Breaking News
The student voice of West Potomac High School

The Wire

The student voice of West Potomac High School

The Wire

The student voice of West Potomac High School

The Wire

All content by Claudia Santa Anna
Courtesy: Mount Vernon Gazette

Class of 2016 Offers Post-Grad Advice to 2017

Claudia Santa Anna, Senior Editor
June 18, 2017

"My advice is to join the Quidditch team and get BIG. Seriously though I would suggest making time to work out. Sometimes you get super busy or stressed and you start to prioritize other things over...

Wrapping It Up: Class of 2017 President on Senior Year

Wrapping It Up: Class of 2017 President on Senior Year

Claudia Santa Anna, Senior Editor
May 24, 2017

This article is a follow-up from an article from October. Click here to read it.     In October, the senior class sent out a survey asking about Class of 2017 senior privileges. These...

Horses at A Place to Be, a nonprofit organization where senior Juliette Burcham (on horse) will be SHOUTing, provides stress-relief to children in foster care.

SHOUTing Out Loud: Seniors Look Forward to Unique, Meaningful SHOUT Experiences

Claudia Santa Anna, Senior Editor
May 19, 2017

SHOUT (Students Helping Others United Together), which runs from June 1 to 14 this year, provides for unique but meaningful experiences for seniors in their final weeks before graduation. Instead of attending...

May 1 is the national deadline to commit to a college or university.

A Big Commitment: Seniors Celebrate National College Comitment Day

Claudia Santa Anna, Senior Editor
May 1, 2017

For most college-bound students, May 1 is the national deadline to commit to a college or university. Even though many Wolverine seniors discovered which college they would attend through early decision...

Senior Map 2017 Survey

Senior Map 2017 Survey

Claudia Santa Anna, Senior Editor
April 4, 2017

Seniors! Are you going to college? Community college? A gap year? Work? Military? Let us know what YOUR plans are for this year’s senior map! We want the entire Class of 2017 included in the senior...

Humans of West Potomac, Vol. 13 (Emotions Issue Edition)

Humans of West Potomac, Vol. 13 (Emotions Issue Edition)

Claudia Santa Anna and Jason La Kier
April 4, 2017

Oliver DiCaprio, Junior “[I would define nostalgia as] looking back overly fondly at childhood memories. I don’t remember my childhood [much]. I was an anti-social gremlin in my childhood… I don’t...

Group photo of MUNsters who attended NAIMUN.

MUN Motions to Attend NAIMUN

Claudia Santa Anna, Senior Editor
February 24, 2017

Though most students had a long President’s Day weekend last week, students from Model United Nations (or MUN) spent the majority of the weekend working hard to pass legislation and form blocks at the...

My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff is a refreshing, yet easy read.

Book Review: My Salinger Year

Claudia Santa Anna, Senior Editor
February 12, 2017

“My Salinger Year”  is a book that begs to be read not because of how it’s written, but because of it’s story. A memoir of the author’s days after graduate school, the book brilliantly mixes...

Tips and Tricks for Second Semester

Tips and Tricks for Second Semester

Claudia Santa Anna, Joey Castrili
January 18, 2017

It’s that time of the year again! Second semester is almost upon us. Soon, the second quarter, also known as the longest quarter ever (seriously, November feels like it was a whole different year) will...

The String is back with more ways to get into the holiday mood.

5 More Ways to Get Into the Holiday Spirit

Claudia Santa Anna, Senior Editor
December 13, 2016

The lights are up, the trees are trimmed, and the Yule log is burning, but are you in the holiday spirit yet? For some poor sufferers of Funoycosis or Christmasphobia (such as yourself), ‘the holiday...

Homecoming Court Celebrates Wins

Homecoming Court Celebrates Wins

Claudia Santa Anna, Senior Editor
December 12, 2016

Homecoming Week is perhaps one of the most coveted weeks for high schools. A week full of spirit days, the pep rally, and school spirit ended with the announcement of Homecoming Court and football. On...

MUN members at WMHSMUN, which was held at the College of William and Mary.

Model UN Spends Weekend at WMHSMUN Conference

Claudia Santa Anna, Senior Editor
November 19, 2016

On November 11th, the Model United Nations (MUN) team made their way towards Williamsburg to attend William and Mary High School Model United Nations conference (known as WMHSMUN). The conference, which...

College Confidential user IWouldDieForHarvard97 was devastated to be denied from the university.

College Confidential’s “Chance Me” Threads Prove 100 Percent Accurate In Wake of Ivy Rule

Claudia Santa Anna, Senior Editor
November 5, 2016

No one is perfect, especially at age 17. However, to get into colleges, you have to be. Colleges that appear at the top of U.S. News and World Report’s 2016 are, undoubtedly, impossible to get into...

