The Lowell February 2014

LoweLL HigH ScHooL, cardinaL edition, VoL. 221 no. 5, February 28, 2014, www.thelowell.org

,OWELL 4HE

Wrestling nabs gold at All-City

SALLY MA

Wrestling captain senior Pryor Vo took first place in the 134-pound division at the Academic Athletic Association All-City tournament on Feb. 22.

The wrestling team won first place in the tournament for the first time in 18 years, sending four wrestlers to the state-level tournament in the process. For scores, photos and more, see “All-City Champions” on page 11 of this issue.

AP Physics to be taught in two years to lessen course breadth

By Tyler Perkins

Video stars Page 10 In an era when anyone can become a celebrity, read how locals gained their followings using their YouTube channels

Burrito blast Page 20

Several reporters share their favorite spots to grab some grub in the city

8IBU T What’s

Inside

News

Pages

1-5

Reporter Madelyn Chen interviews School Board Commissioner Emily Murase

Entertainment

Pages

6-7

Take a trip back to the ‘90s and reminisce on this decade’s best fashion, music and movies Page

9

Bust a move with a few dynamic ballroom dancers

Sports

Pages

11-16

The Lowell’s picks for winter sports’ most valuable players Lowell athletes branch out, try alternative sports

Columns

Page

17

Collection reflects girl’s colorful personality Video game player expresses love for favorite character

Opinion

Pages

18-19

Rowing reporter argues for Dragonboat recognition School should buy cap and gown set to save students money

A

NY STUDENTS who have struggled with the sheer breadth of the Physics B curriculum will be pleased to hear that major changes to the course are in place for the upcoming school year. Next semester, the material covered in AP Physics B will be taught in two yearlong classes, AP Physics 1 and 2.

The changes were initiated by the College Board, according to physics teacher Bryan Cooley. Schools offering AP Physics B will have to change.

The main benefit of the change is that it will allow students to delve deeper into specific topics, according to Cooley. “AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2 will give students more time to do labs and projects, since the same material that used to be taught in one year will be spread out over two years,” he said. “Also, students will be able to get college credit from taking a physics

course that is easier than the current honors physics class.”

Though the change will allow students to learn the material in greater depth, some drawbacks are evident. “Students might not have the space in their schedule for two years of algebra based physics,” Cooley said. “Also, students might find it harder to get the material covered in AP Physics 2 before they take the Calculus based AP Physics C course.”

Not all students like the idea of the extra year of physics. “It is unfortunate for people who learn quickly,” junior Neil Ryan said. “It does make sense though. There was a lot to cover in that class. It really just depends on the speed at which you learn stuff.”

There is another option for students who want to learn all the material, but don’t have the space in their schedule. Lowell is offering an accelerated physics course, AP Physics 1-2,

which will be similar to the current Physics B course. Students in this course will take both the AP Physics 1 and 2 exams at the end of the school year.

Despite the disadvantages, Cooley is in favor of the change. “I think the change is better for everyone,” he said. “Teachers will have more flexibility with how they cover the material and more time to do projects and labs. Also, students who are interested in physics can now take three or even more years of physics if they double up on physics courses.”

In addition to the other changes, Honors Physics, a yearlong class, will no longer be offered. “We decided to not offer Honors Physics anymore because AP Physics 1 covers the same topics that we have already been covering in Honors Physics at the same or lower difficulty level,” Cooley said. “This solves the redundancy of taking honors physics and then AP Physics B.”

Temporary staffing Strings attached gaps force switches with admin, teachers

By Madelyn Chen

T

EMPORARY staffing gaps in biology and Advanced Placement Biology classes this semester have been filled by different teachers, including a new long-term substitute.

Due to an administrator’s leave of absence for the rest of this semester, biology teacher and former science department head Dacotah Swett assumed administrative duties, leaving her position as science department head to chemistry teacher Jonathan Fong.

Biology teachers Mark Wenning and Alena Killpack gave up their freshman biology classes during Mods 1-2, 4-5 and 9-10 to take over Swett’s three AP Biology classes during those Mods. In addition, Killpack relinquished another biology class for an AP preparation block.

Wenning and Killpack were asked to teach Swett’s AP Biology classes due to their experience with the subject and because they have special training required for the

class, which the substitute teacher does not have. They were informed of Swett’s progress in the curriculum and introduced to her classes, according to Wenning. The four biology classes that Wenning and Killpack left have been filled by Emma Ross, a certified teacher who will remain at the school until the end of the current semester.

Ross formerly taught biology at small charter schools, but was taking some time off from teaching when she was contacted around three weeks ago for this position.

“Lowell’s huge and it’s hard to find some things,” she said. “All those things that freshmen experience, I’m experiencing too, to an extent.”

To help prepare for teaching at Lowell, Ross sat down with Wenning and Killpack and observed some of their classes. “One of the challenges of taking over two people’s classes, especially when they have different styles, is that it’s harder to transition the classes and See STAFF SWITCH on Page 4

SALLY MA

The Alexander String Quartet performed for English teacher Sydney Recht’s Mods 6-7 10th Grade English Honors class on Feb. 18.

February 28, 2014

2 NEWS

Lowell High School

NEWSBRIEFS Peer helping class approved for UC The peer helping class will now meet the “G” requirement for the Universities of California and California State Universities.

Starting this school year, the course Peer Helping will be acknowledged as an elective and fulfill the “G” prerequisite, which requires students to take two semesters of a non-visual performing arts elective.

The Peer Helping: Critical Thinking & Social Justice class encourages students to support and advocate for each other and their communities. “Peers provides the rare place where young people work in partnership with adults to learn the tools and develop the compassion to make the world a better place,” Peer Resources Coordinator Adee Horn said. “I have seen young people support each other lovingly, take on leadership fiercely and work toward positive community change with no-nonsense integrity.”

Staff members of Peer Resources throughout the San Francisco Unified School District have worked with UC Berkeley for the past two to three years in order for Peer Helping to meet the “G” requirement.

Currently, 48 Lowell students are enrolled in Peer Helping at the school across three different classes.

“I have visited almost all Peer Resource classes in the district, and all students should get a chance to take the class and empower each other,” SFUSD school board member Matt Haney said.

— Noreen Shaikh

New chemistry course to be offered

Lovefest spreads good campus vibes The Wellness Center held its first annual “Lovefest” fair on Feb. 14, promoting love and healthy relationships.

The theme of the event was “loving yourself and loving others in a healthy way,” with the goal of “having everybody have fun while celebrating themselves and others,” according to Community Health Outreach Worker Xavier Salazar.

“It was a fun experience, and I am glad it was held because we normally don’t have events like this here,” Wellness Center teacher assistant senior Johanna Alatorre, who helped create the event, said.

School nurse Maryann Rainey had a booth at Lovefest where she held a condom demonstration and spread awareness about HIV. Self-empowerment organizations including AboutFace, Hify, La Casa de las Madres, La Venta and Lyric manned booths where they held games such as condom comeback and pin the condom. “The booths provoked learning in a fun and informative way,” junior Sabina Wildman said.

To advertise for the event, the Wellness Center put up small heart posters and decorated the bulletin board next to the nurse’s office.

Overall, the Wellness Center received positive feedback about the event. Next year it plans on keeping the same theme and the more popular games but improving it by having new games and changing the layout of the booths to increase interaction.

— Gisela Kottmeier f o r t h e c o m p l e t e v e r s i o n s of stories, please visit

The Lowell on the Web

www.thelowell.org

Service clubs connect with disadvantaged children

By Joseph Kim

W

HILE STUDENTS HERE are preoccupied with studying and prom, children in disadvantaged areas face much more difficult issues. With three new clubs started at the school last fall, finding the time to help raise awareness about these underprivileged children should no longer be a challenge.

Change

Led by co-presidents juniors Arynn Kwan and Sara Plunkett, Change is a new club brought to the school last fall, which focuses on bringing social awareness to the community and providing an outlet for women and children who are exposed to abuse or domestic violence. The club participates in a variety of philanthropic activities around the San Francisco community by volunteering for numerous non-profit organizations.

Change’s goal is not only to raise awareness of the disadvantaged, but also to provide services to help make a change in society. “We hope to make a difference in our community by overall giving love and support to families who may feel that these qualities have gone obsolete,” Kwan said. “We hope to remind these families that there are people who care about them and who want to return their happiness.”

Working with organizations and companies such as La Casa

De Las Madres, the San Francisco Food Bank, Little Brothers and Safeway, Change especially targets the holiday seasons since those are the times that most families, especially those with children, need love and support. To do this, Change specifically searches for volunteer and fundraising opportunities that directly help needy families during the winter holidays.

With one of their partners, non-profit organization Little Brothers, Change helped prepare pumpkin pies and distributed roses to the Bay Area community during Thanksgiving. Change also partnered with Safeway and the San Francisco Food Bank during the Christmas season, filling bags with groceries to support needy families and spreading awareness of hunger in our community.

Additionally, Change plans to hold a fundraiser, partnering with Nubi Yogurt, where all profits will go toward buying toys and essentials such as clothes and personal hygiene products for care packages that will be distributed to various children’s organizations.

In the future, Change hopes to raise enough money so students can take a trip to help children in underdeveloped countries. “On these trips we hope the students can return with a larger outlook on the needs of children and apply their experiences to projects in the Bay Area,” Kwan said.

See SERVICE CLUBS on Page 3

club

Coming to Lowell next year is an exciting new chemistry course. Organic Chemistry will be available beginning in the 2014-15 school year for prior chemistry students that are interested in continuing chemistry.

This course is not yet offered at any other school in the district, and the only prerequisite is a year of chemistry. Science teacher Michelle Trimble will be the Organic Chemistry instructor because she has a strong background and interest in the subject.

Whereas traditional chemistry classes cover general chemistry, Organic Chemistry focuses on a specific aspect of it. After a brief recap of important chemical principles, this class will dive into the study of the properties and reactions of carbon-containing compounds and how molecules react based on their shapes and atom positions. “A lot of the chemicals that you encounter on a daily basis are organic in nature,” Trimble said. “It’s a really rich chemistry.” She plans to use a “flipped” classroom model to teach the class, meaning that students read the textbook or watch videos on the topic at home and practice what they learned in the classroom.

The number of available classes will depend on how many people sign up.

— Arthur Register

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARYNN KWAN

Junior Jina Bae (first from left) sells boba at the 29 bus stop behind school as part of a fundraiser for Change club on Feb. 21.

Feel-good film follows senior’s Cuban baseball philanthropy

By Jeffrey Li

N

OWADAYS, visiting Cuba can be quite an ordeal, but one student overcame the obstacles and traveled to Cuba in the name of humanitarianism.

While the sophomores took the California High School Exit Exam, the rest of the school attended meetings on Feb. 5 to watch an hour long documentary about a student’s community service.

The low-budget documentary Havana Curveball, directed and produced by senior Mica Jarmel-Schneider’s parents, Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider, follows Jarmel-Schneider’s quest to send baseball equipment to under-equipped Cuban youth teams.

The story begins with Jarmel-Schneider’s Bar Mitzvah, the Jewish coming of age for thirteen-year-old boys. As part of tikkun olam, meaning “healing the world” in Hebrew, Jarmel-Schneider endeavors to evade the United State’s embargo on Cuba. According to JarmelSchneider, the baseball equipment was a sign of gratitude to Cuba for housing his grandfather during WWII. “I couldn’t send the gear directly to Cuba,” he said.

