Dylan Jew

As part of Silicon Valley and all of the high tech companies, Saratoga High has a valid argument for an engineering course.

This semester, ASB has come up with a way to help fading clubs regain lost momentum during second semester, a serious problem many clubs face each year.

After the release of the SHS App on Sept. 27, the Application Developer’s club has been working on its next project: creating an app for The Saratoga Falcon’s website.

Along with unveiling its new fourth generation iPad on Oct. 23, Apple also launched a smaller alternative tablet, the iPad Mini. The Mini, about 8 inches diagonally, is in between the iPhone 5, 4 inches, and the original iPad, 10 inches.

Though students in America constantly complain about SATs and ACTs, they should consider themselves lucky compared to what students in some other countries face.

Most current seniors are familiar—perhaps more than they would like to be—with the Common Application, a universal online application used by over 450 colleges and universities across the nation.

With the release of the iPhone 5 in September students may be wondering whether it is worth it to upgrade. While it may not seem as if the iPhone 5 is a major change from the iPhone 4S, Apple has taken the opportunity to refine both the hardware and software of the phone.  

“Skins” is a British television series on the air since 2007. The show follows a group of teenagers who navigate through through controversial topics, like drugs, alcohol, mental illnesses and death.

Why does everyone hate on LeBron James?  

The drug use in Major League Baseball has had an unfortunate impact on high school sports all around the US. 

When comparing a teacher to a coach, the two seem extremely similar. Teachers are responsible for the academic growth of their students; coaches try to pass on skills and knowledge of their sport.

Walking down the halls of the school, one is immersed in a sea of students wearing Nike, Adidas, North Face and assorted team gear. Sports-inspired clothing has become widely accepted in high school society, allowing items such as running shoes and team gear to become mainstream.

“CAT DADDY …” I could feel my heart racing and my hands perspiring. As the high-pitched introductory words of the Rejectz song reverberated around the Journalism Room, I suddenly grew scared that I would blank and forget my routine or lose sync with the music. But, after I started, my body took over and each move led to the next.

For the first time since 2005, the varsity boys’ basketball team won the El Camino league, finishing 9-3 and tying for first place with Santa Clara.

The Falcons went 2-0 on the week of Jan. 23-27, compiling wins against the the Fremont Firebirds on Jan. 25, 53-44 and the Los Altos Eagles on Jan. 27, 50-44.

The holiday season was a time of giving back to the community, and many clubs on campus were in the holiday spirit. National Honors Society, Red Cross and Interact all did activities to help the needy this holiday season.

When senior Lennie Char began rowing as a sophomore, she never really expected much out of the sport except a new hobby. Now two years and dozens of matches later, Char’s dedication to rowing has given her more than she ever imagined—a spot on the University of Tulsa rowing team.

As Sachin Bettadapur and Andrew Ferguson walked to the bullpen mound to practice pitching during off season, it was not the first time they had been on the same team. The first time the pair had played catch had been on their sixth grade baseball team.

At the Los Gatos Wildcat Shootout , the Falcons compiled a 1-2 record. Against Leigh on Dec. 7, the team lost 63-40. They were defeated again 54-45 by Leland on Dec. 8. On Dec. 9, against Christopher, the team bounced back with a decisive 64-53 victory. According to junior guard Brian Kim, the team adapted well defensively to the Christopher’s offensive strategy and they themselves executed on the offensive end.

At the start of first semester, students found out that they would be graded on a pass-fail system for team sports, cheer and band. This system was enacted because the majority of the sports team coaches and supervisors do not have proper credentials in physical education, the state standard for assigning a letter grade in physical education.

Because of the new restrictions set by the administration this year as a result of inappropriate scripts in the previous rally and the sophomore quad day, the rally commission found different ways to entertain students in the Halloween Rally.

Because of the new restrictions set by the administration this year as a result of inappropriate scripts in the previous rally and the sophomore quad day, the rally commission found different ways to entertain students in the Halloween Rally.

The gym grew hot as crowds of students streamed into the enclosure during the Homecoming dance on Oct. 1. In the oppressively sultry atmosphere, one girl suddenly felt ill. An hour later, she was riding in an ambulance on her way to the hospital.

This season the Falcons will have to step up in order to fill the vacancies left by the departure of five seniors from last year. Last year the team lost in the second round in CCS; the team hopes to build on their experience and progress further this year.

At the Key Club meeting on Oct. 13, activities director senior Jonathon Koo noticed a new face in the otherwise familiar crowd: ASB president, senior Anshu Siripurapu. However, Siripurapu was not there to contribute to the club; rather, he was verifying whether Key Club was observing ASB’s recently mandated guidelines.

With three other brothers who play baseball and other sports, junior Kyle Dozier has grown up surrounded by competition—playing everything from backyard Wiffleball to varsity baseball at Saratoga High. “My brothers and I would play sports all the time at home or at Congress Springs Park,” Dozier said. “They always kept throwing the baseball or football around or shooting a basketball and it’s helped me improve a lot throughout the years.”

Class of 2011 alumnus Albert Gu lives in Saratoga High history as one of the greatest mathletes the school has ever had. Although most people knew “Champ Gu,” (a name his friends adorned him with), as a whiz in mathematics, many did not realize that he was one of the top high school programmers in the nation as well.

Abe “It’s one of those moments you never forget,” World History and U.S. Government teacher Kirk Abe said. ”I don’t know what I was doing the day before or the day after, but I will always remember exactly where I was and what I was doing that day.” Abe was getting ready to leave to teach his class, on Sept. 11, 2001, when he turned on the television. “The first thing I saw was the first twin tower being hit,” Abe said. “Every channel was filled with scenes of the incident.”

