Anna Shen

In the morning, Nada Macesic arranges and sorts English novels and science textbooks at the textbook room. In the afternoon, she generates countless papers and packets at the copy room. And in the evening, she constructs cake masterpieces with fondant and frosting at home. Look at your textbooks and your binders full of handouts, and chances are Macesic is the one who copied your papers or checked out your textbook for you.

After hours of training for his next national tennis tournament last May, senior Nikhil Jayashankar drove home on what seemed like a normal Saturday afternoon. As he logged onto his e-mail account, little did he know that a surprise awaited him. The tennis coach of the prestigious Northwestern University Men’s Tennis Team had contacted Jayashankar, expressing interest in recruiting him for college tennis.

On Dec. 7 at tutorial at the library, 14 students furiously scribbled away on their papers, nervously watching the clock tick down in front of them. However, they weren’t struggling the finish a last-minute homework assignment or study for a test. Instead, they were trying to figure out the answers to questions including, “What is the most common name for the polymorphonuclear leukocyte?”

Wearing baggy worn-out jeans and a black zipped up sweater, junior Frederick Lee takes an ostensibly ordinary-looking coin out of his jean pockets and places them on a girl's hands.

Walking into the music room, one observes the familiar sight of music students chatting behind pedestals, the familiar pitchy jumble produced by array of various instruments and an unfamiliar face. Seth Jones, Saratoga High's new band director, can now be seen teaching the symphonic band and jazz ensemble. “I’m very excited to be here and get to know everyone,” said Jones. “I want the students to achieve their best and work their hardest and at the end of the year give really great performances that people want to come and hear.”

Next year’s budget woes may be solved, but the Los Gatos Saratoga Union High School District (LGSUHSD) is now facing a $3 million deficit for the 2011-2012 school year. The budget deficit for 2010-11 has been solved by cutting courses and programs, implementing a salary freeze and a pay cut, withdrawing money from the reserve and instigating teacher layoffs. As a result of these changes, some class sizes such as English 9 will increase by one or two students.

Question: What is the school's most dominant team or program? Among the many possible answers: the girls' tennis team, which won CCS this year and took second in Northern California; the boys' swimming team, which set a national relay record last spring, or the marching band, which ranks near the top of the state in its division. These are all good guesses. But another, lesser known group has set the standard for excellence on campus: the chess team, winner of five straight state championships.

The Saratoga community expressed its concern over the district's budget crisis during the Feb. 25 town hall meeting at the SHS library. Several dozen parents, students and teachers all voiced their worries over the future quality of education at SHS and proposed possible solutions, such as community donations and a parcel tax.

As the Los Gatos Saratoga Union High School District (LGSUHSD) continues to find ways to alleviate the worst budget crisis in its history, many teachers are beginning to worry about an increase in class sizes or the possibility of getting pink slipped.

As the budget deficit for next school year nears a staggering $3.06 million, the Los-Gatos Saratoga Union High School District (LGSUHSD) has started taking steps to deal with the growing crisis.

In the late 1990s, the school could hardly be viewed as a great facility for learning. In fact, Saratoga High had hardly changed its appearance or facilities in its first 40 years.

Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. Saratoga High students helped save these individuals' lives by generously donating blood in the Stanford Blood Drive Jan. 29. The bi-annual blood drive was hosted by the SHS Community Commission and was scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Small Gym. Although many appointments were pushed back because the Stanford Blood Drive truck broke down along the way to the school, the drive had a good turnout of 69 donations, according to head commissioner Daryl Chang.

In its most recently distributed “Best High Schools of America” list in December, U.S. News and World Report ranked Saratoga High as the 93rd best school among a list that includes charter and magnet schools in the U.S. and 30th among open enrollment schools (meaning regular public schools that accept all students within their boundaries).

With each year of high school, students seem to find it harder to manage academics, sports, extra-curricular activities and a social life, leading many seniors to look back fondly on earlier—and easier—days when they were freshmen, sophomores and juniors.

After a Dec. 8 school board meeting, district officials have concluded that the earlier projection of a $1.6 million budget deficit for next year has increased to $2.75 million because of a re-adjusted estimate of local property values. "Where we are now is [figuring out] what are we going to do––that's what we're negotiating now," principal Jeff Anderson said. "We are working with the board to figure out where should we save money and where that money is going to come from."

Saratoga and Los Gatos High Schools will be facing at least a $1.6 million deficit during the 2010-2011 academic school year and are looking for ways to solve the problem during the next few months. Potential changes include larger class sizes, staff layoffs, pay cuts and furloughs, fewer instructional supplies, an on-line summer school option and a schedule alignment between the two schools.

The top 4 percent of seniors who have been academically consistent and successful throughout their sophomore and junior years of high school received a letter in the beginning of the school year that congratulated their automatic admittance into a few UCs, including UC Davis, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine, for certain majors. Despite the success, however, this has brought little comfort to these students.

Nine years ago, alumnus Daniel Morse graduated from Saratoga High School as an outstanding student, athlete and class contributor. During the year of the school’s 50th anniversary, Morse presented SHS with a gift during an unexpected visit to assistant principal Karen Hyde on Oct. 2—an American flag he attached to his Blackhawk helicopter and flew during an air assault mission in Baghdad, Iraq.

In an effort to prevent an H1N1 outbreak, school officials are taking strides on campus to keep students and teachers healthy.

In an effort to prevent an H1N1 outbreak, school officials are taking strides on campus to keep students and teachers healthy. The main change in the safety precautions this year has been the purchase of six brand new hand sanitizer machines, paid for by the Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO), which have been placed in different parts of the school—the most notable ones being located in front of the library and cafeteria. the organization is called the PTSO these days.

