Online issue 8

Volume 67, Issue 8

Friday, April 11, 2014

The voice of Prospect since 1960

THE

ROSPECTOR

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The United States has been dealing with the war on terrorism for a long time, but how much good have our anti-terrorism efforts done?

To read one columnist’s opinion on the topic go to...

ProspectorNow

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9 Opinion ProspectorNow

Caffeine craze Many teens drink energy drinks, but do they know the health risks?

A new law in Illinois could prevent teens from drinking these caffeine-filled cans.

To learn more, go to...

5 Features

Let’s talk about sex From students regretting their first time, to the embarrassment of buying birth control, the Prospector tackles this sensitive issue in...

6-7 In-Depth Dancing queens

REACHING OUT: Often in time of need, it is important to help those dealing with self-harming by encouraging them with positive thoughts and letting them know they have your support. While usually stigmatized as suicidal behavior, self-harm is an issue many teens are dealing with in the face of ever-growing societal expectations. (Graphic by Rich Futo)

Students struggle with self-harm

By Andi Hayes

Associate Editor-in-Chief

*Names have been changed for confidentiality

This past weekend, Orchesis traveled to Miami to perform in the National High School Dance Festival. To learn about the journey to performing at this prestigious event, leap to...

11 Entertainment

Junior Allison Marshall* has struggled with clinical depression and an anxiety disorder for years but only started self-harming a year ago. Marshall’s self-harm was triggered by the built-up stress from having a bad day and the increased academic and social expectations from being in high school.

“I didn’t really have any concerns about my health or

safety [when I self-harmed] because you’re not really thinking clearly when you’re doing it,” Marshall said. “You’re kind of just numb.”

Marshall kept her cutting a secret from friends and family by wearing long-sleeved shirts, keeping her arms at her sides or crossing her arms so that no one could see the cuts on her forearms.

Despite keeping quiet for so long, Marshall recently confronted her parents about her self-harm about a month ago by showing them her cuts so she could finally get help. For her, this meant going to see her

therapist more often and looking into a new antidepressant.

“I wouldn’t say that I wanted them to know that I was cutting myself, but I wanted them to know how much I was struggling so that I could get some help,” Marshall said.

Because of its secretive nature, self-harm is more common than students think; according to selfinjury.com, 15-20 percent of adolescents engage in it. Furthermore, it is extremely important for those who self-harm to get help as soon as possible and not brush aside the issue at stake.

While it’s typically not

meant as a suicide attempt, self-injury is an unhealthy way to release emotional distress, anger or frustration. Those who self-harm are usually extremely secretive about it and tend to dismiss any concerns from friends and family (see “Warning signs of self-harm”).

According to mentalhealthamerica.net, it is extremely common for students who self-harm to be dealing with other mental disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and

See SELF-HARM, page 3

Orchestra adjusts to changes, alum named new director

By Nabi Dressler Editor-in-Chief

‘94 graduate Peter Weber played the trumpet while he was in Prospect’s orchestra. On March 3, Weber had his first day as a member of orchestra again, except these days, he’s the orchestra director.

As a student, Weber looked up to his music teachers, former Director of Bands David Morrison and former orchestra director Gary Parker.

“I don’t know if I ever envisioned myself [teaching] at this school, but I really wanted to do what they did,” Weber said.

This year isn’t the first year Weber has been at Prospect, though; he served as Interim Director of Bands in ‘03-’04.

Back then, it took Weber a while to call his old teachers by their first names, but it isn’t a problem now.

“It’s fun being on the other side,” Weber said.

Weber heard about the orchestra director job opening through a mutual colleague.

According to Weber, the job was also posted on various websites like the Illinois State Board of Education website, making it available to anyone in the nation. After he applied for the job, Weber was interviewed and then conducted a class with the concert orchestra. He then had a follow-up interview and was offered the position.

He first attended Illinois Wesleyan University and later got his master’s degree in music at the University of Houston and taught there for a year. His first high school teaching job was as the band director at Lopez High School in Brownsville, Tex. Before returning to Prospect this March, Weber was the band director at Conant High School.

Weber believes his previous experience in orchestra will benefit him as the new director.

“I think for the immediate future, it gives me a leg up because although some things have changed, the overall culture and climate of the school is the same,” Weber said. “The biggest thing AND 1,2,3,4!: New orchestra director Peter Weber conducts the orchestra during a

fifth period rehearsal. Weber was selected to this position from a nationwide search See ORCHESTRA, page 2 after former director Patrick O’Connor resigned. (Photo by Rich Futo)

2

News

April 11, 2014

prospectornow.com

Ukraine crisis hits close to home

By Grace Berry Staff Writer

French teacher Kathryn Wilkens imagined her first time traveling to Ukraine as a positive and light experience. She pictured fields of Ukraine’s national flower, the sunflower, the bright blue and yellow flag and the Ukrainian dancing she did when she was young.

But she also imagined the dark side of Ukraine her grandmother talked about. Wilkens’ grandmother was interrogated by the KGB, the former Soviet Union security agency, when her grandfather escaped the Soviet army after being drafted against his will. He ended up in a prisoner-of-war camp until after WWII. The KGB suspected Wilkens’ grandmother, Maria, of receiving enemy information from her husband.

Wilkens pictures Ukraine as a country of extremities. She had scheduled her trip to Ukraine two months ago.

She was planning on traveling with her mother, Lydia Wilkens, who immigrated to the United States from Ukraine at age 15.

The trip was planned for Lydia’s 70th birthday Dec. 5. Lydia had been back Ukraine once, in 1997, since emigrating.

