RBHS Clarion - Issue #3

“Free of Bull, Full of Bulldogs”

Friday, Dec. 18th, 2009•Volume 79, Issue 3

• Riverside Brookfield High School • 160 Ridgewood Rd. • Riverside, IL 60546 •

NewSBLURBS

Candy GramsThis week Snowball had their annual candy gram sale to raise funds for the club. Students enthusiastically participated in the fund raiser.

ComIngUP

QUote oF THe iSSue

--read the full article on page 4.

•December 19- 20Jr Bulldog basketball tournament. Main gym, east gym, field house. 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Debate Class Mock Trial-Debate class students had the mock trial on wednesday in the Little theatre.

Voter Registration-Students and staff registered to vote on monday and tuesday in the student cafeteria during all lunches.

It tastes Like Paint-Last friday improv club put on a show in front of a sold out audience.

•December 21 -winter Break begins.

•January 5-School Resumes 8:00 a.m.

•December 19-Freshman girls basketball game 9:00 a.m. Freshman boys basketball 10:30 a.m. main gym.

•January 5- Patrons council meeting. 7:30-9:00 p.m. (Alumni Lounge)

•January 10- 8th grade placement exam. (auditorium /student services)

“One of the main ques-tions that arises from that is simple: has this multi million dollar construction project improved the quality of education?The short answer is no.”

winter arts wonderland

On Friday, December 11th 2009, a conglomera-tion of RBHS musicians

preformed the annual Holiday concert for both students, staff, parents and other members of the community. During the day, the musicians preformed an abbre-viated version of the full concert for students and staff during a school-wide assembly. Later in the evening, the full concert, involving all musical groups performing all their prepared music, took place.

BRaDLey W iLSOnMedia Manager This year, due to con-

struction on the building, the concert was held in the gym-nasium, as the auditorium is mid-renovation. While probably not the ideal location for the concert, as the gym isn’t built with acoustics in mind, the gym worked well enough and the concert was still able to be held. The renovated auditorium will be back in use for future con-certs. Band Director James Baum was very pleased with all the performances given at the concert, stating, “i thought [the winter concert] was great! all

Members of RB’s Orchestra and Choir perform in assembly during the annual holiday concert Photo by: Bradley Wilson

the groups sounded wonder-ful, but i was especially pleased with the orchestra, the chamber orchestra, and the Jazz ensem-ble.” Students in all music departments, band, orchestra, and choir, preformed various holiday songs for the crowd. The concert started out with the combined ensembles playing all together and ended with the traditional playing of “White Christmas” with alumni help-ing to sing. The night lasted about an hour and a half, and was filled with over twenty musical

acts. Highlights from the show included the Chamber Orchestra playing “Winter” by Vivaldi featuring freshman Kenzo esquivel, and the Mad-rigal Singers singing a highly comical rendition of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” The Jazz ensemble’s tunes were also a crowd favorite. Baum added, “Senior Jim Sit played a really artistic and tasteful solo on Ginger-bread Boy, and Kenzo esquivel and the chamber orchestra were sublime.”

Holiday Magic debuts at the Brookfield Zoo

therapy dog passes away after 7 years of service

Read the full article on page 3

Read the full article on page 2

RB guitarists perform for youth group

Two Musicians from RB displayed their talents at Stickney’s Saint Pius X

Catholic Church on Friday, the 20th. Sophomore Conor Fagan and Junior Erik Kramer played at what was, for both, their second live performance. They played side by side with two other small local bands in a fundraiser for the Step by Step youth group of Saint Pius. “My friend is in the youth group, and when they asked me to play, i jumped on the opportunity,” said Fagan, “it was fun, i enjoyed interacting with the crowd.” Kramer said, “it was nice and i think i did a decent job. i heard about it from Conor and i decided i wanted to play as well.” The youth group regu-larly takes part in service pro-grams, retreats, and fundraisers, but Friday’s fundraiser was to raise funds for the youth group

itself. The fundraiser was an unplugged guitarist event, where local bands were anticipated to play for anyone who paid the five dollars admission price. Unfortunately, the church was unaware that Morton east High School held their own “Battle of the Bands” event on the same date, which affected

the amount of bands that could be found, as well as the audience turnout. Fagan and Kramer both performed solo pieces, as well as a duo. in one song, Fagan was also accompanied by his fellow band member, Clement Wink. a sample of the songs performed includes an acoustic cover of neile young’s Damage done,

performed by Kramer, and an acoustic cover of Sweet Dreams, performed by Fagan. Both Fagan and Kramer also played some of their own original material. Fagan chose to play

BRian WiLSOnLayout Manager

Sophomore Conor Fagan and Junior erik Kramer playing at the fundraiser in their second live performance.

-photo by Brian Wilson

to read the full article log on to rbclarion.org

Dec. 18, 2009•Issue 3News2

Riverside Brookfield High School

Holiday magic casts its spellJeTTe PLeaSanTEditor-in-chief

Winter snows have made their first ap-pearance and RBs

neighbor, the Brookfield Zoo, is once again in the midst of hosting the annual winter-time event known as Holiday Magic. This year marks the twenty-eighth anniversary since the Holiday Magic cel-ebration was first kicked off and both Brookfield Zoo faculty members and volunteers from its diverse range of programs are working to make this year’s Holiday Magic the most suc-cessful event to date. Holiday Magic has been going on for the past two weeks and is set to continue on the upcoming weekends of December 19-20 and 26-31 be-tween 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. By that time the winter skies should have already started to darken, but there will be no shortage of illumination for guests to see by as the zoos many walkways have been decorated with close to one million individual twin-kling lights. Some of the main attractions of the event are ice-carving demonstrations, live musical performances, and a computer-choreographed laser light show which takes place every half hour between 5:30

in late May, one thing heard time and time again in just about every high school, is

