Abhishek Venkatarama

“Toss up. Chemistry. Multiple Choice. Which of the following types of reactions occurs at the anode of a Galvanic cell—”

After strong showings at the several past league tournaments on both the novice and varsity level, the Saratoga speech and debate team will get a chance to see whether its success in league tournaments can translate into success at some of the more competitive invitational tournaments, including James Logan on Jan. 14-16 and the Stanford Tournament on Feb. 12-14.

While senior Chris Guengerich may be known for his stellar athletic ability on the football field, leadership as a captain, and success as wide receiver on the football team, Guengerich has also developed a reputation as a stellar student in the classroom. Guengerich was recently recognized by the San Francisco 49ers for both his achievements as an athlete and his academic accomplishments through recognition as the San Francisco 49ers High School Player of the Week for Week Five.

After hours of training for his next national tennis tournament last May, senior Nikhil Jayashankar drove home on what seemed like a normal Saturday afternoon. As he logged onto his e-mail account, little did he know that a surprise awaited him. The tennis coach of the prestigious Northwestern University Men’s Tennis Team had contacted Jayashankar, expressing interest in recruiting him for college tennis.

On Dec. 7 at tutorial at the library, 14 students furiously scribbled away on their papers, nervously watching the clock tick down in front of them. However, they weren’t struggling the finish a last-minute homework assignment or study for a test. Instead, they were trying to figure out the answers to questions including, “What is the most common name for the polymorphonuclear leukocyte?”

With the first invitational only a month away, the mock trial team is undergoing its final preparations before a busy season of competition begins. In recent weeks, a couple of roster changes have forced some veteran team members to take on added roles. After junior Anoop Galivanche could not participate because of other commitments, several tasks had to be re-assigned.

Anything is possible. That’s what coach Tim Lugo told his players when they beat Los Gatos 21-17 to end a 27-year losing steak. That’s also what he’s telling his players today as they look to beat the undefeated Palo Alto Vikings on Friday at home, in the team’s final regular season game of the year. After losing to Milpitas 7-0 on Nov. 5, tonight’s game is a must-win for the Falcons if they wish to advance to the CCS playoffs.

After weeks of practice and hard work, the speech and debate team kicked off its regular season with the novice Public Forum tournament at Presentation High on Oct. 10 and the fall league debate tournament at Leland High School on Oct. 17.

After an intense night of tryouts on Sept. 30, the school’s Mock Trial squad determined its preliminary cast. The team features several returning members, along with some new faces who will take on big roles as the team looks to advance this year following several years of disappointing results.

From June 11 to July 11, millions of fans worldwide tuned in to watch the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Among them was senior Aditya Dev, who was merely hundreds of feet away from some of the most talented soccer players on the planet.

For the past several years, the speech and debate team has struggled to establish itself with a solid coaching foundation. As the team prepares for another year of competition, English teacher and head coach Erick Rector hopes that permanent new coaching additions can take the squad to the next level. The club will have the added advantage of having several newly hired coaches to assist the team.

As traditionally one of the smaller-sized teams of the California Central Coast Section (CCS), the Falcons have always been able to take advantage of their determination and stellar ground attack to match up against bigger and stronger teams of the De Anza Division. But this year, third year coach Tim Lugo has another secret weapon up his sleeve, which he believes may throw off some of his competitors.

Freshman David Zarrin wants to change the way people think about bicycles. With a first place prize in engineering from the International Science and Engineering Fair under his belt, he may very well do so. "I learned of the issues of today's bicycle through experiencing them myself as I rode my bike," Zarrin said. These problems, he said, primarily relate to limited gear ratios, no backwards pedaling capability, and inefficient gear shifts.

Principal Jeff Anderson is an investment banker—but of a different sort from the ones who deal in stocks and bonds. Anderson's decisions regarding which teachers to hire and when, if at all, to give tenure to existing teachers have lasting effects on current students and students who will have to learn from these teachers long after Anderson leaves his post. "A teacher I choose today will be there for years after I am gone, when there will be a new principal and new students," said Anderson. "That's a big deal."

Upon taking office, President Barack Obama promised to transcend "politics as usual" and reform Washington to promote bipartisanship. After more than a year of his presidency, Obama has fallen short on many of his ambitious campaign promises.

n the interest of reusing test questions in the future, some teachers do not allow students to look their graded tests. As much as this decision benefits these teachers, who are often swamped with tests, homework and projects to grade, it undermines a key component of a good education: self-learning and reflection.

When students enter the weight room, they probably don't realize it was once home to an auto shop class. English teacher Bill Peck, who graduated from the school in 1971, said students used to bring their cars in and they would work on the vehicles all day, fixing mechanical errors and learning a valuable skill in the process. One of the former teachers of this class is current MAP teacher Tony Palma who reintroduced the class as an elective in the late '90s and taught it until it ended in 2003.

