The Student News Site of Saratoga High School

The Saratoga Falcon
One of the school’s top-of-the-line AEDs
School ramps up AED count on campus
November 20, 2024
Students listen to Natasha Schatzman’s presentation in the student center on Nov. 15.
NASA aerospace engineer shares research in aeromechanics and aeroacoustics
November 20, 2024
Acting superintendent Heath Rocha speaks during the Nov. 12 board meeting.
New concerns arise over former superintendent Sanderson’s 2022 hiring
November 20, 2024
The flyer for this year’s Winter Formal hangs up around school and is posted on social media.
Tickets for Winter Formal sell out before purchase window closes
November 20, 2024
Saratoga Team 1, senior Alan Lu, junior Lawson Wang, sophomores Andy Lu and Seabert Mao, senior Skyler Mao and sophomore Vivian Zhong (left to right), hold their 3rd place trophy.
Math club places third at Berkeley tournament
November 17, 2024
Actress Naomi Scott playing Skye Riley brings to life a terrifying transformation through subtle changes.
‘Smile 2’ mixes traditional jump scare and psychological horror
November 20, 2024
BASIC officers at a boba fundraiser on Oct. 2.
BASIC club emphasizes youth action on humanitarian aid
November 18, 2024
The U.S., China and Taiwan, among other nations, are engaged in one of the fastest-growing tech races in history to develop and produce the best semiconductors and AI.
The U.S. is playing catchup in the semiconductor race. Is it too late to win?
November 12, 2024
Highlights of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors dances during Homecoming week from Oct. 14-19.
Behind the scenes: Meet the choreographers who brought the Homecoming dance to life
November 2, 2024
Students gather around the table at the top of the quad steps during the voter registration drive on Sept. 25.
Revived Democracy Matters club kicks off the school year with successful election events
October 30, 2024
Senior Saira Ramakrishnan pitches for the Saratoga Falcons.
Senior softball player commits to University of Rochester
November 20, 2024
The team gathered around a fire during their retreat to enjoy s’mores and build team chemistry.
Girls’ basketball team aims to build winning culture in pre-season after eye-opening retreat
November 20, 2024
Recap of fall sports.
Fall Sports Recap: Toga teams fight hard to the end
November 16, 2024
The girls’ tennis team poses for a group photo.
Girls’ tennis finishes the regular season with a solid victory
November 16, 2024
Mascots and volunteers cheering runners on as they cross the finish line.
Saratoga 5K Fun Run: a blend of community and competition
November 13, 2024
Cigarette packaging should depict frightening images on the front and sides, clearly communicating the consequences of smoking.
Cigarette packaging needs to be more graphic in its dire warnings
November 15, 2024
Journalism labor unions have firmly opposed the bill, calling it a “shakedown.”
‘Undemocratic’ deal reached between Google and California news outlets
November 7, 2024
Test dates make or break our vacation
The bliss and benefits of having tests before breaks
October 31, 2024
Here’s why you should vote against Prop 34.
Prop 34’s devious methods target non-profits
October 30, 2024
Please let me understand my mistakes.
100-word rant: Let me use the answer key to check my work
October 28, 2024
Personally, I really need some noodle slippers.
My 8-year-old self would be sad to see ‘5-Minute Crafts’ go — but I’m not
November 20, 2024
A hearty stew such as a beef bourguignon is perfect for a cold winter day.
Winter break bucket list: cooking galore
November 18, 2024
Don’t hate until you try it.
Top 10: weirdly good food combos that might get you flamed
November 16, 2024
A girl cries as she realizes her wallet is empty.
Resisting the urge to splurge: regulating money spent on lunchtime outings
November 11, 2024
The seating chart is often like a game of Russian Roulette, you either sit next to your best friend or next to your ex.
Top 10: Reasons to request a seat change
November 5, 2024

The Saratoga Falcon

The Saratoga Falcon
All content by Nikhil Mathihalli
Assortments of college ranking list with factors such as acceptance rate, major, ranking and cost.

