The Falconaire volume 52- issue 5- March 2015 One Norman J. Field Way Tinton Falls, NJ 07724 www.mrhsfalconaire.com MRHS Has Talent PTSA’s Annual Talent Show By Paula Popok ‘15 News Editor Magic, singing, dancing, and guitar playing; Monmouth students have it all. On Feb. 27th, the PTSA hosted the annual talent show in the PAC, raising a total of $2,132 dollars. Snacks were sold as well as “shout-outs” where Mrs.Mitchell and Mr.Clark read them on stage in between performances. Clark said it was “impressive how dynamic the student body is and how supportive the crowd was. Mitchell and I had a blast doing the show!” Junior Regene Odon said, “I rehearsed just as much as I would for any other performance.” He sang “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran. Sophomore Michelle Finn performed “Over My Head” by The Fray with Marlea Maltz. Finn said, “We had a lot of fun doing it… it was so, so cool to be a part of.” Junior Kennard Johnston said, “I felt extremely nervous in the beginning with the anticipation of messing up but after I began I relaxed and sang and played just fine.” John- ston played piano and sang “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys. Junior Alex Mayer performed magic tricks by making metal rods magically bend and then asked Mr.Clark to accompany him for the next part of his act. Mayer had Clark sign his name on a newspaper and Mayer proceeded to rip the paper into smaller and smaller pieces and eventually put those same pieces back into its original form, amazing the crowd. There were 16 acts, separated into two parts with a short intermission in between • Keanu Taylor performed a dance to “Remember the Time” by Michael Jackson • Kara Pizzolo showcased her voice to “Only Hope” by Mandy Moore • Noel Tyminski sang “Listen” by Dream Girls •Teya Cartagena Walsh played piano and sang “I Love to Change the World” by 10 Years After • Steven Mayer played guitar to “The Clap” by Yes • Savannah Roberts sang “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts • Taylor Ryans performed “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston • Ryan Baccarella performed “I Can’t Help Falling In Love” by Elvis Presley • Amanda Olivera and Angelina Caledron both played guitar as Olivera sang a • Tomas Carson sang Barbra Stresiand’s “Don’t Rain On My Parade” 70’s and 80’s Rock Medly • Kennard Johnston sang and played piano to “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys • Willie White III sang “Wonderful World” by Louis Armstong • Kimme Taylor sang John Legend’s “This Time” • Keith Egan sang with Nick Piescor playing guitar to “Electrified” by Keith • Jude Duane was a sound-alike to Elton John when he performed “Your Song” Egan himself • Michelle Finn sang and Marlea Maltz played guitar to “Over My Head” by The Fray • Cassidy Peniston performed “Rise Like a Phoenix” by Conchita Wurst • Daniel Sakumoto played guitar to an instrumental and original piece called “Ebb & Flow” • Sirron Yarborough showed off his dancing skills to an R&B medley of songs • Alex Mayer performed magic with bending metal rods and ripping up a newspaper then • Regene Odon ended the show by performing “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed piecing it back together Sheeran Photo Credit: Paula Popok Paula Credit: Photo

February PSAC Principal Student Advisory Board By Olivia Farr-Emmons ‘16 Contributor Since September, the Principal Student Advisory Committee has met every other month at 7:20 am on the first Tuesday in the Schlieg conference room. This month nine students gathered to discuss issues in an open dialogue with the school’s principal, Mr. Teeple. The meeting starts with an agenda that he wanted to share: • Student faculty game- the ticket money went towards Hero’s and Cool Kids and the concession items went to Relay for Life. Teeple predicted the seniors would win. • The school website was updated to a new layout. The next portion of the meeting was opened up for student concerns: • Emily O’Donnell asked about the PARCC. o He said it’s a graduation requirement that everyone from elementary on through their junior year of high school will have to take. o Seniors got lucky this year and juniors only have to take it this one year. o He said it’s “new and not everything is official and figured out so don’t stress about it too much, we are all in the same boat. “ o He said “every school is now using this test in place of the HSPA.” o This test is electronic so he said computers will be limited before this and kids need to stop taking the keys off the keyboards. He said there’s going to be a new system to track who’s taken them off. It involves seeing who was logged on at that time and will result in a fine. And he said it’s not cheap, so don’t do it. • Kelly Soder asked about bathroom related issues. She was concerned with “fake soap” in the girls’ locker room bathroom. She said the soap seems very watered down and always empty. She also said locking bathrooms causes student stress. Students prefer to use the bathroom between classes. o He said he’s look into soap discrepancies and should be like all the other soap in the other bathrooms. o Mr. Teeple said that locking the bathrooms is in place to prevent unsupervised bathroom use. He said “In previous years students would write bomb threats in the bathroom and would deal drugs in there during that time.” • Kelly Soder also brought up concerns with having to use student IDs for everything. She says it stresses students when you don’t have it and need it. o You need it for the library, evacuation drills, and getting into the school. o He said students must have it at all times and it shouldn’t really be a problem. • Several students brought up issues with the lunch lines. How people cut to talk to friends without being reprimanded and it’s also disorganized. Students stand in the sandwich line for things other than sandwiches and waste their time and how there’s no system put in place for a better way to handle the disorganization. o Mr. Teeple said he’s never heard of that specific problem before and he would look into it. The next meeting is April 7, 2015 and everyone is welcome to come. Donuts and juice are provided as well. Photo Credit: Kristeen Tynes The Falconire Page 2 Opinions March 2015 Editorial Boredom: The Newest Trend of 2015

