FALCONAIREOne Norman J. Field Way Tinton Falls, NJ 07724 falconaire.monmouthregional.netVolume 47—Issue 08, June 2011

THE

INSIDEOnline

Paying Through the Nozzle Find out how to combat the ever-rising gas prices.

A Twist with SprinklesCheck out some of the best ice cream parlors in the area.

Opinions, page 6

A Word of Advice Seniors offer up some words of wisdom to underclassmen.

The Final WordEditors reflect on their years at MRHS and areas which offer room for improvement.

Summer, page 3

All the Stops

Turn to page three for cheap summer hot spots, sunglass sytles to fit your face, and some of the tastiest summer drinks that meet your budget.

Features, page 2

The Eternal Debate

With college only a few months away, students are itching to get in on upcoming deals on computers, but which laptop to choose? Mac or PC?

Fundraisers, page 4

For a Cause

Students organized a benefit concert to raise money to help Japan while Images held its annual coffee house. See page four for photos

As a citizen of society, one has certain re-sponsibilities, such

as paying taxes and abiding by the law. Unfortunately, another equally important civic duty, community ac-tivism, often becomes for-gotten by nearly all of so-ciety’s members, resulting in inaction and apathy. The MRHS exception is senior Jeremy Goldberg who took action. After learning that librarian Mrs. Kathleen Ep-pinger would only be hired for one day a week in the 2011-2012 school year, Goldberg compiled a list of 875 signatures of Mon-mouth Regional students who also disagreed with the Board of Education’s deci-sion to so drastically reduce Eppinger’s position at this school. “Mrs. Eppinger is one of my favorite people in the school,” Goldberg said. He also said that a li-brarian is an integral part of a thriving school. On May 17, Gold-berg took his mission one step further and spoke at the Board of Education

meeting, making a case to keep Eppinger on as the librarian full time. In his speech, Goldberg high-lighted the difficulties that will be faced next year if teachers are to run the li-brary. He said, “Something asked for early in the day might be difficult to find later in the day when a dif-ferent teacher is running the library; Mrs. Eppinger keeps everything in order.” He also spoke of the posi-tive impact Eppinger has on Monmouth Regional, “Not only is she willing to do anything for anyone at the drop of a hat, but she will take that task and make it her own personal prior-ity; she is a safety net for students.” Goldberg was not the only MRHS stu-dent present at the May 17 Board of Education meet-ing. Senior Marci Rubin says she attended the meet-ing because, “They [admin-istration] had to cut some-where, and they chose the wrong place to do so. The school needs a librarian, there is no question about it; the school will severely suffer without her. There cannot be a functional li-

brary without a librarian.” Junior Brittany Douma said, “Mrs. Eppinger's job is vital to our school, and if it gets cut down to one day a week, then the media center at MRHS will ulti-mately cease to exist.” Se-nior Gianna Mezzina said, “Mrs. Eppinger does way too much for our school and the students for her to just be let go.” Sophomore Cathy Bruno said, “It is really im-portant for members of a community to stand up and voice their opinions when they disagree with some-

thing.” But did student in-volvement in the Board of Education meeting have a substantial impact? When Business Administrator Ma-ria Parry was asked repeat-edly if the administration was taking the concerns of the students and commu-nity into consideration or if decisions made as a result of the budget were final she said, “I do not discuss per-sonnel matters.” However, Gold-berg plans to continue to lobby for Mrs. Eppinger’s job. He said that the next

step is to send letters, writ-ten by students that explain why Mrs. Eppinger should keep her full time job, to the Board of Education. Goldberg also organized a sit-in to protest the adminis-tration’s decision regarding Mrs. Eppinger’s job. The sit-in, which took place on Tuesday May 24, involved about 40 students who skipped their classes and just sat in the library, read-ing books; the event was even covered by the Asbury Park Press. Goldberg said that principal Andrew Tee-ple and assistant principal

Kathy Mihalko came into the library around 11:20am that morning and said that they understood why they were there and that no one would get in trouble be-cause it was their right to protest. “However,” Gold-berg said, “we had to leave by 11:30am once he came in and talked to us. I told everyone who was cutting class to go back to class as 11:30am. It was all done very professionally and calmly.” Goldberg said, “Someone has to stand up for what is right.”

