Ming-May Hu was elected the freshman class president. (Photo by Tyler Chavez)

By Tyler Chavez – Staff Reporter

Law’s freshman class recently held elections for class officers.

The new freshman class officers include Ming-May Hu (president), Samara Thacker (vice president), Cora Sula (secretary), Kruttika Gopal (treasurer), Troy Anderson (secretary), and Spencer Mehan (secretary).

“When I first heard that I won the election, I was thrilled because I’ve wanted to run for class president since the beginning of eighth grade,” Hu said.

The freshman class holds their class officer elections in the beginning of the year while the other grades hold theirs at the end of the year.

“The job, basically, is to help them transition into the next three years of high school,” Student Council adviser Mr. Boynton said.

The class officers’ main responsibilities include class fundraisers.

“Mostly we collected dues and planned fundraisers such as the duck tape project and pajama day,” former freshman class president and current junior officer Jill Bendlak said.

The officers still set their own goals to succeed at their positions.

“One goal I have for the year is to become acquainted with everyone in my class,”  Hu said. “I plan to accomplish this goal by joining clubs and attending school events to meet new people.”

The officers still need to work together to accomplish their goals.

“The big thing is that they have to communicate with each other,” Boynton said. “Communicate, set goals for themselves, and once they set goals, do their best.”

Each officer has their own reason to run for office.

“I decided to run for this position because I wanted to be more involved with school activities and I want to assist the freshman class alongside with my fellow officers as much as I possibly can to make this year memorable for everyone,” Sula said.

Being a class officer not only helps with getting involved in the school, it also gives students strategies and experience for success.

“Being a class officer always expands your leadership abilities, it helps with public speaking, getting to know people, and just life skills in general,” Bendlak said.

Each officer has their own significance to work together.

“Being secretary is important to me because I love to write and I am also very organized, and I promise to handle any situations that may occur in the freshman class with responsibility,” Sula said.

The officers know what they need to do in order to succeed at their jobs.

“I plan to accomplish my goals by really listening to the freshman class and any suggestions they have,” Thacker said.

They also know that the benefits of being a class officer can be very rewarding.

“This position is important because I know it can help me be a better student and communicate well with others,” Thacker said.

The freshman class officers know what they want to accomplish, and are ready to work together.

(Photo courtesy Nisali Fernando)

By Nisali Fernando – Staff Reporter

Bless you, Batson.

Mr. Batson is a 20th Century Survey and AP U.S. History teacher at Law. Along with these classes, he also teaches night classes for Housatonic College and is assistant coach for the golf team. 

“I had a number of teachers in high school that were passionate about History and until then I wasn’t really interested in it,” Batson said. “Seeing them convey that passion I thought oh this is really really cool and something that I would really love to do.”

Batson knows the true importance of teaching and understanding this subject.

“If we don’t learn our history so much of that could be forgotten,” Batson said. “Small town monuments or houses, if people stop caring about that we lose all our history.”

Batson hopes to connect his classes to modern day occurrences. He sets up his classes so his students can have an “a ha” moment whilst learning.

Before pursuing teaching, Batson also considered other careers.

“Fire service just for fun, I stunk at sports but I loved to play them, I always thought the fire service was always a lot of fun,” Batson said. “I flirted with the idea very briefly in high school of going into the coast guard.”

After nearly 16 years of teaching, Batson has moved a long way up from his first job teaching juvenile offenders. Through these years of experience he has created an atmosphere where students feel safe and ready to learn.  

“I was more intimidated by the class rather than I was by Batson, but once I sat in the class and listened to him I was more at ease,” junior Tyler Chavez said. “I realized this guy is easy to talk to and he’s easy to work with and…handsome.”

From jokingly accusing students of witchcraft during the unit on the Salem Witch Trials or of communism during the unit on the Cold War. Former students of Batson can remember the moments when their teacher made class fun.

“My favorite moment was when we were learning about the Salem witch trials and he called me a witch,” junior Ashley Boehm said.

In and out of the classroom, students and faculty find themselves constantly laughing with Batson.

“Right before a (golf) match I was taking practice swings with my club and he (Batson) put his hand out to take the club to check it out, but I wasn’t sure what he was doing so I gave him a handshake instead,” junior member of the golf team Casey LaScola said. “Now we have a very professional relationship.”

Batson is also described as a “ladies man” is well known for his close friendship with physical education teacher Ms. Paolini.

“We’re always taught not to judge a book by his cover but with Batson I knew he had to be an amazing guy because that’s just what I saw on the outside as well,” Paolini said.

Batson’s favorite memories  from Law include Ms. Paolini

“When Milford hired Ms. Paolini and we locked eyes and instantly I knew we were going to be best friends,” Batson said. “We hang out and make snow angels because she’s a angel”

Batson said he comes to the school ready to teach and learn from his own students.

“A lot of friends will claim how do you deal with those kids?” Batson said. “But really you guys are the best part of the day.”

(Photo courtesy Abby Williamson)

 Staff Reporter – Abby Williamson

Law’s Friends Forever Club met on October 20 for their monthly meeting.

After a successful meeting, they will continue to meet one Tuesday every month. Their next meeting, which will be on November 19, will focus on being thankful.

“All of our kids were really excited,” junior Co-President Leea Palmer said. “They were smiling and giggling which is always fun to see.”

An large amount of Law’s students showed up to get involved in the club.

“It was nice to see so many people join Friends Forever,” Palmer said. “I wasn’t sure how the turnout would be but I’m glad that so many people are eager to build friendships.”

During the October meeting, students and peers were paired up with buddies that are set for the rest of the year. The club officers also started working on having T-shirts made.

“I made many friends and I see my friends in school,” senior club member Jen Gill said.

Everyone was able to participate in painting pumpkins and putting together candy gift bags to take home.

“I had a great experience interacting with the kids because they are all so sweet and it was fun to paint pumpkins and color with them,” junior club member Brianna Arnold said. “They are always so excited when the see new faces excited to play with them.”

Filanowski Farm, a family-owned farm on Wheelers Farms Road, were very generous and didn’t hesitate to donate pumpkins once they found out where the pumpkins were going.

The buddies also colored spooky pictures and ate snacks.

“I liked coloring pages and eating snacks like Cheet-Os and desserts,” senior club member Luigi DeCastro said.

Following the monthly theme, November’s meeting will focus on being thankful.

“For this meeting, we are going to make a leaf turkey and everyone will write what we are thankful for on a leaf,” Palmer said. “We are also going to do some activities to get to know each other so our students feel even more comfortable with their buddies.”

Knowing more about their buddies, peers will be able to have a close connection and become even better friends.

The co-presidents think this will be helpful when the club going on outing outside of school because the members will be able to always have a friend to turn to if needed.

Even after one meeting, Friends Forever is already successful at building connections.

“I like making friends,” junior club member Hunter Cain said. “I think this year is going to be fun.”

