(Photo courtesy GraceAnne Piselli)

By Dominick Buccitti – Editor-in-Chief

GraceAnne Piselli is the salutatorian for the Jonathan Law Class of 2018.

“I was extremely excited and surprised,” Piselli said. “I was proud of myself and happy to know that hard work over high school has paid off.”

Piselli has been on the honor roll all four years of high school, where she had high honors in grades 9, 10, and 12 and first honors in grade 11. She has taken seven AP classes in her four years at Law.

Throughout high school, Piselli has always been involved in Law community. She has been an active member of the Key Club since her freshman year and has been a member of the National Honor Society, Keyettes, and Science Club since her junior year.

Piselli also joined the Interact Club this year.

“Grace is a confident, dedicated, and sweet young woman who I am proud to have seen grow in maturity,” guidance counselor Mrs. Kovacs said. “I know she will make me proud at Northeastern.”

Piselli has received much recognition over the past four years at Law. Some of the awards she has received include: Excellence in Math, Excellence in Mathematics, Excellence in Science, Excellence in Social Studies, the Wellesley College Book Award, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Medal, and the CAPSS Superintendent’s Student Award.

In her time as a member of the Science Club, Piselli placed fourth and third at the UConn Science Olympiad.

“Grace was and is a dedicated and serious student but she’s also kind and personable,” AP English Language teacher Mrs. Lucia said. “She has a sense of what really matters in life.”

At the recent senior awards night, Piselli received the salutatorian medal for the Class of 2018. She also received a Jonathan Law Key Club scholarship and the Milford Irish Heritage Society scholarship.

“It’s been a genuine honor and pleasure to see Grace grow into a successful student and wonderful person over the past four years,” AP Biology teacher Mr. Koorejian said. “She’s truly one of Law’s best in class.”

In the fall, Piselli will be attending Northeastern University, a competitive private research university with a 28 percent acceptance rate. She will be majoring in Biology, where she will use her eventual degree to get a job as a medical researcher.

“Don’t be afraid to take breaks if you have to,” Piselli said. “School should be a place where you learn and develop, not stress.”

(Photo courtesy Dominick Buccitti)

By Dominick Buccitti – Editor-in-Chief

The Jonathan Law Key Club finished its 2017-2018 service year in great standing.

At the annual district conference, the club received the most in its history. Some of the awards the club received at the conference included: 1st place for Monthly Publications, 1st place for Monthly Reports, 2nd place in the Traditional Poster Contest, and the Distinguished Diamond Level Club Award.

“This group of seniors has been successful from the first day I met them,” Key Club advisor Mr. Boynton said. “They were great student ambassadors for both Jonathan Law and the Milford community.”

Webmaster Richard Ung received the Outstanding Officer award which is given to only one officer out of the whole New England District, for demonstrating leadership and a great work ethic throughout the year. Secretary Christina Mohammed received the District Secretary award, which is given to one secretary from each of the 31 divisions for submitting detailed and timely secretary reports.

“It was great getting to serve as secretary for a successful year,” Mohammed said.

As secretary, Grace Piselli helped the club receive the early bird award for collecting and handing in club dues earlier than the deadline that the district had set.

“I was grateful for the opportunity and I learned a lot about group management and community service,” Piselli said.

President Dominick Buccitti and Vice President Salma Samih led the Key Club this year.

“I was excited to be an officer to a great club who had a successful year,” Samih said.

Following the district conference, the Key Club has continued to volunteer at events such as the senior awards night.

Patrick Hall will be serving as the Key Club’s president for this service year. Josh DeVera will serve as vice president, Joe Federico will serve as treasurer, Ronan O’Reilly will serve as secretary, Amira Samih will serve as bulletin editor, and David Liptak will serve as webmaster.

(Photo courtesy twitter.com)

By Morgan Taylor – Staff Reporter

The annual Brain Bowl, which was hosted by the National Honor Society, took place at Jonathan Law High School on May 4.

Students and staff competed against each other in answering trivia questions which were created by NHS. Each team had four students which represented their grade along with a team of four faculty members.

“The purpose of the Brain Bowl is to get the entire school community working together to raise money for brain cancer research (and to have fun doing it),” said Ms. Turcotte, advisor of NHS.

The students who represent their grade are chosen by a test which is offered for anyone to take on one day.

“NHS members create the 25 multiple choice test and I administer it in one day,” Turcotte said.  “The top four scores for each class serve as the teams.”

Preparation for the Brain Bowl is very important to the success of the fundraising event.

“Once NHS members decide on a theme they film and show the video to generate interest and to recruit people to take the preliminary test,” said Turcotte. “Then we design and order the shirts, come up with three rounds of questions, and fundraise in the cafeteria for the two weeks leading up to the event.”

This years theme was based off of the show “The Office.”

“Every year we choose a new theme; something that we can make a funny/interesting video to use to generate interest and to get everyone to take the preliminary test,” Turcotte said.

The first round was between the four grades.

At lunch the week prior to the event, NHS members walked around asking for donations. Every time a grade raised $10, they received a point which they started with in the 1st round.

“I think that the first round questions were harder just because it took a while to get adjusted to the speed of the questions and get used to the crowd,” junior participant Grace Wootton said.

The seniors started off with 23 points, the juniors with 11, the sophomores with 10, and the freshmen with 11.

“It was really difficult to that we started out with less points,” said Wootton. “The junior team would have made it into the final round had the seniors not started out with so many more points.”

The second round was between the top two scoring teams of the first round: the juniors and the seniors.

The third and final round was between the top scoring team of the 2nd round, the seniors, and the faculty team.

