Student-athletes from Jonathan Law visited Mathewson Elementary School for Read Across America Day. (Photo courtesy @JLHSAthletics)

By Aislyn McKernan – Social Media Editor-in-Chief

Student-athletes from Jonathan Law visited Mathewson Elementary School for Read Across America Day. 

The Law students, along with a group of Foran students, spent their morning on March 2 reading to elementary students at Mathewson Elementary School. They read books from the school libraries and worked with kids in different grades and classrooms.

Both high school and elementary students were excited to partake in Read Across America Day. Law senior Siya Patil was one of many students who were happy to participate in this event and even see some of her old teachers. 

“My favorite part of the day was getting to meet the kids and connect with some of my own teachers that I had when I went to Mathewson,” Patil said.

Foran English teacher and Read Across America Organizer Mrs. Farrell was delighted to be able to see the students getting along well and working alongside other organizers. 

“I always enjoy attending this event alongside our athletic director, Mr. Jeff Raucci, and Mr. Tom Drew and Kay Drew from Law,” Farrell said. “It’s inspiring to see students come together and serve as such positive role models for younger readers. Not only do they read to elementary students, but they also take the time to talk with them, something younger students truly value. Experiences like this help foster a genuine love of reading while showing younger students strong examples of who they can look up to.”

Read Across America Day is important for many reasons. The high school students’ main goal is to encourage more kids to read.

“I feel that Read Across America Day is so important because it encourages kids and students to read and shows how important reading is for learning and school,” junior Jocelyn Larracuente said.

The high school students enjoyed reading and talking with the elementary students. Patil was happy with the energy the elementary kids provided. 

“I think the event went really well,” Patil said. “It was fun for both high school readers and elementary schoolers, and the energy in the classrooms made the day feel positive and memorable for everyone involved.”

​Junior Rishvansai Koduri and his teammate junior McKenzie Forte recently won a medal in the Hovercraft event at the Harvard University Invitational Science Olympiad. (Photo courtesy Ms. Turcotte)

By Aleah James – Staff Reporter

A Jonathan Law Science Olympiad duo has proven that in the high-stakes world of competitive engineering, the most effective strategy is to ignore the competition.

​Junior Rishvansai Koduri and his teammate junior McKenzie Forte recently won a medal in the Hovercraft event at the Harvard University Invitational Science Olympiad by prioritizing project development over the performance of rival schools. This mindset allowed the team to maintain their composure and precision necessary for their first-ever building event.

​”Always worrying about others causes you to have insecurity and feel less confident in yourself, but if you block out the competition and focus on yourself and your project, then you will be more confident that you can do well,” Koduri said.

​The 30-member squad, led by advisor Ms. Turcotte, meets every Monday to design creations ranging from electric vehicles to robots. These meetings include mentorship, where experienced upperclassmen help new members navigate the engineering and data collection.

​”I feel like the upperclassmen play an incredibly important part in welcoming new members and helping them have fun,” Forte said.

​Technical success for the hovercraft specifically required sourcing a precise motor to provide the necessary propulsion. Forte spent hours traveling across Connecticut to find the perfect components, eventually mastering the physics of the build with help from a retired teacher.

​”I came across many difficulties throughout my engineering process, such as getting the correct power for the back fan that pushed the hovercraft,” Forte said.

​The team views their success at a Harvard invitational as the motivation for the upcoming championship season. While the requirements are demanding, the students emphasize that the preparation and the bonding that follows the event are the most exciting aspects of being apart of the team.

​”It’s not even about winning medals, but it is about doing as well as we can,” Turcotte said.

​The Law Science Olympiad team is scheduled to compete in the State Competition on April 25.

One boy and one girl were selected to participate in the varsity games against cross-town rival Foran on February 19 through the Raffles For Wishes program. (Photo courtesy Harshitha Kothapalli)

By Jackson King & Matthew Witteman – Staff Reporters

Jonathan Law seniors Harshitha Kothapalli, Layla Alogna, and Kayla Markowitz founded the Law chapter of Raffles for Wishes in 2024, and have created an unforgettable experience for many young athletes.

