2010-2011 Senior College Map

See where our Seniors are heading with our interactive, online college map.

Shamrocks shake the Bulldogs in three games

The Bulldog volleyballers wanted to forget about their first home game loss and focused on St. Patrick’s high school at home on Thursday April 7^th. Despite taking the first game, the Bulldogs lost the next two and took the loss.

It was an exciting match with a lot of back and forth action. Senior Mack Fiesler and Ben Bergstrom led the team with eight kills each throughout the match. Elliot Louthen had 25 assists in the match.

“I tihnk that we beat ourselves, especially with service errors making a big difference. There was a lot of chances for us to take the match, but our unforced errors hurt,” said assistant coach Jenna Passanati. Over the whole match, the Bulldogs had over 12 service errors which are easy points given to the other team and a momentum killer most of the time.

The Bulldogs faced a 16-20 deficit in the first game and rallied to win it 23-25. The second game was a quick victory for the Shamrocks as they took it 17-25. As the third game went on, the Bulldogs were digging themselves into another hole as they were down 18-24 and brought the game to a 23-24 faceoff, where the referee called one of the Bulldogs on a foul for going under the net after the Bulldog spiked it for a kill. It was a controversial call to say the least. The Shamrocks would take the point and the match after that.

Taking a team to three games is disappointing when your team wins the first game.  Errors to the Bulldogs hurt them a lot. There was a lot of frustration that circulated through the team after a blocking error or a bad dig that costed them. But the season is still young and the Bulldogs can learn from this and when they play to their full potential, they can dominate any team they face.

For the upcoming practices, the Bulldogs will focus on serving and creating more offensive attack from more opportunities. Their next set of games will be at the Rolling Meadows Tournament where they will face tough competition including Maine East and Elk Grove High School to start off their round robin.

Despite missing shoe, Wiz eases on down the road

After working tirelessly since January, the Fine Arts Department raised the curtain for The Wiz to the audience on the weekend of March 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th.

Tryouts took place after winter break, which was unusual compared to last year when they were practicing through the break. Students who made the cast included Andie Krug, as Dorothy, Taylor Dalton as Evilene, Andrew Brondos as the Tinman, Kyle Perfect as the Scarecrow, and Allison Hornug as Addaperle. Other notable characters were The Wiz who was played by Jacob Palka and the Lion played by Andrew Payton.

“It was very elongated. There were a lot of call backs throughout tryouts,” said senior Taylor Dalton. After that, the new cast began reading scripts, blocking action, and rehearsing the play.

For two months, the cast worked every day after school, sometimes thirteen hours a week to prepare for the show. Practice varied by each member depending on the scene they were practicing on a given day. Each member of the group became more excited as the show time neared.

The show, The Wiz, is an urbanized telling of the story The Wizard of Oz. It was the first time casting an all African American cast of a show, and the actual story is varied a little bit by its characters and the plot.

As the show began, the first thing that caught the eye was the costumes. All characters including the Scarecrow, Dorothy, and everyone had unique costumes that really brought out their personalities. Each of the main characters had their own songs in the play and Krug, as Dorothy, played a large role in every part of the play.

The play was a very long play and went over the two hour mark. There was so much that was put into the play that it did seem like it dragged on at some parts. Overall it was a very good play, and one of the better ones that was at RB.

“I thought it was fantastic, every performance was better than the last,” said Dalton.

A few mishaps did occur in a few scenes, such as when Perfect’s shoe on the scarecrow fell off and he was shoeless for a whole scene. However, the show went on and did well.

For some of the cast members, it was their final show in their high school career. “I was sad that it was over, there was a lot of hard work put into it, I miss all of them,” said Dalton.

Sponsor’s Note:
The earlier version of this story was posted and pulled to make corrections.  Andie Krug’s name has been added as well as additional information regarding play rehearsal.

Goodbye football, hello rugby

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.

After much discussion at the latest Athletic Department meeting, Athletic Director Art Ostrow has decided to change the football team to a rugby team.

The idea came up a few years ago and has been pushed aside until now. The board is happy with the change and is ready to get started. Ostrow believes that the new team can reach great heights and represent RB in a whole new way.

“We thought that RB had a great tradition of our football team and our board put in the possibility of a new team to replace them, and the rugby team was born,” Ostrow said. This change also has an effect on the rest of the Metro Suburban Conference. All other schools in the conference will be participating in the rugby league, IHSRL (Illinois High School Rugby League) which is a part of the national USA Rugby League.

Scheduling has been set up to have the rugby team be put in the same practice and game times as the former football team. As a result, Friday Night Rugby will be airing on RBTV every Friday night home game. The sport is also more frequently played, and the schedule will consist of twenty games,  12 of which will be at Shuey Stadium in the 2011-2012 season.

“It will be very exciting to have a new sport that people will go to see,” said Ostrow, “Our coaching staff will have a lot of work to do in preparing for practices.” The whole coaching staff is preparing through watching game film and becoming part of the High School Rugby Assosciation, to help jump start their work.