A Publication of How Your Smartphone Hurts Your Creativity Monmouth When was the last time you were bored? When people sense this dreaded feeling most will Regional High School instinctively reach for their safe haven: their smartphone. However, does this temporary reprieve Co-Editors in Chief from boredom hinder people in the long-term? Samara Coleman & According to the PewResearch Center, 90% of American adults have a cellphone. 67% of cell- Pooja Shah phone owners say that they check their phones regularly, even when they do not hear it ring or vibrate. 29% of adults say that their phone is something that they can not live without. However,

Advisor Photo Credit:Wikipedia Dawn Collett this problem does not just persist among adults. According to the PewResearch Center, 78% of teenagers now have cellphones and they spend Opinons Editor James Grissman much more time on their phones than adults do. The average person spends about two hours on their phone a day, according to a survey News Editor conducted by the research group Flurry. Paula Popok Clinical studies suggest that people are most creative when they are bored. For example, a Reviews Editor study conducted by U.K. psychologist, Sandi Mann, had participants do something creative after Haley Pszeniczny completing a boring task. During this study, the most creative ideas came up by participants Features Editor who performed the most tedious task of them all: reading out of the phone book. So if individu- Rachael Febo al creativity reaches its zenith when people are bored, how does this relate to everybody spend- ing so much time on their smartphones? Variety Editor Katie Risley New Tech City, a WYNC podcast, challenged participants to disconnect themselves from their phones with their Bored and Brilliant: The Lost Art of Spacing Out movement. Partnering The front face of the IPhone 6. Sports Editor with the app, Moment, participants were asked to track their phone usage and then they were challenged to reduce they aver- Christian DeFazio age amount of time the spent glued to their phones.For example, on one day participants were dared to delete an app they Layout Editor were addicted to (that was the day most dramatically parted with beloved Candy Crush). Dohnovan Pittala Students in MRHS’s AP Humanities class participated in the Bored and Brilliant challenge. The class’s average was com- Copy Editor parable to the Flurry survey, with students averaging 2-3 hours spent on their phones. Was the class experiment a success? Alexandra Brito MRHS senior Lynh Nguyen said, “It was the worst.” However, some students had success including senior Jocelyn Rodriquez who reduced her phone time from 300 to 100 minutes a day. Woo! But something interesting arose from this mock study, Staff Writers Quinton Escalante some students including senior Sam Bradley, spent the most Luke Fusco time on their phone at school. Shannon Kelly MRHS History teacher Mrs. Haggerty said, “I think people Halena Martin Gianna Bellomo in general should spend less time on their phones.” Crista DeAngelis So Monmouth we challenge you to cut back the time you spend on your smartphone. Media Staff Scientific studies show that people think their best when Webmaster: they are bored, so why not breakaway? I’m not saying that Nicole Margiloff watching paint dry will automatically unlock your creative CONTACT INFORMATION chambers, but by putting away your electronic device you The Falconaire might find yourself thinking more creative. Monmouth Regional High School One Norman J. Field Way Your brain needs downtime to function properly and if Tinton Falls, NJ 07724 you find yourself struggling with an assignment do not pick LOCATION up your smartphone. Instead, read the phonebook and allow Room 504 Period 4-5 Room 517 After school yourself to get bored. A typical group of students at Monmouth Photo Credit:James Grissman EDITOR AND ADVISOR EMAIL CO-EDITORS IN CHIEF [email protected] [email protected] Letter to the Editors ADVISOR Dear Editor, DCOLLETT@MONMOUTHRE- GIONAL.NET On behalf of the Guidance Department at Monmouth Regional I’d like address the inaccurate comments made by an MRHS graduate in the article, Leaving the (falcon’s) Nest, printed in the February edition of The Falconaire and to describe exactly EDITORIAL POLICY what the counselors do to help prepare students for college. This journey begins before students actually become a Falcon. The Falconaire will accept written When counselors meet with the incoming freshman in August they sign them up for Naviance, a terrific program that is and graphic material for publication in the Falconaire from students, fac- used throughout their next four years. As students’ progress at Monmouth, counselors meet with them in groups and help ulty, and administrators provided it them complete an interest inventory also found on the site. This information is then discussed at our Life After Monmouth is of interest and value. We reserve the right to reject any material that conferences which are held with each junior and parent. Meetings include a thorough explanation of the college process we consider inappropriate. The Fal- which is not limited to the following; ACT/SAT test dates and information on when and how to register, college majors and conaire reserves the right to edit any what the student is interested in (we use those results from the interest inventory!), a thorough college search and a review material received for publication. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE of scholarship opportunities. Guidance also has student/parent nights each year in which we talk about what to expect for To provide a graphic forum of that year. When senior year begins we hold an extremely important meeting with the seniors in which we distribute and dialogue and expression. To provide the school and community with in- review our senior application guide, walking them step by step through this intimidating process. This guide is also available formation concerning the important online. A portion of the guide includes how to apply using the common application which can be very confusing. Luckily issues and activities pertaining to there is also a tutorial available on Naviance! Counselors also meet with each of their seniors to make sure they are on track. students, faculty, and administration. To publish an interesting, readable As college application season is in full swing, students will often stop in to ask questions or put in a pass to sit down with newspaper satisfying the needs of the their counselor for another in depth meeting (we can only answer questions that are brought to our attention)! The guid- students and the Monmouth Regional community. ance office is always buzzing during the months of October--December. It is always wonderful to hear our students come in CORRECTIONS to tell us about their college acceptances! As senior year continues the Guidance Office posts scholarship opportunities on The Falconaire is committed to Naviance and in April we meet with the senior class and go over the Local Scholarship Packet which includes scholarship op- fair and accurate reporting. If you are aware of an error, please inform us be portunities for all students. Our intent is to make sure that students have the knowledge and tools necessary to look for their emailing us at dcollett@monmouthre- best fit in colleges, but ultimately we cannot tell them where to go or what to major in. That decision must be made by the gional.net student and family, and for some this is not easy. In my experience, those students who begin early and have a plan are the COMMENTS & QUESTIONS best prepared. Those who wait until the last minute often feel frantic and frustrated with themselves. Monmouth Regional For general comments or ques- tions about the Falconaire, please counselors go above and beyond for their students. I am proud to have been a counselor at Monmouth Regional for eleven write to the editors or advisor at the years and continue to be proud of our counselors and the programs we offer. specific email addresses listed above. Amy Kelly Visit Our Website: mrhsfal- conaire.com! Director of Guidance The Falconaire Page 3 OPINIONS March 2015 Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems Should College Athletes Be Able to Unionize? By Christian DeFazio ‘15 Also, the College Athletes Players Association is asking for a pension Sports Editor just like the NFL players receive for their service yet NFL players must Imagine rushing onto the field at Michigan Stadium. It’s your first serve a minimum of 4.5 years in order to qualify for this pension, some- game as a Michigan Wolverine, and you thing no collegiate athlete can do, as they only couldn’t be more excited to be sporting the blue plays four years. and maize. You rush out of the tunnel to see The biggest reason why collegiate athletes 105,000 fans going nuts; but hey look, they’re shouldn’t unionize is that they are already wearing your jersey. It has your number on it, paid with their full-ride scholarships. College but you didn’t see a single penny for your sold athletes have been asking for pay as long as one jersey. Reality hits: you are a commodity, a can remember especially since the early 1990s. walking promotion for big universities. But you While some may argue that college athletes are going to a top university in the country and deserve to be paid, the thought of a free educa- are receiving a free five star education, which tion is more than a blessing. What that student could greatly benefits you since you aren’t the chooses to do with said education is their prob- top 1% of all college athletes. lem, but if they receive the opportunity to save College athletes are attempting to unionize in $200,000 over a 4 year period, then that should order to be paid royalties. The only question is, be plenty. is this a justified thing to do? To put that into perspective, as a top recruit Absolutely Not: in the country back in 2014, Andrew Wig- According to their website, the College gins’ jersey sold 32,000, which at a .5% royalty Athletes Players Association (CAPA) feels they (which college athletes have requested). This should unionize because the NCAA doesn’t re- would equal about $6,400 per year. Even if the quire schools to pay for their injuries, however, sale total doubled every single year of eligibility according to the NCAAs website, “the NCAA (4 years), the athlete would only receive about requires a basic insurance policy, it is up to the $51,000 over a four year span, which is a quarter school, or university, to determine how much of what the total tuition would cost. they are willing to pay.” In conclusion, due to the free education that they receive, the benefits Proof: that the NCAA requires, and the sales revenue not even coming close to In 2006, Alabama football player Tyrone Prothro was injured, and due equaling their college tuition totals, college athletes in no way shape or to NCAA policy, the University of Alabama had to pay for his medical form deserve to be paid for their services on the field. expenses. Lasting Longer Than 10 Seconds

