The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
“Human connection is very important to staying grounded and stable. The people around me are one of the reasons that I'm not fully burnt out, so I really prioritize keeping a good schedule for myself. Being able to prioritize the things in life that give me internal satisfaction is important to me because that's what allows me to have the drive to do good with the rest of my time. Talking to people is a way for me to replenish," senior Kashish Priyam said.
Humans of Harker: Pep in every step
“It's very important to make sure the people in your life know they're important to you. Whether that's doing small acts of kindness or just being there whenever they need you, having a really strong support system is what gets you through life, and it's a really valuable life skill to have," Sofie Marino (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Pillar of support
“My karate teachers emphasize that as black belts, we should be living up to the standard of our rank and acting as an example for the students who are lower-ranked.' When I’m helping out and someone messes up, I don't necessarily say, ‘You did this wrong, try to do this.’ I take a more relaxed approach and act out what they did a little comically. It's finding the balance between being strict and being more playful with the students," senior Claire Perng said.
Humans of Harker: Playing with purpose
“I have the ability to convey my opinions and ideas through art, which in my opinion, is the most powerful tool I have because not everyone has it. It requires me to, first of all, have an opinion or thought, and second of all, be able to convey it with this medium. Together, that is the strongest calling for an artist," senior Eva Li said.
Humans of Harker: Artistry in abstraction
"I like challenging myself to really, really high expectations and then surprisingly, somehow it works, and I think I have the most fun doing that. Rather than making a beginner thing, I wanna be the best .I wanna do the craziest thing first," senior Gabe Li said.
Humans of Harker: B-roll to your beat
Humans of Harker: Cooking with creativity
Humans of Harker: Cooking with creativity
“There's a lot of value in every moment and everyone around you. I appreciate people who just appreciate the little things. For me, I feel like everyone you meet can teach you a little bit, and that's something that I've really internalized over the years. I think that's part of why I like being around people and different communities so much. Because in each of these communities, you can learn so many different things from everyone," Olivia Xu ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Purpose towards progress
“I get to choose how much effort and detail I put in, and that’s what you’re going to see in the end. I love that you can see the truth on paper. A lot of my work is in black and white, so I can’t rely on color to cover it up or make it more interesting — I can only rely on my skill and willingness to go into the studio and add to my piece," Katelyn Zhao ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Envisioning the everyday
"I used to think that I have to keep doing dance just because it's what I’m known for. But now I’ve realized there’s beauty behind all the madness that happens. And it’s now a part of me, so not doing dance or not having Legos is like I’m losing a part of my identity," Luke Mehta ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Building with style
“Why not? So many things are very foreign or unknown to us, but there’s not much to lose by just trying things. I initially wasn’t very comfortable with DECA, especially with impromptu, but the community really helped me grow out of that. And DECA is now one of my top high school memories. Just giving things a try is really worth it, and if it fails, the worst thing that can happen is you just try something else," Claire Luo ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: It’s all in the details
"Being a lifer, I really want to put my knowledge to use. Being a TEDx speaker is a really big honor in and of itself, but to be able to actually address the Harker community was really important to me because I wanted to have an impact on the place that I've been at for 13 years," Arissa Huda ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Prescribing change
"I’ve learned discipline: practicing a lot and then knowing what your strengths are, knowing where to improve. That discipline is definitely going to stay with me. If I’m trying to get a big piece of work done in general when I'm interested in it, I'll stop at nothing to reach my goals," Linette Hoffman ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Artistry in motion
"I have this philosophy with theater. I wholeheartedly believe that my life was made for the stage, and all my make or break moments have happened there. While some people learn best through lectures or visuals, I learn best from having a spotlight on me," Zubin Khera ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Scripts to success
"One of the most important things for me about performing is its transformative power. There was one concert where we were singing this commission about gun violence, followed by a piece about climate change, a piece about the Holocaust. Watching the audience's expressions and how they reacted to the music we were singing was the first time that I was like, ‘Whoa, music has the power to change lives and engender positive change,’” Sawyer Lai ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Symphony of spirit
"It’s been fun getting to know the chefs at La Mar, their team and how different cultural influences blend together. For example, they make ceviche, which is a traditional Peruvian dish, but they infuse it with many different cultures. They have a version of their ceviche which is inspired by African tastes and spices, and they also have a Japanese form of that same ceviche dish. I think it’s interesting to watch how these fusion dishes form," Alex Lan ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Flavors of knowledge
Prakrit Jain ('22) searches for new animal species to help the environment and wildlife.
Humans of Harker: Scorpion spotter
Arnav Gupta ('22) moves a DNA construction.
Humans of Harker: Coding for a cause
“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.
Humans of Harker: Blast of creativity
"Every single person I've interviewed for Humans of Harker has said one killer quote that has stuck with me even through four years of high school, and I think I really do internalize those messages. There are nuances in every single person's experience that makes it unique to them and also makes it a good lesson for everyone else. It's just amazing to see how much wisdom every single person at Harker has, and it's fascinating to learn about those stories," Erica Cai ('22) said.
Humans of Harker: Harmony in humanity
“Something I took away from baseball is that there's always the opportunity to bounce back when things don't go particularly right. Even the best hitters only go one for three, so being able to push through that is one of the most important parts of the game. Being able to identify what goes wrong and learning from that is important to being able to find success in the future," Mark Hu ('22) said.
