Nelson Wang

The current SAT is execrable. No idea what “execrable” means? You’re not alone because a vast majority of the population is similarly clueless. You’ll probably never see the word again unless you teach English at Harvard.  That’s why College Board’s decision to revise the SAT for 2016 is a positive one. Among other changes, the new SAT will  test more common vocabulary, make the writing section optional and be more accessible for low-income students. They hope to increase the popularity of the SAT compared to the ACT.

In February, lawmakers in California proposed a bill to put warning labels on sugary drinks in an attempt to combat obesity, a strategy reminiscent of Michael Bloomberg’s ban on large containers of soft drinks in New York. This bill is not a miracle cure for obesity, but is a step in the right direction.

There’s no easy way to get into Harvard short of being related to someone very famous or having a parent who attended or taught at Harvard, not even by attending a supposed “feeder school.”  

Visitors to the Saratoga Music website on Dec. 15 were greeted not by the usual music schedules, but instead by a black screen with moving red text saying “Hacked Hank Sandlep” (presumably a pseudonym). 

Saratoga’s zombie apocalypse comes twice a year. In these weeks before finals, the virus of stress spreads like influenza and the deadmen walk asleep. 

The first thing I told myself was to resist the temptation to post “yoloswag” or something else stupid because I realized that I couldn’t troll like I usually do on most websites. This was serious business, and there was no room for jokes. One mistake and I could get in trouble. For the first time, I had to take everything on the Internet seriously.  I was exploring the “Deep Web.”

I’m a huge Pokemon fan at heart, even at age 17. In fact, I’m writing a college essay on Pokemon. (It might not get me into college, but the admission officers might be entertained.) 

It would appear that Joseph Stalin has returned from the grave, and through his Facebook account, is attempting to teach Saratoga students about the communist system.

On Sept. 23, California’s Gov. Jerry Brown signed an “eraser bill” that gives California minors the right to delete online postings on social media sites. This is the first legislation of its kind, and it will require social media sites to allow minors to clear their data from Facebook’s servers starting in 2015.

This September, the Bexar County Digital Library opened in San Antonio, Texas. That’s right, it’s a digital library. In other words, there are no books. 

Around the halfway mark of every semester, the campus is full of upperclassmen, whining endlessly about their midterms. Their complaints are completely justified.

“What does the fox say?” goes the new viral video “The Fox” by the comedy- and music-making duo, Ylvis. Of Norwegian heritage, brothers Bård Urheim Ylvisåker and Vegard Urheim Ylvisåker have been doing musical comedy since 2000. Ylvis uploaded a music video called “The Fox” to YouTube on Sept. 3, and since then it has amassed 38 million views.

Michael Zhang, who was slated to graduate with Saratoga High’s class of 2013, was a happy-go-lucky, optimistic guy while on campus — a member of the speech and debate team, a tennis player, an avid computer gamer and a National Merit semifinalist. But one day last year during the first semester, he disappeared from Saratoga High. 

In recent news, Edward Snowden, a former member of the NSA and CIA who revealed some of the agency’s secret surveillance plans, has been a hot topic of controversy. Some have hailed him as a patriotic hero. Others have called him a traitor. 

Many private universities offer students two options to apply early: early action and early decision. Early decision requires students who are admitted to attend the university, while early action doesn’t.

It is a day in history for History Day. Long thought of as a project only for those passionately in love with history, History Day — or at least a project similar to it — is now mandatory for freshmen enrolled in the Media Arts Program (MAP).

Recently, Dennis Rodman, a former NBA player for the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, made a visit to North Korea in February and attempted to reach out to North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un, an avid basketball fan, to discuss country relations.

The virus lay dormant in ten thousands of computers until it reached its target: Iran’s nuclear program. 

Junior Andrew Chang, eyes glued to the screen, pounds the keyboard buttons  furiously in an attempt to overtake the enemy team. Chang, a League of Legends player, is one of many participants in Saratoga High’s League of Legends tournament which began in March and will probably continue through May. 

This year, SHS students participating in History Day had a strong showing at the state competition. The school sent a record 16 entries, created by 31 students, to represent the Santa Clara County at the State Competition in Sacramento on April 27. 

As the speech and debate season comes to a close, the team celebrated its successes at the state tournament in Burbank, Calif., which took place on April 19-21.

What do a silly web series called “The Cyanide and Happiness Show” and the Academy Award-nominated documentary, “Sun Come Up” have in common?

Who would want to study history in their spare time? Answer: the group of 37 students participating in this year’s History Day competition. 

Sixty-nine members of the speech and debate team attended one of the largest tournaments in California, the Cal Invitational in UC Berkeley, from Feb. 16-18, where they had new experiences participating in different events than usual.

For many juniors, going off campus during lunch is a good way to relax from classes, but one unfortunate junior had to go through much more trouble than he asked for.