“why aren’t i in the yearbook, i’m hardly anywhere, why is this kid everywhere?” and nu-merous other complaints about not being in the yearbook. RB’s Rouser, is hoping to put silence to those complaints this year with its new photo policy. The new innovative policy includes a website, where students can submit their own digital images, which will then be reviewed by Rouser photo editors and possibly included in the final product. The policy is part of Herff Jones’ image Share program. it’s a new idea, and few schools have experi-mented with it, leaving RB as one of the first. in the past, Rouser has tried to include everyone to a degree, but with this year’s new policy, that number is anticipated to increase. Rouser sponsor Cherise Lopez said “We’re hoping to put everyone in about three times each with this program”. Rouser Public Relations Man-ager Vicky Curtin said “with the new policy, we’re hoping to get more coverage of things we normally wouldn’t get. The policy also brings in pictures from other students, rather

every year during the holiday season, students at RB catch the holiday

spirit and participate in many different programs that make the holidays more enjoyable for those who are less fortunate. One of the programs is the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Christmas Campaign, which is when volunteers ring bells and collect donations for the Salva-tion Army in a red kettle. The money is used to provide food, clothes and toys to more than 6 million people. RB’s association of Students for Tolerance has taken the initiative in gathering volunteers to do the bell ring-

than just Rouser kids.” So far, few people have taken advantage of this new oppor-tunity Rouser is providing, but the Rouser staff believes this simply because it is a new concept, and that the students are unaware of it. “if more kids knew about it, more would do it” said Curtin. The policy has been displayed on the school’s website, and on flyers posted across the school. Rouser hopes the word gets out to more stu-dents soon, and that more try it. Some students are worried about the new Rouser policy. Freshman Caitlin Berek said, “i think that some kids will send in tons of pictures, and then they will be all over the year book. i think there should be a limit to how many someone can turn in.” in response to this concern, that is exactly what has been done. “We try and make sure ev-eryone gets in there a number of times, but we also notice if someone has been in there a lot. if we see a particular student is in the year book too many times, we’ll limit their appear-ances,” Lopez said. Curtin said “we’re hoping to counter complaints about not being in the yearbook.”Most students that have heard about the new policy are

excited about it. Senior Chris Verduzco said, “it is a good idea because it will allow people to share more personal photos, making the yearbook more their own”. Chris said he believes Rouser should “give students more choices on other stuff like this. In the past, also, in the past, Rouser seems to mostly just cover the more popular kids.” Chris is support-ive of this policy because he thinks it will solve this prob-lem, allowing anyone to submit photos. The website’s URL is www.hjeshare.com and can also be located on the school’s homep-age. a school code is also required to access the site, that code is (7013834). This informa-tion is also found with the URL on the school’s website, as well as on flyers around the school. All photos must be submitted by February 15th.

ing. Last week, students signed up to do the bell ringing at Riverside Foods and Tischler’s Finer Foods in Brookfield, dur-ing all lunches. The amount of students who signed up to volunteer was remarkable and all of the shifts were able to be filled. Students who volun-teered will be ringing bells and collecting money at Riverside Foods every Saturday until the 19th of December. The bell ringing starts a 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.; groups of students are divided and responsible for two hour shifts. This year the Salvation army could use as much help as possible because according to its estimations, donations are lower than they were during this same time last year.

Rouser starts new photo policy Students help Salvation army in bell ringing

to read more about what’s happening at RB, go online at rbclarion.org

and 8:30 p.m. During the course of the wild lights spectacular-laser light show, the Christmas trees which have been set up to surround Roosevelt fountain light up individually to the beat of various Christmas tunes. Colorful strobe lights pan out across the frozen pond and combine to create a truly magi-cal and memorable effect. a number of the zoos exhibits including tropic world, the swamp, Hamill family play zoo, and the living coast will also be open to the public throughout the course of the night. numerous restaurants and gift shops will be easily ac-cesible allowing holiday magic guests to get some last minute Christmas shopping done. all Brookfield Zoo gift shops fea-ture a wide range of environ-mentally friendly holiday gifts. Guests may also take a stroll through the aisles of the community tree trim at their leisure. The community tree trim allowed various busi-nesses, programs, and schools to personally decorate one of the small trees which are set up in rows at both the north and South entranceways to the zoo. The cost of admissions

for adults is $12, the price for all seniors and children is $8. As a special benefit, all Brook-field Zoo members are admit-ted to Holiday Magic free of charge. The faculty at the Brookfield Zoo are hoping to utilize Holiday Magic as a means for providing holiday fun and entertainment for people of all ages and interests to enjoy. as of right now, it ap-pears that they will acomplish their goal.

-Photo by PleasantOne of the two traditional lions which guard the entrance to the Brookfield zoo, decorated for the holidays.

Adults $12.00 Seniors 65 and Over $8.00 Children 3 to 11 $8.00 Members FRee

Holiday Magic ScheduleDec. 19-20 4:00 Pm - 9:00 PmDec. 26-31 4:00 Pm - 9:00 Pm

DOING THE MOST GOOD

RiGO ReyeSDesign Editor

BRian WiLSOnLayout Manager

Dec. 18, 2009•Issue 3features 3


Students from RB have been having trouble with many different things

from money issues, coping with loss, alcohol, drugs, etc. RB’s guidance counselors and social workers have put to-gether many different support groups for these kids to help them deal with everything going on in their lives. The different groups each meet for 6-8 weeks. Stu-dents who participate in the groups are pulled out of one class each week. if they are in the group for more than one session, they will not miss the same class because the social workers do not want them missing too much of one class.

The specific groups available at RB are: Children of alcoholics (or other drugs), Drug and alcohol Prevention education Classes, Recovery Support, Coping with Loss, Family Changes, Job Loss, First Generation College Bound, aDDvantage, new Student Support, and Girls/Guys Discussion. Job loss is the most recent group they have cre-ated to help kids. Because of the most recent economy, kids are now worrying about their futures. Whether they can afford to go to college, stay where they are living, and even asking their parents if they can borrow a few dollars. it’s a hard time and this group really helps a lot of kids out. The support groups are available to anyone that

Support groups reach out

Did you know that roughly 1.5 million tons of plastic are expended in the bot-

tling of 89 billion liters of water each year? That’s a lot of plastic water bottles. And because recy-cling rates are lower than trash rates, bottles are filling up our landfills really fast. But there’s a green solu-tion – reusable water bottles. It seems almost elementary. There are water bottles made out of materials such as thick plastic or metal that can be used more than one time, and don’t have a harm-ful effect on the environment. SiGG, Klean Kanteen, Springwise, and nalgene are all disposable water bottle brands, and many sports or outdoor stores such as Rei and eddie Bauer sell sustainable water bottles. When you shop around, you find that

wants help. The groups are small, and each have about 5-8 students in them to allow students to feel more comfort-able sharing with one another. Counselor, Christine Sutton says that while sharing their problems with the other kids, “they realize they aren’t alone.” She also says that the students offer great advice to one another. Sutton also says that it “gives [them] a chance to put their words to feel-ings.” Confidentiality is a huge part of these groups. They don’t let anything get out. These groups have been offered for many years. As the years go on, they have even added groups that fit the times.

they come in a variety of col-ors, prints, sizes, and materials. There’s a green bottle for every-one, whether you like to know how much water you drink or you just want a stylish addition to your wardrobe.

