Across Decades: 95070: Unique tradition

During the ‘90s, neighboring Bay Area schools contemptuously nicknamed Saratoga “95070,” an name reminiscent of the 90210 Beverly Hills zip code that was then notorious for the prosperity and pampering it implied.

Though the 95070 zip code may have sparked resentment from others, the school has long had its distinct culture. Spanish teacher Arnaldo Rodriguex, who transferred from teaching at Los Gatos High to Saratoga in 1980, recognized even then that the schools “were already different.”

He credits much of the school’s success to the city residents’ affluence and commitment.

“Most parents have an education and have a college degree,” Rodriguex said. “It’s an expectation of the community that you’re going to college.”

SHS has had the reputation as an academic school ever since it started. Back then, the school was already a “place of learning” with dedicated teachers. The stress for students to do well stemmed from the school’s strong academics and demanding atmosphere.

“That tradition of rigor has always been there. You did this, and you did it right,” Rodriguex said. “You put your heart in what you were doing.”

A higher expectation for academic excellence eventually led to Saratoga High’s unique dynamic of students and spirit. By the 1980s, rallies were crowded, and Friday-night football games, despite being played on the Los Gatos field, were packed as overall spirit boomed.

As the adviser for the Class of ’92, Rodriguex urged the class to participate and win in schoolwide events, and even claimed that the students then had “hella spirit.” He noticed a decline in spirit beginning in the mid 1990s, when many became focused more on academics.

Rodriguex said that football game attendance also dropped, in part because students were getting involved with more extracurriculars. This trend grew in the 2000s.

“Kids want to use their Fridays to let go,” he said. “I understand that on Friday, the kids want to spend time with their friends. They don't have to worry anything until the next day.”

Even as the school has provided top classrooms and an overall positive environment, he has also seen times when problems like drug use became issues. In particular, Rodriguex pointed to the 1980s as a time when  drug abuse hurt students. He said the community grew concerned.

“They tried to help the kids [by hiring two undercover agents],” Rodriguex said. “They wanted to make sure the kids were not selling drugs on campus or doing anything illegal.”

The two undercover narcotic agents posed as students, investigating the school for a full semester in the late 1980s, he said. Then, Rodriguex recalled, a deputy walked into his class and asked for a certain student.

They picked up the student, handcuffed him and marched him away to a police car. Deputies end up arresting 32 students for possession of drugs that day.

Having been through the continual “cycle” of good and bad, Rodriguex has still learned to love Saratoga High.

“It’s so rich [in] learning, so rich in achievement [and] so rich in accomplishment,” Rodriguex said. “I love what I do.”