Annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony brings community together December 3, 2023 — by Amy Luo and Kathy Wang The crowd of families that had gathered in Saratoga downtown’s Blaney Plaza gasped in awe as bursts of multi-colored lights illuminated a 20-foot tall Christmas tree. A brightly lit star sat atop the tree, casting a dazzling light into the cool breeze. This was Saratoga’s 23rd annual tree lighting ceremony — held on Nov. 24 […] read more » Model UN team gains experience from first conference at Stanford November 25, 2023 — by Sanjoli Gupta and William Norwood Sixteen Model UN delegates from the school attended their first conference of the year on Nov. 10-12 at the Stanford Model United Nations Conference (SMUNC). Although the team didn’t win any awards, participants said the skills and feedback taken away from the experience will aid them in future conferences. For this event, delegates were paired […] read more » MAP 10 takes on Mount Herman’s Ropes Course and Ziplines November 21, 2023 — by Christina Labban The Media Arts Program’s (MAP) long-awaited ropes course field trip tradition made a return after a 4-year hiatus due to the pandemic. On Oct. 26, sophomores in the MAP program visited Mount Hermon Adventures in Felton, which featured an exciting ropes course and zipline network. This outing was a beloved tradition that started in 2015. […] read more » Winter Formal at Dave and Buster’s facing low ticket sales November 16, 2023 — by Natalie Chua & Anamika Anand Ticket sales were off to a slow start for this year’s Winter Formal, which will be held at Dave & Buster’s, an arcade venue inside of the Great Mall in Milpitas, on Dec. 2 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. The theme will be “A Night in Vegas,” since the dance commissioners thought the arcade games […] read more » Vignette-focused fall play offers varied perspectives on love November 16, 2023 — by Alan Cai and Divya Vadlakonda The lights of the McAfee Center dimmed as junior Apollo Burgess, playing the role of the energetic Jimmy, ran into his aloof ex-girlfriend Sandrine, played by junior Annaliese Shab, at a bar. The catch: Sandrine was engaged with another man and was celebrating her bachelorette party at that moment. It took a moment for Jimmy […] read more » Marching band closes out season with sweepstakes win at Folsom Fall Festival November 16, 2023 — by Anika Kapasi and Angela Tan When the name Saratoga High School thundered across the stadium as the winner of the overall sweepstakes of the Folsom Fall Festival on Nov. 4, proud parents and band students alike whooped and hollered as they savored an end-of-the-season victory. Later, as members of the band enjoyed a late-night pizza and hot cocoa celebration, they […] read more » Pandemic slowed substance use rates among teens; those numbers are rising again November 16, 2023 — by Saachi Jain, Grace Lin and Ruiyan Zhu In 2023, 17% of high schoolers nationwide are addicted to drugs, more than two thirds of high schoolers have tried alcohol illegally and 12% of high school students have said they have vaped in the past month, according to American Addiction Centers and the National Library of Medicine. These numbers are alarming to observers, and, […] read more » Robotics teams compete in their first tournaments of the year November 16, 2023 — by Florence Hu and Ruiyan Zhu The fall has been a busy season for the school’s six VEX robotics teams, who have participated in two tournaments and now have one team 95071X, qualified to compete in the state championship. At their second VEX tournament, hosted in the school gym on Oct. 8, the best among Saratoga’s six teams, 95071X, finished seventh […] read more » Yearbook adjusts to rapidly changing class structure with majority junior leadership November 15, 2023 — by Divya Vadlakonda The yearbook class has faced a new post-pandemic reality in recent years: It has seen a decline in enrollment from 33 students — all sophomores, juniors and seniors in 2019-2020 to 25 students in 2020-2021, a drop of 24%. The next year was worse, with only a dozen sophomores, juniors and seniors returning to staff. […] read more » Falcon Focus: Ariana Tootoonchi shines on stage in 14 productions in her high school career November 15, 2023 — by Christina Labban Senior Ariana Tootoonchi gained widespread praise last fall for her heart-rending portrayal of Mary Warren in “The Crucible,” one of over 14 drama productions she has starred in over her high school career. “She played Mary Warren with so much passion and accuracy, and there was so much intensity in her voice she almost brought […] read more » firstprevious...1011121314...2030405060...nextlast
