At the beginning of the school year and the end, students took a diagnostic test that they have been taking since elementary school around 1st grade and has been but extended to taking during the first and second year of high school due to COVID and other learning factors. The schedule during this diagnostic test was also moved around, requiring students to remain in homerooms or move to a separate testing room. 

“I-Ready is useful as a student to see my progress over the school year,” Keira Egan, BHS freshman, said. “I saw the score I got at the beginning of the year for either math or reading and a new score at the end of the year, which shows if I improved or not over the school year.” 

I-Ready explores topics from the beginning of the year and the end of the year, testing what students grasped for a topic and what they needed to work on. This can remind students of what areas of math or reading they remember best and what areas need some work that teachers may need to reteach in the next year. 

“I-Ready was interesting to see what I had forgotten, since some questions that popped up I had learned a while ago but had forgotten,” Vanessa Morris, BHS freshman said. 

As I-Ready filled up two periods of the day, the schedule was also switched around after students took the test. Students followed a day one bell rotation and had around thirty minute classes and saw all seven classes for two days. 

“The schedule during I-Ready was different than usual, and we had all classes after I-Ready for thirty minutes which was overwhelming,” Keira said. 

I-Ready is built to give students some questions they don’t know and some they do. If they get a few questions right, harder ones will be shown; if they get some wrong/easier questions are asked. 

“I feel that I-Ready was challenging at times,” Keira said. “Especially math because it’s not my strongest subject, and there were a lot of questions thrown at you at one time.”

The testing environment is particularly different depending on each student, some staying in their homeroom with their classmates and some moving to a different room. 

“The testing environment was comfortable,” Vanessa said. “I was in the library conference room and had little distractions apart from some students chatting.” 

Overall, I-Ready was useful for students to see progress and be challenged by a diagnostic test, and for teachers to use the data from their previous 9th grade class to use for future classes. 

“I-Ready was too not bad and I would say just try your best and don’t stress about it,” Keira said.  

I-Ready is a diagnostic tool students have been taking since early elementary school. Recently, the district administration has extended taking I-Ready to high school for the first time. 

“I-Ready is a diagnostic tool testing an inside knowledge for students of math and English,” Mr. Sullivan, BHS principal, said. “It looks into the kids' improvement over the middle school and high school years, identifying different areas kids are doing well and showing where kids are struggling in an area.” 

Students just coming into high school will take the diagnostic test, so administrators can see how students are progressing as they are leaving middle school and coming to high school. Not only for freshmen, but 10th grade students also had to take I-Ready. 

“We are keeping I-Ready to to track growth from elementary school, middle school, and to the beginning and end,” Mrs. Janovitz, BHS administrator, said. 

If students get lower scores in math, for example, teachers would know to update or revise their curriculum to help future classes so students understand the curriculum better. 

“The diagnostic tool helps teachers and administrators use the scores to improve teaching and update curriculum based on how students do,” Mr. Sullivan said. 

Administrators and teachers analyze student scores to know what they need to make improvements on for their curriculum. 

“It is useful to see what a teacher needs to improve on, and see trends in data as part of a review, and adjust things,” Mrs. Janovitz said. “It also shows why we as a district may need to work on and where we can see growth for students.”

From an administrative perspective, I-Ready should be taken seriously, helping learning plans and providing data on how well students do. 

“When taking I-Ready, actually do the work. Sometimes students come in thinking it doesn’t matter since it’s not for a grade, but it matters and will help administrators and support them.” Mrs. Janovitz said.

Overall, I-Ready is useful to administrators and students to track growth and update teaching and curriculum.

“I-Ready can be good for students to get a good source of education and how well students are learning a subject or topic,” Mr. Sullivan said. “Take I-Ready seriously and give your best effort, because the data is useful and teachers reflect on it.”

The school year is winding down and summer is nearing but there is one thing still in students' way: Finals. 

Final exams are the last test and assignment holding students back from summer break. This year Finals start on Friday June 13th and go until Wednesday June 18th with Friday June 20th as a make-up day for students who missed an exam.

“I’m nervous but just ready to get school over with,” said Charlie Negron, BHS Freshman.

