Protesters violate traffic laws at the intersection of 19th and Quintara Ave. Their actions appear uncoordinated; not all are blocking traffic.

Photo by Joseph Isaguirre Portillo

By  Khoi Nguyen

On Thursday, March 20th, at approximately 10:20 a.m., around 50 students and staff gathered at the main office for a planned school walkout to protest SFUSD and the city government, because in the view of the demonstrators, those entities had not done enough to protect immigrants. 

The walkout had been organized in advance by Peer Resource students, and all participants were instructed to abide by all laws and SFUSD rules, including to return to school after the demonstration was complete (near the end of third period), and most followed these instructions.

The hallway buzzed with happy chatter, “I’m here today to stand up for those who can’t advocate for themselves, specifically immigrant students–we are here to support them,” said one student.

The crowd maneuvered north down the main hallway and made a turn towards the New Building. Many of them held posters with a wide range of messages: one, drawn in red streaks, perhaps to resemble blood, spelled “F*ck ICE,” and another said in all capital letters, “NO HUMAN IS ILLEGAL ON STOLEN LAND.”

“We worked on our [posters] all week, and we’re excited to be here,” one student remarked when questioned about their signs.

Other students held flags, many representing Latin American nations such as Peru, Guatemala, and Mexico, but the colors of Russia and Iraq were also proudly displayed. 

The student with the flag of Iraq admitted, “Not gonna lie, [the organizers] just gave me a random flag, but I’m here to support my friends!”

The crowd then gathered on the blacktop outside of the New Building classrooms, where a couple students addressed the crowd with a microphone. 

Anthony Hernandez Castro spoke first, saying “We’re here to show that our voices have power…and we want answers from our school district and the city [regarding] what they’re doing to defend immigrants.”

Envee Carter followed with her own passionate speech, saying, “Right now, students in San Francisco, my classmates, my friends, maybe even me, are living in fear–fear that when we go home, our parents might not be there. Fear that ICE [Immigration & Customs Enforcement] will show up at our doors. Fear that the only country I have ever known as home will try to erase us.”

Next, Saham Almehin reminded the protesters of the demonstration’s purpose, “[This] is about the undocumented student who fears that one wrong step could cost them everything. It’s about the families torn apart by borders and the system. It’s about the kids in cages and the asylum seekers turned away.”

Castro then issued a quick reminder regarding behavior during the walkout: “This is a peaceful protest guys. No banging on cars…respect the items that we bring. No roughhousing. Do not engage with agitators. And lastly, do not talk with cops.”

A single police cruiser was present when the crowd arrived at the intersection of 19th Avenue and Quintara next to the florist. Principal Shari Balisi and Assistant Principal Jordan Loey monitored the situation from a parked SUV on Quintara on the other side of 19th Avenue.

The protesters began chanting lines such as, “The people, united, will never be divided,” “Say it once, say it twice, we will not put up with ICE,” “Power to the people, no one is illegal,” and “From Palestine to Mexico, these border walls have got to go.”

Many teachers and administrators were also at the walkout; however, it’s unclear who came to supervise the students for safety reasons and who decided to come in support. One teacher remarked that he had left the classroom where he was supposed to be teaching to attend. When his classroom was checked during the walkout, no adults were in the room, and all the students were on their electronic devices.

Aaron Marestaing, a teacher, also decided to bring his AP Government class. “A required document for AP Government is ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ by Dr. Martin Luther King, which outlines [steps] for a nonviolent campaign. And so this was the perfect opportunity for students to witness or participate–whatever they felt led to do.” 

Marestaing led his students–at least those who came purely to observe–back to class before the walkout ended in order to complete an assignment reflecting on the presence of nonviolent tactics at the walkout.

At first, the protestors lined up along the intersection or on the median to chant. However, as the demonstration continued, the situation began to become more chaotic. Protestors began walking and running across the intersection when traffic signals did not allow them to do so, waving their signs and flags. Several cars honked (presumably in support) as they passed by. 

However, it was then that students began to leave; a small number violated the guidelines and boarded the 28 bus heading in the direction of Stonestown and Daly City, and a substantial number headed back to campus. 

Carter, who identified herself as “one of the leaders,” among others, also revealed that “about a month and a half” of planning had gone into this walkout, starting with the distribution of flyers advertising the walkout around the campus and the placement of yellow signs labeled with statements in support of immigrants and others at the front of the school.

Morgan Wallace, who teaches the Peer Resources class, corroborated. “[The organizers] have been using my room…For me it’s all about supporting what my students want and not telling them what to think or do…I’m trying to support them and their First Amendment speech.”

At the time of this article’s writing, it has been well over a month since the walkout took place. SFUSD did not respond to a request for comment.

San Francisco, along with a dozen other local governments around the country are suing the Trump administration over its immigration enforcement policies in “sanctuary cities,” a self-designated label for cities that refuse to collaborate with enforcing immigration laws handed down by the federal government.

Protesters violate traffic laws at the intersection of 19th and Quintara Ave. Their actions appear uncoordinated; not all are blocking traffic.

Photo by Joseph Isaguirre Portillo

By  Khoi Nguyen

On Thursday, March 20th, at approximately 10:20 a.m., around 50 students and staff gathered at the main office for a planned school walkout to protest SFUSD and the city government, because in the view of the demonstrators, those entities had not done enough to protect immigrants. 

The walkout had been organized in advance by Peer Resource students, and all participants were instructed to abide by all laws and SFUSD rules, including to return to school after the demonstration was complete (near the end of third period), and most followed these instructions.

The hallway buzzed with happy chatter, “I’m here today to stand up for those who can’t advocate for themselves, specifically immigrant students–we are here to support them,” said one student.

The crowd maneuvered north down the main hallway and made a turn towards the New Building. Many of them held posters with a wide range of messages: one, drawn in red streaks, perhaps to resemble blood, spelled “F*ck ICE,” and another said in all capital letters, “NO HUMAN IS ILLEGAL ON STOLEN LAND.”

“We worked on our [posters] all week, and we’re excited to be here,” one student remarked when questioned about their signs.

Other students held flags, many representing Latin American nations such as Peru, Guatemala, and Mexico, but the colors of Russia and Iraq were also proudly displayed. 

The student with the flag of Iraq admitted, “Not gonna lie, [the organizers] just gave me a random flag, but I’m here to support my friends!”

The crowd then gathered on the blacktop outside of the New Building classrooms, where a couple students addressed the crowd with a microphone. 

Anthony Hernandez Castro spoke first, saying “We’re here to show that our voices have power…and we want answers from our school district and the city [regarding] what they’re doing to defend immigrants.”

Envee Carter followed with her own passionate speech, saying, “Right now, students in San Francisco, my classmates, my friends, maybe even me, are living in fear–fear that when we go home, our parents might not be there. Fear that ICE [Immigration & Customs Enforcement] will show up at our doors. Fear that the only country I have ever known as home will try to erase us.”

Next, Saham Almehin reminded the protesters of the demonstration’s purpose, “[This] is about the undocumented student who fears that one wrong step could cost them everything. It’s about the families torn apart by borders and the system. It’s about the kids in cages and the asylum seekers turned away.”

Castro then issued a quick reminder regarding behavior during the walkout: “This is a peaceful protest guys. No banging on cars…respect the items that we bring. No roughhousing. Do not engage with agitators. And lastly, do not talk with cops.”

A single police cruiser was present when the crowd arrived at the intersection of 19th Avenue and Quintara next to the florist. Principal Shari Balisi and Assistant Principal Jordan Loey monitored the situation from a parked SUV on Quintara on the other side of 19th Avenue.

The protesters began chanting lines such as, “The people, united, will never be divided,” “Say it once, say it twice, we will not put up with ICE,” “Power to the people, no one is illegal,” and “From Palestine to Mexico, these border walls have got to go.”

Many teachers and administrators were also at the walkout; however, it’s unclear who came to supervise the students for safety reasons and who decided to come in support. One teacher remarked that he had left the classroom where he was supposed to be teaching to attend. When his classroom was checked during the walkout, no adults were in the room, and all the students were on their electronic devices.

Aaron Marestaing, a teacher, also decided to bring his AP Government class. “A required document for AP Government is ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ by Dr. Martin Luther King, which outlines [steps] for a nonviolent campaign. And so this was the perfect opportunity for students to witness or participate–whatever they felt led to do.” 

Marestaing led his students–at least those who came purely to observe–back to class before the walkout ended in order to complete an assignment reflecting on the presence of nonviolent tactics at the walkout.

At first, the protestors lined up along the intersection or on the median to chant. However, as the demonstration continued, the situation began to become more chaotic. Protestors began walking and running across the intersection when traffic signals did not allow them to do so, waving their signs and flags. Several cars honked (presumably in support) as they passed by. 

However, it was then that students began to leave; a small number violated the guidelines and boarded the 28 bus heading in the direction of Stonestown and Daly City, and a substantial number headed back to campus. 

Carter, who identified herself as “one of the leaders,” among others, also revealed that “about a month and a half” of planning had gone into this walkout, starting with the distribution of flyers advertising the walkout around the campus and the placement of yellow signs labeled with statements in support of immigrants and others at the front of the school.

Morgan Wallace, who teaches the Peer Resources class, corroborated. “[The organizers] have been using my room…For me it’s all about supporting what my students want and not telling them what to think or do…I’m trying to support them and their First Amendment speech.”

At the time of this article’s writing, it has been well over a month since the walkout took place. SFUSD did not respond to a request for comment.

San Francisco, along with a dozen other local governments around the country are suing the Trump administration over its immigration enforcement policies in “sanctuary cities,” a self-designated label for cities that refuse to collaborate with enforcing immigration laws handed down by the federal government.

By Karina Lam

The Cherry Blossom Festival started after the war between Japan and the U.S. ended. Japan sent a cherry blossom tree to Washington D.C. to signify friendships. San Francisco has already had a tie with  Japan. The festival is to celebrate the welcoming of spring and to celebrate Japanese culture. 

The festival consisted of different booths that were selling food, toys, etc. Other than people being different types of performances happening during the festival. Students from Lincoln High School volunteered at the festival as well. Going to the festival was a nightmare; trying to find parking was daunting. The number of people there was enormous; people were walking, taking the bus, and not to mention the amount of cars that were there. 

Emily Hypes, a junior at Lincoln High School,  went to the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival and was delighted by what the festival had to offer. 

“I liked how many people showed up to support the communities, and they had a bunch of different booths, like, selling food to support the community,” added Hypes. 

Hypes also stated that she used to be in one of those booths that sold food and when she visited the booth again, she said, “It was fun buying from it instead of working in it for once.” 

“Japantown was just so packed for those two weekends. It was kind of overwhelming, but overall I liked it, it was a really fun experience, and it was a sunny day,” said Hypes.

