(Photo by Catie Rice)

By Catie Rice – Staff Reporter

Mrs. Almonte est le professeur de Francais au Jonathan Law.

Almonte has been teaching at Law for 31 years. Throughout those years, she has taught Global, Russian History, Modern Social Issues, and now, French.

She has been teaching French for the past five years. She decided to teach this class because the enrollment went up at Jonathan Law, but she still loves Russian History just as much.

“I encourage everyone to take French because it is spoken in more countries around the world than Spanish,” Almonte said.

Most students continue to take Spanish when they enter high school, not knowing they have the option take another language.

“French is very enjoyable so it makes learning easy,” senior French student Paige Szygiel said. “Although it is difficult to pronounce some words.”

Almonte is a hands-on teacher and does many group activities so the class can interact as a whole.

“I love Mrs. Almonte, she is one of my favorite teachers that knows how to make the class fun and still teaches us a lot,” junior honors French student Colleen Rice said.

Szygiel agreed.

“She is very a loud and friendly teacher that makes it easy to talk to,” Szygiel said.

Almonte loves to laugh and get close to her students, so it is easy for students to talk to her.

“My first year of French was great and I am very interested in learning more,” sophomore French student Jake Bombace said.

Almonte is also the advisor for Law’s French Club.

“I recently joined French Club this year and encourage everyone to join it,” Rice said.

French Club meetings take place on Thursdays. Starting this month, the club is selling Bon Bons, a French candy, for $1 throughout the school day.

Each May, after AP exams, the French Club goes to the Hill-stead Museum in Farmington. They look and learn about French artists as well as the paintings they’ve created.

French Club is a relaxed club that has in-depth discussions of the French culture. They also eat French food and enjoy French films.

“The club allows all students in Jonathan Law to embrace french culture by watching french films as well as participating in field trips related to the language of French,” junior French Club treasurer Michael Dattilo said.

Students who do not take French as a class or know how to speak the language can still join the club if they are interested.

(Photo by Emily Carroll)

By Amanda Downs – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s art teacher Mrs. Romanowski enjoys all of her classes.

Romanowski loves teaching her Digital Photography classes and interacting with her students. She teaches Digital Photo, Advanced Photo and Advanced Photo 2.

“I find fulfillment teaching students how to express themselves creatively through a variety of media,” Mrs. Romanowski said.

Romanowski has been teaching for 17 years and was inspired to become a teacher from her elementary art teacher whom she looked up to.

“Mrs. Romanowski is a gem, I really learned a lot when I took her class and would’ve loved to take more classes with her,” senior Anna Downs said. “She is one of the kindest teachers I’ve had and really shows interest in all of her students.”

Romanowski went to Southern Connecticut State University and graduated with a double baccalaureate degree in Art Education and English.

Her first teaching job was at Jonathan Law and Alternative Education class. She then worked at Foran, West Shore, and now at Jonathan Law.

“I’ve always loved working at the high school level and I’m so happy at Law,” Romanowski said.

In her past she has had two self run businesses for dog training and a dog treat business, but loves what she does now and would not change it.

“Mrs. Romanowski really cares about her students, like when you have problems outside of class or if something cool and exciting happened and you bring it up to her she’ll listen and talk to you about anything that’s on your mind,” senior Erik Brzoska said.

Romanowski likes to focus on getting to know students and their individual personalities and most of the students love her for that. She hopes that she can impact students the same way she was impacted by her teacher.

“I’ve taken three classes with her and she’s been one of my favorite teachers throughout high school,” senior Jaret Petrie said.

Outside of the classroom, Mrs. Romanowski is interested in hiking, writing, the state of Oregon, and nature. She also loves animals such as snakes, donkeys, and sloths.

“I really like taking photography here at Jonathan Law because it gives me and other students the opportunity to either learn or perfect our skills with photography,” said freshman Amira Samih. “Mrs.Romanowski is very helpful and makes sure that we fully understand every concept she teaches us.”

(Photo by Emily Carroll)

By Emily Carroll – News Editor

Jonathan Law students and faculty represented their school on Thursday, October 15, at Law’s annual Open House.

Eighth graders and their parents were given ‘swag bags’ after they signed in to the event. Each ‘swag bag’ contained literature about the school and course offerings, Law accessories, and tickets to a volleyball or football game.

“Our school pride and spirit really came through thanks to all the students, teachers and staff that came out and volunteered their time,” Principal Mr. Thompson said.

Students Ian Hugo, Emma Shea, Tyler Chavez, Leo Merturi, and Abigail Williamson spoke in the auditorium about the academics, extracurricular activities, electives, athletics, and their overall experiences at Law. A “We Are Lawmen” video produced by the Broadcast Journalism class was also shown.

“I tried to make it more sentimental in front of the parents and make Key Club as appealing as possible to show how it can help students in other areas in their life,” Chavez said.

After the speeches, the eighth graders and parents moved to classrooms where teachers gave mini-lessons. Law students and teachers then gave guided tours of the school.

“Both the parents and students in my class seemed very excited about the school,” English teacher Ms. Rosner said.

The mini-lessons were an opportunity for the eighth graders to see how an actual high school class would be taught.

Thompson’s presentation in the auditorium was a highlight for many eighth graders and their families.

“I did not know Law was ranked highest (in terms of) AP courses,” eighth grader Connor DiMuro said.

After the guided tours, everyone moved into the new gym for the Academic and Activity Fair, where sports teams, clubs, and subject areas set were on display..

“You could tell that there is a lot of school spirit (at Law),” parent Mrs. LaBanca said.

Law’s band and color guard also showed their pride and talent by playing music outside of the new gym.

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By News Editor – Valeria Araujo

The Jonathan Law Unified Sports team attended a tournament at Amity High School on October 14.

They won all three games they played including a hard-fought victory against Foran. Members said that the team has worked really hard to get where they are, and they are excited for their upcoming scrimmage against against Foran on October 28 and their next tournament at Staples High School on November 2.

