Will Li (’23) is currently an Editor-in-Chief for Vol. 59 and a Features Columnist who authors “Club Chronicles.” He was the Vol. 58 Features Editor, the Vol. 57 Opinions Editor, and the Vol. 56 Sports Editor for The Lancer, and he also contributes photography.
Articles
Club Chronicles: competition season in full swing for Team 2367
by Will Li (’23) | March 31, 2021 My dearest readers, it is with great sorrow that I inform you that my time as a Lancer columnist and staff member is coming to a close. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the tenth and final article of Club Chronicles. The match begins. Robots are…
The verdict is out: the best BJ’s pizookies
by Will Li (’23) and Kyle Nguyen (’23) | March 10, 2023 As you stroll into a BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, a medley of scrumptious scents wafts from the kitchen—ribs, burgers, pasta, chicken wings, and other delectable delights that await you on the menu. But no matter how full you feel post-entrée, there’s always room…
Much-anticipated TEDxSaintFrancis 2023 shines on the stage
by Will Li (’23) and Utkarsh Agarwal (’23) | March 10, 2023 On Saturday, March 4, TEDxSaintFrancisHS returned to the Performing Arts Center for its fourth annual event. A diverse lineup of thirteen speakers from all four grades shared stories with the Saint Francis community on themes ranging from digital detoxes to multicultural identity. The…
Club Chronicles: Chess Club
by Will Li (’23) | March 10, 2023 The timer ticks down to the final ten seconds. Eyes darting back and forth across the board, the player considers several tactics in a split second, searching for a move that could yield victory. But alas, none are to be found. Uncertain of the outcome, the player…
Club Chronicles: Mind, Body, Spirit
by Will Li (’23) | February 3, 2023 From daily sports practices to a never-ending stream of tests and projects, high school life can feel overly demanding at times. But the remedy to an overwhelming and hectic schedule is simply some time designated for mindfulness. Saint Francis’s Mind, Body, Spirit club offers just that with…
Club Chronicles: Aviation Club and a trip to SFO
by Will Li (’23) | November 18, 2022 Photography by Abhijit Nambiar (’24) While a vast majority of commuters may consider flight merely another mode of transportation, there’s more to aviation than TSA PreCheck lines and soggy inflight meals. At Saint Francis, Aviation Club members explore aspects of aviation often overlooked by travelers, from aircraft…
Club Chronicles: Lancer Analytics
by Will Li (’23) | October 7, 2022 Graphing polynomials and plotting points in a portable with five minutes left on an exam during a chilly second period. Watching the football whistle and whirl overhead with five seconds left in the fourth quarter on a warm Friday night. To many, mathematics and sports seem far…
Club Chronicles: Lancer SportsMed
by Will Li (’23) | April 8, 2022 From shin splints to torn rotator cuffs, injuries are ubiquitous in the realm of athletics, with the potential to irreversibly alter an athlete’s career. But arguably more impactful are the trainers and sports doctors who heal and rehabilitate athletes. In light of National Athletic Training Month in…
Novel nanorobots cleanse waterways
by Will Li (’23) | March 21, 2022 Decades of environmental degradation have contaminated the world’s valuable water resources. From the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, to the accumulation of microplastics in oceans across the world, water pollution is one of humanity’s most pressing concerns. Millions have attempted to combat the issue through political action,…
Humans of Saint Francis: Ashton Liu
by Will Li (’23) and Kasper Halevy (’24) | March 21, 2022 Strolling into the Commons, one can never miss the energetic student sporting tinted aviator glasses, playing an assortment of melodies from Baroque sonatas to the Minecraft soundtrack on the piano. Dubbed “The Piano God,” Ashton Liu (’22) began his musical journey at age…
Club Chronicles: Shakespeare’s Dropouts
by Will Li (’23) | March 21, 2022 The name “Shakespeare’s Dropouts” usually evokes imagery of literary fanatics huddled together, religiously dissecting texts from the Elizabethan period. But Saint Francis’s team could not be more different, attested first-year member Noah Crane (’23): “We’re just funny people who make funny shows. Someone thought I was into…
Humans of Saint Francis: Medha Mahanta
by Kasper Halevy (’24) and Will Li (’23) | February 14, 2022 Medha Mahanta (’24) began her mathematical journey in middle school with the local MATHCOUNTS and Math League competitions as a fun pastime. Little did she know, math would later become deeply integrated into her everyday life. As a board member of both the Math…
Club Chronicles: Arduino Uno
by Will Li (’23) | February 14, 2022 When people visualize computer programming, what often springs to mind is a geeky adolescent equipped with horn-rimmed glasses, hunched over a laptop and fingers furiously flying across the keyboard. Walk into an Arduino Uno meeting, however, and this stereotype vanishes. Here, club members merge coding with hardware…
All About Alumni: Dr. Christopher Gilbert
by Arhana Aatresh (’23), Louis Chavey (’22), and Will Li (’23) A number of Saint Francis alumni have taken the leap from student to teacher. One of them is Dr. Christopher Gilbert (’87), who participated in everything from tennis to theater to community service during his time as a Lancer. Inspired by his own teachers,…
Seasonal reflection: an interview with Varsity’s Men’s Water Polo
by Will Li (’23) | November 19, 2021 Emerging from a restrictive pandemic season earlier this spring, the Saint Francis Varsity Men’s Water Polo team concluded the fall season with an eighth place finish in the open division at the CCS championships. The Lancer recently interviewed the center, Andrew Blanco (’22), the utility, Nicholas Verstak…
Coping with construction: students’ reflections on school renovations
by Shreeyans Sahu (’23) and Will Li (’23) | November 19, 2021 In light of construction associated with the Light the Way program, campus has certainly been transformed. What was once the 300 building is now an expanse of dirt with the foundations of an Innovation Center, what was once a patch of the Quad…
Club Chronicles: Lancers let loose with Legos at Builders’ Club
by Will Li (’23) | November 19, 2021 Most of the time, Mr. Ikezi’s Room 108 resembles any other science classroom at Saint Francis, only with the addition of a magnificent UCLA banner and a plethora of physics gadgets. But every other Friday at 2:30 P.M., the room is reshuffled and voilà — it is…
Lancers celebrate Diwali!
