LETTER TO THE EDITOR: A rebuttal by Kristin Tomecek

CLICK HERE TO READ CAMERON KRITIKOS’ OPINION COLUMN ON THE SA SPEECHES

Cameron Kritikos’ comments against me were inaccurate, hurtful and unwarranted (“Don’t let stunt speeches sink the impact of SA”), and I feel I must respond to his allegations concerning my speech for secretary of the Student Association Executive Board.

There were several misstatements. Kritikos gave people the false impression that my speech would sink S.A.—an institution I hold in high esteem, and , really, how could good old fashioned school
spirit and can-do attitude ruin this organization? He was inaccurate when he said “probably like most
of you, I left there a little confused.” Maybe he was confused, but I witnessed a very energized, spirited
student body and had a lot of people I didn’t even know come up to me to say they liked my speech
—clearly, most of the people in attendance were NOT confused. He mischaracterized my speech as
a mere “stunt” and called it a “mockery.” He insinuated that my well-thought out speech (which was
reviewed and approved by the S.A. moderator) was nothing more than an American Idol show entry.
Furthermore, and continuing this American Idol image, he wrongly stated that I sang the Titanic theme song when in fact I sang about my love for RB to the tune of the song—that’s a huge difference and depicts a different reality than what actually occurred.

I felt hurt by these misstatements and mischaracterizations of me and my speech, and I fear that my image and reputation were also hurt. Halfway through Kritikos’ piece he says “I am not angry at Kristin Tomecek, I am angry at the student body.” If this were really the essence of his piece, then
why does the headline and the first half of the article directly name me (several times) and describe my specific speech with disparaging remarks? With the inflammatory words and phrases against me, I feel the article violates RB’s pillars of caring, fairness and respect. As we all know, sometimes words can hurt.

Kritikos insinuated that I was pulling a “stunt” and “theatrics” to gain votes. I hold Student
Association and the executive board in the highest regard and I am offended and incredulous that
Kritikos questioned my sincerity as a candidate. I have tried my hardest to channel all of the spirit and
dedication I can muster into S.A. during my two years as freshman vice president and class officer. I
have spent much of my time working hard selling RB bracelets and pompoms in the rain at football
games, waking up early on Saturday mornings to sell RB t-shirts, overseeing bake sales, attending early morning meetings twice a week, painting murals, attending RB evening board meetings, helping with the Adopt-a-Family program, and fulfilling countless other responsibilities.

I am appalled that my attempt to revitalize and invigorate the student body was misconstrued
as “mockery.” He failed to grasp the point of my speech with its closing conclusion. My intention was
to “show” not “tell” my ability to “think outside of the box” and take risks as well as the qualities of
creativity, enthusiasm, and school spirit—the traits I feel that are needed to handle the responsibilities of being successful on the exec board.

Kritikos indicated that I was irrelevantly “breaking into song” to create some sort of distraction.
My main aim that he seemed to miss, but many others present that day obviously grasped, was that I
care about RB. I made a promise to be a dedicated Secretary, and I would NEVER LET GO of that promise, much like Rose from The Titanic.

Every day at school I work hard and I listen
Still my love for RB will go on…
I promise to fulfill my responsibilities
And be an awesome secretary
Oh my love for RB will go on
Blue, white
With all of my might
I believe in RB
And my love will go on and on…

Sincerely,
Kristin Tomecek

SPONSOR’S NOTE:  Clarion would like to correct Cameron Kritikos’ original statement in his column that Kristin Tomecek sang the lyrics to “My Heart Will Go On” during her SA speech.  While using the melody of the song, Kristin sang her own original lyrics, as printed above.

Next year’s exec board will bring new ideas to SA

With daunting financial problems looming on the horizon, next year’s Student Association Executive Board will face many challenges, but also great opportunities to improve RB. Speeches by the officers were given on April 30^th; elections for the two contested positions, secretary and treasurer, were held later that day during all lunches.

Emily Filec, a junior will be SA president next year. She has many goals for Student Association, as well as for the school as a whole. Filec has been a member of SA for three years, and is currently vice president on Exec Board. “I plan to continue to work towards increasing school pride and spirit. I will also strive to voice the concerns of the student body with the administration,” said Filec.

The Student Association Exec Board plays a vital role in RB’s various social and charity functions, such as the school dances and blood drives. They also take many initiatives to promote school spirit, such as pep rallies and this year’s new Spirit Fridays. In addition to this, they also serve as the liaison between the School Board and the student body. As one can see, being on Student Association Executive Board requires not only hard work and careful planning, but also great creativity.

“They are expected to plan all school wide events. They also meet with the administration and school board. This year, we want to promote that SA is open to all. We want to bring more students into the club. Also, I want to make sure there is diversity in thinking and heart in the discussions within the club,” said Angela Ziola, sponsor of Student Association.

