POST
THE UPPER SCHOOL
STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE HARKER SCHOOL
Put your hands up for Harker Day
Harker Day welcomed students, staff, parents and alumni to festivities across campus on Saturday.
Clubs hosted booths with posters and activities for attendees in the Nichols Atrium. Many organizations featured games for lower and middle school students.
“We wanted both the kids and high schoolers to have fun,” JNHS member Ava Cruz (10) said. “Making slime was a good choice since a lot of people did it. Someone even made a big ball with origami, and all the calligraphy being done was pretty cool too.”
I just love that aspect of being
a love letter to the
and
of it.”
DANNY DUNN LOWER SCHOOL TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Performing arts groups across all three campuses gave a “Harkerween”themed show at 12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. in the Patil Theater. Featured groups included the upper school’s Downbeat, Festival Chorus, Harker Dance Company and Kinetic Krew; the middle school’s High Voltage, Concert Choir and Showstoppers; the lower school’s Bucknall Choir and Dance Fusion; and students in Transitional Kindergarten.
“We have almost no rehearsals since the show is so early in the year,” Lower school technical director Danny Dunn
jonathan szeto & suhani gupta 5 features Pulse of the People: Gen Z fights for social justice as upcoming election sparks debate 14 stem AI revolution: ChatGPT usage increases water consumption, impacts ecosystems
said. “Everyone’s scrambling to get it done. We always think, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re never going to make it,’ and then it always turns out to be great. I was really proud of the kids this year. They really had so little time, and there was so much to do.”
The show encompassed an overarching theme of “being yourself” as the catalyst to belonging. Dunn scripted the show by piecing together different songs for each group.
“The best part about this is that you have TK all the way through high school in the show together,” Dunn said. “The whole point of the show is that Harker is pretty awesome. I love that aspect of being able write a love letter to the school and have everybody be a part of it.”
Attendees also had the opportunity to get a caricature drawn and to blow gigantic bubbles in the Quad. Gender and Sexuality Alliance Club members helped students pot plants and succulents, and Women in STEM officers talked about the club’s mission and upcoming events.
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CHARGE FORWARD (CENTER) Running back Jackson Powell (11) bursts past Anzar defenders. Jackson tallied 100 rushing yards for the night. ARCADE GALORE First grader Giulianna Chan plays foosball at Harker Day. She also sports face paint, another popular attraction of the day. SING IT Downbeat member Bhavya Srinivasan (12) sings to the audience during their Harker Day performance. Other than Downbeat, upper school groups Kinetic Krew, Festival Chorus and Harker Dance Company also performed. BUBBLING WITH EXCITEMENT A lower school student plays with a bubble apparatus at a Harker Day booth. ‘25 ON TOP Seniors Leo Sobczyn and Claire Anderson heave at the rope during Tug-ofWar. The two represented the Class of 2025 during the spirit relay race.
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Math Club delves into math research
caden ruan & wenjie zhou
Math Club hosted its first student lecture of the year with senior Aarush Vailaya who discussed his research on chromatic symmetric functions in Math teacher Anu Aiyer’s room during lunch on Oct. 3.
Aarush introduced club members to the concept of “coloring” in algebraic graph theory, which involves assigning different colors to the vertices of a graph. He presented two functions used to color graphs: the chromatic polynomial and the chromatic symmetric function.
“I want people to know that math research is totally doable for a high schooler,” Aarush said. “The idea is sometimes we just like exploring these more convoluted, complicated subjects: that’s what the flavor of non-high school math is. Not all math is a problem and a numerical solution.”
After discussing the technical aspects of his research, Aarush urged members to apply to math research programs like MIT PRIMES outside of school and to pursue math research throughout the school year.
“I had no previous knowledge of these math research programs,” attendee Axel Szolusha (10) said. “It seems like a cool niche that’s very interesting. Although it sounds like a big time commitment for me, it’ll be something interesting to look into in the future.”
“ I want people to know that math research is totally doable for a high schooler.”
AARUSH VAILAYA (12) STUDENT MATH RESEARCHER
Math Club plans to continue offering student-led lectures to explore their niche monthly mathematical topics.
“Each month we’ll have a different theme,” said Director of Events Anika Rajaram (11). “So our lectures, games and Problems of the Week are all relevant to the theme. This month our theme is graph theory and I thought Aarush’s unique lecture clearly explained the topic to our members.”
Beyond lectures, Math Club participants can also participate in competitions against other schools. Each year, the Harker Math Team places high in nationwide rankings in AreteLabs, an online weekly math competition between schools across the United States. Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
Harker Day brings community together
jonathan szeto, ashley mo, charlie wang, mihir kotbagi & lily peng
Stations in the Nichols Atrium allowed clubs to introduce their organization and share their missions with students and parents. Harker Robotics taught visitors about the club’s work and events and allowed students to control their robot.
“We hope people leave with a desire to do robotics,” Electric and Field Fabrication Director Agastya Ravuri (12) said. “Robotics is really beautiful, and we hope to get more people involved through our demo and booth.”
The Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center showcased several of its rescued animals and shared facts about each species. WERC volunteers Anna Pascual, Olivia Perteet and Brennan Lim brought out a great horned owl, a red-tailed hawk, a western screech owl and a gopher snake named Noodle. At the end of the presentation, audience members were invited to take a closer look at the animals and touch different animal bones.
“My favorite part was meeting Noodle and learning the differences
between the different types of snakes,” attendee Odin Wang (3) said. “The coolest part was to actually feel and touch a real animal’s bone, like a pelican and a deer.”
“We also get to meet new people from all three campuses and help our community by fundraising.”
PATRICIA LI (9)
FROSH FUNDRAISER PARTICIPANT
Students could pet and walk dogs in a petting zoo next to Graduates’ Grove, and parents in each grade level held potlucks in tables outside the Rothschild Performing Arts Center. In addition to the sushi, lobster, taco, halal and burger trucks lined along the RPAC, frosh sold pizza and refreshments from noon to the start of the Homecoming game at 6:00 p.m. to contribute to their class budget.
“Selling pizza with our advisories helps with advisory bonding,” frosh Patricia Li said. “We also get to meet new
HARKER DAY IN NUMBERS
15 booths
2800 attendees
12 events
people from all three campuses and help our community by fundraising. I’m proud to represent my class and help fundraise for our class activities.”
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Alumni come back to Harker for weekend reunions
Graduates across decades reunited and forged new friendships during Alumni Weekend from Friday to Sunday.
The Classes of 2014 and 2019 held their respective 10 and five year reunions at Maggiano’s Little Italy on Friday, while the Class of 2004 met at the Hotel Valencia on Saturday. All classes were welcomed to the Alumni Barbecue on Saturday’s Harker Day.
Alumna Nastia Sushkova (‘19) appreciated the effort Alumni Relations put into facilitating a relaxed environment for conversations, as well as the opportunity to be back on campus again.
“When I was a student, I was just focused on getting through the week,” Sushkova said. “Now being back here, I’m so grateful for the experience and have more of an appreciation for it. Some of the best friends I’ve made for life are from Harker because of what we went through together.”
This Harker Day was alumna Ann Lucena’s (‘00) first time back since graduating.
“I have a lot of fond memories of my time here,” she said. “It was wonderful to see some of my old teachers who are still teaching here as well as catching up with
my friends, in some cases after 24 years. It feels like a lot of time has passed since I graduated, but at the same time it’s gone by really quickly.”
Middle school English teacher Mark Gelineau (‘90), who attended Harker Day, appreciates the unification of both previous students and current students Harker Day provides. One of his treasured memories is leading his fellow alumni through what was previously their middle school campus, from the constants of Main and Manzanita Halls to the new
additions of the Rothschild Performing Arts and Athletic Centers.
“Taking them through those doors and watching that memory hit all of them was a perfect mix of new and change,” Gelineau said. “I’ve seen so many variations of Harker Day, back when it was the Family and Alumni Picnic to the Picnic and Carnival to its current incarnation. With all the changes in evolution the school has gone through, to have this one unbroken line of tradition is really special.”
PAINTING WITH PRECISION A face painting artist draws a shark on the cheek of a Harker Day attendee. Other than face painting, numerous activities, such as bubble blowing, caricature drawing and slime making, were provided for students and parents.
CATCH UP Upper school math teacher and alumni Bradley Stoll engages in a conversation with a Harker alum during the Barbecue reunion on Saturday.
COLORFUL GRAPHS Aarush Vailaya (12) defines the Elementary Basis, a topic he used to explain his math research.
alison yang
Breaking down the ballot: CA Propositions
Big-name presidential candidates and rising political stars often flood the airwaves and capture voters’ attention across California during election season, overshadowing one of the Golden State’s most important policy-making tools: the proposition system, which allows citizens to involve themselves in the legislative process.
Propositions serve as one of the few forms of direct democracy available to voters: ballot measures are suggested by citizens, approved by the state attorney
Prop 3
YES: Changes language in California’s state constitution to remove diction that makes reference to the gender or race of potential married couples.
NO: No change in the language of the California constitution.
general, converted into a petition that requires a certain amount of signatures (874,641 this year) and then finally proposed for official voting on the ballot.
On Nov. 5, the 2024 Election Day, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., voters will vote “Yes” or “No” for each proposition after the fulfillment of this long process. We’ve broken down select ballot measures available for California voters this year, each set to decide issues ranging from school funding to protecting same-sex marriage to controlling prescription drug revenue. Read along and consider personal research to become a better informed voter.
Prop 4
YES: Allocates $10 billion for climaterelated improvements, such as improving drinking water, preventing wildfires and restoring forests.
NO: No bonds borrowed by the state, and no additional burden on taxpayers.
Prop 2
A ATTAM
YES: Allocates $10 billion for improvements in CA public schools, community colleges and career technical education institutes.
NO: No educational changes, but no financing means no increased state taxes.
Prop 5
YES: Makes it easier for local governments to acquire bonds that support housing for low to middle income Californians, but may lead to increase in property taxes and costs.
NO: Maintains a higher threshold for acquiring housing funds.
Prop 35 Prop 33 Prop 32
YES: Raises the minimum wage to 17$ in 2025 and 18$ in 2026 for most businesses, delaying the process by a year for those with less than 25 employees.
NO: The minimum wage would be 17$ in 2026 and increase in later years.
YES: Removes limits on rent control, a policy where state governments cap rental prices. Some argue it will drive up existing units’ prices and worsen the affordable housing crisis.
NO: Continues limiting rent control laws in California cities and counties.
YES: Makes the current tax on health care insurance plans permanent, with the additional state tax revenue intended to fund Medi-Cal services.
NO: No changes will be made to existing rules, and the current tax will come to an end in 2027.
Local organization hosts proposition forum
Panelists encouraged San Jose residents to vote “Yes” on California Proposition 6 and “No” on Proposition 36 at a Silicon Valley De-Bug-hosted community forum centered around spreading awareness about criminal justice on Oct. 2.
If passed, Proposition 6 would eliminate a provision in the Constitution of California that allows for the involuntary servitude of incarcerated people. Proposition 36 would increase sentences for certain theft and drug crimes by changing punishments from misdemeanors to felonies.
With Proposition 6, we want to provide public safety, greater access to education and free rehabilitation.”
J Vasquez
CURYJ POLICY AND LEGAL SERVICES MANAGER
Ujima Adult and Family Services Executive Director Yvonne Maxwell, Housing Advocate Sandy Perry, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice Policy and Legal
Services Manager J Vasquez, SV DeBug Participatory Defense Network Coordinator Cecilia Chavez and Organizer Raymond Goinsl shared arguments. They discussed why they believed restorative policies instead of punitive ones would help decrease crime, reduce prison populations and improve the lives of people in jail.
“Forced prison labor undermines rehabilitation,” Vasquez said. “The evidence is clear when the work you do is not really a choice. If you just want to take a substance use management class
Mock election aids civic engagement
janam chahal & cynthia xie
AP U.S. Government and Politics classes hosted the annual mock election on Oct. 8, where students voted on political candidates and issues.
Throughout the day students filled out and submitted ballots in Shah Hall. Students voted on the presidential candidates, open Senate seats and propositions of the 2024 elections. Students also credited the class period that encouraged them to cast their vote. .
To encourage voter turnout, the AP Gov classes each ran individual campaigns, competing against one another for votes. Strategies included obtaining faculty endorsements, promoting the mock election at class meetings and creating social media campaigning accounts.
Period 2 AP Gov student Eric Zhang (12) realized how difficult it is to engage students and convince them to vote.
“The question is, what tactics can you use to influence people?” Eric said.
“The goal is to encourage students on this campus to get involved and vote. It’s really important to get that youth vote and have that voice.
GIA EMELIE AP GOV STUDENT
“There’s the danger of pushing so hard that you annoy people and they don’t want to vote for you. Or if you don’t push enough, how can you explore all these different avenues to reach the target people?”
or you want to take an impact class, you can have 10 or 15 years longer in prison. With Proposition 6, we want to provide public safety, greater access to education and free rehabilitation for people.” Panelists highlighted the dangers of misinformation surrounding Proposition 36 prevalent in social media and news outlets. They held a Q&A session afterwards about the propositions and other social issues including prison conditions, housing and income inequality.
