Husky Highlights
January Newsletter
Principal's Corner
I hope your New Year is off to a great start and you are continuing to have a great experience at Matawan Regional High School. January and February are action-packed months with the National Honor Society Induction (January 17), the Student/Faculty Variety Show (January 25), and Mr. Matawan (February 8) just to name a few.
We also have the second round of conferences coming up on February 4th and 5th.
Lastly, we will honor our student-athletes at "Senior Night" using the schedule below:
Wrestling- January 23
Bowling- January 29
Girls Basketball- February 1
Boys Basketball/Cheerleading/Dance/Challenger/Special Olympics- February 7
Come on out and see some of the best that MRHS has to offer!
Happy New Year, everyone!
SPS
- College application season is underway. If you have any questions or need assistance with the college application process, please schedule an appointment with your school counselor. Also make sure you are paying attention to deadlines and giving your blue sheets to your counselors at least ten days beforehand.
- Juniors and seniors- If you need financial aid and are planning to attend the prom, please see your counselor about Cinderella's Closet Prom Boutique. This is an amazing event held in March where you can obtain a prom dress/tuxedo, shoes, and accessories!
Quarterly Measurement Schedule:
- January 17th- English
- January 18th- English and 21st Century Skills
- January 22nd- Social Studies and Fine Arts
- January 23rd - Math and World Language
- January 24th- Science and Physical Education
After School Tutorial
Husky Athletics
Attention all student-athletes interested in joining a spring sport. The family ID online registration platform will open on January 16th, 2019. The deadline for completing the required online registration and for submitting an updated sports physical for participation in a spring sport is February 20th, 2019.
There are two parts to completing the athletic physical packet process:
- Step 1– Register in “Family ID” before the start of each season (summer, fall, winter, and spring). If you are a three sport athlete, you will have to register in Family ID four times.
- Step 2– Turn in an up-to-date athletic physical completed by your personal physician to the school nurse by February 20th, 2019. (Specific athletic physical paperwork for physicians to sign off on can be found within “Family ID”.) Athletic physicals expire after 365 days. Our district utilizes “Family ID” to house all of the required paperwork in our athletic physical packet.
Boys Winter Track
- Anthony Ferrara for being accepted to NYU where he will be competing in the pole vault.
- Dylan LoPresti for being accepted to Bucknell where he will compete in the mid-distance and distance events.
- Senior Charlie Serrano for beating 115 competitors and coming in first place in the 600 with a time of 1:23.03 at the Bishop Loughlin Games in Staten Island.
- Senior Zach Hall for setting New Jersey's top time in the 400 at the Marine Holiday Classic in New York with a time of 49.58.
- The Sprint Medley team of Zach Hall, Justin Sumner, Charlie Serrano, and Dylan LoPresti for finishing The Marine Holiday Classic with a combined time of 3:36.61 to beat out 21 other teams and take first as well as temporarily set the United States top time in the event.
- The 4x400 team of Dylan LoPresti, Zach Hall, Charlie Serrano, and Luke Zibbell for taking the title of best 4x400 team in Monmouth County at the Monmouth County Relays in Toms River.
Girls Winter Track
The Matawan girls winter track and field team opened up their season at the AT&T Hall of Fame Invitational at the NYC Armory. Cassie Daniele medaled with a strong performance in the 1600m, placing 2nd overall. The 4x200 freshman/sophomore relay team medaled with a solid 5th place performance consisting of Tiana Ellis, Allyssa Eimont, Jules Corbett, and Kailee Bodin. Junior Dayna Moyer placed 5th in the pole vault. The freshman/sophomore 4X800 team placed 3rd overall with many strong performances from Julia Jankojc, Gabby Collins, Jules Corbett, and Morgan Lapinski.
