Views of Africa at LHS

 

By Andrea Muriuki

Lowell, MA—Lowell High School is a school filled with an abundance of cultural diversity which includes a wide variety of African cultures. Students and teachers recently shared their   different experiences of Africa.   

Of the many African countries represented in the LHS population, there are Algeria, Nigeria and Kenya situated in the North, West and East respectively.

Lowell High sophomore Esther Kimani is one of the many Kenyan Lowellians that celebrates Mandraka Day, which commemorates the day Kenya got partial independence on December 12, 1963, and Jamhuri Day, the day Kenya won complete independence from the United Kingdom. The day Kenya’s forefathers won the Mau Mau war, Mashunjaa Day, known as Heroes’ Day, is also celebrated.

Since moving to Lowell in April 2014, Kimani described her adjustment as very hard. One problem was the food. “Kenyan food and U.S. food are two very different things. When I first came here, I stayed one week without food.”

Another problem is that being born in Kenya leads to having a very distinct accent, which leads to miscommunication.

“Some words are very difficult to say and a lot of people [misinterpret] what I am trying to say” said Kimani.

Even the Superintendent of Lowell Public Schools is part of the African community.

“I was born in North Africa, in a country named Algeria, where I learned in French language,” said Superintendent Salah Khelfaoui, at the autumn English Language Education Family Night Program in the LHS Little Theater.

Algeria is currently the biggest country and the eighth largest populated country on the African continent at 39.2 million people.

Another member of the African LHS community is Mr. Arhuidese who was born in Nigeria and had taught there for over twenty years. Teaching has always been Mr. Arhuidese’s main occupation due to the fact that he finds “joy in making an impact on students.”

Mr. Arhuidese celebrated traditions in Nigeria that are similar to the ones Americans do in the U.S. He celebrates Christmas, Independence Day, and New Years. At the end of every year, his family goes to church and thanks God for bringing them this far in life.

Mr. Arhuidese has noticed many differences in American and Nigerian schools because he has taught in both countries.

In the U.S, libraries, laboratories, and computer labs are a lot more furnished than in Nigeria, yet the students don’t take advantage of that.

Another thing he noticed is that there is a lack of respect between a student and teacher as opposed to in Nigeria, where teachers are  greatly respected.

Mr. Arhuidese has faced some struggles since moving to the U.S. “Settling down wasn’t as hard as finding the information needed to become a teacher,” he said.

Getting the job of his choice was hard because he was “not being accepted or taken seriously because of [his] color or accent,” yet he never gave up. He started out as a substitute teacher and gradually made his way up to a French teacher. He has been teaching at Lowell High for the past five years.

While some people have immigrated to America from Africa, others take interest in Africa and choose to vacation there due to its rich culture.

A member of the LHS community, Barbara Hodgson, an ELL Lead Teacher who has spent twenty-two years teaching a supporting New-Comer and refugee students at LHS, has visited Algeria due to her interest in it. 

Many African countries are represented at LHS, and though a common stereotype is that all Africans speak Swahili, however African students differ with regards to language, race, economy and religion

After travelling Algeria for two years, she built an awareness of the differences in African culture.

Overall, the Lowell community has been exposed to an abundance of African cultures. Still, “people don’t understand that Africa can be urban, rural, suburban, rich, poor and/or Islamic,” explained Hodgson.

Some Americans even get their information about Africa from stereotyped movies like Tarzan or the Lion King, she noted.  

At times, misinformed students may put all African cultures together without considering colonial history, language or race.   

North Africa can be a very different cultural experience than Central Africa, and South Africa can be very different than West Africa.

“Africa is not just ‘black Africa’ and many Americans lump Africans as the same,” said Hodgson regarding her experience with the North African country of Algeria.

Africans can be different races, religions and cultures, according to Hodgson.

At Lowell High, Africans and non-Africans alike provide different views of African culture.

(Edited by Emeritus Editor-in-Chief Alexandra Mai)

LHS Teacher Moved to Dance

By Jerriline Cisco

Lowell, MA- “Dance is the hidden language of the soul,” according to American choreographer Martha Graham.  

One talented LHS teacher embodies this language in her daily work.

“When I’m dancing especially on stage, after all the hours of rehearsal and I don’t have to think–it’s in my body, time stops…I am extremely present where my mind and body are one and my spirit takes over,” said Ms. McHugh who began teaching dance at LHS in 2014.

