Petting zoo brings relaxation to students before exams tiffany zhu
Students spent time with petting zoo animals from Friendly Pony Parties as a de-stressor activity on Monday in the quad. Animals included bunnies, pigs, chickens and a “unicorn.” The organization set up a pen, where students could enter and pet the animals or sit and cuddle with them. Open from advisory through the end of lunch, the petting zoo offered a relaxing break as students prepared for upcoming exams and finals.
Martha’s Kitchen fights hunger by filling bellies tiffany zhu
Martha’s Kitchen Food Fight concluded on Wednesday. Harker competed to earn points against nearby schools. A nonprofit organization focused on combating food insecurity, Martha’s Kitchen created its Food Fight to encourage engagement from high school students. Beginning March 24, students competed against local schools to earn points through food donations, volunteer shifts, and monetary contributions. Harker students from various clubs held campuswide fundraisers on April 8 and 10 to draw further support for the cause.
Near Mitra reception celebrates scholars tiffany zhu
Near Mitra Scholars showcased their year-long historical research to students, faculty and administrators and welcomed the incoming Near Mitra Scholars on April 29 in Nichols Auditorium. The Near and Mitra Scholars Annual Recognition Event marks the conclusion of the scholars’ research that began last summer. Near Mitra director and mentor Donna Gilbert opened the ceremony with words of appreciation for the scholars. Each student shared their research and offered advice to the incoming class. The current scholars signed a document formally signifying the conclusion of their papers.
THE UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE HARKER SCHOOL
Upperclassmen glow up at prom
and a Mars rover experience and a roller coaster simulator.
Juniors and seniors commemorated their year at prom with museum exhibits, photo booths, space-themed food and drink, casino tables and a raffle at The Tech Interactive for the first time on April 19 from 8 to 11 p.m.
Attendees made their way down a pink and blue-lit hallway lined with curtains made of slinkies. On the dance floor, students sang along to fan-favorites like “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus and “Carnival” by Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign. As they danced, attendees launched transparent beach balls filled with glitter into the air while elevated lights lit up the space.
Exhibits showcased a screen that
Though junior Sophia Ou initially had doubts about prom at a museum, she felt the novelty of the venue made the event more unique.
Students get to be truly present in the celebration of this moment in their lives.”
ERIC KALLBRIER DIRECTOR OF STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
“When I first heard that the venue was going to be the Tech Museum, I was a little disappointed because it doesn’t sound super cool,” Sophia said. “But when I was there, I thought the exhibits were a great feature of the Tech Museum, and there were a lot of cool things you
Students posed with friends and faculty at the photo booth donning cartoonish props like giant sunglasses and holding up text bubbles. Casino tables drew crowds as students competed in blackjack, poker and craps, gambling with a fake 500 dollar bill they received at the beginning of prom.
here because the tech museum may not be the first destination for like when we have free time with our friends,” senior Claire Perng said. “I’m going to make sure I get a lot of pictures at the photo booth and have a fun time.”
Students and faculty ate foods ranging from sushi and fried ravioli to desserts like freeze-dried toffee and alien-themed chocolate-covered strawberries and candy like peach rings and Nerds clusters. Other food choices included three different space-themed mocktails and a cotton candy machine with Pop Rocks.
Director of Student Organizations Eric Kallbrier appreciated seeing the seniors enjoy the rewards of their four
“It’s a nice opportunity for us to get to look at some of the exhibits that are
features Eric Hengstebeck finds balance in paddleboarding, hiking and walks
lily peng, chelsea xie & cynthia xie
GROOVE TO THE BEAT Senior Leo Sobczyn dances in the ground floor room of the Tech Interactive Venue. In the dance room, prom attendees bopped and sang along to tunes like “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus with their friends.
GAME OF CHANCE Seniors Olivia Guo and Arjen Sen play at the claw machine.
DANCE AWAY Senior Tej Aswani dances to an upbeat song on the dance floor.
CYNTHIAXIE
Tiffany Duong ('02) shares environmental and career perspective
Explorer and storyteller Tiffany Duong (‘02) spoke about her experience shifting from a career in law into diving during the school meeting on April 18.
Green Team invited Duong to launch the Earth Week activities. After graduating from Harker, Duong pursued undergraduate education and a career in law. While she felt that the cases she studied were impactful, she discovered her true passion with ocean conservation after her first diving trip.
Duong shared her experience in marine biology research and volunteering in marine biology and ocean conservation. In her talk, she emphasized going with the flow, believing in magic and creating what you want.
“Finding the ocean and finding something to care about that was bigger than myself made all the difference in my life,” Duong said. “I had to figure out how to build a life that I loved.”
Sophomore Aurelia Spura admired how Duong shared her passion through impressive photos and videos while emphasizing key messages.
“It was nice learning about her experience because Harker kids think that success is linear,” Aurelia said. “I will reflect on my future and question the choices I’m making. She’s inspired me to care more about the planet.”
“I will reflect on my future and question the choices I'm making. She's inspired me to care more about the planet.”
AURELIA SPURA SOPHOMORE
Senior Robert Fields reflected on the restrictions caused by conventional definitions of success. He appreciated how Duong encouraged students to exercise more agency in their own lives.
“I learned about her perspective on the difference between success and happiness,” Robert said. “It’s always worth it to try to chase your own goals while still making sure there’s an impact. Her quote about ‘creating’ your life instead of ‘finding’ it was really insightful because it implies to take more action.”
Students elect 2025-26 class councils
Juniors, sophomores and frosh elected their class council and student activities board representatives for next year on April 24.
With an 81 percent 11th grade voter turnout, the juniors elected Lucas Chen, Sofia Shah, Nikhil Sharma and Kallie Wang as their student council representatives and Janam Chahal, Brady Tse and Claire Yu as their SAB officers.
“I just want to make senior year fun for all of us,” Brady said. “I know that we will have a lot going on, especially fall semester, but we will all push through it. For me, being on senior council and getting to know everybody better for our last year is really important.”
Sophomores voted with over 82 percent participation. Samaara Patil, Ameera Ramzan, Andrew Shin and Chelsea Xie won the Student Council election. Ava Alvarez, Cameron Jones and Megha Unny won the SAB election.
Ninety-three percent of the frosh class cast their votes, choosing Dyuthi Boinepalli, Ameya Choudhary, Avi Gupta and Amber Wang as their student council representatives, and Jillian Chen, Christian Choi and Eva Petrova as their SAB representatives.
“For me, being on senior council and getting to know everybody better for our last year is really important.”
BRADY
TSE
SENIOR SAB REPRESENTATIVE
As elected representatives step into new or returning roles, many aim to improve student life by making stronger connections with their classmates.
“I always like to say ‘hi’ to people and make sure they’re enjoying themselves,” Cameron said. “I love getting to know
people and that helps me as a leader because I’m able to be connected with everyone. I know most of the people in our class on a personal level, and that makes it easier for me to truly help them.”
Candidates began campaigning a few weeks prior, with frosh and sophomore candidates composing written responses to a list of provided questions that deans posted for classes to read. Class deans moderated a candidate Q&A session on April 22 in the RPAC for juniors, Nichols Auditorium for sophomores and the Auxiliary Gym for frosh.
Prior to the Junior Q&A session, junior class dean Meredith Cranston emphasized the importance of the election process.
“You all deserve to hear from your prospective leaders about their ideas for senior year and their values, and what they’re going to do next year,” Cranston said. “Your elected student leaders are asked to work tirelessly for you, both in the open and behind the scenes, so please pick someone you think is going to do a really good job for each senior year.”
Journalists receive high honors at JEA/NSPA conference
suhani gupta, eva cheng & sam li
Thirty-eight journalism students, two advisers and one chaperone attended the spring Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association National High School Journalism Convention in Seattle, Wash., from Wednesday to Saturday.
Three Harker teams of four students each competed in Quiz Bowl, which included questions ranging from technical journalism terms to recent events, on Friday and Saturday morning. All three teams advanced to the semi-finals. The team consisting of seniors Aishani Singh and Gabe Sachse, sophomore Claire Tian and junior Ashley Mo earning second place.
“It was very nerve-wracking, especially because it was the first time I had done any kind of Quiz Bowl,” Claire said. “It was in front of an audience, and the competitors had to be really quick on the draw. Overall, it was enjoyable and exciting.”
At the end of the competition, JEA/ NSPA honored students and publications in an award ceremony. TALON yearbook earned the NSPA Pacemaker Winner for the first time in the program’s history with its 2023-24 school year issue. Harker also received its fourth consecutive First Amendment Press Freedom Award which recognizes high schools nationwide that uphold and defend student expression.
Sophomore Leah Krupnik received a superior in the National Student Media Contests Commentary Writing
category. Junior Suhani Gupta, Claire and sophomore Sarah Wang received a grade of excellent in the Review, Feature and Literary Magazine: Illustration categories respectively. Junior Eva Cheng received an honorable mention in News Writing. The program also earned recognition in the NSPA Best of Show competition, solidifying its status among the country’s top student publications. Aquila claimed fifth place in the Website category, and The Winged Post and TALON placed third in Newspaper and Yearbook respectively.
“
It is extremely gratifying for me to see the students reap the rewards for the hard work they’ve done."
KEVIN OLIVER TALON ADVISER
“It is extremely gratifying for me to see the students reap the rewards for the hard work they’ve done,” TALON adviser Kevin Oliver said. “Everything that we achieved in terms of individual awards as well as the publication awards and particularly TALON getting the pacemaker reaffirms everything that we’ve valued throughout the entire process, and it is really, really special.”
PLANS ON PANEL Juniors Lucas Chen and Sofia Shah speak during the class council candidates' panel session in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center. Juniors voted both Lucas and Sofia as their class council representatives for next year.
TRAIL BLAZING Tiffany Duong ('02) speaks during the Q&A session after giving her talk in the Zhang Gymnasium.
KAIRUI SUN
claire tian & lily peng
SEATTLE SETTING Harker Journalism staff poses in front of Pike Place in Seattle. Journalism students and advisers visited the city for the annual JEA/NSPA convention.
tiffany zhu
Startup World Cup, BEcon “Make Waves”
Student entrepreneurs showcased their businesses to peers and professionals under the theme “Make Waves” at the annual BEcon event and the Startup World Cup Harker National Youth Qualifier hosted by the Business and Entrepreneurship Department on April 18.
At BEcon, students toured businesses founded by fellow classmates and Harker alumni and tried out technology like a VR headset. A total of nine booths, including student businesses like Curlosophy, WrapIt and TEJA, displayed their products. First-time booth owner Stellan Lindh (10) cherished the opportunity to present his t-shirt brand Ablien, talk to students and observe other businesses.
“[BEcon] definitely helps student companies because it gets the word out there,” Stellan said. “You can get a customer-to-owner connection by talking to people face-to-face and answering their questions about your product. It helps spread the word and creates reliability for your product and company.”
Attendees participated in business workshops led by students and professionals, ranging from Harker Economics Research Scholar Bella Chen (12), to the Director of Operations at
Sephora Shivam Prasad. BEcon Vice President of PR Angelina Antony (11) believes the workshops helped her understand the nuances of creating a business and how to be more openminded about career paths.
“You can get a customerto-owner connection by talking to people face-to-face and answering their questions about your product.”
STELLAN LINDH BOOTH MANAGER
“All of the workshops were really inspirational, especially those that have people who have their own startups,” Angelina said. “I also went to Shivam Prasad’s Sephora workshop, and it really changed my outlook on life. Hearing these things from a lot of different professionals from different industries allows me to see what life looks like in the long run rather than staying limited.”
At the Harker National Youth Qualifier Startup World Cup, seven
student entrepreneurs from both California and Texas, including one Harker student, Sophie Pellet (11), presented their products in front of a panel of four judges. Students had seven minutes total to present their business and answer questions from judges.
