Michelle Leung

Senior Prom will take place this year at Levi’s Stadium on May 23. The theme is “Night Under the Lights.”   

After having been pranked ourselves, we knew we had to step it up. Unfortunately, as we’re second semester seniors, we quickly gave up on a more elaborate idea.

Junior Spencer Yen thought he was witnessing a drug bust as he stood by a picnic table in Wildwood Park on March 3, peering into the darkness as eight police officers walked toward him and a couple of friends.

Grad Night requires hundreds of hours on the part of Grad Night committee parents — but also hundreds of dollars on the part of students.

The Saratoga Library Teen Advisory Board (TAB) will hold its second annual College Day in the community room of the Saratoga Library on March 21 at 10 a.m.

Senior Alec Furlong may seem like the epitome of a stereotypical jock — but he is anything but.

Day One of the M-SET build season began on Jan. 3, when this year’s challenge was revealed to teams all over the country

From decimating the Washington High School team on Dec. 7 to defeating the Piedmont Hill High School team on Jan. 25, the Saratoga team has not lost a single game in the History Bowl tournament this year.

Thirty-six projects will compete at the school level of the 2015 National History Day competition, themed Leadership and Legacy.

Sept. 24, 2011. Four years later, freshman Solomon Bailey can still remember the exact date he came to America — and he will likely never forget it. 

A  lack of language options at the middle school level and competition from other electives have resulted in increasingly small French classes.

Three Doziers walked the halls of Saratoga High before freshman Quinn Dozier ever did. 

At the age of 2, senior Madison Seagraves was already exploring a passion that would blossom further as she grew older: dancing.

Five speakers presented at the TEDx event in the Thermond Drama Center  on Dec. 7.

The Falcons beat the Palo Alto Vikings 41-33 on Nov. 14, securing a coveted spot in the CCS playoffs — a feat they last accomplished two years ago. 

It is said that the first obligation of journalism is to the truth. 

Senior Celia Kohler met Junior when he was 6 years old, and already he had experienced enough struggles to last him a lifetime.

Club Day took place on Sept. 26 this year and was organized by senior clubs commissioner Sherrilyn Ling.

Few visitors would describe Saratoga High School, with its prison-like design and gray lockers, as the most eye-catching campus in the world. But when senior Claire Strickland first stepped on campus as a freshman shadowing current senior Rachel Hull, she connected to the atmosphere, classes and people so well that she decided to transfer from her own high school.

The Media Arts Program (MAP) added a Media Arts 2 class for juniors this year, a continuation of the sophomore MAP class Media Arts 1 — and also a major blow to the size of the broadcast journalism program, which has suffered a greater than 50 percent drop in numbers and is down to a staff of 14 students.

Junior Supriya Singh describes the differences between Saratoga and Lynbrook High School, which she attended during her freshman and sophomore years.

The school's National History Day participants describe their experience in Washington D.C.

Last year, the Saratoga Math Team, led by adviser P.J. Yim, finished off its successful season with a tie for first place in the California Math League (CAML).

The Saratoga High parking lot is home to two kinds of drivers: the “seasoned” parent driver and the “infamous” teen driver. But is there really a huge difference between the two?

Junior Celia Kohler looked down at the ground 30 feet below her. She knew it was risky — at just 7 years old, people told her she was too little. But being the daredevil she was, she breathed a sigh, closed her eyes and took a giant leap of faith.

When a team of six individuals first formed the History Bowl team in 2012, they never imagined the program would be so successful so soon.   

Sophomore Jennifer Chen stared unseeingly out the bus window at the long trip ahead of her and ran through her script quickly on April 25.  

Some employers want to see your SAT scores, but do they matter?

To many, the first words that come to mind when asked to describe Saratoga are “rich,” or “affluent.” Maybe “SAT obsessed” if it’s a good day. The stereotype of Saratoga as a rich school is certainly not without its basis in reality; according to census data the average household income in Saratoga was $147,918 in 2011, while the average household income in California was $57,287. Houses in the city often sell for $1.5 million or more — far beyond the means of all but the wealthiest Americans.

