Search Results

by EMILY BEZERRA Social Media Coordinator The infamous technology brand Apple has always been successful in the stock market. However, after receiving mixed second-quarter earnings, it is apparent that the company is it not living up to its usual success. Apple is a lead brand in the consumer-electronics industry. The iPhone, iPod, iPad, Mac, and iTunes have earned Apple a top-ranking position among consumers. Apple’s first-quarter earnings were “lackluster”, which caused the company to scale back iPhone orders. It was estimated that Apple would pick themselves up and have succesful second-quarter earnings. Howwever, when their second-quarter earnings were announced, they did not meet expectations. The Apple stock market has created a roller-coaster of Wall Street because consumers are hesitant to buy/keep their Apple stocks. Consumers are not sure if Apple will make a comeback or just go downhill from here. This time last year, Apple’s net income was $11.6 billion, selling stocks for $12.30 a share on a $39.2 billion revenue. After their second-quarter earnings, Apple reported a net income of only $9.5 billion, with stocks at $10.09 a share on a revenue of $43.6 billion. Not only are these statistics lower than last year, they are a disappointment considering the estimated $10 billion earnings that were expected of Apple after the second-quarter. Apple’s current situation is bad news for investors, considering Apple’s gross margins guidance for its second quarter came in below expectations. It is highly expected that there will be increased competition on pricing. Apple could be in serious trouble due to their competition. The iPhone makes up 65-70 percent of Apple’s income. Although the iPhone has dominated the smartphone game for a while, there is a current outburst of new smartphones on the market, and they are earning consumer attention. The Blackberry Z10 came out recently, with a design remarkably similar to the popular iPhone 5. Studies show that 55 percent of consumers of the Z10 come from different platforms – leaving their old smartphones for this new one. “The new Blackberry actually looks really cool. I still wouldn’t trade it for my iPhone though,” says sophomore Tina Volkmann. Another competitor Apple needs to look out for is Samsung. The release of their Galaxy S4 has consumers buzzing with interest and fascination of the techonology on the smartphone. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, in an attempt to calm down consumers, announced they will be releasing new technology in the fall. He claims Apple is working hard on developing new software, hardware, and technology that he cannot wait to release throughout the fall and 2014. “Apple has always been such a large, dominant company. I doubt that any smartphone can top the iPhone, just like no HP can beat the Mac. As long as Apple stays technologically advanced, there’s no shot of them plummeting anytime soon,” says sophomore Brina Haugland. When Apple hosts its annual WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) in San Francisco the week of June 10, there could be a potential product announcement. Otherwise, the world will just have to wait and see what is next for Apple. #StockMarket #SamsungGalaxySIV #Stocks #apple #Blackberry #samsung

by JUSTIN LOCK Staff Writer The Guidance Center is sponsoring a Media Free Day on April 30 where students, teachers, and staff at the school do not use any kind of social media or technology to communicate with each other. The point of Media Free Day is to encourage people to stop communicating over social media or cell phones, and to communicate face-to-face with anyone, including friends or family, for one day. Freshman Kason Leung said, “I’m pretty sure people can last one day without their cell phone.” Guidance Councilor Ms. Michele Rockoff said people cannot really know how people truly feel through texting or emailing. You can see a person’s emotions and body language by talking to them in person. Media Free Day was created from the combined effort of the students and faculty who participated in Challenge Day to change the atmosphere of the school. Challenge Day took place over a three day period while students trained and worked with each other to listen to one another and grow. Ms. Rockoff said, “Challenge Day students wanted to break down the barrier for people to communicate face to face.” Anyone can sign the pledge for Media Free Day during their lunch period, but it is not required to participate in this event. The sign up sheet says: “I pledge to turn off my cell phone and not log on to social media sites on April 30, 2013.” The sheet adds that social media sites, emailing, instant messaging, and texting can cause people to communicate less in person. Everyday there are 3.2 billion interactions on Facebook, 16 billion texts sent, 2 million blog posts published, half a billion tweets posted, 10 million minutes of Skype calls, and 300 billion e-mails sent. The average age children get their first cell phone