The Lowell Newsmagazine December 2021

December 2021

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES

COVER PHOTO AND ILLUSTRATION BY JAXI COHEN

LIBBY BOWIE

Not just a hobby: Lowell nail artist following her passion

By Ruby Shaw

LIBBY BOWIE

Meet the Crew: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

By Isaac Olson

CONTENT 2

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Editorial

Cover

Multimedia

Column

It's time to be test blind

Failing to sleep

Finding hidden beauty at Lowell

Breaking the shame of broken English

By Multimedia Staff

By Angela Chen

By the Editorial Board

By Kelcie Lee and Ashley Glancy

thelowell.org Editors-in-Chief | Sarah Liu • Rae Wymer News Editors | Layla Wallerstein • Walker Whalen • Rae Wymer Opinion Editors | Karis Kotschnig • Sarah Liu Columns Editors | Issac Fukumura-White • Madeleine Johnston Sports Editor | Brandon Ng Multimedia Editors | Jaxi Cohen • Marlena Rohde Art Manager | Mella Bettag Reporters | Ava Alberts • Angela Chen • Darren Chin • Chloe Chon • Roman Fong • Ashley Glancy • Anton Kox • Brooke Laur • Kelcie Lee • Ruby Shaw • Isaac Olson Photographers | Libby Bowie • Jaxi Cohen • Lauren Kim • Abigail Lin • Kimi Norway • Marlena Rohde • Yeshi-Wangmu Sherpa • Ryson Sun Illustrators | Mella Bettag • Elise Muchowski • Nicole Wong • Denis Yabut • Raymond Yuan Business Managers | Yi Luo • Primo Pelczynski Web Managers | Audrey Lau • Joanne Zeng Social Media Managers | Sasha Fuetsch • Erin Guo • Gianna Ou • Madeleine Johnston ANITA LIU AND CAMERON CHAN

Researcher | Saw Nwe Advisor | Eric Gustafson

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Feature

Infographic

Opinion

Work or worship

Lowellites + Self-care

Don't be afraid to be authentic

By Chloe Chon

By Saw Nwe

By Elise Muchowski and Chloe Chon

2018 NSPA Print Pacemaker Finalist, 2014 NSPA Online Pacemaker, 2012 NSPA Print Pacemaker, 2011 NSPA AllAmerican, 2011 NSPA Online Pacemaker, 2009 NSPA First Class Honors, 2007 NSPA Web Pacemaker, 2007 CSPA Gold Crown, 2007 NSPA All-American

@THELOWELL

SPREAD DESIGN BY ISSAC FUKUMURA-WHITE

Accolades

EDITORIAL

It's time to be test blind

E

00000000very year, hundreds of Lowell students take the SAT 00000000and ACT, hoping for scores sufficient enough to get 00000000them into their dream universities. Convinced that these tests are true markers of their academic abilities, students have partaken in standardized testing for the last 95 years. However, the SAT and ACT are not really a measure of one’s intelligence, but instead a reflection of inequalities within our society.

00 Due to the pandemic, and the ways in which it has impacted students’ ability to take the SAT and ACT, a large number of universities have temporarily become test-optional. The University of California system, meanwhile, has declared that they will be using a standardized-test-blind approach indefinitely. We believe that all schools should transition to permanent test-blind policies beyond the pandemic, on account of the tests’ deeprooted flaws and racist history. Lowell students should not see this transition as a disadvantage in the application process, but rather as a much-needed step towards equality when it comes to our education.

Proponents of using college-entry exams argue that universities need a standardized gauge upon which to measure students’ academic capabilities. As students must take the tests under equal and regulated conditions, the scores supposedly provide colleges with a common data point. However, these tests are not the fair assessment they claim to be, and any benefits they offer are outweighed by the exams’ proven ineffectiveness.

The SAT and ACT fail to fulfill their intended purpose of predicting students’ educational success in college. In fact, research has shown that a student’s GPA is a more reliable metric in determining higher education performance than test scores.

Therefore, college admissions should emphasize GPA, as this measure more accurately predicts a student’s ability to succeed in a college environment.

The inefficiency of these tests in predicting success is not the only flaw inherent in the process; the SAT and ACT tests promote socio-economic inequity in college admissions. People with the financial means to hire tutors or take test-prep courses can boost their scores and get ahead of other students who do not have the wherewithal to do so. Costs for SAT tutoring averages $70 an hour, a price well beyond the reach of many families. This creates perpetual score disparities, as data shows that 13 hours of SAT tutoring can increase a test taker’s score by 30 points. On average, students who have tutors spend anywhere from 10 to 40 hours being taught test taking strategies, which translates into an unfair advantage. This begs the question as to whether these standardized tests have evolved into tests of wealth rather than tests of intelligence.

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With the decrease in the availability of test centers during the pandemic, more inequalities have arisen as students have been left scrambling to find a testing location with open seats. San Francisco is lacking in testing locations, so Lowell students have turned to long-distance travel, overnight stays, and sometimes even airline tickets to destinations such as Los Angeles or Reno.

