Rick Santorum, God’s choice for president April 4, 2012 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung The savior of America will sweep across the nation in an ill-fitting sweater vest, his speech as eloquent as his coiffure. His entire campaign screams “red, white and blue”: anti-education, anti-secularism and pro-discrimination. Get ready, America, for a nation run by Rick Santorum. read more » Hitchhiker’s guide to the Internet March 14, 2012 — by Deborah Soung If “there is no frigate like a book,” as Emily Dickinson said, there is no private jet like the Internet. With a few clicks of the mouse and taps of the keyboard, gigabytes of data are instantly unveiled, whisking away users to their own unique niche in the beauteous network system. read more » Falcon soon to be wearing a ‘Crown’ January 29, 2012 — by Sierra Smith and Deborah Soung A constant buzz of activity almost always occupies Room 303, filled with students transcribing interviews, doing layout and typing up articles for the Falcon newspaper or the Talisman yearbook. read more » Bookstore stocked with local history January 10, 2012 — by Deborah Soung Tucked away on Oak Street, the Book-Go-Round is overflowing not only with a variety of second-hand books but also with a rich historical background and a strong sense of community. read more » Occupy movement in need of leaders and goals December 13, 2011 — by Akshara Sekar and Deborah Soung There is the oh-so-noble and admirable cause behind the Occupy Wall Street movement to establish a better distribution of economic power in America. Then there are the horror stories: protesters smashing in shop windows and setting barricades ablaze in Oakland, attacking police officers with razor blades, unprovoked in San Francisco, and pushing elderly women down stairs in Washington, D.C. read more » Cupertino community counters WBC Protest October 24, 2011 — by Allison Chang and Deborah Soung Standing on the sidewalk in front of Cupertino High School on the morning of Oct. 19 were five protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), a group that has gained public scrutiny for their picketing at soldiers’ funerals, an act deemed inappropriate by many Americans. Opposite to them stood 50 counter-protesters. One called out through a megaphone, “If you hate America so much, then why don’t you go to Iraq?” The crowd cheered in support of his statement. read more » Sports games are not the only way to show school spirit October 22, 2011 — by Deborah Soung My acrimonious distaste for all things physically challenging arose during the period in which my father forced me, barely in elementary school at the time, into playing basketball. Unfortunately, this experience not only made me view basketball unfavorably, but it also rendered me allergic to all forms of exercise. Now, I use this as an excuse to avoid attending all sport-related school events, but lately I have questioned to what extent behavior like mine dampens school spirit. read more » Students build houses in Honduras over summer September 22, 2011 — by Sophie Mattson and Deborah Soung Last summer, junior Katlyn Hirokawa and sophomore Tim Casey-Clyde traveled to Honduras for two weeks with the Sierra Service Project (SSP), a Christian charity organization, to build two houses in the slums of Tegucigalpa, the capital. Today, according to the CIA World Factbook, Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America behind Nicaragua. Nearly 60 percent of the Honduran population lives below the poverty line. read more » Link Crew helps freshmen acclimate to high school life September 15, 2011 — by Sierra Smith and Deborah Soung Excited and eager for high school, 390 freshmen started the school year a little early on Aug. 19, for freshmen orientation. One hundred fifteen maroon-clad Link Crew leaders led their respective groups of freshmen through the school’s hallways to familiarize the freshmen with the school during orientation. read more » Media pay undue attention to sexuality September 9, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung It is hard to go a day in high school without hearing somebody utter the phrase “that’s so gay” in the hallways. This sort of passive homophobia, which has grown rampant over the last few years, has not only gained popularity in communities of immature teenagers, but also, unfortunately, in the media. “Meet Apple’s new boss, the most powerful gay man in Silicon Valley,” reads a Gawker headline; “Tim Cook is now the most powerful gay man in the world,” reads another from Business Insider. read more » Junior wins national writing competition May 18, 2011 — by Deborah Soung In late March, junior Akash Kar was shocked by the news that he had won the state level Letters About Literature (LAL), a national writing competition sponsored by the Library of Congress. A month after being selected to represent California on the national level, the program sent Kar an email notifying him he had won the overall competition. read more » Science teachers to teach different classes in department May 7, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung Starting next year, some teachers in the science department will be teaching different classes in order to accommodate students enrolled in some of the more popular courses such as AP Physics due to science teacher Bill Drennan’s decision to retire at the end of this year. read more » Junior wins first place in writing competition at state level March 30, 2011 — by Deborah Soung On March 18, during the beginning of second period orchestra, junior Akash Kar was checking his e-mail on his Blackberry phone when he saw a message that English teacher Natasha Ritchie had sent him earlier in the morning. After a brief “be right back” to orchestra instructor Michael Boitz, Kar dashed to his car, drove home, printed out the e-mail, stuck it on his dash and read the message as he drove back. read more » Students, teachers agree school should crack down on bullying March 28, 2011 — by Michael Lee and Deborah Soung Most students experience some degree of harassment or teasing from their peers, some much more seriously than others. In order to prevent bullying from spreading, assistant principal Brian Safine said that the administration has recently taken steps to open its harassment policy to include bullying. read more » The academic pitfalls of Saratoga: What AP classes are really worth March 25, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Junior Amanda Wu had never planned on taking two AP courses during her junior year in addition to her two honors courses and extracurriculars, which include badminton, soccer and SAT courses. read more » Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Hitchhiker’s guide to the Internet March 14, 2012 — by Deborah Soung If “there is no frigate like a book,” as Emily Dickinson said, there is no private jet like the Internet. With a few clicks of the mouse and taps of the keyboard, gigabytes of data are instantly unveiled, whisking away users to their own unique niche in the beauteous network system. read more » Falcon soon to be wearing a ‘Crown’ January 29, 2012 — by Sierra Smith and Deborah Soung A constant buzz of activity almost always occupies Room 303, filled with students transcribing interviews, doing layout and typing up articles for the Falcon newspaper or the Talisman yearbook. read more » Bookstore stocked with local history January 10, 2012 — by Deborah Soung Tucked away on Oak Street, the Book-Go-Round is overflowing not only with a variety of second-hand books but also with a rich historical background and a strong sense of community. read more » Occupy movement in need of leaders and goals December 13, 2011 — by Akshara Sekar and Deborah Soung There is the oh-so-noble and admirable cause behind the Occupy Wall Street movement to establish a better distribution of economic power in America. Then there are the horror stories: protesters smashing in shop windows and setting barricades ablaze in Oakland, attacking police officers with razor blades, unprovoked in San