Apoorv Kwatra

Senior's past experiences going through weight-loss. 

When the 15 players on the varsity boys' basketball team began practicing in November, they knew they had a chance to be good this year. But they could not have predicted how far they would go — almost winning Division III CCS and reaching the NorCal tournament for the first time in school history.

Senior discuss Boys' basketball team and how they are doing so far in the season. 

Entering their CCS playoff game for the second time in the last three years, the Falcons were coming off one of their best regular seasons in recent memory. They finished with a 5-6 record, earning a bid to the CCS playoffs on a 51-20 win against Santa Clara in their second to last game of the season.

While Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton battled it out on the national  stage this fall, seniors Kailas Shekar, Daniel Jiang and Naman Sajwan campaigned against each other in AP Government/Economics teacher Kirk Abe’s sixth-period class.  

Football team looking for win

Security cameras installed in parking lot

Senior Alex Yagobi has been one of the first SHS students to dive into the new realm of live streaming, a feature introduced on Facebook in April.  

SHS Advisor is a centralized platform that offers alumni advice, study resources and crowdsourced difficulty levels for individual classes at our school. Is such a platform detrimental to the spirit of learning?

A summary of how the football team has been doing the past season, and how they hope to improve. 

New entries to football team sparks sense of hope for upcoming season. 

The team placed fifth out of six teams in the league tournament and did not qualify for CCS.  

As the Class of 2016’s memorable four years at Saratoga High come to a close, they will be given an opportunity to “Seas the Night” and make new memories. Senior prom will take place at Monterey Bay Aquarium on May 28, featuring a buffet-style dinner, dancing and marine animal exhibits.  

The Saratoga Falcon was one of 13 high school newspapers in the country to win the “High School Newspaper Gold Crown Award” from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) for the 2014-2015 school year. The award was presented at Columbia University on March 18.  

Kanye West came back from a nearly three-year absence by releasing his widely awaited album, “The Life of Pablo (TLOP),” on Feb. 14, and it is sure to wow those who can get their hands on it.  

Everyone loves a good Cinderella story. Fortunately, this year’s NCAA March Madness tournament has provided more than enough of those.  

For the second year in a row, the Large Gym has been filled with basketball games to match the annual March Madness occurring throughout the nation in college basketball. The only difference is, you do not have to be a 6’11”, 260 pound prodigy to participate in this tournament.

It may seem like handing out towels is a mundane job, but handing out towels at Super Bowl 50 is just a little different, especially since it meant getting to rub shoulders with celebrities.  

After getting its groove back wins against Homestead and Mountain View in late January, the boys’ basketball team suffered two heartbreaking losses on Feb. 2 against Lynbrook (49-46) and on Feb. 5 against Santa Clara (47-44).  

Boy's Golf: 2015 recap and looking to the future 

The former Golden State Warriors coach, Mark Jackson, has made a claim a few weeks ago that many people are starting to agree with: “to a degree, [Stephen Curry has] hurt the game.”

On Feb. 7, the Denver Broncos will take on the Carolina Panthers at Levi’s Stadium in a thrilling match.

Falcons express desire for lights on outdoor basketball courts.

For reporter Apoorv Kwatra, a volleyball will always go in the opposite direction that he wants it to go.

Since last season, senior power forward Jatin Mohanty has been working on the team’s plays and conditioning, transforming himself from a solid starter to the star of the team.

The 64-acre Saratoga Quarry Park, located at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, was officially opened to the public by the city of Saratoga on Oct. 31.

The faux-Mexican food chain has seen a number of E. coli and salmonella outbreaks in the last couple of months, raising major public health concerns across the nation- but no cause for alarm.  

The 2015 NBA champs seem to have reached an unprecedented level of dominance over the rest of the league this season.

Despite losses, the golf team is doing well and has high hopes.

The strictness of new policies may seem like a positive change at first, but in reality, the tougher enforcement simply blurs the line between tardies and cuts and does not give students much of an incentive to avoid cuts once they are late to class.  

In just the past two months, Pei has placed 10th in a tournament held in Konin, Poland; placed 19th individually and third in a team event in a tournament in Godollo, Hungary; and competed in a tournament in Richmond, Va. His performances in these tournaments have cemented Pei as the No. 8 ranked fencer in the under 16 category in the U.S..

As a result of leftover money from past class funds, ASB events and donations, ASB now has a total of about $276,000 in its bank account.

