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By Amelia Mower- Staff Reporter

In the week and a half leading up to Thanksgiving, Jonathan Law High School students participated in a spirit week to get hyped up for Powderpuff and football games, along with a pep rally. 

To promote students to participate in the Jonathan Law tradition, points are awarded daily to each class with the most spirit. The themes for the spirit week were: Mismatched, Country vs. Country Club, All-American, Favorite Team Jersey, Character, VSCO Girl vs. E-Girl, Color Wars, and Decades. 

“At the end of each day a group of staff members get together and go through the tweets on Twitter and count up how many pictures were tweeted from different accounts,” said Athletic Director Mr. Sarullo. “The class with the most pictures gets the most points starting with 100.”

This year, at the Thanksgiving pep rally, a new tradition was created: the golden football. The golden football is given to the class with the most spirit. The senior class claimed the golden football at this pep rally.

Jonathan Law High School also announced a new name for their student section, in coordination with their mascot, the Lawmen. The student section will now be called “The Jury,” with four senior students with the most spirit being called “The Judges.”

“VJ [Sarullo] has made the Lawmen the official mascot,” said senior Morgan Taylor. “We decided to make our student section the Jury in honor of the Lawmen.”

The four senior Judges are Morgan Taylor, Brooke Nabors, Eden vanWaveren, and Mike Loschiavo. They will hand down their title to members of the Class of 2021 at their discretion during the Spring pep rally, creating a tradition between students. 

“I feel very honored being a judge because I love going all out for spirit weeks and pep rallies,” said Senior Eden vanWaveren. “I love being a role model to underclassmen to be confident and to really show our school spirit.”

The pep rally was held on Tuesday, November 26, before the Powderpuff football game. Powderpuff is a girls football game for junior and senior girls, against Foran High School. 

“It’s pretty important to get students hyped for the game because it’s against our biggest rival,” said senior Mike Loschiavo.

The Jonathan Law community plans to continue their spirit week tradition in the future, along with bolstering support for the forthcoming Winter and Spring sports seasons. 

“It’s important for us to keep them going whether they are winning or not,” said senior Brooke Nabors. “It shows our Lawmazing spirit.”

(Photo courtesy Mayur Somalinga)

By Mayur Somalinga – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s AP Psychology classes, headed by Jonathan Law AP Psychology teachers Ms. Burns and Mr. Young, hosted their annual Brainsgiving event on November 27.

All AP Psychology students submitted projects that simulated a restaurant intended to serve zombies in a hypothetical post-apocalyptic world with a twist as all the items are related to aspects of the brain and the biological bases of behavior, as a whole, which is meant to further enforce the students’ learning and hopefully to encourage prospective students to take AP Psychology, as well.

The project specifically entails a menu of seven items, a three-dimensional model of the brain, and two items from the student’s menu for the rest of the student body and faculty, or in this case, the zombies, to taste.

“Brainsgiving is an opportunity for students to showcase the learning that they’ve done in Psychology, specifically the chapter on the biological bases of behavior,” Burns said. “So, it becomes a novel way to display the functions of the brain and the different parts of the brain to everyone else.”

While the criteria appear to be quite finite and constraining, the subtopic of the biological bases of behavior is in reality quite diverse, offering students a fair amount of topics to base their projects on.

Senior Neal DiBlase fended off the zombies alone with an especially captivating project.

“Mine was on the Endocrine System, and of course, much like everyone else, I had many food items and mine was centered around the idea of having these two cookies – the habanero cookies and the normal cookies,” DiBlase said. “Our habanero cookies are our spicy Norepinephrine cookies and our normal chocolate chip cookies are our sweet serotonin cookies and I had a little reaction test game that I set up and whoever hit it first got the normal good cookies and whoever hit it second got the habanero cookies, and that’s largely what it was centered around.”

A majority of students took on the task in cohorts to increase efficiency and distribute the work, however, the groups still had to work tirelessly and faced difficulties during the creation of their projects.

“The one thing that I would do differently would be to have more communication amongst my group and get their opinions as well as mine about the project,” senior AP Psychology student Briana Hernandez, said. “As well as asking previous AP Psychology students what their menu was like to get more food ideas.”

Even though the project was very rigorous, so much so that it was all done outside of class, it still offered an enriching experience for the students to get creative and collaborate with their counterparts from other AP Psychology classes that they usually wouldn’t get the chance to work with.

Junior AP Psychology student Luke Morris agreed with this evaluation.

“The combination of the creativity that goes into the menu, making the food with your friends, and the competition between each group is so much fun,” Morris said.

Brainsgiving is open to all students and faculty, and as such it receives an overwhelming turnout, especially since it is usually hosted on the day before Thanksgiving Break.

