Columns

As I gaze across the long wooden table in my family’s dining room, my parents can’t help but smile, seeing my entire family gathered together in one location. When my grandparents on my father’s side fly in from New Jersey for their annual visit, we celebrate with large quantities of food. My Nana’s scrumptious breaded […]

I want to shoot my shot like I am Devin Booker, dunk on people like Ja Morant or cross people up like Kyrie Irving. But I am a 5-foot-9 kid who can barely touch the net, I have a jumper uglier than Lonzo Ball’s, and I can barely make a wide open layup while warming […]

“Hi, Catherine.” Believe it or not — even though my name is not Catherine, I often surprise myself by how readily I react to that misnomer. As someone who has a common name that sounds similar to even more common names, I live in the best and worst of both worlds. On one hand, I’m […]

Talisman An object that contains magical powers. Also the name of the Saratoga High yearbook. Criticism Disapproval from others that is guaranteed to lower your self-esteem. Feudalism With one promise of protection, a landlord can have peasants and their descendants working under them forever. Fascism  Not even a real government, but it lasted longer than […]

It’s 7 p.m., and for once, you’ve finished all your homework. Your parents are gone and your friends are all busy — why not go on a bike ride? Here are some of my favorite local bike trails to try:   Joe’s Trail (distance: 3.2 miles; difficulty: easy) The trail starts at Saratoga Avenue and […]

For everyone who was sorely disappointed by DJ Tommy P’s selections at the Homecoming Dance, we’ve compiled a list of iconic, well-known bangers for Winter Formal on Dec. 10 at Great America.  “The Hills” and “House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls” by The Weeknd The Weeknd’s music is so well known with his songs setting a […]

Thanksgiving: A tradition revolving around food and gratitude where we get three days off to celebrate. Alas, the short break doesn’t impact me all that much considering I don’t celebrate. Don’t get me wrong — I love pie and expressing thanks. But my family has never been into a large dinner or meeting up with […]

Last track season’s St. Francis Invitational on March 18 was a one-of-a-kind experience — a stressful one. After months of no precipitation,  California’s wacky weather decided to rain on this fateful day. It could have been any other day, but no — it had to be the one day I had to run for a […]

Following what many call her “Folklore” era, Taylor Swift released a much more electrifying and slightly controversial 10th album, “Midnights,” at midnight on Oct. 21. That same day, Spotify announced that the 11-time Grammy winner had broken the record for the biggest album streaming debut in a single day.  When Swift first announced “Midnights” on […]

Common names are known for, well, being common. Having a generic name comes with the inevitability of meeting someone who has the same name as you. It’s ranked No. 34 on the most popular names for girls. In 2006, the year I was born, it was ranked No. 27 in the U.S. As someone who […]