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You’re talented, but you cray — J.Lo
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Lowell M The
arch
2015
GIRLS GET THEIR GAME ON
CHRIS THE CONQUEROR
CONTROVERSIAL LOWELL CONFESSIONS
OUT TO BRUNCH
Girls’ varsity basketball wins at the Battle of the Birds
Athlete of the Month: Sophomore wrestler Chris O’Neill
Do anonymous submissions allow for unsafe posts?
Reporters check out fun, delicious restaurants
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By Ophir Cohen-Simayof and Danielle Flores
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By Cynthia Leung and Stephanie Li
By Ophir Cohen-Simayof
By Lisa Cheung and Aiko Delos Reyes
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#ICYMI ON THELOWELL.ORG Orchestra performs at Jazz Pops on Jan. 16.
ZOE KAISER
AIDA IRVING
ZOE KAISER
ALEXIS PICACHE
KARINA HUFT
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Math teacher Thomas Chambers nominated “Educator of the Year.”
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@TheLowell ON TWITTER
Meet Lowell’s new teachers: social science teacher Michael Ungar, science teacher Ryan Sass, English teacher Jacqueline Marie Moses, and PE/College and Career teacher Joshua Jung.
Front cover photo by Zoe Kaiser
ZOE KAISER
EDITORIAL
One size does not fit all: against the district’s new math plan
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he San Francisco Unified School District has proposed to create a one-size-fits-all math course sequence to align with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. SFUSD aims to improve student achievement with classes of mixed skill-levels from middle school to high school, forcing all 9th graders to take CCSS Algebra 1. Though the plan strives to bring lower-achieving students up to a higher standard, it holds back mid-and higher achieving students. When the Lowell School Site Council found out about the proposed implementation, student representatives created petitions for students and alumni to request a waiver for Lowell from the plan. The PTSA also created a petition. Lowell math and science teachers along with students then spoke at the Board of Education meeting on Feb. 10 to protest the plan, and presented these petitions. Though the campaign has been successful and the district has decided to postpone the proposed implementation district-wide for a year, its future application will only serve to hurt the district in the long run. Students should be able to aim for academic success at a level where they feel appropriately challenged, and this is assisted by ability level separation. Those supporting CCSS-M argue that the Common Core math classes cannot be compared with the current curriculum, as the CCSS-M stresses concept learning over drilling skills. Using a single core sequence aims to stop students
from taking accelerated courses they aren’t able to handle. But the solution is improving the accuracy of placement, rather than making all classes mixed skill-level. Not only will students be unable to have a math course tailored to their needs and interests, but entry into upper-level math and science courses will be limited. Many Advanced Place-
high school. “As a parent, I’m glad that my daughter is halfway through high school, and I didn’t have to make that choice, because my daughter wants to be a scientist,” Lowell biology teacher Mark Wenning said. “And if this plan is implemented in the school district I teach in, her needs would not be served.” There is also an equity issue between private school and SFUSD students. In the original plan that was postponed, only students transferring into the district and private school students would be able to take a placement exam and place out of CCSS Algebra 1, the required freshman course. As only 30 percent of Lowell students are from private school, SFUSD would be discriminating against its own students. With mixed level classes, student grades would only polarize, forming a parabolic shape rather than a typical bell curve. Karl Hoffman, Lowell AP Calculus and Geometry Honors teacher has seen this happen before when he was at Thurgood Marshall and everybody started with Algebra 1. “We referred to what happened as a bimodal distribution – we had a whole bunch of A’s and F’s, and not a lot of stuff in between,” Hoffman said at the Board of Education meeting. “I really want to encourage us not to make this mistake again.” Students in classes grouped by ability are able to challenge themselves and pursue interests relevant to them. This should not be lost, even with the CCSS-M being implemented. The district should create an alternative core sequence, as the proposed sequence is too limiting to many students. v
Students should be able to aim for academic success at a level where they feel appropriately challenged. ment courses such as AP Statistics, AP Physics, and AP Chemistry have math prerequisites that will limit them to seniors only under the new math program. The solution to entering upper-level math classes is not solid either. Under the new program, students will take a compressed CCSS Algebra 2 and Precalculus course to prepare for AP Calculus and AP Statistics. Lowell calculus teacher Laurence Warshaw argued at the Board of Education meeting that the compression of Algebra 2 and Precalculus does not give sufficient time for students to work with and fully understand either subject. Implementing the CCSS-M in this manner will weigh even more heavily on parents’ decisions to send their child to a district or private
Editors-in-Chief
Andrew Pearce • Sam Tick-Raker Samantha Wilcox • Michelle Wong Managing Editors Whitney C. Lim, Amber Ly News Whitney C. Lim, Michelle Wong Sports Amber Ly, Andrew Pearce, Sam Tick-Raker Features Luke Haubenstock Opinion Madelyn Chen, Samantha Wilcox Reporters Lisa Cheung, Ophir Cohen-Simayof, Josephine Dang, Aiko Delos Reyes, Jade
Fong, Danielle Flores, Caleb Hilladakis, Adrian Hung, JoyAnne Ibay, Joseph Kim, Johann Leffler, Cynthia Leung, Stephanie Li, Rayming Liang, Jacqueline Nguyen, Tyler Perkins, Paula Quon, Arthur Register, Rachael Schmidt, Noreen Shaikh, Olivia Starr, Emily Teng, Clarissa Wan, Sophia Wu, Luming Yuan, Jennifer Zhang, Kellen Zheng Illustrators Emily Teng, Stephan Xie Photo Editor Zoe Kaiser Photographers Kelley Grade, Karina Huft, Aida Irving, Zoe Kaiser, Amber Ly Multimedia Editor Ariel Yuan
Art Manager Emily Teng Business Managers Jason Li, Carissa Ng, Gabe Schumm Web Managers Srinand Paruthiyil, Ivy La 2
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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.
Stephan Xie
Teacher disagrees with recently renegotiated contract Why I opposed the contract: I’m an idealist. I became a teacher because I believe this is my calling. Teaching is a rewarding profession and I can’t imagine doing any other job. I enjoy literature and leading enriching discussions. At the same time, I hate being told: “Clearly you didn’t go into teaching for the money.” The truth is that teaching should be a desirably paid profession. Teachers are professionals with advanced degrees and training that involves deep knowledge of our respective disciplines, and yet the way we are paid is a clear reflection that we are not treated as such. We certainly are not compensated enough for the amount of education we are required to have, for the compassion we can’t help but feel for our students, and for the additional hours of work due to the very nature of our jobs. Teachers inspire, motivate, support, and in some extreme cases, put their lives on the line for students. We use our breaks and other personal time to help students with college applications, to give feedback on personal statements, to write recommendations and, in some cases, appeal letters. This work is not part of our job description, but we do this because we care. I contest the contract for two reasons. The first is the raise. We asked for 21% over the next three
years; we got 12%. Sure, to the public it may seem like we are asking for a lot, but considering the fact that we have not seen a raise in over 8 years, and yet living expenses increase every year, our request has more to do with regaining what we sacrificed during the district’s time of financial distress, and nothing to do with “greed.” Additionally, the contract offers absolutely no alleviation to the financial burden employees bear for family healthcare contribution. I opted for the most “affordable plan” available, and yet $750 is deducted out of my paycheck every month so that my children can have health insurance. Employees with one dependent pay $345, whereas an employee with no dependent pays $4 (myhss.org). It would be one thing if we at least got the 21% raise we asked for, but we got neither. Based upon my income, under Covered California, the state’s health insurance system, I qualify to pay less than $400 for family health coverage. However, because coverage is offered through my employer, I am not allowed to enroll, which would save me $350 a month. As a single mother, finances are a burden I bear alone. I am certainly not the only parent facing this situation. Employees like me should not be required to pay as much as we are.
