In 2008, Soundings published an essay by 1998 alumnus Matthew Hahn on the necessity of optimism to fix a flawed society.

After graduating from the school, Hahn fell into a cycle of alcoholism and drug abuse and resorted to burglary to support his habits. Although he rehabbed, he relapsed following the suicide of his best friend.

In 2005, during a break-in, Hahn discovered digital images of child molestation in the owner’s safe. He anonymously sent the memory card to the Los Gatos Police Department. The child abuser was arrested and jailed, but Hahn was also handed a life sentence with parole for multiple charges of first-degree burglary. 

Hahn has been off parole since 2013. In 2017, he created the blog hahnscratch to retell his story. Currently, he openly shares his experiences on forums and social media platforms and most recently gave a talk at SHS last February.

This account is a summary of an article that appeared in the June 5, 2008 print edition of the Falcon. The story was written by Andy Tsao. The original story can be found at saratogafalcon.org.