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David Ran (and Won) for President

June 15th, 2011

By Tanvi Verma
Staff Writer

On June 6, freshman David Ran was elected for Class President of the class of 2014 against six other contestants. He is aided by Vice President Akshay Bhadarwaj, Secretary Kelsey Anderson and Treasurer Henry Jiang along with the student representative council.

“I mean, I didn’t rule [winning] out, I was just really unsure about it,” said Ran. “Everyone that was elected is very reliable and friendly.”

In order to pay for the trips and dances in the future, the freshman class needs to raise money fast. In comparison to the other classes, the freshman class raised very little money this year. David Ran proposes exciting new fundraisers such as Cafe WA or an Open Mic Night or selling mistletoe in December.

“Yeah, I have a whole list…We’re mainly focusing on raising money in fundraisers. If anyone has any ideas, they can come up to me anytime. The student government, after all, is for the students and by the students,” said Ran.

On Facebook, Ran has indeed published an extensive list of fundraising ideas that students are open to comment on.

The reaction from the freshman class has been overall quite positive, many people seem to have high hopes for our future president. Many feel like Ran’s positive attitude and forward thinking are just what our freshman class needs. Academically, Ran also ranks quite high, winning the overall geometry award for the freshman class.

“I’m so excited; I think he’ll be splendid,” said freshman Anna Hartmann.

There are, however, a few doubts from others because of Ran’s lack of experience. He wasn’t a part of the student government during the 2010-2011 school year.

“I think he’ll do a good job. It’s just Allison [Avery] had already done it for a year, I thought she might’ve had more experience,” said Abby Ciancolo, one of the student council representatives.

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A Fond Farewell to Mrs. Lyman

June 10th, 2011

By Tanvi Verma

Staff Writer

Mrs. Carol Fernsten-Lyman is retiring from Westford Academy after 17 years as a Special Education teacher.You’ve probably seen her around the Guidance hallway before, or maybe you’ve had the pleasure of being in one of her classes. She’s been hugely influential to new teachers in her department.

“This is a huge loss for the department, she’s been here for such a long time. She’s a role model and…A good resource for the newer staff to go to…She’s a very knowledgeable and dedicated employee here,” said Patricia Demins, a fellow colleague and friend of Lyman.

As a special education teacher, Mrs. Lyman has has a lot of experience with the kids here at WA.She’s grown close with the staff having taught here for 17 years. She is very aware, though, of what she’s leaving behind in terms of the impact that she’s had on students.

“I’ve taught special education for most of my career. My best experience was with the special needs students, watching them make progress and move onto bigger and better things in their lives” said Lyman.

When asked about why she decided to teach Special Education instead of a traditional subject like English or Math, Lyman responded, “Well, when I was a kid, I used to be the person who would support others…There were kids with learning problems in the classroom and I used to be drawn to those kids and help them in any way I could. It just seemed like a natural progression once I got to college.”

She’s lived here in Westford for 32 years, and having been a teacher here for 17 of them; she’s noticed a lot of changes in the kids here at WA.

“I think the culture’s changed a lot…I think I look at this group of kids as much more sphisticated and in-the know. And that change has taken place in a way that you wouldn’t notice at first. Kids have changed a lot.”

She’s not taking a break yet, though, Mrs. Lyman intends on traveling and studying realty and getting her realty license. She’s also looking forward to spending time with her grandchildren. As for the far future, she’s not entirely sure as to what her plans are. She’s sure that she will miss her peers greatly, though.

“I think I’m going to miss the people…It’s like a big family  here.” said  Lyman.



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An evening of entertainment

May 31st, 2011

By Tanvi Verma
Staff Writer



Poster designed by Dylan McCusker

The Westford Academy Annual ‘Evening of One Acts’ was on May 18, 19, and 20. This two and a half hour performance showcased the directing skills of three seniors: Hannah Estabrook, Mark Fingerhut, and Hannah Caldwell. Being a Black-box show, it exclusively displayed the acting of only sophomores and freshmen.

