The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
Humans of Harker: Multi-disciplined, multi-dimensional
Humans of Harker: Multi-disciplined, multi-dimensional
Humans of Harker: Continuous and differentiable
Humans of Harker: Continuous and differentiable
Humans of Harker: Power in profiles
Humans of Harker: Power in profiles
Humans of Harker: Widening the aperture
Humans of Harker: Widening the aperture
Humans of Harker: Sharing stories, striking serves
Humans of Harker: Sharing stories, striking serves
Humans of Harker: Cooking with creativity
Humans of Harker: Cooking with creativity
“There's a lot of value in every moment and everyone around you. I appreciate people who just appreciate the little things. For me, I feel like everyone you meet can teach you a little bit, and that's something that I've really internalized over the years. I think that's part of why I like being around people and different communities so much. Because in each of these communities, you can learn so many different things from everyone," Olivia Xu ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Purpose towards progress
“I get to choose how much effort and detail I put in, and that’s what you’re going to see in the end. I love that you can see the truth on paper. A lot of my work is in black and white, so I can’t rely on color to cover it up or make it more interesting — I can only rely on my skill and willingness to go into the studio and add to my piece," Katelyn Zhao ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Envisioning the everyday
"I used to think that I have to keep doing dance just because it's what I’m known for. But now I’ve realized there’s beauty behind all the madness that happens. And it’s now a part of me, so not doing dance or not having Legos is like I’m losing a part of my identity," Luke Mehta ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Building with style
“Why not? So many things are very foreign or unknown to us, but there’s not much to lose by just trying things. I initially wasn’t very comfortable with DECA, especially with impromptu, but the community really helped me grow out of that. And DECA is now one of my top high school memories. Just giving things a try is really worth it, and if it fails, the worst thing that can happen is you just try something else," Claire Luo ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: It’s all in the details
"Being a lifer, I really want to put my knowledge to use. Being a TEDx speaker is a really big honor in and of itself, but to be able to actually address the Harker community was really important to me because I wanted to have an impact on the place that I've been at for 13 years," Arissa Huda ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Prescribing change
"I’ve learned discipline: practicing a lot and then knowing what your strengths are, knowing where to improve. That discipline is definitely going to stay with me. If I’m trying to get a big piece of work done in general when I'm interested in it, I'll stop at nothing to reach my goals," Linette Hoffman ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Artistry in motion
"I have this philosophy with theater. I wholeheartedly believe that my life was made for the stage, and all my make or break moments have happened there. While some people learn best through lectures or visuals, I learn best from having a spotlight on me," Zubin Khera ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Scripts to success
"One of the most important things for me about performing is its transformative power. There was one concert where we were singing this commission about gun violence, followed by a piece about climate change, a piece about the Holocaust. Watching the audience's expressions and how they reacted to the music we were singing was the first time that I was like, ‘Whoa, music has the power to change lives and engender positive change,’” Sawyer Lai ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Symphony of spirit
"It’s been fun getting to know the chefs at La Mar, their team and how different cultural influences blend together. For example, they make ceviche, which is a traditional Peruvian dish, but they infuse it with many different cultures. They have a version of their ceviche which is inspired by African tastes and spices, and they also have a Japanese form of that same ceviche dish. I think it’s interesting to watch how these fusion dishes form," Alex Lan ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Flavors of knowledge
Prakrit Jain ('22) searches for new animal species to help the environment and wildlife.
Humans of Harker: Scorpion spotter
Arnav Gupta ('22) moves a DNA construction.
Humans of Harker: Coding for a cause
“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.
Humans of Harker: Blast of creativity
"Every single person I've interviewed for Humans of Harker has said one killer quote that has stuck with me even through four years of high school, and I think I really do internalize those messages. There are nuances in every single person's experience that makes it unique to them and also makes it a good lesson for everyone else. It's just amazing to see how much wisdom every single person at Harker has, and it's fascinating to learn about those stories," Erica Cai ('22) said.
Humans of Harker: Harmony in humanity
“Something I took away from baseball is that there's always the opportunity to bounce back when things don't go particularly right. Even the best hitters only go one for three, so being able to push through that is one of the most important parts of the game. Being able to identify what goes wrong and learning from that is important to being able to find success in the future," Mark Hu ('22) said.
Humans of Harker: The perfect pitch
Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par
Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par
It's been obviously rough, turning on the news and seeing another death, seeing another acquittal every single time … but, ‘How much can I do?’ is the question I'm asking myself. ‘How much can I help, and what impact can I have?’” Brian Pinkston ('21) said.
Humans of Harker: For the future and the present
“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.
Humans of Harker: Leading with DECA-cation
Class of 2021: Humans of Harker compilation, part three
Class of 2021: Humans of Harker compilation, part three
