The Student News Site of Saratoga High School

The Saratoga Falcon
Courtesy of LGSUHSD board The official map, decided during the April 14 public hearing.
School board finalizes district map for new trustee elections
June 1, 2025
Courtesy of Saratoga High School Junior Arjun Krish is one of 20 students in the country who have a shot at representing the US at the International Biology Olympiad.
Junior qualifies for International Biology Olympiad training camp at Harvard
May 27, 2025
French 1 classes are switching to the “Reporters Francophones” textbook for next year.
Language classes to try new textbook options next year
May 25, 2025
Seniors gather in the quad to celebrate their college decisions.
Seniors showcase post-grad plans on Commit Day
May 23, 2025
Choir and AP Music Theory teacher Beth Nitzan conducts a choir class during a rehearsal for their end-of-year concert on May 19.
Nitzan to leave school after four years in music department
May 21, 2025
Me conducting taste evaluations with two drinks at once.
The *actual* best boba places in the Bay
June 2, 2025
Courtesy of Aidan Smith Finn and Aidan pose together in the backyard for pictures before prom.
The Duality of Man: Aidan and Finn Smith
June 2, 2025
Keys works on an essay with an English 11 Honors student.
The first day of school in August requires months of planning for teachers
June 1, 2025
Hector and I pose with our first target after eliminating her in San Francisco.
Senior Mag 2025: We were eliminated in Senior Assassin — but that only made the game more fun
May 29, 2025
Seniors Annette Li and Kayla Nguyen anchor on an SHSTV broadcast.
Senior Mag ‘25: Duo evolves from GNNers to SHSTV head producers
May 27, 2025
(left to right) Audrey Wong, Summer Shen, Hannah Bui and Angela Tan prepare for a football game.
Senior Mag 2025: From Europe to the Bay, Flute seniors bonded over marching band
June 1, 2025
Courtesy of Annette Li We pose after our victory against Fremont High on April 30.
Senior Mag 2025: The chemistry and chaos of a 4-year badminton partnership
June 1, 2025
Junior Garrick Chau faces off sophomore William Dechlick and mental health therapist Victor Thompson in the Falcon Nest.
Foosball club brings in a professional to coach members skills
May 31, 2025
Many physical therapies consist of stretching and light exercises.
Student athletes navigate a long rehabilitation process after injuries
May 31, 2025
Courtesy of Lauren Nguyen Smiling proudly, the team stands together and celebrates their awards.
Dance team reflects on Nationals and what’s next
May 28, 2025
A wide variety of euphemisms impact perception in different ways.
Words that need to be heard: euphemisms are dangerous tools for desensitization
June 1, 2025
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Universities have no right to revoke diplomas for political speech
May 30, 2025
Courtesy of Charles Edward Miller People protesting against unlawful deportations.
Universities need to take action to prevent students from being deported by ICE
May 30, 2025
11th grade classes are full of interesting material.
100-word rant: teachers, five tests in two days is just cruel
May 29, 2025
Campaigning on popular social media apps such as Instagram shouldn’t be the norm.
For school leadership elections, candidates can rely too much on social media advertising
May 28, 2025
General Psychology teacher Hana Chen.
General Psychology class explores the field through projects
June 15, 2025
Courtesy of Nathan Shows The view from the dinner cruise on the Vltava.
The last class to remember being stranded in Prague, 2022
June 4, 2025
Courtesy of Rani Khanna Rani and Krishen in their childhood.
The Khanna twins: more like regular siblings than twins
June 4, 2025
Courtesy of Saratoga High School Grace Liu and Luke Zhang are the valedictorian and salutatorian of the senior class respectively.
Class of 2025 valedictorian and salutatorian announced
June 3, 2025
Courtesy of NBC Bay Area Saratoga High’s field shot from above.
Senior Mag: How anti-turf advocacy became my turf
June 3, 2025
Volume 58, Issue 5
Volume 58, Issue 5
July 10, 2025
Volume 59, Issue 1
Volume 59, Issue 1
July 10, 2025
Volume 59, Issue 2
Volume 59, Issue 2
July 10, 2025
Volume 58, Issue 10
Volume 58, Issue 10
July 10, 2025
Volume 58, Issue 11
Volume 58, Issue 11
July 10, 2025

The Saratoga Falcon

The Saratoga Falcon
All content by Sarah Thomas
The most important day of the year: Waffle Day

The most important day of the year: Waffle Day

William Norwood and Sarah Thomas
District makes major change to SHS’s freshman P.E. policy: All must now take the class

District makes major change to SHS’s freshman P.E. policy: All must now take the class

Sarah Thomas
District’s INSPIRE strategic plan aims to improve educational outcomes through support and opportunities

District’s INSPIRE strategic plan aims to improve educational outcomes through support and opportunities

Sarah Thomas
The new 2024-25 calendar gives students a full week off for Thanksgiving.

