A to Food Drive – The Food Drive was a joint fundraiser between NHS, FFA, and Student Congress, all spearheaded by senior Jaxson O’Connell. The donations slowly rolled in throughout the week, but the amount of donations skyrocketed towards the end. We went beyond our goal of 800 items and received around 1,000 donations by the end of the day on Monday. Ledyard High and the food pantry are thankful for all those who took part in making the drive run smoothly and to everyone who donated. A special thank you to Jaxson who, even with all the ups and downs it took to plan this event, was able to have a successful and functional food drive. The individuals who donated the most won prizes, as well as two students who won the raffle! Senior Matt Bourguignon, junior Ben Fieldsend, sophomore Helena Robinson, and freshman Isabella Schweitzer won a $15 Dunkin’ gift card. Senior Victoria Schweitzer, junior Layla Lasisomphone, sophomore Kaylie Dunn, and freshman Kate Littler won a ticket to the Thanksgiving football game. Finally, senior Ethan Lohan and junior Sarina Barnes won the raffle prize of a Ledyard Colonel hat. 

A to All Together Now– All Together Now was Ledyard’s first in-person musical since 2019. Featuring a variety of middle schoolers and solos from students, middle school math teacher Mr. Reilly, and choir director Mrs. Cometa, students shocked the audience with the choreography that they learned from 15 different musicals, including songs from High School Musical and Newsies. The audience instantly felt like part of the show when the host, Sebastian Martelle, started the musical by making jokes with the audience, as well as explaining what was happening in each of the upcoming performances. Some notable performances included “We’re All in This Together,” performed by both the middle and high schoolers. Finally,  Mr. Reilly, who sang “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” from Les Miserables and Mrs. Cometa, who sang “She Used To Be Mine” from the musical Waitress blew the audience away. 

A to Thanksgiving Break- For five days, the Colonel community had a Thanksgiving break full of food, family gatherings, and even small “friendsgiving” gatherings. Thanksgiving break was a perfect opportunity for all students to organize and get rid of old assignments from the previous quarter. It was also a great time to relax after quizzes, tests, and projects that were due right before the break. The district of Ledyard was lucky enough to have a full day of school off the day before Thanksgiving, unlike other schools who had a half day.. Overall, this break was much needed for our colonel family to recharge and focus on their own mental health!

B+ to Blood Drive – The blood drive, organized by Student Congress, kicked off at the start of November. The blood drive was a huge success and 31 students signed up to donate blood! However, only 19 kids were able to donate because of health issues such as high heart rate, iron deficiency, or were taking medications that suggested not giving blood while on them. Overall, the blood drive was an excellent way for Ledyard students to help patients of all ages, considering that someone in the United States is in need of blood  every two seconds.. At the end of it all, Colonels were able to save up to 57 lives with the 19 donations. Thank you to all students and staff for taking time out of your school day to make a difference, and we are thankful for our fabulous Student Congress that made this event possible. 

B+ to Holiday Drinks at Starbucks- What we’ve all been waiting for… the month of November  meant the bringing back of holiday drinks at Starbucks! Like every year on November 1, Starbucks, Dunkin, and many other fast food places reintroduce holiday drinks and snacks. This year Starbucks holiday drinks are: Toasted White Chocolate, Peppermint Mocha, Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte, Irish Cream Cold Brew, Caramel Brulee Latte, and Chestnut Praline Latte. 

• C to Toasted White Chocolate – When I ordered the drink I was expecting a sweet, Christmas-y drink that made me excited for the holiday season, but got a semi-bitter and plain drink. It was still good, but did not meet my high Christmas expectations, and should not be considered a holiday drink. 
• A to Peppermint Mocha – Simply a classic. Christmas in a cup. This drink screams Christmas and gives you all the right vibes in every sip. Warm or Cold, Peppermint Mocha will never be the wrong choice, it gives you the rush you desire on cold Monday mornings, but tastes like minty hot chocolate. 
• A to Sugar Cookie Almond Milk latte – Perfect Christmas drink if you don’t love an overpowering mint flavor, like many Christmas drinks.This drink tastes exactly how you would think; the sugar cookie flavor gives it sweetness and is made festive with hard sprinkles on top. 
• C to Irish Cream cold brew – The first sip you get the tasty Irish cream foam on top, but once you get down to the cold brew your excitement will begin to fade. It is just plain black coffee with an intriguing name and sweet foam topping.
• A to Caramel Brulee latte – This drink is the perfect latte for those caramel lovers and anyone with a sweet tooth. The hint of bitterness blends perfectly with the sweetness overload of caramel. It is topped with tons of whipped cream, caramel drizzle and crunchy crisps of brulee that is an excellent choice of drink for a cold snowy day.
• B to Chestnut Praline latte – For those who don’t have a sweet tooth or a desire for a sweetness overload, this drink is for you. This bitter, yet delicious drink is perfect for the holiday. Although, in my opinion, the Chestnut Praline Latte tastes the best when hot, rather than cold. 

F to gas prices – As you know, everytime you visit our absolute FAVORITE place to throw away hard earned money, you look at the price for 9/10 a gallon of already highly taxed gas and are shocked at the fact that it has experienced an incline once again. We are reminiscing on that sweet time when gas was around $1.70 per gallon in the months following our current president’s inauguration- guess what… not anymore, now gas ranges anywhere from $3.10- $3.80 in Connecticut. Not even mentioning the fact that it’s upwards of almost $7 in other places in the nation. Young drivers dread everytime they see their tank is closing in on empty, however, it’s not like anyone has a choice- it’s a necessity. If you don’t get gas, you can’t drive; therefore if you don’t have a decent paying job, you’re struggling every week to secure financial independence. 

Senior Emily Goodrich is a staff writer for the 2021-2022 yearbook. She is the Class Vice President and an NHS member. When she’s not harassing her mom to go to the beach or with friends, you could probably find her napping.

Senior Daemion Startz is a staff writer for the Colonel, he’s as likely as not currently preoccupied with goon activities however, when he is not you will see him at the gym according to Emma Kay but he’d rather eat chicken and rice instead.