Falcon Pride Profile: Matt Pieper-Oakcrest High School Class of 2000
After writing for the school newspaper and leading the morning broadcast of "Falcon TV" as a student reporter, Matt followed his passion for journalism after leaving "The Nest" and went on to graduate from Hofstra University,. Following graduation, Matt worked his way up to the New York news market to eventually find fame as a national news anchor on CBS News, broadcasting the top stories each morning from New York City.
After writing for the school newspaper and leading the morning broadcast of "Falcon TV" as a student reporter, Matt followed his passion for journalism after leaving "The Nest" and went on to graduate from Hofstra University,. Following graduation, Matt worked his way up to the New York news market to eventually find fame as a national news anchor on CBS News, broadcasting the top stories each morning from New York City.
On February 19th, members of Oakcrest's and Absegami's STAR and Interact Clubs proudly participated in Stockton University’s Annual MLK Panel Discussion. This year’s theme, “Celebrating Our Voices, His Vision: A Reflection on Dr. King’s Dream Today,” encouraged students to reflect on how Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy continues to inspire action, leadership, and unity in our communities.
A special shout-out goes to student panelists Ahkirah Ali (OHS Junior and President of the Atlantic City NAACP Youth Council) and Enangelly Pena (AHS Senior). Both students demonstrated confidence, insight, and excellence while in the spotlight.
And a big round of applause to all the participating students for representing GEHRHSD with leadership and purpose! 💙👏💛
A special shout-out goes to student panelists Ahkirah Ali (OHS Junior and President of the Atlantic City NAACP Youth Council) and Enangelly Pena (AHS Senior). Both students demonstrated confidence, insight, and excellence while in the spotlight.
And a big round of applause to all the participating students for representing GEHRHSD with leadership and purpose! 💙👏💛
Falcon Pride Profile: Cathy Rush-Oakcrest High School Class of 1964
From winning as a young athlete to winning championships as the head coach of Immaculata College, Cathy showed not only Falcon Pride, but resilience throughout her career to overcome the odds and overcome personal health issues . Cathy's story served as inspiration to many female athletes and to the director of the film "The Mighty Macs ", a major motion picture created in 2009 to tell the story of Cathy and the basketball teams she led to national college titles.
From winning as a young athlete to winning championships as the head coach of Immaculata College, Cathy showed not only Falcon Pride, but resilience throughout her career to overcome the odds and overcome personal health issues . Cathy's story served as inspiration to many female athletes and to the director of the film "The Mighty Macs ", a major motion picture created in 2009 to tell the story of Cathy and the basketball teams she led to national college titles.
In late February, Juniors enrolled in Oakcrest's Biomedical Magnet Program capped off their unit on communicable diseases by throwing a Pathogen Party, complete with costumes and themed food! Shout out to Ms. Demark and all the Falcons enrolled in Honors Medical Interventions for planning this memorable curricular celebration! 🥳🦠🤒
March is here! Springs right around the corner! Time to start looking for that summer job! Use the Greater Egg Job to help with you search!
Students enrolled in the Digital Communications magnet program and media classes were joined by students in Sports Management classes as they visited NBA headquarters to see what goes on behind the scenes of the broadcast of a live basketball game. Students in Mr. Thomas and Mr. Wise's classes were also able to meet with professionals working in the associated industries, including Oakcrest alumni and current employee Alana Conti who arranged the visit for Oakcrest.
Swipe to see why Bryanna-Faith Bennett (Oakcrest Class of 2026) thinks the Nest is the best! Bryanna is a valuable member of the Academic and Mock Trial teams and the National Honor Society and captains OHS Rowing. She plans to attend college then law school, after which she'll practice contract and family law. Falcon Nation is lucky to have her! 🚣♀️⚖️💙
Good afternoon -
Oakcrest HS will be open tomorrow, Thursday February 26th, at the normal time. Zero Period will begin promptly at 7:40 am. Tomorrow is an A Day.
Thank you for your patience and allowing the crews from Hamilton Township and AC Electric the time they needed to restore power to our building. Thank you to our Building and Grounds staff for all of their efforts to get Oakcrest's parking lots, walkways, and classrooms ready for school.
We will reach out next week with information regarding these makeup days and an updated calendar. See you tomorrow morning!
Go FALCONS!
Oakcrest HS will be open tomorrow, Thursday February 26th, at the normal time. Zero Period will begin promptly at 7:40 am. Tomorrow is an A Day.
