INSIDE:
TONY MELENDEZ
Volume XLI Number 6
INSIDE SPORTS:
PAGE 3
Saint JoSeph h.S.
SPORTS REPORT CARD
The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph High School, Metuchen, N.J.
PAGE 7
May 2002
Mrs. Lorraine Noble named Teacher of the Year
By Pat Mahoney
Staff Writer
Each year, the St. Joe’s faculty
choose one of their own as “Teacher
of the Year.” This year the honor
carries an added amount of dignity
and a heightened sense of respect,
for it has been awarded to the late
Mrs. Lorraine Noble.
She served the school for 12
years, nurturing young minds and
teaching important lessons. With an
open heart and an open mind, she
guided her students down the path
to fulfillment and success.
Mrs. Noble was a vital part of
the St. Joe’s community. She was a
teacher, a moderator, a leader, and
a friend. As “Teacher of the Year,”
Mrs. Noble will be remembered by
all whom she touched, both in the
present and for years to come.
Although Mrs. Noble’s name
Summer school
a worthwhile way
to use free time
By John Jorgensen
Associate Editor
You don’t have to fail a
course to go to summer school!
St. Joe’s Summer Program
offers a very wide range of
courses, which provide enrichment as well as remedial
instruction.
Those seeking supplemental education can improve their
knowledge of an area of interest and even bypass required
courses, allowing them to take
a more advanced course in the
following academic year.
The material is taught more
concisely than it would be during the academic year because
summer school is held only in
the month of July, but the
atmosphere can be quite
relaxed.
Taking summer school
courses is a worthwhile use of
free time.
meant many different things to
many different people in the St.
Joe’s community, she will be
remembered first and foremost as
a teacher. She taught the required
junior and senior history courses,
American Social and Economic
History, and Governmental Law.
In addition to the lessons pertaining to history, she also taught
her students how to work with each
other and articulate their opinions
and beliefs. Her success as a
teacher was directly related to her
passion and unique approach to her
profession.
Although extremely organized,
she didn’t always follow a strict set
of guidelines for teaching, but rather
stepped away from the books and
outlines and taught with her mind
and vast knowledge of the American economy and government.
She sincerely cared about the
legal and governmental issues discussed in the classroom, challenging her students to understand and
question both the law and their
rights as citizens.
Group projects and discussions
played a considerable role in her
lesson plan. By having students
work together, they learned both the
material and perhaps more importantly, how to work with one another and accomplish goals together.
In addition to her duties in the
classroom, Mrs. Noble was instrumental in many school activities.
As Junior Class Student Council
Moderator, she prepared the students to be leaders of the community and contributed her time and
effort to make each school event
successful.
Each fall, she devoted countless
hours to organizing and directing
the annual Food Drive. She showed
‘Making It Count!’
gives students advice
on college search
By Tim Carter
Staff Writer
The junior and senior classes
gathered in the gym on April 18 for
two programs to aid them in their
college search. The Guidance
Department hosted the programs,
which were presented by Walter
Scott, a tax manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Juniors attended “Making Your
College Search Count,” a program
that gave them advice on how to
search for the “right college.” They
were given tips on what to look for
in a school, how to visit a college,
how to apply and get accepted, and
how to finance tuition.
“Making College Count” was
presented to the senior class to help
them make the most out of their
college experience. The program
gave the seniors information on the
student success rate, as well as what
employers and graduate schools
look for in a college graduate.
Mr. Scott, a graduate of the
University of Florida and Seton
Hall Law School, was eager to
share his experiences.
Mr. Scott was recruited to present the programs by Monster.com,
creator of the “Making it Count!”
programs. Both courses were free,
thanks to the corporate sponsorship of companies such as Mentos, ITT Tech, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
According to Ms. Diane Yannaco, head of the Guidance Department, this was the first time the programs visited the school and she
was pleased with the results.
Student reactions were generally favorable as well. Brian Wilhelm, a junior, said, “I thought Mr.
Scott was extremely informative,
and his vivid descriptions were
extraordinary.”
her devotion and compassion to
both the school and local community by working with students to
provide nearly 500 needy families
with Thanksgiving dinner.
The spring meant “prom time”
for Mrs. Noble, who organized both
the junior and senior proms each
year and ensured these events would
be memorable for her students.
Mrs. Noble enjoyed the autonomy she had as a teacher at St. Joe’s
and used it to bring her lessons to
life and enrapture her students.
Her good friend and colleague,
Dr. Florence McAuliffe, commented, “She truly loved her kids and
expected their best.”
This statement perhaps best
memorializes Mrs. Noble’s role in
the lives of “her boys” at St. Joe’s.
She has had such a significant effect
on so many lives and it saddens me
to write this article in the past tense;
Courtesy of Yearbook
Mrs. Lorraine Noble
however, Mrs. Noble’s legacy will
live on in the halls of St. Joseph
High School for years to come.
Seniors garner more than
$5 million in scholarships
By Brian McNamara
Associate Editor
The students of the graduating
class of 2002 have applied to and
have been accepted by a number
of exceptional colleges and universities throughout the United
States. After many months of
tours, applications, and acceptance
letters, the seniors have made their
decision about what school they
will attend in the fall.
They have earned more than
$5,000,000 in scholarship money
that they will utilize to further their
education. The class of 2002 will
attend 67 different colleges and
universities in 16 different states
and two foreign countries.
The seniors themselves made
the final choices, but the Guidance
Department helped them to select
the colleges most suited for them.
The Guidance Department has
provided statistics that showcase
the accomplishments of the
seniors.
Nearly 99 percent of the graduating class will further their education at the college level. The
farthest north they will go is
Ontario, Canada, the farthest south
is Florida, and the farthest west is
Manila, Philippines. While 39.5
percent of the students will remain
in New Jersey for their education,
60.5 percent will continue theirs
out of state. Over half, 57.5 percent, will attend private schools
and 42.5 percent will attend public schools. There are five students
attending Ivy League colleges and
two entering the military.
As four years of hard work and
study culminate, the seniors have
made their plans for their future.
Many of the students have been
accepted to prominent universities
and colleges that will ensure that
they will be challenged academically for the next four years.
As this year closes for the
seniors, they’ll leave with not only
a diploma but also a reputation of
expected excellence.
Tee time for Br. Bernardine Memorial Golf Classic
By Shaun Malleck
Staff Writer
A field of 250 golfers participated in a St. Joseph’s tradition, the
seventh Annual Br. Bernadine
Memorial Golf Classic, which was
held on May 28.
The Golf Classic is held every
spring to raise money for the St.
Joseph High School Annual Fund.
A group of alumni, parents, and
local business owners packed the
Fosgate Country Club for a day of
golf, food, gifts, prizes, and auctions.
The event was created by Tom
Sharlow, an alumni of the class of
’81, and dedicated to Br. Bernadine,
the school’s foremost golf enthusiast. In its first year, the Golf Classic was a great success, raising a
total of $18,000. Ron Tankiewicz,
the event’s chairman, set an ambitious goal of $75,000 for this year.
The Classic was held at Forsgate
Country Club of Monroe Township
for the third consecutive year. It had
previously been held at the
Metuchen Country Club.
The permanent honoree of this
annual event is Brother Bernardine,
SC, who taught at St. Joe’s for thirty years. He was an ardent golfer
who served as the golf team’s coach
for nearly two decades. Throughout his years at the school, Brother
Bernardine acted as a teacher,
coach, and friend to thousands of
students. His love for the school
and dedication to the students is a
perfect example of the spirit of the
Brothers of the Sacred Heart.
This year, Br. Regis Moccia will
also be honored at the Golf Classic
for his many years of service to the
Brothers of the Sacred Heart and
the St. Joseph community. Br. Reg-
is was the chairman of the English
Department, and worked towards
setting up a reading and writing
clinic in the summer. The clinic
offers a day of fun and competition.
The Golf Classic is one of the
school’s biggest annual events and
creates new memories every year.