Model UN team gains experience from first conference at Stanford November 25, 2023 — by Sanjoli Gupta and William Norwood Sixteen Model UN delegates from the school attended their first conference of the year on Nov. 10-12 at the Stanford Model United Nations Conference (SMUNC). Although the team didn’t win any awards, participants said the skills and feedback taken away from the experience will aid them in future conferences. For this event, delegates were paired […] read more » MAP 10 takes on Mount Herman’s Ropes Course and Ziplines November 21, 2023 — by Christina Labban The Media Arts Program’s (MAP) long-awaited ropes course field trip tradition made a return after a 4-year hiatus due to the pandemic. On Oct. 26, sophomores in the MAP program visited Mount Hermon Adventures in Felton, which featured an exciting ropes course and zipline network. This outing was a beloved tradition that started in 2015. […] read more » Winter Formal at Dave and Buster’s facing low ticket sales November 16, 2023 — by Natalie Chua & Anamika Anand Ticket sales were off to a slow start for this year’s Winter Formal, which will be held at Dave & Buster’s, an arcade venue inside of the Great Mall in Milpitas, on Dec. 2 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. The theme will be “A Night in Vegas,” since the dance commissioners thought the arcade games […] read more » Vignette-focused fall play offers varied perspectives on love November 16, 2023 — by Alan Cai and Divya Vadlakonda The lights of the McAfee Center dimmed as junior Apollo Burgess, playing the role of the energetic Jimmy, ran into his aloof ex-girlfriend Sandrine, played by junior Annaliese Shab, at a bar. The catch: Sandrine was engaged with another man and was celebrating her bachelorette party at that moment. It took a moment for Jimmy […] read more » Marching band closes out season with sweepstakes win at Folsom Fall Festival November 16, 2023 — by Anika Kapasi and Angela Tan When the name Saratoga High School thundered across the stadium as the winner of the overall sweepstakes of the Folsom Fall Festival on Nov. 4, proud parents and band students alike whooped and hollered as they savored an end-of-the-season victory. Later, as members of the band enjoyed a late-night pizza and hot cocoa celebration, they […] read more » Pandemic slowed substance use rates among teens; those numbers are rising again November 16, 2023 — by Saachi Jain, Grace Lin and Ruiyan Zhu In 2023, 17% of high schoolers nationwide are addicted to drugs, more than two thirds of high schoolers have tried alcohol illegally and 12% of high school students have said they have vaped in the past month, according to American Addiction Centers and the National Library of Medicine. These numbers are alarming to observers, and, […] read more » Robotics teams compete in their first tournaments of the year November 16, 2023 — by Florence Hu and Ruiyan Zhu The fall has been a busy season for the school’s six VEX robotics teams, who have participated in two tournaments and now have one team 95071X, qualified to compete in the state championship. At their second VEX tournament, hosted in the school gym on Oct. 8, the best among Saratoga’s six teams, 95071X, finished seventh […] read more » Yearbook adjusts to rapidly changing class structure with majority junior leadership November 15, 2023 — by Divya Vadlakonda The yearbook class has faced a new post-pandemic reality in recent years: It has seen a decline in enrollment from 33 students — all sophomores, juniors and seniors in 2019-2020 to 25 students in 2020-2021, a drop of 24%. The next year was worse, with only a dozen sophomores, juniors and seniors returning to staff. […] read more » Falcon Focus: Ariana Tootoonchi shines on stage in 14 productions in her high school career November 15, 2023 — by Christina Labban Senior Ariana Tootoonchi gained widespread praise last fall for her heart-rending portrayal of Mary Warren in “The Crucible,” one of over 14 drama productions she has starred in over her high school career. “She played Mary Warren with so much passion and accuracy, and there was so much intensity in her voice she almost brought […] read more » firstprevious...1011121314...2030405060...nextlast
