Ariel Liu

Karen began her singing career at age 6, when her mother recognized her daughter’s aptitude for music, from Chinese nursery rhymes to the ABC’s.  

Reporters think back on the time they...

Seniors describe a memorable expierence during their elementary school years

About 40 of Spanish teacher Arnaldo Rodriguex’s advanced classes were invited to the DLIFLC, the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Language Day on May 8.

These past few weeks have been tough for the Falcons. Facing loss after loss, the team that once stood with a perfect record at the start of the preseason has crumbled as the weeks have progressed. Their current league record is 1-5.  

Recently, a spate of offensive comments and derogatory insults have been aimed at the members of the ASB on YikYak, a new app that allows people in the same area to post anonymously. Although intended for college students, YikYak has gained popularity lately among high school students, sometimes in ways that are leading to regrettable results.

The eight members of the ASB have been the target of hate messages like this on YikYak, an anonymous social media app that allows users to post and view “Yaks” within a 10-mile radius of their location. Although some posts relate to troubles the ASB has had with some commissions, others are unrelated except for a “#ThanksASB” at the end.

Last year, more than 500 students took almost 1,300 AP exams, which amounts to an average of one AP test for each student at the school. Of those students, 93 percent received qualifying scores, which means they will probably be guaranteed some sort of credit for their work if they attend a state system Given this reality, it may seem natural for AP teachers  to tailor their curriculum to having their students achieve for a perfect score of 5 on the tests. This test-focused mind-set, however, undermines the quality of education students can receive.

In his first year as the varsity softball coach, Chris Smith has proved to be both a tough disciplinarian and an encouraging mentor.

Assistant principal Kerry Mohnike won a trip to the Amazon while at the We Day event at the SAP Center on Feb. 25.

The badminton team prepares for the upcoming season.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), among other things, allows admitted college students to request a review of their application records.

Senior Sabrina Chen is the 2015 valedictorian and Max Chang is the salutarorian.

It was exactly 4 p.m. on Dec. 16, and this was the day senior Linus Lu’s future would be determined.

Members of Free the Children Club, Interact Club and ASB will be attending We Day this year on Feb. 25. 

Junior Alisha Thanawala glanced nervously up at the clock in her APUSH classroom on Nov. 17, her mind racing frantically. The Mexican student she was hosting, freshman Ana Sofia Villanueva Morales, had left the classroom 30 minutes earlier to go to the bathroom.

In her English 11 Honors classes, English teacher Suzanne Herzman is conducting the second annual mandatory Emersonian gift exchange, a form of Secret Santa in which students give gifts that reflect transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson’s beliefs.

Having visited a neighborhood in Liberia for the past four years, junior Luke Salin and his family have started a campaign against Ebola.

The Falcon follows senior Linus Lu through the college application season.

The marching band placed fifth overall and first in its division last weekend at the Bands of America regional competition in Long Beach. 

Math teachers are working more closely to align their testing policies.

Walking through the hallways of Saratoga High, nearly every student pauses to give senior Claire Strickland a second glance. 

Twenty-five Marine Biology and AP Biology students will study the wildlife at the Catalina Island Marine Institute during a three-day field trip from Jan. 16-18. This is the first year the school has offered the trip to the island 65 miles off the coast near Los Angeles, though Los Gatos High School has been offering it for many years.

The life of a Korean pop music star may seem rather glamorous on the outside — weekly hairstyle changes, personal stylists, makeup artists, recording studios, game shows, interviews, screaming fans and travel. At a closer look, however, the life of an idol is far from glamorous; instead, it is strictly controlled by the management company.

Reporter reviews Honeyberry, a dessert shop in Santa Clara.

The school has started its own campaign to donate school supplies and other necessities to the people of Weed, called “Weed Like to Help.”  

Reporter discusses her feelings toward her 2-year-old brother.

Freshman Kyle Abe, who trains as a Level 9 gymnast, performed at the Men’s Gymnastics Junior Olympic Nationals in Long Beach last year.

The SHS App Development Club has released the updated version of the SHS App that includes new features such as a countdown timer, a “Me” page and an updated bell schedule. The app was released on Aug. 10 for both the iOS and the Android versions.

Monta Vista has implemented a stricter dance policy, permitting only side-to-side swaying, hands on waist and dancing upright. Anything more than that would result in verbal warnings, removal of a wristband and eventually expulsion from the dance. 

Twelve juniors were recognized for their academic and leadership achievements on May 21 at a breakfast in the cafeteria organized by the guidance department and the school’s CSF (California Scholarship Federation) club.  

Sophomore Kunal Kathuria, then an 8-year-old going to school at Challenger School, sat quietly in the back of the car as his mother drove him home from school. He could tell something wasn’t quite right. After what seemed like forever, they finally arrived home. Because the blinds had broken earlier in the week, the room was dark and obscure, amplifying the already tense feeling Kathuria had. Breaking the silence, his mother said, “Kunal, we need to talk.”

About 150 students from Saratoga, Lynbrook and Monta Vista High Schools attended the Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (WiSTEM) exposition on April 5 at the YouTube headquarters in Mountain View. The event was planned by WiSTEM club presidents juniors Sonal Pai and Sabrina Chen in coordination with the officers of WiSTEM clubs at Lynbrook and Monta Vista.

Thanks to the No. 2 varsity girls’ doubles team, the Falcons edged 16-14 in its first league matchup on March 25. 