With two first-place winners in individual events, 10 members of the speech and debate team competed successfully at the Golden Desert Invitational in Las Vegas, which took place from Feb. 1-4.

The speech and debate team will attend its first national travel tournament of the year at the Golden Desert Invitational tournament in Las Vegas on Feb. 1-4. 

After a month-long trial period, speech and debate coach Erick Rector has finally arrived at the decision for who this year’s speech and debate captains will be.

Outside the English wing, a pair of mysterious double doors display no room number. Though this room is hardly royal or ornate, it is fondly called the English Palace.

Regardless of grade level, all students can take a maximum of seven classes at the school. 

When speech and debate practices began on Sept. 24, the returning debaters noticed several changes for the season including a new coach, new captains, the implementation of a travel team and the new student-led team meetings.

Before speech and debate practices even began, sophomore Rohith Krishna and senior Venkat Munukutla competed successfully at the St. Francis Lincoln Douglas debate tournament on Sept. 22-23, setting the stage for an exciting season.

This year, the school has implemented some controversial  changes that are both unnecessary and frustrating to students.

In Saratoga High, students obsess over multiple computer games, thus forming groups of gamers who play together. Among these games are Starcraft, Minecraft and Call of Duty. League of Legends (LoL) is another prominent example, yet those outside of the LoL gaming circle complain that it is overhyped. 

Just a few weeks ago, students logging into Facebook, or any other social networking site,  would face an onslaught of posts about the popular movie, “The Hunger Games.” For the next few days, this continuous stream of excitement over the movie would only gain momentum. But all of a sudden, it disappeared. Soon enough, interest over “Avengers” came to replace it; thus, the cycle of hypes continues. 

Each spring, the speech and debate team braces for the season’s close. With the end comes one of the first stepping stones to the most prestigious speech and debate tournaments a student can attend: States, where the best of the best in California gather in one area to compete non-stop for three days.

Sophomore Eric Taw has applied to multiple summer programs at colleges, all involving science. Along with many other students, Taw will be looking to gain valuable experience in specialized programs this summer.

When, on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world was permanently persuaded that weapons of mass destruction should never be used again. Despite reservations about using nuclear weapons, not much has been done to neutralize the danger. With the increase in accessibility to nuclear weapons, the possibility of nuclear war is steadily increasing. North Korea: Problem or not?

When speech captain, junior Sujay Khandekar and sophomore Jason Li began their first rounds at the second Coast Forensic League Spring Individual Events (IE) tournament on March 3, they had no idea that they would both walk away as finalists. Khandekar and Li placed first and fourth, respectively, in Oratorical Interpretation.

As he continues to campaign for re-election in 2012, it seems as though President Obama has ended 2011 on a negative note. In December, he signed a controversial and immoral defense bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, also called the NDAA.

At the tournament at James Logan High during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, members of the SHS speech and debate team was beset with a number of problems. Especially hard hit was the public forum team.

A multitude of Chinese calligraphy scrolls and drawings line the walls of the Saratoga Community Center building as countless children and their parents walk to different stations, each with a Chinese activity relating to the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Dragon.

As the world grows even more technologically oriented, American schools are struggling to catch up. Recently, a study surveying California public elementary schools has shed further light on the dire situation.

The parliamentary and public forum debate teams had their first tournament on Oct. 14 at Gunn High School in Palo Alto. Despite the fact that none of the captains were able to attend the tournament, in addition to a lack of varsity teams attending due to the PSAT on the same day, the team gave a strong showing, with most teams getting a score of two wins and two losses.

Many students remember building with the simple LEGO blocks when they were younger. Whether they made a plane or a dragon or some unrecognizable contraption, these LEGOs provided endless amusement. Unfortunately, old habits fade and many have lost the amusement of playing with LEGOs. Even so, few students’ childhood was affected as much by LEGOs as was that of sophomore Charles Li.

The San Jose Mercury News was one of the first newspapers to publish on the Internet in 1993. The paper’s editors were among a few who saw that eventually, news distribution would transition from a paper-based medium to the Internet.

The speech and debate team placed fifth in the league last year, and this year, they are looking to become even stronger with the addition of new captains, members and an event.

There are many sports in SHS, but few involve as much self motivation as boys’ cross country.

Researching, writing and creating a project in five months is not an easy task. Only a select few dedicated and ambitious students take on the challenge of participating in the annual National History Day competition.

Saratoga High’s technology has not always been the way students and teachers know it today. Ten years ago, SHS had a spotty e-mail system, only some teachers had computers in their classrooms and there was no wireless Internet. This is why the school hired Julie Grenier in 2001. Her mission: Bring the school’s technology to the 21st century.

If you were to visit the tech crew’s room near the music rooms, the first thing you would notice is probably the loud screeching sound of wood being chopped by members of the tech crew. There would be a smell of sawdust in the air and you would see wooden planks everywhere. This is a scene from the daily life of a tech crew member.