EVERY STUDENT HAS A STORY: Tyler Plunkett

Tyler Plunkett, a junior at RB, is not one to have a fixed schedule. When asked why, he said, “I like having the openness to do whatever I want.” He spends most of his time hanging out with friends and just going with the flow.

He does have some things that he is particularly interested in like watching the Sopranos, going to Paisan’s, and skateboarding. Plunkett enjoys skateboarding the most. His friends got him interested in skateboarding last year. It’s something they still do after school. Plunkett and his friends skateboard at Ehlert Park and sometimes on the street. Mostly, Plunkett likes doing flip tricks and is working on trying to do a hard flips.

During school, Plunkett is interested in his auto class. He likes the hands on work the class does with cars. His favorite type of car to work on is a Ford. He has been around a lot of Fords and he said Fords are the easiest to work on. Also at school, he enjoys time with his favorite teachers Mark Gouwens and Doug Schultz. As a student, Plunkett enjoys their laid back style.

Plunkett has high hopes for the future. He wants to attend University of Illinois in Urbana-Champagne or Western Illinois University. In college, Plunkett plans to study law enforcement with dreams of becoming a police officer. The most appealing thing about studying law enforcement to Plunkett is his attraction to guns.

Collecting coins is also an interest in Plunkett. When Plunkett was younger, he started collecting coins with the help of his mom. He said, “I liked the older ones, the little pieces of medal being hundreds of years old interested me.” He still has the coins, but stopped collecting them a few years back. He just grew out of them. Currently they are just lying around the house. He plans on giving them away in the future.

Everybody has a story. It could be anything, for Plunkett it’s a laid back life hanging with his friends with future hopes of being a police officer.

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This feature is part of our “Every Student Has a Story” spotlight.  We believe every student at RB has an important story to tell, and we’re committed to getting as many of them told as possible.  Look for new additions regularly.

Botched call drops cheerleaders from State

Cheerleading finished its competitive season with a disappointing loss at sectionals. They placed 6^th, just one place short from advancing to state. This is not a feeling the cheerleaders are used to feeling, but they still looked at the positive. 

Senior and Co-captain Rachel Konopacz said, “We’re upset but we’re still happy to make half times, we enjoy the games, and the season is not over yet.”

With a deduction added from an incorrect flip flop to the cheerleaders score, it took them out of fifth place. This deduction was a missed call by the judges during the routine, saying one of the girls touched the floor doing a flip flop. Later, when the cheerleaders reviewed the tape, it showed that the move had been done correctly. They showed it to the judges who agreed they had made a mistake, but it was too late to take it back.

Head coach Chris Borzym said, “It’s like a basketball game when a referee makes a bad call. Its human error and nobody’s perfect. We just have to move forward and know we gave it our all.”

He also is looking forward to next year were he will remain the head coach on varsity cheerleading at RB. He plans on making a few changes for next year and become a little more strict. Though he’s staying, the seniors will be leaving.

Borzym said “I can’t thank them enough. I appreciate all the hard work they have put in and I will miss them all.”

Cheerleading is more than just a sport to these senior girls. When asked they all had one thing to say in common and that’s how close they all have become and the friendships they’ve made.   

“As a whole all the seniors are really close. It has been a great experience being with them for all four years,” said senior Kelly Kramer.

Cheer, Poms in a steady State of consistency

Cheerleaders hungry to return to form of two years ago

With the season in progress, the cheerleaders are hard at work. They have taken place in a few competitions and have a first place finish at Wilmington under their belt. With their successes have also come some disappointments. They came in 8th at Sandburg and 6th at Elk Grove.

Junior Hannah Likness said, “Our season’s been a little rocky. We haven’t been consistent with our competitions but every practice we’re working hard and accomplishing the skills we need and are working towards.”

12-year varsity coach Chris Borzym has a sense of perspective on the season. “We have had our ups and downs … along with injuries but were healthy now,” he said. The team has now set its sights on State and equaling or improving on their second place finish from two years ago. Last year, the team made it to State but did not place or proceed beyond the first day of competition.

Borzym said, “This team is better than last year’s and can be as good as two years ago.”

The team will be hosting conference at RB on January 24th. After that they will move on to hosting sectionals on the 28th. The top five teams move on to state in on February 3rd and 4th.

Poms aiming to return to State for 5th straight year

Head Poms coach Mo Gorman said,” Our main goal is to qualify for state and to strive for professionalism in our routines.” Poms has qualified for State in each of the past four years, all under Gorman’s coaching.

“We are trying hard to qualify for state and have high hopes on doing so,” said senior Kara Kruse.

Pom’s is not an IHSA sport but will become one next year. As of now, they compete in Team Dance Illinois AA open pom. The Poms squad has already placed 1st, 2nd and 5th in their three competitions. They will compete at Waukegan on January 22nd, at Oswego East on February 5th, at Lincoln West on February 11th and at Andrew on February 18th.

They also host conference the same day as the Cheerleaders on January 24th. Sections will be on January 28th and State takes place on March 4th in Peoria.

Varsity Soccer: “Always Smile.”

