Volleyball coming to an end

As the varsity boy’s volleyball season may be coming to an end, there are still hurdles to jump. Regionals are coming up right in the next week, and then sectionals, and then hopefully state.

 The volleyball team’s record so far is 18-16 with its last win being at Illiana Christian. The guys have had many other great victories like senior nights win against Hinsdale South. After their last conference game against Fenton, they will then move on to regionals to improve their record even more.

 With junior Elliot Louthen and senior Juan Gomez Velez as captains, the team’s potential is high. “It’s exciting to see how the team does when they’re excited as opposed to down,” said Gomez, “I also think that as a team we are progressively getting better.”

 The team has made much progress but a long way to go.

“I expect a good end to the season,” said Gomez.

Canada steals the gold

The Olympic Games finished with an intense hockey game between Canada and the US teams ending in overtime, with Sydney Crosby going home a national hero. The game was action packed all the way up until the end goal in overtime.

It all started out as a dream from the American team, the players wanted to win and they went out there to destroy Canada. The game started out with the Blackhawks’ own player Jonathan Toews scoring a goal on the US team in the first period. Then Canada had another goal in the 2^nd period leading the game 2-0. The US team knew that the next goal would change the course of the rest of the game. So they made the goal in their favor leaving the 2^nd period trailing by one with Canada leading 2-1.

The third period started out slow because the teams both were defensively and offensively stable. It was not until the last minute that US player Zach Perise tied up the game putting the Olympic gold medal up for grabs in overtime.

Seven minutes in overtime went by and ended with Canada’s Sydney Crosby scoring and having Canada take home the gold as the host country. 

Even before the teams went out onto the ice, they both had already won. They both played for the win all through the tournament and all through the game ready. They both have proven themselves to their countries and shown that they were the best players in the world.

Canada beaten at their own game

The most hyped game of the Olympic hockey season ends in an upset for Canada with USA winning 5-3. This time the game was not for a medal, but for pride and respect for the US team. This win was the first win over Canada for the US since 50 years ago. With a bunch of players who are new to the Olympics on the US team, the win brought back memories of the Miracle on Ice, when an amateur US team took the gold away from Soviet Union.   

The game started fast with Brian Rafalski scoring a goal in the first forty seconds of the game. This was returned by a goal from Canada and then another goal by Rafalski, his second of the night.

In the second period Canada scored again to tie it up, but then the U.S. slipped ahead with another goal to end the second period 3-2.

With tensions high, U.S. scores again in the third taking the lead by two with 4-2. Canada then tried to make a comeback with another goal leaving it at 4-3. Then with only forty-five seconds left in the game the US cemented their lead with an open net goal from Ryan Kesler on Canada.

The US team will now advance into the quarterfinals top seeded. Their next game will be on Wednesday against Sweden. This year may just be another miracle on ice for the US hockey team.

A new hope for Haiti

Deaths, destruction, and now hope. Since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti this is what has been going on. The death toll in Port-Au-Prince alone has reached 150,000 people. Hundreds of thousands are homeless. There is a glimmer of hope for Haiti though; organizations all around the globe are providing relief efforts for the people and families of Haiti.

The United States government alone has raised about $100 million dollars and 10,000 troops to send to Haiti. The American Red Cross has sent an additional $147 million in an effort to relieve Haiti. The Partners in Health have raised about $25 million and the U.S. fund for UNICEF has raised about $22.5 million.

Celebrities have even tried to help. On January 22, in a telethon called “Hope for Haiti,” over one hundred actors, musicians and celebrities were there to answer phones and perform. George Clooney hosted the event with musical highlights like Jay-Z, Rihanna, Bono, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow and Keith Urban. “Hope For Haiti raised a total of $61 million from this telethon.

It’s not only large organizations that are donating to help Haiti though. Local groups, churches, and schools are trying to help out as well. S.E. Gross middle school is having fundraisers like the “Hats For Haiti” fundraiser, and a “Share Your Souls” shoe drive. Central School is working with New Hope Mission International to provide funds for Haiti. Brookfield United Methodist Church is collecting monetary donations and other supplies to send to Haiti.

