Tommy Welham and Oliver Davey aren’t just new to the halls of the WA, but new to the tennis courts of the boys’ varsity team. However, the work it takes to get onto a varsity team in freshman year doesn’t happen overnight, but through years of practice and preparation. Oliver Davey was inspired to take up the sport by watching professionals play.

”Well I saw [tennis] on TV one time and I thought I might like to play. Then I started playing from there,” Davey said.

Davey’s interest soon developed into a passion. He began by playing at a swim club and then moved on to All Seasons Tennis Academy. In middle school, Davey played for junior teams in the United States Tennis Association, (USTA) where his team won matches on a regional scale. His passion for the sport lives on to this day.

“Yeah, I love the game, it’s really fun. It’s competitive,; it’s only you out there so it’s a nice feeling when you win because you know it was all you,” Davey said.

Like Davey, Welham too enjoys the individuality of the sport, but for a bit of a different reason. Welham’s first experiences with it were when he was around five, but his first real interest was soccer.“[Later] I [became] less interested in soccer, so [I] moved to tennis,” said Welham.

Finding soccer players to be too overbearing, he moved on to spending his time on the tennis court instead of the soccer field. This switch happened about four years ago, and he has been playing about twice a week since then.

“[… ]I guess it’s a little bit natural ability, but you’ve got to work on it,” Welham said.     

Their passions serve them well on the varsity team. With no seniors, the rest of the team is made up of juniors and sophomores. Just because they are underclassmen, it does not mean they can’t play. Coach Peter Paltsios first pointed the pair out, at the team’s first match this season.

”We have some really good underclassmen, so I’m thinking it’s gonna be pretty good for us this year. We got a couple of really good freshmen… Oliver Davey [and] Tommy Welham,” Paltsois said.

Davey and Welham see the skill in each other as well. Davey referred to Welham as a “good player” who he practices with. Welham returned the compliment, saying also that he’s “probably a little bit better than me.”

Whether playing singles or practicing in pairs, they’re all a part of one team. Davey sees the difference between life on the varsity team, compared to his days in the junior league.

”It’s a team setting which is a lot different… it can get nerve racking at times when it’s an important match,” Davey said.

But the skills they’ve learned on the court have also helped them in the classroom. The boys note how the teacher and the coach have a similar goal in mind.

“In school [or in sports] you have to make sure you’re paying attention to what your coaches or your teachers say to better you in, either your sport or just your knowledge about the subject.”

In both athletics and academics, these two have plans for the future. Davey wants to continue his tennis career, possibly even into college, along with pursuing his interest in golf.

Welham, too, enjoys tennis but thinks he may want to go back to soccer in senior year and may do tennis in college “just for fun,” ideally at Notre Dame or Tufts, which he has his eye on with the hope of a future career in medicine.

But before they begin looking at colleges, they have the current varsity team to worry about. Welham seems hopeful not only for this season but for the next.

”I’d say we’re doing pretty well, especially next year we’re gonna do good, ’cause we’re not losing anyone, and we might gain a couple kids. So I’d say we’re gonna be pretty good next year,” Welham said.

On Friday September 29th, new environmental science teacher Mark Soo was doing something many will never be able to relate with; performing on the same stage as famed composer John Williams at his alma matar, Boston College.

Boston College hosted the 25th annual Pop on the Heights, an event designed to raise money for student scholarships, and featured a handful of famous performers including Williams, Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops, as well as singer Jennifer Hudson.

Soo performed with 25 BC students and alumni in an open concert setting at the Conte Forum on campus. The ensemble played the Olympic fanfare for the audience.

“It was a really incredible feeling to perform in front of thousands of people on the same stage that the Boston Pops and John Williams would play from,” Soo said, ” I haven’t felt an adrenaline rush quite like that in a while!”

Soo recalled a moment following the performance where he was apparently walking next to Williams, however he never noticed him because he was so excited after the performance.

Williams, following some of the performances, was presented with the University’s President’s Medal for Excellence.

By the end of the event, the school had raised around $14 million for student scholarships.

Mr. President,

You decided to do one of the most divisive things a US leader can do: politicize one of the most popular sports in America. You stuck your nose into a private business’s policies, and news flash: that’s not your job.

I detest that people do not stand for our anthem, and as a result disrespect our troops and anyone else who has fought for our freedoms, but the fact remains that they have the freedom to do this, and is what makes this country so great. Conversely, I have the right to tell someone why I think it’s wrong to sit for the anthem. However, the President cannot just act like a standard citizen such as me, sounding off on every issue with little consequences. His words hold far more weight than the regular person or pundit.

This country was founded on many principles, and two of them were violated by the you in just a few tweets and a speech to a rousing crowd. In a few sweeping statements, you, Mr. Trump called for the violation of these players’ 1st amendment rights, and also, as the President of a mainly free market economy, you strongly suggested a private company that they need to fire employees for legally protesting during the national anthem.

Our freedom of speech as Americans is the reason many people yearn to come to America in the first place. As a beacon of freedom, we all need to be tolerant of all non-violent  forms of protest, even if we find them inappropriate or disrespectful. Freedom of speech is not limited by topic of discourse, but only by the presence of violence, and any protests that do not result in violence must be allowed.

The fact that you, Mr. Trump, must remember, is that our society thrives on allowing private businesses to choose how they conduct themselves and how their employees conduct themselves. Sometimes myself and others forget, but the NFL has complete autonomy, and may make any policies they wish to. The market will respond accordingly, but it is not the President’s job to dictate these decisions; consumers will do this themselves.

As is very clear, I am utterly appalled by the actions of the you last weekend. As a candidate who vowed to bring together the country in its time of need, you are doing the complete opposite. There was no reason to make any comments on this issue, especially when you knew full well it would deepen the division in this country.