The Saratoga Quiz Bowl team will participate in the locally televised "Quiz Kids" competition on Feb. 27. The competition, the team's first, will be taped on that day and then broadcast at a later time, said club president Vijay Menon. "We're really excited about Quiz Kids because it's our first real tournament," Menon said. Both Quiz Bowl and Quiz Kids are trivia competitions where teams answer questions about subjects such as math, science and history.

For junior Tim Lycurgus, as recently as three years ago, playing fantasy football was merely a recreational and fun way to stay up to date with the NFL. However, over the years, Lycurgus has turned his simple recreational activity into a competitive hobby and has picked up many virtual trophies along the way. "At first, I just used to play fantasy for fun and I would always lose to my friends," said Lycurgus, "but then our leagues became more and more competitive and I started to do my research and I started winning."

A widely circulated YouTube video shows CNN anchor Tony Harris addressing his viewers as International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge takes to the stage to announce the results of the first ballot of voting for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. As Rogge announces that Chicago has been eliminated, Harris collapses into a state of shock.

After a month of practicing, the speech and debate team officially started the season by competing at the first league tournaments of the year. The team competed at the Novice Individual Events Tournament hosted at Los Gatos on Oct. 24 and the Fall Student-Congress tournament hosted at San Lorenzo High School on Oct. 27. At the San Lorenzo Student-Congress Tournament, co-captain Keerti Shukla placed second place.

While many teachers feel exhausted after a long and stressful day of work and prefer to just go home and relax, math teacher Audrey Warmuth has a completely different way of recovering following her last class. Ever since she was a teenager, Warmuth has been running and has found the sport to be a source of relaxation. "I always ran around as a kid and then I always did sports in high school," said Warmuth. "I've essentially been running and jogging since the age of 13. It gives me time to just think about things."

If President Obama's continual call for troop surges in Afghanistan and his overseeing of unprecedented Predator drone bombings on impoverished Pakistani farming villages haven't yet convinced doubters that he is deserving of his recently awarded Nobel Peace Prize, then maybe following through on his promise to close the highly criticized Guantanamo Bay Prison might actually convince a few skeptics and show the world that he is actually deserving of the Nobel Prize in his pocket.

If last year's season, which including almost beating Los Gatos, placing fifth in one of the Bay Area's toughest divisions and being just one point away from making CCS playoffs hasn't already shown everyone that the Falcons belong in the "A" League, players have their eyes set on making an even bigger statement this year as they continue to compete in the upper league De Anza Division.

While most clubs wait until after Club Day to get started, the speech and debate team has already been hard at work over the summer preparing for its season, which begins Sept. 25 with the Robert Garcia Tournament at St. Francis High School.

If last year's season, which including almost beating Los Gatos, placing fifth in one of the Bay Area's toughest divisions and being just one point away from making CCS playoffs hasn't already shown everyone that the Falcons belong in the "A" League, players have their eyes set on making an even bigger statement this year as they continue to compete in the upper league De Anza Division.

Junior Malika Kumar eagerly walked into the entrance of Great America on Mar. 30. But unlike most of the crowd, she wasn’t there for the roller coasters or the water slides. Instead she was there to attend the 2009 Synopsis Science and Technology Championship Award Ceremony. In addition to Kumar, six other science fair participants from Saratoga High were chosen to attend the ceremony.

Team “White Chocolate Thunder” beat “Alvin and the Chipmunks” in the gym during lunch on March 27, to thunderous applause as its players gained the prestigious title of Saratoga High March Madness Champions.

Junior Malika Kumar eagerly walked into the entrance of Great America on Mar. 30. But unlike most of the crowd, she wasn’t there for the roller coasters or the water slides. Instead she was there to attend the 2009 Synopsis Science and Technology Championship Award Ceremony. In addition to Kumar, six other science fair participants from Saratoga High were chosen to attend the ceremony.

For sophomore Robert Yu, the annual NCAA basketball tournament, known to many simply as March Madness, is more than a sporting event—it’s a cause for celebration. “I love watching college basketball,” said Yu. “I watch the games all year just to see how it all breaks down in the tournament.”

All dressed and ready to go, the Mock Trial team met up in front of the Santa Clara Superior Court Office in Downtown San Jose on Feb. 5 to compete in the annual Santa Clara County Mock Trial Competition.

As the speech and debate season comes to a close with only two tournaments left before the State Qualifying Tournament in early March, the team competed at the prestigious Stanford University Tournament on Feb. 6-9, squared off with hundreds of the nation’s best debaters and speakers.

After years of lacking courts during the off-season, basketball players will finally be able to play year-round on a brand new state-of-the-art outdoor court to be installed by the end of the year. The idea, nicknamed “Court of Dreams,” was introduced by girls’ basketball coach Mike Davey last year. “Ever since I’ve been here,” said Davey, “we’ve always had a problem finding a place to practice during the off- season when everyone is trying to use the gym at once, so I think this is something we really need.”