Water Bottle Sites:http://mysigg.com/http://www.kleankanteen.com/

-photo by Welch

after seven years of service in the building, RB must say goodbye to a very special friend. Snuggles the therapy dog passed away on Wednesday December 9th due to a spinal cord

disease. in his time at RB, the King Charles Cavalier made over 100 visits to the British home as a part of the therapy dog program. He went to Maywood courtrooms to comfort students testifying in domes-tic violence situations and worked with the Core students as a means to improve communication. In Oak Park, Snuggles was the first dog in the READ program and one of only five dogs to be allowed in the library. He also worked at the Oak Park and Westlake hospitals as a motivator for physical therapy patients, provided motivation for eSL students to increase their confidence and public speaking, assisted in many classroom presentations on humane education, and helped many students escape a period of aDa. Snuggles was famous for escaping the office to sneak into classrooms with known treat supplies. He knew when to crawl into the laps of grieving students and to bark at those running in the halls. In an e-mail to all staff members, Snuggle’s owner, Mari Mortensen expressed her gratitude for everyone’s kind expressions of sympathy. “Snuggles was my Best Buddy,” said Mortensen in the e-mail. Snuggles provided countless moments of comfort and smiles to students and staff. He will be remembered and missed by many at RB.

RB says goodbye to therapy dog

Go get green! simple ways to be eco-friendlyMeGan WeLCH

Features Manager

KaTe aBBaTaCOLaContent Editor

MaDiSOn POWeRSStaff Reporter

“Snuggles” enjoying a summer afternoon

2009 word of the year: unfriend

Unfriend: to remove someone as a “friend” on a social

networking site such as Face-book. i’m sure most high school students have at least some fa-miliarity with the word unfriend, as it is becoming an idea that is increasingly apparent in the on-line world. The reason that this word is particularly interesting is that it has been chosen as the “word of the year” for 2009. every year the new Oxford american Dictionary chooses a “word of the year.” This word is supposed to be the most important word of the year, or a word that summarizes the most important idea of any specific year. Unfriend takes the award this year, replacing the 2008 word, bailout. Unfriend

nabbed the top spot over other finalists such as intoxicated, funemployed, and birther. While previous words such as bailout and plutoed wouldn’t merit coverage at the local high school level, unfriend is a word that was created mostly through social network-ing sites, used primarily at the high school and college levels. i think that the selec-tion of the word unfriend as the word of the year is a power-ful statement on the reality of today’s generation and what social networking has become. While in itself social networking was a revolutionary idea that has changed the face of communica-tion, high school students have taken it to the next level. in my experience, social networking has become the end-all source for everything that’s going on in the lives of high school students. Too often are

students making non-binding RSVP’s to events, or posting way to much personal information for the world to see. Some profiles even go to the point of updat-ing readers way too often about what they are currently doing. Sure, i might care about what any given individual is doing over a long weekend, but i could care less about their daily sleeping patterns. The whole idea of un-friending someone is a peculiar one to me because it essen-tially means to accept someone’s friendship, and then deny it at a later date. i think this trend makes an interesting statement on friendship, and how it has become something that is so easy to deny at a later date. it saddens me that this idea has become so prevalent in today’s society, largely brought upon by the ease of tools such as social network-

ing. i think it’s a safe as-sumption that the majority of un-friending that goes on is between people that aren’t really friends in the first place. Why accept the friendship in the first place if you’re just going to deny it later? The definition of friend-ship has drastically shifted over the years, and i believe if you asked different generations to define friendship that you would get dramatically different answers. RB students should be aware of the whole idea of unfriending and its larger im-plications on the statement our generation is making on society as a whole. While social net-working has its positive uses and has revolutionized the way we communicate, it also has some serious side effects that need to be considered. The three major social

networking sites, Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter, are all on the list of the top 20 most visited websites on the World Wide Web. Facebook comes in at second place only to the Google search engine, and twenty five percent of all internet use in the past three months has been on the website. needless to say, these websites are among the most used in the world and have shaped social networking on the internet. Regardless of what any-one likes to hear, unfriend is the word of the year for 2009. This year has obviously been a year of unfriending, and hopefully that isn’t a trend that continues. i urge students and us-ers of these websites to consider whether this word is really the word that they want describing social networking in the years to come.

BRaDLey WiLSOnMedia Manager

Oxford American Dictionary sums up 2009

Reusable water bottles like these can go a long way towards helping the environment

Dec. 18, 2009•Issue 3OPINION4


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 through-out 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 genera-tions to come, joining the other great high school traditions such as teepeeing the school for homecoming, senior prank, and penny throwing at freshman.

every year seniors wait as patiently as can be ex-pected for a class-wide

vacation day. This custom, more formally known as Ditch Day, is a long-honored tradition of RB and other high schools around the world...what a sad statement for today’s youth. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy getting a break from the everyday worries of school as much as the next per-son, but ditch day still seems to me a tradition not worth honor-ing. i understand, of course, that when looked at from a broad scale missing one day of school isn’t going to make any notice-able difference. Kids miss school all the time for illnesses and other activities without putting a dent in their education. The secrets of how to succeed in life aren’t go-ing to be revealed to them on that one day that they aren’t in class. What really bothers me is the principle of the matter.

