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VOLUME 61, ISSUE 5

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AFFIRMATIVE ACTION OUTCOME Supreme Court decides if colleges can consider race in applications OLIVIA KIM

Editor-in-Chief

A

fter Harvard University freshman Leah Tadese got accepted to a number of competitive Ivy League schools, she posted her decision results on TikTok under her account @leah_tad. Her post gained over 450,000 views and thousands of comments.

Although many comments were positive and congratulatory, she said that others asserted that she only got accepted because she is Black. She tried to delete most of those comments because they were very misguided, let alone negative and hateful, but she ended up just choosing to ignore them because after a while, she became numb to the pain of reading them.

“You don’t know who I am. You don’t know what my application is. You don’t know how qualified I was,” Tadese said in an interview with the Prospector. “I feel like people are just making assumptions [because] … they are coping [with not getting accepted]. To just automatically assume that a Black person is dumber than every other race is ridiculous.”

After she was accepted to the most competitive school in the nation (with an acceptance rate of around 3%), many people assumed that Tadese’s success was due to affirmative action, which is defined as a set of policies and practices intended on including certain groups based on gender, religion, race, etc.

This is the basis of a civil lawsuit that the Supreme Court agreed to hear earlier this year. In this case, a group of Asian-American students filed a suit against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in 2015 after being rejected from those universities. This case will decide whether the consideration of race should be allowed in college applications.

The case against Harvard argues that white, Black and Hispanic students are favored in the admissions process over Asian-American students. The case against UNC argues that both white and Asian-American students are being unfairly discriminated against in admissions.

The Supreme Court will likely hear the two sides’ arguments in the fall of this year, according to the New York Times.

Despite Harvard being a private school, it receives federal funding through grants and therefore must comply with statutes that ban racial discrimination; UNC must do the same since it’s a public insitution and must follow the equal protection clause in the Constitution.

While this group of Asian students felt that they were being discriminated against because of their race, Prospect senior Jeongmin Lee thinks differently about his admissions decisions.

CAMPUS CONCERN: A high school student imagines themself stepping onto Harvard’s campus but wonders how affirmitive action will affect their application in the admissions process and how diversity will impact their college experience. (photo illustration by Olivia Kim)

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MARCH 14, 2021

DIVERSITY: New place, new people Lee applied to more than 30 colleges and was deferred from his top choice school. But even through his mental gymnastics of questioning what might have led the admissions counselors to deferring him, his race was not one of the items that concerned him about his application.

“I didn’t get the result that I wanted for my first decision, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to blame it on affirmative action, right?

I’m going to look at the things I did wrong and blame it on that,” Lee said. “I’m not going to … be like, ‘Oh it’s because of underrepresented minorities [that I didn’t get accepted].’

If you believe that, then that’s probably the mindset that’s not getting you into [that university].”

While Lee and Tadese do not believe that race was the deciding factor in their applications, they do think that it is important for race to be considered in applications. Including race in the admissions process is necessary for two reasons: the first being that race is an important part of individuals’ identities and the other being that it creates a more diverse campus environment, according to Lee and Tadese.

Race was an important factor, but not a primary one, on Tadese’s application that got her accepted to so many schools. She wrote an essay about Ethiopia and mentioned the fact that she created an organization in her hometown in Ohio to destroy racist policies.

These two facts are integral to her identity, so excluding her race would make it impossible for her to truly represent her experiences in her application.

The other benefit to considering race in the college admissions process is the issue of student body diversity. Tadese recalls going to an international formal event at Harvard as an immigrant from Ethiopia; there, she was able to meet students from all over the world, including others from Ethiopia, too.

While attending Harvard, she has tried many foods she never would have tried otherwise and has shared stories about people’s different backgrounds, opportunities that she wouldn’t be as exposed to at many other colleges. This experience is also vastly different from her time at high school since she was one of only three Black students in her school.

“Just learning about different things, about different people, [has been] really interesting to me,” Tadese said. “And I think everyone should be able to experience that in life and you shouldn’t be forced to be in a population of only white people or [only] Black people.”

Prospect post secondary counselor Diane Bourn believes that it is important for schools to establish a student body that is representative of the nation’s real popula-

tion: one that has racial and socioeconomic diversity. However, Bourn says that as bad as it sounds, if that diversity isn’t being forced, it is unlikely to happen. But that doesn’t mean that students of minority popu lat ions in college are u nqu a l i f ie d , according to Bourn.

B o u r n notes that at a competitive school like Harvard, there are far more applicants with the same academic metr i c s like SAT score or GPA than can be admitted. What sets students apart at that point are their experiences or extracurricular activities.

Bourn remembers going to a meeting with other counselors led by Duke University’s head of enrollment. One statement from that meeting that stuck with Bourn was that Duke University is “not looking for a well-rounded student, but a well-rounded student body.”

How Bourn interprets this message is that colleges are looking for individual students that will bring something new to the table; something that can only be achieved by admitting people with different interests, passions, backgrounds, etc.

“Being able to build a class where we have a lot of different people is only going to enrich our students, community and their experience that they then take out into the world,” Bourn said.

In order to create a diverse student body, more than just numerical statistics need to be considered in the application process. According to Bourn, this is why nearly all colleges use holistic review: the consideration of a variety of attributes including academic metrics, experiences, extracurricular involvement and what the student would contribute to the college community.

For example, Bourn says that those who

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Representation of Racial Groups in thein Ivy College League Racial Representation

Readthe the New New Read York Times’ York Times’ story on article onthese these Affirmative affirmative Action SCOTUS cases action cases

*according to the New York Times

*according to the New York Times

are wealthier are more likely to have access to resources to make themselves appear better on paper than those who may be lower-income or a non-native English speaker.

Therefore, that should be taken into account instead of just focusing on test scores.

Bourn thinks that if any factor were to be omitted from the application process, it should be whether someone is a legacy student or not.

According to The Guardian, 43% of Harvard’s white students are either recruited athletes, legacy students, have parents that donated to the school or are children of Harvard employees.

These white students are getting an advantage, so it only makes sense that colleges work to increase underrepresented minority populations in their student body through other means like affirmative action, according to Bourn. “[The statistic] … does not make any sense at all to me because it’s just taking a giant step backwards in time — giving priority to the advantaged,” Bourn said.

2021 Prospect alum and current Harvard freshman Mary Catherine Hanafee LaPlante reaffirms that number based off of her own experience on campus and estimates that among the school’s white students, about 15 to 20% are related to a Harvard undergrad-

uate alum.

Even though Hanafee LaPlante’s mother is an alum from Harvard’s graduate school, she thinks this fact barely benefited her application, if at all, based on the notes admissions officers wrote on her Harvard application.

What the admissions officers did write and can be assumed led to her acceptance was their high rating of her letter of recommendation from Principal Greg Minter and their commendation of her initiative in creating organizations outside of school.

For example, she helped pass a law to make it a requirement that all Illinois college bathrooms have menstrual hygiene products.

Even though she is white, she did not feel like she was at a disadvantage, and she attributes her success to the work she put into her high school life beyond her near-perfect test scores.

Hanafee LaPlante, Tadese, Lee and Bourn all think that affirmative action is important in colleges and that it’s a misconception to believe an acceptance or rejection is based solely on policies aligned with it.

“If you use affirmative action to tear down students of color who get into these schools, you’re a loser and should reevaluate the way you’re living,” Lee said.

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MARCH 14, 2022

3

Spotlighting Black authors in media CHARLIE DAHLGREN Managing Editor

J

ournalist and author Maudlyne Ihejirika was always riveted by her mother’s story of their family’s escape from Nigeria during the Biafran War — the fifth worst genocide of the 20th century, according to Ihejirika. The memoir recounts the brave tale of the single mother of six (one of which being Ihejirika) and her journey to track down her lost husband in order to escape was one that she had been waiting to bind into pages for as long as she could remember.

“I had been wanting to write it most of my life,” Ihejirika said. “I thought it was a narrative of love, of faith and of inclusion. I thought it was a message relevant to today and for all time.”

But the problem for Ihejirika came when she was ready for the book, titled “Escape from Nigeria: A Memoir of Faith, Love and War,” to be published. Although she saw the story’s importance and potential, many publishers didn’t share that perspective, and she struggled to get the book out to the world.

“Of course it’s difficult to publish diverse narratives — more difficult than mainstream narratives — but if it’s something that you’re committed to, you just keep knocking on publishing doors until you get it told,” Ihejirika said.

The book was eventually published in 2016, but the experience left Ihejirika with a new understanding of the struggles Black authors face when taking on careers in media.

This was a struggle that English Language teacher, Patricia Hernandez, noticed .

Now, she is doing her part to elevate different cultures in the media thanks to a small group of students that agreed to help her out. Hernandez is always looking for ways to amplify new voices at Prospect, so when she found inspiration online for a display honoring a variety of Black authors, she decided she should pitch it to her classes to see if any-

FACE OF REPRESENTATION: A collage of books written by Black authors hangs in the commons. The mural which went up in Feburary in honor of Black History Month celebrates diversity and Black voices in the media (photo by Charlie Dahlgren) one might be interested in helping it come to life.

From that day on, the students had the power to make the display whatever they wanted. For those who worked on it, that vision took shape as a face with a headband, glasses and lips made entirely of book covers of Black authors overlaid on a bright yellow backdrop.

