Ashley Tang

On March 23, around 50 juniors in the Media Arts Program (MAP) traveled to San Francisco to participate in a scavenger hunt funded by the MAP Boosters and organized by MAP coordinator Kerry Mohnike.

Ten brave and talented Saratoga students took the stage at the McAfee Center on March 21, each vying for the honor of being crowned this year’s Saratoga Idol, a title that ultimately went to senior Chelsea Venuti for her soulful rendition of Carrie Underwood’s song “Temporary Home.”

After spending hours perfecting each note and complex rhythm, students sent in their audition CDs with high hopes. This year, 20 students from Saratoga High were admitted into All-State Band and Orchestra out of over 2,000 CD applications that were submitted. “This accomplishment represents years of hard work, preparation and love for their craft on the part of these students,” music director Michael Boitz said. Students were scheduled to travel to Fresno on Feb. 16 and will arrive home on Feb. 19. Although they will miss two days of school, most students say it is worth it.

Strictly defined, “Asian” means a native of Asia or a person of Asian descent. But when people use the phrase “Why are you so Asian?” they are referring to a different, often negative, meaning of the word: someone who is only interested in receiving good grades and fattening up an extracurricular activity list to gain acceptance into top-tier colleges.

With memories of winter break and first semester finals fading fast, many students have forgotten the stress that plagued them as they crammed before each day of finals. The break was not as stress-free as it was purported to be.

With memories of winter break and first semester finals fading fast, many students have forgotten the stress that plagued them as they crammed before each day of finals. The break was not as stress-free as it was purported to be, and added an even more frantic week before it. Even though many teachers had been forced to cut down the material taught, there was still little time to study.

When senior Peter Hsieh was a sophomore in Jerry Sheehy’s world history class, little did he know that a project about Liberalism would shape his future interests and pursuits.

Investment Club and Davey’s stock simulation teach students to manage their money

Senior Sean Ruiz stood up in his first period U.S. government class and began reading out loud from his physics textbook. Stunned, the class watched in silence and then broke into confusion until they realized that Ruiz was attempting a filibuster, a way to stall a bill from being passed in the Senate.

On July 5, the choir will be touring at various cathedrals in Rome, Venice and Sienna for two weeks. Most of the students in the music department have been waiting for such an opportunity. This is especially true for the Class of 2012, which is unfortunately missing the opportunity for an international trip that other grades have enjoyed.

Senior Carolynn Choi groggily opened her eyes on the morning of Oct. 21. She had overslept again. Instead of her usual routine, she decided to simply roll out of bed and head directly to school in her pajamas. When she got there, she was just part of the crowd on pajama day.

Senior violinist Vivian Tsai had been looking forward to this trip all week. On Oct. 5th, band and orchestra students had the opportunity to watch the San Francisco Symphony rehearse at Davies Symphony Hall. The 50 students who went were amazed at the technique displayed, but they had expected a little more interaction with the professional musicians. “We came late because of the traffic, so we missed the lecture that the conductor gave before the rehearsal,” Tsai said, “but we still saw soloist Joshua Bell play.”

The New Student Commission is adding a new component this year: an upperclassman-new student buddy system. Usually, the commission only holds an annual barbecue at the end of summer for students new to the district.

Go down the hallway in front of administrative assisstant Susan Dini’s desk in the office, past the teachers’ boxes, open the door on the right with the name Judy Jackson written on it and you will find yourself in the presence of the comfiest couches on campus. Covered lamps and amber wall-hangings create a reassuring atmosphere where you feel free to talk about anything that is bothering you. This is the room of the school psychotherapist.

With a new season comes a new circuit for the marching band. Despite past participation in the Western Band Association (WBA) circuit, this year it is competing in the Marching Band Open Series (MBOS).

During tutorial on Friday, May 13, dozens of members of the marching band joined music teachers and mayor Howard Miller, superintendent Cary Matsuoka and principal Jeff Anderson on the steps of the quad for an important announcement.

On March 8, the school’s String Orchestra and the Symphonic Wind Ensemble walked onstage into the bright lights of Carnegie Hall, nearly shaking with apprehension. After playing pieces by Ginastera, Mahler and a solo accompaniment of Mendehlssohn, proud faces beamed as an audience consisting of band ensembles, parents and teachers gave the young musicians a standing ovation.

Although the spring season has just begun, the boys’ tennis team has already proved that it will again be a strong competitor this year, despite a recent loss to Monta Vista.

Paying $75 each for an all-you-can-eat crab dinner, participants raised about $15,000 for the school’s sports program at the March 5 event, said athletic director Peter Jordan.

Recently, the Small Voices, Big Dreams survey polled almost 3,000 children ages 10 to 12 from developing countries around the world. One of the questions asked what the child would do if he or she were president of his or her country. Most of these children answered that the first thing they would do would be to provide education for all children by either improving or building more schools.

