The Student News Site of Saratoga High School

The Saratoga Falcon
Student art being showcased at last year’s Soundings exhibition in the SHS Library.
Soundings’ April 18. Exhibition will feature works from The Wildcat Review
April 17, 2025
Allied teams 95071X (right) and 1000A (left) celebrate after advancing to grand finals at the U.S. Open National Championship.
VEX Robotics team makes finalists in U.S. Open National Championship
April 10, 2025
Rally commissioners act out a skit inspired by “Beauty and the Beast.”
‘Beauty and the Beast’ rally builds hype before prom
April 10, 2025
Trustee Shawn Mortensen (far left) listens to a presentation at the district office during the school board’s March 11 meeting.
Meet Shawn Mortensen: LGSUHSD’s newest school board trustee
April 5, 2025
The Philharmonic Strings orchestra combined with the Freshman orchestra to play together in the non-competitive category of the conference.
SHS orchestras travel to Atlanta for National Orchestra Festival
April 4, 2025
Junior Kiana Saadieh makes a latte for a customer at Big Basin Cafe.
Students’ reality of working in restaurants, fast food and cafes
April 20, 2025
Caption: Despite now mostly working as a writer, Mandell has acted in various productions — most recently, he starred in the self-written one-man-show “It’s a Phase” in 2022.
SHS alumnus pursues screenwriting career amid a turbulent Hollywood landscape
April 20, 2025
Jain poses during a dive in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, her first rotation at the Johnson Space Center during fall 2023.
Alumni reflect on the benefits of college co-op programs that place them in workplace settings for extended periods
April 17, 2025
Cochrum helps a student during tutorial.
Cochrum reflects on educational journey with learning disability
April 5, 2025
An advertisement poster Leung made for the company.
Senior takes on remote social media job in New York
April 5, 2025
Bonner instructs swimmers to start the set off the block.
Christian Bonner’s journey from non-swimmer to longtime swimming coach
April 17, 2025
Ning launches a three against Sacred Heart as his teammates prepare to celebrate.
From 13th man to 3rd team all league — Steven Ning’s basketball journey
April 3, 2025
The beam training area at Gold Star Gymnastics.
Paying it forward for the next generation of gymnasts
March 31, 2025
Bossow wrestles against Bellarmine at Overfelt High on Dec. 6.
Wrestling team shows significant improvement this season
March 27, 2025
Coach Brian Liao talks game strategy with sophomores Andy Lu and Teegan Seid-Pham.
New head badminton coach brings valued guidance for players
March 27, 2025
The issue of modern feminism: Don’t mistake progress for exploitation
April 20, 2025
Mangione’s alleged actions were wrong, but the diagnosis of America’s failing health-care system wasn’t
Mangione’s alleged actions were wrong, but the diagnosis of America’s failing health-care system wasn’t
March 31, 2025
Stay safe.
In a dark time, it’s time to know your rights
March 27, 2025
Starting next school year, more students are able to study at MIT without worrying about tuition.
Educational institutions are wise to offer free tuition to low-income families
March 26, 2025
Nationwide voter turnout since 2002, blue is presidential, yellow is midterm
Sagging voter participation puts democracy at risk
March 22, 2025
The infamous “criss cross chair” from TikTok Shop, ranging from $40-70, has taken over social media feeds.
Is TikTok Shop another marketing trap or actually have legitimate products?
April 17, 2025
Students gather to eat and talk on the upper deck.
Prom 2025: A grape evening at the Mountain Winery
April 6, 2025
Courtesy of Imgflip If you’re going to stop reading this story right here, this meme sums up my entire high school experience (I been chilling with boba but it’s close enough). Seriously, though, John Cena’s Chinese is elite.
My high school life in memes
April 5, 2025
Courtesy of Neha Sharan Students compete in a co-ed tournament held at the India Community Center in Milpitas.
A sophomore’s gambit: encouraging more girls to take up chess
April 4, 2025
Top 10 celebrity baby names over the years
April 3, 2025
Volume 48, Issue 9
April 15, 2025
Volume 48, Issue 10
Volume 48, Issue 10
April 15, 2025
Volume 48, Issue 12
Volume 48, Issue 12
April 15, 2025
Volume 48, Issue 13
Volume 48, Issue 13
April 15, 2025
Volume 49, Issue 1
Volume 49, Issue 1
April 15, 2025