While flawed, college ranking systems remain necessary tools for constructing college lists

William Cao and Nikhil Mathihalli
May 15, 2024
Freshman Quinn Bossow’s SCVAL bracket and performance.

Multisport athletes draw on past experiences for an improved wrestling season

William Cao and Nikhil Mathihalli
February 14, 2024
Freshman Quinn Bossow works a kneebar ankle technique on Coach Paola Ramirez as Hayley Aguilar, sophomore Jayden Kwon and David Baek observe.

Wrestling head coach invites her past teammates to help team improve techniques

William Cao and Nikhil Mathihalli
December 11, 2023
Seniors Paul Hulme and Taylor Chu pose in front of the set-up balloon arc during the Homecoming football game against Cupertino on Sept. 22.

Royalty honored at halftime of Homecoming game along with fall teams

Nikhil Mathihalli
September 24, 2023
Class of 1998 shooting guard Luke Weger hits a clutch three-pointer with around four minutes left to extend the Falcons’ lead to 58-52.

25 years later: SHS’s version of a staggering March Madness upset

Nikhil Mathihalli and Howard Shu
April 3, 2023
A-team members senior Adam Xu, senior Nilay Mishra, junior Advaith Avadhanam and senior Anthony Wang listen attentively as the round’s questions are being read.

Science Bowl team places first at regionals, heads to nationals

Nikhil Mathihalli and Anthony Wang
March 26, 2023
 Coach Taylor Wilson and senior captain Sohum Bhan instruct a series of wrestling moves to the rest of the team.

5-member wrestling team hopes to increase size in future

Nikhil Mathihalli
February 15, 2023
Junior Avik Belenje and freshman Ishir Gupta play a doubles match together during a practice on Feb. 9.

Season preview: Badminton returns to rebuilding after 2022 postseason success

Nikhil Mathihalli and William Norwood
February 13, 2023
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
February 13, 2023
Senior Ojas Somani teaches the All-Males Dance (AMD) to members in preparation for their upcoming performance in BNB.

Bombay in the Bay video process aims to recognize long-time senior participants

Nikhil Mathihalli
February 12, 2023
Members of MSET Fish discuss possible robotics designs during the season kickoff day on Jan. 9.

MSET Fish work to build new robot for ‘Charged Up’ FRC season

Nikhil Mathihalli
February 12, 2023
The waves crashing at the beautiful Carmel Beach.

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

Neal Malhotra and Nikhil Mathihalli
February 10, 2023
Juniors Emily Ta and Josh Ta with their family and friends at the 49ers home playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys on Jan. 22. 

Students disappointed with another 49ers NFC Championship loss

Nikhil Mathihalli and Kavya Patel
February 9, 2023
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
December 6, 2022
Members of winter percussion warm up and get ready in the “lot” — the location outside the performance venue — during the Northern California Percussion Alliance (NCPA) Championships at American Canyon High.

80 students join winter percussion

Nikhil Mathihalli
December 6, 2022
The Coca-Cola Scholars Program gives a $20,000 academic scholarship for 150 students each year.

2 seniors advance in Coca-Cola Scholars program

Nikhil Mathihalli
December 5, 2022
Quiz Bowl Club officers teach techniques and train the team members by answering quick questions during their lunch meetings. 

Quiz Bowl wins first two tournaments, qualifies for national tournament

Nikhil Mathihalli, Aiden Ye, and Zack Zhang
December 1, 2022
The theme for this year’s Winter Formal is “Met Gala Afterparty.” The dance will take place on Dec. 10 at Great America from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Huge turnout expected for Winter formal at Great America

Nikhil Mathihalli
November 30, 2022
Autumn is my favorite season of the year. The weather is perfect, and time with family is memorable.

It’s autumn and time to celebrate

Nikhil Mathihalli
November 6, 2022
Juniors celebrate their quad day performance on Sept. 22.

The juniors had the best quad-day performance

Neal Malhotra and Nikhil Mathihalli
October 20, 2022
Substitute Chris Rasmussen, who teaches U.S. history and History in Film, works with a student during fourth period on Oct. 19.

