Every time I come home from college, I visit Roosevelt Middle School and catch up with my former teachers and principal. As a future teacher, I have spent a lot of time observing in various schools, and have yet to find one that compares to Roosevelt.
I had teachers at Roosevelt whose classes were so challenging that I felt completely prepared for high school. Those classes were also enthralling. Much of what I learned has stayed with me: I still check up on the stocks I picked in a stock market game in Ms. Jarzab’s class, still use a multiplication trick I learned from Ms. Schwichtenberg, still remember how Ms. D’Agostino taught me how to tune a guitar in music class, and still use the defensive stances that Coach May taught me when I played on the eighth grade basketball team.
My younger brother and younger sister both had equally positive experiences at Roosevelt. All three of us benefited greatly from the skilled teachers we had, and were forever changed by the friends we made at Roosevelt.
For me, Roosevelt continues to play a large role in my life, even all these years later. Ms. Trahanas, Roosevelt’s principal, has been a great mentor for me. She has consistently taken time out of her busy schedule to help prepare me to be a successful teacher. She and my other teachers from Roosevelt were big influences on my decision to become an educator.
Roosevelt has a tremendously positive influence upon the residents of River Forest, and I am proud to have attended such a fine school. I only hope that those who follow me at Roosevelt will have the same opportunities that I had. With that in mind, I urge you to support the students and teachers of Roosevelt, and the village of River Forest as a whole, by backing the voting yes for the school referendum on March 21.
Mike Soffer
Junior, Brandeis University
