District 208 and
Riverside Brookfield High School
Hallways
May 2017

A parent and community newsletter. 
District 208 News
Superintendent's Message

Dear RBHS Students, Families, Staff, and Community, 
 
Our school year is winding down, and the end-of-the-year anticipation is building in our halls. At this time, the Board and I would like to acknowledge our staff and students for all the effort put forth during this school year. We have a high school that is relatively small in size but huge when it comes to the caring, learning environment at RB. In a few weeks the seniors will be graduating, and the ceremony will be held in our recently renovated gymnasium. For those who have not seen the area yet, the seating, floors, walls, and sound system have been updated according to our Life Safety plan. It is a real asset to our building and will provide a beautiful "climate controlled" setting for the ceremony.
 
This month we are saying farewell to three of our Board members, Ed Jepson, Matt Sinde, and Mike Welch. These gentlemen have volunteered countless hours of their time to improve Riverside Brookfield High School and the stability of District 208. We wish them well as they move on. At the same time, we are excited to welcome three new Board members, Gina Sierra, Ramona Towner, and William Smithing. The administration and staff are eager to work with the Board and their new transition to maintain the established integrity and excellence of our school district. 

Cordially,
 
Kevin Skinkis, Ed.D
  Life Safety/Capital Improvement Projects
Work on the tennis courts and parking lot is set to begin May 1, 2017. Roof repairs/replacements on the high school will begin June 5, 2017.

  Track Update (Public Use)
Our track will be available for the public this summer once construction is complete on the tennis courts and parking lot. Guidelines and restrictions will be posted at the entrances to the athletic complex, and the track will be monitored by staff and local authorities.

  First Avenue Bike Path
The bike path is available for use. It was a collaborative effort between our District, Riverside, North Riverside, and Cook County Commissioner Tobolsky that took about three years. We are pleased to provide everyone with safe passage along First Avenue.

  Board of Education
The next two meetings will be Tuesday, May 9 and 23, 2017, in Room 201 beginning at 7:00 p.m.  Please check the RB website under the Board of Education tab or watch the meetings on   www.rbtv.tv.

RBHS News
Principal's Message                                                        
 
This past weekend, over 350 students, staff, and parents came together to participate in the PTO's Annual Day of Service. Volunteers braved the cold April weather to clean up trash, clear out buckthorn and weeds, plant trees, and beautify areas in Riverside, North Riverside, and Brookfield.
 
In this edition of Hallways, you will also find important information about summer opportunities, immunization information, and the annual residency event. As the 2016-2017 school year comes to a close, take time to celebrate another year of learning
with your students and identify learning opportunities to engage in over the summer months. 
              
Kristin Smetana
Principal

  Second Semester Final Exam Schedule
May 22, 2017
Period 1
8:00 - 9:30
 
Period 2
9:45 - 11:15
 
Period 3
11:30 - 1:00
 
Make - up
 
1:00 - 1:30
 
May 23, 2017
Period 4
8:00 - 9:30
 
Period 5
9:45 - 11:15
 
Make-up
 
11:15 - 1:15
 
May 24, 2017
Period 6
8:00 - 9:30
 
Period 7
9:45 - 11:15
 
Make-up
11:15 - 1:15

  Testing Information
AP Testing
AP Testing began on May 1 and will continue through May 12. Please click the following link to access the AP Testing Schedule . Students who are taking AP exams should remember to bring two #2 pencils, two pens with blue or black ink, and a calculator for the Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, or Stats exams. Snacks and drinks are allowed during breaks but must be left in a specific area as directed by the proctor.  
 
All-School Testing Information
Thank you to the entire RBHS community for the success of our all-school testing day on April 19. Attendance for testing was great! Only a total of seven students were absent for the junior class ACT testing!
 
If you have any testing-related questions, please contact Michelle Bauer, Testing Director, at bauerm@rbhs208.net .