Now in its second year, the recently established Raffles for Wishes Club organized a school-wide raffle that allowed non high school students the opportunity to suit up and take the court with the Jonathan Law boys and girls varsity basketball teams.

“We were first approached by a girl from Daniel Hand about bringing a Raffles for Wishes branch to Jonathan Law, but what really inspired me was when we visited the Make-A-Wish Headquarters and saw where the magic for each Wish child was created,” Alogna said. 

One boy and one girl were selected to participate in the varsity games against cross-town rival Foran, on February 19. Gehrig Canell,  a sixth grader at West Shore Middle School, joined the boys varsity team, while  Sadie Veteri, a seven-year-old at Matthewson Elementary School, joined the girls varsity team for the big day

The fundraiser is in conjunction with The Connecticut Make-A-Wish Foundation, with the goal of giving back to children facing serious challenges. Every dollar raised through the raffle was donated directly to the organization, helping grant meaningful wishes and provide support to kids and families in need. 

“Raffles for Wishes is a nonprofit initiative that raises money for the CT Make-A-Wish Foundation by selling raffle tickets for immersive experiences with the Jonathan Law varsity sports teams,” Markowitz said. “The student-run program helps connect young athletes with high school teams while supporting an important cause.”

Before each event, the club sells $5 raffle tickets that give young athletes the chance to be immersed into a real high school sports game. Winners get to warm up with the team, wear a team jersey, join huddles, and be announced in the starting lineup.

The leaders said that the most rewarding part of the event was seeing how much the experience truly meant to the children. Watching their excitement and joy made all the hard work and preparation worthwhile. Knowing the funds raised also supported an important charitable cause made the event even more meaningful, leaving the organizers proud of the positive impact they were able to create both on and off the court.

“I think Raffles for Wishes is a great cause and the money that is raised goes to a great organization,” Law Head Boys Basketball Coach Mr. McPartland said. “It’s a great opportunity for the younger kids to be around a varsity team and see how things are done at a high school level.”

All money raised through the raffles and additional donations is given to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The funds go toward helping children in need and supporting life-changing wishes.

“Our favorite part about being involved in Raffles for Wishes is that I get to not only give young athletes a great opportunity to see what makes the Jonathan Law athletic teams so special, but also do that while getting to raise money for such a great cause,” Markowitz said.

(Photo courtesy Law UNICEF Club)

By Sarah Hammad and Mihika Dabhade – Staff Reporters 

The Jonathan Law UNICEF Club is hosting a shoe drive to support communities in need while raising funds for UNICEF and promoting sustainability.

Students and their families are encouraged to donate gently used or new shoes, which will be distributed to people in need through a partnered organization.

Junior Aaryaa Bulbule said the club wanted to create an event that combined community service, environmental awareness, and fundraising. 

“We wanted to find a way to help people in need by not only upcycling, but being able to raise money for our club,” Bulbule said. 

The club has set a goal of collecting around 90 bags of shoes, with each bag containing close to 25 pairs of shoes. Members hope the ambitious target will encourage widespread participation throughout the school community. 

The donated shoes will be sent through the organization, Funds2Orgs, which distributes the shoes to underprivileged communities. 

Club Advisor Mr. Evanko explained that service projects like these help students connect their actions to a larger global impact. 

“The UNICEF Club believes in raising money for UNICEF, but also other international fundraisers and organizations,” Evanko said. 

Organizing the drive has also helped the students build important leadership and communication skills. 

“Students are developing communication and networking skills – we have had to contact other local organizations, such as houses of worship, to help us achieve our goal,” Evanko said. 

Bulbule noted that collecting such a large number of donations has been the biggest challenge for the whole group. 

“One of the main challenges is just being able to collect 90 bags,” Bulbule said. “It’s a large amount of shoes to collect, and we need all the help we can get.” 