Thank you for your patience and allowing the crews from Hamilton Township and AC Electric the time they needed to restore power to our building. Thank you to our Building and Grounds staff for all of their efforts to get Oakcrest's parking lots, walkways, and classrooms ready for school.
We will reach out next week with information regarding these makeup days and an updated calendar. See you tomorrow morning!
Go FALCONS!
Good afternoon -
Oakcrest high School will be closed on Wednesday, February 25 due to a lack of electricity. If you hear Absegami and Cedar Creek are open, that is accurate, but Oakcrest cannot properly function without full electric, and there are also downed lines / poles in the area that could impact student and staff safety. We have communicated with both local law Enforcement and AC Electric prior to this decision.
We will assess this situation daily, and update the Oakcrest community every day by 4pm. We will share information regarding adjustments to the school calendar next week, when we can look fully at the number of days we will have lost.
We are offering free lunches (cold, to go lunch, including a drink) from 11am-1pm to ALL of our students; students must bring their ID with them and enter the building through the main entrance, under the blue awning. Security will be on hand to allow entrance and monitor. NO individuals will be permitted without their Oakcrest ID.
Thank you
Tonight's Falcon Family spotlight is a little different: we're shouting out two COUSINS that are proud soon-to-be graduates of the Nest. Seniors Gianna Bustamante and Isabella Rosario have made the most of their time at Oakcrest:
💙 Gianna is an active, valuable member of the Marching Ambassadors' color guard team, OHS's Concert Band, and various student government organizations, including the National Honor Society and the Nest's 8th grade shadow program. She is a stellar student who has plans to study business at college.
💙 Bella is in her 4th year of Oak's Biomedical Magnet program. She, too, is a member of the NHS and an 8th grade shadow ambassador. Bella works with the Freshman Transition Program and recently learned to make scarves with the OHS Knitting Club. She will attend college next year to study pediatric nursing.
Congrats to these two for making Falcon Nation (and their extended family) proud!
💙 Gianna is an active, valuable member of the Marching Ambassadors' color guard team, OHS's Concert Band, and various student government organizations, including the National Honor Society and the Nest's 8th grade shadow program. She is a stellar student who has plans to study business at college.
💙 Bella is in her 4th year of Oak's Biomedical Magnet program. She, too, is a member of the NHS and an 8th grade shadow ambassador. Bella works with the Freshman Transition Program and recently learned to make scarves with the OHS Knitting Club. She will attend college next year to study pediatric nursing.
Congrats to these two for making Falcon Nation (and their extended family) proud!
Do you recognize this Oakcrest Class of 1994 graduate? It's OHS math teacher Jason Brown!
After his departure from the Nest, Jason majored in math at Central Connecticut State University, where he was on a wrestling scholarship. When CCSU's program folded after his sophomore year, Jason transferred to Stockton. He graduated in 1999 and, around that time, joined the Air National Guard, from which he retired in 2019 after 21 years of service. Jason lives in Galloway with his wife, Sandy, and sons Kevin and Ben.
Mr. Brown loves spending time with his family...including his niece, Trinity Brown, who is a member of the OHS Class of 2026! Trinity was a valuable member of the tennis team for 4 seasons, loves to perform as part of the Oakcrest Dance Team, and is an active participant in student government. She's also looking forward to her 4th and final season on the softball team, and she hopes to play the sport at the collegiate level once she's graduated from the Nest.
Oakcrest is lucky to have such a dedicated alum on staff! Shout out to Mr. Brown and Trinity, who both bleed blue and gray! 💙💙💙
After his departure from the Nest, Jason majored in math at Central Connecticut State University, where he was on a wrestling scholarship. When CCSU's program folded after his sophomore year, Jason transferred to Stockton. He graduated in 1999 and, around that time, joined the Air National Guard, from which he retired in 2019 after 21 years of service. Jason lives in Galloway with his wife, Sandy, and sons Kevin and Ben.
Mr. Brown loves spending time with his family...including his niece, Trinity Brown, who is a member of the OHS Class of 2026! Trinity was a valuable member of the tennis team for 4 seasons, loves to perform as part of the Oakcrest Dance Team, and is an active participant in student government. She's also looking forward to her 4th and final season on the softball team, and she hopes to play the sport at the collegiate level once she's graduated from the Nest.
Oakcrest is lucky to have such a dedicated alum on staff! Shout out to Mr. Brown and Trinity, who both bleed blue and gray! 💙💙💙
OHS is officially spreading positivity after being nominated by Principal Mike Manning to complete the Sprinkles for Kindness Challenge.