By Paula Popok ‘15 and Pooja ShahThe ‘15 Do’s and Don’ts of Snapchat News Editor and Co-Editor in Chief Many assume that Snapchat is for inappropriate matters like sexual pictures and look down on it but really, it can have its perks, too. It all depends on how people use it. Snapchat can be a friendly, funny tool to use to talk to friends; however it can also create problems or be used as black mail to bully. Onwardstate.com gave two pieces of advice: “Don’t regurgitate content” and “Don’t try to be TOO funny.” Once it’s in your story once, we get it. We know what you’re doing; we don’t need the different angles. Also, just be you instead of trying to look cool for whoever views your picture for a few seconds. As a professional, MRHS student assistance coordinator Ms.Defino said, “It’s suppose to be for people to be instantly apart of something. However, the drawback is that there isn’t really any evidence of someone bullying someone else… it’s hard for someone to prove it.” For those students who receive inappropriate or mean pictures, it should be handled in a mature way because those “quick pictures” can have a long-term effect on someone’s life. If you think a picture simply lasts only 10 seconds or less, think again. Huffingtonpost.com said, “Once information makes it into cyberspace, re- gardless of its veracity, it will remain there and can haunt people in perpetuity.” When Monmouth students were asked of what to do and what not to do on Snapchat, more people gave tips on what not to do rather than things people should be doing. Do’s: Don’ts: 1.“Keep your clothes on.” – Senior, Lindsay 1.“Don’t post anything you’ll regret.” – Senior, Aehlich Max Villagomez 2.“Be cautious of your surroundings” – Soph 2.“Snapchat should not be used for sending in- omore, Christian Romero appropriate photos. You never know who can 3.“They should take silly pictures of yourself save or screenshot them…” – Junior, Regene to friends and then compare ugly pictures.” – Odon Senior, Scarlett Fuentes 3.“Try not to screenshot too much. It elimi- 4.“Use the text bar to your advantage” Soph- nates trust but for those few “must screenshot” more, Nicolette Parent snaps.” – Senior, Henry Millington 5.“Keep your story short!” – Sohpmore, Sana 4.“Don’t send someone the same picture that Azam you put as your story” – Junior, Kelly Soder 5.“Don’t send 300 Snapchat stories, I don’t want to watch a movie” – Sophmore, Karin Thio 6.“Don’t let your side chick be your Snapchat best friend and when receiving nudes DON’T screenshot!” – Senior, Alec Lipanovski Vist the Falconaire @ www.mrhsfalconaire.com All Photo Credit to Wikipedia The Falconaire Page 4 News March 2015 FBLA is Heading to Chicago FBLA Nationals By Pooja Shah ‘15 Co-Editor in Chief MRHS FBLA recently took 30 of its members to compete in the State Leadership Conference on February 26-27 in East Brunswick, NJ. Every competitor had to take a standardized test during regionals in order to qualify for states. Those who did not qualify through the test were able to do a project before hand in order to compete at states. Photo Credit: Mrs. Cilino Deca Group Photo At the State Leadership Conference the power went out unexpectedly for 6 hours. All the competitive events were pushed back until the hotel was able to make accom- modations. This left the competition ending 2-3 hours later than usual and caused DECA is Heading to Florida a cancelation in the annual states dance. MRHS FBLA Co-President Killian Clark DECA Nationals said States was a “hurry up and wait game,” more than usual due to the power outage. By Pooja Shah ’15 MRHS FBLA Co-President Wil White said it was “extremely stressful,” he said com- Co-Editor in Chief munication was hard, both said that they were challenged to find out the time of each February 25-27 MRHS DECA took 10 of its members to compete in the State event. Leadership Conference in Cherry Hill, NJ. Five MRHS students are eligible to fly to Chicago, Illinois at the National Leadership Prior to competing at states, the members took an online test in January, where 8 Conference which will be held on June 29-July 2. out of 10 members qualified to move onto states. Those who did not qualify did proj- Seniors Fraser Bird and Julian Peters’ speech took 2nd place in the Emerging Busi- ects such as a Business Plan or an Advertising Campaign. ness Issues category. MRHS DECA President Michelle Loneker said that the States competition as a Seniors Ryan Baccarella, Daniel Sakumoto, and junior Nicholas Petrantis’ speech whole was very successful. She said it was “awesome” to see everyone so motivated placed 3rd in the Business Ethics category. to advance on to the next level. As for MRHS DECA itself, she said that this year’s At press time, the five awardees are unsure if they will be attending the National participation is double the amount of members competing last year. Leadership Conference. The wait for results was not long; all finalists were announced on the last day at the FBLA advisor Mrs. Wolff said the last time Monmouth Regional qualified for closing ceremony. Nationals was in 2010, “[Five students] are the most we’ve ever had [qualify] to go to Junior Christian Boujaoude won 3rd place in the Sports and Entertainment Mar- states.” keting category qualifying for ICDC, the international competition. MRHS seniors Bruce Wilson and Kelly Mooney were finalists in Entrepreneurship and Retail Mer- chandising (respectively). Bruce Wilson said that DECA gave him an in-depth look into all the business fields and has even “intrigued” his interest in the entertainment industry, something he never considered. Kelly Mooney adds in that DECA has taught her “real world” lessons about business. DECA’s IDCD competition will take place on April 25-28 in Orlando, Florida. This competition brings together students from all around the world; many coming from Canada, China, Guam, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain and Germany. MRHS DECA advisor Mrs. Cilino says the last time DECA actually went to ICDC was back in 2010, however, they did qualify to compete in 2013 but were unable to due to financial issues. Mrs. Cilino also says that she is very proud of all the member participation this year and that she is “very excited to take Christian to compete FBLA Group photo Photo Credit: Mrs. Cilino Photo Credit: Mrs. Samuels on an international level.” Islamic State in Iraq and Syria: ISIS Why You Should Care By Shannon Kelley ‘15 Staff Writer Why should you read this? Sixty five percent of Americans see ISIS as a major threat in a CNN study. ISIS is a highly active Islamic militant group that has taken land from areas spreading from northern Syria to central Iraq. This group has done countless gruesome things that even get world leaders nervous about it. CNN has rated it the most powerful terrorist group in history. Interested now? Violent Killings According to Fox News, a video was released of an Air Force being burned alive and in response, Jordan hangs two of the captured AL Qaeda terrorists. Fox News said that in negotiations with ISIS, Jordan would get sketchy footage that the pilot was still alive but it was discovered that the pilot was actually dead the entire time. In response to the burning of the pilot, President Obama told Fox News, “Its just one more indication of the viciousness and barbarity of the organization.” There has been the killing of 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya; ISIS is taking advantage of a weak state. History teacher, Mr. Nappi says the situation is “not good”. Children Soldiers A CNN online article, said ISIS is now using children as a tool of weaponry. A UN report said that the ter- rorists are doing more acts of violence like raping, enslaving and burying people alive; not only children but anyone. Mentally handicapped children have no idea what is happening or that they are going to die, says an expert on the UN Committee, Renate Winter. Fox News said that the terrorists are justifying the raping and selling of captives by saying it is done in Flag of Islamic state Photo Credit: Wikipedia “G o d’s n am e .” Senior Billy Herman says, “It’s scary to see the violence happening overseas especially after 9/11.” Different Political Stances Fox News says that Republicans want more military forces against ISIS while Democrats are on the fence about too much military in the Middle East. The number of journalists in Baghdad is significantly becoming less and less due to the increasing amounts of violence and the future of this issue is getting more uncertain. What Will the President Do? The White House says that President Obama must ask Congress to use force against ISIS but he doesn’t want “US boots on the ground.” It is expected that the bill to be passed would not authorize the use of ground forces in combat but it could enable the use of force against the terrorist group. There is still debating on whether a bill would be passed at all. The President could return to Congress if necessary to ask for request of ground forces. March 2015 Features The Falconaire Page 5