It was so packed that Hypes had spent two hours walking around.

Hypes also mentioned, “We would walk around and then get stuck and then there would be a stoplight, where we had to wait a while.”

When I arrived at p.m., the festival had already begun. The first thing I saw was a Hello Kitty character named My Melody in a car blasting a song called “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan. Walking forward a bit more, I saw a van that consisted of a lot of people waving , while the exterior of the van was promoting the winter olympics that would be taking place in February of 2026. 

Rosa Park Elementary School is located close to Japantown and would raise funds from the festival by using their school as a parking lot and selling a spot for $35. All the areas for parking were full, and it was dreadful to find. Some people were lucky enough to just turn and find a parking spot. Sadly, I was not one of the few lucky people that were able to take a turn and get a parking spot right away. 

A lot of high school students were volunteering at different booths that were placed all around the festival. 

“It was fun hanging out with friends. Even though we were there for a really long time, it didn’t really feel like a long time,” said Hypes.

By Dalton Brown

Every spring, UC Berkeley hosts a bioengineering competition for high schoolers across the world. Students are challenged with identifying a problem in health or biology, and then they work in groups of four or five and receive guidance from bioengineering mentors to design a bioengineered solution in seven weeks. At the end of the weeks, each team will present a slideshow and poster detailing their proposed solution and analysis. 

This year, Lincoln entered into the competition for the first time and went against 65 other schools. Lincoln's team consists of Haley Yan, Khoi Nguyen, Kim Tran, and Joanna Ma, with two mentors named Vivian Chung and Vienna Huang, seniors from UC Berkeley that were studying bioengineering. However, before they could enter, they asked Teacher Suh, Lincoln's Biotechnology teacher, to be their faculty sponsor to approve Lincoln joining the competition. First off, the team decided on their problem to solve, while the majority of the group suggested health-related problems, Nguyen pitched a solution to a bioengineering problem, landmines.

Nguyen argued that landmines have been carelessly placed around the world and even more are deployed today, decades after conflicts end these mines are still active, and harm those with no part in the conflict at all. He also made the case that current solutions in dealing with landmines are inadequate, making this a very pressing issue to be addressed. After identifying their problem, the team researched multiple case studies and scientific papers. One of the more notable organizations is called APOPO, which trains rats to smell and detect explosives. Another was called Mine Kafon, a company that uses drones to map areas for mines, detect the mines, and then remotely detonate them. 

After researching, the team concluded that removing mines from the ground would be too hard, and opted to deactivate them instead. Eventually, the team came up with a landmine that deteriorates over time. The dirt surrounding the mine will deteriorate a bag, revealing fungi that deactivates the explosives. 

When it came to presenting their problem and solution, all teams had to submit a slideshow and a scientific poster. These were judged separately, first students had 10 minutes to present a slideshow presentation in an auditorium. This slideshow went into depth explaining their problem, the science behind their solution, how the solution works, research they conducted, and why the solution is viable to the world. Secondly, teams stood in a massive room with scientific posters while judges walked around the area. Each team had two minutes to pitch their problem and solution to the judges, as if they were trying to sell the product.

Lincoln’s team ended up winning second place in bioengineering, losing to Harker high school, a private school. The school's yearly tuition is $65,000 and runs from kindergarten to senior year of high school. Lincoln won several hundred dollars worth of lab equipment as a reward, which included glassware, sterile plates, treatments and more. Suh says that the equipment proved useful to ninth grade students year-round, as well as in his biotech class.

One of the challenges Lincoln’s team faced was figuring out how to solve a problem without a definite answer. Oftentimes, when students in school are presented with a problem, teachers will expect a certain answer. However Berkeley’s competition challenged the students to continue working through dead ends, until they found a solution they found worthy.

“If you are discovering something new, you have to make the tools to figure out the answers. And no one’s gonna tell you if you are measuring it right.” says Suh.

Another of the challenges Lincoln's team faced early on was working as a team. In a typical group project, one team member will have a plethora of ideas which may be adequate in k-12 education, but college-level work necessitates a different approach. 

“The best work we do needs to integrate multiple ideas,” says Suh. 

Part of the challenge Lincoln’s team faced early on was that not all ideas are good ideas, and just because someone said it first, doesn’t mean it is right. Suh eventually met with the team to confront their challenge, 

“They took it beautifully, and within half an hour, they got back together, and were able to put something out that won second place in a multi-school competition,” says Suh. 

By  Joseph Isaguirre Portillo

Philip Ferringo has been coaching the boys varsity football team since 2002. Recently, P.E. teacher Ferringo decided to step down as coach due to health concerns. 

Ferringo comments, “I think I was gonna be thinking about doing it next year, but I had some health concerns that I needed to get fixed and I kind of weighed out all the time I spent doing this, and I thought it was time for a change.”

Before Ferringo was the head coach of the varsity football team here at Lincoln, he was an assistant coach for several other high schools such as Mission, Sacred Heart Cathedral, and Archbishop Riordan . Additionally, he coached at the City College of San Francisco and San Francisco State University.

In 2002, Ferringo took over as head coach at Lincoln. 

Throughout his time on the varsity team, he has accomplished many feats. 

“We’ve won [the] state championship three times. We’ve been [to the] NorCal championships five times. We lost two of those, but we’ve won ten turkey days, and we’ve been in the playoffs 15 times” said Ferringo. 

Michael Washington, junior and running back/safety for the varsity football team, comments, “He’s very disciplined, hardworking, makes sure everybody is on task, does their job and makes sure they're doing what they're supposed to be doing.” 

Troy Ieremia, junior and Defensive-liner/Offensive-liner for the varsity football team, also comments, “He’s very accountable, he holds everyone accountable on working hard just like him and teaching us all he knows.”

Ferringo’s three keys to success are Dedication, Discipline, and Desire. His methods for coaching the boys varsity football team are very old-school. When most coaches would tell their team to pass the ball, he would confidently tell the team to run the football down the field. His mentality led to the success of his career and for the team. 

“He’s a winning guy, he likes to win, but even when we lose, it's always about how we’re gonna win the next game and what we’re gonna do to win the next game,” said Washington.

Ferringo strives to bring the best out of his team, making sure that everyone is pushing themselves past their limits.

“He always talks about working harder and fix our wrongs,” said Ieremia

Ferringo makes quite an impact on the football team with Washington stating, “He’s the heart and soul of the Lincoln Mustang… he’s been here for a while, winning seasons…”

Ieremia comments, “He’s the reason the Lincoln Mustangs football team is what it is now, he built it from the ground up.”

The next head coach is currently unknown at this time. 

Washington comments, “It’s all about how the players wanna work and how they’re going to achieve their goals in winning…his presence is still gonna bring a lot of energy to the field and how the players work.”

Ferringo also teaches P.E. and weightlifting here at Lincoln and is head of the P.E department. 

Since he won’t be coaching next year, he still encourages many students to take his class.“...I wanted to say, hopefully everybody comes and takes my class. It’s fun, you know,” Ferringo said. 

By Emily Hypes

On April 24th, 2025, the Drama and Technical Theater departments at Lincoln showcased student creativity through the annual spring one Acts. Written and directed by students, the spring one act productions gave the student writers control to express their ideas and be brought to life through a performance.

Elaine Walenta, better known to Lincoln students as Walle, is the head of the Drama and Tech programs at Lincoln and has been hosting the spring one acts since 2015. 

Walle says, “In the spring of 2015 I had a student come to me who had written a play — they were interested in producing it, and I thought that was a great idea.” “Another student wanted to direct a one act, and I thought let’s put that together, and we’ll have a night of student-directed one acts. It was a big success, and we have been doing that since.” 

The 2025 spring one acts featured two senior writers and productions, the first by Ashen Blumberg and the second by Kassandra Beale. 

Blumberg has been a part of the department for her four years at Lincoln, having key roles in multiple productions. 

A notable performance Blumberg has been involved in was being cast for a spring one act in 2022, which she stated to be her first full commitment to high school theater and inspiration for her 2025 spring one act production. 

Beale has been a part of the Drama and Tech departments since her freshman year. 

Beale tells us, “Although I've had my ups and downs, theater has helped me develop skills and prepared me for “the real world” teaching me how to manage responsibilities.” 

“Sophia and the Fool,” opened the night, written and directed by Blumberg. The story revolves around an eight year old princess who ventures into the woods to uncover who killed her mother and cursed her father — whom she brings along, unaware that he was the culprit. 

The story was based on Blumberg’s childhood experience of forgetting a Father’s Day gift and making up for it with a comic strip, “This play is the adaptation of that comic I had been working on.” 

“My dad helped put what I wanted to do into words that I didn’t know how to articulate at the time,” Blumberg explains, “I have always been fascinated with putting real world issues into abstract, more imaginary and fantastical settings.”

The involvement in the 2022 spring one acts influenced Blumberg to produce her own three years later, “If someone around my age could write something that meant that much to people and could connect with them personally, that’s the core of what I have wanted to do.” 

“As someone who has always wanted to be a director, this is my dream,” says Blumberg. 

After a brief 15-minute intermission, where audience members were encouraged to support the program by purchasing snacks, the second production took the stage, “All American Girls,” written by Beale and directed by Phoebe Seigel. 

“All American Girls,” follows a girl who brings an American Girl doll to her school, only for the doll to come alive and attempt to take over the student’s identity. 

Beale’s creative storyline was inspired by multiple factors, “I wanted to be realistic with what we had, not too hard or intense for drama or tech. I chose a school environment because I felt a lot of people could relate to that.” 

She adds, “I have always loved female driven stories. I started the Feminist Film club, and I felt more connected and I knew that's what I wanted to write about.”

The writing process of these productions began roughly around the same time the Fall play ended, around late November and early December. Towards the end of the first semester, and the end of winter break, the writers’ drafts are due in order for Walle to check their progress and review their ideas. 

Walle mentions, “They get complete freedom, but it does have to be school appropriate,” followed by, “Once I get a first draft, I read it and make suggestions, and because of the format of what we do in terms of tech needs, sometimes I have to curtail what the students want.” 

The idea to have another person direct her show came from Beale herself, “I have wanted to write a show since my freshman year, since I have known the side of directing has not always been my strong suit.” 

Seigel tells us, “I wanted to have a more active role in drama, while not being in the class itself, so I did that through stage managing, and directing seemed like the next step.” 

Both Seigel and Beale’s passions for the drama department aligned perfectly for Beale’s show.

Near the beginning of March, and after the writers make their edits to their stories, auditions opened for the writers and directors to choose who would be casted for their production. Simultaneously, the Tech department began to prepare for the shows through the set requirements. 

