Prospector Issue 3

Volume 51, Issue 3

Friday, October 28, 2011

TheVoice of Prospect since 1960

ROSPECTOR

Photo courtesy of Prospect Band Boosters

Band wins U of I competition Entertainment, page 13

801 West Kensington Road Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056

History made when boys` soccer wins MSL cup!

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crowne anen is it W o ic Yes! N ing! oming k c e m o h

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Photo courtesy of Andy Schnepf

A girls` state championship!

Girls`golf wins state!

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Photo courtesy of Stew Smith

Graphic by Ian Magnuson

Bailey McGuire and Cassie Polous fight for the juniors at Knightgames!

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Student section floods the field after football beats Meadows!

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The best week ever?

Athletic success makes for extra homecoming spirit

By Miranda Holloway Executive Online Editor The end of the football game on Oct. 14 not only resulted in a winning touchdown in the last 40 seconds of the game, but it ended with hundreds of students storming the field.

Within the crowd of the fanatic students after the team beat Rolling Meadows 18-13 was senior Brian Matkovic and his friends. Afterwards, they decided to visit some of their friends from the opposing team’s fan section to brag about their close win.

Matkovic, his friends and other Prospect fans had plenty to brag about

after the week of Oct. 14 because the school experienced one of its most successful weeks in history.

From an academic standpoint, the school’s math and science department was named third in the state by U.S. News and World Report.

Other than the football team’s win, the girls’ volleyball team hosted Volley for the Cure, which raised the most money they have raised so far with $7,801 for the Susan G. Koman Foundation. On Thursday, the boys’ soccer team won their first Mid-Suburban League championship.

On Saturday, the girls’ crosscountry team won the Mid-Suburban League championship and the girls’ tennis team sent a singles player and a doubles team to state.

Not only that, but the girls’ golf team won the first girls’ team state title in Prospect history, and senior Allison Walsh won the individual state golf title.

Other than the excitement brought

On Prospectornow.com...

on by all of the success, it was also homecoming week. Already known for its focus on school spirit and events like Knightgames and the coronation ceremony, the week was complemented by all of the non-homecoming related activities.

“All of this together is just pretty amazing,” Matkovic said.

It seems that Matkovic is not the only one who thinks this, as Principal Kurt Laakso received many congratulations to the school from community members and alumni.

One of Matkovic’s favorite moments from that week was the soccer game (see back page). Since he has been supporting his friends on the team all season, he enjoyed seeing the team win the championship.

Winning not only got the team more support from other students, but it also gave the team credit for all of their hard work throughout the season.

“I have been going to every game,”

Matkovic said, “but it’s nice to finally see fans going out there.”

The same kind of recognition was given to the other victorious teams, such as the girls’ golf team.

On Oct. 15, after the trip back from Decatur, where the state golf tournament was held, the team carried the state championship trophy through the crowds at the homecoming dance.

They were also honored at a pep assembly on Oct. 17.

“It was nice to see girls’ golf get the recognition they deserve,” Matkovic said.

Because it was homecoming week, the school was filled with more spirit than usual, and that brings more unity, according to Laakso.

“There was evidence of unity in everything we did, from the middle of the week on, and it is still going on from the championship in girls’ golf

Prospect named third best in state for math, science

By Meghan Doyle Executive News Editor

Sophomore Josh Arshonsky and senior Walker Brewer perform in the fall play, “Uno: Part Deux,” which ran from Oct. 19-22. Check out prospectornow.com for more pictures and coverage from the show. (Photo by Ian Magnuson)

See SPIRIT, page 2

In the midst of the celebration dedicated to the girls’ golf state championship win on Oct. 17, a small announcement was made, revealing that Prospect was the third best public school for math and science in the state of Illinois.

Principal Kurt Laakso, though he has known about the ranking since Oct. 3, decided to hold off on letting people know so that the announcement would have the “maximum impact” on faculty and students.

The ranking, determined by U.S. News and World Report, looked at AP participation and success in AP STEM courses from 2008 graduates. This determined a Math and Science Achievement Index for each of the 598 schools

on U.S. News and World Report’s Best High School ranking list, published in December 2009 (see “STEM-ming from brilliance”).

Prospect came in third among Illinois public schools but tied for 157th nationally with two other schools among the top 208 judged. Adlai E. Stevenson High School ranked at 62nd, and New Trier Township High School tied with two other schools for 96th place.

High Technology High School, in Lincroft, NJ, had the highest Math and Science Achievement Index with a 92.1 out of a possible 100. In perspective, Stevenson earned a 36.3, New Trier posted a 31.7, and Prospect ended up with a 23.9.

Even though this was the first year

See RANKING, page 2

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NEWS

Friday, October 28, 2011

SPIRIT: Homecoming week highlighted by athletic success

CONTINUED from front page and the assembly we had to celebrate that,” Laakso said.

Math teacher Tim Will, who has been teaching at Prospect since 1976, said this homecoming week in particular has stood out.

With this week being so successful, he has noticed an increase in school spirit but said it can die down as time goes on.

“Those things are nice, but what we want to do is make sure we carry the positive spirit throughout the year,” Will said.

Carrying this attitude for the rest of the year will be the responsibility of all of the students and staff, according to Laakso.

“You really need everyone to jump in and be positive and to celebrate the thing we share in common, which is our affiliation with Prospect High School,” Laakso said.

This includes all of the classes, from freshman to senior.

All of these groups must work together to maintain a positive school identity, similar to the metaphor of a chain.

“All of the links in the chain have to be solid to be able to hold that school enthusiasm together, to keep that unity tight and strong,” Laakso said.

While all classes took part in this week, it was particularly exciting for the senior class, according to Matkovic.

“For seniors, this week and what has happened is pretty huge. If I was a freshman, ... I would be pretty excited,

What’s your opinion of Prospect’s “best week ever?”

“Just seeing that kids just like you do things they didn’t think they could do sets an example for everyone around them.”

- Freshman Anna Brumm “We’re Prospect; what do you expect?”

“It was really exciting for everyone; it made me feel really proud to be a Knight. It was great.”

- Junior Curtis Glennon

- Social science teacher Jay Heilman

p BEST KNIGHT EVER: Football players, cheerleaders and students alike join in celebration after the Oct. 14 win against Rolling Meadows. This was just one of the events that made up Prospect’s “best week ever.” (Photo by Ian Magnuson) but being a freshman and being new to all this stuff [is] just not as good,” he said. “[Seniors] have been part of this school for so long; we see it as our own.”

Laakso agrees with the idea that the week was a very proud one for the senior class because of all of the accomplishments they had and the attitude they showed.

However, he thinks it also had a profound effect on the freshman class, as this was their first homecoming experience.

Laakso hopes the freshmen will have the bar set high for them after this week and will carry the school spirit they saw this week through the rest of their high school career.

“We have a lot of traditions here,” Laakso said, “but traditions are only as strong as the people implementing and acting on them.

“The freshmen have seen a very, very positive and encouraging example ,so I am confident in that they are going to want to sustain that.”

Freshman Lauren Becherer saw firsthand the success this week has brought.

Her sister, senior Tracy Becherer, was part of the doubles team that qualified for the state tennis tournament.

“It was really inspirational, and it gives you something to work forward to and to work up to what she has done already,” Becherer said.

Along with the success her sister had, Becherer also enjoyed her first homecoming and believes the school spirit has carried over past that week.

“The high feeling of being a part of a team sticks with you for a while; it just keeps you excited to be a part of Prospect,” Becherer said.

Becherer’s teachers encouraged her and her classmates to dress up for all of the spirit days that week and be active in homecoming events, which is something that Laakso would be happy about.

“We need teachers to be positive, happy and active,” Laakso said. “We need every class to be unified as a class. But most importantly we need every class, whether they are freshmen, sophomores, juniors or seniors, to see that we are all Prospect High School Knights.”

We all owe it to ourselves,” he said, “to remind each other not to take it for granted. It required action, commitment and energy, and if we keep doing that, we can continue to get better and better and better as a school.”

RANKING: Staff dedication results in great achievement CONTINUED from front page of the ranking, Prospect has received a lot of positive feedback from other sources in the past.

The Chicago Tribune, Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report have all recognized Prospect, based on everything from SAT scores, ACT scores and AP scores to combinations of several measurements of education.

Laakso attributes Prospect’s success to a committed group of teachers who use collaboration techniques to improve the curriculum and to the expansion of participation in AP classes.

“Our teachers are very committed to providing high-level education with high standards in a manner that is intense and consistent across our math and science programs,” Laakso said.

On 8:10 Thursdays, teachers of similar classes meet with one another to come up with better methods of teaching in order to make students better understand the material and discuss tech-

niques that did work, according to Math and Science Division Head Keith Bellof.

“If all of our teachers are working together to set high marks along the way,” Laakso said. “Students can be better prepared at the lower levels and in the earlier years of high school to eventually take an AP class by the time they graduate.”

Prospect’s goal is to eventually have every student take at least one AP class, no matter the subject, during their time at Prospect.

Laakso believes the goal is reachable “with the right support and encouragement.”

“We want students to feel prepared when they leave here so they can do well in the world beyond Prospect,” Laakso said.

In order to better prepare students for the AP tests, teachers take different approaches, including extensive review through homework and in-class discussions.

“Going forward [from this ranking],

STEM-ming from brilliance Participation and success in STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math, AP courses were used to calculate Math and Science Achievement Indexes for all 598 schools being considered for ranking on the U.S. News and World Report Best High Schools for Math and Science list.

The percentage of 2008 seniors that took at least one AP STEM course during high school was weighted at 25 percent and combined with the percentage of 2008 seniors that got a three or higher on at least one AP STEM test, which was weighted at 75 percent.

This method was used to compute a Math Achievement Index for AP STEM math courses and a Science Achievement Index for AP STEM science courses. Both were weighted at 50 percent and combined to produce an overall Math and Science Achievement Index for each school.

