Giulia Curcelli

“Jekyll and Hyde” and “The Woman in Black” displayed the serious side of the drama department. Saratoga Idol and the Talent Show showcased the extraordinary, unknown abilities of many students. Bombay in the Bay gave students a deeper understanding of Saratoga’s diverse culture. Through a wide variety of student performances this year, audiences were brought to the edges of their seats in both fear and excitement.

At the dawn of a new school week, every student is filled with a sense of dread. An ominous task looms before them: to survive another hectic Monday crammed with a full day of 45 minute periods.

It’s tutorial on Monday morning. Barely alert masses of people are gathered in hallways and classrooms. Everything seems perfectly normal. Suddenly, however, a powerful earthquake strikes. One student darts into the nearest classroom. Another takes cover in a doorway. A third sprints to the quad. In all the chaos, what would you do?

The first impression, the most repeated descriptor, the one phrase most often used by students to characterize our school's appearance might just be: "It looks like a jail."

Back in Sweden, freshman Oskar Johansson loved playing the intense sport, orienteering, with friends during weekends. It consisted of teams that had to race to different locations—control points—within a forest-like area. Each team had a map that marked the control points in the order that they had to be reached.

The problem with interviewing English teachers is that the answers they provide are often miles better than anything you could write. What began as a basic profile of English 10 and AP English Language teacher Ken Nguyen (pronounced “win”) quickly morphed into a tale of epic proportions.

Like a lot of students, junior Rebecca Chen wishes there were more than 24 hours in a day. She goes to school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then off to a 3-hour swim practice, followed by 5 or more hours of homework. She usually only gets 7 hours of sleep on a normal weekday.

I don’t know how many times my friends have flailed their legs around, swinging their arms, claiming, “Hey, look! I’m Irish dancing!” Now, this looks a lot more like an intoxicated leprechaun or my parents’ friend Colman after he’s had a few pints of Guinness than Irish dancing. But after five and a half years of Irish dancing myself, I’ve learned to roll my eyes and ignore it.

With visions of dancing sugarplums currently tainted by the thought of finals, many students can hardly relax during winter break. The holidays are no longer time to enjoy with family but rather an opportunity to spend more time worrying about the upcoming exams taking place just three weeks into the new year. Luckily, with the passing of a new schedule by the school board on Nov. 16, next year’s finals will be held before winter break, and vacation can finally serve its intended purpose.

Two years ago on a sunny March afternoon, the emergency room at Good Samaritan Hospital was the last place Maya Srinivasan thought she would find herself. Srinivasan had been a level nine gymnast—one of the top 60 gymnasts in the nation—and with the possibility of going to the Olympics only two levels away, her dreams were in sight. But that morning, her hands slipped off the bar.

What do the "Harry Potter" series, "Gone with the Wind," "The Outsiders" and "Charlotte’s Web" all have in common? On the surface, nothing. They are of different genres, intended for different audiences and centered around different themes. At one point or another, however, each of these books was banned or challenged due to controversial content—a practice that is no less abhorrent today than in any other time.

Most high school students know of Thomas Jefferson—who he was, what he did and the immensity of his influence on America. But after the proposal of new legislation by the Texas State Board of Education, high school students there may no longer learn about Jefferson and other important elements of American history. Attempting to change history is wrong and should never be permitted or accepted.