The student news site of Los Altos High School in Los Altos, California

The Talon
The student news site of Los Altos High School in Los Altos, California

The Talon
The student news site of Los Altos High School in Los Altos, California

The Talon
Kaavya Butaney

Kaavya Butaney, Web Managing Editor

All content by Kaavya Butaney

Senior columns: Reflecting on the past four years

By Kaley Kwan, Vaishu Sirkay, Kaavya Butaney, and Rose Liu
June 9, 2022

Rumor has it: An investigation into the District’s parent group chats and online communities

By Anika Sikka, Kaavya Butaney, and Emilie Enser
April 4, 2022
A ranking of the Disney princes.

Battle of the beaus: A Disney princes ranking

By Vaishu Sirkay and Kaavya Butaney
December 12, 2021
Amid the chaos and stress of first semester senior year, the tears and sweat, there is one beacon of light: automated college emails.

Satire: College emails are the light of my life

By Kaavya Butaney
November 5, 2021
Students evacuate to the baseball field following a bomb threat at LAHS.

Bomb threat at LAHS, school evacuated

By Cedric Chan and Kaavya Butaney
October 1, 2021
District COVID-19 plans are naive and reactive

District COVID-19 plans are naive and reactive

By Kaavya Butaney, Web Managing Editor
September 22, 2021
Some LAHS and Freestyle Academy students were sent emails earlier today notifying them of a close contact exposure to COVID-19 during the first week of school.

COVID-19 exposure at LAHS during first week of school

By Kaavya Butaney
August 14, 2021
Bill 104 allows students to make up lower grades due to the pandemic from the 2020–2021 school year.

New bill allows students to make up pandemic grades

By Kaavya Butaney
August 1, 2021
The Asian American identity is a constant crisis for many and reconciling the relative privilege of one's experience with the discrimination that is faced is a critical part of acceptance of oneself and identity.

Kulture à la Kaavya: Notes of a native Asian American

By Kaavya Butaney
May 9, 2021
People use a variety of pronouns that all deserve to be respected.

Kulture à la Kaavya: Respect pronouns

By Kaavya Butaney
March 28, 2021
Since 1985, local writers from all professional backgrounds have presented their life's work to the LAHS student body. Writers Week 2021 will feature authors, journalists and screenwriters from around the world who'll share their craft via Zoom throughout the coming week.

Zoom into the writing process with Writers Week 2021

By Kaavya Butaney, Emily McNally, Emilie Enser, Nathaniel Joffe, and Naomi Schulze
February 28, 2021
Debate uses philosophical and logical mechanisms to dehumanize and objectify human lives into statistics.

Kulture a la Kaavya: Debate is heartless

By Kaavya Butaney
February 28, 2021
r/wallstreetbets members bought a significant amount of GameStop shares, increasing the price of the shares and causing large investors who bet against the stock to lose money.

r/wallstreetbets raises GameStop stock prices ninefold

By Kaavya Butaney
January 28, 2021
Lauren Peterson, who graduates from Northwestern Law this year, is the upcoming author of “The Future of Governance in Space,” an introduction to the nebulous field of space law. Forging her own path while studying the niche subject, Peterson has found her life’s passion and hopes to be on the industry’s bleeding edge.

Upcoming author Lauren Peterson’s space law odyssey

By Kaavya Butaney and Olivia Hewang
January 25, 2021
We are all racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, etc. There is not one person on Earth that is free of prejudice.

Kulture a la Kaavya: Prejudice is inescapable. Also, it sucks.

By Kaavya Butaney
January 24, 2021
Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States today.

Joe Biden inaugurated as president of the United States

By Kaavya Butaney
January 20, 2021
Hey there, do you have a moment to talk about the environment? Great! Well, here’s the thing: No matter how hard you try, you can’t make up for corporations.

Kulture à la Kaavya: No more emissions for you, ExxonMobil

By Kaavya Butaney
December 6, 2020
Now that it's that time of year, the Starbucks holiday menu is out. We each picked up the holiday drinks and gave them a taste to see which drinks were actually good and which ones genuinely made us sad.

A comprehensive review of this year’s Starbucks holiday drinks

By Nina Crofts and Kaavya Butaney
November 19, 2020
This election was days of drawn-out counting and states turning blue for the first time in over 20 years, all to determine whether or not the US would survive the repeated bashing of its ideals. It definitely had an effect on people, forcing them to cope in sometimes unhealthy ways.

Kulture à la Kaavya: Say hello to unhealthy coping mechanisms!