“I feel really good about myself when I'm relaxed and enjoying the world. There’s so much to learn about the world and so many ways to do so," Daniel Wang ('21) said.
Humans of Harker: Mapping the unknown
"I'm the person that always has a plan for everything. And then I have backups for the plan, and I have backups for the backups," Nicole Chen ('19) said.
Humans of Harker: Calendars for a cause
"I don’t ever intend on letting the internal love of life that I have leave me. As I grow up and I maintain my love for the random things I do, I know I’ll be happy– and hopefully people around me will be, as well," Mathew Mammen ('19) said.
Humans of Harker: Jack of all trades, master of fun
Humans of Harker: To dance, to feel
Humans of Harker: To dance, to feel
"The more serious side, people will never see. You'll never see who's behind one of these websites that people may be using," Neil Ramaswamy (12) said. "Several freshmen have approached me like, 'hey, you're the really funny guy at school meeting' and I'm like 'hey, yeah, nice to meet you' and at the same time they might be using an application that I've written not knowing that it's me. I kind of get that personal satisfaction knowing that there is a serious side to me, you just don't know about it."
Humans of Harker: Dueling with duality
Humans of Harker: Humanity in art
Humans of Harker: Humanity in art
“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Neymika Jain finds balance in life
“A lot of the time, when I’m out at nail salons, nailers ask me if I‘m Vietnamese. I say yes, but they say that I don’t speak the language and have never been back to Vietnamese, so am I really? I always felt disconnected, like I would be Vietnamese-American but never Vietnamese. When I went to Vietnam for the first time, it brought me closer to my culture. I realized I shouldn’t view myself as a different. I have to see Vietnamese-American and Vietnamese as one and the same," Haley Tran (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Haley Tran values her cultural identity
“One time, I was hiking up this giant off-trail path, and this is going to make me sound like a complete hippy, but what I was thinking at the moment was that every single tree out there must have had some sort of backstory. Even when I was walking to Shah, there was this tree right next to the building, and I was like, ‘Maybe this tree had a lot of other tree friends, but then this building came up and they had to get cut down.’ That made me pretty sad. So, when I was coming up with backstories for trees, it reminded me of my childlike innocence of playing pretend or playing with my stuffed animals because I thought my imagination would never run as wild as it once did. But, this experience made me feel happy because it’s something that I’ve lost, and I feel like I gained some of it back," Aashish Jain (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Aashish Jain finds inspiration in painting through watching Bob Ross videos
“For me, robotics has always been a great way to learn about how to build things and how things work. Honestly, that is the reason why I love robotics. When you see everything working, you look at it and say 'I helped make this happen,' which is really really gratifying," Andrew Tierno (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Andrew Tierno reflects on his passion for robotics
“A lot of being a choreographer is about digging deep, understanding, and finding out which event leads to the next, which is basically what science is. You would take a circuit and break it apart to understand each of the components, and you would do that to a song,” Sneha Bhetanabhotla (‘17) said.
Humans of Harker: Sneha Bhetanabhotla learns to connect robotics and dance
“I can be serious, and I care a lot about a lot of things, but I also just like having fun and people feeling comfortable being their true selves,” Isabella Spradlin (12) said. “You don't have to be one-sided — you can have different sides of your personality, and different moods.”
Humans of Harker: Isabella Spradlin gleans insight from sisterhood
“This is like a melting pot of Cupertino, Lynbrook, Saratoga, some people from De Anza, so you meet all kinds of people,” Rahul Mehta (12) said. “Half the time I’m not even playing with my friends, so I’m playing with random people. You start off in the beginning a bit wary of each other, and then by end you’re playing like they’re your friends. It’s kind of gradual. Like after a really cool play, you’ll high five each other, and that’s how it all begins.”
Humans of Harker: Rahul Mehta befriends others through banter
"People are always debating, you know, ‘should I go up to a higher weight or not?’ And I’ll just yell, ‘do it, you won’t,’" Tiffany Shou (12) said. "And then, you know, it’s like that challenge, and so it always pushes them pick that higher weight, and then they can accomplish it, so it’s even more gratifying."
Humans of Harker Video: Tiffany Shou pushes her limits in the weight room
“First, I start at my house,” Sparsh Chauhan (12) said. “Then, I turn on Saratoga, and it’s always crowded with traffic and stuff. That’s when I’m setting the music, checking the tire pressure, the gas. After downtown, the road gets smooth, which is when I put the windows down. I go all the way down until there’s a dip and then I go back. Even when I have stuff to do, I drive that same route every day. I don’t have to take directions. I know all the traffic times; I know exactly where I’m going.”
Humans of Harker: Sparsh Chauhan takes pride in his work
“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”
Humans of Harker: Angel Cervantes chases his goals
“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.
Humans of Harker: Learning to fall
“You just have to go for it. You think, 'In the future, if I think back and regret it, is that how I want to end up — or would I rather just try something and see what happens?' Usually, it turns out well,” Montek Kalsi (’20) said. 
Humans of Harker: All fun and games
“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.
Humans of Harker: Leadership and love
Humans of Harker: Grit and grind
Humans of Harker: Grit and grind
Humans of Harker: Artistic nonconformity
Humans of Harker: Artistic nonconformity
The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
Biology teacher Dr. Matthew Harley and chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine perform a skit titled "Between Two Ferns" at last last year's HOSCARS. HOSCARS was canceled last year due to inadequate campus space for the show.

