Ask the Falcon: Life advice September 27, 2023 — by The Falconistas The Falcon sought out burning questions from a random sampling of students recently. Here are both the questions and answers. Q: What’s the best location and activity for a first date? The Sunnyvale In-N-Out — you can always be sure to bump into your entire grade there, so if things go awry, you’ll have backup […] read more » How to read books without even paying September 27, 2023 — by Sarah Thomas As a senior, I have copious amounts of work to do. This fact does not pair well with my identity as a master procrastinator. I’ve found that, if I’m doing homework in my room, I’m easily distracted by anything — for instance, I’d rather organize Expo markers than finish my work. Because of this, I’ve […] read more » I spent a week on Truth Social — and my head’s still spinning September 26, 2023 — by Beverly Xu After Twitter, now known as X, unmagnanimously (very very big word meaning ungraciously) banned former president Donald Trump from the platform, Trump took matters into his own hands. He created his own platform that provides a community for country-defending militia members who exercised their First and Second Amendment rights on January 6th (January 6th? What’s […] read more » The soft glow of fairy lights fills Laws’ classroom September 25, 2023 — by Annie Liu Walking into English teacher Megan Laws’ Room 704 for the first time, students are struck by the absence of glaring fluorescent lights. Not too bright but not too dark, a soft light illuminates the entirety of her room. Her students study under the warm glow of fairy lights and pastel motivational quotes on the walls […] read more » In ‘UTOPIA’ Travis Scott answers his critics September 24, 2023 — by Andrew Lin With three classic albums in his discography, Travis Scott had a lot to live up to, especially after “ASTROWORLD” (2018) sold 4 million units in the U.S. alone. By then, Scott had firmly asserted his niche in mainstream hip-hop, but tragedy struck while he was on tour in 2021. Following the Astrofest crowd crush that […] read more » A series of unfortunate events: sophomore year trevails September 24, 2023 — by Kavya Patel Coming off a freshman year spent largely at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was more than excited to begin my true high school experience as a sophomore. In retrospect, I realize my second year of high school really felt like a freshman year — it was a new environment with different kinds of […] read more » Geo-prodigy: Memorizing the locations of every country in the world September 24, 2023 — by Daniel Wu Kiribati. Suriname. Burkina Faso. São Tomé and Príncipe. These are just a handful of the 195 countries recognized by the United Nations. My self-appointed mission? To attain the ability to identify all of them on the map in less than a week. But first, the question of why. One day, while I was surfing the […] read more » A childhood without ‘Spongebob’ allowed me to experience truly great childhood TV September 24, 2023 — by Tara Natarajan When I tell people I never watched “Spongebob” growing up, it elicits gasps of horror. “You’ve never watched SPONGEBOB?” they ask, faces pale with shock. After all, “Spongebob” is considered a television staple in the American childhood experience. The simple response is that I didn’t have an American childhood — I grew up in India. […] read more » Plants enliven Rector’s classroom September 20, 2023 — by Sam Bai and Annie Liu Weighed down by homework and late-night studying, students trudge into English teacher Erick Rector’s Room 705, only to be met with the equivalent of a ray of happiness: An array of plants placed on top of every table lead up to a jungle-like scenery decorating the back of the classroom. Alive with different types of […] read more » Studygram — guilt-inducing hoax or valuable academic lifeline? September 19, 2023 — by Jane Lee Oh, to be a popular studygrammer and have the perfectly aesthetic feed and academic preparation most of us can only dream about. The reality of most students’ lives is much less glamorous. Take me on a recent night as just one example. At 9:30 p.m., after arriving home from a 3-hour marching band rehearsal, I […] read more » firstprevious...1112131415...2030405060...nextlast