“So I had to send it through Mexico and Canada.”

Eventually, however, with support from his friends and family, Jarmel-Schneider is able to overcome the difficulties, sending about 500 pounds of equip-

PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIEL CHILE

Senior Mica Jarmel-Schneider (second from right) and father Ken Schneider (third from right) talk with Cubans in Havana during their visit in the summer of 2011.

ment to Cuban youth teams. “My project wasn’t the biggest humanitarian project of its kind,” he said. “But it succeeded in bringing joy to people who don’t have a lot of material goods. In the end, that was my goal.”

Jarmel-Schneider said the film’s purpose is to look at the difficulties of doing positive work in a world that doesn’t necessarily encourage it, and how youth can participate more.

Jarmel-Schneider hopes that through humanitarianism,

arts

he can influence others to do similar acts of kindness. “I think we tend to be overwhelmed by the problems in the world and choose to ignore them,” he said. “But real, positive good work can be done by all of us, and especially on a small scale.”

In the future, Jarmel-Schneider wants to participate in similar projects on a larger scale and work more in the social justice and human rights fields. “Wherever I end up, in college and in life, I plan on making a positive change, and I hope that I can,” he said.

The Lowell

February 28, 2014

NEWS

3

Reporter shares an inside scoop of district news: a summary of a casual lunchtime conversation and interview with Board of Education vice president Emily Murase

By Madelyn Chen

A

LTHOUGH THE SAN FRANCISCO Board of Education manages many aspects of public schools, the activities and functions of its school board members are obscure to the average student. Some of that mystery was dispersed however, when San Francisco School Board Commissioner and Lowell class of ’83 alumna Emily Murase revealed a few of the district’s upcoming plans in an interview with The Lowell reporter Madelyn Chen: a focus on the arts, a project to redesign cafeterias, and a program envisioning education in the future.

School Lunchroom Project

In a departure from traditional classroom lectures, the San Francisco Unified School District is attempting a more creative approach to education through projects designed to incorporate the arts in learning and promote independent thinking. One potential project to increase social interactions between students is the School Lunchroom Project, in which cafeterias are used to promote inclusion.

Last year, the SFUSD renovated its cafeteria menus by switching to a new food vendor. Now reform is coming to the space where that food is eaten: the cafeteria. The district has partnered with the design lab IDEO to makeover cafeterias to create a more unified atmosphere and promote healthy eating habits. In elementary school, for example, kids could eat a family-style meal around a round table; in middle school, students could categorize spaces according to different interests. Such efforts would hopefully foster a sense of community. “Society’s become so full of technology, with people focused on their phones instead of having conversations,” Murase said. “This helps with communication, and addresses bullying by ensuring that nobody eats alone.”

Vision 2025

ALL ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHRISTINE VAN

Another school improvement program is Vision 2025, which plans the position of the district in 11 years. The Vision 2025 project seeks to inspire students by focusing on the pursuit of knowledge through exploration. A typical school day in 2025 might start with a virtual check-in with your teacher, followed by projects and seminars, according to Murase.

Lunch could be collected from the school vegetable garden, and the afternoon would be dedicated to using the city as a classroom, such as a trip to Davies Symphony Hall for a workshop on how the brain processes music. “One of the key things about Vision 2025 is focusing on how kids will learn how to learn, versus regurgitating facts and formulas,” Murase said. “It’s about facilitating individual learning and how every kid will have an individualized learning plan.”

Onward to Bigger Things

Murase’s knowledge of district issues and her involvement

in the community stem from her ties to local education. Having attended an assortment of San Francisco schools, Murase graduated with the Lowell Class of ’83 and has children in the SFUSD, all of which contribute to her greater understanding of the district.

At Lowell, Murase participated in student government all four years, which she said gave her experience and solidified her interest in politics. She was also active in band, Shield & Scroll, CSF tutoring and forensics, the latter which she credits with helping her speaking skills. “Being Japanese-American, being Asian-American, you’re not encouraged or expected to speak publicly,” she said. “For me, it was overcoming this huge barrier of public speaking. I wasn’t the most competitive student, but it did help me overcome one of my greatest fears.”

In addition to improving her speaking ability, Murase polished her writing skills with the help of English and language teachers whom she still keeps in touch with. Her teachers and classmates contribute to her fondest memories of Lowell. “One of my proudest moments was when our freshman class beat the sophomores during Spirit Week,” she said. That never happens, but we put a lot of time and energy into Spirit Week, and we upset the sophomores our first year there.”

Lessons learned and experience gained during her years as a student in the SFUSD have helped Murase in her life and career. She was an account executive for AT&T Tokyo, and subsequently served as Director for International Economic Affairs in Washington D.C. during President Bill Clinton’s first term. She is known locally for her leadership in women’s issues in the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women, for which she has served as Executive Director since 2004.

Murase became a school board commissioner for the SFUSD, the latest position in a succession of roles in the San Francisco education community, in 2011. Prior to her election as a commissioner, Murase served on the board of the Lowell Alumni Association and was chair of the SFUSD Parent Advisory Council and participated on other education boards.

As a commissioner, Murase focuses on developing school programs, coming up with solutions to issues such as bullying and the achievement gap, and planning the district budget, tasks which require a significant amount of time.

“There’s some challenging problems, but I like to be a part of the team that’s working to solve those problems,” she said.

She sees her participation in the community as a way to give back to the schools that helped her, and to assist and inspire students as well. “I’ve had all these amazing opportunities due to my education,” Murase said. “I want to make sure that all 56,000 SFUSD students have such opportunities too.”

Though the programs and projects to provide these opportunities are still being planned, Murase expressed enthusiasm about the district’s new approach of connecting with and supporting students’ social health and welfare. These tactics will hopefully demonstrate how life and success outside of school depend on more than academics.

A plethora of school clubs help children in need

From PHILANTHROPY on Page 2

Although they are not focusing on any specific country, Change hopes to be able to help wherever it can.

Change meets in Room 140 every other Friday.

Free the Children

Although some high schoolers dread going to school in the morning, many children in third world countries lack the schools and opportunity to even receive an education. With the objective to increase access to education for children in third world countries, sophomore Melanie Inouye decided to bring Free the Children to the school. “One of my older sister’s best friends had a Free the Children club at their high school, Lick Wilmerding,” Inouye said. “I was extremely interested and started working with the organization for about a year, then decided to bring it to Lowell as a club to be able to get many others involved.”

As part of a much larger international organization, the club also serves to give needy children basics such as clean water, medical care and food security. With its motto, “Children helping children,” Free the Children empowers students to become agents of change and make the world a better place.

Currently, the club’s main fundraising events are bake sales that take place around the city, and they also receive funding from an allied movie theater. “We haven’t helped out with many other large scale events because we’ve been so busy raising money, but that’s definitely in our future plans,” Inouye said.

In the future, Free the Children hopes to volunteer at events both organized by the school club and the larger umbrella organization. This includes helping out at homeless shelters, organizing canned food drives and charity events and signing up for campaigns that Free the Children offers such as “We Scare Hunger” and “We Stand Together.”

Due to the prominence of the international organization, the club also receives many special opportunities. “One of the great things we are going to do is attend an event called WE day,” Inouye said. “WE day is a huge youth empowerment event which thousands of students attend. There are motivational speeches and performances from global leaders, social activists and even celebrities like Demi Lovato, Macklemore and Jennifer Hudson. It’s quite amazing.”

The club hopes to raise enough money to one day travel to the areas Free the Children supports — Ecuador, Ghana, Haití, India, Kenya, Nicaragua, rural China and Sierra Leone — and help to build a school. “We want to be able to give children the opportunity to have an education and break the cycle of poverty,” Inouye said.

Free the Children meets in Room 231 on Thursdays.

Half the Sky

Rather than focusing on a generalized set of issues in developing countries, co-presidents sophomores Xuying Li and Kaki Fung decided to focus their club, Half the Sky, specifically on helping orphans internationally. Branching their mission off of international foundations Save the Children and the Half the Sky Foundation, Half the Sky at Lowell mainly fundraises and volunteers at community events.

At the club’s meetings, members gather to select the fundraisers they want to do, which tend to be simple events such as bake sales. For their larger community projects, Half the Sky targets events that donate a portion of profits to organizations which focus on improving the lives of orphans and needy children.

Last December, Half the Sky volunteered at the Berkeley Half-Marathon to raise money for orphans in China, and in March, the club plans to volunteer at the Edgewood Across the

Bay 12 kilometer race which will help traumatized children and also raise money for orphans.

Half the Sky strives to create an environment like none other.

“We wanted to create a club that would specialize in bringing a community together instead of creating just volunteer activities for members to join,” Li said. A typical club meeting involves ice breakers, announcements and sign ups for upcoming events.

The co-presidents remain open to suggestions for new fundraising events and ways to improve the club.

Half the Sky currently has plans to host its own marathon with the help of Save the Children. Together, they hope to raise money for children in Syria. “The marathon is currently planned specifically for Syria because they are in serious need of help due to the effects of civil war on the families and children,” Li said.

Half the Sky meets in Room 4 every Wednesday.

CORRECTIONS

Dear Readers, Last issue, The Lowell erroneously printed a mistake regarding the weighted status of the Chemistry Honors course in an editorial on Page 23. Despite what was stated, this class is still weighted according to both Lowell High School and the UC system. The Lowell received information from Gunn High School in Palo Alto, where Chemistry Honors is no longer weighted, and believed it applied to Lowell as well. However, Gunn’s course is geared towards 10th graders, while Lowell’s course is geared towards 11th graders, which is how honors classes are determined to be weighted.

The Lowell Staff

4 NEWS

February 28, 2014

Shot by Cupid’s arrow

Lowell High School

ALL PHOTOS BY SALLY MA

The Student Body Council hosted the school’s annual Valentine’s Day rally on the catwalk during Mods 14-15 on Feb. 14. Clockwise from top: (Top) Senior Helena Colindres sings. (Right) Senior Yu Ling Wu serenades a stagemate. (Bottom) From left to right: SBC seniors Public Relations Katie Hwang, Dance Coordinator Nilou Mostarshed and Events Coordinator Jessica Weiss hold raffle prizes during the festivities.

Staffing gaps welcome long-term substitute teacher From STAFF SWITCH on Page 1 get them in the same place,” Ross said. She is picking up where the previous teachers left off, continuing their progress while developing her own curriculum.

Ross’s transition to Lowell has been going well, thanks in part to a student body which she says is “incredible, has so much positivity, and helps out.” Support has particularly flowed from students and the science department, and Ross says she’s settling in nicely. “Everyone’s so supportive and the school’s amazing. I really enjoy it here so far,” she said.

Biology students who were impacted by the switches were told about them around a week beforehand. Freshman biology students now taught by Ross expressed disappointment that Wenning and Killpack had to take on other classes, but were accepting of their new teacher.

“I’m somewhat reluctant that Mr. Wenning had to leave,” freshman Brian Liu said. “There’s tons of changes, with new habits, learning and environment, but they’re okay. We can all get used to changes.”

Although the transitions between these teachers officially occurred on Feb. 18, plan-

ning for the switch began in January. Near the beginning of spring semester, Principal Andrew Ishibashi asked Swett to take on administrative duties due to her knowledge of the school, as Swett has taught at Lowell for around twenty years.

