Considering the competitive nature of admission to a Monmouth County Vocational School District (MCVSD) school, having more than one family member attend an MCVSD school is a challenge.

According to the CHS directory, junior Alice Nathanson of Long Branch was one of five current students to welcome a younger sibling to CHS this fall. She said CHS anecdotes helped persuade her sister to decide to enroll.

Although she is not used to seeing her little sister in school again, Nathanson said it’s convenient to see her in the halls.

“I like it because if I need anything I can just ask her,” Nathanson said.

Like Nathanson, sophomore Merina Spaltro of Allentown has a sibling attending a career academy. Spaltro’s older brother attends Biotechnology High School (BTHS).

Spaltro said she was unaware of MCVSD career academies until her brother applied.  When he was accepted, Spaltro considered finding the MCVSD school that fit her interests.

Even though they are at different MCVSD schools, Spaltro still finds that her brother has helped her be prepared and “less freaked out,” for the early morning bus rides, and in her case, an early morning van ride.

Sophomore Grace McCaffrey of Middletown entered CHS as a freshman last year with an older sister, Emma, in the Class of 2016 to help her through her first year of high school. McCaffrey said she was more prepared coming into that year because her sister told her what to expect.

McCaffrey also thinks that her decision to attend CHS compared to her home school was influenced by her sister because she “talked about how much fun it was.”

She liked the help from her older sister, but McCaffrey wasn’t so happy about being the younger one who gets compared in class to her sibling.

“My sister is a lot smarter than me and a lot less talkative, so when teachers meet me, they are probably disappointed,” McCaffrey said.

But biology teacher Jeanine Gomez said McCaffrey and other younger siblings at CHS have no need to worry. Gomez said she holds all her students to high expectations, regardless of whether or not she’s taught their siblings.

“I like to notice their differences… like outside of the classroom what they’re interested in,” Gomez said.