MAP 10 takes on Mount Herman’s Ropes Course and Ziplines November 21, 2023 — by Christina Labban The Media Arts Program’s (MAP) long-awaited ropes course field trip tradition made a return after a 4-year hiatus due to the pandemic. On Oct. 26, sophomores in the MAP program visited Mount Hermon Adventures in Felton, which featured an exciting ropes course and zipline network. This outing was a beloved tradition that started in 2015. […] read more » Winter Formal at Dave and Buster’s facing low ticket sales November 16, 2023 — by Natalie Chua & Anamika Anand Ticket sales were off to a slow start for this year’s Winter Formal, which will be held at Dave & Buster’s, an arcade venue inside of the Great Mall in Milpitas, on Dec. 2 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. The theme will be “A Night in Vegas,” since the dance commissioners thought the arcade games […] read more » Vignette-focused fall play offers varied perspectives on love November 16, 2023 — by Alan Cai and Divya Vadlakonda The lights of the McAfee Center dimmed as junior Apollo Burgess, playing the role of the energetic Jimmy, ran into his aloof ex-girlfriend Sandrine, played by junior Annaliese Shab, at a bar. The catch: Sandrine was engaged with another man and was celebrating her bachelorette party at that moment. It took a moment for Jimmy […] read more » Marching band closes out season with sweepstakes win at Folsom Fall Festival November 16, 2023 — by Anika Kapasi and Angela Tan When the name Saratoga High School thundered across the stadium as the winner of the overall sweepstakes of the Folsom Fall Festival on Nov. 4, proud parents and band students alike whooped and hollered as they savored an end-of-the-season victory. Later, as members of the band enjoyed a late-night pizza and hot cocoa celebration, they […] read more » Pandemic slowed substance use rates among teens; those numbers are rising again November 16, 2023 — by Saachi Jain, Grace Lin and Ruiyan Zhu In 2023, 17% of high schoolers nationwide are addicted to drugs, more than two thirds of high schoolers have tried alcohol illegally and 12% of high school students have said they have vaped in the past month, according to American Addiction Centers and the National Library of Medicine. These numbers are alarming to observers, and, […] read more » Robotics teams compete in their first tournaments of the year November 16, 2023 — by Florence Hu and Ruiyan Zhu The fall has been a busy season for the school’s six VEX robotics teams, who have participated in two tournaments and now have one team 95071X, qualified to compete in the state championship. At their second VEX tournament, hosted in the school gym on Oct. 8, the best among Saratoga’s six teams, 95071X, finished seventh […] read more » Yearbook adjusts to rapidly changing class structure with majority junior leadership November 15, 2023 — by Divya Vadlakonda The yearbook class has faced a new post-pandemic reality in recent years: It has seen a decline in enrollment from 33 students — all sophomores, juniors and seniors in 2019-2020 to 25 students in 2020-2021, a drop of 24%. The next year was worse, with only a dozen sophomores, juniors and seniors returning to staff. […] read more » Falcon Focus: Ariana Tootoonchi shines on stage in 14 productions in her high school career November 15, 2023 — by Christina Labban Senior Ariana Tootoonchi gained widespread praise last fall for her heart-rending portrayal of Mary Warren in “The Crucible,” one of over 14 drama productions she has starred in over her high school career. “She played Mary Warren with so much passion and accuracy, and there was so much intensity in her voice she almost brought […] read more » firstprevious...1011121314...2030405060...nextlast