Harker alumnus and Doordash co-founder Andy Fang (‘10) gave a talk with Anis Uzzaman, the founder-chief executive offuicer of the global venture capital firm Pegasus Tech Ventures. The two discussed how Fang began Doordash and gave advice and tips to students about entrepreneurship.
“One thing that is important for building a business is getting close to the product and understanding your users,” Fang said. “What all these investors are going to ask you about and what you have to figure out is, ‘how do you understand your customer?’ We stood out because we actually understood the operational details much better than our peers.”
Uzzaman announced the finalists of the youth qualifier. Cookr, an education app that utilizes scrolling to help students focus on learning, won first place and $1000. Political education app Visibill placed second, and criminal rehabilitation app Beyond the Bars took third.
Stanford lecturer reveals math behind spirals
40 students attended a lecture and hands-on workshop by John Edmark, a lecturer in Stanford University’s Design Program who specializes in the intersection of art and mathematics, about the geometry of spirals and their appearance in nature.
Math teacher Caren Furtado discovered Edmark’s work through a
book from Mathematics Department Chair Antony Silk and organized the event, which Art Club and Math Club hosted.
Edmark introduced the concept of the logarithmic spiral, a pattern where each element maintains its shape while changing size. This type of spiral is related to the golden ratio. He explained how this spiral is found throughout nature, in structures like sunflowers and artichokes, where each new petal grows
Forty-seven students attended the DECA International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Fla. from April 25 to May 1.
Over 26,000 high school students and advisers from across the world attended the conference, a record number for DECA. ICDC participants qualified by placing high in their event at the State Career Development Conference in late February.
Students selected their competitive events early in the school year and practiced for months, utilizing DECA study sessions and gaining experience at the Western Region Leadership Conference, the Silicon Valley Career Development Conference and finally the State Career Development conference.
“ICDC is different from states and all the other conferences because we get to do so many more activities as a chapter.”
“I love competing at ICDC because it is a chance for my partner and I to compete one last time this competitive year among other students from all around the world,” Amishi said. “I love this conference especially because I get to meet new people and connect with our chapter even more on this six day trip.”’
Harker DECA, along with many other chapters, visited Disneyworld and Universal Studios in the downtime before or after competing. Students split up into groups and roamed the parks, taking advantage of the chance to unwind after hours of competitive preparation.
Executive VP of Harker’s DECA Chapter Maya Affaki (12) highlighted that the longer duration of the conference coupled with a smaller group of students offered a more laid-back and tight-knit opportunity to socialize.
137.5 degrees, the Golden Angle, away from the previous.
“I hope that now that these students are aware of this golden angle that is often used in nature, that when they go out and look at various plant forms, they will think to look and see, does this have the number of spirals?” Edmark said.
“If you look at a plant form and you see spirals, if you count the spirals and they are Fibonacci numbers, then you can be sure it’s using the golden angle.”
Edmark used examples from his own work, describing how he used a single block of wood and laser-cutting techniques to create moving sculptures that mimic natural spirals. He also introduced the presence of Fibonacci numbers, noting that the ratio between Fibonacci numbers approaches the golden ratio.
Following the presentation, students participated in a collaborative drawing activity, using rulers, pencils, and a golden angle template to create spiral patterns on a large piece of paper. Edmark then instructed students to connect numbers that are eight or 13 apart, creating a petal pattern.
Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
“ICDC is different from states and all the other conferences because we get to do so many more activities as a chapter,” Maya said. “At states, there are almost 200 people, so there is only so much we can do together, but the entire ICDC chapter bonds together because we get to do so many activities like the Disney and Universal trip.”
Other than the typical roleplay and written competitive events, some students also attended the noncompetitive Leadership Academy, which included branches like Thrive, Elevate, Inspire and Empower. Over the course of two seven-hour days, attendees participated in workshops led by industry professionals, where they learned key business skills like building a resume and collaborating in a team.
PENCILS AND PARTNERS Sophomores Lucas Lum, Sylvia Chen and Helena Liang collaborate to create special spiral patterns in a drawing activity following the lecture.
CHELSEA XIE
Hannah Jiang and Joyce Zhang
SPIN FOR HEALTH Founder of Teja Gummies Sriteja Kataru (12), hands out samples at his booth during a product showcase. Students participated by spinning a challenge wheel featuring trivia and physical tasks to win prizes. cynthia xie
tiffany zhu & chelsea xie
ashley mo, sam li & heather wang
wenjie
Asian team participation grows in 2026 World Cup
For the 2026 World Cup, 48 national teams will compete in the United States, with an increase in Asian teams from last time’s five to eight. International Federation of Association Football chief Gianni Infantino commended the spread of soccer tournaments into Asian athletics communities. He praised the increased diversity that introducing more teams from more countries like the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Japan will bring.
Financial troubles drive hunger in Haiti
Economic collapse and frequent gang conflicts continue to cause severe hunger among half of the Haitian population of 5.7 million people. Since the 2016 Hurricane Matthew, livelihoods and harvests experienced disruptions with almost one million relying on humanitarian food aid. Meanwhile, gangaffiliated gunmen seized major routes throughout the country, dominating the movement of supplies from the countryside and restricting urban resources.
Restored Notre Dame attracts Easter worshippers
Easter celebrations at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris featured the Crown of Thorns, a sacred Christian relic. Years of restoration work following the 2019 fire culminated in Sunday’s religious ceremonies and commemorations. Easter Mass welcomed over 30,000 attendees, surpassing numbers seen before the fire. With queues stretching along the Seine River, devout followers praised both the popularity and sanctity of the event.
Former president of Congo returns from exile
Former president Joseph Kabila, arrived in the rebel city of Goma after a self-imposed exile. Kabila had been accused by the current Congo government of supporting the M23 rebellion, which is now a major humanitarian crisis, displacing seven million and killing 3,000. He had led Congo under a corrupt regime, delaying elections, from 2011 to 2019. According to his aides, Kabila wants to take part in efforts to find peace in the country.
Spanish authorities arrest animal smugglers
Police arrested two members of an exotic feline smuggling cabal in Mallorca, Spain on April 15. The operation first started in March of last year, when residents alerted the Civil Guard of a couple raising hybrids of domestic cats and other exotic animals like servals and caracals to sell online, with prices as high as 60,000 euros. Authorities seized 19 animals and also uncovered more than 40 animal passports. All animals were transferred to a rescue center for exotic animals in Alicante in eastern Spain.
Advocates discuss policy at “It’s Blue Turn”
Volunteer group It’s Blue Turn, dedicated to driving electoral change and advocating for politicians in key states, hosted its monthly meeting in Mountain View on April 27.
Founder Mariya Genzel led the event, prefacing the discussion with an excerpt from a Commit to Democracy newsletter. She emphasized the importance of not losing motivation for political activism despite the tendency for current news to be alarming, citing examples such as the 90day postponement of Trump’s ‘reciprocal’ tariffs and Susan Crawford’s election to the Wisconsin Supreme court against a challenger endorsed by President Trump and Elon Musk as proof of impact.
Following the introduction, participants broke off into groups of three to four and shared their name, residence,
and a piece of news that affected them that week. Attendee Hillary Sprain complimented It’s Blue Turn in its ability to facilitate deeper social connections.
“When even worse things will happen, we’re ready to protest and save our democracy even harder.”
MARIYA GENZEL IT’S BLUE TURN FOUNDER
“During the pandemic, I took care of my mother while she was in the last four years of her life, and I had to rebuild my friend network,” Hillary said. “ It’s been an opportunity to come together with people in a different way and not
just to say hello, but it’s a nice part of just recovering from what has happened. Knowing that there are things I’ve learned through these experiences and that I do have things to offer and give is enormously helpful in fighting this despair a lot of people are falling into.”
Calling all participants back, Mariya drew attention to the importance of protests, encouraging members to attend the May Day protest on May 1 and Tesla Takedown on April 30. She critiqued the lack of coverage by the media on large protests, requesting that attendees support independent investigative journalism.
“Part of the rationale behind a lot of these protests is to get people into this kind of muscle of protesting and coming out to the streets.” Mariya said. “So when even worse things will happen, we’re ready to protest and save our democracy even harder.”
Pope Francis dies at 88, leaves progressive legacy
Pope Francis died of heart failure following a stroke at 88 years old in the Vatican City in the early morning of April 21.
After serving a 13 year papacy, Francis leaves a legacy of progressivism, addressing land seizures from indigenous peoples and supporting same-sex marriages and the queer community. Besides bringing more liberal reforms for marginalized groups, he also promoted cultural and social unity between Catholicism and other religions.
History and social science teacher Jonathan Rim believes Francis behaved more modestly and acted as a better role model for Catholics around the world than other popes in modern years.
“Francis made it a point to bless and be more inclusive of the LGBT community — he made a step forward.”
JONATHAN RIM HISTORY AND SOCIAL SCIENCE TEACHER
“He made it a point to bless and be more inclusive of the LGBT community,” Rim said. “He pushed for more roles for women in the church, so I’m hoping that the Catholic Church will allow women to
be priests and allow gay marriages. He at least made a step forward.”
Francis’s policy toward women also cemented his papacy as one that appealed to the people more than the institution. In 2021, he passed legislation to allow women to earn the acolyte and lector titles in the Catholic Church. Later, he appointed several women to the Vatican’s Court of Appeals and legalized the female vote in the Catholic Synod of Bishops, an advisory body to the pope.
During his final months as pope, Francis engaged in world politics, expressing his support for Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian War and Gaza in the the Gaza War against Israel. Americans considered his actions toward these
crises more significant and sincere than even their own president. Sophomore Matt MacMillan reflects on Francis’ decision to consistently check in with a Catholic Church in war-torn Gaza.
“He is affecting and uplifting the lives of those suffering in the Israel and Palestine conflict,” Matt said. “A lot of the Gaza Catholics who are going through this heart wrenching time feel like they’re heard by somebody. As a Catholic, Francis cares about them.”
Francis was buried in a private ceremony at St. Mary Major Basilica on April 26 after a funeral Mass in Saint Peter’s Square with clergy andworld leaders in attendance. The inscription on his tomb, open to the public, reads only one word: “Franciscus.”
VATICAN VACANCY Pope Francis greets a crowd of people outside Saint Louis Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand anniversary. He died Easter Monday at the age of 88.
STAY ACTIVE Mariya Genzel reads out an excerpt from a Commit to Democracy newsletter to It’s Blue Turn meeting attendees. Mariya referred to specific documents during her speech and higlighted events to emphasize her points.
nathan yee
samuel tong
zou & samuel tong
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
MLake Tahoe’s glassy surface, standing on his paddleboard. Out here, each stroke brings him farther from the pace of the school day and closer to the calm and restorative power of nature.
Growing up in Florida, Dr. Hengstebeck developed an early appreciation for water sports due to the abundance of beaches and lakes, though he only discovered his love for paddleboarding after moving to California in 2019. Now he takes his paddleboard everywhere, from quick after-work sessions at Shoreline Lake to weekend visits to Lake Tahoe.
“Paddleboarding was a gentle way to get outdoors and explore and get some good exercise,” Dr. Hengstebeck said. “I like the versatility of the paddleboard. You can use it to get around and see some sights, or you can just float around and be really lazy.”
Beyond paddleboarding, Dr. Hengstebeck’s desire for exploration leads him down forest trails. As he trades his paddleboard for hiking boots and lakes for redwood forests, the meditative aspect remains the same.
Even in more urban environments, Dr. Hengstebeck still values being outside. After school, he often wanders through nearby cities, stopping at a coffee shop, browsing a bookstore or simply walking his Siberian cat.
“If I’m not out hiking in the wilderness, it’s fun to do some urban hiking and check out stores or restaurants,” Dr. Hengstebeck said. “[Walking outside] helps my eyes relax, it helps me avoid headaches, and it just helps me feel less stress overall.”
Dr. Hengstebeck also values the quieter moments that nature offers. Since moving to California, he’s taken more time to observe the outdoors, and capturing these moments has become a way to share his new life with old acquaintances. He recalls one of his favorite memories from a paddleboarding trip to Lake Tahoe.