How to read books without even paying September 27, 2023 — by Sarah Thomas As a senior, I have copious amounts of work to do. This fact does not pair well with my identity as a master procrastinator. I’ve found that, if I’m doing homework in my room, I’m easily distracted by anything — for instance, I’d rather organize Expo markers than finish my work. Because of this, I’ve […] read more » I spent a week on Truth Social — and my head’s still spinning September 26, 2023 — by Beverly Xu After Twitter, now known as X, unmagnanimously (very very big word meaning ungraciously) banned former president Donald Trump from the platform, Trump took matters into his own hands. He created his own platform that provides a community for country-defending militia members who exercised their First and Second Amendment rights on January 6th (January 6th? What’s […] read more » The soft glow of fairy lights fills Laws’ classroom September 25, 2023 — by Annie Liu Walking into English teacher Megan Laws’ Room 704 for the first time, students are struck by the absence of glaring fluorescent lights. Not too bright but not too dark, a soft light illuminates the entirety of her room. Her students study under the warm glow of fairy lights and pastel motivational quotes on the walls […] read more » In ‘UTOPIA’ Travis Scott answers his critics September 24, 2023 — by Andrew Lin With three classic albums in his discography, Travis Scott had a lot to live up to, especially after “ASTROWORLD” (2018) sold 4 million units in the U.S. alone. By then, Scott had firmly asserted his niche in mainstream hip-hop, but tragedy struck while he was on tour in 2021. Following the Astrofest crowd crush that […] read more » A series of unfortunate events: sophomore year trevails September 24, 2023 — by Kavya Patel Coming off a freshman year spent largely at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was more than excited to begin my true high school experience as a sophomore. In retrospect, I realize my second year of high school really felt like a freshman year — it was a new environment with different kinds of […] read more » Geo-prodigy: Memorizing the locations of every country in the world September 24, 2023 — by Daniel Wu Kiribati. Suriname. Burkina Faso. São Tomé and Príncipe. These are just a handful of the 195 countries recognized by the United Nations. My self-appointed mission? To attain the ability to identify all of them on the map in less than a week. But first, the question of why. One day, while I was surfing the […] read more » A childhood without ‘Spongebob’ allowed me to experience truly great childhood TV September 24, 2023 — by Tara Natarajan When I tell people I never watched “Spongebob” growing up, it elicits gasps of horror. “You’ve never watched SPONGEBOB?” they ask, faces pale with shock. After all, “Spongebob” is considered a television staple in the American childhood experience. The simple response is that I didn’t have an American childhood — I grew up in India. […] read more » Plants enliven Rector’s classroom September 20, 2023 — by Sam Bai and Annie Liu Weighed down by homework and late-night studying, students trudge into English teacher Erick Rector’s Room 705, only to be met with the equivalent of a ray of happiness: An array of plants placed on top of every table lead up to a jungle-like scenery decorating the back of the classroom. Alive with different types of […] read more » Studygram — guilt-inducing hoax or valuable academic lifeline? September 19, 2023 — by Jane Lee Oh, to be a popular studygrammer and have the perfectly aesthetic feed and academic preparation most of us can only dream about. The reality of most students’ lives is much less glamorous. Take me on a recent night as just one example. At 9:30 p.m., after arriving home from a 3-hour marching band rehearsal, I […] read more » firstprevious...1112131415...2030405060...nextlast
I spent a week on Truth Social — and my head’s still spinning September 26, 2023 — by Beverly Xu After Twitter, now known as X, unmagnanimously (very very big word meaning ungraciously) banned former president Donald Trump from the platform, Trump took matters into his own hands. He created his own platform that provides a community for country-defending militia members who exercised their First and Second Amendment rights on January 6th (January 6th? What’s […] read more » The soft glow of fairy lights fills Laws’ classroom September 25, 2023 — by Annie Liu Walking into English teacher Megan Laws’ Room 704 for the first time, students are struck by the absence of glaring fluorescent lights. Not too bright but not too dark, a soft light illuminates the entirety of her room. Her students study under the warm glow of fairy lights and pastel motivational quotes on the walls […] read more » In ‘UTOPIA’ Travis Scott answers his critics September 24, 2023 — by Andrew Lin With three classic albums in his discography, Travis Scott had a lot to live up to, especially after “ASTROWORLD” (2018) sold 4 million units in the U.S. alone. By then, Scott had firmly asserted his niche in mainstream hip-hop, but tragedy struck while he was on tour in 2021. Following the Astrofest crowd crush that […] read more » A series of unfortunate events: sophomore year trevails September 24, 2023 — by Kavya Patel Coming off a freshman