The Student News Site of Saratoga High School

The Saratoga Falcon
95071X Extremity’s robot competes on the playing field during a scrimmage.
VEX Robotics team hosts inter-school scrimmages in preparation for worlds
April 26, 2025
Courtesy of Abhiram Ruthala An infographic describing the implications of different waves captured by the Muse headset, included in a video produced by the group to present their project.
Sophomore explores passion in neuroscience, placing second in California’s 16th Congressional District in prestigious coding competition
April 26, 2025
Courtesy of Dave Rickling Rickling’s stand at De Anza College Farmers’ Market, selling jars of honey and honey sticks alongside other vendors.
Dave’s Backyard Bees: from lockdown hobby to booming business
April 25, 2025
The SHS and RMS Combined Band performs at the 2024 Pancake Breakfast.
SMB prepares for annual Pancake Breakfast
April 25, 2025
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
Using phones before sleep not only harms your eyes, but also delays the time it takes to fall asleep.
Scrolling into insomnia: how electronics rob teens of sleep
April 27, 2025
Strydom’s dabbles in a variety of mediums, including pencil sketches, pen sketches and digital art.
Sophomore’s YouTube Shorts reach thousands of views
April 27, 2025
Courtesy of Portsmouth Events The remake of ‘Snow White’ sparked controversy and mixed reactions ahead of its March 21 release.
Disney’s ‘Snow White’: not the fairest adaptation of them all
April 26, 2025
Courtesy of Karthik Sangameswaran Sangameswaran proudly holds up the book his work is published in.
Senior becomes a published historian
April 25, 2025
Our H-Mart shopping basket.
A Falcon guide to Chinese Lay’s flavors from H-Mart
April 25, 2025
The notorious “torpedo bat” has increased mass in the center of the barrel, hence the name.
Controversial torpedo bat makes a splash in MLB
April 27, 2025
Athletic trainer Kevin Attard helps junior football and lacrosse player Jayden Kwong prepare for knee rehabilitation.
New athletic trainer hired after months-long search
April 25, 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
Courtesy of Pinterest The ideal Expo marker in a classroom should be fresh and full of ink.
100-word rant: Dried markers, know your place (in the trash)
April 25, 2025
This energy drink is the perfect refreshing drink on a hot summer day.
100-word rave: Energy drinks are just spectacular
April 25, 2025
The issue of modern feminism: Don’t mistake progress for exploitation
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
New York Times’ games can predict my future
New York Times’ games can predict my future
April 26, 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
Volume 57, Issue 6
Volume 57, Issue 6
April 23, 2025
Volume 57, Issue 5
Volume 57, Issue 5
April 23, 2025
Volume 57, Issue 4
Volume 57, Issue 4
April 23, 2025
Volume 57, Issue 3
Volume 57, Issue 3
April 23, 2025
Volume 57, Issue 2
Volume 57, Issue 2
April 23, 2025

The Saratoga Falcon

The Saratoga Falcon
All content by Neal Malhotra
Main entrance of Ulavacharu Tiffins

Senior Mag 2024: The best places to go off-campus to at lunch

Neal Malhotra
The proud group poses with Ms. Daly next to their feast.

Senior Mag 2024: An APUSH BBQ feast provides a memorable final

Neal Malhotra
The San Francisco Chronicle provides an updating dashboard for city wide drug overdoses.

The nationwide fentanyl crisis: District addresses the drug killing teens

Neal Malhotra
 Team 95071X took home gold at nationals and placed second in the Driver Skills Challenge.

VEX Robotics team wins U.S. Open

William Cao and Neal Malhotra
The five contestants (left to right) — Derek Liang, Anika Kapasi, Beverly Xu, Kathy Wang and Tara Natarjan — line up behind their boards.

Photo or Graphic for: The Charcuterie Board Beatdown: which reporter will make the breaking board?

Anika Kapasi, Derek Liang, Tara Natarajan, Kathy Wang, and Beverly Xu
Senior guard Brooks Overton shoots a 3-point shot over Monta Vista defender on Feb. 8 senior night.

Electric senior night caps off final home game before CCS

Neal Malhotra
The Class of ‘24 girls practice for the senior girls’ act during rehearsal on Feb. 8. 

Bombay in the Bay is pushed back to Saturday and Sunday, but ticket sales remain strong

Jane Lee and Neal Malhotra
Being on the field or the court isn’t the only way to stay in sports

Being on the field or the court isn’t the only way to stay in sports

Neal Malhotra
Students playing in the arcade games at Dave and Busters.

Turnout for Winter Formal at Dave and Buster’s dips

Neal Malhotra
Senior Bryan Wang drives past senior Brooks Overton for a layup during practice on Dec. 7.

Turnovers contribute to close losses in boys’ basketball preseason

Neal Malhotra
The LGSUHSD scores on different sections of CAASPP test compared to the rest of the state and county.

LGSUHSD scores highly in CAASPP testing

Neal Malhotra
Me playing a practice match in Bay Club Fremont in preparation for an upcoming tournament.

