Serena Chan

With the approaching 2012 presidential election, students are reflecting on President Barack Obama’s leadership over the last three years. The issue of health care arises as a popular topic since it goes hand-in-hand with the national budget.    

Those of you who dedicate hours scrolling through Tumblr have probably already seen the posts by “Saratoga Problems” and “Toga Troubles.” These two anonymous, submission-based Tumblr sites chronicle idiosyncrasies of our beloved school and have generated much attention on the widely used blogging forum. Both sites have existed since mid-November and have created more than 100 posts in total. They poke fun at topics ranging from the new school schedule to difficult class assignments.

The school is in the process of getting bids for the installation of lights on the pool deck, an addition that may take place next school year. But the purpose of new pool lights goes far deeper than simply illuminating the deck. Water polo players and swimmers have faced difficulties with scheduling since school practice begins during seventh period. Athletes must either sacrifice their high school sport or their seventh-period class.

Children are growing up today in a world where the pen is mightier than the sword, but the keyboard trumps all. With few apparent and easily punishable consequences for students’ actions online, the web has become a breeding ground for bullying. Throw on top of that the option of anonymity found in many social networking sites and the cyberbullying epidemic explodes.

The varsity and JV swimmers of the swim team made a splash on April 8 during the Swim-a-Thon fundraiser held in support of the victims of the recent disaster in Japan.

After years of unbalanced budgets coupled with an economic recession, the State of California finds itself with a staggering $27 billion deficit. Naturally, this has led to a significant decrease of funding for schools. These budget cuts have brought major changes into the Los Gatos-Saratoga school district.

After years of unbalanced budgets coupled with an economic recession, the State of California finds itself with a staggering $27 billion deficit. Naturally, this has led to a significant decrease of funding for schools. These budget cuts have brought major changes into the Los Gatos-Saratoga school district.

Students rocked the night away in poodle skirts, disco outfits and hippie couture during the Decades Dance on Feb. 4. This new dance began with the ideas of ASB president David Mandell.

For upperclassmen, filling out course request forms for the following year is a familiar ritual.

The dreaded SAT I test. High school students dedicate hundreds of hours to prepare for this one exam, sitting through prep classes, memorizing vocab and slaving away at practice tests. Taking the SAT I as an upperclassman is stressful enough; however, some students are getting a head start with this exam.

For the past decade, I've been swimming two hours a day, six days a week and 11 months a year with DACA (De Anza Cupertino Aquatics) up until roughly two months ago. Am I crazy for that? Possibly. Since then, I put club swimming on the back burner for a couple of months and started practicing exclusively with the school team. It's been ... different.

Saratoga Girls dominated CCS this year coming in at sixth place. Seniors Megan Nolet, Elizabeth Murray and Laurnen Opatrny all gave stunning performances in their last meet of their high school career. Despite set backs in which a confusing meet schedual caused missed races, the Falcons went on to achieve best times in CCS Finals. Lauren Opatrny achieved 56.10 in her 100 yard backstroke, placing second in finals.

1. Season Record: 3-3 2. Highlight of the Season: At CCS, the Toga girls ranked 6th overall. Lauren Opatrny, Natalie Cheung, Elizabeth Murray and Megan Nolet swam the 200 Medley Relay and placed third. The 400 Free Relay swum by the four seniors Christine La, Elizabeth Murray, Megan Nolet and Lauren Opatrny placed fifth.

Morning sickness. Food cravings. Maternity clothes. For four faculty members, it is all part of the successive stages of pregnancy. Science teacher Kristen Thomson recently had her second child on April 20 , and speech pathologist Ronda Vierra, English teacher Natasha Ritchie and math teacher Jennifer Mantle are due in the fall.

No matter how many academic courses a student takes during his or her high school years, perhaps the most valuable lessons are taught not in textbooks but by experience. Students who participate in student government positions gain valuable leadership skills that invariably benefit them in the future.

