Girish Swaminath

Newspaper and yearbook editors-in-chief were announced in early April by journalism adviser Mike Tyler. Juniors Shannon Galvin and Uttara Sivaram were chosen to head next year's newspaper staff and juniors Grace Kim, Lauren Mather and Catherine Nguyen were picked as yearbook editors-in-chief for next year. "I was definitely excited. I mean, it's something I've hoped and worked for all through high school so far," said Galvin. "I'm continually amazed at what our newspaper produced and honored to help lead the process."

Luo Lin had never felt more relieved. As medical workers, soldiers and overzealous journalists stormed the countryside of Xianing County in the Chinese province of Shanxi, Lin, the head of China's State Administration for Work Safety (SAWS) was at a loss for words. When reporters interviewed him about his sentiments regarding the state of SAWS and questioned his performance in the capacity, the man was noticeably less perceptive than similarly grueling press interviews he had participated in.

Each year high school sophomores all across the United States celebrate an important milestone in their lives: getting their drivers license. Though several people believe that the mandated age should be increased to 18 for safety reasons, the current minimum driving age of 16 is, without exaggeration, perfect.

Transitioning from middle school to high school itself can be a huge ordeal. Then add in the stress of moving to a completely different country. Junior Ramiz Sheikh has experienced this situation when he moved from Germany to California before he started high school. Sheikh compares both cultural atmospheres and notices several fundamental differences between the two places.

A series of alumni speakers were invited to the school's College and Career Center during their spring breaks recently to describe their college experiences. The College and Career Center coordinator, Bonnie Sheikh, called the visits "a great opportunity for [students] to talk to alumni" and gain "a practical perspective." Sheikh brought in speakers by asking PTSO parents if they had older kids who would be willing to speak and also sending messages through the online program Naviance.

Even after dealing with two tough losses that could potentially put the team out of CCS contention, the Falcons are still trying to keep their hopes up. The team dealt with a miserable 200-183 loss against Los Gatos High on March 29 at Saratoga Country Club. The scores represent the totals of the top five golfers on each team. Previously, the team lost at home to Milpitas High and tied with Monta Vista High at Deep Cliff Country Club on March 15.

On Jan. 26, in extremely rainy weather, four cars driven by four upperclassmen returning from lunch collided on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road. None of the students was injured, but the accident called attention to the problem of students driving without "having their year," thereby breaking a state law known as the "year rule." State laws dictate that a driver may not transport other people with the exception of siblings or adults 25 years or older within his or her first year of having a license. In addition, these young drivers cannot drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The most wanted terrorist in the world, Osama bin Laden, recently released an audiotape through the Afghani al-Jazeera news network assuming responsibility for the foiled bombing attempt on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 flying from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day. He claimed that "the messages delivered to [the United States] through the plane of the heroic warrior Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was a confirmation of previous messages sent by the heroes of September 11th."

Teachers and administrators have been thinking of instituting finals before winter break for several years now, and some teachers have taken the matter into their own hands by scheduling their own early finals—sometimes to the dismay of their colleagues.

For junior Tim Lycurgus, as recently as three years ago, playing fantasy football was merely a recreational and fun way to stay up to date with the NFL. However, over the years, Lycurgus has turned his simple recreational activity into a competitive hobby and has picked up many virtual trophies along the way. "At first, I just used to play fantasy for fun and I would always lose to my friends," said Lycurgus, "but then our leagues became more and more competitive and I started to do my research and I started winning."

Recently, a 5-year-old girl named Shaniya Davis from Fayetteville, N.C., was reported missing by her mother Antoinette Davis. Her body was discovered on Nov. 16, when police determined that she was raped, murdered and asphyxiated. After further investigation, police arrested Mario McNeill, 29, as the perpetrator and charged him with first-degree murder. However, in an appalling twist, Shaniya Davis's mother Antoinette Davis was later charged with putting her extremely young child into prostitution for additional income.

