Pg. 2: HOSCARS
Pg. 7: “TOGETHER Pg. 15: SPRING SPORTS WE RISE”
Every performance Activists call for receives perfect 10s change at fourth Women’s March
What’s in season for our sports teams
WINGED POST
‘BE THE CHANGE’ 500 SARATOGA AVENUE, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA 95129
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF HARKER’S UPPER SCHOOL
VOL. 21 NO. 4
MONDAY, MARCH 2 , 2020
IRENE YUAN
Challenge Day bridges gaps within community
UNMASKED An employee at a Cupertino CVS puts up a sign on a mask shortage.
CDC encourages precautionary measures against COVID-19 as infections continue to spread
co-lifestyle editor & reporter
Double doors swing open to welcome a stream of students jumbling their way through a tunnel of dancing faculty members, the upbeat music mixing with laughter and high-fives. Despite the early morning, all the participants of Challenge Day join in, pumping their fists and springing up to the center of the auxiliary gym to hold a dance party when the leader hollers, “We’re about to play a game!” Challenge Day was held on Feb. 6 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the auxiliary gym with 100 students and 20 to 30 members of the faculty attending, led by two members from the anti-bullying program with the same name. This event focused on mindfulness and Challenge Day’s motto, a quote from Mahatma Gandhi that reads, “We must be the change that we want to see in the world.” Registration for the workshop was limited to 80 to 100 students, and members of student council and honor council were further encouraged to attend by Dean of Students Kevin Williamson. Head of Upper School Butch Keller announced the event at a meeting on Jan. 13, addressing incidents that compromised the school’s tenets. The day was broken up into various activities before and after lunch. Teachers welcomed students in after a meeting with the Challenge Day leaders. Participants then engaged in introductory games for the next half-hour before breaking off into “family groups,” which each included five to six people, both students and faculty, who bonded through the rest of the day. Upper school math teacher Dr. Lola Muldrew, who participated this year,
attended a Challenge Day workshop in the early 2000s. She first proposed the idea a couple of years ago to target issues regarding empathy, diversity and racism at school. “Their leaders are really well-trained to get people to open up, break down their walls and see their connection to other people through doing fun things together and then having important conversations,” Dr. Muldrew said. “What’s important is that when you are listening to someone else, you are holding space for that person and you’re letting them be seen and heard.”
“[I hope] to talk about [differences] in a way that’s not so scary, to talk about it in a way where we’re together as a community seeking to understand” SHARON YAN
nicole tian & sarah mohammed
MARK JANDA HISTORY AND SOCIAL SCIENCE TEACHER
A major theme, recognizing the similarities between people in the community, was incorporated in the activity titled “If you really knew me.” Each member shares their own experiences while others in the family group show support through their attention, emphasizing the importance of comfort zones in showing vulnerability. “I hope to see an increased willingness and ability to talk about
difference, difference in gender, race, culture, orientation,” history and social science teacher Mark Janda said. “And [I hope] to talk about it in a way that’s not so scary, to talk about it in a way where we’re together as a community seeking to understand where people are coming from and not judge or jump to conclusions, but really just to listen and empathize.” For some students, Challenge Day presented an opportunity to reconcile differences and encouraged transparency about personal struggles. “I’ve been dealing with a lot of issues around the school regarding race, so I was hoping to come to this and to see some of my classmates here to get a perspective on them,” Brian Pinkston (11) said. “I saw some of the people who had been racist to me in a new light. It helped humanize both of us, because we found out that we had gone through a lot of the same struggles, and that really brought us on the same side and taught us to stick together through this.” The goal of Challenge Day is to extend those lessons to everyday practice, even after the event has passed. “Know that it is safe to stand up for yourself and it’s safe to stand up for somebody else, that you’re safe to go and reach out for help, so that somebody can help you be that ally,” Dr. Muldrew said. Students who attended feel that such events encourage empathy and inclusivity and also noted that they would like to connect the community by continuing to hold similar events. “I also hope that the administration sees the need for more programs like Challenge Day, but on a consistent basis that can be implemented into the community and really build up the Harker community to be more inclusive and more supportive,” Natasha Yen (11) said.
As of Feb. 27, there are 33 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in California and a total of 59 confirmed cases in the U.S., according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department advises residents to continue to “engage in their regular activities and practice good health hygiene” during this time of the year as it is also the height of the flu season. Good hygiene practices include frequent handwashing with soap and refraining from touching the eyes, nose or mouth as it may lead to additional spread of germs. Other precautionary measures encouraged by the CDC as COVID-19 spreads includes “school dismissals and social distancing in other settings” if conditions worsen, as “early layered implementation of these interventions can reduce the community spread.”
“Our students’ safety is paramount, and so we will not ever compromise that in any way for anything” MEGY APPALARAJU
SPREAD THE LOVE Arjun Virmani (11) and Keshav Bhanot (11) smile as they go in for a hug. Students arrived among pumping music.
SHREYA SRINIVASAN
news team
ANITA CHETTY SCIENCE DEPARTMENT CHAIR
Santa Clara County also states that “healthy people should not be excluded from activities based on their race, country of origin, or recent travel,” reiterating a message emailed to parents from Head of School Brian Yager on Jan. 31. In the same email to parents, Head of School Brian Yager also asked students who must travel to China during the coming February break from Feb. 8-17 to remain home after their return to the Bay Area for at least 14 days, the incubation period of the virus. Students in this scenario who self-quarantine will be assisted with maintaining their studies, and their absences will be excused. This story continues on page 4. DESIGN BY JIN TUAN
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21 • ISSUE 4 MARCH 2, 2020 NEWS VOLUME
NILISHA BAID
HOSCARS
reporters
More than 50 students performed in Hoscars, the upper school’s annual talent show, showcasing the musical and artistic skills of the students, on Feb. 7 during a special schedule. Themed “Summer Olympics 2020,” the show is being held for the third year in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center. Eric Kallbrier, the Director of Student Organizations, enjoys seeing the hidden talents that students have. “My favorite part about Hoscars is seeing students perform that I may not have known had the talent they are expressing. It’s super exciting to see them thrive in their element and everybody else getting excited about it,” Kallbrier said. Thirteen groups performed, with acts ranging from classical singing and instrumental accompaniment to a dance by Bollywood Club and AP Art History’s tableau. “Since it’s student led, all the planning, like deciding who gets to perform and what the theme is, just brings together so many ideas and so many talents,” Senior Class President Roma Gandhi (12),who helped plan Hoscars, said. “It’s a great way for people to see what their peers are doing, both inside and outside of school.” This year’s emcees were juniors Alex
Kumar and Sarah Raymond, and the chief officers who planned Hoscars were Roma and all student body president Avi Gulati (12). Unlike in previous years, there was no real judging. “Student council has decided to remove the judging factor from this show to foster a less competitive community,” Sarah said during her and Alex’s introduction. The first act was a band performance by a group of seven seniors, with Brendan Wong on the piano, Grant Miner on saxophone, Joshua Valluru and William Rainow on electric guitar, Thomas Rainow on bass, Maya Shukla on the drums and Kaidi Dai providing vocals. Following their act, Anika Fuloria (11) sang and played the piano to a pop song mashup. Next, nine members of the Bollywood Club danced to a medley of Indian pop songs. After a brief humorous exchange between Alex and Sarah, Ayan Nath (10) sang and danced to “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, encouraging the audience to sing along throughout his performance. Karan Bhasin (11) then played a piano pop song medley, featuring “Lucid Dreams” by Juice WRLD and “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi. Following Karan’s medley was Kismet Singh (12) singing with her guitar a rendition of “Hotel California” by the Eagles. “The fact that everybody comes and
watches you, even though it’s required [to attend], intensifies the performers to push themselves to another level,” Ayan said. Alex and Sarah came onto the stage and scored the acts, both giving them all a score of 10. They then announced the upcoming three acts, starting with AP Art History’s tableau, a long-standing tradition. Narrated by seniors Nina Gee and Avi Gulati, the scene depicted the painting “Liberty Leading the People” by 19th century artist Eugène Delacroix. Mahika Halepete (12) then sang “Turning Tables” by Adele and played the piano. Next, Kalyan Narayanan (12), Thomas Rainow (12), William Rainow (12), Nick Bereznak (11) and Rohan Kannan (11) performed a band act. After another interlude by the emcees, Smriti Vaidyanathan (12) sang, with the piano, to “The Next Best American Record” by Lana del Rey. Then, an acapella group performed “Dancing Queen” by Abba. Next was an instrumental piece by seniors Kathy Fang on the Chinese guzheng, Max Lee on the piano and Katelyn Chen providing vocals to the song “City of Stars” from the 2016 movie “La La Land”. Finally, Vance Hirota (12) and Chloe Chen (12) danced a contemporary piece to “Work Song” by Hozier. All the performers then returned with emcees Avi and Roma, dancing and waving to the audience. Visit harkeraquila.com for full article.
1. ON TEMPO Vance Hirota (12) supports Chloe Chen (12) during their Hoscars dance to “Work Song” by Hozier. 2. FUNK IT UP Ayan Nath (10) raps during his performance of “Uptown Funk.” “The fact that everybody comes and watches you intensifies the performers to push themselves to another level,” Ayan said. 3. NEXT UP Emcees Sarah Raymond (11) and Alex Kumar (11) introduce the upcoming group of acts. The theme of the show was “Olympics 2020”. 4. IN A GROOVE Aarzu Gupta (12) and Sachi Bajaj (11) dance during the Bollywood Club’s Hoscars performance. Acts ranged from classical singing to an AP Art History tableau. 5. SING OUT LOUD Kismet Singh (12) sings and plays “Hotel California,” on the guitar. “My favorite part about Hoscars is seeing students perform talents that I may not have known they had” Director of Student Organizations Eric Kallbrier said.
62 Harker seniors named National Merit Scholarship finalists
kathy fang
nicholas wei
alysa suleiman
sriya batchu
reporter
sports reporter
reporter
English teacher Dr. Anne Douglas will not be returning to the upper school for the second semester. Her two sections of AP English Literature will be taught by English teacher Nikolai Slivka, and her sophomore British literature class will be taught by English teacher Christopher Hurshman. Dr. Douglas’s senior advisory will now be overseen by Director of Alumni Relations Kristina Alaniz.
Sixty-two seniors were named National Merit Scholarship finalists. The seniors are Prerana Acharyya, Jai Bahri, Nakul Bajaj, Martin Bourdy, Katelyn Chen, Evan Cheng, Andrew Cheplyansky, Rohan Cherukrui, Quentin Clark, Rishi Dange, Eric Fang, Kathy Fang, David Feng, Finn Frankis, Lauren Fu, Jeffrey Fung, Lila Gorman, Mahika Halepete, Phillip Han, Alyysa Huang, Madison Huynh, Rashmi Iyer, Sahil Jain, Allison Jia, Jessica Jiang, Matthew Jin, Annebelle Ju, Montek Kalsi, Naviya Kapadia, Jatin Kohli, Jeffrey Kwan, Shyl Lamba, Max Lee, Eileen Li, Kyle Li, Emily Liu, Carolyn Lu, Vani Mohindra, Kalyan Narayanan, Rakesh Nori, Sana Pandey, Jack Pearce, Thomas Rainow, Sanjay Rajasekharan, Amla Rashingkar, Chaitanya Ravuri,
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English teacher leaves upper school, handing over classes aquila editor-in-chief
Student Council cooks up biscuits and new sandwich station
4
IRINA MALYUGINA
brian chen & sally zhu
IRINA MALYUGINA
Annual talent show features 2020 Olympic theme and student talents
5
NILISHA BAID
STAND TALL The AP Art History class presents their tableau of Eugene Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People.”
