Issue 4 21-22

THE

PROSPECTOR

801 WEST KENSINGTON ROAD, MOUNT PROSPECT, ILLINOIS

THE VOICE OF PROSPECT HIGH SCHOOL SINCE 1959

VOLUME 61, ISSUE 4

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2022

ON THE NOSE RESPONSE COVID-19 surge creates fear, concern among students, staff

painting by Ondine Cella

KEVIN LYNCH Copy Editor *name changed for confidentiality

F

reshman *Samantha Kirk and her sister both became sick soon after winter break following her dad’s exposure to COVID-19 through an unvaccinated coworker. However, while Kirk had mostly mild symptoms, her sister’s case was much more severe.

Due to her intense asthma and other lung conditions, her sister is immunocompromised. Because of her sister’s health condition, keeping her safe has been a major concern for Kirk throughout the pandemic. “[At the] beginning of the pandemic, she was absolutely quarantined in her room because she couldn’t go out,” Kirk said. “Whereas … if [someone’s] health isn’t that serious, … they’ll get a short cold or something and that’ll kind of be the end of it.”

While her sister recovered after several days, Kirk says that seeing her sister being taken to the hospital when she was practically unable to breathe was the moment that she realized just how important it was to be aware of others’ needs regarding the pandemic.

Despite this, she says that on a daily basis, she witnesses other students failing to wear their masks properly and unsafely congregating with one another at all times of the day.

And while she is happy that teachers and staff members are committed to enforcing proper mask-wearing, she does feel that many students are simply not considerate of others’ health. “[Having COVID-19] could have definitely affected [my sister’s] life,” Kirk said. “And I think it’s kind of stupid … that people are not realizing that the mask isn’t only for you; it’s for everyone around you.”

When Prospect returned to school after winter break on Jan. 4, it faced a new dilemma concerning how to limit the spread of COVID-19 cases in schools due to the recent surge; according to Reuters, cases rose 83% in the month of December nationwide.

The Omicron variant, which was discovered in November, posed an extra threat to holiday gatherings due to its significant growth advantage over the Delta variant, according to the World Health Organization.

Thus, schools were forced to either double down on or create new policies that could adapt to the increased risk posed to students.

After having returned to school for a month, Principal Greg Minter acknowledges that mask-wearing is an issue that he hopes is being addressed in classes and in the halls, but he also believes that the progress the school has made thus far is also not to be discredited. While cases did increase in January, they remained largely contained, and part of the school’s high COVID-19 numbers can be attributed to Prospect’s larger student population as compared to other schools (with roughly 150 more students than the second largest D214 school).

In spite of this, Kirk feels that not every student is taking the pandemic as seriously as they should. One area of concern for her has been the buses that she takes to and from school every day. Because her parents leave for work before her, riding the bus is generally her only option for getting to school.

Despite masks being strictly required while on the bus, Kirk sees students every day that are blatantly not wearing their masks properly.

SEE MASKS ON PAGE 2

45.6% OF prospect students* said that they see 30+ People wearing Masks improperly Each day

*ACCording to a KNight media survey of 250 students

What’s Inside?

OPINION Learn how to make NEW YEAR’s resolutions that will ACTUAlly STICK

IN-DEPTH Morning traffic Leads to frustration, tardiness

SPORTS Find out how REibel went from coaching FEEDER TO BECOMING assistant boys’ basketball coach

2 NEWS

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

PROSPECTORNOW.COM

MASKS: apathy elevates concerns

STUDENT ID 123456

One of the most egregious examples was when she saw a student mock-coughing on another person with their mask below their chin. That same student was then out of school for the next five days.

Kirk does acknowledge that her bus drivers consistently tell students to behave and wear masks properly. However, due to the roughly 70 people on the bus — 30 of which she estimates are not wearing their masks properly on any given day — Kirk says that it would be virtually impossible for the driver to catch everyone.

One potential solution to this problem, however, comes from an unexpected source: the newly-implemented student IDs. According to Minter, the IDs are fitted with an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip that remains inactive until students near an RFID reader on school buses (within a four inch radius). When the chip is registered, students and parents can use an app to access information such as stop locations, pick-up times and new information regarding traffic or weather delays.

And, while not initially created for this function, it also serves to ensure that students are on the correct bus route, thereby helping to limit the number of students on individual buses to prevent overcrowding.

The system is not yet in place, however, with Minter estimating that it may take until next school year for the buses to receive the proper equipment that responds to the chip in the IDs. Thus, administration’s options are severely limited when managing overcrowded buses, which is an issue not contained solely to Prospect.

Hersey High School received the new IDs before Prospect, and Hersey senior Grace

Listopad believes that they are just as necessary at her school as they are at Prospect due to the overcrowding on buses. Listopad, who has been taking extra precautions such as double masking, is concerned for the safety of her grandma, who is immunocompromised due to being a lifelong smoker. “[My grandma] doesn’t live in my household, but I see her incredibly often …

I want to continue seeing her because I love her; and I just want to be as safe as possible for her,” Listopad said.

While she feels that the IDs have potential to help prevent overcrowding on buses, Listopad still wishes more was being done in other areas of concern.

One such area is the cafeteria where students congregate and eat lunch with their masks off. Both Listopad and Kirk believe that the cafeteria is of more concern than all other areas, such as buses or hallways.

“I would probably prefer to be on the bus with a couple people around me with their masks on wrong … rather [than] in the cafeteria [where] everyone has it off; they’re treating it like it’s outside,” Kirk said.

While Listopad acknowledges that steps have been taken to help limit contact during lunch through preventing students from congregating in the commons and library, she feels that Hersey’s over- all response to the surge — one that Prospect has, for the most part, echoed — has been minimal.

“What they’ve been doing is basically nothing,” Listopad said. “They made a few changes regarding what you can do during your lunch period, but [they] basically kind of corralled all of us into the cafeteria.”

Minter understands that many students may feel claustrophobic around so many students that aren’t wearing masks, and he realizes that the cafeteria is a major risk factor in terms of potential exposures because students are unable to eat outside as they had first semester.

However, he states that the only other feasible method to spread students out during lunchtime would be to reinstate the seating arrangement seen in the field house and gyms when students returned in-person last school year. This arrangement had students seated in folded chairs that were all facing the same direction and were spaced at six-foot intervals in order to best keep contact limited while eating.

READ ABOUT principal MInter’s explanation for Prospect’s new Ids

Furthermore, Minter says that reimplementing this system during lunchtime would not be practical because it would require shutting down P.E. classes to accommodate students while eating. Approval for this change would be difficult as the decision would need to come from a district level due to the logistical problems of cancelling P.E. classes.

“I wish I had more space,” Minter said.

“I wish I had … other places to offer, but I don’t. … I wish I could do something more about [the cafeteria]; I just don’t have the facility space to do it.”

Students who are returning from quarantine are required to eat lunch in a designated classroom, though Minter does acknowledge that it is impossible to enforce.

And while cases at Prospect have subsided slightly since returning from break, risk of exposure while eating still remains.

Additionally, there is also concern to be had in areas where students are wearing masks, as improper mask-wearing can still be a threat to the safety of students.

According to researchers at the University of North Carolina, wearing a mask without covering the nose can be just as unsafe as not wearing one at all. This is because COVID-19 tends to enter the body through the nose, after which it spreads to other parts of the body.

Kirk believes that improper mask-wearing is most rampant in the halls, where it is harder for teachers or staff members to catch perpetrators, a sentiment that English teacher Timothy McDermott agrees with. “[The hallway] is probably the worst place to have your mask down,” McDermott said. “I would think that … because [students] are always on top of each other in the hallways and stairways … common sense dictates [to] keep your mask [over the nose].”

While McDermott does his best to catch students and remind them to fix their mask whenever possible, he feels that because of the trust he’s built with his students, it is often more effective to just give them a look or subtle reminder, rather than embarrassing them in front of the class.

“It’s frustrating [because] it should be commonplace by now,” McDermott said. “...

But … I’ve been teaching for a long time and … to become a real harsh authoritarian on the subject is probably going to cause more

resistance.”

While both Kirk and Listopad recognize that having to wear a mask and follow safety guidelines can be tedious, especially this far into the pandemic, both assert that it is far better than putting themselves and their loved ones at risk.

“I don’t do it just for myself,” McDermott said. “I always put myself in other people’s shoes. You do have students who are immunocompromised … [Students] have family members at home that are immunocompromised and just other people in general who might be worried, … so I always put other people’s … thoughts and needs first.”

de

photo by Luis Hernandez

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The Omicron variant spreads faster than the original COVid-19 variant, according to the CDc, and can still cause breakthrough cases, Even in Fully vaccinated people

Blood shortage prompts action, kindness ALYSSA SCHULZ Editor-in-Chief Senior Cambria Richards had always been afraid to donate blood.