“It was a different way of elevating Black voices aside from the normal [methods],” Hernandez said. “ … [It helps us] really [look] at the contributions that Black Americans have had … and also allows students to learn a little bit more about books by Black authors that they wouldn’t have known about other-

wise.”

Ihejirika appreciates the collage and any efforts students might be making to amplify Black voices in the media. Spending a 34year career in journalism and being a former President of Chicago’s National Association of Black Journalists expanded her understanding of the importance of hearing stories from people of all backgrounds.

“I think [the collage] is just wonderful … because that moves the needle,” Ihejirika said. “It might seem like a small thing, but it’s a huge thing because it’s [only] when all of us are doing our part to raise awareness of inclusivity issues that change will occur.”

Ihejirika describes the progress of Black

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representation in the media as something of a rollercoaster rather than simply a straight line towards progress. But the one thing that has stayed the same is how change can be accelerated or slowed based on the passion of the general public.

Ihejirika said that it’s important to ensure that younger generations are passionate and knowledgeable about Black literature in order to make sure that progress is sustained in the future.

“It’s always about when the citizenry rises up and the voices get loud enough that the nation responds to the issues that plague us,” Ihejirika said. “Our young need to be exposed to these stories. It’s the only way we’re going to affect change [in the long term].”

Hernandez agrees, but she also sees the benefits of reading Black literature beyond breaking down the barriers that people of color have to climb over to be successful in the media world.

“It’s the reality we live in,” Hernandez said. “Sometimes certain voices aren’t heard as much, and it’s important to elevate everyone’s voices because everyone’s experiences are valid.”

Hernandez has seen how much of an impact little things such as fictional characters sharing a last name with the reader or the representation of minor cultural experiences can have on her students that come from different cultures. According to Hernandez, engagement in literature rises with students if they observe relatability.

“There’s an instant connection and interest with what they’re reading because they feel like their experiences are valid,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez hopes that this collage might help some students feel that sort of connection to the school itself. She sees it as an opportunity to be the catalyst of change in revealing new voices at Prospect.

“It’s a beautiful piece, and I think it’s a great start to showcase the diversity we have at Prospect,” Hernandez said. “[To] create a culture where everyone is seen and everyone’s voices are heard.”

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4 OPINION LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Drop off letters to the Prospector in the box in the library, in room 163 or email letters to prospectornow@ gmail.com. All letters must be signed.

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STAFF EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Olivia Kim Alyssa Schulz MANAGING EDITOR Charlie Dahlgren COPY EDITORS Kailie Foley, Kevin Lynch, Ella Mitchell ONLINE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Jacob Siciliano Cameron Sullivan KNIGHT TV EXEC PRODUCERS Juliet Aquino Emma Letzig KNIGHT VOICES EXEC PRODUCERS Nolan Hamilton Kaylie Pasternak KNIGHT TV LIVE EXEC PRODUCER Luis Hernandez PROSPECTOR EDITORS Maeve Molina, Zach Moreth, PJ O’Grady KNIGHT TV DIRECTORS Cedex Estella, Katherine Lytle, Henry Kauke, Matthew Neimczyk ONLINE EDITORS Joey Delahunty Marina Makropoulos REPORTERS Dean Carlson, Alyssa Degan, Nic Fardella, Tito Gavin, Olivia Macina, Chris Rodriguez, Owen Walter VISUAL EDITORS Ondine Cella, Alexis Esparza, Bella Brouilette ADVISER Jason Block MISSION STATEMENT The primary purpose of the Prospect High School Prospector is to report news and explain its meaning and significance to our readers and the community. We, The Prospector, hope to inform, entertain and provide an unrestricted exchange of ideas and opinions. The Prospector is published by students in Journalistic Writing courses.

Some material is courtesy of MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service.

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MARCH 14, 2022

Flipping class, perspectives Staff Editorial Different learning structure effective for some students but flawed for many

J

unior Luka Kuzmanovic woke up at 5 a.m. one day during his sophomore year in order to study for his Algebra II test later that day. However, he wasn’t just preparing by doing last-minute practice or reading over notes. He was learning the entire chapter in one morning.

He had eight videos, all roughly 20 minutes long, to finish before the test. Having done none of the homework for the chapter because he knew it was not collected, he had waited until then to watch the videos FLIP OR FLOP? Students learn with two different methods: traditional and flipped and hoped he could learn the material well structures. Trying to bridge the gap between students who prefer either learning style enough to store for his test. can prove essential for increasing student engagement. (cartoon by Bella Brouilette) While he still managed to earn a B on the test, Kuzmanovic says that he quickly forgot two hours apiece to create. Despite having to such as higher academic success, greater much of the material he learned in that class work close to 90-hour weeks that first year, connection to the school community and due to his cramming, which made this year’s Hernandez was encouraged by the immediimproved social-emotional health, according Honors Precalculus/Calculus A class more ate results of her decision to flip. to education services company Branching difficult for him, a fact he is well aware of.

She saw many more students moving Minds.

“Of course, it’s my fault,” Kuzmanovic This engagement may not be measurable their grades up from Cs to Bs and Bs to As, said. “ … Of course, it’s my fault for putting and the average score on one test in particuwith test scores or statistics, but it is equaloff all that work, but that opportunity [to put lar increased by roughly 15%. ly vital to maintaining students’ motivation it off] was given to me because I had to sit to succeed. While a flipped classroom may “The data I have shows that kids are down and [learn] of my own show student improvement on paper, the more successful in this volition.” method, and I’m not importance of creating an active learning In addition to his own prosaying it’s a one size environment is equally high, something that crastination, there is one othHernandez is keenly aware of. fits all kind of thing,” er factor that Kuzmanovic “In an ideal flipped classroom … you’re Hernandez said. “But I believes helped push him to do know that kids who just asking questions and … doing activikeep putting off the work: the struggle with it don’t ties,” Hernandez said. “I think that’s a huge flipped classroom structure. element of the flipped classroom that’s imregularly watch their While many students might portant, the community … bouncing ideas videos … but I’ve had point to the traditional strucoff of each other.” students who were so ture of learning concepts However, while Hernandez does her best resistant … totally buy in class and applying those into it by the end of the to foster a collaborative class space for stuconcepts through homework Voting results of The dents to work in, she recognizes that the year.” as the most effective way to amount of actual in-class engagement does However, this Prospector staff in learn, many recent studies not always meet her goals — something wasn’t the case for regards to this editorial. done across the country sugthat can, she says, be partially attributed to junior Elise Gadson. gest otherwise. “Flipping” this Gadson prefers the flipped classroom for a COVID-19 limitations. conventional method of teaching on its head number of reasons, though she believes that Kuzmanovic feels that the lack of engageinvolves having students watch video lessons in the end it just comes down to each stument in his own class has served to decrease at home and complete assignments in class. his enjoyment of it, giving him less motivadent’s preferred learning environment.

Through this method, some argue, stution to get work done, and says that he per“A lot of people don’t like [the flipped dents can retain more knowledge and have sonally misses the traditional classroom forclassroom] because they feel they’re learnmore varied opportunities to apply said ing so much on their own, but for me, that mat in which students can build off of one knowledge with teacher support as they do makes me understand the material better … another’s questions and receive help from their classwork. so it plays more to that learning style that I the teacher during the lesson.

Benefits to the flipped system include lessGadson, despite preferring the flipped enjoy,” Gadson said. ening the typical nightly workload, allowing format, feels that her current AP Calculus However, this resistance is still somestudents time to pause and rewind the videos thing that Kuzmanovic feels strongly about. AB class effectively allows both groups to enin case of distractions and giving students joy their preferred learning style.

He acknowledges that the flipped classroom more time to ask questions and complete In this slightly altered format, students can lead to better grades for many students, more varied activities in class. but he also feels that this cannot and should still watch video lessons at home and comMath teacher Dominique Hernandez had not be the only criteria by which flipped plete work in class, though her teacher also heard positive things about the flipped classgives students the option to review and ask classroom is judged. room as it became more popular, but she questions as they go over the notes in class, We, Knight Media, believe that the flipped didn’t feel the urge to make the transition classroom is a valid and helpful form of providing students who may have been conuntil she attended an information session fused or unfocused during the video with a teaching for many students and that many about the flipped classroom on the first instistudents can achieve highly under it if they chance to reaffirm their understanding. tute day of the 2013-14 school year.

This structure allows students like Gadare willing to adapt to its different structure.

Early on, the process of producing videos son who are usually comfortable with the However, school is not just about earning rapidly enough to keep up with her students good grades. We believe that if students feel material to ignore this lesson and get a head was rigorous, as videos took her roughly that the flipped classroom is in fact giving start on the work, whereas students who

2

Against

15.9% of students* prefer the flipped classroom structure

23

For

need the extra help can receive in-person instruction at no cost to their peers.

We acknowledge that asking teachers to drastically adjust their lessons simply because of the complaints of one group of students is unreasonable, but further implementation of this specific format of the flipped class would alleviate the problems some have without forcing teachers to rerecord hundreds of lessons.

The flipped classroom is still relatively young, and while it has proven that it can hold definite benefits for students like Gadson, it is unfair to students like Kuzmanovic to be expected to easily conform to a learning environment that does not suit them. By of students* have no communicating with students about their Preference preferences and needs, teachers can help give every student the necessary support, regardless of which class structure they prefer.

