Justine Huang

Due to the recent provocative and controversial statements of several presidential candidates, the polarization between the Democrats and Republicans has grown to an even larger scale. Seniors Jasmine Grant and Ariella Yendler weigh in on candidates and their opinions.

With the experience of this year’s returning players, the team hopes to achieve more wins and to overcome old rivals.

Made infamous by the controversial events of last semester, the spoon-wielding game of Assassin has resurfaced as “Spoon Tag,” a game essentially the same as its predecessor but lacking the controversial aspects that landed it in trouble when students were playing for money, and the administration deemed it to be a form of gambling.

With a history that dates back to the early 1600s, American education has grown from a Puritanical religious upbringing to an all-encompassing schooling that covers subjects that range from astronomy to foreign language. Now, however, students and teachers alike seem to feel the true purpose of education has been forgotten.

Sport name: Badminton

The St. Olaf Band from Northfield, Minn. conducted by Timothy Mahr, performed in the McAfee Center on Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Starting this past summer, the school transitioned from using Pro Image Studios to Now and Forever Studios for senior portraits.

The varsity girls ended with a strong season record, placing ninth overall in CCS Championship Finals on May 27 at Gilroy High School.

A group of students gathered around the quad steps during lunch in anticipation on May 13. Suddenly, senior David Mandell stepped out from behind a bush and pointed at senior Mikaela Burton while maintaining direct eye contact, singing: “You’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you.” Executing a flawless dance move, he continued, “Hit it!”

Due to budget cuts, this year’s summer school classes, held at Los Gatos High School from June 27 to Aug. 5, will offer only remedial or make-up classes.

The way down Allendale Avenue may seem familiar to Redwood Middle School alumni, but for juniors Darisha Jhutty and Sachi Dholakia and sophomore Katherine Chang, the road stands out as a memory of summers of volunteer work.

Track athletes started the season off with a bang, securing a victory against Fremont on March 10 and against Homestead in the varsity boys and girls division on March 31, as well as multiple personal records.

Four track athletes had the opportunity to go on a road trip to Arcadia for a meet to compete against the best athletes in the state. Juniors Ailene Nguyen, Crystal Yen, Michelle Cummins and sophomore Melodie Bellegarda piled into a car and traveled for seven hours to their SoCal destination.

Track athletes started the season off with a bang, securing a victory against Fremont on March 10 and against Homestead in the varsity boys and girls division on March 31, as well as multiple personal records.

Four track athletes had the opportunity to go on a road trip to Arcadia for a meet to compete against the best athletes in the state. Juniors Ailene Nguyen, Crystal Yen, Michelle Cummins and sophomore Melodie Bellegarda piled into a car and traveled for seven hours to their SoCal destination.

Thirty one students from Saratoga High School have moved on from the Santa Clara County History Day that took place on March 19 to qualify for the State History Day, which will take place from April 28 to May 1.

On March 11, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami devastated the Japanese coast, leaving in their wake a death toll of about 9,700 people and a missing persons count of about 16,500, with figures that continue to rise. The disaster caused damage to buildings and factories as well as worries about nuclear radiation.

The saxophone players in the school’s concert bands participated in a recent research study through Northwestern University that aimed at gain understanding of the effects of practices on saxophone players.

For over 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been matching “Bigs,” teenage and adult volunteers and “Littles,” less fortunate youth ages 6 to 18. A mentoring and social development program, BBBS runs on volunteers and donations and aims to create a lifelong relationship between under-privileged children and trustworthy adults.

With fewer seniors this year in comparison to last year, this year’s track and field team is considered relatively young. However, as long distance coach Danny Moon puts it, perhaps “the strength is in the youth.”

On a warm Sunday morning, I visited the salmon-covered building emblazoned with the words “Saratoga Fire Department.”

Flashback: It is the year 2000 at Saratoga High. Senior Erick Rector (now an English teacher) is walking around the halls with students carrying CD players and bulky cell phones that only have calling and voicemail features.

Several students of the graduating class of 2012 are unique in one respect: These students will be the last to take Japanese at Saratoga High. “I’m really sad that the Japanese [program] is ending, but I’m happy they promised to offer AP until I graduate,” said junior Heather Persson, who takes Japanese 3.

The show must go on ... unless there’s rain, that is.

The marching band began its season on Oct. 23 with a competition at Gilroy High School. As rain poured, band members struggled with the conditions and scored 77.5 out of 100 and placed last among the four schools in their division.

In recent weeks, the Saratoga music department has been busily fundraising in order to pay for the department's trip to Carnegie Hall in the spring as well as offset the cost of other department expenses. This spring, each student must pay $1,800 in order to travel to Carnegie Hall. Students who apply for financial aid will be supported through fundraisers and other sources.

If you ever thought that wearing rubber bands around your wrist was a dumb idea, take a look around. Alligators, squirrels, dinosaurs, strawberries and stars are only a few of the many shapes of Silly Bandz, colorful silicone wristbands that form shapes or words. These playful accessories have become a cultural phenomenon among people of all ages, including students across the school.