Lowell Newsmagazine — September 2015 by The Lowell

Lowell The

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UC Degree

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Lowell S The

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INSIDE THE MAGAZINE “WE DON’T WANT BRAINS TURNING TO JELLY OVER THE SUMMER.”

MORE ONLINE

thelowell.org

Over 100 surveillance cameras installed after computers worth $24,000 missing

“COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS MUCH CHEAPER ...IT’S COLLEGE ON SALE.”

The project cost a total of $566,043. The cameras went live on Aug. 17. They are on surveillance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are located throughout the school, besides the bathrooms and locker rooms. At the moment, footage can be seen in the principal’s office and the main office.

courtesy of Whitney c. lim

Dragonboat victorious at Treasure Island

“I HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF MY ROLE WHEN I’M ON THE FIELD.” 10

@TheLowell Cover illustration by Aida Irving and Emily Teng

UNCOVERING THE UNDERCUT

courtesy of calvin huang

College Board forces 200 seniors to retake last year’s AP US history exam after proctoring error

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Kiara gil

Recent admin changes impact school community

Last weekend was the ACT, this week is the APUSH retake that I didn’t have time to study for because I had a Calculus test...and now I have to start studying for three SAT Subject tests.... I just have more on my plate than I can handle.

“

LOCKER UPDATE: First floor lockers are not yet assigned after eight weeks of school because of construction delays

New assistant principal of curriculum Dacoteh Swett

AIDA IRVING

1 - Damon McKenzie, JROTC. 2 - Anne Guina, English. 3 - Maria Martinez, Spanish. 4 - Robert Tran, math. 5 - Maria Luisa DeSeta, Italian and Latin. 6 - Jennifer Nickless, learning resource. 7 - Claudia Park, English. 8 - David Beauvais, counselor. 9 - Debra Argenbright, math. 10 - Judith Brooks, PE. 11 - Kristen Mitchell, English. 12 - Bonnie Daley, science. 13 - Normita Balangue, science. 14 - Stephen Esquer, wlearning resource. 15 - Andrea Struve, social science. Not pictured: DeLainya Kazarian, counselor.

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Answers below

Can you name the new teachers and counselors? 8

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EDITORIAL

Summer reading: valuable, but should be free

hy do we need summer reading? English department chair Meredith Santiago put it bluntly: “We don’t want brains turning to jelly over the summer.” For years, like other high schools in the district, Lowell has required summer reading for students to practice reading skills over the long break to make sure they don’t fall behind, and also to provide material for the beginning of the school year. Freshman and regular classes read one book, while sophomore honors and Advanced Placement classes read two. From Graceling to Eleanor and Park, many of the recent books, especially those in regular courses, are modern and chosen specifically to encourage the habit and love of reading. However, Lowell does not supply the summer reading books, so students have to get their copies of the books themselves. Do the summer reading requirements meet their goals? An anonymous survey of 233 students from all grades, by The Lowell, showed mixed results. • Many students, as much as 20 percent, said they did not complete all of their summer reading. Four percent said they didn’t read the book at all. • Not everybody enjoyed the reading. 41 percent said they did not enjoy their book(s) very much, at all, or just didn’t read them.

Nevertheless, many wouldn’t have read anything substantial over the summer without the program: • Thirty-six percent said that, if not for summer reading, they would not have read at least a full book. Of those students, 11 percent said that they would’ve read less than a full book. 25 percent of them said they wouldn’t have read at all.

“We don’t want brains turning to jelly over the summer.” The survey’s results show that summer reading is a valuable program. However, there are several issues that should be addressed. First, summer reading hasn’t been properly accessible to students without the financial means to acquire the books. According to the survey, 54 percent of students either paid for their books themselves or had their parents pay. Even a one-cent used copy from Amazon requires a credit or debit card and $3.99 for shipping and handling, and new copies can cost up to nearly 20 dollars. Aside from buying the books, 19 percent said they borrowed theirs from a library. Libraries, however, are

