Kelly Xiao

Spanish teacher and activities director Rebecca Marshburn reflects on her job before moving to San Antonio 

Funding, however, is a crucial question every year, and this year, more so than others because of the small size of the senior class, which has only 328 students compared to the 361 students for the Class of 2015.  

The school’s Science Bowl A and B teams competed in the Regional Science Bowl competition on Feb. 6., during which team B placed fourth overall.

This year, seniors Alex Li, Dorrie Tang and Kristine Zhang were named among the 300 semifinalists from across the nation that Intel selected out of about 1,750 applicants. They were not among the 40 finalists chosen for the competition.

This year, seniors Alex Li, Dorrie Tang and Kristine Zhang were named among the 300 semifinalists from across the nation that Intel selected out of about 1,750 applicants.

Even though most people have played chess for fun, few people understand what is required to reach competition level, let alone the status of chess master.  

Unfortunately, the mentality to not use medicine doesn’t always work, especially for a malady such as hives.  

The Science Olympiad team is ready to begin preparing for the Science Olympiad Regionals on March 19. Science Club officers have already chosen the team, and the individual members of the team are working hard to prepare for their events.  

Reporters review "The Visit" and find it surprisingly good in several aspects.

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Leichner, now in his 80s, works as a volunteer assistant teacher for engineering and math teacher Audrey Warmuth in the Intro to Engineering class. Each day, he observes students and answers their questions. Outside of class, he helps Warmuth and engineering teacher Matt Welander develop class exercises and projects.

One way to curb the “student-dies-then cries-over-APs” issue is to offer time management lessons or tutorial sessions to increase students’ ability to handle rigorous course loads.

Carmine Drohan battled anorexia for much of early high school. She has mostly recovered, but still is very much invested in the issue.

“Game of Thrones,” including the 2011 HBO show version and the 1991 book series, has created a fan stronghold for itself through its multiple storyline plot that details the struggles of several characters over a throne.

Like any debate captain or Intel finalist who has perfected his or her specialty, school athletes also wield aces in the race for colleges. While some seniors continue to wait in anticipation for college acceptances, some are already certain of their futures.

Dr. Hugh Roberts, a retired lawyer who is now the Mock Trial coach, began teaching at the school in 1959, the very year it opened.

Students who have had AP Language and Composition and English 10 teacher Ken Nguyen know him to be humorous, witty and skilled at teaching.

Dedication can only do so much when the body betrays an athlete. Senior Nidhi Vellanki understands this concept particularly well, having been left with a string of concussions and a torn ACL from playing basketball and field hockey.

When assessing the Hobbit trilogy as a whole, it is hard to begin. As the movies progressed, the overall quality seemed less like Tolkien’s eloquence and more like the cheap spawn of typical action movies.

Substitute teacher Tom Head, the son of English teacher Cathy Head, shares his experiences.

The Falcon talked to Kellean Fransham and Monte Bippus, two middle-class Americans living in a homeless shelter.

Senior Mahir Jethanandani’s self-published book guides readers from their first investment to their retirement.

In all of our English classes thus far, we have endured graded Socratic seminars. 

Senior Joy Tang has been a choreographer for Quad Day dances since her sophomore year.

Reporter reminisces about watching the horror movie "The Conjuring."

Freshman Caitlyn Chen spends two to three hours at Studio 10 Dance in San Jose. However, this was not always the case.

Saratoga High's class of 1984 had a reunion on Sept. 20.

Nothing is more disrespectful than impertinent people who are constantly texting on their phones.

The school's National History Day participants describe their experience in Washington D.C.

Junior Celia Kohler looked down at the ground 30 feet below her. She knew it was risky — at just 7 years old, people told her she was too little. But being the daredevil she was, she breathed a sigh, closed her eyes and took a giant leap of faith.

How could she know what would happen?  She just wanted a small summer party while her parents were out. But instead of the low-key hangout she envisioned, her social gathering morphs into a 15-person party — complete with drugs and alcohol. 

So you’ve done it. You’ve hopped the plane to Africa and arrived there hoping to a) work with orphaned children, b) build schoolhouses and dig water wells or c) help out at an African reservation. Maybe you are there out of the goodness inside you, or maybe your parents have forced you to go, saying that colleges will be impressed.  

“Follow your heart over your head!” Speaker Jason Hewlett twists his features into various expressions ranging from comical to downright off-putting. In the audience, the students’ faces reflect different forms of shock and fascinated disgust. On the whole, it’s not the kind of heartwarming material one would expect from an inspirational speech. 

The Falcon wrestling team has some big stars but not many of them. 

After consulting Aeries, sophomore Amy Zhang slumps in her seat, disappointed. Once again, her score is far lower than expected. She mentally reviews a list in her head. The study guide? Check. The textbook? Check. The old homework problems? Check. So what went wrong? 

It’s a common scenario: After enrolling in multiple AP classes and thinking that he’ll “find a way,” an ambitious junior realizes that the workload is just too much. His eyes bear the battle scars that many other student veterans possess: the dark circles from fighting back sleep, the fear of losing the GPA war, the disheartenment from bombing tests. After a whole semester of frazzled nerves and sleepless nights, he only has a transcript chock full of D’s to show for it.

After the endless worrying and studying that the first semester of senior year entails, it is no surprise that many seniors are now reveling in their free time and shrugging off the heavy cloak of stress that once weighed upon their thoughts.  Senior Priyanka Krishnamurthi is one such example.  “Normally, when I used to get home, I would be like, ‘OK, I have so much homework, I have to get all my homework done,’” Krishnamurthi said. “Now, I  go on YouTube sometimes [to] browse [for] random videos. I [ also] spend a lot of time on Netflix catching up on TV shows [such as] ‘Psych’ and ‘White Collar,’ and watching movies [like] ‘Les Miserables.’”  For others, second semester motivates them to finish their homework faster so they can have more free time.

“Some groups in America do better than others.”  Does this sound like the kind of statement that would instigate rage, accusations of racism and hatred? Of course not. That hasn’t stopped the online community from drawing parallels between Amy Chua and her husband, Jed Rubenfield’s newest book, the source of the above quote, and Nazism.

Araad Sarrami was struck speechless — with victory, that is. It was League semifinals for the 170-pound weight class last season, and he, only a sophomore back then, had beaten a Palo Alto senior by the name of Erik Anderson.  This victory was a culmination of a long struggle. 

It is common for students to question their sexuality at some point or another. So who can they turn to with questions and concerns?

“How was the test?” your friend asks.  Before you can answer, though, she says, “I got a 96.” She grimaces. “I could’ve done better, though. You?” 

To be honest, my first impression of cross country when I joined the sport this year was quite negative. On the very first day, I unwisely chose  to practice with the varsity group, completely clueless as to my impending doom. The captains led us on a “Marshall Clark,” a 3-mile course that eventually looped back to the school.

The girls' golf team ended its 2013 season with wins against both Monta Vista and Wilcox on Oct. 14. The girls’ triumph concluded a 7-7 season. 

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America … one nation, under God … with liberty and justice for all.”

Current No. 3 player sophomore Ankitha Sarvesh adjusts her grip on her moving it a millimeter to the right. With the miniscule adjustment, her next swing is perfect. Like many girl golfers, Sarvesh was initially inspired to play golf because of her father’s enjoyment of the sport.