The girls' swim team hopes to dominate this season with the advantage of an extremely strong team led by seniors Elizabeth Murray, Megan Nolet and Lauren Opatrny. Last season, the team placed eighth overall at CCS, ranking fifth out of the public schools, and the girls think they can compete with anyone. "We should be placing in the top 10 at CCS," said Murray. "We have done it these last couple of years, so it's possible for us." "Paly and Homestead are our biggest challenges," added Nolet.

Young and old came together on campus for an evening of dancing and live music during annual Jazz Cabaret held March 6 in the Large Gym. The Redwood Middle School Jazz Band, SHS Jazz Bands I and II, the Los Gatos-Saratoga Big Band and the SHS Choir all performed while over 500 people from all throughout the Saratoga community swing-danced to the music. "The music was beautiful and fun to dance to," said sophomore Alison Knysh. "I was happy with how it complemented the atmosphere of the night perfectly."

Freshman Francheska Palmer hesitated, holding the remains of her lunch above the two bins. Recycle or trash? For a second, her hand wavered back and forth between the two before tossing her plastic pasta container into the recycling bin. This short moment of uncertainty happened subconsciously, but it is an example of how most students are puzzled when it comes to what items are recyclable. Looking at the trash bins in the quad, about half of the garbage belongs in the recycle bin next to it and half of the recycling should be in the trash.

Thirty-five students from Saratoga, Los Gatos, Monta Vista and other local high schools gathered in Room 805 on Jan. 9 with the shared interest of becoming part of the student-run BAY Magazine, which covers issues and trends that affect teens in the area. The group listened to a 30-minute recruitment presentation by editor-in chief T.T. Tu about the magazine's goals and sections in hopes of possibly becoming a staff member themselves.

The construction for the 4,800-square-foot Multimedia Arts Program (MAP) building located behind woodshop and the weight room began early September and is making progress. The $2.2 million project's most current milestone has been the completion of the electrical work. "We had a few hiccups," said media arts teacher Tony Palma. "In the process of the work, the equipment failed and there were some expenses in fixing that." This first problem arose when the construction workers re-routed the primary PG&E electrical line for the MAP building.

With Winter Formal coming up, more and more people are racking their brains trying to think up a "good' way" to ask their date to the dance. Most people don't have enough money to buy a private jet and fly it over school during lunch with a banner attached saying: "Will you go to Winter Ball with me?". For most of us who cannot afford such extravagance, here are a few priceless ways to ask your crush, whether a girl or a guy, to Winter Ball:

As of October 1, the swimming world will have cleared out all technical suits to the dismay of many swimmers. The International Swimming Federation (FINA), the governing body for the sport of swimming, has held meetings all over the world to define what kind of racing suit will be allowed during competitions. Speedo's LZR Racer and the J01 made by Jaked are only a couple of the first-class suits that will be banned from meets. Here are the rules according to a letter sent out by Bruce W. Stratton, Chair, USA Swimming Rules & Regulations Committee:

Think of all the ways a hair tie could be used as an advantage during a sport. Maybe while a girl is running her cross country race, she'll slip off that black elastic and snap it at another runner. Or maybe a water polo player will pull on another by the hair tie around her wrist. Officials don't want to test athletes' creativity by thinking of new ways to use hair bands as a weapon, so hair ties around the wrist are banned from most girls' sports including track, water polo and soccer to name a few. However hair ties are still allowed in the hair.

After the two years of hype and extensive planning for the new Media Arts Program (MAP) building, the highly anticipated project has finally broken ground and is expected to be completed by August 2010. The 4,800-square-foot facility, located behind the weight room and woodshop, will include a TV studio, an audio recording studio and classroom space. It is not only for the students involved in MAP, but also for the rest of the school.

After the two years of hype and extensive planning for the new Media Arts Program (MAP) building, the highly anticipated project has finally broken ground and is expected to be completed by August 2010. The 4,800-square-foot facility, located behind the weight room and woodshop, will include a TV studio, an audio recording studio and classroom space. It is not only for the students involved in MAP, but also for the rest of the school.