Emily Williams

Physics teacher Bill Drennan has touched the lives of countless students in the classroom, on the wrestling mat and on the golf course. For 35 years, he has challenged students them to open their minds and think outside the box, but at the end of this year he is retiring.

Physics teacher Bill Drennan has touched the lives of countless students in the classroom, on the wrestling mat and on the golf course. For 35 years, he has challenged students them to open their minds and think outside the box, but at the end of this year he is retiring.

Administrators, teachers, students and parents breathed a collective sigh of relief on May 3 when Measure A, the parcel tax in the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, passed with a 72.59 percent support, according to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. Measure A as the first time that voters in the district have been asked to approve a parcel tax measure for the two high schools.

Kristen Thomson watches her 3-year-old son, Spencer, out of the corner of her eye as he plays on the bleachers on the pool deck. Meanwhile, she explains a set to a group of JV swimmers. Thomson’s multitasking results from her hectic life in which she juggles teaching, coaching and family commitments.

Administrators, teachers, students and parents breathed a collective sigh of relief on May 3 when Measure A, the parcel tax in the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District , passed with a 72.59 percent support, according to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.

The Falcons crushed the Los Gatos Wildcats in a 10-4 victory last month, marking their first league win of the season against one of their toughest rivals. “Everybody came out excited and ready to go since it was against Los Gatos,” Hoffman said of the March 23 game. “As a team, we played a great game.”

The Falcons crushed the Los Gatos Wildcats in a 10-4 victory last month, marking their first league win of the season against one of their toughest rivals. “Everybody came out excited and ready to go since it was against Los Gatos,” Hoffman said of the March 23 game. “As a team, we played a great game.”

Every day hundreds of students pass a small plaque in a flower bed planted with cabages on their way to the main office that reads: “Helen Oreb / for 31 years / Teacher, Mentor, Friend.” This small memorial represents a time in the school’s history that is remembered by select few at Saratoga High.

I had always thought of Los Gatos High as uncharted enemy territory with a superior sports program and a rowdy student body. I envisioned it as a place where people were better looking and academics ran second to athletics and the social scene.

For many people in the world having just one pair of shoes is a luxury that they often cannot afford. Yet in Saratoga shoes are a luxury that we take for granted.

During a public hearing on Feb. 1, the school board voted 5-0 in favor a measure to put a parcel tax on a mail-in ballot that will returned in May. For several months, the board has been considering this proposed parcel tax, which would cost residents $49 a year, as a source of much needed revenue for both Saratoga and Los Gatos High School.

Senior David Mandell knows what it takes to make people listen; he knows what it takes to be a role model; and, most importantly, he knows what it takes to be an influential student at Saratoga High.

Most runners dread hot days, but for senior Jennifer Vannier, they are the perfect conditions for a running. When it’s cold, Vannier’s asthma acts up, making it difficult for her to run. Yet, she keeps running anyway.

Running conditions were perfect at Toro Park in Salinas on Nov. 13—60 degrees outside with clear skies. The girls’ cross country team was pumped and ready for CCS. The girls’ team had high hopes of qualifying for state, but unfortunately their times fell just short. Sophomore Maya Nag fell one place short of qualifying for state individually, and a few others were close as well.

California wanted someone who could balance the budget, create more jobs, cut spending and improve education without raising taxes, cutting programs or changing policies. In short, the California voters wanted Superman. Instead, they got Jerry Brown.

The Christmas tree—a pagan tradition ingrained in a Christian holiday. Perhaps it is a sign of the commercialization of Christmas along with Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman. However, a Christmas tree is a sacred holiday tradition that should not be taken lightly.

With the explosive growth of social networking and texting, teenagers have found a new way to hurt each other. Unlike the traditional playground bully, a cyberbully relies on the power of hurtful words instead of outright violence.

Turning 18 marks a huge transition for teenagers as they gain the freedoms and responsibilities of the adult world. Many seniors who have already turned 18 will be exercising their right to vote at the upcoming elections that take place Nov. 2.

In any given sport, it’s inevitable that injuries will occur. However, this season, the girls’ cross country team seems to be especially plagued by injuries.

Death metal. When many people think of this style of music, they think of excessive loud noise and "emo" music. What people don’t realize is that there are many types of hard-core metal bands and not all of them fit into the stereotype. Flint Ironstag is one of those bands that embraces the technically challenging style without a death metal blood and guts flair. According to Flint Ironstag’s lead guitarist, junior Marshall Westall, those emo bands give hard-core metal a bad reputation.