Take ActionMonmouth students ex-ercise their civic duties

by Jennifer CecilioneFeatures Editor

by Gabriella FernandesStaff Writer

On Thursday May 5, The AFO club held

their first annual Bambi Awards in the lobby of the Performing Art Center. The Awards gala was created by the AFO members and advi-sors, Ms. Summer and Ms. Maseda to celebrate love and kindness for animals. They honored eight differ-ent people at the ceremony. “You know, I was thinking about the traditional school awards, which are given for strength, which is good, and smarts, which is good too, but we decided to make the

Bambi Awards because it is good to be good,” said spe-cial education teacher Mrs. Summer. The preparations for the event took time but the AFO members and advisors came together to choose the selection of food, awards, music, and most impor-tantly select the candidates. It was about picking the people who had been the most kind to animals ex-plained Mr. Summer: Of-ficer Danny Marks, Shirley and Michelle Mastorilli, Matthew Skrabak, Natasha Collet, Assistant Principal

SEE BAMBI, page 5

MRHS Bambi AwardsNoticing the unnoticed

PHOTO BY CARLEY ENS

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FALCONAIRE

Off to CollegePage 2 The Falconaire June 2011

by Mariah AguedaStaff Writer

Mac vs. PC: Which side are you on?WHAT

TO

BRING

Angeles University Foun-dation, PhilippinesBloomfield CollegeBowie State UniversityBrandeis UniversityBrookdale Com-munity CollegeCentral Piedmont Commu-nity CollegeClark Atlanta UniversityDelaware State UniversityDrexel UniversityEast Stroudsburg Univer-sity of PennsylvaniaElizabethtown CollegeElon UniversityFairleigh Dickin-son UniversityFashion Institute of Tech-nologyFlagler CollegeFlorida Atlantic UniversityFranklin Pierce UniversityGettysburg CollegeHarford Community CollegeHoward UniversityIndiana University of PennsylvaniaJames Madison UniversityJohnson and Wales Univer-sityKean UniversityLehigh UniversityLiberty UniversityLoyola University, MarylandMassachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health SciencesMichigan State UniversityMonmouth UniversityMontclair State UniversityMoore College of Art and DesignMorgan State UniversityNew Jersey Institute of Technology

Where are you going?MRHS 2011 college acceptances

New York UniversityOcean County CollegePalm Beach State College, Palm Beach GardensPennsylvania State Uni-

versity, University ParkPrinceton UniversityQuinnipiac University

Ramapo College of New JerseyRichard Stockton College of New JerseyRider UniversityRowan University

Rutgers Univer-sity, New BrunswickSaint Paul University, Manila

Saint Peter’s CollegeStevens Institute of Tech-nologyStevenson UniversitySUNY Maritime Univer-sity

Allison Newton

Julie Rodriguez

Temple UniversityThe College of New JerseyThe Culinary Institute of AmericaThe University of ScrantonTowson UniversityUniversity of Colorado at BoulderUniversity of DelawareUniversity of Mary-land, College ParkUniversity of Missouri, ColumbiaUniversity of Rhode IslandUniversity of RichmondUniversity of Sciences and PhiladelphiaVillanova UniversityWashington CollegeWest Chester University of PennsylvaniaWest Virginia UniversityWidener UniversityWilliam Paterson Uni-versity of New Jersey

Kurt Mathisen

Danielle Brown

Angela Castillo

Ricky Pulido

Emma Murray

Matthew Showanes

Jeremy Goldberg

-By Kunehi ParekhStaff Writer

When Hard Work Pays Off

This year’s senior aca-demic awards night was

held on the evening of June 1 in Monmouth Regional’s PAC. It was a night of cel-ebration, recognition, and appreciation. The local scholarships awarded to this year’s seniors amounted to approximately $65,000. But who were the night’s biggest winners?

Angella Castillo won the The Zorski family EOF Scholarship valued at $10,000. Castillo said, “I was so unbelievably hap-py when I found out that I won. I honestly could not say anything else but thank you.”

Alexa Policari won the Cas B. Finkel Scholarship and the Fleis-chman Academic Scholar-ship, which comes to a total of $6,500. Policari said, “I was so happy because any type of money is helpful when paying for college. Scholarships are so com-petitive; to be the one they choose to win any amount of money is such an over-whelming feeling. You can-not help but be apprecia-tive of the people who are willing to give deserving students scholarship mon-ey.”