Countless students could not take the SAT because their families did not have the funds or financial flexibility to pay for the added expenses. These financial hardships have been exacerbated by the pandemic, with the loss of jobs and decreased household incomes.

Students of higher socioeconomic class who can afford these expenses around testing are insulated from this problem, and are therefore given an advantage in the admissions process.

Additionally, the racist history of the SAT should not be ignored. The SAT originates from the Alpha Test, created by Carl Brigham in the 1920s, which claimed that the intelligence of Americans was decreasing due to mixing between races. Today’s continued use of the SAT in the college admissions process upholds Brigham’s history of oppression and racism towards people of color.

The SAT’s selection process for test questions has been shown to discriminate against the Black community. When Black students receive higher scores than White students on experimental questions, these questions are removed from the official test as they contradict the SAT’s traditional bell curve.

This has contributed to Black students representing a mere 1 percent of students who score above 700 on the SAT’s math section. As a result of the racist strategies used in the SAT’s formulation, Black students receive lower scores which hinders their ability to get into highly selective colleges. Eliminating college entrance exams would decrease the amount of discrimination Black students are subjected to in the admissions process.

The time has come for colleges to no longer place value on the SAT and ACT, and neither should Lowell students. Lowell’s academically focused and competitive culture has convinced us that the SAT is essential to our applications and a key determinant of our futures. This is completely untrue. Evaluating one’s intelligence using standardized testing is both outdated and biased. Our institutions of higher education should consider individuals in terms of their achievements, strength of character, and passions to identify those who will thrive beyond high school, not rely on biased tests that yield unreliable results. We hope Lowell students consider these inequities before deciding to take the SAT or ACT, and we demand that all colleges and universities move towards permanent test-blind policies.

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CARTOON

SPREAD DESIGN BY KARIS KOTSCHNIG

FROM THE EDITORS

ELISE MUCHOWSKI

Dear Readers of The Lowell, As our school nears the end of fall semester, we find ourselves crunched for time. In order to study for finals, finish homework, balance extracurriculars, write college apps, and even prepare this magazine for publication, we’ve gotten less sleep. And we’re not the only ones. This cover story, “Failing to sleep,” explores Lowellites’ relationship with sleep and how our school’s academic environment has led students to prioritize school over getting enough sleep. Calculating our hours of sleep and comparing them to other students is a constant topic of conversation at Lowell. We dug deeper into this already apparent problem by surveying students to truly find the extent of its impact on their lives.

Our staff has worked hard to bring you this newsmagazine in the midst of the recent turmoil in our community around allegations of sexual assault. We are investigating this issue and provide in-depth coverage in the spring semester. In the meantime, we invite readers to refer to our past coverage like our February 2021 cover story and breaking news on our social media.

As we head into winter break and into the new year, we hope students remember to take time for themselves. Self care is necessary, as we illustrate in this magazine’s infographic. As always, it’s our pleasure to bring you this print issue of The Lowell. We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we have enjoyed making it.

Editors-In-Chief, Sarah Liu and Rae Wymer

The Lowell is published by the journalism classes of Lowell High School. All contents copyright Lowell High School journalism classes. All rights reserved. The Lowell strives to inform the public and to use its opinion sections as open forums for debate. All unsigned editorials are opinions of the staff. The Lowell welcomes comments on school-related issues from students, faculty and community members. Send letters to the editors to thelowellnews@gmail.com. Names will be withheld upon request. We reserve the right to edit letters before publication.

The Lowell is a student-run publication distributed to thousands of readers including students, parents, teachers and alumni. All advertisement profits fund our newsmagazine issues. To advertise online or in print, email thelowellmanagement@gmail.com.

Contact us: Lowell High School 1101 Eucalyptus Drive San Francisco, CA 94132 415-759-2730 or at thelowellnews@gmail.com

The Lowell December 2021

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The Lowell December 2021

ILLUSTRATION BY ELISE MUCHOWSKI AND SPREAD DESIGN BY JAXI COHEN

Failing to sleep

By Ashley Glancy and Kelcie Lee Lowell students are great at getting high test scores and GPA’s. But they’re not great at getting enough sleep.

The Lowell December 2021

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COVER

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000000enior Chris Tan walks into his seventh block pre-calculus 000000class and slumps into his chair, exhausted from having 000000gotten just one hour of sleep the night before. As his teacher approaches his row, passing out tests, Tan waits, eyelids heavy. Attempting to fight his exhaustion, he sits up and glances at the paper before him. As he searches for any recollection of the equations he studied the night before and earlier that day, his mind goes blank. Frustrated by the failure of his Trader Joe’s matcha shot to kick in properly, Tan sits in his chair, brain empty. Crippled by a lack of sleep, he is left staring at the piece of paper, feeling utterly helpless.

This is not an uncommon experience among Lowell students.

Sleep deprivation is an ongoing issue that affects many students at Lowell. Bleary-eyed students have noticed the ramifications on their mental health and academic performance, as a lack of sleep sometimes causes them to fall asleep in class or renders them unable to focus. However, this problem is not the result of singular actions by students; it is a cultural issue.

