By Alivia Kilroy
Staff Writer

Every year Westford Academy students produce Black Box performances, directed by some of WA’s own. One of these plays this year is Oleanna, written by David Mamet and directed by senior Christina  Hughes.

Oleanna is a dramatic play focused on the power struggle between two characters, teacher and student, and the misinterpretations that happen between them during encounters they have.

Because of its dark themes and occasional difficult dialogue from the performers, this play is intended for a mature audience. The violent ending to the play also directs it toward a more mature audience, with a suggested rating around PG13.

“We just wrapped up the final shows, I was so proud and pleased with the outcome. It was very successful and proved to be a wonderful experience for both the Black Box team and school as a whole,” said Braley Degenhardt, assistant director.

“I have heard many conversations after the show debating audience members’ opinions and this is obviously a positive reaction, seeing as our main goal as artists is to provoke a response from our audiences.” Degenhardt said when asked about the overall outcome of the play.

Oleanna was well cast. Sophomore Renee Craig as Carol, the student, gave a stunning, impeccable performance, making the audience feel as if though this was an actual experience she was going through.

Freshman Thomas Mitsock played John, the teacher figure. He fit the role perfectly, asserting his power and making the storyline run smoothly and quite believably.

Overall, Oleanna was well produced and was an enjoyable show to watch.

Kathleen McAleese

Staff Writer

Katie Enos was a beloved friend, daughter, sister, and classmate. After Katie died, she donated several of her organs to people in need. Her family recalls that Katie thought it would be ridiculous for someone to waste their organs if someone out there needed them.

Katie was killed after a car struck her on June 29, 2010.  After her organs were donated, four people’s lives changed drastically for the better.

Katie was pictured in the Donate Life Rose Parade float, which is a float that remembers organ donors, both alive and deceased, who have donated their organs to save a life. Katie met all the requirements for being pictured on the float, being that she was a deceased organ donor. The Rose Parade took place on January 2, 2012 prior to the Rose Bowl, a historic college football game.

The theme for the parade was “Just Imagine…” and Donate for Life represented this as “Just imagine… one more day.” The float was in the shape of a clock, representing both the passing of another day and the lifetime that the donors have been able to elongate after their own passing. Katie was shown at the twelve.

Katie, like all other organ donors on the float, was pictured in a florograph, a picture made up of all organic materials. Katie was joined on the float with seventy other florographs of organ donors, and twenty-eight organ families, families of the receiving organs.

In the parade were ninety one attractions, such as bands, walkers, and dancers, forty one of which were floats. All of them were going along with the theme of “Just imagine…”

The Rose Parade proved to be much more than a football game, as it was both a celebration of past, and present lives, all touched by the generosity of a donor.

A simple solar cooker (Panel Cooker)

For all those who are unaware, Amnesty International is a humanitarian organization that works in numerous countries across the globe. Established in 1961, Amnesty International is a movement of people assembled to fight injustice and promote human rights. Currently, there are more than one million members in the organization. This group has a number of goals they wish to see accomplished including abolishing the death penalty, ensuring fair and prompt trials for political prisoners and freeing all prisoners of conscience.

The students’ goal here at WA is to raise money to purchase a number of solar cookers for women in poverty stricken parts of Africa. Junior Priyanka Ram is organizing this event after a life altering trip to Africa last summer.

“I was influenced to organize this event during my vacation to Kenya this past summer said Priyanka. During my trip, I noticed the destitute conditions of men, women, and children living in rural villages. I decided I wanted to help out in some possible way.”

In many villages in Kenya, a woman’s traditional role includes cooking, gathering firewood, and hauling water. Due to climate change and population growth, many areas have been depleted of firewood and water. In these areas, women and young girls spend up to six hours a day hauling water from distant sources or searching for wood for cooking. There is also a risk for these women and girls who trek for firewood and water. They could be potentially subjected to abuse and other dangers.

“These women are at risk in these areas of Africa” said Amnesty International advisor Donna Kavanagh. “These cookers should help to reduce the risk of assault and rape.”

These solar cookers are simple and easy to use. They require no fuel source and are both practical and affordable. These devices can perform tasks  such as boiling water or grilling food, and since they do not require any fuel source, they help to prevent air pollution. In addition, these cookers slow the process of deforestation and desertification since they do not require firewood. In addition to cooking food, these machines can help to pasteurize disease filled water and make it safe to drink. The cookers are not much of a fire hazard either, thus reducing the risk of wildfires. They cost less than twenty-five dollars to purchase.

For one week, students will not purchase a lunch from the school cafeteria. The money that would be used for a hot lunch would be donated to this cause. At the end of the week, the students will determine how much money was made.

“I would like to involve all of the students in the school in this project to raise money,” said Priyanka. “Hopefully, students can donate their lunch money for one day and fast for this great cause.”

By Ethan Walshe
Managing Editor

As most everyone should know by now, we have entered an election year. The Republican candidates are well into their campaigns and Monday, January 3, marked the first in a series of contests between these candidates to determine who will receive the nomination for presidency. There are two kinds of these contests, caucuses and primaries. Many people hear these words thrown around on the news these days, but what is the real difference between the two?

