Harker Aquila

Harker Aquila The official student-run online publication of The Harker School. Read more at harkeraquila.com!

Bucknall and Saratoga campuses buzzed with excitement as sophomores met their third-grade buddies and seniors reunited w...
10/03/2025

Bucknall and Saratoga campuses buzzed with excitement as sophomores met their third-grade buddies and seniors reunited with their fifth-grade buddies for the first Eagle Buddies event of the year on Sept. 24. 
Sophomores bussed to the lower school and met their third-grade Eagle Buddies for the first time. Due to rain at noon, they gathered with their buddies in the gym for a lunch of pizza, chips and salad. Students were then dismissed to their own activities, ranging from sports to arts and crafts. Outdoor games included soccer, ping pong and wallball, while the gym hosted bracelet-making, scratch art and coloring stations. 
Sophomore Bhadra Pramod noted that the program allowed her to step into a leadership role while also building a friendly relationship with her Eagle Buddy.
“I feel really honored to be a mentor to someone, and it’s really heartwarming to see the younger generation be able to do stuff,” Bhadra said. “We made friendship bracelets. I really appreciated how she made them for me, even though it’s a little tiny, but it’s really cute. I feel like I gained a new sibling today.”

Full article: https://harkeraquila.com/91027/news/seniors-and-sophomores-make-memories-at-first-eagle-buddies-event-of-the-school-year/ #

Reporters: Charlene Li and Aileen Jang
Photographer: Aileen Jang

Harker cancelled the homecoming football game for the first time in school history, citing safety risks of playing with ...
10/01/2025

Harker cancelled the homecoming football game for the first time in school history, citing safety risks of playing with a short roster. They will instead hold a varsity girls volleyball match against Branham High School on Davis field on Oct. 4.

With only 12 players on the roster currently, the varsity football team does not have the capacity for such a high-profile 8-man game, according to Athletic Director Dan Molin. He noted that players would have to cover both offense and defense for the entire game without rest, increasing the risk of injuries.

“The numbers are constantly fluctuating, and going into homecoming with that fluctuating number is not a safe situation,” Molin said. “We made the decision to not put the pressure on kids to stay in the game injured. Putting kids in the pressure situation to stay in the game in front of 1500 people is not a wise situation for anyone.”

For the players, the cancellation meant losing a longstanding homecoming tradition. The game typically draws the largest audience of the year, creating a spotlight for the football team. 

“We were initially devastated, since homecoming is the biggest game that we look forward to playing,” Co-captain Pedro Castro III (11) said. “We don’t normally get many supporters for our regular games, so games like that where not only are the stands full, but they’re having to build even more stands to accommodate more fans, hearing that it got canceled really hurt us.”

Full article: https://harkeraquila.com/91067/sports/football-game-cancellation-breaks-homecoming-tradition/

Reporters: Lily Peng and Wenjie Zou
Photographer: Eva Cheng

In your dreams, a mysterious talking beetle confronts you with vexing mathematical queries. Do you ignore it and wake up...
09/26/2025

In your dreams, a mysterious talking beetle confronts you with vexing mathematical queries. Do you ignore it and wake up, convinced that not even sleep provides respite from your algebra homework, or plunge into a bizarre adventure filled with more strange questions?

Robert, protagonist of “The Number Devil,” is a 12-year-old boy who faces this choice and opts to follow his curiosity through a world of math despite not enjoying the subject at school. Written by Hans Magnus Enzensberger and illustrated by Rotraut Susanne Berner, “The Number Devil” follows Robert throughout his imaginary adventures as he explores fields ranging from number theory and geometry to combinatorics and logic.

“The Number Devil” is structured as a series of 12 nights, each covering a different and increasingly complex topic. Fractions give way to fractals as Enzensberger and Berner use vivid imagery to make abstract concepts intuitively understandable. 

