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Finding a Cure for Senioritis
May 3rd, 2011By Jessica Walsh
Staff Writer
The fourth term. The weather is warm, and summer draws closer every day. It’s sometimes hard for students to concentrate on school work, when the end of the year is so close. Seniors, who’s last day of school is May 23, just under a month before underclassmen, tend to have a particularly difficult time concentrating.
Seniors are at the point now where they have already committed themselves to their college for next year. This fact is a major contributor to the ailment known as “senioritis.” Once senioritis has set in, it can be hard for some seniors to concentrate on the rest of high school.
“I still try, but I don’t let bad grades affect me as much,” said senior Anusha Prasad.
Prasad also noticed that she has seen changes in her fellow classmates. Noting that there is a decrease in effort, and an increase in tardies.
Teachers are also aware of the changes seniors are going through in fourth term.
“I am upfront [with seniors], I make it reasonable and manageable, but I have an expectation level, [I have to] hold students accountable,” said History teacher Andy Norander.
One aspect that annoys Norander about seniors in the fourth term is those who openly declare that they no longer will be putting in effort at school. Norander notes that when even a single student takes this mindset, it affects the whole class.
Norander also made a point of saying that only approximately 20% of his seniors have truly “shut down.” But that it still has a negative impact.
Lori Ditto, a Math teacher, tries to remember what she felt like when she was a senior in high school. She encourages seniors to keep plugging along.
“You don’t want to fail a class if you are capable of passing it,” said Ditto.
Rebecca Thompson, a senior, said that in some of her classes, teachers have actually increased the intensity of the class in order to keep students in-tune.
“Some [teachers] are more intense because they know you want to slack off and want to keep you in-tune,” said Thompson.
Thompson also noted that fourth term should be a time for seniors to spend more time with friends and less time on school work.
Some seniors have a more radical viewpoint to the fourth term.
“Honestly, seniors should just get the fourth term off. We are already committed to college and checked out for summer,” said an anonymous student.
Some teachers are taking different approaches to handling seniors in the fourth term. English teacher Brian Mahoney is similar to Norander where he tries to be more flexible, and assign more “interest driven” assignments.
Mahoney encourages seniors to “learn for the sake of learning,” in the fourth term, to be less concerned about grades, and more concerned with the actual act of learning. Mahoney also said that a senior’s fourth term is their last chance to make their mark on the school. Mahoney stresses that this is the last chance for seniors to connect with their peers on an intellectual level.
“Finishing strong is so important, finishing to the end with your best effort in everything you do,” said Mahoney.
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SADD Drives the Message Home
April 4th, 2011By Jessica Walsh
Staff Writer
Emily Mount is treated by Westford firefighters
The Performing Arts Center went black, and the student body comprised of seniors and juniors fell silent. The stage lights illuminated a scene of four students who had just been involved in a drunk driving accident. Three students were injured, and one had been killed. The mock accident, staged by Students Against Destructive Decisions, hoped to shock students, and keep them away from alcohol and drugs.
The end of the year is an exciting time for juniors and seniors. Juniors have the cotillion, and seniors have prom and graduation. This exciting time can also be a deadly time, and SADD hopes to drive this point home.
“It’s a reminder to have fun but celebrate responsibly,” said SADD coordinator, and computer science teacher Anjli Trehan.
SADD stages the mock accident every other year. The purpose of this is to ensure that every student gets to see it, but only once. Trehan said that if a student views the mock accident two years in a row, it loses its impact.
Jerad Lawson performs a sobirety test
The mock accident team receives strong community support each year. This year, SADD received support from the Westford Police and Fire Department, Sully’s Autobody donated the car, as well Healy’s Funeral Home. All of these organizations are instrumental in organizing the mock accident.
The mock accident is one of SADD’s biggest event, the other being the Semi-formal dance. Trehan said that it takes approximately three months to plan the accident out.
This year’s mock accident faced some unique challenges. For one, an April Fool’s Day snowstorm forced SADD to hold the mock accident inside for the first time since the mock accident was incorporated in 2001. Because of the new venue for the accident, the actual car was replaced by a backdrop of an image of a destructed car. Also, the vehicles for the fire department, police department, and funeral home, were not on stage.
This year was also the earliest that SADD has ever conducted the mock accident. Usually the accident is held in early May according to Trehan. SADD wanted to ensure that all seniors leaving on internships would be able to see this important message.
Jerad Lawson is treated by a Westford firefighter
Another unique challenge SADD faced was finding actors to play the part of accident victims. Usually, SADD will recruit theater members to play the roles, however, most of the members of the theater department were in Boston for competition, so SADD had to broadcast on the announcements to find members.
