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It’s a Family Affair: Cohan and Kid
January 25th, 2011by Sage Riddick
Staff Writer
How would you feel seeing your parent(s) at the school everyday? Would it be weird for you or would it be cool?
For the Cohan family there is mixed emotions, but mostly they are good emotions. According to Beth Cohan, a teacher’s assistant at Westford Academy, there is nothing negative about having her daughter, Kasey Cohan, here at the school.
Mrs. Cohan likes having Kasey at the school. She gets to know all her assignments and keep in touch with her teachers. An added bonus for Mrs. Cohan being a TA is she is a TA in the biology class after Kasey’s. Due to this Mrs. Cohan knows about Kasey’s biology homework and assignments. Mrs. Cohan can also talk to the teacher about Kasey and she likes to keep in touch with Kasey’s teachers.
Kasey thinks this is an advantage to her.
Kasey says, “It’s good sometimes when she can help me study cause she knows what I need to know.”
One thing Kasey does not like about her mom being a TA in the biology class after her’s is that Mrs. Cohan reminds Kasey of assignments all the time. “It’s annoying,” Kasey says.
Mrs. Cohan and her daughter Kasey Cohan
It is different for Kasey. When asked about anything negative there is having her mother at the school she answered, “It’s kind of weird because she knows all my homework and she sees all my friends.”
Mrs. Cohan says she says “hi” to Kasey’s friends. Both Mrs. Cohan and Kasey are good about saying “hi” to each other in the hallways.
Kasey also thinks it is weird to see that all the teachers know her mom. Some of the kids in school also know her too. On the way to the interview Kasey stops in a classroom and Mr. Gosselin, an English teacher at WA, talks about how he knows her mom. One thing Kasey does like about her mom being at the school is she does get a ride to school. Kasey does not have to take the bus like other students in the school. Another advantage of having Mrs. Cohan at the school is if Kasey forgets her lunch money she can always go to her mom and ask for it.
“It’s nice that she is here,” says Mrs. Cohan.
Unlike the Cournoyer’s both Cohan’s seem to be alright with the idea of the both of them being at the school.
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New Courses for Next Year
January 11th, 2011by Sage Riddick
Staff Writer
It’s that time of year again. It is time to pick your new courses for the next school year. Most of the classes are going to be kept the same, but there are some major changes.
There are not any new English courses, but there is a new foreign language class.The administration has decided to put German I back into the course list based on the number of request from middle school parents. This would reduce the need for a private tutor and allow students to go immediately to German II. Mandarin is also a possibility. The Superintendent is especially excited for this course to happen. To start a class for Mandarin, WA would need multiple sections. The hard part about starting a new class is hiring someone for this job. Due to our rotating schedule, the now part-time teacher would be working full-time because they could have classes at a different time everyday.
The Social Studies department is putting a lot of work into the new courses list. Students received surveys asking what the students would like to take. One idea that the department is putting in is a “college course” and it is primarily for seniors. It would allow seniors to take a quarter of a history topic. This would allow the students not have to miss have of the semester course that they would take. The department is also hoping to have Sociology as a year course, not as a semester course.
Due to the fact that there are so many interests in the Social Studies area, the department might run courses every other year. This would make a larger number of students interested in that class.
Mark Lucey explains, “The problem is the school schedule that I do every April vacation is when there is a little interest, you know 25 kids want a course, so we want to offer it and its only offered for a semester and in this map of hundred of offerings, well often because of the students other interests there is a conflict somewhere. So, you only end up with 17 kids in that course… so we are looking for courses that we can have multiple sections, so that students have more opportunities.”
In the Math department, they have made several changes. These changes are going to affect mostly the eighth graders coming to the school. The eighth graders that thrive in the accelerated Algebra I in middle school will move on to Geometry, but those who took the none accelerated Algebra class in middle school will now go on to Algebra I B.
The Science department has no new changes because they put in a lot of new courses last year. Also, in the Business department, the teachers are trying to get Personal Finance popular.
There a few new classes’ students can take in the Art department. A new class is Art History. Lucey says, “We find that that’s [Art History] a really good course for high schoolers to have because you so often take it as a freshman college.”
The department is also changing the way advance arts work. Students can take a different curriculum for two years, both just the same curriculum both years. There is another class that has “great promise” according to Lucey. It is a mix of Fine Arts and Theater Arts and it is called understanding modern media. This course will be taught by a music teacher, and art teacher, and a theater arts teacher. In this course you will study about art all around us. The department is also trying to get Jazz into a course.