A lot of changes will be made to the field also. The field will be extended to have the dimensions of a regulation rugby field, 144×70 meters which should near the ends of the track on each side. Goals posts will be reused and shifted to the new end lines for the game.

New jerseys and apparel will be bought with the money the department will receive from selling all the football gear RB has. The money returned will be over 125,000 and purchasing rugby gear will be just over 25,000. Remaining funds will be put into the athletic vault for future gear for RB sports.

Tryouts will begin in the summer and the first RB Rugby game will be on August 28,2011. There is much anticipation to see how this new sport will turn out for the community and the school.

Hawks turn it around

After a questionable start to the season before the All Star break, the Chicago Blackhawks are looking like themselves lately.

The Hawks went on an right game winning streak from February 20^th to March 5^th.  This helped them jumped into the playoff picture in the Western Conference and they are currently sitting in the fifth seed.

A large part in this change in momentum is the man between the pipes, Corey Crawford. He has helped keep the team up and doing a good job in net. In the last fifteen straight games he has started, he had six games in which he let in two goals or less in a game. He also carries a 2.31 Goals Against Average, 6^th among goaltenders in the NHL currently. This helps keep the difference of goals for a goals against easier, to help capture a victory every game.

The Hawks are still hanging on in the powerplay department. They are 2^nd in the league with a 23.8% powerplay percentage. This rampaging offense is led by the Captain Jonathan Toews and Forward Patrick Sharp, each with 30+ goals thus far.

Among the other seven teams fighting for five playoff spots in the Western Conference, the Hawks have the best record within their last games played (7-1-2).  Teams that are competing for these spots include the Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, Phoenix Coyotes, and a few others. A good number to have is their home record of 22-14-0, second best in the conference and crucial with the remaining home games left.

Overall, the Hawks have a good chance to grab one of the playoff positions. It will be a tough road, considering the schedule ahead of them will not be easy, especially playing Detroit Red Wings three more times. Despite this, the Hawks stars have risen up and are earning their pay checks like Marian Hossa, who is nearing a point a game average. It will only be a matter of time until the playoffs start.

Time for a shave

St. Baldrick’s Foundation is back to host the event for the third time in four years at RB. This fundraiser is to support research and cures for childhood cancer.

Preparation for the event will take place through the first three weeks in March. Students and staff will be fundraising and donating for cancer research. During lunches, students will be through the lunch room for spare change for the foundation. Brownies, cookies, and other dessert items will be for sale throughout the week.

People will be shaving their heads to support the cause during an assembly on March 24^th. The school’s goal for this year is to raise $20,000. In 2008, RB raised over $25,000 to St. Baldricks Foundation. Despite RB not having the fundraiser last year, the school expects to exceed their goal this year. Comparing the school to the rest in Illinois, RB is among the highest in terms of raising money for the cause.

One of the many faculty members that are helping to run this cause is guidance counselor Renee Thomas. “I think it’s a great cause to provide support to childhood cancer,” Thomas said. “It’s a great way to show support and to fill the pillars for Character Counts.” These pillars were a new movement brought  to RB when Principal Pam Bylsma was hired.

There are over 110 shavees that have already signed up to participate in the event. Also, eleven people signed up for the Locks of Love, a cause to those with long hair donate 8 inches of their hair to provide wigs for those who have lost hair during chemotherapy.

Many local barbers have signed up also. 30 of them have volunteered their time to help shave off hair. In rewards to those shaving, they are offering free haircuts to select barber shops in the area.

Four swimmers are headed to state

The swim team had a great sectional meet last weekend. They also broke several school records in the process.

After successful team swim in the 200 Yard Freestyle relay, Sophomore Vince Possie, Juniors John Copp and  Sean DeMuro, and senior Fitz Robling, will all be representing RB at the state meet. Copp will also participate in the 100 Yard Butterfly, as well as DeMuro will swim the the 50 Yard Freestyle. This was Coach Todd Fridrych’s goals this season; sending a few swimmers to the state meet.

Along with the qualifiers, the team put up three new records. The qualifier team put up a new record as well as the 200 Yard Medley Relay put up a new score in the books.  Possie put up a new record for 100 Yard Breaststroke.  That put up a new time that broke a twenty-seven year mark. The hard work the team has been doing the whole season has finally paid off.

Swimmers competing at the State Meet will be hosted by New Trier High School this weekend.

Five Musts on the Hawks’ To Do List

Here are a few items the Blackhawks need to keep on their mind after the All Star Break, to push for another playoff run.

TAKE POINTS ON THE ROAD:
The Hawks have only twelve remaining home games this season, while they have nineteen battles away from the United Center.  They have been doing well, posting an 11-7-4 record while away, which is above average in comparision to the rest of the NHL teams. About half of the road games will be against division teams, which will be crucial to capture as many wins versus these teams to gain jump up in the division, as well as the conference standings.