LETTERS
Despite being a professional, I live paycheck to paycheck, simply to make ends meet. I seek out additional jobs to supplement my income, because my full time salary isn’t enough to support cost of living in the Bay Area. I take additional college units to reach the next (and final level) pay category when I already have to work about 70 hours a week to do my job. I am working myself into delirium because I must provide for my children. Really, what other choice do I have? I am so grateful to Ms. Melvin and other UESF union leaders for all their efforts to try and get us the best possible contract available. And don’t get me wrong—if we were to be forced to go on strike, I would probably be the first person to panic. I don’t have any family to fall back upon for financial support, and no significant other to boost my income. But unless some serious changes occur to combat the cost of living expenses of teachers, we won’t be able to stay in the profession that we are passionate about. The financial struggle that employees with families face is a serious problem that should not be overlooked or ignored any longer. Faithfully yours, Stephanie Crabtree English Teacher
The Lowell March 2015
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NEWS
more than just a game By Sophia Wu and Kellen Zheng
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ZOE KAISER
EADSETS ON. The face of determination glued to the screen. Silence broken by rapid-fire clicking. The screen blurs into chaotic movement of characters in a
vivid environment. Little do you know, the course to becoming champions of a continent-wide competition is underway. A budding competitive gaming team at Lowell proves that gamers are not always nerdy or anti-social. This year, five seniors are embarking on a new path in competitive gaming that may lead to scholarships and continent-wide recognition. Seniors Matthew Lo, Kevin Huang, Ernie Lum, William Tsang and David Zheng are in a competitive gaming team they call Lowell HS (not an official school team). They recently tore through an eSports (short for electronic sports) tournament, earning themselves the championship title of the season, finishing first of sixty-four teams from all over North America. They plan to compete for scholarship money in HSL’s 2015 Spring Tournament. 4
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In many ways, the team believes eSports is comparable to traditional sports such as football or baseball, contrary to the stereotype that gaming is for inactive “nerds”. “It takes a lot of time, commitment and effort to get better at it, just like any other sport,” Zheng said. Even though eSports lacks a physical aspect, it has many similarities to traditional sports such as rigorous training, weekly practices, an emphasis on teamwork, and strategy. In response to the “Mountain Dew and Doritos” stereotype which says that gamers have a strict diet of chips and soda while gaming, the team expressed their disgust. “Gamers who have chip dust on their fingers are nasty,” Tsang said. “If you eat chips, you gotta use chopsticks; don’t get your work space dirty.” According to a 2014 study commissioned by the game streaming website, Twitch.tv, some gamers may even lead more social lives than non-gamers. “For me, I got a lot more social interaction, as weird as that seems,” said Tsang, when commenting on the benefits of gaming. “You would think, online, you’re home all day, sitting in front of a computer screen, and you’re not talking to anyone, but actually, you make a bunch of friends online, like these guys [Lowell HS].” Lowell HS makes it clear that they are not addicted to gaming. They try to practice for about two to ten hours during the weekends depending on how free they are. “I make it a rule to play only when I’m done with all of See GAMERS on pg. 28
world record? been there, rowed that By Olivia Starr and Clarissa Wan
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ZOE KAISER
HILE MOST people were at home
with family or out celebrating during winter break, three members of the Pacific Rowing Club set out to
accomplish an impressive feat: breaking two world records. Over the course of three days, three hours, one minute, and forty seconds on December 22 through 25, sophomore Peter Hollander, senior Bjorn Yang-Vaernet, and junior Dmitry Kuliaev broke the Guinness World Records for Longest Indoor Continual Row and the Million Meter Row for the Male 19 and Under Lightweight category, along with several other rowers. The team spent the peak of the holiday season in competition. “A lot of people go home to open presents, but we were there, half awake,” Kuliaev said. Hollander added, “I honestly don’t think I’ve had a better Christmas, though. Because there, everybody cares about each other.” Mutual support was crucial over the course of the 75 hours spent breaking the record. Among the group of eight lightweight rowers, or rowers weighing under 160 pounds, each initially took a shift of ninety minutes. However, this soon proved to be too great of a task. “With about twelve hours to go, we switched to a system where two people share three hours, and they take smaller shifts,” Hollander said. He also recalled the first night, where he had the 2 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. shift, and his partner tried to keep him entertained with video games. “I just felt awful. We had a wish
list that went: first, for this damn thing to end, second, guacamole, and third, more Gatorade.” To document the process of breaking the record, the rowing period was carefully recorded. “We had to document the number of steps we took, our weight, and then on the rowing machine, there is a verification code and you have to send it in to the company (Concept2, the maker of the rowing machines),” Yang-Vaernet said. “People also recorded 10-second snippets of us rowing and we sent an email to the company,” Hollander added. A few weeks after winter break, certificates acknowledging the accomplishment arrived in the mail. Kuliaev and a fellow rower had set another world record the year before. They broke the record for the Longest Row for Two People in the Male 19 and Under Lightweight category. “It was really their idea to do it, and they wanted to do it with more people,” Hollander said. The rowers say they all share an innate drive to win, which prompted them to begin the challenge as a group. However, Hollander said it was also much more than simply winning. “It was a camaraderie thing. I liked knowing that everyone was doing it with me and was just as willing to devote themselves as fully to this record as I was, and just that we all care about each other.” The team had originally planned out the rowing schedule to break the longest continual row record, but the million meters record was a surprise and a result of the team’s extra effort. Rowing a longer amount of time does not equate to a longer distance. “Honestly, to get a million meters quickly, you need to pull (the rowing machine) harder,” Yang-Vaernet said. “So we had to make a decision as a group to pull harder, and that’s why we felt it was See ROWERS on pg. 28
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Courtesy of MAdison Jones
INSTA-NISTA Meet the girl behind the shots.
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By Emily Teng
Zoe KAiser
n an oversized beige cardigan and ripped boyfriend jeans, junior Madison Jones strikes a pose against a faded brick wall as her sister snaps a photo with her Nikon D300. With a minimalist aura, Jones expresses her sense of style through her Instagram account @outfitsbymaddy. Since her first post, she has gained over 1,300 followers and gains roughly ten followers a day. In one post, Jones poses in front of her parked Mercedes-Benz, wearing a dark gray long-sleeved crop top and plaid black and white trousers. She adds her finishing touches to the outfit with a pair of black ankle boots and a simple blue backpack. After modelling for her sister in dozens of photos with different lighting and poses, she selects her favorite and captions it “happy hump day// click the pic to see where everything’s from #brandyusa.”
