Nick: Have you been on all of Bamboozle?

Chloe: Yeah, I’ve been on it for all but 8 days, because I had an event in LA to do.

Nick: How has [Bamboozle] been?

Chloe: It’s been awesome. It’s such a great tour and there are so many great bands on it and it’s so awesome to meet all the kids and hear their stories. It’s been a blast.

Nick: What does TWLOHA have for upcoming events?

Chloe: [To Write Love On Her Arms] will be on all of Warped Tour, we have Cornerstone, we have a bunch of festivals this summer that we’re going to, so we’re busy. Summer’s always a crazy time for us.

Nick: Back in the spring, [TWLOHA] was going to different colleges, [right]?

Chloe: Yeah, we did a U-Chapter tour, and we’ll probably do one again in the Fall.

Nick: Since you won the USA Today ad, what’s the effect of that been like?

Chloe: Well we have a lot more site traffic and we heard from a lot of people that really loved the ad and love what we had to say. So, it was so awesome winning that. We were so excited and we really wanted to take the time to tell America that there is hope.

Nick: And for people who don’t know, could you give a basic overview of TWLOHA’s vision?

Chloe: Yeah, we’re non-profit and we exist to raise awareness for depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. Also to present hope and find help for those struggling, and then we invest directly to treatment and recovery. In four years, we’ve donated over $700,000 and answered over 175,000 messages.

Nick: Is there anything that somebody in high school could do if they want to help out?

Chloe: Yeah, they could go to our official website, and there’s a section called “Move”, and it lists all the ways to get involved.

Nick: I saw the peer-to-peer [program] that you guys are setting up on your website…

Chloe: Oh, I Am Alive, yeah. We’re excited. Hopefully it’ll be launching this fall. It’ll be the first ever online crisis counseling over instant messenger, that’s staffed by people one hundred percent trained and certified in crisis intervention.

Author’s note: TWLOHA is consistently entered in contests in order to win cash prizes which go directly to those in need. If you see anywhere to vote for them, please do so. They also have an abundance of awesome merchandise in their online store, where 100% of the profits go towards preventing suicide, depression, self-harm and addiction, in addition to things like their online crisis counseling program, IMAlive.

If you would like to find out more about To Write Love On Her Arms please visit their website.

June’s largest success: VersaEmerge’s Fixed At Zero

Looking back at June’s releases, there were a number of very solid records produced. From Hawthorne Heights’ fourth full-length, Skeletons, to Pierce The Veil’s sophomore album, Selfish Machines, the month did not disappoint. However, one of the most fulfilling records of the month was the debut full-length of the female-fronted alternative-rock band, VersaEmerge. Entering June, the release of their debut full-length was anticipated, but not necessarily as highly as other records, coming from bigger names that were slated for release during the month. VersaEmerge rose to the challenge and produced a record that draws you in, and just won’t let you go. Unfortunately, with a female-fronted rock band, the thought of “Paramore sound-alike” comes to mind fairly easily. However, that thought can easily be disregarded in this case. Sierra Kusterbeck is not Hayley Williams, and VersaEmerge is not Paramore; in a good way. The best way to find this out is through listening to the album, not just reading about it.

Go listen to: “Stranger”

Another product of June that deserves to be mentioned is the Chiodos demo track, “Thermacare”, which leaked during the month. The track was recorded while frontman Craig Owens was still part of the band, and shines some light on what will hopefully be a successful new album from both Chiodos, and Craig’s new band.

Looking forward to July:

1. The Maine’s Black And White (7/13):
The highly anticipated follow up to their 2008 debut full-length Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop will be The Maine’s first record with Warner Brothers Records. Black And White will propel the band through their first ever headlining tour this summer, which is titled An Evening With The Maine. Look for a similar, but more mature sound on the new record, which will be found on July 13th.

2. For All Those Sleeping’s Cross Your Fingers (7/20):
The debut album of popcore band, For All Those Sleeping is shaping up to be a good one. The two singles that the band has officially released are both heavy and catchy at the same time, which will bring a wide range of fans to the band. Look for the band on the Pyknic pArtery Tour this summer, and look for the album on July 20th.

3. Black Veil Brides’ We Stitch These Wounds (7/20):
Black Veil Brides may look like iconic rock band KISS on stage, but their music sounds nothing like them. The metal-influenced band has gained a very large following since coming together, and is now ready to release their debut album. They will be on the Sacred Ceremony Tour this summer playing songs from the new album which will be out on July 20th.

