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Saratoga High School

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Official name: Saratoga High School
Established: 1959
Principal: Jeff Anderson
Location: Saratoga, California
Website: SaratogaHigh.org
Enrollment: 1467 (2005-6)
Mascot: Falcons
School colors: Scarlet (primary), Navy Blue, Grey

Saratoga High School is a high school in Saratoga, California, United States, part of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District. The school is jointly accredited by the California Department of Education and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Student enrollment averages around 1450. The famous Arturo Falico attended school there.

A proposed Performing Arts and Lecture Center, a community facility, was recently completed on the campus. It was originally planned for the early 1960's but construction was postponed and the funds used for sesmic upgrades to the Los Gatos campus. Public and private funds were raised 40 years later and it was scheduled to open in early-2004, but budget and construction delays pushed the completion date back to August, 2005.

Saratoga High (and occasionally Saratoga itself) is sometimes referred to as "The Bubble" by students, due to the perception that the school is isolated from the problems of the outside world (crime, poverty, etc.). To reflect this, the student-run website SaratogaHigh.com (currently under constuction) uses the image of a soap bubble as its logo.

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[edit] Academics and activities

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Image:Saratoga High School Football Feild.jpg

Saratoga High is locally known for its rigorous academic program. 98% of graduates go on to college or technical school. 18% of the class of 2003 were semifinalists or commended students in the National Merit Scholarship Program. In 2003, the school's California State Academic Performance Index (API) score was 911, the leading score among all comprehensive public schools in the State of California. The school's 2005 API score was 914 [1]. Its long time athletic rival is Los Gatos High School and its academic rivals are Mission San Jose High School, Gunn High School and Monta Vista High School. Many of Saratoga's alumni have gone on in droves to UC schools, Ivy League schools and other top schools. Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Harvard University and MIT are common colleges to apply to.

The school's official newspaper The Saratoga Falcon is published approximately biweekly by two staffs lead by journalism adviser Michael Tyler.

Clubs and organizations on campus are often used as college application builders rather than strictly humanitarian or interest groups. As a result, many, though not all, clubs lack unity and organization. Meetings for many of the smaller clubs are often disorganized, and club officers do not have a strong presence in the club.

The Saratoga High School marching band currently has 190+ memebers who recently competed in the WBA Championships this year and advanced into finals competition where they placed 9th in State.

The golf team has won six league titles in the last seven years, and is currently on a five-year winning streak. The 9th grade chess team received 1st place at the 2005 Grade Level USCF Nationals, while the combined high school chess team placed 3rd in the 2006 USCF High School Nationals, having been beaten by a team from Arizona and New York. The tennis team won the league title in 2006. The badminton team held the league title for three consecutive years, from 2002 to 2005. Because of neighbor complaints, football lights have been slow to come to Saratoga High's football field until recently. In the past, the team has had to play at Los Gatos High School.

[edit] Scandals

On May 9, 1997, a junior revealed to her peers the essay questions of an Advanced Placement examination before it was given that day. The student received the information from a contact in Singapore, who had taken the test at an earlier time. When news of the leak later reached the Educational Testing Service, they gave students the options of (a) retaking the test, (b) cancelling their submission for a refund, or (c) receiving a score with only the multiple choice graded.<ref> "SHS students can retake 'contaminated' AP quiz". Saratoga News, June 4, 1997. </ref>

In the summer of 2002, an assistant principal was arrested on charges of "soliciting sexual favors" from a junior boy who attended the school. He pled no contest and did not return to the school the following year. <ref>"Ex-Saratoga High School assistant principal faces sex charges". Saratoga News, July 24, 2002.</ref>

In early 2004, a comprehensive cheating scandal was discovered. The matter received national news coverage due to the extensive and technically advanced cheating methods employed, such as using a keylogger to steal teachers' passwords and change grades. While only six students were involved in the scandal, the school has since been subjected to negative press concerning its competitive atmosphere.

Later in 2004 was a bomb threat involving a sophomore. The student had stolen materials from the school's science building and had planned to build an explosive to "blow up the school", but was caught and expelled.

[edit] Notable alumni

  • Steven Spielberg - Spielberg has said that the school was the "worst experience" of his life and "hell on Earth", and he claimed to have experienced anti-Semitism during his year there (1964-1965).<ref>"Uneven Steven". Metro, May 29 - June 4, 1997.</ref> However, despite this he did graduate and receive his diploma from Saratoga High School.
  • Paul Magid - Co-founder of the juggling and theatre troupe "The Flying Karamozov Brothers" graduated in 1972.
  • Zach Gill, Dan Lebowitz and Steve Adams, members of the Animal Liberation Orchestra band are all alumni from the class of 1993.
  • Vienna Teng - popular singer-songwriter, graduated in 1996.
  • Lance Guest - Actor best known for his role as Alex Rogan in 1984's "The Last Starfighter".
  • Ed Solomon - Actor, Director, Writer and Producer. Wrote "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" & "Charlie's Angels" among others.
  • Mike Gurley - Singer-Songwriter and Guitar player for dada, graduated in 1978.
  • Patricia Miranda - Bronze medalist in wrestling in the summer 2004 olympics

[edit] Principals (incomplete list)

  • Vernon Trible (1959- )
  • Kevin Skelly (1997-2004)
  • Bill Richter (interim) (2004-2005)
  • Harry Bettencourt (interim) (2005)
  • Jeff Anderson (2005-)

[edit] Assistant Principals (incomplete list)

  • Gerald Zapelli (1959- )
  • Karen Hyde (1990-)
  • John Martin Nichols (2000-2002)
  • Dan Fowler (2002-2003)
  • Brian Safine (2003-2005)
  • Gail Wasserman (2004-)
  • Markus Autrey (2005-)

[edit] Notes

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[edit] External links

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