Information courtesy of usnews.com

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THE KEY TO NUMBER THREE: Prospect was just recently named the third best public high school in Illinois for math and science by U.S. News and World Report. The ranking was based on a compilation of AP scores in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) classes of 2008 graduates. (Cartoon by Anna Boratyn)

teachers will continue to do what they have always done,” Bellof said, “which is to find the best way to teach their students.”

Not only does Prospect focus on improving academic techniques, but it also stresses the importance of extracurricular activities in a well-rounded school such as Prospect.

Some schools designate themselves as STEM schools and focus the majority of their attention on math and science programs.

According to Laakso, Wheeling High School just recently called themselves a STEM school, so more of their curriculum will be centered on math and science.

Prospect has yet to appropriate its own designation because the administration sees all aspects of education as equally important.

“I’m very proud of the fact that our school is a comprehensive high school with phenomenal programs in every area, academically and in the cocur-

ricular domain,” Laakso said.

Even without the specific focus on math and science, Prospect was still able to achieve this high honor, which demonstrates what a “comprehensive” high school Prospect really is.

“To be affirmed by an external study is very encouraging for all of us,” Laakso said.

When the announcement was made at the all-staff meeting on Oct. 20, the ranking was met with cheering from teachers and a feeling of final recognition for major dedication to their jobs.

“I’ve been at Prospect for 16 years, and I’ve been proud of being a Prospect teacher for 16 years,” Bellof said, “but this is just a further validation [that]... this is not only a school that’s great to work at, but we’re producing great results.”

“Our overall success is actually supporting individual and specialized success along the way,” Laakso said.

“That’s something to be very proud of.”

Friday, October 28, 2011

NEWS

Dollars for donors Blood drive offers scholarship money for senior donations

By Nabi Dressler News Editor Senior Sam Hart has donated blood twice at Prospect through LifeSource, Chicagoland’s blood center. This year, he is planning to donate again.

A new perk being offered by LifeSource’s high school scholarship program may affect the number of students partaking in the blood drive this year.

Hart, along with all other seniors who successfully donate blood on Nov. 5 or in early March, will be in the running to win one of three $500 scholarships to the college they attend.

The amount of scholarship money offered depended on the amount of blood donated during last year’s blood drives (see graph).

Last November, there were 88 successful blood donations, and last March, there were roughly 50 donors. During each blood drive, about half of the donors were students.

Prospect is not the only school to receive scholarship money. Students at other schools in the area, such as Evanston Township High School and Oak Lawn Community High School, have also received scholarships for donating blood.

Jacobson believes the scholarship opportunity is an incentive for seniors and a “little thank-you for donating.”

Jacobson believes the opportunity

to get scholarship money will provide hesitant seniors with “a little push” to donate blood. He thinks it is OK to offer money for blood if the scholarship incentive pushes the seniors over the edge.

Hart agrees with Jacobson.

“I see it being the right thing to do in that if it will get those other people who will donate blood, then you might be able to save more lives,” Hart said.

However, Hart believes other issues could arise from the scholarship incentive.

“It’s also a question of moral and ethics,” Hart said. “Does life have a price?

I’d say no, but then the last problem is you might be getting people to donate [blood] who might not be suitable for it, but they need that money.”

Regardless of the money being offered, Jacobson is hoping there will be more senior donors this year, but he is also hoping for a larger turnout of donors in general.

He does not think the potential scholarship will change the reason why seniors will choose to donate blood this year.

“I think people who are going to donate blood ... are going to do it for the right reason,” Jacobson said.

Hart feels the same way about the available scholarship. The scholarship money is “absolutely not” affecting his decision to donate blood.

Ultimately, to Hart, offering scholarships in exchange for blood donations is not a black-and-white issue.

“It’s really kind of a double bargain,” Hart said. “I’m sure they’ve weighed through [offering money for blood], but there’s probably something they haven’t thought of, so we’ll just have to see.”

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p GIVING LIFE: Service Learning Coordinator Dave Jacobson donates blood during last year’s LifeSource blood drive. This year, seniors donating blood can win one of three $500 scholarships for the college they are attending after graduation. (Photo courtesy of Dave Jacobson)

Number of points earned per school vs. LifeSource scholarship money awarded

p GIVING AND GETTING: LifeSource, Chicagoland’s blood center, holds a scholarship program for local high schools. The amount of scholarship money awarded to each school depends on the number of points earned the previous year. Schools earn one point for every donor. Prospect, bolded above, scored 151-200 points. (Information courtesy of LifeSource; graph by Emmy Lindfors)

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OPINION

The Staff

Face-a-holics anonymous

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Maddie Conway MANAGING EDITOR Emmy Lindfors

ASSOCIATE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Jane Berry Andrew Revord NEWS EDITORS Meghan Doyle Nabi Dressler Jenny Johnson OPINION EDITOR Kiley Walsh FEATURES EDITORS Anna Boratyn Khrystyna Halatyma IN-DEPTH EDITORS Katie Best Zak Buczinsky Maddy Moloney ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS Tallyn Owens Tim Angerame Kyle Brown SPORTS EDITORS Jack Mathews Alyssa Zediker Matt Bajkowski Jordan Fletcher ONLINE EDITORS Miranda Holloway Tess Bauer Heather Dove PHOTO EDITORS Ian Magnuson Maria Chiakulas Josie Sajbel Ali Priessing CARTOONIST Katie Maigler 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 2006-07 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 Emmy Lindfors), 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 edit letters for style and length.

Staff Editorial

COPY EDITOR Carly Evans ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR Maggie Devereux

Friday, October 28, 2011

“Facebook addicts” are people who are obsessed with checking their wall posts, chatting with people, “liking” statuses, taking Social Interview surveys, playing Farmville, quoting song lyrics, “curiously reading” other people’s profiles and poking people, according to urbandictionary.com. Similarly, some addicts would prefer to live their lives via Facebook rather than in the real world.

Although the idea of addiction to social media sites, such as Facebook, may seem absurd, when teens’ lives begin revolving around social media, there’s a problem.

When Facebook and Twitter become the primary source of communication and interaction between teens, it’s clear there is a social barrier being formed.

Students are losing their ability to converse with each other in person.

According to Parade Magazine, the amount of time children and teens spend on the Internet has tripled over the last 10 years. This can be the result of numerous social networking sites.

Although the Internet can

be useful for school, it would comes to the point where be rare to find a student who they are feeling a need or doesn’t have a second tab compulsion to go online, with Facebook open while check their Facebook or writing an English paper. chat with friends, the conFacebook makes sense trol over the fascination is for what it was made for — lost. keeping in touch with old This control is hard to friends, sharing pictures gain back because students and light conversation. may not even realize the However, Facebook is not damage they are causing. an ample source of commu- Similar to most addictions, nication, nor is it anything an addiction to Facebook but a social networking and other social networking muse. This is outlets results in due to the indamage that may ability to convey be irreversible. tone or any feelWhile being Against For ing other than on the Internet, those that can be most teens say expressed with they are using “emoticons.” more than one We, The Pros- Voting results of the Pros- type of media at pector, believe pector staff in regards to this a time, accordeditorial. students should ing to Parade be aware of the Magazine.

For amount of time they are example, a student may have spending on social media Facebook, Youtube, Gmail sites and how addictive they and Twitter all open at once. can be. Students’ lives are Although this multi-tasking busy enough without added allows for quicker thought hours spent on Facebook responses in a situation with or other social networking multiple sources of stimulasources. tion, it also detracts from Some students may be- students’ abilities lieve they are just enjoying of deep reathe benefits of social me- soning and dia sites; however, when it

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thought processes.

With an addiction to Facebook or other Internetrelated mediums, students will begin to lose their ability to think through a math problem, reason a moral dilemma or ponder life’s big questions without being distracted. Multi-tasking is often seen as a positive attribute, which it is — in moderation.

Keep moderation in mind when logging onto social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Removing all sources of contact with the social networking world is a bit rash, but cutting back the hours wasted on Facebook isn’t.

But, if students are going to be spending a lot of time on Facebook and Twitter, maybe they could consider checking out the ProspectorNow Facebook page or follow us on Twitter. Just a suggestion.

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Grap

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the Hea

Harper College stereotypes: fact or fiction?

When I was an underclassman, my mom would tell me if I didn’t improve my grades, I’d end up at Harper Community College after high school.

This was as painful to me as hearing the word “it” was to the Knights who Say Andrew Revord “Nee!” in Associate Editorthe movie in-Chief “Monty Pythons and the Holy Grail.”

Harper and community colleges have generally been considered places to avoid at all costs.

They are the punch line of so many jokes made by ambitious high school students.

My favorite Harper joke had to be referring to it as the UCLA, and by “UCLA” I mean “University Closest to Lake Arlington.”

But I came to realize this mentality might be detrimental as they chose their colleges.

By my junior year, my mom began to see Harper in a more positive way. I guess realizing you’re going to have to

pay for your son’s college soon can do that to you — surprise, surprise.

My mom had legitimate reasons to reconsider Harper, though.

It is closer to home and has an atmosphere as serious as any fouryear school.

And yes, it is a less expensive way to knock out your geneds. But let’s be honest: it’s hard to argue against that when the economy is still in the toilet.

I’m not the only one reconsidering Harper. Guidance Counselor Diane Bourn noticed

cent of the Class of 2011 went to Harper, according to Bourn Yes, grades are one reason for this. I, like many other students, did not fully apply myself my freshman and sopho m o r e years, and my GPA reflects it.

Going to Harper to get your GPA up does not mean you are stupid. Most people don’t appreciate how important their GPA is at the ripe old age of 15.

Even if you’ve always had good g rades, you’re still more prepared now than when you were freshman year.

At Harper, you have a clean slate.

You can raise your GPA and eventually transfer to your dream school.