Gary Sasaki, the founder of a digital entertainment consulting company known as DIGDIA, gave a fascinating presentation on the future of 3D movies and television at the second Industry and Academia Connections Program (IACP) meeting in library on Dec. 9. Sasaki described different forms of 3D visuals and how they could be viewed. Senior Christine La was one of 10 students who attended the presentation. "We learned quite a lot about the glasses people use to view 3D items and [Sasaki] even proposed that people can see 3D graphics without glasses," said La.

The winter holidays aren't only about Christmas. That's the message the leadership class is trying to convey this month with numerous posters around campus about other winter holidays such as Boxing Day, St. Stephen's Day, Las Posadas, La Befana, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. "[This project] was a joint effort of several clubs, including Italian Club, Spanish Club, Diversity Task Force and Multicultural Club," said senior Rebecca Amato. "We just wanted to create more awareness about other holidays and encourage people to celebrate other holidays in addition to Christmas."

Saratoga High astronomy and junior MAP students have experienced the real-life, pragmatic applications of their courses' curricula by embarking on field trips. They had a chance to appreciate the material they continue to study during the semester.

Lack of communication and publicity about on-campus events? Perhaps not anymore. YouTube will soon play a role in raising awareness by informing about school events. The Leadership class, aided by members of the new Multimedia Journalism class (MMJ), is creating a YouTube channel that will provide updates about dances, fundraisers and other happenings on campus. The YouTube channel will consist of a series of newscasts

A new Supreme Court case has sparked discussion about the principle of the separation of church and state: Salazar v. Buono. In 2001, Frank Buono, a National Park Service employee, challenged the presence of a cross in the Mojave National Preserve in California, which is considered federal land. A district court ruled in his favor , and it looked as if if the cross would be removed. But in an end-around maneuver, Congress designated the cross a national war memorial, and it remained.

The newly founded Quiz Bowl club will host its first tournament Nov. 8, and officers, such as president Vijay Menon, are excited about this milestone event in their new club. "I am pretty happy about the fact that we are getting a tournament organized," said Menon. "We are working hard to get things done and look forward to the date." Menon has invited other schools to participate in the competition, such as Bellarmine College Prep and Mission San Jose High.

Statistics from the Department of Immigration show that more than 22 million illegal immigrants have recently found a new life in the United States. Every day, this number goes up as people unlawfully cross the border from Mexico. However, despite the current financial crisis, government officials must provide illegal immigrants with basic necessities, since they are contributors to the prosperity of the economy.

Halloween came a month early for physics teacher Kirk Davis, who dressed up as Sir Isaac Newton on Monday, Sept. 28, to educate students about the life and importance of the historical figure. The Friday before, Davis told his five physics periods they would have a substitute. So students were surprised when a man wearing a wig with an apple in it and a black gown appeared in front of the class and began teaching. The "sub" declined to be called "Mr. Davis" and instead insisted on being addressed as "Mr. Newton."

This past June, another teacher joined the ranks of the married. Not only did chemistry teacher Kathy Nakamatsu and economics teacher Todd Dwyer tie the knot with their longtime significant others, but U.S. government and U.S. history teacher Margarita Lozano also recently got hitched. Lozano, now known as Margarita Morrelle, met her current husband, Charles Morrelle, at a party in Los Angeles about two-and-a-half years ago.

The media spend days discussing the legacies of journalist Walter Cronkite and Sen. Ted Kennedy. Broadcast journalists devote weeks to covering the appointment of America’s first Hispanic Supreme Court chief justice. Whole forests of newsprint covered the cause of American pop star Michael Jackson's death. In stark contrast, news outlets at large spend very little time providing the American people with proper updates on the Afghanistan war.

With the beginning of the new academic year, several changes in the world language department have occurred. For the first time in two years, the school is offering French 1 while Japanese 1 has been cut. Laura Lizundia is currently teaching the beginning French course and is excited to introduce new students to the Francophone world. “It’s great to be teaching [French 1] again,” said Lizundia. “Although I have to start all over again and refresh myself through the curriculum, it will be very good for me and my students.”

There’s a first time for everything. This year was the first time in a decade that voting for ASB officers took place in the quad. Almost 300 students voted in the election.

