Dear readers of The Lowell,

It’s hard to fathom that this is our last magazine. This school year has been one of constant learning and growing. Our May cover story tackles a topic that this publication has never covered before: sex. We often hear scandalous, overblown statements about the copious amount of sex that teenagers are having, but what actually is happening? This cover story, “Sexpectations” by Sarah Liu, is an effort to explore the different realities of teenagers’ sex lives, and open up the conversation around sex. Speaking of conversations, our feature story examines an issue the entire nation seems to have been talking about: lottery admissions at Lowell. We chronicle how the removal of academically selective admissions has impacted the social experiences of this year’s freshmen class.

This school year, we produced five print magazines and extensive online coverage on our Instagram account, including breaking news on sexual assault protests at our school and the massive budget cut to Lowell’s programs. None of this would have been possible without our incredible staff — and dozens of coffee runs, late nights in the journalism room, and a love for what we do. The best part about this job has always been the people: learning from both our sources and our staff members. Over these last few weeks, we’ve been training a group of talented and dedicated assistant editors, the students that will inherit the publication next year. Watching them grow into their roles has been equal parts rewarding and bittersweet, reminding us of being in their position just a year ago. As we give you our last newsmagazine of our time at this publication, we will leave you with this inside scoop: The Lowell is in good hands. 

Editors-in-Chief,

Sarah Liu and Rae Wymer