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Features
September 14, 2012
Mikes, Kates make up mass By Maddy Moloney
Associate Editor-in-Chief There’s nothing worse than hearing your name in the hallway only to turn around and realize the person calling your name was calling somebody else. However, for some students this is more than just a daily occurrence. At Prospect there are 42 students named Michael and 31 students named a variation Kathryn, placing them as the top names for boys and girls, which can cause a bit of confusion for both students and teachers alike. “I like the name, but sometimes it’s a little annoying because there are too many of us,” sophomore Mike Charnota said. “Sometimes it can get kind of awkward if somebody yells out ‘Mike’ and they aren’t talking to you, it gets weird,” sophomore Mike Piotrowski said. Class got weird for health teacher Michele Burnett when she realized on the first day of school she had five Michaels in one class. “That’s never happened in 20 years of teaching,” Burnett said. “ I’ve never had five of one name in a class.” Burnett says at the start of the year it took some getting use to, but she eventually found a way to avoid confusion. “They all wanted to be Mike, not Michael, no one wanted to be something different,” Burnett said. “So I just said alright you are all going to be last names because the first couple times I called ‘Mike’ they all turned to look at me, so I [thought], ‘That isn’t going to work.’ So now I just do last names or make eye contact.” With students having between two and three Michaels or Kathryns in each class, it can be tough to separate from the pack. To embrace their individuali-
ty, many of the Michaels or Kathryns go by nicknames instead. The nicknames often stem from their first or last name. Senior Mike Mannix approximates around 75 percent of people call him by his last name, rather than his first, and sophomore Michael Zalinski was known by his friends as “Ski”, which he says was a long-standing nickname up to this year. Not all Kathryns and Michaels want to change their name; in fact, many embrace it. Freshman Katherine “Katie” Dinsmore, who has both a great-aunt and a cousin named Katherine, believes her’s is a pretty name and says if given the choice, she doesn’t think she would change it. Sophomore Mike Mariani also likes his name, and although he says the popularity of it can be bothersome, he admits he likes the way Michael flows. Piotrowski feels most Michaels are all “good people,” although he admits he is a little biased. “It’s almost like one big family,” Piotrowski said. “I see a Mike in the hallway that I’m friends with and I just high five them.”
prospectornow.com
MANY MICHAELS: From left to right back row: Michael Gray, Michael Stolarz,
Michael Diaz, Michael Cahill, Mikey Deutsch, Mike Philips, Michael Clark, Michael Rasmussen, Michael Gattuso, Mike Lipinski, Mike Mannix, middle row: Michael Almisry, Michael Anderson, Mike charnota, Michael Kosla, Mike Piotrowski, Michael Zalinski, Mike O’Malley, Mike Ott, Michael Morikado, Mike Mariani, front row: Michael Cardamone, Michael Brown, Michael Poulos, Michael Weigand, Michael Doyle, Michael Schwingbeck. (Photo by Maddy Moloney)
Top Baby Names of 2011 Boys Girls 1. Jacob 2. Mason 3. William 4. Jayden 5. Noah 6. Michael 7. Ethan 8. Alexander Madison
1. Sophia 2. Isabella 3. Emma 4. Olivia 5. Ava 6. Emily 7. Abigail 8.
CRAZY QUANTITY OF KATIES: Left to right back row: Katie Lorenzini, Kathryn
Szukalla, Katie Zombo, Kathryn McCormack, Katie Olsen, Kathryn Brooks Middle row: Katherine Nejdl, Katie Porwit, Katy Quezada, Catherine Sherwood, Katie Villano, Kate Speedy First row: Kit Fitzgerald, Kate Dinsmore, Katie LaCost, Katie Penner, Katie Doherty, Katie Gravagna. (Photo By Maddy Moloney)