Editors-in-Chief

Luke Haubenstock • Whitney C. Lim • Amber Ly News Joseph Kim, Whitney C. Lim, Emily Teng Sports Cynthia Leung, Amber Ly Features Luke Haubenstock, Noreen Shaikh Opinion Ophir Cohen-Simayof Reporters Josephine Dang, Aiko Delos Reyes, Caleb Hilladakis, Adrian Hung, JoyAnne Ibay, Stephanie Li, Rachael Schmidt, Olivia Starr, Clarissa Wan, Sophia Wu, Luming Yuan, Jennifer Zhang Illustrators Emily Teng, Stephan Xie Photographers Leonard Caoli, Kiara Gil, Kelley Grade, Aida Irving, Alexis Picache, Lily Young Multimedia Editor Aida Irving Art Manager Emily Teng Business Managers Shania Lee, Jason Li, Kelvin Lu, Shania Qin

not always reliable. For example, the whole San Francisco Public Library system has a total of 49 copies of the freshman summer reading book, Graceling, yet approximately 680 students, from Lowell alone, were required to read the book, but all copies were checked out by the end of summer. Students should not have to rely

The Lowell September 2015

on public libraries to get their books. California public school students are entitled to “textbooks and instructional materials...to use in class and to take home,” according to the California Education Code, after the 2000 Williams vs California case, a class action lawsuit that said the state failed to provide poor and underprivileged public school students with equal access to instructional materials, among other things. At Lowell, this rule most importantly protects low-income students. Forty-three percent of Lowell students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school should at least provide a program to help these students pay for

their summer reading books. To do this, Lowell would likely need several thousand dollars in funding. This would have to be renewable at least every few years to keep the books current. If the school budget can’t accommodate the expense, then the school should pursue outside funding, like grants from a private donor, the Parent Teacher Student Association or the Lowell Alumni Association. If Lowell can not provide financial aid to at least low-income students, then the school should not require summer reading. The second issue is that many students lack the motivation to finish their books, and, according to the survey, many don’t find the reading interesting. To address this, the school could allow students to pick their own books, which some classes have done to an extent. Last year, many students in Advanced Placement Cathy Innis’s class suggested Eleanor and Park as a summer reading book, which the English department eventually used. In the spring semester, the English department could come up with a list of suggested books for summer reading and survey student interest. Summer reading is a valuable asset to our education, a buffer keeping students from losing their academic skills over a long break. v

Adviser

Samuel Williams

2014 NSPA Online Pacemaker 2012 NSPA Print Pacemaker 2011 NSPA All-American 2011 NSPA Online Pacemaker

2009 NSPA First Class Honors 2007 NSPA All-American 2007 NSPA Web Pacemaker 2007 CSPA Gold Crown

Published by the journalism classes of Lowell High School, Room S108, 1101 Eucalyptus Drive, San Francisco, CA 94132. Phone: (415) 759-2730. Email: thelowellnews@gmail.com, thelowellads@yahoo.com. All contents copyright Lowell High School journalism classes. All rights reserved. The Lowell strives to inform the public and to use their opinion sections as open forums for debate. All unsigned editorials are the opinions of the staff. The Lowell welcomes comments on school-related issues from students, faculty and community members. Send letters to lowellopinion@gmail.com. Letters must be signed. Names will be withheld upon request. We reserve the right to edit letters before publication.

From The Lowell’s Facebook page: Re: “2015 freshman enrollment will be the lowest since 2007” 6/20/15

“Maybe a committee can be formed to study the data, and to make recommendations on how to address this in future years? Without a wait list, the school needs to develop a strategy that turns ‘no’ into ‘yes’ and/or that results in an ‘accepted’ pool comprising of more students who want to go to Lowell.” -Joyce Tom

Re: “How boys’ soccer bounced back with a 2-0 win over Lions” 9/2/15

“It looks like as the season progresses the boys are really mastering this formation. It has a learning curve to it but when executed properly it allows for the midfielders to support the offense and give additional width to the field. It’s necessary for the midfielders to get back and help the defense when needed since they are playing with a man down in the back if you compare it to the traditional 4-3-3 formation.” -Xenia De Feminis

Re: “College Board forces 200 seniors to retake last year’s AP US history exam after proctoring error” 9/19/15 “Ridiculous on so many levels. At most they should have been asked to just retake the section they inadvertently got extra time on. These kids are already swamped with SATs, college apps, school work, extracurricular activities, etc. Another example of Race to Nowhere so thank you Lowell and College Board for adding to their stress and work load!” -Alla Gershberg

Re: Pictures of New Lockers 9/2/15

“Incredibly disappointing that school/ district management could not get their act together over the two month + summer. And now there are thousands of kids hauling huge backpacks around for weeks and weeks.” -Alex Bernstein

