What’s recently happened?
River Forest High School (RF) Homecoming week has just recently ended with fun activities and the annual dance. RF had its annual Homecoming celebration starting with Spirit Week. All week, students dressed up to a theme, and the more students in each grade dressed up, the more points that class year received.
The theme this year was “A Hollywood Homecoming.” The Spirit Days leading up to the big day included Popcorn and PJs, Oscar Night, Dynamic Duos, Athletes Versus Mathletes, and School Spirit.
On Friday, the Homecoming Court Queen and King were announced. The nominees this year for the senior Homecoming Court were Doraluz Garcia Camacho, Ashley Gonzalez, D’yanna Hurn, Mackenzie Koby, Katy Mckim, and Rayannah Norman for Queen. Gerald Avalos, Meco Barnes, Phillip Clanton, Ayden Silver, Jeremiah Stansil, and Royce Tompson were nominated for King. Taking the titles were Gonzalez and Stansil for this year's Homecoming King and Queen. Congratulations!
What’s coming up?
October is coming up so that means it's the start of the celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month. RF is back again celebrating this tradition with a Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) school event. Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican tradition where families celebrate their passed loved ones by bringing their favorite foods and activities and paying their respects.
The event will include many fun activities for kids and parents such as face painting, rock decorating, dancing prizes, and snacks. There will also be a variety of free books for kids to take home and a Title 1 presentation about recognizing diversity and inclusion. Come join the fun and celebrate!
Staff spotlight:
Maria Ramirez is a RF Spanish teacher. She started her journey with RF when she was in kindergarten and continued all the way through her senior year of high school. She has been teaching for 10 years. She has professionally taught for six years and was a substitute teacher for the other four.
Ramirez was born in Mexico and came to the U.S. at 3 years old. She started her education, going to John I. Meister Elementary School. Her love of books when she was younger helped her learn English faster.
“The culture was different, and I learned a lot from books about the United States,” Ramirez said. “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher – that’s why I majored in Spanish. I’ve worked in the business industry for a while, but I knew I wasn’t satisfied.”
As a student at RF, she was always involved in many clubs and activities to help her adjust to her new life in the U.S.
“I enjoyed adapting to this country by being in clubs and different organizations,” Ramirez said.
As a teacher, she says it’s important that students join clubs and activities for this reason. Being a Spanish teacher has greatly helped her embrace her culture.
“Spanish is not just the language; it’s also about the culture,” Ramirez said.
She wants to show students how more enjoyable it is to learn about Latin countries.
“When we are learning about the different cultures, it gives you a better understanding of different situations going on around the world,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez’s upcoming and most popular event is her Loteria Night at RF. Loteria Night is a traditional Mexican bingo game usually played by family and friends. Many students and families who have now migrated to the United States come to play the game, and Ramirez wants to keep embracing that culture.
Ramirez teaches Heritage and Spanish I. Heritage is a class for students who have a strong background with Spanish and are a bit more advanced but aren’t as confident with talking in the language.
Ramirez’s students are important to her because, when she herself was a student, she didn’t have the representation and people who look like her. She wants her students to know that they can do whatever they put their mind to and wants to serve an example to her students.
“Learn new experiences and you will find your place,” Ramirez said.
Student spotlight:
Sally Pintakaew is a senior at RF known for her academic achievements and her outstanding choir performances. She has been and is in many school clubs such as the National Honor Society (NHS), LEGO Robotics, Student Council, and Relentless Peer Mentoring. She has had many achievements such as being part of the Principal's Honors List, and she even got an award for Outstanding 10th and 11th Grade Vocalist in Choir. She has also been chosen to be part of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.
Of course, her achievements are just a small part of her. She has many interesting and unique hobbies such as writing, playing Dungeons & Dragons, singing, photography, and listening to music.
Pintakaew has been a part of the NHS for three years, joining her sophomore year of high school. She is head of the most recent NHS charity project – Dark in the Park (DITP) at Twin Oaks Hobart – working with the New Chicago Parks Department (NCPD). The event is a spooky Halloween walkthrough for both children and adults to enjoy. There are snacks, face paint and music also playing throughout the park. Members of the NHS dress up in costumes and scare people who walk through.
Pintakaew has a good relationship with the NCPD, making it easier to work and maintain a good work environment with them and helping the other members feel comfortable working this event.
“DITP is special because not only do we raise money for both NCPD and NHS, we also collect socks for the homeless throughout this event,” Pintakaew said.
She has been the head of the committee for two years
“The president for that year had granted me the honor of being head of the committee due to my knowledge and connections with the NCPD,” Pintakaew said.
Some of Pintakaew’s future plans are going to college and hopefully getting the LilLy Endowment Scholarship to help her get into college. She has a high interest in writing, specifically fantasy books. She also would like to be a game master for tabletop role playing games or Dungeons & Dragons.
“I plan on taking one step at a time,” Pintakaew said.