Winter Formal at Dave and Buster’s facing low ticket sales November 16, 2023 — by Natalie Chua & Anamika Anand Ticket sales were off to a slow start for this year’s Winter Formal, which will be held at Dave & Buster’s, an arcade venue inside of the Great Mall in Milpitas, on Dec. 2 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. The theme will be “A Night in Vegas,” since the dance commissioners thought the arcade games […] read more » Vignette-focused fall play offers varied perspectives on love November 16, 2023 — by Alan Cai and Divya Vadlakonda The lights of the McAfee Center dimmed as junior Apollo Burgess, playing the role of the energetic Jimmy, ran into his aloof ex-girlfriend Sandrine, played by junior Annaliese Shab, at a bar. The catch: Sandrine was engaged with another man and was celebrating her bachelorette party at that moment. It took a moment for Jimmy […] read more » Marching band closes out season with sweepstakes win at Folsom Fall Festival November 16, 2023 — by Anika Kapasi and Angela Tan When the name Saratoga High School thundered across the stadium as the winner of the overall sweepstakes of the Folsom Fall Festival on Nov. 4, proud parents and band students alike whooped and hollered as they savored an end-of-the-season victory. Later, as members of the band enjoyed a late-night pizza and hot cocoa celebration, they […] read more » Pandemic slowed substance use rates among teens; those numbers are rising again November 16, 2023 — by Saachi Jain, Grace Lin and Ruiyan Zhu In 2023, 17% of high schoolers nationwide are addicted to drugs, more than two thirds of high schoolers have tried alcohol illegally and 12% of high school students have said they have vaped in the past month, according to American Addiction Centers and the National Library of Medicine. These numbers are alarming to observers, and, […] read more » Robotics teams compete in their first tournaments of the year November 16, 2023 — by Florence Hu and Ruiyan Zhu The fall has been a busy season for the school’s six VEX robotics teams, who have participated in two tournaments and now have one team 95071X, qualified to compete in the state championship. At their second VEX tournament, hosted in the school gym on Oct. 8, the best among Saratoga’s six teams, 95071X, finished seventh […] read more » Yearbook adjusts to rapidly changing class structure with majority junior leadership November 15, 2023 — by Divya Vadlakonda The yearbook class has faced a new post-pandemic reality in recent years: It has seen a decline in enrollment from 33 students — all sophomores, juniors and seniors in 2019-2020 to 25 students in 2020-2021, a drop of 24%. The next year was worse, with only a dozen sophomores, juniors and seniors returning to staff. […] read more » Falcon Focus: Ariana Tootoonchi shines on stage in 14 productions in her high school career November 15, 2023 — by Christina Labban Senior Ariana Tootoonchi gained widespread praise last fall for her heart-rending portrayal of Mary Warren in “The Crucible,” one of over 14 drama productions she has starred in over her high school career. “She played Mary Warren with so much passion and accuracy, and there was so much intensity in her voice she almost brought […] read more » firstprevious...1011121314...2030405060...nextlast
Vignette-focused fall play offers varied perspectives on love November 16, 2023 — by Alan Cai and Divya Vadlakonda The lights of the McAfee Center dimmed as junior Apollo Burgess, playing the role of the energetic Jimmy, ran into his aloof ex-girlfriend Sandrine, played by junior Annaliese Shab, at a bar. The catch: Sandrine was engaged with another man and was celebrating her bachelorette party at that moment. It took a moment for Jimmy […] read more » Marching band closes out season with sweepstakes win at Folsom Fall Festival November 16, 2023 — by Anika Kapasi and Angela Tan When the name Saratoga High School thundered across the stadium as the winner of the overall sweepstakes of the Folsom Fall Festival on Nov. 4, proud parents and band students alike whooped and hollered as they savored an end-of-the-season victory. Later, as members of the band enjoyed a late-night pizza and hot cocoa celebration, they […] read more » Pandemic slowed substance use rates among teens; those numbers are rising again November 16, 2023 — by Saachi Jain, Grace Lin and Ruiyan Zhu In 2023, 17% of high schoolers nationwide are addicted to drugs, more than two thirds of high schoolers have tried alcohol illegally and 12% of high school students have said they have vaped in the past month, according to American Addiction Centers and the National Library of Medicine. These numbers are alarming to observers, and, […] read