Last year’s Bulldogs are Food Heroes

In October, 2010, RB held a food drive centered around the Day of Service.  For two weeks, collection bins were set up around the school, and students donated over 1,800 items. On the actual day of Service, the items were organized and donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. No one was expecting nationwide recognition for it.

However, that’s exactly what RB got. The Schools Fight Hunger program has awarded RB a National School of Distinction status, which is given to schools which are notably enthusiastic, creative, or dedicated to the hunger cause. Fewer than 2,000 schools in the 2010-2011 school year received this recognition.

“The students, staff, and administration of Riverside Brookfield High School are honored to be recognized by Schools Fight Hunger for our 2010 food drive,” said social studies teacher, Rachel Bernstein, who was one of the driving forces behind the food drive. “We are very proud of our collection last year; it is one of the many examples of Bulldogs caring about others,” she said.

Also greatly involved was then-junior Mary Heer. She created signs and fliers, helped to set up boxes, and made announcements about the food drive. “I just love helping out people,” she said.

 According to her, the best part of the event was the collecting of all the food. “It’s fun flagging down people with canned goods,” she said. 

Heer had one reaction to RB becoming a National School of Distinction: “awesome.” Then she added, “It’s awesome that I was a part of that and I could help out the community.”

Another person who helped out on the Day of Service was English teacher John Izaguirre, who collected the boxes of food from around the school. “It was a cool thing to see kids get involved and be excited about giving back,” he said.

He also said that it was important that the Day of Service is “not just giving back to the homes and sprucing them up, making them look nice, it’s giving back to the food pantries too.”

About RB’s recognition, he said “It’s an awesome distinction, and sometimes because we’re a small school we don’t get a lot of distinction. Winning stuff like that puts RB on the map in terms or caring and giving back.”

However, despite last year’s success, the fact that the Day of Service has become the Month of Service means that no food drive was planned for this year.

“It hasn’t been planned at this time, but it’s something we’d love to do again,” said Bernstein. “If we do [Month of Service] again, a food drive would definitely be a good thing to consider.”

 Heer is looking for a positive angle to it. “It sucks, but there are other food drives and we helped out last year,” she said.

Similarly, Izaguirre said, “Sometimes things happen and we just need to take a step back and regroup, and we’ll come back and do it next year.”

Conferences go hi-tech

Parent-teacher conferences looked a little different this year. They were still in the main gym, but some teachers approached the conferences in a different way. Usually they would have stacks grade sheets and folders with them, but this year many teachers had laptops. Teachers pulled up Skyward on their computers and talked to parents that way instead of having papers.

For example, English teacher John Izaguirre said,” I used both a printed hand out of each students grades and I used Skyward. I had my own computer and I used Skyward as a reference. Even if the grades are available online, I think it is important for parents to come and actually sit down and talk with their child’s teacher. The one on one time during conferences is more important than viewing grades or posting them online.”

Every student that was interviewed gave negative thoughts about parent teacher conferences, whether it was because of grades or they just didn’t acknowledge it.

Senior Kyle Devaris said, “No, my parents don’t go to them because they are too busy. I don’t like parent teacher conferences because I don’t want my parents knowing my grade.”

Senior Mike Buckley said, “Conferences are horrible because if I have bad grades I’ll get in trouble, but if I have great grades I don’t get anything from my parents, it’s a lose-lose situation.”

 Senior Jim Cifaldi said, “No, my parents don’t go because they don’t want to go. Plus the new thing is Skyward, I’m sure they can find everything out on that.”

Skyward was introduced last year to RB and parents can get all of their children’s information school wise. They can see grades and even notes about their child in class, depending on if the teacher writes a note.

Rooftop garden: one step closer to a green school

English teacher Kathleen Harsy is the main advocate for a rooftop garden atop our very own RBHS. A rooftop garden is just what it seems to be: a garden on top of a building, used to grow vegetables and herbs, reduce energy costs, and just overall make greener choices.

Although Harsy is head of this project, there are many other people involved. Tim Scanlon, Kirstin Bacon, Tom Dignan, John Izaguirre, and the SEE team students and teachers Jame Holt, Jennifer Waldock, and Dan Mancoff are all involved in the garden, and will be reaching out for more support.

The purpose of a rooftop garden at RB is basically to have an interactive green space. Students can actually do something instead of just sitting and learning in a textbook. It expands on the fact that the green movement isn’t just a fad, but it is how the world really works now. The garden also creates interdisciplinary opportunities within the school, meaning that English could coincide with the science department in projects concerning the garden.

Harsy said “[The garden would] foster a new generation of environmental stewards.” There are connections to the Character Counts program with the garden, as well has being able to make direct lesson plans to reflect upon it.

“Kids get so excited about it. They think going up to the roof is so cool,” said Harsy.

A rooftop garden could reduce energy costs and allow students and staff to interact with a living ecosystem. Not only that, but students and staff could actually consume the vegetables and herbs that will be grown in the garden, which could improve the food choices in the cafeteria. 

Part of the funding for the garden is coming from last year’s senior gift, which is when the idea really got kicked off. It is not funded by the school, so Harsy and others are in the process of getting outside grants to fund the rest of the garden, which will be about $5000. 

The restaurant Uncommon Ground has a rooftop garden, and Harsy has been in contact with them about RB’s plans for one.

Safety is not an issue because the school already has easy and safe access to the roof.

“Administration is really open to this idea. It really speaks to how committed they are to the best practices for teachers and students,” said Harsy.