To prepare for the role, Swett worked with the administration for a few weeks. She sees the temporary change as an exciting challenge with lots of new experiences. Swett said that although leaving her classes in the middle of the school year is not ideal, she “feels that Mr. Wenning and Ms. Killpack will do an excellent

job, and [she’s] glad that other teachers have the opportunity to take on new roles.”

All of the teachers involved agree that the transition has been fairly smooth, thanks to cooperation among staff as well as flexible students. The changes are expected to last to the end of the semester, with teachers and administrators returning to their previous positions in the fall. “The good part about Lowellites is that whenever we need to do something we didn’t know we’d have to do, we rise to the challenge,” Swett said. “We adapt and we grow.

There’s not anything we can’t overcome.”

The Lowell

February 28, 2014

NEWS

5

BY LUMING YUAN

M

OTHER GOOSE HAS TAUGHT EVERYONE to sing “Rain, rain, go away; come again another day,” but the current California drought shows that the lack of rainfall will cause problems.

In 2013, many parts of California received the least rainfall in recorded history, according to the California Department of Water Resources website (www.water.ca.gov). Seven inches of rain fell, compared to California’s average amount rainfall of twenty-two inches. Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley were particularly dry.

Governor Jerry Brown proclaimed California in a drought state of emergency on Jan. 17.

This declaration asks for state officials to make sure that everyone has a sufficient water supply and for Californians to reduce their water usage by 20 percent.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not certain that global warming leads directly to drought.

Evidence shows a connection between global warming and drought in some areas like the Mediterranean, but there is no proof that this connection is universal. Although global warming may not have caused California’s drought directly, it has worsened the state of the drought, according to The New York Times. Rising temperatures have caused the moisture that California receives to evaporate faster than it normally would, which has devastating effects on agriculture.

Some meteorologists believe that the real reason for drought lies in an area of high pressure in the atmosphere that has been christened the “Ridiculously Resilient Ridge,” according to the San Jose Mercury News. This two-thousand-mile long, four-mile high zone is located off the West Coast and causes Pacific storms to occur in Alaska and British Columbia instead of California. Whereas areas of high pressure have formed during previous winters, they eventually disintegrated. However, the “Ridiculously Resilient Ridge” has persisted for 13 months.

Aside from environmental factors, Californians also contributed to the current drought by rerouting water in order to protect an endangered species, according to the Committee on Natural Resources website (www.naturalresources.house.gov). In May 2007, a Federal District Court Judge ruled that there should be a relocation of water so as to benefit the three-inch long endangered Delta smelt. As a result, over 300 billion gallons of water were diverted into the San Francisco Bay. Population increase is another contributing factor that worsens our drought problems. In the past fifty years, the world’s water demand has tripled, according to the World Population Awareness website (www. overpopulation.org). If world population hits 7.5 billion by 2020, water usage would increase by 40 percent, putting further strain on water supply.

In 2009, the California Department of Water Resources and the Association of California Water Agencies created Save Our Water, a program that works to help individuals with water conservation, according to the Save Our Water website (www.saveourh2o.org). Through interviews with avid conservers, they spread the water conservation message while providing people with tips on how they can save water in their everyday lives. The Save Our Water website has several ideas on how to save water. For some of their tips, see the “Doing Our Part” section in this article.

Due to the current drought, it is important for individuals to make changes in their everyday lives to aid water conservation.

There are simple ways to conserve water at home, according to Save Our Water. Turning off the water while washing your hair can save approximately 150 gallons of water a month, and turning off the water while brushing your teeth can save about 10 gallons a day. Installing water-efficient toilets, dishwashers, washing machines and low-flow shower heads can all help save water in the long run.

ALL ILLUSTRATIONS BY MONICA LEE

Although measures have been taken to improve the situation, the drought has already affected the Golden State in numerous ways. Seventeen rural communities may run out of water in the next sixty to one hundred twenty days, according to San Jose Mercury News. In addition to rural communities, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose are among a list of 10 major cities in the United States that could run out of water soon, according to The Weather Channel website (www.weather.com).

The drought has also left California susceptible to wildfires. One hundred twenty-five firefighters have been hired due to the prolonged fire season caused by the drought, according to the California Department of Water Resources. Between Jan. 1 and Jan. 25, firefighters tended to 406 wildfires, whereas during this time a year ago, there was not one wildfire. In addition, California’s tourism has been affected by the drought. Due to the lack of natural snow, resorts are forced to rely on machines to make artificial snow, according to the San Jose Mercury News, which has affected snow-related tourism.

It is not likely that conditions will improve in 2014, as the Department of Water Resources’s snow survey on Jan. 30 revealed that the water content of California snowpack — essential for our water reserves — is at 12 percent of average for this time of the year, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

6 EntErtainmEnt

February 28, 2014

Lowell High School

By Natalia Arguello-Inglis

Reporter takes a trip back to the past to resurrect and recommend some of the best artists of the ’90s. Turn on your walkman and pop in a mix CD full of these bangin’ beats.

For fans of: Fall Out Boy, Green Day, All-American Rejects Popular Songs: The combination of the monotone vocals of lead singer Dexter Holland and a tendency towards gentle verses and loud and harsh choruses made The Offspring’s heavy metal-infused, slightly grunge version of punk an alternative rock sensation in the mid ’90s. With songs touching on topics ranging from political commentary, to humor and sarcasm, to love, the band’s 1994 album, Smash, was their first big success, selling over 20 million copies worldwide and setting a record for most albums sold on an independent record label.

“You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)” “Want You Bad” “Gone Away” “Hit That” “Self Esteem” “Come Out and Play”

For fans of: Ne-yo, Usher, Trey Songz, Pharrell, Jason Derulo Blackstreet, the R&B version of the Backstreet Boys, released their self-titled debut album in 1994 and quickly became an R&B staple. With their trendy style (think all white overalls and leather jackets) and smooth and melodic, yet also funky and energetic sound, Blackstreet can easily be described as the epitome of ’90s R&B. Their 1996 single “No Diggity” stayed at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for four weeks in 1996, Popular songs: and won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by “No Diggity” a Duo or Group with Vocals.

“Don’t Leave Me” “Before I Let You Go” “Deep” “Joy” “(Money Can’t) Buy Me Love”

For fans of: A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, The Pharcyde, The Roots, The Fugees With their afro-centric sound and attire, hip-hop group De La Soul has been altering the landscape of hip hop since 1989. They have been credited as one of the first rap groups to move past the accepted “hardcore” style of hip-hop and into the more “feel-good,” melodic hip-hop that is popular today. The trio continues to put out music that combines rhythmic and socially relevant raps with the laid-back and funky sounds of jazz and reggae.

In honor of the 25th anniversary of their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, next month, De La Soul was sure to spread the love by allowing all of their music to be available for free download for 25 hours on their website on Valentine’s Day this year.

Popular Songs: “Me, Myself, and I” “Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)” “Say No Go” “Eye Know” “Buddy” “A Roller Skating Jam Named ‘Saturdays’”

Take Two: A second look at films you might have missed

By Kate McCarthy

M

R. WHITE, MR. ORANGE, Mr. Blonde, Mr. Pink, Mr. Blue and Mr. Brown. No, this is not the attendance sheet for an unsettling male adult band that plays children’s music — this is the fantastic ensemble cast of Quentin Tarantino’s debut 1992 cult hit, Reservoir Dogs!

The film details a screwed-up diamond heist carried out by six of the coolest tuxedo-clad cons around. Tarantino himself stars, along with Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi and Tim Roth, among others. Reservoir Dogs encompasses several scattered, non-linear narratives from the events after and leading up to the heist, and skips between these perspectives in a frenzy that matches the high stakes of the story.

Quentin Tarantino — just emerging from video clerk anonymity — is so confident in his singular vision of this bold crime movie that he is incapable of a false move. From the slick slow motion tracking shot to the utterly haunting use of Stealers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle With You” perversely backing the famous torture sequence, to the opening scene with its rat-a-tat diner dialogue — Tarantino nails it.

Rather than focus on the botched heist itself like other

crime movies might tend toward, the story revolves around the characters and their gruff relationships. These men are intelligent but crude, and do not trust each other for a minute (hence the colorful aliases: by assigning these fake names, no one can rat anyone else out).

Beware: the violence is near constant, but quiet moments of meaningful exchanges and prolonged musings elevate the gore from senseless shock value to its own grungy art form.

In earlier drafts of this column, I tried to pretentiously assign a deeper meaning or serious message to the ubiquitous violence, but it is really not meant to be taken as anything except a stylistic aesthetic that Tarantino favors and uses to characterize his films.

Beneath the blood and laconic “cool hit man” veneer, Reservoir Dogs is about fleeting relationships; the kind of temporary, bittersweet relationship that sprouts from individuals having to begrudgingly coexist — like the detention-trapped teens of The Breakfast Club or the sharkhunting trio in Jaws.

They certainly will not be best friends forever, but these characters will walk away bound to each other by a shared experience.

February 28, 2014

The Lowell

EnTErTainmEnT

Senior whips up delicious gluten-free cupcakes

By Patricia Nguy

W

hen I leave four boxes of cupcakes on a potluck table, they disappear faster than the array of chips, cookies or brownies. Nothing can beat the allure of a cupcake, especially if they are prettily piped and sprinkled. But for the gluten-intolerant, I had to work past the frosting and sprinkles and focus on the heart of the cake.

Prior to finding pastry chef Stella Park’s recipe for glutenfree pear layer cake on her blog (www.bravetart.com), I feared gluten-free baking for its pantry of mysterious flours like mochiko, garbanzo and tapioca. Park’s recipe only requires to swap the usual all-purpose flour with buckwheat flour, used to make Japanese soba noodles and traditional savory French crepes.

Aside from the gray-speckled flour, the recipe follows a typical cake procedure: mix the eggs, sugar, spices and fat together in a bowl until combined and then gently fold in the flour, shredded pears and toasted pecans. Parks demands that you use firm, underripe pears and squeeze the juice from them, otherwise the cake will be wet and mushy. Since this gluten-free variation of the pear cake was a simple one-ingredient switch, I made half of the batter with white wheat flour and the other half with buckwheat.

Parks constructed her recipe for a three-layer eight-inch cake, but I modified the recipe by distributing the batter between paper-lined muffin tins to make twenty-two cupcakes.

For this particular batter, you should fill each well two-thirds of the way to turn out perfectly domed cupcakes. Parks ditched the toothpick test that most pastry chefs use to determine doneness and instead waited for the cupcake tops to turn “golden-brown.”

Pear Cupcake Recipe: 1 ½ tsp soda ¾ tsp baking powder ¾ kosher salt 1 tsp cinnamon ½ nutmeg ⅜ cloves ¾ tsp ginger 7 ounces sugar 3 ½ ounces brown sugar

However, since the buckwheat flour turns the batter a dark gray-brown, which makes it hard to discern color change, you have to bake the cupcakes until the top-centers feel dry when you check them with your fingertips. If they are still sticky, that means raw cake batter lurks within.

Standing next to the gluten-free cupcakes, the regular cupcakes were more visually appealing, with their golden crumb and pudgy, round tops. The texture was similar to carrot cake — moist but not dense.

