December 2023
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES thelowell.org
PHOTO BY DAHLIA MYERS DAHLIA MYERS
SFUSD students join nation-wide walkout urging ceasefire in Gaza by Thomas Harrison FRONT COVER ILLUSTRATION BY CHARON KONG
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The Lowell March 2023
PHOTO BY DANAH AROONCHAIPIROM DANAH AROONCHAIPIROM
2023 Fall Band Concert by Imaan Ansari and Danah Aroonchaipirom
TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 EDITORIAL HUNGRY FOR A LATER LUNCH
4 INFOGRAPHICS 2023 WRAPPED 6 ARE WE SAFE IN THE
Editors-in-Chief Kylie Chau Roman Fong Sierra Sun News Editors Isadore Diamond Sierra Sun Opinions Editor Tatum Himelstein Columns Editor Ramona Jacobson Brooke Laur
COVER
Sports Editor Roman Fong
CITY?
Multimedia Editors Editors Kylie Chau Lauren Kim Ava Rosoff
12 HOW THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR NEWS FEATURE
IS AFFECTING LOWELLITES
16 MULTIMEDIA I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO
ISN’T ENOUGH
20 SATIRE MEDIA REVIEWS
21 DEATH IN HER HANDS
Reporters Thomas Harrison Alisa Kozmin Kai Lyddan Alina Mei Hayden Miller Sia Terplan Photographers Photographers Imaan Ansari Ansari Imaan
Illustrators Mika Catangay Joey He Charon Kong Yue Yi Peng Emily Yee Business Managers Isabella Chan Primo Pelczynski Web Managers Katharine Kasperski Social Media Managers Maya Murakami Miyabi Yoshida Researchers Maren Brooks Anita Luo Advisor Eric Gustafson
Accolades NSPA Pacemaker Top 100 2018 NSPA Print Pacemaker Finalist 2011 & 2014 NSPA Online Pacemaker 2012 NSPA Print Pacemaker 2007 & 2011 NSPA All-American 2009 NSPA First Class Honors 2007 NSPA Web Pacemaker 2007 CSPA Gold Crown
SPREAD DESIGN BY PRIMO PELCZYNSKI
18 OPINION PERFORMATIVE ACTIVISM
Art Manager Danica Yee
Danah Aroonchaipirom Katharine Kasperski Garvin Kwong Lucas Larson Sydney Lee Alex Mangot Dahlia Myers Ryan Njuguna
FOR ALL THE DOGS
The Lowell December 2023
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Editorial
S
HUNGRY FOR A LATER LUNCH
tudents zoning out or eating, unable to focus in afternoon classes, has become an all too common sight. This behavior is a direct result of Lowell’s current bell schedule, which forces students to eat lunch as early as 10:15 a.m., prompting some students to go over four hours after lunch without any break in classes. These early lunches pose not only health concerns for students, but also disrupt students’ academic pursuits. Lowell’s administration must revise the bell schedule to have later lunch times. These early A lunch blocks are a result of Lowell administration’s decision to remove the registry from this year’s Thursday schedule to allow for 90-minute classes on both Wednesday and Thursday. Combined with the need to manage cafeteria crowding, the resulting schedule has had detrimental effects on students’ health and academic performance and must be modified to remedy these concerns. Many students forced to eat at 10:15 are unable to eat enough to sustain themselves through their classes. This results in students becoming hungry and tired in their later classes. Studies have found a negative correlation between student hunger and concentration and performance in school. According to No Kid Hungry, 80 percent of teachers observed that hunger had a negative impact on student concentration and 76 percent saw decreased academic performance. The Centers for Disease Control’s research has also shown that hunger is associated with lower grades, higher rates of absenteeism, repeating a grade, and an inability to focus among students. The harm of early lunch on Thursdays is compounded by the following three consecutive 90-minute long classes that students have to endure. This amounts to four hours and 45 minutes in a row of classes, with nothing more than five
minutes of pushing through the hallways in between. According to California’s lunch and paid break laws, employers would not allow this schedule for a non-exempt employee. If workers wouldn’t be subjected to this schedule, why are we? In addition, the inconsistent meal times, which can vary by over two hours, are detrimental to students’ health. The current bell schedule allows for students who normally have 4B lunch, starting as late as 12:30 p.m. to also have 3A lunch on Thursday which starts at 10:15 a.m., resulting in a two-hour 15-minute variance in some students’ lunch schedules. According to Healthline, a consistent meal schedule is linked to weight loss, increased energy, and a reduction in metabolic risk factors for chronic disease. Removing early meal times from our schedule would provide more consistent meal times thus improving student health. In contrast to the schedules of nine other SFUSD high schools (Burton, Washington, Lincoln, SOTA, Balboa, Galileo, O’Connell, Marshall, and Wallenberg), Lowell stands out in having the earliest lunch start. Among these schools, the earliest lunch commencement is at 11:20 a.m. at O’Connell High School, more than an hour later than Lowell. Within SFUSD, Lowell is a clear outlier, defying the norms of reasonable lunch schedules. By adopting successful strategies employed by other SFUSD high schools, Lowell can ensure that its schedules better accommodate the needs and health of its students. It is crucial that Lowell’s administration takes steps to address the timing of lunch schedules. The current situation adversely affects students’ well-being and hinders their academic performance. By adjusting the bell schedule to provide later, more consistent lunch times, Lowell’s administration can create an environment that better supports students’ physical health and academic performance during their school day.
