As the new school year commences, two new additions have been made to LHS’s club roster. Both the Mock Trial Club and Varsity Club recruited new members at the annual club fair. The fair serves to introduce students to the extensive clubs offered at LHS and encourage them to get involved. At the event, each club creates a poster advertising itself while representatives from the club work to gain new members. 

The Mock Trial Club, run by junior Co-presidents Alexandra Ioannou and Eliza Fucci, is advised by permanent substitute teacher Michael Cerbelli. The primary focus of the club is to provide a fun outlet for students interested in pursuing a career in the law field or strengthening their public speaking skills. Ioannou shared that her inspiration for the club came from her experience at a Columbia University program for Legal Reasons that she attended over the summer. During the program, she noticed that many of the other participants had well-developed public speaking skills as a result of their involvement in mock trial clubs at their respective schools. “I noticed Lynbrook only had a Speech and Debate Club and thought that I could extend that branch and have a mock trial club for students who either want to hone their public speaking skills or [are] looking to be a lawyer in the future,” she said. Ioannou explained that the club will include a team of eight members, each holding a different position, who will go on to compete against other schools at competitions held by the Nassau County Bar Association. At each event, the team members will use their knowledge of court cases and law to persuade the judge and jury to render a decision in favor of their stance, almost as if they are real lawyers. Fucci shared her enthusiasm for the club and its future: “My hopes for this club are to be well prepared for our first competition and hopefully move forward in the tournament!” Both girls are eager to form their team full of students and get this club on its way to many victories. 

The second new addition to the club roster is the Varsity Club. Seniors Kaelynn O’Brien and Tyla Vuotto serve as co-presidents, and physical education teacher Brian Donaldson is the advisor. The club’s purpose is for junior and senior varsity athletes to share their experiences with participating in specific sports as a means to inform, inspire, and teach children in the elementary and middle schools. The club serves as a revival and revamp of the previous Athletes Creating Excellence (ACE) club, which had a similar mission. 

Donaldson said he was inspired to bring the club to LHS after researching what other districts were doing with their varsity athletes to better the young minds of their communities. Donaldson shared the upcoming plans for the club are “… at least two field trips to the elementary schools on the importance of being drug-free and the importance of anti-bullying.” Additionally, Donaldson shared that the members of the club plan to attend each school in the district and assist the physical education classes as teacher assistants. The club also intends to be an active part of the Challenger Sports program, which provides students with special needs the chance to compete against kids from surrounding districts in soccer, basketball, and kickball. The members and leaders of Varsity Club are preparing for a successful year. O’Brien said,“Our goals and wishes of the club are to help young athletes pursue their dreams of playing certain sports, as well as teaching them the background, which comes down to health and how they treat their bodies.”