Harker Aquila

I’ve always been observant of what other people are feeling and I’ve always wanted to help people. Experiencing my own struggles made me really understand what it feels like. I just want to make sure no one feels alone, no one should feel that way. Vidya Jeyendran (12) Reporters: Sydney Ling and Katelyn Zhao Photographer: Shreya Srinivasan... Read more at: https://harkeraquila.com//humans-of-harker-soundtrack-of-/

"I love seeing things that people create in unison. What the cause is, it doesn't really matter in my eyes. Bringing joy to other people, inspiring them in the process to also [do so], and [seeing] the joy on their faces when they bring joy to other people ... makes me feel really happy. Elaine Xiao (12) Reporters: Claire Luo and Katie Reed Photographer: Helen Zhu... Read more at: https://harkeraquila.com//humans-of-harker-unity-and-grace/

Caring about others is something that's very important and is sometimes overlooked. I believe that this is the central part of what everyone's character should be, to not be self-centered, and to focus on others as well. Annesh Ghosh-Dastidar (12) Reporters: Edward Huang and Catherine Wong Photographer: Esha Gohil... Read more at: https://harkeraquila.com//humans-of-harker-in-tune-with-t/

What wakes me up in the morning and what keeps me up at night is the fact that I feel like I have a responsibility to do what I can and to take that extra step to help someone somewhere in the world. I want to be remembered through the stories of what people experienced being with me rather than being remembered as a bunch of titles. Suman Mohanty (12) Reporters: Emma Gao and Trisha Iyer Photographer: Nillisha Baid... Read more at: https://harkeraquila.com//humans-of-harker-fighting-disea/

[Volleyball has] been a huge part of my high school experience I [now] view myself as a stronger person, as opposed to going into high school, [when] I was shy and timid and not really sure of my place. But after playing especially school volleyball, my views on how I interact with people and on myself have changed for the better. Michelle Ning (12) Reporters: Claire Su and Jessica Tang Photographer: Rachel Ning... Read more at: https://harkeraquila.com//humans-of-harker-the-beauty-of-/

I only have one year left [at Harker], and I really want to take advantage of it. I know every single person has their unique story [and that] every single person is special in their own way, so I want to get to know everyone. In 20 years, I may not remember everyone, but whether it's someone I know well or not, just going to talk to them, having a quick laugh in between classes, those small moments are what I know I will carry on with me. Bryan Zhang (12) Photographer: Aditya Singhvi Read more at: https://harkeraquila.com//humans-of-harker-leading-by-con/

I like making art that moves people and makes them think a little bit more. My AP [Studio] Art focus was on my experience with anxiety, so I turned that into understanding how a person feels or how I felt personally with anxiety, like chaos. I replicated that in my artwork, and it was a nice escape for me to understand what I was feeling. Arya Tandon (12) Photographer: Nilisha Baid Read more at: https://harkeraquila.com//humans-of-harker-artistic-expre/

Everyone is a unique individual person, and you can't shift someone else into another person's mold. That just won't work. If you do, you'll feel even more unfulfilled. And then you'll feel sadder because you're not living up to be that other person. Ajay Madala (12) Photographer: Sabrina Zhu Read more at: https://harkeraquila.com//humans-of-harker-finding-purpos/

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump announced that they have both contracted COVID-19 and begun their quarantine process through a tweet at 9:54 p.m. PST. The announcement follows senior adviser Hope Hicks testing positive on Thursday afternoon. White House physician Sean P. Conley confirmed that both the president and the first lady tested positive in a letter to the president and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Conley also stated that they both plan to remain in... the White House to quarantine and recover. For more, read the full story on Harker Aquila: https://harkeraquila.com//president-trump-and-first-lady-/ Reporters: Erica Cai, Alysa Suleiman, and Nicole Tian Photo credit: Nikolas Liepins (NSPA Campaign 2020 Photo Exchange Project)