“I like when we have tournaments and I’ve made (many friends),” senior Unified Sports athlete Jennifer Gill said. “Hunter is my friend, Luigi is my friend, Robert is my friend, Elizabeth is my friend, Ashley is my friend, and Kristen is my friend.”

The Unified Sports program pairs disabled students and peer partners to play on the same team.

“Mostly I’m paired up with Richard – he has this attachment thing to help him with soccer and I help him out a lot with that,” sophomore club member Matthew Mainieri said, “It’s how I like to spend most of my time here.”

Law’s Unified Sports program also offers wiffle ball, bowling, volleyball,soccer,basketball, and track. After soccer season, the team will start playing wiffle ball, and then in January, they will begin basketball.

“I like bowling because when we bowl it’s really fun, there is a lot of disco lights every time we go and all the kids are having fun and it’s such an easy sport,” senior member Elizabeth Mainieri said.

Unified Sports runs from September to June and meets for practice on Mondays and Thursdays. If anyone would like to join the team, they can come to the old gym on those days at 2 p.m.

“I like to practice and have a game with my friends and play basketball,” senior athlete Jennifer Gill said.

Unified Sports has created long lasting relationships that continue after graduation between the athletes and partners. It gives members a chance to play an organized sport that the may not have been able to play before.

“Unified Sports is great because everyone gets to participate and have fun,” Unified Sports organizer Mrs. Daniels said. “It is amazing to see how much the students skill level has increased.”  

The students work extremely hard and get better everyday.

“My favorite part of Unified Sports is going to the tournaments, meeting the other team members and connecting with the coaches,” Daniels said. “I also, enjoy hosting a basketball tournament at Law and having our Law family see what the students  can do.”  

The overall environment of the Unified Sports club is inspiring to all involved. Students are very eager to help and everyone shows great teamwork.

“The joy of accomplishment, camaraderie and competition no matter who wins (is the best part),” Unified Sports advisor Mrs. Holden said. “Athletes, partners and coaches all cheer for everyone.”

(Photo courtesy Amita Sastry)

By Ian Hugo – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law STEM team recently placed first at Module One of the Sikorsky STEM competition.

The competition took place at Cheshire Airport and pitted Law students against STEM teams from nine other schools in the area. The schools were tested on their knowledge of Corsair and search and rescue helicopters and took part in interactive team building exercises.

“I enjoy STEM because it allows me to cooperate with my peers, work together and compete against other schools,” senior James Mercaldo said.

The task at hand was for students to create a business presentation explaining the history and functionality of Corsair (a World War II fighter bomber) and search and rescue helicopters, which teams researched leading up to a presentation in front of Sikorsky staff.

The presentation consisted of five speakers, each of which were responsible for explaining a certain aspect of the team’s presentation. Amita Sastry introduced the presentation, Jake Fucci explained the history of Corsairs, Dan Ouellette detailed the five main Corsairs used throughout World War II, Mattheus Mejia spoke about the history of search and rescue helicopters, and James Mercaldo discussed why helicopters became the go-to vehicle in the search and rescue industry.

“Presenting was difficult but it ended up turning out well so all our efforts paid off,” Ouellette said.

After Law’s presentation, the team participated in a team building exercise, competing against other schools taking part in the STEM presentation. Once the team-building exercise had ended, the top three places were announced and Law was revealed as the winning team.

“I knew we had a good chance because we have a lot of good members on the team this year that work really hard,” Sastry said. “But I was still really surprised and excited when they announced that we got first place.”

Law has been working hard towards this result, improving the place in which they finished each year since the induction of STEM two years ago. Law did not place their first year – they finished third overall – and so far this year Law is in first place.

Law’s STEM team expects to compete in four more modules this year: free body diagram, trade study, the planning module, and the final project which comes in April. The team is currently working on the planning module, which is due on October 26, and working towards the long term goal of the final presentation at Sikorsky and winning the overall Sikorsky STEM competition.

Each module is worth a fixed amount of points, with the final project being worth double, making Law’s preparation that much more important. For the rest of the year and for the remainder of the modules, Law is confident in their abilities and that they’ll place high come the final project.

“I think we’re off to a good start, and that our first place position in this will kind of catapult us to first place in the final event,” senior Emmanuel Alesna said.

(Photo by Emily Carroll)

By Emily Carroll – News Editor

Mr. Marko recently joined the Jonathan Law community as the new assistant principal.

Before he came to Law, Marko was the Dean of Students at Tomlinson Middle School in Fairfield. He replaces Mr. Cavanna, who was named principal at West Shore Middle School.

“He is eager to meet everybody and very welcoming,” principal Mr. Thompson said. “He is going to do a great job complimenting our team.”

***

Marko sat down for an interview with Advocate news editor Emily Carroll. He discussed his early impressions of Law as well as his plans for the future.

***

Emily Carroll: What made you decide to be an assistant principal?

Mr. Marko: I really enjoy being with students and the dean’s role really gets you in with the students, but I was missing out on a piece that I also liked which is the academic role. I was a teacher before I became a dean. The assistant principal role does still lend itself for me to be with the students in a dean-type of position. It also allows me to work with teachers and students in the classroom.

EC: What made you come to Milford?

MM: I was looking for a place that I thought that I would really enjoy going to and the reputation that Law has is that it is a great big family. When I came to interview for the position, that is the feel I got here. I like that the students look like they love to be here, that they take pride in their school, and wear their colors. That was the type of atmosphere I was looking for and Law seemed like the perfect fit.

EC: What are your long-term and short-term goals for this year?

MM: My long-term goal this year is to assimilate myself to become a part of this community and to really entrenched to get a feel for what makes this community so special. Really that’s my short-term goal, too. I want to help take Jonathan Law to the next level. It is already great, but even when you are already great at something there is always room for improvement.