The class of 2010 celebrates at the WA graduation

Yet no one had more anticipation than those of the class of 2010. For them, this ceremony marked an end to eighteen years of dependence, childhood, and high school, but at the same time it represented a beginning to responsibility, adulthood, and the future.

Lauren Casey celebrates.

After the tradition of “Pomp and Circumstance” ended, the graduates took their seats and Principal James P. Antonelli commenced his speech. His main theme was honor. He asserted that no matter where the future may take those of the class of 2010, they must all maintain their moral duties.

The next section of the ceremony was the recognition of the valedictorian and salutatorian, Alice Chan and Audrey Tiew. Each of their guidance counselors gave a few praising words to them.

The following event was the introduction of the 2010 class officers: Cassandra Gilling (President), John Wells (Vice-President), Carolyn Meklenburg (Secretary), and Cameron Close (Treasurer).

After that, Jennifer Louise Torto, the Class of 2010 speaker, gave her speech. She spoke of the inevitable changes that everyone progressed through while journeying through high school.

Then, Superintendent Everett V. Olsen Jr. congratulated the successes of the graduates and urged them to strive for similar triumphs in the future.

Beach balls flew in the air during the graduation ceremony Friday night.

However, in the midst of the excitement, the students, faculty, and guests payed tribute to Marchand. Three balloons were released into the air for her legacy, which had resonated throughout all of the speeches as well.

After the Class of 2010, had officially graduated high school, their class song, “One Love” by Bob Marley, streamed out of their instruments, voices, and most importantly their hearts. In fact, graduate and musician Jon McNamara revised pieces of the song to pay tribute to Marchand.

The final speaker was Class President Cassie Gilling. She encouraged the class to work hard at any venture that each individual may enter into, for the class of 2010 represents the future.

Finally, the hats flew into the air. Their journeys were finally over, yet at the same time they had also ultimately begun.

Math Coordinator and teacher Cathy Coughlin has just finished her 25th year teaching at WA. Today, she is the curriculum coordinator of the entire math department. Because of her completion of 25 years at WA, Mrs. Coughlin will be receiving a commemorative chair, as thanks for her great help to the school community. She has been working as curriculum coordinator for 5 years now as well, in which she undertakes the responsibility for maintaining the curriculum for the high school, as well as both middle schools in Westford.
Mrs. Coughlin has been teaching for 28 years during her entire career, as she began teaching in a school in New Hampshire, because no Massachusetts schools were hiring. As a graduate of WA, when the opportunity arose to come back to Westford to teach, Mrs. Coughlin did not hesitate at all in taking the job. 25 years later, Mrs. Coughlin continues her teaching career at WA, one that she has thoroughly enjoyed.
One reason for Mrs. Coughlin’s lasting career at WA is the students because she said that they are “always respectful and eager to learn,” which is why she consistently looks forward to her teaching. She also said that while she enjoyed being curriculum coordinator and having to organize the math courses taught, there is nothing that she enjoys more than being able to teach to such a great group of students. She stated that while she was honored to have the opportunity to hold the position of coordinator, she “loves the teaching aspect” of her position.
Mrs. Coughlin has also been amazed by the support the staff and students gave her when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of cancer that attacks the lymphatic system. For a period of 6 months, Mrs. Coughlin underwent chemotherapy every week and could not be more grateful for the encouragement and support that she received from her students, as well as colleagues in this trying time of her life.
Overall, Mrs. Coughlin is honored to have had this opportunity to work with such great people and students during her tenure at WA. She said that teaching at WA actually taught her quite a bit about different perspectives and aspects of people that she would not have seen otherwise. She believed that when she first started working at WA, everything was “black and white,” but teaching has actually taught her about “many different aspects and perspectives people have.”
Mrs. Coughlin hopes to continue teaching for many more years here at WA, but when that time comes when she retires, she says the thing she will miss most is the friendships she has made. She said that “most teachers say they miss the friendships the most, and I have no doubt that that is what I am going to miss.” She stated that she is honored to have had this opportunity to work with and grow closer to such amazing students and colleagues during her time teaching.
Mrs. Coughlin is truly thankful for everything that WA has given her during the last 25 years.