now is around 11 and a half years old. If this continues, children may start to talk more using electronics than in person. Today, social networking is one of the most popular online activities, accounting for more than one-fifth of the time people are on the Internet. Freshman Ian Wankmueller said, “It’s surprising to me that people spend that much time on social media sites.” Posters have been put up around the school to encourage students to sign up and not to use their cell phones. This is the school’s first Media Free Day and the Guidance Center plans to host more in the future. The Guidance Center also plans to have another Challenge Day next year sometime in October or November. To alert students, there is a commercial for Media Free Day on the school news broadcast. What would you do if you could not use your cell phone or log onto social media sites for one day? #MediaFreeDay #guidancecenter #ChallengeDay #socialmedia #cellphones #JustinLock #SocialNetworking

by CHRISTINE ABRAHAM Photographer Rehtaeh Parsons and Audrie Pott are teens who committed suicide due to bullying stemming from sexual assault. Seventeen-year-old Canadian teen Parsons hanged herself on April 7 due to harassment about her sexual assault back in 2011. Parsons went to a friend’s home where she was raped by four teenage boys who were drinking vodka at a small party in November 2011 when Parsons was 15. She was under the influence and had no memory of what had happened, except for the fact that she had vomited. After being assaulted, a photograph of Parsons being sexually assaulted went viral online and became widespread around her school and town. She was then constantly bullied, from being called a “slut” to receiving Facebook messages from people requesting to have sex with her. The alleged rape was not reported until Parsons had broken down and told her mother and father about the incident, and then contacted an emergency health team and the police. Six boys, including the accused rapists, had an argument with three other boys. One of the three boys, a friend of Parsons, was stabbed, though it was a “non life-threatening injury.” The Royal Canadian Mounted Police concluded an investigation, stating, “[A]n investigation into an earlier sexual assault was completed, and in consultation with the Crown, there was insufficient evidence to lay charges” in March 2013. The police decided the photo was not criminal since Parsons is a minor and there were no arrests for the March 2013 stabbing incident. A group reported to be the cyber activist hackers released a statement that it has seen “several public statements” from one of the alleged rapists acknowledging that he had sex with Parsons while she was intoxicated and was vomiting during the assault. The group had vowed to release the names of the four rapists if the case did not reopen. “That’s absolutely terrible. The girl had to die for the investigation to even be reopened! Obviously when the investigation stopped is when Rehtaeh Parsons probably thought she had completely lost and there was no way to go about her life with no closure,” said sophomore Brooke Thaxton. After the suicide, the RCMP announced that they were reopening the case because of “new and credible information” that does not come from the Internet. This case has constantly been compared to many cases, such as that of Audrie Pott who had similar characteristics. Fifteen-year-old California student Pott committed suicide on September 12, 2012 due to rape and bullying. Pott went to a party last August with 10 other teenagers who were all allegedly intoxicated. She was raped by three teenage boys while she was unconscious. Photographs were taken and were posted on social networks, and text messages were sent during the assault. One of the alleged rapists is a “boy she’d known since middle school.” Days after the assault, Pott was bullied severely by anyone who had seen the photographs. On September 12, Pott took her own life by hanging herself. “It wasn’t her fault that was raped! Why is she getting bullied?! Her family should’ve put her on extreme watch because she was obviously going to have problems coping with this unfortunate incident,” said sophomore Alexa Rizzo. Three 16-year-old boys were arrested under suspicion of sexual battery in April 2013. They have currently been released to the custody of their parents, though they are on home detention and must wear ankle bracelets. #RehtaehParsons #ChristineAbraham #AudriePott #Suicide #rape

