FALCONAIRE - Monmouth Regional High School

FALCONAIREOne Norman J. Field Way Tinton Falls, NJ 07724 falconaire.monmouthregional.netVolume 48—Issue 05, March 2012

THE

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VARIETY, page 7

Are You a 90’s Kid?

What do the Students think?

OPINIONS, page 3-4Letter to Editor

Tablets vs. Books

Library Update

Scheduling

FEATURES, page 2

Aarti Aggarwal wins the Congressional Award!

Larry Patterson earns the Gold Medal Award!

SCHOOL NEWS, page 5

Scholarships

Clubs

Suessical

Stress Can Make You Sickby Emily Hague ‘15Contributor

Winter mvps

LOCAL NEWS, page 6Smash ReviewUnderstanding Fractions FeatureThe Vow Review

An in-depth look on the physical effects of stress on the body

We’ve all felt it: the rush of the stom-

ach; the disorganization of thoughts; the pounding of the heart. Stress hits everyone: from the most high-maintenance person to the calmest of the calm. It’s a natural reaction of the body to situations unfamiliar and seemingly unattainable, such as doing a project the night before it’s due or getting ready for a huge exam. But while stress seems like a perfectly normal response of life, can stress actually make a person sick? Studies, like on-line medical self-helps including helpguide.org and WebMD.com, have shown that stress can affect one’s self by caus-ing irregular heartbeats, high blood pressure, and chest pain. Some doc-tors, like the ones pro-viding information for

WebMD.com, even think that stress can cause heart disease. Stress can also cause poor oral hygiene, mouth sores, gum disease, and grind-ing of teeth; these are unconscious and unknown reactions to such pressure. Other common symptoms of stress are weight gain or loss, constant worry or anxiety, and explosive reactions. MRHS school nurse Mrs. Cahill explained, “Stress lowers your immune system, mak-ing you more suscep-tible to illness and injury. People respond to stress in different ways also: some hyperventilate, eat, sleep, drink alcohol or do drugs…it’s a killer.” With that being said, how does stress affect the com-mon high schooler?

High school is famous for being the best four years of a person’s life, and yet notorious for being some of the most stressful. “Schoolwork gets more rigorous regardless of the class, tests become more

diffi cult and more often, and eventually, college ap-plications come up,” says senior Caitlin Guenther. On top of that, friend-ships are made and tested, relationships blossom and fade, and arguments run

thick as pea soup. It’s no wonder then that the average high school student would be under tremendous stress on a bad day. A high school senior, Sarah Boulton, shared that, “with col-lege applications and acceptances, he/she was losing sleep for days on end, he/she felt nau-seous, and he/she was breaking out more often than usual.” Of course, everyone responds differently to stress; some can even prevent stress from happening. An excel-lent stress reducer is exercise, a practice performed by band

director Mr. Romano, who is constantly under stresses of fi lling out paperwork and applying to gigs for the numerous school bands. He says that he works out whenever he starts feeling

stressed, and it improves his mood greatly. This is a proven fact; according to Healthline.com, exercise hastens blood fl ow which moves toxins from your brain, and it also releases endorphins, chemicals that cause pleasure and feel-ings of happiness. Stress can also more simply be soothed by slow, deep breathing, which clears the brain and improves thinking. Stress can pop up any-time, anywhere. It affects everyone in the world, regardless of demeanor, and it affects everyone differently. But one thing that strings us all together: stress can take your body and wreak havoc on it if left unchecked. So next time you feel stressed and overwhelmed, take a mo-ment, take a deep breath, and take a chance at keep-ing up your health.

Name: Ra’Quan GardnerSport: BasketballGrade: JuniorPosition Point GuardYears playing: Nine Motivating Quote to live by: Go hard or Go Home.

Name: Chloe YelleSport: Track and FieldGrade: Sophomore Years throwing: Since eighth gradeFavorite Event: Shot PutAthletic Role Model- my teammates

Name: Kerry Rugenstein Sport: Track and FieldGrade: SeniorYears running: Since third gradeDream College: Drexel

Name: Sabrina Scurry Sport: Winter Cheerleading Grade: SeniorThe season in one word/phrase: Pride, heart and spiritYears cheerleading: Since eighth grade

Name: John Evangelista Sport: BowlingGrade: SeniorThe season in one word/phrase: GreatYears bowling: EightDream College: West Virginia

Name: Savoia BuntinSport: BowlingGrade: SeniorThe season in one word/phrase: RivetingYears bowling: TwoDream College: Rider

Name: Evan ImberSport: WrestlingGrade: SeniorThe season in one word/phrase: Out work, out physical, out complete Years wrestling: Three Dream College: Rutgers

Name: Alan BoubSport: SwimmingGrade: SeniorFavorite Event: 100 yard Butterfl yYears swimming: Thirteen Dream College : Florida Tech

Name: Victoria Grims-gaardSport: SwimmingGrade: SeniorFavorite Event: 50 Free-styleYears swimming: 11 yearsDream College: Rowan

by Lauren Mooney ‘13staff writer

Corson said that everyone on the girls’ basketball team are MVPS. She couldn’t pick one that was better than anyone else.

FeaturesPage 2 The Falconaire March 2012

ADDRESS & EMAILThe FalconaireMonmouth Regional High SchoolOne Norman J. Field WayTinton Falls, NJ 07724

EDITORIAL POLICY The Falconaire will accept written and graphic material for publication in the Falconaire from students, faculty, and administrators provided it is of interest and value. We reserve the right to reject any material that we consider inappropri-ate. The Falconaire reserves the right to edit any material received for publication. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE To provide a graphic forum of dialogue and expres-sion. To provide the school and community with information concerning the important issues and activities pertaining to stu-dents, faculty, and administra-tion. To publish an interesting, readable newspaper satisfying the needs of the students and the Monmouth Regional com-munity.

CORRECTIONS The Falconaire is com-mitted to fair and accurate reporting. If you are aware of an error, please inform us be emailing us at [email protected]

COMMENTS & QUESTIONS For general comments or questions about the Falconaire, please write to the editors or advisor at [email protected] or at the specifi c email addresses listed above.

A Publication of Monmouth Regional High School

ELIZABETH KURAU & JENNIFER MARGILOFFCo Editors in Chief

JAKE NEWCOMBOpinions Editor

JAKE NEWCOMBWebmaster

Staff Writers: Allie Campbell, Eoin Wenger, Lauren Mooney and Matt Yee

JENNIFER MARGILOFFPhotography Editor

DAWN COLLETTAdvisor

EDITOR AND ADVISOR EMAIL

EDITOR IN [email protected]@gmail.com

[email protected]

MEDIA STAFF

CONTACT INFORMATION

WRITERS

LOCATIONRoom 211Homeroom and fi rst period

Room 509After school

LYNDSAY KUTIAKCopy Editor

Contributors: Adin Shah, Emily Hauge, Sam Bradley, Thomas Rounds

Determined, Accomplished, and Still GoingAarti Aggarwal Wins the Congressional Award

by Allie Campbell ‘12 Staff wrtier

Throughout high school years students usually fi nd out who they are, in the year 2009 Aarti Aggarwal discovered about herself through the Congressional Award which challenges an individual to learn about him or herself by setting short and long term goals. Each participant is required to make a goal in the following categories: physical fi tness, personal development, voluntary public service, and expedi-tion or exploration. Before Aggarwal could decide her goals, she had to decide how much dedication she wanted to invest. Her adviser, Mrs. Dill, helped her choose to strive for the silver medal which re-quires four hundred hours of commitment divided amongst the four catego-ries. Aggarwal began in February 2010 and ended in 2012. In each of the four categories she decided on one or two goals. One her goals were to help the less fortunate. She volun-teered at the Red Cross, participated in fundraisers

