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Letter from the EICs
BY MICHELLE GONG '21 & ANUSHKA WANI '21
This month marks the anniversary of several major events: our publication going fully online, our remote school situation, and, of course, Dr. Fauci’s rise to fame. And as we all know, we have COVID to thank... 
EXPECTATIONS 2021
Letter from A World of Difference
​BY ADL PEER LEADERS
Dear Acton-Boxborough Community Members,
In light of the hurtful, insensitive, and racist attacks that occurred at the past two school committee meetings, we, A World of Difference peer leaders, stand with Evelyn Abaayah-Issah, Kyra Cook, and all Black members of our community....
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Synchronous Learning Time Changes 
BY AVA WONG '23
Just as our schools and those in surrounding districts settled into new COVID age schedules, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education changed the rules. On December 15th, the Board declared an emergency amendment to the synchronous learning time requirements for students in grades 1-12...
NEWS 2021
The Avatar: The Last Airbender to Anime Pipeline & Five Ways to Fall Down It
BY EMILY XU '23
During back-to-school season, I was surprised—albeit pleasantly—to see an influx of anime profile pictures among my classmates. It was like ComicCon everywhere I looked, whether it was TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, or even on Zoom. For many, lockdown meant that there were more genres of television to explore. If you’ve been in the know-how of popular culture over the past year, you’ll know that Avatar: The Last Airbender surged again in popularity during Summer 2020. I binged Avatar: The Last Airbender in less than a week. I was desperate for similar content presented through animation but was wary of anime. After working my way through The Legend of Korra, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, Gravity Falls, She-ra and the Princesses of Power, and The Owl House, I had exhausted my...
OFF-TOPIC 2021
Our Expectations Are Skewed by Internet Algorithms
BY SYDNEY PASCAL '22
With more news, social interactions, and opinions dominating the internet, we must evaluate the validity of the information we see now more than...
​EXPECTATIONS 2021
Letter from the EICs
BY MICHELLE GONG '21 & ANUSHKA WANI '21
As we leave behind the train-wreck that was 2020, we’re eager for a fresh start. Though we know January 1st doesn’t magically hit a reset button and erase our health, political, and social justice struggles, we see the new year as an opportunity to transition...
TRANSITIONS 2020
The Expectations We Hold for Our Country
BY ERIN TOBIN
On January 6th, 2021, an act of domestic terrorism occurred in our nation's Capitol Building. This horrific display of violence resulted in arrests, deaths, and traumatizing...
EXPECTATIONS 2021
The Depreciating Effect of a Teenage Girl’s Love: Why Society Doesn’t Let Girls Be Girls 
BY MILENA ZHU '22
When boy bands like the Beatles and One Direction are compared today, they could not seem more different. One Direction is perceived as a passing—or passed—fad while the Beatles are known as one of the most legendary musical acts. However, at the height of their popularity, the Beatles were in fact quite similar to One Direction, largely due to their teenage girl fanbase. Despite the modern praise they receive, when the Beatles were popular with teenage girls, they were held in much lower regard. In Paul Johnson’s scathing essay, "New Statesman", he writes, “Those who flock round the Beatles, who scream themselves into hysteria, whose vacant faces flicker over the TV screen, are the least fortunate of their generation, the dull...
TRANSITIONS 2020
The Second Epidemic: Social Isolation and its Effects
BY OLIVIA HU '22
"Loneliness is a discrepancy between what you want and what you have [in your relationships].” - Stephanie Cacioppo, neuroscientist at UChicago
As we round the corner on a new year and the ninth month mark of the coronavirus pandemic, quarantine becomes a heavier burden than ever before, restricting us from our traditional holiday celebrations and New Year festivities. Since the beginning of the pandemic, American adults living alone (around 28% of all households) have been deprived of physical connection. National unemployment rates have climbed as high as 16%, leaving over 14 million citizens without a...
OP-ED 2020
2020 Meme Review
BY RIYA SHAH '22
Ever since the start of Miss Rona’s tyrannical rule, I have become completely (and embarrassingly) in touch with memes. If I’m not studying or watching Netflix, I am probably scrolling through Instagram, hunting for good memes. And I’d like to think that the ones this year truly represent our mentality during this unprecedented time: complete insanity...
OFF-TOPIC 2020
​Online shopping vs. Shopping out: Which is Better?
BY KERA MATTHEWS '24
I’m sure we can all agree that, undoubtedly, 2020 has been a whirlwind. Not only have jobs suffered, but some forms of entertainment have too!  I’m sure that my introverts are doing just fine, but what about my retail therapy peeps? Shopping out has been less lively lately due to closed...
OFF-TOPIC 2020
Discordant: Racism in Classical Music
BY GRACE CHAI '23
Music is a curious thing. Having shadowed humanity since the beginning, it is woven into our lives, culture, and history. Listen, and you will hear it: human hearts that thump, thump, thump in unison, faster and faster, spiraling into oblivion, in one multicultural, multilingual, transcendent...
OP-ED 2020
Political Polarization
BY SOPHIE ZHANG '22
When we were kids, our parents taught us to be kind unconditionally. Take the higher road, and treat others how you would like to be treated. However, in our increasingly polarized culture, let’s just say, “It’s complicated.” On October 9, 2019, Ellen Degeneres was caught laughing with George W. Bush at a football game. The internet became outraged. To many, Bush ran a...