They were planning on visiting the places where Lydia grew up.

“It was a part of my mom’s life that I don’t know about… and I was looking forward to exploring that side of her identity,” Kathryn said.

She has since cancelled her trip because of the build-up of conflicts near Kiev, the capital, and the Crimean Peninsula. They were scheduled to travel to L’viv, then the Carpathian mountains and on to Kiev. They were to stay with Lydia Wilkens’ cousins throughout the trip.

While the conflict in Ukraine may seem far away from Mt. Prospect, it still hits close to home. Some students have family and friends in Ukraine and go through the day worrying about them.

Junior Viktoriya Kozlovska grew up in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, and immigrated to the U.S. at the end of fifth grade. She is half-Russian and half-Ukrainian, and her grandparents, cousins and many of her friends still live in Ukraine.

The conflicts are difficult for Kozlovska and her family in Ukraine who have to worry about being killed.

Kozlovska hopes the eastern and western parts of Ukraine unite because they’ve had different viewpoints for so long. She doesn’t want Ukraine to join the European Union.

She is also upset that many of her classmates don’t know about the conflicts that have been worrying her family. In Kozlovska’s U.S. History class, her teacher was discussing the issue. Most people in the class didn’t know what was happening, and some didn’t even know where Ukraine was.

Also from Ivano-Frankivsk, sophomore Svyatoslav Lenyuk supports Ukraine joining the European Union, so he supported the protests when ousted President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign the agreement that would allow Ukraine to join.

He is worried that since Russia has gained control of Crimea, it will keep taking more of Ukraine. He is angry that the Russians invaded the Crimean Peninsula, and doesn’t believe the government is doing so to protect the Russians that live in Ukraine, despite their public claims.

His aunt and uncle are trying to find ways to help without protesting, while his grandparents do not want to join the protests because they are so violent.

His aunt works at a factory that

RUSSIA

UKRAINE

CRIMEA

REVOLUTION: Crimea is the Ukrainian peninsula that is home to a predominantly Russian population. The conflict in Ukraine affects both staff members and students, but some students remain indifferent about the conflict. (Graphic by Nabi Dressler) makes pillows, blankets and sheets.

Since she is a senior manager, she can allow the distribution of blankets to the protesters who sleep outside.

Some students joked that Lenyuk might have to call himself a Russian in a few weeks.

“Students are aware of [the conflicts in Ukraine], but they’re kind of laughing about it,” Lenyuk said. “It bothers me a bit.”

AP Human Geography teacher Erik Hodges has tried to fit the Ukraine conflicts and other important world news in his curriculum. Even if it does not fit, he talks about it anyway because he believes it is important.

“To be an engaged global citizen, it is important to know about things that are going on in the world,” Hodges said.

“This is eventually going to impact the

ORCHESTRA: Alum leads former activity, looks forward CONTINUED from front page

feedback on their formations but mostly watches videos of with Prospect students is their performances and gives that they’re involved in many them advice.

Now that Weber is at things, so I’m able to anticipate that. Sometimes you run Prospect, he’ll be able to work into conflicts, and in order more with PMK. He writes drill for Wheeling to make it all work with not just the students but everyone and other Midwestern schools throughout the building, as well as schools across the you have to be flexible and country and the Yokohama Inspires Drum and Bugle accommodating.”

Weber has been writing Corps in Japan.

Weber’s interest in writing drill, or designing marching band shows, for the Prospect drill began his junior year.

Marching Knights (PMK) He tried out for the Cavaliers since 2000. He visits their Drum and Bugle Corps (CDBC) rehearsals and offers in Rosemont and the director of the CDBC and Morrison introduced him to drill writing.

Senior and concert master Becky Kreidler, first chair of violin, believes Weber’s Prospect roots can help the program, and students have already benefited.

Orchestra is working towards its spring concert in May and students are trying to improve their performance in time.

Kreidler said Weber has been great about stepping in at the middle of the year.

“It’s kind of like jumping on JAMMING: Orchestra director Peter Weber plays the a moving train trumpet as a senior at Prospect. He is a ‘94 graduate. from a standing

position,” Weber said.

Kreidler said the school year has been strange for the concert orchestra, which consists of mostly freshmen and some sophomores, who haven’t gotten a consistent orchestra experience.

“Having somebody here this last quarter will be good for [the underclassmen] to be really sure of... what orchestra is,” Kreidler said.

According to Kreidler, the upperclassmen have dealt with the changes in leadership better because they can take on added leadership to keep the room on task and practicing.

Despite the inconsistency earlier in the year, Kreidler said the two substitute teachers were excellent at helping to run orchestra smoothly.

From about October to March, Parker became the second substitute, coming out of retirement to keep the program going. Because of Parker’s previous experience, Kreidler said all performances went on as planned.

For Kreidler, trips for performances are an aspect of orchestra she hopes stays the same going forward. Weber also wants to give the students performance opportunities.

Besides seasonal performances through

U.S. because we are going to have to get involved.”

He dislikes the apathy some students have towards this conflict, and he got upset when he showed a video in one of his classes about the protests and some of the students were more worried that the audio wasn’t syncing up with the video than the hundreds of people who are dying from the violence across Ukraine.

Kathryn said she has had more Ukrainian students this year than ever before. Although she did not end up taking the trip, many of them urged her to because they love their country so much. “[The Ukrainian conflict] seems very surreal to me, as it does to many of my students and even my mom,” Wilkens said.

Everybody, not only the students but the administration and all the teachers, have been incredibly warm and welcoming. I’m just tremendously excited to be here.