Mr. Madden, the school’s Head of
Development, remembered last year
when his golf cart unfortunately puttered out onto the course, “Br.
Joseph, Br. Ron and I had to push
it all the way back to the club house
from the fourth hole.”
The mood of this year’s event,
however, is a little different from
that of previous outings. This was
the first year that the Br. Bernadine
Golf Classic served as the Memorial Golf Classic. Before the school
year began, Br. Bernadine sadly
passed away and was buried with
his golf clubs.
Br. Bernadine had not been able
to attend the previous two golf outings due to his declining health, but
this year he was there in spirit. The
continuing success of the Golf Classic is a true testament to Brother
Bernardine’s contributions to the St.
Joseph school community.
2
May 2002
THE FALCON
Senior of the Month program recognizes academics and service
By Christopher Donnelly
Staff Writer
The Senior of the Month award
has been given to a number of
exceptional seniors throughout the
school year. The program honors
seniors’ community service and
academic achievement.
The Edison Rotary, who sponsors the program, is a group of
businessmen and businesswomen
who want to give back to the community by honoring high school
students who have made significant contributions to their schools
and communities. The Edison
Rotary gives the award out to recognize students of extraordinary
caliber throughout the EdisonMetuchen area.
Although the Edison Rotary
sponsors the program, the high
schools themselves chose which
two students would receive the
Senior of the Month honor each
month. The high schools chose
students who maintain academic
merit while aiding the community
to the best of their ability. The
seniors volunteered at places and
programs such as fire departments,
hospitals, the Boy Scouts, and
Habitat for Humanity.
The Seniors of the Month have
already been selected for the
months of May and June. The St.
Joseph recipients were Brian Bennett and Dale Ventura for the
month of May and Daniel Riccio
and Robert Wierzbicki for June.
The students who received the
Senior of the Month Award were
invited to a dinner honoring them,
where the Senior of the Year was
announced. The dinner was held
on May 13th, and the Edison
Rotary selected one senior from
each high school to be Senior of
the Year. The students were asked
to write an essay due on May 6th,
which was judged by the Edison
Rotary. The topic of the essay was
“What effect has service had on
your life?”
This year’s Senior of the Year
was Chris Johnson. In his four
years at St. Joe’s, Chris made a difference not only in the school but
also in his community throughout
his various service activities. In
the school, he was the first president of the Umoja Club, a club celebrating African American heritage. In his community, he cofounded NANGILA, an organization devoted to community service
in the Union-Essex area. He was
a member of UHURU, which con-
centrates on food and clothing drives. He participated in Food and
Friends, a soup kitchen. He also
has been involved in several political campaigns, including serving
as the youth coordinator for Ras
Barak’s campaign for Newark City
Council.
In his essay, Chris described
community service as “an incommunicable experience that takes
place, an experience that has
prompted me to pursue a career in
social work. My service work has
allowed me to meet many people
that I would have never had the
opportunity to otherwise and has
given me a clearer understanding
of what it is that I would like to do
with my life.”
Ms. Dwyer, the director of
Campus Ministry, has worked with
several of the students who have
Courtesy of Br. John Spalding
Chris Johnson,
St Joe’s Senior of the Year
been given the Senior of the Month
award. She said, “They are a terrific bunch of guys, and I am
amazed by their ability to maintain
their academic grades while
accomplishing so much in their
communities.”
STUdeNT CoUNCIl WRAP-UP
By Joseph Lombardi
Staff Writer
“There were some obstacles that
we had to overcome; however, they
made us stronger, more unified, and
wiser. In the end, we accomplished
what we had set out to do,” commented Student Council moderator
Mr. Bryner. The 2001-2002 Student Council was successful in all
its endeavors, constantly demonstrating what it really means to represent St. Joseph High School by
displaying determination, charity,
and, above all, a sense of a unified
community.
The Student Council successfully organized and ran three school
dances, as well as the
Freshmen/Sophomore Semi-Formal, the Junior Prom, and the
Senior Prom. Besides the various
dances, the Student Council sponsored many fundraisers, including
the Student vs. Faculty Basketball
Game and the Thanksgiving Food
Drive, which raised over $18,000
dollars to help nearly 500 less fortunate families during the Thanksgiving season.
Furthermore, the city of Perth
Amboy, as well as the Puerto Rican
Association for Human Development, honored the St. Joseph High
School Student Council for its generous donations, which were a result
of the Food Drive.
The Student Council plans to
work with the administration in the
coming year to build a garden
memorial for the beloved teacher
and Junior Class Moderator Lorraine Noble, who tragically passed
away in February. It also plans to
institute an award in her name,
which will recognize exceptional
history students.
The Student Council was not
only successful in helping the outside community, but with managing internal affairs as well. It established a very strong faculty-pupil
relationship, which helped it to
serve as a conduit between teachers and students. Furthermore, the
Council took an active part in disciplinary measures of students.
However, the key to the success of
the Student Council was the strong
leadership that arose, especially in
times when it was most needed.
This leadership came from a number of strong-willed upperclassmen
who, through their fine example,
taught the younger members the
true meaning of being a part of the
St. Joseph community.
The Student Council had another successful and productive year.
Its members not only represented
the student body exceptionally, but
more importantly learned a lesson
about life along the way. Elections
for next year’s Student Council
were held in the early part of May.
Already, the new officers are looking forward to a new and exciting
school year, with the opportunity to
make the Student Council even
more successful.
ACAdeMIC TeAMS WRAP-UP
By Bill Knych
Staff Writer
Another year of academic competition has gone by as the hours of
preparation, anticipation, and concentration have been completed. It
is once again time to reflect on the
accomplishments of the St. Joe’s
Chess team, College Bowl, and
Math League and say farewell to
the seniors who have participated
for the past four years.
The Varsity Chess Team exceeded expectations at the state tournament. Initially, the team hoped to
place 10th, but managed to take the
seventh spot, only narrowly missing third. The JV placed eighth in
the booster division. This year the
team will lose only two seniors to
graduation, Eric Davis and Bren-
nard Gamboa, so the team will
remain largely intact for next year.
The College Bowl finished with
an 18-12 record in the White Plains
League, one of the toughest in the
country, and placed second in the
January tournament. The team also
ended the season ranked 6th in the
state. Moderator Mr. Powers said
of the season in general, “It wasn’t
a great season, but it was good. The
team did improve over the year and
hopefully they will be able to build
on that success next year.”
The team will lose seniors Bill
Knych and Kwanha Yu, but will be
left with a strong base of experienced juniors and underclassmen.
Finally, congratulations is in
order for the Math League, which
recently repeated as New Jersey
Catholic Conference champions
with a victory over Seton Hall Prep.
The margin of victory was only
three points (1774 to 1771), as each
and every competitor’s score helped
to make the win possible for the
team. The leaders in the Catholic
Conference scoring were Nick
Gillet, who scored 344 out of 400,
Eric Backlund and Amiel Chong
with 328, and Brian Sharkey with
321. St. Joseph’s was led in the New
Jersey Math League by Eric Backlund, with a combined score of 30,
and Eugene Gsell, with a combined
score of 27.
Overall, all three academic
teams had noteworthy seasons this
year. With many returning members and a commitment to success,
the teams look to continue to be
strong competitors in the next few
years.
CAMPUS MINISTRY WRAP-UP
Published by the students of St. Joseph High School
145 Plainfield Ave., Metuchen, NJ 08840
Volume XLI, No. 6 • May 2002
Editor-in-Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pete Beck
Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joe Mancuso
Associate Editors . . . . . . Brian McNamara, Fofie Mgbako, John Jorgensen
Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brian Torgersen
Photography Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Langowski
Staff Writers . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Beck, Tim Carter, Denis Connell, Joe Cruz
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Dalton, Chris Donnelly, Colin Drucker
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matt Egan, Jim Flannery, Jonathan Fromhertz
. . . . . . . . . . , Anthony Hui, Bill Knych, Patrick Mahoney, Shaun Malleck
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jason Naselli, Daniel Solis, Jeremy Vergera, Joe Varco
Web Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Oghia
Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. George Milligan
Faculty Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Martine Gubernat
Retiring Editors
Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brian Bennett
Associate Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Pleva
Photography Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Chung
The Falcon welcomes articles from students, parents and faculty members
for consideration for publication. All articles are subject to editing. The opinions expressed in The Falcon do not necessarily represent the opinions of faculty or administration. Opinions expressed in any column except those of the
editors are not necessarily those of the editors.
