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By Alexis Rios – Staff Reporter 

In a trip to Brown University on February 7, the Jonathan Law Science Club competed in several events.

Science Club is a STEM-based club that allows students to expand their knowledge of science and compete with other schools. 

“Students stayed up late finalizing everything to compete at brown the following day,” Science Club advisor Ms. Turcotte said. “They got a great experience and learned how to perfect their projects for the state competition”

Events can vary from building projects to onsite experiments. Students complete these hands on activities for their competitions. 

Prior to the Olympiad, students are assigned two to three events that they must prepare for. On the day of the event, the students must come prepared with their required building or studying. 

Some events include Disease Detective, Sounds of Music, Write It Do It, Protein Modeling, Chemistry Lab, Boomilever, Dynamic Planet, and many more. There a wide range for everyone to choose from. 

“(It was) a lot of fun,” junior Rachna Vipparla said. “Not only did we get the chance to see Brown University, but we also got to participate in many interesting events.”

Students prepare months in advance for these competitions by doing research and creating experiments. Students have to dedicate time and effort for their projects and experiments. 

“Overall, the trip to brown was very fun,” junior secretary Meghana Cheela said. ̈ Being able to compete allowed me to expand my knowledge in the engineering and science world.”

Competitors can win anything from ribbons to scholarships. These competitions, which include categories such as biology, chemistry, physics, and other sciences, allow students to gain experience for the future.

“̈The best part of this club is being able to collaborate with my peers,” junior Sreeya Gudlavetti said. “Being in a competitive atmosphere allows me to prepare for the future.”

These events can help build teamwork and leadership skills and offer new opportunities for competitors. 

Other than competing, the students were able to explore downtown Providence and explore Brown University. 

“The trip to brown was so much fun,” junior Sreya Mandalika said. ”Not only did we get to see Rhode Island, but we also got to present our research and events.”

The Science Club visits different colleges and universities every year for their competitions. For example, last year students visited Yale for their competition.  

“It usually takes a lot of coordination with team members and faculty,” Viparla said. “My partners and I had to meet up at the library and study for our events/prepare for the onsite experiments.”

By Eliana Chico – Staff Reporter

As Jonathan Law students begin the course selection process this month, one of the lesser-known language options is gaining in popularity.

Taking Latin can help students on the SAT, allow students to learn about their roots and Latin, and help students to understand everyday terms. 

There are 40-50 Latin programs in high schools all over Connecticut, which is low compared to the plethora of Spanish and French programs in Connecticut high schools. Taking Latin gives students the opportunity to learn a rare, ancient, ethereal language. 

Jonathan Law Latin teacher Ms. Furst said students who are interested in Latin should give it a try.

“If you are considering taking Latin, try to see how much Latin you actually see in your life and try to take advantage of the fact that Latin can really help you out,” Furst said. “It’s an exciting, unique adventure for everyone to go down. It’s very helpful if you have an interest in history, and in fact, all writing was in Latin until 1100. It is definitely a beautiful language that gives us a view into history and our own humanity.”

Furst’s students said that Latin has quickly become one of their favorite courses.

“Ms. Furst has a very unique way of teaching,” sophomore Tiffklasia “T.T.” Whittaker said. “She makes sure that everyone understands what is being taught and teaches at a good pace. Honestly, taking Latin has even helped me with English.”

Sophomore Hamia Mirza is happy she joined the club.

“Honestly, I love Latin. It’s definitely worth taking,” Mirza said. “The work is manageable and I actually understand what’s going on.”

By Amelia Mower – Staff Reporter 

Beginning on May 11, 12th-grade students at Jonathan Law have the opportunity to spend the last month of their senior year exploring a field they hope to pursue in the future through the Senior Internship Program. 

Participants in the program will not regularly attend the last month of school days. Instead, they will be doing work directly with their internship. This work will total about 30 hours per week, giving students exposure to what having a job entails. 

“I started the program eight years ago after being put on a committee in which they asked us to look into college and career readiness, with a study in internships,” program advisor Ms. Burns said. “I found that Milford didn’t offer senior internship opportunities, but other school districts near us did, and felt that needed to change.”

Students with all aspirations for the future can secure an internship through many fields. Along with the program application, students are encouraged to reach out to places they are interested in learning more about. 

“I plan on becoming an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist,” senior Mayur Somalinga said. “I’ve been looking at places in New York City because that is where I wish to work in the future.” 

Milford Public Schools has been helpful to students at Jonathan Law in their search to secure internships. Senior Morgan Taylor hopes to intern at Mathewson Elementary School in a second grade classroom, focusing on special needs children. 

“In the future I will be majoring in Human Factors Engineering and minoring in Child Development,” Taylor said. “I want to eventually create technology that makes children with either a mental or physical handicap be able to live their lives easier.”

Jonathan Law social worker Mrs. Meyer-Farrell has also been instrumental in using her resources to assist students in finding internships. Seniors Rohin Manohar and Maddie Papcun both hope to intern at the Milford Prevention Council or similar local non-profit organizations, due to the help of Meyer-Farrell. 

“I plan on being a Clinical Psychiatrist,” Manohar said. “The Milford Prevention Council was recommended to me due to the work they do with Law such as supporting the Natural Helpers Club with their De-Stress Fest.”

The Senior Internship Program provides opportunities for students to gain knowledge about a certain interest prior to going to college and creates opportunities that may not have been taken advantage of otherwise. 

“In doing an internship, I hope to gain hands-on experience as early as possible, so I can begin to narrow down my future career path,” Papcun said. 

By Tyanna Xavier – Staff Reporter

A select group of Jonathan Law’s choir students auditioned to go All-State on February 8.

The All-State program gives choir students who passed Regionals the opportunity to get to the next step in their musical learning careers. 

“I’m really proud of my students and the tremendous amount of growth I have seen from each and every one of them,” choir director Ms. Jones said. “They have all shown me they are not afraid to chase after something they want and really work for it no matter the challenge.”

Jones has worked to prepare her students to the best of her ability when auditioning, so they can give their overall best performance. 

“During All-State auditions it was definitely a scary moment that I and other choir members have been waiting for,” senior Brooke Nabors said. “During the audition I sang the required song and after it was done it felt like a breath of fresh air and I felt really confident in myself.”

States are a major milestone in the choir community that takes lots of practice to just make it to the audition stage. Many of these students have been practicing their performances since December.

“This is more of a competition with yourself more than with competing with other schools because it’s a good way to see how far you can push yourself to reach the goal of making it into All-State,” senior Justin Amaro said. 

The students who tried out are all very confident and have worked hard with their vocal techniques.

“I wanted to audition because I wanted to challenge myself and knew that it was going to be very difficult,” junior Joey Soto said. “Even though I did not get in I did learn a lot from the experience and I now know not to feed on the energy of the room and be myself.”

Auditioning for Regionals and All-State might be the most nerve-wracking performances of the year for these choir members. However, these students get to learn from the judges giving them personal feedback. 

“The Jonathan Law choir has definitely done a lot of showstopper performances and we have all grown so much as a team,” junior Ashley Leparik said. “A lot of students now feel more confident when singing because of how much they have learned from being in choir.”

By Maddie Papcun – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s choir collaborated with Foran’s choir and The Dizzyfish Band at Parsons Auditorium on February 8, in an exciting concert celebrating “The Best of the 70s” music. 

