By Rachna Vipparla – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law High School’s AP Chemistry class took a competitive exam at Quinnipiac University on Thursday, March 14.

Students at Jonathan Law annually participate in the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad through the American Chemical Society.

“Every year I have my AP Chemistry class go for exposure,” AP Chemistry teacher Ms. Turcotte said. “It’s really just to give them more practice taking an exam and looking around a college campus.”

Every year, the competition meets in a different country and they pick the four top students from each country to compete.

Law competed in the local exam, which was the initial stage to the many series of tests that the students may go to.

“They take the top 10 scores from each county and brings those students to take the State and National exam,” Turcotte said. ”It is a 60-question multiple choice test and if the students move on to the next level, they do another test and a lab practical.”

From all the students competing at the State and National level, the top 4 students go to a chemistry boot camp for two weeks in order to prepare for the exam with the U.S. team in Paris.

In addition to the phenomenal opportunities the program offers, it also acts as preparation for the upcoming AP Chemistry exams.

“It would help the students because we got practice taking multiple choice questions which is always good due to our AP exam coming up,” junior Tasbita Ahmed said.” It was a good way to review our skills before our AP exam.”

Since the test was a college style Chem 1 and Chem 2 test, it helped many of the AP Chemistry students prepare for the upcoming test.

“The test was eye opening because I got to see what college style chemistry testing is all about,” senior Mike Bagdasarian said.

The students in the class believe that it was a difficult test but still a very interesting opportunity.

”The test was pretty hard, but we haven’t learned a lot of it yet because it covers all of the AP Chem curriculum,” junior Morgan Taylor said.

Jonathan Law got involved in the program after Turcotte went to American Chemical Society meetings when she first started teaching. There she met the head of the competitions in the local division and encouraged her class to start participating.

After a couple weeks, the results will get sent out and Turcotte will get a detailed report about how each student did individually.

By Addison Schwing – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Model U.N. Club recently returned from New York City for the Model U.N. Conference in New York City.

Model U.N. is a club that emulates the United Nations and conducts diplomatic simulations of parliamentary proceedings to teach students about international relations and diplomacy.

Students take the role of a delegate from one of 193 countries, and conduct debates with delegates representing other countries, to establish a compromise on pending world issues. They participate annually in the Model UN conference in New York City. This year, the conference was held from March 6 to March 9.

Participants in the club have to undertake a challenging preparation phase before being able to participate in the conference in New York.  

“Participants have to write two research papers on the two topics that they may debate in their committee,” Model U.N. Club advisor Mr. Evanko said. “We also teach them the basics of parliamentary procedure, which is the protocol used in debates.”

Mr. Evanko and fellow advisor Ms. Burns advise the club and teach students the fundamentals of Model UN, but they are not the outright leaders of the club. That right is reserved for Senior Kruttika Gopal.

Gopal is the president of the club and has participated in it for all four years of high school. Her duties include organizing various fundraisers and leading the group in preparation for the conference.

This year, the Model U.N. Club represented the countries of Portugal, Monaco, Nepal, Montenegro, and Uganda. The students are divided into committees that debate on a wide variety of topics, like security, the environment, and technology. 

“I think that it was a good experience. It always is. [It’s nice to] learn to talk to people from other countries that speak different languages and have different backgrounds than the country you are representing,” junior Amelia Mower said. ” I think it went well overall.”

Mower also enjoyed the discussions and disagreements in her committee.

“My committee was the United Nations Development Programme, and we were talking about combatting gender-based violence globally, and there were definitely different views,” Mower said.  We created two resolutions, and both passed.”

Junior Rohin Manohar also participated in the conference.

“I think that the conference went great for everyone involved. It required a lot of preparation,” Manohar said. “We had to start preparing at the end of the last trip in 2018, and everyone had to write their position papers in December, but everyone worked really hard, got their papers in, and everyone went to the conference and had a great time.”

Manohar also enjoyed the debates in his committees.

“My committee was the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime,” he said. “There were two topics; one was about stopping poaching and the other was about crimes on the dark web. It was really good because there were many intelligent people and we had good solutions.”

This conference is just one of many that the Model U.N. Club has participated in over the years and members hope there will continue to be many more in the future.

By Mia Cerrato – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law High School Drama Club will be performing “The Addams Family” as their long-awaited spring play this year.

Performances will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 5, and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 6.

Tickets will be $12 for general admission and $7 for senior citizens, children, and students with an ID.

This play surrounds the love life of Wednesday Addams, who has fallen in love with a sweet, smart guy. Her father, Gomez Addams finds out and Wednesday begs him to keep it a secret from her Mother Morticia.

“The play goes into depth of the Addams family many generations later, and we see Wednesday fall in love with Lucas Beineke,” sophomore Joey Soto said. “They want the couple’s families to get along.”

The plot seems to have an eccentric twist compared to musicals in the past.

“It is very unique and shows off everyone’s great talent,” sophomore Ashley Leparik said. “There is tons of dancing and singing.”

Familiar characters from the original Addams Family will appear in the play as well as new characters.

“There are the Addams’: Gomez, Morticia, Fester, Wednesday, Pugsley, Grandma, Lurch and their ancestors,” said Soto. “There are also new characters like the Beineke’s: Mal, Alice, and Lucas.”

To make sure the musical runs smoothly, a lot of hard work and effort is being put in.

“We have been working with our director, Christina Kalafut, our choreographer Maddie, and our music teacher, Mrs. Jones, to prepare for the big night,” said Soto. “We do this every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 4-7 p.m. to make sure we put on a great show.”

With all this practice, members of the Drama Club aren’t stressing about their performance.

“Everyone has such great talents,” Leparik said. “I’m not nervous because everyone will shine.”

Those who plan to attend “The Addams Family” are thrilled as well.

“As someone who used to avidly watch ‘The Addams Family,’ I am excited to see the musical twist put on it,” sophomore Meghana Cheela said. “It seems different and entertaining.”

There are also some people who plan to go, who are unfamiliar with “The Addams Family.”

“Although I’ve never seen this show, I know I’ll still be just as entertained,” sophomore Sreeya Gudlavalleti said. “The Drama Club always puts on an amazing performance.”

The Jonathan Law community is excited to see what is in store for this spring’s play.

By Anish Sikhinam – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law High School band performed with the Milford’s middle school bands to celebrate Music In Our Schools Month on March 19.

The Law band has been working hard throughout the year to play three pieces, one of which they played in collaboration with the eighth grade members in the middle school band.

“The National Association for Music Education has identified March as Music In Our Schools Month, and we use that to make people aware of the role that music education plays in our schools by having these district-wide concerts,” Law band teacher Mr. Giampietro said. “This concert involved students from all over the district, including students from both high schools and all three middle schools.”

The concert was on March 19 at 7:00 p.m. at Foran High School. Foran performed a piece with East Shore Middle School, while Law performed a piece with Harborside and West Shore Middle Schools.

Overall, the Law band played three pieces: “Three Ayres From Gloucester” by Hugh M. Stuart, “Circus Days” by Karl L. King, and “Shadows Unleashed” by Brian Balmages. “Shadows Unleashed” was the piece the Law band played with the eighth graders.

“The most challenging piece was probably ‘Three Ayres From Gloucester’ because each movement is different from the others in terms of style and tempo,” sophomore tuba and trombone player Lucas Greifzu said.

The Law band worked on the music that they played at the concert since January, and some of the music was a work in progress to the band’s concert in May. They also had a ‘field trip’ during school to rehearse with the middle school band.

“The rehearsal with the eighth graders was pretty good,” sophomore drummer Logan Dressel said. “They were super good at listening, they all seemed really interested in what was going on, and I think we’re going to have a lot of interest in the band for next year.”

All in all, the performance was very good, perhaps even better than the band expected.

Sophomore trumpet player Mikey Nunno said the concert was “pretty good.”

“We do this concert every year, this is my fourth year at Law, and that’s definitely the best that our band has played,” said Giampietro. “Again, everyone was well prepared and it just came off nicely.”

The band is currently preparing for their Spring Concert on May 1, and they hope to bring their successes from their Music In Our Schools Month Concert, as well as improve upon it from last time.

“As a whole I think the band needs to work on playing together,” said Greifzu. “Especially for the pieces that we haven’t performed yet, but we are learning the pieces well and I think we will be well prepared for our spring concert.”

The Spring Concert will also feature the string orchestra as well as jazz ensemble in addition to the band.

“We also have a trip to Hershey Park to participate in the Music In The Parks festival, where music teachers will listen to us and give us a rating.” Giampietro said.

The band students are also looking forward to this upcoming concert.

“We’re planning to play this really cool piece called Chant Rituals which is a creepy song reminiscent of old chants,” Dressel said.

Although the Law band has been a busy for a few months overall, they still continue to work hard to perform impressive music.

By Michael Loschiavo – Editor-In-Chief

Jonathan Law welcomed New Haven’s FBI Operations Specialist Edward Garlick on Thursday, March 29.

Crime & Punishment classes learned the basics of law enforcement and what it takes to be a Federal Bureau Investigator.

“We are one of the very few schools in the state that has the FBI come to our school,” history teacher Mr. Batson said.

Officer Garlick explained how to detect DNA and and how to analyze bomb materials at places he has investigated, a list that includes Stony Creek Township in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.

“Garlick showed Jonathan Law students his evidence truck and all the materials he carries around,” Batson said.

