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

Speech students wait to begin their first round of speech competition at the Glenbrooks tournament. Their first day of competition was November 19, on which they competed in events including Original Oratory and Dramatic Interpretation.

Harker speech and debate competes in tournaments over Thanksgiving break

by Mahika Halepete, Reporter December 1, 2016

Members of Harker’s speech and debate teams competed in several tournaments over Thanksgiving Break, including the Glenbrooks Speech and Debate Tournament in Chicago, Illinois and the Santa Clara University...

Mr. Nikoloff speaks at the 2016 baccalaureate ceremony. In an email sent to Harker parents on Monday and students on Tuesday, Head of School Christopher Nikoloff announced his resignation

Head of School Christopher Nikoloff announces resignation

by Michael Sikand, Social Media Editor and Asst. News Editor November 30, 2016

In an email sent to Harker parents on Monday and students on Tuesday, Head of School Christopher Nikoloff announced his resignation, stating his assumption of the position of Headmaster at The American...

“In four years, I hope I’m still in college,” he said. “I hope I’ve started to get my life together and maybe get a few gigs here and there, but Ill still definitely be taking weekly lessons. I want to go to graduate school after that, maybe at a conservatory, and then who knows? Just hopefully playing whatever, however that is, whether it’s an orchestra or a salsa band or whatever. As long as I’m playing, it’ll be fine, Jack Farnham (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Jack Farnham pursues career as trumpet player

by Nina Gee, Reporter November 30, 2016

To the most of us, music is a means of relaxing, channeling emotions or escaping the stresses of daily life. But to Jack Farnham (12), music is much more than that: it’s his future. “My dream job...

“With speech, you get these 10 minutes to say whatever you want and I think what you say says so much about you, the stories you share and what’s important to you. With theater, it’s the same thing, but it’s a more collaborative experience, and you’re there to share your story for a longer time. I think that both theater and speech, the reason why I do both of them and love both of them so much, is that you can really share what’s important to you, and it’s kind of a place where people have to listen to you, Sana Aladin (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Sana Aladin makes her voice heard

by Kevin Huang, People Editor November 29, 2016

Sana Aladin (12) has a lot to say, so it’s no surprise that she takes part in theater and speech. “Anyone who knows me would probably say: ‘She’s someone who will keep talking and talking and...

“I don’t really remember getting stage fright for any performance necessarily, but sometimes when I’m talking in front of large audiences as myself, I tend to get stage fright, which is kind of the opposite of most people. It’s much easier to be open and just in front of a large audience as someone else, as a character or as a singing, dancing and showy guy, Emre Ezer (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Emre Ezer expresses creativity through performing arts

by Kathy Fang, Reporter November 28, 2016

Dressed in a light gray Harker Conservatory sweatshirt, light-washed jeans and worn gray sneakers, Emre Ezer (12) rehearses his monologue to an invisible audience, his low and calm voice echoing around...

“My mom has always told me, and still reminds me to this day, that every little thing matters, and that the time and effort that I spend in doing something is never wasted if I whole-heartedly put everything I have into it. [I] give my all, [my] 100% effort into everything I do, because it’ll eventually pay off in the long run, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time, Mahlet Demissachew (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Mahlet Demissachew plays drums as mode of self-expression

by Raveena Kapatkar, Editor-in-Chief November 26, 2016

Mahlet Demissachew’s friends know her best for her bright and caring personality and fun sense of humor, but recently she decided to pursue a lesser-known passion: drumming. She started learning the...

“I feel like a kid in the candy shop whenever people talk to me about astronomy because there’s so much about it we don’t know. We exist in the solar system, which exists in a galaxy, which exists in a cluster of galaxies, which exists in a supercluster of galaxies— and so on until you get to the universe. When I first took a class and that’s what I learned, I was stricken with this intense existential crisis with the fact that I’m a tiny little human being on a tiny little planet— and that anything I do doesn’t matter, Mataan Peer (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Mataan Peer reflects on distinctive laugh, astronomy interest

by Tiffany Wong, Aquila Copy Editor November 21, 2016

Whether it’s projecting his voice in class or offering a generous laugh after a joke, Mataan Peer (12) constantly finds himself breaking the silence. “I think [my laugh is] a mix of the words chortle...

Manan Shah poses for a photo at the October 2016 Medical Image Computing Assisted Intervention (MICCAI) Conference in Athens, Greece. He gave a talk about his Siemens research and findings on tumor proliferation at the event.

Manan Shah (12) named Siemens National Finalist

by Sharon Yan, Talon Co-Student Life Editor November 20, 2016

The Siemens Foundation named Manan Shah (12) as a national finalist in the Siemens Competition on Nov. 7. Manan earned top individual honors and a $3,000 scholarship for developing a computational...

Toronto Raptors fans cheer on their team during the NBA playoffs by waving stick-shaped balloons in their team colors. Basketball teams can generate huge amounts of value for local businesses and communities.

Super Teams: Why the imbalance of NBA teams hurts the game and the fans

by Neil Bai, Copy Editor November 17, 2016

On July 4, Kevin Durant shocked the world with his announcement of his decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors. While Warriors fans were thrilled with the acquisition, fans of other teams complained...

Varsity dance kicks in their routine at the Santana Row Tree Lighting Ceremony on Tuesday. Multiple dance groups ranging from the Lower School to the Upper School participated in this annual performance last year.

Students perform at Santana Row Tree Lighting Ceremony

by Maya Kumar, Winged Post Features Editor November 16, 2016

Downbeat, Kinetic Krew and both the junior varsity and varsity dance dance teams performed at the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Santana Row. They were accompanied by the lower...

“Water polo is an aggressive, physical contact sport, and I feel like its helped me go after what I do because theres always going to be someone chasing you down and trying to score the ball on your goal. So its being aggressive, going after what you want, and thinking in the moment, Sarah de Vegvar (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Sarah de Vegvar enjoys working with a team

by Katherine Zhang, Asst. STEM Editor November 16, 2016

Sarah de Vegvar (12) gained a plethora of skills when helping to build a robot from scratch, ranging from power tool protocol to team communication. "[Robotics] was one of those things where there were...

Brando Pakel (11) dribbles the ball down the court.

Boys basketball kicks off season with scrimmage against Evergreen Valley High School

by Ruhi Sayana, Winged Post Copy Editor November 16, 2016

The boys varsity basketball team played in a scrimmage against Evergreen Valley High School today in the Blackford gym at 7 p.m. Since the game was a scrimmage, the overall score was not tallied throughout...

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