He has dealt with many obstacles throughout his life, but has persevered.  Slowikowski was a three-time Division I All-American Track and Cross Country runner at Loyola University. He is a member of an illustrious group, one of only a handful of people to run a mile in under four minutes.

In 1990, Slowikowski won a gold medal as a member of the US Track and Field team at the International Competition in London. After his running career ended, he became a professional speaker and empowerment strategist and has been speaking to students all over the country ever since.

Slowikowski made two, one hour presentations to the entire student body. Both presentations were marked by high levels of student engagement and participation.

“I really liked it. It was definitely very entertaining,” said sophomore Curtiss Stewart.

Slowikowski uses a high energy level and a witty sense of humor that kept the crowd laughing and dancing throughout the presentation. Some students, though, questioned what the message was and what point Slowikowski was trying to get across.

“I thought it was entertaining, but the message was a little unclear because he would start a message, then not finish it,” said Senior Jordan Krikie.

The presentation included a lot of dancing and interacting with the audience, with an overall message of achieving your goals and being yourself as the theme. He performed many different comedic skits that were meant to be entertaining as well as inspirational.  The first presentation began with Slowikowski telling an emotional story about his mother and his childhood.  In the second presentation, he re-enacted the experience of breaking the four-minute mile.

“I thought it was inspiring. I learned that no matter what people think, you always have to be yourself,” said sophomore Nora Maye.

This year’s presentation mirrored an all school assembly from last year that featured Navy Seal and author Eric Greitens speaking about his experiences and overcoming obstacles.

Visit the interactive site HERE.

In the years to follow, Avenged Sevenfold would become all I would listen to. I was to the point where I wouldn’t shut up about them; my friends hated it. The Rev was, and is, my hero, and that will never change. On August 26, I had the chance to see them live. It was the greatest thing I have ever experienced in my life. They were head lining Uproar, the name of the tour, which included great bands like Escape the Fate, Seether, Bullet for my Valentine, and Three Days Grace. Avenged Sevenfold played most songs off of their Nightmare album, which I am reviewing.

“Nightmare” came out in 2010. It was dedicated to the former drummer. I thought the album was amazing; it was very dark and meaningful, from the opening song “Nightmare”, to the final song “Save Me.”

 The album begins with the song “Nightmare,” which can also be heard in the game Call of Duty: Black Ops, in the zombie map moon when you complete the easter egg. The album ends with the song “Save Me.” It is an impressive ten minutes long. Many people would say they don’t have the time for a song that long, but if you find time for it, it’s a beautiful song. Like many of the songs on the album it was written and dedicated for The Rev. It’s about how the drummer had died young. The album itself has many songs on how the band was hurt and will not forget him.

 There is also a song on the album called “Fiction”, originally entitled “Death.” It was the last song The Rev wrote, three days before he died. The Rev died before they were able to record the entire album as a band. The Rev, however, had recorded much of the drums and some vocals for the album, which can be heard on tracks like “Fiction” and “Save Me.” “Fiction’s” lyrics makes it seem like it’s a goodbye from The Rev, as in the song he sings, “I hope it’s worth it/here on the highway/ I know you’ll find your own way when I’m not with you.”

In the first week of the album’s release, “Nightmare” replaced Eminem’s album Recovery for the number one spot which shows that The Rev was more than just a drummer or song writer; he was a hero and role model to many.

Two of the cut clubs, Art Club and Math Club, have now recently restarted thanks to the school board’s decision to allow outside funding. 

Decisions on cuts were initially made by looking at areas where students had exposure to the topic of the club in the everyday curriculum.  If the material was not offered during the school day, the board still wanted to make it available to students by offering it in extracurricular activities. 

PrincipalPam Bylsma said, “Things that were kept were service clubs or opportunities that didn’t exist during the school day.” 

The process involved the school’s entire administrative team.  They knew that each club is important to those who are involved in it, and that no one would be entirely happy with the outcome. 

“I haven’t seen a single student involved in a club that wasn’t a great young man or woman that deserved that club,” said Assistant Principal John Passarella. 

Passarella was asked to reach out to districts around the state to see how they were dealing with budgetary cuts that impacted clubs and their policies on reinstating clubs with outside funding.  At first, he didn’t receive a good response, as no one in RB’s conference accepted outside funding.  

The policy was a time consuming decision for the board as it raised many questions.  How would supporters go about raising funds?  Who could raise funds?  

Eventually, the policy was approved and clubs gained the ability to reinstate themselves by having someone raise the money to support the club.  Any club that was cut could return by receiving outside funding and locating a qualified sponsor.  Outside funding could be from parent donations, businesses, or student fundraising.  According to the RBEA collective bargaining agreement, sponsorships had to be offered internally first, but after that, the job could be offered externally.  After a check for the fundraising is written, a sponsor can then be assigned, go through a criminal background check, and be approved by the board. 

The first club to return in this fashion was Art Club.  A parent donation was made for the same amount of funding that the club had last year.  A sponsor was found and approved by the board and the club was reinstated.  It has recently begun to meet again. 