Junior Anushka Vajrala said the shoe drive was designed to make participation easy while still creating a meaningful impact on a global scale. 

“Our club was inspired to organize the shoe drive as a creative way to fundraise while also making a direct impact,” Vajrala said. “We wanted an event that would support UNICEF’s global initiatives financially while giving our school community an easy, meaningful way to get involved.” 

The club also hopes that the drive will raise broader awareness of the bigger mission of UNICEF and the challenges faced by children all over the world.   

“Our primary goal is to collect as many gently used or new shoes as possible while raising awareness about UNICEF’s mission,” Vajrala said. “We hope this event encourages students to recognize how small contributions can create a larger global impact.” 

Evanko has added that initiatives like the shoe drive help students understand how local addiction can create change while strengthening connections in school. 

“I believe this will have a positive impact on the school community – it has brought us together in the name of a good cause,” Evanko said. 

Through projects like the shoe drive, the UNICEF club continues to encourage students to participate in service, promote sustainability, and support children and families in need everywhere. 

(Photo courtesy @JLHSPrincipal)

By Breana Aquino – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s National Honor Society has been preparing for the upcoming annual Brain Bowl that will take place on Friday, April 24.

Brain Bowl is a trivia type game created to raise money for pediatric brain cancer. A team of four students from each grade go head-to-head with each other, competing in rounds to dictate the winners at the end of the competition.

A team of faculty and staff members also participate in the competition.

An initial test needs to be taken by students and faculty to determine who will be chosen to participate on their respective teams. Due to snow days, the preliminary test was moved to Tuesday, March 3.

“Students and faculty with the highest score will be chosen to participate on their class team,” National Honor Society Advisor Mrs. Goldbeck said.

National Honor Society’s main goal is to raise as much money as possible to support brain cancer research. They continue to raise funds and provide gifts to two organizations: The Cure Starts Here and Bridges of Milford.

Every year they try to beat their goal from the year prior.

“The Brain Bowl is an interactive event for the whole school community to participate in and enjoy, while allowing us to collectively raise money towards pediatric brain cancer,” Senior President Kris Shastry said.

Shastry expresses how the National Honor Society strives to continue to set a precedent to raise the standard in the following years.

Students and faculty are able to donate funds towards their respective grade level’s bucket during lunch waves.

“It is an important issue, and we want to help as much as possible,” Senior Vice President Sarah McCann said. “We also want our school to have fun during the event as well.”

The members of the National Honor Society voted on a theme, and this year, “Stranger Things” won.

“We needed a theme that was relevant and to get people interested and excited for the upcoming Brain Bowl,” Senior Secretary Sophia Wang said.

The officers of the National Honor Society have worked as one cohesive group to prepare for all meetings relating to Brain Bowl and other events. Each officer has their own role, which effectively helps contribute to different aspects of the event.

These aspects include question making and the creation of a promotional video in the works.

“Working with the other officers has been a great experience because everyone is committed and collaborative,” Senior Treasurer Aarush Katyal said.

Mr. Healy’s Advanced Creative Writing students are close to finishing their book of short stories. (Photo courtesy Molly Lynch)

By Molly Lynch & Ava Grippo – News Editors 

Mr. Healy’s Advanced Creative Writing class is in the process of creating their book of short stories, “Rule of Law.”

The book is a collaborative effort in which a short story from every student will be featured. Students are assigned to write three short stories throughout the year and are given a guideline to help them stay on track with deadlines. 

Senior Creative Writing student Keira Askintowicz described how the class has allowed students to prepare for creating the book.

“Our class has prepared in various ways by engaging in group discussions, peer review, and multiple workshops that enhance our literacy skills as well as our creativity,” Askintowicz said. “We collaborate as a class and provide feedback to each other to improve aspects of our writing.”

Writing short stories with tight deadlines requires dedication and consistency.

Senior Creative Writing student Ciara Tavarez said she has shifted her perspective about the writing process as the year has progressed.