Start of school bumped earlier as district moves to a full week off for Thanksgiving

William Norwood and Sarah Thomas
After a hard day of work, senior Yao poses with engineering teacher Warmuth.

Students volunteer their time as TAs to decrease teachers’ workloads

Sarah Thomas
Nicole, William, Sarah and Isabelle smile happily over food.

The QUIET SHY somehow carried the BRITISH CHAD

Nicole Lee, William Norwood, Sarah Thomas, and Isabelle Wang
Shut the lulu up

Shut the lulu up

Sarah Thomas
Homework quizzes need to be tweaked to actually test for understanding

Homework quizzes need to be tweaked to actually test for understanding

Sarah Thomas
Piracy is a lifestyle.

How to read books without even paying

Sarah Thomas
cuckoo parents go vroom vroom.

Parents: Please follow the rules and don’t clog the parking lot

Sarah Thomas
most relatable image ever

Sparkling water is everything to me: It should be for you, too 

Sarah Thomas
Harrison Hwang and Mateusz Palusinski pose after eliminating their targets Maya Singla and Ananya Seth.

Class of ‘23 senior assassin ends in controversy

Sarah Thomas
Students, staff and administrators gather to listen to the panelists share their experiences and opinions.

Panel describes what it’s like to be Black in Saratoga

Sarah Thomas
The feud between Spotify and Apple is as old as streaming itself… but it's time for it to end.

Spotify and Apple are close competitors, but there’s a clear winner

Sarah Thomas
College Board continues to erase key black figures from history.

CollegeBoard’s recent actions prove it cares more about money than education

William Norwood and Sarah Thomas
You can’t change the minds of the school’s most prolific journalists (looks directly at P3)

Top 10: worst (real) takes heard in the Journalism room

Sarah Thomas
Class of ‘22 alumna Cici Xu stands in front of the Supreme Court steps in support of affirmative action. 

Alumni stand up for threatened affirmative action policies

William Norwood and Sarah Thomas
‘Cashless future’ carries negative implications

‘Cashless future’ carries negative implications

Sarah Thomas
Blom and Timmons pose at an ice rink in Palo Alto.

Lovestruck: The Falcon plays matchmaker

Sarah Thomas and Ariel Zhou
Female politicians face sexism as a part of their day-to-day lives.

America needs to speak out against violence directed towards female politicians

William Norwood and Sarah Thomas
Top 10 Christmas songs not by Mariah Carey

Top 10 Christmas songs not by Mariah Carey

Sarah Thomas
Seven minutes into a 30 minute lunch break, all three of the lunch lines still extend out of the cafeteria.

School should seek to turn difficulties with Universal Lunch Program into opportunities

Sarah Thomas and Beverly Xu
The upcoming midterm elections will be the first chance for some seniors to vote.

Seniors channel hope for change into political actions in upcoming midterm elections

Sarah Thomas and Sarah Zhou
In a game against Homestead on Oct. 18, the Falcon’s senior night, senior Georgia Adams pushes against an opposing player, racing to get to the ball. 

Field hockey team celebrates growth and perseverance as season ends

Lena Aribi and Sarah Thomas
Some of the topics the School Site Council hopes to address this year are installing solar panels and improving the school’s composting system.

School Site Council reconvenes and works to review student concerns

Sarah Zhou and Sarah Thomas
Students and parents learn Flash Mob dances at Garba.

Indian Cultural Awareness Club hosts first Garba at school

Kavya Patel and Sarah Thomas
History teacher Kirk Abe plays the drums at a gig.

Jazz, rock and bossa nova: Abe drums through genres

Sarah Thomas
Levine has a lot of guts to cheat for someone who has a baby angel tatted next to his right nipple.

Adam Levine cheating scandal reveals society’s (or at least his) descent into immorality

Sarah Zhou and Sarah Thomas
Assistant principal Matt Torrens’ ticket to Hollywood (one way!)

