Monroe FalconTheMONROE TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL |1629 PERRINEVILLE ROAD| MONROE TWP, NEW JERSEY 08831 | VOL. XI ISSUE 3 | November 9, 2009

What’s InsIdedouble truck.......... 8-9school neWs......... 10-11entertaInment..... 12-13op-ed .......................... 14sports..................... 15-16

school neWs............. 2-3Features........................ 4speacIal Features....... 5World neWs ................ 6neWs .............................. 7

The Monroe Falcon Staff salutes all

American soldiers

by MICHAEL BAUMANN Editor-in-Chief

Since replacing Dr. Ralph Ferrie, whose position was temporarily filled by Interim Superintendent Joseph King, in February, Dr. Kenneth Hamilton has worked toward resolving decisive issues faced by the district, such as the budget and ensuring the needs of students and teachers alike are met. “I came in during the middle of the [budget] cycle,” says Dr. Hamilton. “I had just developed a budget in my previous district while simultaneously coming into Monroe, so I had two budgets in my head, and I must familiarize myself with the Monroe budget, which is extremely extensive.” Hamilton is required to learn about the district’s programs, staff needs and sources of revenue and to gauge the state of Monroe’s schools. Explaining how the district is beginning to collect necessary information to create next year’s budget, the superintendent says the budget “is resolved as of now, but now we’re starting the process for the 2010-2011 school year.”

Pg. 10

After eight months in office, Hamilton’s day-to-day responsibilities as Superintendent of Monroe Township Schools often vary greatly. “Most of the days are not at all consistent,” says Dr. Hamilton. “Part of the day is spent working directly with school principals. The other part of the day is spent reviewing information from the State Department of Education, the governor or commissioner, regarding changes in code.” While organizing the budget was an anticipated task, the superintendent has had to deal with the unexpected concern of preparing the district for the potential H1N1 virus pandemic. “So much goes into learning about a pandemic,” says Hamilton. “Planning to anticipate… is like on the job training… it’s new to everyone.” To prepare for the virus, a district committee is working to “generate in-class instruction in the events of a school closure” while another is “looking at the parameters [for the schools] to operate as a vaccination site, but there is concern with

cont’d pg. 3

Superintendent Hamilton k e e p s s c h o o l d i s t r i c t m o v i n g f o r w a r d

Talent defines ‘Showcase’ 2009

BAD BREATH Jane (Junior, Kayla Eisenberg) pulls away as her fiancé, Dink (Senior, Stephen Kane), tries to sneak a kiss during the scene, “Marred Bliss”.

Photo/Jackie Push

by ELIZABETH RUSSO and RAEVIN WALTERS

Staff Writers The Marasco Theatre stage shined the light on the talents of the Footlights Club actors during its three day run of Showcase 2009, beginning October 26. Stellar performances, by the cast singing Broadway musical classics, more than made up for the minimalist stage setting and allowed the choreography to utilize much of the open space. The curtain opened with the spotlight on junior Jessica Sabanos’s singing Irving Berlin’s “When the Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabana,” from the play, When a melody Lingers On. The imaginary train quickly fills up with characters performed by seniors Melissa Sherwood, Sabella Lichthman and Erik Haramady, juniors Alyssa Consentino, Rishi Sharma,and Kyle Suarez, sophomores Alexis Hanna and

Anna Maynard, and freshman Zachary Levine. A line of six girls purge their bad relationships while washing their hair and singing the lyrics of Richard Roger’s song “I’m Gonna Wash That Man,” from the play South Pacific. Each lady displayed her feminist strength by advising the female audience members not to waste time on the wrong man. Senior Renee La Plante dressed in a red polka dot dress, sang “My Funny Valentine” from the play Babe in Arm by Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart. Her solo performance displayed genuine talent and exquisite grace. In Mark O’Donnell’s Marred Bliss, Jane (Eisenberg) prepares to “tie the net” onto her fiancé, Dink (Kane). The scene is performed with a quirky Alaskan accent which the audience enjoyed because of the many mispronunciations leading to the subtle innuendo. “Everybody Oughta Have a

cont’d pg. 2

by ALI DEITCHEExecutive Editor

New Jersey’s voters instituted a gubernatorial change on November 3, by electing Republican Christopher Christie as governor over Democratic incumbent, Jon Corzine. In light of the negative television advertisements produced by both candidates attacking their opponent, New Jersey voters had to decide which politician they would rather vote in as governor. Some lost hope in the election’s

New Jersey chooses change in governor election

ability to bring a true “change” to the state’s politics. “I’m not happy with Corzine, but I don’t know if Christie will be any better,” says Mrs. Catherine Simmons, Monroe Township High School Language Arts teacher. A New York Times poll published on October 16 reveals less than 24% of New Jersey residents believe corruption will decrease, regardless of whether Corzine or Christie was elected. The poll also states 50% of residents think corruption will stay the same and 18% believe

it will increase with Christie as governor. These results solidify the feeling that most New Jersey citizens are resigned to accept that dishonesty is present in state government. Simmons says, “I think there is a lot of corruption in New Jersey politics, but I don’t expect an overnight change.” Since taking gubernatorial office in 2006, Corzine has failed to solve or alleviate New Jersey’s considerable financial woes. Reflective of the nationwide recession, the state is

cont’d pg. 11

The fall of the Berlin Wall, 20 years ago today, marked the begin-ning of a new era in history. It was

the end of the Cold War, and the beginning of a fully united Europe.

Graphic/Angela Wo

Page 2 School NewS November 9, 2009

School Briefs

The moNroe FalcoN STaFFBusiness Manager

Jamie Costa

school news editoramanda sedlemeyer

entertainMent editorJill shah

sports editorJoey romanCzuk

layout editorangela Wo

staff writersanupali BeWtra

JessiCa Billitz

ViCtoria Cinquegrana

winners of the coluMBia scholastic press as-sociation 2008 gold Medalist certificate

& 2007 Bronze Medalist certificate

stephanie eng

shaena gupta

allie houlihan

Jazmin James

raChel koWal

gaBriella laFata

Christina mattina

katelyn merCier

dan morgans

aditya patel

elizaBeth russo

Jenna rutsky

raeVin Walters

art/photography editorJaCkie push

photographerJeanna dressel

by JENNA RUTSKYStaff Writer

Cars, old and new, with gleaming paint jobs and polished rims, paraded into the Monroe Township parking lot on October 11, for the 7th annual Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) car show. Spectators voted for their favorite automobile in each category including best student car, best car not owned by a student, best truck, and best in show. Dominick Stasi, MTHS senior, won best student car. “I was the only student entered,” says Stasi, laughing as, he proudly carried his trophy to his Jeep Wrangler. Retired Old Bridge teacher, Mr. Bill McDonnell, showed off his limited edition Montclair Turnpike Cruiser. McDonnell says he found the rare car while browsing on his

computer. “It was the first one I’d ever seen,” says McDonnell of his powder-blue historic car. “I love it because the styling of the car is over-the-top.” Bruce Bartholomew won the best truck with his 1955 Chevrolet 3100, which he says he got off E-Bay. “It

Hot rods pull into DECA Car Show

Photo/Jenna Rutsky

took five years to fix up and I only take it out on nice days.” Joe Russo’s silver Chevrolet Camero Z28 won best in show at the event. “I didn’t expect I would win,” says Russo, smiling. “I always wanted a Camero. I’ve always gone with Chevy’s- I’ve had one all my life.” The car is 30-years-old with 550 horse power. D.J. Stick Shirt Eddie provided

1950’s and 60’s rock

n’ roll

music as the show ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vinny T’s Hotdogs and

A l e x ’ s Lemonade Stand sold food and

drinks and door prizes were handed to participants of the show. Deborah Stapenski, DECA advisor, says, “I had the opportunity to speak with many of the entrants and they were

impressed with the s h o w a n d

were having a great

by AMANDA SEDLMAYEREditor

On Saturday, October 17 Key Club held a pancake fundraiser from 8 to 12 a.m. at Rossmoor, declaring its first fundraiser for the year to be a success.

In accordance with School Violence Awareness Week, October 19-23, a “Balance of Power” assembly was held during Block 1B on October 19 for sophomores and juniors. Mike and Kelsey Domeny traveled all the way from Erwindale, California to present an hour-long video to students on bullying, school, friends and family. “I love the opportunity to be a positive voice for kids,” says Mike Domeny.

Spanish Honors Society held its first meeting on October 15. Members discussed requirements, rules, upcoming fundraisers and “el amigo secretivo”. Each member is required to sell six tubs of cookie dough by the next meeting on November 11.

National Honors Society collected nonperishable food items for the Jamesburg Presbyterian Church from October 12 to 16. Students will discuss an upcoming clothing drive for second marking period at the next meeting on November 16.

The Freshman class is holding a popcorn fundraiser to collect money for their proms and senior activities. Students are selling Popcorn Palace brand popcorn. Orders are due by November 11 or 12. Forms are due in Freshman History classes. If interested, please see Ms. Abbruzzese or a freshman to order you own bag!

above: BEST IN SHOW Joe Russo proudly displays his Best in Show trophy along with his 30-year-old Z28 Chevrolet Camero that he drives to historic car shows every weekend.left: SHOWING OFF Robert Bliss poses by his historic 1941 Packard Coupe that he restored to its original conditon after five years of reconstruction. below: ONLY CAR Senior Dominic Stasi, the only student to enter his car in the DECA Car Show, holds his trophy for best student car next to his Jeep Wrangler.

time.” The show raised

$1280 to benefit the Alex’s Lemonade

S t a n d F o u n d a t i o n for Childhood Cancer. DECA

continued their f u n d r a i s i n g efforts on November 1 at the Monroe Township R e c r e a t i o n a l C e n t e r ’ s Octoberfest.

Showcase cont’d from pg. 1

A MAID IN THE HOUSE From left to right, senior, Stephen Kane and juniors, Kyle Suarez and Rishi Sharma, risk public humiliation as they prance around to ‘Everybody ‘Ought to Have a Maid’ from the play, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.”

