"The state of California said the (STAR) test had to take place after 85 percent of the school year was completed," said Dr. Jim Stack, supervisor of assessment and accountability of San Francisco Unified School District. "We tested in March last year, when 75 percent of the school year was completed. This year the State Board of Education wanted to make sure students would understand the material before they started testing."

According to Stack, if the district had scheduled the test earlier, students might not have not known the material in the supplemental STAR tests because teachers had not covered it in class.

"I don't really care, as long as the test is done with," sophomore Christine Chai said.

Assistant principal John Mahoney thought the district moved the test because it was too close to the High School Exit Exam. "The original window (to administer the test) was from March 26 to April 6. But I think they felt it was too close to the HSEE, so they put the window off to April 18 to May 2."

Lowell will administer the STAR tests on April 24 and 25, according to principal Paul Cheng.

In the same way that city and state propositions work, students may be able to make changes with these new student propositions, according to SBC elections commissioner senior Adam Koeppel.

"Propositions are a new way for students to give input to the student government, propose solutions for problems and voice their concerns," Koeppel said.

"If someone sees something at Lowell that they don't like, they can finally do something to change the school." Adam Koeppel Senior

According to Koeppel, students will first fill out a form in which they outline their proposition and how the school could implement it if it were to go into effect. Then they must get 50 signatures from students who have read the proposition and support it. The students will submit the form and signatures to the elections commission, which will decide whether to include the proposition on the next school ballot.

The elections commission, which is composed of eight seniors, will be able to reject any proposition that does not comply with the school charter. If the commission members approve a proposition, students will have a chance to vote on it in the next school election. If over 50 percent of the students vote in favor of the proposition, elections commission members will present it to administrators for approval.

"We're looking for some way for the students to get more input into the student government process because we're seeing a low rate of participation, and some kids are worried that their student government doesn't do a lot for them," Koeppel said.

Koeppel said he sees student propositions as a way to help students and greatly improve the school.

"If someone sees something at Lowell that they don't like, they can finally do something to change the school," he said. "We want to get more students' opinions ... because the full electorate may support the idea."

Junior Greg Vose said he thinks student propositions will be great for the school. "I think it's a really good idea because (students) will finally be able to actively participate in their government," he said. "Personally, I can already think of a few propositions I would want to submit."

However, SBC members have not worked out all the logistics yet. According to Koeppel, SBC members are still uncertain when and how many times they will place the student propositions on school ballots each year. Students will vote on the propositions in either the primary or the run-off elections, he said.

Koeppel said he hopes this new process will go into effect for the spring elections and possibly for the fall as well, depending on student interest.

Koeppel said he does not know when the school would implement the changes if students vote for and pass propositions. "After a proposition is passed, we have to bring it to the administration," he said. "Then they decide if and when the changes will occur."

"Anybody is welcome: teachers, students and staff," Rothstein said. "All you need is to be wearing comfortable clothes."

Rothstein added that in the long run his program would help soothe those with back problems, as well. "Tai-chi includes exercise and meditation and learning to use your body," he said. "This is a mind and body activity to compensate for all the books Lowell students have to carry."

At his classes students can learn moves such as "Bear will bring the honey" and "Monkey climbs the tree."

"We will be doing standing meditation first and that will lead to swaying," Rothstein said.

Mahoney said that the loss of bond money would not affect construction at Lowell because the source of funding for the new wing project will come from a different bond.

"The money for the wing is going to come out of a new bond package; it is what I call 'fresh money,'" Mahoney said. "We (the district) have already issued a bond package for a small piece of work. We are in the process of taking the three Ts (bungalows) away and putting them into the student parking lot."

San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Arlene Ackerman selected Lowell as one of the 25 schools in the district to participate the new Weighted Student Formula's pilot program. And certain school officials attended training sessions as representatives on March 23 and 24.

The representatives included principal Paul Cheng, secretary Kay Tegland, and PTSA president Mindy Kershner. The sessions were designed to teach representatives to budget estimated $250,000 that the WSF is additional to the annual school fund.

African-American and Latino enrollment has remained relatively steady, after a precipitous drop resulting from a 1999 federal court order that mandated that the district end its 13-year program of racial quotas. The same federal court established the consent decree in 1983, a plan designed to help underrepresented racial groups gain admission to Lowell.

According to a fax associate superintendent John Quinn sent to high school principals on March 5, the school board cancelled the trip to Berkeley because of "unresolved safety and traffic issues and space limitations for student participants."

Junior Henry Dea was baffled by the fact that the school board urged students to skip school for the rally and then changed their decision in a matter of days.

Senior Baylee DeCastro qualified for nationals at the district level tournament on March 10. Those who qualify for nationals are among the top three competitors in the state. DeCastro said she believes that nationals will be a demanding meet.

"I think that the district (tournament) went well," DeCastro said. "There was a lot of good competition. If this is a reflection of what nationals are going to be like, then there is going to be some good competition there."

The legislature ran out of time and could not pass Senate Bill 84, sudden legislation introduced "to make this spring (administration) of the (HSEE) a practice test," according to the California Department of Education Standards and Assessment Department. As a result, only students who pass this year's HSEE on their first attempt will be exempt from taking it again, in compliance with the original bill that produced this exam.

Neighbors' complaints concerning the amount of litter around their houses sparked the Student Body's Council's interest in creating a clean-up committee.

"There's more litter than should be in a residential neighborhood," SBC vice president senior Stefanie Lau said.

The Weighted Student Formula — Ackerman’s proposal — would go into effect as early as next school year, giving local committees such as the school’s Site Advisory Council the responsibility to appropriate funds that the district previously allocated.