Among the plethora of tantalizing treats the visitors can try and the occasional game they can play, they are also encouraged to vote for the booth, identified by a letter, that they think is the best.

As much as Burns considers the voting aspect to be a perfect way to instill a feeling of interest in the spectators, especially since the group in first place is awarded five extra credit points, Burns simultaneously feels that the voting feature overly politicizes the event to the point where it strays off of its initial intent, which is to, again, educate students and staff about the brain and it’s interconnected systems.

“Next year, if every group submits a question or  fact that they want somebody to find out about their booth and then we put it together as a treasure hunt or a scavenger hunt and then as kids come in they have to fill it out and fill out a form on Google [Forms] and they can be entered to win a gift card and then maybe I think they’d be more invested,” Burns said.

(Photo courtesy @jlawkeyclub)

By Lucas Greifzu – Editorial Editor

The Jonathan Law High School Key Club meets Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in the Senior Cafe to discuss their plans for upcoming events.

The Key Club is involved in many events during the year, and they raise money for several different groups of people around the community. Currently they are volunteering for the Salvation Army by shaking the can around Milford.

“Right now we are doing our yearly collection for Salvation Army which involves standing outside of Shop Rite, and Walmart and shaking the can for donations for the Salvation Army,” said Jonathan Law Key Club Officer Brian Zirkel. “We do this fundraiser every year and it goes on until about Christmas time.”

However, the Key Club is also preparing for the annual district conference. This year the conference is in April and the Key Club is prepared for it.

“I know that we currently have a lot of members that are eager to go and learn from the experience, just as I have in the past two years,” said Jonathan Law Key Club President Angel Santiago. “I can also tell you that we will be coming home with many awards that our key clubbers have worked extremely hard to earn throughout the year.”

The Key Club also does a lot more than just volunteer around the community. They also have several fundraisers throughout the year, two of which are happening in the near future.

“We are doing a poinsettias and wreaths fundraiser right now,” said Jonathan Law Key Club Treasurer Noah Forsythe. “We are also going to be doing a cookie batter sale soon for the upcoming holiday season.”

Finally, while the staff of officers that the Key Club has does a fine job of running the club, an adult leader is still present and helpful to ensure smooth operation, and Mr. Boynton is impressed with how well the club is running.

“I am presently surprised, to be honest, I was a little nervous with the graduation last year, but we got a great influx of freshmen and sophomores and everyone is really working very hard and cooperating with each other,” said Jonathan Law Key Club Director Mr. Boynton. “So far we are exceeding the success that I expected.”

All in all, the Key Club is well on its way through another successful year of helping people not only throughout Law but also through the community of Milford.

(Photo courtesy @jlawchoir)

By Mia Cerrato – Editorial Editor 

Jonathan Law High School recently hosted an induction ceremony for students chosen to join the National Art Honors Society and Tri-M. 

This event was to acknowledge the artistic abilities that remain in Jonathan Law. 

“It was an induction ceremony for Tri-M which is a music honors society and NAHS which is an art honors society,” said junior Sreeya Gudlavalleti. 

The induction ceremony was a way to appreciate the talent at Jonathan Law.

“This ceremony was important to highlight the efforts of art and music students,” said junior Rachna Vipparala. “It is an important event because it recognizes artists and musicians as a valuable part of the community at Jonathan Law.”

The ceremony went very successfully according to students who participated.

“It went very well and thoroughly enjoyed being apart of it,” Gudlavalleti said.

The choir even went on to perform some songs and display pieces of art. 

“It went very well and we sang the National Anthem as well as a song called One Voice,” said junior Joey Soto. 

The choir successfully showed their talents and the hard work they have been putting into their extracurriculars. 

“Overall the event was successful, and I was very happy it went smoothly,” said Gudlavalleti. “We are working very hard this year so I am glad it went well.” 

Many students enjoyed this part of the induction and went very well.

“My favorite part was listening to the choir sing and seeing all the pieces of the artists in NAHS,” Vipparala said.  

Students are also thrilled to be apart of this and believe it is a huge honor. 

“I am really happy in this club because I enjoy that I can spread art around,” said junior Alexis Rios. “It shows how art is so important to people and can affect the community.” 

Students can see the impact that their art or music their community.

“ I have begun to realize how important art is and how much it can positively impact someone’s day,” said Rios. “I enjoy making people happy through the little things and it is an honor for my art to be noticed by others, specifically by the school.”

Not only does art or music impact the community but the artists and musicians themselves. 

“Music and the arts mean a lot to me,” said Gudlavalleti. “It is something I look forward and it makes my day as well as others.”