  Sign-Up Now for Summer Academics/Workshops and Athletic Camps
Summer academic and athletic offerings for 2017 are posted on the RB website under the Student tab, "Forms and Documents." The academic offerings include several academic workshops and camps as well as credit recovery opportunities. The non-credit academic workshops will assist students in transitioning to Advanced Placement (AP) or pre-AP courses. There are also academic camps to provide students with opportunities to participate in band, prepare for the college application process, and experience RBTV. There are several athletic camps throughout the summer. 
 
New this year in order to increase efficiency, registration for all academic and athletic offerings must be completed online by May 26. Payment can be made either online or in the Business Office. The registration process is not complete until payment has been received. Currently enrolled students will be given priority for registration. All tuition and fees must be paid at the time of registration. Click here to link to the program booklet.
  Annual Residency 
Our annual residency event dates for the 2017-2018 school year have been set. Please mark your calendars for July 12, 20, and 24 from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Additional information about scheduling your appointment for one of these dates will be emailed home in June. Parents/guardians and students that are currently enrolled must attend this event to establish residency and re-register for the new school year. Also, at this event students will take their yearbook pictures and receive their class schedule and ID. The Class of 2021 will receive a Chromebook. 
  Class of 2017 Important Information
Graduation Information
All graduates will be receiving a total of six tickets. Four tickets will be issued for the Dudley Gymnasium and two for either the Little Theater or the Auditorium where the ceremony will be on a live broadcast. The ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. Any student with outstanding debt needs to contact the Business Office to discuss payment arrangements. Only one ticket will be issued to any student with any unpaid fees. 
 
For additional details on end-of-year events for the Class of 2017 click here, Senior Bulletin .
 
Senior Picnic
Lunch will be provided in the Field House during 4th and 5th Periods, along with other fun activities on Friday, May 19, for the Class of 2017. This is an official attendance day. Student IDs are mandatory for picnic entrance, and students must attend periods 1-3 to attend the picnic. Students who ordered yearbooks will receive them at the picnic. Senior students will be released at 1:00 p.m.

  Immunization Update for the Class of 2018
All students entering 12th grade will be required to show proof of recent meningococcal conjugate vaccination (MCV). All 12th grade students will need to show proof of receiving two doses unless the first dose was administered after 16 years of age. In this case, only one dose after 16 years of age is required. Students who do not provide the proper documentation of this vaccination before August 15 will be excluded from school. Please contact your health care provider with any questions.
  Student
 Association (SA) Update

Student Association has been collecting pop tops for the Ronald McDonald House at Loyola. So far we have collected over 47,000 pop tops. It is a contest, and we will reward the 1st place winner with a pizza party, 2nd place a dessert party, and 3rd place with candy. The contest ended Friday, April 28. We continue to have spirit-theme days. The most recent day in April involved each grade level dressing in a different color or theme. And on April 26 we held elections for the 2017-18 officers. These newly elected officers will begin work immediately planning activities for next school year. SA meets every Wednesday at 7:20 a.m. in Room 201, and all students are welcome to join at any time of the year!

Student Association Executive Board Election Results for the 2017-18 School Year:
Kaitlin Gaynor, President 
Max Alvarez, Vice President
Paulina Linares, Secretary
Claire Jacobs, Treasurer
Alanna Waas, Student Spokesperson
Jane Frank, Director of Communications
   Prom
Over 480 students attended Prom at the Galleria Marchetti in Chicago on April 21. The Prom Court was chosen and the following students were nominated for Queen and King.
 
Prom Court - Taylor Rosicky, Mia Caballero, Madi Hornung, Ivy Marcucci, and Coco Murray; John Suba, Nathan Juarez, Nick Allegretti, Keenan Scott, and Adrian Castro.
                                                                                                                                             
Ivy Marcucci was crowned Queen and John Suba was crowned King.
           

