The Student News Site of Saratoga High School

The Saratoga Falcon
Courtesy of LGSUHSD board The official map, decided during the April 14 public hearing.
School board finalizes district map for new trustee elections
June 1, 2025
Courtesy of Saratoga High School Junior Arjun Krish is one of 20 students in the country who have a shot at representing the US at the International Biology Olympiad.
Junior qualifies for International Biology Olympiad training camp at Harvard
May 27, 2025
French 1 classes are switching to the “Reporters Francophones” textbook for next year.
Language classes to try new textbook options next year
May 25, 2025
Seniors gather in the quad to celebrate their college decisions.
Seniors showcase post-grad plans on Commit Day
May 23, 2025
Choir and AP Music Theory teacher Beth Nitzan conducts a choir class during a rehearsal for their end-of-year concert on May 19.
Nitzan to leave school after four years in music department
May 21, 2025
Me conducting taste evaluations with two drinks at once.
The *actual* best boba places in the Bay
June 2, 2025
Courtesy of Aidan Smith Finn and Aidan pose together in the backyard for pictures before prom.
The Duality of Man: Aidan and Finn Smith
June 2, 2025
Keys works on an essay with an English 11 Honors student.
The first day of school in August requires months of planning for teachers
June 1, 2025
Hector and I pose with our first target after eliminating her in San Francisco.
Senior Mag 2025: We were eliminated in Senior Assassin — but that only made the game more fun
May 29, 2025
Seniors Annette Li and Kayla Nguyen anchor on an SHSTV broadcast.
Senior Mag ‘25: Duo evolves from GNNers to SHSTV head producers
May 27, 2025
(left to right) Audrey Wong, Summer Shen, Hannah Bui and Angela Tan prepare for a football game.
Senior Mag 2025: From Europe to the Bay, Flute seniors bonded over marching band
June 1, 2025
Courtesy of Annette Li We pose after our victory against Fremont High on April 30.
Senior Mag 2025: The chemistry and chaos of a 4-year badminton partnership
June 1, 2025
Junior Garrick Chau faces off sophomore William Dechlick and mental health therapist Victor Thompson in the Falcon Nest.
Foosball club brings in a professional to coach members skills
May 31, 2025
Many physical therapies consist of stretching and light exercises.
Student athletes navigate a long rehabilitation process after injuries
May 31, 2025
Courtesy of Lauren Nguyen Smiling proudly, the team stands together and celebrates their awards.
Dance team reflects on Nationals and what’s next
May 28, 2025
A wide variety of euphemisms impact perception in different ways.
Words that need to be heard: euphemisms are dangerous tools for desensitization
June 1, 2025
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Universities have no right to revoke diplomas for political speech
May 30, 2025
Courtesy of Charles Edward Miller People protesting against unlawful deportations.
Universities need to take action to prevent students from being deported by ICE
May 30, 2025
11th grade classes are full of interesting material.
100-word rant: teachers, five tests in two days is just cruel
May 29, 2025
Campaigning on popular social media apps such as Instagram shouldn’t be the norm.
For school leadership elections, candidates can rely too much on social media advertising
May 28, 2025
General Psychology teacher Hana Chen.
General Psychology class explores the field through projects
June 15, 2025
Courtesy of Nathan Shows The view from the dinner cruise on the Vltava.
The last class to remember being stranded in Prague, 2022
June 4, 2025
Courtesy of Rani Khanna Rani and Krishen in their childhood.
The Khanna twins: more like regular siblings than twins
June 4, 2025
Courtesy of Saratoga High School Grace Liu and Luke Zhang are the valedictorian and salutatorian of the senior class respectively.
Class of 2025 valedictorian and salutatorian announced
June 3, 2025
Courtesy of NBC Bay Area Saratoga High’s field shot from above.
Senior Mag: How anti-turf advocacy became my turf
June 3, 2025
Volume 58, Issue 5
Volume 58, Issue 5
July 10, 2025
Volume 59, Issue 2
Volume 59, Issue 2
July 10, 2025
Volume 59, Issue 1
Volume 59, Issue 1
July 10, 2025
Volume 58, Issue 10
Volume 58, Issue 10
July 10, 2025
Volume 58, Issue 11
Volume 58, Issue 11
July 10, 2025

The Saratoga Falcon

The Saratoga Falcon
All content by Kavya Patel
Shrey and Samik pose together after tennis practice.