“The writing process has been tough for me,” Tavarez said. “Finding a plot and figuring out how to make it a short story is difficult, but after writing in the class for a few months, writing definitely gets easier.”

Students are given certain deadlines for each step of the writing process, which helps guide them through their stories on time.

Senior Creative Writing student Yeiden Nieves expressed his fondness for the brainstorming process.

“My favorite part of this process is the brainstorming period because that’s when you’re allowed to just let your creativity and imagination run wild,” Nieves said.

A universal challenge for students in the class is to continue writing through periods of time when they feel unmotivated or idealess. 

Senior Creative Writing student Rose O’Connell said she overcame several challenges throughout the writing process.

“I think the hardest part of writing a story is getting into a good writing state,” O’Connell said. “Overcoming writer’s block is difficult, but when I sit down and remove all distractions, I can truly enjoy progressing my story.”

Healy described the strategies he uses to create a successful writing process.

“I try to use a questioning method, where I just ask lots of questions to make students think about their work,” Healy said. “Every now and then, if a student is really stuck, I’ll give suggestions, but I really want students to practice working through those difficulties.”

—

To pre-order a copy of “Rule of Law,” scan the QR code on the flyer outside of Mr. Healy’s Room (Room 230).

History teacher Mr. Lui (Photo courtesy Adrian Vitale)

By Adrian Vitale and Matthew Sanchez – Social Media Editors

Jonathan Law AP U.S. History and Civics teacher Mr. Lui has has been teaching Law for nine years.

When asked about his favorite class to teach, Lui spoke highly of APUSH, citing his passion for the subject.

“My favorite class to teach is APUSH because it allows me to share my passion for history while watching my students grow throughout the year, especially in their writing and their ability to analyze different time periods,” Lui said.

Lui is also the assistant girls swim coach at Law. 

“Similar to teaching APUSH, my favorite part of coaching is seeing the growth that takes place over the course of a season,” Lui said. “As a swim coach, it’s incredibly rewarding to watch a swimmer climb out of the pool excited after achieving a personal best.”

Lui said he has a fun, hard-working group of students this year.

“They’re great this year,” Lui said. “Both of my classes have been performing well on assessments. They’re a nice group of students who want to succeed.”

Sophomore Yusuf Genc spoke about how Mr. Lui helps him succeed in his class.

“Mr. Lui helps me in many different ways,” Genc said. “He provides notes for every chapter, and many sources that help me learn. Before the midterm, Mr. Lui provided us with reviews that I could use to study, helping me prepare for the test.”

Sophomore Fiad Rahman said Lui’s methods of teaching work well for him.

“Mr. Lui creates Learning Targets for us,” Rahman said. “He presents information on the chapter that we’re doing on the SmartBoard in a slideshow presentation that he created. Then, we can type down this information in our learning target document. This method is extremely helpful for us students as we can look back on them for review.”

Lui has been a helpful resource for his students. His teaching style is widely praised by students taking his classes.

Sophomore Erik Borowski said Lui supported him during class.

“His style of teaching with the notes and everything,” Borrowski said. “They helped me with the tests, without them I don’t think that I would have done as well on them. I hope it can translate to the final as well.”

Jonathan Law hosted its second Athletic Leadership Council meeting on Thursday, February 5. (Photo courtesy Aislyn McKernan)

By Dani Kotansky and Cora Aitkenhead – News Editors

Jonathan Law hosted its second Athletic Leadership Council meeting on Thursday, February 5. 

The Leadership Council is a way for student-athletes to get involved and build skills crucial to being a captain. The meeting was led by Athletic Director Mr. Drew. 

“The goal of the Student-Athlete Leadership Council is to develop athletes into leaders who make a positive impact both on and off the field,” Drew said. “It’s a great opportunity for all athletes because it builds confidence, strengthens teamwork, and teaches valuable life skills that extend far beyond sports.”  

Law softball coach Ms. Blude believes the meeting was an incredible opportunity for juniors and underclassmen to develop early into a leader. 

