Half of student body attends first-ever virtual rally
September 22, 2020
UPA’s Associated Student Body (ASB) held its first rally since January via Zoom on Sept. 4, the first virtual rally in school history. ASB also hosted a spirit week and virtual lunchtime activities leading up to the Friday rally, complete with a way for students to submit their themed spirit outfits...
Senior seminar looks different after counselor Sandra Trotch’s retirement
Ishan Madan, Web Manager
September 17, 2020
Sandra Trotch, UPA’s junior and senior counselor and AP English Language and Composition teacher since 2008, retired July 1. When seniors learned of her retirement three weeks later, they were left wondering how UPA would guide them through college applications and other functions of their senior year,...
‘Swimming has been my whole entire life’: Senior Kenneth Thien verbally commits to swim at Boston College
Chelsea Nguyen, Managing Editor
September 11, 2020
The senior class is usually in the same lane when applying to colleges, but senior Kenneth Thien has chosen to swim in a separate lane: college recruiting. Thien began the college recruitment process his sophomore year when his coaches from Santa Clara Swim Club sent him college questionnaires a...
Lessons Online: UPA teachers prepared to begin the 2020-2021 school year via distance learning
Jenna Plasschaert, Team Editor, Publicity Manager
September 10, 2020
Five months after the first day of distance learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-2021 school year began digitally, with the hope of introducing hybrid learning later in the year. The UPA administration and staff have worked extra hours this summer in preparation for conducting fu...
SCU and CZU Lightning Complex fires cause stress as fear of evacuation looms
Alyssa Garcia, Team Editor
September 7, 2020
The smell of smoke lingers in the Bay Area as the SCU and CZU Lightning Complex fires burn, causing a surge of fear and anxiety for members of the UPA community. The SCU (Santa Clara Unit) Lightning Complex began abruptly due to lightning strikes on Aug. 18. The California Department of Forestry...
COVID-19 Update | UPA to ‘Pass or Fail’ Grading System | Aquila Press Conference
Aquila Staff
July 26, 2020
Editor's Note: This video was originally published on YouTube on April 15, 2020. As of April 14, due to the continued presence of Covid-19, UPA will be transitioning to a "Pass or Fail" grading system for the rest of the academic year. ...
Second COVID-19 School Closure Press Conference | Breaking News
Aquila Staff
July 26, 2020
Editor's Note: This video was originally published on YouTube on April 2, 2020. The following is a live broadcast of Executive Director David Porter addressing the UPA community about its closure through a Zoom press conference with the Aquila staff. ...
COVID-19 Aquila Press Conference with Executive Director David Porter | Breaking News
Katherine Nguyen, Greg Haessner, and Aquila Staff
July 26, 2020
Editor's Note: This video was originally published on YouTube on March 14, 2020. Around 11:30 a.m., all Santa Clara County public education institutions were informed a three-week hiatus would take effect starting March 16 leaving the student body with a number of questions. This video will help answer certain unexplained questions from UPA...
Climate Strike | Aquila News Broadcast
Greg Haessner and Kristian Crowther
July 26, 2020
Editor's Note: This video was originally published on YouTube on Oct. 2, 2019. In our first broadcast video of the 2019-2020 school year, Reporter Greg Haessner interviews protesters at the Silicon Valley Climate Strike that took place on September 20 in order to ask what actions should be taken...
Donating to the Disadvantaged
June 5, 2020
After years of the homeless population only growing in San Jose, the community continues to pitch in to help. From prominent CEOs to next door neighbors, the San Jose community has come together to help the homeless, along with over 16,000 open public homeless shelters. According to the Calma...
July 26, 2020
Three Weeks Later (Covid-19 Stories) w/ Andrew Crabtree
July 26, 2020
Two Weeks Later (Covid-19 Stories) with Meghana Bellam
July 26, 2020