Evaline Ju

Over the week of March 10, senior Kevin Garbe traveled with 39 other students from all over the nation to Washington, D.C., the final competition in the Intel Science Talent Search.

From the two rounds of the American Mathematics Competition (AMC) held on Feb. 5 and Feb. 20, 12 students who took the AMC 10 and nine who took the AMC 12 qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME).

The two Science Bowl teams competed at the annual Regional Department of Energy (DOE) Science Bowl at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) on Feb. 9.

Seniors Nikki Bedekar, Amanda Chow and Kevin Garbe were announced among the 300 semifinalists for the Intel Science Talent Search competition on Jan. 9. 

The Ethics Bowl team will compete in the California Regional High School Ethics Bowl Competition on Feb. 2.

Gut-wrenching sobs, tear-stained faces, endless moping. As seniors finish the last of their college applications, colleges have already begun sending acceptances and rejections.  

Nine students participated in the Santa Clara University High School Mathematics Contest on Nov. 10, the first out-of-school competition so far this year. The contest is a three-hour, non-calculator exam that tests problem solving skills, not directed toward any specific math course.

After finishing second in the De Anza League behind undefeated Monta Vista, the girls’ tennis team entered CCS as the fifth seed. They lost 12-6 to Menlo, the fourth seed, on Nov. 9 after winning 11-7 over Palo Alto on Nov. 7.

After a Sept. 25 loss to Monta Vista, coach Ashvin Soin announced two days later that he would step down as head coach of the girls’ tennis team for unstated personal reasons. Assistant coach Florin Marica decided on Oct. 3 to take the position with Jonathan Chui as the new assistant coach.  

Among more than 250 contestants from the U.S. and Canada, freshman Celine Liang took fourth place at the fourth annual Math Prize for Girls contest at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Sept. 22.  

Even after retiring from school after 36 years of devotion to the district, former assistant principal Karen Hyde wakes upeach day at 6 a.m. to check emails, research schools and edit essays. 

The girls’ tennis team took seventh place of 124 teams at the California High School Tennis Classic on Sept. 8 after two days and four matches under the blistering Fresno sun.

As every sports team nears the end of the regular season and prepares for CCS, it seeks to perfect its starting lineup and the strategies it has been practicing. Yet everything will change for the girls’ tennis team in preparation for the CCS playoffs beginning on Nov. 9, less than three weeks away.  

After the loss of key seniors from last year, including No. 1 singles player Crystal Yen and the No. 1 doubles team of Sarah Lum and Lisa Asai, the girls’ tennis team is attempting to rebuild with the help of new coach Ashvin Soin.

Each school year begins with the infamous freshman orientation, the introduction of the incoming freshmen to the daunting world of high school. At Saratoga it is spiced up with the leadership of Link Crew leaders, upperclassmen who put in hours of preparation to dress up, entertain and introduce groups of freshmen to the school.  

Students strutted the runway in apparel from sleepwear to prom dresses during the annual Benefit Fashion Show, which took place on March 17 in the Large Gym.

During the first week of February, new additions to this year’s mock trial team performed for the first time in front of a real judge in a real courtroom at the Santa Clara County tournament in downtown San Jose. On Feb. 7, the prosecution team faced Leigh and lost 235-215. “We have been practicing for months,” history teacher and team adviser Jeffrey Scott said about the loss, “but everything changes when you are at the downtown courthouse staring in front of a real judge with an audience.” Still, Scott was proud of team, especially the new members.

Drawn by the colorful performances and encouraging shouts of high school students, the incoming class of 2016 encountered the vast array of electives offered at the school during the Preview of Electives Night on Jan. 30. The event lasted from 6:45 to 8:30.

The mock trial team’s formal run-through pitted the team’s own prosecution against its defense on Jan. 31 in preparation for its county competition.

Around 35 students from the Interact club participated in team bonding games at Foothill Elementary after school on Nov. 22.

With the first semester drawing to a close, some students are already planning for their second semester activities such as the annual science fair. The 2012 Synopsis Championship hosted by the Santa Clara Valley Science and Engineering Fair Association takes place on March 7.

Computer languages. Bugs. Robots. Cells. Bunsen burners and chemicals.

With the holidays come Santa, hot chocolate and long lists of gifts for friends and family: perfume for the aunts, scarves for the cousins, photo albums for the grandparents. The presents begin to pile up, and so do the bills. Yet bringing joy to the holidays should inspire creativity, but not put pressure on the piggy bank.