“It was definitely more challenging competing against the seniors than I expected,” science teacher and faculty team participant Mr. Aguiar said.  “They knew a lot of trivia, especially about the pop culture and music questions.”

In the final question, the teams are allowed to wager points.

The faculty won the Brain Bowl this year in the final question which was “Who played the character of Creed in The Office?”

“For the final question we wagered all of our points,” said Aguiar. “Our motto was ‘Go big or go home!’ We were willing to risk it all to win it all.”

(Photo courtesy @jlawdrama)

By Morgan Taylor – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law High School’s Drama Club took on the spring production of “Shrek The Musical” on April 6-7.

The cast had three performances throughout the weekend – at 7 p.m. on Friday and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday. Each show brought a big audience and plenty of laughs.

“I think that the performance was really well put together and the cast and crew worked so hard as a team,” said sophomore Justin Amaro, who played Shrek.

The production took lots of time and effort to get it prepared for the audience, which consisted of students and faculty of Jonathan Law as well as friends and family of the cast and crew.

“In order to get the show ready, the cast put in months of rehearsal time. We really tried to make this show amazing for the audience,” Amaro said.

The production also involved many difficult aspects to the cast.

“It was definitely the hardest show I’ve ever done and it involved the most work backstage to move all of the sets and quick costume changes,” said senior Emma Hudd, who played Fiona.” It was such a cool experience as a cast to push ourselves to put on a seamless performance.”

The show was also difficult for the crew.

“There was a lot of preparation for the props and costumes especially,” said senior Ally Voytek, who was part of the cast and crew. “Because Shrek has a lot of characters that are more creative and generally more complicated to replicate on stage, we had to put our heads together to come up with the best way to get every single costume piece for each individual in order.”

The week before the production was very busy for the cast and crew.

“Tech week is the week that we add lighting, microphones, stage pieces, and costumes…basically where we make the show ready to be seen,” Amaro said.

Tech week was every day from 4-10 p.m.

The show also brought a full house for all three performances.

“The audience for all of the shows was really good,” said Hudd. “Usually the matinee has less people but it was pretty lively this time.”

The productions for the cast have not only been fun but also have taught life lessons.

“What I am going to miss most about the shows is the family I have gained out of it,” Hudd said. “When you are cast, you are with these people for hours on end. My favorite part about being in the shows over the years is the experience I have gained out of it. Without theatre I would not be able to public speak, pick up on social cues, or be willing to share my opinions. It has taught me how to work as a team and be expecting of anyone and everyone.”

Voytek was also nostalgic when thinking of the end of the year.

“I think two of the things I am going to miss most about being in the shows is the feeling of accomplishment that you get after the final bow and all of the friendships I have made,” said Voytek.

(Photo courtesy Ms. Sylvia)

By Morgan Taylor – Staff Reporter

The Milford citywide College Fair took place at Jonathan Law High School on Thursday, March 22.

The fair was run by Law and Foran’s School Counseling Departments as well as some student volunteers from clubs in both schools.

“There were 94 colleges and universities represented at the Milford College Fair,” said Law’s College and Career Coordinator, Ms. Sylvia. “Institutions from all over New England were in attendance, including Harvard University and Yale University.”

Some schools traveled farther than New England to get to this fair.

“Schools such as University of Delaware, Savannah College of Art and Design, University of Tampa, University of Virginia, and Xavier University traveled a bit more to be at the event and meet our Milford students,” Sylvia said.

The gymnasium at Law was set up with a table for each college and a representative for each there as well.

“Each school had an admissions representative (or two) manning their table,” Sylvia said. “There were a few schools that had current student or alumni volunteers.”

The fair was a way for students from across the district, including private school nearby, to either start, continue, or retouch on the college search process.

“The purpose of hosting a city-wide College Fair is to provide an opportunity for students to explore all kinds of institutes for higher education,” Sylvia said. “Students and families can use the event to gain knowledge about a school directly from admissions professionals.”

Students are able to fill out forms to get emails from colleges that they are interested in throughout the fair.

“This is a chance to ask questions, which is important when making post-high school plans,” Sylvia said. “Students can start to get an idea about which schools may be a good fit for them based on location, size, major/course offerings, student activities, sports, and other factors.”

The age of students that attended ranged from freshmen to seniors.

“I found it interesting because as a sophomore it was my first introduction to the college process and I found a lot of schools in New England that had my teaching major that I am interested in,” sophomore Felicia Fanning said.

There was also two presentations taking place at the college fair.

“That evening there were two information sessions – one on the Financial Aid process, and the other on NCAA information,” Sylvia said. “Families were able to see brief presentations and speak with experts on these topics.”

There were also some new colleges that attended this year.

“We were pleased to host some new colleges and universities at this year’s College Fair,” Sylvia said. “Some of the new schools included Mitchell College, Savannah College of Art and Design, Skidmore College, University of Delaware, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Yale University.”

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By Dominick Buccitti – Editor-in-Chief

Students at Jonathan Law stood up for their rights and sat down together, in memory of the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida.

On March 14, Jonathan Law High School participated in National Walkout Day, which was started by the March For Our Lives campaign. This organization was started by the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, to fight against gun violence, especially in schools.

Students all around the world participated, where they walked out of school. The duration of the walkout was 17 minutes, one minute for each victim of the shooting.

“I feel that it was important to hold a walkout in this way because gun violence in school is becoming a more prevalent issue in our society and something needs to be done about the gun laws in our country,” senior Salma Samih said.

Principal Mr. Thompson, Assistant Principal Mr. Hoggatt, and Assistant Principal Mr. Marko, worked with the student leaders of all of the grades to discuss how the walkout would be approached.