Last year the art sponsor was RB Fine Arts teacher Suzanne Zimmerman.  This year, the club is being sponsored by Heather Young, an art major and substitute teacher at RB.  Young has many plans for the club this year.  She plans to do painting projects and field trips.  She hopes to have a student art show and drawing projects, invite professional speakers, and much more.  

“Art club is important because it touches on so many different fields and can be connected to students’ everyday life,” she said. 

Young also noted that the club gives students who didn’t have room in their schedules a chance to experience an art class.

Zimmerman said, “I think that it’s important to focus on how awesome Mrs. Young is doing.  She’s a great artist and she knows the department and the students.” 

Math Club has been slower in getting reinstated.  It took a group effort to raise the money for the club.  When the sponsorship was offered internally to RB teachers, none were ready to sponsor the club.  During a Chicago Tribune story on the club, former sponsors commented that they were now involved with other obligations including graduate school and family obligations.  

However, two external sponsors have now been approved by the board after criminal background checks were conducted.  Both sponsors have backgrounds in education and are eager to start.  

Holly Machina taught math for five years, most recently at the Islamic Foundation school in Villa Park, though she’s been on a break raising a family for the last twelve years.  Machina substitute teaches at RB on occasion and heard about the opening through Human Resources secretary Roseanne Marshall.

“Because of competitions,” Machina said, “the club really needs two sponsors.”

The second sponsor, John Henle, retired a year and a half ago from a career of teaching math at Wells Community Academy High School in Chicago. 

“I saw [the opening] in the Chicago Tribune,” he said, “and after vacation I called, thinking someone would have grabbed it.  It’s such a great job.” 

Math Club held its first meeting on the morning of Tuesday, January 31^st, in the Lehotsky Room.  The first meeting was well attended by approximately twenty students. 

The club has a lot of preparation to do as competitions start in mid-February.

DomoNation.com: Carey’s Comix Episode# 5 by rbhsclarion

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Led by 6-7 Junior center Miki Ljuboja and Junior guard Damonta Henry, the Bulldogs have competed against some of the top talent in the Chicagoland area. In the season opener at home, the Dogs faced off against a very talented Urban Prep squad. Although they lost a close one by a score of 75-72, the Bulldogs showed a lot of grit and toughness. Henry led RB with a game high 26 points along with 9 rebounds.
On December 4^th, RB squared off with rival LT in an exciting game featuring two of the top programs in the area. Led by the Sixth Man cheering section, who sported a blackout for the game, the Bulldogs played with passion and fire for the full 32 minutes. Senior guard Andrew Hanley and forward Nazareth transfer Louis Marino both chipped in with 15 points each. Luke Nortier, nickname “Nortis” by the Sixth Man, had a great all around game with 8points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists.

The Bulldogs have also played very well in non-conference games with victories over Maine South, St. Laurence, and St. Francis with Ljuboja and Henry leading the way.

Henry has paced the Bulldogs with a team-high 17.7 points a game. He has, without a doubt, done a great job of replacing Ryan Jackson who led the Dogs with over 20 points a game last season. He has been very clutch this season and has performed well in the biggest games, including a 25 point performance against Timothy Christian.

The Bulldogs have a very tough schedule down the stretch, one that includes seven straight road games, six of which are against conference opponents, followed up by two home games before the start of Regional’s. It seems as if this next month will determine how far the Dogs will go this season. The Bulldogs play this Friday, the 27^th against the Rebels from Ridgewood.

Coming into the season, the Bulldogs had extremely high expectations and were expected by most to win their 11^th straight conference title. They appear to be well on their way to capturing another title and making a deep run through the IHSA playoffs. Only time will tell if these Bulldogs are as good as their predecessors.

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.

 A young reporter in London named Tintin buys a model of a famed ship known as the Unicorn.  He is interrupted by a man who tries to buy it back from him saying, “It’ll get him into a mess of trouble.” Tintin decides to do some research, leading him farther into the mystery of the Unicorn, Sir Francis’ family, and the greatest sunken treasure in the world. This unravels a fantastic adventure for the entire family.

The film itself is certainly amazing within the realms of CGI, creating almost shockingly realistic computer images. The company responsible was the same that did The Polar Express, which received harsh critiques for the visuals being too in-between realistic and non-realistic. The company has obviously improved since then, showing its newfound skill to create the fantastically detailed visuals in Tintin. Not a single hair seems out of place, the water looks great, and the characters look almost real enough to be live action actors. It’s almost surreal just how realistic this movie looks.

The balance of themes from adult to child are also done very well. There is no skipping on violence, but it’s slightly tongue in cheek.  Despite the pure number of people shooting MP40’s at Tintin, he never even gets near a bullet, only firing his gun a total of two times the entire film. Yet there is a lot of featured shooting and violence and obvious going on about Captain Hadock’s (Tintin’s companion) raging alcoholism. So even though the film is marketed towards children, it’s not as if it’s some little kid’s tale; there are some rather mature moments.

All and all the film is a fantastic blend of whimsical storytelling and cinematic moviemaking. Anyone who goes to see this film can have a great time for one reason or another, a fine film with amazing visuals, fun for the whole family.

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.