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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

“Jazz is all about improvising mainly, and when you improvise, it's your voice and your melodies and your notes that you play. If I'm in a certain mood or if I'm feeling a certain sort of way, I would play catered to that. I play my style catered to that tone,” Brendan Wong (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Finding the right melody

by Sara Yen, Features Editor December 18, 2019

Jazz — syncopated rhythms complementing and overlapping over each other; a blend of timbres, from brassy trumpets and saxophones to the striking piano; the soul-driven improvisation and air of creativity...

“I'm not one who's going to do a super fancy speech or touch people with my words because I don't have the confidence yet to do that, and I hope to one day. The way I think or the way I talk to people just in the smallest way, if I can change somebody's attitude or the way they thought about something, that's how I want to make an impact,” Aditi Khanna (12) said.

Humans of Harker: From note to note

by Helen Zhu, TALON Academics Editor December 17, 2019

The tune of “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry reverberates through her living room as she arrives at the next note by ear. Sitting beside a large glass window is the electric Yamaha keyboard that Aditi...

“When you speak to people outside of your direct circle, you learn a lot and you begin to question your own beliefs and I really enjoy that. I’ve learned to be more open-minded and I believe that you don’t have to dismiss someone just because they don’t agree with something that you strongly believe in,” Alicia Xu (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Touch the sky

by Olivia Guo, Humans of Harker Profiler December 16, 2019

Familiar with the crowded sidewalk at the San Jose Municipal Airport, Alicia Xu (12) crosses the street to reach the glass sliding doors. Above it reads, “Departures”. She walks into the building without...

“One of the biggest things you can take away from Quiz Bowl is learning to [make stuff up]. You have to build a rational answer upon not necessarily rational reason. It involves you trying to make a lot of connections between things that seemingly don’t line up. I think that has changed the way I see things and that really nothing is standalone; pretty much everything correlates with everything else,” Arun Sundaresan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: For ten points, name this…

by Michael Eng, Reporter December 3, 2019

Arun “Runey” Sundaresan (12) sits at a table covered by an ill-fitting black table cloth. He is elevated on a stage in a mostly empty hotel ballroom and leans forward in his chair as his hands loosely...

“I think my curiosity is a combination of the environment I was brought up in and also the culture of Harker and the Bay Area. I always think of everything as something that can be questioned, regardless of whether it’s an established truth; that’s the only way you’ll get anywhere,” Smriti Vaidyanathan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Breaking the silence

by Delaney Logue, TALON Sports Editor December 2, 2019

After the monotone of the pitch pipe, there’s a beat of silence; the room is holding its breath, waiting for the show to begin. Smriti Vaidyanathan (12) has never had a problem with breaking the silence....

“I think the most important decision I’ve made is consciously trying to be outgoing and being a positive influence instead of a negative one. I try to make other people’s lives a little better whether it’s being funny or being someone they can talk to. Anything really to make them laugh. I think that’s a really good thing that I want to take upon myself. I feel like more people should do that and see its impact,” Kevin Chen (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Framing life with a positive outlook

by Muthu Panchanatham, Sports Reporter November 22, 2019

One eye closed in concentration while the other resides behind his pitch-black lens, the young man turns toward the impressive skyline in the distance. As he gently presses down on the nodule protruding...

“[Writing is] a lot about being introspective, so speaking about things that maybe you aren’t comfortable with. A lot of it is about race, identity, politics and the intersection of the three … A lot of these issues don’t affect me personally, but it’s still interesting to me, because I just like listening to stories and talking to people,” Catherine Zhao (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Culture and community

by Nicole Tian, Winged Post Co-Lifestyle Editor November 19, 2019

On a windy Monday afternoon, Catherine Zhao (12) sits on a bench behind Manzanita, describing a retreat at Walden West, an outdoors environmental program with around 100 participants from the Interact...

"I think it's good to have a competitive nature. I don't think it's a good thing to not believe in yourself and to quit easily and not put in the work. I feel like if you think you can do it, you probably can, you just have to put in the work,” Giovanni Rofa (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The spirit of competition

by Nina Gee, Winged Post Design Editor November 16, 2019

Ask anyone at Harker if they know Giovanni “Gio” Rofa (12). Chances are, they'll describe him as one of three things: a great friend, a star basketball player or someone as hard-working as he is competitive....

“I really like bonding with people of different mindsets, different cultures. All these different cultures around the world, they're distant in the fact that you almost don't even know if the culture exists if you don't understand their language. Once I went to Japan and started studying the language, so many different aspects of their culture just made themselves apparent to me. It was like a whole new world,” Henry Cuningham (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Blazing his own trail

by Eric Fang, Winged Post Editor-in-Chief November 15, 2019

Wearing a black “thrasher” hoodie and navy blue sweatpants, Henry Cuningham (12) allows himself to sink back into his seat while talking about the latest anime he has begun watching. Despite his joking...

“When I was younger, whenever I wasn’t playing well, I’d let myself break down on the course, but I had to learn that it’s okay. One bad hole isn’t going to ruin the entire round. I feel like that’s really representative of real life too. One bad day isn’t going to ruin the rest of my life. [With golf], I’ve really had to learn how to bounce back from any obstacles that come in my way,” Katelyn Vo (12) said.

Humans of Harker: On par with life

by Arushi Saxena, Winged Post News Editor November 11, 2019

Amazing golfer. Warm and charismatic teammate. Resilient and focused athlete. When asked about Katelyn, these are common responses. While Katelyn’s skills on the golf course are undeniable, it’s the...

“There's a division between your character that you're portraying on stage and who you are in real life, but it's kind of not necessarily a straight-cut division. I felt the confidence I gained as a person and the energy that I had translated to my artistic work and made me a better performer and more confident and comfortable on stage, which lended myself to the charisma on stage that I had. I guess people noticed, which gave me even more confidence — I felt like I was doing something right,” Joel Morel (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Presence on and off the stage

by Emily Tan, Asst. Features Editor November 9, 2019

Clad in a spring green polo and suspender set, Joel Morel (12) bounces across the stage, raising his eyebrows and smiling from ear to ear during upper school choir Downbeat’s performance of “Na na...

“I've definitely used [my different community perspective] in terms of my friends by exposing them to Lebanese culture. I always have them try my food, I have them come to the Lebanese festival I have every year, I teach them how to dance because a lot of what Lebanese people are known for is ‘Lebanese hospitality.’ I definitely think my family and my culture has introduced these values of generosity and compassion to me,” Grace Hajjar (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The Good Host

by Alysa Suleiman, Sports Reporter November 8, 2019

Absentmindedly twisting the thin gold jewelry adorning her fingers and neck in delicate chains and swirling roses, Grace Hajjar (12) recalls the story behind each piece: the baptism necklace from her aunt...

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