News

Israel’s Reaction to Hamas attack: Justified or Genocide? 

November 1, 2023 by Othmane Kerroum (‘25) In the aftermath of Hamas’ offensive on October 7, the world has appeared to exist within the State of Israel. With more than 1,400 people killed and roughly 200 with whereabouts unknown, this day can only be described as a tragic loss of life, marking the single deadliest

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Artificial Intelligence: Is It Really All That Bad? 

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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Successful Start to the School Year for the Board of Education

October 11, 2023 by Eleanor McNamara (‘24) Saratoga Spring’s Board of Education has had a successful start to the school year! The first meeting of the Board of Education occurred on September 14th at Dorothy Nolan Elementary School. The District Safety Committee presented a handful of ongoing initiatives in the school district and shared what

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Course Changes, the Loss of AP Computer Science, and Our School’s Problem with Finding Teachers

June 12, 2023  by Aditi Singh (‘24) Saratoga Springs High School (SSHS) has recently made many additions, and some removals, to the courses offered to students. Amongst these additions are many University in High School (UHS) courses, which act as a great alternative for students who do not want to take Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

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Local News: A Brief History of Saratoga BLM

May 24, 2023  by Elijah N’dolo (‘24) On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Benjamin Martin, an African American teenager, was fatally shot in an Orlando suburb by George Zimmerman, a Hispanic American civilian. Despite public outrage, 17 months later, Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges. But following the immense media attention the incident garnered, a social

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Meet the Candidates: The Lightning Rod’s Guide to BOE Elections

May 10, 2023  by Darren Pasek (‘25) The Saratoga Springs City School District (SSCSD) school board is made up of seven seats, with three openings for this year’s election cycle. There are five candidates, two of whom are already on the board: Tony Krackeler and Anjeanette Emeka. The Lightning Rod sent a survey to each

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Schuylerville High School Graduate, Kaylin Gillis, Shot and Killed After Driving up the Wrong Driveway

May 10, 2023  by Maggie Trautner (‘25) On the night of April 15, twenty-year-old Kaylin Gillis was shot and killed after driving up the wrong driveway. Her car contained three other people, one of whom was Gillis’ boyfriend, Blake Walsh (19), and was accompanied by a second car and a motorcycle. Around 10 p.m., Gillis

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How School Safety Handles a “Swatting” Call: An Inside Look With Officer Barrett

May 10, 2023  by Elijah N’dolo (‘24) In the weeks following the killing of six people in the mass shooting of a Christian private school in Nashville, Kentucky, on March 27, hundreds of police departments across the country received anonymous calls in which human or automated voices claimed that an active shooting was taking place

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Sowing the Seeds of Community: Sustainable Saratoga’s April 29 “Tree Toga” Event

April 26, 2023 by Elijah N’dolo (’24) On Saturday, April 29th, the environmental preservation organization Sustainable Saratoga will host its annual “Tree Toga” event starting at Pitney Meadows Farm. Over the course of the day, more than one hundred volunteers will disperse throughout Saratoga Springs to plant trees in the yards of 38 “tree hosts.”

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Data: After “No Place for Hate” and Ally Program Launch, Students Report Mixed Feelings About Inclusion at SSHS

April 26, 2023 by Ciara Meyer (’23) On Wednesday, April 19, Saratoga Springs High School (SSHS) hosted its first of three “No Place for Hate” events. The assembly, part of an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) program to improve inclusion, equity, and allyship in schools, included testimonies about experiences of exclusion and inclusion in the SSCSD, and

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