The choirs closed out the concert together, joining the band for three songs in total, including “Stairway to Heaven,” “Let it Be,” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” 

“The idea for the concert came from the band’s leader, Eric Herbst,” Jonathan Law choir teacher Ms. Jones said. “The band director at West Shore knows him, and he suggested Milford’s choir perform with their band.” 

In order to put on such a concert, members of the Choir Board had to follow field trip protocols, organize group pictures for advertising, and hold extra rehearsals with Angela Clemmons, a backup singer for The Dizzyfish Band. The work choir’s event organizers put in came together for a fun-packed night.

“In preparing for the concert we had three rehearsals, and additionally we all practiced with the recordings of our parts on our own time,” senior Choir Board member Sam Papcun said. 

Jonathan Law’s choir is always looking for ways to branch out and get involved in Milford’s local community, this concert was yet another example of their dedication.

“Choir’s goal for the concert was to adventure new opportunities; we are grateful for the chance to perform with DizzyFish,” said junior Choir Board member Joey Soto. “Our other goal was to put on a good show and entertain the audience.”

For many choir members, taking part in a rock concert was an entirely new experience. 

“It was a very different atmosphere than I have ever been involved in before this,” senior Choir Board member Justin Amaro said. “Usually choir concerts are more structured and professional, but singing with a real live rock band was very different and exciting.” 

Overall, the concert was a high energy, new experience for Jonathan Law’s choir, Foran’s choir, and The Dizzyfish Band. 

“People were singing along with the music; they were all very enthusiastic,” senior choir member Laney Smith said. “The crowd turnout was much bigger than I anticipated; I had never heard of this venue before.”

Ms. Jones expected that the concert would require flexibility and openness from her students, but believed they could pull it off in the end. 

“I can say, without a doubt, I am beyond proud of these students,” Ms. Jones said. “Their continued commitment, dedication, perseverance, excitement, energy and musicianship is a testament to the ‘Lawmazing’ people they all are.”

By Alexis Broderick – News Editor 

The Jonathan Law track team hosted its annual Lip Sync Battle on January 23.

The Lip Sync Battle is an annual fundraiser held after the holiday season. It is a fun way to get not only the track kids involved, but kids who may not run track as well. 

“This is a great way to get everyone involved and is great for the track kids because it pays for the banquet and part of the apparel,” head coach Mr. Beler said.

There are usually about 10-12 teams that participate in the Lip Sync Battle every year, and that includes some teachers who also get involved. 

“The entire team is required to play a role in the Lip Sync Battle whether it’s performing, helping backstage, or doing the lights,” Beler said.

The Lip Sync Battle helped the track team together as a group, and individually, it brought them together to make this event work out perfectly. 

Although the Lip Sync Battle is a great way to bring the Law Community together there is also a $150 cash prize if you win. 

“Not only do you have to run with your partners on the track, throw your weights, or jump your events you have to learn to shake it out there as well,” Beler said. 

The winners of the Lip Sync Battle this year were “The Shakira Babes.”

“It was great to win, and really exciting because we took it more like a joke and then when we won it felt good, especially since we had so much fun,” junior Midori Hughes said.

The runners-up were were last year’s champions, the JL Backstreet Boys. 

“It was pretty cool to win (last year) because we all wanted to have fun and I thought we put on a pretty good show,” senior Mike Loschiavo said.

Beler and the indoor track team as a whole were amazed by the turnout this year with an estimated 400 people in the audience. 

By The Advocate Editors

The Culinary 1 class at Jonathan Law hosted its very own “Soup-er Bowl” competition on February 12  in which four groups of students created different soups to be judged by their peers. 

The four different soups were chicken noodle, chili, cream of vegetable, and cream of mushroom. 

“Winter time is a great time for having soup and on because the Super Bowl was on Sunday, I thought I would do the S-O-U-P Super Bowl,” Culinary 1 teacher Mrs. Ferron said. “This gives my students that are just coming in this semester knife skills as they learned how to cut and chop. It was a great and fun thing for them to do.”

Students such as Amelia Mariani and Elly van Waveren learned valuable cooking skills from this project.

“It taught me what not to do and what to do in the kitchen,” Mariani said.

“Because of my mistakes, I know to use more salt in my chicken noodle soup and to cook my carrots for longer,” van Waveren said.

Student Gabby Lira also learned about the basics of cooking.

“We learned how to put the right measurements of salt and pepper so that the soup doesn’t taste bad,” Lira said.

The winner of the contest was the cream of vegetable soup. The chili was awarded second place.

By Addison Schwing – Editorial and News Editor

Jonathan Law hosted a Winter Pep Rally on January 24 in celebration of both the winter sports season and of a doubleheader basketball event against Foran High School. 

The pep rally featured performances from the Law cheerleading and gymnastics teams and an encore performnace from one of the Lip Sync Battle acts from the previous night.

The pep rally was hosted by seniors Mike Loschiavo, Morgan Taylor, Brooke Nabors, and Eden van Waveren, who were assisted by Ms. Francisco, Ms. Russell, and Mr. Sarullo. 

“We wanted a really large crowd and people to participate and I think we got that,” Loschiavo said.

The four worked tirelessly to plan fun activities for the students. While this pep rally was just 40 minutes, it was filled with festivities and a celebration of Law’s sports programs. 

“This pep rally was tight on time hence we weren’t able to do some things we had planned to do,” van Waveren said. “We had higher expectations and hope to achieve them for our spring pep rally.”

One of the pep rally’s biggest functions was to garner support for Law’s basketball teams, who would face longtime rival Foran High School that same night. Boys basketball beat the Lions 73-49, improving their record to 8-3 for the season, while the girls easily secured a 61-28 win, improving to 7-4 for the season. 

The pep rally also showcased the talents of the cheerleading and gymnastics teams, with the Gymnastics team performing for the first time ever during a pep rally. 

The gymnastics performance featured a choreographed dance routine, as well as exhilarating acrobatics set to “Cruisin’ for a Bruisin” from “Teen Beach.”

Junior Alexis Rios performed with her team and was quick to give praise to her fellow gymnasts. 

“We’re so used to performing for a judge, but this time it was more for the fun of it,” Rios said. “Everyone worked so hard and did such a good job.” 

The next pep rally will see the passing of the metaphorical torch from the current MC’s to four new juniors. This will be an important responsibility for the incoming seniors as they will be responsible for every pep rally thereafter. 

“Having pep rallies is important to showcase our students in a non-academic way,” Francisco said. “It boosts school spirit and sense of school community. High school should be about the memories as well as academics. “

Members of the pep rally committee said that pep rallies offer students the opportunity to celebrate the idea of being a part of something greater than themselves – a community, more than a school or grade level.

“School spirit is important because it helps pump up the athletic teams along with the student section,” Nabors said. “When both of those groups have spirit, the games have a better turnout. It also allows us as a school to share spirit together as one community.”

In celebration of the new decade, the editors of The Advocate are proud to unveil a special project commemorating the last 10 years of events and memories at Law.

Please click the following link to view the 10-page timeline:

Looking Back At Law – 2010-2019 – 10 Pages

By Morgan Taylor, Bridget Kinross, and Stephanie Caron – Advocate Editors

Jonathan Law senior Amelia Mower read an excerpt from “The Constitutional Rights Of The Women Of the United States” by suffrage leader Isabella Beecher Hooker of Connecticut at the Suffrage Centennial Kickoff Event at Milford City Hall on January 28. This year marks the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage and this event was very important to continuing this movement into the present. Advocate editors Morgan Taylor, Bridget Kinross, and Stephanie Caron sat down with Mower to talk about her experience.

