Issue 8

THE

PROSPECTOR

801 WEST KENSINGTON ROAD, MOUNT PROSPECT, ILLINOIS 60056

THE VOICE OF PROSPECT HIGH SCHOOL SINCE 1959

VOLUME 56, ISSUE 8

FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 2017

Concussions hit hard Coaches, trainers ahead of curve in handling athletes’ head trauma

BY MIKE STANFORD Editor-in-Chief

T

PROCEED WITH CAUTION: A skull sits wrapped in caution tape to symbolize precautions taken with head injuries. Head trainer Katie Cottin works to protect students’ heads as much as possible by following strict return-to-play protocol but says some risk cannot be avoided. (photo illustration by Elisabeth Rohde)

n

J

here was a thud, and everything was disjointed after that.

Then-sophomore Josh Kern was playing receiver as the Knights’ sophomore football team was down one-score against Schaumburg. It was fourth down with 30 seconds remaining. The quarterback dropped back and heaved the ball in Kern’s Done with football for the direction. Seeing the throw was off-target, year, Kern recovered and beKern lunged, missed the catch and hit his g a n to focus on basketball. However, his head on the ground. He knew immediately plans were soon derailed once again when he that he had suffered a concussion. hit his head during a scrimmage. He cannot From that moment on, all Kern remembers was walking to the bench with his recall whether his head hit the ground or another player’s knee, but he does rememhands on his head before sitting down ber immediately feeling that he had and crying uncontrollably. This a concussion. was his second game back after a Kern was worried that this one-month recovery from a difthird concussion in six months ferent concussion he received would mean an early retireduring the first game of the ment from football, so he told year versus Jacobs. Sustaining his basketball coach he was a second head trauma so close fine and did not need to see a to his last one meant his season un trainer. Despite his efforts, one was over. r e ior Concussions, which are defined Josh K of his teammates noticed he looked confused and sluggish. He told Kern’s as traumatic brain injuries caused by parents, who took him back to the concusblows to the head, have increased 500 persion specialist. His mother, Monica, rememcent in youth sports since 2010, according to bers vividly the anguish of that visit.

Fair Health, a healthcare nonprofit. The im“When we sat down with her after the pact of these injuries can be life-altering, as third concussion, even though we knew Kern would soon discover.

what [the specialist] was going to say, for her to actually say it — that he could not play anymore — I got emotional. Josh got a little emotional,” Monica said. “It was hard to see that taken away from [him].”

According to head football coach Mike Sebestyen, Josh’s case is an extreme one, but that does not mean head safety is not at the forefront of his mind while coaching. The reason for this is the nature of the injury.

“You can see a guy sprain his ankle, but you can’t see the brain,” Sebestyen said.

“You try to be more heightened in your awareness to make sure that you’re not having a situation where a kid is potentially furthering that injury.”

To minimize the danger, the district and the school have taken multiple steps in the last 10 years that Sebestyen believes has put Prospect athletics ahead of other schools nationally. These initiatives have included hosting professionally-led seminars to edu-

cate coaches, having training staff available at every practice, reconditioning equipment frequently and improving testing protocol (see “Bracing for ImPACT” for more on the testing protocol, page 2). According to head trainer Katie Cottin, this set of clearly defined requirements and processes work together to ensure optimal safety for athletes.

Beyond overall precautions, approaching concussions varies on a sport-to-sport basis.

For instance, Sebestyen says the football team has reduced full-contact repetitions in practice, experimented with impact-minimizing helmet pads and implemented neck strengthening exercises to reduce whiplash.

In girls’ soccer, head coach Tom Froats says the team has focused on reducing headers.

Despite these precautions, Sebestyen says the most important step to protecting players is encouraging them to communicate with coaching staff when there is a problem.

However, this is not always an athlete’s SEE CONCUSSIONS, page 2

Dance Dance Combination: Poms, dance team to merge

BY MANDI HALL Staff Writer Dance coach Kristin Burton has decided to combine the Poms team and the dance team for the 2017-18 school year.

Next year, instead of two teams, there will be two seasons for one team. Girls who intend on being on the team for the competitive season will be required to participate for both the fall and winter seasons. Since some of the girls who are currently on Poms also participate in winter sports, girls will be able to perform during the fall season and drop it during the winter.

The decision was made with the help of her assistant dance coach, instructional assistant for special education Shirley Kiratsous, and assistant principal Frank Mirandola.

The current Poms team is made up of 24 dancers, and the dance team is made up of 15.

Burton hopes to have somewhere between 18 and 24 girls for the fall season, dropping to 14 to 18 during the competitive season because of those who participate in winter sports.

There are presently 10 girls that overlap between the two teams.

In combining the two, Burton will be able to work with the same group of girls for two

JUST DANCE: Poms performs at the homecoming football game on Oct. 7. Next year,

Poms and dance team will be combined into one squad to provide more time to practice for dance team competitions. (photo by Elisabeth Rohde)

seasons before they compete. She believes that this will strengthen the team as a whole, allowing them to be in their prime for the competitive season.

“My job is to build a program and to strengthen my team members as a whole,”

Defying Flag code

Two boys joined color guard this year, breaking the gender barrier in a typically female group. To find out more on students defying stereotypes, flip to ...

pages 6-7

Burton said. “I think, as a coach, that this is the best way that I can help my team and coach my team to success.”

The new team will focus more on technique and conditioning, which involves strength and ab training along with exten-

sive stretching.

Burton also noted a financial advantage to combining the teams. Girls who are on both teams already have to purchase costumes for events and competitions, which are rather expensive. However, they also had to buy bags and gear separately for each team. Next year, the dancer will only have to buy gear for the one team, saving many parents quite a bit of money.

Even with the advantages of the switch, there are some significant differences between the two present teams that make some of the dancers worried about what will happen to those distinctions. Prospect’s dance team utilizes a variety of dance styles in their routines and technical ability.

On the other hand, Poms features more hip-hop and some jazz, as well as the use of actual pom-poms. Poms is a spirit team, so they tend to stick more to upbeat songs, whereas the dance team has more artistic freedom with song choice and style.

To meld the two teams together, Burton says that the fall season will continue to be more upbeat and include the use of pom-poms, like the Poms team, whereas the SEE MERGER, page 3

Legacy is all i see

TRIPLE LAGAAN

As seniors begin to solidify their college decisions, legacy status can be a factor by providing an admissions advantage and familial pressure. To learn more, turn to ...

Movie days in class can often be met with a combination of celebration and criticism. For a full analysis of using movies as a classroom tool, go to ...

page 9

page 11

2

News

March 24, 2017

prospectornow.com

Debate team pursues success, impact sults on the IHSA State Debate Tournament) This was the last of seven tournaments to round out the debate team’s season, which he Prospect congressional debate started in September. team competed in the Illinois High About four weeks before each tournaSchool Association (IHSA) Debate ment, the team receives 12 congressional State Tournament on March 16-18 to wrap up bills. They research and gather evidence for their season. both the pros and the cons of the bills. The The tournament, which was the team’s bills are split into three categories: foreign second state competition, took place at the affairs, public welfare and economics. Then University of Illinois in Springfield. Debate in the tournament itself, which takes an enteam coach David tire day, each individual Schnell took five mem“In debate, you have to participates in three sepbers down to compete, arate sessions of 2.5 hour actively seek out that which included Senior chambers.

Paul Evers, Senior speech; you’re not granted Each chamber is a Matt Mosley, Junior classroom in which memone just because you’re Grayce Sweetman, Senior Cori Wims and there. You have to encourage bers from different teams will present the bills and Sophomore Annie Ciyourself and get yourself up debate the potential efmack. fects of the bill. There are to speak” Any team can qualtwo judges in each chamify for the IHSA State ber that score individuals Dave Schnell, debate coach Debate Tournament based on how well they with up to ten stuunderstand the bill and dents. Depending on their ability to engage in debate. how well an individual does on the first day, Schnell says that a big part of being sucthey may move on to semifinals the next day. cessful in a tournament is the research. HavSenior Paul Evers qualified for semifinals ing only around 20 members this year has for the second year in a row at the tournaput more strain on the team, as researching ment. (See prospectornow.com for more retakes away time from speaking and debating.

Debate dictionary “We’re a good team, even a great team.

We just don’t have the numbers,” Schnell Congressional Debate: Debate in said. which members take the role of Even though the team is small, they still a Congress member and discuss grew in numbers this year, which pushed whether or not to pass a bill. them from a small school division to a large school division.

While this doesn’t make a huge difference Nomination: A selection made by competitively, the scoring is different. Inthe judges in each chamber that stead of the top four speakers’ scores countdecides the top two debaters. ing, the top eight speakers’ scores count.

This puts bigger teams of around 40 at Presiding Officer (PO): A student an advantage as they have a wider variety who is elected to lead the chamof speakers to have the opportunity to score high. ber.

Many members also have to balance debate along with their other activities, which Previous questioning: A decision causes the number of people participating to by the chamber to vote on a bill fluctuate. and end debate.

Sweetman has experienced this firsthand as she is also part of marching band and had

BY AMANDA STICKELS Executive Features Editor

T

DEBATABLE: The debate team poses for a photo after their competition at Addison Trail High School in Addison on Jan. 28. Despite having a small team, they have still found success throughout their season. (photo courtesy of Paul Evers)

ball, that’s how you feel.”

Josh agrees this was a difficult time, and it was a long process to decide his next move.

“At first I still really wanted to play,” Josh said. “Then I had to just keep telling myself, ‘There are better things; there are other things you can do.’”

To replace football in his schedule and still satiate his competitive instinct, Josh directed his efforts toward making the golf team this past summer. He acquired a season pass to the Mount Prospect Golf Course and practiced throughout the summer.

When tryouts came, Josh made the team. While he was proud of the progress he made as a golfer, the fall sports season was bittersweet.

“It was still hard not playing football because that was my passion,” Josh said. “I loved football. Still do. Now I just have to move on.”

As difficult as not playing football may be, Josh knows that it was the smart course of action. Sebestyen agrees and believes prioritizing safety is paramount in high school sports.

“At some point, you have to make a smart decision to understand that if you have become more susceptible [to concussions, you need] to be smart about the decisions you’re making,” Sebestyen said. “We would always support that decision. …

You’re playing sports for only a couple of years of your life. You want to be living for the next 60, 70.”

Junior Natalie Marfilius selected preventing youth concussions as the topic of her American StudrN r atalie Ma ies research paper at the beginning of the semester. As she began working on her essay, in what she considers to be an ironic twist-of-fate, Marfilius suffered a concussion during a February indoor soccer game.

The trauma occurred when she was jostled by another player on a corner kick. She got turned around, and the ball hit her in the back of the head.

Marfilius ended up missing two full days of school and taking two weeks to recover. As she continued crafting her research paper, she found that most soccer-related concussions are caused by player-to-player contact rather like hers rather than simple headers. She says stronger rule enforcement to prevent illegal contact is the most expedient way to reduce concussions on the field.

When she began to further investigate solutions, Marfilius also discovered her injury had a silver lining.

“With the solutions that I had to choose, [my concussion] helped me realize like, ‘No, I did this. It didn’t help,’ or, ‘Oh, doing this [did],’” Marfilius said. “It helped me understand what will actually work.”

io Jun

because it can only fully be evalsport,” Sebestyen said. “There’s always a possibility [of sustain- uated during an autopsy. Howfirst instinct. ing head trauma]. I think being ever, what researchers can say “Sometimes there’s this upfront and frank with where with certainty is that CTE is the fear of, ‘Oh, it’s going to be held the situation is the best way to long-term degeneration of the against you,’” Sebestyen said. do that.” brain partially caused by blows “No, it’s not. If you’re injured, to the head earJosh underyou’re injured. We need to make stands this danlier in life, and “At first I really sure that you’re taken care of often causes ger and does not wanted to play. Then itdeficiencies because all that’s going to do is in think there was I had to just keep delay the recovery process.” the nervous sysany way his conIn addition to teaching stucussions could telling myself, ‘There tem and behavdents about concussions, Seior. have been preare better things; bestyen actively reaches out to The Wall vented.