Reflecting on her favorite parts of the production, Walle tells us, “Watching them see how the audience reacts, see how their actors are doing, watching them take notes, I love it. Watching them be in charge and having to deal with the types of things that teachers have to deal with is a really good experience for them. The best part is when I watch them watch their own show, that is absolutely the best.”

Blumberg says, “I am so proud of everyone who has come together to make this wonderful production. I am thankful that everyone here, actors, tech, costume people, have all been able to make this story come to life.”  

By Shridavi Raghavan

With just four weeks of school left until graduation, it’s time to shine a spotlight on the Class of 2025 and their journeys beyond Lincoln. 

Lincoln seniors are taking diverse paths—whether it’s Ivy League universities, community colleges, art schools, or the military, their futures are both bright and unique. Among them, Emma Li, Olivia Slagle, Ashen Blumberg, and Khoi Nguyen each have exciting plans ahead, so let’s take a moment to celebrate them! 

Emma Li will attend the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) in the fall, where she plans to major in neuroscience.

Li’s motivation for pursuing neuroscience stems from both a deep curiosity about the brain and personal experiences—having family members who have suffered neurological diseases, she is determined to help others facing similar health challenges.

Along with neuroscience, she also is interested in public policy and educational equity.

She chose to attend UPenn because she believes it will be a “springboard to bigger and better opportunities,” whether she ultimately pursues an M.D., delves into research, or combines her passion for neuroscience and public policy and becomes a policy analyst.

“The most valuable thing I learned at Lincoln was how to use the resources around me, like reaching out to counselors and knowing how to find these resources,” Li said.

She enjoyed Becky Gerek’s Precalculus class the most, describing it as “the perfect mix of what [she] knew and didn’t know.”

Although she is nervous about moving across the country to Philadelphia, she expresses, “I’m excited to meet people and enjoy the newness of going to such an unfamiliar place.”

She’s excited to keep letting her curiosity guide her, sharing that she is enthusiastic about “not only just meeting new people, but also exploring new interests, new subjects, and just being open to so many new things.”

As her time at Lincoln comes to a close, she offers some parting advice to current students: “High school really is what you make of it. I hope everyone can enjoy their high school years without stressing too much—just enjoy life as it is right now.”

Olivia Slagle plans to attend City College of San Francisco (CCSF) next year to complete her general education requirements before transferring to a four-year university. 

She is drawn to CCSF for its many advantages—it saves money, allows her to benefit from San Francisco’s higher minimum wage while she works, and gives her the flexibility to explore different opportunities.

“City is a better way for me to explore different majors with more security,” Slagle shares.

Although unsure about what her major will be, her passion for writing, art, music, and visual components are guiding her toward film––a field that blends all of the creative elements she enjoys.

Her creative spark grew through a variety of classes she took at Lincoln High School. She enjoyed hands-on work in Dan Stingle’s Ceramics class, exploring journalism in Sara Falls’s Writing for Publication course, and gained a deeper understanding of history and grew more comfortable stepping outside her comfort zone in Leon Sultan’s U.S. History class.

“I think film is intimidating because anything that’s creative-based seems so financially unstable, but I also want to make sure that I’m not limiting myself out of fear,” she expresses.

Reflecting on her time at Lincoln, Slagle says the most valuable thing she learned was to set realistic expectations for herself. 

“I learned how to manage my time effectively according to my own needs and capabilities while also learning how to balance a social life,” she says.

As graduation approaches, she adds, “I will miss the fun moments I had when I was with people who are putting in the same effort as me—and the sense of community we built together.”

Ashen Blumberg will be attending the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, New York, where she will pursue a Fine Arts degree, with a focus on 2-D and traditional animation.

Blumberg has dreamed of directing a television animation since she was six years old. Growing up in a lower-income family living in the Tenderloin, she experienced severe bullying because of her socioeconomic status.

She credits cartoons with helping her through her struggles as a child, stating, “Cartoons were the safe space for me to be able to see myself.”

Now she hopes to create this same safe environment for kids today by increasing visibility of diverse identities in animation and cartoons through directing her own television animated series in the future.

She expresses, “I want kids to be able to see another queer person on the screen and to give other people the feeling of confidence I felt after seeing myself on the television through cartoons.”

Filled with diverse perspectives and alumni whose humble beginnings resonate with Blumberg’s own, the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan felt like the perfect school for her.

At Lincoln, Blumberg found inspiration in Falls’s AP Literature and Composition course, stating, “At a time like this, being able to analyze the fiction around us is more important than ever. Stories are outlets to how we as humans perceive the world.”

She draws parallels between literature and art, in the context of our world’s political climate, expressing, “Literature is a form of policy. Art is a form of activism.”

The theater community at Lincoln has been a pillar of support for her, helping her develop her storytelling and leadership skills—most notably through her recent role in directing the Student 1 Act Play, “Sophia and the Fool.”

She hopes this project will resonate with others: “I’m not alone in my struggles, and I want others to know that they’re not alone in their struggles; they can make a difference too.”

Khoi Nguyen will be attending UC Berkeley in the fall as a U.S. Army ROTC National Scholarship recipient. He plans to study neuroscience and train during college to become a military officer after he graduates.

Nguyen pursued this military scholarship to lessen the financial burden of paying for college on his family and decrease his dependence on them. 

He also feels strongly about serving his country, sharing his motivation: “During the offensive of the Vietnam War, my grandmother was rescued by American soldiers who gave her food, shelter, and water. That really inspired me to join the army because I want to rescue people.”

As for his interest in neuroscience, Nguyen hopes to study neurodegenerative diseases with the goal of finding a cure to down syndrome to spare others the hardships his cousin experiences.

In his aspirations to pursue the military, the Peace Corps, and scientific research, Nguyen says, “My parents always wanted me to go into a lucrative career, but I think I’m wired differently because everything I want to do involved making a positive impact on the world—not for financial reward, but for moral or spiritual reward.”

He expresses overwhelming excitement about starting the next phase of his life, looking forward to graduation and his summer plans, which include a trip to Los Angeles and Vietnam, as well as internships at Kaiser and NASA.

Reflecting on his time at Lincoln, Nguyen shares, “The most valuable thing I learned in my four years was that it’s impossible to do a lot of things alone, and you need to know how to work with others if you’re going to get anywhere in life. This holds true for all of the things I’ve done—whether it was running ASB as the Senior Class President or the Lincoln Log as an Editor-in-Chief.”

The stories of these students illustrate the range of aspirations and future plans that make up the senior class. As they prepare for the unique paths that lie ahead, they reflect on the supportive community and positive experiences they’ve had at Lincoln. Congratulations to the Class of 2025!

By Steven Darce Sanchez

As graduation day approaches, seniors are racing to check off everything on their bucket list, those unforgettable moments they want to experience before turning the tassel.

As her year of being a senior ends, Karla Espinoza has made a list of things she wants to do before she goes to college and rides off into adulthood.

The number one item on her bucket list is going skydiving. She finds the idea thrilling and exciting to jump out of a plane and just enjoy the free will of risking her life. She also wants to jump into a river and do bungee jumping - basically anything that can give her that life-risking experience.

“I mean, we all will die at some point. Like, I mean, if hypothetically, my parachute doesn’t go off, I die doing something I always wanted to do. So it’s like my bucket list was crossed off before I died.”

Andy Liu has an exceptionally interesting bucket list that he has conjured up: he wants to learn how to swim, pet a lion, learn how to ride a bike, and wants to go skydiving as well, and go on a road trip.

What’s most important on his list is traveling and making money through the process, he states, “What is life if life is not fun?”

Haley Ng, another senior who’s just inches away from graduating from high school, has a minor bucket list. It involves winning first-place at a dragon boat race, heading to prom with friends, also going to the senior sunset since senior sunrise couldn’t happen. One solid unexpected part of her list that came is going to prom this year, since she suddenly started gaining more friends this year, and had never gone to a dance before. She wanted to go out doing the thing she had never done.

Joey Zhao, a senior and manager of Lincoln’s swim team, has a short bucket list, but still has goals to finish before graduation. Starting with what she considers most important to her graduating high school with amazing grades. It has always been her dream to have good grades for the past four years of high school.

Before she rides off and becomes someone other than a high schooler, she wants to thank Shawn Anderson, Algebra and Geometry teacher, for his patience in his class, due to missing a lot of class because of her health issues. She would consider these two her ongoing major goals, and pretty much the only goals on her list.

Samuel Vaquez’s bucket list includes a lot of outside activities and has many goals to accomplish before graduating from high school. These items include going to a circus show, going to a demolition derby, going on a road trip with friends, learning how to drive, learning how to rollerblade, and starting a band.

This inspiration came from the idea of just wanting to do random things, but the greatest inspiration was learning how to rollerblade, getting that from playing “Bomb Rush Cyberfunk.” He states, “That game is sick as hell.”

Cheri Tam, a considered artist, has a list that involves a lot of traveling and is kept short. It involves going to places no one has ever been before, always wanting to do a school mural but hasn’t yet, getting a driver’s license, and going on a oneway trip with friends.

The thing that inspired these items on her list is, as she states, “...enjoying the moment while it lasts, being in the present.”

By  Haley Ng

At the start of the 2025 year, Dawn Rege, Lincoln’s Science Department chair and Marine Biology and Biology teacher, was at the start of her sabbatical: a period of leave, usually paid, to pursue personal or educational goals. Teachers who apply for a sabbatical tend to know a year in advance. 

The purpose of Rege’s sabbatical is furthering her knowledge in the field of gardening, according to Neil Matsui, an AP Environmental Science and Biology teacher at Lincoln and interior Science Department chair for Rege. In view of the fact that she teaches a couple of Biology courses, she plans on using the gardens outside of the New Building as part of the curriculum. 

Rege declined the opportunity to speak to the “Lincoln Log.”

While a teacher is on a sabbatical, the district is supposed to find a qualified substitute that can teach that teacher’s subjects while they are away. However, finding a teacher to replace Rege’s courses for only a semester has been very challenging. 

Sharimar Balisi, Lincoln’s principal, expresses the struggle, “A teacher puts in a sabbatical and [the district] knows … [Rege] put it for springtime. Prior to that, we were trying to interview someone to take half the year. [It’s] very difficult to find a certificated, credentialed teacher for just a half a year assignment. They won’t sometimes take it.”

For this reason, Rege’s classes have become asynchronous with a long-term substitute. Unlike the usual short-term sub that can stay no longer than 30 days, a long-term sub can stay past that time period with a contract. 

Rege had planned out online assignments beforehand to assign to students to keep them on track of the class curriculum. She has been assigning work and grading all of it by the end of each grading period through Google Classroom, then submitting those grades through Synergy. Doing all of this work, however, is completely voluntary because she is on sabbatical.

“She knows the importance of continuity and making sure students get some work,” Balisi affirms as she explains Rege’s experience in the teaching profession. 