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Despite her current strong online presence and large follower base, Jones was hesitant to start an Instagram account, afraid of what other people would think. In elementary and middle school, she was extremely shy, according to Jones. She preferred to blend into the crowd by donning school sweatshirts, sportswear, and other conventional clothes. “I didn’t want to get noticed, so I just dressed with what everyone else wore,” Jones said. Tired of being so introverted, she decided to step out of her comfort zone in 7th grade by wearing clothes that would make her look and feel more confident. “Fashion has played a huge role in my life, and it has really helped me come out of my shell,” Jones said. “I decided to make @outfitsbymaddy to help shy girls like me become more self-assured by giving them ideas on what they can wear.” See INSTA-NISTA on pg. 28
in the
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By Joseph Kim and Noreen Shaikh The Lowell March 2015
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Top, from left: senior Simon Liu, junior Jerry Wang, senior Srinand Paruthiyil, senior Sally Chen, senior Jonathan Chen, senior Anindita Chattopadhyay. Bottom, from left: senior Willa Li, senior David Mai. Not pictured: junior Crystal Chung.
HOW NINE STUDENTS SEIZED THE CHANCE TO DO RESEARCH ON CELLS, MICE AND CANCER WITH THE PROS
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he stared down at the agarose gel and up at her mentor. It was only her first day of performing wet lab tasks, and she had already broken the gel, used to separate DNA or protein from agarose. Unnoticed by her mentor, she stood staring at him for a good five minutes debating whether or not to tell him about it. New interns don’t have it easy. Senior Anindita Chattopadhyay was one of the nine students from Lowell’s Science Research program who received the opportunity to intern full-time in a laboratory last summer, at the University of California, San Francisco. The students from the program produced graduate student level work, with instruction and assistance from medical doctors and professionals working at UCSF, studying the latest research and conducting experiments on subjects from protein manipulation to cell culturing.
Learning outside of the classroom
“One question that I get a lot is ‘Did anything from AP Bio get factored into the lab?’ and I’d say ‘Barely anything,’” senior Srinand Paruthiyil said, who studied a fungus that commonly affects the lungs of people with immuno-compromised bodies, such as people with A.I.D.S. “I only recall using knowledge on basic genetics and one or two chapters from AP Bio,” he said. 8
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ZOE KAISER
Despite their lack of lab experience, the students entered the program with hopes to further their exploration of science. “I started off not even knowing what a gene was, other than they weren’t the kind you put on every morning,” senior Willa Li said. Li studied how neurofibromatosis type 1 GTPase-activating protein activity impairs blast colony formation in Nf1-deficient murine acute myeloid leukemia. If you didn’t understand that, don’t worry, neither did she at first. “In simpler terms, I studied acute myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer which causes your white blood cells to grow out of control,” Li said. “We basically explored how the cells can be restored to stop dividing by manipulating different proteins.” She said she felt frustrated when she tried to read her first scientific article. “Every other word was new to me,” Li said. “I wanted to give up on it, but with encouragement from the Lowell Science Research leaders, I eventually succeeded in understanding the article and gave a presentation on it with my group mates to my peers. I felt very triumphant after that experience.” Several were surprised to find
that their internships required more knowledge than just textbook facts. “At school, they don’t teach you how to use the high quality pipettes or the specific machines you see in an actual lab,” said junior Jerry Wang, who worked in the field of neuroscience, specifically looking at a region of the brain responsible for the sense of touch. Learning was not limited to reading scientific articles or performing complex labs — the students learned skills for daily life. “My internship helped me become more professional — even like a teacher,” Wang said. “People don’t know what you are researching so you have to be able to present complex ideas in simple ways.” Most significantly, they learned how to conduct cutting-edge experiments. Senior Simon Liu studied cell competition by running tests on cages full of mice. “Instead of doing science problems that solved problems people already knew about, we followed our own course and solved for the unknown by experimenting with the mice,” Liu said. “It was hard understanding the science behind the research since I joined without much background knowledge, but I learned See INTERNS on pg. 29
“I started off not even knowing what a gene was, other than they weren’t the kind you put on every morning.”
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Singing for her psychic cat Sophomore Katherine Skinner impresses judges on American Idol with her voice and eccentric sense of humor. By Ophir Cohen-Simayof
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HEN THE JUDGES ASKED her who inspired her to audition on American Idol, sophomore Katherine Skinner proudly said, “My psychic cat, Mufasa.” Skinner was on television twice, showing off her talent and charm in front of Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, Harry Connick, and the entire world from Jan. 16 to Feb. 12. The first time she appeared was at the San Francisco audition, when the show first aired. Skinner came onto the screen with her “pimp coat,” told the judges about her psychic cat, and then proceeded to sing Florence and the Machine’s “Shake It Out.” Her entire act shocked them so much that even Lopez said “you are talented, but you cray.” The second time she appeared on the show, Skinner sang Celine Dion’s “Alone” for the last round on Hollywood Week, where for seven days, the cast split into performing groups. Unfortunately, this is where the judges believed Skinner messed up, and sent her home. Now, rewind to August 2014, when Skinner’s private singing coach, Victor Cervantes, called Skinner to tell her that he had signed her up to audition on American Idol. Cervantes chose Skinner, along with another five out of his 40 students. He chose her not only for her talent, but also for her ambition. “Katherine is maybe one of my only students who really works hard and wants to be successful in music and singing,” Cervantes said. “She can hit very high notes, like an F and a G. Very few people can do that. Maybe women like Kelly Clarkson and Whitney Houston could hit those notes, and she can, too. It is very special and rare.” Skinner began her training with Cervantes at his summer camp three years ago. There, during her first solo performance, Skinner had an epiphany. “I actually got stage fright, which is really funny,” Skinner said. “I went on stage and sang, and it felt like the most amazing experience of my life. When I got off stage, I thought to myself ‘This is what I need to do with my life.’ I did not even want to sit back down; I wanted to be back on that stage.” Instead of jumping in excitement, Skinner’s initial reaction was to reject the offer. “I did not think it would work out because they cut even the most amazing and talented people, and I just seemed so young and inexperienced compared to all of them,” Skinner said. For eight weeks before auditions, Cervantes and Skinner worked on transforming 10
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Sophomore Katherine Skinner sings “Shake
I wore my pimp coat.. When I walked into the audition, J-Lo complimented it and I was just like, ‘Girl, I love you!’”
It Out” by Florence and the Machine at her audition for American Idol. See her full audition on thelowell.org. Photo Courtesy of American Idol.