It might make sense to go to a school like Harper as an intermediate step instead of jumping straight into a four-year college experience.

most students expect to go straight to a four-year school, but took a second look at Harper as upperclassmen for several reasons as graduation neared. About 24 per-

Finding her way Class of 2008 graduate Julie Provenza went to University of Illinois as a first-semester freshman, but she didn’t like how large and impersonal it was. She went back home and spent her second semester at Harper.

Provenza felt she was still academically challenged while at Harper, and liked the class size better. She transferred to Elmhurst college, and graduated a year early.

Even if you get accepted to a highly competitive school, it might make sense to go to a school like Harper as an intermediate step instead of jumping right into a full-blown fouryear college experience Some people feel overwhelmed at huge schools.

Some don’t like universities with ridiculously competitive students. Some don’t like big party schools. Some just don’t like being far from home.

Regardless of how great of an education a school offers, its atmosphere affects the quality of your education.

Some students will go to a more prestigious school only to find they don’t fit in. (see “Finding her way”).

Everyone is different; Bourn has met many students who have the money and high enough GPA’s and ACT scores they need to get into the college they want to get into their dream school.

Some of my friends have told me how ready they are to leave home.

Bourn said some students do better if they are further from family influence.

Harper and twoyear colleges may not be right for you, but everyone should choose their college based on their needs and not the stereotypes associated with that school.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Credit card craze continues

By Anna Borytan Features Editor In Disney Pixar’s “Up,” Carl and Ellie Fredrickson’s dream is to live in Paradise Falls. To make their dream a reality, they keep a clear glass jar to put their loose change in. However, something always goes wrong.

Whether it’s Carl breaking his leg, a blown-out tire or a tree falling on the house, the jar always ends up empty.

Carl and Ellie are well into their old age when Carl realizes they never made it to Paradise Falls.

Social studies teacher Jim Adair likens Carl and Ellie’s glass jar to a credit card, with one important difference: A credit card contains money the customer doesn’t have yet.

“Instead of having a dream of going to Paradise Falls, you’re just more and more in debt,” Adair said.

Teenagers have long been stereotyped as playing fast and loose with credit cards, but Adair sees some truth in the stereotype.

“A dangerous truth,” Adair said.

The use of credit cards has brought both benefits and dangers to teenagers who use them.

According to The Seattle Times, the number of 18- to 24-year-olds declaring bankruptcy in the last decade has increased by 96 percent.

Because of the risks of having a credit card, Laura Hamzeloo isn’t let-

Interest increase According to social studies teacher Jim Adair, interest rates have been rising in the past few years as an indirect result of foreclosures.

People take out mortgages on their houses that they can’t pay off, and as a result, the bank repossesses their home in a legal move called a foreclosure.

Unfortunately for the bank, in a stale housing market, the bank can’t sell the house, and the bank can’t do anything with money locked up in the house.

Over time, the house fades away, and the money associated with it does, too. Banks need money to make up the difference for the foreclosures and stay in business.

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FEATURES The Halloween Costume

pCHARGING ‘UP’: While some parents have given their kids the freedom of a credit card, they still feel the burdens of cost and teaching responsibility. (Graphic by Heather Dove) ting her sophomore daughter, Danielle, have a credit card. Hamzeloo believes credit cards are unnecessary when a teenager is in high school.

Hamelzoo maintains that before teens are allowed to have credit cards, they should know how to work with money.

Yet some parents believe credit cards encourage financial responsibility.

Senior Katie Reiser and sophomore Rick Reiser don’t have credit cards, but their dad, Cory Reiser, wouldn’t mind either of them having one. Reiser believes credit cards teach teenagers financial responsibility because they must learn to balance what they paid for.

Junior Brian Quesea, who owns a credit card, also believes that owning a credit card now will build financial responsibility that will help him in the future. He budgets how much he spends, and keeps all of his receipts. “[Credit cards] can be a valuable teaching tool,” Adair said.

According to Adair, when his daughter, University of Dakota senior Caitlin, got a credit card when she turned 20, he taught her to use it responsibly.

When Adair calls Caitlin to talk about the credit card bill, which he pays off, he doesn’t have to ask, “Where did you spend $500?” He asks, “Caitlin, how much money do you have charged up on your credit card

right now?”

Adair believes most problems with credit cards occur because people simply do not know how much they have spent. Fortunately, this problem is easy to solve.

Quesea appreciates the efficiency of credit cards — he never has to wait around for change, and now he almost never uses paper money, except for when credit cards aren’t accepted.

Credit cards aren’t only useful because of their short-term benefits to Quesea. He plans to build up his credit score now and use his credit card in college.

Credit card history establishes credibility when applying for credit cards and in taking out large loans.

It shows companies that a person is a safe risk. According to Adair, paying off debts on a credit card on time is far more important that just paying it off.

In fact, Adair had Caitlin pay for a new starter, transmission and pollution control device for her ‘02 Ford Escape using a credit card, a sum of $5,000 plus interest, which he later paid off. If he had simply given Caitlin money, the transaction would have been cheaper because he wouldn’t have had to pay interest. However, going through Caitlin’s credit card helped up her credit score.

“Credit cards can be a huge trap,” Adair said. “But you have to learn how to use them responsibly.”

Cartoon by Katie Maigler

Prospector Book Fair Come to Barnes & Noble to support the Prospector Staff!

Bring your family for cupcake-eating, Waldo hunting, and more!

Where: 13 W. Rand Rd., AH

When: Dec. 10th, 3:00-9:00 p.m.

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FEATURES

Friday, October 28, 2011

Tricks and treats Teens are often thought to be involved in illegal activities on Halloween night, so instead of being escorted home by the police, here are some safe and legal ways to have fun on October 31.

Turn into the living dead

This prank requires a costume (like a scarecrow or zombie) and patience. Put on the costume and sit very still near the front door. When innocent trick-or-treaters come by looking for sweets, one option is scaring one kid while the others aren’t looking and watching when the rest don’t believe the scarecrow by the porch is real — or just scare the whole mess of them.

Sophomore Agatha Miodowski has been a victim of this prank. While trick-or-treating last year with her friend and younger sister, Miodowski went up to a house and got treats from a candy bowl on the porch.

Just as Miodowski was about to leave, the scarecrow jumped up screamed, “Happy Halloween!” Miodowski fell back in shock.

“I almost peed my pants — I’m not going to that house this year,” Miodowski said.

By Khrystyna Halatyma Features Editor

Turn the tables If the plans are to stay home to give out candy to trick-ortreaters, turn the tables on them and try to take their candy. Upon opening the door, hold our an empty bag and say, “Trick-or-treat!” This may result in some confused looks, or maybe even Tootsie Rolls — the only way to find out is to try.

Movie night

Graphic by Heather Dove

Caramel...onions?

Caramel onions are faux caramel apples (see picture above). This prank is very straightforward: Get some onions, wrap them in caramel apple wrap, which can be found in local supermarkets, stick it on a Popsicle stick and throw in the microwave so the caramel will be a little melted. The result should look exactly like a caramel apple, but it definitely won’t taste like one. Serve up to innocent victims or some frenemies — just don’t forget to wish everyone a “Happy Halloween” first.

Be a scary storyteller This is self-explanatory — the re-telling of scary stories is a classic on anyone’s Halloween to-do list. Get some friends together and gather around a fireplace or bonfire. To throw a little creativity into the mix, try creating a unique scary story about a close neighborhood, past Halloweens or friends and family.

If creativity is running low, there’s always the option of borrowing a book of short, bone-chilling stories from the library or buying one from a bookstore.

To add to the experience, have friends bring masks and narrate in different voices. Or, like junior Brian Maurice, have friends bring over younger siblings or gather kids from the neighborhood and have fun giving grade schoolers the heebie jeebies.

Photo by Ian Magnuson

Graphic by Heather Dove

By Jane Berry Associate Editor-in-Chief Sophomore Ellie Southern was driving when her father, Ken Southern, reached over and honked the horn at the driver in front of her.

“I am always yelling at him to stop touching the wheel,” Ellie said.

Ellie said her dad is always criticizing her driving, especially now because she has to drive him around everywhere, but she’s OK with it.

Two weeks ago, Ken Southern was in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the hospital recovering from knee surgery. At some points, his blood pressure was so low the doctors did not think he would pull through.

“The scariest part was waking up in the ICU, not knowing exactly what happened or why,” Ken said. “There were a lot of questions that needed to be answered.”

According to Ellie, her relationship

with her father has grown a lot over the past couple of weeks. Before the surgery, Ellie felt like she and her father fought a lot, but it always typical teenparent arguments.

Ellie describes her father as having a very “my way or the highway” personality, and she often tries to tell him she wants to learn from her own experiences.

“He will say things like ‘Well, you don’t have to learn from your experiences if you just do what I tell you, honey,’” Ellie said with a laugh.

Ellie’s father will often call her in class and get upset when she doesn’t answer. She will try to explain that “it’s embarrassing when her phone goes off and her teacher is talking about matrices,” but he still believes she should always answer when he calls.

“It’s times like these where I now try [to] tell myself that I shouldn’t get all worked up about the little stuff,” Ellie said.

If going out isn’t your thing, get a bunch of friends together and watch ABC Family’s “13 Nights of Halloween” in one night. Popular choices include “Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Casper,” “Halloweentown,” and “The Haunted Mansion.”

Dress up

Yes, most high schoolers are considered too old to be trick-ortreating, but that doesn’t mean teens are too old to dress up.

Whether buying a costume in a general costume shop or making one from scratch, it’s always fun to forget about homework and walk around like one of the undead.

In sixth grade, Ellie decided to trick Ken believes his relationship with his children has changed a lot because her parents into signing the form allowof the responsibility they have taken ing her to try-out by telling them it was on, but according to Ellie, it’s the little “some waiver.” She made the squad her things that remind them that their lives first year.

Ellie fell in love with cheerleading are still relatively the same.