Removing early meal times from our schedule would provide more consistent meal times thus improving student health.
The Lowell is published by the journalism classes of Lowell High School. All contents copyright Lowell High School journalism classes. All rights reserved. The Lowell strives to inform the public and to use its opinion sections as open forums for debate. All unsigned editorials are opinions of the staff. The Lowell welcomes comments on school-related issues from students, faculty and community members. Send letters to the editors to thelowellnews@gmail.com. Names will be withheld upon request. We reserve the right to edit letters before publication. The Lowell is a student-run publication distributed to thousands of readers including students, parents, teachers, and alumni. All advertisement profits fund our newsmagazine issues. To advertise online or in print, email thelowellmanagement@gmail.com. Contact us: Lowell High School 1101 Eucalyptus Drive San Francisco, CA 94132, 415-759-2730, or at thelowellnews@gmail.com. 2
The Lowell December 2023
Cartoon
FEELS LIKE BREAKFAST
ILLUSTRATION BY MIKA CATANGAY
From the editor Dear readers of The Lowell,
Sincerely, Kylie Chau, Roman Fong, Sierra Sun Editors-in-Chief, The Lowell
Pictured from right to left: Tess Wissotzky, Helena-Renee Awwad, and Amaya Tawasha Diwan. PHOTO BY ALEX MANGOT
The Lowell December 2023
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SPREAD DESIGN BY KYLIE CHAU
In this issue’s news feature, “How the Israel-Hamas war is affecting Lowellites,” we acknowledge the responsibility that comes with the platform we have. This year, we faced a delicate situation when covering news related to the conflict in Gaza. We understand that these topics can be sensitive, and our intention is never to cause harm. We are committed to presenting news with empathy and nuance, recognizing the diverse perspectives within our community. Many among the Lowell community have friends and family affected by the realities of war, and their stories deserve to be told. While capturing images of the featured student sources, three of them, Tess Wissotzky, Helena-Renee Awwad, and Amaya Tawasha Diwan, initially gathered for a photo shoot, but ended up engaging in a meaningful conversation marked by mutual understanding. Amidst nods and attentive listening, we observed students of Arab and Israeli descent coming together in a display of unity — a sight often excluded in oversaturated news coverage nowadays. As we move into 2024, we aspire to continue opening new discussions that unite rather than divide. Your feedback and engagement are invaluable to us, and we encourage you to share your perspectives as we navigate the complex terrain of news and storytelling.
2023 WRAPPED INFOGRAPHICS AND DATA
3.
4.
5.
IDGAF (feat. Yeat) Drake, Yeat
2.
I KNOW ? Travis Scott
MY EYES Travis Scott
1.
My Love is Mine All Mine Mitski
TOP SONGS
People Watching Conan Gray
At the end of each year, music-streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Youtube Music release year-end reviews of the user’s personal listening habits. In November 2023, The Lowell conducted a survey consisting of 416 students who shared their music-listening preferences.
4.
Tyler, The Creator
3.
The Weeknd
2.
Lana Del Rey
Taylor Swift
1.
Drake
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPOTIFY
TOP ARTISTS 5.
TOP ALBUMS 2.
1.
SPREAD DESIGN BY KYLIE CHAU
For All The Dogs
Top Genres Pop Rap R&B Indie Rock Hip Hop
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The Lowell December 2023
3. UTOPIA
5.
4.
1989 (Taylor’s Version)
Folklore
Bewitched
How many minutes a day do you listen to music?
Less than 30 mins. 1 hour to to 60 2 hours 30 mins. mins.
2 hours to 3 hours
3 hours+
How does music make you feel?
INFOGRAPHICS BY ANITA LUO, ILLUSTRATIONS BY YUE YI PENG
“I have music that makes everything around me stop and I feel like the only person on this planet.”
“[Music] kind of transports me so I feel like a main character.”
The Lowell December 2023
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Headline Deck
ARE WE
By Roman Fong
Byline
PH OT OI
LLU ST RA TI O N
BY
A IM AN AN KASP KATHARINE LIE CHAU, SARI, KY
ERSKI, DANICA YEE
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The Lowell December 2023
SAFE IN THE CITY?
Despite decreasing violent crime rates in San Francisco, many Lowell students feel increasingly unsafe.
SPREAD DESIGN BY LAUREN KIM
The Lowell December 2023
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COVER
ARE WE SAFE IN THE CITY? F
BY ROMAN FONG
or the past five blocks, senior Annie Li has avoided looking over their shoulder. Even without looking, however, Li can feel the eyes digging into their back and can hear the footsteps of the man following them. Clutching their phone and bag with a tight grip, Li hurries into the nearest Walgreens, hoping to find safety in the crowded store. This isn’t Li’s first time being followed home, and while not all Lowell students can relate to being followed on the street, concerns regarding safety in San Francisco are shared by many.
An increasing number of Lowell students feel unsafe in San Francisco, despite declining violent crime rate. An internal poll has found the perceived threat to Lowell students’ safety has intensified. However, whether students are directly impacted by crime or not, the media emphasis on issues like homelessness, cleanliness, and public safety have contributed significantly to this heightened sense of fear. The impact of crime extends beyond some Lowell students’ immediate fear, affecting their mental and physical health. While building a sense of community
and getting professional help may relieve the negative effects of crime, Lowell students are still affected by it every day. Since the pandemic, San Francisco has gained a reputation for having an excessively high crime rate, despite a downward trend in the amount of violent crime. While violent crime rates are down by as much as 25 percent since 2006, many San Francisco residents feel increasingly unsafe. According to a 2023 survey by the City and County of San Francisco, 63 percent of San Francisco residents feel safe while outside in their neighborhoods
INFOGRAPHICS BY MAREN BROOKS
“The fear of crime is certainly something that can change, irrespective of what crime is actually doing in a population.”