EC: Do you have any idea for how you would help improve Law?

MM: I call it the “look, listen, and feel” aspect of being the assistant principal here. I don’t really have an idea of what is really here yet.

EC: What were some reactions and emotions you felt after your first day?

MM: I was kind of like a whirlwind. You don’t really remember much of what was going on. I think it was meeting the people. Anyone who walked by stopped and said hello. I think when you have an environment where someone new comes in and every person at least smiled or came to shake my hand and introduce themselves – student, teacher, everyone – I think that’s a type of environment i’m going to enjoy really working in.

EC: What are some of the things you like to do outside of school?

MM: I like to travel. That’s one of the things I really enjoy doing to try and get away. I have a wife and two children, a 12 year old and a nine year old. So a lot is based upon their lives. I like to go play golf and to just really enjoy my family.

EC: Is there anything else you would like to say to the Law community?

MM: Just a big thank you for being so welcoming and for just taking me in as one of their own already. Usually it takes a little bit of time, but I really feel very comfortable here and it really is the way that everyone is treating me here.

(Photo courtesy Justin Bartolomeo)

By Justin Bartolomeo – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law High School is adding a Technology Student Association club this year.

TSA, which is run by Mr. Robinson and Mr. Barcello, offers students an opportunity to complete a variety of projects in and bring them to enter them in national conventions. Projects are focused in areas including engineering, science, and arts.

“It’s not just for the tech students,” Robinson said. “It’s a great way for them to display their creativity and put it toward a competition.”

The club offers a great outlet for students to be able to create projects for competitive purposes and to win great prizes. It also gives students the chance to show their abilities worldwide.

“We offer competitions ranging from animatronics, biotech design, desktop publishing, engineering design projects, photo stuff, software developments, videogame design, and even music and art,” Barcello said. “It’s really not just for engineering nerds.”

TSA offers a very expansive list of possibilities to its students.

“We basically guide the kids throughout their projects and what they wanna do, we just try to help them organize with the leadership and the overall schedule of events,” Robinson said.

The students in TSA know that they will get everything they need to succeed from the advisors, from their peers, or from the few great officers that help run the club.

The president of the club, senior Nikolai Jaiseree, is very active and willing to help in any way he can. He helps set up and run meetings, leads projects, and helps out any members in need.

TSA aims for students to achieve their creative goals. Students in TSA learn everything they need to know about any field they decide to pursue by putting their knowledge to the test.

“TSA is for any student that wants to further his or her knowledge in science, mathematics, engineering, or even photography,” senior member Mark Dow said.

To join TSA, student should see Robinson or Barcello in the tech wing.

(Photo courtesy @jlawdrama)

By Emma Saley – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Drama Club is currently prepping for its upcoming fall play, “Almost, Maine.”

In “Almost, Maine,” nine couples embark on a journey of love. Similar to movies like “Love Actually,”  these couples’ stories intertwine, and nine different scenes turn into one large story.

“The play’s coming along very well,” Drama Club vice president Ann Reed said. “We’ve got a lot of talented actors this year.”

Drama Club meets once a month, usually on a Friday after school and rehearsals are every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 4 p.m.

At meetings, the play is discussed, and there are talks about how to get involved backstage. They also discuss ways for those without parts to get involved.

“We started rehearsals three weeks ago and have already completed staging the show,” Drama Club director Christina Kalafut said.

The play takes place on a cold, clear, moonless night in the middle of winter. All is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways.

“I’m very excited for ‘Almost, Maine,’” junior Jill Bendlak said. “I feel like it will be so well done and because it’s a smaller cast, everyone will get along better.”

Unlike last year’s fall play, “Steel Magnolias,”  which featured an all-female cast due to a shortage of boys, in Drama Club, this years play is more diverse.

This year, five boys will be featured. Some will even be playing multiple roles.

“There are a lot of freshman in the play this year, and we have more boys which is exciting,” Bendlak said.

For many, Drama Club is an outlet and a way to express themselves without judgement. Last year, Law junior Nisali Fernando joined Drama Club as a way to conquer her shyness.

“I was determined to get out of my shell sophomore year and what better way to do that than by singing and acting on stage,” Fernando said. “I knew I wanted to commit myself to something and ended up falling in love with Drama Club.”

Drama Club is always looking for new members, and is open to anyone who would like to join.

The Drama Club will also be performing a musical in the spring.

Auditions will start in January, right after winter break.

(Photo courtesy kotaku.com)

By Brendan Felag – Staff Reporter

Mr. Ruzbarsky and Mr. Evanko are looking to make Video Game Club a hit again this year at Jonathan Law.

The first meeting of the club was held two weeks ago in Room 193. There was a big turnout of interested students ready to game.

“The Video Game Club is more focused on variety this year. We are planning on switching consoles every two weeks to enjoy different games more than last year,”  Evanko said. “For example, right now we are playing the Wii U and Gamecube, while in two weeks we will likely switch to the Sega Dreamcast and N64.”

The main focus of the club is to play multiplayer games (especially 4-8 player games) so everyone can get a chance to play.

Ruzbarsky and Evanko plan on expanding the selection of games this year.

“We are planning on playing Wii U and Gamecube games, including ‘Super Smash Bros.,’ ‘Mario Kart 8,’ ‘Nintendoland,’ and others,” Evanko said. “Club members bring in whatever they feel like playing so long as it is school-appropriate.”

Club members most enjoyed “Super Smash Bros.” and “Mario Kart 8” last year, but now with this wider variety of selections, that could change.

The students in the club can really play any games they want as long as they own the game and is school appropriate.

“(Kids can play) any game, as long as the person owns it, it’s up for play,” Ruzbarsky said.

This club is even good for the students that aren’t really into video games; it can introduces them to a type of game that they may like.

“We are trying to expand everyone the genres of games that everyone plays,” Ruzbarsky said.

