volume 54- issue 8- June 2015The Falconaire

One Norman J. Field Way Tinton Falls, NJ 07724 www.mrhsfalconaire.com

By Lexie Brito ‘15Copy Editor Did you know that the PTSA funds the honor roll breakfast that is held three times a year? MRHS freshman Michelle White says, “I like that they hand out gift cards and make students feel rewarded for their efforts.” The PTSA also funds Student Recognition awards, two $500 scholar-ships, Staff Appreciation Day, Department Awards, Project Graduation, and battle of the classes. MRHS junior Austin DeOrio said “It’s a great organization that helps the students out and definitely rewards students for their hard work.” MRHS senior Kathy Ngueyn said, “Project graduation gives every senior the chance to spend one last night together before we each go our separate ways.” She feels that after our high school years have come to an end, one more night is unifying and appreciated before we say goodbye and move on to start our own future. MRHS English teacher Mrs. McGee said, “Groups that I have advised, coached, and taught have benefited from the work of the PTSA through their grants and supports.” The PTSA may not be returning next year due to lack of interest from parents, teachers, and students. Out of 1,100 students, 180 teach-ers, and a countless number of parents, Kathy Langois, this year’s president of the PTSA, said

she has only 253 responses from parents and teachers combined who are interested in keeping the PTSA; however, that does not mean they will be joining. In order to continue, the PTSA needs a full Executive Board. Without the group, all of the activities they fund will come to an end. MRHS junior Shannon Harris said “We know how much hard work it is to organize all these events and activities and we want them to know that it does not go unnoticed.” Langois said, “A child’s Education does not end at the end of 8th

Grade. Their high school years are their most important years and we all need to support them throughout their high school education.” You can get involved. Anybody interested can earn service and leadership hours by help-ing the PTSA raise money. The more money raised the more that can be given back to the students. If you would like to show the PTSA your support, go to the school website. Under district and organizations, the link to the PTSA website is available; which holds the dates of upcoming meetings that anyone is welcomed to attend. Is the stereotype true or false? Is the PTSA filled with a bunch of moms with nothing else to do? You decide. Overall, the PTSA has risen just over $10,200. A total of $23,897 was given to fund school all events organized by the PTSA. They have helped Monmouth Regional strive and now its time we help the PTSA in return.

“Every Child One Voice”PTSA in Jeopardy

American UniversityBloomfield CollegeBoston University

Brigham Young University Brookdale Community College

College of Saint Elizabeth Cornell UniversityDrexel UniversityEastern University

Fitchburg State UniversityFlorida Atlantic University

Florida State University Fordham University

Georgian Court UniversityHoward University

James Madison UniversityKean University

Indiana University of BloomingtonLong Beach City College

Marist CollegeMonmouth University

Montclair State UniversityNew Jersey City University

New Jersey Institute of Technology Pennsylvania State University

Ramapo College Rowan UniversityRutgers University

Seton Hall University St. John’s University

Stockton University The College of New Jersey

Towson UniversityUniversity Arizona

University of DelawareUniversity of North Georgia

University of MarylandUniversity of North Carolina- Wilmington

University of Rhode IslandUniversity of Tennessee- Knoxville

Virginia Tech UniversityWagner College

West Virginia University

Leaving the NestWhere is the Class of 2015 Headed?

By Gianna Bellomo ‘15Staff Writer

Photo By: Jocelyn Anderson

The Falconaire Page 2 OPINIONS June 2015

This is the end. For better, or for worse, the school year is coming to a finish and most of the graduat-ing MRHS senior class is going on to become freshmen again. Graduation is a time to reflect, give advice, and read the classic Dr. Seuss book “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” in a benign attempt to smooth the transition of graduating students into the “real world.” However, in interviewing graduating seniors some questions keep arising: Has high school truly prepared them for this “real world”? Will the speeches and awards given to graduating students actually help? Do seniors have the life skills needed to thrive? When reflecting on the high school experience most seniors will recollect a specific moment with their friends or sports teams. The people and the ex-periences are the glory days of high school. MRHS senior Max Villagomez said that his “best memo-ries” are those with his friends and the “different shenanigans” they got into. The one thing most seniors covertly agree on is the fact that they feel anxious about the future. With senior activities and graduation on the horizon graduating seniors are feeling concerned. MRHS senior Taylor Higgins said, “The end of the school year is definitely more stressful than the beginning.” The future is something most students leave on the backburner, using events such as prom as a buffer. Most MRHS seniors going on to college will have to take out thousands of dollars in student loans. According to CNN, 70% of students who earn a bachelor’s degree from a college or university will have an average of $28,400 in student loans. This statistic is grim. Moreover, with the necessity of student loans on the rise wouldn’t it make more sense for Mon-mouth Regional High School to provide students with more resources to understand the student loan process? MRHS senior Allie Van Wagner said “I would have liked more help in applying for college and information about financial aid.” As freshman, the Class of 2015 was the first group to take the state mandated Financial Literacy course. According to the MRHS Course Selection Book, students in the Financial Literacy course “will provide students with the skills and concepts needed to gain personal and financial responsibility related to financial planning, savings, investments, and charitable giving in the global community.” Sounds important: Right? During freshman year, however, financial skills do not seem all that important, but to juniors and seniors who have jobs and face the prospects of student loans, wouldn’t it make more sense for students to take a financial literacy course junior or senior year? Or are these years deemed too important? Should students be taking classes they are interested in rather than forced to take to prepare for the subjects they

