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Bergin shines bright
February 2nd, 2012Anastasha Echavarri
News Editor
Most famously known for performing the “What kind of cat are you?” song, John Bergin, junior at Westford Academy is a Renaissance man and has a style all his own. Member of Amnesty International, violinist, announcer for WABC, guitar player, Boy Scout, and “baby piano” player, Bergin has several interesting tastes.
Having played the violin for 12 years, Bergin is multi-talented and is willing to teach others how to play this instrument during his free time. Driven by music, Bergin plays the violin in Boston and wishes to major in music. He’s been to many concerts over the years, and is very much influenced by the power of music.
“I’ve been to many concerts, they’re really one of the greatest venues to feel music,” said Bergin.
John Bergin: Looking dogged
Bergin decided to join WABC because he finds it fun and that several of his friends believe that he has the certain personality and voice that would be good for radio. Wishing to truly enjoy life, he likes spending time with his friends.
“When I was younger I used to go to roller kingdom with my friends and we’d sing karaoke,” said Bergin.
Talented musician with a personality larger than life, Bergin has revolved not only to stop swallowing his gum, but to better the lives of others as he goes through life.
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Rally of Ghosts Raises Spirit
October 25th, 2011Anastasha Echavarri
News Editor
In past years, the Westford Academy spirit rally entailed intimidating seniors in black shirts tearing through the football field swarming around a truck while blasting music holding somewhat suggestive signs. This year, the rally was held in a calm setting off to the side of the school on a small field with the entire school crowded inside. Nothing on the field really screamed “intimidating” this year.
Due to events in the past, teachers prohibited backpacks from coming onto the field. Between the rumors of students throwing balloons full of maple syrup and the odd person sneaking in other illicit objects, administration completely refused allowing anything.
The events for this year included Tug-of-War, balloon popping, centipede races, potato sack races, sumo wrestling, melon tosses, and more. The senior class for what seems to be the first time ever, lost the Spirit Rally to the other classes.
An upset occurred when the sophomore class suddenly beat the juniors and seniors during Tug-of-War. After pulling the seniors off to the side, the entire sophomore class started cheering wildly while much of the senior class declared the match poorly called.
Overall, however, every class did extremely well during the events of the Spirit Rally. Many say that the reason the scores were a lot closer this year was because of the fact that the rally was much more tame this year.
A few senior girls ran onto the field during the rally and began to spray silly string over the students. Although the students deemed this act harmless, administration scolded the class severely, threatening to take away prom, and even the class trip to Disney this year.
Despite this outburst, the rest of the rally went on calmly and the events were successful. In Tug-of-War, the senior class defeated the freshman in merely seconds, ripping them off of the field. Other senior successes involve the star race. Pulling ahead of everyone else, the seniors, loosely tied together, went careening over hurdles and flipped over the table as the attempted to climb under it. Never stopping, the seniors were aggressive as ever and managed to win quite a few events.
The greased watermelon toss this year was quite the dramatic event between the junior and senior classes. Towards the end, only one junior team and two senior teams were left in the running. One senior, after missing a catch, broke the watermelon on the ground and the senior class broke into a frenzy. In the end, the junior class managed to win the watermelon toss as well as the sumo wrestling matches.
Ultimately, the Spirit Rally was extremely different than it has been in past years. Compared to classes before, the senior class was extremely tame and the worst thing they ever did was spray some silly string on fellow classmates. While some students hated the changes made to the rally, the rally was still successful and students still managed to show that they truly have school spirit.
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Band students go abroad
June 13th, 2011Anastasha Echavarri
Staff Writer
For thousands of dollars, a student at Westford Academy can go to China or even Spain for a little over a week. For $4,000, a band student can travel abroad around Europe for over 3 weeks. The traditional WA band trip to Europe sponsored by the American Music Abroad association is about to begin yet again, and everyone is excited.
For many years, the American Music Abroad association has joined together the musically inclined students of WA with those from places throughout Massachusetts, New England, and even Virginia to go on a once and a lifetime experience to semi-independently travel the world.
“We have students from all over going on this trip. It’s not just for students from WA, it’s for any student that is interested in this sort of opportunity,” said band instructor, Kenneth Culver.
On this trip, students will be traveling to Paris, France, Austria, ancient castles and fortresses, villas, museums, and simple countryside towns teeming with culture.
Westford Academy Band
“The students will be playing in amazing places– it’s such an amazing opportunity. They can perform on the beaches of Normandy and on the same night play in some ancient castle,” said Culver.
However, the trip itself is not based solely on the music and how the students play. The trip itself is an experience for the music players to completely immerse themselves into cultures that they have never been in before. Students will be visiting museums, going out to clubs, and even concentration camps.
