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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

This article tells the stories of students' personal experiences relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, including its impacts in sports, music and health. Solitude became our reality from March of 2020 to June of 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic continued on, and more social connection has emerged out of the return to in-person learning this school year.

‘A reality check’: Students share their personal stories with COVID-19

by Sarah Mohammed and Isha Moorjani March 31, 2022

Small rectangular boxes fill the computer screen, each one carrying a familiar face, a friend or a teacher. The Zoom page serves as the only window to “normal” life. A day at the upper school, once...

Fitness Fridays #4

Fitness Fridays #4

by Vishnu Kannan and Muthu Panchanatham March 12, 2021

Before the pandemic, it was no problem for us to get some steps in — all we had to do was walk from one class to the next, from Dobbins to Shah. Nowadays, it’s fair to say that it’s been more challenging...

Fitness Fridays #3

Fitness Fridays #3

by Muthu Panchanatham and Kushal Shah March 5, 2021

Before the pandemic, it was no problem for us to get some steps in — all we had to do was walk from one class to the next, from Dobbins to Shah. Nowadays, it’s fair to say that it’s been more challenging...

Fitness Fridays is a weekly repeater featuring five bodyweight exercises you can perform to stay healthy during quarantine.

Fitness Fridays #2

by Kushal Shah, Sports Reporter January 29, 2021

Before the pandemic, it was no problem for us to get some steps in — all we had to do was walk from one class to the next, from Dobbins to Shah. Nowadays, it’s fair to say that it’s been more challenging...

“I love you,” my dad said, radiating warmth and alacrity before his cheery smile, with the scruffy beginnings of a beard, disappeared from the screen. In those short minutes, he never once mentioned the demoralizing experience of complete isolation for two weeks, pacing back and forth each day in less than 300 square feet of space with just a small window overlooking a measly freeway.  

Pandemic journal: Heart to heart, mind to mind 

by Alysa Suleiman, A&E Editor January 15, 2021

“Qi Qi!” My dad’s beaming face fills up my small phone screen, a tiny beacon in the post-sunset gloom of an early November evening.  “Hello?” I said, happy to see him, but nonetheless surprised....

But regardless, there's one thing I now know for sure: every time I walk out into the crisp autumn air, the wind playfully lifts and blows the knot-free strands around my face, and I'm reminded that I have no regrets, only a happier state of mind. And when I step back inside and face my reflection, the girl in the mirror smiles widely back.

Smiling back at the girl in the mirror 

by Alysa Suleiman, A&E Editor January 3, 2021

Rough, dry, prickly. My eyes travel down a straight line of hair, pulled taut from root to tip.  As I roll the semi-bleached strands between the pads of my fingers, more uneven bristles twist outwards,...

Clicking #rollerskating on any social media platform is sure to conjure lively videos of agile roller skaters navigating the concrete mazes of skate parks, ebullient dancers jamming out on their wheels and the hiss of toe stops with “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac playing in the background. Many have fallen for the dreamy aesthetic of quad skating depicted online, myself included.

Let’s (sc)roll: Roller skating community finds new members during quarantine

by Arely Sun, Lifestyle Editor October 12, 2020

Clicking #rollerskating on any social media platform is sure to conjure lively videos of agile roller skaters navigating the concrete mazes of skate parks, ebullient dancers jamming out on their wheels...

Creativity in the kitchen: students’ and teachers’ quarantine culinary adventures

Creativity in the kitchen: students’ and teachers’ quarantine culinary adventures

by Sarah Mohammed, Assistant Features Editor October 11, 2020

During quarantine, many Harker students and teachers have been baking and cooking more as a way to pass the time, connect with family members, and replace Harker lunches. Here are some of the dishes students...

Marcus Anderson (12) performs a box jump at a workout hosted on Davis Field during summer break. Box jumps are an effective exercise for strengthening the lower body, increasing one’s vertical jump. and improving athletic explosiveness overall.

Staying healthy and fit at home

by Saurav Tewari and Kushal Shah October 2, 2020

Having been quarantined at home during this pandemic for months on end at this point, it’s fair to say that staying both mentally and physically fit during our time at home has been challenging, to say...

President Donald Trump addresses the crowd at Target Center in Minneapolis, MN, for his 2020 presidential campaign rally on October 10, 2019.

President Trump and first lady test positive for coronavirus

by Alysa Suleiman, Nicole Tian, and Erica Cai October 2, 2020

President Donald J. Trump and first lady Melania Trump announced that they have both contracted COVID-19 and begun quarantining in a tweet at 9:54 p.m. PST. The announcement follows senior adviser Hope...

Taking the time to rest can often be difficult, especially when we often prioritize the completion of tasks over making space in our schedules for brief respites.

Taking a break: Planning your day in quarantine

by Arely Sun, Lifestyle Editor September 21, 2020

Every day since quarantine started, you find yourself exhausted after spending a day hunched over a screen, taking meeting after meeting. After school, you dive headfirst into a mountain of work, draining...

As the fall semester continues online, students find that fashion can still be that constant outlet of personal expression in their lives. Though our social interactions are limited, it does not mean that our outfits have to be. 

Lights, camera … and (Zoom) fashion?

by Alysa Suleiman, Arts & Entertainment Editor September 15, 2020

The air was crisp and cool, the perfect level of humidity and air conditioning soaking into clean walls, the dozens upon dozens of chairs, the in-season outfits of haute couture people filling the rows.  And,...

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