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Clarion took the time to talk with the three vets, who represent nearly 70 years of RB teaching experience, about the decision to retire, their thoughts on the current state of the school, their future plans, and more.

Jan Goldberg, Social Studies

It’s a Tuesday night and Jan Goldberg, long time teacher at RB, is prepping for the morning ahead of her. She is grading papers while the nine o’clock news is taping for her government class, and later she will read two different newspapers, also for her government class. She needs to know everything better than anyone.

Goldberg has been a teacher at RB since 1976, 36 years. Before coming to RB, Goldberg was a student teacher, and then a year later, she taught at Morton West. Ever since then, she has been teaching in the same classroom.

Since Goldberg has been at RB, a lot has changed both in the school and the people. She has seen ten different superintendents in her time here at RB. “Often times the superintendent would also act as the principal, and often times not. Sometimes they were the same or they were different,” she said.

Goldberg has also noticed changes in the student body, although she knows that kids will be kids.  “I don’t think the kids have changed that much, teenagers usually have the same set of problems. Also, the clothes are a little scuzzier. So styles have changed,” she said.

Goldberg currently teaches two government classes, both AP and regular. She also teaches Urban Studies, and regular American Studies. Goldberg has been teaching Sociology on and off, but not this current semester.

With all the classes that Goldberg is teaching this year, she has a pretty busy day. “A typical school day for me is really busy. I end up seeing about 160 students throughout the day, and most of them are seniors. I have four preps, handouts, reading two newspapers for government, taping the news for government, and in my free time I grade papers. I do lots of prep at school and grading at home,” she said.

Goldberg has many things that she likes about RB, but her favorite aspect of RB has been interacting with students. “They ask me the most interesting questions. What I love most is when I actually hear from a former student of mine. I receive real letters, e-mails and visits and they all make me feel really good, especially when I hear how what I’ve taught them is being applied into their real lives,” she said.

Her second favorite part about RB is that she can teach what she wants. “The administration leaves me alone-not all schools do that, they micromanage you. I’m not good with being micromanaged. I might get a general outline as to what I need to teach, but I pretty much get to teach what I want,” she said.

Through all the great memories at RB, Goldberg shared one in particular.  “It was March 19, 2003-the night my mother died- and some students chose to go downtown and protest the war instead of going home. Five students were arrested- I was so proud of them- and made national history. These protests definitely had something to do with ending the war,” she said.

Bruce Specht, Applied Arts

It’s seven a.m. and Bruce Specht is preparing for his first class, Consumer Economics.  Specht has to plan out the lessons for each class, grade papers for certain classes, and help out any students that come in early seeking his guidance.

Specht has been teaching at RB for 15 years. Since then, a lot has changed for him. “I personally changed. I enjoyed getting to know all of the teachers here. Not only have I grown from this, but I can see that the students have as well,” he said.  RB’s recent renovation also affected him particularly.  He said, “The auto department was completely remodeled.  That was a big change; it was nice.”

Specht has five different classes that he teaches at RB, so his day is quite busy. “At seven a.m. I start to prepare for my first two classes. First hour I teach Consumer Economics, second is more planning, third is Exploring Technology, fourth is another Consumer Economics class, fifth is more planning, sixth is Intro to Automotive, and seventh is Advanced Auto.” However, his day does not end there, “I sometimes will stay later, after school, if a student is still working on his/her project,” he said.

While working at RB, Specht has enjoyed many things about the school environment. “I enjoy working with the kids. I also enjoy when I hear back from a student and they tell me about how they apply the concepts I’ve taught them to their real lives. It’s really rewarding for me,” he said.

Specht has been around long enough to experience many historical events while he has been teaching at this school. “The most memorable, historical event that I remember would have to be 9/11. It was a terrible day in our country’s history, it will live in infamy,” he said.

Kevin McOlgan, Fine Arts

It’s early in the morning and Kevin McOlgan, long time RB band director, is walking into school, ready to listen to one of his many students play their instrument. The band has been working on preparing for the Winter Concert and for the Winter Solo and Ensemble Contest. There are many rehearsals in order to make sure their upcoming performances will be amazing as usual.

