RB needs to get students politically involved and voting

This past Tuesday, Mitt Romney easily coasted to victory in Illinois, winning over forty delegates. However, with near record low voter participation, especially among young adults, I feel that the political fate of our country may haven taken a turn for the worse.

Let’s face it.  For the most part, high school students aren’t very concerned about politics. In many cases, even those who are 18 don’t take much of an interest.  I know politics may not seem very important to us now, but we are the ones who will have to live with the actions of those elected for the rest of our lives.

“How could [students] not care about their futures? Democracy only works with an informed and involved citizenry,” said Jan Goldberg, a social studies teacher at RB who is very well known for her interest in politics.

Of course, this isn’t to say today’s young people are completely lost when it comes to politics. Many students and members of the community take place in the political process and vote. In addition, others at RB work as election judges or help register other students to vote.

RB usually does a fair job of fostering an interest in politics and government. This is mainly done through social studies classes such as US Government and Politics or US History, which all RB students are required to take. In my experience, I have never felt that we could not have class discussions over current political issues just because they were controversial.

Yet the problem of voter apathy among youth still remains, and RB could definitely do more to combat this. “It is great that we have so many involved students. But to get to the masses, we need more speakers, more assemblies, more clubs devoted to political discussion. Kids need a place to speak their mind without worrying about a grade or what a teacher thinks,” said Goldberg.

Due to budget cuts, Forum Club, RB’s club devoted to discussing politics and other current events, is no longer running this year. I feel that this was especially inopportune timing, since this is an election year and being involved and informed is more important than ever. It is vital that RB makes combating voter apathy a priority.

Not only does it harm our country when young people choose not to be involved in politics, but we must also remember that it wasn’t so long ago that young adults could not vote. It wasn’t until 1972 when eighteen year olds gained the right to vote, after years of fighting and campaigning. And before youths, women and African Americans fought vigorously to earn the right to vote. It seems to me that it’s unfair to take their sacrifices lightly by not voting.

With a presidential election on the horizon in November and our country facing pressing economic and social problems, it is vital that we, both individually and as a school, become more involved in politics. Even if one cannot vote, simply staying well informed is a step in the right direction.

“Most of the tragedies in history came about with a population that was not paying attention,” said Goldberg.

What was better? A Month of Service or a Day?

This October was the first year in six years that RB did not host its traditional Day of Service. Instead, the whole month became the Month of Service, and Bulldogs were encouraged to find volunteer opportunities in the community.

 According to Assistant Principal Tim Scanlon, part of the reason for the change was Day of Service’s success. There was too much demand from the community for a single day.

 In addition, the school board had made some financial cuts that made it much more difficult for a Day of Service to be organized. Social studies teacher Angela Ziola lost a release period related to Character Counts which she had used in previous years for a variety of activities, including coordinating the Day of Service. She also lost the stipend for her assistant SA sponsor, John Fields, who had helped coordinate the Day of Service. Finally, most of the secretarial support that had organized the Day of Service wasn’t available.

 “We didn’t have all the necessary infrastructure,” said Scanlon.

 So was the Month of Service a success?

 Last year, over 500 students, staff, and parents participated in the Day of Service. This year, however, the students found opportunities on their own, and the school couldn’t keep track of who volunteered.

 “Not a lot of groups talked about [keeping track],” said Social Studies teacher Angela Ziola.

 “I missed the Day of Service,” said Scanlon. “The sense of team effort can’t be replicated without doing it as a Day of Service.” However, he added, “There’s something very limiting about having a Day of Service.” He felt like some people would do the Day of Service and feel like they were then done giving back for the year. “I think the Month of Service was very successful,” he said.

 “I missed the energy on that day and how there was always such a large amount of students, staff, and parents,” said Ziola.

 Sophomore Laura Pellizzari participated in the Day of Service last year and had a great time on the workday. “It was an all-around good experience!” she said. “We cut down and burned buckthorn and invasive species in the zoo woods. It was tons of fun and afterwards we all got our t-shirts and food.” 

 Despite her good experience, Pellizarri did not participate in Month of Service this year. “I kind of forgot about it,” she said. “I had heard about it, but I never really found out any information. Last year it seems it was made much easier to do something for the community.”

 On the other hand, Sophomore Brazil Lewis-Boursaw did not participate in the Day of Service last year, because she was more focused on getting used to the school. This year, she did participate in Eco Club’s October workday. “It was really fun and I’m happy I got to do it because I didn’t do it last year and I wanted to be more involved,” she said.

 Lewis-Boursaw prefers the Month of Service to the Day of Service. “It gives you more of a chance,” she said. “You have more options, and it’s more help, too.”