Skinner from a musical theater singer to a pop artist — the style of music commonly sung on American Idol. According to Cervantes, Skinner has all the star qualities — she is funny, relaxed, and comfortable in a professional setting, along with just having an amazing talent. Going into her first audition, Skinner used her sense of humor to capture the attention of the producers and judges. “I got on the show because at the first cattle call [audition], there was this thing called the story sheet, and it had all these questions on it about our lives,” Skinner said. “I just made up a bunch of crazy stuff just to get attention because they needed something to be interested in right away. For example, one of the questions was ‘do you know anyone famous or are you related to a celebrity?’ So I wrote ‘I partied with Bowie in the 70’s.’” The crazy act was a success at first. When Skinner walked into her audition, JLo complimented her pimp coat. “She was all like ‘I love your outfit!’” Skinner said. “And I was just like ‘girl, I love you!’” After Skinner’s audition aired on television, she looked herself up on Google for feedback. From her cat Mufasa to her pimp coat, Skinner was not at all shocked by everyone’s intense reaction to her bold audition. Before Skinner made the decision to act insane, she talked to Cervantes, but he told her not to do it. However, the producers
liked the idea and told her to continue with it. “It started out as a joke, but then it evolved,” Skinner said. “I did it to make people talk, and that is exactly what happened. It was one of the most genius choices I have ever made. After all, there is no bad publicity.” Next, Skinner flew to Los Angeles for Hollywood Week. For Skinner, this was the most stressful and sleep-depriving points of the experience. “I fell asleep in the holding room, and I was being filmed,” Skinner said. “I was drooling and there was a camera in my face. It was little things like that — where the cameras capture awkward moments that are very candid.” A challenge that Skinner faced during her time on American Idol was keeping up with school work, as she missed two weeks to participate on the show. To support her, Skinner’s teachers and peers constantly kept her updated with the latest assignments. “I had friends who would update the entire class, so they would go ‘Oh! She passed the round! Yay!’” Skinner said. “Everyone has just been really sweet and supportive.” Though her time on this season’s American Idol is over, this does not signal the end of Skinner’s career. She plans on going back next season. As she said on the show, “I am not giving up — I am going to keep swaggin’ on.” v
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SPORTS
FEATHER FIGHT Boys’ varsity basketball falls to the Washington Eagles in the annual Battle of the Birds By Danielle Flores
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Senior center Joe Fish looks for options in the key on Jan. 16. Photo by Karina Huft 12
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S THE CLOCK WINDED DOWN, Lowell’s side of Kezar stadium remained silent as senior Justin Sujishi made the final shot of this year’s Battle of the Birds, but the shooting guard’s efforts were not enough as the boys’ varsity basketball team fell short in its matchup against the Washington Eagles, 68-56, on Friday, Jan. 16. At the start of the second quarter, the Eagles heightened their defense and immediately took the lead from the Cardinals. Though senior point guard Soren Carpenter kept the score close, racking up 8 total points in this quarter alone and 11 in the whole game, the Cardinals were outscored 18-15 and began halftime trailing behind 34-32. The third quarter marked a major shift in the game, as the Cardinals were able to score just seven points. Both teams had turned the ball over, but the Eagles were able to still complete their shots and get rebounds, according to senior power forward Antonio Hughes, who led the team with 12 points in the game. “We came out pretty strong and it just went downhill,” Hughes said. “ We went on our runs, they’d do something to counter our runs and they’d go on huge runs [and complete], and we wouldn’t be able to complete.” They also failed to box out and position themselves to rebound the ball. This helped the Eagles secure a 46-39 lead. In the final quarter, the Cardinals really pushed and tried to close in on the point difference, scoring 17 points. Senior shooting guard Justin Sujishi and junior center forward Caleb Hilladakis contributed 14 points, but this was not enough and the Eagles won 68-56. v
Senior power forward Antonio Hughes drives towards the basket in the Cardinals’ 68-56 loss to the Washington Eagles in the Battle of the Birds on Jan. 16. Photo by Karina Huft
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Senior Allyson Lui banks a layup in the Cardinal’s 60-47 victory in the Battle of the Birds. Photo by Karina Huft
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BEST OF THE NEST Varsity girls’ basketball eclipses shortrostered Eagles in the Battle of the Birds By Ophir Cohen-Simayof
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HE CARDINALS DEFEATED THE Washington Eagles at the Battle of the Birds 60-47 on Friday, Jan. 16. The Eagles only had eight players against the Cardinal’s nineteen. This, along with the girls’ determination to win, allowed for their victory. “With the number of girls they had, I do not think they had much of a choice, or we did not have much of a choice other than to get them tired and beat them,” varsity head coach Aki Kuwada said. Washington took 10 minutes to score their first point. Lowell junior center-forward Francesca Baldwin and senior point guard Allyson Lui led the team and made the majority of the baskets in the first quarter, each scoring four points. But, after the injury of senior co-captain guard Karina Tom, a key player, the Eagles almost completely caught up to the Cardinals, ending the quarter 16-10. “After we lost Karina, everyone stepped up and played the best they possibly could. In the end, that is what made the difference between winning and losing the game,” Lui said. The second quarter was a hard and slow battle. Within eight minutes, sophomore forward Emma Gleavey scored a three-pointer, and senior guard Ravina Pateleach and junior guards Tiffany Lowe and Brandi Wong each made two points. However, for every basket that the Cardinals made, the Eagles would make another. The ending score was 27-24. In the third quarter, the game sped up again as the Eagles began to lose momentum. Both Lui and Baldwin scored four points, with contributions of two points each from senwior forward Karina Garzona and sophomore guard Madison Toy. The period ended with See GIRLS’ VARS on pg. 28
Junior forward center Francesca Baldwin prepares for a shot in against Washington on Jan. 16. Photo by Karina Huft
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Athlete of the Month:
CHRIS O’NEILL “His attitude before the match is ‘I’m going to steal this guy’s soul.’”
Sophomore first-year wrestler Chris O’Neill tries to take down a member of the Washington Eagles’ wrestling team on Feb. 16. Photo by Karina Huft 16
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Sophomore novice wrestles like veteran By Lisa Cheung and Aiko Delos Reyes
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S SOPHOMORE WRESTLER Chris O’Neill starts off the match with a fierce determination, his expression shifts to one with an attitude that says he is going to knock his opponent down. The match begins, and he rushes toward his opponent in an attempt to pin them down and score the most points. While his opponent attempts several takedowns, he makes a comeback and quickly recovers. As the match continues, he never submits and follows through with a decisive shot that wins the match. He and the team turn out victorious. With just three months of wrestling experience, O’Neill’s record is nothing short of impressive. O’Neill recently snatched gold in his first junior varsity tournament and followed that up by placing third in two of his varsity tournaments. Along with his victories, O’Neill’s record stands at 17-6 in and out of the Academic Athletic Association. From the start, O’Neill’s potential was apparent to everyone. “When I first met Chris I could tell he had some talent,” freshman Sanchez O’Leary said. “He was already really strong and athletic. The thing that most impressed me though was how fast he picked up on everything.” Confidence and determination are the driving forces behind O’Neill’s success and improvements as an athlete. “His attitude before the match is ‘I’m going to steal this guy’s soul,’” head coach Michael Wise said. “During the match he stays focused on the only thing in the world that should matter to a wrestler during the competition: going hard, attacking, always looking to score or pin and both physically and mentally breaking your opponent.” O’Neill is sure to have high prospects in the future if he pursues wrestling and keeps up the good work. “I can see him as captain of the team, definitely — maybe even in his junior year,” O’Leary said. “I could also see him winning City this year or next year. He got third at Clayton Valley this year, which is probably the toughest in the city, and this is only his first year.” O’Neill’s skill is expected to bring him far as an athlete. “Being a first-year wrestler, he still has rough technical edges, but his head and heart are in the right place to excel,” Wise said. “I see Chris being a three-time section champion for Lowell.” See O’NEILL on pg. 29
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OPINION
Stephan Xie
Should students submit their probl Facebook page “Lowell Confessions