Next year’s Exec Board will face many obstacles when tackling tough issues in the school, such as low funding for the club. In addition to this, the club has faced the reduction of a sponsor this past year, which has made it more difficult to plan school functions. “I think the biggest challenge we will face will be voicing the opinions of all students and keeping school spirit high,” said Filec.

However, this doesn’t mean the new Exec Board isn’t up for the challenge. All of the officers have been a member of Student Association for years. Many also have past experience as a class officer or as a member of the Executive Board. Looking forward, the group plans to continue to promote school spirit by continuing with Spirit Fridays. They also want to encourage all students to get involved in Student Association.

“They are all very strong leaders. I feel next year’s Exec Board is going to be a very positive and energetic group,” said Ziola.

Don’t let stunt speeches sink the impact of SA

CLICK HERE TO READ A LETTER TO THE EDITOR REBUTTAL BY KRISTIN TOMECEK

Like all of you, I was in attendance at the S.A. Officer speeches last Monday, and probably like most of you, I left there a little confused as to what was going on. Sophomore Kristin Tomecek, who ran for secretary, gave her speech in a rather unorthodox fashion. She began by stating emphatically that she was excited to be running for office and looking to make serious change in the school. She even threw in some pop culture references that seemed to get the attention of the audience.

Then she broke into song.

She began to hum the theme song to Titanic. At this point I began to feel uncomfortable with what was going on, but it didn’t stop there. Tomacek took it one step further by singing the lyrics to the song.

At this point, I began to feel angry.  Angry at what, though?  Was it because the speech had been turned into a mockery?  Was it because it seemed as if the student body had become judges for American Idol?

I took a few days to think about it, and I think I have come to the root of the problem.  I am not angry at Kristin Tomecek, the other candidates, the teachers, or Student Association.

I am angry at us, the student body.

It is the role of Student Association to represent the opinions of the student body and do everything in their power to make the high school experience a more enjoyable one through their numerous fundraisers and the planning of prom. Why is it, then, that the beneficiaries of their great work do not care about who is in office? We see this assembly as a thirty minute break from class rather than as about being informed students and becoming a part of student government. It is our responsibility as students to look out for the best interests of the school, not only for ourselves but for future classes that will be affected by our decisions.

It is the job of the candidate to gain the attention necessary to attract votes and appeal to the different groups to whom he or she is speaking. In this case, because we as students are more interested in what stunt a candidate can pull while speaking rather than their position on a topic, these candidates must feel obligated to do these things.

Tomecek  isn’t the only one to have done this. RB has had several class officer speeches over the past few years that included these theatrics. The problem, then, obviously does not lie with one particular person or one group of people. The issue has to do with our society and the culture we have at school.

Voting for class officers is really something that should be encouraged more at RB. Voting takes place during lunch, and the voter turn out from what I saw, was minimal. It’s disappointing to know that a large majority of our school couldn’t care less about who is in office. Student government is something that should be taken more seriously within the confines of RB.

SPONSOR’S NOTE:  Clarion would like to correct Cameron Kritikos’ original statement in his column that Kristin Tomecek sang the lyrics to “My Heart Will Go On” during her SA speech.  While using the melody of the song, Kristin sang her own original lyrics.  Her lyrics are re-printed in her letter to the editor, linked at the top of this article.

Student Association voices student concerns to the Board

Many changes at RB have occurred this year and will occur next year.  The idea of losing classes, activities, and the other cuts are becoming the reality at RB.

The Student Association Executive Board is the liaison between the student body and the Board of Education and the Administration. The SA Executive Board wanted to give the students a chance to be heard, because they don’t have the opportunity to talk directly to Board of Education or the Administration.

“We wanted to find out the feelings of the students,” said Executive Board Vice President Emily Filec.

SA randomly selected a variety of classes and asked students two questions:  what have you enjoyed so far this school year and what concerns do you have for the next school year?

The responses were presented at a school board meeting on January 24^th. Every member on the SA Executive Board voiced the different concerns. They ranged from students wondering if there would be activities next year, if sports would still be offered, if any AP classes would be cut and  what had happened to the musical students were promised. They also spoke about how great the teachers were, even though the school was going through rough times. Students believed the teachers were keeping up with the great reputation RB has made for itself.

Principal Pam Bylsma said, “I was touched by it and showed the answers to the teachers. I wanted the staff to hear them, and I wanted them to feel what I felt. It is a thank you and an acknowledgement to them.”

Filec responded positively in regards to how the meeting went.  She said, “I feel it was well received by the board. We, (the Executive Board,) planned the questions and discussed what kind of feedback we wanted from our peers.” Filec believes that the survey allowed SA to get a better grasp of the student bodies’ opinions and that it would “make their voices heard.”