Batson said the students learned important information about techniques that the FBI uses and what gets people ready to become investigators.

“I feel Officer Garlick talked to the students about the many different types of crimes the FBI investigates,” Batson said. “It even showed the students how to collect evidence and how they can track missing persons.”

The FBI presentation was held in the Media Center and then the students were taken outside for a tour of an FBI evidence truck.

“I learned a lot and I would definitely take a lot of information out of this presentation,” senior Dan Wasserman said.

By Morgan Taylor – Editor-In-Chief

Jonathan Law is hosting Milford’s Annual City-Wide College Fair on Wednesday, April 3, from 7-8:30 p.m.

This year’s College Fair will feature over 70 colleges and universities along with two special information sessions for parents and students.

“All Milford students and their families are encouraged to attend,” Jonathan Law’s College and Career Counselor Ms. Sylvia said.

There will be information on hand ranging from the financial aid process to the application process.

“Before the fair begins, from 6:15 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., a college admissions representative will be speaking on the college application process,” Sylvia said. “At 7:45 p.m. a session on NCAA information will begin and run until 8:30 p.m.”

The list of colleges in attendance is being updated daily and can be found on the Jonathan Law’s School Counseling Website.

“We are excited to again host this year’s event at Law,” Sylvia said. “Even today, I’m getting e-mails from colleges saying that they are really excited about coming and meeting our students.”

The fair is being held in the New Gymnasium at Law and doors officially open at 7 p.m.

“I really hope that as many students as possible come and take advantage of this opportunity,” Sylvia said.

By Morgan Taylor – Editor-In-Chief

The Milford Public Schools recently held a “1:1” Chromebook roll-out for freshman at Jonathan Law and Foran High Schools.

This process involves giving a Chromebook to every student. With technology on the rise in society and especially in schools, the district decided to take the initiative to help students adapt.

“The district recognizes that students are using technology as a tool for learning,” principal Mr. Thompson said. “While we have been using Chromebooks in the district for a while, allowing our high school students to have them as a resource beyond the school day just makes sense as so much of our instruction during and after class takes place on Google platforms.”

Many teachers already use resources such as Google Classroom to communicate with their students in and outside of the classroom.

“It makes communication between students and myself easier, improves student accountability, and with our rotating schedule, it helps keep teachers and students stay organized,” English teacher Mrs. Lucia said.

The freshmen received their Chromebooks over the last few weeks.

“So far, the response has been great,” Thompson said.

Students like freshman Shelby Green have been using their Chromebooks in classes and at home.

“Having the Chromebook gives us easy access to Google Classroom and instead of having to go to the library to get a Chromebook we have one on us at all times,” said Green.

A worry of many students is that they will accidentally break or mess up their Chromebooks.

“It’s like all instructional resources provided by the school (think big old books but less heavy!), so the expectation is the Chromebooks will be taken care of and properly stored and charged,” said Thompson. “If there is a damaged Chromebook, depending on the situation, we will address it accordingly. I give our kids enough credit to know how respectful and appreciative they are for this resource, so I don’t imagine a lot of messing up.”

As for prior computer labs and other technological resources, they will stay for now.

“Eventually, some will be re-purposed but some will remain as they have certain functions with specific purposes and software,” said Thompson.

Chromebooks will be given out to students currently in grades 10-11 in time for next year.

By Morgan Taylor – Editor-in-Chief

Jonathan Law High School recently hosted five alumni to talk to sophomores and business students about how their experiences in high school prepared them for their jobs.

During the second annual Law Gives Back event, the five alumni talked about what students need to do to be successful in the real world. The event was sponsored by the Law business teacher Mr. Beler, Business Department, the College and Career Center, and the School Counseling Department.

“Law Gives Back’s purpose was to show our current students successful people who once sat in their chairs,” Beler said.

Since sophomores are at the age when they are deciding what to pursue in college, they were invited to sit down in the auditorium and listen to the five speakers.

The alumni were Hadir Elhelw (Class of 2014), who is a media planner at Havas Media Group; Tarah Kelly (Class of 2013), who is a group sales representative for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers; Anisha Manglani (Class of 2013), who is a support analyst for Indeed.com; Dan Thornberg (Class of 2008), who is the CEO and president of Aced My Interview and Total Lawn Care, LLC; and Amanda Trcka (Class of 2011), who works in public relations for Fleishman Hilliard.

“I like to call them my five ‘rockstars’,” Beler said.

The oldest of the five was 28 years old. This served the purpose of providing the students with speakers who are not much older than them.

The assembly was held for the sophomores and business students.

“The five people who came talked about what they do now and how they got to where they are,” junior attendee Brooke Nabors said.

Some students were chosen to have lunch and talk with the alumni after the assembly.

“I was sitting with a man who created Ace My Interview and a landscaping company,” Nabors said. “The biggest take-away I had was that I really have to start thinking about what can help me little by little to make my future in college more successful.”

Other students talked about what to do in college in order to be successful.

“It was very educational,” junior Skylar Sosa said. “I learned a lot and it changed my perspective on possibly going into the business field as a job. We talked about what you should major in and what steps you have to take to pursue a career in business or marketing.”

By Morgan Taylor – Editor-In-Chief

Jonathan Law’s Ski and Snowboard Club is hitting the slopes this winter season.

With five trips coming up this season, the club has a lot in store for its members.

“The Ski Club is all about having fun with your friends while having fun on the slopes,” senior club president Michael Bagdasarian said.

The first trip is going to be Saturday, January 5, to Mount Snow. All trips take place on Saturdays.

“We are always looking to grow the club,” said Bagdasarian. “By adding more people, it makes the cost of the bus a lot less.”

The overnight trip is the major excursion of the club.

“The overnight is super fun but you have to go on two trips prior to that within the club,” said Bagdasarian. “It is two nights and three days. We spend the Friday afternoon on a coach bus for the six-hour drive, but we try to play some games on the bus.”

For the overnight, the club leaves after school and arrives at Smuggler’s Notch in Vermont for the weekend.

“It is so much fun,” said junior club member Theresa Rosato. “It allows us to have more time for skiing than a regular trip”

Junior club member Laxman Mohanarajan agreed.

“It is a great bonding experience and I love hanging out with my friends,” Mohanarajan said.

There are plenty of adult chaperones and new members can take lessons.

“I am really excited to try skiing,” junior member Ryan Tyimok said.

Skiing is a very popular sport in Connecticut and Ski Club allows students to participate with friends and peers.

“We do so much more than ski,” said Rosato. “There is time on the bus to play games and on the overnight we swim in the hotel pool and eat ice cream.”

The Ski Club is looking forward to this season and prospective members can sign up anytime.

By Lucas Greifzu – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Latin Club meets every other Thursday right after school in the upstairs computer lab to learn about Roman culture and to discuss upcoming trips and fundraisers.

While the Latin cCub takes a good number of trips and does a lot of fundraisers every year, their biggest trip is  to Holiday Hill for Latin Day. They also are planning a trip to New York very soon.

“Latin Club is a club to celebrate ancient culture,” Latin Club advisor Mrs. Furst said. “It is also an opportunity for students to explore their own interests in the ancient world.”

The club learns about ancient Latin and Roman culture in many ways. For example, they make chocolate dormice, as well as celebrate Saturnalia, which is a Christmas like holiday celebrated in December.

“Some previous activities that we have done include celebrating Saturnalia,” Furst said. “We have also made dormice out of chocolate.”

The Latin Club also has another large field trip planned for the rest of the year. They are taking a trip into New York City to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“The Latin Club also goes on field trips,” Latin Club officer Noah Golden said. “We are going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City to learn about Latin culture.”

Latin Club discusses ancient Latin and Roman culture, students don’t have to be enrolled in a Latin class in order to be in the club. 

“There is a connection between the class and club, but you do not have to take Latin to be in the club,” Furst said. “It is a great opportunity to see what Jonathan Law High School Latin is about.”

A lot of things happen in the Latin Club meetings other than the activities about ancient Latin and Roman culture. They also discuss upcoming trips and how they plan to pay for them.

“In the meetings we plan out the trips that we are going to take to holiday hill for Latin day and to the metropolitan art museum,” Latin Club sophomore Anish Sikhinam said. “We also plan out our fundraisers to pay for those trips.”

The Latin Club also has a Twitter account. There they post about Latin culture and tweet Latin memes.

“I run the Twitter account with Noah,” Latin Club member and sophomore Oliver Steele said. “We also try to make our Twitter as humorous as possible; if you care to follow the Latin club Twitter it’s @JLHSLatinClub.”

By Nyasia McDonald – Staff Reporter

Several in-state colleges visited Jonathan Law High School on December 14 for Instant Decision Day.

Instant Decision Day was hosted in the counseling department by the Law’s guidance counselors. Some colleges that visited were Southern Connecticut State University, Central Connecticut State University, Western Connecticut State University, Albertus Magnus College, and the University of New Haven.

The colleges interviewed the seniors that applied to each school and gave them an acceptance decision on the spot.

“Students had to sign up to attend,” guidance counselor Mrs. Kovacs said.

In all, 25 students signed up to attend the event.

Sacred Heart University also visited Law for the Instant Decision Day. The Assistant Superintendent of the college was in attendance to help make the admission decisions.