The Saratoga Falcon

The Saratoga Falcon
All content by Daniel Wu
Running is a great way to recharge your batteries

Senior Mag 2024: When I can’t focus, I run for the hills

Daniel Wu
Senior captain Luke Stratakos loads a forehand return on March 27 against Gunn.

Boys’ tennis blazes undefeated path through early division season

Daniel Wu
District nurse Lisa Tripp and principal Greg Louie pass out Narcan kits to students after a Narcan training meeting on Feb. 28.

Fentanyl crisis prompts district Narcan training aimed at students

Derek Liang and Daniel Wu
School’s 6 VEX Robotics teams gear up for upcoming competitions in quest for world championships

School’s 6 VEX Robotics teams gear up for upcoming competitions in quest for world championships

Daniel Wu and Sarah Zhou
Admins reeling us back from escaping to our cars in the parking lot.

Let us skip our non-essential classes

Daniel Wu and Sarah Zhou
Though controversial, tech billionaire’s pioneering approach to aging shows promise

Though controversial, tech billionaire’s pioneering approach to aging shows promise

William Cao and Daniel Wu
Junior Caleb Yu practices drills with senior Bryan Wang during an open gym session in preparation for the season.

Boys’ basketball teams to participate in winter break tournament in Canada

Daniel Wu
Students and staff attend climate conference in Taiwan

Students and staff attend climate conference in Taiwan

Agastya Vitaldevara and Daniel Wu
Where the heck is Tajikistan?

Geo-prodigy: Memorizing the locations of every country in the world

Daniel Wu
The crows especially enjoy delicacies such as pepperoni pizza.

100-word rant: Dear crows, please stop stealing my lunch

Daniel Wu
Freshman Somei Ogata prepares a backhand in a match against Bellarmine

Boys tennis’ ends CCS run with semifinal loss to tough Menlo Park team

Daniel Wu and Ariel Zhou
Junior Shane Timmons prepares for a pitch during a game against Milpitas on April 20.

Varsity baseball secures CCS bid following turnaround

Saachi Jain and Daniel Wu
The newly completed field features a fully artificial turf surface.

Following seven months of work and $4 million renovations, new baseball field opens for season

Saachi Jain and Daniel Wu
Freshman Nikhil Srivatsa completes a forehand while warming up for a match against Los Altos

Despite rainouts and injuries, boys’ tennis team forges ahead

Daniel Wu and Aiden Ye
SpeakEasy’s technology architecture

Junior develops award-winning AI-powered browser extension

Anirudh Iyer and Daniel Wu
BodyArmor wins the gold among sports drinks competitors

BodyArmor wins the gold among sports drinks competitors

Daniel Wu
The varsity boys soccer team poses for a photo prior to their home game against Fremont on Jan. 24.

Boys’ soccer encounters hiccups but gears up for a comeback

Victoria Lin and Daniel Wu
Playing squash at the national level, junior Dhruv Nemani practices countless hours every week.

Shedding light on the thrilling racquet sport of squash

Saachi Jain and Daniel Wu
Kapoor (in front) rounds a sharp corner with another racer following close behind.

The need for speed: Junior races go-karts at an elite level

Eric Shi and Daniel Wu
Senior Olivia Smith as Abigail and junior Ella Tamas-King as Mercy Lewis and other ensemble members, which included middle schoolers, pretend to be bewitched in the courtroom scene during dress rehearsal. 