Evanko and Ruzbarsky enjoy advising this club and hope that it lasts for many more years to come.

By Mindy Le – Staff Reporter

Interact Club is kicking off the year with new goals and fresh ideas.

(Photo courtesy Mindy Le)

This year, Interact Club will be led by College and Career specialist Ms. Intelisano. Meetings will take place every Wednesday after school in the College and Career Center.

“This club offers community spirit, chance to complete volunteer hours,” Intelisano said. “It offers team building, friendship, and an opportunity to do good for our community.”

Interact is a club sponsored by the Devon Rotary. It offers high school students a chance to complete volunteer hours and get involved in the community.

New officers of Interact Club are president Emma Saley, vice president Lauren Paredes,  secretary Samantha Markham, and treasurer Victoria Contaxis.
“Anybody can join, any Jonathan Law student is welcome to Interact with open arms,” Markham said.

The meetings involve briefly going over new opportunities, giving members a chance to sign up for upcoming volunteer dates, asking questions, sharing recent events, and catching up.

“I’d love for more people to know about Interact Club so that they can get involved and see what a great experience that it could be,” Intelisano said “ Right now, we have around 15 members, but we plan on increasing that number significantly.”

Interact Club is making it their goal to get more students involved with the community.

“I want to bring Interact even closer, like a family,” Markham said. “Instead of just going out individually to get hours, I want to have more chances for group, to work together as a club.”

The Interact Club has already offered many ways to get involved such as the annual Christmas Tree lighting, Oktoberfest, Peace, Love, and Music, for Maren, RYLA, Next Generations, and the Beth-El Shelter.

“This is my second year, it really is a great club with great people,” Saley said. “It’s a chance to be active in your community and we want to be able to get more people involved, to open up new things and experiences, like RYLA.”

RYLA stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. The annual conference teaches about leadership, ethics, communication skills, and conflict management. It aims to help build self-confidence and trust. It is held at Camp Hazen in Chester, Connecticut. The program is three days long and will count as community service hours.

“At RYLA you learn about leadership, teamwork, friendship,” junior Hieu Nguyen said. “There’s more, I just can’t tell you, it’s suppose to be a surprise. All I can say is you’ll have a lot of fun, everyone is extremely genuine, it’s a safe place, and after three days you will have a new mindset, you will be coming home the best version of yourself.”

Members agree that Interact is a fantastic club that provides more than a just way to complete volunteer hours or get involved.

“I joined so that I could graduate with distinction but I learned this club doesn’t just offer 200 hours,” Nguyen said. “It offers new friendships, new experience. It motivates you and teaches you the value of teamwork.”

(Photo by Molly Vargo)

By Molly Vargo – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s GSA is preparing to travel to UConn for a conference this spring.

They will attend the True Colors Conference at Storrs for the day to help support and meet the needs of the LGBT youth community. The True Colors Conference is a two-day conference which takes place on March 18-19, 2016.

Law’s GSA will attend the Friday, March 18 conference day.

“We usually go for a day,” GSA co-advisor Mr. Evanko said. “It’s a really cool thing to attend, it’s open to anyone.”

The True Colors Conference is a non-profit organization that works with other agencies and organizations to ensure the needs of sexual and gender minority youth are completely met.

The organization was established in 1992 by Robin McHaelen.

Evanko and Miss Mannion, Law’s GSA advisors, are very excited for the True Colors Conference.

The two-day conference consists of an opening ceremony on the first day. Activists and state representatives come in to make speeches to attendees about the LGBT community and what the day will consist of.

“It’s definitely the biggest event we participate in,” Mannion said.

The workshops that Law’s GSA will attend are workshops about self-help, education about the LGBT, community, and history of the LGBT community as a whole.

“The best thing about the day is learning more about LGBT issues,” Mannion said. “And attending workshops where the kids can sit down with other kids and get advice and feel good about themselves in a safe environment.”

The conference also has comedy acts and musical performances, making the day an even more exciting and positive experience for the people attending.

“It’s almost like a rock concert,” Mannion said. “All in all, I think it’s a great day.”

The two day conference is a very positive, very educational day for all who attend.

“I think it’s really great; it’s a very eye-opening experience for both the kids and adults,” Evanko said.

(Photo by Vishal Manglani)

By Vishal Manglani – Staff Reporter

The students at Jonathan Law have extensive resources to advance their future.

The College and Career Center, run by Ms. Intelisano, gives seniors as well as underclassmen a doorway to their future. Students in all grades can explore the world of universities and career options  which will provide the proper guidance these growing individuals need to flourish.

“It is good to start coming down when you’re a junior,” Intelisano said. “We want kids to come in here and feel welcome.”

Guidance counselors refer students to the College and Career Center when in need of help in the college application process.

“Being a school counselor, I am very involved in the College and Career Center.” said guidance counselor Mrs. Kovacs. “For example, I am involved with certain programs like college visits, and sending students into the room for help with college essays.”

Assistance for college essays can be provided in the room Tuesdays and Thursdays until 8th period by Mr. Kovacs.

The College and Career Center is open every day. However, it is unattended during third lunch wave.

For more information about the College and Career Center, contact Ms. Intelisano at aIntelisano@milforded.org.

The College and Career Center does not only offer opportunities to seniors. Juniors and other underclassmen can come down to find job openings, volunteer hours, essay writing help and computer access.

“When students need help gathering transcripts and help with scholarships, they come to me so I can send them out,” said Stofko. “I’m the last step.”

Intelisano and Mr. Kovacs, who are college essay specialists, encourage students to come down to the room even if you’re not a senior.

“It is a great place to come, no matter what grade you’re in,” guidance secretary Mrs. Stofko said.

Students assigned by guidance counselors are heavily involved in the College and Career room.

“I think the College and Career Center is a great supplement to us guidance counselors,” said guidance counselor Ms. Haramis. “It’s a nice place for seniors to get ahead during a study hall.”

