I’d like to begin by saying that I have no problem with Young Life, and I do not believe the club is at fault for anything stated in this story. I just find it interesting that a religious club is allowed to be so promoted within a public school, and I felt the issue should be explored.

When I first started this story, my feelings towards Young Life were not exactly positive. I felt confused that a group that is widely advertised as a Christian and accepting group could have views that were so discriminatory. Along with that confusion, I felt as though such a group doesn’t exactly have a place in a public school. After much research and many interviews, I found that, while my opinions haven’t really changed, Young Life is, in fact protected by law that allows it to operate in public schools.

According to the Equal Access Act of 1984, religious student organizations must receive equal treatment and use of facilities as any other student organization. This act protects any student driven religious group, so long as non-student leaders of the group do not attend or direct meetings held on school property.

Regardless of the law, my biggest problem with Young Life is that in their mission statement states: “We do not in any way wish to exclude persons who… practice a homosexual lifestyle from being recipients of God’s grace and mercy… We do, however, believe that such persons are not to serve as staff or volunteers in the mission and work of Young Life.”

As a non-RB activity operating outside of a public school setting, that is their way of life and opinion to not want homosexuals to serve as staff.  At the same time, it feels like they should be separated from a public school.

However, in discussion with Assistant Principal John Passarella, he said, “You have to be careful when denying a group their civil rights.”

So, as it turns out, even though there is some level of discrimination within Young Life, it’s still a club that is granted equal access to all of RB’s facilities, given that the space isn’t already in use for a club that is directly related to RB.

Even though the Equal Access Law states that they should have equal representation, I just don’t think it’s right.

RB is supposed to be a school of acceptance. Groups funded by the school include the Association of Students for Tolerance and the Gay Straight Alliance, which are clearly groups that aim to treat everyone equally regardless of differences. Young Life is clearly not a club that supports those same values, at least if you read their mission statement. I’m not saying that Young Life shouldn’t exist or shouldn’t be able to use the school’s facilities (provided they pay for it), but I’m saying it shouldn’t be promoted as much as it is. I understand the good points of the club: the students involved love it, they have a place to go to have fun with their friends, they do service projects, and they also have the Christian aspect of it, if that is the religion they wish to practice.  

But the fact that this club’s statement is based on discrimination proves to me that there is really no place for it in a public school. I feel as though the Equal Access Act should only go so far. If it was up to me, I’d change the act. And I wouldn’t just change it to exclude Young Life. I don’t think that if a Jewish group wanted to make multiple announcements per week that should be allowed either. This act also would protect a Neo-Nazi group assembling and conducting meetings at RB. I just think if church and state are to be separate, they should really be separate.

Again, my point is not to condemn Young Life. I think it’s great for the people involved. And even though there are laws and acts that protect the rights of a religious club, it seems as though Young Life is growing so fast and taking over life at RB. I feel like the club may be going down a path that will become so prominent within public schools that something may have to be done in the future.

For example, students have only taken half of their classes for the school year. Imagine a student who is signed up for a semester-long elective, such as photography, that he will take second semester. If he has to register for classes before winter break, how will he know what to sign up for? He might end up loving photography, or hating it. If he is forced to make a choice that would be difficult to change, how will he know what to sign up for?

In addition, year-long classes will only be half complete, and as a result, the teachers may not know each student well enough to recommend them for appropriate classes. In addition, a student’s success in a class could change throughout the year either positively or negatively. With early registration, it is more likely that a student will end up being placed in the wrong class.

Early registration this year made me feel rushed because I felt like I had only just gotten used to my schedule and next year seemed terribly far away.  Also, it would be worse for freshmen and students recently transferred to RB because they wouldn’t really know what the school has to offer.

I can understand how early registration can be good for the administration in the school, because they will know earlier which classes will run. And I can see how a teacher of an elective would like to know as early as possible if their class has enough people enrolled. However, I think that the pressure and confusion on the part of the students is a lot to sacrifice for that. In addition, students who are unsure about their decision will be more likely to change their classes later, so the numbers may change even after registration is complete. Giving students more time to think about their choices will likely make those choices less likely to fluctuate.

