Emily Chen

Senior sisters finally get to play a team sport together for a season. 

With the Early Decision option at some schools, students may send their applications at an earlier deadline as long as they agree to attend the school if admitted. While uncommon, some students who are accepted into their Early Decision schools do not follow through with their agreement by continuing to apply to other schools, and go so far as to commit to a different school.  

Each of the team's three CCS games was low scoring and intense.

Although most seniors are unproductive during their second semester of senior year, senior Emily Chen thinks otherwise. 

Miller scores winning goal. 

Heading into the remainder of the season and now in second place in the De Anza League with an overall record of 9-3-2, the field hockey team is looking to keep up its intensity as it works toward the goal of returning to CCS.  

Chainmail: don't click it

Lilah Foster learned to sail at summer camp in Maine.

2016-2017 girl's field hockey team

At Clovis West High School on May 20, juniors Stefanie Ting and Anna Zhou, sophomore Jeanette Khowong and freshman Lei Otsuka competed at the CIF Swimming and Diving State Championships. In the end, their preliminary times were not fast enough for them to qualify for a second swim in the finals on May 21.  

Despite concerns voiced by some parents and students earlier in the year, the 2016-2017 school year will have a rolling block schedule with each day.

The swimming team hasn’t obtained great results in the team category, but several individual stars are continuing to shine.  

Spanish teacher Arnaldo Rodriguex, who has taught in the district for more than four decades years, said his plan for retirement did not feel right anymore.

On the afternoon of April 16, a crowd of students donning dresses and tuxedos will board buses at SHS, ready for junior prom at Hayes Mansion, a hotel resort in San Jose.

Under the control of freshman Daniel Bessonov, the quadcopter drone hovered, facing the club members as they posed for a picture on the bench of the math quad. With the tap of a finger on a smartphone, the phone-controlled camera attached to the drone captured the group photo.

Recap and plans for boys and girls swim teams. 

In order for his own voice to be heard, Moghadam has continued to stay involved in the election process. Just one of the millennials “feeling the Bern,” Moghadam supports a system of European-style socialism, believing there is a stigma against the idea in the United States even though it is only an economic system.  

Sophomore Amelia Berardo finds passion in directing for GIFT, and acting.

A parent has created a petition that asks the school to offer an algebra-based Physics class to freshmen and sophomores as a way of lightening the heavy workloads of junior and senior year.  

Freshman Simran Mallik is an active member of the Make-A-Wish Young Professionals Advisory Council Jr. Team. She has teamed up with Acts of Random Kindness (ARK) Club this holiday season to host a Letters to Santa fundraiser.  

The field hockey team has continued to hold its own thus far, with an overall record of 12-1-1 and league record of 7-1-0, and has a strong mentality of earning a high league ranking and making CCS.

Three sophomore friends, united by their interest in music, have re-established Glee Club with the mission to share music beyond the school’s realm.

Early on, the Falcons have defeated St. Francis 1-0 on Sept. 3 and St. Ignatius 3-1 on Sept. 14 and Davis 1-0 on Sept. 18 with one fewer player.

Junior Anna Dutro attended and graduated Culver Military Academy's Summer Camp. 

From being scheduled to meet twice a week to never formally meeting during the school year at all, the school’s DECA club sputtered last year and was rescinded by ASB during second semester.

Assistant principal Kevin Mount has decided to step down from his position at the end of this year, citing unhappiness with nature of the work.

The girls’ lacrosse team ended its season with a 16-10 first-round loss to top-ranked Palo Alto in Santa Clara Valley Athletic (SCVAL) playoffs on May 13. The Falcons’ final season record was 6-7.  

The Helping Hands Club was founded by senior Rohit Rao and 2014 graduate Eric Taw in 2013 to provide students with assistance in any subject. Tutors meet every other Wednesday in room 410. The club uses an online form that allows students to request help, and from there, Rao assigns tutors.

Recently, some journalists have selected pictures that have been enhanced in Photoshop and compared them with the original pictures. As the movement toward natural beauty has gained steam, young people today better understand the media’s often exaggerated images.  

The Social Justice Club, founded by junior Caroline Oliver near the beginning of this semester, meets Tuesdays with adviser Amy Keys in room 006. The 10-member club provides a place where students can discuss and learn about current social issues. Their goal is to have a place for students of all types who can discuss current issues in a safe environment.

Digital electronics, a new elective course that will be the third class added to the Project Lead the Way program, is tailored to sophomores, juniors and seniors, and will teach students about technology and give them hands-on experience in engineering.

Senior Neel Kattumadam, a member of  the March Madness basketball team “PM,” ran down the court with his heart beating and legs pumping. His team remained nervous as the game neared its end, and the close score of 15-14 left no room for error. A misstep by a defender allowed Kattumadam, the team’s point guard who runs the team’s offense and controls the ball, to take the winning shot that advanced them to the quarterfinals.

Clustered around a kitchen counter, the 15 or so students soaked ladyfingers — long, oval sponge cakes — in coffee and watched as the pastries soften into mush. They then began to combine the ladyfingers into a single cake layer, mixing it in coffee powder to make a cream. The budding chefs were gathered in senior Kyle Yuen’s home for a culinary night and just successfully created tiramisu.

