Cristina Curcelli

It’s a classic lunchtime scene: a newly licensed junior, eager to take his friends out for their “first” off-campus lunch, speeds to In-N-Out with three or four buddies in the backseat. The engine revs, the radio blares and the thought of a one-year restriction on passengers for new drivers? That thought is long gone.

A year from yesterday, a student at our school died. She was, by all accounts, a complex, loved girl who had once wanted to travel the world and fly. But her life changed when she was allegedly sexually assaulted by those that had been her friends — friends who took pictures of the event — and her life ended in suicide. Today, two of the students charged as part of the sexual assault are back at school — walking the same hallways that then-sophomore Audrie Pott had once wandered. The school she had attended is more or less the same, unchanged but for an aberration to its sterling record. 

The hype started long ago: Everyone’s expectations were high for Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of “The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s beloved American classic. The star-studded cast, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway and Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan,  looked promising and the score intriguing to say the least, with Luhrmann and Jay-Z as producers. 

A sense of shock settled like thick fog on the morning of Friday, April 12, after students found out about the alleged causes of sophomore Audrie Pott’s suicide last September.

The family of Audrie Pott, accompanied by family attorney Robert Allard and two investigators, spoke to the public at a news conference on Monday at a San Jose hotel and announced that they are filing a wrongful death case in Santa Clara Superior Court against three sophomore boys who were arrested Thursday.

Although the national media reported that illicit photos of sophomore Audrie Pott’s unconscious body went “viral” among students at the school, several students familiar with the situation have said that they think roughly 10 people saw them, and that the photos never went on Facebook.

Students driving to school on April 12 found an unusual sight — news vans from ABC, CBS and Fox, parked just outside the school attempting to interview students. Just the night before, on April 11, Audrie Pott’s family went public with the circumstances surrounding Pott’s suicide last September. 

Students enrolled in AP classes are now just one month away from the culmination of all their hard work. Registration for AP exams began Feb. 25 and closed March 17. The exams will take place from May 6 to May 17.

On some recent Thursday mornings, a buzz has spread from room to room on campuses. Some students wore wide, unchecked grins, while others carried the heavy burden of failure.

Two years ago, senior Priscilla Chu went in search of a job selling clothes at Nordstorm at Valley Fair Mall. For two years, Chu worked at the store whenever she was needed. 

As 2012 came to a close, much of America renewed the fight for stricter gun control — largely in response to the seemingly high number of mass shootings this year, the most recent being the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Newtown, Conn.  

After the robotics team members have brainstormed and progressed to prototyping, the team uses computer-assisted drafting (CAD) to finalize their ideas and work out the finer details of the design.

One of the many joys of Thanksgiving break besides the slight reprieve from the constant flow of school work is the chance to have a little free time — a concept we tend to forget about while living in work-centric Saratoga.

In the weeks leading up to the 2008 election, every street was filled with campaign signs advocating or opposing various measures and propositions, but no proposition seemed to draw more attention than Proposition 8, the ban on same-sex marriage. 

In early October, then 17-year-old Boy Scout Ryan Andresen of Moraga was denied his Eagle Scout award after working for nearly a decade to complete the requirements. The reason for the denial: He’s gay.

Think back to the feel-good days of kindergarten: nap time, coloring and playing with friends on the playground. While the inherent fun of kindergarten may never change, this school year, the compositions of classes will drastically change, and students with fall birthdays will now take a slightly roundabout route getting there.

What I watch is far superior to any other program airing on TV right now: the infomercial channel.

When faced with sitting down and writing the numerous essays and supplements required for admission to top universities, class of 2012 alumnus Joshua Harris, like many students in this competitive day and age, sought help from a private college counselor.  

Traveling to Spain in the middle of the school year, meeting kids from over 20 different countries and representing the United States in an international dance competition—three unique opportunities that two freshmen were able to take part in this spring.

Spitting cherry pits in the summer and celebrating Chinese New Year in the spring may come across as two traditions unlikely to be shared by one family, but not for sophomore Gloria Breck and her brother, freshman Samuel Breck.

Years ago, when students’ parents were in high school, the valedictorian of their class would have had a “perfect 4.0.” Nowadays that seems strange, since many students carry GPAs of 4.0 or higher after the implementation of “weighted” GPAs and the five-point scale.

To sophomore Jason Li, creating a successful company is all in a day’s work. He may only be 15, but being the CEO of iReTron.com, a company founded in last July, which allows users to sell old electronics in exchange for money, makes him seem years beyond his age.

