Issue 2 2015-16

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THE

PROSPECTOR

801 WEST KENSINGTON ROAD, MOUNT PROSPECT, ILLINOIS 60056

DISCOVERING ARTISTS Historically, artists have waited years to be discovered, but modern artists can be found faster through social media.

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THE VOICE OF PROSPECT HIGH SCHOOL SINCE 1959

MAKING HISTORY Future first generation college students find support through the application process in a support group run by guidance counselor Diane Bourn. Page 6

FOLLOW US ON:

@PROSPECTORNOW VOLUME 56, ISSUE 2

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2015

SUICIDE AWARENESS

FOOTBALL ANNIVERSARY

Suicide and other mental illnesses are taboo topics. Several people who have lost close friends and family to suicide share their stories and efforts to increase awareness.

The last Prospect football team to win a state championship celebrates 10 years since the victory this year. The team reunites Oct. 16.

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Fake ID owners carry large risk BY DIANA LEANE Copy Editor *Name changed for confidentiality

S

enior Jane Perry* started sweating when she handed her ID to the store clerk. Perry saw he was suspicious, and after inspecting the ID he asked her multiple questions like, “Why are you here if you live in Mississippi?” Perry knew she had to convince him, so she planned a story ahead of time. After checking out her purchase, a bottle of alcohol, Perry grabbed the ID with shaky hands and quickly left. Although Perry is a 17-year-old student at Prospect High School, her ID says she is a 21-year-old from Mississippi. When she enters a liquor store, she identifies as a recent graduate from the University of Mississippi visiting her parents who live in the area. Perry is a part of the 14 percent of seniors who own fake IDs, according to a Prospector survey. Fake IDs have become more accessible because of the internet, but according to school resource officer Scott Filipek, buying IDs online can result in harsher legal consequences. Students like Perry are buying fake IDs mostly to purchase alcohol, although Perry’s original intention was to go to places that require people to be 21-and-over in the city. Since she received the ID, she has used it to purchase alcohol for her friends and has only used it to buy herself alcohol twice. According to the Prospector survey, 38 percent of seniors have bought alcohol from someone with a fake ID. She has yet to use the ID for the reason she bought it, and she regrets

purchasing it. “I don’t think I’ve used it to its worth,” Perry said. Perry continues to use her ID despite the risks because of the profit she receives selling alcohol to peers. Perry bought her ID for a little under $100, but she has made double to triple that from her sales. However, if caught, Perry and other fake ID owners can be charged with a Class 4 felony, the equivalent of assaulting a police officer or stalking someone. This charge can lead to one to three years in prison and fines up to $25,000. Underaged people without IDs can still face ID-related charges if they borrow a 21-and-over license from someone who looks like them to enter a 21-and-over establishment. If either the owner of the ID or the borrower are caught, they can spend a year in jail and receive fines ranging up to $2,500. In addition to possessing an ID, owners can face further charges if caught selling alcohol to underaged friends, which is a common motive behind why the ID owners buy the IDs in the first place. Senior Amanda Smith* buys alcohol from someone she knows with a fake. Last year she and her friends decided they were going to buy alcohol for a Halloween party they were attending, so Smith texted a friend and asked if he knew anyone with a fake. He had a friend who owned one, and Smith has bought from the mutual friend since. While Smith was unaware he sold alcohol before she bought some from him, she soon discovered he was well-known in her grade for selling alcohol. According to See DANGEROUS, page 2

SECRET IDENTITIES: Fourteen percent of seniors have fake IDs and visit places that require people to be at least 21, and 38 percent of seniors buy alcohol either on their own or from someone with a fake ID. If caught, the IDs can lead to consequences with the school and with the law. (photo illustration by Cassidy Selep)

WiSTEM Club creates off-shoot group available to all BY JORDAN DUSHANE News Editor Senior Katie Gravagna was sitting in Science Olympiad when her friend turned to see if she had seen the Schoology post. After Science Olympiad, Gravagna checked Schoology while waiting to get picked up to go home. Gravagna was shocked because the post said that Women in STEM (WiSTEM) would open to males. She was upset because she thought the club should focus on helping women. The Oct. 1 post stated that WiSTEM was taking away the gender requirement and opening it to all Prospect students. Physics teacher and WiSTEM sponsor, Katie Page, posted, “STEM: not just for girls anymore.” Later in the day, Gravagna was talking with two of her friends about the change. They suggested someone post their thoughts on expanding the club to a Schoology discussion on the WiSTEM page, so Gravagna did. Gravagna felt that opening the club to males undervalued the students that were in the club already because they were never asked about the change. She has nothing against males in STEM but was upset because women are already the minority in STEM fields. Senior Shreya Thakkar started WiSTEM Club last year with the help of Page. Their goal was to have women in the field come in to talk to all students, hopefully showing them what opportunities are available and

COME ONE, COME ALL: Women in Stem Club debated opening the club up to males in early October. Instead they decided to create an off-shoot group that shares opportunities with everyone at Prospect while keeping Women in STEM club as is with the focus on girls. (photo illustration by Cassidy Selep) encourage girls along the way. The club caught on at Prospect and had six speakers come in last year in addition to one speaker panel so far this year. Schoology updates on the club, discussions and opportunities are posted almost every other day. The panel this year consisted of three astrophysicists from Northwestern University and was attended by nearly 40 students

and community members, including about 12 boys. Thakkar thought that allowing boys to access the Schoology page would just provide them with more opportunities, not change the function of the club. She and Page talked it over, ran it by administration and decided to open the club up. After the change was announced, a poll of 42 members showed 57 per-

cent wanted to expand the club, 21.5 percent wanted to keep the club as is and 21.5 percent were indifferent to the change. However, many members and faculty disapproved of the change, worrying that opening the club would detract from the club’s original intention. Senior Katie Gravagna thought she would leave the club after it decided to welcome males. Gravagna first joined WiSTEM this year because she thought that it was empowering for women. “It loses that uniqueness and the perseverance that it had before when it was like, ‘Yes, we are going to help Women in STEM,’” Gravagna said. “Now it’s just kind of like, ‘Science is cool.” Gravagna is thankful for what the club offers but has done other events outside of school for women in STEM. Even if she left the club, she would still attend events outside of school. “It is awesome that Prospect has something like this, and then when you turn it into STEM club, well it’s like, ‘That’s why we have Science Olympiad,’” Gravagna said. Conversely, senior Ariel Maret wanted to expand the club. Maret believes the purpose of the club is to give more people more opportunities, and that’s what opening the club up would do for males. According to Page, although opening the See CHANGE, page 2


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