The girls’ tennis team is set for a third showdown with rival Monta Vista this season in the final round of the CCS Championships on Nov. 16 at the Courtside Club in Los Gatos.

The girls’ tennis team suffered another 4-3 loss to rival Monta Vista on Oct. 25 on the team’s senior day, the last home game of the league season.

A panel of professionals invited by the Media Arts Program introduced students and parents to careers in media in the McAfee Center on Oct. 27.

Junior shares her love of chicken wings Junior Homecoming princess Michelle Chan began chatting on Facebook with Homecoming commissioner junior Priscilla Chu about how she was enjoying her chicken wings on Sept. 29. Chu then sent another message to the members of the Homecoming court and commission with information about attire, transportation and the school-provided dinner before the Homecoming game. Absentmindedly, Chan accidentally typed, “im eatin a chicken wing” and sent the message to the Homecoming commissioners and all 12 members of the Homecoming court.

Just keep running, just keep running, just keep running, running, running. Over the years, both students and teachers have developed interests in marathons and walks. They have enjoyed new experiences and have found satisfaction in becoming more active in the community.

As every sports team nears the end of the regular season and prepares for CCS, it seeks to perfect its starting lineup and the strategies it has been practicing. Yet everything will change for the girls’ tennis team in preparation for the CCS playoffs beginning on Nov. 9, less than three weeks away.

The girls’ tennis team had a very long week. Instead of the usual two matches on Tuesday and Thursday, they played four matches from Monday through Thursday, Oct. 10 to Oct. 13.

So close. The girls’ tennis team lost 3-4 to league rival Monta Vista on Sept. 29. After winning three matches in a row in the afternoon, the team suffered four losses. The No. 3 doubles team of senior Tiffany Tu and junior Evaline Ju finished first with a 6-3, 6-3 win. No. 2 singles sophomore Kalyani Narayan followed with a 6-4, 6-0 win, and No. 1 singles player senior Crystal Yen won 6-1, 6-3 over juniors Jody Law and Wendi Kong respectively.

The Saratoga Falcon has been nominated for the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) Pacemaker award in the category for newspapers of 17 or more pages. It was the second time the newspaper had received this nomination in the past 14 years. “It was a complete surprise and honor to find out [about the nomination],” said former editor-in-chief Shannon Galvin, who graduated from the school last spring. “For whatever reason, we've rarely been able to get that honor, so we weren't really expecting to.”

It’s hard to top a perfect season. Losing a match came as a shock to the girls’ tennis team following their 25-0 season last year, but they still succeeded in winning fifth place at the California Girls High School Tennis Classic in Fresno earlier this month.

Wrestling is no simple tangle of arms and legs.

On Aug. 24, “hot sauce mom” Jessica Beagley was convicted of child abuse and five days later was sentenced to three years of probation.

Not as good as last year, but good enough.

On a 90-degree Thursday afternoon I decide that instead of jumping in my backyard pool, I will drive my car up into the hills of Saratoga to Villa Montalvo. The area offers miles of hiking trails, three performance venues, exhibitions and gardens for vistors’ enjoyment. Driving up, I find the road lined with fancy houses and trees providing abundant shade.

This past spring, the school posted a notice for a full-time English teaching position. From the posting, more than 100 applications rolled.

A government by the people, for the people, of the people? With a recent budget proposal that would eliminate the current system of Medicare, many citizens are beginning to question that fundamental tenant of the American government.

Although the spring season has just begun, the boys’ tennis team has already proved that it will again be a strong competitor this year, despite a recent loss to Monta Vista.

In a twist on the reality series “Top Chef” on Bravo, the Cookie Monster and Elmo were treated to cookies on the Feb. 16 episode. Determined to seek out culinary talent in Saratoga, I devised my own challenge by asking three students to create baked goods of their choice.

The 8.9 earthquake in Japan sent shock waves not only through East Asia, but to the rest of the world as well. In a city like Saratoga, with strong Japanese ties, many relatives overseas have worried about finding and communicating with family members.

In honor of Pi Day, students crowded around a small table on the quad steps on March 14, eager to purchase pieces of pie for the Math Club’s annual fundraiser.

Remember those summer days spent lazing around, going to the beach or the mall every other day? Or when our parents signed us up for those one-week long horseback riding and overnight nature camps?

From working in an underwater salvage company to being the athletic director at Saratoga High, Peter Jordan has always been willing to take on a big challenge.

