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Boy Scout Troop 581 of Saratoga will advance four deserving Eagle Scouts this year, seniors Grant Fukui, Chris Rea, Mihir Sathe and Kevin Shimizu. These four students have worked together for about a decade to achieve Boy Scouting’s highest honor, the Eagle Scout rank, which they will receive in a couple of months.

When the four joined Boy Scouts years ago, they hoped to become Eagle Scouts.

This was unquestionably easier said than done. The quartet had to complete an array of tasks, ranging from obtaining mandatory badges to going on campouts, to reach their desired aspiration.

In response to the sometimes apathetic and negative attitudes at Saratoga High, assistant principal Karen Hyde is teaching a new leadership class this year. Senior Paul Stavropoulos first introduced the idea to Hyde last year after hearing some students' take on the school.

Over the next few months, many students will meet and begin to develop a strong relationship with the newest guidance counselor, Dona Feizzadeh.

Feizzadeh moved from the East Coast where she earned her degree in counseling. Later on, she interned at several schools as a counselor and worked with students of various ages, especially teenagers.

Feizzadeh said she was interested in the close-knit and supportive environment of the school—as well as its reputation for excellence.

With the school year started, the drama department has sprung into gear, preparing for several productions. Soon, the drama department will begin general auditions for the fall play, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Usually teachers try to help students succeed and stay in school, but it’s different for new math teacher PJ Yim. He dropped out of Boston University for four years before graduating because he had to figure out what he wanted to do.

“Some people have to find themselves.” Yim said. “I was one of those people. So I was the black sheep of my family. Once I found myself, I went back to school.”

Along with welcoming new students this year, students can also welcome many new changes made to the campus.

One change is the gym lobby that was completed around the end of the school year. Besides the new, bigger glass front, the administration has added a trophy cabinet, improved the concession stand and redone all the bathrooms inside.

According to assistant principal Joe Bosco, the administration also plans on putting tables in the lobby so that people can enjoy their food there since they are not allowed to eat in inside the gym.

The class of 2012 timidly filed into the large gym on Aug. 22 for the first time as high school students. Unsure of what exactly was planned for them, they were placed in the care of 104 Link Leaders for the day, who led them through a series of activities and a tour of the school.

By the time students get to their senior year at Saratoga High School, they are worn out from the multitude of homework, SATs, and AP tests. These hardworking students are, as seniors, expecting some relaxation that comes with the perks of entering the final year of their high school career. One of the most fundamental things they expect out of their senior year is a prime parking spot—one of the coveted ones in the front of the school.

For most Saratogans, the Olympic Games meant sitting around the couch watching Michael Phelps win his eight gold medals, but for the families of sophomore Mansie Cheung and junior Kandice Wong, the 2008 Beijing Olympics was the experience of a lifetime.

For the past three years, Wong and Cheung had participated in Camp International, a language and cultural immersion program, which helped them prepare for the games.

"It was fun, especially with all the other people in the camp," said Wong. "There were 35 of us, so there was always someone to talk to."

What’s in a name? The leaders of the formerly named PTSA have changed their name to the PTSO (Parent Teacher Student Organization) in order to get more control on where they spend the funds and generate more money for the school. It is an organization that links together parents, teachers and students. The PTSO is now independent from the national PTA (Parent Teacher Association).