By Callie Janza

Over the past several weeks, SFUSD high schools have held student-led walkouts to bring awareness to the issue of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and violence in high schools. Although this issue is not new. 

Kids have been experiencing sexual harassment and sexual assault since elementary school. 

For over a decade, SFUSD’s students have advocated for sexual misconduct rules to change. It wasn’t until these recent walkouts that administrators even started thinking about listening to students. 

In May of 2020, the U.S. Department of Education issued updated regulations regarding Title IX. This states that any unwelcome sexual conduct, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking that denies a person equal access to the district’s education program or activity is defined as sexual harassment. An investigation is initiated only after a student (or their parent/guardian) files a written formal complaint. This doesn’t include incidents that happen away from school.

What the district does not state, however, is that during the investigation, the only support the survivor has are wellness check-ins, course deadline extensions, and class seating adjustments. There is no mention of separating the victim from the accused during this time, except to switch seats during a class. Many times when a survivor is put in the same room as their accused abuser, it only triggers or traumatizes them even more.

Many students from across the Bay Area have argued that this policy discourages students from reporting harassment/assault and schools from investigating complaints. 

While there have been no pending or completed federal investigations related to sexual harassment in our district within the past five years, an abundance of students are sharing their stories of sexual assaults, harassment, and violence over social media. In fact, this year alone, over 100 students from all over the district have posted their experiences online. George Washington High School, Raoul Wallenberg High School, Lincoln High School and many others have created specific Instagram accounts to let students share their stories anonymously. This helps spread awareness throughout each school and allows students not to worry about being judged or mistreated while telling their intimate story. 

In the past few months at least ten different SFUSD schools have held walkouts and/or sit-ins to hold schools accountable for not dealing with these issues in a supportive or active manner.

Kellie Wong, one of the organizers of Lincoln’s walkout says, “If survivors are asking for change, they deserve it. These people have been through a lot. They’re my classmates and I care about them. Their feelings should be validated and listened to.”

Students have put up posters around school saying “I want to feel safe at school,” “Stop victim-blaming,” and “Expel sexual predators,” yet the majority of them were taken down immediately. 

The attention this issue has received allowed for students to come together and create a list of five demands for the administration to read. Lincoln’s demands were inspired by the demands created by the students at Ruth Asawa SOTA. They are as follows :

1. The creation of a support system for survivors of sexual harassment and/or abuse.

2. A safe reporting process of the incident without further traumatizing and triggering the survivor.

3. Disciplinary action and survivor protection on-site, even if the abuse occurred off-site.

4. The bathrooms remain unlocked when students are present and learning on campus.

5. No victim should ever be blamed.

Many students were surprised to hear that schools don’t already have these as part of their standard policy. When Wong was first considering these demands, her thoughts were, “Do we not already have these at school? Why don’t we? These are basic. We definitely need this.” 

After all of the stories and protesting, there has still been little to no change in the way things are handled within the San Francisco Unified School District. The kids at Lincoln and many other schools demand this change immediately; not just for their time at school, but for future generations. 

Published on 12/07/2021

By Joshua Chew 

Organizers have collected over 75,000 signatures from voters in San Francisco to recall three Board of Education members, Gabriela Lopez, Faauuga Moliga and Alison Collins. 

The reason for this recall attempt is that in the midst of the pandemic, the Board of Education decided to change the name of 44 schools and remove the merit-based admissions for Lowell High School. Board commissioner, Alison Collins, Tweeted about Asian Americans and suing the school board for $87 million as she was accused of violating of free speech rights. 

In relation to the Black Lives Matter Movement and social justice, the school board prioritized changing controversial school names. The name changes are due to the fact that historical leaders have expressed racism, enslavement, and the oppression of other races and women. Schools that fall in the category for renaming include Abraham Lincoln High School, Roosevelt Middle School, Jefferson Elementary School. 

Mayor London Breed explained in an article of The Guardian, that the name changing was “offensive and completely unacceptable.” 

Alongside the name changes, former School Board Vice President, Alison Collins, made controversial tweets that dated back to 2016 that led to backlash. 

“Many Asian S[tudent]s and T[eacher]s I know won't engage in critical race convos unless they see how they are impacted by white supremacy.”

“I grew up in mostly Asian Am[erican] schools and know this experience all too well. Many Asian Am[ericans] believe they benefit from the "model minority" BS.” The discrimation towards Asians left SFUSD parents feeling questionable about their Board of Education member. 

“In fact many Asian American T[eacher]s, S[tudent]s, and P[arent]s actively promote these myths. They use white supremacist thinking to assimilate and ‘get ahead’.” Collins explains how Asians are like white supremacists who think about themselves in order to advance themselves above other races. 

Many political leaders of San Francisco highly encouraged Collins to resign from her position as Vice President of the Board of Education. Instead of resigning, Collins initiated an $87 million lawsuit against the Board of Education and SFUSD. As she was removed from Vice President, she felt that her First Amendment rights were mistreated due to the Tweets. 

After reaching out to Board of Education members, Alison Collins and Faauuga Moliga, were unable to interview. 

In relation to the recall, Lowell High School removed the merit-based system for admissions, which involved an essay and test scores. 

“The hardest part about the removal is that I worked so hard to get into Lowell, and now it is just lottery based. I knew I wanted to go to Lowell as a middle schooler, so I worked hard to get the grades in order to get accepted,” a Lowell senior, who requested to remain anonymous, feels upset about the removal of the merit-based admissions. 

“Lowell also had an essay portion that allowed students to discuss their hardships, which allows people who might not have had the best grades to still get into Lowell.” This student shares how the merit-based application process allowed students to stand out from others based on academic success. 

Alan Wang, a Lincoln Senior, describes how he supports the recall as the Board of education has not been treating students well so far. 

“I am totally for the recall. The board members were negligent in their responsibilities, and as a result, cost the livelihoods of both students and school staff. If they were to continue their positions, both students and staff would suffer greatly from the Board’s incapacities.”

A vote will be held on February 15, 2022, to decide whether Gabriela Lopez, Faauuga Moliga and Alison Collins should stay on the Board of Education. 

Mayor London Breed will choose the replacement candidates if the three members are voted out. 

“I hope that the recall will allow high school students to have a say in the problems that they notice around their communities, and advocate for issues that will better the lives of all people in the community,” said Wang.

Published on 12/07/2021

By Liam Hargis-Bullen

Three freshmen students from Jake Stookey’s drawing and painting class won a first place prize in their Design Thinking Challenge in which they needed to answer today’s issues as tomorrow's leaders. The competition took place digitally in the Museum of Native American History in Bentonville, Arkansas. The contest was sponsored and judged by Native American professionals from various fields. Vivian Chan, Samantha Maung and Shi Qi Li emerged victorious as a group. 

The prompt of the competition, presented by Dr. Dan Wildcat, the director of the Haskell Environmental Research Studies Center, is as follows: “It is critical to reverse the damages to our climate and atmosphere and find sustainable answers within an estimated nine years. Create holistic and practical theories and find inclusive, not extractive solutions to protect and re-invent our future. Consider all our relations: land, air, water and community. Help us all to imagine a way forward.” 

“I started all my students off by asking, ‘What is the biggest problem facing society right now?’ ” claims Stookey. 

In groups, the students prepared an essay along with an art piece in relation to Native American philosophical principles. 

All of Stookey’s classes were given the project, although it was up to them whether or not they wished to virtually submit their completed work to the museum. 

The winning group started off their project by deciding that mental health would be their topic of discussion, due to its prominence in society.

“We wrote our essay based on our own personal experiences and listening to others.” states Maung. 

The group worked diligently to complete their project. Group member Chan states, “It was nice, we worked together as a group.” 

The project's aim was to devise solutions to raise awareness about mental health, especially among school staff. Therefore, schools would be more prepared to assist students who may not be able to open up or be taken seriously about their mental state at home. 

While the work for the essay was split up, the art was completed by Li.

“I started off the process by using different thumbnails for inspiration; then as a group, we decided which one to work with.” 

Once the group settled on a thumbnail, Li created a hand-drawn, colorful full page drawing finalizing their project. 

The group was able to complete their project in two to three days, claims Maung. After completion, the group decided to send off their finalized work to the museum for the competition.  

The students had to compete with a large pool of entities once their project was submitted.

“I’d say there were roughly about 100 entries in the competition,” claims Stookey.

In the end, the judges came to a verdict and crowned the three students with the first place overall finish in the 2021 Design Thinking Challenge. 

Along with these students, a fellow ninth grader, also from Stookey’s class, Sofie Wall, had a 3rd place finish for her artwork in the competition.

Published on 12/07/2021

By Joshua Henriquez 

In February 2017, Abraham Lincoln High School’s attendance was audited.  As a result of this audit, Lincoln was penalized. The state-mandated either paying an amount of money that administrators decided was too large to pay or adding six additional school days to be spread over two years, 2020-21 and 2021-22 onto our school calendar.

School staff was given the option to put the three additional days during the beginning of the year or later into the year but ended up choosing Thanksgiving break.

In a memo to students, families, and staff, Principal Shari Balisi explained, “During the 2016- 2017 School Year, Lincoln planned to offer 65,277 annual instructional minutes. Due to revisions made part-way through the year to the school’s bell schedule, however, three school days did not qualify for instructional minutes (although the school was open).” 

California schools are required to have 64,800 instructional minutes and 180 instructional days annually but three of the days didn’t count towards the minutes so we fell short. I could not verify or land a clear explanation as to why the three additional school days were not. 

Abraham Lincoln High School tried for three years to fight against this penalty, to no avail. Ending things on a better note however it seems there will not be a repeat next year most likely resulting in our full Thanksgiving break returning.

Published on 12/07/2021

By Marley Steiger

Lincoln High School offers a number of academies where students can focus on a field of interest for two to three years during high school. One of these is the Business Academy, also known as the BA. It is run by Vicky Lee, a former Lincoln student who now teaches 10th, 11th and 12th graders vital business skills through this program.

A key part of the BA is competing against other BA students from schools around the region in annual challenges administered by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, also known as NFTE. The organization’s mission is to uplift youth by teaching them skills that will help them become future business professionals. NFTE was founded over 30 years ago in 1987 by Steve Mariotti, a former corporate executive who decided to use his business experience to help youth develop business skills.

