Tim Tsai

For one day on March 17, a gym full of students connected on an emotional level—with none of the invisible barriers that usually fill the high school hallways. Students shared their deepest fears, insecurities and secrets with complete strangers. They formed bonds between former enemies. Students and staff empathized with one another on issues involving family problems, abuse and violence. They shed tears and tore down walls of human separation, revealing acceptance and love. But do the effects of Challenge Day remain?

The boys’ varsity soccer team is looking back with regret after enduring a rocky season that ended with a loss to Mountain View on Feb. 6. The boys lost 6-1 to Mountain View after playing a difficult game with two key players out: junior left center defender Matt Marshall and freshman left forward Jon Jonqua.

After a 3-1 home win against Prospect to kick-off the season, the Falcons reeled off four straight one-goal losses, going 2-1 against Yerba Buena and Homestead, and 1-0 versus Menlo and Watsonville. What once looked to be a promising season has now disappeared with a 1-7 record. “The losses got really frustrating because we kept making simple mistakes that would cost us the games,” said senior captain striker Hoffman Hibbett. “The team didn’t communicate well even though we kept working at trying to play together during practice.”

With a new coach and a relatively new group of players, the boys’ varsity soccer team hopes to pull together and improve their commitment this season. Despite three preseason losses to Yerba Buena, Menlo and Watsonville, in which the team lost 2-1, 1-0 and 1-0, respectively, and only one 3-1 win against Prospect, the players are looking to improve in league games, which started on Dec. 17 against Wilcox.

Following the debacle of Florida in the 2000 presidential election and the close call in Ohio in 2004, many were relieved to see Barack Obama elected without controversy. The fact is that the Electoral College has continually caused problems for voters and the recent elections only further show that voting reform is necessary.

At this time in the presidential election, it is not uncommon for the newspapers and airwaves to be filled with commentators complaining about the state of our country. Coupled with the turmoil on Wall Street, there is an endless stream of criticism, leading many potential voters to voice their opinions. Unless, however, these potential voters turn into actual and informed voters, their complaints hold no value, as their voices will not be represented by the Electoral College.

The dull thud of techno bass echoed through the streets of San Francisco on Oct. 4. People of all ages dressed in outlandish hats and outfits roamed the streets, yelling and screaming as they exited the Bart and Caltrain stations on their way to LoveFest.

Few students outside of the journalism world understand the work, effort and creativity that that is needed to publish a piece of work, much less a 32-page quarterly, full color magazine. The process is made even more difficult if one is not trained in the skills needed for a journalist. However, senior T.T. Tu did not let this stand in his way as he embarked on creating a self-published “Bay Magazine” over the summer.

In recent weeks, Southeast Asia has been rocked by two calamitous natural disasters. A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province of China, on May 12, toppling buildings and schools throughout the province and even shaking buildings in Beijing 932 miles away. To date, experts estimate that the earthquake has killed 55,000 people. Meanwhile, just eight days before, a cyclone struck Myanmar, previously known as Burma. Reports have the death toll nearing 134,000. Although both events have captured world headlines and left thousands homeless or otherwise devastated, the earthquake in China has dominated the news, leaving many people uninformed and ignorant regarding the situation in Burma. While this is largely due to the military junta’s stranglehold on foreign media entering Myanmar, this oppressive dominion over news flow should provide all the more reason for people to try and help in Myanmar.

In recent weeks, Southeast Asia has been rocked by two calamitous natural disasters. A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province of China, on May 12, toppling buildings and schools throughout the province and even shaking buildings in Beijing 932 miles away. To date, experts estimate that the earthquake has killed 55,000 people. Meanwhile, just eight days before, a cyclone struck Myanmar, previously known as Burma. Reports have the death toll nearing 134,000.

Music pulsed through the dimmed cafeteria of Argonaut Elementary School as models junior Kushal Shah and senior Sahar Padash strutted across the catwalk in Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants caps and jerseys. Their crisp poses and flirtatious skit gave the crowd a hint of the catwalks of Paris, but this was the Benefit Fashion Show, performed on April 25-26 to raise money for a chosen charity.

It isn’t often that students become the teachers, but the students of history teacher Mike Davey’s U.S. Government classes had the chance to play the role on April 18 and 25 at Foothill Elementary. The classes traveled to Foothill to give presentations on what it means to be an American and on the freedom of speech. Some students performed educational skits and gave PowerPoint presentations, while others split the elementary students into groups and had them argue landmark cases throughout American history.

This story was originally published in the April 4, 2008 Saratoga Falcon newspaper The J-room. This phrase is often tossed around on campus, yet many students do not know what it means. The Journalism Room can always be found filled with students screaming for their stories and editors dashing across the room to a printer. The Journalism team is nothing if not a bustling work environment, yet publication staffs have also come to share a close, familiar bond.

In the wake of the English national soccer team's disastrous failure to qualify for the UEFA European Soccer Championship, the British economy is predicting a loss of up to two billion pounds, the equivalent of over four billion US dollars.