Kids Heart Challenge raises more than $20,000 for American Heart Association

On Friday, the lower school held its annual Kids Heart Challenge, which raised more than $20,000 for the American Heart Association while promoting active, healthy lifestyles. Taking place mainly in the lower school gym, students could be seen enthusiastically jumping rope and hula-hooping to show their appreciation for the benefits of physical activity. Donations are still being accepted until March 18.

Each year, schools across the country hold Kids Heart Challenge events of their own. Harker began participating more than 20 years ago when the event was known as Jump Rope for Heart.

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Students receive Best of SNO award for reporting on Afghanistan

Today, Schools Newspapers Online (SNO) selected junior Sarah Mohammed, senior Lucy Ge, sophomore Olivia Xu and junior Isha Moorjani’s Harker Aquila longform on Afghanistan for a Best of SNO award. The piece, which covers the struggles of Afghan people following the U.S. military’s exit from Afghanistan, includes interviews with Marjan Naderi, 2020 D.C. Youth Poet Laureate, and Dr. Mejgan Massoumi, a teaching fellow at Stanford’s Civic, Liberal and Global Education Program, who moved to the U.S. from Afghanistan in the early 1980s.

The story also gathers student reactions to the crisis and surveys the many reactions to the exit, both positive and negative. Work on the piece began at the start of the school year, and the finished article is the result of eight months of collaboration among its reporters. In addition to the Best of SNO award, the story was also published on the Best of SNO website, a recognition reserved for less than 10 percent of the submissions SNO receives every week.

Last month, SNO also recognized Aquila as a 2022 Distinguished Site for meeting quality standards in several criteria, including story page design, writing and multimedia. 

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Senior Dawson Chen named 2022 Coca-Cola Scholar

Yesterday, senior Dawson Chen was named one of this year’s 150 Coca-Cola Scholars nationwide. Winners receive a $20,000 scholarship and were selected from more than 68,000 applicants. Criteria considered for selection included leadership qualities, community service and academic achievement. As a chosen scholar, Chen is also eligible to attend the Coca-Cola Scholars Leadership Summit, which takes place every five years.

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Eagle Update: Girls basketball season concludes

Congratulations to girls varsity basketball on their historic season, in which they saw their first-ever league title win, an appearance in the CCS finals and first-round win in the CIF NorCal tournament. Though their season ended last Thursday against Argonaut High (with a final score of 66-53), the girls went 25-3 overall and were 10-0 in league play. They will play in the WBAL Foothill division next year.

Harker varsity baseball won 14-3 last Thursday against Overfelt, coasting on great performances by seniors Mark Hu, Austin Wang and Aaron Lo, who each had a single homerun and a combined 10 RBIs. Pitcher Drew Diffenderfer, grade 9, struck out 12 batters in six innings in his first win as a high schooler. They fell to Harbor High 1-9 on Saturday, and are hoping to bounce back Thursday at home against Rancho San Juan.

Track and field opened their season on Saturday in Willow Glen. Junior Andrew Fu took first in the long jump with a distance of 21 feet, 10 inches, as well as first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11 seconds. Sophomore Veyd Patil also took first in two events with a 5:01.17 run in the 1,600-meter event and a 2:14.36 run in the 800-meter event. In discus, senior Kai Burich placed second with a throw of 123 feet, 3 inches. Juniors Rigo Gonzales, Pranav Mullappalli, Zain Vakath and Andrew Fu placed third in the 4×100 relay. Finally, junior Kara Kister finished 10th in the 800 meters and 14th in 1,600 meters.

Following Friday’s loss to Leland High in the fifth set, boys varsity volleyball is hopeful for a win this Friday against Saratoga High.

Boys tennis won 6-1 yesterday against Sacred Heart following Monday’s loss to a very strong Menlo team. They have a busy schedule this week, as they face Crystal Springs today and Pinewood on Thursday, both at home.

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Students take second place at Regional Science Bowl

Last month, seniors Harsh Deep, Rishab Parthasarathy and William Zhao and juniors Jeremy Ko and Nicholas Wei took second place out of 30 teams at Virtual Regional Science Bowl, held at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The team lost a close round to Lynbrook, by the points equivalent of a single question.

This yearly competition, held by the U.S. Department of Energy, has students answering questions from a variety of fields, including chemistry, biology, physics and math. Harker also took second place at last year’s event.