Ventura Van-Zandt, a senior in Rege’s Marine Biology class, expresses her feelings toward the asynchronous learning, “It’s fine, due to assignments only being online, and you can kind of do them whenever you want, but at the same time it’s hard to actually do them due to someone not being there and, like, teaching you, and telling you to actually do your assignments because you could get easily distracted and focus on other things.” 

Regarding having a sub in the class, Van-Zandt says, “And just coming to class in general, the fact that we don’t have a teacher, and we have a sub, like, class seems less important… so then we might not be as efficient as if she [was] there.”

Balisi also explains that besides Rege, other teachers are also on sabbatical this semester. For instance, Arisa Hiroi, a Japanese teacher at Lincoln, is on a whole-year sabbatical  to advance the AP Japanese program. Luckily, the district had gotten a qualified Japanese teacher to teach the class for the time being. 

Teachers on sabbatical this semester, including Rege and Hiroi, will return in the 2025-2026 school year.

By  Mia De Guzman

To familiarize peers with the learning differences of students at Lincoln High School, Christine Eng, the school’s English and core teacher, promoted an idea with Brigid OBrien and David Maske, Lincoln’s Special Education teachers, to further open the doors of inclusivity for students with a different learning curve and skill set.

Planning for the collaboration started during August, and the onset of the partnership began within the timeline of September to October of 2024. Sessions between the students take place every Monday during their seventh period, taking their time to know each other and bond. Different activities are put together and implemented to create a connection and experience between the students, such as Jenga, Go Fish, or watching movies together. Students are paired to form a connection and avoid overwhelming the special education student. 

The partnership provides exposure to the scene for the teacher academy students who will work with kids in the future. It creates inclusivity in their environment. 

Despite the fun sessions happening every week, challenges occur during the program, such as the limited number of students, along with having to support non-verbal or independent students who may not be ready, or willing to engage in social activities,  “You want to include everyone, but you also want to respect their boundaries,” Eng said. “Some students prefer to stay back, and that’s okay. We adjust based on what feels right for the student.” 

While these obstacles have happened, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, shared by OBrien, “My kids look forward to each session every time—asking ‘where’s my powerpal?’ which creates that fulfillment for the teachers and students.” 

As the program continues to receive recognition and successful outcomes, the teachers still plan to keep the program small but meaningful, preserving the intimacy of the connection between the students, “We don’t want to mess with a good thing,” Eng said. “We want to keep it going and keep making it better.” And even for those who choose different career paths, these lessons [from the program] in compassion and inclusion will stay with them. 

By  Zoë Hsu Doo

At the end of every school year, Business Academy students have their knowledge tested through the tremendous task of organizing their own pop-up shop.

Typically, a pop-up shop is a temporary retail space that operates for a limited amount of time. In this case, the pop-up acts as an assignment, created with the purpose of providing opportunities for students to learn how to exercise entrepreneurial abilities with an emphasis on pitch, money management, and sales skills.

Juniors in the academy must create a product, market it, and sell it to consumers. From soaps to Rice Krispie treats, they advertised a diverse range of goods this year.

“Every team approaches their project differently, how they distribute responsibilities, how they choose to set boundaries,” says Vicky Lee, the Business Academy teacher.

Starting in November and spanning over the course of the next three to four months, each team is tasked with creating and proposing two product ideas. These products had to be homemade by the students and not wrapped in plastic. Once their proposal is approved by Lee, students are required to research sourcing materials and cost per item. Finally, the groups propose their fully researched business plan to the bank lender, Lee, to apply for a loan.

Each group is given $25.00 per person, from the Business Academy funds, to start any business in a group of four. Phase two of this project is the wholesale-to-retail portion. Students are required to pick a product, create it, and sell it. Every deadline or pop-up shop missed adds interest to the loan that needs to be paid back at the end of this assignment. Similar to a real business model, all sales, and their purpose are recorded for the final income statement.

This year, the pop-up was on March 26th and April 7th, 9th, 23rd, and 28th, during lunch, advisory, and after school in room NB21B. Students, staff, and parents were encouraged to support the vendors. 

Business Academy's pop-up shop is just one of their cumulative assessments that put their abilities to the test. Through exercises like the pop-up, students are required to use their knowledge and skills acquired through academies and apply them to real-world scenarios.

“The product we’re offering at our pop-up shop is customized leather lanyards. We came up with this idea because we wanted to create something cute and convenient that you could bring along with you everywhere,” said Renee Chen, junior and two-year business academy student.

To execute their product, new skills need to be acquired. Chen and her group mates learned how to use Glowforge, a laser printer. All the brown leather lanyards are embossed with custom designs to the consumer’s request.

“Not everyone will like your product, so put your focus on the customers who do.” adds Karina Chan, a two-year business academy student and in the same group as Chen.

From product designs to ordering the wrong-sized materials throughout the preparation process, Chen’s group faced numerous challenges.

“It started out pretty rough, especially since we didn’t know what to do,…We overcame this by researching, spending time watching videos, and even brought in someone to help us get started on creating this.” Chen remarks.

Chen’s group overcame certain issues through research videos, new organizational techniques, and even consulting an outside reference. Chen’s group took the route of non-perishable items; however, no limitations were placed on what groups could or could not sell. 

“We decided to sell soap because we were trying to target older individuals, and we couldn’t think of another idea,” said Daniel Law, a junior and two-year business academy student.

Despite difficulties finding everyone’s availabilities and packaging the soap, the pop-up experience further impassioned Law to pursue the business field and learn from others. 

“I learned that it takes a lot of marketing and being a good salesman to sell the soap,” Law reflects.

As in real life, student’s perspectives shift after experiencing the reality of business. “My intention of business has changed, but I do believe that business has taught me skills that I would not have learned or gained from any other class. I find business a very interesting topic and major, but I don't think I will pursue business after high school. However, it is an amazing experience, and I have gained so much from this class.” Chen says. 

However, the common thread between thoughts about the pop-up shop students is the appreciation of the purpose and skills taught by real-life assignments. 

“Our whole responsibility is to have kids ready and prepared to walk out these doors…being able to practice in an actual simulation or an activity gives them the skills to really hone in on,” says Lee. 

By  Alvan Lei

The California Dragon Boat Association (CDBA) youth race is hosted annually in the Spring at Lake Merced, where various teams and schools around the city compete against each other for the prestigious mixed Division A1 trophy. 

Lincoln’s dragon boat team currently has three boats, Gold, Red and Black. Lincoln’s Gold is their first boat, while Red is their second boat. In the previous year during the fall season, Gold and Red boats made it into the highest division, Division A and placed fourth and sixth, respectively, at the Northern California International Dragon Boat Festival (NCIDBF). Although disappointed with previous years' performance in the mixed (mix of girls and boys) competition, they’ve worked very hard this season physically and mentally in hopes of winning the mixed A1 trophy. 

Balian Ho, a senior and Lincoln’s current dragon boat captain states, “Throughout this season, I saw a huge difference in team motivation and enthusiasm. People began to realize that you only had to do the bare minimum of showing up to see results. That snowballed into the same people pushing themselves even further—spending more time training, doing harder workouts, etc. of course there are always going to be good and bad days, but I could see that there was a completely different atmosphere compared to the beginning of the season.”

Haley Ng, a senior paddler on Lincoln’s gold boat and long-time paddler added, “Although we almost never had a full boat during practices, Coach Wesley pushed us a lot harder compared to previous seasons, and was more strict during practices.”

This season, Coach Wesley Chen (Wes), a former paddler and dragon boat veteran, came back to coach one more season for Lincoln. Wes had coached Lincoln’s dragon boat team in previous years, helping them win gold medals at the Club Crew World Championships in 2018 at Hungary.

Wes also coached the Lady Mustangs, Lincoln’s girls boat, during practices. As a result, the Lady Mustangs achieved first place in girls genders finals and they were shocked by their performance.

“We never had a full boat during practices for genders either, and I was worried that we weren’t going to do well. Our practice with a full boat was practically on race day. We underestimated ourselves, but I am super proud of everyone that raced, ” stated Ng. 

While the Lady Mustangs put up a phenomenal performance, the Lincoln’s boys boat was faced with disappointments with a fourth place finish in boys genders. However, the place in which they finished didn’t determine their emotions for the whole race. 

Ho states, “After the gender race, I was laughing. Anyone could tell you. I was so happy that I could just paddle an awesome, intense, photo-finish race with so many of my close friends (including people from other teams). It is one of the rare moments in life where you can smile and hug the people you were just gunning to beat. Some of the team’s biggest rivals are some of my closest friends.”

The mixed Division A finals happened after the genders race, and this is where teams devoted hours of practice, just for this one race. Lincoln’s Gold boat came back with a second place medal, losing to CYC Dragonboat by less than half of a second. 

“The result we got wasn’t expected, since we were pretty far ahead of our competitors in the beginning but in the end, CYC won. I can’t say much more than congratulations to them,” Chen states. 

Ho states, “We may not have gotten the result that we wanted, but like every race for the past 29 years, we left everything out on the water. [Compared to gender finals], the vibe after mixed finals was different though. You could feel it. But it makes sense. This was the race that everyone wanted to win. You spend months training just for it all to come down to one race. Unfortunately, we did not take first place, without a doubt, one of the most disappointing and frustrating moments I’ve ever had as a paddler. I mean it’s my last race—I don’t get another chance at this.”

“This was my final race, and although we fell short, this season felt more successful than the previous seasons,” Ng added.                                                

Although faced with disappointments and success in the result, they’ve created unforgettable memories and are determined to try again and come back stronger and better. 

Ko adds, “We’ll need to work on our endurance in the upcoming seasons, especially during the second half of the race because we tend to die out before the end.” 

“I want to create a bond in a way that can positively affect our performance in a competitive manner. I want to plan the comeback of Lincoln’s dragon boat team,” added Chen. 

“I’ve also been paddling long enough to say that it was also one of the best experiences in my life. I realize that it wasn’t about who got first or second but about why I did it and why I pushed myself so hard. It was because of the people right next to me. The ones that pushed themselves just as hard. No one likes to suffer, but that’s the truth. But what makes it fun is when everyone suffers together, when everyone understands the pain and hard work that you give. That’s what the team and sport is about. This is what I’m about,” Ho ends.  

By  Clarisse Kim

When walking into the CCSF Pool on meet day, the first thing that hits passersby is the smell of chlorine. Then the humidity. Then the sheer number of people.

On Saturday, May 9th, and Sunday, May 10th, swimmers from every corner of San Francisco packed the bleachers, swarmed the decks, and turned the pool into a frothing, frenzied mass of competition. The big event? The All City Championships, the final swim meets of the SF California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) circuit. In 2025’s meet, six different schools vied for dozens of individual and relay medals, as well as the coveted team-wide city champion trophy.