“The trip is really for the cultural experience. There’s just so much to see, out there. The United States is so new, everything is 300 years old or younger. I want to see what the world is really like,” said sophomore band student Ashley Leung.
Students going on the trip are all excited for different reasons.
“I’m really excited to visit Germany. I want to see where my ancestors came from, the rest of the Schlather family,” said sophomore band student Daniel Schlather.
So although the trip is an opportunity solely for students in band, the point is not only for the students to play at concerts, theaters, and the beaches of Normandy. This is the chance of a lifetime to learn about cultures we, living in America, would not know much about.
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JV Volleyball Serves it to AB
May 4th, 2011By Anastasha Echavarri
Staff Writer
On April 27th, Westford Academy yet again faced its arch nemesis, Acton-Boxborough. On Wednesday the Junior Varsity Volleyball team beat AB two games in a row fairly easily.
The record so far for this season’s JV volleyball team stands at 9 wins and 2 losses. With 8 more games to go, the rest of the season remains promising.
“This team has improved by leaps and bounds,” said JV Coach Eric Snyder.
At the beginning of the first game, WA started out strong, but AB gave them a run for their money. Volleyballs were being hit into the net, a few out-of-bounds calls were made, and even a few fouls.
Player 48 on the AB team went up to the net at one point and after having failed to get the ball over the net the first time, he hit it yet again with his foot which made it fly under the net across the court. After being fouled the first time, player 48 was fouled yet again the next game after having hit the ball twice in a row.
About 15 minutes into the game, the score was tied at 7-7. When sophomore Mike Barck stepped up to serve, the scores began to change. Four minutes later and 12 consecutive serves by Barck, WA had 19 points to AB’s 17.
Within 20 minutes, the game ended with the WA Ghosts winning 25-18.
The second game began a lot stronger than the first game for the Ghosts; the fouls and many out-of-bounds plays made by the AB team made all the difference in such a fast-paced sport.
WA Ghosts were winning by a huge margin up until the score was 23-16. All of a sudden, AB had received five consecutive points, leaving the scores suddenly extremely close to a tie.
Finally, the last play made by AB was hit out of bounds which gave the WA Ghosts the point that they needed. The game ended with a score of 25-21 which gave yet another win to the JV volleyball team.
Despite the team’s prosperity, it is surprising how most players on the team are new to the sport.
Snyder comments on his team’s capability.
“It’s really impressive how well the team is doing, considering that most of the players on the team before this have never played. There are about two players on this entire team that have had any outside experience,” said Snyder.
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Vining hopes words go beyond expectations
April 7th, 2011Anastasha Echavarri
Staff Writer
Beyond Words, the club that publishes the school’s official literary magazine remains the unsung hero at Westford Academy. Giving a voice to the students and their many unique and diverse works of art, the group is pushing now more than ever for positive changes for the future concerning the club.
Published once a year, the literary magazine is compiled of several poems, short stories, and even artwork that students around the school have put many long and hard hours into. Spending almost just as many hours in the process, those at Beyond Words will collect and sift through articles and decide whether or not to publish them when the big day comes.
Hannah Vining, president and editor of the magazine voices her opinion on the role the magazine has played in the school community.
“It’s such a good idea to get the work out there. Every year it comes out, everyone tells us how much they love the magazine,” said Vining.
Being the president of the club, Vining has the job of selecting several of the pieces of work that go into the magazine. She also designs the layout and brings everything together by the time the magazine comes out—which should be in a month or so.
Jack Holbrook, temporary supervisor of the club while English teacher Jessica Lang is on maternity leave, offers help wherever he can. However, the club is for the most part solely run by the students.
“I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes… It’s the students’ work—it’s the club’s work and the students of the school’s work that’s getting out there,” said Holbrook.
Each year, the members have tried to change the format in many ways opening up the possibility of fitting more work into the magazine as well as hopefully attracting more attention towards the group.
Beyond Words at a glance
“We try to get in as many works as possible. We also try to raise money for the magazine—like at Café Night. Students can get up and perform their pieces on stage,” said Vining.
In order to get the students at WA to notice the magazine, Beyond Words is trying their best to draw attention to the club by making the magazine more interesting.
“Usually the magazines have solid colors with the title on the front. This year, however, we’re making fancy lettering and designs—and even adding in a picture on the front to get students to want to look at this,” said Vining.
After asking around school it has been made clear that many are unaware of the magazine’s presence, and hopefully, this will change in years to come.
“What we need the most right now is people, we need more people to be involved,” said Holbrook.