Lowell's academic environment causes students to prioritize success over sleep in some cases, perpetuating a culture of sleep deprivation.

A lack of sleep is a commonly faced issue among high school students across the United States. Sleep deprivation — the 00000000000000000000000000situation or condition of suffering 00000000000000000000000000from a lack of sleep — can result 00000000000000000000000000from a variety of influences: 00000000000000000000000000insomnia, excessive amounts of 00000000000000000000000000homework, stress, caffeine 00000000000000000000000000consumption, phone addiction, 00000000000000000000000000and procrastination. According to 00000000000000000000000000AP Psychology teacher Kristin NICOLE WONG 00000000000000000000000000Lubenow, who has a degree in psychology, the average high school student needs between eight and ten hours of sleep each night in order to be healthy.

Lubenow stresses the importance of adolescents getting a sufficient amount of sleep. The ramifications can be serious, she warns, such as lower academic performance and decreased mental well-being. “You're obviously not going to be able to think as quickly and not be able to problem-solve as quickly,” Lubenow said. “You're not going to be as resourceful in terms of your coping mechanisms. So also, psychologically, you may 00000

ALL INFOGRAPHICS BY SAW NWE be more irritable.”

With Lowell’s heavy academic workload, getting a sufficient amount of sleep is almost impossible for a majority of students.

According to a survey administered by The Lowell, 63 percent of students feel that they don’t get enough sleep, and 67 percent attributed this to a heavy workload from school. In senior Colin Cabreros’ case, he is often forced to stay up late in order to finish his homework. “I try to go to bed by 10 or at least, try to wrap everything up by 10,” Cabreros said. “But most of the time, I would go overtime with the work I have because I have more work than needed or than I should have, and it usually hits midnight.”

The effects of sleep deprivation are evident in many Lowell classrooms. According to a survey administered by The Lowell, 50 percent of students have fallen asleep in class and 87 percent have witnessed another classmate do so. For freshmen Ella Finse, seeing students fall asleep in class is a common occurrence.

“Everyday there are two or three people I can rely on that will fall asleep in class, and there’s one kid in my first period that cannot keep his eyes open,” Finse said. “I just feel so awful for them.”

While Finse has yet to fall asleep in class, Tan, who sleeps one to three hours a night, falls asleep in class about once a week. “There are a lot of instances of me just dozing off during a lecture,” Tan said. “Just relying on caffeine eventually just doesn't work.”

Senior Kaydence Wu has noticed how not getting enough sleep has made it hard for her to focus and digest teachers’ lessons.

“I've been burning out,” Wu said. “I can't retain information from class lectures, which I think is a huge problem.”

The average high school student needs between eight and ten hours of sleep each night in order to be healthy 6

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The Lowell December 2021

In October of 2019, California Gov. Gavin Newsom passed legislation to combat student sleep deprivation. The bill, SB 328, prohibits most middle schools from starting the regular school day any earlier than 8 a.m. and most high schools from starting the school day any earlier than 8:30 a.m. The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) opted to implement later start times by August 2021, despite the deadline for compliance not being until July 1, 2022. Lowell’s new bell schedule, in compliance with the district mandated later start time, begins at 8:40 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m.

Following the passage of the senate bill, the school day now officially starts later, but not every student benefits. Lowell retained its policy of offering seven classes, by offering a Block 0, in addition to the six instructional blocks and lunch. Each class period was also extended by five minutes. Students who opted to take a Block 0 class start school at 7:40 a.m. – an hour earlier than the start time mandated by SB 328. This technically does not violate the bill since participation is entirely optional.

Cabreros thinks students who are attending a Block 0 class, and those who live far away from Lowell, are not benefiting from this schedule change as they still have an early start to their day, going against the original purpose of the bill to combat sleep deprivation. According to Cabreros, who is taking seven classes, the extreme workload, along with having to sit through many classes in a row, can be very tiring. Additionally, he often finds himself feeling drowsy during both his Block 0 and Block 7 classes. “Having to sit through that many classes without doing much is definitely mentally draining,” Cabreros said.00000

With the issue of sleep deprivation becoming increasingly apparent at Lowell, some students have noticed a distinct culture surrounding it. Finse, despite only being at Lowell for four months, has already noticed this culture. She believes that students view sleep deprivation as a sign of academic success. “I think that that’s really damaging because it makes the idea that in order to be smart and in order to be the ideal student, you can’t get enough sleep, and that’s just really not healthy,” Finse said.

This culture at Lowell has started to infect Finse’s own thoughts.

She believes that if she participated in more extracurriculars, she would be getting less sleep and that a smaller amount of sleep is more desirable because it reflects your success. “I should be getting that much sleep, and it had this pressure on me that I’m not doing enough,” Finse said.

SPREAD DESIGN BY LAYLA WALLERSTEIN AND RAE WYMER

"In order to be the ideal student, you can’t get enough sleep, and that's just really not healthy."

DATA FROM A SURVEY GIVEN TO A STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLE OF 285 STUDENTS CONDUCTED BY THE LOWELL IN NOVEMBER 2021

NICOLE WONG

JAXI COHEN

The Lowell December 2021

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COVER

One of the problems preventing change on this front is that Lowell students may be resistant to shifting their sleep schedule.