While parents, who often show more there are other things Street Journal the end of his apprehension about safety than football career says that conyou can do.’” athletes. Sebestyen is upfront likely prevents cern regarding with parents about the protothe disease was Josh Kern, junior any additional col and precautions, and Cottin not widespread head trauma, his frequently communicates with concussions could put him at a until the mid-2000s when a neuthem after an injury occurs. higher risk for Chronic Trau- ropathologist named Dr. BenNevertheless, Sebestyen knows matic Encephalopathy (CTE) net Omalu studied the autopsy he cannot fully alleviate their later in life. of a former Pittsburgh Steeler concerns.

According to the Mayo Clin- who had become volatile in the “You … don’t hide the fact ic, the science around CTE is years leading up to his suicide. that [football] is a collision still new and rapidly evolving His research sparked a media firestorm and inspired the 2015 movie “Concussion” that stars Bracing for ImPACT Will Smith as Omalu. Although District 214 utilizes the ImPACT (Immediate the buzz has embedded the issue Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testin the national consciousness, ing) computer program to assess the effects of head Josh aims to avoid thinking trauma. about his risk.

Nevertheless, while CTE is The program tests memory and concentration, a long term concern, Josh has comparing injured students’ results to their baseline been handling the immediate results from before the start of the season. Students consequences of not being able cannot return to play until they pass. The test is emto play football. Immediately ployed by the football, cheerleading, soccer, basketafter he was dealt his new realiball, baseball, gymnastics, wrestling and water polo ty, Monica remembers the emoteams. tional toll it took on Josh.

“He felt like in a sense [footAccording to head trainer Katie Cottin, the reason ball defined] who he [was], even the ImPACT program is effective is that students canthough it [didn’t],” Monica said. not cheat on it. Even if athletes say they feel fine, the “But when you’re 15, 16 years test can detect impaired cognitive functioning. old, and ... all you know is footCONTINUED from front page

Researching frsthand

ius

CONCUSSIONS: Injury effects linger

have received the award, and it really felt like her hard work paid off.

However, the debate season is not all about the awards and competitions. Sweetman said that debate has allowed her to gain confidence as a speaker and be able to think on the fly. Schnell attests to this as he says that members on debate cannot simply rehearse a speech; they need to be able to react to what others say and address their points along with incorporating their own ideas.

“This isn’t a sport, for instance, like baseball. When you’re in the lineup, you know you’re going to bat every time that you’re up,” Schnell said. “In debate, you have to actively seek out that speech; you’re not granted one just because you’re there. You have to encourage yourself and get yourself up to speak.”

Cimack agrees that debate has boosted her confidence in being able to speak in front of people. She also believes that the research makes her more knowledgeable about current events, which she says is extremely important.

“The more we know, the more we can actually do, and the more we can attempt to make a difference,” Cimack said.

fl

to miss some tournaments.

“I think it’s a lot of knowing my limits and knowing how much I can do for each activity,” Sweetman said.

Despite facing many setbacks, the team was able to see individual successes within the season.

In January, Mosley competed in the Tournament of Champions (TOC) tournament, a debate tournament in which he needed a certain amount of nominations from previous tournaments to qualify. There, Mosley made it into finals and was able to qualify for the national TOC tournament.

Sweetman won the Best Presiding Officer Award at the team’s first state competition of the year, the Illinois Congressional Debate Association (ICDA) State Tournament. As a Presiding Officer (PO) in a chamber, Sweetman calls on people to speak, times how long people speak and makes sure everything is following procedure.

The Best PO Award is voted on by the members in the chamber, so it is an award given by peers, not judges. Schnell said winning the award showed that Sweetman was fair, competent and had good judgement.

Sweetman said that she was honored to

prospectornow.com

March 24, 2017

Juniors take on major assignment rough draft and final product. Students have guidelines as to when each step should be completed to help with time management. espite having three months, SeBecause all juniors are required to comnior Alex Valladares didn’t start plete the assignment, the paper is written by his eight-page junior research paa wide variety of student levels and different per until the day before the it was due. Valteachers. This means that the requirements ladares came home after school and began may differ for different students. While Anwriting; he didn’t stop until 2 a.m. Through- drews weighs the paper to be about a quarter out the night, Valladares completed the full of a student’s grade, Joiner weighs the final process of researching, outlining, analyzing product as 30-35%. Both include all steps and writing. of the assignment in the final grade. Along “I didn’t really feel like doing it,” Valwith the grading logistics, the page requireladares said. “I think it’s dumb, and I had ments range from five to ten pages. other stuff to do. I just didn’t see the point “I think the challenge is keeping it fewer about it.” than ten pages, to be honest,” Andrews said.

The junior research paper is a well“Most students want to give me like twenty; known Prospect rite of passage. No matter they have so much to say.” what level of English they are taking, juDuring a prior year, one of Joiner’s stuniors are tested on time-management and dents took a unique route and researched multitasking skills. the global problems about zoos. Because it English teacher Elizabeth Joiner considwasn’t a typical topic, Joiner was skeptical ers this research assignment a key piece of about the about the paper at first; however, the high school experience at Prospect. In she was surprised as to how well it turned her opinion, this paper has developed a repout. The student devoted a lot of time to the utation of overwhelmingness, and for those assignment and produced a strong paper. who don’t make use of the time to write it, This year, Zoe Lucas is one of the juniors the consequences can be troublesome. required to write the assignment. Lucas is Each teacher has the flexibility to make the first of her siblings to go to high school, their own requirements and prompt for the so she didn’t know about this big rite of pasassignment. Joiner’s prompt is to address a sage until she actually started junior year. certain problem, and after In Lucas’s opinion, because “I think that junior year all juniors have to write the doing thorough research, propose solutions to the topsecond semester is like paper, it provides a common ic chosen. English teacher ground for all English levels this “ugh” for a lot of Michael Andrews has his to talk or complain about. students,” Joiner said.

American Literature class Lucas is researching inaddress American concerns ternational hacking because “And before I taught to stay relevant to the curthe effect of technological juniors, I don’t think I riculum. His AP English changes interested her. With Language and Composition was as aware of that.” the recent uncovered Rusclass can choose to write sian meddling with the U.S. Elizabeth Joiner, about global issues. presidential election, interThe most common topics national hacking became a English teacher Joiner receives are envitopic Lucas wanted to learn ronmental, educational and more about. social reform topics. For instance, this year “Not only is it relevant to today’s world, Joiner has quite a few students researching but it’s relevant to each and every person,” opioid addiction because of the recent rise of Lucas said. “The more people that you can problems with the drug. inform about it, the more people know their Once students have picked their topic options to prevent this, the better off we’re and completed their topic proposal, the re- going to be as a society.” search assignment for all juniors is broken While working on the research paper, stuinto steps to guide them through the process. dents are also tackled by the other responsiTo get started, Andrews and Joiner have bilities of junior year. Not only does the SAT their juniors complete a set of 10 Double approach, but AP students concurrently Entry Journals (DEJs), where they analyze read “Grapes of Wrath” as their class novel evidence from different sources about their and prepare for the AP Language exam. topic. The DEJs are followed by an outline,

News

3

BY AYSE ELDES Executive Opinion Editor

D

EDITING: Juniors are finishing up tackling their second semester research paper, a rite of passage for every student at Prospect. “I see my students [are] tired now, and just bogged down,” English teacher Elizabeth Joiner said. “I’m aware of it.” (photo illustration by Elisabeth Rohde) “I see my students [are] tired now, and just bogged down,” Joiner said. “I’m aware of it.”

To make sure the juniors aren’t burned out, Joiner and Andrews reserve a large chunk of work time in labs for their classes.

Lucas’s class has been working in the labs almost every single day for the past couple of weeks.

“I always say to them, ‘I’m not your mom,”’ Joiner said. “‘If you want to waste your time, you can.’”

To further help the students with time management, Joiner is keeping a rolling due date from May 1 to May 14 this year. She has changed the window from year to year depending on what she thinks will benefit the students. This way they can turn it in without bogging them down with the urgency of a due date. However, there still is a handful of students who don’t start it on time.

“I don’t know if I busted anyone directly, but I’m positive somebody has [started last minute],” Joiner said. “And some kids can get that stuff together; there are kids who can [quickly finish the paper]. Most people can’t.”

Andrews agrees, but is more direct.

Whenever his students get chatty, he makes them turn around to the person next to them and say “friend, I will talk to you at the end of class.” This is because he knows the consequences of leaving the whole thing for later.

Even with the burden of the assignment, Joiner and Andrews believe that the research paper actually helps AP students prepare for their AP test because of the evidence and analysis format. Joiner is also a firm believer that the skills they develop with writing a formal research paper go beyond English class.

This rite of passage for Prospect juniors has proved to help with critical thinking and time-management skills of students. In spite of its bad reputation, students like Lucas believe the learning experience makes each student more open minded and benefits them beyond an grade.

“I’ve never been one to look much into global issues,” Lucas said. “But this has really opened my eyes and made me find out how important it is to really have a grasp of what is going on in the world.”

MERGER: Performing teams to come together, unite their sport

SHAKE IT: Prospect’s dance team poses for a photo after their sectional win this year. Head coach Kristin Burton prepares to merge Poms and Dance Team next year. “I think that change is good, and we’re starting a new journey together,” Burton said. (photo courtesy of Kristin Burton)

dance team has more artistic freedom with song choice and style.

To meld the two teams together, Burton says that the fall season will continue to be more upbeat and include the use of pom-poms, like the poms team, whereas the winter team will remain mostly the same as it is now.

Junior Toni Martorelli, who is currently involved in both teams, expressed anticipation and hope at this change.

“I hope that we are brought together because sometimes it feels like we’re two different sets of people,” Martorelli said. “And now we’ll be more of a dance program instead of just set groups.”

A central part of poms is that the girls often choreograph their own routines, learning a new routine for each football game. Senior Bridget Robertson is worried about what this new change will do to that aspect of the team, saying that some of the girls who do poms see it as a relaxed and fun activity instead of a hardcore sport.

“I think it’s taking away what makes poms poms,” Robertson said.

Burton did confirm that this aspect of the team will change. While girls will still be able to choreograph their own routines for Homecoming and possibly a pep assembly, many of their other dances will use moves that they learned at a dance camp that the girls attend every year.

The camp is with the Universal Dance Association,

D

CONTINUED from front page

w ce n a

ith me!

an organization dedicated to teaching dance to high school and college students. Students who participate in dance team are encouraged to attend a five-day summer camp where they will learn jazz, hip-hop, poms, lyrical and high kick dance styles.

Burton says that many of the dances that the students will learn for football games will be dances that were taught at the camp. So while she doesn’t require that her dancers attend the dance camp, those who don’t may find themselves falling behind.

While these changes are coming with the combination, Burton believes that the team won’t change all that much and that it is changing for the better.

“I think that change is good, and we’re starting a new journey together,” Burton said. “And I think that everybody just needs to stay open-minded.”

4

Opinion

March 24, 2017

prospectornow.com

Finstas disregard compassion T

0

Senior shaves the day

Senior Emma Simon will be shaving her head to raise money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which works to combat childhood cancer.

When she goes under the razor, Simon will be saying good-bye to 22 inches of hair. She says she is nervous for the shave, but that is outweighed by her desire to be a “superhero” for ill children.

Read more about her journey and learn how to support her cause on ProspectorNow.com.

Against

17

For

also Prospect as a whole. The student body goes to great lengths to promote a culture of inclusiveness — groups like Knights’ Way, Best Friends Club, Gay Straight Alliance and Mental Health Awareness Club are just a few who help with this — and this reputation is tainted when people go out of their way to put others down.

This is not to say that every person with a finsta is guilty of this, nor that finstas can’t be used in a positive way. But this rampant gossip has not gone unnoticed.

We, the Prospector, believe that while private accounts can be used to interact with friends in a healthy way, students need to be cognizant of what they post and consider the effects of calling others out.

At its core, a finsta’s purpose is supposed to be to share pictures, not to complain about others. It’s up to the account owner to curate their posts, but by spreading negativity, no one is benefitting.

Prospect students have created a powerful new community on social media, and it should be used to make a positive impact — not criticize peers.

Staff Editorial

stagram can be disheartening because he popularity of private Instagram accounts in the Prospect of the bullying flooding people’s feeds.

Spreading negative thoughts can be detcommunity has increased over rimental; according to teenhelp.com, the past year. Dubbed “finstas,” “fake Insteenagers are 50 percent more likely to tagrams” or “impulse Instagrams,” these participate in something if their peers accounts are created to share less filtered are doing it. posts with a hand-picked audience.