Despite these challenges, SADD was focused on staging the mock accident. In the past, the mock accident has been an effective tool is encouraging students to stay away from alcohol and drugs. According to Trehan, there have been instances in the past where students get so emotional that they have to leave the area.
“You don’t need alcohol or drugs to have a good time,” said Trehan.
Images courtesy of SADD
Doing our part to help Japan victims
March 29th, 2011By Jessica Walsh
Staff Writer
On March 11, 2011 Japan was hit with a 9.0 earthquake, followed by a devastating tsunami. Around ten thousand have lost their lives so far, and hundreds of thousands more have been left homeless and in need of resources. This where Westford Academy students hope to help.
The Amnesty International Club is currently selling t-shirts that will benefit those who are suffering from the earthquake.
“We’re just tying to do everything we can,” said Sarah Varghese, an Amnesty International Club member.
The t-shirts are $15, and all proceeds will go to disaster victims. Varghese said that WA students should help Japan victims by buying t-shirts and starting collections of food and clothing. She also stated the importance of students being educated about the earthquake.
“Everybody should know what is going on in their world,” said Varghese.
Amnesty International is hoping to raise a couple of hundred of dollars through the sale of t-shirts. Amnesty has continuously been involved with raising money for those in need. Over the past years, the club has been asking students and faculty to give part of their lunch money to help those suffering in Darfur.
Amnesty works to inform students about what is going on in the world, especially human rights and how students can help out.
The idea of selling t-shirts was originally pitched on Facebook, to gauge how much interest the student body had in purchasing shirts. There was a strong response, so the club went ahead with starting to sell t-shirts during lunch.
The Japan t-shirts will be on sale during all four lunches during the weeks of 3/21 and 3/28.
Amnesty is not the only club at WA working to help Japan victims. WA Disaster Relief, a club started by Mustafa Buxamusa, is currently collecting clothes to send to Japan victims.
Buxamusa started the club with hopes that WA students could help victims of not only the Japan earthquake/tsunami, but also all those around the world who have been affected by disaster.
The club has received a strong response from students. To encourage her students to donate, math teacher Kristen Stamp is running a competition between all of her classes; whoever donates the most gets a free breakfast.
Both Amnesty International and WA Disaster Relief are helping WA students help those in need, not only in Japan, but around the world.
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New Gym Assessments Have Students Surprised
March 14th, 2011By Jessica Walsh
Staff Writer
P.E. Teacher Sean O'Leary
Westford Academy students were surprised this year when they came into their Physical Education class and discovered that there would be assessments at the end of each activity. The majority of WA students are not accustomed to taking tests in P.E., so most were hesitant to accept the new format.
“Nobody was expecting it at all, no one thought it was relevant,” said senior Anusha Prasad.
These new tests left students wondering why there were tests in P.E. this year. The major argument against the tests is the fact that P.E. is not a weighed class, so it does not factor into one’s GPA. Thus, they argue that there shouldn’t be tests.
The new format for physical education was finalized last year, but it was three or four years in the making according to physical education teacher Sean O’Leary, who has been teaching at WA for six years. The wellness department decided that a larger, cognitive piece was necessary to provide equality throughout the building; students take assessments in all other classes. The tests were also implemented as a tool for comparing student knowledge from when the entered the P.E. program to when they left it.
O’Leary also hopes that P.E. does become a weighted class because it is state requirement for graduation. O’Leary also acknowledged that the new assessments are a legitimate way for students to improve their grades.
The P.E. department has received a mixed reception from students on the new assessments.
“Students are used to something going one way for nine years and when it changes, it can be difficult,” said O’Leary.
Students in first semester P.E. warmed up to the tests, however students in second semester are still questioning the new assessments, according to O’Leary. However, some students still believe the tests are a nuisance.
“They are unnecessary because what we are tested on isn’t helpful for anyone,” said Prasad.
The tests focus on five underlying ideas: fitness, communication, teamwork, citizenship, and movement. O’Leary says that all of these ideas relate back to wellness, the official title of the Physical Education department. O’Leary says that citizenship is relevant because citizenship is the same as sportsmanship in team sports.
The P.E. department has no intention of increasing the difficulty of the tests or making it a more substantial part of the curriculum. The major intention of the tests is to implement a strong cognitive piece into the P.E. department.
The P.E. department is pleased with the results of the new assessments, and they will be continued next year.
“The assessments are a positive change and are here to stay,” said O’Leary.
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