According to the same survey administered to Lowell students, 81 percent of Lowell students have witnessed another student bragging about how little sleep they got. According to Wu, students see sleep deprivation as a way of proving their commitment to their schoolwork and other obligations. Wu, who sleeps an average of five hours each night, has noticed students competing and bragging about their lack of sleep on several occasions. “I feel like it's to the point where I try not to say anything because I feel like it's a contest. There's always somebody trying to one up you,” Wu said.

For students who do maintain a healthy sleep schedule, homework levels can become near impossible to manage.

Sophomore Omar Hidrogo’s parents moderate his sleep schedule by ensuring that he goes to sleep by 10 p.m. Parental oversight, along with a long commute to school and distractions at home, leaves him with little time to do homework. As a result, Hidrogo 0 000

all of his assignments and sleep the recommended eight to ten hours per night is an impossible task; his sleep schedule often results in unfinished assignments. “It enrages me because it’s really a big double standard,” Hidrogo said. “It’s not reasonable or attainable.”

"I've been burning out. I can't retain information from class lectures, which I think is a huge problem."

uses every moment of downtime to do schoolwork. “It’s very stressful,” he said. “I cram every single minute I get to do homework. Whether that be every lunch block, on the MUNI, or during class.” Hidrogo believes that the expectation to complete 0000

ABIGAIL LIN

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The Lowell December 2021

Another factor that contributes to sleep loss is procrastination.

Cabreros believes that while it is important that students prioritize sleep over academic success, poor time-management skills are partially to blame for excessive sleep loss among students. “[Students] still have late-night study sessions or procrastinate to the last minute for assignments,” Cabreros said.

Wu has also fallen victim to procrastination and distractions, which she attempts to combat using different methods, including putting her phone on do not disturb, preventing notifications from alerting her while she is doing work. “I’ve found that I’ve been picking up my phone less frequently,” Wu said. “I try to get in the zone to just be productive and get my work done.”

Students and teachers feel that one possible solution to the issue of sleep deprivation at Lowell includes revisiting and changing the bell schedule. Cabreros believes that shortening the school day is necessary and that the extended time for each class was a mistake. “That’s five extra minutes, and sometimes, the teachers don’t even use those five extra minutes, and they just account those for passing periods,” Cabreros said. “I think just cutting that amount of time off would be pretty substantial.”

Lubenow believes the number of classes that students choose to take perpetuates sleep deprivation as well. Because of this, she feels that rethinking Lowell’s bell schedule may be necessary but that would only be part of the solution. “Clearly [the bell schedule] is a little problematic, but that also means potentially changing the culture of Lowell, and no longer allowing students to actually take seven classes,” Lubenow said. “So there’s a lot of working parts there that make it very complicated and challenging.”

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SPREAD DESIGN BY LAYLA WALLERSTEIN AND RAE WYMER

Another possible way to increase the amount of sleep that Lowellites get is to decrease students’ homework. Cabreros believes that with current workloads, students cannot get enough sleep. “I think teachers could try to sympathize more with students, really, and just, I think, be wary of the amount of work they put out onto the students,” Cabreros said. “It would be more beneficial for teachers to spread out, and lessen the amount of homework they give.” Lubenow supports this sentiment as she believes that reinforcing material taught in class may only require a few questions rather than many. She believes that teachers should reevaluate the workload they are assigning. Finse feels that it’s important for teachers to try to assign workloads that are more manageable for students and acknowledge students’ lack of sleep and their erratic sleep schedules. Finse has noticed her teachers’ consistent advocacy for getting enough sleep, but the constant assignments that pile up beg to differ. “With some other teachers it feels a little ironic and hypocritical for them to be saying, ‘Make sure you’re getting a ton of sleep,’ but then to assign a lot of homework,” Finse said.

Tan believes that the culture of sleep deprivation at Lowell goes beyond competition. In his experience, it often stems from a desire for students to prove that they can handle the workload at Lowell. Still, he also feels that this culture of sleep deprivation will always be deeply rooted in the school. “I feel like even if we didn't make it a competition, it would still occur,” Tan said.

“Because, at Lowell, it's still difficult to get high amounts of sleep.”

"I feel like even if we didn't make it a competition, it would still occur because, at Lowell, it's still difficult to get high amounts of sleep."

RYSON SUN

The Lowell December 2021

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MULTIMEDIA

Finding Hidden Beauty At Lowell MELLA BETTAG AND LIBBY BOWIE DARIXA MEDRANO AND JAXI COHEN

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The Lowell December 2021

RAYMOND YUAN AND MARLENA ROHDE

ELISE MUCHOWSKI AND ABIGAIL LIN

000000000e asked our photographers and illustrators 000000000to find beauty at a location often overlooked: 000000000the Lowell campus. From architectural details to students dancing in the studio, our photographers and illustrators brought the often unnoticed facets of Lowell into the light. Because we pass it every day, its beauty and uniqueness are often unseen.

