#1StudentNWI: Looking Back At History At River Forest High School

RiverForrestOct1Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Going to State

On the chilly night of October 9th, Ingot fans both young and new gathered at the football field to honor the 25th Anniversary of the 1990 football team going to the Hoosier Dome. The game was much like a normal one during the beginning, with the Ingots dominating 20-0 against the Calumet New Tech Warriors by half time. Then, as the current football team headed off the field for halftime, a new team made their way back onto a field once very familiar to them.

The announcer requested everyone's’ attention as the 1990 River Forest Ingot Football Team was called out onto the field. Amidst the cheering and applause as the team walked out, the announcer retold the story of how the Ingots made their way to the Hoosier Dome. The retelling of the road to the Hoosier Dome recalled the many successful, consecutive wins this team had scored not so long ago. Each former team member was recognized, as well as the coaches that helped lead them to victory. Each member was also presented with a miniature football helmet modeled after the 1990 helmet.

After much applause and many photographs, the Golden Ingot Pride Marching Band stepped out onto the field to play their halftime show, which included Gimme Some Lovin’, Chattanooga Choo Choo, and Celebration. Both Gimme Some Lovin and Chattanooga Choo Choo had been played by the 1990 marching band during the halftime at the Hoosier Dome. While performing these songs, the band created shapes on the field: something that hadn’t been accomplished in over fifteen years. At the end of the final song, the band formed a giant RF that spanned much of the 100 yards. The band marched off the field in this formation to applause and satisfaction in this accomplishment.

RiverForrestOct2Athletics

Football- To say that the River Forest Football team is outshining expectations is really an understatement. With great win after great win, the Ingot boys now have a four-game winning streak- the longest since 2011. On October 2nd, River Forest went against longtime rival Edison High School. The Ingots won with an astonishing 39 to 0. On October 9th, the Ingots faced Calumet New Tech at home and won with a well-played 23 to 8. On October 16th, River Forest faces against Whiting High School at home. Fans and players alike are excited to see if and how the great Ingot winning streak will continue.

Volleyball- Per usual, the Ingot volleyball teams have been practicing hard and playing harder. However, the team is never too busy to support others in need. The annual Dig Pink game was held on October 5th against Hebron High School to raise money cancer research. The Ingots all wore pink in honor of breast cancer survivors. This event brought out many and was able to successfully raise over a hundred dollars to donate.

"We played well," says freshman Hailey Bianco. "We are sad the season is ending this week, but we had an amazing season this year."

Cross Country- The 2015 season has been filled with hard work, success, and memories that will last a lifetime. October brings the end of the long, rewarding season. On October 3rd, the team traveled to North Newton for their conference. Each team ran hard, with the boys coming in 7th place and the girls coming in 6th place. Then, in the final meet of the year, the team attended sectionals at Lemon Lake. The entire team gave their all one last time, with many members being only a few spots away from placing, with senior Christopher Ramos placing 12th. Ramos will run again on October 17th at Lemon Lake in hopes to advance even farther.

RiverForrestOct3Student Shout Out

In a small school like River Forest, it isn't easy to blend in. Exceptional students are often widely known and involved in numerous extracurricular activities at one time. For Ivan Alatorre, this is nothing new.

Ivan Alatorre is a junior at River Forest High School and a very busy one at that. Ivan is the Secretary of the River Forest Honor Society, a member of the Academic Team, a member of the cross-country team in the fall, and a member of the track team in the spring. In addition to these demanding activities, Ivan is an honors student with a GPA higher than 4.0.

In his limited free time, Ivan likes to listen to music and also helps out with the youth group at the Church for Adoration in Gary. Faith is a big part of Ivan’s life. A devout catholic, Ivan recently traveled to Philadelphia to see the Pope.

“It was amazing. I would love to see him again,” said Ivan, shortly after his trip.

After graduating, Ivan would like to major in Theology or Philosophy, and minor in Psychology. Though he isn’t completely sure where he would like to attend college as of now, Ivan is strongly considering Marian University in Indianapolis. He is sure to be successful in all his future pursuits.

Teacher Shout Out

If you happen to find yourself walking in the upstairs hallway of River Forest, it's nearly impossible to miss the tall 6'7 frame of Mr. Summerville.

Indeed, Mr. Summerville is a larger than life character, and if you have the privilege of being in one of his classes, you will see that his sense of humor is even larger than he is. However, no great character could be such without a humble beginning. Mr. Summerville is no exception.

Mr. Summerville started his journey at Gary Roosevelt High School. From an early age, Summerville discovered he had a love for all things mathematical. After Roosevelt, Summerville attended Purdue West Lafayette and earned a bachelor's degree in General Management and a minor in Marketing.

"Sometimes while you are in college, you get the opportunity to take an elective that doesn't relate to your major or minor," Summerville says. "Usually a student takes this opportunity to take something fun and easy. Any time I had this chance, I would always take some sort of math class."

When Mr. Summerville was young, his father saw his passion for math and told him that he would make a great teacher. Though this idea sounded appealing, Summerville had numerous others warning him that "there was no money in teaching."

Although Summerville was discouraged, he often found himself helping an employee in the break room so they would get their G.E.D or tutoring some kids in math. He would also take several days off at work to help his wife at the school she taught at.

Much to his surprise, Mr. Summerville found he was only a couple of classes away from having a minor in Mathematics. Summerville attended Purdue Calumet to obtain his major, and then finished his education at Calumet College for Education.

When asked what he enjoys most about teaching, Summerville said, "What I enjoy most about teaching is when I witness the students finally realizing that Math is not as hard or as scary as they always thought it would be. Seeing years of doubting themselves turn into confidence is really awesome."

In his free time, Mr. Summerville enjoys watching cartoons, anime, or playing video games like Super Smash Bros.

Upcoming events:

October 14th- Band concert for beginning, intermediate, high school, and jazz band

October 16th- Football Game against Whiting High School at home

October 17th- Cross Country regionals at Lemon Lake