by JASMINE ELSHAMY Photo & Video Editor The ability of scientists, doctors and companies to tell us how our genes might impact our health now hinges on a case being debated by the U.S. Supreme Court, the infamously drawn-out Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics case. The case dates back to a 2009 lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and centers on the question of whether genes — those snippets of DNA that encode the proteins inside cells — can be patented. The ACLU, the scientists, the advocacy organizations and the patients it represents say no because a gene is something that exists in nature, just like a branch, soil, or a molecule of hydrogen. Myriad Genetics told the Court its inventors had created a new, never-before-seen molecule. Myriad claimed it has spent several years and hundreds of millions of dollars in its research. Myriad owns the patent on breast cancer genes, and it is the only company that can perform tests for potential abnormalities. They perform two tests and invest a lot in their research. Some of the justices are not seeming to buy Myriad’s argument, giving some hope to genomics and personalized medicine communities that when the Court finally decides the case, they would have a reason to celebrate. The case will probably be decided sometime around late June. “I’m just not understanding the need to patent genes. They are naturally formed, a natural part of the human body. I don’t see the need to claim some kind of ownership on them,” says freshman Toni Rothchild. Many people agree with Rothchild’s point of view more than anything, but there are arguments and reasoning refuting them and supporting the need for the patents in the medical field. “What we’re arguing about is really the future of medicine and either accelerating it or slowing it down,” says CEO of SV Bio and founder of Navigenics Dietrich Stephan. “[Gene patenting] turned into this quagmire that was holding the field back. We need to be able to instantaneously deliver that information to [patients] and their doctors and not go through all these crazy hoops of paying the license holder.” Experts say that the real value and potential for innovation comes after genes or gene mutations are identified, and that genetic insight is then applied to a new process. In most cases, those new processes would still be patentable, but not the underlying genetic code. Diagnostic and therapeutic companies would compete on the quality and price of their tests instead of having a monopoly on the entire pipeline, as Myriad does now with its patents on BRCA1 and BRCA2, two genes associated with early-onset breast and ovarian cancers. Women who want to be tested for these genes have to take Myriad’s test, which can cost thousands upon thousands of dollars. “I can see the benefit of having these genes patented because the earlier someone can find out that they have cancer, the earlier it can be treated. The prospect of that happening in the near future is wonderful and something that I would definitely support,” says sophomore Lauren Gaskel. “It just seems really expensive considering you would only be testing to see if you have the cancer, but it would be worth it to know your body is safe.” #genepatents #JasmineElshamy #Myriad #cancer #medicine

by RAKSHA DONDAPATI Staff Writer The 75th annual New Jersey Youth and Government Conference took place in Trenton April 12-14 and 28 students from the Monroe delegation participated. The YMCA Youth and Government is a program in which students take part in the process of making laws. Legislative delegates write bills. They also debate and vote on other delegates’ bills, as well as cosponsor other bills. They can either be a Senator or an Assembly member. These delegates are split up into four different legislations (Wilson, Livingston, Cleveland, and Kean) and four different committees within their legislations (regulation, commerce, community affairs, and public service). There are also Junior Legislators that are in seventh and eighth grade. Members of the Lobby Corps do not write bills, but they do participate in the debate and work for or against certain bills. Judicial delegates that are part of the Courts present and come to a decision on three cases. They also participate in a mock trial case and debate the constitutionality of some bills. Members of the Press Corps publish two newsletters – “The YAG Mag” and “Word on the Street.” They also film two video broadcasts of the conference and may participate in other parts of the conference, such as debate, with press passes. Bills are placed in buckets within their committees, and the bills that pass their buckets move onto Chambers and the Senate. If the bill is passed in both, the bill goes to the Youth Governor, who either passes or vetoes the bill. A veto can be overridden with a two-thirds vote. Students had a daily schedule and walked to different buildings to eat, debate bills, attend dinner programs, and more. Most of the time was spent in the Marriot Hotel, Masonic Temple, or State House. There were also a few hours of free time on April 13 during which students could attend a mixer, go to the lounge, go to a dance, or watch a movie. “YAG was absolutly [sic] amazing experience and I am definatly [sic] doing it again next year!” said freshman Prateek Jain. Students also voted for certain members of YAG, including Speaker of one of the Chambers, Senate President for one of the Senates, and more. The 2014 Youth Governor is Nolan Edmonson of the St. Benedict’s delegation. At the end of