Cullan Mcchesney

Saratoga has long been a city relatively free of crime, but that perception has recently been challenged in light of several recent home robberies and a possible attempted kidnapping at an elementary school. At about 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 28, a man in a white pickup truck tried to tempt several young students outside Saratoga Elementary School with $100 bills. After a couple of parents learned what was happening from the children, they proceeded to call authorities as the man sped off, according to an e-mail sent to the community.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is having his suspension reduced by two games for "good behavior." But since when are two separate rape allegations considered "good behavior"?

This year, several students from Saratoga and Los Gatos High Schools were given the opportunity to showcase their art at the annual District Art Show put on by the Los Gatos Museum of Art, which ran through most of the month of May. The exhibit covers a broad spectrum of many different artistic mediums including ceramics, drawing, painting, photography and sculpture. "The art show definitely had a lot of variety in terms of artwork, which was really cool to see," said sophomore Jeffrey Kuo, whose pencil sketch, grid drawing and sand painting were all displayed in the show.

As students make their schedule choices, incoming juniors and seniors have a new option for physical education next year called "Fitness and Food," but much doubt remains over whether the class will actually be offered. Athletic director Peter Jordan hopes to teach this class next year; however, whether the class will be taught at all is still in question as Jordan will have to raise the funds himself through grants because of the district's budget deficit. The cost of a single class at the school is roughly $25,000. He will also need to have a minimum of 25 students sign up.

Today's headlines proclaim the insurmountable debt, soaring unemployment rates and the general state of disorder this country is in. Yet in spite of all of this, athletes in the NBA, NFL and MLB are still making inordinate sums of money.

The Falcon volleyball team got off to a rough start this season with back-to-back losses against Sacred Heart and Leland on March 4 and March 10. These disappointing losses came along with an injury to one of the the team's best hitters but allowed newer players to get used to varsity-level competition.

People dream about being weightless and traveling 30 yards in one hop. However, unless you have a few million dollars to blow on a trip to the moon, the closest you're going to get to such an experience is at Sky High.

Starting this past fall, world history/PE teacher Rick Ellis and athletic director Peter Jordan have led a movement to implement a new workout programs for teachers, P.E. students and teams and made sweeping changes to the weight room to accommodate the new philosophy. Ellis has implemented many of the workouts and techniques from a program called CrossFit, which is designed to improve all aspects of physical fitness to create a complete athlete as compared to those who focus on a narrow spectrum of activities and exercises.

With friends and family in attendance in the faculty lunchroom, three members of this year's senior class signed a letter of intent Nov. 12 stating which college they will be competing for next year: wrestler Alan Yen will go to Stanford, swimmer Elizabeth Murray will attend Loyola Marymount University and tennis John Lamble will go to Santa Clara University. Kirk Abe, Yen's wrestling coach, pointed to his dedication in all areas.

Excess. This word has defined American culture since the inception of industrialization. No where else in the world exists a place where citizens consume so many manufactured goods. Many parents in Third World countries wake up worrying whether they can provide enough food to feed their children, while in America people are constantly subjected to mass production. Anyone who has sauntered down the endless isles of Costco can only begin to grasp the overwhelming amount of energy and resources spent catering to the "American dream."

The month of October brought mixed results for boys' water polo players, who started with a disappointing 8-7 loss to Harker on Oct. 1. However, the team rallied to defeat Cupertino 12-9 on Oct. 1. "The Cupertino game really motivated us because we had lost to them in a tournament so it was big to beat them in league play," said junior set defense, Tim Rollinson. Strong plays and good goals came from senior co-captains Kevin Rollinson and John Chen.

Any optometrist or pediatrician will agree that eye protection against the sun is crucial to maintaining good eyesight through out life. So why do Central Coast Section (CCS) cross country rules ban non-prescription sunglasses in competition?

Boys' water polo returns for its second year in the El Camino Division of the Silicon Valley Athletic League after dropping down a league last year. However, this year the team has several reasons to be optimistic. After years of constant coach changes, the team will finally have a stable coach for the years to come as second-year coach Christian Bonner agreed to return to coach the team. "Even though we lost some key seniors we still have a few returning players and [Bonner] is back as the coach, so we definitely have a shot," said senior Kevin Rollinson.