Imagine that all the high school students across the country were ranked based on test scores. What if, then, these scores were released to the public and the press nationwide? Sounds awful. That nightmare was put into reality not for students, but rather their teachers. On Feb. 24, after a long court battle, the New York City Department of Education publicly released performance rankings of over 18,000 school teachers, known as Teacher Data Reports. These reports use standardized math and English exams to rank teachers based on their students’ improvement.

In the 21st century, students are online from practically the minute they wake up until they go to bed. With powerful technology always at their fingertips, it is surprising that people are just beginning to use such limitless technology to educate. More and more teachers and administrators are considering utilizing technology to “flip” the classroom.

How to best schedule the school day is a topic that will debated by teachers, students and parents in the next few months.

One of the many problems that Falcon writers face is coming up with oh-so-clever nicknames for their personal columns. This problem usually makes its appearance the night before an issue is scheduled to be sent to the printer, when the journalism room is a mixture of chaos, stress and excitement.

It’s 2 a.m. the night before that AP Bio test and you are starting to nod off, but there’s still have a few more hours of studying to be done. The thought of sleep is tempting, especially since the test is not until third period. You think, “Maybe if I skipped first and second period I could still get an A...”

It’s the middle of October, and it’s time for some Halloween shopping. But as you walk through the doors of Macy’s, you see red and gold tinsel hanging on the walls. Seven-foot trees stand near each doorway with round glass ornaments hanging on each branch. Is it really Christmas already?

Two anti-bullying assemblies in a six-month period, people being singled out at rallies with offensive jokes and a disqualification from Homecoming because of inappropriate and offensive humor. Welcome to the new and not-so-improved SHS.

Last week was eventful for the girls field hockey team. The team beat two top teams, Presentation on Oct. 12 and Saint Francis on Oct. 14, putting them in a good position for the rest of the season. The Falcons won the game against Presentation 2-1. Juniors Jenni Miller and Courtney Ruppel scored. According to Coach Leaf Huynh, though, the players did not get their usual warm-up in before game against Presentation, which affected how the team played in the game.

The field hockey team is on a winning streak, having defeated three of the four teams they have faced in the last two weeks, as of Oct. 22. One such win was against Saint Francis on Oct. 14. The Falcons lost to the Lancers 0-4 the first time the teams played, but came back to beat them the second time 1-0. Senior co-captain Anna Ashe scored the Falcon’s only goal. Senior co-captain Abby Williams said that the win against was a big accomplishment for the team.

Two anti-bullying assemblies in a six-month period, people being singled out at rallies with offensive jokes and a disqualification from Homecoming because of inappropriate and offensive humor. Welcome to the new and not-so-improved SHS. The start of the 2011-2012 school year hasn’t been the best, at least in the eyes of the administration. With behavioral issues becoming more and more of a concern, I can’t imagine that they’re very pleased.

Last Wednesday the girls varsity field hockey team played a tough game against Los Gatos to beat their rivals 1-0.

This season, the field hockey team is facing a difficult challenge. Unlike past years, the team has only two seniors to lead the way.

Researching, writing and creating a project in five months is not an easy task. Only a select few dedicated and ambitious students take on the challenge of participating in the annual National History Day competition.

As classes prepare to perform their own interpretation of “Alice in Wonderland,” “Wizard of Oz,” “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Rumpelstiltskin,” students will have the opportunity to donate these story books and more to children in need. The Homecoming commission is sponsoring a children’s book drive for charity from Sept. 12 through Sept. 30. At the end of Homecoming week the books will be donated to either the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital or Ronald McDonald House, or both if enough books are collected.

Last week was successful for the girls varsity field hockey team. They won both their games, beating Monta Vista 2-1 on Wednesday and Leland 4-1 on Friday.

Each year in late September or early October, we devote one week to celebrating our Falcon pride. Some scoff at the traditions while others embrace them; nonetheless, this week has an impact on our school: It is Homecoming. Homecoming is a time-honored tradition at SHS, just as it is at most other high schools across the nation. And although the majority of students will probably forget in a few years who won quad day and who was the Homecoming queen, Homecoming leaves a lasting impact on many students and on the school as a whole.

The girls varsity field hockey team started their pre-season with a 2-2 tie against Cupertino on Thursday September 1. Both of Saratoga’s goals were scored in the second half, while Cupertino scored one goal in each half.

The Saturday School system is used as a consequence for students who break the school’s code of conduct. The most common offenses that merit a Saturday School are cell phone usage in class and attendance issues.

Thinking about texting your friend during a history lecture or cutting math to avoid a test? Give it a second thought. Saturday School is going to become stricter this year, according to assistant principal Kevin Mount.