wills study in college? MRHS senior Julian Peters said, “I feel like I’ve learned a lot but none of it is applicable to the ‘real world’.” MRHS senior Lexi Johnson said “that MRHS could be better if, collectively, the students applied themselves more.” In addition to prom and graduations, seniors will have an Awards Night where they are given local scholarships that they have applied for and won. However, with the aver-age scholarship worth $500 would this truly help someone going approximately $30,000

in debt, or is this night just for show? Depending on the amount you are personally given by colleges these scholarships could potentially help, but this situation is rare. But, while students are reflecting on the problems that they had in their high school experience now, in the future will these things truly matter? High school shouldn’t be defined by the bad but by the good. Get-ting anxiety and fretting over the small stuff will not help in the end. While these problems are credible they should not grown to define your high school career. Former MRHS student and Math teacher Mr. Lee said, “I wish I took advantage of the opportunities that MRHS provided.” And now Monmouth, as this is, for all the editors, our last year and issue, the 2014-15 Falconaire staff would like to leave you with inspiration quotes from outstanding commencement speeches and wish you the best of luck:

“To the C students I say, you, too, can be President of the United States” – George W. Bush

“I didn’t go to any college at all. Any college. And I’m not saying you wasted your time, or money, but look at me, I’m a huge celebrity....” – Ellen DeGeneres

“Now I usually try not to give advice. Information, yes, advice, no. But, what has worked for me may not work for you. Well, take for instance what has worked for me. Wigs. Tight clothes. Push-up bras.” — Dolly Parton

“I’m here to tell you about the place I live in now: The real world. There’s no dress rehearsal, no take-home tests, no rough drafts. If you unconstitutionally wiretap people’s phones, you’ll be taken down. If you shoot someone in the face with a shotgun, you’ll reap the consequences. If you illegally invade a sovereign nation to secure oil interests and assuage a personal vendetta, you’ll be re-elected.” — Seth MacFarlane

So Class of 2015 may the odds be ever in your favor. Peace. We out.

Glory Days?Graduation Season Raises Questions

Editorial

By Paula Popok ’15 and Pooja Shah ‘15

News Editor and Coeditor in Chief

Pre-BOTC:Do you think you’ll win?

Junior Marianna Santos “Obviously we’ll win.”

Freshman Kevin Cloonan: “Hell no.”Freshman Destiny Kono: “No, we suck

and are too childish.”Sophomore Asionna Whittaker: “We’re gonna win because we are

strong.”

Post-BOTC:How do you feel about who won?

Junior Isaiah Brinson: “Was there re-ally any doubt that we’d win?

Senior Danny Paulin: “Who won?”

Lifelong friends Sam Bradley, Lyhn Nygen, and Jessica Ahern share their last glory days before the stress of college and adult responsibilities over-come them.

Students in the HallFirst Ever BOTC

Juniors get pumped for what will be their eventual win of BOTC 2k15

A group of seniors pose as they get ready for the battle of the classesSophmores getting ready for Battle of the Classes