Staff writer

Last month’s largest success: Circa Survive’s Blue Sky Noise

Without a doubt, Blue Sky Noise deserves the most attention amongst April’s releases. The long awaited follow up to 2007’s On Letting Go was finally released on April 20th. It can easily be said that the wait was well justified by the product. The twelve track album possesses the ability to impress virtually anyone, from an avid follower of the band, to one who was previously unaware of their existence. (Although, if you’re familiar with similar bands, this would prove to be fairly difficult). The true beauty of Blue Sky Noise simply cannot be described in a brief article. For that matter, it couldn’t be described substantially in a full length article either. With tracks ranging from the catchy introduction track, “Strange Terrain” to the heartfelt track, “Spirit of the Stairwell”, the album is very dynamic. Once you’re drawn into the album, it proves to be a difficult task to stop it. With outstanding musicianship displayed by Anthony Green and company, the album is a huge success and shows that Circa Survive truly deserves the publicity that they are receiving due to the album’s release.

Looking forward to June:

1. Attack Attack’s self-titled album(6/8):

Attack Attack!’s sophomore album will be a vital test for the band. With the departure of screaming vocalist Nick Barham, (who screamed on their debut record, Someday Came Suddenly) keyboardist Caleb Shomo took over the position last October. With the new vocalist, the band has naturally acquired a slightly altered sound which they will have to prove as worthy to their fans. Expect the album on June 8th.

2. Pierce The Veil’s Selfish Machines (6/22):

With almost a three year waiting period between their last album, A Flair For The Dramatic and the new release, Pierce The Veil will need to show that the three year gap was worth the wait. With more of a thrashy, less melodic style than others of their genre, the past three years have hopefully matured the band and will make for a successful release. The record is set to drop on June 22nd.

3. Hawthorne Heights’ Skeletons (6/1):

Skeletons will be the second album that Hawthorne Heights has released since the tragic death of guitarist and vocalist Casey Calvert, which left them as a four piece band. With no intentions of replacing Casey, their last album, Fragile Future was somewhat of a disappointment after two very strong albums which featured Casey’s guitar and screams. Fragile Future came off as a very pop-like effort, which the band previously had a limited amount of experience with. If all goes well, Skeletons will be a better concocted effort at a pop/alternative rock album, and will even feature some minimal use of screaming vocals. The album will be available on June 1st. As always, rest in peace, Casey.

4. Hey Monday’s Beneath It All (Mid-June):

Hey Monday will be releasing their sophomore album, Beneath It All at some point during mid-June. The power-pop band’s newest creation will only contain eight songs, forcing them to put a lot into such a short record in order to set themselves apart from other similar power-pop and pop-punk bands. Cassadee Pope’s vocals do a lot to accomplish this, but another hill that the band will need to conquer with the new record is to not sound exactly like they did on their debut album, Hold On Tight. Look for a release date soon.

5. In Fear and Faith’s Imperial (6/15):

A year and a half after their debut album with Rise Records, In Fear and Faith is gearing for their second album release. The six-piece post-hardcore band has spent the intermittent time constantly touring and writing new material. They have released two tracks from the new album on their MySpace page. Both replicate their original sound from Your World On Fire pretty closely. Therefore, the band will need to show some progression with their sound for the album to be successful and not redundant. Either way, the band is a great up and coming force among their genre and should be recognized more than they are. Imperial will be available on June 15th.

The ‘Bout Damn Time Tour arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 13th 2010, at The Middle East restaurant in order to play for a rather large crowd of indie-rock and pop-punk fans. The tour, which travels all across the country, features The Bigger Lights, Anarbor, The Audition and This Providence, whose hometown the tour ends in; Seattle, Washington.

The Bigger Lights began the night with their twist on the customary pop-punk sound. Frontman Topher Talley’s unique sounding vocals set the band apart from other members of the genre; a trait which can either make or break a band that belongs to the pop-punk label. They captivated the crowd with a great deal of charisma from their members (led by Talley) on stage, along with a high quality musical performance. Their set featured songs from both their EP, and their debut self-titled album.

The memory of The Bigger Lights’ set would outlast that of their fellow tourmates, Anarbor, who made a sub-par appearance on stage. Anarbor’s sound is far less exciting than most pop-punk bands and not overly dynamic, as far as the genre goes. Their stage presence lacked severely, with the members simply standing in place for much of the set. Their set, which included songs from their EP and their most recent full length, excited members of the audience who were already fans of the band, but failed to impress many who were attending in order to see other bands on the tour.

Following Anarbor on stage was the veteran pop-punk act, The Audition. With four albums under their belt, they were the most experienced of the bands on the ‘Bout Damn Time Tour. Of the four bands on the tour, their sound fell the closest to the typical pop-punk sound. However, despite their minor lack of originality as far as their sound goes, the band made up for it with an above average amount of excitement and presence on stage. They pranced around The Middle East’s stage, playing their hearts out and just having a great time. Their set was one that most definitely deserved to be the last act before giving the stage to This Providence.