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Eagle Update: Girls basketball narrowly loses CCS finals, Yella honored by Cal-Hi Sports

Girls basketball lost a close contest to Menlo in their first CCS finals appearance, with final a score of 54-49. They face Colfax tonight in the CIF NorCal tournament. Meanwhile, sophomore Anjali Yella was named the 49ers Cal-Hi Sports CCS Scholar Athlete of the Year for 2022 winter season. Congratulations to Yella on this well-deserved honor!

Boys varsity volleyball’s Friday season opener ended in a loss to Serra High School, but the team rebounded at a tournament in Watsonville this past weekend, going 3-1 to take second place overall. The team plays Mitty today at home.

Last week, boys varsity baseball lost 3-2 to Woodside. Senior Mark Hu gave a strong performance, giving up just two runs in six innings and striking out 10 hitters. Runs for Harker were earned by senior Aaron Lo and Ryan Field. They are at Fremont High tonight and play their home opener on Thursday against Overfelt.

Harker athletics posted a milestone last week, as four winter teams (boys and girls soccer and basketball) reached the CCS playoffs for the first time in school history. Congratulations to the incredible student athletes and staff for this achievement.

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Journalism receives First Amendment Press Freedom Award

Today, the Journalism Education Association (JEA) named Harker as one of 17 recipients of the 2022 First Amendment Press Freedom Award. Public and private high schools selected for this recognition — determined by representatives from the JEA, National Scholastic Press Association and Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society — are judged to have actively upheld their students’ and teachers’ First Amendment Rights, particularly as they concern student-run media. This marks Harker’s first time receiving the award.

The process of selecting schools for the award began with a questionnaire submitted by advisors and at least one editor. Schools advancing to the next stage were then tasked with submitting responses by their principals, media advisers and student editors, as well as published media and school policies.

All 17 schools receiving the award will be honored at a special ceremony in Los Angeles on April 7, as part of the Spring JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention.

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Sibling pianists place high in contest, will perform at Carnegie Hall

Two Harker students recently earned high marks in the American Protégé International Piano and String Competition. Seventh grader Christine Tao, a pianist, placed second in the junior category (ages 11-14) with her performance of Chopin’s “Nocturne #8 in D Flat Major,” while her brother, fifth grader James, placed second in the young musicians category (ages 5-10) for his rendition of Mozart’s “Fantasia in D Minor.” Both have been invited to perform at the Weill Recital Hall at New York’s Carnegie Hall during American Protégé’s 2023 recital season. Videos of Christine’s and James’ performances have been made available. Congratulations to both of these young talents!

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Harker middle and upper school students win 166 art and writing awards

Late last month, 166 Harker students were named regional winners in the 2022 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, with 75 art awards and 91 writing awards. Among them were 28 Gold Key winners, 49 Silver Key winners and 89 Honorable Mentions. All Gold Key winners are eligible to win national awards, which will be announced in March, and national medalists will be invited to a national ceremony in New York City, scheduled for June.

The complete list of Harker winners is as follows:

Art Awards

Vivian Vivian 11 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Digital Art Bodies
Vivian Bi 11 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Painting Bedroom
Shareen Chahal 10 Harker Upper School Silver Key Drawing & Illustration A Smile’s Power
Shareen Chahal 10 Harker Upper School Gold Key Digital Art My Reflection Isn’t Me
Karina Chen 11 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Comic Art Tint of Life
Karina Chen 11 Harker Upper School Silver Key Digital Art Wild Fire
Karina Chen 11 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Digital Art Vomit
Alice Feng 12 Harker Upper School Gold Key Photography Worlds Collide
Alice Feng 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Photography Tree of Life
Alice Feng 12 Harker Upper School Gold Key Photography Smile! You’re on camera!
Alice Feng 12 Harker Upper School Gold Key Photography Past Present Blurred
Alice Feng 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Photography Chains of the Pandemic
Alice Feng 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Photography A Sliver of Another World
Alice Feng 12 Harker Upper School Silver Key Photography Tropical Tint
Alice Feng 12 Harker Upper School Silver Key Photography Shaken Not Stirred
Alice Feng 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Photography Watched
Sania Gupta 10 Harker Upper School Silver Key Drawing & Illustration Memories
Sonya He 11 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Painting “Three Strangers Inside the Subway”
Sonya He 11 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Painting The Dreamer
Angelina Hu 10 Harker Upper School Gold Key Digital Art Fish Cage
Angelina Hu 10 Harker Upper School Gold Key Drawing & Illustration Emergence
Ally Lee 11 Harker Upper School Gold Key Digital Art Joint Custody
Yueyao Li 9 Harker Upper School Silver Key Drawing & Illustration Eleven-Headed Guanyin
Yueyao Li 9 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Drawing & Illustration Hermaphrodite
Michelle Liu 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Painting Memento Mori
Michelle Liu 12 Harker Upper School Gold Key Painting Waiting
Michelle Liu 12 Harker Upper School Gold Key Painting Family Birthday
Sophia Liu 9 Harker Upper School Gold Key Digital Art Airplanes With Feathers
Claire Luo 10 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Photography Twilight
Claire Luo 10 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Photography Downpour
Claire Luo 10 Harker Upper School Silver Key Photography Anyone There?
Claire Luo 10 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Photography Next in Line
Claire Luo 10 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Photography Last Moments of Glory
Desiree Luo 10 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Painting Reflection
Desiree Luo 10 Harker Upper School Silver Key Painting Tenacity
Aastha Mangla 11 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Drawing & Illustration Into Wonderland
Brenna Ren 8 Harker Middle School Silver Key Drawing & Illustration Flowering Hope
Brenna Ren 8 Harker Middle School Silver Key Drawing & Illustration The Dress
Sophia Shan 11 Harker Upper School Gold Key Digital Art Vertigo
Alena Suleiman 10 Harker Upper School Gold Key Sculpture Behind the Fairy Tales
Alena Suleiman 10 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Sculpture Gossamer Skeleton
Alena Suleiman 10 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Sculpture Mimicry
Alysa Suleiman 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Film & Animation A Taste of Home
Emily Tan 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention “Editorial Cartoon sponsored by The Herb Block Foundation” March on the Capitol
Nicole Tian 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Sculpture Through the Looking Glass
Nicole Tian 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Expanded Projects Pupa
Nicole Tian 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Drawing & Illustration Still Life
Nicole Tian 12 Harker Upper School Gold Key Expanded Projects Marital Bliss
Nicole Tian 12 Harker Upper School Silver Key Sculpture Saving Face
Kurtis Tong 11 Harker Upper School Silver Key Painting Bred
Aimee Wang 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Drawing & Illustration Shining
Aimee Wang 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Painting High Summer
Aimee Wang 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Painting Liminal Spaces
Kaitlyn Wang 10 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Drawing & Illustration Creations of Mankind
Nicholas Wei 11 Harker Upper School Gold Key Photography Living Infinity
Esther Wu 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Art Portfolio The Beauty of Nature
Austina Xu 11 Harker Upper School Silver Key Printmaking Harbor
Austina Xu 11 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Painting White Calla Lily Flowers
Kathy Xu 11 Harker Upper School Silver Key Photography “Avocado (half 161 Cal) Toast (1 slice)
Kathy Xu 11 Harker Upper School Silver Key Photography Race You To The Top
Olivia Xu 10 Harker Upper School Gold Key Photography Wildflower
Cecilia Yang 10 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Drawing & Illustration Lingering Warmth
Alina Yuan 12 Harker Upper School Silver Key Painting Beach Days
Alina Yuan 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Drawing & Illustration Jellyfish
Alina Yuan 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Drawing & Illustration Beauty of Smile
Alina Yuan 12 Harker Upper School Silver Key Comic Art Glowing Path of the Generations
Alina Yuan 12 Harker Upper School Silver Key Comic Art Recolorized
Alina Yuan 12 Harker Upper School Gold Key Photography Hope cannot be quarantined!
Katelyn Zhao 10 Harker Upper School Silver Key Drawing & Illustration Untitled
Emily Zhou 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Photography Gasping Garden
Emily Zhou 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Photography Praying for Rain
Emily Zhou 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Photography Friend and Foe
Gloria Zhu 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Drawing & Illustration Confronted
Gloria Zhu 12 Harker Upper School Silver Key Expanded Projects Restless
Gloria Zhu 12 Harker Upper School Honorable Mention Painting Corner of the Room

Writing Awards:

NAME GRADE TITLE CATEGORY AWARD(S)
Malar Bala 12 Unarranged Short Story Honorable Mention
Ava Bhowmik 8 Longevity Noodles Personal Essay & Memoir Silver Key
Iris Cai 9 fantasia through the keys Poetry Silver Key
Iris Cai 9 Ode to Sweet Tomatoes Poetry Silver Key
Iris Cai 9 I Want To Be an Author Personal Essay & Memoir Honorable Mention
Iris Cai 9 the depths below Poetry Gold Key
Shareen Chahal 10 Rosaline Poetry Honorable Mention
Shareen Chahal 10 Cage of Expectations Poetry Silver Key
Brian Chen 11 The Man Personal Essay & Memoir Honorable Mention
Catherine Feng 12 On Mercy Poetry Honorable Mention
Varun Fuloria 10 Addressing the Real Immigration Threat Critical Essay Silver Key
Varun Fuloria 10 Diversity in Journalism: A News Beginning Critical Essay Honorable Mention
Varun Fuloria 10 Not Much to Like: Social Media’s Power and Problems Critical Essay Honorable Mention
Emma Gao 10 Lessons from a Bug Bite Personal Essay & Memoir Honorable Mention
Emma Gao 10 Youth Homeless in Santa Clara County Struggle Unseen Journalism Silver Key
Emma Gao 10 Women in The Odyssey: Wielding Their Power in an Oppressive Society Critical Essay Silver Key
Helen Gu 8 Dictionary Words Poetry Gold Key
Dyllan Han 11 Fading Light Science Fiction & Fantasy Silver Key
Trisha Iyer 10 Blood & Bone Poetry Honorable Mention
Trisha Iyer 10 girl•friend Poetry Honorable Mention
Trisha Iyer 10 Language Lessons Poetry Honorable Mention
Trisha Iyer 10 RBG Poetry Silver Key
Trisha Iyer 10 Great-grandchildren Poetry Silver Key
Trisha Iyer 10 The Names Poetry Honorable Mention
Trisha Iyer 10 Matriarchs, Proceeding Like Queens Poetry Silver Key
David Jang 10 Afghanistan: A New Entry to America’s Growing List of Embarrassments Journalism Silver Key
Laurie Jin 11 Earth’s Climate Before the Industrial Revolution Journalism Honorable Mention
Michelle Jin 11 Embracing Neurodiversity: An Abecedarian Poetry Honorable Mention
Michelle Jin 11 The Authoritarian’s Message Flash Fiction Honorable Mention
Michelle Jin 11 Aging: Grasping Onto New Identities Personal Essay & Memoir Honorable Mention
Lindsay Li 8 the solace of the dark (where you once walked) Flash Fiction Honorable Mention
Lindsay Li 8 glass & crystal Science Fiction & Fantasy Gold Key
Lindsay Li 8 Hansel and Gretel as Told by a Bird (and a Cat, I Guess) Humor Silver Key
Raeanne Li 7 Greenish Science Fiction & Fantasy Honorable Mention
Sydney Ling 10 the art of a movie still Poetry Silver Key
Sydney Ling 10 She’s a Maneater: Jennifer’s Body and How the Boy-Run Media Makes Women Seem Crazy Critical Essay Gold Key
Sydney Ling 10 To All the Grades I’ve Gotten Before: As an Asian American Student in the Bay Area, I Never Feel Like I’m Good Enough Critical Essay Gold Key
Sydney Ling 10 Generation Zine: The Zine Scene and Everything In-Between Journalism Gold Key
Desiree Luo 10 Opinion: Before paying college athletes, treat them as students Journalism Silver Key
Anika Maji 10 The Waiting Game Science Fiction & Fantasy Honorable Mention
Anika Maji 10 Beholden Flash Fiction Gold Key
Katerina Matta 9 Measured in Moments Personal Essay & Memoir Silver Key
Sarah Fathima Mohammed 11 Swimming Lessons Poetry Gold Key
Kabir Ramzan 10 Environmental Influences on the Aztec and Egyptian Civilizations in Society and Religion Critical Essay Honorable Mention
Lily Shi 8 Two Truths and a Lie Flash Fiction Gold Key
Ishani Sood 10 Bhaiya Personal Essay & Memoir Honorable Mention
Alysa Suleiman 12 Confronting Conformity, Redefining Identity Critical Essay Silver Key
Alysa Suleiman 12 When the Sun Drowned Short Story Gold Key
Alysa Suleiman 12 Pulse of the people: Not a new issue Journalism Honorable Mention
Kairui Sun 8 Censorship Short Story Honorable Mention
Kairui Sun 8 Snapshots Poetry Silver Key
Andrea Thia 12 Something I Wrote During Quarantine, But Never Knew I Loved Poetry Honorable Mention
Nicole Tian 12 Double-consciousness And the Outside Gaze in The Bluest Eye: Toni Morrison’s Gendering of W.E.B. Dubois’ Black Selfhood Critical Essay Honorable Mention