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Only students were allowed to vote in the mock election, which aimed to increase youth participation in civic matters and motivated them to amplify their voice on issues that specifically affect young people.
“The goal of this is to encourage students on this campus to get involved and to vote,” senior Gia Emelie said.
“We’ve seen the numbers for Gen-Z voters increasing over time. , but they’re still way lower than the amount of voters in their sixties or seventies. It’s really important to get that youth vote and have that voice.”
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SPARKING COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS CURYJ Legal Services Manager J Vasquez speaks at the panel on Oct. 2. “With Proposition 6, we want to provide public safety, greater access to education and free rehabilitation for people,” Vasquez said.
gabe sachse & jessica hu
jonathan szeto & tiffany zhu
GET OUT THE VOTE Senior Rishi Lalwani enters his ballot in the mock election. AP Gov students manned the polling station
KATERIN
heather wang & chelsea xie
236 killed in floods and landslides in Nepal
Heavy rainfall triggered devastating floods and landslides in and surrounding Kathmandu, Nepal, killing 236 people and injuring 173 on Sept. 26. Rescuers saved over 4,000 people using helicopters, ziplines and rafts. After a record 9.4 inches of rain, landslides blocked the three major highways connecting Kathmandu to other cities, isolating the capital from additional rescue efforts. Thirty-four highways were blocked. Minister of Home Affairs Ramesh Lekhak promised financial aid and temporary housing for families affected by the floods and called on foreign aid organizations for support.
Israeli airstrike in Beirut kills 95 including Hezbollah leader
Israel bombed Beirut, Lebanon in an airstrike that killed at least 95, including Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on Sept. 30. Hezbollah is a Lebanese ShiaIslamist political party and proxy militant group that supports Hamas. Following the strike, Israel launched a ground operation amidst the leadership void, marking the first time Israeli forces attacked Beirut since the start of the war. In retaliation, Iran fired over a dozen ballistic missiles. Since the launch of the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced and at least 1,400 have been killed.
Eleven people dead from Marburg virus in Rwanda
Rwanda Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana reported 11 deaths and 26 cases of Marburg infections in Rwanda on Sept. 30. The Marburg virus, a hemorrhagic fever with an 88% fatality and no current treatments, originated from fruit bats and spreads through contact with contaminated surfaces or bodily fluids of infected individuals. Like Ebola, the virus originates in fruit bats. Healthcare workers from two healthcare facilities in Kigali make up 70% of the confirmed cases.
French far-right leader accused of embezzling EU funds
Leader of the French National Rally party Marine Le Pen stood trial against allegations of EU fund embezzlement on Sept. 30. French prosecutors accused Le Pen of spending $7.8 million from the fund to illegally hire members of the European Parliament as party assistants. She faces up to 10 years in prison for fraud and embezzlement. Le Pen denied all legal accusations and claimed that her rivals were trying to derail her prospective presidential run goals. As a popular runner-up to the current French president Emmanuel Macron, Le Pen’s going on trial could significantly diminish her presidential ambitions.
China tariffs complicate U.S. political scene
TOO MANY TARIFFS The Biden administration finalized tariff hikes on certain products made in China, with the rates going up to 100% on electric vehicles, to 50% on solar cells and to 25% on electrical vehicle batteries and other goods.
&
Tariff hikes on China by the Biden administration took effect on Sept. 27, including a 25% to 100% increase in the tariff on electric vehicles (EVs). The policy emerges as the latest development in the U.S.-China trade war.
The rates rose from 25% to 50% on solar cells and semiconductors and 7.5% to 25% on battery parts, critical materials and steel. The White House maintains that the new rates protect domestic industry against China’s market dominance, but the policy’s targeting of green technologies like EVs and solar cells complicates its impact.
University of Chicago financial economics graduate student and Harker alum Aditya Dhar (’17) explained the implications of the green energy-centric tariffs, highlighting the tariff on EVs.
“Targeting the EV industry is a way for the Biden-Harris administration to align with climate and industrial policy goals,” Dhar said. “At the same time,
unambiguously higher prices for EVs mean EVs are likely more inaccessible to the average American consumer — this will almost surely have the side effect of
“The United States has made extra sanctions against Russia and China in the past, and it’s a way of showing that they mean business.”
SPENCER MO
TARIFFS RESEARCHER
slowing the transition to green vehicles.”
The new tariffs also target several industries that would also not significantly benefit from higher tariffs. Chinese steel accounts for just 1% of U.S. steel imports: a large tariff hike on steel is unlikely to significantly alter domestic production and consumer prices.
However, specialized tariffs in other
sectors have meaningful consequences. Protectionist policies on semiconductors have even reduced industry hirings and dissuaded domestic talent from the chip industry since 2018, contradicting the proposed benefits of the tariffs.
Sophomore Spencer Mo, who researched the tariffs as a member of speech and debate, speculated that political motives underlie the U.S. government’s policy, despite its economic risks.
“They did it to ramp up political pressure on China,” Spencer said. “The United States has made extra sanctions against Russia and China in the past, and it’s a way of showing the countries that they mean business.”
Both the Harris and Trump campaigns plan to maintain increases on tariffs if elected, while Trump proposed an additional 60% tariff on all Chinese commodities and a sweeping 10% to 20% tariff on all foreign goods. Harris will continue Biden’s policy of selective tariffs targeting individual industries.
Zelensky urges support in war with Russia
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine urged global leaders to stay focused on his country’s grueling war against Russia at the 2024 U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 25, underscoring the critical role of Western involvement in the conflict.
In his speech, Zelensky requested support for Ukraine in achieving lasting peace, which he argued means Russia fully withdrawing its forces from Ukrainian territory. His plea comes amid pressure from Western leaders to negotiate a cease-fire deal with Russia, but Zelensky believes a cease-fire would be only a temporary lull in the war.
“The United States, as a leader of NATO, has to continue to defend [Ukraine] as we did after the Cold War and even right after World War II.”
DONNA GILBERT EUROPEAN HISTORY TEACHER
European History teacher Donna Gilbert believes that the U.S. has an obligation as a global leader to support the Ukrainian people in maintaining their independence.
“The vast majority of Ukrainians want to keep their sovereignty and are certainly, as a sovereign nation, allowed to defend the integrity of their land and defend themselves,” Gilbert said. “The United States, as a leader of NATO and one of the military superpowers, has to continue to defend that territory as we did after the Cold War and even right after World War II.”
Since the start of the war, the U.S. has provided billions of dollars in military, economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. However, Western leaders have restricted Ukraine’s use of more sophisticated weapons, like long-range missiles, in order to strike a balance between empowering Ukraine to defend itself and preventing a largerscale conflict with Russia.
“Western Europe and the United States have put too many restrictions on how Ukraine can fight this war against Russia,” World History teacher Sohrab Ghassemi said. “The United States especially has put restrictions on when and where and how weapons can be used because of a fear of an escalation that could draw in NATO. Ukraine has not been able to defend itself against an aggressor to its full ability because of these restrictions.”
charlize wang & lily shi
jeremy peng
claire tian
CALLING FOR UNITY President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine rallies global leaders for support at the 2024 U.N. General Assembly. Zelensky sold his “victory plan”, a strategy to secure Ukraine’s victory on their terms, to Western leaders and President Biden.
Generation Z embodies one of the most ethnically diverse and civically engaged generations in American history, with 41 million members of Gen Z eligible to vote in the 2024 election, including 8.1 million newly eligible voters. November’s presidential election serves as the ultimate test of Gen Z’s engagement with politics, as many are driven by concerns about issues like climate change, social justice and economic inequality.
As social media and technology as a whole soar in popularity, Gen Z is leveraging these tools to amplify their voices, mobilize movements, and advocate for social change. These platforms become essential spaces for political discussions, activism, and spreading awareness on key issues. According to a survey conducted by the United Way of the National Capital Area, over 32% of Gen Z is regularly involved in social justice and activism.
Additionally, over 33% of Gen Z have contacted a politician or lobbied for social issues at least once in their lifetime, with the majority of their efforts taking place through social media and online fundraising.
Sophomore Dhanya Ramanan, who works for the Santa Clara County Democratic Party, observes the rare space that Gen Z has built in the civic engagement field.
Students engage in youth activism
Gen Z fights for social justice as upcoming election sparks debate
“[Americans are] now looking at more tech because of the fact we need to pay more attention to AI ethics,” Dhanya said. “We need people who can understand the technology.”
Voters on the ground have rapidly propelled the momentum of the parties’ campaigns, and in recent years, Gen Z, has been instrumental in shaping public opinion and driving political engagement. Groups like “Gen-Z for Change” have used social media to mobilize their communities. Political campaigns, such as that of Senator John Fetterman, have recognized the influence of social media by hiring Gen Z influencers to reach young voters effectively.
In this election year, with highly contested issues such as affordable housing, education and inflation on the line, young activists stress the importance
“This idea that nothing will happen even if you vote is the reason that nothing is happening.”
DHANYA RAMANAN (10)
SANTA CLARA COUNTY
DEMOCRATIC PARTY WORKER
“Gen Z is very aware of what is going on in politics and the community around them,” History teacher Bronwen Callahan said. “I see a lot of students helping to make sure that the world around them looks the way they want it to.”
Senior Juliana Li, who interned
at Evan Low’s campaign for 16th Congressional representative over the summer, explains that representation was one of the inspirations behind her work.
“Even though Asian Americans make up a huge percent of the population, they account for less than 1% of all government officials in America,” Juliana said.
Representation of identity remains a recurring issue among Gen Z voters — a key concern being the influence that donors and lobbyist organizations exert on political campaigns. Many feel that this influence often undermines genuine representation, representing interests of only a select few. Dhanya urges other citizens and generations to recognize that their votes can overcome such powers.
“This whole idea that nothing will happen even if you vote is the reason that nothing is happening,” Dhanya said.
Break the stigma around ADHD for Awareness Month
“You’re just faking it.”
Students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) hear this harmful statement often. Public perceptions and misconceptions of the disorder often overshadow the real challenges that these students face in academics, where mastering subjects is far from their only concern.
“ People tell me that I’m faking it. They don’t know how it truly feels to have ADHD and what it does to my brain.”
ANONYMOUS STUDENT WITH ADHD
Since October is ADHD Awareness Month, it is important to treat the condition with the seriousness it deserves. ADHD is one of the most prevalent mental disorders. Contrary to popular beliefs, ADHD is not developed as a result of poor behavior or habits, but
rather is rooted in the brain’s biology and chemical development.
ADHD is largely driven by differences in neurotransmitter activity, particularly dopamine, which controls motivation and reward processing. For people with ADHD, dopamine pathways can be underactive, leading to difficulties in continuing with dull tasks or maintaining interest, since the brain’s reward pathway is not firing as it should.
“Dopamine reinforces behavior,” Upper school Learning Specialist Kadar Arbuckle said. “When you, for example, get a good grade on your test, you feel good, right? Now, if you put yourself in a scenario where you don’t really gain that same feeling from a grade, that can make that task much more difficult because the motivation to do it is just different.”
Characterized by inability to pay attention, restlessness, hyperactivity and other symptoms, ADHD can be especially difficult to navigate in a school setting, where focusing during classes and lectures is crucial to the learning process. In consideration of obstacles patients might face, certain teachers offer accommodations for those with ADHD, like sitting closer to the board to increase attention span.
Although ADHD is recognized as a disability, people often dismiss it as an excuse for laziness and a lack of focus and grit. Many people believe that the condition is used to explain away normal variations in attention and behavior, while others believe that it is a “fabricated” condition, arguing that to some extent, everyone displays traits characteristic to ADHD.
“One [misconception] that I personally face, even with people who are close to me, is that it’s not real,” an anonymous student said. “[They say] I’m doing it to get extra time and help on quizzes and tests, which is really hurtful for me in the moment. They don’t know how it truly feels to have ADHD and what it does to my brain.”
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of civic involvement.
janam chahal & ashley mo
aishani singh & hima thota
STARK STIGMA A bottle of Ritalin, an ADHD medication, sits on a textbook. Ritalin works by increasing dopamine production, creating more mental “reward” for doing tasks.
RISING VOICES Green Team members Shreyas Chakravarty (12), Kristiyan Kurtyev (10) and Neel Kumar (10) hold up climate change protest signs as they pose in front of the quad. They were able to engage in politics through the organizations they joined.
SOURCE: INSTITUTE FOR CITIZENS AND SCHOLARS
Students relieve stress through breaks
mendy mao & cynthia xie
Many students sigh in relief as the teacher finally announces a break, sinking down into the couch in the back of the room. Some students scatter playing cards out onto the table, competitively shouting and slapping the cards. Others rattle the basketball hoop as they dribble, shoot and cheer each other on. In another corner, the comforting and aromatic smell of chamomile and pu’er arises as two students grab tea bags and boil hot water.
