Trevor Leung

Senior's past experiences going through weight-loss. 

When the 15 players on the varsity boys' basketball team began practicing in November, they knew they had a chance to be good this year. But they could not have predicted how far they would go — almost winning Division III CCS and reaching the NorCal tournament for the first time in school history.

Famous artist, Ed Sheeran, releases third album. 

Ever since middle school, when the iPhone and iPad became commonplace, I’ve dreamt of having my name at the top of the leaderboard in an online game. Game after game, I never came close to that coveted spot. So when Facebook messenger released a new update in November, allowing users to play various games directly in chats, I found the perfect opportunity to achieve this goal.  

Senior discuss Boys' basketball team and how they are doing so far in the season. 

Entering their CCS playoff game for the second time in the last three years, the Falcons were coming off one of their best regular seasons in recent memory. They finished with a 5-6 record, earning a bid to the CCS playoffs on a 51-20 win against Santa Clara in their second to last game of the season.

While Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton battled it out on the national  stage this fall, seniors Kailas Shekar, Daniel Jiang and Naman Sajwan campaigned against each other in AP Government/Economics teacher Kirk Abe’s sixth-period class.  

Junior Sarah Lo shot 87 at CCS on Nov. 1 after 18 holes at the Rancho Canada Golf Course (par 72), placing 54th out of 99 golfers and making her the lone representative for the Falcons after qualifying for CCS.  

Football team looking for win

After losing their first five matches of the season, the girls have begun to see improvement as they head into leagues.

After becoming an overnight sensation at just 15 on Vine in 2013 by posting 10-second clips of his amazing vocals, Shawn Mendes is now selling out concerts at Madison Square Garden in under 5 minutes.  

A summary of how the football team has been doing the past season, and how they hope to improve. 

New entries to football team sparks sense of hope for upcoming season. 

Recap on Girl's Golf 

The team placed fifth out of six teams in the league tournament and did not qualify for CCS.  

Led by unstoppable outside hitter Joel Schneidmiller, the Falcons boys’ volleyball team started winning early this season and never stopped.  

As the Class of 2016’s memorable four years at Saratoga High come to a close, they will be given an opportunity to “Seas the Night” and make new memories. Senior prom will take place at Monterey Bay Aquarium on May 28, featuring a buffet-style dinner, dancing and marine animal exhibits.  

Golfers finished their regular season strong with an emphatic 202-216 win against Wilcox on April 21 at Santa Clara Golf and Tennis Club (par 36), concluding a 9-3 run and finishing second in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League behind Los Gatos. No. 1 player senior Lucas Peng medaled in the match with a 37, the best score of both teams in the match.

The Saratoga Falcon was one of 13 high school newspapers in the country to win the “High School Newspaper Gold Crown Award” from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) for the 2014-2015 school year. The award was presented at Columbia University on March 18.  

Kanye West came back from a nearly three-year absence by releasing his widely awaited album, “The Life of Pablo (TLOP),” on Feb. 14, and it is sure to wow those who can get their hands on it.  

After a 176-182 win against Monta Vista on March 16 at Deep Cliff Golf Course (par 30); and two wins against Wilcox (227-247) and Santa Clara (224-304) in a three-way match on March 28 at Saratoga Country Club (par 34), the Falcons sit with a 8-1 record and look to prepare for their final four games of the regular season, including two matches against Los Gatos.  

Everyone loves a good Cinderella story. Fortunately, this year’s NCAA March Madness tournament has provided more than enough of those.  

So far the boys’ golf team, led by No. 1 player Miles Peng, has handled sometimes rainy conditions and managed to achieve a 5-1 record as of March 11.

Boy's Golf: 2015 recap and looking to the future 

The former Golden State Warriors coach, Mark Jackson, has made a claim a few weeks ago that many people are starting to agree with: “to a degree, [Stephen Curry has] hurt the game.”

Junior Lea Moustakas took home first place at the annual singing competition, which was attended by roughly 100 people.

Falcons express desire for lights on outdoor basketball courts.

The petition by a parent says students lack opportunities to take physics as underclassmen and are consequently limited in the amount of exposure they can have with the subject by the end of high school.  

Despite losses, the golf team is doing well and has high hopes.

For Class of 2013 graduate Todd Nguyen, who attends the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, biking has become a refuge from the pressure and stress of college.

As a result of leftover money from past class funds, ASB events and donations, ASB now has a total of about $276,000 in its bank account.