“[The administration] is trying to get the senior who graduates a better collective view that is not just academics, there is a lot between that and art and language,” says Lucey. Warning: The new courses listed above are still in the process. Though many will stay, some will go.
A “Butt Whipping”
December 8th, 2010
http://www.bidrodeo.com/med/img/item_images/1001127.jpg
by Sage Riddick
Staff Writer
On Monday night at Gillette Stadium, the New England Patriots stunned the New York Jets 45-3.
“Got out coached, got out played, and got our butts kicked. I don’t know what else you can say about it…It’s the biggest butt whipping I have ever taken as a coach,” said the coach of the Jets, Rex Ryan.
Tom Brady threw 326 yards and 4 touchdown passes with no interceptions. Unlike the Jets, the Patriots defense intercepted 3 of Mark Sanchez’s passes in the second half.
The Patriots set the tone of the game in first quarter by scoring 17 unanswered points. In the Patriots first drive of the game, Shayne Graham kicked a 40 yard field goal. The first Jet’s drive resulted in a missed 53 yard field goal by Nick Folk. On the Patriots next possession, following the missed field goal, the Patriots drove 57 yards for a touchdown. The key play to this touchdown was a pass interference call in the end zone. The penalty resulted in a Patriots first down at the one yard line. Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis scored the Patriots touchdown on a 1 yard line run.
The Patriots forced the Jets to punt on their next possession. After the punt, the Patriots quickly scored a touchdown with a 25 yard pass from Brady to Deon Branch.
On the first drive of the second quarter, the Jets scored their only points of the game with a 38 yard field goal by Folk. The Patriots responded by a 67 yard, 8 play drive with a 4 yard touch down from Brady to Brandon Tate putting the Patriots ahead, 24-3. The two teams exchanged several punts, but by the end of the first half, the score remained 24-3.
At halftime, the Patriots honored the veteran player Tedy Bruschi.
“Glad [the win] could be on Tedy Bruschi night. He was a part of many [wins] like this. Maybe we got a little inspiration from him tonight,” said Patriots coach, Bill Belichick.
The Jets started the second half with a strong 10 play drive. However, on the tenth play of the drive the Patriots made an important interception at the Jets’ 3 yard line by the Patriots’ Brandon Spikes.
The Patriots then created a 93 yard drive that resulted in an 18 yard touchdown pass from Brady to Wes Welker. This increased the Patriots’ lead to 31-3. On the next Jets’ drive, Patriots’ Devin McCourty intercepted Sanchez’s pass to Braylon Edwards.
The Patriots started a new drive which continued onto the next quarter. On the first play of the fourth quarter the Patriots scored a touchdown on a pass from Brady to rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez, giving the Patriots a huge lead, 38-3.
On the Jets’ first drive of the fourth quarter, Sanchez threw another interception, this time to James Sanders of the Patriots. Sanders returned the interception to the Patriots 28 yard line. Six plays later, the Patriots scored another touchdown, a 6 yard run by Green-Ellis. Graham finished the Patriots scoring for the evening by converting the extra point. This increased the Patriots lead to 45-3.
It was great win for the Patriots led by Brady with great defensive help. Brady went 21 for 29 in his passes with 4 touchdowns and he threw 326 yards. Sanchez was 17 for 33 in his passes with no touchdowns and he threw 164 yards. The two rushing leaders for the Patriots were Green-Ellis with 18 carries, 72 running yards, and 2 touchdowns and Danny Woodhead with 2 carries and 11 running yards.
The rushing leaders for the Jets were Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson. Greene had 13 carries and ran with the ball for 64 yards. Tomlinson had 10 carries and ran with the ball for 47 yards.
The receiving leaders for the Patriots were Woodhead and Welker. Woodhead had 4 receptions and ran for 104 yards throughout the game. Welker had 7 receptions, 80 yards, and 1 touchdown. The receiving leaders for the Jets were Santonio Holmes and Edwards. Holmes had 7 receptions and Edwards had 2 receptions.
The Jets’ defeat by the Patriots was the worst loss the Jets have faced since 1986 when they loss to Miami 45-3.
“It was a really great effort by our players tonight. I really am proud of them. I thought this is the best 60 minutes of football we’ve played all year and we had a good week of practice. Everyone was really focused and we got solid play from really everybody… The Jets are a good football team. Sure we haven’t heard the last from them, but tonight was our night,” said Belichick reflecting on the game.