Joseph Bayona won the Falcon Ambassa-dor Scholarship valued at $2,500

by Jennifer CecilioneFeatures Editor

Are you a Mac or PC? We have all seen the commercial on tv: the average Joe (PC) and the young sharp looking Justin Long (Mac). Now this may not be the best way of portraying the famous

debate, but it definitely captures everyone’s attention, especially incoming college students. The ques-tion on everyone’s mind nowadays is whether they should get a Mac or pc. For some people it’s a no

brainer, Macs are easily the most efficient and technologically advance. But for some a reliable, affordable and familiar PC is the top choice. But if you’re on of the undecided side of things, then maybe you should dome research on both Mac and PC’s, what you find may actually surprise you. For the past several years everyone seems to have been obsessed with having a Mac, but why? Some like having the newest technology, and the cool apps that come with it. However numerous problems about bugs and issues in the Mac have been reported. However not many people have heard too much about this because Apple always comes up with new technology and software that old problems are always covered up with the hype for new products. Nonetheless, people still feel the need to have a Mac. Sure the Mac can be lightweight, easily portable, entertaining and have some great features. But is it really the most efficient, or even affordable? The cheapest Mac is around $999, which is actually extremely pricey. A Mac is considered a luxury to many and because of the high price, isn’t necessarily the best choice. People assume that it is because of all the hype surrounding it. But really think about it: PC’s can be sold for around $500, with the same features and programs yet a Mac is almost twice the price, but why? What are you really paying for? Most of that price has to do with the apps, featured on the Mac and the manufacturing of it. But what about the quality? It seems as if the Mac may cost more, than it is actually worth. Not as crazed as the Mac, PC’s have been put on the back burner for years. Why is this? Because it’s simply “boring”. Many people favor Macs over PC’s simply because of the features on it, like photo booth, garage band, and other features, not necessarily the quality. When looked at from a more sensible point of view PC’s seem to be the better of the two. PC’s are extremely reliable and affordable. Company’s like Hp, Dell, and Gateway have produced some very dependable laptops. Anybody could purchase a good PC for around $500. Pc’s could really be for everyone. They’re very reliable like the Mac, however they are more affordable to the general public. This is really to make everyone look at the more sensible side of things. Everyone like having the flashy new technology on the street, but when it comes to using it for things like school and schoolwork, it would be better to pick quality over entertainment. Also remember that you should pick the right laptop according to how much you will use it in all your classes, and as well as what the school itself suggests. Keeping in your budget, and remember how you will utilize the laptop in your years should be the driving force on which one you will choose.

Annemarie Schiavone, the class of 2011’s valedic-torian, won the Tinton Falls Foundation for Excellence in Education Scholarship, the MREA Paul J. Roos Me-morial Scholarship, and the I.H. Pratt Award, com-ing to a combined total of $2,500. Schiavone said, “I felt honored to receive the awards that I did. It means a lot to be recognized for my hard word throughout high school.”

Brandon Ford won Joseph Provenzano Memorial Scholarship, The Tinton Falls Foundation for Excellence in Educa-tion Scholarship, and the Kiwanis Club of Greater Red Bank Student Leader-ship Award, which came to a combined total of $2,025. Ford says, “It is always nice to be recognized by my home town of Tinton Falls and my community.”

Sean Wire won the PTSA Essay Schol-arship, the Tinton Falls Foundation for Excellence in Education Scholarship, and the Bernie Daniels Me-morial Scholarship, which came to a combined total of $2,000.

Choosing the right pair of shades can be like looking for the right pair of jeans. You try on practically every pair on the rack, asking your friends, “Do these ones make my face look fat”? Just like jeans, not every pair of sunglasses is going to look good on you. It all really depends on one factor: the

shape of your face. That being said, here is your guide to hitting the beach in style this summer with the right shades for you.

SummerJune 2011 The Falconaire Page 3

Night clubs:Merge- A two level night club that has one of the best sound systems ever. Ages 12-18 are allowed to come through. It is located at 302 Blvd. in Seaside Heights and the price range is be-tween $10-30. They have blackout night and VIP nights.Pure-Another two floor teen club that allows age 14-18. Located in Sayreville on Highway 35 North and admission fee is $20. They have Foam night, Differ-ent DJs, Glow-in-the-dark night, and Festivals.Jenkinson’s-Teen nights are held here almost every

Shopping: 1. Jersey Shore Outlets- 1 Premium Outlets Blvd. 2. Jackson Outlets- 537 Monmouth Road 3. Pier Village- 1 Chelsea Avenue, Long Branch 4. Jersey Gardens- 651 Kapkowski Road, Eliza-beth 5. Monmouth Mall 6.Freehold Raceway Mall

Concerts: 1. New Kids on the block and Backstreet boys- June 13 Location: Izod Center(East Rutherford,