Seniors may take advantage of other opportunities in the College and Career Center that don’t have to do with college at all.

“If I’m not looking up scholarships to apply to or filling out the common app, I’ll be doing my homework, filling out my volunteer hours, and basically doing what I need to do to succeed in life,” said senior Kelly Scianna.

Students find the room very appealing and tend to like the environment the room creates.

“The room is very friendly, and has a very positive vibe,” Scianna said. “Ms. Angela is very helpful and always there for you.”

(Photo by Cyntia Santos)

By Cyntia Santos – Staff Reporter

There has been an alternative physical education class at Jonathan Law since 2011 which is designed for the “non-athlete.”

This class is called Physical Education 2B. This year there are three full sections of the course.

“The class has a non-intimidating atmosphere which is usually made up of mostly females, but we have had males in the class,” physical education teacher Ms. Paolini said. “You’d be surprised with how much of a workout these students get in a short class time.”

Instead of taking the regular required gym course, this class focuses more on fitness than athletic ability.

“I loved it,” Law Class of 2015 graduate Kelsey Kopazna said. “For someone who is very into fitness, it was a great way for me to stay fit in a real workout during school.”

Paolini said that there is a percentage of students that do not always enjoy the organized team sports in P.E. class. This class gives them a chance to be exposed to fitness training on all levels like, weight lifting, yoga, plyometrics, cardiovascular training, and many others.

“I liked it because we could use whatever equipment we wanted, and I prefer working out over sports,” junior Samantha Viscount said.

Students must take  P.E. 1 before they can take this class. That way, all students are exposed to team sports during their freshman year.

“I think that P.E. 2B is a fun way to take gym because it’s not like a regular gym class which would have you do hockey and soccer as activities,” junior Abigail Williamson said. “You get to experience yoga and other fun activities.”

In this P.E. course, students are still required to do the Connecticut Physical Fitness Assessment, which includes the mile, the pacer, the sit and reach, push-ups, and curl-ups, and still take the final exiting exam.

“We did Zumba, yoga and pilates which were all so much fun and a good break from academic classes,” said Kopazna. “It was so cool to learn all new yoga poses and exercises rather than the usual sports in a standard gym class.”

This class has stepped away from the traditional sports in a regular P.E. class. It focuses more on overall fitness levels and gives students an opportunity to perform lifetime fitness activities in a non-competitive environment.

“I would definitely take it,” senior Alyssa Paladino said. “And if you don’t like doing the sports in gym, it’s less competitive and more laid back.”

The sections focused on this year can change in future years depending on enrollment.

(Photo courtesy Carol Phillips)

By Amanda Downs – Staff Reporter

Law’s Natural Helpers Club is ready for a new year.

The club has three main goals for every year: to teach Natural Helpers effective ways to help their friends, to teach Natural Helpers positive ways of taking good care of themselves, and to teach Natural Helpers ways to contribute to a safe and supportive school environment. This program allows peers to help one another.

“I’m excited to do more events this year and really be able to reach out and spread kindness,” Natural Helpers advisor Miss Hanson said. “I want to make sure this club has more of a presence.”

The club meets every Monday after school, unless told otherwise, in Room 170.

Natural Helpers is based on the idea that when people have problems they turn to their friends or other adults who they trust for help. The club allows a “helping network” to be implemented in the school.

The students involved in the club get trained with the “helping skill” that is used to assist peers in complicated situations in a safe, organized, and healthy way.

“I’ve been in Natural Helpers since freshman year and I love it,” junior Ben Warters said. “I always know where to go if I need to talk to somebody.”

Their first fundraiser this year is going to be selling baked goods at the football game to raise money for the club.

Natural Helpers does a lot of volunteer work at law and in the community. In the past they have done volunteer work such as Folks on Spokes, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, and Hands of JLHS.

“My friends have been telling me how much fun it is so I’ve decided to join this year,” junior Van Sirisouk said.

Throughout being in the club, helpers develop many skills such. Many of those skills involve utilizing the “helping skill,” empathizing with others, accepting others, exploring alternatives, exercising self-care and expressing helping limits.

“Natural Helpers is a great peer helping community and it helps bring people together,” Natural Helpers president Kavita Rana said.

In past years, the club has gone to a retreat center for two days with a lake. They also went on a trip to Holiday Hill.

“I love Natural Helpers; it’s a great way to make friends and help other people in the school and community,” junior and club secretary Jillian Bendlak said. “We do a lot of fun activities together.”

(Photo by Isabela Roldan)

By Isabela Roldan – Staff Reporter

Peer Assisted Physical Education, Peer Assisted Culinary and Nutrition, and Peer Assisted Music classes have welcomed back students for the new year.

Peer Assisted Physical Education’s main focus is fitness and working alongside  students who need assistive physical education.

“Working with special needs students is different from other students,” junior and peer assistant Zach Bender said. “You can learn many things from them that you wouldn’t learn from other students.”

Prerequisites for Peer Assisted P.E. are Physical Education 2 or Physical Education 2B. Prerequisites for Peer Assisted Culinary and Nutrition are Culinary and Nutrition/Exploring Food and Nutrition.

Peer Assisted Music requires students to have taken any previous music class. All classes are worth a half credit each.

These classes are available to provide valuable teaching examples to students interested in going into careers related to teaching and health care. Peer Assisted classes also strengthen students’ communication skills.   

“The best moments in this class would be when all of the students love the food they just made,” junior and Culinary and Nutrition peer assistant Abby Williamson said.

Students in the Peer Assisted Physical Education class, like regular Physical Education classes, participate in activities such as basketball, volleyball, soccer, frisbee, running, and joining their peers in the fitness room. These activities, however, are modified to fit the needs and skill level of the special education students.

Peer Assisted Culinary and Nutrition class allows students needing assistive help to create delicious dishes alongside peers. Students enjoy making meals such as muffins, pancakes, apple crisp, and more.