Top 10: actors to play assistant principal Matt Torrens

Sarah Thomas
A comic strip created by Richard Torrey, an author, cartoonist and illustrator, dedicated to English teacher and journalism adviser Michael Tyler. Tyler helped Torrey break his comic strip into newspaper syndication while he worked at Creators Syndicate.

Tyler found that other jobs laid the groundwork for teaching

Sanjoli Gupta and Sarah Thomas
The team played their hardest against Mitty on Sept. 13, but ultimately lost 7-0. 

Field hockey players push to fill the gap left by graduating players

Lena Aribi and Sarah Thomas
 Sarah Thomas was baptized in Kerala as a toddler.

Photo or Graphic for: On being South Indian and Christian: Students discuss microaggressions, misrepresentation in media

Sanjoli Gupta
Liz Alves teaches her Intermediate P.E. class during their swimming unit

Former athletic trainer Liz Alves returns to campus as P.E. teacher

Sarah Thomas and Divya Vadlakonda
‘Diverse’ period dramas must choose between fact and fiction

‘Diverse’ period dramas must choose between fact and fiction

Sarah Thomas
Students in Laws's English class work on exploring complex topics such as identity and rhetorical appeals in daily journals. 

All Quiet on the Eastern Front: Using the Russia-Ukraine conflict to understand history

Sarah Thomas and Sanjoli Gupta
1046

Drop Shah Rukh Khan for Rajnikanth: Give South Indian movies more hype

Kavya Patel and Sarah Thomas
Top 10 most embarrassing things that happen on vacation

Top 10 most embarrassing things that happen on vacation

Kavya Patel and Sarah Thomas
Bai Tong is love, Bai Tong is life

Bai Tong is love, Bai Tong is life

Sarah Thomas
New district official Jamal Splane takes on essential role in school culture

New district official Jamal Splane takes on essential role in school culture

Sarah Thomas and Ariel Zhou
Employees from Inspire Diagnostics wait for students at the school’s testing site

Students and staff grapple with COVID-19 infections

Sarah Thomas and Tara Natarajan
School discusses mental health and seeking support at the Speak Up for Change rally

School discusses mental health and seeking support at the Speak Up for Change rally

Serena Li, Lihi Shoshani, Sarah Thomas, and Cici Xu

Record-breaking snow storm derails students’ Tahoe plans

Kavya Patel and Sarah Thomas
Healthy relationships require communication and mutual respect, not external pressure

Healthy relationships require communication and mutual respect, not external pressure

Sarah Thomas and Ariel Zhou

Netflix’s new hit show ‘Squid Game’ tackles economic inequality

Sarah Thomas and Kavya Patel
Choose ethical consumption over following TikTok’s ever-changing fashion whims

Choose ethical consumption over following TikTok’s ever-changing fashion whims

Sarah Thomas
Shows for young adults misrepresent serious issues

Shows for young adults misrepresent serious issues

Sarah Thomas and Ariel Zhou
Students listen to speakers at Speak Up For Change in 2019

ASB considers unofficial version of outreach commission after cut

Sarah Thomas
Guitarist Julian Lage, drummer Dave King and bassist Jorge Roeder perform at The Fillmore on September 26th

In-person venues use various methods to protect attendees from COVID-19

Sarah Thomas
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

Please avoid these 10 overdone group costumes this Halloween

Sarah Thomas and Ariel Zhou
Multiethnic South Asian students recount their experiences with identity, culture and family

Multiethnic South Asian students recount their experiences with identity, culture and family

Tara Natarajan and Sarah Thomas
The Anarchists’ poster for Daveyland

MAP students dive headfirst into 19th century social and economical philosophy

Tara Natarajan and Sarah Thomas
Sophomore Minh Do bakes with his younger sister in the midst of quarantine.

Students learn to balance in-person school with newly discovered hobbies

Sarah Thomas
The Benefit Club posts their official retro theme reveal on Instagram

Benefit transitions back to an in-person show for 2022

Sarah Thomas and Kavya Patel
Clubs readjust to an in-person setting

Clubs readjust to an in-person setting

Sarah Thomas and Kavya Patel
Students asked to pitch in to combat campus waste

Students asked to pitch in to combat campus waste

Sarah Zhou and Sarah Thomas

Lucy Dacus’s autobiographical third album displays her versatility

Sarah Thomas
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