IRINA MALYUGINA
NILISHA BAID
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Upper school Red Cross Club conducts annual blood drive
Head of School Butch Keller dons his apron in a collaboration to create Carley’s Cafe, a food truck. The truck opens during the office hours after each school meeting and features three types of biscuits: a ham, egg and cheese biscuit, an egg and cheese biscuit, and ‘The Eagle’, a honey butter biscuit. A soy butter, jelly and bread station was opened in Manzanita as well.
Sachin Shah, Nikhil Sharma, Rohan Sonecha, Nathan Sudeep, Christine Tang, Michael
The upper school Red Cross Club hosted their annual blood drive in conjunction with the American Red Cross last Tuesday in the Nichols Atrium. The collected blood was sent to a Red Cross blood bank in Pomona, California for distribution to state hospitals. 16-year-olds were able to donate with parental consent, while donors who were at least 17 years old did not need parental consent. A total of 16 people donated this year.
Tang, Anika Tiwari, Nellie Tonev, Jin Tuan, Nerine Uyanik, Zara Vakath, Bryan Wang,
GOODBYES The upper school Main office building. Former English teacher Dr. Anne Douglas will not be returning to the upper school.
WITH DISTINCTION A list of the 62 seniors named National Merit Finalist is displayed on a television screen outside of the college counselling offices.
BUTTER IT UP Upper School Head Butch Keller prepares a biscuit for students after school meeting last week, launching a new initiative.
IRINA MALYUGINA
IRINA MALYUGINA
ERIC FANG
VARSHA RAMMOHAN
Nathan Wang, Anthony Xu, Jacqueline Yang and Jeffrey Yang.
SAVING LIVES UK-12 Production Manager Brian Larsen prepares to have his blood drawn. Collected blood will be sent to a Red Cross blood bank in Pomona, California. DESIGN BY ARUSHI SAXENA
WINGED POST 3 PROVIDED BY NIKOLAS LIEPINS / THE RUBICON
21 • ISSUE 4 MARCH 2, 2020 NEWS VOLUME
RALLY TIME President Donald J. Trump addresses the crowd at Target Center in Minneapolis, MN, for his 2020 presidential campaign rally on Oct. 10,
Senate acquits Trump during impeachment trial
ILLUSTRATION BY MICHELLE LIU
kathy fang, varsha rammohan & arushi saxena
DOMINO EFFECT Democratic presidential candidates faced off in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries in February, with former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Bernie Sanders (I.-V.T.) emerging as frontrunners in the Democratic party.
Presidential candidates compete in Iowa and Nevada caucuses, New Hampshire primaries
ALYSA SULEIMAN
Iowa Democrats voted in the state’s caucuses on Feb. 3, with Democratic presidential candidates vying to earn the most delegates. Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I.-V.T.) led the race. President Donald J. Trump led the Republican Iowa caucuses with over 97% of the votes. Other Republican contenders former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld and former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh garnered 1.31% and 1.08% of the vote respectively. Buttigieg, who won 26.2% of the caucus votes, carried a narrow lead over Sanders, who won 26.1%. Frontrunners Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D.-Mass.) and former Vice President Joe Biden won 18.2% and 15.8% of the votes, respectively. Both parties’ caucuses began at 7 p.m. CST Feb. 3, but Democratic party officials reported that the results had been delayed due to “inconsistencies” in their reporting, according to a press statement released on Feb. 4. Shadow, Inc. the firm that built the app, has since apologized for the coding issues within the app. On Tuesday Feb. 11, the New Hamp-
DEFINITION Caucus (n): a meeting at which local members of a political party register their preference among candidates running for office or select delegates convention edging out mayor Pete Buttigieg, who came in second with 24.4%. Both he and Sanders received nine delegates. Senator Amy Klobuchar came in third with a vote of 19.8% and received six delegates. Senator Elizabeth Warren and former vice president Joe Biden came in fourth and fifth respectively and have no delegates. Warren garnered 9.2% of the vote and Biden earned 8.4%. Nearly 300,000 people voted, surpassing the 2016 voter turnout and breaking the record set in the 2008 primary. Unaffiliated voters could also participate in the primary.
On Feb. 22, Nevada held its Democratic caucus, with Nevada Democrats voting in 17 counties, with over 2000 meeting spots, according to the LA times. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-V.T.) received the most votes in 12 of Nevada’s 17 counties, making him the winner of two of the three state primaries thus far. He held a 26.6% margin over former Vice President Joe Biden, who had 20.2%, and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who trailed with 14.3%. Nevada Republicans cancelled their primary to support President Trump’s bid for re-election, removing the chance that voters formally put their support behind a different Republican candidate for president. South Carolina will be holding their primaries on Feb. 29, preceded by the ninth Democratic Debate, taking place on Feb. 25. California will hold its state primary along with 13 other states and American Samoa on Mar. 3, also known as Super Tuesday. These states will be awarded about 40% of Democratic delegates. Democratic candidates still in the race include Sen. Michael Bennet, former Vice President Biden, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Businessman Tom Steyer, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
ALYSA SULEIMAN
aquila editor-in-chief, winged post editor-in-chief, reporter, aquila managing editor and news editor
shire Democratic Primary took place as the second nominating contest in the 2020 elections, following the Iowa caucuses the week prior. Senator Bernie Sanders won the Primary, leading with 25.7% of the vote and
ALYSA SULEIMAN
kathy fang, eric fang, lauren liu, varsha rammohan & arushi saxena
Andrew Sun (11)
Josh Fields (10)
Bradley Stoll, Math Teacher
“I think it’s kind of unfair that the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary create the perception of who is the best candidate, so Bernie and Pete, they’re frontrunners for both”
“My favorite candidate at this point is Pete Buttigieg because he has all the right ideas and he’s more moderate and I feel like he has a better chance of beating Donald Trump”
“I don’t agree with any of [the candidates] 100 percent, but out of all of them, Bernie is the one I think I agree the most with. In the end, I’ll support anyone who’s on the Democratic ticket”
aquila editor-in-chief, managing editor & news editor
President Donald Trump was acquitted on Feb. 5 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of congress, officially marking the end of a historic impeachment trial. In order to impeach Trump, the U.S. Senate had to meet the threshold of 67 votes. The “abuse of power” article was defeated 48 to 52, and obstruction of Congress was defeated 47 to 53. Senator Mitt Romney (R.-U.T.) was the only senator to break with party lines by voting in favor of the abuse of power charge. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a briefing statement, “The President is pleased to put this latest chapter of shameful behavior by the Democrats in the past, and looks forward to continuing his work on behalf of the American people in 2020 and beyond.” The vote to not convict Trump signifies a victory for him and the Republican Party after more than five months of scandal surrounding the President’s alleged quid-pro-quo relationship with Ukraine.
NSPA launches Campaign 2020 Photo Exchange
SHOOT YOUR SHOT The National Scholastic Press Assocation recently launched its archive of student journalists’ political coverage, where students can upload and use photos taken by others
arushi saxena news editor
The National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) launched their Campaign 2020 Photo Exchange, a database of student-produced photos of the 2020 national candidates and their campaigns, making them available free of charge to student journalists whose school is a member of NSPA. Harker Journalism adviser Ellen Austin, along with six other high school and collegiate journalism advisers, helped lead the initiative last summer and fall. Since launching the archive, student journalists from Harker and from programs across the nation have populated the archive with nearly 800 photos as of Feb. 27.
Design by Arushi Saxena
4 WINGED POST
21 • ISSUE 4 MARCH 2, 2020 GLOBAL VOLUME
Impacts of coronavirus resonate
IRENE YUAN
Concerns mount as coronavirus spreads globally WUHAN The Yellow Crane Tower stands in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.
How is coronavirus affecting the world? China’s healthcare workers have reported a shortage of protective gear. Italy locked down 10 towns in northern Lombardy, where 88 confirmed cases were reported. South Korea is bracing for more cases as President Moon Jae-in issued an Level 4 Alert.
MASKS FOR EVERYDAY TASKS Two women wearing protective masks pick vegetables at 99 Ranch Market in Cupertino on Feb. 2. The first cases of coronavirus in Santa Clara County was confirmed on Jan. 31 by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department.
Feb. 5
Death toll in China surpasses 1,000; over 40,000 are infected
350 Americans are evacuated from Wuhan
Feb. 15
Feb. 17
Chinese lawmakers draft legislation on new wildlife trade regulations
First coronavirus death reported in Europe
Feb. 19
ANITA CHETTY
UPPER SCHOOL BIOLOGY TEACHER
“Most of the cases [are] coming from people in China. So for me, I’m worried about the long-term effects of A ANN VAZHA xenophobia, of antiChinese sentiment.” A M BIL
Cases of coronavirus confirmed in the Japan, South Korea and Thailand
Feb. 11
UPPER SCHOOL BIOLOGY TEACHER
AR EP
Jan. 20
Trump restricts foreign nationals who had visited China
DR. KATE SCHAFER
“There is always something that is going to cause disease amongst our population or other living things. Wash your hands, that’s a habit that needs to be developed and it just becomes a part A of what you do.” ANN VAZHA A M BIL
Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, is shut down
Jan. 31
“Coronavirus is something that’s come out of nowhere. I think we’re afraid of [coronavirus because it] seems to be unique. [Hopefully] we learn some valuable lessons from this about how to A prevent future events like ANN VAZHA this from happening.”
AR EP
WHO declares a global health emergency
rapidly, countries have taken various precautionary measures to lessen the impact of the outbreak. In Africa, after the continent’s first case was confirmed on Friday, countries are working to quickly train health workers to test for coronavirus. Banks in China are disinfecting cash before releasing it to the public to prevent the spread of coronavirus, according to the New York Times. With over 600 confirmed cases in South Korea, the government has raised the threat level alert to a Level 4 Alert, the
UPPER SCHOOL BIOLOGY TEACHER
A M BIL
Jan. 23
Jan. 3
HARKER DIRECTOR OF HEALTH SERVICES
DR. THOMAS ARTISS
AR EP
China reports first death due to coronavirus
DEBRA NOTT
A M BIL
Jan. 11
“[In case of infection], the first thing [public health officials] will do is ask us for the student’s schedule and immunizations records. This is what they do for a living and they do it well”
highest in a decade. This alert gives the government power to shut down cities and to outlaw large gatherings. As of Feb. 27, there are 82,297 confirmed cases of coronavirus globally, with 78,630 of those cases located in China and 2747 deaths in China, according to the WHO. The consequences of the coronavirus extend to the global economy as well. With tens of thousands of flights to China cancelled, Chinese factories shut down, and the death toll increasing by the hour, the Chinese economy faces the possibility of economic fallout due to the coronavirus outbreak. Southeast Asian countries with economies dependent on Chinese tourism, such as Thailand, are already suffering economic damage from the lack of Chinese visitors. Countries dependent on China’s supply chains are negatively affected, as production is disrupted due to the shutdown of manufacturing factories. In China, with consumption prices dropping, inflation is soaring: China’s overall consumer price index (CPI), the most commonly used measure of consumer price inflation, increased from 3.8% in October 2019 to 5.4% in January 2020. The virus has spread to all 31 provinces of China, as well as Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Afghanistan, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Norway, Pakistan, Romania, Macedonia, the United States and Vietnam, as of Feb. 27, according to the WHO. Reporting by Varsha Rammohan, Gloria Zhang, Eric Fang, Mark Hu, Arushi vSaxena, Srinath Somasundaram, Arely Sun, Nicole Tian and Lucy Ge.