Peer Assisted Music allows students to work alongside students needing assistive music. It also provides valuable teaching lessons for peer assistant students interested in pursuing a career in music therapy.

“I think this class is helpful to the students because it shows that other kids care about them and it makes them feel appreciated,” junior and peer assistant Briana Marshall said.

All peer assistants learn said they have learned about friendship, treating others with respect, and compassion.

“We have many peer helpers that have a gift for working and caring for individuals with needs, and will make a difference in the world as they grow towards their career,” Peer Assisted Physical Education teacher Ms. Paolini said.

Peer Assisted Music is open to all grades, while Peer Assisted Physical Education and Peer Assisted Culinary and Nutrition are open to any sophomores, juniors, and seniors interested in working alongside students needing assistive education.

“Joining peer assist sounds like a great way to get to know and interact with more people in the school,” junior Maggie Sullivan said.

(Photo courtesy redcross.org)

By Colleen Rice – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s Keyettes Club is ready to welcome new members and to volunteer this fall.

This all-girls community service club is involved in the community and participates in many activities around.  Meetings are every Tuesday after school in Room 205.

“Keyettes Club participates in a variety of different community service activities,” senior Keyettes President Gianna Laezzo said. “Such as the Blood Drive, doing folders at Pumpkin Delight, helping out at Retail 101, and partaking in a clothing drive every year.”

The Keyettes are very involved in helping and volunteering their time in the community. Last year 40 students and teachers signed up and donated 40 pints of blood.

“We have our annual blood drive on October 23,” Keyettes Club advisor Mrs. Jaekle said. “We are also volunteering at the middle school open house, pumpkins on the pier and the Beardsley Zoo Howl-O-Ween.”

Seniors Alyssa Paladino and Laezzo play a key role in the club as co-presidents. They are two important leaders that help Jaekle run the club.

“My Keyettes experience has been very rewarding and has brought me some great volunteering opportunities,” junior Keyettes secretary Deepika Senthilnathan said.

The Keyettes hosted their first ever Caring Closet Clothing Drive last year which was a huge success.

“It’s a really easy way to get community service hours to graduate with distinction and you can hangout with your friends will helping the community,” junior treasurer Madison Laezzo said.

Keyettes is very flexible for its members. The club understands other commitments for students occupied in sports, after school activities, or educational purposes.

“Meetings don’t take up too much time and if you do have the opportunity to attend one, then it would be great,” Madison Laezzo said.

Keyettes Club also runs a Mr. JLHS pageant in the spring. The show typically features 10-12 senior boys doing a “Miss America- type” pageant. The boys perform a talent, have an evening wear competition, and a question and answer portion.

“I am very excited for this year’s pageant; we are still figuring out the date,” Jaekle said.

In years past, many participants used their singing and dancing talent to try and impress the judges. The panel of judges usually are made up of a group of teachers at Law.

“I’m really interested in being apart of the Mr. JLHS pageant and I hope a lot of guys join, too,” senior Abe Ocak said.

(Photo by Catie Rice)

By Catie Rice – Staff Reporter

There are many new eyes watching the students of Jonathan Law.

Dozens of new security cameras have been installed in various spots around Law this year. By installing the new cameras, security will be able to monitor more spots around the school and watch the students closer.

“The security cameras are very essential part of Jonathan Law security,” head security guard Jose Cardoso said. “We not only need to see who comes into the school, but we also need to know what’s going on in our school.”

In total, there have been over 100 new security cameras installed around the school.

In the past, the cameras have been ineffective and not able to see all spots around the school.

“I’m happy we are finally getting all of the blind spots covered by the cameras so there will no longer be blind spots in the school,” Law School Resource Officer James Kiely said.

Some students disagree with the cameras and think they were unnecessary, while others think they make the school more safe.

“I don’t think more cameras were needed,” senior Renee Lynch said.

One of the goals of the new security cameras is to better monitor students entering and leaving the building.

If a student is caught leaving school grounds they will get a 1-2 day in-school suspension and a call home to their parents.

“I think that the security cameras are necessary for school so students can get caught leaving,” senior Paige Szygiel said.

Security has also created a new system called School Gate Guardian.

When visitors come into the school they need to show either their driver’s license or some identification that issues an electronic background. The background checks for registered sex offender notices, child custody matters, and or court issued orders of protection.

If there is someone in the school that security does not want there is a uniform button that alerts rest of security and Mr. Thompson and will make them leave. They are also working on the button to automatically lock all the doors.

Security guards are making sure that students have passes and are not roaming the halls and skipping class.

Security is catching students who are not where they are assigned to be and are putting them on restricted pass so they can only walk in the halls with a security guard. The new security cameras will help in this effort.

“The security cameras will allow for more countability and physical proof that kids are in the hallways,” math teacher Mr. Ruzbarsky said.

(Photo by Maeve Rourke)

By Maeve Rourke – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s Science Club is preparing for a big year of competition.

The Science Club meets every Tuesday at 2 p.m. in Room 212B. The club is run by science teachers Ms. Turcotte and Mr. Stanton.

“The Science Club gives students the opportunity to explore all the different disciplines of science that they may not learn in high school,” Science Club advisor Ms. Turcotte said. “Students get to compete with others from across the state and country.”

This club provides many opportunities for students who enjoy science, engineering, and working with friends.

“Science Club is fun because I like to learn new things about topics I enjoy,” junior club member Trisha Brady said. “I also enjoy the challenge.”

Every year, the Science Club participates in several competitions in the Science Olympiad for Division C. This will be the club’s fourth year competing.

This year, the club wishes to send two teams to compete. They are now seeking out new members to fill the second team.

“I think that sending two teams will allow us to have a better chance at competing at Yale and UConn,” senior Science Club vice president Kavita Rana said. “It also allows more people to become involved with science.”