Signups for annual variety show HOSCARS open

by Meena Gudapati, Aquila Editor-in-Chief • January 4, 2018

HOSCARS audition sign ups opened on today and will continue until Jan. 29. The talent show, which did not take place last year due to construction on campus, will occur on Mar. 23 in the new performing...

Amla Rashingkar (10) speaks English and Marathi with her family. She grew up using Marathi with numbers and math.

Glance into the daily life of a polyglot

by Gloria Zhang, Aquila Asst. Features Editor • January 3, 2018

It was 7th grade pre-algebra, where the current topic was basic sequencing with multiplications. One by one, from left to right, the teacher asked each student for the next answer. As my turn drew nearer,...

"Dance is unique because it's fleeting," Miranda Larsen (12) said. "You do the dance once, and it's done. There are recordings of it, but you can never see it in person again–that's powerful. People who are there experience it, and everyone else doesn't — it's up in the air."

Humans of Harker: Miranda Larsen perfects her dance moves

by Prameela Kottapalli, Winged Post Features Editor • January 3, 2018

Miranda has danced for thirteen years — well over half her life. From participating in a club dance program outside of school to performing with the varsity dance team to choreographing her own routine...

“I wouldn’t say that I ever put on a facade for anyone. I’ve noticed that a lot of people see it as weak to show your emotions, to show that you’re either super happy or super sad, or just need someone to talk to, but I don’t really see that as the case," Lauren Napier (12) said. "If there’s a problem that I’m having, I’m not afraid to talk to my friends about it or my teachers about it. If I’m really stressed, I’m not afraid to admit that my classes are getting too hard or that the workload is too much. So I guess I’m just not afraid to show the emotions that I have to everyone around me.”