She is a dedicated dancer and teacher who helps her students interpret movement.

The “balance between technique and authentic movement” is the main idea behind dance, said Ms. McHugh, who wants her students to find that “language of the soul” as described by Graham.

Ms. McHugh started dancing early in life but she started teaching much later.

Before coming to teach at LHS she danced professionally with Sesame Street Live and also at the Jody Weber Dance company.

She attended college in Buffalo, New York, and ever since then she’s been dancing in some capacity.

Ms. McHugh came to the City of Lowell more recently and taught creative movement on the side at the YMCA studio.

LHS seems to be the right fit for her now.  It’s a place where one can share dance and help others share dance within a diverse community.

“If I were in another school it wouldn’t be at the right place, I think I am at the right place,” she said about LHS.

Being a dancer whether you are a teacher or student there’s always that one song or dance movement to get you sane, she continued.

“I think every dancer can relate that it’s the physical mental and emotional expression it brings people,” said Ms. McHugh.

Brian Martin: From Baseball Player to Headmaster

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Every morning, Brian Martin stands outside Father Morrisette Boulevard, greeting students, staff, and passerby’s alike.

“Mr. Martin”, as students call him, is the current headmaster of Lowell High School. Established in 1831, it is the first co-ed high school in the United States, and currently the second largest high school in the state of Massachusetts, with over 3,000 students from grades 9 through 12.

“The students are terrific, the staff and faculty here, everybody are terrific. It’s like having a gigantic family,” Martin said.

However, before he became the headmaster, he started off as a young kid who walked the very same halls of the high school. Mr. Martin graduated from the Class of 1968 at Lowell High School, where he led the red and gray baseball team to the Massachusetts State Tournament, and eventually landing a spot in the school’s hall of fame.

He then moved on to UMass Amherst, where he graduated in 1973 with both Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Sports Administration. He was able to fulfill his mother’s hopes.

“When I was raised, a college degree was the goal from the time we were little kids. You had to get a college degree,” Martin said.

A Look Into the Life of James McCabe

By Mika Guillen and Alexandra Mai

“John Adams stood by his principles, never abused his power and did what he thought was best for his people,” said James McCabe, an A.P. U.S. History teacher at Lowell High School. McCabe proudly chooses John Adams as his role model for these very reasons. As a teacher, McCabe is greatly admired by his students, who appreciate his consideration for their busy schedules as he assigns reasonable amounts of homework every night.

As a kid, he wanted to take the Civil Service Examination in order to be part of the executive branch in government. As a bright young student in high school and college, he had a passion for baseball and running. In fact, the second proudest moment in his life was persevering through and, finally, finishing half a marathon of thirteen miles. Although he was unsure of what career he would take up, unlike most people he was not scared by this fact at all. As he grew older, McCabe changed his mind and decided to become a history teacher in his Sophomore year of college when he was required to choose a major.

McCabe’s family is quite extraordinary. They have a very interesting set of genes because twins seem to run in the family. McCabe has a twin brother who currently teaches a computer class at Lowell High School. As a child, McCabe loved having a twin because he never felt lonely. Not only does he have an identical twin brother, which is rare in its own, but his aunts, sisters and cousins are also twins. Although they are not biologically related to McCabe, his wife’s family also has twins.

Currently, McCabe lives a very happy and satisfying life. In his free time he jogs and plays golf and is a loving husband who raises four kids at home, which brings us to McCabe’s proudest moment in life, when his children were born.

Mrs. Downey Interview

By Elijah K. & Minh T.( interview from 11/2014)

Lowell, MA – All librarians like a good story and all librarians have their own story. You can count on it.  Our librarian at Lowell High School (LHS) is no different.

Four years ago, Mrs. Kathy Downey came to LHS where she views the students as wonderful, kind and polite. She’s worked at many different grades in the schools.   So, she’s been able to take her skills as a teacher and apply them to all age levels. “ I have loved every single level”, she said.

There is no difference between a preschooler and high schooler, according to Mrs. Downey, “everyone wants to be listened to.”  Her best quality is being a good listener, she says,  and everyday puts those skills to work with a diverse student population at LHS.  Working at the high school level has no doubt changed her for the better, she adds.

Mrs. Downey chose to be a librarian because she wanted something that combined reading and technology. Library work is so tech based in today’s digital day and age, she said. And her view on the technology implemented in libraries is that its a good thing.