“I think that everybody can be successful, no matter what framework that you’re working in, whethof Students* prefer the er it’s traditional or a flipped class,” traditional class Hernandez said. “It’s about figuring out how to be successful within that Structure model and … that’s part of the learning process.”

them a less engaging classroom experience, teachers must also make an effort to accommodate their concerns and try to foster a more collaborative learning environment.

Indeed, school is first and foremost a place to learn, but student engagement is not to be written off as unimportant; it is the root of many crucial factors for students

20.9%

63.5%

*according to a Prospector survey of 171 students

PROSPECTORNOW.COM

OPINION

MARCH 14, 2022

5

Out of school, out of discussion Athletes competing in non-school sanctioned activities lack recognition

T

he conversation often starts with questions like, “How much can you bench?” or “That’s a competitive sport?” Well, first of all, I don’t bench. And yes, it is a competitive sport. The conversation rarely includes questions like, “How do you manage to stay on top of your school work?” or “Can I come watch you compete?”

But hey, that’s what happens when you tell your peers that you’re in an Olympic weightlifting club.

Being an athlete that trains for a non-school sponsored sport comes with its challenges like any other sport, such as the rough practices or mental MOLLIE blocks the athlete has to persevere KEARNS through. That being said, there are also Staff Writer social challenges that arise, especially in connection to friends or classmates.

At the beginning of the school year when my classes did icebreaker games, there were a handful of people in each class with a puzzled look on their face when I mentioned that I am in a weightlifting club. It’s not exactly the most common thing you hear; it would be a different story if I said that I ran track and field.

It stings a little bit each time my friends and I are talking about how long it takes us to do homework each night, and then they start to change the topic after I mention how long I’m at practice each night and that I have to start my homework on the drive home.

I don’t believe that it’s because they don’t care; I think it’s because they just don’t understand what I do. Having this lack of connection can make conversations hard because competitive weightlifting isn’t exactly the easiest thing to relate to.

JUST FOR KICKS: Three-time USA Taekwondo National Champion and sophomore Elizabeth Marinov practices against a training dummy. Many students like Marinov who do activities outside of school are often unfairly excluded from discussions about athletic achievements because their sports are not as popular or well-known to their peers. (photo courtesy of Elizabeth Marinov) If I say I can’t go to a basketball game or the occasional club meeting after school because I have training, I will sometimes get asked, “Well, can’t you just skip?” I mean I could, but that’s not how I’m going to be the high-level athlete that I’m aspiring to be. It’s not as simple as just skipping a day or cutting out sets in my program. However, I do understand that it is my choice to be as focused on my training as I am.

Sophomore Elizabeth Marinov can relate to some of the same experiences. Marinov is a three-time USA Taekwondo National Champion and has been training for nine years competitively. Being at that high of a level, she travels often for training camps and competitions, both nationally and internationally.

Marinov has missed out on countless social events due to her traveling, training and competition schedules. These include every last day of school, school sporting events and one time even the first week of school.

“I chose to do taekwondo at this level be-

cause it’s what I love to do,” Marinov said.

“So I’m not sad that I have to miss a social event because I knew what I was getting myself into when I first started competing.”

Additionally, it is crucial for Marinov to always stay on her A-game. She knows that if she starts slacking or puts in less effort in her training, opponents will notice and use that to their advantage.

“Many people don’t really understand taekwondo,” Marinov said. “ ... People probably think they understand how much dedication goes into the sport, but until they are in the exact position you are in, they will never truly get how hard the sport is.”

Aside from a casual mention at the beginning of the school year, you would have never known that there was a world class athlete walking the hallways of Prospect.

Similarly, Girls’ Athletic Director Rebecca Schilz shared that when she first started at Prospect, there was a girl who was training for the Olympics for figure skating attending our school. This would have never

come across her radar if one of the girl’s coaches hadn’t reached out to her.

On the morning announcements, we see ads to come out and support the teams at their games, but there’s no mention of a competition happening for someone else who doesn’t associate with those programs.

Something as simple as a social media post congratulating those specific athletes on their accomplishments is a possible way to increase this type of coverage.

“I believe that is a gap in something that we have here,” Schilz said. “We have a lot of really skilled performers … it’s ... just sports that aren’t necessarily doing [programs] at our high school.”

Though your program may not be offered at Prospect, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t someone out there interested in what you do. In our respective sports, we have communities that understand what it means to be an athlete in that field, and that support should feed into other aspects of our lives, particularly school.

Extracurricular conflicts create tension, stress for students

My heart dropped as I took a deep breath and felt my disappointment sink in: the spring musical was, once again, overlapping with the girls’ soccer season. I had no reason to be surprised by the timing; I’ve had to choose between soccer and theater every year of high GRETA school prior SPORCICH to this one.

HowevStaff Writer er, choosing senior year was extra difficult since it was my last chance to participate. Will I regret my choice? What will my parents think of what I choose? After a few hard days of thought, I ultimately decided on auditioning for the spring musical, while feeling extreme disappointment over the fact that I was giving up the sport I’ve played and loved since I was a toddler.

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, “students who play multiple sports have a reduced risk of overuse injuries, have better mental development and teamwork skills, and have a reduced chance of burnout in sports.” By giving up a sport, teens are shorting themselves on the countless benefits that come from crossing boundaries.

Sophomore Kelly Jordan is no stranger to the ultimatum that I

faced. After playing travel soccer for most of her life, Jordan was forced to lay down the sport her freshman year due to her other commitments in the fine arts department at Prospect. With both girls’ soccer and the musical in the spring, Jordan made the decision to stick with theater because of her enjoyment and already large commitment in the fine arts. As much as she loves theater, giving up soccer was not an easy switch.

“I miss the team experience and the team bonding, as well as just playing with my family or my friends watching,” Jordan said.

Jordan’s soccer practices were two to three times a week, with games on weekends, and her theater rehearsals are typically every night. For some musical rehearsals, Jordan would be at rehearsal from right after school to 9:00 P.M. Although she acknowledges it would be tricky, Jordan believes that more acceptance from coaches and flexibility with schedules could help allow kids to participate in two activities.

Theater director Jeremy Morton believes that there are ways and opportunities for students to participate in a couple activities at Prospect, but it all comes down to the timing. Morton had students who couldn’t participate in the musical because they were involved in softball, and wrestlers who couldn’t participate in the winter play because of the conflict. “... Students have to make that choice which is best for them, and I respect and celebrate that choice if that makes them happy and helps them follow their path,” Morton

said.

Another issue, Morton points out, is the heavy workload that high school students take on and the added pressures that are included with multiple activities. “[Students] feel very stressed and sometimes overworked, and [with] school and everything, if students were involved in multiple activities, that just adds to that level of stress and less time to do work and school,” Morton said.

As someone who has tried to do two activities at once, I will admit, it is very stressful and sometimes hard to manage. But that doesn’t mean that students aren’t capable or not up to the challenge. High school is supposed to be the time for us to figure out our passions and interests, and if we aren’t able to branch out and try everything, how will we ever really know what we want to pursue?

My own mom often tells me about how she regrets not being on her school newspaper staff in high school. For her, her time commitments in fine arts throughout the year never allowed her to make the club meetings, and her drama classes didn’t allow her time for the journalism class.

A big trend in high school education right now is discovering “career pathways.” The flaw in this method is that many students don’t know their passions before entering high school, meaning that by not taking a certain class, they may not figure out their potential pathway. Similarly, being forced to pick and choose between activities can lead to lifetime regret and can also restrict them career wise in

JUGGLING ACT: A student tries to balance all of their various extracurriculars. For many students, dealing with several overlapping activities can be create difficult choices. (cartoon by Bella Brouilette) the future.

The problem causing the lack of exploration lies within the school day itself. After seven-hour-long school days, students are worn out and barely have enough energy or time to participate in one activity, let alone two, and complete their school work. I think this could be approached by allotting a time slot during the school day, specifically for activity participation, to allow for every student to branch out and

try something new while not taking up extra time after school.

I know I would appreciate being able to work on theater during the day and play soccer after school, and many others would too. No one wants to look back on their youth and wish they did more. Allowing students to participate in multiple activities could shape us into more versatile people who are passionate about what they do, and I think the whole world would benefit.

6 INDEPTH

PROSPECTORNOW.COM

MARCH 14, 2022

Breaking it down: nat

Moo-ving past dairy

OPINION

Ads impact dairy consumption, plantbased options

G

et in losers, we’re going to the dairy farms!

Actually, maybe not. I’m not totally convinced we need to take the 24-greenminute trek to the nearest local dairy farm to find some deliciously fresh milk. The reason? Milk. Is. Everywhere.

From the Milky Way above us (thanks Hera for spraying your breastmilk into the sky) to the school cafeteria (take the carton or perish, small child), the world is desperate to shove milk down our scrawny little ELLA throats.

MITCHELL I don’t know if there is some Copy Editor secret society of milk-heads working on the behalf of dairy farms via the numerous milk campaigns that have lassoed celebrities into rocking a milky mustache to support the cause, but there seems to be no shortage of those campaigning for the dairy-based substance.

Which, honestly, this is a bit surprising given the foggy health benefits of dairy milk and the numerous ways its production is killing the planet. It seems to me that if you can order your trendy Iced Caramel Macchiato with three shots of espresso and four pumps of vanilla with oat milk, you can at least extend some environmental courtesy to the planet the rest of the time you consume milk too.

