Nick Chow

Pretty much everyone knows that I have a healthy obsession with anything related to the movie “The Dark Knight.” OK, maybe not a healthy obsession per se, but an obsession nevertheless. And what’s a better way to test my dedication to “The Dark Knight” code than to see how many movie references I can use during AP Language discussions?

Freshmen Andre Xiao and Kailar Shekar highlight the reason why the boys’ tennis team is primed for a deep run this season, despite having lost key players to graduation. Xiao and Shekar will play No. 2 and No. 3 singles respectively, showcasing one of the deepest rosters the Falcons have had in years.  

Enter many high school classes, and you’ll likely see a teacher pacing in the front of the class, lecturing while students frantically try and scribble down notes. This lecture-driven style drives many school systems around the world (most notably China), and these schools are lauded for producing “smart” students en masse.

Aggravation is becoming common for seniors dealing with the Common App's redesigned site.

In the Sept. 17 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Saratoga High once again was in the national spotlight with the publication of a story headlined “Sexting, shame, and suicide,” giving a detailed account of the tragic bullying and suicide of Audrie Pott. Yet this story, written by staff writer Nina Burleigh, was different from previous ones.

Thirty-two seniors gathered in the library research center, called in for a mysterious reason by the guidance department on Wednesday, Sept. 4. However, they soon found out that they weren’t in trouble but instead had qualified as National Merit Semifinalists.

Gather around children, and I’ll tell you a story. Gather ‘round, and I’ll tell you the tale of when I met Aaron Gordon.  

With the recent completion of AP testing, a huge burden has been lifted off the school’s shoulders. Students everywhere have felt the diminishing of the merciless flow of work before AP testing. But to the astonishment of some students, AP classes are still learning new material after the test. However, this material, while not officially part of the AP course curriculum, is a huge asset in further enriching students’ knowledge.

The History Bowl team crossed the finish line at the 2013 national tournament, 3,000 miles away in Washington, D.C, with the varsity A team and JV team placing within the top 20 and top eight in the nation respectively. But most importantly, the trip was the culminating experience to a successful season.

As college admissions competition increases, more students are pressured into taking extra AP courses to boost their grades. However, many students are not ready for the jump from non-AP classes in sophomore year to course loads packed with harder classes in their junior and senior years. There are students, though, that have approached this AP dilemma in different ways.

The cheer team placed fourth out of 21 teams in the Cheer Show varsity division at the USA Spirit Nationals held March 15-17 in Anaheim.

Dozens of students piled into chemistry teacher Kathy Nakamatsu’s room on Feb. 8, eager to get the chemistry test over with. Two pages of questions later, the students filed out of the room. But here’s the catch: these students were freshmen.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) taking pictures of a terrorist’s face while flying 20,000 feet above the surface of the Earth is no longer something that only appears in animated television shows. The American military has been using UAVs, or drones, for precision aerial strikes in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia and other terrorist strongholds since 2001; more recently, drones have entered the domestic realm.

The History Bowl team traveled to San Leandro on March 2 to participate in the Northern California History Bowl Championship and emerged with flying colors. Both the varsity A-team and JV team won championships in their respective divisions. 

We all know that Saratoga often fosters an extremely competitive academic atmosphere, with students pointlessly comparing each other’s GPAs as they vie for academic honors to increase their chances of getting into a prestigious college.

The gym was packed as numerous fans came out to see the Falcons take on league-leading Palo Alto at home on Jan. 29. But on the first play of the game, the fans knew it was going to be a long night: Palo Alto’s Aubrey Dawkins cut to the hoop and dunked.

History Bowl requires a vast knowledge and exceedingly quick thinking. Few students possess as great knowledge and love for history as senior Spencer Goldman.

The gym was packed with bright, young faces as hundreds of incoming students and their parents watched performances by the winter guard and the cheer team on the evening of Jan. 28.

The center is the last line of defense, altering and contesting shots. He is tasked with ferociously rebounding the ball to ensure his teammates extra possessions. He is the anchor of the team’s defense, the five, the pivot, the man in the middle.

When most Saratoga students graduate, they enter yet another grueling cycle of coursework in college before finally achieving a job at some graduate school.

Inspired by YouTube comedian Jimmy Tatro’s video series, “Make a Video About It,” we decided to rant in an appropriate manner about our pet peeves at this school.

Although it is one of the newest clubs on campus, it has already won multiple victories. In only its first year, the History Bowl team conquered numerous other teams in its qualification for the national tournament. This year’s team is starting off right where they left off last year.

Recently, Disney bought Lucasfilm for a whopping $4 billion. As a result, it is safe to say the world is going to end. The fateful day that George Lucas signed over his entertainment industry was the day that marked the ruination of one of the most admired and beloved film series in the world.

To some students, talking to a school counselor can be an unnerving task, especially when they don’t feel comfortable at school. That's why juniors Anup Kar and My-Lan Le recently founded a student-led group called Common Roots.

In early October, then 17-year-old Boy Scout Ryan Andresen of Moraga was denied his Eagle Scout award after working for nearly a decade to complete the requirements. The reason for the denial: He’s gay.

When I was in elementary school, I imagined high school to be an extremely intimidating place.

Chemistry teacher Kathy Nakamatsu’s room was jam-packed with over 60 students struggling over a series of difficult science questions, ranging from DNA nucleotides to geological phenomena.

I remember when the school year started and all of my friends were comparing schedules. 

Fresh off a summer cheer camp at UC Santa Cruz, the cheerleading squad is anticipating an exciting year of changes and competition.

If you wanted to create the ultimate water polo player, an ideal athlete who contributes the most to a water polo team, what attributes would he have?

As the school year ends, juniors and seniors find themselves confronted with the decision over how to spend their summer vacations. While some opt for internships, travel or just staying at home, several upperclassmen continue their studies at local community colleges.  

This August, Tesla Motors announced that it will open its first Bay Area electric car service center in San Rafael.

The newest game many students obsess about is League of Legends (LoL); seemingly with each passing day, another one of my friends joins the game. Unfortunately, I think that the game is absolutely overrated.

Back in December of 2009, throngs of iPhone and iPod aficionados were polarized by the newest finger-tapping phenomenon, Angry Birds. But as newer apps were released, Angry Birds diminished in popularity. 

As the frenzy for acceptance into a prestigious college increases, numerous magazines and news sources, such as U.S. News and Forbes, have profited from their college ranking issues.   

A deadly pileup of two school buses, a pickup truck and a tractor truck, along with two dead and 38 injured. All caused by one reckless driver texting while driving.

1. Guys are extremely disorganized.

When students arrived on campus on the morning of Oct. 10, they were greeted with the sight of the familiar bike rack fixed in front of the Large Gym instead of under the overhang near the Small Gym. The administration said the rack was moved for safety reasons, but many students are upset at this new location because their bikes is now be out in the rain and sun. Over the previous weekend, the bike rack, which is used by at least 25 students a day, was moved from its original spot to a new location.

As the United States continues to fall behind the rest of the world in education quality, despite billions of dollars spent, people have begun looking to alternative methods of education. One of these options is vocational education. Instead of aiming to prepare students for college, vocational high schools aim to train students in career skills, so they can go on to find employment rather than higher education.