When asked about plans for next year, Scanlon said, “I would love to have a Day of Service and a Month of Service… To incorporate the Day of Service into the Month of Service.”

Ziola was not as optimistic. “I don’t know how we can do a Day of Service with the cuts,” she said, but added, “I think a month could work, just not one single day.”

Long distance running is a growing phenomenon at RB

The Chicago Marathon is a 26.2 mile race run by over thousands of people each fall. Runners must be at least sixteen years old and a lot of training is involved. Clarion interviewed 3 teachers about this their determination to run the race:  Steve Yurek, Kathleen Harsy, and John Fields.

Runners from this school also include Daniel Delzotti, a teacher, and Natalee Garza, a senior.

Steve Yurek

Steve Yurek is a math teacher at Riverside Brookfield High School and has run in not just one Chicago Marathon, but six.

Q. Is this your first year running in the marathon?

A. No, I’ve run six Chicago Marathons and two races in other cities.

Q. Have you run in any other marathons that made you want to run in this one?

A. I started off running the marathon in 2006, but ran one in Quebec and Dearborne, Michigan to get a different flavor.

Q. What was your goal in running the marathon?

A. The goal was to run a fast first half, and do whatever the second half to survive.

Q. Were there any injuries that prevented you from running at first?

A. I had broken my arm over the summer, but that gave me fresh legs, so it helped out.

Q. Are you going to run next year’s marathon?

A. I hope to. I enjoy it because it is exciting. Also, my son will eventually run on his own.

Q. Are there any particular memorable moments from this year’s training or the race.

A. Seeing the RB kids at mile eleven or twelve was excellent. It is always nice to see people you know. I meet up with an RB graduate at mile twenty, and she runs with me at the hardest, hottest part of the race. It is good to have company at the hardest part of the day.

Kathleen Harsy

Kathleen  Harsy is an English and AP Literature teacher for all grades. She ran the marathon for the very first time.

Q. Is this your first year running the marathon?

A. Yes.                         

Q. Have you run in any other marathons that made you want to run in this one?

A. I have run a half marathon before, but this is my first full marathon.

Q. What was your goal in running the marathon?

A. I was inspired by all the teachers here and family members who have run marathons. I also ran for my grandma.

Q. Were there any injuries that prevented you from running at first?

A. No.

Q. Are you going to run in next year’s marathon?

A. We’ll see. One race at a time.

Q. Are there any particular memorable moments from this year’s training or race?

A. All the encouragement from all the teachers and everyone cheering us on. On the day of the race, a lot of teachers, students and family showed up. Some of my students made a poster and held it up at mile thirteen. Pilsen neighborhood was at mile twenty, and it was awesome. There were huge puppets, families, restaurants, you could feel the energy. Mr. Izaguirre ran miles 16 and 17 with me.

John Fields

John Fields a history teacher ran the marathon for the first time this year also.

Q. Is this your first year running in the marathon?

A. First marathon, yes.

Q. Have you run in any other marathons that made you want to run in this one?

A. No, this was my first marathon.

Q. What was your goal in running the marathon?

A. My goal was to finish.

Q. Were there any injuries that prevented you from running at first?

A. No, but during the race I was injured. I hurt my knee. It forced me to walk the last couple miles, but I finished.

Q. Are you going to run next year’s marathon?

A. I haven’t decided yet, but possibly.

Q. Are there any particular memorable moments from this year’s training or race?

A.I enjoyed training with my wife, who also ran the marathon. From the race, I enjoyed the crowds and neighborhoods. Everyone was really supportive.

NHS carries on Powder Puff tradition

As the male football players continue their season, the females were close to not having Powder Puff this year. Part of this had to do with the referendum last year.

“The Student Association cannot sponsor this event with so many other responsibilities involving homecoming and only having one sponsor,” said Sponsor Angela Ziola.

Ziola is the Student Association sponsor and has been a part of S.A for a long time. She recently lost her assistant, Social Studies teacher John Fields.

“I lost my assistant sponsor for S.A, so some S.A sponsored events must be cut,” said Ziola.

The Powder Puff game is still going to be offered as a fundraiser this year, thanks to National Honors Society, still run by Math teacher Lindsey Mynaugh. “The girls are participating by paying for their own shirts. All the other supplies are being borrowed by the athletic department and the staff is full of volunteers,” said Ziola.

The game is Tuesday, October 11^th at 7pm on the RB football field. There will be a $2 fee to get in and all money will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House as a charity event.

Fields oversees his first Veteran’s Day assembly

Students, faculty, and veterans filled up the main gym on November 11^th for the Veteran’s Day Assembly. Social Studies teacher John Fields  coordinated all of the day’s scheduling to honor the visting veterans.