Advocate Editors: How did you get involved with the Suffrage Centennial Kickoff Event?

Amelia Mower: After getting involved with the Daughters of the American Revolution through their essay contest and scholarship program, (Law principal) Mr. Thompson asked me to read this excerpt as it pertains to women and how they influence society.

AE: How did this impact your views of the women’s suffrage movement?

AM: I think it is very important that people know that the women only got the right to vote 100 years ago and that we are still working towards having constitutionally equal rights in the future.

AE: What was the most memorable part of the event for you?

AM: When Denise Merrill, the Secretary of State of Connecticut, spoke, I was really inspired. When she, as a person of high authority in Connecticut, is recognizing the importance of this movement in Milford especially, it makes me feel hopeful for the future. She wouldn’t have been elected to office if it wasn’t for this movement.

AE: What was the significance of everyone wearing white and why?

AM: We all wore white because that is what the women who were marching to have voting rights wore in order to protest. In pictures of the march, all the women are wearing white while the men are wearing black on the side, showing a truly symbolic comparison of the genders.

AE: What goals do you have for the future of the women’s suffrage movement?

AM: I definitely cannot wait to vote when I turn 18. I think it’s extremely important to use my 19th Amendment right. Women struggled for so long to get this right that I feel like that not taking part in voting is a waste of their struggle.

By Mia Cerrato – Editorial Editor

Jonathan Law’s band, orchestra, and choir displayed their many talents at their recent Winter Concert on January 9. 

Each musical group constantly practiced in class, met in groups, and practiced at home. 

“My section, the orchestra, practiced these songs for the last couple of months constantly to keep improving and getting everything perfect,” said junior orchestra member Meghana Cheela.

The band put a lot of dedication into the concert as well the many practices leading up to the show. 

“Our teacher gave a lot of at home assessments for us to work on and rehearse,” said junior band member Lucas Greifzu. “We also ran through songs many times.” 

The band’s song choices were upbeat and fun.

“We performed multiple pieces,” said Greifzu. “Some of them included ‘Gallup’ and ‘Cave You Fear.’”

The choir’s performances included great songs as well. 

“We performed ‘Silent Night,’ ‘Winter’s Night,’ ‘Away in a Manger,’ ‘Noel Alleluia Madrigal,’ ‘Winter Finale,’ and ‘Baloo Baleerie,’” said junior choir member Joey Soto.

Due to all the preparation, the concert ran smoothly for all sections. 

“It was a very successful concert,” said junior choir member Sreeya Gudlavellti. “I think the audience really enjoyed it and this was one of our best concerts.” 

The performances were all entertaining and enjoyable. 

“My favorite part was when the whole choir sang together,” said Gudlavellti. “It really showed that hard work paid off.”

All sections are excited for future performances as well. 

“I hope the choir, band, and orchestra can come together to perform more songs,” said Cheela. “It was a very memorable experience.”

By Morgan Taylor, Bridget Kinross, and Stephanie Caron – Staff Editors

Jonathan Law’s Advanced Creative Writing students hosted a Children’s Reading Night on January 24 in order to raise money for their upcoming book release.

This is the first event of its kind, and for only $5.00 per ticket, children were read to by the Advanced Creative Writing students.

“I could see that the students were having a great time, not just the children,” said media specialist Ms. Briggs. “They were smiling, laughing and having a great time.”

Parents and children brought their favorite stories from home for the students to read to them.

“We came and set up in the library with snacks and refreshments for the kids and their families,” said Advanced Creative Writing student Marly Ackley. “We read to the kids for about an hour and a half and then played some games.” 

With the money raised at the event, the students are now preparing for their novel release.

“My first story is about a girl that gets deserted on an island and it’s a whole story about how she is surviving,” said senior Megan Ruzbarsky. “It has a really interesting ending so I am not going to spoil it.”

The title for the book is “Paper Prison” and all the stories are written by the Advanced Creative Writing students.

“My story is about a corrupt banker who money launders and gets caught,” said senior Erik Borgerson “I’m excited for the book to be released.”

The book is going to be published between late May and early June and then the class will be going to Book Con in New York to sell copies.

By Stephanie Caron – Entertainment Editor

The Natural Helpers Club recently created a Lunch Bunch program in the Wellness Wing for students who want an alternate lunch setting.

“The ultimate goal of Lunch Bunch is to provide a safe, quiet, comfortable space for students who wish for a different environment in which to eat lunch,” Natural Helpers advisor Ms. Smuniewski said. “There will be at least two Natural Helpers in Room 170 during each lunch wave, and they are there to engage in conversation with other students who come by if that’s what the students want to do.” 

The goal of the Lunch Bunch is to give students an alternate opportunity to eat their lunch and to make new friends. 

“It is open to all students,” senior Morgan Taylor said. “We want everyone to stop by even if you just need a break from the loudness of the cafeteria and to study or do homework during lunch.” 

Making the new lunch program can help students feel more welcomed and less anxious in the lunch room if they do not have anyone to eat with or want a different lunch setting. 

“Students who come by can just use the space as an alternative setting if they just want to be alone, too (they don’t have to interact with the Natural Helpers),” Smuniewski said. 

In the room there are board games, coloring, and activites to get students to relax. 

“As for things to do in there, we currently have board games, card games, coloring sheets/colored pencils, and conversation starter flashcards for anyone to use,” Smuniewski said. “We plan on doing it throughout the year.” 

By Madison Lusignan – Staff Reporter

Disney Plus is a new app and streaming service of Disney shows and movies.

It is available for $6.99 a month. Those who have Verizon Unlimited can receive it free for a year.

This service came out on November 12, so people are starting to discover it and are exploring the app.

History teacher Mr. Young uses the app to his advantage with his kids.

“It seemed like a perfect idea for my two boys, especially during the winter,” said Young.

Sophomore Lauren Davis recently purchased Disney Plus, and is quite happy with her purchase.

“I wanted to get Disney Plus because it has every Disney show and movie that I watched as a kid,” said Davis. “I wanted to watch old shows like Hannah Montana, Suite Life, and Good Luck Charlie.”

Freshman Jake Ackley shares the family app with his two sisters and his mother and father.

“I enjoy how most of the time any obscure show or movie you can find as long as you remember the name,” said Ackley.

Junior Joey Soto loves to browse through the endless findings on Disney Plus.

“I enjoy the app because it’s like Netflix where it saves where you leave off and you can skip and there are no adds and there is a lot of wonderful content to view,” said Soto

Senior Eden van Waveren is embracing her Verizon Unlimited and enjoying the magic inside the app.

“My favorite shows on Disney Plus are Wizards of Waverly Place, Hannah Montana, and The Suite Life On Deck because those are the main shows I watched as a kid so I love re-watching them and reminiscing my childhood,” van Waveren said.

Overall, Disney Plus is an enjoyable app and streaming service.

Although from collected reviews and comments, it seems as though Disney Plus does have some missing shows and movies that their viewers are unhappy about.

By Addison Schwing – Editorial and News Editor

Jonathan Law’s all-new Cooking Club is making its debut this year. 

The Cooking Club is run by Culinary teacher Ms. Ryan and meets bi-monthly on Tuesdays. The club is open to any student that is interested in joining and learning how to cook. 

“This is a club where all abilities are welcome,” she said. “The only prerequisite is the willingness to get your hands dirty.”

The club was founded by junior Phethsamai Kingkittisack, who wanted to further her own cooking education. She thinks that everyone should learn how to cook, as it is an important skill for everyone to learn. 

