Most people don’t have 38 sisters, unless you’re 11-year-old cancer patient Lindsey Eyles, who has gained the attention of the girls’ tennis team. For her story, see...
Features, page 9
District changes class ranking system By Maddie Conway Executive News Editor
The lunchtime rush Graphic by Ian Magnuson
Independent restaurants push to keep business up despite franchise competition in community By Sharon Lee Associate Editor-in-Chief In one short six-month period, the 900th Chipotle, the 300th Five Guys and the 450th Jersey Mike’s opened up shop at Randhurst. One mile away, Jim Photopoulos, owner of the twobranch Photo’s Hot Dogs, was feeling uneasy. “I’ve never seen so much competition in the past six years, and the next six years are going to be much worse,” Photopoulos said. “I see it, and I know it.” Photopoulos may be right. The transformation of Randhurst Mall into an outdoor-lifestyle center in spring 2011 will bring many new businesses into the community with the availability of retail space inside the 100-acre shopping center. Jim Conroy, director of development for Casto Lifestyle Properties, said there are half a dozen restaurants in the process of legalizing and developing their businesses at Randhurst. “This will strengthen the retail market of Mount Prospect and make the whole area more viable,” Conroy said. “I really think this can help the entire village of Mount Prospect.” But with 21 years of experience in independent business, Photopoulos sees the redevelopment of Randhurst in a different light. “I’m not happy with the competition,” Photopoulos said. “National franchises — they’re tough. With all these new franchises coming [to] town, my biggest concern is how long we’ll last before it’s all franchise in this world.” John Mavraganis, owner of Heffy’s Hot Dogs, said he has lost an average of 40 to 50 customers a day because of franchise restaurants.
“Franchises kill everything,” Mavraganis said. “They’re no good for [independent businesses].” Photopoulos believes one key reason independent restaurants are struggling under the competition of franchise businesses is because of a lack of a loyal customer base. According to Photopoulos, Chicago used to be a tough market for chain restaurants because people in Chicago were extremely loyal to their mom and pop businesses. However, in recent years, Photopoulos noticed a shift in loyalty. Photopoulos said there were 1,200 customers coming in every day in the 90s, but today, he gets 50 to 100 people coming in each day per location. Photopoulos said that with new generations, people don’t care about family-operated independent businesses and are more interested in the technology that makes the franchises “alluring.” According to Photopoulos, franchise businesses have more power over independent businesses because of their strong marketing system. “[As] independent people, we do have a data base,” Photopoulos said. “We do have a YouTube and a Facebook page, and we try to keep it electronically hip, but we don’t have the power or strength to compete. It’s a constant battle.” However, Photopoulos still believes the future of the independent restaurant is possible, but only for “sharp, smart owners.” According to Photopoulos, “aggressive marketing” is one of the most important factors that help independent restaurants continue to survive in the
See RESTAURANTS, page 2
Out of the 549 graduates in the class of 2010, 92 graduated with a weighted grade point average (GPA) of over 5.0, meaning that nearly 17 percent had over an A average by the end of high school. Despite that A average, some of those students did not even rank within the top 15 percent of their class. Current upperclassmen and previous graduating classes have been ranked numerically within their classes based on their cumulative GPA out of a five-point scale. That statistic is recorded on the students’ transcripts and sent to colleges during the application process for review. But freshmen, sophomores and future classes will now be placed in a quartile, or quarter of their class, based on GPA. For example, a student whose GPA would normally rank 50th in his or her class would be placed in the top 25 percent. Colleges will have access to that statistic rather than the number 50. According to Superintendent Dr. David Schuler, when discussion about changing class rank began last fall, the
district originally considered getting rid of it altogether; however, because there was concern that not having any kind of class rank would leave a “blank” on students’ college applications, the district considered and approved the new quartile system. Schuler said that the goal of revising the ranking system was “to try and create a structure or system that would not penalize our students” for the competitive level of the district, in which students could be ranked 40th, for example, and still have over a 5.0. “If you’re writing down that rank [of 40 or 50] and applying to a college, that’s really unfair to compare students in a large, high-performing school [to less competitive schools],” Schuler said. “So we wanted to see if we could figure out a way in which our students had the maximum opportunity to be looked at by colleges and universities.” Principal Kurt Laakso also said the quartile system would have a positive impact on students, especially in light of Prospect’s academic competition. Laakso also said that he
See CLASS RANK, page 5
On Prospectornow.com...
Photo by Ian Magnuson
Science teacher Deborah Connors enjoys the inflatable slide with her son at the Back-to-School Bash on Tuesday, August 24. For photos of the event and a story on how the idea for the Bash came about, go online at Prospectornow.com.
To see what else is online now, see News, page 2
Football strategy
District differences
Many Prospect students are fans of rap music. Has the genre gone soft? For the answer, turn to...
The football team has found success with an intensified focus on their ground game. For more on their offensive approach, see...
How does the spirit of the other schools in District 214 compare to Prospect? Find the answer in...
Entertainment, page 12
Sports, page 15
Has rap lost its touch?
Features, page 10
2 NEWS
Friday, September 17, 2010
RESTAURANTS: Small businesses face competition CONTINUED from page 1
won’t come in anymore. Being active in the community, according to Photopoulos, also helps competitive restaurant business today. make the restaurant more well-known In order to bring in more customers, and pays off in the long run. It is a facespecially high school students, Phototor that sets independent businesses poulos carries around a notebook with apart from franchise businesses. him, constantly coming up with new “It costs you a certain amount of ideas on how to advertise Photo’s. money, but I believe that it comes back,” “The biggest thing is that I love what he said. “You’re taking this huge risk I do,” he said. “It’s a lot more challengby giving away free food, [but] people ing now because there are so many new will come back and respect it.” restaurants competing, and the cost of Photopoulos has given out free food running a busiat various events ness is so high.” in the community, Nevertheless, such as at softball Photopoulos ofgames, and has fers a dollar donated money to menu for high many organizaschool students tions, such as the during lunch Prospect Marchhours through-Photo’s Hot Dogs Manager Jim Photopoulos ing Band. out the school “Chains don’t year. He also offers a special deal of have that personal touch,” Photopoulos free ice cream year-round. Additionsaid. “[Franchise businesses] are not ally, Sub Express Manager Tom Zoumalocal. Independent businesses have alras offers Prospect students 10 percent ways had that advantage.” off if they bring in their student ID. However, some franchises are startPhotopoulos strongly believes that ing to branch out to become more acmarketing deals like these benefit intive in the communities nationwide. In dependent businesses because if they April, Jersey Mike’s helped raise $50,000 do not continue to keep offers, coupons in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and daily specials, people for Wipe
“With all these new franchises coming [into] town, my biggest concern is how long we’ll last before it’s all franchise in this world.”
Graphic by Ian Magnuson
pPHOTO’S: Photo’s Hot Dogs Manager Jim Photopoulos (right) and business partner Jim Courouklis have several approaches for attracting business in the community. Photopoulos attends an annual restaurant convention in order to learn new business tactics. Photo by Ian Magnuson. Out Kids’ Cancer (WOKC), a non-profit area, people will always come back to organization with the vision of a day Chipotle. in which all children are living cancerMavraganis said that he is appalled free. by the high prices at the chain restauChipotle’s website stated that they rants at Randhurst. He said that paying too are becoming more involved with eight dollars for burger, fries and a coke the communiis “not very cheap.” ty. They said, And with other “Each and every franchises, MavraCONCEPTS OF TOMORROW Chipotle restauganis said he is Photo’s Hot Dogs Manager Jim rant is an acworried about how Photopoulos regularly attends an tive part of the cheap they make annual restaurant convention at neighborhood their prices. the Trump Tower in Chicago called around it be“I can’t compete “Concepts of Tomorrow.” It is a cause without a with these franthree-day study held in October and neighborhood, chises,” Mavragacosts $600 per person. you couldn’t nis said. “I go there so I can learn and have a neighAlthough the fustudy my business. You learn borhood burture of small busia lot, and you can steal ideas,” rito joint.” nesses looks bleak, Photopoulos said. “It’s worth it. According to Photopoulos sees There’s not a lot of people who Mount Prospect the competition as come to these things. That’s why I Chipotle Sera challenge that survive and stay on top of it.” vice Manager Photo’s can overPaula Meza, come. Chipotle brings “I don’t like it, in an average of 200 people per day — 25 but I deal with it,” Photopoulos said. percent of which are high school stu- “With all the competition coming, as dents from around the area. long as we’re part of [the consumer] Meza said the reason why so many choice, I’m good with that. people continue to eat at Chipotle is “As long as I give good products and because of the quality food, the atmo- good services, there will be a piece of sphere and the reputation. the pie for me, too because I know I am Because of Chipotle’s attributes, doing a good job. We’ve been here [for] Meza believes that even with the com- 21 years, and we’re going to be here for petition from other businesses in the another 21 years.”
Check out what’s online today “The Final Frontier,” the latest album from Iron Maiden, is a success...
Photos from Prospect vs. Hoffman on Friday, Sept. 10
The girls’ volleyball team is gearing up for a strong start to their season...
Athletes of the week Jimmy Poulos and Allison Walsh share their thoughts on this season’s golf so far...
Math teacher and Service Club Coordinator Dave Jacobson has won the School of Social Workers’ Citizen of the Year Award....
“Mockingjay,” the final entry in Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games” trilogy, offers a deeper perspective on violence...
Students in Erik Hodges’ AP Human Geography class are taking notes on Apple iPads...