Many defend their participation in ditch day by claiming that it is an honored tradition and one of the perks of being a senior and having finally made it to the top of the food chain (the other perks apparently being that we band together to vandalize the school once a year and occasionally pelt quivering heaps of freshmen with our spare change). if ditch day was simply a method for upholding tradition then one assigned day of ditching would suffice. As of this year, numerous ditch days continue to be organized and carried out. Those who utilize tradition as an excuse for taking a vacation day cannot deny that it only takes a single day to do uphold custom as opposed to three. all excuses aside, ditch day still seems to represent how under-appreciative a majority of students are to be getting an edu-cation. according to the United nations Development Program, over 113 million children world-wide do not receive an education at all. These children did not make this decision for them-selves; they were left no other option. above all else, this educational deprivation is what

Ditchin’ school isn’t coolDiggin’ the ditch

MIkE HaNSaStaff-Reporter

JeTTe PLeaSanTEditor-in-Chief

drives me to believe that those who participate in ditch day take too much of their lives for granted. This is only exacerbated by the fact that the overwhelming majority of high school students are not paying for their education themselves, but are instead rely-ing on their parents’ money. Ditch day also disrupts class-time for those who actually choose to come to school. Most teachers will not attempt to carry out a lesson as planned when there are only six people present in their classroom to hear it. as a result, the decision to skip school on ditch day affects not only those who ditch, but those who come to class as well. it also seems highly disrespectful to the teachers who find themselves left with classrooms consisting of only 4-5 students on ditch day. not only do these teachers have to con-tinue performing their job with minimal participation, but they also have to sort through torrents of absent work as a result. as ditch day rolls around again we must each ask ourselves whether or not it is a tradition worth honoring. My answer is an unwav-ering no.

Over the past couple of years, RB has undertak-en a significant construc-

tion project that has renovated much of the building. among the improvements include a new pool, fieldhouse, entrance, classrooms and labs, library, cafeteria, and auditorium. need-less to say it has been quite the renovation process. The construction pro-cess started small and evolved to the point where major con-struction was going on during school days. The entire project was constructed in different phases to allow school to con-tinue despite the construction. in the summer of 2009, McHugh construction made a big push to finish a majority of the construc-tion. although the summer construction did end up getting finished, it caused a late start that has put considerable pres-sure on many class schedules. When the construction is complete, RB will be pretty much completely renovated. This will be nice for incoming students who get to reap the benefits of the construction. My class has been receiving some benefits from the construc-tion, but has also had to suffer through incredibly loud and distracting construction noises and parts of the building being completely walled off. This construction project has not come free; RB has spent millions upon millions

of dollars in order to improve “the quality of education” at our high school. One of the main questions that arises from that is simple: has this multi million dollar construction project im-proved the quality of education? The short answer is no. Sure, our school has received state of the art facilities that not many other students have the option to take advantage of, but does that really improve the quality of education in the building? if education is something based on quality of facilities then RB’s construction project has strong merit. However, education isn’t something based on quality of facilities. Having things such as strong teachers are much more important to education than having state of the art facil-ities. I’m definitely not trying to state that RB doesn’t have strong teachers either, because i have had many wonderful teachers that i feel like i’ve learned a lot from and will probably remem-ber for the rest of my life. My main complaint with the construction project is that our school, which is es-sentially the taxpayers of the surrounding communities, has spent millions upon millions of dollars on a construction project that in my opinion hasn’t changed the quality of educa-tion at this building. The facili-ties are state of the art and have been nice to be able to take part

in, but even so, i don’t feel like the cost has been merited. Some of the renova-tion process has been necessary, in order to accommodate the ever increasing enrollment at our high school. i’m completely supportive of these changes and very happy that our school chose to expand rather than attempt to pack classes with the current space. it’s all the glamorous changes that are my main complaint. While having luxuries are nice, there is a time and place to have them. i feel like the money used for the construction could have been better spent, or even not spent at all. in a time of eco-nomic crisis, is the best option to be improving a school that is completely functional? even before the construction, RB’s facilities outshined many other schools and we were able to of-fer programs that other schools couldn’t even think about offer-ing. it doesn’t make sense how RB can merit spending millions of dollars to improve a building that didn’t need most of the major improvements, especially in troubled economic times. i know that additions to expand class space and a few other additions were necessary, but the question is whether or not all the construction project as a whole merits it’s cost? The answer is no.

Renovation doesn’t merit cost

BRaDLey WiLSOnMedia-Manager

Renovation was the right choice

The construction is almost over and the school is prac-tically complete. now that

we are at the end of all of it, was it worth it? People have to look past the fact that the construction was a hassle and look at the many great things it has done for this school and our community. When you walk in to the newly remodeled school, what do you see? Besides other students and staff members, you will see a brand new entrance, lunchroom, class rooms, field house, pool, little theater, bathrooms, hall-ways, computer labs, library and soon to be auditorium. The school has under gone a huge transformation and i think it’s for the best. a lot of students will say the construction wasn’t worth the hassle, but for all the new students coming in the future, it’s a great thing. So though you may not think it’s worth it. in the long run, it will provide students in the future and present with a nicer school to be in. People may say we should put the hassle beside and look what it did for our academ-ics. now most people don’t think it helped out our academ-ics but it did. it helped us if we ever wanted new teachers in the future. not to say that our teach-ers now aren’t great teachers, but there is always be a time were we are going to need new teachers in our school. These new teachers can make a difference with our academics. The reason why our new school will help with getting teachers is because they, like the rest of the other working commu-

nity, want to work in a place that has a nice environment. We also have new sci-ence labs. It is better to do experi-ments in a cleaner facility than a dirty one. This may help students become more willing to learn. Space in the future might have become more limited if we didn’t make the school have more classrooms. So expanding the size of our school makes it easier to accommodate everyone both at present and in the future. another problem people have with this school is the cost. People may say it raised our taxes and cost the school a lot of money. That may be true but this needed to be done for many reasons. all schools need to get upgraded once in a blue moon. Plus we didn’t just make new rooms, but we also redid our heating system and electrical sys-tem which needed to be redone. This project was going to be done sooner or later. So we should be happy that we can enjoy the new school for a year or so. Let’s put the academics out of the picture and talk about why this needed to be done. as years go on, we are bound to get more kids to come into are school and we are going to need more rooms to accommodate them. We also re-did a lot of internal things that students don’t see. now i’m not saying there weren’t any down sides to this construction project. But for the most part, i think it was a good thing. everything i can think of that is bad, I can find a positive element or benefit to counter balance it. So think what you want, but i feel that this school-wide renovation was worth it in the end.

eTHan GaLLeGOSStaff-Reporter

Has the renovation improved the quality of eduation at RB?

Dec. 18, 2009•Issue 3OPINION 5


With the coming of winter break, stu-dents are getting excited to be out of

school for two whole weeks. But unlike last year, they have the burden of finals when they come back. Having finals after break is prob-lematic because, in all honesty, does anyone actually study over break? If finals were before winter vacation then students would actually take the time to study. now that they have been scheduled for after the holi-days, most students will think they have all the time they need to study, but in all likelihood end up not studying at all by the time that break is through. i know i plan on studying over break, but i most likely will never get around to actually doing it. When celebrat-ing the holidays, does anyone want to think about school work? i know i don’t. i will probably forget all about anything to do with school and remember at the last min-ute, but that won’t be enough time to study. and i’m not the only one.