Second year BA students have the opportunity to participate in a regional NFTE competition. They partner up with a classmate and create a unique business. After working on their business plan all year, students pitch their ideas to a panel of judges in the spring. The judges are experienced business leaders and entrepreneurs who volunteer their time with NFTE. Students that win their regional NFTE competition then advance to the national level. This is what ALHS seniors Lauren Young and Jasmine Liberona did this year. 

The business idea they came up with is called Aphroditi, a clean and safe deodorant.

Describing how she got the idea for the product, Liberona said, “A lot of my family members were getting diagnosed with cancer, and my mom was very worried for our health. She basically threw out everything and anything that was cancer causing, like daily things we use such as toothpaste, lotions and deodorants. We did a lot of research on how to make deodorants that are healthy, clean and natural for your body.”

After winning the regional NFTE competition, the two BA members continued to work hard for months to prepare for the national competition. 

“Continuing onto the national level was something we had to do,” said Young. “[The work] stopped over the summer and started up again at the start of school.”

Liberona talked about how hard it was to keep their motivation up during the long and tedious process. 

“There was not a lot of motivation after we won first place in the regionals. If I had the choice to do NFTE again, I would not. The timing was hard with zooms during or after school.”

The two students emphasized how they got help from volunteers at NFTE but could have used more. 

Liberona said, “We did get some outside help from NFTE coaches, but I don't think we got very much compared to everyone else competing against us. I think more support was needed.” 

Still they appreciated the help they did get. 

“All the advice NFTE gave us really helped us to flourish,” said Liberona.

Despite their successes, the competition was exhausting. 

Young said, “I'm pretty over NFTE to be honest. Working on this competition on top of everything else was really stressful.” 

Lee was very proud of Young and Liberona. 

“NFTE is something I chose to incorporate. It gives a real world aspect to the class. It has a really great curriculum and support for new teachers. You can win money, you can get seed funding and you get to compete. I love partnering with NFTE.”

Published on 12/07/2021

By Liam Geoghegan

In the midst of a pandemic which has been raging for nearly two years, the importance of getting vaccinated has been stressed repeatedly by medical professionals, public figures, and the general public. The urge that some communities have gotten relating to getting vaccinated, at times, has been successful. Other communities have not seen the same success. San Francisco, one of the first cities considered as one of the closest in reaching herd immunity, reentered the orange tier as of November 9th. This step backwards has been a call for caution.

Despite reentering the orange tier, and having possibly stricter COVID restrictions reinstated, SF State introduced an idea directly pointed at residents of San Francisco: scholarships for the vaccinated. Through a drawing which ended on November 15th, ten full undergraduate scholarships were awarded to random students who plan to enter SF State. SFSU has said they are still confirming eligibility to those who were picked. Although names were not publicly released, they confirmed a ninth grader from Lincoln High School, was one of the winners.

The move has been met with mixed emotions. Many have seen this incentive as not only a fantastic way to encourage families to even consider the college route and of course, getting vaccinated. Others have criticized it as a blatant way to force the public into getting vaccinations.

Aaron Ricker, a 17 year old SFUSD student, was at Balboa High School on November 12th, putting his name into the drawing. “You just had to turn up and enter a small questionnaire. There were at least 100 people waiting behind me, though.” 

Ricker also said he thought the scholarships were a very good idea, and could encourage teens to receive their vaccinations. “If it takes a college scholarship, then I am all for it. I just want to be out of the pandemic.”

Although Ricker had a positive look on the action, SF resident and parent Sandra Hope felt differently about it. Her 15 year old son, currently attending high school, is unvaccinated, claiming that her son has chosen not to get the vaccine. She remarked, “Regardless of one's thoughts on the vaccine, it’s a blatant push to control the youth. Get the vaccine if you want the vaccine, but if you don’t, your actions shouldn’t be influenced by others.” 

Hope included that she too is vaccinated but understands the pause some people may have. 

San Francisco mayor London Breed shared her positive feelings on the vaccination scholarship in an SFUSD press release. “Our teens have endured over a year of distance learning and missed interactions with their friends. These scholarships will carry their education forward and help shape their future in innumerable ways.” 

With the application season closing, a new rush for more applicants trying to fill in for any scholarships they can get, will follow. There’s a seemingly never ending number of scholarships, but not many large or full , are within easy reach. 

SFSU’s move to pay off full tuition to ten students may have stirred some people with regards to influence, but seems to be widely accepted by many in the district.

Published on 12/07/2021

By Cassidy MacKinnon

During the current school year, advisory is 20 minutes on Wednesdays and Thursdays. This time is used to notify students on what’s happening in school, make up work, or bond with people of the same grade.

On August 18, 2021, Abraham Lincoln’s school administration made advisory during third on Wednesday and fourth on Thursday due to COVID. 

Callie Janza, a senior at Lincoln High school, said, “We should have a separate class for advisory to regenerate and prepare for the rest of the week.”

Kelly Andrews, an assistant principal, explains why advisory is a part of third and fourth period, instead of going to a separate class to find out announcements, “We weren’t able to bring all students together in the auditorium as has been done in the past due to COVID restrictions. We realize how important it is for the community to be together in the same space, so we are currently working with the Associated Student Body and Union Building Committee to bring this back, hopefully for next semester. There are several logistical aspects that need to be worked out.” 

Andrews says that there are many aspects that need to be addressed in order for advisory to happen in the spring semester. 

The most important one is “ Most homerooms are mixed grades right now. So we are trying to figure out how to have grade level assemblies in person that are not disruptive to other homeroom classes,” says Andrews. 

Although other students think there should be a separate class for advisory, some students prefer it if it’s in the third and fourth period. 

Stephanie Pan, another senior at Lincoln High School, thinks, “ Advisory is better in the third and fourth period because it could be more convenient for the teachers and the students.”  

Published on 12/07/2021

By Carina Lee 

For students who want to attend college and save money, the Advanced Placement program sounds like a great idea. Students take an accelerated course that covers college-level material and not only receive a GPA boost, but also a small glimpse of college expectations. The classes offer students an opportunity to be challenged, develop their study skills, and make their transcript stand out to colleges. At the end of the school year, students take an AP test. If they score a three or higher (on a scale of one to five), colleges allow them to skip that class and potentially save thousands! The $96 fee to take the exam is a bargain compared to the cost of one college class!

People often forget that colleges use AP score data in a variety of ways. While it’s true that some colleges allow students to completely skip out of requirements, others translate AP scores into partial credit or use the scores for class placement, and some colleges do not accept AP scores at all. 

The University of California and California State University systems both accept AP credit with a minimum score of three. Students receive credit in the subject of their AP test. In most cases, the higher the score, the more credit a student will receive. 

At UC Santa Cruz, a three or higher allows students to skip their writing and U.S. History requirement. UC Berkeley students can bypass their reading and writing, foreign language, quantitative reasoning, American History and American Institutions requirements with a passing score.

A passing score does not always mean completely skipping a class. Some colleges use the AP score to determine student placement. Students with higher scores are placed into more advanced classes. This rewards students who tested well with the option to finish their requirements sooner.

Additionally, UCs give class registration priority to students with the most credits under their belt. Registration priority is a huge perk, especially at large universities like the UCs. The UCs have thousands of students fighting for limited spots in classes. If a certain class is full, a student may not get the chance to take a class they’re interested in, or be forced to spend more time enrolled at university since it may take longer for them to fulfill a graduation or major requirement. 

A passing score on the AP exam is an opportunity to accumulate college credits and get a leg up over peers. 

UC tuition and room and board totals to over 30,000 dollars per school year. Assuming four classes per quarter and three quarters per year, one class at a UC costs 2600 dollars. If a student could skip one or two classes, they would already save thousands.

It is important to mention that five-dollar fee waivers are available so not everyone has to pay the full $96. Lincoln is more lenient this school year with fee waiver qualifications to accommodate people that have been financially affected by COVID. 

The value of an AP score also varies depending on if the subject of the AP test relates to the student’s major. For example, a physics major with AP Art History credit could be worthless, or it could count for an elective credit. It varies from school to school. Claremont Mckenna College grants credit for AP scores but stipulates certain classes cannot be skipped. 

The AP test is the culmination of the entirety of the school year, so naturally, teachers dedicate time to prepare students to do well. AP students often spend the school year learning test-specific content and refining their skills in answering a certain style of test question. This can mean that students miss out on the full depth of the subject. 

Tests in general aren’t necessarily accurate reflections of a student's knowledge. Rather, it is an indication of how well the student memorized test content. For this reason, some colleges don’t accept AP credit and require students to retake the course with the college’s curriculum and standards. 

However, even if a student ends up at a college that doesn’t recognize AP scores, the AP program can still be beneficial. AP classes are an opportunity to dive deeper into subjects that interest students, regardless of test scores and credit. 

Psychology, biology, physics, human geography and art history are some of the AP subjects offered at Lincoln High School.  

The test itself is three hours long and stressful, but it can serve as practice for other exams students might take in the future, like the ACT, SAT or qualification exams.  

Published on 12/07/2021

By  Tommy Tian

A teacher can be seen outside his Peer Resources classroom during every passing period, playing his guitar as hundreds and hundreds of students pass by. Many students give passing glances, some wave, and a few even stop to listen. As the powerful sounds of the guitar fill up the length of the intersecting hallways, an equally overwhelming sense of welcome and community can be felt by the students passing by. It is a feeling of welcome and community that is mirrored and felt everywhere throughout the Lincoln campus.

“At the beginning of the year, the school felt like it really lacked community. It was kind of sterile, boring, and everybody was still sort of in distance learning mode. There were fights...a lot of students were complaining, it felt really tense in the hallways. It doesn’t really change things in a deep way, but I figured I’d start playing guitar just to try to get to know students better, try to create community, and because it’s fun to be fun,” said Morgan Wallace, the Peer Resources teacher.

Wallace has been in charge of the Peer Resources program at Lincoln for over 14 years. He was also a part of the Peer Resources program when he was a student at Lowell High School.

“The program deeply impacted my life while I was in high school, especially the work I did on ending dating- and gender-based violence. It pushed me to understand more deeply my role as a cis, hetero, white man in this community. Today, I firmly believe that youth-led movements for justice are the only real chance to transform schools into liberatory, anti-oppressive educational institutions,” wrote Wallace in a note to Lincoln staff.

Peer Resources, or Peers, is an elective course that teaches students interpersonal skills, social justice concepts, and how to support other students. It’s part of a larger city-wide organization with 14 participating middle and high schools. Peer Resources creates change and community in schools through youth leadership, peer-to-peer support, peer mediation, peer mentoring, social justice education, and support groups. The program also has an Educator Pathway program that helps youth find summer jobs in the field of education. 

