Writing up a storm
Varsha Ravi, Managing Editor
November 15, 2018
An empty coffee cup balances on a sheaf of stained notes on the edge of your table as you squint at the messy word document that’s become your home for the past month. The word count crawls by, until finally, you hit the magic number: 50,000. A handful of Cal High students are living th...
Cal welcomes new principal
Shirin Afrakhteh, Opinions Editor
October 16, 2018
Despite being on campus for only a few weeks, new Cal High Principal Christopher George has already been described in countless ways – driven, charismatic, and humorous, to name a few. But the one trait no one can argue with is his dedication. As the former principal at Charlotte W...
Anti-vaping class implemented
Emmy Burrus, News Editor
October 16, 2018
The vaping craze is sweeping the nation, and Cal High is no exception. To combat this, the school district has implemented a program called Saturday Vape Alternative to Suspension Class. Suggested by Cal High assistant principal Catie Hawkins,the class helps educate students about the dan...
District limits out-of-state trips
Ananya Nag, News Editor
October 16, 2018
The San Ramon Valley Unified School District is re-examining the need for out-of-state trips this year, which should limit the number of students traveling beyond California’s borders. Although the district did not implement a new policy regarding out-of-state trips, all such trips will be scrutinized...
Librarian starts YouTube book talks
Brynn Kan, Staff Writer
October 16, 2018
Shhh, quiet please. Cal High librarian Nikki Ogden is filming a book talk for her new Youtube channel, CHS Book Talks. The channel, which started last month, includes book reviews of various genres of books that are available at the Cal High library. Ogden has created nine ...
Senior interns at UCSF over summer
Varsha Ravi and Gina Wu, Staff Writers
October 16, 2018
Senior Varun Thakur stares blankly at his computer. He’s dreading the long, grueling process of painstakingly typing out email after email to 150 professors, in search of the holy grail – a summer internship. But the struggle of writing 150 separate emails early second semester paid off. Thakur...
Mock trial team returns to state
Ingrid Lam and Joanne Kim
March 14, 2018
Cal High’s mock trial team will represent Contra Costa County in the California Mock Trial Finals this weekend after winning the county championship last month. The mock trial team won the county mock trial championship for the fourth time in the past eight years, defeating Alhambra High School...
Trump’s controversial first year in office
Michael Barry, Staff Writer
February 9, 2018
The Year 2017 could rightfully be called the Year of Donald Trump. Major news organizations on both sides of the political spectrum have seemed to aim a majority of their content on Trump and his cabinet. Major scandals have seem to dominate his administration day after day, with a new “scandal”...
National Anthem no longer at rallies
Kiley Borba, Staff Writer
February 9, 2018
Students who attended the winter rally last month might have noticed that something was missing: the National Anthem. Although many students might not have even noticed that the “Star Spangled Banner” was not sung at the winter rally on Jan. 19, some students did. And they were curious as to why it was removed. School leadership offic...
Local students arrested for firing flare guns
John Symank, News Editor
February 9, 2018
Four teenage boys were arrested right before the holiday break in December after allegedly shooting flare guns into several houses and vehicles, police said. A Cal High sophomore and three other area students were charged with two felony counts of arson, felony vandalism, and misdemeanor vandalism,...