Helen Chen

Senior shares experience working at Popbar.

With a 10-2 overall record and 4-1 league record as March 28, the Falcons are currently ranked second for SCVAL and third in CCS, positions they hope to maintain for the rest of the season.  

A night of gorgeous gowns, many photos and unforgettable memories, prom is a day idealized by many as a picture-perfect experience. Given that it is easy to begin fretting about prom long before the date arrives, I, having had a flawless Junior Prom (see Prom-O-Drama), have come up with a list of do’s and don’ts to save you from your pre-prom angst.

At first glance, this year’s valedictorian and salutatorian are not so different from those of previous years: Both excel at what they do, and in particular both are known by their peers for their stellar performances in science and math. But for the first time since 2008, both are female.

Senior reflects on grandparents struggles during the Holocaust. 

2014-2015 season recap and moving forward. 

The exchange has been hosted every year since 2009 by the popular online forum Reddit, and currently holds the world record as the “Largest online Secret Santa game.” The system matches two people who have signed up beforehand, so that participants end up playing Santa for their Santa.

Reporter tries geocaching.

With a 11-1 record, the boys’ water polo team has maintained its position as the No. 1 team in the El Camino League.

The strictness of new policies may seem like a positive change at first, but in reality, the tougher enforcement simply blurs the line between tardies and cuts and does not give students much of an incentive to avoid cuts once they are late to class.  

It wouldn’t be too far of a stretch to say that I live at Chromatic Coffee in San Jose. After alumnus Anshul Aggarwal showed me the café early last summer, it feels as if  I’ve spent more time there than with my family at home.

As she walked across the quad toward the seemingly simple cafeteria, senior Mengjiao (Katherine) Li, then a sophomore new to Saratoga High, felt confused. There were four lines snaking into the cafeteria, each holding nearly 30 people. She didn’t know where to go or how to buy food. Even from the simple task of getting lunch, it was clear to Li that SHS was nothing like her school in China. Two years later, senior Chenghao (Jessica) Zhu faced the same situation, but this time, she had a friend, Li, who could relate and thus help her.

The school’s Physics Bowl team placed first in the nation among Division 1 teams in the annual Physics Bowl with an overall score of 140, nine points higher than Gilford High School, the second place team from Connecticut.

Junior struggles with prom preparations.

Last fall, 2014 graduate and current University of Chicago freshman Jason Li attended a conference at the school called 3DS, short for 3 Day Startup with classmate Raymond Han and Columbia freshman Matthew Pregasen. While taking hands-on courses about entrepreneurial skills such as Ideation, Team Formation and Customer Discovery, the three met and immediately began a valuable partnership. 

ost universities reserve the right to rescind students, meaning that they can take back an admission. Even if the student has already enrolled in the school, the college can still revoke admission if it doesn’t believe the student has kept up with coursework.

During freshman year, a combination of boredom and creativity inspired now-junior Giulia Corno to begin a story that eventually became her first novel. The storyline, set during the Reconstruction period in the South, features an orphan named Aurelia who wants to become a doctor. When she helps an injured angel, Aurelia becomes part of a prophecy that brings the two together on a mission to save their realm.

The boys’ soccer team recently beat Lynbrook High School 1-0 in their senior game on Feb. 5. The team has a record of 3-5-1 and is sixth in the SCVAL League El Camino Division. The record means the team can only make CCS if they win their final two games and gain a wild card. 

 When I left my house at 7:42 a.m on a Tuesday morning, I had a good feeling that I would actually be on time for once. Getting onto my bike, I started biking the less than half a mile distance to school. My teal helmet sat in the garage collecting dust as it had been for the past three months. 

As he faces an empty canvas, senior Noah Jung considers the endless possibilities before him: a realistic rendition of the mountains outside, a stylized version of an everyday object. Picking up the brush, Jung begins to create a piece of work that is his, and his alone.

Look around the halls a few weeks before Christmas, and you’ll see students carrying decorative bags lined with tissue paper, filled with meaningful gifts for friends. Glance at any teacher’s desk, however, and you’ll likely see a stack of Starbucks cards and chocolates.

Due to disappointing moments like this last year, the Falcons finished with a 2-12 record and were pushed down to the lower El Camino League this year. Starting the ‘14-15 season, senior goalkeeper Edwin Chen has high hopes for improvement.