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o you have a crush you are just dying to share? Or do you have the sudden urge to anonymously confess to the world your secrets? Well, with a click of a button, you can. There is a new trend of teens using Facebook confession pages as a tool of expression. From San Francisco to New York, this movement can be tracked across the country. Lowell Confessions is a Facebook page run by three students that offers confidentiality and anonymity. Originally, the page was created for students to us e as a s afe pl a c e to ve nt ab out any t h i ng f rom st re ss to l ove. Posters can share their thoughts by clicking on a Google Form link, typing out their confessions, and waiting for the page administrator to post them. Some people send their confessions to the Facebook page as messages, but most just use the form. The form does not ask for any form of identification, so all posters are untrackable. The administrators of the Confessions would only be interviewed for this article on condition of anonymity, as they are anonymous on the Facebook page. We contacted the administrators through a direct Facebook message, and inter viewed them in an anonymous chat room. The administrators do not have a set schedule on when each administrator should post and do not have a system for choosing what gets posted. “We do not assign a specific type of post to one person or look for a specific type of post,” a student administrator said. “But one of us may tend to like to post funnier confessions, while another likes ones about crushes and romance. What we post, individually, is more of a reflection of our diverse personalities.” On average, the administrators post around 60 percent of their submissions. The 40
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percent that are not pos tion. According to a stu When Lowell Co trict legal departm and told them to sh that the anonymity dents’ security and question on Facebo ally posed this thre Since 2013, the to nocent crushes to m of depression and ev of suicide. One poste about how they are a dependent on their p of their lives. Due t with their parents, t ted to previously at and threatened to tr confession talks ab The poster said that any adults or best them, making t Another poster then went onto sa er said that they h themselves even m Though controver
lems to the s” anonymously? By Ophir Cohen-Simayof and Danielle Flores
sted are spam or are deemed inappropriate by the student administraudent administrator, the content cannot target someone specifically. onfessions was first launched in 2013, members of the Disment contacted the administrators of Lowell Confessions hut it down. According to dean Ray Cordoba, they feared y would encourage cyberbullying, posing a threat to stulivelihoods. In response, the page administrators posted a ok asking whether people believed that Confessions actueat, to which the majority of the community replied no. one of a significant portion of the posts has shifted from inmore serious claims ven some attempts er decided to write afraid of remaining parents for the rest to their situation this poster admitttempting suicide, ry again. Another out being lonely. they do not have friends there for them wonder why they even came to Lowell. claimed that their father hit them with an object, and aying that the father had done this before. The posthate their father for abusing them, but that they hate more for being afraid.“Please help me,” the post read. rsial confessions arise, some believe Lowell Confessions is still
a center for all students to get direct commentary and advice on their posts, and therefore that it is a positive outlet. Though he does not agree with everything Lowell Confessions does, the Wellness Center’s Community Health Outreach Worker Xavier Salazar said, “I think it is good in a sense that you are sharing how you feel. With certain people, it is a good thing because they do not have that kind of voice.” Some say Lowell Confessions creates a sense of community, something bigger than an individual counselor can give. “I see Lowell Confessions as a way for people who do not feel like they are being supported to gain support,” a student administrator of Lowell Confessions said. “Lowell is a large area, and it can be hard to find people who agree with your thoughts. Through the Confessions community, we remind everyone that they are not alone.” For example, the post about loneliness received immediate comments by students ready to help and give support. “Perhaps you have not found the right friends that that truly have meaning to you,” senior Zak LangfordDo said in a comment. Other comments of encouragement followed, offering up a different perspective for the poster and also suggesting going to the Wellness Center. However, there are risks in allowing these posts to be published. Reading these posts may cause rising feelings of depression within other students. According to the contagion theory in psychology, when a crowd exerts a certain emotion, an individual can succumb to that feeling. If teenagers start thinking, “if she is doing it, then I am going to do it,” then it might make them take that jump from feeling bad to wanting to harm themselves, according to Salazar. “It should not be a normalized thing to feel suicidal, and you do not want other people to be feeling that way, too,” Salazar said. Since Lowell Confessions subscribers and commenters do not hold degrees See CONFESSIONS on pg. 29
“Through the Confessions community, we remind everyone that they are not alone.”
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The Lowell March 2015
Summer Programs
2015
It’s hard to focus when there are a million things going on at once. That’s why summer is the best time to prepare for the SAT when students are free from the obligations of school clubs, teams, and homework. Elite has a variety of programs, schedules, and locations to give students and their families the flexibility to select the program that best meets their needs. Summer is just around the corner, so don’t let today go by without reserving a spot in an Elite summer program.
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1410 Irving Street San Francisco, CA 94122 (415) 665-5888 sanfrancisco@eliteprep.com The Lowell March 2015
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LIVES COLUMNS
The New Modern Family By Samantha Wilcox
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EMILY TENG
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AMANTHA, YOUR MOTHER and I have been divorced for three years, and we haven’t told you until today.” I remember this pivotal moment even though it was seven years ago — I was sitting in the front seat of my dad’s Toyota Camry, and my brother was in the back, crying. I looked out past the sand dunes of the Great Highway. I couldn’t cry. I had to stay strong for my brother, so that he knew everything was going to be okay. Everything was going to be okay. Well, that’s what I was telling myself, at least. When I was a kindergartner, the word “divorce” was an incredible fear of mine. I dreaded nothing more than seeing my parents leave each other, breaking my family apart. My mother was an executive at an apparel company in Germany, while my dad owned pizza stores in California, and they decided to try living long distance so that they could both follow their careers. While I lived with my mom and my brother in Germany and Amsterdam for seven years, my dad made the 11-hour trek across the Atlantic every two months to see us. Because of this peculiar situation, from an early age I knew my family wasn’t normal. In kindergarten, I was embarrassed to find that I was the only child without two parents cheering in the audience during the school play, and the only one whose mom could not come in for storytime because she was working. With my dad in San Francisco and my mom working for Adidas in Germany, my family was only fully together once every two months. Most mothers of my classmates didn’t have to work because their husbands were executives, but my mom didn’t have that luxury. I was embarrassed by my unconventional family. I had a fairy tale image of what a family should be: two loving parents who never fought and were going to be together forever. My mother should be Cinderella, and my dad should be her Prince Charming. However, that’s not how things turned out. This ideal family that I was expecting is what many kids wish for, and you would expect it to be the way the majority of families live by the way it is portrayed in the media. However, according to new data from the Pew Research Center, this is not the case. In 1960, 73 per-
cent of United States children lived in a family in which their parents were together and on their first marriage, while in 2013, this number dropped to 46 percent. This is a massive drop in the number of children who live in what is considered a nuclear family in past decades. Although I felt alone throughout my parents’ divorce, now I know that I was anything but — I was now in the majority. When I moved back to San Francisco at age 10, I was thrust into my new life. I was living on a new continent, and going to a new school. On top of that, I had to adjust to two homes, two bedrooms, and two different lives. I couldn’t refer to one house as “home” when in the presence of the other parent, or else they would get offended. I was forced to share my dad with his then-girlfriend and her daughter, who was only six months older than me. It seemed that my nightmare was rolling out in front of me. However, the initial sadness and shock eventually subsided. I began to sink into the groove of my new life. A lot of my new American friends also came from divorced families, I began to realize that my family was not something to be ashamed of, but rather something to embrace. Although it wasn’t conventional, all families have their quirks. My family is never going to be the fairy tale that I hoped for as a kindergartner. However, hardly anyone has a fairy tale family. Most families have their dysfunctions, and they are nothing the be ashamed of. I have grown to understand that I now have two places that I can call home. Now that I am getting ready for college and another new chapter in life is about to unfold, I am beginning to realize I wouldn’t as prepared for it had I not lived the life I have. With hardship comes strength; though there were many tears shed, my parents’ divorce and the resulting fallout forced me to learn many invaluable life skills — shuttling between two homes has taught me to be adaptable, and has also taught me to make the most out of a bad situation. Divorce is undeniably a sad and confusing time for everyone involved, but there is no point dwelling in your sadness when you can instead acknowledge all the good things: two families that love you no matter what.