Many have jumped onto the bandwagon of these plant-based milks, with similar thoughts. In fact, fluid milk sale revenue in the United States has decreased from nearly $19 billion in 2013 to less than $16 billion in 2018, according to a recent survey conducted by the Journal of Dairy Science. This can partially be attributed to the rise of many plant-based alternative milks being made from soybeans, peas as well as other nut and grain crops. In contrast, sales of non-dairy alternatives have grown by 61% since 2013, with retail sales reaching nearly $2.3 billion dollars in 2018.

Even still, the taste of traditional milk, the nostalgia of multiple marketing campaigns and its more cost effective benefits still manage to lure people to the dark side, which is unlikely to change anytime soon.

For example, Notre Dame College Prep junior and milk enthusiast Daniel Meyer says he doesn’t mind the taste of the plant-based alternatives, but the cost of them hardly justifies purchasing them over the original.

From a young age, Meyer’s mother encouraged her children to drink milk with dinner, despite not drinking milk herself. Though this most certainly helped foster Meyer’s love of milk — specifically of the 2% and vitamin D variety — he claims that his brother had

the biggest impact on his milky moo-tivations.

During the summers when Meyer’s brother would come home from college, his mom would come home from the store with a haul of nearly six gallons of milk. Between the two brothers, nearly a gallon of milk was guzzled a day.

For curious minds, a gallon a day is approximately five large glasses of milk per person. For Meyer, it is a casually-sipping sort of situation — used in any meal, when thirsty or for protein shakes. When in doubt, Meyer sips on some milk. He says his primary enjoyment of the dairy substance comes from the ability to cleanse the palate and its benefits for his body.

“I definitely feel like I’m an unusual case, because I drink an abnormal amount of milk.

But I feel like a bunch of people unjustly dislike it for no reason,” Meyer said.

“I do think it is good for you, like I think the calcium is good for you; I lift weights a lot, and the extra calcium strengthens my body. Milk just gets a bad rep.”

That “bad rep” might be coming from the fact that milk’s healthy origin story is actually born from propaganda.

Following World War II, the U.S. government, along with public schools, first dipped their toe into the milk bucket by recommending the dairy drink as nutritious and a vital component to a healthy diet.

Because when life gives you too much milk, you gotta gaslight an entire country into believing it is vital to having a good, strong body. Turns out, it worked, because by the ‘50s milk had become a main character in the American lifestyle.

Things really began to spoil beginning in the ‘60s, however, when Pepsi and other soft beverage creators began marketing their drinks in correlation with a youthful lifestyle. With the help of their aggressive marketing tactics, soda-makers were able to steal milk’s spot at the big kid table.

The idea of selling milk solely as a “healthy” beverage wasn’t enough to put up any real competition to their sugary competitors, but research conducted by Goodby Silverstien & Partners revealed that running out of milk was a source of frustration for many.

From this original frustration, the “Got Milk?” campaign was born. Turns out, all it took was a catchy slogan and a well-timed Aaron Burr joke in the original commercial in order to spread the “a glass of milk a day keeps the doctor away” ideology and spawn an iconic ad campaign t u r n e d pop - cu ltu re phenomenon.

Howeve r, even the popularity of the “Got Milk?”

Ad

campaign wasn’t enough to revitalize the milk numbers in their entirety, and milk consumption has been on the decline for many years. This may be due to the fact that some, like myself, have gravitated towards alternatives like almond milk, soy milk or oat milk.

Sorry, but there is no amount of money you can pay me to willingly consume a glass of a cow’s nipple juice or pour it over my Rice Krispies in the morning. Almond milk is the only joy of my family’s vegan days, so yeah, I’ll take my slightly nutty milk over that flem-y disaster that is cow milk any day of the week.

My milk preferences aside, dairy milk is still widely consumed by the masses due to its affordability and establishment of a household product. Despite these reasons as well as the perceived health benefits, dairy milk is, without a doubt, the most exhaustive milk form on the environment.

Considering the land use, water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, the stress each glass of milk puts on Earth is way more than just a drop in the milk bucket.

In fact, dairy generally requires nine times more land than any of the plant-based alternatives. With every liter of cow milk using 8.9 square meters per year, in comparison to 0.8 for oat and 0.5 for almond, the comparison isn’t even close.

This dramatic gap is true for water usage as well, with nearly 628 liters of water used for every liter of dairy produced in comparison to 371 for almond and 48 for oat. Additionally, a 2018 study conducted by scientists Poore and Nemecek estimates that dairy produces around three times as much greenhouse gasses as the plant-based alternatives.

To me, the solution seems simple: stop milking this cow milk thing. Seriously, there are so many options that will kill us and the planet less quickly so, like, go vibe with one of those, OK? Drink Hera’s sky milk for all I care.

Then again, I am a negatively-inclined almond milk enthusiast, so maybe it is easier said than done. I guess I’ll try not to have a cow over it.

cartoon by Whitney Madler

Culture, he OLIVIA KIM Editor-in-Chief

What is your favorite type of milk?

*According to a knight media survey of 153 students

13.4% oat milk

16.6% Almond milk 16.6% Whole milk

14% Skim milk

8.7% one-percent milk

30.7% two-percent milk

When Jenn Sebestyen w ing her first child around 1 she was browsing through a cookbook section. She unexpe across a plant-based recipe Silverstone’s “The Kind Die Guide to Feeling Great, Los and Saving the Planet.”

While she doesn’t know cifically made her pick up a book, she does know that doi er changed the course of her career.

“The stars kind of aligned right time [when] I read this Sebestyen said. “I knew I di feed [my child] … chicken nu ers, fries and … the tradition kid food.”

After reading the book, started applying it to her life, more plants to her plate and ferent plant-based dishes. Som family and friends would ask ipe, so she decided to make a w links to other people’s recipe came more comfortable creat recipes in the plant-based k added those to her blog too.

PROSPECTORNOW.COM

INDEPTH

MARCH 14, 2022

ture versus nutrition

7

Who you gonna call?

Myth busters! “milk builds strong bones”

A Harvard study followed 72,000 women for two decades and found no evidence that drinking milk can prevent bone fractures or osteoporosis. according to the Physician’s Committee For Responsible Medicine

“you can’t build muscle without meat”

Protein does exist beyond meat.

Additionally, vegans can get protein from foods such as tofu, lentils, chickpeas, beans, seeds, nuts and more. according to Medical News Today

“Milk helps you lose weight” This was actually refuted in Harvard’s Nurses’ Health Study, which followed the diets of more than 100,000 nurses for 30+ years. according to Jennifer Huber in an article written for Stanford Medicine News Center

ealth benefits inspire reduction in animal consumption for many

was expect13 years ago, a bookstore’s ectedly came book: Alicia et: A Simple sing Weight,

w what speand open the ing so forevlifestyle and

d … It was the [cookbook],” idn’t want to uggets, burgnal processed

, she slowly , introducing d trying difmetimes her her for a recwebsite with es. As she beting her own kitchen, she

Now her website veggieinspired.com is her full time job. She’s published three cookbooks and has appeared on CBS’s talk show, “The Doctors” to promote healthy plant-based eating.

The trend she’s promoting is gaining support across the country, as it’s not uncommon to see meat alternatives in grocery aisles. Plant-based food sales increased by 27% in 2020, making it a $7 billion market, according to the Plant Based Foods Association. Both senior Renee Bhanvadia and Sebestyen have noticed this change in stores and restaurants.

But for Bhanvadia, she grew up not knowing much different since, unlike Sebestyen, she didn’t grow up with the “conventional American diet.” Bhanvadia has been vegetarian for as long as she could remember. She grew up Hindu, so her family didn’t eat meat, but this was never a problem since there were plentiful Indian dishes that her family prepared, like butter paneer masala.

However, her peers weren’t so understanding of her heritage. In elementary school, kids around Bhanvadia reacted to her Indian food negatively. Because they were unfamiliar with the dishes she would bring to school during lunch, they would tell her that they smelled bad. So, she decided to start bringing more traditional American food to school lunch like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

When these reactions from her peers arose, they made her question her identity and whether she fit into American culture or Indian culture and why she felt like she couldn’t be both.

“I just realized that it doesn’t really matter what other people think, like it’s part of my culture,” Bhanvadia said.

“And if I like it, I don’t think it should matter what other people think about it.”

When Bhanvadia got more proficient at learning how to cook Indian food with the help of her mother, she started bringing those dishes to school again.

“I just see it as a positive aspect; I really like how I can use this as a way to connect with my … Indian upbringing and American culture because I can cook both types of foods and of … [more than one culture],” Bhanvadia said.

Misconceptions are easy to encounter. One is that both Bhanvadia and Sebestyen have found that people’s initial reaction to hearing them being non-meat eaters is assuming that they are uncomfortable with other people eating meat, which isn’t the case.

The only person Sebestyen has really

tried to convince to eat more plant-based food is her husband, social science teacher Mike Sebestyen, who grew up with a similar “all-American” diet like hers. But she says he doesn’t eat vegan all the time, which she doesn’t mind because he eats what she cooks at home and has come a long way. When she first told him about eating more plant-based, he was adamant about not being able to adopt the same diet.

Even Bhanvadia said she tried being vegan for a time, but it didn’t last long since she was unaccustomed to it. She is content with eating vegetarian though; she’s never felt like she’s missed out on eating meat.

