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

Spread by mosquitoes, the  Zika virus can cause severe fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. With the virus outbreak reaching epidemic levels in February, understanding Oxitec, a gene-based pesticide which has the potential to eradicate mosquitoes completely, is more important than ever.

Eradicating mosquitoes could come back to bite us

by Derek Yen, Aquila Columnist February 18, 2016

The Zika virus made headlines last week for its oft-occurring but unproven link with microcephaly in infants. Transmitted by mosquitoes, Zika threatens tropical and subtropical countries as well as those...

“Stay focused in school and try hanging out with my friends more before I go to college.”
-Kevin Wang (12)

Talk Around Campus: What are your second semester resolutions?

by Alex Wang, Web Developer February 16, 2016

This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on Jan. 27, 2016

The Oscars, formerly known as the Academy Awards, rank as the most prestigious film and production awards. The Academys history of sexism and racism, however, diverts many talented college-aged female and minority actors and producers from pursuing careers in film.

That’s a Wrap: The sexist secret of the Oscars

by Melina Nakos, Reporter February 16, 2016

It’s a fact about being in high school: drama is considered a “girly” pursuit. Boys are sometimes shamed for participating in the activity. Girls fight over lead roles, due to the huge population...

Wikimedia  Commons

YouTube’s corporate copyright censorship system restricts user expression

by Adrian Chu, Aquila Columnist February 13, 2016

After the Fine Brothers, creators of the React YouTube channel, submitted trademarks protecting their show’s generic reaction format, public outrage eventually led to the cancellation of all the trademarks...

Public transit proving more sustainable than personal vehicles

Public transit proving more sustainable than personal vehicles

by Derek Yen, Reporter February 3, 2016

People scorn and deride public transit. Viewed as having filthy infrastructure and stigmatized as an option only for the poor, the vast majority of Americans opt to drive cars instead. Despite these...

Letter to the Editor: History Department responds to curriculum debate

Letter to the Editor: History Department responds to curriculum debate

by Upper School History Department February 2, 2016

The letter below is the Upper School History Department's response to Elisabeth Siegel's (12) piece in Winged Post Issue 4 titled "History Curricula reveal several Western biases" Dear Editor, The...

While history textbooks do cover significant historical events from across all cultures, they often undercover the events considered significant by non-Western cultures and provide greater depth of analysis to Western topics.

History curricula reveal significant Western biases

by Elisabeth Siegel, Winged Post Co-Editor-In-Chief February 2, 2016

I’ve never been in a history class that covered the Three Kingdoms War, the Qing conquest of the Ming Dynasty or the Taiping Rebellion in great detail, events that are respectively the third, fifth and...

Millennials starting to enter the workplace often find themselves cast under stereotypes such as “narcissistic,” 
“dependent” and “spoiled.” Yet most millennials deviate from this model entirely, as they mature and contribute to the world around them.

Editorial: Negative meanings of “millennial” unfairly represent

January 29, 2016

David Bowie’s death on Jan. 10 had a unique impact on the world. It functioned as a bridge across generations, with 80-year-old fans and their 15-year-old grandchildren paying tribute to the music legend. But...

Heart of Harker: On second-semester enthusiasm and  teacher appreciation

Heart of Harker: On second-semester enthusiasm and teacher appreciation

by Maya Jeyendran, Guest writer January 28, 2016

January 15: the long-awaited end of a grueling first semester. The day that senioritis engulfed our senior class. Just another ordinary Friday for our teachers. Most teachers are acutely aware of our...

Banned Words: Overused terms overlook cultural significance

Banned Words: Overused terms overlook cultural significance

by Kaitlin Hsu, Features Editor January 28, 2016

After reading TIME’s 2015 banished words debacle (which included feminist, bae, basic and practically any other term from pop culture), I never wanted to read another banned words article again. Unfortunately,...

The Federal Civil Defense Administration used Bert the Turtle to demonstrate “Duck and Cover” to elementary students during the 1950s. Although these drills seem impractical in retrospect, they are not so different from campus intruder drills currently used to combat gun violence.

Threat drills perpetuate fear rather than treat it

by Vivek Bharadwaj, Winged Post Co-Editor-In-chief January 27, 2016

At the height of the Cold War, every student knew what to do if they saw a blinding flash of light: “duck and cover”. Crouch beneath your desk, lock your hands behind your neck to avoid injury,...

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