(Photo courtesy Maddie Papcun)

By Maddie Papcun ─ Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law National Honor Society is once again giving back to the surrounding community with their annual Giving Tree. 

Every year, the members of the NHS decorate a Christmas tree in the lobby with tags. Each of these tags says the gender, age, and gift request of an underprivileged child in a local family currently in need of help. 

“We work with counselors of  Bridges who provide us with the wish lists of the kids from their families in the most need,” NHS advisor Ms. Turcotte said. 

Bridges is a social service organization based in Milford. Through the organization, counselors work with local families in need of help each holiday season, providing the club with a list of children and their wishes without disclosing names. 

“Mostly, people ask for toys that they can’t afford for their young sons and daughters,” senior NHS president Morgan Taylor said. “We do also get a lot of requests for children’s winter clothing, such as boots, hats, gloves, and coats.”

At meetings, NHS members write the requests out on holiday cards, which are then hung up on the tree for anyone to take and fulfill. Presents are returned, unwrapped and with the original tag, to the tree in the lobby for the NHS to collect and distribute back to Bridges. 

“We hope to not only give kids the presents they wish for, but to also open peoples eyes to the situations that others may live in,” senior NHS Vice President Laxman Mohanarajan said. “A lot of the requests ask for essential items, like clothing, which is hopefully eye-opening and encouraging the community to give back to the less fortunate.”

Students and teachers alike participate in the gift-giving annually, making it a point to take the time to give back in the busy holiday season. The Giving Tree has been running at Jonathan Law for over 10 years.

“Every year my family tries to do something to help out, and having the giving tree at school is not only convenient, but good for the community,” senior NHS member Amelia Mower said. 

Overall, the Giving Tree is an easy to understand concept with an even easier implementation. 

“It actually is not very difficult to run,” senior NHS Treasurer Sandra Chaghin said. “The entire NHS club is involved in each step, and being surrounded by friends as everyone sets up makes the time fly.”

The simplicity and community benefits keep the Giving Tree returning to Jonathan Law’s main lobby each year. Everyone is encouraged to participate in any way possible. 

“Just take a tag,” Taylor said. “It’s super easy to get the gift considering the fact that most are pretty general and won’t be extremely expensive; giving back makes everyone involved super happy.”

(Photo courtesy @jlawchoir)

By Eliana Chico – Staff Reporter

In order to raise enough money for a trip, Jonathan Law choir students are raising money.

To do so, cookie dough and pastries are being sold. The pastries are being sold at $14 and the cookie dough (to be prepared independently at home) is being sold at $18. So far, the goods are being sold quickly.

The choir trip will be traveling to Williamsburg, Virginia, later this year. The purpose of this trip is to have Jonathan Law’s choir students participate in a competition, perform, learn teamwork and other valuable life lessons, build bonding experiences, and build and promote their passion for singing.

“The chorus trip is definitely going to cost a lot, but in the long run, it’s worth it,” said freshman Arlene Bangavong. “The cookie and pastry selling has been pretty successful so far, and I’m really confident and excited about the trip.” 

The choir students have so far collected $1,647. 

“I’m pretty sure that the trip will be for four days and three nights,”  sophomore Tiffklasia “T.T.”  Whitaker said. “I can’t wait to sing and hang out with my friends at the museum park and at the beach. This is going to be so fun.”

Other Jonathan Law students are excited for the choir members.

“I’m so, so excited for the choir kids,” junior Alexis Rios said. “I’m definitely going to spread the word about the pastries and cookie dough so that they can get this trip. I really feel that they earned this and can benefit from it. They work so hard all the time, and they definitely deserve this amazing opportunity.”

Sophomore Jazmine Casiano agreed.

“I think that this trip is a pretty great opportunity for the choir students to build on their choir path, and I guess you can say their choir career,” Casiano said. “For sure, this is a good learning experience and I cannot wait to see how the students improve and learned from this trip. They can definitely take something from it and teach other students a thing or two as well. Who knows? Maybe others can become passionate about choir as well and join.”

(Photo courtesy societyforscience.org)

By Alexis Rios – Staff Reporter

National Math Honor Society is an academic club at Jonathan Law where students complete different math-related activities and competitions. 

NMHS allows students to work with their peers and to build more of an understanding of math.

“This year our goal is to promote math and to get an influx of membership,” math teacher and advisor Mr. Ruzbarsky said. “The club is to honor those who have a very good math average.”

Allowing students to participate in these events allows them to build on their teamwork and math skills. 

“I like how it is a community where like-minded people get to meet and share their interest in mathematics,” junior member Rachna Vipparla said. “I hope to explore my math interest and possibly pursue a career in mathematics.”

This club is open to anyone who has passed an Algebra II class and who has a strong interest in math. 