The team won two matches against Wilcox High School on Sept. 8 at Saratoga Country Club, and Sept. 9 at Santa Clara Golf and Tennis Club 224-226 and 241-361 with leading freshman Janelle Jin.

Principal Paul Robinson knows well that there are many paths to a destination. He took an uncommon one before finding his passion for education. Robinson spent four years playing basketball for Point Loma College in San Diego, now known as Point Loma Nazarene University, as well as playing basketball for a group called Athletes on Mission on tours overseas.

As almost all teens already know, College Board will be switching to a newly designed SAT next March. The revised SAT will hold many benefits for students who take it in future years, but most current juniors are avoiding it precisely because it is new and unknown.

After three weeks of upsets, controversial calls and nail-biting games, the Duke Blue Devils came out as the winner of the NCAA March Madness Tournament on April 6.  

With a gleam in his eye, history teacher Kirk Abe fanatically waves his drum sticks as a pointer for his lecture about Industrialism’s impact on European countries.

After winning the CCS wrestling tournament for the 182-weight class on Feb. 27-28 at Independence High, senior Christian Murabito finished just outside the top eight at the California High School State Finals on March 7-8.

After a hard-fought 56-45 home loss to Valley Christian on Feb. 26, members of the boys’ basketball team pointed to their 10-2 record in the El Camino League and knew they had accomplished much.

Since early January, the school’s Investment Club has been participating in a prestigious high school investment competition hosted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

The Saratoga Library Teen Advisory Board (TAB) will hold its second annual College Day in the community room of the Saratoga Library on March 21 at 10 a.m.

Team beats Harker but loses to Milpitas and Los Altos.

After beginning its El Camino League season with a loss to Cupertino (45-53) on Jan. 9, the boys’ basketball team has bounced back to win four tough games against Santa Clara (49-44), Mountain View (53-34), Lynbrook (61-50), and Gunn (76-65).

A  lack of language options at the middle school level and competition from other electives have resulted in increasingly small French classes.

The College Board needs to tighten up its policies to prevent students from cheating the system.

Five speakers presented at the TEDx event in the Thermond Drama Center  on Dec. 7.

Ex-college athlete Ed O’Bannon filed a lawsuit against the NCAA and the Collegiate Licensing for using student athletes in advertisements to promote themselves in 2009.

Freshman Roland Shen remembers when he got the inspiration for his T-shirt company. 

Standing at 7’5”, Indian-Canadian center Sim Bhullar, 21, towers over his opponents during basketball games — a rarity, not only for someone of Indian descent — but also within the NBA. Bhullar, born in North York, Ontario, is the first player in the NBA with Indian heritage.

With the boys’ basketball season quickly approaching,  players have already started rigorous training to prepare for the season.

Although a fast-paced and high-impact sport, ice hockey is rather low profile in communities like Saratoga. 

After much campaigning, current board member Patty Buchanan, retired Redwood Middle School teacher Susan Germeraad and parent and consultant Cynthia Miller were elected to the Saratoga Union School District (SUSD) board of trustees on Nov. 4. The other candidates were community volunteer Laura Tillett and software engineer Yongjian Wu.

Hipsters and non-hipsters alike indulged in a night of caffeine and music during a Coffeehouse performance that featured teenage singers on Oct. 3 at the Saratoga Library.

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

As the different speakers at the screening held by Liberty in North Korea on Sept. 30 in the cafeteria described such cruelties imposed by the regime of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, students listened intently and wondered how they could help.

With the NBA season starting on Oct. 28, many basketball fans are scrambling to find the best players to draft, the best strategies to use and the best ways to succeed in their fantasy basketball leagues.

Few visitors would describe Saratoga High School, with its prison-like design and gray lockers, as the most eye-catching campus in the world. But when senior Claire Strickland first stepped on campus as a freshman shadowing current senior Rachel Hull, she connected to the atmosphere, classes and people so well that she decided to transfer from her own high school.

Junior Supriya Singh describes the differences between Saratoga and Lynbrook High School, which she attended during her freshman and sophomore years.

Students attended the five-day PGC basketball camp at the University of Santa Barbara this summer.

Megan Hunt, lead teacher of the ASSIST (Accommodating Saratoga Students with Intervention, Support and Therapy) program, and supervisor Jennifer Blomquist, the supervisor of The Learning Center (TLC) joined the school as new staff this year.

Last year, the Saratoga Math Team, led by adviser P.J. Yim, finished off its successful season with a tie for first place in the California Math League (CAML).

The Saratoga Library will begin its celebration for its 100th anniversary by attempting to break a world record on Sept. 6.