In the constant tumult of classes, tests and homework, school can often be overwhelming. To combat stress, teachers give five-minute breaks in the middle of their classes where students can relax. Some rush to Assistant to Upper School Dean of Students Kelley McCoy’s office for their daily sugar fix. Others start assembling colorful puzzles. Another group of students runs outside and picks up badminton rackets.
“When everything is so serious, it’s a time to decompress and relax. It keeps school from being a chore.”
SPENCER
CHANG (11)
STUDENT
Junior Spencer Chang enjoys moving around after sitting through long lessons. During breaks in Mandarin teacher Dr. Yi Jiang’s class, he plays badminton with his friends. They often migrate to the weightlifting area, where they have more space to play games.
“When everything is so serious, it’s a time to decompress and relax,” Spencer said. “We speak English and just have fun and hit a birdie back and forth. Badminton wakes us up, so we’re more engaged in class. It keeps school from being a boring chore.”
In Shah, U.S. History teacher Chuck Witschorik’s students spend their fiveminute breaks piecing puzzles together, Dr. Witschorik introduces many different puzzle themes, ranging from cartoon characters to U.S. presidents.
“Sometimes, I try to bring in puzzles that are related in some way to history,” Dr. Witschorik said. “I’ve got maps, I’ve got other history-related puzzles, but then I have fun ones too. I want it to be a thing that is a little bit educational and brings students together to have fun in the classroom.”
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Guiding growth through grace Jill Yager encourages confidence and creativity
young min & chelsea xie
The first melancholy chords of Adele’s “Hometown Glory” introduce Harker Dance Company’s last routine in Just Dance 2024, where the lower, middle and upper school dance ensembles performed together. As the backdrop fades to a deep blue, the swirls and fans of the dancers’ dusty ombre dresses fill the stage and glow under an ethereal golden light. The dancers glide gracefully through the choreography, extending their arms and sweeping their legs in perfect unison. From backstage, Co-Director of HDC Jill Yager watches on with pride.
Through her thoughtful teaching, Yager creates a space where dancers feel free from any burdens, similar to the refuge dance has provided her throughout her life.
“Dance has always been my constant,” Yager said. “It’s always something I’ve been able to come back to, even though we’ve had a relationship with its ups and downs. Dance doesn’t always love you back. It’s a relationship that challenges me, supports me, allows me to grow. I’m still learning so much.”
Since discovering dance in a jazz and tap focused studio at eight years old, Yager has dedicated almost her entire life to the art. Yager taught dance at San Jose State University for 19 years before coming to Harker to support growing high school students.
“By the time people get to college, most people have an idea of who they are,” Yager said. “Whereas in high school, I can hopefully inspire and motivate, but most importantly, help all of you navigate as you’re figuring yourselves out, finding your voices and the direction that you want to go.”
Yager’s colleague, Dance teacher Rachelle Haun, expresses her appreciation for Yager’s compassion towards all her students.
“She really cares about how other people are doing,” Haun said. “She brings treats on birthdays for HDC, which is really cool. She’s just a very thoughtful person and makes the people around her feel important.”
Yager strives to foster a welcoming environment where students can share their love for dance as an art form and a sport. While working with Yager during the 2023 Dance Production, HDC captain Yasmin Sudarsanam (12) noticed Yager’s confidence in her dancers’ abilities to express her choreography.
“Dance has always been my constant. It’s a relationship that challenges me, supports me, allows me to grow.”
JILL YAGER
DANCE TEACHER
“I was the only sophomore, and it was a really complex dance, but she made us all feel so at home and so welcome,” Yasmin said. “She would throw new stuff at us each week, and really trusted us.”
Yager dedicates much thought and time to choreographing each of her pieces. She works in spaces that reflect her own interests so she can develop ideas for choreography more naturally and creatively.
“I’m inspired by things that aren’t dance all the time,” Yager said. “When students do their art exhibits, I look at these things they’ve created and wonder what that would look like via movement.”
She shares those innovative choreography techniques with students and encourages them to find creativity in unlikely places. Whether it be in HDC, after school dance or Study of Dance, Yager strives to imbue a love for movement in her students.
“I want my students to feel supported,” Yager said. “I want them to feel challenged. They’re in it, they’re working not only their bodies, but their brains, having that connection. Ultimately, I hope they’re having fun and that they are being reminded why they like to dance.”
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Student-led literary magazines foster community
jessica wang
Through something as simple as submitting a piece of poetry or prose to a Google Form or copy-pasting their work into a submissions box in a website, young writers can publish and share their words with a global audience. Writing does not need to be just a classroom assignment — it can be a way of speaking to the world. Youth-run literary magazines help draw new writers into a space they never knew they could own.
“
I hope to foster a sense of community among teen writers. We’re like a big family, and that means a lot to me.”
IRIS CAI (12)
EUCALYPTUS LIT
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The strong sense of camaraderie among their members fosters mutual support and growth. Iris Cai (12), coEditor-in-Chief of Eucalyptus Lit, emphasizes how the collaborative
environment not only nurtures individual talent but also strengthens the collective spirit of their publication.
“I hope to foster a sense of community among teen writers,” Iris said. “Since our team is not only working together to help spread other voices, but we’re also helping each other grow and improve as well. We’re like a big family, and that means a lot to me.”
Many student literary magazines also place a special focus on bolstering young writers. This often involves providing not just a platform for their work but also personalized support to help them grow as authors. Helen Gu (11), Editorin-Chief of the Winged Penny Review, approaches this by offering targeted support to emerging voices.
“I try to support young authors,” Helen said. “If there are any young authors that are submitting, I reach out to them and ask them how I can support their writing goals or provide advice and feedback.”
Youth magazines distinguish themselves from others by offering emerging writers new opportunities. Nina Stadermann, co-Managing Editor of Eucalyptus Lit, reflects on the role of these magazines in the literary sphere.
“We have higher acceptance rates than the ‘famous’ magazines,” Nina said. “It gives people a place to get started, something to put on their resume and say that they have been published before, instead of constantly accumulating rejections.”
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THOUGHTFUL TEACHING Upper school dance teacher Jill Yager instructs her students during class. She often provides constructive feedback and advice to each dancer.
LOVING LITERATURE Senior Iris Cai poses with the Eucalyptus Lit website. She is an editor-in-chief of the publication.
PLAYFUL PUZZLES Juniors Topaz Lee and Lucho Caballero work on a puzzle during their break in class. MENDY MAO
With each graceful stroke of her bow, concert cellist Sara Hong evokes the serene dignity of a swan, mimicking its delicate movements with effortless fluidity. As the sonorous notes of “The Swan” by Camille Saint-Saëns fill the apartment, a three-year-old boy watches, captivated by the emotion of her performance. That moment marked a turning point in Hong’s career as a cellist. She realized that no matter the audience or the venue, she would play with her deepest passion.
“Even though he was just three years old, I wanted to treat him as if I performed for the world,” Hong said. “From that moment, I changed my attitude. Whether I play in a library for little kids or play with the professionals, it doesn’t matter.”
“You speak to people and move their souls. If the music doesn’t suit people’s souls, then it’s not reaching the goal.”
SARA HONG CONCERT CELLIST
Hong began her instrumental career in Korea at the age of five when she picked up the cello and piano. At 10 years old, she chose to solely pursue playing the cello, which led her to enter Korea’s prestigious Yewon School dedicated to instrumental prodigies. After she graduated high school, she studied with renowned instructors at The Juilliard School as a cello major and then attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to study chamber music.
Despite receiving mentorship and dedicating immense time to the cello in Korea, Hong encountered cultural differences in America that changed
Concert cellist?
Sara Hong inspires souls through every note
SOULFUL STROKES “Music is not just a simple material,” Hong said. “It’s something that moves between soul to soul. Even if you have 500 people sitting there, if one person changed, you succeeded. Every single concert has to be meaningful.”
her perspective on music. The Korean training system emphasized flawless intonation and precise technique but did not focus on music’s philosophical aspects. She realized that she needed much more than perfect technique to truly execute a piece.
“I was taught to follow all the instructions that were written, but not so much, ‘Why play that music or what does it mean to you?’” Hong said. “There is something genuine about certain artists’ expression and understanding of music. They know the meaning of music by heart because they are simply born that way and raised in that context. But, people like me try to mimic it without thinking.”
To incorporate emotional depth into her repertoire, Hong immersed herself in reading about music, especially music history, which she believes is crucial to understanding the context of any composition. By understanding the thoughts and stories behind a composition, Hong aimed to deepen her connection with the music she played.
“My mind changed during my sophomore year in college,” Hong said. “I saw that I actually started to value people as souls. Music has to go beyond its intellectual designer because everyone is so important.”
By working through these early challenges, Hong eventually found her path as a concert cellist. She aims to introduce her audience to diverse repertoires and provide composers with a creative platform through her performances. Her experiences interacting with fellow musicians from all skill levels led her to realize her love for sharing music.
“Music is not just a simple material,” Hong said. “It’s something that moves between soul to soul. You speak to people and move their souls. If the music doesn’t suit people’s souls, then it’s not reaching the goal. Even if you have 500 people sitting there, if one person changed, you succeeded. Every single concert has to be meaningful in that way.”
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Digital detox lifestyle allows for reflection
year as she’d hoped and evaluated the influence of social media in her life.
Blood on the CLOCK TOWER
A scream rips through the quiet town of Ravenswood Bluff. Sleeping civilians jolt awake to find the limp body of the local Storyteller, impaled on the roof of the clocktower. With the village’s safety on the line, it’s up to the remaining Townsfolk to convict the one Demon responsible for this untimely murder.
This is the mysterious premise of Blood on the Clocktower, a social deduction game where five to 20 players put their teamwork, deception and critical thinking to the test. A full session of the game takes anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours to complete.
Class of 2025 Dean Christopher Hurshman hosts sessions of Blood on the Clocktower every other Friday after school in Main Hall Room 7. As Storyteller of the game, he is responsible for mediating the unique roles and mechanics of each player.
“I really like the fact that there’s individualized roles for each player,” Hurshman said. “Each game ends up feeling like a creation, something that you’re collaborating on.”
“As we’ve played, we’ve grown not only as individual players but also together.”
CLAIRE PERNG (12)
From nonstop notifications to algorithms designed to keep the user scrolling, technology is in every aspect of life. Amidst this, some students have decided to make a change and try what is known as digital detox, which is when a person willingly refrains from using technology such as smartphones for a period of time.
Sophomore Demi Zheng felt frustrated that she didn’t get as much done over the summer before freshman
Demi’s goal was to live a more meaningful life through carefully analyzing her use of social media platforms.
“I felt this urge to put something out there and actually produce something instead of consuming social media,”
Demi said. “I would hope that what I write or the things that I film would help people or bring something to the table.”
Since many students have hours of daily electronics usage, some look towards spending their time more productively. English Department
Chair Pauline Paskali implemented a no electronics challenge for her Honors English 3 classes based on their study of Transcendentalism. She notices how the experiment changed over the years due to the increasing prevalence of technology.
“As students reflect on the experiment, they often use the term addiction to talk about how difficult it was,” Dr. Paskali said. “We’ve been living in this tech world so long that we don’t know how not to live in a tech world. ”
Dr. Paskali reflects on how the challenge has affected her students, many of whom shared having more free time. They spent it playing with younger siblings, connecting with nature and more productive studying.
“When I started this experiment, I didn’t realize how much our lives would be integrated with technology,” Dr. Paskali said. “It teaches us all to pay attention to time. These moments of our lives are precious, and we should use them intentionally.”
Many benefits are associated with digital detox, including improved sleep, and less stress. However, it takes time and effort to change habits, and resisting the temptation to quickly check our phones can be difficult.
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Participants begin by randomly drawing character roles belonging to two teams: the “good team” of Townsfolk and Outsiders, and the “evil team” of Minions and Demons. During the game on Sept. 20, first-time player Ainslie Chen (12) took on the role of Baron, a Minion who changes the number of Outsider characters present in the game. After being confirmed evil and executed by other players, she acknowledged the importance of communication in Blood on the Clocktower.
“When you have more people, you can really get one-on-one conversations and team up with others,” Ainslie said. “Everybody can see what you’re doing and make judgments based on not only the information you’re sharing, but also social cues like your body language and who you talk to.”
Students gather to play weekly or biweekly, including senior Claire Perng.
“I’ve liked it pretty much from the beginning, which is why I’ve continued to come back,” Claire said. “As we’ve played, we’ve grown not only as individual players but also together.”
OVERWHELMED Adolescents feel swamped from the distractions around them. “I felt this urge to produce instead of consuming social media,” sophomore Demi Zhang said.
ella guo & leah krupnik
claire zhao
young min & chelsea xie
TROUBLE BREWING Seniors Juliana Li and Claire Perng read the character sheet. Tokens were drawn to determine everyone’s alignment and unique role.