Facing a $1.6 million deficit last year, the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District worked tirelessly to come up with a solution to the budget problem that would minimize effects on the students. Their efforts paid off this year, as no major programs were cut, but sizes for many classes have been increased, according to superintendent Cary Matsuoka. “This year we really minimized the impact for the students and classes,” said Matsuoka. “All programs are continuing, so we’re able to fund everything. I doubt that kids are going to see much of a change.”

Every day students listen to the familiar voices on the intercom—telling jokes and reading morning announcements—but who are these witty students and just what do they do?

Commitment, enthusiasm and friendliness are just some of the qualities that guidance counselor Frances Saiki looks for when selecting Link Leader applicants, qualities that are also important in Redwood Middle School's WEB program. But Link Crew, which pairs upperclassman leaders to a group of eight to 10 freshmen, it is not many students' first mentoring experience. Many current Link leaders and applicants participated in a similar program called WEB, or Where Everybody Belongs as 8th graders at Redwood Middle School. WEB trains student leaders to welcome in coming sixth graders at Redwood.

Coming off a momentous season, the boys' swim team made its mark again by earning a third consecutive top-five finish, placing fifth place and emerging as the top public school at the CCS finals meet on May 21 at Santa Clara International Swim Center. Bellarmine won its 26th consecutive title.

It's almost that time of year again: summer vacation. But for the class of 2010, the month of June brings with it more than just waning days of a concluding school year. Parting words Graduation is around the corner and the ceremony is all in order. According to assistant principal Karen Hyde, the ceremony will be very similar to ones held in previous years. "Nothing new under the sun," said Hyde. "But let's hope it's sunny. It's going to be nice; it's not going to rain."

After one year at Saratoga High, English teacher Valerie Arbizu will be leaving the classroom next year to take on a job as an assistant principal at Los Gatos High. In this job, Arbizu will help manage discipline and curriculum instruction at LGHS. Arbizu was picked above more than 100 other applicants for the job. She applied for the position because her job at Saratoga was put in jeopardy by district-wide budget cuts and by the fact that she was a new teacher at SHS.

It's 8 o'clock on a Friday night and a small corner of downtown Saratoga bursts with the sound of live music. On an otherwise quiet street, when most restaurants in Saratoga are closing, the Blue Rock Shoot is just getting started.

Every time science teacher and swim coach Kristin Thomson checks her box in the main office, she seems to always have a stack of letters piling up. They come from colleges in Florida, Texas, Virginia, Indiana and everywhere in between and they all want the same thing: the chance to have Adam Hinshaw on their swim team in two years.

"Step up." Eight swimmers step on to the white starting blocks. "Take your mark." They bend down, fingers and toes curled around the edge of the block, poised for action. "Go!" Bodies explode off the blocks in a tight streamline and they are off, swimming the first 100 of varsity boys' swim coach Christian Bonner's dreaded test set.

Sports bags lay in piles outside the girls' locker room while students are in class, bikes sit on the bike racks unlocked and everywhere there are stories of a stolen iPods and cell phones. Over the past few years theft has continued to a problem despite the the school's reputation for being a safe place. The most popular item to steal are cell phones, iPods, wallets and backpacks, although this year, for the first time, larger items such as instruments from the music department and sports equipment from the team room have also gone missing.

In America today most products bear the tag "made in ______" or "imported from ______." The blanks can be filled with basically any industrial labor-oriented country around the world. From clothing to out-of-season fruit to electronics, the exportation of jobs from America has become so commonplace that companies now boast of manufacturing in the USA.

As a result of the district's budget woes, the English department has decided to temporarily postpone the idea of adding an elective-based curriculum at the junior and senior levels. The reason is that the department is still not sure of how many of its current 13 teachers will have jobs next year or the year after to in order to take on this challenge.

The athletic department was hit by theft when equipment was stolen from the team room and a locked storage closet over the past few weeks. The stolen equipment included medicine balls from the weight room, lacrosse goalie equipment, lacrosse practice jerseys and a bag of lacrosse balls according to athletic director Peter Jordan.

To most people, senior Jonathon Stutchman is a student, a leader, a classmate, a friend, and even a musician, yet few people know that behind his quiet exterior Stutchman harbors a hidden talent: He is a composer. His talent and passion for both writing and playing music has remained generally unknown because he has little involvement in the school's music department. Stutchman is a self-taught composer who has penned more than 40 full pieces of music, of which two have been published.