All the pear that I painstakingly shredded seemed to dissolve into the batter, leaving only a faint floral flavor behind. Using underripe pears to guarantee a structurally sound cake means sacrificing pear flavor, making way for the rich pecans and spices that boost buttery and caramel flavors, a good stepping stone for pear haters. The spice blend is reminiscent of banana bread or the seasonal pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.

Straight from the oven, the gluten-free cupcakes were not as delicious. The buckwheat muted the already faint perfume of pear. They were flatter and crispier on top and had a pasty crumb, like a carrot cake gone wrong. But after cooling com-

3 eggs 4 ounces safflower oil 2 ounces melted butter (for a lactose-free version substitute more oil) 8 ounces all purpose flour, sifted (for gluten-free version, use buckwheat flour) 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract 8 ounces pecans, lightly toasted

7

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PATRICIA NGUY

pletely, the cupcakes gained some fluffiness and tasted less like buckwheat and more like traditional cupcakes. Topped with a swirl of pear caramel buttercream frosting made from the squeezed pear juice, and I had a winner.

Now is a great time to pick up some underripe pears, so there are no excuses to not make these pear cupcakes, glutenfree or not.

1) Preheat the oven to 350° and line 3, 8” pans with parchment paper.

Lightly grease and flour them, and set aside.

Squeeze until you have extracted nearly ½ cup of juice or about 6 ounces. Alternately, use a potato ricer to squeeze the pear shreds.

2) Core and shred the pears using a box grater, the shredding attachment on a CuisinArt or some other gadget. Next, gather the shreds up in a large chunk of triple thick cheesecloth or a clean, thin dishtowel.

3) Using a hand mixer or the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, beat together the eggs and sugar, along with all the spices, until they are light and fluffy, about five minutes.

Then slowly drizzle in the oil,

melted butter, and vanilla while the mixer keeps running. Turn the speed down to low, and add in the flour all at once, mixing until just incorporated.

4) Stir in the pecans and the shredded pear and bake at 350° for 20 minutes, or until the cakes have puffed and lightly browned.

RECIPE COURTESY OF STELLA PARKS

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By Campbell Gee

“I

’M AUDREY HORNE and I get what I want.”

Audrey Horne, the wealthy daddy’s girl from the TV cult classic Twin Peaks, is one of many characters from the ’90s supernatural murder-mystery who has become an underground fashion idol for vintage-loving hipsters and “manic pixie dream girls” of the 21st century. Despite the small town’s preoccupation with solving the eerie slaying of local teen sweetheart Laura Palmer, the show’s ensemble still finds time outside of crimesolving antics to look impossibly chic throughout the entire series — making for a memorable cast of unique and quirky style mavens. And though the unfortunately short-lived series ran its course almost 25 years ago, contemporary high-fashion designers and mainstream retailers alike continue to repopularize aesthetics similar to the trends made cool by Audrey and her gang. So, whether you’re willing to spend an entire life savings to emulate the style of this Twin Peak’s beauty or instead opt to keep it affordable, Audrey’s look can be achieved through a few practical, key additions to your wardrobe.

As Audrey (Sherilyn Fenn) attempts to stick her nose in the townspeople’s business and vies for the love of FBI agent Dale Cooper (Kyle Maclachlan) — a hilarious heartthrob and eccentric genius — her alternating roles of both a damsel in distress and cleverly seductive bombshell come to light and mirror an equally dynamic fashion sense. During her time as a run-of-the-mill high school student, Audrey’s getups feature a darling pair of saddle shoes, a plethora of modest plaid skirts and cozy pull-over sweaters that give her an understated ’50s schoolgirl charm. But from the moment she lights up a cigarette in the school bathroom and slips into a pair of sensual red pumps, Audrey instantly evolves into a manipulative vixen who dresses like she is coming to steal yo’ man.

Almost two decades later, famous fashion houses are taking note of the Audrey Horne formula by using innocent femininity to convey a sense of female empowerment. For its Fall/ Winter 2013 collection, Louis Vuitton (LV) show-

cased girlish mid-century-inspired garments in muted earth tones. For his last show as the brand’s creative director, Marc Jacobs sent down the runway a mix of cropped cashmere sweaters, lace-trimmed satin skirts and lingerie-inspired velour dresses. As for hair and makeup, short and thick black wigs sat upon models’ heads while their pale skin was accented with Audrey-esque red lipstick, overly filled-in brows, and grungy black eye liner. This juxtaposition of frilly boudoir pieces paired with heavy accessories and details evoked the darker side of Audrey Horne, reminiscent of her time as hostess at one of her father’s sketchy establishments, a casino-by-daybrothel-by-night named “One Eyed Jacks.”

That same season, Jacobs managed to create Audrey Horne likeness a second time in his Marc by Marc Jacobs collection. Though in contrast to his more sullen looks from the LV show, the designer-extraordinaire produced outfits that drew from the glamorous but authoritative career women of the early ’90s. Models donned elongated pencil skirts, boyfriend-fit pinstripe suits and bold patterned dresses all while also sporting voluminous permed hair and bright red lips. Not to be forgotten, Audrey’s signature tartan textiles were present in the form of handbags, coats, and blouses. When combined, the clothes conveyed a sense of lightness and ease that paralleled Audrey’s alluring and captivating demeanor.

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8 ADVERTISEMENT

February 28, 2014

Lowell High School

February 28, 2014

The Lowell

PROFILES

9

Three reporters profile freshmen ballroom dancers who put their time, energy and heart in everything from the East Coast Swing to the Vienesse Waltz

By Ophir Simayof

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SINSK Y

D

ANCING UNTIL HE DROPS, freshman Lance Yasinsky goes from the studio to school, truly determined to pursue his passion for a competitive and ambitious sport — ballroom dancing.

Yasinsky entered the world of ballroom dancing seven years ago when his mother enrolled him in a class, and he has been performing ever since. As a child, Yasinsky would not have picked up this form of art, but he is satisfied with his choice and continued to dance. “At first I didn’t think I would like it, but now I am happy that I did decide to keep going,” Yasinsky said. “It is a good extra-curricular activity to do after school, especially instead of sitting on my lazy butt doing nothing.”

Yasinsky goes to the studio to dance from Sunday to Thursday until 8 p.m. Unfortunately, this gives him very little time for homework. “It takes a lot of energy out of you and your teacher can be a pain,” he said.

All that time in the ballroom makes school work a challenge, but his social life also suffers. “I can’t hang out with friends after school,” Yasinsky said. “I’ve also missed multiple gatherings and games at Lowell, like Battle of the Birds.”

Though there are many challenges, the outcome is rewarding. Yasinsky takes great pride in making it to finals at nationals, both the USA Dance Nationals and the

National Dance Council of America (NDCA). However, he is most proud of his win at the Palm Desert Classic. “I had to dance three straight finals, in a 110 degree weather, at Palm Springs,” Yasinsky said. “I got first place.”

For a week this summer, Yasinsky and his dance partner, Paloma Pronin, will be traveling together to compete for the first time in a foreign country. The comOpen Germany, is It is a good extra curricu- petition, something that the two are lar activity to do after very excited for. The dancing duo may also perform in an school, especially instead international competition in There they will repof sitting on my lazy butt England. resent America in a ballroom dance competition, the Black doing nothing.”

Pool. “I’m excited to compete against international LANCE YASINSKY, freshman couples,” he said. “However, I am most excited to just be in Germany.”

Yasinsky loves dance, and hopes that his passion will last until college, even if it doesn’t end in a profession. “Many colleges give scholarships for it, like Stanford, Cal, BYU (Brigham Young University),” he said. “I don’t see myself dancing as a career, but maybe as a hobby, though I love it.”

As an artist, Yasinsky must deal with critics everyday. He feels he handles criticism well, though his biggest critic is the person closest to him — his mother. “My mom, especially during my dance lessons, will make comments, but then I’ll ask her to leave the studio,” Yasinsky said.

“

I

Lance Yasinsky

I

trot, tango and pasodoble, as well as Latin styles, like cha-cha, samba, rumba and jive. “I like Latin style dances most because they were the first dances I learned,” Brusil said. “I feel more comfortable dancing Latin.”

Just like her skills, Brusil’s list of accomplishments has grown significantly over time. She has competed in both citywide and statewide competitions, and has achieved two second place awards as well as one first place award.

During seventh and eighth grade, Brusil found the strict schedule of at least three hours of rehearsal a day too hard to balance with schoolwork, so she temporarily quit ballroom dancing to focus on grades. But she could not be kept away from dancing for long, and she started practicing again this year. Brusil admits that she forgets some

By Samantha Wilcox

once we hit the Worlds competition, we had to step up our game, practicing up to six hours a day. I felt honored to compete for America, but I also felt a lot of pressure.”

Making the decision between school

F DANCE IS THE LANGUAGE of the soul, then freshman Janette Brusil is fluent.

At school, Brusil is still learning how to survive high school. But outside of school, she is a seasoned ballroom dancer.

Since the age of four, she has dedicated her time to mastering the art of ballroom dancing at Genesis Ballroom Dance School in the Inner Richmond. “I love ballroom dancing because I started at such a young age that it became a part of me, defining who I am,” Brusil said. “As cheesy as it sounds, the dance floor feels like home to me.”

Ballroom dancing has helped Brusil off the dance floor as well. According to Brusil, she was the shyest girl in her preschool class. However, that soon changed with her first ballroom dance lesson, in which she learned the skills of confidence and partnership. The next day at preschool, Brusil says that she came out of her shell to teach her classmates the chacha dance.

Over years of instruction, Brusil’s repertoire has grown to include standard types of ballroom dancing, such as waltz, fox-

“F

Cara Loo

IVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT!” Freshman Cara Loo has been a competitive ballroom and latin dancer since she was four years old, and knows how to waltz, two-step and rumba with the best in the world. Who needs to twerk when they have skills like these?

Loo has been dancing for longer than she can remember.

“My parents helped me discover dancing when I was little,” she said. “I loved to toddle around in the kitchen to the music that my mom would play.”

But for Loo, dancing is more than just a hobby — it is a way to relax. “Being on the dance floor has helped me get through so much,” Loo said. “It helps me keep my mind off of family problems, school and other stressful things.”

Although Loo has been dancing ballroom for the majority of her life, her true love is Latin dancing.

“I really love the rumba and the chacha,” Loo said.

“Because it’s an individual dance, I can express myself more on the floor without having to worry about my partner’s input in the choreography.”

Competing is one of the best things about dancing for Loo. She and her partner went to the world competition for both Latin dancing and standard in Russia and Italy. “My partner and I went to Nationals for ballroom and Latin dancing, and we didn’t really find it that difficult,” she said. “However,

of the steps, but she is working harder than ever to surpass her former glory. “I’m looking forward to competing again,” Brusil said. “My goal is to make it to nationals, and from there to place in the world championship.”

Without the inspiration and support from those close to her, Brusil would not be where she is today.

Her dance instructor of six years has left a particularly large impact on her. “My teacher is my biggest idol in ballroom dancing because he’s the one pushing me to keep going, and the one by my side when I get hurt or mess up,” Brusil said. “He’s not just my teacher, but also a very close friend.”

Janette Brusil

By Luke Haubenstock

However, Loo has not given up on dancing forever. “Dancing is my passion, and I don’t want to take it completely out of my life,” Loo said. “But I want to pursue it more as a hobby instead of having it fully consume my life.”