BOOK CORNER
Jonny Got His Gun
jessica wang
Waking up in a hospital bed, Joe Bonham feels his body being swaddled in bandages that wrap around his face and block out his vision. He instinctively reaches for his eyes, but he has no hands to move — they aren’t attached to his arms anymore. Neither are his arms to his shoulders. He tries to scream and finds he has lost his mouth too.
The purposeful narration by Joe Bonham thrusts readers into the world of “Johnny Got His Gun.” Dalton Trumbo’s anti-war novel pushes readers into a world of suffering, where Joe’s mind remains vibrantly alive, yet his body is a mere shell of its former self. It’s a stark exploration of the human cost of conflict, a journey through memory, loss and the bitter truths of existence.
The first thing I noticed when reading this novel was the absence of commas entirely from the prose, creating a relentless flow that mirrors Joe’s disorienting thoughts and emotions. The lack of traditional punctuation and capitalization serves to emphasize the chaos. This punctuation choice propels the reader through the narrative with an urgency that reflects the chaotic and traumatic experience of war. Each sentence feels more intimate and visceral, pulling us deeper into Joe’s psyche, every moment raw and unfiltered.
“It’s a stark exploration of the human cost of conflict, a journey through memory, and the bitter truths of existence.
The first act of the narrative relives Joe’s cherished memories while simultaneously slowly discovering, chapter by chapter, the extent of the loss of his physical self. In the second act, Joe desperately tries to communicate with the outside world, only to be met with disillusionment, confronting a society seemingly indifferent to his suffering.
The narrative blurs the lines between memory and present reality, capturing the chaos and torment of Joe’s thoughts. As he recalls tender moments from his past, the beauty of these memories only amplifies the tragedy of his current life. I felt terrified as I navigated Joe’s journey, with the juxtaposition of his cherished memories contrasting harshly with his harrowing reality. “Johnny Got His Gun” serves as both a personal story of one man’s suffering and a broader commentary on the devastating impact of war on humanity.
The cool fog that envelops San Francisco during autumn hides a city packed with wonders, perfect for a day of exploration. California’s densest city (and county) holds a certain duality, balanced between the bustling streets of a major city and the calmer environment of many of its major wonders, making it the perfect place for an
Out of the Nest:
Legion of Honor
immersive, peaceful day trip. Whether taking the MUNI, driving or even on the occasional bike ride, one can experience a variety of cultural and natural marvels in a short timeframe.
Starting this journey at the far end of the city, enjoy the Legion of Honor’s timeless beauty, which whisks art enjoyers through a variety of mediums and eras in an evocative classical-style setting. Founded in 1802, the museum contains one of the world’s finest collections of works from the revolutionary sculptor Auguste Rodin as well as a number of other pieces from esteemed artists.
Including pieces made from bronze, plaster and marble, the exhibit stuns viewers from the moment they walk into the marble-laden courtyard of the museum, with a copy of Rodin’s famous “The Thinker” front and center. The Legion’s catalog spans beyond just sculpture; paintings drawn by Van Gogh and Peter Paul Rubens line the upper galleries, while the lower floor features a theater showing art-house cinema and a robust exhibition of artifacts and detailed ceramic works.
Outside, hauntingly beautiful memorials to Holocaust victims and the city’s Japanese history line give the grounds surrounding the building a similar weight to its historic interior. The monuments lead down the
opening portion of the path to Land’s End, one of the city’s most mesmerizing viewpoints. The windy shoreline features a memorial to the U.S.S. San Francisco’s crew, a crucial ship in the Pacific campaign of World War II.
Along the trail’s opposite direction, China Beach awaits visitors, sporting its own monument to Japanese residents of the city along with stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge from the shore. The signature city fog descends upon the landscape, giving it an otherworldly feeling as the San Francisco Bay water nips at beachgoers’ feet.
A quick jaunt south leads visitors to Golden Gate Park, the sprawling natural landscape that spans almost half the city’s diameter. The park serves San Francisco residents and tourists alike as both a place for a picnic, event, serene walk or spot for a multitude of attractions. Among these are the de Young Museum, the ethereal Japanese Tea Garden and California Academy of Sciences. Take a moment to rest from the busy, narrow roads of the cityscape or experience the wonder of California’s artistic and scientific culture.
On the other side of the park, two massive windmills greet visitors as they enter a mini-hike along the shore of San Francisco’s Ocean Beach. Located right on the Pacific, Ocean Beach makes for a great view.
for
Tasty Tidbit: New Tandoori Cafe fuses Indian and Pakistani cuisine
S tepping into New Tandoori Cafe in San Jose feels like embarking on a journey to South Asia without ever leaving town. Instead of making the difficult trek halfway across the world, we strolled directly across the street after school and found ourselves immersed in a vibrant fusion of Pakistani and Indian culture.
Eating here was an immersive sensory experience. Before we even entered, the sounds of a Bollywood drama playing from a wall-mounted TV and the rich aromas of Indian spices lingering in the air invited us in.
Our attention was immediately captured by a striking indoor mural that radiates with bold lemon-yellow hues. It portrays two women in traditional Desi dance attire and frames a vivid illustration of Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural capital. Below the mural are the names of historic sites in Lahore such as Shahi Qila, a massive walled-fort, and Bhati Darwaza, a historic gate.
The restaurant is a visual celebration of cultural heritage, with every corner telling a story — from the colorful slogans on the walls to the intricately decorated teapots, which are a nod to the elaborate “truck art” of Pakistan. The diverse menu
options were projected on the wall and available on a large tablet, where we made our final selection. Although we ordered on the device, a chef also waited near our table to offer suggestions.
The aloo tikki, which is a fried potato and bread patty mixed with peas and curry spices, had a satisfying starchy interior. However, we found the flavor to be somewhat bland and overshadowed by the sauces.
Our favorite dish was by far the chicken tikka masala, which consists of boneless chicken cooked in a thick gravy. The sauce was savory with a slightly sweet undertone, which perfectly complemented the protein. We chose to reduce the spiciness of the dish, which was carried through accurately in the final product. We paired the tikka masala with the garlic naan.
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PHOTOS BY GABE SACHSE
DEEP IN THOUGHT (TOP) Rodin’s “The Thinker” sits in the middle of the Legion’s courtyard. This statue is one of two copies in Bay Area museums. ART AND ARCHITECTURE (BOTTOM) The Legion’s exterior features classical motifs, including columns and marble. The style immerses visitors into the art and provides an evocative background
their museum-going experience.
SIZZLING HOT Our favorite dish was by far the chicken tikka masala, which consists of boneless chicken cooked in a thick gravy. We paired it with fresh garlic naan.
disha gupta
gabe sachse
Harker should abolish paper late slips
It’s 7:58. Slinging my backpack around my shoulder, I bolt into campus as fast as my legs can carry me, my heart pounding in sync with every step. 7:59. I count down from 60. Rounding a corner, I spot the dark green letters of Dobbins Hall in the distance. 20 seconds left. I reach the stairs, lunging up the steps two at a time. 10. Tugging open the front door, I scramble across the hall. Five. The door to the classroom is just barely out of reach. One. The familiar five-note melody of the bell echoes through the building, right before I stumble into my first class of the day. Then, I’m hit with the dreaded words: “Go get a late pass.”
Currently, Harker requires all students who arrive late to grab a paper late slip from the front office in Main before heading to class. This system certainly helps promote and enforce punctuality. However, forcing students to get physical slips, especially from farther buildings like Shah, wastes time that could otherwise be spent in class. This process should not exacerbate the very problem that it tries to solve.
Sure, an extra few minutes on top of a 10 to 20 minute delay doesn’t make too much of a difference. But according to a Harker student survey, 85.8% of 148 respondents report arriving less than five minutes late to class, barely missing the bell. For this majority, those additional minutes spent getting a late pass could mean missing out on important announcements that teachers make at the beginning of class, or even losing time on an exam.
On top of the squandered time, paper late passes waste resources. Physical slips serve little purpose once they leave the front desk. More often than not, they end up straight in the recycling bin.
To put it into perspective, every late slip spans around one-sixth the area of a standard eight-by-11 inch sheet of paper. An average of 20 slips per day over a 180 day school year accumulates to 600 sheets of paper, a little more than one ream of 500 sheets. Of course, that’s a small slice of the pie in comparison to Harker’s annual paper usage, but nonetheless, every bit of conservation counts.
Handing out paper late slips to tardy students at one location can also create unnecessary crowding. On days with remarkably bad traffic, lines at the front desk of Main can go out the door. As it stands, 56.8% of students feel that the current system is not efficient, and 85.8% would be open to a new system.
“ Forcing students to get physical slips wastes valuable time. This process should not exacerbate the problem it tries to solve.”
In an age where students submit assignments, papers and standardized tests online, transitioning the late slip
system to a digital platform will make life easier for all parties involved.
For instance, directly connecting Infinite Campus entries with Harker’s internal attendance system would eliminate the need for paper slips as an intermediary. Teachers can default to absence and later mark students tardy with the click of a button as they come in. This process would maintain the safety measure of face-to-face verification while also cutting down on the time spent getting a late pass. Collaborations with on-campus student groups, such as HarkerDev, may also prove useful in establishing this new system.
Given the current inconveniences associated with paper late slips, it’s time to reassess and take a step forward toward newer, more efficient alternatives.
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Curricula lack financial education on life skills
Due to the absence of financial literacy courses in high school curriculums, students lack this knowledge and struggle to manage their money in adulthood. Incorporating financial literacy and other general life skills into the school curriculum is essential to better prepare students for the responsibilities necessary during independent living.
According to the Global Financial Literacy Survey, 57% of Americans are financially illiterate, meaning that they could not answer questions about basic economic principles like interest rates, inflation and risk diversification. This stark gap in knowledge foreshadows how low financial literacy may to poor budgeting and inadequate savings for unforeseeable circumstances, lacking the tools to understand the importance of proper financial preparation.
Especially as costs of living continue to rise and both housing and non-housing debts have increased, basic personal financial literacy is more imperative than ever, as a lack thereof would lead to a multitude of monetary problems in an unforgiving economy. Students should be educated or at least made aware of the financial struggles that adults face before they enter the adult world themselves.
Although courses for financial literacy do exist in some states and are included in the curriculum of specific classes in other states, they are mostly optional and are not implemented well.
Mandatory financial literacy and adulting courses that teach students about life skills including taxes, budgeting, saving and loans would provide crucial information that could significantly ease
This I Believe: Furbies and family
I have exactly 33 stuffed animals in my room, including a terrifyingly long Furby. 33 may be more than enough for one person, and there’s no particular reason for needing a long Furby, but each creature represents a key moment from 16 years of ups and downs. Think of them as core memories from the “Inside Out” film series: together, they form part of my identity. How they manage this, though, is what I hold closest to my heart: through stuffed animals, I grew closer to the people I cherish in my life. Stuffed animals were present in my earliest memories. When my family brought me to America for the first time at one year old, my parents bought me a stuffed horse as a gift. Nicknamed Xiaoma, Chinese for “little horse,” this horse quickly became a household name, familiar to my parents and maternal grandmother, and an instant favorite. I would often refer to it as if it were a younger sibling, treating it with all the care that I would lavish onto my own little brother in a few years. Many of my childhood photos also contain Xiaoma, clasped in an arm or held tightly with two tiny hands. Now, when I look back at past photo albums and videos, I see Xiaoma, reminding me of my parents’ affection. My little brother also joined the stuffed animal craze, before I entered high school and when he was still a second-grader. Our shared love for stuffed animals brought us closer as siblings, although I failed to recognize it until we both grew busier. He would often take the little creatures out of the closet and ask me to make up a scenario for us to act out. The strange events that would ensue always made him laugh, and we would even make low-quality videos featuring the stuffed animals.
Of course, I found the process occasionally dull or annoying at the time, but looking back now, I realize that the stuffed animals were a way for my brother to spend time with me when I was otherwise busy. Since we tended to spend most of our free time separately, we likely would not be as close as we are today without stuffed animals to bond over. It has become a tradition between us to revisit the mini movies we made or pull a couple stuffed animals out of their storage space just to talk.
students’ transition into adulthood. The emotional and financial strain inflicted on college graduates today can be avoided, or at least mitigated through financial literacy education in high school, which can teach students how to manage funds effectively, budget efficiently and explore alternative career paths before they enter the adult world. Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
Overall, my stuffed animals are more than balls of fluff to me. Just like a puzzle, fit together with pieces of my family’s love, my collection is a constant source of comfort. Although they may not have much practical use, together they are a representation of my entire life. They are often frowned upon as too immature for teenagers, but they serve as links between me and the people I value. Besides, we can all hold onto a bit of childhood, even if the method is via long Furbies.
POINTLESS PUNISHMENT Physical passes waste valuable class time and create extra hassle. They represent an inefficient solution to the problem of tracking tardiness.
victor gong
lindsay li
claire yu
The bell chimes at 11 a.m. sharp.
Within seconds, students flood out of their classrooms, all heading to one place: Manzanita Hall. Whether it be fan favorite California rolls from Chowda House or Chef Raja’s Indian specialities in Veggie Cafe, our daily dining comprises a memorable highlight of students and staff’s Harker experiences.