conference, those few whose bills had passed were announced, as well as recipients of other awards. Some students from the Monroe delegation received awards. Senior Minna Kim was awarded Outstanding Legislation. Sophomore Ankita Satapathy was awarded Best Judicial Brief. Senior Alexis Cashman was elected to become a CONA (Council on National Affairs) delegate, and junior Kaitlyn Dutton and senior Jamie Weiss were elected to be alternates. The Monroe delegation received the honor of Outstanding Delegation. “My experience at YAG this year was incredible. There’s something really impressive about 500 kids coming together to debate state politics and making amazing friends in the process. Winning Best Judicial Brief did feel very gratifying, but I didn’t do it alone. Working with a team of three other kids in judicial is what made it happen,” said Satapathy. At the end of the three days, new experiences were attained, friends were made, and goodbyes were issued. Students got into their respective buses and departed, at least until next year. Are you thinking about participating in Youth and Government next year? #RakshaDondapati #youthandgovernment

by MATT GORDON Editor-in-chief The Monroe Township Falcon Golf Team is off to a fast start and is poised to make a run in the postseason in the upcoming months. The team is 8-0 and has averaged a score of 167 for nine holes, which is calculated through the four lowest scores after every match. The varsity team has defeated all of its opponents by 40 shots or more and is leading the White Division as the only undefeated team. The leading players are sophomore captain Matthew Cocorikis and junior Brandon Hur, who each have season averages in the high 30s. Senior captain Matt Walsh is also an important part of team, leading the way in practices and matches. Other varsity players include juniors Eric Monticello, Matthew Gordon, and Abhin Shah, as well as sophomore Michael Berra and freshman Jason Gizze. The team has amazing depth, with all eight players shooting at an average in the low to mid 40s. The regular season has gone extremely well for the team and they are poised to make a run at the Greater Middlesex Conference crown, which would be the first one in school history. The biggest threats to a Monroe win at the GMC Tournament would be the St. Joseph’s Falcons and the Metuchen Bulldogs, both of which are ranked top 20 in the state. Each of these teams averages a score in the low 160s, a score Monroe has only been able to accomplish in one match so far this season. One advantage Monroe has is that the tournament will be played at Forsgate Country Club, the team’s home course. Cocorikis says, “I think we will be able to contend with the top teams [St. Josephs and Metuchen]. We definitely have the players to shoot low scores and if we play well, there is no doubt in my mind that we will succeed.” Another important tournament that the team will be competing in is the State Championships, which are held at Linwood Country Club in Linwood, NJ. This tournament is highly competitive and features all of the top teams in Central and South Jersey. Head Coach Dennis Kelleher says, “I think we have an outside cvhance at winning the counties. we will probably be in the middle of the pack at states.” Although the team may not have a great chance at winning states, Cocorikis and Hur look to possibly score as top individuals. Both players are ranked first and second in the division in averages, and are ready to do some damage in the postseason. Although winning is important to the team, it is not the only thing. They like to head out every day to play a round with their teammates and have fun. Gizze, who is in his first year on the team, says, “It’s a great experience [being on the golf team] because I have met new people and play with guys that are good players, and that helps me elevate my game. We have a great team and I think next year will be even better.” #Golf #MattGordon #monroe #Falcons #mths #GMC

by EMILY BEZERRA Social Media Coordinator The new TV series “The Carrie Diaries” premiered January 14 and wrapped up its first season on April 8. Unfortunately, the series received mixed reviews and may not receive a second season to redeem itself. “The Carrie Diaries” is based on the novel of the same name by Candace Bushnell. The plot is designed to be a prequel of the hit television series Sex & the City. “The Carrie Diaries” portrays the main character of Sex & the City, Carrie Bradshaw, as a 16-year-old during the 80s. Bradshaw is played by the beautiful AnnaSophia Robb, who also narrates the series. It is 1984 and Bradshaw is a junior in high school. After her mother’s death, Bradshaw has been her family’s rock, keeping an eye on her rebellious 14-year-old sister Dorrit (Stefania Owen). Bradshaw is trying to branch out and find her passion, which requires a lot of sneaking around behind her over-protective father’s (Matt Letscher) back. When Bradshaw’s dad scores her an internship at a law firm in the city, the quirky teenager is