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

“Journalism really helped me with people skills. I [also] got to take photos and meet a lot of my closest friends in journalism that I dont think we would have otherwise. Photographing and capturing a lot of peoples memories and being able to provide people with those pictures feels super special,” Smrithi Sambamurthy  (12) said.

Humans of Harker: A designer’s eye

by Brandon Zau, Photo Editor May 18, 2023

As Smrithi Sambamurthy (12) stepped onto a flight headed to Pittsburgh, a wave of uncertainty occupied her mind. Smrithi’s first time traveling alone, the experience filled her with anticipation. But...

“When you learn how to learn, its not only in athletics, not only in school, not only in your social life: it applies to everything because its the process of learning how to learn and figuring out how you learn. You learn when youre intentional about the work that you do, when you put effort into the work and are mindful about doing the right things, Sydney Adler (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Splash of spirit

by Olivia Xu and Angelina Burrows May 17, 2023

“Eagles on three. One, two, three. Eagles!” Sydney Adler (12) huddles with her team, rallying her teammates as they prepare for the start of another game. It’s Sydney’s last home game, and the...

“All the people knew each other already and from my perspective, they were all friends. So I got to make friends with people I would have never talked to otherwise. I got to know them outside of the journalism classroom, and that strengthened our bond,” Katie Wang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Leap of faith

by Chayce Milheim and Sidak Sanghari May 16, 2023

Breathe in. Ten meters, 32 feet. Two flips and one full twist, accelerating from zero to 35 miles per hour in just one second. Breathe out. Katie Wang (12) jumps from the diving board before fear can...

To me, water polo feels like an escape from schoolwork. That facet of it inspires me to play even more and improve. School’s pretty stressful, so at the end of the day, it’s nice to get out there with my friends and play together for a couple hours. The water serves as my de-stress zone, Andrew Reed (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Making a splash

by Katie Reed, TALON Business and PDA Manager May 15, 2023

As the bright golden ball falls into the open palm of Andrew Reed (12), the crowd watches in anticipation. Drowning out the shouts of his teammates, Andrew tenses his arm in preparation to shoot the ball....

My parents told me, You can’t change anything about yourself. Despite how good it feels when people enjoy what I make, I don’t want to trap myself in the mindset of depending on others for validation. I have to accept who I am, Sonya He (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Coloring in the gaps

by Alison Yang, Co-A&E Editor May 15, 2023

To create is peculiar. In one sense, everything is simply an amalgamation of past materials and experiences, and nothing is ever truly new. But by infusing narrative and intention, one can distinguish...

I expect the rocket to break on the first try. But with projects like these, the final test is just something at the end you do to see if it works. The main takeaway is the experience of building it. If it lands, that’s wonderful, but if it doesn’t, everything I’ve learned from the project is still there, Grant Sims (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Engineering dreams

by Andrew Liang, Co-News Editor May 13, 2023

Launching rovers to Mars is always a tense process for NASA, and some of the most critical moments are those just before the rover touches down. When NASA sends the rover its last commands before landing,...

“When I’m in despair and anguish, I’ll make something really jarring. My work goes like that. Based off of how I’m feeling, I put that in my work. Art in general expresses who we are because it’s everyone’s art, your art, my art, Shreya Balakrishnan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Essence of expression

by Angelina Burrows, TALON Co-Sports Editor May 11, 2023

As you walk into Shreya Balakrishnan's (12) AP Art Exhibit, the striking images on display jump off the walls and come to life. From dissociation to body dysmorphia, Shreya takes their audience on a journey...

Ive discovered that I like finding the intersection between environmentalism and robotics. When I went into Harker, I wasnt sure where I would end up with my interests because I knew I liked the environment, and I had been doing robotics since the beginning of middle school. Now, Ive reached a point where it makes more sense to me. That journey to get to find out where that intersection lies has been really enlightening, Gary Ding (12) said.

Humans of Harker: For the greater green

by Mia Tang, Reporter May 11, 2023

From weekly reminders to limit food waste to clothing drives promoting sustainability, Green Team promotes environmental preservation through everyday actions. President Gary Ding (12) leads this club,...

One of my goals right now is being able to do handstand push ups. Things I’m passionate about, I’m able to keep it up for a very long time. Once you have a purpose or explicit image of yourself, then it becomes [something] you’ll do every day or do consistently, Matthew Lau (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The big picture

by Jonathan Xue and Grant Yang May 11, 2023

Farmer John’s cows are at it again! How would you sort them in height order with the minimum number of operations? Or select a given cow in a line with just a few comparisons? For Matthew Lau (12), this...

“While talking to doctors through a program that I set up, I learned a lot about the advice that they had to give. A lot of it was about going at your own pace and being kind to others. Ive tried to incorporate that into my own life by being more conscious of going at my own pace,” Johnathan said.

Humans of Harker: Legacy of love

by Connie Xu and Jonathan Xue May 11, 2023

Independent and innovative. Creative and collaborative. With these qualities, whether it be through music, medicine or other mediums, Johnathan Mo (12) brings his best effort and energy to everything he...

“Teamwork and the ability to adapt to how other people play is important because everyone has a different skill level and isn’t going to be perfect at first. You’re not going to be perfect when you start. Being able to be patient with yourself and others and then trusting your team is something I’ve learned, Chris Tonev (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Captain of connection

by Ashley Mo, Reporter May 10, 2023

Anticipation hums in the air as the Harker football team emerges from the locker room in unity, arms linked together. It's the 2022 Homecoming game, and the crowd erupts into deafening cheers as the players...

Framing is really important. You can take any situation and convince yourself whether you like it or hate it. Approaching things with a different attitude really, really changes what you take out of it. I try to be positive throughout anything that happens. The way I frame things that happen to me affects how satisfied I am with my life overall, Ada Praun-Petrovic (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Power of perspective

by Claire Yu, Reporter May 10, 2023

Pride rushed through nine-year-old Ada Praun-Petrovic (12) as she glanced at the numbers displayed on her father’s watch. She had just completed a three-mile-run, a huge milestone for young Ada. Soon...

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