For a sixth consecutive year, the Westfield Public School District has been named one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” in the nation for its outstanding commitment to music education. The designation is awarded by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. The recognition comes as Westfield High School students in the Concert Choir and Chorale participated in the WorldStrides Music Festival in Washington D.C. on April 22-23 which included a competitive,...

Summer is batik time. In middle school, I expanded my Easter egg decorating skills with crayons and food coloring to this traditional Indonesian craft. I love designing, waxing and making a mess. Batik is the art of using wax and dye to decorate cloth. Artists create intricate patterns by applying hot wax with brushes, spouted tools (tjantings) and copper stamps (tjaps) to protect certain areas when the fabric is dyed. The wax is then removed in boiling water and oftentimes the process is repeated with multiple colors. Each year when the school bell rings for the last time, my batik supplies...

with Type One Diabetes Changed My Life for the Better I was first diagnosed with Type One Diabetes (T1D) at age 10. I thought life as I knew it was over. I worried that diabetes would prohibit me from playing sports or having sleepovers with my friends. This, of course, was not how life with diabetes played out for me. Shortly after my diagnosis, I found out about the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDRF) OneWalk, a three-mile walk that raises awareness and funds for T1D research. At that moment, Team Eden was born. Building a support system, raising funds and planning for our walk, I began to...

By Avry Giordano I, like the majority of pet owners now, have a pandemic animal. In particular, I fall under the “Pandemic Pup” category of pandemic animals. It began on a fateful afternoon in August 2020. My stepmom and I had been convincing my dad for years to get another dog, insisting our current dog, Floyd, needed a sibling. Listen, prior to the pandemic, my stepmom and dad would go to work in the city every day from 6 am to 8 pm, which left no space to take care of another dog. When the pandemic hit, like many other people, they were forced to work remotely until this year. After a couple...

On a rainy day, you can often find me scouring the racks of a thrift store. As I walk through the electric doors and stroll through the endless rows, I feel at home among the eclectic collection of clothes and knick-knacks. The first time I went to a thrift store was in 2020 and it marked the beginning of my clothing journey. Thrifting allows me to find unique, one-of-a-kind pieces that can’t be found at the mall. It also helps me save money, as I don’t need to drop hundreds of dollars on a single outfit. Thrifting has helped me curate my individual style and explore my creativity through clothing. My...

By Sophia Montero My tennis journey began when I was eight years old. It started off as one of the many sports my parents had me participate in. It didn’t seem important at the time, but little did I know that it would become the reason for my unique college recruitment process. My recruitment process, like many others, began junior year of high school. I was expected to meet a high academic standard, continue my extensive tennis training and create connections with potential coaches. There was an abrupt change in the expectations I had for myself and how I was going to achieve my goals. I...

By Olivia Falletta When I was younger, I hated makeup. I was the only little girl at my dance recitals who wasn’t excited for the one day a year her mom let her wear red lipstick. Nobody really knew where my aversion stemmed from, not even me. I just knew I wanted nothing to do with makeup. In 2020, my high school soccer team was shut down due to COVID, and I found myself with an excessive amount of free time. I decided to dust off an old eyeshadow palette I had purchased years back simply because my favorite YouTuber had endorsed it. Since it was nearing Halloween, I thought it would be cool...