NY) at 7:30 2. Glee- June 16 Loca-tion: Izod Center at 8:00 3. Katy Perry- June 19 Location: Prudential Cen-ter( Newark, NY) at 7:30 4. Kid Cudi- July 3 Lo-cation: Stone Pony (Asbury park, NJ) at 5:00 5. Jennifer Hudson- July 6 Location : Beacon Theatre( New York, NY) at 7:00 6. Wiz Khalifa- July 25 Location: Central Park ( New York, NY) at 7:30 & July 29 Location: West Long branch at 6:30 7. Rihanna- July 21 Loca-tion: Izod Center at 7:30 8. Brittney Spears with Nicki Minaj- August 5 Lo-cation: Izod Center at 7:00 9. Selena Gomes- August 20 Location: PNC Bank Art

Food 1. Nelly’s- Located on 589 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch. People are able to walk into Nelly’s and create a sandwich with whatever they want on it and named it their own way. Many People have already done so, For example they have a sandwich called a fat blunt which consists of chicken, French Fries, mozzarella sticks, bacon, lettuce, honey mustard, to-matoes, and ketchup. There are also many other sand-wich at Nelly’s. 2. Stewart’s- Located on

520 Newman Springs Road. Stewart’s offers hamburg-ers, curly fries, and their special orange soda which everyone dies for. It is a small restaurant with a chill atmosphere. When you are on the road, and your crav-ing a hamburger. Stewart’s is the place to go 3. Windmill- Located on 200 Ocean Avenue North, Long Branch. Windmill is close to the beaches like Seven President and Pier village. There they sell hot dogs, cheese fries, and hamburgers. 4. Wawa- Located on 14 North Bride Avenue, Red bank. Wawa has snacks, coffee, candy, subs, a va-riety of drinks and more. When you go in there, you

are allowed to create your own sub and choose any snack that goes along with. It is a quick easy lunch that is very satisfying. 5. Brother’s Pizza- Lo-cated on 2 Mordford Place, Red Bank. Brothers not only have pizza, but buf-falo wings, pasta, chicken fingers, and more. This pizza place, as pizza with any topping you would like along with many different appetizers. If you want to grab a bunch of friends in the summer and go out to dinner, you can go to Broth-er’s and than stroll through Red Bank afterwards.

Friday during the summer. Ages 14- 18 are allowed in. Located in Point Pleasant on the boardwalk, the ad-mission fee cost $20.

Summer Hot Spotsby Gabriella Fernandes

Staff Writer

Center (Holmdel, NJ) 10. Maroon 5 & Train- August 26 Location: PNC Bank Art Center at 7:00

Whatchu Drinkin’?

by Kunehi ParekhStaff Writer

Top ten summer drinks

Protect Your Eyes in Styleby Carley EnsCopy Editor

Do: Cat's-eye, round

Don’t: Overly embellished

glasses

Heart-Shaped (wide forehead and cheekbones; narrow

chin)

Square (broad forehead; square jaw line)

Oval (balanced forehead,

cheekbones and jaw)

Round (full cheekbones;

narrow forehead and jaw)

Oblong (long face; narrow chin and cheeks)

Do: Round, oval, or cat’s-eye shaped

glassesDon’t: Sharp geometric

shapes

Do: Congratulations, any shape works on you. Soft, angular

frames play up your features best

Do: Wide, rect-angular frames.Don’t: Round

frames or colored lenses

Do: Oversize or wrap styles

Don’t: Frames that are too thin for

your face

Lemonade There is limeade, straw-berry lemonade, berry lemonade, and many more delicious flavors of lem-onade…what else would you want on a hot summer day? Anyone can make it at home or buy it at an afford-able price.

Gatorade “Is it in you?” If it is not, then you might want to think again. Gatorade is great for people who work out during the summer. The electrolytes will keep your body, muscles, and nerves functioning properly. And come on, Gatorade tastes really good. Plus, if you water it down, the calorie intake is not that terrible.

Milkshake If you do not have time to go to McDonalds or any-where else to buy a milk-shake, make it at home. Blend ice cream, and milk and there it is. Milkshake has the protein from the

milk and anyone would die for that cold, thick glass of milkshake.

Smoothie Mostly everyone visits Smoothie King at least once during the summer. If not, they should. Red Bank’s smoothies are creamy, fruity, tasty, and most of all, very healthy. A glass of smoothie is very fulfilling because it is good for the body. You can make them yourself, too.

Fizz A Fizz is a mixed drink made with mostly soda and seltzer. Lime juice and carbonated water are the typical ingredients of a Fizz. This is an easy and fun drink which could be served at a fancy occasion as well. Top with a cucum-ber for decoration

Iced Tea Iced tea is a multi-cultural drink that comes in a wide range of flavors. This is a healthy alternative to car-bonated soft drinks. Lipton and Arizona iced tea are ex-

tremely popular in the sum-mer. Anyone can make it at home with the packaged iced tea, too.