Senior Colleen Hugo was one of the senior leaders who stepped forward to organize the event.

“I feel very strongly about this issue,” senior Colleen Hugo said. “When Mr. Marko asked who wanted to make the announcement over the loudspeaker, I just decided to raise my hand.”

On the day of the walkout, additional police officers were present. The Law administration, faculty, and staff were posted near the front of the school that students sat and stood.

After the walkout was over, Fox 61 interviewed Hugo, Samih, and senior Grace Piselli, who were very passionate about the approach to Law’s walkout day.

“I was extremely proud and excited being a leader in this event,” Piselli said. “I was very happy I was able to be in a position where I could take action and hopefully make a change in our country about a subject I’m very passionate about.”

(Photo courtesy Ethan Fancher)

By Cassandra Soda – News Editor

Jonathan Law has a new Studio Club created by students which give kids an opportunity to pursue their passions in event production.  

The club was created to help other clubs in the school who need help with lighting, music, photography, and set design when running events.

“I made this club to provide a service to the rest of the school and third party groups that need audio, lighting, and photography help when it comes to running events at Law,” junior Ethan Fancher said.

Students say the club is a great way to work together as a team and make new friends while they also are able to get community service hours for the events they help at.

“I was actually asked to help out and host the lip sync battle with my friend,” senior Dominika Michnik said. “I had a blast and decided to officially join the club afterwards.

The club has helped with events such as the chorus concerts for both Law and the middle schools and they helped the Keyettes run Mr. JLHS. Their biggest event this year was the indoor track fundraiser, the Lip Sync Battle, where they completely ran the show.

Students have many ideas for future events including a school-wide talent show.

The club will also help with events outside of school that need a group to run their lighting or if they need a DJ.

Many students in the club do this as a hobby, as it is not something they want to pursue as a job, but there is a few kids that can see this in their future.

“There is a need for people who know how to do this profession and there is a general lack of knowledge of how to use most of the equipment,” junior Ethan Deer said. “It will always be a useful piece of knowledge that we will carry with us forever and can help us get jobs in the future.”

Members of the club hope that the club will continue to grow with incoming freshman as well as other students in the school.

Photo by Morgan Taylor)

By Morgan Taylor – Staff Reporter

Freshman Emma Liscinsky took a photo that was featured on the back cover of the Milford Public Schools’ Program of Studies.

Liscinsky is in Mrs. Romanowski´s Digital Photography class at Jonathan Law. She was chosen from many pieces of art by the Milford Fine Arts Council for a contest.

“I won first place for the picture and I got $100,” Liscinsky said. “The Milford Board of Education chose the picture from there.”

Liscinsky was in the photography class during first semester.

“The class was really fun,” Liscinsky said. “It was more of an introductory course so I was just learning about the camera and how to do things.”

Romanowski was very proud about her student.

“The art department selected and submitted a variety of artwork to be considered for the program of studies,” Romanowski said. ”Once the work was submitted, Emma’s photograph was chosen to be featured on the cover.”

The photo that was chosen was not part of an actual project in the class.

“The photo was just for fun,” Liscinsky said. “I saw that the flower was pretty so I took the photo.”

Being in the Program of Studies is a big accomplishment for art students as very few pieces get selected.

“Emma is very enthusiastic about digital photography,” Romanowski said. “She excels at capturing meaningful images because she is always willing to improve her style and techniques.”

Romanowski also teaches Advanced Photography, Digital Media and Illustration, Drawing, and Graphic Design and Communication along with Digital Photography.

“In Digital Photography students learn how to use the elements of photographic composition as well as photographic techniques to improve their ability to capture meaningful images,” said Romanowski.

Final courses will be picked in March and the course selection book are available to all students.

(Photo courtesy Jackson Warters)

By Dominick Buccitti – Editor-in-Chief

The Jonathan Law band and the Bethel High School band recently performed in a “band exchange” concert.

The concert took place on Thursday, February 15 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium. There were 26 Law band members and 54 Bethel band members that participated in the concert.

“I was approached by Damon Coachman, the band director at Bethel HS, who is a good friend of mine,” Jonathan Law Band Director Mr. Giampietro said. “I respect him tremendously as a colleague and I jumped at the chance to work with him and his students.”

Coachman has completed a band exchange with before with Brookfield High School in the past. Giampietro aspires to bring the Jonathan Law band programs to the same place as Coachman’s programs and hopes to bring similar experiences to Law.

The two bands had been rehearsing for weeks leading up to the concert.

“I thought the concert went very well and working with all the students in the Bethel band was a great experience,” junior Law band member Hannah Swenning said. “They were all very nice and working with them was a fun time.”

Giampietro felt that this band exchange would be a great experience for his students.

“There are plenty of ways that each band is helping to supplement the other and create a special experience for all of the students involved,” Giampietro said. “It may be the most exciting experience I will have had conducting a concert since I began working in education 10 years ago.”

(Photo courtesy rv337.com)

By Cole Egersheim – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law is hosting a Winter Formal on Friday from 7-10 p.m. in the Old Gym.

The dance is Sadie Hawkins-style which involves girls asking boys to accompany them. It is recommended that juniors ask for dates this way, but it is not mandatory.

“The junior class officers come up with the idea,” junior class advisor Ms. Kizavul said. “They had so much fun at homecoming and wanted to have another dance.”         

The dance will help the junior class raise money to offset the cost of prom tickets in the spring.

Members of the junior class are hoping that the Winter Formal is as fun as Homecoming, which was held at Law in the fall.