I had a fairy tale image of what a family should be: two loving parents who never fought and were going to be together forever.
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FEATURES
BRUNCH IN THE CITY By Stephanie Li and Cynthia Leung
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v The Lowell March 2015 Lily Young
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CROLL THROUGH Instagram on any late Saturday or Sunday morning, and posts of brunch dishes will flood your screen. Over the past few months, brunch, a fun way to grab a meal with a few friends, is rising in popularity among teenagers. To experience the brunch craze, two reporters set out to the far corners of the city to check out some of the most reviewed, fourstarred brunch restaurants on Yelp, searching for popular dishes under $15 not including drinks, tips or tax.
Zazie 941 Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117 415) 564-5332 www.zaziesf.com
Amber Ly
Mission Beach Cafe 198 Guerrero St, San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 861-0198 missionbeachcafesf.com
As I walked through the doors of the quaint French restaurant, I was met with rows of square tables lined with customers eating mouthwatering meals and chatting with Loud chatter and an upbeat alternative song filled my ears as I their friends. French movie posters lined the brick wall, and walked through the doors of the hip Mission District restaurant. Waitbright lights shone down on the polished wooden tables, givers dressed in casual clothing rushed around the room, delivering ing them a glow. The small-cafe-style interior reflected Zazie’s plates of food and glasses of drinks and greeting patrons with friendly comfortable and cozy atmosphere. smiles. The lively, infectious atmosphere quickly surrounded me, and Although the waiter seatsoon, I was feeling the vibe. ed me in a crowded corner of The wait to get seated lasted for 20 minthe restaurant, the flavorful utes — short for a Saturday morning brunch food made withstanding the in this city. My friend and I were seated at On my plate lay two toasted Encramped quarters worthwhile. I a comfy table in a corner of the restaurant, was delighted when the waitress giving us a great view of the entire room. glish muffins that were lathered delivered a huge plate of FonScanning the menu, I was overwhelmed with buttery guacamole, topped tainbleu scrambled eggs, which by all of the choices. Each item seemed excontained porcini, shiitake, and tremely appetizing, but after much deliberawith a heap of crab and baby portobello mushrooms, spintion, I finally settled for the dungeness crab shrimp, crowned by two perfectach, and fontina cheese, with and bay shrimp eggs Benedict with a side a side of roasted potatoes and of roasted potatoes, which the restaurant ly poached eggs and glazed with toast. The ratio of mushrooms serves only during the weekend. creamy hollandaise sauce. and spinach to soft eggs was just Thankfully, I was not disappointed by perfect for me, and the lightmy decision. On my plate lay two toasted ly-salted roasted potatoes were English muffins that were lathered with butsavory and delicious. tery guacamole, topped with a heap of crab One tip that many patrons and baby shrimp, crowned by two perfectly may not know is that Zazie has a first-come-first-serve patio poached eggs and glazed with creamy hollandaise sauce. I savored each seating policy, which means that anyone, including those not and every rich bite, complemented perfectly by hints of citrus in the on the waiting list, can sit at the patio if he or she is the first one crab and shrimp mix. to get to the spot after the previous customers leave. Overall, my whole dining experience at Mission Beach Cafe was Zazie’s service was efficient, with servers delivering our truly satisfying. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the modmeals quickly, completing a magical dining experience. This ern-styled interior and the huge glass windows gave the restaurant a stylish restaurant is the perfect place to eat a satisfying brunch glow by allowing all of the glorious Mission sunlight to come in. Alwith a few close friends. With its unique design and class, Zathough Mission Beach Cafe is not near the beach, it definitely has that zie is full of pizazz. lively oceanside vibe.
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Amber Ly
Sweet Maple 2101 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94115 (415) 655-9169 sweetmaplesf.com With bright lights, hardwood floors, stone sides and earthy-colored painted walls, Sweet Maple is a sophisticated lodge cabin that serves up a delicious brunch. After a 25 minute wait outside on a bench in the calm Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood, my friend and I finally got seated at the mini-bar, where we had a perfect view of the television and could watch the staff make various brunch drinks. With a quick glance over the menu, I knew exactly what I wanted order: Sweet Maple’s famous Big Hip and Millionaire’s Bacon. The Big Hip is a plate of deep fried French toast topped with fresh strawberries. I added “fired bananas,” which were lightly caramelized banana slices, and candied walnuts to complement my order. As expected, my order was delicious — especially with a little bit of syrup drizzled over it. The French toast itself was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the “fired bananas,” candied walnuts and strawberries matched perfectly with it. The Millionaire’s Bacon was completely different from the bacon that most people are typically accustomed to. Decidedly not crispy, the bacon was thicker and chewier than usual bacon. One of defining characteristics of this special bacon was its uncommon combination of flavors, including sweetness from the brown sugar and maple syrup and heat from the various crushed peppers. Looking back at this experience, I would definitely come back to taste Sweet Maple’s other menu items. All in all, Sweet Maple is definitely the place to go to satisfy your sweet-and-savory brunch appetite. 26
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Outerlands 4001 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122 (415) 661-6140 outerlandssf.com Although attempting to eat brunch at Outerlands may sound like a daunting task because of the infamous one to two hour wait, it is definitely worth the time. The restaurant’s amazing food and atmosphere overshadow the waiting time, and the relaxing waiting area also seeks to make the experience much more enjoyable than it could otherwise be. Customers waiting for a table are free to sit in the parklet next to the restaurant, which is sheathed in sunlight. On a particularly sunny Sunday morning, the wait is all the more delightful, with Ocean Beach’s waves crashing three blocks away and only the murmurs of fellow diners and the occasional roar of the N-MUNI nearby to be heard. Outerlands’ menu is deliciously creative, with popular items including the Dutch pancake and applewood smoked bacon. When my order of eggs-in-jail first arrived I was confused. All I could see was a thick piece of sourdough toast, topped with cubes of bright orange squash, fresh leeks, and minced sweet sausage. It was not until I took a few more bites that the ingenuity of the dish became evident. The eggs were trapped in a hole in the center of the toast, giving meaning to eggs in jail. When I cut through the middle of the toast, egg whites drizzled in olive oil escaped. The design of the restaurant reflected the restaurant’s artful focus, but with touch of classiness here and there. The tasteful mismatch of French windows and rustic wooden tables was paired with iridescent murals on the wall, which provided an vibrant edge to the restaurant’s neutral color scheme of tan and pale blue. The faded Georgia font of its menu and the cute, ridged cup that the checks were delivered in, added to its elegant beachside theme. An intriguing mix of casual and sophisticated, Outerlands is the place to go to for brunch before and after a sunny weekend on the beach.