such as Rock and Ride, the Measles Initiative, and blood drives. Ag-garwal handed out fl yers and called up her friends and family to try and rally support. Not only did she volunteer at the Red Cross, she also dedicated her time to the Riverview Hospi-tal, Monmouth County Library, and the soup kitchen in Long Branch. Aggarwal was also a big contributor to Relay for Life, an event in which people bring awareness to cancer research by annual fundraiser. She has orga-nized her own fundraisers and make her community aware. Aggarwal sent out emails to her community and called up individuals for support and donations. One of Aggarwal’s personal goals was to participate in the Waks-man Scholarship Program which is a program where students and teachers par-ticipate in an authentic bi-ology research project. She and the other participants spent a total of three weeks at Rutgers for the program. In college Aggarwal plans to major in biology. One of Aggarwal’s other goals was to run two

miles without stopping, she achieved this by start-ing to run every other day. Adjusting her increase in speed and incline on her treadmill. She started to be more health conscious and drank more water. This fulfi lled her physical fi t-ness requirement. Last but not least Ag-garwal had her exploration and expedition category. She had to plan all by herself a three or four day trip. She had to learn to work with a budget. She had to book the fl ights, ho-tels, and make an itinerary. She had to document each step of the way everything from her budget to rainy day schedules. Aggarwal said, “I wanted to see the Grand Canyon. I thought it would be interesting. I learned how to use a budget and plan according. It made me grow as person and be more realistic. ”In the summer of 2010 Ag-garwal planned the trip to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas with her family. Aggarwal submitted her accomplishments for the silver medal which requires one year for time and dedication. She chose to extend her challenge

to two years to be able to submit for the gold. Aggar-wal said, “Looking back you can say that I wasn’t organized as I am now. The goals helped me with timing and organization. It taught me to break things down and take it step by step. I loved the experi-ence because it felt good to makes goals and improve yourself stick to it follow through.” Throughout the two years, Mrs. Dill, has been there to guide and help Ag-garwal through her chal-lenges. Mrs. Dill offers the Congressional challenge a couple times a year but has only seen a few students achieve gold medal. Mrs. Dill said, “Aarti Aggarwal

did a great job. She put in a lot of dedication and effort. Aarti defi nitely deserves to be commended because most students are doing a lot of these things anyway. Why not go the extra mile and get signifi -cant recognition for it?.” Mrs. Dill stresses that the Congressional Award is “for anyone who wants put in the effort.” There are no requirements other than the age restriction that a participant has to be thir-teen to twenty three years old. Guidance Director, Mrs. Fitzmaier said, “:The Congressional Award shows how a student is involved in leadership and challenges them to be involved in new things.”

Serving the Community: Larry Patterson Earns the Gold Medal Award

There are many students at Monmouth Regional who have certain things that make them stand out. Some can sing, some can dance, and in Senior Larry Patterson’s case, it is both of those things, along with giving back to the community. Patterson earned the Gold Medal Award through the Royal Rang-ers. Mrs. Callahan, who nominated Larry, said “Larry is such a nice young man who has matured so much over the four years he has been here [Monmouth Regional]. He continually shows compas-sion and thoughtfulness

to everyone here.” As an 18 year old at Monmouth Regional, Patterson has had to juggle getting ready for college and also all of his Royal Rangers require-ments that were prereq-uisites for the honorable reward. In the journey to getting this award, Larry com-pleted 24 merit badges. Among these he had to become fi rst aid and CPR certifi ed, get a Commu-nications badge which required writing a letter to Congress, and even had to do a family living badge which was basically mock life. As boy scouts do, there was a lot of camping

involved in his past years of experience; almost 100 days of camping. During these 100 days he learned hunting, survival skills and even cooking. Patterson says his best meal is beef stew made over a camp-fi re. As this award was through a religious orga-nization, he also had to do many thing things within a church community as well. Patterson had to gain 48 Bible merits through “Save Your Sword”, and had to go to six camps to do so. He also had to spend 6 months in a leadership position. Larry then took leadership in the Royal Rangers, which entailed leading marches and doing ceremonies with the kids who ranged from ages fi ve to thirteen. He also had to help around his church for service hours. Col-laborating with his church and boy scouts, this award took him eleven years to complete. Even with eleven years of service, Larry Patter-son still managed to keep social and do the things he loves. His whole family is full of artists, including his sister, Chudney Patterson, a junior at Monmouth Regional. His dad does

caricatures and his mother and Chudney are both excellent artists as well. His passion however his music, whether it be singing, playing the piano, or writing his own music. He even is planning on going to college to major in music and dance. Not too long ago he even did Dancing with the Teach-ers with Mr. Morrell, who happens to be his favorite teacher here at Monmouth. Not only does he partici-pate in SADD, Madrigals, but he even has a letter from Governor Chris Christie commending him on all of his hard work.

Mrs. Mindas says “Hi is a focused and talented conscientious young man. His dancing is awesome and he loves learning new things regarding music.” He clearly earned this award. Addi Thorstad, a Junior, says “Larry is super nice. He’s always smiles and is a well rounded kid.” Everyone should have a goal, and Larry’s was helping the community and just giving back, and in the words of Larry Patterson “Look at all you can achieve and be consistent. Make it a part of you and work hard. Be focused.”

by Eoin Wenger ‘13Staff Writer

Success Aggarwal wins the Congressional Award

CHUDNEY PATTERSONStaff Comic Illustrator

FeaturesPage 2 The Falconaire March 2012

ADDRESS & EMAILThe FalconaireMonmouth Regional High SchoolOne Norman J. Field WayTinton Falls, NJ 07724

EDITORIAL POLICY The Falconaire will accept written and graphic material for publication in the Falconaire from students, faculty, and administrators provided it is of interest and value. We reserve the right to reject any material that we consider inappropri-ate. The Falconaire reserves the right to edit any material received for publication. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE To provide a graphic forum of dialogue and expres-sion. To provide the school and community with information concerning the important issues and activities pertaining to stu-dents, faculty, and administra-tion. To publish an interesting, readable newspaper satisfying the needs of the students and the Monmouth Regional com-munity.

CORRECTIONS The Falconaire is com-mitted to fair and accurate reporting. If you are aware of an error, please inform us be emailing us at [email protected]

COMMENTS & QUESTIONS For general comments or questions about the Falconaire, please write to the editors or advisor at [email protected] or at the specifi c email addresses listed above.

A Publication of Monmouth Regional High School

ELIZABETH KURAU & JENNIFER MARGILOFFCo Editors in Chief

JAKE NEWCOMBOpinions Editor

JAKE NEWCOMBWebmaster

Staff Writers: Allie Campbell, Eoin Wenger, Lauren Mooney and Matt Yee

JENNIFER MARGILOFFPhotography Editor

DAWN COLLETTAdvisor

EDITOR AND ADVISOR EMAIL

EDITOR IN [email protected]@gmail.com

[email protected]

MEDIA STAFF

CONTACT INFORMATION

WRITERS

LOCATIONRoom 211Homeroom and fi rst period

Room 509After school

LYNDSAY KUTIAKCopy Editor

Contributors: Adin Shah, Emily Hauge, Sam Bradley, Thomas Rounds

Determined, Accomplished, and Still GoingAarti Aggarwal Wins the Congressional Award

by Allie Campbell ‘12 Staff wrtier

Throughout high school years students usually fi nd out who they are, in the year 2009 Aarti Aggarwal discovered about herself through the Congressional Award which challenges an individual to learn about him or herself by setting short and long term goals. Each participant is required to make a goal in the following categories: physical fi tness, personal development, voluntary public service, and expedi-tion or exploration. Before Aggarwal could decide her goals, she had to decide how much dedication she wanted to invest. Her adviser, Mrs. Dill, helped her choose to strive for the silver medal which re-quires four hundred hours of commitment divided amongst the four catego-ries. Aggarwal began in February 2010 and ended in 2012. In each of the four categories she decided on one or two goals. One her goals were to help the less fortunate. She volun-teered at the Red Cross, participated in fundraisers

