Art, Math clubs follow the road to reinstatement

Due to the budgetary constraints that have impacted RB over this past school year, difficult decisions were made by the board concerning what clubs were to be funded and which were to be cut.

Two of the cut clubs, Art Club and Math Club, have now recently restarted thanks to the school board’s decision to allow outside funding. 

Decisions on cuts were initially made by looking at areas where students had exposure to the topic of the club in the everyday curriculum.  If the material was not offered during the school day, the board still wanted to make it available to students by offering it in extracurricular activities. 

PrincipalPam Bylsma said, “Things that were kept were service clubs or opportunities that didn’t exist during the school day.” 

The process involved the school’s entire administrative team.  They knew that each club is important to those who are involved in it, and that no one would be entirely happy with the outcome. 

“I haven’t seen a single student involved in a club that wasn’t a great young man or woman that deserved that club,” said Assistant Principal John Passarella. 

Passarella was asked to reach out to districts around the state to see how they were dealing with budgetary cuts that impacted clubs and their policies on reinstating clubs with outside funding.  At first, he didn’t receive a good response, as no one in RB’s conference accepted outside funding.  

The policy was a time consuming decision for the board as it raised many questions.  How would supporters go about raising funds?  Who could raise funds?  

Eventually, the policy was approved and clubs gained the ability to reinstate themselves by having someone raise the money to support the club.  Any club that was cut could return by receiving outside funding and locating a qualified sponsor.  Outside funding could be from parent donations, businesses, or student fundraising.  According to the RBEA collective bargaining agreement, sponsorships had to be offered internally first, but after that, the job could be offered externally.  After a check for the fundraising is written, a sponsor can then be assigned, go through a criminal background check, and be approved by the board. 

The first club to return in this fashion was Art Club.  A parent donation was made for the same amount of funding that the club had last year.  A sponsor was found and approved by the board and the club was reinstated.  It has recently begun to meet again. 

Last year the art sponsor was RB Fine Arts teacher Suzanne Zimmerman.  This year, the club is being sponsored by Heather Young, an art major and substitute teacher at RB.  Young has many plans for the club this year.  She plans to do painting projects and field trips.  She hopes to have a student art show and drawing projects, invite professional speakers, and much more.  

“Art club is important because it touches on so many different fields and can be connected to students’ everyday life,” she said. 

Young also noted that the club gives students who didn’t have room in their schedules a chance to experience an art class.

Zimmerman said, “I think that it’s important to focus on how awesome Mrs. Young is doing.  She’s a great artist and she knows the department and the students.” 

Math Club has been slower in getting reinstated.  It took a group effort to raise the money for the club.  When the sponsorship was offered internally to RB teachers, none were ready to sponsor the club.  During a Chicago Tribune story on the club, former sponsors commented that they were now involved with other obligations including graduate school and family obligations.  

However, two external sponsors have now been approved by the board after criminal background checks were conducted.  Both sponsors have backgrounds in education and are eager to start.  

Holly Machina taught math for five years, most recently at the Islamic Foundation school in Villa Park, though she’s been on a break raising a family for the last twelve years.  Machina substitute teaches at RB on occasion and heard about the opening through Human Resources secretary Roseanne Marshall.

“Because of competitions,” Machina said, “the club really needs two sponsors.”

The second sponsor, John Henle, retired a year and a half ago from a career of teaching math at Wells Community Academy High School in Chicago. 

“I saw [the opening] in the Chicago Tribune,” he said, “and after vacation I called, thinking someone would have grabbed it.  It’s such a great job.” 

Math Club held its first meeting on the morning of Tuesday, January 31^st, in the Lehotsky Room.  The first meeting was well attended by approximately twenty students. 

The club has a lot of preparation to do as competitions start in mid-February.

The sign says NO parking

Parking at RB can be quite a hassle. I’m not talking about the walk from the parking lot to the school or even finding a spot. I’m talking about when the 3:05 bell has finally rung and the student body leaves the building and heads toward the parking lot.

I know many students who move as quickly as possible, just so they can get into the line of cars leaving school faster. A person can be waiting in this line for half an hour without leaving school property. It’s really frustrating when you need to get home right after school because this line takes so long. I’m not blaming all the kids who drive to school; many are just as fed up with the situation as I am.

The reason the line is so backed up is because of the people who get picked up after school. The drivers wait on the right side of the street for their kids to get out of school. It drives me crazy because there are signs all along that street that “No Parking”. Parents should be aware of this and how much trouble they are creating for the students trying to leave. This is such a big deal because instead of two lines forming to turn into Brookfield and Riverside respectively, only one line is formed. This creates such a backup that is takes at least 20 minutes to leave the parking lot.

Assistant Principal John Passarella smiled when faced with the question of whether RB had a parking/traffic problem.