However, as we enjoy the diverse cuisines on our lunch trays each day, a key question arises: how does the kitchen feed thousands of students and staff each day? Is it done sustainably? In this piece, we examine the many ways we practice sustainability at Harker, exploring the life cycle of our food from farm to lunch tray.
Every Monday morning, before most students even wake up for the day, trucks start to roll into the Saratoga campus. The cargo box opens up, revealing shipments upon shipments of fresh produce and meat.
The kitchen primarily sources from three main suppliers: Sysco, Performance Foodservice and BiRite. Harker also contacts companies like Bay Area bakeries Acme Bread Company and Sweet Production for bread and desserts as well as Pacific Harvest Seafoods and Allen Brothers for fish and seafood.
To ensure quality produce, Upper school kitchen manager Raelynn Baldwin relies on frequent communication with representatives from suppliers to stay informed about changing crop conditions like weather or disease.
“We have sales representatives who work with us in those companies so that we’re getting the best sources,” Baldwin said. “They send us email blasts all the time so that we know which crops are bad. We’re going through it with them like, ‘Watsonville flooded, don’t do strawberries for two weeks.’ Then we talk to their produce guys and make sure everything is coming in fresh and local.”
The seasonality of ingredients plays a large role in determining what to put on the menu. As a result, Baldwin relies on local farms as much
“
We keep things seasonal because it helps with us trying to get things locally sourced.”
RAELYNN
BALDWIN KITCHEN MANAGER
as possible to ensure fresh ingredients.
“We try to get things as close as we can, especially since they call [nearby city] Salinas and around it the salad bowl of America,” Baldwin said.
“We keep things seasonal because it helps with us trying to get things locally sourced. Since it was the end of summer, we’re starting to move from summer
strives to play to each of the chefs’ creative strengths when planning dishes, allowing them room to both experiment with unfamiliar cuisines and stick within their wheelhouse.
The chefs also keep notes on which dishes are most popular, trying to gauge how many servings they might need on any given day.
After years of working with Harker students, Baldwin feels attuned to students’ typical preferences but still appreciates feedback on dishes.
“We get into a good rhythm, especially after the first month,”
decide how we approach things.”
The physical preparation has been fine-tuned over the years, and batch cooking has become one of the kitchen’s most useful techniques. Rather than preparing all servings at the beginning of the day, the chefs start with an approximation of how much they need and maintain batches on standby.
“Batch cooking is so that we know, ‘Hey, most of the kids got through [the line], we have 10 minutes, make some more,”
katerina matta & jonathan szeto
HEALTHY HAUL A new shipment of compostable cutlery arrives in the early morning at Saratoga campus. Together with the Upper School Sustainability Committee, the kitchen reduced single-use plastics through alternatives like these.
ALISON YANG
pieces to save space. The trash bags then go to the dumpsters behind Nichols Hall, after which city services handle the rest of the disposal process. Grounds Crew member Elidio Espinoza highlights the various sorting methods at Harker.
Outwithth
“We do our part just by making it easier for them to identify what’s sorted,” he said. “This way, [the city can] take it from there.”
The efficient and environmentfriendly disposal system at Harker minimizes food waste. In August 2024 alone, the Saratoga campus produced eight cubic yards of “wet” waste, 16 cubic yards of “dry” waste per week, with another eight cubic yards recycled. However, composting and recycling can only do so much: effective sustainability also requires mindfulness from students and staff.
“I see a lot of people getting a tray full and] eating half of it and throwing the rest away,”
Kyle Li (12) said. “It’s a mindset: you can grab a bunch of stuff on your first visit and not need to go back, and then just pick and choose from what you have and toss the rest you don’t want. It’s definitely a problem.”
adopting new initiatives like lowwaste packaging for field trips instead of individual bagged lunches and compostable cutlery in place of plastics.
COMPOST
Fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, garden trimmings, napkins, paper plates
RECYCLING
Plastic bottles and bags, soda cans, metal tins, glass bottles, clean paper
PAPER
Office paper, cardboard boxes, paper bags, envelopes, newspapers
their attitudes towards waste. Given the kitchens’ hard work to ensure efficient food use, student buy-in poses a final obstacle to fulfilling green goals.
Green Team CoPresident Shreyas Chakravarty (12) urges students to reconsider
“The problem is intentionality,” Shreyas said. “People are running off to lunch, they’re running off to office hours, and they just see a trash bin and they throw things there. If we were just a little bit more conscious, we could definitely find a way to reduce it.”
MANZANITA FOOD STATIONS
we have so much variety, students don’t think about [getting too much food].”
CHOP CHOP (LEFT) Chef Carlos Madrigal cuts lettuce for the Mexican Fiesta Station. Mexican Fiesta hosts many fan-favorite dishes, like cinnamon-dusted churros and cheese quesadillas.
katerina matta, victor gong & ashley mo KAIRUI SUN
COLLECTING ON CAMPUS Grounds Crew member Elidio Espinoza carries a bag of trash and prepares to load it into his vehicle. He typically starts emptying trash cans from Shah, which is farthest away from the dumpsters, and makes his way toward the Nichols and Dobbins area.
Kamala Harris’s policies, particularly those that appear to cater to moderates or adopt conservative stances, warrant scrutiny about the consistency of the values that her progressive platform supports and her commitment to core Democratic values.
I fully support her candidacy for the presidency, but I have been growing increasingly concerned about the lack of critical examination she receives. This overwhelming support may stem from her being viewed as the lesser of two evils in a polarized political climate, where many voters prioritize defeating the opposing candidate over scrutinizing their own. A serious issue arises: if a candidate is elevated to high office without being rigorously challenged, what incentive do they have to address their constituents’ genuine concerns?
Harris’s policy decisions, especially on complex and controversial issues, should be subject to thorough analysis and scrutiny. Since President Biden dropped out of the race, she moved toward more conservative views, pledging to strengthen the border and no longer supporting Medicare for All. It is vital that we critically engage with her policy proposals and do not simply accept them at face value. There are many ways to engage politically to champion what we find important: through active advocacy, public discourse, grassroots organizing and petitions or open forums.
“Harris’s policy decisions, especially on complex and controversial issues, should be subject to thorough analysis.”
I also recognize my own privilege in discussing these matters. Living in California, a predominantly democratic state, I am largely insulated from the immediate threats posed by the opposing candidate, like former President Donald Trump’s promises to support states having the right to restrict or nearly ban abortion as they choose. This privilege, however, also compels me to voice concerns and advocate for a more meticulous evaluation of candidates: they must earn our support through substantive policy commitments and actions, rather than simply being the lesser of two evils. Without inquiry into the true values and policies a candidate’s platform supports, we need to be wary of affirming our backing of their campaign. We should ensure that our chosen leaders are committed to advancing the values and priorities that truly matter to us, which necessitates political awareness, engagement and most importantly, a willingness to push against the grain to advocate for what we believe to be necessary.
Heart of Harker: Inviting the incompatible
In June 2022, the country was struck with news impacting more than half the population— and responses ranged anywhere from fury to shock to relief. Roe v. Wade, the monumental decision defending abortion laws across the country, had been overturned.
After a week of silence, I decided to follow my “civic responsibility.” I wrote detailed statements on social media and discussed the decision with as many people as I could. Needless to say, I was terrified.
In accordance with my fear, I began reacting coldly to anyone who supported or even felt indifferent to Roe’s reversal. These people, I thought, did not understand the severity of the situation. I continued to believe this for the next 24 months.
However, this past summer, I was forced to confront my ideas. I had the honor of interning for a few district attorneys in Alameda County. One day, while discussing a case decision in my county, an attorney brought up the overturning
of Roe v. Wade — asserting that Roe had no constitutional basis in the first place.
I was stunned. How could this attorney, someone with many of the same beliefs as myself, feel so strongly opposed to Roe? Had I misunderstood his political standing? Was he perhaps more conservative than I expected?
Social media and widespread partisanship had led me to believe that one idea defined an individual’s political party. It was difficult to hear a critique of Roe without subconsciously associating the stance with conservatism, and this led to my assuming the attorney’s other views. I had taken one opinion and conflated it into a larger representation of his ideology.
I turned to others, letting them know about this statement. My coworker uttered: “I thought he was a good person. I guess not.” I noticed the distraught expression on her face. Feeling myself begin to feed off her rage, I pulled out my laptop.
Only then did I realize that the attorney could have a point. As I scrolled through articles criticizing the original Roe decision for its
reasoning, I learned that the case was not as clear-cut as I had believed. Today, I continue to identify as pro-choice. My interpretation of the constitution differs from others’, and that is what makes up our democracy. But I also realized how quickly I’d diverged from my civic responsibility, the dedication to participating in our democracy — whether through speaking up for one’s beliefs, voting or other expressions of opinion. I learned this past summer that educating oneself means exposure to opinions that not only stem from different perspectives but also may seem incompatible with one’s own truth. Hearing others’ beliefs may be difficult, but shutting each other out will hurt us exponentially more. I want to live in a community where even those who disagree listen to what I have to say, and I must offer the same courtesy to others. We must offer the same courtesy to others. From this point forward, we should vow to uphold our civic responsibility — in all aspects of its definition. Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
Celebrity endorsements undercut political culture
gabe sachse
American history features its fair share of idols. The iconographies of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jordan have shaped the country’s culture, creating a pantheon of legends who define trends and impact public opinion. As such, famous figures have long participated in politics, mostly via endorsements. Unfortunately, neither our superficial culture nor obsession with palatable figures and their opinions allows these endorsements to be based on support of tangible policies. This creates an undercurrent of artificiality that pervades public discourse as we put the rich and famous on a pedestal.
As the 2024 presidential election approaches, we have seen the trend of celebrity endorsements in full bloom, most notably from pop megastar Taylor Swift, who endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency via Instagram on Sept. 10. Swift, despite espousing praise for the more progressive candidate in this year’s upcoming election, emits 1,800 times more carbon than the average American. By contrast, Vice President Harris has put forward emissionreducing, pro-environment policies. Swift, though, must endorse Harris. As the forward-facing, female candidate running against a misogynist and convicted rapist, the Vice President appeals to Swift’s audience, mainly women and girls who look up to the
as a model of strong womanhood. Swift probably supports Harris, but her lack of follow-through on the basic progressivism associated with matters like climate consciousness makes the musician’s single Instagram post look insignificant.
Like any American citizen, Swift holds the right to express her beliefs. However, one must not fall into the trap of blind faith in her. We hold the rich and famous to an odd duality in which they must simultaneously appear politically active and yet not vocally support specific policies at the risk of angering their fans. We must confront the sobering reality
that many celebrities do not care about the average person, as policy-makers and elected officials are obligated to. Society’s obsession with celebrity opinions narrows down their being to whatever we find palatable. While we can’t force apathetic or profit-concerned stars to express their views fully, we can shift our culture from one of idols to one of ideals, bringing realism, policy and impactful work to the forefront of our country’s value system. Fame comes at a price, and this price should not be the efficacy or well-being of our democracy and ability to make positive change. Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
jessica wang JESSICA WANG
singer
fern biswas guest writer
ILLUSTRATION BY EMMA LI, PHOTO COURTESY OF KIANA MARK
Editors-in-Chief
Katerina Matta
Victor Gong
Managing Editors
Young Min Jessica Wang
Claire Zhao
News Editor Lily Shi
Features Editors
Janam Chahal Mendy Mao
A&E/Lifestyle Editors
Suhani Gupta Disha Gupta
Opinions Editors
Mihir Kotbagi Emma Li
STEM Editors
Jonathan Szeto Ashley Mo
Sports Editors
Eva Cheng Tiffany Zhu
Senior Copy Editor
Saahil Herrero
Copy Editor Jeremy Peng
Photo Editor Kairui Sun
Multimedia Editors
Charlie Wang Claire Yu
Columnist
Anwen Hao
Adviser
Whitney Huang, CJE
Aquila Editors-in-Chief
Alison Yang
Emma Milner
Aquila Managing Editors
Hima Thota
Aishani Singh Isabella Lo Gabe Sachse
Charlize Wang
Humans of Harker Editors-in-Chief
Sidak Sanghari
Jonathan Xue
Humans of Harker Managing Editors
Aryana Bharali
Ella Guo
Humans of Harker Profiler
Vivek Moorjani
Reporters
Mirabelle Feng
Jessica Hu
Caden Ruan
Wenjie Zou
Sam Li
Heather Wang
Cynthia Xie
Ram Batchu
Lindsay Li
Samuel Tong
Leah Krupnik
Claire Tian
Chelsea Xie
Nathan Yee
Elizabeth Zhang
Visit The Winged Post online at www.harkeraquila.com Follow us on Instagram @harkeraquila
The Winged Post is the official student newspaper of Harker’s upper school and is distributed free of cost to students every four to six weeks except vacations by the Journalism: Newspaper and Advanced Journalism: Newspaper courses at The Harker School, 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, California 95129. We aim to publish balanced stories following professional standards while serving as a public forum for Harker students. All content decisions are made by student editors. Opinions and letters represent the viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Winged Post, Harker board, administration, faculty or journalism advisers. Editorials represent the official opinions of The Winged Post editorial board. Letters to the Editor may be submitted to Manzanita 70 or emailed to harkeraq@gmail.com and must be signed, legible and concise. The staff reserves the right to edit letters to conform to Winged Post style, and letters will be published at the discretion of editorial staff. Baseless accusations, insults, libelous statements, obscenities and letters that call for a disruption of the school day will not be considered for publication.