Finals after Break? When asked if she liked finals af-ter break, junior Eleanor Hunter said, “no, because i probably won’t study during break and i’ll forget everything.” Students also get finals over and done with sooner if they are before winter break. instead of being worried on their break, students would feel relieved and free of the worries of upcoming finals. Still, there are the students who would rather have finals after break. Maybe the extra two weeks before can help them improve their chances of getting a better grade on finals. Some may actually study over break. From what i’ve seen, most do not. But there are always some who do. Or if students don’t want the burden of worrying what their grade was all during break, they’d prefer it after. Junior Chris Morales would rather have finals after because he said “I’d be worried what i got on them all break.” So enjoy your winter break and don’t forget to study! i know i will.

Dear Marge,The internet causes way too many problems! i was casually looking at my girlfriend’s Facebook and the entire page is filled up with posts from my best friend. i’ve been friends with this guy since elementary school and i’d like to think that he’d never betray me, but i can’t shake the feeling that something is going on between my girlfriend and my best friend. Some of the comments i saw on their wall-to-wall were above and beyond an ordinary guy to girl conversation. i’m uneasy about confronting my friend about this, because i don’t want to be a jerk about it, but at the same time, i can’t just stand aside and let them keep talking the way they are! i’m really in a tight spot here!

Sincerely,Upset Boyfriend

Dear Upset Boyfriend,The internet certainly does complicate relationships, but hey, it’s better that you know that they’re talking rather than them texting each other behind your back. it’s understandable as a caring boyfriend for you to feel jealous and angry about your best friend talking the way he is to your girlfriend. But at the same time, who knows? Maybe they’ve simply grown fond of each other from hanging around you so much at the same time and are just friends. But you have to be a man about this and stand your ground firmly. If you have suspicions about your woman, some course of action must be taken. if you show your girlfriend that you’re willing to stand up for yourself, she will like that a lot and respect you a lot more. Girls like to see their men be men at times like these, but be cautious; they don’t like to see their boyfriends lose their heads and overreact. Obviously, it’d be awkward to talk to either your girlfriend or your friend about why they’re talking to one another, but i think it would go a long way if you calmly asked your friend (not your girlfriend, she’d get upset) why he talks to your lady so much. Don’t be accusatory about it, just simply ask him as if it were a throwaway question of no real importance to you. That way, you’re getting closer to some answers without making a fool of yourself. Remember, there’s a fine line between concerned and overprotective; don’t cross the line.

and that’s the way the cookie crumbles!

Dear marge

Need help with any problems of your own? e-mail Marge at [email protected]

i wake up to a lovely day in mid november. i do all my

morning routines, put on my shoes and leave the house. as i’m walking to hang out with some friends, what do i see? People putting up Christmas decorations. at that time it came to my attention when is it to early to start celebrating Christmas? When does it go over board? Christmas is probably the biggest holiday of the year. People buy gifts, get a tree, and get together with their family to spend this great season together. i love Christmas and it is one of my favorite holidays but i think people take it just a little too far. Maybe it’s just me and my family but we put up our tree a week before Christmas and take it down the day after. We don’t do any outside decorations and do just a little decorating throughout the house. now i know that people might think well you’re barely celebrating

it at all of course your going to think people are going over board. now i don’t think ev-eryone should celebrate Christ-mas the way my family does but I do think Christmas is getting taken to far. i think when people are putting up Christmas stuff before thanksgiving it is a little much. in my opinion the earliest you should put your tree up is the first of December, and I still think that’s pushing it. i’m not trying to say people who start celebrating Christmas early has a bad tradition, just that they’re taking it a little over board. it’s not even people who are over doing Christmas, its even advertisement and the media. I was sitting at home watching T.V. early november watching aBC Family while a commercial comes on for the countdown of 25 days of Christmas. now if you ask me you don’t need a countdown for Christmas starting in november. For all the people out there who celebrate Christmas, I think you should settle down and start Christmas things just a little late.

Has Christmas gone overboard?

ETHaN GaLLEGOSstaff-reporter

The current tardy policy in place at Riverside Brookfield

High School states that being late “disrupts the flow of the ed-ucation process,” but what does lateness really disrupt? During first period only the morning announcements are being played and they can be and usually are interrupted by talking students. i think that the tardy policy at school should be slightly revised for first period because students have the most to do in the morning. My big issue is with the morning announcements. Why should students have to rush to class if we are not missing any learning? i am not saying that we should have a long time to get there, but i personally think the bell shouldn’t ring until after the announcements have been made. if a student misses the an-nouncements they can ask to see the bulletin after class, holding up no one but themselves.

i also don’t understand how being late and missing an-nouncements and at worst the pledge is a detention-worthy of-fense. if kids are lollygagging in the halls and wasting the teach-er’s time then yes they should be reprimanded, but when they are rushing to get ready and walking hastily through the halls they should not be in trouble. i realize that this is not a teacher by teacher thing, but it is their choice to enforce it as harshly or as easily as they see fit. Some teachers feel that the tardy policy should be a little more lenient. Substitute Mr. Murphy says "if a kid is late and has a good reason i wont mark him tardy, but i don’t tolerate kids just walking in with no reasoning behind it.” But the people affected the most by the current tardy policy are the kids, like Sopho-more Cameron Webber. Webber said, “ i am

late a lot but i try my best to rush to school, when i try i still end up late and grounded by my parents and usually with a detention.” The problem is that kids don’t want to be late, but it happens. Bike tires pop, cars stall, and feet hurt so when a kid tries his best to get to class and is only a few minutes late, he deserves to give his side of the story and should not be pun-ished. Teachers have to enforce the policy to those who interrupt class, but a kid who walks in during the announce-ments should not be punished because he is not interrupting anything. Teachers do not need to be so adamant about the policy until it becomes a recur-ring problem, but in my opinion students walking in during the announcements are not causing a problem.

GEOrGE SucHyStaff-Reporter

is current tardy policy too strict?

Before, because i don’t want to have to worry about them during break.

Do you think finals should be before or after winter break?

I think we should have finals before break because its less of a hassle than to re-learn things you learned before break.

I prefer having finals after break because you don’t have to worry about a huge test before your break.

