WA Ghostwriter

Budget breakdown IV: An unsustainable present, a tentative future

Varshini Ramanathan and Mehul Shrivastava
Apr 18, 2019

In the previous installments of this budget series (I, II, III) we discussed the how and the why of the school's budget deficit that caught public attention this year but has in actuality been persisting...

Budget breakdown III: Outdated state aid hurts towns statewide

Varshini Ramanathan and Mehul Shrivastava
Apr 9, 2019

In the previous installment of this budget series, we discussed some of the how and the why of Westford's school budget crunch. Now we break down the state aid formula, or money the state gives to make...

Budget breakdown II: Why Westford?

Varshini Ramanathan and Mehul Shrivastava
Apr 9, 2019

In the first installment of this budget series, we looked at the immediate effects of the budget cuts and its lack of sustainability for the future. Now we look at how this budget deficit came about, the...

Budget breakdown I: Immediate effects

Mehul Shrivastava and Varshini Ramanathan
Apr 9, 2019

This four-part series details the causes and effects of the budget deficit facing Westford Public Schools this year, exploring its origins in terms of town revenue, state funding, and other major factors....

What you need to know about the school budget cuts

Varshini Ramanathan and Mehul Shrivastava
Mar 23, 2019

On Saturday, Mar. 23, Westford will be holding its annual Spring Town Meeting from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., where it will be finalizing the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, FY20. The school system is taking...

WA musicians shine at Listening Lunch

Varshini Ramanathan, Editor-in-Chief
Mar 21, 2019

On Friday, March 15, students in the band and orchestra at WA came together for a Listening Lunch that spanned all four lunch blocks and had five pieces. Listening Lunches are normally filled with...

WA deals with a no-power school day

Varshini Ramanathan, Editor-in-Chief
Feb 26, 2019

Westford Academy held school on Tuesday, Feb. 26 despite losing power early that morning, after high-speed winds caused widespread power outages through Westford on Feb. 25. The National Grid website...

At K-5 levels, budget cuts cause friction

Varshini Ramanathan, Editor-in-Chief
Feb 13, 2019

Superintendent of Schools Everett Olsen proposed budget cuts to the School Committee in January in order to meet a $1.2 million deficit between his requested 3.3% increase and Town Manager Jodi Ross' allocated...

Budget restrictions cause substitute teacher cuts, fee hikes at WA

Varshini Ramanathan, Editor-in-Chief
Feb 5, 2019

Faced with a 1.6% budget increase for fiscal year 2020 as opposed to the 3.3% required to carry forward existing education services, Westford Public Schools has proposed $1.2 million of budget cuts in...

[Photo] The future is uncertain

Jan 23, 2019

Girls’ basketball comes out on top against Billerica

Varshini Ramanathan, Editor-in-Chief
Jan 20, 2019

The WA Girls' Varsity Basketball Team pulled a 45-39 win against Billerica Memorial High School on Friday, January 18, after four quarters of close play. Billerica took the first basket...

Advanced Placement advances stress

Varshini Ramanathan and Srinithi Raj
Jan 20, 2019

AP prep books pile up on a student's desk.

Racing against time

Varshini Ramanathan, Editor-in-Chief
Jan 20, 2019

When I write down all the tasks I have to do, looking at each of them individually makes them seem pretty manageable. When I write a to-do list, I always think I can accomplish the items there and more...

[Photo] Students struggle with body image issues

Anushka Patil and Mahi Kandage
Jan 20, 2019

Does a lower number on the tape equate to a better body?

WA cuts down on busywork

Varshini Ramanathan, Editor-in-Chief
Jan 20, 2019

Amidst concerns raised by the Challenge Success program implemented in the Westford Public Schools system in recent years, Westford Public Schools made sweeping changes to the homework policy in grades...

[Photo] District considers later start times to address lack of sleep

Mehul Shrivastava and Keertana Gangireddy
Jan 20, 2019

Students often stay up until the early hours of the morning finishing homework.

A closer look at the teenage brain

Varshini Ramanathan, Editor-in-Chief
Jan 20, 2019

Adolescence is a time of change. In this transient period between childhood and adulthood, the brain is shifting and evolving in complex ways we are only beginning to understand, affecting relationships...

Siblings of high achievers face challenges, inspiration

Siblings with big shoes to fill learn to find their footing inside and outside of the academic landscape

Varshini Ramanathan, Editor-in-Chief
Nov 2, 2018

When Kristen Colavita was a baby, her brother Michael would build intricate Lego masterpieces -- computers, TVs, VCRs -- imitating the real thing down to the string he used for the wiring. Kristen does...

The Addams Family set to premiere Halloween night

Varshini Ramanathan, Editor-in-Chief
Oct 29, 2018

At 7:00 on Halloween night, a fall musical fitting for the Grey Ghosts will be coming to Westford Academy: The Addams Family, a comedy written by Andrew Lippa and based on the comic series by Charles...

Girls’ Volleyball takes 3-0 victory on Senior Night

Varshini Ramanathan, Editor-in-Chief
Oct 26, 2018

The girls' volleyball team cinched three straight sets in their game against Cambridge Rindge & Latin on Thursday, October 25, the second-to-last regular game before the team enters tournament season....