year spent largely at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was more than excited to begin my true high school experience as a sophomore. In retrospect, I realize my second year of high school really felt like a freshman year — it was a new environment with different kinds of […] read more » Geo-prodigy: Memorizing the locations of every country in the world September 24, 2023 — by Daniel Wu Kiribati. Suriname. Burkina Faso. São Tomé and Príncipe. These are just a handful of the 195 countries recognized by the United Nations. My self-appointed mission? To attain the ability to identify all of them on the map in less than a week. But first, the question of why. One day, while I was surfing the […] read more » A childhood without ‘Spongebob’ allowed me to experience truly great childhood TV September 24, 2023 — by Tara Natarajan When I tell people I never watched “Spongebob” growing up, it elicits gasps of horror. “You’ve never watched SPONGEBOB?” they ask, faces pale with shock. After all, “Spongebob” is considered a television staple in the American childhood experience. The simple response is that I didn’t have an American childhood — I grew up in India. […] read more » Plants enliven Rector’s classroom September 20, 2023 — by Sam Bai and Annie Liu Weighed down by homework and late-night studying, students trudge into English teacher Erick Rector’s Room 705, only to be met with the equivalent of a ray of happiness: An array of plants placed on top of every table lead up to a jungle-like scenery decorating the back of the classroom. Alive with different types of […] read more » Studygram — guilt-inducing hoax or valuable academic lifeline? September 19, 2023 — by Jane Lee Oh, to be a popular studygrammer and have the perfectly aesthetic feed and academic preparation most of us can only dream about. The reality of most students’ lives is much less glamorous. Take me on a recent night as just one example. At 9:30 p.m., after arriving home from a 3-hour marching band rehearsal, I […] read more » firstprevious...1112131415...2030405060...nextlast
The soft glow of fairy lights fills Laws’ classroom September 25, 2023 — by Annie Liu Walking into English teacher Megan Laws’ Room 704 for the first time, students are struck by the absence of glaring fluorescent lights. Not too bright but not too dark, a soft light illuminates the entirety of her room. Her students study under the warm glow of fairy lights and pastel motivational quotes on the walls […] read more » In ‘UTOPIA’ Travis Scott answers his critics September 24, 2023 — by Andrew Lin With three classic albums in his discography, Travis Scott had a lot to live up to, especially after “ASTROWORLD” (2018) sold 4 million units in the U.S. alone. By then, Scott had firmly asserted his niche in mainstream hip-hop, but tragedy struck while he was on tour in 2021. Following the Astrofest crowd crush that […] read more » A series of unfortunate events: sophomore year trevails September 24, 2023 — by Kavya Patel Coming off a freshman year spent largely at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was more than excited to begin my true high school experience as a sophomore. In retrospect, I realize my second year of high school really felt like a freshman year — it was a new environment with different kinds of […] read more » Geo-prodigy: Memorizing the locations of every country in the world September 24, 2023 — by Daniel Wu Kiribati. Suriname. Burkina Faso. São Tomé and Príncipe. These are just a handful of the 195 countries recognized by the United Nations. My self-appointed mission? To attain the ability to identify all of them on the map in less than a week. But first, the question of why. One day, while I was surfing the […] read more » A childhood without ‘Spongebob’ allowed me to experience truly great childhood TV September 24, 2023 — by Tara Natarajan When I tell people I never watched “Spongebob” growing up, it elicits gasps of horror. “You’ve never watched SPONGEBOB?” they ask, faces pale with shock. After all, “Spongebob” is considered a television staple in the American childhood experience. The simple response is that I didn’t have an American childhood — I grew up in India. […] read more » Plants enliven Rector’s classroom September 20, 2023 — by Sam Bai and Annie Liu Weighed down by homework and late-night studying, students trudge into English teacher Erick Rector’s Room 705, only to be met with the equivalent of a ray of happiness: An array of plants placed on top of every table lead up to a jungle-like scenery decorating the back of the classroom. Alive with different types of […] read more » Studygram — guilt-inducing hoax or valuable academic lifeline? September 19, 2023 — by Jane Lee Oh, to be a popular studygrammer and have the perfectly aesthetic feed and academic preparation most of us can only dream about. The reality of most students’ lives is much less glamorous. Take me on a recent night as just one example. At 9:30 p.m., after arriving home from a 3-hour marching band rehearsal, I […] read more » firstprevious...1112131415...2030405060...nextlast