Offer a new AP course, and students will sign up. That is the clear conclusion after more than 140 current juniors have signed up for the new AP government class to be offered in the fall, according to principal Paul Robinson.  After taking into consideration the number of students who requested the class, the social studies department has decided to open five sections so that no students will be left out.

For many students, going to bed at 3 a.m. is no big deal. For sophomore Meera Rachamallu, who makes it her mission to go to sleep every night at 8 p.m., nothing — not death nor life, not even a strong cup of coffee — warrants staying up this late. Except, that is, Synopsys. 

“And the second place winner of Homecoming decorations is...” the announcer at the Homecoming football game began. The sea of sophomores clasped each other’s hands in anticipation of the announcement. They had been working on their decorations since summer, and this was the moment they had all been waiting for.

Backed by a Silicon Valley tech magnate, nine Los Angeles students are looking to challenge California’s tenure system. The students argue that their right to a good education system is infringed upon by job protections that make it too difficult to fire bad instructors, according to The New York Times.

“I hope to implement a training session during our practices to help train the less experienced players. The past years we mostly just rallied during practices but this year I want to actually have drills to be implemented during practices,” senior Bryan Chow said.

For current sophomore Meera Rachamallu, the co-president of the Environmental Club, starting a club her freshman year was a huge ordeal. She had to prove to the ASB that her club was a good idea and would be successful, find an adviser, convince people to come to the meetings, choose officers and more. 

Algebra 2 Trig Honors, English Honors, Physics Honors, and World History Honors. These are all classes that were on the freshman schedule of current Harker junior Ashwini Iyer.

“Tilt your head down a little, and look slightly to the left. Okay, now relax … relax a little more. Now, smile! You look great!” freshman Nimisha Devanagondi says with a grin as she snaps a photo of her friend, freshman Rachel Zhang.

A group of 19 Spanish students and two teachers, Spanish teacher Arnaldo Rodriguex and health teacher Amy Obenour, will leave for the annual trip to Cuernavaca, Mexico, on Feb. 12 and will return on Feb. 22. While in Mexico, the students will take Spanish classes at Universidad Internacional as well as tour the city of Cuernavaca.    

Senior Gloria Breck, then 5, nervously stepped on the brightly lit stage at her first piano recital. Minutes earlier, her dad had reminded her that smiling was of the utmost importance, so as she walked on the stage, she flashed a brilliant smile at the audience. She carefully took her seat right at the edge of the piano bench, placing her foot perfectly above the right pedal. 

After school, senior Jason Li often heads over to the weight room to work out, where he hang outs with athletes. On Fridays during lunch, he goes to math club, where he spends time with math teacher P.J. Yim and the mathletes. And on other nights, he hangs out in teacher Erick Rector’s room, practicing with his hardworking speech and debate teammates.

The mock trial team set out to San Rafael on Nov. 24 for its first scrimmage with its new coach, English teacher Michael Kim. With a team of 36 members and two teacher advisers, Kim and History teacher Jim Chin, as well as a new attorney coach, Ed Quevedo, the team competed against Kim’s previous school, San Rafael High School.

Biology and Earth Science teacher Lisa Cochrum was scheduled for an undisclosed major surgery on Friday, Nov. 22, and will not return to school until after holiday break. In order to miss the two weeks of actual teaching, she had to rearrange her curriculum and cram in a lot of material before she left.

It was a late summer night, and senior Leo Kim was driving down Canyon View Drive. The road was clear — until a huge shape leaped directly in front of his car.  When unusual noises followed the appearance of the shape, Kim realized he had hit a deer. 

With the holiday season coming up, the ASB is planning additional drives this year to spread the holiday cheer to the less fortunate. On Nov. 5, the ASB started a new drive for Operation Gratitude, which donates leftover Halloween candy to deployed troops overseas. 

It’s a typical Tuesday, and ASB Clubs Commissioner senior Grace Ma enters the office during the break before second period. She picks up a sheet of paper that lists the day’s announcements from principal’s secretary Susan Dini and immediately scans through it.

In an effort to increase student spirit at the remaining home football games, the athletics commission has created and will monitor the “Red Zone,” a section of the bleachers where students can sit together and cheer on their peers.

The clock read 5:55 p.m. as I sat on my couch, checking my phone every 5 seconds. The TV was already on, but the Windex and Toyota ads, which seemed to drag on and on, were unbearable to watch, blurring together the overly happy housewives cleaning bathrooms and the sleek red and blue cars speeding by.

Most of us have one, that one actor or singer, or maybe athlete, who makes our hearts pound whenever the celebrity’s name is mentioned. We know everything there is to know about that person, and perhaps even more than that. 

In first grade, current sophomore Gabby Fontanilla had her first asthma attack during recess at Argonaut Elementary School. She had been running around with her friends playing a game of wall-ball.

My eardrums, already protected by the makeshift ear plugs I had fashioned out of tissue paper, were throbbing. The music, emanating from every corner, made me half-deaf. The screaming of Chinese girls “singing” along to Korean music didn’t help either.

“Just Be Kind” was the anthem of the school a month ago, in a stirring push by the ASB to improve school atmosphere and combat student stress. Those hardworking student government members spent hundreds of hours trying to help their school—yet the most cost-effective solution to the school’s dog-eat-dog competitive environment might be a lot simpler.