Paddleboarding toward peace
Eric Hengstebeck finds balance in paddleboarding, hiking and walks
“The first time we went to Lake Tahoe in the summer was pretty spectacular,” Dr. Hengstebeck said. “To get out there and see how clear and blue the water was and to be able to take pictures and videos from there and send it to my friends and family — it’s fun to show off how beautiful this place is that we live in now.”
Nature also acts as a means for Dr. Hengstebeck to bond with others. English teacher Nicholas Manjoine, who was Dr. Hengstebeck’s mentor for his first year of teaching and often goes on hikes with him, appreciates Dr. Hengstebeck’s ability to make their hikes together entertaining.
“
I like the versatility of the paddleboard. You can use it to get around and see some sights, or you can just float around and be really lazy.”
ERIC HENGSTEBECK
ENGLISH TEACHER
“He’s both really funny and irreverent in many ways, but also just super kind and genuine,” Manjoine said. “It’s a fun balance of someone who knows how to have fun and has a good sense of humor, but at the same time, he’s super kind. Whatever he says, even if he’s roasting someone, in the end, the basic point of departure is generally one of kindness.”
Whether on a lake, hiking trail or city sidewalk, being outside helps him stay grounded in a work life filled with screens.
“You know what the kids say — you have to touch grass sometimes,” Dr. Hengstebeck said. “As a teacher, I’m constantly looking at a screen because I’m preparing for class or grading essays. I like to go outdoors to counterbalance all the time I spend typing or scrolling.”
As California has transformed alongside him, Dr. Hengstebeck finds balance through spending time in nature. Despite facing disruptions in his daily routines due to wildfires,
atmospheric rivers and a global pandemic, paddleboarding and hiking have offered moments of clarity and calm during times of uncertainty.
“We’re constantly encountering things that change the way we think,” Dr.
Hengstebeck said. “You have to figure out how to adapt to that as a teacher, and going out and connecting with the natural world makes me more flexible and less susceptible to stressing about change.”
Code-switching embraces authenticity and linguistic diversity
When sophomore Jennifer Liu answers a phone call from her mother, her voice immediately shifts from English to Mandarin, and she’s met with confusion from her middle school
classmates. This moment showcases a linguistic phenomenon known as codeswitching, where a multilingual speaker alternates between languages depending on the situation.
Because code-switching is relatively specific to linguistic or multicultural
contexts, it may be unfamiliar or confusing to monolingual speakers. Jennifer, who immigrated from China to the U.S. in 8th grade, initially struggled to adapt to constantly speaking English and fit in at her predominantly white middle school. After arriving at Harker in 9th grade, she noticed that, due to Harker’s larger population of multilingual speakers, people were less confused when she code-switched compared to at her previous school.
“People at Harker are slightly more understanding because of a bigger variety of cultures,” Jennifer said. “A lot of people are multilingual, and that makes it normal for you to speak multiple languages. I remember when I was in middle school, when my mom would call me, and I would speak Chinese to her, and they would ask, ‘Why are you not speaking English?’”
Linguistics Club vice president Linda Zeng (11) learned about codeswitching during a club lecture and decided to pursue research about the topic in the context of social media.
“So many people code-switch without knowing that they’re doing so,” Linda said. “It comes so naturally to people that they don’t need to classify it.
A lot of times code-switching is a form of cultural resistance — when there’s a
certain language you have to speak, but there’s another language that you identify with, so you end up switching between them. A lot of people don’t actually understand that.”
“So many people codeswitch without knowing. It comes so naturally that they don’t need to classify it.”
LINDA ZENG VP OF LINGUISTICS CLUB
Awareness and empathy are key to embracing the linguistic and cultural diversity that code-switching showcases. Recognizing fluidity in boundaries between languages can create a more inclusive environment.
“There’s people for whom English isn’t their first language, and codeswitching is so natural to them,” Linda said. “Identifying that similar language pattern with them or understanding why people code-switch is so important to understanding their identities.”
ON THE WATER English Teacher Eric Hengstebeck paddleboards on Lake Tahoe. He regularly seeks out natural environments as a way to reset from his daily routine.
chelsea xie
FLUID VOICES Code-switchers naturally glide between languages to suit the setting and audience. The shift builds a more welcoming and inclusive enviornment.
Students make local impact at Second Harvest
vivek moorjani
Hundreds of food pallets stretch toward the ceiling in the back of the warehouse of Second Harvest of Silicon Valley’s Cypress Center. The scent of oranges surrounds the cooler, mingling with the warm smell of bread around the corner. Nearby, stacked bags of ready-toeat meals climb the walls.
Serving around 500,000 clients across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley focuses on providing clients with nutritious, highquality food. Community Engagement officer Janette Brambilla Lopez, who has worked with Second Harvest for three years, draws personal inspiration from her experiences.
“My favorite part about working for the food bank is that it’s a full circle,” Lopez said. “I used to be a beneficiary from Second Harvest growing up, and now that I get to be on the other side, I am happy to help out those people and those families who are still struggling day by day in Silicon Valley. It’s rewarding for me. I’m now making a difference.”
Junior Justin Yang leads a Second Harvest distribution site in Milpitas. As a site leader, he ensures volunteer safety and efficient food distribution. He and his team hand out produce boxes with staples like rice, milk, chicken and eggs.
“Getting a sense of the scale of how many people you’re able to help truly puts it all into perspective.”
THOMAS CAMPISI (11)
SECOND HARVEST VOLUNTEER
While Justin initially signed up to fulfill Harker’s required volunteer hours, he stayed because he enjoyed the strong connection between the distribution team and the community they serve.
“A lot of [our clients] come every time, and they depend on us,” Justin said. “I feel great that we are able to help so many people on a regular basis. They do great things — sometimes they bring us extra gloves, hand sanitizer or masks. Waving to everybody that comes through and seeing how happy they are is rewarding. Food is able to make everybody happy.”
Junior Thomas Campisi regularly volunteers at Second Harvest’s Cypress Center, where he helps sort food. For Thomas, hearing about the group’s impact at the end of each shift makes the work meaningful.
“I really like the feeling after it’s done, when you get to hear how many pallets and boxes you were able to send out and particularly, how many people you impacted — that’s the most meaningful to me,” Thomas said. “Getting a sense of the scale of how many people you’re able to help truly puts it all in perspective.”
Visit harkeraquila.com
Gender roles shift conservative
OF THE PEOPLE
As the Trump administration rolls out new policies reducing DEI and abortion rights, many women worry for the future. In a changing political and social climate, some feel the new administration threatens their safety and civil rights.
DEI has its flaws, but its complete removal hints at a growing lack of regard for minority contributions. This is seen in the erasure of the Department of Defense’s records related to DEI content, which included articles on women’s contributions to the military.
English teacher Beth Wahl analyzed the effects of the new Trump administration, citing a 2024 survey, which found that increasing numbers of Republicans now believe that women should return to their traditional roles in society.
“There’s a continuing disrespect,” Dr. Wahl said. “That’s really frightening, and that is a definite change. In a short amount of time, there’s been a shift among those who identify as Republicans about the roles that women should play in society, and I find this deeply disturbing.”
Civil Discourse Club President Jacqueline Huang (12) observes conservative shifts in society and attributes them to sexism rather than to new political forces.
“A lot of it is part of our culture and how we perceive women compared to men,” Jacqueline said. “Women are often seen as meeker, as less authoritative, even when they carry out the same actions a man would do. This is a quality that’s built into our society, and it will take a gradual process in order to fix this.”
Despite feminist fears of a takedown of women’s rights, Trump’s cabinet includes many women in positions of great power. Initiatives like the
UN conference discussing future improvements on women’s rights also continue to push for progress.
“Women are often seen as meeker, as less authoritative, even when they carry out the same actions a man would.”
HUANG (12)
CIVIL
Conservative female politicians under the Trump administration generally live up to the traditional beauty standard. They contradict the growing emphasis on domesticity for women, and theorists believe that they compensate for that with a more feminine appearance.
Clothing swap promotes sustainable fash
An elf-themed sweater dress. A grungy pair of ripped jeans. Within the RPAC lobby, students mill around the clothing racks, deciding which garment to bring home. Each year, the clothing swap offers an opportunity for students to learn about the impact of the environment, reflect on their own consumption habits and add to their wardrobe in an environmentallyconscious way.
Established in 2019, the clothing swap came about after student leaders of the Green Team learned about the harms that textile production wreak on the environment. The effects that the apparel industry has on the climate are irreparable, generating 8-10% of global carbon emissions in 2021, more than the shipping and aviation industries combined.
Later, the Sustainability Committee, the faculty arm of the Green Team, also partnered with the Muwekma Ohlone tribe’s organization Green Education Foundation to establish a clothing donation bin located on Saratoga Avenue. After the clothing circulates through each of the campuses, Harker donates to these bins.
“The first year that we did it, it was just us, but we also recently had a dedication plaque to the Muwekma Ohlone tribe, and we learned about their efforts,” Green Team adviser Diana Moss said. “Part of our effort was supporting them. We now have clothing swaps on all three campuses.”
Alongside the clothing swap, Moss also suggested other altenatives and strategies for purchasing
that
can aid the environment. Brands like Sézanne and Nynne promote sustainable clothing production practices while selling high-quality clothing pieces. “If you’re going to buy clothes, buy it either made of natural fibers or stuff that’s quality and going to last,” Moss said. “Start checking out the great businesses that are now doing high-end fashion that you can reuse and resell.”
RIGHTS REVERSED The Trump administration continues to dismantle DEI initiatives across federal agencies. In February, the Department of Defense deleted web pages documenting women’s roles in military history.
FIT CHECK Juniors Venus Perkins, Katharina Ruetter Cracraft and Taylor Summers visit the clothing swap. The clothing swap was organized by the Green Team.
JACQUELINE
DISCOURSE CLUB PRESIDENT
mendy mao & elizabeth zhang
cynthia xie
BOXES ON BOXES Various oranges in cardboard packages fill the storage room.
charlize wang & young min
Hands outstretched, we extend our cards toward a screen that displays a $9 total for a single matcha drink. As we wait for the barista to announce our names, we nervously anticipate the taste of the pricey drink that awaits us. Will it be bitter to the point where it’s inedible? Or will it leave a desired smooth but not overly sweet after taste?
As matcha connoisseurs ourselves, we have tried a plethora of cafes that boast their unique spins on matcha drinks. Despite providing diverse options, some cafes neglect the quality of their matcha powder, misleading customers in the process.
Materials
Matcha powder
Bamboo whisk
Chawan
Bamboo scoop
Kettle
Electronic scale
Sift
Milk
Ice
Sweetener
Fruit puree (optional)
By using higher quality powder to make matcha at home, you can avoid the disappointment that comes with buying overpriced yet poor-tasting drinks. Making matcha at home also offers the flexibility of adding unique twists to the drink — from strawberry matcha lattes to matcha einspanners, the possibilities are endless.
This simple, stepby-step guide serves as a starting point for matcha-lovers that are tired of the hit-ormiss nature of cafe matcha.
1
Prepare materials
Although many popular matcha powders are sold out online due to the current matcha shortage, I recommend these specific ones for those who can still get their hands on it: Ippodo “Sayaka,” Ippodo “Ummon,” Marukyu Koyamaen “Isuzu” and Horii Shichimeien “Agata no Shiro.”
Place the bamboo whisk in hot water to soften the bristles. Boil water at 167 degrees Fahrenheit.
2 Sift and whisk matcha
Place the chawan and sifter onto your barista gram scale. Scoop and sift four grams of matcha powder into the bowl.
3
Students gain hospitality experience as baristas
disha gupta & chelsea xie
Working at a drink shop provides students with industry experience, opportunities to build connections and a chance to express their creativity. Junior Mia Kister gained hands-on experience at iJuice, a smoothie and juice shop. Junior Luke Wu works as a barista at Happy Lemon, a boba tea store owned by his family. They shared unique aspects of working behind the counter.