Freshman pose before Battle of the Classes

June 2015

The Falconaire Page 3June 2015 PromposalsBy Paula Popok ‘15News Editor Beaches, lunches, and the woods, oh my. Promposals have been a reoccurring happening in these recent months at MRHS. From the lunch room to sporting events, people are being asked to prom in creative ways. Refreshing Instagram, and practically see a new promposal post each time. Senior Jacob Johnson said, “[Promposals] are very nerve racking but after [it’s over] you realize it isn’t that bad but it’s really stressful.” Johnson was waiting at Pier Village for his future prom date, Hayley Meissner, to walk down to the sand as he held flowers and had help from others to hold a poster with the big question. Why should people be nervous? Maybe because a viral video of a boy named Daniel driving a girl, named Alex down a road with people holding signs each with one word on it asking her to go to prom. Alex was unaware it was for her and said “that’s a sh**** way to ask someone to prom.” Later when she found out she said, “I’m really sorry I said that.” Senior Samantha Bradley said, “It made sense for me to prompose since my boyfriend’s a junior. Once I figured out the cheesy pun and I got all the stuff I needed then I actually had to do it which was terrifying.” Bradley asked junior Kennard Johnston by saying they were going for a run and then after they started running there was a poster and shoes lying next to the trail. The amount of time, money, and effort that goes into making a simple question so extravagant is becoming extreme. Lunches have been put on hold so everyone can hear someone perform a song to ask their prom date like Max Falvey did or to do a relay race around the lunchroom with members of the track team like Evan Hemwall did. Many adults question why this is such a big show nowadays because back in their day, asking someone to prom was as simple as just a verbal question. Wsj.com said, “indeed, there is now almost as much riding on how someone is asked to prom—with its Oscar-esque dresses and after-parties—as the big night itself.” MRHS art teacher, Mrs.Kroposky said, “They’re cute but a lot of pressure for the guys to be original and trying to impress the girl. It [can be] annoying because everyone tries to out do everybody and there’s a competitive need which isn’t needed.” MRHS math teacher, Mr.McDonald said, “I don’t think they’re stupid. I think somebody doing that in a sort of over the top way to show that they care.” MRHS science teacher Mrs.Roach said, “On one hand, I think they’re very creative and I’ve very happy for the girls who get to experience such a thing… on the other hand though, I feel promposals strictly exist for the sake of social media.” So as the night of prom nears and promposals come to a close, the compe-tition retires as well... until next year.

Prom is in the AirPromposals Taking Over

The Falconaire Page 4 June 2015Senior June 2015

The Falconaire Page 5June 2015 Spread

The Falconaire Page 6 June 2015ReviewsBy Shannon Kelley Staff Writer ‘15 Go to the Beach! Try out your sea legs and go for a swim down at one of New Jersey’s lovely coastal areas. Beaches such as Belmar, Avon, Ocean Grove, Brad-ley Beach, Manasquan and Seven Presidents are great for lying out and getting a tan. Belmar features movies on the beach for free every Thursday night over the summer so make sure to get a good spot. Visit a Park or go to a Fair! Go and visit one of Monmouth County’s Park Systems. There are always activities to do in these open spaces like tennis, running, biking, kayaking, camping, fossil hunting and soccer. The Monmouth County Fair will be held at East Freehold Showground on July 22-26 and over 80,000 people come to it over the five day period. Parks include Thomp-son Park, Turkey Swamp Park, Dorbrook Park, Holmdel Park or Shark River Park. Dorbrook will be hosting a Eco Elephant Family Flea Market in which you can purchase ‘green’ items to help support the environ-ment. Thompson Park in Lincroft has an Amazing Funtatholon in which groups of people compete against each other to win various activities and solve problems. Go to the Movies! There’s nothing better to do on a rainy summer afternoon than to go see a movie. Locations include the Monmouth Mall, The Freehold Mall, or Bow Tie Cinemas. The Monmouth Mall and Freehold Mall have the reclining, cozy chairs with an expense of $11 per adult; while BowTie Cinemas have regular seating, older chairs with an expense of only $8.50 and a bonus is that on Tueday nights the price is only $6!There are sum-mer movies coming out like Jurassic World on June 12, Ted 2 on June 26, Magic Mike XXL on July 1, and Fantastic Four on August 7 just to name a few. Go to a Concert The PNC Bank Arts Center is always an active place to be… if you can get decent tickets to the events. Price ranges on where you can prefer to

sit so it could be $20 or $200 plus a $6 parking fee. This summer PNC is having many famous bands and artists perform like; Nicki Minaj, Kelly Clarkson, Counting Crows, Kid Rock, Santana, Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum, Nickelback and plenty more. Don’t miss out on a wonderful

experience. Six Flags! What better place to be on a nice sunny day in the summer than Six Flags? Amusement park junkies should jump at the chance to go on some of the extraordinary rides like;

El Diablo, King da Ka, Nitro, Skull Mountain, and the Teacups. The rides range from roller coasters with super heights to little kiddie rides for those not prepared to soar for sky. The price to get in is $42.99 for the discount online ticket unless you buy the ticket upon arrival in which it is $67.99. Hurricane Harbor prices are around $33. The food here is pretty expensive so make sure to eat somewhere else after you leave. Don’t worry the rides will make up for the lack of reasonably priced food.