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and dancing was a hard one for Loo. While she has not stopped dancing, her priorities have shifted. “The win at nationals and the trip to Worlds was amazing,” Loo said. “But practicing up to six hours every day became too much when I went to Lowell, and I had to make the decision between school and dancing, and school won.”

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W

HAT WOULD WE DO without YouTube?

More than 1 billion users visit the site each month to watch viral cat videos, learn how tie a bowtie or just to browse when bored. Founded in February 2005, YouTube’s skyrocketing popularity has the site boasting over 100 hours of video uploaded every minute as well as over 6 billion hours of video viewed per month.

With the introduction of the Partner Program in 2007, YouTube now works together with popular users to improve their channels, paying them in the process — thousands of channels make six figures annually. YouTubers’ channel content ranges from entertaining vlogs — video blogs — and informational interviews to movie trailers and funny parodies.

In between the many comedians and vloggers on YouTube are the singers trying to gain a musical fanbase. Raised in El Dorado Hills near Sacramento but currently chilling in Malibu, California, the six Cimorelli sisters, Christina (23), Katherine (21), Lisa (20), Amy (18), Lauren (15) and Dani (13) make up the pop group Cimorelli.

They have strong roots in acapella arrangements, vocal harmony and musical theater, and use those skills to cover and write pop songs that have hints of country and rap influences.

Though Cimorelli’s first music video on YouTube, an original song posted in 2007, did not have much success, their 2009 cover of Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the

USA” received over 20,000 views in one night after Lisa sent the link to OCEANUP, a Malibu-based gossip website. Their cover also grabbed the attention of artists Jessie J and Ellie Goulding’s manager, landing them a label contract with Universal Island Records. “Our first video was put together in one day,” Lisa said in a 2011 interview with the Partners Project, an exclusive YouTuber talk show. “Kath kept going off to read the lyrics because she didn’t know the words. We also had less harmonies back then. Now, we put more time, thought and planning into videos, and try to really do our best.”

The girls continue to post music videos onto their channel, cimorellitheband, which has over 2.5 million subscribers and 600 million video views. Cimorelli’s debut album is set to be released later this year.

Cassandra Bankson does not let her severe acne hinder her modeling career. After getting her first pimple in the third grade and being bullied about her looks, she started experimenting with makeup. In high school, she took it upon herself to help others who were going through similar situations by starting a YouTube channel, diamondsandheels14. The now 21-year-old San Franciscan’s videos focus on makeup, fashion and lifestyle.

One of her earliest videos, which explains how she uses makeup to flawlessly hide her severe acne, has almost 22 million views. “It took

me a month to post,” Cassandra said in a 2011 interview on ABC. “I filmed it in November and I posted it in December. I thought I would get the same hate that I got at school for my skin. I thought if it helped one person, one girl or even one guy, who was in the same condition, it would be worth it. But I didn’t even look at YouTube for four months.” The video boosted her to international fame in the beauty world, and Cassandra even landed appearances on Good Morning America and The Today Show, in addition to being featured in magazines like Vogue, Seventeen and Forbes.

Known as YouTube’s resident gay rights advocate and self-proclaimed “professional fangirl,” Tyler Oakley posts weekly videos ranging from Q&A sessions to travel vlogs, each full of his signature charm and colorful humor. His channel, tyleroakley, currently boasts almost 4 million subscribers, making it one of the top 100 most subscribed channels on YouTube.

Originally from Jackson, Michigan, Tyler moved to San Francisco briefly before his YouTube career kicked off. He first discovered YouTube in 2007 as a way to keep in touch with his friends back home when he was away at college, but later realized that YouTube was his passion. “I decided that if I wasn’t going to love my job, I was surely going to enjoy my hobbies — and with that, I went full speed ahead with YouTube,” he said in his Draw My Life video, a visual autobiography tag made popular on YouTube.

Tyler’s fame increased with each upload, and with the influx of offers coming his way, he decided to move to Los Angeles. “Although San Francisco was amazing socially and culturally, not much was going on there when it came to taking my online life to the next level,” he said later in the video. “And with every opportunity that came up, I was spending more and more time traveling to make it happen. I knew that if I wanted my dreams to come true, I had to take the leap and move to where it all could happen — Los Angeles.”

The 24-year-old’s rapidly increasing popularity and outspoken demeanor has landed him multiple jobs. Tyler is also a spokesperson for The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization providing a 24-hour, confidential hotline to suicidal Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Questioning youth.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY KIMBERLY LI

INSIDE Swimming opens season with victory over Galileo Lowell High School February 28, 2014

Turn the page for The Lowell’s winter MVPs

Page 11

SALLY MA

Junior Sasha Gonzalez in his first match at All-City on Feb. 22. Gonzalez successfully pinned his Washington opponent in the first period, moving directly to the 108-pound final match.

Gonzalez’s gold medal victory by pin against O’Connell in the final match added six points to the Cardinals’ 158 point All-City team championship.

ALL-CITY CHAMPIONS

On Feb. 22, the wrestling team took home the gold with 158 points after a 17-year drought at the championship. The team’s success on Saturday followed a perfect 7-0 season which culminated in a 39-31 victory over rival Galileo on Feb. 19.

By Amber Ly

T

HE WRESTLING TEAM took home the first place team trophy at the Academic Athletic Association AllCity tournament on Feb. 22, with a total of 162 team points. The unseated 2013 champions, the Galileo Lions, came in a close second at 158.5 points, with Washington trailing in third with 124 points.

During first-round matches, four Lowell wrestlers moved directly to finals, with another two from higher weight classes continuing to finals after multiple rounds. Another four lost their first rounds and dropped to the consultation matches to compete for third place. Lowell’s 11th wrestler, senior Rostyslav Tolochko, moved to finals directly due to the lack of wrestlers in his weight class.

Three out of the four wrestlers in the consultation matches swept through their matches to seize bronze medals. Coming in third in the 140-pound weight class, senior Kelvin Mai wrestled up a weight class. “It feels good to win points for my team,” he said. “We won over Galileo by only a few points so every point counts.”

Seven of the original eleven Lowell wrestlers competed in the finals. Each win in the final round is worth four points with an additional two awarded for winning by pin. Heading into finals, the Cardinals trailed the Galileo Lions by 9.5 points.

Junior Sasha Gonzalez pinned his opponent in the first period, moving directly to the finals. “I was really nervous before,” he said. “Not necessarily because I was afraid, but because I

needed to win it for the team and we especially needed a pin.” they fulfilled part of their plan by holding a perfect 7-0 record Despite the anxiety of being the first to wrestle in the finals, for the season.

Gonzalez took control of his final match and finished first in Although the team fell slightly short on the last target, the 108-pound weight class. sending only four to State, the Cardinals were still pleased with Following Gonzalez’s victory, junior Aldren Pasol and se- the outcome of the tournament. “It feels good to have worked nior captain Pryor Vo contributed for something for years and then another six points apiece with golds finally get it, so it’s pretty satisfying,” in their weight classes.

Gonzalez said.

I couldn’t really step up By the final match of the tourGonzalez attributes the Cardinal’s nament, the Cardinals were down success to their coaches (See “Wresthen and we lost, so I really tling aided by new assistant coaches,” three points. The last Lowell wrestler, Tolochko, competed as a dewanted to come through The Lowell, Jan. 2014). “Having fending champion of the 287-pound them all in there with us really helps this year to help the team.” us,” Gonzalez said. “Especially head weight class against a Galileo wrestler.“I had the same kind of pressure coach Michael Wise because he ROSTYSLAV TOLOCHKO, really focuses on working hard. All to win on me as I did last year,” senior wrestler the assistant coaches taught me so Tolochko said. “I couldn’t really step up then and we lost, so I really much about turns and all sorts of wanted to come through this year to help the team.” techniques. We really won because of our coaching staff.”

Even with the pressure, Tolochko did not slow down. He The final key to the win was a calm mindset, according to Papinned his opponent within the first period, lifting the team’s sol. “Winning in our heads, before we win on the mat,” he said, score to 158 and delivering a long-anticipated win. “if you can’t win in your mind, then you can’t win on the mat.”

After losing to the Lions at both All-City and in the sixth Four Lowell wrestlers will move on to All-State on March meet of the regular season last year, the team returned with a 7. “Wrestlers there have been preparing their whole lives while fresh mindset. The Cardinals aimed to go undefeated, win at we’ve only started in high school,” Pasol said. “But I love the All-City and send six wrestlers to State. challenge at State. Representing San Francisco at State is an With the Cardinals’ 39-31 victory over the Lions on Feb. 19, honor for us.”

“

Wrestler

Grade

Weight Class (Lbs)

Medal

Sasha Gonzalez Aldren Pasol Herman Zeng Kevin Yang Pryor Vo Kelvin Mai Anthony Huang James Wong Cris Sanchez Derek Yi Rostyslav Tolochko

Junior Junior Soph.

Senior Senior Senior Senior Senior Junior Senior Senior

108 115 122 128 134 140 147 162 184 197 287

Gold Gold Bronze Bronze Gold Bronze Silver n/a Silver Silver Gold

I

Continuing to state

SALLY MA

Senior captain Pryor Vo took home the gold in the 132-pound division.

12 SPORTS

M O S T V A L U A B L E P L A Y E R S

February 28, 2014

Lowell High School

Boys’ vars basketball Girls’ JV basketball

By Sam Tick-Raker

By Cynthia Leung

W

ITH HIS intelligence, vision and on-point shots, senior guard Evan Louie is the 2013-2014 boys’ varsity basketball team’s Most Valuable Player.

Louie’s most recent notable performance was in the Cardinals’ 59-48 loss to the Washington Eagles at the Battle of the Birds on Feb. 7, a game in which he scored 19 points. He helped lead the team’s comeback in the fourth quarter and scored clutch points. “When the game is on the line, we want the ball in his hands,” junior guard Soren Carpenter said. “He’s the go-to guy.”

Louie’s shooting ability is an important strength. “Having a threepoint shot opens up other parts of the game,” Louie said. When the defense focuses on the shooter, other options, such as driving the ball or passing, are created.

In addition to his shooting, Louie is also a very intelligent player. “Vision pretty much opens up the whole game for me,” he said. “Having good vision makes the game easier.”

W

Louie’s mental game helps him overcome quicker opponents. “He knows how to read defenders,” Carpenter said.

“He’s not the quickest player but he’s definitely the smartest.”

Louie takes pride in his performance, but winning is his main concern. “I would rather take a zero point performance and a win than a 19-point performance and a loss,” Louie said.

ITH HER GREAT leadership both on and off the court, sophomore guard and forward Riki Eijima is the heart of the girls’ JV basketball team and merits The Lowell’s choice for the Most Valuable Player title.

Eijima, who is pivotal for the team, provides constant encouragement and strong leadership. “I look up to her because she helps everyone on the team,” freshman guard and forward Rufina Lui said. “She’s friendly and always helps our team keep up our intensity.”

Not only does she provide leadership, but Eijima also plays with passion.

“She always gives her 100 percent on the court, whether she is boxing out or going after a loose ball,” sophomore forward and center Alanna Habegger McCabe said.

Many players think of Eijima as family. “She’s like a big sister I never had,” freshman guard Audrey Ng said. “She’s extremely caring and always looks out for us all.”