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The Lowell December 2023
ILLUSTRATIONS BY DANICA YEE
disorder, as opposed to being directly affected by it. Many San Francisco residents believe homelessness, cleanliness, and public safety are among the city’s top issues. According to Boman, while homelessness and cleanliness don’t explicitly translate to crime, public concern over those issues are examples of such perceptions of disorder. “The fear is that this is some type of criminal behavior, and that fear can transform your perception of ‘I feel unsafe,’” Boman said. “The fear of crime is certainly something that can change, irrespective of what crime is actually doing in a population.” Areas with lower SES tend to experience heightened issues related to homelessness, drug use, and crime, contributing to the prevailing negative perceptions of unsafety. Owen Gallupe, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo, who collaborated with Boman
Gallupe said. While students like senior Brandon Liu have never been directly affected by crime, Liu has experienced vicarious victimization, contributing to increased concerns about his safety. As a Western Addition resident, Liu is surrounded by higher rates of homelessness and crime, adding to an overall perception of disorder. “It’s very chaotic,” Liu said. “There are a lot of car accidents and there’s a lot of homelessness around my area. Generally, I feel safe inside my home, but there are some times when it just feels sketchy.” Although he drives to school now, he’d notice altercations between other people on the street while walking to the bus. “I had to be more aware of my surroundings and just make sure I wasn’t holding anything valuable or make sure that there was like nothing that could be easily taken,” Liu said.
PHOTO BY LUCAS LARSON
“No one’s actually approached me before, but I do know it’s dangerous because I’ve seen what people can do.”
on a 2020 study researching crime rates after the beginning of the pandemic, stated that because neighborhoods with lower SES tend to have more problems with homelessness, drug use, and crime, negative feelings of unsafety exacerbates. “Those things are a visual sign that things are not going well, so whether that’s true or not, that’s how people internalize it,”
Brandon Liu The Lowell December 2023
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SPREAD DESIGN BY ROMAN SPREAD FONG DESIGN BY ROMAN FONG
during the day and 36 percent feel safe at night, decreasing from 85 percent and 53 percent, respectively, in 2019. Although neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status (SES) like the Western Addition and Visitacion Valley have higher crime rates, the poll by the city found high safety concerns in more affluent areas as well. According to the city poll, Nob Hill was rated only slightly safer than Visitacion Valley. An internal survey conducted by The Lowell found that out of 125 students, 81.6 percent of students feel like crime in the city has gotten worse over the past three years. The disconnect between declining crime rates and heightened feelings of unsafety can be attributed to preconceived opinions on public concerns such as homelessness or cleanliness. According to Dr. John Boman, an associate professor at Bowling Green State University, this discrepancy between crime rates and feelings of unsafety cannot be solely explained by direct victimization, where students themselves have had crimes committed against them, but by vicarious victimization. Boman describes vicarious victimization as witnessing a crime or having a preconceived perception of
COVER
“It’s really concerning because you don’t know where and when something can happen to you,”
“You’re kind of like a victim in your own neighborhood and you’re scared to live a regular life.”
hood, recalling gunshots, car break-ins, and most recently, someone stealing the Christmas wreaths from every door on his block. “Some nights if I hear footsteps outside – or I’ll even imagine footsteps downstairs of people in the basement – I think someone could break in again, and if someone is in the house, hurt them,” la Sala said. “You’re kind of like a victim in your own neighborhood and you’re scared to live a regular life.” According to Brooke Wollet, a Ph.D. criminology student, victimization, whether direct or vicarious, renders a plethora of negative health effects, including high blood pressure, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Wollet and Dr. Boman explained that while direct victimization – such as being mugged or assaulted – leads to significantly worse mental effects than vicarious v i c t i m i z at i o n , the effects of both have implications on physical health as well. “High levels of anxiety, depression, [and] PTSD, are not conducive to living a high-quality physical life if they are left u n t r e a t e d ,” Boman said. “Because of [those effects], blood pressure goes up. When blood pressure goes up, lifespan goes down.” According to Professor Gallupe, these effects on mental health also negatively affect social interactions, specifically among teenagers. “The teenage years are when peers are most important,” Gallupe said. “Being victimized can make them more anxious, more depressed and those changes in the brain can manifest themselves in personal relationships, where people have a harder time being around others.” According to Boman, one way for people to alleviate feelings of unsafety is to look at real data, such as statistics from the San Francisco Police DepartPHOTO BY LUCAS LARSON PHOTO BY LUCAS LARSON