Students will take the exams for periods 7 and 6 on Friday. They will then take periods 5 and 4 on Monday. After that they will take 3 and 2 on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday they will take the period 1 exam. This schedule is reversed what it was for Midterms. 

For freshmen this is their first time taking Finals. They took Midterms earlier this year but have never taken a Final exam. 

“Midterms helped me understand how the Finals would be structured,” said Ishita Upadhyay, BHS Freshman.

There are many different things students do to help prepare themselves for Finals. Some students make flashcards or play online review games like Kahoot or Gimkit. Other students look over their notes or other past materials. Some people look over study guides their teachers give them.

“I'm gonna look through all my study guides and old assignments to go through what I need to work on and what I need to study versus what I already know and what I feel comfortable with,” said Lea Maguire, BHS Freshman. 

All students have different strategies and ways to study. Not all students do the same things.

“I’m going over notes and studying with music,” said Charlie. 

Studying for Finals can be very stressful. It is a lot of tests and assignments in a short period of time. Students have strategies for relaxing while studying for these stressful exams. 

“I like listening to music whilst I study to relax and make me feel less anxious,” said Ishita.

Listening to music seems to be a very common tool students use.

“I listen to music to help me focus and calm down,” said Lea.

Music is something that can be very helpful while studying. It can help you be able to focus more attentively. It is also a useful tool when you want to take a break and relax for a second.

Even though finals are very stressful, students feel like they have the resources and are prepared to do this.

“I feel like they've probably given a lot of resources and been informative on what's going to be on the test and like, give an examples and stuff, and it's been really helpful for me,” said Lea.

Finals can be a very stressful process for students. Especially since they know summer is nearing. Though they are difficult, final exams are something we just have to get through. 

Teachers of all subjects have been working hard to prepare Final exams and to get students ready for them. They are preparing students for the last assignment of the year.

There are many different types of Final exams. A lot of teachers give the standard exam but others give projects, presentations, essays, and other forms of assignments instead. 

 What type of Final you take might be impacted by the teacher you have or what class you are taking. A major thing that can also impact this is what department you are in.

“Well, I think there are other departments that do give more traditional tests, like I imagine the Math department and probably the science department are giving more traditional exams, whereas we try to come up with assignments that assess skills,” said Mrs. Crossman, English department head.

In the English department Final exams are not typically a test. Instead of having students take the test on books they have read or vocab they have learned this year they tend to prefer to focus on testing on the skills they have been developing throughout the year. As a result of this, English Finals tend to be more like essays, projects, and other types of assignments. 

Other departments do their Finals in different ways.

“So in the Math department, we all give exams. I don't know if every department does that. I think some departments might give projects or papers, essays, but in the Math department and exam is the most efficient way to check for understanding on multiple skills,” said Mrs. Whitcomb, Math department head.

In the Math department, tests generally work best because it is the best way to see if students understand how to solve different problems and use different formulas. 

“Teachers will look at what units they've covered in the semester and what the most important concepts are from those and then ask questions related to those on the Final exam,” said Mrs. Whitcomb.

Departments create Finals based on what will best help students showcase what they have learned this year. Even though the form in which they do this might be different, something all teachers try to do is make sure students are prepared for these Finals.

“I know that we tend to do some review. It's going to be different in each class, depending on what the actual assessment is. I know that some teachers give their students time to start planning and organizing ideas,” said Mrs. Crossman. “In one of my classes just last period, students were doing some sort of two-column notes to gather ideas, and then will have access to those notes to complete the writing assignment that they'll do.”

Teachers want to make sure that students know what the Final exam will look like. They want to give them all the resources they need to prepare.

“Every teacher might be a little bit different. Most of us give a topic list so that students know what to expect, and many teachers also give a cumulative review packet, some of us will do review games, but everybody gives time in class for students to prepare,” said Mrs. Whitcomb.

The success of students is very much on teacher minds. They want to see students do well on these tests.

The results of these Final exams are also very important to helping teachers see where students are at and what information they have attained from this year. 

“It can help us to see what the strengths and weaknesses of our curriculum were over the semester and helps us to refine how and what we teach in future years,” said Mrs. Whitcomb.

The results also allow teachers to see individual progress students have made over the year.