So, I say again, Mr. President: Do your job and mind your own business.

On October 16, 2017, at Abbot Elementary, the town of Westford hosted a special town meeting to address more ‘time-sensitive’ issues in the district. Issues ranged from budget adjustments to retail marijuana establishments to new zoning bylaws. Here are the most prominent decisions made last night:

Article two proposed appropriating $24,74 from free cash to supplement the 2018 Fiscal Year Operating Budgets for Zoning Board of Appeals Expenses, Building Personal Services, and Veterans Personal Services. The proposed article also reduces the Westford Public Schools’ operating budget by $1,060,000. The article passed unanimously.

Article four proposed the appropriation of  $97,865 to provide for capital requests by four departments. Westford Fire Department requested for $44,540 to provide a Fire Prevention Officer vehicle and costs related to the vehicle. Emergency Management requested $11,950 for a new radio repeater and its related costs. Westford Public Schools requested $19,375 to complete design and bid documents for the Westford Academy track, perimeter fence, and the costs related to these projects. Due to an irreparable dump truck body, the Highway Department requested $22,000 to replace the aforementioned body and costs pertinent to the project. All of these projects were approved by the town.

Article five passed, as it requested to amend the Wage and Pay Classification Plan for non-unionized municipal employees for the roles of Deputy Police Chief and Parks and Recreation Direction. Both jobs face vacancy due to the retirement of employees currently filling the positions. This moves the Deputy Police Chief’s current band down to band 9 and the Parks and Recreation Director down from band 7 to band 6.

Article eight was passed so that the town of Westford complies with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 59, Section 5 (41C). This forces the town to comply and authorize an increase in tax exemption for disadvantaged and disabled elderly aged 70 and older to $2,000, as they are the most financially vulnerable residents of Westford.

Article ten was the hot debate amongst residents of Westford last night as debate ran on the allowance of non-medical marijuana establishments such as cultivators, independent testing laboratories, and product manufacturers.

The reasons behind the argument, as justified by Police Chief Thomas McEnaney, is that normalizing marijuana is a danger to youth and that there will be an increase in impaired driving. Parents were mainly concerned about teenagers having access to marijuana. The opposition stated that even if a retail marijuana business were to arrive in Westford, residents would have to be 21 in order to buy the drug, as well as citing possible financial gains for the town.

The article was later amended to exclude independent testing laboratories, as doing so could prevent labs studying cancer and treatment involving cannabis in Westford.

Article ten was passed by a majority and the corresponding zoning bylaws (articles 11 and 12) to prohibit the building & establishment of such unlicensed marijuana-based retail operations and establish a moratorium (stay) on all non-medical marijuana operations. Both articles passed, with article 11 using a ballot vote and passing 300-62.

This season for its fall musical, Westford Academy Theater Arts will present Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Directed by Larry Sousa, the play is based on the story by Hans Christian Anderson and the Disney classic film.

The story follows Ariel, a mermaid princess who has a deep curiosity of the human world. When she sees a handsome prince on a passing ship, she decides to follow her dream of exploring the human world. She visits Ursula, a sea witch who tricks her into making a deal for three days with Eric in exchange for Ariel’s beautiful voice. Ariel must receive a true love’s kiss from Eric, in order to keep her legs and regain her voice. 

The show stars junior Emily Sawosik as Ariel, and unusually, a freshman, Thomas Sanders as Prince Eric.  

“I was honestly really surprised to find out that I had been cast as Eric,” Sanders on his unexpected role said.

The role of the villain, Ursula, is being split by two seniors, Megan O’Connor and Madison Gallagher, who will perform in four shows each. Senior Michael Tricca is playing Triton, Ariel’s father. Sebastian the crab is being played by another senior, Vishal Raghunath, while junior Matthew Mantenuto is cast in the role of Scuttle. The role of Flounder, Ariel’s best friend, is played by a sophomore new to the department, Sarah Bernyk.

“We’ve got the right cast, because they’re hard working students with tremendous positive energy and they can represent the beauty and the simplicity of the  children’s story that it is, but also smart enough and work hard enough to understand those significant implication,” Michael Towers, WATA’s artistic director said.

The crew of the show will be led by junior Nick Carpenter, acting as stage manager. This year, the backstage team is organizing special effects, which include elevating cast members Emily Sawosik, Thomas Sanders, and Matthew Mantenuto using a special flying rig and wires. Junior Emily Palmer is also a notable figure backstage as assistant director.

“Emily Palmer is a very lovely, reliable, smart, hardworking person,” Towers said.

Though this production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid may seem like a stark contrast from the recent show, Spring Awakening, with its mature, adult themes, The Little Mermaid brings to light many issues that are relevant especially to society today.

“This is a play, I say, about a little girl who was born with a fin and thought she should’ve been born with legs. That’s very, very relevant, it sounds very, very 2017,” Towers said.

The show is centered around identity, as the main character, Ariel goes through a journey of finding hers, even though it may not be what she was born into.

“There’s 1700 protagonists at Westford Academy,” said Towers, explaining that Ariel’s journey of self-discovery strikes a close parallel with the students of WA.

According to Sanders, the cast is planning to hold ‘meet and greets’ following to shows to take pictures in costume with the children from the audience.

The show is set to performed:

– Friday November 10 at 7:00 PM

-November 11 at 2:00 PM,

-November 16 at 7:00 PM

-November 17 at 7:00 PM

-November 18 at 7:00 PM

-November 19 at 2:00 PM 

-November 21 at 7:00 PM

Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at www.mktix.com/wata.