Some students feel For a while, stua false sense of secudents shared photos of rity when posting on their days that didn’t private accounts, but warrant posts to hunthis should not be the dreds of people on case; just because a their “real” accounts. profile is private does They typed blurbs not give account ownabout their days that ers free reign to be as would amuse their rude as they please. friends and posted pep Even if an account talks for their small has just 100 follownumber of followers.

Voting results of the ers, there is potential It seemed harmless Prospector staff with for their posts to be and fun, with only regards to this editorial. shared. Reading maliclose friends seeing cious words via a screenshot rather than the posts.

Instagram does not diminish the negative But some finstas have become increasingly hostile. Students have begun using impact. Once a user posts something, it is publicly available and out of their conprivate accounts as an outlet to call out others, directly or indirectly complain trol.

Not only do these call-out posts reflect about specific people and generally poorly on individuals who post them but spread negativity. Scrolling through In-

Maintain policy’s defining role in politics: a letter to liberals CNN’s most-watched year in its history Dear Liberal America, was 2016, an achievement driven in large I don’t like Donald Trump. part by the drama surrounding Trump and He is a bully, a liar and a bigot — three his off-the-rails policy proposals and rudely labels with which I strive never to be associated. To condemn these traits of his is to be forward personality. The broadcasting corporation’s president, Jeff Zucker, admitted a true patriot.

But to attack President Trump’s hand in October that CNN “shouldn’t have put on as many [Trump] rallies as we did” and that size or to make fun of his hair is to stoop to a level lower than his. It humanizes what he doing so was a “mistake.”

By broadcasting the famously electric, preaches. It distracts from his incessant efunfiltered rallies live and in their entirety, forts to alienate some, to divide all.

What the recent election has shown us CNN contributed to what the International Business Times said was over $5 billion in is that hate brews in the darkest of rooms. free advertising Trump received from news For every cheap shot thrown Trump’s way, outlets allured by shiny ratings spikes. we lost the urgency to condemn the rhetoric we otherwise would have. We became Many of the seemingly outrageous claims desensitized to his lack of compassion and Trump made in the rallies were, in fact, outsubstantive policy. While we laughed off his rageous and were consistently deemed as beseemingly outlandish policy proposals, dis- ing misleading or flat-out false.

By providing hype around events fueled missing the credibility of his candidacy at by blatant lies on such a regular every turn, he amassed a followbasis, putting them in the naing large enough to crash land tional spotlight, CNN normalized into the Oval Office. It pains me falsehood, providing it with a dehow the entire process — from gree of undue credibility.

June of 2015 at Trump Tower to It’s like when a prosecution January of this year on the Nalawyer brings up an officiant tional Mall — was so tragicalidea certain to prompt a swift obly foreseeable and drawn out. jection from the defense’s team.

Merely recounting his ascent to BY LEO GARKISCH The intention is often not to get the throne frustrates me greatly. Copy Editor an answer out of whoever may be Had liberal America taken on the stand but instead to plant the insensitive, brash son-of-anorangutan’s candidacy with a grain of salt, an idea in the minds of the jury members. he likely would not have pulled off the blind- Once it is said, no matter how many times the judge may tell the jury to disregard the siding victory he did.

When a seventh-grade language arts idea, it will factor into their decision with teacher comes to the lesson on irony, he or regards to the case’s verdict.

CNN provides Trump with a credible aveshe now has the luxury of simply queuing nue through which he has been able to make Saturday Night Live (SNL) skits circa late unfounded but appealing claims. What they 2015, early 2016. Allow Kate McKinnon playhave done has been irresponsible, and it has ing a conceited Hillary Clinton to be Miss cost the country as a whole. Too near-sighted Frizzle for the day, demonstrating with faceand fixated on green, they have fallen short palm-worthy vibrato what it means to count with regards to their responsibility to serve one’s chickens before they hatch. the red, white and blue with the truth, the Yet SNL is far from being the only party whole truth and nothing but the truth. at fault for contributing to the false sense of And don’t let it seem that the only ones at security many of us enjoyed going into Nofault are those behind the overly and too ofvember’s election.

Associate Editors-in-Chief Flynn Geraghty Caley Griebenow

staff Editor-in-Chief Mike Stanford Managing Editors Grace Berry Diana Leane Copy Editors Leo Garkisch Riley Langefeld

Online Copy Editor Erin Schultz Social media Editor Jack Ryan Online Sports Editor Wyatt Dojutrek Broadcast Editor Claire Strother Opinion Editors Ayse Eldes Katie Hamilton

Trump trends

America elected President Donald Trump in November.

But since he took office, the public’s opinion of his performance has been less than favorable. In the graph, the solid line represents his approval rating amongst Americans, and the dashed line represents his disapproval rating.

ten unfairly criticized “mainstream media.”

We’re all guilty.

It was fun to think of the possibility of a Trump presidency, to toy with the insolent meme-of-a-candidate with the goofy hair, eagerly using his appalling rhetoric as dinner table fodder. But the bottom line is that we did not take this man seriously.

A Gallup poll of 1,500 participants has shown that Trump’s national approval rating to be as low as 37 percent, a total notably less than the 46.4 percent that voted for him on Election Day. This means that many of those who, four months ago, were supporters of Trump’s are now dissatisfied with the work he has done in office. Had the spotlight been exclusively set on his politics and not his potentially tempting tough-guy-with-bigpromises persona and the drama surrounding his brazen tweets and unscripted rallies, many of those that have changed their mind with regards to Trump might have done so in time for the election.

But now we are stuck with an president seen by a substantial majority of his constituents as unfavorable. By overlooking the

longshot, we let the ball roll into his court as we celebrated seemingly certain impending victory on the sidelines. Michigan State versus Middle Tennessee. The tortoise and the hare.

So what? It’s over, isn’t it?

While the battle may be, the war most certainly is not. Now that Trump is our president and has shown that he is willing to actually take action on the inflammatory and volatile positions he sustained throughout the campaign season, we, as liberals, have an even more pressing responsibility to repress the credibility of falsehoods, to support media organizations that put truth paramount to earnings and hold accountable those that neglect to do so.

And if we want to shift the national political discussion to being exclusively about politics and not petty scandal, more than just half of the country is going to need to be in on it. So do not be afraid to support those on the other side of the aisle who want to talk politics where integrity is valued above all else.

Sincerely, Leo Garkisch

Features Editor Amanda Stickels

Adviser Jason Block

Entertainment Editors Cassidy Delahunty Cole Altmayer

Mission Statement The primary purpose of the Prospect High School Prospector is to report news as well as explain its meaning and significance to our readers and the community. We, the Prospector, hope to inform, entertain and provide a school forum for the unrestricted exchange of ideas and opinions. The Prospector is published by students in Journalistic Writing courses. Some visual material is courtesy of MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service.

Sports Editors Jack Ankony Paul Evers Staff Writers David Fang Mandi Hall Visuals Editor Elisabeth Rohde

Advertising For ad rates, call (847) 718-5376 (ask for Mike Stanford), fax (847) 718-5306 e-mail or write the Prospector, 801 West Kensington Rd., Mount Prospect, IL 60056, prospectornow@gmail.com.

Letters to the Editor Drop off letters to the Prospector in the box in the library, in Rm. 216 or email letters to prospectornow@gmail.com. All letters must be signed. Limit letters to 400 words. The Prospector reserves the right to edit letters for style and length.

prospectornow.com

March 24, 2017

Features

5

FAKE LOVE: Partygoers pose for a picture as their peers sit around them bored and annoyed. The staged illustration creates a different scene than what actually happened at the party. For this reason, social media can create a distorted reality. (cartoon by Katie Hamilton)

Social media, mental illness linked

BY DIANA LEANE Online Managing Editor

S

enior Grace Dockstader checks social media an estimated 1,000 times a day. She has over 175,000 Snapchat points and regularly updates two Instagram accounts –– a regular one and another specifically for friends –– that have over 1,000 followers combined.

Dockstader follows popular accounts like Victoria’s Secret and Aerie in addition to her friends. She follows these pages to see the products they’re selling, yet she finds their posts influence more than just how she spends her money.

When she consistently sees Instagram and runway models in her feed, Dockstader feels her beauty standards are warped, leading to self-conscious and detrimental thoughts. She also finds herself comparing her body and life to others.

From what she’s seen, both boys and girls who use social media often develop heightened beauty standards.

Dockstader’s predicament reflects a larger phenomenon. A study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences last year found the frequency of social media usage correlated to the likelihood of depression.

The subjects who reported using social media most were found to be 2.7 times more likely to be depressed. Dockstader didn’t find this statistic surprising.

Dockstader suffers from anxiety, and although social media is not a cause, it can serve as a trigger for the anxiety.

If she sees a negative post, specifically one that criticizes an individual, her day can be heavily affected, and she’ll want to go home to escape its contagious pessimism.

“No matter what [the problem] is, it gets tweeted it gets somewhere in the Internet, and that’s how it affects people’s mood,” Dockstader said. “No matter who it’s about, people are going to be affected by it because they’re going to hear about it.”

Dockstader sees an increase in posts criticizing others due to the rise in popularity in “finstas,” or fake Instagrams. These accounts are typically private, and the owners

only let close friends follow them. According sure to return to social media.

AP Psychology teacher Daria Schaffeld to Dockstader, this gives users a false sense of security that makes it easier to post nega- notices the pressure to constantly be plugged in and up-to-date, which she says distracts tive content.

Confrontations through social media are from the current moment.

This pressure is so prevalent that in 2000, a specific source of anxiety for Dockstader because she’s received criticism through In- a marketing strategist named Dan Herman crafted the term “FOMO” (fear of missing stagram and Snapchat before. out) in 2000, according to Boston Magazine.

For this reason, running out of data is stressful since she’s unaware of what people The term became so popular that it was officially added to the Merriam-Webster Dictioare posting.

Sophomore Sloane Petlak sees this neg- nary in 2016.

Schaffeld reminds her students to notice ativity, but she finds that with the proper mindset, she can use the various platforms the world beyond their phones by encourwithout being affected by it. Specifically, aging them to put their phones away before entering her class. She also emphasizes the rather than judging herself to others in her importance of staying present. feed, she avoids comparisons.

“I make a joke with “I’d rather put other “With large-scale problems them. … ‘Talk to the real people up, like if they’re looking good, and be like that, you feel like there’s people,’” Schaffeld said.

“It’s easy to get wrapped happy for them than be nothing you can really do, up into the virtual world. sad for me,” Petlak said. so I figured one of the It doesn’t have to be a Petlak uses social bad thing, but I think media positively by prionly things I could do … [is], that we all could be more marily connecting with if possible, educate them mindful of talking to real friends through apps people. … There’s somelike Snapchat. She has more and bring it to light a Snapchat score of over more. [When sharing news], thing nice about the human connection.”

1.7 million points. that’s when you’re using it However, Schaffeld is Senior Katie Robina supporter of social meson also frequently sees for constructive purposes.” dia. She sees it as a great posts calling others out. way to connect with peoShe finds these danKatie Robinson, senior ple that she’d otherwise gerous because besides part ways with. hurting the subject of the attack, they also For example, she keeps in touch with past plant a seed for further negativity.

When Robinson becomes overwhelmed students, specifically through platforms like with the negativity or notices she’s spend- Facebook.

She believes a current issue with social ing 20 to 30 minutes mindlessly scrolling through her feeds, she takes a break from media is that it isn’t used in moderation.

“What I would like to see our society social media for at least a few days.

These breaks are important to her be- get better at is balance,” Schaffeld said. “Of course you want to check your Facebook cause she believes too much focus on what’s happening online causes detachment from account; of course you want to check your Twitter. But there’s a time and a place for reality. everything.”

“Everything on social media is so calcuDockstader and Robinson also see posilated and manicured that it kind of takes you tive aspects to social media. They both have out of real life,” Robinson said.

While she’s offline, she frequently finds used Instagram to advocate for causes they believe in. herself out of the loop when friends discuss “When you use [social media] construcwhat they saw on Twitter or another platform. This sometimes makes her feel pres- tively, it can bring a lot of change and a lot of

Sr. Katie Robinson, @km_robinson:

Students, social media influencers Seniors Katie Robinson and Grace Dockstader post about causes they care about online to counter social media’s negatives.