Jenn said it was a slow process to becoming vegan. It wasn’t about cutting off all animal products; it was just about adding more plants to the plate. Outside of the house, she knows her children and husband aren’t religiously eating plantbased, and that’s totally OK. She thinks it’s about finding a balance between what one is happy with and just thinking about diet in a way that works for an individual.

Jenn says everyone can benefit from eating more plants; the more plants that are on your plate, the less room there is for processed animal products, consequently.

According to Medical News Today, studies have shown a correlation between increasing the amounts of processed foods eaten and significantly worsened heart health. One study specifically found that eating 10% more processed foods was associated with a 10% increased risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disorders.

To experience the benefits of this diet, Jenn also points out that this lifestyle is not all or nothing and that it doesn’t require sacrifice like many people fear.

Eating more plant-based is exactly how it sounds: eating more plants. Jenn has found many benefits in eating this way, like feeling healthier and not having any food-comas after meals.

According to Insider, studies have shown that eating plant-based can increase energy because the body isn’t having to spend more energy breaking down saturated fats and added sugars, which are commonly found in processed foods.

“Any food can be good or bad,” Jenn said. “You could make food tasty or not in any kind of diet. So it’s all about just finding the flavors and textures that work for you.”

8 FEATURES

PROSPECTORNOW.COM

MARCH 14, 2022

Say yes (or no) to the prom dress

Reoccurring Facebook group reaffirms intricacies of prom season

KAYLIE PASTERNAK Executive Knight Voices Producer

A

2021-22 prom Facebook group, which showcases aLready-bought prom dresses from students attending Prospect’s prom.

The founder of this year’s Facebook group, senior Hannah Mekky, ended up buying her own prom dress much earlier than others.

Due to her and her mom’s busy schedule, they started shopping in the middle of December, and ended purchasing the dress on Dec. 28.

That being said,Mekky didn’t start the group because of her early purchase, instead starting it because many of her friends and peers were asking her to do so.

From planning the senior sunrise at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year to being a main representative of the Associated Student Body (ASB) at Prospect, Mekky is not shy of being a leader when it comes to school events. Due to her role as a leader at Prospect, she took it upon herself to lead the way with the Prospect prom Facebook group.

S h e starte d the

s junior Catherine Fogarty scrolled through her phone after purchasing her dream dress, a wave of anxiety rolled over her as she realized the dress she once thought was so ideal and unique now had a fatal flaw: another student had already bought an almost identical dress.

Fogarty started prom dress shopping in the middle of January, deciding to start after finding out many others were already purchasing theirs. She made the trek to two stores, Gippers Prom and Peaches Boutique, both over 22 miles away Face from Prospect, and spent multiple book hours online shopping all in the pursuit of the perfect dress. group After three weeks of searching in early for the perfect prom dress online Ja nuand in store, Fogarty found “the a r y one” at Peaches Boutique. As she and put on the rose red sequin dress, says she knew she had found what she’d t h a t been looking for all along. it can b e “I put it on and I knew… ‘OK, I helpful in love this,’” Fogarty said. “Like I many ways. feel like if you don’t have that moMainly the ment, it’s probably not the right purpose is to m a k e dress.” sure that no dress is the same, To Fogarty, the steps to get the but Mekky also finds that the perfect prom dress moment were Facebook group can be a starting dependent on many factors. From point of prospective style options the shade, to the fit and length or where people can see differeven the comfortability, there are ent types of dresses on other many moving parts. But now, there students and get inspiration is an extra layer — the pressure for while also seeing realistic body students to snag the right dress betypes. fore their peers — on top of the ever “These models online obvigrowing list of what makes an ideal ously don’t have the same body prom dress. type as everyone at school. So T h i s just seeing people that have a simyear, as ilar age, body and maturity level prom in those is redresses turn… [is] i n g helpful,” back Mekky t h e said. usual T h e guideF a c e lines, b o o k t h e r e g r oup seems to has been be an exa tradi- Catherine Fogarty, pectation tion from when it m a n y junior comes to years bebuying the same prom dress as othfore this year, according to Mekky, ers. Participants must make sure which is one of the reasons it is still that their dress is not the same or on the platform. even similar to others already purWhile it is clear that the intent chased, according to Fogarty. and motivation behind the group In order to make sure of this, are meant to be positive, for peostudents can check this with the ple in a similar boat to Fogarty,

IT’S ALMOST ANXIETY PROVOKING TO FEEL LIKE YOU’RE NOT GOING TO FIND THE RIGHT DRESS.”

drawing by Ondine Cella

the group may cause more anxiety than intended.

“Sometimes it’s almost anxiety provoking to feel like you’re not going to find the right dress, especially with the Facebook [group]. You obviously can’t have the same dress as someone else, so yeah, I feel like I’m not going to find the dress that’s right for me before someone else [already found it],” Forgarty said.

With these high stakes in mind, Fogarty even remembers scrolling through her phone nearly 80 times a day during her shopping process to make sure that the dresses she was looking for weren’t already purchased.

That being said, this pressure to find a wholly unique dress isn’t universal.

In fact, both Mekky and Fogarty agreed that they wouldn’t

care if someone had a and then it’s like, similar dress to them, ‘No you can’t get it,’” but can understand Fogarty said. where other students According to are coming from with Mekky, the store their frustration. employees will ask “I think it’s just you lots of questhe fact that [prom] tions about your only happens twice school and zip code and it’s only for juto figure out which niors and seniors. So dresses you can and you work your way cannot buy. up to it … a lot of the scan the Qr to vieW 2022 Finding the perprom facebook group fect prom dress also seniors this year didn’t have it last year. So you only have often includes a hefty price tag. prom one time, so [not buying the Fogarty spent over $500 on her same dress as others is] even bigprom experience so far, but that ger of a deal,” Fogarty said. doesn’t account for how much she Mekky has seen mostly posiwill spend on her nails, hair, maketivity on the Facebook page, but up and accessories. does know of a few situations Prom as a whole is incredibly of conflict between those who expensive for some students. Forbought the same dress. She says garty couldn’t even find a dress that the issue is usually resolved under $350 at Peaches Boutique after a few days and everyone is or Gippers Prom. Finding an afvery understanding of each other. fordable prom dress is a challenge The Facebook group is not the for most that are looking in the dionly part of the prom dress prorection of those more specialized cess that prevents others from stores. getting the same dress. In Spending high amounts of fact, popular stores like money on a dress isn’t always reaGippers Prom and sonable or feasible for students.

Peaches Boutique Only 28.7% of students purchasing will not let you dresses would be willing to spend purchase $400 or more according to a Knight a dress Media survey of 171 students. if someFor those looking for cheaper one has options, stores like Windsor and already Lulus often are the way to go. . bought it There was also a “shopping day” in your zip on March 12 where the D214 Educode, accation Foundation partnered with cording to both companies like Macy’s to donate Mekky prom dresses to those who needed a n d them.

FogaAt the end of the day, the main rty. goal when it comes to prom dress shopping is finding something that While going to works for you. There most certainone of the popular ly are hindrances along the path prom dress stores, to finding the right dress, whether Fogarty was next to a girl who it be getting something unique or had found her dream dress, but staying on budget, but ultimately if to the girl’s shock, the workers you are happy with your dress, it is came up to her and informed all worth it in the end according to her that her dress was already Fogarty. purchased by another student “However much you spent within her school. on your dress, you want to look “I just felt so bad back and know you loved your for this girl, dress and looked good in it … if that [because prom] only happens were me I twice in your life. You want to would die look back and have those good because you memories. You want to look at found a dress pictures when you’re older and be that you like like, ‘Oh I looked and fits good, I loved my dress,’” Forgarty said.

ya u b ld ess not u d o l W m dr Wou prom e ro a buy for 8.2% 41.8% p r mor 0 s 5 fo 30 $ dres than n ha e t r o m $300

According to a survey of 171 Prospect students

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ENTERTAINMENT

MARCH 14, 2022

9

NEW GOTHAM: Matt Reeves’ new film, “The Batman,” provides, a fresh, unexpected take on the world of Gotham and further fleshes out the familiar characters. The stunning visuals and incredibly memorable score further underscore this exciting, must-see Batman epic. (Image courtesty of Warner Bros Entertainment)

braver and bolder ‘The Batman’ brings nuance, flair to familiar characters

Robert Pattinson, who is no stranger to playing an edgy twenty-something with a strong connection to bats, was arguably a perfect choice to portray this focused, haunted version of the character.