(Photo by Catie Rice)

By Catie Rice – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Szygiel agreed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo by Emily Carroll)

By Amanda Downs – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo by Emily Carroll)

By Emily Carroll – News Editor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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By News Editor – Valeria Araujo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The students work extremely hard and get better everyday.

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

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

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

(Photo courtesy Amita Sastry)

By Ian Hugo – Sports Editor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo by Emily Carroll)

By Emily Carroll – News Editor

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

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

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

***

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

***

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

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

EC: What made you come to Milford?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo courtesy Justin Bartolomeo)

By Justin Bartolomeo – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo courtesy @jlawdrama)

By Emma Saley – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Auditions will start in January, right after winter break.

(Photo courtesy kotaku.com)

By Brendan Felag – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Mindy Le – Staff Reporter

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

(Photo courtesy Mindy Le)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo by Molly Vargo)

By Molly Vargo – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

The organization was established in 1992 by Robin McHaelen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo by Vishal Manglani)

By Vishal Manglani – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo by Cyntia Santos)

By Cyntia Santos – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo courtesy Carol Phillips)

By Amanda Downs – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo by Isabela Roldan)

By Isabela Roldan – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo courtesy redcross.org)

By Colleen Rice – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo by Catie Rice)

By Catie Rice – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo by Maeve Rourke)

By Maeve Rourke – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Ann Reed – Staff Reporter

(Photo courtesy of amazon.com)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo courtesy Abby Williamson)

By Abby Williamson – Staff Reporter

One club can make you friends forever.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Jessica Cuevas – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some students were disappointed about that change.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo by Nisali Fernando)

By Nisali Fernando – Staff Reporter

Kindness continues to be spread at Jonathan Law.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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By Owen Paiva – Staff Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Tyler Chavez – Staff Reporter

Starting this year, sophomores have been offered AP Statistics as a math course.

(Photo by Tyler Chavez)

The advanced placement math course has been offered to sophomore students who have already finished Algebra 2.

“I expect the same thing from my sophomores and upperclassmen: work hard, and pass that test,” AP Statistics teacher Ms. Loch said. “I treat them all the same because the expectation is the same no matter what.”

The course deals with statistics and probability at a college level. Students utilize probability to help with hypothesis tests.

“In other math classes, the course is taught in a way that is easy to understand,” sophomore Matthew Chang said. “In AP Stat, we as students have to use our thinking in order to understand concepts in AP Stat.”

One of the biggest challenges that come with taking an advanced placement class is the amount of work that the class provides.

“The workload for AP Stat is comparable to that of AP Government,” junior Samir Elhelw said. “The notes take about 1-2 hours to do, and the practice problems that are assigned after each section are easy to complete if you understand the content.”

The decision was made to get students to take more AP classes earlier to help prepare them for college.

“Anyone can handle AP classes if they put in the time,” sophomore class adviser Mr. Boynton said.

AP Statistics is not the only advanced placement class being offered to sophomores. AP Government and Politics has been offered to sophomores for years.

“I think that being a sophomore, they’re still in a transition period,” Boynton said. “So I think the option of having these two AP courses at the sophomore level is sufficient.”

Last year, sophomores were offered AP U.S. History along AP Government and Politics. The experience of having these two AP courses has helped junior students taking AP Statistics this year.

“When I walked in, I knew that an AP curriculum was mostly note taking with teacher clarification on the notes the next day,” Elhelw said.

Some people believe that offering more AP courses to sophomores will benefit them.

“When you take more APs as a sophomore, you become more used to it and you can take more APs,” said sophomore Jake Gwirtz.

But of course, the school would have to figure out which AP courses they would offer to the sophomore class.

“I would offer AP Biology for sophomores considering they take biology their freshman year,” Elhelw said.

The push for sophomores to take more AP classes has already gotten some to start thinking about which they would take in the future.

“I aim to take as many as possible that could help my college career, but that could change if I’m unable to adjust to these classes,” Chang said. “I’m interested in math, so AP Calculus.”

Upperclassmen have also offered tips for those sophomores to succeed in the class.

“Keep up with the notes,” Elhelw said. “The course is fast moving and if you miss a day, you should do your best to make up the work as soon as possible.”

Despite the difficult work load, people believe that the sophomores can succeed in this course.
“As long as the student believes they can do it, go for it,”  Chang said.

By Kristin Frank – Staff Reporter

The Milford community gathered on September 12 to celebrate the annual Relay For Life at Jonathan Law High School’s track.

(Photo by Kristin Frank)

This year’s Relay For Life was its 13th anniversary and raised over $65,000. This fundraiser for cancer survivors and caregivers gives them a fun way to find hope and support for all that they’ve been through.

“My favorite part about Relay For Life was how we all came together as a team to raise money for a good cause,” senior basketball captain Kailee Frank said.

There were 44 teams that participated this year for a total of 506 participants. This huge turnout was a major reason as to why this day was so prosperous.

All the teams that participated were able to raise money by selling a variety of baked goods and holding enjoyable contests and games.

“We sold; brownies, cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, Gatorade, and ‘flips for tips’, for any extra donations,” senior gymnastics captain Megan Grabowski said.

The tents were all located around the track so that while the participants are either walking or running on the track, they could stop by a tent for a quick treat or refresh themselves with a drink.

This event was held outside all day, wrapping things up around 1 a.m., so despite the rainy weather, the community put that a side to make this event worthwhile.

“Dealing with the weather was easy, we stayed under our tents and kept busy by selling our baked goods,” senior basketball player Evan Carollo said.

Relay For Life has been going on for many years, so the Milford community, Law students especially, has made many appreciable donations to this fundraiser.

“I’ve been doing Relay For Life since I was little and in the past years we’ve done it as a team, and we have always had a good time,” junior soccer captain Bethany Edwards said.

Relay For Life is an amazing way for people to meet other cancer survivors and provided them with a great opportunity to hear their story.

“ It’s a good idea getting these young kids involved in Relay For Life because it is important to give back to the community and support a great cause,”  Girl’s basketball coach Mr. Young said. “ Most people have been impacted by cancer, so they can relate to it.”

This year’s Relay For Life was triumphant because of all the activities and treats being sold throughout the day.

“It was rewarding to know what I was putting my time into,” junior gymnast Victoria Contaxis said.

“ It was a fun and eventful experience and I am looking forward to participating again next year.”

(Photo courtesy cgc.org)

By Valeria Araujo – New Editor

Jonathan Law’s Model U.N. Club is ready for a year of fun and fundraisers.

Model U.N. currently meets every F day during common time and will start meeting after school on Fridays soon.

The club has started the year off with an abundance of new members.  So far, they’ve been bouncing off fundraiser ideas and electing new officers so that this year’s trip to New York is a success.

Their main goal for this year is to lower the cost of this annual trip, so that they can stay at the event for the full four days instead of three.

“The trip does currently run about $600 and if we want to stay the extra night we’ll be looking at $700,” senior co-vice president Katie Sabo said. “If we could raise enough money to have the extra day and keep it low instead of going up it would be great.”