Graphics and Printing by Media Trends,
Metuchen, NJ (732) 225-4555
By Daniel Beck
Staff Writer
Behind almost every activity at
St. Joe’s lies Campus Ministry. In
the laid-back office next to Guidance, Diane Dwyer, Director of
Campus Ministry, helps to organize
and to orchestrate many of the
school year’s events.
Similar to years past, Campus
Ministry has had a very busy school
year. With over fifty consistently
helpful students and almost half of
the student body involved at one
time or another, CM was responsible for over fifty events this year.
The year started with Freshman
Fusion and Freshman Cup. Freshman Fusion was an exciting day full
of questions, tours, and games that
helped the incoming freshman class
relate to their peers in their new
environment. The newcomers got
to know some of the upperclassmen
as well. Freshman Cup was a day
filled with fun yet non-athletic competitions between the freshman
classes, ending in a victory by
Muratore’s Mad Cows.
One of Campus Ministry’s
biggest activities was Christmas on
Campus, which drew the most students and teachers for the year.
Children from the Perth Amboy
school system enjoyed a day of
games, snacks, and story time.
In comparison to last year, Ms.
Dwyer explained, “I think it ran
much better this year because there
were more kids. It was also more
organized, so it ran smoothly.” Ms.
Dwyer, always looking to “shake
things up,” stated that she may try
something new next year.
Another important event for
Campus Ministry was the Open
House, in which they were responsible for organizing parking and
running several tables. Campus
Ministry also helps put up and take
down chairs at each liturgy. Several other of the group’s activities this
year included the Communion
Breakfasts, the Good Samaritan
Collections, and a number of
overnights and spirituality days.
Some of CM’s highlights this
year were the numerous Confirmation retreats, where groups of students helped lead Confirmation candidates through a day of reflection
by taking their “spirituality on the
road,” as Ms. Dwyer was fond of
saying.
Another highlight for the school
was the Tony Melendez concert in
late March. Mr. Melendez, a Christian musician, was born with no
arms and learned to play the guitar
with his feet. His concert celebrated life and the tolerance of differences.
The faculty and students of the
school celebrated Mrs. Noble’s life
with St. Joe’s at a beautiful, touching memorial service.
Campus Ministry is a great place
for the St. Joe’s students to interact
with both teachers and peers in a
comfortable atmosphere. With the
peer mediation sessions and the
mentoring program still thriving, it
“is the underlying force in bringing
about a sense of community to the
school,” noted Ms. Dwyer.
Though for CM this was a very
busy and serious year, Ms. Dwyer
pointed out that, “It still was a place
for wreaking fun-type havoc.”
Campus Ministry plans on continuing this busy yet fun environment
for years to come.
May 2002
THE FALCON
3
Tony Melendez brings message of hope
By Fofie Mgbako
Staff Writer
Tony Melendez, an accomplished musician, visited St. Joe’s
on March 25, giving both a touching and entertaining performance
while sending a truly significant
message to the student body.
Through the music of the guitar,
Tony shared his incredibly inspirational story, which filled everyone
with a sense of hope and gratitude.
On that chilly Monday morning,
Tony Melendez began by tickling
his guitar strings with his feet and
introducing himself. He explained
that he was born without arms, a
disability stemming from a drug
called thalidomide that was given
to his mother during her pregnancy.
Tony said that it was during his
high school years when he realized
the talent that he possessed with his
feet, along with his love of the guitar. Tony and his band of three then
proceeded to burst into song. The
concert even became interactive as
Tony instructed his crowd to “hug
the person next to you” and to
“shake your partner’s hand.”
After an hour of engaging
music, Tony, his brother Jose
Melendez, and his band ended the
concert with an important theme.
As Jose shared his memories of the
ridicule Tony had to face growing
up and his own doubts in his little
brother, he expressed to the crowd
that life should never be taken for
granted and that everything has its
purpose.
The concert, sponsored by
SADD, served to enhance students’
awareness of overcoming obstacles.
It was also a chance for students to
find more confidence in the fact
that, through God, they can become
or grow into whatever their heart
and spirit desire.
Ms. Diane Dwyer, Director of
Campus Ministry, has been a friend
of Tony for six years. She said,
“What he has accomplished is
amazing based on his beginnings.
Through his vocation, he has cho-
A conversation with John Romano:
screenwriter, teacher and 1966 graduate
By Joe Mancuso
Managing Editor
Today, Mr. John Romano is a
highly accomplished individual.
Mr. Romano received a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University, where he also led the students’ rights movement. He continued his education, earning a
Ph.D in 19th century literature
from Yale University.
In the ensuing years, he has
written for The New York Times
and published a book entitled
Dickens and Reality. For ten years,
he taught English at the prestigious
Columbia University.
After his academic career, Mr.
Romano went on to become a recognized screenwriter and producer. He has written and produced
numerous television shows, including “Providence,” “Third Watch,”
and the Emmy nominated “Hill
Street Blues.’ He has also written
the screenplays for movies such
as “The Third Miracle” and the
upcoming “American Pastoral.”
During the 1990s, Romano
also created three television series
entitled “Class of ’96,” “Sweet Justice” and “Michael Hayes,” starring “NYPD Blue’s” David Caruso.
With this long list of accomplishments, John Romano seems
to be part of an elite group of men
and women. However, he has
something in common with every-
John Romano
one who has ever attended St. Joe’s. He was a St.
Joseph student.
During a recent interview, Romano indicated
that his experience at St.
Joe’s was like that of
many other students. He
got into mischief. He participated in extra-curricular activities. Together
with his classmates, he
complained about having
no girls in the school.
However, his high school
experience prepared him
for both his future learn- Romano, center, in yearbook photo.
ing and his career.
an eloquent and valued member.
“I remember a very diverse stuHe believes that the skills that he
dent body in personality. There
developed through debate allowed
were guys from the working class,
him to take such an active leaderrich kids, athletes, and some truly
ship role in the student’s rights
serious intellectuals. This was true
movement at Colgate. There, he
of the faculty too. It was an excitspoke out against racial discrimiing time!” Romano commented.
nation in fraternities and the VietHe remembered the retreats as
nam War. Romano continues to be
some of the most interesting and
active in politics today.
enlightening events of St. Joe’s. “I
“No one ever doubted that we
learned how to smoke a cigarette
were getting a good education. Br.
with Jimmy (Dolan) and (Dave)
Aldric’s classes were truly intelBixel. We literally talked all day
lectually challenging. Thomas
and all night. I never had converPlatko was enormous for me. He
sations like that until I took Ivy
made me start to look at literature
League Philosophy classes.”
critically. I felt prepared to think.”
Romano particularly rememRomano also acknowledged
bers a discussion surrounding
that Drama Club moderator
Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist of a
Thomas Ryan was the first person
Young Man, which centers on a
that told him to look at show busihigh school writer experiencing
ness as a career.
inner struggles. Romano related to
Judging from his accomplishthis character on a personal level.
ments, the training and suggestions
He also recalled when he and
that Platko and Ryan gave him had
his classmates tried to start a fraa positive effect on his life. When
ternity during his junior year. They
asked what he would still like to
were protesting for the enrolling
do in his screenwriting career,
of female students. Dave Bixel
Romano said, “I would love to
served as the first and only presirevisit what it was like to be a high
dent. “They came down on us like
school kid in the 60s.”
a ton of bricks. That wasn’t going
The St. Joseph community
to fly.”
wishes him nothing but continRomano was an active particiued success!
pant in Dramatic Interpretation and
the Debate Club, where he became
Photo by Toms Langowski
Tony Melendez brought a faithful and hopeful message to St.