“It would be beneficial to learn how to cook since it is a basic life skill,” Kingkittisack said. “People will need to know how to make food for themselves when they grow up, so it is good to learn basics now.”

The cooking club is a member of SkillsUSA, an organization that partners with schools across the country to help bring technical instruction into the classroom. Ryan is eager to explore all kinds of cuisines and skills with members. 

“Although we will explore different dishes, we will first focus on making healthy snacks and beverages,” Ryan said. “Our hope is to compete in at least one state competition. 

There are no requirements to join the club, and everyone is able to join regardless of ability. The club offers the chance to learn how to cook without having to sign up for the semester-long class, while also functioning as a social avenue. 

“Even if you do not what to seriously go into cooking, join for the fun experience and to hang out with friends,” Kingkittisack said. “Also, possibly learn something on the way.”

Students interested in joining the club should visit Room 112 by the cafeteria and speak to Ryan, or send her an email. Meetings will be held twice every month and will consist of both cooking sessions and planning events throughout the year. 

“Whether you’ve had experience in the kitchen or not, I encourage you to try cooking in a fun atmosphere,” Ryan said.

By Sadie Willett – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Ski and Snowboard Club is headed into another exciting season. 

The club attracts many students into joining the organization by offering day and overnight trips out of the state. 

“My favorite part about being in the club is getting to go to Vermont with my friends and spend the whole day there,” junior Ella Jambor said. 

Every few Saturdays from January 4 to February 22 a ski trip will be held.

The trips range from locations throughout Vermont such as Mount Snow, Okemo and Stratton.

“I’ve always loved skiing, so the opportunity to go on trips with all of my friends was more than enough to motivate me to join,” senior Tess Rosato said.

As well as several day trips on the weekends, the club offers an overnight excursion to Smugglers Notch. Just like the other trips, Smugglers Notch is in Vermont.

This trip will take place from February 28 to March 1. 

In order to attend the trip, you are required to have attended at least two of the Saturday trips. 

This overnight trip to Smugglers Notch is a great way for club members to improve their skills and bond with their friends. 

“My favorite part about ski club is being able to go on the overnight trip in Vermont for the weekend,” sophomore Marissa Turner said. “I look forward to this trip every year because I enjoy hanging out with my friends while going off on our own to explore the mountain.”

Rosato is also looking forward to bonding with friends on this trip.

“Everyone is super close and we always have a great time,” Rosato said. 

Not only does the club focus on the ski trips, but they focus on assuring that club is a great experience for the kids.

“The Ski & Snowboard Club is all about enjoying the outdoors, getting some fresh air and exercise, but mostly having fun with friends,” club advisor Cheryl Lacadie said. 

Jambor sides with Lacadie by explaining how she enjoys the club dynamic. 

“Everyone in the club has so much fun and we all get freedom to do our own thing once we get to the mountain which is cool,” Jambor said. 

Independence is very much paid attention when organizing the club.

“The club is all about gaining independence with supervision,” Lacadie said. “The students can explore the mountain on their own, but must return to the lodge for check ins with the chaperones.”

The club intrigues many skiers, whether amateur or advanced, and is looked forward to each year by all of the members. 

“The club is perfect the way it is and there is nothing that needs to be changed about it,” sophomore Hailey Boyle said.

By Alexis Rios – Staff Reporter

Latin Honor Society is a club at Jonathan Law that honors those with a dedication to Latin.

This society has students complete Latin-based activities to practice their skills and to learn more. 

“Im excited to see the progress everyone has made at the end of the year,” Latin Honor Society Advisor Ms. Furst said.

Latin Honor Society is still developing and is looking for new members who meet the requirements. 

The Latin Honor Society at Jonathan Law is a chapter of the NJCL, also known as the National Junior Classical League. 

In order to be a part of the National Junior Classical League, students are required to maintain an A average in their current Latin course. In addition, they must exemplify good citizenship and be committed to Latin. 

According to the National Junior Classical League, students must be members in good standing of the National Junior Classical League. They define good standing as being registered with both the state and national organizations. 

The Purpose of Latin Honor Society is to promote Latin in the Jonathan Law community and to show its importance. 

“Latin is very important to me because many people assume that it is a ‘dead language,’” junior president and founder Rachna Vipparla said. “However, the very roots of English rely on Latin and other ancient languages.”

Latin Honor Society wants to show the Jonathan Law community that the language can be beneficial in students’ everyday lives because English stems from Latin.

“I hope to have a better understanding of why people still study Latin to this day and know some words come from English,” junior Anish Sikhinam said.

The society focuses on the uses and benefits from preserving the ancient language of Latin. It is also a great way to collaborate with others and allow the members to build on communication skills that are essential to their daily lives. 

The society meets on most Thursdays to talk about their next projects and to get more people interested in Latin. They also discuss potential field trips and ways to learn more Latin. 

“I thought creating Latin Honor Society would be a great idea because allows others to practice an underrated language and share the significance of the language,” Vipparla said. 

Latin Honor Society goes hand in hand with Latin Club. Unlike Latin Club, students are required to have a prerequisite in Latin. 

“So far the National Latin Honor Society has had a great deal of interest,” Vipparla said. “We have over 10 people on the initial roster and plan to expand the number of members as the year goes on.” 

By Eva Carroll – Staff Reporter

Netflix came out with a new documentary series called “Broken” on November 27 which investigates the consequences of negligent and deceitful production and marketing of popular consumer items.

Episode 2 of “Broken” is called “Big Vape” and puts e-cigarette companies under the microscope. The documentary features Jonathan Law to show the increase of youth vaping in recent years.

“I think we should be proud of our school community being out front on this issue,” Jonathan Law principal Mr. Thompson said. “This is happening all around the nation, in high schools everywhere, we are brave and confident enough to honestly present our school’s journey, and our community’s journey, in dealing with vaping.”

A producer from Netflix, Sarah Johansen, first contacted Thompson in October of 2018 hoping that he would allow Netflix to capture an inside perspective on teen vaping. 

Thompson met with the seniors from last year to see if they wanted to be a part of the episode. Bella Carroll, 18, Cali Jolley, 18, Ally Stein, 18 and Julie Myers, 18, all agreed to be interviewed and signed a contract of consent to participate in the film.

“Thank you to the whole school for letting us film, and extra big shout-out to Bella, Cali, Ally and principal Thompson for giving such great, thoughtful interviews,” Johansen said. 

The filmers came to Law on November 27 to get footage for the episode. In the episode, the seniors talk about their addictions to nicotine as well as how they were introduced to popular vaping products such as Juul. 

The seniors reveal how students were able to access and use vaping products in school. Bella recounts on how students would camp out in the bathroom stalls to vape or hide their Juuls in their sleeves and sneak “rips” during class.

“Some difficult parts of the film was that every other student would try to get in the shot which would disrupt the filming and than we had to record parts again,” Stein said.

The episode also included a separate interview segment with Thompson. Thompson talks about how, as an administrator, he has noticed youth vaping has increased over the years. 

The senior girls were called down during free periods of their day to get interviewed. After the day ended, Bella gave the producers her address to get interviewed more thoroughly at her home. 

The next morning, on November 28, the film crew came to the Carroll residence before school to record Bella’s morning routine. This footage is at the very beginning of the episode and includes Bella putting on her makeup and driving to school. 

“I thought it was interesting that the film crew drew attention to making sure I seemed like just any high school student,” Bella Carroll said. 

The addictive property in e-cigarette products comes from nicotine inside the vape fluid. Nicotine is an addictive stimulant drug that speeds up messages traveling between the brain and body.