On Sunday, December 2, students and vendors of all ages showcased their talents through skilled craftsmanship and various forms of merchandise. Westford’s holiday tradition was yet again a success, with the parking lots filled by 10:00, and the school was alive with activity. Here is a gallery of various Bazaar vendors and student organizations:

Slideshow • 30 Photos

Varshini Ramanathan

Lisa, Westford resident: "I have natural, handmade skincare, cleaning, and dog products that I make [...] I use aromatherapy principles in every product [...] I was smelling skincare products since I was a kid. [...] [that's how] I got into aromatherapy."

On a Tuesday afternoon in Room 251, students sit at a cluster of desks pulled together while editing a Word document up on the projector. Written with the symbols of various world religions, the document reads just one word as of now: COEXIST.

While COEXIST Club is new to WA this year, senior and president Violet Schroeder first brought up the idea of a world religions club about halfway through the 2016-2017 school year. Her fascination with religion has much deeper roots, though, going back to 7th-grade ancient history. She was captivated by Greek and Egyptian mythology, and that interest soon expanded to include modern religion. Now, her passion for religion has taken the form of the presentation and discussion-based COEXIST Club, where students of various religions share their traditions and experiences.

The club contains students who practice a variety of faiths, including Judaism, Islam, Universalist Unitarianism, and Wiccanism, as well as atheists and agnostics. Schroeder describes the primary purpose of the club to be a “learning space” where student presentations prompt discussion and a greater understanding of not just the religion but the person.

Recently, for example, health teacher Lauren Coffey gave a presentation on the Unitarian Universalist church. She explained the basic principles of the religion as well as the significance of certain items such as a chalice. In the future, the club will be holding similar presentations on Judaism and Wiccanism, as well as progressing to the discussion of unifying factors among religions and religious persecution.

To Schroeder, the club’s importance boils down to increasing sensitivity to others through understanding all parts of their identities.

“My goal for the club is to teach people about other religions so they can understand them better and what makes people who they are,” she said. “I feel that it’s easier to empathize with someone else if you understand them.” 

She also wishes to promote the school from simply acknowledging religious minorities to embracing them.

“Our school’s mission statement uses the word ‘tolerance’, but tolerance isn’t necessarily acceptance,” she said. 

Considering that club mainly attracts people who are already open-minded, changing the climate at WA seems far-fetched. However, simply the presence of such an initiative can help out the general atmosphere at WA and provide a respectful forum for discussion.

“In our group, we don’t necessarily all have to be friends and hang out, but I think that to have a level of respect in this space — it translates into other areas as well,” adviser Rebecca Ingerslev said. “I would hope just seeing the message to coexist would have a positive impact on people.”

Although problems with religious discrimination may not seem especially prevalent in WA, a little goes a long way in contributing to a student’s insecurities. Ingerslev described a situation in one of her classes where a student made an anti-Semitic comment anonymously, prompting a class-wide discussion. The students agreed that even a small instance of identity-based discrimination could lead to unhappiness and discomfort.

“Basically everyone said, ‘I’d feel completely isolated and alone if just one person in the class hated me because of my identity’. […] Do you hate a particular group because you feel threatened by that group? Is it because you just don’t know enough? Is it because that’s how your family culture is?” she said.

Schroeder, who is Jewish, has had similar experiences with anti-Semitism. At the end of last year, for example, people around her made inappropriate comments about the Holocaust in two instances within two days. Being an extremely reserved person, Schroeder could not directly confront them, but her difficulties made her more acutely aware of the problems of people around her.

“I have faced some difficult situations that people of the majority would not have, and it’s helped shape who I am […] so it has helped me become aware of situations where people are being put down just because of who they are,” she said.

This leads back to the club’s purpose as a space for students of minority religions to grow comfortable with their differences through sharing them. Both Schroeder and Ingerslev agree that while being a minority has its fair share of problems, it can be a source of pride and personal strength as well.

“High school is a period in life where people are really trying to figure out their identity, and where they fit in, and sometimes it can be really painful to feel that you’re different from anybody else. But I think it’s also a really empowering thing when you can embrace that difference and have confidence in it,” Ingerslev said.

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You are now following James through, quite possibly, the most hazardous leg of his journey. In the icy waters of the atlantic, it will not be the waves or weather that is a constant threat, but rather the prowl of the Nazi wolf-packs (submarine groups), screening the water for easy targets. Throughout his journey, James kept to his journal, jotting down his daily routines, and not missing a beat throughout this long, stomach churning voyage.

Feb. 14, ’44 9:30 p.m. – Heavy seas encountered – 600 in one hold – no air – no ventilation.

Feb. 15th – 2:30 p.m. Out on deck, convoy together going slowly – 2:45 p.m. started to rain. 

Feb. 16th – Guard duty on port side of ship – waves lashing up against the rail. 

Feb. 17th Warm [and] clear – smooth sailing – gulf current – better living in hold – blower in operation – “air conditioning” harrah! 

Feb. 18th Cloudy training.

Feb. 19th Cloudy training – sunshine -fire drill.

Feb. 20th All kinds of weather – heavy swell.

Feb. 21st Rain in morning – sun came out later. At night the wake was full of effervescent light. 

Feb. 22nd High winds, heavy seas – decks were awash – spent most of time below “no blower” – very stuffy hard to breathe. Motion of ship monotonous – swaying & rocking greatly. 

Feb. 23rd – Clock ahead another hour – seas still very heavy. Confined to hold of ship – grabbed bunks to keep from falling out! Floor wet for several days due to leaking of water from deck – deck almost completely under! Feeling sluggish – oozy – stomach upset. 

Feb. 24th – Seas still angry! Water awash on deck – night guard duty on starboard side of ship – held on tightly to rail to keep my equilibrium – ship like a leaf tossed in a tempest! 

Feb. 25th – Calm + clear beautiful day- ate a little more heartily.