excited. However, she is ecstatic when she runs into Larissa Loughlin (Freema Agyemen), the hip style editor for the famous fashion magazine “Interview,” and is offered an internship there. Although “The Carrie Diaries” is one of my personal favorite TV shows, the new teen drama has received lukewarm reviews from critics, which are jeopardizing its chances of a second season. “It’s a cute show, but it’s not amazing. It’s not nearly as interesting as ‘Pretty Little Liars’,” says sophomore Meagan Valentino. Make no mistake that Robb’s performance on the show has been highly acclaimed. However, the show itself has failed to keep some critic’s interest. “The characters are bland. The younger actors are too untrained to invest them with life; the more experienced performers do the best they can with what little they’ve been given,” claims Matt Zoller Seitz of Vulture magazine online. “The Carrie Diaries is mostly about one thing –  wanting to cash in on ‘Sex and the City’.” One of the harshest reviews the show received is from the Hollywood Reporter: “It’s kind of quaint and far less cynical than ‘Gossip Girl’. It’s just important to remember that – voiceovers and wild dresses aside – the prequel is still a couple of boroughs removed from the original.” An unimpressed Mike Hale of the New York Times writes: “It’s relatively inoffensive: a fair to middling CW teenage soap opera with some nice performances. It’s not relationship material, but you wouldn’t feel guilty about spending a night with it.” Although The Carrie Diaries suffered multiple bad reviews from critics, it received much positive feedback from the social media community. Thousands of excited teenage girls expressed their liking of the show via Twitter. One tweets reads: “Just watched Carrie Diaries, get me that bag and GET ME TO NEW YORK!!!” Another tweet read: “‘The Carrie Diaries’ was sooo good! I’m excited for next weeks episode!” “The Carrie Diaries” had a strong start, receiving over a million views on its first few episodes. However, as time went on, the series was only receiving about 800,000 views per episode. A second season has yet to be granted to the cute new show. #TheCarrieDiaries #SexandtheCity #drama #comedy #teen #AnnaSophiaRobb

by CHRISTINE ABRAHAM Photographer Earth day is a day of education on environmental issues that was founded in 1970. It is now a worldwide holiday celebration that is sometimes extended into Earth Week, which is seven full days of eventful green awareness projects. Earth Day was inspired by Senator Gaylord Nelson and by antiwar protests. This environmental day was originally supposed to create a worldwide environmental movement. Every year, it is held on April 22 to increase the number of students from university campuses that could participate in all these events. Earth Day originally began as a “national teach-in on the environment.” Nelson hoped that by raising awareness of our Earth, environmental causes such as air and water pollution would come to the nation’s attention. There are many ways to celebrate Earth Day. You can pick up litter, recycle, turn off water when you are not using it, turn down your heater, switch to online bill payments, and install energy efficient lights. You can also help the environment by planting a tree or two, curbing your junk mail, which saves paper, and turning off lights and unplugging cellphone chargers, straighteners, or anything not in use. Carrying your own water bottle, driving the speed limit, recycling at work, and even doing your laundry at night are also things a person can do to help. Washing your clothes at night is when energy is at its lowest and it is also not as costly. “I had no idea that washing your clothes at night could even make such a difference! I usually just watch my clothes during the day, but if it will help the Earth, I’ll wash them at night! I also never unplug anything from my outlets. No one every thinks about doing that!” said sophomore Nicole Moscillo. Children can enjoy Earth Day as well. They can plant trees, make nature crafts at school or at home, learn more about the environment, ride their bikes, hold a garage sale or reuse household items, clean up litter, sing or listen to “Earth” songs, and maybe go to an Earth Day fair. Wearing green or brown helps too. Kids will learn to reduce, reuse, and recycle all day long. “Children probably do the most to help the Earth on Earth Day than actual adults because they can do so many fun activities that they will find so enjoyable. Adults get lazy sometimes, but children always want to be involved and learn. Besides the fact that schools teach children to participate in Earth Day by making fun crafts and such, parents should do the exact same with their little ones at home,” said sophomore Rachel Fawzy. On Earth Day, there are many things you can attend as well. You can check out to see if there are any local events, organize your own Earth Day event or service, pledge an act of green, sign a petition or even join an Earth Day campaign. #Holiday #reduce #environment #ChristineAbraham #reuse #recycle #EarthDay

