The Student News Site of Saratoga High School

The Saratoga Falcon
Seniors pose in front of a model ship at the United States Naval Academy.
6 seniors test their mettle in summer program at U.S. Naval Academy
September 19, 2024
Henry Arellanes starts the school year by working to advance the softball batting cages and implement water stations.
New plant supervisor looks to improve athletic facilities
September 18, 2024
SHS students, faculty, and alumni pose after their final performance with BDB.
Students participate in prestigious Blue Devils Drums Corps over the summer
September 18, 2024
Sophomore Alma Garniek begins her shift at TEAZENTEA.
New bubble tea store opens in downtown Saratoga
September 15, 2024
Amanda Lupoli fills out a Venn diagram with input from students in her 6th period AP U.S. History class.
New history teacher emphasizes instilling critical thinking skills
September 15, 2024
Casavant derives Newton’s second law to the class.
A survival guide to AP Physics 1 and 2
September 19, 2024
Kanye West notoriously grabs the microphone from Taylor Swift at the VMAs in 2009 as she accepts the "Best Female Video" award during the MTV Video Music Awards.
From A-List to off-the-list: the downfall of Kanye West
September 19, 2024
Fans notice tension between the two co-stars.
‘It Ends With Us’ star Lively faces backlash over domestic violence remarks
September 19, 2024
Our conversation with ChatGPT.
Can an AI chatbot be your new best friend?
September 18, 2024
The album cover for “Bando Stone and The New World,” where Donald Glover plays the titular character in the accompanying movie with the same name.
Bando Stone and The New World is an exhilarating sendoff to the Childish Gambino persona
September 18, 2024
Junior Thalea Charton passes the ball during an after-school practice.
Season preview: Girls’ water polo tries to stay afloat with only 8 players
September 19, 2024
Abandoned aquatic facility in Rio
The devastating side of Olympic hosting
September 19, 2024
In her toughest match-up of the season, middle blocker Aanya Hotha serves the match point.
Star sophomore volleyball player makes strides toward her lofty goals
September 19, 2024
Freshman Chloe Zeng dives to narrowly save the ball during a game against Milpitas on Sept. 17.
Girls’ volleyball starts 1-1 in El Camino
September 18, 2024
The 2024 F1 season has already crowned 7 Grand Prix winners — the most since 2012.
The rise and appeal of Formula 1 racing
September 18, 2024
Junior Nirvan Shah faces off against junior Brady Liang at lunch on Sept. 16.
Student irresponsibility undermines the Falcon Nest’s true potential
September 18, 2024
I say my line during my annual spring program.
From private school to public school, the benefits and downsides I experienced
September 15, 2024
Too often, students instinctively reach for the calculator.
Stop and think: Do you really need that calculator?
September 15, 2024
Six ants crawl on bathroom sink.
Clean up after yourself before the ants take over the school
September 12, 2024
The skibidi toilet horrors that popped up in our Instagram reels less than a year ago.
Gen Alpha has a word for that — but you probably won’t know what it means
September 12, 2024
Keeping a balanced schedule can be hard in a 24-hour day.
Facing 11th grade: my new lifestyle for the new year
September 19, 2024
This so called “trendy” sport leaves the rest of the racquetball community in quite the pickle.
A plea to pickleballers from a ticked off tennis player
September 19, 2024
My pandemic level of monthly letters.
Hand-written letters are simple beauty
September 19, 2024
Kristen Thomson (left), Isla Thomson (right) and Spencer Thomson (top) on their first day all at the same school, 2024.
The three Thomsons find comfort in having family on campus
September 19, 2024
Superstitions across the world vary based on traditions and culture all the way from black cats to Friday the 13th.
Can superstitions boost confidence and performance?
September 18, 2024

The Saratoga Falcon

The Saratoga Falcon

Amy Miao, Lifestyles Editor

All content by Amy Miao
Too often, students instinctively reach for the calculator.

Photo or Graphic for: Stop and think: Do you really need that calculator?

