News

By Quincy Fulton

It’s an early morning with wind that feels like a dust storm slapping across your cheek. The darkness from the lively night is only just beginning to fade. You lean your head out into the street in anticipation of seeing the yellow lights of the bus slicing through the fog, but alas, nothing comes. Rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet, you remember you have a group project due first period. Delay after delay alerts until the birds are chirping and the sun is shining, and you’re left wondering, where the hell is this bus?

This is the reality Bay Area students may have to face if the SFMTA budget crisis continues. With loans consistently running out and deficits looming, transport officials are preparing to take drastic measures. Efforts like cutting bus lines, reducing frequencies of BART and MUNI trains to once per hour, and firing sanitation workers are all potential options for debate.

Since the 2020 pandemic, MUNI has been relying heavily on preserving government loans, struggling to finally carve out a source of legitimate funding. Although ridership has been increasing, paid ridership has only peaked at 75 percent of its pre-pandemic levels, and loans are running dry, inciting economic panic and noticeable drops in service and repairs. 

Recently, California Governor Gavin Newsom approved a $750 million dollar public transit relief loan, set to run out in 2027, continuing the nail biting cycle. 

However, all hope is not lost: a parcel tax, poised to appear on ballots in the next election, is set to raise one billion dollars annually for necessary transportation infrastructure, but the consequences of its failure could be heart wrenching.

Aaron Liefer, the head chair of the SFMTA Citizens Advisory Council and representative of the Castro and Noe Valley District 8 comments on the potential turmoil: “If the parcel tax doesn’t pass, then the cuts are going to be dire. I mean, we’re looking at maybe losing 20% of all MUNI rides.” 

SFMTA is pinching pennies and squeezing revenue out of any place they can. Already, parking meters have raised their prices by as much as double in some districts due to the shrinking number of cars parked in garages. There were changes to five bus lines on weekdays, including the 5 Fulton, the 9 San Bruno, and the 31 Balboa. The 6 Haight-Parnassus route was also completely combined with the route of the 21 Hayes everyday. 

MUNI researched extensively on which buses were most crucial to commuters by posing surveys and creating public outreach events, including a youth advisory event, but the cuts still feel overwhelming for many.

The effect on students, besides the obvious, could be even more pitiful.

 Liefer commented pensively, “I think the pain would be felt pretty much all over the place. We’d probably see a lot more crowding. I know a lot of students, for example, ride the 28 bus, and that would probably get a whole lot worse.” 

Abraham Lincoln junior and persistent bus rider Samuel Pemberton comments “Everyone I know takes MUNI everywhere. [If buses were cut to once per hour] the crowding would get so uncomfortable. I wouldn’t be able to get around.”

On recent service changes, Pemberton notes “I get to the bus stop and it has just left, and the delays never end.”

Uncertainty is palpable in student circles around MUNI’s free rides for youth, too. Nothing is off the table, but would SFMTA cut the equitable program, only recently established in 2021, extending free rides to those under 19? Students aren’t ready to see that reality. 

Pemberton and other students alike utilize this program daily as their main mode of transportation, and, further emphasizing the outrage, junior Gloria Moran states, with others echoing, “I wouldn’t pay.”

Where it is clear MUNI needs money, it’s just as crystal that students need MUNI, especially to get to school. A San Francisco without MUNI is unimaginable, and the SFMTA is an integral part of its most vulnerable citizens’ lives. With so many young commuters coming and going routinely, cuts and deficits feel prominent in the lives of autonomous young adults. The fate of the beloved San Francisco transportation is still in the hands of the state and the SFMTA, for now, until ballots come out.

By Phoebe Seigel

When the news broke last spring that the entirety of Lincoln’s former administrative team, headed by Shari Balisi, was leaving, many had worries about the direction of one of San Francisco's most populous public high schools. Stepping in to fill the empty role is Marisol Arkin, and one of her assistant principals, Jen Fried. Both administrators have big ideas and goals for Lincoln this year. 

Arkin resides at school in an office full of fidget toys, with comfy chairs and an open-door policy. 

“If my door’s open,” says Arkin, “that means anyone can come in and chat.”