Subs fill in for history and math teachers on leave

Nikhil Mathihalli, Nilay Mishra, and Jonathan Si
October 19, 2022
The Soundings magazine staff meets during an Oct. 19 tutorial in English teacher Amy Keys’s room.

Soundings literary magazine to have two issues, seeks to gain wider participation

Nikhil Mathihalli
October 19, 2022
There is no place better than Reddit to waste your time.

Top 10 subreddits

Nikhil Mathihalli and Aiden Ye
September 29, 2022
History of the case fatality rate of COVID-19.

We wish COVID was over; it’s not

Nikhil Mathihalli and Anthony Wang
September 24, 2022
Class of 2015 alumna Sabrina Chen with members of the 2015 Falcon staff and journalism adviser Michael Tyler.

Class of ‘15 valedictorian recalls high school memories — and her Falcon love story

Nikhil Mathihalli
September 21, 2022
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
September 12, 2022
28 in the Class of 2023 announced as National Merit Semifinalists

28 in the Class of 2023 announced as National Merit Semifinalists

Nikhil Mathihalli
September 11, 2022
‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ highlights everything wrong with the Marvel Cinematic Universe

‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ highlights everything wrong with the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Nikhil Mathihalli
September 10, 2022
73 questions: conversations with the school community

73 questions: conversations with the school community

Lena Aribi, Meher Bhatnagar, Christina Chang, Lynn Dai, Victoria Hu, Hannah Lee, Jonny Luo, Shannon Ma, Nikhil Mathihalli, and Sarah Zhou
May 30, 2022
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
May 30, 2022
Nikhil Mathihalli and Aiden Ye

Pickett retires after 9 years of teaching math at the school

Nikhil Mathihalli and Aiden Ye
May 20, 2022

Top 10 Michaels

Nikhil Mathihalli and Arnav Swamy
May 12, 2022
The Quiz Bowl competitive team plays at Cal Cup 4 on March 27 at Bellarmine High.

STEM competitions spotlight top achievers

Jonny Luo and Nikhil Mathihalli
April 28, 2022
The Tamasha dance team performs at their BnB performance on Feb. 19

Tamasha highlights Bollywood culture at the school

Lynn Dai and Nikhil Mathihalli
April 1, 2022

Banner year for robotics: Both major teams to compete in Worlds

Nikhil Mathihalli
April 1, 2022

Boys’ volleyball hopes to avoid injuries that plagued them last year

Nikhil Mathihalli and Viraaj Reddi
March 20, 2022
Guacamole is the worst

Guacamole is the worst

Nikhil Mathihalli
March 20, 2022
Post-pandemic woes: Yearbook, ASB face funding issues

Post-pandemic woes: Yearbook, ASB face funding issues

Jonny Luo and Nikhil Mathihalli
March 17, 2022
Same-subject classes should have similar policies, assessments and difficulty

Same-subject classes should have similar policies, assessments and difficulty

Nikhil Mathihalli and Aiden Ye
March 16, 2022
The FRC hardware team is fixing their robot, Cowfish, for their regional tournament at San Francisco.

Two regionals put MSET Fish’s robot to the test

Nikhil Mathihalli and Arnav Swamy
March 15, 2022
A Sources of Strength professional talks to students during Sources of Strength training on Nov. 30.

Sources of Strength organizes Valentine’s day flower sale to fund mental health awareness projects

Jonny Luo and Nikhil Mathihalli
March 12, 2022
The Saratoga Library: at the heart of the city

The Saratoga Library: at the heart of the city

Nikhil Mathihalli
March 12, 2022

100-word rant: Please, I don’t want to freeze in class

Nikhil Mathihalli
March 10, 2022
Sophomores Arjun Raje and Varun Sreedhara take the court against Monta Vista on March 8. The team ultimately lost 16-14.

With young roster, badminton seeks to develop skills

Jonny Luo and Nikhil Mathihalli
March 10, 2022
Junior boys arrive on stage in their starting positions awaiting the loud music.