When was the last time you checked your phone? Was it two minutes ago? Or five? Or maybe even an hour? 

A revised version of the SAT will be implemented in spring of 2016 in time for current freshmen to take it. The new test is intended to fix problems with the current version of the current test and to keep pace with the ACT, which has been outstripping the SAT in recent years in popularity.

She was found on the steps of a factory in China one morning, almost 17 years ago, one of 23 million abandoned or killed baby girl victims of China’s one-child policy. 

The Saratoga City Council sent a letter on Feb. 25 to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) expressing concerns and asking for further studies on possible negative impacts expanding Highway 85 could have on residents.

Starting this year, schools all over California will be making the transition to computerized testing systems. 

The Falcon wrestling team has some big stars but not many of them. 

The majority of students participating in National History Day competition this year with the theme "Rights and Responsibilities" will go directly to the county competition this year, with the exception of group website and individual website categories.

Some city residents are fighting the possible expansion of State Route 85.

After consulting Aeries, sophomore Amy Zhang slumps in her seat, disappointed. Once again, her score is far lower than expected. She mentally reviews a list in her head. The study guide? Check. The textbook? Check. The old homework problems? Check. So what went wrong? 

If you have walked into the Logitech Sharks Ice at San Jose ice arena, chances are you will have seen Archbishop Mitty sophomore and 2014 Sochi figure skater Polina Edmunds practicing in the public skating rink. 

2002 grad Amy Chang faced hardships in high school for her sexual orientation but found acceptance as an adult

Araad Sarrami was struck speechless — with victory, that is. It was League semifinals for the 170-pound weight class last season, and he, only a sophomore back then, had beaten a Palo Alto senior by the name of Erik Anderson.  This victory was a culmination of a long struggle. 

It was a late summer night, and senior Leo Kim was driving down Canyon View Drive. The road was clear — until a huge shape leaped directly in front of his car.  When unusual noises followed the appearance of the shape, Kim realized he had hit a deer. 

Orson Scott Card is almost as well-known for his homophobic views as for his bestselling 1985 science fiction novel “Ender’s Game,” which was adapted into a film which was released on Nov. 1.

For the longest time, math teacher PJ Yim’s so-called push-up challenge remained undefeated. 

There are two minutes left and you’re staring down at the test in a panic. You’ve filled in answers “A” and “B” and erased them five times already. You've already eliminated “C,” “D” and “E”  — that should be worth something, you tell yourself. But it's not, since choosing the wrong choice will cost you all the points for that problem. 

A two-story white house with a large red barn and no porch sits along Big Basin Way, behind Saratoga Creek. Built in 1875, the house and the barn are one of the oldest houses in Saratoga. And according to local legend, the house, known as the E.T. King Home, is haunted. 

After all but one of its members graduated last spring, the Quiz Bowl team is returning to the school this year through the efforts of senior Nick Chow. Quiz Bowl is a trivia game that consists of questions about literature, science, history, math, art and “trash,” or pop culture. It uses the buzzer system, or “lockout device,” which allow players to interrupt the reading of a question when they know the answer.

The girls' golf team ended its 2013 season with wins against both Monta Vista and Wilcox on Oct. 14. The girls’ triumph concluded a 7-7 season. 

Senior Lauren Casey-Clyde marches at the head of the sweaty, fatigued marching band during one of many rehearsals under the hot California sun.

Current No. 3 player sophomore Ankitha Sarvesh adjusts her grip on her moving it a millimeter to the right. With the miniscule adjustment, her next swing is perfect. Like many girl golfers, Sarvesh was initially inspired to play golf because of her father’s enjoyment of the sport. 

Facebook gains its yearly profit of almost $2 billion through advertising, according to Daily Mail.

This year, the ASB will make amendments to the constitution regarding officer election rules. 

Some movies inspire tears. Some win Oscars. And according to freshman Amy Zhang, some movies just drag on until they are “torturing [your] brain.”