One part that stays the same is their that year. She always has goals to learn new stunts and eventually be captain. family traditions.

“Ridiculously enough, I have my Every Christmas, the Southern family has a tradition where they get gour- whole life planned out,” Ellie said.

She is already trying to form good met hot cocoa. Her father always asks money habits because she believes they for a plain one, though.

“I don’t like anything gourmet be- will pay off in the future. Ellie knows cause it’s usually some phony concoc- she wants to attend a school like New York University or Northwestern Unition of chemicals,” Ken said.

“He’s more of a soul food man — he versity.

Ellie said she is already trying to really likes mac n’ cheese,” Ellie said.

Ellie appreciates everything about take classes, like journalism, that will help her achieve her her father and all the goal of becoming things he does for either a magazine her so much more journalist, a feature now. writer in a paper or “I think when a a broadcast journalchild sees a parent ist, like her dad. in a different light, it “I get so worked changes them,” Ken up about my next said. step, and it’s always “The experience my dad who steps has really made me in and says, ‘Relax, re-think how to be - sophomore Ellie Southern honey, this is your independent,” Ellie said. time to expand your Whether it’s changing his bandages, horizons,’” Ellie said.

“This whole experience has taught getting his medicine or driving him everywhere, Ken relies on Ellie for most me how short life is and that we should everything, which is teaching Ellie in- value the people in our lives,” Ellie said. dependence.

“My dad and I don’t always get along, For her, learning to be independent but I don’t know what I would do without him.” is important.

“All my experiences with my daugh“My first step away from my parents was trying out for cheerleading,” Ellie ter are memorable because I love her so said. “Although I was determined for much,” Ken said. “I’m not sure she unyears, my parents thought cheerleading derstands or can understand how much was shallow and that girls did it to show that love is, but whatever she does and off their butt. I had to keep telling them however she does it, I’m always watch‘No, it’s not. It’s a sport.’” ing her and always proud of her.”

“I get so worked up about my next step, and it’s always my dad who steps in and says, ‘Relax, honey, this is your time to expand your horizons,”

ROSPECTOR Special Edition: Girls’ Golf State Championship

Making history pSWINGING INTO FIRST: Clockwise from top left: Noreen Caporusso, Christine Garmoe, Emma Menich, Sarah Scaccia, Allison Walsh and Kiley Walsh compete in the state golf tournament in Decatur on Oct. 14-15. The girls’ golf team won the first girls’ team state title in Prospect history. (Photos courtesy of Stew Smith; graphic by Heather Dove and Ian Magnuson)

Girls’ golf brought home not only an individual state title, but also the team title — the first girls’ team state championship in school history

T

o say that retired physical education teacher Jean Walker has seen girls’ athletics grow in her years at Prospect is an

By Maddie Conway Editor-in-Chief

understatement.

When Walker first started teaching in 1968, tennis was the only girls’ sport

offered at Prospect, and it didn’t have its own state tournament. Even as girls’

a girls’ team win a state title — until Saturday, Oct. 15, when the girls’ golf team brought home the first place trophy from the state tourna-

ment in Decatur, making them the first girls’ team state champions in school history.

The team finished with a score of 643, 7 strokes ahead of defending champions

sports opportunities began to grow, girls’ teams didn’t have their own uniforms.

New Trier. Not only that, but the team also walked away from the weekend with

They could rarely practice in the field house, and outside interest in girls’ athlet-

an individual champion in senior Allison Walsh. With a score of 149, Walsh won

ics was minimal, Walker said.

the title by one stroke.

Today, girls participate in 13 sports at Prospect, and this year marked the 40th

In addition to winning the first girls’ golf state title, the team’s victory is es-

anniversary of the first IHSA state tournament for girls’ tennis. 1972’s Title IX,

pecially significant. It shows the progression of girls’ athletics over the past few

which requires schools receiving federal funding to treat boys’ and girls’ athlet-

decades.

ics equally, made sure girls have more opportunities and their own equipment.

Girls practice in the field house every day — the field house that was renamed in honor of Walker in 2004.

Even with that progress in girls’ athletics, however, Prospect had never seen

Girls’ Athletic Director Jean Rezny played golf at the collegiate level, but when she was a student athlete at Prospect 38 years ago, there wasn’t a girls’ golf team.

See CHAMPIONS, page 10

SPECIAL EDITION: FULL COVERAGE INSIDE

8

SPECIAL EDITION

Friday, Octob

Walsh balances golf, busy schedule

By Jane Berry Associate Editor-in-Chief

Sarah and Ally Scaccia

Senior Allison Walsh turned in her scorecard on the final day of state golf and, to her surprise, all of her teammates were swarming her, crying out that they had won state.

“I started crying because it was so emotional,” Walsh said.

Although state was amazing, Walsh said it was more about the journey for her. She did not even play golf regularly until she started her freshman year. She had actually planned on trying out for the tennis team.

Walsh describes her family as “really into golf,” but she always thought it was kind of boring.

Walsh started playing a bit more with her family and thought it was “OK.” Eventually, she went on a golf daytrip over the summer. That was the day she met senior Christine Garmoe, her future teammate and best friend.

“Christine came right up and introduced herself, probably because we were the only two freshman there. We instantly became best friends and spent the whole day together,” Walsh said. “Christine made my decision to join golf a million times easier.”

“I knew Walsh was considering playing tennis, but after that first day, I thought we had such a good time that I tried convincing her to join golf,” Garmoe said. “I’m so glad she joined because I got a new friend, and we have helped each other grow a lot.”

Walsh’s best score went down by nearly 10 strokes each year. According to Walsh, she improved quickly because of her teammates, coaches and opportunities to play with her sister over the summer.

“Of course we all put in a lot of hard work, but it’s all about balance,” Walsh said.

Besides golf, Walsh participates in bowling, badminton, Spanish Honors Society, Knights’ Way, JKB and her youth group at church.

Because golf is more difficult to practice in the winter, Walsh believes it is the perfect opportunity to take a break to do something else she really enjoys, like bowling.

“Bowling actually has some very similar qualities to golf, like the team aspect,” Walsh said. “That’s all I can think of — I guess they aren’t that similar. Either way, it’s a refreshing break.”

Sometimes Christine will even come out to watch her bowl.

“It was really cool seeing Allison in that setting,” Garmoe said. “I didn’t know how good she was at bowling. I was so impressed.”

The spring of her freshman year, Walsh was on track and field. Her favorite event by far was high jump, but she wanted to try out for badminton her sophomore year.

Af

pSISTER ACT: A senior Allison Wa team has those two Photo courtesy of Scaccia family program in the pa

Sisters on girls’ golf team keep players a family

By Alyssa Zediker and Emmy Lindfors Executive Sports Editor and Managing Editor pFIRST PLACE ROYALTY: Senior Allison Walsh poses with the girls’ golf’s first place trophy at the state tournament in Decatur.

Walsh placed first individually with a score of 149 just days after she won homecoming queen. (Photo courtesy of Stew Smith) “I just really love sports. They make me happy,” Walsh said. “If I could do every single sport, I would.”

Walsh’s parents don’t let her outside activities distract her too much, but they are always very supportive of the decisions she makes. Sometimes her parents even bring her dinner upstairs for her so she can work on homework and eat at the same time.

With all this, Walsh still hangs with her friends on the weekends and watches “Pretty Little Liars.”

“I know it seems like I’m always really busy, but I can’t think of what it would be like if I didn’t do all these things,” Walsh said. “This is just the way I live.”

The state-winning roster Seniors

Juniors

Sophomores

Freshman

Christine Garmoe Sarah Scaccia Allison Walsh

Jenny Geraghty Noelle Johnston

Ally Scaccia Emma Menich Kiley Walsh Ally Scaccia

Isabella Flack

2

Golf by the numbers Opinion editor — and varsity golfer — Kiley Walsh sounds off on moments — all relating to numbers one through 18 — of the girls’ golf season, all the way up to their first place finish at state.

1 The team is the first girls’ team to win a state championship in Prospect history.

On the fourth hole, sophomore Noreen Caporusso made the putt for a birdie. As a team, Prospect finished No. 4 1 under with two birdies, one bogey and three pars.

3 Coach Jim Hamann is the third coach to win a state championship in Prospect history.

8

6

4

On the second hole playing at a 448-yard par 5, senior Allison Walsh reached the green in 2 with a 4-hybrid and then made the putt for eagle.

As neighbors, the Geraghtys, Caporussos and Walshes became a prominent presence in the girls’ golf program.

The families all live in a close proximity to the Mount Prospect Golf Course, and after meeting in school, the girls would get together and play a friendly round of golf. Sophomores Noreen Caporusso and Kiley Walsh would play together, while their older sisters, ‘07 graduate Michelle Caporusso and ‘09 graduate Melanie Walsh, played on the team together.

When Melanie was in middle school, she began playing with ‘09 graduate Megan Geraghty, older sister of junior Jenny Geraghty.

“That golf course certainly is a magnet; it’s a magnet for young junior golf,” father of Noreen and Hersey varsity boys’ golf coach Dan Caporusso said.

Melanie said in an e-mail interview with The Prospector, “I guess I just got hooked. Everyone calls it getting the ‘golf bug.’ Once you get it, you’re addicted.”

The “golf bug,” as Melanie calls it, started in the Geraghty family when their dad took them to the driving range, and Geraghty feels that’s where she got the “itch” for golf “Being so close with the Walshes and growing up really getting into golf pushed all of us to be better,” Megan said. “Just seeing one person get better always kind of makes me want to get better.”

The families of the team spend an average of five to six hours watching their girls during a meet. According to Sue Walsh, senior Allison and Kiley Walsh’s mother, it is hard to get to each hole

In a tournament or meet, six players are chosen to play, and only the top four scores are counted.