 This policy highlights a critical way in which Arkin plans to lead Lincoln through this year and beyond. She describes her leadership style as collaborative–she wants to hear other people’s perspectives, and is open to disagreements. 

“I think disagreements are healthy. I don’t look at it as somebody being disrespectful, or a threat,” she says. 

This year, Arkin’s main priority is to work with and listen to Lincoln staff, as a way to indirectly help students. 

“I feel like if staff feel respected and trusted, then they’ll do the best they can for students,” she says.

 She truly emphasizes the importance of building a trustworthy environment, hence her beliefs on disagreements and having an open door. Arkin wants people to feel that she actually wants what’s best for them and wants to create a school community where everyone is learning, happy, and has opportunities beyond high school. That’s her goal. 

Lincoln is not a school out of Arkin’s comfort zone–she’s worked at large high schools for 15 out of her 16 years as an administrator. Last year, Arkin was the principal at James Lick Middle School, and while she enjoyed her time there, she missed the conversations she would have with high school students. 

“One of the things I love about teaching high school students is, like, you can really have a lot of conversations about the future and just what are their plans and trying to figure out, like, your ‘why?’, and those kinds of things are really fun.” 

Jen Fried, one of Lincoln’s new assistant principals, shares a similar sentiment. Having worked alongside Arkin at James Lick last year, Fried is enjoying this shift to high school administration.

“I am really enjoying being with high school students and the conversations I’m having with them.” 

This is Fried’s third year as an administrator. Having previously been a teacher, Fried compares working in the classroom to nurturing a garden: you get to create a space of your own, where you get to work closely with students. Administration, she says, is a huge shift away from this garden. 

“All of a sudden you go to working much more with adults, and you’re sort of like the teacher of the adults on campus, supporting their learning, and it’s just a big shift,” she admits. 

She also laments that the scope of her responsibilities as administrator widens– instead of just worrying about a classroom full of students, she’s worrying about a whole school of them. Now, she says, she’s forced to think about a school event, like Fall Fest, from a larger perspective, having to do things like letting teachers and the attendance office know which students are getting out early, and notifying security of the event to ensure everything goes smoothly. 

Fall Fest, and other events like it, play into an important aspect of Fried’s job at Lincoln. Fried is focused on working with clubs and ASB, and has been working closely with Grant Wong, the new ASB instructor. Admitting she was never really involved in clubs as a high schooler herself, Fried has been excited to dive into this new position. 

“It’s been really fun to just see how many students are involved on campus and the large number of clubs there are, and how it feels like there really is something for every student.”

On this note, one of Fried’s main goals for this year is to get every Lincoln student involved with an activity that allows them to feel connected to the school community, as a way to ease the trials and tribulations of high school.

“It really helps with some of the challenges people go through in high school when they have a space where they feel like they belong, and they have a group of friends that they feel like they’re doing something positive with,” she says. 

Despite the positive outlook Fried and Arkin have for this school year, welcoming a new administration has not been without challenges for both students and staff. Wong, the new Associated Student Body coordinator, has faced this adjustment firsthand, admitting that it has been somewhat difficult to work with Fried to coordinate between clubs and sponsors in a way that ensures everyone feels like their voice is being heard.

“It is a challenge for us this year, as the way things were before are being changed,” says Wong. 

Still, Wong emphasizes the importance of being adaptable and able to adjust to the new changes, like new bathroom passes and rules about handling money at events like club fair, being made at Lincoln. Joyce Ye, senior class president, feels similarly. 

Though she recognizes that having an entirely new administrative team is a huge change that Lincoln students and staff have to adapt to, she can understand where the administration is coming from, and encourages students to empathize with them. 

“They’re doing their best,” says Ye.

By Martin Situ

Over the past three years that archery has existed as a part of San Francisco’s JROTC program, Abraham Lincoln High School has swept the competition, dominating by placing first all three years.

Starting this school year, JROTC archery will be held throughout the fall semester and into the beginning of the spring semester.  In place of a single competition in January, the SFUSD JROTC Brigade has created an archery league, splitting San Francisco into a North and South division.

The North division consists of Abraham Lincoln High School, George Washington High School, and Galileo High School.  The South division consists of Lowell High School, Balboa High School, and Mission High School.