Brilliant Traces by Cindy Lou Johnson is a show about a young bride-to-be that flees from her marriage and drives to Alaska from Arizona. She encounters a hermit and the two embark on a journey of emotional chaos.

“You know when, like, you’re growing up and you think ‘What’s gonna happen when I die’? That’s what this play is. It’s answering and asking all of those questions,” said Estabrook.

The set was the first thing that the audience noticed. On the wall was inscribed, “Let my scars leave brilliant traces.” The entire show was set in the hermit’s cabin in Alaska. There were little details hidden in the set that made it all the more believable. There were cans of food stacked up in a corner as well as a small oven; it was wonderfully elaborate.

Another fantastic technical element was the lighting choices. Whenever Rosanna gave a dramatic monologue, the lights would turn red. Whenever Harry (the hermit) gave a dramatic monologue, they’d turn blue.

The mood of the show itself was confusing, as was probably intended. There would be dramatic bursts of anger or sadness followed by a light, somewhat comic scene. This effect was enhanced more by the fact that Nick Nudler (playing Harry the Hermit) and Renée Craig seemed deep into their characters. Watching them onstage was like watching a relationship grow.

The second show was The Father Clock by Walter Wykes, directed by Mark Fingerhut. It is a show about two actors and a stage manager who have been abandoned by their director and forced to put on a show anyways.

“It has a deeper meaning about religion…It’s something that most people have never seen before, it’s a really interesting show”, commented Fingerhut.
When the audience enters the black box, the sight of the actors milling around trying to get set for the show and the harried stage manager trying to get things together greets them. The audience is a part of the show. They’re a part of a show that’s about people trying to put on a show. It’s unique and refreshing and very different from a typical performance.

The set of the show reflected the overall mood of the show, chaotic and confusing. Things were strewn about. The central focus of the show, the actual father clock, was in the far corner of the black box. A couch, upon which most of the action occurred, was in the dead center of the room.

If one can see the overlying metaphor of the show, about God and his people, then it’s a very powerful and thought-inspiring show. However, if you don’t pick up on the very obvious metaphor, then it’s just confusing and difficult to follow. It’s absurdist theater, it’s not intended to make sense, it’s just intended to make the audience think and think hard.

The acting of Emily Borst (Snub), Emily Brown (Stage Manager), and Chris Noran (Flub) was commendable. All three were engaging and very energetic, they threw themselves around the set and gave themselves entirely to their respective parts

The last show, the Dumb Waiter by Harold Pinter and directed by Hannah Caldwell, is about two ‘hit men’ who are trapped in a basement and deeply confused about the coming and going of a dumbwaiter in their room. The actors, Aaron LaBarre, Zak Dictakis, and Matt Higgins all evenly shared the two parts over the course of the six performances.

The show was the most enjoyable of the night, in my opinion. The show opens with an airy and comic feel to it, enhanced by jazzy elevator music playing in the background. The two men have a very funny friendship and it was light and easy initially. The two characters were in costumes that reflected their personalities. Ben (Aaron LaBarre) was in a more crisp and put-together attire than his goofy counterpart, Gus (Matt Higgins).

However, there was an overlying eerie mood. Ben had quick solo moments where the lighting would cut out and he’d be alone in the center of the black box. These moments intensified this strange suspenseful feeling in the midst of the light comedic atmosphere of the show. These moments of suspense all seem to come together and to a climax by the end of the show. The actual message of the show is very morbid, but it’s hidden under layers of comedy. It’s somewhat similar to the Father Clock, in that sense.

Overall, the evening was fantastic. Looking at all of the elements (the set, lighting, acting, sound, etc.), one can tell that there was a tremendous amount of effort put forth into these shows. The directors should be proud that they’re leaving WA with work that has such a resounding and thought-inspiring impact.

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Osama bin Laden: To Pity or Hate?

