Issue 6

THE

PROSPECTOR

801 WEST KENSINGTON ROAD, MOUNT PROSPECT, ILLINOIS 60056

THE VOICE OF PROSPECT HIGH SCHOOL SINCE 1959

VOLUME 57, ISSUE 6

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018

NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN: Associate Principal Greg Minter poses in front of pictures of past principals.

Minter will be taking over for Principal Michelle Dowling next year, as she is retiring. (photo illustration by Erik Velazquez)

We looked at people from all over the country, and at the end of the day, Mr. Minter was the best person to lead Prospect High School.”

- Dr. David Schuler, superintendent

Next in line “I think so highly of what’s happening in the classrooms and at Prospect High School,” Schuler said. “I think it’s aweciety.” some to find someone who’s been there After teaching and administrating in over 10 years with different principals. At different schools in Illinois and Washing- the same time, we didn’t limit ourselves ton, Minter came to Prospect in 2003 and to only considering people from inside has held multiple administrative roles [Prospect]. ... We looked at people from here. all over the country, and When current princiat the end of the day, Mr. Minter’s resume pal Michelle Dowling anMinter was the best pernounced her retirement • 4 years teaching at Warren son to lead Prospect High after this school year, Township High School and School.”

Minter saw the opportuniWaukegan High School in Senior Pat McPartlin, ty to accomplish his goal Illinois who was on the committee of becoming principal. because of his participa“It’s always been my • 1 year teaching at Illahee tion in Superintendent’s career goal to be a prinAdvisory Council, agrees, Junior High in Washington cipal,” Minter said. “Obas he believes that Mintviously, this is a great er’s time at Prospect real• 4 years as assistant principal institution and one that ly made him a great fit for I have affinity for. Being at Meadowdale High School in the principal position.

Washington here 14 years, I’ve worked Finally, on Jan. 18, with some of these staff the High School District members for over a de- • 14 years at Prospect as Asso 214 Board of Education, ciate Principal for Operations, in a unanimous vote, apcade, so it’s kind of like a second family. I thought Assistant Principal for Student proved Schuler’s decision it would really be great to Activities or Associate Principal and announced Dowling’s be the leader and continue for Student Services successor, officially givsome of the really positive ing Minter the job. things that we have going “I was elated,” Minter here as well as lead us in some new direcsaid. “I didn’t jump up and dance around, tions.” but it’s been a career goal of mine, so that According to District 214 Superintenfelt great. … It’s a great feeling to know dent Dr. David Schuler, Minter’s experi- that you’ve achieved something that you ence, especially at Prospect, really stood have always sought to achieve and that out to him during the principal search.

Minter named new Prospect principal AMANDA STICKELS Online Editor-in-Chief

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reg Minter has never held the principal title without a word preceding it such as “associate” or “assistant.” Having the word stand alone was a goal the current Associate Principal for Student Services had throughout his educational career.He was able to achieve this on Jan. 18 when the High School District 214 Board of Education announced that Minter would be Prospect’s principal for the 2018-2019 school year. The road to this goal began after finding a passion for teaching in college.

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a volunteer job tutoring students in an after school program sparked an interest in the educational field. Minter soon graduated with a degree in English Education. Later, he would obtain his masters degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in order to pursue an administrative job from University of Washington.

“I think there’s a lot of different ways you can look at work, and I wasn’t necessarily motivated by money,” Minter said.

“I wanted to do something that I enjoyed and that I thought was contributing to so-

you’re doing it in a place that you really love and you enjoy coming to work every day and you have so many strong relationships with staff members, community members and students. There’s no other place I’d rather be.”

Assistant Principal for Student Activities Frank Mirandola says Minter’s past administrative experience and his experience at Prospect will make for a smooth transition into his new role.

“Because you have those relationships and the trust of the staff, it allows us to continue on without any reservation as well as when new initiatives come up,” Mirandola said. “It allows us to move full speed without having to question intent or question why we are doing something.”

Knowing Minter and his experience gives Dowling a lot of confidence for the school as she steps down.

“He’s extremely knowledgeable, and he knows every facet of the school because he’s done so many different jobs in his career,” Dowling said. “He’s very creative, so he is very good at initiatives, next steps. As an outgoing principal, I couldn’t be happier because what we all want is for things to continue to grow, for the next person to leave the place better than when you left. I know he has the ability to do that.”

Minter is already thinking of some of SEE MINTER, page 8

2 NEWS

prospectornow.com

Med Academy career pathway ending ELIZABETH KEANE Staff Writer

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ooking at pictures in textbooks can not compare to the experience of shadowing doctors in a live, exciting environment, according to senior Sydney Kitzmiller. To her and her fellow Med Academy students, they’re not sure why the program was terminated about three weeks ago.

“We were all kind of heartbroken and sad when we found out because I’ve had time in a hospital,” Kitzmiller said. “And that’s not something that can be replaced with a nursing or medical class in school.”

Freshman Honors Biology teacher Mollie David has been instructing Med Academy since 2005. David was informed of the suspension of the program through counselor Nicholas Olson, who forwarded an email he received from a district administrator to her, but neither person has been given any more information on the subject.

Attempts to gain further information about the program’s cancellation from district officials were unsuccessful.

Kitzmiller first found out about Med Academy in her freshman Honors Biology class when David was her teacher. Since then, Kitzmiller kept an application in her folder and checked off the prerequisites for the program as she went along.

With 19 students from all the schools in the district, they have been traveling to Glenbrook Hospital every Tuesday and Thursday since the beginning of their senior year. There, they accompany medical profes-

Other career pathways in D214

PAC House Education Academy

Aviation Academy WildStang Robotics Cosmetology

THE DOCTOR IS OUT: Med academy students pose for a group picture. The Med Academy program was terminated three weeks ago, much to the dismay of students. (photo courtesy of Mollie David) sionals in different hospital departments.

Rotations of where the students go to study at Glenbrook change every five to six weeks. Among the rotations the students observe are radiology, speech therapy, ER, vascular imaging, orthopedics, cardiac center, catheter lab, respiratory therapy, nutrition, lab and pharmacy, fetal diagnostics, radiation oncology and pediatric therapy.

The other three days of the week consist of labs, notes and discussions at Prospect. Among Kitzmiller’s favorite activities were dissecting cow eyes, hearts and lungs, finding out their own blood type, testing their vision, studying the brain and looking at the muscles and tendons in chicken legs.

Kitzmiller’s major in college is undecided, but she wants to be a physician’s assistant and felt that Med Academy was a better fit for her than AP Biology because it is geared towards medicine.

“Through [Med Academy], I’ve learned that I want something that’s new every day instead of sitting in the same seat and doing the same monotonous routine,” Kitzmiller said.

According to Kitzhospital as a minor, which miller, the rotations has happened in the past. and classroom As Med Academy portion of the prowas available to all gram reinforce students in the diseach other very trict, Kitzmiller has well and show formed a close bond how the lessons with the other stucan be applied to dents from Prospect, real medicine.

Hersey and Buffalo “You learn Grove, and her best how to behave in memories are when a hospital, things they are all struggling that you can’t be together as a group. taught in a classAccording to Kitzroom,” Kitzmiller miller, the small class said. “It’s all about gives it a “homey” feel. what the patient “What I’ll miss wants and needs.” most is hearing about The limited numall the amazing things ber of spots for this the students observe class came from the at the hospitals and struggle to find hosclinics,” David said.

- Sydney Kitzmiller, senior pitals that are open to “And getting to know them accommodating high school students. Beon a much deeper level than I have the opcause most students are under 18, it is a largportunity to in a one period class.” er problem if they faint and have to go the

You learn how to behave in a hospital, things you can’t be taught in a classroom.

It’s all about what the patient wants and needs.”

Revised calendar impacts student work, stress level RYAN KUPPERMAN Executive News Editor Italian teacher Lyn Scolaro observed that with the year’s new district calendar changes, her students were becoming overbooked towards the end of first semester into finals.

As a result, Scolaro pushed back her winter vocabulary unit from first semester to second semester.

Scolaro currently teaches five, year-long Italian classes, which means she has to make sure she teaches everything in the curriculum by the end of the year. According to Scolaro, teachers had trouble planning their calendars this year in particular with the calendar shift. Although she observed an increase of student workload first semester, she believes that teachers can make changes for next year now that they have experience with the calendar changes.

As head of Student Council, Scolaro was involved with various school events to provide students a chance to have fun and briefly get their minds off of schoolwork. On Monday, Dec. 18, therapy dogs were brought in for students. In addition, the Hoopscoming dance and spirit week were added to second semester. According to Scolaro, Hoopscoming was created as a second semester activity to bring students together during the elongated monotony of second semester.

The new calendar change has created various social and stress relieving events both leading into and coming out of winter break.

“We wanted to be able to try something new [and] bring something to our school and to the kids so they could enjoy the basketball

season, come to the game and have something fun to do together,” Scolaro said.

Prospect has annually held a Winter Week, which is a spirit week that takes place the week before winter break and allows students to celebrate getting two weeks off of school before coming back to finals. However, Scolaro realized that since finals were before break, kids were too busy preparing for finals to enthusiastically participate.

Social science teacher and Underground sponsor John Kaminsky says that while student participation in the Underground for football has increased since last year, basketball season has seen a sharp decrease of attendance.

Kaminsky also says that he is not sure if the schedule change is part of the reason for the decrease of numbers because the change is so small in the overall schedule. Instead, he points to lack of adequate social media use and communication among underclassman as the main reason behind this difference in spirit demonstration.

Although school psychologist Dr. Jay Kyp-Johnson has not been involved with the Underground compared to previous years, he does recall when he was working concessions with Turkish Club for a basketball game this year. He was shocked at the lack of student attendance at a home game.

Due to feedback from both students and staff, Kyp-Johnson also believes that students have experienced a major increase of work, tests and stress because finals now come before break. He acknowledges the school’s efforts in making the school day more stress-free, such as the new multipurpose and meditation room in the KLC. However, he thinks that the number of Prospect

ICE ICE BABY: Students skate on the synthetic ice rink at the Hoopscoming dance.

Italian teacher Lyn Scolaro created the dance along with Student Council to give students a break from the stress of a new semester. (photo by Erik Velazquez) students compared to space in the building can be cause an anxious atmosphere.

“It’s really an amazing thing that Prospect students are able to manage that pretty well,” Kyp-Johnson said. “Psychologists will tell you that anytime the environment gets more compact, it increases the noise level, it increases the stress and it increases the complexity.”

For Kyp-Johnson and Scolaro, the schedule changes have had both positive and negative effects. While students can enjoy homework-free weekends, relax over winter break and return refreshed, teachers face the pressure to compress their material in an effort to let students take advantage of these changes.

“I think the end of first semester was a little bit of a train wreck, with people needing to get everything done so they could take finals,” Dr. Kyp-Johnson said.

Compared to her previous year, sophomore Ana Nelson thinks coming back from break was the same as last year, rather the end of first semester was a hurdle, having

less review time in class before finals. Although it was a challenge, Nelson believes she succeeded in balancing her time. She also attributes the introduction of therapy dogs as a big mental help.