Starting October 15th, teams will compete against one another every Wednesday until November 26th, when the winners of the North and South divisions face off.  However, more is at stake than just being archery champion of San Francisco; the winner will be given the opportunity to compete at the JROTC National Archery Championship on May 14th and 15th at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

These changes did not come without discord.

This school year’s archery commander, Michelle Ye, expresses some frustration with this new change, stating, “This year was very rushed compared to previous years where we had months to prepare.”  

The team's second-in-command, Christine Kang, indicated similar annoyances with the archery league, feeling like the team is in a tricky spot.  

“The fault is on the schedule of the league, and the dates came out quite suddenly, which surprised me.”

However, this year is not all bad. 

Kang is in awe of the team's growth, stating, “There [are] much more people than the last two school years. I'm glad to see that there's a lot more people interested this year.”

Lincoln’s archery team continues to practice after school on Monday and Tuesday from 4-6 p.m., and on Wednesday mornings as they hope to continue their dominance.

By Sylvia Liu

This school year, six schools’ physical education (PE) uniform policy was changed. Full uniforms were reinstated after a survey sent out by the district asking students what they wanted. It was released last semester, during the 2024-2025 school year, for students to fill out. The PE uniforms that were given out after COVID were only a T-shirt, but now they include a sweatpant, shorts, sweatshirt, and a T-shirt. ​This policy benefits the teachers.

  Last year, before full uniforms were given out at Lincoln High School, Coach Phillip Ferrigno stated, “People who were not involved with PE that were around school were going around and just hopping into our classes.” 

That has since decreased; the uniforms give a clear distinction between those in the class and those who are not. In the class, the new passports this year also helped cut down on people skipping class.

Another benefit Coach Phillip Ferrigno mentioned was that uniforms encourage hygiene and enable students to exercise without getting their own clothes dirty. 

Accessible uniforms stand as a way for students to be able to feel comfortable while exercising. It also provides a way for students to safely exercise. 

Coach Vince Tang, a PE teacher, expressed “I hope they will be able to provide future classes with the same uniform.” 

It has been around two months since school started, and the feedback on the uniforms has been positive. 

Lukas Rogers, a freshman at Lincoln, stated, “Even though the sizing of the uniforms is weird and I need to take them home every week to wash them, the uniforms aren't that bad. At least I am not sweaty in my normal clothes.”

The uniforms are helpful to the teachers and students; opinions aren’t all in unison. The uniforms benefit many, but some view them as an extra step in their day.  There are many circulating thoughts around having uniforms in school. A Freshman, Jackson Canoon, stated, “I think the uniforms are nice, but they don't benefit me much since I already bring the right clothes to PE.” The uniforms seem to be appreciated by students though yet it doesn’t seem to be useful since they bring clothes fitted for PE. 

By Abigail Park

After a month of online public outreach, Charlie Yang, NGSS Physics and AP Physics teacher, raised $547 by September 19th, 2025. For the 2025-2026 school year, over $100 million was cut from the San Francisco Unified School District budget, heavily impacting the Abraham Lincoln High School science department since they regularly require consumable resources for lab experiments like dissections and circuit-building. The exact amount cut from Lincoln’s science department cannot be disclosed, but is large enough for teachers to seek outside funding.

“Science is an expensive subject to teach,” said Dawn Rege, the head of the science department, “and we want to make sure that our students have hands-on learning experiences in class.”

Supervised by Rege, the science department continuously seeks outside grants through resources like the Parent Teacher Student Association, Synopsis, and the Gates Foundation to upkeep the annual $30,000 cost of science class materials. 

Since Yang lacked the funding to provide proper materials for students to maximize the depth of their physics engagement, such as whiteboard stands, calculators, and even a new pendulum, he initiated his own fundraiser through the DonorsChoose website. 

DonorsChoose allows people from anywhere in the world to contribute money to teachers in need of new classroom tools. Yang hopes his efforts, with support from friends, family, coworkers, and strangers, will foster genuine collaboration and effective learning among students, despite his cramped classroom environment.

“By having the whiteboard stands, it’s a lot easier for people to look at other people’s ideas and learn from them without having to walk over,” Yang stated. “It’s a lot more natural that way.”