NMHS has three upcoming competitions to participate in within the next few months.

“I hope students are left with the notion that the field of mathematics is an amazing field to pursue a career in,” junior president Meghana Cheela said. “ The goal of the national math honors society is to spark interest in the mathematics field”.

Every student who joins will have to be an active participant in the events and meetings. This includes members who volunteer and try their hardest in competitions.

NMHS includes more than just math. This society also focuses on collaboration and commitment. 

“I’m looking forward to this year because I’m excited to participate in competitions and to work with others,” junior member Midori Hughes said.

NMHS is there for more than just exploring mathematics, it’s there for the students to have fun as well. This club wants students to enjoy and find fun in mathematics. 

“Many people associate math with a negative connotation and we want to fix that,” Cheela said.

NMHS encourages anyone to join who fits the criteria. To join the society, one must have above an 87 average in all math classes and one must have completed Algebra II. 

“I’m excited for this year in National Math Honor Society because I want to explore the mathematical field and work with others in competitions,” junior vice president Sreeya Gudlavalleti said.

(Photo by Adarsh Senthilnathan)

By Adarsh Senthilnathan – Staff Reporter

The Student Congress at Jonathan Law High School has been very busy this year, with over 30 members, it has introduced over eight bills and most recently passed a bill on recycling bins in the cafeteria. 

The Student Congress, run by history teacher Mr. Zuraw, consists of a House of Advisories and a Class Embassy. This is a similar structure to the United States Congress, which consists of a House of Representatives and a Senate. 

Students debate on significant topics, such as change in the school’s policies and guidelines, and also discuss about the best ways to foster change in the school.

Zuraw created the organization to give more students a chance to have their voices and opinions heard. 

He has noticed that not only do the students often have a better idea of the problems or issues happening in school, but they also sometimes have better ideas for solutions. 

“My hopes for the Congress are to get it filled so every advisory and every grade level has representation,” said Zuraw. “They just did recently pass their first bill and it was approved by Mr. Thompson so stay tuned for that announcement in the coming weeks.” 

The Student Congress is mostly affecting the students since it is debating issues such as dress code and cafeteria changes. 

The organization helps students learn about political strategies and put them in action while debating certain bills and widely talked-about issues. 

Senior Ruhail Akhtar is proud that all of the members of the Student Congress really care about the school and want to make it better. 

“Being in the Embassy, really helps you see things from the inside and it’s really great to hear so many ideas and voices from everyone on how to better the school,” said Akhtar.

The Student Congress teaches students about the government of the United States and how it runs on a day-to-day basis. 

Junior Edward Platonov said that, as a Representative, he is most proud of the fact that the Student Congress helps students learn about the nation’s government. 

“Student Congress will impact Law greatly because it allows students from all over each grade to debate together on things that would improve Law,” said Platonov. “It also replicates our real government so it’s a great way to implement real life into our school which allows students to participate in roles that might be prevalent in the future.”

Many students have joined the Student Congress because of its popular debates and the ability to change the school in a beneficial way.

Junior Hans Saludar said that he can easily connect with others in the organization because they are all into debating and politics. Saludar feels that many ideas that students want are not implemented in the school, however the Student Congress is currently fixing that.

“I wanted to join Student Congress first and foremost to help the students and being in the organization helps people voice their own ideas along with their peers’ ideas,” Saludar said. “At first I didn’t want to join, but I’ve always been into debating and politics, so I decided to go for it.” 

The bill passed by the House and Embassy regarding the recycling bins in the cafeteria was a very positive change and has helped keep the world a safer place.

Sophomore Julien Roy was very happy to hear about the ongoing process of implementing the recycling bins in the cafeteria. 

“The Student Congress shows a genuine passion and concern for our learning environment which presents positivity for the student body,” said Roy. “Most recently their ongoing implementation if recycling bins in the cafeteria displays concern for our worldly living space.” 

(Photos courtesy Amelia Mower)

By Amelia Mower – Staff Reporter

On Halloween, Jonathan Law’s National Honor Society sponsored a costume contest celebrating Bobo, Principal Thompson’s dog’s fifth birthday. 

It was $2 per person to enter the contest with the following categories: Best Female, Best Male, and Best Group. The National Honor Society raised $100 from the entries. 

“The National Honor Society is going to donate all the money we raised to a local animal shelter,” said Senior NHS President Morgan Taylor. “We will be going to the store and buying as much pet food and toys as possible.”

The 15-member NHS voted on the winners for each category. Costume entries included a dinosaur, Pac-Man, and scarecrows, along with many other creative ideas. 

The winners for Best Female and Best Male were Victoria Deluca and Neal DiBlase. The winners Best Group were and Joe Glorioso/Kailey Smith. 