With the first American Math Competition (AMC) coming up on Feb. 8 in the Small Gym, students in the math club will have a chance to test the skills they have been working on during their meetings every Tuesday during lunch and every Friday after school.

Any student participating in a music program knows and appreciates the leaders who work diligently to keep the department running smoothly. These leaders go above and beyond what is expected of most other members, thus maintaining the unity of a band or orchestra.

One Friday tutorial, I hurried to the school library expecting a place away from the cold for quiet study. Instead, as I opened the door, I was blocked by a giant crowd milling in front of the library detectors waiting to be admitted. A campus supervisor guarded the entrance holding a bright yellow chain to keep students from pushing their way in, as if acting as the bouncer for an exclusive club.

Although the change from middle school is always a big one, some members of this year’s freshman class seem to be having an especially difficult time with the transition, administrators and older students say.

Turn on the radio to Wild 94.9 and chances are that “Like a G6” by Far East Movement or “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” by Usher will be blasting away. Although these songs may be catchy, some students delve deeper into the music world to download songs from underground artists who are not quite as well known.

When was the last time you exercised? Please start ASAP. Why are you going after him? Fat chance. Do you get your clothes from the local dumpster? Nobody likes you. Get a life. Such questions are examples of cyberbullying that appear on the popular site, Formspring. Formspring is a bulletin-style website where one can create an account and anyone with access to Internet can ask the user questions. Anonymity is a key factor that makes this website both appealing and harmful. Originally, Formspring was created to provide a means of honest questioning for curious friends and coworkers who wanted to avoid awkward situations. Now, people are abusing the privilege of anonymity to harass and bully their peers.

Four professional actors from The San Jose Repertoire presented a live performance of "The Glass Menagerie," a play written by Tennessee Williams, on Oct. 5 in the McAfee Center. English 11 Honors students were encouraged to watch the play during second period, although students of all grades were invited. "The Glass Menagerie" fit in perfectly with the juniors' English curriculum, and students had the chance to read the play before watching it live.

This year, the sophomores stepped up to the plate and improved their quad day for Homecoming through cooperation, division of work and strict schedules. Although more lighthearted themes like Candyland were taken by upperclassmen, sophomores found that their Clue theme was easy to work with. "We actually liked our theme," said Sasan Saadat. "It was great for quad day because for the script we could write about solving a mystery, and that was easy." After multiple practices, the sophomores believed they were ready to perform on quad day.

Every year, the school experiences many changes as the year opens: new classes, new buildings and new faces. This year, the cafeteria joined the list of changes by reorganizing and adding to its selections. The main change students notice is that lunch lines are now separated into five categories: salads, fast takes, creations, pizza and grill. Cafeteria staff believe the lunch process is now more efficient and hope to attract more students to stay on campus.

Every morning at 6:30 a.m., gardener John Berti deactivates the school alarm, opens up the bathrooms and begins watering the plants. After he's done with all his gardening work, he goes through the hallways to help with the trash. However, Berti is more than just part of the maintenance staff. Berti has cleaned, repaired and beautified the school for 23 years. He has seen the school develop a high quality concert hall, a well-kept football field, and even a state-of-the-art Media Arts building.

Who knew five years ago that people would make household names for themselves from right in their bedroom, but with YouTube, hundreds of people have found this success as the website celebrates its fifth anniversary. Two of many people who use this method to broadcast themselves online are Kevin Wu (known online as KevJumba), a sophomore at UC Davis, and Ryan Higa (or Nigahiga), 19, who attends the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. Both of them upload videos as often as they can in order to gain more subscribers, which further increases their popularity.

1. Season Record:1-11 2. Highlight of the season: The match against King's Academy went to 5 games, instead of the usual two or three. In the last game, Saratoga won by only 2 points. Sophomore Brandon Pak thought it was "one of the most intense games of the season."

Students who always dreamed of getting their work published can finally have the opportunity with Soundings. The literary magazine, which has been at Saratoga since at least the late '80s, will be distributed around school on May 21.

The year is slowing down for students in the music department, as they prepare for end-of-year concerts and small events. The annual Pancake Breakfast, taking place on May 2, is a highlight of the year for many students, because it gives all the music department members, including band, choir and orchestra, a chance to perform at a casual concert while enjoying eating pancakes with their friends.

Saratoga High students come from a variety of cultural backgrounds, so many can fluently speak a language other than English. Students with this advantage are mixed with non-native speakers in some of the language classes offered here. This occurs mostly in the Chinese language classes, where many students speak the language at home with their parents.

While riding his bike uphill last summer, freshman David Zarrin decided there had to be a more efficient way to switch gears. "First I switched to a different gear, but it wasn't quite working, so I switched to another one," said Zarrin. "However, that didn't feel right either. I realized that there is something between those two gears that is the best option, so I was inspired to try and build something to fix that."

