Westford Academy GHOSTWRITER Vol. XXVIII No. 1 December 2017 Priceless Vapes bubbling to the surface The Lo Rising vaping trend takes Westford Academy by storm down: MEHUL SHRIVASTAVA FEATURES EDITOR bathrooms, but in other parts nicotine, another made up of “[Parents] don’t want & of school as well. honey butane oil, which is their kids to start smoking Derek Lo ALISHA SABNIS Ravi Patel, an associate at extracted from marijuana, and cigarettes because they know PRINT MANAGER Madvapes in Westford, has those who prefer unharmful the chemicals in the cigarettes, in JSA similar views and sees minors vapor use water. the tar in the cigarettes, are not VARSHINI RAMANATHAN Over the last couple vaping as a social trend. The state age restriction for good,” Patel said. CO-MANAGING EDITOR years, Westford and several "It used to be just trying to purchasing vapes is eighteen In Westford Academy, the On Tuesday afternoons, neighboring districts have vape in the bathrooms. Now and older, but Westford has first time a student is caught had more and more students some of the school's most kids are vaping in classrooms, a bylaw that restricts anyone vaping on campus, there is politically active students vaping at the high school level. a $100 fine, along Members of administration gather in Room 103 to argue with a day of in- current events. No matter the have been making efforts to school suspension, reduce the amount of vapes subject, the room is always and parents or alight with opinions, and used on campus as well as to guardians are educate parents and students of these voices, one stands notified. out: senior Derek Lo, who about what vapes are and what The second they can do. has achieved the prestigious violation leads position of Northeast State Vapes were originally to a $200 fine meant to be a no-tar substitute Governor for the student and two days organization, the Junior State for smoking, but since of in-school smoking has drastically of America. suspension. It is rare to find a student decreased across the The third country, one would expect the so transformed by an time, the fine extracurricular as Lo was by same from vaping. However, increases high schools have surprisingly JSA; it has shaped not only his Photo by Anthony Cammalleri Photo by to $300 and two experienced an increase, WA future plans but his personality, days of out of his skillset, and his approach being one of them. school suspension, Detective Geoffrey Pavao to life. along with a "Serving the state has stated that more and more meeting needed students are vaping nowadays really changed who I am as a for the student to person," Lo said. to feel the rush from the enter school again. nicotine, as well as due to peer The Junior State of they're vaping WA student enjoys e-cigarette off-campus. For student athletes, MIAA America, or JSA, "allows for pressure. In an effort to prove in gym class, guidelines apply: the first what they can get away with, an exchange of ideas through lunch rooms," offense takes the athlete out stimulating student debates, students often look to social Pavao said. under the age of twenty-one. of the student for 25% of the media to show what they can thought talks, problem-solving, According to Patel, vapes "In this location, the age season, and then any further and a variety of simulations," do. and the liquids that come with of our customers is more than violations take them out for “People are also posting according to its website. That them are currently not FDA thirty or thirty-five." Patel 60% of the season. is, students who are passionate this on social media such regulated in the US, but they said. as Snapchat and Instagram, about politics are able to are in Europe, where vaping Many students are express their opinions while making vaping into a has been deemed a healthy obtaining them through their competition,” Pavao said. gaining experience in debating alternative to smoking. own parents, according to Continued on page 4 and current events knowledge. As a result, students not There are three types Patel and Pavao. only continue to vape in The organization is primarily of liquid: one that contains run by students, and as such, its student leaders take on a significant load. They plan WAGS narrowly misses state championship D'Anna reflected on the and carry out all conventions, BEN WALKER managed to score the game was still an impressive one. team's run and how they conference proceedings, and CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF winning goal, capturing the The girls took down Haverhill, approached each game. political events. "We just took it one game Lo, who ran for JSA On Saturday, November at a time and we played for Governor of MA in the spring 18th, WA Girls' Soccer's each other. We clicked this of his junior year, began historic playoff run came to an year," she said. preparing for his campaign end after losing a close MIAA D'Anna also in December of 2016. He Division I state championship commented on the announced his participation in game to the Wachusett closeness of the group, February of the following year Regional Mountaineers. The and how all the seniors in Washington DC at the NES final score was 2-1 in double on the team were used to Winter Congress, and after an overtime. playing with each other. intensive six-week campaign, For two forty minute "This season was he was elected to his position halves the girls on both teams amazing, all eight seniors in April. battled to achieve that state have been playing The roots of his dedication title, but by the final whistle, together since fourth to JSA go back to 2014 when the game was tied at one goal grade, so it’s been really he was a freshman attending apiece. special just getting to the Westford Academy's WA’s goal was credited Anthony Cammalleri Photo by play with everyone. Our activity fair. Lo had always to senior captain Rebecca team is so close, […] it’s been interested in politics and D’Anna, after a scrum in front just been a bunch of friends current events and saw JSA as of the net that resulted with playing soccer together,” she the perfect balance between the ball in the back of the net. said. a less competitive, debate- However, although D’Anna Furthermore, Head Coach focused organization that also was given credit, there was The girls pose with their trophy at the Division 1 Championships. Tracy Capone acknowledged had political elements to it. some confusion as to who got the great season the team had. He was chiefly inspired, the final touch. “We set goals early on and though, by the fact that the The game went into Division I state title. Brookline, Central Catholic, every goal we [achieved], organization was largely overtime and eventually into Although they came and King Phillip on their way we reset. We knew we had a student-run. a second overtime. Wachusett up just one game short of to Saturday's game. special team,” Capone said. Continued on page 5 winning it all, the WAGS run SPORTS HUMANS OF WA NEW TEACHERS COMMITMEntS PAGE 5 PAGES 6 AND 7 PAGE 11 Page 2 OPINIONS December 2017 Mr. President: please Gun Control: Firearms require stay in yourAmerica own in the firstlane place. As regulation on a federal level ANDREW FRIEL MEHUL SHRIRASTAVA a beacon of freedom, we all Gun violence in America twenty-one and sixteen CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF FEATURES EDITOR need to be tolerant of all non- is at its peak, and some respectively, is required. Dear Mr. President, sort of reform is necessary. Firearm sales are reported and violent forms of protest, even Gun regulation has been I detest that people do if we find them inappropriate A number of lives are registered by the state. On not stand for our anthem, a popular and controversial lost yearly to firearm the other hand, in a state such or disrespectful. Freedom of subject in America since and as a result disrespect our speech is not limited by topic incidents. If the law stays as Texas, there is no waiting troops and anyone else who related incident started to as is, it will be detrimental period for purchase or any of discourse, but only by the become more common. has fought for our freedoms, presence of violence, and any to citizens and society. registration for firearms. They but the fact remains that they After the tragic shooting in So why not ban firearms do have a few regulations protests that do not result in Las Vegas that killed almost have the freedom to do this, violence must be allowed. if they are such a hazard? and laws but are lenient in and this is what makes this sixty people and injured That was my thought until I comparison to other areas. The fact that you, Mr. close to five hundred, as country so great. Conversely, I Trump, must remember, happened to figure out that Gun laws are mostly have the right to tell someone wellas the tragic Sutherland 1,801 reported incidents enforced by states as long is that our society thrives Springs shooting, people are why I think it’s wrong to sit on allowing private of gun violence out of the as they follow the Second for the anthem. However, the having increasingly heated 54,641 incidents of gun Amendment, so states are businesses to choose how arguments on the topic.