In response to the presentation, Bylsma said, “I thought they did an excellent job.  They were articulate and pointed in their comments. They used their time well and were organized in their thoughts. They took their time in what they talked about. It was very professionally done.”

The idea of showing SA’s commitment to informing the school board on the thoughts of the student body was not lost on Bylsma.

She said, “I think it was an excellent idea. Their job is to be the voice of the student body. They found out what the students were thinking and feeling and shared it with the decision makers. It would be wonderful if students went to the board meeting to remind them that the more they cut, the more it hurts, and they should cut as little as possible to minimize the impact on the students.”

Bylsma also appreciated the effort and determination the SA executive board put into their education and the future of their school.

She said, “The Executive Board received thank yous from the Board. I would characterize the students’ answers to S.A’s questions as very mature and sincere. It came across as a group of students who value their education. They understand how connected their success is to the quality of their teachers. They get what makes RB successful and are afraid to lose it.”

Bylsma was less sure about whether SA’s presentation would influence the board in its decision making on cuts.  “I don’t know if it will change a decision yet. I would have to listen and see. It is a little early, too early to know. I hope it has an impact on their decisions,” she said.

Byslma also said she echoed many of the feelings of the students.  “[I feel] a lot of the same things the kids are thankful for. I work with an incredible group of professionals. They know what their job is and nothing will get in their way. I’m thankful for resilient students, who will still help even though they suffer disappointments. They have a spirit of perseverance. I’m concerned about everything everyone else is. Loss of opportunities for those who can’t get a second chance. We still want everybody to reach their potential. How much can we take away before they can stop the potential? I’m concerned about losing good staff members who will lose all or part of their jobs,” she said.

Blood drive saves hundreds of lives

RB’s first blood drive of the year took place on Wednesday November 2^nd. Students, staff and community members had the opportunity to donate throughout the entire day. This year, a total of 119 pints of blood were collected. Each pint of blood collected has the potential to save three lives, meaning that this may save over 350 lives.

The blood drive, sponsored by the Student Association, has been held at RB for over twenty years. In the past, SA would typically run three blood drives each year, but due to the reduction of SA sponsors, there will only be two blood drives this year.

“The reduction of SA sponsors meant that I needed to work more closely with students, as well as helping recruit and meeting with Lifesource prior to the drive. So, there was a lot more pressure on me because this would normally be divided between two people. Also, there’s normally two sponsors who check in during the blood drive, so we had to call in help from Mr. Pasarella and school security,” said Angela Ziola, Student Association sponsor.

This year, the goal was set at collecting 120 pints of blood. However, the school fell only one pint short. In previous years, blood collection averaged about 100 pints.

In addition to saving lives, there was also the motivation to donate in order to win scholarship money for the school.

“The school must hold a minimum of two blood drives to qualify for scholarship money, and each drive must have at least one hundred donors. We get a minimum of $500 per drive, which means we will receive at least $500 by the end of the year,” said Ziola.

“I donated because I wanted to help other people, plus it was nice to get out of class,” said junior Mitchell Malloy, first time blood donor.

Students and community members still have the chance to donate for RB by donating at any Lifesource center and presenting the code “313” before they donate. In addition to this, the school’s next drive will be held on Wednesday February 29^th, and the Student Association is looking forward to another successful blood drive.

Freshman officers bring new ideas to SA

The new Freshman Class Officers were sworn in to office on September 21, 2011. Freshman had the opportunity to vote and give speeches on September 19^th. A total of twelve students ran for the six available positions.

 “I plan to show my leadership and voice my fellow students’ opinions,” said Class of 2015 President Robert Filec.

 The new class president Filec, Vice President Ugne Jurgaityte, Secretary Rebecca Fernandez, Treasurer Lana Herrmann, and Elected Officers Deanna Keen and Matt Sagan all plan to work hard for their class and the school as a whole.

 “I really want to talk to all of the Freshman and see what they like and dislike about the school to get a taste of what needs to be done,” said Class of 2015 Vice President Jugaityte.

 The primary responsibility of class officers is to lead their class and set an example for other students. They also fundraise and plan prom, as well as help with other school functions and charity events sponsored by the Student Association.

 “I plan to help the other class officers make good decisions and help the school,” said Elected Officer Sagan.

 “I plan to help the school and attend all SA functions,” said Elected Officer Keen.

 Class officers play a very important role in Student Association. They hold a higher level of responsibility within the club. “They are the main structure of SA. They can communicate with students and make sure they know what’s going on in the school. They run the main events,” said SA sponsor Ms. Angela Ziola.

 “I want to make everyone’s first year a good year,” said Class Secretary Fernandez.

  “I’ll try to make all SA activities as fun as possible,” said Treasurer Herrmann.

Many of the officers have had past leadership experience in student government throughout middle school. The class officers have already begun to support the RB community through preparing for Homecoming and planning new fundraising projects for their class.