Congratulations to the girls winter track and field team for their phenomenal performances at the Monmouth County Relays. With over 30 teams competing, the Matawan girls team placed 3rd overall with 31 pts. A special congrats to Mue Carroll and Dayna Moyer for breaking the meet record from 2014. The girls had an outstanding combined jump of 21'-06". The shot-put relay team consisting of Lateisha Small and Bryn Reiser medaled with a second place finish. The 4x200 team relay including Tiana Ellis, Kailee Bodin, Hailey Haberman, and Dymond Bennett ran a personal best time of 1:52.9. In the HJ seniors Cara Hall and Mue Carroll medaled with a 2nd place performance. The shuttle hurdle team of Sarita Guzman, Kailee Benko, Cassie Danielle, and Mue Carroll placed 6th overall. Great job ladies and good luck the rest of the season!
Boys Basketball
The boys basketball team opened the season ready to win. Their current record is 8-2. They took the title of Husky Holiday Classic Tournament Champions. A special congratulations to Quincy Wathington for being named the tournament MVP.
The team has received the following accolades:
- "Jersey Mike's Week 1 Team of the Week" by the Jersey Shore Sports Network
- Boys Basketball Top 10: # 9
- Asbury Park Press Boys Basketball Top 10: #5
Player of the Week Nominations: Quincy Wathington, Justyn Coleman, John Beukers
Jan 1
Niles Haliburton All Tournament Team Selection
Player of the Week - Quincy Wathington
Girls Basketball
The 2018-2019 Matawan girls basketball team started out the season playing a very challenging schedule, featuring four Top 20 opponents. These lady Huskies have been putting in valiant efforts and learning lessons along the way. They are continuing to build much needed depth as they have their eyes on a NJSIAA Sectional Championship.
The team has had some very bright spots and showed some flashes of the greatness that is still yet to come. Current season highlights:
- Freshman Colleen Lillis led all scorers with a career high 6 points in a showdown with Saint John Vianney High School.
- Sophomore Skylar Parris poured in a career high 12 points in a win against North Brunswick High School.
- Freshman Jada Allen scored a career high against Top Ranked Roselle Catholic during their Holiday Tournament.
- Freshman Melina Roman scored her season high 3 points.
- Sophomore Kaitlyn Givens scored her first varsity points in back to back games against Top 20 opponents (Roselle Catholic and Hudson Catholic.
- Overtime come from behind win against Middletown North on January 9, 2018.
- Junior Bryn Radvanski poured in a season high 10 points in a win against North Brunswick High School.
The JV team is a very talented young squad that competes with a lot of new faces. Freshmen Shannon Jones, Sam Ritter, and Gianna Allan were all excited to contribute and score their first points as high school student-athletes. The team is looking forward to junior Breyonna Underwood joining us on the court and making her debut very soon. Junior Mia Williams has proven to be an anchor and sophomore Kaylee Lorig has been making great strides.
Go Huskies!
Bowling
The boys and girls bowling teams are off to a great start this season. The boys team is 23-1 and in first place in the North A division. The team is being lead by senior Steven Ferrara with a 184 average and sophomore Aaron Reingold with a 195 average. Aaron Reingold finished 3rd out of over 100 bowlers at the Brick Tournament with a high series of 685.
The girls team is 24-0 and also in first place in North A. The girls team has had 3rd place finishes in two different tournaments this year, Warren Wheeler and Bayshore Holiday Classic. All of the members of the girls teams have taken turns rolling high numbers throughout the season. Junior Katie DeVoe has the high average for the team at 170. Junior Laura McConnon finished 5th our of over 100 girls in the Brick Tournament with a series of 610. Laura and Katie also had the 2nd (223) and 3rd(207) high games respectively at the Bayshore Holiday Classic Tournament over winter break.
We are looking forward to great things for the rest of the season!
Wrestling
The Husky wrestling team opened the season at Old Bridge with the ice breaker tournament. Matawan had three medal winners including, Kamrin O’Neill who took 1st place, Lee Rubin who placed 2nd and David Rubin who came in 3rd.
