The Student News Site of Saratoga High School

The Saratoga Falcon
The band lines up for award announcements at Hornet Stadium.
Marching band wraps up a successful season with second-place finish at NorCal Super Show
November 13, 2025
Saratoga Bagels is located a short 4-minute drive from SHS.
Saratoga Bagels: a not-so-hidden, but beloved, gem
November 8, 2025
Courtesy of Respondus The student interface for the lockdown browser.
English department using lockdown browser in Canvas to prevent AI cheating on writing assignments
November 8, 2025
Sophomores Paula Cymbal and Katrina Capello carry a boat in the sophomore portion of the 2002 Homecoming float parade.
Disappearance of Homecoming decorations shows changes in interest, not lack of spirit, school leaders say
November 7, 2025
Freshmen Arjun Garlapati, Ayush Hotha, Aditya Karanam, Nima Noor, Vishak Pillai, Maks Shetler and Neel Tadikamala capture the childhood song “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.”
Annual Halloween parade showcases school spirit
November 4, 2025
Sharma sits in front of the piano at his music production setup at his house.
Falcon focus: The deeper side of a goofy guy
November 12, 2025
Social media is overtaking traditional news with no sign of stopping.
As Kirk assassination video shows, traditional journalism is down but shouldn’t be out
November 11, 2025
Students help out at the pick up window.
Students working at Snack Shack gain hands-on volunteering experience preparing food
November 10, 2025
Courtesy of Creative Common License Both tests are administered at proctored testing centers, which can include schools, hotels and other community centers.
Is it better to take the SAT, the ACT or both?
November 10, 2025
Creepy witch decorations set up outside a house on Aloha.
The famed Aloha Avenue Halloween experience left me a bit disappointed
November 8, 2025
Courtesy of Celcius Athletes often have foods or drinks that they enjoy before a game such as a Celcius.
Players follow superstitions to hype up before a game
November 9, 2025
Luo at the 2024 Starbound Regional Dance Competition; placing second overall for her ballet solo.
Dance star in ISPE maintains rigorous schedule
November 8, 2025
Follmar treks in the mountains of Colorado during the High Lonesome 100 race.
Finding her stride: Cross country coach chases purpose with ultra running
November 5, 2025
Senior Hayden Berry spars against a teammate at Los Gatos Boxing.
Senior pushes physical limits through boxing
November 5, 2025
Courtesy of Jah Bennett Jah Bennett works to help the girls’ basketball team stay in top shape before the season.
Fitness trainer Jah Bennett assists girls’ basketball team
November 3, 2025
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc is stranded on a trackside hill as he laments his poor race at the Dutch Grand Prix.
100-word rant: F1 has a gatekeeping problem
November 6, 2025
If there's no sun, how is it so hot?
100-word rant: Weather, can you stop being weird?
October 31, 2025
Courtesy of Apple Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup, featuring a redesigned back and new color options.
Backlash over iPhone 17 grows as users call out Apple’s lack of innovation
October 31, 2025
Why is it that out of teenagers, boys find more satisfaction in video games?
How video games are harming teen boys
October 31, 2025
My biggest pet peeve: assignments due at 11:59 p.m.
Assignments should never be due at 11:59 p.m. — the default Canvas time
October 31, 2025
Courtesy of BuzzFeed All my quiz results, summed up in one picture.
Imagining my future one BuzzFeed quiz at a time
November 12, 2025
Courtesy of LAIKA Studios I still have nightmares of the Other Mother sewing buttons over my eyes.
As an extremely jumpy person, I’ll gladly skip horror movies
November 5, 2025
Which states in the U.S. are the most auraful?
Top 10: U.S. states with the most aura
October 31, 2025
A composition of all the food I bought.
How far will $10 go to make a meal at Safeway?
October 28, 2025
My current Pinterest feed consists mostly of random trinkets.
Pinterest should be everyone’s alternative to doomscrolling
October 27, 2025
Volume 66, Issue 1
Volume 66, Issue 1
October 31, 2025
Volume 65, Issue 4
Volume 65, Issue 4
April 20, 2025
Volume 65, Issue 3
Volume 65, Issue 3
February 21, 2025
Volume 65, Issue 2
Volume 65, Issue 2
December 21, 2024
Volume 65, Issue 1
Volume 65, Issue 1
October 20, 2024

The Saratoga Falcon

The Saratoga Falcon
All content by Neal Malhotra
Main entrance of Ulavacharu Tiffins

Senior Mag 2024: The best places to go off-campus to at lunch

Neal Malhotra
The proud group poses with Ms. Daly next to their feast.

Senior Mag 2024: An APUSH BBQ feast provides a memorable final

Neal Malhotra
The San Francisco Chronicle provides an updating dashboard for city wide drug overdoses.

The nationwide fentanyl crisis: District addresses the drug killing teens

Neal Malhotra
 Team 95071X took home gold at nationals and placed second in the Driver Skills Challenge.

VEX Robotics team wins U.S. Open

William Cao and Neal Malhotra
The five contestants (left to right) — Derek Liang, Anika Kapasi, Beverly Xu, Kathy Wang and Tara Natarjan — line up behind their boards.

Photo or Graphic for: The Charcuterie Board Beatdown: which reporter will make the breaking board?

Anika Kapasi, Derek Liang, Tara Natarajan, Kathy Wang, and Beverly Xu
Senior guard Brooks Overton shoots a 3-point shot over Monta Vista defender on Feb. 8 senior night.

Electric senior night caps off final home game before CCS

Neal Malhotra
The Class of ‘24 girls practice for the senior girls’ act during rehearsal on Feb. 8. 