However, in light of the recent blood shortage declared by the American Red Cross on Jan. 11, she decided that it was time to face her fears and try to donate her blood.

Much to her surprise, donating was painless and easy; she was in and out of Vitalent’s Arlington Heights location in less than 30 minutes.

Blood Donation Requirements 1. MUST BE 16 years old 2. Must Weight at least 110 Pounds 3. MUST BE IN GOOD GENERAL HEALTH 4. MUSt BRing Photo ID 5. Must wait Eight weeks Between donations

“Going into it, I was prepared to pass out, but it didn’t hurt at all. I got through the entire thing [with] no problem; I felt a pinch, and that was it,” Richards said. “It doesn’t hurt as much as people think that it will; it just gets in their head.”

Richards is not the only one who is apprehensive about donating blood. In fact, a Knight Media survey of 418 students found that only 5.6% of students donate blood at least once per year.

That low percentage is especially concerning considering that, according to the American Red Cross, the nation is facing its worst blood shortage in over a decade; blood donations have declined by 10% in less than two years.

Because of this, Richards states that it is more essential than ever for students to donate, even if they are a little bit scared. Richards believes something that helped her have a positive donation experience was by preparing her body for it before such as drinking a lot of water and eating a good meal.

Although many people, such as Richards, go to designated donation sites, according to the American Red Cross, school-sponsored blood drives alone typically account for 25% of the total blood supply.

However, because of the pandemic, there has been a 63% decrease in college and high school blood drives since 2020.

Service Club sponsor Erik Hammerstrom is hoping to increase this number by hosting a Prospect blood drive sponsored by Vitalant,

the nation’s largest independent nonprofit blood donation organization, on Feb. 5.

The drive will take place in the community room from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and all PHS students, families and community members are encouraged to donate if they are eligible (see “Blood donation requirements”). “[Donating blood] is probably one of the most profound things [people] can do,” Hammerstrom said. “[Prospect] does a lot of great work: we rake yards for seniors, help local homeless shelters and bring canned food. But donating [blood] is something that literally saves lives.”

Similarly to Richards, Hammerstrom understands that not everyone feels comfortable donating blood. However, he states that students can still help by signing up through Service Club to work at the blood drive, or even by just helping spread the word.

Although Service Club was not able to host a blood drive last year due to the pandemic, in past years, Hammerstrom states that as many as 140 people have donated at a Prospect blood drive.

One donation of one pint of blood will save three lives according to Hammerstrom, so the Prospect community saved over 400 lives at the Prospect blood drive which took place on Jan. 25, 2020.

Hammerstrom hopes that, especially in light of the blood shortage, more people will choose to donate.

“I really love seeing the whole

SCAN the QR CODE TO SIGN UP* FOR PROSpECT’s blood drive on Feb 5. *See “Blood donation requirements community get involved: mom, dad, daughter, son, friend, uncle, whoever,” Hammerstrom said. “It shows that [the community] is a part of something bigger.”

Richards, a member of Service Club’s executive board, is helping to get more community involvement by putting up signs, advertising its announcements, drawing on the chalk wall and creating Instagram posts and stories. These will display information such as when the drive is, what the requirements are and how important and selfless donating is.

Additionally, there will be stations in the commons where students can get more information and sign up ahead of time.

Although signing up for a time slot isn’t required, it will be much easier for Hammerstrom, Vitalant

and the rest of the volunteers to get an estimate on how many donors there will be.

When unexpected donors arrive, however, Hammerstrom says it is even more exciting. He recollects that people have sometimes seen a sign advertising the blood drive while they are driving by Prospect and stopped to donate, which further strengthens his pride in the community.

But whether people decide to donate on a whim, donate regularly or have never even donated before, the importance of donating stays the same.

“People don’t think about blood until they need it. It’s like water.

It’s like breathing,” Hammerstrom said. “The importance of it doesn’t resonate with them until … it affects [them] personally.”

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

Limit letters to 400 words. The Prospector reserves the right to edit for style and length.

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

The Prospector is published by students in Journalistic Writing courses. Some material is courtesy of MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service.

ADVERTISING For ad rates, call (847)-718-5376 (ask for Jason Block), email or write the Prospector, 801 West Kensington Rd., Mount Prospect, IL, 60056, prospectornow@gmail.

OPINION

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

3

Knighthood fosters support With students back to school for the first pep assembly of the 2021-22 school year on Aug. 13, the stands of George Gattas stadium were buzzing with anticipation.

For senior Hannah Mekky, it wasn’t just the crowd that was buzzing; her nerves stood The sheer number of activities within on end as she waited for the assembly to bethe halls of Prospect can be overwhelming gin. As an emcee to the pep assembly, it was at times, but, ultimately, it means that there her role to lead the student body throughout is a little something for everyone — whether the events of the day, thus ensuring a fun and it be arts, athletics, academics or something spirit-filled afternoon for all. To Mekky, beentirely new. ing a Knight is about being a supportive comJunior Hannah Lifton feels it is especialmunity member that is always ready to reach ly important to keep students informed, esout and get involved. pecially relating to important topics such as Whether it be through sports, extraProspect’s new consent awareness club, of curriculars, fine arts or leadership roles, which she is cofounder.

Knights are always ready to ride into battle.

After the several accounts of inappropriPep assemblies in particular are events that ate behavior at homecoming, junior Juliet truly encompass the Knight spirit for Mekky. Aquino, senior Allie Winkler and Lifton “I never thought I would be speaking formed the Knights For Consent Club as a in front of 2500 people,” Mekky said. “ … It way to sprearhead awareness against sexual just made me feel so good because I feel like violence.

I used to be so scared of Currently, the club is public speaking, but with working on making postthe Prospect community, ers to build support for with the spirit, with everyTeen Dating Violence Preone supporting each other, vention Month throughout it made it so much easier. the month of February.

That to me was like, ‘Wow, They aim to teach about this is awesome.’” consent at Prospect and At Prospect, being a create an environment Knight goes beyond the where all students can feel original medieval meansafe and welcome. ing. Here, being a Knight “For me, especially is all about supporting Voting results of The with this club, [the misothers, being involved and sion] is something I’m very Knight Media staff in having a willingness to be passionate about, and [the a part of something greater regards to this editorial. club] gives me a way to exthan oneself. press myself and also make Knighthood is ever changing — each year a change,” Lifton said. “I feel like I’m making 25% of the student body is replaced with the a change throughout the school and impactupcoming class — and it is something that ing others while doing so.” we can always continue to evolve to make our In her early years at Prospect, Mekky community better. wasn’t as involved as she is today. However, We, Knight Media, strongly believe that seeing the seniors take the younger players student involvement is an integral part of the under their wing on the girls’ varsity soccer Knight experience. Especially with the panteam during her freshman year inspired her demic hindering a “traditional” high school to be the kind of leader those girls were to experience, it is invaluable to get involved in her. any one (or more) of the wide assortment of In order to achieve this as a senior, MekProspect’s offerings this school year. ky went out and joined a handful of different Being involved in school activities is inclubs and activities. This included becoming grained in the very essence of Knighthood, a Knight’s Way leader, ASB executive board so we implore the student body to carry on member and Editor-in-Chief of the yearbook. the legacy of an active community.

There truly is something for everyone For students, joining activities can mend at Prospect, something Mekky has come to some of the disconnect created by the panlearn firsthand. demic and help create lasting impact in their “[Being involved in activities] really helps lives as well as on the school environment. build a smaller community within a larger

Staff Editorial

0

Against

25

For

community, and I feel like that’s what really makes up Prospect,” Mekky said. “We are so diverse … in all of the different aspects we can bring to the table, and it lets students know that they are part of something bigger than themselves, that it matters.”

According to Assistant Principal of Student Activities and Music Frank Mirandola, the support of the smaller club communities is only compounded by their relation to the larger Prospect community.

Even when certain activities don’t interact, there is still the knowledge of our common Knighthood that brings us all together and inspires us to support each other.

“There’s a lot of mutual admiration [between students], which is really special,” Mirandola said. “And to see different moments like … that is really, really powerful.”

It is undeniable that clubs are good for the overall school community, though Mekky feels that the plethora of options can overwhelm students and make it difficult to start trying activities out.

One area to improve upon, according to Mekky, is the act of simply getting the word out about everything that people can be involved in.

With the dwindling club sizes and participation caused by the pandemic, it is more important than ever for these activities to be both broadened and fortified through expanded outreach.

Although Mekky says that there has been a definite improvement over the last several years, communication can still be improved upon.

The implication of the “This Week at Prospect” announcement is most certainly a step in the right direction, and we thank the Prospect administration for creating a system where clubs and activities can put their upcoming events in the announcements. Not only does this greatly facilitate communication, but it also keeps students in the know.

In spite of challenges that are needed to overcome along the way, both Mekky and Lifton feel that Prospect is a great community to learn and work in, with many diverse opportunities for students to express themselves and make a difference.