Every member gets the opportunity to attend the invitational competition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Yale in February. The club attends regionals at UConn in March.  

To celebrate and recognize the achievements students in the areas of science and technology, The Science Olympiad awards thousands of certificates, medals, trophies and scholarships.

“Competing at the Science Olympiad is fun and exciting because we get to meet other high school students from around the country who are just as passionate about science as we are,” senior club president Emma Shea said. “It’s rewarding to see teammates do well with their events and projects because we have seen the struggles and the ‘Ah-Hah!’ moments that led them there.”

Members get to build different mechanisms, and learn a range of scientific studies. Also, members of the club get to conduct interesting labs with friends.

The members of the science club are assigned to different events to compete in. Each year there is a new rotation of events.

“The scrambler was a building event where I had to build a car with its own braking system,” junior Science Club secretary Jordan Negron said. “The front of the car holds an egg and it had to stop before hitting a wall.”

This year’s Olympiad include events such as Astronomy, Bridge Building, Chemistry Lab, Disease Detectives, Forensics, Robot Arm, and many more.

Teams from across the country compete in the Olympiad, making preparation that much more important.

Meetings are held every week so members can work on their projects or discuss their topics with teachers.

Last year, three members were awarded medals: one first place medal and two fourth place medals.

This year, as a team they aim to place in the top half of all the competing schools. Individually, each member aims to win a medal in their own events.

“We can improve by being more prepared for the events at the Olympiad this year,” sophomore Science Club treasurer Meghana Jaladanki said. “We plan to place well in all our events by having better notes and study guides for the tests, and by improving how well our projects function during the building events.”

By Ann Reed – Staff Reporter

(Photo courtesy of amazon.com)

Law’s Debate Society provides a forum for rousing debate, and is open to all students.

The Debate Society meets every Monday at 2:10 p.m. to discuss topics that change weekly.

“Debate Society is a gathering of people who discuss a current political topic divided into two groups: the opposition and the affirmative,” junior President of Debate Society Tiffany Carlson said. “It is encouraged to take different stances than your own at times to see new perspectives, but it will almost always be up to the member to choose what side they wish to be on.”

Some topics debated include the Syrian refugee, the 2016 presidential election, and many other timely topics. Students are encouraged to consider both sides of the debate instead of just sticking to their personal opinion.

“We decide as a group which topics to debate, usually cycling through various topics including social issues, economics, political problems, and others,” Debate Society advisor and history teacher Mr. Evanko said.

Evanko is a Debate Society veteran this year and enjoys seeing students passionate and informed about timely topics.

This club challenges students to dig deep and form an opinion on topics that they might be too scared to discuss otherwise. It is a place where students can go to learn about the topics that push boundaries and take students outside of their comfort zones.

“Debate Society is important because it provides a bunch of different skills to the students that they wouldn’t necessarily get out of academic classes such as public speaking and self-confidence,” history teacher and Debate Society advisor Miss. Mannion said. “And it encourages kids to be up-to-date on current issues.”

Students are able to join anytime. You don’t have to come to every meeting to be apart of the club, you just have to come ready to debate.

“Anyone who is interested in learning how to argue, and ready to stand up for what they have researched is welcome,” Mannion said. “It gets lively, but we certainly know that everyone has to be respectful.”

The Debate Society hopes to recruit more members throughout the year by encouraging students to step out of their comfort zones and give their club a try.

“A lot of these kids end up having college interviews with big shot people at colleges and you would like to sound self-assured and academically driven, and it (Debate Society) helps,” Mannion said.

(Photo courtesy Abby Williamson)

By Abby Williamson – Staff Reporter

One club can make you friends forever.

Jonathan Law’s Friends Forever Club will hold its first meeting on Tuesday. October 20. Friends Forever is a club where Jonathan Law peers have the opportunity to interact with kids with special needs to form friendships outside of the classroom and their regular friend group.

Club members are matched up one-to-one by club officers based on personal interests with hope to create bonds that last past high school.

“(Friends Forever) gives you the experience of seeing how you can make a difference in someone’s life,” junior and Friends Forever Co-President Leea Palmer said.

Friends Forever meets after school for one hour every month. The club allows the kids who participate to practice important skills like interacting socially with people while enjoying each others company.

“It’s one Tuesday out of the month that could make a difference in someone’s life,” Palmer said. “Seeing that I’m making a difference in these kid’s lives makes me feel good about myself.”

During the hour kids and peers participate in hands-on arts and crafts while eating snacks and bonding with all of the other friends in the club.

The club officers plan out specifically themed meetings based on the month. In the past, they have had Halloween parties for the month of October and celebrated being thankful for the month of November.

“I’d love to join (Friends Forever),” junior club member Brianna Arnold said. “I want to go into speech pathology so joining the club would be good experience.”

Although Friends Forever forever offers a fun time, it also could look good on college applications if you would like to pursue a career in special education.

“It’s nice to hang out with my friends,” sophomore and club member Atul Joseph said.

Sometimes the club does ‘outings’ and takes trips to places like the movie theater, the Shelton Sports Center, and the senior center for Christmas caroling.

“I’m just looking forward to seeing my kids smile and seeing a bunch of friendships made that can last past high school and into life,” club advisor Mr. Winebrenner said.

Friends Forever is a fun environment to be surrounded by amazing kids eager to build new relationships.

“I just love being around them,” junior and Co-President Sydney King said. “It’s a judge free zone.”

Unlike nationwide clubs like Key Club, Friends Forever originated at Jonathan Law.

“The club was designed for my kids to make friends for life,” Winebrenner said.

By Jessica Cuevas – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Key Club will now be running the concession stand at all Law sporting events. 

Due to the recent disbandment of the Jonathan Law Sports Association, volunteers were needed to keep the stand open and running. 