“Big Vape” talks about purposeful marketing tactics used by vaping companies such as flavorings and “hipster” ad campaigns to lure in teenage users. Unsuspecting teens are misled into thinking that vaping products are not bad for you.

“I think teen vaping is dangerous because when you’re 13-14 years old, you do not fully understand what addiction is,” Cali said. “Kids continue vaping probably thinking that they will not get addicted and that’s why high school students get addicted so quickly.”

“Big Vape” closes the episode by talking about the future of the vaping industry. Cali, Bella, Julie, and Myers explain how they plan on dealing with their addictions. Thompson expresses concerns about how help needs to be delivered to this generation of vapers. 

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By Amelia Mower- Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Mayur Somalinga – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Junior AP Psychology student Luke Morris agreed with this evaluation.

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

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

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

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

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

By Lucas Greifzu – Editorial Editor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Mia Cerrato – Editorial Editor 

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

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

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

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

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

The ceremony went very successfully according to students who participated.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Maddie Papcun ─ Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Eliana Chico – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other Jonathan Law students are excited for the choir members.

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

Sophomore Jazmine Casiano agreed.

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

By Alexis Rios – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Adarsh Senthilnathan – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Amelia Mower – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Briana Hernandez – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Mayur Somalinga – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Lucas Greifzu – Editorial Editor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Maddie Papcun ─ Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Tyanna Xavier – Staff Reporter 

The Jonathan Law Acapella Club is back.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Morgan Taylor – Editor-In-Chief

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

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

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

In past years, labs were more difficult to complete.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Samiksha Mehta – Entertainment Editor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Bridget Kinross – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law Fishing Club is planning on having a great turnout this year. 

Club advisor and Law science teacher Mr. Morazzini hopes that students will be excited to learn more about fishing this year. 

“To me, fishing is one of the most important things in the world and I would love for other students who share the interest to come out and fish with us,” Morazzini said. 

The club has lost some graduating seniors, but new members have joined, which shows a promising future for the club.

There are some new ideas and topics coming to the club this year that Morazzini and the new members are very excited about. 

“We are planning on trying to use one of the sports fields to learn and do some casting practice and work on our casting distance and accuracy. Both are very important when targeting fish from the surf,” Morazzini said. 

The Fishing Club is planning workshops in school to improve the new members skill levels and get the students excited to fish. 

“We are excited to run some to run some in-house workshops with the new anglers,” Morazzini said. “We love to work on our fishing reel maintenance, discuss tackle, talk about local fish species, and tie rigs to prepare for our field trips.”

There are many students at Law who have shown interest in the Fishing Club. When the students who show a common interest get together, the connection creates a good bonding environment. 

“Our love for the sport and enjoyment of the outdoors keeps us connected with each other and with nature,” Morazzini said.

By Addison Schwing – Editorial and News Editor

The Jonathan Law Keyettes Club is holding its annual fall blood drive on October 31.

The blood drive is one of the Keyettes’ primary events, with members of the club, known as Keyettes, assisting Red Cross Volunteers. Keyettes Club Advisor Ms. Hull is responsible for organizing the drive and directing student volunteers in their duties. 

“We plan the drive and recruit donors,” Hull said. “We also have Keyettes volunteering at the drive in order to help register donors, hand out snacks, and walk donors between stations.”

The American Red Cross is a non-profit organization that supplies roughly 40% of all donated blood in the US. The Red Cross partners with Law every year to collect blood. 

“The Red Cross appreciates us running a high school drive because it encourages students to get into the habit of donating blood while they are young,” Hull said.

The blood drive will take place in the old gym on October 31, just in time for Halloween. The Keyettes are hoping for at least 20 units of blood. A single unit of blood is equal to 525 mL (one pint) of blood and can save up to three lives. 

Everyone who is able to donate blood is encouraged to do so. By donating, you are potentially helping save someone’s life who is in desperate need of a transfusion, or someone who has suffered a severe accident. 

Keyette Samantha Papcun is always happy to help the Red Cross during the blood drive. 

“Honestly, just knowing that what you’re doing is helping other people is really cool,” Papcun said.

By Malakai Pisacreta – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Debate Club is looking for new members to discuss real world topics.

The club, which had its first meeting of the year on October 7, focuses on discussing topics that the club members decide and research. With this they make sure to respect others opinions and treat others with the respect they deserve even if they disagree

The main goal of the club is for members to be able to see issues from different perspectives.

“Expand membership and open up to perspectives other than their own,” Debate Club advisor Mr. Evanko said. “ I like to have the students interact more but I do occasionally share my opinion”

Diya Daruka, a sophomore at Law, shared some of her experiences with the club so far. 

“It’s a really fun club that people would enjoy and adds to the Law experience and helps with essay writings and Mr. Evanko is a great advisor,” Daruka said.

The first topic for the club is discussing vaping and the impact on schools and people.

“I like the club; it’s fun and I think it’s a good addition to the list of clubs,” Daruka said.

The club meets on Mondays in Evanko’s room.

By Morgan Taylor – Editor-In-Chief

Jonathan Law has seen a lot of changes this year, the latest being the addition of the Wellness Wing. 

Law Principal Mr. Thompson wanted to have a safe space for students to improve their mental health and overall well-being. The Wellness Wing serves this exact purpose.

“Everyone is really excited about the Wellness Wing and for students to be engaged in taking a meta moment for their health and well-being so that they can be their best selves and maximize their learning here at Jonathan Law,” Thompson said.

The Wing, located in the guidance hallway, holds two main new additions, one of which is the Zen Zone. 

“The Zen Zone is a space for students who need some time to gather their thoughts or de-stress so that they can then move forward successfully throughout the day,” said Director of School Counseling Mrs. Dunnuck.

The other new addition is called the Wellness Room, located where the Support Center was previously.

“The Wellness Room will be a space for students and adults to engage in activities that promote social-emotional health and well being,” said Dunnuck. “Some activities may include group counseling, presentations, stress-reducing activities such as yoga and mindfulness, and other activities that help our students to be engaged and ready to learn.”

The administration at Law wants to see what the students want out of the Wellness Room, so its uses will be based off of students needs, they are still being worked on and finished.

“We don’t know what will specifically be in each room yet because it is all still a work in progress,” Thompson said.

The main purpose of the Wellness Wing is to give students a place to thrive.

“We decided to create the Wellness Wing in order to respond to students taking a more mindful approach not only to learning but to be in the right place for learning and their well being,” Thompson said.

This corresponds with the district’s approach to student health and wellness.

Other changes in the school to benefit students are also approaching, including a revamping of the senior cafeteria.

“We will also be working on transforming the senior cafeteria over the next year into a more user-friendly space,” said Thompson. “We want to tie it into the Teaching and Learning Commons while also keeping it as a nice senior space.”

By Stephanie Caron – Entertainment Editor 

Natural Helpers is flourishing with new members and new projects this school year. 

The club is creating new opportunities for students to get involved and to lend a helping hand. 

“This year, the Natural Helpers club has grown to a whopping 50 members,” Natural Helpers advisor Ms. Smuniewski said. “With such a high number of students, we are hoping to make Jonathan Law’s ‘internal helping network’ better than ever. The Natural Helpers are the kind of kids who people go to with they’re stressed out or in need of advice, the kind of kids who notice when their peers are feeling down, and the kind of kids who are interested in helping their classmates with the anxieties of being a teenager.” 

This year, Natural Helpers teamed up with Sandy Hook Promise in encouraging students to “start with a hello.” This is aimed to combat violence in schools. 