Humans of Harker: The perfect pitch
Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par
Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par
It's been obviously rough, turning on the news and seeing another death, seeing another acquittal every single time … but, ‘How much can I do?’ is the question I'm asking myself. ‘How much can I help, and what impact can I have?’” Brian Pinkston ('21) said.
Humans of Harker: For the future and the present
“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.
Humans of Harker: Leading with DECA-cation
Class of 2021: Humans of Harker compilation, part three
Class of 2021: Humans of Harker compilation, part three
“I feel really good about myself when I'm relaxed and enjoying the world. There’s so much to learn about the world and so many ways to do so," Daniel Wang ('21) said.
Humans of Harker: Mapping the unknown
"I'm the person that always has a plan for everything. And then I have backups for the plan, and I have backups for the backups," Nicole Chen ('19) said.
Humans of Harker: Calendars for a cause
"I don’t ever intend on letting the internal love of life that I have leave me. As I grow up and I maintain my love for the random things I do, I know I’ll be happy– and hopefully people around me will be, as well," Mathew Mammen ('19) said.
Humans of Harker: Jack of all trades, master of fun
Humans of Harker: To dance, to feel
Humans of Harker: To dance, to feel
"The more serious side, people will never see. You'll never see who's behind one of these websites that people may be using," Neil Ramaswamy (12) said. "Several freshmen have approached me like, 'hey, you're the really funny guy at school meeting' and I'm like 'hey, yeah, nice to meet you' and at the same time they might be using an application that I've written not knowing that it's me. I kind of get that personal satisfaction knowing that there is a serious side to me, you just don't know about it."
Humans of Harker: Dueling with duality
Humans of Harker: Humanity in art
Humans of Harker: Humanity in art
“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Neymika Jain finds balance in life
“A lot of the time, when I’m out at nail salons, nailers ask me if I‘m Vietnamese. I say yes, but they say that I don’t speak the language and have never been back to Vietnamese, so am I really? I always felt disconnected, like I would be Vietnamese-American but never Vietnamese. When I went to Vietnam for the first time, it brought me closer to my culture. I realized I shouldn’t view myself as a different. I have to see Vietnamese-American and Vietnamese as one and the same," Haley Tran (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Haley Tran values her cultural identity
“One time, I was hiking up this giant off-trail path, and this is going to make me sound like a complete hippy, but what I was thinking at the moment was that every single tree out there must have had some sort of backstory. Even when I was walking to Shah, there was this tree right next to the building, and I was like, ‘Maybe this tree had a lot of other tree friends, but then this building came up and they had to get cut down.’ That made me pretty sad. So, when I was coming up with backstories for trees, it reminded me of my childlike innocence of playing pretend or playing with my stuffed animals because I thought my imagination would never run as wild as it once did. But, this experience made me feel happy because it’s something that I’ve lost, and I feel like I gained some of it back," Aashish Jain (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Aashish Jain finds inspiration in painting through watching Bob Ross videos
“For me, robotics has always been a great way to learn about how to build things and how things work. Honestly, that is the reason why I love robotics. When you see everything working, you look at it and say 'I helped make this happen,' which is really really gratifying," Andrew Tierno (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Andrew Tierno reflects on his passion for robotics
“A lot of being a choreographer is about digging deep, understanding, and finding out which event leads to the next, which is basically what science is. You would take a circuit and break it apart to understand each of the components, and you would do that to a song,” Sneha Bhetanabhotla (‘17) said.
Humans of Harker: Sneha Bhetanabhotla learns to connect robotics and dance
“I can be serious, and I care a lot about a lot of things, but I also just like having fun and people feeling comfortable being their true selves,” Isabella Spradlin (12) said. “You don't have to be one-sided — you can have different sides of your personality, and different moods.”
Humans of Harker: Isabella Spradlin gleans insight from sisterhood
“This is like a melting pot of Cupertino, Lynbrook, Saratoga, some people from De Anza, so you meet all kinds of people,” Rahul Mehta (12) said. “Half the time I’m not even playing with my friends, so I’m playing with random people. You start off in the beginning a bit wary of each other, and then by end you’re playing like they’re your friends. It’s kind of gradual. Like after a really cool play, you’ll high five each other, and that’s how it all begins.”
Humans of Harker: Rahul Mehta befriends others through banter
"People are always debating, you know, ‘should I go up to a higher weight or not?’ And I’ll just yell, ‘do it, you won’t,’" Tiffany Shou (12) said. "And then, you know, it’s like that challenge, and so it always pushes them pick that higher weight, and then they can accomplish it, so it’s even more gratifying."
Humans of Harker Video: Tiffany Shou pushes her limits in the weight room
“First, I start at my house,” Sparsh Chauhan (12) said. “Then, I turn on Saratoga, and it’s always crowded with traffic and stuff. That’s when I’m setting the music, checking the tire pressure, the gas. After downtown, the road gets smooth, which is when I put the windows down. I go all the way down until there’s a dip and then I go back. Even when I have stuff to do, I drive that same route every day. I don’t have to take directions. I know all the traffic times; I know exactly where I’m going.”
Humans of Harker: Sparsh Chauhan takes pride in his work
“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”
Humans of Harker: Angel Cervantes chases his goals
“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.
Humans of Harker: Learning to fall
“You just have to go for it. You think, 'In the future, if I think back and regret it, is that how I want to end up — or would I rather just try something and see what happens?' Usually, it turns out well,” Montek Kalsi (’20) said. 
Humans of Harker: All fun and games
“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.
Humans of Harker: Leadership and love
Humans of Harker: Grit and grind
Humans of Harker: Grit and grind
Humans of Harker: Artistic nonconformity
Humans of Harker: Artistic nonconformity
The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
Vika Gautham