To solve some of these potential problems, Kyp-Johnson suggests cross-departmental communication on test days for classes to alleviate that stress on students. He points to designating certain test days for each subject or department as an option some schools have tried. Personally, Kyp-Johnson has tried to improve his own communication via email to rearrange test days to better suit the needs of his students.

Both Kyp-Johnson and Scolaro believe that as teachers and students gain experience with the new schedule, small changes will follow on both sides to smooth the process.

“I had been used to 36 years of teaching the same way and finishing semester exams after [break],” Scolaro said. “It’s not that it’s a calendar set; it is a mindset too.”

OPINION 3

prospectornow.com

staff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Cassidy Delahunty ASSOCIATE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Erin Schultz COPY EDITORS Cole Altmayer Ayse Eldes Mandi Hall ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Amanda Stickles ONLINE SPORTS EDITOR Wyatt Dojutrek BROADCAST EDITOR Kate Hyland NEWS EDITORS Ryan Kupperman Nicholas Egea OPINION EDITOR Anthony Romanelli ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS Grace Givan Jenna Koch FEATURES EDITOR Mackenzie Noelle SPORTS EDITORS Jack Ankony Anthony Santangelo Connor Graver STAFF WRITER Megan Sulak Elizabeth Keane VISUALS EDITORS Nicholes Schauer Erik Velazquez Katie Hamilton ADVISER Jason Block MISSION STATEMENT The primary purpose of the Prospect High School Prospector is to report news and explain its meaning and significance to our readers and the community. We, the Prospector, hope to inform, entertain and provide and unrestricted exchange of ideas and opinions. The Prospector is published by students in Journalistic Writing courses. Some material is courtesy of MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service.

ADVERTISING For ad rates, call (847) 718 5376 (ask for Cassidy Delahunty), fax (847) 718 5306, email 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 room 216 or email letters to prospectornow@gmail. com. All letters must be signed. Limit letters to 400 words. The Prospector reserves the right to edit for style and length.

Staff Editorial In-house candidate good fit for principal

When the district-wide decision to stop distributing school assignment notebooks was made official last year, a member on the Prospector staff decided to write an editorial bringing to light the strong student consensus against this decision.

To gather information about the decision, the staff member would have to interview an administrative source. While aware that the stance of the editorial was critical of administration, Associate Principal for Student Services Greg Minter provided the staffer with the needed information.

As the Prospector staff, we have not forgotten Minter’s actions of transparency and openness to criticism as an administrator.

With the upcoming retirement of Principal Michelle Dowling, the search to find a new principal for Prospect High School has been a constant topic of conversation amongst staff and students. On Jan. 18, the

High School District 214 Board of Education question why we are doing something.” announced that Minter has been chosen to Minter’s attendance at school sporting take her place. events and general involvement in Prospect We are in agreement activities and policies have with the board’s decision also caught the attention of to choose someone familthe Prospector. We believe iar with our school. his actions make him well Having Minter as prinacquainted with communicipal next year will be ty members and Prospect’s beneficial in making the student culture. transition a smooth one.

We, the Prospector, According to Assistant support the school board’s Principal and P.E. Diviselection of Minter as Prossion Head Frank Miranpect High School’s princidola, Minter already has pal for next year. As the relationships and trust current Associate PrinciVoting results of the amongst those on staff. pal and someone who has Prospector staff in “Because you have worked at Prospect for those relationships and regards to this editorial.

14 years, he exemplifies the trust of the staff, it altransparency and honesty. lows us to continue without any reservation Minter knows what students, staff, parents as well as when new initiatives come up,” and community members expect in this Mirandola said. “It allows us to move full school’s leadership, and we look forward to speed without having to question intent or discover what he has in store.

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Olympics bring unwanted consequences

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orth Korea has threatened to destroy its neighbor South Korea at least a dozen times, but that won’t stop their athletes from marching together as teammates. Pyeongchang, South Korea will be hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics.

These games have always been done in the spirit of cooperation, but the Olympics themselves have always been tied to conflict: the games were invented by feuding Greek citystates as an alternative to war. Scandals and violence seem to plague the event, ranging from steroid usage to terror attacks.

Despite the overall message of cooperation in the modern day Olympics, there always exists a strong undercurrent of tension that has boiled over from time to time.

The financial cost of the games is also a major issue, effectively bankrupting the host Anthony cities and leaving behind derelict venues.

Romanelli While prospects look OPINION good, only time will tell if the city will surEDITOR vive the economic and political costs of hosting one of the most important competitions in the world.

The cost of the Olympics has increased exponentially since Rome 1960, when nations began realizing hosting makes a splash in the international community. In the previous years, Italy had made industrialization a priority, and it was a focus of their opening ceremony.

The idea of using the Olympics as nationalistic credentials was an invention of Nazi Germany. The Berlin Games of 1936 were specifically engineered to show the world the “glory of the Aryan race,” and much ceremony was added to the games. According to Time Magazine, the Berlin Games cost around $1.7 billion in today’s money, where before, the average budget was around $11 million.

LEFT TO ROT: The Rio 2016 venues fell into ruin just six months after the games despite Brazilian promises to reuse the land. (photos courtesy of Wiki Commons) This began a race to outdo the last host.

This strategy to become recognized has paid off for some, but not all. The 1992 Barcelona Games gave the Spanish city an economic revival, transforming it from a rusting industrial area to the jewel of the Mediterranean.

Conversely, Rio de Janeiro hosted in 2016 to disastrous results.

Costing around $13 billion, the Rio Games were plagued with unsanitary conditions, corruption and ineffective management. After only six months, they were abandoned and are now crumbling, a testament to a risk that didn’t pay off for the city.

Yet despite this bureaucratic minefield, the Olympics persevere. Simply put, it makes us feel special. The historian and political scientist Benedict Anderson invented the term “imagined communities” to explain nationalistic ideas. The idea is that a nation views itself as a collective family, even though many of them may never meet each other.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The Olympics have always had its downsides, but there’s always a spirit of friendly competition that many nations strive to maintain.

Nationalism is pride in your country, and

there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you don’t let it control you.

Very few years were completely without tension. Any game in the Cold War era was always covered as a battle of ideology between communism and capitalism, not as a sport.

Nazi Germany sought the hosting position in 1938 as a demonstration of power, and partly to spite the Allied Powers, who got Germany and the rest of the Central Powers banned from entering the 1920 Antwerp Games. Fragile alliances are often tested on the playing field.

South Korea presents a unique opportunity. Officially a first world country now, South Korea has the capability to pull off a memorable opening ceremony and more importantly, maintain all the Olympic facilities it offers.

Like any good host, the country needs to market itself to the world powers attending, and give itself something to brag about. The real question is whether this risk will turn a profit like with Spain, or if the whole enterprise will quite literally fall apart like in Brazil’s case. Either way, it’s about time to let the games begin.

The 5 Most Expensive Olympics Ever Hosted (source: TheRichest)

4 OPINION

prospectornow.com

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had one of my hands over my mouth, Kristopher Whitby at St. Paul Lutheran the other rigidly clutching the small Church. wooden rocking horse. My eyelids During the summer after her sixth grade were shut so tightly that they had begun to year, DiBenedetto and her family took a trip fidget and shudder from the vigdown to South Carolina. DiBeneorous force, as if the very corners detto and her father decided to of my eyes were being pricked by meet her biological mother, who a needle, crying silent tears that lived in North Carolina at the ran down my cheeks and over time, while her adopted mom my knuckles until finally reachand adopted brother flew back ing the floor, making as much home. sound as a leaf gliding to the for“It was a really sentimental est floor. moment,” DiBenedetto said. “It I’d known my whole life that wasn’t awkward. … It was a lot of my biological father had left emotion and a lot of fun.” shortly after I was born. HowevDiBenedetto’s biological MACKENZIE mother had served in the army er, it wasn’t until last spring that my mom told me that the small and was constantly moving NOELLE rocking horse was made by my around during that time. DiBeneFeatures biological grandfather for me or detto knows her biological mothEditor that my favorite VHS tapes as a er and half-siblings personally, child were from my biological whereas the most I know are the dad. I felt like thousands of puzzle pieces names of my half-siblings and biological fawere suddenly scattered from a puzzle I ther. had never planned to touch and didn’t even DiBenedetto stays in contact with her have enough information to put together. biological mother and her half-siblings, Statistics by the Adoption Network Law both older than DiBenedetto with kids of Center explain that about 135,000 children their own. DiBenedetto’s brother was also are adopted each year, and there are 1.5 miladopted, so in addition to their mother and lion adopted children in the United States. father’s sides of the family, she also has her Among them are senior Emily DiBenedetbiological mother’s side and her brother’s to, sophomore Josie Santangelo and pastor biological family side.

SMILES EVERYWHERE: My adopted dad and I had travelled to Munich, Germany in 2015 (left) and the Adirondack Mountains in 2010 (right). Each travel reminded me of how lucky I was to have a dad like him, even if he isn’t my dad biologically.

“It’s just more people who love you,” DiBenedetto said.

I thought about my mom’s side and my adoptive dad’s side and how they all love me, but when I think about my biological dad’s side, love is nowhere on my mind. If he really cared and loved my mom and me, wouldn’t he make an effort?

Whitby grew up knowing he was adopted, like DiBenedetto and myself. However, he was never interested in finding his biological mom.

“I felt like I had a complete family and a complete life,” Whitby said. “So I never went looking.”

Whitby never received any significant object from his biological side like my VHS tapes or my rocking horse, but when he was 14, Whitby’s biological mom went looking for him and gave a handwritten letter to a caseworker that handled most of his parents’ foster care work. The caseworker gave the letter to Whitby’s parents directly and from there started a correspondence. At his high school graduation, Whitby met his biological mother and grandmother but didn’t meet his half-siblings until he was a graduate student.

As a junior, graduation is constantly on my mind, especially with all of the requirements and standardized tests I have to be prepared for. I’ve dreamt and written songs about my graduation and the party following it, with decorations, music, activities, friends, family members and sometimes my biological dad attending. I smile, thinking of meeting the man I’ve only heard stories about. I smile, thinking of looking at him in person rather than over a Facebook post that isn’t recent. I smile, thinking of holding the hand I had held at the zoo over a decade ago.

But then I remember my mom, the woman he loved. The woman who also held my hand at the zoo. The woman who loves me unconditionally and reminds me of that constantly. The woman who has raised and taken care of me for almost 17 years.

The woman who didn’t leave me. I don’t remember the initial pain from when he left the first time, and I don’t want my mom or anyone else he hurt to feel it again.

Santangelo, however, didn’t know she was adopted until she was 12 years-old.

Growing up, she constantly heard comments and questions of why she didn’t look like her parents, but she grew up without any knowledge that she was adopted. Santangelo can’t get in contact with her biological mom until she turns 18, a rule enforced by a document her biological mother had signed when Santangelo was put up for adoption.