                 
 
Class of 2018 - Senior Portrait Information
Seniors will be assigned a time over the summer by Prestige Portraits, the senior division of Lifetouch. They will receive their appointment letters within the first two weeks of May. Once the letter is received, they will need to confirm or reschedule their appointment time with the code provided in the letter.
 
Portrait Dates/Times: Wednesday, June 7 - Thursday, June 15
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge
 
Retake Portrait Date/Times: Tuesday, July 25 - Thursday, July 27
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge
 
 * Yearbook Only Date/Time: Friday, September 15 - During lunches in the Alumni Lounge
 
*This day is the last chance a Senior can be photographed for the yearbook. Only the yearbook photo will be taken, no additional poses or outfits. No fee will be charged to the student, and they will receive a proof in the mail so they can place an order if they choose to. 

  NHS Induction
On Wednesday, March 22, 81 students were inducted into the National Honor Society. They were selected based on their scholarship, leadership, character, and service. Volunteering thousands of hours, these students are leaders of organizations throughout the school. Principal Smetana and the Executive Board addressed the students, welcoming them to NHS, and reinforcing the tenets of the organization. We celebrated the inductees' accomplishments with their families in a reception following the ceremony. 

   Bulldog Book Club
The Bulldog Book Club is happy to announce our final read of the year: Denton Little's Deathdate by Lance Rubin.  
 
This darkly humorous novel takes place in a world where everyone knows the date of their death, so it only makes sense that you plan your last meal and even attend your own funeral. For Denton, this date is in only two days - the day of his senior prom! "Despite his early deathdate, Denton has always wanted to live a normal life, but his final days are filled with dramatic firsts.... His anxiety builds when he discovers a strange purple rash making its way up his body. Is this what will kill him? And then a strange man shows up at his funeral, claiming to have known Denton's long-deceased mother, and warning him to beware of suspicious government characters.... Suddenly Denton's life is filled with mysterious questions and precious little time to find the answers" (Goodreads.com).

Join us for a lively discussion and snacks on Thursday, May 11, at 8 a.m. in the RB Library! All are welcome - whether you read the book or not! Copies are available to check out in the library.
   It's Not Too Late!
You can still order your 2017 yearbook at www.jostens.com  or in the Business Office. This is the 100th edition of the yearbook, and it is selling out quickly! Order your copy now while they are still available. Yearbook distribution will take place on Friday, May 19. Seniors will receive their yearbooks at the senior picnic, and all other students can pick theirs up after school in the Field House until 4:00 p.m. We will also be selling t-shirts to commemorate the 100th edition of the yearbook ($10 each). Contact Mrs. Marsh with any questions at marsha@rbhs208.net.
   
Girls That Code and Girl Scouts

On Wednesday, April 26, a Girl Scout troop made up of 6th graders from Hauser attended an event ran by The Girls That Code Club members. It started off with a Ceasar Cipher Code Breaking exercise. This was followed by information about Makey Makey and how circuits work. Then the Girl Scouts broke up in groups to use the Makey Makeys. Makey Makey is an invention kit that turns everyday objects into touchpads and combines them with the internet. Finally the Girl Scouts were introduced to coding using Scratch and created games that could be combined with the Makey Makeys. All had a wonderful time working together
  Music Notes
Jazz History Month was celebrated with two jazz concerts in April. Jazzapullooza XI featured the RB Jazz Band and Ensemble's performing small group jazz music along with the S.E. Gross Big Band. And the Madrigals held their annual Spring Jazz concert on April 12.
 
On April 11 the RB Bands and Orchestras performed their Spring Concert. Highlights include performances of "Beauty and the Beast," "Instant Concert," "Star Wars," and "An American in Paris."
 
Check out videos of the Madrigals, Jazz Concert, and the Spring Band and Orchestra Concert at the RB Music Sponsors Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RBHSMusicSponsors 
 
On April 19 the RB Modern Music Masters Chapter produced RB's Got Talent. These students raised over $700 for Chance the Rapper's new foundation, Social Works. Congratulations to Tri-M and the entire cast and crew, and our winners.
 
