Opinion

By: Congnan Lu

Many students in Lincoln think that their freshmen and sophomore year in high school can be effortless and relaxed. However, if getting into a UC or CSU are their goals, knowing what steps to take in these years will make their way easier.

Freshmen and sophomores can have a list of meaningful activities to do. Examples are, becoming involved in extracurricular activities, planning for next year’s classes, maintaining good grades, and exploring their interests.

Maintaining good grades is significant throughout high school years. Colleges mainly look at sophomore and junior years, but that doesn’t mean freshmen can have D’s and F’s without worrying. The minimum GPA required for getting into a UC is a 3.0, whereas CSU needs at least 2.0,so Ds and Fs may bring this down. SFUSD provides a High School Credit Recovery Program that helps students with D’s or F’s to improve their grades. It has five departments including evening school, online learning, Saturday school, summer school, and the City College of San Francisco’s Transitional Studies program. Students can recover their grades with these programs if they didn’t do well on a certain course, so one mistake will not ruin the goal of getting into college.

Extracurricular activities are also important for freshmen and sophomores. Colleges are more likely to accept a passionate and involved person who’s willing to contribute to society and have their talents displayed throughout four years. Joining a sports team or a club during freshman and sophomore year, can allow for more studying and focusing on academics when pressure is amplified during students junior and senior year. Volunteering is also recommended because it shows students’ giving back to their communities.

Planning for next year’s classes may be a difficult task for students who have not yet decided their interests. According to the A-G subject requirements, students need three years of social sciences, four years of english, three years of math, two years of lab sciences and foreign languages, one year of a visual performing art, and one year of a college prep elective in order to graduate. If students decided what field they are interested in, they can save more time and stress less instead of dropping classes after realizing they do not like that subject.

Exploring interests in freshman and sophomore years will support students in multiple aspects of school life. This establishes a goal which students can work towards in their freshmen year. When students have clear focus of what they are working towards, the process will be much more efficient. Students can also do extracurricular activities to demonstrate their interests. For example, if someone wants to be a teacher, he or she can sign up for after school programs to tutor kids. If someone wants to be a athlete, he or she can join sports teams and try to excel.

Getting into college doesn’t have to be a panic as long as students are willing to work for it. The first two high school years are times that can be very effectively used. So, starting to prepare their goals now, are strong recommendations to freshmen and sophomores.

By: Rocio Perez

  When stepping in the bathrooms at Lincoln High School do you get hit out of nowhere with a nasty smell and see dirty floors all the time. There are also people who don’t respect restrooms and don’t be conscious that there are others who use them. Everybody has different views on the bathrooms and some don’t even care. There are toilets that sometimes have pee or feces. It doesn’t take much to flush a toilet or put the the toilet paper inside. There’s also an issue with the mirrors, they are very blurry and scratched up. There should be some news one because you can barely see yourself in it.

  Samantha Barcenas a junior at Lincoln said, ”To be honest, I don’t like using the bathrooms here for the fact that they’re dirty, and the only reason I go in there is to look at myself. I can’t even see myself because the mirrors are dirty and blurry. Every time I go in there it’s dirty and unsanitary.”

  Brigitte Briseno, a senior said, ”Sometimes I don’t even enter because they’re                    so dirty especially the one on the first floor smells. Some girls be really dirty, they be leaving their feminine pads on the floor. Then there be even more disgusting girls who be clogging the toilets and others who just don’t flush it. Like, are we animals? Because I’m not! I be clean. Is this what they be doing at their own homes?”

  Sofia Sanchez, a senior said,”Janitors must feel disgusted by the bathrooms when they clean it up especially when it be smelling musty. And they even have to deal with it everyday. They should put some febreeze in there for those who take dumps. But sometimes they dont be cleaning them all the time.”

  Cristian Ruiz, a senior said,” All of the times I go in boys bathroom it smells like old pee and there is always trash on the floor and toilets be clogged. I feel like we can all contribute to do something about this situation like be more cleaner.”

  The bathrooms here can be improved if people would be more conscious that they are not the only ones that use the bathrooms. Everyone should do their part when it comes got the bathrooms, clean up after themselves and not to throw paper towels  on the floor. The janitors must feel grossed out that they have to clean bathrooms that are very dirty

By: James Stoneeipher

  This generation of teenagers have a behavioral problem, however many think they’re not doing anything wrong. This isn't a problem like a car breaking down, or losing your phone. This is an infection of bad behavior. To examine the problem we need to understand some of the outside factors that we cannot control. Some of these variables are: mental illness, behavioral disorders, condition of living, and even uncontrollable things on daily basis, like moods, or feelings. We also must look into the biggest factor of all, technology.

  The use of smartphones has disconnected us from face-to-face interactivity, and even has allowed us to disconnect from everything. In a sense, it means being able to see what we want, when we want, and how we want. We use these godly devices for vices, and to be as unproductive as possible.  However, some would argue the invention of the smartphone is a great port of information.

  Phones are a small part of the problem. Other reasons we have behavior problems are because of things like video games, Youtube, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and the list goes on. We can’t control who uses which websites, apps, games, etc. but we can control how much we, ourselves, use it. In one day, I probably spend two to three hours on my phone. Most of the time i’m looking at social media and rarely am I using it for research. However what I believe, like our previous generations, we have adapted and changed. That phones and video might not be the root of this problem.