I’d rather have finals after the break because i would have more time to study during the break.

Deshon Triplett, Senior Kelly Bednar, Senior

Jake Czerak, Juniorandrea Guelf, Sophomore

DAnIELLE SAnCHEZ Staff Reporter

where to draw the line about being on time

Dec. 18, 2009•Issue 3HaPPy HOlIdays6


The holidays are just around the corner and that means celebrating with friends and family. Whether you’re throwing a party of your own or attending one, here are two delicious and easy holiday recipes!

Appetizer: Layered Sundried Tomato and Artichoke SpreadPrep. Time: 10 minutes, plus refrigerating

What you’ll need1 pkg.(8 oz.) PHiLaDeLPHia Cream Cheese, chilled3 Tbsp. finely chopped sundried tomatoes in oil, well drained3 Tbsp. finely chopped drained canned artichoke hearts2 tbsp. pesto2 Tbsp. chopped PLanTeRS Smoked almonds2 tsp. chopped fresh parsleyCrackers for dipping

How to Make itCut cream cheese horizontally into 3 slices. (Dental floss works well.)Place 1 slice onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and top with tomatoes, then add second layer of cream cheese.Combine artichokes and pesto and spoon over the second cream cheese layer. add the remaining cream cheese slice and top it with almonds and parsley.Press down slightly to secure everything.Refrigerate for 1 hour and serve with crackers!

Desert: Pretzel barkPrep Time: 20 minutes, plus refrigerating

What you’ll need1 cup chopped pretzels1/3 cup chopped toasted Pecans1 ½ pkg. (8 squares each) Semi- Sweet Chocolate, melted

How to Make itStir pretzels and nuts into chocolate; spread onto wax paper covered baking sheetRefrigerate 1 hour or until it’s solid. Break into pieces and enjoy! Recipes provided by Kraft food & Family magazine

in the kitchen with Kate and Krug

Fine Arts department keeping busy during HolidaysBRaDLey WiLSOnMedia manager

During the winter and holiday season, the Riv-erside Fine arts depart-

ment hosts and has students perform at a number of events. The holiday season is one of the main times when RB students get a chance to showcase their artistic abilities. The main musical event during the season is the Holiday Concert. an annual tradition, the Holiday Concert is an excellent display of students’ musical tal-ent and hard work. This year the concert took place on Thursday, December 10th. Students from the bands, choirs, and the orches-tra all performed for students, staff, families, and local commu-nity members. in addition, several other musical groups performed, or will perform at other events. The Madrigal Singers, RB’s pre-mier vocal group, had a stagger-ing number of concerts during

December. With over eight concerts in December alone, The Madrigal Singers have been busy filling the surrounding commu-nity with holiday cheer. The annual all State music festival is at the end of January. RB has six students representing our high school this year, and the music faculty is excited to have such a large rep-resentation. Being selected as an All State Finalist is a significant achievement and requires lots of hard work and effort. in February, the music department begins its “winter concert” series, an event featur-ing all three music departments performing concerts in three successive weeks. Music is not the only area where students are display-ing their talents and abilities. The RB dance program, in particular the Repertory Dance ensemble, is busy during the winter season. The talented dancers preformed at the Riverside and Brookfield Holiday Festivals on December,

4th 2009, and have a number of concerts planned for January and February. On January 15th, the Dancers are hosting a concert in the Little Theater to raise money for aiDS research. in addition to the nu-merous concerts, the RB dance program is submitting two of their dances to be potentially

preformed at a state dance fes-tival. Committee meetings are also starting for the illinois High School State Dance Festival, as it will be held here at RB for the first time ever. Drama students are also busy during this time of the year. improv Club, a new club here at RB, had their troupe put on a

performance on December 11th, 2009. in the art world, the murals that students have been working so hard on were finally unveiled on December 4th, 2009. The Winter art show, the art Department’s biggest winter event, is being held on January 7th, soon after school resumes.

The finished murals are displayed on the arcade building at the Riverside holiday stroll. Photo by: Jette Pleasant

Christmas is right around the corner. everyone is in such a hurry to put up Christmas decorations, go and buy gifts, or prepare food for visiting family members, but what people really need

is to take a break and just relax. Christmas has some of the best mov-ies out there, so grab a blanket, the remote, and a cup of hot chocolate and put on one of the top ten best Christmas movies of all time.

A Christmas Carol: a true classic that everyone loves to watch. a grouchy Christmas-hater named Scrooge denies going to any holiday parties and giving to charitable organizations. He quickly changes the way he acts after being visited by three ghosts. A perfect movie to help you appreciate what Christmas time is all about.

A Christmas Story: Ralphie wants a Red Rider BB gun more than anything else in the whole world. Watch this movie to see all the ways he attempts to prove his parents wrong in saying he’ll “Shoot his eye out!”

How the Grinch Stole Christmas: a green hermit tries ruining Christmas for all the Who’s of Whovillle. He’s very sneaky, but you never know when he might have a change of heart and realizes you shouldn’t destroy another’s Christmas.

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer: everyone knows this classic about the reindeer whose bright and shiny red nose is able to help Santa see through the dark and cloudy sky on Christmas eve.

The Year without a Santa Claus: Santa gets sick right before Christ-mas and says he is not going out on Christmas eve. He doesn’t think children believe in him anymore so there is no point. Two of his elves go down to a town to show him he’s wrong, people still do believe!

The Santa Claus: Tim allen accidentally kills Santa and now he has to take over the job. Watch his transformation from being a regular guy to become Santa Claus.

Frosty the Snowman: A living snowman and a little girl try stopping a greedy magician who is after Frosty’s special hat.

Miracle of 34th Street: When an old man claims he is Santa he is met with serious disbelief. a young lawyer comes to the rescue to help prove he is the real thing.

A Charlie Brown Christmas: angered by all the commercialism of Christmas, Charlie Brown tries to figure out the true meaning behind the holiday.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town: a mailman tells the story of how a young man wants to give presents to many little kids, but an evil “Burgermeister” won’t let it happen. Watch as we see Kris Cringle realize what he wants to do from now on.

Compiled by: Madiosn powers

For more holiday fun, log on to rbclarion.org

Seniors Kate Abbatacola and Alex Krug pose for a picture while cooking in the consumer ed. room.