As Tom Brady said, “It was an important game, but we got another one next week.”
Next week, the Patriots go at it again against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
It’s a Family Affair: Cournoyer and Kid
December 6th, 2010
Marketing teacher and School Store Advisor, Christine Cournoyer and her son Evan Cournoyer
By Sage Riddick
Staff Writer
Are your parents embarrassing? Or are they cool and calm? Either or, how would you feel about your parent(s) teaching in the school?
There a few teachers here at Westford Academy who have children that attend the high school. For instance, the Marketing teacher and School Store Advisor Christine Cournoyer has a son Evan Cournoyer, a junior, who is a student at WA.
Mrs. Cournoyer “absolutely loves it.” Mrs. Cournoyer says this is why she became a teacher; she wanted to be able to hang out with her kids after school. Seeing them during school is “an added bonus.” She gets to see Evan’s friends and check in with his teachers, but she does keep her distance.
Both Mrs. Cournoyer and Evan decided before he came to the school that she would not chaperone dances, that she would give him his privacy, and would not always check up on him.
“Every morning [before] he comes in the store, he stays in the car because he won’t walk in the building with me. [When he comes in the store,] he will give me my car keys and [when he leaves] I always say, ‘Bye honey, I love you! Have a good day!’ and he just walks out the door shaking his head,” says Mrs. Cournoyer while laughing.
But, both do say “hi” to each other in the hallway. It used to not be that way. According to Mrs. Cournoyer, during Evan’s freshman year, he would not say ”hi” to her in the hallway, but he eventually warmed up to the thought of his mom being in the building and now says “hi” to her.
Evan’s point of view is almost completely different.
He says, “Its okay. It’s like a ride to school, but I don’t really like how she’s in the school, so close.”
Next year, Mrs. Cournoyer will have two sons at the high school, a freshman and a senior.
“I cannot wait [for next year],” says Mrs. Cournoyer
Senior Exam Schedule Changed to Help Interns
November 22nd, 2010
Studying for midterms and finals
By Sage Riddick
Staff Writer
After a long process of meetings where according to Dean Bob Ware curriculum coordinators, Advance Placement teachers, administrators and faculty all put their opinions together, the senior exam schedule has changed.
This schedule is being put into place to make sure the internship program can succeed according to Ware.
This change was made because “with our senior internship growing, there were too many inconsistencies with kids not being held accountable across the board in all classes. We want to get it unified, where it is consistent for every teacher as a proper protocol for every student on internship, “ says Ware.
Before, all seniors had to take a midterm exam. This rule has only changed for semester courses. Now, in semester courses, all seniors with a 90 average or above will not take a January exam, but those with less then a 90 will take the January exam. In a full year course, all seniors (no exceptions) will take the January exam.
In previous years, during the last semester of senior year, if a senior did not have a 90 or above average, a senior would have to take a final exam. Unless a senior was on an internship, he or she would not have to take a final exam.
Now in the second semester, there will be no “final exams” in May for seniors. Due to this, all seniors will take an end of third quarter assessment. This could be a test, project, presentation, etc. The grade that the senior gets will be factored into their third quarter grade. Seniors who are not participating in an internship will take an end of fourth quarter assessment, and this grade will be factored into their fourth quarter grade. The 90 average or above rule does not apply to the third and fourth quarter assessments.
A senior in an Advanced Placement class has a different exam schedule for that one class. An A.P. student on an internship will take the A.P. exam and will be finished in that class. An A.P. student, not on an internship, will take the A.P. exam, but remain in the class. These students will also complete an assessment by the last day of school for seniors.
Ware likes this new schedule. The schedule is “cleaner” than last year.
Similar to Ware, senior Amanda Szidat also likes the new exam schedule, “I love the change. It will be a lot easier when it comes time for review.”
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Not All Fun and Games
November 2nd, 2010By Sage Riddick
Staff Writer
Spirit Week ended last week with the Spirit Rally and of course with another win for the seniors.
Jillian Crysikos, sophomore class president, thought the seniors would win. “Based on last year, when other classes besides the seniors won an event, the seniors ‘won’ anyways.”
The seniors, as always, came out in one whole group after everyone else. Senior guys and girls all had the classic black shirts and had their faces painted. Once they got to their section of the field, they rushed in.
The Spirit Rally consisted of fifteen events. It started off with the Star Race, in which five people had to link arms and go through an obstacle course. Obviously the seniors won. The next event was the Tug of War. Both the juniors and seniors made it to the finals, and with the help of Sean O’Leary, a health/wellness teacher, the seniors won.