Slurpee On a sizzling hot day, the 7-Eleven slurpees make ev-erything better. A big gulp of slush makes any hot day cooler. Every year on July 11, every 7-Eleven in the United States offers free slurpees.

Punch The traditional fruit punch is everyone’s favorite. Ha-waiian punch and Kool-Aid are the most popular during the summer. They are easy to make and affordable, too.

Spritzer How does a tall, chilled, glass of fruity club soda sound? Fruit juices and club soda makes a delicious non-alcoholic spritzer. Lemon-ade and iced tea may also be used to make it.

Tisane This herbal tea is a com-bination of boiling water

and dried fruits, flowers, or herbs. In France, tisane has a whole industry of its own. There are varieties to help you sleep, help you wake up, help you lose weight and improve circulation.

For more summer arti-cles, includ-ing how to beat rising gas prices,

check out the Falcon-aire online

at www.falcon-

aire.mon-mouthre-

gional.net

NewsPage 4 The Falconaire June 2011

Images Co�ee House

Japan Bene�t

Concert

Concert photos by Evan Fusco

Coffee House photos courtesy of the Falconaire

Maria Gomez Valentim, 114 yearls old, is the oldest living person, ac-cording to AOL News. Her husband died in 1946. She has one son, four grandchildren, and seven great grand chil-dren. It is amazing to know that she was born before Queen Victo-ria, or even before the establishment of Ford Motor Company.

According to MSNBC, a New York City ser-geant, Arno Herwerth changed his lisense plate from GETOSA-MA to GOTOSAMA after Bin Laden’s death. This was his way of thanking the troops and appreciating the sacri-fices they made.

THEY WHILLIN’

New York

Salt Lake

According to AOL News, Josh Ferrin found $45,000 in his new home’s garage. However, Ferrin hon-estly returned it to the previous owner’s fam-ily. Kay Bangerter, the previous owner of the house, had saved up all the money for so many years, and his sons will now benefit from it.

Brazil

by Kunehi ParekhStaff Writer

NewsJune 2011 The Falconaire Page 5

What is the first thing you did when you found out about

your achievement?

Other than yourself, who else is responsible for your

success?

What/who is your inspiration and motivation?

What is your main goal in life?

Who do you aspire to be like?

What is your favorite food?

What do you want to become after college?

What is your motto?

Ivy-leaguer

I was in shock, wondering around my house, making sure

the guy who wrote me the e-mail was a real person

My teachers and my mother

Music

To make myself and others happy

My dad who is a great role model

Chipotle, Barbacoa all the way

Civil/Environmental engineer

“Lead, follow, or get out of the way.”

Published author of Return to Baladah

I was so happy that I screamed for joy

My aunt and an elderly couple who were my neighbors

Edgar Allen Poe’s books

To become a veterinarian and keep writing children’s books

My mother

No favorites, I like many

Veterinarian

“Never give up on your dreams and life.”

Winner of HOBY Award

I told my friends

My parents and friends

Anyone who is successful in life, especially all the musicians

I listen to

To be someone and do some-thing that makes me happy

I want to set my own goals and go for them

Quesadillas or any type of Mexican food

Something having to do with music

“I do not have any”

All Rounder

I felt extremely honored

My parents and teachers

My parents who always push me to go beyond my

expectations

To be successful and main-tain my grades

My sister, Margaret

French fries

Writer

“Live life to the fullest.”

Student Spotlights Students accomplishgreat feats

by Kunehi Parekh, sta� writer

Junior Michelle Mastrorilly Sophomore Eoin Wenger Freshman Hannah Cahill

Larkin, Lissett Olivera and Carrol Samuels. The AFO club also honorably men-tioned Lakeisha Billingsley and gave a special award to Ms. Summers. Officer Marks, Tinton Falls police officer, rescued an injured owl from the school’s property. The owl got its strength back in the hospital that Officer Marks brought him too. Once healed, he then released the owl back into its habitat. He also rescued a stray pit-bull, who is named Mocha, and is now in the Humane Society where she waits to be adopted. Shirley and Michelle Mastorilli, have always been kind to animals. Like mother like daughter, they have always strived towards giving animals a better life. Michelle as wrote a chil-dren’s book about a horse called Return to Baladah. Matthew Skrabak is an AFO member who took in three stray cats off the street. They are now adopt-ed by his parents. They are now being given veterinary care. Natasha Collett, Eng-lish Teacher Mrs. Collett’s daughter, is an honorary member of the AFO for sev-

