By Gemard Guery – Editor-in-Chief

Jonathan Law’s Natural Helpers Club is starting back up for the 2022-2023 school year.

This club aims to help the Jonathan Law community through various activities and community service projects. The club is run by Ms. Smuniewski, an English teacher at Jonathan Law.

“Natural Helpers is a club that helps to build the Law community and facilitate different events throughout the year with the purpose of bonding and stress relief,” Natural Helpers President Skylar Johnson said. “We offer many opportunities for volunteerism and leadership.”

The club has a focus on mental health and student well-being. It aims to be a support for students at Jonathan Law.

“One of the best things about advising this club is that I get to work with students who are dedicated to the well-being and mental health of their peers,” Smuniewski said. “I love the new activities that club members bring to the table since our needs as a school change from year to year. They are always thinking of the ‘next best thing’ when it comes to making sure all students feel supported and welcomed.”

The club runs Law’s annual De-Stress Fest which aims to help students relax during finals week. Last year, there was an ice cream truck, petting zoo, and various games and activities for students to partake in.

“I think the De-Stress Fest is important because it makes students feel like their community cares about them,” Vice President Giuliana Aguilar. “It’s also important because helps everyone’s mental health by creating fun activities to destress after exams.”

This year, the Natural Helpers has a lot of fun activities planned for Jonathan Law students. In addition to the De-Stress Fest, there will be many other activities and projects run by the club.

“In the past, we’ve hosted a variety of different programs and campaigns such as Lunch Bunch, a kindness rock competition before Thanksgiving, and a De-Stress Fest before final exams. We intend on making last year’s rock competition an annual event with prizes for the top three rocks, as well as building on the success from last year’s De-Stress Fest,” Smuniewski said. “We also plan to incorporate new mindfulness activities throughout the school year and think of new ways to ensure that all students feel safe and connected in our school.”

This year, joining the club will be a different experience. To join, students must pick up an application from room 206 to become a part of the club.

“Right now, we are going off of an application based process,” Johnson said. “Our first meeting is on Tuesday, September 20th, after school in Room 206. Everyone is welcome to come and get a feel for the club and grab an application from Ms. Smuniewski afterwards if they’re interested.”