-Orchestra director Peter Weber Prospect and collaborations with other programs, Weber wants orchestra to continue performing in festivals and competitions in other states and even other countries.

Weber wants one major trip every four years so all students get to go on a big excursion during high school.

Kreidler would also like it if student solos during performances stayed.

“It’s a good experience to step outside of your comfort zone and have students have the opportunity to play a solo,” Kreidler said. “Not everybody’s going to continue or major in music in college, so it’s nice to have that experience here before people go off to college.”

Kreidler also believes it would be beneficial to return to night rehearsals. Her freshman year, night rehearsals were hosted twice a month on Wednesdays, and she believes orchestra has stepped back the past few years in terms of rehearsal time.

According to Kreidler, in the short time that Weber has been here, steps in the right direction have been made. “[Weber] is definitely taking charge of the classroom, which is nice because when you’re a

sub, it’s not as authoritative,” Kreidler said. “It was a little more chill of an atmosphere, and now it’s more like, ‘This is class, and here we go.’ So that’s nice because we have been missing that a little bit.”

Kreidler said Weber has made a few changes to when practice starts and better enforces what students should and shouldn’t be doing in class.

For instance, when the strings, winds and brass practice together once or twice a month, they’ll start at 11:20 a.m. as opposed to 11:30 a.m. Orchestra members have complied to the change.

“So far for me, [the students have] been great,” Weber said. “Not only are they incredibly friendly, they’re willing to try new things.

Obviously I have my own teaching philosophy and my own personality. Everybody, not only the students but the administration and all the teachers, have been incredibly warm and welcoming. I’m just tremendously excited to be here. I’m looking forward to the future. I’m looking forward to working with my music colleagues. They’re great people. They’re great teachers.”

prospectornow.com

April 11, 2014

SELF-HARM: Imperative that suffering students seek help CONTINUED from front page Bipolar Disorder.

Despite dealing with an anxiety disorder since middle school, senior Nicole Thompson* never received help for her cutting that started junior year.

However, since mid-summer, Thompson has taken a new anxiety medication that has significantly reduced her desire to self-harm. Nevertheless, the idea is omnipresent because of its addictive nature.

“I can’t say that the thoughts [of self-harm] don’t pass, but [with] my state of mind on my new medicine, it’s easier to just say no,” Thompson said.

Self-harm, which begins as acting on negative impulse thought, can be addictive because of its quick relief. This dependence on temporary emotional relief can quickly escalate into a compulsive habit.

This idea of self-harm as an

escape brings self-harmers a false, temporary sense of relief that hinders getting help. According to helpguide.org, the act of self-harm itself causes the brain to go into self-defense mode and release endorphins to give self-harmers a temporary high that leaves them wanting more to repeat the effect.

It is important for those who are suffering from self-harm to reach out and get help as soon as possible, whether it be talking to a friend or seeing a guidance counselor.

Guidance counselors Rachel Brill and Cathy Hill ran a help group four years ago for students who suffered from thoughts or acts of self-harm.

The group would meet once a week every week and discuss what coping mechanisms they would use to combat their want to self-harm, emphasizing healthy, positive choices.

Through this group, students were able to remind

themselves of their goals and communicate with Brill and Hill about how to stay positive in the future and better their lives.

Some of the more common coping methods are listening to happy music, journaling, building positive support systems or expressing oneself through art, which Thompson herself does.

Another technique is exercising, which Marshall does every day after school to give herself endorphins in a healthier way.

“If I work out right when I then...it helps soothe the depression, so then I don’t feel the need to hurt myself later on in the day,” Marshall said.

While reaching out to a guidance counselor may be easy for some, many of those who self-harm do not want to reveal their secret habit.

Thompson, for example, did not tell her parents or therapist about her self-harm but would

News

3

Warning signs of self-harm Self-harm is more prevalent than thought amongst teens, with 15-20 having done it some time during adolescence, according to selfinjury.com. Whether it be a close friend or a peer, it is important to be aware of the signs of self-harm to help those get on the right track to recovery.

Signs of self-harm: -unexplained frequent injury, including cuts and burns -wearing long pants and sleeves in warm weather -low self-esteem -difficulty handling feelings -needing to be alone for long periods of time lean on her friends for support when she was feeling low.

Self-harmers’ friends are often the only ones in on the secret; however, it is imperative for them to recognize that their friend needs help. While they may feel it is not their place to tell a trusted adult or that telling will ruin their friendship, Brill assures that that is rarely the case.

“I’ve never heard of a friendship ending,” Brill explains. “... You see the sign of relief of ‘Oh, finally somebody knows.’

I’ve also seen a lot of friends say, ‘I want you to talk to [someone] about this’ or, ‘I’ll even go with you’ because sometimes it’s just a matter of having enough guts to walk through the door, and once kids are [get-

ting help from a counselor], they’re usually OK.” Whether it be taking the first step and telling a trusted adult or talking about it with a friend, getting help is the best way to move on with life and stop self-harming.

“Make sure [you talk to] somebody you feel comfortable with,” Marshall said. “Sometimes your parents are the hardest people to tell about it, but if you tell a school counselor or go see a therapist, they see this kind of stuff every day, and they’re not going to judge you… They completely understand why you do it, so they’re not going to freak out.

[It’s really important] to talk to somebody about it if you [selfharm].”

Exchange exchanges chaperones Student: Senior Max Daleiden

Favorite day: La Sagrada Familia, Night Soccer, Spanish restaurant, Discoteca (club).

His experience: “Definitely my favorite [place] was the La Sagrada Familia because all of our jaws just dropped because it’s just the coolest thing ever,” Daleiden said.

