Issue 1

THE

PROSPECTOR

801 WEST KENSINGTON ROAD, MOUNT PROSPECT, ILLINOIS 60056

THE VOICE OF PROSPECT HIGH SCHOOL SINCE 1959

VOLUME 56, ISSUE 1 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

Accommodating food, latex allergies

BY GRACE BERRY Print Managing Editor

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reshman Brandon Poy and his twin brother Douglas have had latex allergies their whole lives. They are also both allergic to some food items as well, with Brandon being allergic to dairy, tree nuts, peanuts and shellfish. “[Having an allergy] is just a lot more effort when you’re going to somewhere new,” Brandon said.

“The daily life part [of having allergies] isn’t that big of a change.”

Although much of Brandon’s daily life hasn’t changed due to his allergies, he has to be even more aware of his surroundings everywhere he goes since latex is found in so many things.

Allergy-related precautions are more stringent this year. Prospect has three freshmen with latex allergies. According to Associate Principal of Student Services Greg Minter, the administration has had to make some minor changes to ensure that these students stay safe. This has been the first year there have had to be changes made due to latex allergies.

Minter says administrators contacted each other throughout the summer by email to figure out ways to reduce the risk of those students

“We’re probably going a little bit overboard, but we don’t want anyone to be unsafe.”

Greg Minter, Associate Principal

ALLERGY AWARENESS: Three students have latex allergies this year. Latex is found in many common items like gloves, bandages and rubber bands. The administration has made minor changes in classrooms to ensure the safety of those students. (photo illustration by Elizabeth Rhode)

‘Prospect Gives Back’ new addition to homecoming

“We are really trying to support the community that supports the high school year after year.”

BY DAVID FANG Executive News Editor

Frank Mirandola,

This year marks the inaugural year of Prospect Gives Back, a full day of volunteering that was created by Assistant Principal for Student Activities Frank Mirandola. The event will take place on October 1st, the Saturday before Homecoming.

Prospect Gives Back was created as a way for Prospect students, staff and families to engage in various community service projects around the area. Mirandola says he wants to use this event to connect with the community.

“We are really trying to support the community that supports the high school so well year after year,” Mirandola said.

In order to garner as much participation as possible, Mirandola has tapped into clubs, activities and sports teams to find volunteers. He sent out an email to club sponsors asking for a certain amount of students to commit from each club. If a student does not happen to be involved in any club, sport or activity, he or she can reach out to friend that is in an activity or talk to a club sponsor to get involved.

Many groups like Orchesis and class boards had already committed, even before Mirandola sent out the e-mail, which he sees as a positive sign.

With the event expecting around two hundred students to participate, the range of activities and volunteering opportunities is quite large.

For example, students will help the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce prepare for its annual Oktoberfest celebration. Students will be helping sponsors of the event including Picket Fence Realty, Byte Me Computers, Mount Prospect Public Works, and The Mount Prospect Historical Society.

The Mount Prospect Historical Society will need to students to help with their centennial celebration. One of the potential opportunities with the historical society will be painting designs on fire hydrants to bring awareness to the centennial. Picket Fence will be putting together craft activities and Byte Me will be facilitating the distribution of pumpkins around the area.

Students will also be heavily involved the Mount Prospect Park District’s first ever Fall Fest. Students will be running games and crafts for children around the area. Fall Fest is set to take place Oct. 1 from 11 p.m. to 3 p.m. Fall Fest alone is set to require at least 60 student volunteers.

At Northwest Community Hospital, students will be cleaning wheelchairs as well as making flowers, cards, and fleece blankets for hospital residents.

STreaming Madness People have been listening to recorded music for centuries, but only recently have people been able to stream music on websites like Spotify and Pandora. To read more turn to ...

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Assistant Principal Mirandola is also expecting to have volunteer opportunities at the Moorings, an assisted living facility, and Northwest Compass, an outreach center and food pantry in Mt. Prospect.

RecPlex has granted Prospect three basketball courts to run a youth basketball clinic which will be run by both the girls and boys varsity basketball teams.

Different school groups have also already committed to certain activities.

The cheerleaders will be placing down signs to spread awareness for Homecoming and football team will be running Fall Fest as well as breaking it down afterwards.

The day also serves to establish the mood of the upcoming Homecoming week. Student Council Adviser Lyn Scolaro says that Prospect Gives Back is a great way to create the sense of community that is at the heart of Homecoming.

“Being part of the community is what high school is,” Scolaro says. “We’re not this own little entity in the n or th west part of Mt. Prospect. We’re everybody.

We touch a lot of lives and think that is SEE SERVICE, page 2

having an allergic reaction. Some of these minor changes include taking the tennis balls off the bottom of the chairs in some classrooms, getting new sets of chemistry goggles, making sure there are some latex-free bandages and other medical products available and making sure that teachers aren’t using latex materials like rubber bands and balloons in classrooms.

“We’re probably going a little bit overboard, but we don’t want anyone to be unsafe,” Minter said.

Junior Annie Walsh has 18 food allergies. She brings a laminated list of all of her allergies to every restaurant to see if it serves anything she can eat. She carries an EpiPen with her everywhere she goes and has had to use it 15 times. Walsh even started the Allergy Awareness Club last year to ensure that Prospect students and the community are more aware of allergies and the affect they have on people.

Walsh believes that Prospect has done a great job keeping kids with allergies safe. While she is not allergic to latex, she is happy with the changes that have been made this year. “[The school’s new precautions] are a huge step in the right direction,” Walsh said.

SEE ALLERGIES, page 3

Alum alleges racism in suit

BY MIKE STANDFORD Editor-in-Chief A 2015 graduate filed a lawsuit on July 28 accusing Prospect of racial discrimination. According to the Daily Herald, the plaintiff, who is black and is identified as “John Doe”, claims that students called him racial slurs like “monkey” and the N-word while teachers did nothing to stop the bullying.

“Even after John Doe and his family made repeated complaints, the situation was not corrected,” Bhavani Raveendran, Doe’s lawyer, said in a written press release. “In fact, John Doe’s harm was furthered by the teachers and administration of Prospect High School, creating an unbearable atmosphere of intolerance.”

However, District 214 is adamant that its teachers did nothing wrong.

“At Prospect High School and throughout High School District 214, we practice a culture of integrity and respect and take that very seriously,” District 214 spokesperson Jen Delgado said in a written statement a few days after filing. “These allegations are unfounded, and we are confident our staff provided a safe and supportive learning environment for John Doe, as we do with all of our students.”

The plaintiff named nine individuals in the suit, and the district says it is eager to challenge these claims in court.

“We have reviewed the complaint, and remain confident in the education we deliver to every student who walks through our doors,” Delgado said in the same statement. “The District as a whole, and the individuals named in this suit, look forward to clearing their names in court.”

No phone zone

The trail to oregon!

Many teachers prefer students put their phones in cubbies or pouches before class. To read more flip to ...

The fall play is experiencing changes this year due to the presence of Jeff Blim. To read more turn to ...

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News

September 16, 2016

prospectornow.com

Four years of 1:1 As current seniors become first to go four years with iPads, teachers show vast progress in technology innovation and student successes According to Gomez, the program grew organically. It began with teachers making small proposals. After the pilot programs hen social science teacher Erik saw initial success, entire classes and deHodges was called to a meeting partments began requesting pilots instead with Social Science Division of individual teachers. iPads were given to Head Gary Judson, he did not expect those all students in classes that were a part of the few minutes to forever change the way he pilot program. taught.

In the program’s early days, Gomez In this meeting, Judson asked Hodges worked at Prospect as Technology Serif he would be interested in piloting an exvices Supervisor. He spent significant time perimental iPad program in his AP Human working closely with the teachers to make Geography classes. This meeting was held sure that the pilot programs were running in 2010, mere months after the first iPad was smoothly. released by Apple.

As the program grew across the district, Hodges agreed to take on the program, he made sure that all teachers going into making him the first teacher at Prospect to iPad pilots were properly trained. Eventualteach with an iPad. This marked the beginly, this meant the teachers taking a universining of a new wave of educational technoloty course taught by district staff members at gy usage in District 214.

Forest View Educational Center.

This year’s senior class will be the first All participatto graduate with ing teachers in each student havthe district would Tech boosts test grades ing had an iPad also attend quarfor all four years terly meetings of Numerous studies and statistics have of high school. the Innovation shown the positive effects of teaching Six years into the and Change Comwith iPads and similar devices. program and four mittee, where years into full the teachers iPad integration, • Math teacher Dominique Davis would talk District Technolosaw a 20.9 percent increase in about the gy Services Superstudents passing her Honors best practices visor Rudy Gomez with apps and Advanced Algebra course with says that the protools, show As and Bs over a two year period gram has evolved examples of after she switched to a flipped significantly. redesigned “Now that classroom model. lessons, and students have a generally try to device in their • The University of California reported learn from each hands, that prothat students in iPad-equipped classes other to improve vides a wealth of the learning exscored an average of 23 percent higher information outperience for stuon national exams than classes without side of the classdents. them. room,” Gomez It was at these said.

“Students meetings that new have access to au• 49 percent more students reach a ideas and systems thentic resources. passing rate in flipped classroom classwere introduced They have this es than regular ones, according to the for use across the gateway available district. Teachers KIPP Academy in Houston, Texas. to them. [Teachfound solutions ers] are going to to problems that • According to Open Colleges, 81 percreate more encame with the gaging lessons. cent of high school teachers believe that new technology.

They’re going to iPads can enrich learning.

One such probtransform the lem was organizlearning environing the digital mement.” dia that students were using and creating.

The administration introduced the iPad Hodges felt that there were better resources pilot program as an opportunity for teachers than email and Moodle, a website adopted to expand and utilize the resources they had by several teachers during their pilots, with at their disposal. which to gather and distribute class materiDistrict 214 started the pilot programs at als.

Elk Grove High School and Prospect at the With this in mind, Hodges decided to try beginning of the 2010-11 school year. The disusing Schoology, a learning management trict asked teachers to submit forms called system that he had found through networkTechnology Initiative Proposals if they were ing with other social science teachers. interested in integrating the iPads into their “I loved it,” Hodges said. “It was truly evclasses. They awarded pilots to a select few erything I was looking for in a learning manteachers based on the creativity, focus and agement system.” depth of their proposals.

He recommended district-wide adoption During the first year, the educational of the program at Innovation and Change media available for the iPads was limited.

Committee meetings. The program is now Students primarily used Pages (a simple commonly used in classrooms across the word-processing app) to do their schooldistrict. work, which they submitted by email.

According to Gomez, another challenge “It was real rough at the beginning. [We was ensuring that the iPads were actually were] just blazing the trail a bit,” Hodges changing the learning experience for the betsaid. “It’s so different from what I do now.” ter and being utilized to their fullest extent.

BY RILEY LANGEFELD Copy Editor

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INFORMATION CONSOLIDATION: An iPad rests among dozens of books that it can replace. In addition to using the iPads to consolidate resources, teachers at Prospect are making an effort to find the most effective ways to utilize this technology in the classroom. (photo by Riley Langefeld) students passing with As and Bs (see “Tech The teachers and the administration wanted boosts test grades”). to make sure that the iPads didn’t simply Davis believes that these changes came serve as a substitute for paper and that the about because the students have more opporlessons were actually benefiting from the tunities to directly interact with her and ask use of the technology.