May 11th, 2011

By Tanvi Verma

Staff Writer

The death of Osama bin Laden brings mixed feelings.

Some Americans feel safer now that the head of al-Qaeda has been eradicated from society. Perhaps this is the first step to getting our troops out of the Middle East, maybe this is progress. Because of this positive thought, many Americans took the streets; getting drunk and parading around about this ‘victory’ against this monster that’s been tormenting our country for so long.

People need to remember this: Osama bin Laden was one man. One man in the hundreds of people who are a part of al-Qaeda. One man that meant a great deal to the members of al-Qaeda. One man with six children, one of whom was a little girl who witnessed his shooting.



1998 image from time.com

American troops killed al-Qaeda’s leader, and the group has never had more of an incentive to attack than they have now. We are in no way safer than we had been before. We’ve gained nothing as a country by killing a man except more fuel for our pride. His body at the bottom of the ocean is just another trophy to keep on our mantles.

And death is not something to be proud of. If it was necessary, if bin Laden had resisted enough that the troops were left with no other choice than to kill him, then fine. That is acceptable, his death is nothing but necessary and acceptable, not exciting and joyous.

In the words of Martin Luther King Jr.:

“I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy.”

The death of any human being is not something to rejoice at. We could have achieved this same result by capturing him and imprisoning him, not that it was a possibility. It’s just that we’ve achieved nothing by his death.

In terms of releasing the pictures of his dead body, doing so would just be immoral for several reasons. First, it is incredibly gruesome. Pictures of a man who got shot in the head should never be posted for anyone to see. Though there might be precautions, like signs saying “What you are about to see is not suitable for children”, any average fifth grader can easily get past that. In addition to that, you’re taking a man at his most humiliating and vulnerable point ever and putting pictures of him up for the entire world to see. He is still a man, and there are human obligations that should prevent someone from globally posting pictures of his bloody and lifeless corpse.

If you think that we as Americans got out ‘revenge’, fine. But celebrating and posting pictures of his death is going too far. That is just pathetic and inhumane and not respectful of the fact that he was human. He did terrible, terrible things, everyone knows by now. That’s the one thing that people keep repeating. But people shouldn’t bask in the downfall of another human being, and his death doesn’t compensate for the thousands of deaths that he caused. In the end we’ve gained nothing. One man is dead and his death shouldn’t be celebrated out of pure and basic human respect. Nothing has changed, people are just moving backwards in terms of morals. If this is what we have to show for how we’ve developed mentally and emotionally as humans, then we, as a species, are failing.

If you feel as though this is an accomplishment, then smile to yourself about it, don’t parade. He was a lost cause of a man, a tragedy and a waste of potential.

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Sleeping for Schoolwork

April 12th, 2011

by Tanvi Verma
Staff Writer

Not getting enough sleep at night can not only affect your concentration, but your mood too. Moodiness and irritation might just be because you’re not getting enough rest.

According to research, teenagers should be getting about ten to eleven hours of sleep every night in order to function best. However, after speaking with a variety of different students from varying classes, it is clear that most get from 7-8 hours per night.

“I mean, if I don’t get enough sleep, then I fall asleep in class”, said senior Randi Medley.

For many teens, waking up can be the most difficult part of the day. Freshman Nate Merrel tries to wake himself up in the morning by drinking coffee; he claims that his lack of sleep (six hours per night) does not affect his schoolwork at all. Caffeine, however, is linked to several sleep disorders such as insomnia because of its psychological repercussions according to the January 2008 and December 2004 issues of Time Magazine. In excess, caffeine can be quite addicting. If you want to feel awake in the morning, get to bed early and do a little yoga when you wake up according to the June 2009 issue of Newsweek.

“I don’t notice a difference really with caffeine. I think it’s bad for you too. There is no complete substitute for sleep,” said freshman Renée Craig who gets 7 hours of sleep every night.