By Keith Egan ‘16 Contributor What’s a cheap way to go out with friends and enjoy a summer night? Many may say going out for ice cream. The problem with that around the Monmouth Regional area though is that these ice cream places lack the characteristics that make it an easy and good way to find enjoyment.Not anymore, however, as the Opening of “The Perfect Scoop” changes things up. This new ice cream opening challenges competitors with its variety, taste, and convenient location, along with price. “The Perfect Scoop” is home of over 30 unique flavors of ice cream along with plenty of toppings to go along with it. These flavors range from Strawberry Cheesecake to common favorites such as Moose Tracks, allowing everyone to find a taste fit for them. Personally, I really enjoyed my choice of the Better Brownie Batter and Peanut Butter Pretzel for their rich and exclusive taste which I would certainly recommend to any customers. Ju-nior Ashley Rust says, “My favorite flavor is Orange Blossom” and also adds that the work-ers are, “very nice.” Another attribute giving “The Perfect Scoop” its variety is its ability to broaden its sales to Cotton Candy and Cook-ies as well. With their newest addition, “Da-vid’s Cookies” you can enjoy the home made taste of delicious cookies either alone or in their shakes, sundaes or any ice cream. This diversity of offered sales ensures that any-one can find what they want at “The Perfect Scoop” giving it the ability to succeed. Another great thing about “The Perfect Scoop” is the convenience of the area. Specifi-cally towards the southern end of Tinton Falls, there are really no good ice cream parlors.

Some of the top ice cream places in the area are Cold Stone, Ryan’s and Lighthouse, none of which are completely convenient to all areas of town and could be as far as 20 minutes away. “The Perfect Scoop” however is within about 10 minutes from all parts of Tinton Falls and Eatontown. For those who may be closer to some of the other locations, the price dif-ferential may be the drawing point. For other popular ice cream choices like Cold Stone and Lighthouse, ice cream can average from about four to six dollars for just a bowl. At “The Perfect Scoop”, the prices for a regular to large bowl are from three to four dollars. This difference may not seem like much, but with a great taste that “The Perfect Scoop” has, it definitely gives more reason to check it out. While places such as light-house may have several choices, they’re not as unique, nor do they taste as good. Therefore, “The Perfect Scoop” out does its competitors in many ways.

“The Perfect Scoop” definitely is worth going to for no matter what the occasion. It offers a very enjoyable experience and can definitely become more popular are the sum-mer moves forward.

Don’t Just Watch Netflix!Things to Do Over the Summer

The Scoop on “The Perfect Scoop”New Ice Cream Store Review

Photo by yelp.com

June 2015

The Falconaire Page 7 SPORTS June 2015

Spring MVPSBy Quinton Escalante ‘16 Luke Fusco ‘16Staff Writers The coaches of each spring sport have picked their MVPs and why they are the MVP of their respective sport team.

Sport

Golf

Baseball

Softball

Boys Tennis

Girls Track and Field

Boys Track and Field

Lacrosse

MVP And Why Luke Labianco- Coach Turkel said that he

doesn’t have an MVP but that Luke is the most improved person on the team. He came into

the season having never swung a club to being able to hitting the ball in the air and sailing it

towards the target.

Matt Vincenti- Coach Crivello said that he is one of the Captains and has a vital part in all of

the winnings.

All varsity seniors(Taylor Hager,Jade Eggleston,Kayla Hueston,Michelle

Montefinese,Haley Pszeniczny)-Coach Corson said that they play a solid defense and do what-ever the team needs. With a record of 10-6 they

qualified for the state tournament and shore conference.

Austin DeOrio and Zach St.John- Coach Spadavecchia said they play 1st doubles together and have been the most consistent players on

the team. Their hard work in play together and working as one made them very successful this

season.

Halena Martin(Field) & Megan Lindstrom(Track)- Halena scored over 100 var-sity points and was a role model for underclass-

men. Megan has broken 6 school records.

Bryan Walker and Julian Peters- Coach Gottdenker said that he dislikes using the

MVP designation and that they are the two top point scorers. He also said that each have

made significant contributions to the team this season and should challenge for more points

at the upcoming country, conference, and state section.

Lexie Brito and Charly Cushing- Coach Schel-tis said they play both offense and defense for

the team and give their all every day on the field.