Photo/Jackie Push

Maid” from a Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Stephen Soidheim, provoked roars of laughter from the audience. Philia(Hanna), the new female servant, causes quite a whirl in the Roman villa and Senex (Sharma), the Roman master of the house praises all of the wonderful qualities of having a maid. His servants (Harmondy, Suraez, Kane) encourage their master’s newfound appreciation for maids, adding that maids “clean in the kitchen, flatter in the bedroom, (and) wiggle in the other rooms.” The 60’s themed choreography was a striking accompaniment to the song “Tick-Tock, Goes the Clock “ from Burt Bacharack and Hal David’s play Promises, Promises. Opening the second act, was the Showcase’s annual Halloween musical number, the classic

“Monster Mash” from Love Kills by Bobby Pickett and Leonard Capizzis. The eerie recording was the background to a laboratory where the Mad Scientist (Torres) and his frightening nurses resurrected the bodies of monsters. From the play, Follies, by Stephen Sondheim, cast members La Plante, Restivo, Eisenberg ,and freshman Zachary Levine, displayed musical skill in each of their solo performances. “Oh, How I Hate To Get Up,” from Yip,Yip,Yaphank, is Irving Berlin’s salute to the American soldier. The song relates the agony of soldiers forced to awake by the much hated buglar. Fight Dreams, by Allison Weiss was a comical scene starring Alyssa Cosentino. Her portrayal of a desperate woman, hungry for

romance and engulfed in a fantasy love with Bradley ( Torres ) is both funny and believable. The senior song, “Friendship,” from Anything Goes spotlighted senior performers. Cole Porter wrote the song in 1934 and it continues to remain a timeless tribute to friendship. “I’m pleasantly surprised and feel we left the drama club in good hands,” says former cast member Fredrick Waldron, “They are living up to precedents we left behind.”

The showcase entertained audiences with lively songs and fabulous talents. With so many praise-worthy scenes, audience members did not stop acknowledging cast members and the director, language arts teacher Mr. Bob Byrnes. Cast member Jessica Sabonos says, “This is my life, the reason I come to school…the cast helps each other out and have created a good environment for each other.”

School NewS Page 3

Pencil It In!

November 11 Powder Puff Game at 6:30 PM

(Stadium)

November 12 Financial Aid Seminar from 6-9 PM

(Media Center)Marching Band Dinner at

7 PM

November 13 Marking Period Ends

Report Card Grade Post-ing Opens

November 18 Report Card Grade Posting ClosesASVAB Testing at 9:30 AM

(Media Center)

November 19 Report Cards Mailed Home

PTO Meeting at 7:30 PM (Media Center)

November 25 4-Hour Session

November 26-27 School Closed

December 1 Parent Conferences from 5:30-8

PM

December 2 4-Hour Session

December 3 Parent Conferences from 5:30-8

PM

December 4 4-Hour Session

Middlesex Choral Festival from 2-10 PM

November 9, 2009

by CARLA PALERMOExecutive Editor

by JILL SHAHEditor

Art/Rachel Kowal

In its inaugural year, the Italian Honors So-ciety club allows students to explore Italy’s culture outside the classroom. Italian was first introduced at MTHS in 2004. The language was then of-fered at Applegarth Middle School in 2006. Advisors and Italian teachers, Ms. Rose- marie Benjamin and Ms. S a r a C o x , c r e -ated

t h e I t a l -

ian Hon- o r s S o c i e t y for stu- dents who take t h e l a n g u a g e . Benjamin says, “We wanted Italian students to have the same opportunities as students who take French or Spanish.” The preparations for the Italian Honors So-ciety began mid-way last year. The advisors had to prepare a set of guidelines and proce-dures for the board of education.

The club consists of 18 students in their third year of Italian. Since the club is run by the students, they plan the club’s agenda. This year, club mem- bers will donate to the Italian Ameri- can Heritage

Foundation (I.A.H.F.)

in Flushing, Queens. T h e y also will organize f o o d d r i v e s and hold cultural nights where all students can attend. After the first meeting on September 23, the board members were elected by the club members. The board consists of junior Christina Spoleti as president, senior Nick

S o c i e t a o n o r a r i a i t a l i a n ao p e n s d o o r t o s t u d e n t s

Hamilton cont’d from pg. 1

Iadevaia as vice president, junior Megan Bonomici and senior Kelly Craig as co-sec-retaries and sophomore Samantha Varga as t r e a - surer. In addition to attending

meetings and events, members must maintain grades in

their academic class-

e s . All stu-

dents m u s t sustain a n A a v - e r -a g e i n their Italian c l a s s and at least a B in all other academic courses. Cox says, “We require the students to be well-rounded and smart.” The Italian Honors Society is off to an ex-cellent start with its new members coming in with fresh ideas. All the students in the club are dedicated to Italian language and culture. Spoleti says, “We want to open the student’s eyes about the Italian culture.”

liability, staffing and management,” says Hamilton. Hamilton says high school nurses, Maryann Procopio and Cathy Lestingi, are organizing the plan to administrate the vaccine while a detailed letter, along with a parental consent form, concerning the vaccination program has been mailed to students’ homes, and a Global Connect message was also sent out on October 21 in order to inform families. “The next step is to secure the serum, which is picked up from the County Department of Health by a management team run by the Monroe Township Police Department,” he says. The serum will be delivered in temperature controlled units and immediately put into storage and locked. On the days of vaccina-

tion, the vaccines will be delivered in a simi-lar manner to the serum to schools in the district and administrated to students who have parental consent. Although the nasal sprays used to prevent H1N1 are currently available, the district is not interested in obtaining any, instead focusing on the attainment of the vac-cines, which will occur within the next few weeks. He says, “If it comes today, we’re ready.” Aside from the vaccination program, Ham-ilton is currently working to see an increase in student test scores, which are “good now, but I want to see more kids at advanced lev-els of proficiency.” Hamilton also wants more high school students to take the PSATs and SATs and

is making the PSAT mandatory for all tenth graders, beginning next year.

In order to see improvements in students’ academic abilities, the superintendent has brought the AVID program to Monroe schools. The program, designed to aid un-derachieving middle and high school stu-dents by better preparing them for college, is currently in place at both Applegarth Middle School and the high school. Despite the program being in the earliest stages, Hamilton remains very optimistic on it yielding positive results. “Teachers have been trained, materials have been ordered, students have been chosen,” says Hamilton. “It’s too soon to say it’s a great success, but it’s off to a good start.” In terms of future plans for the district, Hamilton urges a necessary reconfiguration of the elementary schools, eventually turn-ing Applegarth into one after the current high school becomes a middle school. Hamilton expresses a wish to see less use of provisional buildings in school, particu-larly. “We need to reconfigure the district to alle-viate reliance on temporary structures,” says Hamilton. Additional reporting/ Amanda Sedlmayer

Photo/Rebecca ClaytonSTANDING PROUD Dr. Kenneth Hamilton, Monroe Township Superintendent of Schools, takes a moment to smile for the camera during one of his busy days.

“Part of the day is spent working directly with

school principals. The other part of the day is spent

reviewing information from the State Department of

Education...”

FeaturesPage 4 November 9, 2009

by JAMIE COSTABusiness Manager

Comcast Movie Reelz showcases Monroe Township High School seniors Jeremy Grossman and Matthew Bara on its movie review segment “Movie Mob,” aired every Saturday at 9 a.m. During this past summer, Grossman sent an audition tape to the shows producers, after having watched Movie Reelz for several months. He reviewed Fighting, starring Channing Tatum for his audition video. Ivan Diem, a former MTHS student was Grossman’s recording partner when filming the audition tape, and also expressed interest in auditioning to host the show. Five weeks after mailing the audition tape, the producers called Grossman, congratulating him on becoming part of the show for his creativity and enthusiasm. “As soon as they said I was accepted, I screamed louder then ever in the middle of the hallway and was extremely excited,” says Grossman. In the beginning, Diem was supposed to be Jeremy’s partner on the show but moved during

Real news behind “ M o v i e R e e l z ”

MOVIE REVIEWING TEEN Senior Jeremy Grossman strikes a pose as he does every Saturday morning when he reviews movies on “Movie Mob” a segment on Comcast’s Reelz Channel.

Photo / Jamie Costa

by GABRIELLA LAFATAStaff Writer

Impending graduation day translates both stress and anticipation for Monroe Township High School seniors. MTHS senior Joseph Mendoza says, “I am very nervous about g r a d u a t i n g because it is the end of our high school career. Now we have to make decisions that affect our college career and future,” While Mendoza procrastinates college duties, Senior Christina Bavuso says “College is going to be the time of our lives; we learn the true meaning of responsibility and how to live on our own. Graduation is just another step to growing up; it’s a test of mental and emotional strength,” Senior Dan Pelligra excitedly prepares for the change in environment. Saying “Now that my applications are in, I’m not nervous at all. I’, looking forward to move on with my life and be independent ay college,” Fellow student Ted Moke is ready to move on to college as well, but says high school

Graduation anxiety

the summer. When Grossman notified the producers of this, they nonchalantly requested Grossman find a new partner. Upon Diem’s departure, Bara, a good friend of Grossman’s, accepted the offer to appear. “Movie Mob” was added to the Reelz Channel in December of 2006. When the show first premiered, adults were more welcomed and more prominently featured than young teenagers, but that has changed. Grossman and Bara were added to the show since its inception this past summer. “The fact that I get to be on TV and have people who I don’t know watch me is what got me most interested in being a part of the show,” says Bara. Bara and Grossman, known as “The Recess Boys” on the show because of their young age, are the only teenagers among the show’s cast. “I tell everyone that I can talk to so that a lot of people know and can see what kind of performer I am,” says Grossman when asked if people are aware of his unusual job. Unlike reading a movie review in a magazine or a newspaper, “Movie Mob” airs skits about

the movie that is being reviewed, performed by the reviewers. Zombieland, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Amber Heard was the last movie reviewed by the “Recess Boys”. Their latest skit featured Bara as a zombie terrorizing Grossman, who played an innocent civilian. After watching a movie, Grossman and Bara talk to each other over the internet using the online web-chat program, Skype, to discuss their opinions on the film. “My favorite part about participating in the show is whenever I film a fun activity and act out scenes as a real character from the movie,” says Bara. Even though they both enjoy the spotlight, neither anticipates reviewing movies as a future career. Grossman would like to produce his own movies and participate behind the scenes, rather than being in front of the camera. “For me, being on the show is just a creative outlet. I would rather become a mechanical engineer,” Bara says.“Movie Mob” not only entertains young-adults, but reviews movies for all theatre-goers.

career has been “phenomenal”. Senior year comes with dozens of advantages. Students look forward to senior events such as senior picnic, pranks and prom.