NEWS 3
Friday, September 17, 2010
New road to Knightimes throne Clubs nominate homecoming king and queen By Jane Berry News Editor In the past, homecoming has revolved around the varsity sports because they make up the honor guard — the students who line the walkway to the podium where the nominees are presented. This year, Student Council wanted to have a greater representation of the seniors by making the nominations for king and queen come from the clubs and activities. If someone is only in a sport, he or she cannot be nominated for king or queen, but if someone is in a sport and a club, the student can. This change was not made to “close anyone out.” “We really want each senior to have a piece of homecoming,” Student Council adviser Lyn Scolaro said. According to Scolaro, in the past, students have been nominated in mean spirit and without their “knowledge.” Student Council and the administration are trying to prevent that from occurring this year. By changing the process, Student Council President senior Keerthana Hogirala believes they are “catching” negative parts of homecoming from “slipping through the cracks.”
Because this is the first year Student Council has tried this approach, they have not specified a way to “properly” nominate students. Some club advisors are picking them by themselves, others are having a vote with the students and others have done a combination. Band director Chris Barnum chose to let the band decide the nominations. He put a list out and had everyone vote, and whoever got the most votes got the nomination. He thought this would be the best way considering the amount of seniors in band. On the other hand, debate coach Dave Schnell decided which students would get the nominations. “I thought it would be weird/potentially awkward if I let the kids decide,” Schnell said. “Especially if someone wanted to be nominated and didn’t get [nominated].” Scolaro says that they left the nomination process “out there.” They “just really need the names quickly” because the first voting occurred Tuesday, September 14, for seniors during lunch hours. The clubs will have more of a “heads up” next year, and since they will have already been through the process once, Student Council hopes kids will have more time to think about nominations for next year. Student Council will compile the results taken this past Tuesday, and the top five girls and top five boys voted for will serve on the homecoming court. Afterwards, there will be a final vote for the entire school to finalize the king and queen of homecoming week.
pROYALTY: Knightimes 2009 king and queen Afolabi George and Maria Dolomas are crowned. This year, Student Council has changed the nomination process for king and queen, with clubs now providing nominations. Photo by Mika Sugano. “We haven’t gotten any student reactions yet,” Scolaro said. “One thing I can always count on from kids is them saying, ‘Well, it’s worth a try.’” Because of the positive reactions last year to changing homecoming coronation to Monday, Hogirala and Scolaro believe that there will also be positive reactions to this change because “you can’t decide that something is bad unless you’ve been through it.” Scolaro also compared this change
to Knightgames. She noted that the first year, only a very few kids went, but because Student Council persisted to make it better and encourage others to join, it’s now one of the most beloved traditions at Prospect. Scolaro believes there will be the same outcome with the change in the nomination process. “I like to follow the three ‘T’ rule,” Scolaro said. “Try it, tweak it and then trash it or make it a tradition.”
4 NEWS
Friday, September 17, 2010
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NEWS 5
Friday, September 17, 2010
Journalist shares knowledge in theater By Neel Thakkar Editor-in-Chief
p MOTIVATING STUDENTS: Veteran journalist Charles Wiley advises students on navigating the world of the news media. Wiley spoke at Prospect on Monday, Sept. 13. Photo by Ian Magnuson.
PROSPECT REACTIONS Gary Judson, head of the social science department, generally agreed with Charles Wiley’s message about not blindly trusting the media. However, Judson disagreed with Wiley’s suggestion of precipitous American decline. Gary Judson
He quoted Lee Trevino: “The older I get, the better I was.”
Charles Wiley was supposed to go to a reunion this year. It was to be a gathering of former soldiers, veterans of the Second World War. This year, it was cancelled. Not because memories had faded or friendship dimmed, but because there were so few veterans left. Of the 150 men who served on his ship in the Pacific, Wiley estimates 10 are still alive. Half will never leave their hometowns again; mobility is now beyond their ability. But mobility is still well within Wiley’s grasp. Even in his advanced age, Wiley crisscrosses the country — and indeed the world — delivering about 150 speeches and talking to young audiences each year, in settings as varied as the Naval War College, the University of California, Berkeley, and on Monday, September 13, Prospect High School. It is a fitting retirement for a man who did not stop at taking life by the horns but proceeded to tackle it and wrestle it to the ground. Indeed, his biography reads something like that of his only conceivable counterpart, the fictional World’s Most Interesting Man, with whom he even shares a passing resemblance. When Wiley, a former reporter, travels, he doesn’t restrict himself to a handful of
countries; he has reported from over 100. When he has been arrested, it hasn’t been by the MPPD, but by the KGB. He has spent time behind bars — not looking out onto the friendly expanse of Northwest Highway but into the bowels of a Cuban dungeon. He is a war correspondent 11 times over. He could have discussed all this and more during his speeches to successive groups of students during the last three periods of the day in the theater. But time was short, and Wiley was here for a different reason: to educate students on one cornerstone of American society: the news media. A member of the “Greatest Generation” that fought in World War Two, Wiley has for decades — since the late 1950s, he says — watched with increasing alarm what he considers the degeneration of American culture, youth culture in particular, as well as the decline of the news media, which he sees as reinforcing a wider cultural decline. He travels and talks in an effort to slow and reverse that
decline in both areas, an approach he calls “killing two birds with one stone.” “Our generation is gone,” he said in the beginning of his presentation. “You’re taking over. You’re going to take over the world.” As tomorrow’s decisionmakers, Wiley said, students need to be informed about the way the news media works. By highlighting and covering certain issues in certain ways while ignoring other issues, “the news media decides what you think about ... what problems we’re going to try to solve [and] the order in which we try to solve them.” “This country has a lot of problems,” Wiley said in a later interview. “The only way we’re going to solve them is to get the news media straightened out.” Given the media’s power, Wiley warned of reporting designed to influence rather than inform — advocacy reporting. Media outlets are increasingly turning to advocacy journalism, a presentation of the facts designed to favor one side, Wiley said. “It is rare that a reporter lies,” he said. The key is in “what they don’t report.” Even in a long article, Wiley explained, “you can have a totally false picture of what actually happened because of what [wasn’t] reported.”
Senior Will Benisek watched Charles Wiley’s speech with his Media Analysis class. “Like many others, I get the digest version of the news,” he said. Listening to Wiley has led him to reconsider.
Will Benisek
“The message was something that some people have said before,” Benisek said, “but it’s an important one.”
CLASS RANK: District adopts new system for ranking CONTINUED from front page 1 hoped eliminating class rank would help encourage honors-level students to take electives that they enjoy without having to worry about their GPA and class rank lowering because those elec-
CLASS WEIGHT CHANGES In addition to the new quartile system in place of class rank, there will also be changes in course weight. Effective immediately, third and fourth level foreign languages will be worth honors credit (5.5 on a five-point scale) and preparatory-level classes will be given the regular five-point weight instead of the previous 4.5. In the same light, elective classes will no longer carry any weighted grades, effective with the current freshmen, with the exception of all but one of the Project Lead the Way courses, which will still carry AP weight (6.0).
tives are not worth honors or AP grade weight. Senior Nicole Latos, a member of both band and orchestra who also took choir and show choir her junior year, agreed that class rank discouraged some honors students from taking music electives because of their impact on class rank. Since the second semester of her freshman year, Latos has taken all of those electives pass/fail to avoid it affecting her class rank, which she would have preferred not to do if it would not have hurt her rank. Yet, because of how detrimental the lack of weight would be, her transcript is full of passes that could have been A’s. But while some favor the new ranking system, Trustee Lenore Bragaw, the one vote on the district board against the changes, said that she was “not convinced” that reporting quartiles instead of class rank would cause college admissions officers to look closer at students’ applications. Bragaw said she didn’t have a problem with class rank itself, but she would
have preferred a decile system, which ranks students by intervals of 10 percent, over the quartile system; she said it would allow “higher-achieving” students to report that they were in the top 10 or 20 percent of their class. Sophomore Ali Preissing, for example, said she disagrees with the changes in the ranking system because she was happy with the rank her freshman year earned. After working hard in her classes freshman year, it was good, she said, “to see a reward,” which will be absent now that her class is no longer ranked. Laakso said that another worry of some is that eliminating class rank “will actually result in a diminishing of competitive spirit in our students”; however, Laakso said that even without class rank, competition will have a place at Prospect, but it will be healthier competition focused on individual achievement. Laakso said that the kind of competition fostered by a ranking system can hurt students’ individual development, creating a situation where students
actually hope for others to do worse because it can help increase their own rank. “Competitive spirit is important, but interpersonal competition could be a detriment to that development and growth,” Laakso said. “It might make you worried; it might make you anxious, but I’m not sure that it’s going to make you jump into the ring and try hard, which is really what we want. “When you feel supported by your peers in an environment that is embracing rigor and that is embracing opportunity [like at Prospect],” he said, “you’re going to be much more inclined to jump in and take on new challenges and try hard, and I think that’s what we’re aiming for here in re-evaluating the ranking system.”