By Shreya Thakkar News Editor

Normally, teachers who take students on an exchange trip speak the language of the country they’re visiting. However, this past spring break, the French exchange received a little taste of Italy.

Italian teacher Antonino Bondì accompanied the 13 AP French students traveling to Mount Prospect’s sister city, Sevrés, France, a town just outside of Paris, as a part of the foreign exchange program. Social Science Division Head Gary Judson also went on the exchange, which lasted from Wednesday, March 18, to Thursday, March 27.

French teachers Scott Russell and Kathryn Wilkens couldn’t attend due to personal commitments, as Russell’s wife recently had a baby, and Wilkens went to Hawai’i for her mother’s birthday.

According to Bondì, non-language

Student: Senior Angela Bilancia (center) Favorite day: Piazza Erbe (shopping center), La Arena, and Juliet’s Balcony (filming location of Romeo and Juliet).

BONJOUR PARIS: Thirteen students who attended the French exchange pose on top of the Arch of Triumph.

(bottom letft)

teachers occasionally go on the exchanges, such as social science teacher John Camardella, who went on the Italian exchange for the first time over this past spring break. However, as neither Bondì nor Judson speak French, this is the first time where neither of the teachers who went on the exchange spoke the language.

Realizing that teachers needed to be recruited for the exchange, Russell approached Bondì because of his prior experience taking students abroad on the Italian exchange. After consideration, Bondì decided to accept the opportunity because he wanted to take on a greater leadership role in the foreign language department.

Bondì didn’t anticipate major problems with communication because although he can’t speak French, he understands some due to its similarities with Italian. However, Bondì wasn’t fully confident in his understanding of the language prior to the exchange.

When senior Hannah Rose found out Russell and Wilkens weren’t attending, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Nonetheless, Rose still believes the trip was enjoyable.

“It was everything I wanted it to be and more,” Rose said. “It was definitely different because we had spent four

years with Wilkens and Russell, and of course we had wanted them to be there, but it wasn’t possible. We didn’t speak French probably as much as we would have if we had gone with two fluent French speakers, but otherwise, Judson and Bondì were amazing. We met their wives, too, and they were so fun and carefree. They’re awesome people.”

According to Bondì, communicating didn’t end up being an issue.

“Prior to the exchange, I definitely wasn’t as confident in comprehending French,” Bondì said. “But after being immersed in the language, not me speaking it, but just hearing it all the time, I was able to pick up on it more than before the exchange. In the end, it worked out fine, but I just didn’t develop an ear for [French] until I was in Paris.”

Unlike the Spanish and Italian exchanges, who met their partners in the fall, French students met their partners for the first time in France, which was nerve-wracking. According to Rose, students going on the exchange were “freaking out” over whether to greet their partner with a handshake, hug or kiss because in France, people are greeted with a kiss on each cheek.

Additionally, she was worried about the quality of her French because when she Skyped with her partner, Cyril Balaÿ, she realized his English was exceptional because his international school requires all students to have resided in an

Her experience: “We got to see everything we’ve learned about.” Bilancia said. “Just observing the culture was really cool.”

En-

glish-speaking country for at least two years.

However, once she was in France, her worries diminished. “[Meeting Cyril for the first time] was way less of a big deal than I thought it would be,” Rose said. “His family was great. They were so welcoming.”

Rose eagerly awaited April 10, the arrival of the French to Mount Prospect because of the close bonds she built through the exchange.

“I think [the exchange] was just really cool,” Rose said. “Not only were we in Paris, which in itself was a whole different world, but we also had correspondents, which I think is the best part. It’s so cool and unique that we have people our age that we can talk to because we can actually get to know the French lifestyle, and I think that was my favorite part… Since we’re going to have friends in another country, it’s going to be so easy to go back, and they can come visit

4

News

April 11, 2014

prospectornow.com

Missing Mandarin Language to be eliminated due to lack of participation

By Eva Schacht Staff Writer

Prospect has an average 17:1 student-teacher ratio according to U.S. News & World Report. However, some classes are much larger than that, with numbers up in the 30s.

For Prospect’s Mandarin program, 17 kids would be a dream number. Currently, there are only 24 kids in Mandarin 2 and 3.

Due to lack of interest from incoming freshmen and current students, Mandarin 1 will no longer be offered. Each year at Prospect, another level will be eliminated until the Mandarin program is completely retired.

Next year, there will be one class of Mandarin 2, and one class of 3, 4 and AP. Incoming freshmen will still be able

to test into Mandarin 2.

According to Social Science Division Head Gary Judson, only five incoming freshmen were enrolled in Mandarin 1. The first year Mandarin was introduced, 22 students signed up for level 1, and 11 students were enrolled in level 2.

The Mandarin program is young compared to other languages at Prospect. Mandarin was introduced five years ago by the district.

The initial interest came primarily from South Middle School; 20 students wanted to enroll in a Mandarin program.

Such a small number is hard to work with because not all the students will stay through all the levels. According to Judson, there was an agreement to try to keep the program going for at least five years. “[We wanted] to see if the program would grow, but it never really took off,” Judson said.

If students choose to take Mandarin 1 next year, they can, but it comes at a price. Students will have to provide their own transportation to either Hersey or Buffalo Grove, which both have relatively strong Mandarin programs with approximately 40 kids per class.

Judson believes the reason for the difference is neither school has the same variety of language choices as Prospect. Their primary languages are Mandarin, Spanish and French.

According to Judson, Mandarin would take approximately two periods out of their day, one period for the class and one period for commuting back and forth between schools.

Mandarin teacher George Kang will remain here for now, and his future is up to him.

