Michelle Shu

The Winter Guard traveled to San Diego for the Winter Guard International (WGI) Western Color Guard Championships on March 23 and 24, marking the first time the unit has ever advanced to the finals competition in the Scholastic A Class.

The grey page opens in front of you, decorated by varying shades of burgundy, as it previews the colleges that have accepted the site.

I never imagined spinning a flag would be so difficult. Coming from middle school, I thought participating in Color Guard would prove easy, more mentally challenging than physically. I was completely mistaken.

Finishing out the marching band season with exciting performances in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Color Guard and percussion are transitioning into their next seasons, Winter Guard and Winter Percussion.

Multicolored lights spiral around, leading up to the indispensable star crowning the tree. Gifts from Santa are piled underneath, while hot chocolate and cookies await the family as they return from their adventure in the great, white outdoors. It is the perfect Christmas. Or maybe this only happens in movies.

Saratoga High's marching band and Color Guard shined under the bright lights of the 86th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade when they marched in front of 3 million on the streets of New York.

At a meeting on Nov. 13, the district board voted to suspend a policy at Saratoga High that would require all freshmen to take P.E., even if they also participate in band or athletics.

At a meeting on Oct. 16, the school board discussed options for further action regarding board policy 6146.1, which would require all freshmen to take a yearlong P.E./Health course.

With a tight schedule to prepare for a competitive parade routine, field show and appearance at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, the marching band faced another scheduling challenge: four competitions on four Saturdays in a row.

Freshmen starting with the class of 2017 will no longer be able to use marching band or sports participation for P.E. credit.

The finish line for this year’s marching band lies 3,000 miles to the east in the streets of Manhattan, where they will march in the prestigious Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. 

We all enjoy going out with our friends, whether it be watching a movie, going ice skating or going to the beach. What many people don’t consider, however, is cooking.  

I’ve never been a person too inclined to work out voluntarily. Just the concept of running over a mile makes me cringe. However, I still need to build muscle, whether it be for dancing or color guard, and I, sadly, severely lack leg muscle.

I’ve never been a person too inclined to work out voluntarily. Just the concept of running over a mile makes me cringe. However, I still need to build muscle, whether it be for dancing or color guard, and I, sadly, severely lack leg muscle.

After being robbed, suffering from a broken-down bus, performing in the rain and winning sweepstakes, it has been a season to remember for the marching band. Show after show, the marching band has skillfully obtained numerous awards in every category this field season with their show, “In the Beginning.” Few will forget the amazing performance at championships, where the band placed fifth among 15 other high-caliber bands from other schools across the state.

With over 30 varying pastries, students have been offering these products to whoever they come in contact with. This is one of the Saratoga Music Booster’s (SMB) many fundraisers. Music students between grades 5 and 12 had their annual cookie dough sale from Oct. 10 to 24 to fundraise for both SMB and their own travel accounts.

As students move to California from other states, they realize the drastic differences in different parts of the United States. Even if they are just starting school, there are variations between teaching styles, school schedules and curriculum. Regardless of whether they are in elementary school or high school, each state learns differing topics and runs independently from each other.

With a new season comes a new circuit for the marching band. Despite past participation in the Western Band Association (WBA) circuit, this year it is competing in the Marching Band Open Series (MBOS).

In preparation for the upcoming season, the Color Guard held its annual “audition,” or clinic, in the Small Gym on May 24 for interested members to attend. Available for students of all grades, performers showcased dance and flag basics and taught two short combinations.

Fleur de Cocoa Price: $$$ Location: downtown Los Gatos next to the Los Gatos Cinemas Category: Cafe A peaceful and tranquil pastry shop, Fleur de Cocoa sells delicious delicacies including sandwiches and drinks in addition to the expected sweets. Looking among the display, one sees pastries ranging from croissants to sponge cakes. The relaxing atmosphere makes the venue a comfortable place to eat; however, the pastries are slightly costly. Each small pastry averages around $5, but the price definitely matches the quality of the food.

The ASB officers and editors-in-chief for both the newspaper and yearbook have been decided for next year. ASB elections, however, had to be held twice because of complications with the voting system. In the end, juniors Anshu Siripurapu and Shivani Chadha ran unopposed for positions of ASB president and secretary, respectively. Junior Izzy Albert won the position of ASB vice president, sophomore David Zarrin was elected ASB Treasurer and sophomore Joanna Lee won the position of Board Representative.