The right idea? For an opinion on the new ranking system, see the Staff Editorial on
6 OPINION The Staff
Class rank: smelly situation
COPY EDITOR Gina O’Neill ASSOCIATE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Sharon Lee Riley Simpson NEWS EDITORS Maddie Conway Jane Berry Andrew Revord OPINION EDITORS Whitney Kiepura Katie Best FEATURES EDITORS Megan Maughan Carly Evans Jenna Mastrolonardo IN-DEPTH EDITOR Emmy Lindfors ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Tallyn Owens SPORTS EDITORS Nick Stanojevic Maggie Devareux Miranda Holloway PHOTO EDITORS Ian Magnuson Walker Brewer CARTOONISTS Quinn Blackshere Nicolette Fudala ADVISER Jason Block Some material is courtesy of the American Society of Newspaper Editors/MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service. Published by students in Journalistic Writing courses, the Prospector has won, most notably, the 2004-05 and 200607 National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker and the Gold Crown from Columbia Scholastic Press Association in 2006. 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. Advertising For ad rates, call (847) 718-5376 (ask for Deanna Shilkus), fax (847) 718-5306 e-mail or write the Prospector, 801 West Kensington Rd., Mount Prospect, IL 60056, prospectornow@gmail. com. Letters to the Editor Drop off letters to the Prospector in the box in the library, in Rm. 216 or email letters to prospectornow@gmail.com. All letters must be signed. Please limit letters to 400 words. The Prospector reserves the rights to
Staff Editorial
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Kate Schroeder Neel Thakkar MANAGING EDITOR Deanna Shilkus
Friday, September 17, 2010
The uses of competition are as many as its ills. In the case of class rank, competition motivates achievement but also brings on stress, promotes hard work but also a sleep-deprived existence, and encourages rigor at the expense of exploration and discovery. As it exists for juniors and seniors, the ranking system is a powerful disincentive to take classes like band, art or even journalism. It benefits those who have read the fine print in the student handbook, those with the arcane knowledge of taking classes pass-fail, of having no lunch and of taking independent studies. And it transforms almost meaningless, tiny differences of a few hundredths of a point into meaningful, often considerable distinctions in rank. The system was out of balance, with its benefits consumed by its flaws. Realizing
as much, the school board have not been balanced but took up the issue over the simply tipped in the opposite summer. direction. Seemingly convinced of Trustee Lenore Bragnaw, its evil, the board at first the sole dissenter in the toyed seriously with the idea board’s vote on the changes, of dropping class rank alto- had the right idea. She pregether. ferred a system of deciles, After further consider- or divisions of 10 percent, ation, it stepped for two convincing back only slightreasons. ly, unveiling the First, deciles new quartile still allow students For Against system, which the ability to distintakes away indiguish themselves vidual ranks in academically and favor of dividoffers the possibilVoting results of the ing each class Prospector staff in regards ity of advancing or into fourths falling, which ento this editorial. based on GPA, sures students do for the sophonot become commore, freshmen and all fu- placent. There is a difference between encouraging worthy ture classes. We, the Prospector, con- electives and encouraging la-
18
sider this particular measure misguided and foolish, however well-intentioned. Where the scales were once tipped heavily on the side of too much competition, now they
1
ziness. Second, the quartile system will be, for many students, self-defeating. Designed to minimize the impact of insignificant differ-
ences in GPA, the system will maximize it for those students whose GPAs are close to — but not quite at — the dividing line between quartiles. Woe to he who is in the 26th, 51st, or 76th percentile. While the decile system would produce some of the same effect, it will be less devastating, on account of its greater number of divisions. Additionally, board members and school administrators have argued that the new system will help in the college admissions process. While that may be true for those fortunate enough to hold a place towards the bottom of their quartile, it is also unfair to those near the top. After all, there may not be a significant difference between No. 1 and No. 20, but it is hard to argue that there isn’t one between No. 1 and No. 135.
Summer reading discourages pursuit of literature The Tuesday night before school started is when I realized that I would not finish my summer reading. Until junior year, I had always finished on time. Sophomore year was close; I finished the day before school. But this year, with 60 pages left in “Mississippi: An American Journey” and 200 pages left of “Reading Lolita in Tehran” at 11:30 p.m., this battle was lost. I’ve always considered myself an avid reader. But this s u m m e r, Whitney Kiepura there was a unique Executive weight Opinion Editor keeping me from finishing my endless pile of books. The summer reading books that would never end kept haunting me. Every time I would try and pick up another book to read for enjoyment, I would feel guilty that I hadn’t finished 20 pages of “Mississippi” first. From talking to a variety of self-proclaimed book lovers, also known as the Book Bites club, we have come up with a theory. The kids who like to read will read the books and be prepared on the first Wednesday. The kids who don’t like to read will maybe get 30 pages in and then SparkNote the rest . During the summer months, many kids seemingly turn their brains off. Many turn into pop culture-obsessed, music quoting zombies who just want to hang out with their friends. There is nothing wrong with partying to the newest Eminem hit; however, when students make excuses as to why they couldn’t find ANY time during those ten weeks, one has to
wonder what they were up to. There are over 1680 hours in a summer. Though it will take a considerable amount of effort to read and annotate a book, there is enough time to get a few done. But many excuses come back to a main point – the books are boring. Sometimes they are so unmanageable that their main purpose, to keep students reading, backfires to the point where even students who like to read end up reading fewer books. “[Sophomore summer reading books are] geared toward adolescents. They are good, popular books for young people to read and are potentially up pSTUDENTS are frequently distracted by technology, making to win the Lincoln Award. We summer reading books seem even longer. Photo by Ian Magnuson and figure they’re high interest Walker Brewer. pieces,” Karen Kruse, sophomore English teacher said. connects to the class,” Allyson forcing [the students] to read However, there is a big dif- Kreutzer, senior AP Literature something. And maybe they’ll ference between honors, AP teacher, said. find something that will lead and regular summer reading The senior AP Literature them to more books.” books. reading list has been the same Personally, slogging through For example, sophomore for about “30 plus years” “Mississippi” was one of the students in regular literature Kreutzer said. She inherited most painful experiences in my classes just have to read one the list from the former teacher. life. book off a list of 16. Honors “There are certain things Being in AP Language , I exstudents also have to choose that I think are required read- pected a challenging book. a book off the same list and ing for the human race, ideally But where as most honors read “The Albefore you and AP books challenge the chemist.” But get to college. reader through a combination both of these REQUIRED READING And, essen- of vocabulary, character devellists pale in FOR AP LITERATURE tially, that’s opment and mature plot points, comparison to what on [the] “Mississippi” just dragged me the junior list s u m m e r down in a literary swamp of that contains “Othello” by William Shakespeare reading list,” confusion. “As You Like It” by William 59 choices. Kreutzer said The novel read more like a Shakespeare Despite all (see Senior college thesis. There were no “The Aeneid” by Virgil the choices, reading). main characters, except for the “The Odyssey” by Homer some courses “ [ T h e author, Anthony Walton. “The Awakening” by Kate just have hardsophomore He frequently wandered Chopin er books. For teachers] had from the present to the past, example, the a philosophi- going down through history. In senior AP Litcal discus- this, he seamlessly tied decades erature students have to read sion: What did we think the together, confusing the reader. seven books, two of which, purpose of summer reading However, I did manage to fin“Othello” and “As You Like It” should be? Is it for [the stu- ish the book before the reading were both written by Shake- dents] to get a jump start on test, which was a timed write. speare. Many of his plays are the stuff they’re supposed to Nonetheless, because of this notorious for their ancient be reading during the year? Is book, I could not finish a list wording and complicated plots. it supposed to be that we want of books that, without “Missis“Sometimes it can be tricky to build people who see them- sippi,” I would have certainly to find something that is high selves as lifetime readers?” finished by August. interest, not too easy and still Kruse said. “This way, we are
FEATURES 7
Friday, September 17, 2010
Severe allergies call for strict guidelines By Megan Maughan Executive Features Editor
NEW GUIDELINES
By January 1, each school board shall When freshman Kelly Cunningham implement a food allergy guideline was in second grade, her teacher made that includes: corn muffins for her class during a unit on early pioneers. -Education and training for school Since Cunningham is allergic to glupersonnel on the management of ten, which is most commonly found in students with life-threatening food wheat, she asked her teacher if the mufallergies. fins had flour in it. Her teacher assured -Procedures for responding to lifeher they did not, but Cunningham still threatening allergic reactions to food. had a severe reaction after eating the -Process for implementation of muffins and later found out that the individualized health care and food muffin mix was processed in a factory allergy action plans for every student where flour was also produced. with a life-threatening food allergy The severity of some students’ al-Protocols to prevent exposure to food lergies is one reason why Prospect has allergens implemented stricter rules for where students are and are not allowed to eat. info courtesy of Illinois State Board of Education According to school nurse Cheryl Novak, teachers have been told not to allow students to eat in classrooms any“Food allergies can be very unpremore due to some students’ severe food dictable,” Novak said. “A student might allergies — some of which are airborne. have had a small reaction before, but Junior Joe Provenza has had a severe then, all of the sudden, they might have allergy to all types of nuts for his entire an anaphylactic reaction (see Anaphylife; though his allergy is not airborne, lactic) even though they never have behe will have an allergic reaction if he fore.” has any type of contact with peanuts, Another reason why Prospect is imand he said that the new rule “makes plementing new rules at the beginning him feel more comfortable” about not of this year is because Illinois State having a reaction at school. Board of Education sent out new food Cunningham allergy guideand Provenza are lines to Illiboth used to maknois schools ing adjustments at that must be school because of put into place their allergies. by January Provenza had -Lee Stanley, Assistant Principal for Student Services 1 (See New to sit at a “peanutguidelines). free” table during According lunch in elemento Lee Stanley, Assistant Principal for tary school, and Cunningham had to Student Services, some ways Prospect decline almost every birthday treat that is trying to meet these new guidelines her classmates brought in during the are by educating staff and students on year. the severity of food allergies and keep“They didn’t have a ‘wheat-free’ table ing food out of certain parts of the or anything, but if kids were eating food school. that I was allergic to, the teachers would “Every student in this building dealways get really worried and make me serves to be safe,” Stanley said. “We’re sit away from them,” Cunningham said. not only trying to educate students, but Novak said that even if some new we’re educating staff and adults, mystudents didn’t have severe food allerself included.” gies, the school still would have made Stanley said that the main objective the new rule. of the new rule is not to “stomp out food Last year, an expert on food allereverywhere,” but to make students and gies from Children’s Memorial Hospital staff more careful and aware of food came to talk to some of the Prospect allergies. However, she feels that high staff about the high increase of food alschools should also try their best to lergies across the country and how they prepare students for life after college, can become worse unexpectedly. which is why student self-advocacy is also important. Stanley has seen a student with a food allergy not avoid the cafeteria, but put down a large napkin on the table
“Every student in this building deserves to be safe.”