“Vaccines take 10 to 12 months to go from conception to actually being available to the public community. News of a vaccine may be encouraging, but I A ANN VAZHA wouldn’t expect it next week.” AR EP
Continued from page 1. If a student at the upper school becomes infected with the virus, the school’s health department has a protocol in place and will work with the county health department, according to Harker director of Health Services Debra Nott. “Public health is always notified by the student’s physician and then they jump into action,” Nott said. “The first thing they’ll do is ask us for the student’s schedule and immunization records. Then they start making a list of contacts. This is what they do for a living and they do it well.” Upper school biology teacher Dr. Kate Schafer advised the community to assess the risks reasonably, noting that immediate responses that are driven by fear are not always the optimal response. “In a time of crisis, we want to get with our tribe and we want to isolate ourselves from other tribes,” Dr. Schafer said. “Just because that’s a human instinct doesn’t mean that it’s right, and we have to be careful about giving in to those instincts that may not be right, that may end up causing harm to others because of our own fear.” On Jan. 31, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared coronavirus a public health emergency in a press conference, with the emergency going into effect at 5 p.m. on Feb. 2. The Trump administration also announced on Jan. 31 that it will temporarily bar foreign nationals who have traveled to China within the past 14 days from entering the U.S., with the exception of American citizens, permanent residents and their families. Starting Feb 2., any U.S. citizen returning from China’s Hubei province, which includes Wuhan will be quarantined for up to 14 days. U.S. citizens returning from other parts of China will be
screened and monitored for up to 14 days. The U.S. State Department issued its highest level travel warning on Jan. 30, advising against all travel to China, with the CDC also suggesting to limit all non-essential travel to the country. United Airlines has suspended flights between the U.S. and Chengdu, Beijing and Shanghai from Feb. 6 to Mar. 28. Delta Airlines has temporarily suspended all U.S. to China flights from Feb. 6 to Apr. 30. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Jan. 30 that the virus now meets the standards for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and will continue to investigate the source of the outbreak, transmission of coronavirus and preventative measures. With coronavirus cases spreading
LUCY GE
news team
BIOLOGY TEACHER PERSPECTIVES
DR. MATTHEW HARLEY
UPPER SCHOOL BIOLOGY TEACHER Feb. 24
Italy announces largest outbreak of the virus in Europe with 299 cases near Milan.
Hundreds leave quarantined cruise ship in Japan, with 621 infected on board
Feb. 26
First potential local transmission found in California.
DATES FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES INFOGRAPHIC BY LUCY GE
KATHY FANG
A third death has been reported in connection to the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Japan for two weeks.
DESIGN BY LUCY GE
WINGED POST 5
21 • ISSUE 4 MARCH 2, 2020 FEATURES VOLUME
Families unite through traditions
lauren liu & sally zhu reporters
In Korea, the celebration lasts three days: the day of, before and after the new year. In Japan, every New Year’s Eve at midnight, Buddhist temples all over the country ring bells 108 times in order to drive away negative emotions from the past year. Decorating homes and public places during the new year, lanterns have become a symbol of national pride in China. Dragon dancing is an ancient Chinese dance that is said to scare away evil spirits and was used in ceremonies to worship ancestors and pray for rain. In the Korean Lunar New Year, people will dress up in traditional outfits and perform seh bae, a ritual where Koreans bow to their elders. “My nephews bow to me, and then I will give them allowance or wisdom. Now, I bow to my parents and uncles,” said Jonathan Rim, a world history teacher who celebrates the Korean Lunar New Year.
“Happy Lunar New Year!”
in different languages
ESE
Akem
ashite Omed etou Goza imas u
Every dish has a story
MAN
Fish represent an increase in prosperity and in Chinese, “yu” sounds like “surplus.” The head should be placed toward distinguished guests or elders, representing respect. Dumplings symbolize wealth because they look like Chinese silver ingots, which are boat-shaped. The Chinese believe that the more dumplings you eat during the New Year celebrations, the more money you can make in the New Year. Noodles symbolize longevity. They are served uncut to represent a healthy and long life. Other Asian cultures have traditional celebratory foods for the Lunar New Year as well. Thinly sliced rice cakes, duk gook, which are white, represent a clean start and a new beginning in Korea. O-sechi ryori, or New Year’s day feast, is celebrated in Japan and requires days of planning and preparation. Dishes like toshikoshi soba, a noodle dish, and mochi, a rice cake dessert, are served.
KOREAN
Xin
DAR IN
Nia
nK uai
Le
e Bok Saeha useyo Bade Mani
ALL ILLUSTRATIONS BY MICHELLE LIU
N JAPA
Numerous myths explain history
ESE
NAM
VIET
cm
Chú
ới
mm
nă ừng
CANTO N
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Gong
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at Ch
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Chinese myth goes that the 12 animals of the zodiac signs were selected through a race. To win, the animals had to cross a river and reach the finish line on the shore. The order of the lunar calendar follows the outcome of the race, where the rat is the first animal to start the sequence, and the pig is the last. After the pig, the sequence starts over again. “[Chinese New Year] is the most important holiday in Chinese culture because it’s the renewal of the year — when debts were cancelled, you would get a haircut, get new clothes,” Dr. Shaun Jahshan, the Mandarin teacher, said. “For poor people, it was the only time of year when they could do these things, and for wealthy people, it’s a time to come together and be with your family.” Chinese New Year traces back to a monster named “Nian,” meaning “year” in Chinese. It comes up once a year from the bottom of the sea to feast on animals and humans. The villagers realized that loud noises and the color red were Nian’s kryptonite, so many traditions for Chinese New Year are based on those two things.
DESIGN BY SARA YEN
21 • ISSUE 4 FEATURES VOLUME MARCH 2, 2020
6 WINGED POST
Behind the scenes
ESHA GOHIL
Curtains rise on students and faculty performing in annual dance production, themed “Remixed and Reimagined”
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PROVIDED BY KRISTIN TONG
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HELEN ZHU
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HELEN ZHU
humans of harker profiler & reporter
The stage lights up in a purple hue, silhouetting a group of dancers in the background. They pose as the music begins, before gracefully leaping towards the audience during the dress rehearsal on Jan. 30. The upper school presented its ninth annual dance show Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 1 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center. 175 students performed in the production, with 25 dances, eight of which were student choreographed. This was the second time the production was held in the performing arts center. The theme this year was “Remixed and Reimagined,” and the first half of the show focused on remixing, while the second focuses on reimagining. All dances in the first act were accompanied by remixes of an original song, and the second act contained “reimagined” styles of songs, which included covers, acoustic versions and mashups. “I selected [this theme] because I think it allows for a variety of music, especially popular music,” Karl Keuhn, director of the show and upper school dance teacher, said. “Remixed and reimagined is more general and allows for choreographers to have free range for the music, as long as it’s a remix or cover or interpretation.” Dancers had been rehearsing since the fall, when they were placed into routines based on their schedules and their performances at the audition on Sept. 14. The week before the show, students attended three hour rehearsals. Many new students to Harker participated in the show. “I’m enjoying it a lot,” Paulina Gicqueau (9), a new student to Harker, said. “I’m very happy with the dance that I’m in and the people that I’ve met. I really like the environment they have.”
Some students were both performers and choreographers for the show. Choreographers had to choose costumes, props and stage designs. It could be difficult to get everything to work, but these details could add a finish touch to both individual dances and the entire show. Choreography, an elective option, is taught by Rachelle Haun, upper school dance teacher. Students planning to choreograph a dance in the production are required to take this class. The elective was created nine years ago, in order to teach students to learn how to choreograph, which is a key part of dancing. Students can learn about other choreographers and analyze their tactics. “[The costume] needs to fit the style of the dance and the movement. But it also needs to be in stock, it needs to be able to ship over in time, and it needs to be able to fit everyone in the dance. It also has to look good on everybody,” Haun said. “We look at all the different things: we look at phrasing and the shape of the dance, we look at different ways to create meaning for dance and the importance of themes.” Vance Hirota (12) has been dancing at Harker for 12 years now, and he choreographed a routine for both last year’s and this year’s productions. He took the choreography elective when he was a junior, which had a huge impact on his future in dance. “I dance because I like being able to express myself through something that’s not words, and [it gives me] an opportunity to showcase something I’m really passionate about,” Vance said. “What drives me to choreograph is learning about new techniques and strategies because there’s always something to improve on.” The eight student choreographers were seniors Anna Miner, Emiko Armstrong, Charlotte Blanc, Chloe Chen and Vance Hirota and juniors Kristin Tong, Zoe Kister and Sofia Fernandez. Visit harkeraquila.com for full article.
SABRINA ZHU
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KARL KUEHN DIRECTOR OF THE SHOW AND UPPER SCHOOL DANCE TEACHER
HELEN ZHU
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“I selected [this theme] because I think it allows for a variety of music, especially popular music. ‘Remixed and Reimagined’ allows for choreographers to have free range for the music”
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ESHA GOHIL
esha gohil & sabrina zhu
HELEN ZHU
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1. KICKLINE 12 seniors stand in a kickline in “Disney Classics,” choreographed by Kimberly Teodoro, dance teacher at the lower and middle school. 2. ARMS UP! Maya Franz (11) throws her hands into the air in “Stayin’ Alive” choreographed by Kuehn. 3. SAY CHEESE Harker Dance Company and Kinetic Krew pose together for a picture backstage. 4. EN POINTE Chloe Chen (12), Emiko Armstrong (12) and Karina Chen (11) wear red hoods in “I Got 5 On It,” choreographed by Kuehn. 5. POSITIONS, EVERYONE Paulina Gicqueau (9) stands on top of other dancers in “I Walk the Line,” choreographed by Zoe Kister (11). 6. PICTURE PERFECT Jacqueline Au (11) gazes into a mirror in the RPAC lobby to apply makeup before the show. 7. STRIKE A POSE Shray Alag (11), Kai-Ming Ang (12) and Arnav Dani (10) strike a pose in “Brother,” choreographed by Kento Vo, dance teacher at the middle school. DESIGN BY SARA YEN
WINGED POST 7
21 • ISSUE 4 MARCH 2, 2020 FEATURES VOLUME
OF THE PEOPLE
“Together we rise”
news team Upper school students joined the 37,000 demonstrators who filled the streets of San Francisco and San Jose on Jan. 18 for the fourth annual nation-wide series of Women’s Marches. Originally sparked in response to the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, the Women’s March movement has since expanded to include a number of social and civil rights issues beyond gender equality, ranging from education reform and indigenous peoples’ rights to gun reform and impeachment. “I think one of the greatest achievements [of the Women’s March] is motivating women to come together to call atten-
WHAT STUDENTS ARE SAYING:
EMILY TAN
“The government should never have control over someone else’s body because that’s their decision; it should be their choice” KRIS ESTRADA (9) PRO-CHOICE
EMILY TAN
“In [Christianity] we believe that all life is precious. I don’t believe that’s something we can just take away from people; they all have the right to live” IRENE YUAN (10) PRO-LIFE
EMILY TAN
“The woman should definitely have [a] choice of [her] own, especially in some circumstances, like where the woman is the victim of sexual abuse.” AUDREY LIU (11) PRO-CHOICE
tion to a number of challenges that we still face as a country,” San Francisco mayor London Breed, who spoke at the San Francisco Women’s March, said in an interview with Harker Aquila. This year’s San Francisco Women’s March rally began at around 11:30 a.m. with a native grandmother song performed by Mutsun Ohlone and Chumash Native American activist Kanyon Sayers-Roods from Hollister. In her opening speech, Sayers-Roods acknowledged the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women coalition, members of which seek to raise awareness about violence against indigenous women. The rally then proceeded with remarks from Breed, Californian Lieutenant Governor and former U.S. ambassador to
TAKING TO THE STREETS A sea of protest signs fill Market Street in San Francisco at the protest, which took place on Jan. 18.