New traffic pattern attempts to ease congestion

Hartford Road closed off to streamline car flow, drivers face significant delays as a result.

Varshini Ramanathan, Editor-in-Chief
Oct 13, 2018

Principal Jim Antonelli closed off Hartford Road to cars incoming to Westford Academy at the beginning of the school year, a decision that has caused controversy among parents, students, and faculty whose...

[Photo] Bunyon takes over athletic department

Mehul Shrivastava, Managing Editor
Oct 1, 2018

[Photo] Girls’ Field Hockey falls to Acton-Boxborough

Mehul Shrivastava, Managing Editor
Sep 17, 2018

An AB player jostles with Sen for the ball.

Howard-Donlin takes up teaching position in hometown

Varshini Ramanathan, Editor-in-Chief
Sep 17, 2018

Two weeks into the school year, chemistry teacher Matthew Howard-Donlin made the decision to leave Westford Academy after a position opened in August in his hometown, Dudley. The second chemistry teacher...

Westford Farmers’ Market closes after twelve-year run

Founder cites plateauing popularity, government restrictions

Varshini Ramanathan and Mehul Shrivastava
Jun 18, 2018

After twelve years of filling the Town Common on sunny Tuesday afternoons, the Farmers' Market had become a summer staple in Westford. However, on April 25, 2018, the Westford Farmers' Market announced...

Tseng excels in the pool

Varshini Ramanathan, Editor-in-Chief
Jun 17, 2018

Junior Tiffany Tseng is one of New England's top junior swimmers. Her passion and drive have brought her records both on the Westford Academy Swim and Dive team and in her club team, and as she moves into...

PHOTOS: Last Open Mic Night of 2017-2018 season

Varshini Ramanathan, Co-Managing Editor
Jun 15, 2018

One June 15, 2018, WA students gathered at the Parish Center of the Arts for a night of music and poetry readings. It was the last of this school year's Open Mic Nights.

[Photo] Students comment on Distance Learning experience

Varshini Ramanthan, Co-Managing Editor
Jun 16, 2018

Freshman Amelia Jengo: "I thought they were really short, that it would be shorter than making up a whole school day in June. So that was nice. [...] I thought it was fine, mostly."

After years of being rootless, crew team finds a home

Varshini Ramanathan, Co-Managing Editor
Jun 14, 2018

A sudden decision by Westford's Parks and Recreation Department to discontinue support for the Westford-Littleton Community Crew in November turned out to be a blessing in disguise: after months of uncertainty,...

Sawka leads the Class of 2018

Varshini Ramanathan, Co-Managing Editor
Jun 1, 2018

Senior Danielle Sawka has achieved academic feats most students could not even imagine. The title of valedictorian is the final accomplishment of what has been a memorable high school career as well as...

Arsenault heads to AB, leaving mark on culture and community

Varshini Ramanathan, Managing Editor
May 29, 2018

It is the end of an era for Westford Academy's music department: Next fall, band director George Arsenault will be moving up to be the Director of Performing Arts at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School,...

Activist students reflect on equality, growth, and change

Varshini Ramanathan, Co-Managing Editor
Apr 14, 2018

On February 26, 2017, Westford Academy student Medha Palnati stood on the steps of the Boston Common as she delivered the final words of her speech at the Emergency Rally to Stand for Democracy to rally...

[Photo] Students show their unknown skill at WA’s Got Talent

Tony Yacavone, Staff writer
Mar 24, 2018

All the performers gather on the stage at the end of the night.

WA dominates Algonquin at sectional quarterfinals

Varshini Ramanathan, Co-Managing Editor
Mar 1, 2018

WA took an impressive 75-31 win against Algonquin on Wednesday, February 28, setting them up to play on Sunday in the regional semifinals. WA, the #2 seed, had high expectations against...

$Overrides, like doubling up, also decrease student performance and increase student stress$

Math Dept. continues to reshape moving into 2018-2019 school year

Varshini Ramanathan, Co-Managing Editor
Feb 17, 2018

In the 2017-2018 school year, the Math Department began a reform of course selections and requirements in math and computer science alike. The 2018-2019 school year will bring another stage of these changes,...

Closing the flag and bell lobbies is reasonable

Varshini Ramanathan, Co-Managing Editor
Feb 3, 2018

One of my most enduring memories of lunch in freshman and sophomore year is the sinking feeling of walking into the cafeteria with my friends two minutes late and finding that there was nowhere to sit....

COEXIST Club sends a message of acceptance

Varshini Ramanathan, Co-Managing Editor
Jan 21, 2018

On a Tuesday afternoon in Room 251, students sit at a cluster of desks pulled together while editing a Word document up on the projector. Written with the symbols of various world religions, the document...

[Video] Boys’ Basketball defeats Concord-Carlisle

Mehul Shrivastava, Features Editor
Jan 17, 2018

On Tuesday, January 16, the Varsity Boys' Basketball team won against Concord Carlisle with a score of 58-39. Coach Chris Bramanti wanted to focus on maintaining communication for a strong defense, and...

Crew team reinvented after budget deficit discovered

Varshini Ramanathan, Co-Managing Editor
Dec 11, 2017

After discovering a projected $70,000 deficit for the Westford Community Rowing program, home of the local crew team, Westford town officials made the decision to lay off two full-time crew coaches and...