5 For the state tournament, Hickory Point played at a 5799 yard golf course.

On the eighth hole playing a 123 yard p 3, sophomore Emm Menich stuffed a clo shot and made the p for birdie.

7 On the seventh hole playing at a 360 par 4, senior Sarah Scaccia hit the green in regulation and made a long putt for a birdie.

9

On nio nin spo w

9

GIRLS’ GOLF

ber 28, 2011

Noreen and graduate ‘07 Michel

le Caporusso

In a competitor’s eyes

Photo courtesy of Caporusso fam

ily

‘09 graduate Melanie, Allison and Kiley Walsh

family affair

Above center, from right to left: Sophomore Ally Scaccia, senior Sarah Scaccia, alsh and sophomore Kiley Walsh pose with the state girls’ golf trophy. The o sets of sisters as well as players with older siblings who have gone through the ast few years. (Photo courtesy of Stew Smith) to see their child play, so they will often stay and cheer on the other team members.

“They share the support like we’re all their daughters,” Allison said.

The parents also keep each other informed during the meets when passing by, since cell phones and other electronic devices aren’t allowed on the course during meets.

Parents, like Sue, have been involved in the golf program for multiple years now.

“I don’t even know how they can stand watching us so often, but they love it,” Allison said. “It makes me really happy to see them because their support is a huge, huge part in what I have become as a golfer and a person.”

“They saw how happy it made me and saw some of my successes; I think that probably motivated them to try to match my success and exceed it,” Melanie said. “But that’s the plight of younger siblings everywhere.”

The fun they have as a family has never made going to practices or meets feel like a chore or something they had to do, according to Allison, who at first saw golf as a boring sport until realizing its true competitive nature.

e par ma ose putt

Like father, like son The girls’ golf team returned the support to their coach Jim Hamann during the 2010 season when his father passed away. Hamann’s father was originally his golf coach during his high school career. When Hamann began coaching, his dad would come and show support for the team at meets.

In memory of his father, the team wore blue ribbons made by Sue Walsh, mother of sophomore Kiley and senior Allison Walsh, during the meet following his father’s passing.

Sue also made red ribbons for Maine South, the team coached by Jeff Hamann, Hamann’s brother.

10

Photo courtesy of Sue Walsh

Both Allison and Melanie agree that having a sister who plays the same sport is like having a practice partner for anytime. The girls build off each other and push each other to do better.

“After being at state and seeing Melanie compete, I couldn’t even explain it. I felt this drive to want to be there, too,” Allison said.

When the golf team made it to state, Allison was able to accomplish that goal and bring home some hardware as well. While awaiting the state results, Melanie and Megan sat in their dorm rooms clicking the refresh button. Michelle went down the for the first round of state but heard the results from her mother screaming over the phone.

“I was so overwhelmed with pride, just to see them go and accomplish one of the goals that we’ve all wanted to do since we started Prospect golf,” Megan said. “It just feels like I won it with them because our team was so connected.”

While the team has had actual sisters go through the program, the team acts like sisters, which makes the team connected. “[The sisterly atmosphere is] part of the reason why we had success, and I think that goes back to having a positive experience,” varsity golf head coach Jim Hamann said. “I don’t know what goes on 100 percent behind the scenes, but from what I can see at practice — behaviors and body language and smiles — there’s hardly any negativity.”

The team’s most memorable off-course sisterly experience happened the day after they brought home the trophy.

Similar to back when they were younger, where the Walshes and Caporusso would have sleepovers, the team slept over at the Caporusso’s house. According to senior Christine Garmoe, the team got to the house and “just crashed.”

But the morning after was more celebratory.

Caporusso’s father got a copy of The Daily Herald, and Allison read aloud the stories about winning state.

“It doesn’t matter how it technically is. That’s what it feels like: like we are all family,” Allison said.

12

10 girls are on the official varsity team.

14

On the 12th hole, playing a 387 yard par 4, senior Christine Garmoe hit her drive into the water. With a penalty, Garmoe hit her next ball onto the green and made a great putt to save par.

9

11

n the second day, seor Allison Walsh’s front ne landed her another ot on the record board with a 3 under par 33.

On the first day, four out of six players birdied the 11th hole playing at a 415 yard par 5.

I made my last putt, shook the hands of my competitors and checked in my scorecard. At this point, all I could do was wait.

After my summer, three months of practice every day and any extra time dedicated to golf, this was the moment I had waited for: finishing my 18th hole on the second day of the golf state tournament.

I put all my effort into each shot and just needed to know if it was enough.

Rather than waiting for my sister, Allison, to conclude her round and determine if we became champions or not, I found myself, too anxious to watch, standing in the bathroom stall hiding.

Kiley Walsh I didn’t want to know any of my Opinion Editor teammates’ scores or hear people’s sighs and reactions about our play. I wanted to know one thing: Did we win or not?

Only after I heard how crowded the bathroom was, I realized how ridiculous I probably looked. Cowardly, I left and started for the leader board, but looking for my team, I bumped into my coach. This was it.

Was it worth it missing friends to go putt? Did that extra bucket of range balls actually pay off?

“Ki,” coach Jim Hamann said to me. “The New Trier coach just congratulated me; we’re the new state champs.”

Those 13 words will never leave my memory.

Immediately, warm, salty tears of ultimate happiness and achievement rose in my eyes and fell on my six hours of wind-burned face. And I turned around, only to be embraced by eight cold rain jackets of my team, and at that moment, nothing seemed real.

The feeling of accomplishment is like nothing I have ever experienced before.

But glancing over at my uninformed sister at the score table, I knew she’d want to know we won. Before I knew it, I was sprinting with all eight girls behind me, scraping our worn cleats against the parking lot pavement.

Winning as a team was her goal the whole season, but finding out she did win individually was the moment that made everything surreal.

My sister won state... What?

A state champion could be a real human being? To me, people who won state might as well have been celebrities who grow up to be the best golfers in the world.

The random, unbelievable girl didn’t win, but a wellrounded player with good morals and determination with a team to back her up took it home.

And there we were, an individual and team state champions, standing on the practice green in our typical huddle that we did before every tournament.

Except now it wasn’t just a typical round of golf – we had won the most important tournament of the year and would never stop smiling, because every time we weren’t, we would think we had won.

Moments later, we received the trophy and medals that didn’t say participation and surely didn’t say runners up.

For the first time in history, our state souvenirs were something nobody else but 10 girls deserved. A big trophy and gold medals that will stay in the school and hang up in our rooms forever.

Because on Oct. 15, 2011, Prospect won the IHSA Girls’ Golf AA state championship.

16

Golfers 14 clubs maximum to keep in their bags.

18

On the 16th hole playing a 140 yard par 3, sophomore Emma Menich landed a close shot making a putt for birdie. Menich was the only Knight to birdie this hole both days.

13

15

On the 13th hole, sophomore Kiley Walsh finished both days at even par.

Over both days, the Knights’ six players had a total of 15 birdies and one eagle.

On the front nine on the first day, the top four scores added up to having 18 pars.

17 On the second day on the 17th hole, senior Allison Walsh was 2 under par for her whole round.

10

SPECIAL EDITION

Friday, October 28, 2011

CHAMPIONS: Girls’ golf makes historic win at state CONTINUED from page 7 Since then, she’s seen girls sports grow.

“It’s amazing to see the changes that have taken place over the years,” Rezny said. “To see where we started and what we’ve come to over the years — it is truly amazing.”

Rezny gives a lot of credit to Walker and her dedication to girls’ athletics for the progress in girls’ sports, who she said has been a “pioneer for girls’ athletics.”

Walker said seeing the golf team succeed at state was exciting for her. Although she wasn’t down state watching the tournament in person, Walker frequently checked the IHSA website the weekend of the tournament.

Walker has met several of the girls, including Walsh and senior Christine Garmoe, so she said she was especially

pleased to see the girls succeed individually and with the team.

What the victory means for girls’ athletics, too, astounds her.

“It’s just amazing that we’ve come so far [with girls’ sports],” she said. “To watch Allison do so well and the whole team do so well — it’s great.”

The team winning the state championship has an impact other than its historical significance, too.

Head girls’ golf coach Jim Hamann said it’s a big honor to be the third coach in Prospect history to lead a team to a state championship. Hamann said winning the championship is great for the community, as well as great for golfers.

Who Hamann is most proud of, though, is the girls themselves (see “Pride and respect”).

Garmoe, who placed 23rd individually with a score of 163 at the tournament,

Pride and respect Head girls’ golf coach Jim Hamann said he is especially proud of the girls’ sportsmanship at state, where they celebrated about 100 yards away from the crowd rather than right in front of their opponents.

Hamann called the girls’ dedication to the team and success this year the “dream season.” According to Hamann, the girls won nine of 12 18-hole events and went undefeated in conference in addition to clinching the state title.

“If this were to happen to a group of girls, this is the best group of girls it could have happened to,” Hamann said. “They’re such good kids. They’re so well-spoken and respectful and dedicated to the pride and respect that Prospect tries to teach all their students.”

Girls’ Athletic Director Jean Rezny said she couldn’t be happier for the girls’ success, especially as a strong supporter of golf. She, like Hamann, is proud of the girls’ sportsmanship and how they “acted with such class and dignity” at the state tournament.

“They were true champions, on and off the golf course,” Rezny said.

pWE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: The varsity girls’ golf team and coaches Tim Casper (left) and Jim Hamann (right) pose with their first place trophy at the state tournament in Decatur on Oct. 15. The girls won the first girls’ team state title for Prospect. (Photo courtesy of Stew Smith) said she thinks the team’s success at state might motivate other teams, too.

After four years on varsity, Garmoe has seen the team work hard from the beginning. She said it was “cool to bring back the trophy for Prospect” after all the hard work and dedication.

Bringing home the first place trophy, Garmoe said, could show other teams that winning isn’t impossible. Walker agreed.