Top ten Christmas movies

Holiday edition

Dec. 18, 2007•Issue 13eNtertaINmeNt


What makes a trilogy a trilogy? Some might say it’s the story, the production value, or the actors. While these may indeed help out, i believe that it all comes down to the ability to hold an audi-ences attention for three installments.

a lot of the responsibility for accomplishing this task falls onto the middle installment, which must answer questions from the first one, expand and improve from the first one, rejuvenate the audience’s interest and excitement in the subject matter, and get people pumped for the finale. The Assassin’s Creed trilogy is a very good example of these qualities and it astounds with its im-provements. There is no doubt that the original Assassin’s Creed was fun, but it was lacking in several areas. The sequel takes everything that was wrong with the first one and fixes them. Assassin’s Creed 2 picks up directly where the first game ends and never looks back. After a quick little explanation of the first game through cut scene, you are off and running as bartender Desmond Miles desperately tries to escape his confinement from the sadistic Templars. After a quick fight sequence you es-cape the facility and are brought to the nearby assassin’s Hideout. Within 10 minutes of starting the game, you jump right back into the animus, the futuristic machine that lets you relive your ancestor’s memories through your Dna. This time around you are taking control of upstart ezio auditore, a young noble from Florence enjoying the good life. The game then gives you a tutorial of basic things like fighting and climbing cleverly disguised as routines from ezio’s everyday life. Before you know it, your family is double crossed and put in jail. In your final conversation with your father, he instructs Ezio to go back to his house and check the back room for a chest. Once you locate the chest, you don the new and improved assassin’s robe and get to work. your quest is one of vengeance to find and kill the ones who led to your family’s execution. You soon learn that the trail of deception and treason runs much deeper than a couple of nobles in Florence. Sadly, the overall story line isn’t quite as interesting as this inner story. The whole reason for going through ezio’s life is so that Desmond can be trained in the way of the assassins similar to the way neo was trained in “The Ma-trix” The story however, is not why most people play these sorts of games. Their level of enjoyment is based largely on game play. and it sure delivers this time around. The game play has improved drastically from the first one. Gone are the awful eavesdropping and pick pocketing missions as well as the extreme aversion to water. There is a slew of new weapons including the coveted double hidden blades and, my favorite, the poison tipped hidden blade, which sends whomever you infect into a berserk rage and even-tually, kills them. Most of these weapon upgrades are given to you by your good friend and all around eccentric Leonardo DaVinci.---Pruett-Jones

Assassin’s Creed 2 ReviewCalling all video game fans. as of last week a new podcast sprang up on the internet. The podcast is called Friendly Fire, and it’s the newest thing to come out of www.rbclarion.org. Friendly Fire is an original podcast about the video games, and it comes out once a week for a fresh update on the ever-changing videogame industry. already two episodes in, Friendly Fire comes at you with laughs and debates between the two hosts staff reporter for the Clarion: Ryan Chodora, and Web editor David Maslowski. The two hosts also call in special guests so sit around and listen in because you may just hear someone one you know. In the first episodes, the hosts talked about the new release of Left 4 Dead 2. in what turned out to be a ten minute long talk, Ryan talked about his experience and love for Left 4 Dead 2 new mechanics, weapons, and characters. in the second episode of Friendly Fire the cast had a new special guest, and that was staff reporter and PS3 aficionado Ian Pruett-Jones. This podcast was Assassins Creed 2 themed, with much talk about the game and what our thoughts were on the game. We also shared our sentiments for the recently shuffled Pandemic studios, and our hopes for their newest game the Saboteur. Friendly Fire now sits side by side with the two other Clarion Podcasts, of long time favorite Swagger, and another newcomer 50/50. The Clarion now has three podcast that can be found in the new Podcenter. if you are interested in our votes for game of the year tune in for the next podcast, as we bring back ian, and add maybe another special guest. What will our vote be, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Assassins Creed 2, Borderlands, tune in to find out.---Maslowski

The top five videogames for the holidays

Friendly Fire podcast

1 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Microsoft Windows) The Sixth installment in the Call of Duty series is also the direct sequel “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare”. it was released november 10, 2009. The campaign picks up five years after the previous game ends and features the player playing as five different characters some point in the story. The game’s “no Russian” mission is controversial as it features Russian Terrorists in an airport massacring civilians. you play Joseph allen undercover as one of the Russians so you participate in the massacre. The option to skip the mission is given when you first load up the game, and was removed from the Russian version of the game. The multiplayer/online is the same as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, where the player gets experience points and unlockable rewards through playing well and getting certain accomplishments while playing. The offline multiplayer is the same as online, except the level ups and rewards are separate online and offline. Modern Warfare 2 is fthe biggest game out right now, and the hype is just as it’s an incredible game that should definitely be number one on your Christmas list if you don’t already own it.

2 Uncharted 2: among Thieves (Playstation 3) The direct sequel to “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune”, this Playstation 3 exclusive game is one of the best exclusive games out there right now. in “among Thieves” the player resumes the role of nathan Drake, two years after the first game left off. In “Among Thieves” Drake is searching for the answer to what happened to the voyage home of Marco Polo in 1292. Polo departed from China with fourteen ships and six-hundred passengers, but only returned with one ship and eighteen passengers. Polo never reveals what happened to the ships and it remained a mystery. But when Drake discovers an oil lamp he was hired to steal may lead to the discovery of the ship Drake decides to try and solve the mystery. The gameplay is similar to the first one except tweaked and made better with the introduction of stealth mode where if undetected Drake can sneak by enemies or sneak up behind them and ambush them. The reviews for “among Thieves” have been incredible, with many people calling it the “Game of the year” or “Best Playstation 3 game of all time”. if you have a playstation 3 this game is a must have for Christmas.

3 Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360) Left 4 Dead 2, like “Uncharted 2: among Thieves” is a system exclusive and a sequel to an award winning game. But “Left 4 Dead 2” is an Xbox 360 exclusive, and is all about killing infected. it’s the sequel to “Left 4 Dead”, which focuses on four characters who were left for dead after an apocalypse left everyone “infected” and looking to kill anything. The survivors fight through hordes of “infected” trying to reach a safehouse that acts as checkpoints. The 4 levels are supposed to be thought of as movies, even going as far as rolling credits with stats about how many kills and deaths each character got. In “Left 4 Dead 2” there are new types of “infected”, melee weapons that replace your pistol, and a story arc that connects all five campaign movies together. There’s a new cast in the sequel, with four different survivors in new Orleans trying to survive. Also different than the first game is most of the fighting being done in the day time, rather than at night. “Left 4 Dead 2” just like “Uncharted 2: among Thieves” is a must have if you have a Xbox 360.

