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

Students pose with props for a photo at the photo booth. Besides dancing, students could play ping-pong, take photos and enjoy food and drink.

Sparkling in style: Students create memories at annual homecoming dance

by Lily Shi, Ashley Mo, Kairui Sun, and Felix Chen October 28, 2023

Students gathered for the annual Homecoming Dance in the auxiliary gym and quad on Oct. 13 from 7 to 10 p.m.  Due to this year’s location change for the dance from Nichols Hall to the Auxiliary Gym,...

Students dance and mingle as strobing lights illuminate the room. This year’s prom was held at the Blanco Urban Venue in downtown San Jose.

The year’s most prom-inent event

by Felix Chen, Jonathan Xue, and Alison Yang May 8, 2023

Strobing lights illuminate the room as music pounds, the floor thumping to the beat. Students laugh and dance with smiles on their faces as they attend prom, an “International Spy”-themed event on...

Harker Dance Company perform Control, their second dance of the show. The contemporary routine contrasted with Trumpets, their hip hop number.

Annual “Just Dance” celebrates student skills

by Jessica Wang and Alison Yang April 11, 2023

As the curtains rise and the music starts to fill the theater, the stage comes alive with a fusion of colors, rhythms and movements. From the fluid movements of contemporary dance to the high-energy routines...

Fiona Yan (11) strikes a pose in the junior class dance. They danced to “Welcome to New York” by Taylor Swift, “In Ha Mood” by Ice Spice, “Empire State of Mind” by JayZ, Alicia Keys and Kanye West and “Friend Like Me” by Will Smith.

Day of dance and activities: Junior class champions Spirit Week

by Shareen Chahal and Felix Chen April 3, 2023

The juniors took home a victory in the annual spring Spirit Week after Friday's rally, furthering their lead over the other classes with triumphs in four square and other rally day activities.  Harker...

Yasmin Sudarsanam (10), Eileen Ma (12) and Maya Affaki (10) dance to  Peer Pressure. Eileen choreographed the dance by translating her favorite moments from the song to dance movements.

Growing “Better 2Gether”: Students perform in annual Dance Production

by Young Min and Alison Yang February 19, 2023

The curtains draw back as the Patil Theater is plunged into darkness. Suddenly, strings of neon light descend, illuminating the stage as the first notes of “It Takes Two” by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock...

Downbeat members Alan Jiang (12) and Shareen Chahal (11) pose as they perform “Deck the Halls.  Upper school groups Harker Dance Company, Kinetic Krew and Downbeat as well as several middle school groups performed at Santana Rows Spirit of the Row on Dec. 6.

Harker performing arts groups light up night at ‘Spirit of The Row’

by Alison Yang and Alena Suleiman December 14, 2022

Though the chill of the night intensifies, the crowd packed tightly around the small stage only continues to grow. Small ornaments and string lights strewn across the set highlight the massive tree in...

I was willing to try ballet as something I hadn’t done before, yet the “absurdity” of a male ballet dancer was also deeply ingrained in my mind. Once I discovered that ballet spoke to me in a different way than other genres, I decided to let my passion guide me.

Jetéing over gender stereotypes as a male ballet dancer

by Anwen Hao, Assistant Multimedia Editor December 1, 2022

A 10-year-old me walked into a ballet studio with my head down, trying to avoid the looks of other ballerinas. But I knew I was going to be noticed; as a boy, my short hair, white shirt and black tights...

Anwen Hao (9) poses in a dance routine to Albrecht’s Variation from “Giselle at this years Hoscars. The show, themed Oscars this year, took place on March 30 in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center and featured acts in singing, dancing, instrumental and more,

Back with a blast: the Hoscars return triumphantly to center stage

by Emma Gao, Co-Copy Editor April 17, 2022

“Before we start, let me assure you there will be no slaps and no punches thrown today. So sit back, relax and enjoy the show. Let the Hoscars begin!”  Associated Student Body (ASB) treasurer Aaditya...

Dancers in the Way Down We Go routine strike a pose during a dress rehearsal for this years dance production, Blast from the Past. 130 students performed in the shows on Jan. 28 and Jan. 29 in the Rothschild Performing Arts Centers Patil Theater.

‘Blast from the Past’: Dance production 2022 reimagines music from past shows

by Sally Zhu and Michelle Liu February 7, 2022

A hush of excitement falls over the audience as the lights dim in Patil Theater. The curtains draw back. Regal trumpet sounds blare from the soundtrack, announcing the dancers spotlighted in formation...

Four Downbeat members sing towards the audience during their Santana Row Spirit of the Row performance. Downbeat, an upper school performance ensemble of 13 students, qualified for Varsity Vocals quarterfinals in November.

Downbeat returns with cheery holiday season and qualifies to Varsity Vocals quarterfinals

by Katelyn Zhao, Assistant Sports Editor February 3, 2022

Lights dim in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center theater and as the opening line of "Twelve Days of Christmas" rings out in the air, students, either dressed in shimmering gold a-line dresses or velvet...

Music Monday is a new installation featuring a different category of songs on a weekly basis.

Music Monday: Take dance breaks with Aquila

by Arely Sun, Aquila Co-Managing Editor December 13, 2021

Music Monday features a different category of songs on a weekly basis. Each Monday, Harker Aquila will release seven songs, one song for each day of the week.  Finals week means lots of studying —...

Sleep deprivation causes an unwanted domino effect on one’s health and safety, leading to a higher risk of obesity, depression and drowsiness during driving and difficulty concentrating in class for high school students. Giving students the opportunity to curtail chronic sleep loss with a later school start time would improve overall student wellness, including physical and mental health, academic performance and quality of life.

Time for wellness: Upper school should consider later start time

by Ella Yee, Reporter December 1, 2021

I reluctantly force my eyes open as the dreaded “Constellation” ringtone that is set for every weekday morning reaches my ears. The familiar strong chimes with quicker, twinkling notes in the background...

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