“No one’s actually approached me before, but I do know it’s dangerous because I’ve seen what people can do.” Li has been followed home on Muni on multiple occasions, including a time when a man tried making physical advances on them. “I was on the M bus just sitting alone, and then some random guy just came over and tried to put his arm around me,” Li said. “I ran up to the bus driver and the guy just stayed in the back looking at me. It wasn’t even my stop to get off, but I got off immediately.” This wasn’t an isolated event, however. Li remembers walking away from a man at a Muni stop, only to look back a block later to see him following them. “I thought that, maybe, it’s all in my head and I’m not actually being followed, but four blocks later, I’m speed walking and he’s still following me,” Li said. Something that bothered Li particularly was the fact that those incidents occurred in broad daylight. “Those things didn’t happen at night, where I normally would expect it to happen. It’s really concerning because you don’t know where and when something can happen to Tomas la Sala you,” Li said. “I’ve been more paranoid about safety. You never know what might happen.” While experiences like Li’s may seem characteristic of neighborhoods with lower SES, Lowell students who live in upscale neighborhoods are feeling unsafe. Senior Tomás la Sala lives between Russian and Nob Hill, areas that are typically seen as safer. According to la Sala, however, crime and feelings of unsafety aren’t uncommon in his neighborhood. Coming back from football practice one night, la Sala discovered his house had been broken into, and his family had valuables stolen from them. This incident increased his concern about safety in the neighborhood; La Sala has become more wary of what happens in his neighbor10 The Lowell December 2023
PHOTO BY KYLIE CHAU
Annie Li
a neighborhood, the crime rate drops, the victimization rate thus drops, so everything gets better, even real estate value.” However, Boman stated that for structurally disadvantaged and lower SES neighborhoods, developing collective efficacy is often difficult. According to him, higher crime rates and lower SES in such neighborhoods cause a higher likelihood of residents wanting to move out. Gallupe says that lower SES areas may work backward in terms of collective efficacy, considering turnover and crime rate. “If there’s a lot of crime in an area, then that might cause people to be less willing to look out for others in that area,” Gallupe said. “If they’re scared for their own safety, then they may not step in if they see something. That essentially sends a message that there are not people looking out for other people in the community, and that can be a green light for crime to occur.” Li feels that the sense of safety they felt in their neighborhood has disintegrated since their childhood years, largely due to an increasing fear of crime. “The streets were a lot livelier,” Li said. “You would feel a sense
of community, but now, it’s like you’re too busy worrying about other things to feel safe in them,” Li said. “Sometimes at night, you’ll hear very questionable beeping noises and the occasional gunshot. Everywhere you go there is a lot of homelessness and drugs.” Liu tries to keep in mind that disorder in the city doesn’t necessarily relate to crime. To him, San Francisco’s rising drug and homeless population doesn’t help combat the negative perceptions of it, and for some students, crime is just a hard truth they must live with. “Not all the people on the street are hard drug addicts,” Liu said. “For those people and on a wide scale, to help them is more political. It would come down to the city.” La Sala agrees, stating that crime is something that citizens have to accept, regardless of socioeconomic standing. “It’s upsetting that we have to accept it, but at the same time, there are advantages that city life brings that tie into the nature of crime, like the density of people, stores, and businesses,” he said. “San Francisco has its positives, things like diversity, but it also has crime. It’s just a shame that we have to think of our city in such a negative way.”
“San Francisco has its positives, things like diversity, but it also has crime. It’s just a shame that we have to think of our city in such a negative way.” 11 The Lowell December 2023
SPREAD DESIGN BY ROMAN FONG SPREAD DESIGN BY ROMAN FONG
ment, as opposed to relying on inflated media coverage. However, Boman noted flaws in this method, one being that not all crimes are reported, and two, that the average person prefers to have data presented to them through the news or social media, instead of digging online for more reflective trends and numerical evidence. Students like la Sala have found a balance between real numbers and easily accessible news. La Sala uses an app called Nextdoor, which serves as a place where people who live in a neighborhood can buy and sell items, send messages, and alert each other about crimes in the area. La Sala sees the app as a way to reinforce a feeling of community and awareness within his neighborhood which is what Boman attributes as a way for populations and individuals to mitigate feelings of unsafety. Boman labeled it as collective efficacy, an idea that community members work together in looking out for their neighbors to achieve a tighter-knit environment. “I’m talking about a real sense of belonging in a place,” Boman said. “That is a huge thing that impacts not only crime and victimization but also perceptions of safety. If that is present in
“You would feel a sense of community, but now, it’s like you’re too busy worrying about other things to feel safe in them.”
SPREAD DESIGN BY RAMONA JACOBSON
HOW THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR IS AFFECTING LOWELL STUDENTS
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Lowell students navigate challenges amid heightened tensions from the ongoing Middle East conflict. By Sia Terplan and Alina Mei
The Lowell December 2023
GRAPHICS BY DANICA YEE, KYLIE CHAU, GARVIN KWONG, AND RYAN NJUGUNA
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The Lowell December 2023
FEATURE
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n October 7, 2023, an attack on Israel launched by Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, intensified the nearly century-long strife between Palestine and Israel. In response, Israel initiated attacks targeting the Gaza Strip of Palestine. This conflict has generated a wave of emotional turmoil, societal divisions, and personal struggles among students within Lowell. Both Jewish and Palestinian students grapple with the conflict’s impact on their academic focus, mental well-being, and social interactions within the school community. We spoke with students Helena-Renee Awwad, Amaya Tawasha Diwan, Maren Boigon, and Tess Wissotzky, who shared their individual experiences on how the Palestine-Israel conflict has affected their lives.
