The Spectrum

 OFF THE SPECTRUM

The Spectrum has started a new podcast, called Off the Spectrum! In our podcast, our hosts discuss all things school and newspaper related, release full interviews from articles, and lots more! Be sure to check it out and stay tuned for more episodes!
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The Drawbridge Mentality—Exclusion and Escapism in Acton Massachusetts
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. Tonight’s public forum seeks to inform the Housing Production Plan (HPP). The visioning document will detail how Acton plans to...
NEWS 2020
Financial Impact of COVID-19 on AB Schools
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. The budget is sourced mostly from local and state. Locally, the school committee, superintendent, and district administration formulate the annual budget and divide the funds into aspects such as faculty salaries, insurance, utilities, etc. The state government distributes funding among Massachusetts schools, and federal departments create policies for distribution and general nationwide stratagems. For instance, Title I aids schools in high poverty areas, and the IDEA Act supports students with disabilities. Ultimately, local leaders decide the final...
​NEWS 2020
Love Doc: Quarantine Edition 🧚
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 immensely without my oh-so-useful love...
OFF TOPIC 2020
Avatar: The Last Airbender​ Review
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 a good idea? Ugh. Is there anything you can watch? Well, your search is over. The greatest show ever has returned to Netflix: Avatar: The Last Airbender. Now, a moment, for raucous applause. This is...
​FORUM 2020

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Valedictorians and Student Rankings
​The sun shines brightly, glinting off pearly white chairs dotting the grassy field. Parents, teachers, and students look on as a girl steps up to the mahogany podium. She straightens her cap, clears her throat, and begins, smiling down at the expectant faces. Laughs reverberate as she recounts her graduating class’s memories; the audience applauds while she honors her peers’ hard work; and after ending with advice for the future, everyone stands to...
GRADUATION 2020
Letter from the Old EICs
We’d like to begin with a story.
​It all began last year, when our predecessors bid us farewell. As the first EIC trio, we so insightfully decided in our first letter that two is a party, but three isn’t a crowd—just a really big party. And we’ve certainly partied together over the last year. We partied during the 2019 Graduation Issue Mishap...
GRADUATION 2020
Letter from the New EICs
​This isn’t how we wanted to start our story at all. When we got the email saying that we would be the new EICs, we cheered and looked forward to hoarding Ms. Hammond’s snacks, chilling with our staff, and improving The Spectrum to reach new heights. Suddenly we were hit with 2020. Stuck at home, there was little we could do but helplessly watch the world...
​GRADUATION 2020
The End of Year Survey: Looking Back Through the Year​
​“I loved how every week, everyone could just sit down and work on their articles while eating store-bought cookies and pretzels, simultaneously working on their articles. The members of The Spectrum were all really welcoming..." — Belle Hu ’22

“Every time Jasmine squawks over her unfinished (*ahem* unstarted) article” — Rebecca Zhang ’22...
​GRADUATION 2020
Seniors "What I'll Miss the Most"
​Serena Han, Graduating co-Editor-in-Chief
It’s hard to fathom life without our weekly Thursday meetings—where we shout out announcements and then make the rounds, ambling up and down rows to chat with the Staff about the latest news while munching on Ms. Hammond’s Trader Joe’s snacks. It’s hard to fathom life without our weekly Monday meetings either—the Chief Staff gathering around one table to edit a promising article...
​GRADUATION 2020