Francisco, and pushing elderly women down stairs in Washington, D.C. read more » Cupertino community counters WBC Protest October 24, 2011 — by Allison Chang and Deborah Soung Standing on the sidewalk in front of Cupertino High School on the morning of Oct. 19 were five protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), a group that has gained public scrutiny for their picketing at soldiers’ funerals, an act deemed inappropriate by many Americans. Opposite to them stood 50 counter-protesters. One called out through a megaphone, “If you hate America so much, then why don’t you go to Iraq?” The crowd cheered in support of his statement. read more » Sports games are not the only way to show school spirit October 22, 2011 — by Deborah Soung My acrimonious distaste for all things physically challenging arose during the period in which my father forced me, barely in elementary school at the time, into playing basketball. Unfortunately, this experience not only made me view basketball unfavorably, but it also rendered me allergic to all forms of exercise. Now, I use this as an excuse to avoid attending all sport-related school events, but lately I have questioned to what extent behavior like mine dampens school spirit. read more » Students build houses in Honduras over summer September 22, 2011 — by Sophie Mattson and Deborah Soung Last summer, junior Katlyn Hirokawa and sophomore Tim Casey-Clyde traveled to Honduras for two weeks with the Sierra Service Project (SSP), a Christian charity organization, to build two houses in the slums of Tegucigalpa, the capital. Today, according to the CIA World Factbook, Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America behind Nicaragua. Nearly 60 percent of the Honduran population lives below the poverty line. read more » Link Crew helps freshmen acclimate to high school life September 15, 2011 — by Sierra Smith and Deborah Soung Excited and eager for high school, 390 freshmen started the school year a little early on Aug. 19, for freshmen orientation. One hundred fifteen maroon-clad Link Crew leaders led their respective groups of freshmen through the school’s hallways to familiarize the freshmen with the school during orientation. read more » Media pay undue attention to sexuality September 9, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung It is hard to go a day in high school without hearing somebody utter the phrase “that’s so gay” in the hallways. This sort of passive homophobia, which has grown rampant over the last few years, has not only gained popularity in communities of immature teenagers, but also, unfortunately, in the media. “Meet Apple’s new boss, the most powerful gay man in Silicon Valley,” reads a Gawker headline; “Tim Cook is now the most powerful gay man in the world,” reads another from Business Insider. read more » Junior wins national writing competition May 18, 2011 — by Deborah Soung In late March, junior Akash Kar was shocked by the news that he had won the state level Letters About Literature (LAL), a national writing competition sponsored by the Library of Congress. A month after being selected to represent California on the national level, the program sent Kar an email notifying him he had won the overall competition. read more » Science teachers to teach different classes in department May 7, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung Starting next year, some teachers in the science department will be teaching different classes in order to accommodate students enrolled in some of the more popular courses such as AP Physics due to science teacher Bill Drennan’s decision to retire at the end of this year. read more » Junior wins first place in writing competition at state level March 30, 2011 — by Deborah Soung On March 18, during the beginning of second period orchestra, junior Akash Kar was checking his e-mail on his Blackberry phone when he saw a message that English teacher Natasha Ritchie had sent him earlier in the morning. After a brief “be right back” to orchestra instructor Michael Boitz, Kar dashed to his car, drove home, printed out the e-mail, stuck it on his dash and read the message as he drove back. read more » Students, teachers agree school should crack down on bullying March 28, 2011 — by Michael Lee and Deborah Soung Most students experience some degree of harassment or teasing from their peers, some much more seriously than others. In order to prevent bullying from spreading, assistant principal Brian Safine said that the administration has recently taken steps to open its harassment policy to include bullying. read more » The academic pitfalls of Saratoga: What AP classes are really worth March 25, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Junior Amanda Wu had never planned on taking two AP courses during her junior year in addition to her two honors courses and extracurriculars, which include badminton, soccer and SAT courses. read more » Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Falcon soon to be wearing a ‘Crown’ January 29, 2012 — by Sierra Smith and Deborah Soung A constant buzz of activity almost always occupies Room 303, filled with students transcribing interviews, doing layout and typing up articles for the Falcon newspaper or the Talisman yearbook. read more » Bookstore stocked with local history January 10, 2012 — by Deborah Soung Tucked away on Oak Street, the Book-Go-Round is overflowing not only with a variety of second-hand books but also with a rich historical background and a strong sense of community. read more » Occupy movement in need of leaders and goals December 13, 2011 — by Akshara Sekar and Deborah Soung There is the oh-so-noble and admirable cause behind the Occupy Wall Street movement to establish a better distribution of economic power in America. Then there are the horror stories: protesters smashing in shop windows and setting barricades ablaze in Oakland, attacking police officers with razor blades, unprovoked in San Francisco, and pushing elderly women down stairs in Washington, D.C. read more » Cupertino community counters WBC Protest October 24, 2011 — by Allison Chang and Deborah Soung Standing on the sidewalk in front of Cupertino High School on the morning of Oct. 19 were five protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), a group that has gained public scrutiny for their picketing at soldiers’ funerals, an act deemed inappropriate by many Americans. Opposite to them stood 50 counter-protesters. One called out through a megaphone, “If you hate America so much, then why don’t you go to Iraq?” The crowd cheered in support of his statement. read more » Sports games are not the only way to show school spirit October 22, 2011 — by Deborah Soung My acrimonious distaste for all things physically challenging arose during the period in which my father forced me, barely in elementary school at the time, into playing basketball. Unfortunately, this experience not only made me view basketball unfavorably, but it also rendered me allergic to all forms of exercise. Now, I use this as an excuse to avoid attending all sport-related school events, but lately I have questioned to what extent behavior like mine dampens school spirit. read more » Students build houses in Honduras over summer September 22, 2011 — by Sophie Mattson and Deborah Soung Last summer, junior Katlyn Hirokawa and sophomore Tim Casey-Clyde traveled to Honduras for two weeks with the Sierra Service Project (SSP), a Christian charity organization, to build two houses in the slums of Tegucigalpa, the capital. Today, according to the CIA World Factbook, Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America behind Nicaragua. Nearly 60 percent of the Honduran population lives below the poverty line. read more » Link Crew helps freshmen acclimate to high school life September 15, 2011 — by Sierra Smith and Deborah Soung Excited and eager for high school, 390 freshmen started the school year a little early on Aug. 19, for freshmen orientation. One hundred fifteen maroon-clad Link Crew leaders led their respective groups of freshmen