“(Law senior) Mary Lonergan got accepted into the Sacred Heart Early Decision Nursing Program with a scholarship,” Kovacs said. 

Students went to the interviews prepared and well-dressed.

“The students came prepared with questions and they were professionally dressed,” College and Career Coordinator Mrs. Sylvia said.

By Jess Owens – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s Giving Tree is giving back during this year’s holiday season.

The National Honor Society decorates the Giving Tree every year with tags that have a name of a boy or girl along with their age and a gift. Students and staff are to take a tag off the tree and return it with the gift that is listed.

“We work with Bridges and their clinicians who work with these families come up with the lists for us and basically they give us three to five gifts the kids have requested and we fulfill their wishes,” NHS advisor Ms. Turcotte said.

Bridges is a social service organization in Milford which has counselors and work with families who are less fortunate than others. They give a list of kids and what they asked for without disclosing their names .

So far, Jonathan Law has received almost 200 gifts for the kids this year. They began with 53 children that they wanted to give at least three to five of the gifts they asked for.

“Our goal is to fill the list,” Turcotte said. “To make sure that all these kids wake up to something on christmas morning.”

Members of NHS are working very hard to make Christmas for these children one that they’ll never forget.

“It’s great; we got a lot of people to donate gifts and we are really really excited to be doing this” NHS officer Kruttika Gopal said.

One Law student who bought a gift was very happy to be giving back.

“I got a pair of sneakers for a boy that’s three years old,” sophomore Jefri Caballero said. “Once I was in need of a gift and I felt like it was necessary to help someone else as a act of kindness.”

NHS hopes that all kids receive what they asked for and that they have a happy holiday.

“I hope that we just bring happiness to the kids who deserve it because they don’t have a lot of money or some people just asked for diapers or winter clothes,” NHS officer Ming-May Hu. ”I hope it just brings them comfort and happiness for the holidays.”

NHS has been doing the Giving Tree for years and they have many exciting things coming after break.

By Stefanie Lojko – Staff Reporter

Two of Jonathan Law’s National Art Honor Society students, senior Hannah Swenning and junior Leah Milewski, have come together to paint a mural at West Shore Middle School.

West Shore principal Mr. Cavanna contacted the NAHS and Swenning and Milewski decided to take on the project. They had full freedom to come up with the idea on their own and that’s exactly what they did.

The mural will depict West Shore’s logo with their mascot, a wildcat, in the middle. Once that is completed, students and faculty at West Shore will put their hand prints around the logo and sign their names.

“We are trying to incorporate the teachers in the mural,” Swenning said.” We want it to show a sense of unity.”

After all the renovations West Shore has done over the past couple years, the mural will help create a of community because it is something all the students can be apart of and enjoy.

“Their time, creativity and craftsmanship is a great example of the school spirit at both West Shore and Law,” Cavanna said.

Swenning, a graduate of West Shore, felt that doing this mural for the school was an opportunity to leave her touch. She felt glad that other people can enjoy something she took part in.

“I do think it is pretty cool that I get to put my touch on a school that I used to go to, especially after all the renovations that have happened,” Swenning said.

Milewski did not attend West Shore but she felt good about painting something for another school. When others complimented them on their work, it gave her more motivation to work harder.

“It still feels special to paint this because I enjoy helping other schools,” Milewski said.

Cavanna feels the mural shows how creative and hardworking Law students can be.

“West is best because of these two remarkable artists,” Cavanna said.

By Anish Sikhinam – Staff Reporter

The Civil Discourse Club was recently created at Law with the aim of helping students find common viewpoints on certain topics.

Unlike a typical debate club, where debaters on either side come to convince or win the other person over, students in the Civil Discourse Club work together to find a solution that both sides agree with.

“Civil discourse is not necessarily formal, but there are some rules about it,” librarian and founder Mrs. Briggs said. “Those rules mostly involve finding common ground and active, respectful listening, where you listen not just to refute what somebody is saying, but you listen to understand.”

The club meets in the Media Center during common time, although there is no set schedule as of now.

“I envision meeting at least a couple of times a month, just to touch base with people,” Briggs said. “I want to give people enough time to do some research, but I also want to give people multiple opportunities to attend meetings.”

The club’s first meeting was during common time on December 4. It was mostly an introduction meeting, where the students decided what topic they wanted discuss.

The club plans to have its next meeting on January 8 during common time. The chosen topic that the students will discuss is climate change and what can be done about it.

“I want it to be all student run,” Briggs said. “I want the topic ideas to come from the students and be things that they’re really interested in talking about.”

Briggs has also shared library resources for students to research the topic and support their viewpoints between meetings. “We discuss topics of interest to the group and prepare for meetings by researching our topic a bit,” sophomore Brian Zirkel said.

The actual discussion will run having multiple sides, with limited teacher intervention, similar to a Socratic seminar.

The idea to start this club came from an article from the School Library Journal, which stated that in society and especially online, people don’t have the skill to be able to talk civilly amongst one another.

“People are ending up very angry and frustrated, and there’s a lot of villainizing of the other side and people who don’t agree,” Briggs said. “What I really want is for students to get a lot out of it, and walk away from the conversation not feeling angry or riled up, but feeling hopeful about the future.”

Most students in the club do seem to like the idea of civil discourse.

“I think it’s really important because in this day and age there’s so many people that have different opinions and everyone is always arguing,” sophomore Rachna Vipparla said.

The club hopes to recruit new members as well going forward. “I do think there’s obvious appeal to the Model UN kids, to kids who have done debate clubs,” Briggs said.

“I joined this club to speak better, learn how to communicate, and debate and defend my position,” sophomore Sanskar Shah said. “This club is for people that feel strongly about and like to express their opinions on current hot topics.”

By Addison Schwing – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Science Club is preparing to partake in the MIT Science Olympiad Invitational on January 12, 2019.

The Science Club is an academic club that participates in science-oriented events across New England. They spend the majority of their time preparing for the Connecticut Science Olympiad, a statewide science-based competition held at the University of Connecticut wherein students form teams and complete a multitude of science-based competitions.

Senior Ming-May Hu acts as Club President, and Ms. Turcotte and Mr. Stanton from the Science Department advise the club.

This year, the Science Club will be participating in the Science Olympiad Invitational at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Ms. Turcotte cites the location as a change of pace for the club.

“Normally we would do Yale University, but in the past, we’ve done Brown University, and we’re doing MIT this year,” Turcotte said. “The nice thing about going to MIT is that it’s out-of-state, so there are lots of people traveling from all over the country, whereas the UConn event is just Connecticut exclusively. It gives us more variety.”

The event at MIT is an invitational, and the actual Olympiad takes place at the University of Connecticut; however, the invitational is modeled after the official event.

Hu said that the club has worked hard in preparation for the event.

“There are multiple events [during the Olympiad], and everyone has a few of them, and everyone prepares on their own,” she said. “It’s kind of like an independent study sort of thing. Depending on the event, there could be a test so you would have to study anatomy for example, and people will go to different teachers for help, or you might have to build a tower that has to hold a certain amount of weight so you would have to keep doing trials.”

Participants are under a lot of pressure to perform well during the event.

The competition lasts from the morning to the evening and is composed of a gauntlet of challenges with different themes, such as Chemistry, Thermodynamics, Forensics, and Herpetology.

Turcotte expects students to show up prepared to the event.

“There have been years where people haven’t shown up prepared, and especially with new members, they don’t know what to expect, and when you show up and see these kids carrying all their equipment in and are prepared, and you aren’t then it’s stressful,” Turcotte said. “Of course, we want to win medals, and we want to do well overall, but the most important thing is that they prepare and that they pull their weight with their team so that they have a chance of being successful.”

By Mia Cerrato – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s band and orchestra got into the holiday spirit during their annual concert on December 11.

The band and orchestra have been preparing and rehearsing to ensure that their performance will be exceptional.

“My class, the orchestra, practiced these songs for the last couple of months constantly to keep tweaking and getting everything perfect,” sophomore Meghana Cheela said.

The orchestra teacher encouraged his studenst to push themselves to the best of their abilities.

“Practice, practice, practice,” orchestra teacher Mr. Burns said. “ We had daily rehearsals and class rehearsals. Plus, the dress rehearsal the night before.”

The band and orchestra performed various holiday songs.

“The band performed multiple symphonies,” sophomore Lucas Greifzu said. “A few symphonies we played were ‘Elements’ and ‘Circus Days.’”

The orchestra performed a setlist as well.

“The orchestra played ‘Carol of the Bells,’ ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas,’ and ‘Festival of Lights,’” Cheela said.

The goal of the bad and orchestra was to make sure their performance puts the audience in awe. 

“I was truly impressed by the performance,” sophomore Jennifer Liu said. “I enjoyed all the songs and thought everyone did really good.”

The orchestra teacher had a similar reaction to the performances.

“I think it went really great,” said Burns. “ The orchestra played really precisely and the other groups performed really well.”

Members of band and orchestra seemed to be confident in their performance

“I think it went pretty good,” Greifzu said. “ We worked hard.”

Cheela agreed.

“The concert went amazing,” Cheela said. “ All the parents were very impressed and loved the concert.”

By Rachna Vipparla – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law choir conducted its Winter Concert on December 11 in the auditorium.

The Winter Concert is an annual performance that the Advanced Vocal Ensemble (AVE) and the concert choir participates in.