All swimmers from each team competed in the qualifying rounds on Friday. Only the fastest eight swimmers from each event qualified to compete in Saturday’s finals, where each competitor raced for individual awards and points for their overall team score. The fastest swimmer for each varsity event earns a ticket to State Championships in Fresno, and the JV Boys, JV Girls, Varsity Boys, and Varsity Girls teams with the most points earns the title of city champion.

Overall, Lincoln placed second in both the Girl’s and Boy’s Varsity divisions and third in the JV Boys division. Two Mustangs won first in their events and will represent SF in the 200-yard Individual Medley and 100-yard Breaststroke, as well as the 200-yard and 100-yard Freestyle.

Before All Cities, Girls Varsity co-captain Pan Samranpis voiced her anticipation for the race ahead.

“This year has been a little more unorganized—it’s a lot of newness,” Samranpis said. “But we’re staying organized. There’s a whole team of managers supporting us. We’re trying out events we haven’t swum before.”

Swim coach Michael Zheng voiced similar thoughts going into the event.

“We’re in a pretty good position,” Zheng said. “We’re strong. I see a lot of people making city finals, and a handful of people making it to states. I’m excited to see Allan and James and Pan and Fiona swim.”

500 Free: Conquering the longest event

For most swimmers, long-distance events like the 500-yard freestyle can be daunting—but not for Girls Varsity co-captain Fiona Wan.

“I started it as a joke,” Wan said. “And then I realized that, ‘hey, this was my thing.’”

Wan has swum the JV 500 Free for the past three All-City Finals; Wan admits to being a little nervous stepping it up to varsity. However, once Wan is in the pool, she’s in her element. She’s able to conquer 20 laps of freestyle by only considering one flip turn at a time.

“It’s like going on a walk if you think about it. Everyone’s just blinded by the distance, but in reality, it’s kind of a break from everything else,” Wan said. “I’ll be thinking about what to eat after the meet, my next event, what game to buy.”

During All Cities, Wan keeps a consistent pace. Her strokes are even, and her flip-turns stay clean and snappy. Eight minutes and 14 seconds later, Wan slams into the wall, scoring sixth overall.

“I dropped time this season, which is great,” Wan said. “I’m so happy I got to swim this meet, especially in my last year.” 

50 Free: The Ultimate Sprint

Meanwhile, Sophia Lavine braces herself for the sub-30 second mad dash that is the 50-yard freestyle. As one of the most popular and one of the most competitive events, the 50 Free is a noisy affair—the pool seems to roar; people scream. Arms and legs whirlwind whitewater into the air.

“It’s not that stressful,” Lavine notes with a confident smile. “It’s short. You get in; you get out. You can hear everyone cheering the entire time.”

Lavine’s thoughts are the complete opposite of Wan. For the 30 seconds she’s in the water, Lavine is laser-focused on the technique she’s exacting from every stroke.

“My mind goes blank. I just focus on my kicking and my breathing and my arms,” Lavine said.

Before racing, Lavine hoped to swim under 28 seconds. She achieved a 29-second time.

“We didn’t get the 28 [seconds], but that’s okay! I’m working towards getting a personal best,” Lavine said. “Lincoln’s hype this meet—everyone’s cheering, people are dancing…just everything.”

Lavine points to the senior posters—made by the managers to commemorate the graduating senior team members—brightly decorating the pool walls.

“We’ve definitely got the best senior posters, too. Parents have been admiring them,” she said.

100 Breast: Breaking the City Record

A strange tension overcomes the pool when event 38 happens. It’s the Boys Varsity 100-yard breastroke, and swim captain Allan Yeh is attempting to break the 30-year standing record.

“The record’s 58.9 [seconds],” Yeh said. “I’m only a couple seconds away―I have high hopes to break the All Cities record.”

In the weeks leading up to competition, Yeh has been pouring time into honing his strength and technique. The moment he dives into the water and begins his pullout, Yeh “clears himself of emotion,” and muscle memory takes over. Yeh slips into the breaststroke rhythm with a practiced grace.

“I’ve been putting a lot of effort in the gym and towards practice,” Yeh said. “I’m trying to increase my power and technique.”

Just over 1 minute later, Yeh is the first to slam into the wall, three seconds shy of the record. 

“It wasn’t what I expected at all, but I can’t do much about the past now,” Yeh said. “I’ll be putting more effort at States in hopes of getting a personal record. I won’t be going alone as the only male swimmer from Lincoln, so that’s exciting.”

Despite Yeh's so-called “dissatisfying” results, his first-place time qualified him for States; he’ll be representing SF in the 100-Yard Breastroke and the 200-Yard Individual Medley.

200 Medley Relay & 4x100 Freestyle Relay: Four People, One Race

According to Zheng, the relays are one of the more strategic events at All City. He was most excited to put together the Boys Varsity 200-Yard Medley Relay and Boys Varsity 4x100-Yard Freestyle Relay teams.

“With Tyler Chan taking backstroke, James Liu taking butterfly, Allan taking breaststroke, and Sanders Tan taking freestyle, we have a good chance at winning the 200-Medley,” Zheng predicted. “There's places for us to create that time difference between us and other lanes.”

James Liu, sophomore and member of the Boys Varsity team, is the butterfly swimmer for the 200 Medley and anchor for the 4x100. He notes that team events have an added layer of pressure to them. They’re often one of the most watched races, and people often depend on the final swimmer to close the distance between lanes or to secure a decisive win.

“For the 4x100 Free relay, you want the fastest person at the end,” Zheng said. “James is just consistent, especially during mid-to-long distances. He’s also a sophomore, so it’s exciting to see him beat everyone older than him.”

“[Going last] is a lot of pressure, but I’m just focused on my own race and being in the moment,” Liu said. “Freestyle’s the first stroke you learn. It’s fun. It’s one of my best strokes. I’m just glad that I’m able to swim this on the team.”

Lincoln snagged second place in the boys’ 4x100 as well as the 200 Medley. Liu won gold in both the 100-Yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle and earned his first-ever ticket to states.

Overall, Samranpis, Wan, and Yeh are eager to close their high school swim journey on a good note—senior-day posters, medals, celebratory team dinner and all. 

“Last year, I was the manager,” Samranpis reflects. “Every time I saw somebody swim, I realized I missed the sport a lot. I knew I had to come back for this last year.”

“I’ve made it to states all three years I’ve been on the team, and I’m glad to make it my fourth.” Yeh said. “I’m proud of everyone giving it their all and doing the best they can.”

“I just feel connected to the team,” Wan agrees. “I’ve been on the team all four years, and I wanted to come back and lead this final season. After everything, I’m still attached to this sport.”

By  Mikayla Chew

The Abraham Lincoln girl’s varsity softball team is currently placed second in the California Interscholastic Federation San Francisco Division 1 league with a record of 5-2-0 (win/loss/tie). 

Although they have a great run this season, there has been a significant change this season of a new head coach, P.E. teacher Camille Bustos. Regardless, this being her first time coaching softball, she is willing to provide the guidance needed in Lincoln’s girl sports.  She promotes more focus on refining the smaller details that go into the softball such as core and strength training to enhance one's performance during a game. 

Previously, the softball coach’s departure for this season was due to a personal conflict regarding the team. When contacted by the athletic department as well as the team, they declined to comment. 

Bustos has coached a range of sports teams at Lincoln—including junior varsity girl’s basketball, varsity girl’s flag football, and girl’s varsity golf—for five years at the high school level. This season, Bustos can be seen supporting the girls softball team on and off the field.  She shows her support by checking in with students about their attendance, offering advice to improve their skills, and overall being present and open for them as a coach. 

“Some of the girls reached out to both me and Olga Camacho [athletic director], saying they needed a coach, and I answered the call. I’ve always been willing to step up for women’s sports, especially when all other options have been exhausted, and I’m able to help. The truth is, women in sports deserve better,” says Bustos.

Bustos shares she was inspired to step up as head coach because of her past experiences with bad coaches as a former student-athlete. She recounts all the times where her P.E. teachers showed up, encouraged or motivated her to improve, and made her feel seen as a person. She hopes to become a coach that the girls can lean on and come to whenever they need. 

“Although this is my first time coaching softball, I stepped in because these young women needed someone, and I’m doing my best with the time and tools I have,” states Bustos.

Although the transition hasn’t been as troublesome, the team captains, Quincy Fong-McAdams, Katya Shlicoff, and Ventura Van-Zandt have stepped up to the plate to bring the team together. 

“They contribute greatly on the field, but also in terms of team unity and in making the transition to the new coach easier,” says Anjali Evans, junior on the varsity softball team. 

Evans mentions in one of their second game against Balboa High School and Bustos had been away, she felt that the team captains, Fong-McAdams, Shlicoff and Van-Zandt, had done a great job of not only having the warm-ups run smoothly, but also keeping the energy level high and played their best during the game. 

According to Bustos, her coaching style and philosophy has always been about “Ohana” or family. Bustos hopes to build a community where the girls will practice hard and respect and support each other, whether they win or lose. She also leads the team with a sense of identity and encourages growth within the team. 

Aside from her goal of the team performing well, she is excited to be out on the field with the team and seeing the girls play their hearts out. Although Bustos states that she does not see herself continuing to lead the softball program due to personal reasons, she hopes that moving forward, Camacho is able to find one that can show up and be there for the girls.  

By Jaydon Zhang

The boys varsity volleyball team is off to a strong season, with a scrimmage against Lowell starting the season resulting in a 3-2 win. Last year, the Lincoln boys varsity volleyball team made it to the CIF volleyball championships, but lost to Lowell in a 3-2 defeat, ending their hopes for state competitions. 

After that loss, the team had a bigger desire to win the championship and go far this season. Currently, Lincoln is ranked 71 in California, and 163 on the national level. 

Lucas Rondone, junior outside hitter says, “Me and the whole team are feeling great about this season. Currently, our win/loss record is 27-5. Everyone plays with confidence in our team because of the trust we have built. I hope this can continue.”

Lincoln is also going strong with an undefeated record of league games this season, including those against Lowell, Washington, and Balboa. Furthermore, the team found success in defeating one of California’s top 50 teams this season, “Foothill”, in the recent CCSF tournament. They placed second in the tournament after a 0-2 loss against a top 25 team in California “Clovis East.”  

However, these positive results are nothing if there is no improvement, “Winning doesn’t mean anything if we don’t improve for the future, and our coach has drilled that into us.” Rondone says.

With around a month left in the season, the boys want to end strong and continue staying undefeated in the league. They also want to win CIF for opportunities to compete in the state level competitions. 

The players express this desire with their goals from the start of the season. Raymond Cheung Wu, junior middle hitter says, “My goal for this season was to win champs and states. The season is going pretty good and we’ve only lost a couple games. We are pretty confident we can win the championship this year.” 