Add 20 grams of the boiled water and whisk the matcha into a paste using circular motions.
Q: What responsibilities and tasks did your job involve?
Most of my time was spent making smoothies and juices, but there was a lot more to it. We had to wash, prepare, and cut up fruit, clean the juicers and blenders and just keep the whole store really tidy. There was a lot of behind-thescenes work that kept everything running.
Q: Did you face any particular challenges working at iJuice?
Saturdays were especially crazy. It sometimes felt like a million customers would show up all at once, and there were times when only two of us were working. It was stressful, but we managed by creating a system where one person handled all the juices and the other did the smoothies.
Q: What’s your favorite part about working as a barista?
Add 25 grams more water and whisk in “Z” motions until smooth.
Add sweetener, milk and other ingredients
Add six to nine grams of sweetener of choice (agave syrup is my personal favorite) to whisked matcha. Mix the sweetener in with a separate spoon. Fill ¾ of your cup with ice and add 125 grams of milk of choice. Add any other syrups or toppings to your drink (I used home-made strawberry puree for a strawberry matcha).
Customer service is really important in the hospitality industry, and being able to meet new people and serve them drinks is a pretty rewarding opportunity. Being able to deliver the drink, capping the cup and seeing them take a sip of that beautiful Happy Lemon drink makes my day.
Q: What have you learned from working as a barista?
I often serve as a translator for my parents when it comes to business negotiations. We have had a lot of dealings with agents and landlords, so I’ve really gotten in touch with a lot of business administration and how to manage, so I think that is going to be rewarding in the future.
WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS Happy Lemon employee Luke Wu (11) tosses a lemon into the air.
JUICE UP Former iJuice employee Mia Kister (11) offers a juice cup to a customer.
“MAYHEM” launches a boring renaissance
Lady Gaga’s headlining set at Coachella marked the culmination of her return to pop stardom. With spectacular artistry, she presented many of her greatest hits alongside new songs from her latest album. “MAYHEM” revives the beloved electric debut of Lady Gaga’s illustrious career but lacks further inspiration.
The prerelease single “Abracadabra” embodies and celebrates the success of Lady Gaga’s iconic sound. Although “Abracadabra” shows off Gaga’s artistic maturation with vocal variation and layers of funky synth, it stitches together the vibes of Gaga’s classic hits to maximize nostalgic hype, which I don’t find creatively compelling.
The first few tracks stand as the highlight of the album. “Perfect Celebrity” and “Garden of Eden” are striking—gritty, cool and energizing. I often find famous people discussing famous life to be excessively selfreferential and tedious, but the lyrics of “Perfect Celebrity” are fresh and wellarticulated, and the song is otherwise, well, perfect.
Gaga remakes her own sound, but she also borrows directly from other artists in the spotlight. “Garden of Eden” sounds influenced by Charli XCX’s “BRAT,” with its brassy vocals and simple but catchy electronic beat. Most noticeably, “How Bad Do U Want Me” is largely indistinguishable from Taylor Swift. Although both of these tracks sound lively and dynamic, too much obvious external inspiration detracts from the focus on Lady Gaga’s own musical identity.
“Too much obvious external inspiration detracts from the focus on Lady Gaga’s own musical identity.”
Ultimately, the aggressive recycling of old music, whether belonging to Gaga or her inspirations, simply grows distracting and trite after the first songs. This rehashing seems to serve as a way to dodge the experimental risk and, in my opinion, limits the album’s songs to watered-down copies of Gaga’s original hits.
“MAYHEM” is a solid album, an extension of Lady Gaga’s peak years of stardom. Just because it isn’t fresh and flashy doesn’t mean it isn’t good. Yet its non-transformative nature trades away creativity for a boringly safe place in the spotlight, ironically turning music that was once meant to be subversive into a machine for mass appeal.
Orchestra principals lead by example
As the rehearsal ends, the room fills with the sound of people slowly trickling out of the room. However, a select few remain, helping others with the music or communicating with the adults. All around the room, principals help to manage and lead the orchestra with care and enthusiasm, often sacrificing their time and energy to improve the orchestra.
Section leaders, also known as principals, are student leaders who take a role in guiding their section. They serve as an intermediary between instrumental music teacher Jaco Wong and the 72 students in orchestra.
Second chair of the first violins, Alex Zhong (12), is also the associate concertmaster of the orchestra and a leader of the violin section alongside first chair and concertmaster, Andre Lu (12). During rehearsals, Alex works to support the first chair and keep everyone on task.
“The section leaders are instrumental in leading rehearsal and pointing out specific spots that Mr. Wong doesn’t have time to nitpick,” Alex said. “They are also
the main leader during sectionals, and a major role is to make that particular instrument section look like everybody is on the same page.”
“The section leaders are instrumental in pointing out specific spots that Mr. Wong doesn’t have time to nitpick.”
During sectionals, individual rehearsals with specific sections of the orchestra, principals lead their sections and make sure that they play cohesively without the presence of an adult.
“The biggest challenge is trying to keep people on task and having them do what the leaders tell them to,” Alex said. “Us section leaders, we’re also students and players in the orchestra, so we don’t necessarily have that authority that other adults do.”
When clarinet principal Eric Dong (11) first began learning clarinet, having an enthusiastic teacher helped develop his love for the instrument. Now, as leader of his section, he strives to do the same for others.
“One of the most important parts of being a principal is making orchestra a good experience for others,” Eric said. “It makes people want to practice more and actually show up to the rehearsals. Some of the principals in the past made it a lot more fun to be in orchestra, and that’s what I try to do with my section too.”
Principals spend hours on their section both inside and outside of class, from directing others in rehearsals to poring over sheet music. During sectionals, cello principal Aya Sugaya (11) often takes notes, then organizes what to focus on in the next rehearsal after class.
“Being a section leader has definitely helped my confidence and time management,” Aya Sugaya (11) said. “Before sectionals, I’ll set aside time to just listen to recordings of the pieces, go through the sheet music, mark down fingerings, which requires me managing my time.”
Productivity tools help boost student focus
In the hectic cycle of high school life, students like sophomore Joyce Zhang struggle to find time to complete all of their work. Aiming to counter these problems, Joyce and other students use productivity apps to make extra time in their busy schedules.
Apps like Clearspace focus on setting limits on screen time. When opening an app blocked by Clearspace, users receive a message to breathe in and out for up to fifteen seconds so they have time to reevaluate whether they want to use the app or not.
“I used to set a screen time for myself, but I kept clicking ‘extend fifteen minutes,’ so I use Clearspace and it’s really helped,” Joyce said. “Whenever I open it, it gives me the message to breathe in, so I’m like, ‘I don’t need to go on Instagram that badly.’ So then I just don’t open it.”
Project Reboot founder Dino Ambrosi spoke on the benefits of productivity apps in a recent assembly hosted by the Living with Intent, Focus and Enthusiasm board. In his session, he highlighted the reasons behind why social media becomes so addicting. Although these apps may not solve the issue completely,
they provide a stepping stone for people to become less reliant on social media.
“A lot of the times that we go to these apps, we’re literally not conscious of the fact that we’re doing it,” Ambrosi said. “It’s this ingrained response. In order to retrain that, we have aware of it, and this forces you to confront the times that you’re doing it without a purpose.”
Besides apps restricting screen time, students also use productivity apps to
“I use the Notion calendar to time block my day when I’m really busy, and it helps me stick to the schedule,” Joyce said. “Sometimes if I’m studying for a class, I can get carried away. If I time block it, then I can see how much time I can spend on every task, so it helps me plan my time more accordingly.”
Junior Yena Yu takes advantage of the customizable headers on Notion to make her studying experience more enjoyable. se you can customize on the top, and then that makes me more motivated to work because it makes it all look really aesthetic and pretty,”
CLEAR YOUR MIND Clearspace helps students to regulate their screen time on social media apps like Instagram that can be distracting.
claire tian
MO
cynthia xie
PLAYING A CHORD Violion section leader Alex Zhong (12) plays his violin during an orchestra rehearsal. As a principal, Alex works to coordinate his section to ensure that they all remain on track while practicing for performances.
FIRST STRING Cello principal Aya Sugaya (11) plucks a string. After rehearsals, Aya often makes notes for her section.
suhani gupta
ALEX ZHONG (12) VIOLIN SECTION LEADER
MISSED MARK Ultimately, the recycling of old music grows distracting after the first songs.
Pressures to excel take toll on students
STRESSED OUT This mindset is not only mentally and emotionally detrimental, but it also makes students feel as if hobbies, small activities they do purely for enjoyment, are “useless.” I know students who’ve given up on art they once loved, deciding if “it doesn’t add much to my app” it is not worth the time.
Four-point zero GPA, valedictorian, founder of a nonprofit, winner of a research competition, yet rejected from their top schools. Instagram videos revealing the “stats” of various college applicants flood my feed, showcasing students who seem to do it all. Each of those reels plants a seed in my mind, whispering that all my efforts will not be enough. Suddenly, scrolling transforms from an escape from stress into another cause of anxiety and competition. According to 115 respondents in a schoolwide survey, 86 percent of Harker students believe that leadership is necessary for a “strong college application/ resume,”
with 70.2 percent naming high achievement in a competition as a close second. As the college application process becomes more competitive, students are scrambling to do anything that can make them stand out, whether or not they love the activity itself. There is almost an unspoken “to-do list” among parents and peers for students to complete as they go through high school — research, competitions, arts or athletics. This mindset transforms
hobbies into obligations and interests into achievements, piling unattainable expectations onto students. Especially at Harker, the highly competitive environment pushes many students to take on more activities, regardless of their interest. 51.2 percent of respondents said that they do four or more extracurriculars. On top of Harker’s rigorous coursework, students feel as if they must juggle other extracurricular activities. Though 94.2 percent of respondents said that they pursued these activities partially out of genuine interest and passion, 66.9 percent of responses named applications as a major motivator. I often hear students saying that they think their accomplishments are not “good enough” to be accepted into a certain college or summer program and that what they do is “not enough.” This mindset is not only mentally and emotionally detrimental, but it also makes students feel as if hobbies, small activities they
Where did all our school spirit go?
“Spirit is cringe.” “I’d rather do homework instead.”
We have all heard these phrases some time or another, from passerby to classmates to friends. Inherently, these rejection of school spirit are selfish remarks, one that prioritizes convenience and time over unity with others.
“
Ironically, in a college prep environment rife with competition, the most common answer is 'because it’s fun.'"
There is a valid argument that Harker itself is an environment centered around the individual student due to competitive academics. However, research on school spirit has overwhelmingly equated school spirit with feelings of belonging and social well-being. While the pursuit of academics is rightfully important, we must not blind ourselves in this pursuit to these tangible benefits spirit brings.
To illustrate this, take spirit dance. On rally day, as the dancers’ peers cheer them
on, the praise quickly expands beyond the performances of individual dancers to that of the entire class. It is seldom “this person danced so well” but often “our class is so talented.” By participating in spirit dance, students become representatives of their class and feel rewarded by an increase in overall class pride.
In addition, HSLT has organized class spirit into a competitive pointsbased system. This past year, when the margin between first and second place in the spirit rankings was as thin as 75 points between the Class of 2027 and the Class of 2025, HSLT recorded record numbers of dress-ups. On the last day of dressup eligibility, 85% of the seniors wore Monopoly-themed outfits to secure the 400 points.
This begs the question: does our school really require flat-out competition for significant participation in spirit? I believe the answer is sadly yes. Zooming out from class spirit, an examination of schoolwide spirit shows that sports attendance remains poor and “Why’d you participate in the spirit dance?” “Why’d you bother to dress up?”
The answer is almost never “for the points.” Ironically, in a college prep
do purely for enjoyment, are “useless.” I know students who’ve given up on art, saying, “It doesn’t add much to my application.” But would they still be doing any of those “useful” activities if there was no college application waiting at the end of the road?