In order to achieve this goal, they used a questions of their classmates while doing tool called the SAMR Model, which outlines their work in class. The iPads allowed her and identifies levels of efficacy with which to move up through the levels of the SAMR technology is being used in a classroom. The Model and redefine the way that her class worked. letters in the acronym “Now that students have “It’s been more sucstand for substitution, cessful than I could have augmentation, modificaa device in their hands, hoped for,” Davis said. tion and redefinition. that provides a wealth “And I think the kids like “It’s not really about it. They really enjoy the atthe administrators’ of information outside of mosphere of the classroom. [technology] goals,” Gothe classroom.

Students … They actually get to do mez said. “The thing have access to authentic stuff in class as opposed to for our administrators just sitting and listening to is that our teachers are resources. They have this me lecture.” truly transforming the gateway available to Both Hodges and Davis learning environment in them. [Teachers] are going agree that although the their classrooms. They iPads have improved the are truly teaching differto create more engaging educational environment, ently.” lessons. They’re going to they should be used as a Math teacher Domlearning tool and not the inique Davis has seen transform the learning centerpiece of a class. firsthand the ways that environment.”

“I think the iPads are a iPads can change the great tool, but they aren’t classroom environment. the answer to anything,” Davis began an iPad piRudy Gomez, District said Hodges. “They enlot during the second Technology Services hance and supplement our semester of the first year Coordinator teaching.” of the iPad program. She ”Despite the successes began, like Hodges, with rudimentary integration of note taking apps that the program saw since its inception, the to the daily curriculum — the substitution administration never made a conscious decision to integrate iPads completely. level of the SAMR Model.

Three years ago, they saw that almost However, she progressed to the use of a all freshmen students were in iPad classes flipped classroom beginning in the 2013-14 school year. This teaching method involves (based on the pilots in place), so they decided to cover the remaining students and adopt students watching video lessons at home each day and working on practice problems full integration of iPads at Prospect.

Four years into this full integration, Goduring class time. Davis created daily videos mez is optimistic about the program’s succovering the entire curriculum of her Honcess and its effect on students. He believes ors Advanced Algebra classes. that students in the district have a particThe difference was stark. Davis immediularly unique experience with technology, ately saw more students achieving successbut he still believes that teachers lie at the ful grades in her classes. In the first year after the shift, she saw a 10.5 percent increase core of a successful education.

“It’s how teachers change their curricuin students receiving Bs or higher in the first semester of her course. Over the first two lum and how engaging it is that makes it successful,” Gomez said. “Not the device.” years, there was a 20.9 percent increase in

SERVICE: Students, teachers give to local organizations CONTINUED from front page three basketball courts to host a youth basketball clinic, which will be run by both the girls and boys varsity basketball teams.

Different school groups have also already committed to certain activities. The cheerleaders will be placing signs to spread awareness for Homecoming and the football team will be running Fall Fest, as well as breaking it down afterwards.

The day also serves to establish the mood of the upcoming Homecoming week. Student Council sponsor Lyn Scolaro says that Pros-

pect Gives Back is a great way to create the sense of community that is at the heart of Homecoming.

“Being part of the community is what high school is,” Scolaro says. “We’re not this own little entity in the northwest part of Mt. Prospect. We’re everybody. We touch a lot of lives and I think that is really important.”

Mirandola was inspired by the National Day of Giving, which occurs in November.

He was also inspired by similar volunteering days that occur at Lake Park High School, Leyden High School and Downers Grove North.

To Mirandola, Prospect Gives Back transcends simply a day of volunteering. It also marks the beginning of the Redefining Ready month.

Redefining Ready is a nationwide campaign that was started by Superintendent Dr. David Schuler to reassess college readiness standards. Among the reformed benchmarks are community service and volunteer work. Mirandola saw Prospect Gives Back as a way to support the district in their vision.

“I think community service is one of those essential characteristics of understanding that it’s not always about you, it’s

about others,” says Mirandola. “Community service is one way to help develop that skill and develop that attribute.”

As far as planning and logistics is concerned, Mirandola expects everything to run smoothly. The majority of planning has been getting local organizations on board with the event. This is was not much of a challenge as the response he has gotten has been overwhelmingly positive.

“This is a great way to celebrate PHS and the great things that Prospect students do,” Mirandola said.

prospectornow.com

September 16, 2016

News

ALLERGIES: Awareness aids safety ble severity of them. to something, “The awareness whether it’s pea“Everyone has their that has happened nuts, nuts, latex challenges and things within the last five “As the years go, more kids are or eggs,” Novak to 10 years has been getting diagnosed with food aller- said. “It’s good like that and food and has realfor teachers to gies, and I’m sure latex allergies, allergies are definitely great ly paved the way to too, and [the changes] are increas- know, so they mine.

I think that it has make it a lot easier can avoid using ing awareness [of allergies] and [for my sons],” Dethose items in keeping kids safe,” Walsh said. made me a stronger nise said.

In a staff meeting, all the teach- the classroom.” person…

I have a lot According to At Prospect, ers were made aware that some of empathy for people Minter, students’ Brandon says his students have latex allergies, and safety is the number have the teachers with those students teachers with other health one priority, but at been careful in their classes were given specifconditions, and I’ve just the same time, it is ic instructions in case any student about not having hard to eliminate food or latex in been able to see just had an allergic reaction. classroom, School nurse Cheryl Novak the how hard it is to have all risks of someone having an allerhelps notify teachers on Infinite and his friends something [wrong] with gic reaction in the know his and his Campus when a student in one of building. their classes has an allergy. This brother’s alleryour health.”

“I don’t know notification lets teachers know gies well enough if you could make to make sure what students are allergic to and any environment they what they need if they have an al- nothing Annie Walsh, junior peanut-free or lalergic reaction, whether this be an are allergic to tex-free or whatever EpiPen, an ambulance or a trip to is around when [because] it’s all over the place,” they are together. the nurse to get Benedryl.

Brandon’s mom, Denise Poy, Minter said. “We have to do our “Teachers need to know things best to minimize risk, but I don’t feels that the school has been very that are happening in their classaccommodating to her sons’ aller- think we could ever reduce all risk. room, so they know how to act gies because more people know And that’s why we’ve never gone quickly if something happens to a about food allergies and the possi- to extremes because it’s not really student or a student has a reaction even feasible.”

Both Novak and Minter agree Allergies affecting adolescents that by this age students should know enough about their allergies • More than 8.5% aged 14-18 years have a food and their bodies. allergy “We try to do what we can, but I also think the kids at this age • 38.7% of food allergic children have a history of anyways are aware enough that severe reactions they have to protect themselves, be • 30.4% of food allergic children have multiple food alert, and let us know if there is a problem,” Minter said. allergies Denise has had to be very aware of her sons’ allergies when they go to new places. She says sometimes this becomes stressful because she has to be prepared with extra food *Information courtesy of American Academy Of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology

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CONTINUED from front page

SEVENTEEN STAR: Junior Annie Walsh was interviewed for a story on Seventeen magazine’s website in the beginning of September about her allergies. “[Having an article in Seventeen magazine] was so cool, [and] it was so rewarding,” Walsh said. “I was shocked.

I had only heard of seventeen magazine once, and I didn’t really know people followed it on social media or that [my story] would be put on social media. … The most important thing for me was the awareness that it brought [to people with allergies].” for trips in case Brandon or Douglas can’t eat something. They rarely go out to eat because the kids have gotten reactions at a lot of places they’ve eaten.

Denise says she’s been educating her kids since they were young about their allergies, so they can be proactive about them. She’s helped her sons keep positive attitudes and compromise when they couldn’t do everything other kids got to do because this is something they will have to deal with for the

rest of their lives.

Walsh feels her allergies have already shaped her life, as well.

“Everyone has their challenges and things like that, and food allergies are definitely mine,” Walsh said. “I think that it has made me a stronger person. … I have a lot of empathy for people with other health conditions, and I’ve just been able to see just how hard it is to have something [wrong] with your health.”

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News

September 16, 2016

prospectornow.com

PMK cymbal-izes persistence, passion high-profile performances they had done before and a video of one of their recent performances had to be submitted.

“It’s really tough to get in,” Barnum said.

“Getting accepted wasn’t a long shot because [we] have confidence in what [we] do, but there are a lot of great bands that could apBY ERIN SCHULTZ ply, so we didn’t know what to expect.”

Online Copy Editor When Barnum found out PMK was selecthen senior drum major Hannah ed to perform in New York City on ThanksThornton walked into school on giving Day, he had to keep it a secret for upApril 30, 2015, she was unsure of wards of three weeks. Macy’s Day Creative what would happen in the next hour. It was Director Wesley Whaley had the honor of an 8:30 start and band director Chris Barnum telling the band. had asked the band to come to school early.

“When they presented it to us, they were According to Thornton, Barnum had made like ‘50 million people are going to be watchthe announcement out to be ing this!’” senior color dramatic and life-changing PMK’S Thanksgiving guard captain Sydni in the days before.

Rotunno said. “And we Day Schedule Although Prospect were like, ‘Wow. That’s a 3 a.m.-5 a.m.

Marching Knights (PMK) lot of people.” learned they were one of full dress rehearsal in Color guard hasn’t eight bands performing in Herald Square for the NBC started practicing for the 2016 Macy’s Day Parade cameras the parade because they over a year ago, they are still want to focus on com5 a.m. just as, if not more, excited. petition season, but the breakfast 198 students and 28 adults 33 members will begin 7 a.m. will be traveling to New learning their new drills York City via coach bus on return to staging area in October.

Nov. 20 to 26.

9 a.m.

Although competition “None of us knew how to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day season just began on Satreact [when we found out],” urday Sept. 10, with PMK Parade step off Thornton said. “We didn’t taking first in the Lake know how to take it because Park Lancer Joust comit seemed like, ‘That’s so far away and such a petition, the band has already taken steps to big thing!’ But all of a sudden, it’s September prepare for Macy’s in November.

2016 and it’s two months away.”

For example, there is a new addition to Barnum applied for the honor during PMK for their Thanksgiving Day perforthe 2014-15 school year without PMK knowmance. ing. PMK was one of 175 high school bands Barnum and percussionists junior Stein the country that completed the intensive ven Endres, seniors Michael Alicoate and application process; a letter of recommendaDrew Reiser and sophomore Nelly Gilhooly tion, proof of PMK’s accolades, a list of the

Marching Knights prepare to perform in Macy’s Day Parade

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TO THE BEAT: Color guard performs on Friday, Sept. 9. The 33 members will begin practicing for the Macy’s Day Parade in October. “We’re all pretty nervous to perform in Herald Square,” senior Sydni Rotunno said. “It’s a minute and 15 seconds of just performance and a ton of people watching.” (photo by Claire Strother)

PLEASE DON’T STOP THE MUSIC: Students in marching band perform during halftime on Friday, Sept. 9. After their competition season is over, they will begin practicing for the 2016 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. (photo by Elisabeth Rohde) have created a cymbal line. According to Al- and 15 seconds of just performance and a ton icoate, this is the first time in about 10 years of people watching.”