Spread out through the Spirit Rally was Sumo Wrestling. In the finals, were the seniors and surprisingly the sophomores.
The next few events consisted of Silly String Mummy, Egg on a Spoon Race, and Potato Sack Race. All three events were won by the seniors. Shockingly, the sophomores, represented by Nathan Rigione, won the next event, Jell-O Eating Contest.
After the Jell-O Eating Contest was Balloon Tag. Students have balloons on their leg and have to pop other student’s balloon without their own balloon popping. At the end of this event, there were three seniors left and one junior. Soon enough the juniors loss and the seniors won. The next two events were the Greased Watermelon Toss and the Bat Spin Relay. To no one’s surprise the seniors won these two events. The last and final event was Limbo. Emma Hurley won the event for the juniors.
The Spirit Rally was not all fun and games. After the Balloon Tag, one third of the senior class left the area and went into the school. A few minutes later the seniors came from the other side of the school and rushed onto the Alumni Field. When the seniors went into the school, they sprayed silly string in the halls.
Why the seniors left is still a question. Dean Mike Parent said, “We’re still trying to figure it out. Whether it was a show of spirit, a victory lap, or whether it was in dispute of something. That is still under investigation.”
The seniors were not punished for leaving the rally. Other students of the senior class did get in trouble for other behavior.
Another problem at the Spirit Rally was chanting. In other years, classes were allowed to bring in signs and yell many chants, but over the years these rules have changed. Signs are not allowed. Some chants were allowed but others were not. If the chants targeted certain
people, then the chanters would get in trouble. Other than that, chanting was allowed.
Parent said, “It [chants attacking one person] is frowned upon.”
Some chants at the rally were stopped.
“The chants that the kids were asked to stop were because some were personal in nature,” said Parent.
The administrators meet every Tuesday and at the next meeting they will be talking about the Spirit Rally. The administrators will meet with Student Council to talk about it too. If any changes will be made, they will, according to Parent, be to make the event more positive and will not “impact the kids in a negative way.” Parent hopes the future rallies will not hurt students physically or mentally.
Gym Class is Weighing Down on Athletes
October 29th, 2010By Sage Riddick
Staff Writer
If you are an athlete, you have probably heard this before or even said it yourself. Why do athletes of the school have to take gym, if they have a sport after school? I have probably said this many times before and so have my parents.
I really do not have an answer for this question. For many reasons it seems like a great idea for athletes to not have to take gym. But for other reasons the idea is easy to say, but difficult to do.
One issue proposed by Dan Twomey, Westford Academy’s Athletic Director, is, “Sometimes your schedules are done well in advance. And you may play a sport [or] you may not play a sport [or] you may change your mind. So that might be a little bit of a challenge.”
Twomey also brought up another good point: there is a curriculum for physical education. The classes are different from a team. In gym you are able to play many uncommon sports that you would not get to do on your team. Gym is “an academic class” as Twomey puts it. One would learn concepts in gym that one might not learn on a team.
For me, the cons of taking physical education outweigh the pros. The fact that a star athlete who is in season could get hurt in gym is a scary thought. The athlete’s team could be going on to the state championships, and the week of the championships, the star of the team could break or sprain something and may not play. The team would suffer greatly. Additionally, if a senior were to be scouted in a game one day and that day in gym the athlete is injured, the athlete could have ruined his or her college athletic career. I would not want to ruin my chance of going college to play a sport because of physical education class.
A transcript and grades are extremely important parts of a student’s college application. Having one and a half hour to two hour practices a day five to six times a week, cuts into a student’s homework time. I know when I have late practices for JV Volleyball I try to get my homework done beforehand and it is difficult. Trying to complete homework before practice is not enough time, and I still do not finish my homework. Then I have to do homework after practice, and sometimes I am up to 11pm doing projects and studying. On game nights it is even worse. If athletes were exempt from gym, athletes could have a study hall, which would allow them time to do a lot of their homework.
I know there is a certain reason for students having to take gym. One of them is because students need to exercise. This does not pertain to athletes because they are already exercising after school, so why the need to take gym? It is also a waste of energy for athletes. What if an athlete were to get competitive in gym? They would waste their energy and then they might not be able to give it their all in the game or practice they have that day. Also some athletes might not try during class because they do not want to waste their energy. Those student athletes who are not trying their best would be poor teammates in gym to those who are trying their best.
