Students make their own “slow” fast food

On November 9^th and 10^th, English teacher Cherise Lopez’s third period American Literature class wasn’t in their normal classroom. Instead they were in the foods lab, making their own Egg McMuffins.

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.”

Bulldog Spotlight: English teachers win national honor

Three RB English teachers recently received prestigious grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The NEH is a federal agency that funds programs for educators across the country. There are many programs that educators can apply for, and the NEH offers fellowships in study areas of their interest.

English teachers Cherise Lopez, Bridget Wilmot, and Daniel O’Rourke all received summer fellowships to go to seminars in different cities around the country.

Lopez, who sponsors the school’s yearbook, will be attending “Emily Dickinson: Person, Poetry and Place,” in Amherst, MA for a week in the summer. Here she will be a student again, going to workshops and reading about Emily Dickinson. She will see Dickinson’s home where she grew up and look at her original documents.

“I teach about her in class so I’m looking forward to learning how to incorporate the things I learn here back into the classroom,” Lopez said.

Wilmot will be attending “A Rising People: Ben Franklin and the Americans” in Philadelphia, PA. There she will go on walking tours, attend lectures, and retrace Benjamin Franklin’s footsteps.   

“I think Benjamin Franklin is one of the most fascinating persons in history. We’ll go to places he went and also go to a concert that will play the music that was played during his time period,” Wilmost said.

O’Rourke is going to Monterey, CA and attend “John Steinbeck:  Voice of a region, Voice for America.”  He’ll go on boat rides to study what Steinbeck wrote about sicne he was a marine biology enthusiast.

O’Rourke said, “I’m excited to go because I’m going to learn thigns I can teach more about in American Studies.  I’ll find more connections between history and literature.”

Teachers must apply for often competitive spots to attend NEH fellowships.  The work is not paid, but teachers receive a stipend from the NEH to help cover travel, room, and board. 

Rouser starts new photo policy

In late May, one thing heard time and time again in just about every high school, is “why aren’t I in the yearbook, I’m hardly anywhere, why is this kid everywhere?” and numerous other complaints about not being in the yearbook. This year Rouser is hoping silence those complaints with its new photo policy.

The new innovative policy includes a website, where students can submit their own digital images, which will then be reviewed by Rouser photo editors and possibly included in the final product.  The policy is part of Herff Jones’ image share program. It’s a new idea, and few schools have experimented with it. RB remains one of the first to employ it.

In the past Rouser has tried to include everyone to a certain degree, but with this year’s new policy that number is anticipated to increase.

Rouser sponsor Cherise Lopez said “We’re hoping to put everyone in about three times each with this program.”  

Rouser Public Relations Manager Vicky Curtin said “with the new policy, we’re hoping to get more coverage of things we normally wouldn’t get.  The policy also brings in pictures from other students, rather than just Rouser kids.”

So far, few people have taken advantage of this new opportunity Rouser is providing, but the Rouser staff believes that this is simply because it is a new concept, and that the students are unaware of it.

“If more kids knew about it, more would do it” said Curtin. The policy has been displayed on the school’s website, and on flyers posted across the school. Rouser hopes the word gets out to more students soon and that more become involved with it.

Some students are worried about the details of the new Rouser policy. Freshman Caitlin Berek said, “I think that some kids will send in tons of pictures, and then they will be all over the year book. I think there should be a limit to how many someone can turn in.”

In direct response to this concern, necessary precautions have been taken. “We try and make sure everyone gets in there a number of times, but we also notice if someone has been in there a lot. If we see a particular student is in the year book too many times, we’ll limit their appearances,” said Lopez.

Curtin said “we’re hoping to counter complaints about not being in the yearbook.”

Most students that have heard about the new policy are excited about it. Senior Chris Verduzco said, “it is a good idea because it will allow people to share more personal photos, making the yearbook more their own”. Chris said he believes Rouser should “give students more choices on other stuff like this. In the past, Rouser seems to mostly just cover the more popular kids.” Chris is supportive of this policy because he thinks that allowing anyone to submit photos will solve this problem.

The website’s URL is www.hjeshare.com and can also be located on the school’s homepage. A school code is also required to access the site, that code is (7013834). This information is also found with the URL on the school’s website, as well as on flyers around the school. All photos must be submitted by February 15th.