Students hold the copyright to work published in Harker journalism publications.
NSPA Pacemaker Winner: 2019-2020, 2017-2018
NSPA Pacemaker Finalist: 2023-2024, 2020-2021, 2018-2019, 2016-2017
CSPA Gold Crowns: 2024, 2023 2019, 2018, 2016
Editorial: Lack of civic engagement dampens student voices
EDITORIAL: THE OFFICIAL OPINIONOFTHE WINGED POST
The intricacies of politics go ignored too often, especially among youth. Take, for instance, a decision by your local city council to scrap a plan to build barriers for bike lanes you frequently use. Although you may feel angry and dismayed, you think to yourself: “What could I have possibly done? Could I have made a difference?”
The International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences defines being politically active as participating in activities with the goal of “influenc[ing] public policy, either directly or by affecting the selection of persons who make policies.” According to a schoolwide survey, of the 145 student respondents ineligible to vote in the 2024 US election, over 79% considered themselves politically inactive. Only 41% felt that the community as a whole was “very” or “fairly” politically engaged.
At Harker, students do make a difference through activities like research and volunteering, yet few use their voices to advocate for their beliefs locally.
Opportunities exist for students to learn and engage with their peers about civics and politics at Harker. In classes like AP U.S. Government and Politics and organizations like the Civil Discourse Club, students discuss important topics that shape our society. But, they should take those skills outside of the classroom and turn their ideas into actions. 54% percent of politically inactive students under 18 reported that they were motivated to engage in political activities, wanting to have their opinion heard. Age does not render one’s voice silent: inaction does.
Student civic engagement especially matters in local elections of policymakers as well as propositions up for votes because they directly affect the everyday lives of Bay Area residents the most. The issues that impact us the most are the ones that are closest to us. When considering how to be more politically active, we must study local offices and measures in just as much depth as national races like the presidency.
Important perspectives on topics like climate change, media regulation and
Welcome to the second issue of the 2024-25 school year! With spirit events in full swing this fall, Winged Post is excited to continue familiarizing ourselves with the new faces on campus and to spend quality time with those we know and love. As the underclassmen find their footing and the upperclassmen step into larger responsibilities, we hope the journalism program can capture the enthusiasm of the student body.
In this issue, check out a local café specializing in Indian and Pakistani fusion, explore the environmental impact of artificial intelligence and take a look at Saturday’s Homecoming game topped off with a recap of our past spirit week! We are excited to continue covering school activities, club meetings and off-campus events as we move through the year. Please feel free to reach out with any pitches, questions or concerns to harkeraq@gmail.com, or to offer feedback using the adjacent QR code. We look forward to reading your comments!
LGBTQ+ rights can fall to the wayside if American youth let older generations’ priorities dominate the conversation. Students must bring awareness to issues that matter to them: since they are the ones who will inherit the future, they have a responsibility to shape it. If students feel less comfortable participating in politics publicly or have few opportunities to do so, they can simply contact their representatives via phone or mail to help get their message across, a way of advocacy already widely used in the student body. Among politically active poll respondents over 18, over 73% stated that they had reached out to their representatives to advocate for their beliefs, indicating the ease of speaking directly to government officials. Regardless of what level of politics they engage with, students have a civic duty to advocate for their local communities. Whether by actively participating in political campaigns and public forums or just by getting in touch with our elected officials, we are all obligated to use our rights to work toward political change.
FRONT PAGE: “Matriculation book” should be capitalized as “Matriculation Book”
NEWS 3: One instance of “class of 2025” should be capitalized as “Class of 2025”
FEATURES 5: “Facilities maanger” should be “Facilities manager”
A&E 6:
• “WARM SIZZLE” caption trails off mid-sentence.
• “Warner Bros” should be “Warner Bros.”
SPOTLIGHT 8: “tesla coil” should be capitalized as “Tesla coil”
CORRECTIONS POLICY:
Our staff strives to represent our community fairly and conduct accurate, truthful storytelling. We list all errors of an issue, along with the page number of that error, in the next issue’s corrections box.
Feel free to provide feedback via the QR code to the right.
editorial board
KAIRUI SUN
Meta adds protections for teen users
Mhima thota
eta announced Instagram Teen Accounts on Sept. 17, their latest addition to Instagram. With the rise in concern over child safety online, Meta’s detailed changes hint at a broader shift toward a shift in social media companies regarding online safety.
Victoria Ma (11) explores coastal management
Q: What did you do in your research?
A: “I developed a system called the California Marine Biotoxin Management System, which can provide predictions with up to 90% accuracy for five weeks for two biotoxins, domoic acid and saxitoxin, along the California coast.”
Q: How did you become interested in your research topic?
A: “In sixth grade, I first dipped my toes into environmental science, and as I’ve dived deeper into it I’ve found more problems to solve. Biotoxins is not a topic people think about, but contamination can be really disastrous.”
Q: Were there any obstacles or challenges that you came across?
A: “The biggest obstacle that not just I faced, but most researchers face, is getting started. There’s a lot of uncertainty involved in that process, and you have to be okay with embracing that uncertainty.”
Q: What did you learn from your project?
A: “I learned not just more about technical elements but also more about myself and my role in the world. It was fascinating to learn how I handle challenges and push myself to reach new targets and goals.”
Q: What methods did you use in your research?
A: “I reached out to agencies working on infield monitoring to collect data sets. Then, I created location-specific models and developed a sensor for real time detections.”
Teen Accounts monitors content and limits which users can contact and directly message teens. Teens under 16 years old need parental approval to modify restrictions the Teen Account sets, and the account seeks to provide teens with a safe online environment in which they consume only safe, teenfriendly content and freely use Instagram while being safeguarded from any unknown individuals online.
Academic counselor Kelly LeahyMcKeown agreed with the concept of limiting teens’ unrestricted access to social media throughout the day, as well as the monitoring of content. McKeown urges awareness over the possibility of social media taking away from a student’s personal development.
59%
of teens use Instagram now or have in the past
A SAFE SOLUTION The newly-announced Teen Accounts on Meta’s Instagram limits who can contact teens and the content they see, while also giving parents more control.
SOURCE: PEW RESEARCH
“How do you develop your own true identity?” said McKeown. “If you’re scrolling through everyone else’s ‘avatar,’ you’re comparing your own. Developing self identity is really critical, and without that, people can roll into depression, anxiety, loneliness. They might feel very alone because the more time they spend creating their image, the less time they’re in real life with people.”
The impacts of social media do not stop at depression — exposure to abusive and exploitative content remains a possibility on platforms like Instagram.
Teen Accounts follows a barrage of scrutiny in early 2024 from the European Union over child safety. The EU announced their investigation into whether Meta’s platforms “stimulate behavioral addictions in children” and create “rabbit-hole effects.” The EU made their announcement shortly after the groundbreaking Digital Services Act, a new law seeking to advance child safety by honing in on harmful content. In the U.S., the attorney general of New Mexico sued Meta over allegations that Metaowned platforms enabled child abuse, sex trafficking and exploitation.
In 2023, over 30 states joined a federal suit against Meta for its alleged exploitation of youth, which they claimed continues to fuel the youth mental health crisis. Citing Meta’s recommendation algorithm, which guides users to content they specifically enjoy, the suit sought to declare Meta’s features unlawful and demanded change to its platforms.
Alexis acknowledged Meta’s history of failing to fully account for cases of child exploitation. Child exploitation facilitated by parents also remains an important issue on public platforms.
“The Teen Account has a good thought behind it, but I think that social media needs to step up their game with policing accounts which involve using children to get views, clicks and likes,” said Alexis. “A lot of girls [are] posing in revealing clothing at 4 years old.”
In an effort to control teens’ incessant use of the app, Teen Accounts contain features that turn off notifications from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and send reminders for a screentime break.
Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
Neuroscience club teaches
Neuroscience Club members learned about neuroanatomy on Sept. 26 as part of a lecture series in preparation for the Bay Area Brain Bee competition.
President Danielle Steinbach (11) explained topics from the first chapter of the “Brain Facts” book, which participants read before the meeting. She discussed
the functions of different regions of the brain, neural circuits, neurotransmission and other mechanisms of brain function, and students asked questions they had about any of the topics covered.
“I learned a lot today about neuroscience that I didn’t know before, especially about the different parts of the brain,” Attendee Yimo Xie (9) said. “The relationship between the structures and
brain basics
the roles that the different components of the brain play and how they work was really interesting. I hope in future sessions that I will be able to dive deeper into more specific parts of neuroscience.”
We’re hoping for people to improve their neuroscience knowledge and give them a chance to ask questions.”
The club alternates weekly between lectures and journal club sessions in which members analyze academic journal articles about neuroscientific research. In the lectures, students learn topics covered in the annual Bay Area Brain Bee exam, a competition which aims to promote the study of the brain. The club also seeks to help students become directly involved in neuroscientific research through speaker events and research opportunities. Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
JULIE TURCHIN
CLUB ADVISER
NEURAL KNOWLEDGE Neuroscience
charlize wang & ashley mo
ashley mo & jonathan
AI revolution, climate devastation
ChatGPT usage increases water consumption, impacts ecosystems
szeto
Your fingers flutter across the keyboard. Click. Enter. Bursts of AI-generated text appear, filling the screen in just a few seconds. The answer is instant, but behind this seamless interaction lies a hidden environmental cost.
From behind a screen, people often do not realize the real-world impact of every search. While ChatGPT appears to be just another search engine, many remain unaware of the significant environmental footprint left by large language models (LLMs).
SOURCE: ARXIV
SOURCE: GRAND VIEW RESEARCH
SOURCE: YALE E360
FAST FACTS (TOP) In the training process, OpenAI’s GPT-3 consumed 1, 287 megawatthours of electricity. (MIDDLE) The global AI market revenue continues to rise and is projected to reach 1.5 trillion USD by 2030. (BOTTOM) A 10-50 question interaction on ChatGPT uses up 500 mL of water.
“In eighth grade, our history teacher told us that ChatGPT could be a good starting place for generating ideas, and that was my first exposure to it,” sophomore Abby Wang said. “We’re always talking about [how] ChatGPT can be used for cheating, but we haven’t really focused on the more immediate environmental consequences of using it.”
In data centers across the world, LLMs take in tens of millions of queries, or questions, a day, and in turn consume enormous amounts of energy from the grid and millions of gallons of fresh water from already constrained reservoirs.
LLMs train on trillions of parameters and hundreds of billions of words, requiring far more energy than simply running the model on a user’s input. In the process of training GPT-3, OpenAI’s third generation of the ChatGPT LLM, the model consumed 1,287 megawatthours of electricity. As a result, it emitted the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide as 123 gasoline-powered automobiles in one year. Running the model millions of times uses more than half a million kilowatt-hours a day, nearly the same amount of electricity that is used by 180,000 households.
“There’s a growing subset, the younger generations, that are growing up with [ChatGPT] as an accessible tool that won’t know any different.”
LAUREN WESTON
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ACTERRA
“If [the models] aren’t pulling from clean or renewable sources, then they might be pulling from fossil fuel sources,” Honors System Science teacher Chris Spenner said. “That has an impact regardless, and increasing our energy footprint is just the wrong direction to go at a time when we’re looking at population growth everywhere, increased demand and more consumption.”
As the computational power of LLMs grows exponentially with new innovations, the environmental impact also grows even further, both in terms of carbon emissions and water usage. Largescale uses of these models also have detrimental effects on water systems. A typical user interaction, which lasts
The process begins when a user enters a query or message into their device.
Once the query is entered, it is transmitted over the internet to a data center.
between 10 and 50 questions, uses up 500 mL of water.
“Given the severity of climate change and human damaged ecosystems, we should be really cautious with new technologies.”
CHRIS SPENNER SYSTEMS SCIENCE TEACHER
“If there’s increased demand on hydropower, then we’re building more dams and that has an impact on the environment,” Spenner said. “When water is pulled from a source for cooling, the water doesn’t just disappear; the bulk flow of the water is redirected back into the environment with all kinds of contaminants. The water itself heats up, so that’s feeding back into our natural water systems and disrupting ecosystems.”
As more people turn to ChatGPT and other AI tools like Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude, increased usage poses the increased threat of droughts. Global AI demand is projected to rise exponentially to over $1.5 trillion by 2030. Many data centers that power AI systems operate in areas facing water scarcity like Arizona and California, which already suffer from long-term droughts.