By Kaavya Butaney
November 8, 2020
Copy Editor Kaavya Butaney writes about how the media portrays teens as mature adults — far from the reality of what high school looks like.

Kulture à la Kaavya: Screw you, ‘Riverdale’

By Kaavya Butaney
October 25, 2020
Tonight, Joe Biden and Donald Trump face off in the final presidential debate.

An overview of the final presidential debate

By Kaavya Butaney, Natalie Wei, Olivia Hewang, Gil Rubinstein, Anika Sikka, Mira Sundar, and Nathaniel Joffe
October 22, 2020
From dissecting mathematical proofs as a group to immersing members in a mythical realm of adventure, Los Altos clubs are redefining Zoom class fatigue into an opportunity for all students to get invested in their interests and the school community.

Didn’t attend Club Day? Talon’s got you covered!

By Tomoki Chien, Kaavya Butaney, and Parisa Larson
October 13, 2020
Vice President Katherine Lai (left) as well as Co-Presidents Jeannette Wang (front) and Eesha Palasamudrum (right) are shown preparing Planned Acts of Kindess (PAK) for Club Day back in 2019. Although they started PAK in middle school, the three have returned to their simple mission of making the days of their peers a little brighter, expanding this year towards helping students manage their mental health.

PAK away negativity, choose kindness instead

By Kaavya Butaney, Senior Writer
October 13, 2020
Vice President Dima Jones (center), President Maelle Allanic (right) and another club member shred down Tahoe's snow-covered slopes on one of their unofficial Kpop and Anime Club bonding trips. Unconventional trips and events like these have bridged the divide between the Kpop stans and Anime fans even during a virtual school year.

Behind the scenes (BTS, if you must) of the Kpop and Anime Club

By Kaavya Butaney, Copy Editor
October 13, 2020
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Tonight was the vice presidential debate between Pence and Senator Kamala Harris.

The vice presidential debate: Harris and Pence face-off with more civil discourse

By Kaavya Butaney, Nathaniel Joffe, Gil Rubinstein, and Garv Virginkar
October 7, 2020
The Talon provided summary and commentary for the first presidential election today.

An overview of the first presidential debate

By Nina Crofts, Kaavya Butaney, Olivia Hewang, and Nathaniel Joffe
September 29, 2020
Kulture à la Kaavya: Gender reveals are bull

Kulture à la Kaavya: Gender reveals are bull

By Kaavya Butaney, Copy Editor
September 28, 2020
Copy Editor Kaavya Butaney writes about how her name has been mispronounced her whole life and how that reflects broader trends in America.

Kulture à la Kaavya: Pronounce my name right, please

By Kaavya Butaney
September 13, 2020
Red Rock Coffee in Downtown Mountain View (pictured above) has been a place for numerous Silicon Valley patrons to grab a dark roast and enjoy community held events for 15 years. Nearly having to close their business, Red Rock Coffee continues to bring smiles to the faces of aspiring musicians, knitters, bikers and anyone else who finds a home between its red walls.

Red Rock Coffee

By Kaavya Butaney, Senior Writer
August 30, 2020
Hasan Minhaj's talk-show "Patriot Act" was recently canceled by Netflix.

‘Patriot Act’: a eulogy

By Kaavya Butaney
August 29, 2020
Aang looks out at the sky as Netflix rises in the east.

‘Avatar’’s Netflix renaissance: The Gaang Returns

By Kaavya Butaney and Olivia Hewang
August 17, 2020
Senior Writer Kaavya Butaney writes about how quarantine has given rise to a resurgence of childhood interests — something born of a desire for normalcy.

Quarantine: the inner child strikes back

By Kaavya Butaney, Senior Writer
August 13, 2020
Rising senior Shivani Mandalaparthi, Class of 2020 graduate Allison Lee, and rising senior Jackson Van Vooren volunteer to purchase and deliver meals to frontliners working locally and at hospitals beyond the Bay Area. By partnering with various small businesses and franchises, they have been able to donate hundreds of meals and cards in cooperation with the rest of the Food For Frontliners (FFF) team.

Food For Frontliners: bringing smiles to frontliner faces

By Kaavya Butaney and Natalie Wei
July 15, 2020
Summers aren’t what they were meant to be: Instead of relaxation and calm, they’ve turned into stretches of work and stress.

104 days of summer stress-cation

By Kaavya Butaney, Senior Writer
July 13, 2020
Staff writer Kaavya Butaney writes about her experiences using technology during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tech in the time of corona

By Kaavya Butaney
April 11, 2020
Staff writer Kaavya Butaney on the left and staff writer Vaishu Sirkay on the right. Kaavya and Vaishu write about how their friendship has developed over the years.