Obviously, there’s nothing that can be done for this year, since a good chunk of the student body has already been registered. However, I would hope that next year the administration decides to hold class registration a little later; at least after winter break.

Integrity isn’t simply something that is handed to you;  it appears through the honesty and truthfulness of your actions.  It’s about taking responsibility for yourself and realizing that you aren’t the only one affected by the choices you make every day.  It can be difficult to ignore the influence of fellow classmates and friends when making decisions, but you have to stop and think before you proceed.  Sometimes we act upon faulty notions that may seem to be right at the time, but can later have more serious consequences on our character and even someone else’s self-esteem.  It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, but it means you have made a bad decision.

With this said, a student at our Holiday Concert assembly made a less than responsible decision by throwing an apple across the auditorium, hitting someone in the performance.

I am confused by why someone thinks it’s okay to not only disrupt an assembly but also throw another object at a student.  As cheesy as it sounds, isn’t the golden rule to always treat others the way you want to be treated?  I highly doubt having something thrown at you is going to boost up your confidence and make you want to continue to be vulnerable in front of your classmates.

High school can already be a confusing and difficult place to navigate properly without having to worry about what others think of you.  Contrary to what most people believe, the words you say and the actions you take can have an extremely positive or negative effect on other people.  It’s easy to complain about what you don’t have, but it’s a whole lot harder to be the bigger person and embrace the things you have and just be happy.

It’s unfortunate that so many high school students choose to get caught up in the hype of being popular instead of being true to who they are and searching for what they really want out of life.  It takes a lot of guts to get up on a stage in front of teachers and peers and perform.  Why make it harder for those people who are just trying to share their talent and hard work?

Although the incident was disrespectful, it is all part of growing up and learning from our mistakes and letting go of the injustices people have done to us.  We will all make our fair share of mistakes, but the important thing is to realize that you did wrong and to make sure not to repeat it.  Recognize that you are not the only person who is learning and forgive those who have treated you badly.

That doesn’t mean if you are witnessing something you believe is hurtful or unfair that you should just ignore the situation.  One person voicing their opinion can and has made an impact on other’s decisions and people’s views.

 It can be tough to be the only one out of your friends who would speak up, but what is the point of being silent?  If you saw your friends laughing at the incident and you think it was wrong, don’t stay quiet.  Say, “Hey, I don’t think that’s very funny.  Think of how the other person might have felt when it was thrown.”

Stand up for what you believe in because it does matter and it will make a difference.

There has been a lot of talk over the apple-throwing incident that occurred at the holiday concert on December 4^th. During the second hour performance, a student in the audience threw an apple core at the band students. Many people have different opinions on the situation. Personally, I think that it was disrespectful to throw the apple, but I agree with the reasons as to why the students decided to be not as respectful throughout the performance.

I don’t think it’s the right choice to take students out of their classes to watch a winter performance. Why would the faculty decide to make something fine arts related mandatory? Students aren’t obligated to see other performances or extra-curricular activities. Take for example, the basketball games. If students were told they had to sit through the basketball game during a school day, people would think that was also a waste of time. This is exactly my way of thinking when we’re told to sit through the Winter Concert.  It doesn’t make sense to me that we are forced to sit through an hour-long performance of the music department when we’re not forced to do this with other activities.

Also, it’s a waste of classroom time, especially since they chose a week that is so close to finals week. Students are already stressed out enough about passing their tests. The result of the performance is shortened periods. Teachers might need that extra couple minutes to go over material. If the holiday performance was after finals when a little bit of the stress would be lifted off, I feel as though the students might not be so against taking time out of their classes.

Although I believe all of these comments I just made, I still think the music department is a great department. It was just not great when we were forced to sit through it and taken away from class time. Students should have the choice whether or not they want to see it. Maybe people shouldn’t take it as far as throwing an apple, but in my opinion the Winter Concert was not a great way to spend the day.