“This concert was a lot of hard work for the choir to put together, but in the end it was an amazing experience that I really enjoyed,” sophomore Sreeya Gudlavalleti said.

AVE started of the concert with several a capella pieces and then they were joined by the concert choir towards the end.

A few of the songs sung at the concert were “December Rose,” “Stars I Shall Find,” “Ain’t that a Rockin, Silent Night,” and “Magical for Christmas.”

“We invited the middle schoolers from Harborside and West Shore, which was also a very interesting experience,” sophomore Jefri Caballero said.

This year, the audience was also very involved throughout, singing “Silent Night” and a Hebrew piece.

“This year, we were lucky to have Dana Weiderhold perform with us, she came from Pennsylvania and played the violin,” choir teacher Ms. Jones said. ”This was a very special treat for us.”

The audience was captivated by the talent of the choir and its extraordinary performance.

“The concert was wonderful and I truly was never bored,” sophomore Alexis Rios said.

The choir practiced for the concert for almost three months.

Since the choir is now finished with the Winter Concert, members will have to begin working on the Spring Concert next.

By Morgan Taylor – Editor-In-Chief

Netflix producers recently joined the Law student body to film a documentary about the effects of vaping at Jonathan Law High School.

In a series about teenage lifestyle, Law will be featured in an episode for the school’s past honesty and openness about their experiences with vaping by students.

“I was called by this production company used by Netflix called Zero Point Zero Productions,” said Principal Mr. Thompson. “They have done documentaries for Netflix in the past and this is their new project.”

The producers asked to meet some students from Law and follow them around their life in and outside of school.

Law senior Bella Carroll was one of these students.

“Overall, it was an interesting experience,” said Carroll. “They had come to my house after school and before school the next morning to get a feel of what the life of an average high schooler is like.”

The students were asked questions about how they have seen e-cigarettes affect the school.

“They mainly had filmed interviews of my three friends and I, asking about what role e-cigarettes, mainly the juul, had in school,” Carroll said. “They asked everything from how many of my friends I’ve seen use it, to how our school tries to prevent it.”

The series is going to cover all aspects of teenage lifestyle with this episode devoted to vaping and how its affecting students.

“They are going to talk to health specialists and areas of government to discuss the consequences of vaping,” Thompson said.

Thompson is unsure of exactly how the high school was chosen to take part in this series.

“To be honest, they called, we talked, they came down to Milford and filmed,” said Thompson. “We don’t know if there are other school’s involved around the country.”

Law has taken significant strides to prevent students from using these harmful e-cigarettes, including closing and monitoring some restrooms to help keep students safe.

By Noah Golden – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Ping Pong Club is looking forward to another year of meeting and playing.

Every Monday, the Ping Pong Club meets in the open area by the Freshman Wing. The first club meeting was on November 26.

“People can just come down to the open space by the freshman wing and play Ping Pong on Mondays,” sophomore club member Lucas Greifzu said.

During these meetings, the members of the club set up the table and then face each other in match-ups.

“It depends on how many people show up, but normally we will just have whoever wins keep playing against whoever wants to face them,” Greifzu said.

The club was organized last year by sophomores Angel Santiago and Owen Brennan.

“We had to play ping pong a lot in middle school, so Owen Brennan and I had decided that we wanted to make it a club and keep the tradition going,” Santiago said.

The club not only helps with continuing traditions, but also with the members’ sports and activities as well.

“It definitely helps out with tennis,” Santiago said. “Hand eye coordination helps out a lot. Obviously you don’t hit the ball as hard as you do in tennis. The hand-eye coordination and the little steps you have to take to get to the ball, and just the effort to get to every ball.”

People in the club also play it for the joy of the game itself.

“Ping pong is a sport that I enjoy and it’s fun to play it with friends,” Greifzu said.

The club also pulls in different people from different crowds.

“A lot of the people that come to it usually if for instance we have football a little bit later one day, the club would start and some of the football guys would come by and maybe some of the basketball players when they don’t have practice,” Santiago said.

The Ping Pong Club works together at all of its meetings.

“The Ping Pong Club collectively sets up the ping pong table in that open space next to the freshman wing and we just play ping pong,” said sophomore club member Anish Sikhinam.

The club plays all winter and spring which gives people in the club many opportunities to play and practice.

“It started on the 26th, and will probably end a little bit before the end of the school year,” Santiago said.

By Jessica Owens – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law marketing students recently took a trip to a Sound Tigers game for a Sports Marketing Day for students all over Connecticut.

Before the game, there was a presentation from the President of the University Of Bridgeport, and the Head of Student Development, who talked to the kids about different current college career opportunities.

The arena was sold out with over 7,000 people in attendance. Fifteen high schools, 20 middle schools, and 10 elementary schools attended the game.

“It was an educational day, put on by a formal alumni, which embraced the whole thing,” business teacher Mr. Beler said. “Overall I think it was a great success. We took 50  students all together.”

This event was hosted Law alum Tarah Kelly. Kelly was a former student in Beler’s business class and is currently the Head of Promotions for the Sound Tigers.

Students that attended the trip said they had many favorite moments.

“The fights – they were funny,” junior Brooke Nabors said.

Many of the kids, including Beler, enjoyed this part of the game, too.

“My favorite part of the game was probably the fights,” sophomore Justin Judge said.

Some kids enjoyed just interacting and having fun with the crowd.

“Mostly the crowd, like the singing and the wave, the game was fun to watch too,” senior Julie Myers said.

Students learned about marketing and met many new people at the game. Overall, the students seemed to have a fun, educational day.

“It was great to see, especially talking to the president about college and the University of Bridgeport, all the different college speakers and to see all the marketing put into place,” Beler said. “It was a pretty good day for the kids.”

By Rachna Vipparla – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Choir performed on November 8 at the Progressive Insurance “Key to Progress” program to honor veterans across the country.

The choir performed the National Anthem when opening the ceremony and closed the event with “Battle Hymn of the Republic” to pay their respects to the veterans.

“We were lucky enough to attend the Milford ceremony, which honored one incredible veteran,” senior Krutika Gopal said.  

At this event, Progressive honored the veterans across the country by donating them cars. At the event they also gifted the veterans with gift cards for gas, oil changes, and tire rotations.

“I definitely teared up at the event because the gentleman that received this, the veteran, was highly motivated and has done a lot for our country,” choir director Ms. Jones said.

The choir was very proud and grateful for the opportunity that was provided by Progressive.

“We are thankful for the people at progressive for giving us the opportunity to appreciate the veterans by performing in front of them,” sophomore Sreeya Gudlavalleti said.

The choir performed at “Keys to Progress” last year as well. After Progressive e-mailed them again asking for them to perform, the choir returned to the event for the second time.

“I think that this is a really great way to honor the veterans,” Jones said.

In order to ensure that they could honor these veterans by singing, the choir took out close to two hours of their day.

“For me, personally, I was glad to be part of such a special group and a part of honoring the veterans,” Gopal said.

In addition to the choir’s performance at the Progressive Veterans Day event, they also sang for the veterans at Law.

“We had an opportunity to sing for the veterans who have served our nation and it really was an honor to do something like that,” junior Faith Mills said.

They performed the National Anthem in order to honor all the veterans who fought for the safety of America. They felt that it was an amazing way to show their gratitude to the veterans who have served us.

“It truly was an honor to perform in front of the veterans who deserve more recognition,” Gudlavalleti said. “I had a lot of fun at the event and I think many people in the choir did as well.”

By Anish Sikhinam – Staff Reporter

Recently, Milford Food Services has introduced a new beverage to help make students’ stressful mornings better: hot chocolate milk.

The milk is currently only available during breakfast in the morning with a purchase of a full meal.

“It might be coming to lunch, but it’s not available yet,” high school kitchen manager Ms. Attardo said. “We’re working on it”.

The hot chocolate milk will not be served a la carte as of now, but it is coming soon.

“We’re working on a price,” Attardo said. ”We need more machines in order to continue serving throughout the day.”

Milford Food Services has found that high schoolers aren’t getting enough calcium in their diets. To encourage young people to drink more milk, Milford Food Services and the New England Dairy Council decided to bring the hot chocolate milk to both Jonathan Law and Foran High Schools.

Hot chocolate milk has never been on the school menu before and this is the first time that it has come to the Milford Public Schools.

According to the New England Dairy Council, heating chocolate milk and offering it as hot chocolate to older students is a great way to increase milk consumption and attract new customers to breakfast and lunch programs.”

The beverage will be made of one percent milk, which comes from a local dairy farm in Connecticut.

“They have a certain cold pasteurization process that they use that makes it very creamy,” Attardo said. “We have a wonderful machine called the Chocolady, and we take our gallons of chocolate milk and pour it into the machine, which slowly heats it up by turning it to a nice warm temperature of 130-140 degrees Fahrenheit.”

The beverage, being made of milk and chocolate, contains lactose. The hot chocolate milk is not for people who are lactose intolerant or are allergic to chocolate.

Attardo and the high school kitchen is currently unaware if there are plans to add any other beverages added to the school menu.

“The students will be the first to know if we did,” said Attardo.

Recently, the high school kitchen offered a free trial of hot chocolate milk to students in the morning, and most students seemed positive and liked it.

“I have tried the hot chocolate milk and it was pretty good,” said sophomore Amir Elhelw.

Others think that the beverage needs a little more improving before it can be sold.