Friends who fight together stay together

By Kaavya Butaney and Vaishu Sirkay
April 6, 2020
Many people know April Fools as the day of pranks. Although California is currently under shelter-in-place, this didn’t stop these Los Altos students from carrying on the tradition.

April Fools Day is not a joke

By Marie Godderis and Kaavya Butaney
April 6, 2020
Los Altos juniors Angelina Lue, Alicia Yim and Marie Godderis (along with freshman Sheryl Chen from Menlo-Atherton High School and junior Paulina Harding from Bishop O’Dowd High School) are fundraising for medical equipment during this quarantine period. Angelina started this project after she found out that medical workers in the Bay Area were giving COVID-19 tests without wearing masks.

Bay Area teens fundraise for medical equipment

By Kaavya Butaney, Staff Writer
April 2, 2020
A Girl Scouts Uniform vest. Girl Scouts at Los Altos answer questions about their experiences.

Girl Scouts Q&A

By Kaavya Butaney and Vaishu Sirkay
March 31, 2020
Staff writer Kaavya Butaney writes about her experiences finding her cultural identity.

COLUMN: Language isn’t everything

By Kaavya Butaney, Staff Writer
March 28, 2020
Assistant Principal Galen Rosenberg and school librarian Gordon Jack sit with Young Adult novelists Stacey Lee, Mitali Perkins, James Brandon and Nya Jade to discuss their award-winning titles and writing craft. The Q&A session was held on Tuesday, March 3, in the Eagle Theater.

A peek into the writer society: Writer’s Week Q&A

By Cathy Wang, Kaavya Butaney, and Rachel Rudyak
March 3, 2020
Mike Bloomberg's popularity has risen rapidly through February, going from 4.8 percent on January 1 to 15.4 percent on February 27 according to a FiveThirtyEight poll.

Mike Bloomberg: A Critical Mistake

By Kaavya Butaney, Staff Writer
March 2, 2020
“Rey, the protagonist of the trilogy, is joined by Poe Dameron and Finn, along with C-3PO, BB-8 and Chewbacca in the finale, "Rise of Skywalker"as they embark on a journey to find Emperor Palpatine and defeat the Sith once and for all.”

“The Rise of Skywalker”: classic turned catastrophe

By Kaavya Butaney, Staff Writer
February 29, 2020
Courtesy LearnPlatform

New software LearnPlatform rates educational websites

By Kaavya Butaney
February 18, 2020
Sophomore Gabby Farber is spending her second semester abroad in Jerusalem, as part of the Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim (TRY) program. Through this experience, she hopes to establish her cultural identity.

Reconnecting with her roots at the hearth of Jewish culture

By Kaavya Butaney and Rachel Rudyak
February 11, 2020
Elena Houghlin (Naomi Scott), Jane Kano (Ella Balinski) and Sabrina Wilson (Kristen Stewart) play three impressively feminist characters in the newest version of this franchise.

“Charlie’s Angels” modernizes an outdated movie franchise

By Kaavya Butaney and Vaishu Sirkay
December 17, 2019
Breaking bubbles requires obliterating the idea of identity politics. That means we cannot continue to differentiate ourselves from others instead of connecting. 

The trouble with political bubbles

By Kaavya Butaney, Staff Writer
December 14, 2019
LAHS Debationships

LAHS Debationships

By Kaavya Butaney, Kylie Akiyama, Katrina Arsky, and Suzanne Guo
December 14, 2019
Courtesy Annelisa Fache

Haiti club requests statement from Kamala Harris

By Kaavya Butaney
November 14, 2019
600-wing building to have gender-neutral bathrooms

600-wing building to have gender-neutral bathrooms

By Kaavya Butaney and Tomoki Chien
November 4, 2019
Happy National Coming Out Day!

Happy National Coming Out Day!

By Tomoki Chien and Kaavya Butaney
October 11, 2019
Courtesy Darren Dressen

ODFL club members volunteer in Kenya and Nepal

By Kaavya Butaney
October 3, 2019
Junior Evan Fine is a fine man with many fine talents: he is known as the finest “speech god,” a fine mock attorney, a fine history nut, a fine violinist and a fine writer—talents that he channels into a love for creation, whether it be playing the violin or writing stories.

Performing his piece with great Fine(nesse)

By Kaavya Butaney and Cedric Chan
October 2, 2019
Los Altos students strike for climate advocacy

Los Altos students strike for climate advocacy

By Kaavya Butaney and Nina Crofts
September 24, 2019
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