Riverside Brookfield is also working to help out Haiti. Throughout the week of January 25^th to January 29^th, Student Association and National Honor Society have been collecting monetary donations to provide for the people of Haiti.

Although Haiti was hit hard by the earthquake, the efforts to help provide relief have been constant. As long as people continue trying to help this critical situation there is still hope for Haiti.

Girls gymnastics face new challenges

The girls’ gymnastics team is off to quite a different start this year. The team is facing some serious new changes. They have lost a lot of last years girls and they have a new coach, Jaclyn Messerges.

“The girls are fantastic and get along during practice,” says Messerges, the new coach “We have a small team since we lost a lot of girls but its still fun.”

Messerges herself has been a coach for 6 years and has been involved in gymnastics for 15 years. She participated in gymnastics all through college and at a division one school. This is her first year coaching here at RB though.

When asked if this years team had a chance of going to state Messerges said “I don’t know if we have a chance for state since we have such a small team.”

Although the team is small in size, their hopes of having both a successful and enjoyable year loom large.

“I’m looking forward to having a great season” says gymnast Kristen Santoro.

The superintendent search continues

With the search for a new superintendent continuing there has been a change in the outlook on the situation here at RB. Steve Humphrey, of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates Ltd, recommended that the interim superintendent, David Bonnette, stay as interim superintendent until either January or July.

Bonnette has reduced the chaos at Riverside Brookfield after Jack Baldermann stepped down from his position as superintendent. The school board spent two days interviewing potential superintendents until the idea was proposed that it should hire a new principal before it hires a new superintendent.

Last year Baldermann held the positions of both principal and superintendent. “With a filled principal position and superintendent position, there would be more importance to the role of principal.” said Bonnette, when asked what he thought about the decision.  

When Baldermann stepped down, Tim Scanlon, who was assistant principal of instruction last school year, stepped up to become the new principle. Scanlon was O. K. with being interim principle for up to a year.

The school board recommends that it holds off the search for a new superintendent until next November and to have a new principal by July 1^st. At the meeting on October 29^th the school board said that it was willing to commit to the idea and will have another meeting on November 10^th to make its decision official.

The new faces of RB

There are a bunch of new teachers here at Riverside Brookfield this year and this is your chance to get to know more about them.

 Suzanne Bartelson (Fine Arts Teacher)

Q: Why did you choose to teach at Riverside Brookfield?

A: I heard about how great RB was from other teachers like Mr. Grice and Ms. Rubin and I heard how progressive the school is.

Q: Where did you teach previously?

A: Elmwood Park.

Q: Where did you go to college?

A: I got my degree at University of Illinois in Champagne, and I went to grad school to get my degree in Fine Arts and media.

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: I do lacrosse and definitely ceramics.

Q: What are your goals at Riverside Brookfield?

A: To make some amazing ceramic art work.

 

Jenna Passananti (Spanish Teacher)

Q: Why did you choose to teach at Riverside Brookfield?

A: I know what a great school this is and it has a strong academic reputation with great commitment and involvement.

Q: Where did you teach previously?

A: This is my first time teaching.

Q: Where did you go to college?

A: Illinois Wesleyan University.

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: I like to play volleyball, work out, read, and hang out.

Q: What are your goals at Riverside Brookfield?

A: To improve the volleyball program, make a difference in my students’ lives, and to help my students to learn Spanish.

 

Kevin Coleman (Science Teacher)

Q: Why did you choose to teach at Riverside Brookfield?

A: I had previously lived in Wisconsin and I wanted to move closer to my family around here. So now I live in Oak Park and since I’m a bike commuter I needed to find schools in the area that I could ride my bike to.

Q: Where did you teach previously?

A: I taught before at Carl Schurz High School, but before I took this job I was an environmental consultant.

Q: Where did you go to college?

A: The University of Madison

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: Biking and cooking. I have a 2 ½ year old girl that I spend most of my time with.

Q: What are your goals at Riverside Brookfield?

A: To help students understand how things work, well enough to make informed decisions in the outside world.

 

Dallas Till (Wellness)

Q: Why did you choose to teach at Riverside Brookfield?

A: I knew this was a fantastic high school and there was a lot to offer here. I also like the whole new facility.