“We have so many student leaders in our school and a lot of them do not have the opportunity to take on a leadership role until they are seniors (as a captain of their teams),” Blude said. “But this leadership council is to develop our leaders when they are young so by the time they are seniors, they will have even more valuable skills.” 

Junior Aislyn McKernan, a member of the Leadership Council, is enthusiastic about the meeting. 

“The Leadership Council is important because it helps a lot of juniors and now underclassmen focus on their leadership and sportsmanship skills so they can be the best teammates and possible captain for their teams in the future,” McKernan said.

The Leadership Council is a valuable opportunity to build confidence and teamwork skills in a smaller environment. 

Sam Matist, a junior gymnastics captain, enjoyed how the school made it easy to work together. 

“My biggest take away has been the ideals that this school puts forward like involvement and team work,” Matist said, “We made a motto for all teams to follow in leading team bonding, being kind and teamwork so all teams can work together.”

Junior girls tennis player, Courtney Russo, said the Leadership Council emphasized the importance of leaders each bringing their different qualities to the table. 

“My biggest take away from the Leadership Council is that every leader had different qualities, and that the main qualities are trust and loyalty,” Russo said. 

Members of the SAVE Promise Club make birthday cards. (Photo courtesy Aislyn McKernan)

By Abigail Merenda and Courtney Russo – Sports Editor and Social Media Editor-In-Chief

The Jonathan Law SAVE Promise Club is in the middle of making Birthday Cards to celebrate staff and students. 

Advisor Mrs. Bregoli said the goal of the birthday cards is to help spread the cheer throughout Law!

“The goal of this program is to help bring some more joy and spread cheer throughout the school,” Bregoli said. “We want to help maintain a positive, inclusive, culture here at Jonathan Law. We were also looking for small gestures that could make an impact. A birthday card is something simple that can give someone a smile on their face for their special day. We are excited to see the program take off.” 

Senior President Sarah McCann also said the goal is to make everyone feel appreciated. 

“The goal for the birthday cards is to make everyone feel noticed and appreciated around school,” McCann said. “It always feels good when someone says happy birthday to you!

SAVE Promise came up with this idea to bring a little positivity to Law. 

“As a club, we decided that we wanted to spread positivity throughout our school,” Junior Co-Vice President Avery Oliveira said. “We wanted to break the stigma that SAVE is purely a violence prevention group.” 

The club is making sure that everyone gets their part in the process of making the birthday cards. 

“We have a specific team of members doing the cards,” junior Aislyn McKernan said. “We wanted the other members of the club to get involved, not just the leaders. They will meet on Mondays to create the birthday cards for that month.”

(Photo courtesy @jlhsdrama)

By Fiorella Gargiulo – Social Media Editor

The Jonathan Law Drama Club has begun rehearsing for its annual spring musical “Rock of Ages.”

The show will be open to audiences from March 13-15. 

Director Olivia Rivera is thrilled to be leading the club she once was a part of and believes the future for Law Drama Club is bright. 

“Being a Law alum and involved in drama during my time as a student it’s really cool to come full circle and foster the talent and passion for live theater in students,” Rivera said. “Drama has grown so much since my time as student and the years I’ve taken over that it’s almost unfair to still call it a club.”

Senior Drama Club President Christopher Serrano will play Drew Boley in his final Law performance. As a lead role on and off the stage, Serrano leads the club by stepping up and being a role model for younger members.

“As President for the past two years, my main goal has always been to create a space where our members feel supported, challenged, and excited to be a part of the production,” Serrano said. “I want Drama to feel like a second home where people can grow both on and off stage.”

Drama Board Member Aylanna Vega narrates the musical as Lonny Barnett. Vega understands stepping into a character can bring the club adversity, but it’s important to keep rehearsal lighthearted and supportive.

“We have our ups and downs, but at the end of the day we’re all there to support each other and lift up one another regardless of the adversity we as people, and a club face daily,” Vega said. “I could not have crafted a more interesting and entertaining group of people if I tried, and I am endlessly thankful to have watched the family grow over the years.”