Vika Gautham, Co-Features Editor

Vika Gautham (11) is the co-features editor for Harker Aquila and the Winged Post, and this is her third year on staff. This year, Vika wishes to provide unique perspectives throughout her articles while engaging and informing readers. In her free time, she likes painting and hanging out with friends.

All content by Vika Gautham
"Music is something I can talk about with strangers; everyone around the world listens to music. It's so easy to connect with people through a favorite song or artist. Music is a universal language that brings people together. I think that it can also be so empowering. It's so cool how an artist can write a song about something they're going through and billions of people around the world can relate," Nila Dharmaraj (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Harmonizing excellence

by Vika Gautham, Co-Features Editor
May 26, 2024
​​“When I get back in the gym, I'm gaining a lot more muscle and I feel, ‘man, I should go back more, and I should work harder than I actually am’. If you're someone who's never worked out, if you start working out, you'll start feeling a lot better mentally. I don't know how to explain it, and it’s probably something to do with serotonin or endorphins, but it makes you feel more concentrated and allows you to enjoy yourself a little bit more," Reza Jalil (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Working up the progression

by Vika Gautham, Co-Features Editor
May 23, 2024
"Music is something I can talk about with strangers; everyone around the world listens to music. It's so easy to connect with people through a favorite song or artist. Music is a universal language that brings people together. I think that it can also be so empowering. It's so cool how an artist can write a song about something they're going through and billions of people around the world can relate," Nila Dharmaraj (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Navigating life’s track

by Krish Nachnani, Reporter
May 21, 2024
Co-captain Jessica Wang (11) and Anika Akkiraju (10) celebrate after winning a point. The pair fought against Castilleja School on Oct. 24, 2023 before their 3-6, 5-7 loss.