Girls Varsity soccer season is over with a regular season record of 3-13-1. Although they did not have much success in the regular season, they pushed hard to get past the first round of the playoffs against Little Village, winning 7-0. They moved on and lost in the regional final to Glenbard South 3-1, ending their playoff run.

Their games may have stopped but the players still found a common bond. Senior Karen Lopez said, “This is one of the most tightly knit teams I have ever been on. We have always stuck together and I am very glad to have been a part of the team for the past four years. I know this program will continue to succeed and carry on its legacy.”

Freshman Lia Sanchez said, “This was one of the most unforgettable experiences for me. This team, for me, is the one that’s been most close to me. I bonded so well with them. Always smiles.”           

With the varisty girls soccer being such a young team, only starting nine years ago, it will be hard losing their head coach. Marisa Dobbertin has been head coach for three years and was the assistant coach five years before that.

Dobbertin said, “I am so proud of what our program has accomplished this season! All three levels have so much to be proud of! Our success is not measured in wins and losses but rather in how we grew as a team and as individuals. I could write a novel on how each player progressed throughout the season and the difference they made! I am pumped to see how the varsity team does in 2012. We found our strengths as a team and hit our stride in the second half, and if they put in the work during the off season they will be a force to be reckoned with! Our team theme has carried us through the year. I am heartbroken over the thought of not leading this program next year after eight seasons with RB varsity soccer.  But there is no way that I’ll ever completely detach from this program! I’ll just enjoy watching, what I helped to get started, from the stands with three very cute Bulldog mascots.”

Dobbertin isn’t the only one leaving. Seniors Lopez, Brittany Kozlowski, Eva Perez , Haley St. Paul, and Emily Waas will all be saying goodbye to this program as well.

Sophomore Hannah Claywell said, “This season was amazing. Dobs taught me so much and I felt like we grew a lot as a team throughout the season. We will all miss the seniors and Dobbs so much next year! This was one of the closest teams I’ve ever been on; an unforgettable experience.”

Soccer rebounds after rough start

“A team is many voices with a single heart” is the motto of RB girls soccer. With their first win, bringing them one and four, they showed they worked as one. With the hard fought win over Ridgewood, they made a stand to turn the season around.

Varsity soccerp layer Bridget Brewer, who scored against Ridgewood, said, “The win was definitely something the team needed. We’re back on track and looking forward to the rest of the incredible season.”

They have eleven more games of the season and plenty of time to turn things around. They have mostly away games to play and so far have only won on the road.

Senior varsity soccer player, Emily Waas said, “We had a rough start but I can tell by the commitment and motivation of our team that we will strive from now on.”

Despite the rough start, it is not just all work for the entire season, but also fun. The team will be having Soccer Palooza on April 30^th, 2011. This is open for anyone who wants to come out, watch or participate in the event. For more information about this event, visit coach Marisa Dobbertin at the Wellness Department.

Trolls storm the Landmark

APRIL FOOL’S DISCLAIMER:
The story below is intended as humor only and is not intended to be accurate.  All RB community participants in the story provided written permission for their names to appear.

It is a dark day for the Riverside Brookfield Landmark.  Yesterday April 3^rd, 6:55 p.m. the Landmark’s website crashed. This was caused by the obsessive “trolls” and their motivation to rigorously comment on the site. These comments were multiplying exponentially until all of a sudden 1,000 comments were trying to be posted in one minute then crash there goes the website.

Melony Scroder, Public Relations Editor, said, “It was inevitable, the way the comments kept pouring in it was hard to keep our website running that fast. We knew it would happen but just not to this degree.”

Now that the website is down, people are running all over to get things fixed.  They are hoping to have it up and running either late tonight or early tomorrow morning but are scarred what will happen when it gets back up. It is so bad the “trolls” have even created a fake RB Landmark website to post comments, and that’s even on the verge of crashing.

Edward Montera, staff reporter, said, “I’m scared of what these trolls are capable of doing. They have gone too far and frankly I don’t think they’re stopping anytime soon”.

With this horrible epidemic in our mists, how do we stop it? All we know though, as said by Marty Lumenberg, staff reporter, “Yesterday, April 3^rd, is a day which will live in infamy.”

Administration excited to work with Skinkis

On Thursday, February 17^th, 2011, the new Superintendent, Dr.  Kevin Skinkis, was officially announced and confirmed by the school board. Though only 34 years old, Skinkis is ready to confront his new job head on.

“I’m elated and excited for this great opportunity. I grew up around here and I watched and played against RB. This school has a lot to offer and I am looking forward to working here with the staff and students,” said Skinkis.

Along with his eagerness to join District 208, Skinkis is also sad to leave his former job as principle of Bartlett High School.

Skinkis said, “I told my staff this afternoon; I had to pause because I started to tear up. It will always hold a place in my heart.”

It is hard to leave a school you love behind and start over a new tradition. As Skinkis is making the transition to RBHS, the existing administration at District 208 is welcoming him with open arms.

“We’re very excited about him coming to RB. He has great experiences with students and culture. He also had Character Counts at his old school. He is very energetic and has a ‘can do’ energy. He is strong, fearless, and focused. He will bring great things to the district,” said Principal Pamela Bylsma.