Last year, the club fundraised by selling candy bars, and selling items at Cumberland Farms and Stop & Shop; however, they are always looking for new fundraiser ideas for their trip.

“It’s one of the coolest trips we have, I can’t say that any other trip gets to go to New York, meet with student around the world, and stay at a hotel and just have a great time,” junior co-secretary Jordan Negron said.

The club prepares students for the Model U.N. event in New York, during which students are assigned a specific country and role play as the officials of that country. They decided what their country’s positions are on different policies and propose solutions to certain international problems.

The event allows students to simulate the real United Nations in a fun and educational way.

“It’s extremely relevant because we try to pair students based on interest,” Model U.N. advisor Mr. Evanko said. “If students were interested in defense policies or the military we can put them on the security committee. If they are interested in medicine and being a doctor we can put them on the health committee. If they are interested in becoming a lawyer there is a legal committee.”

Evanko believes that if the students look at issues from the perspective of other nations it will broaden their ability to empathize with other people around the world.

“I joined because I was interested in the U.N. and wanted to be informed in global politics,” junior club member Sam Rossi said. “It broadens your horizons on what is really going on in the world.”

The club gives students the chance to meet with many new faces from all over the world.

“You not only get to know your classmates better – during the trip you stay in a room with three of your classmates – you also meet a whole bunch of people all over the world,” senior co-president Ian Hugo said. “I’ve meet people from Massachusetts, Utah, New York, Mexico, Germany, Ukraine, and it’s just an overall great experience.”

Not only does the club allow students to meet many new people and learn more about the world, it also looks great on a college resume.

“I feel like not enough people know about the U.N. what it does in general, and all the work it does, ” junior co-secretary Jordan Negron said. “Aside from just doing regular stuff like the general assembly or informing the security committee of emergencies, they do a lot to get clean water for Africa in addition to a lot of other projects making sure that certain diseases do not spread and stuff like that and it’s just a really extraordinary organization.”

Mrs. Murphy teaches her Digital Drawing class. (Photo by Emily Carroll)

By Emily Carroll – News Editor

Jonathan Law has introduced several new classes for the 2015-2016 school year.

New courses include AP Human Geography, Model U.N., Introduction to Early Childhood Education, Advance Photography 2, Digital Drawing, iPads & Music, American Popular Music, Vocal Performance Technology for Musical Theater, and Computers, Electronics, and Programming.

“The new classes that Jonathan Law is offering this year will not only provide students more options when choosing classes, but will allow for more opportunities for students to investigate potential career options,” guidance counselor Mrs. Dunnuck said.

AP Human Geography, taught by Mr. Dooley and Mr. Roumeles, helps students develop critical thinking skills through the understanding, application, and analysis of the fundamental concepts of geography. This course also gives students the opportunity to earn college credits while still in high school.

“I like how Mr. Roumeles makes the class interesting and fun by connecting what we learn to what is going on in today’s world,” senior Kaitlyn Lynch said.

Model U.N. is a new history class taught by Mr. Evanko. In the class, students discuss and debate current international issues from various nations’ perceptions.

“I am hoping that students get an understanding of their nations’ perceptions through the class and gain a sense of empathy for other people around the world,” said Evanko.

Computers, Electronics, and Programming, taught by Miss Martinich, allows students to complete desired tasks using Arduino and Raspberry Pi electronics platforms. Students will build microcontroller boards and then program things with the boards using coding.

“I want them (the students) to see that computer science is a field where they can be greatly successful from the day they graduate and on,” said Martinich.

iPads and Music, taught by Mr. Giampietro, allows students to compose and perform music on various iPad apps. Students will also learn how to apply their new music-making skills in other media, such as projects and presentations for other classes.

“I love teaching it because I feel I am helping students unlock their ability to express themselves,” Giampietro said.

American Popular Music, also taught by Mr. Giampietro, is an overview of the historical events that have shaped shaped music in this country. Students should be able to connect music they know and love to its social context from this class.

“I look forward to teaching this course because I have a diverse interest in music,” Giampietro said.

Mrs. Murphy will be teaching Digital Drawing starting next semester. In this class, students will create original works of art using drawing tablets and various programs such as Adobe Photoshop, CZ6, and Adobe Illustrator.

“I’m looking for students to think about traditional drawing versus digital drawing using the two new tools,” Murphy said.

Advanced Photography 2 is a new full-year course that will have students concentrate on the more complex aspects of photography and will refine the aesthetic and technical aspects of their work. This course is taught by Mrs. Romanowski.

A new half-year music course that is for all grades is Vocal Performance Techniques for Musical Theater. In this class, taught by Mrs. Rizzotti, students will learn unique skills for singing in a musical production.

Introduction to Early Childhood Education is a new full-year family and consumer science course that provides a study of historical, philosophical, and social perspectives of early care and education.

“We are working on an interactive bulletin board so the kids can learn social and emotional skills,” senior Isabel Cortez said.

Law’s Key Club volunteered at the first home football game. (Photo courtesy Ed Drew)

By Nicole Macchio – Entertainment Editor

Key Club is the world’s largest high school volunteer organization.

Law’s Key Club is currently recruiting new members to join, but due to this year’s high participation, their membership drive is scheduled to end in October. The club’s weekly meetings are held on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. with an initiation fee of $15.

“I think more people should definitely join,” junior president Marissa Pollack said. “We are always looking for new members and the club teaches great leadership and communication skills while getting volunteer hours.”

Key Club is already set up to have multiple great volunteer opportunities, helping out both the school and the community. They serve organizations like the Salvation Army and they volunteer at events like the Irish Festival, St. Mary’s Carnival, and Law band and guard home shows.

Another big event is the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute, or KPTI, where members will make blankets for children in a local trauma hospital that is run by the Key Club’s parent group, the Kiwanis.

“Key Club helps me serve the community and reach graduation distinction,” said senior Key Club member Leo Merturi.

There are many different organizations within the community that call Boynton to have the club help out at events.  various other opportunities that are held throughout the school year that help students build resumes.

“It’s a great thing to put down on your college application,” junior vice president Jordan Negron said. “And we have the biggest outlets in the school to help students achieve their graduation with distinction requirements of 200 hours.”

Boynton has been part of the club for almost 20 years and still takes great pride in how everything is run.

“My favorite part is when I see a quiet freshman come in, I see them through the years, and eventually they run the club,” Boynton said.

Each year, the Key Club convention is held in Springfield, Massachusetts. The goal of the convention is to teach students how to be good Key Clubbers and officers.

Law’s Key Club officers have set goals to help out the community and to expand even more into the school. After the first few meetings, they’ve already recruited a record number of people to join the club.

Members say that Key Club is not only a good way to get out and help the community; it’s a good place to make new friends.

“I love how we can all come together to help those in need,” Pollock said. “It’s great becoming friends with people I may not normally see in classes.”

