CT Post gives LH "thumbs up"

The editorial page of the November 11, 2006 edition of Connecticut Post named Lauralton Hall as “Best of the Week:”

©2006CONNECTICUT POST (November 11, 2006 editorial used with permission):

Thumbs up to students at Lauralton Hall in Milford who recently used their knowledge of physics to create a machine that involved basketball to help raise money for breast cancer research. Three teams from Lauralton's advanced-placement physics class competed on Oct. 31 to see which team had devised the best machine that could make free throw baskets with a miniature basketball. This challenge tested the students' knowledge of the forces of motion by having to put it to practical use. However, their work was for a good cause, especially since many of the students have been affected by breast cancer in some way in their families or friends. Overall, the students raised $1,500 for breast cancer research.

Lauralton students recognized

The Freelove Baldwin Stow Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution recently honored Amanda Doerr, ’07 with the DAR Good Citizen Award. The chapter chose one honoree from each of Milford’s four high schools to receive this prestigious award for exemplifying the DAR standards of good citizenship, dependability, service, leadership and patriotism. 

Physics class holds shoot out for breast cancer

Under the direction of Science Department Chair Theresa Napolitano, the Lauralton Hall AP Physics class recently participated in a project that not only taught the students a lot about physics, but also raised much needed funds for a most worthy cause--breast cancer research.

Class members designed and constructed three “contraptions” to serve as artificial free throw shooters. “Basketballs” were thrown in an attempt to make the most baskets in five attempts each. The basketball court was mathematically reduced in proportion to the change in the size of the ball being shot. The basket was placed on a tarp that was sectioned into multiple squares with five different squares making up the pattern on the tarp. The squares were assigned to the five competing groups--freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, faculty/staff/parents.

The launch took place on October 31. Tickets were sold for $1 each and grouped by the category of purchaser…freshman, sophomore, junior, senior or faculty/staff/parent. After each shot the square that was hit by the ball indicated the group for which a winning ticket would be pulled. There were 15 winners for the competition with prizes including gift certificates to Chili’s, Applebee’s, Wendy’s, Bob’s, Toys “R” Us, Dunkin Donuts, Panera and Borders.

Funds raised..more than $2200...will be donated to the Breast Cancer Alliance in Greenwich, Connecticut in celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast Cancer has touched the lives of many members of the community through family and friends and this is a small activity in which we can participate to do our part to help find a cure.

Spanish Club celebrates "Day of the Dead"

In celebration of the Mexican customs surrounding “The Day of the Dead,” Lauralton Hall’s Spanish Club created an “altar” commemorating Spaniard Pablo Picasso and Mexican Frieda Kahlo, since students of Spanish IV have been studying artists of the Spanish-speaking world. On the altar, which will be on display throughout the week of October 30 in the school’s foyer, are skeletons and little sugar skulls, as well as reproductions of some of the works of these artists. November 1 is when dead little ones, known as angelitos (little angels) are commemorated. On November 2, the day devoted to spiritual reunion with dead adults, some “bread of the dead” will be added to the altar.

Those lucky enough to be in Mexico on November 1 and 2 will see strange sights:  families “picnicking” at their relatives’ gravesites; children eating human skull-shaped candies; trails of marigold petals leading to people’s houses, so that the spirits of their dearly departed might find their way home. In the homes people have prepared family altars to honor their dead. At these altars is special bread, in the shape of a skull or topped crossbones of dough. Other foods are offered as well, so that the spirits of the departed might extract their essence. Also on the altar are more prosaic things, like candles, pictures of the dead, souvenirs or other reminders of the things they enjoyed during life.  In some regions of Mexico, the skulls of the dead ancestors themselves are actually brought out to be venerated on “The Day of the Dead.”

Before the Spaniards conquered Mexico, there was a cult of the dead, and the belief that the dead have substance and continue living. Many of the customs were tolerated by the Catholic Church as a way of easing the natives into the new religion. Coincidentally, this pre-Columbian holiday fell at about the time of All Saints Day and All Souls Day, so it was a perfect fit! Many of these customs continue to this day, with great elaboration and often in a spirit of playfulness. The famous artist José Guadalupe Posada, whose lithographs portray skeletons dancing, riding horseback, laughing hysterically, drinking and much more are a proud part of Mexican culture, as is the tradition of publishing obituaries of very-much-alive friends and celebrities. 

Lauralton Hall Students Try a 'Beauty' of a Play

By Felicia Hunter, October 28, 2006, ©2006CONNECTICUT POST (Used with permission)

MILFORD - If any of the actors in this weekend's Lauralton Hall musical production are experiencing pre-opening night jitters, it was difficult to tell during a dress rehearsal earlier this week.

Oceanography class experiences Audubon's pilot program

April Kelley’s oceanography class participated in a four-hour hands-on field laboratory experience on October 26. The trip was part of the Milford Audubon's pilot program for Project SOS (State of Our Sound). Nineteen students participated in the experience which was presented by Audubon Center naturalist Frank Gallo who led the girls in weather recording, plankton trawling, water sampling and chemical testing of the water. The students tested water samples for the presence of dissolved oxygen, nitrates and phosphates. They discovered that Long Island Sound currently falls into acceptable levels for all three major gases. After trawling, the girls took the specimens inside and identified species of phytoplankton and zooplankton using a scientific key. The big find of the day was a copepod (microscopic shrimp-like organism).
 

Juniors receive class rings

The Junior Ring Ceremony was held in the chapel on the evening of October 5, 2007. Members of the Class of 2008 gathered with family members for this very special ceremony which began with opening remarks by President Barbara Griffin, followed by prayer led by Christine Ring, Campus Minister. Senior Class President Kate McClain described how quickly the years at Lauralton have passed and Junior Class President Meredith Elia reflected that the juniors are now upperclassmen and reminded her classmates of the importance of being good role models for the freshmen and sophomores. She told the group that the class ring is a symbol of the traditions that surround all Lauralton Hall students. The juniors were eager to receive their rings from Mrs. Griffin and have their relatives and friends perform the traditional “ring turn” for good luck. After the ceremony, a reception was held in the Claven Auditorium.

AP Scholars announced

Nine Lauralton Hall students have earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) Exams. The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program offers students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school, and to receive college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. About 18 percent of the more than 1.3 million high school students in 16,000 secondary schools worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to merit the recognition of AP Scholar.

Lauralton thanks Open House visitors

Thank you, thank you, thank you to our students, faculty and volunteers…and especially to the visitors to our campus who helped make Open House 2006 a smashing success! Our best estimate puts the number of visitors at well over 1,000, exceeding our wildest expectations.

Student Council sponsors Spirit Week