The first duel meet was against Neptune where the team was victorious with pins from Benko, O'Neill, Quinlan, Arendt, and Kawka. The Huskies defeated Red Bank Regional, but fell short against Wall and Ocean. David Rubin, Kamrin O’Neill, and Alex Kawka all had big days with three wins against the other three schools. The Huskies finished 4th overall in the East Brunswick tournament with only entering nine wrestlers out of the fourteen spots allowed. They had seven medal winners including 3three champions: David Rubin, Lee Rubin, and Kamrin O’Neill.
Matawan had a quad on January 5, 2019 against Monmouth Regional, Pinelands, and Manasquan. The Huskies won all three matches, sweeping the quad. Things are looking promising for the young Huskies and they can only improve from here.
Cheerleading
Ice Hockey
For the first time in the history of Matawan Regional High School our student-athletes have been given the opportunity to participate in the sport of ice hockey through a cooperative sports agreement with Howell High School.
The team is doing very well as they were the winners of the Old Bridge Winter Classic Tournament held over the winter break. Junior Chris Faile is also credited with scoring the first goal ever by a Matawan skater!
Congratulations to the inaugural Matawan Ice Hockey Student-Athletes:
- Edi Canovic
- Louis DiDomenico
- Zachary Gershner
- Vincent Vassallo
- AJ Waters
- Stanley Paluszek
- Jake Bodin
- Chris Faile
- Brandon McKane
- Bernard Vitale
The Ice Hockey schedule can be found by logging onto shoreconferencenj.org and clicking on "Matawan".
Challenger
The Challenger basketball team is in full swing this season. The team has had successful matches against Jackson and Central Regional. They have excellent outside shooters. Nico Schykerynec hit six 3-pointers in the game against Jackson on January 6th. Richard Pluff and John Jackson have done great work on the perimeter. Travis White’s all around game is among the best of all players in the Challenger League. Thomas D'Elia is always ready to defend, and Adam Leventhal has improved his shooting. Alyssa Varga has a plethora of moves around the basket.
Our special needs students get to participate thanks to their Peer Buddies Justin Bradley, Mike Mallozzi, Karissa Dzwil, and Grace D'Elia.
If you are interested in mentoring or have a child with Special Needs, see Mr. Pickell.
Nurse's Corner
Most of us make New Year’s resolutions that involve eating healthier so we can feel better about ourselves. This is a great goal, but it can sometimes be difficult to get started. To maintain a healthy weight it is important to eat right to keep your energy balanced. The key is to maintain a balance between the calories you consume and the calories you burn when you are moving. The more calories you ingest, the more energy needed to burn calories. If calories are more than the energy is used, over time weight gain will occur, just as the fewer calories in and more energy burned equals weight loss. Click on the link to obtain the calorie chart: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/healthy-weight-basics/balance.htm
Energy balance is the key to weight maintenance. Several ways to maintain this is to:
- Choose foods that are lower in fat and have fewer calories. You can use the GO, SLOW and WHOA food chart to learn which foods are better for you. This hyperlink from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute will bring you to the food chart: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/downloads/go-slow-whoa.pdf
- Review dietary guidelines. Look at the USDA Food Patterns and the Dash Eating Plan that can help you figure out how much of each food group you should eat each day: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/downloads/intake.pdf
1.Try these tips for quick and easy snacks:
Toss sliced apples, berries, bananas, or whole-grain cereal on top of fat-free or low-fat yogurt
Put a slice of fat-free or low-fat cheese on top of whole-grain crackers
Make a whole-wheat pita pocket with hummus, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber
Pop some fat-free or low-fat popcorn
Microwave or toast a soft whole grain tortilla with fat-free or low-fat cheese and sliced peppers and mushrooms to make a mini-burrito or quesadilla
Drink fat-free or low-fat chocolate milk (blend it with a banana or strawberries and some ice for a smoothie)