Mr. Ruzbarsky teaches a lesson in the Support Center. (Photo by Valeria Araujo)

By Valeria Araujo – News Editor

Jonathan Law has introduced an Academic Support Center for all students this year.

The Support Center, a district initiative, will aim to help high school students in English/social studies or math/science. Students can drop in during their study hall or whenever they have free time during the school day.

“If a student is in an honors class, an AP class, or even a Level 2 class and want to get something proofread or need some help in geometry they can go in and get a little extra help,” principal Mr. Thompson said.

At Law, the Support Center is staffed every period by English teachers Ms. Hanson and Mrs. Goldbeck and math teachers Mr. Frank and Mr. Ruzbarsky.

Two types of students can use the Support Center: drop-in students that come in during a free period, and long-term students who are recommended by their teachers

“We try to get (the topic) across in many different ways so (students) completely understand the topic before they leave,” Ruzbarsky said.

Classroom teachers can recommend students to the Support Center and then give the Support Center teachers the topics they want the student to work on. After finishing the tutoring sessions, students will have an exit exam, and the result of that exam will determine if they can place out of the Support Center.

“The Support Center is really helpful,” Junior Zachary Bender said. “I can come in for multiple different things and get help for all of them.”

Skill building is one of the main focuses of the Support Center.

“If any kid is missing a skill, or if they’re out sick from school and there was something they missed that day that they really needed, we’re here to help them,” Goldbeck said.

The Support Center has already been proven to be very popular with students.

“What we are noticing – and we are excited about – is that it’s not just about going there for a marking period, or a month a lot of people are just dropping,” Thompson said.

One advantage of the Support Center is that students can get personal, one-on-one support from a content area teacher.

“As a teacher you have thirty kids to worry about but you just getting the general curriculum across,” Ruzbarsky said. “In Support Center, you work on individual topics and ideas with the students. It’s a catch twenty-two, I call it; basically it’s just as intensive here as it is in the classroom and we’re more focused on narrowing down skills here and narrowing down topics instead of getting the general idea across.”

Teachers in the Support Center said that they have benefited from the new program professionally as well.

“The ability to work with Mr. Frank, Mr. Ruzbarsky, and Ms. Hanson on a regular basis makes my teaching that much stronger,” Goldbeck said.

The Support Center teachers also get to interact with different students than they would in their regular classrooms.

“In the past few years I’ve taught the same classes year to year so I see a certain pocket full of students but there are still a lot of students that I’ve never met,” Frank said.  “I’ve already bumped into 50, 60 kids that I would have never met otherwise.”

Mr. DeGrego spoke to Law’s history classes. (Photo by Emily Carroll)

By Emily Carroll – News Editor

Mike DeGrego recently returned to Law to share his story about 9/11 as part of Law’s annual September 11^th commemoration.

DeGrego served in the Air Force, was a former New York Police Department detective, and was also a history teacher. Now he is a substitute teacher in West Haven and is a member of the Milford Board of Education.

He also visits Law’s Crime and Violence classes each year to discuss his time as a detective.

“He has held so many roles in his life, all centered around public service, and it is a great example of someone who just wants to give back to the community,” Law history teacher Mr. Evanko said.

In his most recent visit, DeGrego started his story by telling students how he found out about the attack on the World Trade Center. He was in a darkroom developing pictures, and soon after, shuttle buses were picking up him and his colleagues to take them to Ground Zero.

The bus took them to the Jacob Javits Center, which was where all the volunteers were. Before they left the bus, they put on their respirator for protection from the debris.

Immediately, he wanted to get to work. He walked to three different tents and went through security showing three forms of ID.

“There was a line you wouldn’t believe,” DeGrego said.

At the last tent, everyone received a badge that had a number that would cross-reference to their name. People couldn’t leave the tent without it or else they would get arrested.

“The scene I was about to see I was not ready for,” said DeGrego.

He walked through piles and piles of rubble, concrete and steel. By the time he was done going through security, it was 11 p.m. The Fire Department had supplied so much light he thought it was morning.

“In all the pictures I saw on the channels, it was nothing like actually being there,” said DeGrego.

Everyone that was working on the recovery mission looked the same with their respiratory masks and their hats. There were 12 lines that were transporting buckets.

“Nobody took a break,” said DeGrego. “Nobody wanted to take a break.”

Before he left, he was offered to take whatever he wanted, but the only thing he asked for was his helmet.

A couple months later, he went back to school to get his Master’s degree. There were 911 students in his graduating class.

The students and teachers at Law who heard DeGrego speak said they were moved by his story.

“I thought Mr. DeGrego’s story was very moving and powerful,” Evanko said. “Hearing an eyewitness of what it was like cleaning up Ground Zero was deeply inspiring.”

Many students were also moved by the video featuring 9/11 victim Welles Crowther, which was shown before Mr. DeGrego spoke.

“I almost cried after watching the video because (Crowther) was so young,” junior Nia Cordero said.

Mr. Young teaches a freshman history class. (Photo by Ian Hugo)

By Ian Hugo – Sports Editor

The new school year has arrived at Law and so has the Class of 2019.

Students and teachers are excited for both.

Freshmen are adjusting to waking up earlier, finding their classes, and figuring out how to open their lockers, and although there is a bit of apprehension surrounding these new-found challenges, everyone involved – the students, teachers, and even principal Mr. Thompson – holds optimistic attitudes.

“I’m looking forward to all of the freshmen becoming sophomores at the end of the school year and for them to be ready for the rigors that will follow them as they go through their high school years,” Thompson said. “I’m hoping we teach them not only to be good citizens and be not just high school ready but Lawman ready and [make sure] they are really academically proficient in note taking, in study skills, and all of the areas to succeed moving forward in their high school career.”

Although it’s only September, many freshmen say that they already feel at home at Law with the students and faculty helping them adjust to their new setting.

“The teachers are really nice and I just feel at home when I’m here,” freshman Lisa Hanania said.

Many freshmen have joined a sports team or club and have subsequently made new friends, not just in their own grade but upperclassmen as well.

“I joined the soccer team and made a lot of friends on the team,” freshman Will Contaxis said. “All of the people who I have met on the Law soccer team have been good friends and feel like family.”

A new environment is bound to bring new challenges and being a freshman students are plunged headfirst into their new routine with little background knowledge of how to handle high school. Many students say that finding their way around Law has been the most difficult thing about high school so far.

“I’d say maybe going to my new classes because some of them are really far away,” Contaxis said.

However, students are not navigating these challenges blindly, finding that teachers and upperclassmen are more than happy to help.

“My algebra teacher [helps me out], she helps me with directions to [my classes] and some of the students as well,” freshman Eric Acevedo said.

“[Teachers] give me advice and were always there when I had questions,” freshman Shaniyah Salmon said.

