Since the beginning of April, select members of the multimedia team and I have been working on a special end-of-the-year project. Inspired by the 2023 cohort, we are excited to revive the Multimedia Magazine! It spotlights the creative visions of the multimedia team while challenging them to work under the theme “Beauty in the Mundane.” The theme encourages our staff members to find hidden meaning in overlooked subjects.
As you flip through the pages, a myriad of art techniques display the various interpretations of our theme. “The Digital Age” utilizes the absence of color to compare the digital and physical world, emphasizing the human connection. Each multimedia piece is elaborated by a short interpretation from the artist.
Though this magazine is handed exclusively to the journalism team, this magazine is free for anyone to look through online. Huge thanks all of the multimedia staff from other blocks, remote, and a new member for taking the extra mile to pulling this together on top of the May Magazine. We hope the 2026 multimedia team’s collection inspires future cohorts to empower their artist side!
Multimedia Editor-in-Chief, Yue Yi Peng
TheLowellis published by the journalism classes of Lowell High School. All contents copyright Lowell High School journalism classes. All rights reserved. TheLowellstrives to inform the public and to use its opinion sections as open forums for debate. All unsigned editorials are opinions of the staff. The Lowell welcomes comments on school-related issues from students, faculty and community members. Send letters to the editors to thelowellnews@gmail.com. Names will be withheld upon request. We reserve the right to edit letters before publication.
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STAFF
Editors-in-Chief
Maren Brooks
Kai Lyddan
Yue Yi Peng
Multimedia Editors
Sydney Lee
Alex Mangot
Art Manager
Yue Yi Peng
Photographers
Dakota Colussi
Lucas Fang
Kloe Helmuth
Oliver Kloots
Matthew Leon Felix Meil
Kristin Woo
Jonathan Yang
Illustrators
Jeffrey Chen
Sarah Cuaresma
Cayce Hewitt
Phoebe Micone
Soleil Wang
Fiona Yu
Michelle Zhang
Advisor
Paul Wangsvick
By Kristin Woo
Miscellany Medley encapsulates finding beauty in the mundane by transforming ordinary, everyday objects through a new perspective.
by Sarah Cuaresma
BY JONATHAN YANG
The Digital Age
TheDot-com Bubble of the 1990s gave rise to new digital technologies that subsequently permeated the everyday consumerist use of digital communication we see today. Instant communication through platforms like social media has made it easier than ever to connect with those around us. Because of this, we are seeing a growing population of people hiding behind their screens—seemingly “together,” but alone. It is a profound and special moment to see raw human connections, whether they be familial, platonic, or romantic. There is beauty hidden in these seemingly ordinary but increasingly rare moments. I captured these raw instances throughout the United States—in San Francisco, New York, and Boston— to tell this story.
AQUA / WATER / EAU, ALCOHOL DENAT., PVP, GLYCERIN, AMP-ACRYLATES/ALLYL METHACRYLATE
Reflections: A beautiful detail that is often taken for granted. Think of puddies after the rain, the sunset through your rear view mirror, or the ripples through a lake. Especially in the city, reflections are all around us, and they often go unappreciated.
REMINISCING IN SILENCE
BY PHOEBE MICONE
Beauty in the mundane for me is often silence and being alone after the chaos of a long day, especially in high school. After a long day my favorite thing to do is relax by myself to unwind and I think being alone is an important part of the beauty in the mundane and how it teaches us to appreciate the time we have to ourselves.
Neon Signs In SF
BY MATTHEW LEON
THE LI PO COCKTAIL LOUNGE SIGN STANDS ALONG GRANT. THE OVER 75-YEAR-OLD SIGN WAS RESTORED IN 2018 TO BRING IT BACK TO ITS FORMER GLORY.
The Safeway on Market was home the last neon sign for a brand that had operations around the nation. Unfortunately, it was removed in the latter half of 2025 and replaced with a simpler LED sign.
The 4 Star Theater on Clement has multiple neon signs with different designs attached to its building. These signs are possibly over 75 years old, and have not been changed since at least the 60s.
Tony’s Slice House in North Beach has a very intricate neon sign, and is a more recent installation.
The Castro Theatre’s iconic neon sign, also recently restored. Unfortunately, the marquee sign was not on when I took the photo.
Beauty in the Mundane is a broad theme. When dra ing out this piece, I asked myself, “What does beauty mean to me?” Inevitably, a er much thinking, I concluded that I felt most beautiful when I pick out the perfect out t on a school morning. It’s a mundane, everyday routine, but that never beats the feeling of nding the goldilocks out t. Choosing how I express myself in terms of fashion is when I feel the most beautiful.