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p ALLERGIES: Prospect has implemented new food rules to ensure the safety of students with severe allergies. Cartoon by Quinn Blackshere. and make sure that he eats only off of the napkin to avoid cross-contamination. “He’s just learning how to adapt,” Stanley said. “That’s what he’ll do in college and at work and in restaurants, but he’s not avoiding it.” Cunningham agrees that high school students with allergies are careful on their own. “We’re not stupid,” Cunningham said, “We know how to read labels and know what food we have to avoid; it’s just a part of how we live.” Stanley said that the new rule isn’t extreme and thinks that it’s a good habit for students to practice. “At home, your parents get mad at you for eating in your room and say, ‘Just eat in the kitchen!’ because they don’t want you to make a mess,” Stan-
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ANAPHYLACTIC REACTION A severe, rapid allergic reaction that causes a life-threatening response that involves the whole body. An anaphylactic reaction can lead to difficulty breathing, shock, or death.
ley said. “We’re just applying that same mentality to school, too.” Stanley said that teachers have been very accommodating to students with allergies and said that parents have already expressed their appreciation for the new precautions. Prospect alone has 435 students with some sort of allergy, which is around 25 percent of the student body. Because of this high number, Novak strongly urges students to take the new rules seriously and to “be conscious of where you eat and clean up after yourself so you don’t leave food laying around.” “There’s a lot more independence and self-advocacy in high school, but we still want to keep students safe,” Novak said. “Even though it may seem extreme, you have to think about the person the allergy affects the most and how it must feel to be in their shoes because it is so life threatening.”
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8 FEATURES
Friday, September 17, 2010
Prospect pride Students reveal the ups and downs of being openly gay in high school by Jenna Mastrolonardo Features Editor A Mississippi high school faced a lawsuit after they deliberately denied admittance of a same sex couple to the annual prom in April of 2010. The couple — two lesbian girls — became outraged after Itawamba County Agricultural High School forbade them from showing up. The district’s reasoning behind this decision was that the couple violated their policy, which stated that prom dates are required to be of the opposite sex. Eventually, the school district was ordered to pay $15,000 to the victimized students but cancelled the prom altogether due to the court ruling. It’s cases like this that lead some skeptics to believe that public high schools are discriminating against homosexuality. Unlike some skeptics, however, sophomores Nina Hermes and Patrick Pfohl have experienced these situations first hand. Whether it was students screaming sexual slurs at Hermes as they drove past or Pfohl being accused of inappropriately looking at other boys in the gym locker room, both have admitted to having dealt with peers not accepting of their homosexuality. “They think that gay people are attracted to every single guy,” Pfohl said. On the contrary, as he describes, his attraction to men is nearly the same as a man’s attraction to a woman, or vice versa. Unfortunately, Pfohl said our society assumes that because homosexuals are attracted to their same sex, they must be attracted to everyone within that sex. Like Pfohl, Hermes has also experienced similar confrontations. During a science class in
SECRETS Keeping secrets, such as one’s sexual orientation, can have a number of devastating effects. According to one study conducted by the Department of Health, gay teenagers are up to six times more likely to attempt suicide than those who are straight. Mental illnesses, such as depression or anxiety, are also more prevalent in gay teens than they are in straight teens due to the partial isolation that comes with keeping such an important characteristic from the rest of the world. info courtesy of the Department of Health
p PRIDE: Sophomores Nina Hermes and Patrick Pfohl attended the Gay Pride Parade together. As a bisexual student and a gay student, both Hermes and Pfohl have experienced hardships when coming out as openly gay in high school. Photo courtesy of Nina Hermes.
“Especially in our culture now, it’s perceived that straight is ‘normal,’ which makes it so much harder for a lot of kids to feel comfortable in their own skin.” -sophomore Nina Hermes eighth grade, Hermes experienced the insensitivity of one classmate who challenged her bisexuality, accusing her of “kissing girls for attention.” “I try not to let that stuff bother me,” Hermes said. “But at first, I was really speechless that someone would go so out of their way to put someone down like that, especially about something you can’t change.” “It was really hard for me to realize [my sexuality] and then have other people just treat it like a joke,” Hermes said about her experience. “In fourth grade, I started having strange feelings for other girls that I didn’t really understand,” Hermes said. “I was basically viewing girls differently than other people were.” Keeping her sexual orientation locked behind closed doors, Nina waited four years before she came out as bisexual in eighth grade (see Secrets). “First, I told my best friend in confidence,” Hermes said. “It’s a very difficult thing to live keeping secrets,” said Dr. Jay Kyp-Johnson, Prospect’s on-staff psychologist and Knight’s Way co-sponsor. “Especially if it’s something you have to guard all day long. There has to be some help in balancing that out.” During his eighth grade
year, Pfohl committed himself to a lengthy relationship with a female classmate before discovering his true sexual orien-
tation. “I started dating her because it was what society was doing,” Pfohl said. Just prior to their one year anniversary, Pfohl broke off his relationship with the girl and came out as bisexual at the end of the year. However, his self-acknowledgment continued on to the beginning of his freshman year when he realized he was completely and openly gay. “I was expecting a lot more [harassment], but nothing re-
ally did happen,” Pfohl said about going into high school. “When you’re in the closet, people make fun of you more,” Pfohl explains. “Once you’re actually out of the closet, people don’t want to mention it because they’re like, ‘Oh, he’s actually gay.’” However, Kyp-Johnson believes that in some situations, revealing the truth might have the opposite effect. “Somebody who wouldn’t want their parents to find out wouldn’t want to be open with other people,” Kyp-Johnson said. Neither Hermes nor Pfohl have ever faced unacceptance within their families, yet they still deal with some similar issues regarding their peers’ acceptance of them. “Especially in our culture now, it’s perceived that straight is ‘normal,’ which makes it so much harder for a lot of kids to feel comfortable in their own skin,” Hermes said. “It’s really hard for us to decide what’s normal because we’re all so different that there’s really no ‘normal’ we can all relate to.” “It’s a big stereotype,” Pfohl agreed. “Especially because everybody expects gay people to be extremely flamboyant, and I wouldn’t say I’m extremely flamboyant.” Pfohl also believes that students frequently perceive homosexual students to share compatible personalities with their female classmates. “One bad thing about [being gay] is that girls come up to me and [say], ‘Oh my God, you’re gay! Can we be best friends?’” Pfohl said.
See PRIDE page 9
Gay Straight Alliance Gay Straight Alliances (GSAs) organize events and activities to break down the barrier between gay and straight teens and end homophobic behavior. The existence of GSAs has increased over time. According to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), the number of GSAs grew from 100 to 3000 between 1997 and 2005. Four schools in district 214 have GSAs: Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, Hersey and Rolling Meadows. However, Prospect has yet to establish a GSA like some of its neighbors. “Rolling Meadows has a great Gay Straight Alliance,” said sophomore Nina Hermes, who identifies herself as bisexual. “And there’s just so much to spread about not being homophobic. Here, there’s none of that, and there’s no support system for gay, lesbian and bisexual teens to go to, and I think that’s something that we really need.” Last year, the Prism Club was restructered in an attempt to unify Prospect’s gay and straight communities. However, Hermes, along with many others, believed that “it didn’t really do anything”, and there was no real accomplishment. Yet, support may be on the way for gay students at Prospect as Kyp-Johnson says that
there is discussion of the possible establishment of a GSA, with the involvement of Prospect’s guidance counselor Dustin Seeman . “It would be nice if people were more accepting,” Hermes said. “We need a Gay Straight Alliance.”
FEATURES 9
Friday, September 17, 2010
Little sister Lindsey
PRIDE: Students proud to support self- awareness
Girls’ tennis team supports middle schooler while she battles cancer
CONTINUED from page 8
By Katie Best Opinion Editor 11-year-old Lindsey Eyles has two memorable moments. One is her graduation from Fairview Elementary school in May 2010 — a FAMILY: Lindsey (right) and sister, Sarah (left). Photo courtesy of Sue Eyles. normal rite of passage for a girl her p age. The other moment is not as or- Vice Principal Greg Minter arrived dinary: finishing her chemotherapy in her mail box. The e-mail was LOTS OF LOVE FOR for ewing sarcoma, a soft tissue can- originally from Eyles’ travel soccer LINDSEY coach, Laura Gerber, and then was cer, in December 2009. Eyles’ remission resulted in fam- forwarded to sport team coaches. Lotsofloveforlindsey.org is a ily and friends covering the side- The idea of the e-mail was to have a website that goes towards the walk, driveway and lawn in the sports team support Eyles while she benefit of the Eyles family. There, freezing winter air. According to battles cancer. people are able to learn about the "[I think] it benefits both LindEyles' mother, Sue, it was called a “Lots of Love for Lindsey” funraiser, sey and the team," Sue Eyles said. read about ewing sarcoma, and "shout out for Lindsey." learn about her treatments in However, as of March 2010, not "Lindsey feels support from 40 girls Houston, Texas. only has Eyles developed a new, un- while Lindsey shows how truly difdetermined type of cancer and has ficult life can be [and] how to rise started a phase-one clinical trial above the most difficult times." the cards, like all the fonts and colUpon reading the e-mail, Mc- ors," Eyles said. "It made me feel treatment drug, but she has also gained 38 older sisters: the Prospect Clure thought supporting Eyles was welcomed." a "really good idea" and a "great opgirls' tennis team. McClure, along with junior varOn Friday, August 27, the tennis portunity" for the team. sity coach Mike McColaugh, frosh/ "It's important as an individual soph coach Katherine Fortuna and team gathered on the tennis courts and [as a] team to give back and help physical education teacher Jean to make posters others," McClure said. and cards for EyRezny greeted Eyles and her mother. With that beles' visit the folThe coaches then called the girls ing said, McClure over to play the name game with Eylowing Monday. contacted Gerber les to get to know each other. After The signs ranged to see when Eyles Eyles learned all the girls' names from “We love would be available and their favorite ice cream flavors, you, Lindsey” to come and meet the team passed out popsicles and to “little sister = the team. On Mon- ate them. Lindsey” and were hung on day, August 30, Eyles the tennis team's shed for Besides munching on popsicles and her mother at- with the team, in order to fill the Eyles' visit. tended tennis practice and were role of a "younger sister," Eyles Varsity girls' tennis greeted by the cards the girls will be attending some of the tennis coach Karie McClure first made. found out about Eyles team’s matches and Saturday tour"I loved all the decorations on naments. when an e-mail sent by Eyles also received this year's MAKE-A-WISH: LINDSEY EDITION tennis shirt and a "Prospect girls' tennis team" bumper magnet for her Lindsey Eyles was granted her Make-A-Wish — a foundation where kids and mother’s car. In return, all the "oldteens with cancer are given one wish, and it is fulfilled — in May 2010. Since er sisters" and their coaches will be she loves dancing, Eyles visited the site of “Dancing With the Stars” and going to one of Eyles’ soccer games was able to meet Pamela Anderson, Chad Ochocinco, Evan Lysacek, Nicole and cheering her on along the sideScherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls, Erin Andrews and all of the professional lines. dancers like Cheryl Burke and Derek Hough. Eyles was even able to meet Lee "I'm so excited to be a part of the DeWyze and spend some time with him on the Fox set since it is near where “Dancing With the Stars” is filmed. team," Eyles said. "It's kind of like the Wimbledon!"