The main difference between the two is that a caucus is more of an open forum style of voting whereas a primary is much more similar to a general election. During  a caucus, registered caucus goers will report to their voting location, a town hall for example,  for what will end up being a more time consuming process. Voters may sit at a table representing their allegiance to a candidate. There could be a table for Mitt Romney, one for Newt Gingrich, one for Rick Santorum etc. Here, voters may engage in debate and discussion ab out the issues at hand and why they believe the candidate they support is the right choice.

Over the course of their time at the caucus location, representatives of the running candidates or the candidates themselves can explain why they should receive your vote. They can answer questions and the caucus goers can debate amongst themselves. If they decide at some point that they should vote for someone else, they may switch tables. At some point, votes are cast in a public way, as in raising hands. This very open style of voting can sway voters opinions when they see how the people around them have cast their vote.

The caucus style of voting is only used in twelve states nowadays, as it is far more time consuming than the primary process. It is often used by more tradition-based states.

The entire point of these processes is to award delegates and the amount of delegates a candidate receives determines if they are the nominee for president. A candidate needs 1144 votes in order to win. The delegates are divided up as follows: If a state has 20 delegates up for contention and Mitt Romney, for example, receives 60% of the vote, Jon Huntsman receives 25% and Rick Santorum receives 15%, candidate A gets 12 delegates, candidate B gets five and candidate C gets three.

The first caucus, in Iowa, has passed and the first primary –New Hampshire primary–was on Tuesday, January 10. Many more are to follow in the coming months.

Sports Editor

Tempers are flaring and the essential question has been raised: Does the school have the right to read, and prosecute students for things they post in social media?

Apparently, students do not think they have that right.

“I don’t think the school should go to look for things on student’s social media, but I think if a case of bullying is reported to administration then they should investigate. But barring that I don’t think they should look just because they can.” said sophomore Ethan Walshe, a Twitter user.

This issue was brought to the student’s attention when various students were given detention for things posted on Twitter by their deans, and students in general were angered with the school’s invasion on their “privacy”, and ironically these conversations were held on social media sites.

However, because of a new Massachusetts state law, if any material on social media is considered possibly harmful to any student, the school has the right to punish the poster as they feel necessary.

“I have spoken to students on various occasions about Twitter…its about if they are staying appropriate on Facebook or Twitter.” said assistant principal Adam Golberg.

Although the law allows the school to do so, the school is not trying to infringe on student’s privacy and rights of speech.

“It’s not a question of fair, its a question that sometimes something is brought to my attention, then I speak to that person an address it appropriately.” said Golberg.

The main problem when rumors like this spark, lately has been misinformation. As one person hears about something happening, they tell another and as the story spreads, so does the margin between the truth and what people hear.

Although there isn’t much to much administration could do to solve this problem, it seems better to have students educated on what students are getting in trouble for on what platforms and what students can do to report bullying, and how to not bully. In this situation, the best solution is to get students educated when it comes to the interactions between their social media and the administration.

Staff Writer

Over the past few years, many people have been realizing that some students need extra help to fully succeed in their studies. Two important legal plans have been providing assistance to these students so that they can reach their academic goals with less stress involved.

Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and 504 plans debuted under the Individuals With Disabilities Act of 1990. Both plans have a central goal of providing extra services to students with disabilities and medical conditions that bar their academic performance.

IEPs tend to focus more on students with both physical and mental disabilities, such as ADHD. Before receiving an plan, a student must first qualify for special education. Each plan describes specific accommodations made to assist students in achieving their educational goals more easily. However, most students with IEPs learn in the same environment as students who do not have IEPs.

Each IEP is individually crafted to the student’s needs. It is required by law to include specifications such as the student’s current academic and functional performance, goals for the student, what modifications will be made to the normal curriculum for the student, how their progress is measured, and how this progress will be reported to the student’s parents.

It is up to parents whether or not a child should have an IEP. However, when the student turns 14 years old, they may decide whether or not they would like to have an IEP. By the time the student has turned 16, they must have a transition plan in place. This plan describes how a student will transition from high school to college and which, if any, benefits will continue to apply to them.

Patricia Demins, the chair of Westford Academy’s special education department, further explained IEPs. “It’s a legal document that will identify a student’s disability and what accommodations and modifications they need in order to access the curriculum,” she said.

On the other hand, 504 plans focus more on long-term illnesses and disorders that impair a student’s ability to learn rather than disabilities, but students with disabilities are still perfectly eligible for a 504 plan. 504s were created under section 504 of the Individuals With Disabilities Act of 1990.

Demins stated that students with 504 plans “…need accommodations in order to access the same playing field. They don’t get modifications, they just get accommodations, [such as] they have to be in an air conditioned room”.

Many impairments covered under 504 plans are often not apparent physically, such as diabetes, asthma, or epilepsy. Therefore, many students learn in the same environment as those without 504 plans. Because of this, staff members are required to know how to respond to signs of crisis in these students, such as recognizing hypoglycemia in a diabetic.

At Westford Academy, the number of students that are covered under IEPs and 504 plans has been increasing. However, this may just be because the number of students coming into the school has been increasing as well.

“We have the largest classes coming into Westford Academy right now, so yes, we have seen increase in numbers,” said Demins. “But [it is mostly] because the class size.”

Overall, IEPs and 504s are both legal documents that provide assistance to students who need it. It is important that they are followed and respected by staff and fellow students alike. However, just because a student has one of these plans does not necessarily mean that they are lesser in intelligence than students who do not need IEPs and 504s. These students are able to achieve the same academic goals as others – they just need a helping hand in doing so.