Congrats to Oakcrest Class of 2025 member Zicri Forest, who recently committed to play D1 football at James Madison University! Zicri, who plays wide receiver, is also a member of the Nest's stellar Track and Field team and its chapter of STAR (Students Talking About Racism). Falcon Nation wishes him luck as he begins this next exciting chapter of his academic and athletic career! 👏🏈💙
Oakcrest HS Science Club, advised by teacher Susan Brownhill, recently updated its "Important Scientists" bulletin board to celebrate Black History Month!
Congrats to the Oakcrest Wrestling team for bringing home some big victories this week on Senior Night! Before the match, senior wrestlers and managers were honored, joined by family and coaches on the mat for a photo op and banner presentation.
Photos: Stepehen Lee
Today's Falcon Sibling Spotlight is on the Anchetas! Peyton, a member of the Oakcrest HS Class of 2025, has done fall cheer for 4 seasons, played softball for 3, and is a valuable member of both the Freshman Transition Program and Student Council. Chase, a sophomore, plays soccer and baseball for Oak and tends goal for the championship-winning Oakcrest Ball Hockey team. Both Anchetas rep the Nest (and Mays Landing) to the fullest!
Oakcrest High School Ice Hockey Club is in full swing! The group meets monthly at the Atlantic City Ice Rink to skate, shoot, scrimmage, and just have fun. Interested in joining? See Mr. Rock in room 313 or join the club's Google Classroom using class code kvazd4i.
Do you recognize this Oakcrest Class of 1988 graduate? It's OHS paraprofessional Melissa Daughtry! Melissa, the 2021 Educational Support Staff of the Year, loved her time at the Nest so much that she's made her career here for the last 24 years. Being a Falcon is also a family affair: Alivia (Co'27) and Alexa (Co'28) currently attend Oak, and Melissa's daughter Autumn, who will finish her Communications degree from Rowan in May, graduated in 2020.
Congrats to the Oakcrest boys basketball team who defeated Cape May County Tech on senior night! Senior basketball players and cheerleaders were also honored before and during the game.
📸: Chrystal Williams & Armani Valentin
Shout out to the Falcons named Students and Staff Member of the Month for December! Pictured from left to right are students Nathan Charles, Tye O'Dell, Miles Dorsey, Colin Ritchie, Janiyah Murphy, Kiayon McCullough, Michael Terris, Jayden Rice, Carlos Lopez, and guidance counselor Janine Edmonds. Congrats to all. You've made Falcon Nation proud!
Rick Schwartz, a resident of Mays Landing, is an OHS teacher and the director of the amazing Oakcrest Ambassadors...but he's also a dad to two adorable daughters, Leah and Chloe. Both girls have grown up visiting their father at the Nest, and they're excited to one day officially join Falcon Nation as members of the OHS Class of 2036 and 2040, respectively!
Students from Mr Thomas' media and magnet classes recently collaborated with the Humane Society of Atlantic County to create a promotional video to advertise pet adoption & available services to the community. Visit humanesocietyac.org for more info.
Oakcrest's Chess Team has been busy this month, participating in matches and tournaments around South Jersey. The group had a strong showing at the recent SJCL individual tournament at Audubon HS, and team members Lucas Dodson and Gabriel Gallegos performed well when they visited Salem County Tech. Congrats to all!
Seven Oakcrest Falcons were recently selected as College Board National Recognition program award recipients. To earn this title, students need to have scored in the top 10% of PSAT takers OR earned a 3 or higher on at least 2 AP exams. They also must have a GPA of a B+ or higher. The Nest's honorees are as follows...
💙 Hailey Allen: African American Award
📚 Anisa Harmon (not pictured): African American and First Generation Awards
🎓 Joseph Marengo: First Generation Award
🧠 Daylinn Ramirez: First Generation, Hispanic Awards
🎓 Rachel Rivera (not pictured): First Generation Award
📚 Gracie Sykes: First Generation Award
💙 Leila Von Sander: Hispanic Award
Congrats to all!
Today's Falcon Sibling Spotlight is on the Bouchacourts! Abrielle (Co'23), who rowed crew all 4 of her years at the Nest and graduated from Oak's Biomed program, is currently a sophomore studying nursing at Villanova University. Julien (Co'25), who has yet to decide where he'll attend college, is a National Honor Society and Student Council member and is looking forward to his 4th and final year rowing for OHS. Props to both Bouchacourts for all their accomplishments.
Shout out to Oakcrest Sophomore Connor Bald and Junior Mia Germana, who were both recognized by the ACUA for their submissions to its annual Recycled Art contest! Connor, a 10th grader, won a 2nd place ribbon and a cash prize for his alien sculpture. Mia received an honorable mention for her jellyfish. Both students will have their work on display at Stockton's Noyes Art Garage through February 12!
In early January, Oakcrest's Biomedical Program received a visit from 9 of its alumni , who spoke to current seniors about college life and health science career pathways. Many thanks to Oak grads Madeline Tse, Makayla Jules, Jon Yuen, Scarlett McCourt, Amaziah Bradshaw, Hannah Curcio, Maxwell Tran, Brianna Perkins, and Alexi Phommathep, who took time out of their busy schedules to visit the Nest and their former teachers.
Xavier Patterson, another alumni of the Oakcrest Media program, joined Mr. Thomas' media classes to share with current students his career journey after Oakcrest- From broadcasting and engineering jobs with WWE, CBS Philly & the military to his current position with QVC.
Do you recognize this retired Oakcrest teacher? It's beloved former Spanish teacher Jeff Forney, who left the Nest in 2019! Jeff, a long-time resident of Mays Landing whose three children are Oak alumni, now splits his time between NJ and Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, where he is the operations manager of a vacation rental property. When he's in paradise, Jeff spends his time wildlife watching, zip-lining, rafting, and lounging on the beach. He is greatly missed (and envied)!
Oakcrest's Biomedical Magnet continues to offer its students numerous opportunities to explore their post-high school options. In mid-January, the program's 11th and 12th graders, taught by Kristine Demark and Joe Rock, visited ACCC's nearby campus to learn about their Health Science courses.
SJCL Individual Chess Tournament was this Saturday at Audubon High School. Falcons players came in the middle out of 62 players. Next is the Team Tournament in February.
Do you recognize this Oakcrest Class of 2002 graduate? It's media teacher extraordinaire Jason Thomas! Jason, OHS's 2017 Teacher of the Year, is a graduate of Stockton and returned to the Nest in 2006. Jason is also the driving force behind Oakcrest's newest magnet, which focuses on Digital Communications, and can often be seen around campus with a camera, mic, or drone remote controller in his hands. Falcon Nation is lucky to have such a dedicated alum on staff! 💙📸🎓