Joe’s with his guitar.
sen to share his faith and accomplishments in a way that people can
better appreciate and learn from it.
There is likely no better way to
share that faith than through music.”
Tony Melendez has traveled not
only to all fifty states, but also all
over the world, including Europe,
Asia, and South America. He also
does tours throughout the country
with small groups such as parishes, schools, campuses, and Christian Leadership conferences. His
most cherished achievement was
playing his guitar for the Pope in
1987.
Tony has written an autobiography appropriately titled A Gift of
Hope. Even though Tony was born
at with a disadvantage, he has
achieved certain things other people only dream of doing.
“Despite his popularity and
celebrity, he is one of the most caring, down to earth, and sincere people that I know,” said Ms. Dwyer.
Being a very religious individual, Tony discovered that God had
sent him to serve as a beacon of
hope for those who are lacking. He
looks at his disability as a gift, along
with his talents. His strength comes
from his faith, determination and
will to succeed. He has given power to the adage, “Don’t worry, be
happy.”
Coffee House a fun night
of poetry and music
By Colin Drucker
Staff Writer
The Creative Writing Club held
their annual Coffee House in the
school cafeteria on Thursday, April
18. This is the
club’s biggest event
of the year, and as
in the past, it was a
success, bringing in
a sizable audience
to enjoy the performances.
The night started at 7 p.m., with
assorted poetry
from St. Joe’s students and one visiting poet. An intermission, complete
with cookies and
coffee, followed.
During
the
intermission,
posters and crayons
were placed around
the cafeteria for the
audience to leave
their own messages
or drawings. The
club
members
wanted to get the
audience involved and to share their
love for creative expression with
others. They found the posters to
be a great success in accomplishing that goal.
After intermission, various musicians and their bands, such as Joe
Siclari and Brad Romans, among
others, performed original songs
and covers for the audience.
Finally, the night concluded with
a showing of the trailer to sophomore Eduardo Velazquez’s “Star
Wars” film. The
Creative Writing
Club had hoped to
show off a gallery
of artwork, as well,
as had been done in
the past, but it was
not available this
year.
“I think the Coffee House gives all
sorts of artists a
chance to express
themselves,” said
senior club member Ryan Crowley.
“It’s great to see so
many people come
and be so supportive of that ideal,
whether through
performing
or
being part of the
audience.”
The Creative
Writing Club looks
forward to holding
another Coffee House again next
year. The club, moderated by Ms.
McGowan, also encourages anybody who feels creative and would
like to become a member to attend
to a meeting, Tuesdays after school
in Room 107.
The staff of The Falcon wishes everyone a safe
and enjoyable summer.
4
May 2002
THE FALCON
Personal changes force Mr. Carpenter to leave St. Joe’s
By Joseph Mancuso
Managing Editor
For the past 4 years, Mr. John
Carpenter has taught religion at St.
Joe’s. Through his insight and guidance, numerous students have
learned lessons in Scripture, Christology, Morality, and Bio-Ethics.
In addition to his classes, Mr. Carpenter continually strived to create
a student prayer group entitled One
in the Spirit. However, in March,
life’s countless changes forced Mr.
Carpenter to leave.
Mr. Carpenter moved to South
Carolina to take care of his mother, who is suffering from a disease
similar to Alzheimer’s. Mr. Carpenter and his wife now spend time
with her daily, making sure that she
has the correct medications, taking
her to the doctor, sharing dinner
with her.
Although his life down South is
different from his life in New Jersey, Mr. Carpenter is enjoying his
new environment. He commented,
“Everyone takes things a little easier in the South. They’re nice on
the road driving. They let you go.”
For the time being, Mr. Carpen-
ter and his wife are, in his own
words, “hanging out,” leaving future
plans up in the balance. Currently,
they are taking advantage of the
warm weather, their close proximity to the beach, which they visit
often, and the outdoor shopping.
They especially enjoy playing on
the plethora of golf courses.
Mr. Carpenter is not sure if he
will teach again, but he said that he
might drive a bus part-time next
year.
Still, Mr. Carpenter, a St. Joe’s
graduate of 1966, will always carry fond memories of St. Joe’s with
him. Speaking about his experience
as a teacher, he said, “I would get
e-mails and letters from students in
college who said that they were
doing well. Those made me feel
good. but what I loved the most
were the student prayer groups,
meeting a couple times a week. I
was always impressed by the level
of spirituality amongst students.”
A mentor to the end, Mr. Carpenter stated his last words of wisdom for his students of St. Joe’s.
“Keep studying- it is important.
Anything you can learn now will
save you time later.”
Mr. Carpenter
Awards ceremonies recognize ‘Cyrano De Bergerac’
performed for
students’ achievements
By Jonathan Fromhertz
Staff Writer
The Senior Awards Night and
the Spring Honors Convocation
served to recognize students’ hard
work during the past year, as well
as throughout their high school
careers. These two events recognized excellence in academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities.
The Senior Awards Night, an
invitation-only occasion, took place
on Tuesday, May 28. Extracurricular awards, which honored excellence in Clubs & Activities, were
presented that night, along with
awards for athletic excellence.
Academic and special awards
were also presented, such as the
Scholar Athlete Award and the Lorraine Noble Memorial Scholarship,
formerly known as the Lay
Teacher’s Association award. This
award was renamed in honor of
Mrs. Lorraine Noble, who tragically passed away in February. The
Senior Awards
Night
and
Spring Honors
Convocation
memorial scholarship was awarded to Gerry Horvath, who will enter
college and pursue a teaching
career.
The Bloustein Scholar Awards
were also presented, along with other awards named in honor of alumni. Each academic department in
the school had at least two awards
for excellence in their respective
subject area.
The valedictorian and the salutatorian were announced that night.
These two designations were deter-
mined by the students’ overall GPA
for their four years.
The Spring Honors Convocation
will be held on June 4 to honor academic excellence by freshmen,
sophomores and juniors.
Each academic department will
choose its top students by grade level. The top members in the three
academic teams, the College Bowl,
Chess Team, and Math League, also
will be chosen by grade level.
The underclassmen who
received athletic awards will be honored that night, along with the winners of the English Department’s
Robert Frost contest.
Another time-honored award at
the ceremony is the Brother Regis
Award, which honors a distinguished freshman who had shown
marked improvement in English
and in academics in general.
The end-of-the-year awards ceremonies serve to prove that at St.
Joe’s, excellence is a habit, not a
goal.
NHS induction ceremony
honors new members
By Jeremy A. Vergara
Staff Writer
The National Honor Society
(NHS) has inducted forty-three
new members for the 2002-2003
school year. An induction ceremony was held in the school gym
on May 2.
The NHS is an organization of
students who have shown outstanding performance in scholarship, leadership, character, and service. Candidates for the NHS had
to complete certain requirements
before being inducted. All nominees needed at least a GPA of 3.9,
which is equal to a high “B+.”
The nominees then had to
acquire character references and
letters of recommendation from
several of their teachers. The recommendations verified the candidates’ participation, leadership, and
service in extracurricular activities
and in the community.
A board of five anonymous
teachers and faculty members
reviewed all of the submitted information and made decisions on
New ediToRS appoiNTed
which students were to be admitted into the National Honor Society.
The NHS has been involved in
numerous activities throughout the
school year. The organization has
helped with Christmas on Campus, Freshman Cup, Freshman
Fusion, and the orientation picnic.
The NHS also held a dance and
raised funds by selling water at the
Student Council dances. Each
quarter the NHS published a
newsletter, Vox Sapientiae, which
means voice of wisdom in Latin.
By Denis Connell
Staff Writer
Parlez - vous francais? Most students wish they did on April 11,
when the National Theatre of the
Performing Arts came to St. Joe’s
to put on a French performance of
Cyrano De Bergerac. Originally
written by Edmond Eugene Rostand, this time-honored classic of
love and deception was brilliantly
displayed on stage. It was performed bilingually so that everyone
in the audience could understand
the story.