These seemingly friendly confrontations are exasperating to Pfohl because Pfohl’s reasoning for friendships is based off personality, not sexual orientation. According to Kyp-Johnson, when sexuality is brought into the mix, it tends to “color the conversation.” One might perceive a gay teen differently because he or she is too distracted by their sexual orientation to fully investigate their personality. “Some people are just always going to be uncomfortable talking about sexuality,” KypJohnson said. “It complicates the course of what people usually expect in conversation.” Also, Kyp-Johnson explained that opinions vary about what is acceptable or unacceptable behavior toward gay teens. “I hesitate to say that today’s world is more accepting,” Kyp-Johnson said. “People just aren’t sure what’s OK and what’s not OK.” This confusion serves as the root of controversy concerning the constitutionality of same-sex marriage, or the use of the term “gay” to describe displeasure. “People use a word to express a thought,” Kyp-Johnson said. “When I was a kid, ‘bad’ meant ‘bad,’ and then for a while, ‘bad’ meant ‘good.’ “People need to be more sensitive about the use of terms these days,” Kyp-Johnson said. In using the term “gay” in a derogatory sense, it could be offensive not only to those who are gay, but also to those who have a friend or family member who is homosexual. To put an end to this type of behavior, Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs work to create a more welcoming atmosphere for gay teens (see GSA on page 8). For now, however, Pfohl and Hermes have learned to look past others’ opinions and make the best out of their time in high school. “It’s fine if you have the right people to be around and you don’t care what other people say about you,” Pfohl explains. “I’ve made some really close friends, not from [being gay], but from me being more open about myself.” “I’m so much happier being out in the open,” Hermes says. “I hope it can give [other gay teens] hope to come out, even though there are people out there who are going to be jerks about it. It’s really nice to just be who you are and not care what anybody else thinks.” Kyp-Johnson agrees: “Hopefully, everybody can find a place where they feel well accepted and honored for what they’re doing in school and for what they’re achieving. That’s what we should be providing in high school: a place where everybody can flourish.”
Who Knows You Better? This issue, the Prospector interviews junior Alec Dahlgren’s girlfriend, Sam Harr, and best friend, Thomas Drufke, to see who knows him better.
What color are Alec’s eyes?
4
Blue
What is Alec’s favorite sport to watch?
4
Golf
What is Alec’s middle name?
4
Scott
What is Alec’s favorite song?
4 Revolution 9
What is Alec’s favorite movie?
4
W I N N E R
The Girlfriend
Junior Sam Harr
Pineapple Express
W I N N E R
Blue
The Subject
Golf Scott
Junior Alec Dahlgren
Brown
4
Golf
4
Scott
The Best Friend
Junior Thomas Drufke
Revolution 9
Over My Head (Cable Car)
Pineapple Express
Bubba Ho-Tep
10 FEATURES
Friday, September 17, 2010
pSPIRIT: At the first home game of the 2010-2011 football season, students come to cheer on the Knights against Fremd. Students dressed in all black for the night’s Black Out, an event organized by the Underground, Prospect’s school spirit group. Photo by Emmy Lindfors.
SPIRIT GROUPS UNIFY SCHOOL AND PROMOTE SPIRIT
By Emmy Lindfors Executive In-Depth Editor THE BEGINNING
like the Back-2-School Bash the Underground hosted the day before school began are made to bring students together. “The thing we’re trying to do is get students more engaged with cheering, more engaged with spirit [and get] them more engaged with Prospect,” Mirandola said. “It’s a multi-year process. We started off trying to get students to want a T-shirt and get out to games. “We tried to do a big push during the winter to support all winter sports by giving away stuff for going to bowling or a gymnastics meet. Next step is to get people more vocal at these contests.”
When the boys’ varsity basketball team was entering the MSL Championship in March 2009, staff members John Camardella, Frank Mirandola, Mike Sebestyen and Brent Pearlman created the Underground. “People came up with the idea of doing something with rallying behind students,” Mirandola said. “It started with an Underground pep rally, [hence] the ORANGE CRUSH REOPENED name Underground.” The Underground exploded when John Hersey High School’s spirit the first Underground shirt debuted at group, Orange Crush, used to be hidone of the home basketball games. The den, mixed into all the activities at the student section was filled with white t- school. shirts with “The Underground” in blue It wasn’t until last year that thenlettering. senior, Martin Diaz, decided to “bring ‘The Underground is unlike any- it back.” thing I’ve ever seen when it comes to “My biggest thing was trying to get fan-support of a sport,” Camardella everyone united in our school. I wanted said in the March 13, 2009 issue of the to break down the cliques,” Diaz said. Prospector weeks after the MSL Champ- “Everyone was there for the same reationship game. son, whether the peo“For us to have a ple were in band or student-organized soccer.” group ... that wellDiaz got a few stuorganized and that dents together and well-attended has held meetings. After just been a joy to a couple of meetings, see. more students began “Everybody to have interest in Orfrom our choir deange Crush. -John Camardella partment to the “Suddenly, there band to the football were more people at team — all our profootball games,” Diaz grams — everybody’s trying to be the said. best that they can be, and to see the supOrange Crush eventually began to port over the last couple of games has create merchandise for students to buy been phenomenal.” when the group began to grow. They Since then, the Underground has created scarves, towels and banners. grown tremendously. The club has cre- They also created t-shirts “more often” ated new merchandise and clothing, than any other item. like stickers and headbands. Since graduating from Hersey, Diaz “The first year, we had MSL bas- has gone back to Hersey to watch the ketball shirts, then we started saying, home football games. ‘We’d like to have an Underground shirt “It was weird because I wasn’t siteach year,’” Mirandola said. “Then we ting with the fans. I was seeing it from had the ‘U’ Pack. It’s nice to get a shirt more of a parents’ view,” Diaz said. and all, but it’s nice to get some other Even being away at college, Diaz still things, too.” feels the connection to his high school The Underground has held events and his revamping of the Orange Crush. where students who wear their “U” “The fans were impressive; the [fan shirts can get in free. Some other events
“The Underground is unlike anything I’ve ever seen when it comes to fan support of a sport. ”
section] was huge. Everything was still going strong. I was very proud,” Diaz said. “It’s definitely not going to get smaller; I can tell you that.”
dium] are filled with people with their faces painted, and everyone’s dressed head to toe in whatever color the theme of the week is.” “We have a neon night and a HawaiSPIRIT DAYS ian night,” said Mark Schaetzlein, Buffalo Grove’s Assistant Principal of StuA few ideas pop into student heads dent Activities. “When we play Conant when students hear the word “Friday.” [during the football season] we have orSome think of it as the end of the week dered special shirts [that are] black and and the beginning of a fun weekend. green military print with bison on [the But others see it as a time to show their shirt].” school spirit and get excited for the The Blue Crew tends to order spenight’s events, whether it be a football cially made shirts for many of the acgame or a dance. tivities they plan. They have an execuNormally spirit tive board made days entail wearup of 34 to 38 stuSERVICE PLUS SPIRIT ing the school’s dents who applied EQUALS STAMPEDE spirit clothing, but through an apsome spirit groups plication, which Rolling Meadows High School’s spirit take them to the meets during the next level by or- club, the Stampede, mixes in community summer to plan ganizing special service and volunteering with the spirit events for the club. themed days. school year. The Stampede creates events like “We have super From there, a softball game for Breast Cancer hero days, tie-dye Awareness and a Relay for Life team. For they decide on days and holiday both events they encourage their fellow what T-shirts they sweater nights,” students to join and help raise money for should order and Mallory Eichorn, each cause. how the shirts an Orange Crush should look. member and seWith creating nior at Hersey High School, said. “They the shirts and encouraging the students are [there] to get everyone to dress up to wear them, Schaetzlein believes that and get everyone pumped up.” spirit will continue to grow over in the According to Eichorn many students future. continue to wear their super hero cos“I think across the six District 214 tume or tie-dye clothing to the football schools, spirit is up quite a bit,” Schaetgame that evening, weather permitting. zlein said. “I know when I watch foot“We have people to go to games and ball at Buffalo Grove, I am quite proud fill up the fan sections,” Eichorn said. of the enthusiasm and class displayed “We have some super-fans, of course. by our student body.” Our whole first eight rows [in the sta-
SHINING STAR FOR SPIRIT Martin Diaz, then Hersey senior, won the Mount Prospect Shining Star Award for helping recreate the Orange Crush. According to the Village of Mount Prospect, a “Shining Star” is “a person or organization who routinely steps outside of their own obligations to family, job, or community.” Teachers and counselors at Hersey High School nominated Diaz for the award. According to the nomination, he was nominated because “he is a large part of Hersey’s school spirit at games and pep rallies.” Diaz received the award on February 6, 2010 at the 17th Annual Celestial Celebration with nine other winners. Mayor Irvana K. Wilks presented him with the award. “I know I wouldn’t have gotten it if it wasn’t for everyone at Hersey who helped.” Diaz said. “In a way, I feel like it was everyone’s contribution. The award should have gone to the whole school.”
