Editorial Board

Students who bike to school may have noticed a rather large change lately, aside from the the school’s paint job. Without notice, over the weekend of Oct. 8-9, the bike racks were moved from the hallway next to the girls’ locker room to the front of the school next to the entrance of large gym.

When it comes time for student council elections, it’s not surprising to see countless students gathering signatures for application packets and flashy campaign posters taped around the campus. While this publicity may be necessary to ensure a candidate’s success it does not guarantee that a worthy candidate be elected. Fortunately, a simple solution exists: using the MAP program’s technology to revive campaign speeches.

Thursday night has arrived again, and senior Evan Ye is quickly running to his computer. Nothing needs to be typed or printed. Instead, he logs into his Facebook account, seeing dozens of notifications from the school AP Biology group: students asking for the date of the next exam, for the definition of an allosteric enzyme and if they need to print out the Chapter 6 lecture notes before next class. Ye is one of the administrators of a user-made AP Bio group on Facebook, which was created during the summer.

AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Calculus and AP Physics make up just a sampling of the advanced-level classes the school offers in math and science. Of the 32 honors and AP classes, 11 are math and science related while those in other subjects are often restricted.

School elections this year no longer mean a small slip of paper with names to circle or check. While the recent transition from in-class to online elections was expected to flow smoothly, the school experienced numerous unexpected problems in voter turnout and alleged hacking.

School elections this year no longer mean a small slip of paper with names to circle or check. While the recent transition from in-class to online elections was expected to flow smoothly, the school experienced numerous unexpected problems in voter turnout and alleged hacking.

Administrators have begun to crack down on bullying with a new policy. The document outlaws “unwanted conduct that takes place over time, and that comprises of serious incidents that are severe, pervasive and involve negative actions.”

This graduation, forget academic recognition. Forget community service honors. Forget individuality—from now on, the administration wants everyone to be the same. As part of a new policy, students will not be able to wear the cords that signify distinction in academic honors and community service at the graduation ceremony. Although students will still be allowed to wear the cords on Senior Awards Night, they will be conspicuously absent from the graduation ceremony this June.

Take a walk through the Saratoga village any day of the week and you’ll find an assortment of over-priced restaurants, empty sidewalks, vacant storefronts and the occasional straggler. When compared to the bustling downtown of nearby Los Gatos, the Village is indeed a ghost town.

Last spring, each officer for ASB ran unopposed. With no opponents, candidates had virtually a free pass to their office, making the process more of a coronation than a competitive race where different ideas are debated.