High school is a big change and freshman year is very important no matter what anyone else says, so to help ninth graders start out on the right foot several teachers shared some words of advice with their new students on how to stay on top of their academics and themselves for this upcoming year:

“My biggest advice would be to value your freshman year, know that it counts, know that it’s important,” Modern World History teacher Mr. Young said. “It’s a great way to get off to a good start in your high school career, don’t think it doesn’t matter or won’t impact you later so you build patterns of behavior that are going to benefit you throughout your four years here.”

Thompson offered some advice as well.

“Go to class, be on time, and get your homework done,” Thompson said. “There is an absolute direct correlation between doing your homework, staying current in reading and all that stuff, and succeeding in class.”

Freshman science teacher Mrs. Mercaldi stressed the importance of time management.

“I would say [it is important] to stay organized and make sure that you are taking time to take care of you,” freshman science teacher Mrs. Mercaldi said.

A student’s first year of high school may seem tough looking ahead but many ninth graders are already dealing with it well, whether they realize it or not. Freshmen are becoming a part of something special at Law, something Thompson describes as a “family.”

“If you’re reading this and you’re a senior or junior or sophomore it seems redundant but this is such a special place. Jonathan Law is an amazing, amazing family and it’s a privilege to be here,” Thompson said.

He continued, “Yeah, it’s school, and, yes, nobody likes getting up to be here for 7:20 and that’s just part of life but at the end of the day we’re a really special place that has gone through and gotten through a lot together because we’re so close and as a ninth grader coming in that’s a real privilege that I hope the freshman will get that experience because it means so much. It’s what keeps me coming in every day.”

(Photo courtesy Alyssa Paladino)

Laura Gonzalez was a bright, outgoing, caring student with a vibrant smile and personality that lit up the room. We will forever miss her grace and kindness, and as an Advocate staff, we will miss her incredible gift for writing.

Below is a link to some of Laura’s articles and some articles that featured her volunteer work.

https://jlawadvocate.wordpress.com/?s=laura+gonzalez

Rest in peace, Laura.

(Photo by Malena Araujo)

By Malena Araujo – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law Drama Club recently performed the famous musical “Annie” for their annual spring show.

“Annie” is a 1977 family musical about an adventurous, 11-year-old orphan who finds love and family in people who were once just strangers.

“Annie was one of my favorite films growing up,” sophomore Nisali Fernando said. “Bringing it to Law allowed us to make this classic story our own, allowing the cast to become a family.”

The cast consisted of mainly Law students except for one student who was from Notre Dame.

The whole cast showed so much dedication for this production. Each student devoted a lot of their time for rehearsals and the cast spent an average of nine hours each week for about two months rehearsing for the play.

“My favorite part of rehearsals was being able to make new friends and then rehearse with them.” sophomore JonPaul Amaro said.

Amaro showed a good deal of dedication himself when he shaved his head for his character Oliver Warbucks a few days before the first performance.

“To see someone I’ve known for two years go bald, was incredibly funny yet inspiring,” Fernando said. “JonPaul was so committed to his role.”

Although viewers find this musical very heartwarming, it is also very humorous because of the lively characters. Ms.Hannigan (played by senior Brie Williams) quickly became a crowd favorite and received many laughs for her wacky and funny character.

“My favorite character was Ms. Hannigan because she was all out hilarious,” sophomore Vanoulith Sirisouk said.

Directors and stage managers adopted a toy dog named Sandy (who represents the actual dog in the play). Sandy was given to one cast member for a night based on whoever had worked the hardest during rehearsals. Sandy helped to keep the cast members motivated and excited about the play.

“Annie” involved a great deal of choreography for the entire cast. Tap dancing was new to most members of the cast. These members included Amaro, who surprisingly didn’t have tap shoes until a half an hour before the first show.

“The last show I did I was really comfortable with it and was tapping my heart out,” Amaro said. “I’ve never tapped a day in my life before then and it was truly great to feel it all.”

(Photo courtesy twitter.com)

By Leslie Terres – Staff Reporter

Members of Law’s junior class and their guests had a blast at this year’s prom.

The event was held on May 29 at Vazzano’s Four Seasons restaurant in Stratford and was followed by the post-prom, which was held at the Sports Center in Shelton.

“It was so much fun to get dressed up with all of my friends,” junior Megan Grabowski said.

Many students and families gathered at The Laurel Beach Green before the dance for pictures. Limos and party busses transported students from the green to Vazzano’s.

“It was nice having all my friends on the same bus as me,” junior Ian Hugo said.

Food options included chicken parmesan, penne a la vodka, vegetables, salad, and dinner rolls. A few tables at a time were called up to choose what they wanted. Chocolate and vanilla cupcakes were served for dessert.

“The food was amazing; the pasta and bread were the best part,” junior Niamh Nelson said.

Students lined up to pose with props and take pictures with friends and dates in the photo booth. Photos were printed there and handed to the students before they left the event. Students were also given frames for the photos along with portable chargers and Ben’s Bells, which were left on the tables for them.

“I love the photo booth because it was a good alternative for people who didn’t like dancing,” junior Bryan Pingarron said.

The DJ played many upbeat songs throughout the night, including “The Cupid Shuffle,” “Come On Eileen,” “The Cha Cha Slide,” “Wobble,” and others. The slow dance songs were “Thinking Out Loud” and “Home” by Phillip Phillips, which was dedicated to Maren Sanchez. The DJ also called students up for a scavenger hunt type game that many played.

Senior Mick Murray DJed the last hour of prom and junior Bobby Phong performed a few of his original raps.

“I loved all the music,” sophomore Colleen Rice said.

At post-prom, there were tables of food including Subway sandwiches, wings, pizza, and desserts and pastries. Students entered raffles and had a choice of  ice skating, mini golf, a driving range, batting cages, and laser tag until shuttle buses came to pick them up at 3 a.m.

“Prom and post prom were a fun experience,” junior Asia Santos said.

(Photo by Valeria Araujo)

By Valeria Araujo – Staff Reporter

After 39 years of teaching, Mrs. Reshenk is retiring.

Reshenk said she will end her career with fond memories and longtime friendships.

“My best memories are actually when I am out of school,” said Reshenk, “and I run into people that I taught and they remember my class and really enjoyed taking the class and doing the work.”

Although Reshenk is retiring, she will return to Law in the fall to work in the library for the first three weeks of school.

In her early years of teaching, Reshenk said she was very stressed because of how big the classes were back in the 1980s. That stress caused her to find some neat ways to calm down.

“I would come home and eat a 12 oounce bag of Doritos and turn on the Muppets and Mr. Rogers and I would calm down and that is the only way I got through the first five years of teaching,” Reshenk said. “But then I discovered running.”

Reshenk had very interesting ways of giving detention in her many years of teaching at Law.

“I used to make students run the track with me for detention,” Reshenk said. “I could be out there for hours with kids doing make-ups on the track and it was good.”

Running wasn’t Reshenk’s only creative detention.