Eijima started her basketball career in second grade and also plays for the

Buddhist Church of San Francisco Youth Athletics Organization. “I would love to play at the varsity level,” Eijima said. “Whether it be through coaching or being a referee, basketball will always be a part of my life. As of now, I do not plan on playing in college, but I will definitely try to plan to play intramural basketball.”

Boys’ FS basketball

By Danielle Flores

S

TAR SOPHOMORE DUO and co-captains point guard Sherman Wong and shooting guard Nick Gee work together every practice and game to encourage the frosh-soph boys’ basketball team to play its best. Their leadership and dedication set the two sophomores apart as the most valuable players.

Wong’s ever-present determination inspires his teammates to work hard and “never settle for mediocrity,” according to assistant coach Steven Young. A leader at heart and a role model by example, he exemplifies a strong will to succeed. “Sherman possesses a dominant alpha male personality that inspires and leads by example and the unthinkable idea of disappointing someone who we all hold in such high esteem,” starting sophomore center Caleb Hilladakis said.

He aims to contribute to the team in any way he can. “I focus on trying to give 100 percent effort in everything and encourage the whole team to give 100 percent effort as well,” Wong said. “In the game, I do whatever it takes to win, either choosing to not score and create for others, or taking the initiative to get some points on the board myself.”

While Wong focuses on setting an example for his team, Gee contributes to the team by staying positive and being available whenever his teammates need him, both on and off the court. “Nick fills the role of MVP in the same manner he fills the empty hole in all of our lives: with enthusiasm, compassion and an infectious boyish charm,” according to Hilladakis.

Besides Gee’s great persona, his ability to analyze his opponents and make needed adjustments throughout the game is key to executing plays. Gee is one of the top scorers on the team, averaging eight to ten points a game.

Wong’s drive to win complements Gee’s positive nature as well as his ability to read his opponents. Together they are a spark that ignites a fiery willpower in each of their teammates to be the best players they can be.

Girls’ varsity basketball Varsity wrestling

By Samantha Wilcox

By Amber Ly

S

D

ESPITE A SEASON-ENDING injury during her junior year, point guard and co-captain senior Kelly Eshima came to every practice and game to cheer her team on. Now that she is back on the court for her final season, she is better than ever. The Lowell has chosen Eshima as this season’s varsity girls’ basketball Most Valuable Player.

Eshima keeps her teammates calm and collected. “When we tend to slip a little in focus, she’ll be the one to tell us to get it together,” junior Karina Tom said. “Whether it be an easier game or a challenging one, she keeps us ready and on our toes.”

Eshima has an average score count of 2.8 assists per game, second only to senior guard Kelly Wong, according to Max Preps (www.maxpreps.com). “Basketball is my passion,” Eshima said. “I love the excitement of being on the court and our team is such a cohesive group that playing with them is natural and fluid. Basketball is a team sport so it is about we, not me. My teammates are precious friends and I’m grateful to them for all the great memories on and off the court.”

During her time off the court last year, Eshima never doubted that she would be back to her former self on the court. “When I was injured, I was in and out of doctors offices and physical therapy trying to get back to doing what I love,” she said. “I went to all the games and practices, but I missed the game and couldn’t wait to get back.”

Eshima is a great role model to her other teammates. “Her drive and constant smile are so inspiring,” junior Sabina Wildman said. “We could have the hardest workout, and she is always encouraging us to push harder or go faster.”

Despite her love for the game, Eshima does not want to go into the world of collegiate basketball. “I have met college athletes who have their lives taken over by this sport,” Eshima said. “Although I want to play in intramurals, I want to branch out and enjoy the college experience. My injury has really inspired me to go into healthcare of some kind, so I can help people like me get back to what they love doing.”

ENIOR CAPTAIN Pryor Vo ensures that he squeezes two hours of wrestling practice into his busy schedule after an eighthour school day.

While managing a 4.0 GPA, Vo commits to wrestling practice for three hours every Saturday and every day after school. “He’s always here and never misses a practice,” head coach Michael Wise said. “He has a great work ethic. If he loses a match one day, he’ll train even harder the next day.”

Currently, Vo is undefeated in the Academic Athletic Association league and has received one third place, three second place and three first place medals at tournaments around the Bay Area.

At the varsity Albany Invitational, Vo wrestled his way to win the entire tournament. “He dominated at that tournament,” junior Sasha Gonzalez said. “He just pinned his way through each match to first place.”

As he consistently wins match

after match, he is considered by the team as one of the most reliable wrestlers.

“Since a lot of times our team wins are by decision, we can always count on Pryor to get us more team points by winning by pin,” Gonzalez said.

Although Vo is not usually a vocal leader, he steps up to take on this role when he is needed.

“I can rely on him to keep the team going and on track during practice when I’m not there,” Wise said. “He’s like my sergeant on the mat.”

The Lowell

February 28, 2014

ADVERTISEMENT

13

14 SPORTS Athlete of the Month

February 28, 2014

Lowell High School

MAETAL KOGAN

By Joseph Kim

W

ORKING TO MEET the standards set by her brother and sister, junior midfielder Maetal Kogan is a key component of the girls’ varsity soccer team.

“My sister and brother both played at Lowell and my mom plays now, although she never played as a kid,” Kogan said. “My whole family just really loves soccer.” Scoring goals since the age of 4, Kogan is currently in her third year starting for the school.

After previously participating in other sports such as cross country, basketball and volleyball, Kogan decided to focus solely on soccer.

Kogan was noted as the player of the game by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Network for her performance in the 2013 Academic Athletic Association championship match against Washington on May 4. “Maetal Kogan stands out to me,” game analyst James Davis said during the NFHS broadcast of the game. “Her tireless running and technique, she had a really good game. She really is a player to watch in the coming years for the Cardinals.” Kogan’s outstanding performance and excellent teamwork helped the school dominate the Eagles in an 8-1 win, finishing with one assist. As a midfielder, Kogan primarily helps to assist other players, rather than shooting goals and taking the spotlight as her own.

In addition to being selected as the player of

the game, Kogan has received various awards from the school and the AAA such as play maker of the year for her excellent assists, Academic Athletic Honors for maintaining a high grade point average and the All-City first team, which consists of the top 11 players in the city.

Aside from her personal skill, Kogan brings unique chemistry to the field. “I love soccer because it’s the perfect balance between teamwork and individual ambition,” Kogan said. “When I was seven, my coach told my team that soccer is about making other people look good.

That idea really stuck with me, and keeps me in love with the game.”

That same season when she was seven, Kogan went on to lead the Sisters (her club team at the time) to win the championship by scoring the tie-breaking point in the last few minutes. More recently, Kogan’s current club team, the Burlingame Blitz, won the State Cup against the Sacramento United Extreme last May. In addition to the Sisters and the Blitz, Kogan has played for SF United.

From her first year playing for the school, Kogan has grown in her outlook and in her skill. “Coming to Lowell and playing with all the amazing upperclassmen was really scary and intimidating,” Kogan said. “To make matters worse, they all knew my sister Shira, who played for Lowell, and I felt like I could never fill her shoes. But they made me feel so welcome, and I’m so proud to be part of this fantastic team.”

SALLY MA

Junior midfielder Maetal Kogan in last year’s 8-0 shutout of Washington on April 4, 2013.

The Lowell

February 28, 2014

SPORTS

15

SALLY MA

The swimming team opened its league season on Feb. 21 with a decisive sweep of Galileo in all four divisions. (Clockwise from Top) Senior Sally Tan swimming butterfly. (Middle Right) Senior Anand Bat-Erdene dives into the pool. (Bottom Right) Junior Matthew Kim swimming freestyle. (Bottom Left) Senior Alika Lew-Koga swimming backstroke.

Swim team takes down Galileo to open season

By Samantha Wilcox

T

HE LOWELL SWIMMING team triumphed over the Galileo Lions in the team’s season opener on Feb. 21, with JV boys scoring 126-19, JV girls 111-46, boys’ varsity 136-19 and girls’ varsity 130-3.

The Cardinals came up against a strong team, but nothing they could not handle. “Galileo has some strong swimmers, especially on their varsity boys’ team,” junior Lori Zadoorian said. “There were some events where we were screaming our heads off, but we came out on top.”

On the days leading up to the meet, the Cardinals put the final touches on their starts and dives.

“A good start can be a big advantage, and can be

the difference between first and second place in an event,” Zadoorian said.

Despite recently starting the season, the team has a number of strengths already. “We have very solid teams for relays and various individual events,” senior Marston Li said. “Everyone is swimming faster because as a team, there’s a lot of motivation and positive competition going around between swimmers.”

However, there are always ways to get better. “We swam strong yesterday, but there is definitely room for improvement,” junior Amanda Bui said. “We need to work on building up our strength and speed.”

The Cardinals’ next meet is at 4 p.m. on March 7 at Sava Pool as they take on the Washington Eagles.

CATE STERN

SALLY MA

CATE STERN

16 SPORTS

February 28, 2014

Lowell High School

BY ANDREW PEARCE

HAVEYOU EVER WONDERED WHAT ATHLETIC HOBBIES THERE ARE BEYOND SCHOOL SPORTS? THESE LOWELL STUDENTS CHOOSE TO DO ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE OF LOWELL’S TRADITIONAL ATHLETICS.

R

OCK CLIMBING DOES not have to involve traveling out into the middle of nowhere and climbing Half Dome or the Grand Canyon. In fact, there are dedicated spaces for climbing available to the public. Two of the most popular indoor climbing spaces in the city are Mission Cliffs in the Mission and Planet Granite in the Marina.

Climbing gyms such as Mission Cliffs and Planet Granite provide opportunities for San Franciscans to rock climb in the city. Although mainly a recreational pastime, some climb competitively as well.

“Climbing is a great way to spend free time outside of school, and is also good exercise,” junior climber Milo Leong said. “Since climbing is an individual sport and I don’t climb competitively, it’s really different from any traditional sports. It’s a great way to stay in shape without going to a basic gym.”

In gym climbing, there are different levels of difficulty. Climbers are able to work their way up at their own pace, and climb what they want. “You only have to go when you want to,” Mission Cliffs climber junior Kate Yachuk said. “When I played soccer, I found myself dreading going to practice even though I liked playing. I think that’s what ruined it for me.”

According to Yachuk, she enjoys the free structured aspect to climbing.

She shares this feeling with the rest of the community who rock climb recreationally.

H

OW LUCKY we are to go to a school that is so close to the Pacific Ocean! Several Lowell students take advantage of the school’s backyard, Ocean Beach.

Among them is senior Iam Bhisitkul, whose father started teaching him to surf around age five. Now, he travels up and down the coast to compete in surf competitions. “One of my favorite things about surfing is the addictive nature of it,” he said. “Once you get into it, it changes the way you perceive the world. I personally became very connected to nature and the ocean when I became a surfer.”

Although senior Therese Dudro only surfs on occasion, she is still enthusiastic about it. She balances her surfing with competing for the Lowell girls’ gymnastics team. When she is able to get out on the surfboard, she enjoys it. “My favorite thing is just being out on the water and when you hit the wave, it’s really exciting,” Dudro said.

However, surfing is not just sitting in the water; it takes concentration and skill. Dudro’s background in gymnastics and her small stature helps her surf.

“I think my size helps because it’s easier to fit on the boards and I have pretty good balance,” she said. “It’s mostly about the timing. If you start paddling at the right time, it isn’t that hard to get up.”