Although the magazine and the group is not as popular as it would like to be at the moment, the work of the students at WA will continue to become published for years to come. Many online publishers scam or try to cheat aspiring artists out their work, copyrighting the ideas that others have originally come up with. Many of us have no idea how to get our work out into the world so as to share it with others. The unsung hero at WA, Beyond Words reminds the school that there are several talented students among us and this club gives these students the voice that they need.
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Trust lost: Internships go on
April 6th, 2011Anastasha Echavarri
Staff Writer
The third in a three part series.
While interviewing several students at Westford Academy about their internships and how they’re fairing, a shocking statement from one senior shook guidance and even principal Jim Antonelli.
The Senior Internship in a few words
“I’m just working at my family’s job—of course I’m getting paid for it. Everyone’s getting paid for it,” said an anonymous student.
Guidance counselor Wendy Pechacek replied concerning how she feels about this: extremely disappointed. She and other members of the staff were positive that they were clear on the fact that the senior internship was strictly an educational experience.
“It’s an internship, you don’t get paid. It’s like community service- it’s not community service if you’re being paid,” said Pechacek.
At the end of every quarter, it was made evident what the program consisted of: internships in careers that you are interested in, which allows you to see how you handle the real world in the career you want.
“The average person will change jobs about 8 to 10 times throughout their lives. The internship allows you to test the waters, to see if this is what you want to do in the real world,” said Antonelli.
However, the performance of the 2010 class had so many faults within its system that being paid as well as other freedoms became an impossibility for years to come. New rules were instated so as to enforce the integrity of the program by requiring diligent journal entries, logs, and papers that are becoming extremely time consuming for the seniors.
These new rules were dictated to the class of 2011 throughout each quarter and were greatly enforced. During one advisory day, even, a power point presentation was given listing the specific requirements that the students would have to follow. Still, some students seem to avoid the system and avoid taking the heat.
“This is wrong, it’s just wrong. They were tested, they were assessed, and after four years we should be able to trust them,” said Antonelli.
Students in the past have been caught in the act of being paid under the table, but the consequences are unclear. Seeing as the senior internship is still a somewhat new concept, ideas were being thrown around for punishments if interns broke the rules.
“All senior activities are up for grabs,” said Pechacek.
Prom, the Disney Trip, and even walking in graduation might be taken away as punishment for a student who tries to take advantage of the internship.
Recently news was given about the anonymous senior who purposely decided to get paid under the table despite all of this. Their internship was approved just a few days ago.
While there are still several kinks to work out in the system, Antonelli still plans to go ahead with his five year plan of integrating the program into the curriculum because of the good he thinks will come out of the internship. Whether or not guidance at WA will be able to trust the seniors to stay true to the program is strictly up to the them.
Po’s knows ribs
April 6th, 2011Anastasha Echavarri
Staff Writer
Po’s Ribs and Barbeque is not your average BBQ restaurant. It is not the traditional baby back rib and peanut gallery that most critically acclaimed barbeque restaurants pride themselves for. However, its smoky barbeque sauces, delicious selection, and integration of eastern-style cuisine make up for this and more in both taste and satisfaction.
Right on the intersection of route 27 and 2-A located in Acton, Massachusetts, Po’s Ribs and Barbeque is located in the area of a small strip mall. Alongside it is a café, a CVS, several appliance stores, and even a few gas stations.
Outside of Po's Ribs and Barbeque
The restaurant is fairly small family-owned business that has moved from place to place throughout the years. The owners last worked at “Ginger Court” up until a year ago. The restaurant was located right outside of Acton Indoor Sports. Due to several reasons, the owners left and came here.
The place itself is homey and comfortable. When you enter you are almost directly seated in one of the many tables scattered throughout the room. The focal point of the restaurant, however, is the large bar that is at the center of the room. A family place, Po’s is a convenient place to come for lunch or to just sit and talk.
The prices at Po’s Ribs and Barbeque vary greatly. The menu consists of several dishes including sandwiches and platters as main entrees, a few soups, some seafood dishes, and sides. The entrées range from prices of $5-15.00 with a guarantee of two sides with each entrée. Extra side dishes cost $3.00 each. The seafood itself cost only up to $10.00, however, and the soups around $4.00.
Main courses consist of several dishes involving pork, chicken, and beef. With beef comes briskets and sandwiches. In order for brisket to be delicious, it must be slowly cooked, allowing for the meat within it to soften up and tenderize. Without a doubt, the beef is fresh, well seasoned, and falls apart in your mouth—obviously slow cooked.
Several options of pork include pulled pork sandwiches, platters, and baby back ribs. The pulled pork is smoky and tender, which goes amazingly well with the various sauces that they provide you with. In many cases good pulled pork is hard to come by because its being smoked leads to dryness or toughness. This entrée, however, was the exact opposite. The baby back ribs were coated in somewhat of the same sauce as the one that the restaurant provides to you at your table. However, there is an added zest to the rub that the ribs have, and the ribs themselves are fresh and extremely juicy.