With so many students all across the nation applying for the same universities, it’s becoming more and more difficult to “stand out” as an individual among a sea of applicants. But the term “standing out” is completely ambiguous — does it mean being better than everyone else at the same thing or doing something completely different?
Nowadays, it seems that everyone has a “passion project,” and it’s hard to tell whether it’s really a genuine interest or just another accomplishment to add to their application. This cycle perpetuates itself, as students continue taking on more of the same activities as their peers in an effort not to “fall behind.” So, it becomes harder and harder to stand out, let alone excel.
Even so, 81.8 percent of respondents rated their need to excel at most or even all of their extracurriculars as “four” or “five” out of five. But trying to excel at everything will cause burnout. The desire to gather accolades clouds their perception of what they love, just for the sake of adding it to their LinkedIn page.
“Each of those reels plants a seed in my mind, whispering that all my efforts will not be enough."
Of course, it is completely natural to want to be good at what we do, and that sort of drive and ambition is incredibly valuable. The problem arises when students choose activities solely for the sake of being good at them. When we start doing something just for the goal of excelling, we miss the chance to figure out why we care about them.
It’s time to start asking ourselves why we do something rather than what we’re doing. Even such a simple question can shift our mindset to pursuing passion
environment rife with competition, the most common answer is “because it’s fun.” This begs the question: what makes spirit enjoyable? And besides the fun, is there a deeper reason behind spirit initiatives? Or is it just one big game directed by HSLT to keep us, the student body, entertained?
Scholarship on school spirit has overwhelmingly equated school spirit with feelings of belonging and social well-being. Specifically, when students contribute to their community and see their positive impact, participating in school spirit becomes enjoyable.
This makes sense. Take spirit dance, for example. Anywhere from a few dozen to 100 students agree to sacrifice hours from their busy schedules to perfect a fourminute routine. But on rally day, when the dancers’ peers cheer them on, the praise quickly expands beyond individual dancers to the entire class. seldom “this person danced so well” but often “our class is so talented.” By participating in spirit dance, students become representatives of their class and feel rewarded by an increase in overall class pride.
Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
EMPTY STANDS Does our school really require flat-out competition for significant participation in spirit?
chelsea xie
kairui sun
INFOGRAPHIC BY ELIZABETH ZHANG
“
I’ve
seen this culture of stress throughout campus, and there’s uncertainty about what the administration will
do.”
days into Trump’s Trump shakes up federal
FUNDS FROZEN
Trump held back billions of dollars in federal grants and contracts for top colleges across the country like Harvard and UPenn.
April 30 marks the 100th day of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House. In the past three months as president, he has reduced the size of federal agencies and upended longstanding government policies in trade, immigration, DEI, educational fundin, foreign policy and more.
On the day of his inauguration, Trump created the Department of Government Efficiency, an advisory body led by Senior Adviser to the President, Elon Musk, via an executive order and tasked DOGE with cutting federal spending. Since then, at least 58,000 government employees have had their jobs cut, and around 76,000 have taken buyout and left their jobs. DOGE plans to reduce the federal workforce by 148,000 more employees and has instructed federal agencies to downsize significantly.
Cuts have disproportionately impacted organizations most standing in the way of Trump’s “America First” agenda and his goals of deregulation. The agency has eliminated nearly the entirety of
the U.S. Agency for International Development, which accounts for a large majority of U.S. foreign assistance, and Voice of America, the main international broadcasting agency of the U.S. Leading up to the election, Musk discussed reducing government spending by $2 trillion. On its website, DOGE claims to have saved approximately 160 billion so far yet is estimated to fall far below its initial goals of achieving savings in the trillions.
DOGE’s access to sensitive data, such as records from the Department of the Treasury has proved contentious. According to numerous
Trump announced 145% tariffs on all Chinese imports, and China responded with 125% retaliatory tariffs on the U.S on April 11.
The escalating tariff war between the U.S. and China has triggered massive daily swings in the stock market. S&P 500 plummeted 9.1% over the course of last week, the worst week since the 2020 pandemic crash.
AP Economics student and Oeconomia officer Leana Zhou (11) pointed out that anxiety over the tariffs initially triggered the market crash. She explained that the high tariffs led investors to think that they might lose money, prompting rapid stock sell-offs that deepen the market downturn.
“This uncertainty with the stock market really indicates where we’re going to go with our economy in the future,” Leana said. “When all these people are seeing the stock market is volatile, they’re less willing to invest, which is kind of ironic in that it does the exact opposite of what the tariffs are trying to do.”
jonathan szeto
tiffany zhu
jeremy peng & chelsea xie
JULIE SHI (’24) COLUMBIA STUDENT
Trump’s presidency federal government, upends decades-long policies
news media organizations, DOGE employees received access to the Integrated Data Retrieval System, which includes detailed information about personal and business finances. Numerous unions have filed lawsuits in federal courts alleging unlawful access to the data, and U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas handed down a decision barring DOGE employees from accessing the IDRS except for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and department leaders.
Senators from both sides of the aisle supported Marco Rubio
unanimously in his confirmation process to be the next Secretary of State. On the other hand, many other of Trump’s appointments to his cabinet have stirred controversy, even though almost all of his picks sailed through confirmation votes in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., made misleading claims regarding fluoride in water, vaccines and autism in the past. As secretary, he sent mixed messages about vaccines in regards to a measles outbreak in Texas and promoted a “Make America Healthy Agenda,” which included both scientifically-supported and debunked ideas. Director of National intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s history of support for Russia and its president Vladimir Putin as well as her dealings with now-overthrown Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad also sparked concerns among both Republican and Democratic senators.
Trump’s cabinet members and top officials have clashed with Musk and DOGE over funding and layoffs. When DOGE cut nearly the entirety of the
staff of U.S.A.I.D., a State Department agency, Rubio and Musk clashed verbally in a cabinet meeting. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also sparred with the Tesla Chief Executive Officer about laying off air traffic controllers.
ALL DONE WITH
In less than 100 days, Trump’s second-term administration has issued 175 immigration-related executive actions, rapidly reshaping U.S. immigration policy through intensified interior deportations, greater enforcement at the southern border and limitations on legal immigration.
DIVERSITY Trump’s administration declared its goal to remove all DEI programs from all federal agencies. “ There shouldn’t be this fear of, if I say this, or if I do that, I’m not even going to be allowed to be in this country.”
ANONYMOUS
F-1 VISA STUDENT
Trump authorized federal law enforcement agencies including the IRS, Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI to assist
immigration enforcement operations traditionally handled by personnel of the Department of Homeland Security. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed all protections that forbid operations at locations like churches, hospitals and schools.
“A lot of people talk about the First Amendment a lot: the freedom of speech, or the freedom to protest,” the anonymous source said. “There shouldn’t be this fear of, ‘If I say this, or if I do that, I’m not even going to be allowed to be in this country.’ It’s hypocritical in a way that the president of the United States is trying to promote
JAN. 20 – E.O. 14168 ends federal recognition of transgender people
emma li
Since January, Trump has nullified DEI initiatives created during Biden’s presidency, considering them to be “discriminatory.” On the first day of his presidency, Trump issued executive orders 14168 and 14173, which the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Attorney General and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management are in charge of undertaking. Since the orders were passed, their effects have been as far-reaching as DEI policies in brands, schools and even scientific institutions. Most have changed their hiring policies to comply with his orders.
JAN. 21 – E.O. 14173 efforts begin to cancel DEI programs
JAN. 31 – “Stop work” order given to NASEM, NASA and NIH
FEB. 14 – DOGE gives public schools two weeks to withdraw DEI
DEI ROLLBACKS
Target removed DEI policies Google modified hiring policy
Amazon omitted DEI mentions Meta reduced DEI programs
71% fewer illegal immigrants apprehended along
American values when this is what’s been happening with the censorship within the community.”
In addition, ICE has terminated immigration records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information Systems for alleged violations.
ashley mo
Friday Five: Asian Noodles
victoria li
When I think back to my childhood, I remember when my parents made me rousimian, or shredded pork noodles, every birthday. The noodles are a sign of longevity, my parents would say. Noodles contain a history of tradition in many cultures across the globe. The countless types of noodles in different cultures have made me reflect on my own experiences with the dish. Having grown up eating a wide variety of noodles, put together a list of my top five noodles, with a special focus on Chinese cuisine.
5. Liangpi
Whenever I visit China with my family, we go to Xi’an, where my mother’s family lives. A national dish there, liangpi, or “cold skin noodles,” is made of wheat flour and drenched in spicy sauce. It’s always a dish I crave in the summer, packed with savory notes and just the right amount of spice. Although a bite of liangpi is always refreshing, its overwhelming use of MSG sets it back on my list.
New K-pop groups struggle with lack of innovation
heather wang
If someone had told me five years ago that all K-pop songs sounded the same, I would have responded with an angry rant and a recommended listening list. Now, with the overflow of newly debuted K-pop groups offering nothing novel, I can’t help but agree.
Despite having annually increasing album sales from 2014 to 2023, the K-pop industry reported its first dip in profits in 2024.
Fans credit the slump to the absence of releases from major groups BTS and BLACKPINK and predict that sales will increase in 2025 with their returns. However, this highlights a deeper problem with current K-pop: top thirdgeneration groups are still leading the industry, while many fourth and fifth generation bands fight to be the “next BTS” in an oversaturated market. Even worse, many groups rely on heavily manufactured formulas, imitating previously successful groups or adopting generic concepts.
makes a minor
4. Liangfen I tried liangfen for the first time in my childhood favorite restaurant, called Yue Yang Lou. Although the restaurant has since shut down, their liangfen has made the dish a favorite. Made of mung bean starch and water, liangfen has a jelly-like texture. Dipped in chili oil and soy sauce, it provides a satisfying slurp. However, since its texture limits its variations, liangfen comes in fourth.
3. Fensi
These glass noodles have a slippery texture that pairs excellently with soup or hot pot. Also known as cellophane noodles, they are made from starches. I love these noodles, whether they are stir-fried or in spring rolls. For me, any dish with fensi is the perfect light meal. Their ability to stay firm yet tender when cooked is truly special. Since they often need a complement to bring out flavor, their bland taste on their own places them third.
2. Chongqing Xiao Mian
I never knew how well chickpeas could serve as a noodle topping until I tried Chongqing Xiao Mian. Known for its aroma and satisfying texture, its a popular street food originating from Chongqing, China. The noodles are typically served with minimal broth, a dollop of chili oil, preserved vegetables, minced pork and roasted peanuts. They deserve their spot due to their cohesive flavor.
1. Mixian
breakthrough, usually by reintroducing a genre that hasn’t been mainstream for a a few years, a stream of groups flocks over to that concept. When NewJeans debuted with the Y2K sound “Attention” in 2022, their music blew up for its perceived novelty. Three years later, the industry is flooded with Y2K to the point that it has lost its appeal. This phenomenon of copying existing formulas makes many groups sound similar.
The lack of a distinct direction wasn’t as detrimental when only a few groups were popular enough to attract attention. However, with the current oversaturation of the industry, fans are bombarded continuously with new releases in repetitive styles, making many groups virtually indistinguishable. Many fifth-generation boy bands, like RIIZE, ZEROBASEONE and BOYNEXTDOOR, share similar sounds and lack distinct qualities. While there is more variation
fifth-generation groups resemble past successful bands. Illit received massive hate for their similarity to NewJeans, while BABYMONSTER and MEOVV sound like BLACKPINK. There are significantly more semi-popular girl groups, so most variations are recycled to the point of losing uniqueness. One cause of the similarities is that companies push new groups to achieve instant popularity upon debut instead of allowing natural growth. Centering a new group on a currently trend is simply unsustainable: once the hype dies, their popularity plummets. Even if they attract attention, they’re forced to compete against every other group following that trend. Such groups rarely make a name for themselves; they’re remembered only as newer, and usually worse, versions of a famous group. Some groups try to stand out with a unique concept, but, unless it significantly impacts their musical style, it is futile. The whole notion of concepts feels forced: they’re either very generic or vague. Instead of surface-level changes to existing styles, companies need to debut groups with distinct musical identities. Groups sometimes release B-sides, or less promoted tracks, with experimental sounds, but this needs to expand more to title tracks. Companies also need to focus on promoting existing groups rather than debuting new ones. Groups need time and support to succeed, and that chance is diminished when companies direct resources at pumping new, generic-sound. If K-pop groups want to be appreciated for their music, they need to step it up. I’m not asking for self-production or anything that requires extreme effort: just songs that make me excited about new releases again.