Both sides have valid points and perhaps a compromise could be reached. Perhaps if you are on a varsity team, during your season you can have a study hall or an elective. Students here at WA have to take 10 credits of gym, making students have to take 4 terms of gym. One compromise that could be made is coordinating when you have gym and when you play a sport. A student could have gym the term he or she does not a play a sport. This would not help those who play three seasons of sports, but the student could coordinate when she or he has gym during a sport season that is easier for him or her. For example for a sport you have late practice, you could arrange to not have gym that term.
New Concussion Policy
September 30th, 2010Sage Riddick and Steph Arno
Staff Writers
On July 19, Governor Deval Patrick signed a law that is requiring Department of Public Health to form a program on head injury safety for students, parents, and team coaches. The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic, MIAA, will be putting this into their handbook for athletes to follow.
This law is being put into affect to prevent concussions and to acknowledge them. For many years having a concussion was just a little head injury, but with more studies and information, people are realizing concussions are serious.
The law says that all coaches need to undergo training. This training is an online course and anyone can take it. With this law being in affect the coaches here at Westford Academy have already been through the training. For parents and athletes, there will be more information about concussions provided. It will also be included in the Student Athletic Handbook.
The main part of training is if an athlete is experiencing head problems you sit them out.
“If in doubt, sit them out, if that’s what it comes out to. So, if the student is exhibiting any signs of concussions or the coach thinks they have sustained one, we sit them out and then have them evaluated by a medical professional,” said Dan Twomey, Westford Academy’s Director of Athletics.
Every sport is included in this law. One activity that is also included is the marching band. Another activity is Cheerleading. The law hits all spectrums of sports. The law includes all public schools, but no private schools.
There have already been six concussions reported to the Westford Academy trainer, Bill Bombaci, this school year. Last year at this time the amount of concussions reported was about the same. This law is going to help prevent these high numbers of concussions go down. Even though six is not a high number, concussions can be fatal if not treated.
The final aspects of this law are being discussed by the Department of Public Health. In the next coming months or so, the law will have everything in it that is needed.
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It’s All Ceramics for Julie Cook
September 14th, 2010By Sage Riddick and Steph Arno
Staff Writers
Julie Cook, the new art teacher at Westford Academy in her office. Photo By: Sgae Riddick
Q: What types of classes are you teaching this year?
A: Actually, this semester its all ceramics.
Q: Any new projects that are exciting you have planned for this year?
A: Well, this classroom has six pottery wheels. So I am going to re-introduce throwing on the wheel, along with hand building.
Q: What college did you attend?
A: For my masters, Framingham State.
Q: What did you major in?
A: Art Education
Q: Where are you originally from?
A: I grew up in Australia. I have been here for about twenty years.
Q: Where did you first come when you came from Australia to the United States?
A: Actually, I traveled around. I went to the West Coast, I went down to Washington, down to Florida, up to Canada, and then I came to Massachusetts. I met my husband here and that’s how I got close to Massachusetts.
Q: Have you had any other teaching jobs before this one?
A: Yes, I was working at in Bromfield School in Harvard. Just up the road.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: I love to garden. I have big garden, a big vegetable garden and perennial garden. And I love to kayak. And also, I am setting up my own pottery studio at home, so that’s taking up a bit of time.
Q: What other jobs have you had besides teaching?
A: Before teaching, I worked in alternative health care. So, I worked with massage therapy and diet. It was a lot of fun. It was Indian style and philosophy.
Q: Is there anything you haven’t gotten use to here at WA?
A: I’ll tell you what, I am still getting use to the size of the school and the number of students. It’s still overwhelming to me. I feel like I’m in Tokyo Central or something. I guess I’m use to at Bromfield we had a small student body. Pretty much know everyone in the school. Like it’s a hundred kids for every year and here it’s like four hundred kids each year. That’s tricky.
Q: Have you liked art your whole life?
A: Oh yes, yes. I started out when I was in elementary school and I studied art when I was in high school. In Australia, I actually trained in ceramics. I did a two or three course in ceramics. Purely throwing and building kilns and then I went to work with someone in the field. It’s been my life pretty much. But, I took a detour and got into something else and came back to it.
Q: Do you have anything else you would like to tell us or we should know?
A: Well I do like to hike. I love the forest around here. I love the nature. It’s really pretty. I’ve never had four seasons before. So, it’s interesting having snow. I’ve never lived in snow. That’s really weird to me. I like [snow] for the first two months and then it gets old.
