{"id":25252,"date":"2022-05-02T13:09:37","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T20:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/?post_type=blog&p=25252"},"modified":"2023-03-23T21:39:27","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T21:39:27","slug":"a-wild-two-years-since-try-harder-what-you-need-to-know-about-lowell-high-school","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/dipsy.pbs.org\/independentlens\/blog\/a-wild-two-years-since-try-harder-what-you-need-to-know-about-lowell-high-school\/","title":{"rendered":"A Wild Two Years Since ‘Try Harder’: What You Need to Know About Lowell High School"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Holly McDede<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\n

Bay Area filmmaker Debbie Lum\u2019s documentary <\/span>Try Harder!<\/span><\/i><\/a> captures the unnerving pressure facing seniors at San Francisco\u2019s elite Lowell High School, where students need high grades and top-notch test scores to get in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nearly half the students at Lowell identify as Asian Americans, and students seen in the film worry admissions officers view them as robots or, as one student puts it, \u201cAP-guzzling grade grubbers.\u201d Lowell students arrive wearing Stanford sweatshirts and leave baggy-eyed after soul-crushing college applications.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alumni and parents consider Lowell a refuge for high-achieving students who want top-notch education but can\u2019t afford private school. In the two years since filming for <\/span>Try Harder!<\/span><\/i> wrapped, Lowell has also become a flashpoint in a longstanding debate over meritocracy, education, and equity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"From

From Try Harder!<\/em>: Students Alvan and Shea sit in Lowell High School hallway.<\/p><\/div>\n

The San Francisco School Board’s vote to end grade-based admissions at Lowell last year led to lawsuits, drove a successful recall effort, and raised questions about what the future of this famously elite high school will look like.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To help you make sense of all of this, here\u2019s a look back at a few of the key events that played out at Lowell over the taxing last two years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alums come forward online about sexual assault and racism at Lowell<\/b><\/p>\n

In June of 2020, Lowell High School alums turned to Twitter to share allegations about sexual harassment and abuse by a former Lowell student. One alum tweeted \u201cThe Jig is up\u201d and accused the school of pushing issues tied to students\u2019 well-being under the rug.<\/span><\/p>\n

Soon a wave of students came forward to describe experiences with racism, sexual assault, harassment, and struggles with mental health while at Lowell.<\/span><\/p>\n

MORE<\/em>: <\/strong><\/p>\n

“SF Students Are Still Pushing for a Reckoning With Sexual Abuse<\/a>” (KQED)<\/strong><\/p>\n