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

“I would worry about what other people thought about me, what my teammates were thinking. I got way too focused on that, so after a while, soccer wasn’t fun for me anymore. [But,] the school team is an environment where you can experiment and be creative with the ball, if you’re willing to take those chances, and I was able to do that, Muthu Panchanatham (22) said.

Humans of Harker: Scoring and scouting

by Vishnu Kannan, Aquila Co-Managing Editor June 22, 2022

A flash of green darts through the midfield, almost camouflaging with the light green turf on Davis Field. With quick, calculated strides, Muthu Panchanatham (‘22) weaves his way through a swarm of enclosing...

“Ive experienced a lot of disappointing moments, but the ratio of good to bad moments is so stark that [it] makes the good moments so good, because they stand out more. Piano has taught me how to go through struggle, how to persevere and that its okay to not be a perfectionist, Yejin Song (22) said.

Humans of Harker: Keys to connection

by Olivia Xu and Emma Gao June 16, 2022

Powerful. Passionate. Romantic. Singing melodies that make you feel like you’re soaring, flying with the notes the way a pianist’s fingers fly across a piano’s keys. Tunes that evoke your deepest...

“When you play soccer, you have more of a team mentality. You learn to accept people’s mistakes and keep moving forward from that, even though they might lead to a goal. [To me,] that is a good foundation for any friendship, Kate Leafstrand (22) said.

Humans of Harker: Dribbling with drive

by Shinjan Ghosh, TALON Co-Editor-in-Chief June 13, 2022

Illuminated by the warm glow of the bedside lamp, Kate Leafstrand ('22) sits surrounded by her friends on the bed of her hotel room. In the distance, waves crash onto the shore of Santa Cruz Beach as the...

“Im definitely a people person. It started from a fear of being alone, but once I got to be around people that make me happy — whether its people in the journalism room, or whether its friends outside or whether its family — I never wanted to get rid of that feeling, Anika Mani (22) said.

Humans of Harker: Keystone of the community

by Shinjan Ghosh, TALON Co-Editor-in-Chief June 13, 2022

The sun beats down on the pavement as Anika Mani ('22) places a pile of yearbooks down on a table outside of the journalism room on a warm May afternoon. With a spreadsheet of the entire student body pulled...

“Design has the power of communication, and the psychology behind that is really cool. I like to see things visually, and I really like designing things that fit into aesthetics. The way different compositions can change messages — that would be something really cool to study and work with in the future, Arianna Weaver (22) said.

Humans of Harker: The vitality of art

by Michelle Wei, Reporter June 12, 2022

Holding her paintbrush aloft, Arianna Weaver ('22) blends a streak of pink onto the dark indigo background of her latest painting, a depiction of a set of human lungs. The organs glow in warm yellows and...

I want to bring a lot of these topics that are more difficult to talk about, or taboo, to life. I want to incorporate my advocacy for these important issues in my goal as a performer and with the way that I give art to the world. I want to make the lonely feel heard, Callie Mayer (22) said.

Humans of Harker: Evoking emotion

by Lucy Ge, Aquila Co-Managing Editor June 12, 2022

Singing, dancing, acting. If you’ve seen any upper school performing arts show, whether it be a Downbeat performance or the fall play, chances are you’ve seen Callie Mayer ('22) on stage. Having been...

“Part of the reason why I am always open to trying new things, such as trying water polo, is because I am okay with not being good at it as long as I know that I am able to get better. I am a person who likes to put myself out there and see what I can do. When I really like things, I will continue to work at them even if I know that I am not the best person there, Sinaya Joshi (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Live and let live

by Ritika Rajamani, TALON Business Manager and PDA Editor June 3, 2022

Laughter fills the girls locker room as Sinaya Joshi (12) converses with her water polo teammates. Describing stories from her day, the bright smile never leaves her face. Looking toward her younger teammates,...

“I come from a family of teachers. While growing up, I admired the way [my relatives] were able to approach new subjects and convey that knowledge to their students. I’ve taken on that role of teaching, not in conventional ways, but by embracing leadership roles in volleyball and journalism. Whether it’s taking reporters under my wing or leading underclassmen by example, I’ve mentor[ed] others by sharing what I’ve learned through my own experiences, Vishnu Kannan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Taking flight

by Muthu Panchanatham, Opinions Editor June 3, 2022

The ball flies through the air, perfectly aimed towards the setter’s position. Even before the set is passed, the outside hitter makes his approach. As the ball begins to descend just over the net, he...

“​​​​There are so many people that you dont ever interact with or ever think about, but every single person has so much behind what they show to other people. Journalism is a great way of getting behind that portion of ourselves that we always present to the outside world, Emily Tan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: A storyteller’s craft

by Michelle Liu, Winged Post Editor-in-Chief June 2, 2022

As the sun sets outside the journalism room, rows and rows of newspaper page drafts slowly materialize onto the wall as the staff frantically prepares to send the paper into production. Emily Tan (12)...

“When you’re hiking, you can meet complete strangers, and youre both super tired, but you’re headed for the same goal, and you get to share stories. Hiking really taught me that its not about the destination; it’s about the journey. Every experience is better when it’s shared, Elvis Han (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The peaks of life

by Nicholas Wei, HoH Managing Editor May 14, 2022

Elvis Han (12) remembers feeling a rush of independent pride as he stood upon the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in the summer before his sophomore year. Billowing clouds draped the surrounding landscape...

“Compared to taking a test at school, cellos are difficult to quantify. If you get a good grade at school, then thats that good grade. But if youre playing the cello, you cant give yourself a number grade, so theres always things that you can work on and youre always hearing different things that you can change, Lucas Chen (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Bows, bridges and boba

by Gemma Chan and Erica Cai May 14, 2022

Clasping the bow of his cello, Lucas Chen (12) recalls bowing the instrument’s strings gently and beginning to perform his worries away, note after note. Every note is a worry gone, a stress gone, a...

“Most people think space is just a bunch of floating matter, but theres actually a lot of different physics and concepts involved with everything, especially in terms of how we research all those objects because theyre so far away. You would think it would be impossible, but its not, Angelina Yuzifovich (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The space between languages

by Heidi Lu, Reporter May 13, 2022

Flipping through the pages of her astronomy book, Angelina Yuzifovich (12) stops at the section on black holes. Her eyes light up with interest at the clear, attention-drawing photos of the colorful universe...

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