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As junior Helena-Renee Awwad gathered with her family to celebrate her cousin’s college graduation, the television screen suddenly interrupted the lively atmosphere at the dinner table, displaying the first series of attacks by Hamas on Israel. The announcement of war gripped Awwad’s sinking heart, as she became consumed by panic, disbelief, and devastation amidst her family’s shared shock. Awwad is of Palestinian descent through her father’s roots in Ramallah, a city located in the West Bank of Palestine. Her immigrant family has endured numerous wars in Palestine. The ongoing conflict, affecting her family members and friends, has taken a toll on her well-being and daily routine. “I don’t really go to school as much anymore because I find it really difficult to just get out of bed,” Awwad said. She describes dealing with an “extreme increase of depression and anxiety.” Her struggle to cope has disrupted her ability to focus on academics and perform essential self-care tasks, leading to serious health repercussions, including blackouts due to a loss of food intake. Channeling distress into activism, Awwad’s participation in protests has drawn a surge of online harassment and threatening comments, adding an14
other layer of distress. Countless comments are directed at herself and her peers daily: “You’re a terrorist. You’re barbaric. You’re a human animal. You’re part of the next generation of jihad terrorists,” Awwad said. Threats and comments also came from Lowell alumni. One alum threatened to implicit harm to Arab students. “If I ever see you on campus or in public, you guys (Arab students) would have to run and hide,” Awwad restated their words. The sheer volume of such comments led Awwad to temporarily delete social media apps to shield herself from the toxicity, disheartened by prejudiced remarks within her school community and online.“Having people online so openly saying such racist and harmful comments has destroyed my mental health and personal image,” Awwad said. Awwad, plagued by rising Islamophobic attacks on Arab people, feels unsafe. “I get scared just going out sometimes. When I go out wearing anything like my keffiyeh, I feel like I’m in danger all the time,” Awwad said. The constant prejudiced views have made attending school a daunting experience. “I don’t know who’s viewing me as a terrorist and who’s not viewing me as a terrorist just because I’m Arab,” Awwad said.
The Lowell December 2023
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Junior Tess Wissotzky greeted her friend’s mom but was met with a concerned expression. “Is your dad okay?” the mom asked. Wissotzky knew that her dad was visiting Israel, where he was born and raised, but did not know why that was suddenly concerning. When Wissotzky returned home that night, her mom explained that Hamas had attacked Israel, and it was unclear if and when her dad would be able to return home.
“All I can think of is frustration and sadness...” According to Wissotzky, her dad was eventually able to leave Israel but has been filled with guilt ever since his return to the U.S. He is in the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) and feels a responsibility to stay during the conflict, but at the same time is worried about his safety. Furthermore, many other IDF soldiers did not receive the same opportunity he did to leave Israel and are stuck there, unable to get out. Everyday when Wissotzky gets home, she finds her dad watching the Israeli news, desperately trying to keep up with everything happening. “He’s very shaken up about the whole thing,” Wissotzky said. Much of Wissotzky’s family is still in Israel. According to her, her grandfather got his hip replaced after Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, while his partner was out of the country. Because the conflict has made getting in and out of Israel difficult, he had to endure the recovery process alone without his partner’s support. Wissotzky’s uncle lives farther north, making him vulnerable to a potential invasion if the North gets attacked. Wissotzky’s 13-year-old cousin has been out of school. “They’re obviously scared,” Wissotzky said. “I mean, civilians are dying.”
when she feels overwhelmed by the traumatic information she is receiving, she has a difficult time focusing on anything else. This has also interfered with homework, which Diwan says is impossible to prioritize with everything else going on.
“I’ve had multiple panic attacks and breakdowns in class.”
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In the wake of Hamas’s attack and the subsequent war, junior Maren Boigon anticipated widespread support for Israel in school, mirroring her family’s and the synagogue community’s views. But as her friends from
SPREAD DESIGN BY SIERRA SUN
Freshman Amaya Tawasha Diwan stared at the video playing on her phone, horror bleeding through her body and making her nauseous. The video showed an Israeli rally with people chanting, “Death to the Arabs,” along with other hateful messages. Diwan, who is Palestinian on her mom’s side, questioned what she had done to merit such violent words. The war in Gaza has had an emotional impact on Diwan, causing anxiety and disrupting her daily routine. Diwan described staying up late at night watching videos of bombings in Gaza. “I’ve kind of fallen down the insomnia rabbit hole,” she said. This instability follows Diwan the next morning into school as well. “I’ve had multiple panic attacks and breakdowns in class,” she said. Furthermore, Diwan has had to drop Mock Trial, an extracurricular she used to love, with the war limiting her ability to manage the same schedule she used to follow. Diwan explained that
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According to Diwan, the Lowell community has been supportive throughout the conflict. “I’m really grateful to my teachers who check in with me,” she said. Aside from her teachers, Diwan frequently leans on her friends and has visited the Wellness Center multiple times. She feels confident that if she ever needs to speak to someone, she will be able to find support at Lowell. Outside of school, Diwan does everything she can to protest the violence in Gaza. She has attended protests and walkouts calling for a ceasefire. Still, Diwan wishes she could do more. “It makes me really mad to know that I have to sit in class all day and I can’t do anything about [the war],” she said.