Sara Wan 11 Pork and Cabbage Wonton Soup Personal Essay & Memoir Honorable Mention
Cynthia Wang 10 That One Girl Short Story Honorable Mention
Cynthia Wang 10 Oceans Apart Short Story Honorable Mention
Cynthia Wang 10 when they grow up Poetry Gold Key
Cynthia Wang 10 Truly Trinity Flash Fiction Honorable Mention
Kaitlyn Wang 10 Little Philosophers in the Garden Personal Essay & Memoir Honorable Mention
Arianna Weaver 12 Making Amends Short Story Silver Key
Nicholas Wei 11 The Dust in the Wake Personal Essay & Memoir Gold Key
Nicholas Wei 11 Come, Child Poetry Honorable Mention
Austina Xu 11 A Realism of Romance in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 138 Critical Essay Honorable Mention
Austina Xu 11 An Examination of the Portrayal of Religion in “Dover Beach,” “The Second Coming,” and “Church Going” Critical Essay Honorable Mention
Austina Xu 11 Ode to the Kitchen God Poetry Honorable Mention
Kathy Xu 11 Black Lives Matter and Retail: The Commodification of Oppression Critical Essay Silver Key
Olivia Xu 10 Spinning with Positivity Journalism Silver Key
Selina Xu 10 Childhood Travels Personal Essay & Memoir Honorable Mention
Fiona Yan 10 The Light in the Darkness Flash Fiction Honorable Mention
Alison Yang 9 Save Money, Live Better Flash Fiction Silver Key
Alison Yang 9 Ditching the Maps Personal Essay & Memoir Silver Key
Cecilia Yang 10 Empress Wu Zetian and Joan of Arc: Women Who Rose to Power in a Patriarchal Society Critical Essay Honorable Mention
Cecilia Yang 10 The Observatory Short Story Honorable Mention
Chloee Yang 8 Fallen Angel Poetry Silver Key
Irene Yuan 12 Three Vignettes Short Story Honorable Mention
Ariel Zhang 8 white gold Poetry Silver Key
Ariel Zhang 8 goldfinch Poetry Honorable Mention
William Zhang 10 Strength, Cunning, and Courage: Qualities Most Valued in a Male Hero in the Odyssey Critical Essay Honorable Mention
William Zhang 10 “Utopian” Absolutism In The Tempest Critical Essay Silver Key
William Zhang 10 Comparing and Contrasting the Value of Ibn Battuta’s and Zheng He’s Cross-Cultural Exchanges Critical Essay Honorable Mention
Tina Tianjiao Zhong 12 Indifferent Redeemers: How Hawthorne, Fitzgerald, and Lahiri’s Protagonists Love Indifferent Social Insiders. Critical Essay Silver Key
Emily Zhou 12 Grandma Personal Essay & Memoir Honorable Mention
Emily Zhou 12 Climate Change: Ocean Blues Personal Essay & Memoir Honorable Mention
Sabrina Zhu 11 Frankenstein as a Parable: Analyzing the Consequences of Ambition and Advice Critical Essay Honorable Mention
Sabrina Zhu 11 Finding purpose through filmmaking: Ajay Madala captures stories and exhibits his individuality in movies Journalism Honorable Mention
Sally Zhu 11 Sestina After 20 Months Poetry Honorable Mention
Sally Zhu 11 Slime and stickers for sale: Students take charge through small businesses Journalism Honorable Mention
Sally Zhu 11 Humans of Harker: A force to be reckoned with Journalism Silver Key
Sally Zhu 11 To Shangqiu and Back Short Story Honorable Mention
Tiffany Zhu 8 Nights Without My Brother Poetry Honorable Mention
Tiffany Zhu 8 A Greek Movement Poetry Silver Key
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Rory Hu, grade 6, to appear on ‘Nick News’ with US treasury secretary

This Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Harker sixth grader Rory Hu will appear in a segment of Nickelodeon’s “Nick News,” interviewing Janet Yellen, the first woman to become the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. The interview will cover topics such as the nation’s economy and the American Women Quarters Program. Hu also will be featured in a tour of the U.S. Mint.

Earlier this month, Hu was featured in a Nickelodeon video in which she interviewed three of TIME’s Kid of the Year nominees, and in November was on an episode of “Nick News” to interview the staff of the Florida-based Turtle Hospital.

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