Florence Hu
September 15, 2024
Amanda Lupoli fills out a Venn diagram with input from students in her 6th period AP U.S. History class.

New history teacher emphasizes instilling critical thinking skills

Amy Miao
September 15, 2024
There are multiple great times to arrive to class.

Photo or Graphic for: Top 10: times to arrive to journalism in the morning

Nika Svizhenko
September 4, 2024
The runners explore many routes in Saratoga, venturing to roads such as Elva Avenue.

Cross country season preview: Tippetts returns to coach boys while professional runner steps up to coach the girls

Annika Gho, Jessica Li, and Amy Miao
August 31, 2024
Beach volleyball is a great way to exercise and have fun with your friends.

Photo or Graphic for: Discovering our new favorite summer pastime, beach volleyball

Bill Huang and Andy Zhu
August 24, 2024
After being drained from studying, state testing provides a recharge.

Photo or Graphic for: State testing provides a good break from junior year

Derek Liang
May 22, 2024
Assortments of college ranking list with factors such as acceptance rate, major, ranking and cost.

Photo or Graphic for: While flawed, college ranking systems remain necessary tools for constructing college lists

William Cao and Nikhil Mathihalli
May 15, 2024
Disney+ has plummeted down my ranking of streaming services, while apps like Netflix maintain their quality.

Photo or Graphic for: The disappointing downfall of Disney+

Anthony Luo
May 11, 2024
Emily, Shirina and Amy hold up the finished tanghulu while sugary water drips onto the floor.

The viral sweet treat tanghulu: Is it worth all the hype?

Shirina Cao, Jessica Li, Amy Miao, and Emily Wu
May 10, 2024
Council members Tina Walia, Chuck Page, Kookie Fitzsimmons; Saratoga Foothill Club President Nancy Miller; Mayor Yan Zhao and Vice Mayor Belal Aftab (left to right) pose with the Tree City USA award.

Japanese maple tree planted during annual Arbor Day celebration

Amy Miao and Sasha Prasad
May 8, 2024
Some foods garner positive attention, and some garner negative attention.

Photo or Graphic for: Top 10 cafeteria delicacies

Bryan Zhao
May 3, 2024
Whether it’s gardening or studying for a class, there’s a lot to do over the summer.

Photo or Graphic for: A guide to make the most of your summer

Ruiyan Zhu
April 29, 2024
More and more jobs will now be taken over by automation, making Computer Science less appealing as a major.

Photo or Graphic for: Is studying comp sci still the golden ticket to wealth?

Alec Guan and Richard Fan
April 29, 2024
Breaking will make its debut in the 2024 Summer Olympics in an effort to draw in more attention from a younger audience.

Photo or Graphic for: Break Dancing to be introduced at 2024 summer Olympics

Richard Fan and Alec Guan
April 18, 2024
English and Map 10 teacher Marcos Cortez surfs in the Santa Cruz shoreline.

Surfing in Santa Cruz: Junior and English teacher find relaxation riding waves

Amy Miao and Emily Wu
March 29, 2024
Freshman Peyton Steffen prepares to shoot a basket in an away game against Mountain View High School.

Sports legacies: 2 athletes follow in the footsteps of their family members 

Amy Miao and Sasha Prasad
March 24, 2024
If you waltz into my room, there’s a high possibility that my desk is covered with snacks.

Photo or Graphic for: Caving into my cravings: my go-to comfort snacks

Jessica Li
March 21, 2024
Avadhanam uses geometry techniques to solve Team Selection Test (TST) problems.

2 seniors now one step away from making national Math Olympiad teams

Jessica Li, Parav Manney, and Amy Miao
February 10, 2024
Sample drawing of solar panels at the senior parking lot.

Photo or Graphic for: Board picks Centrica as solar panel provider; work is set to begin this summer

William Cao and Eric Shi
February 8, 2024
Spice up your love life with these activities.

Photo or Graphic for: Ideas for the next big date after Valentine’s Day

Shirina Cao
February 8, 2024
AP Statistics Teacher Seema Patel picks up a barbell in a deadlift while Speech Language Pathologist Ronda Vierra practices her freestyle technique.