school shared social media content that clashed with her beliefs, Boigon felt torn between two conflicting worlds. “I feel like either I’m fighting a battle at home, or I’m fighting a battle at school,” she said. Hearing stories from her Israeli cousins and former camp counselors in Israel heightened Boigon’s anxiety. “They tell me that you can hear the bombs, the raids, and everything going off in the street,” she said. Learning about her camp counselor’s experience with kidnapped and killed students deeply disturbed her, impacting her academic performance. “It’s caused a lot of anxiety,” she said. “When I came to school after learning about this, I got like a 40 on my test, and I just couldn’t stop thinking about it as hard as I try.” Amidst the conflict, Boigon feels disconnected from her peers at Lowell. She noticed a lack of voice for Israel’s viewpoint at school, often misunderstood as condoning Palestine atrocities. In a joint meeting involving Lowell Jew Crew, Lowell Middle East North African Club, and Lowell Muslim Student Association, Boigon felt there was a lack of equitable representation. “It felt like a discussion with Lowell MENA [holding] the mic. The people that were raising their hands were affirming what they were saying,” Boigon said. The sense of being unable to express her perspective has led to increased isolation within the school community. Boigon feels that fellow students don’t understand her perspective on the war. “I can be against genocide and be against human rights violations, and also think that Israel can be a state, while not agree with what Netanyahu is doing,” she said. Boigon has faced a fallout with friends who don’t agree with this stance. “One person decided they didn’t want to be friends with me anymore,” Boigon said. Despite attempts to clarify that her views were not rooted in malice or anti-Palestine sentiments, the message didn’t get through. “I felt a bit hurt when [I noticed] all of their friends unfollowed me [on Instagram],” she recalled. This experience has left her feeling uneasy at school. “I feel like I’m always looking over my shoulder because I don’t want people to not like me for something someone else said about me,” she said. The Lowell December 2023
PHOTO-ILLUSTRATIONS BY RYAN NJUGUNA , KYLIE CHAU, JOEY HE
Although the conflict has not impacted Wissotzky as much as it has her family, she is aware of the anti-Semitic views that have surfaced during it. “All I can think of is frustration and sadness as people are using this as an excuse to mask their antisemitism,” Wissotzky said. She came across a post on Instagram that was being reposted by Lowell students that said, “Israel breeds hate.” Messages like these trigger a surge of emotions in Wissotzky, who feels frustrated and sad that the conflict has encouraged so much religious discrimination.
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MULTIMEDIA
I left my heart in
San Francisco Here are some of our staff’s favorite places in SF!
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The Lowell December 2023
PHOTO-ILLUSTRATIONS BY KATHARINE KASPERSKI, GARVIN KWONG, LUCAS LARSON, SYNDEY LEE, DAHLIA MYERS
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The Lowell December 2023
ILLUSTRATION BY JOEY HE
PERFORMATIVE ACTIVISM ISN’T ENOUGH
BY 18
The Lowell December 2023
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murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer, millions of Instagram users posted black squares with the hashtag “#blackouttuesday,” refrained from posting unrelated posts, and encouraged others to do the same. I saw my peers putting heavy pressure on others to join the movement, and even scorning people who didn’t. Because of the influx of people pressured into making posts despite not fully understanding the situation, many people mistakenly posted black squares under other activist hashtags such as “#blacklivesmatter,” which was being used to spread information. This led to actual Black voices and important updates being drowned out by posts made solely due to pressure and not to the benefit of any movement. The effects of performative activism can be seen in some ongoing boycotts against Israel. Recently, I’ve seen many different posts spreading through
racism and American propaganda for making the world see the actions of their country as genocidal, and despite those claims not holding any weight, they matched the voice shared amongst activists and were, therefore, considered true. A few days later, the inevitable callout post on the infographic began to spread, and despite many reposting it, nobody stopped to rethink what they were doing. This allowed them to accidentally promote genocide denial in the first place. I myself am definitely not exempt from spreading questionable information to help my image. Because I saw so many of my peers posting opinionated infographics as if they were fact, I felt like taking the time to research was counterproductive. People were speaking about injustice now, and I didn’t want to miss that window just because I doubted some post. The sheer amount of issues being discussed added to this pressure; if I took the time to look deeply into every single thing I stood for, it would take months. Whenever I saw an infographic at the peak of my performative activism, my first instinct wasn’t to see if it was true; it was to see if it fit the “activist” worldview I felt pressured to maintain. When teens are spoon fed infographics and news solely from other activists, their views are never challenged, my classmates’ Instagram Stories, listing leading to little room for discussion and different companies to boycott. Each list a less nuanced understanding of major seems to grow longer than the last. How- issues. People have their own opinions ever, major boycott organizers such as the echoed back to them tenfold, and those ones behind the Palestinian-led Boycott, with opposing perspectives are alienated, Divestment, and Sanctions movement even when their overarching views are (BDS) are against these lists. BDS claims largely the same. Yelling at people with on their website that only certain com- differing views is an easy way for somepanies should be targeted at a time for one to feel like they’re making a change maximum impact. Though their inten- without putting in any work or questiontions were good, when teens repost these ing their own actions. boycott lists without doing any outside Although the value of teenage research, they are actively harming larger activism can’t be overstated, it must go movements across the country. beyond simple and performative actions. Because the creators of these While resources like infographics can be posts do not have to comply with any helpful in learning about global issues, it’s reliability rules or guidelines, misinfor- important that teens, including myself, mation can spread easily. I saw dozens consult multiple sources and perspecof sensible people repost an infographic tives to gain a deeper understanding of denying a commonly accepted geno- the issues they fight. Once they eliminate cide overseas solely because it was writ- the pressure to look like activists and foten from an angle that made it seem like cus on actually being ones, teens can use the activist thing to do. The post blamed their voices to much greater effects. The Lowell December 2023 19
Although the value of teenage activism can’t be overstated, it must go beyond simple and performative actions.