Over the movie’s three-hour runtime, he captures both the character’s pent-up anger and his quiet empathy with equal elegance. t’s strange to say that we live in a time In spite of the fact that all of their charwhere a Batman movie can be conacters had been put to screen so many times sidered “too serious.” For a character before, each member of the cast brings somewhose emblem is synonymous with garish thing fresh to their portrayal. elementary school backpacks, Throughout the entire movie, self-aggrandizing posters and it’s easy to draw parallels between oh-so-many LEGO Batmobiles, Reeve’s vision and that of Nolan’s it’s truly ridiculous to think that Dark Knight trilogy, but the disDC would even attempt to release tinctive stylistic flair that “The Batsomething that deviates even reman” brings is more than enough motely from the schlocky, easily to set the two apart. digestible comic-book fare that The most glaring difference we know and tolerate so well between the two interpretations nowadays. comes in their tone. While Reeve’s But for some reason, director is, in fact, incredibly serious and Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” is melancholy — I’ve been to funeranything but schlocky. It doesn’t KEVIN als with more jokes — the movie’s feel like they “did their best” with grim tone never feels oppressive or LYNCH what they had to get it out before edgy just for the sake of it. It hits the holidays. It doesn’t feel like the perfect sweet spot in regards to Copy Editor the script “did its job.” It doesn’t its gloomy atmosphere, and because feel like they tore the movie apart all of the elements of the movie fall beautifulin the editing room just to make something ly in line with its noir tone, the angsty illusion more “palatable.” It just feels like Reeves sat remains intact throughout the entire movie. down to make a good Batman movie, and he Likewise, there are several aspects to the did just that. movie that could easily be called out as cheesy On the topic of “being a Batman movie,” or unrealistic (looking at you, melodramatic that statement also doubles as the only plot opening monologue), but all of the movie’s summary necessary. Or, for more specificity, campier aspects are still executed with utter it’s a Batman movie with the Riddler. There. sincerity and a true-to-life vision that makes If you need more explanation than that, I realthem harmless if not endearing in the end. ly don’t know how to help you.

But if there was any part of “The Batman” The movie takes place during Bruce that made me fall in love with it the most, it Wayne’s second year as a crimefighter, which would have to be Gotham City itself. Gotham puts him in an interesting position as his solo has long been one of my favorite fictional lovigilante work begins to intersect (and at cations, despite being the last one I’d want to times butt heads) with that of the police. His live in.

Batman still comes across as brash and arroWhile so many other comic-book movies gant at times while also clearly demonstratsee heroes flying over or smashing through ing his cool, experienced demeanor. their world, Batman’s stomping grounds have

I

always felt more personal and lived-in than any other blockbuster world, with a seemingly endless amount of slums, alleyways and giant statues (yes, more than you’d think).

Many other Batman movies have put their own spin on the city, such as Tim Burton’s towering Gothic metropolis, Joel Schumacher’s glimmering bronze skyscrapers and Christopher Nolan’s basically-just-Chicago, but Reeves opts to take the route of making a Gotham City that is, to be frank, a veritable hell on Earth.

Every orifice of the gray and decaying city is filled with an unmistakable sense of hopelessness, and everything about the city, from its tired, weary-eyed citizens to its brazen, seemingly untouchable criminals feels like it should have reached its breaking point long ago.

This description may just sound like an excuse to throw an unnecessary amount of adjectives at you, but the beaten-down, volatile nature of the city gives Batman’s one-man war that much more weight as his struggle to make a difference is clearly shown to be just a shot in the dark against an endless wave of corruption and terror.

Everything the movie shows and tells the audience about Gotham makes it no surprise that the city has the potential to blow itself apart once someone lights the fuse.

This instability gives the movie immense stakes and leads to perfectly engineered moments of tension that are never unsatisfying, and all the performances, Pattinson’s in particular, sell each scene perfectly.

It has always been a long-overlooked fact in Batman movies that Bruce Wayne chooses to become a bat not out of a love of black, shiny memorabilia, but out of a drive to create fear.

That classic line about criminals being a

“superstitious and cowardly lot” has never been personified anywhere near this well; the movie is called THE Batman, after all, and it’s always entertaining to see Batman presented as something of an unstoppable force of nature that won’t rest until his prey is caught.

This more grounded approach to the character could be considered a bit of a retread of much that’s come before, but what sets it far over the edge is the overall presentation.

The shadowy scenes are often only lit from a handful of light sources, meaning that every shot has some eye-popping new imagery to enjoy, and I was unashamedly tearing up in some scenes from the cinematography alone.

T h i s level of variety translates even further to the action scenes, which are simply so good that even my pretentious film brain can’t think of a single word for them other than “bada**.”

Now, I know that not everyone is as interested in the character of Batman or his universe as I certainly am, but after watching “The Batman,” I genuinely question how anyone could not want to spend as much time as possible in this world.

The serious, noir setting might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I will maintain that even if it’s not your usual preference, the level of care and love put into every little fiber of the movie is enough to give anyone an appreciation for the craftsmanship that went into it.

I love references and one-liners as much as the next tasteless Marvel fan, but I also have a surprising affinity for good movies.

And, even in spite of its low backpack-ability, “The Batman” is just that.

Listen to a podcast review of the movie NoW on Knight VOices

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MARCH 14, 2022

SPORTS

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Girls’ lacrosse returns for second year

Team looks to build on culture, community in upcoming season CHRIS RODRIGUEZ AND OWEN WALTER Sports Reporters

I

n only their second year as a program, the girls’ lacrosse team is preparing to get things underway in hopes of taking a huge step forward as a program.

Head coach Terra Ringo has confidence for the season after having laid the groundwork of their culture from last season, and she plans to put extra emphasis on creating a family atmosphere.

Last season for the Knights didn’t exactly go according to plan, with the team going 1-12. Ringo attributes this to the challenges of building a program and teaching over half of the girls how to play.

However, Ringo knew how difficult the first year would be and plans to build upon it, feeling more prepared heading into this season.

“I feel much more confident; there’s a lot of factors that are going to go our way a bit,” Ringo said. “I think we are going to come in with a little more understanding of the game and be able to do more than last year.”

The team is more than connected this season, with a lot of the players already having strong relationships from other sports like basketball and volleyball.

Their main focus now is finding ways to win and figuring out their identity, and that will be the mindset leading up to their March 19 season opener against Conant.

Senior midfielSophomore der Jessica Reizer Skylar Splinter will be filling the role of team captain for the second straight year, having some of the most experience of being a leader on a team.

“I feel a lot more confident to lead the team this year,” Reizer said. “I know I have a strong, talented group of girls that will work hard during the season in order to achieve many of our goals.”

Her teammates couldn’t be more assured in her abilities of being a fast paced player and capability to lead the team.

“I’m very confident that [Reizer] will lead us again this year,” senior defender Summer Srodulski said. “Not only is she very skilled on the field, but she is very good at including everyone and making sure that everyone understands what’s expected of them without acting like she’s above us.”

Reizer has already built strong relationships with most of the team, especialyly with basketball teammate Srodulski, and plans to use that to the Knights’ advantage.

The goal was always to get the girls to care about the person next to them, and with that now out of the way, they will be able to use what they learned from last year.

After going through a tough stretch of losses and dealing with the adversity of learning the sport, they have been able to learn what style best fits their team going into this season. Unlike last year, most of the team now has a year of lacrosse under their belt. The team has lots of returning players, a good number being seniors like Srodulski and Reizer.

They will be heavily relied on to create a winning environment and push the program into becoming a more explosive team.

“I want to win more than one game, but [I] also just [want to] contribute to building the culture of the team,” Srodulski said.

“I’m not one of the most talented players on the team, but I have found a strength of mine is connecting with and making sure [my teammates] know how important they are to the team, no matter their role.”

The girls have stayed active during the off season, playing other sports and training in the weight room to improve their strength. Ringo hopes their hard work in the off season will pay off.

“We struggled last year obviously,” Reizer said. “However this season, I think we will be much better, and I believe that [we] will be able to win a lot more games.”

STICKS UP: Senior Jessica Reizer and junior Sofia Winterkorn defend against a Buffalo Grove player on May 27. Prospect lost the game 10-7, but won in their next match up against the Bison on Jun. 7 9-7. Reizer hopes the team will be able to secure more wins in the upcoming season. “I know I have a strong, talented group of girls that will work hard during the season in order to achieve our goals,” Reizer said. (photos courtesy of Danielle Muzzillo)

OPINION: NFL faces backlash over head coaching hires If you turn on the TV on a coach.

Sunday afternoon, it’s not likely I could go into all the nitty gritthat you’ll see a Black head coach ty of the lawsuit, but to save evleading your favorite NFL team. eryone’s time, and because most Sure, you may see a couple of aseveryone reading this has access sistant Black coaches (and quite a to the internet, I’ll just say that the few Black players), but Black head gist of the lawsuit is that the NFL coaches in the NFL have has racist policies, spealways been few and far cifically when it comes between. to hiring and retaining So why is this? AcPOC head coaches. cording to former MiNow, to be fair, ami Dolphins head the NFL did seem to coach Brian Flores, the be taking steps in the NFL’s hiring process is right direction with “rife with racism” and the Rooney Rule, and needs to change. This it even seemed to work claim was stated in the for a while, too. In fact, racial discrimination in 2006, just three years ALYSSA lawsuit that Flores filed after the creation of the against the NFL on Feb. rule, there were a total SCHULZ 1 for their violation of of seven Black head the Rooney Rule.

Editor-in-Chief coaches, which is The NFL created the currently the most in Rooney Rule in 2001 to guarantee NFL history. equal opportunity for Black and However, currently the NFL has white coaching applicants. The an alarmingly low number of Black rule states that all NFL teams must head coaches, even in spite of the interview at least one (changed to rule. And when I say “an alarmingtwo in 2009) person of color (POC) ly low number,” I mean two. when looking for a new head coach.

Yep, just two: Mike Tomlin of the Flores claims that the NFL vioPittsburgh Steelers and the newlated this rule and believes multily-hired Lovie Smith of the Housple teams only interviewed him to ton Texans. These two amount to make it look like they didn’t break about 6% of all head coaches in the the rule, even though they had NFL. already decided on a white head When looking at this stat and

comparing it with the number of NFL players that are Black, approximately 70%, it is easy to see the disparity.