With a tender yet firm texture, mixian, made from rice flour and water, are unforgettable. I love when restaurants provide you with the base broth and an array of toppings you can add in yourself, guo qiao mixian style. Making noodles with this texture can be hard to master, but, when done well, they are irresistible. Plus, they’re a great gluten free option. What’s not to love?
This
I Believe: Tasting flavors of life through food
There isn’t much that unites people across political, cultural, ethnic and linguistic barriers. Beliefs held strongly by one group are sure to be opposed by another, and no two people agree on everything. Experiences, values and traditions can vary wildly from person to person, so there are no universal perspectives. However, I believe that the power of food is in nourishing, delighting, and connecting people and transcends any divide which is why I feel so strongly about it.
Food sustains all life, and without its nutritional value, my other beliefs would be irrelevant. From the protein in tofu to the antioxidants in blueberries, the food we eat allows us to enjoy life to its fullest.
Although food is necessary for sustenance, I believe that it also brings great joy. From the mouth-watering aromas of a loaf of banana bread to the irresistible decadence of a rich chocolate cake, food satisfies and satiates in a way that is hard to describe. The flavors that dance across your tongue can spark feelings of wonder and pure, unadulterated delight.
For the past four years, my family has had a tradition of having palak paneer, an Indian delicacy, every Sunday for lunch. Even after all this time, each meal tastes better than I remembered.
scoop up the warm spinach, I forget about the tests that I haven’t studied for and the homework that is yet to be done, focusings on the wonderful flavors that are swirling in my mouth. As we eat, banter flies around the table. After my plate is spotless and in the sink, I return to my chair with a full stomach and a contented sigh.
During conversations around the table, people collaborate and get to know each other. Over a salad, a burger or even a basket of dumplings, people form connections whilst enjoying themselves. Shared experiences are enhanced experiences, and from the time spent huddled together in front of a campfire toasting marshmallows to the hours spent sitting in front of movies with a massive bag of popcorn and laughing with your friends, food brings people together.
Food is one of the most prominent symbols of cultural expression, and it can introduce people to meals from places that seem as distant as the moon. A man who has lived in Yorkshire his entire life can appreciate spicy lentils from Punjab, crunchy street tacos from Los Angeles and cheesy poutine from Quebec, taking him all the way around the world in just three bites.
As a bridge connecting disparate peoples, food serves as an easily approachable yet deeply meaningful
medium. A recipe passed down could link a Chinese architect in New York City to his ancestors who harvested the rice from their own rice paddies, whilst also delighting an Italian couple in Paris. Comfort foods have the power to transport you back to a time that floods your mind with nostalgia.
Cultures and traditions travel all around the world and land on your plate, ready to surprise, teach and amaze you with their unique and endless combinations of flavors.
TIFFANY ZHU
FLAVORS OF LIFE During conversations around the table, people collaborate and get to know each other.
LACK OF ORIGINALITY Fifth-generation K-pop groups suffer creatively from a lack of fresh concepts and musical styles.
Editors-in-Chief
Tiffany Zhu
Ashley Mo
Managing Editors
Jonathan Szeto Emma Li
Samuel Tong Nathan Yee
Opinions Editors
Elizabeth Zhang Risa Chokhawala
Features Editors
Leah Krupnik Sam Li
A&E/Lifestyle Editors
Cynthia Xie Chelsea Xie
Claire Tian STEM Editors
Caden Ruan
Sports Editors
Wenjie Zou Lily Peng
Copy Editor
William Jiang
Lily Peng Cynthia Xie
Multimedia Editor Lindsay Li
Aquila
Lily Shi
Eva Cheng
Aquila
Suhani Gupta
Janam Chahal
Mihir Kotbagi Charlie Wang Kairui Sun
Humans of Harker Editors-in-Chief
Ella Guo
Disha Gupta
Humans of Harker Managing Editors
Mendy Mao Vivek Moorjani
Heather Wang Victoria Li
Reporters
Charlize Wang
Claire Xu Mirabelle Feng Jeremy Peng
Ram Batchu Emma Lee
Sarah Wang
Editors-in-Chief
Katerina Matta
Victor Gong
Managing Editors
Young Min Jessica Wang
Claire Zhao
The Winged Post is the official student newspaper of Harker’s upper school and is distributed free of cost to students every four to six weeks except vacations by the Journalism: Newspaper and Advanced Journalism: Newspaper courses at The Harker School, 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, California 95129.
We aim to publish balanced stories following professional standards while serving as a public forum for Harker students. All content decisions are made by student editors. Opinions and letters represent the viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Winged Post, Harker board, administration, faculty or journalism advisers. Editorials represent the official opinions of The Winged Post editorial board.
Letters to the Editor may be submitted to Manzanita 70 or emailed to harkeraq@gmail.com and must be signed, legible and concise. The staff reserves the right to edit letters to conform to Winged Post style, and letters will be published at the discretion of editorial staff. Baseless accusations, insults, libelous statements, obscenities and letters that call for a disruption of the school day will not be considered for publication.
Students hold the copyright to work published in Harker journalism publications.
Editorial: Research funding cuts threaten students’ futures
For Harker students dreaming of solving global problems or making groundbreaking discoveries, their journeys begin at college research labs. But across the country, these opportunities are disappearing.
The Trump administration terminated research grants to Columbia University and Johns Hopkins University and froze funding at six other universities, including Cornell and Northwestern. Hundreds of additional university research grants lost funding through cuts to agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation for not aligning with “agency priorities.”
These cuts jeopardize life-saving medical research and the educational pathways that train the next generation of doctors, engineers and scholars.
At Harker, many students are already building foundations for future research
careers. In a Schoology survey with 80 respondents, 44% reported that they are currently conducting research, and 83% said they plan to continue in college. As universities scale back programs due to shrinking budgets, these opportunities will become harder to access.
The impact is already visible. Research laboratories deprived of critical funding can no longer sustain operations or offer fellowships. Undergraduate research programs and internships, which give students the experience and mentorship to build careers in science and innovation, are disappearing.
As studies halt, young researchers lose critical opportunities to enter the field. For Harker students who hope to continue their research at the university level, these disappearing opportunities are not a distant threat but a direct obstacle to the futures they are preparing for today.
The loss of university research programs also threatens future medical
Welcome to the sixth and final issue of the Winged Post this 2024-25 school year! As we transition to become your new Winged Post Strategic team for the 2025-26 school year, we are incredibly excited to share our first paper after leadership transitions
This issue arrives during a season of endings and new beginnings. On our team, we welcomed new section editors who have contributed outstanding work to their pages. As we head into endof-year activities, we invite you to find moments of joy amid the busy period.
We hope our stories spark meaningful conversations with both familiar friends and new acquaintances, as well as inspire you to celebrate nature. Discover different outdoor activities in English teacher Eric Hengstebeck’s feature or challenge yourselves with our conservation Bingo. Looking ahead to the summer, it’s a time to both refresh and continue pursuing passions. While we’re already anticipating next year, we want to share a heartfelt gratitude to the 2024-25 Winged Post leadership team for their guidance. Their legacy continues with us as we prepare for a year of learning, mentorship and connecting with our Harker community.
breakthroughs and technologies. Federally funded research has produced critical advances, from cancer therapies to treatments for chronic diseases. The loss of such funding represents the loss of potential cures, and ultimately, of lives.
Even if future administrations attempt to restore the damage from the cuts, long-term damage is inescapable. America’s leadership in science and innovation builds on decades of sustained investment and encouragement for researchers. Interrupting that foundation sends a clear message to the next generation: research is no longer a national priority.
Being aware of how policy decisions impact opportunities is the first step in protecting them. We must pay attention, advocate for continued investment in research and vote for leaders who prioritize science and education.
Science does not exist in a vacuum. Protecting the future of research in this country means protecting your own future.
NEWS 2: "appreciated the seniors’ candor" should say "appreciated the alumni’s candor"
STEM 15: reference to 01k is unclear "drinks claiming to improve gut health like Olipop and Poppi have appeared all over social media, offering an alternative to unhealthy sodas and carbonated beverages." should be "drinks like Olipop and Poppi have appeared all over social media, claiming to to improve gut health and offering an alternative to unhealthy sodas and carbonated beverages."
SPORTS 18: "He carries a special affinity to playing shortstop and pitching." should be "He has a special affinity for playing shortstop and pitching."
CORRECTIONS POLICY:
Our staff strives to represent our community fairly and conduct accurate, truthful storytelling. We list all errors of an issue, along with the page number of that error, in the next issue’s corrections box. Feel free to provide feedback via the QR code to the right.
LILY PENG
Introductory investigations
Students share early research experiences
disha gupta
& ashley mo
More high school students are stepping into the world of research, finding opportunities once reserved for college undergraduates. Through university internships, summer research programs and courses like Harker’s own research elective classes, students can now gain exposure to scientific research as early as their high school years. For many students, these first steps can jumpstart a passion that will evolve into a lasting commitment to scientific discovery and innovation. Hear from three of our own community members about their experiences finding their starts in a lab and all the lessons they learned along the way.
How did you start your research?
ARSHIA SANKAR (10) STUDENT RESEARCHER
“I did a research program in New York, and that’s what got me most interested. The first week was an introductory week where they taught us different lab skills and techniques that were used. The second week was when we actually got to utilize these skills and apply them to our own projects.”
What is your research journey like right now?
EVAN ZHANG (11)
STUDENT RESEARCHER
“The first project I did was cleaning up oil from oil spills. The stuff I do now is mainly soft robotics, which is substantially different from what I did in eighth grade, but it builds on my previous interests in robotics.”
Do you have advice for starting research?
RUHAN SAHASI (12) STUDENT RESEARCHER
“Learn all the background information on a subject that you’re passionate about and then look for different opportunities, whether it be cold-emailing professors or all sorts of summer programs at colleges.”
Sunlight and spotlights
Earthchella raises environmental awareness
jonathan szeto & lily peng
Earthchella kicked off Earth Week with environment-themed lunchtime performances in front of a large crowd in the Quad on April 18.
The event featured acts like junior Ryan Pham’s piano rendition of “From the Start” by Laufey and seniors Rumi Gupta, Jia Jia Jiang, Sam Parupudi and Arthur Wu’s Earth Daythemed cover of “Snowman” by Sia.
Instrumentalists on the drums, saxophone, clarinet and more, including junior Eric Dong performed John Williams’s “Cantina Band” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.”
“Earthchella was really fun last year so we decided to do it again, with new freshmen [clarinetists],” Eric said. “A large part of that is getting to perform, but also just by being here, we’re able to help raise awareness about our environment and Earth Week.”
ASB Student Events Committee and Green Team collaborated to coordinate the logistics of the performances and set up blankets for the audience. Committee member Amber Wang (9), who organized auditions for the event in late March and early April, emphasized how Earthchella fostered school bonding.
“Incorporating this into a school-wide event is an engaging way to get people’s attention.”