My smallest class this year has 28 students.  With the increase, I’ve found learning to be much harder. I have another class of 35 and half the room never stops talking. It irritates me and I can’t focus. When the teacher tries to take control of class, it just gets louder, and it seems as if the only words in the class that the students will respect are their own.

I’m not saying that RB students are loud and irritating, but having larger classes give the students more power than before. With smaller classes, it seems as if the teacher is talking directly to you. It’s easier to learn because, if anyone needs help, the teacher can help that person quickly.

Another issue is sports. If charging 75 dollars to play hasn’t generated enough revenue to maintain the sport, then why not remove the sport?

Fire teachers. That’s the plan right?  So we are going to get rid of teachers, who the students are used to, and replace them with cheaper, newer teachers?  Didn’t we stop doing that decades ago? But no, let’s remove the teachers that students enjoy seeing and respect and replace them with someone who just got out of college who has very little time actually teaching. If the school is given money by the state based on test scores, is it the best idea to put in a teacher who may have problems teaching? That would just create more problems.

Everyone has been affected by the referendum this year in one way or another, be it SEE  Team or a club being cut, losing a teacher, or paying for a sport.  At the time the referendum was being held, I didn’t think much about it, because I had no idea it would change so much. Now I wish things could go back to normal.  It was so much easier to learn, it was quieter and it even seemed easier for the teachers to teach.

I know many students who move as quickly as possible, just so they can get into the line of cars leaving school faster. A person can be waiting in this line for half an hour without leaving school property. It’s really frustrating when you need to get home right after school because this line takes so long. I’m not blaming all the kids who drive to school; many are just as fed up with the situation as I am.

The reason the line is so backed up is because of the people who get picked up after school. The drivers wait on the right side of the street for their kids to get out of school. It drives me crazy because there are signs all along that street that “No Parking”. Parents should be aware of this and how much trouble they are creating for the students trying to leave. This is such a big deal because instead of two lines forming to turn into Brookfield and Riverside respectively, only one line is formed. This creates such a backup that is takes at least 20 minutes to leave the parking lot.

Assistant Principal John Passarella smiled when faced with the question of whether RB had a parking/traffic problem.

Passarella said, “It would be healthier for kids to walk on a day when the weather isn’t bad.”

Another solution he feels could really help the situation is to have police start ticketing everyone who does not obey the law.

“I appreciate the police when they ticket those who violate laws which endanger our students, such as using cell phones or any other unsafe driving situation,” he said.

The parking situation was not always the way it is now. Before 2010, teachers parked where the current field house is now and the students parked where the teachers are now parking. Rockefeller was a street in which students, Zoo employees, and guests were able to use. Traffic was relatively light and not as congested until the reconstruction of the school. Riverside Chief of Police Tom Weitzel also suggested another reason the traffic is so heavy is because of the traffic signal at First Avenue. When cars cannot turn onto first, the traffic from the school comes to a standstill.

The police department is trying to deal with this issue in many ways. They have formed a Traffic-Parking Review Committee, headed by Sergeant Bill Gutschick.

In an e-mailed response to my questions, Weitzel said, “The committee has been meeting since April 2011, putting together ideas and sharing concerns about the traffic situation around the area. The last meeting involved many residents from Riverside and Brookfield in order to get their input into improving the situation.  Illinois Department of Transportation conducted a study of the intersection which showed need for improvement; however, those improvements are contingent to funding.”

An Intensified Traffic Enforcement Unit was formed, with extra enforcement in the high school area. They have taken many measures to illustrate the rules that parents, students, and any other person driving in the area must follow. The police department has also moved its operational hours to be more effective in policing the area.

 In the meantime, parents should start listening to the signs and stop parking on that side of the street. The other side has just as many parking spots available without creating such a mess for the student body.

If they are not going to cooperate, the police should start writing up tickets. We are talking about simple traffic laws that everyone should obey. It’s not that difficult.