Yet there is one disadvantage; there remains only one

year to spend with high school friends. Senior Nicolette Muce is extremely scared to lose contact with her close friends. “This is my last year to be with

all the people I loved. I’m really going to miss all the

faces that surrounded me everyday,” Meanwhile, Jon Decandia does not think friendships will end. “I’m not worried about losing friends. The good friends I have made I plan on still being in

contact with. Even after high school we will make time to see each other,” he says. So while some students embrace the college adventures, others tend to hide behind fear. As the graduation date approaches, anxiety sets in for those who do not like change. Luckily, every senior has many understanding peers who are experiencing this hard yet exciting time.

see pg. 13 for answers

Special FeatureS page 5November 9, 2009

by STEPHANIE ENG and CHRISTINA MATTINAStaff Writers

According to the Global Issues online site, nearly two billion people around the world live on less than two dollars a day. The average person in impoverished countries, such as Zimba-bwe and Ethiopia, make an average of 55 cents to $2.19 a day, which is approximately 230 times less than your typical American. Seven Falcon News reporters took on the challenge of living on only two dollars for one day. Each reporter chose a specific day with some attempting the most challenging days, Saturday and Sunday. Reporters juniors Joey Romanczuk, Dan Morgans, and Anupali Bewtra and sophomores Aditya Patel, Christina Mattina, Stephanie Eng, and Rachel Kowal share their experiences of success and failure.

Two dollars a dayReporters discover the value of a dollar

SUNDAYAnupali Bewtra

Anupali Bewtra, however, did not enjoy herself. As she only ate an omelet, a slice of bread and a sandwich. Her family celebrated New Year’s with a full feast, which they had devoured shamelessly. Least to say, Bewtra did not have a happy and filling New Year’s that day.

MONDAYJoey Romanczuk

Joey Romanczuk ate a cup of Cheerios and milk, which came to about 65 cents under the intended bud-get. Though not hungry during lunch, Romanczuk had underestimated the cost of what he ate for breakfast and did not know how he was going to get through the rest of the day. By dinner, Romanc-zuk came to realize that he had no chance of complet-ing the chal- lenge and continued his final meal, eating two slices of pizza. The battle was lost. “I completly underestimated the task at hand, i had no idea how hard eating on two dollars a day would be. I could never do it.”

TUESDAYAditya Patel

Aditya Patel gobbled down $1.10 worth of Pop-Tarts for breakfast and bought lunch from the school cafeteria. Patel ate his way 70 cents over budget half-way through the day and added to the ever-growing bill as he consumed his din-ner. Patel says that he “had to choose between spending money and starving,” evidently choosing to splurge.

WEDNESDAYChristina Mattina

Christina Mattina stretched her money to last the whole day. Inex-pensive bagels, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and pasta kept her stom-ach full without breaking the bank. While still managing to eat healthily, Mattina managed to stay 34 cents un-der budget.

THURSDAYDan Morgans

Dan Morgans started off strong, skipping breakfast and eating only

an apple for lunch. By dinner-time, his resolve weakened

and ate chicken parme-san with corn. Instead

of drinking the alterna-tive choice of tap water, Morgans gulped down bottles of water, manag-

ing to go way over budget with just that one meal.

FRIDAYStephanie Eng

Stephanie Eng spent her money in a much thriftier manner by eating low-cost grains, like oatmeal, and self-baked croissants, spending only $1.86. It was not as hard as she expected, “probably because I don’t eat three square meals a day.”

SATURDAYRachel Kowal

While in actuality Rachel Kowal stayed in budget, per-suading her sister to buy $20 worth of stuff is besides the point of this experiment. “It taught me that you have to be careful with your money, but not too careful…don’t be too strict with it, just enjoy yourself.” Kowal had, indeed, enjoyed herself as she stuffed her face with pizza.

by ANUPALI BEWTRAStaff Writer

Graphic/ Angela Wo

“Average families in America spend $15 billion on bottled water a year,” says C h a r l e s Fishman, a senior writer for Fast C o m p a n y Magazine in a radio interview with Na-tional Public Radio (NPR). Leading brands of bottled w a t e r , Dasani and Aquafina contain w a t e r from public municipal water w h i c h goes through a purification pro- c e s s called reverse osmosis. “The water has to come from somewhere,” says Dave, a spokesperson forAquifina. A .5 liter of purified water averages $1.05 per bottle. Ms. Laura Grannet, a Monroe Township High School history teacher says, “I buy bottle water for con-venience, believe it or not, but it is wrong.” During an unscientific ex-periment held on October 22 in the lunch cafeteria, a ‘Fal-con News’ reporter filled 240 dixie cups with either tap or bottled water. Students randomly sampled water and discarded the empty cup into the tap or bottled wa-ter box, or depending on which they thought it was. Unknowingly to students the tap water was color coded with purple, black and yellow, while the spring

‘Message in a bottle’water color coded pink, orange, and blue. Sophomore Deepa Patil who drank two cups of bottle wa-ter and placed it in two different boxes says, “I could not even taste the difference.” Junior Shruthishree Sukumar says, “they both kind of tast-ed the same. There was no difference. I use tap water it is cheaper and bottle water contains the contaminants that tap water has so it is really not pure as many people think. It is a hoax. “ The Safe Drinking Water Act sets the standards for the Federal Environmental Protection Agencies’ (EPA) allow-ance of 90 contaminants of drinking water. The new labels on Aquifina’s bottle water will reflect the FDA standards by labeling Aquifina’s bottled water with “PWS” ( Public Water Source). Food Drug Association (FDA) allows manufactures to be responsible for producing safe, wholesome and truthfully labeled bottled water products. “If this helps clarify the fact that the water originates from public sources, then it’s a reasonable thing to do,” comments Pep-siCo. spokeswoman Michelle Naughton to CNN.com. The question be-comes what is the difference between tap and bottled water? The FDA con-trols bottle water regulations, while (EPA) controls tap water issues on production, distribution, and

quality of drinking water.

While the FDA follows the same federal standards, in the unlikely chance bottled water product is found to be sub-standard, it can be recalled. Tap water cannot. The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) tested 103 brands of bottled water and concluded that water out of a bottle is not being cleaner or safer than water from the tap. “If bottled water can give no assurance that water is clean-er, than I would not buy water bottles because it just adds more plastic in dumps,” says junior Maheen Mirza. Ubiquitous plastic water bottles can be extremely heavy, and the United States alone drinks one billion bottles of wa-ter. That doesn’t even count the water coming from Germany and Norway and Iceland and so forth by ship. “Companies bear some responsibilities for this but we con-sumers bear most of the responsibility...more than 70 per-cent of the plastic bottles in which bottled water is typically sold are never recycless,” says Charles Fishman.

Falcon News reporters conducted an unscientific experiment on October 22. A total of 236 Dixie cups filled with bottled and tap water were randomly tested. Students thought 68 cups were bottled water, and 168 cups were tap water. While in fact, bottled and tap water were distributed evenly in 118 each.

World NeWsPage 6 November 9, 2009

The World Today

Graphic/Carla Palermo

by VICTORIA CINQUEGRANAStaff Writer

6. Global warming has begun to severly impact Nepals’s ice glaciers in the Himalayan Mountains. Once-frozen waterfalls are melting due to an increase in climate temperature, causing lakes to form around the bases of the mountains. Maps of the regions in the 1960’s showed no bodies of water surrounding the mountains, a sign that the lakes mysteriously formed as a result of the melting ice. The climate change has been beneficial to famers, watering crops and supplying water for grazing livestock. Scientists believe it is too late to stabilize the glaciers to their original condition.

Asia

by ALLIE HOULIHANStaff Writer

5. A sixteen year old girl, whose name was not specified, from Baldvis was killed in a car crash on October 8 in a suburb of Perth Australia. The details were posted on Facebook before the parents were notified. The girl, along with three other girls,was in the car driven by a twenty one year old man when oncoming traffic caused him to swerve and the vehicle rolled off the road. Police are investigating if alcohol was involved. Her parents were not fully aware of the crash when they arrived a half an hour after the accident. They were devastated and emotionally overwhelmed. Police chaplain Keith Carmody said, “For the dad it was just devastation and overwhelmed. The mom was similar she was fairly strong until she had to do the identification.” Sergeant Clifford Graham said, “It’s not illegal but we are disappointed for the family.”

Australia

by JENNA RUTSKY Staff Writer

3. The International Olympic Committee selected Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Olympic Games, beginning October 2. Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil, will be the first South American city to host the Olympics. At the Olympic Committee’s 121st Assembly in Copenhagen, Denmark, Rio de Janeiro beat out Madrid 66 to 32 votes in the final round of elimination. Despite personal appeals by President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting. President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said, “Human beings need challenges and Brazil needed these Olympic Games. I feel even more proud to be a Brazilian.” President Obama congratulated President Lula da Silva, saying, “As neighbors in the Americas, as friends to the Brazilian people, we welcome this extraordinary sign of progress and that fact that the 2016 Games will be in the Americas.”

South Americaby RACHEL KOWAL

Staff Writer

2. NASA sent LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) on to the lunar surface of the moon on October 9 in search of frozen ice water. LCROSS impacted the surface of the moons South Pole creating twin indentations. The twin indentations created did not have enough impact on the moon to break through the surface as NASA scientists had hoped for. Debris and dust kicked up from the impact will hopefully bring scientists new information about the moons. Launched in June 2008, LCROSS traveled on its historic mission for 113 days, soaring a total of 5.6 million miles before making contact with the moon’s surface. Throughout LCROSS’s historic mission, the satellite collected information about the South Pole of the Earth’s moon. “We still plan to spend about two weeks rigorously and carefully sifting through our data before announcing to the public whether the moons crater contains water,” says mission scientist, Jennifer Heldmann. NASA scientists reason the water below the lunar surface will open a new door to the moon exploration.

North America

GIRLS DEATH POSTED ON FACEBOOK Girls death posted on Facebook before parents were notified.

by JENNA RUTSKYStaff Writer

1. Britain will be providing Zimbabwe with $100 million to help support its new democratic government and to restore services such as water sanitation, education, and health care. “We thought the formation of the inclusive government was a significant step,” says British ambassador, Mark Canning. “The U.K. wants it to succeed. We are not holding back and will be supporting it to the tune of $100 million this year.” Zimbabwe’s new democratic government has faced trying times from the start. The government is politically divided, causing tension between those who support radical President Robert Mugabe and those who support conservative Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. Accusations of false play have gone back and forth between the parties. Western donors are reluctant to give aid to Zimbabwe until evidence can be seen that reforms are being enacted.

Africa

RIO WINS THE BID President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, gestures as he speaks to the Olympic Committee in Copenhagen, Denmark on October 2.

Photo/ AP Images

STARTING NEW President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai shake hands at a press conference after announcing the creation of Zimbabwe’s new democratic government.

Photo/AP Images

by ELIZABETH RUSSOStaff Writer

4. The United Nations Human Rights council authorized a report on October 16 specifying evidence of war crimes committed by the Israeli army and Hamas militants during the Gaza war in December. The Human Rights council vote in Geneva was partially an attempt to press both the Israelis and Palestinians to compel their own investigations into the war crimes. The council’s resolutions by sanctioning several proposals within the report also threatened action by the Untied Nations Security Council and the International Criminal Court. Of the 47 members of the Human Rights Council, 25 supported the measure, 6 opposed it, 11 abstained, and 5 cast nay.