“If we’re all more empathetic towards one another and [respectful] towards one another and [we] really, truly appreciate whatever everyone brings to our collective identity, I think we’ll be a better place; because, truly, your Prospect is great, because everyone contributes to our story: the Prospect story,” Mirandola said.

Knight Media apologizes to Mr. Cleveland Knight Media works to responsibly publish accurate and fair stories that act to inform the Prospect community and ultimately serve as the free voice of Prospect High School.

We understand the responsibility and power of that role, which is why it caused us great grief when we were informed that a photograph attached to our staff editorial, published on Dec. 10 in Issue 3 of The Prospector, brought pain to the life of one our school’s most beloved staff members, Edward Cleveland.

We thank administrators and

Mr. Cleveland for being transparent about their response to the image used and informing us of an area where we can improve in future issues moving forward.

Retrospectively, we understand that attaching Cleveland’s image to a critical story was harmful to him as an individual in ways that we did not foresee.

While designing the page, we did not intend for him to be seen as the “face of the problem,” especially when there is already a problem in misrepresenting people of color in mass media.

Mr. Cleveland deserves to feel

safe, understood and respected at Prospect, and this experience has caused us to reflect and consider the power a single photo in context has more thoroughly.

We hope this apology can show that the effort he puts in to protect students is appreciated by us, and his identity is important to us. We also thank the administration for suggesting helpful changes to our visual editing process, which we now see was flawed.

In the future, we plan to not use action photos (especially those where individuals are

recognizable) for staff editorials and to better our communication with our visuals team regarding the tone and angle of the story they are taking a photo for. Given this experience, moving forward we will work even harder to ensure this does not happen again.

While no poor intentions motivated this situation, we know that that does not decrease the heartache it caused, and for that, we apologize with the utmost sincerity and respect for the individual unfairly affected by our actions.

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4 OPINION

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

PROSPECTORNOW.COM

(Re)solving poor resolution habits Resoutions are not effective, time to rethink game plan

N

ew year, new me, am I right?

There’s nothing like switching out your whole personality, reading enough positive New Year affirmations on Instagram to choke on and coming up with enough goals to fill an entire bathtub as the clock counts down from 10.

When it comes to the resolutions themselves, you’ll hear a whole slew of suggestions like “I want to become the Queen of England,” “I’m going to get a pet shark” or maybe even “I’m going to travel back in ELLA time to reinvent MITCHELL the wheel.”

OK, sure.

Copy Editor While people’s actual resolutions might be a bit tamer, they might as well be that outlandish based on the probability that they will actually be completed. Remind me, is this the third or the fourth year in a row where “working out more” has been your resolution?

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

In fact, less than a measly 10% of people actually achieve their resolutions each year, according to the University of Scranton.

Which is … not great. I mean, if we aren’t going to take our actual resolutions seriously, we might as well go big and be creative with the ones we do come up with. Chances are, they weren’t going to happen anyway.

Though the idea behind resolutions sounds like something beneficial — we love a healthy personal growth moment (#goals) — in practice, resolutions are often treated more as magical wishes. This tradition has made resolutions, as we see them today, basically useless.

Back in the olden days, though, resolutions weren’t quite so obsolete. In fact, we have ancient Babylonians to thank for making resolutions a present-day ritual. Nearly 4,000 years ago, the New Year (which was actually in mid-March, in correspondence with the farming season) was celebrated with a large 12-day festival.

12 days. For farming.

This festival, known as Akitu, celebrated the crowning of a new king or continued the promise of loyalty to an already existing king. During this time, people also made promises to the gods to pay debts or return objects that they had previously borrowed.

Promises like these are most certainly the earliest versions of resolutions. The idea is if Babylionians kept their resolutions, they would be in their god’s favor for the next year. However, if they failed to uphold their promises, like so many of us do nowadays, they would have the wrath of gods to pay.

Dun dun dun…

Despite the origin story of resolutions lying firmly in the more religious territory, the New Year’s resolutions of today are seen more as a secular practice. Rather than making promises to gods, many people instead make promises to themselves.

And realistically, how accountable are you going to hold yourself to your own set of half-baked goals, hm? It seems that every year we get trapped in an endless cycle: by Dec. 31, the goals of New Year Past are noth-

NEW YEAR, NEW ME? As the New Year passes and we look back at the ghosts on resolution past, it becomes clear how quickly our goals get tossed aside and neglected. Though this is the way of the past, there is still hope for making our current resolutions into habits. (cartoon by Whitney Madler) ing but hollowed out and disregarded memories.

That is because without realistic plans to achieve our goals, I resolve that, in general, we are resolution-ing wrong. Sure, it sounds nice to make goals catered towards the picture-perfect end results, but what about the steps to get there?

It basically boils down to habits.

Goals such as procrastinating less or exercising more focus too much on the endgame rather than the actual changes that need to happen to get there, thus venturing into wish-landia.

With science on your side, the idea of changing your habits isn’t as daunting as it might seem. According to Stanford University behavioral scientist B.J. Fogg, it only takes three steps to effectively create a new habit.

First up: small actions.

Ditch the resolution to “get more exercise” or “get better grades.” If it isn’t small, it isn’t going to be a good resolution.

Try something like “walk to school every day instead of getting a ride” or “get math tutoring every Wednesday” on for size.

These are smaller actions and will be more manageable and achievable as resolutions.

Step two: glue the new action and the bad habit at the hip. Say you have an already established habit like going on daily walks. Maybe you typically hit the streets for 30 minutes a day. In the spirit of your shiny new resolution, add an extra 10 minutes to each walk.

By gluing these bad boys together, you are cementing this habit into reality.

Last but most certainly not least, make the new action easy to do for the first week.

Make it something that you will actually be able to do for three to seven days until it actually sticks on its own. The easier the new action is to start out, the easier it will be to

find the motivation to get it done when the new habit kicks in.

If you are able to set up your small and manageable resolution as a habit, you might be able to defy the odds and actually accomplish your resolution.

Take junior Kate Woodland for example. Inspired by her friend’s workout account, @emilyscaglionefit, she pondered the idea of her own workout page, @woodysworkouts29, to increase accountability for her 2022 goals.

“I actually wanted to start a workout page for a while now,” Woodland said. “I just never found the motivation or courage to start it. So I thought, ‘New Year, might as well go for it and see how it works.’”

See, this is the difference. For Woodland,

there is no wishing upon a resolution and poof! It comes true. Instead, through the use of accountability and structure, she has set herself on the path to being within the 10% who actually resolution it up effectively.

“I usually have goals that I keep to myself, but this is the first time I’m really stating my goal out loud and letting others hear it, which I feel like is holding me more accountable,” Woodland said.

Woodland thinks that, even though she doesn’t have a large following yet, posting every day will help keep her motivated.

The knowledge that someone somewhere might wonder why her workout posts disappeared off the face of the earth helps her keep her head in the workout game.

Accountability aside, the creation of this workout account has made the actual act of working out more fun for Woodland. She looks forward to making that post every day, whether it be a healthy recipe (yum!) or workout (feel the burn!).

This account has framed her mind to view working out as less of a burden and instead as something exciting to look forward to. Bonus points: it helps her train for soccer.

Resolutions like this are exactly what we should be aiming for when we create them. Creating accountability and seeing small healthy progress along the way is far more effective than crossing your fingers, knocking on wood or counting lucky stars will ever be.

And, hey, if it helps with your motivation, you can take a flash to the past and imagine that the wrath of the gods will be rained upon you if you don’t accomplish your goal.

Nothing like eternal damnation to put some pep in your resolution-ing step.

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FEBRUARY 4, 2022

FEATURES

5

García paints path for students New photography, art teacher explains passion for career

KAILIE FOLEY & OLIVIA KIM Copy Editor, Editor-in-Chief

D

uring art and photography teacher Vanessa García’s freshman year of college, her teacher critiqued her first big portrait that she ever made. García felt offended as she listened to her teacher mention that shadows on the portrait should not be in certain places.

“I got very defensive,” García said. “I didn’t say anything, but … I feel like that’s when I knew [the art piece] … was extra important to me.”

She didn’t end up mak- ing the changes h e r teacher had suggested.

Instead, it hung up in a University

I WANT THE STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO COME IN AND FEEL LIKE [CLASS] IS A THERAPEUTIC EXPERIENCE.” -Vanessa García, art and photography teacher

of Illinois at Urbana Champaign art show. It was the first piece of art she had truly connected with; it depicted her mother before and after cancer through her eyes.

On both sides of the portrait is a woman with a bright smile. Cancer is portrayed through her mother’s lost hair, accompanied by a red shirt, the only color within the entire art piece reaching over and through basic tones and shades of black, white and gray (See bottom right of page).