Since the beginning of the school year, about 17 of the 28 clubs surveyed by the Falcon have experienced a decrease in membership. Many clubs have had trouble sparking an interest and recruiting club members, though the recent Club Rush helped raise money.

Many students decide not to go to the Los Gatos DMV for their drivers test due to the “compact and small town area,” according to health and drivers education teacher Amy Obenour. Also, it has been rumored that nine out of 10 students who take the behind-the-wheel test at the Los Gatos DMV fail.  

Coexist: Gay-Straight Alliance, which has about 15 regular club members, meets every other Thursday with adviser Amy Keys in room 006. The club welcomes everyone and aims to provide a safe haven for queer people at school, raise awareness in the community and contribute to the global civil rights movement for LGBTQ+.

Now sitting in fourth place in the De Anza league with a 3-5-2 league record, the girls’ soccer team hopes to secure its chances of making CCS in the last few games of the season. The Falcons must win two of their three upcoming matches to qualify for CCS.

Students taking P.E. classes go through several fitness tests throughout the school year.

Through Google Analytics, universities are able to track when an email is opened or when a link is clicked. This feature allows colleges to track student interest and use that information to make admissions decisions.

Play time together on the soccer field helps tighten the bond between twin sisters juniors Kaitlyn and Kimberly Chen, as they learn to get through tough moments and enjoy themselves during funny moments.

Saratoga’s teachers recently received an A plus rating from Business Insider. The magazine released an article on Nov. 4 naming the 25 best public high schools in the country. Saratoga High School was No. 23.

The holiday boutique, an annual fundraiser for the junior class, will take place in the cafeteria and Thermond Drama Center on Dec. 7.  

During Photography Club, which meets every other Wednesday in adviser Catherine Head’s room 005, members share photography techniques and discuss camera features they find useful.

Second chances aren’t common, so when 2014 graduate Drew Bryan got one, he seized it. He had missed his chance to be recruited for cross country and track, since he didn’t achieve any standout times until the track season in the spring of his senior year.

The Falcons secured a spot in CCS and placed second in the De Anza Division in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League with a 2-1 overtime win over Cupertino on Nov. 7.

Sophomore Aryana Goodarzi relays her experiences with being Persian.

Although sophomore Alex Kwon moved to America from Korea at age 5, he still maintains his ties with Korean culture.

The stage will be set in the McAfee Center for the Saratoga Idol singing competition on Nov. 20.

Is it ethical to use college counselors to get ahead?

Sophomore Aarushi Lakhotia excels in squash, a little-known indoor racquet sport.

Sophomore Alexandria Tso creates the new club, the Global Health Club. The club aims to have members learn about healthcare in different countries and help contribute to programs to better international health care. 

Sophomore Aarushi Lakhotia excels in the little known game of squash. 

A policy requiring clubs to keep track of minutes and have advisers present during meetings will be more strongly enforced this year.

Dance team impresses students with their new season's energetic performances.

After Planet Juice closed down a few years ago, the vacant spot next to Starbucks has been filled by Saratoga’s very own cupcake store, Minicakes by Tasha, which opened on Aug. 30.

SHS alumni return to coach the school's sports teams.

By now, most students have probably heard of the expulsion and suspension of several students around campus for drug-related issues. The expulsion of one student in particular for dealing drugs on campus has sparked an outrage among some, and even stirred students to create an online petition that was widely circulated on Facebook, asking the administration to reconsider their decision.

Dear adolescent girls of America, Contrary to popular belief, your self-worth is not based in the label splayed across your overpriced neon pink tracksuit that’s made of the same material as what I dry myself off with after a shower. Also, nobody can tell if the “Merry Berry” lip gloss you’re wearing is M.A.C or Smackers. Furthermore, the purpose of make-up is to conceal flaws and enhance features – so it is not in any way necessary, or complementary, for you to be wearing four layers of foundation and concealer, topped with bronzer and blush when your skin is still flawlessly smooth and pimple-free.

As part of a high-achieving academic environment, Saratoga High students find the thought of a fellow classmate not knowing the political party of our president unfathomable. The recent ground-breaking and historical election aside, however, it wouldn’t have been too difficult to find a student who was ignorant of the political affiliation of our former president George Bush. With the economy collapsing around us and companies announcing new layoffs daily, it seems like knowledge of why such events are occurring should be ingrained into our curriculum. After all, these are the issues that will be affecting us on a daily basis when we graduate into the real world, often much more so than AP European History or AP Calculus. Both economics and U.S. government are required classes needed to graduate, yet even though they are apparently important enough to be considered essential before we attend college, they’re restricted to a mere 18 weeks each in senior year. Is that enough?

There have been a lot of outbreaks recently. The peanut butter salmonella crisis. SARS, Mad Cow Disease, and something about spinach and tomatoes. OK, so those weren’t recent, but we were too lazy to think of actual recent ones because signs of an annual outbreak have reappeared at Saratoga. There are some who call this outbreak “Senioritis,” but we prefer to call it the “much-deserved-brain-vacation-itis.”