Weitzel also said, “So far in 2011, officers have issued 172 parking citations around RB for various infractions.”

What bothers me the most is this:  if the police are doing all they can to try and make the parking and traffic issue easier on all, why are people not complying? It is not a very difficult task to park someplace else. There are many other streets to park on and wait for the student you are going to pick up rather than sitting in a no parking zone. It is not that hard to walk. 

This may not seem like a big deal, but when you are a busy high school student, as many are, that twenty minutes can really affect your day.

The simple solution is to follow the no parking signs located all along the street.

We have arrived in Frankfurt, Germany.

View a map of our travels:

Three RB students had the opportunity to travel to Germany last summer with a foreign exchange program called, Friendship Connection. These are our stories.

Senior Thomas Stastny arrived in Frankfurt’s international airport, passed through customs, and found his exchange partner, Corrin Helmuth, who introduced Stastny to his family. Stastny remembered feeling excited and nervous to meet Helmuth’s family because he didn’t know what they would be like and he wondered if it would be difficult to communicate. The Helmuth family was very nice and welcoming, but Stastny did have some difficulty speaking with them. As a result, they mostly spoke in English to him. After the introductions, the Helmuths took Stastny to their home in a town called Eschwege, which is a couple hours away from Frankfurt.

Stastny did many things while he stayed with Helmuth, which included going to school, experiencing and learning about historical sites, and attending a local festival. Stastny liked going to school in Germany and said the atmosphere was “very laid back.” He also really enjoyed the local festival, which was called Johannesfest. The festival is very much like Oktoberfest, but on a smaller, more intimate scale. There were parades, carnival rides, and plenty of delicious foods. If Stastny returns to Germany, he said he “would go back to see the festival.”

Stastny also went on an eight-day tour sponsored by Friendship Connection. It was the last segment of the month-long exchange filled with non-stop travel to some of Germany and Austria’s most famous destinations. Some of these places included a boat tour of the Rhein River, a tour of Bavaria’s Neuschwanstein Castle, which was the model for Disney World’s Cinderella Castle, and a hike through an ice cave in the Alps.

Another senior, Zach Tarrant, also went on the exchange. Like Stastny, he felt nervous about meeting his exchange partner’s family. Tarrant’s exchange partner’s name was Alex Hintze and he lived in a small town called, Beilstein.

Tarrant also went to school. He said, “I really enjoyed the kids.” He felt they were very welcoming and he was glad he could understand them. Unfortunately, he was unable to understand the teachers as he was led to believe they would have a clearer accent.

Tarrant had a wonderful time in Germany, but he especially loved doing things with Hintze and fitting into the German culture. He also enjoyed traveling to cities, such as Marburg to visit The Elisabethkirche. The Elisabethkirche is the oldest pure Gothic style church in Germany. It was built in the 13th Century over the grave of St. Elisabeth, the patron saint of Marburg.

The last RB student to go on the exchange was myself. My partner’s name was Simona Borntraeger. When I arrived, everything felt so strange. It’s really hard to describe how I felt, but I can describe my emotions best as robotic because I was so overloaded with nervousness, adrenaline, and my new surroundings. The Borntraegers would have to repeat what they were saying because I would zone out. Eventually, my senses and my emotions relaxed and I was able to enjoy the experience. Borntraeger lives with her parents, her grandfather, and her two younger brothers in a tiny village called, Ruedigheim. Ruedigheim is a rural village about two hours north of Frankfurt. Many of the houses are hundreds of years old and they are nestled between little farms.

I did many things while I was on my exchange. Some of the most interesting were a camping trip to Croatia, day trips to Munich and Marburg, and experiencing the locals’ everyday lives. My camping trip to Croatia was really nice because we spent most of our time relaxing at the beach and swimming in the lovely Adriatic Sea. On our way back to Ruedigheim, we stopped in Munich to shop and see the sites. One of the best parts of my trip was learning about Borntraeger’s normal life. She showed me how her community celebrates a religious holiday called, Fronleichnam. I also saw how the farming community houses their livestock in barns located in the town and how they milk the cows.

