All in all, I feel that it was a waste of what could have been valuable class time. Now I’m not saying that I wish we had had class instead, but I still don’t think there was a need for the internet safety presentation. RB administrators’ number one goal for us as students should be for us to do well in school. Taking us out of class time only gave us less time to learn. Apart from this, the majority of us already knew most of the information told to us in the videos and if someone really wanted to know more about their own online safety they could have asked or found out for themselves.

I think it was an overall smart idea to try to do something like this if it was done in a better, more original way. It should’ve been shorter and turned its focus a little more on the consequences of cyberbullying instead of ways not to become a victim of it. It would have done more justice to take us out of class if we were showed what can happen to us if we were bullying someone. A lot of people already know that it’s common sense not to send naked pictures of yourself to people and not to give out all of your personal passwords.

So if the school ever plans on having this presentation again I think it would be a good idea, but they should take a different route with it. I think that would be the best solution for everyone.

First a miraculous half court shot by Marshall’s Marlon Sykes tied the game to send it into overtime with three seconds left.  Then, Marshall’s Kiefer Sykes hit a game winning shot with four seconds left.

I can’t imagine what the players were thinking. Before the game, most people you would talk to would say that Marshall would win in a blow out, but our own Bulldogs weren’t going to let that happen.

The Bulldogs were led by Jackson with a outstanding 29 points and 7 rebounds. Some more top scores were senior point guard Sean McGonagill with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and guard Watoris Slater with 8 points, 7 rebounds.  

By all means this was the best high school basketball game I have ever seen. That game meant so much to the RB community. Even if you don’t like the game of basketball, you would have felt for the team. The Bulldogs showed that they could go into a game as an underdog and stay in it no matter what. 

RB can play with the top ranked teams. Despite the loss, we should still be happy.  The Dogs put up a fight until the last second.

One of the high points of the season was when the team beat powerhouse Fenton for the first time in seven years. Fenton has been the conference champions for the last seven years, but RB was able to pick up a victory against them in the end.

They finished in the top 3 as a team in three separate tournaments including 3^rd against Mundelein, 2^nd against Lisle, and 3^rd in the Regionals.

Head Coach Jason Rech feels that the season as a whole went very well this year.

“This season was highly successful for the team and individuals.  We won the conference for the first time in 7 years, so that was a big goal achieved by our team. We are young in many spots and I think our young wrestlers learned a great deal from their experiences” Rech said.

Besides their 3^rd place finish as a team in Regionals, individual wreslters were also able to earn a lot of points and recognition. A total of six wrestlers qualified for Sectionals.

Sophomore Mike Abbatacola finished with a 27-7 record and placed fourth in Sectionals in the 103 pound weight class.

Junior Keegan Buttimer finished with a 21-15 record and placed fourth in Sectionals in the 112 pound weight class.

Junior Eduardo Orihuela finished with a 21-13 record and placed fourth in Sectionals in the 125 pound weight class.

Senior Chris Russell finished with a 27-11 record and placed fourth in Sectionals in the 140 pound weight class.

Senior Juan Gomez Velez finished with a 27-7 record and placed fourth in Sectionals in the 189 pound weight class.

But the biggest accomplishment was Junior John Schraidt, who finished with a 27-8 record, placed second in Sectionals, and qualified for State in the 285 pound weight class. This represents the end of a very successful season for the talented junior.

“John is a tireless worker and since the end of last year he has worked for everything he has achieved,” commented Rech. 

“I was upset with my performance at State, but it was great to make it. The Semi-Final match was the biggest match of the year and I won 8-3 qualifying for state so I was really happy with that.” Schraidt added.

With another season in the books, Rech feels that next year holds a lot of opportunities for the team.

“We lose four senior starters and return 4 wrestlers who will be seniors and a solid group of underclassmen, so I feel like we can reload for next year and be even better.” said Rech.

Both Schraidt and Rech seem very confident about Schraidt’s chances to go back to State again next year.

“This year was good to get down there and get his feet wet, but next year’s goal is bring home the school’s first wrestling state championship in 28 years.” Rech said.

“I am really confident that I can go back to state. And I have a realistic goal of winning state.” Schraidt added.

Both the summer and winter games have their fair share of exciting, heart-pounding sports. The summer games has the 100m dash, while the short track speed skating competition is always crazy in the winter Olympics.

These two sports aren’t without characters to root for either. Though he was not born in the US, Usain Bolt is a fan favorite in the 100m dash, not only in native-Jamaica, but all over the world including the US. In the 2008 Olympics, he smashed records in that event as well as in the 200m.

Speed skating has American Apollo Ohno, who just recently captured his 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th Olympic medals in Vancouver. Speed skating is a sport where anything can happen as Ohno is well aware. He was in fourth going into the final turn of the men’s 1500 meter finals when two Koreans wiped out and he took the silver.