While the Herald Square performance PMK will be performing with cymbals. is important to Usually band doesn’t include Barnum and the cymbals in their performances “We really want to make band, they will because of all the other music sure we’re putting something also be particathere is to learn, but Barnum pating in other decided to bring them out for out there that represents festivities while this special occasion. Four days what we do and represents in New York, of summer band camp were dedincluding sighticated to teaching the four perProspect all the way out in seeing, seeing a cussionists to correctly play the New York. We want to do Broadway show, cymbals. The cymbal line practhings that are statements of watching The tices every two weeks as well.

Rockettes per“[Cymbal line] won’t have who we are.” form, touring a huge part in the band, but it Rockefeller Cendefinitely adds a different texSydni Rotunno, senior ter and seeing the ture to how we sound,” Alicoate 9/11 memorial. said.

There will also be two new tunes and a They will also be particapating in the Broadnew standing (still) routine used for the pa- way Musicians’ Clinic, where the musicians play alongside and color guard dances with rade.

Broadway performers.

With the pressure of performing on naIn the coming months, PMK will be worktional television, band will start practicing ing to perfect their routines. more often after competition season is over.

“We really want to make sure we’re putPMK will maintain the same practice ting something out there that represents schedule, but instead of ending after competition season, the practices will carry over what we do and represents Prospect all the way out in New York,” Rotunno said. “We into the winter.

“We’re all pretty nervous to perform in want to do things that are statements of who Herald Square,” Rotunno said. “It’s a minute we are.”

prospectornow.com

September 16, 2016

Opinion

Training times prove inconvenient the training was important, he thinks that the tools and resources to be successful in those and to expose you to lots of difmissing an entire school day was not referent things,” said Collins. “If we didn’t quired.

“We definitely need something,” Milli- have this training day, I think a lot of stugan said. “Honestly, I don’t think we need dents would be confused, [they] would be stressed out, [they] would be anxious, and I a full eight-hour [training] day.” think we would get Milligan had to take extra a lot of students time out of his schedule to not showing up.” make up the work that he The policy for missed for Knights’ Way, KLC the KLC tutor tutor training, and LINK trainprogram allows ing. LINK training took place for almost no last year during the week of students to miss second semester finals. Jutraining for any niors spent several hours after kind of academic their tests training for their conflict such as roles as leaders for freshmen. an important test On Sept. 1 , KLC tutors Voting results of the Prosor meeting with spent the first five periods of pector staff in regards to a teacher. If stuthe day reviewing tutoring this editorial. dents have other guidelines in the KLC. KLC work they have to tutoring sponsor Amy Collins shares Kyp-Johnson’s opinion that the do on training day, they must miss it if they want to be a tutor. According to Coltraining is necessary for the success of the lins, the program had to turn away several programs. students in the past several years because “At Prospect, our job is to help you explore your passions and to give you all of they were worried about missing class

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Against

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For

time for training.

The tutor program is currently in its second year of in-house training, and this year’s training took less time than last year, which lasted an entire day. The tutor program is recognizing the problems presented to students when they are pulled out of class for extended periods of time.

They are taking a step in the right direction.

We, the Prospector, believe that although these training days and the activities to which they correspond absolutely have merit and importance, they take more of students’ time than is necessary.

The students in these activities tend to be a part of higher-level courses and have a significant amount of work to do on a daily basis. Making up this work is often an unneeded burden which these students have to carry.

These programs have the ability to help students with their academic workload while giving them the necessary training by shortening these mandatory missed days. It’s best for students and teachers if they take hold of these opportunities.

Staff Editorial

As the school year begins, hundreds of sophmores, juniors and seniors begin participating in programs such as Knights’ Way, KLC tutoring, and LINK. While these activities provide valuable services to Prospect, they have presented problems for some of the students involved. These activities involve training that takes up students’ class time and puts them at a disadvantage.

The roughly 190 students in Knights’ Way traveled to Forest View Educational Center on Sept. 9 for a full day of training for the program. The students involved missed all eight periods of their schedule for the day. Knights’ Way sponsor Dr. Jay Kyp-Johnson states that the training day is necessary for the preparedness of the leaders.

“Pretty much everybody knows that if you’re going to have a program like this, you’re going to need some time with students,” Kyp-Johnson said. “For the most part, this is the only day that anyone misses class for Knights’ Way.” Senior Evan Milligan is a member of the organization. While he believes that

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District now deems planners outdated In addition, the administration This year, Prospect’s admindidn’t announce or communicate istration tossed assignment notethis decision. If we are expected books in the outdated technology to start using online planners, it bin. It found a home right alongwould help if there was something side chalkboards, overhead projeccommon all students could use. tors, and printed schedules.

“That communication sort of As much as digital products and slipped, so no, we did not [tell stuelectronics make many things easdents],” Minter said. ier for us, some things “It’s kind of like hindare not yet better digital sight. We knew it was than in paper format. going to happen and Even though planjust kind of forgot to ners fall into that catcommunicate it.” egory, D214 acted with It would have been haste and decided planmuch wiser to survey ners are now a thing of students and consider the past for students.

BY AYSE ELDES objections instead of Over the summer, Executive Opinion subtly making such a District 214 adminisEditor change. According to a tration decided that study published by Psythe tradition of giving PLANNING AHEAD: Prospect students will no longer have assignment notebooks distributed to them. chological Science, using pen and every student an assignment noteHere, prominent events are noted for the month of October 2016. paper boosts memory and the abilbook was obsolete.

However, it also lacks thing rary replacement of an assignment difference. Knowing about upcomity to retain things.

According to Prospect’s Associnotebook, but in the long run, it ing school events, days off and 9:30 that our assignment notebooks had Having a paper notebook in ate Principal for Student Services in them: prewritten notifications starts ahead of time was a big bocan be a burden to use an iPad for front of you to write in makes it Greg Minter, the administration for upcoming school events. nus and advantage of receiving the this task. much easier to remember and made this decision solely because When the district decided to not It’s hard to maneuver through planners from the school. physically see how much of a they wanted students to start usOur planners offered a great give the planners, it’s confusing open apps and work on the iPad homework load there is for each ing digital planners because everywhile typing an assignment down. way to keep up with everything why they didn’t consider how they day. thing else is switching to a digital were going to communicate special happening throughout the year.

Most of these apps don’t sync Therefore, going digital with format.

Now, the only way to keep up dates that used to be in them. across devices, and planners isn’t a However, Prospect students The district’s lack Now, to have those things recan limit what you with those dates, if you even can, better option for were not told that they would not corded, one must open the calendar can do. Study Cal, is through the announcements and of communication students.

Senior receive assignment notebooks. on Prospect’s web page and record for example, has a the calendar on Prospect’s web Meghana ChiguNot only was the administrawith students is it on an online app or a calendar on 3.5 rating and only page. rupati, like many tion’s decision unprofessional, but inconvenient, because allows scheduling their iPad. A significant portion of stuProspect students, it also was unnecessary. Indeed, If something useful to many of dents, though, can’t watch the anof two classes bebought a $20 planthe format of education is drastian assignment us is going to be taken away, we nouncements on a daily basis, such fore requiring a ner instead. Even cally being changed, but to abruptnotebook really did $5 upgrade to the as those who have gym during 2nd need to know about it. The general with the availabilily decide that students should find frustration about the loss of assignperiod. make a big difference. “pro” version. ty of iPad apps like themselves an online planner is ment notebooks among students The announcements don’t noThe district’s Pocket Schedule, going overboard with these new may continue if the district decides tify about days off or about events lack of commumyHomework and changes. nication with students is incon- far in advance. The most useful app to make decisions that aren’t beneStudy Cal, students like ChiguStudents also weren’t referred venient, because an assignment for students may be myHomework, ficial to students. rupati don’t find them useful. to another common app or digital with a 4.5 rating on the Appstore. notebook really did make a big These apps are fine for a tempotool to use.

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

Associate Editors-in-Chief Flynn Geraghty Caley Griebenow

News Editors David Fang Ben Dojutrek

Visuals EditorS Elisabeth Rohde Kate Mykhaylova

Online Copy Editor Erin Schultz

Opinion Editors Ayse Eldes Katie Hamilton

Adviser Jason Block

Social media Editor Jack Ryan Online Editor Amanda Stickels Online Sports Editor Wyatt Dojutrek Broadcast Editor Claire Strother

Entertainment Editors Cassidy Delahunty Cole Altmayer Sports Editors Jack Ankony Paul Evers Staff Writers Jessica Darcy Despina Kokoris

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

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

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

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6

In-Depth

September 16, 2016

The Analog Age

Spotify takes over

BY LEO GARKISCH Copy Editor

1877: The Phonograph Invented by Thomas Edison, this was the first device that could both record sound and play it back for listeners.

Consumers could listen to concerts in the comfort of their own home.

1889: Jukebox The jukebox was a coin operated machine that held multiple records for playback, based off of coin-operated phonographs. It was first introduced commercially in San Francisco, where it proved to be a major hit.

1920: The Radio By the 1920s, there were over 100 million radios in use in America, becoming a commonplace item in every home in only a few short years. It stayed the dominant broadcast medium until the 1950s when it was replaced by the television.

1948: The Vinyl LP Records as we know them today were introduced after WWII by Columbia Records, first shown off at a press conference in Waldorf, Austria.

1962: Cassette Tape Player Cassette tapes gained popularity after being introduced in the early sixties

by Dutch tech company Philips. The technology was later built upon with the release of the Walkman in 1970, from Sony.

best thing about Spotify is the fact that he can start listening to one artist but then In biblical times, to listen to the music proceed to click through their page to find you wanted to hear, CDs and cassettes were related artists. all the rage. Then the middle ages came “I don’t know if I’ve learned about around, and people would download their new artists that often as a result of Spomusic from iTunes and eventually Google tify, but I’ve definitely listened to certain Play. But the modern age in a music induspeople a lot more,” Kaminsky said. “It try that trips over its own feet, struggling to takes you a lot to buy a CD; that has to be adapt to its ever-changing stage, has been one you’re excited for. But [with Spotify], characterized by the takeover of streaming when you have access to everything, you services, creating what Vice called a “music end up finding yourself an [album] that’s consumer heaven.” a lot better than you anticipated.”