Feb. 26th – Somewhat cloudy [and] windy – not pleasant on deck – sailing not too rough.

Feb. 27th – Raining – later cleared – chilly out on deck – clock went ahead another hour. 

Feb. 28th – Clear day 

Feb. 29th – Clear day – sea calmed down – watch ahead another hour. 

Mar. 1st – Beautiful day – everybody spent the day out on deck – convoy gathered into a new formation approaching the straits. 

Mar. 2nd – Went out on deck at 7:30 A.M. watched the straits of Gibraltar – sunny day – spent day on deck – sea calm. 

Mar. 3rd – Cloudy – chilly off Oran, Africa anchored at harbor 1:45 P.M.. Atmosphere around wharf very sultry in appearance, boarded trucks to staging area – tents all around very cloudy cold night. Ate “C” rations out of cans – water worse than Galveston.

The Atlantic journey was finished and James finally reached his first stop, however, he would soon be shipped out once again to his next destination, and his eventual base of operation.

Stay tuned for the next edition!

As the end of my freshman year approaches, I look back and can’t help but realize how different it was compared to my expectations. From social situations to the classroom, it definitely doesn’t play out how you expect.

One of my fears going into 9th grade was the size of the school. Finding all of your classes and getting to them in only 5 minutes seemed ridiculous. The middle school classes were almost door to door, so this was definitely a huge change from what I was used to.

This problem faded away about two weeks in, you start learning that layout of the school and five minutes becomes way more than enough time to get to the next class. Memorizing your schedule also becomes incredibly easy, since you always walk to your classes in a set order. Only a few months into the year, you start walking to the next class on autopilot.

I also thought that the workload would only be slightly higher than the one in 8th grade, about which I was entirely wrong. During 8th grade, I typically spent maybe an hour on homework every night, and the weekend was typically a break from all homework. Tests and quizzes felt like a joke and school was mostly a place where I went to socialize and laugh.

Everything academic becomes significantly more serious than it was before, and even though I understand that freshman year really doesn’t matter, it is certainly not presented that way. You start to get homework for almost every class, every day and you spend a greater amount of time on it than before. Weekend homework is also regularly assigned. Tests and quizzes are also given much more frequently and you have to study larger amounts of material for them. Every single test feels important despite the large amount. Failing becomes possible and if you do not study you will quickly realize this. All of these factors make school much less enjoyable than it used to be and life becomes a balancing act of spending the required amount of time on school work while also having a life outside of it. Work piles up much more than it used to and you need to learn how to space it out otherwise one class will fall behind another. In class, work also becomes more tedious because you may not have anyone you know in some classes. While this becomes less of an issue as the year goes on, classes are packed with things to fill the time so talking to others becomes rarer. Due to the increased workload, your social life will most likely take place more outside of school.

Going into the year, I thought that freshmen would be somewhat ostracized for being younger than other grade level students. I also thought that all of my friends would be freshmen and that even talking to someone in another grade level would be rare.

I quickly realized that this is not the case. By the end of the year, most students in my multi-grade level classes had become friends or at least been familiar with one another. A lot of different grade level students even eat lunch together. At the start of the year I would say that the different grade level students were never mean to each other, they mostly just weren’t familiar with one another. After some time, no matter the grade level, they just become like any other student.

With the two middle schools coming together to the same high school, you will likely be in classes with people you don’t know. This is something I was nervous about, as making new friends just seemed annoying since you already had to do it in middle school.

While it is a burden, new friends will always come around. Just as before, there will be people in your classes that you like and dislike but during this year I didn’t have a single class where there was nobody that I liked. You also usually end up with at least one of your friends or at least someone you know, so even if you don’t make any new friends, you will probably never be alone.

The experience of freshmen year may start feeling confusing and it will take a while to get used to. Once you get here, it quickly becomes normal despite how different it is than middle school. While there are some negatives to being a freshmen, I can easily say that it is far better than middle school, I would not want to go back.

Tommy Welham and Oliver Davey aren’t just new to the halls of the WA, but new to the tennis courts of the boys’ varsity team. However, the work it takes to get onto a varsity team in freshman year doesn’t happen overnight, but through years of practice and preparation. Oliver Davey was inspired to take up the sport by watching professionals play.

”Well I saw [tennis] on TV one time and I thought I might like to play. Then I started playing from there,” Davey said.

Davey’s interest soon developed into a passion. He began by playing at a swim club and then moved on to All Seasons Tennis Academy. In middle school, Davey played for junior teams in the United States Tennis Association, (USTA) where his team won matches on a regional scale. His passion for the sport lives on to this day.

“Yeah, I love the game, it’s really fun. It’s competitive,; it’s only you out there so it’s a nice feeling when you win because you know it was all you,” Davey said.

Like Davey, Welham too enjoys the individuality of the sport, but for a bit of a different reason. Welham’s first experiences with it were when he was around five, but his first real interest was soccer.“[Later] I [became] less interested in soccer, so [I] moved to tennis,” said Welham.

Finding soccer players to be too overbearing, he moved on to spending his time on the tennis court instead of the soccer field. This switch happened about four years ago, and he has been playing about twice a week since then.

“[… ]I guess it’s a little bit natural ability, but you’ve got to work on it,” Welham said.     

Their passions serve them well on the varsity team. With no seniors, the rest of the team is made up of juniors and sophomores. Just because they are underclassmen, it does not mean they can’t play. Coach Peter Paltsios first pointed the pair out, at the team’s first match this season.

”We have some really good underclassmen, so I’m thinking it’s gonna be pretty good for us this year. We got a couple of really good freshmen… Oliver Davey [and] Tommy Welham,” Paltsois said.