According to research conducted on 257 boys over ten years by Time Magazine in 2004, teenagers who get less sleep over time are more likely to resort to drug use and drinking later on in life because of the depressive effects of a lack of sleep.

Lack of sleep can be best explained in a kind of vicious cycle. If one doesn’t get enough sleep at night because they procrastinated on doing homework, their concentration the following day will not be at its best. Not being able to concentrate will lead to more procrastination which will lead to less sleep which, again, will lead to a lack of concentration the next day and so on. In order to escape this cycle, just do what your teachers say and don’t procrastinate.

Having an irregular sleep pattern also influences your quality of sleep according to Understanding Psychology 2001. Because teenagers go to sleep so late on the weekdays to finish schoolwork and creep on Facebook, many try to compensate for lost rest by oversleeping on the weekends. This, however, warps your biological clock and actually leads to even worse sleep later on. The best thing to do is just have a fixed bedtime every night, and maybe sleep in an hour or two on the weekends.

In the February 2011 edition of Newsweek Magazine, research conducted shows that less sleep shows a decrease in memory function. If you know that you have a big test tomorrow, sleep can be vital in performing your best.

“If I notice that students are tired, there generally is a correlation to less focus and decreased performance,” said English teacher Janet Keirstead.

The December 17, 2004 issue of TIME Magazine explores the issue of our biological clocks further in an article written by Christine Gorman called ‘Why We Sleep’. After many hours without sleep, the reaction time of a person begins to slow. People ‘zone out’ and start staring into space and can’t concentrate on their work because of their exhaustion. The quality of one’s work can become severely hindered.

“I think it builds up. If you get no sleep for four nights in a row, then it effects you”, said freshman Andrew Clark, who averages about seven hours of sleep per night and claims that amount doesn’t hinder his academic abilities.

The bottom line is this: nothing can replace sleep. Not caffeine, not trying to nap in class. There is simply nothing that can substitute for rest. If you want to perform best for a game, a big test, or a Saturday night dance, then be sure to get at least eight and a half hours of sleep in order to have the energy that you’ll need.

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Caesar Triumphs

April 6th, 2011

By Tanvi Verma


Staff Writer

J.Caes: The Tragedy of Julius Caesar was declared one of three winners at Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild’s 80th Annual State Finals in Boston on April 2.

The other two winners were Hamilton-Wenham’s original production of en vélo and Manchester Essex Regional High School’s production of The Complete History of America: Abridged. Other competing schools were The Bromfield School, Tyngsborough High School, Algonquin Regional High School, Weston High School, Sharon High School, Duxbury High School, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, Framingham High School, Lawrence Academy, Malden High School, and Hingham High School.

“It was fantastic. We’re all really proud of the entire cast and crew,” said Brad Fiore, Senior Design Chief who also won an All-Star Nomination at the semi-final round of the competition along with his team members Bobby Esposito, Kate Sulka, Dan Bubin, and Nick Calow.

Along with winning against 13 other schools, five Westford Academy students also took home three ‘All-Star Cast Nominations’. Will Clark received an award for his role as Marc Antony, Caleb Cedrone for his role as Casca, and Tak Wong, Ben Ngai, and Chris Horsey received an award for Choreography.

“We worked so hard, I’m so happy for the three of us,” said Chris Horsey, freshman breakdancer.

Considering how intense the competition is, it was an extraordinarily friendly environment with a lot of mingling and interaction with other schools. All participating students, including the 104 from WA, truly represented an accepting and kind community of kids.

This is, however, the end of J.Caes, if ever there could be one. WATA has decided to not move on to the New England round of the competition considering how many scheduling conflicts have arisen due to spring sports and other shows. In the end, there is absolutely no doubt about exactly how much effort went into this year’s competition production. Participants have displayed amazing commitment.

“It was a very intense and exciting weekend,” said Michael Towers, Director of the show. “I felt as if Westford Academy represented themselves very well. We executed sharply, our energy was high, our focus and commitment was on. Ultimately, I was very proud of our team.”