Squash: a symphony of rackets, balls and strategy

Neal Malhotra
Cover art of Chopra’s latest song, Murder on the Dance Floor

Senior rekindles passion for making hip-hop

Neal Malhotra
Kunal Bhatnagar reaches up to block a shot on senior night against Santa Clara on Oct. 19

Photo or Graphic for: Boys’ water polo struggles to stay afloat with sicknesses and new coach

Agastya Vitaldevara
 Weightlifting at Bay Club Courtside during our unscheduled first period.

Staying fit: A high schooler’s guide to learning the ins and outs of a local gym

William Cao and Neal Malhotra
Andrew Beattie works with football players during an after school practice.

New CBI aide takes on coaching roles for multiple sports

Richard Fan and Neal Malhotra
Sophomores Patrick Keogh, Shirina Cao and Ananya Rav dancing during the group dance.

Photo or Graphic for: Sophomores power through quad day despite low participation 

Annie Liu & Ruiyan Zhu
There are multiple pathways to college other than going straight after high school.

As colleges acceptance rates continue to decline, more students should turn to options other than 4-year universities

Neal Malhotra and Kavya Patel
Yul Hong dribbling at MLS Next soccer showcase in Palm Springs.

Junior forward verbally commits to play soccer for Naval Academy

Neal Malhotra
Collage of prom photos

Beach Boardwalk praised as ideal prom location

Mitchell Chen and Neal Malhotra
Junior Neal Malhotra catches some Z’s after a long night of playing brawl stars — he forgot to complete his history homework due that day.

Call it a case of Junioritis-’24

Mitchell Chen and Neal Malhotra
Junior Johan Amirineni warms up before practice with other juniors.

Tennis team looks to bounce back after rocky start

Neal Malhotra and Skyler Mao
Not just for academics — SHS has produced world-class athletes

Not just for academics — SHS has produced world-class athletes

Anika Kapasi, Neal Malhotra, Nidhi Mathihalli, and Stephanie Sun
Seniors Mason Wang, Julian Berkowitz-Sklar and Lucas Dennis help up junior guard Bryan Wang in their CCS match against Soledad on Feb. 19.

Boys’ basketball ends a bounceback season with CCS loss to Monterey

Neal Malhotra and Andy Zhu
Students at the Halloween Party gather around the robot demonstration organized by the Best Buddies club.

Best Buddies club hopes to bring change to school

Neal Malhotra and Beverly Xu
The inner workings of Journalism: deadline night

The inner workings of Journalism: deadline night

Neal Malhotra and Atrey Desai
Senior guard Julian Berklowitz-Sklar gets ready for a defensive possession late in the team’s game against Los Gatos on Feb. 8.

Wildcats deal blow to Falcons’ CCS chances

Neal Malhotra, Nikhil Mathihalli, and Andy Zhu
JV players warmup before tryouts with some rallies.

Season preview: New additions set to make waves for boys’ tennis

Neal Malhotra
Senior boys practice for their All Male Dance. 

Bombay in the Bay returns in style without pandemic restrictions

Neal Malhotra and Kavya Patel
The waves crashing at the beautiful Carmel Beach.

February Break travel guide: 48 hours in Carmel-by-the-Sea

Neal Malhotra and Nikhil Mathihalli
La Cueva is located on Prospect Road, right across from the Westgate Center.

La Cueva: the unrivaled best spot for off-campus lunch

Neal Malhotra
Sophomore Caleb Yu and junior Brooks Overton go head to head during a practice on Oct. 21.

Boys’ basketball team trying to adjust to new players and coach

Neal Malhotra and Andy Zhu
2021 alumna, Michelle Lim, DIII commit to Wellesley College plays against Smith College.

Athletic recruitment or college applications: Which one’s harder?

Anika Kapasi and Neal Malhotra
The beaches at Cambria are beautiful places to enjoy with your family and fuzzy friends.

Enjoy a sandy winter break vacation in relaxing Cambria

Neal Malhotra and Nikhil Mathihalli
A 100% accurate depiction of me playing basketball.

My love-hate relationship with basketball

Neal Malhotra
Juniors celebrate their quad day performance on Sept. 22.

The juniors had the best quad-day performance

Neal Malhotra and Nikhil Mathihalli
Senior ACE club president Carolyn Wang presents the next group discussion to more than 15 student tutors.

ACE club members volunteer to tutor students across four different countries

Neal Malhotra and Beverly Xu
The varsity boys’ basketball team shoots around during open gym.

Davey returns to coach boys’ basketball team

Neal Malhotra and Andy Zhu
The dreaded front page of the SAT.

Preparing for the SAT: a case study in 2 summer experiences

Neal Malhotra and Kavya Patel
Laws, who started at the schools in 2021 with English 9 and 10, is now the adviser for the Talisman.

English teacher Megan Laws steps up as new yearbook adviser

Neal Malhotra and Nikhil Mathihalli
Junior Owen Liang mounts the new intake hardstop, preventing the intake from deploying too far down.

Robotics team readies to compete at regional offseason tournaments

Neal Malhotra and Beverly Xu
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