However, while going through the deep depths of the internet for more information on the lawsuit, I came across multiple comments, both on social media and on news sites, claiming that the 70%, while an accurate stat, should not be compared to the number of Black head coaches in the NFL. This is because the vast majority of head coaches in the NFL have not played in the NFL and therefore the league can’t be expected to hire coaches based on this qualification alone.

So I went through the process of sifting through the backgrounds of all the current NFL head coaches and, much to my surprise, I found the claims were correct: only about 28% of head coaches have played football in the NFL. However, this doesn’t debunk the racism seen in the NFL head coach hiring process. I dug a little deeper and found that all of the current NFL head coaches played football in college. Sure, not all of them played Division I football, but they played football in college all the same.

As the number of Black and white players in college is roughly

Only 1 out of every 16 head coaches in the NFL are Black

the same (47% vs. 48%), the number of Black and white head coaches should be about equal. Emphasis on should.

Although 6% vs. 70% is a much greater disparity than 6% vs. 47%, the difference does very little to discredit the fact that the NFL hiring system is inherently flawed.

Flores’ lawsuit was big news about a month ago, but to be honest, I haven’t heard much about it since then. All the gossip and drama has seemed to die down and the dust has mostly settled.

I believe the reason for this is not that fans and players do not care about the issue, but rather that they have no idea how to fix it.

Are there even any rules the NFL can implement that won’t be seen as a formality like the Rooney Rule is? How is the NFL supposed to fix the problem of racial inequality that has been ingrained in our society for centuries?

Regardless, even if the NFL can’t completely fix the issue, that doesn’t mean that they should sweep it under the rug, throw their hands up and say, “Not my problem.”

After all, the percentage of NBA players that are Black, simi-

Scan the qr code to read The Class action lawsuit against the NFL

larly to the NFL, is 77%. However, not-so-similarly to the NFL, Black head coaches make up 23% of the NBA. Still not great, but better. Additionally, the NBA hired its first Black coach in 1966 whereas the NFL hired their first Black coach in 1989.

It’s hard to pinpoint an exact reason for why this is, but if I had to guess, I would say it is because the NBA seems more willing to break with tradition than the NFL and is generally more accepting of change, race related or not.

For example, 34% of current NFL head coaches are related to former head coaches, which makes it extremely hard for a newcomer, much less someone who is Black, to get an NFL head coaching job.

So, although there isn’t a perfect solution, the NFL can start to mend its racist system by simply acknowledging the flaws in its league when it comes to its limited number of Black head coaches.

Flores’ lawsuit brought this problem into light, but by no means should it be something that is new or surprising to anyone. The NFL has gone on long enough ignoring it, and it is time that they accept responsibility.

PROSPECTORNOW.COM

MARCH 14, 2022

SPORTS

11

Juniors make tough recruiting choices PJ O’GRADY Executive Sports Editor

L

ast fall, junior softball player Ashley Simon and her travel team, the Nationals,went down south for their showcases. These showcases are essentially tournaments — only in front of many college coaches. At the whole showcase, Simon estimated about 50 college coaches were there to watch her and other high school athletes play.

Simon described how stressful the evaluations were because the coaches were constantly watching her, and she was under pressure the entire time she played. To manage the pressure, she tried to stay calm and collected and pretend that the coaches weren’t there. Currently, Simon has been communicating back and forth with some schools like the University of Bridgeport and West Texas A&M. Similarly to Simon, many other juniors are in the same boat struggling with outside pressures to commit.

Every year, 180,000 athletes across the nation are handed athletic scholarships from colleges. Recruiting and evaluations, like always, have been a huge part of the transition from high school sports to college athletics.

As the recruiting process evolves, coaches and athletes find themselves starting the commitment process earlier and earlier to stay ahead of the curve and increase their chances of being accepted to a desirable school. This change comes in the form of early junior year commitments that can create lots of added stress and worry for the athlete involved.

According to ncsa.sports.org, junior commitments mean nothing from a legal standpoint.

A player or college can take their offer back without hesitation. However, it’s extremely uncommon for a college to take their offer back, according to social science teacher and special teams coach Tim Beishir. The only reason he thinks a college would do this is if a devastating injury occurs to an athlete.

Beishir said the first step in any recruiting process is to figure out what you want.

That vision the athlete has also has to match up with reality to ensure that their college of choice is a reasonable fit.

Regardless of age, Beishir tells athletes to make a priority list. This list contains what the athlete wants out of their collegiate experience, such as proximity to home, expenses, facility conditions, potential playing time and prestige.

Once the athlete figures out their plan, then the high school coach needs to send film out to the colleges. He explains that it used to be more difficult to send out film, since he originally had to mail DVDs to colleges.

“Now with an email address, … a Twitter handle or a cell phone number, I can put [the film] in their pocket,” Beishir said.

Beishir said that if an athlete asks, he will send the film to schools a tier above the athlete’s level, a tier below and a tier at the same level that he thinks the athlete is playing at.

It can be a grind for coaches like Beishir because the communication between coaches and athletes is so demanding. The most frustrating part for Beishir is when colleges don’t respond or simply brush him off, which is disheartening because of how invested he is in the athlete’s future.

That’s why one of the most important things needed in a relationship between college coaches and high school coaches is credibility. Trust needs to be established in order for coaches like Beishir to be able to send film to colleges. For example, if a coach sent film to Big Ten schools for every athlete the coach has, even if the athlete isn’t good, then the colleges will stop trusting the coach.

If the colleges don’t trust a coach, then they probably won’t watch the athlete’s film, regardless of how good they are.

The timing of when athletes commit depends on many different factors. Beishir said that it often varies between athletes. He explained that some wait for better offers or more money from colleges, while some feel great about their offer and commit earlier.

Simon says that she’s most likely going to wait until senior year to commit so she can weigh her options.

On the other hand, junior and varsity quarterback and wide receiver Frank Covey committed to Northwestern University on Feb. 6. Covey was looking at other schools like the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, Miami University and some other Mid-American Conference (MAC) schools. He decided to commit early to Northwestern because of the nice facilities right on

LOCKED IN: Junior softball player Ashley Simon gets ready to hit a pitch during a game with her travel team, the Nationals. Simon has been going to tournaments with her travel team to help her get noticed by colleges. (photo courtesy of Ashley Simon)

ZOOM: Junior quarterback Frank Covey flies past a Rolling Meadows defender. Like other junior athletes, Covey had to deal with the pressure and stress of the recruiting process. (photo by Alexis Esparza) the water, his good relationship with football head coach Pat Fitzgerald and the academic benefits that come with going to Northwestern.

Another reason that an athlete may commit early is to end all the stress and worry that comes with finding the right college and team.

“Most people think, from the outside, that the process [is] like, ‘Oh man this is fun, it must be nice to be wanted,’” Beishir said.

“But if you talk to kids that are inside the process . . . it’s pretty stressful.”

Covey explained his take on the stress he felt during the recruiting process.

“At some points [the process] … will die down, but it can also heat up really quick like it did with [the Northwestern offer],” Covey said.

Because of the stress surrounding his decision, Covey said that he felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders when he committed to Northwestern.

Another point Beishir makes is that it’s hard to cut off ties with colleges once you commit. Even after weeks or even months of nice treatment from colleges, you can only go to one team at one college.

“When you commit, you form relationships with multiple schools and you’re just choosing one,” Beishir said. “So that’s a new pressure on kids who are like, ‘Man this per-

son has been good to me and my family and they showed me love and gave me tours and everything else and … I’m gonna let them down.’”

Nonetheless, Beishir and his coaching staff urge their players to do things the right way. He advises athletes to call the college to let them know they committed to a different school. To some, it may be a difficult phone call, but for Covey at least, it wasn’t difficult to end his relationship with other schools since Northwestern was the only school that showed significant interest at that point.

Either way, Covey was glad to finish his recruiting process. He said that although there’s going to be higher expectations for him in college, he doesn’t feel pressure now that he’s committed to Northwestern.

“I can just be done with recruiting and all that stress,” Covey said. “I’m not gonna have to travel to all these camps around the country trying to get these coaches to notice me.”

Beishir said he finds that most athletes are completely relieved when they are done with getting recruited. He said that all the waiting can strike at the core of so many kids, especially due to pressures from social media when they see everyone else’s commitments work out. Therefore, some juniors will commit early to end all the worry and to create an honorable agreement between coach and player.

score on the goal, similar to a shot clock in basketball. Substitutions are only allowed after a goal. Each team is provided two timeouts for the entire game.

Though the game may seem complicated, Esposito doesn’t think water polo is as hectic as people make it out to be.

“As I tell people, water polo is not as intense as others think,” Esposito said. “The

perception is that you have to swim and tread the entire game and it is relatively physical. I always make the analogy that people who are avid runners or feel comfortable running can easily make the transition to playing soccer or basketball. It is no different with swimming and water polo.”

Similarly to both soccer and basketball, there are various strategies and plays involved to help both teams win. Beck explained that plays in water polo are made on the offensive end with the purpose of getting the drivers open to score.

Looking ahead at the upcoming season, Esposito expects the Knights to continue to work their way up through the MSL East and make a further playoff run this year after being eliminated in the sectional quarter final last season.

As for Anstadt, he has higher expectations for the team and himself. He believes the team can make a state caliber run.