García started teaching Art 1 and Photography 1 at Prospect this school year, which will be her fourth year of teaching. She enjoys being in an environment where people are creating around her and grows excited seeing all of the art supplies in a studio. A room full of supplies, in her eyes, resembles the potential for future creations on a blank canvas. She voices a nostalgia she feels when surrounded by photographs in the darkroom.

On her weekdays away from Prospect, she teaches at Buffalo Grove High School, the place she attended for all four years of high school. She is currently studying to receive a master’s degree in art therapy and counseling through the first accredited art therapy online program. She says that she would love to implement what she learns about art therapy into art classes at Prospect.

“I want the students to be able to come in and feel like it’s a therapeutic experience,” García said.

García wants to be able to help students by establishing a safe environment for them because that’s what she found relief in when she was attending high school. She lost her cousin to suicide and her mother to cancer within those four years, and she looked at her school as a second home because of the community there that always reached out to help.

“I found comfort in my teachers; in my counselors,” García said. “When I didn’t have a parent to go to, I had … the school, so I know that a lot of kids here are also going through the … toughest time in their lives to this point, … so I really empathize and … feel for this age group, because I see a lot of … myself [in them].”

Not only was high school a place where

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Art and photography teacher Vanessa García is depicted in this portrait in Van Gogh’s painting style. She views Van Gogh as a person who was troubled and has guided her into further passion towards impressionism which is a style she teaches. García is new to Prospect this year and hopes to cultivate an safe and creative space for students in her classroom. (painting by Ondine Cella) García was able to find a community of supporters and friends, but she also found a new home when she went to college. Growing up, she was the only brown person in her elementary school, and she was one of only a few Latinx students in middle and high school.

When she went to UIUC, she expected the same ratio of white to Latinx people, but instead she ended up finding a great deal of diversity and a network of people from a similar racial and ethinic background as her.

Despite this, she still felt isolated sometimes because many people around her at college had attended schools with predominantly black and hispanic populations. She ended up joining a co-ed Latino fraternity and making many close friends there.

“I feel like that was very helpful for me because I felt like I had a home away from home,” García said. “I had people around me that were going through the same thing who felt the same way who … had similar backgrounds as me so that was just like comforting to have a place to go when I didn’t have my family there ….”

A person she shared that sentiment with was her roommate, Hilda Carrasco. Carrasco was childhood friends of one of García’s cousins, so they decided to room together upon learning they would both be attending the same school. One thing that Carrasco remembered vividly about García was her level of empathy and ability to connect with others.

“She has a great ability of … making people feel welcome,” Carrasco said. “So that’s something I’ve always really admired about her … She was able to make friends very easily because of her personality.”

In college, Carrasco thought this was an especially beneficial trait. She remembers when, during Hispanic heritage month, she and García taped individual Jolly Ranchers to their door in the shape of a sombrero, hoping to welcome other students to their dorm and make conversation with them since that was a common practice in college in order to meet people.

A feeling that fills Carrasco’s memories

of García is her radiant energy. Carrasco described García as being very adventurous and outgoing; both attributes helped Carrasco come out of her shell a bit more, too.

“How she’s overcome adversities in her life … she’s always done it with a positive attitude,” Carrasco said. “... That’s something that I … tried to take note of and … emulate as well.”

Not only have Carrasco and García grown together as friends, but Carrasco says she has enjoyed watching García grow as an artist. She remembers one time in their dorm when García was working on charcoal pieces, causing the dorm to end up becoming its own charcoal art piece with black footprints covering its floor.

Carrasco found those moments hilarious because she loved watching García’s creativity blossom and flow into progressively more complicated art pieces.

Carrasco also finds García’s passion for teaching to be nearly as impressive as her artworks. She remembers a few months ago that García was telling Carrasco about a podcast that she was listening to about different methods instructors use to engage their students in order to gain some ideas to introduce to her own classroom.

But García has extended her efforts at Prospect beyond art class; she is the sponsor for the Yogi Club and also helped set up the ofrenda for the Día de los Muertos display in the commons. García felt connected to the latter because at her home, García has a shelf with photos of her grandmother, cousin and mother arranged next to a vase of hydrangeas.

García’s hope is to extend a welcoming feeling to students through sharing her Mexican culture and her passion for art with them especially when students are going through a difficult time.

“I think knowing that she’s doing things outside of her classroom to try to engage those types of students that don’t necessarily pivot over to art, and trying to teach them ways to use art as an avenue for mental health … speaks volumes,” Carrasco said.

painting courtesy of Vanessa García

6 INDEPTH

PROSPECTORNOW.COM

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

Foot off gas, late to class OLIVIA KIM Editor-in-Chief

O

n his first day back to school this semester, junior Luke Holtmeier’s backed out of his driveway at 8:10 a.m. as usual in order to arrive at Prospect for his class at 8:35 a.m. As cars piled down the street outside of Prospect, he thought to himself, “Oh man, this is going to suck.”

His home is just over 3 miles away from Prospect, and along the way he picks up one or two friends to carpool with. He notices that picking them up doesn’t really affect his commute time of around seven minutes.

Where his drive time dramatically increases is along Forest Avenue, leading to Prospect’s back entrance. He says he arrives at the school at 8:20 a.m., but doesn’t get into the building until 8:35 a.m. because it takes so long to get into and weave through the parking lot.

“When I left for school … I was kind of excited to go back because I can see people,” Holtmeier said. “And then just when you see the lines [of cars], you don’t have that happy feeling anymore. You have a feeling of ‘I am going to be late,’ and you’re overthinking if your teacher is going to care if you’re late or not.”

When Holtmeier arrived at school, he was already late for class. Luckily, his teacher didn’t mark him tardy because a number of students in his class were walking in just after the bell as well due to the unforeseen traffic.

With the colder weather making it more difficult for students to come to school via bike or foot and even lengthening the time for cars to warm up, there has been an increase in traffic going into Prospect’s entrances between the times of 8:25-8:35 a.m.

An email sent out by Principal Greg Minter on Jan. 13 recommended that parents drop off their students in the morning before 8:25 a.m. and stated that students who consistently arrive late will lose their parking privileges. He added that if a student has a late arrival, they should arrive later than 8:45 a.m. in order to reduce traffic.

Minter said in an interview with the Prospector that the email was intended to encourage students and parents to rethink their morning commute, because he has seen an increasing number of parents dropping their children off at door 6 right before or as the bell rings. He says there is a natural increase in the number of students getting rides from their parents, which he attributes to COVID-19 and the need to reduce the risk of spreading the virus on buses.

The increase in traffic is generally predictable, Minter stated, since all high schools experience the same conflict of having hundreds of vehicles converge in one spot within a 10-minute timeframe.

“If you’re a student, this is your job. So, if your job starts at 8:35, regardless of what the weather is, regardless of what the road conditions [are], or the traffic [is], you have got to accommodate for that,” Minter said.

On Jan. 21, an email from Deans Adam Levinson and Nicholas Olson reaffirmed that tardies will be given out if students are late to

Read about

COVID-19

slowing teens from getting Driver’s licenses at DMV

school, and after two tardies, a lunch detention will be assigned. It was not specified how many tardies would be issued before a parking pass is suspended.

For Holtmeier, if his parking pass were to get suspended, him and all the members of his carpool would need to take the bus or find a ride elsewhere — after getting a lunch detention.

He thinks that this is counterintuitive because if people need to have their parents drive them instead of carpooling, it will add to the traffic, and a number of his friends’ parents already don’t want their students taking the bus because it may increase their risk of infection.

Sophomore Mathias Anderson is one such student who will lose his ride if his driver is marked tardy enough times.

Anderson remembers being driven to his first day at Prospect this semester after transferring from Rolling Meadows High School. As he sat in the back seat of his friend’s car with already heightened nerves, those anxieties - John were then compounded with the added stress of being late to his first class.

Anderson has a driver’s license and a car, but he can’t get a parking pass since he’s a sophomore. Additionally, his bus stop is a half mile walk from his house in the cold since he lives out of Prospect’s boundaries. If he were to take the bus, he’d have to leave his house 30-45 minutes earlier. His friend offered to drive him, but by the time they could see Prospect, they were already stuck in a horrendous line of traffic.

While sitting inside of the car, Anderson already knew he was going to be late.

He walked into his first class only around 30 seconds after the bell, so he wasn’t marked tardy. He said it still made him feel strange waking into his class late since he already stood out as a new kid.

Junior John Bartsch isn’t new to Prospect this year, but they still share that feeling of discomfort when walking into class past the first bell. “[When you’re late to class], you come in feeling bad already,” Bartsch said. “So first period is tough because I’m tired and annoyed and embarrassed. It’s just a bad start; … it can really suck at least first [for] period, if not the rest of the day.”

Before going to AP Language and Composition, Bartsch takes Kensington Road, which has seen the heaviest traffic increase between the two entrances.

“It’s frustrating [seeing the line down Kensington Road] because I can’t just leave my car in the middle of the road and walk [to school],” Bartsch said. “And then I get to the doors, and the people at the front door say, ‘You’re late.’ Of course I know I’m late; I’ve been out in the parking lot for 10 minutes.”