For Robinson, this is the Dakota Access Pipeline, and for Dockstader, this is spreading mental health awareness.

awareness, but when we lose sight of what’s important, I think that’s when it turns negative,” Robinson said.

Robinson learned about the conflict over the Dakota Access Pipeline partially through accounts she follows like National Geographic and Vice, and she wanted to help the cause. She resolved to educate her followers by posting about it.

“With large-scale problems like that, you feel like there’s nothing you can really do, so I figured one of the only things I could do … [is], if possible, educate them more and bring it to light more,” Robinson said. “[When sharing news], that’s when you’re using it for constructive purposes.”

Dockstader utilized her accounts to share her struggle with anxiety.

“I feel like [anxiety is] something that should be talked about and not something that people should hold back on,” Dockstader said. “Mainly sophomore year I let it hold me back, and I look back and I think that was the worst year of my life because of that reason. … Now that I [talk about it], my life is 10 times better.”

Dockstader has received positive feedback from these posts.

“Whenever I post stuff like that, I get messages and everything and they’re always like, ‘Oh my God, I’m scared to talk about this. Thank you for saying something because I thought I was crazy, I thought I was alone,’” Dockstader said. “… [Friends] always respond in a way where they’re always like, ‘I look up to you so much,’ and … those are big words to use, especially in high school.”

Dockstader and Robinson believe that using social platforms for causes like these helps to reduce the impact and frequency of the negative posts.

“On things that are negative, I never see responses sticking up for that person or anything, but when I post something or my friends post something like I do, then that gets like 10 times more comments,” Dockstader said. “I think that’s really important because it’s not just about me, it’s about them, too, and how they feel. And they’re able to express that somewhere and know that their voice is heard.”

Sr. Grace Dockstader, @gracedockstader:

6

March 24, 2017

In-Depth

R-word demands less use

BY CALEY GRIEBENOW Associate Editor-in-Chief

be used as an insult to describe any person with a learning disability, from Down syndrome to autism to cerebral palsy.

Recently, the movement to enior Allie O’Connell was #SpreadTheWordToEndTheWord was sitting in her room, feeling seen on social media. The hashtag has stressed and in an overall over 26,000 posts on Instagram, Allie bebad mood. Her younger brothing one of them. She posted a video compier, Danny, decided to bring her lation of Danny goofing around. Accordbaby pictures of the two of them. ing to r-word.org, a website advocating He sat and talked with Allie unto stop the use of the r-word in everyday til she was smiling and felt less language, the word itself “only reinforcstressed. To Allie, that small es painful stereotypes of people with inact of kindness is a perfect extellectual disabilities being less valued ample of how caring Danny is. members of humanity.” Furthermore, it “He has such a big heart, but was previously used by the American maybe it’s hard for others Psychological Association to see that right as a medical term, but they away because officially stopped using it in he appears dif2013 because of its degradferent,” Allie ing nature. said.

Unfortunately, in AlDanny has lie’s opinion, most people Down syndrome, don’t realize the weight and Allie feels that word carries when especially proteclie o they say it to describe someO’ tive over him br Con er h n d ell an thing they don’t like. because she “When people use it, they don’t refeels his diagnosis can be alize how they’re putting down a whole misunderstood. group of people who don’t deserve to feel “People sometimes feel that way,” Allie said. “People don’t put a they have to act differentface to the word, but whenever I hear it, I ly around him because think of my brother.” they don’t know how to But Allie is grateful in that Danny act,” Allie said. “But I doesn’t let the use of the word or his learnjust always want to make ing disability hinder him; he still tries to sure he’s OK. … And I realbe social, plays on a basketball team and ly can’t stand when people makes friends outside of his special edusay stuff like, ‘That’s so recation classes. tarded.’ They don’t even know “He actually makes friends pretty easwhat they’re saying.’’ ily because he’s so talkative and outgoSince middle school, Allie has ing, which I think helps him a lot,” Allie heard people throw around the said. “He’s one of the best people I know word “retarded” (the r- word) as because he isn’t afraid of what others a joke or an insult. She thinks think.” that while the use of the word Allie thinks a lot of people overlook has declined, and it isn’t an important idea: Danny is very simoften used to attack or deilar to other high school kids. grade people, it continues “He likes playing video games, to be an issue. Allie beand he likes to hang out with lieves that if people conhis friends, just like any other sidered the perspective 15-year-old boy would,” Allie of people with learnsaid. “You don’t have to act difing disabilities and ferently around them. They just interacted with want to feel normal.” them more, they At Best Friend’s Club here at wouldn’t be so Prospect, club members and sponinclined to use sors try to eliminate any stigma of a the r-word. learning disability. They work to pro“Danny, and mote an atmosphere of inclusiveness anyone with Down synbetween members, some of whom have drome really, does face learning disabilities, by planning activchallenges that most people ities in which everyone can participate. don’t think about, so he has to They recently saw “Beauty and the Beast” try a lot harder sometimes,” as a group.

Allie said. “He can get frusAccording to club sponsor and teacher trated easily with school or aid in the special education departfriends, so he has to work ment Meghan Ausnehmer, the conharder than we would to overtinuing use of the r-word reveals a come his problems.” lack of intellect.

In everyday language, the “People still use that word r-word can be used as a synonym because they don’t educate themselves,” for “stupid” or “slow.” In more Ausnehmer said. “The word was designed offensive cases, the r-word can rD

th e

Al or Seni

anny

S

to offend someone else.”

Ausnehmer has twin brothers with learning disabilities, and they inspired her to go into special education. She wants people to know a learning disability diagnosis, like autism, isn’t a “one size fits all” diagnosis.

“Two students can have autism, but they can vary vastly in their behavior,” Ausnehmer said. “They are not the same just because they have the same diagnosis.”

Ausnehmer enjoys her time at Best Friend’s Club because everyone is treated equally whether or not they have a learning disability.

“These kids are no different [than the rest of kids at this school],” Ausnehmer said. “They want the same things. They want to be included.”

Sophomore club member Victoria Farjon has some friends in the special education program and she thought she would try Best Friend’s Club out. She shares Allie’s sentiment that people with learning disabilities simply wish to be treated normally, and that the use of the r-word gets in the way of that wish.

“There shouldn’t be a stigma around [learning disabilities]. People are people,” Farjon said.

Ultimately, Allie hopes for people to seriously consider using the r-word before saying it.

“I want people to think twice before saying it out loud,” Allie said. “It makes them sound arrogant, and there’s no need to say it at all.”

t s t ’ Don t a t s the Make the pledge

Steps to #SpreadTheWordToEndTheWord: 1. Go online to r-word.org 2. Go to the tab at the top of the page ‘Why Pledge’

3. Click the orange button to pledge and join the over 700,000 pledges nationwide

illustrations by Katie Hamilton

EVAN HAS A CHODE

HOLD TIGHT: Senior Allie O’Connell plays with her younger brother Danny who has Down syndrome. Allie hopes people will stop using the word retarded in everyday language as it’s insulting to people with learning disabilities. (photo courtesy of Allie O’Connell)

March 24, 2017

In-Depth

Breaking gender roles in colorguard, cheerleading

7

BY ERIN SCHULTZ Online Copy Editor

Rutledge does the same choreographed routines as everyone else, but some movements are altered to make him look, according to him, less feminine. For instance, when girls put their hands on their hips, he puts his fists on his After being in band for two years, junior Anthony Moreth hips. decided he wanted a change. Because the majority of his This is contrary to color guard, where the goal is uniforfriends were in color guard, he tried out this year. The only mity. Barnum goes out of her way to alter other boy who tried out was sophomore Chris things like the boys’ hairstyles because Hotcha, who is also currently on the team.

“If you look at other while the girls have long hair, boys are not “I always thought, ‘Oh my god, it would groups in the state, you’ll expected to grow out their hair for guard. be so cool if I could be part of that,’” Moreth see that other successful She works with them to make sure their said.

Similarly, Hotcha joined because many groups also have males hairstyles match the theme of the show, but still maintain a sense of masculinity. of his friends were involved in the fine arts on the team. The males The same goes for costumes. Guard had department, and he would spend time in the same hallway as them as a guard member. in the school will be like, three costume options this year, one being unisex. Rutledge’s uniform consists of a The fact that the group is predominately fe‘I want to be a part of boys’ jersey and pants, rather than a girls’ male did not deter either of them. this successful group,’ shirt and skirt.

In fact, having boys in predominantly Having boys on the team also helps female activities like color guard and cheer and they are absolutely cheer and guard when competing. In order is beneficial to the team’s performance, acwelcome.” for teams to compete in the coed category cording to color guard coordinator Christina for cheer, there must be at least two boys Barnum and cheer coach Danielle Menacker.

Christina Barnum, on the team. Because Rutledge is the only One aspect of this is the physical strength Prospect competes against all-girl needed to do each activity. Cheer requires color guard coordinator boy, teams. Rutledge believes being coed by the use of deltoid muscles, and pectoralis madefinition makes a team more skilled and jor and minor muscles in the back, according diverse. He says having boys on the team shows the squad to livestrong.com, which means upper body strength is key. doesn’t care that the sport is usually female-dominated.

“Chris and Anthony are so much stronger than the girls,” Barnum agrees with Rutledge, and thinks the success of junior color guard member Claire Rose said. “It’s just the color guard is a factor that people consider when making the way they’re built. So they add strength, which is important.” decision to try out.

But according to Barnum, the way she teaches boys is no “If you look at other groups in the state, you’ll see that different than the way she teaches girls. Her goal is to have other successful groups also have males on the team,” every member of guard be graceful and athletic when approBarnum said. “The males in the school will be like, ‘I priate, so if a member isn’t understanding something, she want to be a part of this successful group,’ and they are and other instructors will explain it differently. They do this absolutely welcome.” regardless of gender because Barnum says color guard is for In addition to meshing well in performance, all genders. the boys have also formed friendships with the This is also the case with cheerleading. Sophomore girls on their respective teams.

Mitchell Rutledge is the only boy on JV and in the program.

Because they’ve been best friends since He was on the cheer team at his old school, Glenmiddle school, Rose gave Moreth the encourwood, so he decided to try out when he agement he needed to try out for the “loving moved here this summer. group.” But Moreth or Hotcha had no trouble beWhen deciding who would coming friends with the rest of the team. make the team, Rutledge Maybe it’s because I get along with girls better, but was an obvious choice Chris and me [bonded with them quickly],” Moreth said. for Menacker.

Rutledge believes joining cheer helped him in his tran“He was sition to Prospect this year. willing to bring “Obviously any activity will help because it forces people his expertise, to spend time with you and be your friend,” Rutledge said. and he’s willing “But I’m glad I chose cheer.” to do whatever Rutledge’s teammates are also glad he’s the first boy in it takes for the years to join the squad. team,” Menacker “[Having a boy] on the team really adds a sense of said. “And just individuality,” senior cheerleader Chelsea Maldonado who he is, as a persaid. “Mitchell is very uplifting and very motivated. son, is someone we He’s just a part of the family.” wanted a part of the However, Rutledge did not join Cheer to make a program.” statement.

Being 5’11”, Rutledge “Sometimes people congratulate me because I’m gois the tallest member of the ing against the social norm apparently,” Rutledge said. team, making him a back spot.

“But I don’t cheer because of that. I cheer because I like This means he stands behind the it.” stunt and keeps the flyer from falling.

o t tick o u q tus

On prospectornow.com ...

:

e

How two students broke the status quo: Senior Meghan Schmit (left) spent a week with kids with severe learning disabilities and vows never to use the r-word; sophomore Sara Martino plays in an all-girls hockey league.

IN THE ARENA: Junior Anthony Moreth performs at the Lake Park Lancer Joust on Sept. 10, 2016. Moreth decided he wanted to try out for color guard after two years in band. “I always thought, ‘Oh my god, it would be so cool if I could be a part of that,’” Moreth said. (photo courtesy of Tom Alicoate)

8

Features

March 24, 2017

prospectornow.com

Motivation STRING SYMPHONY

Freshman advice THE BAT IS BACK IN BLACK

Cubs debatetrivia takes state

Good vsencroach vegan Roaches

Check out Erin Schultz’s thoughts on the cover band Vitamin String Quartet.