Not due to legal documents, I also can’t meet my biological father until I turn 18.

Due to personal reasons, my mom thinks it’s better for me not to meet him, his girlfriend and my two stepbrothers until I’m older and more mature. However, over the summer, on the way to a mission trip, we made a pit-stop at a gas station and McDonald’s in what seemed like Middle-of-Nowhere, Ohio.

When we got to the church we were spending the night at later that evening, my mom told me that the pit-stop had been 45 minutes away from where my biological dad and his family lived.

When I got home a week later, I came home to my 13-year-old dog, adoptive father and half-brother. I came home to the rocking horse that my biological grandfather had made seventeen years earlier. I took it off of the shelf and admired the swirly patterns on the wood and my name written along the bottom of it. I heard my family laugh from the other room, which made me smile. I put the rocking horse back on the shelf and walked out of my room to join my family.

My family. Not half-step-unbiological-family, but my family. The family with the two parents who didn’t give up on me.

The family with the six-year-old brother who somehow makes embarrassing me work, even being ten years younger. The family who loves me and who I love. It’d be cool to meet my biological father, but even though we share genetics, I’ll never be his daughter.

ADOPTED WITH LOVE: Senior Emily DiBenedetto, who has been adopted her whole life, reconnected with her biological mother (left) during the summer of her sixth-grade year.

DiBenedetto now lives with her adopted brother and adopted parents (middle and right), while still keeping in touch with her biological mother and biological siblings. “It’s just more people who love you,” DiBenedetto said. (photo courtesy of Emily DiBenedetto)

What’s in a name?

One student’s tale of family regret

thin walls of our house and turned my music off. At 4:15 p.m. I went downstairs to say hello, bumping into my sister on the way. At 4:16 p.m. my sister told me my seven-monthold nephew had passed away.

As my mom pressed the green accept I was still scrolling down Instagram. button, four chubby faces looked at me from At 4:17 p.m. the weight of my sister’s the bright computer screen. FaceTime was words finally weighed down on me. I looked glitching, but I could make out the smiles on up in disbelief but saw that her tear-filled everyone’s face. Heaving a sigh, I eyes were telling the truth: a stood up from the sofa I was sittruth that I refused to believe. ting on and said my hellos to my Until that week, I had been cousins and their two toddlers. lucky enough to not have any Immediately after, I muttered immediate family pass away. All a quick goodbye about having I could think of were the missed homework due and left the room. chances I had to get to know my Grabbing my phone from my back nephew and all the times I had pocket, I scrolled through Insta“more important things to do.” I gram, double-tapping and comhad never really thought about menting. losing anyone, and this came as The next time my cousins a reality shock to my uneventful MANISHA FaceTimed us, I did the same. life.

And again.

Wanting to do something in PANTHEE And again. remembrance for him, I was goStaff Writer ing to post an RIP snap. Except ...

Every time, the conversations grew shorter and shorter. I never I could not remember his name. bothered to even have a real talk with the I could not remember my own nephew’s family I hadn’t seen in two years. name.

Until the Sunday of Jan. 14. at 4 p.m., I Sure, they told me his name when he was doing homework up in my room, CNCO was born. And yes, I asked my mom what blasting through the house. At 4:05 p.m. I his name was every time I forgot, but that’s heard my mom ring the doorbell. At 4:10 p.m. just the thing: I was not supposed to forget I heard hushed conversations through the my nephew’s name. The guilt and shame

BABY ANGEL: Sophomore Manisha Panthee’s seven-month-old newphew poses for the camera on several occasions. Panthee reflects on what his death means to her. (photo courtesy of Manisha Panthee) slowly enveloped around me like a suffocating hug, and I could not figure out how to break apart from the embrace. I wanted to call my cousins and offer my condolences, but the little devil on my shoulder mocked me. Do you really deserve to say that when you could not even remember their son’s name?

After my guilt came the anger. Why didn’t I ask my cousins what my nephew’s favorite color was? Had he started to say mommy and daddy yet? Had he started to crawl? It’s too late now. If I ask them anything, it will only remind them of the past. As for me, it will serve as a reminder that I chose not to care.

School psychologist Dr. Jay Kyp-Johnson says a close family or friend’s death can affect all parts of someone’s life. I found this to be true while doing even simple tasks. While eating dinner with my family, I thought

about how his family must be silently picking at their food. While walking home from school, I started to tear up at the thought that he would never go to school. While I lay in bed, I empathized with his mother who would never have the chance to tuck one of her sons to bed ever again.

While the circumstances were much less than ideal, I am thankful to realize that I cannot take people in my life for granted anymore. Anything can happen at any moment.

And if something does happen, I know I will kick myself for not taking those moments.

Because I still mourn. I mourn for my cousins whose memories will haunt them for too long. I mourn for my nephew’s brother, who had finally become used to not being the only child in the family. And most of all, I mourn for the boy whose name I never bothered to remember.

OPINION 5

prospectornow.com

Blood in the water?

Swim gym policy indicative of larger societal stigma *Name changed for confidentiality Senior Allie Baker* has never been able to wear tampons. Due to her mother’s concerns about toxic shock syndrome (TSS) (see edge), Baker sticks with pads whenever she is on her period. Usually, this is not an issue for Baker; she prefers pads anyways.

However, when the P.E. swim unit comes around, some complications arise.

In most cases, her period has not overlapped with the swim unit. On the occasions where it does, however, she found the rules to be less than convenient.

Last semester, Baker got her period during the swim unit. She got a note CASSIDY from her mother, exDELAHUNTY cusing her from the pool for three days.

Editor-in-Chief However, after her three days were up, she had to go back into the pool even though she was still on her period. Her teachers informed her that she could get a doctor’s note to excuse her for longer, but Baker is unable to wear tampons due to personal preference, not due to a medical reason.

According to a survey of 739 women conducted by the Centers for Disease Control, 62 percent of women use pads, compared to only 42 percent who use tampons.

On top of this, a study conducted by Euromonitor, a market research company, found that the average American woman purchased 111 pads in a year but only 66 tampons. The main reasons cited for the pad preference were similar to Baker’s: women see tampons as uncomfortable and do not want to risk getting TSS. According to Educational Support Personnel for Aquatics Bob Reibel, every concern a student has brought up has always been addressed. However, Reibel makes an important point about this matter.

“I hope kids do feel comfortable coming to us, but I know that’s not the case for everyone,” Reibel said. “We can only address concerns that we are aware of. So if someone doesn’t come to us, it’s hard for us to address that.”

In the process of writing this article, I experienced plenty of the discomfort that Reibel describes. I pitched the idea to a news-

paper staff composed of about half men, I discussed what I was writing with my fellow staff members, and I had to discuss the topic of periods as a whole with several people to conduct my interviews, most of whom I had never met or only met briefly prior to the interview.

Staff members’ faces turned red as soon as I brought up the story, and a female friend walked out of a conversation more than once to avoid hearing me say the word “tampon” 10 more times.

As you read this, you might even be uncomfortable. Is this topic even appropriate for a school newspaper? Why publish something so graphic where so many people will see it?

If my staff, myself, and even my readers are uncomfortable with this topic, how can we expect Baker and other students like her to confront their (possibly male) teachers about the explicit details of their periods?

As the policy currently stands, students can get three days to sit out of swimming where they will either complete a swim packet or another exercise, depending on the nature of their excusal. After the three days are up, students can either bring in a doctor’s note or have a discussion with their teacher to ask for an extension on their days out of the pool. Reibel mentions that for the latter, students will usually have to bring in a second parent note.

According to Health and P.E. teacher Cristen Sprenger, the three-day rule came from a combination of what the department thought was fair and discussions with other district schools with pools.

Sprenger says that, as a female teacher, she is sympathetic to students in situations like Baker’s. As an alumna of Wheeling High School, Sprenger had to deal with similar situations of her own during her high school days.

“I understand where girls are coming from,” Sprenger said. “But there’s a responsibility that the student needs to meet for our program. … We’re trying to stick with a policy that can be both fair to our program and fair to our students.”

According to Sprenger, the P.E. department handles each student case individually to help accommodate students’ unique situations, which was confirmed by Reibel. However, she also believes that consistency with the rules is important.

“The three day policy just goes back to what we felt was fair,” Sprenger said. “It wasn’t just related to a girl with her period; it could be related to someone who might be sick. We do look at sensitive issues, and it’s all about individual students and a discussion with the teacher.”

I will confess, I initially thought that the problem was the three-day rule; girls don’t have enough days, so give them more days.

SINK OR SWIM: A female student gets pushed into the pool. During the swim unit, some girls have been made to go into the pool when they are on their period due to a rule that only gives students three days out with a parent note. This can create issues for students who cannot or do not want to use tampons. (photo illustration by Erik Velazquez) However, Sprenger and Reibel are, admittedly, right. The three-day rule is a reasonable time limit, and students do need to be held to a certain consistent standard. The real issue lies with the discussion students must have with a teacher.

Most girls are willing to drop the issue once their time is up. It makes sense when you look at the options they’re presented with: find time before class to tell your P.E. teacher the gruesome details of your period, your cramps and whatever other issues you might be having, or just put on a pad, hope for the best and jump in.

The comparison to a simple injury is an unfair one. A broken leg or a sprained wrist is no source of shame. The public tradition of signing a cast is no way compares to the secret ritual of pretending to grab an extra pencil from your backpack but instead shov-

ing a tampon up your sleeve and darting to the nearest bathroom.

Expecting girls to have that teacher conversation is neither reasonable nor realistic, no matter how much those words might apply to the three-day policy itself.

But, it’s not exactly like this is just a Prospect issue. Women’s bodies are often viewed as more inappropriate than men’s, for whatever reason. Men’s health issues are issues for everyone, but women’s health issues can only be discussed behind the barricaded doors of a doctor’s office, lest you leave behind your polite, ladylike sensibilities.

A girl might jump into the pool, knowing full well her pad will do her no good, knowing full well that it’s either this or a discussion about her vagina with a authority figure, but hey, at least you’re not uncomfortable, right?

Curly-haired students go through less than smooth ordeal Sitting in my health class, I whipped around quickly as I felt a tug on my hair.

The boy who sat next to me had pulled my hair again.

He looked at me apologetically; he’s a friend after all.

“It’s just so tempting,” he says halfheartedly.

When my hair gets wet, lots of big curls spring up into tight coils, waiting to be pulled. At least that’s how most of my friends view it.

In fact, everyone views my curly hair differently. It seems as though the

CURLY: A student is distressed by her curly hair.

Students with curly hair often have trouble, whether it be from intrusive classmates, humid weather or out-of-control frizz. (cartoon by Katie Hamilton)

ratio of frizzies in my hair to compliments by my peers is equivalent.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t hate though, with many people in my life pressuring me to change my hair with the same force that a hot iron burns into my curls with.

My curly hairs biggest critic is the one who gave me the curls herself, my own mother.

Growing up in the humid, constantly rainy state of Oregon, my mom suffered through years of uncontrollable, puffy hair.

