Rise and shine! Seventeen students from Atlantic County and Cape May County from local high schools left early this morning at 0600 hours, destination Boys State at Rider University. They'll be there for the week for an in-depth civics program, followed by graduation on Friday.
Oakcrest High School Junior Stephan O'Neill recently earned a spot in the New Jersey All-State Jazz Choir. Stephan, who is an active member of several OHS choirs and a valuable part of Oak's theatre program, was one of only twenty students chosen from across the state! Congrats, Stephan! You've made Falcon Nation proud! 🎤🎶👏
Congrats to all the new members of Oakcrest's Math Honors Society, who were inducted into the organization in early June. Each is a graduating senior and is sure to make the Nest proud as they spread their wings and fly! 💙📚🎓
Congrats to Oakcrest High School Senior Lauren Haye, who was a finalist for this year's Old Grad Award. Lauren has played both Field Hockey and LAX all 4 of her years at the Nest, and is a valuable member of Oak's Student Council, National Honor Society, and Freshman Transition Project. She will be attending ACCC in the fall and plans to continue competing in her favorite sport, field hockey, in a local adult league. 👏👏👏
Congratulations to Alexa Petrosh (OHS Co'21), who recently graduated at the top of her class from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing, which is ranked #1 in the nation! Alexa is an alum of Oak's Biomedical Magnet and played tennis all 4 of her years at the Nest. Falcon Nation is so proud to call Alexa, who will undoubtedly change lives in her new profession, a member of the Flock. 🩺💙🏥
Members of Oakcrest's Class of 2025 recently shouted out and showed off their future alma maters at OHS's annual College and Career Signing Day. Congrats to all the graduating seniors who will soon be flying from the Nest! 🎓📚💙
Looking for work! The Greater Egg Job Board has been updated with some new employment opportunities! Check it out below!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eR2Gu2MDyi9Qb1GYteTFUSC1IioTHix0UY4W6pANITY/edit?usp=sharing
Oakcrest's REACH program recently visited Absegami High School and participated in Champions Day, a friendly competition during which students from OHS, AHS, and Cedar Creek participated in track and field events. A great time was had by all!
Senior Takeover Day, organized annually by math teacher Mrs. McDonnell, gives senior students an opportunity to work in the role of a faculty or staff member at Oakcrest for the day-getting to experience what a day in their shoes is like leading a classroom or supporting the school community in a variety of roles throughout the building.
Photos: Richard Vasquez-Garcia
Student leaders, along with advisors Kevin Costello and Jason Thomas from the Oakcrest Safe Roads Coalition were honored at the Brain Injury Alliance of NJ capstone event with a $500 award for community engagement with their "Stay in your lane" campaign-which this year resulted in road improvements and various outreach projects with the community and elementary schools.
Senior night victory! The Oakcrest Falcons baseball team ended the day with a 6-5 win against Pleasantville on 5/23. The Falcons came back from a deficit in the bottom of the 6th with a big double from Stephen Lee to close out the game and bring home a victory for the seniors on their special day.
📸: Shatique Jamison Gill
Congrats to Oakcrest history teacher Jake Matlock, who was recently named OHS's Novice Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025! In addition to inspiring his students in the classroom with his energy and enthusiasm, Mr. Matlock is an assistant coach for the boys' LAX team, sits on the committee for the Athletic Wall of Fame, and would easily win the title of "Best Dressed Falcon" in a straw poll. Props, Jake! 💙👏💙👏💙👏
Today is Memorial Day, the unofficial start of the summer season, and the approaching break from school often means that many students and staff hit the road for field trips! Several groups from the Nest visited the beautiful Cape May County Zoo last month, including...
🦚 ...Oakcrest's Freshman Transition Program, who completed ambassador training in the morning to prepare themselves to mentor Oak's Class of 2029. After their orientation, the group enjoyed animal-watching.
🐆 ...OHS's REACH program, who had a blast admiring the wildlife and posing at all the photo ops.
🐒 ...biology and environmental science students, who were able to observe "IRL" some of the many concepts they've studied this year.
Great job to all the staff who organized these experiences for participating Falcons!
Shout-out to the members of the Oakcrest Thespian Society who are newly minted theater critics! This group of Falcons reviewed a number of musicals for the Southern New Jersey Cappies, which is a branch of an international, student-driven organization that celebrates and provides learning opportunities to high school theater programs. At the Cappies' annual gala, Seniors Olivia Foreman and Julianna O'Flynn were awarded Best Choreography for their work in Chicago: Teen Edition, performed at the Nest in mid-March. Congrats, ladies! 👏👏👏
Oakcrest's Art, Dance, and Media programs recently joined forces to visit Grounds for Sculpture in Mercer County. The kids had a great time exploring the gardens and admiring the artwork...and the chaperones enjoyed all the photo ops! 📸🗿🌸
Last week, the Oakcrest Knitting Club visited the Fabric Workshop & Museum, which is a contemporary art gallery located in Philadelphia. The group was given a tour of the facility's exhibits and workshop, where they screenprinted and decorated their very own tote bags. After their arts and crafts session, the club walked to Reading Terminal Market, where they sampled cuisines from around the world. A great time was had by all! 🧶💙🍜
Members of Oakcrest's Crew and Track & Field teams took home some hardware in recent weeks.
🚣♂️ At Counties, the boys' double (Julien Bouchacourt and Jackson Perez) and girls' lightweight 4+ (Ava Mokienko, Ekemini Arinye, Angesca Rojas, Rebecca Sees, and Gabrielle Osborne) boats both took home the bronze. The boys' lightweight 4+ boat (Julien Bouchacourt, Harsh Patel, Connor Bald, Jackson Perez, and Caroline Osborne) brought home silver! 🥉🥉🥈
🎽 Quran McCoy took home silver at the Cape Atlantic All-Star Meet in the 400m Hurdles. He placed second in the same event at the NJSIAA Sectionals for Groups 2 and 3, where he set a season record. Pole Vaulter Xavier Carrington also took home silver at CALS, where he cleared 12 feet. At Sectionals he took home the bronze. Both boys qualified for Group 2 & 3 Championships, which will take place in late May at South Plainfield HS. 🥈🥈🥈🥉
Congrats and good luck to all athletes who are still competing!
Congrats to Oakcrest senior Samantha McDow and sophomore Olivia MacLaughlan, who received honorable mentions for the acrylic landscapes they entered into the 2025 2nd District Congressional Art Competition. These student artists were inspired by local scenery and utilized perspective and observational techniques to complete their pieces. Props to both! 🎨🖌🏆
Great job today, Falcons! Don't forget to bring a charged Chromebook for tomorrow's second and final day of state testing! You got this! ✏💙📚
Do you recognize this Oakcrest Class of 1990 graduate? It's OHS school resource and attendance officer Joseph Guerrier! Joe served in the United States Coast Guard and, prior to his retirement in 2021, was a sergeant for the Hamilton Township Police Department. Joe and his wife, Tara (née Barry; Co'95) are parents to current Oak students Marek (Co'25) and Bridget (Co'28). Marek has been a valuable member of the boys' LAX team for all 4 of his years as a Falcon and will leave for Marine Corps Recruit Training in January of 2026. Bridget is a 3-season athlete (field hockey, basketball, and LAX) and is a member of Oak's Biomedical Magnet Program. Oakcrest is lucky to have such a dedicated alum on staff, and Falcon Nation is thrilled that his children chose to carry on the tradition and join the Flock!