Read Cassidy Delahunty’s review on The Lego Batman Movie starring Will Arnett and Zach Galifianakis.

Several members of DECA performed exceptionally at their state meet, placing top 10 in their events.

Learn about Prospect’s cockroaches and what is being done to get rid of them.

Head to prospectornow.com for breaking news, videos, contests and more!

Casper concludes career

BY AYSE ELDES Executive Opinion Editor

A

fter teaching for 33 years, coaching multiple sports for about 90 seasons and consuming nearly 18,000 cups of coffee, science teacher Tim Casper is now in his final semester of teaching at Prospect.

Throughout his career at Prospect, Casper has made a notable reputation among students as someone who can make anything fun. Not only has he connected with students in his classroom but with coaching sports and being involved in other activities as well.

Casper graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison with a major in chemical engineering, which he described as the “hardest [major] on campus,” in the 80s.

After having trouble finding a job during the early 1980s recession, he went back to college to receive a teaching license.

When Casper’s friend was looking for a job in the area, he heard about a job opening at Prospect and let Casper know. Casper says the transition from engineering into teaching was not a hard one because many of his family members were already teachers. That decision proved permanent as

Casper didn’t switch to another job after starting at Prospect in 1984.

When he began teaching, Casper found out how much he loved working with students inside and out of the classroom.

“It’s working with the kids that matters to me,” Casper said.

“So whether you’re reaching kids through chemistry class, reaching them through algebra class or … reaching to them on the football field, it’s really working with youth, and I really enjoy that. I enjoy kids. I think one thing that I’ve been pretty good at is seeing the good in kids.”

Casper was also the Sophomore Class Board supervisor for 15 years. He has coached football, boys’ basketball, boys’ track and field, girls’ track and field, girls’ cross country, girls’ golf, girls’ basketball and boys’ tennis.

“It’s something I’m successful at,” Casper said. “Kids in the classroom are way different than kids in an activity. … When I was coaching, I saw kids in a whole different light, whether they were successful students or unsuccessful students. There’s a huge translation from being a good coach to being a good teacher. I think that teaching and coaching really go

For a full photo album of Casper's time at Prospect, head on over to prospectornow.com!

hand-in-hand.”

Casper has taught various academic levels of math and science courses, actually attributing his success in teaching to his Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). He has learned that doing most of his work in the morning is best for him — something typical of those with ADD. He believes that his ability to keep track of multiple things at once has also helped him attend to the classroom effectively.

Senior Kate Ponzi, has had Casper for honors chemistry her sophomore year and has had him as a coach throughout her high school golf career. She believes that his personality makes the learning environment enjoyable for all.

“He makes everything that you’re doing fun,” Ponzi said. “I’m not particularly science-oriented, but learning chemistry, he made that class fun. And as a coach, he always made sure that if you weren’t having fun, you needed to start having fun. He created different games and different ways to interact with us.”

Of those who’ve worked with Casper, Math Science Division Head Keith Bellof believes Casper’s teaching is unique after working with him for 21 years.

“He’s probably one of the best teachers able to relate to students of all levels,” Bellof said. “When you go to his class, he is having conversations with all of the students about not just the subject he’s teaching. … I think he does an excellent job of keeping the rigor level high in his classes. So students are challenged, but they’re also set up to win.”

Casper acknowledges the successes he’s had with teaching, especially the high AP exam scores of his AP Chemistry students. He says that working at Prospect has given him the opportunity to work

HAVING PHUN: (Top) Science teacher Tim Casper teaches a chemistry class. (Bottom) During his 33 years of teaching, Casper coached various sports at Prospect, a few of which being both girls’ and boys’ tennis, girls’ golf and girls’ basketball. (photos courtesy of Tim Casper) with high-achieving students in ways that few other teachers do.

“It’s exciting to see [my students] succeed at such a high level,” Casper said. “We’re working in a dream world compared to most places in the United States.”

As for what retirement will bring, Casper says he plans on traveling with his wife, who also is retiring from her job as a special education teacher at John Hersey High School. Together, they plan on spending a few months in Eu-

rope. Casper also plans on spending more time with his grandchildren and on his own personal fitness. However, he knows it can’t be too long before he starts working with youth again.

“I know I’ll have to find avenues to continue to work with kids,” Casper said. “Whether it’s volunteer coaching or working at student help centers, something will find me. That’s usually how it goes, right?”

Alumni become educators, work alongside old teachers

BY FLYNN GERAGHTY Associate Editor-in-Chief Social science teacher Dave Schnell began teaching at Prospect in 2001 and was met with several familiar faces. One such face was his freshman year social science teacher Craig Bianchi, who taught him in a course called Our Changing World. Schnell remembers enjoying the class — not for the content itself, but for Bianchi himself.

“I just thought he was funny,” Schnell said. “He just had an interesting way of seeing things. … He was the teacher that I brought up at home with my dad. And, I remember my dad thinking, ‘That guy’s an idiot.’ I remember him saying something like that, and that made me like Bianchi was even better. … I thought, ‘That’s the guy. I’m going to listen to everything he says.’”

Though Schnell believes that being back at his old high school made him feel more comfortable as a new teacher, he still treated Bianchi as a superior rather than a peer.

“When I started teaching here, I didn’t call Mr. Bianchi by his first name probably for two or three years,” Schnell said. “He was always Mr. Bianchi. Early on you still very much see yourself as the student still.”

Schnell is one of several alumni who have returned to Prospect to educate alongside their old teachers.

During Schnell’s first year of teaching, one student he recalls having in in his world history class was freshman Brock Collins, who is a current social science teacher.

Since he had only just started teaching,

BACK TO SCHOOL: Social science teacher Brock Collins (middle) smiles for his 2001 freshman yearbook photo. Both social science teacher Dave Schnell (right) and english teacher Teri Buczinsky (left) not only taught Collins during his time at Prospect but also are currently working with him as Prospect teachers. (photos courtesy of The Crest) Schnell remembers feeling very uneasy that year. However, he feels that Collins’ attitude would often lighten the mood by doing things like “periodically [making] weird noises.”

“I always felt more than anything else that [he was] rooting for me like, ‘This is going to be okay! You’re going to be alright today! You’re going to be a good teacher today,’” Schnell said.

Collins was also in English teacher Teri Buczinsky’s Humanities class during his senior year, and she remembers him as being “one of those kids who just made class fun for all of us.” Buczinsky always thought his energy and enthusiasm would make for a good Prospect teacher.

She turned out to be right. Collins eventually did become a teacher at Prospect in 2012,

with both Schnell and Buczinsky acting as coworkers rather than teachers. During the beginning of his career, Collins felt the same discomfort with this new dynamic that Schnell had felt with Bianchi.

“It’s still kind of hard for me to see them as peers just because I looked up to them [and] respected them for so long,” Collins said.

Buczinsky also felt this discomfort on her end and feels that, at times, it is still hard to shake the old dynamic.

“There’s always a little bit of a transition where you get used to the fact that now [you’re] colleagues,” Buczinsky said. “It’s a different role. It’s funny, though. There’s always some part of that relationship that never quite goes away. … I like it, though.

There’s another layer to your relationship.

You’ve got this history.”

Schnell, however, feels that the dynamic between him and Collins has matured and all of the aspects he appreciated before have only improved, especially because both he and Collins teach AP World History and will collaborate on assignments.

“I don’t see him as a student anymore, and I haven’t for years,” Schnell said. “He’s just another guy that comes in, and we work together to come up with ideas and build a better, stronger class. I never still see him as a 15-year-old kid. … In fact, … early in his teaching … I think I stole some ideas from him.”

According to Collins, he always knew that he wanted to come back to teach at Prospect and form stronger friendships with his teachers partially because of the strong relationships he had been able to form as a student.

“I definitely didn’t have the same relationship [as a student], that I have with them now,” Collins said. “We’re friends. …

We text each other about stuff. We hang out sometimes. They were definitely people who influenced me to want to [teach]. I had a really good experience here. That’s what I knew. … And I think when you have a good relationship with your teachers, you feel welcome; you feel encouraged; you feel supported. You naturally gravitate towards those places. That was something that I wanted to continue to experience.”

prospectornow.com

March 24, 2017

9

Features

Legacy status gives leg up

BY GRACE BERRY Print Managing Editor

“In some cases [legacy status] does not factor in whatsoever,” college and career counselor Diane Bourn said. “In other casenior Owen Matthews knew he es it really does. I think there are several wanted to attend the University of things at play here, and I think probably the Chicago when he was 13. He was atbiggest is money.” tending his dad’s graduation from the MBA According to Bourn, many highly selecprogram and fell in love with the school. tive private universities have large endow“There were beautiful buildings, and [the ments, and they count on donations from campus] was just gorgeous,” Matthews said. alumni. When a university relies on this “All the people there and all his classmates money, Bourn says were super smart, it is easier to see why Percent increase in chance and it was really init would admit a legteresting to talk to of admissions for legacies acy student whose them.” family donates a sigSince that day, nificant amount of Matthews was set on money. going to the UniverMatthews hopes sity of Chicago, and his father attending he recently found graduate school at out he was accepted the University of to the undergradChicago didn’t affect uate program. He his admission into hopes to major in the school. physics, economics “I would hope [I and software engiwasn’t admitted beneering. cause I was a legacy Many students student], and I think attend the same colmy dad would also lege as one or both hope not either,” of their parents, and Matthews said. “He’s to some schools this Primary legacy : A parent attended very big on doing legacy status can university for undergraduate degree. things under your make a difference own power. Even if in admissions decihe had the chance sions. In 2011, a re- Secondary legacy: A sibling, grandparto help he probably searcher at Harvard ent or aunt attended the university or would have said, University, Michael parent attended graduate school at the ‘Do it yourself.’ He’s Hurwitz, found university. supportive, but he through comparing doesn’t want to give *information courtesy of a Harvard study by Michael Hurwitz 30 highly selective me an advantage universities that somewhere where I don’t need it.” students with a family legacy have a 23.3 According to Hurwitz’s study, a looser percent better chance of being admitted than connection to a university — like a parent other candidates do. In addition, if a student who attended graduate school or a sibling, is a primary legacy, meaning one or both of aunt or grandparent who attended the unihis or her parents attended the university versity — is less advantageous than a parent for their undergraduate degree, he or she who attended the undergraduate program. has a 45.1 percent better chance.

S

K

Senior Owen Matthews stands in front of a University of Chicago building after his dad’s graduation from the MBA program. (photo courtesy of Owen Matthews)

o h Wws no

CLASS OF ‘34: Many students choose to go to the same school as their parents.

This legacy status can increase students’ chance of admission. (cartoon by Katie Hamilton) Like what Iowa is for Leeney, Harvard is a significant place for O’Malley, not just because of the school’s prestige.

“My parents actually met there, so [Harvard] is kind of a special place for us,” O’Malley said. “We’ve been there once or twice, and it’s kind of a cool thing to see ‘Oh my parents met in that bar right there.’”

O’Malley felt no pressure from his dad to apply to Harvard. While O’Malley isn’t sure how much his legacy status will help him in admissions, he wanted to apply to Harvard to give it a shot.

“For my college search personally I wanted to [apply] to a lot of the higher academic schools and [Harvard] is clearly one of them,” O’Malley said. “It has that reputation, so I [decided] there’s nothing I can lose from applying, so I might as well see what happens.”

Senior Molly Leeney poses with her family at the University of Senior Deegan O’Malley poses in front of a building at HarIowa. Her parents and three siblings attended Iowa, and Leeney vard University on a campus visit. His dad went to graduate will start next fall. (photo courtesy Molly Leeney) school there, and O’Malley hopes to attend Harvard next fall. (photo courtesy of Deegan O’Malley)

Senior Michael Wiley The Boyfriend

Senior Sarah Greising

B

Y et to u er?

These students have a 13.7 percent better chance of getting admitted.

Senior Deegan O’Malley hopes to attend Harvard University like his father did for his graduate degree in business.

“I’m not really sure how much a legacy plays into college decisions these days, especially with universities like [Harvard] where so many people from across the entire world are applying,” O’Malley said. “I feel like maybe if I have the same qualifications as somebody that might give me a slight leg up, but I don’t really know if it would do that much.”

Bourn agrees with this line of thinking.

She sees legacy status as a form of “extra credit” in the application when a university has to choose from a group of equally qualified applications.