“We’re doing the Winter Formal to raise money for prom and so we can have another fun dance besides Homecoming with all the grades,” junior class secretary Cali Jolley said. 

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By Cassandra Soda – News Editor and Molly Mercaldo – Entertainment Editor

The Jonathan Law business department hosted the first annual “Law Gives Back” business panel on Friday, January 26.

Successful Jonathan Law graduates who are now leaders in the business world came back to Law to talk to current business students.

“I wanted to get a group of alumni who took my business classes to come back and show the success they’re having in the real world,” business teacher Mr. Beler said.

An assembly was held in the auditorium where the alumni talked about their experiences in the world of business and gave advice to students looking to take the same route.

Alumi in attendance included Marie Hoyt, a manager and certified public accountant at Delooitte & Touche LLP; Mike DiLeo, a Senior Associate at General Electric; Steve Cajigas, the owner of Steve’s First Class Barbers; Anthony Pietrini, a Senior Brand Manager for Schick Intuition and Banana Boat Sunscreen; Matt Ramos, a Medical Device Sale Representative for Orthofix; and Frank Virgulto, a CPA for Ernst & Young LLP.  

“This gave me hope because these were Mr. Beler’s students as well, and I want to be as successful as these alumni someday,” senior business student Chloe McCullough said.

All sophomores also attended the event in hopes of learning more about business majors in college and what the future would be like.

“It was really interesting to hear everyone’s stories and hear how they went to Law and then moved up the corporate ladder,” sophomore Morgan Taylor said.

Students were given the opportunity to introduce themselves to these alumni and ask them questions regarding their experiences in business.

After the panel, a luncheon was held at Law for selected business students. Students were able to talk to the alumni personally and ask them questions about their jobs.

The luncheon took place in the culinary classrooms and the food was cooked and served by Law culinary students.

Beler hopes to continue this event in future years and has already heard from other alumni who want to participate.

(Photo courtesy Mr. Evanko)

By Morgan Taylor – Staff Reporter

Law’s Model U.N. class attended the Delegates in Action conference at Yale from Thursday, January 18 to Sunday, January 21.

Students were able to debate in committees on different topics such as how to resolve the European migrant crisis and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Students were assigned the role of a delegate from various countries and had to discuss a variety of topics,” history teacher Mr. Evanko said.

The students debated for a total of 21 hours throughout the weekend.

“This was their final exam for the Model U.N. class,” Evanko said.

The conference was attended by close to 1,700 students from places all around the world.

“We worked with students from around the world to create resolutions on topics. There were students from Italy, Brazil, Nigeria, and other countries,” Evanko said.

Some of these topics included immigration and technology security.

“Model U.N. was a great experience which taught me a lot about international affairs,” junior Bella Carroll said.

This was the 44th session of the Yale Model United Nations which has been an annual activity at Yale.

“What I found most interesting about the conference was meeting people from all around the world,” Carroll said. “Some people had even never been to the U.S. before.”

The students engaged with Yale staff as well as students with all types of backgrounds.

“I thought it was a really fun and interesting experience to meet people from different countries,” junior Grace Wooton said.

The motto of the conference was “Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow” and students are pushed to make a social impact at the conference and when they leave.

“I was able to hear people’s perspectives on different world issues which was really interesting,” Wooton said.

YMUN has five types of committees: General Assembly (GA), Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Regional Bodies, Specialized Committees, and Crisis.

The Model U.N. class at Law is a half-year, Level 1 course available for juniors and seniors.

The class is increasing in popularity for students as it offers a middle-ground between an AP class and a Level 2 class.

(Photo courtesy twitter.com)

By Cassandra Soda – News Editor

The Jonathan Law indoor track team hosted its annual Lip Sync Battle fundraiser on February 11.

The fundraiser helps raise money to pay for the team’s banquet and to offset the cost of apparel.

“I love seeing all the kids who are normally shy open up and show their talent that night, it’s a lot of fun,” head coach Mr. Beler said.

Throughout the night there were 11 total acts, including the Law choir and Lawcapella, who opened the night with their performances.

“Performing was a lot of fun,” senior Cole Egersheim said. “The Lip Sync Battle is a great event.”

Students were the main performers of the night but many teachers also performed and joined in on the fun.

“My favorite thing about the Lip Sync Battle was getting to perform with Jordan (Beck) and (English teacher) Mr. Healy,” senior Matthew Marino said.

Throughout the night, there were a wide variety of songs from old to new, all of which thrilled the sellout crowd.

“All the performances were very enthusiastic and I thought the show was put together very well,” junior Troy Anderson said.

The winner of the contest was the “Hannah Montana Trio.” They were awarded the grand prize of $100 at the end of the night.

“The winning act was really funny and so were their costumes, I believe they deserved to win,” senior Irmina Chrzastek said.

At the event, there was a bake sale which included many different types of food and drinks. The money collected at the bake sale also went to the track team.

Beler has high hopes of this event continuing in the years to come.

(Photo by Mr. Ragaini)

By Molly Mercaldo – Entertainment Editor

The Jonathan Law Keyettes are hosting a fundraiser to raise money for blankets that they will then donate to Brady’s Smile, a charity aimed at helping children with special circumstances.

To compel peers to donate, the Keyettes have teacher volunteers who are willing to be pied in the face for the cause.

“It’s special because what were doing in our small club is having a positive impact on multiple kids and families,” Keyettes treasurer Ciara Boyd said.

This is the first time the club is pieing teachers in the face to raise money, but the Keyettes have donated to blankets to Brady’s Smile in the past.

