Features

By Zoë Hsu Doo

Returning from an eventful winter break, Lincoln’s classrooms were suddenly led by unfamiliar faces as teachers were absent in large numbers. For some students, the absences were expected, with notices from their teachers before break. For others, the change came without warning. Teachers have been absent for various reasons, ranging from sabbatical leave and retirement to credential issues. As a result, several teachers, including math teacher Ramiro Raygosa, and Public Health Academy teacher, Eric Bringas, are currently absent from Lincoln’s halls. Whether for a week or nine months, the routines, structure, and expectations of a classroom shift significantly when a teacher is absent long-term, and students are feeling the effects.

“Going into this class, I obviously expected to have someone supporting me along the way, so it feels a bit empty now that the resource has vanished.” says Landon Kan Huy, a senior at Lincoln, describing his experience in his Statistics class with an absent teacher.

Vacant positions have been filled with both daily and long-term substitutes , or entirely new teachers. Substitute Brianna Carino has taken over Raygosa's Statistics and Algebra 1 classes while he is on medical leave. Due to her background in social science and history, Carino was originally brought in to be a long-term substitute for Jennifer Levine, the retired American Democracy and U.S. History teacher.

“On top of me being a stranger in the classroom, I’m also now having to relearn math for myself so that I can teach it to my students,” says Carino.

Despite best efforts from substitutes, students have reported a different learning environment. The Statistics class is now entirely digital, formatted for self-paced learning. 

“I’ve grown used to [digital self-paced lessons],” reflects Kan Huy, a student in Raygosa’s Statistics class. “Being at this school where teacher vacancies are the norm, while I'm still trying, I don't always fully understand the material." 

Carino notes that the impact of absences varies by the class rigor and subject. “[For] Algebra 1 class, I’m like, ‘I’ve got to get back to the basics to make sure I’m not setting my students up with the wrong foundations because they are going to end up in Algebra 2 and Geometry.’”  

Clear communication between teachers and students has helped certain students remain motivated, but many admit their engagement has declined. With less direct instruction time and more independent work, some students utilize in-class time for other subjects. However, experiences vary widely.

“Now, I feel like there are more assignments than I had with Mr. Bringas,” reflects Ella Ma, a sophomore in the Public Health Academy, now taught by Valerie Ziegler. “Before he left, we were doing body strength assessments and being more active in his class. Now, we are watching documentaries on public health and having to do a lot more work in a class period each day.”

The period between the teachers’ departure and the long-term substitutes’ arrival left students with idle time on their phones, leaving them unprepared for when the course starts up again. While students report more stability under credentialed long-term substitutes, the challenges of available materials and supporting students with IEPs still persist.

In Raygosa’s Probability and Statistics classes, made up of juniors and seniors, students often rely on peer support, allowing Carino to take a less hands-on role. In contrast, freshman Algebra 1 classes require more structure and direction. Charles Paulson, title, took over as interim math department head while Raygosa, the prior head of the math department, is gone. Along with his co-teachers Emma Christopher and Anthony Sourmany, Paulson has stepped in to support the students amid the transition.

While teacher absences may be unavoidable, their effects are not insignificant. Without consistent instruction and classroom stability, learning gaps can widen over time, leaving students to bridge the distance on their own.

By Orin Yu

The spring semester has started, and with that many seniors anxiously await responses from colleges. Over the break, most seniors finished submitting the last of their college applications. They can breathe a sigh of relief now that they are done, but others are already stressing about receiving decisions from colleges that they applied to early action or early decision for.

Early action and early decision are college application options that let students apply to colleges early, in order to get a decision letter early. Typically EA and ED applications are due in November, with decisions coming out during late January and February. While early action applications are typically the same as normal applications, just earlier, early decision applications are binding, meaning a prospective student has to commit to going to the school if you get in. 

Applying to a school with early action is a great way to show increased interest in a college, while early decision shows a school you are fully committed, as you must attend if you get in.

At Lincoln, many seniors who applied EA or ED are already receiving decision letters from schools. Each decision letter carries a lot of weight, as the contents could dictate how each senior spends the next four years of their life. 

Senior Cody Koh is finished with his college applications. He has been working on his applications since well before school started. 

“Seventeen out of 22 of the schools I applied to were early action. I spent the better half of the summer working on applications up until early action deadlines.” 