Not only is Yang looking forward to promoting a more welcoming and engaging space for his own students; he is also excited to share his soon-to-arrive whiteboard stands, calculators, test dividers, and worksheets with his neighboring science teachers’ classes. 

Former AP Physics student Hayden Young agrees with NGSS Physics student Yasmine El Hattab. She states, “Higher quality and greater amounts of supplies to support our large class would have enhanced our learning experience.”

Despite ongoing challenges, Yang and all science teachers continue to find new opportunities, with goals of improving learning experiences for all students. NGSS Biology teacher Mark Lau is currently raising $4,566 for chemically-resistant tables through DonorsChoose for safe, hands-on learning.

“The funding is a larger picture than just our school’s science department,” said Rege, “but we [Lincoln science teachers] always make sure we have additional funds.”

By Zoe Hong

In 2025, Lincoln welcomed a new administration team including Principal Marisol Arkin, Assistant principal Jen Fried, and the now Associated Student Body coordinating director, Grant Wong, to take on the challenge of managing Lincoln's 80 plus clubs. This new leadership has implemented new rules they hope will ensure the safety of all students, improve communication, and organize Lincoln into a safer community. 

As of this year, club communication will be facilitated through the adult club sponsors rather than club presidents. Money should now be watched by and turned into the accountant by the club sponsors. Clubs are no longer permitted to sell food during school hours, and administration will do rounds on clubs during lunch to ensure that every club is running safely and smoothly.

According to Wong, “The idea is centralized communication. Leadership can still run through students, but teachers should be there to scribe decisions and communicate them back to ASB.”

The administration expressed that student safety is their number one priority. By relying on club sponsors to take a more active role in overseeing their club, administrators hope not to diminish student leadership opportunities of running a club, but to allow for a safer campus. Arkin envisions that students will still be able to count money, manage spreadsheets, and make financial decisions, now under the supervision of their sponsor. 

For clubs with a part time teacher as a sponsor, such as the Gay Straight Alliance, administration encourages communication with the main office and assures the idea is not to be punitive if clubs find issue with the new rules. 

The organizational efforts of Lincoln's new administration team have not only manifested in a new email chains with club sponsors, but also in the work of ASB drawing out table numbers during club events so clubs now know where to set up during events.

Club events are now essential as the new administration says clubs are no longer permitted to sell during lunch as to not compete with the cafeteria during breakfast or lunch.

According to the  2019 SFUSD Nutritional Guidelines, the last time there was major updates to what foods were banned , "[Competitive foods] cannot be served or sold at the same time as federally funded meal programs.”

Students are allowed to sell homemade food that was not prepared at school during these events to further ensure the safety of the students.
“They don't want [...] [the] potential [to] cut your finger, all that kind of stuff.” says Arkin

To subsidize club incomes, administration encourages kids to fundraise outside of school hours safely.

Administration also revealed during a club sponsor meeting they will be going around when they can to ensure all clubs are running smoothly and to limit clubs with no members that effectively don’t meet.
“Clubs are meant to be fun and interesting and a good time,” says Arkin.

With over 80 clubs in Lincoln, administration expressed concern that some clubs were registered but didn’t meet, which makes coordinating with these clubs much harder for events such as Fall Fest. These club check-ins are not to actively cut clubs, but to make sure clubs are safe, collaborative, and purposeful. 

With the implementation of these new rules, administration hopes to improve the welfare of all students and work together with clubs to create a safer school environment.

By Sophie Ng

On September 23rd, visitors of the JROTC student store were greeted by a notice: “JROTC Store will be [closed] permanently after today [...] Today is the last day we are open. Thank you!”

The JROTC student store has been known for selling food, snacks, and beverages during lunch in the JROTC room to fund the program’s endeavors – a practice that extends back to the 1990s. 

However, the California Code of Regulations states, “Competitive food sales (fundraisers, student stores, vending machines) cannot operate in conflict with the school food program.”

While this rule was not previously enforced, the new administration has been taking measures to ensure Lincoln follows district policy. JROTC was notified on September 23rd that SFUSD policy forbids the sale of prepared foods and the sale of food during lunch. Cadets attempted to continue selling packaged goods and confections before and after school, but later learned selling before school was also prohibited since the cafeteria serves breakfast in the morning. 