The distribution of Saratoga High’s award-winning yearbook, The Talisman, was delayed past its scheduled release date of May 27 due to a major error on the part of the printer, Walsworth Publishing Company.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, Juan Edmundo Morales Jauregui, the 38-year-old former SHS janitor who reportedly fled the country earlier this year after being suspected of child molestation and the production of child pornography, was detained May 14 in Zapopan, Mexico, on a federal arrest warrant issued due to his evasion of U.S. law enforcement. Currently, he is being held in a Mexico City prison and further details regarding the matter have not been released to the public or the school administrators.

There’s a first time for everything. This year was the first time in a decade that voting for ASB officers took place in the quad. Almost three hundred students voted in the election. Junior Haley Zarrin was elected president along with sophomore David Mandell as vice president, junior Annie Lee as treasurer, junior Cindy Chang as secretary and junior Natalie Tkalcevic as board representative. The ASB has now begun the process of choosing commissions. The newly elected officers hope to increase student representation and improve the school environment in the coming.

As soon as college acceptances came out in March, many students started to notice an absence of seniors. Many missed class and spent spring break at colleges in order to make a final decision as to what college they would attend—a decision would forever impact their future.

Many seniors are learning a tough lesson this spring: college is tougher to get into as a result of the tight economy, and state budget cuts.

The annual Jazz Cabaret and Swing Dance was held on March 7 in the Large Gym and showcased the musical talents of the Jazz Bands I and II, Men’s Choir, Women’s Choir, Concert Choir, the Redwood Middle School Band and a community band. Music Boosters were mainly responsible for the organization of the event and provided the refreshments and snacks and sold tickets at the door, which were $10 for students.

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?

In an effort to boost attendance, the Tutorial Center has switched both its location and increased its hours.

10. Lead the people Obama’s charisma—and the fact that President Bush’s approval rating is a negative value—is what won him the election. Now, he must try to stay in the public’s good eye because if he’s liked, he won’t have to watch out for Iraqi television reporters armed with size 10 shoes. One way to start would be to get his daughters those puppies he promised. 9. Pick the right staff A major issue during the election was Obama’s lack of experience. At least he didn’t pick George Bush for anything important… 8. Define torture

Sarah Palin: an average blue-collar hockey/soccer mom, a PTA president and a parent of five kids. Could she really have been vice president of one of the world’s largest leading powers with her lack of qualifications? Palin clearly served as an example of the “average Joe” and proved that commonfolk cannot assume the huge responsibility of running the United States. She demonstrated that “Average Joes” possess an enormous lack of political experience and education necessary for the American presidency to make informed decisions for the benefit of the country. The president has no room for mistakes at all—he or she must have the ability to solve international and domestic problems in the quickest and most pragmatic way possible.

Moving from city to city may seem hard to adjust to, but imagine moving to a completely different country. Freshman Sam Cokes had to go through this transition when he recently moved from Sydney, Australia to Saratoga.

Assistant principal Brian Safine and his wife brought their first son, Eli Xavier, into the world Oct. 7, who weighed 7 pounds and 15 ounces at birth. Safine feels excited to become a father. “It’s very powerful now that someone else is relying on me throughout the day and the course of his young life,” said Safine. “It is also a daunting task to consider raising a child.” Regardless of the numerous concerns involved during the process of childbirth, Safine’s wife and he did not feel nervous or apprehensive during the process, but

Students can further enhance their critical thinking abilities thanks to a new teacher in the English department, Ken Nguyen. Nguyen teaches two periods of English 10 and three periods of AP English Language.

Over the next few months, many students will meet and begin to develop a strong relationship with the newest guidance counselor, Dona Feizzadeh.

Over the next few months, many students will meet and begin to develop a strong relationship with the newest guidance counselor, Dona Feizzadeh. Feizzadeh moved from the East Coast where she earned her degree in counseling. Later on, she interned at several schools as a counselor and worked with students of various ages, especially teenagers. Feizzadeh said she was interested in the close-knit and supportive environment of the school—as well as its reputation for excellence.

Though Bonnie Sheikh is new to the office as a guidance secretary, many people will recognize her from her contributions to the Media Arts Program last year and from her two children on campus, Zahra and Ramiz Sheikh. As the new academic year starts, Sheikh is excited to be here.