What Its Like To Be a First-Time Voter

What It’s Like To Be a First-Time Voter

Claudia Santa Anna, Senior Editor
November 2, 2016

ThIt’s strange to be a first time voter in the 2016 election. My comparative government class has taken on a sense of urgency to me. When I read the newspaper in the morning, I always look for articles...

The back of the Class of 2017 senior shirt. Courtesy: Veronica Webb, senior shirt designer

Class of 2017 Receives Senior Survey

Claudia Santa Anna, Senior Editor
October 1, 2016

On Tuesday September 27th, a online survey was sent to all seniors. What the survey concerned was what most underclassmen dream of- senior privileges, the senior class trip, and the class shirt, which...

(via NASA)

Students Watch Annual Perseids Shower Outburst

Claudia Santa Anna, Co-Editor in Chief
August 16, 2016

  The sky lit up with hundreds of meteors last week.   This year the Perseids, an annual meteor shower peaked August 11th into August 12th, doubled in what scientists call an “outburst”....

Jarzen and Hanton preform as Jamie and Cathy. (Image courtesy Beyond the Page Theatre Company)

The Last Five Years in Five Minutes

Claudia Santa Anna, Co-Editor in Chief
August 2, 2016

Beyond the Page Theatre Company partnered with Robinson High School’s Rambunctious Theatre Company for the production of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years, which ran from July 15th through the...

From left to right: Jason Vargas, Logan Petkosek, Mikial Boyce, Jessica Masterson, Alex Bailey, Jan Saraum, Revathi Mohan, and Michelle St. John

Orchestra’s Seniors Running Towards Graduation in Senior Night Concert

Claudia Santa Anna, Editor
May 30, 2016

As night began to fall on Wednesday, May 25, eight close-knit seniors prepared for one of their last high school orchestra concerts. West Potomac’s Orchestra’s 2016 Senior Concert featured music...

Face to Religious Diversity: Students Share a Moment with Students from Mexico

Face to Religious Diversity: Students Share a Moment with Students from Mexico

Claudia Santa Anna, Editor
May 23, 2016
This article appeared in the April/May issue of the Wire.
Good weather greeted students during National Honor Societys annual Movie Night Event. Courtesy: West Potomacs chapter NHS Twitter

National Honor Society Holds Annual Outdoor Movie Night

Claudia Santa Anna, Editor
May 22, 2016

  On a warm Friday night after a week of rainy weather, gloomy skies, and cool temperatures, West Potomac’s chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) hosted their second annual Movie Night outside,...

From left to right: junior Charley Costantino, junior Anna Bozard, sophomore Geoffrey Gallante, and senior Eric Costantino

Students Host Charity Concert for Alice’s Kids

Claudia Santa Anna, Editor
May 8, 2016

It’s the Saturday before AP exam week, but for junior Charley Costantino, today is not for studying. Instead, she has a different type of test to complete. Today, she will be performing in a charity...

The Best of 2015

It's almost 2016, and The Wire is celebrating. 2016 marks a new year in our newspaper's history, and we are excited. Though you might be glad 2015 is ending, the year did have great moments to look...

Courtesy: Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

Bearing Witness to What Actually Is Going On

Claudia Santa Anna, Copy-Editor
May 1, 2016

Whether you realize it or not, the media is constantly shaping your beliefs and basic views every day. From what you hear about on the news, to the short, clickbait Buzzfeed-esque articles that are scattered...

Dont know what to listen to and read over Winter Break? Look no further.

Winter Break Reviews

Claudia Santa Anna, Copy Editor
April 30, 2016

Adele's 25 Haven’t jumped on the Adele bandwagon yet? Don’t fear; Adele’s new album is here. 25 delivers a refreshing and captivating music experience, starting with it’s first track, Hello...

From left to right: freshman Juliette Flowers, juinor Nina Raneses, senior Jake Hardison, junior Shahtaj Ali, senior Jonathan Flowers, senior Logan Petkosek, senior Michelle St. John, junior Claudia Santa Anna, and senior Jason Vargas.

Model UN Attends NAIMUN

Claudia Santa Anna, Copy-Editor
April 27, 2016

If it’s Wednesday right after school, then there’s probably a Model U.N. meeting going on in room 410. Though it’s only been a year since club presidents and seniors Logan Petkosek and Olivia Ireland...

Juniors Tackle the Writing SOL

Juniors Tackle the Writing SOL

Claudia Santa Anna, Copy-Editor/Reviews Editor
March 13, 2016

What do you think when you hear the acronym “S.O.L.”? Students in Virginia often think of the Standards of Learning exams, or SOLs. Love them or hate them, depending on what classes you take, most...

Winter Snowstorm Jonas pounded the D.C. area, cancelling more than a whole week of school.

“Snowzilla” Brings Massive Rescheduling

Claudia Santa Anna, Copy-Editor/Reviews Editor
February 9, 2016

When Snowstorm Jonas first began to pound the Washington D.C. area on the night of Jan. 21, one fate became inevitable for student events scheduled during the weekend and beyond. All the effort, fun, and...