After three months of practicing, the Mock Trial team competed in its first scrimmage against another school on Jan. 17 at the league tournament hosted in the Santa Clara County Office of Education. The tournament gave the prosecution and defense teams a chance to practice their cases against other teams while being judged by lawyers and Mock Trial coaches from other schools.

The boys’ basketball team has to get used to one major change this year: longtime coach Mike Davey has switched to coaching the girls’ team this year. Taking Davey’s place is Trevor Naas, who coached the JV team last year.

Hundreds of students dressed in freshly ironed suits and armed with legal pads flooded into the quad on Dec. 6 to participate in the Saratoga High Novice Debate Tournament. The tournament, hosted by the SHS speech and debate team, offered Parliamentary, Public Forum and Lincoln Douglas debate to first year debaters.

With the first competition less than two months away, the mock trial team has begun to finalize their cases and has started rehearsing full run-throughs. They will have their first full dress rehearsal on Dec. 16 with Judge Philip Pennypacker, a Santa Clara superior court judge and Saratoga alumni, presiding.

With 1.9 seconds left on the clock, and CCS playoffs on the line, the Falcons were tied 35-35 with the league champion Wilcox Chargers as Charger field goal kicker Cesar Duenas walked on to the field to kick. The Falcons prayed for a miss but were crushed as Duenas kicked a 30-yard field goal through the goal posts ending the Falcon’s season and also their dreams of making CCS.

When Tim Lugo took over as head football coach at the beginning of the school year, his goal for the team was to make CCS playoffs. At the time, many felt that this ambition would be impossible, as the Falcons were entering the tough De Anza Division, a league studded with powerhouse teams such as Los Gatos and Palo Alto. However, depending on the outcomes of the next two games, Lugo's wish could possibly come true.

The speech and debate team looked to follow up a successful first tournament of the year as their season progressed at their next two tournaments at Palo Alto and Leland High School. The team excelled the Palo Alto High School Congress Tournament held on Oct. 29 with junior Varun Parmar placing second and senior Farid Jiandani placing fourth overall. In addition, the majority of the team placed in their respective Congress houses.

The oral interpretation class held a “Scary Story” event on Oct. 24 and Oct. 25 to showcase the work they had been doing in the class. The event, which was about an hour long, consisted of students reading and enacting scary literature in front of an audience of students and parents in the Little Theater.

After four days of waiting, 24 anxious students rushed to the door of English teacher Bill Peck’s room on Oct. 17 to learn if they had been selected as participants of the 2008 Mock Trial Team.

An almost non existent passing game and costly turnovers lead the Falcons to be plundered by the Palo Alto Vikings 28-14 on Oct. 17, in front of a wild Palo Alto crowd. Though the Falcons had 170 yards rushing on the ground, they only had 23 yards through the air.

The ASB recently handpicked a committee of students to start revising the outdated school constitution, a document written when the school opened almost 50 years ago in order to maintain a set of requirements for those students who wanted to run for student council.

The 2-2 Falcons looked strong as they dominated their past two games against Westmont and Los Altos. The offense moved the ball well and the defense played its part by forcing many turnovers, but several injuries have forced the team to shuffle the lineup.

With what seemed to be the perfect start to the weekend’s Homecoming festivities, the Falcons crushed their division rivals the Los Altos Eagles, 48-13, on Oct. 3 in front of an ecstatic Homecoming game crowd. The Falcons moved to 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the De Anza League with the victory. Unlike in their last few games, the Falcons’ running game thrived under their new Wing T offense. Senior running back Tim Yen rushed for a total 124 yards and a touchdown and Senior running backs Mat Spencer and Casey Farmer scored two touchdowns apiece on the ground.

With what seemed to be the perfect start to the weekend’s Homecoming festivities, the Falcons crushed their division rivals the Los Altos Eagles, 48-13, on Oct. 3 in front of an ecstatic Homecoming game crowd.

After losing the first two games of their season, the Falcons managed to recoup their struggling offense and crush the Westmont Warriors 27-13 in their Sept. 26 home opening game.

After a winning football season last year that ended with a heart-breaking loss to Live Oak in the CCS semifinals, the Falcons are looking to repeat last year's success. However, this year the Falcons are almost a completely different team with a new head coach, new offensive formation, new uniforms, new starters and a new league.

After a winning football season last year that ended with a heart-breaking loss to Live Oak in the CCS semifinals, the Falcons are looking to repeat last year's success. However, this year the Falcons are almost a completely different team with a new head coach, new offensive formation, new uniforms, new starters and a new league.

In spite of a strong start in the first quarter, the Falcons were shut out 30-0 in their Sept. 7 season opener against the Menlo Atherton Bears. Six turnovers ultimately led to the Falcon’s defeat. “We told our players that this early in the season, the team with the least turnovers will win the game,” said coach Tim Lugo, the new varsity head coach from Evergreen Valley High School.