Davey and Welham see the skill in each other as well. Davey referred to Welham as a “good player” who he practices with. Welham returned the compliment, saying also that he’s “probably a little bit better than me.”

Whether playing singles or practicing in pairs, they’re all a part of one team. Davey sees the difference between life on the varsity team, compared to his days in the junior league.

”It’s a team setting which is a lot different… it can get nerve racking at times when it’s an important match,” Davey said.

But the skills they’ve learned on the court have also helped them in the classroom. The boys note how the teacher and the coach have a similar goal in mind.

“In school [or in sports] you have to make sure you’re paying attention to what your coaches or your teachers say to better you in, either your sport or just your knowledge about the subject.”

In both athletics and academics, these two have plans for the future. Davey wants to continue his tennis career, possibly even into college, along with pursuing his interest in golf.

Welham, too, enjoys tennis but thinks he may want to go back to soccer in senior year and may do tennis in college “just for fun,” ideally at Notre Dame or Tufts, which he has his eye on with the hope of a future career in medicine.

But before they begin looking at colleges, they have the current varsity team to worry about. Welham seems hopeful not only for this season but for the next.

”I’d say we’re doing pretty well, especially next year we’re gonna do good, ’cause we’re not losing anyone, and we might gain a couple kids. So I’d say we’re gonna be pretty good next year,” Welham said.

Samuel Hummer is a new teacher here at Westford Academy. He teaches freshman Algebra 1 and sophomore Geometry.

Question: Did you teach anywhere before coming here?

Answer: I did. I taught in Fitchburg at a charter school called Sizer School. I taught there for about a year and a half. I started mid-year, during the school year there, and then stayed on through the following school year.

Q: And you taught math there as well?

A: I did. I taught Algebra 1 there. It’s a freshman class. There were a mix of of other students as well.

Q: Where’d you go to college? 

A: I got my undergraduate at UMass Amherst, at the college of engineering. I’m currently finishing up my master’s degree at Lesley University in Cambridge.

Q: Why did you choose to come to WA?

A: I have always wanted to be a part of this community, I think that the things that are done in this building are awesome, and they do incredible work here. Incredible students, incredible teachers, incredible community, and I wanted to be a part of it.

Q: Had you been searching for an opportunity here while working at Sizer, or did the opportunity just appear?

A:I had been searching while I was working there for an opening there with the hope that when it became available, I would be the chosen candidate, and I really lucked out, and it lined up well for me.

Q: How is your experience at WA so far?

A: It’s been awesome. All of my classes work really hard, they are focused, and the community and my desire to be a part of this community has proven to be true, the reasons why I want to be here. Everything has gone well, and it’s better than I expected.

Q: Is it a different experience here than your previous job?

A: It is. I taught in an urban school district in Fitchburg. There was a slightly different community, slightly different expectations, slightly different expectations placed upon them, as well as the core material being taught. So, small differences here and there, and this is just an awesome community to be part of.

Q: Why did you choose to become a teacher?

A: It’s something I always wanted to do since I was in high school. I found it extremely rewarding as a student to be helping my peers in class. That followed me through college, and it was something that I really wanted to get back into at some point in my career, so that’s why I made a switch. I was previously a civil engineer before moving back into teaching. It’s always been a passion of mine, helping others do what they want to do.

Q: How long have you been teaching for?

A: This is my third year of teaching.

Q: Did you know when you came here that you wanted to teach underclassmen?

A: I always knew I wanted to teach high school, but within that I’m not sure I had a preference. So this year, I have both freshman and sophomores, and I’m enjoying working with both groups. I think at some point I’d like to work with juniors and seniors as well, but that’s down the road a few years.

Introducing Jennifer Hoffman, a biology and forensic science teacher who has recently joined WA’s science department.

Q: Have you always wanted to become a teacher?

A: I wanted to be a vet originally. In college I was a teaching assistant in a biology lab at my college, and I also taught horseback lessons, and I loved it, so much more than doing lab work and research so it was just an easy change for me to kinda switch gears.

Q: How long have you been teaching?

A: This is my ninth year teaching.

Q: What is your definition of a good teacher?

A: I think a good teacher is a teacher that really cares about their students deep down. It’s not just a job for them; they really love what they do and love working and helping students not only grow intellectually but also emotionally. Emotional support is important as well. And socially.

Q: Have you always in been into science, or did you have other interests?

A: No, I’ve always been really into science. It started in high school, I had a great biology teacher and I was a horseback rider so I wanted to do something with horses and science so I went on to study veterinary medicine and from there, my love and passion for biology grew.

Q: Where did you go to college?

A: I went to Otterbein University for my undergraduate degree and I studied equine pre-veterinary medicine and biology.

Q: Where did you teach before Westford Academy?

A: I taught in Hudson High School in Massachusetts

Q: Why did you choose to teach at WA?

A: I wanted to be close enough to home so that I could get more involved with the school community; when I was working in Hudson I had about a forty-minute commute. It was hard for me to get involved as an advisor or even just come to sporting events. So I really wanted to be closer to home so I could be part of the school community. So besides that, Westford has always been a really highly-ranked school and very well-known as a great district so it was a really easy decision for me.

Q: Are there any differences between Hudson High School and Westford Academy?

A. The size. Westford Academy is double the size. So that’s a big difference. The amount of science electives and the interest in science is much higher here, which is nice. The students here a so polite, every single one of them says “thank you” when I’m leaving. It just seems like a really great community.

Q: How is your experience at WA so far?

A: It’s been great. Everyone’s been so welcoming, the staff is so friendly and eager to help. All of the students are great as well.

Q: How have you grown as a teacher?

A: Oh, so many ways. So I’ve become more confident in my teaching. I’ve become more creative in the activities that I create and use in my classroom.

Q: Are you involved in advising any clubs? Are there any clubs that coincide with your interests?

