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
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
Courtesy of Montalvo Arts Center Often rented for weddings, the beautiful grounds of the Montalvo Arts Center is a popular place for hosting social events.
A nearby gem: the Montalvo Arts Center
April 3, 2025
Combining multiple skill-sets fosters collaboration and growth in ceramics class
April 2, 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
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
Cutting the tree of the Department of Education in half.
DOGE’s cuts for educational programs cause instability and loss of research confidence
March 19, 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 49, Issue 1
Volume 49, Issue 1
April 15, 2025
Volume 49, Issue 2
Volume 49, Issue 2
April 15, 2025
Volume 49, Issue 3
Volume 49, Issue 3
April 15, 2025
Volume 48, Issue 9
April 15, 2025
Volume 48, Issue 10
Volume 48, Issue 10
April 15, 2025

The Saratoga Falcon

The Saratoga Falcon
All content by Shannon Ma

Senior Mag 2023: Cars crash, but friendships last

Shannon Ma and Minsui Tang
The Symphonic Wind Ensemble (SWE) and Freshman Band/Symphonic Band (FBSB) rehearse for numerous concerts and performances in the second semester. 

Band transitions from marching to concert season, looks forwards to performances in second semester

Saachi Jain and Shannon Ma
2 teachers awarded the University of Chicago’s ‘Outstanding Educator Award’

2 teachers awarded the University of Chicago’s ‘Outstanding Educator Award’

Saachi Jain and Shannon Ma
Marching band won 4th place at the Sacramento regional championships on Nov. 5.

Blossoming with ‘Blossom’: Marching band caps off a season of growth

Shannon Ma
Musk’s infamous “poop” emoji tweet to the Twitter team. 

Musk isn’t perfect, but he’s the best bet to steer the future of Twitter

Shannon Ma
Junior Tejas Tirthapura practices his viola at home.

Want to be smart? Play an instrument

Shannon Ma
Top 10: annoying orchestra sections

Top 10: annoying orchestra sections

Shannon Ma and Carolyn Wang
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
APUSH students compete at the 2022 National History Day State Finals in Sacramento

APUSH students compete at the 2022 National History Day State Finals in Sacramento

Shannon Ma and Jonathan Si
SSO performers at the year-end concert on May 19th, after performing tour piece “Slavonic Dance” by Antonín Dvořák

Orchestra and band students headed to Europe this summer

Shannon Ma
Astrology is wonderful, but horoscope sites are infuriatingly useless

Predictions for a stressful week

Shannon Ma
The Saratoga Symphony Orchestra stands with Mr. Boitz at the end of their performance.  

Music department hosts exclusive electives night performances

Shannon Ma
Junior Jenny Campbell practices at the Ice Center in Oakland.

Jenny Campbell: Thriving on Thin Ice as a Jr. Sharks ice hockey player

Shannon Ma
Nathan Chen strikes his ending pose at the end of his successful free-skate performance to “Rocketman.”

The new Chen-eration of figure skating has begun

Shannon Ma
My natural hair versus my straight-permed hair

Perms lead to regrets.

Shannon Ma
Four mainstream horror movies that left a lasting impression on me.

Ranking horror movies I tried to watch before bolting from the room

Shannon Ma
Me performing my solo “The Seed” at the Kids’ Artistic Revue (KAR) National Title Competition in Las Vegas over the summer 

Dance should receive more recognition as a sport

Shannon Ma
The music building looks stunning from inside to outside and offers vast, useful space

Music building remains elite campus hotspot

Shannon Ma
Junior Atley Yuen plays the xylophone at the Napa Valley Band Reserve

Marching band finishes season on high note

Shannon Ma and Brian Sheen
Mathway was a commonly used website that many students used to cheat during remote learning.

From cheating online to struggling in person

Shannon Ma and Stephanie Sun

Marching band retakes the field

Shannon Ma and Brian Sheen
Ranking popular water bottles from first to worst

Ranking popular water bottles from first to worst

Christina Chang and Shannon Ma
All Junior Quad Day participants mosh together in the haze of blue powder to cap off their performance

Junior class spirit shines, brings ‘Scooby Doo’ to life

Shannon Ma
Music department back on track after rough pandemic year

Music department back on track after rough pandemic year

Shannon Ma and Nikhil Mathihalli
Cafeteria adopts safety procedures to keep students and staff safe

Cafeteria adopts safety procedures to keep students and staff safe

Jonny Luo, Shannon Ma, and Minsui Tang
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