Peers has many values and goals, including: peer to peer support, training and advocacy; institutional change; restorative practices and “putting love in action.” 

The Peers program includes three different classes: Critical Thinking and Social Change, Educating for Social Justice, and Peer Mediation. Students who have taken Peers previously are enrolled in both Educating for Social Justice and Peer Mediation.

“I think the main thing [Peers] has taught me so far is that being uncomfortable is okay, and that it means that you are pushing yourself past your comfort zone into a zone of growth, which is really important,” said Riley Brown, a senior and Peers student.. 

“I think Peer Resources is good to learn about more people interactions,” said David Li, another senior and Peers student.

Peers offers the Lincoln community two direct services: peer mentoring and peer mediation. The Peer Mentoring program supports freshmen and sophomores who are facing struggles by connecting them with peer mentors whom they meet weekly in group support and one-on-one sessions.

The Peer Mediations program is open to second year Peers students only. Trained mediators work alongside the Dean’s Office to directly support students and staff by resolving their conflicts through restorative practices and fair solutions. Peer Mediators have done over 30 conflict mediations with students and staff so far this year.

“[Mediators] support students by creating a resolution to their problems, and that supports the community because it teaches students how to resolve conflicts in a healthy way, and that has a ripple effect on the school,” Wallace said.

Additionally, the Peer Resources program offers its students a chance to support the school through transformative change projects that fight against the many different forms of oppression and push for positive lasting change in our communities.

“Historically, Peers students at Lincoln have pushed (successfully) for Ethnic Studies expansion from one to ten sections, passed a board resolution requiring multilingual signage, hosted many Open Mics, planned and led support groups, created a mosaic at 24th and Quintara, pushed to diversify staff and so many more things. Peers has also been a space for a lot of unofficial community organizing around housing justice, racial justice, student support and so much more,” wrote Wallace in the note to staff.

According to Wallace, the new proposed SFUSD budget will lower the funding for Peer Resources significantly, along with many other important programs here at Lincoln.

Published on 12/07/2021

By  Adalia Wani

My first language is Urdu. I moved to the United States at the age of five. When I moved, I only knew basic English phrases: “hi” or “how are you?” During my first year in elementary school, I barely had any friends because I couldn’t speak enough English to hold up a conversation. 

I was in the English Language Development class throughout elementary school and sixth grade. ELD is a class designed for English learners to develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in English. I was constantly embarrassed to tell my friends and peers about being in an ELD class because I felt that the class was for students with learning disabilities.

By the end of elementary school, I learned how to speak English fluently, but I still struggled with reading, grammar and spelling. I didn’t learn how to properly read until middle school. I would always be jealous of my friends and peers who were able to read these astonishing books, like “Land of Stories.” To this day, I still grapple with grammar and spelling. 

I am one of 743 million people in the world that speak English as their second language, according to Lemon Grad, an online tool designed to help one improve their English skills. 

Lincoln is a diverse school, with students coming from many different ethnic backgrounds. 

Lizette Lopez, a junior who began learning English at age seven, says, “It was very stressful for me. I would get it confused with my mother tongue [Spanish]. As a kid, my biggest fear was I wouldn’t be able to be fluent in English.” 

Ariel Chen, a sophomore who began learning English around the age of four, says, “My experience with English isn’t as bad, because I started learning around the age when most students did, although I was behind other students academically in kindergarten.” 

Stephanie Yau, a junior, states, “I began learning English at a young age. I was the quiet kid. I didn’t speak up much or talk much in classes. I was reserved to myself. I felt like my English wasn’t good enough to participate in class or even talk.”

Non-native English speakers have different experiences in school settings compared to native speakers. A study by the Michigan Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages in 2012 suggests that non-native speakers are 86% more likely to experience bullying at school compared to native speakers. This bullying can start at a young age, where the victim might not even know they are getting bullied because of the language barrier. 

Lopez states, “In elementary school I was called an ‘alien’ because I didn’t speak English well. I would be excluded from friends groups, projects, etc, because nobody wanted to be with the ‘alien.’ I was even called that ‘dyslexia girl, even though I was never diagnosed by teachers or anyone. I would reach out about what was going on, but nothing happened.” 

Yau states, “People used to call me dumb, for not speaking English that well. At that time I took it as a joke, but now I realize it was hurtful because I internalized their words.”

Chen explains, “Even when English learners face bullying, it’s hard for them to reach out because they aren’t good at English to tell the teachers. This problem is rarely addressed. It’s different from normal bullying. I don’t think the ELD programs know about this information.”  

When English learners become fluent, their struggle often continues. Although they can understand English, some still struggle in the writing section. 

Lopez states, “To this day I still struggle with spelling. I am very bad at spelling.” 

  Chen states, “I feel like I am still a little behind compared to my classmates. But I do my best to improve and encourage other English learners to have hope.” 

Published on 12/07/2021

By Riley Brown

Vicky Lee is the Business Academy teacher here at Abraham Lincoln High School. After graduating from Lincoln in 2007, she spent a year at City College and then graduated from San Francisco State University. Afterwards, she spent some time working at an after-school program and discovered a love for teaching. She went on to get her master’s in education from the University of Southern California, and as soon as she graduated, she was asked to fill a position at Lincoln as the Finance Academy teacher.  

When Lee was hired at Lincoln, the Business Academy did not exist. She was hired and worked her first year as the teacher of the Finance Academy but did not feel that it was something she enjoyed teaching. 

The finance academy didn’t focus on things like entrepreneurship or starting a business, which she felt were more important for students to learn. She single-handedly transformed it into the Business Academy and has been teaching it for five years now. 

Lee keeps parts of the Finance Academy in the curriculum by weaving personal finance into her lesson plans, using all of her personal experience with stocks and investments to educate students on how to make smart financial decisions. 

Aside from economics, students do not get this education in other classes, so it is beneficial to learn.

“The space is really fun, with the beanbag chairs and the little booth in the back and all the fun colors,” says Aliana Hernandez, a senior in the business academy. “I think it just shows how much she cares about her students.”

Lee says her favorite part of teaching an academy is her students. “Not every teacher gets to be with their students for three years and to see you guys grow.” 

She says that the dynamic in the classroom is different from normal classes as academy students often have a large number of their classes with other academy students. She sees relationships form between students and the network built within the classroom. 

Lee teaches Introduction to Marketing, Entrepreneurship 1 and Entrepreneurship 2 which are the courses included in the pathway.  Because the Business Academy only has one class of each, and they are separated by grade. Students begin the academy as sophomores and are able to drop it or join it at the end of the year. But after that, they are locked in for their junior and senior years. 

“I love seeing the difference between the sophomores, the juniors, and the seniors. And then to have them all three years, you get to see the progression of what their personality is, what they can do,”  says Lee. 

Oftentimes Lee stays in contact with students after they graduate, she says it is common for her students to stay connected after they graduate as well. The community in the classroom is built over two or three years and is strong. Students support and congratulate each other inside and outside of the classroom, just as Lee does. 

Because of the pandemic, students were not able to see each other every day. Most kids kept their cameras off on Zoom, and teachers missed seeing their kids. 

“I wish that junior year was in person, we could’ve gotten to know the new people”, says Hernandez.

Online, Lee's classroom still had a sense of community but she felt it wasn’t the same. She didn’t get to see students’ faces or hear their voices, which is why she was so excited to return in person this year. 

I felt a little robbed because I didn’t get to see my students for a whole year,” says Lee.

Upon returning to the classroom this year, Lee started off with ice breakers as she always does, and feels that the sense of community has come back to the classroom.

Published 12/07/2021

By Nicole Chao

Not everyone is up for a challenge, yet many ambitious Abraham Lincoln High School students choose to take Advanced Placement Calculus. As most know, Calculus certainly isn’t easy. Some may be left confused with questions, such as, why do so many students choose to take AP Calculus despite the stress that comes with it? 

Students can choose from a few options when deciding on a math course in their senior year. Some students that are ahead on one level of math, either from taking two math courses in one school year, or a City College dual enrollment course in ninth through eleventh grade, have an option of choosing AP Calculus or a statistics course. Students who did not do either would choose Precalculus as their math class. 

The district's requirement for graduating is three years of math, so why do students go beyond the requirements? Every student has their reasons, whether that be because they want to challenge themselves or because they want to go to a university that recommends four or more years of math in high school.

In an interview with the AP Calculus teacher, Michael Lee, regarding his thoughts on why this course is so popular amongst students wanting to take a math course, Lee explains, “Well, there's a strong demand at Lincoln for upper-level math classes, especially for business and science majors.”

Most students taking this course seek to pursue a career in fields relating to mathematics. But why would it benefit students to take a college-level Calculus class in high school rather than in college?

The college Calculus course compared to the college-level Calculus course in high school has some slight differences. 

Lee describes, “It’s the same material, but in college, you have more responsibility to motivate yourself independently, so there are no second chances in college. No late work is accepted in college.”  

This hints that students might not want to go through the difficulty of self-learning in college and would rather complete the course in high school. 

Abraham Lincoln High School seniors Ligia Li and Katie Choi took PreCalculus last school year, prior to taking AP Calculus. Did Precalculus prepare them enough for the difficulty that was to come of AP Calculus, especially since the courses were over Zoom? 

Li describes her experience: “Personally, I don’t remember a single thing I learned in Precalculus, and I’m just re-learning.”

Choi adds, “I feel like Precalculus taught us a lot of things, but in this Calculus course we are always learning new topics that weren’t technically covered in Precalculus.”  

As the course gets more difficult, students may have started to experience burnout. On a scale of one to ten, Li and Choi described what they personally think about the stress levels of this course. Choi gave the course stress level score of six, and Li gave a score of seven to eight. Ten being the most stressful.

“Since the tests have such a large weight over the assignments, the test really determines your grade,” says Choi. “Even if you show that you tried, you get partial credit and that's a good thing.”  

She continues: “Studying content in the textbooks and watching YouTube videos has really helped to understand the material better.” 

Li explains that she feels that AP Calculus can be overwhelming with the weight of the other two AP classes she is taking this school year.

Not everyone might share the same thoughts and feelings towards this class as these two students. Some students might feel that this class is not challenging enough for them, so plans for opening an AP Calculus BC course are in the works. 