3rd place - Casey Whisler for her performance from Newsies
2nd place  - Athena Haralambous and Emily Temmer  for their German wheel routine
1st place - Alyssa Peralta for her tap dance improvisation
 
Pictured (L to R): Hadley Diforti, Casey Whisler, Emily Temmer, Athena Haralambous, Alyssa Peralta, Erik Robertson
These winners are pictured along with the evening's M.C.'s Hadley Diforti and Erik Robertson. 
 
Looking ahead, the RB Jazz Bands will be opening for the Vern Spevak Big Band on May 7 at 6:00 p.m. at his studio in Oswego, and the Apollo Music Awards will be held on May 11 at 7:00 p.m. featuring the entire music department. 

  Athletics Department
Spring athletic results will be updated in our next edition of the newsletter.
 
Summer Camp : All Summer Camp dates and times are published and posted on http://il.8to18.com/RBHS under Resources. Sign-ups and payments will go through our Business Office.
 
The Riverside Athletic Boosters are always appreciative of your help. They will be needing help in the Fall Season. Be sure to join their cause next fall. Email rbboosterclub@aol.com or visit them online at: www.rbhs208athletics.org/boosters.
 
Fall sports will be here before you know it!
Football and Girls and Boys Golf, begins Monday, August 7.  All other Sports - Girls Tennis, Girls and Boys Cross Country, Girls Swimming, and Boys Soccer will start Wednesday, August 9.
 
Registration for Fall Sports must be completed before any student can practice. Registering online is the only way to complete the registration. A REMINDER TO ALL THAT SCHOOL PHYSICALS ARE NEEDED BEFORE PRACTICE STARTS. Give yourself plenty of time to schedule. Also if you are planning vacation time, the first week of August 1 - 6 is a time that high schools cannot have any official practice.
 
To help keep the Bulldog Community connected, sign up and follow us on TWITTER, @rbhsathletics

   Student Recognition
Student of the Quarter - 3rd Quarter Recipients
On March 24, we celebrated students who were selected by their teachers and/or administrators as the Students of the 3rd Quarter from each academic department, as well as a Building leader. These students were nominated by faculty for excelling in two areas: academics and character. 

 
Pictured Front Row: Maura O'Brien, Sigita Cuplinskas,
Back Row: Ava Willard, Mary Filec, Joseph Kinnan, Josh Diaz, Ms. Smetana, Principal; Kathryn Sessler, Addyson Haage, Jacob Spinello, Kimberly Hammond.  Not pictured: Christopher Funaki
 

Scholastic Bowl
Scholastic Bowl had an impressive season this school year. The JV team placed second in their conference. The Varsity team took first place in their conference and also swept the first four games played at the Turnabout Tournament.  The team had several all-conference players, including Erik Robertson and Henry Scheffer on Varsity and JV players Ben Schmitt, Gus Gladstein, and freshman Lindsey DeJesus. Furthermore, RB's Scholastic Bowl team placed fourth out of 12 teams at the Masonic Bowl Tournament and qualified for NAQT Nationals.
 
JV Members include: 
Varsity Members include:
Ben Schmitt (Captain)
Henry Scheffer (Co-Captain)
Lindsey DeJesus
Emma Strand (Co-Captain)
Eddie Stauber
Erik Robertson
Sydney Encher
Matt Michaelson
Paige Nehmzow
Cynthia Smith
Gus Gladstein
Jason Kenny
Evan Dunbar
Anna Souders
Marta Janas
Kaitlyn Garland
 
Grace Pekny
 
Joseph Kinnan
 
Nicholas Deeds
 
Google Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI)
Luke Dickeson, senior, was accepted to the Google Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI). This program is a three-week introduction to computer science for graduating high school seniors with a passion for technology. CSSI is an intensive, interactive, hands-on, and fun program that seeks to inspire the technology leaders and innovators of tomorrow by supporting the study of computer science, software engineering, and other closely related subjects. 
 