“You can’t have the world changing out there while you stay stagnant,” she notes.  Even with technological change, her work still concentrates on teaching kids how to research and come up with effective strategies to complete research projects using the tools of the library.

With a sense of humor she quips that her favorite type of book is one that is written.  But if she were to choose, it would be non-fiction because it gives students so many advantages regardless of level.

Mrs. Downey, born in Middletown,Connecticut, went to East Hampton High School before coming to Massachusetts for college. She attended prestigious Lesley College in Cambridge, MA for her bachelor’s degree in education. After studying at University of Massachusetts and Bridgewater State University, she earned her master’s degree in mathematics.

And that’s how Mrs. Downey’s story adds up.

(Edited version, 1/23/15)

Mr. Murphy’s Interview

By Kelsey Higgins

Lowell, MA-With the diversity of Lowell High School, there are so many different types of people you can meet between the students and staff. One history/ psychology teacher from our social studies department is a unique, eclectic and personal favorite of many. Daniel Myles Murphy, or just Mr. Murphy as his students call him, teaches history and philosophy and has a lot more to him than meets the eye.

As a child Mr. Murphy grew up in Watertown, MA. He lived a very normal life, went to school, played sports and did all things expected of teenage boy. Then, his family chose to try a pretty daring experiment. From 1986-1988 the Murphys ventured out to Ireland to experience how living in another country would treat them. They lived on a farm with sheep, cows and even a pig. After a couple of years they moved back to the states, and life returned to its American norms. This moving to another country so young may have been what sparked Mr. Murphys desire to travel.

Mr. Murphy is constantly challenging himself to travel further and do more and this thirst to travel makes him unique when compared to most people. He sets up and plans trips, and travel goals. His current goal to visit all of the 50 states is in the works right now. So far, he has been to 42. Quite an impressive stat for such a young guy. When asked what his favorite state was that he had been to so far he replied with, “Today I will pick Hawaii, because I got the feeling of total isolation, a really relaxed vibe.” He’s also traveled through America’s heartland racing the sun to get to the arch of St. Louis. In Arizona, Mr. Murphy faced a life threatening experience due to such high altitudes. He was hospitalized and was given assistance breathing. It was the first time it had happened to him and he was alone. He told how this experience really reiterated his firm belief on living life. “If people thought and faced the idea of death, they would live differently than they do now.” He’s held this belief for a lot of his life, and events like these remind him just how true that statement actually is. Mr. Murphy believes that life is incredibly fragile, and a lot more fragile than people tend to give it credit for. “In life we must take the opportunities we are given because we just don’t know when our lives can be taken,” he says.

Matthew Laraba

Matthew Patrick Dewey Laraba was born in 1994 into a single family household. Now a man at the age of 20 he still remains an only child. One of his greatest interests is rowing and reading. His favorite book is “And Then There Were None”, a murder mystery novel, by Agatha Christie. When asked why he takes pleasure in the book he responded, “I love a good murder story.” When asked how and why he has his passion for rowing he responded, “I started when I was a sophomore in high school and I’ve enjoyed it since then.”

Matthew did not start crew his freshman year because, “ I wanted to take time to adjust to the lifestyle of the Lyceum before adding on extra stress of a sport.”Also during his schooling at Lowell High, Matt was apart of the drama club. As a junior in high school he was asked to leave school to be on a television show based out of Florida where he would sing, dance, and act. However, he declined this opportunity because he wanted to graduate from high school and focus on his education.

Matt talked about the extravagant and inspiring trips he went on as a student in high school. On both his trips to Italy, one his sophomore year and one his senior year, he described how the culture, food, languages, and every day life was different from what he does on a normal day-to-day bases in America. “It smelt different”, he said when asked how Italy was different. When asked about his most memorable childhood memory he responded with, “My grandmother’s funeral. She died when I was young, and I told her everything. She was the only one I could really talk too.”

Matt learned from a young age, that if he wants something, he’ll have to work hard to get it. As a result, his hard work and determination helped him graduate high school as a Latin Lyceum student and also helped him receive many college acceptance letters. Currently a junior at UMass Lowell, he is working his way to a minor degree is psychology and a major degree in science that he will use in the field of education. Matthew has faced many ups and downs in his life but he has proven to be a very successful man.