Bombay in the Bay is pushed back to Saturday and Sunday, but ticket sales remain strong

Jane Lee and Neal Malhotra
Being on the field or the court isn’t the only way to stay in sports

Being on the field or the court isn’t the only way to stay in sports

Neal Malhotra
Students playing in the arcade games at Dave and Busters.

Turnout for Winter Formal at Dave and Buster’s dips

Neal Malhotra
Senior Bryan Wang drives past senior Brooks Overton for a layup during practice on Dec. 7.

Turnovers contribute to close losses in boys’ basketball preseason

Neal Malhotra
The LGSUHSD scores on different sections of CAASPP test compared to the rest of the state and county.

LGSUHSD scores highly in CAASPP testing

Neal Malhotra
Me playing a practice match in Bay Club Fremont in preparation for an upcoming tournament.

Squash: a symphony of rackets, balls and strategy

Neal Malhotra
Cover art of Chopra’s latest song, Murder on the Dance Floor

Senior rekindles passion for making hip-hop

Neal Malhotra
Kunal Bhatnagar reaches up to block a shot on senior night against Santa Clara on Oct. 19

Photo or Graphic for: Boys’ water polo struggles to stay afloat with sicknesses and new coach

Agastya Vitaldevara
 Weightlifting at Bay Club Courtside during our unscheduled first period.

Staying fit: A high schooler’s guide to learning the ins and outs of a local gym

William Cao and Neal Malhotra
Andrew Beattie works with football players during an after school practice.

New CBI aide takes on coaching roles for multiple sports

Richard Fan and Neal Malhotra
Sophomores Patrick Keogh, Shirina Cao and Ananya Rav dancing during the group dance.

Photo or Graphic for: Sophomores power through quad day despite low participation 

Annie Liu & Ruiyan Zhu
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
Yul Hong dribbling at MLS Next soccer showcase in Palm Springs.

Junior forward verbally commits to play soccer for Naval Academy

Neal Malhotra
Collage of prom photos

Beach Boardwalk praised as ideal prom location

Mitchell Chen and Neal Malhotra
Junior Neal Malhotra catches some Z’s after a long night of playing brawl stars — he forgot to complete his history homework due that day.

Call it a case of Junioritis-’24

Mitchell Chen and Neal Malhotra
Junior Johan Amirineni warms up before practice with other juniors.

Tennis team looks to bounce back after rocky start

Neal Malhotra and Skyler Mao
Not just for academics — SHS has produced world-class athletes

Not just for academics — SHS has produced world-class athletes

Anika Kapasi, Neal Malhotra, Nidhi Mathihalli, and Stephanie Sun
Seniors Mason Wang, Julian Berkowitz-Sklar and Lucas Dennis help up junior guard Bryan Wang in their CCS match against Soledad on Feb. 19.

Boys’ basketball ends a bounceback season with CCS loss to Monterey

Neal Malhotra and Andy Zhu
Students at the Halloween Party gather around the robot demonstration organized by the Best Buddies club.

Best Buddies club hopes to bring change to school

Neal Malhotra and Beverly Xu
The inner workings of Journalism: deadline night

The inner workings of Journalism: deadline night

Neal Malhotra and Atrey Desai
Senior guard Julian Berklowitz-Sklar gets ready for a defensive possession late in the team’s game against Los Gatos on Feb. 8.

Wildcats deal blow to Falcons’ CCS chances

Neal Malhotra, Nikhil Mathihalli, and Andy Zhu
JV players warmup before tryouts with some rallies.

Season preview: New additions set to make waves for boys’ tennis

Neal Malhotra
Senior boys practice for their All Male Dance. 

Bombay in the Bay returns in style without pandemic restrictions

Neal Malhotra and Kavya Patel
The waves crashing at the beautiful Carmel Beach.

February Break travel guide: 48 hours in Carmel-by-the-Sea

Neal Malhotra and Nikhil Mathihalli
La Cueva is located on Prospect Road, right across from the Westgate Center.

La Cueva: the unrivaled best spot for off-campus lunch

Neal Malhotra
Sophomore Caleb Yu and junior Brooks Overton go head to head during a practice on Oct. 21.

Boys’ basketball team trying to adjust to new players and coach

Neal Malhotra and Andy Zhu
2021 alumna, Michelle Lim, DIII commit to Wellesley College plays against Smith College.

Athletic recruitment or college applications: Which one’s harder?

Anika Kapasi and Neal Malhotra
The beaches at Cambria are beautiful places to enjoy with your family and fuzzy friends.

Enjoy a sandy winter break vacation in relaxing Cambria

Neal Malhotra and Nikhil Mathihalli
A 100% accurate depiction of me playing basketball.

My love-hate relationship with basketball

Neal Malhotra
Juniors celebrate their quad day performance on Sept. 22.

The juniors had the best quad-day performance

Neal Malhotra and Nikhil Mathihalli
Senior ACE club president Carolyn Wang presents the next group discussion to more than 15 student tutors.

ACE club members volunteer to tutor students across four different countries

Neal Malhotra and Beverly Xu
The varsity boys’ basketball team shoots around during open gym.

Davey returns to coach boys’ basketball team

Neal Malhotra and Andy Zhu
The dreaded front page of the SAT.

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

Neal Malhotra and Kavya Patel
Laws, who started at the schools in 2021 with English 9 and 10, is now the adviser for the Talisman.

English teacher Megan Laws steps up as new yearbook adviser

Neal Malhotra and Nikhil Mathihalli
Junior Owen Liang mounts the new intake hardstop, preventing the intake from deploying too far down.

Robotics team readies to compete at regional offseason tournaments

Neal Malhotra and Beverly Xu
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