From court to commencement: Tennis best friends ace high school together

Kavya Patel and Meher Bhatanagar
Sleeping peacefully at the age of 4, before the insomnia got too bad.

Senior Mag 2024: I know the cause of my future demise: lack of sleep

Kavya Patel
Tallak about to perform for Bombay in the Bay whilst single, happy and peaceful.

Senior Mag 2024: Naina Tallak’s guide to escaping heartbreak

Kavya Patel
Shrey and Samik pose together after tennis practice.

Senior Mag 2024: From court to commencement: Tennis best friends ace high school together

Kavya Patel and Meher Bhatanagar
Leaving the school from the back of the senior parking lot is something I should never have to do.

Juniors, stop parking in the senior lot! 

Kavya Patel
Aang, Katara and Sokka on their journey to the Northern Water Tribe to help defeat the Fire Nation.

‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ live-action is rushed but overall saved by some stand-out castings

Kavya Patel
The SHS Grad Night website details the extensive itinerary planned for the evening.

Grad Night for Class of `24 features music, live entertainment and surprise events

Meher Bhatnagar and Kavya Patel
The iconic logos of the top 3 kids shows of all time.

Top 10: non-animated kids TV shows

Kavya Patel

Gushing over celeb crushes: The holy trinity of dystopian movie men

Kavya Patel
Juniors Dance practices in the library.

Photo or Graphic for: Bombay in the Bay seniors prepare for final performance

Nika Svizhenko
Perry walking onto the Jennifer Hudson show to talk about his book, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.”

Matthew Perry: the embodiment of elite humor and selflessness 

Kavya Patel
World reliance on technological devices has contributed to Congo genocide

World reliance on technological devices has contributed to Congo genocide

Kavya Patel
Garba attendees dance together in the large gym Sept. 30.

ICAC hosts garba to highlight culture, bring together community 

Anamika Anand and Kavya Patel

Mountain View episode underscores need for independent student journalism

Tara Natarajan and Kavya Patel
A blaring warning to eat Swedish Fish with caution. 

A series of unfortunate events: sophomore year trevails

Kavya Patel
Sophomore Barbara Vasilyeva and senior Ishan Joshi perform at the MAGIC concert on Aug. 27. 

Concert ‘MAGIC’ raises $30,000 for Maui fire victims and children in India

Jessica Li and Kavya Patel
There are multiple pathways to college other than going straight after high school.

As colleges acceptance rates continue to decline, more students should turn to options other than 4-year universities

Neal Malhotra and Kavya Patel
The Bjorn Cast doing their final bows. 

Actors in ‘Mamma Mia’ overcome challenges of having 2 casts

Kavya Patel
Bui and her extended family celebrating Christmas.

Southeast Asians seek recognition among school’s Asian population

Anamika Anand and Kavya Patel
The countries Ms. Keys plans to travel to. 

English 11 Honors teacher granted leave of absence for ‘23-’24

Kavya Patel
MIT college logo; visit your college!

Top 10: most underrated senior trip ideas

Kavya Patel and Howard Shu
What I wished bees looked like.

I keep attracting bees — please make it stop

Kavya Patel
Senior boys practice for their All Male Dance. 

Bombay in the Bay returns in style without pandemic restrictions

Neal Malhotra and Kavya Patel
Juniors Emily Ta and Josh Ta with their family and friends at the 49ers home playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys on Jan. 22. 

Students disappointed with another 49ers NFC Championship loss

Nikhil Mathihalli and Kavya Patel
Junior midfielder and striker Kate Oberhauser dribbles the ball between two Wilcox players on Dec. 6.

Girls’ soccer adjusts to moving up a division with small roster

Anika Kapasi and Kavya Patel
The process of mixing the brownie batter. 

The best baking guide to making brownies from scratch (kind of)

Tara Natarajan and Kavya Patel
My family and I in our hotel in Cancun.

What a 6-year-old does in Mexico during Winter Break

Kavya Patel
Members of Saratoga High’s Tamasha meet on Oct. 16 to learn a partner dance, choreographed by Annika Muju and Ojas Somani.

Tamasha Bollywood dance team starts practices

Kavya Patel
Front entrance of Wildwood Park

Left alone at Wildwood Park, middle school me fell prey to my worst fears of being kidnapped

Kavya Patel
Students and parents learn Flash Mob dances at Garba.