“I would make students wave goodbye to students leaving on school buses, and also I made kids sing Christmas carols to students going onto the school bus if they were talking in class,” Reshenk said.

Dante Hayden, a former student of Reshenk’s who is now a special education paraprofessional at Law, said his fondest memory of Reshenk was when she found a student cheating on a poetry test and made a grand deal of it to the delight of the class.

“I had a really good class; I had some really good friends in there and Reshenk being Reshenk made the class interesting,” Hayden said.

Law principal Mr. Thompson said that his fondest memory of Reshenk came when he first took over as principal.

“This woman comes in like the Tazmanian Devil, she looks at me and I’m like ‘Hi, how are you, I’m Fran Thompson!’ and she says ‘What do you think about grammar?’ and then she was gone,” Thompson said. “Four years later, there is nobody who better represents what teaching is all about than Mrs. Reshenk.”

Law history teacher Mr. Evanko has many fond memories of Reshenk.

“She’s a very honest person,” said Evanko. “She always tells you how she feels, she’s committed, and she cares about this building, the students and the faculty.  There is nobody who represents law more than Reshenk.”

Reshenk has taught many students in her 39 years and has given them not only English lessons, but life lessons as well.

“She still corrects my grammar to this day,” Hayden said. “She’s also taught me the life lesson to appreciate the little things.”

Members of the English department said that is going to be very strange not having Reshenk in Room 202 next year.

“Mrs. Reshenk is everything that is right about teaching,” English teacher Mr. Kulenych said. “She is Law. She’s a legend and she will be impossible to replace.”

(Photo by Emily Carroll)

By Emily Carroll – Staff Reporter

After working at Jonathan Law for the past 15 years, the last four as Mr. Thompson’s secretary, Mrs. Attruia is saying goodbye.

Having graduated from Law in class of 1973, Attruia followed her mother’s footsteps into education.

Trying to find someone to fill in the shoes she is leaving is going to be a difficult task.

“I think they’re a size 22,” Thompson said.

Thompson has been especially grateful for Attruia’s help over the years because she is a link to the history at Law. They have a close relationship because they have the same sense of humor and interest in movies and TV shows.

“He’s kind of like the much younger brother that I never had,” Attruia said.

Being a part of the Drama Club shows is something very close to Mrs. Attruia’s heart. Over the past few years, she was in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “All Shook Up,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Hairspray,” and “Guys and Dolls.”

“When I was a student here, I was president of the Drama Club and I loved being on the stage so I was able to rekindle that love a bit,” Attruia said.

Being office neighbors with Mr. Cavanna, Mrs. Drew and Mr. Ragaini and developing close bonds with them will make it hard to say “goodbye.”

“She always has a smile on her face as she performs all the behind the scene tasks for Mr. Thompson,” Ragaini said. “Mrs. Attruia is definitely Jonathan Law’s unsung hero.”

Attruia said that saying farewell to her fellow secretaries, members of the guidance department, and the school nurses will make leaving tough as well.

“I will miss them all terribly,” said Attruia. “I have many close friends in the teaching and student service staff, and our custodians, security, and kitchen staff have always been very kind and helpful to me all these years.”

The people won’t be the only thing she will miss. Attruia is responsible for is the Student Ambassador Program which gives eighth grade students an opportunity to get high school experience by shadowing a student that attends the school.

This program has been running for three years thanks to Attruia’s hard work.

Attruia’s retirement plan is to sell their house and to move to Florida with her husband, their daughter, and their future grandchild.

(Photo by Nicole Macchio)

By Nicole Macchio – Entertainment Editor

The annual Brain Bowl was hosted by the National Honor Society on May 22.

Brain Bowl is an annual competition that pits grade against grade and students against faculty, all the while raising money for brain cancer research.

Students and faculty took a test that was created by the National Honor Society members to see who qualified for the team.

The main goal of Brain Bowl is to raise awareness and money for brain cancer, and this year there was a pretty good haul. Almost $700 was raised in donations from students and from local businesses.

 “Everyone put in so much effort and worked really hard to make sure that everything ran smoothly,” senior NHS president Sofya Calvin said. “I am very proud of all the members for coming together and making it happen. If they hadn’t we wouldn’t have been able to raise upwards of $700.”

Every $10 that was donated counted as a point for that team. Seniors started with 15 points, the juniors had 10, the sophomores had 6, and the freshmen had 3.

Once the game began, a point was earned for every correct answer unless a judge ruled otherwise. The first round was sorted out with some of the easier questions and the questions get progressively harder.

The questions cover five categories:  Arts/Literature, History/Geography, Math/Science, Pop Culture, and Sports/Leisure.

The freshmen team included John Fowler, Nick Dostal, Jillian Parsons, and Grace Piselli. The sophomore team included Tyler Chavez, Kevin Chesler, Kyle Krois, and Paula Perez. The junior team consisted of Logan Danville, Samantha McCarthy, Adam Streeter, and Jennifer Rondinelli, and the senior team was Ben Longobardi, Sean Berg, Nicole Palmer, and Nick Nunno.

The faculty team featured Miss Mannion, Mr. Stanton, Mrs. Moe, and Mrs. Briggs.

The Brain Bowl theme is always an integral part of the competition and this year’s theme was “The Wizard of Oz.”

“This year, it was a close race between ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘Alice in Wonderland,’” Calvin said. “But I’m happy we went with ‘The Wizard of Oz.’”

At the end of the first round, the sophomore and junior teams were eliminated, leaving the freshmen to face off with the seniors. In this second round, it seemed like the freshmen might secure a win but thanks to their fundraising, the senior class won the round with a few points to spare.

In the last round when the seniors went against the faculty, the seniors managed to keep their lead and win this year’s competition.

“It was very successful,” NHS advisor and chemistry teacher Ms. Turcotte said. “We were able to raise a good amount of money and everything went smoothly.”

(Photo courtesy twitter.com)

By Darby Hudd – Sports Editor

Earlier this month, Law’s Spanish Club held a fundraiser called the Pulsera Project to help raise funds for the people of Nicaragua.

“The idea of the project was mentions to me by one of my students,” Spanish Club advisor Mr. May said. “She said she had seen a Pulsera sale before, at her middle school, and thought it would work at Law, too.”

The Pulsera Project is a non-profit organization which provides individual and community assistance in Nicaragua. A pulsera is the Spanish word for bracelet and the colorful woven pulsera is made by young people in Nicaragua to express friendship.

“I loved when I bought the bracelet it had a picture of who made it,” senior Kelsey Kopazna said. “It made it more meaningful to know where the money I donated was going to.”

The pulseras sold by the Pulsera Project each come with a tag. Those tags contain the pulsera makers’ name and photo. All of the money raised goes back to their community and helps provide economic assistance for schools, for school aged children who face having to drop out for lack of money, farm help.

“It is an exchange of kindness: our money to help them, their pulsera to show gratitude,” May said.

The club raised over $1,000 during the week of sales and they plan to raise even more next year.