This Providence is an indie-rock band with two full albums and an EP to their name. Their music strays from the conventional sound of pop-punk while fusing elements of the genre with elements that are better described as “indie”. Either way, the band manages to draw in fans of pop-punk and indie music alike.

Entering the stage with “The Boys Are Back In Town” by Thin Lizzy playing through the PA system, the crowd went absolutely wild with excitement, welcoming This Providence to The Middle East’s stage. The lightshow for the band exceeded those of the previous bands, with extra lights illuminating them and accenting their performance nicely. This Providence played songs that appear on their debut, self-titled album such as “A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing”, in addition to newer songs such as “My Beautiful Rescue”, which appears on their most recent full-length, “Who Are You Now”.

This Providence proved themselves to be a very worthy headliner for the tour, and put on a memorable show. They captured the audience’s attention with their stage presence, in addition to their music’s presence and its captivating rhythm.

Hosting the tour for the night was The Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub. The Middle East is definitely one of the top venues in the Boston area to catch a band on tour at. The club features many local and national acts, generally falling under genres such as alternative rock, pop, electronic, punk-pop, and other similar styles of music. In addition to hosting a large number of shows, the venue is cleanly and well organized. It is also located in a nice section of Cambridge, along Massachusetts Avenue, just a short walk from the Central Square subway station. For those that may come across the opportunity to see a show at The Middle East, it is a highly recommended experience.

Note from the authors: Thank you to Kelly McWilliam from Atlantic Records for setting us up with photo passes.

Check out our flickr page in order to see pictures from this show, in addition to ones from the Alternative Press Tour. Also, we will be shooting for I See Stars, VersaEmerge, Let’s Get It and others later this week.

On Thursday April 1st, 2010, the Artery Foundation Across The Nation Tour made its way to the Crocodile Rock Café in Allentown, PA. Headlining the tour was post-hardcore band, Attack Attack!, supported by Breathe Carolina, I See Stars, Asking Alexandria, and Bury Tomorrow.

Prior to the show, band members could be seen wandering around the club, loitering at their merchandise tables, and even playing a few friendly games of pool outside of the main concert hall. However, the venue itself was poorly organized and very hectic. The manager appeared incredibly stressed out, and as a result, came off as very rude to the members of the press. The photography pit was very cramped, but would have to suffice for the night.

The opening band, Bury Tomorrow, is a hardcore band that was assembled in the United Kingdom. Playing in support of their recently released album, “Portraits”, they did their best to put on an exciting show for the crowd. They played a set of about five songs, and were a delight to watch. They put all the energy that they had into captivating the crowd and did exactly that. The band was very friendly and motivated to promote new fans as they spent the remainder of the night mingling with fans at their merchandise booth.

Bury Tomorrow will return to Europe for the majority of April and May, where they will be touring with American bands Alesana, A Skylit Drive, and Emarosa. This tour will be another major one for their reputation.

Bury Tomorrow

Another British band, Asking Alexandria was the next to take the stage. The band just released their debut album, “Stand Up And Scream” during September of 2009. Already, they have gained a spectacular number of fans and played a large number of shows. As they began their set, the crowd was ecstatic. With a set filled with their most popular songs, the fans sang along and were absorbed into the music.

The band sounded nearly as intense as they do on their CD but with the added effect of being live. They were also very strong instrumentally. However, the vocals lacked a small bit. The clean vocals were choppy at times, and where there would normally be high screams, there were low ones. Since Asking Alexandria is a very young band, they have plenty of time to realize their flaws from when they play live and correct them.

Asking Alexandria will be touring in Europe before returning to the United States in order to headline the Welcome To The Circus Tour, which also features Detroit based post-hardcore act We Came As Romans.

Asking Alexandria

The third band to take the stage was Breathe Carolina. The colorful and flashy light display that they opened up their set with and maintained throughout the whole show was fantastic, complimented the music, and added another dimension to the quality of their performance.

Breathe Carolina’s set consisted of a select few songs from their debut album “It’s Classy, Not Classic”, along with an assortment of songs from their newer album “Hello Fascination”. These included “Take Me To Infinity”, “Welcome To Savannah”, and a crowd favorite, “Hello Fascination”; the title track of the album. For much of the set, the crowd danced and sang along, simply enjoying their music, which features electronic-pop sounds, in addition to more hardcore sounds.

