Michael Lee

After facing two close 5-4 and 12-11 losses to Sequoia High on March 19 and Gunn March 21. The Falcons are aiming to come back and move toward a winning season. 

From Internet sandwich jokes to Seth MacFarlane’s highly questionable “boob song” at the 2013 Oscars, Americans have not been the kindest to females — both in the past and the present.

I’ve always been a fan of Indian cuisine (I’m always down for some mo’ samosas), but until a short while ago, I would have naively dismissed the idea of watching a Bollywood movie.   

Despite losing five players to graduation, injury and school transfer, the Falcons feature a strong returning squad to make a showing in the El Camino League. The “full team” of talented athletes hopes to challenge Los Altos, Carlmont, Woodside and even Los Gatos — a school in the upper De Anza League.  

The symptoms: lethargy, baggy eyes and a loss of interest in the productive activities of one’s life. The diagnosis? Senioritis.

The symptoms: lethargy, baggy eyes and a loss of interest in the productive activities of one’s life. The diagnosis? Senioritis — the laziness that strikes seniors during their second semesters, about when they complete their college applications.  

Any standardized test-taker who marks “yes” on the College Board’s “Student Search Service” option will soon find his or her mailbox flooded with college mail.

The Wachowskis, the mindbending masterminds behind “The Matrix,” are back with “Cloud Atlas,” a new movie based on David Mitchell’s novel of the same name. 

On Oct. 2, district leaders held a board meeting at which students, parents, and teachers expressed their outrage at the policy change that would make P.E. mandatory for all incoming freshmen next year, regardless of whether they already participate in athletics, marching band or Color Guard. Though athletes and band members are currently exempted from P.E. freshman year during their sport season, the new policy seems destined to change this.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Earth contains about 366 quintillion gallons of water, of which about 97.5 percent is salt water. Unfortunately, humans can only easily access less than 0.007 percent of Earth’s water.

Despite the loss of key swimmers in the class of 2011, senior Ian Burns and his brother, freshman Aidan Burns,led the varsity team through the season.

Following a 1-5 season in 2011, this year the Falcons have rebounded with three wins against Gunn, Homestead and Lynbrook, leaving them with a league record of 3-3.

You can’t trust anyone,” said the girl, an anonymous senior at a local high school. The March 22 speaker session was approaching its end. The 30 or 35 parents and students gathered in the library were clearly exhausted from sitting and listening for two hours that evening, but they perked up at the new voice. The girl tried to look cheerful, yet as she spoke her face clearly showed the pain of her memories.

Her name was Mama Katele. Out of the thousands of people in a Zambian refugee camp, she was the only person who was openly HIV-positive. Everyone else was too fearful of the societal shame associated with the disease.

“Races are won by one one-hundredth of a second. That really is just a fingernail,” senior Ian Burns said.

According to the American Forest and Paper Association, the average American uses about 748 pounds of paper per year. That amounts to over 900 million trees per year that need to be cut down to supply wood pulp for America’s paper industry alone. Each mature tree can absorb about 48 pounds of carbon dioxide and 60 pounds of other pollutants from the air annually.

Walking through the halls at Saratoga High, one can’t help but see students talking about the last impossibly hard AP Biology test or stressing over an upcoming in-class essay. With an average of 98 percent of its students bound for college, the school is a breeding ground for academic stress. The last thing students need is additional pressure.

With the district calendar setting final exams before winter break this semester, principal Jeff Anderson hopes to give students and teachers a time to “get their batteries recharged.” In order to better help students relax during their two weeks off, Anderson has mandated teachers to avoid assigning homework over the break.

A large popcorn: $7.75. One box of candy: $4.25. Two medium drinks: $10. These concessions total to $22, more than the price of the actual tickets at Saratoga’s AMC 14 ($18 for two matinee seats). From these extreme expenses, it’s no wonder that high school students resort to movie hopping—buying a ticket and watching as many movies as desired—and snack smuggling in order to save a few dollars.

On a standard Formspring profile read the words “Ask me anything” in large sans-serif letters. A website on which students can ask their peers anonymous questions, Formspring provides an infamous medium for cyberbullying.