Hungary Eleni Kounalakis and other female political figures. Many of the speeches delivered had a common message of empowerment through gender equality. Turnout at the march was smaller than in the past. According to Martha Shaughnassy, founder of The Key PR, which managed the Women’s March press relations this year, about 12,000 people marched down Market Street this year while an estimated 30,000 people marched last year. In San Jose, over 7,500 protestors turned out for the Women’s March, according to the march’s organizers. The rally started at 11 a.m. at San Jose City Hall and proceeded to Arena Green, with protestors chanting and waving flags along the way. Behind the banner emblazoned with “Women’s March 2020,” loudspeakers blared from the event’s organizers as they led the enthusiastic demostrators in a resounding chant. The crowd, spanning all generations, filled the entire breadth of the street and chorused in response: “This is what democracy looks like!” Speakers included a member of the Amah Mutsun tribe; Karrington Kenney, a junior at Milpitas High School; students from the Silicon Valley Youth Climate Strike; Veronica Culpepper, a member of the LGBTQ+ community; writer and artist Rosanna Alvarez; author and keynote speaker Shareen Rivera; founder and president of Lean In Latinas Anna Dapelo-Gar-
cia and Diane Fisher, a director at the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley. Nikhita “Niki” Karra (12), who attended the march, was frustrated at the necessity of a march to obtain women’s rights but appreciated the effort to achieve equality. “It’s been 100 years since women got the vote, and that’s white women, but still, that’s insane that we’re here in the 21st century and we still have to be doing this. That’s messed up,” Niki said. “But I think that’s the goal: to not be doing these anymore. We shouldn’t be having to do these anymore, and I think that’s going to be happening pretty soon, at least hopefully.” Marching amongst other protestors, Nikki Solanki (12) was inspired by the action her community was taking as well as the power behind the moment, bestowing her with hope for the future. “I think our generation knows what it takes to make change. It was crazy to see people our age so politically aware,” Solanki said. “Just the nature of our generation is so much different than the generations before us, and I think that we want to make a change, and we see that it’s time. I definitely think our generation is the one that’s going to do it.” Reporting by Kathy Fang, Lauren Liu, Arushi Saxena, Alysa Suleiman, Emily Tan, Nicole Tian, Anna Vazhaeparambil, Sara Yen and Eric Fang. Visit harkeraquila.com for full article.
From LA to Alabama: lucy ge & nina gee
asst. news editor & managing editor
It’s been a monumental three years for women’s rights: from the Women’s Marches in 2017 to the #MeToo movement that swept the world in 2018, women’s rights have become more prominent than ever. The topic of abortions lies at the center of every discussion about women’s rights . On May 15, the strictest anti-abortion law in recent American history was passed in Alabama. On May 24, the American Civil Liberties Union, a non-profit dedicated to defending civil liberties, and Planned Parenthood, a reproductive and healthcare non-profit, two organizations that are in support of keeping abortions accessible in America, sued. A fierce legal battle followed, which culminated in a federal judge temporarily blocking the ban on Oct. 29. The Alabama law, named the Human Life Protection Act, was the most extreme of the recent wave of laws passed across the U.S. designed to restrict abortion access. Terri Collins, an Alabama state representative who wrote the bill, stated that the aim of the bill was to challenge Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that set a precedent for future abortion laws. The law, scheduled to take effect Nov. 15, would have banned all abortions 24 weeks into pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Unless a woman’s life was endangered, providing abortions would be a felony crime for the doctor, punishable by up to 99 years in prison. Legislators passed similar restrictive
The US’s fight for bodily integrity
bills throughout the country in this effort to reach the Supreme Court. In May, Georgia passed a ban on abortions about six to eight weeks into the pregnancy when the fetal heartbeat is able to be detected. Mississippi passed a similar heartbeat bill in March, and Ohio passed another heartbeat bill in April, all of which federal courts have temporarily blocked. “This particular wave of legislation that passed in the last year is specifically aimed [as] an attempt by anti-reproductive rights advocacy groups to have cases that go through the courts and potentially of 173 upper school go to the Supreme Court to create a largstudent respondents er federal precedent that restricts access identify as pro-choice to reproductive healthcare and abortion as of Nov. 10 across the country,” Lupe Rodriguez, Director of Public Affairs of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte said. Abortion is still legal in all 50 states. A study conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine concluded that abortions in the U.S. have little to no complications. Critics of anti-abortion laws recognize that the best way to prevent abortions is not to ban them but to take measures of 173 upper school to reduce the number of people who student respondents need abortions. identify as pro-life as “Telling stories and listening to of Nov. 10 people and hearing them in their full reality is a great way [to address the stigma],” Allie Lahey, the Senior Organizing Manager of NARAL Pro-Choice America, or the National Abortion Rights Action League, said. “Having more media that has positive representations of access to abortion and realistic representations [of abortions] helps [overcome stigma around abortion].” Visit harkeraquila.com for full article.
85%
1.2%
All statistics from poll of upper school students
STARTING EARLY Stella, 7, and her mother show off their signs at the San Francisco Women’s March. This year was Stella’s first time attending the march.
FIGHTING FOR A CAUSE Upper school seniors Nikki Solanki, Nikhita “Niki” Karra and Maya Shukla pose with their protest posters at the San Jose Women’s March.
DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY TAN
KATHY FANG
ARUSHI SAXENA
ALYSA SULEIMAN
Activists call for change at fourth Women’s March
8 WINGED POST
21 • ISSUE 4 MARCH 2, 2020 LIFESTYLE VOLUME
RECENT MUSTWATCH FILMS “Parasite”
“Little Women”
“To All the Boys: P.S. I still Love You”
The unemployed Kims and the wealthy Parks become embroiled in a symbiotic relationship of existence, until the viewers begin to wonder: which family truly belongs? By cunningly manipulating the truth right beneath the arrogant noses of their naive employers, the Kims slowly infiltrate the household and attempt to avoid the challenge of class discrimination. Acclaimed director Bong Joon-Ho explores the horrifying hostility growing in a family of dirt-poor, desperate imposters just barely getting by in a dingy basement in South Korea. Although the script is spoken in Korean, the horror, the zany comedy and the glorious are no less present in this creative Oscar-winning film.
Follow the March girls: traditional, responsible Meg; independent, tomboy-like Jo; shy but sweet Beth and warm-hearted but feisty Amy as they each plow through adolescence towards adulthood, kindling their own love stories along the way. Whether each girl’s fairytale diverges towards becoming a dainty, sweet housewife, a famed and acclaimed author, a simple daughter to her family, or dashing artist, you will find yourself falling in love with each sister. Not only does Greta Gerwig’s heartwarming film rendition breathe life into the classic pages of Louisa May Alcott’s book, but it also incorporates coming-of-age and feminist elements during America’s historic Civil War.
Following Netflix’s extremely popular “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” this sequel follows Lara Jean and Peter’s blossoming relationship after the disastrous and unintended mailing of her five love letters, each to a past crush. Although Peter is now Lara Jean’s official “you-canput-your-hand-in-my-pocket” boy, she begins to question if ex-crush and love letter receiver John Ambrose might just possibly be her destined meant-to-be. With all the right feels, long-awaiting fans and newcomers alike will fall in love with actress Lana Condor’s quirky character as she continues to experiment the trials of high school love. Visit harkeraquila.com for full article.
alysa suleiman sports reporter
The past year and decade expanded the reach of inclusivity in film. Here are some of our breakthrough favorites.
ALL ILLUSTRATIONS BY ARELY SUN
Other great movies: “Knives Out” (2019) Chris “Sweater” Evans and his big brain plays.
“Always Be My Maybe” (2019) That guy who was your childhood best friend? He’s you destiny, not Keanu Reeves.
“A Star Is Born” (2018) Don’t watch on a plane unless you’re willing to ask the flight attendant for tissues.
“Get Out” (2017) How do you sass a terrifying movie?
“La La Land” (2016) Tap dancing on cement? Questionable in real life but totally acceptable in this film.
Startup success
Rising executive uses humanities background to connect and communicate
co-lifestyle editors
ILLUSTRATION BY ARELY SUN
Journalism Adviser Ellen Austin recalls Jaime DeLanghe’s, 34, maturity even as a high schooler. Austin taught DeLanghe for five years after first meeting her in 8th grade at Cannon Falls High School in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, a small rural town. “Jaime was always a social justice advocate. She was someone who stood up for what she believed in with a passion. She believed that there should be equity for others even when she was 14 or 15. And I always figured she would never give up on something she set her sights to,” she said. Years later, DeLanghe continues her leadership abilities as a director of product management at Slack where she heads a team of product managers who focus on methods of machine learning and searching and works with engineers and designers to understand how the needs of each project are best met. The designers are also split into two categories: product designers, who emphasize how the user visually moves through the application, and content designers, who plan the text and labels.
Slack Facts 12 million
daily active users
1 billion
messages weekly
90 minutes on average of active usage per workday 600,000
organizations that use Slack
1664
Slack employees Statistics from slackhq.com
“I think it’s important as you’re learning to be able to empathize with other people’s expertise” JAIME DELANGHE SLACK DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT While DeLanghe coordinates various projects, her experience in leadership began with founding the newspaper in high school along with Austin. Despite not being able to predict the success of the publication, she loved the ability to create materials to interact with her audience. “The newspaper itself was almost like a little mini startup, and I think it gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities as a leader. And also, I remember Ms. Austin, when we were figuring out if we were going to do it or not, she said at one point [that] this is one of those things where you just have to jump in with both feet and hope you land,” she said. The communication skills she learned from high school journalism followed her into her career in high tech at Slack. Along with cooperation inside the company, she frequently interacts with customers and members outside of the company, even presenting at conferences, to hear out their perspectives on machine learning and data privacy that comes with the services Slack provides. For DeLanghe, the most rewarding part of this process is working with the whole team in learning together. “You’re building and you’re resolving all your issues quickly,” DeLanghe said. “You’re doing user research, or you’re working with your customers in a prototype, or you’re running an experiment, and you just get more and more confident that the thing you’re going to launch is going to be really great.” Since designing the application requires coordination between multiple branches, she often has to prioritize the most important issues depending on limits such as time or the size of a team. DeLanghe emphasizes communication, a
ALL PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JAIME DELANGHE
arely sun & nicole tian
IN OFFICE Jaime DeLanghe sits on a chair in the library of the Slack office in New York City, New York. She currently holds the position of director of product management.