through the school’s hallways to familiarize the freshmen with the school during orientation. read more » Media pay undue attention to sexuality September 9, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung It is hard to go a day in high school without hearing somebody utter the phrase “that’s so gay” in the hallways. This sort of passive homophobia, which has grown rampant over the last few years, has not only gained popularity in communities of immature teenagers, but also, unfortunately, in the media. “Meet Apple’s new boss, the most powerful gay man in Silicon Valley,” reads a Gawker headline; “Tim Cook is now the most powerful gay man in the world,” reads another from Business Insider. read more » Junior wins national writing competition May 18, 2011 — by Deborah Soung In late March, junior Akash Kar was shocked by the news that he had won the state level Letters About Literature (LAL), a national writing competition sponsored by the Library of Congress. A month after being selected to represent California on the national level, the program sent Kar an email notifying him he had won the overall competition. read more » Science teachers to teach different classes in department May 7, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung Starting next year, some teachers in the science department will be teaching different classes in order to accommodate students enrolled in some of the more popular courses such as AP Physics due to science teacher Bill Drennan’s decision to retire at the end of this year. read more » Junior wins first place in writing competition at state level March 30, 2011 — by Deborah Soung On March 18, during the beginning of second period orchestra, junior Akash Kar was checking his e-mail on his Blackberry phone when he saw a message that English teacher Natasha Ritchie had sent him earlier in the morning. After a brief “be right back” to orchestra instructor Michael Boitz, Kar dashed to his car, drove home, printed out the e-mail, stuck it on his dash and read the message as he drove back. read more » Students, teachers agree school should crack down on bullying March 28, 2011 — by Michael Lee and Deborah Soung Most students experience some degree of harassment or teasing from their peers, some much more seriously than others. In order to prevent bullying from spreading, assistant principal Brian Safine said that the administration has recently taken steps to open its harassment policy to include bullying. read more » The academic pitfalls of Saratoga: What AP classes are really worth March 25, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Junior Amanda Wu had never planned on taking two AP courses during her junior year in addition to her two honors courses and extracurriculars, which include badminton, soccer and SAT courses. read more » Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Bookstore stocked with local history January 10, 2012 — by Deborah Soung Tucked away on Oak Street, the Book-Go-Round is overflowing not only with a variety of second-hand books but also with a rich historical background and a strong sense of community. read more » Occupy movement in need of leaders and goals December 13, 2011 — by Akshara Sekar and Deborah Soung There is the oh-so-noble and admirable cause behind the Occupy Wall Street movement to establish a better distribution of economic power in America. Then there are the horror stories: protesters smashing in shop windows and setting barricades ablaze in Oakland, attacking police officers with razor blades, unprovoked in San Francisco, and pushing elderly women down stairs in Washington, D.C. read more » Cupertino community counters WBC Protest October 24, 2011 — by Allison Chang and Deborah Soung Standing on the sidewalk in front of Cupertino High School on the morning of Oct. 19 were five protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), a group that has gained public scrutiny for their picketing at soldiers’ funerals, an act deemed inappropriate by many Americans. Opposite to them stood 50 counter-protesters. One called out through a megaphone, “If you hate America so much, then why don’t you go to Iraq?” The crowd cheered in support of his statement. read more » Sports games are not the only way to show school spirit October 22, 2011 — by Deborah Soung My acrimonious distaste for all things physically challenging arose during the period in which my father forced me, barely in elementary school at the time, into playing basketball. Unfortunately, this experience not only made me view basketball unfavorably, but it also rendered me allergic to all forms of exercise. Now, I use this as an excuse to avoid attending all sport-related school events, but lately I have questioned to what extent behavior like mine dampens school spirit. read more » Students build houses in Honduras over summer September 22, 2011 — by Sophie Mattson and Deborah Soung Last summer, junior Katlyn Hirokawa and sophomore Tim Casey-Clyde traveled to Honduras for two weeks with the Sierra Service Project (SSP), a Christian charity organization, to build two houses in the slums of Tegucigalpa, the capital. Today, according to the CIA World Factbook, Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America behind Nicaragua. Nearly 60 percent of the Honduran population lives below the poverty line. read more » Link Crew helps freshmen acclimate to high school life September 15, 2011 — by Sierra Smith and Deborah Soung Excited and eager for high school, 390 freshmen started the school year a little early on Aug. 19, for freshmen orientation. One hundred fifteen maroon-clad Link Crew leaders led their respective groups of freshmen through the school’s hallways to familiarize the freshmen with the school during orientation. read more » Media pay undue attention to sexuality September 9, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung It is hard to go a day in high school without hearing somebody utter the phrase “that’s so gay” in the hallways. This sort of passive homophobia, which has grown rampant over the last few years, has not only gained popularity in communities of immature teenagers, but also, unfortunately, in the media. “Meet Apple’s new boss, the most powerful gay man in Silicon Valley,” reads a Gawker headline; “Tim Cook is now the most powerful gay man in the world,” reads another from Business Insider. read more » Junior wins national writing competition May 18, 2011 — by Deborah Soung In late March, junior Akash Kar was shocked by the news that he had won the state level Letters About Literature (LAL), a national writing competition sponsored by the Library of Congress. A month after being selected to represent California on the national level, the program sent Kar an email notifying him he had won the overall competition. read more » Science teachers to teach different classes in department May 7, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung Starting next year, some teachers in the science department will be teaching different classes in order to accommodate students enrolled in some of the more popular courses such as AP Physics due to science teacher Bill Drennan’s decision to retire at the end of this year. read more » Junior wins first place in writing competition at state level March 30, 2011 — by Deborah Soung On March 18, during the beginning of second period orchestra, junior Akash Kar was checking his e-mail on his Blackberry phone when he saw a message that English teacher Natasha Ritchie had sent him earlier in the morning. After a brief “be right back” to orchestra instructor Michael Boitz, Kar dashed to his car, drove home, printed out the e-mail, stuck it on his dash and read the message as he drove back. read more » Students, teachers agree school should crack down on bullying March 28, 2011 — by Michael Lee and Deborah Soung Most students experience some degree of harassment or teasing from their peers, some much more seriously than others. In order to prevent bullying from spreading, assistant principal Brian Safine said that the administration has