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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

COVID cases have been rising in Massachusetts, however this may happen every fall.

Are we really living in a post COVID-19 world?

Saanvi Arora, Co-News Editor Oct 16, 2023

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic to have officially ended on May 5, 2023. With that, already relaxed rules were lifted, and it started to feel like we were pre-pandemic again. For many it felt like COVID simply did not exist anymore, except for the occasional case we would...

Sue Hanly posses for a picture for her profile for the Board of Health.

Hanly retires after twenty-two years in Westford

Mackenzie Adam, Staff Writer Apr 6, 2022

Twenty-two years of guiding students to better health and coaching, nurse Sue Hanly is retiring from WPS. Hanly, the current nurse at Stony Brook Middle School, has worked as a visiting nurse, a coach for Girls on the Run, and has been a member of both the Board of Health and the COVID-19 committee...

Starting March 7, masks will be optional in school

Westford schools set to drop mask mandate

Elitsa Koleva, Staff Writer Mar 5, 2022

Westford Public Schools (WPS) will no longer require masks to be worn during school hours by students and staff starting Monday, March 7. The School Committee voted in favor of the decision, 4-3 on Feb. 14. Officially, the mandate ends March 4, so students playing sports or doing other extracurricular...

Zoom meeting is held due to COVID-19 guidelines.

Pandemic affects communication

James McDermott, Co-Sports Editor Feb 18, 2022

Note: The sample size of the survey we took regarding communication and the pandemic is small, but the responses show consistent trends From wearing masks to being required to stay six feet away from one another, the world has been tested on every level on how well people can communicate with each...

The Spanish exchange program will welcome Spanish students to WA in September, and then travel to Spain in April of 2023.

Spanish exchange program prepares to travel again in 2022 and 2023

James Farley, Co-Sports Editor Feb 17, 2022

After having their trip to Spain canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, Westford Academy's Spanish foreign exchange program is set to run again in 2022 and 2023. The Spanish exchange program consists of two parts to the full experience. A group of Spanish students will first visit WA in September 2022,...

What do students have to say about this year's cancelation of finals?

Soundbytes: What do students think about the cancelation of finals?

Sophia Keang, Co-Managing Editor Feb 4, 2022

Due to the increased amount of stress and pressure COVID-19 has had on students and teachers, WA decided to cancel finals for the third year in a row since the start of the pandemic. While standardized testing is one of WA's contributing attributes to the academic rigot of the school, many students have...

The school committee discussed the possibility of declaring Diwali as a holiday, the presentation from the WEA, and a COVID update at the Jan. 18th meeting.

Three main takeaways from the 1/18 school committee meeting

Shreya Voruganti, News Editor Jan 19, 2022

The WPS School Committee discussed a potential district-wide holiday on Diwali, more positions for staff at WPS, and COVID-19 testing at their meeting on Jan. 18. at the Millenium Conference Building. I. District-wide Diwali holiday proposal Sophomore Natalie Strauss and junior Spoorti Tadakamalla...

Senior Neev Maru creates his own engineering company to spread STEM to different kinds of communities.

Maru spreads the wonders of STEM with engineering company

Melanie Duronio, Co-Managing Editor Jan 19, 2022

Many students can find it difficult to juggle classes, extracurriculars, and social life while preparing for college at the same time. However, in the case of senior Neev Maru, this is all an easy feat compared to the business he has begun. Maru was first inspired to create a robotics engineering...

The January school committee meeting discussed the influx of COVID-19 cases these past few weeks, as well as budget updates and plans for the 2022 and 2023 school years.

Three key takeaways from 1/10 school committee meeting

Sophia Keang, Co-Managing Editor Jan 11, 2022

The Westford School Committee discussed the rising concerns regarding the influx of COVID-19 cases and absence rates these past weeks, as well as budget updates and plans for the 2022-23 school year during the Jan. 10 meeting. Here are the three key takeaways from the night:  I. Superintendent’s...

Vaccines become less effective over time, indicating a need for a booster shot.

COVID boosters to increase immunity in community

Sara Zukowsky, Staff Writer Dec 9, 2021

The FDA approved the decision that as of December 9, 2021, the COVID-19 booster shot is eligible to those over sixteen years old. This means that juniors, seniors, teachers, and some sophomores at WA are eligible to receive the shot.  The COVID-19 booster shot is now available for all people over...

ESSER III funds would only be able to be used for the first two years of this plan, according to Clery.

Tuition-free full-day kindergarten is proposed

Pravar Mukkala, Opinions Editor Dec 8, 2021

Tuition-free full-day kindergarten for all students ages five to six was proposed at the Dec. 6 school committee meeting for the 2022-2023 school year. The school committee will vote on the proposal at the meeting on Dec. 20. The proposal comes after almost two full school years being affected by...