Furthermore, each player has their own individual goals this season to improve not only themselves, but their team performances. This includes their physical capabilities or small improvements. 

Wu says, “My personal goal this season is to have more in my arsenal when I play, like being able to have different ways to score and serve.” 

Rondone also says, “My personal goal is to lead the team into state championships. Once we win the league we have state playoffs and I want to get myself and our team to states in La.”

A good morale for the team is also a strong contributor to good performances. Wu says, “I am grateful for a team full of people who work on and off the court to build a stronger team. We often hangout together and that feeling of closeness allows us to trust each other more and perform better on the court.”

By Jaydon Zhang

The boys varsity volleyball team is off to a strong season, with a scrimmage against Lowell starting the season resulting in a 3-2 win. Last year, the Lincoln boys varsity volleyball team made it to the CIF volleyball championships, but lost to Lowell in a 3-2 defeat, ending their hopes for state competitions. 

After that loss, the team had a bigger desire to win the championship and go far this season. Currently, Lincoln is ranked 71 in California, and 163 on the national level. 

Lucas Rondone, junior outside hitter says, “Me and the whole team are feeling great about this season. Currently, our win/loss record is 27-5. Everyone plays with confidence in our team because of the trust we have built. I hope this can continue.”

Lincoln is also going strong with an undefeated record of league games this season, including those against Lowell, Washington, and Balboa. Furthermore, the team found success in defeating one of California’s top 50 teams this season, “Foothill”, in the recent CCSF tournament. They placed second in the tournament after a 0-2 loss against a top 25 team in California “Clovis East.”  

However, these positive results are nothing if there is no improvement, “Winning doesn’t mean anything if we don’t improve for the future, and our coach has drilled that into us.” Rondone says.

With around a month left in the season, the boys want to end strong and continue staying undefeated in the league. They also want to win CIF for opportunities to compete in the state level competitions. 

The players express this desire with their goals from the start of the season. Raymond Cheung Wu, junior middle hitter says, “My goal for this season was to win champs and states. The season is going pretty good and we’ve only lost a couple games. We are pretty confident we can win the championship this year.” 

Furthermore, each player has their own individual goals this season to improve not only themselves, but their team performances. This includes their physical capabilities or small improvements. 

Wu says, “My personal goal this season is to have more in my arsenal when I play, like being able to have different ways to score and serve.” 

Rondone also says, “My personal goal is to lead the team into state championships. Once we win the league we have state playoffs and I want to get myself and our team to states in La.”

A good morale for the team is also a strong contributor to good performances. Wu says, “I am grateful for a team full of people who work on and off the court to build a stronger team. We often hangout together and that feeling of closeness allows us to trust each other more and perform better on the court.”

By  Anya Golden

This movie explores themes of misogyny, feudal oppression, rebellion, corruption, wickedness, and witch-hunting. It explores intricate womanly experiences and the way the world treats a woman, and more specifically a beautiful one. 

Not only is this a touching film, but it is also a gorgeous one. The animation style and use of color throughout the film strongly communicates erotic, religious, violent, and psychedelic imagery. 

“The Belladonna of Sadness” was produced in 1973. It is a Japanese adult animated film that is the third and final entry in Mushi Production's adult-oriented Animerama trilogy. It follows the story of a peasant woman named Jeanne who makes an inadvertent deal with the devil after she is raped by the King on the night of her wedding day.

The beginning soundtrack and description of communion between two young people in love gives a hopeful feeling for the film. 

I love everything about this movie. Throughout the film, the color palette changes based on the emotions of the scene, reminding me of the film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”.

At first the main character, Jeane, is depicted as all white with the tips of her hair purple. After she is forced into becoming a tribute to the king and returns home, her hair is a dark purple, representing a dreadful change in her psyche.

The abstract way in which the illustrator depicts the rape of Jeanne evokes strong emotion. Pulsing red, her hair changing from its original grayish purple to gray, and goblins crawling all over her conveys the complexity and tragedy of what happened to her.

This film is really powerful because it shows an interesting convolution of emotions that can be interpreted in different ways. One scene in particular depicts the husband in a confusing fury. He may be so angry about what happened to her, but mad that she “let it” happen. He may be disgusted with her as the film seems to be set in a feudalistic Japan, an era which honed in on purity culture. Furthermore, he may have let his emotions get the best of him and let his anger out on whoever was nearest.

This scene leads to a greater question of how women are often left to care for themselves in the cases of sexual assault when many men do not correctly respond or out of fear of persecution or judgment. Society’s purity culture leads the way for victim blaming, along with a culture of women carrying the trauma of sexual assault on their own out of “respect” or possibly from fear of their spouse. 

Throughout the movie, a character or “demon” continuously pops up. Each time he pops up he grows bigger, giving her more strength and power, leading to her greater autonomy and conservation of her loved one. This theme is very much like that of the film “Nosferatu” and really makes you reflect the way that women's success is viewed. Every time she gains power, he takes a part of her. We have all heard stories of women in professional careers being manipulated into giving up their body to climb the ladder of success, and this is no different. 

Another theme I enjoyed was how threatening to the King she became as she gained more autonomy of herself, and with it a peaceful and prospered following. 

This goes to show how threatening it is for a woman to be powerful and have influence. Her holisticness and sexual revolutionary teachings is a threat to the authoritarian and oppressive regime, which I believe can be applied to our modern world. It shows that the cold, patriarchal, business-like world is most threatened by powerful femininity and the love and righteousness that follows, righteousness that breaks down the indifferent male centric way of the world.

By Eliel Diethers

“One Piece” is one of the longest running and most famous anime series ever made. Created by Eiichiro Oda, “One Piece” first aired in 1999 and has since passed a thousand episodes, making it one of the most successful and highest rated anime series of all time. The story follows  a young pirate named Monkey D. Luffy, a boy with rubber powers and dreams of becoming the Pirate King by finding the treasure known as the "One Piece."

What makes “One Piece” different is its unforgettable characters, foreshadowing, deep character backstories, and a huge, never-ending world. Every member of Luffy’s crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, has their own dream and personality. 

One of the coolest things about “One Piece” is how everything connects. The story builds slowly, but everything connects, even events from early episodes still matter hundreds of episodes later. Oda is good at keeping the story going without it feeling repetitive. Even though the show is still ongoing, the plot stays interesting with new islands, villains and challenges. This kind of continuity is hard to find in other anime and shows how well planned it is.

Visually, the animation has grown a lot, especially in newer arcs like “Wano,” where the fight scenes increased to 60 frames per minute. The fight scenes are more intense and have way better quality than it was when it first came out. The music also adds more emotion, making scenes more interesting.

Outside of the anime, “One Piece” has had a huge impact on pop culture. It inspired video games, theme park rides, a Netflix live-action show, and even real-world statues in Japan. It also inspired countless other shows and holds the Guinness World Record for the most copies of a comic book series published by one author, with over 500 million copies sold, and it is the fifth best selling book. Recently, it even broke streaming records with Luffy’s long-awaited Gear 5 transformation and crashed streaming sites since too many people tried to watch it at once. People around the world cosplay as the characters, and the show’s themes connect with all kinds of people.

By Dalton Brown

Ever since I was a wee boy, Supercell has been an important part of my life. 

Created in 2010 by the infamous Finnish game company, Supercell has created six iconic games. They are made with high quality, however that doesn't exactly mean they are great games. The first made is “Hay Day” in 2012, followed by “Clash of Clans" in the same year. In 2014, “Boom Beach" was released, “Clash Royale" in 2016, “Brawl Stars" in 2018, and the newest addition, “Squad Busters” in 2024. In 2024, Supercell accumulated three billion dollars from these six games. The question is: Does old mean gold? Or do new games outshine the old ones?

Hay Day is the kind of game someone’s mother would play. It’s a farming industry game, where the player grows crops, animal products and other materials that are then used to create food and other goods. These goods are then sold for experience and gold. The goal of the game is to expand a farm as much as possible. In its “hay day,” the game made 1.2 billion dollars. I have fond memories of playing this with my family and exchanging goods to help each other. Although, whenever I try to play it again, It becomes boring pretty quickly. The endless tasks are repetitive, that same cycle of planting, harvesting, and feeding, though intriguing at first, transforms into a mind-numbing chore. Not to mention, these bumbling NPCs with strangely drawn faces walking up to my farm, for the 100,000th time, just to sell me the worst deals of my life, ravages my soul. A game isn’t meant to be a job, a game is meant to be relaxing and fun. And Hay Day simply isn’t fun when you spend weeks on end, only to achieve one-percent of the milestones. 

Clash of Clans is the most iconic game of them all, holding a special place in my heart. While Clash isn’t the highest grossing anymore, in 2015, the game accumulated 1.3 billion dollars. In this game, players collect resources through mines and raiding players' bases, which are then used to upgrade their own bases and raid strategies. As players progress and upgrade their main building, the “town hall,” they unlock new defenses and raid strategies. While this is the second game Supercell has made, it is my favorite and one of the first games I ever played. I love the flow of progression, as I can upgrade buildings and attack strategies at a steady pace that doesn't feel overwhelming, and also not slow as to be boring. I also love the community, and seeing the progress I've made is very satisfying. One can even determine the value of a person by the level of their Clash of Clans base, and how they treat it. If I had to choose between my family and Clash of Clans, I would choose my clan, no hesitation. 

Boom Beach is the equivalent of apes if they never evolved into humans, except the humans are Clash of Clans. Boom Beach is another base building game, except this time it takes place on an island. Players must save island natives from imperial bases by destroying the bases, and in the process gain territory and resources to upgrade their own base. When attacking, troops will reach the beach through landing craft and then run to attack the base. At first, it plays the same as Clash of Clans, and new progress is very satisfying, but as the game continues I realized how slow and how limited the game is. The game only allows one building to be upgraded at a time, and waiting times become unbearable hastily. This game is somewhat god-awful, and I say somewhat because it's not bad, but I hold Supercell to a higher standard.

Clash Royale can bring out the worst in a person. The game was made with inspiration from Clash of Clans, and is a real time strategy game. In each competitive match players enter,they must protect three towers with characters called cards, while also using them to attack the enemies towers. Many of these cards are inspired from Clash of Clans, yet many more are unique to the game. Players progress by upgrading their cards, collecting new cards, and eventually upgrading their towers. Playing this game makes me feel bipolar because winning feels amazing, but losing is devastating. In the past, this game was very loved and respected, but new updates with fewer rewards make progression impossible. At the same time, the game is flooded with real money offers, making those who purchase progress much faster. For many, including myself, these offers ruined the game because it makes people willing to spend money “better” than those not willing. It ruins the point of a strategy based game meant to reward players on their skill, not how much money they can spend. Besides the abuse of in-game purchases, all media of this game has been hatred towards other players, and no other game has a community like this.

