Alex "Loggy" Lagemann is not your typical Saratoga High graduate. The class of '07 grad may be a tremendous football player, playing for Cal as a wide receiver. But more unusual, Laggeman is an accomplished rapper—a feat that is unheard of for most former Falcons. Rhymes about calculators and B+'s in AP science classes are nowhere to be found on Loggy's impressive new mixtape "Up All Night." Rather, Loggy belts out snappy verses about late night parties and the effects of consuming inordinate amounts of alcohol.

It's almost that time of year again: summer vacation. But for the class of 2010, the month of June brings with it more than just waning days of a concluding school year.

Parting words

Graduation is around the corner and the ceremony is all in order. According to assistant principal Karen Hyde, the ceremony will be very similar to ones held in previous years.

"Nothing new under the sun," said Hyde. "But let's hope it's sunny. It's going to be nice; it's not going to rain."

When science teacher Lisa Cochrum received a call from principal Jeff Anderson at her home one night recently, she was alarmed. "Usually I only receive calls from Mr. Anderson at my home when something bad happens," Cochrum said. "I pulled up a chair and prepared myself for the worst news."

The news she got was anything but bad: She had been named Teacher of the Year for 2010-2011 in the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School district.

"When he said I was named Teacher of the Year, I was totally surprised," she said.

With the promise of a victory over arch-rival and undefeated Menlo hovering just a racquet's length away, the boys' tennis team fell just short amidst a perfect storm of injuries in the finals of CCS, held at the Los Gatos Courtside Club on May 14.

Disaster struck the Falcons as they were leading the Knights 3-2 in the best of seven contest. As the remaining two matches both went into third sets, players John Lamble and Andrew Hsieh both began cramping badly.

On a recent Monday afternoon, sophomore Benji Laus slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed to CAD (Computer Assisted Drafting), which is one of his favorite classes. Unfortunately for Laus, he won't be attending CAD next year, as it is one of the handful of classes that will not be offered next year.

The cutting of electives such as poetry and CAD results from the classes not receiving enough sign-ups.

Assistant principal Brian Safine said the cutting of these classes was not a direct result of the district's budget difficulties.

Late into the sixth and final round of the 35th Annual CalChess State Scholastic Championships, the Falcon chess team knew that their bid for a sixth straight state championship would almost certainly end in defeat.

It's only the second year since the girls lacrosse team first started at Saratoga. The relatively new team has had new coaches and a string of losses this season, but they are gaining experience and skill as the season progresses.

"They've improved immensely," said head coach Leni Rodgers. "The whole JV team, none of them knew how to play before the season started, so now they know how to throw and catch and play on the field. On varsity, now we are incorporating plays and we have a stronger defense."

During an away game at Gunn on March 26, the team lost 11-6.

This time last year, the fate of Saratoga robotics remained uncertain. The Saratoga Robotics Team (SRT) was a casualty of the school's consolidation of clubs.

Determined to continue the school's robotics tradition, Cordell Hollingsworth, now a junior, assembled a team of 20 SRT veterans and enthusiastic rookies to create the Mechanical Science and Engineering Team (M-SET), which encompasses all the robotics that SRT did while adding other engineering disciplines such as rocketry.

The crowd exploded into applause on March 9 in the McAfee Center as junior Brandon Pierce was crowned the winner of Saratoga Idol in front of an audience of over 150 students, friends, and family.

Pierce stole the show as he sang "Apologize," originally sung by Timbaland, while playing the piano. Pierce's sweet melodic tone won the crowd's heart. Pierce is part of a screamo band "Revive the Lifeless," a type of music which is typically defined by screaming vocals, with a few of his friends. He also posts videos of himself singing on YouTube to get constructive feedback.

As of now, the boys' tennis team—maybe the best team in the history of the school—is the No. 1 ranked team in the state, having won the Wawona Peachtree Classic in dominating fashion earlier this month.