Passarella said, “It would be healthier for kids to walk on a day when the weather isn’t bad.”

Another solution he feels could really help the situation is to have police start ticketing everyone who does not obey the law.

“I appreciate the police when they ticket those who violate laws which endanger our students, such as using cell phones or any other unsafe driving situation,” he said.

The parking situation was not always the way it is now. Before 2010, teachers parked where the current field house is now and the students parked where the teachers are now parking. Rockefeller was a street in which students, Zoo employees, and guests were able to use. Traffic was relatively light and not as congested until the reconstruction of the school. Riverside Chief of Police Tom Weitzel also suggested another reason the traffic is so heavy is because of the traffic signal at First Avenue. When cars cannot turn onto first, the traffic from the school comes to a standstill.

The police department is trying to deal with this issue in many ways. They have formed a Traffic-Parking Review Committee, headed by Sergeant Bill Gutschick.

In an e-mailed response to my questions, Weitzel said, “The committee has been meeting since April 2011, putting together ideas and sharing concerns about the traffic situation around the area. The last meeting involved many residents from Riverside and Brookfield in order to get their input into improving the situation.  Illinois Department of Transportation conducted a study of the intersection which showed need for improvement; however, those improvements are contingent to funding.”

An Intensified Traffic Enforcement Unit was formed, with extra enforcement in the high school area. They have taken many measures to illustrate the rules that parents, students, and any other person driving in the area must follow. The police department has also moved its operational hours to be more effective in policing the area.

 In the meantime, parents should start listening to the signs and stop parking on that side of the street. The other side has just as many parking spots available without creating such a mess for the student body.

If they are not going to cooperate, the police should start writing up tickets. We are talking about simple traffic laws that everyone should obey. It’s not that difficult.

Weitzel also said, “So far in 2011, officers have issued 172 parking citations around RB for various infractions.”

What bothers me the most is this:  if the police are doing all they can to try and make the parking and traffic issue easier on all, why are people not complying? It is not a very difficult task to park someplace else. There are many other streets to park on and wait for the student you are going to pick up rather than sitting in a no parking zone. It is not that hard to walk. 

This may not seem like a big deal, but when you are a busy high school student, as many are, that twenty minutes can really affect your day.

The simple solution is to follow the no parking signs located all along the street.

I want to listen with BOTH my ears…

 Head phones or no headphones? That is the question that stirs up conversation throughout the school.  Headphone use in the halls is now being limited from two ear buds to one. How fair is it to the students though?

Passing periods are only five minutes long and within those five minutes students should be allowed the option to listen to their music during their transition from class to class.  During the passing periods, music is played throughout the halls, but it is not always what kids like to hear.  Each student has a different taste in music and with that causes issues.  You can’t find music that will always satisfy each student.  That is why students like to bring to their own iPod and listen to their own music.

 They want to tune out the surrounding sounds and they want to enjoy their music.  Listening to both ear buds should be a privilege given to the students. 

 Using one ear bud you can still hear your music; however, it is not the same.  If teachers want to get your attention, they should talk to you either before or after class.  They should tell you they want to talk to you during your passing period.  Now it would be up to the student to remember.  Even with one headphone you still can’t hear everything. A student could have one headphone in and feel like because they don’t have both in they should turn their music up louder.

While some people feel like headphones cause distractions, in reality they don’t.  Listening to music in the halls is simply a way for kids to escape reality and get away from the pressure of school for at least five minutes. 

It’s hard to see the problem in using both ear buds during the passing periods.  The school already frowns upon the use of iPods during extra time in class. Even though students take off their headphones and put them away before entering a class, it’s just not enough.   

 The reason being for this “pilot” program is so students can hear if staff members are calling them and also in case of emergency related information being said through the PA system.  Although this is understandable, students should be allowed to wear both ear buds on a trial run basis at a low volume.

Assistant Principal Passarella should dismiss the use of one ear bud and use a trial run basis just like study hall did for a while.  The trial run basis would allow students to use both ear buds, but keep their music at a low volume.  That way students feel like they have an option to wear two or one without fearing consequence and staff members can still have a way of getting the attention of students. 

If all fails then Passarella could go back to the use of one ear bud.

Adjusted calendar gives early head start to the year

This year, school resumed on Wednesday, August 17, the earliest start date in years. Graduation will also be correspondingly early, taking place on Friday, May 25.

These changes were made in order to balance the number of days in each semester, while still having finals before Winter Break. In addition to this, the school needed to catch up on days lost from the construction to the school.

“Obviously the cons are a shorter summer. The pros are that kids can get a jump start on summer jobs,” said Assistant Principal John Passarella, “I’ve never seen a graduation so early in my nine years working here.”

The decision to switch to this new calendar was ultimately made by the school board, yet recommendations for the plan were made by the Teacher’s Union, administration, and feeder schools.