‘TISThe THE History of the SEASON “Promposal” By Paula Popok ‘15 ally awesome promposals News Editor so they set the bar pretty high leaving girls with high With June coming faster expectations.” than we think that also However, junior Filipa means prom is on the hori- Pereia said she doesn’t feel zon for many of the seniors. a pressure to be asked in a According to Washing- certain way because, “on tonpost.com, the first docu- that day I don’t think I mented use of the phrase would be thinking about “promposal” was seen in the how I got asked or how I Dallas Morning News back asked someone.” in 2001. This was when kids According to Usatoday. were asking each other to com, in 2014 the average prom over the loudspeaker teen spent $978 on prom, in other schools. Some even which shows just how much rewrote the words to Adam of a big event this really is. Sandler’s song “The Wed- Now with today, there ding Singer.” are students, who are stick- But with changing times ing Post-its all over some- and creativity, students one’s car, making creative are constantly thinking of videos, and even using bigger and better things by social media. On Twitter, making a big deal, an even Photo by Lexie Brito ‘15 people send out tweets with bigger deal. MRHS senior Isaiah Searight made a promposal to MRHS senior Carlie Burner that could make the common, “(desired Senior Noor Sarsar said, any girl blush at the beginning of the MRHS Student-Faculty Basketball game in front of the whole number of retweets) and I “I think that [promposals] crowd. can take her/him to prom!” is what adds to the hype Forget a simple question of which makes it more exciting.” whether someone will go with you to prom or not, this is now on a Social agency, Sq1 reported that by 2011, 20,000 promposal videos whole new level. had been uploaded to YouTube in just one month. And, if you just can’t seem to think of anything and want to ask So are promposals now just “expected?” And does it always have to someone in a special way, there are plenty of sources to check out. be a boy asking a girl? Do they have to be dating? Do promposals even Just a few include: Pinterest, YouTube, and even with a quick Google have to be a “thing”? search numerous links pop up right away. Senior Aaron Rodriquez says he feels a lot of pressure to prompose in a special way. “In the past years, some guys have done some re-

