Sophie Mattson

Currently an immigration reform bill is being drafted in Senate in order to help 300,000 undocumented immigrants currently living in America under Temporary Protective Status, or TPS, which gives them refuge from physical danger in their home country. The bill would offer these undocumented immigrants, 60 percent of whom are from Mexico, a faster way of gaining citizenship. 

The softball team is making a comeback from its last 5-17 season and is proving to be formidable competition in the El Camino league. 

Edward Dong, a poet and math and science whiz, was recently named valedictorian for the class of 2013 with an academic GPA of 4.7536 and a total GPA of 4.7271, and Nikki Bedekar, a top tennis player with an outgoing personality, received the honor of salutatorian with the second highest academic GPA of 4.6582 and a total GPA of 4.5984.

On Saturday, March 2, 85 girls spent their morning laughing together and bonding over issues of female empowerment at the Courage to Change Workshop.

Beloved art and digital photography teacher Stephen John McCue passed away on Jan. 4 at the age of 47 after suffering from a rare form of lung cancer. McCue was diagnosed last February, but chose to continue teaching as much as possible because of his love for his students. 

Coach: Joe Medeiros Last season's record: 5-17 Last season recap: The team competed in the El  Camino League and beat Cupertino High School, Lynbrook High School and Fremont High School.  Star player: junior shortstop Mandy Lee Key additions: To be determined during tryouts  Key matchups/games/meets: Gunn High School, San Lorenzo Valley Tournament  

In December, Time magazine published an article regarding the decision of Scandinavian toy retailer Top-Toy to release gender-neutral toys.

With a completed computer version of the robot, the team moves back to reality to build, test and tweak their theories.

Last year’s Talisman yearbook recently received news that it was one of 66 books in the country to be nominated for a Crown Award by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

Beloved art and digital photography teacher Stephen John McCue passed away on Jan. 4 at the age of 47 after suffering from a rare form of lung cancer.

Cost of an average college application: $75. Cost to send SAT scores to each college: $11. Rush delivery of SAT scores: $35.

A man draped in caramel-colored fabric and a red sash dons aviators, chunky golden rings and a glittery gold chain with a money sign dangling from a hook.

The country seems to be headed in the direction of the Stone Age — the U.S. Supreme Court is unnecessarily reconsidering affirmative action for the first time since 1978.

The freshman class sponsored the annual holiday boutique on Dec. 1 in the cafeteria and the Thermond Theater. Fifty vendors paid for spaces, and visitors of the boutique had a wide variety of items to choose from to purchase.

It was just a quiet morning at Prospect High on Oct. 6 when hundreds of students were taking their dreaded SATs when suddenly, the fire alarm was set off.

Ever wanted to pull up a teacher’s website right from your phone or read the latest school announcements on the go? This year, the Application Developers club built its first free iPhone application, called “The SHS App,” that does just that and more. 

Senior Ramya Swami, a varsity middle blocker, was in a state of total concentration in the game against King’s Academy on Sept. 7 when crisis struck. 

Air travel should be a safe and pleasant experience for everyone, and airlines typically take it upon themselves to ensure passengers can sit back and enjoy the flight. However, for 10-year-old Phoebe Klebahn, the experience was far from desirable.

On Sept. 16, quiet Saratoga downtown was transformed into a bustling street festival known as “Celebrate Saratoga,” a fresh and more family-friendly take on the now-defunct “Saratoga Street Dance.”

To keep up with the digital revolution, librarian Kevin Heyman has used funds from the Parent Teacher Student Organization, the SHS Foundation and the School Site Council to allow students access to eight digital databases.

Although the track team may not have had a lot of success at meets after they moved up to the De Anza league this year, a couple of athletes have kept the team on the radar during CCS. 

Biology and AP Environmental Science teacher Kristen Thomson can pinpoint the time in which she became enamored with the rainforest and wildlife—her summer vacation in Ecuador.

Over spring break the school was pretty empty—except for the track team who was busy at work, diligently running laps during practice.

I didn’t realize how sedentary my lifestyle would become after beginning junior year. I had always assumed that I would make time to exercise. After being on the cross country and track teams during my sophomore year, I developed a love of running and hoped to continue it. Sadly, my busy schedule has led me to spend more time at the desk rather than on the treadmill.

Saratoga Downtown, also known as the Village, is commonly regarded by students as a stagnant area that really does not have much to offer.

Last year, the boys’ and girls’ track teams enjoyed strings of victories against opposing schools in the West Valley League. This year, the track teams have been moved up to a higher degree of competition in the De Anza League.

Countless students dream about rising to a position of leadership in their future careers. Junior Shahab Moghadam is one of those students, but rather than dream, he decided to learn about how to be a leader by reaching out to people who have been in the most prestigious positions of leadership.

Ever since the ratification of the Bill of Rights on Dec. 15, 1791, Americans have enjoyed the freedom to assemble peacefully and lawfully. Despite this precedent, the government is undermining this basic Constitutional right of the people by outlawing peaceful protests under certain circumstances.