“The hot chocolate milk’s good, it just needs some cinnamon,” said junior Alyssa Denomme. “It depends on when you get it.”

Most students, however, like the way the hot chocolate milk gives them energy during a tough morning.

“It got me energized and it was tastefully pleasing,” said sophomore Joey Merly.

Overall, the new hot chocolate milk seeks to provide students extra calcium and nutrition, while giving students a great way to start the morning with more energy and a good mood – a win for both the food service and the students.

(Some information courtesy https://www.newenglanddairycouncil.org)

By Stefanie Lojko – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s Badminton Club, run by seniors Susan Wischow and Sana Rana, needs students’ help.

Badminton Club started having meetings at the beginning of last school year and they were pretty sure the club would work out. Many students showed up and were super excited about the tournaments and the fact that they didn’t have to deal with the stress of regular sports.

It is a club that students can join whenever they like in order to have fun and relieve some stress every Tuesday after school.

“When we first thought of the idea, we proposed it to our friends and they all loved it,” Rana said. “We also went to the freshman orientation to promote our club and many people were interested.”

Starting a club and being in charge of it can be hard for Rana and Wischow as they are busy applying to colleges. Winter sports are also starting up and getting gym time can be hard considering.

“It’s also hard since were busy with school and work and college deadlines coming up,” Wischow said.

Nevertheless, Rana and Wischow hope to revive Badminton Club this year because of the community it brought. Everyone got along and loved to have games with their friends.

“Many people came and were very excited about the tournament we were going to have,” Rana said. “There was a lot of friendly competition.”

The tournaments were held every time they met. Each group would come up with a name and Rana and Wischow would bracket everyone to end up with a winner.

“The tournaments helped you get to know everyone in the club instead of playing with the same people every time,” senior Shayna Levay said.

A big staple of the club was that it helped to relieve stress from school and other sports.

“I thought the club was very fun and stress relieving,” senior Lola Hazarika said.

Everyone was able to let loose because of how relaxed the club was. There was never any attendance and students could join whenever you wanted.

“We want it to be a fun and relaxing place for people so they shouldn’t feel obligated to impress us or anything,” Wischow said.

This year, the club is trying hard to revive themselves as many students enjoyed the club. Their first meeting this year did not go as well seeing as not many people showed up.

“We are hoping to revive it this year since it was such a success last year,” Rana said.

By Mia Cerrato – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law High School had Jeanette Mare, the founder of Ben’s Bells, and Dr. Erin Bowen, the creator of Kisses for Conor, speak at an assembly entitled “The Kind Mind” which addressed the need for kindness in the community.

Kindness Club planned this PSA to encourage kind acts at Jonathan Law, which is the sole purpose of the affiliation.

“The purpose of Kindness Club is to spread kindness throughout the community and wants the community, especially at Law, to be kind and respectful towards one another,” junior Tess Rosato, a member of Kindness Club, said. “We try to promote that.”

Kindness Club got in touch with the founder of Kindness for Conor, Dr. Erin Bowen, back in September. Ben’s Bells, an organization that advocates intentional acts of kindness, also reached out to attend the assembly.

“Dr. Erin Bowen, a pediatrician in Milford, lost her 17-month-old baby, Conor in 2016 due to complications created by Sudden Death Syndrome and created ‘Kisses for Conor’ to spread kindness in Conor’s name,” Kindness Club advisor Mrs. Murphy said. “We invited her to the assembly and to meet Jeanette Mare who also lost her baby boy Ben from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.”

The women discussed the science behind kindness and the difference from being nice and kind. They also explained how students could practice kindness and encourage others to do the same.

“The purpose of the assembly was to spread kindness and allow Jonathan Law students to understand the true meaning of the Kindness Club,” said Rachna Vipparla, a sophomore in the club. “The assembly explained how everyone could show random acts of kindness and how impactful it could be.”

The assembly seemed to influence many students in the Jonathan Law community to cultivate kindness.  Many students decided to join the club as well.

“The assembly went really well and I learned how even small acts of kindness can make a big difference,” said new senior member Carly Mancinone. “I joined Kindness Club to get involved with the community and make a difference.”

The Kindness Club and their many generous acts all began after the loss of a beloved friend Maren Sanchez.

“One of the things Maren Sanchez was known for was her kindness and spreading kindness throughout the community,” Murphy said. “She was the girl that sat with the kids that had no one to sit with at lunch.”

The Kindness Club will continue to honor Maren and encourage positivity at Jonathan Law.

By Gia Edwards – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law students are excited for the annual Homecoming dance which will he held on November 16.

The dance is open for all grades, and will include a DJ, snacks, and the announcement of Homecoming king and queen. This is the only dance the senior class hosts, and they sold tickets for $10 during all lunch waves.

“A lot of planning goes into Homecoming,” senior class advisor Mrs. Kovacs said. “We have to figure out what the theme is, we get the cafeteria ready, have snacks ready. We also need a lot of advertising which includes posters and e-mails sent out with information about homecoming to students and their parents.”

The freshman class is especially looking forward to its first high school dance.

“It’s cool that all grades get to go; it’s not just separated grade by grade,” freshman Lex Edwards said.  “I’ve never been to a dance that has a king and queen so that’s also different.” 

Upperclassman are also excited for the dance because it has become a fun tradition.

“I think it’s a great environment for people to be in,” junior Tori Kowalski said. “It’s every grade in one room so there’s a good sense of community and everyone has a good time.”

The dance will go from 7-10 p.m. in the cafeteria and students are reminded to dress their best.

By Morgan Taylor – Editor-In-Chief

Jonathan Law High School welcomed middle school students to this year’s Open House on October 11.

Law planned many activities for 8th graders who were coming to high school next year, including a “scavenger hunt,” an Activity Fair and an Academic Fair.

“The word is out in our community about how great Jonathan Law is,” Law principal Mr. Thompson said.

When students and parents arrived, they were given a “swag bag” with items such as free football tickets to Friday night’s game, sunglasses, and a piece of paper which served as their “passport.” They were instructed to get stamps along their tours at different locations in the school.

“ If you’re a Lawman, you have swag,” Thompson said. “It had to be done.”

The night started with a chorus performance of the national anthem followed by speeches from Mr. Thompson, two students currently attending Law, and a parent of two Law students.

The speeches served the purpose of explaining what being a Law student is truly about.

Next, the students were given a sample lesson by teachers from one subject. Some groups saw a science lesson while others saw an engineering lesson.

“I wanted to give the families a sample of what a day is like at our school,” Thompson said.  “We have so many wonderful teachers who offered to give a lesson and all the rooms were packed.”

Students were also shown a sample Eagle Eye News video which gave an example of what announcements look like at Law. This video also included a segment called “I’m a Lawmen” which showcased students and faculty doing different activities and saying what things at Law they took apart of.

“Eagle Eye News is our signature show (no offense to Technical Difficulties) so it made sense to put these two great parts together to showcase what we do everyday,” Thompson said.

Next, students were taken on guided tours of the school.

Along the way students collected stamps spelling out “JLAW!” and when it was filled out, received a T-shirt.

On the tour, 8th graders were shown an Academic Fair which included lists of classes one could take in the different subject areas at Law as well as the elective course options.

“Our academic offerings are most impressive,” Thompson said. “It was a chance for our middle school families to see why coming to Jonathan Law High School prepares students to be the leaders of tomorrow.”

Students were also shown an Activity Fair which included clubs and sports presentations.

“It is an important part of our school and I put it at as the last stop because our students, coaches and advisors get to spend time with middle school students and their families discussing all the opportunities beyond the classroom that makes Jonathan Law such a special place,” Thompson said.

Both the Academic and Activity Fairs included sign ups so that clubs, sports, and teachers could see the level of interest of incoming students.

“The energy and spirit of the event were great and I have received many compliments from middle school parents about how excited their family is to join ours,” Thompson said.

By Lucas Greifzu – Staff Reporter

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

The Key Club raises money at many events around the community, but, outside of that this year, they have decided to work with the Thirst Project and are trying to raise $12,000 to help build a well in Swaziland.

Their next local event is called Shake the Can, where they help raise money for the Salvation Army.

“Our goal is to raise $12,000 over the next six months or so,” Key Club Director Mr. Boynton said. “We want to provide a community in Swaziland with a well system, so that they’ll have water.”

Just because it has taken on this bigger project this year doesn’t mean that the Key Club will stop working around the community in Milford. The Key Club is partnering with several local community service groups and with the Law Keyettes.

“(The Keyettes president) and I both agreed that this will be the best for both clubs, and so far it has,” Key Club Officer Angel Santiago said. “I have greatly appreciated their support and love for our community.”

The Key Club volunteers at many events throughout the year. For instance, they volunteered at St. Mary’s Carnival and Pumpkins on the Pier and they still have several events left throughout the year.

“We have six events planned for this month,” Santiago said. “I don’t know all of the events that we have because more keep getting added.”

The Key Club also has two conventions that the go to every year, one at the district level and one at the international level. Key Club members can run for higher offices within the district or international level.

“The district convention and international convention,” Key Club Lieutenant Governor Rohan Manohar said. “I’ll be running for International Trustee this year.”

Everyone in the Key Club is eager to volunteer when their help is needed. 

“When the opportunity comes to volunteer in the community, I’ll gladly accept it,” sophomore and member of the Key Club Noah Golden said. ”Even though I might not know when all of the events are I’m still glad to help.”