“We had no choice. I didn’t like coming back early. It put a rush on things,” said Passarella.

However, the graduation date may conflict with other events. The Advanced Placement late testing dates are on the same days as Finals (May 23-25).

These calendar changes may also interfere with sporting events. Graduation and the Boys Track and Boys Tennis state final meets all take place on the same date. Girls Soccer Sectionals and Boys Volleyball Sectional Semi-Finals also conflict with graduation. These issues are currently under review by the board.

“It’s being looked at and reviewed by the board to see if anything can be changed,” said Passarella.

The earlier start and release dates have been met with a variety of outlooks from students. Senior Tatiana Reaves said, “I think it’s a good thing. For seniors, you get out even earlier. For everyone else, the second semester is shorter.”

“Although it’s nice getting out so early at the end of the school year, I really needed that extra week and a half of summer,” said sophomore Kristin Tomecek.

“I don’t like it,” said sophomore Lily Lisle, “It made our summer really short. But I do like that we are having finals before winter break.”

Overall, teachers and staff share the attitude of students. Though many are disappointed over the shorter summer, they can still look forward to an earlier release date. “This summer was tough, but overall, I think it was a good thing. There’s nothing like getting out early and having a nice long summer,” said Social Studies teacher Kevin Turk.

These changes to the calendar, however, may not be permanent. The school could revert back to its approximate original start and release dates after this year.

 “We should get back into a set schedule as we move forward,” said Passarella.

Can you go one day without shoes? Not at RB

When you buy a pair of TOMS shoes, they donate a pair to a child in need. In addition to that, the company also holds an annual event called One Day Without Shoes where they urge people to go sans shoes for a day, so they can see what it’s like for those who don’t have shoes.

This year the event was on April 5^th. Many people around RB may not have heard about this, though, because, as of last year, RB administration does not allow students to walk around the school barefoot.

“I believe in the event, but the insurance carriers will not allow us to have students walking around without shoes while in the building,” said Assistant Principal John Passarella.

But my problem is that the school does allow students to wear sandals or flip flops, which can barely be considered shoes in the first place. The entire foot is exposed with a thin strip of rubber or plastic underneath. Moreover, many times when students are in gym classes in either the gymnastics room or the pool they are walking around without shoes in those locations.

I understand that there are times when shoes need to be off, but if that’s okay, then why isn’t it okay to sit in your class without shoes on?

Passarella also suggested that students wear shoes, but also wear a pair around their neck, but that just won’t cut it. They would still be wearing shoes, so the whole point of the event wouldn’t really be carried out.

I also understand that there are risks to walking around barefoot, whether it be stepping on something sharp or contracting some type of foot disease. But I still believe that the event raises awareness and promotes the Character Counts pillars of citizenship and caring, especially, and I think the payoff of participating would be great.

Dedication to the renovation

On Sunday March 21^st, RB held a dedication ceremony to celebrate the completion of the $52 million renovation.  Anyone in the RB community was welcome to attend the event which was held in the recently completed new auditorium.

The ceremonial ribbon was cut on the auditorium stage by Interim Principal Tim Scanlon and school board president James Marciniak.  Members of Student Association and faculty were invited on stage to help hold the ribbon.  The RB choir, band and orchestra were also present on stage to do musical interludes throughout the ceremony.

Student Association Executive Board members Stephanie Duve and Zeyne Guzeldereli gave speeches about their experiences during the renovation period.  Scanlon, as well as Assistant Principal John Passarella and some of the head construction workers who worked on the project, also gave speeches.

Passarella gave his speech commemorating his predecessor Bill Lehotsky, who passed away from cancer this past year.  Room 201, one of the newly renovated rooms in the building, was dedicated to Lehotsky in honor of his memory.

SA Student President Kelly Sherman also put together items for a time capsule that will be used to show a future generation of RB students what the school was like at this time.  The time capsule will be stored between walls in student services and will be opened in 50 years.

Some of the items in the capsule include: playbills, a lunch menu, state universities at a glance, a cheerleading uniform, a pom pom, a homecoming party favor, a community of caring key chain, an RB flag, a yearbook, and a recent hard copy issue of the Clarion.

“I was honored to be able to put together the time capsule,” said Sherman, “These items exemplify the RB community today.”

After the official ceremony took place in the auditorium, interested community members were led on tours by students who showed them the best features of the renovation.  This included the reconstructed science labs, the new community accessible fitness center, the reconstructed swimming pool and the redesigned cafeteria kitchen and serving area.

Students, staff adjust to new tardy policy

Tell us what YOU think about discipline at RB. Take our survey!