 “I’m very excited about the interest. The officers are very active and already getting involved,” said Ziola.

Homecoming Court announced

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

The court consists of five boys and five girls.  The boys on the court include Chris Buh, Joey Zyck, Jimmy Capone, Drew Kohler, and Marty Gross. 

The girls include Rachel Kunkel, Carly Anderson, Emily Waas, Brenna Mossman, and Danielle Ryan.  Voting will be on Wednesday September 15^th. 

The king and queen will be announced on Friday September 17^th at an after school assembly.

Gaga? Oh La La! – Homecoming Preview

Editor’s Note:  We’ve corrected Joanna Keen’s name in the final paragraph.  Sorry for the confusion. – D. Mancoff

Student Association (SA) is taking many steps to prepare for this year’s Homecoming. If you are not aware the theme of this years event is “RB goes Gaga,” so the outfits will be ridiculous, the decorations will be bold and different, and music will be centered around singer Lady Gaga.

Andy Krug, President of the Sophomore Class, said “We’re going to make the dance very gagalicious!”

SA is currently working hard to finish all the preparations for the dance. They have been painting banners to hang in the gym for homecoming to transform the main gym from empty and plain to exciting and colorful. Instead of painting people or objects they have decided to splatter paint to change things up a bit. They are also trying to get decorations that follow the theme, such as anything with neon colors and or with glitter.

“The theme definitely sets everything thing apart. I think girls will get more into it and maybe even guys,” Krug said.

Allison Hornung, SA Executive Board President, seemed very pleased with the success so far. She said, “Things have been going great.”

Hornung is happy with how smoothly things have been running and how much work SA has accomplished. They have picked out all the days for Spirit Week and are looking for the perfect party favors to give away. She’s also hoping to have the pep rally outside this year to help attract more people to the Homecoming Game on Friday the 17^th.

SA is under a lot of pressure to coordinate all the necessary events leading up to Homecoming and finishing everything that needs to be made for the actual dance. There are seven different committees that are each in charge of different tasks such as finding ways to advertise the dance or just designing decorations. Each committee is under a lot of stress to finish everything in time for homecoming and the closer the dance, the more stressful it gets.

“I feel like the last week will be more stressful to make sure everything is finished,” Joanna Keen, SA Executive Vice President said.

Class of 2012 supports Prom with green fundraiser

Prom is one of the biggest events of the school year. The cost of renting a space, decorations, and food starts to add up. That price gets added to the ticket price of the students. The student association board has come up with a fundraiser that will help reduce ticket costs of the 2011 prom and help the environment.

The new fundraiser is called Eco Phones. The main idea of the project is to gather old used electronics that people aren’t using anymore. These items are then taken and given to a company that turns them into another electronic item. An old cell phone for example can be taken and made into another newer cell phone.

More than 80% of electronic items are reusable. Then remaining 20% are manufactured in Texas where they are once again, turned into other raw materials. Recycling old electronics can help the environment, while also helping schools.

The approximate value that RB will be receiving for one donated phone is between $10-$15. A laptop can be valued anywhere from $45-50. An iPod can make around $20. RB started this program on Monday, May 3^rd and has already collected ten phones, one keyboard, and one printer.

Class of 2012 treasurer Julie Sinde, said, “I think this is a good fundraiser simple yet effective and that makes an impact on both prom and the environment.”

Eco Phones will be an ongoing fundraiser until the last day of school. The Student Association board will be considering continuing the fundraiser next year based on its success.

Blood drive a strong RB tradition

On Wednesday October 28, RB will be hosting a Blood Drive.  LifeSource, an independent company that collects blood donations, will be in the building in the Alumni Lounge from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Student Association (SA) has been stationed at the front of the lunch room for the past week so that students 16 or older can sign up to donate blood.

This happens three times a year. Each time is spaced throughout the year so that students can donate all three times since it’s necessary to have 76 days in between each donation. There is also another drive in the summer.

Last year, RB collected over 350 pints of blood, and it seems as though more and more students want to donate.

“We hit a record high last year,” said president of SA, Kelly Sherman, “But we definitely beat it this year. The list was full of names.”

Of course not everyone can donate. Students have to weigh more than 110 pounds, be in good health, and not have been tattooed or received a piercing in the past year. With H1N1 hitting RB, “Even the slightest of temperature could be a risk,” said SA sponsor, Angela Ziola.

According to LifeSource, each donation can save up to three people in need of blood. 60 percent of the population is eligible to donate blood, yet only 5 percent do.

“People should realize it’s only 15 minutes out of their life. Others depend on your perfectly healthy blood,” said treasurer of SA, Giulia Bova.

After participating, donors will receive shirts. There will also be food and drinks.

If you want to help save three lives, donate blood. People depend on it.