McOlgan has been a teacher for 33 years, 18 of those years at RB. Before coming to RB, McOlgan was a teacher in Joliet. He then came to RB in 1994, and took the music department by storm. Since McOlgan has been at RB for 18 years, he has seen a lot of changes. “In 1994, there were only 800 students.  Yeah, it was small. This is also my third administration. I’ve been through three principals and three superintendants,” he said.

He teaches Cadet Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, and AP Music Theory. “The school day goes by really quickly for me. There’s a lot going on and there is a high energy,” he said.

With all the wonderful things at RB, McOlgan definitely has his favorites. “The hundreds of students I’ve had have been so great to work with. I love seeing my former students become teachers. Mr. [James] Baum was my student, and so was Ms. Pilsen, the band director at Gross. Also seeing the music department grow by leaps and bounds, it was very gratifying,” he said.

Out of everything that McOlgan has been through at RB, he has one particular memory that sticks out. “Chris Sisson, he played the snare drum at RB, served in Afghanistan and was killed. On the day of his funeral, the hearse drove past the school. The entire student body was utterly silent, the entire student body. It was very moving,” he said.

Goldberg, Specht, and McOlgan comment on retiring

As one could imagine, it must be tough for teachers to retire, especially after being here for so long. Goldberg said, “I have very mixed feelings. I feel good and bad. I will miss teaching a lot. I’ve dealt with budget cutting RB before, but I’m not happy with post-referendum RB. The state of Illinois is changing the pension for 2012; I don’t want to hurt my future with my present.”

Specht is also experiencing mixed emotions. “On the one hand I am sad that I’m leaving the students and teachers, but I’m ready to see what’s next,” he said.

McOlgan also isn’t exactly happy with the decision to retire either. “I’m extremely sad. But Dr. Bonnette said to me, ‘Sometimes you have to realize when it’s time to pass the baton.’ It was the most difficult decision I’ve had to make so far, but I looked in the mirror one day and noticed I was starting to bald, so I realized it was time,” he said.

Plans for the future

Now that the teachers will have all this time on their hands, they have various plans. Goldberg said, “I would like to do volunteer work with victims of domestic violence. I also will be involved in a political campaign, and the League of Women Voters. Lastly, I want to travel more with my husband while I’m not on vacation.”

Specht is not quite ready to give up teaching just yet.  He said, “I plan to find part time teaching jobs, hopefully at RB. I’ll also try to find some sub work as well.”

McOlgan has indefinite plans for the moment. “I want to continue teaching my private students, and that’s all I really have planned for right now. I know that I definitely want to spend some more time with my family,” he said.

What they will and won’t miss

Though the teachers have many various plans for after retirement, they will always miss RB. Goldberg said, “I will definitely miss the kids, teaching, and interacting with the teachers. I’ve spent 36 years in the same room, so I will definitely miss RB.”

Specht said, “When you do something that you enjoy, it’s not really a job, it’s fun. I’m absolutely going to miss RB.”

McOlgan said, “What I do is my identity. I’m defined as being a teacher at RB more than anything else in my life. I will absolutely miss RB.”

Now of course they will miss RB, but what about what they won’t miss?  Goldberg said, “I won’t miss the budget cuts or the fighting, and I won’t miss the anonymous comments in the Landmark.”

Specht said, “I won’t miss the financial problems. The downturn in the economy has created a financial struggle.”

McOlgan said, “I won’t miss the negative, political atmosphere here in the community. The staff here is amazing, but it’s a difficult time we’re going through.”

Final thoughts
Now that it is time for these teachers to say farewell, they had a few last words to say. Goldberg said, “I wish my colleagues well, there are many good teachers here at RB, I hope their careers go well. I hope parents continue to pick RB over other schools, and that everyone takes place in the political process.”
Specht said, “Despite the financial problems, RB is still a great school. I will miss being here.  Retiring is bittersweet.”

McOlgan said, “I’ve always appreciated the support from students and the school itself. I’ve enjoyed all the Marching Band shows.”

The time has come for these teachers to retire. We all wish them well on their next chapter in their lives, as they take on the new world of retirement.