Brawl stars is the second most recent game made by Supercell, and by far the most popular. The game is a third-person hero shooter game where players pick characters to battle in different modes. Each character has something unique about them that gives the players an edge in battle, in winning a match players get trophies and other resources to upgrade their characters. I have likely spent the most on this time, however I’ve taken many breaks because of how annoying it can become. Whenever I play a team mode, my fate is up to my teammates, who I’m sure have been delicately selected from the worst players of all time. Additionally, whenever I play a solo mode it’s almost as if I have a locator beacon for everyone else to see, and they all come shuffling for me.

Squad busters is the most recent addition to Supercell's roster, and easily the worst. The  game is a fast-paced third-person game where ten players collect and hold onto the most gems to win. To increase players’ survivability in a game, they break loot boxes to make their army larger and then fight other armies. Overall, the whole game feels like a reference to all the past ones, its characters consist from every single previous game except with less detail. I’m pretty sure it’s marketed towards really little kids because of how childish the game looks. It’s enjoyable at first, but the repetition, like Hay Day, becomes agonizing quickly. I ended up deleting the game a week or so after downloading, and haven’t thought about it since.

By Jaydon Zhang

“Minecraft” is a sandbox game, where you have freedom to roam a fantasy land. It’s a blocky world where you mine, craft, and survive in a blocky world. 

The game is very successful, and as a result , Mojang, the owners of the game, collaborated with Warner Bros to create a live action movie. The movie’s plot is around a group of real life people who are transported into the games.

While the movie is PG, and catered towards children, millions of people above the catered young audience group have also flocked to watch it. Complaints of its cringeness online resulted from this. However, I feel the movie’s cringeness is also what makes a fun “brain off” and enjoyable movie.

The movie is short, and I think that's good for a stupid fun movie. While not too long to be annoying, it remains long enough to be enjoyed. 

We are introduced to a young Steve, who enters the Minecraft world at a young age, and a cast of four who are guided by Steve in the Minecraft world after several years. Steve is transported into the minecraft world from a mysterious portal opened by an orb he found a long time ago, while the cast of four, Garrett,an egotistical failing game store owner who's actually depressed, Natalie and Henry,older sister and younger brother, and Dawn ,Natalie’s and Henry’s real estate agent, are transported after their own series of adventure. This group of four found the mysterious orb Steve’s minecraft wolf left behind in the real world.

Essentially, Steve’s wolf is being held hostage by evil pigs known as piglins. Steve needs to return the orb that activated the portal from real life to the minecraft world, to Malgosha, master of the piglins, for his wolf back. When Garrett and friends are transported, they struggle with mobs (hostile creatures like zombies and skeletons), and Steve saves them. However, in Garrett’s possession, the orb gets damaged in this “mob struggle.” Since Steve is a good guy, he agrees to help locate a new missing piece of the orb, so Garrett and friends can return to the real world. In return, Steve gets the orb back in return to trade Malgosha for his wolf back. This creates my favorite part of the movie, the dynamic of a cocky Garrett, a Steve who likes his confidence and knows everything about minecraft, and a side cast who support these comedic moments on a stupid chaotic adventure.

The movie was very predictable, and the plot was all over the place, but I like it that way.

I remember near the end of the movie where Garrett supposedly sacrifices his life on a bridge so Steve and Henry could survive. Turns out when the camera panned out he survived and saved Henry in the final fight of the movie. 

Oftentimes, since this movie was just live action with heaps of CGI, when Steve said a reference from the game in the movie, like when he said “lets minecraft” it was enunciated. I felt cringey and forced, but these moments were still funny. This criticism was abundant in reviews, but I feel it’s fine if you go with a “turn your brain off and enjoy” before the movie. Also, with a growing trend online where people sarcastically cheer for random references Steve says, (like in theaters)  it actually becomes funny and enjoyable in the media, which I feel is a main source of my enjoyment for it also.

An example of it is when Steve is forced to watch Garrett fight a mob in the woodland mansion. It seemingly seems like a blowout, where Garrett is forced to fight a chicken, but is soon revealed to act as the ride of a baby zombie that falls from the ceiling. At the same time, Steve forces his Texas accent and enunciates “Chicken Jockey”, in a way he sounds like he’s expressing his knowledge of minecraft terminology. The fight was cool, but the way Steve said “Chicken Jockey.” was the only thing I remembered from that scene.

Another stupid fun moment was when Steve introduced the cast to his stash of goods. This was in preparation for their journey to the woodland mansion. He went on to name items in his stash like diamond armor and fireworks to give the cast in preparation for their journey. As a minecraft player, he named everything in his stash correctly, but in a presentation matter that was annoying. I remember this when Steve said, “Diamond armor, FULL SET.” Another instance was when he said, “Fireworks, good for propulsion.” This scene was pretty annoying with the way Steve was naming the items, but again, pretty funny if a non critic approach to this movie was had before watching. 

By Joseph Isaguirre Portillo 

ATLUS’s Shin Megami Tensei “Persona” series is a once in a lifetime gaming experience that I will never forget. (From its very memorable music, immersive storytelling, unforgettable characters and unique turn-based combat system.) These elements are what makes Persona such a unique experience. It's nothing I’ve ever played before considering I was more into hero/tactical shooters like “Overwatch 2” or “Valorant.” 

It's currently available to be played on PC, Nintendo Switch and New/Old-gen consoles like the Playstation 4 and 5 and Xbox Series X and One. The modern Persona games include “Persona 5 Royal,” “Persona 4 Golden,” and both “Persona 3 Portable” and "Persona 3 Reload.” When it comes to purchasing some of the older games like “Persona” one and two, most are unavailable since the earlier games were created for the Playstation Portable, Playstation 2, or Playstation 3 which most people these days don't own. 

All three modern “Persona” games are completely different from each other story wise, yet somehow connected by small little easter eggs that aren't normally noticed at first. With three different installments to play, which one should be played first?

“Persona 5 Royal” was the first game that was recommended to me by one of my friends and is one I recommend to people as a starting point. If starting at the fifth installment feels confusing, the reasoning behind this is that the combat system is easier to comprehend compared to the older games. In combat, each party member and yourself can use something called a persona. A persona is the physical manifestation of a person's psyche that is only used for combat. 

Combat isn't the only aspect that's important, both the music and story-telling are really important. 

The soundtrack in “Persona 5 Royal” is known for its use of  acid jazz, which is influenced by hip-hop, dance, electronic, and of course jazz. This combination of jazz and other genres can tell a story by itself. Many of the songs like "Tokyo Daylight” or “Beneath the Mask” really set the mood during the story sections of the game. 

LYN is the main artist for “Persona 5 Royal.” Her voice really fits this theme of jazz and is really relaxing to just have in the background.

When it comes to the story, it's just as exceptional. “Persona 5 Royal” main premise is that the main cast of characters, high schoolers, are able to go into a different realm called The Metaverse and are able to steal the hearts of corrupt adults. They use this power to fight against injustice and reveal the true nature of the people they target. 

The story is the most important part of the game, the second most important feature of the game is the Social Links. Social Links are a select number of people who are important for the game's storyline. Half of the Social Links are your team members; talking to them is essential to getting to really know their character. Each Social Link is special, with each one being linked to an arcana of sorts. Arcanas are based on the tarot cards, with some either being The Magician, The Foul, and The Empress. 

“Persona 5 Royal” is fantastic to get into the series. It's easy to understand and can help understand how to play the other games.

“Persona 4 Golden” is my personal favorite out of the three. Although it's not as new as “Persona 5 Royal” or “Persona 3 Reload” it's still incredible in its own way. The combat gameplay is relatively the same. 

The soundtrack of “Persona 4 Golden” is a mixture of J-pop and rock. Some of my personal favorites are “Heartbeat, Heartbreak,” “Pursuing My True Self,” and “Time To Make History.” Most of the songs are sung by Shikoho Hirata, who is also the main artist for “Persona 4 Golden.” 

The story is quite different from “Persona 5 Royal.” Instead of changing hearts, it’s instead all about investigating and trying to solve the murder true identity. Before the murderer tries to kidnap somebody, they are shown on a special show called The Midnight Channel. This premise is a huge gap compared to changing hearts. To me, that's what makes it so much more engaging and why it’s one of my personal favorites. The game can be really funny at times, while on the other hand, it can take a drastic turn. It constantly had me on edge about what would happen next. 

Social Links in this game are better than “Persona 5 Royal.” The Social Links really let the player get to know the characters' struggles, dreams, and personalities. This makes the characters feel more like a real person.

“Persona 3 Reload” felt like a breath of fresh air compared to “Persona 4 Golden.” The only difference is that reload came out last year February while Golden came out in 2012. 

The soundtrack of “Persona 3 Reload” consists of Hip-hop and Pop rap. Some songs like “It’s Going Down,” “Full Moon Full Life,” and “Changing Seasons” are very iconic for the game. Lotus Juice and Azumi Takahashi together are the main artists for “Persona 3 Reload.” 

Back in March, Lotus Juice held a concert here in SF, and my friends and I were able to go together. Being able to hear his songs in-person was such a memorable experience for us.

The main premise of “Persona 3 Reload” is that between midnight and 1 a.m., exists an extra hour called the Dark Hour. During this time, people are transformed into coffins and a building called tartarus appears. The main character joins a group called SEES that specializes in taking down shadows and exploring a skyscraper-like building called Tartarus. 

Most people that I know who have played before say that Tartarus was the most annoying part of the game since it felt as if it got in the way of enjoying the game. For me, I really enjoyed Tartarus and the combat aspects in this game. 

The story in this game is what I really enjoy the most. “Persona 3 Reload” is one of the few games to ever make me tear up. This game is so amazing from start to finish. I have never looked at a title screen in such sadness after finishing the game. 

The “Persona” series is once again such a life changing experience that I wish I could forget all the memories I have just to play it again for the first time.

By Lincoln Staff

Regarding the April issue story, “America will spend its way into bankruptcy, financial collapse–unless DOGE saves it,” by Khoi Nguyen, given you have told me that you fact-check thoroughly, I was surprised to read you fell for and repeated Republican misinformation. What you listed is deliberate mislabeling and promotes the federal administration's goals of creating confusion to avoid oversight of unilateral decisions. Note which sources are deliberately misinterpreted or overwhelmingly subjective compared to competing studies.

Contrary to your claim, $32,000 was not spent on transgender comic books in Peru, and that money came from the State Department, not USAID (United States Agency for International Development), and was an award-winning series about the power of education and US-Peru student cultural exchange. No transgender characters appeared, and only one of the characters was gay. A simple Google search would have also highlighted how the DOGE team thought "transgenic" meant the same as "transgender" and often "gay.” 