DUALITY 2020
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What Would Remote Learning Look Like Ten Years Ago?
BY KERA MATHEWS '24 & SOPHIA SAGHIR '24
As a society, we have come a long way technologically. In just a decade, the public has been introduced to a new generation of innovative ideas, such as electronics, social media platforms, and online services, to make our lives more convenient. These technological advancements have become essential to our daily lives, especially for those enrolled in remote learning programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, students rely heavily on technology to learn, which begs the question: what would the Remote Learning Program look like ten years ago? 
Not long ago, students had to go to a specific room called the “computer lab,” which only had desktop computers. These...
NEWS 2020
Indigenous Communities and Wildfires
BY BELLE HU '22
While COVID-19 wreaked havoc behind the scenes, the 2020 California wildfires took center stage, upsetting the lives of many on the West Coast and ravaging over four million acres. And though we all acted as if everything was perfectly normal and returned to our everyday lives, it was rather hard to ignore a glaring problem: California’s ineffective wildfire policy. In fact, the US’s traditional method of putting out fires has actually created a self-defeating cycle. While the last century’s fire...
​OP-ED 2020
The Purple Diary (An Among Us Narrative)
BY ALICIA GU '23
January 21
It was still warm, still June, when the eight of us boarded that ship. We cast aside our faces, our names, and our grief for thick suits of urethane-coated nylon and the title of saviors. 

​Find a new planet to inhabit...
OFF-TOPIC 2020
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If a vaccine for COVID-19 was released at the end of 2020, would you be willing to receive it?
BY ERIN TOBIN '23
Since March, developing a working vaccine has become a necessity as coronavirus cases increase daily. However, if a vaccine was administered by the end of 2020, would the American public trust enough to take it?
This September, in a study by Pew Research Center, 51% of adults said they would be willing to receive a coronavirus vaccine. Why are these numbers so low? Well, 77% of American adults think...
OP-ED 2020
Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice
BY JOE MAFFA '21​
Ahh autumn… everyone’s favorite season. Look around! Hoodies, sweatpants, beanies, maybe the occasional scarf? Fiery, murky, vibrant foliage littering streets and backyards alike. And in the air: crisp, chilly...
OFF-TOPIC 2020
WAP: Women Are Powerful or Wet uh…
BY REBECCA ZHANG '22
The first time I watched “WAP” was for this article. So, yes, I’m blaming YOU for the permanent scarring this music video has caused. Before my own enlightenment, of course, Cardi B’s “WAP” wholly stormed in and demanded attention from anyone...
DUALITY 2020
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The Drawbridge Mentality—Exclusion and Escapism in Acton Massachusetts
BY THE REPORTING TEAM
It's a wintry Thursday in the last week of January, in a grand room on the second floor of Town Hall. Posters are spaced evenly around the brightly-lit room, featuring colorful charts paired with questions such as “What demographic trends surprised you?” or “Where should new housing be built?” Staffers direct each attendee to pick up a pen and a stack of sticky notes, creating an English class-like atmosphere....
NEWS 2020
The 2020 Election: An Impending Crisis
BY BELLE HU '22
He put down the microphone and paused to survey the lively audience. Each individual proudly sported a red hat with bold, capital letters: Make America Great Again. Applause erupted, accompanied by hoots and whistles...
NEWS 2020
Financial Impact of COVID-19 on AB Schools
BY ADI RAMAN '23
As we prepare for the upcoming school year, the battle against COVID-19 persists, forcing ABRSD to continuously adapt. Thus, in May, the district reduced the 2020-2021 budget by around $550K to account for economic uncertainty and to further support student education and school operations...
​NEWS 2020
 Time Management Advice 
BY NAKISA RAZBAN '23
As a sophomore, I can confidently say that time management was not my forte last year. I struggled to finish long term projects, was constantly stressed by homework, and failed to turn in my best work. The mere thought of writing a paper would bring so much disquietude that I couldn’t even start, leading to a last-minute cram session...
BACK-TO-SCHOOL 2020
Letter from the EICs
BY MICHELLE GONG '21 & ANUSHKA WANI '21
A message from our Editors-in-Chief...
​BACK-TO-SCHOOL 2020
What is The Spectrum?
BY SYDNEY PASCAL '22
It may be difficult to find the perfect club to join, but look no further! ABRHS’ student-run...
​BACK-TO-SCHOOL 2020
Love Doc: Quarantine Edition 🧚
BY JULIA KUANG '22
Helloooo everyone...THE LOVE DOC IS BACK!!!!! To my beloved (and probably nonexistent) readers, I hope you’re ready for the GREATEST edition of Love Doc yet! But first, let me find my eye drops and script for a Youtube-worthy apology: Guys, I am so incredibly *sniff* sorry that I didn’t write last issue….I had a lot going on...and I’ll never do it again. I promise *dramatic tear slides down face.* I’m sure you all suffered...
OFF TOPIC 2020
Avatar: The Last Airbender​ Review
BY DIVYASRI KRISHNAN '21
Say you just got a Netflix account, and you’re looking for something to watch. There’s Riverdale, but you’ve had your share of horror stories. Sierra Burgess is a Loser? Yikes, you’re not into manipulative protagonists. 13 Reasons Why… who decided romanticizing suicide was...
​OP-ED 2020