  Instead of us being the problem, maybe in itself is that our teacher’s in life or parents or guardians are the problem. When i was six, I could ride a bike, swim, was potty-trained, and knew how to read. Most know how to do the same things at that age. However as I aged, I found out that many of my peers didn’t know the same things as me. Many didn’t know how credit cards worked and how to use one. I found that by age 12, I knew how to calculate more complex equations, and even had no problem with basic algebra. Even at age 12, I could ride the bus by myself anywhere, could shop, knew how bank accounts worked and had one, and knew how to change a tire. I knew how to address people and even got a little rowdy and into some trouble. Because nobody is perfect.

  In the long run, I knew what basic life was like for an adult, yet no one around me understood the things their parents had to do. With most work now a days, we have to figure things out for ourselves, this applies to basic tasks like homework, doing chores,  and even learning to . But many know that you must have good hygiene or address adults as “Sir”, “Ma’am”, “Ms.”, or “Mr.”
  If there's anything I’ve learned throughout seeing my peers, it’s that the failure of teaching them is a burden upon the previous generation’s. However, it is our heavier failure to attempt to act better to help progress the world for better for everyone. For if we continue on this path, when we become the oldest generation, there will be another article like this one for every generation. Until we realize we have to assume the power we will have as adults, we must change our ways to better advance the human species, and our very neighbors and brothers, sisters, cousins, and soon children, grandchildren, and all those that come after us.

By: Urban Tedeski

  For a long time, video games have been a problem for young developing minds. Many kids, especially teenagers, struggle with video game addiction, which is now a real psychological disorder. However, since the release of Fortnite, this problem has become worse. Fortnite is a free multi-platform battle royale game owned by Epic Games and has been a sweeping success, somehow. I say this because Fortnite is an objectively boring game. The goal is simple: kill as many people as you can and be the last one standing. That is all. The entire game is a game mode that is found in just about all First Person Shooter games. Despite this, the game has been wildly popular, even to the point where it has become an addiction for with some, and can’t seem to pull away from.

        The majority of people who play Fortnite are severely obsessed with the game, and allow it to consume a vast chunk of their time. People spend up to 10 hours a week playing the game, and additional time watching videos and live streams of it. In an interview with Beme News, a mother from Florida described the game as “crack” and pointed out how Fortnite gameplay is habit forming in the same way that gambling and slot machines are. Because of all the media attention it has garnered, everyone is continually trying to be the only winner out of 100 people each game. Every loss feels so close to a win, causing teens to want to try one more time, over and over again. The mother additionally said that she can’t pull her son away from the game, and how he is constantly trying and struggling to get the “victory royale,” a message that pops up on screen after winning a game. Despite her concerns, she has even hired her son a Fortnite coach, which brings me to my next point.

  On top of being an addicting game, it is also a black hole for money. People spend hundreds of dollars on in-game items and, “skins” to customize their character. Keep in mind, these items provide no advantage in game whatsoever. All items are cosmetic and useless, yet the community has associated these skins with being skilled in the game. As a result, Epic Games has made over $1.2 Billion since the end of May 2018. It’s not only Epic Games who is making money from this either; there are people who play Fortnite “professionally” for live audiences on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. These live streamers make thousands every month from ad revenue and donations, capitalizing on this new wave of Fortnite fans and addicts.

  In conclusion, Fortnite is an inherently boring game, which has become wildly popular. Both publishers and content creators are profiting off of these kids virtual addiction. No matter how much people say: “It’s just a game,” you can’t ignore the facts about people's use of it.

By: Noe Perez

  We all have different skin so, we take care of our skin in different ways. Finding the proper skin care routine for ourselves is very important, it is one of the many factors that contributes to our skin’s appearance. Here at Lincoln, we have teenage students. Our teen years happen to be the time of our lives when our skin goes through major changes. Our skin is our largest organ, visible to everyone, it is what determines our confidence in ourselves, it’s an indicator of whether or not we are healthy. I want students to know that good skin results from the simplest routines and that everything we consume affects it.

  It is told that good skin comes with using popular name brand products, when in reality these products are usually filled with chemicals that will most likely harm us in the long run. It is best to use products that are naturally derived from the earth such as oils, butters, toners, and clays.

  “ As of lately, I just ordered this new holistic skin care kit full of all natural ingredients like the juice of super fruits which helps lighten my acne scars. To remove my acne I use an aztec clay mask, to tone I use witch hazel, and to moisturize I use a serum made from fruits,” says Alexis Gomez, a junior.

  Another major factor that plays into the health and appearance of our skin is our diets. Eating nothing but junk food will result in greasy skin which is prone to acne. Not drinking enough water will dehydrate your whole body, and prevent yourself from being able to flush out toxins and rejuvenate your skin. The recommended intake of water for teenagers is at least eight to ten cups per day.

  “ I guess the healthy part of my diet would be that I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. I also try to drink a lot of water.. It’s mostly just because I’m thirsty, I think I have bad kidneys,” says Alisa Romagnoli, a junior.

  Many students feel that their skin is very important to them and they feel differently about themselves when their skin is flourishing versus when it’s breaking out.

  “ My skin is important to me because I’ve had a lot of problems with it in the past and it has definitely come a long way. I used to be stressed so I would break out often but now I have my own little routine which is helpful I’d say. Clear skin helps me with my confidence and when I’m breaking out, my self esteem lowers a bit,” says Laila Boston, a junior.

  Overall, healthy skin can only be achieved when you put effort into taking care of it. To have clear skin you should drink plentiful amounts of water and make sure that your body is nourished. Using pure and natural products will present the best results, try to steer away from using commercial ones.