The club’s goal is to raise at least $120 to buy fabrics for blankets. Blankets are one of the charity’s most requested items along with gift cards and food items.

“Doing charity events is a great way to give back to the community, and I know it makes a difference in people’s lives,” Keyettes vice president Priya Gupta said.

These blankets are given to patients as individual gifts that are tied in a ribbon with a note from Brady’s Smile. 

The Law staff members that have been nominated to be pied are Mrs. Loch, Mr. Zuraw, Mr. Hoggatt, Mrs. Jones, and Mr. Roumeles.

“I’m doing this because it’s a good cause and I know many students who really want to pie me in the face,” Zuraw said.

The pieing will be done to the teacher with the most money donated to their bucket in the cafe during lunch. It will be streamed on Eagle Eye News live sometime in the next week or two.

“This idea can give some students inspiration to donate, helping us raise more money for Brady Smile,” Keyettes president Mikaela Bravo said.

The Keyettes plan to continue raising money for blankets to give to the Brady’s Smile Foundation annually.  

(Photo courtesy Mr. Healy)

By Dominick Buccitti – Editor-in-Chief

Jonathan Law’s new Advanced Creative Writing class is currently working on its first anthology “Trust the Process.”

The class currently consists of 18 student writers, working on three stories each. Student stories go through a pre-writing phase, drafting phase, and a revising phase; each story is revised five times before a final submission.

“I like the challenge of helping students shape and mold their ideas,” Advanced Creative Writing teacher Mr. Healy said. “It’s amazing when you see a student’s initial idea turn into an amazing story.”

This publication will contain a span of genres and topics, including mental illness, race, life and death, and love. The stories range from fantasy, realistic fiction, action, humor, and dystopian literature.

“I enjoy being able to pick any genre, the style I write my stories, and how long I can make stories,” senior Lindsaylee Buskey-Maud said.

The book will cost $20 and is currently on pre-sale. If interested, Healy and his students are taking orders.

It will be on sale through Barnes and Noble and Amazon in June.

“Creative outlets are so important for our students and the support of the community means a tremendous amount,” Healy said. “And, who knows, maybe it will inspire readers to express themselves.”

(Photo courtesy twitter.com)

By Cole Egersheim – Staff Reporter

They are a full service mobile ice cream patrol.

And on November 14, Ice Cream Emergency came to Law to speak to Mr. Beler’s business students.

Ice Cream Emergency is a family-owned business located in Oxford, CT. They have over 10 years of experience in catering and event arenas and they service the entire state of Connecticut.

Founder Debbie Arrato said that the company’s ice cream trucks are very unique. They are designed as hospitals inside and their motto is “Saving lives, one scoop at a time.”

They offer super premium gourmet ice cream, delicious frozen yogurt, and low-fat and fat-free options.

“I think it’s a great experience for the Jonathan Law students,” Beler said. “Debbie has great experiences ranging for corporate and entrepreneurship skills. She is able to apply real life stories and success and the ice cream doesn’t hurt either.”

Students enjoyed hearing the presentation and learned how Arrato began her journey. Everyone also enjoyed the ice cream that was handed out at the end.

“I had the chocolate chip cookie dough,” junior Zach Smith said. “It was fire.”

Senior Maggie Kelly said she learned the process involved in opening a business.

“I learned that a business doesn’t start from one day,” Kelly said. “It takes a while to figure out what kind of business interests you and that you want to possibly spend the rest of your life as a career.”

(Photo by Morgan Taylor)

By Morgan Taylor – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s Giving Tree re-appeared in time for the holidays.

The National Honor Society decorates the tree each year with tags that include a boy or girl along with their age and a gift. Students and staff can take a tag off the tree and return it with the gift that is listed.

“We work with Milford Bridges who work with families who are dealing with mental health and addiction issues,” NHS advisor Ms. Turcotte said. “They collect a gift list of their neediest clients and we help fulfill the list.”

Many children ask for clothes and other necessities that many people take for granted.

“Most of the gifts are given anonymously so we don’t know the exact amount of gifts that are given each year,” said Turcotte.

NHS collects about 180 gifts each year to donate to the Milford Prevention Council and the Milford United Way.

Both students and staff participate in the activity.

“I think it’s one of the most important things I do each year,” history teacher Ms. Mannion said. “I think it’s most important at this time of the year to help someone out who is less fortunate than I am.”

NHS is going to be taking a part in many activities in the upcoming future.

“In the new year we are hoping to get welcome back graduates running again, inducting new members and getting ready for the brain bowl in the spring,” said Turcotte.

NHS inducts new members every year and this process is starting soon. The induction ceremony will take place in March.

(Photo courtesy twitter.com)

By Cassandra Soda – News Editor

Spirit Week at Jonathan Law was not an average week this year – considering it consisted of 10 days of festivities.

Spirit Week took place from November 13-17, November 20-22, and November 27-28. Some of the themes were Pajama Day, Tacky Tourist Day, All-American Day, Twin Day, Color Wars, and Black and Gold Day.

“The level of participation from all four grades and staff was the best we have ever had which made spirit week even more special,” Athletic Director Mr. Sarullo said.

The goal of Spirit Week is to bring the school together and increase the pride, energy, and school spirit through fun activities.

“I thought that Spirit Week was very eventful and it was a fun way to compete against the other grades,” freshman Jordyn Konlian said.

This year’s Spirit Week continued on after the Powderpuff team and football team won against Foran in their annual games. The football team continued on to the playoffs and spirit days were used to help them get excited for the game.

“This Spirit Week was better than previous ones because there was more school spirit everywhere and there was more competition and participation in general,” senior Molly Mercaldo said.