such as Rock and Ride, the Measles Initiative, and blood drives. Ag-garwal handed out fl yers and called up her friends and family to try and rally support. Not only did she volunteer at the Red Cross, she also dedicated her time to the Riverview Hospi-tal, Monmouth County Library, and the soup kitchen in Long Branch. Aggarwal was also a big contributor to Relay for Life, an event in which people bring awareness to cancer research by annual fundraiser. She has orga-nized her own fundraisers and make her community aware. Aggarwal sent out emails to her community and called up individuals for support and donations. One of Aggarwal’s personal goals was to participate in the Waks-man Scholarship Program which is a program where students and teachers par-ticipate in an authentic bi-ology research project. She and the other participants spent a total of three weeks at Rutgers for the program. In college Aggarwal plans to major in biology. One of Aggarwal’s other goals was to run two

miles without stopping, she achieved this by start-ing to run every other day. Adjusting her increase in speed and incline on her treadmill. She started to be more health conscious and drank more water. This fulfi lled her physical fi t-ness requirement. Last but not least Ag-garwal had her exploration and expedition category. She had to plan all by herself a three or four day trip. She had to learn to work with a budget. She had to book the fl ights, ho-tels, and make an itinerary. She had to document each step of the way everything from her budget to rainy day schedules. Aggarwal said, “I wanted to see the Grand Canyon. I thought it would be interesting. I learned how to use a budget and plan according. It made me grow as person and be more realistic. ”In the summer of 2010 Ag-garwal planned the trip to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas with her family. Aggarwal submitted her accomplishments for the silver medal which requires one year for time and dedication. She chose to extend her challenge

to two years to be able to submit for the gold. Aggar-wal said, “Looking back you can say that I wasn’t organized as I am now. The goals helped me with timing and organization. It taught me to break things down and take it step by step. I loved the experi-ence because it felt good to makes goals and improve yourself stick to it follow through.” Throughout the two years, Mrs. Dill, has been there to guide and help Ag-garwal through her chal-lenges. Mrs. Dill offers the Congressional challenge a couple times a year but has only seen a few students achieve gold medal. Mrs. Dill said, “Aarti Aggarwal

did a great job. She put in a lot of dedication and effort. Aarti defi nitely deserves to be commended because most students are doing a lot of these things anyway. Why not go the extra mile and get signifi -cant recognition for it?.” Mrs. Dill stresses that the Congressional Award is “for anyone who wants put in the effort.” There are no requirements other than the age restriction that a participant has to be thir-teen to twenty three years old. Guidance Director, Mrs. Fitzmaier said, “:The Congressional Award shows how a student is involved in leadership and challenges them to be involved in new things.”

Serving the Community: Larry Patterson Earns the Gold Medal Award

There are many students at Monmouth Regional who have certain things that make them stand out. Some can sing, some can dance, and in Senior Larry Patterson’s case, it is both of those things, along with giving back to the community. Patterson earned the Gold Medal Award through the Royal Rang-ers. Mrs. Callahan, who nominated Larry, said “Larry is such a nice young man who has matured so much over the four years he has been here [Monmouth Regional]. He continually shows compas-sion and thoughtfulness

to everyone here.” As an 18 year old at Monmouth Regional, Patterson has had to juggle getting ready for college and also all of his Royal Rangers require-ments that were prereq-uisites for the honorable reward. In the journey to getting this award, Larry com-pleted 24 merit badges. Among these he had to become fi rst aid and CPR certifi ed, get a Commu-nications badge which required writing a letter to Congress, and even had to do a family living badge which was basically mock life. As boy scouts do, there was a lot of camping

involved in his past years of experience; almost 100 days of camping. During these 100 days he learned hunting, survival skills and even cooking. Patterson says his best meal is beef stew made over a camp-fi re. As this award was through a religious orga-nization, he also had to do many thing things within a church community as well. Patterson had to gain 48 Bible merits through “Save Your Sword”, and had to go to six camps to do so. He also had to spend 6 months in a leadership position. Larry then took leadership in the Royal Rangers, which entailed leading marches and doing ceremonies with the kids who ranged from ages fi ve to thirteen. He also had to help around his church for service hours. Col-laborating with his church and boy scouts, this award took him eleven years to complete. Even with eleven years of service, Larry Patter-son still managed to keep social and do the things he loves. His whole family is full of artists, including his sister, Chudney Patterson, a junior at Monmouth Regional. His dad does

caricatures and his mother and Chudney are both excellent artists as well. His passion however his music, whether it be singing, playing the piano, or writing his own music. He even is planning on going to college to major in music and dance. Not too long ago he even did Dancing with the Teach-ers with Mr. Morrell, who happens to be his favorite teacher here at Monmouth. Not only does he partici-pate in SADD, Madrigals, but he even has a letter from Governor Chris Christie commending him on all of his hard work.

Mrs. Mindas says “Hi is a focused and talented conscientious young man. His dancing is awesome and he loves learning new things regarding music.” He clearly earned this award. Addi Thorstad, a Junior, says “Larry is super nice. He’s always smiles and is a well rounded kid.” Everyone should have a goal, and Larry’s was helping the community and just giving back, and in the words of Larry Patterson “Look at all you can achieve and be consistent. Make it a part of you and work hard. Be focused.”


Success Aggarwal wins the Congressional Award

CHUDNEY PATTERSONStaff Comic Illustrator

OpinionsPage 3 The Falconaire March 2012

Tablets vs. BooksThe new wave of readingIn this fast-paced world

of technology, it’s hard not to get caught up in new things. Everyone wants the latest trends and products. In the past couple of years, the iPad and other competing tablets have been on the rise, and there’s no reason why they should not be. They are very convenient with all of the apps and things that you can store on them. The hundreds of books that you always wanted to buy are now available to you within a few taps of a touchscreen. But what are the pros and cons? Tablets have become the book replace-ment in the previous couple of years. They can hold hundreds of books without the hassle of carrying them around. With a Nook or an iPad, the burden of the books’ weight has gone away. And as a plus, read-ers can buy books for a cheap price right off the internet. The Monmouth County Library has even started a program where readers can check out library books from home using the E-reader. A lot of schools have even started letting students use iPads for class, installing textbooks and such on

A Letter to the Editor


Dear Editor,The February 2012 review of “The 39 Steps” by student Matt Yee seemed to miss the creative successes of the show. The professional reviewers from the Count Basie Theater’s “Basie” program had the following to say about our show: It is nice to see 100% agreement from all of the evaluators who critique any given show. Such was the case with Monmouth Regional’s dramatic presentation; an overwhelmingly positive assessment for all aspects of this production. A challenging script that called for professionalism from the tech & production crews as well as the performers. This production succeeded on all levels. Congratulations on a job very well done. We look forward to Seussical in the Spring!

Excellent vision for the production. Well schooled actors… diction and projection quite consistent, with the exception of a few actors. Physical humor very well rehearsed and executed. Director totally understood the style of this piece. Good blocking as well. All technical elements cohe-sively planned and executed.

Also, the opening night had 104 paid attendees, not the 50 as stated in the article. Of the 104, 28 were adults and 76 were students and seniors.Additionally, we in the Drama Club like to believe that the students of Monmouth Regional High School can appreciate a subject that requires thinking and not have to resort to basic slap-stick comedy every time.Jack PensabeneDrama Club AdvisorTeacher of Mathematics

them. By either lending the students the devices or letting them use their own, the iPad is starting to pop-up in many high schools. Spencer Esca-lente, a junior, says “ I wish Monmouth Regional would start doing this. Us-ing iPads instead of books would be so convenient. “. The idea is that not only does it take away the heavy books, but they can also be used for more effective tools for teach-ing students. With over 140,000 apps in the app store for iPad, according to Apple.com, informa-tion on any subject is literally at the tips of you fi ngers. According to the New York Times, Larry Reiff, an English teacher at Roslyn High School, Mr. Reiff said, “It allows us to extend the classroom be-yond these four walls…If there isn’t an app that does something I need, there will be sooner or later.” But then there is the other side to the argument. Who is to say that these iPads and other tablets really enhance learning? The fun of be-ing able to use an iPad in class will eventually calm down and a newer way of educating will have to be found. What if students just distractedly play apps

during lectures and such, what is that really doing for the student? And then there is also the price is-sue. iPads start at around $499 and as the features of them increase, so does the price. A lot of families can not afford things like that, that’s why the schools that supply the students with text books is very convenient. Some schools have also been lending the iPads to the students as well, but even that is a lot of money for the schools to be spending. Times are changing. Mrs. Mitchell, an English Teacher at Monmouth Regional, said “I do like the idea of iPads and they’re economical and space savers but new books are great. Nothing beats the new book smell or that feeling of holding a new book. I’m also afraid that in the future, just like in the story Farenheit 451, that there will be no more books.” However, the convenience of having so many stories in one place is really outweighing the traditional mindset. Books sadly are slowly becom-ing a thing of the past, but whether you read a story in paperback or on a touch-screen, the learning and wonder is still there, just in a different environment.