Full article: https://harkeraquila.com/90878/arts-entertainment-lifestyle/book-corner-logical-whimsy/

Reporter: Mihir Kotbagi
Photagrapher: Mihir Kotbagi

09/26/2025

Surprise drop! Check out this week’s THURSDAY Fit-checks to see how students are showing off their looks in the perfect fall weather. Happy fall break day!

Reporting and Videography by Chelsea Xie and Cynthia Xie
Editing by Eva Cheng

Ninety-three student-run organizations invited students to explore Harker’s wide range of extracurricular opportunities ...
09/25/2025

Ninety-three student-run organizations invited students to explore Harker’s wide range of extracurricular opportunities at the annual Club Fair in the Nichols Atrium and Rothschild Commons on Sept. 17. 

Students visited the clubs’ booths and posters, where representatives shared information and encouraged sign-ups on Harker Dev’s activities website. For many frosh, the event marked their first time interacting with clubs on campus, from UNICEF to Jewish Affinity Group, and picking out organizations that resonated most with them.

“The Club Fair was a really cool experience, and it was nice to visit all the different clubs,” frosh Anneka Prusty said. “I really liked the Cooking Club because they showcased some of the food that they made, and the passionfruit lemonade was really good, so now I want to join.”

Many organizations went beyond typical trifold posters, catching students’ attention with giveaways, live demonstrations and trivia games. The Music Creation Club showcased a live beat-making set with a keyboard and sound equipment, while TEDxHarkerSchool offered attendees free merch and invited them to pose for a photo with handmade picture frames. 

Full article: https://harkeraquila.com/90771/news/club-fair-spotlights-93-student-organizations/

Reporters: Ashley Mo and Aileen Jang
Photographer: Aileen Jang

09/24/2025

Varsity football player Marloe Sanchez-Taporco (10) shares items from his sports bag, including a discus from last track and field season and kickboxing hand wraps. 

Reporting and editing by Charlene Li
Videography by Tiffany Zhu

Varsity football secured a 74-6 victory over BASIS Independent Silicon Valley in their first game of the season on Davis...
09/23/2025

Varsity football secured a 74-6 victory over BASIS Independent Silicon Valley in their first game of the season on Davis Field on Thursday.

BASIS won the coin toss and deferred to receive the ball in the second quarter. As the Bobcats set up for the kick-off, they fumbled the snap. Cornerback Mason Brooks (11) scrambled forward to win possession of the football, and running back Pedro Castro III (11) threw himself past BASIS’ endzone with the ball to bring Harker up 6-0. Captain Jackson Powell (12) charged through the defense to secure the one-point conversion. 

With the Eagles now on defense, Jackson delivered a hard tackle, forcing the Bobcats to punt the ball. On the return, Pedro sprinted past defenders before being pulled down at the five yard line. The next play, Jackson received the ball from a handoff and ran into the endzone to score a touchdown, 13-0. 

Harker continued to stifle BASIS’ offense with tackles by Pedro and interceptions by cornerback Ricardo Sanchez (10), all preventing the Bobcats from gaining yardage.

Full article: https://harkeraquila.com/90647/sports/varsity-football-destroys-basis-74-6-in-season-opener/

Reporters: Eva Cheng and Lily Peng
Photographers: Eva Cheng and Lily Peng

09/20/2025

Friday Fit-checks is back for another round! Today, students show off hand-made pieces and one-of-a-kind thrifted finds.

Reporting and Videography by Lily Shi and Eva Cheng
Editing by Eva Cheng

Large language models (LLMs) experienced a massive rise in popularity in 2022 with the release of ChatGPT. Three years l...
09/19/2025

Large language models (LLMs) experienced a massive rise in popularity in 2022 with the release of ChatGPT. Three years later, more people have access to LLMs than ever, and many students often turn to them for brainstorming essay ideas or polishing grammar and word choice. However, this ubiquity raises concerns that the convenience of these tools comes at the cost of learning and originality.

Language and Linguistics Club president and LLM researcher Linda Zeng (12) recognizes that human writing may eventually mimic LLMs as a result of their prominence.