“It feels very good to win the contest,” Glorioso said. “I thought we had a good idea.”

DiBlase was dressed up as the classic American man- Uncle Sam. 

“I actually got the idea for my costume from a really old Halloween photo of when I was still a baby dressed as Uncle Sam,” said DiBlase. “I’m happy that people appreciated the costume.” 

Deluca, transformed herself into a scary clown. The attention to detail in her costume put her far above the competition.

Glorioso and Smith dressed up as Steve and Robin from Stranger Things Season Three. 

“We looked at shows and realized we both enjoyed Stranger Things and we came to a consensus of doing Steve and Robin,” Smith said. “The inspiration was from how much the characters spent together and it relating to Joe and I.” 

The National Honor Society is a volunteer based organization, which has four pillars all members must encompass: Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character. 

“We usually switch the organization that we donate the money to each year,” NHS Advisor Ms. Turcotte said. “Since it was in honor of Bobo’s birthday this year, we decided to donate food to a local shelter.”

(Photo courtesy Briana Hernandez)

By Briana Hernandez – Staff Reporter

For the second consecutive year, Jonathan Law’s Food Service class took a field trip to the Yellow Farmhouse in Stonington, Connecticut, on November 7.

There were many activities that happened during the trip including picking herbs, hand-on cooking experiences, an extensive tour, and a luncheon.

“Besides touring the farm and learning about sustainable practices, we were able to actually cook with the produce we harvested,” Food Service teacher Ms. Ryan said. 

After being outside for a little bit, the class went inside to do a little bit of cooking themselves.

“I enjoyed how we went out twice, splitting the time spent in the cold in half,” senior Abigail Lonergan said. “We were able to take a break from walking and rest a bit and then go out while the food was cooking.”

The class was broken into two groups – one making a squash frittata, the other making a kale salad with a homemade vinaigrette.

“Inside the farmhouse, our class was divided into two groups, where one group started work on making a kale salad and vinaigrette,” senior Alyssa Denomme said. “In the other room, students were taste testing varieties of squash, and made mini frittatas using the squash, tarragon, onions, kale and fresh eggs from the farm, the groups then switched rooms and activities.”

The second to last activity that occurred was getting the extensive tour of the farm. Along the way the tour guide gave tips, techniques, and information about agricultural farming.

“We ended our field trip with a more extensive tour of the farm, sustainable farming practices, including soil rotation, ground crop usage, and the importance of natural nutrient replacement was emphasized,” junior Brian Green said. “Even the chickens are used to keep the soil fertile, as their pen is constantly moved to spread the love.”

The final activity of the day was sitting down with friends and eating the food that they had cooked before they went out for the tour. 

“We went back into the farmhouse and sat at two different tables, after being served the the mini frittata and the kale salad,” junior Mariah Cotto said. “We sat there for about 30 minutes enjoying the company of our friends, laughing and answering the questions that the helpers had handed to a person in the group.”

There were two trips taken to the Yellow Farmhouse in total, one taken last year by the previous Food Service and this years Food Service. Within both of those trips there were many differences. 

“I noticed the farm had a lot more workers this time, including a new tour guide and helper in the kitchen,” Lonergan said.  Another thing was the crops and chicken rotating to different places, as the guide had mentioned.”

The Food Service class is a business which sells breakfast, lunches and dinners to teachers. 

“I had attended a conference for Connecticut Family and Consumer Science teachers two years ago,” Ryan said. “The head of the educational center for the Yellow Farmhouse spoke on sustainable farming, which captured my interest, she also extended an invitation for teacher professional development and student field trips.”

The class is already planning more field trips to the Yellow Farmhouse due to how successful the trip was both years.

(Photo courtesy @jlawdrama)

By Mayur Somalinga – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Drama Club unveiled their rendition of “The Haunting of Hill House” on November 8-9.

The cast suited-up for one performance on Friday, November 8 at 7 p.m. and two performances on Saturday, November 9 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Drama Club blended quick-witted humor and kid-friendly horror quite elegantly in their performances, leaving the audience swaying between laughter and shock. 

“I think our performances went great,” said sophomore Sophie Maselli, who played Eleanor Vance. “The audiences seemed to love the show, and whenever something unexpected happened, we breezed right through it without a problem.”

However, this level of readiness was not just a matter of luck. The Drama Club and its affiliates practiced and worked tirelessly multiple hours a week to get the show as flawless as possible.

“We had about 9-10 hours of rehearsal together every week, and then we had to practice on our own outside of those rehearsals,” said senior Riley Pastir, who played Mrs. Montague. “The biggest part of putting on a show is making sure that everyone is on the same page, and we have to make sure that we are all communicating.”

