Dear readers of The Lowell,

As we start off the new year, we are excited to lead a larger staff enriched with new reporters. No less than 14 students have completed their Journalism 1 training and are now on staff. One of them, senior Casey Holman, was put right to work writing the news feature about AP and SAT testing accommodations.

For this magazine, we wanted to re-explore the issue of shoplifting. Anecdotally, the problem has been getting worse since The Lowell originally covered it in 2019. Our research confirmed this hunch. Through sharing the narratives of anonymous students who shoplift, we aim to shed light on the realities of the problem. These stories are not just confessions but reflections, inviting the reader to better understand what leads students to steal. For some, it is an adrenaline rush or the result of peer pressure, while many see it as altogether too easy. For almost all of the shoplifting students, it is habit-forming. As some students have managed to stop stealing, their honest reflections provide a path toward a solution.

Here’s to a year of insightful stories and personal development!

Editors-in-Chief,
Kylie Chau, Roman Fong, Sierra Sun