The Student News Site of Saratoga High School

The Saratoga Falcon
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
Youth of Suha Suha members finish art on the music building walls.
Color shines through new music building art installations
November 4, 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
Claire’s candle jar (left) and Cece’s wax melter (right).
Petroglyph: A relaxing spot for customizing your own pottery in downtown Los Gatos
November 6, 2025
Courtesy of Kristen Thomson The science department poses together in their rat-themed costumes.
Staff departments coordinate Halloween costumes with creative themes
November 5, 2025
This bright yellow sign is the source of my nightmares.
The fears of a new driver
November 4, 2025
Saratoga Elementary’s annual Pumpkin Walk welcomes kids for a night of haunting fun.
Revisiting my elementary school alma mater for Halloween
November 3, 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
Senior Zack Thawer warms up for the football team’s season opener against Prospect High on Aug. 30.
Seniors shine in defensive roles for the Falcons
October 31, 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 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
A picture of my family’s filter coffee set.
My late-night journey with culture, studying and filter coffee
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 Sarah Thomas
The most important day of the year: Waffle Day

The most important day of the year: Waffle Day

William Norwood and Sarah Thomas
District makes major change to SHS’s freshman P.E. policy: All must now take the class

District makes major change to SHS’s freshman P.E. policy: All must now take the class

Sarah Thomas
District’s INSPIRE strategic plan aims to improve educational outcomes through support and opportunities

District’s INSPIRE strategic plan aims to improve educational outcomes through support and opportunities

Sarah Thomas
The new 2024-25 calendar gives students a full week off for Thanksgiving.

Start of school bumped earlier as district moves to a full week off for Thanksgiving

William Norwood and Sarah Thomas
After a hard day of work, senior Yao poses with engineering teacher Warmuth.

Students volunteer their time as TAs to decrease teachers’ workloads

Sarah Thomas
Nicole, William, Sarah and Isabelle smile happily over food.

The QUIET SHY somehow carried the BRITISH CHAD

Nicole Lee, William Norwood, Sarah Thomas, and Isabelle Wang
Shut the lulu up

Shut the lulu up

Sarah Thomas
Homework quizzes need to be tweaked to actually test for understanding

Homework quizzes need to be tweaked to actually test for understanding

Sarah Thomas
Piracy is a lifestyle.

How to read books without even paying

Sarah Thomas
cuckoo parents go vroom vroom.

Parents: Please follow the rules and don’t clog the parking lot

Sarah Thomas
most relatable image ever

Sparkling water is everything to me: It should be for you, too 

Sarah Thomas
Harrison Hwang and Mateusz Palusinski pose after eliminating their targets Maya Singla and Ananya Seth.

Class of ‘23 senior assassin ends in controversy

Sarah Thomas
Students, staff and administrators gather to listen to the panelists share their experiences and opinions.

Panel describes what it’s like to be Black in Saratoga

Sarah Thomas
The feud between Spotify and Apple is as old as streaming itself… but it's time for it to end.

Spotify and Apple are close competitors, but there’s a clear winner

Sarah Thomas
College Board continues to erase key black figures from history.

CollegeBoard’s recent actions prove it cares more about money than education

William Norwood and Sarah Thomas
You can’t change the minds of the school’s most prolific journalists (looks directly at P3)

Top 10: worst (real) takes heard in the Journalism room

Sarah Thomas
Class of ‘22 alumna Cici Xu stands in front of the Supreme Court steps in support of affirmative action. 

Alumni stand up for threatened affirmative action policies

William Norwood and Sarah Thomas
‘Cashless future’ carries negative implications

‘Cashless future’ carries negative implications

Sarah Thomas
Blom and Timmons pose at an ice rink in Palo Alto.

Lovestruck: The Falcon plays matchmaker

Sarah Thomas and Ariel Zhou
Female politicians face sexism as a part of their day-to-day lives.

America needs to speak out against violence directed towards female politicians

William Norwood and Sarah Thomas
Top 10 Christmas songs not by Mariah Carey

Top 10 Christmas songs not by Mariah Carey

Sarah Thomas
Seven minutes into a 30 minute lunch break, all three of the lunch lines still extend out of the cafeteria.

School should seek to turn difficulties with Universal Lunch Program into opportunities

Sarah Thomas and Beverly Xu
The upcoming midterm elections will be the first chance for some seniors to vote.

Seniors channel hope for change into political actions in upcoming midterm elections

Sarah Thomas and Sarah Zhou
In a game against Homestead on Oct. 18, the Falcon’s senior night, senior Georgia Adams pushes against an opposing player, racing to get to the ball. 

Field hockey team celebrates growth and perseverance as season ends

Lena Aribi and Sarah Thomas
Some of the topics the School Site Council hopes to address this year are installing solar panels and improving the school’s composting system.