Lee says, “It would be possible to open a Calculus BC course at Lincoln, but there is some uncertainty about the Lincoln Advanced Placements general direction at the moment.” 

He continues, “At a school, a class has to exist for students to sign up and there have to be students willing to sign up for a class to exist.”

Published 12/07/2021

By Zayar Myint 

With school resuming during the pandemic, it raises the question if one of high school's most popular event, prom, will happen this year. 

Many changes might happen, such as a limit on the number of people that are able to attend this event. Luckily, one of the things that will change this year is not the removal of our precious event. True to Samantha Sherman, an English teacher and ASB government coordinator at Lincoln High School, there will be a prom this year. 

“According to the CDC guidelines, we are still trying to be as cautious as possible, so more likely than not yes,“ Sherman stated when asked if masks are going to be mandated on the day of the event.

Other things such as how the tickets will be sold are still left undecided, and if seniors will have prioritized ticket sales first. Masks will also be mandated during the event, however, social distancing will be hard to monitor because of how a dance works. 

The size of the dance is still up for debate. The size of prom is usually based on the size of the venue, however, because of the global pandemic, that may change. 

“I'm not sure because I don’t know what the venue will be,” Sherman responded when being asked the amount of participants that can attend the dance. “It all depends on the size of the venue and we don’t have information about that yet.” 

Another dance that shares similar qualities with prom had occurred earlier, that event being homecoming. Although our school's administrative staff care about the well being of their students, many students are unhappy with the limitation of participants. One ALHS student in particular was especially unhappy with the way that homecoming was handled.  

“Our teacher had let us out 10 minutes earlier to buy tickets for homecoming,” the student says. “When I arrived, there was already a line of maybe 10 students, and I was maybe 15th or 20th in line. I had left the line because I found out that tickets were being sold near the auditorium, and when I had come back, the people that I had been waiting in line with had been pushed back to maybe the 100th spot. I was really unhappy with the way that the staff and ASB had handled the situation. Students were cutting in line and our ASB had completely failed to control the students.”

Published on 12/07/2021

By Mariah Jones 

   Melony Su, freshman at Lincoln High School ranked third place in the Northern California City Championships which took place on Monday, November 1st, 2021. Melony never had a chance to play but it was a great experience for her. She was excited and nervous for the tournament. Robinson says she’s the “Best Golfer” on the team.

Su prefers to not take golf into a career, even though she is a good player. She does not plan on playing golf after high school as a sport. Melony is very dedicated and committed to the team. Robinson says, “She is the best and has a lot of great potential.”

Melony works hard and takes golf seriously. When the time comes to playing in a tournament she is concentrated and focused. Su has been playing golf since the age of ten.  She was taught by the First Tee program of San Francisco. She works with the program five days out of the week to help young children develop golf skills and life lessons. 

Melony began playing golf for fun at first but started taking it more seriously as a sport once quarantine began. She had more time to practice and play at TBC Harding Golf Course. Melony says she loves the sport “for meeting new people, learning new ways to solve problems and helping face challenges.” 

She has recently started to play tournaments with the First Tee Program. 

Robinson mentions that it is “a great experience for her.” Because it makes her golf skills better. Before Melony starts a tournament she has mixed feelings. Her best advice is to “not focus on the shot, but focus on the solution you decide to use to hit the ball; then relate the solution to your life.”

Robinson also says “Melony has gotten physically stronger, matured mentally, and emotionally as a young golfer”. He says she is a “good kid and very competitive”. Melony says golf for her is being in a “difficult life situation” or “multiple situations you can choose from.”

Steve says, “She can be funny and goofy, but sometimes she is negative and hard on herself, but she is getting better at being more positive and not so hard on herself.”

Published on 12/07/2021

By Mia Rossitto 

Clementine Costanza is a junior at Lincoln High School and will be starting for the girls soccer team this year. 

“I’ve been eagerly waiting to finally have the position of starting goalie,” says Costanza. 

She has been playing soccer since kindergarten and is currently playing for the Seals soccer club in the off-season of school soccer.

Her club team is now at the highest level for a travel team, but her goal is to be able to play in the National Premier League, and she isn’t too far off from reaching that goal.

Getting to where she is today has been no easy task. “I’m barely juggling school and sports. I have so much homework and then I have practice four times a week. Sometimes I’ll practice five days a week, but I try to give myself a day off. It’s not easy, I’m usually cramming school work,” says Costanza.

Costanza also has big dreams as a student. “I want to play soccer in college while wanting to be a doctor,” says Costanza.

Costanza says, “When I’m playing soccer I am so nervous until the first time I get my hands on the ball in the game and my nerves usually start to settle. When I make a good save though, it is probably the best feeling ever. It’s one of the reasons I want to play soccer for as long as possible.”

When asked what it was like being an athlete during quarantine, Costanza responded, “It sucked! I was so sad when I came back to soccer, and we just did practices on Zoom. As a goalie, it’s not very efficient to just be doing touch drills and scissors around a soccer ball. You don’t get to strengthen your legs or work on dives. When I got back to in-person practices on a field, I could barely catch the ball like I used to be able to do.”

“I don’t think there’s a lot of expectations for the school team because I didn’t do too well last season due to COVID. Over the summer I’ve trained a lot and gotten a lot better, so I feel like their expectations are a lot lower than mine,” says Costanza.

She has given up so much to get to where she is today, and her family has also given up a lot because of her passion for soccer. 

“This year they are sacrificing their Thanksgiving with their friends so that they can take me to a tournament. They also sacrifice meetings to get me to practice and games,” says Costanza.

She also says that her parents are her biggest supporters and that she probably would not be where she is today were it not for them and their support. With the support she has gotten, she has accomplished a lot. 

“My biggest achievement would probably be to be called a good goalie by the [Division One] coach. He gave me an A- as a goalie and that was helpful, and when I was at SF United [a club soccer team], I was named the first or second-best goalie for my age group in San Francisco.”

Kenyatta Scott, head coach of the ALHS girls soccer team, had this to say about Costanza as the starting goalie, “I feel pretty solid. We picked up two more keepers that will be in reserve, and they will help drive [Costanza] to become better.”

When asked if he thinks Costanza has earned her position, Coach Scott said, “There is no doubt about it and no player that would disagree about her position as starting goalie.”

Coach Scott says, “She has excellent skills in playing forward as well. She plays it sporadically, but she feels confident in goal.”

Coach Scott also says confidently that he hopes that the girls team this year will make it to the playoffs..

Published on 12/07/21

By Isabel Goins-Riley

Abraham Lincoln High School’s varsity football team has won state championships twice in the past two years, and in 2018, the team plowed through the season completely undefeated.

This season the team had another successful run. The team won their playoff game against Mission High School which qualified them for Turkey Day championships against Balboa.

Despite the loss of 21-0, they finished their season with a record of 7-1.

Philip Ferrigno has been the head football coach at Lincoln for 20 years. He says he has been coaching football for a total of 35 years. Ferrigno’s office is filled wall to wall with photos of past students and sports teams, along with various awards and sports memorabilia. 

Ferrigno mentions the trajectory of a team relies on everyone involved. “Everyone’s gotta be willing and able on both sides of the pitcher, coaches and the players.” 

To motivate players the team has a motto they call the three D’s: Dedication, Discipline, Desire. 

“Dedicate yourself to something, have the discipline to do it every day, and have the desire to be great,” Ferrigno explains.

Kevin Doherty, a teacher and athletic coach at Lincoln, has been coaching at the school for 19 years. Doherty and Ferrigno started working at the school around the same time, Ferrigno in 2001, and Doherty six months later in 2002. 

Doherty attributes the team's growth since 2002 to Ferrigno, “Everything that’s here is because of coach Ferrigno, absolutely everything, every helmet, every set of shoulder pads…” 

“The ability to keep people organized and motivated to come out and participate is very important,” Doherty states. 

He says the key to motivating players is consistency and doing activities all year round, “...before the pandemic we [Ferrigno and himself] were at school, like, 300 days a year, Monday through Saturday, 50 weeks a year.”

Senior linebacker Marcel Bruce has been playing on Lincoln’s football team for just one year. Bruce says discipline and consistency contribute to their team's greatness, “Whatever coach tells us, we have to learn it and be consistent with it. If we’re not consistent, that leads to a probable [bad] situation.” 

Michael Simmons, a junior receiver and safety, has been on the team for two years. He explains that because of weight lifting and other year round training, the team is better prepared to go up against other schools.

Before coaches Doherty and Ferrigno arrived at Lincoln, they claim the football team hadn’t won a game in three years. 

“They couldn’t even score a point,” they both said in separate interviews. 

Doherty pointed out that when he began coaching, they only had about three helmets. 

Since then, the team has been able to upgrade their equipment through fundraising and donations from supporters. 

“We raise our own money. …We have SnapRaise, we do a bunch of fundraising and get a bunch of donations,” Doherty explains.

 The team gets very little funding from the school and relies solely on generous supporters.

Senior quarterback Daniel O’Connell has been playing on the school team for two years. He thinks the reason for the team’s success is the family dynamic and the support they have. “They got my back, and if I mess up they still got me.”

Nearly every player mentioned that having a close team is one of the main reasons they are able to come together. “I think it’s a big part because if we know each other as people, we can adjust to that on the field,” states Simmons.

Junior strong safety Omar Blanco has been on the team for one year. He says the team’s resilience is what allows them to perform exceptionally. Having good relationships with teammates and just having a good time are key factors in the football team's success. Bruce adds that the energy and positivity of the players contributes most to the performance of the team. 

Published on 12/07/21

By Ashley Talbot

After one year of not being able to play, the Lincoln High School girls volleyball team hit the courts enthusiastically for the fall 2021 season. Coach Tang led a fierce team who finished the season with a record of 28-15, including the playoffs. Senior player Mia Antonio described the season as “fun”. While she felt the team “could have done better,” Antonio wrapped up her time on the court with “no regrets.” Three things stood out about the girls volleyball season: the team’s determination,  positive dynamic and the thrill the team felt being able to play after the pandemic lock down. 

The girls volleyball team had a genuine connection on and off the court that most teams dream of. On the court, they were all able to admit to mistakes while still encouraging each other. Blank spoke about how whenever there was a down moment, they would tell each other “you’re okay.” Every team member was able to recognize and not place blame on one another when mistakes were made. They thought they were lucky to all be so close and genuinely friends; even their families are close to one another. Waiting for over a year during lock down made seeing each other even more meaningful.  