“The JROTC store has been the backbone of our funding, [so] we’re definitely scrambling,” states Abigail Park, Cadet Lieutenant Colonel. 

The JROTC student store has been fundamental in financing not only Lincoln events, but supporting other schools’ JROTC programs. Lincoln is a part of the San Francisco JROTC Brigade, a district-wide organization consisting of seven public schools in the city. The Brigade offers leadership opportunities for cadets and promotes competitions between the schools. 

“We’re one of the more well-off programs. We give money to the Brigade to help support other schools. Without the other schools’ programs, there [would be] less competitive spirit among the cadets,” Park elaborates.

Aidan Bolosan, JROTC’s Operations Officer, adds that the student store gave cadets work opportunities. The program’s Finance and Accounting department previously ran the store and cadets gained hands-on experience managing the sale of goods and money.

“[Closing the store] takes away their opportunity to teach [...] cadets financial management and learn as leaders. It taps into a career-technical [aspect],” Bolosan argues.

The issue of personal taste and convenience for students has also been brought up. Due to Lincoln’s geographical location, most off-campus food spots require students to travel up and down hills.

“A lot of students don’t like cafeteria food [...], so they end up going hungry. Their alternative is to get food from the JROTC store. It’s better to eat something than nothing,” Park says. “It’s a lot safer than going down to Taraval and decreases [the] chance of tardiness.” 

Traffic to the JROTC room has also slowed down. 

“There’s less people now,” Bolosan adds. “[In the past], I’d see cadets and non-cadets alike sitting at the same table, talking about their day, socializing, [and] sharing a meal. The JROTC room was a place for students to meet and for communities to form and grow.”

A petition to reopen the store is currently in the works. JROTC plans on hosting it physically, available for all Lincoln students to sign. The petition is expected to begin circulating late October.

By Ariana Lopez

The new administration created  bathroom policies at the start of the school year to keep students safe by having adult supervision around the bathrooms. Students have to carry a blue passport around with them. The bathrooms often remain locked, especially the new building, and  first floor bathrooms. The bathrooms are in bad conditions most of the time, with floods everywhere, dirty mirrors, clogged toilets, and no toilet paper.

  Bathrooms being locked has been an ongoing issue since last year, causing students  to go all over the school just to look for an open bathroom. This has resulted in students arriving tardy to class. According to a sample of the student body, an anonymous Lincoln freshman stated that an issue they had faced is “missing learning time to try and find an open bathroom.” 

Students miss a huge chunk of their  lessons because they need to go across the school just to go to the bathroom.  Students as well have complained about the state that the bathrooms are found. 

Cerise Hui, junior at Lincoln High school said “There is a long wait in the girl’s bathroom due to numerous people clogging the stalls, and some stalls are out of order or have doors that are broken.” Bathroom malfunction increases the bathroom policy frustration by having less bathrooms available. 

Isabel Corona who is a Junior stated in the survey “I feel like it negatively affects people because it makes other people, including me, late to class” Most of the time the bathrooms are low on supplies—for example,  no toilet paper, and no soap; either soap dispensers are empty or there is no soap dispenser. Isabel states “Sometimes there would be no toilet paper in the bathroom stalls for days.”

This year the admins have added a blue passport as a hallway pass. The blue passport is a sign-out sheet that kids have to carry with them around the hallways as a pass. Teachers have to sign these sheets for students and students have to write what class they are leaving, where they are going, the time they are leaving, and the time they come back. As a general opinion students consider the blue passport pointless. “It's not enforced by security so it's pointless. [They are] a waste of paper and taxpayer dollars”stated Aidan Bolosan, a senior at Lincoln. 

Mina Reyes, who is also a senior, said “ I think it's a waste of paper and it’s useless. Most kids leave class to use the bathroom or get water, so I think it is a hassle to go through this whole process just to leave class.”

The purpose of the new bathroom policies is to keep students safe. Bathrooms that remain unlocked are bathrooms with adult supervision, including the first floor main office, second floor main building, and first floor new building.  