Students Earn Scholarships at the 25th Annual Scholarship Reception
Thirty-eight seniors from Riverside Brookfield were honored at the 25th Annual Scholarship Reception, which was held on Monday, April 24. Students were recognized for academic excellence, academic promise, extra-curriculum involvement in sports and clubs, and service to their community. Thank you to our very generous donors that awarded over $60,000 in scholarships. Congratulations to all of these students for their accomplishments.
 
American Association of University Women - Riverside Chapter Fine Arts Scholarship
Elena Bowie
American Association of University Women - Riverside Chapter STEM Scholarship
Jillian Lojas
Gerry Hejna P.E.O. Scholarship
Elona Selenica 
Best Buddies Scholarship
Samantha Bloom
Blood Drive Scholarship
Nicole Bajerek, Kate Barlow, Leanna Keen, DiAngelo Gonzalez
Brookfield Chamber of Commerce Scholarship
Monica Schmidt
The Teachers' Association of Brookfield Scholarship
Katelyn Storage
Kristen Fuerst Award
Taylor Jensen
Robert P. Gwinn Award
Diana Arreola
Otto Haack Memorial Award
Raymond Greco
Hispanic Organization of North Riverside Scholarship
DiAngelo Gonzalez, Lizbeth Servin, Melissa Tovar, Miseal Villegas
RBHS Spirit Award
Frankie Filec
Kiwanis Club of Brookfield
Galen Alaks, Matthew Armenta
RBEA Academic Scholarship Grant
Nicole Bajerek Elena Bowie, Evan Jones, Monica Schmidt, Melissa Tovar
Reneé Petit Fine Arts Scholarship
Elena Bowie
Riverside Bank & Trust Scholarship
Jovita Berzanskyte
Riverside Junior Woman's Charity
Cynthia Smith
Riverside Masonic Lodge Scholarship
Elona Selenica
Rotary Club of Brookfield-Riverside - In Memory of Deceased Members Award
Samantha Meizio
Rotary Club of Brookfield-Riverside - Outstanding Community Service Award
Nicole Bajerek
Aaron Semenske Memorial Scholarship
Joseph Rosa
James A. Swanson Memorial Scholarship
Dalila Ovalle, Elona Selenica, Melissa Tovar, Makenna Walsh
Rich Port YMCA Men's Club Service Award
Kate Barlow
  Staff Recognition
Ms. Carolyn Tomecek, English/American Literature Teacher, has been accepted into a summer institute funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities about "Slavery in the Colonial North." She selected this institute as the most beneficial to her American Literature students because of how little slavery has been explored in the north. She discovered this year that many of her students thought slavery was "just a south thing" and hadn't considered the extent of slavery in the north, as well as how major cities like New York City were built by slaves. The institute promises to also provide activities and tools to help support her discussion of the lingering effects of slavery in culture today. She is really excited to learn and collaborate with teachers nationwide.

Excellence and Ethics
in Education

 
Important Dates
Please check our website for the dates and locations of all performances and events.
________________________

May 9
Board of Education Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Room 201
 
May 16
Cap & Gown/Graduation Ticket 
Pick Up
Common's Area
 
May 16
Spring Art Show
6:00-7:00 p.m.
Art Pit
 
May 19
Senior Picnic / Yearbook Distribution
10:50 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Fieldhouse
 
May 19
Shenanigans Show
7:00 p.m.
Little Theater
 
May 23
Board of Education Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Room 201
 
May 26
Commencement Ceremony
6:30 p.m.
Dudley Gymnasium
 

Contact Us
(708) 442-7500
newsletter@rbhs208.net
See our website for individual staff email addresses
Event Schedules
Check the website for:

Athletic Event Schedules/Updates