Junior James Landahl said, “’My Uncle Dayton’ is the story of a sloppy uncle with lots of hilarity.”

The Shenanigans Improv shows seem to always have a great turn out. The students at RB seem to really enjoy it. People seem to like it because it is a fun and cheap way to spend your weekend. There almost is always a full house.

Landahl said, “In the past we’ve had a good eight packed shows. This year we’re expecting none the less.”

Senior Sam Friend said, “I’m really stoked for the show. It’s different every time we perform it. Part of the fun is that there are always new sketches.”

Senior George Suchy said, “The show will be really funny. This is one of our biggest show action wise.”

The group consists of Jacob Palka, George Suchy, James Landahl, Sam Friend, Allison Nicolai, Andrew Payton, Sara Nie, Abe Ourth, Lorelei Volpe, Conor Fagon and Andy Volpe.

Landahl said, “This year we lost a lot seniors but we gained so many new people. Each show we do is different from the last. It’s all in the development.”

This year at RB there have been many cuts in extracurriculars because of the slim budget. Shenanigans has hung in there so they are hoping for a lot of support from the RB community.

Landahl said, “We are one of the last self sustained clubs remaining. So come out and support the school and community while at the same time getting a laugh out of it.”

The title of this show is a little random. Some might ask, what is the story behind the title ‘My Uncle Dayton’?

Friend said, “George Suchy has an uncle named Dayton from Hawaii. All of us just thought it was sort of funny.”

Suchy said, “If you look at the poster for the show closely, you can see Uncle Dayton’s face in the letters. He’s a cool guy.”

Landahl said, “I would like to give a shout out to Uncle Dayton, the man.”

“The goal of NaNoWriMo was really just to have fun,” said Bridget Wilmot, who organized NaNoWriMo at RB, and participated in the program herself.

NaNoWriMo is run by a small nonprofit organization called the Office of Letters and Light. The purpose is to write 50,000 words, which equates to about 175 pages, in thirty days. Many students at RB decided to participate because they saw it as a substitute for Facets, the school’s creative writing club, which was cut due to the failed referendum.

“I decided to do this because Facets was cut. I still wanted students to have a way to express themselves and have a chance to meet and exchange ideas with other writers,” said Wilmot.

Among the seven participants at RB, senior Abigail Perez-Gonzalez and sophomore Kate Alaks both finished their novels within the month.

“I didn’t really have a plan when I first started writing. I just wrote whatever came to me,” said Alaks, “I would love to be a published author someday.”

“My teacher told me about NaNoWriMo and I thought it would be fun and challenging. It was difficult to write nearly 2,000 words per day, but it was very rewarding,” said Perez-Gonzalez, “I wanted my novel to have a lot of action.”

The total word count for the previous month amounts to over 3 billion words. In addition to this, NaNoWriMo has seen a record number of participants since its creation.

“I think people chose to participate because they wanted to challenge themselves and become better writers,” said Wilmot.

Wilmot plans to continue with the program next year. The organization welcomes all who want to participate.

Sutton estimated that RB currently has between 10 and 15 homeless students.

When it comes to combatting the effects of homelessness, Sutton expressed the importance of providing stability. “Stabilization needs to happen. These students move around a lot and they know they are not going to go to school. That’s why we have the McKinney Vento; we want to keep the kids in school,” she said.

McKinney Vento is a law protecting the rights of homeless students. It basically states everything that homeless students are entitled to. According to McKinney Vento, any homeless student is entitled to participate in a support program, school-related activities, and other support services. Also, any school fees are waived, and they are entitled to immediate school enrollment even if they lack health immunization or school records, proof of guardianship, or proof of residency. The point is to get the students enrolled in school as soon as possible.

This situation, however, can affect the students’ school work. Joe*, who has been homeless for six months, said, “I do think a lot about what is going to happen next and where we are going to live. Sometimes I worry about food, so I am not always focused.”

Plans for the future can also change due to a student’s situation. Joe said, “I’ve learned how hard it is to find and keep jobs. My mom works two jobs and it’s still not enough. I want to get a job to help my family with money. I would like to go to college, but I’m not sure.”