Red Door Cafe 1608 Bush St, San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 441-1564 Brunch at Red Door Cafe is definitely a memorable experience, but some aspects of the restaurant may not be suitable for everyone. It was a gorgeous Sunday morning, with the sun shining and the breeze tranquil. However, rather than enjoying the nice weather, I was sitting in Red Door Cafe, trying to decide between inappropriately-named brunch items. One of such items sported a name referring to a married Texan man performing a certain provocative action, and consisted of scrambled eggs topped with salmon, onion, and tomatoes; another was named after a specific sexual deed, and was composed of French toast stuffed with chocolate and crushed almonds, and dusted with powdered sugar. In the mood for something sweet, I went with the French toast. It arrived covered in a generous coat of maple syrup, which ensured that the powder stayed put on the French toast. Strawberries, blackberries and crushed almonds also accentuated the sweetness of the toppings and the melted chocolate inside the toast. A complimentary cocktail umbrella poked cheekily out of a strawberry to remind me that this was no ordinary restaurant. It would be an understatement to say that Red Door Cafe is merely eccentric. It is governed by its own laws — in fact, a big sign taped to the window informed potential diners of the house rules, from the restaurant’s refusal to make egg whites orders to its inability to accept parties of more than two. The sign also warned that any attempt to argue about the rules will be met with a response consisting of two expletives and a “nahhhh.” While the restaurant’s obscure rules are cause for critics’ complaints on Yelp, one complaint that Red Door Cafe’s customers can never make is that the restaurant is boring. Heads of baby dolls lined the shelves above the tables and risqué messages decorated the walls, on which the owner had taped up artwork and thank you notes from previous diners alongside even raunchier signs encouraging diners to go green by having intimate relations with vegetarians. It was no surprise that the owner himself was just as interesting of a character as the decor would suggest. The moment he brought me and my friend to a table, he dusted green glitter on our noses and cheeks and topped off the look with a glossy rainbow star sticker on each of our foreheads. He was also exceptionally kind and fun, first providing directions to nearby restaurants to a family with young children and later responding to my friend’s praise of the food with a simple “you’re delicious.”
Lily Young
The Butler and the Chef Bistro 155 South Park Street, San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 896-2075 thebutlerandthechef.com Tucked away into a small corner of the SoMa district is The Butler and the Chef Bistro. Reminiscent of a friendly, neighborhood restaurant that one might find deep in a small European village, the restaurant is quaint and full of culture. The entrance was painted a bright shade of yellow — a cheery contrast to the rustic wood lining. Inside, mismatched wicker chairs surrounded a variety of square and round tables etched with French phrases; my table offered the French revolution’s “liberté, égalité, fraternité.” Playful French music played in the background, the airy tune intertwining with the other diners’ murmurs. Above me, pale blue fairy lights hung along gothic chandeliers imbedded with unlit candles. Sunflower yellow and rust orange walls completed the small town design. Matching the rural feel was the Butler and the Chef ’s “Le Brunch” menu, which fused French and American cuisine. The bistro’s famous eggs Benedict was unique from other restaurants’ because of the dish’s fresh, healthy taste. My order of vegetarian eggs Benedict included poached eggs drizzled in hollandaise sauce perched on top of a thick slice of tomato, all of which was laid on an olive baguette and accentuated by basil oil. The difference in textures made each bite into an adventure — runny yolk wrapped in bouncy egg whites, as well as soft, juicy tomato, sunk into spongy bread and toasted crust. A salad of crunchy spinach and julienned carrots tossed with vinaigrette sat on the side of the dish, adding a light complement to the heavier eggs and bread. The Butler and the Chef was a refreshing, rural take on brunch cuisine. When I was inside, I could almost pretend that I was not in San Francisco, but instead far out in the European countryside. The friendly and cozy atmosphere, along with the countryside undertones, warmed my rainy Sunday morning.
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Victory at BOTB
From GIRLS’ VARS on pg. 15 the Cardinals leading 42-34. “We just stayed focused, kept our minds in the game, hustled and played hard,” Kuwada said. By the time the fourth quarter came around, the Eagles completely ran out of gas, and that was when the Cardinals struck hardest. Offensively, Lui led the game with 17 points in that quarter. The turning point came when the Eagles began to continually foul Lui, allowing her to score 11 of those 17 points from fouls alone. “After that we began to play in sync and the tides began to turn in our favor,” Lui said. “We stopped worrying about mistakes and just tried our best to show exactly who we are and can be as a team. Ultimately, it was our determination to win that lead us to victory.” Reflecting on the game, the Cardinals were strongest in half-court defense, according to Kuwada. The Cardinals did not use all of their defensive schemes, as they need to save them for the next two times that they play Washington. In this game their defense strategy was man-to-man, in the next games they will introduce new schemes, like zone. They still need to step up their offensive game. v
Rowing on Christmas Day
From ROWERS on pg. 5 a lot more difficult, than just breaking the longest (continual row) record.” During the record-breaking period, the rowers stayed at their Lake Merced boathouse and periodically went home to shower. “For the most part, we all just lived in our boathouse,” Kuliaev said. Each rower came prepared, bringing in their own mattress and sleeping on the floors. No additional training was necessary for the team to attempt the record because they already attend rigorous practices regularly. Kuliaev, Hollander, and Yang-Vaernet all start practice 45 minutes before the rest of the team. In all, practice is about three hours long for them. Though training was intense, it was not seen as a burden on the team. “Rowing is the fun part of our day,” Hollander said. “I spend the day hating school and wanting to go to practice.” Rowing has become such an integral part of the team’s day that it would feel incomplete otherwise. “There are times when we don’t have crew, and I do my homework and end up in bed by 6 o’clock with nothing to do,” Kuliaev said. “Crew fills up my day and makes me feel really good afterwards.” When all the hard work paid off, the weight of the situation seemed surreal. “It took a while for it to settle in that we just broke a world record,” Kuliaev said. “We had a little cheer and took pictures after the meter reached one million, but we all had our individual moments when we got home and said ‘Oh my God. What did we just do?’ ” Hollander emphasized that the team’s dedication motivated him to join crew and is why he will continue on. “Originally, my mom recommended rowing to me, but I stayed around… Everybody wanted to work their hardest together and that’s what I like about it,” Hollander said. Though Yang-Vaernet is the team captain, he still feels a responsibility to be a team player just as much as the next person. “People disrespect you if you don’t work hard. So I work really hard,” he said. Kuliaev added, “I started [high] school and I realized that I wasn’t the smartest guy in the class, and then my friend told me to join crew.” He recalled a story from the first week of practice, in which one of his teammates fell off the dock during exercises, prompting laughter among the entire team, as well as a realization that he had found a place where he belonged. “We were all laughing really hard and we were all laughing together. We were a team and I just felt really complete.” v 28
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Fashion on Insta