Middle East

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News Page 7November 9, 2009

by STEPHANIE ENGStaff Writer

Graphic/ Angela Wo

NASA’s much anticipated Lunar Crater Ob-servation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission ended with smashing results when a space rocket crash-landed onto the moon’s surface. On June 18, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) launched robot-ic spacecrafts with the intentions of provid-ing an insight to one of the moon’s biggest secrets: Is there water that could help sup-port the future exploration of astronauts? Nearly four months later, on October 9, the LCROSS rocket hurtles into the lunar sur-face, creating a crater near the moon’s south pole. The impact of the spacecraft released ma-terials from the lunar surface that will be analyzed for the presence of hydrated min-erals which would tell researchers if water is there or not. Dispirited watchers of the west coast say the plume was small and hard to see, even with telescopes of great magnitude. “The lack of a visible plume might actu-ally be good scientific news,” said Gregory Schmidt, deputy director of the Lunar Sci-ence Institute in his comments to the Octo-ber 9 issue of the Oakland Tribune, “because it may have indicated the booster and space-

LCROSS mission big hit with moon

craft struck looser, softer material, which would excavate more material and give the instruments a better chance to detect wa-ter.” The LCROSS mission includes the Shep-herding Spacecraft, the Centaur upper stage rocket, and the Lunar Reconnaissance Or-biter (LRO). All three are connected to each other for launch, but then the LRO separates one hour after launch.

by EIZABETH RUSSOStaffWriter

United States President Barack Obama woke up the morning of October 9 to dis-cover he had won the Nobel Peace Prize. President Obama immediately released a statement saying he was “surprised and deeply humbled” by the committee’s deci-sion. According to CNN.com Obama said he did not feel he deserved to be in the company of past Peace Prize winners, but would ac-cept the prize while trying to attain a broad range of international objectives, including nuclear nonproliferation, a reversal of the global economic downturn and a resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said President Obama won the prize because of “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen in-ternational diplomacy and cooperation be-tween peoples.” The committee also acknowledged the on-going U.S. conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, noting that he is the “commander in chief of a country that is responsible for ending a war and working in another theater to confront a ruthless adversary that directly threatens the American people.”

OBAMA WINS NOBEL PRIZE President Barack Obama speaks at the White House Rose Garden while ac-cepting his Nobel Peace Prize.

Obama wins Peace Prize

The Shepherding Spacecraft guides the Centaur rocket to a site that has a high probability of containing water. Because this mission has only one chance to find water, researchers have to be very precise where they program the spacecraft to guide the rocket. The rocket then separates from the Shep-herding Spacecraft and hits the Moon at more than twice the speed of a bullet, caus-

ing the impact that resulted in a big plume of lunar debris, and possibly water. While this is happening the Shepherd-ing Spacecraft cameras took pictures of the rocket’s descent and collision into the moon. The analysis is specifically looking for wa-ter in the form of ice and vapor. The Shep-herding Spacecraft is collecting data con-tinuously and transmitting it back to Earth before it is destroyed. After many examinations, scientists an-nounced a stunning discovery that water molecules were embedded in the top few millimeters of the moon’s surface. But does that mean that water exists on the moon? “There is about a trillion tons of water in the moon’s poles,” says MTHS astronomy teacher Dr. Dean water on the moon could mean it could support life. We’re hoping to use [the moon] as a base for the manufac-ture of cheaper space crafts and fuel for fu-ture Mars explorations. That’s what we’re really after.” The discovery reformed the LCROSS as a science mission as well an exploratory one. Scientists say they have no idea how those water molecules got there, and it is possible the LCROSS probe might shed some light on that mystery. “One thing we’ve learned about the moon,” said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS principal investigator, “is how much we really don’t know about the moon.”

The Nobel committee made several state-ments in support of their decision citing Obama’s efforts to work toward a world free of nuclear weapons. The committee also said, “His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population,”. Many people were surprised to hear the Norwegian Nobel Prize committee an-nounce President Obama as a recipient of the Peace Prize. “The Nobel Peace Prize was a political ges-ture,” says United States 2 History teacher Mr. James Hunt says, “President Obama did not deserve the award.” United States History teacher Mr. Christo-pher Thumm said he “a little surprised Pres-ident Obama received the award so early in his presidency.” Sophomore Deepa Patil was enthusiastic about President Obama winning the No-bel Prize and felt he was deserving of the award. While the world tries to understand the surprise announcement, President Obama summed it up best by saying he viewed the decision as less recognition of his own ac-complishments as a “call to action.”

Photo/ AP

Afghan Electionsby THERESA LIN

Editor-in-Chief

Just shy of Afghanistan’s November 7 run-off elections, Afghan presidential candidate, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, dropped out of the race on November 1, leaving current presi-dent, Hamid Karzai, in power. Speculation over the means through which Karzai at-tained such an overwhelming victory fur-ther escalates the legitimacy of his power. Karzai, elected in 2004 to a five- year term, served as Afghanistan’s first directly elected president. During his term, Karzai put mem-bers of the Taliban into positions of political power, saying in 2007, “If a group of Taliban or a number of Taliban come to me and say, ‘President, we want a department in this or in that ministry or we want a position as deputy minister ... and we don’t want to fight anymore’ ... If there will be a demand and a request like that to me, I will accept it because I want conflicts and fighting to end in Afghanistan.” Results of August’s election not only con-firm Karzai’s reinstated power but that of the Taliban. While the Afghan constitution requires presidential elections to be held at least 60 days before the end of the current term, Karzai did not leave office this past July as required. Instead, Karzai blamed the indecision of Afghanistan’s Independent Election Com-mission (IEC) in choosing a date and loca-tion for the elections. Karzai’s opposition accused the President of unconstitutionally prolonging his term and feared that between his end of office

and the election date, the president would assume greater power. Afghanistan’s Supreme Court excused Karzai’s extended term, announcing in March that he would assume temporary leadership until the elections. Two helicopter crashes that killed 14 Amer-ican soldiers in the country’s capital, Kabul, on October 26, further complicated the electoral process. The Afghan government has already had to deal with the regulation of polling stations, as 12 of the 34 provinces remained to be at high risk during the Au-gust elections. The government has also been plagued by a recent reoccurrence of insurgent attacks and fraudulent ballots, which Abdullah sup-porters assert was the reason for Karzai’s victory. Toward the end of October, Abdullah de-manded the removal of several of Karzai’s cabinet members and other elected officials, who he accused of being unlawful politi-cians. Abdullah considered boycotting the re-election if Karzai’s men in question were not removed by the date of the run-off. Even if Abdullah were to lose, his support-ers did not want the cause of Karzai’s win to be the result of invalid and manipulated ballots and the threat of violence toward voters. The divided country awaited the results of the November 7 elections to clearly de-termine their elected president. However, the sudden drop-out of Abdullah leaves the elections and the stability of Afghanistan’s government in question, as it subsequently invites reason for even greater violence and political turmoil.

BIRDS EYE VIEW An Afghanistan male casts his vote in the August 20th elections. Photo/ AP

Spirit Weekpage 8 page 9

by JOEY ROMANCZUKEditor

Monroe Falcons are back on track. After their last minute loss to the East Brunswick Bears, the Falcons have since crushed their competition. On October 23 the Monroe Falcons scored 40 points as they shut out the JP Stevens Hawks in their homecoming game. Fans section was as strong as ever no matter rain or shine as they crushed the Hawks. Monroe started off strong as the first JP Stevens drive re-sulted in a three and out and a short punt giving Monroe ex-cellent field position. Precision from junior Qb Alex Vizcaino, and consistently strong running from senior Blake Bascom, gave Monroe a

touchdown lead after just six plays. The rest was all down hill for Stevens who threw two picks before the half and also was stuffed for a safety. Monroe was mistake free. Vizcaino was 8-13 for 137 yards, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for one. Blake Bascom rushed 20 times for 119 yards and a touch-down, running for over 100 yards in each game this season. Monroe has built up a lot of momentum going into home-coming, winning their last three games without much com-petition. The Falcons beat Perth Amboy on October 16 in Perth Am-boy with ease putting up 28 points before the half and hold-ing them to 8 points the whole game. Senior Frank Ruopoli stepped in for junior QB Alex Vizcai-no, throwing for 53 yards on nine attempts and three comple-tions. The Falcons scored three touchdowns thanks to strong run-ning from senior running back Shane Garcia, Bascom, and freshmen Ahmid Williams. Bascom had the bulk of the running carrying the ball 17 times for 141 yards, Garcia carried the ball eight times for 45 yards, and Williams was given the ball nine times for 42 yards.“Were taking it one game at a time, just like we have always been doing.” Assistant coach David Lee said prior to the Perth Amboy game.

40-point shut out defines powerful football season

On October 9th North Brunswick underestimated Monroe, allowing the Falcons to capitalize. “All of these kids were talking trash about all of our starters a couple days before the game. They had it coming to them…” Said junior quarterback Alex Vixcaino. After a scoreless first quarter Monroe opened the second quarter with a 15 yard touchdown pass from Junior Quarter-back Alex Vizcaino to Senior Cory Bennett. North Brunswick responded by completing a two point conversion, making it 8-7 in favor of the Raiders. The Falcons kept it close the entire game ending the third quarter 14-15. Monroe took a large lead, as the Falcons drove down the field, topping the impressive drive with a 1 yard run by Senior Halfback Blake Bascom. He also scored later in the game on a 16 yard run as the Falcons tried to run out the clock.