Although, in the end, it was the cast that stood in the spotlight, the role of the crew was vital to the show’s overall success. 

“We helped make the ‘spooky sounds’ such as the pounding, and also helped the actors get in and out of costumes during quick changes,” said freshman crew member and understudy for Theodora, Quinn Scalfani.

As much as the Drama Club worked extremely hard to make the show as seamless as possible, some errors occurred along the way. However, oftentimes, the audience failed to realize that a misstep had happened because the actors were so in touch with their characters that they were able to continue as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. 

“I faced a few difficulties, one was that I had a lot of lines and I would during the show, stumble over my words,” said junior Joseph Soto, who played Dr. Montague. “My biggest difficulty was probably the beard; it wouldn’t want to stay on and during the final show it came off but it was before I was about to leave, so I played it off well I think.”

While all rehearsals were critical to the final result, there were a few rehearsals that stood above the rest and those were during tech week.

“During tech week rehearsals, we aren’t allowed to ask for our line; the first unstopped run through is completed, and we begin to play around with lights, sound, and the set,” Scalfani said. “This is also the first time the crew gets to practice.”

The Drama Club has many seasoned performers; however, they also have many new members that were initially unfamiliar with the intricacies and caveats of being in the club.  

“Everyone is just so talented, and I was worried that I wasn’t good enough,” Scalfani said. “But immediately everyone was so nice and welcomed me with open arms.”

Although members of the Drama Club all have very essential roles that help keep the show afloat, Soto considers just being yourself to be the most important one of all.

“Being yourself is always appreciated and can make you feel more comfortable in the club,” Soto said.

Being yourself is a core part of being a Drama Club member, but the Drama Club also offers the chance for its members to grow, develop, and become the best versions of themselves, both on and off the stage.

“I strive to make every show not just a performance, but a learning experience for these actors,” Drama Club Director Christina Kalafut said. “I want them to hold this experience with them and use what they have learned toward performances in the future.”

The era of “The Haunting of Hill House” might be over for the Drama Club, however, they will shortly begin preparing for their spring musical, “Footloose.”

As an audience member, it is quite easy to think of the possibility of being a part of the Drama Club for a successful production, such as “The Haunting of Hill House,” to be impossible. However, Kalafut begs to differ as she believes that as long as people are willing to face their self-doubt and audition for a role, there is always a possibility.

“Take a chance, believe in yourself, and come to an audition,” Kalafut said. “Understand that plays typically have smaller casts, so if you don’t get cast, be part of the crew.”

(Photo courtesy Lucas Greifzu)

By Lucas Greifzu – Editorial Editor

The Backyard Wrestling Organization, or BWO, come together on the weekends to put on a show for its fans not only on YouTube and Instagram, but throughout Milford as well.

During the winter the BWO will be putting on the largest tournament in its history, the BWO Winter Invitational. In this tournament people will be battling for points in their respective groups.

“I like that we are moving back inside for the BWO because we are back to the start and at least we’re not taking a break from the BWO,” BWO Superstar Brandon Bartholomew said.

The winner of the invitational will go on to face the BWO champion for the BWO championship in the first outside event of the next season. He will not only have to place in the top two of his group, but he will also have to win the playoffs as well. 

“You know, I think it’s a great way for new “talent” to show what they got, but in reality it’s not like any of them could really match up with me,” BWO Champion Noah Golden said. “I’m the BWO champion and that means that I am the greatest wrestler in the whole world, so honestly I could care less who wins because they’ll meet the fate of losing to me in the end.”

There are two groups in this tournament: the heavyweight division and the lightweight division. There are five wrestlers in each division, with the heavyweight division consisting of The Universe, VCW, Billy Hartnett, BWO Tag Team Champion Brandon Bartholomew, and BWO champion Noah Golden; and the lightweight division consisting of BWO New England Champion the Puerto Rican Prince, BWO Tag Team Champion Crazy Kevin Cap, Pretty Boy Brian Zirkel, Dan the Meme Man, and BWO Hardcore Champion Harrison Martin.

“Honestly this tournament is just going to prove to everyone that I am truly the greatest wrestler of all time and I will do that by being the first person to ever hold the New England and BWO Championships at the same time,” BWO New England Champion the Puerto Rican Prince said. “I mean honestly when my biggest competition in my division is Brian Zirkel who looks like a guy who serves McDonald’s (not that I would ever put something like that in my godly body) you know I’m the favorite to win”.

In order to make the playoffs, wrestlers need to be in the top 2 of your division when the tournament is over. In order to achieve this they need to gain as many points as possible; they can earn two points for a win, one point for a tie, and zero points for a loss.