Principal Paul Robinson knows well that there are many paths to a destination. He took an uncommon one before finding his passion for education. Robinson spent four years playing basketball for Point Loma College in San Diego, now known as Point Loma Nazarene University, as well as playing basketball for a group called Athletes on Mission on tours overseas.

As almost all teens already know, College Board will be switching to a newly designed SAT next March. The revised SAT will hold many benefits for students who take it in future years, but most current juniors are avoiding it precisely because it is new and unknown.

Summer prep classes are a great tool to get ahead in certain subjects while also learning new material that may not be taught in school.

After three weeks of upsets, controversial calls and nail-biting games, the Duke Blue Devils came out as the winner of the NCAA March Madness Tournament on April 6.  

The school is widely recognized for its STEM accomplishments, and recently a handful of its students have excelled in various competitions.

The Golden State Warriors were down 26 points at halftime against the Boston Celtics on March 1. But they were not worried, and why should they have been?

With a gleam in his eye, history teacher Kirk Abe fanatically waves his drum sticks as a pointer for his lecture about Industrialism’s impact on European countries.

Although the lacrosse team started its season with a 1-7 record in the De Anza League, the boys hope to lay the foundation for next year.  

What do you think of when you think of rap? Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar and Drake? No, no, you’ve got it all wrong. You should be thinking of us. From our very first day in newspaper, we gifted our fellow staff members with our lyrical talents. Our amazing raps often erupted spontaneously, though that did not detract from the sheer awe it provided to the masses, ahem, to the third-period newspaper staff, at least.  

After winning the CCS wrestling tournament for the 182-weight class on Feb. 27-28 at Independence High, senior Christian Murabito finished just outside the top eight at the California High School State Finals on March 7-8.

After a hard-fought 56-45 home loss to Valley Christian on Feb. 26, members of the boys’ basketball team pointed to their 10-2 record in the El Camino League and knew they had accomplished much.

With the addition of new players, the boys’ varsity lacrosse team is gearing up for a successful season.

Counseling and Support Services for Youth (CASSY) therapist Erica Smith is a bit apprehensive about her upcoming presentation for her Career Day on March 23.

On Feb. 16, a legislative committee in Oklahoma approved a bill that bans the teaching of Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH) in the state.

Team beats Harker but loses to Milpitas and Los Altos.

After beginning its El Camino League season with a loss to Cupertino (45-53) on Jan. 9, the boys’ basketball team has bounced back to win four tough games against Santa Clara (49-44), Mountain View (53-34), Lynbrook (61-50), and Gunn (76-65).

ASB meetings, which are open to all students, are held every other Monday from 6-7 p.m. According to ASB president senior Adrienne Kim, the meetings are more relaxed, now that the urgency that comes with Homecoming is gone. Lately, meetings mostly consist of discussing fundraisers, dances and school policies.

Ex-college athlete Ed O’Bannon filed a lawsuit against the NCAA and the Collegiate Licensing for using student athletes in advertisements to promote themselves in 2009.

Standing at 7’5”, Indian-Canadian center Sim Bhullar, 21, towers over his opponents during basketball games — a rarity, not only for someone of Indian descent — but also within the NBA. Bhullar, born in North York, Ontario, is the first player in the NBA with Indian heritage.

With the boys’ basketball season quickly approaching,  players have already started rigorous training to prepare for the season.

Sophomore Max Vo has trains for the competitive sport taekwondo.

The Saturday before Homecoming week, sophomores Eric Wang, Max Vo, Raymond McCarthy and I were deciding how to make a grand entrance for one of our dances in Homecoming. 

Yes, it’s the beginning of fall, and yes, it’s the norm for students to don shorts. But when the cold gusts of winter begin to sweep away the leaves of autumn, I stay true to my collection of shorts.

With the NBA season starting on Oct. 28, many basketball fans are scrambling to find the best players to draft, the best strategies to use and the best ways to succeed in their fantasy basketball leagues.

Given the Homecoming theme of “Channel 4 News,” the freshmen are determined to break the tradition of being the laughingstock of the school and put on a good show.

Determined to impress the rest of the school, the class of 2017 is in frenzy of activity in its preparations for Homecoming.

Reporters argue that the legal drinking age in the United States should be lowered.

Students attended the five-day PGC basketball camp at the University of Santa Barbara this summer.

The Saratoga Library will begin its celebration for its 100th anniversary by attempting to break a world record on Sept. 6.