WestfordCAT
Melanie Duronio
Multimedia Journalist
United States
Reporter with WestfordCAT. Managing Editor of the Web, Features Editor for the Mount Holyoke News.
Mount Holyoke College '26 | English & Sociology Major, Journalism Nexus
United States
Reporter with WestfordCAT. Managing Editor of the Web, Features Editor for the Mount Holyoke News.
Mount Holyoke College '26 | English & Sociology Major, Journalism Nexus
WestfordCAT
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christopher Chew outlined additional details on budget reductions to comply with Prop 2 1/2.
In a joint meeting, the Finance Committee and Select Board reviewed the FY25 budget and its impacts on several departments in town.
Amid several projected budget shortfalls within the town, students and parents spoke out to save several programs that could see reductions.
A public hearing has officially opened regarding a proposed zoning bylaw amendment that could regulate future firearms businesses in town.
A number of attendees shared their thoughts on the proposal as the Planning Board seeks to find consensus among residents.
Attendees packed the Millennium School for a third public hearing regarding a proposed bylaw that could regulate future firearms businesses.
Officials will conduct a recount of a ballot question that was decided by a narrow margin during the Annual Town Election.
The Select Board has voted to accept recommendations from the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee on Indigenous Peoples' Day.
The Middlesex County District Attorney's office has released a community interaction form to report incidents motivated by hate or bias.
A proposed building code could add additional energy efficiency requirements for new construction in Westford.
Residents were recently invited to share their thoughts on potential ideas for the redevelopment of the Graniteville neighborhood.
Westford celebrated former Westford Academy Principal James Antonelli at the Franco-American Club on Sunday.
Molly Smith spent her childhood with a passion for golf. Now, she is the first woman to qualify for the Massachusetts Amateur Championship.
With a lifelong passion for cooking, Westford Academy business teacher Gina Mustoe is a quarter finalist in a "Favorite Chef" contest.
The nonprofit Strides for Sotelo held its first 5k memorial run in honor of Emily Sotelo, a member of Westford Academy's Class of 2021.
As a Westford Academy senior pivots towards graduation and college, he leaves a legacy of student advocacy and student involvement in local policy.
Jody Marchand's organization Live for Liv has helped survivors of domestic violence through providing financial aid and shelter.
The July 16 edition of Westford CAT's "Weekend Wrap-Up", highlighting the most important news you may have missed this week in Westford.
Here's a small brunch, cafe & bakery serving Breakfast and Lunch tucked away within the Westford Plaza off of Littleton Road. Join host our Melaine as she interviews the co-owners Samantha and Gabriel, plus a highlight of some of their signature brunch dishes!
The August 13th edition of WestfordCAT's "Weekend Wrap-Up", highlighting the most important news you may have missed this week in Westford.
Mount Holyoke News
With the start of the school year comes a new era for Mount Holyoke College, as President Danielle R. Holley begins her term as the College's 20th president. In an interview with the Mount Holyoke News, Holley spoke on how she hopes to use her education and legal backgrounds to lead Mount Holyoke to a brighter, more progressive future.
Around 1 p.m. on Feb. 9, President Danielle Holley posted three Instagram stories documenting a visit to the Starbucks Headquarters with Mount Holyoke alumni employed at the corporation. In light of the ongoing Starbucks boycotts as part of the pro-Palestine movement, Mount Holyoke students took to various social media platforms to criticize her posts.
After running a successful campaign that connected with the student body's desire for progress, Elle Rood '27 was elected president of the Class of 2027 earlier this month. With a wealth of political experience and a desire for change, Rood sees her presidency as "aligning [her] passions of politics and political organizing with [her] purpose of advancing social justice causes."
An innovator in the architectural world, Julia Gamolina is a New York City-based architect, writer and educator best known for her digital magazine 'Madame Architect', which both highlights the stories of and builds community for women architects.
When the state of Tennessee introduced legislation to ban drag and "adult cabaret performances" last March, Mount Holyoke College alumna Melissa Stewart FP '19 knew she needed to it. Stewart and her co-counsel at Donati Law filed a temporary restraining against the state, preventing the law from taking effect until midnight of June 2, 2023.