Speed skating is exciting, but I still prefer watching the fastest men in the world compete against each other for just under 10 seconds. This isn’t the only sport where I hold preference for the Summer to the Winter Olympics. Figure skating is boring and overplayed, which is a terrible combination. The male figure skating is ten times worse than the females just because of the terrible outfits that the men wear. I don’t think anybody enjoys these men in the outfits, but I could be wrong. I doubt it though.

The odd sports in the Winter Olympics are pretty interesting, but they can get old fast. Curling was cool a couple Olympics ago, but now I think they go on for too long. The games take forever and there are no household names to draw viewers. The same goes with skeleton and luge, though they are exciting sports nonetheless. The problem is that they are never shown on NBC at good times. One o’clock in the morning is not a good time to watch skeleton.

In the summer games, beach volleyball is the equivalent to figure skating in terms of being overplayed, but I would still much rather watch volleyball. The swimming is also very exciting in the summer games. Sure, part of this is because Michael Phelps is swimming, but the same can be said for snowboarding with Shaun White. Both sports are great to watch, but are made even better with these icons.

On Sunday, February 28^th, the hockey gold medal game was played in Vancouver. This is one thing that I agree is amazing in the Winter Olympics. The United States hung with the gold medal favorite Canadians, and gave them all they could handle for three periods and overtime. The Canadians outlasted the US team 3-2 in a game that kept all fans on the edge of their seats. Basketball does not bring this type of excitement in the summer games, just because the US is heads above every other country at the sport it seems.   

Overall, though, the summer games are much more fun to me. They rarely lag like the winter Olympics do. So in 2012, when the summer games come to London, I will be much more excited for the games. It’s too bad that the 2016 Olympics are not in Chicago.

The first clip was an informative piece hosted by technology journalist and Internet safety advocate Larry Magid of C-Net and dealt with privacy settings on Facebook. The second clip dealt with cyberbullying and the importance of password safety, while the third clip was about a girl who posted a provocative photo online.

The videos were followed up by a short talk from classroom teachers who either spoke about their online use or did a question and answer session. Library and Instructional Technology Department Chair Doreen Fritz, who arranged for students to view the videos after the state requested it, decided to show in it an extended class instead of incorporating it into the curriculum.

Fritz’s own reaction to the videos was mixed.  Regarding the Magid clip, she said, “The content was great but the voice over detracted from the overall video.”  The video did help those new to Facebook and social networking in general to set safety standards.

Freshman Freddy Kevin found the video to be  useful. “It was good,” said Kevin,  ”It was very straightforward and easy to understand.”

 “The Polar Plunge raises money for a good cause and it’s something you don’t get to do everyday,” said junior Rachel Powell.

 The participants had to raise a minimum of $75 in order to plunge and many RB students raised well over that amount.  Sophomore Bridget Brewer was the top person, collecting $405.

 “I’m really into Best Buddies and Special Olympics and I wanted to help out however I could,” said Brewer.

 Altogether, Team Bulldog (the group’s chosen name for the plunge) raised over $1,500 for the cause and donations are still being collected through March 24^th.

The RB participants plunged at Northwestern’s campus, one of the many sites in Illinois that hosted a Polar Plunge. 

“Plungers” ran five at a time into a dug out pool of lake water on the beach.  The participants’ family and friends, as well as the media stood around the pool to cheer them on and take pictures.

 “It was cold and it was a bigger shock then I expected,” said junior Tyler Radek, “When we got out our hair immediately froze.”

There was also a costume contest held before the plunge.  The particpants lined up to show off their creativity.  The group that won was able to plunge first.

After the plunge had concluded, all of the participants and their friends and family were invited to a pizza party at a local restaurant.  Team Bulldog is excited for the Special Olympics season that has already begun and is already looking forward to next year’s Polar Plunge.

“I’m definitely participating next year,” said Radek, “I’m hoping to get more people involved with it too.”

The musical Guys and Dolls, has been one of the most critically acclaimed musicals of all time. Guys and Dolls tells a story about a time when women were dames, and men were gents.

Members of the RBHS Fine Art Department all have been working on the musical. Directors Mrs. Marelli, Mrs. Haines, and Mrs. Briskman, have all contributed their times in effort into producing the show. The show premieres on Thursday March 11 at 7:30pm, it has follow up shows on the 12, and 13^th at 7:30, and on Sunday March 14^th it has a final show at 2:00. Tickets start at $8 for adults, and seniors citizen and students can get in for $5

The central theme of the play is gambling and those who want to stop it. Nathan Detroit (Zeyne Guzeldereli) runs a floating crap game, and is looking for a place to hold it when in from out of town a high roller Sky Masterson (Galen Ryan) comes in and looks for some action. He does find action, but not in the form of gambling. Once in New York Sky is stricken by a doll, Sarah Brown(Stephanie Duve), unluckily for Sky, Sarah is head of the save a soul mission, and detest gambling in all forms. Meanwhile Nathan under the heat of the law tries to hide his ways from his fiancée Miss Adelaide (Becky Pendola).

