Abby Cianciolo

Staff Writer

High school is the best four years of their lives for some people, and for others, they cringe at the memory. For Scott Cruikshank, high school must have been great as he returned for a teaching job here at Westford Academy.

After graduating from WA in 2005 alongside fellow teachers Chris Gosselin and Patrick Gendron, Scott Cruikshank went on to college at Duke University. He then returned to WA and is currently teaching in the social studies department.

When he was a student here, Cruikshank was involved with many clubs including National Honors Society, the theater arts program, and was a member of the chorus under the music department. Cruikshank stated that his favorite memory of high school took place with his involvement in the theater arts.

In his junior year, he scored a leading role in the school musical, Les Misérables. This was his defining moment in his theater career, seeing as it was his first real lead in a play.

“Scott was one of the reasons I was able to select and produce Les Miserables. Scott was a very established singer and an even more well respected young man in whom I knew I could count on.  His performance at the audition clinched what we already knew to be true: he would be a brilliant Javert!  And indeed he was.  A spectacular performance,” says Westford Academy’s head of theater arts, Michael Towers.

Cruikshank described himself as a good student. He took many advanced placement and honors courses throughout high school, where he managed to maintain high grades. Some of Cruikshank’s teachers including Andy Norrander, Sandra Whittemore, Rebecca Ingerslev, and Karen St. George still teach at WA today.

Spending time away from Westford during college, Cruikshank was glad to return to a school with such high academic standards.

“I can’t think of a better place to start off an educational career,” Scott Cruikshank stated.

He added that a great thing about WA is its student involvement. There are a large number of clubs and programs that appeal to many different types of students. And if there is not a club for a particular student, another great thing is that students have the liberty to start their own clubs and activities said Cruikshank.

Cruikshank believes that having recently graduated gives him a different perspective on students. He understands the amount of extra activities and obligations students have, and takes that into consideration with his class work and assignments. Being in their shoes just a few years back, Cruikshank finds it easy to relate to his seniors in terms of college planning and preparation.

Recalling his years at WA, Cruikshank says that the school has not gone under tremendous changes, at least from his perspective. WA is still a very accepting place and environment full of friendly faces. One change he did notice was the increase in the number of clubs and activities offered to students.

When asked about teaching at Westford Academy for the long run, Cruikshank responded with, “Absolutely, absolutely.”