“I know, not think, that I’m winning the whole thing and getting my title back from that clown Noah, and trust me I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve to make sure this tournament ends in my favor,” BWO Superstar VCW said. “In fact, the whole invitational was over before it started.”

In the first round of the tournament, Noah was able to beat the Universe even after taking a bad blow to the head, The Universe easily defeated Brandon Bartholomew, Dan the Meme Man defeated Brian Zirkel, and the Puerto Rican Prince fought to a draw with Crazy Kevin Cap. After that match The Prince turned on his best friend Brian, and acquired a new friend in BWO Champion Noah Golden.

“To be honest I’m still pretty confused about it, and as far as I know he had no reason to turn on me and I did nothing wrong,” BWO Superstar Brian Zirkel said. “I know we had some issues a while back but I figured we were on good terms.”

(Photo by Maddie Papcun)

By Maddie Papcun ─ Staff Reporter

On Halloween, the Jonathan Law Keyette Club partnered with the Red Cross to host another triumphant blood drive in Law’s old gym.

While it was neither the first blood drive to occur at Law, nor the first time the Keyettes have worked with the local Red Cross, this year’s event was extremely successful and beneficial to the community. 

“I’d say the blood drive was definitely a success this year because often during the fall season not a lot of seniors have reached the required age to donate,” senior Keyette officer Sandra Chaghin said. “Also, we received an email from the Red Cross that stated we had both higher turnout rates and lower deferral rates than usual, so all in all the day was full of good news.”

Eligibility requirements can be tricky to meet in high school, as donors must be at least 17 years old or older, thus eliminating underclassmen from participating. Additionally, participants have to meet certain height and weight requirements, among other specific rules involving recent piercings or time spent outside the country.

“The most surprising part about donating blood was how many different ways you can be determined ineligible for blood donation,” senior and first time-donor Nick Shugrue said. “You could be ineligible for something like getting a piercing within a year prior, so you have to make sure you meet all the requirements beforehand.” 

Nerves surrounding donating blood made getting participants to sign up difficult for the Keyettes. 

“We try to educate the Keyettes about what it is like to donate blood and the impact it can have on saving lives, so that they can convince people that may be nervous about signing up,” Keyettes advisor Mrs. Hull said. 

On the day of the drive, 22 people from the Jonathan Law community were able to donate blood successfully. A few other people were signed up to donate, but were deferred due to safety requirements not being met. 

“We were very proud of our donor turnout this year,” senior Keyette officer Sam Papcun said. “The Red Cross representatives were very pleased with the results, and personally the Keyette Club reached their goal number of donors, which can be hard to do, as not everyone who signs up will necessarily donate on the day of the drive.”

The Keyette Club has hosted these blood drives since 2001 to increase community involvement. The Red Cross representatives work hard to make it a pleasurable experience for all donors, but the event would not happen without willing participants. 

“By hosting a blood drive at Law, the Keyette Club hoped to accomplish a community service and therefore create an atmosphere of generosity that is so integral to the Jonathan Law community,” Chalghin said. “Moreover, the biggest accomplishment is giving to a noble cause, especially since America is currently in a crisis related to the recent Hurricane Dorian.”

The Keyette Club worked very hard to get the blood drive up and running this year, even volunteering on the day of the event. In hosting the drive on Halloween, more students are eligible to donate, as it was during the break between the fall and winter sports seasons, but the club still has ideas for improvements.

“This year I helped recruit students and teachers to donate and gave out snacks and drinks to people who donated blood on the day of the drive,” junior Keyette member Jenna Hanson said. “I hope to bring more attention to the teachers about the blood drive because many teachers seemed interested by didn’t know too much about it.” 

Luckily, Jonathan Law’s Keyette Club has no plans to stop running this annual blood drive in the future. With the recent success, the club hopes to increase donor turnout even more in the years to come. 

“To students still on the fence about donating blood I would say it’s not as big of a deal as it seems to be,” senior Keyette member and second-time donor Laney Smith said. “Being scared is holding many people back from helping patients who could possibly be saved with your donation.”

(Photo by Tyanna Xavier)

By Tyanna Xavier – Staff Reporter 

The Jonathan Law Acapella Club is back.

Junior and president of Acapella Club Ashley Leparik will be running the club and all of its upcoming activities. Even though the club has recently started, students from all grades are still free to join. 

“In our first meeting we discussed what songs we want to perform for our Winter Concert (December 17) and what voice part everyone will be and what we want to accomplish for the club,” Leparik said. 

Practices will be on Thursdays after school and sometimes Wednesdays in Mrs. Jones’ room (Room 129). Practices will be from 2-3 p.m. 

“I think it’s fabulous that a student would take their own agency to start a club and give other students the opportunity to learn and in prove their vocal skills in another form,”  choir instructor Mrs. Jones said.