Despite having to put in so much work in the summer, Koh believes that the reduced stress during the school year made it worth it. 

“Applying early action gives me a better chance of getting in,” Koh states, “I can kind of relax now.” 

Koh has received acceptances from 10 of the schools he has applied to already. 

Not every senior applied EA or ED, however. Those who applied for regular decision will still be waiting for the next couple months. 

Senior Kim Huynh is also finished with her college applications, applying largely to regular decision. She is still waiting on key decision letters, but is happy to be done with all her applications. 

“I feel relieved because I don’t have to worry about applying anymore, but I also feel stressed about getting decisions,” Huynh states. 

The stress Huynh feels is largely due to waiting on one of her top choices, one that will let her achieve one of her dreams for college. 

“I want to go away from SF for college, so I really, really hope I get into UCSD.” 

UC decisions come out in March, quite a few months away. So Huynh has found ways to manage her stress: 

“I remind myself that my PIQs are really about me. If a college doesn’t think I’m the best fit, that's ok. Plus, I know that rejection is not, like, the end of the world. I can always transfer schools after my first year.”

As decision season continues, seniors balance anticipation and patience. Whether applying early or regular, seniors agree that the college process is stressful, but manageable. And as deadlines approach, students are doing their best to stay grounded while preparing for what comes next.

By Yasmine El Hattab

Despite ranking among the most expensive cities in the country, San Francisco still offers an abundance of romantic experiences that require little more than time, curiosity and a willingness to make distance, whether it be walking or public transit. 

From coastal paths and public pathways to world recognized art museums, the city rewards intimacy without the demand of financial damage. 

One of the newest additions to San Francisco’s free landscape is the transformation of the Great Highway into a pedestrian-friendly space along the city's western edge. Following the passage of Proposition K, the former highway now functions as a public space, known as the Sunset Dunes, stretching roughly four miles between Ocean Beach and the Outer Sunset neighborhood. Along the route, visitors encounter stake parks, exercise structures, hammocks and murals painted directly into the pavement. The Highway has stops, specifically benches and seaside locations for sitdown experiences, making for a good picnic. Throughout the day, the space fills with cyclists, runners, families, dog walks, and neighborhood groups. The Sunset Dunes offer a variety of experiences, whether that be a good nap on a hammock or a beachside picnic—all good options for a fun and beautiful outdoor date. 

Just inland, Golden Gate Park remains one of the city's most expansive and famous free attractions. Spanning more than 1,000 acres, the park anchors San Francisco's outdoor culture and offers miles of walking paths, lakes, open meadows and gardens. Visitors can walk through windmills, Stow Lake, and even small herds of bison. The park's quieter trails provide beautiful sights and peaceful walks, while busier areas host cyclists, runners, tourists, and occasional free public events such as music performances, dance activities and roller skating events. The park provides a multitude of landscapes, locations and experiences, all perfect settings to go for a walk, have a picnic or simply enjoy time together. 

Tucked within Golden Gate Park, the San Francisco Botanical Garden and the Conservator of Flowers offers beautiful views. With fields filled through lanes of curated plants from around the world, the park offers an intimate experience with nature. Both parks are filled with a variety of nature, spanning from small flowers to entire trees. Secluded benches and open lawns provide space for talking, sitting and a beautiful walk. The Botanical Garden is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every day, and the Conservatory of Flowers provides a free experience at all times of the day.

For couples drawn indoors, San Francisco’s museums provide free opportunities to explore art and architecture. The de Young Museum, also located within Golden Gate Park, offers free admission to Bay Area residents every Sunday. The copper building features a twisting observation tower with views of the park and city skyline. The museum houses permanent collections spanning American art from the 17th through 21st century, as well as African, Oceanic and textile arts, all spread across multiple floors, providing a unique art viewing experience unseen elsewhere. 

Far downtown, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art offers another accessible art viewing experience. With free admissions for those 18 and under, the gallery also features large large public galleries alongside smaller installations. The museum features rotating installations, digital works, murals, large-scale contemporary art alongside smaller exhibits. With hands-on drawing exhibits, painting, sculpture, photography, design and media, SFMOMA provides a compelling indoor destination that brings world renowned art at no expense. 

The city hides beautiful opportunities free of charge whether its oceanside, through a parkland or indoors. San Francisco is a city full of free experiences if you're willing to look and give romance a finance-free try. 