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J.Caes Advances to State Finals

March 23rd, 2011

By Tanvi Verma

Staff Writer

Westford Academy Theater Art’s production of J.Caes: The Tragedy of Julius Caesar was announced as one of two winners in the semi final round of the METG State Festival that was held here, at Westford Academy Saturday, March 19.

Along with being the winner of the overall semi final round, eleven other WATA members earned six All Star Cast Nominations in Acting and Technical Design.

“I am thrilled. I am proud of our growth as a team and the growth of our individuals. We have more work to do,” said Michael Towers, director of the production.

The cast as a unit has come a long way from when rehearsals first began in December. Watching them onstage, one can only imagine exactly how much effort has gone into making the production as moving as it is.

“I’m happy for the group as a whole. We’ve grown a lot,” said John Manning, who won an award in acting for his role as Brutus.

The show will be advancing with 13 other productions to the state finals which is held in the John Hancock Hall in Boston. This takes place from March 31 to April 2. Westford Academy will be performing on Friday, April 1st at 1PM.

“It’s a great honor, we spent hours practicing. I have a really strong feeling about it,” said Caleb Cedrone who plays Casca in the show. He also won an award in acting.

Other awards went to Will Clark and Chris Kandra for their respective roles as Marc Antony and Cinna. Elise Paugh, Randi Medley, and Nick Calow won an award for technical design in lighting, and Kate Sulka, Dan Bubin, Bobby Esposito, Brad Fiore, and Nick Calow won an award for technical design for the set of the show.

“I’m extremely happy. I didn’t think I would get it…I didn’t think they’d notice me,” said Chris Kandra, “I’m nervous, but wicked excited.”

There will be one more performance here at WA in the PAC at 8:00 PM on Wednesday, March 30.

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The Fight Against Drugs Continues

March 21st, 2011

By Tanvi Verma,

Staff Writer

So far this year, there has not been a thorough drug search, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be expecting one. After talking with Principal Jim Antonelli, it is clear that Westford Academy administrators will be taking every step that they can to ensure a clean, drug-free environment.

The reason for the delay in initiating a search is a somber one. One of the police station’s beloved drug-sniffing dogs, Fax, recently passed away. This is one cause of the drug searches being pushed back, but, according to Antonelli, they will indeed occur at some point this year.

These searches are performed annually to ensure the idea that the administration is taking the issue of narcotics very seriously. There is even more emphasis on the issue this year because, in recent months, numerous students have been appearing at school-hosted events clearly under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

“As a principal, I take it very seriously that there is no place for drugs or alcohol on the school campus or at any school-sponsored event,” said Antonelli.

A discouraging fact is that students have begun accepting the presence of drugs at events as a common practice.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure there was drinking at the last dance. And the one before,” said one student.

Antonelli ensures that he personally examines every case of student misbehavior before making the decision to ban them for school activities.

“You know, I look at every case individually. I look at the student’s past record, I look at the situation that occurred… I’ve never expelled anybody. What I’ve done is excluded them from Westford Academy…They can’t finish their education here nor can they attend any other student activities or graduation, but they are allowed to complete their education elsewhere,” said Antonelli.

Antonelli believes that drugs are becoming more of an issue because of its presence in the community and exposure to drug activity at the middle schools.

“I think the de-criminalization of marijuana sent the wrong message to all of our students here at Westford Academy. I think it was a mistake…If they are caught with an ounce or more of marijuana, basically students just get a slap on the wrist and a one hundred dollar fine,” said Antonelli.

The ‘Zero Tolerance’ Policy is practically known by heart to all the students of WA by now.

“I think it’s [the zero tolerance policy] another deterrent. I don’t think it’s a perfect deterrent. I think it’s just something that shows that we’re serious about not having drugs on school grounds… [They] know I take it very seriously,” said Antonelli.

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