SOS: Save Our Students!A Library Going Down Hill

by Matt Yee ‘13Staff Writer

Most upper classmen can recall last year’s protest to keep the librarians Mrs. Eppinger and Mrs. DuBois after the budget cuts. The apparent compromise was to hire Mrs. Maye, the Media Specialist, who comes in only on Wednes-days to help students with the databases and fi nding resources, organize books, and supervise the library. The other four days of the week Mrs. Hester, the Media Center Secretary, gives her lending hand to students. The current staffi ng isn’t enough. The demand for a full time librarian is higher than ever. Students need a librarian that can be here all days of the week and to help them when necessary, especially since now its term paper time and juniors need the library more than ever. And Mrs. Hester says that students are using the library more, taking out more books, and using the computers more. Ms. Mercogliano, the English Supervisor, says that because its “research paper season” for English, there’s a larger demand for use of the library. She has also heard complaints from students about the use of databases, printers, and overall help with papers. Mrs. Davis, head of the Social Studies department, says the history classes are going through similar issues because its research paper season for them as well. Mrs. Hester says she sees the students frustrated because “they believe they can’t print more than 3 pages, there’s not a book in the system, and no full time librarian.”

The most common is-sue among students is the dramatic cut in librarian time to once a week. Stu-dents are struggling to get the help they need. “Last year, whenever I went to the library, Mrs. Eppinger always walked around to ask if I needed help. Now Mrs. Hester just sits behind the desk and tells us where to sit.” Hiring a secretary and a one-day-a-week media specialist is not a viable solution. Mrs. Mihalko calls the staffi ng a “learn-ing curve.” At the moment she’s trying to fi gure out what’s working and what isn’t working. Crysta Cutone, junior, says, “I have been required to get a pass even if I just want to print something.” And since it is now re-search/term paper season, students need to use the library more frequently, but if they need help, they can only get help from the librarian on Wednesdays. They say that this makes the research and writing of the paper harder and takes longer to write. Isadora Quelhas, senior, says last year’s librar-ians were helpful. “They directed me towards the right books that helped support what I was writing about. Sometimes having to do a big paper, I would get a little overwhelmed. It’s nice to have someone to help you in the right direction.” Quelhas isn’t feeling the support.Yaritza Grant says, “It’s not a place of learn-ing anymore. The staff complain when [a student] print[s] more than 3 pages. What are they going to do when students need to print their research papers?” Mrs. Hester says that students can print

as many as they want for academic reasons, as long as they ask fi rst to be given permission of the courtesy to print. She also says the issue has been previously brought up and the school won’t deny the students the ability to print. This has been a diffi cult transition for everyone, teachers and students alike, the school should have considered keeping the full time librarian or used a transition plan because the students are suffering. MRHS needs to reconsider its decisions because of its repercussions.


Editorial

by Eoin WengerStaff Writer

February 2012, the New Jersey Assembly Panel approved a bill that would make it impossible to drop out of school until you were 18 years old. The current law is that people aged six to 16 are required to go to school, with the minimum dropout age being 16. Ever since 2002 the bill has been brought up and rejected, but with a newfound push by Presi-dent Obama, the bill was cleared by the panel. It has good intentions, but is this just an unnecessary attempt at trying to control the lives of everyone? In theory, this bill would massively cut the dropout rate, and put diplo-mas in more hands of teen-agers in New Jersey. This is a nice idea, but what is it going to accomplish? It will not make the students

who would drop out at 16 any more motivated to go to school, so kids might start excessively skip-ping school because they cannot drop out. It won’t make them better students, and who’s to say they won’t just drop out when they’re 18? Or even have enough credits to graduate at the end of their senior year? They may just take classes without even the intention of passing, since they would have wanted to leave school when they were 16. If these kids got in trouble in school a lot up until they were 16, it will continue after they turn 16 too, the bill would just agitate them even more, and may cause a bigger disturbance for students around them. This bill is just an attempt to hold the hand of a non-

motivated student to guide them to the fi nish line of graduation. If this bill gets more diplomas into hands of non-motivated students, then it just diminished the value of a high school diploma for people that try extremely hard. Teenagers do not like to be told what to do. Young adults that are 16 should be able to decide for themselves what they want to do with their life. Why should the state decide when someone can stop going to school, when in reality, the ratio of kids that care, and kids that could not care less will not change. If anything, being forced to go to school for two extra years could just make the kids who wanted to drop out when they were 16 just give up for the next two years.

Necessary or Nuisance?The state government is trying to change the drop out age

You make choices on things from what to wear, to picking out your classes . . . or do you? Around this time, scheduling struggles sweep through the hall-ways of Monmouth Re-gional. Students are having trouble fi tting in the classes they want into such a tight schedule. Monmouth Regional’s own philosophy says, “...

An extensive co-curricular program is essential to the social, physical, and emotional development of all students. In an effort to challenge students to par-ticipate in varied activities, we encourage and support a co-curricular program that refl ects student inter-ests.” Many electives and AP classes are offered, but with limited availability. Freshman, Crista DeAnge-lis says, “ I wanted to take

fi lm and audio, but when I was told that I only had a period 10 elective, and I could only chose between fi ve classes to take, noth-ing related to fi lm was one of them.” Junior, Nick D’Ambrosia says, “ Hey, it's rough for the over-achiever, well-rounded type of student who enjoys the challenge of AP classes but also wants to take electives in other fi elds. Sometimes the availabil-ity of periods just doesn't

Scheduling Struggles Sweeping the SchoolStudents not able to take classes because of scheduling confl icts

by Sam Bradley ‘15Contributor

work out.” Guidance Director Mrs. Fitzmaier has not respond-ed after multiple attempts to get her view about how the school is attempting to remedy the scheduling problems. Junior level honors students report that a survey was administered to some students at the end of February about their scheduling problems that might affect the way they pick classes in March. Mrs. Wisdom, guidance

counselor says, “ We try to keep the program com-petitive, and work with the student, but what we can do varies depending on the courses, level, and when they can be offered.” Sophomore Lauren Bennett says, “ When making my schedule my teachers said I was advanced enough to be in Spanish 2 accelerated, but they way my schedule worked out I could only be in regular Spanish 2.”

Wisdom said, “The most common schedul-ing problems are class confl icts; like when classes run at the same time, or classes get closed when they fi ll up.” The school’s phi-losophy states that MRHS encourages students to participate in a program that refl ects the students’ interests, but how can this actually happen if the school doesn’t give them an option to?

When Scheduling Goes Bad

by Chudney Patterson ‘13 Staff Comic Illustrator


By The Numbers: Teen Drop Outs

$320 billion Amount of money lost in wages, taxable income, health, welfare and incarceration costs

18.3% Dropout rate of Hispanics in 2008 census

9.9% Dropout rate of African Americans in 2008 census

4.8 % Dropout rate of Caucasians in 2008 census

25% Percentage of students who entered high school this year who will not receive a diploma

$630,000(41% less) Amount of money an average drop out makes less than a high school graduate in their whole life time

90%Percentage of jobs that drop outs are not eligible for

NewsMarch 2012 The Falconaire Page 5

The Play Seussical Previewby Adin Shah ‘15

contributor

Here comes the MRHS Drama Club with another musical! Word on the street is that it is supposed to be one of the funniest, family entertaining produced yet. This play is projected to run from April 26 to the 28 in the PAC. Tickets will be 5 dollars for students and 7 dollars for adults. 99% of the sure money from the gift auction will go

Swimming River School. This play is a musical that is directed by the “Cat in the Hat”. It starts out with Horton the Elephant, from the story Horton Hears a Who written by Dr. Seuss. Hor-ton is faced with a treach-erous task in which he must protect the Invisible Whos, especially a little one called Jojo. He must protect them mainly from Gertrude McFuzz, who has

feelings for Horton. This musical connects different Dr. Seuss’s storylines into one large play. Characters featured are from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, and The Cat in the Hat. Mike Perez is playing the Cat in the Hat, the lead role. He says, “After reading through the script, I realized how enjoyable this play will be. I also

American Sign Language Club

Physics Club

Chess Club

Fellowship of Christian Athletes

What’s its purpose?