In ‘UTOPIA’ Travis Scott answers his critics September 24, 2023 — by Andrew Lin With three classic albums in his discography, Travis Scott had a lot to live up to, especially after “ASTROWORLD” (2018) sold 4 million units in the U.S. alone. By then, Scott had firmly asserted his niche in mainstream hip-hop, but tragedy struck while he was on tour in 2021. Following the Astrofest crowd crush that […] read more » A series of unfortunate events: sophomore year trevails September 24, 2023 — by Kavya Patel Coming off a freshman year spent largely at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was more than excited to begin my true high school experience as a sophomore. In retrospect, I realize my second year of high school really felt like a freshman year — it was a new environment with different kinds of […] read more » Geo-prodigy: Memorizing the locations of every country in the world September 24, 2023 — by Daniel Wu Kiribati. Suriname. Burkina Faso. São Tomé and Príncipe. These are just a handful of the 195 countries recognized by the United Nations. My self-appointed mission? To attain the ability to identify all of them on the map in less than a week. But first, the question of why. One day, while I was surfing the […] read more » A childhood without ‘Spongebob’ allowed me to experience truly great childhood TV September 24, 2023 — by Tara Natarajan When I tell people I never watched “Spongebob” growing up, it elicits gasps of horror. “You’ve never watched SPONGEBOB?” they ask, faces pale with shock. After all, “Spongebob” is considered a television staple in the American childhood experience. The simple response is that I didn’t have an American childhood — I grew up in India. […] read more » Plants enliven Rector’s classroom September 20, 2023 — by Sam Bai and Annie Liu Weighed down by homework and late-night studying, students trudge into English teacher Erick Rector’s Room 705, only to be met with the equivalent of a ray of happiness: An array of plants placed on top of every table lead up to a jungle-like scenery decorating the back of the classroom. Alive with different types of […] read more » Studygram — guilt-inducing hoax or valuable academic lifeline? September 19, 2023 — by Jane Lee Oh, to be a popular studygrammer and have the perfectly aesthetic feed and academic preparation most of us can only dream about. The reality of most students’ lives is much less glamorous. Take me on a recent night as just one example. At 9:30 p.m., after arriving home from a 3-hour marching band rehearsal, I […] read more » firstprevious...1112131415...2030405060...nextlast
A series of unfortunate events: sophomore year trevails September 24, 2023 — by Kavya Patel Coming off a freshman year spent largely at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was more than excited to begin my true high school experience as a sophomore. In retrospect, I realize my second year of high school really felt like a freshman year — it was a new environment with different kinds of […] read more » Geo-prodigy: Memorizing the locations of every country in the world September 24, 2023 — by Daniel Wu Kiribati. Suriname. Burkina Faso. São Tomé and Príncipe. These are just a handful of the 195 countries recognized by the United Nations. My self-appointed mission? To attain the ability to identify all of them on the map in less than a week. But first, the question of why. One day, while I was surfing the […] read more » A childhood without ‘Spongebob’ allowed me to experience truly great childhood TV September 24, 2023 — by Tara Natarajan When I tell people I never watched “Spongebob” growing up, it elicits gasps of horror. “You’ve never watched SPONGEBOB?” they ask, faces pale with shock. After all, “Spongebob” is considered a television staple in the American childhood experience. The simple response is that I didn’t have an American childhood — I grew up in India. […] read more » Plants enliven Rector’s classroom September 20, 2023 — by Sam Bai and Annie Liu Weighed down by homework and late-night studying, students trudge into English teacher Erick Rector’s Room 705, only to be met with the equivalent of a ray of happiness: An array of plants placed on top of every table lead up to a jungle-like scenery decorating the back of the classroom. Alive with different types of […] read more » Studygram — guilt-inducing hoax or valuable academic lifeline? September 19, 2023 — by Jane Lee Oh, to be a popular studygrammer and have the perfectly aesthetic feed and academic preparation most of us can only dream about. The reality of most students’ lives is much less glamorous. Take me on a recent night as just one example. At 9:30 p.m., after arriving home from a 3-hour marching band rehearsal, I […] read more » firstprevious...1112131415...2030405060...nextlast