Even though Bartsch, Holtmeier and Anderson have all walked into their classroom late at least once in the morning, they have all also experienced their first period teacher forgiving their tardiness.

Anderson thinks that teachers being flexible and understanding about students being late to first period doesn’t make them more or less likely to show up late; it just makes the teacher’s relationship with students better. He adds that it’s nicer when a teacher asks students to show up a bit earlier in a polite manner versus just marking them tardy for being late one time.

Photography and Graphic Design teacher Andrew Poisson considers himself a pretty flexible teacher when it comes to students showing up late to class. Poisson says that this year more than others, he has seen an increase in students showing up late to class.

Even though he doesn’t know the reason as to why, his personal policy on students showing up late still hasn’t changed.

If a student is to walk in late while he is teaching, he doesn’t find it disrespectful as long as they do not cause a scene and distract others. He also appreciates when students go up to him after he is done talking in front of the class to tell him why they were late that

day. If a student is chronically late, he will politely ask them to start showing up earlier or else he will start marking them tardy.

Poisson said that it is difficult for him to keep accepting the same excuse for lateness because then, to him, it means that the student isn’t learning something. For example, even if traffic is rough, he expects students to realize that they need to start leaving earlier in the mornings instead of just blaming it on the inevitable amount of traffic every day.

“I’m very lenient on the first period of the day, and it’s understandable that this [traffic] happens,” Poisson said. “That [level of forgiveness] goes for most things. Everybody gets a freebee. Everybody makes mistakes, and things happen.”

Even though Poisson is sympathetic about lateness, his own personal belief is that, “If you aren’t there 15 minutes early, you’re late.”

He attributes this attitude to his years spent working as a laborer and operator for heavy machinery where being late would end up slowing down the rest of the crew and, ultimately, the company.

While he doesn’t enforce his own personal mantra on his Bartsch, junior students as much he does on himself, he thinks it’s worth trying to allow oneself to show up early to allow time to transition between waking up, commuting and working.

In general, he finds it hard to show up at the exact time he is supposed to start working since he hasn’t had time to relax and prepare himself for the day. Each morning, he comes in early and starts his day by playing music and getting small things done like setting up his agenda before going to meetings and teaching classes.

Holtmeier, Bartsch and Anderson all understand that it’s important to show up on time for important things in life, but they appreciate when teachers don’t punish them for traffic.

“It’s actually a nice feeling [when a teacher is understanding of you being late to first period],” Holtmeier said. “You are just stressed about being late and then you walk into class and your teachers are like, ‘Yeah, that’s fine. I was stuck in the line too.’ It makes me feel understood.”

IT’S FRUSTRATING [SEEING THE LINE DOWN KENSINGTON ROAD] BECAUSE I CAN’T JUST LEAVE MY CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD.”

TR

64.7% OF STUDENTS THINK THAT TEACHERS ARE MORE FLEXIBLE WITH TARDIES DUE TO TRAFFIC

31.9% UNDER 21 UNTIL 08/18/1978 UNDER 18 UNTIL 08/18/1975

HOW STUDENTS GET TO SCHOOL

Weather, more students being driven to school lead to road congestion

OF STUDENTS HAVE BEEN MARKED TARDY AT LEAST ONCE THIS SEMESTER ALREADY 1ST SEMESTER

DRIVE THEMSELF PARENTS DROP OFF

CARPOOL

BUS BIKE WALK

35.2% 20.5% 15.5% 16.2% 3.6% 9.0%

*information according to a Knight Media survey of 420 students

2ND SEMESTER

34.7% 23.6% 17.1% 15.0% 1.2% 5.7%

S

LA

PROSPECTORNOW.COM

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

INDEPTH

7

RAFFIC TRIBULATIONS BACKED UP: Cars pile up along Kensington Road at 8:20 a.m. as they drive towards Prospect. Students find difficulty dealing with traffic and weather conditions, leaving more students late to first block classes. (photo by Bella Brouilette and Olivia Kim)

STUDENT AVERAGE COMMUTE TIME

AST SEMESTER COMPARED TO JANUARY* *information according to a Knight Media survey of 420 students

8 FEATURES

PROSPECTORNOW.COM

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

Learning as parent, teacher Staff develop more empathetic connections after having own children

nity Academy in the city at the time, and her maternity leave was the best outcome for her. She was out of teaching from December to April, with additional time MAEVE MOLINA during both winter and spring Executive Features Editor break. Joiner was ive years ago, psychology teach- able to teach for about half of the er Emily Snyder had to leave for emergency surgery on the first day school year with her students beof school due to a pregnancy complication.

She had an ectopic pregnancy, where her fe- fore leaving and towards tus was in the fallopian tube, due to the egg returned the end of the year, not being able to move out of the tube fast enough; this made her pregnancy dangerous which had its own Psychology te stresses. and not viable. Snyder was out for the first acher Emily a ri a D r e h Snyder However, Joiner and her son three weeks of school, leaving her students teac y g lo o h c s sy W n il a was more excited than g l o AP P a L n to wonder why their teacher wasn’t in class. d Luke (photo court her son After returning to school, Snyder wasn’t stressed to return to esy of Emily affeld) affeld and h h c c S S a ri a Snyder) work as a teacher. But able to move very well, which was hard esy of D as a parent, addition(photo court since teaching requires interacting with al stresses came along students outside of just sitting. She felt that “I’m a single mother by she couldn’t give her students the learning with returning to her choice, so there was no decision students, especially when her son was experience she hoped to give them. But her to come back [to teaching] or students were patient with her; they were un- little, since she had the stress of simply missnot to; I was never like, ‘Should ing her baby. derstanding and knew that she needed time I be a stay-at-home mom or Snyder now has two children who are to heal and come back to full health. not?’” Schaffeld said. “For me, eight and five years old. Snyder has been At the end of the year, when Snyder was that wasn’t even an option.” teaching for eight years in total, but after pregnant with her second son, Will, and As a psychology teacher, knew it was a viable pregnancy, she told her her seventh year, she took five years off from Schaffeld has a clear understudents the news. They were beyond excit- teaching to have Will and get settled in their standing of the science of hunew home as a family. The 21-22 ed for her, and all of her classes collaborated man behavior, which has an school year is her first year offiand threw her a baby shower. impact on her parenting. Addicially back since then.

Many times during tionally, her parenting style has Snyder says that taking a school, Snyder would show had an impact on her teaching. break from teaching was diffislight discomfort due to “I get to talk about [my son] cult for her. During Will moving or kicking, a lot in class, not just because I that time, Snyder so her students gave love him, but because I can use was working and Will the nickname him as an example of so many living in Texas at “Creature” because he concepts that we talk about in English teacher Elizabeth Joiner Independence High was like an alien living class,” Schaffeld said.

School, but her inside Snyder. To this and her son Finn (photo courtesy Schaffeld doesn’t know if immediate family day, Snyder will have she’d be able to talk about her of Elizabeth Joiner) decided to move to students reach out and son as much if she was a math or Illinois to be close ask how Creature is.

English teacher because of the to extended family. “[Teachers] think about subject matter, but Joiner finds Joiner explains her schedule after school When she was preghow much [energy] we pour herself doing similar things in her classroom gets much busier the minute the clock strikes nant with Will, she into our students and how as well. three. had the opportunity much we want to nurture Joiner loves to talk to her son about his After finishing her workday at school, to make the move. their growth and care for classes, especially his English class. She Joiner will drive an hour to pick up her son, “That was them,” Snyder said. “But takes interest in the books he reads and what - Daria Schaffeld, then will take him to violin lessons. Finally, a really, really also, students equally love their activities he does in order to gain inspiration it’s time for dinner and homework. Joiner retransiteachers; my students were just as AP Psychology teacher hard for her own classroom. calls rushing around with his many soccer tion.”

Snyder excited about my pregnancy as I Schaffeld has always tried to be an underand volleyball games, games she tries her said, “I missed my [students] … a lot. I was was.” standing teacher and to be someone students best to see as much as possible. super close with my students, and I love Many teachers’ perceptions of students can look towards for guidance. She rememIt’s a balancing act for Joiner to give her and methods of teaching have changed af- teaching.” bers that several years ago, Principal Greg child the attention and love she wants and Snyder’s one-year break from teaching ter becoming a parent. From becoming even Minter told the staff during an institute day, needs to give him while maintaining the love more compassionate and understanding of turned into five years, which wasn’t her orig“Treat every student like they’re your own she has for her job. students’ lives outside of school to incorpo- inal plan, but it just happened to work out child: how would you want your child treatThis is the same for Schaffeld: in her first that way.

She chose to be there for her chilrating methods of parenting into their teached?” That comment meant a lot to Schaffeld.

