Siblings of high achievers face challenges, inspiration
The overachieving older sibling and the wayward younger child: it's a stereotype played out in movies and books, but the reality is that younger siblings of academic superstars react in a variety of ways to the pressure of living up to expectations. I talked to a pair of twins in senior year and a student in junior year, some of whom strove to similar academic heights and others who charted their own paths, to understand the interplay between peer, parental, and teacher expectations that results from having a high-achieving older sibling.
A closer look at the teenage brain
I let the science nerd in me shine through in writing this scientific article, which discusses the differences in adult and teenage stress responses as well as the implications of those differences when it comes to handling student stress. I read several reviews and studies on neuroscience and biochemistry and synthesized the most relevant findings to fully understand what factors affect stress and how. I wrote this article in the hopes of making science that might otherwise seem like jargon accessible to students and adults alike.
After years of being rootless, crew team finds a home
Westford Academy's crew team, which is a joint program with Littleton, found itself in hot water after a $70,000 budget deficit forced it to reshape in just months to make the 2018 spring season. The captain's heartwarming description of the constantly-upheaved, "nomadic" team finally "finding a home" inspired the angle for this piece, which focused on the crew team's years-long journey to stability.
Kevin Regan leaves a legacy behind
Kevin Regan, principal of Westford's Norman E. Day Elementary School, was one of the longest-standing faculty members in the district when he retired in 2017 after 38 years in the Westford Public Schools. His sincerity, vivacity, and commitment made him a loved and respected figure throughout the school system who had touched the lives of many students and faculty, and it was certainly a tall order to pay homage to him in this retirement feature. I tried to convey the spark and clear passion he had for education through both his words and actions, alluding to his habit of nearly running through the hallways in the piece's opening and highlighting his focusing on personal connections with students.