When are meetings?

Who are theoffi cers and advisers?

What just happened?

What are they saying?

Learn about ASL, the manual alphabet, dif-ferent vocabulary. Also [you can] learn about deaf culture and spread knowledge and aware-ness.

Thurdays; twice a month in the afternoon.Meetings vary from month to month.

Adviser-Ms. GallinCo- Presidents-Sam Falvey Alex Bevacqui

Will perform in Variety Show, Sign during the morning news to pro-mote Deaf Awareness Month.

Ms. Gallin says, “Sign Language is a cool, fun language that is helpful in communicating with deaf people as well as others.”

Discuss applications of physics as well as the latest developments in the fi eld.

Every Tuesday Adviser- Mr. PowellPresident- Brian Blaney

Won fi rst overall and fi rst in the lever arm competition in the Phys-ics Olympics January 14.

Mr. Powell says, “Physics has a reputa-tion of being dry and diffi cult. The club shows how enjoyable and fun physics can be.”

Chess Club provides a competitive environment that nurtures sportsman-ship and is “mind- build-ing”.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday every week.

Adviser- Mrs. KurtzStudent Leaders- An-drew Harris, Brian Van Meerbeke, Ricardo Hernandez

Participated in the State Play- offs

“[We] Welcome all students who never played before to experts. We encourage students to come and play because it excer-cises your mind.”

FCA provides a safe place and forum for spiritual questions to be searched out in the Bible. Mutual comfort, support, and prayer is a regular component of FCA meetings.

Wednesdays from 7:00- 7:30 AM

Advisers- Mr. LockeMrs. RichardsonStudent Leaders- Carla Beuthe Savoia Buntin

FCA Banquet- PNC Arts Center in HolmdelFCA Sports Camp in June/ July

Mr. Locke quoted the Bible, “ For God so loved the world that he gave his only and begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

Clubs

Still Need Something to Do?It’s Never Too Late to Join the Clubs of 2012

by Allie Campbell ‘12staff writer

believe that this cast that surrounds me while help me make this play one of the best MRHS will see in a while.” Ryan Baccarella, a freshman who is in the ensemble, said, “After experiencing the fun of the “39 Steps”, I was inspired to come out and do the Seussical. This musical has an interesting storyline that will keep the audi-ence guessing and on their

feet.” Emily Hauge, a fresh-man who plays a bird girl, states.”This is a fun play that will get the audience going and hopefully will be one of the most memo-rable plays.” There are surprises throughout the show, caus-ing viewers to remain on the edges of their seats. This family friendly musi-cal will blow you away. Mr. Anthony Greco, the

play’s director, says, “This group is the biggest group the drama club has had so far, with 50 people, but includes tons of talent that will keep this play fl owing. I predict that this will play will be one of my most successful and everyone from MRHS should fl ood the PAC.” This drama club has sent out the prescription for all of us to come and see the Seussical.

ItalyCaptain Francesco Schettino, the man who is responsible for the cruise ship that rolled over onto its side on January 13, is being charged for manslaughter, shipwreck, and abandoning ship with the vessel hit rocks off the coast of the island of Giglio.

Australia50-100 protestors attacked the Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, at a Can-berra restaurant on January 26 during an Australia Day celebration. They say she was racist and called her exit a “Cinder-ella” exit because she ran for a waiting vehicle and losing a shoe on the way.

BrazilThree days of mourning was issued by the governor, Sergio Cabral, of Rio de Janeiro state for the four dead and the 22 missing people of a building collapse. The 20-story building collapsed and took a 10-story and 4-story building with it. Offi cials think the fall was from a gas leak or a structure failure.

IranPresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran says he’s open to talk about Iran’s nuclear productions, which worry the United States and is allies because they fear it will lead to nuclear-grade material and production of nuclear weapons. But Iran says they’re using it specifi cally for peaceful reasons: like generating electric-ity and producing medical radioisotopes to treat cancer patients.

United States Los Angeles students will be returning to school on February 9 with entirely new staff – teachers, principals, and janitors – members. The staff was fi red due to 2 child abuse cases so social workers will be observing staff until the school picks back up.

by Matt Yee ‘13staff writerWhat’s Happening in the World?


Editorial

by Eoin WengerStaff Writer

February 2012, the New Jersey Assembly Panel approved a bill that would make it impossible to drop out of school until you were 18 years old. The current law is that people aged six to 16 are required to go to school, with the minimum dropout age being 16. Ever since 2002 the bill has been brought up and rejected, but with a newfound push by Presi-dent Obama, the bill was cleared by the panel. It has good intentions, but is this just an unnecessary attempt at trying to control the lives of everyone? In theory, this bill would massively cut the dropout rate, and put diplo-mas in more hands of teen-agers in New Jersey. This is a nice idea, but what is it going to accomplish? It will not make the students

who would drop out at 16 any more motivated to go to school, so kids might start excessively skip-ping school because they cannot drop out. It won’t make them better students, and who’s to say they won’t just drop out when they’re 18? Or even have enough credits to graduate at the end of their senior year? They may just take classes without even the intention of passing, since they would have wanted to leave school when they were 16. If these kids got in trouble in school a lot up until they were 16, it will continue after they turn 16 too, the bill would just agitate them even more, and may cause a bigger disturbance for students around them. This bill is just an attempt to hold the hand of a non-

motivated student to guide them to the fi nish line of graduation. If this bill gets more diplomas into hands of non-motivated students, then it just diminished the value of a high school diploma for people that try extremely hard. Teenagers do not like to be told what to do. Young adults that are 16 should be able to decide for themselves what they want to do with their life. Why should the state decide when someone can stop going to school, when in reality, the ratio of kids that care, and kids that could not care less will not change. If anything, being forced to go to school for two extra years could just make the kids who wanted to drop out when they were 16 just give up for the next two years.

Necessary or Nuisance?The state government is trying to change the drop out age

You make choices on things from what to wear, to picking out your classes . . . or do you? Around this time, scheduling struggles sweep through the hall-ways of Monmouth Re-gional. Students are having trouble fi tting in the classes they want into such a tight schedule. Monmouth Regional’s own philosophy says, “...

An extensive co-curricular program is essential to the social, physical, and emotional development of all students. In an effort to challenge students to par-ticipate in varied activities, we encourage and support a co-curricular program that refl ects student inter-ests.” Many electives and AP classes are offered, but with limited availability. Freshman, Crista DeAnge-lis says, “ I wanted to take

fi lm and audio, but when I was told that I only had a period 10 elective, and I could only chose between fi ve classes to take, noth-ing related to fi lm was one of them.” Junior, Nick D’Ambrosia says, “ Hey, it's rough for the over-achiever, well-rounded type of student who enjoys the challenge of AP classes but also wants to take electives in other fi elds. Sometimes the availabil-ity of periods just doesn't

Scheduling Struggles Sweeping the SchoolStudents not able to take classes because of scheduling confl icts

by Sam Bradley ‘15Contributor

work out.” Guidance Director Mrs. Fitzmaier has not respond-ed after multiple attempts to get her view about how the school is attempting to remedy the scheduling problems. Junior level honors students report that a survey was administered to some students at the end of February about their scheduling problems that might affect the way they pick classes in March. Mrs. Wisdom, guidance

counselor says, “ We try to keep the program com-petitive, and work with the student, but what we can do varies depending on the courses, level, and when they can be offered.” Sophomore Lauren Bennett says, “ When making my schedule my teachers said I was advanced enough to be in Spanish 2 accelerated, but they way my schedule worked out I could only be in regular Spanish 2.”