Q: Where did you teach previously?

A: Elmwood Park

Q: Where did you go to college?

A: Elmhurst College

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: Playing cards, vacationing, playing sports, and watching football.

Q: What are your goals at Riverside Brookfield?

A: To lead our baseball and football teams to success.

 

Ann Kuenster (Science Teacher)

Q: Why did you choose to teach at Riverside Brookfield?

A: Riverside Brookfield has a good reputation and a lot of AP classes. I also like the test prep classes here.

Q: Where did you teach previously?

A: Proviso Math and Science Academy

Q: Where did you go to college?

A: Northwestern University for my Bachelors and Southern University for my Masters.

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: I like hockey, crossword puzzles, and baking.

Q: What are your goals at Riverside Brookfield?

A: This year my goal is to make students think physics is fun.

Sports worthy of the Olympic dream?

As you may have heard, golf and rugby were recently introduced to be apart of the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Jeneiro. But what sports should be included in the Olympics but are not? I have come up with a few good ideas that the International Olympic Committee should seriously consider.

To fill you in, a sport becomes a part of the Olympics by first being recognized by an International Federation. The sport must follow the Olympic Charter, and must be approved by the International Olympic Committee. Once it has passed all the criteria, it can then become an  Olympics sport.

I think that some traditional American sports would be a good addition to the Olympics. Two good ones would be baseball and football.

Baseball, the American pastime, would be amazing in the Olympics. I already know that baseball is also practiced in Japan so they would most likely be in favor of the new addition.

Football is fun enough to watch in America, but imagine football on a world wide scale with whole new competitors and a new set of tactics. The end product would be explosive.

In my opinion some more fierce sports would be a nice addition to the Olympics, like mixed martial arts, dodge ball, and paintball. MMA would be better than Greco-Roman wrestling, and it involves freestyle wrestling which are two sports already in the Olympics. In the case of Paintball and dodge ball, it would be interesting to watch the intensity of these already very intense sports at the Olympic level.

 A couple more ideas, like poker, tubing, water skiing and an intense obstacle course would be great to see in the Olympics. So if golf and rugby could be in the Olympics why can’t these great activities? These are just a few ideas for the International Olympic Committee to let roll around in their minds.

Is Kimbo Out For Good?

Kimbo Slice, one of 16 of the fighters in the 10^th season of The Ultimate Fighter, was just knocked out of the contract deal by Roy Nelson. Nelson and Slice fought Wednesday September 30^th. Slice was very humble about his fight with Nelson even though it was one of the most important fights in his career. When everybody thought Slice was just a huge meat head, he turned out to be a gentler guy as shown in the episode before the fight. Nelson was still highly confident, and was sure that he would win the fight.

 When the fight started, Slice and Nelson both looked pretty dedicated to win this bout. Slice chose his jabs wisely and played it smart other than going all out in the first round. He even ended up throwing in a kick which was an improvement for Slice. Slice threw in a good few first punches and even defended a takedown by Nelson, but then Nelson threw Slice to the octagon floor. With Nelson’s experience he knew what he was doing and went straight for the crucifix, a move in which Nelson would sit on one of Slice’s arms and throw punches at Slice. After a few hits to the face from Nelson the first round ended with Nelson in the lead.

 During the start of the second round Slice starts to throw in some good punches like the first round. Then Slice and Nelson lock up and Slice throws a knee. Nelson, recognizing that Slice has only one foot on the ground, takes him down once again. Just like in the first round Nelson puts Slice in the crucifix and after a few unanswered punches from Nelson the ref calls the round. While Nelson parades around the octagon in joy, Slice walks away in defeat knowing that his chance to be in the UFC was just taken away from him.

 With Slice out of the picture Rashad Evan’s team feels as if they are going to sweep the first round with 8 straight wins for their team. With Team Rampage 0 wins 4 losses, the whole team needs to step up their game. There is talk though that Slice may have a chance to get back into the competition. One of the fighters on Rampage’s Team, Marcus Jones, might not be able to fight. He is getting sicker every day and if it gets too bad he might not be able to compete. Slice might be tagged back in and get to redeem himself to get another chance to be the Ultimate Fighter.