Queue Spotify, the Swedish music So it’s cheap, it’s accessible and it has streaming service that changed the way the almost every song ever made; Spotify is world listens to music. a listener’s holy grail. But believe it or Spotify has pioneered a new platform not, as the service has gained footing, that gives anybody access to all the music in claiming to reach 100 million active the world for free. Instead of paying for each listeners as of June, the music insong or album individually, listeners can dustry has been plagued with turnow pick and choose their music and stream moil and, in the case of Taylor it on demand from an almost boundless li- Swift, who denies Spotify the brary. rights to stream her music, While the free version only allows listen- bad blood. ers to shuffle albums and playlists with ad“I’m not willing to convertisements popping up between songs, 39 tribute my life’s work to million Spotify users pay a flat rate of $9.99 an experiment that I don’t every month for a subscription to the premi- feel fairly compensates the um service, which allows users to play any writers, producers, artists song anywhere ad-free. and creators of this music,” One of those monthly premium subscrib- Swift said in a 2014 Wall ers is sophomore Demi Zigler, who says that Street Journal op-ed. she used the service for around two years But the only artist to because it makes sense financially and pracever release three albums tically. that have each sold over “It’s really inconvenient to not have [Spo- a million copies in a week tify Premium],” Zigler said. “Otherwise you isn’t the only one who has a have to buy music [individually].” problem with Spotify.

Not only does Spotify benefit music fans, Other big names, includbut, as senior Joe Passmore pointed out, it ing Kanye West, Drake, Jay also is a key weapon in the music industry’s Z and Beyoncé have been findendless tussle with piracy. ing other means to sidestep the And he’s right. According to Spotify, 55 Swedish giant, which pays artpercent of 18-29 year olds pirate less when ists nothing near what they would they are offered a free, legal alternative. otherwise make through downloads Social science teacher Jonathan Kamin- or CDs [see”Streaming drowning artsky recalled how he used to pirate most of ists”]. his music before Spotify was launched.

Artists leading the resistance have “I got to the point where it started to bebeen using a tactic in which they excome so hard to clusively release their download music albums for the first “I like now that with TIDAL and two weeks on another illegally, it just wasn’t worth the Apple Music, Spotify isn’t the streaming service, such time,” Kaminsky as TIDAL or Apple Muonly thing. Spotify could have sic, before releasing it to said. “Once Spotify came out and to pay their artists more if they Spotify. had music on-deSo why haven’t these want to keep people on their other mand … I gravitatservices overtaken platform.” ed towards that.” or strongly challenged SpoNow Kamintify’s dominance? For one Joe Passmore, senior sky, a Premium thing, Apple Music, which user like Passoffers a 30-million-song more and Zigler, library just like Spotify, says there is no incentive for people to pirate hasn’t gained nearly as many listeners as because it is such a hassle to do while Spotify Spotify, in part because it launched as late has all its music laid out in one database. as June 2015 and doesn’t offer a free version Another perk of Spotify that Kaminsky, of its service. Also, Kaminsky tried iTunes’s Passmore and Zigler all enjoy is the fact that successor but said he disliked the app’s laythey can find new music and learn about out, which could be scaring away other ponew artists through the app and its Discover tential customers.

Weekly playlist, which Spotify calls a “weekTIDAL, on the other hand, has over 40 ly mixtape of fresh music.” Updated every million licensed tracks but also doesn’t ofMonday, the list features 30 songs that ca- fer users a free alternative, which Passmore ter to each specific user’s tastes. It is often a says is just an invitation for people to pirate way for listeners to discover new artists and the two-week exclusive content it offers. He styles. used the example of Kanye West’s “The Life “The Discover Weekly [playlist] –– the of Pablo,” which was released in February stuff that they send you every week –– I acon TIDAL, saying that the album was pirattually listen to it and find music on a regular ed “an incredible amount of times” –– 500,000 basis and take some of the good stuff and add times to be exact, according to the BBC.TIDit to my own playlists,” Kaminsky said.

AL doesn’t appeal to Kaminsky either, who And those playlists that he adds them says that he doesn’t feel the need to listen to to are seen by his friends, giving Spotify a an album right when it comes out. social media element. Passmore enjoys this But Zigler is totally sympathetic of the aspect of the service because he says it has artists who go that route. allowed him to listen to songs people recom“If it makes them more money,” Zigler mend him that he would not otherwise be said, “I totally get it.” able to access.

Despite their displeasure with the serKaminsky’s style of finding out about vice, Kaminsky and Passmore both apprecinew music is a little different. He says the ate the fact that TIDAL exists and gives art-

Streaming drowning artists While streaming has overtaken the market, it isn’t the ideal weapon of choice for many artists. It would take an artist: 1,867 iTunes downloads to make monthly US minimum wage 1,117,021 Spotify streams to make monthly US minimum wage

ists a level of control, so they too understand why artists choose to evade Spotify.

“TIDAL is just a response to Spotify,” Passmore said. “It’s competition. I think TIDAL isn’t working and it’s stupid, but I like now that with TIDAL and Apple Music, Spotify isn’t the only thing. Spotify could have to pay their artists more if they want to keep people on their platform. Obvious ly Apple is pushing, pushing, pushing with all the two-week exclusives, and I actually think it’s good that TIDAL exists because it makes Spotify have to get better.”

But regardless of the service it’s done on, Zigler, Passmore and Kaminsky all agreed that one thing is for certain: music stream ing is here to stay, which means that artists and producers are going to need to serious ly weigh in on the battle between making a buck and allowing their music to reach all audiences. Let’s not forget that it’s still a “consumer heaven.” “[Spotify] is the medium that works best for me,” Kaminsky said. “I feel very happy with this. Maybe something changes in five or ten years and it doesn’t work out as well, but for right now, $10 a month for an unlim ited music library [is the best option].”

September 16, 2016

In-Depth

7

THE DIGITAL AGE

Before viral, there was vinyl

g drowning artists

overtaken the market, it isn’t hoice for many artists. It to make monthly US to make monthly US

Records make waves in pop culture, see resurgence in student body

so they too understand

edium that works best aid. “I feel very happy ething changes in five esn’t work out as well, a month for an unlim-

Despite being only a senior, Zulqadar has taken full advantage of the streaming boom. His 56 computer-built tracks or, as he calls them, “beats,” have earned him 285 followers on SoundCloud.

Zulqadar’s biggest hit, “Heading Out Weast,” boasts over 12,500 streams.

Even though he’ll d ni be leaving for college or qa Syed Zul next year, Zulqadar plans on continuing to make music, ideally making “beats” for a big-name artist in the long run.

Find his beats at soundcloud.com/ hamzah-zulqadar.

Se

he service it’s done on, Kaminsky all agreed certain: music streamhich means that artists ing to need to seriousttle between making a eir music to reach all forget that it’s still a

SoundCloud stud

ar

response to Spotify,” competition. I think and it’s stupid, but I DAL and Apple Music, y thing. Spotify could ists more if they want eir platform. Obviouspushing, pushing with usives, and I actually IDAL exists because it

1980: CDs CD production had been going on long before the 80s, but 1980 marked the year when CD production became standardized across the board, meaning they could finally hit the market.

BY BEN DOJUTREK News Editor For most people, buying music is as simple as pushing a button and paying $1.29 for a new Kanye track. But for others, playing music is a process. Playing vinyl begins with careful consideration. With dusting off an album cover and taking out the obsidian disc that lies within. With laying it out on a chosen player and switching the old machine on.

According to Instructional Assistant to Student Services John Meyers, vinyl has a warmer, more inviting sound.

Meyers is part of a growing trend that has both students and teachers preferring to play vinyl over digital mediums such as streaming and downloading.

According to Meyers vinyl was extremely popular from the 1950’s to the early 1980’s. It was the only way to listen to music. His earliest memories were hearing Elton John and the Beatles play through his parents’ stereo. Myers worked at a record store and to this day can still tell how much a record cost back in the day. According to Meyers, vinyl was popular enough to have some dangers.

“I was at a swap meet once looking for this rare Prince album,” Myers said. “I saw it for $35 and was about to buy it when the FBI came in cracking down on bootlegs.”

Meyers quickly left, not wanting to lose the records he had already purchased. Even back then bootlegs were still problematic with the law.

While vinyl was popular it was eventually replaced with other forms of listening. According to Peter Mulligan, the owner of Toska Audio, a high-end audio store in downtown Mt. Prospect, many believed vinyl dead.

“It faded away as cassettes, CDs, and digital appeared,” Mulligan said.

“A lot of us gave up our collections.”

However, vinyl didn’t fade away like cassettes and CDs. In recent years sales have gone up. According to Nielsen Soundscan, a company that tracks vinyl sales, vinyl went from selling less than a million units in 1993 to selling more than six million units in 2014.

Because of this recent uptick in popularity, Mulligan has finally added a permanent vinyl section into his store. What surprises Mulligan is the type of people coming in to browse. According to Mulligan people from eight to eighty have come in the store looking to browse and purchase.

However, for Mulligan it’s not the record sales that are important. It’s that people are listening and wanting something different. According to Mulligan vinyl encourages people to listen to older and more obscure tracks.

“You have to pick what you want,” Mulligan said. “My daughter’s in her twenties and she listens to Maria Callas, one of the greatest opera stars.”

According to Mulligan the reason for this is that nothing has surpassed the sound quality of vinyl.

“Quantity [of albums] is meaningless if you can’t have a good experience,” said Mulligan.

According to Meyers the reason why students are gravitating towards vinyl is that it is different.

“Vinyl is like a fine meal,” Meyers said. “It’s not a casual thing. You can’t listen to it in the car. It’s an experience.

It’s that quality that has had students drawn to it, such as senior Toni DiPrima, a self-proclaimed vinyl lover.

DiPrima was drawn into vinyl by the art of album covers.

To her, vinyl offers an experience that other forms can’t offer.

“It takes effort,” DiPrima said. “Vinyl allows you to truly listen to an album. It allows an appreciation of all songs.”

DiPrima believes that vinyl is something to be treasured as a complete experience.

“I don’t like doing anything when listen to vinyl,” DiPrima said. “It’s relaxing on its own.”

While DiPrima loves, vinyl she does worry about some of the changes the vinyl community that is currently happening, such as the growth of people who listen to vinyl.

“You shouldn’t listen to vinyl just because it’s trending,” DiPrima said. “It’s more important to find something you like.”

1981: MTV Music videos took the world by storm after the premiere of MTV in 1981.

Their first video was “Video Killed The Radio Star” by English new wave band The Buggles.

1995: MP3s The term “MP3” was coined in 1995, but the file format, invented by Karlheinz Brandenburg, had existed since the early eighties. Upon its release, Brandenburg was asked “Do you know that this will destroy the music industry?”

2001: iPod Apple’s iPod was the most iconic and successful MP3 player, revolutionizing how your average listener enjoyed their music on the go.

2005: YouTube One of the most popular categories on YouTube is music, which features top tracks from various artists and genres. The most popular music video on YouTube is “Gangnam Style,” which has over 2.6 billion views.

2005: Pandora Radio Pandora Radio was one of the first major progenitors to major streaming services. It created personalized radio stations based upon individual music tastes, and used a “freemium” service system, where listeners would experience occasional ad interruption unless they paid a monthly fee.

2011: Spotify US Launch Spotify is a service designed to combat music piracy but allowing ease of access to a huge music library by way of streaming the music and paying royalties to artists based upon their “listen counts”.

8

Features

September 16, 2016

prospectornow.com

Student spends summer in Morocco spent their afternoon in the city language useful. “[Speaking French] was a key talking to local children.