Wisdom said, “The most common schedul-ing problems are class confl icts; like when classes run at the same time, or classes get closed when they fi ll up.” The school’s phi-losophy states that MRHS encourages students to participate in a program that refl ects the students’ interests, but how can this actually happen if the school doesn’t give them an option to?

When Scheduling Goes Bad

by Chudney Patterson ‘13 Staff Comic Illustrator


By The Numbers: Teen Drop Outs

$320 billion Amount of money lost in wages, taxable income, health, welfare and incarceration costs

18.3% Dropout rate of Hispanics in 2008 census

9.9% Dropout rate of African Americans in 2008 census

4.8 % Dropout rate of Caucasians in 2008 census

25% Percentage of students who entered high school this year who will not receive a diploma

$630,000(41% less) Amount of money an average drop out makes less than a high school graduate in their whole life time

90%Percentage of jobs that drop outs are not eligible for

NewsMarch 2012 The Falconaire Page 5

The Play Seussical Previewby Adin Shah ‘15

contributor

Here comes the MRHS Drama Club with another musical! Word on the street is that it is supposed to be one of the funniest, family entertaining produced yet. This play is projected to run from April 26 to the 28 in the PAC. Tickets will be 5 dollars for students and 7 dollars for adults. 99% of the sure money from the gift auction will go

Swimming River School. This play is a musical that is directed by the “Cat in the Hat”. It starts out with Horton the Elephant, from the story Horton Hears a Who written by Dr. Seuss. Hor-ton is faced with a treach-erous task in which he must protect the Invisible Whos, especially a little one called Jojo. He must protect them mainly from Gertrude McFuzz, who has

feelings for Horton. This musical connects different Dr. Seuss’s storylines into one large play. Characters featured are from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, and The Cat in the Hat. Mike Perez is playing the Cat in the Hat, the lead role. He says, “After reading through the script, I realized how enjoyable this play will be. I also

American Sign Language Club

Physics Club

Chess Club

Fellowship of Christian Athletes

What’s its purpose?

When are meetings?

Who are theoffi cers and advisers?

What just happened?

What are they saying?

Learn about ASL, the manual alphabet, dif-ferent vocabulary. Also [you can] learn about deaf culture and spread knowledge and aware-ness.

Thurdays; twice a month in the afternoon.Meetings vary from month to month.

Adviser-Ms. GallinCo- Presidents-Sam Falvey Alex Bevacqui

Will perform in Variety Show, Sign during the morning news to pro-mote Deaf Awareness Month.

Ms. Gallin says, “Sign Language is a cool, fun language that is helpful in communicating with deaf people as well as others.”

Discuss applications of physics as well as the latest developments in the fi eld.

Every Tuesday Adviser- Mr. PowellPresident- Brian Blaney

Won fi rst overall and fi rst in the lever arm competition in the Phys-ics Olympics January 14.

Mr. Powell says, “Physics has a reputa-tion of being dry and diffi cult. The club shows how enjoyable and fun physics can be.”

Chess Club provides a competitive environment that nurtures sportsman-ship and is “mind- build-ing”.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday every week.

Adviser- Mrs. KurtzStudent Leaders- An-drew Harris, Brian Van Meerbeke, Ricardo Hernandez

Participated in the State Play- offs

“[We] Welcome all students who never played before to experts. We encourage students to come and play because it excer-cises your mind.”

FCA provides a safe place and forum for spiritual questions to be searched out in the Bible. Mutual comfort, support, and prayer is a regular component of FCA meetings.

Wednesdays from 7:00- 7:30 AM

Advisers- Mr. LockeMrs. RichardsonStudent Leaders- Carla Beuthe Savoia Buntin

FCA Banquet- PNC Arts Center in HolmdelFCA Sports Camp in June/ July

Mr. Locke quoted the Bible, “ For God so loved the world that he gave his only and begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

Clubs

Still Need Something to Do?It’s Never Too Late to Join the Clubs of 2012

by Allie Campbell ‘12staff writer

believe that this cast that surrounds me while help me make this play one of the best MRHS will see in a while.” Ryan Baccarella, a freshman who is in the ensemble, said, “After experiencing the fun of the “39 Steps”, I was inspired to come out and do the Seussical. This musical has an interesting storyline that will keep the audi-ence guessing and on their

feet.” Emily Hauge, a fresh-man who plays a bird girl, states.”This is a fun play that will get the audience going and hopefully will be one of the most memo-rable plays.” There are surprises throughout the show, caus-ing viewers to remain on the edges of their seats. This family friendly musi-cal will blow you away. Mr. Anthony Greco, the

play’s director, says, “This group is the biggest group the drama club has had so far, with 50 people, but includes tons of talent that will keep this play fl owing. I predict that this will play will be one of my most successful and everyone from MRHS should fl ood the PAC.” This drama club has sent out the prescription for all of us to come and see the Seussical.

ItalyCaptain Francesco Schettino, the man who is responsible for the cruise ship that rolled over onto its side on January 13, is being charged for manslaughter, shipwreck, and abandoning ship with the vessel hit rocks off the coast of the island of Giglio.

Australia50-100 protestors attacked the Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, at a Can-berra restaurant on January 26 during an Australia Day celebration. They say she was racist and called her exit a “Cinder-ella” exit because she ran for a waiting vehicle and losing a shoe on the way.

BrazilThree days of mourning was issued by the governor, Sergio Cabral, of Rio de Janeiro state for the four dead and the 22 missing people of a building collapse. The 20-story building collapsed and took a 10-story and 4-story building with it. Offi cials think the fall was from a gas leak or a structure failure.

IranPresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran says he’s open to talk about Iran’s nuclear productions, which worry the United States and is allies because they fear it will lead to nuclear-grade material and production of nuclear weapons. But Iran says they’re using it specifi cally for peaceful reasons: like generating electric-ity and producing medical radioisotopes to treat cancer patients.

United States Los Angeles students will be returning to school on February 9 with entirely new staff – teachers, principals, and janitors – members. The staff was fi red due to 2 child abuse cases so social workers will be observing staff until the school picks back up.

by Matt Yee ‘13staff writerWhat’s Happening in the World?

ReviewsMarch 2012 The Falconaire Page 6

NBC took a chance with their new T.V series “Smash” this Febru-ary. The show brings the viewer into the creative process of New York City’s Theatre District and the drama it takes to create a famous musical produc-tion. Two writers start the production of an ambitious musical based on the life of the famous 1920s actress, Marilyn Monroe. Karen Cartwright, played by the American Idol contestant Katharine McPhee, fi nally has the chance of making it big in NYC after getting a call back for the part of Marilyn. But Ivy Lynn, played by Megan Hilty was already offered the part of Marilyn but eventu-ally fi nds herself compet-ing for the part with Karen.

Broadway “Smashes” onto Television

Even in the fi rst epi-sode, the viewer can tell that there will be more dra-ma off stage than on. The characters are already put into situations that prove that they will have to take chances and do anything to land a part and be on top in the Broadway industry. Even though the charac-ters’ vocals are very good, some of the songs are very dry and not appealing. But after a couple weeks, the songs have the potential to become better. Before I watched the show, I thought that it was going to be some awful replica of “Glee”. But after watching a couple of episodes, the show is more based on the drama that goes on behind the scenes. If you still wanted that

“Glee” fl are, there are still small musical numbers throughout the episodes to keep interest and intrigue. This show exceeded my expectations and I think that it will become an excellent hit.