18 years of teaching at Prospect, she coached ing, the realms of teaching and parenting dren and as much as she wanted to return “You see the world differently after boys’ and girls’ volleyball, but upon having back to teaching, parenting took precedence. have crossed over for many staff members. having a child, certainly,” Schaffeld said. her son, she gave up coaching.

This is especially true for English teacher With this year being her first official year “There’s empathy there, an understanding Snyder, Schaffeld and Joiner have all Elizabeth Joiner who has a sixteen-year-old back teaching, Snyder is beyond excited to for all your students, because you have a worked so hard as teachers, yet their dedihave students back again. son. She had him after five years of teaching child of your own.” cation to being amazing moms is even more Another proud mother, AP Psychology and said that the transition from her materBeing both a teacher and a parent is difspecial to them. nity leave was very smooth because a pre- teacher Daria Schaffeld, has a nine-year-old ficult for many teachers; it includes busy “My best title is mom,” Schaffeld said. “I son.

After having him, she took the full 12vious student teacher she had worked with schedules, early mornings and in-school and am so proud of it … And I love my job. I can’t week maternity leave and returned to teachtook over for her. outside-of-school activities, not only for the imagine not having both those titles.” ing right after.

Joiner worked at Benito Juarez Commuteacher but for their family as well.

F

K

YOU SEE THE WORLD DIFFERENTLY AFTER HAVING A CHILD ...”

o h W ws no

Senior Peyton Burgh

Roses

Favorite type of chocolate?

Dark

Favorite flower?

Movie night

The Proposal

The Boyfriend

Senior Francesca Cassata The Sub Subject ject

B

Y et to u er?

Dark

Venti iced white mocha with vanilla sweet cream cold foam extra caramel drizzle

Senior Danielle Muzzillo The Best Friend

Dark

Pink roses

Roses

Coffee Order?

Venti iced white mocha with vanilla sweet cream cold foam extra caramel drizzle Grande iced white mocha with vanilla sweet cream cold foam extra caramel drizzle

Ideal date?

Movie night with ice cream

Fun activity and sushi

W I N N E R

Favorite romanic movie?

The Proposal

Bride Wars

X

PROSPECTORNOW.COM

ENTERTAINMENT

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

9

2021: REwind review L

ast year, various fields of entertainment were constantly shifting and evolving in interesting new ways. Given that it is our first issue of the new year, we took the opportunity to look back on the most interesting, influential and fun pieces of entertainment from 2021. The top of the page covers video games, while the bottom discusses music.

“Deltarune” Chapter 2 Release

W

ith the big studios still reeling from the pandemic, 2021 featured a lot more focus on indie games and developers. One of the ones that drew the most attention was the second chapter of “Deltarune,” an indie RPG by “Undertale” creator Toby Fox. The first chapter came out in 2018 as a sort of promo for the eventual game, and the rest of the five planned chapters were initially going to be released altogether once completed. However, due to the pandemic, Fox decided to release the second chapter early since it’s been “really tough for everybody recently,” according to his Twitter post.

The game’s mechanics are mostly centered around map exploration and turn-based combat, with the main draw being the interesting story and characters. The game features some references and connections to Fox’s previous game, “Undertale,” but none so integral that it would negatively affect the experience for new players. The game also carries some interesting meta-commentary on the nature of video games as a storytelling medium, without feeling pretentious or sacrificing fun.

Unlike the other entries on this list, I don’t think “Deltarune” has any super far-reaching repercussions on the rest of the gaming space. The game is just fun and interesting, and a good thing to talk to your friends about. The two available chapters are also completely free, making them very easily accessible. The only real downside is that the rest of the story isn’t available yet, and probably won’t be for a while. If you’re just looking for something fun and pretty quick to play, I’d definitely recommend “Deltarune.”

“Hades” wins Hugo Award

“

Hades” was first released on consoles in 2020, and although it had been available in early access on PC for two years, it saw a massive popularity boom with its sudden greater availability.

The game is an entry into the loosely-defined genre of “roguelikes,” featuring randomly generated levels and restarting entirely each time you fail, only I’d argue it’s a much better version than most due to its gameplay and interesting characters. In the game itself, you play as the son of Hades and attempt to fight your way out of the underworld in a series of constantly changing dungeons. Aside from just being fun, it also has a beautiful art JOEY style and an engaging story.

DELAHUNTY However, the game itself isn’t a big event of 2021. It came out the Executive year before, after all. The reaOnline Editor son this game is important to the year’s gaming landscape is that in December, it became the first-ever video game to win a Hugo Award. For those who don’t know, the Hugos are annual awards for sci-fi and fantasy (or SFF) fiction and are pretty widely considered the biggest award in the genre. Past winners include big-name authors like Issac Asimov and Neil Gaiman, to name a few. The awards are mainly focused on written works, and although their range has expanded over the years, a video game had never won until “Hades.”

While this may just seem like a cool, vaguely interesting piece of trivia, it’s actually a pretty significant development. “Are games art?” is a question that has been asked and argued so frequently that most people are tired of hearing about it, and it traces back to the fact that video games aren’t often thought of as a “real” artistic medium. While the shift has been going on for a while now, a video game winning the biggest award in SFF fiction is a cool marker of larger society finally acknowledging games as a medium like any other.

“All Too Well (10 Minute Version)”

by Taylor Swift

“

All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” by Taylor Swift - Although we love and remember the original “All Too Well,” the 10 minute version OLIVIA is fantastic. Many people think that 10 minutes is too MACINA long, but you can really dive into the storytelling with the song being longer. Not to mention eliminatFeatures ing the electric guitar really enhances the vibe Reporter of the song. Yes, the electric guitar is good, but the mellowness of the new version adds to the story and makes it feel more raw. This song is amazing and, who knows, maybe it will even lead Taylor Swift to get her scarf back.

1

“Animal crossing” 2.o update “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo

“

Animal Crossing: New Horizons” saw a massive update late in 2021, adding tons of new items and characters, as well as features from previous games. It also received a massive add-on that can be bought, “Happy Home Paradise,” which is functionally a full sequel to the 2015 “Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer.” The update is so big that many video game sites, such as Polygon, counted it as its own game for their Game of the Year lists.

The reason this update is significant is how it mirrors the game’s initial release and its cultural effects. The game first came out in March 2020, right at the start of the first COVID-19 lockdown, and despite lacking some polish it acted as a fairly significant way for friends to stay connected despite the circumstances. This 2.0 update acted as that needed polish and launched a small resurgence of the game’s community. The status of potential future lockdowns is nebulous, but regardless of what happens, this update is a very much appreciated expansion of this fun, cute game.

“

drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo - For Olivia Rodrigo’s debut single, this song is truly incredible. The music and lyrics slowly get better and better until it hits the peak at the bridge. Even if it follows the traditional pop song formula, being verse one-chorus-verse two-chorusbridge-chorus, it feels different than other songs. You can feel the emotion through her voice and the song feels like it has meaning beyond the typical formulaic pop standard. Many people lost appreciation for the song since it was played so much, but it’s played a lot for a reason: you just have to think about the first time you heard it. Rodrigo may not be able to parallel park, but she is definitely going places.

2

“Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat

“Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish

“

Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat - Honestly, this song is just so catchy. The background music creates a chill vibe that just gets more and more addicting as the song continues. Once I turn the song on, I never want it to end — truly, it’s entrancing. Even though “Kiss Me More” gets a little repetitive, it still is fun to listen to. Hearing it reminds me of dancing in the car with my friends. Doja Cat slays on every song, and this one was no different.

“

Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish - The build-up?

Incredible. The switch from acoustic to electric guitar? Fantastic. The best Billie Eilish song? No one can say for sure, but I certainly think so. This song is brilliant in so many ways, but the best part is the mood change. Many artists would try to make “Happier Than Ever” two different songs but the fact that Eilish combined them is a risk that definitely paid off.

5

3

photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

“Industry Baby” by Lil Nas X

CURRENTLY ON KNIGHT VOICES...

“

Industry Baby” by Lil Nas X - This song is the definition of a hype song. It takes me back to watching football games with the crowd screaming and the bass pounding through your body.

This song is pure energy. Many pop songs now primarily use a synth for the background music, but the trumpets as the backing makes “Industry Baby” stand out from other songs. Lil Nas X had many hits this year, but this one is hands-down the best.

4

Nolan and Kaylie breakdown Prospect’s top five movie and TV show picks of 2021, and sprinkle in a few of their own

10SPORTS

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

PROSPECTORNOW.COM

Bowling strikes first in MSL East ZACH MORETH Exec. Sports Editor

A

t three years old, Kaitlyn Ruszczak went to her family’s bowling alley Beverly Lanes and bowled for her very first time. The sophomore has bowled ever since. By sixth grade, Ruszczak was capable of bowling her highest score ever, a 298.

For Ruszczak, a big part of her game has come from her mentor and sister Ashley Mahanna. Mahanna is also the current girls’ bowling coach at Prospect.