Lauren Weston, Executive Director of Palo Alto-based environmental nonprofit Acterra, explains how increased water usage by AI in places with already frequent dry spells could affect more than just water availability.
“We already know that the state of California and most states don’t efficiently house water during wet seasons,” Weston said. “So we don’t have a way of keeping water long term that doesn’t go away when it’s really hot. That is a huge concern that directly impacts the planet and the increasing wildfires that we’re all experiencing because our forests are drier, the ground is drier, so it’s producing drier natural habitats.”
To keep supercomputers cool, data centers require large amounts of the same fresh water essential to human consumption, which could otherwise support homes, parks and natural
The query reaches servers that run complex AI models housed in data centers.
The AI processes the user’s query and generates a relevant response.
habitats. Yet water usage has been a longstanding issue for tech companies long before AI use became widespread.
According to company sustainability reports, tech giants like Google and Microsoft reported significant increases in water consumption from 2021 to 2022.
Google’s water usage jumped by 21%, while Microsoft’s spiked by nearly 35%.
Acknowledging these concerns, large companies are trying to implement “water positive” policies, which aim to conserve and restore more water than used and cut down on water usage by the year 2030.
The model sends the response back over the internet to the user’s device. The cycle repeats.
tiffany zhu & samuel tong
Astronomers find massive superJupiter exoplanet
Astronomers recently identified an exoplanet 11 times larger than Jupiter in the Great Bear constellation 900 million kilometers away. Determination of planetary attributes depends on indirect observation, like through Doppler effect calculations, results from optical telescopes and examining the star. Through these measurements, Spanish and American researchers found that the planet had a 14-year orbit and a surface temperature lower than -148 degrees Fahrenheit. The data gathered also allowed astronomers to calculate weight and size.
DNA sequencing reveals Neanderthal variant from teeth
A DNA sequencing of ancient human remains excavated in 2015 led to the discovery of a new, previously unbeknownst variant of Neanderthals. By analyzing fossilized teeth, scientists traced the ancestry of the specimen, named Thorin, to an older, divergent group of Neanderthals. The genetic differences between these and main Neanderthals can be attributed to the 50,000-year separation; however, researchers are unclear on why the group separated and died out. The rampant inbreeding suggests low genetic diversity within the population.
Black hole creates longest obseved plasma jets
Researchers identified the longest observed jets of plasma originating from the oldest black hole in the universe, which emerged 470 million years after the Big Bang. When aligned on the Milky Way, these jets stretch about 140 times its length, measuring about 23 million light years, surpassing the previous record by over seven million light years. While black holes typically consume the majority of space debris that approach them, heated plasma can occasionally escape in the form of thin high-energy jets, which can grow to be tens of millions of light years long.
OpenAI launches problem solving o1-preview model
Artificial intelligence company OpenAI released a new series of models called OpenAI o1-preview, designed to solve more complex STEM problems with detailed explanations. This new capability marks a significant advancement in generative artificial intelligence, as the performance of o1preview matches that of PhD students for standardized basic benchmark problems. Released alongside o1preview, the o1-mini model offers a faster and more cost-effective option but fails to perform as accurately on non-STEM factual knowledge.
Blooming from the STEM: Cosmetic connections Anni Ankola (‘15) revolutionizes
vivek moorjani & jonathan szeto
Walking into a makeup store, you see aisles lined with endless rows of beauty products. Numerous brands, fits for different skin types — you end up lost in the hundreds of variations of the same product, perplexed by which choice works best for your skin. What if you could find cosmetic solutions personalized just for your skin? Compare with others? Find inspiration from celebrities?
Anni Ankola (‘15) founded his startup Spyra Beauty as a way to help consumers keep track of their beauty supplies. With the app, consumers scan their beauty inventory and maintain a digital drawer so that they know what products are already at their fingertips.
“Every makeup has its own expiration date and [so does] skin care,” Ankola said. “Most people don’t know when it expires because they buy it, put it in their drawer and forget about it, and they only find out when they get a breakout. So that’s how Spyra started: a way to scan your makeup, inventory it and track the expiry.”
At San Jose State University and Cal Poly, Ankola delved deeper into how to explore into the realms of technology and cosmetics. Eventually, Ankola and his team expanded Spyra to offer personalized beauty.
With the assistance of artificial intelligence, the Spyra app matches customers with makeup products wellsuited for their own features like skin tone and hair color. Using AI computer models, customers can upload a selfie of themselves and a photo of a celebrity, and the system identifies products that can create a similar look. The app also includes a feature for users to follow friends and share virtual “drawers.”
“No one knows what to buy because many different factors like skin types, hair types and eye color play a significant role in what makeup you use,” Ankola said. “So we used a computer vision approach to build product sets by figuring out what celebrities like Kim Kardashian use.”
Ankola encountered his biggest challenges when the company was in its
beauty using artificial intelligence
beginning stages in an incubator program at Cal Poly. Although he encountered personal losses, a lack of funding and job insecurity, Ankola stayed with the company and continued working to improve the company’s products.
“There’s no formula with start ups — you need to learn to break the rules sometimes, not doubt yourself and go for it.”
“Tech-wise, my co-founder and I can handle basically anything,” Ankola said.
“But with funding, it was hard because venture capitalists are looking for an immediate return. There was a difficult transition for me going from tech to the beauty space because that industry operates in a very different fashion.”
By starting Spyra and putting himself in an unfamiliar industry instead of applying for traditional office jobs in the computer science labor market, Ankola took a calculated risk. Overcoming the obstacles in growing Spyra allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of managing finances and leadership skills.
“Unlike me, a lot of my friends have proper salaries,” Ankola said. “But I’ve gotten used to sacrificing a lot of human comforts that many people have. I’m numb to running lean [on finances] at this point, which allows the company to make way more capital-conscious decisions.”
After multiple iterations of the app, funding rounds and self-sacrifices, Ankola and his team have grown Spyra into a company with thousands of users.
“Since we were raising very, very lean compared to other startups, to pay our staff both me and my co-founder haven’t taken any salary in the past two years,” Ankola said. “But now we’ve been working on it, and we’ve scaled from zero to 80,000 users on a shoestring budget. As of a few weeks ago, we have revenue.” Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
Self-driving taxis offer safer transportation solutions
suhani gupta & mendy mao
The average American spends around an hour a day driving. Throughout their lifetimes, they have a 1 in 107 chance of dying in a car crash, with the probability increasing with how much they drive every day. However, with the development of new sensors and advances in artificial intelligence, selfdriving cars have allowed for less timeconsuming and safer commutes.
While many car companies like Tesla possess self-driving features in their vehicles, experts consider self-driving car company Waymo as the leader in the autonomous vehicle industry.
Waymo first began as Google’s SelfDriving Car Project in 2015. In 2016, the project’s leaders Tekedra Mawakana and Dmitri Dolgov split off from Google and renamed the new company Waymo.
Although some doubt the safety of using self-driving cars because of a feeling of a lack of control and the potential
dangers that autonomous vehicles may entail, many argue that it could provide a safer alternative by eliminating human error. The absence of human interaction may also help people in vulnerable situations to feel more secure. In the first 22 million miles of Waymo rides, the cars had 73% fewer injury-causing crashes than the average human driver.
Senior Gia Emilie rode in a Waymo car 6 years ago in the company’s parking lot and described her experience and opinion of the car’s safety.
“There’s a lot of potential to minimize accidents and traffic, especially at some point in the future if the roads are full of all self-driving cars.” Gia said. “it’s designed to be as safe as possible, and they’re always improving.”
Throughout its existence, Waymo has remained committed to holding safety to a higher standard. In their first 22 million miles, the cars had 73% fewer injury causing crashes than the average human driver. However, self-driving cars still face heightened scrutiny from the public, mirroring the panic of the early twentieth century when cars began to replace horse-and-buggies as the world’s main mode of transport.
Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
CARS OF THE FUTURE Beginning with small-scale prototypes in 2015, Waymo has developed their self-driving cars to create a fully-automated taxi service in San Francisco.
ANNI ANKOLA SPYRA BEAUTY CO-FOUNDER
JUST FOR YOU Anni Ankola’s startup Spyra Beautycombines artificial intelligence and social networking to help customers find beauty products and compare with others.
Academics force athletes to quit passions
The final whistle rings out as you slow to a stop, hand dropping to your knees as you catch your breath. You’ve just finished your latest game, be it basketball, soccer or volleyball, and hours later it’s finally come to a close. By the time you leave the gym, field, pool or whatever your sport calls home, you realize: the hours flew by, without an ounce of homework or studying completed. For many high school athletes, this is a daily dilemma, caught between academic pressures and the time commitment of sports.
Although competing at a high level offers many benefits even outside of the physical realm, this rigor ultimately comes at a cost. Many high school athletes spend upwards of 20 hours a week perfecting their craft, a number that climbs as athletes reach higher levels of their respective disciplines. According to the National Collegiate Athletics Association, Division I athletes, the highest non-professional level athletes can reach, dedicate up to nine hours to their sport in one given day of competition. While at this level, where students are expected to perform as athletes while balancing a college schedule, they often encounter challenges with maintaining the “student” in “student-athlete.” Division I Dartmouth Tennis Commit Audrey Feng (12) pointed to these difficulties.
“Mentally it’s hard because when you play or when you’re playing a tournament, you have to be able to focus even though you have a lot of work to do afterwards,” Audrey said. “You have to be able to transition between school and your sport mentally and not get too sucked into one, otherwise you won’t be able to perform well in the other one.”
Apart from mental challenges, the rigorous workload sparks deeper complications in both realms, from burnout injuries to declining grades once the commitment becomes overwhelming. Ultimately, this tension drives many students to sacrificing the sports they love in pursuit of academic excellence.
Former varsity basketball player Naiya Daswani (12) spoke to her own experience making the difficult decision between continuing with Harker athletics or prioritizing schoolwork. She struggled to reconcile her dedication to her team with her aspirations for the future.
“I would think I made up my mind, and then I’d realize, ‘I just really miss being with the team,’” Naiya said. “But I had to think about long term, ‘Where do I want to be? What are the steps it takes to get there? What were my goals?’ From there, I had to make sacrifices.”
to keep up with classwork.
From a practical standpoint, some students may consider quitting sports the obvious decision, especially for those who know they are not aiming for professional or collegiate careers. However, student-athletes often develop strong bonds with their teammates that can be difficult to leave behind, as well as a love for the sport itself.
“I had to think about long term, ‘Where do I want to be? What are the steps it takes to get there?’ From there, I had to make sacrifices.”
NAIYA DASWANI (12) FORMER VARSITY BASKEBALL PLAYER
If athletes do decide to commit fully to academics, they become “NARP’s,” as they are jokingly known in the social media sphere: non-athletic regular people. Many students struggle to replace their daily routines and cope with the lack of face-to-face interaction with teammates whom they may once have seen almost every day.
Game Talk with GABE:
Gold Jacket Blues:
Eli Manning should come up short in his first Hall of Fame bid
gabe sachse
Legendary playoffs define careers. Fans will remember postseason moments and banners in stadiums over extraordinary statistics. Former New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning exemplifies this theory. Manning etched his name in the annals of NFL history by defeating Tom Brady and the nearinvincible Patriots twice in the Super Bowl. Now, Manning faces the toughest challenge of his career thus far: gaining first-ballot entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
A variety of factors go into being immortalized in the NFL’s museum in Canton, complicating matters for the former Giants star. Manning’s older brother, Peyton, is among the greatest quarterbacks of all time, having earned a number of impressive accolades, including his own first-ballot entry into the Hall of Fame in 2021. His career serves as an effective comparison to Eli’s, representing what a first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback should be. By contrast, Eli’s resume looks lackluster, with only four Pro Bowl appearances to Peyton’s 14 and zero first team All-Pro selections to Peyton’s seven. Peyton holds the league record for MVPs with five, an accolade his younger brother never accrued. Eli never led the league in a major statistical category, a fact that underscores his low peak in the regular season.
With all that said, Manning’s poor case for first-ballot Hall of Fame entry does not minimize his achievements as a significant figure in NFL history, and he should make the Hall at some point. Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
Staff take on dual roles as coaches in and outside classrooms
tiffany zhu & leah
3:05 p.m.: Students enter Math teacher Victor Adler’s room as office hours begins. Dr. Adler scrawls calculus formulas across the whiteboard as he answers his students’ questions. 3:30 p.m.: Without a moment to spare, Dr. Adler heads out the door. In mere minutes, he arrives on the other side of the campus at the Singh Aquatic Center. He steps onto the pool deck and begins coaching the junior varsity water polo team. This is the rhythm of Dr. Adler’s fall season.
Coaching was eyeopening for me in informing my teaching and teaching informing my coaching.”
VICTOR ADLER
MATH TEACHER AND WATER POLO COACH
“I have to put some serious effort into planning practice,” Dr. Adler said. “I’m tired at the end of the day, and luckily, I have the math stuff down in terms of what needs to happen, and I know water polo, having been through it many years.