In her mind, if I have the opportunity to calm down my hair, why wouldn’t I take it?

She had to put up with her curls and frizz against her will — since the weather was so humid and hot irons were less popular — so to her it’s strange that I would choose to wear my hair curly if I could possibly have frizzy hair.

(Cue dramatic gasp).

When I wear my hair curly, I feel as though it is both a symbol of rebellion and individuality.

Sure, pretending I’m some all-powerful, rebelling teen is thrilling, but wearing my hair

naturally shouldn’t have to be I’ll shower, blow dry, then a power move. straighten my hair, only to There’s a certain stigma have to wake up early in the around curly hair, whether morning to straighten the that be it’s messy or unprofes- stubborn curls again. sional.

Yeah, teenagers like conEnglish teacher Nicole forming but have you ever Stoltz recalls always wearing thought they like sleep, too? her hair straight to important When I look in the mirror events like job inwhile straightterviews. ening my hair, I Even if it see a teenage girl wasn’t for a special constantly trying event, Stoltz would to meet society’s straighten her hair standards while in high school. her hair tries to “I wanted to fit keep its natural in; I didn’t want to curls. And a part stand out. I didn’t of my mind wants realize it was okay to keep my curls, to be different at too. Every time I RYANN that point,” Stoltz grab a new strand said. of hair, my mind HAROLD Especially as tries to grab onto Staff Writer some logical reateenagers, everyone is constantly son for straightentrying to fit in, to be apart of ing my hair. the pack. And for those with I’m pretty sure my brain is curly hair, this conformity more fried than my hair. comes at a price.

But at the end of the day, For years I’ve woken up when I hop in the shower I early every morning to have can smile knowing that no a battle between my curls and matter the physical heat of the hot iron, and every day I from a flat iron or verbal kind question whether or not it’s from criticism, my hair will worth it. always bounce back.

Coming home late at night,

6 IN-DEPTH

prospectornow.com

Grad s see k ear l y ou Early t g r a d as u optio

MANDI HALL

ation ser ve n for s senio rs

Copy Editor

P

HS graduate Annie Scherer said that graduating early wasn’t even an option on her radar until her parents sat her down one night after dinner during her sophomore year and asked what she thought of it. School was a lot of stress and pressure, and her parents thought it might be a good idea for her to take a semester off to relax and earn some money before starting college.

Liking the idea, Scherer decided to work towards graduating a semester early and did so this year.

While it is a less common option, some students decide to graduate high school early. According to counselor Cathy Hill, due to a policy set by the district a few years ago, students can only graduate a semester early instead of a whole year. While she doesn’t know exactly why the policy was set, Hill guesses that the district thought had something to do with the increase of AP classes and dual-credit opportunities.

According to Hill, when a student asks about the possibility of graduating early, the first thing the counselors ask about is if the student has a plan.

“Every student has a different reason,” College and Career Counselor Diane Bourn said. “A lot of students are maybe mature beyond their years and just say that they just want to be done with high school, and I can understand that. … My next question then is, ‘So, what are you going to do?’”

For the most part, Hill says that students choose to graduate early for one of three reasons: to begin college right away, to earn money with a fullt i m e job

I still wanted to have that traditional senior year, even if I’m not technically going to be there for it.”

- Annie Scherer, graduate

or to just to be done with school.

For Scherer, it was partially about earning money and partially about being done with high school. She currently works full time at Bradish Associates, a family- owned insurance company, as a personal lines intern. She plans to work for them until she heads off to college for the 2018-19 school year. She also plans to use some of her newfound free time to travel and visit family members who live out of state.

Besides having to take two single semester English classes during her first semester of senior year, Scherer didn’t really notice much of a difference in her last semester of high school.

“Everyone’s kind of wrapping up during their senior year because ... they’re trying to decide what are the next steps,” Scherer said.

“But for me it just came a little bit quicker. … Thanksgiving week is when it kind of hit me. Someone said that we had six weeks left of the semester, and I thought, ‘Oh, I have six weeks left of high school.’”

Scherer says that it wasn’t difficult to make sure that all her credits were in order to graduate. She had gotten her consumer education credit, her fine arts credit and taken Driver’s Ed as an underclassman.

Since she only needed one more extra English credit, she took two English classes during the same semester: Advanced Composition and Media Analysis. She said that other than having two term papers due in the same week, the workload wasn’t that different than it had been other years.

“It’s all planning, just like anything else in life,” Hill said.

According to Hill, it is rare that the counselors are approached by a student about graduating early. She only had four of her seniors graduate early this year, and it is the largest number she can remember having.

Many years, there are none. She believes that many don’t really think about it as an option because they want to experience their senior year.

“There’s a lot to be said about students spending their senior year in high school,” Hill said. “There’s a lot of

great opportunities, planning and maturing and that kind of stuff that goes into senior year.”

In fact, Scherer still plans on attending prom and walking at graduation.

“I still wanted to have that traditional senior year, even if I’m not technically going to be there for it,” Scherer said.

According to Bourn, students who choose to graduate early need to consider what’s next in terms of how it could affect college in the future.

“One of the big things that I try to caution students is that each college is different on their policy on what makes you a transfer student as opposed to an incoming freshman,” Bourn said.

Transfer students often lose the eligibility for certain scholarships for incoming freshmen, and, depending on the college, students can possibly lose the ability to be considered an incoming freshman by taking even one class at a community college. Besides that, Bourn says that colleges don’t usually have strong opinions about students who graduate early.

Hill says that when a student asks her about graduating early, she tries to discuss pros and cons and to help the student make the best choice for them.

“Everybody is so different; it really is so dependent on the student,” Hill said. “I think that some students are just really ready to move on and it’s a good option for them to be able to do that.”

prospectornow.com

IN-DEPTH 7

AYSE ELDES Copy Editor After being uncertain about his post-high school plans for a long time, senior Cymon Wind decided one thing was certain: he didn’t want a regular desk job. Wind knew he wanted to have an active profession in the future, one that would challenge him daily and grant him new experiences.

About six months ago, Wind made the decision to pursue a two-year associate degree from Harper College to become a firefighter. His decision wasn’t an arbitrary one. Although both of his parents received fouryear college degrees from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, his career plan actually follows in the footsteps of his father, who is also a firefighter.

“I like the idea of having a physical job where you’re doing things differently day to day, and the idea that Harper was the way to go through with that,” Wind said.

As current seniors make a dent in second semester of their graduating year, college-bound students are making decisions about what kind of post-high school education they want to receive. Among the options, Harper College makes the lists of students considering a less conventional path.

Through her observations, college counselor Diane Bourn estimates that 25 to 30 percent of Prospect seniors go to Harper after graduation. According

to the Community College Research Center, 38 percent of high undergraduate students attended public and private two-year colleges. Among community colleges across the country, NBC 5 Chicago reported Harper to be in 327th place out of about 1,500 community colleges in the U.S. Bourn states at the beginning of each year, only about 10 percent of seniors indicate Harper as their college destination due to hesitations about attending community college.

While Harper is a financially sound option for many, students can view it through stereotypes of community college education.

Wind confirms a natural “stigma.”

But rather than students, both Bourn and Wind believe parents have the most influence on this decision.

“I think it’s up to the families to decide what the best route for them is,” Wind said. “Did you allow for the stigma or stereotypes to force [your kid] to go somewhere your kid doesn’t want to, or make a decision that you’re not very committed to? I think that’s where the real mistakes are going to come.”

Wind believes Harper is the best fit for him because of its paramedic training program. For 2013 Prospect alum Chase Altmayer, Harper exceeded expectations as a community college and impressed him when he found out most of the staff had experience teaching at universities.

“I thought it was a lot nicer than

what most community colleges appear to be or mostly from what I hear,” Altmayer said. “Most community colleges aren’t that great, but Harper is pretty solid as far as community colleges go.”

Altmayer, who wanted to go into film since middle school, believes the financial benefit of pursuing Harper was its most compelling aspect. Altmayer knew going directly into film school would be an expensive choice, so he completed general education classes there before transferring to Chicago Film School.

“Some of my friends [at the Chicago Film School], they’ve gone to bigger schools, and they’re far more in debt than I am,” Altmayer said.

“That’s one stress I don’t have to worry about.”

Thinking back at his experience, Altmayer believes Harper is a good choice for students who know specifically what career they want because of its individually-geared programs.

Wind adds that it can be looked at both ways, with the option being the best choice for students who aren’t sure about their post-high school plans.

“Admitting that they don’t know what they want to do, but they’re just going to figure it out from there for two years, there’s pride in that,” Wind said. “Knowing what you want to do or not, you make a decision based on what you need, not what others say is the most important thing.”

HARPER PROMISE:

FACTS

THE

Harper enters graduation thoughts

Students currently enrolled in Harper Promise:

2900 1097 847

Freshman

Sophomores

Juniors

750

Students from D214 go to Harper College each year.

Harper Promise Requirements: Attendance

Max number of absent days permitted: Second semester of freshman year: 5

Academic Performance

Minimum annual unweighted grade point average :

Sophomore year: 9

Second semester of freshman year: 2.0

Senior year: 7 (3 tardies equal one absence)

Junior year: 2.25

Junior year: 8

Sophomore year: 2.25

Community Service

At Harper

Second semester of freshman year: 5

Students conintue for four semesters

Number of volunteer hours required: Sophomore year: 10 Junior year: 15

Senior year: 2.3 (No semester grades of D or F during junior or senior year) Muse meet minimum credit standards each year

Senior year: 20

After the first tuition-free semester at Harper: worth of 60 credit hours

Minimum grade-piont average: 1st semester: 2.2 2nd semester: 2.3 3rd semester: 2.5 4th semester: 2.5 No grades of D or F or withdrawal.

(info courtesy of High School District 214 and Harper College)

Weight of the wait: deferral

mitting one anyway.

However, as said by Bourn, it is important to not bombard the school while trying to impress them. The News Editor main purpose of deferral statements is to provide the school with reassurance that you’re interested.

When students get deferred from a university, their “I think it’s the college saying, ‘Do you really want initial thought is anything but happy. However, when us, or were we just one of the many schools you applied Senior Alyssa O’Connell was deferred from Harvard and to?’” Bourn said.

University Chicago, her initial reaction was excitement.

Senior Patrick Kelly-Dutile was initially disappointReceiving a deferral and getting placed on a waitlist is commonly associated with rejection. However, ac- ed when getting deferred from University of Notre cording to College and Career Counselor Diane Bourn, Dame, but later realized that he could’ve been rejected.

Since then, Dutile has sent out other college applications students should look at them differently from rejection. and has been patiently waiting to hear back from the de“I think the student should feel positively about the ferred schools. decision,” Bourn said. “It According to Bourn, it is means you were qualified important to have a backup for admission, but there school in mind in case of deferweren’t enough spots.” ral or waitlisting. If a student O’Connell knew that is deferred, they will hear back getting deferred means before May 1, giving them the that you still have a chance to further their applicachance at being admitted. tions at other schools. On the DEFERRED (Early Decision): According to O’Connell, other hand, when a student is students shouldn’t take Student’s acceptance gets waitlisted, they have to fully it personally because commit to another school bepostponed to the regular you never know what the cause they won’t hear back from college is looking for in a decision deadline. a waitlisted school until after prospective student. the regular decision deadline.

