“5 Questions With…” is a weekly column that will feature 5-question interviews with the students, faculty, and staff at Law that are making news in and out of the classroom.

By Nisali Fernando – Entertainment Editor

As Jonathan Law High School welcomes the new school year, principal Mr. Thompson sat down with Advocate Entertainment Editor Nisali Fernando to talk about his expectations for this school year. He offers sage advice, and reminds Jonathan Law what it really means to be “lawmazing.”

Nisali Fernando: What are your goals for this year?

Mr. Thompson: Our goals for this year are three-fold. Number one, to get everybody that came in, in August, safe and successful in June. Safety and success, both academically and as a good student. Number two, every ten years our school is accredited by a group called the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and this is our accreditation year. A committee of educators from across New England will be coming in April, so we want to absolutely show all the great stuff that we’re doing. Number three, we just want to do good work. We just want to keep getting everybody to be the best they can be. To be challenged, and to be successful.

NF: How was your summer?

MT: Excellent, I had a great summer. Probably the best I’ve had in a long time, and I’m pretty old. I went to the Dominican Republic  for eight beautiful days. I got a lot of work done with the schedules and getting the staff ready, so there’s a lot of good things going on.

NF: Any advice for the freshmen class?

MT: I think the best advice took place (the first Friday of the year) when we had a series of workshops and the upperclassmen gave them the best advice. You live it. I would say take advantage of every opportunity that comes with being a member of the Jonathan Law family, but also understand that it’s a big responsibility. It’s not easy we’re going to challenge you and we’re gonna give you opportunities to succeed, but you got to take advantage of those challenges.

NF: Any advice for the senior class?

MT: Enjoy every second of your senior year. I can’t tell you how excited I am. I absolutely love you guys and the whole school is excited for your senior year. Seniors always set the tone, and you guys are just awesome, so let’s have a great year. Work hard, get into the colleges and get into the careers you want. People will start thinking about it, but don’t miss any opportunities to enjoy the success of of being a lawman

NF: How can someone be #lawmazing?

MT: That’s a great question, probably one Bobo would answer better than me! I would say being #lawmazing is just doing what we do. We’re rolling out these 7 C’s. That’s our core values and beliefs, and that’s gonna be posted in every classroom. It means something in this community that you wear your Law shirts, that you everyday are doing something to help people. So it’s not just being a good student, it’s being a good citizen of Jonathan Law and a lot of other places

NF: I understand every club plans to donate at least $100 help (Foran grad) Danni Kemp. Can you tell me a little more about that?

MT: Danni is a graduate of Foran in 2015 and is in college, unfortunately she has been diagnosed with cancer. It was sudden and I think a surprise and we have a great rivalry…I think this is a great opportunity to give back to support a Milford resident. So what I’m doing is I’m encouraging every club and every class to do a $100 donation, and we’re going to put it all together. At the end of the month I would like to present a check for Danni for her family, so they can know Law supports them as well.

NF: Did you ever think you would have such a big impact on a student body/school?

MT: (Laughs.) I appreciate that. It’s an honor to be here everyday. It truly is a privilege and you guys have had the impact on me. Your teachers and your support staff and everybody that makes the difference, those are the folks that make the impact. I’m just blessed to be along for the ride.

NF: How do you plan to keep this school year petition-free?

MT: Well, I don’t think I can do that, but I’m going to try. I think I’ve got a couple things in place where I want people to know that the door is always open. I hope everyone knows that, but that doesn’t mean everyone is going to get the answer they are going to like. I think through communication, and work with the class officers. You’re the elected leadership of your classes and we’re gonna do a little more joint meetings where everybody can hear what everybody is doing.