Interim superintendent David Bonette was hired by the district two years ago. He was originally only going to serve one year, but District 208 asked him to stay on until they found a new superintendent. After his two years as interim superintendent, he is glad to welcome Skinkis to district 208.

Bonette said, “Great, I can’t wait to hand off the baton. He in some respects reminds me of myself when I had my first superintendent job. I had very good interesting experiences before I got to be the superintendent, like him. He is young, ambitious and energetic, and I think he will be a good fit for this school district. “

As well as Skinkis, Bonette will also miss the school he is leaving.

“I really enjoyed working with the faculty and the board. One thing I regret is not spending more time with the students. Being an interim superintendent really made it hard to do so,” said Bonette

Skinkis will start his new job as superintendent at RBHS on July 1^st.

“It is a great opportunity. It’s my first time as superintendent and I’m looking forward to building on the traditions here,” he said.

Cheerleaders one shy of advancing to Day Two at State

Seasons come and go, but the heart and dedication put in will last forever. This year our varsity cheerleaders finished 11^th out of 88 possible teams at the state competition.  Even though they didn’t reach their final goal, they did come first in sectionals. This is the first time cheerleading has ever placed first at sectionals.

Varsity cheerleader Hannah Likness said, “This season we had a couple bumps in the road, but we came out really strong, especially at state.  This year our team got very close and worked together because we all wanted the same thing.”

Sectionals were held on January 29^th and the cheerleaders came prepared.  After working hard all season, the cheerleaders’ dedication paid off. This gave them a spot in competing at state and a chance for their overall goal. In state they placed 11^th, just one place away from advancing to the second day of competition. Even though they didn’t move on, they showed there spirit and good sportsmanship by cheering on the rest of the cheerleaders.

Senior Tyler Radek, who went along for the experience and cheered them on, said, “I thought it was awesome. As a football and baseball player, it was a different atmosphere and exciting to watch. It was intense.”

Tierney Duffy said, “This year we had a lot to overcome, but we worked really hard and continued to push ourselves. The outcome at state might not have been what we wanted, but we had a lot of fun along the way.”

Though their competitive cheerleading season is over, they are still cheering on the basketball players. They are having senior night February 22^nd at a boy’s basketball home game.

Cheerleading: beyond the sideline

Sideline cheers and half time performances are what most people see from the RB cheerleaders.  But what most people don’t know is the hard dedicated work they put in every day for their competitions. They practice five days a week for two hours as they strive for perfection. Their motto is to focus on details, and with a great run last year, placing second in state, they hope to repeat the success and even get first.

Senior and co- cheer captain Maeve Cloherty said, “Even though we don’t have the same group of girls from last year, we still have a strong group and think we can go far.”

They have already had one completion placing third in the Rolling Meadows invitational. With the 24^th of January as conference and sectionals January 29^th, the chase for state is coming quick. It is so quick it will be state on February 4^th, less than a week after sectionals.

Senior Kristie Cassano, with total confidence in her team, said, “New team, but a ton of new potential. I can’t wait to see how we do at state.”

With co-head coaches Elyse Presta and Nickie Benson and the help of coach Beth Michiels and volunteer Chris Borzym pushing them hard and teaching them all the right moves, they’re in great shape to go far.

Benson, “We have really high hopes for both JV and Varsity teams this year. Not only do they have the skills but the determination to succeed. We hope that that we see a lot of friendly RB faces in the crowd for both conference and sectionals! Come cheer on the Cheerleaders!” 

On the 28^th of February at RB’s varsity boy’s basketball game, they will show a sneak peek of their sectionals performance after the game.

No thanks for Thanksgiving

When November hits everyone starts to think Christmas presents. Then it leads to decorations then Christmas music, and it is a huge hulabaloo.  This happens every year. That is good and all but people forget one big thing, Thanksgiving. Now I know everyone still celebrates Thanksgiving but it always feel like a side holiday compared to Christmas.   With Thanksgiving already past it feels like it was so long ago since it happened. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, takes away the thunder right away and leaves Thanksgiving in the dust.

I am a huge fan a Christmas. I enjoy presents just as much as the next guy, but I think it should be celebrated after thanksgiving. I am not saying to switch your way of celebrating holidays, but give Thanksgiving more honor and respect. After all, it does feed you.

My thanksgiving was very small but I enjoyed it very much. Though being a vegetarian and not being able to eat turkey, I still ate like no tomorrow. Sitting around the table with family, eating good food and just hanging out and talking, there is nothing better. Football is always on during Thanksgiving, and to me, it is a perfect complement to such a great holiday.

Not only is the dinner tasty you have the good ol’ desert to have afterward. It could be the pumpkin pie, French silk pie, lemon squares and even those oh so delectable grandmother’s cookies. When all the commotion of making dinner and eating was done my family sat down and played quite an intense game of Apples to Apples. That is what thanksgiving is about, no different than Christmas: giving thanks for what you have and spending quality time with your family.

So though Thanksgiving has passed, be sure to tell it “thank you” next time it comes around.

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