The girls team experienced a heightened thrill  playing volleyball in person after the pandemic hiatus, and also recognized the difficulties that came with losing a year.

Mia Antonio described that after the pandemic, “skill wise we were fine, but we missed out on a year to get reps in and get better.”

Even with lost time, the ALHS girls volleyball team ended the season with an impressive score of 28 wins and 15 losses.  

Despite the pandemic putting a strain on their volleyball season and practice, the girls' connection to one another kept the team strong. Their genuine relationship to each other helped them overcome all the difficulties of not being able to play for so long, and it made them play vigorously.

Shaylah Dubose left a message for next year's team, “I hope they have a genuine connection with their teammates just as we did and to know to trust each other on and off the court.”

Published on 12/07/21

By Cassidy Mackinnon

Netflix released the movie, “Finding Ohana” earlier this year on January 29th, 2021. The movie was directed by Jude Wang, and it won an award called the Common Sense Selection. 

Some of the main actors that were featured in this movie were Kea Peahu, Lindsay Watson, Kelly Hu and Branscombe Richmond. 

The main characters in the movie include Pili, her brother Ioane, her mom, Leilani and Leilani’s dad, Kimo. 

In the movie, Pili’s family heads back from New York to Oahu where Pili’s family grew up to visit their grandfather who has serious health issues and financial problems.

Pili is a 12-year old Hawaiian girl who is interested in geocaching. Pili’s friend, Casper, is a 15-year-old boy that helps Pili realize that she has the journal that could help them find the treasure. On their quest, Pili and Casper end up becoming extremely good friends.

In the movie, Ioane participates in the hidden treasure exploration with his sister Pili. At the end of the movie, he has a really strong relationship with Hana. 

Pili’s family and her friends went on the adventure together because it would help contribute to the payment of their grandfather’s health and financial bills and could help get the family back to New York. At the end of the movie, they end up staying at his grandfather’s place in Hawaii and selling the house they have in New York.

During the summer in Oahu, Pili and Ioane go on an adventure to find a long-lost treasure that sets them on an epic adventure with their friends, Casper and Hana. The adventure leads them to connect with their Hawaiian heritage.

I relate to Pili because I love going on adventures outdoors by myself and with my family. By going on adventures by myself, I find myself to be more relaxed and calmer. 

I loved the movie because it was really well directed. I liked how all the actors in the movie were entertaining and how pretty the scenery was. I thought that the scenery was very beautiful and pretty when Pili, Ioane, and their friends, Casper and Hana went on the adventure. 

In the movie, the director included energetic songs that would keep things from not being too boring or tense, like “Pump It” by the Black Eyed Peas. 

The movie taught me the importance of cherishing time with my parents, grandparents and family. 

My favorite character in the movie is Pili because I love her personality. She is very caring and enthusiastic about her family and her community. 

I think that this movie is a must-see for everyone. The movie includes family adventures, thrillers and action.

The themes of "Finding Ohana" are connecting family with cultural ideas and traditions. I think that these themes were important because people should be aware of other cultures.

By learning about other people’s cultural ideas, it helps me understand more about other people’s cultural ideas and traditions. It also helps me be open, accepting and tolerant.

Published on 12/07/2021

By  Samantha  Hong 

The prospect of Marvel’s new “Eternals” movie thrilled fans worldwide when it's trailer came out in April of 2021. However, many fans are disappointed by the film’s outcome. The reveal of elite cast members brought in different demographics from all ages and ethnicities. The cast included actors such as Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Kit Harrington, Kumail Nanijani and Harry Styles.

With its well-known cast, fans were excited to see their favorite actors cross paths with such a popular franchise like Marvel. 

The movie starts similar to a "Star Wars" opening, with big block letters printing on the screen, providing viewers with a small amount of exposition. I personally did not like how it started because it felt like a cheap cop-out to save time. However, I understood that the intent of this opening was most likely to set a space/celestial tone for the rest of the film.

We learn about the creation of the Earth and these superhumans called Eternals, a group of nine celestial beings created to save the world from monster predators called deviants. 

Each Eternal has an unique ability. They all have classic superhuman abilities, and none of them were new or even slightly modified that could create new conversation or interest. One of the characters, Ikaris, played by Richard Madden, was almost an exact replica of Superman. The only difference was the addition of kryptonite. 

The movie bounces back and forth between the past and present experiences of the group. A few of them have taken to more modern living. For example, Sersi, an Eternal played by Chan, settles in London with her boyfriend Dane, who is played by Kit Harrington. Other Eternals have remained more secluded, like Gilgamesh, played by Don Lee, and Thena, played by Joile, who lives in the desert together. Between the jump cuts, we see how the group fell apart. We learn about how each character in "Eternals" has struggled dealing with centuries of genocide and war.

Although the exposition is great, the movie spent too much time explaining and too little time actually diving into the film’s main conflict: the deviants have returned but instead of killing them, they are hunting for the Eternals. 

Additionally, the plot twist was anticlimactic because of its predictability. At the least, I wanted the falling action to explain and tie up loose ends, but “Eternals” did a poor job of covering plot holes and wrapping up the action. 

A lot of parts felt rushed. An example could be towards the end of the movie, two main Eternals (Druig and Makkrari) talk about their plans to find more Eternals in other universes rather than showing a scene of it. I would have preferred to see Thena, Druig and Makkari flying across space rather than hearing them talk about it before their takeoff. These sly injections of information occur throughout the film and disregard the “showing not telling” rule that makes up a good movie. 

My biggest issue with the film was the ending. Marvel is notorious for their cliffhanger endings, but I felt like the movie’s ending was unsatisfactory. The plot left out too much, and it didn’t leave me feeling excited about the sequel. 

However, there are a lot of positives to this film. It broke a lot of stereotypes and boundaries typically set for Marvel superheroes. It took a different direction in the Marvel universe, transitioned it to a celestial era and covered issues regarding Thanos, a previous villain in the Marvel universe.

The cast is diverse in not only ethnicity but body shapes, disabilities and sexuality. One example is the Eternal Makkrai, who is mute and uses ASL to communicate with others all while running at lightning speed around the globe. Another example is Phastos, a black and openly gay superhero with a husband and a son.

What I really like about these portrayals of superheroes was that Marvel never took these differences and turned them into these charters’ only personality traits. I feel that movies and TV shows often resort to this tactic, as a cop-out to creating emotional and in-depth characters. Both Makkari and Phastos had layers of depth and relatable internal struggles. 

As someone who has followed Marvel my whole life, I will always love this Marvel cinematic universe. I am really appreciative of all the diversity this movie had, but Marvel has set itself up and created extremely high expectations for fans. I was ultimately disappointed by the plot and the way the story was told, but I am hopeful for the rest of Marvel’s productions.

 Published 12/07/2021                                                                   

By Jay  Fabian 

“Back 4 Blood” is a video game by Turtle Rock Studios. It was released on October 12th, 2021. Just a week later, I was already diving in.

Many people were surprised when it was announced in 2019. The last game to come out under the franchise was “Left 4 Dead 2” in 2009. It's been over 10 years, and many people considered it a dead franchise.

“Back 4 Blood” starts out with a cutscene showcasing the game's characters talking about the main problem in the world, the Ridden. These are the zombies. After some more dialogue, the Ridden attacks and the team needs to make a quick escape back to camp.  

The first thing I noticed was how well the developers did the cutscenes. Every cutscene looks amazing. The Ridden look grotesque and intimidating. They do a good job of showing the sheer number of them, and how the world is really falling apart. 

All the action sequences look beautiful in a gory kind of way. Players can see the Ridden getting shot, getting hit by baseball bats and even getting sliced in half. Each time is a beautiful explosion of blood and guts.  

The characters are all expressed extremely well. They have banter with each other and feel real.

After the cutscene ends, players go through their first mission. This mission acts as a tutorial and teaches players the basic rules of the game.

After the tutorial, the team ends up in their camp. The camp is where players get ready for more missions, and where they can buy skins for guns or perks to improve. There are people to talk to, a firing range and even a gym that you can interact with. The problem with it is that it quickly gets boring. The camp feels like an unnecessary addition that slows things down. This is not that big of a problem, but it feels like a missed opportunity for something cool.

The gameplay in “Back 4 Blood” is a lot of fun and unique. Before the mission starts, players need to pick a character and five different perk cards. The character they pick will have their own special quirk. One character may help them heal faster, while one may help do more damage. The perk cards are there to help make the team stronger. It helps the whole team rather than just one person being buffed. The cards may do things like faster reloading or more ammo.

After everyone gets their team together, the players load into the mission. The team leaves their base and gets to fighting the Ridden. The Ridden are a good enemy. They are fun to fight and are challenging enough for the players to feel accomplished when they win. I like how they made many different versions of the Ridden. This makes the Ridden feel different every time you fight them. The game never feels old and always feels like it has something new to offer.  

One thing I think can be improved is the gunplay. It is fun to go around fighting the Ridden, but the guns feel flat. I think it just takes some getting used to, but the guns feel weird to aim and uninteresting. 

Furthermore, there are not many reasons to try different guns because once someone finds one that works, they just keep it. In the game, players can get better scopes and extended magazines to improve their gun. Why would they want to drop the upgraded gun for a gun that has nothing on it and plays completely differently?

The best time I had on the game was when playing with a friend. It is fun working together and watching each other's backs while cutting through the hordes of Ridden. The game also encourages good teamwork, whether it be reviving fallen teammates or helping one out of a trap. 

Overall “Back 4 Blood” is a good game. It is fun to play over and over again and has great characters.

Published 12/07/2021

By Mia Rossitto

Ted Lasso is a fictional character who came from America to Richmond, a town in London, to coach an European soccer team, after having a winning season coaching a college American football team and leading them to be Division II champions.

At first, Lasso seems like the person I would avoid at all costs. He just seems like someone I wouldn’t understand and would think is dumb is for taking a job that he knows nothing about. As someone who played soccer for 10 years, the show was a bit of a joke in the beginning.

However, I slowly realized that the show wasn’t about soccer but more about the characters. I got to see underdogs grow into top dogs and assholes turn into caring assholes. The show tells stories that everyone has heard but in a new way that just works. I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s sort of just something you have to experience for yourself

Lasso’s boss, Rebecca Welton, is the manager of the club and has been in control of her own life after divorcing her husband who had been cheating on her. She truly lives up to the name of being a boss-ass-bitch. 