Humans of Harker: Lauren Napier stays disciplined

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

For Lauren Napier (12), the question isn’t whether or not to work out — it’s what type of workout. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, it’s hot pilates. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, it’s cardio...

Magical myths: innocuous or inimical?

Magical myths: innocuous or inimical?

by Aditya Singhvi, Reporter • December 14, 2017

As the holiday season draws near, so do all of the festivities associated with it. The smell of brownies baking permeates the air, holiday music firmly lodges itself in ears everywhere and grotesque sweaters...

“I mostly just live my life thinking, ‘Why not?'" Shaya Zarkesh said. "If the possible regret is not probable or not that big, then I’ll do it. I don’t judge things based on importance, I judge things based on how much fun will result out of it.”

Humans of Harker: Shaya Zarkesh doesn’t shy away from spontaneity

by Eleanor Xiao, TALON Editor-in-Chief • December 11, 2017

Catch Shaya Zarkesh (12) humming (or maybe belting) “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas in the hallways, or maybe racing as fast as he can towards any soccer ball that comes in his sight. Maybe...

The aftermath of the Tubbs Fire in Northern California in October. The Tubbs fire was one of the largest wildfires among the eight that killed 42 individuals this October.

Equity Beat: How to help victims of recent natural disasters in the U.S.

by Rose Guan, Wingspan designer and writer • December 11, 2017

Several catastrophic natural disasters have shaken the U.S. in recent months. To match the spirit of the holidays, here is a guide about what you can do to help with recovery efforts for some major natural...

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

10 classic holiday movies to watch over break

by Helen Yang, Aquila Asst. STEM Editor • December 10, 2017

Trying to unwind and get into the holiday spirit? Just grab a hot chocolate, curl up in some blankets and choose a Christmas classic to watch with your family. Whether you’ve never seen them before or...

“My core beliefs probably have not changed that much — my values are more or less aligned with what my family taught me,” Nastya Grebin (12) said. But in terms of personality, I have become much more open, much more welcoming of new experiences; I am not as afraid as I was of new things. I hope that I have become a little bit friendlier to people and a little bit more open. I used to really dislike positions that put me in charge of people, so I didn't like leadership positions, mostly because I was afraid of disappointment, of disappointing someone else. Now I've kind of let go of that, and if people rely on me, I take that as an honor — I take that as a responsibility, but also an honor.”

Humans of Harker: Nastya Grebin blends the best of both worlds

by Anna Vazhaeparambil • December 8, 2017

“We used to tease her that she was a Russian spy,” senior Lauren Russell said of her close friend Anastasiya “Nastya” Grebin (12). “She's like, 'No, I'm not Russian, I'm Ukrainian.' She lived...

Upper school vocal group Cantilena performs at Big Assembly Day (BAD). All performing groups also visited the lower and middle school campuses for BAD.

Students perform in annual holiday concert

by Nina Gee, Reporter • December 8, 2017

Upper, middle and lower school performing arts groups toured the three campuses today for their annual Holiday Concert, also known as Big Assembly Day (BAD). The show began with performances from the...

Katrina Ipser (11) and biology teacher Dr. Gary Blickenstaff rest on tables as they prepare to have their blood drawn by American Red Cross volunteers. Red Cross Club partnered with Harker UNICEF for a joint club week this week.

Red Cross Club and Harker UNICEF hold joint club week

by Zoe Sanders, Reporter • December 8, 2017

Red Cross Club and Harker UNICEF promoted different causes by organizing fundraisers throughout their joint club week this week. Red Cross Club collaborated with the American Red Cross organization...

Joanna Lin (12) works on a problem during a practice round for last year's online math competition Math Madness on Sept. 27. Competitors worked on math problems online in 20 minute sessions.

Upcoming math competitions in 2018

by Jessie Wang, Reporter • December 7, 2017

As 2017 winds to a close, many math and science competitions approach, the two closest ones being the TEAMS competition and the AMC 10/12. The AMC 10 and the AMC 12 are both 25-question tests that last...

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