Senior Mag 2023: The places that defined our class

We know the spots: From Donut Wheel escapades to indulging in double doubles post volleyball games, the Class of 2023 has been exploring the local area since our days venturing to the Warner Hutton House in sixth grade, visiting Wildwood Park during quarantine, getting our licenses and frequenting viewpoints up Highway 9. Here’s what our peers have to say about some of their most treasured places.

9. Saratoga Elementary 

Otherwise known as “SES,” this is where the swings have the most perfect bounce and height, where secrets may be safely shared in the playground tower and where one could spend hours trying to figure out how to climb the shed just off the side of the field. 

“I remember climbing the Saratoga Elementary shed in middle school all the time with my friends, especially after getting snacks from the gas station,” Elsa Blom said. “We thought we were so cool.”

8. Warner Hutton House and Community Room 

An oldie but goodie for those who used to make the daily trek from Redwood Middle to the Saratoga Library after school. The activities are endless: searching through the Saratoga Creek and hopefully not returning with poison oak, promising the librarians you’ll be quiet knowing you can’t stand by your word, asking your peers if they have any change so you can buy a pack of flaming hot Cheetos and counting the dollar coins you receive from the vending machine.

“We used to call it the ‘White House,’” Fiona Feng said. “It was a place that we’d go to in middle school after setting our bags at the library. We’d hang out in the gazebo in the backyard, play Truth or Dare, eat snacks from the library vending machines, take photos and chat. You could say it was our little secret.”

7. Congress Springs 

What happens at Congress stays at Congress. 

“It’s so traumatic,” Aleka Verga said. “It’s where everybody just floods, after sports games, which is hella cute and really high school in hindsight, but it always just felt gross and icky at the time. Now it’s kind of nostalgic because we won’t have that opportunity anymore because there are no more football games, no more boys’ soccer games, so that’s a part of history now officially, which is weird to think about.” 

“It was always fun, everybody always had a good time,” she added. “That was our last grasp of what it felt like to not be fully a senior yet, before we set into the mindset.”

6. Starbucks (Downtown) 

This location, which was shuttered during our senior year, was arguably our most common destination in the downtown area. Being 0.6 miles away from the high school, it was the perfect distance to tread on foot during tutorial back when we were not licensed. The narrow driveway and parking spots can only be marked by a slew of our middle school backpacks flung haphazardly before getting into the longest line of our lives. 

“People would walk there on SLCT days in middle school,” Kayla Steele said. “I’d walk there every day after school and I’d get a caramel macchiato before field hockey practice. My stomach hurt so bad, but it was all worth it.”

5. Starbucks (Argonaut Shopping Center)

The employees at this Starbucks know several seniors by name and many more by face. That’s because we frequented nearly daily — during lunch, tutorial (sorry, Archie) and after school to study. You always know you’ll see someone you recognize the moment you step in.

4. Parking Lot

To which we owe the founding of the word “parking lot merchant.” A parking lot merchant refers to someone who seems to ALWAYS be in the parking lot. From scheming senior assassin courses of action to pondering the many things one can do locally, the high school parking lot was our second home.

“I feel like it’s literally the main meeting place for everyone,” Kiana Compeau said. “After you’re done with your activity and other people are there, you just socialize and catch up with people you wouldn’t really talk to. I feel like in the summer especially, I met a bunch of random people that I didn’t normally talk to and so that was fun.”

Nathan Lim added, “I was there so often people thought I lived there.”

3. Skyline (Highway 9)

Among the numerous spots up Highway 9 and Mount Eden, Skyline takes the lead. You can show off your mountain driving skills by going a bit too fast on 35 mph turns. 

2. In-N-Out 

A frequent post-football game spot, located in Sunnyvale right off of East Remington St., the chain restaurant was the destination if you wanted to reconnect with your entire grade at 11 p.m.

“I don’t remember how we ended up at In-N-Out, but I specifically remember me and a few friends ran into the entirety of the junior class there and it was the most awkward experience ever,” Avani Kongetira said. “You can always expect to run into all walks of life from [the school] at In-N-Out at all hours of the day.”

1. Donut Wheel

This is THE spot for late night (or early morning) sweet cravings. Just off the side of Prospect, Donut Wheel, open 24 hours, was the go-to for our class due to its proximity and dangerously addictive donuts. 

“Sophomore year, a couple of my friends and I tried biking down Highway 9 and then the highway patrol caught us and told us to go back,” Yuvi Singh said. “So we just decided to go to Donut Wheel and got home around 5 in the morning. The donuts are really good — especially during the nighttime. There’s usually not that many people there, you know, it’s like a good time killer and it’s a decent drive there and back. And yeah, they have good donuts.”

So, to the Class of 2023, we hope you may hold these cherished spots close to heart when you return or need to give some of your new friends a tour. To future seniors, may you carry on our legacy of late night talking in the parking lot or maybe add a few new hangouts of your own to this list.