Kang has no opinions on the discon-

Hello. (Ni hao)

What is your name? (Nee jaow she me ming ze?)

MANDARIN NO MORE: Students sit in their Mandarin 1 class. Starting next year, Mandarin 1 will no longer be offered at Prospect. “[We wanted] to see if the program would grow, but it never really took off,” Social Science Division Head Gary Judson said. (Photo by Shreya Thakkar) tinuation of the Mandarin program. ly, and there are a lot of kids that want Kang has a job at Prospect as long as to learn it,” Angela said. there is a job available.

Students currently enrolled in Man“The class is going to stay the same darin will be able to finish out the prountil the program ends,” Kang said. gram and receive the mandatory high No other language or elective will school credit, which is two years of a replace Mandaforeign lanrin. There is a guage. possibility of a According future reappearto vistawide. ance, but it will com, Mandepend on the fudarin is the ture demand of most widely students. spoken lanThe news guage in the came as a shock world. Over to some families. Translations by Angela Roman one billion of According to the world’s Judson, parents population were very upset, but once they saw the are Chinese speakers. Out of the entire numbers, they understood why the pro- population, 23 percent speak Chinese gram was being eliminated. while only 8.3 percent speak English.

The news was a surprise to sophoJennifer believes the discontinuamore Angela Roman’s mother, Jennifer. tion affects students the most because According to Jennifer, there was no no- they won’t be able to understand the tification sent home to parents. culture of the growing Mandarin lanSophomore Angela Roman was also guage. upset when she heard the news.

“Greater support could have been “Mandarin is going to become one made for the program to ensure future of the biggest languages international- viability,” Jennifer said.

I go to Prospect. (Woah chi Prospect)

prospectornow.com

April 11, 2014

Features

5

Energy drinks pose health threats

By Shannon Smith Features Editor

Anais Fournier from Hagerstown, Md., died at age 14 on Dec. 14, 2011, as a result of cardiac arrest after drinking two 24-ounce Monsters within 24 hours, according to CBS News. According to the autopsy, Fournier died from cardiac arrhythmia as a result of caffeine toxicity, which interfered with her body’s ability to pump blood.

Fournier’s death prompted Maryland lawmakers to propose a ban on the sale of energy drinks to minors, and the law is currently being discussed. The lawmakers who created this bill believe that energy drinks such as Monster and Red Bull pose serious health threats to minors.

Health teachers Michelle Burnett, Aaron Marnstein and Cristen Sprenger believe that energy drinks are unnecessary and unhealthy.

“They are super high in sugar,” CAFFEINE OVERDOSE: The amount of caffeine in one Marnstein said. “They’re super energy drink is equal to four 16-ounce bottles of cola. high in caffeine, and like any stimA ban on energy drinks to minors in Illinois could stop ulant, after a while when you abuse teens from drinking this hazardous drink. (Graphic by it, the lows become worse, and it can cause a lot of other problems.”

Rich Futo) Caffeine is a main ingredient

Saying yes to the dress

By Mary Kate Moloney Features Editor

Flipping through the first few pages of US Weekly while waiting in line at Walgreens, a shopper comes across “Who Wore it Best?,” a magazine staple. While looking at these pictures, it is hard to restrain from choosing which celebrity looked best in the same outfit.

It has become natural for society to compare people based on their style and behavior. Recently, Miley Cyrus’ new rebellious ways has been compared to P!nk’s in the early 2000s.

Celebrities’ style isn’t the only thing judged and compared though. High school girls are often very critical of what they wear, trying to personalize their own fashion in order to stop comparisons among other girls’ styles. This desire to stand out in the crowd escalates as prom approaches.

“Psychologists look at adolescent development, and one major thing is identity and achieving a sense of identity,” AP Psychology teacher Daria Schaffeld said.

A prom dress gives girls a chance to do this. Since the dress is often one of the most important elements of prom, girls spend weeks looking for the perfect one that is unique from everyone else’s.

According to Schaffeld, prom’s importance is a learned idea that we gather from women we look up to.

“We have been taught that prom is special,” Schaffeld said.

“Having a dress that is fabulous is part of our culture. It’s not that it’s 2014; people in the 1950s wanted an awesome prom dress and wanted to feel special on prom night.”

Prom night is looked forward to by upperclassmen every year. School psychologist Dr. Jay Kyp-Johnson believes prom is part of our culture’s transition to adulthood.

“Different cultures celebrate in different ways, but this is kind of

the American way of celebrating the transition of being a dependent youth in high school to being an independent person in college and taking care of your yourself,” Kyp-Johnson said.

Since prom is so popular in high school, it is looked at by many girls as their moment to shine with the perfect dress and date to make the night memorable.

In order for every girl to have a unique dress, a group on Facebook is made every year where girls post their dresses.

“It is something that has been around ever since I remember going to Prospect,” senior Stephanie Kies, creator of the 2014 prom page, said. “My freshman year, we would always be crowding around whoever’s iPhone was on the prom page, always trying to look at the upperclassmen’s dresses.”

Last year, Kies purchased her dress from Nordstrom and ended up having the same dress as another girl. Although this did not bother either girl, Kies understands why it is important to have a unique dress for prom, especially for senior year.

“When [seniors] look back on their high school experience, they look back to what they wore and how they felt in what they wore,” Kies said.

Although this group’s main purpose is to prevent dress duplicates, it has other uses. This year, people are using the group to sell old dresses and garters. Senior Allison Ristau is selling hand-made garters for $12 in order to fund her summer mission trip to Guatemala.