Thirty-five students from Saratoga, Los Gatos, Monta Vista and other local high schools gathered in Room 805 on Jan. 9 with the shared interest of becoming part of the student-run BAY Magazine, which covers issues and trends that affect teens in the area. The group listened to a 30-minute recruitment presentation by editor-in chief T.T. Tu about the magazine's goals and sections in hopes of possibly becoming a staff member themselves.

On Monday, Jan. 18, the school held its first annual Martin Luther King Jr. community service day. Ninety-seven students and 30 adult volunteers attended an event sponsored by the Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO). The different activities included preparing food for a local charity, creating care packages for soldiers overseas, making cards for seniors and participating in a Quad cleanup and a beach cleanup trip. Parents Sudha Sreenivasan and Dory Albert organized the service day with help from many other parents.

When the weather turns cold, Lake Tahoe becomes a big destination for skiers, snowboarders and even sledders seeking a sweet ride and good snow. But the problem seems to arise not from the five-hour drive, but where to go once you get there. There are a variety of ski resorts that cater to different people, but one of the best is Squaw Valley USA.

Many athletes dream of the Olympics, of international glory and being the best in the world. But for sophomore swimmer Ian Burns the Olympics are more than a dream, they are a goal. Burns first realized his goal of swimming in the Olympics five years ago when his dad decided to enroll him at the Santa Clara Swim Club. He quickly realized that he had found the sport for him as he became faster and faster. "I really found that I had had talent, and I started swimming full time year round," said Burns. "I just got better from there."

The girls' water polo season wound down at the SCVAL finals from Nov. 2-7. The Falcons lost their first game to Palo Alto 12-2. The next resulted in a 4-3 loss to Mountain View, a disappointment since they had previously beaten the team twice. "[Mountain View] came out ready to win and we have been down all season because on the amount of times we lost," said coach Courtney Crase. "But despite the loss we really came together as a group."

Even though her team has only one win so far this season, girls' water polo coach Courtney Crase working to keep her players moving in a positive direction. "We try to play every game with 150 percent effort, composure and heart; our motto is balls out until the end," said Crase. "If we can execute that formula, the numbers on the scoreboard do not matter." The girls have had a tough season so far, but their win against Mountain View (9-8) on Sept. 24, gave them renewed vigor to come out hard in all games.

Senior Charles Sun racked his brain, digging deep for a move that would outwit his opponent. Then it came to him, a far-fetched series of coordinates that could win the game. There it was, after grueling hours analyzing an eight-by-eight chess board, Sun finally had a checkmate. Then came the thrill of victory at the National Open tournament in 2006 in Las Vegas.

This year the English department decided to explore the idea of adding new English electives to the curriculum as an alternative to the current courses available for juniors and seniors.

Most people grow up slowly, experiencing life in small doses: making mistakes and then making them again, until they finally learn. Sophomore Katya Simpson didn’t get that luxury. It happened quickly. One week last fall Simpson was a regular student. The next she underwent a surgery to remove a life-threatening brain tumor that changed her life forever.

As children stumble through their first few words, parents urge their toddlers to say "please" and "thank you." Regardless of language or location, such examples of basic etiquette permeate the unspoken laws of human culture. These laws seem like common sense to most individuals—things that are on the subconscious level, such as respecting others and being courteous. Despite these clear rules that govern our actions, some people seem to feel that they are above common courtesy and respect.

With an apparently staggering number of clubs on campus, the ASB has sought means to tighten the reins on club procedures. The excess number of student organizations is being combated by reinstating regulations, such as a necessary minimum of members. The intention is to slow down the formation of new clubs, and check-in on existing clubs to make sure that clubs are actually meeting the standards.

Most people grow up slowly, experiencing life in small doses: making mistakes and then making them again, until they finally learn. Sophomore Katya Simpson didn’t get that luxury. It happened quickly. One week last fall Simpson was a regular student. The next she underwent a surgery to remove a life-threatening brain tumor that changed her life forever.

The girls’ water polo team isn’t expecting any easy wins this year as they compete in the upper division De Anza League with a brand new roster. The team lost six of its key players from last year: seniors Lauren Opatrny and Megan Nolet as well as graduates Alison Norris, Kaylee Pettengill, Amanda Murabito and Casey Long.

This year, the physical education department has decided to shift the focus of the PE program. Instead of the traditional team sport-based curriculum, the classes will focus primarily on promoting healthy lifestyles.    “Our PE department felt that the original curriculum wasn’t an effective way of helping kids get into better shape,” said athletic director Peter Jordan. “We were looking for ways that we could promote fitness skills that [students] would be able to use outside of high school.”