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Vol. 36, No. 43
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October 27, 2021
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Monsters on Mainstreet trick-or-treat event returns Oct. 30 PAGE 7
THEY ONLY COME OUT
AT NIGHT
Brookfielders’ immersive Halloween display ‘Alive Inside’ a haunting hit
High school test scores decline in wake of pandemic year SAT composites at LTHS, RBHS drop about 3%; achievement gap persists
Raphael Mastroianni, left, and his husband, Rick Mastroianni, are right at home surrounded by their animatronic zombies which populate the “Alive Inside” immersive Halloween experience at 4208 Maple Ave. in Brookfield. Shortly after settling in their Brookfield home last year, the couple got quick to work, brainstorming how they would make their home come to life at Halloween, creating spooky set designs, outfitting animatronics ghosts and demons, purchasing elaborate props and installing movie set-style lights displays for a “Poltergeist on Maple Avenue” themed setup. Over the course of the season, the Mastroiannis noticed that aside from neighbors, pedestrians and passersby, people from outside Brookfield began to see what the buzz was all about.
After a year of remote and hybrid learning, standardized test scores dropped last year at both Riverside-Brookfield High School and Lyons Township High School. The Class of 2022 took the state-mandated SAT test in person last April with average scores dropping a little more than 3 percent at both schools. The average SAT score at RBHS fell by 34 points while the average SAT score at LTHS fell by 38 points. The average composite SAT score for the RBHS Class of 2022 was 1051, compared to 1085 for both the Class of 2020 and 2021. At LTHS the average SAT score for the Class of 2022 was 1093, compared to 1131 for the Class of 2020. The SAT was optional in 2021 due to the pandemic. Administrators at both schools said the drop in test scores is not surprising considering the impact of the pandemic and remote learning. “That brought unique challenges,” said RBHS Principal Hector Freytas. “Scores are a little lower, but we’re excited for this year, for the full year back to school, and I know we’re going to be better,
See ‘ALIVE INSIDE’ on page 10
See SAT SCORES on page 14
ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
By JACKIE PISANO Contributing Reporter
M
any people moving from the city to the suburbs do so spread out a bit -- a larger home, a backyard and quieter surroundings. But for Rick and Raphael Mastroianni, the move from Chicago to the 4200 block of Maple Avenue in Brookfield has allowed them to do something else they always wanted to do — finally go all out with elaborate Halloween decorations. Though the move meant a chance to explore Brookfield and meet new neigh-
bors, the Mastroiannis, who are selfavowed Halloween enthusiasts, knew they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to turn their new digs into the new spooky — but friendly — neighborhood haunted house. “We are totally Halloween people, and we both have creative backgrounds as well, so we use those skills we used before with film and photography and we put those ideas that we had to life,” Rick Mastroianni said about the inspiration behind decorating. Both Rick, who previously worked in film in New York City, and Raphael have prior experience in media and art positions.
By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter
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