2023-2024 recap: Fall sports highlights

by Brandon Zau and Kevin Zhang
April 16, 2024
Journalism staff presents stories and initiatives at JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention

Journalism staff presents stories and initiatives at JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention

by Felix Chen, Vika Gautham, Emma Milner, Jessica Hu, Mendy Mao, Ashley Mo, and Tiffany Zhu
April 6, 2024
All aboard: Union Station wows locals and tourists alike

All aboard: Union Station wows locals and tourists alike

by Jonathan Xue, Vika Gautham, Katerina Matta, Emma Milner, Alison Yang, Jessica Wang, and Aryana Bharali
April 6, 2024
The Escape Room door advertises its unique puzzles. “Our goal is to give a good engaging activity for families and companies to work on team building,” Gamemaster Zoe said.

Harker journalism members stand in front of the library in Columbia university. They attended the CSPA convention for three days.

Harker Journalism staff tours and triumphs at 100th New York CSPA Spring Convention

by Felix Chen and Vika Gautham
March 16, 2024
A worker at Tacos Numero Uno hands a customer their food. They offered various Mexican street-style selections.

Come see Chelsea: Eat your way through Chelsea Market

by Felix Chen, Vika Gautham, Victor Gong, Isabella Lo, Katerina Matta, Jessica Wang, Alison Yang, and Claire Zhao
March 16, 2024
Harker convention attendees hold their Gold and Silver Crowns following the awards ceremony. Harker Aquila and HELM received Silver Crowns, while the Winged Post received a Gold Crown.

Harker receives recognition at annual CSPA conference

by Felix Chen and Vika Gautham
March 16, 2024
WiSTEM members led a virtual TechGirlz volunteer workshop about the logistics of coding AI. “It was a really great workshop and I'm so proud of all our hard work,” Chetty said in her speech. “You reached students all across this country and you have no idea, you'll never know the impact you had. But know for sure: you had an impact. You are changing the world.”

WiSTEM shares STEM knowledge in TechGirlz AI workshop

by Ashley Mo and Mendy Mao
March 6, 2024
Social media anonymity creates toxic comment sections through deindividuation, which explains how individuals perceive themselves as one among the masses and tend to exhibit behaviors they might never engage in otherwise. The internet amplifies this effect.

A digital abyss

by Vika Gautham and Emma Li
February 8, 2024
Supporters of Palestine gather in front of Stanford's Memorial Church on Oct. 20. Individuals of Israeli and Palestinian descent nationwide protested in response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Israel-Gaza conflict brings light to impact of Western media strategy

by Hima Thota and Vika Gautham
January 30, 2024
Former Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo. Kissinger remained active and prominent in global politics long after his retirement. (Provided by state.gov)

What was Henry Kissinger’s legacy?

by Hima Thota, Felix Chen, and Vika Gautham
January 17, 2024
Sweaters aren't just about keeping warm; they're the epitome of winter fashion. Whether it's a chunky cable-knit or a sleek cashmere, sweaters are versatile.

A warm winter hug

by Vika Gautham, Co-Features Editor
January 14, 2024

Our immigrant stories

by Ella Yee, Sally Zhu, Ananya Sriram, Selina Xu, Medha Yarlagadda, Felix Chen, Vika Gautham, Anwen Hao, Katerina Matta, Gabe Sachse, Aishani Singh, Hima Thota, Jessica Wang, and Claire Zhao
December 14, 2023
Elaine Zou (9) serves the ball during the first set. Elaine lost both sets 1-6, 3-6, playing at the fourth singles spot.