AMBER WANG ASB STUDENTS EVENT COMMITTEE
“People don’t tend to respond to lectures really well, but incorporating this into a school-wide event is an engaging way to get people’s attention,” Amber
said. “There was a lot of appreciation for the performers. The act of performing makes you a little bit vulnerable, but then you get the reward for it since everyone is really impressed by you.” In between acts, Green Team adviser Andrew Irvine and members Audrey Dagum (11) and Siddhartha Daswani (10) conducted a raffle for students who participated in the Clothing Drive in the past month. Winners received succulents and homemade brownies. Irvine also spoke about the origins of Earth Day and the importance of environmental activism, describing the growth of the renewable energy sector and the toxicity of microplastics. Midway through the performances, Irvine invited members of the audience to taste dried insects on stage to promote sustainable eating, pointing out that several countries in Asia and Africa engage in insect consumption as a part of their culture. Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
Green Team promotes Earth Week, environmental action
claire tian, lily peng & caden
ruan
“Earth is a home to eight billion people, and we want to keep our home in good shape. We all have to do our part to make that happen.”
ELAINE LEE CLIMATE ACTIVIST
Climate activist Elaine Lee presented a talk on the Climate Reality Project on April 22 during a Green Team meeting. Lee shared the science behind global warming and ecological degradation. She shared several methods
to reduce personal carbon footprint, like using solar power or installing ecofriendly heating in students’ houses. She also spoke to the power of the education and the effect that simply honestly talking about the consequences of climate change can have.
“Earth is home to eight billion people, and we want to keep our home in good shape,” Lee said. “We all have to do our part to make that happen. Everything we do today or any day has some direct or indirect effect on someone else.”
The events of the week ranged from politically-centered activist efforts to more commonplace activities that students could partake in ordinarily.
In one event, students wrote letters to California senators advocating for environmental action with templates provided by Green Team at a booth outside of Manzanita Hall on April 21. The activity encouraged students to be more civically engaged about issues they care about, like climate change.
Students could “adopt” recycled water bottles throughout the entire week, and the annual clothing swap allowed students to pick up donated gentlyused clothing April 22 through April 24.
LETTERS AND LEARNING Sanjith Senthil (10) writes a letter asking for environmental protection to Senator Alex Padilla using letter starter templates from Green Team.
Students received green smoothies if they shared their sustainable actions.
“Creating sustainability awareness at Harker includes making sustainable choices and thinking about our planet and our impact on it as humans,” Green Team adviser Andrew Irvine said.
NATURAL TALENT Seniors Rumi Gupta, Sam Parupudi, Arthur Wu and Jia Jia Jiang sing “Snowman” by Sia during their performance. Earthchella acts included songs, raps and raising awareness for climate issues
Green Team celebrated Earth Week with daily events to raise environmental awareness and encourage action against climate change from April 18-24.
Broadband noise induces sleep and productivity
Juggling packed schedules, students often prioritize two essentials: studying and sleep. To aid them in both activities, many of them rely on broadband sounds to stimulate productivity and improve sleep health.
White noise is a broadband sound equally containing all the frequencies across the spectrum of audible sound from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. It maintains a constant, static thrum that blocks out the fluctuations in background noise.
Anything that creates a similar sound to white noise can help stimulate sleep, though some students specifically use white noise machines. For junior Emily Bryan, turning on her air conditioner before sleeping and listening to its noise is a habit that helps her unwind.
“As long as I can remember, I always had an air conditioner in my room, so I would just always turn it on to go to
bed,” Emily said. “I’ve gotten used to it because when my brain’s really busy or I’m thinking at the time, I can just focus on the noise of the air conditioner, and it’s very relaxing.”
“
It’s
since it helps block out other noise. If we’re traveling, I put on white noise like ocean waves.
ANIKA BASU (10)
While all broadband noises have the same range across audible sound, their distribution affects the tone of the sound. Brown noises sound the lowest, akin to the noises of a waterfall or thunder, since their frequencies decrease at the fastest rate across the spectrum of sound. Pink
noise creates a sound similar to rainfall, decreasing in power with each higher octave to favor lower pitches. Mid-range sounds like ocean waves are categorized as green noise.
Sophomore Anika Basu finds the noise from a fan comforting and beneficial to improving her sleep quality ever since she started. Sounds from a fan belong in the category of pink noise, as they have lower frequencies but still remain relatively balanced across the spectrum of sound.
“It’s a barrier noise since it helps block out other noise,” Anika said. “It’s become a habit at this point to put it on, even when I’m not at home. If we’re traveling, and we don’t have a fan, I still put on white noise, like ocean waves.”
Scientists have investigated the benefits of these broadband noises. Research has shown white noise to be an option to aid children with ADHD. Additionally, studies reveal that pink noise increases slow-wave oscillations.
Medical Club explores anatomy through rat dissection
Medical Club hosted a rat dissection event on April 16 and 18 during lunch in Dr. Harley’s room.
Under the guidance of club adviser and biology teacher Matthew Harley and Med Club officers, students of all experience levels dissected the abdominal cavity of a rat on Wednesday and the thoracic cavity and skull on Friday.
Participants identified essential anatomical components like the heart, lungs, esophagus and trachea. Dr. Harley led the sessions and created a slideshow with key features of each body part, and students could also direct their own investigation with the aid of anatomical reference packets. Attendees used tools like scissors and scalpels to probe different parts of the rat.
“I don’t know how much actual material they’ve learned, like memorizing or learning the organs or learning where the organs are to identify them, but I think that experience was beneficial,” Dr. Harley said. “Those that really enjoyed it, seeing organs within the body, are more likely to continue pursuing biology.”
Medical Club officers Mendy Mao (11) and Hanz Baek (10) planned
the dissection using rat specimens sourced from the science department. The club has hosted dissection events in the past, but this year, they elevated their quality and scale. Medical Club leadership decided to extend the event to two sessions instead of one, aiming to increase participation and expand the breadth of student exploration.
“We didn’t expect so many people to come, but seeing everyone here, they’re
Senior Neil Krishnan proves the k-connectivity in friends-andstrangers graphs
Q: What is a friendsand-strangers graph?
A: “There’s something called a permutation. It’s just an ordering of numbers. The vertices of the friends-and-strangers graphs are permutations, and you connect permutations under certain rules, specifically something related to people.”
Q: Can you talk about your research process?
A: “I read an initial paper by Defant and Kravitz that talked about friends-andstranger graphs. I read other papers, which talked about some interesting results. After that, I just proved some results, like figuring out what should be true relating to the connectivity of friends-and-strangers graphs.”
Q: What sparked your interest in your research?
A: “I got matched to my mentor, Rupert Li at MIT, and he suggested to work on friends-and-strangers graphs and proposed some ideas to work on. I chose connectivity, the reason being, connectivity is pretty hard to figure out.”
Q: How do your findings have applications in the real world?
really engaged,” Hanz said. “They know more about rat anatomy now, but I also think they just have a better sense of the medical field and how to use the tools.”
The event served as an opportunity to gain familiarity in dissection and anatomy, especially for students without advanced knowledge in biology.
“I want to be a surgeon, so I thought it would be nice to get experience in Med Club,” frosh Ashley Zhou said.
A: “Friends-and-strangers graphs could be considered a model for social media misinformation and how it travels in subnetworks. You could figure out the connectivity of a friendsand-strangers graphs corresponding to a subnetwork and then use that connectivity as a metric for how well misinformation spreads through certain networks.”
FOCUS FREQUENCIES White, pink and brown noise are gaining popularity among students looking for ways to concentrate during long study sessions and wind down at night. These sounds offer a powerful solution to stress and sleep challenges.
DISSECTION DISCOVERY Med Club members dissect the body of a rat.
lily peng & cynthia xie
ashley mo & claire tian
claire xu & elizabeth zhang
$5.4M
Deepseek’s training cost of is nearly 8x cheaper than GPT-4
SOURCE: BACKLINKO
Deepseek raises privacy concerns around personal info
Although DeepSeek’s cost-effective, open-source model has improved accessibility in AI development, its rise has also raised concerns about privacy, security and ethics.
According to the company’s terms of service, DeepSeek collects personal information like internet protocol address, internet connection and keystrokes, just as other AI models like Claude or ChatGPT do. However, since DeepSeek is a Chinese company, user information is stored in servers located in China; the company sends users’ personal data to Volces, a Chinese cloud services company, and Baidu Tongji, China’s leading web analytics platform. The company’s privacy policy explicitly states, “We store the information we collect in secure servers located in the People’s Republic of China,” which raises worries that the Chinese government may gain access to DeepSeek’s vast stores of data from American users.
Security assessments have also found other risks like unencrypted data transmission, which makes personal information sent through the internet
vulnerable to interception. Computer science teacher and AI club adviser Marina Peregrino believes that the model’s integration into everyday systems may pose a threat to users.
15.9M
“DeepSeek has particular vulnerabilities,” Peregrino said. “Your operating system tries to keep yourself safe and your computer safe, and [DeepSeek] bypasses some of those typical security settings.”
Furthermore, despite its weights being open to the public, DeepSeek did not make the code or data used for training available, which could contain personal data. LLM researcher Linda Zeng (11) emphasized that while DeepSeek’s use of open source fosters collaboration, it can also lead to manipulation.
“Researchers can continue building on DeepSeek and exploring its
capabilities, but it also leads to a safety concern because all of its parameters are available,” Linda said. “It’s very easy to engineer attacks that cause it to have bad responses or train it after it was deployed, which leads to overriding safety training that it went through.”
Multiple data breaches have been traced back to Chinese state-sponsored hackers in the past, including an incident with documents from the U.S. Treasury last year. When data is stored in a foreign country without many privacy protections, users whose data are improperly accessed have little to no way to object or call for arbitration. The vast amounts of private information may allow foreign agents to identify individual users, including those involved in sensitive government operations.
In the months after DeepSeek’s release, both houses of the U.S. Congress banned legislators from using the model, and a bipartisan group of senators introduced the No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act, citing privacy and national security concerns.
“[DeepSeek] doesn’t have the same emphasis on ensuring safety alignment [as American companies],” Linda said. “It was made by a Chinese company,
so that user data might be stored in Chinese companies or some Chinese knowledge base. It’s definitely a concern, especially because policies there are not always the same as in America.”
Your operating system tries to keep you and your computer safe, and DeepSeek bypasses some typical security settings.”
Users of DeepSeek may consider refraining from entering any personal data or sensitive information. Even though an option to delete all prior chats with the model exists, pressing such a button in no way guarantees prompts or data are deleted in company servers. A more effective method may be installing the model on a personal computer and running DeepSeek locally. This allows the user to use the LLM without sending data to China. Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
william jiang & jonathan szeto
william jiang & lily peng
Squashing his doubts
Koby Yu (11) surpasses expectations in squash
eva cheng & caden ruan
The squeak of rubber soles against the gym floor and the rhythmic smack of a ball against the clear glass walls echoed through the room as junior Koby Yu sat outside the squash courts, mesmerized by the rally unfolding in front of him. Drawn by the intricate weaving of the players and the unpredictable bounce of the ball, Koby spontaneously signed up for a squash tryout, not knowing this decision would alter the course of his life.
At 12 years old, Koby joined the Bay Club Santa Clara squash team. Surrounded by teammates and competitors who already had numerous years of experience, Koby found himself at a disadvantage, constantly reminded of his own lack of expertise.
“I remember getting absolutely destroyed in straight sets every tournament, and it was a really demoralizing and brutal the first year,” Koby said. “The hard thing is that all your results are posted publicly, so there’s that sort of pressure on you. Recognizing that it was okay to mess up and having an extra drive to practice more helped me get through that period.”
Motivated to prove himself, Koby pushed himself in training, seeking out opportunities for growth. By the time he was 14, he had climbed to within the top 25 nationwide in his age group.
In 2023, Koby qualified for the Mid-Atlantic Junior Championships, a tournament that accepts the top 32 squash players from across the country to compete against each other. Playing at the highest level he had ever experienced, Koby recalls facing off against players who would soon be recruited by the best colleges in the nation.
“The group that I play with is very strong: many of them are often top 10 in the country,” Koby said. “They would
“Recognizing that it was okay to mess up and having an extra drive to practice more helped me.”
always go to this tournament, and I would watch them go because I was so lowranked. When I finally made it in, it was a big revolutionary moment for me.”
