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
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
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
Courtesy of Matthew Torrens Mathew Torrens stands next to his sign on Highway 85 as part of the Adopt-A-Highway program.
Picking up one piece of trash at a time, Torrens helps maintain Highway 85 in San Jose
April 25, 2025
Courtesy of Hollywood Life Cyrus when she was in Hannah Montana compared to now.
Disney child star to pop music icon: Miley Cyrus’ journey in the spotlight
April 23, 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
Bossow wrestles against Bellarmine at Overfelt High on Dec. 6.
Wrestling team shows significant improvement this season
March 27, 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 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
Freshman Quinn Bossow’s SCVAL bracket and performance.

Multisport athletes draw on past experiences for an improved wrestling season

William Cao and Nikhil Mathihalli
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
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
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
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
 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
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
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
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
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
The waves crashing at the beautiful Carmel Beach.

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

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

The juniors had the best quad-day performance

Neal Malhotra and Nikhil Mathihalli
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
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
There is no place better than Reddit to waste your time.

Top 10 subreddits

Nikhil Mathihalli and Aiden Ye
History of the case fatality rate of COVID-19.

We wish COVID was over; it’s not

Nikhil Mathihalli and Anthony Wang
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
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
28 in the Class of 2023 announced as National Merit Semifinalists

28 in the Class of 2023 announced as National Merit Semifinalists

Nikhil Mathihalli
‘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
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
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

Pickett retires after 9 years of teaching math at the school

Nikhil Mathihalli and Aiden Ye

Top 10 Michaels

Nikhil Mathihalli and Arnav Swamy
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
The Tamasha dance team performs at their BnB performance on Feb. 19

Tamasha highlights Bollywood culture at the school

Lynn Dai and Nikhil Mathihalli

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

Nikhil Mathihalli

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

Nikhil Mathihalli and Viraaj Reddi
Guacamole is the worst

Guacamole is the worst

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

Post-pandemic woes: Yearbook, ASB face funding issues

Jonny Luo and Nikhil Mathihalli
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
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
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
The Saratoga Library: at the heart of the city

The Saratoga Library: at the heart of the city

Nikhil Mathihalli

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

Nikhil Mathihalli
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
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
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

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

Jonny Luo and Nikhil Mathihalli

Academic clubs prepare to host respective competitions

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

Boys’ soccer finds early league success

Annie Liu, Nikhil Mathihalli, and Tiffany Wang
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
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

Top 10 excuses for not returning your friend’s pencil

Nikhil Mathihalli and Aiden Ye
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
The football team practices at the field on Oct. 21

Football season cut short by lack of healthy players

Jonny Luo and Nikhil Mathihalli
A deep dive into popular cereals

A deep dive into popular cereals

Nikhil Mathihalli and Aiden Ye
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
Being unvaccinated amid a push for vaccination

Being unvaccinated amid a push for vaccination

Jonny Luo and Nikhil Mathihalli
Why can’t I make decisions?

Why can’t I make decisions?

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

Homecoming bounces back

Nikhil Mathihalli
Teams get ready with their robots to begin their match

MSET Fish exceed expectations at CalGames

Nikhil Mathihalli
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
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

MSET Fish exceed expectations at CalGames

Nikhil Mathihalli

Quiz Bowl practices remain online to mimic tournament setting

Nikhil Mathihalli and Jonny Luo

Top 10 ways to get bored

Nikhil Mathihalli and Aiden Ye
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
Music department back on track after rough pandemic year

Music department back on track after rough pandemic year

Shannon Ma and Nikhil Mathihalli
Recapping the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Recapping the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

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

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

Howard Shu and Nikhil Mathihalli
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