progress-facilitating tool she learned from studying humanities subjects. Originally an English Literature major, she stumbled upon the world of computer science in 2010, when a mutual friend working at Etsy recommended her to apply for a job there. Two and a half years out of college and working coffee job shops to cover health insurance, she took the opportunity and began answering customer support tickets at Etsy, an environment she describes as “full of creative people.” She realized that the company was composed of more than just her sector and began to understand the work of her peers, teaching herself to write Python with online courses. DeLanghe’s background in literature provided her with experience in interpreting communication through language and compiling large amounts of data to form an idea. Despite her interdisciplinary skillset, DeLanghe continually struggled to find her place in the male-dominated workplace, facing the challenge of
“bro culture,” a term used to describe the bonding of male coworkers while excluding their female peers. “A lot of people drop out of CS programs because [men are] not hospitable to the women and the programs,” she said. “My advice would be [to] not discount yourself.” DeLanghe found solace in her mentors who guided her through these difficulties at work and those who entrusted her with leadership positions despite her nontraditional background and experience. Now, as a leader herself, she tries to pay her teachers’ acts of kindness forward by shining a light on peers from minority backgrounds and opening up new doors for them. “I try to reach out and help people to find other women who have done this before you and just have them as rocks and as you’re moving through what can sometimes be adversarial,” DeLanghe said. Visit harkeraquila.com for full article. DESIGN BY ARELY SUN
WINGED POST 9
21 • ISSUE 4 MARCH 2, 2020 LIFESTYLE VOLUME
Chemist experiments baking in the kitchen sara yen & emily tan
When baking a cake, adding baking powder or baking soda is vital, since these agents release carbon dioxide into the batter, allowing the cake to rise as bubbles within the batter expand. It is easy to add these two ingredients without thinking about the chemistry underlying the whole process, but it does not escape chemistry teacher Dr. Casey Brown’s mind. “Molecular gastronomy is a whole field of cooking that is based on getting weird with chemistry,” Dr. Brown said. “There’s a lot of overlap [between chemistry and baking]. It’s very much the same in my mind.” For Dr. Brown, baking has been a constant throughout his life. Since he was young, his family used to bake every weekend, and he entered the world of baking on his own for the first time when he was five. “I made a huge mess, there was flour all over the floor, but I made a sheet of totally functional, edible gingerbread by myself,” he said. “[Baking] is something I always liked. A lot of chemists are bakers or cooks or things like that.” Cornmeal pancakes, oatmeal raisin cookies, and pumpkin bread (a student favorite) are among Dr. Brown’s top recipes, but instead of always following recipes to
ESHA GOHIL
features editor & asst. features editor
CUPCAKES AND CHEMISTRY Chemistry teacher Dr. Casey Brown sits behind a batch of cupcakes. His interest in baking began when he was five years old and has continued as an outlet for experimentation outside of the classroom.
a T, Dr. Brown enjoys experimenting and straying from the norm. “If I’m interested in doing something, I’ll get a recipe online, and I’ll start tweaking it, changing the kind of flour [or] trying to cut down on the amount of sugar,” he said. “[I add] things that you wouldn’t normally add—pumpkin bread with chocolate chips, for example, is not a normal thing. It’s just playing around. It’s my research now.”
In baking, Dr. Brown has found an opportunity for innovating and a space for expressing his creativity beyond his teaching. “[Baking] is a chance to experiment— you never know exactly how it’s going to work out. In my job, I get to try new ways of teaching things, but when it’s ‘I haven’t made this before, and I wonder if I can do it,’ there’s the sense of discovery and all the stuff that I enjoyed about being a scientist
“[Baking] is a chance to experiment—you never know exactly how it’s going to work out. In my job, I get to try new ways of teaching things, but when it’s ‘I haven’t made this before, and I wonder if I can do it,’ there’s the sense of discovery and all the stuff that I enjoyed about being a scientist is there [in baking], and cooking too” is there [in baking], and cooking too,” he said. “The part of me that’s a chemist and the part of me that’s a baker or cook— they’re not different.” Dr. Brown finds that the inventive aspect overlapping between baking and chemistry plays a pervasive role in what he loves to do. “[Baking and chemistry] just play with the same parts of the brain: the opportunity for creativity [and] the excitement of making something with your own hands that is useful,” he said. “The two [fields] play to the same parts of what’s interesting about for me being alive.”
Mini memoir Mondays: reporters recall memories from photos
Dusting cookies with sugar and friendship
Exploring history locked up in the Tower of London isha moorjani
HIDDEN IN HISTORY One of the buildings of the Tower of London stands in the center its creamy yet slightly blackened stone contrasting with the green leaves. To me, this photo represents the discovery of one of my passions: History.
“I discovered my love of
history, and I continue to look for new ways to expand my knowledge of everything that came before us it’s going to work out.
settling engravings on the walls made by prisoners, and I could not wait to leave that exhibition. However, despite the frightening history, I enjoyed exploring the Tower of London and viewing the different exhibits. While the dark aspects of the history of the Tower of London unsettled me, this photo holds extremely significant memories, as I visited London for the first time. Through this experience, I discovered my love of history, and I continue to look for new ways to expand my knowledge of everything that came before us.
SABRINA ZHU
ISHA MOORJANI
In this photo, a vibrant tree with bright green foliage stands in front of one of the buildings of the Tower of London, its branches and leaves leaning towards the right, blocking the left side of the tower. Other round trees with forest green leaves dot the surroundings. Tourists and visitors relax on the benches, while others walk around on the paved grounds, exploring all that the Tower has to offer. The creamy yet slightly blackened stone of the Tower sharply contrasts with the bright green of the trees and blends in with the pale blue sky and the wispy clouds. Arched windows spiral across the tall spire of the Tower, and a neutral grey dome tops the spire. A large staircase stands to the left of the photo, with visitors forming a line to view exhibitions of the historic towers, and in the distance, the faint silhouettes of modern buildings remind everyone of reality. I took this photo during an afternoon spent at the Tower of London last summer, and I was fascinated by the history. The warm weather permeated the grounds, but I nevertheless felt chilly. Fancy plaques with the dates of the constructions of each tower had been placed below the names, and the fact that they had been built even before America was founded intrigued me. My sister, Tasha, and I explored the various buildings and interactive activities, running excitedly from place to place, eager to see everything in the short period of one hour. Passing by glass cases with crowns of the previous rulers of England, I noticed that the shining rubies, emeralds, and sapphires glinted despite the absence of light in the dim room, and the red velvet looked majestic. King Henry III began the menagerie at the Tower of London, and it housed animals that the kings received as gifts, such as lions and an elephant. Now, animal sculptures made of wire stand in the Tower to represent its previous role. After discovering that animals had inhabited the buildings, I was interested and wanted to learn more about them. As we passed through the towers, we saw un-
day skiing the powdery slopes of the Sierra Nevadas, we have finally returned reporter to our home for the week. My friend SoIn the photo, a plate of vanilla sug- phie’s mom sneaks to the car and comes ar cookies decorated with Christmas back with a Christmas surprise: ingredisprinkles sits on a dark, marble table. The ents and supplies for sugar cookies. I jump up and snatch them, sprintgolden brown edges contrast with the ing to the unused kitchen with my sisters softer, white centers, and the festive toppings add bright colors to the treats. The Sally and Tiffany, my cousin Christina horizontal angle of the image captures and Sophie. I hear our parents playing an the side view of the star-shaped cookies intense game of pool in the adjacent room and the smooth edge of the porcelain and my brother, David, talking about his plate. The cream colored walls bring out life at college, and I gently smile, grateful the darkness in the windows, and some that he’s back. I rip open the box mix, and wooden chairs peek out above the coun- the sound of cabinets closing clash with ter. A gentle mess of bowls, spoons and the sound of metal clinking. Within minutes, our team has preboxes fill the unfocused background, heated the oven, opened materials and and a yellow tint warms the scene. It’s the midst of the holiday season, measured out ingredients. We add the in 2017, two years ago. My family and right amount of eggs, water and oil, friends rest in an AirBnB in Heavenly, and we dig our hands into the crumbly Lake Tahoe, a tradition we’ve followed dough. Each of us grabs a chunk, kneadfor 10 years now. After a long, thrilling ing it until a smooth shine appears. We find cookie cutters, and soon, trays of festive cookies are in the oven. After hearing a ding and smelling the vanilla aroma, we put the treats on a porcelain plate with big smiles on our faces. I look forward to this tradition every year: it symbolizes the beginning of winter break, the festive holiday season and snowy adventures. I love spending time with friends that I haven’t seen in months, and I especially enjoy reuniting with my older brother. Christmas is one of the only times spent with my entire family, and it just makes all the activities we do so much more fun. When I’m not worrying about school and grades and I’m surrounded by SUGAR AND SPRINKLES A plate of Christmas star-shaped sugar cookies sits decorated with colorful sprinkles sits on a marble table. I loved ones, spendbaked these treats when I was in Heavenly, Lake Tahoe two years ago, ing a week at a winspending the winter holiday season with my friends and family after a ter wonderland is day of skiing the powdery slopes of the Sierra Nevadas. truly incredible. sabrina zhu
reporter
DESIGN BY NICOLE TIAN
10 WINGED POST
In this repeater, authors with contrasting viewpoints discuss an issue of prominence within our community. In recent years, housing prices in the Bay Area have risen steeply, leaving tens of thousands unsheltered. So what is the most effective way to address this housing crisis?
ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY TAN
Perspectives
21 • ISSUE 4 MARCH 2, 2020 OPINION VOLUME
Only regulation can solve housing crisis Lax zoning allows for affordable homes aquila sports editor
In San Francisco, the median house costs $1.00 million — 5.7 times the national median, which remains at $244,000, according to data from Zillow. A two-bedroom apartment in SF would set you back $3,090 per month, 2.6 times the national median of $1,090, according to reports from Apartment List. In the heart of Silicon Valley, major tech companies have contributed to rapid growth, creating an exorbitantly rich
Corporations such as Apple, Google and Facebook can — and should — do more than throw money at a problem they helped cause in return for good press. economy. At the same time, however, the inevitable influx of highly-paid software workers since the beginning of the Dot-Com-Boom in the 1990s has led to extreme gentrification, often disproportionately affecting neighborhoods with large minority populations. For instance, the number of minority households has declined by 21% from 2000 to 2015, according to research from the Urban Displacement project from UC Berkeley. As companies like Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Apple attract more workers, increasing demand causes prices to skyrocket, driving out working-class individuals.
We cannot simply deregulate housing and hope that the market will discover a morally suitable solution. Apple is a trillion-dollar company. Amazon has been flirting with the threshold for a year. If left unregulated, these companies will act in their own self-interest, continuing to expand at the expense of working-class and minority Bay Area residents. Through increased zoning laws and permanent housing, local governments can curb the gentrification of these neighborhoods, finally serving their low-income citizens. Stricter inclusionary zoning laws should be adopted, encouraging the building of affordable, low-cost housing units and forcing technology companies to play a greater role in solving the problems they created. Although corporations such as Apple, Google and Facebook have all voluntarily pledged money for affordable housing, they can — and should — do more than throw money at a problem they helped cause in return for good press. Furthermore, with a “housing first” approach that emphasizes permanent supportive housing, governments can help support these individuals by providing them with services to confront health and drug problems. Investing in long-term solutions has proven to be less expensive than costly, ineffective shelters and institutional care. We cannot continue to ignore the problems that have come with this rapid expansion. Housing is a basic human right. Through increased regulation and intervention, we must repurpose profits to helping these homeless individuals. Visit harkeraquila.com for full article.
catherine feng & anna vazhaeparambil reporter & aquila sports editor
The affordable housing crisis in the Bay Area is defined by sky-high prices and lack of housing, trends that have only been rising over the last decade. As the number of new jobs rapidly outpaces the amount of available housing units, issues of gentrification, displacement and housing insecurity have permeated our cities and neighborhoods. According to the 2019 Homeless Census from Santa Clara County, the number of people experiencing homelessness in the county has grown significantly over the last two years, from 7,394 to 9,706 people. San Jose alone makes up a large percentage of this amount, with a homeless count of 6,172, a 42 percent increase since 2017. And in response to these growing numbers, solutions proposed by legislators have been a temporary relief at best. Despite spending billions of dollars, efforts to create large volumes of affordable housing while abiding by city building limitations have not been successful in mitigating the effects. With stringent zoning regulations, it has become increasingly difficult to gain approval for long-term residential construction in the Bay Area. By instead relaxing these rules, the housing market can more effectively meet everyone’s needs.