by ALISON LEVIER Section Editor The Boston Marathon, held on Monday, April 15, turned to tragedy when two bombs went off at the finish line. Three are left dead, and 170 are left injured after this incident. Authorities are still trying to piece together how everything happened, and finally took one of the suspects into custody. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is being charged and could possibly face death if convicted. His brother, Tamerlan, is also being eyed in a grisly triple homicide that occurred in 2011. Just before 3 PM, hours after the race began and the first winners were determined, two explosions a block apart from each other went off, causing destruction and disarray as runners, officials, and spectators struggled to make sense of the situation. “I was saddened at the fact that bad situations keep happening to America when we don’t need anymore hate in our world. This also made me frightened because I had the realization that you are not ever truly ever safe. This was also such a tragedy, and I hope the people who committed this crime are severely punished,” says junior Gabrielle Tumminia. The explosions came from bombs inside of pressure cookers inside backpacks left on the ground in the middle of crowds of spectators. The cookers were filled with metal, ball bearings, and nails. The purpose of the bombings seems, at this point, to be to hurt as many people as possible, not necessarily killing them, but causing many small injuries from the waist down. Many of the injured had to have their legs amputated due to the severity of the damage. “I cannot believe that people can be this disgusting. I honestly don’t think there is a better way to describe it. You would think after 9/11 people would see the world differently and wouldn’t try to make something like that happen again, but, apparently, and unfortunately, they do not,” says senior Samantha Widmer. Among the dead is an eight-year-old boy, Martin Richard, who was watching his father run in the marathon. Richard was standing with his mother and sister in close range of where the bomb was located, leaving his mother with brain damage and his sister now an amputee. Krystee Campbell, a 29-year-old restaurant manager is also one of the three dead. She attended the event with her friend, and was looking forward to taking a picture of her friend’s boyfriend when he crossed the finish line. “This was tragic. I do not know what kind of person would do something that awful. It ruined an annual event,” says sophomore Jeffrey Gardner. Authorities asked anyone and everyone who had photos or videos of the event to send them in for review, hoping to find something of a lead. After carefully searching surveillance tapes from the streets where the explosions went off, the FBI released video and photo identification of the two main suspects in this case. In the video they released, two Caucasian males wearing baseball caps can be seen walking on the sidewalk, both carrying backpacks. Thursday night, the suspects were identified as brothers from Chechnya. The two shot a campus cop at MIT, even though they do not attend the school and are not in America on a student visa. In a shoot out with police, the older of the two Tamerlan (20) was shot dead, while the younger Dzhokhar (19) managed to escape, possibly possessing a firearm as well as a bomb. However, he was caught late Friday night after the whole city of Boston had been locked down for searching. What happened at the 127th annual Boston Marathon is a true tragedy, and thoughts and prayers are surely being sent Boston’s way from the Falconer’s Voice, as well as the rest of the country. #DzhokharTsarnaev #terrorism #BostonMarathon #TamerlanTsarnaev #AlisonLevier

By ROSA LOCICERO Staff Writer The Monroe Lady Falcons softball season has started up again in the beginning weeks of March. The Lady Falcons first game was an away game on April 2 at four o’clock against the Perth Amboy Panthers. The Lady Falcons won the game with a final score of 18-0. On Tuesday, April 9 the Lady Falcons JV team played a game against Carteret and won with a final score of 21-8. Their most recent game was Friday, April 12 against Bishop Ahr, a home game that the Lady Falcons won. Freshman Lauren Moss said, “I’m excited for this season and our team is really strong this year. Hopefully we’ll do well.” This year’s captains are seniors Marisa Monasseri and Kelly Widener. The Lady Falcons are returning to the field with positive expectations that the new senior captains can lead them to many wins. Coach Keith Hudak said, “Trying to replace our three graduated seniors will be a large factor in determining our success.” Regarding the teams strategies for this year, they hope to be a competitive and intimidating team, returning to the field with their with great pitching and timely hitting. Last year’s record for the Lady Falcons was 22 wins and 5 losses. They played in the white division and won County Champions. Freshman Dania Perret said, “Hopefully this year can be as good as last year was. I heard the Lady Falcons did a good job. Good luck to them!” #Falcons #mths #RosaLoCicero #softball