Centered in Pittsburg, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), America’s 23rd best college according to U.S. News, features top-notch art, humanities, technology and science programs. In addition to CMU’s academic reputation, 2011 alumna Debbie Lin said the aesthetically pleasing scenery appealed to her. “When I visited during the fall, the leaves were just turning red and falling to the ground, which made me immediately fall in love,” Lin said. “I knew it was going to be a tough school to get into and go to, but I don't regret choosing CMU at all.”

Within the protected shell of Saratoga High, the average SAT score has risen 31 points in five years—from 1,909 points in 2007 to 1,940 in 2011. While this gradual improvement benefits Saratoga students and their chances of gaining college acceptance, the U.S. as a country experienced a 9-point decline to 1,500 in the nationwide mean from 2010 to 2011.

In their first few weeks of school, many incoming freshmen find themselves lost in a vast, foreign campus. With middle school acquaintances, however, they do not have to face high school alone. Without the assurances of friendship and familiarity, students new to the district arguably have a tougher time adjusting to life at Saratoga High. To help welcome about 60 students, the new student commission held its annual “New Student Barbecue” on Aug. 19.

She has performed on VH-1, MTV and Comedy Central. She worked as a stand-up comedian for 15 years and continues to entertain at fundraisers and to fight substance abuse. She has taught drama since the 1980s. To cap it off, she starred in a documentary entitled “The Last Laugh” to bring awareness to AIDS in 1991.

Monday through Friday, freshman Nikhil Chakravarthy gets up, goes to his classes and then heads over to the school’s pool at 4:30 p.m. Two hours and 6,000 yards later, he gets out of the water and goes home, ready to do it all again the next day. Chakravarthy learned to swim when he was two. He joined a club when he was seven, and has swam competitively ever since. He dreams of trying out for the Junior Olympic National team.

Monday through Friday, freshman Nikhil Chakravarthy gets up, goes to his classes and then heads over to the school’s pool at 4:30 p.m. Two hours and 6,000 yards later, he gets out of the water and goes home, ready to do it all again the next day. Chakravarthy learned to swim when he was two. He joined a club when he was seven, and has swam competitively ever since. He dreams of trying out for the Junior Olympic National team.

Monday through Friday, freshman Nikhil Chakravarthy gets up, goes to his classes and then heads over to the school’s pool at 4:30 p.m. Two hours and 6,000 yards later, he gets out of the water and goes home, ready to do it all again the next day. Chakravarthy learned to swim when he was two. He joined a club when he was seven, and has swam competitively ever since. He dreams of trying out for the Junior Olympic National team.

Santa Clara Swim Center roared with cheering on May 21. People screamed in the stands and athletes stopped mid-warm-up to watch as eight swimmers cut through the water. It was event 16, the boys’ final heat of the 500-yard freestyle.

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.

In swimming, a tenth of a second can separate victory from defeat, a place on the podium from a place on the bleachers. A tenth of a second was all senior Adam Hinshaw needed to break the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League’s 40-year-old 200-yard freestyle record on May 6.

“Loser.” “Geek.” “Stupid.” The girl on the projector screen wore a bored expression as she slandered her classmate. As the scene faded to black, some words flashed: “If you wouldn’t say it in person, why say it online?”

Last year, junior Nick Turpin attended an after-school science lecture. Everything was going reasonably well, until the speaker turned off the lights to use the projector. Within minutes, Turpin was passed out on his desk.

During the first two weeks of May, 475 students enrolled in AP classes put eight months of hard work to the test—the AP test. However, the tests seemed to arrive at the worst possible time for many, as various spring sports and other extracurricular activities reached the peak of their seasons and exams piled up from other classes.

Everyday, I see long lines snaking into the cafeteria. Some days, I join the crowd and wait. Other days, however, I stroll over to the “Salads” aisle, pick up a tray, and two minutes and $3.50 later, I have my lunch.

At a glance, the prospects for Saratoga swimming do not look promising. Last year’s records of 3-3 for varsity girls and 1-5 for boys do not foreshadow an amazing 2011 season. This year, the girls’ team has only 27 athletes, the school lacks male divers and the whole swim team sometimes cannot accumulate winning point totals at meets, according to the coaches. However, varsity boys’ swim coach Christian Bonner expects the boys and girls to have a strong year, despite the team’s difficulties.