Bascom continues running all over teams rushing for 178 yards on 27 attempts and three touchdowns. Vizcaino threw for 121 yards on 11 completions and 17 attempts. “The goal is to improve consistency.” Coach Christopher Beagan said after the win. “We need to get back to the basics and improve on block-ing, tackling, and team football.” Beagan went on to say. The Falcons are not only led by their seniors but there are the few juniors that have exceeded expectations. Jahree Wil-liams has been receiving time at cornerback, playing excep-tionally well. Michael Walp has also been seeing extensive time at D-end while George Meyers perfectly completes the O-line. The Quarterback, Alex Vizcaino has shown new-found ma-turity that has fit right into the offense. Vizcaino has thrown 48 times for 526 yards on 38 completions and six touchdowns over the course of four games. “Our offense is playing very well this year producing more yards and points. To win states we have to keep establish-ing the run game with Blake (Bascom) and take advantage of the size we have in our receivers.” Said Vizcaino when asked about their offense. One of the best parts of a Falcon football game is the crowd, specifically the student section.

by JILL SHAH and SHAENA GUPTAEditor and Staff Writer

Monroe Township High School held its Homecoming Social on October 23. After six years of low turnouts, this year’s dance finally attracted students to attend. Prior to door sales, 200 students already purchased tick-ets during school hours. Also, 123 students who joined the Homecoming Social facebook group confirmed they would attend. Freshman GeRel Robinson says, “I’m curious to see how it [the social] turns out.” Due to the expected numbers, Student Council members spent eight hours making and setting up all the decorations displayed in the cafeteria. Some decorations used were from the hall decorating event earlier that day. This year’s theme represented the school colors: pur- ple and gold. Student Council advi- s o r , Ms. Melissa Schwartz says, “We de-cided to show school spirit because it [the social] is d u r -ing the game.” Club mem- bers a r r i v e d earlier to m a k e f i n a l touch-u p s around the caf-e t e r i a . W h i l e they work, m e m b e r s a n t i c i p a t e a greater t u r n o u t than that of previous years. Student C o u n c i l P r e s i d e n t , Nick Chen says, “I expect a lot of people to come and say good things about the dance because the band is awesome, and we put a lot of hard work and time to make this awesome-tastic.” Catastrophina, last year’s winner of the Battle of the Bands,

Homecoming Social turns into after-game

gold

by JULIE KELLYStaff Writer

Attempting to generate more energy and greater spirits, Monroe Township High School’s gymnasium exploded into a new tradition of Spirit Week competitions labeled Spirit Explosion on October 23. Decked out in purple and gold, freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors piled into the gymnasium and quickly filled the gym creating an excited and feverish at-mosphere. The reason for the change, says Student Council Advi-sor Mrs. Melissa Shwartz, was that “many stu- dents didn’t enjoy pep rallies…they found it to be very boring listening to team after team being an-nounced…we never had enough time to complete all the planned games.” This year, she says, “time is devot-ed to the classes battling it out for the Spirit Stick,” hoping that students will get in-volved in the games and cheer for their fellow class-mates. And they did, as cheers were heard ranging were from “Let’s go seniors” to “go home seniors”. In addition to recog-nizing the Homecom-ing Court, the band, chorus, Step Team, Dance team, and cheerleaders pro-vided performanc- es. The games be- gan, and students chose to partici-pate in tug o war, pin the ID on Madge, or a relay race. Total scores for the classes were determined by tally-ing points from the winners of each game, hall decorating, Spirit Week participation, and

the loudest class. The day created memories for ev-eryone, whether it was the seniors staring in disbe-lief as freshmen won first prize for Hall Deco-rating or Ms. Basille gallop-ing around the gym brandish-ing the Spirit Stick. Although the event put smiles on student’s faces, fall a t h l e t e s were upset that they were not being rec-ognized.

A m a n d a

New tradition explodes

Boccardi, a Junior and fall field hockey player said “I was dis-appointed that they weren’t going to announce the teams.

It turned out that the new pep rally was better for class spirit.” Declaring the winners of Spirit Week ended Spirit Explosion with a bang

just before the sound of the two o’clock bell. With the freshmen ending in fourth

place and the juniors in third, the sophomores took second prize and the seniors came out on top. Junior Amaka Ekeocha says, “we put up a good fight, but you know, they’re seniors.” Two

seniors of the winning class, Jen Garavente and Erin Janze-kovich said “it feels really

good cause we deserved it…it was the whole en-tire Senior Class coming

together.” According to Mrs. Shwartz, the goal of Spirit Explosion

w a s “ t o d r u m u p m o r e school s p i r - i t , ” w i t h “ h o p e

that students w i l l l o o k f o r w a r d t o Spirit Ex- p l o - s i o n in the fu- ture.”

was requested to play live at the homecoming social. Bass guitarist and vocalist, junior Rishi Sharma says, “We wanted to play something for our friends and fans here at the high

school.” The band performed four original songs off their upcoming demo album and one from Motion City Soundtrack. The four songs were the fan-favorites Contact, Everything is alright, a Word of Advice, Spin the Roulette. Patience and We are fact, not fiction. Junior Ashley Monticello says, “I liked the band. They were really

good.” Catastrophina performed only a few of their new

songs, but the main entertainment of the night was DJ Exchange, who played everything from techno to hip-hop to slow couple dancing. Student Council Vice Presi-

dent, Chris Castro says, “The DJ has a good idea of what we want to hear this year.” Towards the end of night, seniors Alex Olexson and Paige Haugland took home the title of Homecoming king and queen. Senior Gabriella LaFata says, “I’m real-ly proud of Alex and Paige for winning. Paige is a great volleyball player, and Alex is an essential player on the varsity football team. They look good together.” The homecoming social left a positive impression upon students. Junior Sharlene Mak says, “It was a lot of fun because I got to be with my friends and dance to great music.”

After a long day of hard work, the final outcome paid off. Student Council advisor Ms. Danielle Drust says, “I

think that people really enjoyed it and had a great time. It was definitely a success.” FALCONS SOAR TO VICTORY All around offensive threat Frank Rupoli gets tripped up by a Hawk’s defender during the Homecoming game.

Photos/ Jackie Push

School NewSPage 10 November 9, 2009

Falcon reporters tour n e w h i g h s c h o o l

LET THERE BE LIGHT Inside the school’s main doors is an open space, meant to provide an airy atmosphere throughout the building. Designers focused on inputting as much natural light as possible in the new high school, in hopes that students and faculty alike would enjoy the brighter atmosphere. Instead of the current high school’s over-crowded hallways, students will soon be able to enjoy lots of space when navigating throughout the school.

by ALI DEITCHEExecutive EditorPhotos/Jackie Push

Finally coming to fruition, the construction of the new high school is so advanced that Monroe Township School District’s Director of Facilities, Mr. Gerald Tague, gave two Falcon reporters an exclusive guided tour. In 2001, former Superintendent Dr. Ralph Ferrie recognized the growth in Monroe’s population and a referendum proposing a new high school was introduced, which failed. This original proposal called for the high school to be built across from Applegarth Middle School, where Oak Tree Elementary School has since been built. The revised referendum eventually passed with changes from the original plan. It transferred the school’s location to Thompson Park, where it would occupy a 35 acre parcel. People objected to building the high school there because they said the land contained Native American artifacts. The township had to determine whether this argument was valid, and held a phase one archeological site. The finding found a possibility that five of the 35 acres were archeologically significant, so the planners literally moved the building five acres to the left. The site the school sits on is now 30 acres. The current high school will become a middle school; not only will Applegarth’s grades seven and eight move into it, grade six will also become a part of the middle school. The new high school has the same architect as South Brunswick High School, so the Monroe building closely resembles that school. In designing the building, former MTHS Principal Mr. James Misek and current Principal Mr. Robert Goodall chose a team of teachers to travel to SBHS and pick and choose what elements of that building they wanted to incorporate into the new design.

While still designing the structure’s layout, there was an open design development session to anyone in Monroe who wanted to input ideas. Then, individual departments came in to meet with the architect to focus on details of the designs that they wanted to see. The result is a specialized building, molded to the needs of its future occupants. The first floor is primarily the gyms, media center, performing arts center, offices, and elective classrooms. There are no academic classrooms on the first floor; they are located in the “academic tower” on the nearly identical second and third floors. Upon walking through the main entrance, the main office is on the left, and a bit beyond that is a mock stage, similar to the lecture hall in the current high school, for mini performances. There is also an open commons area; the entrance and the new school as a whole are much more open and light than the current building. Tague says, “A lot of the input we got asked for more natural light and more space, and that really was incorporated into the design.” Adjacent to the main office is a student activity room, which will house tables and computers in a space meant for clubs and students to utilize. Guidance and the child study team are now very near the main entrance. These departments told the architects they wanted this change in location because many parents come into the school looking for guidance counselors. Also on the first floor is the office of the Athletic Director. “Ms. Blevins, Athletic Director Mr. Kirk’s secretary, told us that an important element of their office was they must be able to observe the weather,” says Tague. “As Athletic Director, Mr. Kirk has to determine whether it’s raining or what in terms of what sports will have to be rescheduled, so the AD office was also moved so that it had windows to the outside.”

A GROWING STRUCTURE A daily

average of 140 workers strive to complete the new

high school; already, its main structure and indi-

vidual rooms can be easily identified. Just inside the main entrance is the main

office, student activities cen-ter, a mini-stage, a museum,

and other administrative offices. The main office,

shown, will house the princi-pal as well as secretaries. It has an entrance connecting

it with the school’s two identical cafeterias for the

administrators’ conve-nience, should they need to

enter the lunch rooms.

WELCOME TO MTHS As construction of the new high school near completion, workers put the finishing touches on the building’s central area which houses the media center, an updated and enlarged version of MTHS’s current one.

School NewS Page 11November 9, 2009

Football cont’d from pgs. 8-9

above: DOMINATING “D” Due to a 40-point Monroe Lead, sophomore Chris Tirone, juinors Bakari Malik, Laird Gardner and Frank Durante. Senior, Nick Rodrigues, along wth Junior Varsity players saw the field during the Homecoming game. below: READY TO WIN Quarterback, Alex Viz-caino leads the varsity football team to victory.

Photos/ Jackie Push

by THERESA LINEditor-in-Chief

Gaphic/ Angela Wo Tired students rely on two 6:30 late buses as their only means of getting home after school practices. These school buses never reach maximum capacity, though their 43 square mile route keeps students on the buses for nearly an hour. Kevin Garcis, a sophomore JV football player, takes the 6:30 bus home ever day after practice, except on Fridays when there is no football practice, and the routes are canceled. He depends on the run to take him home, as his working parents cannot. “Because they go the other side of town and back, it takes me 45 minutes to get home, when it usually takes me seven on my regular bus that’s filled with people,” says Garcis. Ingrid Reitano, Director of Monroe Township School Transportation, says there is no alternative to the current late bus system. She says, “Each driver is guaranteed two hours pay no matter how many or few students they drive.” Reitano says 6:30 routes “only run when they need it.” When asked to clarify who they were, Reitano says Athletic Director David Kirk ultimately decides when there should or should not be late buses. She says the buses operate “from fall and stops before spring, after basketball practice ends.” Garcis’s late bus on October 21 held only nine people, but since their houses spanned half of Monroe and into Jamesburg, he arrived home 56 minutes later. After nearly seven years as director, Reitano not only acknowledges the hour long bus rides, she anticipates it. Drivers receive two hour wages no matter how many students

Cost of taking the late busToo much time spent on 6:30 bus

they drive and even with no students, they still get paid. While the few students on the late bus may live equally far from the school, their homes may be in all different directions. The order of student drop offs, then, are not determined by how far they live from the school but solely on the convenience of the route as a whole.