“I know that what I really love seeing personally is the growth. So where students came in at the beginning of the year and because it's skills based, we can look at the skills that they have hopefully developed by the end and I get very excited when I can see that in the student's writing” said Mrs. Crossman.

Final exams help reflect all the learning students have done this year. Teachers work hard to ensure they go well and are successful.

While it’s important to take a break and have fun during the summer, it’s also worth your while to look into the various programs, workshops, and even volunteer opportunities going on during the summer.

There are many different programs tailored to students’ interests, including subjects such as theater, medicine, religion, and helping out in your community. These not only can fill up your schedule, they can also help you in the long run.

Ms. Janovitz, curriculum and instruction leader at BHS, believes that participating in these programs help students align with the BHS Portrait of a Graduate as well as the school’s core values.

“They will be building real-world skills that support their academic and career success, while also developing meaningful relationships and contributing to something bigger than themselves,” said Ms. Janovitz while discussing how these opportunities help students in the long-run.

The key to making the most out of these opportunities, however, lies in being thoughtful about the work you do. Ms. Janovitz expressed that it’s great to see students see these offerings as more than something to add to their resume. Stepping outside of your comfort zone and wanting to contribute to your community are all apart of the growth process.

“I know that, for some students, participating in a volunteer program might be partially motivated by building a resume that stands out to college admissions representatives and potential employers; however, I also know that students want to participate in work that helps them learn more about themselves and their communities. I think students’ goals are likely twofold in that they are engaging in an activity that both supports their future goals and allows them to develop a sense of purpose and character,” Ms. Janovitz said while delivering her concluding thoughts.

If you look at something as just a check on your resume, you’ll only find yourself so engaged and motivated to continue doing it. However, immersing yourself in the learning experience of it all will only enhance what you learn and can even help you retain it better.

On the BHS counseling page, students are able to access a spreadsheet of different opportunities and continued learning over the summer. Among these are life sciences courses, elderly caretaking, and even hospital work. All of these explore students' interests and help them develop their interests. Moreover, they also reflect upon what students learn in school, so they can retain their learning in an engaging way.

The best part about these programs is that they’re completely voluntary. While it’s an amazing opportunity to have these programs on hand, students can get busy in the summer for a variety of reasons.

BHS Freshman, Mia Boucher, feels that taking on too many things in summer can overwork and tire a student out. Her belief is that students should try and take advantage of summer break. While you should still keep up with work assigned over the break by the school, knowing when to relax and take a breather is just as important.

“I think that if you have the time for it, then you should go ahead and do it. But personally, I don’t have a lot of free time,” Boucher said while speaking about whether or not she would recommend these programs to other students.

Many students, like Boucher, are taking AP and honors classes next year. These higher-level and fast-paced classes often each give out their own work to do over the summer. Alone, it may seem simple. But with each class handing them out, it piles up quickly. This, combined with everything else going on in the summer, may seem a bit daunting. 

However, a lot of programs are flexible and don’t require you to be there every day. Some workshops are online and students don’t have to worry about the commute and travel time, making it easier for participants to be able to use the opportunity they’re given.

Although the main summer programs at BHS are primarily enrichment, students have wondered if the school also offers credit recovery, for those who failed a class.

Mr. Attubato, counselor at BHS, confirmed that BHS doesn’t have a summer school nor credit redemption course. If a student wants to recover credit, BHS works with other schools in the area such as Wakefield to help enroll the student in another school’s program. 

“If a student fails a class, their counselor will coordinate with them to give them another opportunity,” Mr. Attubato said while discussing the paths a student could take for credit redemption.

What’s even more interesting is that a student can also find a credit redemption program of their choosing and get it approved by their counselor. Students can also enroll in a virtual high school, making commuting easier and giving students an opportunity to do better.

Overall, BHS gives their students many opportunities to succeed academically and community-wide. They offer a multitude of programs that align with students’ interests and needs. On the chance that they don’t, BHS encourages students to explore enrichment and volunteer opportunities on their own to find something that suits them, and will go as far as to coordinate with other schools to help students succeed.

What makes all this even better is that programs are still being added based on student feedback or community needs, which ensures that students will be able to continue giving back to their community and enhancing their learning in the future, too.

Graduation is a wonderful experience to wrap up your high school years. Students look forward to this all throughout high school, and so many students go down so many different paths. 