“After (athletic director) Mr. Sarullo mentioned that the Sports Association wasn’t doing it anymore, Key Club decided to step up,” Key Club advisor Mr. Boynton said.

The members of the club will be volunteering at the field house every varsity football home game. The club will be serving pizza, candy, soda and other drinks like water and Gatorade.

“Key Club is looking forward to running the stand every home game,” Key Club co-president Marissa Pollack said. “It’s a great way to get volunteer hours.”

Many members are excited to be able to earn volunteer hours while simultaneously raising money.

“It’s a great way to raise money for a great organization,” junior Key Club member Matthew Zancewicz said.

Along with the change in volunteers, there is a change in the menu. The concession stand no longer sells things such as hamburgers or fries.

Some students were disappointed about that change.

“I just want my halftime fries,” senior Seamus O’Reilly said.

The club is considering serving hot dogs at the next few games but will no longer serve items that need to be cooked since the student volunteers can not use the grill or deep fryer.

“I was disappointed and I wasn’t even there at the game,” senior Ian Hugo said.

On top of volunteering at the concession stand, another big upcoming event that the Key Club volunteers at is Salvation Army.

This is when members of the club stand outside stores and ring a bell to grab shopper´s attention to donate money to the Salvation Army.

¨We are very excited for Salvation Army, everyone loves it.¨ junior co-president Michael Jalaf said. ¨It´s a fun time.¨

The Key Club meets every Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in the senior cafe.

The club is still looking for new members. Dues are $15 and can be handed in by November 1 or as soon as possible.

(Photo by Nisali Fernando)

By Nisali Fernando – Staff Reporter

Kindness continues to be spread at Jonathan Law.

Law students and teachers are fundraising and applying for grants to bring a mosaic Ben’s Bells mural to honor the lives lost at Jonathan Law.

“Jonathan Law High School has been through a lot of tragedy in the past few years, and I think that the mural would be a way that Law would be recognized as a kind school,” art teacher Mrs. Murphy said.

Fundraising efforts are underway to assure the mural will find a place at the school.

“We have to raise enough money to be able to bring the mosaic here so as we start, we hope different people will get involved and embrace the same idea and want to contribute,” Burns said.

The Ben’s Bells program and Kindness Week started at Law last fall. Murphy was inspired by the kindness program at her son’s school and introduced it to Law with the help of Mr. Ragini’s kind-themed activities in advisory.

Following these activities, the Law community found ways to incorporate kindness and Ben’s bells into their daily lives.

“Kindness matters is not just a slogan for us, it’s a commitment,” Principal Mr. Thompson said.

The Ben’s Bells mural would embody the message of kindness and caring Law has embraced in the past year.

“To have a mosaic like that when you walk by, you would just remember all the good Law has accomplished and send that message that we want to be carriers of kindness,” history teacher Ms. Burns said.

The location of the mural is undetermined. It would be visible to everyone entering the school, and it would serve as a reminder of the kindness of the Law community.

¨No matter where we place it in the school it will always remind us of what a special community we have here, not just our school but the whole Milford community,” Murphy said.

Murphy hopes the Kindness Leadership Team she founded will take the initiative to spread kindness, and bring this mural to Law.

“Students and faculty can get involved by supporting our upcoming fundraisers and spreading the word about them,” senior Molly Krupienski said. “They can also actively spread kindness like the Ben’s Bells sets out to do.”

The Ben’s Bells program motivates others to be mindful of their actions and proves how kindness does have a big impact on everyday life.

“I try to spread a little kindness every day by trying to be a positive person, I’m always there to help if needed,” senior Kristen Plouffe said.

The mural would just serve as a reminder that the Law community continues to grow from adversity and can spread kindness even during the toughest of times.

“One of our strongest values is respect, be kind to each other, be kind to other people, and I think that that mural will memorialize that concept,” Thompson said.

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By Owen Paiva – Staff Reporter

Law’s Fishing Club angles for a productive year of fishing and fun.

The club is looking for new members, from those who have never touched a fishing rod in their life, to the most experienced anglers. To have all the information on meeting times and field trip info, text @fishing14 to 81010 or listen to Eagle Eye News.  

“Our focus this year is fishing, period,” club advisor Mr. Morazzini said.

Besides Morazzini, the club is led by junior president Louis Heenan and vice presidents Logan Herb and Hunter Thomas.

The club is encouraging members of all skill levels to join, and the officers are willing to teach those who are new to fishing. The club will also supply most of the gear needed, so those without it can still join the club.

History teacher Mr. Roumeles is helping to advance the club into new realms of fishing. He has brought freshwater fishing experience, allowing the club to expand its fishing locations.

“I bring a different perspective, the freshwater perspective,” Roumeles said. “I know Mr. Morazzini is the better angler, freshwater and saltwater, but I bring that experience.”

Freshwater fishing is different than saltwater; there are different species and different tactics required. The equipment is usually downsized and a little bit different for freshwater.

The Club goes on trips to freshwater and saltwater locations in Milford including Anchor Beach, as well as trips to Maltby Lakes in West Haven.

The club also has different activities including rod building, custom lure building, fishing reel maintenance and knot tying workshops. These activities are held in Room 199B, so those who cannot normally go on trips can be involved.

Heenan is an avid fisherman and is in charge of setting up the meetings and planning each trip.

“My goal this year for fishing club is to get more kids into the sport,” Heenan said.

Thomas and Herb are in charge of helping anybody in need of anything fishing related.

“My goals for fishing club are for everyone to have fun and learn more than what they knew before,” Herb said.

The club recently traveled to Anchor Beach for their first trip of the season.

“The trip was awesome, lots of kids caught snappers,” Roumeles said.

On some trips, the club will have competitions for who can catch the biggest fish. Prizes like lures can be occasionally won.

On one trip to the Maltby Lakes, Herb caught the biggest bass and won the competition.

“At the end of the trip, I was rewarded with a lure for the biggest bass caught that day,” Herb said.