The play begins in 18th century Paris. The plot surrounds one
beautiful lady, Roxanne, who is
loved by two men. One is her
cousin, Cyrano, who helps the other, Christian, with the words that he
should say to her.
The National Theater Company
is oriented toward all different levels of students. The company travels all over the country putting on
these shows.
“It was a real opportunity for
everyone who came to expand their
understanding of the language and
culture,” said Mrs. Witkowski, the
French Club and FNHS moderator.
Many different schools, from Cape
May to Warren, came to see the
play.
The program, which lasted a little over two hours, allowed for a
question and answer session with
the cast. It allowed the students to
get a full understanding of the play
and its performers.
It is a safe to say that everyone
who came to see Cyrano De Bergerac truly enjoyed the performance.
Vishal Patel, President of the French
Club, said, “It makes the movie version pale in comparison.”
NHS inductees for the Class of 2003:
Jamil Abreu
David Ambrose
Bryan Arva
Eric Backlund
Peter Beck
James Brislin
Dennis Canciello
Timothy Carter
Christopher Clark
Denis Connell
Jonathan Cruz
Stephen Dalton
Dennis Donatelli
Matthew Egan
Alexander Frankiewicz
Ryan Gillespie
Kyle Haggerty
Daniel Jago
John Jorgensen
Nicholas LaCava
Daniel LaPointe
Shaun Malleck
Joseph Mancuso
Andrew McClellan
Christopher O’Brien
David O’Halloran II
John Oghia
Leo Rodriguez
James Schmatz
Thomas Scott
Daniel Solis
Nicholas Smith
Kurt Sparandero
Stephen Spezio
Nicholas Tessalone
Brian Torgersen
Anthony Torntore
Jaskirat Virk
William Walsh
Kevin Walsh
Stephen Yanick
Wayne Younghans
Caleb Yuen
Benefit Concert again a success
By Brian Bennett
Retiring Managing Editor
Congratulations to the 2002-2003 Falcon editors: Brian
McNamara, Fofie Mgbako, Tom Langowski, pete Beck,
John Jorgensen, Joe Mancuso and Brian Torgersen.
French students
The St. Joseph High School
Benefit Concert on April 12 was
one not to be missed. This was the
second year that it had been held
and the concert itself was spectacular. The concert’s proceeds of
nearly $4000 went to a worthy
cause, the JFK Pediatric Neuroscience Center.
The event was primarily
arranged and organized by Dan
McDonough, along with the help
of moderators Ms. Prieditis and
Mrs. Bergin. McDonough was
responsible for promoting the event
and finding bands to play the concert.
Ms. Prieditis, a history teacher
and the event’s main moderator,
stated, “The amount of talent here
at St. Joseph’s is incredible. The
best part of the concert was watching the bands all work together for
a good cause.” She felt that the
event was a success and that it was
held without any problems.
The list of bands consisted of
Redline Special, Tag You’re It, Carnapple, Self-Denial, Divinity
Destroyed, Mudbox, and 54 Vision.
Both Redline Special and SelfDenial are mainly composed of St.
Joe’s students.
Tag You’re It, 54 Vision and
Divinity Destroyed were several
bands that were signed under a
record label, while Mudbox is cur-
rently on its way to being signed.
Also, Carnapple seemed to a local
favorite metal band.
Dan McDonough, also the lead
guitarist and singer for Self-Denial,
was happy with the event’s success.
He said, “I feel that the concert was
excellent. But more importantly, I
want to thank all the students and
the administration for helping out
and coming to watch. The money
raised went to a good cause, which
is important and a necessity here. I
would also like to thank the bands
for volunteering to play and doing
a fine job.”
The school was once again
pleased with the turn out and hopes
that next year’s concert will be an
even bigger event.
May 2002
THE FALCON
Athletic Hall of Fame:
St. Joe’s sporting heritage
By Anthony Hui
Staff Writer
St. Joe’s has always had a very
strong sports heritage. Its very community is rooted in its sports teams,
ranging from swimming to track to
volleyball. With so many sports
teams, there are many exceptional
athletes and coaches. That’s why
the Sports Hall of Fame was first
started - to honor outstanding athletes and coaches for their achievements when they were at St.
Joseph’s.
However, with the vast number
of exceptional athletes who have
walked through the doors of St.
Joseph’s, it is often difficult to find
the most qualified individuals.
According to Mr. Walsh, the selection process is “pretty rigorous ...
and arguments often come up in
qualifying the nominees.”
Mr. Walsh, among others, is on
the Standing Committee that selects
and examines those who are eligible for the Hall of Fame. Other
leading members include Br. John
Spalding and Mr. John Kohutanydcz.
The selection process is fairly
complicated. The nominees can be
nominated by anybody in their
community or alumni members in
the summer and fall of each year.
The nominees must have completed college or five years must have
passed since they have graduated
from St. Joseph’s. Coaches, both
former and recent,
will be consulted,
as well
as old
classmates
and teammates.
The committee will
review each
nominee’s
records,
both academically and sports-wise.
He must also present to the committee documentation of a record
of sportsmanship and a lifestyle of
integrity that will set him as a model to the current St. Joe’s community.
In the first cut, the committee
will take a majority vote to reduce
the number of nominees. In the
final decision, though, a two-thirds
vote is required to induct a nominee. All inductees will be formally inducted at the annual Athletic
Hall of Fame Banquet.
As Mr. Walsh said before, the
selection process is very difficult.
It is often hard to determine the
qualification of athletes from different time periods, where the best
in 1975 might not be the best in
2002.
That, however, is what the committee is cut out to do. They take
a subjective process and make it
into an objective one through paper
documentation and personal experiences as well as testimonies of
coaches, fellow committee members, and each athlete’s personal
record.
There is also another reason
why the Hall of Fame was established. Aside from honoring the
athletes of the past, it is also an
attempt to show athletes of today
a model of true sportsmanship, athletic excellence, and St. Joseph’s
tradition.
As the Capital Campaign continues, the Hall of Fame is planning
for a permanent home in the new
gymnasium. Perhaps with such a
move, the Athletic Hall of Fame
will have an even stronger influence on the many athletes who will
carry on the St. Joe’s tradition in
the future.
5
Advanced Placement
tests challenge students
By John Jorgensen
Associate Editor
Taking Advanced Placement
exams is a great way to get college credit before even enrolling
in a college. The National College Board offers exams in a
wide variety of subject areas.
The exams are graded on a
scale of 0-5. Colleges will
accept a three or above as
passing
and
waive three
credits from
their required
total in that
field.
This year St.
Joseph’s offered
ten AP exams. The
subjects
were
diverse, with AP
courses being offered
in every department
except religion.
One hundred forty-five students were enrolled to take AP
exams, some of whom took
multiple tests.
The National College Board
charged a fee of $78 per test taken.
All the test days were in
May, from May 6 through May
17. There were two, three-hour
sessions a day. The morning
sessions ran from 8 a.m.-11 a.m.
and the afternoon from 12 p.m.3 p.m.
“The dates are assigned by
the College Board,” said Sister
Anne. “We can’t change them.”
All tests were administered in Woodburn Hall.
This was “so there [wouldn’t] be any distractions,”
according to Sister Anne.
Teachers of AP courses were not allowed to
proctor their own tests,
so proctors were
brought in for the
occasion. These
included Sr. Anne,
Mrs. Madden, Mr.
Severino, and Sister Veronica
Roche.
When asked about the benefits of the tests, Sr. Anne concluded, “Through the tests, students can not only earn college
credit, but can also gain exposure to the larger tests that are
found in college.”
Cultural diversity apparent at St. Joe’s Spirituality Days offer
By Daniel Solis
Staff Writer
Throughout the centuries, immigration has been an extremely influential force in this country. People
from all over the world come to the
United States to look for better
opportunities, whether it is for economic change or for better futures.
