Penelope Zambrana

Boys’ volleyball prevails over Nashoba Regional High School

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinion and Reviews Editor
Apr 3, 2026

The Westford Academy Boys' Volleyball secured their victory at Nashoba Regional High School by winning three out of three rounds on Monday, March 30, bringing their season record to 2-0. Their next game...

Putting effort into preparing for the future

Departments should follow Connole's example

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinion and Reviews Editor
Mar 18, 2026

When a young child pictures high school they see tests, homework assignments, and textbooks. Some may even picture the social aspect of it all too — meeting up with friends after school or the freedom...

St. Denis plays out his passion for music in Press Play Curation

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinion and Reviews Editor
Mar 13, 2026

With all the time a student spends in school with their teachers going through lessons based on class material, it can become difficult to picture a teacher as anything other than that. However, for Spanish...

Human Anatomy classes dissect pig fetuses instead of cats

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinions and Reviews Editor
Feb 13, 2026

Due to a backordering issue, the Honors Human Anatomy and Physiology classes at Westford Academy have had to switch their annual animal dissection from the usual cat specimen to pig fetuses. Over the past...

Bernier breaks records and the glass ceiling

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinion and Reviews Editor
Jan 25, 2026

Joining a high school sport can be intimidating for anyone. The thought of being the newest member of a team tends to consume athletes' minds. For senior Olivia Bernier, not only did she overcome the...

Senioritis: quitting just before crossing the finish line

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinion and Reviews Editor
Jan 25, 2026

"But you're already committed to a college, why do you care so much?" Despite late nights spent poring over Psychology and AP European History notes and hours spent on math homework and equations, the...

WA Boys’ Ice Hockey falls short to Billerica Memorial High School with 5-2 loss

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Reviews and Opinions Editor
Dec 20, 2025

Westford Academy Boys' Hockey suffered a 5-2 loss to Billerica Memorial High School on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at a home game at the Skate Three Hockey Arena, starting their Dual County League (DCL) season...

DECA introduces mentors for newer members

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinions and Reviews Editor
Nov 26, 2025

One of Westford Academy's largest clubs, Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), is providing senior members with mentor positions this school year to assist in an easier transition from the class...

The normalization of mental health in the media has crossed into romanticization

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinions and Reviews Editor
Oct 31, 2025

Throughout history, the topic of mental health has been unapproachable. As a result of religious intolerance and superstitions, for the longest time, those with mental health issues were blamed, rather...

Make-A-Wish and WPD collaborate to bring Ennis’ dream to life

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinion and Reviews Editor
Oct 8, 2025

Tiaras and dresses glitter in the sun as children's faces light up. The smell of pizza wafts through the air. Businesses join together to fill up tables with goodie bags, and rush to decorate their car...

WA Girls’ Volleyball continues their winning streak in tight 25-18 match against Boston Latin

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinion and Reviews Editor
Sep 13, 2025

WA Girls' Volleyball beat Boston Latin School (BLS) in a nail-biting 3-1 game on Wednesday, Sep. 10. The match brought WA to a season record of 4-0, allowing them to continue their winning streak. The...

WABC faces difficult transition following Miller’s exit

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinion and Reviews Editor
Sep 8, 2025

Westford Academy Broadcasting Club (WABC) has been learning to adjust to the absence of their longtime adviser Mark Miller, who retired last spring. As a result, the new school year has come with its own...

WAGL ends historic season in a 8-6 loss against Concord-Carlisle

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinion and Reviews Editor
Jun 15, 2025

After a long and persistent season, WA Girls' Lacrosse (WAGL) was defeated 8-6 at the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) championship game against Concord-Carlisle (CC). The 2025...

WA sashays into Hispanic culture with its first ever Salsa Night

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinions and Reviews Editor
Jun 4, 2025

WA hosts a multitude of different events that showcase a variety of cultures such as Chaat Masala and the Lunar New Year Celebration. However, not many festivities have been representative of Hispanic...

Best Buddies year in review: WA welcomes new wave of inclusivity

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinion and Reviews Editor
May 7, 2025

For many high school students, it can be incredibly difficult to identify exactly where they belong. For some, it can even take years to discover a group with a solid foundation where they can be completely...

DECA prepares to fly above the competition at ICDC

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinion and Reviews Editor
Apr 4, 2025

As the school year nears its end, the excitement for end-of-year activities and competitions grows. One of these events is the upcoming International Career Development Conference (ICDC), the national...

WA Boys’ Lacrosse takes down Groton-Dunstable at their home opener 14-6

Katie McDermott and Penelope Zambrana
Apr 1, 2025

Westford Academy Boys’ Lacrosse kicked off their season by beating Groton-Dunstable Regional High School (GDRHS) 14-6 on Saturday, March 29, starting their season record off strong 1-0. Throughout...

Students should take advantage of the DLTs WA provides

Penelope Zambrana, Opinion and Reviews Editor
Mar 25, 2025

At WA, most students' days are filled with challenging classes and an incredibly heavy workload. For many, this can lead to feelings such as burnout, which cause long term strain on the body and the mind,...

Environmental Club strives to eliminate waste with a swap shop

Penelope Zambrana, Opinion and Review Editor
Feb 3, 2025

The Environmental Club at Westford Academy held a swap shop from Monday Jan. 27 to Friday Jan. 31. The swap shop was set up in the flag lobby and worked to recycle unneeded supplies to those at the school...

