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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

Memoir Monday: The teddy bear

Memoir Monday: The teddy bear

by Neal Sidhu, Reporter March 20, 2017

The teddy bear has short, brown fur and black and brown eyes. He has a semi-reflective black nose with a small white blemish from age. His round right ear leans forward as his left ear tilts back. He is...

“Every evening when I go to the corner of my living room and sing, I kind of feel an unexplainable joy. It’s something where I’m trying to find the depth and soul of the music and express it in my own way, in a way that really can’t be said in numbers or words. It’s utterly irrational, but I think that if the world were rational, we probably wouldn’t need music, because it expresses something that nothing else can convey," Arjun Subramaniam (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Arjun Subramaniam pursues Indian classical singing and research

by Derek Yen, STEM Editor March 20, 2017

Arjun Subramaniam (12) sings, but not in the traditional sense — or perhaps more precisely, not in the untraditional sense. Since the age of six, Arjun has practiced Indian classical singing. Indian...

The Switch, released by Nintendo on March 3, features a very unique design. Two controllers can either be attached to the central screen for handheld gameplay or detached to either form two small controllers or one large controller.

Nintendo Switch breaks new ground in console gaming

by Neal Sidhu, Reporter March 19, 2017

The Nintendo Switch has become one of Nintendo’s fastest-selling consoles and was released on March 3. The Switch is a gaming system which can be used not only as a home gaming console, but also a...

Jonathan Schwartz (12) jump serves the ball. Jonathan played the positions of setter and opposite, or right-side, hitter.

Varsity boys’ volleyball defeats Los Gatos in four sets

by Megan Cardosi, TALON Sports Editor March 19, 2017

Varsity boys’ volleyball defeated Los Gatos High School in 4 sets on Friday at the Blackford gym, bringing them to an overall of 7-2 record. Los Gatos began serving during the first set, earning...

“[Acting] is just storytelling. Everyone loves telling stories. We tell each other stories at in the lunchroom. We tell each other stories in the classroom. Everywhere we go we are telling stories. This is just a bigger way to tell stories," Nikhil Manglik (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Nikhil Manglik shines as a performer

by Neal Sidhu, Reporter March 19, 2017

The lights dim and a hush falls over the crowd. Nikhil Manglik (12) remembers what he’s prepared and gets ready to present. Some may get nervous in front of crowds, but not he. Whether it be acting...

Both teams that attended the Berkeley Math Tournament pose for a picture before taking the contest. Harker students took second place in the overall team standings and first place in the power round of the competition.

Upper school students win awards at Berkeley Math Tournament

by Katherine Zhang, Asst. STEM Editor March 18, 2017

Twelve students competed in the Berkeley Math Tournament (BMT) at the University of California, Berkeley, where they took second place in the overall team standings and first place in the power round of...

Both the upper school's jazz band and lab band performed at the An Evening of Jazz concert yesterday. The event also featured jazz groups from the Middle School.

Upper and middle school jazz groups perform at An Evening of Jazz

by Gloria Zhang, Reporter March 18, 2017

Jazz groups from both the Upper School and the Middle School performed in An Evening of Jazz yesterday at the Blackford Theater at 6 p.m. The event featured the Upper School’s lab and jazz bands,...

“I like to volunteer. It’s fun to spend time with them because their lives are so different but they still have such a positive outlook on life. We see people who are so privileged, but then they get upset about seemingly inconsequential things,” Uma Rao (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Uma Rao benefits her community by volunteering

by Helen Yang, Reporter March 18, 2017

Uma Rao (12) has always loved to help people, whether in California or all the way across the world. “I like to volunteer. It’s fun to spend time with them because their lives are so different but...

“I always wonder what I would be like if English was my first language, because nothing shapes the way you see the world more than language. I remember from a young age, being told to say please and thank you, but the expression always baffled me because languages like Georgian don't even have a word for please. The idioms and expressions we use convey very specific cultural values; I get that there's a saying that actions speak louder than words, but in some places that may not necessarily be true. We don't often think about it, but these little things can have such a big impact in making us into who we are,” Misha Tseitlin (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Misha Tseitlin sees four dimensions to his personality

by Alex Wang, Sports Editor March 17, 2017

When asked about his personality, Misha Tseitlin (12) grouped it into four categories: “independence, politics, language and backgammon.” Independence. This answer is understandable, as Misha has...

President Donald Trump's Jan. 27 executive order cuts down the number of refugees admitted to the United States from 110,000 to 50,000, suspends all refugee admission through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days, requires the institution of uniform screening standards for immigration programs and bans the entry of travelers from Iran, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia, Libya and Sudan. “If you deal with an internal government that can’t get arrest records for their people, certify birth records for their people or even a person’s identity—you have no idea who that person is that you’re importing into your country," Dr. Frances Edwards, director of the Master of Public Administration program at San Jose State University, said.

First Amendment Friday: The constitutionality of Trump’s immigration executive orders

by Tiffany Wong, Aquila News Editor March 17, 2017

On Jan. 27, seven days into his presidency, Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed towards immigration policy reform and national border control. A few of the changes enacted by this plan included...

 “Then again, there are a couple of programming puzzles that I like to play around with. There was one about a honeycomb. If you were a bee, and you know the locations of all other bees, so it’s an infinite honeycomb. You have a starting and end location, and you have to solve the optimal path to your destination. I just like that problem, and I’ve been trying to solve it. I haven’t solved it yet. When I’m bored, I just try to figure it out. That’s what I do with my productive free-time,” Albert Xu (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Albert Xu learns to love problem solving through robotics

by Anthony Xu, Reporter March 16, 2017

Over the years in the robotics club, Albert Xu (12) has solved countless problems and worked on a multitude of different projects, from autonomous cars to robotic arms. “I joined the robotics club...

For the finale, every performing group gathered on stage to sing together. The United Voices concert is held annually in March at the Mexican Heritage Theater in San Jose.

United Voices concert features vocal groups from three campuses

by Sharon Yan, TALON Co-Student Life Editor March 16, 2017

Vocal groups from the Lower, Middle and Upper School performed in the United Voices concert today at the Mexican Heritage Theater from 7 to 8:15 p.m. The concert featured performances from the upper...

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