A: Yes, I’m co-advising the women in STEM club. It’s actually called “24%”. So I’m really excited to be involved with that.

Q: Do you have any hobbies outside of school?

A: I used to horseback ride. Well, now that I have kids it’s hard to find the time, but we like hiking, and we like to check out new areas to hike with the kids. Not necessarily big mountains, since they’re still young, but conservation areas.

Q: Lastly, how do you balance teaching and home with homework to grade and everything?

A: I have two kids, I have a two-year old and a four-year old. So after school, I have to go home and switch gears into “mom-mode”, but once they go to bed, that’s when I can get a little bit of work done before I fall asleep on the couch while I’m working.

Principal Jim Antonelli closed off Hartford Road to cars incoming to Westford Academy at the beginning of the school year, a decision that has caused controversy among parents, students, and faculty whose commutes have lengthened as a result. This new traffic plan, one of many instated over the past few years, is another attempt to ease the flow of cars to the school in the mornings and improve student safety.

Between parents and teachers turning into the parking lot off of Hartford Road towards traffic and students crossing Hartford Road to get the school, the area is chaotic at best and dangerous at worst. Closing Hartford Road to incoming traffic is meant to alleviate “a little bit of everything”, according to Student Resource Officer Geoffrey Pavao, who explains that the daily bottleneck is the product of a tangle of issues.

The most obvious of these issues is sheer volume. The school is almost at population capacity, but the number of cars at the school is more than traffic engineers ever imagined as they worked on the school’s initial plan, Antonelli explained.

“I think they thought about students coming in on buses. There’s a variety of reasons it’s changed, you know. I mean, I went to school on the bus every single day until I was a senior, right, so that’s just the way things worked. But my class was 225 versus a class of 465 [referring to the class of 2021],” he said. 

Antonelli has worked with traffic engineers over the past three years to ease the “ebb and flow,” as he calls it, as the student population of Westford Academy reaches an an all-time peak. Last year, administration added a crosswalk in the student lot as a safety consideration, as well as more pick-up and drop-off zones at the back of the school that were intended to ease congestion in the front.

While the crosswalk seemed to work, as Pavao noted that students were diligent in using it and accidents decreased last year, administration has struggled to get parents to stick to the designated pick-up and drop-off zones.

Pavao explained that when parents drop their children off near the front rather than the back, the congestion backs up Patten Road, which in turn backs up Cold Spring Road once cars can no longer take a turn onto Patten. The resulting “traffic mess” was part of the reason for the closing of Hartford Road.

“Quite frankly, if people follow the rules, I think it would be better. But some of the drivers that come into this parking lot, make their own rules, right?” Antonelli said. “When people make their own rules and stop caring about anybody else, then the system breaks down.”

However, the new pattern has delayed not just commuters coming through Hartford Road but from all sides of the school. Frustrations have been running high among students and parents alike, and Antontelli recalls getting several angry emails as well as being yelled at as he stood outside over the past month.

Antonelli assures that these decisions are not made on a whim, and that each traffic pattern is calculated to have a tangible impact on congestion around the school.

“Everything we’ve done, we’ve done it in collaboration with engineers, local officials,” he said. 

English teacher Meghan Oelerich, who lives in town, has two children whom she must drop off at seven in the morning in order to make it to school on time.

Compared to last year, she says, the traffic situation is much more difficult. Her normal commute takes her through Hartford Road, but after the new traffic plan was instated, she has had to circle around to the school in a new route that takes her around ten minutes longer.

“For now, I’ve done it. I’ve been maybe marginally late, like I called Mrs. Keirstead a few times […] my concern is winter, when the bad weather hits, the ice and things like that, and everything slows down. If I’m barely getting here on time now, when the weather is beautiful, it’s a concern,” she said.

Seniors who have to drive to school in the mornings have voiced concerns about barely making it to school on time despite waking up earlier, and have suggested various changes to speed up the traffic flow.

“We need to have another traffic person at the Cold Spring intersection [with Patten Road],” said senior Matt Mantenuto. “Everyone at that stop sign isn’t told to go, and then they never get to school.”

Antonelli has already begun considering this adjustment since parents brought up the idea last year, as he hopes it will improve student safety in the area.

“Because that, for me, is one of the most dangerous intersections in Westford. I mean, I’ve been to 15, 20 different accidents out there over the last, you know, ten years of my career,” he said. 

For now, though, the plan for the future is simply to adjust.

“With any new change, it’s going to be, you know, a little bit different, but people just need to realize, hey, it’s a little bit slower. Leave a couple minutes earlier. I mean, it’s not — this isn’t end-of-the-world-type stuff. It’s a couple of minutes, so leave a few minutes earlier,” said Pavao.

Question: Where did you go to high school?

Answer:I went to two schools, Wachusett [High School] for two years and Worcester [High School]  for two years.

Q: So you’re from Massachusetts?

A: Yes I am

Q: Where did you go to college?

A: I went to Bridgewater State in Eastern Massachusetts.

Q: Where did you work before coming to WA?

A: I worked in several places. In the Worcester district, I worked as a long-term sub and I taught down at the Cape Tech High School as a day to day sub.

Q: Was it always PE and health that you taught?

A: When I was a day to day sub I went wherever they needed me.

Q: Why did you choose to come to WA?

A: I saw it on School Spring, an online site where teachers send in their applications. It’s kind of like Indeed.com for teachers. You just submit your resume to it.

Q: What do you think the main difference is between teaching at WA and all the other jobs you’ve worked at?

A: The staff really, and the department I am in. The jobs I’ve had before it was just me and a couple of other people. Here, it’s a big group of people who are all really caring, very helpful. Unfortunately, I didn’t get that at other places.

