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

“I realized that life is way too short, [and] you have to jump at opportunities. Even if you don’t know what you’re doing, it's better than not doing anything at all, [because] you don't realize the consequences until you act on it. Just go and try something," Keya Mann (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Vivacious voice

by Claire Su, Reporter February 12, 2022

As a light breeze rustles the plants behind her, Keya Mann (12) grins, surrounded by flowers of vibrant violet matching colors with her sweatshirt. Her eyes light up as her friend tells an inside joke,...

“I enjoy the experimental part most, where you build an experiment to test the physics concepts and see the discrepancies between how [the system] should behave theoretically and how it actually behaves. That’s really useful for me, because if you keep studying formulas from a textbook, eventually it becomes monotonous, and you lose track of purpose," Sasvath Ramachandran (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Selflessness and sincerity

by Vishnu Kannan, Co-Managing Editor February 10, 2022

To most people, gyro rings — devices composed of a larger metal ring with several smaller washers threaded on to it — are merely toys, a medium to execute various tricks on, much like the modern day...

“When you see smiles on other peoples’ faces, that gratification is amazing because it means that you've truly helped someone else, which is such a special feeling. It’s shown me that the gift of service is priceless," Minali Kapadia (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The most priceless gift

by Katelyn Zhao, Assistant Sports Editor February 10, 2022

Warm sunlight peaks through the leaves and shimmers across her face. A claw clip holds up her espresso-colored hair with streaks of bright, rosy pink in place, but, even then, a few stray wisps escape...

“[It’s true that] the worst thing that someone can say is no, but you're going to get a ‘no’ by default if you never go out and try to make a change or try and do something. The worst possible outcome is already going to happen if you don't try, so you might as well try," Allen Boyce (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Bird’s-eye view

by Rachel Ning, TALON Organizations Editor February 8, 2022

As he looks up into the bright blue sky, Allen Boyce (12) squints his eyes to see past the vibrant sun reflecting on the ground. Fidgeting with the controller of his drone, he watches the machine cruise...

“[My multiracial perspective] comes into play for a lot of things — trying to look at an issue from multiple perspectives, to keep in mind the needs of multiple communities. Some health issues impact different communities in different ways, so [it’s important to look] at culturally aware approaches to healthcare," Natasha Matta (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Extensive perspective

by Margaret Cartee, Reporter and Assistant Opinions Editor February 7, 2022

Growing up with serious food allergies starting at a young age, Natasha Matta (12) learned to automatically check food labels and stay home during overnight trips or sleepovers. When she received the opportunity...

“Golf takes a lot of methodical thinking and calculations. Various factors, like the slope of a hill or the green or the wind or your current lie [angle], everything plays a factor in golf. You have to think about all those factors as you take that shot. That’s something that resonates with me; I like to think things through before I do [them]," Raj Patel (12) said.

Humans of Harker: An amiable approach

by Ethan Liu and Olivia Xu February 4, 2022

Some people relax with their friends while sipping boba. Some play video games together. Raj Patel (12) winds down with his friends on the golf course while slinging shots through a clear blue sky. More...

“Even if you're playing singles, you have to remember that at the end of the day, you're a part of a team, and whether you win your match or not is part of the team's overall score and not just for yourself. I also learned a lot about resilience and staying positive [through tennis]. It's about your mental strength," Victoria Han (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Team, thinking and tenacity

by Arely Sun, Aquila Co-Managing Editor February 3, 2022

Victoria Han (12) recalls the 2020 DECA State Career Development Conference, from watching movies over Thai takeout in her hotel room with friends to practicing her presentation with her event partner...

“[Baseball's] a game of failure. There's always going to be off-days or off-weeks or months. I try to enjoy what I'm doing and how I get to wherever I end up. As long as the journey is enjoyable, even if some things don't go right, it'll still be worth it," Bobby Wang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Flying through time

by Mark Hu, Winged Post Managing Editor February 2, 2022

Bobby Wang (12) flies through the air as a bright, white baseball speeds toward him. After a 30-yard-sprint from his position in center field to right-center, he lays out and stretches his gray, worn-out...

“At the end of the day, everything is interconnected, so it’s fine to have multiple interests. No matter how disparate they seem, there’s always going to be some intersection you can draw, and that’s another element of fun — the creativity of trying to figure out how to interact with them, even if they’re completely different," Saanvi Arora (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Avid advocate

by Katie Reed, Reporter February 1, 2022

Fingers tapping a quick, upbeat melody onto the keyboard of her laptop, Saanvi Arora (12) stares intently at the screen in front of her as she works on documents with the purpose of developing statewide...

“I’ve met some of my closest friends playing football throughout the past four years, and I feel that football is much more than just a hobby for me, in the sense that each person has each other’s back no matter what, both on and off the field. I can’t keep on playing football forever, so I need to cherish every moment I have together with my teammates," Maddux Carlisle (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Looking toward the end zone

by Edward Huang, Reporter January 31, 2022

Smiling as he recounts his past memories, Maddux Carlisle (12) recalls the surreal experience of playing football during senior night, his last game with the team he played with for the past four years....

Alex Hu (12) writes equations and data for his math research project. Throughout his research, he looked at quantum code written for error correction.

Six seniors named Regeneron scholars

by Claire Bauschlicher, Reporter January 31, 2022

Seniors Alice Feng, Alex Hu, Rishab Parthasarathy, Sasvath Ramachandran, Aimee Wang and Emily Zhou have been named Regeneron Scholars for the 2022 Regeneron Science Talent Search Competition. Rishab was...

“A lot of progress that you make with piano isn't very linear. You'll have spurts where you're practicing for a week or something and you feel you're making no progress. And then, a couple of weeks later, you have one day where all of a sudden, this stuff clicks. And then, you make a whole bunch of progress," Michael Tran (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Cadence and coaching

by Brandon Zau, Reporter January 29, 2022

As each piano key prompts a felt-covered hammer to strike a finely tuned string at a piano recital, a high school pianist completes a complex piece, inspiring a young Michael Tran (12) to master the same...

Load More Stories