As Santa Clara County loosens coronavirus restrictions with declining case counts, the Harker administration is considering resuming certain activities by the end of September as part of a phased shift to an in-person program. According to head of school Brian Yager, extracurricular activities that require in-person interaction such as robotics, performing arts and certain community service clubs may be allowed to resume on-campus as early as Sept. 29. The next phase, cu...rrently planned for Oct. 19, will involve providing optional on-campus spaces for students to conduct remote learning activities in well-ventilated areas such as Nichols Atrium and the Zhang Gymnasium, as well as outdoors in the quad and orchard. We’re not just gonna do what we’re allowed to do by the county. We need to think about making sure we have as safe and healthy an environment as possible for our students and our staff, Yager said. For more, read the full story on Harker Aquila. Reporter: Aditya Singhvi

Since a heat wave struck California on Aug. 14, over 900 fires have rolled through 1.8 million acres, destroying at least 3,400 structures, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom during a press conference yesterday. Upper school computer science department chair and physics teacher Dr. Eric Nelson, whose house is in Boulder Creek, evacuated at 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 18. He is currently staying with family members in San Jose and teaching classes from his classroom at the upper school. ...I’ve been watching the fire lines via satellite, and all it is is red, orange, and yellow dots, that’s all I see, he said on Aug. 25. But I can interpret the motion of those dots and watch over 3-hour increments as the fire moves through the mountains and through my neighborhood. And as I watched that over the last week, it’s like watching a tree fall on a child in slow motion. It’s really miserable, because you can’t do anything about it. For more, read the full story on Harker Aquila. Reporter: Lucy Ge

The end of last year was a devastating time for much of the upper school performing arts department. Both the orchestra trip to Carnegie Hall and the spring musical Damn, Yankees were canceled due to COVID-19’s seeming wrath. Now, with health at the forefront, the department will adapt the upcoming year’s performances depending on Santa Clara County regulations. Art has prevailed over the centuries and millennia, Director of Performing Arts Laura Lang-Ree said. As far ...as there's been pandemics before and wars and all sorts of huge things, art has come through. So for us to find a way of doing it that's different and unique, we're ready to do it. We're going to make art. For more, read the full story on Harker Aquila. Reporter: Sara Yen Photographer: Irene Yuan

"If I stood out due to my American nationality during childhood summers in China, and if neighbors of the same nationality now solely regard me by my heritage, looking past my passport without a thought, where do I belong? I should be able to use chopsticks and speak in Mandarin and have pride in my heritage without compromising my identity as an American citizen." Reporter: Nicole Tian

Over 100,000 California residents have evacuated due to ongoing evacuation orders issued for parts of the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma, as hundreds of wildfires continue to burn over 1 million acres. Members of the Harker community have had to leave their homes due to the fires. Many more were affected by the heavy smoke in the air, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) remaining at unhealthy levels for some Bay Area ...regions. This is a developing story. Check Harker Aquila for future updates. Reporter: Lucy Ge Photographer: Alysa Suleiman

On March 16, Bay Area officials in six counties announced shelter-in-place directives, mandating that residents only leave their homes for essential purposes. But what does sheltering in place look like here, one of the most unaffordable housing markets in the U.S.? Our special three-part package on the Bay Area housing crisis takes a closer look at challenges facing Bay Area residents.... Reporters: Eric Fang, Lucy Ge, Nina Gee, Varsha Rammohan, Arushi Saxena, Alysa Suleiman, Anna Vazhaeparambil, Sara Yen, and Gloria Zhang https://harkeraquila.com//what-does-shelter-in-place-loo/

[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think. Anya Gert (’20) Photographer: Jin Tuan Reporters: Jin Tuan, Aditya Singhvi, Saloni Shah... Read more at: https://harkeraquila.com//humans-of-harker-learning-to-fa/

You just have to go for it. You think, 'In the future, if I think back and regret it, is that how I want to end up or would I rather just try something and see what happens?' Usually, it turns out well. Montek Kalsi (’20) Photographer: Jin Tuan Reporters: Jin Tuan and Aditya Singhvi... Read more at: https://harkeraquila.com//humans-of-harker-all-fun-and-ga/

I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident. Alyssa Huang (’20) Photographer: Emily Chen Read more at: https://harkeraquila.com//humans-of-harker-leadership-and/