eral years now. She has al-ready done projects to help animals and even saved up money that she gave to a lo-cal shelter. Vice Principal Larkin pulled over his car over when he saw an injured bird in the middle of the road. He than directed traffic around the bird. He continued this until Animal Control responded. Lisset Olivera, another AFO member came across a cat that had been hit by a

car and was bleeding. She wrapped it in a blanket and took it to Red Bank hospital for care. Carol Samuels the child development/preschool teacher also received an award for noticing a birds nest in the courtyard play-ground of the school. Usu-ally the preschool students would go outside and play there but she kept them away from the nest for sev-eral weeks so they wouldn’t disturb the bird’s nest.

BAMBI from front page

Throughout the hatching process, she took the kids outside so they were able to see it. Lakeisha Billingsley was also honorably mentioned because the only teenager from Monmouth Regional who helped cleanup at the Humane Society and while there she befriended an ani-mal named Melinda. A special award was also given by Mrs. Maseda and the AFO club to Mrs. Sum-mers who is AFO founder

and head advisor, honoring and appreciating everything she has done for the club. Their was also other en-tertainment such as a dog named Bambi who was rescued from Puerto Rico and another dog, a pit-bull named Diamond, who now is adopted. “It was a smash-ing success,” said Ms. Summer, “nearly 50 people came and the stories told by the people were very mov-ing. We ate, we danced and we were merry.”

MRHS Rewards Kindness

A six year old poodle survived a fall from the sky after a bird at-tack, according to Dis-covery.com. “Miracle May” had broken ribs and deep gouges on her neck, when nurses at a Canadian nursing home found her. She was ne-glected for a long time and ironically, this inci-dent saved her life.

Canada

Canada

According to The Huff-ington post, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shocked ev-eryone with their post on how to prepare for a zombie apocylypse. The U.S. government wants to make sure that people know what to do in the event of an emer-gency, like a zombie in-vasion.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FALCONAIRE

Senior Patrick Rounds

OpinionsPage 6 The Falconaire June 2011

EDITORIAL

The Last Word

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 mrhsfalcon-aire@yahoo.com

COMMENTS & QUESTIONS For general comments or questions about the Falconaire, please write to the editors or advisor at mrhsfalconaire@yahoo.com or at the specific email addresses listed above.

A Publication of Monmouth Regional High School

KATHERINE HIEBEREditor in Chief

JENNIFER CECILIONEFeatures Editor

ELIZABETH KURAUOpinions Editor

ELIZABETH KURAUWebmaster

Staff Writers: Mariah Agueda, Carley Ens, Chris Doucette, Gabriella Fernandes, Kunehi Parekh, Chris Zweig

Design: Katherine Hieber

Contributors: Amelia Wood

Photography: Evan Fusco, Jen-nifer Margiloff

DAWN COLLETTAdvisor

EDITOR AND ADVISOR EMAILEDITOR IN CHIEFkehieber@live.com

ADVISORdcollett@monmouthregional.net

MEDIA STAFF

CONTACT INFORMATION

WRITERS

LOCATIONRoom 211Homeroom and first period

Room 511Tenth period

Room 509After school

Editorial Writer: Jennifer Ce-cilione, Carley Ens, Kunehi Parekh

CARLEY ENSCopy Editor

SEAN WIRE

“Don’t get caught under all the work. While it will help you get to where you want to go, it is not what life is all about. Put equal effort into your friendships and relationships because they can last a lot longer.”

A N N E M A R I E SCHIAVONE

“If you always do what you’ve al-ways done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got-ten. Try new things and don’t ever un-derestimate your abilities.”

THOMAS FOLEY

“To put it simply, high school is only temporary but can affect your entire life. Do not stress too much, but stress just enough. Get that ‘A’, but do not kill yourself doing it; have some fun. A good work ethic and some de-termination goes a long way.”

ASHLEY DANIEL ENIOR

“Remember to breathe every once in a while and don’t make a habit of over- stressing yourself. Just take a step back and enjoy it; it’s the fastest four years of your life.”

NIKHIL PATEL

“High school flies by, so make the most of it. Don’t be afraid to try new things and take risks.”