“Even if you don’t get to be a state champion, if you’ve got that idea that we can, that’s a great motivator,” Walker said.

Walker reflected on the progression of Prospect’s girls’ sports, from once barely existing to now winning state.

“In a way, I’ve kind of lived it, just all the changes

[in girls’ sports],” Walker said. “And it’s just amazing to get to the point that we’ve got a state champion and a state championship team.”

Congratulations, girls’ golf!

From everyone at your home golf course: Jeff, Brett, Matt, Eric, Carly, Mike, Amy, Tyler and Maria Mt. Prospect Golf Club 600 S. See Gwun (847) 632-9300

11

FEATURES

Graphic by Zak Buczinsky

Friday, October 28, 2011

Infatuations cause issues for students with an object. When people are infatuated or obsessed with something, they do not physically need that object or activity to function; they enjoy the object and activity and thereAs an avid Xbox player and member of “Call of Duty Elite,” junior Mark Sandel cur- fore they believe they need it.

While Sandel is not actually addicted to rently has the 75th highest gaming score and Xbox video gaming, he logs on enough hours is the sixth “wealthiest” player in Illinois to be classified as an infatuation. He doesn’t for “Call of Duty.” He logs a hefty 66 hours a month gaming during the school year and need to play Xbox, and he could live without it.

But that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t affect him if even more during the summer.

While Sandel’s obsession with Xbox can- he couldn’t game.

“There would be a large hole in my life,” not be technically classified as an addiction, Sandel said. actual addictions can cause serious problems, Another student with an equal infatuation even when they’re to something as simple as is freshman Lulia Lupse. She checks Facebook video games.

According to school psychologist Dr. Jay constantly, whether it is at home or at school.

Kyp-Johnson, an addiction is when people While doing homework, she leaves Facebook becomes so enthralled with an object or sub- open, totaling her time spent on the site to nearly “five to six” stance, they canhours per day. not function with“When [my parCan a person be addicted to another out it. ents] see me on “Eventually, the person?

Facebook, they addiction takes close the computer According to school psychologist Dr. Jay over your life,” and tell me to go do Kyp-Johnson, although someone cannot Kyp-Johnson said. something else,” technically be addicted to another person, The addiction Lupse said. becoming obsessed with a significant other leads to isolation For real addicis possible. This is partially because of the and neglect for actions, there are human need to mate with each other. tivities that would ways to get help.

“It’s more of a fixation,” Kyp-Johnson said. normally be imDepending on “Humans have a biological desire to be with portant. the severity of the each other.”

According to addiction, there are Kyp-Johnson, an certain groups that addiction “robs a can help when dealperson of their ability to feel normal.”

“A person can become so obsessed that they ing with specified addictions, such as Alcoholcannot convey social feelings,” Kyp-Johnson ics Anonymous (AA) and Gamblers Anonysaid. “It’s hard for them to explain their addic- mous (GA).

While these groups are not made up of lition to others.” censed psychologists, Kyp-Johnson said they According to Kyp-Johnson, a person can can be more calming for the people addicted be addicted to nearly anything: Facebook, alcohol, drugs, Twitter, video gaming, gambling because it is easier to discuss their addiction or even addictions as unusual as eating toilet with people who understand rather than a paper, as seen on TLC’s “My Strange Addic- psychologist who does not.

For more serious addictions, there are intion.” stitutions where one can seek treatment like An addiction is developed over a course Holy Family Medical Center’s “Keys to Recovof time, and eventually, people require more of what they are addicted to in order to feel ery Program” or Arlington Center for Recovthe same “high” as they did when they first ery LLC (See “Need help?”).

“You just have to remember that [an addicstarted.

However, an addiction is different from tion] goes through a cycle,” Kyp-Johnson said. someone who is merely obsessed or infatuated “You just have to help the person addicted through it.”

By Katie Best Executive In-Depth Editor

Need help with an addiction?

Holy Family Medical Center: 100 North River Rd., Des Plaines (847) 298-935 Services: substance abuse treatment, detoxification methadone

Arlington Center for Recovery LLC: 1655 S. Arlington Heights Rd., Suite 200, Arlington Heights (847)427-9680 Services: substance abuse treatment

? n o i t c i d d a R U O Y ’s t a Wh Facebook Senior Claire Grogan is addicted to Facebook. Every time she goes home she immediately turns it on , then leaves it on all night while she does homework.

“I don’t know why I like it — I just do,” Grogan said. Sh e said having Facebook on all night is probably affecting her grades, but she still enjoys it.

ly onopo n addiction M d a iPo h ha s .

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Twitter

Sophomo re Nicole Twitter. S he is on e Cusack is addicted very nigh to and said t until mid it definite night ly gets in homework the way o . f he r Cu s a ck s ays that o ne of the likes Twit reasons s ter is bec au se p e o he the world ple get to their prob tell lems and nob ody k who they nows ’re talking about.

- Z a k B uc

zinsk y

On Prospectornow.com...

Check out Zak Buczinsky’s “The S#*! I love to say” to hear about his addiction to swearing and what he thinks about swearing in school.

Mention @prospectornow in a tweet about your addiction and our staff will vote on the most interesting reply, which we will post on our website.

12

ENTERTAINMENT

Friday, October 28, 2011

‘Psycho’: defining the horror genre

By Kyle Brown Entertainment Editor Anyone who’s been near the horror film genre knows about slasher films. And coming with the slasher sub-genre are the familiar bloodthirsty psychopaths who have become synonymous with these films (e.g.

Freddy Krueger (“Nightmare on Elm Street”), Jason (“Friday the 13th”), Michael Myers (“Halloween”)).

Although these characters are among the most famous, mostly because of the multitude of sequels made about them, none can compare to the original, quintessential slasher crazy, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), who made his first appearance in Alfred Hitchcock’s horror noire flick “Psycho” (1960).

Bates is the owner of a California motel in the middle of nowhere,

p’I DON’T REALLY KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT BIRDS’: This scene is the most notable examples of the spooky camera angles Hitchcock takes in “Psycho,” specifically when the lens is over Norman Bates’ (Anthony Perkins) shoulder, capturing both the shadow of his cheekbones and the foreboding presence of his stuffed birds behind him. where he lives with his ill and abusive mother in an adjacent Victorian style house. One night, a rarity knocks on his door: a patron in the form of Marion Crane (Janet Leigh).

Sure enough, Bates falls in love with Marion. But when Marion suggests Bates put his mother into a psychiatric ward, Bates turns on her and becomes angry. Soon enough, the famous shower scene comes, and what appears to be the silhouette of an old lady, presumed to be Bates’ mother, slaughters Marion, leaving Bates to clean up the mess and deposit all of the evidence in a nearby swamp.

To the

misfortune of Bates, Marion is a girl on the run. She is fleeing from her home in Phoenix, Ari., where she stole $40,000 in cash from her boss after being entrusted to deposit it in the bank, which just happens to be in the trunk of the ‘57 Ford 300 Custom of which Bates disposed, along with the girl’s body.

When word gets

around that Marion is missing and that she stole 40 large from her employer, a manhunt is put into motion, leading the rest of the cast right onto Bates’ doorstep.

While there isn’t much about the plot that’s extraordinary, it’s the characters that make this black and white thriller sparkle.

While Leigh is in the movie for less than half of its running time, her character is thoroughly developed in personality and motive. Hitchcock is so attentive to detail that we can know what his characters are thinking nearly all of the time.

One of the most strikingly subtle yet captivating details is seen when Leigh runs away from Phoenix.

You can barely see the smirk growing on her face as she speeds along the h i g h w a y, showing her naïveté to her sister’s and lover’s g r o w i n g awareness of her disappearance, but also her final de-

cision to go through with her crime.

The real star, however, is Perkins. Hitchcock creates in him the complete opposite of what is perceived by his viewers. He falls from the audience’s graces as a mistreated mama’s boy to a jealous, schizophrenic murderer in a mere 109 minutes.

This is no easy feat, but Hitchcock executes it to near perfection. At one point, Norman mentions “stuffing his time” with taxidermy while he is surrounded by his feathered masterpieces, but by the end, his true pièce de résistance is revealed. SPOILER ALERT: It’s not a bird.

It takes a keen mind to piece the whole thing together on one’s own, and Hitchcock even brings in a psychiatrist at the end to explain everything, which may be the one thing that takes away from the quality of the film.

From my experience, films are better when the audience is left to sit in puzzlement and ponder the work they’ve witnessed.

Even so, “Psycho” is a masterpiece as far as any film goes.

Its characters leave an emotional mark on you and can at times make you question the normalcy of your own environment.

As Norman Bates said, “We all go a little mad sometimes.

Haven’t you?”

ENTERTAINMENT

Friday, October 28, 2011

PMK ‘dreams’ big

13

Connie Britton and ghosts, y’all

Marching band puts recent success in larger context

By Tallyn Owens Executive Entertainment Editor After finishing in first place at each of the first four competitions of their six-competition season, the Prospect Marching Knights (PMK) have saved their best for last.

On Oct. 22, PMK was crowned grand champions at the Illini Marching Band Championships, which took place at the University of Illinois (U of I).

However, senior drum major Michael Grippo tries to direct the band’s focus less towards trophies and more towards improving each time they perform this year’s show.

The show entitled “Leonardo’s Dream” features music by Malcolm Arnold and Eric Whitacre, the latter of whom participated in a guest clinic with the choir program last year.

This preparation is for PMK’s last two most important competi-

tions of the year.

The first of the two is the Illinois Marching Band Championship, which will be held at Illinois State University (ISU) on Saturday, Oct. 29.

The ISU competition is often considered to be the closest thing marching band has to a state final because of a more holistic set of competitors than that at U of I. Lake Park, Lincoln-Way East and Marian Catholic are among PMK’s biggest competitors at both ISU and Bands of America. “ISU is also important because it shows us that we’re not going to stagnate,” Grippo said. “We’re going to keep getting better.”