Right now, students get home “pretty late,” says Garcis. He says the hour he spends on the bus could instead be invested in studying, finishing homework, or even eating a relaxed dinner. With a complete hour gone, Garcis has to compensate for lost time by working faster and not necessarily as well as he would normally on school work. If the Transportation Department used more vans instead of two regular sized school buses, students could be grouped more specifically with others who live closer together. Such routes eliminate time spent traveling from one side of town to the other “I think [the current 6:30 route] is convenient, but I guess with vans we can go

to all corners of Monroe in a shorter time,” says Garcis’s teammate, junior UD Egbutu. He also takes the bus after football practice almost every day, and while he is one of the first stops, he cannot believe the time other students spend on the bus long after he is dropped off. “It gets annoying when you have to take the bus because there is no one else available to

take you home,” says Egbutu. “You always have to look for a ride.” If students cannot find one, their only remaining option is to take the dreaded bus ride, the length of which is unpredictable. If the Township pays four van drivers each an hour’s wage, the four vans will split Monroe into fourths instead of halves, abating the time students sit on the bus and costing the township nothing more than it currently spends on transportation. Ms. Reitano says the Township would reject the idea of four vans instead of two buses because of the cost of paying two additional drivers. She says she has “yet to receive complaints concerning the 6:30 late bus.”

It’s hard to miss the group of students that are covered from head to toe in purple and gold, glowing in school spirit. “It’s motivational to the team when we see our fans in the parking lot well before we ar-rive to our game.” Head Coach Beagan said. “Since I’ve arrived the fan turn out is amaz-ing.” He went on to say. When attending a Flacon football game it’s hard to miss a blown call or a folly by the op-posing team because once a mistake is made, the fan section immediately chants, boos, or cheers the call. “We have the greatest fans in the world and nobody in the state has fans like us, that I can guarantee” Said senior Kevin Conklin, a fan who lives for Falcon football. The bleacher creatures arrive to games in packs; stand (not sit) the whole duration of the game in unison and chant, together. “Tailgating is great. Everyone comes to-gether to show their pride for the school.” Said senior Brad Hader, another Falcon football fan. Monroe can thank their impressive season to the smash-mouth running and the hard hitting defense that has propelled the team to numerous wins as well as a big chance for states.

over $30 billion in debt. In 2008, Corzine proposed a 15 year period of drastic highway toll increases that would pay off half the debt; his proposition failed. Then the governor introduced the toughest budget in New Jersey history; it cut 3,000 state jobs and overall spending by $500 million. This June, an even tighter budget increased state taxes by almost $1 billion and cut health care, higher education, and other programs by billions, according to the New York Times. His policies, combined with his notoriety for his hospitalization after the SUV driving him crashed while travelling at 90 miles an hour on the Garden State Parkway, contribute to his loss in the election. While many criticized Corzine’s economic policy, his opponent has a tainted political

background, as Christie’s history as United States attorney for New Jersey is one marked by corruption. As the state’s U.S. attorney, Christie awarded a contract to a law firm that has since substantially contributed to his campaign for governor. In another instance, Christie awarded a contract to the lawyer who had been responsible for prosecuting Christie’s brother in a 2005 case. Attorney David Kelley had declined to prosecute Todd Christie in the case, and this contract was viewed as Chris Christie repaying Kelley for a favor. According to the New York Times, “At a hearing before a House subcommittee in June 2009 on deferred prosecution agreements, Mr. Christie was sharply questioned by Democrats about potential conflicts of interest. Mr. Christie acknowledged that one of the law firms that he had given a contract has since made substantial donations to his campaign for governor.” Christie’s questionable actions and Corzine’s ineffectiveness at solving New Jersey’s financial woes left voters with a difficult choice at the polls on November 3.

Governer election cont’d from pg. 1

“Some lost hope in the election’s ability to

bring a true ‘change’ to the state’s politics.”

EntErtainmEntPagE 12 novEmbEr 9, 2009

by JOEY ROMANCZUKEditor

Four actors, one camera and a budget of $15,000 grossed seven million dollars and stunned audiences on its opening weekend. “Paranormal Activity’ did something many high-budget slasher movies have failed to do of recent: scare their audience. Shot through Micah Sloat’s(Mikah Sloat) point of view as he documents the paranormal activity going on in his house. His girlfriend, Katie (Katie Feathersome), is the main victim of these hauntings and has been tormented by hauntings since she was little.

Low-budget horror movie rakes in millions The severity of these encounters grows throughout each night Micah continues to film. The movie slowly pulls viewers in with each unfortunate night that the couple spends in the house. The “ghost” beings tormenting and toying with the couple. The film uses a proverbial timeline to track the time the couple takes to reach insanity. Initially a loving couple turned against each other due to the unexplainable events occurring in their house Micah wants to make these encounters to continue; he repetitively taunts the spirit with demeaning gestures and his use of an Ouija board. Katie, however, feels the opposite; wanting to call a demonologist

and cease the filming so not to aggravate the ghost. Micah keeps filming, to the audiences delight. After each unfortunate encounter the audience is either grasping the arm rests or screaming in fear. This movie brings back levels of horror that recent movies have not came close to. ‘Paranormal Activity’ shows an audience that gruesome scenes with blood covered walls does not scare people the way the imagination does. Distant noises, footsteps, and inhuman screams in their house makes the audiences hold their breath as they expect a sighting from a ghost, but the sighting of a ghost is not needed in order to feel the fear. That’s what makes Paranormal so scary. The acting reinforced the realistic vibe felt during the viewing. For the most part, actors in scary movies tend to be over paid new actors that do nothing but scream.

However, Sloat and Feathersome made viewers believe that they were a new couple actually being tormented by a spirit. The first-person style reminisces “The

Blair Witch Project” a 1999 mockumentary, much like “Paranormal Activity”, which was filmed on a low-budget and petrified audiences. The movie only spent a small portion of its budget on advertising. The film, originally shown in College campus’ around the US, attempted to spread the word about the movie. Once word spread to news stations and websites people flocked to their local theatres. “Paranormal Activity” succeeded in scaring local audiences around the US as well as picked up the slack left by recent horror movies.Director and writer: Oren Peli

Starring: Micah Sloat, Katie Feathersome, and Mark Fredrichs, Released: October 16, 2009Rating: R

“This movie brings back levels of horror

that recent movies have not came close to. ‘Paranormal Activity’

shows an audience that gruesome scenes

with blood covered walls does not scare people the way the imagination does.”

by ALEX VAN DRIESENGuest WriterGraphic/Angela Wo

The twenty-first century has seen the highs, lows and very, very lows of the parody genre. These spoofs of popular genres have become synonymous with low budgets and extremely low quality, such as the intolerable Date Movie and Epic Movie. Every once in a while, a spoof film like Hot Fuzz or Shaun of the Dead comes along and redefines the parody genre. Zombieland, despite its problems, is, without a doubt, in that class of films. The film opens to a post apocalyptic United States overrun with zombies. The main character, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), has survived longer than most by abiding to his own strict set of survival rules that range from “don’t be a hero” to “always keep in good cardiovascular shape.” While Columbus lives by his list of codes, fellow s u r v i v o r ,

‘Zombieland’ brings h o r r o r t o l i f e

Tallahassee (Woody H a r r e l s o n ) , lives by only one rule: Kill zombies. The chemistry b e t w e e n these two characters is great as their road trip to California with two surviving sisters, played by Emma

Stone and A b i g a i l Breslin, is full of

hilarious situations in which Tallahassee shows the gang a thing or two about killing the undead. The encounters with the zombies work extremely well in keeping the movie’s tone light and fun. The film never gets lost in direct allusion to the horror films it attempts to spoof. It instead pokes fun at the entire idea of a world plagued with zombies, allowing the film to have its own unique plot, which works perfectly with the subject matter. However, most of the plot is driven by the Columbus’s voiceover narration, which is

i n f r e q u e n t l y

omniscient and seems to be present far too often. Plot points should be played out on screen rather than talked about. The story still manages to have a unique emotional appeal, choosing to show why, not how, the main characters survived the zombie apocalypse and how the experience has changed them. One of the themes of the film is Columbus’s strict adherence to his own set of laws, but in horror movies, everyone breaks their own rules in order to save a member of their group. So, it was only fitting for Columbus to break one of his rules at the end, making this film more of a direct spoof than it appears, but

its quality is far from mindless garbage like Epic Movie.

Directed by Ruben Fleischer.Written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.Starring:

Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin.

Rated R for horror violence, gore and language.

Released on October 2.

EntErtainmEnt PagE 13novEmbEr 9, 2009

by CHRISTINA MATTINAStaff Writer

Evidenced by the wide-spread enthusiasm among teens and young adults for movie

remakes of childhood classics, nostalgia has become hip again. Add in a marketing frenzy for imaginative merchandise and that is the whirlwind surrounding “Where the Wild Things Are”. The trailer for the movie shows Max, the main character, frolicking with the Wild Things but also missing home. It looks like it captures the spirit of the book, much to the

‘Wild Things’ stomps into theatersrelief of fans that worried a movie version would ruin it. Expanded and more complex, the movie keeps the underlying messages and feelings present in the book. It conveys the complicated

feelings of c h i l d h o o d a n d stresses the importance of imagination. Directed and co-written by Spike Jonze, director and producer of the “Jackass” movies and n u m e r o u s music videos for artists such as R.E.M. and W e e z e r , “Where the Wild Things Are” tries to adapt the beloved kids’

book to the big screen. The book’s original writer and illustrator, Maurice Sendak, helped produce the movie to ensure it stayed true to his book. The film took five years to complete and mixes live action, computer animation, and puppetry. Max Records stars as Max in his big-screen debut, with Catherine Keener as his mother,

Adaptation of children’s book attracts audiences

SEEING EYE TO EYE Max and a Wild Thing stand face to face without fear.Photo/MTV News

only named as Mom. James Gandolfini, former actor on “The Sopranos”, provides the voice for Carol, one of the Wild Things, and Forest Whitaker plays a Wild Thing named Ira. Karen Orzolek of the band Yeah Yeah Yeahs created and sang original songs for the soundtrack. Carter Burwell, who composed music for the movie “Twilight”, wrote the score for “Wild Things”. Maurice Sendak’s much-loved book, about a rambunctious young boy named Max who becomes king of the Wild Things, is only 20 pages and nine sentences. In 1964, it won the Caldecott Medal, the highest award an illustrated book can receive. Critics and readers alike regard it as a masterpiece of children’s literature. When asked in an interview for Newsweek what he would say to parents who think the movie would be too scary, Sendak replied, “I would tell them to go to hell. That’s a question I will not tolerate.” “Wild Things” is not marketed primarily to children, but instead aimed more at young adults. Critic Roger Ebert says, “The film will play better for older audiences remembering a much-loved book from childhood, and not as well with kids who have been trained on slam-bam action

animation.” The extensive “Wild Things”-related merchandise includes themed skateboards, sneakers, jewelry, and home furnishings. Urban Outfitters sells t-shirts, dresses, leggings, pillows, soundtracks and coloring books, while Hot Topic sells a variety of t-shirts and hoodies. Crazed fans even bought $610 Max costumes from online retailer Opening Ceremony until the

costume sold out. Warner Brothers Pictures, producer of the movie, held a massive sweepstakes including limited edition Where the Wild Things Are-themed children’s Ugg boots, a custom-made Where the Wild Things Are Xbox console, and assorted movie-themed prizes. “Where the Wild Things Are” brought in approximately $32.7 million on its opening weekend, making it the number one movie at the box office and also the director’s highest grossing movie yet.