In an attempt to reverse the prison-like appearance of Saratoga High, school officials are continuing to make strides towards making the appearance of the school more inviting for the students, parents and community. Beautification of the school started in the summer of 2007 and has been ongoing over the past two years.

Some students may not realize a math club exists on campus. Fortunately for all the mathlovers out there, math teacher PJ Yim is attempting to change that.

“Take one minute to memorize this list of 60 random words and jot down everything you are able remember in thirty seconds.” This is just one of the 27 out-of-the-blue experiments members of Seema Patel’s AP Statistics classes are testing on fellow SHS students this spring. In place of assessing how much students have learned through cumulative final exams, Patel is taking a different approach by allowing her students to work on a final project in which students can apply specific concepts they learned. Although this project was first introduced by former AP Statistics teacher Mike Navrides, Patel continues to assign this project because she finds it a very competent and fulfilling way to wrap up everything learned throughout the school year in a "fun and enjoyable" way.

After several California Music Educators Association (CMEA) evaluations, the Saratoga band and orchestra continue to receive outstanding feedback and maintain a position as having one of the best music departments in the Bay Area. The most recent CMEA evaluation was hosted by Saratoga High School (SHS) in the McAfee Center from March 27-29. Several high schools and middle schools participated in the event, including Redwood Middle School.

As hopeful students apply for Link Crew over the next few weeks, returning Link Crew Leaders may realize that the application process has become much more selective than in previous years.

After several California Music Educators Association (CMEA) evaluations, the Saratoga band and orchestra continue to receive outstanding feedback and maintain a position as having one of the best music departments in the Bay Area.

For high school students who dread attending impending college classes, lectures and interacting with others, there is now a new university that will allow them a different experience. This institution claims it is tuition free, and is based solely online—all prospective students need is a computer and an Internet connection to join. The University of the People (UoP)—an online university which will be open for enrollment in April 2009—was planned by Israeli entrepreneur Shai Reshef and will be the first non-profit global university that gives students, including those in Third-World countries, the opportunity to obtain their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Unlike universities that have online courses but also require some physical attendance, such as The University of Phoenix, UoP will be completely online, with students doing everything from attending class to taking their midterms and finals on the computer.

Characterized by deafening firecrackers, hong baos (red envelopes) stuffed with money, delicious food and the color red everywhere, Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival, is the most important holiday in Chinese culture, symbolizing a fresh start and a new beginning to one’s life.

Sophomore Kaitlyn Baab maneuvers her sailboat through the turbulent waters of the San Francisco Bay as the wind whips her sun-bleached hair into her face. This is where the avid sailor spends 10 to 16 hours a week practicing for her regattas, or sailing competitions. Regattas bring Baab to every corner of the country, leaving her less time to focus on schoolwork. For Baab, Independent Study Physical Education (ISPE) is a convenient option, allowing her more time to pursue sailing.

Long-time custodian Juan Edmundo Morales Jauregui has recently been charged with alleged child molestation, pedophilia and possession of child pornography. As of early February, Jauregui was on the run, and his whereabouts are unknown.

America is notorious for many things, but perhaps best known for its leading status as the most obese nation in the world. With over 13,000 McDonalds franchises, the United States is a bastion of unhealthy eating.

The boys’ basketball team has to get used to one major change this year: longtime coach Mike Davey has switched to coaching the girls’ team this year. Taking Davey’s place is Trevor Naas, who coached the JV team last year.

Service clubs at Saratoga High, including Key Club, Interact, California Scholarship Federation (CSF) and Amnesty International (AI) are doing charity work for the holiday season.

The Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District (LGSUHSD) school board election took place on Nov. 4. The election involved three candidates, incumbents Lorrie Wernick and Rosemary Rossi, and Saratogan parent Robert Zager, who vied for two positions. The winners were Wernick and Rossi.

A unique student debate took place on Oct. 26—and no, it had nothing to do with the current presidential election. The debaters who participated did the usual—introduction, rebuttal and counterattacks, but in French.

After four days of waiting, 24 anxious students rushed to the door of English teacher Bill Peck’s room on Oct. 17 to learn if they had been selected as participants of the 2008 Mock Trial Team.

The ASB recently handpicked a committee of students to start revising the outdated school constitution, a document written when the school opened almost 50 years ago in order to maintain a set of requirements for those students who wanted to run for student council.

In the upcoming elections for the Los Gatos Saratoga Union High School District (LGSUHSD) School Board on Nov. 4, three candidates will be vying for two available positions. Saratogans can vote for school board elections at the same time they are voting for the presidential election. The job of the school board is to oversee educational policies in Los Gatos and Saratoga. Out of the three candidates, Lorrie Wernick and Rosemary Rossi are the two incumbents in the race.

Saratoga High currently offers 76 clubs, half of which may be cut this year if everything goes according to plan. Due to the numerous inactive clubs, the Associated Student Body (ASB) reached a conclusion to reduce the number of clubs after Club Day. The ASB’s goal is to consolidate and minimize clubs, especially those that have disintegrated or become inactive since their time of formation, according to ASB president Ketaki Shriram. The ASB refused to comment on specific clubs they plan to cut.

Saratoga High currently offers 76 clubs, half of which may be cut this year if everything goes according to plan. Due to the numerous inactive clubs, the Associated Student Body (ASB) reached a conclusion to reduce the number of clubs before Club Day on Sept. 16. The ASB’s goal is to consolidate and minimize clubs, especially those that have disintegrated or become inactive since their time of formation, according to ASB president Ketaki Shriram. The ASB refused to comment on specific clubs they plan to cut.