Q: What has been your favorite part about WA?

A: I think the students and the staff, really. Honestly, it’s a very good school.

Gallery|11 Photos

WA and Waltham players await the basketball.

On Tuesday, December 11, the Westford Academy Boys’ Varsity Basketball team faced-off against Waltham High School at WA. While playing aggressively in the first match of the season, the WA team fell short of the 17 points they needed to catch up to Waltham, falling to the opponent at a score of 47 to 64.

Waltham started the game strong, making the first play of the game with a three-point shot. Soon after, WA junior Aryah Purandare added 2 points to the board with senior and co-captain Scott Beattie, pushing their score to 4. The guest team, however, did not stop with their three-pointers and continued to gain more and more points while WA remained stagnant.

The first quarter came to a close with Waltham in the lead by 13 points.

The second quarter started off well for WA when senior and co-captain Ben Lawrence made the team’s first 3-pointer on the first play. Lawrence soon followed up and pulled in 4 more points for WA. In response, Waltham made another array of shots and established a prominent lead, leaving WA behind 12-24. 

After halftime, WA mustered a stronger defense and was able to rebound over half of Waltham’s shots. The Ghosts began to catch up, trailing by only 9 points.

In the third quarter, WA maintained a strong defense, constantly blocking Waltham’s shots. This led to a considerable amount of fouls on both sides, WA committing 7 of them.

The plethora of fouls resulted in to WA trailing 34 to 51 at the end of the third quarter.

Lawrence played an impressive fourth quarter. With 4 minutes left, Lawrence made two jump shots and WA’s first 3-pointer of the quarter, racking up 9 points for the Ghosts. By the middle of the quarter, Lawrence had chipped into WA’s deficit, but the Ghosts were still behind 47 to 60.  

With only 2 minutes remaining, Waltham secured their lead with more free throws and rebounds. WA was not able to score any more points. With such little time left, there was too much of a gap for the Ghosts to catch up, and WA faced defeat with a final score of 47 to 64.

Despite the loss, Coach Bramanti plans to take the loss as a learning experience and implement new strategies in following games.

“I am disappointed in our effort that we did not match Waltham’s toughness. We will be working on rebounding, defense, and toughness drills to prepare for Acton-Boxborough on Friday night [December 14],” Bramanti said.

Gallery|5 Photos

Team practices their use of props in the Nabnasset Elementary School gym

WA’s fall color guard, whose baton performances are showcased at the school football games, will be transitioning into a competitive winter guard season this winter for the first time in its history. The batons, the colors, the excitement, and the performances that winter guard represents will be displayed at competitions.

Winter guard is different from the fall color guard offered at Westford Academy due to its use of an indoor space and pre-recorded music instead of a live band or orchestra. Winter guard will also be judged, unlike color guard, which just performs at Westford Academy’s home football games. 

Winter guard and color guard also have similarities. They both involve routines that go along with music. The members wear costumes and use props that go with the theme of the routine for both sports.

Practice for the sport started Monday, November 26. The two co-captains, Amanda Brown and Sara Lane, both current seniors at Westford Academy, were more than happy to start winter guard. They, along with former captains, had worked for years to make winter guard a sport at Westford Academy.

“I am so hyped! We have been waiting so long,” Lane said.

The two co-captains were involved in getting a space for the winter guard team to practice in. With help from their coach, Becca Shepherd, Brown and Lane were able to get access to the Nabnasset gym on Monday and Friday, from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. 

“We have been trying to make this happen for quite a few years now, but it has been difficult since WA has booked out the gym every day after school. Basketball has booked out most of the gyms available in Westford, so we have had to fight with administration to get winter guard a place to practice so that we could have a team,” Brown said.

This year, the theme that the Westford Academy team has picked for the competitions will be based on The Greatest Showman. The team will go to competitions where they will be judged on their skills and costumes.

“This year we are doing The Greatest Showman, so we are going to have cute, [circus] costumes. We will wear breathable clothing so that we can stretch during our performances,” Lane said.

The competitions for winter guard work in such a way that they will use the same routine for the most part. The team will attend a competition where their routine will be judged. After getting critiqued, the team will return back to practice where they will work on improving the routine. They will then perform the refined routine.

“We will first be judged on our routine, and then we will head back to the drawing room where we make tweaks on it, to make it better,” Brown said.

The captains, along with their coach, are looking for more participants who are willing to give 100% at practice as well as at competitions. The team is looking for more participants to join the team, which is currently around twenty students. They are open to allowing students to join the team as long as they are passionate about the sport. 

Lane and Brown both feel that practice is where the most improvement will happen. They feel that their teammates would benefit most if they made it to all practices.

“Show up and give it your all. You must keep a positive attitude because it can be hard for the first few weeks. You may be given a pole or something, so you must be aware that it will be hard, but after a few weeks, it just comes naturally,” Lane said.

Brown feels that since this is the first year of winter guard, that everyone, no matter the age, will be learning with each other.

“I think that we all will have something to learn and that the way we approach certain things will be less structured than color guard, since it is new to a great majority of us,” Brown said.

Brown, Lane, and Shepherd have high hopes for this season.

“I hope to push them to be their best and, most importantly, have fun. It’s going to be the greatest show, and I’m looking forward to it,” Shepherd said.

The WA boys basketball team played at TD Garden in Boston, MA, on Sunday, January 6, 2019. The Grey Ghosts lost to the Groton-Dunstable Crusaders by a final score of 45-56.

Gallery|12 Photos

Griffin Parker

Senior Michael Zacharchuk shoots a three-pointer during warmups for WA's game against Groton-Dunstable.

The burdens which students face at school can come in all shapes and sizes. From classes to clubs, students feel all types of pressure around them. One of the other potential sources of stress for students could come in through the world of athletics.