Single-family zoning, especially, has historically prohibited denser housing possibilities, which could offer long term relief for unsheltered people. An example of the feasibility of this idea is evident in the economy of Tokyo, Japan. While having little to no land for development and growing population, the housing prices in Tokyo have been steady, unlike in the San Francisco Bay Area. Attributed to the laissez-faire housing system, Tokyo had 142,417 housing starts in 2014 compared to only 83,657 housing permits issued in the state of California the same year.
With stringent zoning regulations, it has become increasingly difficult to gain approval for long-term residential construction in the Bay Area. Tokyo’s housing system is contingent on a relaxed and residential construction-friendly zoning system. The system prevents local governments from stalling use of land and allows for a focus on vertical growth of the city’s buildings, less restrained by government zoning. Visit harkeraquila.com for full article.
18%
of BAY AREA FAMILIES COULD AFFORD A MEDIAN-PRICED HoME AS OF AUGUST 2018
Statistics from California Association of Realtors and the Bay Area Council Economic Group
28,200
PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN THE BAY AREA as of APRIL 2019
ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY TAN
aditya singhvi
DESIGN BY SRINATH SOMASUNDARAM
WINGED POST 11
21 • ISSUE 4 MARCH 2, 2020 OPINION VOLUME
Reporters
Michelle Liu Sriya Batchu Isha Moorjani Brian Chen Saahil Thoppay Athreya Daniel Nicholas Wei Michael Eng Sabrina Zhu Catherine Feng Sally Zhu Lauren Liu Amruta Dharmapurikar Sarah Mohammed Anmol Velagapudi Visit The Winged Post online at www.harkeraquila.com Follow us on instagram with the handle @harkeraquila
The Winged Post is published every four to six weeks except during vacations by the Journalism: Newspaper Concentration and Advanced Journalism: Newspaper Concentration courses at Harker’s upper school, 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, California 95129. The Winged Post staff will publish features, editorials, news, sports and STEM articles in an unbiased and professional manner and serve as a public forum for the students of The Harker School. Editorials represent the official opinions of The Winged Post. Opinions and letters represent the personal viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Winged Post. All content decisions are made by student editors, and the content of The Winged Post in no way reflects the official policy of The Harker School. The opinions expressed in this publication reflect those of the student writers and not the Harker board, administration, faculty or adviser. Letters to the Editor may be submitted to Manzanita 70 or emailed to wingedpost2020@gmail.com and must be signed, legible and concise. The staff reserves the right to edit letters to conform to Post style. Baseless accusations, insults, libelous statements, obscenities and letters that call for a disruption of the school day will not be considered for publication. Letters sent to The Winged Post will be published at the discretion of the editorial staff. The Winged Post is the official student newspaper of Harker’s upper school and is distributed free of cost to students. 2018-2019 NSPA Pacemaker Finalist 2017-2018 NSPA Pacemaker 2017-2018 NSPA Best-in-show publication 2017-2018 Gold Crown-winning publication 2016-2017 NSPA Pacemaker Finalist 2016-2017 Silver Crown-winning publication 2015-2016 Gold Crown-winning publication
KATHY FANG
eart of Harker
Challenge Day serves as first step A hundred students and 20 to 30 members of faculty met in the auxiliary gym to participate in community developing activities on Feb. 6. The program, Challenge Day, focused on mindfulness, to address racist epithets and comments made by Harker students. And while Challenge Day may have served as a symbolic and positive first step, as a student body and broader school community, we cannot pretend as if a program limited in scope to 100 students will suffice to solve a pervasive issue, no matter the program’s efficacy. That being said, mandating programs for the whole student body is simply not effective either. The success of such programs depends on the willingness of its participants, and real change cannot be feigned through coercion. In fact, Challenge Day’s primary motto: “We must be the change that we
ILLUSTRATION BY MICHELLE LIU
OK Millenials!
EDITORIAL: THE OFFICIAL OPINION OF THE WINGED POST
want to see in the world,” echoes this exact sentiment. To achieve any change, we must actively choose what we want to see our surrounding world become. The issues we face are fundamentally rooted in this choice, lying in our school culture. The change we seek as a community must begin with our exposure to a greater diversity of voices, experiences and culture. Every day should be a Challenge Day. The mindfulness and sensitivity fostered by the Challenge Day program need to be extended to our interactions with friends and strangers alike, and the first step to that type of community is a diversity of thought, race, gender, sexuality and experience that, frankly, our Harker school community lacks. Challenge Day was the first step. Now, as an academic institution, we must build a diverse learning environment to effect any real change.
Response to outbreak calls for corroboration
EDITORIAL: THE OFFICIAL OPINION OF THE WINGED POST
With over 80,000 cases across 34 countries, as of Feb. 27 according to the World Health Organization (WHO), a novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has raised health concerns, caused shutdowns and made headlines worldwide. On Feb. 26 as the outbreak was escalating, the panic hit home, with one confirmed case in Solano County, about a two and a half hour drive away from Harker. The subject is the first case of infection from an unknown source in the U.S. Across news media and social media alike, fear has characterized coverage of COVID-19. In some cases, that fear took form in rumor and discrimination. Hashtags like #ChineseDontComeToJapan and accusatory, ill-informed posts about Chinese culinary subculture have followed at the heels of each WHO report. This manifestation of public panic has only exacerbated the situation. Part of the global response to COVID-19 has
thomas artiss
guest writer & biology teacher
There’s a new meme in town. Like all memes, it is catchy, memorable and even mildly amusing. Although the origins of the phrase are debatable, the phrase “OK Boomer” seemed to have gained traction about a year ago. The intent was to offer a simple, eye-rolling and dismissive retort to criticisms leveled at millennials on Twitter. But like all memes, it soon made the rounds on Instagram, Reddit and inevitably TikTok. The phrase seems to imply that a specific subset of the population is unwilling, unable or incapable of understanding younger generations. It conjures up images of doddering old men in ill-fitting ball caps sitting in lawn chairs. It implies that people who are roughly my age simply don’t get — and don’t want to get — the youth of today. On the one hand, this sentiment is nothing new; every generation believes they are socially and culturally unique and that older generations are simply out of touch. We tend to forget that everyone was young once, and the trends that defined them — from fashion to music to political activism — may be antiquated by today’s standards, but they were countercultural in their time.
Every generation believes they are socially and culturally unique and that older generations are simply out of touch.
ILLUSTRATION BY MICHELLIE LIU
Editors-in-Chief Eric Fang Gloria Zhang Managing Editor Nina Gee News Editor Arushi Saxena Assistant News Editor Lucy Ge Features Editor Sara Yen Assistant Features Editor & Graphic Designer Emily Tan Lifestyle Editors & Graphic Designers Arely Sun Nicole Tian Opinion Editor Srinath Somasundaram STEM Editor Mark Hu Sports Editor Vishnu Kannan Senior Copy Editor Jessie Wang Photo Editor Irina Malyugina Assistant Photo Editor Irene Yuan Designer Editor Jin Tuan Columnists Kushal Shah Jin Tuan Adviser Ellen Austin, MJE Aquila Editor-in-Chief Kathy Fang Aquila Managing Editors Arya Maheshwari Varsha Rammohan Aquila Sports Editors Aditya Singhvi Anna Vazhaeparambil Aquila Sports Team Vishnu Kannan Alysa Suleiman Kushal Shah Saurav Tewari Muthu Panchanatham Humans of Harker Editor Saloni Shah Humans of Harker Team Erica Cai Esha Gohil
been characterized by uncertainty, but these rumors have become part of the problem, clouding the true magnitude of the outbreak. In times of panic, we can only calm such fears with fact. Our ability to confront difficulty depends on an accurate assessment of the danger at hand, and unfounded fear does us no favors in that regard. Before panicking, we need to first understand the true extent of the problem and adjust our response accordingly. As journalists, we always remind each other, “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” During our coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak, we kept this saying in mind, checking and rechecking our information as part of our duty as press to bring accurate and reliable facts to our readers. And now, we ask you to do the same and help us as informed readers — don’t spread hearsay and please dispel rumors whenever possible.
On the other hand, the notion that anyone over 40 is fearful of change is patently false. In fact, I would argue that the baby boomer generation has experienced more change than any other generation in history. Moreover, they were the agents of said change. I am a shade over 50 (OK, 53 is more than a shade), and two years younger than the youngest baby boomer. I have seen a lot in my life. I have seen humans walk on the moon, explore ocean trenches, map the genome, clone a mammal and find evidence of water on Mars. Baby boomers (and Gen Xers) did not fix it all. Nor did they cause it all. Every generation falls short in some respects, but they move the ball forward. And before you offhandedly dismiss an adult who you feel doesn’t understand your generation, consider for a moment the amount of change they have experienced. Maybe they have a point. Maybe they have tried, and they really don’t understand. Maybe they just need someone to listen. Because after all, it would seem unlikely that they are incapable of understanding change. OK Millenials? Visit harkeraquila.com for full article. In this repeating guest column, we encourage writers from around the upper school community to share their experiences. Please email all column ideas to wingedpost2020@gmail.com DESIGN BY SRINATH SOMASUNDARAM
21 • ISSUE 4 STEM VOLUME MARCH 2, 2020
12 WINGED POST
New contagious viral strain explained COVID-19 continues to spread around the world
Contests and competitions sally zhu & amruta dharmapurikar
REGENERON
ERICA CAI
reporters
How to protect yourself and others from coronavirus:
kathy fang, eric fang & alysa suleiman aquila editor-in-chief, editor-in-chief & sports reporter
Wash your hands with soap and water frequently
Throw tissues into closed bin immediately after use
ALL ILLUSTRATIONS BY ARELY SUN
Avoid contact with anyone who has fever or cough
ALYSA SULEIMAN
“In a time of crisis, we want to get with our tribe and we want to isolate ourselves from other tribes.Just because that’s a human instinct doesn’t mean that it’s right, and we have to be careful about giving in to those instincts that may not be right, that may end up causing harm to others because of our own fear”
Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
Information is from the World Health Organization.