SPREAD DESIGN BY AVA ROSOFF
lipping through my peers’ Instagram Stories, I’m bombarded with infographic after infographic. From climate change to overseas conflicts, each post presents new information explaining what’s wrong with the world and why. Yet, as the posts keep rolling in, I can’t help but wonder how my classmates are internalizing so much information within minutes. Are these all issues that they’re actively attempting to research and fight for? Or are these reposts just there to make the poster look like they’re doing so? And at the same time, I wonder, am I not posting enough? The spreading of these posts can be seen as performative activism, an issue especially prevalent among teens. Performative activism is activism done out of a desire to make oneself look better, rather than a desire to help the cause being promoted. As silence during world events is becoming increasingly frowned upon, some teenagers put pressure on each other to speak out, and others are desperate to prove to their peers that they care. Although youth activism is incredibly important, when said activism comes from a performative place, it can cause more harm than good. Activism among youth is undoubtedly essential. Although a lot of people see it as pointless, teenagers’ collective push to educate the masses on world issues has a real impact. I’ve seen a massive change in public perspective regarding issues like systemic racism because of young people’s voices. However, when teens put pressure on each other to be activists, many feel the need to look informed and involved in fighting major issues, even if they aren’t willing to put in the effort to do so. As a result, a lot of teenage activism is performative, and revolves more around looking like an activist than actually fighting for a cause. Much of this involves the spread of infographics. This easy-to-digest format leads to performative activists spreading and absorbing only surface level and one-sided information, which oversimplifies nuanced issues in harmful ways. One famous example of performative activism revolved around Blackout Tuesday in June 2020. After the
SATIRE
ILLUSTRATIONS BY EMILY YEE
SPREAD DESIGN BY TATUM HIMELSTEIN
Shield and Scroll now requires applicants to have the cure for cancer By Tatum Himelstein
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n Nov. 13, Shield and Scroll, Lowell’s prestigious honor and service society, announced a groundbreaking update to its application process. While previously content with straight A’s, club leadership, and teacher recommendations, the organization now asks students to do the impossible: find the cure for cancer. In an official statement, Shield and Scroll explained the rationale behind this decision. “Our honor society is committed to unparalleled achievement,” the organization said. “Anyone can maintain a 4.85 GPA, but can they cure cancer?” However, this choice has not come without its critics. Some argue that the move is overly ambitious, given the majority of high school students are still grappling with the complexities of trigonometry or asking a girl to prom. “I’m not even sure if there’s a fourth floor swimming pool… they can’t expect me to figure this out,” Sarah, a junior under a pseudonym, said. Additionally, many students believe it would be difficult to cure cancer during their school day, given Shield and Scroll solely considers services rendered to Lowell. To accommodate this policy change, the society’s application itself has been updated. Instead of the typical activities list, applicants are now required to submit a step-by-step plan detailing their cure for cancer. Bonus points will be awarded for creativity, with additional consideration being given to those who can incorporate a catchy jingle or interpretive dance into their presentation. Many students are scrambling to rearrange their extracurriculars to comply with this new prerequisite. For Jack, a sophomore under a pseudonym, this entails taking up alchemy, working under the assumption that turning base metals into gold will reveal the cure to cancer. Others are resorting to more nefarious means, misappropriating the club grants they received from the PTSA to enlist the guidance of Harvard scientists and doctors. In light of the reaction from the student body, Shield and Scroll wishes to reassure students that there are other means for acceptance. “In the spirit of fostering well rounded students, applicants are encouraged to consider other options — establishing a habitable society on Mars, negotiating terms to end world hunger, finding Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 — curing cancer is just the tip of the iceberg.”
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The Lowell December 2023
Worst ways to be known around school By Brooke Laur
1. Social media overlord: The social media overlord unforgivably spams their story with a mixture of thirst traps and Instagram reels. They’re definitely keeping your feed interesting, or at least your group chat. 2. Serial pencil borrower: The serial pencil borrowers plague the hallway, perpetually in a dreamy state as they burden another person with the doomed whisper, ‘’Hey, do you have another pencil I can borrow?’’ Seldom do they give it back. 3. Alpha male: Although ‘’alpha’’ may inspire confidence in some, here at Lowell, being the ‘’alpha male’’ of the pack implies Republicanism: ensured social suicide. Somehow, he’s always devastatingly smarter than you thought. 4. Woke warrior: They will definitely reprimand the ‘’bigot’’ who hate-crimed them (the barista who gave them a plastic straw), while posting infographics about harvesting oat milk since it’s “beneficial” for BIPOC. They’re busy protesting against right-handed scissors. 5. Non-Player Character: The Lowell NPC keeps their Adidas track pants, running shoes, and Lowell hoodie strapped on them. Will they talk to you in class? Will they say anything during group discussions? Probably not. But you can count on them for good grades and to help out the community through a fake volunteering group.