The Key Club is ready to have a very productive year and to raise $12,000 for the Thirst Project.

By Jefri Caballero – Staff Reporter

This year, Jonathan Law has over 20 clubs and one of them is the Natural Helpers.

Natural Helpers is an organization with the goal to train students to help their peers when they are in need. The president of the Natural Helpers is junior Morgan Taylor. 

“Natural Helpers is a great way for students to get involved in helping their community,” Taylor said. “We try to make this school a better place for all students and faculty alike.”

The Natural Helpers work together on how to make the school community and the Milford community better. They work on being approachable role models for Jonathan Law students.

“I joined Natural Helpers because it’s a good way to get involved and be with a good group of people at Law,” junior Brooke Nabors said.

The club had its first meeting in mid-September and will continue to have meetings on F days during common time.The club is currently planning its activities for the year, a list which includes the Special Olympics. 

“Anyone and everyone should join because the skill set you gain by been part of the organization will make you asset to all the people around you,” Natural Helpers advisor Mrs. Mercaldi said.

Taylor revived the club because when she was a freshman, she was the only freshman, and the rest of the members were seniors. Her sophomore year, she was the only member left, so she found a new advisor for the club and tried to get people involved.

“I heard about the club from Morgan,” junior Thea Ryan said.

Taylor has promoted the club this year and many juniors have already joined.

This year, the Natural Helpers are also working on an anti-bullying campaign. Their idea is that “happy people don’t bully other people.” They are also really interested in organizing a de-stress event before midterms and finals.

The Natural Helpers work with the Milford Prevention Council which is their parent organization. This year, they would love to be more involved in the community and are always looking for new members.

By Noah Golden – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Science Club is getting ready for another year of competing.

Annually, the Science Club competes in Science Olympiads across the state in different levels. They hope to do well this year and win some medals.

“It’s really just about having fun and learning new things that we don’t get to learn in class,” senior Ming May Hu, the Science Club president, said. “We get to do more in depth research about Science topics and it’s just having fun and competing with your friends.”

Most years, the Science Olympiads take place at UConn. This year, the Science Club will be going to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“Everyone has about three events and a partner, and they just compete in events,” Hu said. “We have building ones, like robots ands towers.”

Last year, the Science Club won a few medals and placed well in several events.. Senior Tyler Goodwin, who has been in the Science Club since his sophomore year, is one member who placed.

“I took 4th place in the Helicopter Tournament at the Invitational Level,” Goodwin said. “I also took 7th place at the Optics Tournament.”

Law science teacher Ms. Turcotte said that the team has improved over the years.

“At first we didn’t do very well when we started because we didn’t know what we were doing,”  Turcotte said.

This will be Law’s 6th year of competing in the competitions. Since they first started, they have shown improvement.

“We have shown improvement in the way of having more commitment to the club,” Turcotte said. “Every year they have more interest. This year we look forward to going to MIT.”

The commitment level has gone up to the point where Law now has two seperate teams.

Law is looking to earn some more medals this coming year. Now with Law having two separate teams, this gives them even better of a chance to get more medals.

“I hope we do well this year,” Hu said. “We did pretty well last year.”

The state competitions can lead to the national competitions, which is what Law hopes to make.

“We have some different events this year, but I hope we do well,” Goodwin said.

The Science Club’s first meeting was on Monday, September 17.

By Samiksha Mehta – Staff Reporter

The Law community has no idea what choir has in store this year.

The choir will perform at several events including at Hershey Park, and possibly even Carnegie Hall next year. They recently performed at a ceremony for the new Jonathan Law Brick Walk, and are getting ready for another fundraiser to go to Hershey Park at the end of the year.

“I’m excited about all those things that seem un-choir related, but they actually really fill the bond in the group, and it becomes like a family,” choir director Mrs. Jones said. “So a lot of the new people that we have this year are really very interested in being there and we have our best attendance ever at a lot of our out-of-school functions this year. I’m really excited about everybody involved in choir this year and the efforts they’re making.”

Although many members graduated from last year’s choir, the choir hasn’t had any issues so far and is getting along swimmingly.

The fundraisers they hosted to get this far have been paying off and they’re almost ready for the Hershey’s event. The choir was able to raise over $500 by selling chocolates.

Members of the choir said that the extra work they put in class and at out-of-school functions to determine how well they’re doing. That work has paid off to get them where they want to be and where they are now.

The hard work they’ve put into their concerts and their performances earned them first place at Lake Compounce and their performance there boosted their popularity throughout the school.

Choir members said they are excited for their upcoming trips.

“We’re gonna go to Hershey this year and I’m so excited,” sophomore choir member Britney Delgado said. “I haven’t ever been there and I feel like it’s gonna be awesome.”

Travelling to out-of-school and out-of-state functions helps the choir to bond and become a family.

“What’s best about choir for me is the bond that we share and the bond that we create,” junior choir member Faith Mills said. “It makes it even better to perform, knowing we’ll always be family.”

The family bond that is created between choir members is what they look forward to and what they feel is most important.

“Being a new choir member is kind of hard, to be honest, because everyone else knows what to do and each other while I’m trying to catch up,” sophomore choir member Haley Hedman said. “It’s exciting, though, because it’s easy to make friends, since some of my friends are in that class.”

By Stephanie Caron – Staff Reporter

The members of the Class of 2022 are settling nicely in their new home.

Freshman students from West Shore Middle school and Harborside Middle School are meeting new friends and adjusting to their new life at Jonathan Law.

“My favorite thing about high school so far is the freedom,” freshman Gabby Fino said.

High school is a big change from middle school, but the freshman class seems just fine with the big change.

“Middle school and high school are very different,” freshman Sadie Willett said. “Just because of how everything is handled, and how all of the classes are different.”

Many of the freshmen have joined sports and clubs. They said it helps them adjust and meet new people at Jonathan Law.  

“I know more people, and I know my way around,” freshman Moira Staples said.

During the second week of school, Law held a picnic and a Freshman Welcome Day to get the students excited for the upcoming years, and teach how to get involved at Law outside of the classroom. It was also an opportunity to bond with their classmates.

“My advice for the Class of 2022 is to make organization a top priority, and to get involved,” freshman teacher Mrs. Anderson said. “There are so many great opportunities for students here at law, and I think every 9th grader should try to join at least one club or sports team.”

The upperclassmen also attended the picnic to teach the freshman football cheers, how to get involved, and the clubs that they could join.

“The work is harder, but overall it’s more fun to be here,” freshman Emma Nelly said.

Freshman Troy Brennan agreed.

“It’s harder, because it’s a lot more work to do in a shorter amount of time,” Brennan said.

Members of the freshman class said that high school is an exciting yet nerve-racking experience, and they know it is important they manage their time wisely.

“I’m looking forward to all of the activities,” Staples said. “And all of the involvement outside of the classroom.”

Anderson said that high school is a fun experience and that it is important for freshmen to meet new people outside of their classes.

“The Class of 2022 seems to have a lot of enthusiasm,” Anderson said. “I can’t wait to see what they do here in the next four years.”

By Stefanie Lojko – Staff Reporter

The creator of the rock sculptures that appear almost overnight between Silver Sands and Walnut Beach has stepped forward.

Students at Law might know him.

Former Jonathan Law student Ozan Oncu has spent summers building these rock towers. He used it without any wires, supports, or rings, combining balance and patience to create these pieces of art.

“I started the rock-sculptures because one of my friends showed me how to make them, then I started doing them all the time,” Ozan said.

Many residents like the rock towers because not many other beaches have them an entire section of beach dedicated to them. They add something unique that Milford residents can enjoy.

“It’s fun and a nice thing to look at,” said Hannah Swenning, a senior at Jonathan Law.

Ozan was not the first one to start these rocks but he made them more popular. He spent various amounts of times on each sculpture but the most time was three hours.

“It was hard at first but as time went by, it became second nature and I could feel when the rocks were balanced,” Ozan said.

The amount of time it takes someone to master this skill can take years months, even years.

Creating rock-sculptures can be a hard skill to master because the sculptor have to learn to feel the rocks and when they’re balanced. It takes time and patience and can even become calming and therapeutic.

“It started off as a hobby but it  sort of became a type of therapy,” Ozan said.

Students at Jonathan Law have taken more of a notice to the rocks after finding out they knew who did them. Although he didn’t start them, he did popularize them.

“It’s more interesting than boring sand,” Law senior Susan Wischow said. “They look cool and remind me of yoga.”

Now that Ozan no longer lives in Milford, others have continued to make the rock-sculptures.

“I would be sad if people stopped making them,” Ozan said. “I even remember while walking down the streets of Milford people would recognize me as the ‘Rock Dude.’”

Ozan created a reputation for himself in Milford known as the “Rock Dude” and people still love the sculptures that they see everyday while walking on the beach. It gives a homely feel whenever the rock sculptures are in sight.

“They rock,” Law senior Olivia Ott said.

By Anish Sikhinam – Staff Reporter

Earlier this month, Jonathan Law remembered and commemorated the events of 9/11 by selling red bandannas in honor of firefighter and hero Welles Crowther.

The Law community purchased 185 bandannas and raised a total of $925.

“I think that Welles particularly resonates with students your age,” reading teacher Mrs. Rowley said. “And that’s why the red bandanna fundraiser is always very successful.

