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

Upper school chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine assists Arturo Vilalta (10) with the paper chromatography lab. Students determined which M&M flavors contained yellow #5 using chromatography.

Honors Chemistry students sweeten science with M&M chromatography

by Ashley Mo, Assistant STEM Editor March 8, 2024

Honors Chemistry students conducted a paper chromatography lab using colored dye from M&Ms to determine which flavors contained the synthetic food dye Tartrazine, also known as “Yellow #5,” over...

Various element samples sit in the new periodic table installment in Nichols Hall. “Weve been trying to make the building a place that invites students to come and learn more than what were teaching them in the classroom,” upper school science department head Anita Chetty said.

New periodic table in Nichols Hall contains real element samples

by Vivek Moorjani, Reporter October 13, 2023

A new periodic table exhibit was installed on the upper level of Nichols Hall after the 2022-2023 school year’s final exams. The table offers students an opportunity to see physical samples of several...

Otter 841 clings onto a vibrant surfboard in the waters off Santa Cruzs Cowell Beach in June. Many surfers have reported encounters with this otter outlaw, and authorities are still searching for her.

Otter 841: The audacious, surfboard-snatching menace

by Victor Gong, Co-STEM Editor September 26, 2023

As surfers ride the waves in the cool blue waters of Santa Cruz, one omnipresent threat looms over them all — an overly-social, delinquent sea otter. The aquatic outlaw, which local officials call Otter...

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit 12 miles east of the San Jose upper school campus yesterday at 11:42 a.m. The campus suffered no damage to the property and continued the school day as scheduled after the incident.

5.1 magnitude earthquake shakes San Jose

by Felix Chen and Kinnera Mulam October 26, 2022

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck 12 miles east of the San Jose upper school campus yesterday at 11:42 a.m. Three aftershocks followed yesterday at magnitudes 2.9 at 11:47 a.m., 3.5 at 3:08 p.m. and...

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...

Upper school mathematics teacher Bradley Stoll holds a heart shaped paper cut-out with the word share painted over it. Ever since becoming vegan in 2014, Stoll has discovered new ways of cooking and sharing his baked goods with others.

Meet your teacher: Cooking for community

by Alena Suleiman and Edward Huang March 28, 2022

harkeraquila · Winged Post Audible: Cooking for community Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus BC and vegan desserts may appear an unlikely combination, but upper school mathematics teacher Bradley Stoll...

Mr. Irvine prepares to throw the ball at a recent Kayak Polo tournament.

From kayak polo to archery, students and faculty get involved in niche sports

by Ariana Goetting, Reporter December 6, 2021

When upper school chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine played kayak polo for the first time 11 years ago, as per his wife’s landlord’s recommendation, he wasn’t expecting to find a passion that would...

Angelina Hu (10) paints the Backstreet Boys album Millenium on the side of the sophomores class eagle.

Students celebrate first day of Homecoming Week activities

by Kinnera Mulam, Reporter October 5, 2021

Students participated in spirit activities organized by the Harker Spirit Leadership Team (HSLT) yesterday including Sudoku, class eagle judging, an online word search and riddles.  The Sudoku competition...

Sophomores traveled to the Blackford campus on Thursday for their in-person orientation. The day consisted of various bonding activities in advisory groups.

Sophomores meet in-person for first time during orientation, junior class trip cancelled due to nearby fires

by Sally Zhu and Isha Moorjani August 22, 2021

The Class of 2024 traveled to the Blackford campus on Thursday for their orientation, marking the first in-person gathering of the entire sophomore class. While both the sophomore and junior events were...

Jock of All Trades: Episode 1

Jock of All Trades: Episode 1

by Kushal Shah, Vishnu Kannan, and Muthu Panchanatham April 21, 2019

From Harker Aquila, Jock Of All Trades is a sports podcast hosted by Kushal Shah (10), Muthu Panchanatham (9) and Vishnu Kannan (9). This edition features an exclusive interview with lacrosse...

Spanish teacher Diana Moss presents her opening argument in the life raft debate, held in Nichols Auditorium on Jan. 29. The debate, organized by juniors Grant Miner and Evan Cheng, asked five teachers from five different subjects to persuade audience members that their respective discipline is the most practical in a life-or-death situation.

First life raft debate puts five teachers’ fields of study to the test

by Kathy Fang, Managing Editor January 29, 2019

In the first "life raft debate" hosted by juniors Grant Miner and Evan Cheng during lunch on Jan. 29, upper school teachers Christopher Hurshman, Anthony Silk, Diana Moss, Andrew Irvine and Julie Wheeler...

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