On the other hand, there’s Keely Jones who breaks up with her boyfriend who just wasn’t good enough for her, even though he was a famous soccer player. As an influencer on social media, she would create a name for herself and let nothing get in the way of her goals. I try to stay as motivated as Jones when I feel passionate about getting something done.

The show highlights that women of power are usually criticized more than men in power. The two women are shown as the stereotypes of women in business in the beginning, but they later on break the norms and expose the stereotypes that are brought on by men.

I loved that the writers made Lasso into a character that makes American jokes in Europe even though no one there understands them. As an American, I don’t even understand the jokes sometimes but when I do, it puts a smile on my face, and I can’t help but laugh.

I really felt like I could connect with every single character. In a short period of time, the writers gave every single character duality. I didn’t feel like I was watching a show, but I felt like I was looking into these characters' lives. The actors carried out the script perfectly, and I feel like I know all the characters as if they were real.

I do wish that the writers would stick more to the plot instead of side-tracking to little adventures that didn’t add to the show, it was just there. It’s fine when it’s in bits and pieces, but if they spend more than 10 minutes on a topic, what’s the point of it?

While watching the show, I couldn’t help but try to predict what was going to happen next. I can’t wait for the third season to come out.

Published  on 12/07/2021

By Brandon Tse

Most video games in the genre of military shooters are often overlooked by players, especially players who prefer the popular trends such as “Call of Duty,” “Battlefield,” “Squad,” “Escape from Tarkov,” “Arma 3” and so on. The list of underrated titles goes on as if they were games that everyone has already known about today. In the past decade of military shooter games, many titles were released, to the point where the genre became oversaturated. Sure, the trending games within the genre are decent, but one element is sorely missed, and that is the depiction of war being hell.

Most military shooter games portray war as fun instead of showing the atrocities of war. A few exceptions do exist, though none of them truly affects the player as much due to being there for shock value. In the pile of oversaturated military games and a bunch of tiring clichés, there is one video game that executes the elements of war perfectly. It depicts war as Hell. 

“Spec Ops: The Line” is a third-person shooter, based on Joseph Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness” and Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now.” It was made by YAGER, a video development company and was released on June 26th, 2012, a time where the best military shooter games were the norm.

Some players might say that the gameplay is difficult and dull at times, mentioning that it included mindless shooting galleries, outdated tropes and clunky inputs. As someone who has played it over twenty times, I don’t find that to be the case. The gameplay was good with elements that were done extremely well and mostly done right.

Everything else from swapping weapons, to commanding teammates are done successfully. Grenades turn out to be very useful for blowing up and blinding enemies, along with covering the player’s position. The alternate firing mechanics are interesting, serving different purposes to approach each level. Despite the janky controls, “Spec Ops: The Line” offers enough variation that it’s able to entertain the player from start to finish.

The game also offers the players choices at certain places in the levels. They support the gameplay and story, presenting the bad choices in war rather than good choices. No matter what decision the player chooses, the story always stays the same. I don’t find that to be a problem, and thankfully, the direction of the game wasn’t ruined by alternate set paths. The direction of the story on its own is YAGER’s magnum opus, and loveable to me.

The game starts with a menu screen that features the ruins of Dubai in the distance, with the upside-down US flag waving in the air (a signal of distress). A cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Star-Spangled Banner'' plays in the background, as it’s the most famous rendition of the song made during the Vietnam War.

We are eventually introduced to the protagonist who talks about the great Colonel John Konrad and how he views him as a hero. When the city of Dubai began to suffer from sandstorms, Konrad and his battalion, the Damned 33rd, went to help with evacuating the civilians. He defies orders to evacuate as he and his men stayed behind. Their last report involving the evacuation was six months ago. 

Another report comes in later and the Colonel’s mission ends in disaster. The player is dropped into the boots of Captain Martin Walker, who enters Dubai alongside Sergeant John Lugo and Lieutenant Alphanso Adams in search of Konrad.

The characters’ developments throughout the game are like watching a hero slowly becoming a villain. Lieutenant Adams, a person with a clear mindset, turns cold-blooded and ruthless. Sergeant Lugo, who’s sarcastic and acts as the comic relief, becomes angry and explosive. Captain Walker, who starts cold and professional like any other squad leaders, turns sadistic and bloodthirsty as he enjoys hurting other people. Every other character throughout the story just does their job within Dubai.

Even though the rest of the story is a masterpiece, I never got the chance to play the multiplayer game mode. Regardless of the attempts to play it, the servers in the game are always dead. Accordingly, the multiplayer game mode is a complete failure. With the development being rushed and unfinished, having bugs, glitches, lag, crashes, bad hit detection, instant deaths, bad design, movement and so on.

The two-player cooperative mode is very enjoyable as players keep pushing forward through the environment. The number of enemies depends on the number of players, adding challenge to the mode. With only four levels that can be completed in under an hour, the replayability is lacking, but still utilizes the gameplay’s strengths. The Co-op mode is brilliant, but the Multiplayer mode is horrible.

Overall, “Spec Ops: The Line” has its problems, and I can see why it was underrated and overlooked by many players. Even though the game is not flawless, it should be still critiqued and discussed, due to having so much that developers can learn from.

Though the campaign is perfect in every way with the accurate presentation of war being hell, it outclasses other modern military shooter games in terms of portrayal, philosophy and storytelling. The multiplayer sadly declasses the gameplay’s strengths and continues to be terrible to this day, leading most players to overlook it. The gameplay may be difficult to manage, but over time it’s easy to get used to.

I am surprised that a game based on a book and a movie, with similar storylines, is this amazing. It’s way beyond mediocre if the flaws were ignored. “Spec Ops: The Line” is an underrated masterpiece, a hidden gem that everyone should play once again, and a memorable video game that derives one element that many others sorely missed: the horror of war.

Published on 12/07/2021

By Brandon Tse

“Halo 3: Orbital Drop Shock Trooper” is one of the many refreshing “Halo” games in the entire franchise. After three games of playing as the iconic Master Chief, the main character in most “Halo” games, and saving the world again, players start to get accustomed to it. Up to a point where whenever Chief makes his appearance, players would get heavily invested in the game because they are playing as a badass character. Bungie, the original developers of the franchise, did their best work in the early titles, so it is no surprise that the early titles are still the fan favorites of the series. “ODST” is a completely new experience and the first to be one as a spinoff.

Despite being built off from “Halo 3,” the atmosphere in the game is highly immersive. It’s ambient as the rain pours down, along with the sounds of jogging footsteps from the protagonist as he witnesses the destruction in the city of New Mombasa. Even the visor that highlights enemies fits the immersion too. It is innovative in terms of map designing, as I look around the city that has the feeling of an open world. While secret areas and pathways are unavailable, it is still enjoyable as rooms that contain firearms and quad bikes can be unlocked.

Enemies swarm the city, down streets and inside buildings, but their numbers are not overwhelming where it turns into a full-on shootout. The player can easily bypass the enemies by using stealth rather than brawn, though it is an option. The player will already use brawn within flashbacks of other characters’ perspectives.

Weapons, items and explosives are mostly the same as “Halo 3,” including the silenced submachine gun and the silenced magnum. Strangely, the silencers on the guns are not silent as the player still gets detected, but it is a minor issue, since the weapons still pack a punch. The first-aid kit is finally back as all the player needs to do is just crouch to regain stamina, which acts like the armor from the previous “Halo” games.

The soundtrack for “ODST” is the best music I ever listened to. The jazz on its own is compelling enough for me to get hooked on the game, and it fits into the gameplay. The orchestra, the piano and the outstanding saxophone plays smoothly in the game’s immersion. This is the only time I have ever heard jazz in a “Halo game,” and it is perfect. Martin O’Donnell did his best work here as a composer for “ODST,” and it is the jazziest out of all the previous “Halo” titles.

“Halo 3: ODST” brings many opportunities for the player to explore freely along with the addition of immersion to the role of the player. Some players may have problems with the Rookie as they do not really learn much from him, and not everyone will appreciate a silent protagonist. However, it is more for the gameplay’s immersion overall, and hearing dialogue occasionally will ruin it. The story is not just about the Rookie, it is also about the other Hell Jumpers including Edward Buck, the cynical leader of the team, and Veronica, the no-nonsense captain and operative from the Office of Naval Intelligence. 

The following characters are more human compared to Master Chief. They are not the typical bad asses who save the world all the time, or a bunch of Spartans with powerful abilities. Instead, they follow orders to regroup and accomplish a mission to defend Earth. They feel like real people, and they make the story of “ODST” interesting, even without the Master Chief being present. The Rookie fills his role as we feel more invested in the story as we save the galaxy. “ODST” proves that a game does not always need an icon to make a story engaging and compelling. only the story itself.

“ODST” also shows a down-to-Earth perspective of the conflict between the humans and the covenant, along with the addition of audio logs that capture the civilians’ point of view. Finding all the audio logs will alter the storyline in game, due to their context involving the search of the Rookie’s teammates.

“Halo 3: ODST” offers an endless wave-based survival mode known as Firefight, which puts the player’s skills to the ultimate test. In this four-player cooperative game mode, the player must survive waves of covenant forces sent in by dropships for as long as possible, while earning points and fighting enemies as they slowly get more difficult and challenging. With a limited number of lives, the game ends when the player dies. The game might also end through the accomplishment of a challenge, time running out, or when all the waves are finished.

To sum it all up, “Halo 3: ODST” is a fantastic spin-off made by Bungie. Built off from the same engine as “Halo 3,” it is the first game where they did something entirely new, making it unlike any other game in the series. It also dives into the lore of the franchise and tones the gameplay down for the player. This results in a more calming and relaxing experience in the campaign, and a more human perspective within the universe. With Firefight being a new mode to play, it has potential to be on the same level as other titles’ survival modes, while being something entirely new. With refreshing elements and a new direction, it feels like Bungie saved “Halo” from being repetitive and went onto new levels for the series. The soundtrack continues to be the most iconic element in the game, and it is also the most beautiful part of the game. “Halo 3: ODST” is not only successful, or a favorite spinoff in the eyes of fans, but the jazziest out of all.

Published 12/07/2021

By Xara Alexander 

Hyperpop is a relatively new music genre that has unique characteristics and themes. It’s run by the younger generation and upheld by trans and queer artists. 