As the 2019 novel coronavirus, 2019nCoV, continues to spread across the world, Harker Aquila breaks down what you need to know about the outbreak. What is the 2019-nCoV? The 2019-nCoV is a respiratory disease that causes respiratory illness, according to the World Health Organization. It belongs in the coronavirus family, which includes viruses such as the common cold as well as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has also reported that the outbreak may have originated from a large animal and seafood market in Wuhan.
the outbreak. At a press conference yesterday, Director of the National Health Committee in China Dr. Ma Xiaowei said that 2019nCoV can spread from person-to-person during its incubation period, which is the period between exposure to the disease and appearance of symptoms. This is notably different from previous coronaviruses and may be the cause of rising infection rates. “Observation has shown that the incubation period is contagious,” Dr. Ma said. “The incubation period is around 10 days. The shortest time before the appearance of symptoms was one day. The longest was 14 days. This is very different from SARS.” The transmission mechanism of the 2019-nCoV is currently unclear. According to the CDC’s fact sheet on the 2019-nCoV, transmission of similar coronaviruses like SARS and MERS occurred between close
Chinese and U.S. health authorities have posted the full genome of the virus in medical databases like GenBank and the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data and to help medical authorities detect the virus. What are symptoms of the 2019nCoV? Common symptoms of the virus include fever, cough and shortness of breath and can take two to 14 days after exposure to appear, according to the CDC. In severe cases, patients may have pneumonia in both lungs. How does the virus spread? The virus can spread from animals to humans, as well as from person to person, though the risk of person-to-person transmission is currently unclear. Officials are still tracking and investigating
DR. KATE SCHAFER UPPER SCHOOL BIOLOGY TEACHER contacts via respiratory droplets, such as saliva produced in coughs and sneezes. Officials state that transmission may also occur through physical contact with a surface containing the virus, followed by contact with the mouth, nose or eyes. Note: Sources who are identified with an asterisk (*) have been given pseudonyms for the purposes of this article. Harker Aquila’s interview with Dr. Yu Xu, Xia Zhenguo, Yang Hong and Li Wei were originally conducted in Mandarin and translated to English. Additional reporting by Emily Tan and Jessie Wang.
NACLO Linguistics Club hosted the North American Computational Linguistics Open (NACLO) competition on January 23, open to all high school and university students. NACLO problems include logic and language puzzles to challenge the brain.
F=MA The F=ma physics contest took place in January. The 25 question multiple-choice exam spans 75 minutes and focuses on non-calculus physics. The exam was held at Harker on January 23.
USACO The USA Computing Olympiad (USACO) held its third contest of the 2019-2020 school year from Feb. 21-24. USACO has four contests each year, one per month from December to March, and four divisions: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
USABO The USA Biolympiad (USABO) is an open exam administered between February 4 and February 14. The 50-minute nationwide exam is available to any high school student and was hosted on February 5 at the upper school.
AMC CONTESTS The American Mathematics Competitions (AMCs) took place on Jan. 30. The AMC 10A and AMC 12A are math contests open to all students in or below grades ten and twelve, respectively. The A contest was followed by the B contest, which was only open to eligible Math Club members.
DESIGN BY MARK HU
ALL ILLUSTRATIONS BY NICOLE TIAN
ILLUSTRATION BY MICHELLE LIU
Cynthia Chen (12) and Joshua Zhou (12) were part of 300 students chosen out of 1,993 seniors as finalists for the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS). Cynthia’s and Joshua’s projects were on using neural networks to identify cancers and the optimization of coilgun launch systems,
WINGED POST 13
21 • ISSUE 4 STEM VOLUME MARCH 2, 2020
Fighting Fire: Australia battles blazing bushfires in ongoing war against climate PROVIDED BY MARGARET HUNTLEY
emily tan & brian chen asst. features editor & reporter
ILLUSTRATION BY NICOLE TIAN
PROVIDED BY REBECCA MILLER
“Talking about the ways you can mitigate greenhouse gasses [is the most important thing high schoolers can do about climate change]”
A NN A
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monoxide. Larger particles that are visible to the eye typically do not have major health effects besides nose and throat irritation, while microscopic particles can intensify asthma and worsen pre-existing heart and lung conditions. For protection against bushfire smoke, only special face masks like P2 masks can prevent fine particulate pollution from entering the lungs. In recent days, pollution has alleviated. Based on data from the World Air
LIT UP Fires approach a residential neighborhood in the capital city of Canberra, Australia. More than 3,000 homes have been destroyed by the Australian fires.
Quality Index project, as of Feb. 2 major cities in Victoria had air quality indices (AQI) ranging from 3 to 55 and likewise in NSW, the air quality now ranges from 4 to 86, considered good to moderate. These numbers are major improvements from a daily average AQI of 714 on Jan. 6 in Canberra in NSW and an AQI of 272 Jan. 15 in Melbourne in Victoria. According to Stanford Ph.D. candidate Rebecca Miller, who has been conducting research in wildfire policy, management and recovery in California for two and a half years, climate change has increased the strength and probability of fires by making already dry and hot areas even drier and hotter. 2019 was both Australia’s hottest and driest year on record with national temperatures 1.5ºC above average and severe drought affecting NSW especially, according to the Australian government’s Bureau of Meteorology. With rising global temperatures, areas that are already vulnerable to fire threats are now even more prone to these hazards. “The wildfires in general are becoming increasingly more intense because of the heating of the climate,” said Diana
Australian bushfires mapped out
HU
EPA HA AZ
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REBECCA MILLER STANFORD Ph.D. CANDIDATE IN ENVIRONMENT
BARREN SKY Smoke fills the sky near the property of middle school math teacher Margaret Huntley’s sister on the outskirts of Canberra. Bushfire smoke consists of water vapor, various-sized particles and toxic gases like nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide. PROVIDED BY MARGARET HUNTLEY
26.9 million acres burned. More than 3,000 homes destroyed. 33 deaths, including nine firefighters, as of Jan. 31, according to the Crisis Coordination Center of the Australian government. And over one billion bird, mammal, and reptile deaths, according to the Australian Academy of Science. This is the impact of the hundreds of fires that have been burning across the states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria in southeastern Australia since September. After the Kincade Fire burned 77,758 acres in Sonoma County, C.A. in October, the Australian wildfires reflect a worldwide trend of worsening fire seasons as a result of climate change. “I wasn’t exactly surprised [when I heard about the fires],” upper school Green Team officer Anthony Shing (12) said. “There’s usually bushfires in Australia every year but as the months passed by, my concern grew because I didn’t expect it to last that long.” According to the Queensland government website, bushfire smoke consists of water vapor, various-sized particles and toxic gases like nitrous oxide and carbon
RAMB IL
KATRINA IPSER ‘19
DIANA MOSS
ALUMNI STUDYING IN AUSTRALIA “As I heard about it getting worse and worse, it was devastating because it was just such a beautiful place”
GREEN TEAM ADVISOR “It’s almost like the fire perpetuates itself because the faster it burns, the hotter it makes the environment”
BR IA
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CANBERRA
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CH
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GREEN TEAM OFFICER “There’s usually bushfires in Australia every year but as the months passed by, my concern grew because I didn’t expect it to last that long”
SYDNEY
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BRISBANE
ANKITA KUNDU (11) RED CROSS CLUB COORDINATOR “I hope that the school can come out and support this cause because it is a really big [tragedy]”
3000
homes destroyed as of Jan. 31
MELBOURNE
26.9
million acres of land burned as of Jan. 31 Information is from the Emergency Response Coordination Centre
33
deaths as a result of the fires AS of JAN. 31 DESIGN BY MARK HU
21 • ISSUE 4 MARCH 2, 2020 SPORTS VOLUME
14 WINGED POST
Worldwide fans mourn NBA legend, dead at 41
Kobe Bryant and 8 others die in Calabasas helicopter crash Chiefs top 49ers in Super Bowl XIV
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kushal shah sports columnist
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Number of allstar appearances
ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY TAN
ILLUSTRATIONS BY NINA GEE
aditya singhvi & anna vazhaeparambil aquila co-sports editors
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Number of championships Kobe won
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Kobe Bryant, former NBA superstar, died at the age of 41 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA, this morning shortly before 10 a.m. on Jan. 26. The crash killed eight others. Bryant’s daughter, Gianna “Gigi” Maria-Onore Bryant, 13, was reported to be on board, along with Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, 56, his wife Keri Altobelli and their daughter Alyssa Altobelli, 13. They were also accompanied by Sarah Chester, 45, her daughter Payton Chester, 13, and Bryant’s assistant coach Christina Mauser, 38. The group, flown by Bryant’s private pilot Ara Zobayan, was said to be traveling to his Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks for the Mamba Cub Tournament, where he would be coaching a game and the three girls would be playing. Bryant is survived by his wife, Vanessa Laine Bryant, and their three daughters. In an Instagram post on February 13th, Bryant announced that the Mamba Sports Foundation would be renamed to honor both Kobe and Gigi, with its new name being the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation. Bryant, drafted in 1996 out of high school, played his entire 20-year professional career with the Lakers, leading the franchise to five championships. He was an 18-time All-Star, 15-time AllNBA player and won a Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 2008. His two jerseys, #8 and #24, were both retired by the Lakers in 2018. In the Bay Area, reactions from those who loved Bryant and the sport reveals the impact and legacy he leaves behind. “The closest thing I could do to see Michael Jordan play was watch Kobe. His moves, the way he played, his footwork, his determination, his mentality was all very similar to Michael Jordan,” assistant boys basketball coach Eric Lee said. “It seemed like he had so much more to give to the game of basketball even though he had retired.”
Nicknamed the “Black Mamba,” Bryant was often admired for his intense work ethic and dedication to the game, termed the “Mamba Mentality,” by fans and players alike. “He was so diverse in the moves he could do and he was just a really well rounded player, what I wanted to be someday as a basketball player,” varsity girls basketball player Brooklyn Cicero (10) said. The Los Angeles Lakers will be holding a memorial for Kobe and Gigi on Feb. 24 at the Staples Center. Most tickets will be reserved for the friends and family of Kobe, as well as some NBA stars. Some tickets will, however, be released to the public for purchase, and all proceeds will go towards the Mamba and Mam-
bacita Sports Foundation. The date of the memorial (2/24/20) holds a special significance as 2 and 24 were Gigi and Kobe’s jersey numbers, respectively. Off the court, Bryant is remembered as a fervent supporter of youth sports, coaching Gigi’s basketball team. Gigi, nicknamed “Mambacita” by her father, was an emerging basketball star herself, frequently attending NBA games with Bryant. “His legacy is larger than life,” Elliot Almond, a sports reporter for the Bay Area News Group, said in an interview with Harker Aquila. “Here’s this celebrity sports star, who is retired, but working as hard as if he were back on the court. I believe people are going to write that he was a great basketball player, but that he was a greater, kinder human being.” Kobe was announced as one of the eight finalists who are candidates for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Feb. 14th, and he will likely be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year alongside fellow NBA greats Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. Visit harkeraquila.com for the full
ILLUSTRATION BY MICHELLE LIU
Kobe’s single game scoring record
We Niners faithfuls have just received some of the most devastating news in the history of the Niners since Colin Kaepernick threw that interception on a deep pass to Michael Crabtree in the NFC championship game in 2013. Yes, it’s all true: the San Francisco 49ers fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. Sportsman Kushal here, ready to break it down for y’all! After the 49ers ran over the Green Bay Packers and the Chiefs defeated the Tennessee Titans in their respective championship games, the Super Bowl matchup was set.