This event start about nine years ago when the Social Science department chair Bill Jirkovsky, a veteran himself and now retired, proposed the idea and had to petition to the government for the school not to have the day off and host this event. He liked the idea because he wanted to honor the veterans and give the students a learning experience. The petition passed and this tradition has been carried on ever since. “It is great to have our veterans come to tell of their experiences to the students,” said Fields.

Over one-hundred veterans attended the event, ranging from World War II to present day wars in the Middle East. The jobs each veteran had ranged from a machine gunner to a repair techinician that fixed fighter jets. Many of the vets have relations to the school such as social studies teacher Dan Monahan’s father and Fields’ father.

“Seeing my dad come and to see how happy it makes the him and the vets, it really makes a difference,” said Fields.  It was the first time that Fields set up this event with the help of Mary Ann Nardi, the superintendent’s secretary.  This made the day especially important to him and his family. “The veterans all had a great time and the students learned from this experience, it was very successful,” said Fields.  

Veteran’s Day is a very important day to remember and honor all the men and women who put the time and effort, and risked their lives to protect our country.  And we thank those veterans for their service.

Veterans to be honored at RB

This Thursday, November 11, Riverside Brookfield High School will host its annual Veterans Day assembly.  The assembly will take place after second hour, in the main gym.  Over 90 veterans from over 70 years of wars will be present for the ceremony which will last about 25 minutes.  After the assembly’ students will return to their classrooms where they will have a meet and greet with a veteran. They will have 30 minutes to talk with their veteran about his or her experiences.

“Veterans day is a great opportunity to honor our veterans, and have the students learn about their sacrifices for our country”, said by organizer John Fields.

Crowning King Capone and Queen Ryan

The Riverside-Brookfield homecoming king and queen have been announced.  The after school assembly on September 17^th was held at Shuey Stadium where the court was announced driven around the track in convertibles.  Before the crowning, there was performances by the band, poms, and cheerleaders.

On Friday September 10^th Student Association announced this year’s homecoming court.  SA cut the court down from twenty nominees to ten. 

Now SA has cut it down once again.  Jimmy Capone has been crowned king and Danielle Ryan is the queen.  These two students have come a long way.  After four year’s of being loyal to RB, they are now homecoming king and queen.

When asked how he felt being crowned king, Capone said, “It feels good.” 

Capone is a member of the football team and National Honors Society.  He enjoys fishing and hanging out with his friends.  His favorite teachers are John Fields and Mark Gouwens.  Jimmy’s favorite member on the court besides himself was Emily Waas.

Capone said his favorite saying is, “Why fix it if it’s not broken?”

Ryan said, “It’s very very cool,”  when asked how it feels being crowned queen.  Ryan is a member of SA and also Best Buddies.  She believed that anybody on the court would have been an amazing choice to win.

The crowd of the entire school went wild when Capone and Ryan were announced king and queen.  They went on to make appearences at the homecoming football game against Elmwood Park and also the homecoming dance for pictures and dances. 

Capone wore his crown, while Ryan wore her tiara.   The entire court was on stage for a song at the dance.

Man behind the mic, RB’s new voice

First he was a Speech Champion, now he is the voice of Riverside Brookfield’s morning announcements. Zeyne Guzeldereli greets the student population over RB’s intercom every morning to deliver the morning announcements. Everything from a good morning greeting, to where the chess club will meet after school, Guzeldereli gives students the low down about what’s what at RB.

 In 2009, Guzeldereli, a junior at the time, added a new honor to his resume. He wrote and performed his own piece to perform as part of the speech team. Guzeldereli practiced and perfected his speech to the point where he was able to qualify for the state tournament. Guzeldereli not only participated in the competition, he came in first and earned the IHSA Speech State Championship title, Best Original Comedy.

 The news of the new state Champion spread quickly around the school. Both students and teachers were all impressed by this incredible feat. No one was more impressed than RB Social Studies teacher John Fields. Fields was the one who recommended Guzeldereli for the job. “He’s a state speech champion and he’s the Director of Communications here at RB. He’s more than qualified for the position,” said Fields.

Fields was the one suggested to John Passarella, Assistant Principal at RB, that Guzeldereli be the new morning announcer. Passarella and many other teachers jumped at the opportunity. They thought that it would be pleasant to hear a student’s voice deliver the morning news. Without another thought, Guzeldereli was hired for the job. “I love my job,” Guzeldereli said, “My background in speech has definitely helped me feel more confident doing what I do.”

 You can listen to Guzeldereli every morning at 8:01 a.m. throughout the RB classes and hallways. Remember, it’s great to be a bulldog!