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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

“​​​​There are so many people that you don't ever interact with or ever think about, but every single person has so much behind what they show to other people. Journalism is a great way of getting behind that portion of ourselves that we always present to the outside world," Emily Tan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: A storyteller’s craft

by Michelle Liu, Winged Post Editor-in-Chief June 2, 2022

As the sun sets outside the journalism room, rows and rows of newspaper page drafts slowly materialize onto the wall as the staff frantically prepares to send the paper into production. Emily Tan (12)...

Despite their small number, Harker’s Latinx population continues to display the rich layers of their culture. Through hosting events such as La Noche Cultural on March 11 and celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 with special dishes at Fresh Mex and paper decorations on bulletin boards around campus, they’ve allowed the larger Harker community to sample the vibrant art and accomplishments of Latinx and Hispanic people.

‘It’s about the culture, it’s about all we bring to this country’

by Kinnera Mulam, Emma Gao, Trisha Iyer, and Sarah Mohammed June 2, 2022

“Let’s head over to Manzanita!” As the last note of the bell rings, students pour out of second period, rushing from buildings across campus to the cafeteria. Chatter fills the air as a long column...

Upper school composer Paul Woodruff sits at the piano, playing notes of a song. Woodruff joined Harker 12 years ago, and has since been composing for music for upper school musical groups.

Composing cadence: Upper school melodist writes music through time

by Vika Gautham, Shareen Chahal, and Olivia Xu May 30, 2022

Euphonic voices fill the air with joyful tunes as upper school composer Paul Woodruff sits at the piano, observing the students implementing his modified arrangement of the classic, “Walking on Sunshine.”...

Caption: Coachella generates over 1612 tons of waste, only 20% of which is recycled, and produces noise pollution reaching over 110 decibels. The sound level compares to that of a car horn and the volume can interrupt predatory activities in the area.

Global Reset: Coachella harms environment through plastic use, fast fashion and noise pollution

by Angelina Burrows, Ananya Das, and Kinnera Mulam May 30, 2022

Thousands of celebrities and influencers clad in carefully-selected outfits gather under the hot desert sun for the largest music festival of the year –– Coachella. For two weekends, attendees post...

Members of the Class of 2022 clap during their graduation ceremony. The ceremony took place at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga on May 19 at 5 p.m.

Class of 2022 graduates at Mountain Winery

by Kinnera Mulam, Ananya Sriram, and Olivia Xu May 28, 2022

The class of 2022 concluded their high school careers at their graduation ceremony at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga on May 19 at 5 p.m. Graduates and faculty arrived at the winery at 3 p.m., followed...

Students from the classes of 2022 and 2023 listen as Cantilena performs an arrangement of "You're My Best Friend" by John Deacon during baccalaureate on Davis Field. “[Performing at baccalaureate] is definitely a very bittersweet occasion,” Cantilena leader Teresa Cai (‘22) said. “I’ll definitely miss being at high school and the people I'm with, but I'm excited to go off and make the people here proud.”

Annual baccalaureate transfers leadership from graduating to rising senior class

by Desiree Luo and Olivia Xu May 27, 2022

As the sun began to set on Davis Field, the classes of 2022 and 2023 filed onto the field in advisory clusters, dressed in formal attire. As their peppered conversations faded away, an arrangement of “Café...

Certificate seniors Sujith Pakala, Irene Yuan, Teresa Cai, Malar Bala, Richie Amarillas and Ysabel Chen pose with their certificates after Senior Showcase. Friday’s Senior Showcase and Hammies Ceremony recognized this year’s 17 graduating Certificate students as well as other Conservatory members.

Senior performing arts students conclude year at upper school with final showcases and awards

by Aryana Bharali, Kevin Zhang, and Sally Zhu May 22, 2022

Dancers, actors, instrumentalists, vocalists, tech crew, students from all aspects of the performing arts line up on stage, their smiles bright and wide as the stage lights shine down on them. They hold...

“When you’re hiking, you can meet complete strangers, and you're both super tired, but you’re headed for the same goal, and you get to share stories. Hiking really taught me that it's not about the destination; it’s about the journey. Every experience is better when it’s shared," Elvis Han (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The peaks of life

by Nicholas Wei, HoH Managing Editor May 14, 2022

Elvis Han (12) remembers feeling a rush of independent pride as he stood upon the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in the summer before his sophomore year. Billowing clouds draped the surrounding landscape...

“Compared to taking a test at school, cellos are difficult to quantify. If you get a good grade at school, then that's that good grade. But if you're playing the cello, you can't give yourself a number grade, so there's always things that you can work on and you're always hearing different things that you can change," Lucas Chen (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Bows, bridges and boba

by Gemma Chan and Erica Cai May 14, 2022

Clasping the bow of his cello, Lucas Chen (12) recalls bowing the instrument’s strings gently and beginning to perform his worries away, note after note. Every note is a worry gone, a stress gone, a...

“Most people think space is just a bunch of floating matter, but there's actually a lot of different physics and concepts involved with everything, especially in terms of how we research all those objects because they're so far away. You would think it would be impossible, but it's not," Angelina Yuzifovich (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The space between languages

by Heidi Lu, Reporter May 13, 2022

Flipping through the pages of her astronomy book, Angelina Yuzifovich (12) stops at the section on black holes. Her eyes light up with interest at the clear, attention-drawing photos of the colorful universe...

“Apart from the technical skills, one of the main things I took away from research was the fact that you could take a question you had and run with it. For my sophomore to junior year project, I took a question I had from biology class and thought, ‘What if I read a paper about it? What if I pursued it more?’ The fact that I was able to do that was revelatory to me," Aaron Tran (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Truth seeker

by Tiffany Chang, TALON Academics Editor May 13, 2022

As the bell signaling the start of office hours chimes, students flood out of buildings and congregate in clusters with their friends, taking a break from academics to give each other updates on their...

“I feel like [my diverse extracurriculars has] shaped me as a person. It allowed me to connect [with] a lot of different people [and] meet a lot of new communities. This whole aspect of connection is really important. I value meeting new people and learning about people's cultures and backgrounds," Camilla Lindh (12) said.

Humans of Harker: From saxophones to saddles

by Carey Chang and Olivia Xu May 12, 2022

Camilla Lindh (12) recalls hearing “Careless Whisper” by George Michael play on the radio the May of her eighth grade. The smooth melody and the romantic lyrics entranced her, and Camilla, determined...

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