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1v.
“I Like It” Enrique Iglesias
v.
“Love the Way You Lie” Eminem and Rhianna
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12 ENTERTAINMENT
Friday, September 17, 2010
When rap goes soft...
Cartoon by Riley Simpson ders and the idea that this song knows the suggestive subject matter it’s presenting and flaunts it with its rhythms. When a song like that turns techno, it’s accompanied by beats that sound like someone is playing the cymbals. With glass plates. Over and over again. It makes me cringe and maybe shed a tear for those shattered plates and the When ridin’ dirty through the streets amount of money it would cost to buy of Mt. Prospect, the surroundings only new ones. nag and remind its inhabitants of moms Techno also makes me wonder who are afraid to let their children ride whether it was created to be enjoyed the Metra. or to induce heart attacks. The “base” There are no sounds so unnatural that when it’s sounds on a Fri- played continuously, it feels like the day night but the sound is either trying to chase me away cacophony of a or cause something inside me to burst, football game and creating an explosion of my innards. the marching band The beat in hip-hop songs by Drake that doesn’t in- or Jay-Z is inviting and seduces listenclude Nick Cannon ers to join them in the stomp that is the on its drumline. base. It’s shameful. And that kind of beat makes it obSo, in order to vious that the artists know whatever Gina O’Neill regain a feeling of they’re talking about is dirty, violent Copy Editor “going hard or go- or serious. The beats should reflect the ing home,” music message the artist is trying to convey. is the one refuge for stuck-in-the-subSo, when Enrique Iglesias relays urbs teens like me. that he “likes it, the way you move on But now that’s going soft, too. the floor ... come on and give me Hip-hop music is shedding its some more,” it doesn’t make thumping beats and trading any sense because it goes to them in for buzzing sounds a clashing, up-beat rhythm. that wouldn’t even attract the It’s like he’s trying to cover nearest honey bee. Lately, up his old, crusty laundry some hip-hop music is turnwith Febreze instead of ing techno, relenting to this just washing the lyrics fad and, in turn, murderall together or flaunting ing a little part of me. the stains. The incessant pop Ever since Jay Sean songs on the radio are came onto the scene stealing the rhymewith his hit single, sters and featuring “Down” featuring Lil’ them in their songs, Wayne, hip-hop has and this is only the never been the same. start to a more perma“Down” was catchy, nent form of theft: conand its upbeat, fastversion to the pace was a little bubbly genre. NICKI MINAJ: FRESH, FIERCE risky, but the Hip-hop cantiming — right Nicki Minaj has exploded onto the hip-hop not succumb to before sumscene in the past year, taking the No.1 spot these childish, mer — and the cheap sounds. on the rap billboard chart for her single, “Your Weezy addition Love” this summer while appearing on 12 difThe genre has gave it leverferent billboard charts in total since her debut. full beats and a age, leading it Minaj has been featured in 15 songs, with dirty sound, and to be No. 1 on compilating artists ranging from Lil’ Wayne they know it too the charts for a and Drake to Ne-Yo and Beyonce. — they throw it Some of Minaj’s hit compilations are while. in listeners’ fac- “Up All Night” with Drake and “Knockout” Now, the pop es. It’s no secret and “Bedrock” with Lil’ Wayne and all the prince, Sean, is that some hip- members of “Young Money Entertainment.” stealing some hop/rap music, “Young Money” is a record label including a of the most or even most, dream team of hip-hop artists such as Drake, hardcore rapcontains illicit Lil’ Wayne, Minaj, Shanell, Tyga and six other pers — with the lyrics and raun- artists. sickest beats — chy messages. and trying to Information courtesy of billboard.com What makes soften them out, lyrics like, “You kneading out any of that gritty taste the real deal kind of hottie/ Come and and leaving listeners with bland bread. ride in my Biggotti/ Girl, go on — drop Sean may not call himself a hip-hop it low,” acceptable are the lower-than- artist, and that’s fine, but he and other that-girl-drops base beats that vibrate pop stars shouldn’t plague the genre, all the way to the core, icy snaps that diseasing Ludacris, Minaj, the New make you inherently tick your shoul- Boyz and even Eminem (“Love the Way
Unwelcome techno infiltrates hip-hop music
You Lie”) with blisters filled with electronic/techno pus. For example, Nicki Minaj is featured in one of Sean’s songs titled, “2012.” It’s a song that begs the listener “to party like it’s 2012,” but has such a happy tone that the only party he could be talking about is the sock-hop at elementary school. Woohoo. Minaj is one of the only female rappers in the game today, and her quick lyrics nick her listeners while her beats command them to dance, leaving a bloody, pulsating hoard of fans. If Sean or Jason DeRulo dull her razor-like rhymes, not only will Minaj lose some of her credibility, but the songs just won’t be as sharp. Even Usher, the smooth R&B king, is
falling ill to the trend. His new single, “DJ Got Us Falling in Love,” is a cheap thrill; it starts to become annoying after the first verse of the insect mating-call background. Usher’s music used to be like creamy nutella, and he would spread it slow and thick onto his loaf of listeners. With his new-rave sound in this single, he’s laying it on thin like month-old fat free peanut butter. Hip-hop has a purpose: to feel the beat, dance and bring people together. But mostly, it’s about openly not following the rules. With techno infiltrating the genre, we may soon be singing about droppin that booty to the tune of “Saints Come Marching In.”
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Friday, September 17, 2010
ENTERTAINMENT 13
Speech Team switches it up New and eager members causes team to restructure By Tallyn Owens Entertainment Editor When the captains of the Speech and Performance Team gathered over the summer to prepare for this upcoming season, the preliminary roster, containing nearly 70 names of potential actors and performers, was overwhelming to senior and captain Lauren Matthews. “We don’t have the capacity for 70 kids,” Matthews said. As a way to accommodate the great influx of new members the team received last season and at the beginning of this season, the coaches and captains have begun a process known as “readings.” Readings allow the coaches to place each performer in an event that is best suited to the individual and the team as a whole. Head coach Jeremy Morton stresses that the reading process is not an audition. The process consists of each actor reading from a script and allowing the coaches to listen to his or her individual voice and performance style. “It’s like putting together a huge jigsaw puzzle,” Morton said of making the best combination of performers and events within the means of the team. With 14 events available for competition, the new procedure further limits the amount of students that
Late in Steve Spielberg’s masterful “Jaws,” marine-biologist Matt Hooper is alone underwater in a supposed shark-proof cage. He drops his harpoon gun. He looks around and makes sure the coast is clear to start sticking his limbs out in the open. Then John Williams’ utterly creepy score starts to play. The harpoon is just out of reach. As the music intensifies, the outline of the film’s title character forms. Hooper makes one last reach for the harpoon, but the cage is stricken violently. Within seconds, the cage is torn to shreds. Now, what does this scene tell us about “Jaws,” other than the fact that the durability of American products has increased since 1975? “Jaws” is a straight-forward horror-thriller, right? Not exactly. The final shot of “Jaws” is Hooper and Chief martin Brody paddling back to shore, playfully bantering after an intense battle with the nasty carcaradon carcharias (the science-y name for the antagonist Great White Shark). So, this makes “Jaws” a buddyaction-comedy, right?
R
for Riley
Sporcle proves fun, educational
pONE ROUND, ONE TEAM, ONE GOAL: Senior Lauren Matthews (left) guides freshman Josh Arshonsky (right) through his event for Speech Team. This year, the team begun a reading process in order to better organize its influx of new members. Photo by Walker Brewer. are able to compete at a meet. Morton hopes to create two rotating teams and alternate them at competitions so everyone is still able to compete. Matthews said the reading process will help the team divide their members like a sports team would: into varsity, junior varsity (two-year members) , and novice (first time members). She doesn’t think the new hierarchy will discourage any new members. “I haven’t seen the full effects of it yet,” Matthews said. “But I think it’s motivational because it encourages people to work hard and shows that it’s more than just coming to Monday meetings and goofing off.” According to Morton, last year students would show up to meetings and have a certain event or script in mind, but with the surge of new members, they can no longer afford that commodity.
Junior and junior varsity member Vrajika Thakker, who performed in Dramatic Duet Acting during last year’s season with fellow junior Abby Banna, made the switch to Original Comedy by suggestion of the coaches after her reading. “I thought [the readings process] was a good idea,” she said. “When we picked our own events, some people didn’t know what to do, so having suggestions was really helpful.” Thakker believes the readings will benefit the team in two ways: by organizing the team better and providing guidance for the new members. “Up until last year, Speech Team wasn’t taken as seriously,” Matthews said. “You didn’t compete to compete; you competed to have fun. We’re still competing to have fun, but we have more pride in what we do now.”