It is a satire of pop, exaggerating all of its characteristics: expressive and angsty lyrics are contrasted by catchy upbeat “glitchcore” melodies. It amplifies the features of pop music by distorting vocals and adding heavily processed synthesized effects and beats. 

SOPHIE, 100 gecs, food house, Fraxiom, Dorian Electra and Kim Petras are some of the leading hyperpop artists, who are all transgender, nonbinary or genderqueer. In a lot of the music, the pitches of singers’ voices are changed, which can relieve vocal dysphoria (discomfort with the presentation of one’s voice related to gender expression) for trans artists.

The genre itself is innovative and completely unique, and something about this feels akin to queer peoples’ radical acceptance of “new” nonbinary identities and expression of sexual or romantic orientation. The avant-garde energy of daringly expressing themselves is present in both the younger generation of music producers and the LGBTAI+ community.

The themes in Hyperpop are hugely experimental. In “Man To Man,” Dorian Electra plays with sexuality and masculinity in lines like, “Are you man enough to soften up? Are you tough enough to open up?”

Because Gen Z makes up such a large percent of producers, the music is a window into how the younger generation is coping and expressing themselves during major events related to COVID, mental illness, social anxiety and the effect of constant exposure to the internet and social media. 

“Yeah I’m a computer- I’m dying- Someone help me. Don’t throw me in the recycle bin- don’t forget me,” sings Xadvoi in their song “I Wnna Be a File That U Can’t Erase.”

From my perspective, they’re singing about the feeling of being made for efficiency and production, while having their personal needs rejected or forgotten about. 

Being encompassed by technology, it’s inevitable that someone would eventually make a song about identifying with the electronic. The song sounds like the lyrics: as it dies down, the vocals dissolve into glitchy noise.

Published 12/07/2021

By Daniel Toy

There can be only one winner and the rest will face death. “Squid Game” has 456 players participating in a demented game of life and death; they are being forced to play through a series of children’s games like tug-a-war, marbles, glass bridge, etc. 

The show begins with 456 players in a room wondering why they are there until a screen pops out showing every single players’ debt they hold. Then, they would enter their first game called “Red Light, Green Light.” This game made the contestants realize what was at stake. Half of the players died, and no one saw it coming. The players then voted to cancel the game and go home, not willing to sacrifice their lives to win billions of dollars.

Once they enter back into the real world, every player notices their trauma, that the real world is no longer for them and that they’re all in debt of millions of dollars. They all got chased by their collectors for their money, but they did not have any. It leads to the players’ realization that the game might be their only chance to find their way back alive in the real world, knowing they have the chance to win billions of dollars to pay back the collectors. 

As the show went on, I realized that I got more and more attached to each player and their backstories. I felt like I got closer to the players, and I sympathized with how they ended up in this suicidal game due to the bad actions they took. Learning their backstories gave me realization on whether I think this player should be in this game or not because of how they wanted to throw their life away by wasting money, instead of spending it wisely. 

The character that stands out the most to me would be the protagonist, Gi-hun (player #456), who wants to prove to his ex-wife that he is much more than just a gambler by obtaining financial stability to raise his daughter rather than allowing her to leave to the US with her mom and stepfather. I admire how he is willing to sacrifice his life on the line, just to play the game to win billions of dollars to get out of debt.

The acting and cinematography was amazing. I like how the cinematography was very realistic when every player's death seemed so real that I could feel the pain they were feeling.  The cinematography was so precise that it made me feel like I was in the game while watching, and the sound effects were on-point matching with the action the character was making. Also, I like how the show throws hints at me, but I really did not notice them until I finished the show. For example, the huge room had drawings around the walls showing what challenges the contestants will face next.

I like how Hwang puts in real-life situations that everyone deals with on a daily basis, like how people are in debt by gambling, not knowing how to pay people back. This show makes a statement on why people should stop wasting their precious money on useless things because, in the long term, the consequences lead to death.  

This show is great because it was well-written where it is a series full of surprises, and I did not know what to expect next. As the show progresses, the players get more and more motivated by the amount of money they can win, but the challenges make each player get more scared and frightened, not willing to die. Also during the show, some players show their true colors on how they are as a person where they choose to backstab their own group in order to help themselves advance to the next level to win the money. 

The show was written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, in 2008-2009. He tried multiple times to publish the show but was rejected for 10 years due to casting and funding issues. Companies didn’t know how much they would profit from his show. 

The show originates from South Korea. However, Netflix provides audio and captions in multiple different languages for people to watch or listen to, making it more accessible for international audiences. 

“Squid Game” has a cast that features Lee Jung-jae (Gi-hun, player #456), Park Hae-soo (Sang-woo, player #218), Wi Ha-joon (Jun-ho, detective), Jung Ho-yeon (Sae-byeok, player #067), O Yeong-su (Oh Il-nam, player #001), Heo Sung-tae (player #101), Anupam Tripathi (Ali, player #199), and Kim Joo-ryoung (player #212).

Every one of these actors provide a unique type of character, and it makes the story more interesting. I decided to watch the show in Korean even though I am not familiar with it, but the storyline gives me a better understanding of each character on who is evil and good. 

I am dying for season two to be released, but there is no actual release date because Netflix has not officially renewed “Squid Game.” However, some sources say the earliest timeline for the release of season two of “Squid Game” is 2023. 

Published 12/07/2021

By Snow Jiang

Afraid of commitment? Don’t have the responsibility to take care of a large asset? Owning a plant is the perfect starting point. Beyond its pretty looks and psychological benefits, taking care of a plant can become a growing experience, literally! This could take the form of simple houseplants or more elaborate gardens.

Keeping plants allows one to always have an incentive to check up on them, making sure they're being taken care of properly, getting the nutrients it needs to grow, and not dying.

With such a large variety of plants and vegetables, there are very few limitations to starting a personal plant collection. Not only are plants often inexpensive, but they come with fairly low risks. From aloe vera to strawberries, every plant has its own contributions to making a home environment more friendly and at ease.  

For example, many beginners start with taking care of easy-to-grow plants like succulents and cacti that are manageable and don't necessarily require extensive maintenance. As plant owners gain more experience, they might venture out into larger elaborate gardens. Mainly due to the fact that plant owners fail to mimic a natural environment, harder to grow plants like the spider plant and bonsai trees require more effort and attention.

Everyone has busy lives, but coming back home from a long day to a beautiful luscious garden can help relieve stress.  A Texas A&M study found that flowers and ornamental plants increase levels of positive energy and help people feel secure and relaxed. 

Plants are essential for life. They provide food, fiber, fuel, and pharmaceuticals. Plants decorate our homes, both inside and out, and mark special occasions. 

Gardening can be one of the most relaxing and rewarding hobbies one can take on. Just like watching a child mature into an adult, witnessing a plant’s growth is just the same. After taking care of an organism, nothing feels better than knowing all the hard work and effort paid off to see a plant blossom into a captivating and alluring foliage. 

Gardening gets people out in the fresh air and sunshine. Since gardening involves lots of different movements, there are many exercise benefits as well.

Greenery increases oxygen levels in the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen during photosynthesis. A positive effect of increased oxygenation can be to improve our mood, energy, and mental focus. In addition, plants also contribute to the cleanliness of the atmosphere.

​​In high stress times and environments, gardening lends an outlet for keeping the hands and mind busy. Consumers have shown an inclination to purchase plants that enhance their quality of life, meaning they will purchase items that positively influence their social, physical, psychological, cognitive, environmental and spiritual well-being. 

Stress reduction and mental restoration occur when individuals live near green areas, have a view of vegetation, or spend time in natural settings.

For people who suffer from mental illnesses, gardening can be therapeutic and accommodate special needs. Researchers have used horticultural therapy to increase feelings of well-being among people with depression, anxiety, dementia, and other conditions. 

Outdoor gardening and plant care expose people to sunshine and high amounts of vitamin D, a synthesizer of serotonin. Serotonin is the chemical in brains that induces happiness. Exposure to natural settings helps improve the human perceptions of emotional, psychological, and social benefits. 

My succulent gollum jade not only brightens up a room, they’re also commonly used for healing wounds and cuts. By extracting the plants’ nutrients, centella asiatica has significantly increased my skin's hydration.

Plants are a symbol of life and can influence those around them. Interacting with nature puts the mind more in touch with the home environment. 

Humans have a strong connection to nature, so bringing nature into one’s immediate surroundings creates a calmer, more content, more focused, and less stressful environment. Enjoying an abundance of pots of flowers and vegetables in a backyard may seem artificial to others, but as someone who lives in a big city, I find enjoyment and comfort in seeing the decorative plants and flowers wrap around my wooden fences. 

 Spaces without any form of personalization can be demotivating and dull— plants can get rid of that feeling.

Nothing adds more beauty and comfort to our homes than the lush flowers and foliage of plants. Bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, gardens— there really isn't a space a houseplant can't enliven. Bringing plants into your household lights up the room, clears the atmosphere, and makes your home look aesthetically pleasing. Plants bring natural beauty to our living spaces. By creating texture and balance, a room or patio can be transformed into an environment that comforts and welcomes. 

By easing mental fatigue and improving air quality, plants manage to find themselves an indispensable part of anyone’s home life. Plants are more than just decorative house ornaments; owning a garden can enhance a better lifestyle.

Published on 12/07/2021

By Zaihra Mena

Ethnic Studies focuses on learning about systemic oppression and the cultures of marginalized communities while talking about race, class, and gender. In this class, I learned about how biases are one of the root problems as to why discrimination and oppression are influenced institutionally and interpersonally. All of this affects how people treat and view one another, and how these aspects are embedded in US society and become normalized.

As a student from a Latin family, my culture is unrepresented in history textbooks. What I mean by this is that history textbooks fail to acknowledge the genocide and colonization of native tribes, as well as systemic oppression and slavery of the black community. 

On Thanksgiving, the known story is of white settlers and indigenous people coming together, eating at the same table and celebrating each other. When in reality, white settlers celebrated the genocide of indigenous tribes. Not only this, white colonists began brainwashing natives into white culture. Erasing indigenous languages, self-expression, and spiritual practices. 

Ethnic Studies encourages students to analyze and identify social justice issues in our society, and as a response, students find ways to combat these systems of oppression with Solidarity. Students learn to do this through either transformative or conformist resistance, which is the refusal to comply or accept. Through the curriculum of Ethnic Studies, students will establish skills of critical thinking, the understanding of hegemony and counter-hegemony, humanization, and dehumanization.  