Although surfing requires skill, it is not as stressful as other sports may be. According to Bhisitkul, it is a way to seek peace. “Living in a major city can get tiresome, but Ocean Beach is conveniently located right at the edge of the city,” he said. “I can go for a quick surf to recharge my mind whenever I want.”

Surfing does not require a coach or trainer. You can surf by yourself or with a group. But either way, you are learning from yourself. “The ocean and your natural instincts teach you,” Bhisitkul said.

M

OST PEOPLE WOULD not usually associate Lowell with the skateboarding type, but some students are a part of the city’s skating community.

With the stressful life that a Lowell student leads, they might need to go hit the skate park once in a while. “I think skateboarding is a pretty good way to spend time outside without doing any of the mainstream sports,” junior skater William Gusmanov said. “I like it because skateboarding isn’t team based and it’s fun to watch myself improve over time.”

Skateboarding is not a structured activity. The rider can

decide what he or she wants to do, with only one piece of portable equipment to worry about.

This allows for a flexible schedule on when you skate. “Skateboarding takes a lot of my time,” Gusmanov said. “Sometimes I only have time for it on weekends, but I try do it as much as possible when I’m not studying and doing homework.”

The individuality and unstructured qualities of skateboarding, combined with its strong community, allows for an outlet for all skaters. Skateboarding gives its riders enthusiasm outside of school.

ALL ILLU

STRATIO

NS BY

MONIC

A LEE

The Lowell

February 28, 2014

COLUMNS

17

Colors reflect collector’s vibrant charisma

By Kelley Grade

T

HE FIRST STEP to rehabilitation is admitting that you have a problem, and I have finally accepted my color obsession. Many kids enjoy collecting sand dollars at the beach, while others collect stamps from post offices around the world, but I collect colors — paint samples that local hardware and paint stores display.

Ever since I was a child, I have found colors fascinating. The wide variety of colors and shades seem endless, as though each one has its own personality. For example, “Mystical Purple” is a very dark but vibrant purple, kind of snooty and rude.

My collection is not as big as you’d imagine.

I believe that if I collect too many colors they won’t have the same meaning anymore. There may be duplicates or triplicates; the shades will begin to blend together and the colors won’t be as unique anymore. Sometimes my mom likes to look through all my colors with me, and she even finds some cool colors and uses them around the house.

I only really go out to collect colors when

my parents need to pick up anything from the hardware store, but I also like to visit a paint store if I’m not in the greatest mood. These colors aren’t just beautiful things in my life; they affect the way I’m feeling. If I’m ever stressed or angry I like to lay out my colors on the floor and arrange them either into rainbows or alphabetically. Though my friends find this a weird hobby, they also enjoy looking at all the colors and helping me arrange them. For some very odd reason, being surrounded by vibrant colors makes me and other people around me feel all kinds of different emotions.

“Weeping Wisteria,” a light lavender, makes me feel calm and sleepy, but Frosted Pomegranate

makes me feel excited and energized.

In fact, it has been scientifically proven that colors can have an effect on how you feel and how you do something. Red is believed to stimulate the body and mind and to increase circulation, while purple shades are thought to alleviate skin problems, according to Lycoming College’s website (www.lycoming. edu.) There is also evidence that colors can have a negative effect on people. For example, kids shown the color red before a test score lower than average, according to the Colour Affects website (www.colour-affects. co.uk.)

This obsession with colors does not only

apply to paint samples but also to art supplies. I have bags and bags of different kinds of pens and pencils from all points of the color spectrum. I feel that all sets of colors are not complete if they don’t have at least the colors of a complete rainbow. So, if I go to a store to buy pens and find a great quality set and price, but it doesn’t have an orange, I wouldn’t buy it.

I have also found that many art projects can be fulfilled with color samples. I sometimes like to get one of my sets of colors and cutting them up into tiny squares. Then I get a piece of paper and lay the squares in a cool design and glue it onto the paper.

Maybe my obsession isn’t an addiction, as it brings joy and creativity to my friends and family. This may make me weird and quirky, but that will not stop me from doing something that benefits and entertains me. Like each of the colors in my collection, I am unique with my quirky hobbies. Though the first step to rehabilitation is acceptance, the first step to being unique is realization. I, Kelley Grade, have realized that colors are a reflection of my true self.

Sonic fanatic finds new form of creative expression thrilled that people were even giving her a chance, even though her backstory wasn’t posted yet. It gave me courage to keep working on Sigma and improve her in any way I could.

Creating fan-characters has not only allowed me to expand my creativity, but it is also helped me realize my passion for designing characters, and has enabled me to meet new people who share the same interests I have.

NG

went straight to the drawing board and began doodling. I came up with countless sketches of character after character, but none of them seemed to fit the image I was going for. When I was about to lose hope, a design popped up into my head, and thus, Sigma the Mink, the blonde semiaquatic mammal, was born. It had taken forever to come up with her character, like her cheerful personality and her extreme physical strength, but I was finally done.

With a freshman class of 730, I was expecting to find more Sonic fans at Lowell, considering how big the fandom was on the Internet. However, countless inquiries to potential fans were followed by a sheepish apology and a retreat to my original state of being. This did not make me lose courage in being a Sonic fan, however.

Throughout this year I improved Sigma’s design, and worked on ideas for her backstory and personality. It makes me proud that my hobby is so unique. In a school where people can lose their personalities, I feel as though making fancharacters adds to my own personality.

While I was yet again searching Sonic fancharacters over the winter break, I came across the Sonic Fan Characters Wiki. I immediately joined, but in order to add characters and designs to a page, I had to wait five days. This gave me enough time to tweak the final design and finish making more drawings for her.

When the five days had passed, I went to work on creating her page. Once it was posted, many other fans commented, saying they liked Sigma a lot. I was

IN ZHA

M

ANY PEOPLE might be in a fandom — a community of fans for a certain TV show, game, movies, etc. Take the popular Harry Potter community for example, or the Doctor Who group.ww I myself belong to an unusual one, or at least unusual to Lowell: Sonic the Hedgehog fandom, and I even make up my own fan-characters.

It all started approximately a year ago when I was channel surfing. When I came across the Sonic X anime, I didn’t even know what a fandom was. For some bizarre reason, I was never introduced to Sonic the Hedgehog as a child, even though he was, and still is, one of the most famous video game characters of all time.

I consider myself an avid video game player, so seeing him for the first time was definitely strange. I found him intriguing, and I wanted to know more about this lightning-fast hedgehog. So where does one go when intrigued?

The Internet.

Browsing through the Sonic News Network Wiki, an online encyclopedia with facts on all things Sonic, I gradually learned more about the Sonic franchise, the characters in the video games and little tidbits of random trivia. Even though, up until that point, I had never played a Sonic game in my entire life, I felt like I knew everything about Sonic and all the wonderfully designed zones he goes through. After my first experience with the game Sonic Colors, I was hooked. I loved the fast pace, the bright colors, the music — playing the game was like going on a roller coaster.

Now a self-proclaimed Sonic fan, I discovered a new form of expressing my dedication.

Searching through Google Images, I found invented characters made by devotees based on the franchise. I was instantly inspired, so I

HUIM

By Rachael Schmidt

ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF RACHAEL SCHMIDT

18 OPINION

February 28, 2014

Lowell High School

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEC FONG

With exertion like this, everyone can agree that dragonboat should be an official sport. For the past 16 years however, it has existed only as a Lowell club.

Dragonboat should be seen as an official school sport, not just popular paddling club

By Luke Haubenstock

T

HE MERRIAM-WEBSTER dictionary defines a sport as: “a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other.” Based on this, to think of dragonboat racing as anything less than a sport is absolutely ridiculous.

For the past 16 years, the Lowell Dragonboat Club has competed against other high school teams, upholding our school’s reputation of being not only academically strong, but also athletically talented. Yet, despite our hard work and success, we are often not taken seriously by those unfamiliar with the sport, primarily because we are not considered an official Lowell High School sports team.

Many students have trouble seeing dragonboat as a sport because they cannot get past the preconceived notion that all we do is row a boat gently down a stream. Considering that dragonboat is a highly competitive sport that has existed for 2,500 years — five times longer than basketball, baseball, volleyball and football combined — this is both inaccurate and

offensive.

Dragonboat is the ultimate team sport, requiring discipline, cooporation and seamless timing. Just like “official” Lowell sports teams, we race under our school’s name against teams from other high schools all across the city, including Lincoln, Washington, Galileo, Balboa and Mission. On top of that, dragonboat racing adheres to every aspect of the definition of a sport.

Because the dragonboat team is considered a club and not a sports team, some outsiders see paddlers as “wannabe” athletes. However, this could not be farther from the truth. Dragonboat racing is probably one of the most physically intensive physical activities at school. On practice days, we run a mile and half just to get to the dock at Lake Merced. At the dock, we immediately do sixty push-ups, followed by up to eight sprint intervals, with even more push-ups as well as crunches in between sprints. When we finally get into the boats, we do warm up paddling, painful technique practice and finally, either high intensity speed intervals or practice races. We usually spend around an hour-and-a-half on the water, and by the

end we are tired, sore and soaked. On non-practice days we have conditioning, which includes running, sprints, wall sits, over 200 push-ups and around 500 crunches. Sunday is the only day of the week we have off.

Because dragonboat is undoubtedly a sport, we deserve the respect and the benefits of official school sports. First of all, The Lowell should cover our races to display all of our hard work to the school. We should also have access to the weight room, which would be beneficial to our training. Lastly, paddlers who participate in the sport all four years should be eligible for a letterman jacket, the ultimate symbol of a dedicated high school athlete.

Over the years, Lowell Dragonboat has thrived as a club.

The team has raced in places like Long Beach, Vancouver and Macau and has become one of the largest student groups at the school. Truthfully, we do not need the validation of being viewed as a sport to continue to improve and achieve greater and greater goals as a team. But it would not hurt to receive acknowledgement for all of our hard work.

February 28, 2014

The Lowell

19

EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL The school should buy back caps and gowns to rent to future classes

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VERY YEAR AFTER GRADUATION, virtually every cap and gown used by a departing senior gets hung in a closet, never to be worn again. Yet students who want to graduate on stage with their peers are required to buy one. This is a wasteful and expensive practice that should be reconsidered.

After burning money on college apps and Advanced Placement tests, $60 is a lot to spend on a cheaply made costume, especially with college tuition looming. Many Lowell families are struggling financially and cannot spend that much money on an outfit that will only be used once. These students work just as hard as everyone else and should not have to miss out on graduating on stage — a quintessential high school experience.

Also, requiring every student to purchase a graduation outfit contributes to a great amount of waste.

Every year hundreds of gowns need to be manufactured. This takes not only a lot of cloth, but also a lot of energy. The gowns then need to be shipped here, where they are used for one day and then are in essence thrown out.

There are alternatives that help some students avoid purchasing the gowns. “Many students borrowed gowns from past graduates and friends,” class of ’13 alumnus Brian Nguyen said. “We did have a good laugh about how none of us would use them after the ceremony. Maybe they could try gown rentals in the future. I heard that many colleges provide that option.”

The truth is, wearing robes at graduation is a strange tradition.