Position/Grade

Pound for pound hits the ball great distance/ Freshman

Outfield/ Senior

Catcher(Taylor)1st Base(Jade)

Short Stop(Kayla)Center Field(Michelle)

3rd Base(Haley)All Seniors

1st Doubles (Austin and Zach)Junior/Senior

Shot Put, Javelin, and Discus(Halena)3200m, 1600m, 800m (Megan)

Junior/ Senior

200m, 100m, 400m, long jump(Bryan)Pole Vault(Julian)

Junior/ Senior

Defensive Wing(Lexie)Defense(Charly)

Senior/Junior

By Luke Fusco ‘16 & Halena Martin ‘16Staff Writer Last won twelve years ago in 2003, the Monmouth Regional Baseball team won the A-Central Public Division Championship with a 7-5 record. They competed against: Holmdel, Raritan, Shore, Manasquan, Rumson, and St. John Vianney. “The highlights of the Season were first advancing to the quarterfinals of the Mon-mouth County tournament by beating Freehold Boro 2-1 in nine innings at home,” said head baseball Coach Paul Crivello. Senior Matt Vincenti, one of three baseball captains, said, “One of the highlights for me was when I hit 6 for 6 when we played Raritan.” Senior Jimmy Green, another baseball captain, said his season highlights was “get-ting to experience this with friends.” The team will be losing 11 seniors this season, and Crivello already has a plan set out. “Our next step will be finding new leaders and preparing our younger players for the next level.” He plans on preparing them with the summer baseball leagues, where the school team competes in summer. “Our team was very unified,” he said, “and I truly believe that their respect and con-sideration for one another helped play a vital role in our team’s success this year.” He said they were “like a family” out on the field, and “they will be truly missed.” Marc Marcincak, the 3rd baseball captain, said, “We came into the Manasquan game knowing we had a chance at the division title. Prior to the game it had been a disappointing season, so we accomplished something special.”

Baseball Champs MRHS Baseball wins Division!

By Luke Fusco ‘16 Staff Writer On May 11th, 2015, the MRHS girl Track and Field team won a tri meet be-tween SJV and Shore securing their win for the division. They had the best record (of 5 wins to 1 loss), against all other schools in the division making them as division champs. Head Coach Jaqueline Roach said that the team was unified. “They competed for each other, and we wouldn’t have won if they were not as close as they were.” Senior Eva Rondon said, “I gained a lot of friends, memories, and a refined outlook on life.” Olivia Manston, Crista Deangelo, Mackenzie Todd, Jada Lonvega, Lauren Landlois, and Halena Martin went on to compete at State Group Champs. Only Halena has moved on to the Meet of Champs which was held in South Plainfield. A question that comes to mind is the status of the team after the seniors graduate. Coach Roach said, “It will be tough, and we will need the underclass-man to step up.” she said. “We need to fill in areas where we are weak, like pole vault and hurtles.” Junior Khali Brewer said, “The most memorable part of the team experience was when we all got the personal record shirts. It showed how we developed as a team.” Eva Rondon said, “Just being with the team as a whole.”

Track Champs Girls Take Group Division!

June 2015Final ThoughtsThe Falconaire page 8

By Haley Pszeniczny ‘15 and Shannon Kelley ‘15Reviews Editor and Staff Writer

The Seniors will be gone after this year but they want to leave behind some inspirational quotes and advice for the underclassman to follow while going through high school.

Jessica Corwin- “Maybe it’s not my weekend but it’s gonna be my year.”

Amanda Smith- “Whatever you decide to do, make sure it makes you happy.”

Petranela Stichelik- “The time is now cause this might be your last chance to disco.”

David Birzin- “One mo mile.”

Billy Herman- “Time flies, so don’t worry and be happy, or else you’ll wish you did.”

Maggie Gaal-

Aly Pisarchek- “After further review I’ve decided being an adult is not for me, but thank you.”

Henry Millington- “Keep your friends close, keep your Timbs closer. Churboi!”

Ryan Baccaeralla- “You can catch flies with honey, but you catch more honeys be-ing fly.”

Kyle Wire- “If you’re having a bad day, remember you’re one day closer to eating nachos.”

Max Falvey- “Move like a dingus, sting like a hunk.”

Beau Detouches –“Make the best of it.”

Amanda Bofill- “Always have confidence in every-thing you do in life.”

Isaiah Searight “Senior year, have fun.”

Shaun Rivera- “Bouta live life one quarter mile at a time.”

Bianca Martinez– “I take a nap right here… night.”

Senior Quotes