Spadavecchia

Werner Hallway Hotties:

TEACHER EDITIONMcDonald

By Pooja Shah ‘15 & Gianna Bellomo ‘15 Co-Editor in Chief & Staff Writer Divincenzo

If you’re trying to dress like Mr. Spadavecchia look no further, you can find him shopping at Macy’s, Lord & Taylor, and DSW. His If you want to be as stylish as shopping motto is to “stick to one Ms. Werner, you can shop just style” and he describes his style like her at Francesca’s, Anthropol- as preppy. When picking out his gie, (both located in The Grove), outfits he makes sure that every- Old Navy and Pacsun. She says thing “flows” from head to toe. she buys a lot of separate pieces Mr.Spadavecchia’s “unlimited” so she can “mix and match,” her he believes “if you like it, buy it.” Love Mr. McDonald’s style? clothes to create new, unique Spadavecchia offers style tips to You can find him shopping at outfits. Ms. Werner never buys MRHS students: Gap or Macy’s. When he pairs his anything full price or without a 1. “Socks have to match outfits he does not try to match. coupon; she says “shopping is all your shirt.” However, it comes naturally. He about finding a good deal.” Her Love Ms. Divincenzo’s style? You can shop just 2. “Always look presentable says his shopping budget is “very like her at Express, H&M, Target and Marshalls. number one style tip to MRHS [for the occasion].” small.” His style tip to MRHS stu- She says she always picks her outfits out the night students is to “save all of your 3. “Make sure your hair dents is too “dress for yourself, before in order to avoid making “irrational deci- clothes!” she says “they will come always looks nice.” not others.” sions” in the morning. Divincenzo says that she back in style…eventually.” 4. “Always wear a belt that will not “spend much unless there are sales,” then matches your shoes.” she will splurge. Her style tip to MRHS students: 5. “Never buy white sneak- accessorize with scarves and long necklaces. Dress like Your Favorite Photos by Pooja Shah ‘15 The Falconaire Page 6 March 2015 Reviews The Pit Just Another Crime Show? Review of “American Crime” TV By Haley Pszeniczny ‘15 and Shannon Kelley ‘15 Reviews Editor and Staff Writer Motion City Soundtrack; do they still have it? This band is about 17 years old. Recently, they played at the Starland Ballroom in New Jersey. If you missed them, don’t worry, the band isn’t anything special, nor was the experience. Music Although the band has been around for awhile, their music isn’t anything to cry over. It is the stereotypical pop punk band, but without the good sound. Maybe they were popular in the late 90’s or early 2000’s, but they definitely By Shannon Kelley ‘15 do not have what it takes to stay at the top with bands such as Staff Writer or Panic! At the Disco and other famous pop punk bands. The band played This may be just another crime show, but it is far from average. mostly from their “”. The only memorable What crime shows do you know that explore racial issues? songs that are worth listening to are “” and “L.G. Faud”, “American Crime” was created by John Ridley who also wrote the both which they played at the concert. These two songs are catchy, unique, and screenplay for “12 Years a Slave”. The show first aired on March 5, fun to listen to. However, the success of those songs does not make up for the 2015 and will have 11 episodes this season on ABC. lack of quality from the rest of The crime takes place in Modesto, . A young veteran the band. was murdered during a home invasion and his beauty queen wife Experience was also attacked and supposedly raped. There are multiple suspects; Being an older band, most a black man addicted to drugs and a young Hispanic male. of their fans are on the older The mother of the victim is racially prejudiced because she had to side. They range from their raise her kids in public housing and had bad experiences with other 20’s to 40’s, making it dif- races. She holds a grudge against the father of the victim for leaving ficult for a person younger her and her children for drugs years back but he still cares about his then 20 to enjoy the concert. family. Also, when playing, the band The murder of the man isn’t exactly the focus. It seems to be a played a slow song right after strictly drug involved murder. The show focuses more on the back- an upbeat one and would kill ground of the people being arrested. All the characters have secrets the mood. Since the band is and the show touches on controversial issues like violence, prejudice, pop punk, there were plenty of mosh pits. If this isn’t someone’s cup of tea, stay race and drugs. away from this band in concert. The results may vary. Overall this show is worth watching since it focuses more on Overall the band is mediocre. They have a unique sound but don’t put out racial prejudice and not just the actual crime itself. But on the other songs that spark interest. What they lack in music they make up for in their hand it would have been interesting to know what happened more attitudes. The band was genuinely nice and seemed glad to be at the small con- with the murder. This show deserves 4 stars and should be watched cert hall. If you’re a fan of their music, go and see them! But if not, don’t waste for the whole season to see the development of the plot. your money, they aren’t anything special.