Homeless students go through a typical day with different worries than their classmates. Joe said, “I have a lot more stress. One of the hardest things is to hear kids complain about not having this thing or that thing or they complain about their family. I just don’t want to hear it.”

Some students talk to Sutton for support. Joe said, “I talk to Ms. Sutton, the social worker. I don’t think I would talk to other kids in a group. You don’t want people to know your situation.”

When Sutton was asked what is being done in terms of seeking help from the community, Sutton said, “I work with Pillars, who provide resources such as housing, food, medical, dental, and counseling. I also work with the local churches for food and with the RB faculty for clothes. We try to give as much support as possible with all the services we can, but we need more. We need more stability.”

Sutton was asked what was being done to decrease the number of homeless students, Sutton said, “There’s not much we can do since it’s an issue outside of school. Families will continue to struggle because of the economy and cost of living. Jobs don’t pay as well and this can be challenging for families.”

*The name of this student has been changed at his or her request to protect his or her privacy.

Nick Jepson

Nick Jepson is a bright, already committed student who is in Intro to T.V. Production, taking two languages, and honors classes.

Q. How has the year been going since Clarion last visited you?

A. It’s been going really well, I really like the school.

Q. Have you been any closer to achieving your goals?

A. Yes, I am getting straight As, that’s a good thing. My understanding  of my classes is improving. I am really understanding French and German.

Q. Have the obstacles you said would slow you down been slowing you down?

A. Actually, no. I haven’t had any obstacles at all, I passed them quickly. I am fearing finals though.

Q. Do you have any new goals?

A. No, I haven’t thought of any new goals.

Q. Do you still see yourself as the stereotype you said before?

A. Yes, I suppose.

Michael Degand

Michael Degand is a hardworking student who will look and ask for help when he needs it. He uses his resources to their full extent.

Q. How has the year been going since Clarion last visited you?

A. The year’s been going good. I’ve been getting good grades.

Q. Have you been any closer to achieving your goals?

A. Yeah, I’ve been getting a lot closer to A’s, and B’s and doing better on my tests.

Q. Have the obstacles you said would slow you down been slowing you down?

A. No, actually they haven’t. They help me focus on doing better.

Q. Do you have any new goals?

A. To get straight A’s and to do well on all my tests.

Q. Do you still see yourself as the stereotype you said before?

A. Yeah, I do.

Adolfo Linares

Adolfo Linares is a determined athlete and student who wants to hit hard on the field, and study harder.

Q. How has the year been going since Clarion last visited you?

A. It’s been good. School’s pretty slow.

Q. Have you been any closer to achieving your goals?

A. I’ve been maintaining an A, B average.

Q. Have the obstacles you said would slow you down been slowing you down?

A. I’m in wrestling, so I still have trouble with practice and getting homework done.

Q. Do you have any new goals?

A. Not really. I’m just in school to help me later in life.

Q. Do you still see yourself as the stereotype you said before?

A. Yeah, I still get my work done on time, and my grades are good.

Nick Kaczmarek

Nick Kaczmarek is an athlete who loves football almost as much as life itself.  As he says, “I love sports, and sports are my life.”

Q.  How has the year been going since Clarion last visited you?

A. Good.

Q. Have you been any closer to achieving your goals?

A. Yes, I got As and Bs last quarter and improved in football.

Q. Have the obstacles you said would slow you down been slowing you down?

A. No, because I haven’t gotten a lot of homework, just time consuming homework. Since football finished, I‘ve had a lot more time to do homework. 

Q. Do you have any new goals?

A. No, not really.

Q. Do you still see yourself as the stereotype you said before?

A. Yes, I still am not doing a sport in the winter, but I’m getting ready for baseball.

Renee Kunkel

Renee Kunkel aims to be a perfectionist. She already runs cross country and is in most honors. It is clear she hopes to run to success.

