The Spectrum

    Contact Us
    Leads, Questions, and Concerns
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. We acknowledge that these incidents are deeply unsettling for you—please know you are not alone. As a student-led organization committed to social justice in our community, our mission is to recognize and combat all forms of discrimination that exist here at AB. Rather than ignoring the emotions...
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...
TRANSITIONS 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. I hope that in the future, historians will look back at these “insightful”...
OFF-TOPIC 2020
Picture
This Amazing Mineral Can Change Your Life.
Click Here to Learn How!
BY SOPHIE ZHANG '22
Crystals. We’ve all taken a bag of them home from the science museum or noticed them lying around our house. At their most scientific definition, crystals, also referred to as minerals, are extremely well-organized molecular structures with their atoms arranged in a regular grid pattern. Exciting! But what’s even more interesting is their healing properties. Wikipedia may refer to crystal healing as a pseudoscientific alternative medicine technique, but pay attention to the...
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 dressing rooms and empty food courts. In addition, for safety concerns, many people have skipped their annual Christmas or Black Friday shopping trips out. With the current struggles of in-person shopping, online shopping has become another legitimate way of getting in that retail fix. Even with regular stores reopening, most of us have probably resorted to taking this route. This urges the question: in the grand scheme of things, which option is truly better? This mystery must be solved, and for that to happen, I am...
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 song of the universe—only for shrill cacophonies to pierce the air. Music is often...
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
Picture
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...
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
Picture
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 it is very or somewhat likely that a COVID-19 vaccine will be approved in the United States before fully understanding its safety and efficacy because companies have revealed little...
OP-ED 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 who would listen. My friends sang it; my dance teacher played it in class; even the media took a break from COVID-19 and politics to discuss this risqué wonder...
DUALITY 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, crunchy gusts of wind? Take a whiff and—what’s that?—the icing on the cake, the scent of autumn: fresh, cozy, pumpkin spice! You’ve heard of it — how could you not? Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin spice...
OFF-TOPIC 2020
Picture
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. Tonight’s public forum seeks to inform the Housing Production Plan (HPP). The visioning document will detail how Acton plans to meet its obligations under state law to ensure a supply of affordable housing. The town has advertised this forum for weeks, including a press release in the Boston Globe. Those efforts have brought out a crowd of sixty-five participants, many of whom were regulars at local political events and committees. For most attendees however, attending hearings on housing policy was an infrequent affair; one resident...
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, in which I would blast study playlists and frantically type away. As the clock ticked...
BACK-TO-SCHOOL 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 for their president. Yet, none of these Trump supporters, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, wore a mask. The CDC thus deemed the Tulsa Trump Rally one of the highest risk events for...
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. 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
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 immensely without my oh-so-useful love...
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 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...
​OP-ED 2020
Letter from the New EICs
BY MICHELLE GONG '21 & ANUSHKA WANI '21​
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...
​GRADUATION 2020
Valedictorians and Student Rankings
BY KIRTANA KRISHNAKUMAR '20​
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...
GRADUATION 2020
Seniors "What I'll Miss the Most"
BY GRADUATING SENIORS '20
Our seniors bid The Spectrum farewell...
​GRADUATION 2020
Farewell to Seniors
BY THE SPECTRUM STAFF​
A letter to our upperclassmen...
GRADUATION 2020