Bands of America, which takes place the following weekend, is a regional competition that features 28 bands from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia and Tennessee.

According to band director Chris Barnum, PMK has been competing in Bands of America competitions since the early ‘90s and since he came to Prospect in 2005, the band has competed in

events for the organization at least once a year, including their trip to Atlanta last year.

Additionally, Grippo believes that getting to perform in a stadium every week not only gives PMK a chance to improve, but also gives them to better immerse themselves in the theatrics of this year’s show, which he has also noticed received a better appreciation from spectators, including several Prospect alumni at U of I. “As we reflect on a competition that’s passed, rather than seeing how we placed compared to other groups,” Barnum said, “we focus our attention on our own show and whether or not we reached our full potential.”

p FLYING COLORS: Clockwise from top: Senior Johanna Scott, a trumpet player and senior Laura Dietrich, freshmen Katie Nejdl and Jake Thornton perform their halftime show, “Leonardo’s Dream”, during the homecoming football game on Oct. 14. The Prospect Marching Knights recently finished as grand champions at the University of Illinois and are preparing for their final two competitions of the season. (Photos by Ian Magnuson)

Mary Kay Cosmetics

If interested please contact:

Joyce Gartz 302 N. Pine Mount Prospect, IL 60056 (847) 670-9057 www.marykay.com/jgartz

Halloween is one of the many holidays that allow us, in the prime of our youth, to sit around and watch TV shows and movies pertaining to the day’s festivities.

This idea also creates an interesting phenomenon amongst television networks.

Roughly a month to three weeks before any given holiday (in this case, Halloween), networks churn out different new shows that they hope will catch on, given the festive attitude.

Last year, it was “The Walking Dead.” I’ll admit, I sat in my basement on Halloween night with a burrito and tuned in.

However, my interest in that show faded soon after the premiere due to the lack of consistency between action and painfully slow plot. Although I haven’t tuned in for the second season, airing now on AMC, I have found a show that has an eerily similar feel to it, only it swaps out zombies of a more mysterious kind of walking dead.

“American Horror Story” (AHS) is the twisted brainchild of the non-Prospect alum “Glee” co-creators, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck.

“AHS” tells the story of a Boston family, played

by Dylan McDermott, Taissa Farmiga (younger sister of Oscar Nominee Vera Farmiga) and last, but certainly not least; queen of my heart, Connie Britton of “Friday Night Lights” fame, who trades her southern charm in for the life of Vivien, a scorned and privileged housewife.

After her husband has an affair with one of his psychology students , they pack up and move from Boston to Los Angeles to get a fresh start. Because that always works so well — just ask Jason Segel’s character from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.”

Their misery on the east coast translates into supernatural hijinks when they move into that 1920s Los Angeles mansion.

The old Hollywood charm the “murder house” posses dates back to before the Great Depression when a drug addicted doctor and his wife offered botched cosmetic surgeries to the aspiring Bette Davis’ of the age.

However, instead of leaving them disfigured or infected, he killed more than 12 women and created several creatures that mimicked that of Dr. Viktor Frankenstein’s.

His wife, who was scorned, much like Vivien, comes back to haunt the house after they put it back on the market after a home invasion.

Given the current housing market and the house’s awful reputation (it’s the final stop on fictitious a tour of Hollywood’s best haunts), it seems that selling the house is virtually impossible.

“AHS” establishes a cast of supporting characters I didn’t understand until the third episode, but they do give me a massive case of the creeps.

The house comes with a maid named Moira, who is played by two different actress for two different contexts.

Old Moira is played by a veteran of all things dead, Frances Conroy of the HBO cult hit (and my personal favorite television series of all time) “Six Feet Under.”

However, when husband Ben (McDermott) sees her, he doesn’t see a sixty-something woman. He sees a younger and sexier Moira, played by Alex Breckinridge who has been lending her voice talents to various supporting roles on “Family Guy” since 2005.

Despite the cast of creepy characters, the show’s writing, editing and cinematography are equally spooky.

The second episode, “Home Invasion,” is set up through flashbacks depicting a double homicide committed in the house during the ‘60s that a group of crazies hope to mimic like a group of Civil War re-enacters, but with actual casualties.

One simple statement can sum up my feelings about “AHS” camerawork. Watch it in high-definition by any means you possibly can. Seriously.

The purposely shaky shots and framing that highlights the eerie nature of the house begs to be watched in HD. “AHS” certainly has enough thrills and chills for even the biggest horror buff, but for those with any apprehension, you’ll be wanting this show more than a zombie wants human flesh.

14

SPORTS

Friday, October 28, 2011

Swimming through choppy waters Girls’ swim team come together to rebuild after losing 16 seniors to graduation

By Matt Bajkowski Sports Editor Varsity girls’ swimming is built upon each other, according to senior Megan Tuttle. They stop shaving their legs together, love their coach together and most importantly, swim together.

The success of the team is determined by the girls’ ability to have a tight relationship with each other.

However, this year, the relationship has to be rebuilt because the team lost 17 seniors at the end of last year’s season. Coach Alfonso Lopez can’t remember a year where so many players have graduated, leaving such a large hole in the team.

Since there are only six seniors swimming this year, Tuttle said many

Gillette (con)Fusion Every year, the girls’ swimming teams stop shaving their legs at the beginning of the season.

This helps to build their stamina as the hair creates more drag along their body, making swimming harder. Before the end of the year competitions, the swimmers shave their legs and this actually helps their times.

“It has been a tradition since swimming has started,” senior Megan Tuttle said. “Even the Olympians do it.”

of the players from JV were moved up, including five freshmen and two sophomores.

Tuttle said this is good for the team because “in four years, the freshmen will have the experience to lead the team.”

Even with this year being a year to rebuild, the team has won six of their three meets, including a 106-78 win over Elk Grove. They have also done especially well in their relay races, like the 200-meter medley and freestyle.

The relays benefit from the relationship the swimmers have with each other because their times are better together than alone, according to Tuttle.

Lopez said the freshmen have molded well to the team and get along well with their upperclassmen teammates.

Lopez also thinks the relays have been good because the team is in a good place mentally.

“They all want to win and don’t want to let each other down,” Lopez said.

Tuttle said even while the swimmers have a good relationship with each other and always try to stay positive, Lopez helps hold the team together and has a strong relationship with his team.

“Lopez does all he can to keep the team thinking positively,” Tuttle said.

Because the swimmers spend so much time together and with Lopez, they are able to crack a lot of jokes and keep the atmosphere positive, according to Tuttle.

“He likes to lie a lot to us to boost our confidence,” Tuttle joked. “And he is always there when we are having a bad day.”

pJUST KEEP SWIMMING: Senior Megan Tuttle swims during practice at Wheeling High School. The girls prevail despite losing 17 seniors last season. (Photo by Josie Sajbel) Captain senior Jenna Gartz agrees with Tuttle and said Lopez is the type of coach who never yells during practices or at meets.

According to Gartz, Lopez is also able to provide real criticism to swimmers about their strokes and what needs to be improved.

Lopez thinks these relationships have attributed to the season going well for a rebuilding year.

While the swimmers attribute their success to their coach as well as themselves, Lopez attributes it all to the tight relationship the team has formed with each other.

From their practices to their meets, Lopez said the team has worked hard to make something of a year that didn’t look great at the beginning.

“They all love each other and work hard together,” Lopez said. “And I’m very happy with how the season has gone.”

PHS vs. Elk Grove results Varsity girls’ swimming triumphed over Elk Grove in their meet on Oct. 13 with a score of 106 to 78.

200-meter medley relay: (Gabriel, Cavaiani, Gilbertson, Drucker): 1:59.90 200-meter free relay: (Gabriel, Tuttle, Drucker, Cavaiani): 1:47.96 50-meter free: Cavaiani: 25.99 100-meter breaststoke: Cavaiani: 1:09.40

500-meter free: Tuttle: 6:00.68 100-meter free: Drucker: 48.40

Four runners all-MSL

You Don’t Know

JACK NBA lockout loses fans

By Jordan Fletcher Sports Editor For the third time in Prospect history, the varsity boys’ cross-country team had four all-conference runners: seniors Josh Campos and Michael Thill and juniors Michael Leet and Quentin Shaffer.

On Oct. 15, the team was prepared for a tough conference meet. They set a goal for fourth place out of the 15 teams competing. The team finished fifth, behind Palatine, Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg and Barrington. With a score of 102, the team was only 14 points away from third place.

“I am happy with all the boys’ running; we just couldn’t execute any of our designed plans,” varsity coach Mike Stokes said.

The four teams that passed them at the conference meet make up four of the top 10 teams in the state.

Also, looking further into the season, eight out of the top 20 schools in the state, including Prospect, make up this year’s sectionals group.

Heading into regionals on Oct. 22 at Busse Woods, Stokes said the top seven teams make it through, and being ranked sixth meant they were close to the border of elimination. “[We] just need to race with the right attitude, trust in the guys and wait for the results,” Stokes said about the pressure of elimination.

“If we need to have seven strong races from everyone, the guys in the back have to finish strong and bring everyone home,” Stokes said.

As the Knights get ready for sectionals on Oct. 29 and state on Nov. 4 and 5, they look at the tough competition of the Mid-Suburban League runners this year.

“We have to start looking at this from a much larger perspective and try to see the big picture as we come closer to the end of the season,” senior Josh Campos said.

“The real destination in our minds has always been state — now we have to try our best to get to our destination,” Stokes said.

Volley for the Cure The girls’ volleyball team supported breast cancer research on Tuesday, Oct. 11, with its annual Volley for the Cure game, this year against Buffalo Grove. Prospect won the match and raised a total of $7,801 — the most money the team has raised in its five years of running the fundraiser. The Knights played in the regional semifinal on Tuesday night, and results were not available as of press time.