But it still takes time and energy on the pool deck and in the classroom.”
Balancing the roles of a staff member and coach requires dedication. Just as student-athletes juggle their academics and sports, Math teacher Dr. Adler, Journalism teacher Kevin Oliver and Advancement Administrative Coordinator Chantell Rodriguez learned to navigate their responsibilities.
During the season, coaches commit over five hours each week to running practices on top of traveling with their teams for matches and meets. Dr. Adler, who joined as a teacher in 2008, took on the second role of water polo coach two years later. Though coordinating math lessons and sports practices simultaneously still remains challenging, his background as a former water polo player eased his transition into coaching.
In mentoring both his students and athletes, Dr. Adler emphasizes the concept of “intentional learning,” where a student focuses on understanding the fundamentals before applying them to complex math problems or game strategies. He uses this philosophy to teach his students both in and outside of the classroom.
“Coaching was eye-opening for me in informing my teaching and teaching informing my coaching,” Dr. Adler said. “In both, you get to observe
the students practice — that’s really where the learning happens. Are they practicing intentionally, or are they just going through the motions of doing the homework? Are they going through the motions getting the drill done or are they trying to make the connections to the bigger picture?”
Journalism teacher Kevin Oliver’s brings energy to instructing and coaching cross-country. When he applied for the coaching position two years ago,
Athletic Director Dan Molin encouraged him to pursue teaching as well. As a former lawyer with a love for reading and writing, Oliver found his niche in teaching journalism.
“I recall telling friends that my end game was to teach and coach cross country,” Oliver said. “I didn’t have as much background in teaching, but writing was one of my strengths as a student and as an attorney.”
TIME’S TICKING With practices and games eating up valuable hours of each day, student-athletes face the difficult decision of quitting their sport
krupnik
katerina matta
DOUBLE DUTY For Coaches Chantell Rodriguez, Victor Adler and Kevin Oliver, interacting with students inside the classroom improves their ability to connect on the field.
Joining new sports?
Athletes share their experiences
suhani gupta & sam li
Sports can be a lifelong pursuit, but for some students, they represent a new challenge. Many students choose to join a sport for the first time in high school, stepping into unfamiliar territory. With sports, they have a platform to discover possibilities, from learning new skills to navigating team dynamics.
Though sports provide many new opportunities for students, starting a new sport can be daunting and often leads to unique challenges. The journey to reaching higher goals like becoming team captain may seem out of reach to many who are considering joining a sport for the first time in high school. However, improvement manifests itself practice by practice through small steps and hard work.
“When you first begin, you may have no clue what you’re doing, but you just have to keep showing up, and that’s what will make a difference,” Junior varsity boys soccer player Luca Barchietto (10) said. “You don’t have to be great right away. You just have to be willing to try each practice. You will improve a little bit, and before you know it, you’ll surprise yourself with what you can do.”
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“If you’ve only played for some time and want to get better, you have to put in a lot more work and time.”
MEHR PAUL (9)
JUNIOR VARSITY GIRLS GOLF
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Learning new terms and understanding communication from teammates are difficult challenges for new players.”
LUCA BARCHIETTO (10)
JUNIOR VARSITY BOYS SOCCER
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Whether it’s practicing or watching games, the sense of community formed with the team is my favorite part.”
MIKHIL KIRAN (11)
JUNIOR VARSITY BOYS VOLLEYBALL
A PEX
Power in polo, pride in protecting
Zoe Cammer (10) dominates water polo as team player
charlize wang & sam li
Water splashes into the air as Sophomore Zoe Cammer powers past defenders, holding her position at center. With the goal just two meters away, her focus sharpens. A quick glance at her teammate, and the ball is thrown towards her, landing straight into her hands. In an instant, three defenders close in, attempting to steal the ball from all angles. With a powerful surge, she pushes toward the goal and shoots. The ball flies past the goalie, bounces off the crossbar and drops straight into the net.
As her teammates cheer, their grins as wide as her own, Zoe feels that familiar rush — the unmatched excitement of battling alongside her second family. It’s in moments like these, amidst the intensity of the game, that Zoe remembers why she fell in love with water polo.
“
More people guarding me leaves my teammates open to score, which I’m proud of since it allows them to shine.”
“Getting cheered for after scoring a nice goal just makes you smile so big,” Zoe said. “It makes you feel proud of yourself. People do try to drown me, and I get hurt a little bit during games, but seeing my teammates smile after one of us scores always makes my day.”
Zoe first began playing water polo at the age of seven, when San Jose Almaden recruited her as one of 10 players to join their newly-formed girls team. However, her excitement for water polo did not develop right away. It wasn’t until Zoe met Olympic water polo player Nina Flynn that she considered playing the sport more seriously.
Now, she plays on Stanford’s club team in the Junior Olympics platinum division, competing as one of the 20 best
female players of her age in the country.
Zoe’s years of experience in water polo led her to develop a pre-match regimen. She grounds herself before matches by going through a sequence of routine movements: put on music, sit by the pool and meditate. She’s the first to get into the pool, the first to shoot a goal. After many years of playing, Zoe emphasizes the importance of keeping a strong mindset.
“Water polo is a mental game,” Zoe said. “If you’re having a bad game, you just need to remember: one possession at a time. When I get frustrated, I like to shake it off. I’ll shake off my wrists, hands, shoulders and just reset. I take each quarter as a new game. I’ll think 0-0, let’s get the first goal.”
Playing as the center position on the team, she has a pivotal role in offense as the position closest to the goal, constantly battling defenders double or triple-guarding her. Though her position is challenging, Zoe recognizes her the importance of her role.
“As I’ve grown as a player, more people have to guard me on defense,” Zoe said. “This leaves my teammates open to score, which I’m proud since it allows them to shine.”
Anoushka said. “I’ve noticed that she’s gone from being a player working on individual skills to someone who’s there for the team and knows what to do and when to do it.”
Having played with Zoe on San Jose Express and Harker’s water polo team, sophomore Anoushka Madan described Zoe as a reliable player the team often counts on. Anoushka commended Zoe’s growth.
“In general, when players grow older, you can see differences in the way they play,”
As Zoe continues working towards the goal of playing beyond high school, she reflects on the journey that led her to become the player she is today.
“You just need to trust the process,” Zoe said. “You’’ll meet great friends and have lots of laughs. It will overall
Cheers boost morale across sports
jessica wang
“
Cheer taught me to create good bonds with the teammates I supported and also stand up for them.”
KASHISH PRIYAM (12) VARSITY CHEERLEADING
is down and we’re down, or even when we’re also up sometimes. We just say cheers when we feel like our defense needs a little work and when we want to raise the team’s morale.”
Cheers are able to provide support in various situations throughout the game. Teams also use cheers to celebrate
teams
successful plays, energizing the players and building momentum, and even to put more pressure on the opposing team.
“One cheer we do is when someone hits an ace,” varsity girls volleyball player Stephanie Bossolina (12) said. “When the serve wins us the point, we say ‘One, two, three, four — everybody hit the floor! Ace! Ace! Ace!’ while hitting the floor five-ish times.’”
These chants also influence the performance of the opposing school’s team. Junior varsity boys basketball player Arav Vuppala (10) emphasizes the psychological impact on their rivals, noting how the noise can disrupt their focus and force them to make mistakes under pressure.
“When we get a defense chant going, the other team would, most of the time, either lose the ball, or they would think twice before they pass,” Arav said. “It just gets them mentally and affects how they play.”
The primary purpose of the chants remains focused on uplifting the players and maintaining their energy.
“Cheers may seem distracting, but they really aren’t,” Stephanie said. “Team cheers are really there to boost team morale and keep the team focused.”
CHEER ON Varsity girls volleyball players
Joyce Zhang (10), Navya Samuel (12) and Keira Chang (11) celebrate a point at Harker Day. .
ALISON YANG
READY TO LAUNCH Zoe Cammer (10) lifts the water polo ball above her head in the pool.
EAGLES GLIDE TO VICTORY Harker dominates homecoming game over Anzar 35-0
eva cheng & tiffany zhu
During the annual homecoming football game, Harker dominated Anzar High School 35-0 on Davis Field on Oct 5.
The Eagles opened the game strong, with Co-captain and quarterback Rayan Arya (12) running 57 yards for a touchdown within 10 seconds. From there, they widened their lead, darting past Hawks defenders and launching decisive tackles on their offense. At half time, both the varsity cheerleading team and Harker Dance Company performed upbeat routines filled with elaborate stunts. For the tug-of-war final, the seniors defeated the juniors for their second consecutive championship. The homecoming game served as a means for the Harker community to come together in support of their team while spending time with friends. Students, faculty and families from all campuses united in the stands, chanting cheers and clapping their hands in unison at every play. On the field, the Eagles’ formidable defense prevented the Hawks from scoring a single touchdown. Closing off the fourth quarter, Rayan sprinted for 13 yards, resulting in the final touchdown of the game. After a successful conversion by Co-captain and running back Jackson Powell (11), the Eagles cemented their victory with a score of 35-0.
“We made strong plays and the defense was electric. We held them to zero points, and we even stopped them on the goal line. It was an intense game, and the whole team executed really well.”
PEDRO CASTRO III
WEAVING FOR THE WIN (TOP LEFT) Quarterback Rayan Arya (12) drives the ball down the field as defenders close down on him. Rayan scored the first touchdown 10 seconds into the first quarter, setting the tone for the rest of the match. SOARING CELEBRATION (TOP RIGHT) Wide receivers Vedant Yadav (12) and Arav Vuppula (10) hip bump in the air to celebrate Arav’s touchdown during the second quarter. Arav caught a pass from Rayan and ran 17 yards with the ball into the endzone in the last minute of the half to widen the Eagles’ lead to 18-0. LOOKING AHEAD (ABOVE) Running back Jackson Powell (11) holds the ball under his arm as he darts to gain a first down during the first quarter. Jackson scored two touchdowns to help the Eagles secure their 35-0 victory on Saturday night. LEAPING TO THE BEAT (MIDDLE LEFT) Harker Dance Company members leap midair during their halftime performance. The team performed their routine to a remix of “yes, and?” by Ariana Grande.
SHOUT IT OUT (LEFT) Varsity cheer leads the student section into a “Color Shout” chant during the third quarter. Between each play, the cheerleaders riled up the audience, shouting catchy phrases to motivate the players on the field, while the Pep Band played upbeat music to liven the mood.
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INKING INSPIRATION (LEFT) Jackson autographs a lower school student’s sign after the game. Families from all campuses came to show their support for the Eagles. SIGN OF SUPPORT (ABOVE) Wide receiver
Arav Vuppula (10) poses for a photo with friends. The bleachers buzzed with energy during the match as fans waved posters EYES UP (RIGHT) Running back Pedro Castro III (10) sprints up the field with the ball in his hands. Pedro scored a two-point conversion to bring the score to 28-0 in the third quarter.
various activities including spirit dressups, a parade and a rally, lasted from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4. Members of each class fought to earn points for their dedication to spirit, with each class designated a unique theme: PBS Kids for frosh, Nickelodeon for sophomores, Universal Studios for juniors and Disney for seniors.
On the first day of the week, students dressed up to the theme of their class’ designated animation studio, checking in at a booth in front of Manzanita Hall to earn spirit points. On the second day, each advisory sent one or two representatives in their class color — the seniors in white, the juniors in green, the sophomores in yellow and the frosh in black — to walk in the annual Spirit Parade.
The third day, Twin Day, spotlighted the spirit of friendship. Students “twinned” with their friends or teachers by donning matching outfits.
Students got out of seventh period on Thursday to attend the Homecoming Rally, where students and faculty competed in a scream-off, relay race and balloon competition. Each class also presented an animation studiothemed lip sync, interspersed with live performances by Jazz Band, Kinetic Crew and the upper school varsity cheer team.
At the end of the rally, total points were tallied. The Class of 2025 emerged triumphant as this year’s overall spirit champions, followed by the sophomores, juniors and frosh.
The week came to a close with Pajama Day, a fun and comfortable twist on spirit dress-up events. Students “dressed down” in soft loungewear like plaid pants and old T-shirts.
Homecoming week’s events served as a transition into this year’s Harker Day and Homecoming football game on Saturday.
GO EAGLES (TOP LEFT) Sam Parapudi (12) hoists the senior class’ flag and as they encourage their grade to continue cheering during the Rally. (TOP RIGHT) Albert Yao (11) and Luke Wu (11) prepare for the tug-of-war preliminaries, where they face the frosh. (MIDDLE) Kristiyian Kurtev (10) dances in the sophomore Spirit Dance, dressed as Boots from Dora the Explorer. (BOTTOM RIGHT) Ava Ding (9) shouts to support the frosh during Thursday’s Spirit Rally. (BOTTOM LEFT) Rayan Arya (12) celebrates as he watches the seniors compete in the Spirit Relay.
Spirit week takes campus by storm
PHOTOS BY ALISON YANG
INFOGRAPHIC BY CLAIRE ZHAO