by MATT DEVITO Staff Writer With a 4-0 record, the varsity baseball team is looking to have good season. Among this team is freshman Anthony Tagliaferro, the only freshman on the varsity baseball team. He plays as reserve catcher, first baseman, and designated hitter. Though not a starter, he plays his part for the team. “Tags”, which is his nickname, has been playing baseball for around nine years and has a true passion for the sport and is extremely happy to be with the team. He said, “Glad to be a part of it, love the sport and love being able to help to support the high school in any way possible. My teammates and coaches help me grow as an individual and a player. It’s a privilege to be able to give back to them on the field.” Tagliefero played in the team’s second win as the designated hitter. He went 2 for 3 with one double and one run scored. He didn’t play the previous game. His teammates support him 100 percent, including the ones from his Monroe travel team, the Dirtybirds. The Dirtybirds started out as a summer travel team until 2007 when the 8u, or the eight year old divison, team took third in Regionals finishing 41-4. Two years later, Tagliefero and the Dirtybirds went to Myrtle Beach for the Cal Ripken World Series at only 10 years old. They placed fourth in the country and truly put Monroe on the map for baseball. Freshman and former Dirtybirds teammate Kyle Daly said, “I am proud of him for making the varsity team. The whole Dirtybirds team is. We look forward to seeing him start by later this year for varsity.” Back in August, the Dirtybirds left for Seattle to compete in Babe Ruth Little League World Series. They left Washington state as the third best team in the nation for that age group in Babe Ruth. In his first game, he he had three at bats with two hits and drive in one run for the team. He helped the Dirtybirds win 4-0 against North Carolina. He is definitely an upcoming star for Monroe’s varsity team and will play a huge role when he is an upperclassman. #AnthonyTagliaferro #baseball #MattDeVito #mths

by DARIUS LEWIS Staff Writer Concussions have been an integral part of high school sports for decades, but only recently have they been spotlighted as a major issue amongst high school, college, and professional players. Nick Marinelli, defensive end of the Monroe Falcons, believes that head injuries are threatening, but hopes it does not affect his future plans to play college football. He loves sports and especially football because of the “team aspect and being able to hit people”. Unfortunately, head injuries and serious concussions impact athletes of all ages, and can drastically change their plans by crippling them for life. Luckily for Marinelli, the Falcons have pre-established exercises and conditions set to minimize the risk debilitating head or neck injuries. According to Marinelli, “We have drills to tackle correct way, safety rules, and no helmet to helmet contact”. There are a variety of factors that influence the amount of concussions that are reported every year, including the current lack of precautionary measures established to prevent such brain damage from occurring. Coaches tend to send their players back in the game after a substantial blow to the head, whether helmet to helmet or otherwise, and this further increases the risk of long-term damage. In a recent survey involving 134 high school football players, a third reported having experienced concussion-like symptoms at least once in the past two years but did not request medical attention. Most of those students said they avoided seeking medical attention because they feared missing football games. Ten percent of students said that they were once diagnosed with a concussion. Fifty-three percent of high school athletes have sustained a concussion before participation in high school sports, and 36 percent of collegiate athletes have a history of multiple concussions. This is an extremely startling statistic because concussions can lead to irreversible damage to the brain, and effects include, but are not limited to: induced convulsions or seizures, shortened memory, permanent slurred speech patterns, and diminished hand-eye coordination. The leading causes of concussions are falls, motor vehicle-traffic, and struck by/against events and assaults. When the brain moves rapidly inside the skull, a concussion has occurred. Usually, a direct blow to the head or whiplash on the body will lead to concussion. The subsequent impact hits the walls of the head. The second scenario is a rotational concussion, in which brain tissue is damaged from the brain rotating from one side to the other. Head concussions affect players from elementary to professional sports, and the more people are aware of the epidemic, the sooner we can correct the issue. #concussions #DariusLewis #Football #impacttesting