5 The Beatles: Rock Band (Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii) The Beatles: Rock Band is a rhythm based music videogame centered on the popular British rock band The Beatles. The game depicts the band performing 45 of their songs while you play along on plastic instrument controllers to simulate playing guitar, drums, bass, and vocals. The game was developed by Harmonix, the company who is responsible for Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero 2, Guitar Hero: Rock the 80’s, and all the Rock Band games. The design is different than Rock Band’s design, as some songs depict the band performing in the studio instead of at a concert. When the band performs in a studio, it transitions into a dreamscape, which describes the song in some sort of abstract way. another new addition is the three part harmony, which allows for three players to sing on three different microphones. One singer for the lead part, and two for the harmonies. The game is incredibly fun, and although there are only 45 songs on the game disc, there have already been two downloadable albums, with a third being released sometime in December. The Beatles Rock Band is a great game for casual Rock Band players, and if you’re a Beatles fan it’s a must have.

anTHOny SCiannaEntertainment Manager

4 Borderlands (Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Microsoft Windows) Borderlands is a first person shooter that has character building elements found in role playing games. The player gets to choose from four characters: Roland, Mordecai, Lilith, and Brick. all four characters have different unique special skills and are better with certain weapons. Players earn experience points and rewards through completing quests, along with killing enemies and completing in games challenges. as players gain levels they can put skill points into specialized areas like sniping, or gun slinging with revolvers. The player starts with the ability to hold two weapons, but can gain the ability to hold four weapons, as well as slots for an energy shield, grenade modification, and class modification. One interesting feature in the game is the “Procedural Content Creation System” which is used to randomly generate what items and weapons are dropped by enemies and are hidden in storage chest. Borderlands is being praised for it’s game play, but has been criticized for its lack of character skills and weak storyline.

rbclarion.com’s newest podcast for videogamers

Be sure to have your holiday stockings filled with these games

7

Dec. 18, 2009•Issue 3sPOrts 8


Wrestling is about ready to pick up where they left off

after a very successful season last year. although many of the state qualifiers graduated, there are still a handful of wrestlers who have a chance to make this year a successful one. Of the four state qualifiers last year, only Chris Russel returns this year. Seven of the sectional qualifiers (Sophomore Sam Weiss, Juniors Keegan Buttimer, John Schraidt, Eduardo Orihuela, and Nick

The girls’ gymnastics team is off to quite a different start this year. The team is facing some serious new changes. They

have lost a lot of last years girls and they have a new coach, Jaclyn Messerges.

“The girls are fantastic and get along during practice,” says Messerges, the new coach “We have a small team since we lost a lot of girls but its still fun.”

Messerges herself has been a coach for 6 years and has been involved in gymnastics for 15 years. She participated in gymnastics all through college and at a division one school. This is her first year coaching here at RB though.

When asked if this years team had a chance of going to state Messerges said “i don’t know if we have a chance for state since we have such a small team.”

although the team is small in size, their hopes of having both a successful and enjoyable year loom large.

“i’m looking forward to having a great season” says gymnast Kristen Santoro.

eDiTOR-in-CHieFJette Pleasant

COnTenT eDiTORKate abbatacola

DeSiGn eDiTORRigo Reyes

WeB eDiTORDavid Maslowski

PUBLiC ReLaTiOnS ManaGeRalexandria Krug

SPORTS ManaGeReddie Morrissey

OPiniOn ManaGeRSJason Flam, Joe Sauer

MeDia ManaGeRBradley Wilson

LayOUT ManaGeRBrian Wilson

neWS ManaGeRCharlie Morrissey

FeaTUReS ManaGeRMegan Welch

enTeRTainMenT ManaGeRanthony Scianna

STaFF RePORTeRSVince arvisMike Hansa

Mark McDonaghethan GallegosIan Pruett-JonesRyan Chodora

Ted RadekMadison Powers

nick KirkinesDavid Skowronski

George SuchyDanielle Sanchez

SPOnSORDaniel MancoffCherise Lopez

Clarion publishes hard copy papers once a month and updates stories constantly online at www.rbclarion.org. The opinions

expressed in editorials are those of the individual writers, and do not express those of the Clarion staff or District 208 Administration. Signed letters to the editor are encouraged, but the Clarion reserves

the right to edit for content or length.

Clarion Staff

Rohm, and Seniors Juan Gomez and Alberto Cotto) are returning this year as well. new head coach Jason Rech is very hopeful to continue the success built from last year. and he’s not worried about there being any changes now that former head coach Neil Dughetti is no longer there. He says that things will be very similar. “Our philosophies are very similar, although i will focus more on conditioning. and we got a new room dedicated to wrestling this year which is a huge plus for us,” Rech said. Senior John Schraidt thinks the team is very well

rounded this year. “i think it’s going to be a great year because we have good leaders from last year returning and newcomers to round out the team. i think we’re really solid.” Schraidt said. another big addition to the team this year is new assistant coach Bill Kucinski. “He wrestled at the University of iowa so we’re very excited about having him on the staff this year,” Rech said. The first 2009-2010 Wrestling season started with the first practice on Monday november 9th.

wrestling expecting sucess this year

Senior Chris Russell mercilously putting his oppenent in a headlock during a wrestling match

anTHOny SCiannaEntertainment Manager

Gymnastics team faces new challenges

Barry Bonds not has played in a major league baseball game in almost

two years. The years of the homerun king are over. Bonds has yet to retire, but his agent

says his major league baseball career is finished. Bonds was once known as the scariest person with a bat at the plate in base-ball for years. He last played in the 2007 season and then became a free agent. But as the days and months past, no team would offer the slugger a deal. Later in that year, Bonds was accused of lying

Bonds calls it quits

DaViD SKROWOnSKiStaff Reporter

Clarion Fantasy Basketball StandingsTo read weekly wrap ups from owners and get the lastest information about our fantasy league check out rbclarion.org/basketball

JOe SaUeROpinion Manager

about take performance en-hancing drugs. His agent said that after two years it was a long shot, and nearly impos-sible for the 45 year old to get a job in the major league. Bonds had a great career. He has all the records for hitting in San Francisco. His elaborate career is going to end with the record of 762 homeruns, 1996 runs batted in and seven national League Most Valuable Player awards.

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RBHS Clarion - Issue #3