On Oct. 2, CBS Chicago came to Riverside Brookfield High School to do a CBS School Spotlight. An initial broadcast went live at 6:50 a.m., and CBS stayed at RB for the remainder of the school day. A pep rally was held in the morning, and interviews took place all throughout the building.
School organizations and sports teams like football, cross country, golf, and student association showed their spirit by cheering in the bleachers. Along with this, color guard, cheer, and poms performed on the floor, and the RB marching band filled the stands while playing the fight song. Principal Héctor Freytas played a main role in helping out with the event throughout the day. Along with other staff members, he had to arrive even earlier than students to prepare for the event.
“We had to be here at six in the morning,” Freytas said. “[I] opened the doors, turned on the lights, made sure everything was set. [I] welcomed all the students, and a big shout out to the other coaches and sponsors. Everybody was here by 6:50 for the first segment in the main gym.”
The opening segment was the pep rally, which was a favorite despite the early start. It was the main excitement of the newscast and displayed a strong sense of school spirit.
“My favorite part of the day was the pep rally,” RB community engagement coordinator Kiley Fletcher said. “It was early, but everyone looked so good, and all the visuals of it all—all the colors and the band, poms, and cheer. It was just so exciting to see all the work that we did behind the scenes come to life.”
Although students only found out several weeks before CBS arrived, staff members have been getting ready for much longer.
“I [have been] reaching out to them since January of 2025, and they reached out to me in August and said they were bringing it back this year [and] that we were going to be the first ones,” Fletcher said. “So I had a couple months to prepare.”
Fletcher organized the event, which required lots of planning. Additionally, her leadership encouraged more faculty to show CBS their insight to the spirit of RB.
“We asked teachers who would be available for us to come visit, and we wanted to really capture everything the school had to offer: our athletics, our academics, our before school [and] after school activities, our whole student body,” Freytas said. “But again, Ms. Kiley Fletcher was the lead organizer, and she did a fantastic job.”
Along with the staff involved, senior and student advisor to the board of education Hanna Bouguenous was interviewed by CBS at the pep rally. Like many other students, she enjoyed the opportunity and how it brought the school together.
“I think the spotlight just brings RB to its forefront, and it just shows how we have a great community here,” Bouguenous said.
CBS did interviews with Harley the service dog, the girls golf and boys soccer teams, culinary classes, orchestra, theatre, and academic classes. There was meticulous planning involved with the schedule because it was crucial to emphasize all the different offerings at RB.
“I had to balance the clubs and classes [that were] chosen because I wanted to make sure that everyone was getting represented at the school,” Fletcher said. “So [we had to] plan enough sports features and then get the fine arts in there. It was a late start day, so we only had room for two classes, and we had to pick which ones.”
From the staff members who planned it to the students who made it possible, CBS helped highlight the features of RB that make it an excellent school and community.
“Everybody showed up, and we got to showcase all the great things that are happening,” Freytas said. “I couldn’t be more proud of all the students and everyone I worked with. Every day is a great day to be a bulldog.”
