Shivani Chadha

After a seven-hour day of school, all I want to do was go home to sleep or watch some TV on Friday afternoons. But my freshman year, instead of resting I would go straight to track practice, and after three hours I’d go straight to two hours of soccer practice until around 9 p.m. And on Saturday mornings when all I wanted to do was relax a little, I would leave at 5 a.m. for a volleyball tournament. My days were always busy, but at the time I didn’t care one bit.

Leadership students from Saratoga High tried to impart their knowledge and wisdom to elementary and middle school students during a conference at Saratoga Elementary School on March 15.

A tougher league, a slew of injuries and questionable refereeing have all contributed to the team’s 1-2-6 record and last-place standing as of Feb. 6. The team has a slim chance at going to CCS, with one tie and two wins, and must win its final three games to move on.

This year, the world language department has done something new by offering not only its annual trip to Mexico for Spanish students, but also trips to France and China.

Competing in one of the top leagues in CCS, the De Anza league, the girls on the varsity soccer team have a challenge ahead of them this season. The team rose up to the challenge in its first few pre-season games of the year.

The ASB is hosting several charity drives in the spirit of the holidays that will run up until Dec. 22.

When freshman Samuel Junqua first began playing soccer at age 6, he didn’t think much of the sport. He only began playing in AYSO’s youth recreational league because his older brother was doing it, and it looked fun. Now, Junqua has taken his passion for the sport to the next level and is playing competitively on the San Jose Earthquakes Juniors team and is also a developmental player for the under 16 (U16) academy team.

SHSTV, a branch of the Media Arts Program, has begun a new tradition with its weekly Friday broadcasts, a more interesting way for students to receive the often mundane announcements along with short news reports. “I think it’s great that we are putting out these weekly announcements,” said senior producer Talia Sisco. “But the stress level from last year has definitely increased.” In the previous year, the staff churned out video announcements every other month. They were longer broadcasts and often focused on topics on a more in-depth level.

Senior Alfred Murabito’s wrestling career began at age 12. At the time he had no idea where wrestling would take him; it all began as just a fun pastime. Now, just a five years later, Murabito is taking his passion to the next level and plans to wrestle at University of Pennsylvania next fall.

As champions for the sixth consecutive year, the chess team had become accustomed to victory at last year’s CalChess Scholastic State championship. This year, however, they came in second to Mission San Jose despite strong individual standings among the four team members.

As champions for the sixth consecutive year, the chess team had become accustomed to victory at last year’s CalChess Scholastic State championship. This year, however, they came in second to Mission San Jose despite strong individual standings among the four team members.

Dance forms, photos, paperwork for athletics, yearbook, payment to vendors and deposits for clubs and organizations—these and many more tasks keep Activities Office secretary June Lamm busy all day.

It was the summer of 2009. Senior Brandon Pierce was in a never-ending line in front of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, cringing at the discordant sound of a fellow singer belting songs left and right. Pierce tapped his foot nervously as he thought about his mission: to stand out in a crowd of 11,000 people who wanted to be the next American Idol.

It’s a common complaint that missing a day of classes here is like missing an entire week at any other school.

Entering CCS with a 10-0-2 record and winners of the De Anza League, the girls’ soccer team lost in the first round of CCS to Burlingame 3-0 at home on Feb. 23. The team made it to the quarterfinals of CCS last season and had hopes of finishing higher this year.

Junior Brian Wai looked Monta Vista student Harsha Nukula in the eye. It was the last round; the score was tied and the pressure was on. However, with a few swift moves, Wai beat Nukula, giving Saratoga the necessary lead to defeat Monta Vista win the county championship.

With the last game left in the season, the girls’ soccer team, currently in first place in the El Camino League, is getting close to making CCS for the second time in seven years.

One rainy day last winter, seniors Peter Auvil and Angel Hernandez were driving to a friend’s house when a techno mix played on the radio. The tune caught their attention and the two realized that they shared the same love for base-heavy beats and house music. On that very winter day, the two seniors decided to try to join the DJ business together, and the dynamic DJ duo was born.

Imagine receiving your report card and seeing two C’s in classes you swear you got A’s in. Your parents go crazy and lecture you incessantly on the disappointment you’ve caused the family. But wait, you go to talk to your teacher the next day and find out it was all because of a grading mistake; all because Aeries was closed.

There must be something in the water, because this year’s baby boom is not over yet. English teacher Suzanne Herzman, Chinese teacher Sara Tseng and special education teacher Terra Vitarelli are all expecting and will give birth sometime this spring. Herzman is six months pregnant and due in April. She revealed the news to her classes the week before winter break. “I wasn’t planning on telling my classes until the new year,” Herzman said. “But then some brave students congratulated me early, so I decided I had to stop hiding under my baggy clothes.”

On Dec. 11, students danced the night away in the large at this year’s winter ball themed “La vie en rose” in support of a breast cancer organization. Despite low attendance rates in previous years, this year’s winter ball had the highest attendance ever with about 400 students, assistant principal Karen Hyde said. “Attendance was astounding. I never expected that many people would show up! I was definitely very excited,” ASB vice president Nina Mohanty said.

DVDS/CDS Toy Story 3 Woody and Buzz are back again to save the day in this timeless classic from Disney. “Toy Story 3” provides humor, adventure and emotion all packed together in this final adventure of the Toy Story series. The heartwarming storyline of “Toy Story 3” is perfect for the holidays, by bringing back childhood memories that will make you both laugh and cry. This DVD is an essential addition to any movie collection and a perfect gift for anyone who grew up in love with the series.

The Falcons were off to a slow start this preseason but are progressively improving as the girls’ soccer team gets used to playing with each other.

The fall season is an exciting one for two teachers who recently gave birth. Between the end of October and beginning of November, guidance counselor Frances Saiki gave birth to a baby girl, Mirai Faith Saiki, and math teacher Jennifer Mantle welcomed a boy, Dylan Mantle, into the world.

This year, with key players senior Mckenzi Crase, senior Ren Norris, junior Kari Clark and junior Courtney Brandt returning, the girls’ soccer team is confident that they will win the De Anza league and go to CCS as they did last year, despite a new coaching staff and only three returning seniors.

Junior Anjalika Goyal remembers the day her online nightmare began. She was checking her e-mail two months ago and clicked on a link that led her to a suspicious looking website. Goyal attempted to log back in to her Facebook account, but to her horror, her password and e-mail had been changed for the popular site. Goyal was finally able to reset her password and e-mail, but found that all her friends had been deleted. Goyal discovered that her Facebook account had been hacked by an unknown user, who also created a fake account under her name.

Junior Anjalika Goyal remembers the day her online nightmare began. She was checking her e-mail two months ago and clicked on a link that led her to a suspicious looking website. Goyal attempted to log back in to her Facebook account, but to her horror, her password and e-mail had been changed for the popular site. Goyal was finally able to reset her password and e-mail, but found that all her friends had been deleted.

The math club has begun to offer intramural contests for students currently taking Geometry Enriched, Algebra 2 Honors or Trig/Precalc Honors courses in order to promote interest in mathematics among students.

As senior Kaitna Shankar heads to the parking lot after school on a Friday afternoon, she isn't gearing up for a night at the movies or other entertainment. Instead, she is planning to study for the SAT she will take again in October—a last attempt to get her best score and gain entrance into her dream college.

After two rounds of voting, this year's freshman class officers were announced on Sept. 9. The office consists of president Nikhil Goel, vice president Maggie Sun, treasurer Gloria Liou, secretary Abigail Small and class representatives Robert Eng and Jane Chang. Many of the officers have previous experience in student government and are ready to face the challenges of high school office.