Sophomore Greg Yang was looking forward to swimming all year. However, his optimism was crushed when he was told that due to a scheduling conflict with his seventh-period class, he would not be able to practice with the team and compete this season.

Sophomore Jonathan Boldt’s room, cluttered with a variety of gadgets, is a perfect example of technology’s role in today’s society. An iPhone lies on his desk, an iPod plugged into a speaker system in the corner, a Macbook Pro is charging by his bed.

Ending their season with a 12-19 record, the Falcons were disappointed with their performance overall. “Our record will be better next year,” sophomore outfielder Kyle Dozier said.

Despite a rocky beginning, the baseball team rebounded with a string of victories over spring break to achieve a 10-13 overall record as of April 26. “We started the season off slow, but we’re starting to get better,” said junior pitcher and right-fielder Kushal Raj.

Despite a rocky beginning, the baseball team rebounded with a string of victories over spring break to achieve a 10-13 overall record as of April 26. “We started the season off slow, but we’re starting to get better,” said junior pitcher and right-fielder Kushal Raj.

Transferring between schools has been a part of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Unified High School District for a long time, but now the situation will change next fall when the district shuts down down the freedom for Saratoga students to transfer to Los Gatos.

The lack of two starting pitchers has contributed to the Falcons’ losing their first seven league games of the season. But with the return of those two pitchers, the team hopes to start winning some games soon.

What is your favorite farm animal? What type of deodorant do you use? These are just a few of the questions that sophomore Amin Mirzadegan asked his dates to determine whether he would continue dating them in SHS’ own version of the popular reality TV show “The Bachelor.”

As the spring sports season approaches, the baseball team is working harder than ever to prepare. Disappointed from last year’s mediocre 10-20 record, many players on the team feel the need to redeem themselves with the upcoming season.

UC Berkeley football wide receiver and ‘08 alum Alex Lagemann, senior football captain Greg Johnson, Pomona College scholar athlete and ‘07 alum Augie Lagemann, sophomore varsity baseball player Stephen Ruff, freshman football player Jacob Marr and sophomore basketball player Mary Johnson. What do all they all have in common?

It’s not 2012 yet, but maybe the world won’t have to wait that long to end. With reports claiming that the new judgement day is May 21, 2011; many believe that we may be within months of the end of the world. The Family Radio Network in Nashville, Tenn., claims that when Zephaniah 1:1-3 said “ I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea … I will cut off humanity from the face of the earth,” he was referring to the day all life on earth will cease to exist.

On the average day, SHS TV executive producer senior Alex Chan can be found in the MAP building, where he is in charge of an entire staff of broadcast journalists.

Flashback: It is the year 2000 at Saratoga High. Senior Erick Rector (now an English teacher) is walking around the halls with students carrying CD players and bulky cell phones that only have calling and voicemail features.

No one would have guessed that so many students would attend a football game, let alone participate in chants and celebrations.

As Troy Doles intercepted and closed his hands over the football in the most crucial play of the Saratoga-Los Gatos game on Oct. 22, not only did the junior defensive back help end the 27-year losing streak to LG, he also sealed himself into Saratoga football history.

The Saratoga-Los Gatos football game on Oct. 22 was one of the most exciting events in years. With packed bleachers and a roaring crowd, the atmosphere at the game was electric. In front of the bleachers, a group of bare-chested, red-emblazoned students led the crowd in cheering by chanting and yelling, encouraging fans to get into the game.

Senior quad day is always the most anticipated performance each Homecoming, and this year's class did not disappoint, most observers said. The senior class had the usual elements to a successful Homecoming: well-choreographed dances, great music selection, hilarious jokes and an exceptional plot. The seniors also made great use of their theme, Candyland.

The idea of secretly being watched is a popular idea in many horror movies. Someone's out there, watching your every move ... But should this invasion of privacy be enough to stop schools from installing cameras to monitor activities during and after-school hours?

At Saratoga High, the stereotypical student is always obsessed with taking Honors and AP classes. Some overachievers even take multiple science and math classes at the same time. But what happens when students have already taken everything the school has to offer?

When tennis players are in a game-deciding situation, the difference between winning and losing often comes down to who has the stronger will. By emphasizing his mental game, Henry Shen is able to capitalize on these tight situations to win more games.

Chutes and Ladders. How do you make a quad day out of that? This was the problem the freshmen faced during their Homecoming quad day this year. Ultimately, they decided to parody this dilemma in their performance, which surprised many students with its preparation and dancing. The freshmen started strong with their all-guys dance, followed by two girls dances. The freshmen boys caught on to the Homecoming dance style quickly, including lots of hip thrusts and fist pumps in their routine.

Did you notice the summer stretched a little longer this year? This trend was common across high schools in California, and Saratoga was no exception. The summer of 2010 was indeed longer than usual; however, next year's summer will be noticeably shorter. These seemingly patternless schedules actually hold a worthy purpose—to make room for the first semester to end before winter break next year.

As senior Kaitna Shankar heads to the parking lot after school on a Friday afternoon, she isn't gearing up for a night at the movies or other entertainment. Instead, she is planning to study for the SAT she will take again in October—a last attempt to get her best score and gain entrance into her dream college.

Did you notice the summer stretched a little longer this year? This trend was common across high schools in California, and Saratoga was no exception. The summer of 2010 was indeed longer than usual; however, next year's summer will be noticeably shorter. These seemingly patternless schedules actually hold a worthy purpose—to make room for the first semester to end before winter break next year.