WA Girls Swim and Dive crushes Bedford on senior night

Penelope Zambrana, Opinion and Review Editor
Jan 26, 2025

WA Girls’ Swim and Dive (WASD) blew their competition, Bedford High School, out of the water at their home meet on Saturday, Jan. 25, at a home meet at the Beede Center in Concord. WASD was able to start...

Blindly taking higher level classes can be a detriment to mental health

Penelope Zambrana, Opinions and Reviews Editor
Dec 20, 2024

Every year when February rolls around, students are tasked with selecting their classes for the following year. Though to some this may not be stressful, there are a handful of students that have to answer...

Stowell scores the goal and commits to University of Vermont for Division 1 soccer

Penelope Zambrana, Opinion and Review Editor
Dec 19, 2024

For most students, junior year is the time to explore colleges and narrow down their options as they prepare to create an application that gives them the best chances of being accepted into their dream...

Top 5 fashion trends of 2024 that deserve a hanger in the 2025 wardrobe

Penelope Zambrana, Opinions and Reviews Editor
Dec 12, 2024

With 2024 coming to an end, the year has watched many fashion trends come and go. From summery tube tops, to Ugg boots and slippers for winter, to just about anything and everything leopard print, we’ve...

WA replaces and fixes vending machines after students report issues

Penelope Zambrana, Opinion and Review Editor
Nov 20, 2024

Since the start of the 2024-2025 school year, Westford Academy's vending machine, owned by Food on Earth, has been reported for numerous reasons such as not working properly by not accepting money. WA...

Soundbytes: teachers and students reflect on larger class sizes

Penelope Zambrana, Opinion and Review Editor
Nov 4, 2024

Last school year Westford faced an 6-8 million dollar budget deficit. With this came many changes that the WA community has since had to adapt to. One obstacle that stuck out among others was the widespread...

Dual enrollment offers flexibility and new methods of learning

Penelope Zambrana, Opinions and Reviews Editor
Nov 1, 2024

Throughout time, it has become apparent that every student learns differently. While it is impossible to tailor an individual learning plan to every student, it is possible to be more inclusive and offer...

WA Field Hockey undergoes a 2-0 loss to Bedford

Penelope Zambrana, Opinion and Review Editor
Oct 9, 2024

WA Field Hockey (WAFH) gave it their all on Tuesday, Oct. 8 against Bedford at home, though ultimately suffering a harsh loss with a final score of 2-0. From the beginning of the game, the WA team spent...

STUCO introduces the Fall Semi-Formal to replace Homecoming

Penelope Zambrana, Opinions and Reviews Editor
Sep 26, 2024

The Westford Academy Student Council [STUCO] will be organizing a Fall Semi-Formal for all upperclassmen in the WA cafeteria on October 19 from 7-9 p.m. Students can expect STUCO to begin selling tickets...

German exchange students excited to experience WA for the next 6-12 months

Penelope Zambrana, Reviews and Opinions Editor
Sep 6, 2024

Foreign student exchanges are a common activity across all WA language programs. Just this week, new Spanish exchange students have arrived for their two-week stay. What is so unique about four specific...

Two freshmen and one junior achieve top ten in National DECA Conference

Penelope Zambrana and Simrah Azmi
Jun 6, 2024

The 2024 DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) took place in Anaheim, California from April 27 to April 30. At the conference, WA freshmen Rushi Patel and Krisha Gami along with junior...

No phone week: why it does more harm than good

Penelope Zambrana and Natalie Bearfield
May 28, 2024

It is no secret that cell phones and social media have made a large impact on the minds of teenagers and adults alike. Many can use up hours of their days mindlessly scrolling through apps or talking to...

Student Spotlight: Olivia Strong

Penelope Zambrana, Staff Writer
May 26, 2024

The Ghostwriter had the opportunity to sit down and interview Olivia Strong for our Student Spotlight series. Read the transcript below for our full interview! In this interview, Olivia Strong discusses...

Leah Spinney sticks the landing and commits to Springfield College for gymnastics

Penelope Zambrana, Staff Writer
Mar 27, 2024

Working towards a goal for over 15 years is not a feat just anyone can achieve. It takes an immense amount of commitment, passion, and dedication. For senior gymnast Leah Spinney, however, a task like...

[Photo] Student Spotlight: Medha Jegga

Scarlett Barnes, Staff Writer
Jun 6, 2024

Senior Medha Jegga being interviewed for the Ghostwriters' Student Spotlight.

WATA selected as one of 29 programs in the US to perform ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’

Penelope Zambrana, Staff Writer
Feb 29, 2024

On February 12th, WA Theatre Arts (WATA) was selected out of a large pool of schools through a rigorous and competitive application process, to put on and perform Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in...

A look into WA’s diversity

Penelope Zambrana, Staff Writer
Jan 15, 2024

The controversy and discussion of diversity has been ongoing at Westford Academy for years. Although Westford is often considered an affluent town from the perspective of neighboring town and even residents...

Girls’ hockey is ready to bring high energy to their season

Penelope Zambrana, Staff Writer
Nov 28, 2023

With the weather turning colder and winter approaching, this can only mean one thing; winter sports are coming. With the refreshing sound of skates against ice and pucks hitting sticks, the girls hockey...

After decades in the film industry, Michael Reynolds settles down as new custodian at WA

Simrah Azmi and Penelope Zambrana
Oct 3, 2023

After spending the past 45 years traveling around New England helping to make movies, Michael Reynolds has decided to take on a new job closer to home, working as a custodian at WA. Although he just started...

Penelope Zambrana, Co-Opinions & Reviews Editor

WA Ghostwriter