It is still a huge factor nowadays; in
that way, immigration has brought
an element of cultural diversity to
the community of St. Joe’s.
The eastern hemisphere has given the world a number great technological advancements and has
produced some of history’s most
famous people, such as Confucius,
Gandhi, and Napoleon. The ancient
cultures of Asia have provided
many Americans with social and
cultural backgrounds, while many
people in this country can link their
ancestry to Europe.
Many members of the St. Joe’s
school community are representative of the cultural diversity that separates the United States from the
world’s other countries. Harry Tseung was born in Hong Kong, China. He entered St. Joe’s as a sophomore two years ago, and his basic
knowledge of the English language
helped him adapt to life here.
Tagalog was Eufracio Velardi’s
first language. He learned English
through television shows at the age
of 4 when he moved here from
Manila, Philippines. Freneil Jariwala was born in Surat, India, and
traveled to this country at the age
of ten, taking ESL courses to familiarize himself with the language.
From Oslo, Norway comes
junior Jaskirat Virk. He attended an
English school in Norway, and
came here at the age of 5. Nick
MacInnis learned English as his first
language and came here in April of
1994 from Turnhout, Belgium.
Steve Dalton had to make no major
changes in language when he came
here from Dublin, Ireland at the age
of 2.
South and Central America,
“Latino Heat,” as many have come
to call it, integrates its culture into
American culture. With its diverse
mixtures of the Caribbean flavor,
ancient Incan, Mayan, and Aztec
tribes, and European influences,
Latin culture is considered one of
the richest and most colorful of the
world.
Kevin Hudson was born in the
sunny island of Jamaica. The
Kingston native traveled here at the
age of 5 and had to make minor
adjustments to the language.
Elihut Garcia comes from
Oaxxaca, Mexico, a four-hour trip
from Acapulco.
Yuri Borges, from Mina Gerais,
Brazil, came to this country two
days before he entered the school
as a freshman, with a very vague
knowledge of the English language.
Dan and Andres Solis were both
born in Quito, Ecuador, and traveled here at the ages of two and one,
respectively. Enrolling in preschool
and watching television have helped
the brothers to learn English.
The American “melting pot” is
not close to done melting yet. Immigration has characterized this country since its outset, and will continue to do so. Cultures still merge
with what has become American
culture.
St. Joe’s has contacts world
wide, having students from different continents, countries, and cultures throughout the world. They
have adjusted to the American culture and society and are now regularly contributing members of the
St. Joe’s community.
prayer, reflection and
a little fun, too!
By Jason Naselli
Staff Writer
A number of students left school
for a couple of days in April to head
to the Brothers of the Sacred Heart
Retreat House in Belvedere, NJ.
There they held the annual sophomore and junior Spirituality Days.
The days, run by Ms. Diane Dwyer
of Campus Ministry, offered students a day away from school to
pray, reflect, and get to know each
other in different ways. The sophomore day took place on April 11,
while the junior overnight spanned
April 15-16.
A senior overnight was held on
April 22-23. This event focused on
the seniors’ experiences at school
and looked ahead to their upcoming college career.
The theme of the junior
overnight was “Walking the Path.”
Here, juniors focused on what path
they had followed during their first
three years at school and looked to
choose their path for senior year.
The program included individual
and group discussions, helping students to get different perspectives
on each topic.
Instead of an overnight, the
sophomore event lasted a single day.
The topic areas were more open
than the other two, which were
geared specifically toward planning
for the future. Since sophomores
are right in the middle of their high
school careers, there were various
topics discussed in large and small
groups, along with individual journals and community building
games.
Each event allowed students to
reflect upon their school years as
well as to discuss issues with their
peers, thus providing a healthy exercise in spirituality. The Spirituality workshops allowed the students
the opportunity to learn more about
themselves and their classmates in
a fun and open environment.
SeNIoR edIToRIAl
Thank you, St. Joe’s
By Robert Pleva
Retiring Associate Editor
As my four-year stay at St.
Joe’s comes to a close, I thought
this would be an appropriate time
to recollect my memories of this
place, which I have called home
since 1998. I have learned and
experienced much in that time.
There have been great changes
in my life since my first day at St.
Joe’s in September 1998. I remember being both excited and petri-
fied upon entering those front
doors for the first time. The confidence that I had gained in my
final year of grammar school was
shattered as I once again became
the person at “the bottom of the
totem pole.”
I didn’t know what to expect
when I walked through the halls
for the first time. I thought that it
would be like one of those TV
shows, where the seniors would
never let the freshmen out of their
sight and use them as the target for
all their clever pranks.
I found the members of the
Class of 1999 to be just the opposite of that stereotype. They were
helpful and friendly and played an
important part in helping me with
the transition from grammar school
into high school.
A few months into that first
year, I had become more confident
and self-assured. During the next
two years, I was faced new challenges, both social and academic.
I don’t know how, but I was gen-
erally able to overcome these.
Now, it feels like I am back in
eighth grade again. I am on the
“top of the totem pole” once again,
but not for long.
Come September, I will be
back on the bottom of the proverbial pole, but this time I will
remember what I learned that first
year about being confident and
treating the underclassmen well
when I am a senior. I have made
a promise to myself to continue
this way through college.
I would like to thank not only
those classmates and teachers that
have stood by me all these years,
but also those who have made this
time a little challenging. A challenge is meant to make a person
stronger, and that is exactly what
has happened to me in the past four
years.
Good-bye, St. Joe’s. I’ll never
forget what you’ve done for me.
6
May 2002
THE FALCON
Saint JoSeph’S h.S.
The
Falcon
SPORTS
Volleyball continues dominating season
By Pete Beck
Editor-In-Chief
Photo by Tom Langowski
Falcon golf finishes another succesful season.
Golf team finishes strong
By Matt Egan
Staff Writer
Starting out the season with
an impressive 8-0 record, the golf
team managed to finish its season with a record of 17-2-1. In
the beginning of the season
Coach Pugliese stated, “The team
has a good shot at all of their
goals.” These goals included an
undefeated season, a Red Division championship, and a number one ranking in the state.
While the team failed to go undefeated and be ranked number
one, it did manage to win Red
Division championship with a
victory over rival East
Brunswick.
One bright spot in the Falcons’ season was a 2nd place
team finish in the Cherry Valley
Invitational. At this same tournament, Brian Gussis placed 1st
overall, shooting a 70. In the
South Parochial A State sectionals the team placed 3rd overall.
In the Tournament of Champions, James Milkosky shot a 77,
the best score for a golfer in the
area.
Coach Pugliese attributed the
team’s success to its depth, noting, “Most teams have one or
two good players, while we have
several players who can shoot in
the 70’s.” The impressive scoring of underclassmen, particularly Adam Pasierski and Nick
Tessalone, has also added to the
team’s success.
On top of all of that, Brian
Gussis has led the team as its
most consistent player boasting
a 36 average. James Milkosky,
Jeff Cillo, Steve Gough, and
Chris Cillo have all contributed
to the team’s overall performance.
June 7 is the date that the Falcon
volleyball team and coach Bob Fordi have been waiting for all season.
As the day of the finals of the
NJSIAA State Tournament
approaches, the Falcons continue
their dominating season. The team
finished with a 22-1 record in regular season state play and was
ranked as one of the top two teams
in the state throughout the entire season.
Early in the season, the team finished second at the Lake Lehman
Invitational Tournament, a tournament that featured some of Pennsylvania’s top teams.
The Falcons finished pool play
with a 6-3 record and then proceeded to defeat Whitehall and
Exeter to reach the finals of the tournament. Despite being defeated in
the finals by an undefeated Hempfield team, the Falcons’ second place
finish was the best showing in the
program’s history at the Lake
Lehman Tournament.
The Falcons won several major
tournaments during the course of
the season, including a 15-1, 16-14
victory over Fairlawn in the finals
of the Clifton Tournament and a
well-played, three-game win over
Eastern in the finals of the Hacken-
Photo by Marc Cangemi
The volleyball team is ready for the state tournament.
sack Comet Invitational.