Junior Laura Gonzalez, who heads the Spanish Club, was a huge part in getting the word out about the Pulsera Project. She and junior Stephanie Acero spent most of their time during the sale manning the table in the cafe during all three lunch waves.

“Without their help we probably wouldn’t have sold nearly as much,” May said. “I want to thank everyone in the Spanish Club for all their hard work.”

If anyone is interested in finding out more about the fundraiser, there are many videos about the Pulsera Project at www.pulseraproject.org.

(Photo courtesy bridgeporthospital.org)

By Morgan Hennessey – Columns Editor

Jonathan Law hosted the first ever Caring Closet Clothing Drive on Saturday, May 9.

The idea came from sisters Gianna Laezzo, a junior, and Madison Laezzo, a sophomore.

Gianna Laezzo first came up with the clothing drive because she was inspired by the community service work she has done in Keyettes.

“I have been in Keyettes for three years now and I liked the way we helped out underprivileged people in the community,” Gianna Laezzo said. “So, I decided that I wanted to help out myself.”

The Caring Closet’s mission is to donate all the money they raise from selling the clothing items that have been donated from people all over Milford.

“People in our community, students, and teachers all donated clothes and the Keyettes and I sell them back to the community for cheap prices,” Gianna Laezzo said. “All the proceeds will go to the Bridgeport Hospital Toy Closet which buys toys for kids in the hospital.”

The Dr. Tom Kennedy Toy Closet classifies itself as a program “committed to helping children and their families cope with the stress and fear of hospitalization and to promote the continued growth and development of each child while they are in the hospital.”

It is a program that people can easily involve themselves in, and the Laezzo sisters created a great opportunity for everyone in the community to get involved.

“We started the Caring Closet because we just wanted to have a way to help out the community and give back for all that they have done for us,” Madison Laezzo said. “We thought it was an easy way for people to donate us their clothes so we can sell them back to the community.”

The Laezzo sisters hope to continue this fundraiser next year, as it was very successful this year.

“We made $325 to donate to the Toy Closet,” Gianna Laezzo said. “And we will donate the remaining 400 pieces of clothing to the United Way.”

(Photo courtesy Darby Hudd)

By Kayla Patrick – Sports Editor

Three students from Law recently helped their team win the Summit Championships in the All-Star Cheerleading League.

Senior Darby Hudd, sophomore Megan Mower, and freshman Stella Patrick contributed to their Spirit All-Star Sapphires team win the international competition in Orlando, Florida.

Summit Championships are held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Disney World where teams practice and compete.

Throughout their trip, the girls got to spend time watching other teams and spent a lot of time team bonding in parks and at the resort.

“I really enjoyed the team bonding we had in the parks and going on the rides,” Hudd said. “It was also nice to enjoy Disney as a vacation with my family after the competition.”

The girls participated in many competitions throughout the year and did well enough to earn a bid at Summit.

“Receiving our bid was an awesome feeling,” Mower said. “That’s what we worked for and after we got that chance we had to work even harder to do well at Summit.”

The Summit competition consisted of being judged on two different days. In order to make it to the finals on Day 2, the team has to be in the Top 5 after the Day 1 series.

“I thought all the teams were very strong and the competition would be evenly matched,” Patrick said.

During Day 1, the Sapphires competed against nine other teams. On Day 2, the team competed against the other Top 5 teams and won first place at the awards ceremony.

“Hearing our names called as first was like no other experience,” Hudd said. “Knowing all of our hard work paid off really made winning with my team worth it.”

The team received a large “National Winner” banner and each team member received a smaller personal banner and a championship ring.

The team competed in six competitions throughout the year. The team practices three times a week year round perfecting their routine.

The Spirit Zone All-Stars gym is located in Hamden, CT. The gym coaches a dozen teams of all levels and ages.

(Photo courtesy arapahoe.littletonpublicschools.net)

By Emily LaLuna – Sports Editor

The Jonathan Law Interact Club is holding a raffle fundraiser for Arapahoe High School in Colorado.

The school lost one of their students, Claire Davis, to a tragic event back on December 13, 2013.On the same day, their school library was also set on fire.

The school is looking to restore its library in Claire’s honor and is looking for donations to help them complete it.

“Law has been comforted by the support we have received from high schools across the nation,” Interact Club advisor and guidance counselor Mrs. Haramis said. “This is an opportunity for us to pay it forward and let Arapahoe staff and students know our high school in Connecticut is thinking about them.”

Arapahoe High School said that anyone who donates, besides individuals and families, $500 or more will be given their own book in the library with the name on the spine and it will forever be kept there and proudly displayed on a bookshelf for everyone to see.

“It feels great to be able to give back to a school who experienced something similar to us,” senior Interact Club member Tiffany Coleman said.

The Interact Club and School Resource Officer Kiely came up with the idea of selling raffle tickets for $1.00.

Everyone who buys a ticket will make a guess for how many pieces of candy are in a jar and the closest guess will win the entire jar.

“I’m very excited to be a part of this fundraiser,” senior Chelsea Bernal said. “I think it will be cool to have a book with our school’s name on it across the country.”

The club will be selling the tickets May 26 to May 29 during all lunch periods.

Donations may be made to the Arapahoe High School Moving Forward Fund through credit cards and by check payable to the LPS Foundation.

For a slideshow of over 400 photos from “Peace, Love, and Music From Maren” click HERE.

By Kayla Patrick, Emily LaLuna, and Darby Hudd – Sports Editors

Thousands of people came together to celebrate the life of Maren Sanchez on Saturday, April 25.

“Peace, Love, and Music From Maren” took place at Jonathan Law High School from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The day marked the one year anniversary of the Maren’s passing.

All proceeds from this event went to the Maren Sanchez Scholarship Fund. An estimated $30,000 was raised throughout the day.

“We thought it was really important that we remember that this was about her, it was about the many things that she loved to do and the lives that she touched and continues to touch just in her memory,” Law principal  Fran Thompson said.

Opening remarks from Mayor Ben Blake, Milford Superintendent of Schools Dr. Elizabeth Feser, and Thompson officially opened the event.

The day started off with over 600 participants running a 5K Fun Run which began and ended at the school. The day also included a kickball tournament, a mural art competition, a raffle, live music all day, 18 bounce houses, 13 food trucks, and over a dozen local vendors.

The celebration took place near Maren’s Memory Garden. The purple garden, which now includes three benches, is open to the public and is often a spot for students to sit and during the day.

“Peace, Love, and Music From Maren” was coordinated by a committee made up of Thompson, Law history teacher Kelsey Burns, parents Elena Garet Herbert, Jessie and Mike Hudd, Karen Pasacreta, and more. The day was also very successful because of the generosity and volunteerism of students and members of the Milford community.

Several members of the Law faculty helped organize the kickball tournament which  took place on the softball field. The tournament featured 22 pre-registered teams, and former longtime Law football announcer Larry Kochiss was on hand to do play-by-play. The “Flat Foot Foosies” won the tournament and each member took home donated gift cards from the Shelton Sports Center.