Since being deferred, Getting accepted off of a school’s O’Connell has been waitlist allows students to reWAITLISTED (Regular Decision): working on improving scind any commitment to other her applications for Students get placed on a waitlist schools. other schools, as well and don’t hear back from the uniAfter being deferred or waitas sending in deferral versity unless there are openings listed, waiting to hear back can statements. This is usube frustrating. Kelly-Dutile said ally a one page email in the freshman class. that it is just another frustrating talking about your feelaspect of a long process. ings about the school’s “It kills me a little bit inside, decision and whether or but I know that whatever needs not you would attend if to happen is going to happen,” accepted. In some cases Kelly-Dutile said. a deferral statement is re-

NICHOLAS EGEA

What do they mean?

POSTPONED: Senior Alyssa O’Connell reads a deferral letter from Harvard University. Unfortunately, O’Connell has had to yield her Harvard ambitions until further notice. “I would say don’t take it personally,” O’Connell said. “The college admissions process is a game; you don’t know what they’re looking for.” (Photo illustration by Nicholas Egea)

quired, but Bourn would always recommend sub-

8 FEATURES

prospectornow.com

MINTER: Experience accelerates to new role CONTINUED from front page

Freshman wins ‘Whiz Kids’ LIFELINE: Freshman Claire Goodman and her dad Steve pose for a picture on the set of “Who Wants To Be A Millionare.” Claire was a contestant on the show and Steve was her lifeline. “It was lucky, it was exciting and it was a once-in-a-lifetime memory all of us were able to share together,” Steve said. (photo courtesy of Claire Goodman)

ERIN SCHULTZ Associate Editor-in-Chief

F

K

reshman Claire Goodman is agnostic and played Jesus Christ in an Easter Pageant. She is agoraphobic but played Wilbur in Charlotte’s Web. That’s what her mother Loren wrote in a paragraph to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on why Claire would be a good candidate for the show’s “Whiz Kids” week.

Loren submitted the application in February 2017, not expecting anything to come of it.

But the show’s producers called in June and interviewed Claire over Skype. They asked her 30 practice questions, and, by the end of the call, they asked when she could film.

Claire’s parents, Loren and Steve, along with her three younger siblings, all four grandparents and one aunt, flew to Las Vegas in August to see Claire compete. The experience resulted in Claire winning $30,000.

In preparation for the show, Claire used the trivia website Sporcle and played all the mock “Millionaire” games she could find on the internet. Her younger siblings and father also quizzed her, but she learned most of what she knew at the Science & Arts Academy in Des Plaines, where she attended middle school. This is also where she learned how to have a confident stage presence.

“I felt right at home on stage. ... I felt completely confident. It was almost an out-of-body experience,” Claire said. “Beforehand though, I was almost throwing up. I was so nervous, and the anticipation had been building up for days and days, just waiting backstage.”

o h Wws no

There were three days of filming and Claire didn’t compete until the third day, but she didn’t know which day she’d be called to the stage. So for the first two days, Claire and Steve sat in a white tent behind a Valli Produce in folding chairs, along with the other 30 Whiz Kids. They weren’t allowed to have electronics or books, so they socialized with the other contestants for about 14 hours each day.

“One of the coolest parts was meeting a lot of other kids who were outgoing, high-achieving performers,” Claire said. “We were stuck together in a room and we were telling stories.

We played hangman on paper plates; they used the strangest, most obscure, scientific words. I made a lot of great friends.”

When it was finally time for Claire to compete on the third day, she took her place on stage across from host Chris Harrison, and Steve sat in the plus one seat; he was one of Claire’s lifelines. Loren and the rest of Claire’s family were seated in the audience.

“It’s so hard to watch your child go through something like that and to be sitting there watching, not being able to help,” Loren said.

“I had to almost physically cover my mouth to keep myself from yelling hints out. Not that I knew the answers, but just advice.”

Claire answered her first seven questions correctly until she summoned her father to the stage.

The question Claire asked for Steve’s help with was, “If taking 10,000 steps is roughly equivalent to walking five miles, about how many steps would it take to walk one complete lap around the equator?”

Steve, a math teacher at Glenbrook North, in his head, answered every question Claire re-

Junior Matt Donzelli The Boyfriend

Junior Ella Marzolf The Subject

B

Y et to u er?

The Great Gatsby

Junior Helen Siavelis The Best Friend

ceived. He had a feeling she would call on him for this one because he gave a math question in one of his classes where one needed to know the radius of the Earth.

“I’m very glad she called me down for the question that she did because there were some of the others that I didn’t know,” Steve said.

“Claire and I did the problem four times to be sure. I don’t think I’ve ever checked my work so many times on a problem in my life.”

Claire answered the next question correctly, but walked after that. She ended up winning $30,000 in total.

Claire plans on donating most of the money to the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights, The Science & Arts Academy and an organization that sends girls in Africa to school. She will also be paying for her siblings’ and parents’ airfare to Las Vegas since they flew in to see her. She will save the rest for either college or a car.

“Without [The Science & Arts Academy] and the Metropolis, I wouldn’t have been able to answer half of what I did,” Claire said. “Those organizations are close to my heart.”

Loren and Steve think this is a wise choice and only have one restriction on how she spends the money.

“We’re definitely not going to let her use little parts of it to go out and buy an iPhone one day or go out and buy a new outfit the next day.

She won’t be taking parts of it to go to the mall,” Loren said.

But Claire and her parents are just glad they had the experience.

“It was lucky, it was exciting and it was a once-in-a-lifetime memory all of us were able to share together,” Steve said.

10 Things I Hate About Chocolate You chip cookies

these next steps. Although he officially becomes principal on July 1, Minter is currently making some decisions for next year, including finding a replacement for Social Science Division Head Gary Judson and a new associate principal as well as sectioning classes for next year.

In the upcoming years, he is also looking to put more emphasis on career pathways and allowing students to create a four-year plan in order to prepare them for college.

Giving students more opportunities to earn college credit through dual-credit classes and AP classes is also a goal of Minter’s. However, he is also wellaware of the stress that some students feel and wants to show them that there are many different ways to stand out to colleges.

“You want to take challenging courses in areas that you enjoy and that pertain to your interests, but you don’t have to take every one of them like that,” Minter said. “Then you can find some time after school to pursue some of your other interests and build some skills in those areas because that’s going to make you a little more [of a] healthier, well-rounded and a hopefully happier person.”

Mirandola is optimistic about the future, as he says that Minter, a good friend and mentor to him, is a great leader because of his ability to lift other staff up.

“Whenever you’re looking to go ahead and take on a new initiative, [Minter] always finds a way to help you do that,” Mirandola said. “That doesn’t mean that everything that you do is always going to happen, but he always finds a way to give you the resources and the ability to make a positive impact. And really that’s what great leaders do because when you have a bunch of teachers and other building leaders that are empowered to make a difference, that’s when you see a snowball effect of positive change.”

Dowling agrees, as she will miss the school, but is also hopeful about Prospect’s direction under Minter’s leadership.

“I’m excited,” Dowling said.

“I’m happy for the school. Whenever you leave, you want to know it’s in good hands because this is your baby, this is what you’ve worked on for so many years.”

Physics

P

Favorite book?

Harry Potter

Milk and Honey

Favorite movie?

10 Things I Hate About You 10 Things I Hate About You

P

Favorite dessert?

Brownies

Ice cream

Caramel iced coffee with cream, sugar

P

T I E

Dunkin’ Donuts 3rd period order? class?

Caramel iced Spanish coffee with cream, sugar

Spanish

P

Medium iced coffee with cream, sugar

T I E

FEATURES 9

prospectornow.com

Junior cup stacker joins national team NICHOLES SCHAUER Executive Visuals Editor

T

he three previous unsuccessful tournaments now-junior Tyler Forte competed in during 2017 left him with little hope for the future. Although cup stacking had been his passion, he had left each subsequent competition with mediocre scores that reflected only small improvements in between.

Forte’s fourth competition was different. This time around, his practice had paid off. Once he finished his final stack and the buzzer went off, his spectators of family and friends erupted in cheers.

Forte set the world record for the 3-3-3 cup formation at 3.97 seconds in Connersville, Indiana, as well as the 3-6-3 formation and Cycle formation stack record (see “A Brief History of Cup Stacking”). Cup stacking, a sport where players compete to stack special regulation cups in as little time as possible, rarely sees feats like these. His records were eventually beaten, but they led to Forte’s invitation to Team USA. Team USA consists of about 140 stackers and represents the United States in competitions around the world. Forte was invited due to his previous notable success in regional competitions.

For stackers to even be considered for Team USA, they must compete regionally and nationally with notably faster times than their peers. Team USA members cannot nominate themselves and must rely on their practice and success to receive a nomination from the team itself.

Forte’s world records proved his skills which led to his team invitation. Besides the three set at his fourth competition, he also set two more world records on April 23, 2017.

The cup stacking phenomenon revealed itself to Forte around seven years ago. After he found videos of stackers on YouTube, he used Dixie and Panera cups to try stacking himself. After his parents took notice, they bought him a regulation set of stacking cups

KNIGHT OF CUPS: Junior Tyler Forte demonstrates his cup stacking abilities. Throughout his cup stacking career, Forte has set multiple world records and has competed on an international level as a member of Team USA. (photo by Nicholes Schauer) that he used to enter an official competition.

Forte started competing in tournaments, which are higher than local competitions, in 2015.

“It was the start of a new experience for me,” Forte said.

His parents believed and hoped the sport was just a phase. They particularly did not appreciate how noisy and lengthy his practice sessions became, but the constant practice legitimized the interest Forte held in stacking.

Willing to set aside the displeasure brought on by the noise, Forte’s parents

supported him by bringing him to competitions and purchasing the equipment Forte needed. Forte now owns 41 sets of cups, which amounts to over 500 individual cups.

The material on the bottom of each cup is removed to limit air resistance, and the outside of each cup is textured to allow for a better grip. One set can cost upwards of forty dollars.

Forte enjoyed his competitions, and the world record he set during his fourth finally solidified his parents’ support. Now that they had seen Forte’s interest was more than just a phase, they became willing to travel longer distances for tournaments.

Tyler Forte’s parents go to tournaments and cheer him on, while also supplying money for equipment.

Forte has traveled to other states and countries, which connects him to other stackers through social media platforms such as Instagram as well as in-person socializing. The culturally diverse stage of people he has met has ex-

Check out prospectornow.com to see Tyler Forte in action posed him to a supportive social network, as other stackers can often provide advice and emotional support.

Forte has never taken breaks longer than a month from practicing cup stacking. According to Forte, stackers usually stay with the sport until finishing of college. In the near future, Forte hopes that he may compete in the Junior Olympics.