Junior Varun Parmar recently made it to States at the Congress qualifiers at Harker on March 7. Junior Saniha Shankar made it as first alternate.

The school welcomed 1995 alumni Kyle Barisich, who plays the lead role of Raul in the national tour of the Broadway musical “Phantom of the Opera.”

It has been 92 minutes since I sat down in a burst of conviction to write this article. This burst of conviction has proved to be very short-lived, however, as in these 92 minutes I have gotten exactly these two sentences done. What have I been doing? Friends who know me well might guess that I was just wasting time as usual on the Internet. Well, such friends would be almost correct, except I don’t consider it to be “wasting time.” Seeing as how this article is about Facebook stalking, I really just spent a solid hour and 32 minutes conducting intensive research on my topic.

On Monday, Dec. 15, the school welcomed a guest speaker, 1995 alumni Kyle Barisich, who plays the lead role of Raul in the national tour of the Broadway musical “Phantom of the Opera.” He spoke to the fine arts program about his experience as a musician and actor.

The speech and debate team has come along way since the beginning of the year. With steady coaches and a more bonded team, the newer members have been able to achieve impressive records in varsity tournaments.

The community of Saratoga High is somewhat of a paradox in and of itself. Our state is obviously heavily Democratic, yet there's a reason our Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visited our humble school for a fund-raiser a few years ago.

With the season in full swing, the speech and debate team competed in the two-day league tournament at Milpitas High School on Nov.15 and 16th. All Individual events took place on Saturday. The competition was stiff, but sophomore Soorya Rangan broke to semi-finals in Impromptu and Sophomore Keeti Shukla advanced to semi-finals in Foreign Extemporaneous. Sophomore Vance Lindholm took fifth place in National Extemporaneous speech. “I really thought all my practice finally paid off," said Lindholm. "It was also really nice to have the support of the whole team during the final rounds."

With the season in full swing, the speech and debate team competed in the two-day league tournament at Milpitas High School on Nov.15 and 16th. All Individual events took place on Saturday. The competition was stiff, but sophomore Soorya Rangan broke to semi-finals in Impromptu and Sophomore Keeti Shukla advanced to semi-finals in Foreign Extemporaneous. Sophomore Vance Lindholm took fifth place in National Extemporaneous speech.

The speech and debate team started off the new year with a league tournament at Gunn High School on Oct. 11. The events offered were Public Forum and Parliamentary debate. “Even though nobody went undefeated, it was a really good learning experience for everybody, especially the novices,” said senior Parliamentary co-captain Emily Chen. “I know that we’ll be able to take what we learned here and do even better at the next tournament.”

What’s in a name? The leaders of the formerly named PTSA have changed their name to the PTSO (Parent Teacher Student Organization) in order to get more control on where they spend the funds and generate more money for the school. It is an organization that links together parents, teachers and students. The PTSO is now independent from the national PTA (Parent Teacher Association).

In recent weeks, Southeast Asia has been rocked by two calamitous natural disasters. A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province of China, on May 12, toppling buildings and schools throughout the province and even shaking buildings in Beijing 932 miles away. To date, experts estimate that the earthquake has killed 55,000 people. Meanwhile, just eight days before, a cyclone struck Myanmar, previously known as Burma. Reports have the death toll nearing 134,000. Although both events have captured world headlines and left thousands homeless or otherwise devastated, the earthquake in China has dominated the news, leaving many people uninformed and ignorant regarding the situation in Burma. While this is largely due to the military junta’s stranglehold on foreign media entering Myanmar, this oppressive dominion over news flow should provide all the more reason for people to try and help in Myanmar.

In recent weeks, Southeast Asia has been rocked by two calamitous natural disasters. A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province of China, on May 12, toppling buildings and schools throughout the province and even shaking buildings in Beijing 932 miles away. To date, experts estimate that the earthquake has killed 55,000 people. Meanwhile, just eight days before, a cyclone struck Myanmar, previously known as Burma. Reports have the death toll nearing 134,000.

Senior Daniel Yang rushes home after school and logs on to his computer, tentatively maneuvering his way to an online forum to discover the unthinkable: he has been killed. No, Yang is still alive and well in a physical sense, but his online Mafia persona has been eliminated. Mafia, a popular campfire game in which players are assigned roles as either a member of the “mafia,” or a “civlian,” has found its way online. Members of the mafia choose a civilian to “kill” during the night phase of the game, while civilians try to figure out who the mafia is during the day phase.

This story originally appeared in the April 4, 2008 edition of The Saratoga Falcon Advertised as a “social utility that connects you with the people around you,” Facebook has in recent years become the typical high school student’s favorite time-burner, as well as a nationwide phenomenon for virtual friend-friend conversations and pictures. For one determined college girl looking for a relationship, however, Facebook was the key to a much greater quest.

As throngs of students hurried through the hallways on the first day of second semester, one figure was walking slower, taking her time to figure out the complicated arrangement of classrooms. Senior Inga Feldman, an exchange student from Donaueschingen, Germany, was finding her way in a new world.