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NICOLE WONG AND RYSON SUN

The Lowell December 2021

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SPREAD DESIGN BY JAXI COHEN AND MARLENA ROHDE

DENIS YABUT AND YESHI-WANGMU SHERPA

COLUMN

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Ang ela

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LIBBY BOWIE

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“i fucking love ait!” A car door slammed as I turned my head, the sound this msound echoing in my ears. I watched my father step sjksjlksjkslskljs to the sidewalk and run toward me, gripping my lunch box in his outstretched hand. Cold sweat swept across my skin as I stepped aside to allow the steady flow of students to pass.

“You forgot lunch,” my father said as he reached me, pressing the thermos of fried rice into my hands.

Hearing his strong Chinese accent — the unnatural flaws in his speech and how the English words stumbled awkwardly from his tongue — sent heat prickling across my face before my whole body went numb. It was the first day of my junior year, and being more aware of my image than normal, I felt the burning stares of a hundred

contort in confusion, their lips twisting into condescending smiles, as they tried to understand what my parents were saying.

That night, I told my parents to either speak Chinese in public or not speak at all.

Although it’s difficult to comprehend now, I know I didn’t always feel this way. In elementary school, a place where childlike ignorance melted away any concerns about how others perceived me and my family, accents were invisible. I thought my parents sounded like I did: articulate, eloquent, and American — normal.

Deaf to what made my parents different, I didn’t have to worry about what other people thought of them and what they’d see when they turned their attention to me.

hundred students even though there were only a dozen nearby.

Accepting the lunch with shaking hands, I stuffed it into my backpack and quickly turned away. To link myself with him would be to associate myself with a family that doesn’t fit into American society, I thought. All my life I had seen too many people’s faces sdsldjls

Throughout my childhood, I was endlessly proud of what my parents had accomplished. My father always used to tell me that he graduated from the best school in China, Tsinghua University. My mother, refusing to pale in comparison, boasted about her admittance to a top college for athletics. As a result, my younger self

I told my parents to either speak Chinese in public or not speak at all.

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The Lowell December 2021

placed them atop lofty pedestals. I bragged about their successes to all of my classmates and even brought their pictures in for showand-tell.

In 5th grade, my mother delivered a speech in front of my entire elementary school. Hearing her ringing voice reverberate throughout the auditorium, I realized for the first time that her accent wasn’t normal. I jerked in surprise when I heard it: a thick Chinese accent amplified by the microphone, which was set too close to her lips. She stressed the wrong syllables, voiced the English words in unnatural, jagged tones, and my eyes were opened to the gaping difference between her and everyone else. My parents had fallen from their pedestals of academic prestige.

constantly lurked in the back of my mind, accusing me of cruelly dismissing the rich history laced within my parents' voices. They had immigrated from China with nothing, and learned English on their own by spending eight hours every day in the library for a year.

Wasn’t that something to be proud of? Even if they didn’t speak with accents reflective of conventional, Western speech patterns, did that mean they were less intelligent? What gave me the right to dictate what they could and couldn’t say? Guilt pushed these questions to the forefront of my consciousness.

To alleviate the heavy shame that hung like a weight in my chest, I began to loosen my grip on my parents’ speech as middle school flew by. When they cautiously began to speak more freely inknkll

Their accents are symbols of their strength, a complex tapestry illustrating a journey to be treasured. in front of me, I found that my instinct to interfere had become almost dormant. But still, every so often when my mother butchers the pronunciation of a word or my father shouts goodbye too loudly in the school parking lot, that urge reawakens briefly as a sharp ache 000000000000000000000grating against my chest. However, as 00000000000000000000000evidence of their perseverance in a 00000000000000000000completely new environment, their 0000000000000000000000000unconventional English is actually 00000000000000000000000000something to be proud of.

00000000000000000000000I am trying to accept that there is no 0000000000000000reason to be embarrassed or ashamed of my 000000000000000parents’ accents. The way they speak reflects their 000000000000000own triumphant histories. I now rejoice in 0my 0000000000\000realization that my parents are people to be 000000000000000proud of, regardless of the way they pronounce 000000000000000their words. If I ever begin wishing for them to 0000000000000000stop talking or catch myself trying to speak for 000000000000000them, I will remember that my mom went to a 00000000000000fantastic school for sports. My dad went to the top 0000000000000000school in China. My parents successfully 00000000000000000immigrated to America and overcame the odds 000000000000000stacked against them.

I am proud of my parents, their rich histories, and their steady dedication through hardship. Their accents are symbols of their strength, a complex tapestry00000000000000000illustrating a illustrating a journey to be treasured.0000000000000000000000000 I I know that now.

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ALL ILLUSTRATIONS BY DENIS YABUT

The Lowell December 2021

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SPREAD DESIGN BY SARAH LIU

The spotlight was on my mother, but I felt the eyes weigh on myself, suffocating me. When she stuttered and pronounced a word incorrectly, it seemed as though the entire audience simultaneously nudged each other. By the time she stepped off the stage, I couldn’t even look at her because the whispers of0000000000000000000 scrutiny were alI I could hear. Ignorant of her0000000000000000 jubilant grin and inflated ego, I stopped her from000000000000 mingling about after the event and00000000000000000000000 dragged her away.