“Once a stacker, always a stacker,” Forte said.

A Brief History of Cup Stacking

In 1981, after seeing his children discontent with traditional sports, Wayne Godinet procured paper cups and asked his children to stack them on top of one another as fast as possible.

After seeing the potential in his backyard game and how much his children enjoyed it, he acquired plastic cups and added a hole into the bottom of each one. Before long, he began to sell it as a product, proceeding to move over 20,000 units by 1990.

The prominence of the sport led to its debut on The Tonight Show, which spread the sport’s influence even further. The World

Sport Stacking Association was established in 2001 to formalize local and national competitions. “Stacking” spread like wildfire.

Competitors of the sport compete in preliminary, finals and Stack of Champions competitions. Preliminary competitions are used to time and qualify ten people for finals.

The three fastest stackers of all competitive divisions go on to compete against each other in the Stack of Champions.

The United States’s elite stacking team, known as Team USA, numbers around 140 participants. It stands alongside other national teams from countries such as Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong and Chile.

3-3-3 cup stacking formation

3-6-3 cup stacking formation

10 ENTERTAINMENT

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Out with the old, in with the new GRACE GIVAN Executive Entertainment Editor

Students and Psychologist give advice on how to stick to a New Year’s Resolution

Top five New Year’s resolutions 1. Lose Weight 2. Quit smoking 3. Learn something new 4. Eat healthier 5. Save money According to TIME

How to eat a more balanced diet -Eat more fish -Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables -Do not skip breakfast -Eat less than six grams of salt per day According to NHS Choices

A

s sophomore Angelica Bielawski’s striped water bottle fell off of her desk and shattered to pieces, she realized she had to pause her New Year’s resolution.

Bielawski, who had made it a personal goal this year to drink a certain amount of water every day, immediately bought a new bottle to prevent losing her resolution. According to Elite Daily, Bielawski’s concern was not unfounded, as 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail by the second week of February.

An exception to this statistic, Bielawski has achieved multiple New Year’s resolutions in the past, such as getting more A’s and being on her phone less.

She believes part of her success was due to always keeping her goals in the back of her mind. At the end of every year, Bielawski writes a letter to herself about her life at that moment lists her new resolutions on the back of it.

“Writing them down is really important because it shows that you are making a commitment,” Bielawski said. “You can remind yourself … that it was important to you at one time.”

To also achieve her resolution of becoming more independent by getting a job and her driver’s license, Bielawski says that the first step was planning.

She had to take into account her time commitment to gymnastics and the possibility of not being hired where she applies for a job.

“I feel like if you don’t plan things, no matter what it is, it’s just not going to happen,” Bielawski said. “If you really want something, and you are really going to prioritize it, you need to plan it out to make sure that you follow through with everything.”

Like Bielewski, junior Mike Tuleo finds it helpful to keep track of his resolution progress during the year. To keep track of his daily meditation, he currently uses an app called Habit Tracker. The app, which he discovered from a YouTube video, gives him percentages of how consistent he’s been in achieving his goals.

Tuleo meditates every day before or after school. After a daily reminder from his app, he checks off a box to

indicate that he’s meditated.

“People have to know that [they] are While Tuleo finds the app helpful, going to … go back to their old behavior,” he thinks that telling people about your Kyp-Johnson said. “Behavior change goals is a better way to hold yourself actakes concerted effort and attention over countable to a resolution. Tuleo’s family a period of time.” did not have any influence on his resoluBielawski countered her behavior tions for this year, but he believes they with turning off her data so she wouldn’t encourage him, unlike the tracker app. be able to get notifications in the first “The app doesn’t know if I just check place from social media. it off and didn’t do it, but my family will Extinction bursts are not the only know that I didn’t actually meditate that thing that can get in the way of a resoday,” Tuleo said. lution. Tuleo, for example, found a roadWhile these strategies block this year because can be helpful, school of a busy schedule. psychologist Dr. Jay In order to make Kyp-Johnson says time for meditatthat making longing, Tuleo wakes up term lifestyle 15 minutes early or changes can gives himself less consist of big lounge time after roadblocks. Acschool. Bielawski cording to concurs with Kyp-JohnTuleo that son, sturearranging dents can schedules and experience priorities is what is necessary for called an change. Once extinction she gets a job, burst after she is going to making a have to rearresolution. range her priAn extincorities when it tion burst is comes to workwhen a pering and spendson changes ing time with something friends. about them“Getting selves but a job is a big feels an urge commitment I to go back to [would] have their origito prioritize,” nal behavBielawski said. ior. In fact, “I can’t just be according to doing whatevKyp-Johner I want. … son, a Overall, missperson’s ing a Friday - Angelica Bielawski, sophomore night would be previous behavior ends worth it in the up coming back with end when I can 20 percent more of its original strength. pay for things on my own.”

An extinction burst can take place The sense of accomplishment at the in different forms: an action or just a end of each year is what makes it all thought. For example, when Bielawski worth it for Bielawski. had a New Year’s resolution to be on “I feel like every year, I can just look her phone less when around friends, she back at my resolutions, and I just feel found herself having trouble keeping her good to know that I did all of them,” phone out of her hands. Even if there Bielawski said. “And so I grew as a perwere no important notifications, she son that entire year, and it feels good to would involuntarily reach for her phone have goals and achieve them.” from time to time.

I feel like every year, I can just look back at my resolutions, and I just feel good to know that I did all of them. And so I grew as a person that entire year, and it feels good to have goals and achieve them.”

Prospect Portfolio: Madeleine Flanagan, Sophomore Q: What do you plan on doing with art in the future?

A: Next year I am taking AP Art. I already took regular art; I’m taking photography now. For a long time, I wanted to be a screenplay artist for animated movies, but eventually that morphed into [wanting to] be a director.

Q: What is your favorite kind of art?

A: I really love impressionism. It’s always

just looked really appealing to me and pretty. I think there’s a lot you can express with the colors and style.

Q: Why do you like art in general?

A: I think it’s really beautiful what you can cre-

ate with your own two hands. Just anything, not just drawing, not just painting, but with architecture. It’s just all so beautiful. And you can see a lot about the person who is creating it. I’ve just always loved it.

prospectornow.com

ENTERTAINMENT 11

New tech director welcomed to theater JENNA KOCH Entertaiment Editor

P

rospect’s new tech director Andrew Glasenhardt had never considered being a part of theater until his freshman year of high school at what is now DePaul College Prep. His cousin from a different high school was playing Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” and invited him to help work on sets. It was then that he discovered his passion for set design, and he continued doing it throughout his high school and college years.

This eventually became his career.

Glasenhardt hopes to instill this same passion of technical theater into Prospect’s tech crew as their new director.

Before his work as a tech director, which began five years ago, Glasenhardt did different jobs with technical theater, such as stage managing, electrical work and carpentry for all types of productions.

He has worked at several Chicago theaters and is currently working for Theater Wits and American Theater Company.

Of the many sets he’s worked on, Glasenhardt ranks his favorites as “The Curious Case of the Watson Intelligence” and “10 out of 12.” Both had very complicated moving parts and elements that were difficult to build. Some of these elements included a 12-foot revolving circle, a murphy bed and

a wall that went halfway up the stage.

In “10 out of 12,” which is about a tech crew whose set falls apart, Glasenhardt had to make a 700 pound, 24-by-18 wall that would fall onto the stage, but the cast members would be standing so they would go through a window. He used different lights to make the wall look like it was sparking as it fell on the cast.

“Those challenging things are what make my job fun,” Glasenhardt said.

However, complicated sets can be a source of stress. In About Face Theater’s production of “After All the Terrible Things I Did,” the size of the set was an issue. The scenic designer didn’t look at the drawings of the space, so the set ended up being too big. Glasenhardt and the rest of the tech crew were limited on time and had to come up with quick solutions before showtime.

“I’ve got those sets that I’ve spent every waking hour trying to complete,” Glasenhardt said.

Glasenhardt calls himself a bit of a perfectionist, a quality which he finds helps him in his job.

“I spend a lot of time just making sure I do everything right,” Glasenhardt said. “I like to make sure that the seams aren’t noticeable and that the audience actually enjoys watching the show.”

While always interested in technical theater, becoming a tech director was not his initial plan.

READY SET: Tech Director Andrew Glasenhardt designed the set of “All the Terrible Things I Did.” According to Glasenhardt, the books were donated from Half-Priced Books, which supplies their unwanted books to theaters. (photo courtesy of Andrew Glasenhardt)

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTING: One of tech director Andrew Glasenhardt’s favorite sets was the one he designed for “The Curious Case of the Watson Intelligence.” It had a 700-pound, 24-foot long wall that needed to drop on the actors. “Those challenging things are what make my job fun,” Glasenhardt said. (photo courtesy of Andrew Glasenhardt) He originally wanted to go into stage management, but Columbia College Chicago, his alma mater, didn’t have a program for that.

And after realizing that he didn’t have an eye for scenic design, he naturally was drawn to technical theater.

“I love technical theater. … I do a little bit of everything,” Glasenhardt said. “Tech direction just sort of fell into my lap.”

Most of Glasenhardt’s teachers at Columbia also had jobs in their field. He helped many of them on productions and started working professionally around his freshman year of college. He found that many of his peers were not willing to take every set-building opportunity like he did. Glasenhardt is certain Prospect’s tech crew will exemplify the same hard working attitude.

Glasenhardt met Fine Arts Coordinator Jeremy Morton

through a mutual friend in theater.

And after Glasenhardt helped on Prospect’s production of “The Rose and the Rime,” Morton was convinced that Glasenhardt’s previous experience made him the right fit for tech director.

Glasenhardt and Prospect’s tech crew will start construction on “Nine to Five,” Prospect’s spring musical, around the end of February. While construction is far away, he and Morton have already planned out most of the set and calculated the budget.

Glasenhardt has worked with high school theaters before. While he has not interacted with the Prospect tech crew much yet, he hopes to get to know them a lot better and understand their skill level.

“The most important characteristic is his knowledge … and the second is how to teach and how to instruct the students on what they’re doArts ing and why they’re doing it,” Morton said.

The most important characteristic is his knowledge … and the second is how to teach and how to instruct the students on what they’re doing and why they’re doing it.”

- Jeremy Morton, Fine Coordinator

THE PROSPECTor PResents: The prospect panel

12 SPORTS

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Girls’ gymnastics wins East Division JACK ANKONY Executive Sports Editor

T

he varsity girls’ gymnastics team started their tri-meet against Hersey and Wheeling on Jan. 18 with five falls on the beam, an uncharacteristic stat according to head coach Bridget Erickson since the beam is usually the team’s best event.

“That rocked the boat a little bit,” Erickson said. “But it kind of took the stress away and the nerves away from these guys because they were like ‘Okay we lost,’ because we had to beat Hersey to win [the MSL East], and we had to do our best.”

Though the Knights were dealing with the injuries of freshman Olivia Tader, who was returning from an illness, and senior Rosie Barros, who was able to compete only in beam because of a dislocated shoulder, the team did not skip a beat the rest of the meet.