While Bourn believes legacy status has a greater impact in the admissions process for private universities than public universities because of many private schools’ large endowments, there are other advantages to being a legacy student.

Senior Molly Leeney will be the sixth person in her immediate family to attend the University of Iowa. Both of her parents and her three siblings have all attended the university. She was excited to be accepted into the business program there, where she plans on continuing her studies next year.

“I basically knew I was going to go there,” Leeney said. “I looked at other schools, but I really knew the campus well, and my sister is going to be there. So I liked the idea of having her there too.”

In addition to knowing the campus well, another advantage Leeney has by attending the University of Iowa is an automatic $2,000 scholarship every year called the Iowa Heritage Scholarship, which is exclusively offered to legacy students.

Leeney has been attending football and basketball games at the University of Iowa since she was young and knows more about the best dorms and classes because of her family connection.

Medium caramel iced Psychology coffee with light sugar and cream

P

7th period class?

P

Coffee order?

Medium caramel iced Psychology coffee with The Subject light sugar and cream Medium caramel iced Senior Psychology coffee with Carley Walker light sugar The Best Friend and cream

P

P

Italy

Spiders

P

P

Dream vacation?

Biggest fear?

Favorite restaurant?

Italy

Spiders

Chick-fil-A

Italy

Spiders

P

P

Chick-fil-A

P

Chick-fil-A

P

W I N N E R

W I N N E R

10

Entertainment

March 24, 2017

prospectornow.com

Comic movies require realism Marvel and DC movies could benefit from stories based in realistic problems

BY ANTHONY ROMANELLI Staff Writer

A

giant laser-shooting head may seem cartoonish, but one particular giant laser-shooting head may just add some spice to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), provided he’s brought to the screen appropriately. His name is M.O.D.O.K, the new villain to pick up where Red Skull left off as leader of the next high-tech evil organization.

Both Marvel and DC Comics have a little problem with their characters. They’re, well, comical. Not as in funny, but as in fantastical, strange, illogical to an extent. Everyone has a certain look, but sometimes that theme doesn’t age well.

There’s a reason audiences will never see Calendar Man in a DC movie (except for The Lego Batman Movie). No one wants to see Batman fight calendar-themed crime for 90 minutes.

Some things, however, have done incredibly well in both Marvel and DC spheres.

Take the Joker, for example. The character was one of Batman’s earliest villains and now one of the most popular comic book villains on the planet. He’s been around for seven decades rampaging through the DC universe, killing anyone he feels like needs killing. With the Dark Knight at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, he clearly is nowhere close to ending his cinema presence. The concept is simple enough: psychopath clown that likes to commit joke-themed crimes.

The Joker is the exception to the rule that every villain (and hero) needs a motive. He’s an agent of chaos, and not many really know where he came from. He’s here to commit crimes and cause havoc. That’s why people loved Heath Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight, which made over $500 million at the box office. For his many fans, committing crimes just to spite Gotham and its “schemers” was exactly something the Joker would do.

The MCU delivered a similarly satisfying story arc with Captain America. Take a look at the character from Avengers; still wearing the gaudy star-spangled suit, still an idealistic soldier and poster boy for 1940s

America, down to his manners and no-nonsense attitude.

Cap is mentally still in World War II, a relic of the past.

Fast forward to Winter Soldier and Cap is struggling to adapt to the modern world. His book of things to try (like watching Star Wars and eating Thai food) was Highest grossing an excellent little detail, showing us the effects of his cryosleep. By Civil War, the patriotic mascot has moved over to share space with a hardened veteran, something that still fits with his theme.

The Captain America in First Avenger started as a propaganda piece until he decided to fight back. Fast forward to the modern age and he still has that patriotic attitude coupled with his experience. He’s seen people die and betray one another.

He’s not as naive as he once was, and even more stubborn. He reminds me of Batman in that way, as a person who knows humanity can’t be trusted to keep itself safe.

These portrayals, many would say, are spot on, or at least, very close to the comic book inspirations.

Comic book fans, however, must understand no comic book movie can be too true to the comics. Movies have to introduce their own ideas, or else we would just read the comics. Captain America: Civil War ended very differently in the comics.

Sometimes new ideas work and resonate with casual moviegoers and hardcore comic fans alike. Sometimes, they really, really don’t.

Fantastic Four, anyone? The last one ended up with a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Why is it that every movie starring America’s original super-team ends up utter garbage? Poor scripting, studio interference, and straying from the source material all contributed to a disaster of a film(s). Also, making Doctor Doom into… whatever he was (mud/rubber cyborg man?) made one of Marvel’s greatest villains into one of Marvel’s unimportant diesat-the-end bad guys. Come on, this is the guy who skinned his own lover alive!

The Fantastic Four don’t resonate with modern audiences because they don’t belong in this era. They were made for the 60s, so for crying out loud, set the movie in the Vietnam era. Think of the conflict! Johnny Storm (Human Torch) could be trying to avoid the draft when he receives his power, Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) could be a scientist with the Nixon administration, and popular Fantastic Four villains like Doom or Namor could be linked to the Communists.

Suicide Squad also faced similar problems. Remember how much Jared Leto’s Joker was hyped, and he was supposed to add an urban gangster feel to that whole

IN THE NAME OF ODIN: Thor swings his hammer. Superheroes like Thor and supervillains have stories that could benefit from some real-world elements. (photo courtesy of Screen Rant)

“agent of chaos” theme he’s supposed to have? Well, all the promotional material turned out to be misleading, as Leto was only onscreen for 20-30 minutes.

When I see the Joker in a movie, I want my first thought to be, “Wow, he’s oddly charming for a creepy psysuperhero movies cho murder-clown,” not “Wow, Marilyn Manson really let himself go.”

Well, due to a number of factors (mainly studio interference) this neon-splattered mess didn’t deliver on that, or most of its promises for that matter. The quasi-magical element in Enchantress’s character really didn’t fit with the rest of the story, which was really a collection of scenes of bad guys being bad for good causes.

None of it was cohesive enough to make for the Avengers antithesis it was marketed to be.

But for its faults, unlike Fantastic Four, Suicide Squad introduced some excellent new characters.

We got an excellent Harley Quinn in Margot Robbie, and lots of people liked Will Smith’s Deadshot, and their chemistry was really the only thing that kept audiences watching.

As authentic comic adaptations, they feel true to the material for comic fans and look awesome to newcomers. Wasn’t enough to save the movie, but I sure appreciated those portrayals.

So, what do we expect next? Well, with Wonder Woman in the wings and Avengers: Infinity War looming ever closer, new heroes and villains are bound to show up. When Peter Dinklage was confirmed to play an “important role” in an upcoming Marvel movie, some speculated he would play floating telepathic giant head M.O.D.O.K. M.O.D.O.K. is the leader of Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.), on the level with Hydra in terms of tech-based crimes against humanity. Since the disappointing fakeout of the Mandarin in Iron Man 3, fans were understandably upset at the waste of arguably one of the best Iron Man villains. We need a new anti-Stark, an inventor of horrible things like torture devices and sadistic robots, all preferably not involving laser beams that shoot into the sky (which deserves its own article on how overdone that is).

How do you make the giant head believable? Well, make the head less giant. M.O.D.O.K’s backstory involves experiments done on him to increase his brain function at the cost of everything else, so he needs an exoskeleton to survive.

There’s a real world condition called megalencephaly where the brain grows unusually large and the neck can’t support it. It also impairs nearly all motor function and can cause paralysis.

Writers can use that. An inventor with a life-threatening condition builds a hover chair to cure his paralysis, while building a neck brace to support his huge and hyper-intelligent head. However, his speech processing is impaired (just like real megalencephaly) and leaves him with a distinct voice pattern. This stuff practically writes itself when you think about it.

Sometimes suspension of disbelief can only go so far. In a comic or book, the imagination does the heavy lifting, but in a movie, it’s up to the makers to paint a picture that isn’t a copy-paste of the comics, but captures their feeling. It can be gritty, sure. Cartoonish, even. However, I firmly believe using real-world logic and applying it without betraying the core values and traits of the character would add a unique style to cinematic universes and make them more appealing to all audiences.

To paraphrase Nick Fury, the movies have become part of a bigger universe. They just don’t know it yet.

We invite you to stop by for a quick bite to enjoy in our dinning area, or take out to enjoy at home!

Hours: Monday-Thursday 8:00 am to 7:00 pm Friday-Saturday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Sunday-Closed

Reach us at... tel: 847.255.9049; fax: 847.255.1608 Visit us at...16 South Evergreen, Arlington Heights

BEAT STREET

To y , C o l l e c t i b l e a n d C a n d y S t o r e Stop by for a large selection of toys for everyone!

Downtown AH Open Tues. - Sat.: 11 a.m. — 5:30 p.m.

prospectornow.com

March 24, 2017

Entertainment

Class and cinema clash vador doesn’t consider himself a visual learner, but he also believes there simply are some things that ocial science teacher Dacan only be conveyed through vidvid Schnell had a tall oreo. While watching “The Truman der for former film class Show” in his Media Analysis class, teacher Judith Ross. He needed a he felt as if every key concept in foreign-language film that could the class began to click with him. engage teenage American mov“I had already seen it before iegoer sensibilities and serve as taking the class, but watching it appropriate viewing material for again was just great,” Salvador his AP World History class curricsaid. “Especially knowing everyulum after AP testing was all said thing I learned in class, and seeing and done. it being implemented in that mov“She … on the spot went, ‘This ie.” one. This is the movie for you.’ And Despite the merits, McDermott she handed me [‘Lagaan’],” Schnell also sees using film said. “I watched an easy way out, it that night and “[Using a movie as a as especially during thought it was fanbreak] is always nice, periods of the tastic.” school year where but we’re here to That was ten there isn’t much to years ago, and since teach. We’re here to teach — most notathen “Lagaan,” bly, in AP classes educate.” a Bollywood-proafter AP testing is duced musical complete.

These with a runtime just Timothy McDermott, classes effectively shy of four hours, end earlier in the English teacher has become an enyear than all othduring tradition ers, and teachers ofamong AP World History classes. ten feel as if there is nothing more However, despite the overto teach after their students are finwhelmingly positive reception of ished with testing.

“Lagaan” among both students and Thus, they tend to fill the void teachers, there still lies a stigma in with movies. McDermott doesn’t the educational community about see this implementation of film as the showing of feature-length mova particularly useful one, and chalies and television shows in the lenges AP teachers to find someclassroom. thing more substantial to do. For Many critics see watching movhis fellow English teachers, Mcies in class as a lazy form of teachDermott believes this time period ing — more of a way to break up is the perfect opportunity for him time and appease bored students and his peers to introduce students rather than actually do the hard to literature they believe is importwork of teaching. ant but isn’t part of the basic cur“To just show a movie for the riculum. sake of showing a movie is babysit“I think we’re doing the stuting,” English teacher Timothy dents a disservice [by just trying to McDermott said. “A break is alfill time],” McDermott said. “There ways nice, but we’re here to teach. are still plenty of opportunities We’re here to educate.” to add to the curriculum and do In McDermott’s eyes, there something that isn’t necessarily needs to be strong efforts to weave connected to AP testing but is still movies into the curriculum for connected to the content.” them to be effective.

Being an AP teacher himself, He says film interpretations of Schnell understands this criticism, books can be a strong educationbut sees another side of the issue. al tool for students who tend to He sees this time as a much-needlearn more visually. According to ed and well-earned breather after McDermott, movies also create a what many students find is a very pathway for class discussion about stressful time. differences between the original “In AP classes, there usually arversion and the movie version, en’t a lot of movies being watched which causes a strengthening of [throughout the year],” Schnell comprehension in students. said. “You’re on the clock all the For example, senior Matt Saltime. At the end of the year, you get

BY COLE ALTMAYER Entertainment Editor

S

a little bit of respite.”

“Lagaan” is shown after AP testing, but Schnell doesn’t see the experience as something where students can simply turn their brain off and relax. He sees “Lagaan” as something that toes the line between a dichotomy for in-class films: they are usually either pure entertainment or pure information.

“If it’s a good movie, it can do both of those things,” Schnell said.

According to Schnell, “Lagaan” keeps a good balance of being both a fun experience for students, as well as an insightful window into the culture of Bollywood and India.