When I became aware of the graceless00000000000000000000 way my parents spoke, everything changed. Their0000000000 accents and their worth became intrinsically00000000000 intertwined, and suddenly their accomplishments00000000000 didn’t seem as impressive.

From then on, I took it upon myself to save my0000000000000 mother and father from what I perceived was00000000000000 humiliation. I shushed them every time they spoke00000000000000 too loudly in public. I intervened when they00000000000000000 struggled to clearly communicate their ideas,000000000000000000 cutting off their words and speaking for them000000000000000000 in what I believed to be a more respectable000000000000000000000 manner. I ordered for them at restaurants and tried to ignore their crestfallen expressions as their sense of individuality was destroyed. At home, I condescendingly corrected them, and grew frustrated when I couldn’t mend the cracks in their 0000000000000000000000000000000broken English. “Maybe you 000000000000000000000000000000000000should get an English 0000000000000000000000000000000000000tutor," I once told 0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000them.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000At the same time, 0000000000000000000000000000000000000however, I felt guilty 000000000000000000000000000000000000about silencing my 9000000000000000000000000000000000parents. Nagging thoughts

Work or Worship Students struggle to balance academics with religious holidays

By Chloe Chon

SPREAD DESIGN BY BRANDON NG AND wALKER WHALENDESIGN BY

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The Lowell December 2021

PHOTO BY JAXI COHEN

The Lowell December 2021

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FEATURE

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kasdunior Micah Mangot finally sat back in her desk chair, kasdtaking break from the pages of math problems in front of her. kasdShe had been fasting since dawn and needed to rest. When she glanced at the clock, she did a double-take — three hours had passed since she started her homework. Despite it being Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days of the year in Judaism and a time for reflection, she had spent the holy day working on makeup assignments, wanting to avoid a buildup of work when she returned to school.

Mangot is one of many Lowell students who have found themselves at a crossroads between their faith and their education.

At Lowell, many students like Mangot miss school to observe a wide variety of religious holidays that00000000000000000000000 aren’t classified school holidays, from00000000000000000000000 Yom Kippur to Eid al-Fitr to Vesak.00000000000000000000000 Although their absences are excused,00000000000000000000000 these students can face unintended00000000000000000000000 academic repercussions for missing00000000000000000000000 school during religious holidays.00000000000000000000000 Individual teachers may accommodate00000000000000000000000 major holidays into their lesson plans,00000000000000000000000 but this is not standardized. Without00000000000000000000000 policies dictating the frequency or00000000000000000000000 intensity of workload and tests, as000000000000000000000000 well as a lack of awareness around00000000000000000000000 holidays, students and teachers are in00000000000000000000000 charge of trying to ease the academic00000000000000000000000 burden for those missing school for00000000000000000000000 religious holidays.

According to the California Education Code and San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) Board of Education Policy 5113, students that miss school to observe religious holidays will receive excused absences, and are guaranteed the chance to make up missed assignments or assessments for full credit. “An excused absence is anything related to participation in religious exercises or religious instruction,” says Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School Wellness Coordinator Patrick Mulkern, citing both the Californian educational code and SFUSD board policy. However, there are no 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0

Hassani. “I miss at least one day of school due to holidays every year,” she said.

Some students lament the lack of clear guidelines meant to manage the amount of work that can be assigned during the occurrence of religious holidays. According to Mangot, some teachers have continued to assign work, saying that she knows of four tests that were previously administered on Yom Kippur. Although the Lowell administration has strongly recommended that teachers don’t administer tests on major holidays such as Rosh Hashanah, they lack the official authority to enforce it. Mangot believes that this grants teachers the liberty to administer tests at will, regardless of students' schedules. While the district guarantees that students are uwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeu hfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowp oeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwf ehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwb eifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhf wpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiue hfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbo wiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoe uhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfow poeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuw fehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfw beifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuh fwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiue hfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbo wiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoe uhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowpoeuhfwpoeuhfwbeifbowiuwfehiuehfowa YESHI-WANGMU SHERPA weoufowpuefwonefiuwyfgowueyfgwouyegfoiwyeggwyegriugiwgeggrg allowed to make up any work, the validity of the absence does little to relieve the heavy workload they often face after returning to school.

In addition to testing, missing school for religious observances has had negative academic consequences due to a build up of homework and in-class assignments. “Trying to make up six or seven classes multiple times is a lot of extra work,” Mangot said. For her, missing even one day of school can have a detrimental effect on her academics, a sentiment that Hassani also agrees with. “It’s difficult because when you miss a little bit of school, it means a lot more work 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000 0

official policies dictating the amount of work that can be assigned during these holidays.

For students like Mangot, this issue has been present for years.

Missing school days for religious holidays has become a standard part of her routine, stretching all the way back to her middle school years. This is also an issue for Muslim student and junior Aida 00000

later,” Hassani said.