As the capital, Rabat carries midst a crowd of dark factor in his ability to survive in more French culture and diverhair, brown eyes and Morocco,” Kathryn Wilkens, Recksity than Essaouira, so Reckamp olive skin, senior Kev- amp’s former French teacher, said in Reckamp was a sight to be- about her student’s trip. “He had so loved that he walked away from hold. Wandering through the for- many other students from around the smaller city with a different perspective of Morocco. the world who were learning Araeign streets, Reckamp’s presence However, despite Rabat’s relabic [and] didn’t speak French, who turned heads and elicited murwere relying on him to navigate tive diversity, Reckamp was a mimurs from the locals. nority. Living with a Muslim couand learn about this new culture.”

As a blonde hair, blue-eyed Gradually, Reckamp learned ple, Reckamp observed the religion white American living in Morocand its community daily without co, Reckamp quickly grew accus- Arabic. Although he doesn’t consider himself fluent, Reckamp says experiencing it. tomed to the stares.

According to him, unlike most He found himself in Moroc- he attained a basic understanding predominantly Muslim countries, co with 19 other American high of the language over the summer. non-Muslims couldn’t enter the On a typical day, he attended school students after receiving a scholarship through the National language classes from 8:30 a.m. to Moroccan mosques. Reckamp explains this dated back to French coSecurity Language Initiative for 12:30 p.m., took a break for lunch lonial times, when this rule served Youth (NSLI-Y). NSLI-Y’s scholar- and attended more classes from 2 as a way to separate white-skinned ships covered all of the recipients’ to 3 p.m.

Once the last class of the day fin- people from the darker-skinned natravel and living expenses.

The U.S. State Department spon- ished, the group went on a cultural tives.

As an outexcursion. sors the program, so American “Being viewed in a different sider, Reckamp The more nostudents can learn languages and learned a few experience other cultures. While table activiway because of your skin while Reckamp and his travel compan- ties included color is something I’ve never lessons simultaneousions learned Arabic in Morocco, trips to the experienced. That’s kind of ly teaching the Moroccan the program also sent students to cities of Mar10 other locations and offered six my white privilege here. But M o r o c c a n s .

They anticipated rakesh and additional languages to study. when I was in Morocco, I Reckamp would Essaouira.

Through NSLI-Y, Reckamp be culturally igAccordexperienced the opposite lived with a Moroccan family in norant because ing to ReckRabat, the capital, for 6.5 weeks of that — I attracted more he’s Ameriamp, Marlast summer. beggars because I’m can, but his Reckamp and another Ameri- rakesh is a open-mindedness historic city. can student, Andres, resided in an perceived as rich.” and background apartment in the downtown with It was Moknowledge of the rocco’s capan older married couple, Badiaa country proved before Arnos and Abdel Kadar. Arnos and ital Kevin Reckamp, senior otherwise.

Islam took Kadar’s children were older and Furthermore, had moved out, but they visited hold in the their parents, Reckamp and An- country. He refers to Marrakesh as by watching the Moroccans, he learned the truth behind Islam’s the “cultural capital.” dres often.

Because Essaouira is located on misconceptions.

The couple spoke no English, “[Americans] just don’t generthe Atlantic coast, Reckamp said it but they spoke Arabic and French. ally trust that part of the world, has a lot of colonial background.

Since the students travelled even if we can’t admit it,” Reckamp He noted it featured a historic harto Morocco to learn Arabic, they said. “When you go there and expeknew very little of the language bor and fort. rience the hospitality and people’s Of the excursions, Reckamp when they arrived.

Reckamp, who had studied found Essaouira to be the most reactions when you speak Arabic, French since sixth grade, found the memorable. On that trip, the group I think your perspective changes really quickly.”

He also found Islam to be very tolerant of other religions because the Muslims believe all religions celebrate the same god.

This experience gave Reckamp the ability to empathize with minorities in the U.S. “Being viewed in a different way because of your skin color is something I’ve never experienced,” Reckamp said. “That’s kind of my white privilege here.

But when I was in Morocco, I experienced the opposite of that — I attracted more beggars because I’m perceived as rich.”

While Reckamp felt some culture shock from living abroad, Morocco wasn’t his first exchange.

During the summer after his sophomore year, Reckamp participated in an exchange with Mount Prospect’s French sister city, Sèvres.

He visited his partner in France and hosted him in Mount Prospect.

The two weeks Reckamp spent in France gave him a taste of a fullblown international summer program.

MO’ROCKIN TIME: (Top) Reckamp takes a photo with his MorocReckamp continued making can host family and Andres, another student he stayed with. (Botstrides in French when Wilkens

BY DIANA LEANE Online Managing Editor

A

tom) Reckamp smiles with friends for a photo on a Moroccan street.

ANIMAL ABROAD: Senior Kevin Reckamp poses with a camel in Morocco. (Above) Reckamp smiles with his 19 classmates who studied abroad in Morocco through the National Security Language Initiative for Youth NSLI-Y. (all photos courtesy of Kevin Reckamp) advised him to skip French 4 and take AP French his junior year.

Wilkens believed Reckamp excelled in French because of his attitude.

“It’s the mix of mindblowing talent for languages in general, and then this awareness of who he is, his place in the world and how he wants to contribute to the world,” Wilkens said.

She also stresses the importance of his ambition.

“There are many students who say, ‘What can French do for me?’”

Wilkens said. “Kevin is somebody who has opened his eyes and has recognized the opportunities that are right there.”

Adding to Wilkens’ point, Reckamp found NSLI-Y on his own. A few days before the application’s due date in late October last fall, Reckamp discovered the opportunity and decided to apply.

Although he had to complete three weeks of work in a couple nights, Reckamp persevered. Within 36 hours, he wrote three essays, sent his transcript and obtained a teacher and parent recommendation.

In December, Reckamp attended an interview for the program, and in March, he discovered he had been accepted in NSLI-Y’s Turkey program. However, due to the unsafe conditions in Turkey, the program was suspended, and Reckamp was switched to the Morocco program.

Laura Reckamp, Kevin’s mother, was very excited for Kevin to receive an opportunity like this, but she also felt apprehensive to send him abroad for over a month. Laura felt at ease, though, after seeing NSLI-Y took the students’ safety serious when Turkey proved dangerous.

“I really had a lot of faith that Kevin would be fine,” Laura said.

“I wasn’t a basket case. ... For [the family and me], we were really excited for him. It’s a great opportunity [that] so many other people

would love to do.”

Although Laura felt nervous placing blind trust in Kevin’s Moroccan caretakers, she trusted Kevin, and she ended up loving the couple he stayed with.

Once the Reckamps discovered Kevin’s summer destination, they began preparing. Through NSLI-Y, Kevin began learning Arabic – mastering basics like the language’s alphabet.

Laura helped Kevin with the cultural differences by buying books about the country and finding clothes that met Moroccan standards. According to Kevin, the country is very conservative, so he avoided wearing shorts and tried to cover up as much as possible.

“I was really excited to help him get ready,” Laura said.

Concluding months of preparation, Kevin flew to Washington D.C. to meet with the other NSLI-Y students and learn the expectations of the program. Two days later, the 20 teenagers flew to Morocco.

Overall, Laura believes this experience gave Kevin a much deeper understanding of the world.

He plans to utilize his language skills in his future career. Although he doesn’t know where he will study, he hopes to work in international affairs.

Recounting the trip, Kevin gave a presentation to French students a few weeks after school started. While Laura and Wilkens are very proud of Kevin, the students’ encouragement during Kevin’s presentation showed their admiration for their peer, according to Wilkens.

“There was such a level of pride and just happiness [from his classmates] for where he is,” Wilkens said. “When [Kevin] talks about his experiences, he’s so humble, and yet there’s so much excitement, and I think the students really respond to that because they see what he has accomplished and is accomplishing as perhaps something they can tap into.”

prospectornow.com

September 16, 2016

9

Features

Taking Glimpses into their futures Seniors create social media platform, venture into app development

McDermott’s computer programming education. In middle school, McDermott taught himself the programming languages HTML and PHP. He first entered iOS development sophomore year when he took Mobile App Development. For his teacher, Paul Hennig, McBY MIKE STANFORD Dermott’s talent was immediately evident, Editor-in-Chief especially when Hennig challenged McDerhen the Underground app was mott to create an app for the basketball team. released in August of 2015, senior Jimmy McDermott, who Hennig was astounded by what he made.

“Just seeing him as a sophomore create designed the platform, was not pleased. this app — that was higher level,” Hennig Although it was functional, it wasn’t ussaid. “We don’t get to [that material] througher-friendly. He knew he could do better.

“Developers are notorious for not real- out the whole first year, and he created it by November. Right away he’s obviously very ly caring about how things work as long as passionate.” they get what they need out of it,” McDerMcDermott continued to refine his skills mott said. “That’s kinda the mindset I had. by working 40 hours a I wasn’t looking to beautify it or make it good for “It started out, quite frankly, week at Vokal, a mobile app development compathe user.” self-admittedly, as a way ny located in the Loop, Thus the idea for during the summer beto make money. It’s turned Glimpse was born. fore his junior year.

Glimpse is an iOS into something much more Fresh off his profesapp that integrates high than that. I’m not that intent sional experience, Mcschool life into a social Dermott started brainon the money anymore. It’s media platform. Users storming the platform can post on school-remore about seeing how with Senior Matt Mclated message boards, many high school students Guire, who specializes see photo albums from in marketing and sales, school events and follow we can impact with this and the two co-foundthe scores of sporting thing.” ed Glimpse. They emevents. The platform barked on this journey will be released to ProsJimmy McDermott, senior with senior Jamar Agpect on Sept. 16, the date new, who does graphic of publication. design, and 2016 graduate Matt Culliton, “Our whole thing is capturing the mowho helps Jimmy with the platform’s underments that high schoolers go through and lying code. The team ran into problems right then transferring them into some kind of digaway. ital medium,” McDermott said. “Our slogan First, as full-time students, the team was … is about creating unforgettable moments.

We want to capture what’s going on in a high not able to follow a typical development process where graphics are designed and then school and let it be preserved for those kids.”

Although Glimpse’s first line of code was the platform is coded to meet them. Instead, graphics and development worked side by not written until September 2015, the app’s side. origins go back much further, starting with

W

Sneaking peak at Glimpse

K

Seniors Jimmy McDermott, Matt McGuire, Jamar Agnew and 2016 graduate Matt Culliton created a social media platform called Glimpse that is centered around high school life. Here is a quick Glimpse of it:

o Wh ws o n

Senior Amanda Page The girlfriend

Senior Jack O’Donnell The subject

B

etYto u er?

Senior James Riordan The best friend

DAY AT THE OFFICE: Senior Jimmy McDermott stands in front of the Glimpse office inside room 162. McDermott is the leader of Glimpse, a social media app centered around high school life that he created with senior Matt McGuire, senior Jamar Agnew and 2016 graduate Matt Culliton. (photo by Riley Langefeld) Similarly, Glimpse has also had to build in security features, specifically those related to being in a high school. To prevent cyberbullying, the team constructed an admin portal that would give administrators full control over what is posted on the app. Also, because most of the users will be minors, the platform had to comply with federal standards for data protection.