School Site Council reconvenes and works to review student concerns

Sarah Zhou and Sarah Thomas
Students and parents learn Flash Mob dances at Garba.

Indian Cultural Awareness Club hosts first Garba at school

Kavya Patel and Sarah Thomas
History teacher Kirk Abe plays the drums at a gig.

Jazz, rock and bossa nova: Abe drums through genres

Sarah Thomas
Levine has a lot of guts to cheat for someone who has a baby angel tatted next to his right nipple.

Adam Levine cheating scandal reveals society’s (or at least his) descent into immorality

Sarah Zhou and Sarah Thomas
Assistant principal Matt Torrens’ ticket to Hollywood (one way!)

Top 10: actors to play assistant principal Matt Torrens

Sarah Thomas
A comic strip created by Richard Torrey, an author, cartoonist and illustrator, dedicated to English teacher and journalism adviser Michael Tyler. Tyler helped Torrey break his comic strip into newspaper syndication while he worked at Creators Syndicate.

Tyler found that other jobs laid the groundwork for teaching

Sanjoli Gupta and Sarah Thomas
The team played their hardest against Mitty on Sept. 13, but ultimately lost 7-0. 

Field hockey players push to fill the gap left by graduating players

Lena Aribi and Sarah Thomas
 Sarah Thomas was baptized in Kerala as a toddler.

Photo or Graphic for: On being South Indian and Christian: Students discuss microaggressions, misrepresentation in media

Sanjoli Gupta
Liz Alves teaches her Intermediate P.E. class during their swimming unit

Former athletic trainer Liz Alves returns to campus as P.E. teacher

Sarah Thomas and Divya Vadlakonda
‘Diverse’ period dramas must choose between fact and fiction

‘Diverse’ period dramas must choose between fact and fiction

Sarah Thomas
Students in Laws's English class work on exploring complex topics such as identity and rhetorical appeals in daily journals. 

All Quiet on the Eastern Front: Using the Russia-Ukraine conflict to understand history

Sarah Thomas and Sanjoli Gupta
1046

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

Kavya Patel and Sarah Thomas
Top 10 most embarrassing things that happen on vacation

Top 10 most embarrassing things that happen on vacation

Kavya Patel and Sarah Thomas
Bai Tong is love, Bai Tong is life

Bai Tong is love, Bai Tong is life

Sarah Thomas
New district official Jamal Splane takes on essential role in school culture

New district official Jamal Splane takes on essential role in school culture

Sarah Thomas and Ariel Zhou
Employees from Inspire Diagnostics wait for students at the school’s testing site

Students and staff grapple with COVID-19 infections

Sarah Thomas and Tara Natarajan
School discusses mental health and seeking support at the Speak Up for Change rally

School discusses mental health and seeking support at the Speak Up for Change rally

Serena Li, Lihi Shoshani, Sarah Thomas, and Cici Xu

Record-breaking snow storm derails students’ Tahoe plans

Kavya Patel and Sarah Thomas
Healthy relationships require communication and mutual respect, not external pressure

Healthy relationships require communication and mutual respect, not external pressure

Sarah Thomas and Ariel Zhou

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

Sarah Thomas and Kavya Patel
Choose ethical consumption over following TikTok’s ever-changing fashion whims

Choose ethical consumption over following TikTok’s ever-changing fashion whims

Sarah Thomas
Shows for young adults misrepresent serious issues

Shows for young adults misrepresent serious issues

Sarah Thomas and Ariel Zhou
Students listen to speakers at Speak Up For Change in 2019

ASB considers unofficial version of outreach commission after cut

Sarah Thomas
Guitarist Julian Lage, drummer Dave King and bassist Jorge Roeder perform at The Fillmore on September 26th

In-person venues use various methods to protect attendees from COVID-19

Sarah Thomas
Roof tile collapses due to excess water, and sags the one next to it.

Part of robotics building’s ceiling collapses during recent storm

Sarah Thomas and Daniel Wu

Please avoid these 10 overdone group costumes this Halloween

Sarah Thomas and Ariel Zhou
Multiethnic South Asian students recount their experiences with identity, culture and family

Multiethnic South Asian students recount their experiences with identity, culture and family

Tara Natarajan and Sarah Thomas
The Anarchists’ poster for Daveyland

MAP students dive headfirst into 19th century social and economical philosophy

Tara Natarajan and Sarah Thomas
Sophomore Minh Do bakes with his younger sister in the midst of quarantine.

Students learn to balance in-person school with newly discovered hobbies

Sarah Thomas
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
Students asked to pitch in to combat campus waste

Students asked to pitch in to combat campus waste

Sarah Zhou and Sarah Thomas

Lucy Dacus’s autobiographical third album displays her versatility

Sarah Thomas
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