Stepping out of our car and onto the front steps of Foothill Elementary School overwhelmed us with a rush of nostalgia. The easy, carefree memories of being a child, now long gone, still permeated from the neatly trimmed lawns and welcoming classrooms of an elementary school. As we walked through a corridor toward the office, we couldn't help but wish to be become kids again. The peeling handball courts, which were new when we were there, are now being used by kids half our height, and the tether ball poles are barely in use anymore. These small things brought back so many good times.

Even pouring rain could not drown out the spirit of the winterguard at the WGI San Diego Power Regional at Rancho Bernardo High School on Feb. 27. This competition featured 42 guards from several states around the country, including Arizona and North Carolina. Out of those groups, the JV guard, placed second in the regional A division. Varsity guard placed ninth.

More than 250 singers from the Lynbrook and Saratoga High choirs joined together in harmony on Feb. 24 in the McAfee Center. The two choirs performed a few songs separately, then finished together with Franz Schubert's "Mass in G", accompanied by Lynbrook's Chamber Orchestra.

Violin virtuoso Midori has performed at concert halls across the globe, from Dublin to Budapest to Tokyo. At age 14, she recorded her first album and in 2007, was designated the United Nations Messenger of Peace. Midori has also founded several organizations that provide musical education to children who might otherwise not have a chance to play an instrument.

Last fall junior clarinetist Kyle Fukui auditioned for the Santa Clara County Band Directors Association (SCCBDA) County Honor Band, which is held once a year. He was one of 57 clarinetists undergoing this stressful challenge. In December, Fukui found out that he was among the 24 clarinetists who had the chance to join the 90-person group for its performance on Jan. 17 in the McAfee Center. The site of the concert changes among schools each year, and it was Saratoga's turn host the event.

Ever since the start of the new year, students who frequently visit the music building have noticed that certain items are missing. These items include a computer, several thousand dollar instruments, belonging to both the students and the school, and keys used to get in and out of the building. Saratoga High is known for its safe and friendly environment. Usually, discipline problems are not an issue here—certainly not compared to most other schools.

Audience members came away feeling the holiday spirit after attending the winter concerts by the orchestra and symphonic band on Dec. 9-10. The Dec. 9 concert featured the orchestra and wind ensemble, and the Dec. 10 concert featured jazz band and concert band. "I think the concert ran pretty smoothly and the audience really enjoyed the surprise skit," sophomore violist Carolynn Choi said. "I feel that the last concert from the previous year had more energy than the one this year, but I still had a lot fun and really felt the holiday spirit."

Powell's Sweet Shoppe in downtown Los Gatos is more than just a candy store. The fruity aroma of various sweets, colorful shelves and cheerful atmosphere all blend together to make the experience like going to Willy Wonka's factory.

The marching band placed sixth in the Western Band Association Class Championships in Clovis on Nov. 22. In total, there were around 90 schools from all over the state at the event, according to band director Duane Otani. Most schools in Division 5A consist of at least 2,000 students; however, Saratoga only has 1,350 students, making the Saratoga band the underdog in the division. Even so, this disadvantage did not affect the overall performance of the band.

For the first time, the marching band placed first in every category in the Western Band Association competition, including general effects and Color Guard. On Oct. 24, the band traveled two and a half hours to Clovis High School to compete against 27 other schools in Division 5A. Bands here consist of 160 students or more, though most schools in this division have at least 2,000 total students vs. Saratoga's 1,350. This made the Falcons an underdog against the bigger schools and made winning "all the better," according to music director Michael Boitz.

This year's junior quad day dance marked the debut of Brian Vo's no-longer-hidden talent: break dancing. All eyes were focused on him as he performed an elaborate windmill. "I was nervous before, but once I got out and finished my solo, I felt great to have represented my class," Vo said. Many people who have known Vo for a long time didn't realize he was a break dancer until after the quad dance.

On Oct. 31, the orchestra delivered a stunning 2-hour performance in an exchange concert with Lynbrook High School's chamber orchestra. Combined, the two were able to play a wide variety of challenging pieces effortlessly.

With Winter Formal coming up, more and more people are racking their brains trying to think up a "good' way" to ask their date to the dance. Most people don't have enough money to buy a private jet and fly it over school during lunch with a banner attached saying: "Will you go to Winter Ball with me?". For most of us who cannot afford such extravagance, here are a few priceless ways to ask your crush, whether a girl or a guy, to Winter Ball:

Mothers. Daughters. Sisters. Friends. Hundreds of thousands of women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and over 40,000 women do not survive, according to the American Cancer Society. Science teacher Jenny Garcia and math teachers Kelly Frangieh, Kristen Hamilton, Seema Patel and Laressa Ridge walked 60 miles over the course of three days—Oct. 2, 3 and 4—to support the search for a cure for breast cancer. They walked all around San Francisco, including over the Golden Gate Bridge.