The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter
The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter
The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter
Aarshia Bhattacharyya

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, Co-Managing Editor

Hi! I’m one of the managing editors for the Ghostwriter, and I’m a junior here at WA; this is my third year writing for the paper. In my free time, I love listening to music (especially Gracie Abrams), writing, and spending time with my friends and family. Outside of school, I swim and do classical dance. I’m looking forward to another year of reporting!

All content by Aarshia Bhattacharyya
(From right to left) Ditmars, Sacheti, and Shanmuganath smile outside the flag lobby entrance at their tulip bulb planting meeting.

More than dirt and worms: WA’s newest composting endeavour

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, Co-Managing Editor
Oct 30, 2025

Buzzing flies, rotting banana peels, and soggy coffee grounds are not your typical high schooler's cup of tea (you can compost tea leaves, by the way). The smell alone deters many from having anything...

Fernandez leaps up to spike back Lowell's set.

Photos: WA Girls’ Volleyball crushes Lowell 3-0

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, Co-Managing Editor
Sep 26, 2025

WA Girls' Volleyball crushed Lowell High School 3-0 at their home game on Sept. 24. The Ghosts kept a strong lead throughout the game, pulling ahead quickly in each set. Lowell presented a strong front,...

The freshman class of 2029 gather in the PAC moments before election speeches begin.

Class of 2029 elects first student government

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, Co-Managing Editor
Sep 26, 2025

Westford Academy's freshman class of 2029 elected their first student government representatives on Wednesday, Sept. 24. The four class officers are president Aarav Engineer, vice president Mia Weber,...

One of the official album covers for 'Man's Best Friend'. Provided by Spotify.

Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Man’s Best Friend’ reminds listeners to charge their phone

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, Co-Managing Editor
Sep 3, 2025

Amidst controversies and pearl-clutching from the internet, Sabrina Carpenter's highly anticipated album Man's Best Friend has finally arrived. The singer-songwriter's seventh studio album sparked many...

Soundbytes: how WA feels about the omission of teacher names from draft schedules

Soundbytes: how WA feels about the omission of teacher names from draft schedules

Aarshia Bhattacharyya and Sara Metivier
Jun 12, 2025

WA is set to release students' draft schedules on Thursday, June 12. Students will be dismissed to their advisories at 1:45 p.m. and will be given their schedules by their advisory teachers. This year,...

The nine Girls' Varsity Tennis players pose for a team photo outside of their home court at Robinson School.

Girls’ Tennis serves up a 5-0 victory in first playoff match against Framingham

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, Co-Managing Editor
Jun 3, 2025

Westford Academy Girls' Tennis defeated Framingham High School 5-0 on Sunday, June 1 at Colonel John Robinson School. The match, which was the first playoff game of the season, came after the team achieved...

DeLong smiles behind his desk in one of the math rooms.

DeLong plans to retire after 23 years of being an integral part of WA

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, Co-Managing Editor
May 16, 2025

Geometry. Trigonometry and Precalculus. Calculus. Math teacher David DeLong has taught it all. In the process, DeLong has turned what is many students' most dreaded subject into a class to look forward...

Gorham's professional headshot, taken by photographer Joshua Pickering.

Gorham prepares to retire from teaching after thirteen historic years

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, Co-Managing Editor
May 5, 2025

History teacher Christopher C. Gorham's love for history has been present since he was a young boy. Mesmerized by his World War II veteran grandfather's library and cigar box of medals, photographs, and...

Members of ROUTES stand side by side in front of the coffee shop area.

A cup from ROUTES Roasters will warm both your hands and your heart

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Mar 18, 2025

Light roast, French vanilla, hazelnut—these are just a few of the options customers at ROUTES Roasters are offered. The familiar comfort of coffee is something that many people crave especially in the...

A quote from Maya Angelou on diversity and inclusion hangs in the senior lobby.

Dean Welch organizes Neurodiversity Celebration Week to promote inclusivity

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Mar 18, 2025

Westford Academy is holding a Neurodiversity Celebration Week from Monday, Mar. 17 to Friday, Mar. 21. Each day has a specific theme for students to dress up in order to elevate uniqueness and variety...

The official album cover for 'Short n' Sweet (Deluxe)'.

Dessert is served with Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe)’

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Mar 14, 2025

For singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter, 2024 was a life-changing year. Skyrocketed into international fame and recognition after the success of her hit single, Espresso, Carpenter has continued to drop...