Varsity girls tennis defeated by Castilleja 3-4 at ‘team night’

by Vika Gautham and Katerina Matta
October 31, 2023
Co-captain Jessica Wang (11) and Anika Akkiraju (10) celebrate after winning a point. The pair fought against Castilleja before their 3-6, 5-7 loss.

Claire Xu (9) hits the ball during pre-game practice. Claire won both her sets 6-1 and 6-2 in the match versus Castilleja.

Mountain View High School's The Oracle Editor-in-Chief Hanna Olson responds to a question during a live interview at the JEA NorCal Media Day. "The [administration] I believe fundamentally was in violation of our rights to publish what we want, what we can legally as a publication,” Hanna said.

‘To publish what we want to publish’: Mountain View High School journalism censorship

by Vika Gautham, Katerina Matta, and Aishani Singh
October 14, 2023
Harker Journalism staff members and advisers pose for a photo in front of the Media Arts Center. 42 staff members attended the convention and participated in over 30 speaker sessions. (Provided by Kristy Blackburn)

Harker journalism participates in JEA NorCal Media Day

by Vika Gautham, Katerina Matta, and Jeremy Peng
October 14, 2023
The Harker football team runs through the banner onto Davis Field for the 2023 Homecoming Football Game. The game took place on Saturday at the end of Harker Day.

Live coverage: Harker faces Crystal Springs Uplands for Homecoming game

by Alena Suleiman, Katerina Matta, Desiree Luo, Brandon Zau, Selina Xu, Medha Yarlagadda, Kevin Zhang, Katelyn Zhao, Ariana Goetting, Felix Chen, Vika Gautham, Anwen Hao, Sidak Sanghari, Aishani Singh, Hima Thota, Jessica Wang, Alison Yang, Jeremy Peng, Mihir Kotbagi, Claire Yu, and Tiffany Zhu
October 7, 2023
After all, four letters can only reveal so much about someone, a cursory and inadequate view that fails to tell the full story.

Little labels, large consequences

by Suhani Gupta, Reporter
October 13, 2023
Amini's death paved the way for a renewed movement of defiance, protest and anger against Iran’s oppressive regime. Thousands of people have taken to the streets, dancing, singing, burning hijabs and defying authorities.

Pulse of the People: Iran’s resistance, one year after Mahsa Amini

by Hima Thota
September 16, 2023
Meet our new teachers: Upper school welcomes six faculty members

Meet our new teachers: Upper school welcomes six faculty members

by Vika Gautham and Alison Yang
August 28, 2023

Photo Slideshow Aug. 22

by Margaret Cartee, Gemma Chan, Mirabelle Feng, Charlie Folk, Vika Gautham, Ariana Goetting, Victor Gong, Katerina Matta, Kinnera Mulam, Chayce Milheim, Aishani Singh, Ananya Sriram, Claire Su, Lindsey Tuckey, Olivia Xu, Jonathan Xue, Grant Yang, Ella Yee, Brandon Zau, Claire Zhao, and Kevin Zhang
August 27, 2023
The media we consume also serves as an educator. The world is a diverse place, and movies and television shows should strive to reflect the ways in which it is distinct.

Complexity of diversity in media

by Yifan Li, Co-Conservatory Editor
August 25, 2023
Music Monday is a new installation featuring a different category of songs on a weekly basis.

Music Monday: A shining start with Aquila

by Vika Gautham, Co-Features Editor
May 22, 2023
As new restrictions on abortion medications arise after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, women grapple with losing the ability to make decisions about their own bodies. The abortion debate arose in the 1800s and continues to shape political and social divides in our country.

Pulse of the People: Reaching for the right of choice

by Vika Gautham and Hima Thota
May 12, 2023
For some, the feeling of stress helps motivate them into studying more. For me, it’s a ticking time bomb that’s ready to explode at any moment, which is why I look for ways to relax and reduce any nervousness.

Friday Five: Ways to relax before APs

by Vika Gautham, Co-Features Editor
April 28, 2023
How much do you really know about San Francisco and one of its famed neighborhoods?