Last summer, science teacher Lisa Cochrum visited polar bears in Spitsbergen, Norway, up in the Arctic Circle. 

As I was parking along one of the roads, a giant truck full of high school girls passed by. I’m not the most skilled at parking (yet), so I took some time. It could not have been more than a few extra seconds. Being cautious is hardly a crime worth screaming about.

Although the majority of course selection trends for the 2013-2014 school year remain the same, three programs in particular have received increased interest: the Media Arts Program, the AP Calculus AB course and the Introduction to Engineering and Science Research elective.

In an era of standardized testing, there are two programs vying for ultimate supremacy: the Advanced Placement (AP) program and the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.  

Whenever freshman Yena Jeong reads a good book, she finds her hands “inching towards her face,” reverting to a bad habit she has never been able to fully conquer: nail-biting.

In nearby Alameda County, a county supervisor receives more money in income and pensions than the president. 

Despite being an academically high-performing school, Saratoga still has to pass the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation every six years as required by the state.

Several freshmen competed well during the annual 2013 Bay Area Mathematical Olympiad (BAMO).

Several freshmen competed well during the annual 2013 Bay Area Mathematical Olympiad (BAMO). 

A total of 31 students will go to the History Day state competition in Sacramento from April 28-29. Sixteen entries will be evaluated in the individual and group categories for websites, papers, performances, exhibits or documentaries.

With the increasing pressure to be accepted into a “good” college, more students are spending their summers studying unnecessarily and for the wrong reasons. 

In 2011, a 14-year-old girl bought and drank a 24 oz. can of Monster Energy Drink from a mall in Maryland. A few hours after she drank another can the following day, she went into cardiac arrest, which may have partly resulted from a heart problem, but may have been triggered by the excessive caffeine in the drink. The girl never woke up.

Urged on by movies like “Jaws,” people have acquired an irrational fear of great white sharks, the alleged “serial killers” of the ocean. In reality, however, humans are the real predators.

Compared to last year’s abysmal season, in which the wrestling team scored last in the Falcon’s end-of-the-year power rankings and went 0-6, this year’s prospects are looking up.

The word “friend” has been around since its Old English origins centuries ago. Its ancestors in Old Saxon, Old Norse, Gothic and Old High German have been around even longer.

Approximately 135 students came to school for three hours on Martin Luther King Day to participate in National Service Day.

 The lack of streetlights in Saratoga has always been one of the town’s most noticeable features. Some streets, such as Lexington Avenue and Franklin Avenue, have no lights and are pitch black at night. Although the absence of streetlights appeals to those who enjoy a sleepy, small-town atmosphere, adding street lights can provide substantial benefits.

The school’s mathletes have recently been hard at work preparing for one of the most critical competitions of the year: the American Mathematics Competition (AMC).

Few people think too long about the mysteries of the military.

The unit I remember most from ninth-grade Biology class with Mrs. Nicholson was the pig dissection.

Few people think too long about the mysteries of the military. It is enough for most of us to know soldiers are out there protecting our country. However, joining the military is actually a relatively simple process, and hardly as well guarded as Hollywood would have us think.

Living up to an older sibling’s legacy is a difficult challenge for many younger siblings. For sophomore Christian Murabito, having a wrestling legend as an older brother makes it much, much harder.

As shops and houses around town put up decorations in preparation for the holiday season, the school prepares itself for the numerous amount of fundraisers it plans for the end of the year.

Sophomore Kevin Chiang likes AP Calculus BC because of the subject’s variety and its emphasis on understanding.

My mom and I thought the black and white English Pointer belonged to the man in the yellow coat until he disappeared and the dog continued to follow us over the freeway overpass.

After finishing first in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League with an 11-1 record, the girls’ golf team went to the League Finals hoping to beat strong teams like Gunn and Leland.

As temperatures drop in Saratoga, episodes of illness rise. But however unpleasant students may feel, most believe the work required to catch up after an absence is infinitely worse. 

A sophomore is the No. 2 player on the girls' golf team.