Again, not exactly. Truly, “Jaws” is a hybrid. It’s part creature-feature — with Bruce the Shark as the shark antagonist — part male-bonding movie, part thrilling summer blockbuster (it made $260 million back in June 1975). “Jaws” begins with the badly mangled body of a college girl found on a beach in Amity Island in New England. Brody (played by Roy Schieder) is the only one on the island who dares call her death a shark attack, since even the mention of the phrase gets the town in an uproar. You see, Amity’s economy and survival depends on the tourism gained over the upcoming forth of July weekend, and rumors of a killer shark would tarnish the town’s needed business. But after a few bloody feasts, and I mean “bloody” — the severed leg floating down to the ocean floor still makes me squirm — Brody finally decides to hunt the Great White Menace on the Orca: the trusty and rusty vessel of Captain Sam Quint (Robert Shaw, channelling sheer lunacy) along with Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss). One of the positives of the diversity of “Jaws” is that
each component is a genre that I love. I love the “Show Me the Way to Go Home” sing-along, in which Hooper, Quint and Brody have a gay old time belting the folk tune. It’s a funny bromantic moment that puts “I Love You, Man” to shame. I also love that I still squirm and shield my eyes every time I dare watch this scary work of art, especially the scene when Hooper is again alone underwater (he sure seems to make a hobby of this). As he tries to extract a shark tooth from a sunken boat, a dead body comes out of nowhere, forcing Hooper to drop the tooth. This scene, coupled with that freaking-scary score from Williams made me involuntarily shield my eyes with a throw pillow when I was a kid, as it does now. Sure, the thrills and shark attacks will make anyone think twice about taking even the briefest dips in the water, but the real memorable moments are the funny and sweet ones where the conflicting characters bond. These are the parts I hope to catch when I see that “Jaws” is playing on AMC. Spielberg directs “Jaws” with such creativity and artistry that it rivals “Raiders of the Lost Ark” as his best film. As the Orca leaves Amity to clash with Bruce, the camera zooms out and frames the ship in the mouth of deceased shark. Simply put, the shot is classic. Of course, this is Classic Corner. And I couldn’t think of any other movie more fitting to appear here. Well, maybe “Iron Man.”
‘Jaws’ the original bromantic comedy By Riley Simpson Associate Editor-in-Chief
Rated
Last year during fifth period lunch in Room 212, the second-floor lab, four journalism losers had no better place to eat lunch since none of them have any other friends to chat with in the cafeteria. They didn’t even chat with each other unless it was about which 1999 movie starred Brad Pitt — it’s “Fight Club,” by the way — or what is the largest city in a landlocked country. Yes, these four young “gentlemen” played the online game called Sporcle, which features a myriad of fun, mind-testing quizzes under a plethora of categories from sports to history to entertainment. Until they would hear the door open. Every head in the room would turn as they saw the figure of Academic Technology Coordinator Frank Novak standing in the doorway. He stared at them with a look of disappointment mixed with the satisfaction of catching these Sporcle-playing culprits. You see, in this here territory, Sporcle was — and still is — illegal. And this is Novak’s territory. Now, some might wonder why a seemingly harmless, extremely fun, addicting and oftentimes educational game is held with such contempt by Novak and his fellow library technicians. In the Student Handbook, the usually-ignored front three-quarters of one’s assignment notebook, Prospect’s policy on websites like Sporcle is clearly stated: “I will not use the Internet and District network facilities for non-school-related activities.” “The Internet and everything we have here is a scarce resource,” Novak said. “Things like Sporcle are simply games ... and school is no place for games.” When Novak said “scarce,” he compared our school’s Internet bandwidth — a measure of available or consumed data communication resources — to driving on a highway. At 2 a.m., the highway is an open road, clear enough for one to zoom down at about 88 mph (just be sure not to travel back to 1955). But as more cars or users are added to the highway, traffic slows to a halt. “In terms of use, school use is more important than anything else,” Novak said. “That’s why I make an issue of it. I want you guys to be able to do things as quickly as possible to get it out of the way and get your jobs done.” Some things besides school-related work are appropriate: news articles, online books and e-mail sites, among others (no Prospectornow.com, eh?). To Novak, these uses are acceptable since they are educational and helpful sites and prove to be a happy medium between the schoolwork and banned sites like Sporcle. But compared to real bandwidth threats like video-streaming websites like YouTube or the zillions of porn sites out there, Sporcle is a minor threat. Mainly because it’s truly an educational and helpful site at its core. Human Geo students, are you having trouble memorizing the geography of Europe or any other continent? Sporcle has games for that. U.S. History students, are you having trouble naming the president after James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson? Sporcle has games for that, too — it’s Abe Lincoln, by the way. Basically, Sporcle is the iPhone of the Internet. There’s a game for everything.
14 SPORTS
NEWS
3
Friday, September 18, 2009
Friday, September 17, 2010
Experienced golfers seeking state Boys’ confidence raised as sectionals and state approach By Nick Stanojevic Executive Sports Editor Seniors James Poulos and Derek Leeney both managed to qualify for state in boys’ golf last year as juniors after both shot the fourth lowest scores at their sectional. Poulos and Leeney were not alone, however. Almost the entire team made the trip to Bloomington, approximately 150 miles away from Prospect, to help their teammates. Not only did the players make the trip, but they also attended both rounds despite rainy and windy 40 degree weather in October. “I think all the guys shared [the experience] vicariously through [Poulos and Leeney going to state],” head golf coach Tom Martindale said. “We had a bunch of guys come down and support their cause. It helped us collectively … It made [qualifying as a team] a little more realistic.” This season started with a 7-2 record, placing second at the Homewood-Flossmoor Coed High School Classic behind Waubonsie Valley, a state-qualifying
team a year ago, and breaking the 18hole team score school record that stood for 26 years. What makes this team unique, according to Martindale, is the team’s experience and, more specifically, the team’s confidence. “The bar is set pretty high here. There was a state championship won here in ‘76,” Martindale said. “I know this is a really good team. We are hoping we can get results that will say, ‘Look what they did.’ ” The team began boosting its confidence after having two state qualifiers as juniors and an impressive showing at sectionals last year. At last year’s sectionals in Northbrook, the team shot a 301 (+21), which was unfortunately only good enough to finish third. First and second were taken by New Trier and St. Viator, respectively, who both had a team score of 297. Because only the top two teams at sectionals qualify for state, Prospect failed to qualify. According to Martindale, however, this has actually helped the team. “We were really proud of what happened last year,” Martindale said. “It was more of a confidence booster that we were that close, and with the guys we have coming back and the new guys we have coming in, maybe that ‘perfect day’ can happen.” “It proved that we are the real deal,” Poulos said. “We shot the fourth best score in the state on the sectional day. But to play well under pressure was a
Day with a PGA professional Jay Cassaletto, 1994 Prospect graduate and former golf player, now a PGA professional at The Glen Club, asked the Prospect team to come down and try various equipment. While there, the team used a “missle launch,” which measured each players swing speed and ball speed, and tried out various shafts. Afterwards Cassaletto talked to the team and the team talked to Dave Cunningham, a former player on the Nationwide Tour. Cunningham hit four consecutive drives that were 100% efficent in front of the team. This means that all four balls were hit perfectly. “I drove out of there going ‘that was a college level experience,’” Martindale said. huge confidence boost.” An even bigger confidence boost came from St. Viator placing first in the state tournament and New Trier placing second. “We know the importance of one shot, and we know the importance of four shots; I think that will show down the road,” Martindale said. “That experience will continue to be a benefit for us.” Martindale compares the importance of confidence in golf to its importance in baseball. If a baseball player starts out two-for-two, the next time the hitter goes up, the hitter thinks that he
is going three-for-three. Martindale added that the ultimate affect of confidence is that it “breeds its own success” and it’s “contagious.” Martindale does not hesitate to call this season a success and is not at all surprised. Martindale and assistant coach Gary Judson “looked down the road” four years ago and knew that this was going to be a good group. As freshmen, the current seniors won their conference. As sophomores, they again won the conference, even though Poulos was already playing on the varsity level. Additionally, Leeney and senior Cael Kiess have only lost two conference meets in their career. According to Poulos, the team’s goal this year is to qualify for state as a team. To do this, Poulos claims the team needs to have the same mentality as last year, which includes coming in with a “chip on your shoulder.” The team feels this way because they are sort of an “afterthought” in such a powerful sectional, Poulos believes. But once again, Poulos and the team remain confident. “[Qualifying for state as a team] is what we wanted to do all four years,” Poulos said. “And I think that if we play our own game at sectionals, we will have no problem doing that.” “We are hoping we have the best performance that we can have at the right moment,” Martindale added. “We are hoping that if we have our best moment … we might be writing another story.”
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Boys’ XC
In fourth place in conference, behind Palatine, Barrington and Schaumburg. Fast Fact: According to head coach Mike Stokes, “Matt Ashton is a tireless worker.”
Girls’ XC
Tied for first in conference.
Fast Fact: The team was ranked eigth in the state as of last week.
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Girls’ Tennis
Conference rank yet to be determined. Fast Fact: Senior Mary Clare Rosemeyer is undefeated in conference after winning against Barrington.
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Boys’ Soccer
2-0
Conference 2-0
Overall 1-0
Conference 1-0
Overall 5-3
Conference 3-1
Ranked second in conference behind Conant.
Overall
Fast Fact: The team has not allowed a goal in six games.
Conference
Girls’ Volleyball
Overall
Conference rank yet to be determined.
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Overall
6-0-1
2-0
2-3
Fast Fact: The team has only four seniors this year.
Conference
Girls’ Golf
Overall
Ranked first in conference.
Fast Fact: The team has won 35 straight conference meets.
2-2
9-0
Conference 9-0
SPORTS 15
Friday, September 17, 2010
BETWEEN THE LINES By Nick Stanojevic Singing Rocks
pRUNNING AWAY: Senior Peter Bonahoom carries the ball 78 yards to the end zone in the Knights’ 28-14 win against Fremd on Sept. 3. Bonahoom is the leading rusher on the team, which has focused heavily on running the football in its first three games. Photo by Emmy Lindfors.