Indian Cultural Awareness Club hosts first Garba at school

Kavya Patel and Sarah Thomas
The dreaded front page of the SAT.

Preparing for the SAT: a case study in 2 summer experiences

Neal Malhotra and Kavya Patel
Link leaders seniors Christina Chang and Miranda Yee, along with their group of ten freshmen, complete the “Cleanup Crew” scavenger hunt activity during freshman orientation on Aug. 17. 

Link Crew returns for another successful freshman orientation

Kavya Patel
Juniors Dhruv Nemani, Pearson Chung, Emily Ta, Nicita Raamkumar, Reva Gupta, Taylor Chu, Paul Hulme, Joshua Ta, Ashwin Chatterji and me (pictured left to right) at Levi’s Stadium before the concert.

Exhilarating, monumental and memorable: The Weeknd impresses first-time concert goer at Levi’s Stadium

Kavya Patel
1046

Drop Shah Rukh Khan for Rajnikanth: Give South Indian movies more hype

Kavya Patel and Sarah Thomas
 A plate of Haldi, similar to the one used by the Sharma sisters before Edwinas wedding 

Bridgerton Season 2 finally demonstrates an accurate portrayal of South Asians

Sanjoli Gupta and Kavya Patel
Sophomore boys gather together for a group picture after celebrating Holi.

Parent-organized Holi celebration makes a colorful return

Kavya Patel
 Sophomore choreographers Ameya Saund and Kavya Patel teach the partners dance.

Bombay in the Bay: an experience that still brings joy months later

Kavya Patel
The bandits' Instagram with a post of their mark on a Tesla

Buzzworthy: 2 ‘bandits’ employ controversial method to promote car washes

Kavya Patel and Daniel Wu
The practice room for the concert band at All State.

Musicians attend selective in-person All State program

Kavya Patel
Top 10 most embarrassing things that happen on vacation

Top 10 most embarrassing things that happen on vacation

Kavya Patel and Sarah Thomas

English teachers foster classroom community through various forms of gift exchanges

Tara Natarajan and Kavya Patel

Record-breaking snow storm derails students’ Tahoe plans

Kavya Patel and Sarah Thomas
The perfect chocolate for Valentine’s Day: A chocolate heart

Ranking the most elite chocolates

Kavya Patel
Noor and her friend model traditional Pakistani dresses before attending a wedding.

Few in number, Pakistani American students deal with common misunderstandings

Kavya Patel and Ariel Zhou

Netflix’s new hit show ‘Squid Game’ tackles economic inequality

Sarah Thomas and Kavya Patel
The NSDA Campus competition room during the CFL 2 tournament on Dec. 5

Speech and debate tournaments continue to be held virtually despite return of in-person learning; competitions may change in January

Kavya Patel and Nidhi Mathihalli
‘No Time To Die:’ puzzling but enticing

‘No Time To Die:’ puzzling but enticing

Kavya Patel
After a long day, we like to come home and scream to songs in the shower

Exploring universal shower thoughts

Meher Bhatnagar and Kavya Patel
A list of do’s and don'ts regarding one of the most popular social media apps for teens

Decoding the unwritten rules of Snapchat

Meher Bhatnagar and Kavya Patel
Sophomore Lexi Cleland gets ready to shoot a goal during practice.

Field hockey: Underclassmen called up to bolster team

Kavya Patel and Ariel Zhou
All-female speech and debate officer team works to foster inclusivity

All-female speech and debate officer team works to foster inclusivity

Nidhi Mathihalli and Kavya Patel
Twix: the queen of candy bars

Twix: the queen of candy bars

Kavya Patel
The Benefit Club posts their official retro theme reveal on Instagram

Benefit transitions back to an in-person show for 2022

Sarah Thomas and Kavya Patel
Clubs readjust to an in-person setting

Clubs readjust to an in-person setting

Sarah Thomas and Kavya Patel
 

New lead therapist hopes to destigmatize mental health issues

Kavya Patel
Megan Laws working during Tutorial

New English teacher strives for student-centered classroom

Sanjoli Gupta and Kavya Patel
Girl’s team chatting and having fun during a quick break from practice

Field hockey team bonds as they prepare for upcoming season

Kavya Patel and Ariel Zhou
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