INTERACTIVE: Trip of a lifetime

We’re sitting in a window seat of an American Airlines jet. We look out our window as the clouds open and the sunshine reveals our first view of your destination. Far below, we see rolling hills and valleys covered in a patchwork of brown and green fields sewn together with clusters of forests and villages. We think to ourselves “I can’t believe I am finally here!” The excitement builds inside as we watch the beautiful quilt get closer and closer. Eventually, we can see miniature cars speeding between the villages and along the Autobahns. Then, we see a city gradually appearing on the horizon. It grows until that is all we can see and we worry our plane won’t make it to the runway. But, then we feel the violent jerk of the plane slamming into the asphalt and slowing to a stop and we know that we are safe.

We have arrived in Frankfurt, Germany.

View a map of our travels:

Three RB students had the opportunity to travel to Germany last summer with a foreign exchange program called, Friendship Connection. These are our stories.

Senior Thomas Stastny arrived in Frankfurt’s international airport, passed through customs, and found his exchange partner, Corrin Helmuth, who introduced Stastny to his family. Stastny remembered feeling excited and nervous to meet Helmuth’s family because he didn’t know what they would be like and he wondered if it would be difficult to communicate. The Helmuth family was very nice and welcoming, but Stastny did have some difficulty speaking with them. As a result, they mostly spoke in English to him. After the introductions, the Helmuths took Stastny to their home in a town called Eschwege, which is a couple hours away from Frankfurt.

Stastny did many things while he stayed with Helmuth, which included going to school, experiencing and learning about historical sites, and attending a local festival. Stastny liked going to school in Germany and said the atmosphere was “very laid back.” He also really enjoyed the local festival, which was called Johannesfest. The festival is very much like Oktoberfest, but on a smaller, more intimate scale. There were parades, carnival rides, and plenty of delicious foods. If Stastny returns to Germany, he said he “would go back to see the festival.”

Stastny also went on an eight-day tour sponsored by Friendship Connection. It was the last segment of the month-long exchange filled with non-stop travel to some of Germany and Austria’s most famous destinations. Some of these places included a boat tour of the Rhein River, a tour of Bavaria’s Neuschwanstein Castle, which was the model for Disney World’s Cinderella Castle, and a hike through an ice cave in the Alps.

Another senior, Zach Tarrant, also went on the exchange. Like Stastny, he felt nervous about meeting his exchange partner’s family. Tarrant’s exchange partner’s name was Alex Hintze and he lived in a small town called, Beilstein.

Tarrant also went to school. He said, “I really enjoyed the kids.” He felt they were very welcoming and he was glad he could understand them. Unfortunately, he was unable to understand the teachers as he was led to believe they would have a clearer accent.

Tarrant had a wonderful time in Germany, but he especially loved doing things with Hintze and fitting into the German culture. He also enjoyed traveling to cities, such as Marburg to visit The Elisabethkirche. The Elisabethkirche is the oldest pure Gothic style church in Germany. It was built in the 13th Century over the grave of St. Elisabeth, the patron saint of Marburg.

The last RB student to go on the exchange was myself. My partner’s name was Simona Borntraeger. When I arrived, everything felt so strange. It’s really hard to describe how I felt, but I can describe my emotions best as robotic because I was so overloaded with nervousness, adrenaline, and my new surroundings. The Borntraegers would have to repeat what they were saying because I would zone out. Eventually, my senses and my emotions relaxed and I was able to enjoy the experience. Borntraeger lives with her parents, her grandfather, and her two younger brothers in a tiny village called, Ruedigheim. Ruedigheim is a rural village about two hours north of Frankfurt. Many of the houses are hundreds of years old and they are nestled between little farms.

I did many things while I was on my exchange. Some of the most interesting were a camping trip to Croatia, day trips to Munich and Marburg, and experiencing the locals’ everyday lives. My camping trip to Croatia was really nice because we spent most of our time relaxing at the beach and swimming in the lovely Adriatic Sea. On our way back to Ruedigheim, we stopped in Munich to shop and see the sites. One of the best parts of my trip was learning about Borntraeger’s normal life. She showed me how her community celebrates a religious holiday called, Fronleichnam. I also saw how the farming community houses their livestock in barns located in the town and how they milk the cows.

By the time the trip was over, all three of us were ready to return home, but we will not forget the impression it made on our lives.

Stastny really liked the seemingly relaxed lifestyle and the interesting places it offered. He said, “It really opens your mind up to the world and is less expensive with a group versus on one’s own.”

Tarrant said, “It puts things in perspective” as he realized to get along with others one must understand others perspective.

I feel it was a wonderful opportunity to improve my German language skills while learning to appreciate another culture. All three of us also feel that the exchange facilitated the creation of lasting friendships, improved comprehension in the classroom, and allowed us to expand our plans for the future.

Future in the budget balance

Ever since the referendum failed last spring, the RB community has known that major changes would be made to the school and its budget. The largest cut in the budget came from teaching salaries which were reduced by $1.2 million. Other prevalent cuts were made to the drama department, which lost about 88% of its total budget, and the entire SEE Team. A whole array of other budget cuts were also implemented affecting sports, clubs, and smaller programs. Despite these reductions in the budget, the school is still operating with a deficit of $920,079 and the school will have to pull from its reserves to make up for this loss.

In an interview with Board President Matt Sinde, the Clarion asked him the following questions: Will there be a referendum this year? If so, will it be the same amount of money this year as last year? If not, what are the board’s strategies to maintain RB’s high standards? How does the board feel about the negative response from the community?