Sports themselves can be seen as stressful to many people. There is constant physical exertion, a pressure to succeed from your teammates, and the massive time dedication. However, this is not to say that these pressures are a bad thing. The ability to work cohesively as a team and manage stress through exercise and discipline are all traits which could be applicable both on and off the field.

Mary Cadogan, a senior and captain of WA Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse as well as a varsity soccer player, has a way of managing herself in a way where she can make the best use of her time.

“I pretty much like doing sports during school because it helps me get [my] stuff done better because I procrastinate less by having more of a set schedule. Last year for lacrosse, and this year for soccer, practices started at 2:30, right after school, so it didn’t give me time to meet with teachers. A lot of times I have to wake up earlier to come in in the morning as opposed to staying after. I feel more productive and it’s a good stress release to play [these] sports,” Cadogan said.

Cadogan said that it was best for her to realize when she needed to sacrifice sports time for student time. This included occasionally missing team dinners and re-evaluating her schedule. Being a team captain on the girls’ lacrosse team, Cadogan also has to balance her other added duties.

“You have to organize a lot of the fundraisers, get the apparel, organize the indoor leagues that we do in the off-season, along with the off-season training. And then, during the season, just motivating the team, [and] meeting with the coach about things to improve,” Cadogan stated.

Olivia Vallone, a senior doing multiple sports including track, girls’ hockey, and field hockey, talked about how her sports tie into her schoolwork and how it affected her and her teammates.

“I really like my sports. At some points, when other people in the team are stressed about the academic life and that affects the whole team’s vibe, then it kind of gets to me. But overall, I’m someone who really is passionate about my sports and I look forward to the time in it,” Vallone said.

Another unanimous consensus from each interviewee was the assertion that the peer pressures that they faced while playing sports was one of the healthy stresses that helped the teams have cohesion and work more closely together.

Freshman ice hockey player Sarah Thompson said that “it depends” whether peer pressure can be good or bad, explaining that sometimes teammates needed the occasional stressor to keep the team motivated.

However, this is not all to say that school mixed with sports can’t get stressful at times. Freshman Aidan Stafford, one of the players on the boys’ freshman soccer team talked about how school can creep up on you unless you stay on top of it.

“I mostly try to make a plan beforehand as to when assignments are done and what I should do, whether it’s on the bus ride to games or at home after practice,” Stafford said.

Stafford went on to emphasize the importance of maintaining control of a schedule, and prioritizing schoolwork.

“If you have a really big assignment coming up just try to prepare, and make a plan, and remember that it’ll be over by June,” Stafford finished.

Junior Max Bombardieri, a lineman on the Varsity Football team, felt that sports provided a sort of schedule to his day, and helped him stay on task.

“I feel like sports allows me to get into a routine, a schedule, and I just go through that schedule every day,” Bombardieri said.

Bombardieri said that there were times where it could be a little challenging balancing schoolwork and sports but that his coaches were understanding to the fact that school comes first, and that if he needed any extra time or help planning he could come to them.

All of these athletes face the struggle of balancing their time, whether for good or bad, but they all seem to manage to fit in their activities and get the best possible outcome from it.

“You just kind of have to know how to stay balanced,” Cadogan said.

The school may be forced to make budget cuts that would affect WA

Recently the Westford School Committee has been discussing the budget for the next fiscal year. The town has proposed a budget for the schools that is 1.2 million dollars less than what the school committee has requested.

The school committee had requested 2.7 million dollars in new funding over last year; however, the town’s proposed incremental budget for the school system is only 880 thousand dollars or 1.2 million dollars less than requested. In order to meet the new budget, the school committee will be required to make some cuts, unless additional funds are allocated, which I don’t believe will be good for the school.

These cuts will affect the entire Westford public school system, and many of these cuts will be felt at Westford Academy. I believe these problems will negatively affect many students at WA. These cuts could affect the later start time, the Challenge Success program, substitute teachers, and the student club activities fee. The 530 thousand dollar override for the teacher salaries has already been approved, and is not affected by these cuts.

Westford’s School Committee has been discussing making the school start time later for all students in the district. Instead of high school and middle school starting at 7:35, it would start at 8:00 to allow high school and middle school students in particular to maintain a healthier sleep schedule. I believe this would have been a good idea; however, because of the budget cuts for this year, the school might be forced to postpone pushing back the start time of school. Since it would require more buses, the school may decide not to act on this, saving 148 thousand dollars. They have stated that this proposal is off the table for next year due to the budget.

The Challenge Success program could also be on the chopping block. The program will continue, however, it will eliminate the end of year feedback survey used to improve the program, saving another 15 thousand dollars. I think that this survey is crucial to the program to know if it is helping students, and should not be cut.

In addition, the school could raise the student activity fee. Last year, the activity fee was increased from 50 dollars to 60 dollars. This year, in light of the new budget, the fee may be increased from 60 dollars to 100 dollars. This could free up 40 thousand dollars for the school.

I feel that this may deter some students from joining in school activities. The many clubs are so that students can try new activities and find out what they like to do, and I believe that if the activity fee is raised, students may be dissuaded from joining and taking advantage of the many opportunities available at WA.

Lastly, WA may reduce substitute teacher coverage, forcing students to study independently in the library, or complete work from their teacher on google classroom. This would save another 15 thousand dollars. I think that this may result in students not doing the work that they are supposed to be doing during the time since there is no substitute teacher to keep students on task.

There are many other possible cuts that could be made, such as reducing one full-time teacher at WA, and eliminating the WA entrepreneur partnership with Babson College.

In total, the proposed cuts across the district would reduce the proposed budget by 1,247,304 dollars. I believe these cuts would not benefit the school; however, the school may not have a choice.