“It’s a very typical sports movie, and it’s all the stuff that you know,” Schnell said. “But to the American viewer who may not be familiar with Bollywood movies, you can follow this plot completely without missing a beat.”

It also does a good job of displaying key concepts of the AP World History class, mainly centering around concepts of colonization and how indigenous people “Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in rise up in response to oppression. Schnell believes India” (2001) “Lagaan” conveys this in Genre: Musical sports drama an enthralling way that Shown in AP World History no simple lecture can.

Overall, the key to hav95% ing a movie be successful 8.2/10 in class is to have it engage the student without it being just leisure. McTaking place in British-occupied India, “Lagaan” tells the story of a Dermott thinks the best group of farmers who make a dangerous wager against their oppresway to weave film into sors: if they beat the British in a game of cricket, they’ll be able to the curriculum is through live tax free for three years. But if they fail, the British will levy a tax supplementary teaching, three times greater than before. It’s up to the reckless Bhuvan (Aamir whether it be a worksheet or Khan) to lead the ragtag team to victory. in-class discussion.

He also describes an inyou can take in all the informathe depth “art” to creating a worktion a lot better,” Salvador said. “I old-fashsheet that strengthens the learning think it would really help everyioned way and experience. McDermott says teachone that way.” doesn’t think ers have to be very careful with Other than “Lagaan,” Schnell that movies spacing out questions throughout tends to avoid showing full-length can hold a canthe runtime, so students don’t movies in class in favor of watchdle to more straightforward teachbecome preoccupied with jotting ing clips that display a certain ing methods. down a barrage of answers instead concept he wants to convey to stu“I’ve never, ever seen a movie of actually soaking in the informadents. One example would be “The that was better than a book,” Mction and properly understanding Last Samurai,” which he uses to Dermott said. it. Salvador prefers the discussion demonstrate changes in the art of approach. warfare in Japanese history fol“Since you’re not thinking lowing the invention of firearms. about doing the worksheet or worStill, McDermott prefers rying about answering a question,

Q: What type of dance are you most passionate about?

A: I would say my favorite style is tap dancing. It’s one of the forms of dancing I’ve done the longest, and it’s so different than what you typically see. ... It’s what I feel like I naturally want to do the most. It’s just the most fun.

Q: Could you ever seen yourself making a career out of dance?

A: I would love to incorporate it into some kind of stage career. ... I’m getting an acting minor, so I could definitely use it in musicals and stuff like that. I might also join some dance teams in college.

Q: What is your biggest accomplishment as a dancer so far?

MICKI Smolenski - senior

11

A: I think my biggest accomplishment is probably how much I’ve grown as a dancer, and how much I’ve been able to learn over the past few years. ... It’s challenging and gives disappointments from time to time, but there’s always rewards in the end.

12

Sports

March 24, 2017

prospectornow.com

Kanupke elected to DePaul hall of fame

“That was truly an awesome experience for everyone,” Kanupke said. “We got down to Oklahoma City, and we were just excitefore math teacher Karen Kanupke began teaching at Prospect in ed to be there and play the other best seven 2000, she was a star shortstop for teams in the country.”

Although the team lost to UCLA in the four seasons at DePaul University.

Kanupke was inducted into the DePaul quarterfinals, Kanupke has plenty of memAthletics Hall of Fame on Feb. 17, becoming ories from that season.

“It was great as a team because we all bethe 11th softball player in program history to gan as freshmen together,” Kanupke said. be inducted.

“Every single year we got one step further, “I was just really surprised when I got the call,” Kanupke said. “It was really nice to get and then during my senior year, we became one of the best softball teams in the country.” inducted with some of my teammates, and Wondaal thinks that Kanupke has left a we were really excited that we would go in lasting legacy at DePaul. together.”

“I have never seen someone start at the Kanupke and teammates Yvette Healy same position at DePaul for all four years,” and Nicole Wondaal were honored with an Wondaal said. induction cer“To own your emony at DeKanupke’s historic career position all four Paul’s McGrath years is just Phillips Arena Math teacher Karen Kanupke’s career at something to on Feb. 25.

DePaul included: marvel at.”

“The inducKanupke betion ceremolieves that her • 31 Home Runs (fifth in DePaul history) ny was really teammates at great,” KanupDePaul helped ke said. “It was • 62 Doubles (second in DePaul history) her a lot to begreat to have come not only all of my family • 179 RBI (second in DePaul history) the player she there and also was at the time, being able to but also the per• 2000 College Softball World Series quarsee a lot of my son she is now. terfinalist old teammates “I could not there from the have gotten to 2000 team.”

• DePaul Athletics Hall of Fame inductee this point withIn her four out my teamyears as the mates at DePaul,” Kanupke said. “It wasn’t starting shortstop, Kanupke finished fifth in just the teammates that I played with, it was program history with 31 home runs.

Kanupke also finished second in doubles the older girls who graduated before I did that gave me really great advice.” with 62, and second in runs batted in with Wondaal credits Kanupke for helping her 179. throughout her career at DePaul.

In 2000 during her senior season at De“You’d be hard-pressed to find a better Paul, Kanupke helped guide the Blue Deteammate,” Wondaal said. “She was always mons to their first College World Series apthere with an easy smile and high-five to let pearance in school history. me know that she had my back.”

BY WYATT DOJUTREK Online Sports Editor

B

ALL TIME GREATS: Math teacher Karen Kanupke (second from the left) stands alongside her teammates at the 2000 College Softball World Series. Kanupke was inducted into the DePaul Athletics Hall of Fame on Feb. 17 to recognize her for the following accomplishments: fifth in program history in home runs, second of all time in doubles and second in runs batted in. (photo courtesy of Karen Kanupke) Kanupke says that her former Hersey High School softball coach Nancy Holmgren was a major influence along the way.

“She was just terrific,” Kanupke said.

“She really helped me get better as a player and helped me be able to get that scholarship to get into DePaul.”

Kanupke also believes her teammates at Hersey contributed majorly to her success.

“I learned so much from my teammates at Hersey,” Kanupke said. “During my college career, I used a lot of what they and my other high school coaches said.”

Kanupke’s travel softball coaches included Barrington head coach Perry Peterson, who is fourth all-time in wins by a high school softball coach in Illinois state history.

Kanupke was also coached by Elk Grove head coach Ken Grams, who has the second most victories that category.

“I learned a lot from Ken Grams,” Kanupke said. “He taught me a lot as a player, and then I got to coach against him and Coach Peterson for six years. And Grams really taught me how to create a winning program at Prospect.”

Once Kanupke came back to District 214 in 2000, this time as a teacher, she became the head coach of both the varsity softball team and the varsity girls’ volleyball team at Prospect.

However, she resigned from those two positions in 2006 when her first daughter was born.

“I really do miss coaching high school softball,” Kanupke said. “I really had a lot of great players during my time as head coach.

I still try and keep in contact with those girls from my coaching days, but I think that coaching created a lot of good relationships.”

Kanupke may make a comeback to coaching Prospect softball when both of her daughters head off to college.

“I think that it is a major possibility that I return back,” Kanupke said. “I just do not want to miss their [my kids] games because they will eventually play in high school, and that’s exciting.”

Even though she is not coaching at Prospect, Kanupke is still a softball coach; she is currently coaching her oldest daughter Claire’s travel team, the Palatine Stingrays.

Kanupke thinks that getting inducted into the DePaul Athletics Hall of Fame was one of the biggest accomplishments in her life.

“I think that the induction is one of the best moments of my life,” Kanupke said.

“Obviously my family and having my kids is my favorite. But getting into the hall of fame is high up there.”

prospectornow.com

March 24, 2017

Sports

13

First year in pool propels polos New offense sets girls’ water polo to repeat as MSL East champions

Boys’ water polo uses success, speed gained from swim season to build for a strong spring season

BY JACK ANKONY Executive Sports Editor

T

he girls’ water polo team started off the season on a high note. In the first game of the season, the team claimed a 12-3 victory over Palatine on March 8.

“A win is always a great way to start the season, and there were so many flashes of potential,” head coach Natalie Tucker said. “We will continue to build off our successes and learn from our mistakes as we work towards a divisional and ultimately a conference title.”

Leading the way in scoring for the Knights was senior Gracie Dix with five goals, junior Colleen Doyle with four and seniors Kate Colehour, Emma Colehour and Megan Pfeiffer each with one goal.

In goal, senior Mary Clare McAleer led the Knights with seven saves, and Pfeiffer pitched in with one save. Dix had five steals, and Pfeiffer dished out five assists for the Knights.

“It was a really good start to the season, [and] we played really well as a team,” Pfeiffer said.

This year, the Knights’ captains are Dix, Pfeiffer and McAleer. As a captain, Dix says she is working to bring to the team together to create a better atmosphere throughout the program. Pfeiffer agrees and thinks it is important for the team to be versatile so everyone can play multiple positions.

“That is something we are doing really different this year,” Pfeiffer said. “People aren’t really having set positions, [so] we are going to different parts of the pool.”

The Knights won the MSL East last season, and going into this season, the team circled a few games on the calendar. On March 13, the Knights took on rival Hersey and won 8-2, and later in the week on March 15 they beat Rolling Meadows 10-5. “[Hersey] lost a couple girls from last year, but they have a lot returning,” Dix said.

Dix explains that a friendly rivalry has grown between the Knights and Huskies throughout the years, resulting in many hardfought games, two of which the Knights won last year.

Many games against Hersey have gone into overtime, according

BY JACK ANKONY Executive Sports Editor

T

LAUNCH: Senior Megan Pfeiffer gets ready to shoot against Wheeling on March 20. The girls’ water polo team improved to 3-0 in the MSL East. (photo by Elisabeth Rohde) to Dix, but this year the Knights are focusing on starting games in a more positive way. Dix and Pfeiffer referred to last year’s team as the ‘comeback kids.’

“We would get down every game [and] then have to fight to get back in the game,” Dix said. “So this year we want to just go out and get started right away.”

This change in focus at the start of games also comes with a change in offensive philosophy. The Knights are currently 5-2 overall and 3-0 in conference. Tucker and Pfeiffer say that the Knights want to drive the ball more and have girls play a variety of positions.

“We tried to implement [a new play] into the game yesterday,” Pfeiffer said. “I think that by using it and seeing that it didn’t work and how it could work better, we will be able to use that experience to know what each other is thinking.”

Tucker thinks the girls being on the swim team in addition to the water polo team has helped them a lot with speed, which enables them to run a more movement-based offense.

To be successful, combining the new movement-based offense with solid defensive principles will require a lot of communication from the Knights, according to Tucker.

“I try to be very positive and give them tools as I see them to be successful,” Tucker said. “Then I trust them to do their part in the water and during the game and encourage them to really hold up positive examples and think positively going forward.”

Major madness sets in for the Sweet Sixteen mid-majors. Rhode Island and Four straight days of non-stop Middle Tennessee make up the March Madness games is any short list of mid-majors to pull off sports fan’s dream. Tournament upsets. The other three upsets in fanatics also live for the Cinderella the first round were Xavier, who teams that make tournament runs has made the tournaevery year. This year, ment seven of the last however, was different. eight seasons, USC, The first two rounds and Michigan State, a of games proved that team that was probamid-major upsets don’t bly underseeded and need to make top heada typical tournament lines to have a great powerhouse. tournament. With upThis doesn’t mean sets at somewhat of a

BY JACK ANKONY the tournament was premium in the first Executive Sports Editor any less great than past round, only six of the 32 years, though. Actualgames produced upsets ly, it made for better second-round based on seeding. matchups, where most of the upThe most staggering stat is that sets came. only half of these upsets came from Anytime you can have matchmid-majors, and as evidenced by ups of elite programs in the second previous tournament runs, Wichround (like Villanova versus Wisita State doesn’t play like many

he boys’ water polo team started off the season winning their first two MSL East matchups against Rolling Meadows and Wheeling.

Head coach Steve Grzybek says that although his team’s first opponents might be two of the weaker programs in the division, it was still a good start of conference play.

Building off those victories, the Knights’ record is 2-1 in the MSL East with their loss coming to Hersey 10-9. Against Hersey, Grzybek thinks the Knights played well on offense. However he credited costly turnovers as being the deciding factor in the game.

“Now that the guys have got a taste of playing at a higher level and realized the importance of doing things well in practice, that should correlate well to games,” Grzybek said.