RB has been operating under a revised tardy policy since the beginning of the second semester. The policy has become the talk of the students, as well as the staff at RB. The policy was reconfigured by Interim Assistant Principal Troy Gobble, Interim Principal Tim Scanlon, Assistant Principal John Passarella, and Dean David Sibley after many teachers showed concern with the issue.

The tardy policy is not entirely new. According to Sbley, “it’s the old policy, with some tweaks.” One of those tweaks is a renewed emphasis on consistent enforcement of the policy by staff and teachers. Teachers are also now required to call a student’s parent or guardian if they have received three tardies. A guideline has been established for the new punishments, including a Saturday detention after the fourth tardy, and an ADA (alternative daily assignment) after the sixth.

Another change to the policy is that tardies are being responded to more quickly than before. Students are now likely to be called down to the office the same day they receive a number of tardies.

To explain the reason for the changes, Gobble said, “What we found was that the policy had become difficult to enforce consistently, and for good reasons. Students and teachers were adjusting to a new building and nobody knew where they were going, and also teachers were just getting used to using Skyward. As a result, tardies became more frequent than they were in the past. Students were coming late to class because the policy felt undefined.  Now that it has been tightened up, the number of tardies has dropped significantly.”

Sibley agreed and said, “it’s getting better. Once kids started realizing they were getting ADA’s for tardies, they were more motivated to get to class on time. The teachers are doing a great job enforcing [the policy], and are really making a difference.” Sibley feels that the vast majority of the teachers are cooperating with the new policy.

Gobble noted that the biggest problem had been first period. He said, “[There were] as many tardies to that period alone as the amount of tardies to any period for the remainder of the day. My first thought was maybe the students were just having trouble getting to school, but we found that was not the problem. We got a map of the school district, and plotted on the map the homes of the students late to first period, and found that there were just as many tardy students from the Hollywood area as there were Broadview and North Riverside.”

Gobble also said there was a day where staff members were posted at each door of the school to count the number of students coming in after the bell rang. They ended up counting 20 students that arrived to school late, but received 50 students tardy to first period that day, leading them to believe the other 30 students were in the building on time but still arriving late to class.

“I think it’s just the high school culture that the morning is the time for students to socialize with their friends,” said Gobble.

Social science teacher John Fields served on this year’s discipline committee. Fields, as well as a number of teachers from RB on the committee, were given the task of compiling a survey for the rest of the teachers about discipline at RB.

“[The survey] gauged how teachers felt about certain issues” said Fields.
Several of the questions on the ten question survey asked about tardiness and attendance.

“I have not yet analyzed the results,” said Fields, “but I think it’s always good to evaluate how things are going.”

The new attention to attendance and tardies has resulted in other changes. Attendance is now posted live on Skyward, so parents can check to see if their student is in class at any point during the school day.

Spanish teacher Jenna Passananti said, “[The new policy] has helped tremendously. In my classes [tardiness] has improved, and the kids are seeing it as more of a priority to get to class on time and are realizing that those two to three minutes in the beginning of class are still part of class. This policy allows the teachers to find their own tardy policy with in their classroom, and if it gets out of control, we have a uniform school policy to fall back on. It really bothered me when students didn’t get to class on time. Any improvement helps.”

Social Studies teacher Dan Monahan has his own views on the policy. He said, “Until there are no tardies, it’s not harsh enough. In my classes personally, I’ve noticed a slight improvement. We’ll analyze the data at the end and see if it has improved.” Monahan said he noticed “no change in behavior from the students,” and still notices kids in the halls after the bell rings.

Monahan also said, “My personal belief is that the punishment doesn’t need to be more or less, but that it needs to be different. I don’t feel that students care about getting detentions, or that they change the student’s behavior at all. If it’s not uncomfortable enough to get the students to stop, then it should be changed.” He suggested that the school should seek alternate consequences for tardies, such as revoking parking permits, or participation in Sixth Man and other school events.

English teacher Sarah Johnson said, “If we aren’t all on board it doesn’t work. Any policy is only as strong as the people adhering to it.”

Many of the students at RB don’t feel as optimistic about the policy, noting flaws with the policy’s structure.

Junior Kylin Collier said, “It’s too ridiculous because the school can’t expect a student to be on time to every class if they have seven classes every day. When they keep handing out detentions it just frustrates the students and takes away from the learning. There are still people tardy every single day.”

Junior Watoris Slater said, “If you’re one minute late, then you may as well just skip the class because you’re going to get a detention anyway.”

Junior Brendan Mortimer said, “It doesn’t work because it doesn’t get enforced right. The teachers play favorites, kids that the teachers like never get marked tardy, but the kids they don’t like always get marked tardy.”

Sibley noted how punishments were decided. “We just follow the handbook, and there are certain things we are mandated by the state to do. The state requires us to follow the guidelines set forth by the Board of Education. Don’t be tardy and you won’t have to see me,” he said.

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!