Ruszczak credits her sister for her early bowling success, saying Mahanna is the one who taught her to bowl growing up.

Mahanna was also there when Ruszczak bowled for the very first time.

“Once she made her first throw, she immediately ran back to the ball return to grab another ball,” Mahanna said. “I was so happy that she seemed to enjoy it and wanted to keep going.”

Even as Ruszczak continues to work on her skills in practice every day, she and Mahanna continue to improve each other’s game by helping one another.

“She’s benefited my game a lot,” Ruszczak said. “She’s helped me out when I have had wrong mechanics, and she’s there to watch me to tell me what happens.”

Not only has bowling helped the sisters get better at the sport, but it has also helped their bond grow even stronger.

“To be the first one she looks up to and the person that is there to support her, it’s a nice feeling,” Mahanna said.

As for Mahanna, she started bowling in high school at Prospect and ended up finding her passion in life: coaching bowling.

Since Mahanna began coaching, her main goal has been to benefit her athletes as bowlers and as people throughout their four years.

“A lot of times there is a huge change in all of our athletes from their freshman year to their senior year,” Mahanna said. “Knowing that I played a role, no matter how small, in helping our athletes get there is extremely rewarding and why I enjoy coaching so much.”

In terms of player growth, Ruszczak is already starting to catch up to her sister’s old high school accolades.

“She only won one MSL title championship and I’ve already had one,” Ruszczak said. “I’m on my way to a second one. She knows I’m getting better than her.”

Mahanna finished high school with an average score of 198. Going into this year’s conference meet, Ruszczak is averaging a score of 185.

By Ruszczak’s senior year, Mahanna is expecting Ruszczak to surpass her score and eventually move into the 200s.

As for the team, Mahanna strives to directly impact them just as much as her sister. The team participates in team bonding activities every week. The team will often play Pictionary or do trivia.

To create a competitive environment, the girls who win the activities are rewarded with candy.

This has been a big part of forming a winning environment for Mahanna and the rest of the Knights on the team.

As a result, the team has been extremely competitive this year.

The Knights recently won the MSL East division on Jan. 29.

For bowling competitions, five bowlers represent each team per meet. The team total then determines who gets points for the game.

As for the playoffs, the team must advance through both conference and sectionals to compete for a state title. There are about two meets per week.

Individually, the Knights have two bowlers in the top 10 for average scores across the Mid-Suburban League. Ruszczak leads the conference with an average of

BOWLING BOND: Former Prospect bowler Ashley Mahanna (right) is coaching the bowling team for her seventh year in a row. Her sister, sophomore Kaitlyn Rusczcak (left), is currently the leading scorer for the Knights. After the Knights earned this year’s MSL east title, the sisters are looking to continue their success for years to come. “Our future looks really well,” Ruszczak said, “A lot of these girls are new and I can tell there is a lot of potential by how they come to practice and work hard on their game.” (photo courtesy of Ashley Mahanna (left) and Crest yearbook (right)) 185. Additionally, sophomore Emily Biondo is ninth in the conference with an average score of 157 through Jan. 27.

With a strong team as well as the Ruszczak and Mahanna duo, the Knights can take their game to the next level.

The sisters’ leadership impacts the team, and it continues to do so every day. When Mahanna is busy, Ruszczak can fill in as a leader and help out the team when needed.

“What makes Katie a great leader is her experience and knowledge of the game. She has such a presence on the lanes that makes a lot of other athletes look up to her and want to be able to compete at that level,” Mahanna said.

With several years ahead for Mahanna at Prospect, the Knight’s future is looking as bright as it ever has.

playoff outlook Moving into the playoffs, the Knights just came off of their second place conference performance and are looking at their regional match on Feb. 5 at their home bowling center, Beverly Lanes. The top four teams will move onto sectionals the following weekend.

The top 10 individuals from teams that did not place in the top four also have a chance to compete in sectionals individually. If the Knights are able to make it to state as a team or individually, it would fall the Saturday after sectionals, Feb. 19.

“Our future looks really well,” Ruszczak said. “A lot of these girls are new, and I can tell there’s a lot

of potential by how they come to practice and work hard on their game.”

PROSPECTORNOW.COM

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

SPORTS

11

Reibel climbs up coaching ladder PJ O’Grady

Executive Sports Editor

I

t all started with a desire for more.

More work. More gym time. And above all, more basketball. Eight years ago, a boys’ sixth grade feeder group, made up of the now-recently graduated high school class of 2020, had a request. They wanted to get more training outside of their feeder basketball season. Considering the players’ wishes, then sixth grade coach Bobby Reibel started looking for a gym that he could rent out. After some exploring, Reibel settled on Saint Mark’s gym. As time went on, the open gyms proved worthy of the community’s interest.

“It started as training and . . . it kind of got bigger than I ever expected it to be,” Reibel said.

Originally, the training was for grades six through eight, but pretty quickly it got opened up to fourth and fifth graders too.

Tuesdays and Thursdays consisted of skill building, while on Wednesdays they held open gyms and played games.

Little by little, word spread of Reibel’s workouts, and eventually he was sending emails out to over a hundred people.

“There [were] more and more people, and then it just kind of built in some of the other classes and siblings, and there were kids who were not even from Prospect who were coming,” Reibel said.

Reibel grew up in the Prospect community, and his burning passion for basketball began “as SLAMMIN soon as he was able to sign up.”

IT: Senior During his Owen playing years, Schneider Reibel looked goes up up to his cousin, who played for a dunk. high school Schneider ball at Hoffhas known man Estates.

Assistant That Hoffman team was very coach Bobby successful Reibel since and ended Schneiup going to der was in state. So in turn, Reibel elementary

school.

tried to go to as many of his cousin’s games as possible.

“Basketball was always something in my family,” Reibel said. “My entire life I knew athletics was always gonna be a part of [my future].”

As he got older, lingering thoughts of coaching started to fill Reibel’s mind: those thoughts really formed, Reibel said, in middle school.

Reibel grew up surrounded by coaches, especially in his family. His dad, uncles and both of his grandpas were influential to Reibel’s decision to coach as well as his coaching style.

“It was just kind of there, so I was always around it, and so the people you’re closest to probably have some of the biggest impact on you and where [you learn] some things,” Reibel said.

The boys’ basketball program has been very successful in the last 15 years. With its success many factors have come into play.

One is the chemistry built within the program early on by people like coach Reibel.

Reibel has been a part of the program for nearly a decade and has built many relationships that are critical to the success of any program.

Reibel got his first coaching job for the sixth grade Prospect feeder team in 2013. Reibel was hired immediately by the director of feeder, Bill Reed and got the head coach job for the feeder team, meaning he got to learn a lot in a short amount of time.

“I got to see kids develop from a very young age,” Reibel said. “I was working with third, fourth graders. You get to see what works and you kind of have to explain things to younger kids differently than you [have to] do for older kids.”

Riebel started his Saint Mark’s training position his second year of coaching feeder, which is where senior varsity player Owen Schneider first met Reibel.

“When I … first started seeing him I thought he was a kind of scary coach,”

Reibel’s Postseason Goals Run better in transition

Improve upon shot selection Move the ball more Get more offensive rebounds “We feel like we could have a good base, so now it’s just continuing to build on some of those things we have been stressing from the get-go,” Reibel said.

GAME PLAN: Assistant varsity coach Bobby Reibel draws up a play during a timeout. Reibel has been involved with the prospect basketball program since 2013 when he started coaching feeder. (photo courtesy of Owen Walter) Schneider said. “He’d keep you disciplined and he has a strict coaching style, kind of old-school-like, but once you get to know him [you’ve] got to trust him because he knows what he’s talking about and he’s … trying to get the best out of you.”

This experience coaching youth basketball would eventually help Reibel to explain and demonstrate different moves, tactics and strategies for the older kids.

In 2015, Reibel started volunteering his time coaching sophomore basketball at Prospect. After two years of volunteering, he earned a spot as the head coach of the sophomore basketball team.

At that point, he didn’t have an assistant, so he was busy working with both the feeder and high school teams. Reibel said many people often asked him why he continued to coach feeder, even after becoming a high school coach. However, Riebel finds a special sense of satisfaction from coaching younger players.

“I love seeing kids and watching them come through, whether it’s Saint Mark’s, whether it’s feeder [or] now up through the high school,” Reibel said. “. . . I love knowing kids before they walk in [to high school].

Through the years, Reibel became more

experienced with the program, and he eventually stopped coaching feeder. This year he is the feeder program’s director. When Camardella stepped down from coaching after last year’s season, Reibel was promoted to assistant coach for varsity.

Reibel explained that he, along with volunteer assistant coach Gary Judson, is mainly in charge of running the offense. Creating sets, making plays and trying to get different offensive looks are his main priorities. He is also in charge of doing stats, as well as performing scouting duties.