This class also teaches students the reality of how institutions and media portray people by looking at news videos and articles of racially motivated violence and activism. 

These aspects taught in ethnic studies make this course incredibly important for underrepresented students of color in predominantly white schools and for the students who are willing to learn how they might be contributing to stigmas. It gives students the opportunity to share their experiences with social justice issues that build on onto other students' experiences, which can shape a community and create a sense of belonging in the classroom. Not only this, but white students will benefit from this class by listening to diverse perspectives. 

Ethnic studies gives students the tools and support to organize social change in their own communities in the present day and generations to come.

Published on 12/07/2021

By Levi Hall

Being active and playing sports keeps kids healthy, helps them with social interactions, and teaches them necessary life skills that they can use throughout their entire life. 

Sports can be extremely fun for kids and teenagers because of the large variety to choose from. Athletics can take individuals far in life if they are passionate about their craft and work hard. 

I think every kid should play sports because sports can improve vision, help kids maintain a healthy weight, strengthen the immune system, prevent heart disease and improve motor skills development. 

In addition to all the health benefits, sports can also help kids with social interactions. They allow kids to make new friends, learn teamwork, learn to control their emotions and respect authority. 

For me, starting sports at the age of five helped me make friends that I still keep in touch with today. They also helped me be more outgoing, and revealed characteristics I didn’t know I even attained. 

For many, sports have been a way to get out of their comfort zone and find out more about themselves. They can also lead to unforgettable memories, and many people look back on their experience playing sports positively.

Sports teach kids important life skills like honesty, time management, leadership, accountability and hardwork. Other positive life skills can also be acquired through playing sports and these life skills can last forever. 

The life lessons I learned from playing sports in elementary school have set me up for success, and are going to help me throughout the rest of my life.

Sports aren't for everyone, though. Kids might not like them or might be unable to play due to specific personal conditions. If possible, I think every kid should try out sports because they could end up being something that they love and keep up with for a long time. 

Many long lasting benefits are associated with playing sports at a young age but it also has some costs. Sports can cost money, be time consuming, and lead to injuries. These are all realistic costs and concerns, but the benefits outweigh the costs. Fear of the costs associated with sports should not be the reason a child or teenager does not play sports. 

There is no lack of adulation for the big sports like basketball, football, soccer and baseball. These sports are great, but many other sports can be just as beneficial. It is important to recognize all sports and athletes as no athlete or sport is better than  another. 

Playing sports has numerous benefits that can change a kid's life and help them grow in many areas of their life. Sports aren’t for everyone, but playing sports, at the very least, should be considered by every child, teenager, and family.

Published on 12/07/2021

By Zaihra Mena

Native San Franciscans have been affected by gentrification since the Dot-com Boom in the 1990s into present day. As tech corporations expanded through San Francisco, affordable housing became a crisis, from eviction, displacement of long-term residents and rent skyrocketing due to tech workers migrating from Silicon Valley to San Francisco. 

There are many factors as to why residents are being pushed out of their homes. One,  The Ellis Act, removes rent-controlled units, meaning owners can evict long-term tenants in order ”to go out of business”. This leads to white communities buying these low priced units for a higher price so they can gain profit through Airbnb services. Now the average rent price in San Francisco is $2,971 for a one bedroom apartment. Due to this, there has been a 4% increase as of last year. Rent control is especially crucial for low-income families because this prevents landlords from raising rent prices in general. Without it, long term tenants will be left in the dust, with nowhere to go. 

Many families in the Mission District are specifically being affected by the Ellis act. My family was one of them. The house I was raised in was a Victorian apartment complex with two apartments. As years went by the landlord began dividing up the top floor and the basement floor below us into studios. 

One day the landlord knocked on our door, suggesting that he would eventually start turning our unit into studios with the expectation that we would grant permission. Because of this, he continued to intimidate us that he will raise rent prices and or evict us. Even if we had rent protection in place.  I realized how immigrant families are vulnerable to unlawful evictions because of language barriers and lack of knowledge of housing rights in San Francisco 

I began to notice that the people who were moving into the apartments below and above us are white, and work at Google and Facebook. In the next weeks and months, on my way to school, I began seeing more tech workers around my school, Dolores Park, and liquor stores. And as years went by, native family-run businesses that I would go to or walk past almost every day have been replaced by clothing boutiques, coffee shops and high priced grocery stores.

  Most of these native small businesses that were shut down rely on their consumers to support their families with education, rent and bills, food, health care, and clothing. Many minimum-wage workers in SF find it harder to buy produce from local grocery stores since buildings are being turned into “all organic” grocery stores that sell an onion for 3 dollars. 

As I grew older I also noticed cultural representation in my city slowly fading away, caused by the replacement of the fnnch honey bear art, created by a tech worker. This simple street art is now a symbol of gentrification that is commonly seen all around San Francisco's alleys, side buildings, muni buses, and in-house windows. Due to this, accessibility of street walls is scarce for native artists.

In some ways this can be degrading to native San Francisco artists because they tell a powerful story through their art. It represents the cultural diversity and struggle that immigrant and black families face, and the resilience that comes with that. Yet tech artists' intentions seem only for economic success and recognition so they can build their brand. 

San Francisco is an activist-driven city, with many non-profits focused on helping residents with economic needs and struggles. A nonprofit organization called MEDA( Mission economic development agency) supports SF residents by offering free services for job training, entrepreneurship workshops, tax preparation, financial capability, and real estate for over 50,000 people.

Published on 12/07/2021

By Joyce Li

A lot of high school students struggle to answer the question: What do you want to do after you graduate? 

From going to college, getting a job, or taking a gap year, students can choose between many possible paths—but which is the best fit for each individual?

Before I participated in an internship program, I was struggling to answer this question.  

As an intern of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), I dedicate my time after school to work with youth and explore careers working with children. My internship is a meaningful experience that has shaped my decision to pursue a career that involves working with children.

Firstly, internships give students an opportunity to gain exposure and experience in a particular workforce. Internships also allow students to learn more about themselves as individuals; this includes their strengths and weaknesses and their interests. 

Prior to my internship, I wasn’t sure whether or not I wanted my future career to be focused on children. However, my experience working with young children has shown me that I am skilled at planning activities to lead and helping children with their needs. I found that I enjoy making students happy, and in return, I feel joy and happiness too.

For students who are unsure if they’d enjoy working a certain job or career like I was, they should participate in internships and gain insight into the workforce. 

Some may argue that internships are time-consuming, but the time spent towards a commitment can be a learning and growth experience. It can teach students critical life skills, such as time management and responsibility. 

Like many other students, I also have homework and extracurriculars. Because of this, I have learned how to effectively balance my time and work with productivity. 

If students have a packed schedule, they don’t necessarily have to commit to working full time. Instead, students could work a few hours a week—though they wouldn’t get much pay—they would still be able to gain a similar experience an internship gives. 

The one downside to internships is that not all of them are paid. Students who are unable to find a paid internship, but still want to gain experience or money should consider getting a part-time job instead.

Pichaya Khamvatee, a senior at Abraham Lincoln High School says, “Though I am not being paid to be a mentor in Heart in Motion’s internship program, it teaches me valuable skills such as leadership, socialization, and professionalism.”

Paid internships or part-time jobs can also be a great way for students to earn a source of income. Additionally, it teaches students to realize money doesn’t come easily; it's earned through hard work. This can incentivize students to work harder in school so they could have a stable income and an easier job in the future.

Students can learn to save through internships and part-time jobs. Before making a purchase, they might think to themselves, “Do I need this?” or “Is this really worth the money I worked so hard for?”

Through working my internship, I noticed I spent less money on goods that I felt I didn’t need. It made me realize that if I spent money rashly, I would have no money saved up before I even receive my next paycheck.

Internships and part-time jobs are great ways to build your resumé. With all the experience you’ve obtained from your workplace, future employers are likely to be impressed with your work and commitment, especially if it relates to needing the skills you’ve learned in the work they’re offering.

Students can apply their experiences gained from their part-time job or internship to their future career choices. Joycelyn Ma, another SFUSD intern expresses, “Working with children and taking child development classes has led me towards the path of choosing psychology as a major in college. I found that I want to pursue a job where I can work with children and help others.”

Similarly, I found that I enjoy taking on leadership roles, creating a positive work environment, and making an impact on people’s lives. I also found that I love working with children. 

The experiences and skills I gained through my internship allowed me to go from being clueless about what I wanted to do post-graduation to being passionate about going to college and obtaining a degree to work with children in the medical field.

Whether it’s a paid or unpaid internship, a part-time job, or a job, all students should step out of their comfort zone and experience what it’s like to work in a workforce they’re interested in. They are valuable experiences that teach skills that schools may not necessarily teach.

Published on 12/07/2021

By Hanson Pan

As everyone headed back to in-person learning, they all noticed a change in the school schedule. School no longer starts at 8 a.m., but instead, 40 minutes later. A study on  sleep deprivation shows that students tend to get better grades if they get more sleep. A state law mandated that high schools start at 8:30 a.m. The San Francisco Unified School District would choose 8:40 a.m. and with this change, students would be able to get more sleep. 

The later start time gives teens more sleep because it allows them to wake up later. Students get more time in the morning and are less rushed to get to school. The extra 40 minutes gives students more opportunities in the morning but less at night. 

Students get home much later due to the new change. Getting home later sometimes makes students stay up later to finish schoolwork. This is especially true for students that participate in sports or any sort of after-school activity. For athletes, practice starts much later, and if they have a game on that day, they would have to miss more school. Instead of just missing the sixth period, they have to miss most of the fifth period as well. This would affect the coaches on the team, because they would have to leave school for their games. 

When coaches leave for games, they have to get sub-coverage for two periods instead of just one. Teachers will have the same problem as students, staying up a bit later to prepare class or finish grading. Some teachers might want to spend more time with their families after a day of teaching, but now they have less time to do so because of the change to the school schedule. Teachers would also be affected by this change. 

Although the new schedule changes give more time for students and teachers in the morning, it gives them less time at night. Students can use more time in the morning to get ready or get to school on time. Once they get home, students have to stay up much later to finish their schoolwork. This is especially true for athletes because they get home much later due to the later practice times.  

Overall, I think this change affects students and teachers in a negative way. Teachers have less time to prepare classes, and less time to spend with their families, while students have less time alone and less time to do schoolwork. Athletes have to miss more time at school and get home much later. I think school should start earlier so students and teachers can leave earlier.

Published on 12/07/2021