Overall, the prom page is not only for calling “dibs” on a dress, but to help girls communicate and prepare for the event.

“Prom is a rite of passage; it is an adolescent milestone,” Schaffeld said. “Adolescents are defined by conformity, and I think that [prom] is a special time you don’t want to conform, a time to be unique.”

in energy drinks, with some containing as much caffeine as four 16-ounce bottles of cola. According to mayoclinic.org, it is recommended that one should not consume more than 300 milligrams of caffeine a day. Taking in too much can result in dehydration, insomnia and increased blood pressure.

Along with caffeine, energy drinks contain various stimulants including guarana, açai berry, taurine, ginseng, arnitine, creatine, inositol and ginkgo biloba.

Mixing stimulants can have serious short-term and long-term consequences on the body, like heart palpitations, tremors and insomnia, depending on how one reacts.

Consuming different stimulants together and in large quantities can lead to seizures, heart problems and sudden death.

Although energy drinks can be deadly in large amounts, junior Phil Fitzgerald believes when drank responsibly, they aren’t dangerous. Fitzgerald recognizes that drinking energy drinks excessively can lead to heart problems, so he limits the number he consumes.

Fitzgerald on average drinks one or two energy drinks a week with Red Bull being his favorite. He limits himself to drinking them only

when he doesn’t receive enough sleep or when playing sports.

Along with Fitzgerald, junior Caroline Unzicker‘s favorite energy drink is Red Bull, which she likes because it comes in smaller sizes. Unzicker usually drinks three, sometimes four, energy drinks a week. Like Fitzgerald, she only drinks them when she needs an energy boost, which is mainly when she has work.

Fitzgerald only notices positive effects when he drinks them.

He feels hyper and energized and doesn’t experience a crash later.

On the other hand, Unzicker gets headaches when she doesn’t consume any caffeine, whether in energy drinks or coffee.

Caffeine is a drug and can be addictive. For people who drink caffeine every day, they can go through withdrawal and have symptoms such as headaches, anxiety, irritability and depressed mood.

“We don’t want teens to become dependent on a caffeinated beverage so early in life,” Burnett said. “They should be getting [energy] through sleep and the food that they eat. They shouldn’t be getting used to taking energy drinks to wake up.”

Prom Schedule This schedule was crafted using expertise from prom experts and 2013 graduates Molly Driscoll and Nicki Canonaco. Both girls have attended the event twice, resulting in trustworthy advice.

Get dress by:

Shoes by:

Now! If you don’t have your dress, drop this paper and go to the mall.

As soon as possible after finding a dress in order to start alterations.

Alterations by: Soon after purchasing your shoes, give yourself enough time incase you run into trouble.

senior Kathleen Daorerk

Tanning Schedule: Bed tanning: Although tanning can be dangerous, if you choose to go this route, start this about a month in advance, around 3 times per week.

Spray tan: Get your spray tan 1-2 days before the event to ensure the perfect color.

Day of Prom: Hair: Our alumni recommend that

hair should be done before make up. “[Make up artists] like to be able to see your hair style and how it’s done, that way highlighting on your face will match and amplify your facial features” Driscoll said.

Makeup: If you are going to get

your make up professionally done, Driscoll recommended the Mac counter, while Canonaco did her own makeup for prom. senior Marissa Pacini Lord & Taylor

senior Emily Gonyon JC Penney

6

In-Depth

April 11, 2014

HOW SOON IS TOO SOON: REGRET VERSUS

By Erin McGovern

Associate Editor-in-Chief *Name changed for confidentiality It was just a normal night for junior Emma Daniels* with a guy she had been seeing for several weeks.

They weren’t dating, but they were watching a movie in his basement, and his parents weren’t home. Before she knew what was happening, he asked her if she wanted him to get a condom. She said OK, and just a normal night turned into the night she lost her virginity.

Not really knowing how to feel about it, Daniels remembers being a little upset and not knowing what to say or do.

The night passed in awkward silence, and she left without wanting to see him again.

A few weeks later when Daniels started a job as a church camp counselor, she began to think about the decision she made and the feeling of regret began to emerge.

“After it happened, I just felt this wave of regret set in because I wished I had thought about what I was doing and waited until I found someone I really loved,” Daniels said.

Daniels now falls into the 61 percent of students who will have had sex by age 18, according to a national average taken by the Guttmacher Institute in June 2013.

After doing it for the first time, Daniels regrets her decision to not wait until she was physically and emotionally ready to make the right decision, which she believes most high school students don’t understand. If one has any doubts about doing it, Daniels believes that is the red flag that he or she isn’t ready.

According to Daniels, students talk about the idea of sex in high school as a glorified concept, and she thinks the majority of those students are the ones who aren’t mature enough to be doing it.

While Daniels regrets her choice, senior Meghan Carlson* stands by her choice but also looks down on the hype high schoolers give sex.

“People think it might change them or change how people view them or how they view themselves or that they might be cooler if they do, but it doesn’t do any of that,” Carlson said. “It’s stupid when they brag about it.”

Carlson made the decision to lose her virginity last year with another student from her math class who had already had his first time. He was someone she liked but wasn’t in a relationship with.

She wanted her first time to be with someone she didn’t have feelings for because she felt that would eliminate any

awkwardness for the next time. Now that it’s over, Carlson doesn’t regret getting her first time out of the way.

While Carlson and her partner are still together, she warns against making the decision without first weighing the consequences.

“If your heart is easily broken, you need to save yourself for the right person because doing it and having it be love are not the same thing,” Carlson said.