San Fun-cisco trivia: Test your knowledge with 15 questions

by Jessica Wang and Claire Zhao
April 22, 2023
While popular culture associates Gen Z with short attention spans and addiction to technology, Stanford research shows that Gen Z strives to address current issues and solve them, whether through protests, activism, and more. “It’s our collective responsibility to ensure that we hear a variety of distinct and diverse perspectives in order to produce the most holistic and effective policy,” Gordon Chen (12) said.

Pulse of the People: ‘Our collective responsibility’

by Vika Gautham and Desiree Luo
March 28, 2023
Illustration for the "Catching fireflies" piece in this installment of "Life’s Tiny Treasures." For 30 minutes, we were there in the middle of the night, wind and rain in our hair, dancing outdoors in the lamplight, catching fireflies.

Sincerely, spring: Raindrops, fireflies, crows and puppies

by Vika Gautham, Desiree Luo, Katerina Matta, and Ananya Sriram
March 28, 2023
Illustration for "The sound of water" piece in this installment of "Life’s Tiny Treasures." As the storms in California cover the roads and plants, I find myself concentrating on how the showers form a song, each different, and more beautiful than the last.

The sound of water

by Vika Gautham, Assistant Features Editor
March 28, 2023
Vibrant colors soar as kids and adults fling “gulal,” or colored powder, at each other, their once white clothes dusted with colors of spring, resembling fields of flowers to welcome the new season. Also known as the Festival of Color, Holi is observed during March as a way to welcome spring and to honor the triumph of good over evil.

Holi celebrations: Welcoming the blooming of the season

by Vika Gautham and Sarah Mohammed
March 23, 2023
“My mom says when life gives you lemons, you make lemon meringue pie. One of my strengths is definitely seeing the better side of situations. I make the best out of situations when things don't go well. It's about giving myself that room to breathe,” Gwen Yang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Practical optimism

by Vika Gautham, Asst. Features Editor
March 19, 2023
Upper school French teacher Galina Tchourilova reviews material at the Council for Creative Education (CCE) Finland conference. The conference, which lasted five days, took place over the February break.

‘How to Define Success’: Teachers explore Finnish school system

by Katerina Matta and Vika Gautham
March 16, 2023

Photo Slideshow Jan. 11

by Arjun Barrett, Aryana Bharali, Margaret Cartee, Vivian Chen, Mirabelle Feng, Charlie Folk, Emma Gao, Vika Gautham, Ariana Goetting, Edward Huang, Yifan Li, Isha Moorjani, Katie Reed, Jessica Tang, Lindsey Tuckey, and Katie Wang
February 9, 2023
Public Health Club officers Fiona Yan (11) and Johnathan Mo (12) speak about China's newest COVID-19 policies. The Public Health Club held a discussion about these topics on Friday during long lunch.

School meeting recap 1/11/23: Pasta Party, Make Our Schools Safe and Winter Instrumental Concert

by Vika Gautham, Assistant Features Editor
January 16, 2023
KJ Williams (12) points while playing with the varsity boys basketball team on Dec. 16. The team defeated Design Tech High School at home, with a score of 63-47.

Varsity boys basketball dominates Design Tech 63-47

by Emma Gao, Vika Gautham, and Olivia Xu
December 30, 2022
As the Holiday season arrives, many students celebrate a variety of different holidays. “It's less of the religious aspects behind it, or the traditional meaning of Christmas,” Zubin Khera (12) said. “It's more so a reason to meet up with family, have a good time and spread the cheer to your friends.”

Dashing into the season of celebration

by Vika Gautham and Isabella Lo
December 25, 2022
Performers gather on stage to close out the Big Assembly Day show. Upper school students watched Harker’s annual holiday concert Big Assembly Day (BAD) on Dec. 9, where ensembles from the lower, middle and upper schools performed various acts across all campuses.

Annual Big Assembly Day performing arts concert kindles festive spirit at all campuses

by Alison Yang, Vika Gautham, and Alena Suleiman
December 23, 2022
Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience the world around them in various ways, and that there is no right way of thinking. On average, about 15% of the U.S. population is neurodiverse.

