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

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,...

Minnesota Vikings placekicker Blair Walsh as he waits on the sideline. Walsh, whose missed game-winning field goal in the National Football Conference Wild Card game against the Seattle Seahawks sparked millions of hostile social media posts, felt the brunt of the blame, even though the rest of his team was even more responsible for the loss.

Beyond the Game: Response to Vikings’ kicker debacle highlights social media flaws

by Alex Youn, TALON Sports Editor and Aquila Columnist January 21, 2016

Imagine you’re a placekicker for an NFL team, you have played only seven times in a 60+ minute game, and the fate of your team’s entire season relies on you converting a go-ahead field goal (in the...

The infographic above details Netflixs viewership, as well as the size of the audiences involved with Making a Murderer. With each series on Netflix and similar platforms so popular now, distinguishing between dramatic content and documentary content will prove necessary to improve audience judgment.

Media Matters: Online streaming platforms need to better disclose biases and dramatizations

by Adrian Chu, Aquila Columnist January 19, 2016

As Netflix’s competitors expand and release new content, Netflix’s newest strategy to retain subscribers has been a series of Netflix-exclusive TV series and films. One of its most popular recent additions,...

Amazon Prime Air drone delivery service raises questions about scale and cost

Amazon Prime Air drone delivery service raises questions about scale and cost

by Tiffany Wong, Reporter January 16, 2016

What started out as an idea may soon become a reality – since Amazon’s announcement of experimentation with drone shipments in December 2013, the company has gained more control over the shipment...

Not worth its salt: discussing the viability of desalination as a solution to California’s drought

Not worth its salt: discussing the viability of desalination as a solution to California’s drought

by Derek Yen, Aquila Columnist January 15, 2016

  As the rainy season returns to California, the drought that was once at the forefront of media coverage and statewide discussion no longer concerns the public as greatly. Unfortunately,...

On Jan. 2, approximately a dozen armed ranchers seized the headquarters and visitor center of Oregons Malheur National Wildlife Reserve. Ammon Bundy (above), the leader of this militant occupation, claims that the conflict  in Oregon represents a stand against government tyranny.

Oregon militants’ “protest” warrants punishment under law

by Vijay Bharadwaj, Assistant Opinion Editor January 12, 2016

The occupation of the wildlife refuge building in Oregon has evolved into a controversy surrounding gun control laws. Ammon Bundy, the leader of the group of armed men who have seized the federal building,...

The Golden State Warriors prepare to play a match at Oracle Arena in Oakland. The team currently holds a 23-0 record, which is the best start to a season in NBA history.

Undefeated teams ruin professional sports

by Aditya Varshney, Opinion Editor December 9, 2015

With the NBA and NFL seasons underway, fans of both leagues are witnessing seasons with very unexpected results, and it’s all because two teams have yet to lose a single game. Currently, Oakland’s...

The freemium model allows players to obtain advantages by using real money to buy forms of internal currency to get more moves in Candy Crush, fill the stamina bar in Madden Mobile and speed up build times in Clash of Clans, to name a few examples.

Freemium gaming diminishes the video game market

by Derek Yen, Reporter December 2, 2015

The advent of the internet has inexorably changed the nature of digital purchases – perhaps for the worse when considering the video game market. Increasingly publishers have adopted a business model...

Though social media platforms first arose as modes of communication between social groups, groups now use social media to spread news, advertise, and gather support for events. This versatility highlights social medias evolution into a key communication tool in the past few years.

Social media’s evolution into the most versatile communication tool

by Derek Yen, Reporter December 1, 2015

Social media has changed global networking by allowing users from across the world to communicate with each other quickly and reliably. While services such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are typically...

Upcoming bell schedule adjustment unnecessary

Upcoming bell schedule adjustment unnecessary

by Jenna Sadhu, Aquila contributor November 29, 2015

During a school assembly on Oct. 5, Daniel Hudkins, the Director of Information Technology Service and Support for the Upper School, introduced a new schedule that will run a trial phase in January of...

Heart of Harker: Small moments make the biggest memories

Heart of Harker: Small moments make the biggest memories

by Rohan Desikan, Guest writer November 22, 2015

I guess you don't realize how real the college admission process is until the second quarter of your senior year. You’ve always known that it's going to happen, but now that it's actually happening,...

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