By Lola Snopkowski

As course selection nears, the imminent pressure of which classes to take for next year looms over all except seniors. Freshmen are looking forward to new, more challenging classes and deciding whether to try out their first AP course or continue with their world language. Sophomores are figuring out how to stack up challenging classes to stand out to colleges without overwhelming themselves, and juniors are trying to lighten the load while maintaining rigor in their final year of high school.

There are many routes to course selection, but two stand out: either take challenging classes to gain knowledge and stand out to colleges, or take classes for fun and enjoyment. Both routes have proven to be successful, and it ultimately depends on the type of student you are and your plans after high school. 

Current senior Phoebe Seigel, who took the maximum number of AP classes throughout her time in high school, advises others to find classes that test them, and that not only look good on college applications but also relate to topics they enjoy. 

She states, “I think a [big] part of school is knowing how and when to challenge yourself.” 

Similarly, don’t “overbook” yourself. If you’re a student-athlete or have a job, make sure you have enough time to attend training and practices, or work, while still succeeding in school.

She took most of her classes to look good on college applications, but chose them specifically, knowing her interests and strengths. 

As a humanities oriented student, one of her favorite classes was AP Language and Composition, which is widely recognized for its demanding workload.

 Despite that, it remained one of her favorites because the teacher, Shamira Gratch, always kept the class engaging and fun while still challenging. 

She has also been in Green Academy, taught by Valerie Ziegler, since her sophomore year, and it is one of her favorite classes because of its unconventional class structure. One of her many highlights was the cooking classes, in which they just learned how to cook every Wednesday.

Academies are similar to electives, but you take them from sophomore year through your senior year. They are also cohorted, meaning, typically, other classes will include the same group of people in that academy. Lincoln will offer four academies next year: Green Academy, focusing on the environment and nature, Teacher Academy, focusing on childcare, Business Academy, focusing on business, and Digital Media & Design Academy, focusing on audio and video editing.

All academies are taught very hands-on and go on many field trips all around the city.

On the other hand, senior Jerry Hou took a different approach than Seigel, aiming to take classes for enjoyment. He believes that course selection should reflect the classes you want to take, not those you take simply for college applications. 

“Choose classes that you’d like and not classes that you need,” he states.

Despite this, certain classes are needed for graduation, but once all required classes are completed and theres more freedom in ones schedule, classes can be picked soleley for enjoyment. 

One class he regretted taking was AP Environmental Science in his junior year because he thought it was too difficult and did not reflect well on his transcript. 

His favorite class was PE because it was fun and gave him a chance to play basketball after a long day of school. This led to him continuing to take PE electives beyond the minimum requirement of two years. 

He took this route in high school because his goal was to play baseball in Junior College, very different from Phoebe's goal of attending a four year college and becoming a journalist. 

Counselor Omar Campos states, “You have to show colleges that you took classes outside of the norm in the form of AP or concurrent enrollment classes.”

AP classes are useful, but they require a lot of work, and you have to get a four or five on the exam in order for it to count for college credit.

 At Lincoln, they are also very challenging to get into due to high demand and limited class spaces, which is why Campos also states, “The hack is to take dual enrollment classes, and the reason being is because a three unit college level course is worth two high school letter grades.”

Currently, Lincoln offers Psychology of Race and Ethnic Relations, and Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology, which are college classes taught directly on campus. Still, you can also take classes online or on a college campus through the dual enrollment program at either CCSF, Canada College, Skyline College, or College of San Mateo.

City college classes can free up space in your schedule for free periods, allow you to fulfill your credits early and take extra classes, or explore a new subject not offered through high school. 

Course selection can hold a huge pressure of who you want to become, and if you know what you want to study or what you want to be, then choosing your classes should reflect that. If you don't,  exploring a variety of fields can be useful. For example, if you want to pursue a major in the STEM or  medical field, you should double up on science or math, whereas if you want to pursue an English or social studies major, you should take AP World or AP U.S. History and double up on English. If you have no idea, then taking a couple of classes in a variety of subjects that you find interesting can help you solidify your choices.

Finding the right classes to take can be tricky, but as long as you can figure out your strengths and weaknesses, you’ll be able to find the right fit for yourself.

Whether you're like Seigel, trying to take the most competitive classes, or you're like Hou, finding enjoyment in your class selection, both sides and everything in between can produce successes.