The movie The Woman in Black was so- so to say the least. This tale is about a grief stricken widower, Arthur Kipps (Daniel Rad-cliffe), whose job is on the line. His boss gives him one last chance to prove his worth and settle the deceased Mrs. Drablow's affairs in a remote town in the English countryside. Where Kipps is greeted with cold disdain and ap-prehension. Kipps realizes something is amiss when he visits Mrs. Drablow's house. It is overrun with vines and dust, not to mention no townsperson

will get anywhere near. He sees a mysterious woman in black on the property. After reporting the tres-passer the town avoids him as they conceal the truth about Kipps' deceased client. The plot, supporting actors, and set were good, however Daniel Radcliffe was not as good as I had anticipated. Most of the time he just looked scared. Not to mention he didn't quite fi t the role, Radcliffe looks too young to be a father with a four year old son and the character wasn't executed as well as it could have been. Rad-

cliffe is very unconvinc-ing in this role. He looks scared but doesn't seem to be truly frightened. This movie was not as scary as I had expected. You could tell when things when things were about to jump out at you. It was beyond predictable. How-ever there was one or two points in the movie where I was truly scared. The Woman in Black had not met my expecta-tions of being the scary thriller with a good plot I thought it would be. Over-all it was slightly above mediocre yet the fi lm fell short of being good. If you're scared easily this is the fi lm for you but if you want a real thriller wait for

Have you ever wanted super powers? Being able to fl y? To be able to move objects? In Chronicle, three high school students: Andrew, Matt, and Steve fi nd a rock in the ground at a party. The next thing they know, they have telekine-sis which is the ability to move objects with one’s mind. Andrew comes from a home where he’s abused by his father who’s a drunk, has to live with his dying mother, and gets bullied and harassed in school. He decides to record everything on his camera to document the cruel treatment he goes through day by day.

The Woman in Black:Not Daniel Radcliffe's Best Performance

Accio Refund!by Allie Campbell ‘12

Staff Writer

Andrew’s cousin, Matt, looks after him because he cares about him and he’s his friend, not just because of the family relation. Steve, the upcoming class president for the “Seniors of 2012”, shows Andrew some kindness, even though they were never really friends until they gained telekinesis. But with great power comes a great price. This movie is from the point of view of Andrew’s camera. There were pe-riods of time that are lost because the camera didn’t capture the moment. Its like when a person shuts off a camera after taking a video of a Christmas

“Say It with Your Chest”

party and then starts tap-ing again when its Easter. There’s a whole period of time that wasn’t captured on video. It’s a clever way of directing a movie, but sometimes the extra move-ment of the camera was a little much. This movie stars Dane DeHaan as Andrew, Alex Russell as Matt, and Michael B. Jordan as Steve. The actors ability to add more emotion than expected, really turned this into an surprising and action packed movie.


Chronicle Review

by Lauren Mooney ‘13Staff Writer


NBC took a chance with their new T.V series “Smash” this Febru-ary. The show brings the viewer into the creative process of New York City’s Theatre District and the drama it takes to create a famous musical produc-tion. Two writers start the production of an ambitious musical based on the life of the famous 1920s actress, Marilyn Monroe. Karen Cartwright, played by the American Idol contestant Katharine McPhee, fi nally has the chance of making it big in NYC after getting a call back for the part of Marilyn. But Ivy Lynn, played by Megan Hilty was already offered the part of Marilyn but eventu-ally fi nds herself compet-ing for the part with Karen.

Broadway “Smashes” onto Television

Even in the fi rst epi-sode, the viewer can tell that there will be more dra-ma off stage than on. The characters are already put into situations that prove that they will have to take chances and do anything to land a part and be on top in the Broadway industry. Even though the charac-ters’ vocals are very good, some of the songs are very dry and not appealing. But after a couple weeks, the songs have the potential to become better. Before I watched the show, I thought that it was going to be some awful replica of “Glee”. But after watching a couple of episodes, the show is more based on the drama that goes on behind the scenes. If you still wanted that

“Glee” fl are, there are still small musical numbers throughout the episodes to keep interest and intrigue. This show exceeded my expectations and I think that it will become an excellent hit.

The movie The Woman in Black was so- so to say the least. This tale is about a grief stricken widower, Arthur Kipps (Daniel Rad-cliffe), whose job is on the line. His boss gives him one last chance to prove his worth and settle the deceased Mrs. Drablow's affairs in a remote town in the English countryside. Where Kipps is greeted with cold disdain and ap-prehension. Kipps realizes something is amiss when he visits Mrs. Drablow's house. It is overrun with vines and dust, not to mention no townsperson

will get anywhere near. He sees a mysterious woman in black on the property. After reporting the tres-passer the town avoids him as they conceal the truth about Kipps' deceased client. The plot, supporting actors, and set were good, however Daniel Radcliffe was not as good as I had anticipated. Most of the time he just looked scared. Not to mention he didn't quite fi t the role, Radcliffe looks too young to be a father with a four year old son and the character wasn't executed as well as it could have been. Rad-

cliffe is very unconvinc-ing in this role. He looks scared but doesn't seem to be truly frightened. This movie was not as scary as I had expected. You could tell when things when things were about to jump out at you. It was beyond predictable. How-ever there was one or two points in the movie where I was truly scared. The Woman in Black had not met my expecta-tions of being the scary thriller with a good plot I thought it would be. Over-all it was slightly above mediocre yet the fi lm fell short of being good. If you're scared easily this is the fi lm for you but if you want a real thriller wait for

Have you ever wanted super powers? Being able to fl y? To be able to move objects? In Chronicle, three high school students: Andrew, Matt, and Steve fi nd a rock in the ground at a party. The next thing they know, they have telekine-sis which is the ability to move objects with one’s mind. Andrew comes from a home where he’s abused by his father who’s a drunk, has to live with his dying mother, and gets bullied and harassed in school. He decides to record everything on his camera to document the cruel treatment he goes through day by day.

The Woman in Black:Not Daniel Radcliffe's Best Performance

Accio Refund!by Allie Campbell ‘12

Staff Writer

Andrew’s cousin, Matt, looks after him because he cares about him and he’s his friend, not just because of the family relation. Steve, the upcoming class president for the “Seniors of 2012”, shows Andrew some kindness, even though they were never really friends until they gained telekinesis. But with great power comes a great price. This movie is from the point of view of Andrew’s camera. There were pe-riods of time that are lost because the camera didn’t capture the moment. Its like when a person shuts off a camera after taking a video of a Christmas

“Say It with Your Chest”

party and then starts tap-ing again when its Easter. There’s a whole period of time that wasn’t captured on video. It’s a clever way of directing a movie, but sometimes the extra move-ment of the camera was a little much. This movie stars Dane DeHaan as Andrew, Alex Russell as Matt, and Michael B. Jordan as Steve. The actors ability to add more emotion than expected, really turned this into an surprising and action packed movie.


Chronicle Review

by Lauren Mooney ‘13Staff Writer


For the past few years, the term “going green” has become a popular idea with restaurants. An in-novative pizza shop in Red Bank, named Pizza Fusion, has truly “gone green.” This pizza shop makes a fantastic line up of original and delicious pizzas, while remaining organic and earth friendly. Almost every part of this pizzeria is natural and green. The food is delivered in hybrid vehicles, the to-go bags are biodegradable, and even their uniforms are organic! The majority of the pizzas and entrees are all organic, as well as some of the beverages. Not only does organic food taste better, but it is also better for you. On average, organic foods contain 25% higher con-centration of 11 nutrients than their conventional counterparts according to The Organic Center. The food at Pizza Fusion is organic, natural, and most of all, delicious. The dishes at Pizza Fu-

Saving the Earth One Pizza at a Time:Delicious, Organic, and Earth Friendly Pizza Shop in Red Bank

sion are what impressed me the most. The restau-rant serves up a long list of delicious appetizers, sandwiches, soups & sal-ads, and signature pizzas. The pizza is what I recom-mend the most. Pizza Fusion has it all, from your traditional pizzas (Cheese, Pepperoni, and Sausage) to new and creative ones (BBQ Chicken, Greek, and Bruschetta.) The majority of the toppings on these pizzas are organic and/or vegan. The pizza crust is also customizable, from Original Organic White, to Multi-Grain, and even Gluten-Free. The two pies that I recommend the most are the BBQ Chicken (BBQ sauce, grilled chicken, red onion, and cheese) and the Big Kahuna (Bacon, pineapple, onion, and cheese.) The service at Pizza Fusion was fantastic. The staff was very knowledg-able and patient, and I only had to wait 15 minutes for the pizza to be served.

