As a freshman, I've had many teachers and older students giving me advice and tips about midterms. But by far, the most common advice I hear is 'you'll do fine' and 'it's not actually that big of a deal'. In the words of my Spanish teacher Julie Bostrom, "ignore the hype." I've heard of upperclassmen...

At the start of the 2019-2020 school year Westford Academy eliminated most substitute teachers. Whenever a teacher is absent now, students report to the cafe for a DLT, unless there is a sub or teacher in that class, in which case students stay in the classroom. Here are some WA students' opinions on...

If you are looking for a good use of your downtime on a rainy day, or on an open weeknight, I'd recommend going down to your local cinema to see Joker. Joker is a new film written and directed by Todd Phillips, and co-written by Scott Silver. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the iconic DC villain,...

Fresh off of the recent Climate Strike, inspired by teen Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, the issue of climate change has been the talk of environmentalists, students, and politicians all over the world. Though the United States has historically been a world leader in new innovation, technology, and...

Since “Sleeping Beauty” first came out, little girls dreamed that they would be woken up from their slumber by true love’s kiss, after having been cursed by evil Maleficent. Director Joachim Ronning again brings light to the true, loving nature of this enchantress in his second installment to the...

When I think of the word "school," I immediately think mostly of anxiety and sleep. Those two ideas have circled around in my brain for the past semester of my ninth-grade year. It isn’t the school part that puts me at unease but it is the part in which I return home and have to cram all my homework...

An allegation is not a laughing matter which is to be thrown aside as though it's some sort of tool to wield against someone. Nor is it something which is used to denigrate someone. An allegation is a claim that someone has tarnished themselves through wrongdoing. Allegations are not by themselves substantiated,...

As the end of my freshman year approaches, I look back and can't help but realize how different it was compared to my expectations. From social situations to the classroom, it definitely doesn't play out how you expect. One of my fears going into 9th grade was the size of the school. Finding all...

“Ban guns” -- sounds like the right thing to do, doesn’t it? I can understand the thought, but would encourage you to think about the big picture. I ask you this: what are the true implications of banning guns? One is you’re banning guns from responsible people. Responsible citizens who use...

XXXTENTACION has become one of the most popular rappers since early 2017. While he did  have a small loss of support over his last album 17, X still had a massive fan base that was eager to see his next project. As of March 16th, 2018, X released his second album ?. After listening to the 18 songs that...

Travis Scott and Quavo spent all of 2017 dominating the rap game. The release of Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho on December 21, 2017, should have been something similar to a victory lap. However, upon listening to the 13-track album, it ended up being one of the most underwhelming collaboration albums of...

The current school lunch system is inherently detrimental to students. It is random whether or not you will be placed in a lunch with people you know. At WA, there are four lunches that occur during long block every day. Each room number is scheduled for one of these four lunches. Students are put in...