The weight a word holds: Neurodiversity’s modern meaning in our community

by Vika Gautham, Asst. Features Editor
December 7, 2022
Aastha Mangla (12) answers a question during the GSA panel on Oct. 21, which featured other students and teachers. Olivas moderated and asked questions to the panelists about their life experiences surrounding their identities.

‘We’re not colorblind:’ Upper school commemorates members of the community during LGTBQ+ month

by Felix Chen, Vika Gautham, and Sidak Sanghari
November 15, 2022
“Singing is a catharsis for me. When I sing, I’m able to bond with the people I sing with, and I’m able to forget about the daily stresses of everything. At school, I don’t think I’ve felt more free than when I’m singing. It’s the way I express myself: sing with friends and have fun," Anthony Zhao (12) said.

Humans of Harker: From chorus to course

by Vika Gautham, Assistant Features Editor
November 8, 2022
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Tasks forces deploy a search and rescue team in Palm Island. Currently, FEMA has provided more than $420 million to assist survivors.

Hurricane Ian strikes coast of Florida, wrecking homes and ravaging communities

by Vika Gautham and Victor Gong
November 3, 2022
Downbeat performs at the Harker Day Conservatory performance. The show choir performed an acapella rendition of The Greatest Showman's "Come Alive."

Harker community unites in second annual Harker Day

by Ella Yee, Co-News Editor
October 12, 2022
Students play wall ball on the lower school campus during the sophomore eagle buddies event. “I think it benefits both sides tremendously,” Lower school Dean of Students Walid Fahmy said. “The third graders get to see what they're going to look like, and what things are going to be like as they get older. When you're a kid, everybody always wishes they were older. And then when you get to that point with the tenth graders, they come back and they're like, ‘Oh my god, I miss this.’”

A day of festivities and engagement: seniors, sophomores meet eagle buddies, juniors, frosh participate in LIFE assembly

by Anwen Hao and Vika Gautham
October 7, 2022
Senior lip sync participants Kris Estrada and Gordon Chen pose together in a heart shape. The seniors' routine described some of the "horrors of Harker," in line with their theme of the horror movie "It."

Homecoming Week Day 4: Homecoming Rally closes Spirit Week with a bang

by Vika Gautham and Aishani Singh
October 6, 2022
Harriss Miller (10) and Nelson Gou (10) write on Marcus Blenneman's (10) box. Students answered prompts about honesty on post-its and pasted them on the boxes to share with the community.

Students reflect on honesty, respect, accountability in annual Honor Week

by Jonathan Xue and Vika Gautham
October 6, 2022
Emily Mitnick (10) tips a ball over the net in the varsity girls volleyball team's game on Thursday. The team defeated Eastside in three sets.

Varsity girls volleyball team triumphs over Eastside in three sets

by Felix Chen, Vika Gautham, Andrew Liang, and Aishani Singh
September 27, 2022
Fern Biswas (10) admires the Diego Rivera bulletin board in Main Hall, which features over 150 paintings about Rivera’s dream of what North America would be like. Hispanic Heritage Month began on Sept. 15 and honors different types of Hispanic culture in the world.

‘We want to show that we are proud’

by Vika Gautham and Sarah Mohammed
September 27, 2022
Yena Yu (9) bounces the volleyball as she prepares to serve the ball. The frosh and sophomore girls volleyball team fell to Milpitas High School on Wednesday after losing their first set 19-25, winning their second set 25-19 and losing their third set 9-15.

Frosh and sophomore girls volleyball team defeated by Milpitas in three sets

by Vika Gautham, Kevin Zhang, and Edward Huang
September 10, 2022
Students listen as Mrs. Chetty walks through the Synopsys guidelines. The informational meeting for the Synopsys fair and Regeneron Science Talent Search research competitions took place on Friday in the Nichols Auditorium.

Upper school science department holds annual Synopsys and Regeneron informational meeting

by Sidak Sanghari and Vika Gautham
September 6, 2022
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
"You bond as a group, you stay up really late working on the robot, fixing anything that breaks. Seeing your robot in action is [also] very rewarding. After eight intense weeks of building, you finally see it pay off and see the robot function, which is really nice," Anish Pai (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Manufacturing through motivation

by Vika Gautham, Reporter
March 27, 2022
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