The pizza has even received some favorable reviews from some large corporations. ABC says, “The pizza is just great.” Although all of these menu items are delicious and organic, they are very expensive. A Personal Pizza runs for about $6-10, a large runs about $12-18, and an X-large runs for about $16-24. Since the crust is so thin, the pizzas can also leave you unsatis-fi ed and still hungry. Despite these pit falls, I still recommend giving Pizza Fusion a try since it

Everyone knows that Monmouth Regional is a hotbed for talent, with our award nominating plays and newspaper, our phys-ics club winning the NJ Physics Olympics, and our great athletes and marching band. All these students represent the school in their chosen activities and make the school proud, but that doesn’t mean that these students doing sports and clubs for the school are the only MRHS students who have talent. Understanding Fractions, a local up and coming indie rock band features two Monmouth Regional students, and a brother of a Monmouth Regional Stu-dent. January 28, Under-standing Fractions played at the Northside Firehouse in Tinton Falls with other local bands, Cross Town Train and On Your Marks. They played early in the night, but there were still a lot of people there to see them. They started off their set with intensity and it did not end for their entire performance. They played a slew of indie rock songs and the crowd went wild. They played a bunch of covers too and the kids in the audience who knew the songs went insane. Nick Palermo, a sophomore at MRHS, is the singer of the band, and put on a great performance. His voice was strong throughout the

show, and he had good stage presence. Ryan Wire, a junior at MRHS, was on lead guitar, and kept the instrumentals sounding awesome. The set lasted a good half hour, with a lot of kids moshing, and crowd surfi ng, and jump-ing on each others shoul-ders while the music was blasting; Nick seemed to be in control of this frantic crowd, because they mirror his intensity and passion. The last song they played, a cover of “The Beers” by The Front Bot-toms, got almost everyone in the room to go absolute-ly nuts. Towards the end of that song, Nick put down his guitar and jumped with the microphone into the audience, who lifted him in the air, and fi nished the song crowdsurfi ng around. They are a perfect ex-ample of MRHS talent not expressed through offi cial MRHS activities or clubs. They always have local shows coming up, and if you have the chance you should defi nitely check them out. Their perfor-mance at the Northside fi rehouse with Cross Town Train and On Your Marks was awesome, and aside from a few minor techni-cal diffi culties and the fact that they played more covers than original songs, their set was amazing.

What’s So Hard to Understand?

A Review of Local Rock Music

To Agree to Disagree on Red Velvet CakeA Review on “The Vow”

A moment of impact is all it takes. On Fri-day, February 12, “The Vow” came out just in time for Valentine’s Day. This movie based on true events, pushes a couple’s loyalty and their love for one another to its limits. The movie’s main ques-tion: What if one day you couldn’t remember any of it? The movie opens up with a happy couple, Leo and Paige, walking out of a theater and driving home. They stop at a stoplight and kiss, but just as they

do, a truck smashes into the back of the car send-ing the car crashing into a telephone pole and sending Paige through the windshield. She wakes up in a hospital not remember anything after her breakup with her ex-boyfriend, Jeremy. This movie is very inspiring and heartfelt because even though Paige didn’t remember Leo or their times together, he tried everything he could to get her to remember while fi ghting for who should take care of her

with Paige’s parents, who she hadn’t spoken to in fi ve years, and keeping his music producing business running. For anyone who has a special someone or even for those who love a per-son even if you’re not in a relationship with them, this movie will defi nitely touch the hearts of all the love birds. Starring Rachel McAdams as Paige and Channing Tatum as Leo they will inspire and touch the hearts of many fans of “love can overcome all obstacles” themes.

so craftily “fuses” organic ingredients and mouth-watering food.

"I vow to help you love life, to always hold you with tenderness, and to have the patience that love demands. To speak when words are needed, and to share the silence when they're not. To agree to disagree on red velvet cake, and to live within the warmth of your heart and al-ways call it home."

by Matt Yee ‘13staff writer

by Jake Newcomb ‘12Opinions Editor

by Thomas Rounds ‘15Contributor

February 2012 The Falconaire Page 8

5 or below:

Sorry! You don’t really remember that much to be considered a 90s kid.

6-10:You just made it! Even though you’re in the late 90s, you remember the trends that came later that still makes you a 90s kid.

11 and higher:You’re considered a true 90s kid! You know remember the greatest parts of the 90s and were able to enjoy most of the amazing generation.

The students of Monmouth Regional chime in about the best and worst parts of Mon-mouth Regional. We went to the halls of Monmouth Regional to ask the students the best and worst parts of our school.

Students in the Hall: What do the students think?

by Thomas Rounds ‘15Contributor

Best Parts of Monmouth:

1. Jose Hernandez, sophomore“One of the best parts of Monmouth Regional is the variety of different clubs we have here, and the diverse amount of people who participate and support these various activi-ties.” 2. Nicole Higgins, junior“One of the best parts of Monmouth is simply the AP Academy. Since I am in this class myself, I get to see all the advantages, such as the fi eld trips, and credits, up front. I understand why they have created this class.” 3. Billy Herman, freshman“The best part of Monmouth Regional is the teachers. Compared to last year, where most would treat you as a baby, the instructors at Monmouth are very relaxed, and they have treated us incoming freshman as adults- not kids.” 4. Heather Halleran, senior“The best parts about Monmouth Regional are simply being with your friends, making memories, and making the best out of your high school years.”

Worst Parts of Monmouth:

1. Joe Panchak, senior“One of the worst parts is the fact that students, specifi cally seniors and juniors, are not able to leave their lunch period to go get food elsewhere.” 2. Hannah Cahill, sophomore“The worst parts of Monmouth Regional are the sanitary conditions, especially in girl’s locker rooms, and the bathrooms not being open to students at all times.” 3. Jade Eggleston, freshman“The worst part of Monmouth Regional is obvious. The food that is served is not the best.” 4. Mike Ronan, junior“The worst part of Monmouth Regional is how early you must get up to get to school.

So are you a true 90’s kid? Check out our website, Falconaire.monmouthregional.net and post your results!

All drawings by Chudney Patterson

March 2012 The Falconaire Page 8

Variety

Nostalgia = a memory from the past that brings mixed feelings of happiness and long-ing. Everyone remembers those nostalgic memories from your childhood. Take this quiz by checking as many things as you remember. Then refer to the key to see if you truly are a 90s kid.1. You remember how good the cartoons used to be. (“Rockos Modern Life”, “The Powder Puff Girls”, “The Amanda Show”, “Ninja Turtles”, “The Rugrats”, “Leg-ends of the Hidden Temple”, “The Big Comfy Couch”, etc.)2. You remember being scared by the ‘Goosebumps’ series. 3. Furbies creeped you out, but you still bought one anyway.4. Instead of being addicted to your cell phone, a Tamagotchi or GigaPet was always in your hands.

5. You rented VHS tapes, not DVDs. 6. Light-up sneakers were the new Jordans. 7. You thought Brain (From “Pinky and the Brain”) would eventually take over the world.8. You collected as many Beanie Babies as you possibly could thinking that they would be worth something in the future.9. When every kid could continue the sentence: “Innnn West Philadelphia born and raised…..”10. When every teacher banned Tech decks from their classrooms.11. You sang the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys and Nsync. 12. HitClips and cassette tapes were the Ipods of that day. 13. You owned a Skip It.

14. You collected Pokemon and Yu-Gi-oh cards.

15. You remember when it was actually worth getting up early on Saturdays to watch cartoons. 16. Captain Underpants, enough said. 17. You thought you were amazing when you could slide down the hallway with Heelys.

18. Gameboy Color was the famous gaming device.

19. You had plastic streamers on your bike handle bars.

Are You a True 90’s Kid? by Lauren Mooney ‘13

Staff Writer

Documents

FALCONAIRE - Monmouth Regional High School