Spirit Week is usually used to help teams get excited for their upcoming games and give them motivation to go out on the field and win.

“My favorite part of spirit week is to see how much fun everyone has with their outfits for the themed days,” Sarullo said.

Through the use of spirit points, the week becomes a competition throughout the grades to see who has the most school spirit and who can win at the end of the week.

“My favorite thing about spirit week is being able to dress up to show my school spirit and competing against other grades for points,” junior Samantha Franzman said.

The themes of the days were picked by a committee of students and staff and the points were awarded by a secret committee that got together each day and determined points.

(Photo by Molly Mercaldo)

By Molly Mercaldo – Entertainment Editor

Eagle Eye News at Jonathan Law looks – and sounds – a lot different this year.

New technology, new students, and new projects have all been featured on the school news which streams live after the first period of every school day.

Broadcast Journalism, the class that is in charge of running Eagle Eye News, is taught by English teacher Mr. Kulenych.

“It’s been an exciting first few months of the year,” Kulenych said. “We’ve been looking forward to getting this new equipment and the kids have been amazing in learning how to use it.”

New high definition Sony cameras allow for higher picture quality than the old cameras and also have different featuring and settings that the class can use.

The news is now being streamed throughout the school online instead of being played on a channel on Law’s television system.

This year, the cameras and new studio equipment have been used to stream Eagle Eye News, record segments for the news, and to film projects outside of the news.

“I’m excited about all the new stuff we have this year,” senior Nick Owens said. “Last year, the old equipment broke down and was hard to work with.”

The Broadcast Journalism class is also currently working on making short news segments to be featured on the Fox 61 Student News. The Fox 61 Student News opportunity allows students from different schools in the state to produce and submit news stories to be featured on Fox’s news stations.

This contest also gives the students who produced superior video the opportunity to be rewarded for their excellence in news work with prizes such as cash rewards.

“This opportunity makes me feel like I have a voice to get information out and express creativity through a video,” senior Jack Pincus-Coyle said.

Also new to Eagle Eye News this year is a podcast network. 

Law’s current podcast lineup includes “Fran’s Friday 15,” a music podcast deejayed by Law principal Mr. Thompson, “Four Down Territory,” a sports podcast produced by seniors Nick Owens and Paris Champ, and “Technical Difficulties” produced by history teachers Mr. Zuraw and Mr. Roumeles.

The Jonathan Law iPads in Music class is also developing a podcast to show off its digital music.

“I like doing podcasts because it gives me the opportunity to have fun in school and talk with Roumeles,” Zuraw said.

The streaming technology has also allowed Eagle Eye News to add a radio station to its list of productions. This radio plays Billboard Top 100 music throughout the day and seasonal music for events and holidays.

“We definitely have a lot of projects going at once, but it’s been a lot of fun,” Kulenych said. “The kids are now able to get more real-world experiences in TV and radio and they have more avenues to make an impact on the school community.”

(Photo by Cole Egersheim)

By Cole Egersheim – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law is happy to welcome Mr. Lui to the history department.

Before coming to Law, Lui student taught at North Providence High School in Rhode Island and taught at Daniel Hand High School last year.

“I heard nothing but positive reviews for Law, so when their was an opening for a social studies position I immediately applied,” Lui said. “The students, staff, and community are all amazing”

Some of Lui’s goals for his classes are that all of his students are able to develop awareness and understanding for contemporary issues. He said he thinks it is mportant that students grasp how diverse the world is and understand the challenges that come with it.

He is currently teaching U.S. History, Civics, and Modern World History.

Before starting his teaching career, Liu attended Providence College where he was on the swimming and diving team and was captain his senior year. He made the Big East All-Academic Team all four years at Providence.

(Photo courtesy twitter.com)

By Dominick Buccitti – Editor-in-Chief

The Jonathan Law band has started the 2017-2018 school year with a bang – and a clash.

This fall, the band has had two major performances: marching in the Connecticut Day Parade at the Big E and participating in a “side-by-side” performance with the United States Marine Corps Band stationed at Base Quantico.

The members of the band sat with the Marines while they played pieces from their Tour of New England. Band director Mr. Giampietro got to conduct the Marine Corps Band.

“We’ve been much better in the past two years, and are continuing to work hard to get better,” junior band member Michael Bagdasarian said.

The band has performed a 10-minute halftime show at each of the home football games. They are also playing in the upcoming Milford Veteran’s Day parade.

“The band is good this year,” junior band member Jessica Scherback said. “We got a few new people which is always nice.”

Outside of marching band, the concert band and the Jazz ensemble will perform in the Jonathan Law Holiday Concert on December 13. Later in the school year, the band will travel to New York, to attend a clinic at Columbia University with the Wind ensemble director.

“I think that the experience we will have at Colombia will have a great impact on our program and I think it will allow us to improve and grow,” junior band member Hannah Swenning.

As the band has grown, they will be losing four senior members: Kyle Shugrue, Sam Serbin, Sean Patterson, and and Nelson Gomes.

“Each of these four young musicians has made an important impact on our band and it will be sad in June to see them go,” Giampietro said. “I am hoping that the commitment and dedication they have made to our progress and growth will make a lasting impact on our current band members.”

The band has current goals of growing even larger and improving their skills of musical problem solving.

“This year has already been an amazing experience of growth and achievements throughout the band, both through bonding together and welcoming in our talented new members,” junior band member Alyssa Decker said.

(Photos courtesy whitehouse.gov and kent.com)

By Cassandra Soda – News Editor

The Jonathan Law History Club is brand new to the school this year.

