Oakcrest High School

We here at the Nest love to shout out members of the Falcon Family, including our four-legged friends! Kona the Dalmatian, fur baby of Oakcrest PE teacher Jamie Toy, is a therapy dog, frequent visitor of Oakcrest High School, unofficial mascot of the OHS Field Hockey team...AND famous actress! Kona recently starred in a national TV ad for eBay, so be sure to ask for her paw-tograph if you see her on campus! 🐕🤩🐾

In late February, Oakcrest's Student Council, advised by Jason Hearn and Kaleen Kern, hosted the annual 21 Down Dance, where local students with disabilities were able to gather for music, dancing, food, games, and fun. Thanks to all the staff and students responsible for throwing a memorable event! 💃💘🕺

Falcon Pride Profile: Asiya Mahmud-Class of 2008
Currently serving as the Head Coach of Women's Rowing at the University of Delaware, Asiya's career in crew began at Oakcrest High School as a student where she was named team MVP her senior year and later returned to "The Nest" to begin her coaching career. While a coach at Oakcrest, she received accolades which would propel her into a career in collegiate coaching, joining the staff at Bucknell, US Rowing and Drexel before taking the head rowing coach job at the University of Delaware.

National School Resource Officer Day is celebrated annually in mid-February, and we here at the Nest took that opportunity to let our SRAOs and Security Guards know how much they're appreciated! Big thanks to Security Guards Erik Carricarte and (not pictured) Shane Barry and to Officers Jim Wilcox and Joe Guerrier for the dedication and professionalism they bring to campus every day. And an extra shout out to Jim Longo and Tasha Cannon of the HTPD for their frequent presence and support! 💙👮👏

Falcon Pride Profiles: Johnny Berchtold-Class of 2012
In his time at Oakcrest, Johnny made use of every opportunity to perform-whether it was on the stage in drama productions, in film class or creating content for his YouTube channel. It was evident from his freshman year that he was destined for the spotlight due to his enthusiasm, dedication to his craft and his creativity. After graduating from Oakcrest, he has appeared in a number of major TV shows and movies performing alongside actors such as Rob Lowe, Patricia Arquette, Alan Ritchson and Julia Roberts.

Big congrats to Sofia Robles-Torres, whose play won second place at Cape May Stage’s recent Young Playwright’s Awards! Sofia will receive a $250 cash prize, and her script will be performed by professional actors at the Young Playwrights Spotlight during a staged reading on Saturday, May 9 at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse in historic, downtown Cape May! 👏👏👏

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.

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! 💙👏💛

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.

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! 🥳🦠🤒

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!

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!

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! 💙💙💙

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

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! 💙🫶😘