Ms. Fried, the assistant principal, reported “Students have shared that there is stuff going around in the bathroom like graffiti and peer conflict like people talking smack…overall, the purpose is wanting adult supervision in the bathrooms to keep everyone safe.” The first and and second floor bathrooms in the main building are the bathrooms that will remain open—however, Ms.Fried said “If second and first floor bathrooms are not open, it is because of maintenance, and if that happens, let the adults know so we can open the bathrooms or identify another bathroom to open.”

Although adding the new policies did not make much of a difference, the assistant principle said “Students feel some adult presence, and if they don’t, they know that there are adults nearby who can help them.

Ella Lal

On April 12th, the air around the Sunset Dunes park was buzzing with excitement. The Sunset Dunes, previously the Great Highway, was officially open. The opening entertainment was complete with a ribbon cutting ceremony, live music, and an ecstatic crowd ready to enjoy the park. 

The goal of this new public space is to accommodate the needs of visitors with a variety of activities and amenities.These visitors include  old couples taking their daily walk, parents teaching their kids to ride their bikes, or joggers exercising. 

There are plenty of sitting areas dotting the path, and near Taraval street  are the frequently-in-use hammocks. Near where the park connects to Sloat street are the skaters and bikers—both young and old—performing tricks on the public ramps. On Taraval, Noriega, and Judah there are public bathrooms and water fountains. Beneath the feet of patrons there are colorful artworks decorating the path. The most unique feature of the park is the stunning view of the ocean. 

The city has made efforts for accessibility, with entrances to the beach on every street connection including ramps. 

For some residents, the closure of the Great Highway has been a positive experience, like Yasmine El Hattab, who lives only 2 blocks away from the Sunset Dunes. 

Ms. El Hattab stated “I think it’s fun, I like seeing other people on the [closed] Great highway,” she continues, “I think there’s more people there—people bring their kids more, plus there’s more to do there now.”

Although the new park is gaining a lot of traction and popularity, some people in the Sunset district are not happy about this new development. So much so that district residents are pushing their representative to be recalled. 

On September 16th,, residents of District 4 sat anxiously waiting for the votes of Proposition A to be counted. Proposition A would recall Joel Engardio from his seat serving as the Representative of District 4 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors is a legislative branch of San Francisco consisting of eleven members, each member representing one of the citys districts. 

Engardio was elected on November 8th, 2022, and he was supposed to serve a full four years until the next scheduled election took place on November 3rd, 2026. 

 However, his term was ultimately cut short due to 13,332 people—more than 60% of District 4—voting yes on Prop A. The recall started with a petition requiring at least 9,911 signatures from San Francisco residents to be submitted. The petition was submitted to the Department of Elections on May 22nd, 2025 with 10,523 valid signatures and was then certified by the Department of Elections on May 29th, 2025. 

In the months leading up to the recall, on any block in the Sunset district,  a myriad of signs posted in the windows of homes and businesses plainly declaring “Recall Engardio” could be seen. 

Supporters of the recall claim that Engardio promised to keep the Great Highway Compromise, but then later changed his mind and put Prop K on the ballot. Recall supporters argue that Engardio should’ve consulted with his community before putting Prop K on the ballot. However, on December 6th, 2022, Engardio stated on Twitter,affirming his support for the permanent closure of the Great Highway, “My husband and I enjoy the Great Highway most as a park. It’s good that the city supervisors will let it be a park on the weekends until 2025. I believe the future is a permanent oceanside park.” 

The compromise would have kept the highway open on the weekdays and closed it on the weekends to be used as a park. Prop K permanently closed The Great Highway and converted it into a park, now referred to as Sunset Dunes. Residents of District 4 were against the closing of the Great Highway because they felt that there would be an increase in commuting times. Many residents complained that the closure of the Great Highway added about five extra minutes to their morning commutes. According to SFMTA's Spring 2025 Outer Sunset Traffic Data Report, Sunset Boulevard saw a 28% increase in average daily traffic. Lincoln Way had no increase in traffic post Great Highway Closure. Sloat Boulevard saw a 38% increase in average daily traffic.

The debate about the opening of the Sunset dunes is quite intense. It’s easy to see why many commuters are upset with its opening. However, many see the recall of Engardio to be unwarranted and a step too far.