The club was started by history teachers Mr. Roumeles and Mr. Zuraw. The club meets on selected Thursdays after school in Room 191 throughout the year. The club is meant for students who share an interest in all things historical or having to do with social studies

“Mr. Zuraw and myself love history, politics, and social studies in general,” Roumeles said. “We wanted students at law who share those same feelings to have a club they can call their own.”

The club has more than 20 students attending the meetings, and they are planning activities such as movie afternoons, historical presentations, and possibly some field trips.

“I wanted to join the club because Mr. Zuraw and Mr. Roumeles both make their classes really interesting and they are both so fun, so I thought it would be a cool thing to do and talk about different topics,” junior Grace Wootton said.

Students are very excited for this club and cannot wait to see what is to come in the future.

“We are hoping we grow as a club and take on whatever activities and direction the students are interested in taking on,” Zuraw said.

***

Jonathan Law also has a brand new Computer Science Club this year.

The club is run by computer science teacher Ms. Corriveau and meets after school on Mondays in Room 125. Sophomore Neal DiBlase had the idea to start up the club.

“I really enjoy coding; it’s fun and kind of therapeutic,” DiBlase said. “It’s also what I want to do as a career and I thought it was a shame that there wasn’t anywhere to learn more.”

The club together learns various coding languages such as Python, C++, and Java. They also work on computer science related projects to help develop their skills while hanging out with like-minded people.

“I like seeing the students collaborate with each other and I love seeing their enthusiasm,” Corriveau said. “They are all so smart and motivated, it’s a great environment for creativity and big ideas.”

In the future, the club hopes to be working on projects all together, while teaching each other about computer science and programming unlike currently, where they are all learning together.

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By Molly Mercaldo – Entertainment Editor

The 13th annual Thanks for Giving Food Drive is taking place from November 10-12 at Wasson Field in Milford to collect food for over 250 local families.

This fundraiser is hosted by local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts with the help of Cub Scouts, and the Jonathan Law Key Club, National Honor Society, and Keyettes who collect and sort non-perishable foods and frozen turkeys.

“We appreciate all the past support from Key Club and National Honor Society and look forward to getting help again from the Lawmazing community,” event chairman Thomas Mercaldo said.

This tradition of giving back was started in 2004. A scout and his father decided that they needed to help out those in need especially because of the upcoming holidays.

“I think the food drive is a great way to have fun while helping the local community” senior Emma Caserta said.

In 2016, the drive collected 3,800 cans of vegetables, delivered 315 baskets of food, and received over $4,000 in cash donations. Since 2004, the turkey count as more than tripled.

“I think the turkey count is great because it allows the public to see the progress and feel motivated to get involved,” junior Tyler Goodwin said.

The volunteers help to distribute individually made meals to over 250 families in Milford and surrounding towns, as well as local food banks. Businesses that are collecting food for donations include Aquinas Consulting, People’s Bank, Milford Town Hall, and Give a Dog a Bath.

“I volunteer at the food drive because I want to give back to my community and knowing the work I’m doing makes a difference,” senior and Eagle Scout Ryan Lapadula said.

Although the food drive is mainly for food, the volunteers will also take miscellaneous items like clothes or toys that can be given to families.  

“The food drive has a friendly atmosphere where everyone is working hard to help out” senior volunteer and former Girl Scout Priya Gupta.

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For more information on the food drive, please visit thanks4giving on Facebook or follow @thanks4givingfood on Twitter.

(Photo courtesy Mrs. Daniels)

By Cassandra Soda – News Editor

The Jonathan Law Unified Sports team is ready and excited to jump into the new school year.

Unified Sports is a program where special education students work with regular education students and play sports in a fun environment.

“I love coaching because I enjoy watching the athletes skills increase and them making new friends with the partners,” Unified Sports coach Mrs. Daniels said. “I also enjoy going to tournaments and meeting members of other teams.”

The team plays soccer, wiffle ball, basketball, bowling, and track. There are three tournaments for soccer, two tournaments for volleyball, and one tournament for bowling and track, and Law hosts a wiffle ball and basketball tournament.

The athletes enjoy all the sports they play.

“My favorite part about Unified Sports is when we do drills and kick the ball into the wall,” freshman Anthony Correia said.

Many students at Law volunteer for the club and attend the practices and tournaments with the athletes.

“What I like the most is they are always eager and excited to practice and try new things,” senior Ciara Boyd said. “They are such a happy and motivated group and it is so much fun working with them.”

The students who volunteer love to help and see the kids having fun.

“I like seeing the excitement the kids get when they are able to do a certain skill,” senior Jennifer Contreras said.

Seeing the kids work hard is very motivational and exciting to the partners who all love what they do in working with the kids.

“I like how every kid makes an effort to overcome challenges that they face regularly,” Contreras said.

The athletes work hard at every practice to try and improve their skills while also having fun.

“My favorite part is helping the athletes play these sports to the best of their ability while also creating a bond with them,” Boyd said.

The team participates in a Youth Leadership Summit in December where partners from other districts in Connecticut meet and attend break-out sessions to talk about leadership.

The team in the past has won the Michael’s Cup award and hope to win it again this year or in the future.

The team practices on Mondays and Thursdays from 2:00-3:00 in the old gym from September to June. The kids and partners are all looking forward to having a fun, enjoyable, and successful year.

(Photo by Dominick Buccitti)

By Dominick Buccitti – Editor-in-Chief

This year, Jonathan Law welcomed a familiar face, Mr. Hoggatt, as a new assistant principal.

Just before last school year ended, the position opened up when former assistant principal Mrs. Drew announced her retirement. The candidates for the job went through a series of interviews, including a student panel.