I encourage you to read a “FactCheck” summary regarding DOGE’s claims and think more critically about the information you want to spread, particularly with increasing unregulated use of AI. I want to remind you of how information is always filtered through the author and how often easily disseminated information is falsified or misrepresented. 

Regarding the alleged experimentation on transgender mice, thank you for sharing the microbiome paper to back up your claims. I read it, and it demonstrates how dangerous it is for untrained decisionmakers to judge the merits of technical research. Someone without technical experience focuses only on the hormone aspect or applicability to transgender therapy, not realizing hormones and microbiome research is essential for medical and physiological research overall and that transgender therapy is only one application of overall hormonal research. Keep in mind HRT (hormone replacement therapy) was developed and invented for cisgender patients, as are most "gender-affirming therapy" methods. That is what makes DOGE's opaque, single-factor, and uninformed approach so deadly.

In addition, the stakes are even higher, now that we are following historical precedents in condoning unconstitutional takings of rights meant to prevent easily-abused solitary consolidation of power by deferring to stated false equivalencies without further investigation. You will see your internships, scholarships, research programs, lab positions, and STEM opportunities disappear in the coming decade as part of this planned national de-intellectualization.

All of the things being criticized or defunded, by the way, already have oversight sections explaining the research's larger public health benefit (once again, a simple Google search for the original document), because those are part of preexisting accountability and transparency requirements for approving the receipt of public funds.

Response:
Dear Teacher Suh,

Thank you for your input–the “Lincoln Log” welcomes any and all community feedback as it leads to more truthful and accurate reporting. I apologize for my inaccuracy regarding the transgender comic book claim–you are absolutely right on that count.

But regarding the transgender mice study, even the researchers themselves made it explicitly clear that their paper was meant to apply to transgender research. The literal first sentence in the paper is “Gender affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) is used by transgender (TG) people to alleviate gender dysphoria.” The next three sentences talk about the use of GAHT by transgender people specifically and also how it relates to puberty blocking, which is a controversial practice that relates to transgender medical practices as well. 

And while I personally disagree with taking away funding from science and education entirely, my original point that government spending as a whole must be reined in to become more efficient and representative of the taxpayer’s interests must not get lost in a debate about the finer details of my argument. 

Almost every year, politicians reassure the American people that the economy continues to grow, and they typically back up those claims with statistics showing GDP (gross domestic product) growth, a metric that is supposed to represent the size of the economy as a whole. 

However, I’m sure most people would agree that their economic well-being is not reflected accurately by those statements. This is because government spending is also counted when calculating GDP, meaning that as long as the government prints more cash and uses it, this will count as “economic growth” on paper. 

What may also be shocking is that the federal government’s debt today is higher than it was while our nation was fighting the Second World War (right after the Great Depression). DOGE may make bad decisions here and there, but they are the only force keeping our government from spending the hard-earned wealth of the American people into a bankruptcy that would cause global economic collapse.

By Moyses Aguirre

I yelled in excitement after getting accepted into Business Academy. As a kid, I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur. Whether it was a Frankenstein slime creation, a starch bath bomb mess, or a video game coding fiasco, I always wanted to have my own business. Business Academy was my opportunity to become an entrepreneur. However, I dropped my pathway a year later. Why, though? I found out that an academy was not the right fit for me. Find out if an academy is right for you.

To begin, academies keep you in smaller networks. An academy cohort has at most 35 students. A good amount of classes you take are within that cohort like English 2. You create relationships and bonds within that same community for three years. While some may enjoy a tight knit community, others may want to keep their options open to meet new people. For me, I found a community of people that I aligned with and I wouldn't have had that flexibility in an academy.

Secondally, academies can be cliquey. Even though community is emphasized, smaller social groups tend to form. As someone who took longer to form friendships, it was upsetting to notice tight social groups form early on in the year. While there's nothing wrong with having your own friend group, it creates a small network of people you can go to for support. At times, I only felt welcomed to sit with one to three people. If I had stayed three years, I'm not sure if that would have ever changed.

Finally, it didn't work out in my schedule. Academy classes are known to be a three-year elective pathway, with one cohort per grade level. Because of that, limited flexibility is available in your schedule to adjust classes. For me, Business Academy conflicted with AP Biology, AP United States History, and Compression. I value those courses more, which is why I dropped my academy. Courses can conflict if you are taking selective classes, and the variety of courses you can take are limited.

A variety of factors may  impact your experience at an academy. For example, the course and the teacher. It is undeniable that academies offer students many career opportunities. I even had awesome field trips around the city, like a visit to Amazon Web Services. But you should pick an academy if it is a right fit for you, not just for “college applications” or a way to “stand out.” At the end of the day, high school is a short lived experience, you will never get this time again. Do what you enjoy, and take classes that spark your interest. For me, I will never regret moving on from an academy, even if it was my dream.

The Trump administration's attack on free speech, due process, threatens student journalism and our free society

By Justin Chen

In the heart of the Bay Area sits one of the most prestigious universities in the world, ranked as the No.1 public university in the world. For some local high schoolers, however, UC Berkeley often fades into the background. The proximity to home typically overshadows the incredible opportunity that lies just a BART ride away—a beautiful campus steeped in history, innovation, and world-class academics. 

For some high schoolers, the desire to leave home for college is the only reason they overlook Berkeley. 

“I don’t want to go to Berkeley because it’s too close to home. That’s why I never bothered to tour there,” Lincoln senior Adrianna Zheng, who is committed to UCSD, expresses.

Washington senior Maria Lee, who is going to UCLA, says, “I applied to all UC campuses except for Berkeley. I really did not want to stay close to home.”

However, without fully stepping into Berkeley in-person, students cannot grasp its beauty or the distinct change of scenery it actually offers. 

Having to personally decide between committing to Boston University and UC Berkeley, I thought I would be heading to BU, as I too wanted to attend a college far from home. However, upon touring Berkeley for the first time, I became attached to the campus. 

The campus sits right at the base of Berkeley Hills, which slope upward behind it, giving panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, and city skyline. Upon walking through Berkeley’s Sather Gate, visitors are immediately immersed in a mini-city with classic revival architecture that mirrors the environment of a European university town. Across the Memorial Glade lawn, students sprawl on the grass, chatting with friends and gazing at the sky or the towering Campanile. Lastly, Contrary to popular belief, no homeless are strolling around on campus.

While Berkeley’s campus and location is undoubtedly beautiful, students who worry about Berkeley having a cutthroat nature and not succeeding at the university may be reluctant to apply to or attend Berkeley. However, the perception of Berkeley as cutthroat is a misconception for almost all majors. Some exceptions include computer science, electrical engineering, and other STEM majors, as admission to these majors are even more selective than to the university itself. 

“Berkeley is competitive, but it’s not cutthroat. Everyone here is really supportive and collaborative, and we help each other out. However, it is sort-of like a sink or swim situation here,” a Berkeley junior majoring in applied mathematics says at a Cal Day student panel.

Students should also consider the fact that only UC Berkeley, along with UC Merced, utilize semester systems, compared to every other UC school, which utilize quarter systems. The use of semester systems mean that students take classes for a semester, for 15 weeks long, as compared to quarter systems, which only last 10 weeks. Quarters move much faster than semesters, meaning that students have to take tests more frequently and often cram material. With semesters, Berkeley students have much more time to absorb material and get necessary help from professors. 

Another reason some students may dislike Berkeley is because it is a large public university with more than 33,000 students. Most of the time, students believe that larger class sizes are associated with limited access to professors and a lack of support, but that is not the case at Berkeley. The school offers a wide range of academic resources, such as discussion sections after class with 20 to 30 students to review lecture material, professors with flexible office hours, and peer tutoring. 

Adding onto the large university aspect, it is also important to note that larger universities like Berkeley almost always have more clubs and a highly diverse student body. Additionally, the university has a large variety of both student and faculty research, translating to lots of research opportunities, and with good funding alongside. The combination of scale and diversity creates endless opportunities for involvement in academic societies, research groups, and volunteering, and opens broader social and professional networks crucial for post-graduation.

Another significant aspect that students consider when choosing a college is also social life. For many, Berkeley is also associated with being socially dead. However, that is not the case with Berkeley at all, as the school actually has a surprisingly active Greek community. With 55 different fraternities and sororities, frat row brings a vibrant social scene. 

UC Berkeley is at times disregarded by local high schoolers, but a little research, a visit, and overcoming misconceptions can show students why the school deserves another look. 

By Aidan Bolosan

Many high schoolers find activities to occupy themselves when not in school, like clubs, or sport teams. However, what do students do when school ends and those activities come to a halt? Many turn to internships or jobs, but what's the process? How can you go about 

Chester Lam, a college and career readiness advisor for SFUSD students, commented on why one might consider getting a summer job.

  “A lot of students are just like oh my mom wants me to do something during summer and I don't think that's a good reason to apply to anything,” Lam elaborated

 “The most success I've seen students are students actually wanting to do something over the summer… they want to work, and not because of just money either, the money is a good plus, but it's because they want to”

Before applying for any job, always consider the rationale, why are you doing this? How is this benefitting you? 

Finding a job for the first time can be overwhelming. When applying for jobs and internships, individuals should ask several essential questions. How much does the jobpay? What are you interested in doing? What are the hours like? How vigorous is the work?

The most common job that many turn to is working in fast food. In early April 2024, the great state of California mandated that all fast food workers get paid a minimum of $20 an hour. Most big fast food corporations offer 401k plans. However they might have restrictions. For example, Starbucks offers a 401k for those 18 years or older, which one will get after at least 60 days of employment. With minimal certifications needed, and semi-flexible hours, this makes a solid job.

Retail is another solid option. Stores like Target, Ross, and even Trader Joe’s often hire teenagers, especially over the summer. Trader Joe’s even offers scholarships to workers who want to pursue a higher education. Working in retail also builds essential skills like teamwork and customer service, which can help later in future careers

Beside jobs, students can turn to internships. Lam stated in an interview, “Internships are great, though most of the deadlines have passed, internships offer hands-on experience and a classroom perspective.” He emphasizes the fact that though internships don't offer as much pay, they still have amazing benefits.

In the end, it's what students really want to do;money, parental influence, and other outside factors shouldn’t drive students to commit to things they don't want to do. Find your Ikigai, the Japanese concept to look at all aspects of what one desires to pursue.

1. Tongue Tied by GROUPLOVE

2. Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine 

3. The Thrill by Wiz Khalifa, Empire Of The Sun

4. Every Summertime by NIKI

5. Hell N Back (feat. Summer Walker) by Bakar, Summer Walker

6. Lost by Frank Ocean 

7. Are You Bored Yet? (feat. Clairo) by Wallows, Clairo

8. Mariposa by Peach Tree Rascals