Tuition hikes deserve a bold approach Students deserve to know what options they have to combat the rising cost of education at a public university. Senators Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have made this issue essential parts of their political platforms. The Washington Post discussed it in its 2013 10-part series “The Tuition is Too Damn High.” Some staff members feared that the phrase is

too strong, that it will cause unnecessary controversy or that certain audiences will be offended. However, the majority of us preferred to publish a front cover that reflects the importance and weight of the college tuition issue. We think that choosing this progressive route is in step with current society, culture and politics. In the political sphere, Jimmy McMillan’s “The Rent is Too Damn

FROM THE EDITORS

High” political party and infamous “Too Damn High” memes have set a precedent for the phrase. Because this issue is so important, we want this front cover to have an impact, to make you open the magazine and read the story. We know that using “damn” is bold. But our publication doesn’t shy away from controversy because of one word.

Junior explains the meaning of cultural appropriation Cultural appropriation. These are the two words that always succeed in ruining my mood. Scrolling through my Instagram, I see a stereotypical white girl wearing a bindi. The same white girl who would mock us for wearing a “red dot” on our foreheads now sees it as a fashion statement. In another picture, I see our Lord Ganesha on the wall of a white girl as she smokes a blunt. The same white girl who would laugh at our “elephant God” now sees Him as a pretty wall decoration where she can smoke stylishly. In another picture, I see a white girl with henna on her hand during Coachella. The same white girl who would frown upon our “weird designs” now uses it to portray herself as a hipster. Cultural appropriation does not just stop with South Asian culture. Oh, no. It extends far into Middle Eastern, African, and Caribbean cultures as well. I have seen Angelina Jolie getting a tattoo written in Arabic simply because of its glamour.

I have seen Miley Cyrus praised for wearing “the most amazing, blonde, dreadlock” while Zendaya’s dreadlocks were criticized publicly by Giuliana Rancic, who claimed Zendaya’s dreadlocks must smell like “patchouli oil...or weed.” I have seen Gigi Hadid walking down a Caribbean themed runway during New York Fashion Week for the sake of an exotic appeal. I have seen Iggy Azalea dance disrespectfully in a Hindu temple, wearing traditional Indian clothing in efforts to embellish her music video “Bounce.” I have seen everything I wish I had not. There is a very fine line with respecting culture and appropriating culture. Unless you are a member of a particular culture, there is literally no legitimate reason for you to adopt the culture. People fail to recognize the significance behind many of the cultural aspects that society deems merely as aesthetic pleasure. Dreadlocks are a necessity in

COMMENTS

LETTERS

the Rastafari faith as they represent Jesus in his regal nature. But why do white people care about that when dreadlocks can make you look badass? Plump lips and curvaceous figures are prominent features among African women. But only ignorant white people will ridicule such features and then go on to applaud Kylie Jenner for acquiring the same features through lip fillers and butt creams. These exotic cultures, as people like to label them, only become beautiful again once white people implement them. Our culture is not your fashion accessory. Our culture is not yours to alter. Our culture is not yours to partake in. Our culture is none of your concern. Our culture is only ours. On behalf of all my exotic sisters, Pooja Singh Junior, class of 2017

The Lowell September 2015

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The Lowell September 2015

FEATURES

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$134K

EMILY TENG

UC-RIOUS? With the cost of UC tuition reaching an all-time high, many qualified students are struggling to afford the education they deserve. Luckily, there are options.

By Stephanie Li

N MARCH OF 2013, Brian Nguyen logged on to the UC Santa Cruz portal to find an acceptance letter. This was the moment he had been waiting for: University of California (UC) schools are a dream for many Lowell students and now it had become a dream come true for him. He was ecstatic — until he realized that he may not be able to attend Santa Cruz. After all, could he really afford a UC education for all four years? The cost of attending college has only risen over the decades. Tuition at a private university is over twice as expensive as it was in 1984. Tuition at California public universities, like UC schools, has increased more than at public universities in any other state over the past decade. That brings the cost of attendance at a UC school — which includes tuition, fees, housing, books, health insurance, transportation and other expenses — to about $33,600 per year when living on campus, higher than it has ever been in previous decades. UC schools’ priority is “to ensure that a UC education remains affordable to all Californians who meet its admissions standards.” A big part of that is their “reaffirmation of California’s long-time commitment to the principle of tuition-free education to residents of the state” in accordance with the 1960 California Master Plan for Higher Education, a plan that defines the specific roles of California’s higher education programs, including UC schools. However, the current tuition price freeze for Californians,

