Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell

EDITORIALS,
Garbage problem is not solved
la the pat, awry student* and teachers have cciuplained
ybut tJ« garbage problem in the halts, but U banning fox!
fiocn the trukllnf the answer?
l£U seraeixr, the administration's solution to the gar*
bagc problen: wai to close room 2AC (the rcom used by
organizations to sell food) if the halls h&d been dirty the
day before. Since the Depanroent of Hcak'i ha* banned
the selling cf food in that room for sanitary reasons, the
admin Islrattrs hive had to use «i alternttc solution.
The alternative they have chosen U to prohibit food
anywhere in the building except in the cafeteria. If the
student* do not want 10 cat in the cafeteria, they have u>
cm m ihecouityaid or on the grounds around the Kliool.
This food bin wis made to try to eliminate the gaftxge
In the fcalU becnue the problrm was very bad bst year.
"Ttiey want us to eat outside,
but all the garbage cans are inside^
__
By the end of lie day. there were piles of wrappers, bags,
anri oilier unied pieces of litter on the floors thrcughoui
the emir? xhool.
* Many students protest eating ifl the cafeteria because
it U "oracrowded and unclean." Principal Alan Fih-sh
Cfacrd that the dinincst is caused by the neglect of students
to pick l*p after themselves, much like the problem in the
halii. Students also complain aboui the horrible smell, but
Fibish said that 0\e Board of Health has no complaints
about it.
Thr other opjon students have is to eat ouuide the
building. Since there is not much room »n the cwrryard.
this forces students to go farther away from their classes
to cat their lutrhes. such as the fuld near Sronestown.
During die fitstww days of school, many fcCzde^tstifed
to obey lie rule, but it became very inconvcment, so many
people cow just ejt anywhere they pleas?.
The majority of the faculty is not enforcing the rule,
so student! are beginning to forget about it. to fact, many
of the teachers eat their iunches in the building cnl allow
food to be eaten ir. their classes.
Fibish has a>tal the faculty to enferec the rule and to
«ct a gon»i example by nol bringing food in the building,
but only a handful have conformed. He hopes to gel more
rapport in the future, but enforcing this rule might cause
'some problems.
Ow problem the Khool might encounter is the garage
might accumulate on the grounds. As junior Howard Chen
roled. "They (the administrators) want us to eat outside,
but a>l the garbage cam arc iniiile."
The lack of garbage cens u another problem the school
is facing. Many students do not want to bother carrying
all their wrappers and containers with them, so they just
leave them laying t">cnu the floor or put them inu* empty
lockc;*.
One major problem will be trying to enforce thr: rule
v hen it starts getting cold and rainy. Ca i this rule be enforced
when it rkint?
Fib tin admhi be will have to bend the rile when it rains,
but he would like the student* to en in the cafeteria or
in the breezeway, tfic covered walkway lietwecn ih^ gym
area and the outtidc beancry. when the vcaiher worsens.
The breezeway is a nice place to cat, but net wht-n it
rains. When the rains come, the tempcrabtrc usually tirop*
to about the mid 50s and sometimes the breezeway lives
up to its name by becoming very windy.
The cx.vpuon to the eating rule occurs only on bad
weather day*. *o 9 Mudent is violating 11 school ntle if
he or ihe is eating Li the building any other day. The
puRunmcnt so fnr for breaking the rult has been « lecture
and a pusli outside 10 finish his or her lunch.
Fibish does not expect to change the puiushmrm. He
The Utopian high school
h is the yru" 191,9, and the California State Lottery lias
bcv.1 operating for three years.
As provided in the lottery's duner, funds from the sale
of lottery tickets have been pouring into die State budget
for education. In just throe yean, the program has gencrated
sufficient educational revenues to fund a program
of monetary awards for outstanding teachers.
Tctcben who denoostnste superior performance in the
citssroooi can now earn up to 50 percent 01 their salary
as boom compeouiioru They c*a also receive special recogiuiiaa
for unusual cmtivity or innovation in the presentation
cf subject matter. Funds are also available; to
encourage further education for die Stale's tescnen.
Monies are now goto* into the enrkhmmt of educational
programs for the disadvantaged. These stude.tts arc
able to receive pnvatc and small jroup tutorial ss&tnnce.
Students who demafutrtte need can also order books of
their choosing, free of charge, from t list mat includes
over 1,000 volumes, many of which .ire written by the
grea.es; names in the English .angu^x.
Program* that arc designed to enrich Uie educational
experience of oil student* nre also now in effect. For ex*
ample, virtually every middle school and high ^chool in
the state now ho* a full orchestra or tend. Instruments
and instruction arc made available to k-.ixlcM* at no cost.
The program will soon be cxtend-d •& the elementary
school*. Similarly, an nutciiaU and irrxuefion arc a vital
part of f he curricula in *chools through xit the Slate. Tiic
larger schools arc aJw staffed and equipped now to do
major thMtrical productions.
Exchange teodicrs and guest lecturer t are brought into
the schools from *I1 over the country and the world. Scholarship
funds are now available for the advanced education
of needy and deserving snufenls.