Throughout the season, the Falcons were recognized as one of New
Jersey’s most talented and hardworking teams.
The team has been led by the
senior leadership of captains Marc
Cangemi and Pat Fenton. Cangemi, a senior outside hitter, has
brought both leadership and experience to the team, along with his
strong defense and passing.
Arguably the strongest right side in
the state, Fenton has keyed the Falcon offense with over 300 kills.
Senior Bryan Bodaj has proven
himself to be a dominant offensive
player and one of the best middles
in the state. The efforts of Bodaj
and junior Brian Wilhelm in the
Baseball team keeps battling
By Stephen Dalton
Staff Writer
The Falcon baseball team struggled in several of its early games
but is optimistic about the rest of
the season. Currently, the team has
a record of 12 wins, 8 losses and 1
tie in the Red Division of the
Greater Middlesex County Conference. However, this year’s division
contains some very talented teams.
Tennis team rallies at season end
By Joseph Cruz
Staff Writer
The Falcon tennis team brought
another season to a close, looking
back on its shortcomings and victories. The team began the season
with multiple losses. However, they
jumped back and recovered by midseason, finally playing at the top of
their game and gaining several significant victories.
The team returned several veterans from last season, but obviously missed the experience and the
leadership of last year’s graduating
seniors. This season, Coach Danny San Jose struggled to build a new
team, which gradually made its own
successful identity as time went on.
The group only became closer as
the practices and matches played
on, slowly redefining them once
again as a team. By the end of the
season, each player was playing bet-
ter and winning more matches.
The Falcons managed a 9-9
record. The performance level of
the team was best shown in its upset
of North Brunswick. In individuals, Dave Ambrose made it to the
quarterfinals of 2nd singles and Eric
Chu made it to the quarterfinals of
3rd singles of the White Division of
the GMC’s.
The team looks ahead to next
season, but loses graduating seniors
Amiel Chong, Eric Chu, and Albert
Laino. This loss puts pressure on
the younger players, especially on
the returners. “Hopefully the youth
of the team will help us in the
future,” says Amiel Chong.
Waiting and training for next
year, Coach San Jose knows the
team’s young talent has the potential to keep the team going strong
for years. He firmly believes that St.
Joseph’s tennis has a bright future
and will only get better.
middle have helped St. Joe’s become
one of the premier blocking teams
in the state.
Junior outside hitter Tom Scott
has also contributed to the team with
his hitting and blocking. With this
year’s focus on defense, defense specialists Cyril Naduparambil, Dan
LaPointe, and Tom Raimondo have
also made significant contributions
to the team.
After earning the #1 seed for the
State Tournament, the team kicked
off its playoff run with a 15-10, 1510 defeat of East Brunswick in the
finals of the first annual GMC Tournament. However, the team has
only one goal left in mind: the state
championship.
Photo by Marc Cangemi
The Falcon baseball team has many talented players this year.
The determined team this year
has won two important games
against South Brunswick on Opening Day and against Hunterdon
Central on April 13. These two crucial wins helped to boost the Falcons’ confidence and to better the
team’s record.
This year’s key players are the
five seniors playing on the varsity
team, Aaron Richard, Ryan Scott,
P.J. Valenza, Tiernan Mulrooney,
and Bob Yunker. These players
have provided the much needed
leadership for the young team.
Juniors Tom Battista and Mike
Cerulo also added talent to the roster.
Coach Yunker stated, “The team
has the talent and the incentive to
win, but we’re still looking for a big
break to go our way.”
Tough season for spring track
By Jim Flannery
Staff Writer
Although the track team had a
smaller number of runners and
throwers this year, the team managed to finish with a 4-3 dual meet
record.
Faced with the possibility of a
losing season, the Falcons stepped
up to the challenge against East
Brunswick in their final dual meet,
finishing with a victory and a winning record. In the same week vol-
leyball defeated rivals East
Brunswick to win counties. St.
Joe’s sports stepped up to the competition of these topnotch rivals.
The Falcons had only 4 key
seniors on the roster this year. Jim
Flannery led the team in distance
events, becoming the 3200-meter
and 1600-meter county champion.
Chris Johnson and Pat Mahoney,
both with respectable finishes in the
GMC championships, handled
sprints and hurdles.
John Lao led the throwing team
in shot put and javelin, while junior
Rob Moran led the team in discus.
In his first season high jumping,
sophomore Obinna Eminike managed to progress from clearing no
height, to the team leader, jumping
5’ 10”.
After an only slightly above
average season this spring, the Falcons hope to improve their record
for next spring. The abundance of
youth talent in the track program is
promising, and the team has much
to look forward to.
May 2002
THE FALCON
Sports Report Card, 2001-2002
By Brian Torgersen
Sports Editor
CROSS COUNTRY: C+
With an under .500 dual meet
record of 3-4, the young Falcons struggled throughout the season. The young
talent of sophomores Chris Avallon
and Jon Salamon and freshman Matt
Ball aided the team. The highlight of
the season was Jim Flannery’s 3rd
place finish in the Meet of Champions
and 12th place finish in the Footlocker East Coast Championship. His time
in the Meet of Champions was the
fastest ever for a runner from the GMC.
SOCCER: B+
The soccer team’s success cannot
be solely graded on their slightly above
average of 9-8-2. Their season can best
be summed up by their win over East
Brunswick. At the time of the upset
East Brunswick was ranked # 1 in the
state. Seniors Nick Floeck, Chris Johnson, and Pat Mahoney led the team.
Other key players included juniors
Nick Krolak and Chris Tice. The
young team should be competitive in
upcoming years.
BASKETBALL: C+
The Falcons’ inability to execute
offensively plagued the team. The team
managed a 10-12 record in the difficult GMC Red Division. The team
played excellent when they hustled,
but when their intensity dropped they
lost. Calvin Cannon, John Dixon, Lamont Moseley, and Tom Scott led the
team. The youth will prove necessary
for success next season.
BOWLING: A
Two events tainted the bowling
team’s season. The first was a loss in
the GMC finals. Second was the team’s
inability to qualify for states. These two
disappointments cannot overshadow a
16-3-1 record. The stellar performances
of sophomore Matt O’Grady helped
him set two new school records. He set
the record for high game (299) and
high series (789). With three top
seniors, Chris Jule, Brian Bennett and
Dave Pavlics, going to college the team
will rely on youth next year.
HOCKEY: C+
Similar to last year the hockey team
finished with a below average record,
but a huge upset. Their record this year
was 8-10-3. The giant upset was
against St. John Vianney, a team ranked
top in the state at that time. The team
was led by seniors Bob Bouthillette,
Gene Gsell, John Fedele, and Nick Paradiso. The Falcons hope to keep
improving the St. Joe’s hockey program.
SWIMMING: A+
STATE TITLE! Coach Whittington
successfully started a revival of the St.
Joe’s swimming dynasty of the 80s by
winning the Parochial A State Championship. The team beat school rivals
CBA to reach the top. The Falcon’s
placed first in the Pirate’s Invitational
over out-of-state rival Greenwich. Pat
Maloney, Brian Sharkey, Bobby
Savulich, Brian Gartner, Ryan Tighe,
and Corey Dunbar led the team.
WINTER TRACK: ALittle was expected from the Falcon track team in the beginning of the
season. The team was young and very
small. The track team managed to lose
only one of its dual meets. Strong
showings at East Brunswick Relays
and GMC’s showed the team’s determination. One high point of the year
was a first place finish for Jim Flannery in the 3200-meter race of the Meet
of Champions. Sprints and hurdles
were led by Chris Johnson and Pat
Mahoney. Rob Moran and John Lao
led the throwers.
BASEBALL: B+
The GMC Red Division is always
competitive in baseball. This year’s
baseball team has managed a record of
12-8-1 so far. Despite the competition,
the Falcons managed a big win versus
South Brunswick. The team was led
by seniors Aaron Richard and PJ
Valenza. Juniors Tom Battista and
Mike Cerulo also proved instrumental
in the Falcons’ success.