recently taken steps to open its harassment policy to include bullying. read more » The academic pitfalls of Saratoga: What AP classes are really worth March 25, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Junior Amanda Wu had never planned on taking two AP courses during her junior year in addition to her two honors courses and extracurriculars, which include badminton, soccer and SAT courses. read more » Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Occupy movement in need of leaders and goals December 13, 2011 — by Akshara Sekar and Deborah Soung There is the oh-so-noble and admirable cause behind the Occupy Wall Street movement to establish a better distribution of economic power in America. Then there are the horror stories: protesters smashing in shop windows and setting barricades ablaze in Oakland, attacking police officers with razor blades, unprovoked in San Francisco, and pushing elderly women down stairs in Washington, D.C. read more » Cupertino community counters WBC Protest October 24, 2011 — by Allison Chang and Deborah Soung Standing on the sidewalk in front of Cupertino High School on the morning of Oct. 19 were five protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), a group that has gained public scrutiny for their picketing at soldiers’ funerals, an act deemed inappropriate by many Americans. Opposite to them stood 50 counter-protesters. One called out through a megaphone, “If you hate America so much, then why don’t you go to Iraq?” The crowd cheered in support of his statement. read more » Sports games are not the only way to show school spirit October 22, 2011 — by Deborah Soung My acrimonious distaste for all things physically challenging arose during the period in which my father forced me, barely in elementary school at the time, into playing basketball. Unfortunately, this experience not only made me view basketball unfavorably, but it also rendered me allergic to all forms of exercise. Now, I use this as an excuse to avoid attending all sport-related school events, but lately I have questioned to what extent behavior like mine dampens school spirit. read more » Students build houses in Honduras over summer September 22, 2011 — by Sophie Mattson and Deborah Soung Last summer, junior Katlyn Hirokawa and sophomore Tim Casey-Clyde traveled to Honduras for two weeks with the Sierra Service Project (SSP), a Christian charity organization, to build two houses in the slums of Tegucigalpa, the capital. Today, according to the CIA World Factbook, Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America behind Nicaragua. Nearly 60 percent of the Honduran population lives below the poverty line. read more » Link Crew helps freshmen acclimate to high school life September 15, 2011 — by Sierra Smith and Deborah Soung Excited and eager for high school, 390 freshmen started the school year a little early on Aug. 19, for freshmen orientation. One hundred fifteen maroon-clad Link Crew leaders led their respective groups of freshmen through the school’s hallways to familiarize the freshmen with the school during orientation. read more » Media pay undue attention to sexuality September 9, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung It is hard to go a day in high school without hearing somebody utter the phrase “that’s so gay” in the hallways. This sort of passive homophobia, which has grown rampant over the last few years, has not only gained popularity in communities of immature teenagers, but also, unfortunately, in the media. “Meet Apple’s new boss, the most powerful gay man in Silicon Valley,” reads a Gawker headline; “Tim Cook is now the most powerful gay man in the world,” reads another from Business Insider. read more » Junior wins national writing competition May 18, 2011 — by Deborah Soung In late March, junior Akash Kar was shocked by the news that he had won the state level Letters About Literature (LAL), a national writing competition sponsored by the Library of Congress. A month after being selected to represent California on the national level, the program sent Kar an email notifying him he had won the overall competition. read more » Science teachers to teach different classes in department May 7, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung Starting next year, some teachers in the science department will be teaching different classes in order to accommodate students enrolled in some of the more popular courses such as AP Physics due to science teacher Bill Drennan’s decision to retire at the end of this year. read more » Junior wins first place in writing competition at state level March 30, 2011 — by Deborah Soung On March 18, during the beginning of second period orchestra, junior Akash Kar was checking his e-mail on his Blackberry phone when he saw a message that English teacher Natasha Ritchie had sent him earlier in the morning. After a brief “be right back” to orchestra instructor Michael Boitz, Kar dashed to his car, drove home, printed out the e-mail, stuck it on his dash and read the message as he drove back. read more » Students, teachers agree school should crack down on bullying March 28, 2011 — by Michael Lee and Deborah Soung Most students experience some degree of harassment or teasing from their peers, some much more seriously than others. In order to prevent bullying from spreading, assistant principal Brian Safine said that the administration has recently taken steps to open its harassment policy to include bullying. read more » The academic pitfalls of Saratoga: What AP classes are really worth March 25, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Junior Amanda Wu had never planned on taking two AP courses during her junior year in addition to her two honors courses and extracurriculars, which include badminton, soccer and SAT courses. read more » Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Cupertino community counters WBC Protest October 24, 2011 — by Allison Chang and Deborah Soung Standing on the sidewalk in front of Cupertino High School on the morning of Oct. 19 were five protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), a group that has gained public scrutiny for their picketing at soldiers’ funerals, an act deemed inappropriate by many Americans. Opposite to them stood 50 counter-protesters. One called out through a megaphone, “If you hate America so much, then why don’t you go to Iraq?” The crowd cheered in support of his statement. read more » Sports games are not the only way to show school spirit October 22, 2011 — by Deborah Soung My acrimonious distaste for all things physically challenging arose during the period in which my father forced me, barely in elementary school at the time, into playing basketball. Unfortunately, this experience not only made me view basketball unfavorably, but it also rendered me allergic to all forms of exercise. Now, I use this as an excuse to avoid attending all sport-related school events, but lately I have questioned to what extent behavior like mine dampens school spirit. read more » Students build houses in Honduras over summer September 22, 2011 — by Sophie Mattson and Deborah Soung Last summer, junior Katlyn Hirokawa and sophomore Tim Casey-Clyde traveled to Honduras for two weeks with the Sierra Service Project (SSP), a Christian charity organization, to build two houses in the slums of Tegucigalpa, the capital. Today, according to the CIA World Factbook, Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America behind Nicaragua. Nearly 60 percent of the Honduran population lives below the poverty line. read more » Link Crew helps freshmen acclimate to high school life September 15, 2011 — by Sierra Smith and Deborah Soung Excited and eager for high school, 390 freshmen started the school year a little early on Aug. 19, for freshmen orientation. One hundred fifteen maroon-clad Link Crew leaders led their respective groups of freshmen through the school’s hallways to familiarize the freshmen with the school during orientation. read more » Media pay undue attention to sexuality September 9, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung It is hard to go a day in high school without hearing somebody utter the phrase “that’s so gay” in the hallways. This sort of passive homophobia, which has grown rampant over the last few years, has not only gained popularity in communities of immature teenagers, but also, unfortunately, in the media. “Meet Apple’s new boss, the most powerful gay man in Silicon Valley,” reads a Gawker headline; “Tim Cook is now the most powerful gay man in the world,” reads another from Business Insider. read more » Junior wins national writing competition May 18, 2011 — by Deborah Soung In late March, junior Akash Kar was shocked by the news that he had won the state level Letters About Literature (LAL), a national writing competition sponsored by the Library of Congress. A month after being selected to represent California on the national level, the program sent Kar an email notifying him he had won the overall competition. read more » Science teachers to teach different classes in department May 7, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung Starting next year, some teachers in the science department will be teaching different classes in order to accommodate students enrolled in some of the more popular courses such as AP Physics due to science teacher Bill Drennan’s decision to retire at the end of this year. read more » Junior wins first place in writing competition at state level March 30, 2011 — by Deborah Soung On March 18, during the beginning of second period orchestra, junior Akash Kar was checking his e-mail on his Blackberry phone when he saw a message that English teacher Natasha Ritchie had sent him earlier in the morning. After a brief “be right back” to orchestra instructor Michael Boitz, Kar dashed to his car, drove home, printed out the e-mail, stuck it on his dash and read the message as he drove back. read more » Students, teachers agree school should crack down on bullying March 28, 2011 — by Michael Lee and Deborah Soung Most students experience some degree of harassment or teasing from their peers, some much more seriously than others. In order to prevent bullying from spreading, assistant principal Brian Safine said that the administration has recently taken steps to open its harassment policy to include bullying. read more » The academic pitfalls of Saratoga: What AP classes are really worth March 25, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Junior Amanda Wu had never planned on taking two AP courses during her junior year in addition to her two honors courses and extracurriculars, which include badminton, soccer and SAT courses. read more » Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Sports games are not the only way to show school spirit October 22, 2011 — by Deborah Soung My acrimonious distaste for all things physically challenging arose during the period in which my father forced me, barely in elementary school at the time, into playing basketball. Unfortunately, this experience not only made me view basketball unfavorably, but it also rendered me allergic to all forms of exercise. Now, I use this as an excuse to avoid attending all sport-related school events, but lately I have questioned to what extent behavior like mine dampens school spirit. read more » Students build houses in Honduras over summer September 22, 2011 — by Sophie Mattson and Deborah Soung Last summer, junior Katlyn Hirokawa and sophomore Tim Casey-Clyde traveled to Honduras for two weeks with the Sierra Service Project (SSP), a Christian charity organization, to build two houses in the slums of Tegucigalpa, the capital. Today, according to the CIA World Factbook, Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America behind Nicaragua. Nearly 60 percent of the Honduran population lives below the poverty line. read more » Link Crew helps freshmen acclimate to high school life September 15, 2011 — by Sierra Smith and Deborah Soung Excited and eager for high school, 390 freshmen started the school year a little early on Aug. 19, for freshmen orientation. One hundred fifteen maroon-clad Link Crew leaders led their respective groups of freshmen through the school’s hallways to familiarize the freshmen with the school during orientation. read more » Media pay undue attention to sexuality September 9, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung It is hard to go a day in high school without hearing somebody utter the phrase “that’s so gay” in the hallways. This sort of passive homophobia, which has grown rampant over the last few years, has not only gained popularity in communities of immature teenagers, but also, unfortunately, in the media. “Meet Apple’s new boss, the most powerful gay man in Silicon Valley,” reads a Gawker headline; “Tim Cook is now the most powerful gay man in the world,” reads another from Business Insider. read more » Junior wins national writing competition May 18, 2011 — by Deborah Soung In late March, junior Akash Kar was shocked by the news that he had won the state level Letters About Literature (LAL), a national writing competition sponsored by the Library of Congress. A month after being selected to represent California on the national level, the program sent Kar an email notifying him he had won the overall competition. read more » Science teachers to teach different classes in department May 7, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung Starting next year, some teachers in the science department will be teaching different classes in order to accommodate students enrolled in some of the more popular courses such as AP Physics due to science teacher Bill Drennan’s decision to retire at the end of this year. read more » Junior wins first place in writing competition at state level March 30, 2011 — by Deborah Soung On March 18, during the beginning of second period orchestra, junior Akash Kar was checking his e-mail on his Blackberry phone when he saw a message that English teacher Natasha Ritchie had sent him earlier in the morning. After a brief “be right back” to orchestra instructor Michael Boitz, Kar dashed to his car, drove home, printed out the e-mail, stuck it on his dash and read the message as he drove back. read more » Students, teachers agree school should crack down on bullying March 28, 2011 — by Michael Lee and Deborah Soung Most students experience some degree of harassment or teasing from their peers, some much more seriously than others. In order to prevent bullying from spreading, assistant principal Brian Safine said that the administration has recently taken steps to open its harassment policy to include bullying. read more » The academic pitfalls of Saratoga: What AP classes are really worth March 25, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Junior Amanda Wu had never planned on taking two AP courses during her junior year in addition to her two honors courses and extracurriculars, which include badminton, soccer and SAT courses. read more » Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Students build houses in Honduras over summer September 22, 2011 — by Sophie Mattson and Deborah Soung Last summer, junior Katlyn Hirokawa and sophomore Tim Casey-Clyde traveled to Honduras for two weeks with the Sierra Service Project (SSP), a Christian charity organization, to build two houses in the slums of Tegucigalpa, the capital. Today, according to the CIA World Factbook, Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America behind Nicaragua. Nearly 60 percent of the Honduran population lives below the poverty line. read more » Link Crew helps freshmen acclimate to high school life September 15, 2011 — by Sierra Smith and Deborah Soung Excited and eager for high school, 390 freshmen started the school year a little early on Aug. 19, for freshmen orientation. One hundred fifteen maroon-clad Link Crew leaders led their respective groups of freshmen through the school’s hallways to familiarize the freshmen with the school during orientation. read more » Media pay undue attention to sexuality September 9, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung It is hard to go a day in high school without hearing somebody utter the phrase “that’s so gay” in the hallways. This sort of passive homophobia, which has grown rampant over the last few years, has not only gained popularity in communities of immature teenagers, but also, unfortunately, in the media. “Meet Apple’s new boss, the most powerful gay man in Silicon Valley,” reads a Gawker headline; “Tim Cook is now the most powerful gay man in the world,” reads another from Business Insider. read more » Junior wins national writing competition May 18, 2011 — by Deborah Soung In late March, junior Akash Kar was shocked by the news that he had won the state level Letters About Literature (LAL), a national writing competition sponsored by the Library of Congress. A month after being selected to represent California on the national level, the program sent Kar an email notifying him he had won the overall competition. read more » Science teachers to teach different classes in department May 7, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung Starting next year, some teachers in the science department will be teaching different classes in order to accommodate students enrolled in some of the more popular courses such as AP Physics due to science teacher Bill Drennan’s decision to retire at the end of this year. read more » Junior wins first place in writing competition at state level March 30, 2011 — by Deborah Soung On March 18, during the beginning of second period orchestra, junior Akash Kar was checking his e-mail on his Blackberry phone when he saw a message that English teacher Natasha Ritchie had sent him earlier in the morning. After a brief “be right back” to orchestra instructor Michael Boitz, Kar dashed to his car, drove home, printed out the e-mail, stuck it on his dash and read the message as he drove back. read more » Students, teachers agree school should crack down on bullying March 28, 2011 — by Michael Lee and Deborah Soung Most students experience some degree of harassment or teasing from their peers, some much more seriously than others. In order to prevent bullying from spreading, assistant principal Brian Safine said that the administration has recently taken steps to open its harassment policy to include bullying. read more » The academic pitfalls of Saratoga: What AP classes are really worth March 25, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Junior Amanda Wu had never planned on taking two AP courses during her junior year in addition to her two honors courses and extracurriculars, which include badminton, soccer and SAT courses. read more » Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Link Crew helps freshmen acclimate to high school life September 15, 2011 — by Sierra Smith and Deborah Soung Excited and eager for high school, 390 freshmen started the school year a little early on Aug. 19, for freshmen orientation. One hundred fifteen maroon-clad Link Crew leaders led their respective groups of freshmen through the school’s hallways to familiarize the freshmen with the school during orientation. read more » Media pay undue attention to sexuality September 9, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung It is hard to go a day in high school without hearing somebody utter the phrase “that’s so gay” in the hallways. This sort of passive homophobia, which has grown rampant over the last few years, has not only gained popularity in communities of immature teenagers, but also, unfortunately, in the media. “Meet Apple’s new boss, the most powerful gay man in Silicon Valley,” reads a Gawker headline; “Tim Cook is now the most powerful gay man in the world,” reads another from Business Insider. read more » Junior wins national writing competition May 18, 2011 — by Deborah Soung In late March, junior Akash Kar was shocked by the news that he had won the state level Letters About Literature (LAL), a national writing competition sponsored by the Library of Congress. A month after being selected to represent California on the national level, the program sent Kar an email notifying him he had won the overall competition. read more » Science teachers to teach different classes in department May 7, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung Starting next year, some teachers in the science department will be teaching different classes in order to accommodate students enrolled in some of the more popular courses such as AP Physics due to science teacher Bill Drennan’s decision to retire at the end of this year. read more » Junior wins first place in writing competition at state level March 30, 2011 — by Deborah Soung On March 18, during the beginning of second period orchestra, junior Akash Kar was checking his e-mail on his Blackberry phone when he saw a message that English teacher Natasha Ritchie had sent him earlier in the morning. After a brief “be right back” to orchestra instructor Michael Boitz, Kar dashed to his car, drove home, printed out the e-mail, stuck it on his dash and read the message as he drove back. read more » Students, teachers agree school should crack down on bullying March 28, 2011 — by Michael Lee and Deborah Soung Most students experience some degree of harassment or teasing from their peers, some much more seriously than others. In order to prevent bullying from spreading, assistant principal Brian Safine said that the administration has recently taken steps to open its harassment policy to include bullying. read more » The academic pitfalls of Saratoga: What AP classes are really worth March 25, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Junior Amanda Wu had never planned on taking two AP courses during her junior year in addition to her two honors courses and extracurriculars, which include badminton, soccer and SAT courses. read more » Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Media pay undue attention to sexuality September 9, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung It is hard to go a day in high school without hearing somebody utter the phrase “that’s so gay” in the hallways. This sort of passive homophobia, which has grown rampant over the last few years, has not only gained popularity in communities of immature teenagers, but also, unfortunately, in the media. “Meet Apple’s new boss, the most powerful gay man in Silicon Valley,” reads a Gawker headline; “Tim Cook is now the most powerful gay man in the world,” reads another from Business Insider. read more » Junior wins national writing competition May 18, 2011 — by Deborah Soung In late March, junior Akash Kar was shocked by the news that he had won the state level Letters About Literature (LAL), a national writing competition sponsored by the Library of Congress. A month after being selected to represent California on the national level, the program sent Kar an email notifying him he had won the overall competition. read more » Science teachers to teach different classes in department May 7, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung Starting next year, some teachers in the science department will be teaching different classes in order to accommodate students enrolled in some of the more popular courses such as AP Physics due to science teacher Bill Drennan’s decision to retire at the end of this year. read more » Junior wins first place in writing competition at state level March 30, 2011 — by Deborah Soung On March 18, during the beginning of second period orchestra, junior Akash Kar was checking his e-mail on his Blackberry phone when he saw a message that English teacher Natasha Ritchie had sent him earlier in the morning. After a brief “be right back” to orchestra instructor Michael Boitz, Kar dashed to his car, drove home, printed out the e-mail, stuck it on his dash and read the message as he drove back. read more » Students, teachers agree school should crack down on bullying March 28, 2011 — by Michael Lee and Deborah Soung Most students experience some degree of harassment or teasing from their peers, some much more seriously than others. In order to