by Adarsh Gupta (’23) and Will Li (’23) | November 19, 2021 October and November are often associated with the festivities of Halloween and Thanksgiving. But to many South Asians, these months are special because of a third holiday: Diwali. On November 4, millions around the globe celebrated the five-day festival of lights that originates…
“A Little Princess” takes the stage by storm
By Will Li (’23), Matthew Tran (’23), Anika Bastin (’23), and Elsa Ying (’23) | November 19, 2021 The Saint Francis Performing Arts Center reopened this past November to welcome the fall play, A Little Princess. Audiences watched as young Sara Crewe, played by Maria Ana (’23), arrived at a London boarding school after a…
Club Chronicles: Guacapella
by Will Li (’23) | October 11, 2021 What happens when you mix avocados with singing? The answer is Guacapella, Saint Francis’ competitive a cappella ensemble. The group’s idiosyncratic title is the catchy creation of past leaders, according to president Clarissa Chen (’22). Also dubbed “A Side of Guacapella,” the ensemble sports the avocado as…
Students reflect on the updated lunch layout
by Shreeyans Sahu (’23) and Will Li (’23) | October 11, 2021 “The art of life is a constant readjustment to our surroundings,” according to Kakuzo Okakuara. With the demolition of the old cafeteria and the 300 building, Lancers have adjusted to the makeshift lunch setup, which includes large tables with tents in the quad…
Humans of Saint Francis: Lily Arangio
by Arhana Aatresh (’23), Alexander Chang (’23), Will Li (’23), Elsa Ying (’23), Da Hee Yang (’23), Kasper Halevy (’24), and Anika Bastin (’23) | October 11, 2021 Many teenagers perceive politics as either a stream of intangible Instagram stories or an abstract mess reserved for adults. However, Lily Arangio (’23) actively combats this perception…
Humans of Saint Francis: Jake Randazzo
by Anika Jain (’22), Will Li (’23), and Sophia Tran (’24) | October 11, 2021 In the frenzy of a rally, one Lancer claims fame for performing flips in the distance. Perhaps you know him simply as “Flip Guy,” but this athlete is actually Jake Randazzo (’22). Dedicated to his craft, Randazzo possesses one of…
Advice for advisory: students’ reflections on social-emotional learning
by Will Li (’23) and Louis Chavey (’22) | May 10, 2021 Social-emotional learning, more commonly known as SEL or Advisory, was introduced as a support class for freshmen and sophomores in the 2019-2020 school year. SEL aims to teach communication skills and coping mechanisms for stress to help students thrive at Saint Francis and…
The verdict on zero-calorie sweeteners
by Will Li (’23) | March 29, 2021 In the past few decades, obesity has become a widespread problem in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 42.4% of American adults are obese. To remedy this issue, companies like Pepsi have replaced the sugar in their products with zero-calorie sweeteners like…
Rappers on the rise: Trevor Daniel, Lxst, and Guwop Reign
By Will Li (’23) | March 1, 2021 The rap scene has certainly changed over the past few years with the rise and fall of “Lil” rappers, the surge of emo rap, and the creation of a “TikTok rap” genre. While newer artists like DaBaby and Jack Harlow have added variety to the rap scene,…
A twist on “anabolic”: Greg Doucette’s anabolic cookbook
by Will Li (’23) | November 16, 2020 What comes to mind when you hear the word “anabolic”? Most people think about performance-enhancing steroids and the so-called “roid rage” that arises after people take steroids. However, after reading IFBB Pro bodybuilder Greg Doucette’s anabolic cookbook, you will think differently. Anabolic, simply put, means building larger…
Working out quarantine style
by Will Li | October 5, 2020 Staying in shape during quarantine has not been easy. From gym closures to canceled team practices, many people have not been able to work out the way they used to. However, the recent reopenings of athletic facilities in Santa Clara County, such as pools and tennis courts, have…
Trump’s failure with the coronavirus outbreak
by Will Li (’23) | April 6, 2020 The spread of the coronavirus has undoubtedly dramatically altered this country. Although America’s current executive branch seems to be trying to combat the disease, it is evident that it has been horribly mishandling the coronavirus pandemic. The Trump administration has repeatedly demonstrated inconsistency and promoted misleading communication…
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