“Our plans for the school year is to create activities for everyone that helps people feel more included in our school community and feeling good about themselves,” senior Katie Linn said. 

Natural Helpers also plan to do their annual De-stress Fest which gives students the chance to relax and have some fun before finals. 

“The annual ‘De-stress Fest’ is a week-long event where each day presents a new de-stress event,” Smuniewski said. “Some ideas we have for this include mindfulness activities (like yoga, meditation, coloring), games and puzzles, an ice-cream truck or build your own sundae day, and bringing a ‘Farm on Wheels’ to the school -basically a small petting zoo for students to hold/pet animals – it’s kind of therapeutic.”

Some of the other events that the Natural Helpers planned are, “Hey-Day”, decorating the wellness wing, and collecting canned goods around Thanksgiving.

“Goals I have for Natural Helpers is that I want everyone to leave here feeling proud to be a Natural Helper,” Linn said. “To make new friends and be approachable. I want everyone to have a good experience and feeling confident on how to handle certain situations.” 

By Mia Cerrato – Editorial Editor

Jonathan Law High School’s AP Art Studio class took a trip to the Milford Arts Fire House Art Gallery to learn more about the process of making art.

At the firehouse, they met Faustin Adeniran who was displaying his recycled art pieces. 

“Milford Art Council and the Fire House Art Gallery are two wonderful art resources in the community that foster visual and performing arts,” art teacher Mrs. Murphy said.

The students seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience and took a lot from the field trip. 

“The trip went super well,” said senior Tess Rosato. “It was really interesting to meet a practicing artist and hear about his inspirations and career.”

Students were excited to meet a very experienced artist and take advice from him.

“I was able to meet an artist with works all over the world,” said senior Haleigh Neely. “I enjoyed the experience.”

Faustin went in depth about his aspirations and career for the students. 

“It was really fun and interesting to meet an artist and hear his story as well as the progress of his career,” said junior Rachna Vipparla.

Students were able to attempt their own piece of art using Faustin’s style, creativity and technique.

“I really liked when we got to try to make our own piece,” said junior Abigail Gattert. “It was very chaotic but also very fun.”

Through creating and working on their own piece, students are able to see the thinking process of Faustin Adenrian. 

“My favorite part was the workshop portion where we attempted to make a piece of art using Faustin’s style and technique,” said Rosato. “It’s harder than it looks!”

This trip influenced many student’s future work in their AP art class.

“Faustin influenced my artwork because he showed me that there are many ways to create mixed media pieces,” said Vipparla. “I learned that I should experiment with more materials and go out of my comfort zone with my work.”

Seeing the thinking process of another artist fuels more ideas for students and inspires them to try new things.

“It was nice to see some of his thinking process while making these unique pieces of art,” Neely.

The Jonathan Law art department Law has plans for future trips since this field trip was a success.

“We have many future plans for new field trips,” Vipparla said. “We are even going to an art museum in December.”

By Alexis Broderick – News Editor

The Jonathan Law Book Club is back and ready to discuss the books members read over the summer. 

For the first part of each meeting, the club discusses the book it is currently reading. There are no set discussion questions. 

“I like to have the conversation flow naturally based off of what everyone found most striking or compelling about the book,” librarian and Book Club advisor Ms. Briggs said.

For example, one recent book had them talking about how shocking the ending was. With other books, they’ve talked about the author’s world building, or whether the characters are relatable, or whether the plot kept them interested. 

Briggs said the Book Club has read a couple of duds, but for the most part they really tend to like the book picks. The club is essentially student-run; students or Briggs make a book suggestion which the students then vote on. The winner becomes the next Book Club book.

The club meets once a month during Common Time in the TLC. Typically, meetings are towards the end of the month so they don’t conflict with Advisory.

“Our pick for September/October is ‘Strange the Dreamer’ by Laini Taylor,” said Briggs. 

The club read realistic fiction over the summer and has been wanting to get back into fantasy, which is a popular genre for the group. 

In November/December, they’ll be reading “Artemis” by Andy Weir, a sci-fi novel about a heist on the moon.

The amount of kids in the club varies each month based on people’s availability, but each meeting typically has around six to eight students.

The Book Club’s primary goal is to enjoy literature. 

“Reading for pleasure can be hard to fit in when the school year is in full swing, but my wish for students is that they remember what they love about reading and use our books and discussion time as a fun ‘break’ from academics,” said Briggs.

Book Club began at Law in 2010. Before then, the library/media specialist before Briggs ran the club.

The club chooses two books to read over the summer. These are the books the club meets to discuss in September. 

“Picking summer books is nice because we have more time to read them, and it’s fine with me if this doubles as students’ summer reading,” said Briggs. 

By Addison Schwing – Editorial and News Editor

This year, Jonathan Law is teaming up with Sandy Hook Promise to encourage students to “start with hello.”

Last week, the Jonathan Law Natural Helpers Club announced the beginning of the “Start With Hello” campaign at Law, which aims to combat violence in schools. Natural Helpers Club President and Senior Morgan Taylor hope that this program will do some good in combating social isolation and making Law’s social environment better for everyone. 

“ ‘Start With Hello’ is the idea that helping people can be as simple as saying hello,” Taylor said. “By approaching others and making them feel included, we can make this school have a better environment.”

Sandy Hook Promise is a nonprofit organization formed by parents of victims of the Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012. “Start With Hello” was started by the organization to be implemented in schools across the nation to combat a rise in in-school violence. A representative from Sandy Hook Promise visited Law on September 23-24 to talk to students about their program and about how to help their fellow classmates in their time of need. 

School Psychologist Ms. D’Angelo works with Sandy Hook Promise. She believes that students should be the driving force of change at Law to support others. 

“Students are old enough to take responsibility, are more independent, and will rely on their friends as their confidants,” D’Angelo said.

The driving idea behind “Start With Hello” is the three-step process, which follows a straightforward formula: 1. See someone alone, 2. Reach out and help, 3. Start by saying hello.

Dean of Students Mr. Ragaini hopes that this program will help create a “culture of inclusion” at Law. 

“Social isolation is the overwhelming feeling of being left out, lonely, or treated like you are invisible,” Ragaini said. “Students who feel this way may pull away from society, struggle with learning and social development, or choose to hurt themselves or others. ‘Start With Hello’ teaches our students how to minimize social isolation and empathize with others.”

The Natural Helpers Club hopes to continue the positive momentum of the “Start With Hello” presentation. Taylor broke down some events the Natural Helpers plan to host this year. 

“The Natural Helpers are going to implement a lot of the ideas presented in the assembly,” she said. “We are planning to do a ‘Hey Day’ sometime soon. Hey Day is when we give out name tags to each student and ask everyone to meet someone new and ask them a few questions.” 

Natural Helpers meets weekly to plan events geared towards helping other students. For further questions, look for Taylor and other Natural Helpers, as well as advisor Mrs. Mercaldi. 

By Briana Hernandez – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Latin Club meets every Thursday after school in Room 203.

These meetings are filled with Roman culture along with plans for fundraisers and field trips. Latin Club advisor Ms. Furs, came up with this year’s fundraiser which is to dress an administrator in a toga. 

This fundraiser will begin on October 1.

“Personally I was picturing Mr. Nigretti strutting around in a toga, and I don’t know about you, but that’s something I’d pay to see,” Latin Club President and junior Brianna Fraccola said. “This fundraiser is something fun and Roman themed, as an administrator would be wearing a toga.”