“Where the Wild Things Are”: Rated PG for mild thematic elements, some adventure action and brief

language.Starring: Max Records, Catherine Keener, James GandolfiniDirector: Spike JonzeWriters: Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers

“The film will play better

for older audiences

remembering a much-loved

book from childhood . . .”

Op-EdpagE 14 NOvEmbEr 9, 2009

The Monroe FalconEditors-in-ChiEfMichael BauMann

Theresa lin

Editorial PoliCy

thE MonroE falCon is a nEws-PaPEr dEdiCatEd to aCCuratE, EthiCal,

and rEsPonsiblEhigh sChool journalisM.

advisorsandy appel-BuBnowski

sandy.BuBnowski@Monroe.k12.nJ.us

ExECutivE Editor-CoPy ali deiTche

ExECutivE Editors-layout carla palerMo

haley sTrincoski

by MICHAEL BAUMANNEditor-in-Chief

I hate writing about politics. Some readers may now be wondering, “But Mike, since you usually cover politics for the paper, surely you must like some aspect of it, right?” Maybe I’m exaggerating my dislike of covering the happenings on Capitol Hill or perhaps I’m just a glutton for punishment. Or maybe I did at one point enjoy writing about politics, but the current political climate is just so acidic and mean-spirited that I find it nearly impossible to prevent bias from leaking into my coverage. I have even gone on to fear trying to keep up with all the name-calling and rumors in Washington for the sake of my remaining sanity. Naturally, I was not always so inclined to despise covering politics. It all started when I was a bright-eyed, naive freshman in Journalism 1 during the spring of 2008. It was the height of primary season, and the media was having a ball exposing the countless snafus and controversies surrounding the presidential candidates, ranging from John McCain’s alleged affair with a lobbyist to Barack Obama’s infamous ties with left-wing extremists, Reverend Jeremiah Wright and William Ayres. As my first foray into political writing, I wrote an article that was thousand words long, summarizing all of the claims, rumors and bad-mouthing. In those early days, I was a steadfast political junkie, absorbing every bit of information without any of the hatred fazing me in the slightest. Yet, my hardened mental dexterity began to weaken when I covered the actual election. Although my article for the September 2008 issue was basically straight news giving an overview on the candidates’ stances on major issues, I had to wade through the flood of biased myths and pseudo-facts in order to get accurate information. I endured witnessing the constant exchange of hateful retorts from both the left and the right. When someone would question McCain’s military record by pointing out his low class ranking at the U.S. Naval Academy, another would point out Obama being a mere freshman senator with little experience. One criticizes McCain as being a warmonger; someone fires back by calling Obama a socialist. This process went on for several months

prior to the election, somewhat shaking my belief in the great American political system. Nevertheless, I soldiered on, determined to inform the student body on the happenings in Washington since The New York Times, CNN and Fox News are amateurs. Fast forward to today, and I have had enough. The final straw was when I wrote about health care reform in the previous issue of the paper. As any somewhat informed person who has glanced at a newspaper in the past several weeks would know, health care reform is currently one of the most urgent and prominent issues on Capitol Hill. It is also one of the most dividing, as Republicans and Democrats butt heads over what reform actually entails. Upon first deciding on this topic to cover, I moved forward warily, taking every piece of information I obtained with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, my suspicions of foul political play were met with much gusto. I hate it when I’m right. Where should I start? Republicans claimed President Obama’s health care proposal would set up death panels to euthanize everyone’s grandmother. Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina called the president a liar in front of the entire joint session of Congress on live television, effectively earning him his fifteen minutes of fame, as well as millions of dollars in campaign contributions. Conservative activists, known as the Tea Party, marched on Washington to protest Obama the weekend after he had addressed Congress, chanting that he was a Communist and holding up signs liking him to a Nazi. The absurdity in contradictorily calling the president both a socialist and fascist aside

(Apparently, these people skipped out on their high school history courses), such acts of blatant hatred, disrespect and faking the truth horrify me. Meanwhile, the Democrats have carried out a crusade of bitter partisanship of their own. The Obama administration has

all but declared war on Fox News, with White House C o m m u n i c a t i o n s director, Anita Dunn, calling it “opinion journalism m a s q u e r a d i n g as news.” A freshman Florida R e p r e s e n t a t i v e named Alan Grayson, the Democrats’ answer to Mr. Wilson, has repeatedly called out the GOP on health care, claiming its policy toward the sick that cannot afford treatment is to tell them to “die quickly.” Someone needs to get down to D.C to see if the water supply has

been contaminated. However, there are obviously exceptions to this overall bitter climate. Having interviewed Democratic U.S. Representative Rush Holt and Republican State Senator Bill Baroni, both of who were extremely considerate and helpful, I can safely say that there are many politicians of good judgment and who simply wish to enact the will of the people as best they can. Unfortunately, it appears that the outrageous acts of a few set the atmosphere in American politics. Due to my inability to withstand the current political climate, I have failed in my obligations as a journalist. I have let the pettiness and cruel tactics used get to my head, to the point where I can no longer stand even following politics. I now hope to turn the reins of covering this sort of news over to someone else, which is perhaps for the best. I wish them good luck and hope that they have some aspirin handy.

The pains of politicking

“. . . health care reform is currently one of

the most urgent and prominent issues on

Capitol Hill. It is also one of the most dividing

, as Republicans and Democrats butt heads

over what reform actually entails.

by ALI DEITCHEExecutive Editor

The United States recently led the UN con-ference that says Iran has to shut down its nuclear programs. Yet the US has the sec-ond largest nuclear arsenal in the world, be-hind only Russia. President Obama declared his commitment to establishing a world without nuclear weapons at a September 24 United Nations Security Council meeting he presided over. Since his election, Obama has repeatedly spoken of his anti-nuclear policy, and he has put the United States at the forefront of the attempt to disarm all nations of the weap-ons. Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met in London in an effort to reestablish a relationship between the two nations. For the time being, this relation-ship will focus on the countries’ common nuclear disarmament goals. They issued a joint statement following the meeting, which said they wanted “to dem-

onstrate leadership in reducing the number of nuclear weapons in the world… We com-mitted our two countries to achieving a nu-clear-free world, while recognizing that this long-term goal will require a new emphasis on arms control and conflict resolution mea-sures, and their full implementation by all concerned nations.” These men, whose nations hold the larg-est amount of nuclear weapons in the world, speak about ensuring that the amount of these weapons is reduced across the globe. However, the actions of both Russia and the United States have yet to reinforce their stated policies. Therefore it seems purely hypocritical to chastise Iran for developing nuclear tech-nology. The United States, while a powerful nation, should not be able to develop nuclear technology as a defensive precaution while restricting another country from doing the exact same thing. The US should fulfill its pledge of nuclear disarmament, but until it does so Obama should stop talking about eliminating nu-clear weapons in other countries. As long as America produces these weapons, Iran and any other country has every right to as well.

Do as I say, not as I do

SportS page 15November 9, 2009

by DAN MORGANSStaff Writer

The Monroe Lady Falcon soccer team, coached by Ms. Cathy Dillon, hope to bounce back from their loss on October 14 against South Plainfield. They look for the win at the GMC tournament, making a run at the state. On October 24 the Lady Falcons won the white division with their win against Perth Amboy. During the first forty minutes the Falcons scored three times and played solid defense throughout.

Lady Falcons look strong in loss to South Brunswick

Photo/ Jeanna DresselIN AND OUT Passing the ball senior defender, Savannah Nunn, tries to clear the ball to the offense and create an opportunity to score.

by JAMIE COSTABuisness Manager

Lady Falcon volleyball faced a rough time at the beginning of its season with a loss against Colonia of 0 to 2 in the home opener and a defeat against Bishop Ahr of 0 to 2. Now with an 8-10 record, the Lady Falcons shift their focus to qualifying for states. “We need to push hard and win the rest of our games in order to make states, but we all want it so I think we can do it,” says senior captain Amy Kalbach. On October 13, the girls faced the Old Bridge Knights. Although Lady Falcons had home court advantage, the game resulted in a loss of 0-2 in three sets. States for the Lady Falcons is not far away. They have to make it to their record of 500, by beating Timothy Christian High School at 5:30 on October 20 to qualify for the com-petition. For the Lady Falcons, pushing hard and excelling their learned skills was not a problem. Since the team had already versed Timothy Christian and won, they figured it would not be difficult to do again, and they were right. “Teamwork and dedication are the most valuable components in any sport and our team does not lack those qualities,” says ju-nior Erica Holland. Even though the team is not undefeated or may not have the best re-cord, the girls still keep their heads up and believe in optimism. The girls were focused and ready to face the challenge in front of them. Unfortunate-ly, two main starters, Kalbach and junior Meghan Williams were incapable to play. Kalbach suffers from a separated shoulder and Williams from a possible concussion. In place of Kalbach, sophomore Keriann Man-ziano and senior, Paige Haugland took turns

Volleyball p u s h e s f o r S t a t e s

100 PERCENT HUSTLE Monroe Falcon Volleyball players need 100 percent hustle, poise, and a good attitude along with every possession in order to make states. Senior Captain Elaina Hansen and Sophomore Stephanie Johler jump to defend a spike from the opposing team.

