A PUBLICATION OF MONMOUTH REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL JANUARY/FEB RUARY 2007 • VOLUM E 4 4 • I S S U E 0 4 “While people may promise “Every year for the past 25 “Dedicated, passionate, yet years, students across the “the one inevitable thing that themselves progression towards humble, Cox continues to a goal for the new year, many state have spent months comes with the winter season, sprint into the record books.” [preparing] for this pinnacle is the fanatical desire to main- ORTS TURES forget the promise before the INIONS P A P NEWS S tain political correctness.” – page 04 of high school science O FE month of January even ends.” competition.” – page 03 – page 06 – page 05 Exchanging Experiences By Luke Hall Staff Writer n December 19, a group watched the same TV shows and and general life. Groups were met with the Israeli students the mall. It frustrated me to of six Israeli students movies, listened to the same made pairing one Israeli student had a lot to say. Although there see how years of their govern- Ovisited Monmouth Re- genre of music, and they both with several MRHS students. were many differences between ment drilling [surveillance] gional to speak to students about would be driving at the same This gave the students a more the two groups of students, there into their heads has led them Israel and experience American time. Some differences noted by comfortable environment to ask were also many similarities con- to believe that is all right.” life. Junior Lee Gruensfelder’s Bar were that he does not have questions freely. According to cerning their ways of life. Junior Towards the end of the family happily sponsored one Italian food in Israel; the size of Ms. Davis, the social studies de- Alyssa Gentile says, “I will admit meeting, Superintendent Mr. of the students, Bar Kodesh, the cities, cars, and homes are partment supervisor and one of that I had preconceived notions Cleary gave the students MRHS age 16, through their temple, much big- a b o u t t-shirts and the Israeli assistant and housed him for a week. ger in them, but principal gave Cleary and Da- Thanks to the Gruen- America once I vis a pin that represented their sfelder’s connection to Anne than in Is- l e a r n e d city. The students enjoyed Goldman, who is affiliated with rael; and a b o u t their time here as they educated an organization that is involved that in their re- students about Israel, got sup- in the exchange program, Mon- America, l i g i o n , plies to bring back home, and mouth Regional was fortunate to there is no activities learned about America’s school be visited by the students and their mandato- and home systems. Gruensfelder too en- assistant principal, Mr. Joshua. ry military life, I was joyed the experience and felt it The students were from two high s e r v i c e . h a p p y was, “very enlightening,” This schools in Arad and Moschave Once one to know summer Gruensfelder plans to En Tomar, which are located in turns 18 in how much visit Israel for five weeks with southern Israel, near the Dead Israel, he/ we all had the NFTY (North American she must in com- Sea. For the seven days that Photo by Matt DenBleyker Federation of Temple Youth) serve in m o n . ” the students spent in Monmouth The six Israeli exchange students were thrilled to have a picture program. He had been saving County, they visited local tem- the army. the money from his bar mitz- of them at MRHS to remember their experience. ples, spoke with high school stu- G r u e n - J u n i o r vah (age 13) to buy a car, but dents, and visited New York City. sfelder explains, “It proved that the head coordinators that made Francesca Martelli said, “ I had is now going to take the trip On the weekends, the the media over exaggerates what this meeting possible, “They a hard time understanding how to Israel instead. When Gru- group paired up and went to is going on in Israel. The ex- found out that their similari- comfortable they were with a ensfelder’s mother asked why Philadelphia. There they saw change students go to Tel Aviv ties far outweighed their differ- continuous violation of their pri- he was going, he said that, “It the Liberty Bell, Independence in Jerusalem and very rarely ences.” One of MRHS’s juniors, vacy. It is a normal process to is something I have to do.” Hall, South Street, and also took would a terror attack happen.” Tina Tse, said “They seemed so monitor people’s actions in ev- a carriage ride. Gruensfelder Five social studies much more mature at their age eryday situations like shopping spent the most amount of time classes had the opportunity to and knew what their respon- and visiting friends. They with Kodesh and found that they speak with the students about sibility was for their country.” were appalled to see no metal were very much alike. They both security in Israel, education, MRHS students who detectors or video cameras in The Buzz at MRHS Remembering By Asia Johnson-Martin Staff Writer • There is a new procedure in homerooms regarding the • What happened to National Mourning Day, in honor student ID badges. Because students were missing class time of the passing away of former President Gerald Ford? A stu- by waiting outside of Mr. Larkin’s office for a name tag, teach- dent wondered why National Mourning Day was not acknowl- ers are now required to give them out. Teachers are also required edged in school. There was no moment of silence nor did many to send the names of those students not wearing their ID badg- teachers bring it up. Teeple was surprised that it wasn’t at least es to the office. Then later on in the evening, parents be called. brought up in class. After a student testified that there is not • Some students involved in the freshman transition- much discussion about the Watergate scandal, which is how ing project wonder if their absences from class during transi- President Ford came to office, in history classes, he wondered tion training are being counted towards their allowed 25 days what other things are not being discussed thoroughly in class of absences for school related field trips. In response, Mr. Tee- and has decided to bring it up at the next administration meeting. ple says, “[Transition] is a program that the school has imple- • The weather outside has not shown any signs of fu- mented for school improvement. The administration asked ture snow days, so what is going to happen to those snow Sadly, this January the for these volunteers, [therefore] I cannot penalize them.” days? Teeple says that by law school has to be in session Monmouth Regional com- • For the record religious holidays are not counted in for 180 days but, if MRHS does not use the snow days, then munity lost one of its former the sixteen days of absences that students are allowed. How- they will most likely be used towards having the day of se- students, junior Malcolm Wil- ever, it would be good to bring a note to the attendance of- nior prom off, however the decision is up to the superintendent. liams. The Falconaire would like to remember his life with fice from a parent or guardian explaining the absence. • Dates to remember: the words of MRHS students, • There have been complaints about the lunch tables in which can be viewed in Fea- third lunch being dirty. Teeple says that there are about 400 o 2/6 Report Cards go home tures, page 3. kids in every lunch period and after that lunch period there is o 2/7: Next Principal’s Advisory meeting only one custodian cleaning the tables and throwing away left over trash. Teeple does plan to take action against the situation. See page 3 for more Falconaire January/February 2007 BIG SPENDING 2 Dethroning the iGod By Bill Yadlon Staff Writer icrosoft. The name software, Apple has been able of unique and useful features, coming in fourth among consumers foaming at the itself exudes tech- to market their product flaw- one being its Wifi, wireless all mp3 players, behind mouth to own one. Despite Mnological suprem- lessly to people of all ages. connection capability. Unlike Apple, which finished with its unsuccessful debut, you acy in nearly every elec- Avaible in every variety from the iPod, the Zune can connect 57.3 % of sales, SanDisk, can wager Microsoft will tronic in the world today. the tiny, one-gigabyte shuffle, wirelessly to a computer or and Creative. As expected, do all it can to improve the However, the one product to the 60-gig iPod Video, laptop, allowing users to leave Microsoft’s heavily ad- Zune for next year. But until Bill Gates’ multi-billion- it’s easy to find an iPod to their USB connection cable at vertised leap into the mp3 then, long live the iPod: the dollar company has yet to fit anyone’s needs. This past home. Furthermore, the Zune player market turned into portable music deity. seize control of is the mp3 holiday season Microsoft comes with a built-in radio nothing more than a stumble. player market. Since 2001, released its own high-end with the aptitude for XM sat- Clearly, iPod’s illustrious Apple Computers’ famous mp3 player, the “Zune,” in ellite radio, whereas the iPod reputation for quality has iPod has monopolized the hopes of stripping Apple of has no radio whatsoever.