All proceeds will go to the non-profit Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust, which creates curricula for students about the events of 9/11 as well as leadership qualities and the impact of good deeds. The red bandannas were being sold in the rooms of social studies teacher Mrs. Mannion, Rowley, and history teacher Mr. Zuraw, and in the cafeteria courtesy of the Key Club.

In addition to the fundraiser, students also watched a documentary about Welles Crowther in their advisories.

“It was really inspiring knowing that some simple ordinary guy could do so much,” sophomore Sanskar Shah said.

Welles Crowther was an extraordinary leader who grew up being very polite and well-spoken, as well as having a strong sense of duty and care. He participated in many leadership activities while growing up, and excelled at many sports such as lacrosse, which he got to play for the varsity team at Boston College.

Crowther completed the New York State firefighting when he was just 18 years old, and became a full member of the fire department. After graduating college, Crowther became a research analyst and then an equities trader for the investment firm Sandler O’Neill & Partners.

During the events of September 11, 2001, however, Crowther became a firefighter and a hero.

That day, a man wearing a red bandanna was seen amidst the smoke and the ashes organizing a rescue effort, ordering fire extinguishers, directing people to the stairwell, and as a result saving the lives of many.

This man was later identified by family as Welles Crowther, as he had always carried a red bandanna in his back pocket, and his spirit lives on today honored by many schools around the country due to this red bandanna.

“It certainly helps me remember and reflect on September 11, 2001 and the impact that [it] had on this country, but also the spirit of Welles Crowther, who was just a true hero… so it really makes me reflect on the American spirit, how we’re always at our best when we work together and help each other,” principal Mr. Thompson said.

This tradition was brought to Jonathan Law several years ago by Rowley and Mannion, who were involved with the 9/11 Tribute Center.

“We were lucky enough to actually meet Welles Crowther’s parents… and eventually Mrs. Crowther actually came to Jonathan Law… and she spoke to the senior class that day,” Mannion said.

The presentation was very touching for the students, and ever since, Rowley and Mannion have shown the students a documentary about Crowther and have worn and honored the red bandanna, as well as starting a fundraiser with it in recent years.

Rowley, Mannion, and Zuraw have all been involved designing the 9/11 curriculum taught in the history department in the Milford school district.

“I think it’s getting trickier for our students because when I first started teaching, the students were in 7th, 8th, 6th grade, and now you guys weren’t even born when it happened… so you need to try [to] educate people and make them realize how much of an impact it had and… that’s our job to do,” Zuraw said. “Over the years and through our 9/11 curriculum, you guys and younger generations will have a good appreciation for what happened that day and what changed.”

Rowley hopes the curriculum and fundraiser will bring awareness to this worthy cause.

“I think stories like Welles help to make a personal connection to 9/11,” Rowley said. “I feel it’s extremely important to make sure you guys are educated as much as possible about 9/11 [because]… 9/11 to you is what Pearl Harbor was to me.”

(Some information courtesy http://www.crowthertrust.org)

By Jessica Owens and Rachna Vipparla – Staff Reporters

Jonathan Law has welcomed several new staff members to the community this year.

Here are some short bios of the new staff:

Mr. Walsh is one of the newest additions to the math department this year.

Before coming to Law, Walsh worked in Business, Healthcare Administration, and Market Research in Boston and decided to make a career change by going to Central Connecticut State University to get his teaching certificate. He then did student teaching in Meriden before joining the Law community.

“I’m really happy to be here,” Walsh said. “The administration is very positive here and very positive people like Mr. Thompson, they have good attitude and spirit.”

This year, Walsh is teaching three Geometry and two Algebra 1 classes. He teaches a majority of freshmen and some sophomores.

“My favorite part of this year is getting to watch my students grow in their math knowledge,” Walsh said.

During his free time, Walsh plays guitar in a band.

***

Ms. Smuniewski is the newest addition to the English department this year.

Before teaching at Law, she worked at Newtown High School. Due to low enrollment in the district, they eliminated her position, which led her to choosing the Law community.

“I have kids who are really motivated and eager to learn and the faculty is super nice and administers are great,” Smuniewski said. “It really feels like the Law family that everyone talks about.”

Smuniewski is teaching three sections of honors freshman and two sections of honors sophomores.

“I have larger classes this year so I’m excited to get to know my students and help them grow as readers, writers, thinkers, and as people,” Smuniewski said.

During her free time, Smuniewski likes to read and go to fitness classes.

***

Mr. Rodriguez is one of the newest additions to the world language community this year.

Before coming to Law, Rodriguez taught in Hamden at a middle school teaching Spanish, and then moved up to Hamden High School. He taught at an alternative high school in Hamden for two years and then was a media specialist at an elementary school in New Haven for three years.

“Everyone’s really nice here,” Rodriguez said. “The teachers the faculty here is great, the kids are great, and the administration is really nice.”

Rodriguez is teaching two Spanish 5 classes, two Spanish 4 classes, and one Spanish 2 class. He teaches a majority of juniors and sophomores and one freshman class.

“My favorite part of this year is I get to go to the sporting events again,” Rodriguez said. “I missed going to high school sporting events.”

During his free time, Rodriguez likes to work on cars.

***

Dr. Knipp is the most recent addition to the Jonathan Law staff.

He works in the science department, teaching Physics classes. Knipp teaches part time at both Jonathan Law and at Joseph A. Foran High School.

“Since I teach at Jonathan Law and Joseph Foran, I can’t be truly characterized as being a Law eagle, or a Foran lion,” Knipp said. “Instead, I consider myself a Milford griffin.”

Knipp has taught since 1984 at a multitude of schools including Lauralton Hall and Stratford High School.

However, he spent most of his teaching career as a professor at a university in Virginia.  

This year, at Law, he wants to get to know the school better, including the students and his colleagues.

“I sense a real sense of camaraderie amongst the faculty,” Knipp said.

Other than teaching Physics, Knipp loves tennis, playing frisbee, walking outside, sailing, or anything related to nature.

***

Mrs. Francisco is another new teacher in Jonathan Law High School.

Francisco works in the math department teaching Algebra II and Geometry.

When asked what she loved about Law, Fransisco said, “I love the energy, support, and hard work of the faculty and my students. I love the phrase Lawmazing.”

She is extremely passionate about math and enjoys coaching the girls soccer team at Oxford. In addition, Francisco enjoys traveling with her husband, playing fetch with her dog, and anything outdoors.

***

Mr. Beale is another new staff member at Jonathan Law High School.

He works in the Technology, Technical Engineering & Communication departments. Beale teaches classes such as drafting, wood shop, and automobile.

He started teaching in the fall of 2010 and this is his eighth year teaching. Previously, Beale taught at Stonington High School.

Beale likes to spend time volunteering and helping out in the community that he lives in. Most frequently, he participates in the organization Habitat for Humanity.  

Beale is excited to be a part of the Law community.

“It’s a very open school in a very welcoming environment to a degree that other schools I was at, did not have,” Beale said.

His goals at Law are to have a fun time and have students learn some things from him. He hopes they will have a fun time themselves.

Francisco taught for seven years at Oxford High School and this is her eighth year teaching.

Her goal this year at Law is to help students not hate going to math class and help the juniors succeed on their SATs.

By Addison Schwing – Staff Reporter

This year, Jonathan Law High School is playing host to Simona Turatti, an exchange student from Malnate, Italy.

Turatti will be spending the year at Law in the 12th grade, in partnership with the American Scandinavian Student Exchange, a program that manages year-long cultural and academic exchanges for youth in 33 different countries.

“The first reason why I wanted to study in the US is that I wanted to learn English the ‘better way’ that I can,” Turatti said.

Exchange programs like ASSE exist to enable youth to learn a second language and experience a culture different from your own.

But why choose the United States, of all places, to study in for a year?

“I love America, and I wanted to discover what it’s really like and about the style of living,” Turatti said.

One of the activities that Turatti is participating in at Law is cheerleading.

“I decided to do cheerleading because we don’t have it in Italy, and it’s a new experience and adventure,” Turatti said.

Junior Hailey Johnson is very excited about Turatti joining the cheer squad.

“[Turatti’s] outstanding on the team, she learned everything really fast, and bonds with everyone really well,” Johnson said. “Everyone loves her.”

Junior Kendal Stryker is also excited about Turatti joining the team.

“[Turatti’s] English is pretty good, she does well with the cheers, she helps with basing and stuff like that, and she’s nice and sweet,” Stryker said.

Freshman Kylie McCool, who is also joining the cheer squad for the first time, said Turatti is fitting in well.

“Turatti is learning the cheers pretty well and we all seem to like her,” McCool said. “She’s really friendly.”

Turatti is taking Physics, Art for Seniors, Calculus, Computer Science, Human Anatomy, Philosophy, and History. She cites Art for Seniors as her favorite class.

Turatti comes from Malnate, Italy, a town near the Austrian-Italian border in Northern Italy of about 17,000 people. She describes her home as similar to Milford, even with a downtown area, yet different all the same.  

“I live in Malnate, but my real life is in Varese, which is the bigger city near me,” she said.

Turatti recalls things from her life in Italy such as taking the train to school, and as the houses being closer together than back home, strong contrasts to her host city of Milford, whose students rely on school buses to get to and from school, and whose houses, by comparison, are farther apart.

One of the more exciting parts of learning about another culture is finding out the truth about common stereotypes.