0000For a handful of students, this issue has negatively affected their grades. Mangot has seen her grades fluctuate due to her absences. “I had a C in one class for weeks because I had zeros on assignments I missed [on Yom Kippur],” she said. She can also recall getting questions wrong on a pre-calculus test because the concepts had been 00000

"I don't really have control over [missing school], and it's important for me to take time off to observe my religion,"

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The Lowell December 2021

taught on Rosh Hashanah when she was absent, and despite her achieving this goal. To combat the issue of students facing efforts to self-teach the material, the fast-paced nature of her class copiousamounts of work due to absences, they have taken initiative meant she hadn't gained a comprehensive understanding of the to accommodate religious students’ absences by planning around topic. “I don't really have control over [missing school], and it's them. For Mangot, she’s noticed that some of her teachers are happy important for me to take time off to observe my religion,” she said. to accommodate her. She points to her English teacher, Allison Although this problem may be000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000Kent, as an example. According to present at other schools as well,000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000her, after telling Kent she’d miss class many feel that Lowell's strict000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000for services, her teacher shared with environment exacerbates it.0000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000her a preview of what the lesson Hassani cites Lowell’s notoriously000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000would be, and communicated all demanding, rigorous environment000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000assignments she’d have to make up. and workload as a factor that000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000Additionally, Kent promised that no worsens the academic consequences.00000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000tests would be administered on that “At this school, there aren’t any000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000day, further making Mangot’s excuses for missing work,” Hassani said. During her freshman year absence as stress-free as possible. According to AP Physics teacher at Lowell, Mangot remembers passing by a sign outside the Scott Dickerman, Lowell teachers were notified of their attendance office telling students that absences will hurt their grades. responsibility to take students’ religious obligations into She feels that the school culture surrounding absences strongly consideration when planning lectures via an email from Vice discourages her from taking time off. Hassani believes the academic Principal Darell Daniels. The email addressed the presence stress associated with missing school has kept her from observing of the Jewish Holy Days and asked teachers to refrain from her religion fully. “I feel like holidays should be a day off, where I administering tests. don’t have to worry about school work,” Hassani said. Senior Jessie In order to avoid panic among students who miss school on Satovsky, who is Jewish, agrees, saying that her academic obligations religious holidays, other teachers have implemented fixed, relatively end up largely cutting into her time meant for celebrating her unchanging, schedules. Dickerman, who is Jewish himself, has taken religion. She’s forced to instead spend holidays making up to communicating his class’s schedule weeks beforehand, to inform assignments, which she feels defeats the purpose of taking a day off. students of what they’ll be missing. “The way I teach is that the days According to some, this issue stems partially from a lack of of the week are pretty much set, and there’s a regular rhythm to it,” authentic cultural understanding about000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000Dickerman said. This way, he says, the importance of these holidays.000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000students are aware of what work “I feel there isn’t enough000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000will be waiting for them when recognition for other religions that000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000they return. students and members of our000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000 Although these adjustments have community follow,” said senior000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000been made by some, Mulkern Pradipti Lama, who is Buddhist.000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000understands that this problem is far Satovsky believes that a more000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000from over. He points to the sections structural, school-wide shift in the000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000that officially accommodate religious SHERPA attitude towards religious holidays000000000000000000000000000 YESHI-WANGMU 00000000000000000000000000holidays in SFUSD’s board policy as is a necessary step towards making000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000an example of positive progress. In the absences less burdensome for individual religious students. Mulkern meantime, he acknowledges that progress is a crucial step towards agrees, saying that many teachers simply aren't aware of many major more accommodating, understanding school environments. “I think religious holidays and raising awareness regarding the topic is a key we’ve moved in the right direction, honoring and acknowledging a step. “[The question is,] how do we both convey information to wide variety of holidays,” Mulkern said. “But we can always do a students and families about their rights, and get information from better job.” students to faculty about holidays that are important and might lead Students’ experiences with missing school for religious holidays to an absence,” said Mulkern. He believes that, in order to provide have differed. Some lament the lack of accommodations despite students with more support, encouraging discussion around the having absences excused, while others believe the problem is topic is crucial. “What’s most important is increasing authentic representative of a bigger issue; the lack of authentic awareness of partnership with students and families so there is communication other cultures’ holidays and observances. “[Missing school for within schools,” Mulkern said. religious events] should be way less burdensome for individual Some teachers have already taken their own steps towards students,” Satovsky said.

0000000000

“I feel like holidays should be a day off, where I don’t have to worry about school work,”

The Lowell December 2021

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SPREAD DESIGN BY BRANDON NG AND WALKER WHALEN

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INFOGRAPHICS

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The Lowell December 2021

, SPREAD DESIGN BY MELLA BETTAG

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The Lowell December 2021

OPINION

DON'T BE AFRAID TO BE AUTHENTIC

By Elise Muchowski

I

0000sat in my Advanced Placement (AP) 0000Statistics class, scanning my 0000worksheet, looking down the row of questions. I couldn’t bring myself to start on any of them. It’s not that they were excessively difficult or confusing, I just wasn’t passionate about statistics. In all honesty, I didn’t have any interest in what we were learning. Why was I taking this class? The answer was evident — I was craving the GPA boost from the course. I also knew that an AP class would make my high school transcript appear more impressive to colleges. But my heart wasn't in it.