While handling these challenges, the team managed to create a functioning platform in under a year. However, their breakneck pace has led to more difficulties.

“We worked so unbelievably fast on some of the features in Glimpse that they broke later,” McDermott said. “That definitely falls in line with what a startup should be because you’re going to break things, or you don’t see how it’s going to break in the future, and then you’re going to face even bigger problems.”

Now that the production process is complete, McDermott and McGuire have started to reach out to schools about using the app. Over the last two months they have sent nearly 300 emails to administrators in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin advertising how Glimpse can be customized for their schools for 49 cents per student, which would come out to roughly $1,000 per school.

However, they still have not made a sale.

“It’s really hard to have built this crazy large product in terms of the amount of work and effort and code that went into it,” McDermott said. “It’s been almost a month since I sent out the initial emails [to administrators] saying, ‘Hey, I’d love to meet with a lot of you.’ Quite frankly, we’ve only gotten six to eight meetings and most of them phone calls. That is a little disheartening.”

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McGuire, who is head of sales, believes that the hardest part is getting the first school to bite. After that, he believes the rest of the dominoes will fall. According to McDermott, Glimpse is aiming to get 10-15 schools on the platform by the end of the school year. Prospect will be the first and will receive the platform at no cost as what McDermott calls a “debt of gratitude” for the advice administration has provided.

Regardless of the ongoing sales process, McDermott is proud of how Glimpse has developed over the past year.

“It started out, quite frankly, self-admittedly, as a way to make money,” McDermott said. “It’s turned into something much more than that. I’m not that intent on the money anymore. It’s more about seeing how many high school students we can impact with this thing.”

McGuire echoes McDermott’s sentiment and believes that the immaterial benefits outweigh the financial ones at this point.

“I am incredibly proud of [my work with Glimpse],” McGuire said. “I am so glad I got to experience this because even if it doesn’t materialize into a profit-generator, then I at least had the experience with the development industry, which has been really interesting.”

As an outside observer, Hennig is not surprised by the way the app has developed over the past year, and he believes Glimpse is a testament to what McDermott can do.

“Watching [Glimpse develop], it’s been really neat because a lot of people talk and they don’t always back it up, but he wants to do this,” Hennig said. “[He has] done a lot of research, and he’s actually doing it.”

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W I N N E R

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September 16, 2016

BY CALEY GRIEBENOW Associate Editor-In-Chief

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ith the introduction of the iPhone 4S in October 2011, social science teacher John Camardella noticed a change in his American Studies class. Students became more engrossed in their phones, not only to text, but to also check social media accounts like Instagram and Snapchat. “[Smartphones] literally changed life,” Camardella said. “Which is fine, [but] I just saw a need for a small adjustment to the academic integrity of the classroom.”

LEAVE A MESSAGE: Students in John Camardella’s World Religions class are invited to put their phones away in this shelf that he designed. He believes putting phones away during class is especially helpful for allowing deeper conversation. “[Our class] is so much about critical thinking and dialogue. It doesn’t allow for easily digestible tweets. It’s far deeper than that,” Camardella said. (photo by Elisabeth Rohde)

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As students walk into class, they are highly encouraged, but not required, by Camardella to put their phones in a shelf that he designed and built himself. Camardella also puts his phone away to prompt his students to do the same.

“The second [the students] saw me put my phone [in the shelf], there’s really nothing they could say,” Camardella said. “I’m walking into class and preparing my mind by putting my phone away.”

He says putting the phones away during class fits into his philosophy of teaching, which is to fully engage the students and to get away from the digital world.

“I want my students to be fully present,” Camardella said. “I’ll be the first one to say that I’m on my phone probably not as much [as students are], but enough.”

Camardella says he was one of the first teachers to introduce an expectation of no phones in his classroom. Now, phone-free

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Teachers keep students’ phones out of reach to further encourage discussion, mindfulness

How many of your classes request you to put away your phone in a cubby in the front of the class?

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Phones for thought

prospectornow.com classrooms are a concept that students must become accustomed to, as teachers such as Schaffeld, Hodges, Heilman, Riedy and more have instituted such a policy.

A no-phone class is something senior Michael Nicolau was initially OK with. AP Biology teacher John Kenney requests his students to put their phones away during the two-period class, and Nicolau believes it helps him focus. However, he questions the right of teachers to take away students’ phones during class.

“I feel like they shouldn’t be able to take away our property,” Nicolau said. “But throughout the years, phones seem to have been a massive distraction during class periods where it’s become an issue.”

In classes where he can keep his phone on him, Nicolau admits he looks at it frequently, even if it’s just to check the time or send a quick text. He also observed some students on their phones during senior counseling while college counselor Diane Bourn was presenting. This allowed him to see how phones could have a negative impact, and he understands why teachers impose these rules by banning phones from class.

“They want kids to be more focused and for them to just learn,” Nicolau said. “It’s not like they’re going through our phones.

They’re not violating any personal space.

There’s no middle man from us to the shelves. You just put it there and wait [until the end of class].”

Freshman Joey Digioia agrees that teachers aren’t doing anything wrong by requesting for students to give up their phones for a class period. However, she did notice some rolled eyes from her classmates in her AP Human Geography class at this request. From a student’s perspective, she understands that kids could be worried about privacy. However, she believes teachers can overrule that, and that they have a good reason to.

Digioia has noticed that in classes like personal finance, where phones can remain with the students, kids are on their phones when the teacher isn’t looking.

This is what AP Psychology teacher Daria Schaffeld is hoping to avoid. To remove the temptation of students looking at their phones in the middle of class, Schaffeld has imposed a new policy in her classroom

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called ‘hold the phone’ where she requests that students put their phones in pouches at the front of the room. She was inspired by Camardella after he told her how it improves the quality of discussions with his students.

Schaffeld also enjoys being able to relate a phone-free environment to the topics she’s teaching.

“I like attaching the idea [of not having a phone on you] to mindfulness and being present as opposed to saying that cell phone use is bad,” Schaffeld said. “I don’t want it to be a negative thing.”

She understands students have lives and jobs and other aspects to keep up with, but for 50 minutes, she believes notifications and social media can wait.

“Life doesn’t have to stop. But hopefully we can disconnect,” Schaffeld said. “I want this to be a good thing. For decades and decades and decades, students didn’t have cellphones in class and everything was fine.

[And] what’s the downside of being in the moment? Of being present? Of being mindful?”

While the impact may not be visible to students, as the year has just begun, Camardella knows from his experience that the class discussion and interaction will only continue to improve. “[Our class] is so much about critical thinking and dialogue. It’s far deeper than that,” Camardella said. “For me, keeping the phones away means being able to strictly keep your mind and thoughts on critical thinking and dialogue and discussion. The class operates at such a higher level than someone who’s distracted.”

prospectornow.com

September 16, 2016

Entertainment

11

The trail to fall musical Alumnus, playwright returns to shake up musical production

BY CASSIDY DELAHUNTY Executive Entertainment Editor

D

uring his sophomore year of college, Prospect alumnus Jeff Blim found himself locked in a room with only 12 hours to write an entire play.

Blim was participating in the University of Michigan’s 24-hour theater event, in which he and a group of three other writers had from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. to write a show that would then be produced that day and performed that night.

Blim ended up writing a six-minute show about a group of children who are playing the video game “The Oregon Trail” when the game comes to life.

The craziness and excitement of the original skit overjoyed Blim so much that he was inspired to spend the next 10 years rewriting and developing the show into a full-blown musical: “The Trail to Oregon!”

Blim entered the musical in several festivals in in New York but had no success getting any producers to take it on. He finally put the show up in Chicago with some of his friends from the theater group Starkid during the summer of 2014, playing the lead role as the father of the wagon party.

Even though the show is no longer being produced professionally, “The Trail to Oregon!” will get a revival in the form of Prospect’s fall play, with Blim helping to produce and direct.

According to Blim, the Prospect version of the play will be like nothing ever seen before.

Despite the fact that the upcoming production will be a relatively small show, many changes are coming to the structure of the fall play, such as the addition of an element of improv and audience participation. According to Morton,he has never done a show with a similar level of audience participation.

At the beginning of the show, the audience will get to name all the characters, like in the video game, and there are no limits to how ridiculous the names can be. Along with this, the audience will get to decide which of the five main characters dies at the end of the trail. This means that whoever the audience votes for sings what Blim

ONE BIG WAGON FAMILY: The Prospect cast of “The Trail to Oregon!” and author Jeff Blim rehearses for the show. While technically the same play, the Prospect production will be very different from the original due to more creative freedom and edits to the script from the original author. (photo by Claire Strother) ly re-written by Blim with occasional help refers to as “the death song.”

For senior Ben Marshall, who will play from Morton. While many shows in the past the father of the wagon party, having to have been edited slightly to cut out small instances of profanity, according to Morton, change names every night has already provno other show has ever been edited as much en a difficult task.

“It’s going to take a lot of feeling comfort- as “The Trail to Oregon!”

“We’ve found ways to able with the people that make it work,” Morton you’re working with and said. “[Blim] has changed the stuff in the script,” a lot of it to play with the Marshall said. “If [you’ve] crazy silliness of the situkind of memorized [the ation versus the language script], it’s not going to … When he was at Proswork.” pect, [Blim] was an inAccording to Blim, the credible talent, and he’s flexibility of “The Trail just grown as a musician, to Oregon!” is one of the as a performer and [as] a show’s biggest strengths. playwright.”

“You do a show that’s As for Blim, not only set in stone every night… is he unbothered by the [and] you get kind of changes, but he thinks bored with it. You start the editing he and Morto lose focus,” Blim said. ton do to the show might “If the show changes evactually make it better. ery night, it just keeps it “Profanity is just a alive.” tool to tell a joke, and Despite all of the exthere [are] many tools citement surrounding the you can use to tell a joke,” play, a large problem facBlim said. “Profanity is ing the show is the profan-Jeff Blim, an easy joke, so you’ve ity, since a good portion of Prospect Alumnus got to be a little less lazy the humor in the original show was based on vulgar language and sit- when you’re writing not to use it … It’s a fun uations. However, Fine Arts Director Jer- challenge.”

Blim participated in theater when he atemy Morton is not worried about the edits tended Prospect, so he is excited to see if his that had to be made affecting the quality of the show, as many parts of the show, includ- show can foster similar experiences among the cast of the fall play. ing several songs, are going to be complete-

According to Blim, when he was on the cast of “The Trail to Oregon!” the relationship he and the rest of the cast had with each other was what made the show work.

Without those relationships, says Blim, the onstage family in the show never would have been portrayed as well.

“What makes this show is the family, at the very center of it, and [our cast] is going to create their own family,” Blim said. “The more real this family is, the more dysfunctional, the more loving, the more hateful, the more everything a family is … the better the show is. It should be messy. It should be real.”

Even after only a few days of rehearsal, Marshall was already seeing this family start to develop, not just among the five main actors, but among the rest of the cast as well.

“While there are five central leads, everyone is important to the show because it is such a compact show and there [are] so many things that happen,” Marshall said.

“You need to be ready and open to anything.”