Photo/ Jeanna Dressel

by ADITYA PATELStaff Writer

The Monroe Township High School Cross Country teams failed to rally together on Tuesday, October 13, as the boys’ team lost a crucial tri-meet to Sayreville and Wood-bridge High School by only placing one run-ner in the top five. The grueling course at Sayreville War Me-morial High School took a toll on the run-ners as they ran up and down steep hills and through thick woods. “I could have stopped at the hill after twist-ing my ankle, but chose not to,” says junior Francis San Andreas. Junior Co-Captain Nick Mazurek finished second in the boys’ race and was the first for Monroe to finish with a time of 18:08 to place in the top five, followed by San An-dreas with a time of 19:30 who placed sixth. Senior Co-Captain Katie Rusnock fin-ished first for the Monroe girls with a time of 22:53 taking fourth place and freshman runner Courtney Klecha finished with a time of 23:00 placing fifth. “No cake for them,” says boys’ coach Nick Puleio on the boys’ lackluster performance, as Sayreville offered all the teams cake. The team has also been plagued recently by the injuries of top runners such as juniors Co-Captain Keith Anacker, and junior Kul-deep Yadav. “We need to work on staying healthy,” says Yadav about how the team can improve. As the boy’s team suffers from multiple injuries, the girls Cross Country team has been relatively unscathed and continues to place high in meets. The team injuries were evident as the MTHS boys team lost to a meet to South Plainfield on October 20 and expect to bounce back for their few remaining meets. MTHS Cross Country will have their hands full with the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Championship on October 31 and will finish the season with the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) starting on November 7. With the season drawing to a close, both Cross Country teams will need to be back on track in order to make a statement at the GMC and NJSIAA. “Hopefully we will do well, the season has been good so far, and by the GMC, everyone will have improved,” says Rusnock.

XC fails to take c a k e

RACE TO FINISH MTHS junior Kuldeep Yadav hustles in a finish to place in the top ten, in a meet against J.F.K.

Photo/ Rachel Kowal

During the sec-ond forty minutes of the game the Falcons removed all starters, but were still able to score two more times. The entire Falcons team dis-played outstand-ing defense and much improved offensive skills. The Lady Falcons won their second game of the GMC tournament Octo-ber 22. The game went into over-time and senior Jenna Saunders scored a goal. However the Fal-cons didn’t know that the ball went in and thought that the kick would re-

sult in a goal kick. The officials ruled it a goal and Monroe won the game. The ball seemed to roll under the side of the net and officials searched for a hole. How-ever there was no conclusive evidence that the ball did not go into the goal The Falcons took an early lead during the South Plainfield game on October 14. Senior Jenna Saunders scored during the first forty minutes of the game; maintaining Monroe’s control of the game. However after half time, South Plainfield made adjustments with their offense, fol-

lowing the Owls scoring on a penalty out side of the penalty box, sending the game into overtime. During the overtime Monroe lost its pre-vious momentum and played defensively, Despite Monroe’s seasonal success South Plainfield scored to end the game. Five days later the Lady Falcons put away Spotswood in the first round of the Greater Middlesex Tournament. Before the game, the Falcons honored their eleven seniors and all of the seniors started the game. During the first half of the game Monroe scored three unanswered goals, and one in the second half. They displayed a much needed improvement of ball handling and passing. The success of the lady Falcons revolves around their 11 seniors. Senior Sam Tallerine played a tremendous role in the Falcons’ win against Woodbridge. Tallrine recorded 12 saves as goalie behind the outstanding defensive efforts of Senior Stephanie Naw-racaj. They suffered an emotional loss against the Sayreville Bombers on September 14. Mon-roe made an early push to score during the first half, playing with ferocious intensity, but the girls proved unable to capitalize on its shot opportunities. Sayreville was fouled just outside of the penalty box, and scored on its resultant kick. The loss is only a small speed bump in the Falcon’s season. They played well and dem-onstrated strong defense and offense. Senior defense Trisha Powell, Stephanie Nawracaj and Vanessa Ragucci played outstandingly, only allowing Sayreville a handful of shots on goal.

playing as an outside hitter. Freshman, Jes-sica Jones replaced Williams in the position of middle hitter and every teammate played their hearts outs. The Lady Falcons ended the game against Timothy Christian with a score of 2-0 in three sets. “I’m very satisfied with the way we are playing this season, and we have im-proved so much since last year,” says senior captain Katie Douglas. The teams’ focus has been mainly centered towards the importance of states. Even with states on the top of the list, the Lady Falcons were still looking to score into the Greater M i d d l e -sex Con-f e r e n c e L e a g u e , but their w i s h e s were not granted. On Oc-tober 22 2009, The Lady Fal-cons were again de-feated 0-2 by Old Bridge on the home c o u r t of the Knights. D o u g -las says, “ E v e n t h o u g h we have improved, so has the c o m p e -

tition, which helps us grow together and work hard as a team.” The competition increases as each year goes on, but new and upcoming volleyball players for the Lady Falcons will remain to come. Losing captains and seniors Paige Haugland, Amy Kalbach, Katie Douglas and Elaina Hansen next year will put a large dent into the team, but graphic design teacher and varsity coach, Julia Bulkley has faith in all her players. GMC’s may be over for the Lady Falcons, but continuing high spirits to win states still lives on.

SportSpage 16 November 9, 2009

by DAN MORGANSStaff Writer

Boys’ varsity soccer manager Bryan Fara-one’s first career start came during the team’s senior game against the Old Bridge Knights. In a scene straight out of “Rudy”, the Fal-cons celebrated Senior Night by letting all seniors start, including manager Faraone who says, “It felt pretty good looking at the score board and playing”. Faraone contributes not only to the soccer program, but also manages boys’ basketball and baseball. “I wanted to give him something he could take away for the rest of his life. It was a great feeling to see him play.” says Varsity coach Mr. Steven Mackenzie. “We were all very excited to see Bryan on the field. He has been there on the bench for five years and it felt good letting him play,” says senior Tim Gandy. However, the Falcons looked sloppy dur-ing the first forty minutes of the game. The Knights scored first, ten minutes into the game. During half time, the Falcons honored Faraone with a game ball for all of his efforts throughout the years. The crowd went wild,

Monroe honors seniors in win against Old Bridge

CLEARING THE BALL Attacking the ball, junior Sebastian Oros tries to tackle the ball away from North Bruns-wick defender and score a goal during the September 21 game.

Photo/ Eric Winchock

by SHAENA GUPTAStaff Writer

The high school’s girls’varsity tennis team holds its record of 10-8 in the white division as the season draws to a close. The last few weeks are packed with matches, so the team hopes to close the year with more wins. Match cancellations earlier on in the season due to rain forced the tennis team to com-pensate for the lost time. The girls worked harder than ever to meet the standards of coaches and captains. “The team lost 5 varsity players this season, so we are doing reasonably well considering. We cooperate with each other and make sure everyone is on the same page,” says ju-nior co-captain Theresa Lin. The coach and players adopted a ‘make it or break it’ attitude as each match was cru-

Falcon tennis girls set to win

by ADITYA PATELStaff Writer

The Lady Falcons soared to victory on Monday October 12 with a 2-0 victory over the East Brunswick Bears, but failed to win the Greater Middlesex County Conference (GMC) battle against Sayreville War Me-morial High School. The game began favoring the Lady Falcons, as senior forward Kim Lupo scored early in the first half with an assist from junior mid-defense Teuta Cosaj. The Falcons scored again once more in the second half as senior forward Leah Castrov-ince drove downfield, and scored to seal the

game as the East Brunswick Bears failed to answer back. “With the pressure to make states we were able to pull things together, because the sea-son is almost over,” says Lupo. Despite the 2-1 win against East Bruns-wick the Lady Falcons lost 2-1 in the GMC opener against the Sayreville Bombers on October 20. The game against Sayreville was more of a

Field hockey fights for first

cheering for Faraone during the ceremony, as well as the remainder of the game. Using the half time emotions, the Falcons took control of the game by creating many offensive opportunities, and scored four un-answered goals in one half. Faraone also entered the game as a substi-tude during the second half. In the last min-utes of the game he had a scroing opportu-nity, however junior Carlos Bernal took the open net shot. Bernal, along with junior Ray Durski and senior Eric Palisay displayed outstanding offensive play, while seniors Tim Gandy and Jason Chung displayed outstanding defen-sive efforts. Together they saved junior goal keeper Taylor Klaskin on numerous occa-sions. The Falcons later suffered an emotional loss to Woodbridge on October 19, eliminat-ing the Falcons from the greater Middlesex county tournament. The Falcons struck first ten minutes into the game on a penalty kick. Gandy scored the goal on the play giving Monroe the ad-vantage. However Woodbridge’s excellent ball han-dling and ball movement defeated the Fal-cons excellent defense. Woodbridge scored twice sending away the Falcons.

challenge as neither team seemed to break the 1-1 stalemate, forcing the game to go into double overtime. Despite cheering from teammates, coaches, and parents, neither team was able to score in overtime until Sayreville forced a goal with only ten seconds left in the game. “We wanted these wins more than any-body, and I know we worked our hardest and put in 110% effort each second of that game,” says team defense player, sophomore Samantha Mills. The Lady Falcons won first place in the GMC conference in 2008 season and were seen as returning champions, but the loss to Sayreville has halted their shot at success.

With the GMCs over for the Lady Falcons, they must now set their sights on their last major conference the New Jersey State In-terscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) State Tournament on November 2. “We would win every game if we finished and caged it like we did with East Bruns-wick,” says Coach Ashleigh Pecherski who replaced Coach Virginia Gonzalez as head coach this year.

BATTLE FOR THE BALL MTHS junior Brittnie Felice fights for the ball against Sayreville, in hopes to drive downfield and score.

Photo/ Roy DeBoer

cial to their final standings. “We still have five matches next week plus another three matches right before Halloween,” says Var-sity Coach Trudy Marmorek. The team continued training every day to perfect skills necessary for future wins. “Our strategies are observing the way the other team serves and seeing if they are willing to run for the ball,” says senior singles player Pauline Masigla. The coaches enjoyed seeing the improve-ment and determination in the players. Marmorek says, “I love seeing the sparkle in their eyes when they get the winning point and advance to further rounds.” Sisters Sharon and Aman Gill, the first doubles pair, qualified for the state tourna-ment in Mercer County a few weeks ago. They advanced to the second round, where they were defeated by Holy Spirits High

School. “It’s easier to be paired with my sister be-cause I can be completely honest on the courts,” says senior Sharon Gill. The sisters were comfortable playing together because they knew each other’s strengths and weakness-es. Juniors Patricia Masigla and Mita Joshi were sec-ond double players who continuously pulled vic-tories. In a match against Spotswood, the pair played three sets and ul-timately left triumphant. “I am pretty pleased with our game this season. We remain un-defeated in divisions, which is something we are incredibly proud of,” say junior Patri-

cia Masigla. The pair finished off the season with an undefeated streak. The tennis team also faced their biggest match opposite Sayreville which was al-ready postponed in September due to rain.

The match was held on at home on Thursday and away on Friday of last week. Sayreville won divisions last year; therefore, these match-es were crucial to the team’s final standings. Unfortu-nately, Sayreville continued to hold its top spot and left victorious both days. The team hoped for a smooth end to a hectic year.

After a few unsettling losses, the falcon girls look back on this season and work to im-prove in the future.

“We remain unde-feated in divisions, which is something we are incredibly

proud of.”