“For people who use LLMs a lot, even when they stop using it, LLMs are almost their teacher and have taught them to write in this certain style,” Linda said. “20 to 50 years from now, our kids will definitely have a more LLM-like writing style if things keep going the way they are right now.”

AI-generated writing in LLM outputs often relies on patterns like frequent em dashes, lists of three, repetitive sentence structures and buzzwords like “multifaceted” and “transformative” that sound impressive but add little substance.

Full article: https://harkeraquila.com/90196/features/generative-ai-in-writing-undermines-creativity-and-critical-thinking/

Reporters: Suhani Gupta and William Jiang
Illustrator: Sarah Wang

Bearing the promise of sweet treats and Hello Kitty-themed delight, the Hello Kitty Cafe at Westfield Valley Fair opened...
09/18/2025

Bearing the promise of sweet treats and Hello Kitty-themed delight, the Hello Kitty Cafe at Westfield Valley Fair opened mid-July. With the face of the iconic cartoon figure everywhere, the cafe sparkled with Instagram potential from decor to desserts, drawing massive lines during its opening days. But while the cafe looked magical and the Hello Kitty-themed desserts were visually well thought-out, the subpar flavors didn’t match the presentation.
We ordered the Strawberry Dream, Strawberry Cloud Matcha, Strawberry Tart, Mama’s

Apple Pie and Chocolate Cake. Among the pastries, only the Strawberry Tart ($11) stood out. Fresh fruit, smooth custard and a buttery crust all meshed together beautifully in this cohesive, seasonal treat. This dessert was delicious, and its limited-time label made it all the more appealing. Although the Hello Kitty-shaped butter cookie on top was cute, the rest of the tart was so delightful that it almost felt like an afterthought.

The other desserts on the standard menu, meanwhile, lacked compelling flavors. Though the crust of the Mama’s Apple Pie ($11) was light and flaky, the filling was too mild, lacking the warm apple-spice punch we expected. The Chocolate Cake ($11) was our least favorite. The cake itself had a grainy texture and such overwhelming bitterness that the cocoa flavor was completely lost, making it nearly inedible after one bite. Though the silver Hello Kitty face and glossy ganache looked promising, the actual eating experience disappointed us. 

Full article: https://harkeraquila.com/90347/arts-entertainment-lifestyle/hello-kitty-cafe-picture-perfect-but-falls-short-on-flavor/ #

Reporters: Hannah Jeon and Lindsay Li
Photographer: Hannah Jeon

Every time you scroll through Instagram or order food from DoorDash, you’re using a digital interface shaped by Figma De...
09/16/2025

Every time you scroll through Instagram or order food from DoorDash, you’re using a digital interface shaped by Figma Design. Over the past five and a half years, Matthew Huang (‘15) has helped push Figma from a 100-person startup into a company with over 2000 employees. Now a technical lead working on the front-end platform team, he focuses on helping engineers at Figma build clean and reliable code.

Figma is a prominent design company that offers a suite of collaborative platforms to create, prototype and test user interfaces. Major companies like Facebook, Instagram and Yelp utilize Figma Design, enabling designer teams to collaborate in real time on their respective products. 

As a tech lead, Huang guides initiatives to modernize Figma’s codebase. His team ensures that the platform can continue developing smoothly as more features are added.

“I’ve been working on revamping the way that Figma’s application gets data from its servers,” Huang said. “We have to improve code that has been written in one pattern for the past 10 years and move it all to better patterns for the future of Figma development.”

Full article: https://harkeraquila.com/90306/science-and-technology/turning-clutter-into-clarity/

Reporters: Claire Tian and Caden Ruan
Photographer: Ashley Mo

09/13/2025

We’re back with episode three of Friday Fit-checks! This week, join us as we explore looks that feature everything from heirloom pieces to travel finds.

Reporting and Videography by Lily Shi and Eva Cheng
Editing by Eva Cheng

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