West Potomac delegates at Gar-Field Senior HS in Woodbridge.

Model UN Participates, Wins Awards at GFMUN

Claudia Santa Anna, Copy-Editor/Reviews Editor
January 24, 2016

Exactly one week after traveling to Chantilly High School for Chantilly’s Model UN conference, the members of West Potomac’s Model United Nations club (commonly referred to as MUN), attended GFMUNXI,...

Chantilly High Schools annual Model UN conference, or CHMUN, was held on January 8th and 9th.

Model UN Prepares for CHMUN Conference

Claudia Santa Anna, Copy-Editor/Reviews Editor
January 10, 2016

 Senior Michelle St. John and her partner, senior Jackson Kosmacki, are researching the various environmental policies of Germany. However, they aren't researching this for a class. They will not be graded...

Not feeling the Christmas spirit this year? No problem!

5 Ways to Get Into the Holiday Spirit

Claudia Santa Anna, Copy-Editor/Reviews Editor
December 14, 2015

It’s the week before Christmas, but if it wasn’t for the Christmas ads on TV and the flashing neon lights with the Costco-bought blow-up Santa and elves display next door, you wouldn’t have been...

The National Honor Society inducts new students yearly for membership who have significantly achieved in academics and community service.

New NHS Inductees Ready for a Great Honor

Claudia Santa Anna, Reviews Editor/Copy Editor
November 10, 2015

A swarm of proud parents and their well-dressed students are beginning to crowd in the auditorium in Springbank. Though the West Potomac theatre’s autumn show, American Idiot is opening in the auditorium...

Mr. Case gets ready to cut the ribbon on the Clifford S. Hardison Governors Health Sciences Academy

Homecoming Week’s Dedication to Former Principal Clifford Hardison

This past Saturday was the rededication ceremony of the West Potomac Academy to former principal, Cliff Hardison. Hardison was the principal from the fall of 2009 to the spring of 2013, before passing...

“The Next Great Education Debate” is Over What To Teach Students

“The Next Great Education Debate” is Over What To Teach Students

Claudia Santa Anna, Reviews Editor
October 15, 2015

Whether history is your thing or not, you probably should know about the controversy over AP US History and what exactly students should learn. Yet who’s to blame for this mess?   The...

Freshmen Back-to-School night gives parents a chance to observe what their children do in school on a daily basis.

Freshman Back-To-School Night, a “Refreshing” Experience

Claudia Santa Anna, Reviews Editor
October 14, 2015

It’s 6 PM after an eventful Wednesday at school, and parents begin to filter through the hall of Springbank, heading towards Kogelman Auditorium. The first part of Freshmen Back to School Night 2015...

New SGA Executive Board Plans to Make This Year Memorable

New SGA Executive Board Plans to Make This Year Memorable

Claudia Santa Anna, Reviews Editor
September 21, 2015

On a quiet Thursday morning before another normal, busy school day, four students gathered in a rectangular classroom on the second floor of Quander. Though most of their peers were just opening their...

Parental Protection or Paranoia? Parents and Teens’ Internet Privacy

Parental Protection or Paranoia? Parents and Teens’ Internet Privacy

Claudia Santa Anna, Reviews Editor
June 12, 2015

There’s no doubting that the Internet plays a big part of people’s lives in the twenty-first century, used in most homes and schools, along with on mobile devices. According to a 2015 survey by Pew...

I So Didn’t Procrastinate On Writing This Article: What Procrastinating Is and How to End It

Claudia Santa Anna, Reviews Editor
May 11, 2015

I So Didn’t Procrastinate On Writing This Article: What Procrastinating Is and How to End It It’s 9:00 pm on a Thursday night, and you are sitting across a blank screen that is supposed to be...

Staff photo

An Ernest Goodbye

Claudia Santa Anna, Reporter
November 18, 2014

If you have never seen Ernest Johnson direct the West Potomac Choirs before, you have missed out on an extraordinary treat. If you haven't heard already , Mr. Johnson will be retiring in December. As...

The Rule of Three: Book and Film Trilogies

The Rule of Three: Book and Film Trilogies

Claudia Santa Anna, Reviews Editor
September 30, 2014

What film did you last go to see at the cinema? What was the last book you’ve read? Chances are one of your answers is a part of of trilogy. When it comes to young adult movies and novels recently,...

Book Review: John Greens The Fault In Our Stars

Book Review: John Green’s “The Fault In Our Stars”

Claudia Santa Anna, Reporter
February 17, 2014

What’s your favorite book? Chances are that any group of teenagers asked would reply that their current favorite is The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. With it’s movie adaption (starring Shailene...

Load More Stories
Activate Search
Claudia Santa Anna