Vice President Mars Thomas plays a young German boy named Franz Klinemann. Franz learns to fall in love with rock, and Thomas is confident the audience will too.

“I’m most excited for people to see the dancing and costumes in this show,” Thomas said. “Since the show takes place in the mid to late 80s, the hair, makeup, and costume are gonna be next level this show.”

Drama Board Member Ava Daniele is a featured dancer and waitress in her junior show. Daniele hopes those watching the performance will feel the heart that each cast member puts into the show. 

“I think that they should walk away after seeing the show with an appreciation for our team work and our love for performing for them and also the wonderful songs stuck in their head,” Daniele said.

(Photo courtesy Medical Alliance Club)

By Aislyn McKernan – Social Media Editor-in-Chief

Jonathan Law’s Medical Alliance Club has been bringing the community closer by helping organizations and encouraging student interest in the medical field. 

The MAC has volunteered for organizations including the VA Medical Center in West Haven and has brightened up the days of many veterans. The club meets on Mondays after school with their Advisor, Mrs. Addario.

They recently held a Personal Care Drive for the VA Medical Center. They collected items including deodorant, body wash, soap, shampoo, and T-shirts.

Junior Officer Alivia Bogert is excited to deliver these items to the veterans. 

“My favorite part about MAC is delivering the personal care bags personally to the veterans,” Bogert said. “When we personally gave them to people their faces would light up.”

The Medical Alliance Club is very important to the members and they encourage others to join the club as well. 

“I think MAC is important because it brings the community closer together, and the way we did that was from a medical standpoint, like our upcoming trip to the VA,” Junior Officer Madi Black said. 

The club has been working hard, and they have some goals they would like to accomplish this year. 

“My goal is to hopefully have enough fundraising events where we can go on a trip to see Ellis Island,” senior Lexi Velez said. “We would love to see the history on how medical care was handled over the years when immigrants came through.”

Chemistry teacher Ms. Turcotte (Photo courtesy Adrian Vitale)

By Matthew Sanchez and Adrian Vitale – Social Media Editors

Chemistry teacher Ms. Turcotte has been teaching at Jonathan Law for 19 years.

Before coming to Law, Turcotte interned at Law for a year while working on one of her Masters degrees.

“I only teach Chemistry because that is the science discipline that I most enjoy,” Turcotte said. “I teach Introductory Chemistry classes to sophomores and Chemistry electives such as Pharmaceutical Chemistry and AP/UCONN ECE Chemistry to juniors and seniors. I honestly enjoy teaching all of them equally, but if I had to choose one, I would say AP/UCONN ECE because it is a second-year class. The students already have a chemistry background, which allows us to dig deeper into concepts, to do more complex laboratory work, and to do more math, which I enjoy.”

Turcotte said she enjoys all of her students and classes this year and is currently preparing them for their midterm exam.

“My regular chemistry classes are great – I have very nice, academically motivated students who consistently work hard in my class and take it seriously,” Turcotte said. “I am confident that they will be prepared enough to do well on their midterm exams.” 

Turcotte is also the advisor for Law’s Science Club which will compete in the Harvard Invitational Science Olympiad in February and the CT State Science Olympiad at UConn in April.

“The science club is going well so far,” Turcotte said. “We have two teams, each with 15 students, and we have many additional members who attend meetings and assist our teams in preparing for their events. (Science teacher) Mrs. Gagnon is my new co-advisor this year and is very organized. Mr. Stanton, who retired last year, is still committed to helping us out and shows up every Monday for our meetings. Our teams did very well last year at UCONN, with many earning medals. We are hopeful for another fun and successful season.”

Turcotte’s students said she always has a positive attitude in the classroom.

“Ms. Turcotte is my favorite science teacher in the school,” sophomore Alex Florio said. “She’s always understanding, kind, and willing to help.”

Turcotte cares about her students and helps them to be the best students they can be

“Ms. Turcotte always helps out in class and explains topics clearly,” sophomore Thomas Davis said.