00Although the moment seemed insignificant at the time, it was a representation of a bigger problem within 0

ALL ILLUSTRATIONS BY RAYMOND YUAN

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The Lowell December 2021

Lowell’s culture: students’ inauthentic participation in classes and extracurriculars.

Lowell offers many AP classes and clubs, which students participate in to gain a GPA boost or improve their resume. Some students take APs they aren’t actually interested in to raise their GPA. According to college admissions service Princeton Review, colleges value high participation in challenging APs, which include a collegelevel workload and cumulative test at the end of the year.

Challenging courseloads are not the sole example of inauthenticity at Lowell.

Many new clubs are established every school year, intending to create a stronger college application, as being a founder is considered prestigious. Princeton Review also states that clubs are an advantageous way to improve a student’s resume for colleges. However, creating clubs for the lone purpose of improving one’s college resume taints the true intentions of clubs, which is to partake in activities that you enjoy doing. Overhearing the conversations of desperate seniors scrambling to gather signatures to create a new club has become 000000000000 00

common occurrence at Lowell. These clubs are often dissolved by graduation, ultimately proving their superficiality.

The epitome of this mindset can be found within Lowell’s esteemed honors society, Shield & Scroll. To be considered for acceptance, students must list the clubs, activities, and sports they participate in, any awards and achievements, and their GPA. There is no interview process to get to know the candidates beyond their stats — no consideration of a student’s character or personality. If Lowellites are accepted into our school’s honors society based on the accumulation of a long list of resume fillers, can we really blame students for feeling pressured into participating in activities they don’t find interesting? Shield & Scroll cannot be blamed entirely; it’s merely one example of a culture that is perpetuated by the Lowell community.

000The main driving force behind this inauthenticity is the desire for acceptance into a prestigious college. The increasing selectivity of colleges combined with Lowell’s high expectations, creates. pressure for students to present 000000000000000000

them the opportunity to delve deeper into their true passions and provide an environment to succeed both mentally and academically. As a school, we should prioritize students enjoying their high school experience as a journey, rather than a mere means to an end. The goal of attending a prestigious college sets students up for four years of competition: score better than your peers on tests, intern for a city official because your peers started a non-profit, and take five APs because your peers are taking four.

000000Following your passions and immersing yourself in sometimes unconventional activities may actually be more impressive to universities. Hundreds of thousands of students apply to colleges every year with similar resumes — admission officers appreciate students who dedicate themselves to authentic interests.

US News explains how colleges are interested in students who delve deep into unique interests, and are aware when themselves as an ideal candidate to students place activities for the sole admission officers. According to college purpose of college. After reviewing endless admissions and essay reviewing service Ivy amounts of applications, they are Zen, prestigious colleges expect a polished ILLUSTRATIONS BY RAYMOND YUAN desensitized to debate captains and list of clubs and programs, stating “a countless 5s on AP tests. You can’t perfect set of extracurricular activities can manufacture passion for these activities in always be crafted.” The common college essays, or fake enthusiasm conceptions and perceptions of “collegein an interview. worthy” extracurriculars becomes evident 0

debate and AP Calculus, or football or soccer, should not be dismissed or undermined, as long as the students are being true to themselves. Engaging in activities that you care about is a healthier and more constructive use of your time. It makes the four years spent in high school more worthwhile and gratifying.

High school is a time to explore your identity and passions; students’ high school careers should not be centered around getting into competitive colleges.

Engaging in activities that we care about is a healthier and more constructive use of our time. As a community, we need to promote a more authentic way of selecting extracurriculars and classes while striving for a less competitive school campus. It starts with individual students such as you and

after speaking to any student at Lowell.

Conversations with peers often lead to discussing the burden of after-school activities, describing them as “tiring” and “mentally depleting.” Focusing only on extracurriculars’ value in the college admissions process is counterproductive, distracting students from pursuing personal passions, or beneficial physical outlets, and leading to high school careers that are insincere and generic.

Students — including me — should be more authentic when choosing their extracurriculars and classes. It would give 000000

00000Some students argue that participating in a variety of extracurriculars and classes can be beneficial.

According to Bentley University, joining student organizations allows students to gain leadership skills, learn about networking opportunities, and work with a team. Sure, but this should not be confused with deliberately signing up for activities with the sole purpose of building impressive resumes, without a lack of genuine interest. Those who do enjoy academically strenuous courses, and actually hold interest in activities such as 000000

and me. I’ve already spent money and mental energy on AP Statistics, it’s too late for me to drop out. Nevertheless, this experience has inspired me to be more mindful when I choose my classes for senior year. Real change begins when students start engaging in activities they truly love. Ask yourself: would you still participate in all of your extracurriculars if you weren’t going to list them on your college application?

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*Chloe Chon contributed reporting.

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The Lowell December 2021

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SPREAD DESIGN BY MADELEINE JOHNSTON

Ask yourself: would you still participate in all of your extracurriculars if you weren’t going to list them on your college application?

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