In response, Sinde said, “We will not have a referendum this year.” He also said that maintaining the school’s high standards “is a key priority” to ensure balance between financial responsibility and providing the students with a wonderful education. The lack of funds will cause this to be a challenging goal, but the board will be as “transparent as possible” and encourage “input from all stakeholders” as they begin the process of developing a new budget.

 Sinde does not believe that the community is opposed to helping the school. The community has shown through their vote on the past referendum that they believe the school can still provide a great education to the students without having to raise taxes.

With these thoughts in mind, the question is what will happen next? How will the school move forward? What direction will the board take to solve the budget crisis and how will they remain transparent throughout this process?

One avenue, having another referendum, is obviously not possible this year. The board has decided that their time would be better spent looking for other methods of funding. If the school were to propose a referendum question, it would have already begun the process. Sinde said, “In order to have a successful referendum you must be able to have enough time to educate the taxpayer which would require approximately 6-8 months.”

Another very unlikely possibility is renegotiating with the teachers and their union. Their contracts are not up for renegotiation until 2013, thus leaving salaries and stipends nonnegotiable.

Although the teachers are bound to the terms of their contracts, they are still committed to providing their students with the best education possible. Some have even resorted to creatively interweaving programs they used to run through a club into their curriculum. Bridget Wilmot, an English teacher, used to sponsor the literary magazine, Facets. Now that it has been cut from the budget, Wilmot said, “I don’t feel there’s as much of a creative outlet for students.” She has decided to allow activities, such as a wall full of students’ secrets and National Novel Writing Month to become open to the entire school rather than only her classes as a way to fill the void that she feels was left by its cut from the budget. Darel Gaser and Jeanne Sheehan, who were the directors of the school plays and musicals, also felt that they should create a program for the many students devastated by the large deductions from the drama budget. The result is a musical called, Lil’ Abner, which will be performed this fall at RB. The school will not support the production, but will supply the stage and equipment.

The school may also receive an $8.9 million grant from the state. If the school is awarded the grant money from the state, how will that money be utilized? Would that money allow a few clubs or sports to remain uncut or would it go towards the upkeep of the building? In an interview with Kevin Skinkis he said, “the goal would be to try to offset some of our financial difficulties, address some of the areas [in construction] that need to be fixed, and then look at our educational programs.” Hopefully by offsetting the school’s financial needs, some activities might be saved. Unfortunately, the likely hood of the state awarding the grant to the school is so slim that the school has to plan on not getting it.”

The option the board will most likely choose is continuing the budget cuts. Last year’s school board proposed an extensive plan that would cut most extracurriculars and many teachers over a two year period. This plan was available on the school’s website, but has been recently taken down without an explanation. This lack of explanation causes people to wonder about how much the board is willing to reveal as they decide the future of RB. Not having access to the plan also leads people to wonder if the board will continue the two year plan implemented by the previous board or if will it develop its own system?

RB’s future is resting on the leadership of its board and administration. The community relies on them to make difficult decisions and to instill confidence, but many are entirely new to this process. Skinkis is in his first year as superintendent. Pam Bylsma is in her second year as principal. Four out of the seven board members are in their first year. This group has their work cut out for them.

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.

Digging the Ditch

Ahh senior ditch day, a high school tradition that has been carried on for generation after generation. When given this opportunity, how can you not take days off throughout the year. It’s a must!

I know for a fact that seniors do not take advantage of this day at all. After all the hard work they put in through their high school career, they deserve to take a few days off throughout the year

It’s one of my pet peeves when people are against this. For what reasons?

Now I can see if seniors are making this a last second thing before ditching, but in this case they’re not. When planning they don’t do it improperly at all. For instance when planning on which days to ditch, they’re always picking a reasonable day such as before or after a three day weekend or any of the breaks.

Also when planning this they’re working with one of the higher faculty staff members such as the assistant principle. How can this be wrong if one of the more superior people in our school approve of this? And the teachers are informed of this situation because the students themselves tell them. Teachers all did it too; they know how this works for they will not make class plans affecting it.

Senior Mike Callahan said “Senior ditch day has been carried on for generations, so why stop now. It’s a way we get recognized for all the hard work we have put in school.”

After all seniors are still facing the punishment and paying their dues whether it’s serving a detention after school or whatever the punishment is.

Senior ditch day is a tradition that has and will be carried on for more generations to come, joining the other great high school traditions such as teepeeing the school for homecoming, senior prank, and penny throwing at freshman.

The Halls are alive with the sound of music

As students clamber out of their 55 minute lectures, they have to endure various types of music for four minutes every passing period.

Due to the inflow of student and teacher requests, new music will now be played. Secretary Betty Sharp in the principal’s office explained the process of how the hallway music works. When a compact disc is delivered to the office, it must first be listened to make sure it lacks any vulgarities.

“Anything that goes onto that machine must be cleared by Mr. Passeralla,” she said.

Anyone can give a CD into the office, but they should make sure it’s clean. Sharp suggests attaching a sheet with the lyrics to all of the songs. When the disc is declared vulgarity free, it is taken to room 163 where a CD player is constantly playing. The CD player is constantly playing because once the bell goes off the speakers are turned on and the CD plays for exactly 4 minutes. This is why listeners may notice the same song always plays at a certain time; the disc is always on a loop.

Regarding the lack of musical variety, Sharp said “As soon as things calm down [we hope to have a lot more of it].”

Hopefully things will calm down fast.