Geo-prodigy: Memorizing the locations of every country in the world September 24, 2023 — by Daniel Wu Kiribati. Suriname. Burkina Faso. São Tomé and Príncipe. These are just a handful of the 195 countries recognized by the United Nations. My self-appointed mission? To attain the ability to identify all of them on the map in less than a week. But first, the question of why. One day, while I was surfing the […] read more » A childhood without ‘Spongebob’ allowed me to experience truly great childhood TV September 24, 2023 — by Tara Natarajan When I tell people I never watched “Spongebob” growing up, it elicits gasps of horror. “You’ve never watched SPONGEBOB?” they ask, faces pale with shock. After all, “Spongebob” is considered a television staple in the American childhood experience. The simple response is that I didn’t have an American childhood — I grew up in India. […] read more » Plants enliven Rector’s classroom September 20, 2023 — by Sam Bai and Annie Liu Weighed down by homework and late-night studying, students trudge into English teacher Erick Rector’s Room 705, only to be met with the equivalent of a ray of happiness: An array of plants placed on top of every table lead up to a jungle-like scenery decorating the back of the classroom. Alive with different types of […] read more » Studygram — guilt-inducing hoax or valuable academic lifeline? September 19, 2023 — by Jane Lee Oh, to be a popular studygrammer and have the perfectly aesthetic feed and academic preparation most of us can only dream about. The reality of most students’ lives is much less glamorous. Take me on a recent night as just one example. At 9:30 p.m., after arriving home from a 3-hour marching band rehearsal, I […] read more » firstprevious...1112131415...2030405060...nextlast
A childhood without ‘Spongebob’ allowed me to experience truly great childhood TV September 24, 2023 — by Tara Natarajan When I tell people I never watched “Spongebob” growing up, it elicits gasps of horror. “You’ve never watched SPONGEBOB?” they ask, faces pale with shock. After all, “Spongebob” is considered a television staple in the American childhood experience. The simple response is that I didn’t have an American childhood — I grew up in India. […] read more » Plants enliven Rector’s classroom September 20, 2023 — by Sam Bai and Annie Liu Weighed down by homework and late-night studying, students trudge into English teacher Erick Rector’s Room 705, only to be met with the equivalent of a ray of happiness: An array of plants placed on top of every table lead up to a jungle-like scenery decorating the back of the classroom. Alive with different types of […] read more » Studygram — guilt-inducing hoax or valuable academic lifeline? September 19, 2023 — by Jane Lee Oh, to be a popular studygrammer and have the perfectly aesthetic feed and academic preparation most of us can only dream about. The reality of most students’ lives is much less glamorous. Take me on a recent night as just one example. At 9:30 p.m., after arriving home from a 3-hour marching band rehearsal, I […] read more » firstprevious...1112131415...2030405060...nextlast
Plants enliven Rector’s classroom September 20, 2023 — by Sam Bai and Annie Liu Weighed down by homework and late-night studying, students trudge into English teacher Erick Rector’s Room 705, only to be met with the equivalent of a ray of happiness: An array of plants placed on top of every table lead up to a jungle-like scenery decorating the back of the classroom. Alive with different types of […] read more » Studygram — guilt-inducing hoax or valuable academic lifeline? September 19, 2023 — by Jane Lee Oh, to be a popular studygrammer and have the perfectly aesthetic feed and academic preparation most of us can only dream about. The reality of most students’ lives is much less glamorous. Take me on a recent night as just one example. At 9:30 p.m., after arriving home from a 3-hour marching band rehearsal, I […] read more » firstprevious...1112131415...2030405060...nextlast
Studygram — guilt-inducing hoax or valuable academic lifeline? September 19, 2023 — by Jane Lee Oh, to be a popular studygrammer and have the perfectly aesthetic feed and academic preparation most of us can only dream about. The reality of most students’ lives is much less glamorous. Take me on a recent night as just one example. At 9:30 p.m., after arriving home from a 3-hour marching band rehearsal, I […] read more » firstprevious...1112131415...2030405060...nextlast