Guys and Dolls is one of the most famous musicals and has had many adaptations, most notably a film featuring Frank Sinatra, and Marlon Brando.

Lady Gaga, Green Day and a reunited Soundgarden will be headlining the festival that will run from August 6 to August 8 this year. These rumors were first reported by the music site The Daily Swarm and the site claims that “multiple industry sources” have confirmed these rumors.

Lollapalooza lineup does have a reputation for being one of the music industry’s worst kept secret, so there is a great chance that the rumors are in fact true. The festival’s headliners were correctly revealed by the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun Times in 2008 and 2009 before the official lineup announcement.

Lady Gaga is the possible headliner who has created the most buzz due to the fact that she does not particarly fit the mold of a Lollapalooza performer. She is not a stranger to the festival; she performed at the festival in 2007 when she was still relatively unknown.

There are also rumors that the Strokes and Arcade Fire are also going to headline the festival. The Chicago Tribune has stated that negotiations between these bands and the festival’s organizers are progressing and these reports are nearing conformation.

The Strokes are currently at work on their highly anticipated fourth album and are playing together for the first time in four years. Arcade Fire is at work on their third album and fans are hoping that they can repeat the spirited performance they gave at the festival in 2005.

We’re all in high school, and many, like myself, can find themselves in a bit of a money crunch at times with everything going on in our lives, and probably not having too steady a source of income. That’s were this column can help you. I’m out to find the latest and greatest bargains for high school students and inform you all of the best deals out on the market today.

Every week, I will report to you the best deal I’ve found this current week. Deals could range from online websites, to in-store products, or even bargains at local restaurants. Feel free to leave comments if you’ve found a bargain that you would like to be written about, or if you have any questions about “Bradley’s Bargain of the Week”

Now that all that lengthy introduction stuff is aside, we can get right into the first bargain I’m bringing to the table. The basic format will be a slight introduction (what, where, how, etc.) of the bargain, then some further information and details about specifics of the bargain, and then on to why the particular bargain grabbed the top spot for the week.

Bargain: Shirt Woot

What: A website selling one new creative or funny t-shirt design every day.

Items Sold: T-Shirts

Price: $10 Dollars

Where: www.shirt.woot.com

Details and Specifics:

www.shirt.woot.com is a website devoted to selling creative and funny t-shirts, all for only $10 a shirt. However this website is unique in the fact that it only sells one t-shirt design every day, and that design changes every day. No shirt is ever featured and sold two days in a row. The shirts are designed by various artists, and really vary in style. A very humorous, detailed description of the shirt of the day is also included on the main page. Shirts can be purchased in all sizes, however they are color specific. Multiple of the same design can also be purchased if your heart so desires, however shirts can sell out.

Why www.shirt.woot.com is my bargain of the week:

Many people enjoy having “trendy” and “cool” shirts, but don’t want to pay Abercrombie and Fitch prices for them. Shirt Woot is the perfect place to get that shirt without breaking the bank. Many store bought graphic or artsy t-shirts will cost way more than $10. The cool thing about this website is that all the shirts are incredibly unique, and you will almost be guaranteed to be the only one you ever see wearing it. I’ve only recently been introduced to this wonderful website, and have been checking back every day to see the “shirt of the day” since then. It’s quite an addicting website and most of the t-shirts are absolutely awesome!

This has been your first episode of “Bradley’s Bargain of the Week.” Check back next week to see what bargains I’ve found!

Teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers are making a big name for themselves by acquiring power forward Antawn Jamison for Zydrunas Ilgauskas and a 2010 first round draft pick. The Cavs are looking to seek LeBrons first NBA title, making them even more of a powerhouse than they already are.

The New York Knicks had a great trade deadline giving and getting what they needed. By clearing Jarred Jefferies million dollar contract for more cap room they also acquired NBA star Tracy McGrady.

The Houston Rockets did a great job by getting rid of T-mac’s contract. Even though they lost one of their key players, Carl Landry, they acquired a better, more versatile Kevin Martin from the Kings. Another key addition to the team was lottery pick Jordan Hill.

Our own Chicago Bulls had a great trade deadline by getting rid of big contracts of Tyrus Thomas and John Salmons the Bulls give themselves a great amount of cap space to go out and get superstars like Chris Bosh or a Dwayne Wade in the off season.

There were some teams that did not capitalize at the deadline. The Phoenix Suns failed to trade Amare Stoudemire and get rid of his contract that expires at the end of the year and the San Antonio Spurs were very disappointing by not going out and acquiring anyone while rival Dallas Mavericks added two key players (Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood).

It will be an intresting off season for the Suns and Mavericks as both teams star player (Dirk Nowitzki and Amare Stoudemire) can opt out of their contract and sign with new teams. It will be the biggest off season signing in NBA history and will be very intresting to see where certain stars will end up.