The pulled chicken sandwiches are made the same way as the pulled pork, except for perhaps a bit more moist because it was cooked for less time, seeing as chicken requires less time to cook. The chicken skewers that are also available are convenient and fun to dip in the sauce, as are the well-seasoned and spicy chicken wings.
Po's Ribs and Barbeque Chicken Wings
The side courses consist of cold noodles, mashed potatoes, french fries, broccoli, baked beans, and green beans. Served with each meal, the sides are all fairly tasty. The french fries are crispy and light—golden brown and good with all entrées. The broccoli is somewhat al dente, however if you like your broccoli on the crisper side then this is the broccoli for you. The cold noodles have a vague taste of cucumber, and contrast greatly with the many savory, salty, and spicy flavors that the rest of the meal offers.
Although not an official entrée, I personally find the chicken wings to be the best dish of the entire restaurant. The wings are very fresh and are full of flavor. Battered and fried to a deep golden brown, they give a noisy crunch when you bite into them, yet remain moist throughout. The pepper flakes and various other spices give the chicken wings a special zest that makes them simply irresistible and leaves you wanting more.
Overall, Po’s Ribs and Barbeque is a diamond in the rough which has yet to be discovered. With fairly reasonable prices and delicious food, those who visit Po’s definitely have something to look forward to. A family place, simple yet inviting, is owned by a family itself that has changed the way that I personally view BBQ restaurants. Although not a traditional barbeque restaurant, Po’s Ribs and Barbeque utilizes a perfect mixture of western and eastern flavors.
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Internships without Integrity?
March 29th, 2011Anastasha Echavarri
Staff Writer
This is the second of a three part series on the senior internship
Last year, several Westford Academy students were accused of abusing their privileges they were given during their senior internships. Although guidance and staff have caught on to this fact and went right to changing the rules so as to not repeat this, students tell us that not much has changed.
We interviewed senior student Lauren Lavallee and asked about her internship and its validation.
“I already have my internship approved. I’m going to help out the nurses around Westford. I’ll be with different nurses on different shifts, and I was accepted basically the day I asked,” said Lavallee.
Although Lavallee’s internship was readily accepted, other seniors aren’t having as easy a time in regards to receiving approval from their guidance counselors.
“Last year it was a lot more laidback… There were less check-ins and there were a lot of people that went to work and got paid instead of going to their internships,” said Lavallee.
Guidance has taken several precautions concerning the Senior Internship program, searching harder than ever for the validation of each senior’s internship.
Guidance counselor Wendy Pechacek told us that various meetings have taken place over the course of several months. Members of the school staff have taken the time to divide up the internships so that members at the head of the program would be able to look at a few internships at a time and evaluate them with greater accuracy.
Although guidance is fairly confident in their work, a few problems have managed to slip through the cracks.
“I’m just working at my family’s job—of course I’m getting paid for it. Everyone’s getting paid for it,” said an anonymous student.
Despite the changes made to the senior internship, it is clearly evident that several students within the halls of WA have still managed to find a loophole. As the integrity of the program is in question, so is the integrity of the students here at WA.
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Priyanka Ram: Professional Pianist?
March 16th, 2011Anastasha Echavarri
Staff Writer
Sophomore student here at Westford Academy, Priyanka Ram plays the piano like no other. For the past four years, judges at the National Competition of Fine Arts [NCFA] would have to agree.
Since the young age of 8, Ram has loved the idea of playing music. Inspired by her parents to try and have as many experiences and opportunities as possible as a young girl, Ram combined her passion for music and her parents’ encouragement and instantly took to playing the piano.
Her piano teacher, Niva Fried, is one of the many reasons why she’s made it to Carnegie Hall for the past four years. For the longest time, she would teach Ram at a workshop in Westford. Fried knew, though, that Ram had the talent to make it to Carnegie can could not pass up the chance to enter her in the NCFA.
The NCFA entailed Ram playing various pieces for several judges and depending on how well she did, judges would place her in a hall so as to move on in the competition. However, during Ram’s first year, she was not placed in Carnegie Hall where the top pianists played, but in the second best hall, Merkin.
“I was disappointed when I found out that I couldn’t go to Carnegie Hall, so my goal was to get better and go next year,” said Ram.
Ram’s first year at Carnegie was full of emotions; nervousness, but for the most part, excitement.
“When I got there the first thing I realized was how beautiful the hall was—and how many people were there,” said Ram.
Accompanying Ram were about 80 other students from all over the nation, and in the audience, her mother and cousin.
“When I grow up, I definitely want to become a professional pianist,” said Ram.
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