From INSTA-NISTA on pg. 6 The budding fashionista attributes her past indecisiveness to the judgemental tendencies of the Internet. “A bad thing about social media is that people judge you based on things like what you’re wearing, and they don’t get the whole picture of who you are,” Jones said. Jones crops out her face in her photos to minimize unsolicited comments about appearance, keeping her outfits as the focus. “This kind of behavior really bothers me,” Jones said. “I know this happens to a lot of other people too. Some of my friends are scared to post any pictures because they’re afraid of what people will think of them.” Despite her discomfort at the occasional virtual catcall, Jones continues to post pictures, regardless of others’ opinions. “I usually just let it go, since I know that I’m doing what I really enjoy doing,” Jones said. “You shouldn’t let one person’s comment completely change your mind about what you enjoy or how you feel about it.” One of Jones’ favorite posts is her most recent photo, where she poses with her sister’s camera in the park. In the post, she is wearing a white Brandy Melville t-shirt with speckled shorts and an Urban Outfitters button-down tied around her waist. The photo has over 300 likes. Overall, Jones receives not only positive feedback from the internet, but also tons of support from her friends and family. Her rise to fame would not have been possible without her sister, Parker. “Parker is pretty much my manager,” Jones said. “She takes all of my pictures, and she always tells me what captions and tags I should use to get more exposure. The other day she actually suggested that I should post a picture because I hadn’t in a while.” Jones’ mom, who works for the makeup company Lancome, also gives her fashion advice. “She’s always dressed very classily, and she’s very honest with me about what I wear,” Jones said. “If she doesn’t like something I’m wearing, she’ll give me her opinion and suggestions on what to change in the outfit.” Jones draws inspiration from a wide range of other sources as well. Her fascination with movie costumes motivated her to arrange outfits based by characters on the big screen, such as the lead protagonist in the film Endless Love. However, she gets most of her outfit ideas from websites like Tumblr and YouTube. Her biggest influences include YouTubers Megan Rosette and Lauren Elizabeth, popular vloggers who create fashion and makeup tutorials. She plans on branching out and making a YouTube channel in the near future with fashion and tutorials based off of her own style. Jones uses Instagram to display a side of her that most people don’t see, and she could not be happier with her account. “Fashion really helps me express who I am,” Jones said. “I’m generally a really quiet person, but clothes let me express feelings I couldn’t show with just my words. I do plan on branching out in the future, but for now I’m just taking it little by little.” v
Gaming champions
From GAMERS on pg. 4 my studying and homework,” Lo said. The team also shares a many laughs when they’re all together. “When we play, we usually communicate over a voice chat, so you click a button and then they can hear you,” said Lo, laughing about Zheng. “Sometimes when David [Zheng] is in an intense fight, he forgets to let go of the button that allows you to hear his voice, and then we hear him breathing really loudly.” Many parents disapprove of their child’s gaming habits. Some Lowell members’ parents, however, embrace their kids’ gaming habits. Lo told his parents about his involvement in eSports on a Sunday, a day when he usually visits his grandmother’s house. “I told my parents that I couldn’t go to my grandma’s house because I had a tournament that day,” Lo said, “Sometimes they humblebrag about me like, ‘my son doesn’t study as much as your son, but he games, and he’s really good at it’.” v
Researchers learn more than just facts From INTERNS on pg. 9 a lot and actually had fun in the process.” Over the summer, the high schoolers learned the meaning behind “Nothing worth having comes easy.” “It occurred to me that I am not as careful as I thought I was,” said junior Crystal Chung who did a project involving basic protocols, such as planting, growing and counting cells, making dilutions and practicing sterile techniques, which she later used in other labs. “All the techniques I learned in the lab required extreme caution because everything could be contaminated very easily, and not only that, but one tiny mistake could mess up the whole experiment’s results that I could have been waiting on for several days.” The mistakes sometimes proved to be beneficial in the end. Senior Jonathan Chen’s project was to create a protein analysis tool to compare structures of proteins and then generate comparison maps that would be useful for scientists. “My most memorable moment was in the second to last week of my internship when my computer raised an error when I was saving my code,” Chen said in an email. “Frantic attempts to recover my code failed and about a month’s work was mysteriously gone. However, having written the program once before made the task of reconstructing the code much easier and I was able to finish before the deadline.”
Working with mentors
Students were also given graduate and postdoctoral students as mentors, with whom they grew close. “The mentors were very friendly and helpful,” Wang said. “We actually set up a mini viewing theater in the con-
ference center to watch the World Cup together.” Students not only developed close relationships with their mentors during the workday, but also outside of the workplace. “My mentor also bought me boba once, which was pretty memorable.” said senior David Mai, who observed how human chromosomes and DNA are organized during cell division. Mai even played tennis with his boss a few times. By the end of the summer, each intern had worked hard and made many memories. “On the last day of my internship, one of my lab buddies baked me a chocolate-ginger-espresso cake, and my lab threw me a big pizza party,” senior Sally Chen said in an email. On her last day, Chen received a laser cut plaque made of pink acrylic glass. “I still have it on my desk right now, and every time I turn on my lamp for a late-night study session, the light shines through the glass and casts this nice glow on my homework.”
Finding a job
Senior Srinand Paruthiyil was surprised to see how far his internship would take him. His work has direct applications in his new job. “I figure out statistical methods to analyze the data, as well as beta test for the app called Urban Dashboard,” Paruthiyil said. He received this opportunity directly out of his internship because of his work in the lab and his skills in biology and computer science. Maybe the biggest lesson they got was in personal responsibility. After breaking the agarose gel in the wet lab and agonizing over it, Chattopadhyay decided to confess her mistake to her mentor, this turned out to be the right decision — she learned from her mistake and her mentor even made her the resident expert in agarose gel. Tenacity and resilience are key to success. v
Controversial anonymous confessions on Facebook called into question
From CONFESSIONS on pg. 19 in counseling and posts are anonymous, readers can not fully understand the complexity of the confessor’s situation. Student posters at risk need direct attention. Confessors who are being abused need to be reported so that Child Protective Services can investigate the case and arrest the abuser. However, posters may not be able to get help in time if anonymity blocks all channels of identification. “I need to know who these people are, so that I can plug them in with someone that can help them,” Salazar said. “But, because it is Lowell Confessions and it is anonymous, no one can reach out to them.” Therefore, even though Lowell Confessions can be viewed as a positive outlet, the student administrators should not be posting confessions about suicide, depression or abuse at all. However, if the administrators still refuse to quit posting those confessions, then there are other routes that they could take to protect the confessors. The administrators could change the way students send posts in from the current system of anonymous Google forms to requiring posters to send Facebook messages directly to the page. This means that the administrators would completely get rid of the Google form. The administrators could be obligated to post the confessions without a name attached. This would allow the administrators to track distraught confessors and connect them to the Wellness Center. In turn, the Wellness Center would help these teens work through their emotions, and then decide whether to report them to Child Crisis or CPS. Another way the administrators of Lowell Confessions can help troubled submitters is by adding links to crisis hotlines — like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline — in their page description, posts or comments on posts. They could also team up with the Wellness Center so that whenever a distraught post comes up, a staff member would comment on it with professional advice or offer a session at the center. For submitters in need, this is could be the missing link to real help. Nevertheless, there needs to be some type of change made. v
Wrestler proves himself a contender
From O’NEILL on pg. 17 Confidence and determination are the driving forces behind O’Neill’s success and improvements as an athlete. “His attitude before the match is ‘I’m going to steal this guy’s soul,’” head coach Michael Wise said. “During the match he stays focused on the only thing in the world that should matter to a wrestler during the competition: going hard, attacking, always looking to score or pin and both physically and mentally breaking your opponent.” O’Neill is sure to have high prospects in the future if he pursues wrestling and keeps up the good work. “I can see him as captain of the team, definitely — maybe even in his junior year,” O’Leary said. “I could also see him winning City this year or next year. He got third at Clayton Valley this year, which is probably the toughest in the city, and this is only his first year.” v
The Lowell March 2015
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