Last fall junior clarinetist Kyle Fukui auditioned for the Santa Clara County Band Directors Association (SCCBDA) County Honor Band, which is held once a year. He was one of 57 clarinetists undergoing this stressful challenge.

In December, Fukui found out that he was among the 24 clarinetists who had the chance to join the 90-person group for its performance on Jan. 17 in the McAfee Center. The site of the concert changes among schools each year, and it was Saratoga's turn host the event.

As junior Kyle Fukui crosses the finish line of the 2.95 mile Crystal Springs course Nov. 14, he looked to the scoreboard for his time. Fukui saw he had taken 26th place overall, clocking in at 16:50. The end of the race was the end of a long but rewarding season for Fukui and his teammates as the squad competed in the CCS finals.

"I was pleased with the result because I ran a faster time than I ever have before," said Fukui. "Overall, the team had a great race."

The injuries of two varsity runners, freshman David Zarrin and sophomore Lawrence Liang, may prevent the boys' cross country from succeeding in league and CCS meets. Liang is slowed by a back injury while Zarrin has to wear cumbersome knee braces while running.

"Unless [Liang and Zarrin] recover from their injuries, we're going to have a hard time placing in CCS," said top runner junior Kyle Fukui.

Saturday, August 22 marked the seventh annual Marshall Clark Fun Run. The race has been held every year since the late Marshall Clark passed away from a heart attack on September 30, 2002, while on a run with his team. Clark was the cross country coach at SHS for eleven years after a successful career at coaching at Stanford University.
   

Despite the loss of several key team members and the promotion of former assistant coach Dan Hodgins to head coach, the boys' cross country still has high expectations for a great season.

The team’s two strongest runners, alumni Alan Menezes and Kian Banks, graduated last year, a big loss for the team considering the talents the duo brought to the squad. The team will also having to deal with the loss of seniors Kyle Borch and Nick Olsen and sophomore Harry Curtis, who elected not to participate this year.

Despite being a freshman in high school, troop 581 Boy Scout David Zarrin completed his eagle project, one of the toughest tasks on the road to becoming an Eagle Scout, during the last week of July. 
           
“I did [my project] earlier than most people,” said Zarrin, “because I know I will only get busier as I get older with school and sports.”