FIGURE OUT WHEN TURCO AND CRAWFORD HAVE THEIR RUNS:
Both of the Hawks’ goalies have a lot of talent and can help the Hawks pull off a win most of the time. A problem these netminders face is their consistency. Neither Turco or Crawford can last a whole season playing 90% of the games and still pull off wins. It is important to balance the two equally, and when one goes on a streak of wins and has the confidence in him, to keep him playing, but also know when a goalie’s momentum is fading and to put in the other goalie, before it costs the Hawks a few games.

KEEP THROWING THAT PUCK ON NET:
One statistic that helped the Hawks take the Cup last season was shots on goal. They are in the top five of the league in goals per game and in shots on goal. This is an important stat to have if you want to win hockey games. If the Hawks are pouring on shots on the opponents net, its giving the opposing team some trouble and keeping the puck away from our net, that is crucial in close games.

POWERPLAY, POWERPLAY, POWERPLAY
Nothing makes a game easier when a team has a man advantage. The Blackhawks are the best of the best when it comes to the powerplay. They rank number one in powerplay percentage with a 25.58%. Along with that, they have the third fewest powerplay opportunities, which does not allow them to have a lot of chances to score on the man advantage, but they execute the best. Keeping this consistency up throughout the season will defenitely help in the long run, and in the playoffs.

REMEMBER WHO WE ARE
On June 9, 2010 the Chicago Blackhawks captured their first Stanley Cup since 1961. Now some may say that was a while ago and much of our team has dispersed from Chicago, but that is far-fetched. The Hawks still maintain their core of their star players like Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, and many others.  Many of the players we have now are maturing and developing into their roles that help the team best, like John Scott replacing the Hawks’ former bully Adam Burish, and is doing a great job. Other players like Tomas Kopecky are shining more often and a name to keep in mind later on in the season.

New Nano a good thing in a VERY little package

This new nano has a sleek, small design with a less than two-inch width and height including a clip on the back that allows for it to be easily portable. Comparing to the previous nano, it’s over 40% lighter and smaller and still very easy to navigate with its touch screen. The connector is now the same as every other iPod accessory so you can plug it in to any products that any regular iPod can.

Pricing is very reasonable too. The nano is available in 8GB and 16GB capacities and both easily make it under the two-hundred dollar mark. In addition, the iPod can play up to twenty-four hours straight of music when fully charged. This only requires a charging of three hours for a full battery and a quick 1.5 hours to reach it up to 80% battery.

Features include Genius, FM radio, and a pedometer. Genius will help make a playlist with any song you pick in your library and convert any similar songs in your library to make a playlist. The new FM radio allows of listening to any station and will also show the artist and song of what is playing. And for those fitness lovers, the new pedometer will keep track of time, distance, calories, and other add ons that can all be uploaded to the Nike+ web site so you can keep track of your workouts to help reach your goals.

The system now allows of hearing-impaired people or those who enjoy listening to the iPod with only one headphone in. Settings can now be changed to help for use of allowing music through just one headphone and adapting to hearing-impaired people that will give one the best experience to listening music.

This new iPod is the best of the best and will be hard to match or improve its greatness. This is perfect for those who are always listening to their iPod or love to use it during workouts. The touch screen is just like an iPod touch and home screens is customizable to move your  music options around to your liking. If you are looking to get a new iPod because you need an upgrade or don’t even own a music player, this is the one to get!

Bringing home a win for Homecoming

On Friday night, September 17, the football team brought home their first victory of the season in a dominant performance at Shuey Stadium. The Bulldogs defeated Elmwood Park 61-8 for their last game before the Homecoming dance.

 The game was theirs from the very beginning, with a score on the first drive two minutes into the game.

“This was the best game they played all season. The boys were hungry and motivated to bring home the win,” coach Dallas Till said.

Head Coach Jason Rech’s offense took command scoring all 61 points without a reply until the Tigers scored in the last two minutes of the game and converted for two points. Systems for the offense and defense began to click this game, showing a relentless offense and a near-perfect defense. The defense brought in multiple turnovers, including a number of sacks.

Till was not disappointed in giving up the shut out at all. “They (Elmwood Park) strived to get the shutout but, tips to Elmwood Park for not giving up and I give them credit for giving effort throughout the whole game,” he said.

Big offense came from players like Nick Callahan totaling 147 rushing yards with a pair of touchdowns and Andy Suzuki rushed for 82 yards and also picking up two touchdowns. Other notables included Tyler Radek, Thomas Linehan, and Shelton Sharkey, who each went to the end zone.

Positions on both sides of the ball still are being moved around. “Each week there are changes we make and our coaching staff encourages competition for positions,” Till said.

“I think that this is good and that we are all pushing each other to get better and improve,” team member David Skowronski said.

The Bulldogs face Ridgewood this week and Fenton the following week. These will be tough challenges to be on top of the conference.

“We just have to take them one game at a time,” Till said.

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