified as a Category 3 hurricane. The hurricane has led to at least 48 deaths in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Virginia, many due to the widespread storms and flooding it caused.

Hurricane Florence floods Carolinas

by Eric Fang and Ryan Guan September 30, 2018

Hurricane Florence lashed North and South Carolina with widespread rains and flooding this month, leading to at least 48 deaths and billions of dollars worth of damage, after making landfall Sept. 14. Governors...

Editorial: Channeling our anger to effect change

Editorial: Channeling our anger to effect change

September 28, 2018

After the recent events involving two former Harker teachers’ inappropriate interactions with students and their subsequent arresting, we’ve seen, among other warranted responses, some knee-jerk reactions...

Members of Spirit Club bow before the Eagle mascot at school meeting on Wednesday in promotion of Spirit Week, which will start on Monday.

School meeting recap 9/26/18

by Ryan Guan, Executive News Editor September 27, 2018

Eagle Update presenters Mitchell Granados (12), Grace Hajjar (11), Matthew Hajjar (12) and Adhya Hoskote (11) discussed the past week's games and sports events. Mitchell invited students to come to the...

"To sum it up in one word, it's empathy,” Kelsey Wu (12) said. “I've always been very interested in learning the stories of other people and helping other people, and what really ties everything I do together would be my goal of empathizing with others and understanding others. From a performing arts perspective, putting yourself in a character is obviously a very empathetic way of understanding others, and then in a student council, service standpoint, serving other people and really digging at what makes them happy—and also what's bothering them—is a really good medium of understanding how people work."

Humans of Harker: Toy libraries, jazz music and “person of the people”

by Kathy Fang, Managing Editor September 27, 2018

Many students in public service begin their careers in high school or even middle school, stepping first into positions of student government as advocates of later start times, increased snack options...

Jackie Nunez, founder of The Last Plastic Straw, speaks at a school assembly on Thursday about the impact of single-use plastics. Nunez's presentation followed a screening of "STRAWS", a documentary about how plastic use affects the environment.

Assembly teaches students about single-use plastic’s global impact

by Sara Yen, Assistant Features Editor September 26, 2018

The first image that comes to mind when you think of the ocean is perhaps a pristine sandy beach shaded by luscious palm trees and surrounded by a sapphire blue sea – likely not the reality of beaches...

Joel Morel (11) participates in an activity led by actors in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival company on Saturday morning. A group of upper school students, accompanied by four teacher chaperones, travelled to Ashland on an annual trip this past weekend.

Students travel to Shakespeare festival on annual trip

by Jessie Wang, Reporter September 25, 2018

A group of 28 Harker students, accompanied by four teachers, visited the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) in Ashland, Oregon over the weekend. The group left early Friday morning and will return later...

Nellie Tonev (11) and Maya Franz (10) discuss ideas for a storytelling exercise during a workshop at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival this weekend. A group of 28 students and four teachers travelled to Ashland, Oregon, on Friday and returned to San Jose on Sunday night.

Weekend recap 9/24/18

by Eric Fang, News Editor September 24, 2018

The Guys' Gig club organized rehearsals that were open to all upper school students on Monday. Freshmen prepared for homecoming during the advisory period on Tuesday. They met in the Nichols atrium,...

Zachary Wong (right) dribbles past an opposing defender as Maria Vazhaeparambil (10), #80, sets a screen. Seven Harker high-schoolers played together on one of the eight teams in the tournament: seniors Prameela Kottapalli, Akhila Ramigiri and Zach Wong; juniors Haley Arena, Kaidi Dai and Sara Lynn Sullivan; and sophomore Maria Vazhaeparambil.

Upper school hosts Hi5 Youth Fundraiser

by Anna Vazhaeparambil, Reporter September 23, 2018

An India-based non-profit group hosted a basketball event at Harker last weekend to spread awareness of the organization among local high schoolers. In an effort to broaden their reach to America, the...

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