As course selections begin at Westford Academy, the question of balancing student stress with academic success rises once again. But this year, administration is working with Stanford University to make changes to the school’s structure and reduce student stress once and for all.

Stanford has initiated a program known as Challenge Success. Their goal is to put more focus towards giving students a well-rounded educational experience, rather than prioritize test scores and individual grades. They also want to reduce stress for students.

At the beginning of the year, students took a survey administered by Stanford that asked them about stress levels relating to school and activities out of school, and based on the results, Principal Jim Antonelli has made the decision to coordinate with Stanford to implement Challenge Success at WA.