Formed in Colorado, Breathe Carolina has released an EP, along with their two full length albums thus far. As their popularity level continues to rise, they will be playing on the Vans Warped Tour for the full tour again, as they did last year. This year, they’re one of the biggest names appearing on the list of bands that will participate on the summer-long tour.

Breathe Carolina

The following, I See Stars, took the slot that Breathe Carolina would normally be playing in, due to the fact that one of their members was late to arrive at the venue. They are another young post-hardcore band with a very unique sound. They use a great deal of synthesizer in their music, in addition to combining catchy clean vocals with strong screamed vocals.

The band’s set was very strong both in stage presence and in musical presence. Supporting their 2009 album, “3D”, they played songs including their hit song “What This Means To Me”. Sounding very similar to their CD, the band managed to replicate the musical quality and adrenaline of the songs on their record, on the stage. Including a brief appearance of guest vocals from David Schmitt of Breathe Carolina, the band jumped around on stage and put on an above average show all around.

I See Stars will be headlining an East coast tour with VersaEmerge during the end of April and beginning of May. Similar to Breathe Carolina, they will also be playing at the Vans Warped Tour.

I See Stars

The headlining band, Attack Attack! is an electronic post hardcore band with a very large fan base. Despite a recent change of frontmen, their fans have still stuck with them. The new screamer, Caleb, moved from playing keyboard to screaming after their old screamer, Nick, left the band just prior to them going on tour. The band’s sound has changed a good deal since their debut album, “Someday Came Suddenly”, but they have remained just as heavy as before.

Their set consisted of a brand new song called “AC-130”, along with songs from their debut, such as “Stick Stickly”. The crowd went crazy during their set and had what appeared to be a great time. At one point, the band told the crowd to lift someone up to sit on their shoulders, and a good portion of them complied, making the pit two stories as they finished up their set.

The band has no upcoming tour planned until they play the entire Vans Warped Tour this summer, similar to fellow tour members Breathe Carolina.

Attack Attack!

The Artery Foundation Across The Nation Tour featured a very powerful and talented lineup of young bands. With only one band that has more than one full length album released, there is much to look forward to from all of the acts involved. Despite its coming to an end, the tour is definitely a memorable one.

As far as the venue goes, it may not be quite so memorable. The Crocodile Rock Café is a very cramped venue to catch a large tour at. With so many people packed into an average sized building, there was much confusion concerning fans trying to exit the building between sets, in addition to it being very hot inside. Poor organization and overselling the show were the two biggest problems that led to a mediocre night at best at The Crocodile Rock Café.

Note from the authors: We would like to send a special thank you along to Nonafaye Williams at Fearless Records. She was the one who set us up with press passes for this show, along with others and gave us this great opportunity. We appreciate it very much!

Also, we’ll be reviewing and shooting at the Alternative Press Tour at The House of Blues, which features Never Shout Never, Hey Monday, The Cab, Every Avenue and The Summer Set. In addition to that, we’ll also be shooting for and reviewing The Maine’s headlining tour with Cartel and Artist vs. Poet at the Pearl Street Ballroom within the coming weeks. More shows to follow!

If you would like to follow all of our photography, please visit our photostream on flickr, here: http://waghostwriter.com/TSj

Spring is in wake and with a new season comes new music.

Spring is known to everyone as the season of rebirth. When the green fields grow back their luscious grass, leaves sprout from the trees, myriads of flowers can be seen through out the various parts of town. So when you’re looking for a new musical playlist to jam too when you’re enjoying the warm weather on a casual drive, or enjoying a nature walk or simply just laying in a field of grass: here are some suggestions:

You American Idol fans might remember Brooke White, a top five finalist back in season seven? Well now with a Grammy nomination and holding the record of best Indie/Folk-Pop album debut ever, she has come a long way. Her album, High Hopes and Heartbreak is a soothing type of sound that can set someone at peace and the harmonies put together on this album are genius. These are the type of songs that fit nicely into going for a nature walk, or just trying to reach a state of zen. Some tracks to listen too: Sometimes Love, High Hopes and Heartbreak, When We Were One and Phoenix.

If you’re looking to jam out to some party music while driving aimlessly around in Westford or just to have a good time then these are recommended: Animal by Ke$ha, Jason DeRulo’s self-titled album, For Your Entertainment by Adam Lambert. These albums collectively make prime songs to dance ridiculously to in your car and sing too. Some tracks to look out for are: (Ke$ha) Dinosaur, Blah Blah Blah, Party At A Rich Dude’s House. (Jason DeRulo) In My Head, Love Hangover, Ridin’ Solo. (Adam Lambert) Music Again, For Your Entertainment, Fever.