more » Robotics teams compete in their first tournaments of the year November 16, 2023 — by Florence Hu and Ruiyan Zhu The fall has been a busy season for the school’s six VEX robotics teams, who have participated in two tournaments and now have one team 95071X, qualified to compete in the state championship. At their second VEX tournament, hosted in the school gym on Oct. 8, the best among Saratoga’s six teams, 95071X, finished seventh […] read more » Yearbook adjusts to rapidly changing class structure with majority junior leadership November 15, 2023 — by Divya Vadlakonda The yearbook class has faced a new post-pandemic reality in recent years: It has seen a decline in enrollment from 33 students — all sophomores, juniors and seniors in 2019-2020 to 25 students in 2020-2021, a drop of 24%. The next year was worse, with only a dozen sophomores, juniors and seniors returning to staff. […] read more » Falcon Focus: Ariana Tootoonchi shines on stage in 14 productions in her high school career November 15, 2023 — by Christina Labban Senior Ariana Tootoonchi gained widespread praise last fall for her heart-rending portrayal of Mary Warren in “The Crucible,” one of over 14 drama productions she has starred in over her high school career. “She played Mary Warren with so much passion and accuracy, and there was so much intensity in her voice she almost brought […] read more » firstprevious...1011121314...2030405060...nextlast
Marching band closes out season with sweepstakes win at Folsom Fall Festival November 16, 2023 — by Anika Kapasi and Angela Tan When the name Saratoga High School thundered across the stadium as the winner of the overall sweepstakes of the Folsom Fall Festival on Nov. 4, proud parents and band students alike whooped and hollered as they savored an end-of-the-season victory. Later, as members of the band enjoyed a late-night pizza and hot cocoa celebration, they […] read more » Pandemic slowed substance use rates among teens; those numbers are rising again November 16, 2023 — by Saachi Jain, Grace Lin and Ruiyan Zhu In 2023, 17% of high schoolers nationwide are addicted to drugs, more than two thirds of high schoolers have tried alcohol illegally and 12% of high school students have said they have vaped in the past month, according to American Addiction Centers and the National Library of Medicine. These numbers are alarming to observers, and, […] read more » Robotics teams compete in their first tournaments of the year November 16, 2023 — by Florence Hu and Ruiyan Zhu The fall has been a busy season for the school’s six VEX robotics teams, who have participated in two tournaments and now have one team 95071X, qualified to compete in the state championship. At their second VEX tournament, hosted in the school gym on Oct. 8, the best among Saratoga’s six teams, 95071X, finished seventh […] read more » Yearbook adjusts to rapidly changing class structure with majority junior leadership November 15, 2023 — by Divya Vadlakonda The yearbook class has faced a new post-pandemic reality in recent years: It has seen a decline in enrollment from 33 students — all sophomores, juniors and seniors in 2019-2020 to 25 students in 2020-2021, a drop of 24%. The next year was worse, with only a dozen sophomores, juniors and seniors returning to staff. […] read more » Falcon Focus: Ariana Tootoonchi shines on stage in 14 productions in her high school career November 15, 2023 — by Christina Labban Senior Ariana Tootoonchi gained widespread praise last fall for her heart-rending portrayal of Mary Warren in “The Crucible,” one of over 14 drama productions she has starred in over her high school career. “She played Mary Warren with so much passion and accuracy, and there was so much intensity in her voice she almost brought […] read more » firstprevious...1011121314...2030405060...nextlast