(Photos by Maria Chiakulas)

RUNNING: Girls look forward to state to use the sectional meet as a chance to improve each individual runner to prepare for the state meet. knew we could win conference,” Wolfe Wurster said the goals for the secsaid. tional meet will be more inEven after taking home dividually based so the runthe MSL title, head coach ners can focus on specific Dave Wurster does not think aspects they can improve on the team has reached their instead of just running to get peak. first place.

“Hopefully we are run“As a team, we will be ning toward our peak, but able to qualify for state even we still need to get better if we just run average [at to accomplish some of our sectionals], so we will give Junior Brooke Wolfe our runners things to work goals,” Wurster said.

According to Wurster, on that will hopefully get those goals include winning them ready for state,” Wurster said. the state trophy and qualifying for na- “[The state meet] is when we want to tionals. be at our ultimate with everything goAs for now, the Knights are looking ing just right.”

CONTINUED from back page

But this season, “everything going just right” does not include the weather because, according to Wurster, the team seems to have an advantage when running in tough conditions.

“I think one of our team’s biggest strengths is being able to run really hard when it’s hard to run, like in the middle of races or in bad weather,” Wurster said. “It really brings a little extra character out of [our girls].”

No matter the weather, the Knights have all their focus on winning the state title.

“We are still working hard every week so when we get to the state meet everyone will have their best performances and we will end up with the trophy,” Wolfe said.

Running results MSL Conference Meet Top Prospect Runners: Prospect had 5 of the top 25 runners in the meet.

15

SPORTS

Friday, October 28, 2011

1. B. Wolfe Jr. (17:32) 9. L. Maibuecher Sr. (18:22) 11. L. Poplawski Jr. (18:29) 16. K. Welch Sr. (18:45) 18. R. Henk So. (18:51)

The Knights qualified for sectionals by coming in second place in the regional meet at Busse Woods on Oct. 22.

1. B. Wolfe Jr. 17:21 7. L. Poplawski Jr. 18:16 12. R. Henk So. 18:47 14. H. Getschman Fr. 18:56 22. K. Welch Sr. 19:12 30. T. Smith Sr. 19:26 42. K. Leeney So. 20:10

The NBA has decided to cancel the first four weeks of the season coming off of one of the most exciting NBA seasons in recent history. Most of the nation celebrated the Dallas Mavericks’ championship win over Miami’s hated “big three,” and Chicago’s own Derrick Rose brought the MVP trophy back to the Bulls for the first time since Jordan. Due to a disagreement between players and owners on the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that is no where close to being resolved, the outlook on the whole season is dim, and many players have already signed contracts to play in Europe or Asia.

This is disappointing news for me and other high school students who enjoy watching the best players in the world compete every night until June. Last year, many students who had never paid much attention to the NBA before became fans after watching Rose and the Bulls take the league’s best record and also make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. After each playoff win, I would see more red at school the next day than in a freshman hallway on Color Day. It is a pity that the NBA could potentially follow up such a memorable season with no season at all. Although not all basketball will be lost if the NBA were to cancel the season altogether because of college basketball, it does not compare.

Even though college basketball games can be just as entertaining as the NBA and the players are obviously very talented, the overall level of play just does not measure up. Last year, players like Jimmer Freddette dazzled us all with 50-point games and long range shooting, but dropping numbers like that gets old to watch when his competition is the Wyoming Cowboys or Wofford Terriers.

The NBA is different because nearly every team has a player that can make it exciting against other professional athletes. For every exciting buzzer beater game in college basketball, there are 10 30 -point blowouts. Powerhouses like Duke will end up playing three top 25 teams the entire regular season. In the NBA, however, every night it can be sure that several all-star players and their teams will be going up against each other on national television.

Another aspect that sets apart the NBA from college basketball is the excitement of the plays during the game. NBA teams use more isolation and defensive mismatches to score, with just 24 seconds to do so, while consistently scoring 100 points. College teams, on the other hand, get 35 seconds each possession and usually pass the ball around the perimeter and use a motion offense that frequently results in a 3-point shot.

NBA fan senior Andreas Prince, who watched at least “four or five” games a week last season, said he will be very disappointed if no NBA season takes place. Prince said he won’t end up watching more college ball, but instead he will watch the charity games players like Kevin Durant and Lebron James have held, which usually feature many all-stars in a pick-up style game.

Whether the players are playing in pick-up games or overseas, they won’t be able to stay in the spotlight for much longer, and it will depend on which side cracks first as to when the season finally gets to a start. But if anything can be learned from the NHL lockout of the 20042005 season, it is that the NBA will take a step back from last year’s success if they do not come to an agreement soon.

Losing the year will also result in a loss of most of the new fan base they acquired from the previous season.

SPORTS Friday, October 28, 2011

On Prospectornow.com ...

Coverage of the boys’ soccer sectional semi-final against Buffalo Grove on Oct. 25. The second-seeded Knights defeated the No. 6 Bison during the regular season, 3-0.

Knights kick into history

The shield When head coach Kurt Trenkle designed the boys’ soccer shield that the team uses as their logo, he purposefully left the bottom portion of it empty.

“We hadn’t won anything yet,” Trenkle said. “I told the guys if we win, something’s going in there.”

After winning the MSL conference championship, Trenkle decided it was time to update the shield.

While he hasn’t decided what exactly he wants to put in the shield yet, Trenkle said there will be a new design in the next few weeks or so.

Playoff Results Regional Semi-finals Prospect 5 Mundelein 0 Regional Finals Prospect 2 Stevenson 1 *PHS wins in shootout after four scorless overtimes.

Sectional Semi-finals Prospect vs. Buffalo Grove: Check Prospectornow.com for coverage!

pBRAD SAYS NO: Senior goalie Brad Reibel jumps to save a ball against Schaumburg on Oct. 13, which the Knights won in penalty kicks. The Knights won their first MSL cup in Prospect history and were undefeated as of Oct. 24 with a record of 19-0-2 . (Photo courtesy of Andy Schnepf)

By Maggie Devereux Online Managing Editor Heading into a shootout after 100 minutes of play failed to crown a MidSuburban League (MSL) conference champion, senior Alex Schnepf had one thing on his mind.

“The only thing I thought when we went up for the [penalty kicks] was ‘This is why I play soccer,’” Schnepf said.

Schnepf, along with the rest of boys’ soccer, made history on Oct. 13 when they defeated Schaumburg and brought home Prospect’s first ever boys’ soccer MSL conference championship.

After a 1-1 tie in regulation, the game entered two overtimes, where each team failed to score. Finally, the game headed into penatly kicks, where Prospect out shot Schaumburg 4-3 to be crowned MSL champs. A little over a week later, the team won the Regional Championship in penalty kicks as well (see “Playoff results”). “[Winning the MSL title] was one of the goals that we set as a team at the beginning of the season,” head coach Kurt Trenkle said. “We knew we had the capability of doing it, we just had to work hard to get it. Nothing works unless we work.”

History didn’t come easy for the Knights. After junior Matt Burikas was issued a red card with 65 minutes left in the game, the team had to play a man down for the remainder of the game and into overtime.

“We kept saying, ‘Who needs 11?’” senior forward Bill Cooney joked.

They may not have needed 11 players, but Trenkle knew the team did need to make some adjustments. Trenkle and assistant coach Jon Kaminsky worked to move players around and still remain an offensive threat.

“We didn’t want to pack it in defensively and just play passively,” Trenkle said. “We knew that wasn’t our game, and Schaumburg would be too good [for that].”

According to Trenkle, their adjust-

All-achieving team All State- Senior Bill Cooney All Sectional- Seniors Patryk Ruta, Richard Lenke, Brad Reibel Coach of the Year for Prospect’s Sectional- Kurt Trenkle and assistant coach Jason Cohen

Football playoff brackets are out! Check on Prospectnow for a preview of the team’s first postseason game against Glenbard West tonight, and take a look at the full bracket.

(Photo by Ian Magnuson)

ments included dropping from two forwards to one, moving senior Richard Lenke to the outside, dropping Cooney to midfield, moving around senior Stefano Dolomas and putting senior Johnny Fredericks in at Burikas’ postition in the back.

“The guys that I need to step up in that sort of situation stepped up and won individual battles over and over again on the field,” Trenkle said.

Trenkle also attributes outworking Schaumburg as one of the huge keys to winning the game. According to Schnepf, the team had a lot of early season dedication, and they made winning the MSL championship their top goal, along with winning state.

While for Schnepf and Cooney the idea of being MSL champions is taking some time to set in, it already has set in the history books — and not just by bringing home an MSL championship.

According the Cooney, he can already see soccer changing at Prospect. From the number of fans increasing each day to hearing kids talk about it in the halls, this season hasn’t been like previous years.

“They’ve literally changed the history of Prospect soccer, in a good way,” Trenkle said. “And they’ll always be remembered.”

pPUSH FORWARD: Senior Bill Cooney plays in the MSL championship against Schaumburg. (Photo courtesy of Andy Schnepf)

Girls’ XC wins MSL, prepares for state

By Jack Mathews Executive Sports Editor Coming into the season, girls’ cross-country had a lot of hype.

With five of the seven runners who placed fifth at state last year returning, the girls were featured on the front page of the sports section of The Daily Herald. The team had high expectations.

At the start of the season, the

Knights started off slow because of various illnesses and injuries.

After fifth- and sixth-place finishes at the Fenton and Lake Park invites, the Knights struggled early.

However, after finishing third at the Libertyville invite, the girls have been living up to their potential.

On Oct. 15, the Knights won their second Mid-Suburban League title in three years with 55 points. Beating all competi-

tion by at least 12 points, the girls were led by junior Brooke Wolfe, who won her second consecutive individual MSL title with a time of 17:32. Despite the early season struggles, Wolfe knew the team had the potential to win the conference. “[At the beginning of the season], we had some sicknesses, but I think everyone on the team still

See RUNNING, page 15