Despite everything about “The Trail to Oregon!” that could go wrong, from the improv to the multiple endings, Blim is optimistic that the show will be a success even if it doesn’t go well.

According to Blim, mistakes are a part of theater to be celebrated. He says that some of his most memorable experiences from high school theater were getting elbowed in the nose and subsequently blacking out while choreographing a fight scene and forgetting all of his lines while on stage in “Annie.”

“Mistakes are often the best parts of shows,” Blim said. “You don’t shoot for them, but when they happen, you embrace them.”

It is Blim’s optimism that makes Morton think he will be the driving force to push “The Trail to Oregon!” over the top.

“His energy will be really exciting for our cast and our crew,” Morton said. “Just seeing him will ignite their passion even more.”

Marshall had already felt these effects after a just a day of rehearsal.

“Right off the bat, [Blim] was so funny and willing to have fun,” Marshall said.

“He’s learning what things work with us and what things don’t [so] we can change for the better. ...I guarantee every single person in the audience will be laughing.”

Q: How long have you been interested in art?

A: [I’ve been into art] since preschool. I used to do a ton of crayon drawings. I just kept working my way up as I got older. Whenever I could, I would [color]. I loved the crayon bucket. I’m a big fan of colors, even my work to this day is very [colorful] and bright.

Q: What is your favorite medium to work with?

A: I just love oil paint. I started using it last year, and I love adding layers and textures to my pieces. If you goof up on a bit of the painting, you can just go over it and layer it until you like the way it looks.

Q: How has taking art classes at Prospect helped you as an artist?

Junior Julia Kupperman

A: I’m very into drawing people; it’s my favorite to do. But, now, I’ve been assigned to draw different objects and still lifes that I hadn’t really thought of before. It’s opened me up to drawing new things and taking new things into consideration.

For more of Kupperman's art, go to PROSPECTORNOW.COM

12

Sports

September 16, 2016

prospectornow.com

Girls’ golf melds experience, youth

BY JACK ANKONY AND PAUL EVERS Executive Sports Editor and Sports Editor

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HIT IT LONG: Senior Kate Ponzi hits a drive against Palatine on Aug. 25. The Knights have been led by seniors such as Ponzi and Sabrina Accardi, as well as upand-coming freshman Kelly Kavanagh. (photo courtesy of Stewart Smith)

he varsity girls’ golf team shot their best score of the season against Barrington and Palatine on Aug. 25. Though the Knights posted some of their lowest scores at this meet, it wasn’t enough to beat Barrington’s school record of 145. The Knights’s team total of 155 consisted of a 37, two 39s and a 40.

“That was a very well done score,” senior Sabrina Accardi said. “We were all on a happy high that day. I was really proud of everyone that contributed.”

According to head coach Jim Hamann, Barrington is one of the top teams in the state, so if Prospect can continue to play well, they can make some noise in state rankings.

This season, the Knights have had multiple underclassmen step into bigger roles, as well as seniors improving throughout the year. Hamann thinks Accardi, senior Kate Ponzi and sophomore Emily Flemming should be the team’s leading scorers. According to Accardi, it has been a pleasant surprise to have so many girls step up. One particularly notable underclassman is freshman Kelly Kavanagh.

“I knew [Kavanagh] was good when she came in, but I didn’t realize how good she was,” Accardi said. “She’s already putting up numbers that I couldn’t even think about my freshman year.”

Hamann is also excited about the emergence of Kavanagh as a key player.

“Kavanagh is really starting to get comfortable and getting more confident in her play,” Hamann said. “She led us [Sept. 1] with a 40 against Wheeling. We’re excited about that.”

Kavanagh says that it has helped having

cause they have five seniors compared to support from upperclassmen such as Accarjust two last year. Hamann says it is now di and Ponzi. Their positive reinforcement has helped her calm down and focus in im- time for the older girls to pass the team’s traportant situations. Kavanagh also thinks the ditions down to the younger girls.

Hamann thinks it will be important for level of play in high school is higher than the girls to be playing their best golf in Ocany tournament she has played in before.

Unlike other sports, golf doesn’t have tober, when the playoffs begin. According to travel teams. Kavanagh explains that she Accardi, something the Knights are striving to do is have at least two has entered into solo tourgirls shoot in the high naments since her sumWaukegan Invite 70’s and two others in mer going into eighth The Knights participated in the the low to mid 80’s when grade.

Waukegan Invite on Sept. 10. Coach playing in 18 hole com“I definitely think it’s Jim Hamann explained that the petitions. more competitive,” Kainvite would include many of the The biggest thing Acvanagh said. “But the oldtop teams in the state. The Knights cardi thinks the Knights er girls have helped me a placed 7th out of 12 teams. Scores need to improve on in lot, and even though I’m from Prospect golfers are as follows: order to make it to state a freshman they still talk is their strokes within to me a lot, and they’re • Sabrina Accardi (82) 100 yards of the green, still good friends.”

• Kate Ponzi (84) or their short game.

Sophomore Emily • Emily Flemming (86) Accardi explains that Fleming, who shot a 47 some days at practice, against Elk Grove in the • Mary Schafer (88) she exclusively works last MSL match of last • Margherite Pettenuzzo (90) on putting. season, has also made a • Kelly Kavanagh (90) The first meet the big improvement from Knights are really looklast year. She shot a 39 in The team shot a total of 340. ing forward to is regionthe Barrington meet this als on Oct. 5. The host season. course has yet to be Hamann thinks it will be key for each golfer to work hard at named.

Although there are tough teams in the their roles and be as competitive as possible.

Although Hamann emphasizes this compet- Knight’s area, Hamann believes the girls have what it takes to get to the state comitive attitude, he thinks it is necessary to petition. In the Knight’s most recent event have fun at meets too.

“One of our goals is that we want to have on Sept. 10 at the Waukegan Invite, the team placed 7th out of 12 (For all scores see more fun than any other team, and we al“Waukegan Invite”). ways talk about that,” Hamann said.

“This team has the talent, it has the abiliThe Knights hope their fun yet competitive attitude can propel them to their first ty, and it has the work ethic,” Hamann said. team state appearance since 2014. This year “[Getting back to state can] definitely can be done.” is different for the Knights, however, be-

Boys’ soccer led by solid goalkeeping, defense Fremd.

Elkins believes this youth has been complemented by the leadership of senior capThe Knights varsity boys’ soccer team tains Grant Whitebloom and James Estrella. was coming off two consecutive losses when In order to meet the team’s goal of winthey needed a key penalty kick to go in on ning the MSL East, these two will have to Aug. 27 against St. Viator. right the ship, something that is already Senior Nick Kosla steeped up to take the starting to materialize. kick, and ended up converting on the penalty The Knights started the season 0-2, but game to beat the St. Viator Lions 1-0. they have been 2-1 since then. Elkins be“We just wanted to go into Viator and just lieves this turnaround is due to the strength win. It was great to put one on the board,” of the team’s defenseKosla said. men, Whitebloom “Even though we haven’t really According to head and Estrella. coach Paul Elkins, showed it yet, we have so much Elkins and Whitethe team played with bloom also believes potential. Everyone just has to lots of intensity in the that junior goalkeepwin, especially from stay calm because the results are er Kevin Shane has its younger players. beginning to show.” been a big upside this The team has season. relied on its youth Nick Kosla, senior forward For instance, in throughout the seaa game against Hoffson after losing six man Estates, Shane seniors, including all-sectional forward made three crucial saves. However, this Chris Cooney and all-sectional goalie Nick was not enough to win the game because the Jozefowski. team was shut out at the other end.

In an effort to rebuild the team, three Offense has been a weakness all season. sophomores, Patrick Limanowka, Tengis The team has only scored two goals all seaTulga and Joey Boduch, have joined the varson. Despite these troubles, Whitebloom is sity squad. confident the team will put their offensive “The younger guys have been great,” Elwoes behind them. kins said. “They have been coachable and re“We have some great strikers and guys ally have earned their minutes this season.” who I know can score,” Whitebloom said.

According to Kosla, Boduch has distrib“While I may know the goals aren’t here uting out wide, and not turning the ball over, now, they will come eventually.” and Limanowka assisted junior Nico Mho’s Elkins has been working with the team goal during the team’s Sept. 8 win against by using corner kicks and free kicks to prac-

BY WYATT DOJUTREK Online Sports Editor

WEAVING THROUGH: Senior forward Nick Kosla dribbles the ball in a game against Fremd on Sept. 8. Kosla scored the team’s first goal on a penalty kick during the Knights’s 1-0 win against Saint Viator on Aug. 27. The game against Viator was also the Knights’s first win of the season. (photo by Elisabeth Rohde) tice in-game situations.

In addition to refining their skills, Elkins believes cohesiveness as a unit will be crucial for the team’s success.

According to Elkins and Whitebloom, the team’s chemistry is much improved from last year, and the guys have gotten along well and have made it a fun environment.

The team’s camaraderie has been aided by team-building events, like when they took a trip down to DePaul University at the end of the summer.

At DePaul, the Knights scrimmaged on the school’s turf before watching the Blue

Demons men’s soccer team practice.

After watching the Blue Demons play, the team went on a lakefront run by Lake Michigan. Elkins believes this capped off a great day.

“It was just amazing to see them play and to go inside their facilities,” Elkins said.

As the season rolls on, Kosla believes experiences like this and the team unity they foster will lead to results on the field.

“Even though we haven’t really showed it yet, we have so much potential,” Kosla said.

“Everyone just has to stay calm because the results are beginning to show.”

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prospectornow.com

September 16, 2016

Third time’s the charm

Sports

13

Former Prospect quarterback journeys through three colleges, finds fit at UNT

BY JACK ANKONY Executive Sports Editor

I

n his first game as Prospect’s starting quarterback, on Aug. 24, 2012, Devin O’Hara made quite an impression. The former wide receiver broke out to run for six touchdowns and pass for one, beating Glenbrook South 5541. O’Hara totaled 524 all-purpose yards that game as a senior.

“That was the best game I have ever played in my entire life, and I owe it to my offensive line,” said O’Hara, a 2013 graduate.

Offensive lineman and lifelong friend Mike Houghton, who currently plays football at West Point, believes that O’Hara made it easy for the lineman to block for him as a quarterback because of his explosiveness and ability to make quick cuts.

“It was insane,” Houghton said. “He really put the team on his back.”

Currently, O’Hara is playing at the University of North Texas.

O’Hara is the backup quarterback behind freshman Manson Fine but says he is working everyday to get better and give himself a chance to see the field.

“I have all the motivation in the world,” O’Hara said. ‘I’ll never forget people telling me in high school I could never be a quarterback, so that’s what fuels the fire for me to keep working.”

In North Texas’s first game against Southern Methodist University, Fine passed for 74 yards on 8-11 passing.

O’Hara’s former head coach Mike Sebestyen characterizes O’Hara as an important leader for the 7-4 Knights that year. Sebestyen thinks O’Hara was special because of his ability to control his body and cut through defenses on the run.

The Knights beat Glenbrook North in the first round of the 7A playoffs that year, claiming their most recent playoff win. Their season was then cut short in a 14-7 loss to Wheaton North.