Evolution of an offense Football moves to run-heavy offense and forceful defense By Neel Thakkar Editor-in-Chief One curious stat speaks volumes about this year’s football team. After losing their first game, the Knights have won back-to-back games in which they have more points scored (80) than they have yards passed (73). This fact points to the tremendous contribution of the two other major areas besides the passing game: the running game, which has averaged 315 yards per game, and the defense, which after a rough start has more than redeemed itself, forcing five turnovers in its last game against Hoffman Estates. With the departure of star quarterback Miles Osei, the offense has begun to take new form under the leadership of seniors Steve Dazzo, quarterback, and Peter Bonahoom, a running back and sometimes-receiver. The two have combined for
the 575 of the last two games’ 656 total rushing yards. “The focus is to pound it down peoples’ throats,” said Grant DePalma, who plays running back and middle linebacker. “It’s more humiliating to the other team to see the ball run down their throat. A big pass [is] a good play, but you can rebound from that. It takes [the other team’s] heart away when you just run the ball down their throat.” The team’s reliance on the run, though, raises some questions about the health of their passing game, especially with a new quarterback in Dazzo. Concern largely centers around the Knights’ first game against York, where the team enjoyed mixed results in the air, with Dazzo going 9-for-26 for 175 yards. “I think anytime a varsity quarterback starts his first game, it’s going to be a little different,” Pearlman said. “In the game, Steve [Dazzo] was a little jittery with his feet.” However, both Pearlman and Dazzo believe that Dazzo has progressed, especially with his footwork. “We feel like we can throw it,” Pearlman said, “and if we have to throw it 25 times, we will.” It’s clear, though, that they would rather not. “We’d like to run the ball a lot
pSTOPPING POWER: Seniors Grant DePalma and Patrick Inserra stop senior Justin Wallace, the Fremd running back during the Knights’ 23-14 win against the Vikings. The revitalized defense has played a major role in the team’s success during the past two weeks. Photo by Emmy Lindfors.
“It takes [the other team’s] heart away when you just run the ball down their throat.” - senior running back Grant DePalma more than we pass,” DePalma said, “until someone stops us.” While opposing defenses have not yet figured out the Knights’ offense, Prospect’s own defense has been a quicker study. Despite playing well for the vast majority of the Knights’ first game at York, the defense collapsed on several key occasions, allowing fourth-down touchdowns on multiple occasions. “Week one, we didn’t play with a tremendous amount of discipline, and I think that came back to haunt us,” Pearlman said. In recent weeks, though, the defense has improved rapidly, becoming a strength rather than a liability. It has forced nearly as many turnovers (11) in the past two games as it has given up points (14). It has progressed to a point where DePalma feels confident calling the defense “a million times better” than last year’s. Indeed, the defense was a major sticking point for last year’s team. It was not unusual for the Knights’ offense to put up scores in the 30s, 40s and even 50s; but then it was not unusual for the defense to allow scores just as high from the opposing team. In fact, last year’s defense gave up an MSL Eastleading 276 points, more than even Wheeling and Hersey. “Last year, [when] I was out on the field ... everyone around me seemed dull ... we expected [the other team] to score on us,” DePalma said. “And this year, every yard pisses us off. “We’re completely, I think, relying on our defense this year,” he added. “Our offense needs to give us a field goal, and we can win the game because our defense is just that tough.”
While in Serbia this summer, I went to three Champion’s League qualifying matches. It wasn’t the first time I went to a soccer match in Europe, but they were the best sports experiences of my life. In the final round of qualifying matches, my favorite team, FK (soccer club) Partizan, faced RSK (meaning soccer club in Belgian) Anderlecht, the champions of Belgium. There were 32,000 fans packed into the stadium where we sang for the full 90 minutes, even during halftime and for a near half hour after the game, despite the fact that Partizan played a two-two draw. It was there that I realized what American sports lacked: singing. In Europe and South America, fans continuously sing hundreds of team songs written by organization members, fellow fans and even professional musicians. Going to games has ceased being a hard-core fan thing to do and, instead, has become something mainly for any fan. At all the games in Europe, nobody spent a minute talking or texting on their phones. Nobody was just there to hang out. Nobody was eating a hot dog during the game. We need to bring this European feel to American sports. American leagues have figured out how to pay players millions of dollars and, in turn, have created the strongest leagues in the world. We all know that the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA are the best leagues in the world for their respective sports, but for the fan, they are worse than leagues in Europe. Older fans in Europe love their sports so much that they cry when they tell stories about famous games that they went to — try finding that in the American leagues. At the FIBA World Championship in Istanbul, the Turkish fans cheered phenomenally for their team. After the Turkish team crushed France, guard Sinan Guler said, “Any time I hear the songs that they start singing, I get excited, and I’m definitely one of the players that feed off that energy. I know our team feeds off and plays a lot better with that energy that the fans give us.” It would be great to have NBA players feel this way after games or to give Bears’ players that extra boost they need when they play the Packers. Fans sing, “Bear Down, Chicago Bears” after every score, but fans shouldn’t sing only when their team scores. If anything, singing during the game would help the team more in all aspects of the game. It would be awesome and would make the experience of attending a game much better. Now, the experience is only a fraction of what it could be. Instead of having random hip-hop songs at basketball games and “DEFENSE” chants over the loud speaker, we should let the fans rile up the players. Creating this would be a simple process. All teams would need to do is designate a “passionate fan section” where all the singing takes place, make these tickets cheaper than in other sections, find a “leader” of the “passionate fan section” who tells the fans what songs to sing and keep the morale up in tough times — that’s all. Learning the songs would also be easy. Every team has a website where they can post the lyrics or even videos of the songs. Believe it or not, that is all that South American and European clubs do to get their lyrical atmosphere. It would not harm revenue because, hopefully, this section would sell out almost every game and, in turn, sell more tickets throughout the stadium. Let’s be honest, NFL attendance is not dropping just because of the economy. Attendance is dropping everywhere because of the economy and because going to the game is only slightly more satisfying than watching the game from your couch. It would be nice to sing like a group of brothers instead of just doing the wave.
Friday, September, 17, 2010
SPORTS 1974
“They said it” “We are hoping we have the best performance that we can have at the right moment. We are hoping that if we have our best moment...we might me writing another story.” Tom Martindale on Boys Golf prospects
1975
1975
Quade then and now...
2003 Photo Cour tesy
& QA:
2009 of Iowa Cubs
Photo Courtes
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With Cubs manager and ‘75 PHS grad Mike Quade
In what ways did Prospect affect your life? “Educationally, socially, and athletically … in all three areas. It was an incredible environment with good teachers and a great student body.” Did you have a role model or influential coach from Prospect? “Many: start with my dad and then every coach I played for at Prospect had an influence on me and served as some form of a role model.” What is your favorite aspect of baseball? “Game strategy.” What is your favorite aspect of coaching? “Teaching.” What baseball skills did you learn at Prospect? “All the physical skills necessary to perform in college and the minor leagues … and the organization and discipline skill for life.” Is managing for a MLB team what you hope to continue doing or are you more comfortable coaching third base? “[I would] rather manage.” What’s the hardest part about managing the Cubs? “Managing at this level is difficult no matter what city you are in and being a young manager at this level the difficulties involve personnel and strategy decisions irrespective of the fact that I am managing the Cubs.” How are the Cubs different than any other MLB team? “Every MLB team is different, no matter what city. The only thing that is different for me is this is my hometown.” What’s the best part about managing the Cubs? “Getting an incredible opportunity to do what I love in my hometown.” Interview of Mike Quade with the Prospector, conducted through email
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Prospect has faith in Quade By Kate Schroeder and Maggie Devereux
Editor in Chief and Executive Sports Editor
Varsity baseball coach Ross Giusti got to meet Cubs manager and ‘75 Prospect graduate Mike Quade along with the Prospect baseball team in 1992 at an Arizona training facility. Back then, Giusti was just a student teacher and assistant coach at Prospect and Quade was the coach of the AA team for the Oakland A’s. Since then, Quade has coached various minor league teams and was a third base coach for the Cubs. But on August 22, 2010, Quade was promoted from third base coach to manager when Lou Piniella retired to spend time with his ailing mother. Now, with Quade as the Cubs new general manager, Giusti still has a great amount of respect for the man who talked to the coaching staff and players back in Arizona 18 years ago.“He’s a no-nonsense guy,” Giusti said. “He respects the game of baseball the way it should be played.” Junior Johnny Fredricks, a long time Cubs fan and Prospect baseball player, also believes that Quade has a natural talent for managing. “He is cool and collected. It was good for the Cubs to get a new change of pace,” Fredricks said. “I think that he has potential to become a major league manager.” According to Giusti, good head
coaches need to have strong leadership qualities to be able to motivate their players to perform at another level each and everyday. Unfortunately, most managers of professional teams write the line-up card and are done. They become more of a face of the organization, and the pros becomes first and foremost an entertainment business. “Organizations hire for entertainment rather than giving people like Mike the opportunity they deserve” Giusti said. “He still roles up his sleeves and actually coaches.” In the end, it is up to the Cubs whether Quade will stay longer than just to finish up the season. While Fredricks is confident that ex-Cub Ryan Sandburg will get the managing position next season, Giusti said that Quade has the potential to be a good manager. Giusti believes that Quade isn’t the type of guy who leaves the coaching to someone else, but is part of the game, unlike many of the current coaches in the major league. “I just want to see how [Quade] does in the future because he is doing pretty well now,” Fredricks said. “If given the chance, you would see a different brand of baseball [from the Cubs] than you have seen in the past 20 years ... or since they have won the world series,” Giusti said. “He would be an unbelievable manager if given the chance.”