Are You A “DUFF”?

By Mardly Pierre-Jerome ‘16 Review of “Thenior that is toldDuff” by her popular neighbor Wesley (Robbie Amell) that the Contributer student body refers to her as ‘The DUFF’ to her prettier, more popular You are a “DUFF”. Everyone is a “DUFF”. Like it or not, in your group friends Casey (Bianca A. Santos) and Jess (Skyler Samuels). Desperate to of friends, you are the “Designated Ugly Fat Friend”. Being a Duff doesn’t reinvent herself and to impress her crush, Toby (Nick Eversman), Bianca mean that you have to be ugly or fat; like every other word “Loser’, makes a deal with Wesley to help him pass Chemistry if he helps her not “Bitch”, “Stupid”, and now “Duff”, are just more labels to put others in be ‘The DUFF’. Throughout the movie Bianca tries to find confidence in boxes. Acronym seems a bit vulgar; but, in reality the word has no mean- herself to not care what the schools mean girl Madison () ing unless you give it power. say about her and to remind everyone that no matter what people look or “The DUFF’s” leading actress describes being a act like, we are all someone’s “DUFF”. “DUFF” as, “It could have been anything,” Whitman said. “It could have If “Mean Girls” had a baby or a distant cousin, “The DUFF” would been the friend that doesn’t dress as well or the friend that tells bad jokes be it. You may judge “The DUFF” and think that it’s another cheesy, at a party. It’s like picking something out and making somebody feel like and predictable teen-comedy but, that’s where you’re wrong. It’s not just ‘You’re this and you deserve to be in this category, because I said so.’” another teen-movie, it’s a wonderful insight on how teens feel about Everyone is a “DUFF” because there today in a world filled with labels and hurtful comments at school and on is always going to be a person that is social media. smarter, richer, prettier, and fun- Bianca represents both boys and girls who feel insecure and picked on nier than you are. Nonetheless, it for not being like others. Instead of wallowing in self-hate, Bianca learns shouldn’t affect how you see your- to be comfortable in her skin and that it’s okay to be different. The movie self. is funny and heart-felt and leaves their audience feeling good about The “DUFF” was released on themselves. Mae Whitman wants the audience to know, “that you’re not February 20th 2015, opening at alone because I think it’s a really isolating feeling [being a “DUFF”]. Also number five in its first weekend, to really look at how no matter what box anybody tries to put you in, with $10,809,149, behind “Fifty regardless of any of it - it’s not real and you don’t have to subscribe to it Shades of Grey”, “Kingsman: The and you don’t have to let it affect you.” Secret Service”, and “The Sponge- I think it’s a movie that everyone at one point needs to see because Bob Movie: Sponge Out of Water”. everyone is insecure, everyone feels worthless. People need something to The movie is based off of Kody prove to them that they are worthy and that self-love is the sexiest thing Keplinger novel, The DUFF. that they can wear! I give “The Duff” 3.5 out of 5 stars. The main character Bianca Piper (played by Mae Whitman) is a fun- ny and intelligent high school se- Photo AllCredit: Photo funtimeamerica.com Credits Wikipedia The Falconaire Page 7 SPORTS March 2015 Spring Spotlight Athletes Rising Stars Lexie Brito ‘15 & Pooja Shah ‘15 Lexie Brito and Mary Vergis, Taylor Hager, Jade Eggleston, and Kayla Hueston Copy Editor & Co-Editor in Chief Lexie Brito, and Mary Vergis, have all been playing lacrosse Taylor Hager, Jade Eggleston, and Kayla Hueston have all Matt Vincenti since their freshman year of high school. This season is bringing been playing softball since their freshman year of high school. Matt Vincenti has been playing baseball for 12 years; he is a 3 a lot of changes for the team. The girls look forward to making The team has always been known as the underdogs of their year varsity baseball starter and was second team all conference their last season the best it could be. The team is coming togeth- division, which motivates them to work hard and improve their last year. He has maintained a 3.5 GPA throughout high school, er as a family this year and working hard to improve themselves skills. The girls say their team strives to be the best they can be. and is motivated by the opportunity to move on to the next level and their teammates. and play college baseball.