Some new artists to watch out for that are making a huge impact quickly in spring of ‘10: The Script, Taio Cruz, La Roux, New Boyz and David Guetta.

Check back for more reviews on concerts, music and bands!

Who hasn’t wanted to leap down the rabbit hole? Or attend a maddening tea party? Play a game of royally wacked up croquet?

Ever since Lewis Carroll published the fantastic story of a young girl’s journey in a strange place called Wonderland, this story has inspired dozens upon dozens of spin-off films, TV series, and other novels with the same idea. Yet the event that inspired Carroll to write the original novel is surprising in and of itself.

Carroll was a man who stumbled on his words when in the presence of other adults. Yet when asked to tell a story  filled with nonsense by the young girl, Alice Liddell, the stutter vanished and he immediately began to tell Alice and her three sisters about a girl that fell down the rabbit hole.

Today we associate Alice in Wonderland with the 2010 Disney movie by Tim Burton. New faces, old faces and a blend of characters and plot. One common flaw in plot is the assumption that the Red Queen and the Queen of Hearts are the same people. Just to set things straight, they’re not. But the new film has a much more realistic image of Wonderland. Well, compared to the other versions, this one actually looks as real as Wonderland possibly could. Which isn’t saying much anyway, but the effects are spectacular and the characters are developed, given pasts and a deeper personality.

The audience meets Alice thirteen years after the first Disney movie, which was released in 1951. She has experienced the same dream countless times since she was a child, which includes a dodo bird, a rabbit in a waistcoat and a grinning cat. Her family expects her to marry an extremely boring lord. So when Alice spots a rabbit as he proposes, she quickly excuses herself and quickly chases the Easter icon down. She soon finds herself in Wonderland, and is expected to slay the Jabberwocky, a pet of the Red Queen’s which is the most dangerous weapon in her arsenal. Did I mention that the Red Queen has conquered Wonderland (which is actually named Underland), having stolen the crown from her sister?

During the next few days, Alice meets old friends and enemies and makes some new ones (cue the creepy one-eyed Knave of Hearts, who tries to seduce Alice because of her largeness), all the while changing sizes. But on the opposite side of the spectrum she also meets some very strong willed women, a murderous “Bloody Red Queen” and a docile White Queen, her sister. I won’t say anymore otherwise I’ll spoil the ending. But this is a raving must see, five stars!

I have two days of school left before senior internships begin and it’s a little terrifying. For the many seniors who are leaving early for internships and projects, there is a combination of emotions as they realize that the high school career that they have been wishing away with senioritis and senior skip days, is now, actually, over. There is excitement, anxiety, sadness, fear, relief, and still more excitement.

While leaving early makes me nervous, waiting till the normal let-out date would be pretty unbearable. I’ve heard back from my colleges, have signed up for accepted student days, and am just not up for doing homework for grades that do not mean a lot to me anymore. My time will be so much better spent doing community service to repair and renovate East Boston Camps (my internship, along with about 16 other classmates). In fact, whether seniors are participating in an internship in their desired career field, or something fun and interesting, like planting a garden, leaving school early to do something of their choice is the best use of their time.

I’ve heard criticisms of students who are taking off to work at their normal summer jobs, or who are preparing for senior projects that others do not understand. Yet, whether or not outsiders would determine their internship or project “legitimate” is irrelevant. I agree with giving students an opportunity to use time they might waste in their last semester in school- when many students and teachers have given up- doing whatever it is that they, personally, think is helpful and useful for them. In my opinion, no use of time can be pointless if it was a personal choice. After all, as Bertrand Russell said, “time you enjoyed wasting is not wasted time.”

As I manage my conflicting emotions upon the close of my thirteen-year career in Westford Public Schools, I want to commend the Westford Academy administration for allowing such a great opportunity for seniors. Instead of pretending that seniors aren’t day dreaming about their college dorm room in their fourth semester classes, they have made a change to accommodate the reality of senior year. I think it is a wonderful and productive solution that works for everyone- teachers, parents, administrators, and, above all, students.

Also, I want to thank the guidance counselors for promoting the internship program. I had not planned on an internship at all until my guidance counselor, Wendy Pechacek, took time out of her day to talk to me about it, promoting its advantages and showing me all the possibilities. Spending time outdoors, in the sun, with my friends, and helping the community is the best way I could think of ending my senior year.