That same year, Koby received the US Squash Scholar Athlete Award for his success both on the court and in the classroom.
Koby continues to follow a rigid training regime today, practicing for around two hours every day, six days a week. Although squash is an individual sport, he cited his support network as encouragement to show up to the club every day.
“You would think you don’t have that camaraderie or the team to keep you going, but squash is just a small sport that you know everyone and the community is niche,” Koby said. “When I joined it, they were super welcoming and are still super welcoming. The group is 20 really, really tight juniors, which is really encouraging.”
Playing alongside
Harker alumnus Varun Fuloria (‘24) especially motivated Koby, as Fuloria’s drive sparked the same determination in Koby. Rather than looking to professional
Spikeball stirs up competition and strategy on field
victor gong
sam li
&
Four players in teams of two stand over a small circular net as onlookers watch in line on Davis Field. The tiny court fits on any small patch of ground. A throw from the serving team sends the bright yellow ball toward the center of the net, as players scramble to position themselves for the return.
rounds. Students face off in 2v2s, standing adjacent to their teammate and opposite their opponents. Teams have up to three touches to return the ball to the net, continuing until one team fails to make a proper return.
One particular group of sophomores has established its own rules— first to three points— which allows for quick games and more rotation among the approximately 10 regular players.
Sophomore Ayden Grover purchased one of the nets with sophomore Rithvik Navad. He reflected on the early days of spikeball at Harker and how it boosted in
SPIKING AND STRIKING
Sophomore Vova Schegrov launches the spikeball into the net on
“We were trying to figure out an activity that we can bond over together,” Ayden said. “One lunch, we played spikeball, the best thing I’ve ever played. Now, look how many people are lining up. For this sport, you don’t need to be as athletic as others, and you can play it anywhere — on the beach, in the park, in the atrium. There’s really just no excuse to not play the sport.”
across the net, similar to volleyball. The elastic net and lightweight ball opens doors to powerful spikes and saves.
Sophomore Akash Dubey, who plays regularly, prefers a passive over an aggressive style of play.
“You don’t need to be as athletic as others, and you can play it anywhere. There’s no excuse to not play.”
AYDEN GROVER (10) SPIKEBALL ENTHUSIAST
“Historically, across all the sports I’ve played in my life, I’ve been a defender,” Akash says. “I haven’t been one to initiate the offense. I’m not the one to finish the play. I’m a defensive player, so I like to set up my friends to make the perfect spike.”
Other players prefer a more dynamic style of play, focusing on challenging
“If you sit back on defense and don’t hit it that hard, there’s no way to win,” David said. “The other team could spike it really hard, and you would never be able to receive. Good teams need to transition carefully between passive and aggressive play, which makes communication all the more crucial.”
it really hard, and you would never be able to receive. Good teams need to transition carefully between passive and aggressive play, which makes communication all the more crucial.”
Unlike traditional team sports like football and soccer that demand large playing areas and numerous participants, spikeball thrives on its compactness. The small size of the net and the closepacked orientation of the players during the games adds to the tight-knit feeling.
“I would say the most exhilarating part of playing spikeball is the rallies,” sophomore Bazigh Tahirzad said. “You have to think and predict where they’re going to hit. You have to run around the net, get onto it fast and react quickly, so it’s good for getting better at any sport.”
For many athletes, bonds between teammates can define their sports experience just as much as their in-game performance. However, when it comes to club and school teams, that sense of connection can feel completely different.
Some, like varsity swimmer Jaden Ruffy (10), feel that club teams, while having a definitive vision for training, do not place an emphasis on teambuilding. He also notes that a higher frequency of competitions naturally brings school teams closer together.
“At my club group it’s more about just getting in the yards,” Jaden said. “But at school practice, us swimming relays every day to beat the other team and work together means we’ve definitely become a lot closer than a club team.”
Team bonding is not always about what happens during the game, as shared off-court activities also help build trust and chemistry between teammates.
time together. I feel like that was a good bonding experience.”
School teams also typically have a wider range of ages and skill levels compared to club teams. Although this may inhibit the intensity of workouts suitable for the entire roster, it also provides an opportunity for underclassmen to foster camaraderie with upperclassmen, which would not
Varsity volleyball player Gary Xu (9), highlights the importance of off-court socialization with school teammates, especially across grade levels that rarely interact otherwise .
“I’m a freshman on the team, so I didn’t know other teammates as well as they know each other,” Gary said. “At a tournament in Monterey, I feel like I got closer to them. The tournaments are the whole day, so we just spend the day together, eating together and doing all of our off
Arena in Munich on May 31.
setting or in a club group segmented by age and performance level.
“I didn’t know a lot of the upperclassmen on the team before I joined last year,” Jaden said. “But now that I’m on the relays, I think that it’s really bridged the gap between age groups. Usually, freshmen and seniors don’t interact outside of classes, and I wouldn’t have a reason to either if I was
These friendships can develop naturally through shared competition experiences, but yearly changes to the roster obstruct the entire team from growing together.
Santa Clara Swim Club coach and former D-I swimmer Cali Rowland attributes the higher emphasis on team culture within school teams to this natural cycle of
“In a high school sport, part of your focus is on building that team atmosphere,” Rowland said. “You’re always having new kids coming in and out of the sport with freshmen coming in and seniors graduating. There is more of an emphasis on that team atmosphere, so relays and activities are a part of
Despite this distinct focus on team identity in a school environment, club teammates also forge lifelong bonds and can be quite close-knit groups.
“I’d personally say the club builds a stronger team identity because you’re growing up together,” Rowland said. “You’re moving as a team through different groups and bonding over hard, grueling workouts across your entire lifetime.” Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
DISPARATE DYNAMICS School and club sports teams both have the ultimate goal of forging a healthy camaraderie between teammates, but go about it in different ways. These teams can vary in intensity, age level restrictions, practice schedules and more.
AKASH DUBEY (10)
UCL FAN
I was shocked at PSG vs. Liverpool, especially Liverpool going down 0-1 and not being able to fight back.”
Athletes’ financial incentives deprioritize fans
wenjie zou & caden ruan
“ I think Inter Milan will get to the final, and they have a very decent shot at winning the entire thing this season.”
ALEXANDER MAXIM (9) UCL FAN “
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Real Madrid’s quarterfinals loss was upsetting. Arsenal kept playing well, so they ended up 3-0 in the first leg.”
AUDREY YANG (11)
UCL FAN
Average NBA All-Star player salary has almost tripled in the past 10 years, while the average games played declined by 14 percent. Simultaneously, NBA team revenues increased starkly, rising from $4.8 billion in the 2013-14 season to $11.34 billion in the 2023-24 season.
The ultimate goal for professional teams is to win the championship. As a result of advancements in sports medicine and analysis and an increase in back-toback games, more teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers have been resting their star players for certain regular season games to make sure these stars can play their best during the playoffs.
Biology teacher and former Haverford College D-III basketball player Matt Harley sympathized with this strategy of load management.
“When I played in college, I needed that day off that we would normally get so we would not slam our bodies,” Harley said. “It should be about putting ourselves in the best position to win long term in the playoffs. I’m okay with the idea of sitting players occasionally.”
But a large factor in NBA engagement and sales are the fans. High-
profile players, who sit out the most due to load management, primarily attract fans to buy tickets and merchandise.
Golden State Warriors fan Yash Sachdeva (11) voiced the displeasure that fans may feel when star players ride the bench despite being healthy.
“There are reports that come out 15 minutes before the game that say Stephen Curry is not going to play,” Yash said. “The fan who spent about $180 just to sit in the nosebleeds to watch the Warriors game is not going to have that same joy that others have on another day.”
The conflict between load management and fan satisfaction includes discussions over whether contracts should account for number of games played. In the NFL, contracts often include performancebased incentives rewarding players for reaching statistical milestones in a season. In addition to the shorter season and fewer number of games, load management is far less prevalent in the NFL than the NBA.
“In the NFL, we see quarterbacks throwing two or three touchdowns in the final game of the season so they can get paid more,” Yash said. “I’m thinking we can get those incentives going in the NBA as well.”
Contract inflation, the rise in player salaries as league revenue grows, is not just an NBA issue. It’s also expanded to the NCAA, primarily in sports like Men’s basketball and football. This April, the D-I Board of Directors approved NCAA rule changes that allowed schools to
Inflated player salaries increase debates about load management strategies. Load management involves intentionally setting athletes’ rest schedules.
READY, SET, PREP!
Closer look behind the scenes of athletics
Beyond the bustle of practices and games days, a dedicated team works tirelessly to make a team of people that make every step of Harker sports possible. Step into the weight room, where Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Marlen Castaneda guides both lunch and after school sessions for athletes to train independently or full team lifts. Peek into Athletics Trainer Wes Howard’s room, as he treats athletes’ injuries and consults them on recovery and performance.
Behind the fields, courts and pools, K-12 Director of Grounds Steve Pacheco and his
crew maintain our athletics facilities across all five campuses, often working through the summer. In the press box, former water plo coach and receptionist Ted Ujifusa ensures our scoreboards reflect every point and play accurately during games.
Our fellow athletes across Harker sports teams and seasons take responsibility for setting up and packing away equipment, while K-12 Director of Transportation Heather Armada coordinates the buses that carry teams to away games. Overseeing it all, Athletic Director Dan Molin and Assistant Athletic Director Alfredo Alves bring the entire process together, keeping all of our sports running as smoothly as possible.
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I hope students realize and appreciate the work that goes into this whole campus, as much as they can. There’s only three people that take care of it, so it’s a lot of work from each of us that goes in.”
STEVE PACHECO K-12 DIRECTOR OF GROUNDS
BOOTS ON GROUND (TOP RIGHT) K-12 Director of Grounds Steve Pacheco smiles while opening a lid to check in on the water pipe system on Davis Field. PUMPING IRON (TOP LEFT) Strength and Conditioning Coordinator
Marlen Castaneda adjusts a barbell ahead of a weight room session. PACKING UP (MIDDLE LEFT)
Varsity girls soccer captain Claire Anderson (12) carries soccer balls back to the storage shed after practice. SET UP IN PROGRESS (ABOVE) Junior varsity boys volleyball players
Sean Wang (10) and David Tang (10) tighten a volleyball net prior to their practice. BIRDS-EYE VIEW (BOTTOM LEFT)
Receptionist Ted Ujifusa makes changes to the football game scoreboard using an iPad in the press box. LAB TEST (BESIDE)
Athletic Trainer Wes Howard helps varsity boys water polo player Aden Li (9) recover from an injury using
tiffany zhu & claire xu
Postcards from our planet
Conserve, thrift, recycle with Earth Month bingo
From April 18 to 24, Earth Week is our yearly opportunity to reflect on the natural world and honor the landscape around us, one action at a time. Whether it's using a reusable shopping bag or participating in Harker Green Team initiatives, we can all reduce our carbon footprint and pitch in to make the world a cleaner place. To the right is a game of Conservation Bingo with eight simple ways to help our planet this spring season. Going forward, we hope this game inspires you add these eco-friendly choices to your routine!
Along with playing this game, we can also celebrate April’s Earth Month through the landscapes around us. From the unique tunnels of cypress trees at Moss Beach, Half Moon Bay, to the sparkling waves of Monterey’s beaches, we present some of our favorite places in the Bay.
Thrift
Bring a reusable bag next time you shop
Recycle five items
Throw away three pieces of litter on campus Bring a reusable waterbottle to school
Participate in Green Team initiatives
Ride a bike instead of driving Volunteer to clean a local creek or park
emma li & ashley mo
GOLDEN COAST (TOP) Waves lap against the cream-colored beaches of Carmel. BY THE SHORE (MIDDLE
LEFT) Connect with the bay’s coastal wildlife at Shoreline park in Mountain View. TUNNELS OF TREES (MIDDLE RIGHT) Stroll through Half Moon Bay’s iconic cypress tree tunnels at Moss Beach. TOWERING TRUNKS (BOTTOM LEFT) Felton’s forests place