Though perceptions in movies and gender stereotyping can lead high schoolers to believe only girls can regret their first time, senior Joey Simmons* voices his opinion that guys need to think about the emotional impact just as much as girls.

“It shouldn’t get all this hype — it’s a personal thing and should stay that way,” Simmons said. “[Guys] should treat it as something, not as nothing like some of them do.”

Simmons had his first time with a girlfriend of two

Photo illustration by Rich Fu

years when he was 14 years old, and although he says loved her then, he wishes he had waited until he was wi his current girlfriend, whom he has has been with for ov two years.

“It’s important to lose it to someone that you wouldn be embarrassed to tell your kids about, so you need know that you’re ready,” Simmons said.

By losing his virginity at age 14, Simmons falls in only 16 percent of teens who have had sex by age 15, a cording to the Guttmacher Institute.

According to Simmons, most guys don’t admit they r gret their first time because it’s considered “manly” to g it over with, but he believes people aren’t ready until th actually love the person they are with, which, for mo high schoolers, hasn’t happened yet.

Although the reality is that there are Prospect studen having sex, there is also a population of students w have evaluated both the physical and emotional risks a

THE BUZZ BEHIND THE BIRD

BUYING PROTECTION AWKWARD BUT NECESSARY

By Abby Sunu

In-Depth Editor *Name changed for confidentiality One pack of spearmint gum: $1.49. One bottle of gatorade: $1.19. One pack of Trojan Condoms: $4.19. That awkward moment with the cashier who happens to be your classmate: priceless.

As teenagers go to local stores to buy condoms, there is a chance that the cashier could be someone they know or go to school with. This situation could most likely occur at stores known for employing high school students.

Junior Caroline Ennes is a cashier at Mariano’s and notices that teenagers typically don’t buy condoms there and that it’s usually 30-40-year-old men who buy them.

They also never buy these products alone, but always with a big purchase.

“I’ve never seen a teenager buy condoms,” Ennes said. “I feel like kids go to gas stations because of the fact that Prospect kids do work [at Mariano’s].”

Juniors Mike Davis* and Adam Johnson* both agree with Ennes because they buy condoms at gas stations like Shell and BP rather than a store like Mariano’s. By doing this, the chances of seeing someone they know are less likely. Johnson usually buys a bag of sunflowers seeds or something small along with it to hide the con-

doms in his purchase.

The sex education unit in health class covers the importance and use of protection, and health teacher Aaron Marnstein knows this topic can be awkward for students.

“There’s always a little bit of embarrassment in that conversation as far as going in and actually walking up to the counter, putting it there and paying for it,” Marnstein said. “I think any time you talk about that topic, it’s going to have a little bit of embarrassment or nervousness. It’s a pretty touchy subject for certain people.”

Because Johnson and Davis both buy their protection from gas stations in order to avoid seeing people they know, buying condoms isn’t awkward or even embarrassing for them. They also both believe the girls should be the ones buying protection because “they are the ones who need them.”

Marnstein disagrees with the two because he believes the responsibility should not be pinned on one person when both people are committing themselves to participate in sexual activity.

“If the woman is going to depend on the man to prevent her from getting pregnant, I think that puts her at risk,” Marnstein said. “If a woman does not want to get pregnant, she has an active role in that situation as well. I don’t think it should be left up to one or the other. I think both peo-

ple need to discuss that topic before they even engage in sexual activity.”

Marnstein also believes that many teenagers think condoms allow for safe sex; in reality, according to WebMD, condoms are about 85 percent effective and can’t completely protect against STDs. Girls can take an active role themselves through protection like the birth control pill in order to prevent pregnancy. But on the other hand, purchasing the pill isn’t as simple as buying it off a shelf. The pill requires a prescription and must be purchased with the assistance of a pharmacist.

Recently, sophomore Chloe Young* wanted to go on birth control and realized she had to face the embarrassment by finally asking her mom if she could get prescribed.

At first, she considered going to a place like Planned Parenthood so that her parents wouldn’t find out because she was too embarrassed to ask them and thought she would get in trouble.

Since her parents are divorced, Young finally asked her mom because she is more open with her. Young’s mom said if she wanted to get prescribed now, she would also have to talk to her dad, which made Young even more nervous.

“I think [my dad] would be shocked because we are not as open with each other and because he’s a guy,” Young said. But I

think he would prefer [for me to be on t pill] than [to be unprotected].”

Despite the awkwardness of as ing her parents, Young still believes t importance of the pill outweighs th embarrassment. Nonetheless, she thin actually going to the store to pick up h prescription would be the most awkwa part of the process.

“I think [actually buying it] would awkward, especially if I knew [the c shier],” Young said. “Word would probab get around, and rumors would start.”

Since senior Jenny Novak has an i ternship at Walgreens Pharmacy, she dea with prescription pickups for medicatio like the pill. However, she has never seen student purchase the pill because the a group is usually 20-30-year old girls.

“If [students] came in, and someo else that I work with sold it to them think it would be fine because they don know [the coworker], but I’ll see [them] school the next day,” Novak said. “It’s a l tle strange.”

Marnstein believes this awkwardne for teenagers buying protection is relat to their maturity level because they a still young, so they aren’t educated enou or experienced with the negative outcom of sexual activity.

“Unfortunately, for some people, takes negative experiences to actua learn these things and to be exposed

April 11, 2014

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decided to remain abstinent.

Senior Jenny Ruda asked for a purity ring from her parents in eighth grade when she made the decision to wait to have sex until marriage.