State supported programs for awlung.: students arc now
so abuirfaint thx virtually one out of ever y four high school
auu.nts is spending up in a year in study abrOMl. libraries
bsve been expanded in all of the Suite's schools, and laboratory
equipment and facilities are rapidly moving toward
stale-of-the ar. emu it ion.
The expansion of the >cicnce prograir is already beginning
to produce results ^» evidenced by the fact that
California students now dominate natiotul science fair
competitions at all levels. Finally, the ]ihy»icai plants of
our state's school are receiving a majiw fjcclift.
Does this sound like the dream or drlu&ional mutiertnps
of a severely frustra'td cducoior or public school official?
Perhaps.
However, the California Lottery Piugram which is
scheduled to have its first public olTcr.Cg in October of
th*s year oiTcrs very real potential for the enhancement
of public education in the slate of California. Asubstart*
till ponioc of the revenues from ticket u Ics is ear-marked
for the sutc'* schools.
Let us hope that the availability of these funds docs indeed
become a reality. And. let us al-o hope that our
stale's chief educators use this new source of revenue in
a way that has a direct and tangible imptct on the education
of the California youth.
believe that a little mere "yelling *nd screaming" will
make the students .-bey the rule.
Many feel the punnhment is not severe enough and the
students will tale it loo lightly. The faculty members do
not liavc enough free time now with the B/C schedule to
scold lawbreaking studeru. so it seems cither the punishment
!•«, 10 be more severe and make more of an impact
on the itudenu or they will have to change methods again.
Cth^r *chi tltc student's
rcuucrl time to eat lunch this year. The amount of garbage
anxind the arts wing has been commented on as beiflfc
the same, if not r--orsc.
f «ow, eftcr a month with this n-Ic in effect, the big question
tfw administrators have to a\k themselves is if this
rule b actually enforceable. If so, is it solving the garbngc
problem?
If there is a method that answers yes to both of these
quest ir.-_,. it ttts not been tried yet, at least not at Lowell.
Outlook for
Lowell mproves
with Cornejo
T>e past summer months have brought great change to
the San Fttncisco Unified School Disi-icl (SFUSD). This
ciunge has the potential to significantly improve Lowell
High School.
The change was initiated by the forced resignation of
Dr. Roiicrt Aliolo from the superuitcudcncy of the
SFUSU. Aliolo is being replaced for ooc year by Carlo*
Cornejo until a permanent sperimendem U appointed.
Tensions had been escalating in the district for month».
Private feud< between Board of Education members and
the former superintendent rapidly evolved into public battles
between board members.
Finally on July 24. it was announced that Alioto had
been fores) to resign, or face tn embarrassing contract
terminatbn.
Opposing Alioto were boaid members Ltbby
Denebeim, Rrsario Anaya. JoAnnc Miller, and Board
President Myra Kopf. Supporting the Ul-lated superinten-
dent were Richard Ccrtulos, Benjamin Tom. and Sodonia
Wilion.
Alioto had been criliciad for not providing quality
leadership as well ss dictating too much policy. In other
words, Alioto was charged with im'riiving on the board
of Education's domain.
Cornejo fas ignored rumors that he is simply a thirdarm
of Kopf. Yet such criticism lias y^ to be silenced.
The change of supcrinlendcnlt could be positive for
Lowell. Alioto was seen as not being particularly friendly
to Lowell and not being especially responsive to the
school's needs.
If such assumptions are true, Lov^ll could benefit from
the administrative change. It u tlic hope of The Lo*til
that the new superintendent will be more responsive to
Lowell's problems.
Comejo fhould view Lowrll for what it is. Lowell needs
more staff in the form of teachers, janitors, and
counselors. Lowell also needs more computed, a building
expansion, and improved athletic facilities.
Improvements now seem to be forthcoming. Three
years ago. a plan was supported by Aliolo and the Board
of Eduation to cipuid the Lowell Library. After yean
of delay, funds have finally been approved this year to
begin the much needed conjunction aM expansion.
However, this is only one aspen ol much needed improvement.
Conicjo must advance and propose new additions
and programs for Lowell. What Lowell dors not
need h an administration which ignores the special needs
of the city's only academic high school.
Comejo should fcpply the "ir it isn f t broken, don't Ta
it" maxim to Lowell. We do not need fUci. btn rather
improvements. After 130 yezrs it is obvious that Lowell
works and world very well.
The school district has just experienced some major
changes. If these changes do not result in improved education
for students, they will have been for naught. There
is optimism that the changes will improve the schools.
Lowell raj been short-changed for years. Now is the Sme
to start on the read I improved facilities, more study
space, additional teachers, and more support in improvinj
the isvructiooal program for nearly 3,000 collegebound
high school studenti.
St(
Oner,
butbeabicl
grade lia. I
ciuse of thq
Stud\
for tif>(\
need tk
ten nu
ThesimolJ
**Ihe book il
citemsot by I
Someti
high schoolsl
pie. Anne 1
stated, "Di
TheRisal
anydtstrict.'l
chaseoncedti
ment spectr
She called I
don occur. I