Class to Class AdviceWords of wisdom from the Class of 2011

-By Kunehi ParekhStaff Writer

June is the time of year for graduation speech-

es. It is a time for advice to be passed along. It is a time of reflection and nostalgia. Therefore, it is only appropriate that the editors reflect upon their time at MRHS and offer some advice for future improvement. Society will func-tion best when rules are present. But that is not enough. If rules are present, they must be enforced equally. Every member of society must be held accountable for their actions and receive equal punishments for identical transgressions. However, favoritism is everywhere. Many stu-dents have complained of some students being favored over others in the classrooms, on the athlet-ic teams and even in the enforcement of adminis-trative policy. In the classrooms, some teachers do not dole pun-ishments out equally, al-lowing some students to get away with, say, for example, rude and un-ruly behavior while other students are being penal-ized for much less. For example, some teachers will reprimand one stu-dent for opening a win-dow, but ignore another student who is running around the class. Teach-

ers often single out one or two students to chastise for speaking during class when in fact the entire class was being disruptive. Why are some students constantly berated for misdemeanors they did not commit? Ame-lia Wood says that she sees favoritism in the classroom. She says, “Teachers obvi-ously like certain students and the grades reflect their opinion of those students.” Perhaps one of the most frustrating instances of favoritism occurs on the sports fields. Some Mon-mouth Regional coaches will pick their favorite play-er, a “golden child”. This player can do no wrong. If this player decides to show up late to practice, there are no repercussions; the coach simply looks the other way. This player can even get away with skipping the oc-casional practice because they “just did not feel like going”. Worst of all, this player can openly criticize and berate the coach and his or her fellow teammates without so much as a figura-tive slap on the wrist. If any other players on that partic-ular team were to engage in any of the aforementioned transgressions, their play-ing time would cease to exist. This “golden child” is present on many MRHS sports teams. How much longer will the dedicated, hard-working, and well-

behaved players be forced to watch the “golden child” steal away their playing time and sense of team? One of the more obvious occurrences of favoritism is charged to the adminis-tration as well as the teach-ers for their enforcement of the attendance policy. According to the rules, stu-dents have to be in home-room no later than 7:45 am. However, some students ar-rive much later but do not receive any punishments. Some teachers have de-cided that their students do not need to observe the late bell. Another rule stipulates that once a student is late to school three times, they will receive an office deten-tion. Again, some students show up late to school ev-ery single day and never receive any form of punish-ment. Senior Erin Comey said, “Some people come in late often and teachers will wait to send attendance but other teachers think that if one foot is in the door when the bell rings, and the other is not, the student is late.” Lastly, students are only allowed sixteen absences per year. If a student is ab-sent more than the allowed time, they are supposed to lose credit for that course. However, several students are absent from school more than they allowed time and are not penal-ized. Why is it acceptable

for some students to come and go as they please while others dutifully obey the at-tendance policy? A perfect example of widespread favoritism is in the enforcement of the cell phone policy. Techni-cally, students are not per-mitted to use their phones or even have their phones visible during school hours. If a student is caught with a cell phone by their teacher, a hall monitor or an admin-istrator, the cell phone is to be confiscated and the stu-dent’s parents are supposed to pick it up after school. However, some students do not have their phones taken away when they vio-late the rule. Sophomore Nick D’Ambrosia says, “I see some people with their cell phones out during the day and no one ever says anything to them.” Still, even when some students do get their phones confis-cated, their parents are not forced to pick it up after school; certain students just pick it up themselves after class. What makes certain students’ cell phones more tolerable than others? For the victims of favorit-ism, you have a tough road ahead. You have heard it before “life is not fair.” You will have to learn how to put up with it; and you will be all the stronger for it. The favored will succeed in the real world the way you

will. Just hope that what goes around will eventu-ally come around. But never lower yourself to the level of the favored. Remember what suc-cessful basketball coach Bob Hurley Sr. said, “A winner goes through a problem. A loser goes around it, and never past it.” Learn from your ex-perience so you will not be the poor example of leader you might have experienced. If MRHS wishes to stop the downward spiral, ev-eryone will have to com-mit themselves to treating all infractions of rules in the same manner: in the classroom, on the sports fields and in the admin-istrative offices. The only way to ensure peace and civility is to treat ev-ery member of a society equally. When one lives above the law, the ones below lose respect for the law. Why did we not name names? There are too many. Everyone is guilty. But this means that any-one can start the process of recovery. We know you see it. You know it is true. You are just shak-ing your head while you read this. Finger pointing stops here. The healing process takes it place.