Fall play audience attendance rebounds to pre-COVID numbers

Jonny Luo and Daniel Wu
Sophomore Dylan Wilson runs a footwork drill during the boys’ soccer tryouts.

Season preview: Boys’ soccer aims to use teamwork to make up for lack of returning juniors

Victoria Lin and Daniel Wu
The vegetarian meal Anirudh got in its full form.

Mediterranean cuisine: an underrated delicacy

Anirudh Iyer and Daniel Wu
Juniors celebrate after a successful quad day performance

Homecoming: Juniors awe the crowd with ingenious stunts and solos

Daniel Wu
This year’s bell schedule rings with approval from students and staff.

New bell schedule met with approval from students and staff

Daniel Wu
Sophomore Owen Liang answers questions for a scouter from another FRC team during the FRC World Championship

Robotics teams clash against the world’s best teams in Houston

Nikhil Mathihalli and Daniel Wu
Nikhil Mathihalli and Aiden Ye

Photo or Graphic for: Pickett retires after 9 years of teaching math at the school

Nikhil Mathihalli and Aiden Ye
Collage of the games listed in story: Clash Royale (Top Right), GamePigeon 8Ball (Top Left), Brawl Stars (Bottom Left), Wordle (Bottom Right)

Get ready to procrastinate: The top mobile games to play during tutorial

Alexander Kan and Daniel Wu
The bandits' Instagram with a post of their mark on a Tesla

Buzzworthy: 2 ‘bandits’ employ controversial method to promote car washes

Kavya Patel and Daniel Wu
Kyle Scola hits a jump off a ramp at the Northstar slopes while snowboarding.

A Tahoe life: Skier and snowboarder relish their time on the slopes

Tara Natarajan and Daniel Wu
Senior Sajiv Shah holding a glider during a glider competition for new hires during his first week at WhisperAero.

Senior helps develop next-generation aviation technology

Serena Li and Daniel Wu
Freshman soars in high school speech tournaments after middle school success

Freshman soars in high school speech tournaments after middle school success

Serena Li and Daniel Wu

What you need to know about the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Lynn Dai, Andrew Lin, and Daniel Wu
Students, teachers weigh in on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Students, teachers weigh in on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Lynn Dai, Andrew Lin, and Daniel Wu
February Break: the best time of year

February Break: the best time of year

Benjamin Li and Daniel Wu
Intro to Engineering and Intro to CS to be merged next year

Intro to Engineering and Intro to CS to be merged next year

Mitchell Chen and Daniel Wu
Common mistakes in disease diagnosis which Gupta’s gene signature aims to resolve.

Senior wins finalist status at prestigious science conference

Serena Li and Daniel Wu
Senior Vicky Bai received the LGSUHSD Board Student Recognition during the school board meeting on Nov. 16.

Senior receives district recognition for volunteer work to fight hunger

Serena Li and Daniel Wu
Proposed Spending on Transportation Infrastructure

Infrastructure and Jobs Act gives much-needed funding to California transportation systems

Daniel Wu
Number of applicants to select schools 2020 and 2021

Amid COVID-19 pandemic, some seniors adopt new college application strategies

Benjamin Li and Daniel Wu
Students in Seema Patel’s classes discuss and work together in pod arrangements.

School purchases more collaborative furniture for classrooms to increase student participation

Daniel Wu
Roof tile collapses due to excess water, and sags the one next to it.

Part of robotics building’s ceiling collapses during recent storm

Sarah Thomas and Daniel Wu
Norris slides off the track allowing Hamilton to take the lead.

British racing driver first to take 100th Formula 1 victory in dramatic race

Daniel Wu
Senior Vignav Ramesh presents his research at the 2021 Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine 2021

Senior becomes first high school student to receive prestigious medical AI award

Serena Li and Daniel Wu
Biden’s Afghanistan pullout is a spectacular failure

Biden’s Afghanistan pullout is a spectacular failure

Daniel Wu and Alexander Kan
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