enacted through the 2015 state budget, will only last for two years — and after that the price of UC attendance could potentially increase even more. This is an issue for Lowell, where UC schools are extremely popular options. Just last year, 545 out of 642 students — about 85 percent of the graduating class — applied to at least one UC school, according to the UC admissions website. Additionally, the same dataset shows that Lowell garners the highest number of students accepted into a UC of any high school in California, with a 76 percent overall acceptance rate. Despite these high statistics, if the prices continue to rise, many Lowell students may not be able to afford attending a UC school: 43 percent of Lowell students qualify for free or reduced lunch, meaning that their low-income status hinders their ability to fork out the high tuition fees. ORTUNATELY, FINANCIAL aid options are plentiful for low-income students, as compared to students from more affluent families. Existing financial assistance ranges from grants and scholarships, which do not have to be repaid, to loans, which do have to be repaid. To apply for financial aid from the federal and state governments and from most colleges, students have to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which determines how much fi-

The Lowell September 2015

nancial aid each student’s family needs. However, the complexity and low completion rates of the FAFSA form have plagued high school students, parents, counselors and legislators alike and make applying for financial aid difficult. The FAFSA form currently consists of 105 questions and California’s completion rate is a measly 43.5 percent, according to Bellwether Education. This has prompted calls on Congress to pass a bill that would simplify the application. Of the three types of financial aid, loans are the riskiest because they put students in debt. However, the federal loans that are obtainable through FAFSA are still a valuable form of financial assistance and are recommended over private student loans. “Federal student loans are cheaper, more available and have better repayment terms than private student loans,” according to FinAid, a website that guides students through the financial aid process. Although many students may turn away at the possibility of being in debt, counselor David Beauvais believes that student loans can be reasonable if they pay off in the future. “Good debt is an investment in your future or your present,” he said. To help students decide for themselves whether their college tuition and student loan debt is a worthy investment, last month the U.S. Education and Treasury Departments released a federal college scorecard detailing many statistics, among which are the average student loan debt and the earnings after graduation.

PTIONS BEYOND financial aid also exist, as Nguyen, Class of 2013, who was accepted to UCSC but was unable to afford a fouryear UC education, found out. Nguyen’s solution was to transfer: first attending the City College of San Francisco for two years and then transferring to a UC school. And it paid off. As of fall 2015, Nguyen is officially a student at UC Berkeley. In choosing to transfer instead of attending a UC for four years, Nguyen is now able to attend UC Berkeley for much less. The total estimated cost of a four-year UC education is $134,400, including room and board, supplies and transportation. In comparison, students who transfer after spending two years at CCSF pay a total of $92,032 — 31 percent less than the four-year total. Counselor Jonathan Fong believes that transferring is a viable financial option. “Community college is much cheaper, and you can still transfer to the college you want. You’re paying two years for tuition — it’s college on sale,” he said. Nguyen’s choice benefitted him in more ways than just the financial. The numerous extracurricular opportunities available in San Francisco led Nguyen to believe that going to CCSF instead of a UC school outside of San Francisco was worth it. While attending CCSF, Nguyen worked as a lab technician intern at the Exploratorium, a research intern at UC San Francisco, Mission Bay, and a mentor and lab aide at the CCSF biology department. Part of Nguyen’s learning experience at CCSF stemmed from his interactions with the diverse student population. At CCSF, he met a lot of parenting students, returning students

UC schools’ priority is “to ensure that a UC education remains affordable to all Californians who meet its admissions standards.”

v The Lowell September 2015

and immigrants who worked two jobs while also attending school as full-time students. “It’s taught me humility and how to value your education,” he said.

OWEVER, SOME transfer students do encounter transitional issues when trying to balance their workload and social life, according to Jannet Ceja, UCSC’s Services for Transfer and Re-Entry Students (STAR) program coordinator and advisor. In order to address these students’ difficulties, some schools offer in school services, like STAR, which host academic workshops and classes to help students with the transition. Although some transfer students have also confided that they feel out of place at UC schools, the worry is unfounded, according to Ceja. “Students themselves tell me that they feel like ‘I’ve cheated because I’m not here for four years,’” Ceja said. “But most students here know who the transfers are so they try to be inclusive.”