Though O’Hara was already getting recruited by Division I schools to play wide receiver before his senior season, he showed scouts with that season that he excelled as a dual threat quarterback, too.

Under center, Sebestyen thinks

O’Hara was only scratching the surface of how talented of a passer he could be at Prospect.

As a junior, O’Hara was offered a scholarship from Western Illinois, a Division I program in the Missouri Valley Conference.

“After I hung up the phone with [Western Illinois] I just couldn’t believe it, you know, like ‘I just got my first Division I offer,’” O’Hara said. “It was one of the best feelings in my life.”

O’Hara also received a scholarship offer from Illinois State and an opportunity to walk on at Minnesota.

In the course of the next two years, Western Illinois got an entirely new coaching staff, but through this change, the coaches stayed loyal to O’Hara. Having a house visit is one of the ways they showed O’Hara loyalty, helping him decide to play there.

In O’Hara’s 2014 season, he played in three games versus Valparaiso, Drake and Northern Iowa.

His biggest play was a 50-yard punt return versus Northern Iowa.

However, the Western Illinois coaches decided to bring in transfer Trenton Norvell from Cincinnati who cut down O’Hara’s chance of playing.

O’Hara decided to transfer after two years as a Western Illinois Leatherneck because he felt he didn’t get the chance he felt he deserved.

O’Hara explains that he chose not to transfer to a Division I school because NCAA rules make athletes sit out a year in between such switches.

He wanted to play immediately.

That chance presented itself at the College of DuPage (COD), a Junior College in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

O’Hara liked what Head Coach Matt Foster at College of DuPage had to say in his recruitment, and by transferring to a Junior College, he would be able to transfer back to play Division I the next season.

“That was one of the most memorable seasons of my life,” O’Hara said. “I had one of my better years of my career, it was just fun to get out there and play.”

The COD Chaparrals finished ranked fourth in the nation among junior colleges with a record of 8-2.

In the nine games O’Hara played

HIKE: 2013 graduate Devin O’Hara takes a snap for College of DuPage, a junior college in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. O’Hara chose not to transfer to a Division I school because the NCAA requires athletes to sit out a year after transferring. (all photos courtesy of Devin O’Hara)

Where are they now?

MEAN GREEN: 2013 graduate Devin O’Hara transferred to the University of Texas after previously playing for Western Illinois University and College of DuPage. Currently, O’Hara is the backup quarterback behind freshman Manson Fine but says he is working everyday to get better and give himself a chance to see the field. “I have all the motivation in the world,” O’Hara said. ‘I’ll never forget people telling me in high school I could never be a quarterback, so that’s what fuels the fire for me to keep working.”

The Man in the Arena In Devin O’Hara’s time at Prospect, head basketball coach John Camardella told the team this story that has stuck with O’Hara his whole life. O’Hara credits his strong mental attitude to Camardella, among others. Below is the story that inspired O’Hara.

2013 graduate Devin O’Hara makes a quick cut against Glenbrook South on Aug. 24, 2012. as quarterback, he passed for 1,786 yards, 21 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and 3 rushing touchdowns.

As a result from that season, O’Hara received multiple offers but eventually decided on the University of North Texas, a Division I school in Denton, Texas that is part of Conference USA. This is O’Hara’s first season at North Texas. Because O’Hara took the junior college route, he still has two years of eligibility.

“North Texas has been good,” O’Hara said. “It’s such a blessing to have your college paid for to play football. It’s just something every kid dreams of, and it’s surreal, but I’m just working hard every day and staying positive and doing what I can to be the best player.

I’ve enjoyed it.”

Transferring three times has forced O’Hara to adjust to the level of play at each school, as well as gain respect from his coaches. He has also noticed a change in the speed of the game at each level.

O’Hara thinks that playing at Western Illinois helped him see what the speed of the game was like at the Division I level.

Having experience under his belt helped him make a smooth transition to the College of DuPage.

“Just getting settled in and

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”- Theodore Roosevelt

learning a new system [is what I have adjusted to],” O’Hara said.

“When you play quarterback it’s a whole other class you’re taking to learn the offense.”

Aside from the level of play, O’Hara has had to adjust to the teams’ cultures at each school.

O’Hara explains that the toughest adjustments have been getting used to a new environment, trying to fit in and gaining everyone’s respect.

Though O’Hara has transferred, his drive to get better hasn’t changed. Sebestyen believes that O’Hara’s work ethic has allowed him to get where he is today.

“He works at it. It’s something he trains hard for and he pursues it,” Sebestyen said. “It is something that he won’t let anyone deter him from his goal. That’s what you’ve got to respect. That’s what has allowed him to separate himself in terms of pursuing this and making himself attractive to people at that level.”

Sebestyen says that O’Hara has worked on his speed, athleticism, nutrition and strength in order to become a better all-around football player.

Sebestyen has noticed that Devin has become a much more refined passer since he graduated

Prospect.

In O’Hara’s time at Prospect, Sebestyen thinks they were successful because the two had a strong professional relationship, and O’Hara was coachable.

Sometimes they would meet in a room together after games to discuss what each other were thinking and how they could be successful as a team.

Houghton believes that O’Hara’s ability to lead and inspire people to play with him is what made their teams successful.

“He was a crazy competitor when it came to football and basketball. [O’Hara] would never say no whenever he was challenged with anybody. He always had a chip on his shoulder to prove to everyone that he was better than the guy across from him,” Houghton said.

He has used all of this support and inspiration from his friends, parents and coaches to get where he is today. “[Playing college football] is the dream I have always had,” O’Hara said. “There’s no going back now.

It’s something I have always wanted. I have always dreamed of. I’ve always wanted to be the best quarterback I could be, so that’s what I’m riding with.”

SPORTS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

Prospect Football WEEKLY

Head JV football coach Lance Burmeister and senior offensive lineman Alex Palczewski join this week’s edition of Prospect Football Weekly.

ProspectorNow.com

TRUE HOME MEET

The girls’ swimming team won the first meet ever at Prospect’s new pool. See all the details at: ProspectorNow.com

Boys’ golf hits out of bunkers onto greens

BY PAUL EVERS Sports Editor

A

key part of the boys’ golf team is the amount of experience on varsity.

With a team that has eight seniors this year, head coach Tom Martindale believes being a senior helps the team work through the difficulties of the golf season.

“When you’re a senior, you’ve been through some of the trials and tribulations of high school sports,” Martindale said.

On Aug. 23 in a tri-meet against Rolling Meadows and Hersey, senior Brad Woodle shot a bogey on the first hole and a double bogey on the second hole. Looking like the beginning to a poor day, Woodle rebounded to save par on each remaining hole to shoot 37, which was the second best score on the team that day.

One week later against Conant, senior Kevin Placko had a similarly rough start. Like Woodle, Placko recovered and shot a 41 for the day which contributed to the win.

Woodle believes that a part of the team’s identity is playing through adversity. “[When] you have a bad hole, you just keep going,” Woodle said.

“We’re always going to be in it no matter what. None of our heads are ever going to be out of it. We’re always going to be thinking about the next shot and what we’re going to do next.”

Senior Robert Garmoe also sees how this experience has aided the team when facing adversity.

“We’ve learned how to deal with adversity by hitting bad shots and recovering, rather than hitting a bad shot and letting it get to us,” Garmoe said.

Led by Garmoe and senior Nick Tenuta, the boys golf team has started off with an undefeated record in matches, going 8-0 in the MSL. The team has also received contributions from seniors Patrick Fusilero, Placko and Woodle as well as sophomore Charlie Busch (see “How Low Can You Go?” for more info on each golfer).

Martindale recognizes how

How Low Can You Go? Here are the top nine-hole scores for the Knights this year: • Senior Robert Garmoe (34) • Senior Nick Tenuta (31) • Sophomore Charlie Busch (36) • Senior Brad Woodle (37) • Senior Kevin Placko (37) • Senior Patrick Fusilero (39)

Stats as of Sept. 12

Athlete: Alex Palczewski Year: Senior Sport: Football Position: Offensive Line

Q. A.

What has been key to the team’s successful running game?

Just because we are running doesn’t mean we don’t need everyone on our team blocking. The receivers also have to do their jobs. If they don’t, that also ruins the running game. Everyone just has to work together to do our jobs, just trust each other, have our certain assignments done. Once we have that happen, we will be a very good running team.

the team is supporting each other through the challenges of each meet.

“I think that they all know that everyone is trying to support each through adversity and [doing that] through being positive,” Martindale said. “It’s real easy to go, ‘It’s just not your day.’ I think you have to work through it, and they’re doing that.”

Since last year’s second place finish in the conference, the team has rebounded and experienced a lot of growth. Garmoe sees how that second place finish has aided the team.

“We learned a lot from last year — definitely faced some tough tests,” Garmoe said. “We did struggle a bit last year, but I think this year we’re better for it. Hopefully we’ll make the most of this year.”

Woodle agrees with Garmoe that last year’s finish still impacts the team.

“I think we were disappointed after last year; we didn’t play as well as we could have,” Woodle said. “I think it kind of lit a fuel [for] our fire.”

So far this season, Martindale has been impressed with the leadership of captains Garmoe and Tenuta. He sees them display the values necessary to be quality golfers as well as directly interacting and supporting the younger members throughout the program. “[They are] modeling in one way in [their play] and then they back it up by [asking], ‘Hey how are you doing? How are you doing and how did your day go?’,” Martindale said. “They’re really really good, they’re really really good captains.”

Garmoe feels that he needs to set the standard for everyone throughout the program.

“My main responsibility is to set a good example for the guys and show them that even when they’re not playing their best that they can

DRIVING ALONG: Senior Robert Garmoe hits a drive at Mt. Prospect Golf Course in a meet last year. The Knights this season have gone 8-0 in the MSL as of Sept 12. Garmoe along with senior Nick Tenuta (pictured left) have been key leaders for the Knights this season. (Prospector File Photo) still contribute to the team,” Garmoe said. “Everyone has a part in the team, and you just have to fill your role.”

Going forward, Martindale believes the team will thrive by sticking together. “[This team], their personality, their group personality is dynamic and is unique,” Martindale said.

“They’ve got an identity. When our 14 guys are together, it is a dynamic and unique group.”

Garmoe thinks the bond that he

has been the most memorable play or moment of the Q. What season?

A.

From the first game, when in the 4th quarter, we were at the 10 yard line and we ran a play to the left side and [Andrew] Shafis just did some moves and was able to score, and at that point it really kind of solidified the game for us. I felt kind of overwhelmed because I was very happy we won the game. Everyone on our team contributed and won because everyone on our team did their jobs.

Q. What will it take for the team to make the playoffs this year?

Everyone has to have a warrior mentality. Just keep on

just trust everyone next to you. If they do their A . fighting, jobs, we will start winning all of our games.

shares with his teammates is why the team wants to succeed “What’s special about this team is the unique bond that a bunch of guys on our team have,” Garmoe said. “A lot of the seniors are really close, and they’ve played with each other the last four years or even more. It’s just kind of cool when you’ve got guys on the team that you treat basically as brothers.

You always want them to do well and do well yourself so that the team can be successful.”