From Your YOWs

 

Did you know that the Wellness Center has student representatives?  The Youth Outreach Workers  (YOWs) are the student voice of Wellness!

 

The YOWs work as a team to plan school-wide events, present in-class workshops, organize information and resource campaigns and outreach to Lowell faculty and students!

 

YOW Column

Every month or so, we will have a column

 written by one of our current YOW's! 

Getting Back Into it All

By Brady Gillerlain (April 2008)

 

            We all feared it as Monday approached; that sinking feeling that school was once again on the horizon. Now, almost a week back into it we are already losing the carefree and relaxed feeling that spring break gave us and are back in the grind, with finals and APs on the horizon and numerous tests and assignments to complete until then. We yearn for the sweet release of summer vacation, or graduation if you’re a senior. Don’t let the stress get to you though, or feel bogged down by all the work, time will move more slowly for you and make the wait more difficult. Try taking a break from studying to think about possible summer plans. Even if you can’t make a gigantic trip to go skiing in the Alps or hike in the Appalachians, maybe just tentatively think about a small excursion to Yosemite, or a daytrip to the Boardwalk or even just a picnic at Stow Lake, to give you something to look forward to when summer comes and something to daydream about to make those passing periods go by faster. Also, don’t forget to sleep and eat healthfully; it’s been medically proven that cramming and staying up all night negatively impacts performance on tests, as well as grades on assignments, even if you study less. More study time won’t help you as much as if you had gone to bed earlier and ate a meal or two. Remember, if it gets overwhelming, just take a deep breath and focus on what you need to get done in the next twenty minutes, try not to get caught up in the long term. Don’t worry. We don’t have too much longer!

 

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Do you remember the Ruler Postulate for geometry???

By Sammi Tam (January 2008)

 

It’s that time of the semester again. Lowell High, Finals. This is probably the most intense period of this semester.  Every class is trying to catch up and finish its lesson plan. Teachers are explaining the final schedule and the topics that the students will be tested on while the students slowly realize how much they’ve forgotten.  Oh no! What is percent yield for chemistry again? The Ruler Postulate for geometry?   The different Henrys for AP European history? I guess it’s time for review. One important bit of advice to keep in mind is to balance out your studying! One common mistake made by Lowell students is not balancing their study time.  They spend too much time studying for one subject and neglect the other, which results in the big difference of grades between two classes.  Moreover, the so many students lose their motivation to study before finals even end.  This is not good. So make sure you balance out your studying, take breaks, and mix in something fun.  For example, you can let your self watch one episode of a show whenever you are done studying for one subject.  This way, you will be motivated to study and before you know it, you are done studying for all subjects.  Stress is a big issue at Lowell and a good Lowell student knows how to manage time.  Keep this advice and you will do pretty well during finals. 

 

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Flying in Italian Class

               By Maggie Huang (Fall, 2007)

 

          Concentrate, concentrate, I urged myself. Pay attention to the movie—you’ll be quizzed! I forced my eyes to glue to the flickering, glowing TV screen, but heavy thoughts of upcoming pre-calculus tests, rhetorical analysis essays, and SAT dates weighed me down, suffocated my spirit. How will I ever get through anything—if everything—this year? My mind frantically raced to find quick-fix solutions. But upon finding none, my breathing became slightly ragged, as if a thousand boulders had unloaded upon my five-feet-two-inch frame.

          “Sorry to interrupt guys.” A young man in a blue-striped shirt strode in. He was all angles and elbows, with too-big feet and a lopsided grin. Though he was awkward in his stride, he radiated the utmost confidence when he knelt down in front of the sophomore girl in the corner who regarded him with big, round eyes. I leered at them with fascination.

           The boy observed her momentarily before taking her hand and, without so much as a glance at the rest of us oglers, he spoke softly, as if they were the only two in the room, asking, “Would you go to Senior Boat with me?”

          On cue, a posse of seniors appeared by the door; one excited on-looker even directed a digital camera in the couple’s direction. She was no doubt documenting this momentous milestone for future progeny’s sake. Off in the corner, a chant had started, which was echoing my own thoughts: “Say ‘yes,’ say ‘yes’!” I held my breath and prayed right along with them.

           A silence as heavy as midsummer air hung in the room, and it seemed as if a year had passed before a soft squeak, “yes” was heard.

           We cheered. We clapped. And to my surprise, the content, pleased smile on the girl’s face was reflected back on mine. Gone, at least momentarily, were my worries, my never-ending, ever-spiraling black-hole of worries.

           The small, yet sweet, exchange had taken my breath away and given it back, all in one huge swoop that filled me with an excitement and readiness to live, to draw in air and open my eyes for what was to come. If only, I thought, we would let our spirits be lifted more lightly, we would be able to fly.

 

 

YOW columns of the past