prevent bullying from spreading, assistant principal Brian Safine said that the administration has recently taken steps to open its harassment policy to include bullying. read more » The academic pitfalls of Saratoga: What AP classes are really worth March 25, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Junior Amanda Wu had never planned on taking two AP courses during her junior year in addition to her two honors courses and extracurriculars, which include badminton, soccer and SAT courses. read more » Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Junior wins national writing competition May 18, 2011 — by Deborah Soung In late March, junior Akash Kar was shocked by the news that he had won the state level Letters About Literature (LAL), a national writing competition sponsored by the Library of Congress. A month after being selected to represent California on the national level, the program sent Kar an email notifying him he had won the overall competition. read more » Science teachers to teach different classes in department May 7, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung Starting next year, some teachers in the science department will be teaching different classes in order to accommodate students enrolled in some of the more popular courses such as AP Physics due to science teacher Bill Drennan’s decision to retire at the end of this year. read more » Junior wins first place in writing competition at state level March 30, 2011 — by Deborah Soung On March 18, during the beginning of second period orchestra, junior Akash Kar was checking his e-mail on his Blackberry phone when he saw a message that English teacher Natasha Ritchie had sent him earlier in the morning. After a brief “be right back” to orchestra instructor Michael Boitz, Kar dashed to his car, drove home, printed out the e-mail, stuck it on his dash and read the message as he drove back. read more » Students, teachers agree school should crack down on bullying March 28, 2011 — by Michael Lee and Deborah Soung Most students experience some degree of harassment or teasing from their peers, some much more seriously than others. In order to prevent bullying from spreading, assistant principal Brian Safine said that the administration has recently taken steps to open its harassment policy to include bullying. read more » The academic pitfalls of Saratoga: What AP classes are really worth March 25, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Junior Amanda Wu had never planned on taking two AP courses during her junior year in addition to her two honors courses and extracurriculars, which include badminton, soccer and SAT courses. read more » Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Science teachers to teach different classes in department May 7, 2011 — by Aashna Mukerji and Deborah Soung Starting next year, some teachers in the science department will be teaching different classes in order to accommodate students enrolled in some of the more popular courses such as AP Physics due to science teacher Bill Drennan’s decision to retire at the end of this year. read more » Junior wins first place in writing competition at state level March 30, 2011 — by Deborah Soung On March 18, during the beginning of second period orchestra, junior Akash Kar was checking his e-mail on his Blackberry phone when he saw a message that English teacher Natasha Ritchie had sent him earlier in the morning. After a brief “be right back” to orchestra instructor Michael Boitz, Kar dashed to his car, drove home, printed out the e-mail, stuck it on his dash and read the message as he drove back. read more » Students, teachers agree school should crack down on bullying March 28, 2011 — by Michael Lee and Deborah Soung Most students experience some degree of harassment or teasing from their peers, some much more seriously than others. In order to prevent bullying from spreading, assistant principal Brian Safine said that the administration has recently taken steps to open its harassment policy to include bullying. read more » The academic pitfalls of Saratoga: What AP classes are really worth March 25, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Junior Amanda Wu had never planned on taking two AP courses during her junior year in addition to her two honors courses and extracurriculars, which include badminton, soccer and SAT courses. read more » Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Junior wins first place in writing competition at state level March 30, 2011 — by Deborah Soung On March 18, during the beginning of second period orchestra, junior Akash Kar was checking his e-mail on his Blackberry phone when he saw a message that English teacher Natasha Ritchie had sent him earlier in the morning. After a brief “be right back” to orchestra instructor Michael Boitz, Kar dashed to his car, drove home, printed out the e-mail, stuck it on his dash and read the message as he drove back. read more » Students, teachers agree school should crack down on bullying March 28, 2011 — by Michael Lee and Deborah Soung Most students experience some degree of harassment or teasing from their peers, some much more seriously than others. In order to prevent bullying from spreading, assistant principal Brian Safine said that the administration has recently taken steps to open its harassment policy to include bullying. read more » The academic pitfalls of Saratoga: What AP classes are really worth March 25, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Junior Amanda Wu had never planned on taking two AP courses during her junior year in addition to her two honors courses and extracurriculars, which include badminton, soccer and SAT courses. read more » Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Students, teachers agree school should crack down on bullying March 28, 2011 — by Michael Lee and Deborah Soung Most students experience some degree of harassment or teasing from their peers, some much more seriously than others. In order to prevent bullying from spreading, assistant principal Brian Safine said that the administration has recently taken steps to open its harassment policy to include bullying. read more » The academic pitfalls of Saratoga: What AP classes are really worth March 25, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Junior Amanda Wu had never planned on taking two AP courses during her junior year in addition to her two honors courses and extracurriculars, which include badminton, soccer and SAT courses. read more » Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
The academic pitfalls of Saratoga: What AP classes are really worth March 25, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Junior Amanda Wu had never planned on taking two AP courses during her junior year in addition to her two honors courses and extracurriculars, which include badminton, soccer and SAT courses. read more » Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Students take action for parcel tax measure March 23, 2011 — by Deborah Soung Imagine a school where budget cuts have begun to limit students’ learning, where students outnumber teachers 40 to 1 in typical classes, where textbooks and resources are lacking quality and electives such as band, orchestra and drama are no longer offered or greatly reduced. read more » Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Robotics team builds to win March 10, 2011 — by Deborah Soung and Kim Tsai Although the current robotics team is only two years old, its members are confident and ready for the first part of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) on March 17 in Seattle. Doing well in the Seattle Regional will allow them to move onto the Silicon Valley Regional and eventually the FRC Championships. read more » Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Small team yields big achievements throughout season March 1, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Having overcome numerous challenges throughout the season such as inexperienced newcomers, injury and the loss of players, the wrestling team stayed strong and sent four of its wrestlers to CCS at Independence High School on Feb. 25 and 26. Those wrestlers were juniors Graham Grant and AJ Murabito and sophomores Zach Hansen and Henry Wei. read more » Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Wrestling team outstanding at Mid Cal Tournament February 6, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Regardless of the nervousness emanating throughout Gilroy High school during the weekend of Jan. 22, the wrestling team remained staunch and wrestled their way into the upper rankings of Mid Cal, one of the most difficult wrestling tournaments in California. read more » Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Choir to sing Robert Frost poems in ‘Frostiana’ February 5, 2011 — by Deborah Soung The Saratoga, Lynbook and Homestead High School choirs will join forces Feb. 10 with the Saratoga orchestra to perform the masterpiece “Frostiana” in the McAfee Center. read more » The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