Members of the Best Buddies club pose for a group photo.

Best Buddies takes the floor as host of annual dance party

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Feb 27, 2025

For some, WA's Best Buddies club is the ideal way to connect with others and to make friends. For others, it is their way of assisting people and giving back to the community. Regardless of why one joins...

Soundbytes: should MCAS be a graduation requirement?

Soundbytes: should MCAS be a graduation requirement?

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Feb 13, 2025

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) was designed as a standard of education in Massachusetts when it was created in 1993. However, on Nov. 6, 2024, Massachusetts voters removed MCAS...

The loading screen many students may see when taking the MCAS.

Upholding the standard: MCAS should still be a graduation requirement at WA

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Feb 3, 2025

Westford Academy is currently ranked 19th in education out of Massachusetts's 405 public high schools. Our town is renowned for its education system, all the way from kindergarten through high school....

The Lion Star Boys performing at Northeastern University's Vietnamese Student Association-run culture show.

Nguyen prowls onto the stage as a cymbalist for the Lion Star Boys

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Jan 19, 2025

Despite Westford Academy's relatively diverse student body and several cultural clubs like the South Asian Student Association (SASA) and the Asian Culture Club (ACC), it can be hard for second-generation...

A sign placed in a Westford resident’s front lawn.

A government of the people, for the people, by the people: 16 year olds should be allowed to vote

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Oct 4, 2024

A Westford sign supporting the Harris-Walz campaign.

Burns playing lacrosse on the WA Trustees Field. Provided by Nick Burns.

Burns scores a commit to Saint Anselm College

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Dec 20, 2024

For the past 11 years, lacrosse has been a part of senior Nick Burns's life. Although his earliest experiences with the sport are a blur, Burns remembers the sheer enjoyment and thrill of the game, as...

Senior forward Vishal Rampur and a Tewksbury player leap for the ball during the tossup at the beginning of the scrimmage.

WA Boys’ Basketball beats Tewksbury in scrimmage as they prepare for new season

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Dec 11, 2024

Westford Academy Boys' Basketball beat Tewksbury Memorial High School in a six-period long scrimmage on Tuesday, Dec. 10 by winning three periods, tying one, and losing two. As the match was a scrimmage...

A protester's sign following Trump's election in 2016, referencing both the 2016 and 2000 elections where the candidate who won the popular vote lost the election. Provided by NBC news.

The Electoral College is outdated and unfair: all citizens should be represented

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Nov 27, 2024

Elections in the United States are usually decided when a candidate wins the largest number of votes. This is a tried and true system that has been used in democratic elections in the U.S. for decades,...

The official album cover for 'The Secret of Us (Deluxe)'.

Gracie Abrams digs deeper into her thoughts with ‘The Secret of Us (Deluxe)’

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Nov 4, 2024

Gracie Madigan Abrams is becoming less and less of a secret as days go by. From seven million monthly listeners to 30 million monthly listeners on Spotify in just one year, Abrams has more than quadrupled...

Members on the trip pose for a quick group photo. Provided by Michael Towers.

WA Theater Arts takes time off from the stage during New York City trip

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Oct 28, 2024

The bustling sights and sounds of New York City greeted several WA Theater Arts (WATA) students early one Saturday afternoon. The 44 actors and crew members — accompanied by 6 adult chaperones — stepped...

Both pairs of founders (Agarwal, Athale, Khurana, and Tamula) stand outside room 231, where the clubs are held.

WA’s two newest clubs are both AI-based: here are their differences

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Oct 17, 2024

WA's current list of clubs only has one AI-focused club, at the very top of the list. But when sophomores Avani Athale and Naaisha Agarwal decided to start this AI club, they certainly did not realize...

The Class of 2028 bulletin board located next to the library.

Official Class of 2028 student government announced

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Oct 13, 2024

The Westford Academy freshman Class of 2028 held their first student government elections on Wednesday, Oct. 2. The four elected class officers are Alicia Kurnianto as class president, Chiara Leiwant as...

Sophomore midfield Emily Boneck closely follows a Tewksbury player.

WA Girls’ Field Hockey defeats Tewksbury with 2-1 victory

Aarshia Bhattacharyya, News Editor
Sep 19, 2024

WA Girls' Field Hockey defeated Tewksbury Memorial High School 2-1 on Sept. 17, marking their second victory of the season and raising their season record to 2-4. WA and Tewksbury were evenly matched...

Load More Stories