They look odd and it would be just as formal if students graduated in suits and dresses. The main purpose of the gowns is uniformity, but they have no use other than graduation. There are no other places to wear a cap and gown and they are left to waste away in closets for years, taking up space and collecting dust.

However, there is one easy solution to these problems. If the school obtains a set of gowns, it will take the expensive burden off the back of every future Lowell graduate. It will also be much less wasteful by preventing hundreds of gowns from being manufactured each year.

Buying hundreds of caps and gowns would no doubt be expensive, but it would be well worth it as they could be reused year after year. Also, the school would not have to buy all the gowns.

The school could have robe drives and encourage students to return their outfits after graduation. They could even offer $5 for the robes. Since there is no use for the costumes after graduating, most students would be willing to trade it in for a small return.

Also, the school could ask parents and alumni to donate these outfits for the benefit of future graduates.

Even if the school did not collect enough gowns for the entire graduating class in the first year, they could still lend them to some of the students. This would at least be better than everyone having to purchase one. Then they could keep collecting gowns every year until they had enough.

At Lowell, students struggle everyday to finish homework and stay on a path towards graduation. Instead of having to pay to graduate, students should be rewarded and lent cap and gowns.

Want to have your opinions published in the next issue of The Lowell?

You can submit your letter to the editor to lowellopinion@gmail.com.

You can also deliver it in person outside of S107

KIMBERLY LI

THE LOL MONICA LEE

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, It’s my senior year and I just finished paying for the last of my AP exams. Out of curiosity, I calculated the total expenses from all of the standardized tests I’ve taken so far. Adding up SAT tests, AP exams, and score reports, the total comes to $964.75 that I’ve forked over to the College Board.

Interestingly enough, the College Board is specifically a 501(c)3 non-profit, meaning that the organization is exempt from federal income taxes as long as they provide a positive impact to the public, education in their case. This is when I started wondering, has the College Board really been providing a positive impact to our education system?

To start off, the whole debate on whether or not standardized testing is a valid measure of a student’s abilities is a topic that really warrants its own letter to the editor. For now, I just want to voice my concerns over how the College Board has created a monopoly over the gateway to our higher education. The College

Board’s SAT and AP exams are the dominant tests used during the college admissions process. Most, if not all, colleges will require students to take these tests because they have become such a standard for judging academic potential.

What’s worse is that colleges have extended similar expectations toward tests that were meant to be supplementary, such as SAT subject tests and AP exams. Some schools do explicitly say that these kinds of tests are not mandatory for admission; however, students are pressured into taking them because of the increasingly competitive applicant pool. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for expressing achievement in the specific subjects you’re passionate in, but the problem here is that there’s only one entity with power in this test taking system. The inherent setback with any kind of monopoly is that there is no alternative, and this is where we start to get into the meat of my concern. ~ Bilegt Baatar, 1414

Editors-in-Chief

Deidre Foley s Henry Hammel Elijah Alperin s Cooper Logan News Elijah Alperin, Deidre Foley, Cooper Logan, Michelle Wong Sports Henry Hammel, Ian James Features Kai Matsumoto-Hines, Luke Haubenstock Elena Bernick, KT Kelly Opinion Elazar Chertow, Spencer Thirtyacre, Samantha Wilcox Reporters Natalia Arguello-Inglis, Madelyn Chen, Crystal Chung,

Red Samantha Yu Cardinal Lael Bajet

Ophir Cohen-Simayof, Gabby Dolgonos, Danielle Flores, Campbell Gee, Kelley Grade, Joseph Kim, Gisela Kottmeier, Cynthia Leung, Jeffrey Li, Stephanie Li, Whitney C. Lim, Amber Ly, Patricia Nguy, Andrew Pearce, Tyler Perkins, Arthur Register, Rachael Schmidt, Noreen Shaikh, Pasha Stone, Emily Teng, Sam Tick-Raker, Samantha Wilcox, Luming Yuan Art Editor Monica Lee Illustrators Camilia Kacimi, Kimberly Li, Christine Van, Stephan Xie Photo Editor Huimin Zhang Photographers Karina Huft, Zoe Kaiser, Amber Ly, Sally Ma, Cate Stern, Lily Young Multimedia Editor Monica Castro, Luciano Chan

Social Media Manager Michelle Wong Business Managers Martin Costa, Carissa Ng, Gabe Schumm

Advisers

Published every four weeks by the journalism classes of Lowell High School, Room S108, 1101 Eucalyptus Drive, San Francisco, CA 94132 Phone: (415) 759-2730 Internet: thelowellads@yahoo.com; http://www.thelowell.org. All contents copyright Lowell High School journalism classes. All rights reserved.

The Lowell and The Lowell on the Web strive 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.

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

2006 NSPA Print Pacemaker

Rally should include clips of accomplishments

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N A MISHMASH OF RED, BLUE, GREEN AND YELLOW, majority of students, rallies are all the same, even when the student body makes its way to the football field for SBC presents new games. “It’s always the same routine,” the annual Spring Rally. An event meant to bring the junior Nataly Perez said. “Same performances, same games student body together, the rally is supposed to be a time to every year, and the same people who sign up for it. It’s display school spirit and never allowing the crowd to be pride. However a good engaged.” number of Lowellites how can we involve more It’s always the same routine. Same of So see rallies as a time to the student body and get get out of class and performances, same games every them more spirited? hang out with friends Lowell is an academically year, and the same people who sign driven school full of students that or as a pointless part of the day sitting on pride in their accomplishup for it. It’s never allowing the take cold bleachers, longing ments, so perhaps SBC should to do something more consider highlighting those crowd to be engaged.” productive. achievements to engage more of Trying their best to NATALY PEREZ, the student body. In addition to create a fun assemjunior the games at the rally, let’s close bly, the Student Body out the year with a montage of Council (SBC) works hard to get students more engaged pictures and video snippets from different departments and during rally through games that will create a friendly com- clubs, incorporating more of the school community and petition between classes, according to senior SBC officer the accomplishments of that year. Not only would this be Yu Ling Wu said. SBC spends much of its time mulling over a great way to inspire pride in Lowellites for the achieveeach and every activity with one question in mind: “What ments of themselves and of their peers, but it would also games will people want to participate in?” But to the vast give the student body an opportunity to see more of the

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Lowell community in action, as well as encourage students to consider taking part in more activities at school.

The video could include parts from the fall play of Macbeth, a practice round from the Forensics Society, JROTC and their special teams’ competitions, Heart in Motion volunteering at Nike Marathon, the group of 20 students building organic food farms in Nicaragua during spring break and any other team or club that would want to showcase a little bit of what they are made of and how they contribute to the Lowell community.

“It can happen,” senior SBC events coordinator Jessica Weiss said. “It would be during spirit week, leading up to the rally. It sounds like a really good come-together movement.”

During spirit week, each class would take turns going to the auditorium during registry to watch the fun “End of the Year” clip. The video would pump up the crowd, and get the school enthusiastic for Friday’s activities on the football field.

The more we acknowledge the different groups that make up our school, and not just those who perform or who have the confidence to go onto the field and participate in rally games, the more we can showcase true, authentic school spirit.

Four reporters share their opinions on the best burritos in town

By Ian James

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Inspiring, life-changing, tear-jerkingly beautiful.

No, I’m not describing Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest Oscar nominated performance. Instead I’m recounting my first experience with an El Farolito burrito.

Any foodie worth his or her beans doesn’t need to see the bustle or read the reviews to be able to tell El Farolito is special. All he or she would need is one succulent burrito. Each bite seems to contain the perfect balance of beans, meat and rice. The tender al pastor (roast pork) is marinated to perfection, and dripping

with savory flavor.

Squished into a thin storefront on the corner of 24th and Mission, El Farolito is as stuffed with sights and sounds of the Mission as its burritos are with juicy meats. The vibrant atmosphere is filled with a constant buzz of people, and the occasional performances by local Mariachi bands only adds to the authentic feel.

So if you’re hankering for the buenoest burrito in town head down Mission Street. There will be plenty of taquerias, but know that El Farolito stands head and shoulders above the rest.

By Cooper Logan

Taqueria Cancún doesn’t look like much from the outside — you might see the gaudy yellow exterior and mistake it for just another hole-in-thewall Mission taqueria, not home to the best super burrito in San Francisco.

Which of their three locations is the best is up for debate, but I would recommend the restaurant at Mission and Valencia because the burritos tend to be less stuffed with rice, leaving more room for other ingredients.

The taqueria provides a taste of Mexico, specializing in football-sized super burritos, gooey super tacos and assorted hispanic delicacies that provide

By Elena Bernick

a taste of Mexico, including fresh carrot juice, camarones, jalapenos, homemade salsas, horchata and cantaloupe agua fresca.

The super burritos are truly massive so plan on foil-wrapped leftovers for lunch tomorrow. While the cashier takes your order, the chef listens in and throws your choice of meat on the grill. The meats are juicy and reliably flavorful. The carnitas and veggie burritos are my favorites but even the classic grilled chicken or steak burritos would easily beat out any La Taqueria or El Farolito burrito. If you’re looking for something more plain, the greasy carne asada quesadilla will clog your small intestine with melted cheese but in the end still be worth it.

La Taqueria, located on the Mission between 24th and 25th street, is a local treasure. The wide white arches guard a kitchen that produces the best burritos in the Bay Area to long lines of hungry patrons. After one taste of La Taqueria’s famous burrito it is clear why the walls are covered with more awards than a menu.

While burritos typically begin with a bed of fluffy rice, La Taqueria’s wrapped wonder does not come with the popular grain. To the average foodie, this may seem ludicrous, but the absence of the starch only allows the juices from the meat to permeate throughout the burrito instead of being soaked up by rice, getting in every nook and cranny and

By Elijah Alperin

One of my my favorite Mission District burritos isn’t from a taqueria at all, but rather the nondescript El Gallo Giro food truck, parked perpetually at the corner of 23rd and Treat. Just a short walk from the main Mission Street thoroughfare, this hidden gem serves up the best carnitas in the city.

So crispy you can hear them crackle with every bite, but moist and porky on the inside, they turn an otherwise solid super burrito into rapture. The tortilla is always grilled, the crema well-distributed, and the salsa made fresh in-house. The cheese — mild cheddar — seems a strange choice for Mexican, but just adds to the indulgence. Slender but lengthy (about

making every bite burst with flavor. The carnitas are my personal favorite, but any carnivorous choice is a delectable one.

Take heed: customers must customize their burritos, meaning all additions, such as avocados, cheese and salsa, cost extra. However, it is worth spending ten dollars total to perfectly pimp out your burrito. The perfect bite is overflowing with chunky avocado, tender meat and oozing cheese, all enclosed in a tight flour tortilla.

La Taqueria’s burritos are heavenly, and only a short walk away from the convenient Mission and 24th street BART station. For the best burrito of your life, ditch the rice and unwrap this no-frills delicacy.

a foot), these sizable burritos cost just $6.50, and eating the entire thing consistently maxes out my caloric intake for the day.

Although the carnitas is the real winner, other classics, such as carne asada and al pastor, never fail to disappoint. If you’re feeling adventurous, get the lengua (beef tongue), it’s another citywide highlight.

The food can sometimes come out slowly, but the line is never very long, and the sodas are cheap, so you can enjoy one while you wait. When your food does arrive, saunter across the street into Parque Niños Unidos. There’s a picnic table in the far corner where you can lounge in the sun and dig in.