In Acapella Club, students at Jonathan Law will have a place to experiment with music and  learn the value of working as a team for creating something great with music. The club believes that when time and effort is put into making music it can move people.

“I hope to learn more vocal techniques and to have the experience of learning from each other and everyone putting in our feedback to become a well oiled machine,” senior Justin Amaro said.

Acapella Club also puts the singer at an advantage for securing jobs as a performer. By learning acapella, students also will learn to recognize pitch, tone color, and rhythms by hearing and then demonstrating that through singing.

“I would like to sing pop and more recognizable songs that everyone can jam out to and really enjoy listening to,” junior Joey Soto said.

The goal of the club is for students to have a chance to shine no matter how high or low their voice might be. When singing acapella, students not only sing, but they mimic the sound of instruments with their voice making even more of an eye-catching performance. 

“Why I wanted to join Acapella Club was because I enjoy making music with friends and I’m excited for the journey of mastering a song,” junior Hayley Headman said.

Being in a club like this will make students more confident and help them get out of their comfort zone. One of the greatest strengths of acapella is that everyone has their own voice and can be heard.

(Photo by Morgan Taylor)

By Morgan Taylor – Editor-In-Chief

Jonathan Law chemistry teacher Ms. Turcotte received a $2,000 grant from the UConn ECE program this year.

With this grant, Turcotte was able to buy new interfaces that allowed labs in class to become much easier. 

“Labquest Mini is an interface that will allow the chemistry classes to connect different probes such as a pH probe and a voltage probe directly to the Chromebook,” said Turcotte. “They can graph in real time and take it home to analyze it.”

In past years, labs were more difficult to complete.

“Students used an older system which connected to a calculator and displayed the information there but then physically write it out in their lab notebooks at home,” said Turcotte. “Now they can just see their graphs on their Chromebooks and be able to look at data there.”

With the new one-to-one chromebook initiative, the decision to apply for the grant was easy for Turcotte.

“Every year they email us, as teachers of the UConn ECE programs, and offer $10,000 worth of grant money,” said Turcotte. “I wanted to be able to use the Chromebooks more in class and we already had the digital programs necessary for the new interfaces.”

The classes use the computer program Vernier in order to see the graphed information on their Chromebooks. 

The grant also supplied Turcotte with the funds in order to buy more chemistry equipment.

“I was also able to buy more probes to get a full class setup, previously only having six sets and now I have 10,” said Turcotte. 

In order to apply for the grant Turcotte had to complete many requirements.

“I had to write a grant proposal as well as get letters of support,” said Turcotte. “Mr. Thompson wrote my administrative letter of support and (Law student) Katherine Mao and Luke Morris wrote my student letters of support. I wouldn’t have been able to get this grant without their help.”

(Photo courtesy @jlhsband)

By Samiksha Mehta – Entertainment Editor

The Jonathan Law High School band has a lot planned for this year.

The band performed at a football game with eighth graders from West Shore and Harborside and at the recent Middle School Open House. 

“In September we did strong at the first football game, and the month was very productive,” junior Max Warner said. “The past 3-4 weeks have been pretty good, as we have nearly perfected ourselves in marching, Jazz Band has begun, and we are preparing for our parades later this year.”

Warner said the band is already prepping for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day football game – and for many more events down the road.

“We are hyped for the Thanksgiving game, which is huge for us,” Warner said. “This year it’s at Law, which will ensure turnout for a lot of Lawmen (an advantage for us!) We hope to have a productive Winter Concert in December and our band is very excited for the possibility of a Virginia trip. Until then we are back and better than ever for a ‘Lawmazing’ season.” 

The band has been working as hard as they can to make sure they can get as good as they can be for the Thanksgiving game and the possible Virginia trip. 

“I’m so excited for the events the band has planned for this year, and I’m very happy to be proud of what the band is doing this year,” said freshman Bridget Dwyer.

Junior Mike Nunno is excited about the possibility of a Virginia trip.

“The band has a possibility of a Virginia trip for this year which is really cool and the parades this year are super fun so I’m looking forward to that,” Nunno said. “I think this year is going to be super awesome over all, and I can’t wait to see what else we might be planning.”

The band has always worked hard to achieve their goals for any games or events they’ve had, even going to Six Flags for the Music in the Parks Festival.

Since then, the Band has been trying hard to improve as much as they can get for upcoming games and parades.

“I really believe that we have what it takes to be our best this year,” said freshman Chris Sandholm. “The band has been doing super great so far and I have no doubt that we will be able to keep it up. We’ve worked really hard to get to where we are now and it would be a shame if that hard work all went to waste.”