Events like these come from the community Latin Club. You don’t have to act like you’re something you’re not, it’s a very accepting community.

“Latin Club is a fun, chill environment where we can express out passion for Latin and the ancient world, we are a group of like minded people who all love Latin,” Latin Club Co-President and junior Rachna Vipparla said.

“Latin Club feels more like a get together of friends, the close knit, banter filled, lovely group of people,” Fraccola said. “What I gain is the feeling of belonging to a group of people where I can be myself, no judgement.”

There are many activities that go on within Latin Club from their fundraisers to their field trips. This year, they plan on trying again to go to Holiday Hill. As well going to the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

“I helped to start the Latin Club two years ago with the interest of my Latin 3 students at the time,” Furst said. 

Furst said she hopes the club continues to grow each year.

“My goal is that students will be able to participate and share the love of ancient languages with students around them,” Furst said. “I hope to incorporate students into the Latin Honor Society and to continue to grow an interest in a subject that is sometimes forgotten.”

In Latin Club, students not only get an indication of what the Roman culture was like, but they also look at the architecture and what types of foods they ate. They also get to hang out with friends and meet new people.

Students don’t have to be enrolled in Latin to join the club. Also, the meetings only last from 10 to 30 minutes.

By Jaelynn Shelton – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Interact Club is excited to start the new year with events that give back to the community.

The club will have many opportunities for the members to get involved with and create new relationships.

“Interact club is a wonderful opportunity to get to meet like-minded students who want to help; they’re typically empathetic, and mindful of others,” Interact Club Advisor Ms. Jessel said. “It’s definitely a good club to give back to the community and by senior year you have an opportunity to possibly earn scholarships specifically just through Interact Club.”

The club tries to have between two and five events that members can sign up for each week. These events can contribute to members community service hours, which is great for college applications. 

“Community service is an excellent character builder; students broaden their perspectives and begin to look outside of their own life experiences,” said College and Career Center Coordinator Ms. Sylvia.

Interact Club allows students to get on board with new and interesting things. Students can also earn scholarships based on their community service from the club.

One annual event in particular is the OktoberFest, which is used to help raise money for Interact scholarships. These events are  made possible because of the club’s sponsorship from the Devon Rotary.

“It was really fun, there’s always a good time and I always had something to do,” junior Interact Club member Addison Schwing said.

Schwing said that when he volunteered he did security for the fest, which was unlike anything he’s done before, but he enjoyed the new perspective. 

Some other events the club does are a monthly Beth- El lunch on the weekends for just a few hours and selling raffle tickets for comedy shows.

The Interact Club is very flexible to those who are involved in sports or other clubs. They meet once a week for a few minutes after school in Room 228. They are always looking for new people to add to their tightly-packed group.

“You should join we meet once a week its for a few minutes and you get your volunteer hours,” Interact club member and sophomore Rachel Solkis said. “You don’t have to volunteer for everything we ask.”

The club has appealed the interest of a new freshman this year Samantha Burns.

“I wanted to be involved in the school, when we had the freshman welcome day they were explaining the club, and it sounded like fun,” Burns said. “It was a way to make new friends.”

Burns says she enjoys the club and the previous events she attended.

By Nora Sotomonte –  Staff reporter 

The Jonathan Law National Art Honor Society is looking forward to the upcoming year. 

The NAHS is a club run by art teacher Mrs. Murphy. The purpose of this club is to support its members to bring art education to the school and community. 

The NAHS has multiple events planned this year that the members are very excited about. Some of the events they have planned for this year are a new stepping stairwell and the students are planning something for the new Teaching and Learning Commons. 

This year, the group will work with the Milford Education Foundation to create a chair with a theme so they can raffle it off for student scholarships. Members are especially excited to be working on the stairwell. 

“This year we have a lot of plans for what we’re going to do,” senior Tess Rosato said. “Were going to paint another stairwell, were going to do some murals in the TLC and some at West Shore , were going to have our henna tattoo fundraiser so i’m just really excited to do all of that.”

The students are  excited to be a part of this club that gives back to their community.  

“I like it because it’s a good way for the art students to express themselves and practice art around the school and in the community,” senior Julia Bolcer said. 

Many students got involved in this club to share their passion for art and better themselves as an artist. It’s also a safe place to share ideas with each other and interact. 

“I enjoy doing art in school and interacting with other people,” senior Katrina Jakab said. 

The NAHS gifts members with the ability to have a setting where students can come and assist their community. The club is very united.

“Everyone in the club has a passion for art and I think we all just like to do things for the school and for ourselves to participate in the art culture here at Law,” junior Rachna Vipparla said.

Students are glad to have the NAHS so they can express their creative outlet.

The National Art Education Association (NAEA)  began the NAHS in 1978 to inspire and recognize students who had the skill and interest in the visual arts.  The NAHS aspire to assist its members in attaining the highest standards in art scholarship, character and service . 

Murphy has been advisor of this club for four years. Since NAHS is an honor society, students have to apply, show previous artwork, and write an essay to join. 

“I think it’s a great organization for artist in this school to come together and talk about art and participate,” Murphy said.

By Taylor Firla – Staff Reporter

With the new school year a month in, Jonathan Law’s Key Club has started and they seem to be excited for what the new year has to come. 

Key Club is a great way for students to branch out in Milford and help their community. For those who are also looking to graduate with distinction, joining the Key Club is an easy way to fill up volunteer hours.

“I expect them to do their best, I expect them to have fun, I expect them to work hard,” Key Club Director Mr. Boynton said. “Key Club is a volunteer organization, we have a lot of people in the community and school that are counting on us and I have no doubt that they will continue having success in making Jonathan Law proud.” 

Key Club officers have lofty goals for this year. Junior Key Club President Angel Santiago backs up Boynton’s point when talking about their goals they set for this year. 

“Our goals for this year would be to increase attendance as much as we possibly can and my other goal would be to get as many freshmen interested in leadership positions as possible and increasing the amount of hours each person does in Key Club,” Santiago said. 

Santiago said that students join the club for many reason.

“We help the community, joining looks good on college applications, and it helps you get into the National Honor Society,” Junior Key Club Treasurer  Noah Forsythe said. 

Key Club really seems to have many positive aspects. Volunteering is one of their biggest that they are known for. 

“Well we volunteer so helping out the community is our biggest positive,” Junior Key Club Vice President Jenna Bagdasarian said. 

Key Club members have their expectations set high for this year and hope to make an impact in their town and school communities. But there are steps to be taken to reach those expectations. 

“We should try to have more fundraising for the club and more funding to go towards the club would help us out a lot,” Sophomore Key Club Secretary Diya Daruka said. “More funding will make the school better.”

By Eliana Chico – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law High School will be hosting a Financial Planning Night in partnership with Barden Presentations on November 6.

The purpose of the Financial Planning Night is to educate all Milford students in high school (regardless of their grade) about the financial process – planning on how to manage the financial aspect of their lives, get prepared for college, learn about financial aid, use their resources, and so on in the time frame provided. 

The event will take place in the senior cafeteria at 6 p.m. and will end at 7:30 p.m, and both students and parents are welcome to attend and they are encouraged to ask questions.

For more information, parents and students may check their emails for a link about the event and how to sign up for it, or simply review the Jonathan Law page on milforded.org and click on the counselling section. If students and/or parents/guardians are not able to attend, another Financial Planning Night will be held in the spring.