A+: The grade given after exceptional hard work produces successful results. Students strive for that grade in all subjects, from math to English, throughout their time in school. Yet if it is awarded in academics, why not for success in athletics as well?

The star basketball player was in a scoring slump and despite studying for hours each night, her grades had dipped. Her parents noticed the changes and told her to see a therapist. She thought it was a crazy idea, but after a few appointments, she felt like she had more control over her life again.

AP Biology book? 1,250 pages. AP US History book? 1,034 pages. Knowing all of that information for the AP tests in May? Probably pretty painful.

Before sophomore Andy Fang pulls out his math textbook each night to do his homework, he checks pjyim.com, his teacher PJ Yim’s website, to make sure he is completing the right section —and looks at the counter counting down the number of days until the semester final.

The fifth time was the charm for the girls’ tennis team. After four rain delays and four location changes, the team’s 12 members won the final round of the CIF NorCal Championships for the first time in school history 4-2 against Monta Vista on the afternoon of Dec. 11. They finished the season 25-0.

The still undefeated girls’ tennis team seems a good bet to beat anyone but the weather this year. Rain began to fall as players began their matches against Monta Vista on Dec. 2 afternoon in the finals of the CIF NorCal Championships in Walnut Creek, postponed from nearly two weeks before. Most of the girls only finished the first game of the first set before the referee called the players off the courts.

Recruitment: the goal of all high school athletes who aspire to compete at the college level. As fall draws to a close, students from all over the country begin to choose their desired colleges. Beginning Nov. 10, athletes could sign their National Letters of Intent to Division I and Division II schools, committing to participate on the school’s team next fall.

After months of practice and anticipation, the girls’ tennis team beat longtime rival Monta Vista 6-1 on Nov. 17 at Courtside to win a back-to-back CCS championship, with both wins over the Matadors. The victory put the team at 22-0. “The girls surpassed expectations by 100 percent this year,” said head coach Tom Uyehara. “Monta Vista has always been a tough matchup, as a lot of games could have gone either way.”

The girls' tennis team beat Archbishop Mitty 5-2 in the CCS semifinal round on Nov. 15 at Courtside Club, securing themselves a slot into the final round of CCS playoffs and boosting their record to 21-0. All three doubles teams won fairly easily in straight sets against the same teams they played in the Fresno Peachtree tournament at the beginning of the season in September. No. 4 singles player freshman Kalyani Narayan gave the team the necessary fourth match with a victory of 6-4, 6-2 over her opponent.

Everyone runs risks when looking up information on the Internet. Wikipedia may give inaccurate math equations or biographies of historical figures. On sites like Yelp or Yahoo, people may type business names or addresses incorrectly.

From birth until I was almost 6, I could have been easily mistaken for a boy. My clothes consisted mainly of neutral colors because my mom believed that I looked horrendous in girls’ clothing, especially with my chubbiness and baldness during my first few months. Even after my hair finally grew out, my mom insisted to have it cut a little shorter than shoulder-length, making me appear as a shaggy-haired kid.

Despite qualifying as a Junior Olympic hurdler in eighth grade, junior Crystal Yen abandoned the track lanes the summer after her freshman year when she realized she did not truly enjoy the sport. She chose instead to focus on tennis, which she had started only two summers before, after seventh grade.

The dark clouds appeared ominous on the afternoon of Oct. 5 when the girls’ tennis team set out to play their longtime rival Monta Vista High. Yet even the depressing skies and a few light sprinkles would not hinder the team from defeating their opponents 5-2. With half of the league season over as of Oct. 5, the outlook to a CCS championship repeat remains bright. “I cannot remember the last time Saratoga tennis has started a season 12-0,” said head coach Tom Uyehara.

For decades, politicians and activists have debated legalizing the use of marijuana. Consequently, the details of Proposition 19 on this year’s November election have sparked controversy. The final decision will affect communities all over the state, including Saratoga's. Although small, the city has had its share of dealings with marijuana, as seen in the crackdown of drug use and sales in school this past March.

With a quick stroke of the slider on his iPhone, a student can enter a world of free applications and unrestrained choices of phone carriers. Little does he know, however, that his iPhone could be recording his voice and his heartbeat or taking secret photos of him if Apple gets its ways in the next few months.

With one carefully executed forehand, junior Crystal Yen closed the final match that made the girls' tennis team first in the state.

A cheering gauntlet of upperclassmen dressed in costumes from ninjas to crayons welcomed the 360 members of the class of 2014 as they stepped through the doors of the gym lobby on Aug. 27.