Now that the 2023 school year has ended, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum's year as Interim President is complete. After a long career at Mount Holyoke College, she will assist president-elect Danielle R. Holley's transition this July before returning to Atlanta "to retire again."
Author Tracy Kidder visited the Odyssey Bookshop to speak on his latest book "Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O'Connell's Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People." The novel details Dr. O'Connell's life's work: creating a healthcare program for the homeless community in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Five College Film Festival returned for the first time in person since 2019, featuring screenings of films made by students and recent graduates of the Five Colleges. An awards ceremony was held, in which two Mount Holyoke students were awarded prizes.
Students and faculty members alike gathered within Gamble Auditorium for the Frances Perkins Monologues. In honor of the Frances Perkins students' class color, purple streamers and balloons were placed on either side of the podium, and many FP speakers wore purple outfits to show off their class pride.
Thomas Bosworth, a senior at Dartmouth College, always knew that he wanted to be a writer. He never expected to become a poet, but after taking a creative writing class he "was bitten by the [poetry] bug and couldn't stop" discovering new passions and interests through his craft.
Schalk began her presentation with the cover of the May 7, 1977, edition The Black Panther newspaper. It read, “handicapped win demands — end HEW occupation.” Schalk explained that cover stories, like this one, showed the Party believed this sit-in to be a critically important issue connected to their work.
Throughout her life, Coretta Scott King wholeheartedly devoted herself to her politics. As an activist, King supported many social issues including the civil rights, feminist, and queer rights movements. Understanding the interconnected nature of oppression, she believed that it was important to support and work alongside all minority groups in order to reach equality. She continued to choose self-love and kindness while fighting fiercely for an equal world for all.
“Short Eyes” by Miguel Piñero, which premiered in 1974, follows a group of inmates in a house of detention who turn against a prisoner accused of child molestation. Based on Piñero’s own experiences, the play unabashedly depicts the lives of those living in the American incarceration system. It explores themes of morality and justice, and what it means to find humanity within a dehumanizing institution.
Although there are several resources and spaces available on campus for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming students, none have previously been led by the students themselves. Gender +, an organization reinstated this year, aims to change this by creating a safe space for trans students.
Westford Academy Ghostwriter
During a Westford Academy girls' basketball game on Friday, January 28, racially charged comments were directed at a Wayland High School player from the WA student section.
Starting next school year, new physical education courses will be offered to WA students. These include Basics of Kinesiology, Kinesiology of Team Games, Health Education, Empowerment and Goal Setting, and many more. Like other courses, grades 10-12 will have their choice of any P.E. class and backup.
When Governor Baker announced an extension for all schools in Massachusetts until May 4, showing the continuing effects of the COVID-19 among Westford and its citizens, the Westford School Committee initiated a virtual School Committee meeting on March 30 to continue the conversation surrounding scheduling and future learning plans for the Westford Public Schools.
The coronavirus has become a concern not only for Chinese citizens but for people with family and friends living there. This rings true for a significant amount of Westford residents with family members living in cities close to where the virus is circulating.
After living within a pandemic for over a year, there seems to finally be light at the end of the tunnel. For most Americans, there is a sense of relief as our everyday lives seem to return to normal. But in other countries, this is not the case.
A School Committee Meeting was held at to discuss the concerns surrounding Bill Olsen's contract renewal. Multiple Westford residents, parents, students, and teachers came forward to criticize the board's decision and voice their reasons for why they want Olsen to remain as Superintendent.
During the Westford School Committee meeting on Monday, February 10, emotions ran high as town residents challenged the Committee's decision to not renew Superintendent Bill Olsen's contract. One such Committee member was Megan Eckroth, who in the midst of the attendees' protests abruptly stood up, announced her resignation, and exited the room.
This is one of many in the Ghostwriter's series of 23 Questions. This series highlights the significance of our faculty and students, and the little things about them we may not know. The Ghostwriter had a chance to meet with Westford's new Superintendent, Dr. Christopher Chew.
Westford resident Valery Young has decided to step up and take a more active role in her community by running for a position on the Westford School Committee.
"Knowledge is power", a phrase often recited but taken for granted. Education varies all over the world in terms of educators, resources, and schooling. One way students can gain wider perspectives of the world is by meeting people from various backgrounds and cultures.