Q. How has the year been going since Clarion last visited you?

A. Great so far.

Q. Have you been any closer to achieving your goals?

A. Yes, I have. I joined basketball and met a completely new group of people.

Q. Have the obstacles you said would slow you down been slowing you down?

A. I have been trying not to make them large obstacles anymore, but they are.

Q. Do you have any new goals?

A. No, I stayed with the same goal of meeting new people and getting involved.

Q.  Do you still see yourself as the stereotype you said before?

A.  I think so, yeah.

Kevin Turk

Q. What military branch did you serve in?

A. I started in the Navy, and then I switched to Army-National Guard.

Q. Why did you serve in that branch?

A. I wanted to be a pilot for the Navy, and it was convenient to go into the Army-National Guard when I couldn’t.

Q. How long did you serve in the military?

A. Eight years.

Q. Were you ever deployed or close to being deployed to a war or battle?

A. No.

Q. What was the hardest part of being in the military and why?

A. Being away from your family.

Q. What was the best thing about the military?

A. There were a lot of cool training activities.

Q. Did you use the GI Bill to pay for college?

A. Yes.

Q. What college did you go to?

A. University of Illinois.

Q. If you could do it again, would you still go into the military?

A. Yes.

William Sisson

Q. What military branch did you serve in?

A. The Army.

Q. Why did you serve in that branch?

A. I didn’t consider any other branches. I felt I needed to do it. I wasn’t doing as much where school was concerned. The educational benefits of the education after the military were appealing. 

Q. How long did you serve in the military?

A.  Almost 6 years.

Q. Were you ever deployed or close to being deployed to a war or battle?

A. No.

Q. What was the hardest part about being in the military and why?

A. I suppose the hardest part of being in the military was being far away from my family when my brother passed away.

Q. What was the best thing about the military?

A. Travel, you get to see a lot of different places. You also make lot of friends. There are men in my unit who I still talk to from time to once in a while.

Q. Did you use the GI Bill to go to college?

A. Yes, I am currently using the Post 9/11 GI Bill. It is another form of the GI Bill. It is a 3 year benefit that pays for all of your books and schooling.

Q. What college did you go to?

A. I am going to University of Phoenix.

Q. If you could do it again, would you still go into the military?

A. With the experience of my brother being killed in the military, I wouldn’t want to put my family through any worries.

This activity was designed to show students how cooking their own food can be easy and healthier than buying fast food.  It didn’t come out of nowhere, though; the class had been thinking about their food choices for a few weeks.

“They read Omnivore’s Dilemma, and they can make it applicable to their own lives,” said Lopez about the project.

Omnivore’s Dilemma was a book, previously taught to SEE team, which looks closely at how food choices affect the environment, not just personal health.  As a part of that, last year’s SEE team went down to the foods lab to experiment with making healthier and more environmentally friendly fast food substitutes.

“I think the objective (of the non SEE team students) was the same because it was the same book,” said Patty Farlee, the Applied Arts teacher who showed the students how to use the foods lab. She added, “This is just a little sampling versus SEE team because they could expand on it more. This is just one unit.”

Overall, the project was enjoyed by students and teachers alike.

“I think it’s fun. It’s a cool experience to make your own healthier food,” said junior Shannon O’Connell.

“I’d already known how to cook, but it’s nice to know how to cook different stuff,” said junior Kevin Barney.

“I would attempt to make this at home,” junior Brittney JnoBaptiste said.

 “Overall I’m happy with how it came out.  I look forward to reading (the students’) reflections,” said Lopez.

The project is part of a larger sustainability arc that Lopez has been integrating into her classes. She tries to teach students how to connect sustainability ideas to the books they read in class, and how authors have written about the relationship between people and nature and how that connects to the students.

“It’s not just about the environment,” said Lopez. “It’s about how can human beings flourish and survive and how can we take control of our own lives.”

Clarion got a chance to talk to him about his time here so far, and the challenges and experiences he has gone through.

How has your experience at RB been so far?

Has it been everything you expected it to be?

What has been the hardest part?

What difficulties have you come across?

What changes have you faced being superintendent for the first time?

What kinds of changes do you wish to make to the school?

What can you say about any upcoming referendums?

How do you think the school is dealing with the referendum not passing?

What have you seen that has impacted the students directly?

What plans do you have for the future of RB?