Photo or Graphic for: Working out at work: Teachers take advantage of campus weight room and swimming pool

William Cao and Eric Shi
February 6, 2024
Anatomy and Physiology teacher Kristofer Orre achieves a deadlift personal record of 460 pounds at his gym.

Fitness pursuits keep teachers healthy, happy and focused

Jessica Li and Amy Miao
February 6, 2024
New Wellness Center coordinator Thea Widmer works at a desk and checks in with students as they arrive on Nov. 27. 

Wellness Center reopens under new coordinator

Amy Miao and Emily Wu
December 7, 2023
Food trucks were missing on the Nov. 21 Turkey Trot, and will continue to be banned in most future events involving them.

Photo or Graphic for: Policy change eliminates food trucks during school-day events like Turkey Trot

Derek Liang and Eric Shi
December 7, 2023
Team Saratoga 1, consisting of students Bryan Li, Lawson Wang, Advaith Avadhanam, Alan Lu, Skyler Mao and Victoria Hu (left to right) proudly hold up their second place trophy.

Mathletes place second at highly competitive Berkeley tournament

Jessica Li and Amy Miao
December 7, 2023
Selina Chen anchors at “Maroc TV”, Mohammed V University’s TV Station in Rabat, Morocco.

In her gap year, alumna becomes reporter in Morocco and learns real-world lessons

Amy Miao and Emily Wu
December 4, 2023
Students unload boxes of cookie dough into the music building for distribution on Nov. 13.

Music Boosters cookie dough fundraiser raises $10k+

Amy Miao and Emily Wu
December 3, 2023
Athletes taking challenging classes often have to make tough decisions to balance their packed schedules.

Photo or Graphic for: Athletes must navigate academic hurdles as they take difficult classes

Anthony Luo
December 2, 2023
Cis-gender men overshadow women as they enthusiastically wave resumes at recruiters.

Cis-gender men crashing the 2023 Grace Hopper Conference serves as a dangerous reminder of the tech industry’s gender imbalance

Amy Miao and Emily Wu
December 1, 2023
Parcel taxes fund teacher salary and support programs.

Photo or Graphic for: Board investigates possible parcel tax campaign

William Cao, Eric Shi, and Agastya Vitaldevara
November 9, 2023
Jennifer Lee sifts through information and drafts a report on Oct. 24, preparing for the upcoming midterm review.

Biology teacher takes on new role as WASC coordinator

Jessica Li and Amy Miao
November 8, 2023
After a long period of declining enrollment, SHS has finally seen an increase in freshman class size this year.

Photo or Graphic for: School sees unexpected influx in freshman enrollment

Kevin Yang and Eric Shi
October 21, 2023
One of Green Committee’s projects last year was creating posters for the trash bins around campus.

Photo or Graphic for: Green Committee takes aim at single-use plastics, advocates for water refill stations and solar power

Jane Lee
October 21, 2023
Freshman Vivian Zhong (right) and junior Ishani Agarwal (left) win medals at the MP4G awards ceremony.

7 SHS female mathletes travel to MIT for elite contest

Jessica Li and Amy Miao
October 21, 2023
Sophia Tsives (back row, left) poses with her team after winning bronze at the World Championships.

Sophomore wins bronze with national team at the 2023 Artistic Swimming World Championships

Amy Miao and Emily Wu
October 18, 2023
As the SAT is getting ready to completely transition to digital from nearly a century of being on paper, students, particularly ones abroad, should expect many benefits.

CollegeBoard’s new digital SAT is a step toward accessibility and sustainability — so don’t snap your pencils yet

Amy Miao and Beverly Xu
October 14, 2023
The average overheating Macbook is good for frying eggs for breakfast.

Photo or Graphic for: 100-word rant: What do people see in MacBooks anyway?

Alec Guan
September 29, 2023
Tired of sweating? Try the sports on the right!

Photo or Graphic for: Top 10: unathletic sports

Richard Fan and Alec Guan
September 24, 2023
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