The sketch first appears to be a rotting banana, then a dirty blonde wig. Suddenly and inexplicably, a light bulb goes off in the student’s head and he types in “Lady Gaga” on his smartphone. The student squeals in delight; he just won three coins.

A group of students who share a passion for history and a thirst for intense competition have found their calling, the History Bowl.

Balancing Act Freshman Robert Gragnola’s lifetime love of playing sports has led him to participate in three school sports.

As of mid 2011, the federal government has been shutting down dozens of medical marijuana dispensaries in California due to the widespread usage of the drug for recreational purposes. However, the problem shouldn’t be addressed by shutting down dispensaries. The problem lies in the corruption surrounding the process by which Californians can obtain medical marijuana cards.

On March 8, AP Environmental Science students will have the opportunity to come face to face with an elephant seal.

Saratoga alumnus, Harvard graduate and Facebook executive Andrew Bosworth told Leadership students about his journey from being a student at Saratoga High to becoming the director of engineering at Facebook.

When senior Peter Hsieh was a sophomore in Jerry Sheehy’s world history class, little did he know that a project about Liberalism would shape his future interests and pursuits.

After 11 months of struggle in Egypt to implement an effective democracy, Egypt is finally headed in the direction of having a fair and favorable government. Despite widespread public support for the movement, it will be a formidable challenge to successfully carry out the implementation of a democratic government in Egypt after a prolonged dictatorial regime.

After two months of using a pass-fail grading scale for sport credit classes, including band and cheer, the administration has chosen to revert back to the regular letter-grading policy formally used. Some students may have preferred a pass-fail grading policy, but ultimately the change detracted from the class experience.

Christmas—a time for Hallmark novelties, synthetic spruce trees, Santa-shaped sugar cookies red and green food coloring and most importantly, a time to see your relatives.

The topic of vaccination for girls against the human papillomavirus (HPV) has received a large amount of attention not only in doctors’ offices, but in the media and, more recently, in politics. TV commercials have launched a “One Less” campaign proclaiming that each HPV vaccination will result in one less woman to develop HPV-related cervical cancer; and Texas governor and presidential candidate Rick Perry has recently drawn criticism for his mandate requiring all young girls to be vaccinated against the virus.

Undocumented immigrant students living in the California have finally received the opportunity to live the “California dream.” On Oct. 8, Gov. Jerry Brown stood up for his principles signed the California Dream Act.

Most students look forward to school breaks as a time to relax and unwind from the trials of school. For a select few, however, these breaks provide a unique opportunity to learn. This year, some students will have the opportunity to travel with their peers to expand their knowledge. The French and Spanish departments will be traveling to France and Mexico, respectively, while history teacher Matt Torrens will lead his “Wild West” trip to Utah, which is planned every other year. All three trips are already well into the planning process and will occur during the second semester.

From the back of the band bus come the sounds of drumming and tapping. Irked band members beg the source of these sounds to cease their music, but this is an average occurrence in the life of a percussionist, and others finally ignore the persistent noise. Percussionists are much more than the instruments they play: They form two sub-groups in their section, each of which has its own distinct culture. There are 11 students in the drumline, which marches on the field, and 12 in pit percussion, which is stationary and plays instruments at the front of the field.

More than 15 years have passed since the track has been replaced, and its worn-down conditions are becoming more and more apparent. However, much to the relief of frequent joggers and student athletes, the track will finally be resurfaced later this year. The track will be resurfaced beginning in December on the week before finals and finished before students return from Winter Break.

A cookie for a Caucasian male: $2. A pastry for an Asian-American: $1.50. A brownie for African-Americans: 75 cents. A cupcake for a Native American: 25 cents. The cost of getting rejected based on ethnicity or gender: astronomical.

As he begins his fourth year as the head football coach, Tim Lugo will also will be taking on the new role of athletic director.

Last summer, junior Katlyn Hirokawa and sophomore Tim Casey-Clyde traveled to Honduras for two weeks with the Sierra Service Project (SSP), a Christian charity organization, to build two houses in the slums of Tegucigalpa, the capital. Today, according to the CIA World Factbook, Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America behind Nicaragua. Nearly 60 percent of the Honduran population lives below the poverty line.

Across America, members of the Westboro Baptist Church have made headlines for their fanatical beliefs and outrageous protesting methods. They are a homophobic and anti-Semetic religious organization based in Topeka, Kans., who travel all over the country to picket and protest at funerals, concerts, conventions and even high schools.

I’ve never been one to dabble in the arts—the most recent artistic experience I had was exploratory art class in sixth grade. Believe me, I am no prodigy; however, I’ve always been curious in attempting two artistic eccentricities: painting with toothpaste and creating a picture entirely composed of lipstick kisses. It may sound disturbing that I would want to create such strange artwork, but I have a reason.