“Financial planning as a whole is actually best to start sooner rather than later,” said College and Career counselor Ms. Sylvia, “I think it would be great if we had that excitement around financial planning so that students have a better handle on their plans for the future. This will make the process a lot smoother around graduation time and reassure students that they have more options and can feel a lot more settled and less stressed.”

Law students also had their own thoughts on the matter of Financial Planning Night.

“I think this will really benefit us in the future. I can definitely learn more about financial planning because it isn’t talked about much in this school,” junior Lexi Rios said. “I’m glad there are resources like these for us to take action on.”

Other Law students also had their own input. 

“There is definitely a lack of awareness about financial planning,” said Law junior Madison Lusignan. “This can definitely help us out in the long run. For sure, we’ll have a better handle on the financial aspect of our future. This can definitely help with any doubts, anxieties and worries in college and keep us prepared.”

Younger Law students are also engaged in the matter.

“This is for sure a resource that all of us in Law should take advantage of,” said sophomore Dominic Baldino. “I feel that we can all definitely learn a lot from Financial Planning Night.”

By Madison Lusignan – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law High School is coming out with its own Student Congress.

The Student Congress was created to create a forum that allows for more student voices to be heard and for more student ownership of Jonathan Law to be taken. 

”I just want students to have a chance to get their voice heard, because I know there’s only so many members on the student council, and I have all the time in class to hear all the great ideas kids have about stuff,” Student Congress advisor Mr. Zuraw said. ”So I just wanted to give them a formal way to share their ideas and discuss them.”

The Student Congress will allow students to formally propose research and debate ideas they have about current issues or concerns at Law and come up with ideas about how to help fix them. 

Zuraw, who came up with the idea, has high hopes for the Congress, as does Law principal Mr. Thompson.

”I thought it was a wonderful idea, especially since it’s modeled after a social civil model that we use in our own government state and local and of course federal,” said Thompson. “And I think anytime you can have more student voice, the better, so the more voices and input from students the better our school will be so I thought it was a wonderful idea.”

Senior Ru Akhtar is excited to running for the Student Congress at Law and plans on helping out the community.

“I feel like it would be cool to have a voice and be apart of a congress because I think it’s an interesting part of the government, so I think it’s kinda cool that we’re gonna have it here,” Akhtar said.

Junior Shakiah Perry has high hopes for the election and is filled with bright ideas for Law.

“I wanted to run for student congress because I want to make an impact on my class, and I want to have everybody’s ideas heard and I feel like I can really bring that out by being an ambassador,” said Perry, who is running in the election.

Sophomore Aurora Rutkowski, who was one of the first few to turn in their applications for her class, is diving right into this new governmental Congress.  

“Even though I didn’t really think much of it at first and then I had my doubts about it, it still intrigued me. I just want to make Law a better place mainly mostly because of the students,” Rutkowsi said.

By Tyanna Xavier – Staff Reporter 

On September 19, Jonathan Law Choir visited The University of Connecticut to attend the UConn Young Conductor Symposium.

The UConn Young Conductor Symposium is an annual event that happens once a year for choir students in high school to educate them on choral leadership and skills that will help you later on in your choir.  Although, choir is known for doing substantial performances small or big, at UConn, they learn will singing techniques on how to work on their vocal skills when performing. 

“This year was a memorable experience and had gotten more participation, the students learned how a professional college ensemble sounds like and were able to take away a lot of important information and apply it to our own ensemble,” choir instructor Mrs. Jones said.

The Jonathan Law choir has made a lot of improvement in there way of teaching and learning so everyone can cope in order for a good performance. Choir members said that they have never seen a group as committed as this one.

“The most important part about choir when singing is keeping everyone on the same page. By learning how to conduct each other it will make choir more on track when performing and giving our best performance,” senior Advanced Vocal Ensemble member Justin Amaro said.   

With the help of the music conductors and Jones learning from them as well, the choir will have more advantages when performing. 

“At UConn there were conductors there who were very experienced who taught us more techniques we can do with our voices, including breathing and coming on time with our queues,” senior Advanced Vocal Ensemble member Rani Roderick said.

Joshua East, who is a doctorate student at UConn and a part of the Connecticut ACDA, and Dr. Jamie Spillane, a Director of Choral Studies at UConn and a conductor for the CMEA regionals festival, presented on the trip the choir attended.

“I had a great experience getting to learn from Joshua East and Dr. Jamie Spillane because they are very well known at UConn,” junior Advanced Vocal Ensemble member Joey Soto said. “I’m glad Jonathan Law had the opportunity to have this experience because it will help us out a lot for the CMEA regionals festival.”

These techniques help the choir for Lake Compounce and other trips they take throughout the year, where they will compete against other schools. The Law choir has a reputation of bringing home a trophy from these competitions, and they hope to continue that tradition.

“We learned to express more when singing to bring out the emotion when performing and we also learned how to properly drop our jaws when singing for more diction,” junior Concert Choir member John Finn said. 

When singing, it is important for choir members to show emotion. Therefore, if the choir shows emotion when performing, the audience will feel it, too. 

By Sydney Simpson – Staff Reporter

Sophomore Class President Eva Carroll has organized a Fright Haven fundraiser for the Class of 2022, which began on September 24. 

For the general public, tickets to the Fright Haven venue cost $30. However, for students at Jonathan Law High School, tickets will be offered at a price of $20, providing them with a $10 discount. 

“I’m very confident that this idea is going to pay off,” Carroll said. “Fright Haven is an entertaining and social thing, so people will buy tickets in groups which will result in a greater profit for our school.”

For each ticket sold, the sophomore class will receive $5 in profit, while Fright Haven takes the remaining $15. 

The money is set to go towards the Class of 2022’s Ring Banquet, to help make prices lower for students to attend. 

“They have a lot of activities there and from what I understand it’s supposed to be a real top notch production,” said Sophomore Class Advisor Mr. Boynton. “I’m hoping that we can get the interest of our students here and their families, and if we do, then it will be successful.”

Fright Haven has recently moved from a small venue in Milford over to a larger one in Stratford, located on 411 Barnum Avenue Cutoff, in Stratford, CT. 

“Everyone in our grade loves Fright Haven, lots of people that I know go every year at least once,” Sophomore Class Vice President Hailey Boyle said. “That’s how I’m confident that this will be a really relevant and successful fundraiser for our class.”

When people buy a ticket to Fright Haven, they can be involved in something fun while helping out the sophomore class. This is a timely and interesting fundraiser, which makes it stand out from others. 

“I hope it inspires other classes to think about doing something more than just shake the can at stop and shop,” Jonathan Law Principal Mr. Thompson said. “Maybe more interactive fundraisers like this can make more money for classes, which is what it’s all about.”

Traditional fundraisers such as shake the can do make money, but people don’t get anything in return. That is what makes this fundraiser unique, people can purchase a ticket for something fun and entertaining while still supporting the sophomore class. 

This idea was carried out through Boynton, who was originally approached with it by Carroll and Jonathan Law math teacher Ms. Loch. They got the idea at the Oyster Festival over the summer, when a representative from Fright Haven proposed the fundraiser idea to the Law Volleyball tent. 

The volleyball team, being in the midst of fundraisers already, didn’t need it, so Carroll took it upon herself to propose the idea to Boynton, who called Fright Haven to get it set up. The company then sent tickets to the school featuring the Jonathan Law logo for the sophomore class officers to begin selling. 

“It’s something for people to do to get pumped up for Halloween,” said sophomore Cydney Galasso. “I think it’s a very creative idea.”

As of now, there is no set end date for the fundraiser. Tickets will be sold for as long as Fright Haven is open this year.