Skip to Main Content
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

Junior Holly Templeton performs her poem during the Poetry Out Loud contest on Jan. 27. She received an honorable mention from the judges.

Poetry Out Loud attracts record engagement

by Lily Peng, Assistant News Editor February 2, 2025

Twenty-six students participated in the annual Poetry Out Loud recitation contest in the Nichols Auditorium on Jan. 27.  Senior Eric Zhang and junior Daniel Miao won first and second place, respectively,...

Poetry offers students a place to express themselves, whether through writing, reading or reciting it. "You can just use words and use the feelings of those words to create a painting," Eric Zhang (11) said.

Poetry empowers student voices

by Suhani Gupta, Co-A&E/Lifestyle Editor April 30, 2024

Adolescence often feels like a struggle. In these turbulent years, teenagers may feel the need to express themselves, to make their voices heard. Poetry is one such mode of expression, allowing for a release...

Dhanya Ramanan (9) recites "Love Song of the Bat with Vertigo" by Martín Espada for Harker's Poetry Out Loud competition on Jan. 31. Of the eleven contestants, Eric Zhang (11) and Iris Fu (12) advanced to the Santa Clara County regional round.

Contestants recite for Poetry Out Loud

by Jeremy Peng, Assistant Copy Editor February 9, 2024

Eleven students competed in Harker’s annual Poetry Out Loud contest in Nichols Auditorium on Jan. 31 during long lunch.  Each contestant recited a poem of their choice to three judges, English teachers...

Modern haikus bend traditional rules; they blend old and new again.

Haikus for National Haiku Day

by Jessica Wang and Claire Su May 24, 2023

Learn about the history of haikus in a series of 5-7-5 poems we wrote to honor National Haiku Day on April 17! Sparse syllables flow Haikus born in Japan's past Bashō's artistry  Seventeen sound...

An illustration representing various motifs in some of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous poems. Many regard Poe as the greatest poet to ever live.

Friday Five: Poe(ms)

by Jonathan Xue, Humans of Harker Profiler March 8, 2023

Edgar Allan Poe died of consumption. But even a century and a half later, his works continue to gnaw at me; their biting twists and subtle nuance are truly captivating. Each poem he writes is layered with...

Load More Stories