![The Wayland Police Department have issued a warning on the rise of scammers during the holiday season. “Hang up [the phone]. if you get a text and you do not know who it's from, just delete it. Don't click on any links, nothing,” Wayland police chief Edward Burman said. “Every single one of them is a scam.”](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/img_0954_720-e1734676255647.jpg)
![WHS’s Connect Program ran its annual holiday gift drive to fulfill the wishlist of children enrolled in the Dorchester based non-profit daycare organization, the Yawkey Center. This drive brought the town together and impacted both the students in Connect, as well as the greater Wayland community. “You could see how helpful the town was and how our community came together and wanted to help out a community that wasn't our own [and] kids who were less fortunate than we were,” senior and Connect Program member Jordynn Lee said.](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/screenshot_2024-12-20_at_12.21.24___pm_720-e1734734228474.png)
![The Boy Scouts will be selling trees on Fridays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays noon to 6 p.m. until they sell out.
“This event is one of the things that [the Boy Scouts] get to have a direct impact on the community,” freshman Alex Macleod said.](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-2024-12-11-at-8.38.38 AM.png)
In the weekly series, “In Case You Missed It,” News Editor Selena Liu summarizes stories from the past week with links to the corresponding WSPN article.
Features:
Staff Reporters Elyssa Grillo, Jillian Mele, Jessi Dretler and Carolina Sdoia highlighted farmers markets and their impact on the community. Staff Reporter Vanessa Taxiarchis interviewed the 2024-2025 SADD leaders.
Meanwhile, Staff Reporters Maddie Zajac and Annika Martins spotlighted Annabelle Zhang’s badminton career. Staff Reporter Addison Voight produced a mental health Q&A.
Sports:
Staff Reporters Edge Wheeler and Dretler discussed the hidden stress of high school sports tryouts.
“Sports tryouts can be stressful and overwhelming for some students who are trying to balance academics, family and sports,” Wheeler and Dretler said. “There are many differing opinions on tryouts and how they affect students’ lives.”
Opinion:
Staff Reporters Alex Evangelista and Wheeler shared their opinions on why MCAS should not be required to graduate.
“Passing MCAS exams is currently required to graduate from a Massachusetts public school,” Evangelista and Wheeler wrote. “However, we believe the exams are an inaccurate and unfair measurement of students’ cognitive abilities.”
A&E:
Staff Reporter Sophia Verma spotlighted the band Steeples and Satellites. Staff Reporter Torryn Carlson reviewed the movie “Damsel.”
Multimedia:
Co-Editor Sasha Libenzon photographed the track and field team’s loss to Weston. Staff Reporters Marissa Mendoza and Sofia Ciciarelli produced a gallery on WHS Student Council’s Field Night. Evangelista and Wheeler photographed the boys varsity lacrosse team’s loss to Westford Academy.
Podcast:
Staff Reporters Melina Barris, Sdoia and Verma broke down Wayland’s news in Weekly Breakdown Episode 82. Staff Reporters Bowen Morrison, Grillo, Dretler and Sdoia shared their opinions on the stress of prom preparation.
![Join WSPN’s Marissa Mendoza, Edge Wheeler, Ainsley Jay, Bowen Morrison and Sofia Ciciarelli as they cover seniors’ involvement in the election and the viewpoint from a WHS educator. “[The election is] a really toxic environment,” WHS history teacher Katherine Bassen said. “It would be disingenuous for me to say, ‘oh, everything's going great.’ Obviously it's not, right?”](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0282-1-1200x800.jpg)