“I have enjoyed Jonathan Law and I wanted to get involved with administration,” Hoggatt said. “When this job opened up, I felt that it would be a good fit.”

Before becoming assistant principal, Hoggatt was a math teacher at Law for the past 13 years, where he had served as math department head for the past three years and athletic director three years before that.

“Mr. Hoggatt is knowledgeable, supportive, humorous, sympathetic, and authoritative,” senior Kayla Sharpe said.

Law principal Mr. Thompson feels grateful to have Hoggatt on his administrative team. Hoggatt was what they were looking for in an assistant principal.

“He has shown himself to be an excellent fit as an administrator,” Thompson said. “His love of Jonathan Law and his commitment to making all of us better is evident every day.”

Some of Hoggatt’s goals were to: continue to meet and learn about the students, try to get as many after school activities at Law, and to get into as many classrooms as possible.

“He understands their [students] needs and works with them to reach their full potential,” assistant principal Mr. Marko said. “In every decision that he makes, he considers the needs of the students first and then tries to make it happen.”

This year’s senior class and a portion of the junior class were the last classes to have Mr. Hoggatt as their math teacher.  

“He is a fair disciplinarian and is attentive towards the whole school,” senior Grace Piselli said. “He has a big heart.”

Hoggatt currently oversees the sophomore and senior classes. He has a piece of advice for the Class of 2018.

“Take advantage of all of the great opportunities Law has to offer,” Hoggatt said. “Don’t wish your senior year away.”

(Photo courtesy twitter.com)

By Molly Mercaldo – Entertainment Editor

Milford’s Relay for Life was held on Saturday, September 16, from 1-11 p.m. at Jonathan Law High School.

Relay for Life is a signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society that incorporates communities and volunteers in an effort to raise money in the fight against cancer, while also celebrating fighters, survivors, and their families.  

“it’s a good way to raise money for a well known and helpful organization. And there is so much to do there with your friends,” senior volunteer Ciara Boyd said.

Milford has held this fundraiser for 15 years and has raised a total of over $1.1 million since its inception.

According to the American Cancer Society, almost 22,000 people in Connecticut will have some form of cancer this year, which is one of the leading diagnosis’s amount per state.

“My mom had cancer and my grandmother had cancer; I have lost a lot of important people in my life to cancer,” Jonathan Law senior Brianna Lenotti said.

Relay for Life’s opening ceremonies began at 1 p.m., including speeches from Milford Mayor Ben Blake, and Milford Superintendent of Schools Dr. Feser.

This year, over 30 teams and clubs participated in the fundraiser this year, and raised money for the foundation.

“When I was 10, I got diagnosed with skin cancer and it was the scariest moment of my life,” senior cancer survivor Salma Samih said.

To fund raise, teams held stations where you could win a fish, take pictures, and get henna designs.

Along with stations, Relay for Life also had a lemonade stand, a food truck, and bouncy houses.

“We drew freelance henna pieces on participants who wanted a piece of art,” senior Mikaela Bravo said.

Law’s sports teams and clubs and Foran sports teams and clubs made Relay teams to help raise money.

Milford Public School teams included the Law National Honor Society, Foran Cheer, Law Girls Soccer, Foran Boys Soccer, and Law Girls Swimming and Diving.

Each team included adult supervisors and team captains some of which who are student leaders.

“I felt like I was doing a good deed because I was able to raise money for cancer research while I was having fun with my friends,” president of National Honor Society and team captain Robert Fisk said.

Closing ceremonies from Relay for Life includes a luminary lighting, a slide show featuring survivors and those lost to cancer, and a lap of silence for those taken by the disease.

(Photo courtesy Matt Marino)

By Kira Ortoleva – Staff Reporter

Many popular musical artists have revealed new albums and songs recently.

A group of Jonathan Law seniors will soon be joining that list.

Senior Matt Marino, a captain of the boys track team and a rap enthusiast, has been creating the music and lyrics to his own rap songs for three years on Soundcloud. He’s accompanied by seniors Connor Creane, Dean Pettway, Ronnie Spangler, and Jordan Beck.

“I just wanna get to the top,” Marino said.

Marino balances his academics and athletics with his rap career. He has several songs out on Soundcloud, and creates the music himself. He and his senior classmates formed the group The Jiggy Fellows and will drop their debut album, “Jiggy Forever,” this month.

Creane said he enjoyed the process of making the album.

“We gave tips back and forth,” Creane said. “Lyrics back and forth.”

As a boy, Marino was always infatuated with music. He’s played multiple instruments throughout his life, and started with jazz music.

He plays the trumpet, guitar and drums, and was inspired by his father, a music teacher. Marino grew up listening to rap music, and it eventually inspired him to make his own.

Of all the professional rappers in the industry, most of Marino’s inspiration comes from Logic and Kendrick Lamar. He’s based his type of music off of the type that Logic produces.

“He’s got a good mind,” boys track coach Mr. Beler said.  

Pettway is impressed with the diversity of Marino’s lyrics and messages.

“He has a few different flows which is what’s good about him,” Pettway said. “He can switch it up, his lyrics are meaningful, and every beat he uses compliments them well.”

Marino’s peers said they enjoy his music and that they see consistent improvement with each track.

“He’s getting better and better with each take,” Beck said.

Marino plans to become a doctor and study at a college in California. In the meantime, his peers and teachers are taking notice of his musical talents.

“He’s very creative,” technology education teacher Miss Corriveau said. “He’s an outside of the box thinker, and likes to get things done quickly and right. He’s extremely talented with writing lyrics.”