Prom 2018
Just like every other school, prom season is a long-awaited time of the year. This year’s prom was held at Fiesta Palace on Friday, May 11, 2018 and was planned, as always, by the junior class prom committee and class sponsor, Heather Barkauskas. The juniors established a theme of old hollywood and held an elegant and extraordinary evening by incorporating the new with the old.
The night started with a grand march at the high school with the red carpet rolled out for the students to show themselves off to the community. After a lot of pictures, the prom goers headed over to the venue for an amazing night of dancing and making memories.
About half way through the night, the prom court was brought onto the floor and Erika Cervantes and James Dabney were crowned king and queen. The night soon came to an end but the lifetime memories were endless.
Fine Arts Showcasing Their Talents
The end of the year is approaching and fine arts students are showcasing their talents to the community through competition, performance, and displays throughout April and May. All the fine arts students have been working countless hours to achieve great things this school year.
On May 5, 2018 the high school competed at Music in the Parks at Six Flags for the first time. They had a full day in Gurnee, Illinois. They started off the day at Warren High school where they competed three pieces for a judge. After that, all the students went to Six Flags for a fun day. Students were able to explore the park and experience some of Six Flags greatest thrills.
The evening quickly approached and the choir headed to the Grand Music Hall for the awards ceremony. The choir ended up receiving second place in their division. After awards everyone got to go on one more ride or two before heading home.
The high school advanced concert band also competed recently at the ISSMA organizational contest at Hanover Central High School. The band performed three pieces of music and received a gold rating from the judges. After the competition the band continued their tradition and went out for lunch at Dairy Queen across the street to celebrate a job well done.
Art students from all levels also had the opportunity to show off their hard work in the annual art fair. The best 2D and 3D pieces from middle school all the way up to high school AP were displayed throughout the multi-purpose room for all to enjoy.
Lastly, the theater department is currently working towards putting on their end of the year show. This year they will taking their talents to Evans and Meister Elementary on May 21 to perform “A Mixed Up Fairytale” and “The Three Little Pigs.” They will then open to the rest of the community that night at 7 in the multi-purpose room.
Student Spotlight: Remembering Haley Kay Ralph
Two years and a half years ago tragedy struck the River Forest Community. Shortly after school on November 11, 2015 a beloved freshman, Haley Ralph, was in an ATV accident. The entire school felt the impact of this tragic accident. Though times were dark, the wave of love and support from the River Forest family soon illuminated the entire community and still does to this day.
A warm breeze swept through the region this past week as River Forest took the field. The sound of bats hitting balls and the chants and applause rang from the bleachers. It was an environment that always brought a smile to the softball crazy Haley Ralph. Her number three jersey has been hanging on the dugout fence since the accident.
It was no doubt that Haley’s spirit was with the Lady Ingots this past week, especially with two of her closest friends, Desirae Yanez and Hailey Bianco. Both girls have dedicated every game to their dear friend since the tragic loss. They also went into their junior year with the same goal; to hit their first home runs for her, which they each accomplished this past week.
Bianco and Yanez both grew up with Haley Ralph playing softball at Lake Station Little League. Saying goodbye to their best friend was a difficult moment but they proceeded to play in her memory. Years later their hard work has paid off as they continue to honor their fallen Ingot.
Staff Spotlight: Behind The Scenes of Prom
The junior class sponsor, Heather Barkauskas, is the women behind all the madness of one of the biggest events of the year, prom. She has put in countless hours of work to pull off such an amazing night year after year with the help of her prom committee.
“My kiddos are the reason I love what I do, all I need are about seven kids who are willing to work hard and that’s exactly what I got,” Barkauskas stated.
The great decorations and all the little details that made prom so great was all because of the work of Barkauskas with the help of her committee’s creativity.
Barkauskas is also one of the school librarians and has definitely not received the much needed recognition she deserves for all her hard work. Thank you for all you do.