Schneider praised the amount of effort Reibel puts into his coaching “He’s a very disciplined and … genuine coach,” Schneider said. “He puts a lot of time into … what he does and he’s always prepared for scout[ing and] drawing up different offenses.”

Ultimately, Reibel has been in and around the Prospect community for many years now, and he has gotten to know and influence many players around him.

“He has helped me in … every single way,” Schneider said. “Whether it’s during practice or outside of that, he’s always got the right advice … for me. He’s kind of been … there for me since second grade.”

Dance team makes memories during state run OLIVIA KIM

son connections through things like pasta parties and dinners together.

This team building has set the tone for the year and has helped them improve things like their synchronization, which Quirk said they were challenged by this season. In the end, she is proud of the work that the team has put in and is happy that the team was able to perform together one last time at state.

“My mindset is just to go in [with] 110% and just make memories,” Neuman said.

“That’s what I want to do [at state].”

Editor-in Chief Before stepping onto the stage at sectionals on Jan. 16, freshman Lucy Neuman found herself shaking, reminding herself that this was the moment that the competitive dance team had worked for all season.

Despite being beyond nervous, her coaches gave them words of encouragement and told the team not to overthink while they are dancing.

“I think that’s what really made me want to keep pushing; because I was like, ‘I’m doing this for [my team]; they’re my family,” Neuman said.

After their performance was over, the team sat in a circle while the competitors’ ranks were announced. The moment that followed was surreal to Neuman.

A s the team heard that they qualified to compete at state, the girls jumped up, screaming and hugging each other in a swarm of overwhelming excitement.

“I’ve never seen our team be that happy before,” Neuman said. “... Half of us [were] crying … All of our hard work finally paid off.”

After placing 6th in sectionals on Jan. 16 at Deerfield High School, Prospect secured their spot at the state meet which was on Jan. 28 in Bloomington. The team ended up placing 28th at state.

“This is the experience of a lifetime going to state walking out onto that ... floor,” head coach Katina Frericks said. “[The audience is] all on the sides of you …and huge lights are on you … It’s going to be a great, great weekend for us.”

During Frericks’s time on her competi-

Competitive Cheer Qualifies For State The coed cheerleading team placed fourth in sectionals out of nine schools to qualify for state. The state preliminary round starts Friday, Feb. 4 while the final round starts saturday Feb. 5.

SYNCHRONIZED: Senior Ava Weber (middle) and Freshman Lucy Neuman (right) dance on the floor. The dance team was ecstatic during sectionals after learning they qualified for state (photo by Alyssa Degan) tive dance team at Crystal Lake High School, she remembers the same stress and excitement when she went to state and then later nationals.

“It’s so rewarding when the music starts the minute you go through [the performance],” Frericks said.

While Neuman was excited to compete at state, she looked forward to the trip to

Bloomington most and being able to make memories during the overnight trip with her teammates.

That team bonding is what made this year stand out, according to junior Allie Quirk, because the pandemic made all their competitions and practices last year virtual and therefore limited team bonding. This year, the team made a strong effort to build in-per-

Scan the QR code to watch about the cheerleading team’s transition this year to a coed group and the newfound dynamic that runs through the team.

12

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Bulls recent success bridges gap between both old and new fans. Scan QR code to read about how the common love of the team reignites the Bulls-centric spark within the Prospect.

SPORTS FEBRUARY 4, 2022

Connected on the Court

special for Will.

“It means the world to all of us; we’ve worked so hard for this,” Will said. “We’ve been thinking about our senior season since we’ve started playing basketball [and] … were looking up to all the old[er] players. I think we’re all just super grateful and happy that it's going as well as it is.”

The chemistry the team has helped not only the players on the team, but it also plays a role in the coaching.

CAMERON SULLIVAN “It makes [coaching] easier because they know their strengths, [and] they know their Online Editor-in-Chief weaknesses,” head coach Matt Weber said. “ … You don’t have to spend time talking he girls’ basketball team has chemabout those kinds of things because they istry like no other. Dating back to already know them. It makes it easier 2014, nine out of that a lot of them are friends outside the 10 seniors rostered the game so that makes developing on this year’s team all the team chemistry and team bonds played on the Proseasier.” pect feeder team.

O v e r They started the years when they were of building in fifth grade, and up their they’ve remained friendship friends and teamand teammates since. work, one “We’ve all known thing that each other for a restuck out ally long time, so we to Srodulsjust have really good ki and Will team chemistry,” sewas the nior Summer SrodulPalatine ski said. “I know what Tournashots they want [and] what [shots] they don't. We have all - Summer Srodulski, senior ments they used to play been working together for so long that it just in during feeder. According to Srodulski, it gels really well.” was usually a battle between Prospect and Fast forward to the 2021Rolling Meadows, but Prospect would almost 22 season and the girls’ basketball team has a always win the tournament.

These constant battles started a rivalry 21-6 record while also finishing 9-1 in the MSL between the two schools early on and also played a factor in it was the fact that some East to earn a share of of the girls played on the same middle school the division title and a spot in the confer- team, South Middle School.

“For a lot of other sports, everyone thinks ence championof Hersey as our biggest rival,” Srodulski ship game.

This success is said. “For us, Meadows is almost [more fun] because it's all of our best friends … it’s allargely due to the ways friendly; we’re always picking each bond that the seother up, but it's always fun to beat your niors share. friends.” “ I t ’ s One of the two goals the team set prior to one of t h e this season was to beat Hersey, as it wasn’t something they have done since 2018. That best changed on Dec. 17, 2021 when the girls’ basfeeli n g s ketball team took down Hersey 50-47. The e v e r, ” other goal was to win the MSL which is still s e n i o r yet to be determined. “[Hersey] is a great team, they have three Andie Will said.

DI athletes, they beat us every year so beat“We’re all best friends, we get ing them was definitely one of our goals,” to go play bas- Will said.

In order to get to that point in the season, ketball with however, a lot of work and preparation had our best friends everyday; it’s to go in during the offseason that didn’t go unnoticed. Weber takes a lot of pride in seeamazing.”

The fact that ing the hard work pay off, and he said the the team has played reason for success was made from March to November. as well as they have “We know all the hard work we each put during her senior year is something in … I think [our success] is a really good testament that we are always going to have each that makes it extra other's back … we’re always going to come together and finish strong,” Srodulski said.

Senior Summer The hard work being a reason for success Srodulski (photo by and being a demonstration to how the team Alyssa Degan)

Chemistry leads to girls' basketball winning MSL East championship

T

OUR RECORD IS SHOWING THAT WE ARE A GOOD TEAM THAT SHOULD BE ACKNOWLEDGED.”

THEN:

got to where they are now is something that While the whole team may not be like Will and Srodulski agree.

Srodulski, there is one thing similar amongst “It’s been a great season so far; I think the seniors. we’ve worked extremely hard to get where “They work hard, they're positive, they we are, and it’s really nice to see it paying support the team [and] if they notice someoff,” Will said. one that is down, they’re proactive about The dedication and time making sure they bring that person up,” that was put into this seaWeber said. son is something that From being a sophomore on varWeber thinks the undersity to one of the senior leaders, classmen can take from Srodulski has been through multiple this senior class. teams and has seen the team develop “[Underclassmen into what it is today. can see] the amount of “Girls’ basketball is provwork [it takes] to play at ing that we’re working hard the high level that we’re and our record is showplaying at,” Weber ing that we are a said. “ … A lot of good team and that players that are should be acmaking contriknowledged,” butions for Srodulski us this year said. … were not starters last ye a r.

They w e r e the role p l aye r s that our underclassmen are this year, but they stuck with it and continued to be positive scan the QR code and conto learn about tinued to matt weber's put in the hard work and it paid off coaching style this year.” which led to a The upperclassmen have really made an effort strong girls' to make sure that the underbasketball team classmen feel included and involved in order to help chemistry outside the seniors. The team does pasta parties every week and they even went to an escape room as a team bonding activity.

According to Weber, all of the seniors have stepped up into a role of leadership in order to help out some of the underclassmen.

Srodulski has chosen a particular role that she has stuck with which has helped her into more of a leadership role on the team.

“My first goal is to be the biggest hype woman,” Srodulski said. “I don’t care if I am scoring 10 points or zero points. If I know that I cheered as loud as I could, if I did the little things [like] … making sure my teammates were OK, no matter what the score is, I am proud of everybody on Senior Andie Will the team.” (photo by Alyssa Degan)

Season

record (as of Feb. 4)

21-6

OVERALL

9-1

in MSL east

NOW:

EIGHT YEARS LATER: Seniors Macy Zei, Andie Will, Summer Srodulski, Emily Skoog and Jessica Reizer recreate the same picture in 2022 that was taken in 2014. “It’s one of the best feelings ever. We’re all best friends; we get to go play basketball with our best friends everyday,” senior Andie Will said. (photos courtesy of Summer Srodulski)