Instead of frying, try baking, broiling, boiling, or microwaving
Choose fat-free or low-fat milk products, salad dressings, and mayonnaise
Add salsa on a baked potato instead of butter or sour cream
Remove skin from poultry (like chicken or turkey) and do not eat it
Cool soups and gravies and skim off fat before reheating them
Eat fruits canned in their own juice rather than syrup
Reduce sugar in recipes by 1/4 to 1/3. If a recipe says 1 cup, use 2/3 cup
To enhance the flavor when sugar is reduced, add vanilla, cinnamon, or nutmeg
3. Cut the fat and sugar in your meals by using these substitutes:
- Instead of: 1 cup cream Substitute: 1 cup evaporated fat-free milk
- Instead of: 1 cup butter, margarine, or oil Substitute: 1/2 cup apple butter or applesauce
- Instead of: 1 egg Substitute: 2 egg whites or 1/4 cup egg substitute
- Instead of: Pastry dough Substitute: Graham cracker crumb crust
- Instead of: Butter, margarine, or vegetable oil for sautéing Substitute: Cooking spray, chicken broth, or a small amount of olive oi
- Instead of: Bacon Substitute: Lean turkey bacon
- Instead of: Ground beef Substitute: Extra lean ground beef or ground turkey breast
- Instead of: Sour cream Substitute: Fat-free sour cream
- Instead of: 1 cup chocolate chips Substitute: 1/4 - 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- Instead of: 1 cup sugar Substitute: 3/4 cup sugar (this works with nearly everything except yeast breads)
- Instead of: 1 cup mayonnaise Substitute: 1 cup fat-free or reduced-fat mayonnaise
- Instead of: 1 cup whole milk Substitute: 1 cup fat-free milk
- Instead of: 1 cup cream cheese Substitute: 1/2 cup ricotta cheese pureed with 1/2 cup fat-free cream cheese
- Instead of: Oil and vinegar dressing with 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar Substitute: 1 part olive oil + 1 part vinegar (preferably a flavored vinegar, such as balsamic) + 1 part orange juice
- Instead of: Unsweetened baking chocolate (1 ounce) Substitute: 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or margarine
McTeacher's Night at McDonald's!
Women Leading the Way
Civic Leaders Make the Holiday Season Magical
The journey of this project began in November when the Civic Leaders began to plan events and fundraisers in order to purchase gifts. The seniors received the wish lists from the children. This year, our students weren't only able to fulfill the wish lists, they were able to go above and beyond by getting the parents gifts, and the children extra gifts to put under their tree on Christmas morning. It was truly magical to watch our thirty Civic Leaders unite and commit selfless acts in order to provide a very special holiday to members of our local community!
Wall of Diversity
Transfer Student Program
Club of the Month: Anime
The Anime Club was formed in 2013 by a group of students that wanted a place to watch and discuss their favorite Anime. Anime is Japanese for animation. Anime has gained a massive following in the United States in recent years. It is now ubiquitous on TV, Netflix, and in theaters everywhere. Anime has received much critical acclaim from Americans as well; the film Spirited Away won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003. Today, the MRHS Anime Club celebrates all aspects of Japanese culture. We draw our own Manga (comic books). Students play video games and Dungeons and Dragons. We watch Anime series and movies every meeting since it is the core of our club. Every Halloween, we host our own cosplay contest. Cosplay is when people dress up as their favorite characters from TV, video games, Anime, and Manga. Our three winners this year were Dimitri Niles, Elisa Ortiz, and Sergio Pons. A full list of meeting dates is posted on our website for anyone interested in joining.
Dates to Remember
- January 17th-24th: Quarterly Measurements
- January 21st: School Closed for Martin Luther King Day
- January 23rd: Wrestling senior night
- January 25th: Variety Show, 7-9p.m. in the high school auditorium
- January 29th: Bowling senior night
- February 1st: Girls basketball senior night
- February 7th: Boys basketball, cheerleading, dance, challenger, special Olympics senior night
- February 4th: Early Dismissal, Afternoon Parent-Teacher Conferences
- February 5th: Early Dismissal, Evening Parent-Teacher Conferences
- February 8th: Mr. Matawan, 7-9p.m. in the high school auditorium
- February 11th: PTSO meeting, 7-8 p.m.