The best jobs save puppies January 28, 2011 — by Deborah Soung A veterinarian is a sort of superman who can mend bones, destroy diseases and terminate tumors across a vast range of pet species, often while keeping a small business running smoothly. The figure behind the DeAnza Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Brien J. Bates, DVM, with a sunny demeanor and quick smile, is such a man who diagnoses and treats species from puppies to parrots. read more » Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Senate simulation successfully stimulates students January 24, 2011 — by Deborah Soung “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next,” Abraham Lincoln once said. So what better way to prepare a generation to improve the future government than allow them to be in one? read more » Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Making weight makes wrestling a tough sport January 7, 2011 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung Think only women are picky about their weight? Think again. In the world of wrestling, even the smallest weight gain or loss can send a wrestler tumbling through various weight classes and training; indeed, a wrestler’s dieting plan can rival the harshness of the Atkin’s. read more » Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Team wrestles to success despite challenges early in season December 10, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung “Keep calm and carry on,” was the British motto during the beginning of World War II, when invasion was imminent. Through the hectic beginning of the wrestling season, with a new coach, injured captain and an extremely young team, the wrestling team has also lived by this motto, managing to pull through with surprisingly strong results. read more » Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Simulation allows students to learn how today’s leaders operate at national conferences November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Amid the quiet chatter in teacher Matt Torrens’s room during tutorial on Nov. 17, about a dozen world geography students fiddled nervously with their placards, which displayed the names of countries, and shuffled their neatly typed notes. read more » Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Mock trial coach Dr. Hugh Roberts and the professions in his pocket November 30, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Remember dreaming about future careers as a child, struggling to choose between becoming a teacher or a doctor of philosophy or an author or a lawyer? How about choosing all four? read more » BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
BART case verdict triggers opposition November 23, 2010 — by Deborah Soung and Ashwini Velchamy During the early hours of New Year’s day 2009, Johannes Mehserle, a white police officer, mistook his gun for a Taser and fatally shot Oscar J. Grant III, a black man, at a BART station in Oakland. read more » School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
School board elections get competitive November 9, 2010 — by Deborah Soung After the Nov. 2 elections, the Saratoga Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District will each welcome three new members to their school board. In each district, four candidates will vie for three open seats. read more » You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
You can’t take a fangirl out of the fandom November 6, 2010 — by Deborah Soung It disappoints me that Microsoft's spell check does not recognize “fangirl” as a correctly spelled English word. It is the word that my life has revolved around since I discovered the volatility of the Internet in middle school, and it sums up who I am in a neat seven letters. read more » Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Wrestling: New coach provides fresh start to season November 3, 2010 — by Brandon Judoprasetijo and Deborah Soung The wrestling season began on Nov. 1 with a fresh source of motivation: a new coach. Joe Pele has coached the Lynbrook High team for four years and the Miller Middle School team for six years in the past and is now looking to guide the Falcons in wrestling. read more » Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Westboro ‘church’ does not deserve First Amendment protection October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung The day is overcast as the family and friends of a fallen soldier file into his funeral. The funeral of a soldier should be sacred, solemn and respectful, but a group of picketers lies in wait, holding signs branded with slogans such as "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS" and "GOD HATES FAGS," and singing twisted parodies of hymns which express hate instead of love. read more » Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Joshua Harris: Costume Extremist October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Junior Joshua Harris has been regarded by others as funny, weird and eccentric for his outgoing attitude and interesting fashion choices which include snuggies, characters like Jailebirde for the junior quad day, and historical figures for his history classes. read more » Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Vivan Wang: Interior Designer October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Many students own a sketchbook or two filled with doodles or drawings of animals or manga characters, but not freshman Vivian Wang––her sketchbook is full of sketches of still lifes and empty rooms filled with furniture, each drawn with dark and precise strokes of her pencil. read more » Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
Cynthia Chen: Video Game Enthusiast October 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung Most girls have stockpiles of clothes in flashy arrays of color. Sophomore Cynthia Chen has an ever-expanding collection of video games from Portal to Final Fantasy. read more » In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
In fragile economy, students choose public over private September 22, 2010 — by Deborah Soung His first class was P.E., and the shy freshman stood awkwardly alone off to the side in the weight room. As a Harker student who transferred to Saratoga High last year, Benjamin Yang could not recognize a single face during the entire morning of his first day of freshman year. read more » The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »
The SAT, for better or for worse September 14, 2010 — by Deborah Soung When I was small I always wanted a million of everything. I wanted a million pieces of candy, a million new hair clips, a million stuffed animals. Now I only want 2,400 points on the SAT. The SAT testing dates have become the modern days of judgement: Get a bad score and never make it into that dream university, get a perfect score and earn the affections of college administrations everywhere. Therefore, without a good SAT score, there is no future. Well, that was my first and very incorrect impression of the dreaded test. read more »