is not guaranteed but definitely possible. In fact, UCLA, a non-TAG program school, was the UC school with the most transfers in 2015, with 3,226 transfer students. Furthermore, considering that the new state budget requires that UC schools admit a third of entering students as transfers, transferring is a valid option. In her senior year, Jasmin Ngai, Class of 2012, was pondering over whether she should take the risk of carrying a huge student debt burden out of a four year UC education. Realizing that taking advantage of the TAG program would allow her to pay less for a UC education, Ngai first attended the City College of San Mateo before transferring to UCSD (back when UCSD was still an option under the TAG program). Choosing to transfer from the TAG program instead of going straight from high school to a UC benefitted Ngai beyond the monetary savings. The TAG program requires that students fulfill their general education course requirements — classes that give students a basis in the major academic disciplines of science, social science, humanities and fine arts — before transferring. When Ngai transferred, she was one of the few juniors who had all her lower divisions finished, allowing her to focus solely on her upper division courses, courses that relate to her major. “In fact, I can practically finish college early if I wanted to,” Ngai said. Ngai also stressed the importance of self-discipline and self-direction in attending a community college because college advi-

“When I transferred, I was one of the few juniors who had all my lower divisions finished, so I went straight to my upper division courses.”

OR STUDENTS WHO specifically aim to transfer from a California Community College to a UC school, a builtin program exists. The Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program offers California Community College students guaranteed admission and first priority in transferring to one of the six partner UC schools: UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz. Transferring to the other UC schools, UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles and UC San Diego,

See UC ALTERNATIVES on pg. 13 The Lowell September 2015

SPORTS

LEONARD CAOILI

THE GAME PLAN Varsity football rushes into the season with a new team and a new offense By Adrian Hung

ounds of coaches yelling and referee whistles blowing pierce hopefully they get it right the second time.” the air. A single shopping cart filled with a bucket of water The team’s drastic change to its roster and the size of the playrolls its way to the field providing fuel to the players dur- ers has led the coaching staff to change its offensive strategy from ing the game. A stream of football players marches from a shotgun offense to a double-wing offense, an offense they used the locker-room to the football field. This year the varsity football years ago. team is jumping into the season with a new lineup and new offensive The shotgun offense focuses on players having to pass the ball. strategy. When the play starts, the quarterback can decide to pass the ball to Out of thirty players total, the new roster features nine play- a wide receiver or choose to scramble and run the ball up the field ers moving up from the JV team and three new players joining for himself. However, this offense requires the players to be able to exthe first time. Among them are Mace ecute blocks to get the pass through. It Gouldsby, Victor Martinez and Ethan can easily be countered if the defense Zhang, all of whom are juniors. It is rare focuses on intercepting passes. W hen the play star ts, to have first-year football players join On the other hand, the doublethe varsity team as juniors or seniors, player s execute double wing offense is not as restricted to a according to head coach Danny Chan. set formation as the shotgun offense teams and blocks on Despite these players skipping JV is. Players are placed more freely along the defense, allowing football, practicing with veteran players the line of scrimmage. When the play has pressured them to reach the varsity for the quar terback to starts, players execute double teams level quicker. “I am new to the concept and blocks on the defense, allowing r un the ball and pass of being a part of a team game,” offenfor the quarterback to run the ball and sive and defensive lineman Martinez pass with ease. With a size disadvanwith ease. said. “However, jumping straight into tage, the Cardinals run the ball when the varsity football team has given me the play starts instead of passing. first-hand experience on mental toughThe Cardinals ran this double wing ness, communication and brotherhood with my teammates.” offense on Aug. 29 during the game against Terra Linda, which they Playing in scrimmages has provided the younger team with more lost 41-6. “Against Terra Linda, it did not work so well,” Chan said. experience and opportunities to increase their team chemistry. “Af- “We still need more time in the system so our players will be used to ter playing in these pre-season games, I have a better understanding it. We need fine tuning.” of my role when I’m on the field,” junior wing-back and defensive Even though they lost, the scrimmages proved to be vital in end Ethan Zhang said. helping the team pinpoint weaknesses. According to Chan, the The veteran players on the team have also been helpful in giving Cardinals were lacking focus on the field during the game against advice and leading drills to the newer players. “When we run drills the Tennyson Lancers on Sept. 18, which they lost 48-0, according or plays, we tell the new players what to do,” senior captain Patrick to Chan. “We have an effort and tempo problem,” Chan said. “Our Roonan said. “If they do it wrong, we tell them how to fix it and See FOOTBALL on pg. 13

Junior wingback and defensive back Jefferson Rubio runs up the field, dodging the oncoming defense during practice.

The Lowell September 2015

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