Life – Page 3 – The Lightning Rod

Restorative Practices: Increasing Empathy at SSHS

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February 14, 2024 by Carlie Friedman (‘24) An isolated school community is making changes after the Covid-19 pandemic which stranded students and hampered development. One of those changes is the implementation of restorative practices to create meaningful connections between students and prevent truancy, fights, and other issues that have plagued Saratoga Springs High School. “Restorative […]

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Sahiba Says: How to Make Them Fall for You

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February 14, 2024 by Sahiba Jassal (‘24) I’m sure many of us know about, and even relate to, the toxic and confusing modern relationship culture. Talking stages, casual dating, the dreaded situationships- how do we navigate this? What does it mean if they left me on “delivered” for 2 days? Are they playing hard to

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Local Organization Spreads Dr. King’s Mission

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February 14, 2024 by Eliza Krackeler (‘24) February, also known as Black History Month, finds MLK Saratoga in a state of constant motion. A group dedicated to the pursuit of a unified community, this organization constantly works to find new ways to spread its mission throughout Saratoga Springs through interactive and creative events. Holly Hammond,

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Up In Smoke: The Vaping Epidemic’s Toll on Health and School Environment

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January 18, 2024 by Sanaiya Noisette (‘26) A situation most students witness today is the destruction of our school’s bathrooms. They are transforming into a space for inappropriate behaviors, causing concern for students and teachers around the school. Vaping creates an unwanted toxic environment for students’ health and well-being. It becomes evident that beyond our

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Olivia Tuck’s Shutter in Action at Riff for Rights

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January 18, 2024 by Olivia Tuck (‘24) Pose, Focus, Click, Shutter, Check, Repeat. A rhythm in my head akin to those I heard from the stage, as the band infused Caffé Lena with smooth jazz and easy vibes as listeners ate a Hattie’s-catered dinner. I had the privilege of taking pictures of Riff for Rights

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Pet(s) of the week OFFICER EDITION

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January 18, 2024 by Cassie Child (‘24) Tex and Maggie Owner: The Rod’s Managing Editor, Darren Pasek! Age: Tex is 11, Maggie is 10 Fun facts: Tex doesn’t like the water, nor does he like being outside the house, but he does like to run around the backyard. Maggie likes to sing instead of bark! 

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Setting the Foundation of the Future: SSCSD’s Legacy Project

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January 18, 2024 by Alex Wersten (‘25) Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of residents in the Saratoga Springs City School District voted to approve the Legacy Project, a $129.7 million capital project aimed to create major improvements and renovations in all eight school buildings and the transportation facility, with a result of 1,530 votes

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Holiday Movie/Survival Guide

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January 18, 2024 by Mazie Neville (‘24) Miss the Holiday Season? We, at the Lightning Rod, do too. The holiday season, and day to day life at school, is a busy time for everyone, and it seems to be made busier by all the magical beings and ne’er-do-wells who appear every year. I don’t know

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Saratoga Sometimes: Snow Days

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January 18, 2024 by Bianca Babcock (‘24)

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The Rod Mini

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January 18, 2024 by Eliza Krackeler (‘24)

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My 9 Favorite Albums of 2023

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January 18, 2024 by Elias Prodger (‘26) 2023 was a weird year of music. It acted as some sort of a transition year. 2022 felt like the most solid and consistently well-done year we have seen in music all decade. But as we moved into 2024, mainstream music seemed to be confused. No rap albums

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Athlete Highlight: Anya Belisle

1 Comment / Featured, Life, Sports / The Lightning Rod

January 18, 2024 by Sam Pecota (‘24) Earlier this year, a select group of Saratoga senior athletes announced their commitments to various universities across the country. One of these impressive athletes is our very own Anya Belisle, who recently committed to the University of New Mexico. In an exclusive interview with Belisle, I learned about

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Pets of SSHS: Luna Schmalz

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November 15, 2023 by Cassie Child (‘24) Owner: The Rod’s very own Staff Writer, Francisca Schmalz Age: ?? Years (Luna would like to keep that to herself) Hobbies: Playing with her brother, Milo Pet Peeves: Too much rice and not enough chicken in her bowl at dinnertimeIf you would like your pet to be the

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Pets of SSHS: Bailee Babcock

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November 1, 2023 by Cassie Child (‘24) Owner: The Rod’s very own senior cartoonist, Bianca Babcock Age: 7 Years Hobbies: Biting, barking, and eating Pet Peeves: The vacuum If you would like your pet to be the pet of the week, send 3 pictures to cchild@sscsd.net with name, age, a short list of hobbies, and

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The Haunting of Saratoga

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November 1, 2023 by Olivia Clemmensen (‘26) Are you looking for a thrilling and spooky way to spend the days following Halloween? Saratoga is filled with ghost history and lore! Many say that Saratoga Springs is one of the spookiest places in America with its haunted buildings, hotels, and even restaurants. From the history and

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Artificial Intelligence: Is It Really All That Bad?

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October 11, 2023 by Darren Pasek (‘25) Last spring, Chat GPT took the country by storm as what felt like the greatest invention since the internet itself. That feeling may have been justified, although recently the hype surrounding the industry has died down. The use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) systems by internet users has not

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