It was the perfect game: the Chiefs’ brilliant offense versus the 49ers’ star studded defense The game started off with the Niners’ defense forcing a Chiefs’ punt, and from there, the 49er offense took control and ran the ball down the field, eventually settling for a field goal. The Chiefs responded with a touchdown thanks to some great plays by Patrick Mahomes, making the score 7 - 3 in favor of the Chiefs. On the next possession, Jimmy G threw a head-scratching interception, as he futilely attempted to get rid of the ball before getting sacked. Taking full advantage, the Chiefs transformed the Niners turnover into a field goal, pushing their lead to 7 points. On the next possession, the 49ers responded with a touchdown of their own, from Kyle Juszczyk. A few possessions later, the refs called an utterly blasphemous and controversial offensive pass interference on George Kittle, which took away the 49ers chance to get more points on the board before the end of the half. However, it was in the third quarter, when the Niners broke open the game and charged ahead with a field goal, pick, and touchdown to make the score 20-10. Unfortunately, the Chiefs weren’t ready to go away just yet. With nearly 7 minutes left to go in the game, the Chiefs roared back, scoring two quick touchdowns, followed by a third touchdown in garbage time. But, you know what? Whatever. All season long, the 49ers knew that they had a special team, and proved to all their doubters that they were no joke. And now? Pretenders? Pshh, I think not! Besides, I’m certain the 49ers will be back next season with a vengeance and an insatiable thirst to take the Super Bowl trophy! DESIGN BY NINA GEE AND VISHNU KANNAN
SPORTS
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VOLUME 21 • ISSUE 4 MARCH 2, 2020
G N I R SP aquila co-sports editor & reporter
Eight spring sports — boys volleyball, boys tennis, boys golf, baseball, softball, swimming, track and field and girls lacrosse — began their regular season practices on Feb. 4. The varsity boys volleyball team, following a historic 2019 season that saw the Eagles rank fourth in the nation and lose a five-set heartbreaker in the NorCal finals, will look to replicate their successes in the 2020 season despite several key seniors graduating. The team will be coached by first-year head coach Zac Mattson as they look to notch another successful season. For the boys tennis team, this season will be aimed at finally securing the WBAL league championship this season, after their only losses last season came to league champions Menlo. “I think this year, we’re looking like we’re in shape to pose a challenge to Menlo for the first time in 30 years,” varsity tennis captain Mihir Sharma said. “Right now, it looks like we’re at the strongest that we’ve been for a while.” With head coach John Fruttero at the helm, the Eagles will field both a full junior varsity and varsity squad. The boys golf team, head coached by Ie-Chen Cheng and co-captained by Bryan Zhang (11) and Gabriel Yang (11), will look to continue their streak of six consecutive league championships this season. “We’re all practicing really hard individually,” Bryan said. “We have some crucial matches in the first few weeks, so
in
ALYSA SULEIMAN, MUTHU PANCHANATHAM, ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL, SRINATH SOMASUNDARAM, ERIC FANG, IRINA MALYUGINA & EMILY TAN
we want to succeed in those matches.” Last season, the team finished sixth at the CCS championships. The boys will look to defeat league rivals Menlo once again for the league championship. The boys baseball team began their season with preseason practices beginning in January under head coach Mike Delfino. The captains of this year’s team are Nick Coulter (11) and Levi Sutton (11). “It’s nice being with a team where everyone supports each other,” Aaron Lo (10), a varsity baseball player, said. The swim team will consist of 29 swimmers this season, including several water polo players and club swimmers. “We would love to win CCS.” varsity head coach Tania Chadwick said. “This year is probably the most club swimmers that I’ve seen, and I think that the numbers that they bring will be amazing.” The Eagles placed fourth at the CIF State Meet last season, with Ethan Hu (12), who committed to swim for Stanford, breaking state records in the 200 Individual Medley (IM) and the 100 Butterfly. The varsity girls lacrosse team, coached by new head coach Tarin Tobin, faced off against Willow Glen on Feb. 25 for their first match of the season. “I’m really excited to get to know everyone and bond with my team. After not playing lacrosse last year,” player Michelle Jin (9) said. Under the guidance of head coach Raul Rios and captain Natasha Yen (11), the girls softball team is looking to notch another successful season, beginning
aditya singhvi & lauren liu
n o i t c a o t
with a March 3 matchup against Gunn. “I’m excited to play at the high school level and to play with my friends. I’m the only pitcher this year so I’ll be getting a lot of time to play which is nice,” Katelyn Abellera (9), the pitcher for the team, said. The track and field team will be coached by Samantha Salfen, a former assistant coach.
“My goal is for everyone to try their best — asking questions, having fun and building a team morale that includes everyone,” Salfen said. This year, the team utilized the weight room for preseason work outs, building towards their first meet on Feb. 29 at Bellarmine. “Track and field people just think it’s a lot of running and there’s actually a lot more strength that goes into it than people realize. Hopefully, working out in the weight room will bring in results when the season starts,” Salfen said.
Winter sports seasons wrap up Basketball and soccer teams compete in CCS aditya singhvi
TOE-TAP Darshan Chahal (12) passes the ball in the varsity boys’ soccer team’s game against Pinewood.
MAKING MOVES Lexi Wong (9) evades a defender in the girls varsity soccer team’s game against Pinewood.
ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL
MUTHU PANCHANATHAM
DRIBBLE DRIVE Alexa Lowe (12) drives to the hoop for a layup in the varsity girls basketball team’s game against Mercy.
ALYSA SULEIMAN
MUTHU PANCHANATHAM
sports editor
HIGH-FLYING Jack Connors (12) attempts a jump shot in the varsity boys basketball team’s game against Priory.
The varsity girls basketball team fell 69-53 to the Mercy San Francisco Skippers in a senior night matchup on Feb. 7. Ahead of the game, five seniors — Allison Yen, Sara Lynn Sullivan, Haley Arena, Kaidi Dai and Charlotte Blanc — were honored in a brief ceremony. “I’ve known these people for a really long time. It’s great seeing them in their last home game, knowing they care so much about the sport,” Rakesh Nori (12) said. “As seniors, it’s one of our last chances as a class to be together in this event. It’s pretty nostalgic already.” The girls advanced to the CIF Central Coast Section however, narrowly losing a playoff game to Carmel High School 49 - 42 on Feb. 22. The varsity boys basketball team clinched a 71-48 win over Design Tech in the first round of the CCS Division IV playoffs at home on Friday, advancing to a second-round matchup against Scotts Valley on Saturday that the Eagles
dropped 48-42. Heading into the game, the Eagles (7-17) were seeded ninth in the bracket while the Design Tech Dragons (11-12) were unseeded. The game began with five seniors — Jack Connors, Giovanni Rofa, Naveen Mirapuri, Jeffrey Liu and Vance Vu — starting, going on a 9-2 run that set the tone for the Harker-dominated game. “Jack brings a lot of leadership and scoring to the team, so we just needed other people to step up, so I tried my best [to do that],” Eric Zhu (11), who notched a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, said. The varsity boys soccer team clinched a victory against Sequoia High School last Wednesday, moving on to the program’s first ever CCS Championship game. The varsity girls soccer team lost a CCS playoff match against Mercy High School 3- 0 on Feb. 19.
DESIGN BY VISHNU KANNAN AND NINA GEE
2020 HINDSIGHT: WINGED POST 16
21 • ISSUE 4 MARCH 2, 2020 DECADE IN REVIEW VOLUME
A decade at the Harker School gloria zhang & kathy fang editor-in-chief & aquila editor-in-chief
NICOLE CHEN
Many of us began our Harker journey in the past decade. From annual family picnics to our 125th anniversary celebrations last year, our Harker stories are filled with joy, challenge, tradition and community. Here are several milestones that transformed our upper school from 2010 to 2020.
SHARON YAN
THE ROTHSCHILD PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Harker upper school’s performing arts center, which has began in construction in 2016, is now to home to Harker’s performing arts classes and productions.
We found new traditions and means of fun
KATHY FANG
And worked through some difficulties The past decade was also filled with its share of challenges and trials. We held strong through each of them, working through moments of hardship as a community. On Feb. 14, 2018, a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD) in Parkland, Florida, left 17 students and faculty dead. One month later, our student council held a vigil to honor the lives lost. On July 28, 2019, the issue of guns hit closer to home, with a shooting at the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival. Challenges also emerged within our community. On Sept. 29, 2016, a middle school teacher was arrested on charges of sexual misconduct with a former student. On Jan. 2, 2018, a middle school teacher was assaulted by a man passing through campus in the early morning. In the fall of 2018, two upper school teachers were arrested on charges sexual misconduct with a student. In the wake of those incidents, security around campus was increased.
CLASS OF 2018 Miranda Larsen (‘18) smiles as she flips her tassle to the left, signifying her graduation. The class of 2020 will graduate in May at the Mountain Winery. CHRISTOPHER NIKOLOFF Former Head of School Christopher Nikoloff gives a speech at matriculation in August 2016. Mr. Nikoloff departed Harker in 2017.
MEGAN PRAKESH PROVIDED BY OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
We lost some loved ones and cherished their memories
FRANCIS RUBINSTEIN
In athletic achievements, CalHiSports.com named Harker the California athletic division 4 school of the year for the 2018-19 school year. In May 2019, Boys volleyball became NorCal finalists and won the first CCS team championship in school history. In 2018, senior Ethan Hu made Harker history, shattering the CCS 200 individual medley (IM) and 100 fly records. In 2020, the Boys Varsity soccer team made it farther than they’ve ever gone before in Harker history. Performing arts also celebrated many accomplishments. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival has invited Harker to perform three times in the last 10 years — in 2011 with “Pippin”, in 2015 with “Into the Woods”, and in 2019 with “Urinetown.” Many of Harker’s clubs and organizations, such as DECA, journalism, speech and debate, science research, won countless awards and recognition in the past ten years.
AUG. 24, 2013
On Aug. 24, 2013, Jason Berry, English teacher and sonin-law to head of upper school Butch Keller and math teacher Jane Keller, died. His humor, compassion and selflessness inspired students and faculty alike.
SEPT. 2, 2018
On Sept. 2, 2018, former head of school and chair of the board of trustees Diana Nichols died, leaving behind a legacy that has shaped the Harker we know now.
SEPT. 26, 2018
On Sept. 26, 2018, retired upper school French teacher Antoinette Gathy died. Students and colleagues remember her for her sense of humor and her unique approach to teaching.
MAY 23, 2019 NICOLE CHEN
ANNAMA VAZHEPARAMBIL
We celebrated many victories together 2019’s Varsity boys volleyball team, BOYS VARSITY ranked 7th in the nation won VOLLEYBALL TEAM Harker’s first CCS championship.
SCREAM OFF (2016) The class of 2016, decked in their class color of black, shouts loudly during the annual Spring Rally’s scream off
In 2011, the upper school began hosting the annual talent show HOSCARS during the school day, allowing more students and teachers to view the performance. Six years later, student council welcomed Quadchella, Harker’s take on a music festival-inspired talent showcase, in November 2017. Additionally, upper school head Butch Keller started the Eagle Buddies Program in the 2010-2011 school year, where the Class of 2020, then third graders, and Class of 2013, then sophomores, partnered up and formed mentoring relationships.
On May 23, 2019, former ASB president Sandip Nirmel (‘17) died after “an extended illness,” according to the Harvard Crimson’s report. Sandip was a charismatic student, athlete and leader in the upper school community.
KATHY FANG
Several great campus changes occurred in the last decade. In Aug. 2010, our current library finished construction, moving from its previous location, the current college counseling offices. In the fall of 2017, the upper school welcomed its new athletic center, complete with sports courts, locker rooms, team rooms, athletic offices, physical therapy pools and more. Several months later, the Rothschild Performing Arts Center (RPAC), decked with the Patil Theater and several classrooms, opened to our school community in Feb. 2018. Both the athletic center and RPAC began construction in 2016.
KSHITHIJA MULAM
Harker welcomed new campus beginnings
And finally, we bid our ‘hellos’ and ‘goodbyes’ Former Head of School Christopher Nikoloff departed from Harker after the 20162017 school year, after serving as the Head of School for 11 years. Our community welcomed Brian Yager as the new Head of School in 2017. With this decade ending, we will soon be saying farewell to the Class of 2020 in May and hello to the Class of 2024.
DESIGN BY NINA GEE