By Barbara A. Preston for The Montgomery News | August 26 2026
A camp counselor recently described Fal-Rooney camp as “gym class all day.” The notion struck a chord with parents and kids looking for fun activities during summer break — and during other vacation breaks throughout the school year.
Mike Falco, a Montgomery Lower Middle School gym teacher from Hillsborough leads a championship round of a game called 21, in which players take turns in a strategic count to 21. The aim is to be the first player to reach the target number of 21.
Fal-Rooney Camp, founded by Montgomery gym teachers Johnny Rooney and Mike Falco, celebrated its 20th year in August. Montgomery Mayor Neena Singh, stopped by to say a few words on Aug. 11 in honor of the special occasion.
Left: Mayor Neena Singh with campers. Right: Yellow team
“I’m so grateful to see all these kids having a good time,” she said. The mayor has firsthand knowledge of the camp’s healthy impact on kids, noting her son, Sahib Singh, is a former attendee. He is a Montgomery High School grad, Class of 2015.
Recognizing the camp’s positive role in the community, Mayor Singh invited the Fal- Rooney camp counselors to attend a future township meeting.
She said she aims to highlight their meaningful contributions to the community and their genuine enthusiasm for living and working in Montgomery Township.
Montgomery gym teacher Johnny Rooney of Rocky Hill founded the camp with Mike Falco.
The camp’s origins trace back to a chance meeting of Mike Falco and Johnny Rooney while both were teaching physical education at Orchard Hill Elementary. They were initially approached by the recreation department to organize a two-day program for kids, something to do during the NJEA’s annual teachers’ convention.
Starting with just 20 kids, the initiative grew steadily over two decades from a small project into the comprehensive summer camp it is today.
This camp philosophy extends beyond athletics. Underpinning the camp is the “STAR” program—an acronym for Sportsmanship, Teamwork, Accountability, and Respect— which serves as a framework for the lessons Rooney and Falco hope to instill. It is a holistic approach that treats the gym as a laboratory for life.
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Mike Falco, a teacher in Montgomery for 20 years, said he finds great value in seeing children forge new friendships and learn essential life lessons like sportsmanship. To Falco, teaching kids how to win and lose properly is a core part of the experience. This impact is personal; his own three children—Avery, Olivia, and Tyler—are loyal attendees who prefer returning to Fal-Rooney every summer rather than trying other camps.
Rooney’s children, Nash, 8, and Baylor, 5, also attend Fal- Rooney camp and are students in the Montgomery school district.
Camp counselors Jax Obe, Anya Obe, and Lucy Moser.
Camp counselors, such as Rocky Hill resident (and champion wrestler) Jax Obe, are recent MHS graduates. Obe said he has been working at Fal-Rooney for three years. Before that he was a camper.
“I’ve been involved in it for about 11 years,” Obe said. “What I like most is seeing the kids have fun. It’s basically gym class all day long,” Obe summed up. “I remember when I was a kid, what mattered to me was I wanted to have a good time with my friends.”
Learn more at falrooney.com.