Students take a thrill out of chasing each other down the streets of Saratoga

Scrolling through endless gifs of TV scenes and pictures of nature encompassed by the dark “Tumblr” blue background, junior Claire Leung reblogs post after post.

Senior Samuel Chung flies first person view (FPV) home-made quadcopters.

As seniors hit the peak of college application season, some are applying to more than 20 schools. 

Reporter describes her experience using crayons for a day at school.

I have to admit, I had never considered myself a confident, outspoken person in public. I have always shrunk away from encounters with people because, let’s be real, any time not spent in my room sleeping or surfing the Internet is pretty much wasted.  

Summer brings with it free time and the uncontrollable desire to fill this time binge watching movies. This summer, too many terrible movies are coming out and we are here to help you pick out which ones are actually worth your time.  

Despite some setbacks, the new Sports Plaza will be mostly done by graduation, according to assistant principal Kevin Mount.

Senior Akshay Madhani recently learned he was the valedictorian for the Class of 2014.

The idea of building a plaza to furnish the entrance of the football field has long been a dream and one that is now being fulfilled. After two years of completing architectural drawings and finalizing planning for the project, construction for the school’s new Sports Plaza officially began on Feb. 10. A large donation helped to move the plan forward as the SHS Foundation hopes to improve the facilities at the school.

As the school year drags on, courses only get harder as more tests approach and more prior knowledge is drawn upon. Many students become flustered or stressed out over grades in difficult classes. They often turn to inefficient ways of studying that take time but are not necessarily effective, such as reading the textbook multiple times or staring mindlessly at notes.

After beating Leigh High 2-0 in the first round on Feb. 26, the girls’ soccer team advanced to quarterfinals of CCS for the first time in Saratoga history. The girls lost a close game to Woodside 2-1 during the quarterfinal round on March 1 and ended their season with a 9-9-2 record.

 Like any other city close to the coast, the salty air that lingers and the sunsets over the ocean make the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea most well-known for its white sand beaches. Many people, however, often think only of the bonfires on the beaches, overlooking the city itself.

Early on, the girls’ soccer team kicked off with a strong 4-0-2 record during preseason. Lately, though, the Falcons have fallen on hard times with tough losses to Los Gatos, Palo Alto and Los Altos. The team currently stands it fifth place in the De Anza league.

Upon entering the classroom of math teacher P.J. Yim, students see encouraging posters that line the walls, many of which are the words of Yim himself.  

It’s a typical Sunday practice. Junior Michelle Leung shivers slightly as she rubs her hands together in an effort to stay warm. It's 5 a.m., but the ice rink air is actually colder than the morning air outside. Her sleek, white skates glimmer as the lights reflect off the unmarked surface of the ice rink. She's half-asleep, but she can feel herself waking up with each stroke. 

For many students, the first few months of school can be rough, especially for seniors: Getting past the Nov. 1 early deadline for college applications can be the hardest part of the year.

When Instagram first came out three years ago, it was an innovative way to share photos; now it is a community in which 150 million users take part and share their lives.

Don’t be surprised at the sight of someone dressed as Miley Cyrus and her horrendous foam hand from the MTV Video Music Awards walking the halls this Halloween. 

After the flurry of adding and dropping classes during the first few weeks of school, many upperclassmen have discovered sophomores and even freshmen as classmates in AP Statistics, AP Computer Science, AP Music Theory and AP Calculus BC. Although upperclassmen recieve priority in being placed in these advanced classes, a limited number of underclassmen gain spots alongside juniors and seniors.

For most teens, having more than 1,000 followers on Instagram is a dream. Even 500 would be nice. However, sophomore Luke Salin, whose Instagram handle is _lukesalin, has 4,627 and counting. 

For the first time, sophomores and juniors also attended the Teen Truth Live assembly, instead of only freshmen.

“Saratoga High School est. 1959” is written proudly across the front of the school. In some families, this school has been a second home for generations of students who have studied in the same classrooms, read the same books and sat on the same lunch tables.

The school’s 2013 API score, released in early September, rose six points from the 2012 school year, from 932 to 938 out of 1000 points.