The Knights rallied behind the strong performances from sophomore Jill Schmit, freshman Naiya Rooks and Tader, which lead the Knights to victory secured the MSL East title. (See “East Champions”) “We were all really excited,” Barros said. “I think it motivated us a lot because the next day at practice we were all really excited to be there.”

Erickson explained that she and Schmit weren’t aware that the team won the East until they were talking with reporters after the meet. “[Schmit] was talking to a reporter, and she didn’t believe him,” Erickson said. “Then we heard it announced, and so then everyone kind of freaked out and was very excited.”

Part of this excitement came because heading into the season, the Knights were not expecting to win the MSL East.

“I had no idea [if we had a

East Champions

We are all motivating and pushing each

On Jan. 18, the girls’ gymnastics team beat Hersey and Wheeling 132.78-132.40 to win the MSL East. Here are the results:

All-Around

other to be better, and we realized that we are a good team and we want to win.”

• Freshman Olivia Tader 36.40 • Sophomore Jill Schmit 34.40

Vault

• Freshman Olivia Tader 9.25 • Freshman Naiya Rooks 8.60 • Sophomore Jill Schmit 8.60

Bars

• Freshman Olivia Tader 9.25 • Sophomore Jill Schmit 8.90

Beam

• Freshman Olivia Tader 9.20

-Rosie Barros, senior

chance of winning] then at the beginning of the season our scores just kept going up,” Erickson said.

“Then at first I was thinking that we were getting a little bit overscored, and then I started looking at the other scores from other teams, and I started looking at other scores from last year and I was like ‘This might be possible.’”

This was the Knights’ first MSL East title since Barros’s freshman year, showing great improvement within the program.

Barros credits the addition of Tader and Rooks, who do club gymnastics, as a big reason why the team improved so much this year.

“I think our attitude coming into the season was that not a lot of us knew each other,” Barros said. “We lost a lot of seniors, and I think we all started to bond and get to know each other, and that really helped.”

Barros thinks that once this year’s team members realized that they could be successful, it moti-

Floor

• Freshman Olivia Tader 8.70

KEEPING BALANCE: Senior Rosie Barros sticks a landing on the balance beam during practice on Jan. 30. Barros helped lead the Knights to win the MSL East division on Jan. 18. (photo by Erik Velazquez) vated them to accomplish their team goal of going to sectionals. In order to do this, the Knights will need to place first or second at regionals.

“I think we are all motivating and pushing each other to be bet-

ter, and we realized that we are a good team and we want to win,” Barros said.

Improving on overall form at practice has been a major reason the Knights have made a big jump from last season, according to

Schmit.

Though she thinks this has happened gradually, she has seen more motivation and hard work during practice from the whole team.

“Coach Erickson’s biggest message to us has been to not slack off,” Schmit said. “I definitely think we are all motivated because we have gained much more talent, so we are motivated to work at it.”

As the team now shifts their focus to qualifying for sectionals by placing in the top two at regionals, Barros envisions the beam as being the difference maker on the team’s success.

“I think all of us need to be healthy and keep our motivation up by remembering what it felt to win the East,” Barros said. “We may not win conference, but as long as we keep that confidence and energy up, we can do it.”

Silky smooth in transition Lovin returns from maternity leave, girls’ basketball success continues CONNOR GRAVER Sports Editor A head coach taking a leave of absence can derail a team’s season and playoff hopes, especially for a high school team. Head varsity girls’ basketball coach Gabrielle Lovin took time off to give birth to her son, but she was reassured knowing Assistant Coach Andrea DiPrima and Interim Head Coach Marie Miller would be more than able to lead the team. Miller, a Prospect basketball alumni formerly known as Marie Baker, is usually the Freshman A head coach but was given the opportunity to lead the varsity

Sharp Shooters Clutch Shooting • Senior Emily Frasco is 38 percent on field goals this season • Junior Stephanie Kowalczyk is 40 percent on field goals this season Scoring Machines • Senior Emily Frasco is averaging 15.9 points per game this season • Junior Ashley Adams is averaging 9.5 points per game this season

team temporarily.

Miller coached the first eight games of the season and finished with a 6-2 record, while DiPrima has been the assistant coach all season. DiPrima says that she benefits the most from two different coaches because each coach tends to focus on a different aspect of the game. Miller is stronger in post play while Lovin speaks more to guard play.

“I think it shows [the team’s] resilience,” Lovin said. “Adapting and adjusting to multiple types of offenses and defenses and philosophies shows their strength.”

Another reason the girls are so successful is the chemistry they have with the coaching staff. Over the course of the season, the girls and coaches have grown close to each other, and it shows with the five-game win streak they experienced in November and December.

During the streak, they picked up two critical wins. One on the road at Buffalo Grove, and another at home against Hersey.

Prospect won both games by two points.

“Honestly, the relationships with the girls make it so fun,” DiPrima said. “They have long days, we have long days, and being able to come here and let out all of our energy makes it so much fun.”

Having an interim head

Honestly, the relationship with the girls makes it so fun.”

- Andrea DiPrima, assistant coach

KNOCKDOWN: Senior Emily Frasco prepares to take a shot in a game against Buffalo Grove on Jan. 26. Frasco is shooting 38 percent on field goals this season, and shooting 78 percent from the free throw line. Frasco will take her talents to the University of Alabama-Birmingham next season. (photo by Leo Garkisch) coach requires important players to step up and lead the team. Lovin and DiPrima spoke of every player stepping up and leading but particularly senior Emily Frasco and juniors Stephanie and Jessica Kowalczyk.

Stephanie is in her first full season on the varsity squad and takes ownership and action in her new role as a starter and an upperclassman.

Another starter that took ownership of her role is Frasco. On Nov. 8., Frasco officially committed to play Division I basketball at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Lovin noted it was a special moment for the group and a big step forward for the program.

Frasco is only the third girl in the Prospect basketball program in the last five years to commit to playing Division I basketball.

With Frasco and the Kowalczyks, Prospect will finish out play in the MSL East in February, hopefully with a division championship. They look to take that success into a deep playoff run.

“Our biggest goal is to go far in the playoffs,” DiPrima said. “We’ve talked a lot about what our goals are, but we’ve gotta put those into action. If we’re able to really execute and follow through on the things that we’ve talked about that we want to do, I think that’s how we’ll get there.”

SPORTS 13

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Athletes tackle ACL recovery process JACK ANKONY Executive Sports Editor

O

n the last play of a 7-on-7 scrimmage during July football camp, sophomore receiver Brian Doherty planted his right leg to make a cut, and his knee gave out.

Initially, Doherty was able to walk off the field and thought he would only be out a day or two, especially after the trainers thought it was just a strained muscle.

However, throughout the next few days, whenever he would try to run, cut or catch passes, his knee would give out. Nothing was improving, so he decided to visit a doctor where he found out his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) was torn.

“When the doctor told me, I was really mad and upset,” Doherty said. “I kind of thought ‘Why me?’ because getting called up to varsity as a sophomore, getting the starting position, and then not even a month into summer camp your season is done.”

Like Doherty, sophomore Jalyn Mosley, junior Sam Hwang and senior Grace Inorio have also suffered torn ACLs in the past year in their respective sports. According to a study done by the American Academy of Pediatrics in Dec. 2016, the incidence rate for ACL injuries has risen 2.5 percent annually for females and 2.2 percent annually for males over the past 20 years.

The risk for females peaks at age 16 and for males at 17.

According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, the function of the ACL is to prevent forward movement of the tibia off of the femur, as well as hyperextension of the knee. By preventing these motions, the ACL provides stability to the knee joint and allows for dynamic motions.

ACL injuries have also been common for professional athletes, like former Bulls’ point guard Derrick Rose, and more recently, Eagles’ quarterback Carson Wentz.

Doherty thinks these cases have created a stigma around ACL injuries that scared him at first, especially since knee injuries have ruined Rose’s once-promising career.

“I knew it took a long time to recover, knowing about Derrick Rose, which scared me a lot,” Doherty said. “When I found out [I had a torn ACL], I didn’t know if it would take two years to get back to 100 percent, but now that it happened, and seeing a ton of NFL guys like Julian Edelman do it, I realized that it all depends on your rehab process.”

Prospect athletic trainer Katie Cottin thinks that high school athletes looking at injuries of professional athletes can sometimes be misled. Cottin points out running back Adrian Peterson’s six-month recovery from a torn ACL. “[High school athletes] might think ‘Oh, he made it back in 6 months, why can’t I?’” Cottin said.

“But they don’t realize that with professional athletes, that is all they do. They can spend hours doing rehab and treatments in order to progress faster.”

Cottin also attributes the difference in the speed of recovery to high school athletes being less muscularly developed compared to professional athletes, whose bodies are fully grown.

While ACL injuries used to end athletes’ careers in the 1970s and ‘80s, doctors today are able to repair the injury in a way that allows athletes to return to their

Sophomore Brian Doherty

(photo courtesy of Brian Doherty) sport sooner.

According to what Russell F. Warren, MD said on the Hospital for Special Surgery website, early methods of surgery involved repairing the ligament or using a synthetic material to replace the ligament, but the failure rate was very high.

Today, the most common corrective procedure for this type injury is ACL reconstruction, which involves replacing the entire ligament with a tendon graft.

In athletes who play sports that demand constant pivoting, ACL reconstruction surgery is often the best option.

Before the change, an athlete’s return to sport was 12-18 months, compared to 8-12 months now, and sometimes even 6-7 months for professional athletes.

According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, about 70 percent of ACL injuries in athletes happen through movements like pivoting, cutting, sidestepping, out-of-control play or awkward landings, while about 30 percent of ACL injuries occur from contact with other players.

There is also speculation that specializing in one sport and focusing on only that sport year-round can cause injuries because athletes are constantly working the same muscles.

“I definitely think that sport specialization can play a role in injuries, but that is not to say that ACL tears are becoming more prevalent because of specific sports,” Cottin said. “If you are breaking it up with a couple different sports, your body is not doing the same repetitive things for 12 months a year. You might be doing it for six months, but your body is doing a completely different skill-

set and is learning other movements for the other six months. I think talking to each individual athlete and seeing where they are at and what their best option [is] is helpful.”

The different causes of this injury can sometimes make it hard to diagnose, especially for junior football player and wrestler Sam Hwang, who injured his knee in week two of the football season but still played through the rest of the season.

Hwang did rehab on his knee for a month at Prospect after thinking the injury was something minor. Little did he know that after a visit to the doctor’s office a week before the wrestling season, that his season would come to an early end.

“The first reaction I had when I found out that it was torn was that I was very surprised because I didn’t feel that much pain in my leg,” Hwang said. “I was able to go through everything the rest of the [football season].”

Though Hwang agrees that his knee could have been reinjured throughout the season, he thinks the toughness he gained during the season will help him in his 6-8 month recovery process.

“Knowing that I did all of that before, now I am definitely going

Junior Sam Hwang

(photo by Erik Velazquez) to try to get stronger and make this leg way stronger than it was before,” Hwang said. “Now I know that if I have pain, I can go through it.”

