Alyssa Ao, Co-Graphics Editor
Alyssa Ao, Class of 2025, is a co-graphics editor for WSPN. She is also one of the Math Team captains and co-president of the Art Club. Outside of school, she enjoys art, playing piano and watching TV.
Contact: [email protected]
![Troy Hoyt finishes the Boston Marathon, running for the Hoyt Foundation. T. Hoyt is the son of Hoyt Foundation CEO Russ Hoyt.
“[Running a marathon] might seem like a big thing, when it’s presented to you at first, but if you break it up and just keep telling yourself, “Yes, you can,” you can start chipping away at it. And before you know it, you’ll be running the whole 26 miles, and you won’t even think twice about it.” T. Hoyt said.](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/C36E8761-1CBB-452E-9DF2-543EF7B1095E_1_105_c.jpeg)
![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)
![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)
![Currently only 17 states in the U.S. have a New Voices Law enacted.
“[Standing up to censorship] requires some bravery,” Jonathan Falk, a staff attorney at the Student Press Law Center said. “You're basically a student telling an adult to their face ‘thanks but no, thanks. I want to appeal this further.’ And so that's one way of [combating censorship]."](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image-1.png)
![Join WSPN’s Sofia Ciciarelli as she speaks to three Wayland residents to discuss happiness and how it applies to their lives. “My cat brings me a lot of happiness,” library staff member Erica Leblang said. “He’s just so cute and I can cuddle him and he’s warm and he is really nice [and] calming. I love him.”](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Image-from-iOS-1200x800.jpg)
![On Thursday, Nov. 23, Thanksgiving morning, the Wayland High School Warriors (7-3) will take on Weston High School’s Wildcats (3-6) at 10 a.m. on Wayland High School’s turf.
“Coach has been motivating us about this big rivalry game and we really want to show all the work we have been putting in during this [game],” sophomore cornerback Braylen Jenkins said. “Our whole team has been putting in a lot of work and we hope it translates to this big rivalry game so we can get a win for the seniors and our town.”](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Add-a-heading-3-1200x800.png)
![Made by the current events class last school year, a display on the Russia-Ukraine war hangs in the History Wing. The display has since been taken down, as over a year has passed since the war began. “This war shouldn't have started,” junior Misha Eberle said. “Nobody should have to die over these geopolitical forces that are just playing a game of chess. These [people] are just pawns in the game. So every death in this war is a tragedy.”](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screen-Shot-2023-04-05-at-8.36.02-PM-900x600.png)
![The large gap between college-preparatory classes and honors classes at Wayland High school causes many students to drop down from honors to college classes. "I was hesitant to move down [because] I was already more than halfway through the year when I started to really struggle," junior Julia DeGrenier said. "I felt like [the class change] would mess up my entire schedule."](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/rm4TvSwIci7BCuVqRdJ0YXilHHh8EOPIzOljFhnc-900x600.jpg)
![The Wayland High School history department changes the sophomore and junior required history courses. "“I think that [the change in courses] will make [students] more aware of [their] role in American society, and allows them to pursue more stories and multicultural perspectives,” WHS history teacher Katherine Bassen said.](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Untitled-design-2-900x600.png)
![On Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, some students will be taking the Preliminary SAT at Wayland High School. “I decided to take [the PSAT] because I don't know what I'm getting into for the actual SAT,” Frutman said. “This is a stepping off point to see what I need to work on [to prepare for the SAT].”](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screen-Shot-2022-10-06-at-12.07.36-PM-900x597.png)
![WHS alumni Lizzy Francis and Sam Goldstone began the process of creating a stand alone race class for freshmen in 2020. “I think that a large issue with this country in general, honestly, is just [people] being uneducated and being unaware of different experiences,” WHS alum Lizzy Francis said. “I think that [by] bringing awareness to these social situations, we become better people, and we create a new generation of people that are kinder to each other, willing to listen and willing to be advocates for those who can't be advocates.”](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screen-Shot-2022-06-16-at-4.22.47-PM-900x597.png)
![Aidan O'Hara launches the prospective Wayland Jr. Broadway, a chance for fifth graders to participate in theater in their town. "[I am most excited] to nurture a love of performing arts in Wayland," O'Hara said.](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/IMG_4169-900x602.jpeg)
![A flier in the commons promotes the Red Sox ticket draw fundraiser put on by the Class of 2025. “Our mentality was, if we have the opportunity to fundraise more, let's just [do it],” Class of 2025 President Reva Datar said. “The more we earn this first year, the more we can invest in our class events, and we can make those more memorable, exciting and fun.”](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen-Shot-2022-05-09-at-10.16.50-AM-900x596.png)
![A poster created by junior Olivia Rubin encourages students to vote in the Regional Student Advisory Council (RSAC) Election on April 14. Posters were placed outside the Media Center and main office in the days preceding the election. “It is my hope that the student body in general feels more represented knowing that Wayland High School students are voting members of [the RSAC] and are active committee members working on policy issues,” history teacher Eva Urban said. “Knowing that that voice is there makes us feel, I think, represented.”](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen-Shot-2022-05-04-at-8.45.48-AM-900x624.png)