“I say that the most common Italian stereotypes are that we overeat pasta, we gesture when we talk, and we are all ‘mafioso.’  For Americans, the answer could be that Americans eat a lot, especially fast food, they’re patriotic, and they all own guns,” Turatti said.

Turatti feels that these stereotypes are inaccurate.

“I think that each stereotype is an excessive exaggeration of the features of a country,” Turatti said. ”They may be true, but not for all individuals living there.”

Principal Mr. Thompson has many good things to say about student exchange programs such as ASSE, and the opportunities that they provide.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Thompson said. “I think it’s so enriching and it allows all of us to gain cultural confidence about how others live in the world, and not just the differences, but also how similar they are.”

By Justin Judge – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law has been doing some upgrades to the school, including a brand new weight room.

This weight room includes all brand new machines, equipment, and weights. The total cost of this room was roughly $80,000.

“It’s a lot better weight room,” sophomore student-athlete Nahiem Washington said. “It looks like a college weight room in my opinion, and it’s a lot better now than last year’s.”

The weight room was available to students the beginning of the 2018-2019 year.

”Last year’s weight room was bad and we didn’t really get anything done because of no space,” senior football captain Mike Plaskon said.

Law’s goal was to make a state-of-the-art weight room. They wanted the weight room to be one of the best in the state.

“I feel that a modern, up to date weight room is as important as anything else we have in terms of athletics,” athletic director Mr. Sarullo siad. “In order to perform well on the field, we must be well-conditioned and in shape.  Also, the room will now be used by our PE classes, which will help the overall student body, not just our student-athletes.”

Law’s weight room will be open to their physical education classes to strengthen the student body.

“The goal was to make our weight room the best of any high school in the state,” Sarullo said. “Now that we have a state of the art facility, we hope that all teams will use the room and help not only with our physical conditioning, but also help with team building as well.”

The old lifting room consisted of old weights and bars and had little space to move around.  The upgrade was much needed for the school and students.

“I think it was necessary because the weights and stuff were getting old and gross and now it looks dope,” sophomore student-athlete James Marino said.

The weight room offers many different options of exercises to the student body, from power racks to medicine balls.

”All brand new weights and equipment were installed,” Sarullo said.

With football season in progress, and basketball season coming up soon, the weight room will be put to use.

By Mia Cerrato – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Sports Booster Club uncovered 30 new personalized bricks to honor student athletes, coaches, and alumni in a ceremony on September 7.

The bricks were obtained by supporters of Jonathan Law athletics and the funds will go towards the athletic program to benefit all student- athletes.

“The donations from the Brick Garden fundraiser  benefits all Jonathan Law Students,” Judy Pincus, the President of the Sports Booster Club, said. “Last year we sponsored a fan bus to the first football states game, and we are paying for the sound system in the newly updated weight room.”

The brick walkway was on the field for a few decades, commemorating athletes and coaches dating as far back as the 1990s.

“The original walkway was put in about 20 years ago and no one really updated it for awhile,” Jonathan Law athletic director Mr. Sarullo said. “When the Sports Booster club came into existence a couple years ago they decided to start it up, so now they’ve been selling bricks and installing them for two years.”

The contributions provide assistance towards Jonathan Law sports teams.

“The money goes to the Booster Club,” Jonathan Law cross country coach Mr. Schulte said. “We could always request if we need something from the Booster Club.”

Jonathan Law athletics had a phenomenal year in 2018-2019. Each team made the playoffs for the first time in school history.

What each sports team strives for is making the postseason. Athletes and coaches work together to achieve this goal.

“Making the postseason has become a part of what each Law athlete works towards,” Angela Felag, the co-secretary of the Booster Club, said. “Our coaches here at Law have that same drive; they talk about making states from the start of each seasons.”

Jonathan Law continue to exceed in athletics and Jonathan Law wants to show their support in every way possible.

“I encourage everyone to support our athletes and all of our sports and clubs by showing up,” principal Mr. Thompson said. “When you come to a game, or any event, you show your support and your school spirit. That’s what we do.”

The ceremony encouraged other supporters to acquire their own bricks.

“We have a campaign running right now through November 1,” Pincus said. “For anyone interested in ordering a brick they can get an order from from the School Office or contact the booster club and we can send one to judybethpincus@gmail.com.”

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By Morgan Taylor – Editor-In-Chief

Jonathan Law senior choir member Kruttika Gopal will join many other talented musicians in the National Association for Music Education’s 2018 All-National Honor Ensembles in Orlando, Florida.

The event will take place on November 25-28 at Disney Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and will include an array of performances from a Guitar Ensemble and Jazz Choir to a Symphony Orchestra and a Concert Band.

“It has been such an honor to watch Kruttika grow as a musician throughout the years,” Law choir teacher Ms. Jones said. “Kruttika shows such class and nuance when she performs and is always aiming to improve her skill and craft in and out of the choral classroom.”

The ensemble only includes 550 students from 49 states and territories.

“I am so honored and excited to be given this opportunity, and endlessly thankful to Ms. Jones, my family, and my friends for all their support,” Gopal said.

Students were chosen through an audition process and must have priorly been a part of their state-level honor ensemble programs.

“For the audition, I had to submit a video of me performing an old Shakespeare chorus piece that they had chosen,” Gopal said. “But for the Regional and All-State auditions that made me eligible for Nationals, they were in-person with a judge and you had to sing scales, a piece, and sight-read music on the spot that they chose for you.”

The selected few will be rehearsing a challenging piece of music and will be led by five of the most prominent conductors in the United States during their performance.

“I have to self-prepare the pieces that the music directors at Nationals send to me,” Gopal said. “I need to learn six or seven songs on my own and they must be prepared fully by the time I go to the festival in Florida.”

The music will be chosen by the directors soon.

“The directors will be sending out all the music by the end of September,” Gopal said.

The way the National ensemble will rehearse will be much different then the way the choir rehearses at Law.

“Since the festival is only four days, the choir at Nationals will move a lot faster in perfecting each song by the concert day compared to how we have several weeks of class leading up to concerts in Law Choir,” Gopal said. “It will be rigorous but I am excited for the challenge.”

The National Association for Music Education is one of the world’s largest arts education organizations and has been providing resources for students, parents, and teachers nationwide for more than a century.

It has more than 60,000 members at a local, state and national levels and has become the national voice of music education in the U.S.

Jones said she couldn’t be prouder or Gopal’s achievement.

“Kruttika deserves every accolade she could get for receiving this high honor,” said Jones. “She is a true testament of what hard work, dedication and perseverance can achieve and we are so honored to make music with her! This is just the beginning of Kruttika’s success story.”

By Morgan Taylor – Editor-In-Chief

As a new year at Jonathan Law High School starts, principal Mr. Thompson answered some questions about his goals for the year and gave advice to the students at Law. He also explained what it really means to be a “Lawmazing” student in his conversation with The Advocate Editor-In-Chief Morgan Taylor.

Morgan Taylor: What are your goals for this school year?

Fran Thompson: My goal is to be in every classroom, as often as possible, in order to support the good work of our teachers in their instruction so that every student, every day, will have the best high school experience.

MT: What is your advice to the Class of 2022?

FT: As I told them at our class meeting – be patient. You will not only get used to high school but you will also find out what a very special place Jonathan Law is! Also, be kind. Our school is a family, a community. We must take care of each other so we can all succeed.

MT: What is your advice to the Class of 2019?

FT: Remember the love and support the staff has for you. We are excited to help you prepare for the next chapter in your journey. Don’t forget to enjoy your senior year. These memories will last a lifetime.

MT: Are there any new things you are excited about for this school year?

FT: In addition to welcoming some wonderful, dedicated new staff, we are really focusing on instruction this year. Our goal is always to deliver the best teaching to all of our students. This year, I am honored and excited to work with the faculty to continue to improve our practices in the classroom so every student, every day will be engaged and challenged and reach his/her potential.

MT: How was your summer?

FT: It was awesome! I went to the Dominican Republic…twice! I also spent time with Mrs. Drew and her family in South Carolina. It was a great summer surrounded by so many good people and good things. I am ready for a great year!

MT: What makes a “Lawmazing” student?

FT: Oh that’s an easy one! If you care about our community and those around you, if you work hard to achieve your goals and help others around you do the same, if you are kind and dedicated to making our community a better place – than you’ve got what it takes to be Lawmazing!

MT: How are you going to make this school year the best it can be?

FT: I’m going to work hard every day to make Jonathan Law the best place it can be for every student, every day. I ask everyone reading this to ask themselves the same question. For only if we work together, to support each other and our community in a kind and caring manner, will Jonathan Law be the best place it can be. I know we will and that’s why I know we are in for a truly Lawmazing year!

By Dominick Buccitti – Editor-in-Chief

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

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

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

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

Piselli also joined the Interact Club this year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Dominick Buccitti – Editor-in-Chief

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Morgan Taylor – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The first round was between the four grades.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Morgan Taylor – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

The production also involved many difficult aspects to the cast.

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

The show was also difficult for the crew.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Morgan Taylor – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There were also some new colleges that attended this year.

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

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By Dominick Buccitti – Editor-in-Chief

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Cassandra Soda – News Editor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Morgan Taylor – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

Liscinsky was in the photography class during first semester.

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

Romanowski was very proud about her student.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Dominick Buccitti – Editor-in-Chief

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Cole Egersheim – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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