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

We should not seek a “new normal,” as expansive and ambiguous that term may be, and rather focus on the small freedoms allowing connections that are again available to us. That can look like passing goggles to a lab partner in chemistry class, stealing half a cookie off of an unsuspecting friend’s tray or focusing all your affection for a person into the magical world in the space of a tight hug.

Magic in a post-lockdown hug: Staying grounded in small joys

by Trisha Iyer, Copy Editor June 6, 2022

I wanted to be Belle when I was little. Here was a Disney princess that gave me the representation on the silver screen that I needed: she would actively avoid social interaction to read books all day,...

Zoom Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Kelly Steckelberg speaks to over 40 students on Jan. 13 in a joint speaker event hosted by CareerConnect and Oeconomia. Steckelberg touched on the possible economic shift away from business travel, Zoom’s expansion of services and the power of networking.

Zoom CFO shares insights into career journey and economic trends

by Lucy Ge, Co-Managing Editor January 23, 2022

Zoom Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Kelly Steckelberg spoke to over 40 upper school students on Jan. 13, sharing insights into her daily responsibilities as CFO and her journey in the business world.  Steckelberg,...

Members of the S@TC Intensive Cast rehearse the musical scene of their show Star Crossed Lovers. Unlike last summer, the upper school held in-person activities on campus for Conservatory Intensive and Summer Institute courses in the past couple of months.

A year later, Summer Institute and Conservatory reawaken on-campus life

by Aastha Mangla, Asst. A&E and Lifestyle Editor August 16, 2021

The Summer Institute and Summer @ the Conservatory (S@TC) returned to the upper school in person with a variety of courses, including supplemental courses such as Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry, AP...

Upper school prepares for distribution day and upcoming school year

by Alysa Suleiman and Irene Yuan June 2, 2021

After Santa Clara County entered the yellow tier on May 18, the upper school also moved forward with loosening campus protocols during the last few weeks of the spring semester and outlined plans for...

Celebrated during the month of May, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month recognizes and celebrates AAPI history and their impact on the history and culture of the United States.

Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

by Michelle Liu, Winged Post Co-Editor-in-Chief May 27, 2021

Throughout history, the experiences of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have been surrounded with grief, loss and violence. But there have also been moments of joy, resilience and progress...

Each member of our journalism staff has approached the pandemic in their own way, sometimes together and sometimes separate. Hear the voices of our program and experience how we overcame the unknown of 2020.

Growing up ahead of the curve: Gen Z on living through a global pandemic

On March 12, 2020, Head of School Brian Yager announced through the speakers that the upper school would be closing due to the public health threat of COVID-19. Though we celebrated in the hallways and...

American jazz pianist Taylor Eigsti speaks on the effects of the pandemic on musicians. “To really understand the production of what goes on to put a show on, it really is a deep dive, since we kind of have to do this stuff ourselves now,” Eigsti said. “We have to wear a lot of hats; we have to learn how to be a sound engineer [and] a lighting person.”

All jazzed up

by Emily Tan, Features Editor January 27, 2021

In a broadcast of his 2018 Harker Concert Series performance, jazz pianist and composer Taylor Eigsti slides his fingers into place on the piano on the Patil Theater stage after a brief pause. With an...

STEM Spotlight is a new Aquila repeater showcasing STEM clubs and their initiatives.

STEM Spotlight: Math Club

by Mark Hu, STEM Editor January 22, 2021

STEM Spotlight is a new repeater exploring what clubs at Harker have been doing during remote learning. This week’s featured club is the Math Club, which encourages out-of-the-box problem solving and...

From left to right, Jasmine Li (10), Sarah Raymond (12) and Aastha Mangla (10) rehearse lines in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center on Nov. 18. All three students are performing in senior director Vaishnavi Muraris play Its Our Town, Too.

The show must go on: Student directors prepare plays to be shown virtually

by Alysa Suleiman, A&E Editor December 18, 2020

Ever since joining the performing arts community at the upper school in freshman year, Topaz Gao (12) knew they found their place of inspiration. Their journey in theater inspired them to dabble in playwriting,...

After Downbeats performance, the upper school Jazz Band & Lab Band directed by Dave Hart played Happy by Pharrell Williams and arranged by Mike Tomaro.

Conservatory wishes the community happy holidays

by Emily Tan, Features Editor December 13, 2020

On Friday Dec. 11, the upper school community watched Harker’s middle school and upper school performing arts groups during the assembly period. Orchestra members faded in and out of the screen, the...

Kinetic Krew dances outside during a section of their virtual White Flag performance. The video was shown during the school meeting on Dec. 3.

No retreat, no surrender

by Alysa Suleiman, A&E Editor December 11, 2020

In wartime, a white flag represents an ultimate, definite concession. It calls the surrender, requests the truce and cements the defeat. But now, the pandemic has waged a war against normalcy, threatening...

Junior Carter Chadwick works on math homework after school as upper school students continue to take classes from home. “You get out what you put in. So if you just use other people’s work, what’s the point of it? Why even take the class or go to school? That’s how I feel about cheating in general,” Carter said.

Redefining honor amidst uncertainty

by Emily Tan, Sarah Mohammed, and Sriya Batchu October 27, 2020

Greek philosopher Aristotle argued in his book Nicomachean Ethics that only voluntary actions, or the actual practice of virtue, could create a virtuous person. For Roman philosopher and statesman Marcus...

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