Editors re�ect and advise

ReviewsJune 2011 The Falconaire Page 7

MOVIES

Comic books: nerdy or cool? In the past,

comic book readers have been stereotyped as be-spectacled, un-athletic social outcasts, lonely, loveless, and hopelessly

un-cool. But in recent years, how-ever, Hol-

lywood has taken a new fascination with comic stories, bringing to life countless comics, such as Priest, Thor, and the Watchmen. For those of us who prefer books to movies, this presented a chance to step into the comic realm and read something entirely new. One such case for me (admittedly bespectacled and un-athletic) is V for Vendetta, Alan Moore’s story of a violent, artistic vigilante on a mission to destroy a fascist regime. In other words, it’s kind of like if another group of Nazis took over England after World War Two and, after killing off ev-

eryone not white, straight, and

obedient, e n -

forces strict curfews and unjust laws and punishes many offenses by execu-tion. In the face of this vil-lainous regime, V, our nameless hero, plots power outages, explosions, and murders in an attempt to bring about anarchy. Obvi-ously not your typical hero, he is also not your typical villain. When not plotting or perpetrating acts of vio-lence, he takes care of an orphan whom he rescues from corrupt police of-ficers. The graphic novel alternates between descrip-tions of him assassinating governmental officials and reading bedtimes stories to a sad little girl. All in all, it is a crazy, twisted, terribly interesting story, and one that I am definitely glad I read. For those of you who do not enjoy reading, the colorful drawings by Da-vid Lloyd make it an easy read and a welcome change from boring texts. If that is still not for you, there is the movie version, created by Warner Bros. in 2006. Like the book, it is intense and interesting, but that is where the similarities end.

V for Vendettaby Amelia Wood

Contributor

It is a good story, but one entirely different from the book. It is as if someone present-ed the movie’s

c r e -

ators with the setting and characters of the graph-ic novel and told them to write a movie. Alan Moore, the novel’s notori-ous creator, also does not suggest seeing the movie as an interpretation of the comic. When asked about what he thought when he saw what Hollywood’s plans were for his nov-els, he said he believes he would have suffered less if he had "sodomised and murdered a busload of children after giving them heroin." Obviously, Moore does seem crazy, and it is reflected in his works. However, it is this insanity that makes the novel so interesting, and I would definitely suggest it to anyone looking for something exciting.

BOOKS

We last saw Captain Jack Sparrow (John-

ny Depp) in “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” when he had sailed

off to find the Fountain of Youth. His story

continues in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” The film is present-ed in 3D, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and this time is directed by “Nine’s” Rob Marshall. The film also stars Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Keith Richards, Judi Dench, Richard Grif-

fiths, Kevin McNally, and Geoffrey Rush. Jack Sparrow is planning to find the Foun-tain of Youth. His adventure begins in London when he rescues his first mate Gibbs (McNally) from a pirate execution. During his hide-out from guards out to hunt Sparrow, his father (Roll-ing Stone’s Richards) tells him about obstacles when journeying to the fountain. Jack ends up on Black-beard’s (McShane) ship, where he is forced to guide an expedition or he will be killed using a voodoo doll of Jack. Blackbeard turns out to be the father

of Angelica (Cruz), Jack’s former lover, who always get at each other’s throats. Captain Barbossa (Rush) is now a peg legged privateer, who uses Gibbs to help him find the fountain. This ad-venture now includes dan-gerous mermaids, a Span-ish secrets service, ships in bottles, and more jokes. “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” is daring, hilarious, exciting, and undeniable. The series keeps getting better and better. Once again, Johnny Depp was a great actor portraying Jack Sparrow. He had very funny lines, and performed crazy antics, including an inter-rupted kiss. Penelope Cruz

and Ian McShane were both great additions to the film. The same great them music is used once again, and I also enjoyed that as well. I am a “Pirates of the Caribbean” fan, so I have to say that I enjoy all the mov-ies. As matter of fact, fans should see this sequel in Disney Digital 3D, because the images come out to the audience. Like all the other fun adventures on the high seas, there is a scene after the credits, so stick around. There will be more “Pirates of the Caribbean” sequels coming soon as well, and I cannot wait. The “Pirates” fan I am, I have to say “Yo Ho Ho, and a pile of five smiley faces.”

On Stranger Tides

For more movie reviews, check out CJ’s online exclusive blog on the Falconaire online: falconaire.monmouthregional.net

by Christopher ZweigStaff Writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF MOVIE CARPET

PHOTO BY KATHERINE HIEBER/ARTWORK BY DAVID LLOYD

Senior FunJune 2011 The Falconaire Page 8

Prom at the Berkley

PHOTOS BY ASHLEY RICHBERG VIA FACEBOOK

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Breakfast on the beach

Trip to Six Flags

PHOTOS BY AJ VISCONTI VIA FACEBOOKPHOTOS BY LAUREN PISARCK VIA FACEBOOK