![Gap years are an uncommon alternative for high school graduates, in which graduates take a year or more off from schooling and pursue something separate from college until they are ready to return to their education or something else. Wayland High School psychology teacher David Schmirer believes that college is a good route for many high school graduates, however, he also says that its best to keep an open mind when thinking about gap years. “I think the vast majority of our students are going to be fine with [going to college] and [are] ready to go, but for those students who are having [gap years] be a more visible choice I think [it] is a good thing both for physical and mental health,” Schmirer said.](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/xZ9lq7i7NbhVXpa2kT21s3Wz8PHl5Df0bATRSq6x-1200x800.png)
![In previous years, New England ski mountains have left eager skiers unsatisfied because of the sub-par and icy conditions on the slopes. Despite this situation, veteran skiers, and WHS sophomores Tobias Kyleber, Mathew Moscoffian and Colin Moleux provide some insight on why some mountains have a higher level quality than others, in their eyes. “[Two of my favorite mountains in New England] are Mount Stow and Mount Cannon,” Moscoffian said. “These mountains are better because they have the best quality of snow and have the most trails open, usually.”](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Untitled-design-6-1200x800.png)
![On Tuesday, Jan. 28, Wayland Cares director J Verhoosky led a presentation on the importance of choosing to be vulnerable in conversations. Through various activities and experiments, the audience was instructed to confront how they approach risk taking and their comfort zones. “[My biggest takeaway was] make yourself available for other people and share things you might not share with other people to make them feel like they're in a safe environment,” junior Addison Voight said.](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/JLb1q3m4ZHvNAKYzv7c60kyyrrafzS8pJlYoJcoj.png)
On Feb. 2, the 67th GRAMMY Awards were held in Los Angeles, California. Billie Eilish’s new album, “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” lost the Album of the Year award to Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter,” shocking viewers and members of the music industry.
For those unfamiliar with Eilish, she rose to fame in 2016 when she released her first breakout hit, “Ocean Eyes” on SoundCloud. The song quickly gained traction, launching her music career.
This year, Eilish received 7 GRAMMY nominations, and like many of her fans, I started counting down the days until the awards. When the night finally arrived, I sat with my friends, eyes glued to the screen, excited for the show to begin.
I spent the entire show watching other artists win the awards Eilish was nominated for, my hope slowly draining. Going into the GRAMMYS, I was confident she would be taking home multiple awards, but as the night went on, GRAMMY after GRAMMY went to other artists. Still, I held on to the belief that she had to win Album of the Year. As it was the last award left, and I was sure she would not be walking away empty handed. My friends and I sat in anticipation, hoping our favorite artist would finally get the recognition she deserved.
However, when Cowboy Carter got announced as the Album of the Year, I was stunned. I could have understood if Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter or Charli XCX had won – they’re all popular, and I often hear their music on the radio. But Cowboy Carter? I couldn’t even name a single song from the album, and when I looked at my friends, they all said the same thing.
On Spotify, “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” has over 5 billion streams, while Cowboy Carter only has around 1.7 billion streams. Seeing these statistics, I was even more shocked that Beyoncé’s album won, as it seemed clear that the public liked “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” more.
Billie Eilish’s music has consistently resonated with listeners and reached people in personal ways. One of her songs that demonstrates this is “Birds of a Feather,” which has become her most-streamed song with over 2 billion streams.
Birds of a Feather is a more light hearted pop song of the HIT ME HARD AND SOFT album. Eilish connects the song with flowers, which helps capture the happier vibe of the album . This contradicts with her other songs which are a lot more heavy and deep. I think that’s why Birds of a Feather got so much attention, because it was a different style of music than what is expected from her other albums.
In comparison to the other artists at the GRAMMYS, Billie Eilish showed so much more emotion, depth and truth to her music, which stems from her staying close to her roots. The majority of her music isn’t studio produced, but instead comes from her brother’s home studio.
Furthermore, Eilish’s new album, she grasps at true emotion. Her music is authentic and differentiates her from other artists. Other students at Wayland High School can also attest to Eilish’s genuineness.
“Eilish is just a really great art and her lyrics are really meaningful and it seems like she puts a lot of work into every single one,” WHS sophomore Violet Kuris said, “Her album “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” has really good emotional aspects to it and portrays emotion in a way that other albums I have listened to don’t.”
On another note, music has been proven to help reduce anxiety, and boost mood. I find that listening to “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” can help me do just that. Her album is something I find myself looking forward to listening to and it always helps me destress. Her album is so versatile, that I often play her songs during school, at home and while I’m doing homework. For that reason she should have won Album of the Year. The album connects with me and many others emotionally, to a level that other artists’ albums don’t.
Billie Eilish and her album “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” was the most deserving to win the Album of the Year GRAMMY. Her music is much more relatable, emotional and genuine – factors that should have had more influence in the GRAMMY voting.