By the time the trip was over, all three of us were ready to return home, but we will not forget the impression it made on our lives.

Stastny really liked the seemingly relaxed lifestyle and the interesting places it offered. He said, “It really opens your mind up to the world and is less expensive with a group versus on one’s own.”

Tarrant said, “It puts things in perspective” as he realized to get along with others one must understand others perspective.

I feel it was a wonderful opportunity to improve my German language skills while learning to appreciate another culture. All three of us also feel that the exchange facilitated the creation of lasting friendships, improved comprehension in the classroom, and allowed us to expand our plans for the future.

So when is it a good idea to let those ideas take charge and kick the candy collecting? It’s definitely not eighth grade or even freshman year. In eighth grade there is hardly anyone who doesn’t. Freshmen year of high school, kids can still easily get away with trick – or – treating. No one thinks anything of it. Freshmen are still perceived as fairly young. So it’s a good time to do all of the things they wouldn’t be able to do in a year or two.  The best example is, of course, trick – or – treating. No one questions it and a good number of kids that age also still go. Plus, it’s free candy isn’t it?

Sophomores may have a different outlook on the whole thing though. When Kellie Clinton, a sophomore at Riverside Brookfield High School was asked if she was going trick – or – treating this year she said, “Yes! Of course! Why wouldn’t I?”

Clinton is even going with a group of friends, one of which she has a corresponding costume with. That is a good way to reduce the awkwardness. Having group costumes puts you and everyone in your group on the same playing field. No one sticks out like a sore thumb. They can also go out a little later so there will be less little kids. Sophomore year is a yes for trick – or – treating.

Junior and senior year get a little sketchy. They are starting to get a little old for the whole thing, but if they still want to go, a good way around being awkward is to take a little sibling. That way they still get candy and they have an excuse to go. Another alternative to that is to just go to a party. It’s still fun, they can still dress up and be with friends.

So whether or not you plan to go trick – or – treating this year, you can still have fun.

As October rolls around, high school students around the country look forward to Friday night football games, Homecoming, and fun hangouts with friends. Here at RB, October means Young Life, which in turn means the constant harassment of the club from students who call it a cult.

It remains a mystery how this rumor was started and where it came from, but it is completely false. A cult by definition is a system of religious or spiritual beliefs regarded by others as unorthodox, extremist, or false.

Extremist?

Young Life?

Young Life plays a large role in our everyday community. Every student, teacher, and administrator at RB has heard of Young Life one way or another. It’s hard not to. Announcements are made all week about the upcoming meetings. The students here at RB who are involved in Young Life are absolutely infatuated with the club.

How do those in Young Life feel when their club is called a cult?

“I just try to tell them not to judge something until they try it and that we would love to have them attend,” said Senior Nick Lazzara.

I attended the 1^st club this past Wednesday, and I can tell you, there is nothing extremist about what they do. The night consists of singing, dancing, skits, and a religious theme. Unless dancing and singing aren’t socially acceptable, then it’s a fair assumption to say that Young Life is by no means a cult.

We are living in the 21^st century, people. It’s time for everyone to wake up and stop judging what they haven’t tried. Young Life is a club of acceptance and friendship. They don’t judge anyone and accept people for their religious beliefs, no matter what they are.

Why is it then that they take constant bashing from our students?

You don’t have to like the club.  You don’t even have to show up. But is it right to bad mouth a club who has never forced anyone to come, a club where everyone is accepted, and a relationship with Jesus is promoted?

Almost everyone in Young Life loves the club and feels as if it is the highlight of their week.

“Young Life has been an absolutely incredible life changing experience for me. I’ve met some absolutely amazing people and I’ve learned so much about myself,” said Senior Mary Heer.

Maybe it’s time for us to look in the mirror. We might not like what we see.