Five gentle ways to tell someone your grade is higher than theirs By Brooke Laur
1. Airplane banner: Prove you’re the smarter person once and for all with a little airplane-flown banner over the entire city of San Francisco. 2. Buying a Cameo: A personalized video of someone’s favorite celebrity revealing your higher grade is a perfect way to rope in their interests while asserting your dominance. 3. GlobalEd Leader bots: By buying @globaledleader 10,000 more Instagram bots, you can get him to announce that you have a higher grade at the next rally or in his weekly Principal’s Update. 4. Re-paint the bleachers: When it’s time to paint the cardinal red “2025,” get the senior class to paint your higher test score instead, ensuring it can be seen by all of Lowell. 5. Google Classroom announcement: Who reads Google Classroom announcements anyway, right? Wrong! By announcing your high grade to the class stream, you’ll get more publicity than any EdPuzzle assignment ever could. All content on The Lowell’s satire page is entirely fictitious. References to real names, places, and events are used for satirical purposes, and any other resemblance is purely coincidental.
MEDIA REVIEWS
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Literature: Death in Her Hands By Ramona Jacobson
“G
irl, I’m the king of my city, I’m the one,” popular Canadian rapper-singer Aubrey “Drake” Graham pretentiously raps on “Calling for You,” the third track on his eighth studio album, For All the Dogs. Drake’s latest album hopelessly falls into his classic formula: Over-the-top Auto-Tune, lyrics lusting after money and women, and an overall lack of effort by choosing quantity over quality, prioritizing money over the satisfaction of fans. Drake’s recent albums have felt bloated and thin on quality; For All the Dogs only continues this trend. With 23 total songs, this project has barely 10 minutes of music that’s worth listening to, most of which is by featured artists (notably J. Cole on “First Person Shooter”). While it’s nice to see a good variety of artists on the album, Drake’s performance is the worst it has ever been. His use of Auto-Tune is almost unlistenable, while his lyrics are simply there to make you either gasp in disgust due to his constant use of random graphic language or to be taken aback by his horrible, politically incorrect references — including referencing slavery in “Slime You Out.” Drake clearly sees music as a money-making business rather than a passion. Signing a $400 million dollar deal with Universal Music Group in 2022, Drake chose to release albums quickly and without effort, displaying his obvious money-grabbing attitude. His 2022 albums, Certified Lover Boy and Honestly, Nevermind, were some of the most disappointing rap releases yet. Drake’s first projects, including 2011’s Take Care and 2013’s Nothing Was the Same, clearly showed effort and were thus very well-received, but his recent albums have fallen flat and unoriginal — For All the Dogs being the worst yet. Although issues like lack of effort and releasing albums too quickly are not isolated to Drake himself, it is disappointing to see one of the music industry’s most prominent figures decline so quickly. You can’t help but feel bad for Drake fans, who have had to go through the rollercoaster of getting excited for an album, just to be let down again and again. The Lowell December 2023
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GOODREADS, UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP, DRAKE
oes the truth matter when we live through our own perceptions? In Ottessa Moshfegh’s psychological thriller novel, Death In Her Hands, Moshfegh effectively compels readers to confront their flawed views of reality through Vesta, an elderly widow who lives in the woods. When Vesta discovers an anonymous note informing her that a girl was murdered, she attempts to solve this murder mystery alone, using the internet and a list of suspects. As she becomes entangled in this project, her reality becomes distorted, leaving readers doubtful of her narration’s accuracy. Through Vesta’s unreliable storytelling, the line between truth and fiction is blurred. By providing an alarmingly authentic portrayal of Vesta’s spiral into delusion, Moshfegh asks readers to reflect on their own distorted perspectives. More than a murder mystery, Death In Her Hands is a reflection on the consequences of isolation. As the novel progresses, Vesta spirals into an elaborate fantasy where she makes up parts of the story, including events and people, and accepts them as truth. These fictional creations become part of her reality, enabling her to believe that she’s actually solving the mystery. In this way, her delusional perspective is revealed. Vesta’s delusions are largely a result of her loneliness. Removed from society, she is left with only her own mind for company. This isolation fosters her skewed perception and causes her to create narratives to protect herself from her lonely reality. Vesta is a microcosm of the human tendency to cope with challenges by escaping into fantasy. When her dog runs away, she convinces herself the dog was kidnapped by an evil creature she calls “Ghod”. When her dog returns, rabid and aggressive, she believes that Ghod caused this. By doing this, she avoids responsibility for the struggles in her life and blames an imaginary villain instead. Vesta’s escapist tendencies are shared, to an extent, by many people. Some use daydreaming as a way to cope with unwanted emotions like loneliness and boredom. For others, this escapism manifests more severely, in the form of delusions like the ones Vesta experiences. Through this, Moshfegh holds a mirror to the reader’s own distorted view of reality. Vesta’s made-up world allows readers to contemplate, How much of my experience is fabricated by my brain?
Music: For All the Dogs By Kai Lyddan
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2023 AND ME
CROSSWORD AND SPREAD DESIGNBY ISADORE DIAMOND AND PRIMO PELCZYNSKI
Illustrations by Alisa Kozmin Down 1. NewJeans probably was feeling quite timid when they made this song 2. They were in their monopoly era 3. Object shot down above US 4. The internet has loved her From The Start Across 5. “Nah, Imma do my own thing” 2. X’s ex 7. This movie blows! 6. Oxford word of the year 10. Your english teacher’s least favorite software 8. This artist led a 2023 Renaissance 12. The House put this Speaker on mute 9. Cleaned up the streets of SF for a week 13. What does the FOX say? That this TV personality 11. He’s our new king innit mate was too controversial for their organization 15. purple milkshake (DONT DRINK AFTER 9PM) 14. Their strike was NOT an act 17. Travis Kelce’s greatest catch 16. Many people could not get Kenough 18. Classic love tale of a plumber and a stonefruit
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