The Knights learned many lessons to use for the rest of the season during their opening game against Palatine. According to Grzybek, the Knights learned how to play better as a team and learned the speed of the game. Grzybek’s biggest takeaway from the game is that the team needs to continue improving conditioning and physicality.

“Palatine is a very physical team,” Grzybek said. “They had guys on the team play on the Junior Olympics squad this summer, so I thought we did a pretty good job on their bigger guys. But it definitely took a toll as our guys were a little bit more inexperienced and unable to hold their game for the game’s whole duration.”

Junior Dan Macina believes the games early in the season have helped the team learn to be spatially aware on offense.

“I think we need to work together well and be conscious of where each other are in the pool and not get down on each other and ourselves if we make a mistake,” Macina said.

Using these lessons, the Knights have set goals to win the MSL East and go as far as possible in the playoffs. Last year, the Knights finished third in the East but have their sights set on improvement.

Macina thinks the team can improve on their physicality.

“I think especially this year compared to last year, we are going to be working on the physicality of the game,” Macina said.

Grzybek agrees and has a plan to increase the team’s physicality.

“Honestly the best way to do it is to set the bar high in the way that defense plays in drills,” Grzybek said. “[The plan is] to have whoever is defending in a play to basically be gaining speed, and when I think a call should be made in favor of the offense, I will usually not make a call as a referee so guys don’t get used to expecting a call so they play through it and be physical instead.”

Macina along with senior Matt Inserra are the team captains this season, and they hope to set a good

KEEP AWAY: Junior Jacob Kosinski (14) protects the ball from a Wheeling defender on March 20. The boys’ water polo team is trying to be more physical this season. (photo by Elisabeth Rohde) consin, Kansas versus Michigan State or Louisville versus Michigan) great games will happen, and that is what we saw this past weekend.

This set up some of the most intriguing second round matchups. Eleven of the 16 second round games were decided by single digits. Also, I think most people would agree that seeing relevant programs like Xavier, Wisconsin, Michigan and Cincinnati in the second round instead of no-name schools from the Sun Belt or Southland conferences is more enticing.

Cinderellas are great, but in the end, most of them fall by double digits in unentertaining games because they have nothing left in the tank.

When it is teams like South Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan and Xavier who make deep runs in the tournament as high seeds, the games are naturally more competitive in the Sweet 16 because they are schools who recruit good players but had a bumpy regular

season. Take Xavier for example: they were a team that was ranked through January, but with the injury to their point guard Edmond Sumner, they fell off significantly, barely making the tournament as an 11 seed.

Don’t get me wrong, I love upsets as much as anyone and end up rooting for them even if it goes against my bracket by the third or fourth day of games. My point is not to sulk that there aren’t any unheard-of Cinderellas that made it to the Sweet 16.

What happened as a result, is that we are now treated with some of the best Sweet 16 matchups in a long time. Though it is still early, with the Sweet 16 just starting, favorites like Villanova, Duke, and Louisville have already fallen.

No matter how much research you did or how confident you were going into the tournament, your bracket is probably isn’t much better than the person who picked the team with the cooler name like the Wolverines or Gamecocks.

example during practice. “[It’s important that I’m] practicing hard so that my attitude in practice will then inspire others to do the same,” Macina said.

Grzybek thinks that while the team needs to work on physicality, they are a fast group of swimmers who succeed when they use that to their advantage. He says that it will be key for the Knights to combine those two phases of the game.

“I think [we need to] turn a very speedy team, as shown by their successful swim season, into a more physical team,” Grzybek said. “And being able to play multiple positions that the game needs as well as trying to survive all the way through even though we have a generally younger team and for our senior guys to be good role models for the rest of the season.”

Using this speed to their advantage, the Knights are looking forward to two key matchups in MSL East play: Hersey and Buffalo Grove. Junior Jacob Kosinski explains that the Knights will be focusing on getting back defensively to stop fast breaks from the opposition.

Prospect and Hersey share the pool, so there is a bit of familiarity between the two teams because practices often overlap for 30 minutes, according to Grzybek.

Though the Knights know some of their players, Grzybek thinks it will be important to expect anything come game time.

“My biggest focus is to get guys ready for all types of formations and tactics that they might throw at us,” Grzybek said.

In his third season as boys’ head coach, Grzybek has seen a notable trend in the program.

“Prospect aquatics have been slightly leaning towards the swimming side, but I think with the coaching staff and the addition of a new pool, we are really looking to bring in more faces to try out for the team and hopefully get the coaches’ enthusiasm to leak into the kids to want to play the sport and enjoy it,” Grzybek said.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, the Knights are striving for the best come playoff time. After a few learning moments at the start of the season, Macina and Grzybek agree that the team has seen improvements and are looking forward with a positive attitude.

“I want to make sure that they don’t sulk... instead put their focus on learning from experience from each moment in the game, and get better from that,” Grzybek said.

I’m not going to go and make predictions for the Sweet 16 like I know everything because my bracket is as busted as anyones with the exception of my championship of Arizona and North Carolina still being alive at the time we went to press. However, I like to think I know good matchups when I see them, and this Sweet 16 is loaded with great matchups.

Every game you look at has an interesting storyline, an intriguing player, a great coach or a big question mark. That is what makes March Madness so great. No matter how well you think you predicted the field, no one will ever be perfect, but that doesn’t matter.

The games will be great regardless, and this year will be no exception with all Sweet 16 matchups between Power Five conference teams, other that Gonzaga, which at this point is basically an extension of the Pac-12.

So tune in because with this upcoming slate of games; you don’t want to miss a thing.

SPORTS

FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 2017

March Madness

SPRINGING UP

The NCAA Tournament is on! For the Sports Editor’s thoughts on the tournament, tune in on SoundCloud @KnightlyBanter and on:

A new season brings new sports. For coverage of all spring athletics, head over to:

prospectornow.com

prospectornow.com

IHSA rule limits pitches, protects arms

BY PAUL EVERS Sports Editor

T

he Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors met on Dec. 12 of last year and voted to pass a new regulation for high school baseball. Taking effect immediately for the 2017 season, pitchers will now be limited to 105 pitches per day and will be subject to other regulations and mandatory rest days. (See “Limiting Pitches” for a more in-depth look on the policy.)

IHSA voted on the policy that was jointly developed by its Baseball Advisory Committee and Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. Head baseball coach Ross Giusti thinks the IHSA is trying to protect the overuse of pitchers’ arms over the course of a season. “[It was created] to kind of put a watchdog-type scenario out there for coaches to monitor,” Giusti said. “There have been some incidents out there that have really put a question mark over what’s the best amount of pitches for a kid.”

Senior pitcher Ben Courtney feels that the new rules won’t play much of a role until later in the season. With pitchers still building up their arm strength to start the season, Courtney said he doesn’t normally pitch 105 pitches anyway.

“Come playoff time [the rule] will probably come into effect more often, and it will affect how teams strategize games,” Courtney said. “Some guys might be going 80 [pitches] instead of 100, and a lot of coaches are going to have to take into account [the rule] when the games become more serious.”

Though overuse in high school can be a problem, Courtney said that the Prospect coaching staff has avoided burning out pitchers.

Courtney said the staff closely monitored the pitch counts of each player, and the only time someone pitched on short rest was when Courtney pitched in the regional and the sectional playoffs on three days rest.

“I think for us it’s not going to

WINDUP: Senior Ben Courtney winds up to throw a pitch during practice on March 18. Last year Courtney was a mainstay in Prospect’s pitching staff and is looking to continue his success this season, even with the new IHSA pitch count rules. (photo by Elisabeth Rohde) be that much different. … Last year I don’t think I threw over 105 to 110 pitches,” Courtney said.

Courtney said the issue of overuse of pitchers really came to the forefront at the end of last season.

He described a playoff game that did not involve Prospect where a pitcher on the opposing team allowed his coach to use him for 170 pitches.

“A lot of people took offense to that issue in the baseball community,” Courtney said. “I feel like

this is a good way to make sure coaches don’t overuse pitchers, and pitchers don’t think they’re invincible. A lot of high school kids, high school seniors — we think we’re invincible, but we really aren’t. And this is a good way to protect us from ourselves and our coaches.”

Giusti also mentioned that he can’t remember a time when a Prospect pitcher was hurt due to being overused. However, he does believe the workload on pitchers

year?

Q. thisProbably our first meet. We were all really What meets have stood out to you the most

Athlete: Jack D’Onofrio

Year: Junior

A.

Sport: Gymnastics

strong. It was an all-varsity meet. [Recently] was our first full-team meet, so that was good to get all the new guys out to get their experience. In the first meet it was us, Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg, Elk Grove and Rolling Meadows at home.

is something people should know about Q. thisWhat year’s gymnastics team?

A.

We are all a younger team — mainly juniors or sophomores, so we are really strong this year because most of us have been working over the summer. Next year we will come out and be a pretty dominant team.

Q. What are the team’s biggest goals this year?

I would say to get in the top three of conference and sectionals. The scores are based on how A. everyone performs.

can be detrimental in the future.

“We’ve had pitchers who have gone on to college, and in their second or third years have experienced injuries. ... When you add up [all the pitches] over time, … you just don’t know when, where and how they’ve been throwing since, in some cases, eight years old,” Giusti said.

Courtney said he believes the new rule could create more competitive balance. He used 2016 Elk Grove graduate Christian Comacho, who now attends Auburn University and plays baseball for the school, as an example of how the sport would even out.

Comacho was the star pitcher who carried Elk Grove last season, and while he never experienced an arm injury due to fatigue, he pitched multiple times throughout the week. Under the new rules, pitchers like Comacho would not be able to pitch as much each week and would force teams that rely on elite pitchers to use more pitchers now who are not as talented.

“We don’t have a guy like that,” Courtney said. “We would have to use our staff depth throughout the season. So I feel like it will affect a lot of team negatively, but it will also create a much more even playing ground for everybody in the MSL and outside of our league.”

This year’s roster contains 11 pitchers for Prospect according to Giusti. While he is comfortable with the team’s pitching depth, he says some teams will struggle if they only have five pitchers or so to use throughout the season.

For now, Courtney doesn’t see the rule changing his personal approach to pitching, but that might change by the end of the season.

“I think I might have to start pitching towards contact more often, and it’ll affect how I see the game [and] attack hitters,” Courtney said. “For right now I’m not sure how it’s affecting me.”

Giusti explains that while this system may not be the perfect fix right now, the new rule is an opportunity to explore what is best for pitchers.

Limiting pitches The IHSA instituted a new pitch count rule for the 2017 baseball season. The rule has coaches reporting pitch counts to an online service that includes an app. Head coach Ross Giusti said that the app is streamlined in a stoplight format to make it easy for coaches to know how much their pitchers can throw.

Red light Pitch Count 76-105 in a day •Next day- not eligible •1 day of rest- not eligible •2 days of rest- not eligible •3 days of rest- not eligible •4 days of rest-90 pitches •5 days of rest- 105 pitches

Yellow light Pitch Count 46-60 in a day • Next day- not eligible •1 day of rest- not eligible •2 days of rest- 60 pitches •3 days of rest- 75 pitches •4 days of rest- 105 pitches Pitch Count 61-75 in a day •Next Day- not eligible •1 day of rest- not eligible •2 days or rest- not eligible •3 days of rest- 75 pitches •4 days of rest- 105 pitches

Green light Pitch Count 1-30 in a day • Next day- 90 pitches •After 1 day of rest-105 pitches Pitch Count 31-45 in a day •Next day- Not eligible •After 1 day of rest- 90 pitches •After 2 days of rest- 105 pitches “What I think this does is give coaches and the IHSA and people that are monitoring this baseline data on what is good or bad about the system,” Giusti said.

for you to make it to Q. stateWhatagainwillthisit take year?

A.

Hard work, nailing all of my routines, just a bunch of practice in the gym, making sure I am able to get my routines down. I do all-around.

are you doing to try to improve on Q. yourWhat appearance at state last year?

A.

Probably trying to make it to all-around.

Last year I only made it to two events, so this year I am going to try to make it to all six. It’s a lot harder because you have to space out your time, keep your energy because sometimes one event will just tire you out.

Q. team?How are you trying to be a leader for the A.

I am trying to get everyone energetic, making sure everyone is happy, helping them with all their tricks, just making sure it is a fun atmosphere for the new kids and the rest of the team.