Ryan Rumsey, BHS senior graduate of 2025, said that he is “excited to meet new people” when he is in college.

 College is a great place to build new connections and embrace your own passion and knowledge. Rumsey is going to college for sports management, but there are so many amazing things that graduates can and are going to college for. 

This year's graduation also means that BHS is sending off senior drum majors, who have made such a remarkable impact on the Burlington band this year. 

“For me a huge part of my time in high school revolved around the band and various ensembles,” Giovanni Doiron, BHS senior graduate of 2025 and former drum major, said over text messages. 

Giovanni is planning to go to Umass Lowell to pursue a degree in general biology with a concentration of biotechnology. He also plans to continue his music education that he had previously been involved with at BHS by joining UMLs marching band and doing auditions for ensembles. 

Wrapping up high school can be scary for some students, but BHS has a wonderful collection of staff who can help students get through this confusing time during the end of their high school career. College counseling is offered and encouraged at Burlington high school. 

The incredible thing about graduation is that parents and peers get to see students move onto bigger and better things and ideas while sending them off with a nice ceremony. With the help and support of peers, teachers, and counselors, students have successfully completed their time at BHS and received their diplomas. 

Chili’s, the famous Tex-Mex restaurant, has just brought back one of their most valuable food deals ever. The “3-For-Me” at Chili’s is a combo meal that consists of a non-alcoholic beverage, an appetizer, and a burger all for the amazing price of just $10.99! 

Chili’s has been one of my favorite restaurants ever since I was a little kid. I would go there when I was a kid at the Middlesex Turnpike location before it closed. When I heard this deal returned, I was ecstatic. I went there on a Friday night with two of my friends, eager to try the new combo meals. 

When we arrived, the restaurant was a bit busy but that’s really no surprise on weekend night. Our waitress showed us to our table and we got our 3 drinks. They came instantly and she gave us a minute to look over the appetizer menu. 

The “3-For-Me” appetizers come with the choice of either salad, soup of the day, or bottomless tortilla chips. I chose the bottomless chips for the table and they were amazing. The chips were nice and crispy and exquisitely salted while the salsa was not watered down at all. 

The customer service then started to slowly decline as we had to ask for silverware since none was there when we arrived. The waitress returned with silverware that was either dirty, or missing utensils. Disappointed, I had to ask for clean silverware which she got right out of the dishwasher. 

We had also ordered the appetizer called “Triple Dipper” which came with sliders, boneless wings, and mozzarella sticks. Once it reigned everything looked very nice and well put together. That took a while to come to our table though. 

We finally placed our entree orders where I got the ‘Big Smasher Burger” that came with my combo. My friends had ordered some wings and ribs to eat. But this simple order took over 30 minutes to arrive! Once it finally did though, it did not disappoint. My burger was very crisp and so were the fries while my friends' orders also looked like they came right off the grill. 

Overall, this food was very good, especially the tortilla chips that just kept coming in hot. I was surprised with the service since I’ve never had a problem with it but the food just might have made it worth it. I would definitely recommend this deal to those who want some nice restaurant food for a great price!

If you watched any of the NBA playoffs this year, you definitely would have heard about the Dunkin’s $6 meal deal. The commercial played about five times throughout the game and It really caught my attention. I woke up the next morning just craving the bacon egg and cheese they were showing on TV and went to Dunkin’s right away. 

I arrived at Dunkin’s on Middlesex Turnpike and they were also not shy about advertising this deal. I was able to count about 2 posters outside the store and another 2 signs and papers for it inside the stores. It only felt appropriate for me to order this as it felt they were glorifying it. 

The meal comes with a bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwich, a medium iced or hot coffee, and 6-piece bite sized hashbrowns—all for $6. I placed my order at a fairly busy time on a Saturday morning. I was surprised when I heard my name called only about four minutes after placing my order. I thanked the workers who were very friendly and headed back to my car. 

It was not until I reached the car that I began to eat the meal. I started off with the hashbrowns and surprisingly enough they had given me an extra one. I was happy to have received an extra one for free and It really gave me a positive first impression. 