Bombay in the Bay dazzles in person

Meher Bhatnagar and Nikhil Mathihalli
March 10, 2022
Portrayed in a sketched by a courtroom artist, senior mock trial president Nicole Lu competes at the Santa Clara County Mock Trial Competition.

Students see success in competitions, scholarships

Selina Chen, Allen Luo, Jonny Luo, and Nikhil Mathihalli
March 2, 2022

Seniors Vignav Ramesh and Anouk Yeh selected as Coca-Cola Scholars Regional Finalists

Jonny Luo and Nikhil Mathihalli
February 4, 2022

Academic clubs prepare to host respective competitions

Jonny Luo, Nikhil Mathihalli, and Aiden Ye
February 1, 2022
The boys’ varsity soccer team huddles up to end their practice.

Boys’ soccer finds early league success

Annie Liu, Nikhil Mathihalli, and Tiffany Wang
January 21, 2022
After months of deliberation, school board leaves bell schedule unchanged

After months of deliberation, school board leaves bell schedule unchanged

Andrew Lin and Nikhil Mathihalli
January 21, 2022
Bombay in the Bay still on track for in-person performance

Bombay in the Bay still on track for in-person performance

Meher Bhatnagar and Nikhil Mathihalli
January 20, 2022

Top 10 excuses for not returning your friend’s pencil

Nikhil Mathihalli and Aiden Ye
January 18, 2022
Quiz Bowl members practice for Cal Cup virtually through Protobowl, a real-time, multiplayer Quizbowl application.

Quiz Bowl to send its top team to nationals

Jonny Luo and Nikhil Mathihalli
December 3, 2021
The football team practices at the field on Oct. 21

Football season cut short by lack of healthy players

Jonny Luo and Nikhil Mathihalli
November 18, 2021
A deep dive into popular cereals

A deep dive into popular cereals

Nikhil Mathihalli and Aiden Ye
November 17, 2021
School sees increase in iPad usage for both students and staff

School sees increase in iPad usage for both students and staff

Jonny Luo and Nikhil Mathihalli
November 9, 2021
Being unvaccinated amid a push for vaccination

Being unvaccinated amid a push for vaccination

Jonny Luo and Nikhil Mathihalli
November 4, 2021
Why can’t I make decisions?

Why can’t I make decisions?

Nikhil Mathihalli
November 2, 2021
For more information about Homecoming, scan this QR code

Homecoming bounces back

Nikhil Mathihalli
October 8, 2021
Teams get ready with their robots to begin their match

MSET Fish exceed expectations at CalGames

Nikhil Mathihalli
October 8, 2021
Freshmen Caleb Yu, Arsh Tikku, Langdon Huynh and Vivaan Suri review their cases during speech and debate practice on Oct. 1.

Speech and debate, facing challenges on all fronts, begins to find solutions

Nikhil Mathihalli and Shreya Rallabandi
October 7, 2021
Junior running back Paolo Navarro runs the ball as senior lineman Parker Smith blocks Monta Vista’s defense.

Falcons kick off league season with a win and a loss

Andy Chen, Jonny Luo, Nikhil Mathihalli, and Shaan Sridhar
October 7, 2021

MSET Fish exceed expectations at CalGames

Nikhil Mathihalli
October 6, 2021

Quiz Bowl practices remain online to mimic tournament setting

Nikhil Mathihalli and Jonny Luo
October 6, 2021

Top 10 ways to get bored

Nikhil Mathihalli and Aiden Ye
October 6, 2021
The sophomores perform their partner/co-ed dance during their quad day.

Delayed by a pandemic, sophomores struggle with first quad day performance

Nikhil Mathihalli
October 3, 2021
Music department back on track after rough pandemic year

Music department back on track after rough pandemic year

Shannon Ma and Nikhil Mathihalli
September 20, 2021
Recapping the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Recapping the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Jonny Luo and Nikhil Mathihalli
September 11, 2021
As promised, district offers online program for ‘21-‘22

As promised, district offers online program for ‘21-‘22

Howard Shu and Nikhil Mathihalli
September 10, 2021
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