“I plan to help lead the team to a great season,” Anstadt said.

Water polo looks to make a splash in upcoming season ZACH MORETH

Executive Sports Editor Heading into sixth grade at Saint Paul Lutheran School, current junior Matt Anstadt was unsure of what sport he wanted to play. Thanks to his cousin, he was convinced to start water polo, and he has never looked back.

Since joining Prospect’s team playing the point position (similar to a point guard in basketball), he has taken his game to the next level and has made a huge impact on the current team.

Another big contributor to the water polo team is head coach Brian Esposito. He has been coaching the team for the last three years — ever since Anstadt’s freshman year.

Junior point, Nick Beck credits Esposito as a true role model for everyone on the team.

“I think our coach has tried to improve us as people and players to try and point us in

the right direction,” Beck said.

He explained how Esposito is never afraid to correct the team when they are wrong and always wants to try and put them in the best position to succeed.

Regarding the team, Anstadt and Beck both agree that over the season, the team grows extremely tight-knit and forms a strong connection with one another.

“I’m close friends with all of the guys that play,” Anstadt said. “It’s a close bond because not that many people play, and you’re always together.”

When describing the game itself, Anstadt referred to it as a combination of soccer and basketball in the water, and says the game is similar to any other team sport.

Water polo is played with seven players total: one center, two wings, two drivers, one point and one goalie.

There are four eight-minute quarters, and the clock is stopped if the ball goes out of play. Each team is allowed to hold the ball for 30 seconds before having to attempt to

Water Polo Positions Point: plays in center of pool; leads offense and distributes ball Center forward: plays in center of defense to exploit gaps in offense

Drivers: sit on both sides of point in order to feed ball to center forward or take a shot Wings: play in outermost positions of pool and moves quickly to transition from offense to defense

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CURRENTLY ON PROSPECTORNOW.COM...

Dominik Balenda sets the Prospect 400 meter indoor record, breaking Olympian David Kendziera's school record by over one second. Read and watch KnightTV's coverage to find out more on Balenda's success.

SPORTS MARCH 14, 2022

Wrestling pins down school history Team places fourth in state

JACOB SICILIANO Online Editor-in-Chief

S

enior wrestling captain Jacob Grzesiak paced back and forth behind Prospect’s bench at the state quarterfinal in Bloomington. Heart racing out of his chest, he focused all of his attention on the mat. A Prospect win would clinch history.

Grzesiak recalled his time on the state mat, gazing at the lights and taking in his final weekend as a wrestler. Despite having never wrestled before high school, Grzesiak became a captain in his fourth year in the program. He poured his soul into the team, and now the goal he had worked towards for four years hung in the hands of freshman Elijah Garza.

Prospect had to win one of the next three matches, or their season would be over. Greziak began to pace again as the match started.

Every member of the Knights’ 21-man roster was on their feet.

Garza got one takedown, and then another. Each time his opponent hit the floor, Prospect’s bench erupted. When the clock hit zeros, Garza was on top. Prospect had won the match 35-30.

After defeating Moline, the Knights lost to the eventual

champion, Mount Carmel, in the semifinal and fell to Lockport in the third-place game. Prospect had lost their final two matchups, but it didn’t matter. They had done what no wrestling team had done in District 214 history: they were bringing home a state trophy.

When interim head coach Dan Keller began coaching Prospect wrestling 12 years ago, he and the other coaches made a goal to put their team on the map. Over those next 12 years, Keller believed that they had accomplished that goal.

However, one thing had always eluded the program: a state trophy.

Prior to this year, Prospect had been to the team state tournament in Bloomington only three times, losing in the first round each year.

But this season, Prospect cleared that roadblock.

“It’s unbelievable; this was the goal from day one,” Keller said before the awards presentation.

“I’m on cloud nine right now; I could not be more happy for these kids.”

While Prospect had the Cinderella finish that they had dreamed of, things did not start out the way they had hoped, as the team ended their season with a record of 25-9. More importantly, the Knights lost the MSL East for the first time in six years.

"When we have a goal of [making] team state, we shouldn't lose something of that caliber," junior Will Baysingar said on losing the MSL East. "But I think

TAKEDOWN: Junior Lennon Steinkuehler covers a lockport wrestler at the third place match in the IHSA team state tournament. (photo courtesy of Frank Mirandola)

that [the loss] turned our team around, gave us motivation and [a wake-up call].”

Along with losing the East, Baysingar credits the Deerfield meet as the turning point in their season. Prospect won the meet but still felt that they were not wrestling to their fullest potential.

So, the team captains began holding extra practices outside of school with the state tournament in mind. Prospect was beginning to build a team culture. According to Grzesiak, this culture was the team’s biggest strength.

"Man, we’ve got some guys with heart,” Grzesiak said. “They give it their all out there ... [it] doesn't matter the talent level someone has; if they don't work hard, they're gonna get beat by hard-working people with heart."

Junior Damien Puma is the definition of someone with heart.

Puma started the Knights’ state matchup against Lockport with a pin and has served as one of the most consistent wrestlers on the Knights’ roster, all with torn ligaments on the side of his knee.

Wrestling in the semi-final at the Moore/Prettyman invitational on Nov. 17 in Barrington, Puma found his leg grappled by an opponent.

When his leg was pulled, Puma felt his knee pop.

“My leg was just aching,” Puma said. “It was hard to go down the stairs; it was really hard to walk, but I just sucked it up.”

Puma buried his pain and won the match. He traveled back to Barrington the next day, although he ultimately lost in the finals.

Puma was told that he had torn his LCL and part of his meniscus.

Surgery would be required.

But instead of shutting his season down, Puma asked for a brace. He proceeded to wrestle the rest of the season and played a large role in the Knights’ success.

“There was not a day that he complained about that brace,” Keller said. “He was in the room every day working, … [and] that’s

what our program is all about.”

The only other wrestler to get a pin in the third-place match was Baysingar. Coming into the season, he was ranked 24th in the nation. Baysingar, who wrestles in the 132 weight class, committed to the University of Illinois this November.

As a sophomore, Baysingar won individual state in the 120 weight class.

However, this season, Baysingar wasn't the one with his hand raised. He took second in the 132 weight class, and that loss left him

with a fire inside.

“That’s a burning passion in my heart,” Baysingar said. “[Losing the individual state final] is motivation for a whole year.”

Baysingar used that motivation to help lead Prospect past Moline in the quarterfinal at team state.

It’s a moment Puma said he will never forget.

“It’s amazing being the first team in Prospect history [to medal at state],” Puma said. “Words could never describe the feeling.”

Star triple jumper strides to top of Illinois rankings NIC FARDELLA Sports Reporter On Feb. 19, girls’ track athlete Daria Tersina broke the school’s record for the triple jump, which she had already broken once before.

Tersina jumped 39 feet, 3 inches, and is ranked as the number one returning triple jumper in Illinois; now, she is looking to win state in that event for the Knights.

Tersina is looking to become the fourth athlete to win state for the Knights.

She didn’t gain this title for no reason. sprints coach Lance Burmeister attributes her success to her work ethic.

“She is a person that works all year long for track,” Burmeister said. “It is something that is very important to her.”

Tersina goes to Tom Nelson Training in Mount Prospect every single day for about an hour and a half to train, during which time Tersina does flys, accelerations and lifting and jump exercises like bounding, which is a run with leaping strides.

“We have her mimic the

PROSPECT RECORD SETTER Senior Daria Tersina holds three school track & field records: • 4 by 200 meter relay: 1:43:23 (freshman year) • 100 meters: 12.32 (junior year) • Triple jump: 39 feet 3 inches (senior year) movement of the jump,” jumps coach Andy Weis said. “ I have her go on the treadmill to go through each phase of the jump. I do this so she gets the repetition down.”

Tersina is intensely focused on everything she does. She is told what to do and then works hard to perfect the exercise.

Due in part to this work ethic, Tersina committed to Winona State University, a Division II school in Minnesota, to compete in track and field.

“I really liked the environment and people there,” Tersina said. “It really felt like a family there.”

Because of Tersina’s work ethic, she has high expectations of herself.

Her main goal for this season is to achieve all state for the 100 and 200 meter dash races, as well as for the triple jump.

Tersina first started track in

sixth grade while attending St. Emily Catholic School, which she attended from kindergarten to eighth grade.

“I wanted to do a sport and found track,” Tersina said. “I have loved track ever since and have no regrets in choosing it.”

Tersina first got introduced to the long and triple jump when she entered Prospect.

She knew from middle school that she was naturally better at sprints, but when she got into high school, her coaches had her try jumps. She hasn’t looked back since.

“When I first saw Tersina, I knew she was going to be great [at jumps] because she was very strong and speedy,” Weis said.

The triple jump was a favorite of Tersina's because of the difficulty.

She simply kept working and became a student of it, according

JUMPIN: Senior Daria Tersina makes her triple jump attempt during the 2021 season. "She is a person that works all year long for track. It is something that is very important to her," said Lance Burmeister (photo courtesy of Daria Tersina) to Weis.

Not only is Tersina a great athlete, she is also a great leader.

She would describe her leadership style as leading by example.

“Tersina offers her suggestions to the younger girls and the girls

will do it the way [she] explained it to them,” Weis said.

Tersina has one piece of advice from her years in the program to give to younger athletes: “Keep pursuing your dreams and work hard to get them,” Tersina said.