The ASB officers and editors-in-chief for both the newspaper and yearbook have been decided for next year. ASB elections, however, had to be held twice because of complications with the voting system. In the end, juniors Anshu Siripurapu and Shivani Chadha ran unopposed for positions of ASB president and secretary, respectively. Junior Izzy Albert won the position of ASB vice president, sophomore David Zarrin was elected ASB Treasurer and sophomore Joanna Lee won the position of Board Representative.

As sorrowful family members mourned their tragic loss of their 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, one of the many victims of the Tuscon shooting in January, members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketed the funeral only a few thousand feet away. Chanting and holding up signs saying, “You’re going to hell” at funerals, the group believes that the deaths of young children and deceased servicemen and women are God’s punishment for America’s leniency toward gays.

Gripped with fear, junior Madison Emery stepped onto the stage on the opening night for “Jekyll and Hyde.” As she looked into the audience, she slowly grew more nervous. The lights dimmed, and the musical began. Yet once Emery fell into her character, Emma Carew, all her fear disappeared and it all seemed natural.

Occasionally, a movie is released that gains the title of the worst movie of the year. This past year critics have been lavishing this “honor” on movies like “Meet the Spartans” and “Tron,” but I feel like “Avatar the Last Airbender” and “Twilight” were the worst movies of the year.

Time and time again, we hear teachers and administrators warning us not to overload ourselves with honors and AP courses. They tell us to balance our schedules, making time for academics, extracurriculars, a social life and sleep.

Robert Freeman, an economics teacher at Los Altos High School, saw the need to help more unprivileged countries, like Nicaragua. He began One Dollar For Life to help those countries by collecting just one dollar from high school students to assist the poor in those countries. Starting the week of Feb. 7, colorful boxes made by the Saratoga Youth Commission were put them in every classroom to raise money to help build a school in Nicaragua. They are hoping to raise at least $500 to give to One Dollar For Life.

After graduating from Saratoga High in 2008, my older brother Marvin went on to become a student at Stanford University. I have constantly dreamed of boasting admittance to Stanford, but my brother’s accomplishments are difficult to match.

The music department has begun its Winter Guard season along with a reintroduced similar winter activity: Winter Percussion. According to Michael Boitz, chair of the music department, Winter Guard and Winter Percussion are both similar to the athletic part of marching band. The only difference is that Winter Guard is dance movement with equipment and Winter Percussion is movement with percussion instruments.

When their economics teacher Kim Anzalone assigned seniors Brian Vo and Jesse Yung a project to put together a business proposal earlier in the semester, they not only completed the assignment but also decided to put it into action. The two started a catering business in mid-October where they retrieve lunches from outside restaurants to deliver to students on campus for a small fee.

Homecoming week is a time that many students anticipate, talk about and, most of all, love. However, what was supposed to be a fun, relaxing week this year also served to bring up the issue of cheating. In particular, other classes complained when the freshman quad decorations appeared to benefit too much from parents' help.

At 18, Nicholas Brown almost died. Brown, a student from the University of Arkansas, slipped into a coma with a blood alcohol level of 0.68 last November. Brown had been participating in a pledge event at the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house where he was allegedly forced to endure hours of verbal and physical abuse, as well as a challenge to drink as much alcohol as possible.

Trying to find ways to help financially struggling school districts, a Santa Clara County Superior Court Civil Grand Jury recently suggested the combination of five of the smallest school districts in the area, including the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District. But the proposal has not been met with enthusiasm by members of the LGSUHSD board.

Pulling her Audi convertible into the school parking lot, junior Mei Gao is ready to start the day. Struggling to hold her various textbooks, each as heavy as a brick, Gao looks and sounds like most other students on this Monday morning. Her English is polished, having a barely discernible accent that seems to diminish with each subsequent word she speaks. This is perhaps the only trace she has left of her native China, the country she left to pursue an education in the United States.

Although it is still the beginning of the year, the chess team is already preparing to defend its sixth straight state championship title next May, and since one of the top two players, Charles Sun, graduated last June, the team has realized the need to work even harder. “The team overall has to improve, although it’s really an individual effort to increase your own skill,” said club president Evan Ye. “Hopefully, chess club helps to inspire people including me and a lot of other team members to practice more chess.”

"All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes," declared Winston Churchill. In other words, analyzing one's mistakes is essential to progress. And in the same way a student's ability to look at previous tests is extremely important to academic progress. Unfortunately, with the test-returning policies of some teachers, students are not having the chance to learn from their mistakes.