For the 2019-2020 school year, many electives, ranging from arts courses to history ones, have been cut from the available course list by guidance.

According to Guidance Coordinator, Wendy Pechacek, every year, there are electives that became unavailable due to low enrollment.

That sentiment was echoed by Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum Coordinator Andrea Meija in regards to the arts courses not operating, including Acting II CP1, Directing II Honors, and Elements of Songwriting CP1.

“We strive at Westford Academy to offer the most broad array of courses possible, and given the enrollment of our courses and what students are most interested in taking, make the best decisions possible as to what courses will run.  This will fluctuate from year to year and we rely on student feedback to ensure that we are offering what students are most interested in,” Meija said in an email.

But, it is not just arts courses being cut. After its inaugural year, women’s empowerment is coming to an end.

“I was informed probably maybe a month and a half or two months ago, that it wasn’t going to run next year, again, because of the low numbers […] we just didn’t meet the numbers. We had to be closer to 50 this year, because the school committee is recommending … 25 students per class,” Health and Wellness teacher, and former co-advisor for the Women’s Empowerment course, Melanie Jozokos said.

Despite the lack of numbers for the 2019-2020 school year, the course remains in the programs of studies, and Jozokos is hopeful that it will run again.

Along with the fluctuation of electives, comes the loss of language courses. Similar to a lack of enrollment causing the cut of electives, both French and German I, will not be running next school year. While a fluctuation of the level one language classes offered by WA is nothing new, any incoming freshman hoping to start learning French or German will be met with disappointment.