Vanni Roa Luc Marzano Vanni Roa had been playing tennis for 6 years. His great- Crista DeAngelis Luc Marzano has been running track since his freshman Crsita has been pole vaulting for 4 years. Her best accom- est accomplishments as a tennis player are making the finals of year of high school. As a sophomore, he broke 5 minutes in the the Monmouth County Tournament for second singles (never plishments are placing 5th in shore conference, and 4th at mile, something he says “was a great personal achievement.” He monmouth county championships and sectionals all this winter been done in MRHS history), winning most improved player recently finished his last indoor meet with a broken foot; he says his freshman year, winning the MRHS leadership award his season. Also achieving her personal best of 9ft and the girls “I’m glad I can say I still finished the race.” Marzano says he is track team being division champs last spring season. She stays sophomore year. He stays motivated by better players, he says motivated by his teammates and coaches, he says “I know they this keeps him “determined to work hard enough to eventually motivated by knowing that theres always something she can are working just as hard as I am.” beat them.” improve on.

Photo Credit to Athletes Athletes to Credit Photo Monotony or Madness? How is This Year’s NCAA Tournament Shaping Up? Christian DeFazio ‘15 & Halena Martin ‘16 Sports’ Editor & Staff Writer Only one good thing can come out the month of March, and that is indeed the sports spectacle that is March Madness (college basketball’s tournament to declare their Division I Champion). This tournament is known for nothing but upsets, “Cinderella Stories”, and of course madness. This year however; we might not be looking at the usual madness, but more of a dull, predictable ending to the tournament. With powerhouse schools like Kentucky and Duke running roughshod through there respectable conferences, it seems that there isn’t much hope for the rest of college basketball to win this year. With that being said, here are the Falconaire’s predictions for how this year’s tournament should shape up in our mock bracket. March 2015 MRHS The Falconaire Page 8

Too Good to Be True Faculty Tops the Students Once Again By Lexie Brito ‘15 Copy Editor The annual Student-Faculty game has come and gone yet another year with the teachers coming out on top. The game was held on February 20, 2015 in the Monmouth Regional main gym. Prior to the game MRHS senior Taylor Hager said ,“I feel pretty positive about it. I think we’ve gotten in more practices than the faculty and we have a lot of ex basketball players so I think together as a team we’ll be better.” Science teacher Mr. Daly said, “Prior to the game I was definitely excited because it was supposed to be the toughest competition that the students were going to give the faculty. It is always nice to play [ a team that is] a challenge.” This game was the most competitive that Monmouth has ever seen throughout the past four years. After an aggressive battle, the game continued into overtime. The Monmouth Mani- acs went wild while watching possession of the ball go back and forth between students and teachers. After a student turn over, the faculty held the ball for over a minute and a half dur- ing overtime which forced the students to foul. In the end, the faculty won 42-39 against the students. Post game, rather than feeling excitement, the teachers were more relieved than anything. Everyone in the game took a beating, it was aggressive and intense but Mr.Chlapowski was a believer. He said “In Mrs. James, we trust.” Mrs. James said, “ A lot of people, including my teammates say that I was the MVP but to be honest I would have never [ had] the ball if it wasn’t for my teammates so everyone definitely contributed to that win.” The Student-Faculty Basketball Game was held to raise money for Heroes and Cool Kids; a club run by Mr.Wendel and Mr.Chlapowski. The event raised just over $1,600 for the program. The money will go to T-shirts and transportation for the students involved.

All Photo Credits to Lexie Brito and Mrs. Turner