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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

Members of the upper school Art Club stand behind their artwork, part of a Black Lives Matter street mural organized in Palo Alto on June 30.

Pulse of the People: Youth activism stands out in Black Lives Matter movement

by Anna Vazhaeparambil, Editor-in-chief September 20, 2020

“Tell me why they want to beat us black and blue and bloody red. Keep us stagnant working for a system with no damn respect. Politicians committing illegal crimes with no arrest, out of breath, hoping...

U.S. Senator Kamala Harris speaks at a General Assembly during the California Democrats 2019 State Convention on Saturday morning. There have been only two female major party vice presidential nominees in U.S. history; Sen. Kamala Harris (D-C.A.) is the third.

Kamala Harris “has changed the landscape”: Nomination paves way for women of color in politics

by Sarah Mohammed and Varsha Rammohan September 9, 2020

According to the United States Census Bureau, women make up 50.8 percent of the country’s population, Black people make up 13.4 percent and Asian people make up 5.9 percent. In addition to only one...

Washington Wizards point guard Rui Hachimura warms up his jumpshot prior to the team's game against the Charlotte Hornets earlier this season. Athletes in professional sports leagues across the nation have boycotted their games in light of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Professional sports leagues boycott games in wake of Jacob Blake shooting

by Vishnu Kannan and Muthu Panchanatham August 29, 2020

Athletes in professional sports leagues across the nation have boycotted their games in light of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The NBA was the first league to do so, temporarily postponing...

“I think people are pretty universally similar. Even though my school in Thailand was a relatively different environment to Harker, we are stressed about the same things, we enjoy the same things, we have the same exact teenage struggles. And it's awesome. I really wish these different friend groups I made in high school somehow came together because it's like everyone would get along really well and it would be a super enjoyable experience,” Brandon Lin (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Finding unity in diversity

by Anthony Xu, TALON Co-Editor-in-Chief April 28, 2020

A sliver of sunlight emerged from the horizon as the loud buzz and chatter of almost 200 juniors pierced the early morning air, waiting to board the buses headed to the American River rafting site. Friends...

Nerine Uyanik (12) and Simren Gupta (12) dance together during the salsa competition of "La Noche Cultural." The salsa competition took place at the end of the night, after  the dinner and student performances.

Fun, food and flamenco: Students and faculty celebrate Spanish culture with “La Noche Cultural”

by Amruta Dharmapurikar and Sally Zhu March 19, 2020

Vibrant banners line the walls of the auxiliary gym, circling around the multi-colored round tables topped with toy maracas, sombreros and balloons that float nearby. As preparations and decorations are...

An illustration depicting the beauty of diversity of all types.

Editorial: Challenge Day serves as first step

by Editorial Board March 7, 2020

A hundred students and 20 to 30 members of faculty met in the auxiliary gym to participate in community developing activities on Feb. 6. The program, Challenge Day,  focused on mindfulness, to address...

Teachers line up at the end of the faculty meeting in the morning and practice their favorite dance moves. Whenever a Challenge Day leader shouted "We're about to play a game," participants began dancing.

Challenge Day bridges gaps with emphasis on empathy

by Nicole Tian and Sarah Mohammed February 12, 2020

The double doors on the far side of the auxiliary swung open to welcome a stream of students who jumbled their way through a tunnel of dancing faculty members, the upbeat music mixing with laughter and...

Attendees at the second annual Student Diversity Leadership Gathering participate in the fishbowl activity. In the “fishbowl activity,” chairs were set up in the center of the room with people of color in the middle and white people forming a ring around them. Featured speaker and organizer Dr. Rodney Glasgow showed three videos to prompt discussion.

Inside the fishbowl: Students explore diversity and race at the Student Diversity Leadership Gathering

by Isha Moorjani and Irene Yuan January 23, 2020

The Diversity Committee hosted the second Student Diversity Leadership Gathering at the upper school on January 20 from 8 a.m. from 4 p.m., and it was also Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day on which people...

Psychologist Dr. Andrea Letamendi speaks to upper school students about building resilience to combat anxiety and stress. She used her passion for comic books to depict a narrative that many students were knowledgeable about.

Psychology superhero: Fighting crime on mental health stigmas

by Alysa Suleiman, Sports Reporter October 25, 2019

Psychologist and comic-lover Dr. Andrea Letamendi spoke to the upper school during two assemblies for underclassmen and upperclassmen on Tuesday, Oct. 22. Her lecture, titled “Psychology of Superheroes:...

As October rolls around the corner, billions of Hindus begin the annual preparations to honor the traditions specific to Navaratri, Dussehra and Diwali, the main Indian festivals during fall.

Family, tradition and celebration: The essence of Indian festivals

by Alysa Suleiman and Varsha Rammohan October 9, 2019

Women adorned in jewelry and draped in yards of colorful silk around the waist and shoulder, known as the traditional saree, vividly complement an assortment of brightly colored Indian sweets and snacks...

Protestors at a pro-choice rally hold signs defending their rights to make decisions about their bodies. Organizers have begun planning rallies in Alabama, with a large social media movement encouraging women to share their stories of abortion in order to de-stigmatize the issue.

States across the country pass restrictive anti-abortion legislation

by Arushi Saxena, Global Editor May 17, 2019

Following a wave of anti-abortion legislation that has recently risen up to challenge federal law, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed the nation’s most controversial abortion bill into law last Tuesday...

Vijay Vyas and Deven Parikh (10) sing during their performance of “Un Poco Loco” at Spanish Cultural Night.

Language clubs honor international cultures

by Alysa Suleiman, Jessie Wang, and Irene Yuan April 26, 2019

Ni hao. Konnichiwa. Salve. Bonjour. Hola. You’ve heard of them before: Junior Classical League and the four Language National Honor Societies. Each of these organizations are extremely populated...

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