Most students experience some degree of harassment or teasing from their peers, some much more seriously than others. In order to prevent bullying from spreading, assistant principal Brian Safine said that the administration has recently taken steps to open its harassment policy to include bullying.

Name? David Wang. School? Saratoga High. Why do you want to spend your time at SIMR?

Guidance counselor Christy Cali sits at her desk in the Guidance Office, her eyes fixed on her computer screen, which displays student schedules for the 2011-2012 school year. From Aeries, she checks if all of her students, particularly incoming seniors, have fulfilled their requirements for the upcoming year.

One day about a month ago, I walked into school with two large garbage bags. Inside them were about 17 pairs of various shoes, sandals and boots. I dropped them off in front of the office, in a huge bin labeled “USAgain.” USAgain, according to their website, “collects unwanted textiles and resells them in the U.S. and abroad, effectively diverting millions of pounds of clothing from landfills, generating new revenue streams for U.S. businesses and non-profits, and fueling local economies in emerging countries.”

With the spring sports season charging into full speed, boys’ swimming team encounters a few new changes. Along with returning coaches Christian Bonner and Kristen Thomson, Brett Slayton, Courtney Crase and Heather Bridges will join the staff.

Because of Los Gatos High School’s growing enrollment, Saratoga students will no longer be able to transfer to Los Gatos High starting next school year.

The lunch bell rings. As students rush to their afternoon classes, maintenance worker Andrew Hickey surveys the quad. Then, with a “trash grabber” and a bucket, Hickey starts his litter-retrieval excursion across the quad. Later, he returns to his golf cart, with a couple of large garbage bags to show for his efforts.

When electrical engineer David Garcia invited me to shadow him, I had no idea what to expect. At around 3 p.m. on Jan. 7, I showed up at Data Domain and waited for a bit in the lobby.

The Board of Trustees approved a new calendar on Nov. 16 for the 2011-12 school year. Exams will take place during the week of Dec. 19, 2011, completing the first semester just before the holiday break (Dec. 26-Jan. 6). In Los Gatos and Saratoga alike, parents, district staff and students have given this proposed schedule generous amounts of support. “There is an overwhelming amount of support for [this change],” said assistant principal Brian Safine. “It has been unsettling and awkward for students to have a break, then go back to school for finals.”

Santa Teresa High junior Jordan West told her father Michael on Nov. 20 that she was going to see a movie that night. Neither of them thought anything of it. It was just another of Jordan’s excursions with her friends.

Explosions of cheering resonated across the streets of Washington, D.C., when Barack Obama took the oath to be the 44th president on Jan. 20, 2009. Obama was the first Democratic president since Bill Clinton, and the first African-American president ever. Most Americans were eager for change. This support, however, has lessened with time. Obama’s decline in popularity can be attributed to numerous problems—particularly continued war and a bad economy. The “time for change” did not satisfy liberal and conservative cravings alike.

The Board of Trustees approved a new calendar on Nov. 16 for the 2011-12 school year. Exams will take place during the week of Dec. 19, 2011, completing the first semester just before the holiday break (Dec. 26-Jan. 6).

Imagine yourself in the safety and privacy of your own home. You're typing an e-mail to your friend in San Francisco about your first couple of weeks at Saratoga High. Now consider the fact that you could be sending your e-mail to someone other than your friend. Some other person, with the right tools, could be monitoring, or "wiretapping," that supposedly private message.

Do you want to get ripped (or at least somewhat in shape)? Have you always dreamed of being the star of the football team? Do you yearn to parade around the school with that red and white uniform? If you replied "yes" to any of these three questions, then the holy haven of high school jockdom awaits you. Soccer, badminton, track, even cheerleading—there's a sport for (almost) everyone!

Just to clarify, this is not about the song by the Black Eyed Peas. This is about something more significant than pop music, something that affects high school students everywhere. This is about the much needed respect most freshmen have been deprived of. Despite the Link Crew and teachers' attempts to help ninth graders, some sophomores, juniors and seniors still enjoy picking on their younger schoolmates.

Most students will attend three—at most four—different schools by high school graduation. Then there is sophomore Aashna Mukerji, who is currently on her seventh.