On the other hand, the second Mosley heard a pop in her knee after lunging forward to dribble the ball during a soccer tournament in Florida on Dec. 10, she knew something was torn. Mosley was unable to walk on her own and was taken off on a golf cart to do tests on her knee.

Cottin explains that two tests are performed on the athlete’s knee immediately after the injury: the Lachman and the Anterior Drawer. These tests help Cottin and the Prospect athletic trainers evaluate the laxity, or looseness, of the ligament in the athlete’s knee.

Cottin then compares the injured knee to the athlete’s other knee to make

an accurate diagnosis.

For Inorio, setting small goals To Mosley, the injury was obvi- like this has been hard, as she now ous, and after roughly a month of enters her 14th month of recovery. physical therapy to strengthen her Inorio initially tore her ACL, MCL hamstring and quadriceps mus- and Meniscus while making a cut cles, Mosley received surgery. during volleyball camp in the sumMosley is committed to the Uni- mer going into her junior year. versity of Iowa to play soccer. She “It hurt realexplained that ly bad,” Inorio the coaches at said. “But the Costly Injuries Iowa have been sound was alvery supportive most like crumthrough the pro- • Roughly 150,000 ACL injuries bling. I was cess and that account for $500 million in health wearing a knee she still has a care expenses brace because I scholarship to had already had play there. They • 70% of ACL injuries are caused knee problems connected Mos- by movements like pivoting, cutting, before, so I kind ley with their sidestepping and out of control of just thought surgeon and play or awkward landings. that this actualmedical team, ly is bad.” which has made After a recov• 30% of ACL injuries come from the recovery ery process that contact with other players. easier for her. included Inorio “I feel like it relearning how • ACL injuries typically put athletes is always a worto walk, she was ry because it out of their sport for 6-12 months. finally feeling had never hapbetter in August pened before, so (Info courtesy American Orthopedic of 2017. Inorio I had no idea,” Society for Sports Medicine) tried out for the Mosley said of volleyball team the possibilithis past fall but ty of losing her scholarship. “But did not make it for a reason she has once I talked to them, they were come to accept. really nice about it and supportive, “One of the things they told me and that really lifted a burden and was that they thought that I was made me feel so much better.” playing timid on my knee and that For Doherty, the process has I wasn’t ready, and they were probgiven him a new perspective on ably right,” Inorio said. football.

However, recently she has “It has made me appreciate footbeen having more trouble with ball so much more,” Doherty said. her knee, describing the ligaments “I realized how much I loved playas feeling “loose.” Inorio thinks ing it and how bad it is to just sit that she could need more surgery, on the sidelines seeing your team- which would prolong her recovery mates play without you.” into spring. She hopes to either To combat this, Cottin tries to play softball or run track but is act as a shoulder to lean on for athwary to pitch again because her letes while they recover. original meniscus problems were “A big thing to preach to them caused by pitching. is to still be a part of the team, Though the causes of ACL injuwhether there is a way for them to ries and reactions to the recovery contribute even if it is not on the vary from person to person, Cottin court or on the field,” Cottin said. thinks that the guidelines for phys“I think [that] is the hardest thing ical therapy stay consistent. for some athletes to understand afDuring the first one to three ter sustaining a big injury.” months, Cottin explains that the foIn addition, Cottin tries to set cus is on the light range of motion small goals for athletes along the and quad exercises that are nonway to keep a positive mindset. weight bearing, working on getting She will first start by trying to get flexibility back in the knee. After the range of motion back in the progressing to weight-bearing exathlete’s knee. For example, Cottin ercises during months three to six, athletes can start jogging and doing more high-intensity exercises.

“At the start, it was rough, and I was just thinking, ‘I have to do this for six months?’” Doherty said. “I was probably in the second week thinking that this was going to take forever. Once it started progressing, and I started getting stronger, I was getting excited to go there just to feel 100 percent again.”

Usually, the last phase of recovTORN: Sophomore Brian ery in months 6-12 is when the athDoherty (top left) lines up for a lete can start to do more sport-specific movements like running, play during freshman football. cutting, sprinting, hard stopping Junior Sam Hwang (middle) and going and any sport-specific recently received ACL surgery. drills, according to Cottin.

This graphic (above) shows Once athletes have completed where the ACL is in the knee. recovery, Cottin says they are given an ACL-specific knee brace to will measure the angles of their prevent future tears. range of motion each week to show Though tearing an ACL for a the athlete’s improvement. second time is less common, it is “Those small goals help them still a possibility and impossible to stay on track and help them real- prevent completely. ize that they have made improve“Wearing this brace is definitements even if they think they havly helpful,” Cottin said. “It helps en’t,” Cottin said. with the mental process of coming back. Knowing that they are going to have something on their knee that is going to help save them per se is definitely a big aspect of it.”

Once Mosley returns, she thinks she will approach soccer in a new way. Being away from soccer has given her a new perspective since she had practice or a game nearly every day before her injury.

“I definitely won’t take soccer for granted anymore,” Mosley said. “I think every practice and game I will go in wholeheartedly and really give it my best.”

14

Perfect Game The girls’ bowling team took two points away from the Fremd Vikings on Jan. 22. Senior Allison Buck had a high game of 203. For more info on their current season head to prospectornow.com

SPORTS FEBRUARY 1, 2018

Kreidler bounces back from injury ANTHONY SANTANGE LO

Sports Editor

I

t was just another practice in the summer of 2015 for junior Jon Kreidler’s All-In Athletics travel basketball program. Scrimmaging at the end of their practice at Maine East High School, Kreidler took a hard fall at the baseline.

As Kreidler put his head down, his teammate’s shoulder rammed into the back of his head.

“I got hit in the neck, and I went numb from the waist up,” Kreidler said. “I couldn’t feel anything. …

Whenever I would move my upper body, [I felt] much of a tingling sensation throughout my arms and shoulders.”

Unfortunately, the feeling of pain and numbness in his spinal area led Jon and his father, Joe Kreidler, to go to the emergency room.

At the hospital, Jon found out from the doctors that he had been born with spinal stenosis. This disease is common in most people over the age of 50.

Spinal stenosis puts pressure on the spinal cord and the nerves within the spine. It commonly occurs in the neck and lower back.

Jon doesn’t have enough spinal fluid to support his neck, so if he gets hit hard, his bones will shake, causing a tingling sensation

Kreidler’s Contributions • 68% (49-72) 2PT FG • 46% (12-26) 3PT FG • 62% (61-98) FG • 67% (20-30) FT • 154 pts, 9.1 ppg • 54 reb, 3.2 rpg • 31 ast, 1.8 apg • 15 stl, 0.8 spg Stats as of Jan. 22 The Knights will face Rolling Meadows on Feb. 2.

“It is not going to be easy to beat them,” Kreidler said. “We just have to come out ready to play, start fast, hustle. It’s a big game.”

“That was when the doctor told [Jon] he could never play basketball again, and so the initial reaction was just one of devastation. To have that taken away from Jon was heartbreaking as a parent.”

-Joe Kreidler, father of Jon Kreidler throughout his body. When he got hit in the head, the spinal fluid had very little space to move causing a feeling of paralysis in his upper body.

“I didn’t think that [my fall] was anything major,” Jon said. “I’d felt that tingling sensation before, just not as bad as when the injury was.

I thought that maybe I would be out for a few days, not for almost half a year.”

Joe also did not think that there was anything physically wrong with Jon when he witnessed the fall.

“My first reaction was that it was a minor injury,” Joe said.

“He was able to sit up on his own, and one of the moms there was a nurse, so she was talking to him.

He wasn’t screaming in any pain, so I really didn’t think it was much of a big deal.”

The first doctor Jon visited told him that he could never play basketball again.

“The initial reaction was just one of devastation,” Joe said. “Jon has been shooting hoops since he was ten months old. … To have that taken away from John was heartbreaking as a parent. As we

Athlete: Andrew Baysingar Year: Junior Sport: Wrestling Record: 34-3 Weight class: 126

COMPOSED: Junior Jon Kreidler focuses on a free throw during the boys’ basketball game on Jan. 26 versus Buffalo Grove. In this game, Kreidler scored a career-high 18 points. His big game helped the Knights move to 7-0 in the MSL East and 15-4 overall. (photo by Erik Velazquez) went to see more doctors and realized he could play again, there was a lot of hope. There was hope that he would be able to get [on the basketball court] again.”

Jon went to a total of five doctors. The first two doctors advised him not to play again, while the last three said that, with physi-

Q.

What has been your most memorable meet this season?

A.

“My most memorable meet for me personally would have been Barrington. I was just coming off an injury and it was proof to myself that I am fine, I am still in this.”

Q. A.

How have you improved personally this season?

“Technique-wise, I have been focusing a lot on little details, just finishing my takedowns right off the bat and little technicalities [as well].”

cal therapy, he could eventually be well enough to get back on the court.

According to Joe, he and his family were not concerned with a fast recovery. They were instead focused on a quality recovery, which led them to see multiple specialists. They went to Rush Hospi-

tal in Chicago and visited another specialist in Park Ridge.

Jon had to go through almost five months of physical therapy at Athletico during the first half of his freshman year in 2015.

At physical therapy, he focused on strengthening his shoulder and neck muscles so he would have better protection around the spinal area.

Ultimately, Jon was determined to come back to basketball once his body physically allowed him to.

About halfway through December during his freshman year, Jon was able to make his Prospect debut on the Freshman A team.

It was a Saturday morning and the Knights were taking on Elk Grove.

According to Jon, it was a surreal moment because, almost six months prior to his first game back, he was told that he may never play basketball again.

“You know basketball is a very social sport,” Joe said. “It’s a game you play with teammates. … Part of why it was devastating [for Jon being unable to play] was not only losing the playing which you love but losing that camaraderie that you have built up with the guys.”

Jon went from almost never playing basketball again to starting as a junior on the varsity basketball team.

He now has the third most points on the team, averaging 9.1 points per game and has the highest field goal percentage of any starter at 63 percent.

Playing basketball does put a risk to Jon’s health. If he were to suffer a violent hit to the back of the head or spinal area, he could become paralyzed permanently.

According to Jon, there is a very minimal chance of this happening while playing basketball.

He does not think that any bad collisions will occur because they are pretty rare.

He is very grateful for his parents through the months of recovery that he and his family had to experience.

“Through the injury process and the recovery [my parents] were just so supportive,” Jon said.

“They got me what I needed. They got me to a great physical therapy place, and they got me back to playing the way I was.”

Q. A.

What makes this year’s team special?

Q.

How did Matt Wroblewski winning state last year inspire you this year?

A.

“Well, it was just a really fun experience. I had a really enjoyable time watching him because in my mind I already knew he was going to win, so just watching it play out like I thought it would was a really cool experience.”

“This year’s team is special for us because we want to get back to team state. ... We have a real good chance of being able to do that this year if everyone pulls through and is able to wrestle to their ability.”