GOLF: A
The golf team saw excellence in
both team and individual play. Their
record was 17-2-1, with a 3rd place finish at State Sectionals. As a team, they
placed 2nd in the Cherry Valley Invitational. As for individual play, the season was marked by Brian Gussis’ 1st
place finish at the Cherry Valley Invitational. In the Tournament of Champions James Milkosky shot a 77, the
best score for an area golfer. The golf
team also came away with a GMC
Championship with a victory over East
Brunswick.
LACROSSE: B
A slightly over .500 record of 9-8
could not do justice to the lacrosse
team’s performance this year. The team
managed to beat powerhouse Hun 108. In the semifinals of the GMC’s the
Falcons pounced Old Bridge 14-1. The
lacrosse program has been improving
in recent years. This progress was led
by Ryan Deverin, Joe Bauer, and Joe
Vele. The program will continue to
make leaps forward in upcoming years.
SPRING TRACK: B
Once again the track program was
faced with small numbers and young
runners. The team managed to fight all
season long for a dual meet record of
4-3. This season, like all other track
seasons, was led by Jim Flannery. Pat
Mahoney and Chris Johnson led the
sprinters and hurdlers. John Lao led
the throwing team. Jim Flannery finished the season as the 1600-meter and
3200-meter champion in the GMC.
TENNIS: B
The hard work of the Falcon tennis
team is shown in its record of 9-9. The
team upset North Brunswick. Dave
Ambrose and Eric Chu made it to the
quarterfinals of the GMC’s for the
White Division. Victories as a team
and as individuals show the improvement in Falcon tennis.
VOLLEYBALL: A+
The Falcon volleyball team made a
dominating run through the regular season. With an in-state record of 22-1 by
the state cutoff, the team earned the
number one seed in the NJSIAA State
Tournament and homecourt advantage
in the first three rounds. The Falcons’
victory over East Brunswick for the
first GMC title capped off an impressive season, including victories over
perennial state title contenders Wayne
Hills, Fairlawn, Eastern, and Hunterdon Central. The team also won two
major tournaments in New Jersey at
Clifton and Hackensack, along with
reaching the finals of the Lake Lehman
Tournament in Pennsylvania.
7
8
THE FALCON
Class of 2002
Name
College
Gerard Abate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lafayette
Anthony Aiello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St. Joseph’s U., Pa.
Jay Alvarez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers - Engineering
Shamyr Austin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers - Cook
Marvin Avila . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New York University
Joseph Bauer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ursinus College
Michael Bautista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers - Cook
Daniel Bellafronte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . College of Mt. St. Vincent
Dominick Bellizzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . University of Scranton
Brian Bennett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Villanova University
Bryan Bodaj . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ramapo
James Bolante . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boston University
Robert Bouthilette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Salve Regina U., RI
Ryan Burke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers - Livingston
Brian Burkert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . College of New Jersey
Marc Cangemi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Villanova
Leonardo Casas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American University, DC
Thomas Cassidy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bucknell
Armand Castro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ateneo de Manila U., Philippines
Edward Chang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers - Livingston
Joseph Chiaramida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . University of Southern California
Amiel Chong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Indiana University, IN
Eric Chu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boston University
You Chan Chung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . University of Pennsylvania
Jeffrey Cillo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kean
Ryan Crowley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drew
Matthew Curran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loyola College, Md.
Pearse Daly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . College of Mt. St. Vincent
Ryan Daly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . U.S. Military Academy at West Point
Eric Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Middlesex County College
James Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . University of Delaware
Anthony DeCanto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Middlesex County College
Brenton Delman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St. Joseph’s University, Pa.
Karna Desai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Long Island University
Ryan Deverin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marist College
Christopher Devlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . University of Maryland
Vito DiGiorgio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loyola College, Md.
Gregory DiLalo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers College
Kevin Dorco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers - Engineering
Richard Ellis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Syracuse University
John Eppensteiner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Penn State University
Edward Espinueva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Middlesex County College
Adam Facella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers College
Daniel Farley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Richard Stockton College
Scott Fecho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rowan University
John Fedele . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boston University
Patrick Fenton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New York University
Jonathan Fischer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Middlesex County College
James Flannery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Princeton
Brendan Fleming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Syracuse University
Nicholas Floeck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . University of Delaware
Sean Foy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . School of Visual Arts
Matthew Fryauff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mt. St. Mary’s College, Md.
William Galtieri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LaSalle University, Pa.
Brennard Gamboa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Jersey Institute of Technology
Patrick Gawronski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . University of Hartford
Anthony Gigantino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LaSalle University, Pa.
Timothy Gigl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hamilton College
Nicholas Gillett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers College
John Glavasich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . University of Hartford
Steven Gough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fairleigh Dickinson University
Norman Graham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Armstrong Atlantic State U., Ga.
Eugene Gsell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Towson University, Md.
Brian Gussis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Methodist College, NC
Frederick Han . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St. John’s University
Edward Herd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . United States Marine Corps
Richard Hernandez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seton Hall University
Jason Hobson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ursinus College
Gerard Horvath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Middlesex County College
Colin Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Middlesex County College
Name
May 2002
College
Daniel Ingrassia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Union County College
Christopher Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Columbia
Christopher Jule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Middlesex County College
David Kaminski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loyola College, Md.
Mark Keogh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fordham University
Hans Kim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New York University
William Knych . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Johns Hopkins University
David Konopacki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers College
Christopher Koszalka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Villanova University
Albert Laino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers College
James Lang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ramapo
Jonathan Langley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers - Livingston
Jonathan Lao . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rochester Institute of Technology
Peter Lombardi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monmouth University
Patrick Mahoney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tufts
Patrick Maloney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . University of Pennsylvania
Matthew Manos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New York University
Matthew Matuzas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers - Cook
David Mazurek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St. John’s University
Adam McCabe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loyola College, Md.
Howard McCallen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christopher Newport U., Va.
Christopher McDougal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . College of New Jersey
Christopher Mezzo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DeSales University, Pa.
James Milkosky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boston College
John Mucksavage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kean University
Tiernan Mulrooney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boston College
Kevin O’Connor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saint Peter’s College, NJ
Paul Ogando . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New York University
Nicholas Paradiso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Paterson University
David Pavlics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St. Peter’s College, NJ
Christopher Peters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St. Joseph’s University, Pa.
John Petty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monmouth University
John Piatkowski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers - College of Arts & Sciences
Brian Pinto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rowan University
James Pisacka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers College
Robert Pleva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seton Hall University
Brandon Pompeo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bloomfield College
Mario Pujol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Penn State University
Thomas Raimondo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fairleigh Dickinson University
Christopher Ranjit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . McMaster University, Ontario
Richard Reynolds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DeSales University, Pa
Daniel Riccio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drew
Aaron Richard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers - Livingston
Paul Romero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . School of Visual Arts
Christopher Rotondo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers College
Amit Roy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Case Western Reserve University
Adam Rozmosh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers - Newark
Matthew Scotillo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Penn State University
Ryan Scott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LaSalle University, Pa
Matthew Shamy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Middlesex County College
Brian Sharkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brown
Theodore Shatynski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers - Cook
Timothy Short . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . King’s College, Pa.
Joseph Siclari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . University of Delaware
Ruben Soler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Philadelphia University
Andrew Sorenson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DeVry Institute
Jamaal Stanton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St. John’s University
Andrew Tona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rider University
Patrick Valenza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seton Hall University
Joseph Vassallo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rutgers University
Dale Ventura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . University of California - Irvine
David Vitali . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St. Anselm College, NH
Mark Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monmouth University
Robert Wierzbicki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boston College
Edward Wisnewski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Middlesex County College
Hyun Suk Yang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boston University
Kwanha Yu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rennselaer
Robert Yunker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Towson University, Md.
Nicholas Zuluaga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Middlesex County College