“Winning the tournament was awesome and I had a lot of fun playing with my friends,” junior Nick Catandella said. “The best part was knowing we were celebrating Maren’s life at the same time.”

The mural art contest featured 4×4 foot pieces of masonite that the artists used to create their own design related to the event. There were a total of 14 artists that submitted their work.

Three murals were announced as winners and will now be displayed placed around Law. Other entries will also be displayed around Milford.

The raffle was put together by Jonathan Law’s Interact Club and prizes were sponsored by businesses around Milford. By the end of the day, all raffle tickets were sold out.

Each raffle basket was valued at least $500 or more. Among the prizes in the 30 baskets were a kayak, a laptop, a TV, a sound plate, and a grill.

“When we began reaching out to businesses to ask for assistance in fundraising for the raffle, we had no idea what to expect,” Law Interact Club advisor and guidance counselor Mrs. Haramis said. “The outpouring of support from businesses, community members, and our parents was tremendous. It was truly an amazing day.””

The stage was set up on the football field and featured live music throughout the day from local bands, Law students, the Law choir, and alumni. Seniors Rachel Escobar, Mick Murray, and Craig Calderone performed Saturday afternoon in honor of their friend who adored music and singing herself.

“Maren was all about ‘just doing it’, so I knew when I was given the opportunity to sing I couldn’t pass it up,” Escobar said. “I promised her that I would not let her be silenced and I meant it. I know she was singing with me through it all.”

Radio personality and Law alum Brian Smith served as the official Master of Ceremonies for the event.

The bounce house extravaganza was a great way to attract all ages to the celebration. Kids and teens enjoyed the bounce houses, the bull riding, the velcro wall, jousting, the obstacle courses, a bungee run, a slam dunk challenge, and more fun activities.

A wide variety of food trucks served food at the celebration to the attendees. The food trucks offered local favorites. Some trucks that attended were Poutine, Chompers, Cafe Romeo, Mama Dee’s Italian Kitchen, and more.

“The food trucks were so good and had all types of food that everyone would love,” senior Kelsey Kopazna said. “I had the strawberry cloud fried dough; hands down best fried dough ever.”

Several activity tents at the event were hosted by local organizations, student clubs, and teams. The Law softball and volleyball teams manned the dunk tank.

Vendors Flip Hair Salon, where Maren had worked, and the Title Boxing Club, where Maren was a member, were two local businesses who attended the event.

Other vendors offered face painting, Maren memory locks, cupcake decorating, henna tattoos, purple hair extensions, and more. Donations were suggested at individual booths.

“We wanted to have as many activities as possible for everyone to have fun and something to do,” Burns said.

The Maren memory locks were very popular for students and attendees at the celebration. Supporters were allowed to write anything they wanted on a lock and latched them to the fence on top of the hill leading to the athletic fields.

“Theresa Patrick who runs the junior post prom committee came up with the idea and she thought it would be a great last tribute to her,” Burns said.

Attendees of the celebration loved the event and had a lot of fun. Students and faculty thought it was a great way to spend the day.

“I was happy to see such a great turnout,” senior Jarrod Butts said. “The music and activities were an amazing tribute to Maren’s life.”

The senior class was thankful for the “Peace, Love, and Music From Maren” celebration for their fellow class member. The day was what Maren would want – with everyone together and smiling.

“To make it from her it was kind of like she was giving us this day, she was there with us for the weather and it was a really great day for everybody, a bunch of smiles,” Thompson said.

The following is a slideshow of all Twitter-submitted photos of Peace, Love, & Music From Maren. Additional photos taken by Editor-in-Chief Hayley Sanchez.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

(Photo courtesy twitter.com)

By Hayley Sanchez – Editor-in-Chief           

Jonathan Law seniors Dana Laufer and Jeffrey Eng recently won Outstanding Arts Awards.

Each year, the Connecticut Association of Schools hosts its Annual Arts Recognition Banquet to honor high school visual and performing arts students.

Laufer and Eng attended the recognition dinner at the Aqua Turf Club on April 6 along with Law principal Mr. Thomspon. Two seniors from each high school in Connecticut were represented at the dinner.

Laufer and Eng both received a plaque for excellence and distinguished service for their school.

Laufer won the award for Excellence in Visual Arts and for her leadership in her art class. She was chosen for the award by the art department at Law.

“I was really surprised that I got an award like that,” Laufer said. “I did not think I would get an award like that.”

Eng won the Outstanding Arts Award for his outstanding performance in the school band. He was chosen by the music department teachers.

“I really appreciated getting this award,” Eng said.

Each member school of the Connecticut Association of Schools selected two seniors who are outstanding in the areas of performing and/or visual arts. Some of the programs honored include art, dance, drama, or music.

(Photo by Emily Carroll)

By Emily Carroll – Staff Reporter

Sophomore Melissa Chodziutko got to be “Fran for a Day” at Law on April 10.

This year’s “Principal for a Day” contest was held as a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club. Students purchased tickets for $1 and over $200 was raised for charity.

“(This was) more about the cause than the event,” principal Mr. Thompson said.

While Thompson was following Chodziutko’s B Day class schedule like other students, Chodziutko and her dog Rocky were equipped with a walkie-talkie. She said that the walkie-talkie helped her find teachers and organize her day.

Chodziutko said she loved being “in charge” of the school.

“Everyone started referring to me as ‘Principal’ or ‘Miss Chodziutko’,” Chodziutko said.

Chodziutko learned that being principal is a busy job. She had to take notes, make observations, and stay focused.

“It’s not exactly easy, but it is fun,” said Chodziutko.

As Chodziutko patrolled the halls, Thompson took notes in class – and even took a math test.

“He (math teacher Mr. Hoggatt) saw me later in the day, shook his head, and said, ‘You took a math test and didn’t put any numbers for answers’,” Thompson said. “What can I say? I’m an English teacher.”

Thompson was dressed like a student and was following classroom rules, but Chodziutko decided to make the day fun by taking away his phone and sending him to the ISS room for a period.

“I wasn’t crazy about being sent to ISS but she was the boss,” Thompson said.

Some staff members thought the switch of positions between Chodziutko and Thompson was a nice change.

“School has never been run more efficient with Melissa at the realm, with Mr. Thompson in class, and Mr. Cavanna off on maternity leave,” joked Dean of Students Mr. Ragaini.

At the beginning of the day, Chodziutko made announcements introducing herself, wishing staff members a happy birthday, and most importantly, introducing Law’s newest student, Fran Thompson.

As much as Thompson hoped to get a student who had all English classes, he took over for a student who loved science. Since Chodziutko usually goes to Aqua in the afternoon, Thompson had half a day to change roles.

Overall, the day for fun for all involved.

“I am hoping Mr. Thompson can have (Melissa) cover in the future when he is out of the building for meetings,” Ragaini said.