I then moved on to the bacon egg and cheese which, to be honest, was just okay. I was happy to eat it but I really was not amazed. It tasted like just a salty egg with some cheese on it. My standards were not set very high though for this is just a discounted fast food meal. Finished all though and was not disappointed with it in any way. 

Last part of the order was the coffee. I have been a Dunkin’s coffee enjoyer for a while so I say this coffee was pretty good. I love the taste of the original blend from Dunkin’s more than any other coffee brand or restaurant I have been to. Ordered it with two creams and two sugars and drank the entire thing. This was definitely the best part of the meal. 

Overall, I do recommend this meal for someone who wants a quick breakfast in the morning. This meal is not something to rush for though because getting all of these items without the promotion is only about $3 more. There were no problems with the order but there was really nothing special. 

If sweet and spicy foods are your thing, then this new Chipotle meat is just right for you. I heard about the brand new Chipotle Honey Chicken at the Chipotle on Burlington mall road. Right when you place your order there is a massive poster right next to the menu advertising this brand new product in bold letters. 

I decided to try it because I normally get plain chicken and wanted a little more kick in my food today. This was one of the best choices I’ve ever made at Chipotle, and I will probably go get this again before it leaves. The chicken tasted like it was fresh off the grill with a nice crisp flake on the outside with a soft finish on the inside. I ordered the chicken inside of my bowl that included white rice, black beans, pico de gallo, lettuce, and sour cream. 

When I arrived to place my order it was taken immediately. The kind employee was ready and prepared and did not go light when giving me serving sizes. I was watching him make my bowl and when it was time to ring up my food, he only charged me for plain chicken which was cheaper than my order. 

Normally, I would add Tabasco sauce to my bowl, but this time I didn’t need any sort of spices or sauces to add. The chicken gave it its own rich, almost chili like, flavor that was followed by a hint of honey. The way the flavors blended together was something that I’ve ever experienced at a Chipotle or any Mexican restaurant in general before. 

I would 100% recommend this to anyone that likes their Chipotle flavors a bit more on the spicy side. The flavor of this chicken was incredible and the food was definitely cooked fresh. Make sure to try this before it leaves stores around the end of July!

This is a romantic movie that is acted by Jenna Ortega (Remi Aguilar) and Percy Hynes White (Barnes Hawthorne) which was released in 2024. In my opinion the actors did a great job and they were the perfect match for the roles. 

Ortega’s portrayal of more I showcases her creativity moving away from her scary typical roles into a more romantic character  Almost everyone was interested in this movie because of the famous characters. 

I would recommend people to watch the movie because it was interesting and if you are a Jenna Ortega fan and you like her movies, and the movie has themes like love and identity.then this is a perfect movie for you. 

Young Remi, a Harvard bound achiever, has her future figured out, until she meets Barnes, a laid back music lover, in the winter on a train. and they start dating in the summer, Barnes lives for the moment and makes Remi question everything. As their love story unfolds, she faces a choice to stick to her plan or risk it all for a life she never saw coming. 

The story is kind of realistic and it offers a tender exploration of love and identity through the lens of its young supporters.

This is a horror movie starring Theo James, playing dual twin roles as Hal and Bill Shelburn, released in 2025. The actor did a very good job because he played two roles as a twin.

When twin brothers who hate and wish for each other to die find a mysterious toy monkey among their father’s belongings, a series of outrageous deaths tears their family apart. Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree, forcing the estranged siblings to confront the cursed toy.

I would recommend people who like scary movies to watch it and if you are a Theo James fan, because of curiosity about what is about to happen and who is about to die next.

This movie showcases fate, emotions, horror and dark comedy, and also explores randomness of painful deaths through humor and absurdity.

The monkey provides a unique graphic experience that resonates with fans of horror films.

This is a horror and comedy movie starring Jenna Ortega (Ridley) and Will Poulter (Shepard Leopold) which was released in 2025. The actors played their roles well and are so talented.

A weekend retreat has deadly consequences when a father and daughter accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to find his billionaire boss, who seeks to exploit the creature's miraculous curative properties to help him heal his sickness and make plenty of money off it, which later leads to chaotic deaths.

I would recommend watching this movie if you are interested in seeing scary unicorns. It’s scary parts of the movie are different in angle effectiveness.

This movie has themes like greed and selfishness. And this movie also resonates with horror.