Click Here for the Video
Da’Von Hannah 2nd place SJ Group 2 Sectionals Moves on to NJ Group 2 State Championship.
Congratulations Da'Von. Keep it up.
Let's gooooooo
Congratulations Da'Von. Keep it up.
Let's gooooooo
In celebration of Valentine's Day, we here at Oakcrest wanted to shine our Alumni Spotlight on the OHS Class of 2015's CUTEST COUPLE: Yomaris & Ali Quan Stokes! After leaving the Nest in 2015, Yomaris (nee Acosta) and Quan embarked on a journey defined by service, education, and global adventure.
Maris graduated from Stockton University with a BA in Criminal Justice and Political Science in 2019 and then completed her Master’s in Clinical Psychology. For the last six years, she has worked for the Federal Government serving as a Subject Matter Expert in trauma, domestic violence, child abuse, human trafficking, and sexual assault.
In 2019, Quan enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. His exemplary service as a Combat Engineer has earned him meritorious promotions, and he was recognized as Combat Engineer of the Quarter by the City of Cerritos, California. While excelling in uniform, Quan has worked toward receiving his Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice. He's slated to graduate this May.
The couple’s journey has taken them from North Carolina to California, where they became homeowners, and to international locations including Japan, Guam, Oman, Kuwait, Alaska, and Somalia. After 12 years as a couple and 6 years of marriage, the Stokes family welcomed their first child, a sweet baby girl, in 2025. Currently residing in Virginia, they stay grounded by sightseeing, trying new local foods, and taking long walks with their 5-year-old fur baby, Titan.
Happy Love Day to the Stokes Family...and ALL of Falcon Nation! 💙🫶😘
Maris graduated from Stockton University with a BA in Criminal Justice and Political Science in 2019 and then completed her Master’s in Clinical Psychology. For the last six years, she has worked for the Federal Government serving as a Subject Matter Expert in trauma, domestic violence, child abuse, human trafficking, and sexual assault.
In 2019, Quan enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. His exemplary service as a Combat Engineer has earned him meritorious promotions, and he was recognized as Combat Engineer of the Quarter by the City of Cerritos, California. While excelling in uniform, Quan has worked toward receiving his Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice. He's slated to graduate this May.
The couple’s journey has taken them from North Carolina to California, where they became homeowners, and to international locations including Japan, Guam, Oman, Kuwait, Alaska, and Somalia. After 12 years as a couple and 6 years of marriage, the Stokes family welcomed their first child, a sweet baby girl, in 2025. Currently residing in Virginia, they stay grounded by sightseeing, trying new local foods, and taking long walks with their 5-year-old fur baby, Titan.
Happy Love Day to the Stokes Family...and ALL of Falcon Nation! 💙🫶😘
Congratulations to our Oakcrest Boys Swim team on becoming the South Jersey Group C Sectional Champions defeating Seneca 92-78 at GCIT this evening.
Crushing it boys....Keep it going
OAK STRONG
Crushing it boys....Keep it going
OAK STRONG
Huge congrats to Oak's Boys Swimming team, who finished the regular season with a 6-3 overall record, a 3-1 record in their conference, and big wins over sister schools Absegami and Cedar Creek. Yesterday, the boys defeated Middle Township in the semifinal round of the NJSIAA South Group C Tournament, and today they take on Seneca. Good luck to these Falcons looking to score another W this afternoon! 💙🏊💪
Shout-out to Oakcrest Chess, who recently took down Maple Shade HS with a 4-1 win AND participated at the South Jersey Chess League's Team Tournament at Seneca High School. Although the group didn't win the tourney, the Nest's top 3 players made a great impression:
♟️Senior Gabriel Gallegos went 5-0
♟️Junior Nikola Pepovski went 4-1
♟️Junior Akeno Purugganan went 3-2
A big round of applause to all involved in these competitions! 👏👏👏
♟️Senior Gabriel Gallegos went 5-0
♟️Junior Nikola Pepovski went 4-1
♟️Junior Akeno Purugganan went 3-2
A big round of applause to all involved in these competitions! 👏👏👏
Thank you Atlantic City Electric for hosting another great climate change workshop. The GEHRHSD staff really enjoyed it and can't wait to implement some of the lessons with our students.
Da'von Hannah receiving a congratulations letter from Mayor Carl Pitale for taking 5th place in the 55m dash at the Nike Elite meet at University of Penn.
Congratulations Da'von, you deserve it
Oakcrest's Spring Musical is The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, and you can help support this sure-to-be-amazing show by purchasing a playbill ad. Package details listed here! 🎭⚡📰