Pandemic slowed substance use rates among teens; those numbers are rising again November 16, 2023 — by Saachi Jain, Grace Lin and Ruiyan Zhu In 2023, 17% of high schoolers nationwide are addicted to drugs, more than two thirds of high schoolers have tried alcohol illegally and 12% of high school students have said they have vaped in the past month, according to American Addiction Centers and the National Library of Medicine. These numbers are alarming to observers, and, […] read more » Robotics teams compete in their first tournaments of the year November 16, 2023 — by Florence Hu and Ruiyan Zhu The fall has been a busy season for the school’s six VEX robotics teams, who have participated in two tournaments and now have one team 95071X, qualified to compete in the state championship. At their second VEX tournament, hosted in the school gym on Oct. 8, the best among Saratoga’s six teams, 95071X, finished seventh […] read more » Yearbook adjusts to rapidly changing class structure with majority junior leadership November 15, 2023 — by Divya Vadlakonda The yearbook class has faced a new post-pandemic reality in recent years: It has seen a decline in enrollment from 33 students — all sophomores, juniors and seniors in 2019-2020 to 25 students in 2020-2021, a drop of 24%. The next year was worse, with only a dozen sophomores, juniors and seniors returning to staff. […] read more » Falcon Focus: Ariana Tootoonchi shines on stage in 14 productions in her high school career November 15, 2023 — by Christina Labban Senior Ariana Tootoonchi gained widespread praise last fall for her heart-rending portrayal of Mary Warren in “The Crucible,” one of over 14 drama productions she has starred in over her high school career. “She played Mary Warren with so much passion and accuracy, and there was so much intensity in her voice she almost brought […] read more » firstprevious...1011121314...2030405060...nextlast
Robotics teams compete in their first tournaments of the year November 16, 2023 — by Florence Hu and Ruiyan Zhu The fall has been a busy season for the school’s six VEX robotics teams, who have participated in two tournaments and now have one team 95071X, qualified to compete in the state championship. At their second VEX tournament, hosted in the school gym on Oct. 8, the best among Saratoga’s six teams, 95071X, finished seventh […] read more » Yearbook adjusts to rapidly changing class structure with majority junior leadership November 15, 2023 — by Divya Vadlakonda The yearbook class has faced a new post-pandemic reality in recent years: It has seen a decline in enrollment from 33 students — all sophomores, juniors and seniors in 2019-2020 to 25 students in 2020-2021, a drop of 24%. The next year was worse, with only a dozen sophomores, juniors and seniors returning to staff. […] read more » Falcon Focus: Ariana Tootoonchi shines on stage in 14 productions in her high school career November 15, 2023 — by Christina Labban Senior Ariana Tootoonchi gained widespread praise last fall for her heart-rending portrayal of Mary Warren in “The Crucible,” one of over 14 drama productions she has starred in over her high school career. “She played Mary Warren with so much passion and accuracy, and there was so much intensity in her voice she almost brought […] read more » firstprevious...1011121314...2030405060...nextlast
Yearbook adjusts to rapidly changing class structure with majority junior leadership November 15, 2023 — by Divya Vadlakonda The yearbook class has faced a new post-pandemic reality in recent years: It has seen a decline in enrollment from 33 students — all sophomores, juniors and seniors in 2019-2020 to 25 students in 2020-2021, a drop of 24%. The next year was worse, with only a dozen sophomores, juniors and seniors returning to staff. […] read more » Falcon Focus: Ariana Tootoonchi shines on stage in 14 productions in her high school career November 15, 2023 — by Christina Labban Senior Ariana Tootoonchi gained widespread praise last fall for her heart-rending portrayal of Mary Warren in “The Crucible,” one of over 14 drama productions she has starred in over her high school career. “She played Mary Warren with so much passion and accuracy, and there was so much intensity in her voice she almost brought […] read more » firstprevious...1011121314...2030405060...nextlast
Falcon Focus: Ariana Tootoonchi shines on stage in 14 productions in her high school career November 15, 2023 — by Christina Labban Senior Ariana Tootoonchi gained widespread praise last fall for her heart-rending portrayal of Mary Warren in “The Crucible,” one of over 14 drama productions she has starred in over her high school career. “She played Mary Warren with so much passion and accuracy, and there was so much intensity in her voice she almost brought […] read more » firstprevious...1011121314...2030405060...nextlast