“My decision to stay abstinent is not only the fear of STDs and emotional baggage but mainly because of my faith,” Ruda said. “I think the reason high schoolers don’t think about sex as a big deal is because we talk about sex in this fearful way, like you’re going to be emotionally drained from the aftermath. I know these are true and important, but I think instead of running from something, it’s more important to know what you’re running to.”

Although Ruda doesn’t believe in sex before marriage, she understands the temptation behind the choice and why some high schoolers believe they are ready when they may not be or when they may not truly love the person they are with, which she believes is a necessity.

“My definition of love is a radical commitment, and I don’t know if everyone has the same definition, but to me, there will only be one person I will want to share it with,” Ruda said.

School psychologist Dr. Jay Kyp-Johnson believes that the way culture presents sex is something that is influencing students’ decisions, whatever they may be.

“They don’t know themselves well enough to [know what] they’re taking for granted, and they don’t know they won’t have any long-term damage,” Kyp-Johnson said. “There’s so many ways to experience the world other than the one-way street of early sex.”

Although he knows students have differences in opinion after having sex for the first time, he believes the sense of regret that often follows comes from realizing that what a student expects isn’t actually the reality.

“Regret often happens because people are told how it’s going to be, but they find out for themselves and experience what they couldn’t have anticipated,” Kyp-Johnson said. “Then they think, ‘I had one chance, and I blew it on that jerk, and I’ve done something I can never take back.’”

For both Carlson and Daniels, the experience was something that made them rethink the excitement it gets in high school. While they had different reactions, both agree that being physically and mentally prepared is essential and that no one should feel pressured into “getting it over with.”

“Whenever I hear people whispering about it in the hallways, I roll my eyes,” Daniels said. “[Their first time] is an important part of their life that they’ll regret it if they make the wrong choice, and you can’t take it back.”

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them, and I think sexual activity is one of those things,” Marnstein said. “Like most things, high school students think they’re ready for [sexual activity] because they’re on the cusp of adulthood, but they really haven’t seen the full picture...

“I think when it comes to anything in this topic, they’ve been told the sugarcoated version. They’ve never been given any hard facts or true life experiences or stories that relate to the seriousness and magnitude of this decision they are making.

People seem to think if you wear condoms, you are safe. Well, there’s no such thing as

7

BLAMING BARBIE: SHAMING WOMEN IN SOCIETY

DS & THE BEES

one m, I n’t ] at lit-

In-Depth

Photo illustration by Rich Futo

safe sex. You can get pregnant if a condom breaks, and you can still get STDs even with a condom. The only 100 percent way to be safe is to not have sex.”

While the process of buying protection, whether it’s condoms or birth control, can be embarrassing for teenagers, Marnstein believes these feelings reflect their responsibility.

“I think with students, if they don’t feel that they can go buy [protection] without embarrassment, then are they really ready to do that?” Marnstein said.

It’s impossible to be a teenage girl these days. We have to project an attractive image, get good grades, maintain a social life and to some extent, embrace the slutty identity that a majority of us girls are given.

This identity is most prominent in the phenomenon of “slut shaming,” which refers to calling girls sluts because they dress a certain way to fit into society and when women are attacked for their infraction of accepted sexual behaviors. It includes everyAungelina Dahm thing from violating an accepted dress code Executive In-Depth to being the victim of a rape cover-up.

Editor For example, The Chicago Tribune revealed that since fall 2005, there were 171 total reported sex crimes at six college campuses throughout Illinois and Indiana. Together, they only resulted in 12 arrests and four convictions.

There is no empathy towards women who speak out after being sexually assaulted. Most of the time, they are covered up by college campuses, such as Marquette, whose administration admitted that it hasn’t reported these crimes to local authorities in over 10 years.

People use slut shaming as a way to describe these victims of sexual assault.

It can be inferred that it is easier to shame the victim than to attempt to repair a damaged reputation as a result of sex crimes.

Universities and other organizations claim the crime was caused by the woman wearing revealing clothing or acting in an explicit manner before consenting to sex, therefore absolving the perpetrator of guilt. No one has the right to say a girl deserved to get raped because she was a slut wearing short shorts. It doesn’t make you a slut; it makes you a girl wearing short shorts.

The ignorant attitude towards girls based on their appearance alone shows that most people fail to differentiate between character and situational behavior.

According to psychology teacher Daria Schaffeld, character behavior is the immediate judgment of someone based on clothing and actions, which is why a woman’s clothing is such a huge factor when others decide to label her as a slut. On the other hand, situational behavior involves judging a person’s behavior because of his or her worries, background and specific reasoning for the actions in question.

However, women dress and behave the way they do at parties because that is almost what’s expected and portrayed by society.

Short skirts, a lot of makeup, high heels and a crop top is apparently the “fashion” of a majority of this generation. One can see girls in these outfits in pictures from parties, at concerts and from celebrities such as Miley Cyrus.

If we don’t act and dress this way, we’re deemed boring and not fit for that scene. As a result, some embrace that slutty identity and hope for the best.

This sexual double standard appears every day in the lives of teenage girls. Some of us are forced into becoming something that we’re not in order to please others’ vision of the way we’re supposed to act.

Girls become branded with a reputation that shouldn’t, but does, define who they are for their high school career or longer. It drops their self-esteem so quickly that they would rather just fit in with the norm than be who they are because the persecution of being a prude or not as fun as other girls would be too extreme.

As evidenced by a study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, sexually active girls are judged more harshly than non-permissive peers. This conclusively states that slut shaming is commonplace, and whether you realize it or not, your actions are what people will judge you by before anything else.

We will never live in a society where people don’t judge you within 30 seconds of meeting you. I’ve learned that in order to become who you want to be, you need to give off the image that you desire.

Personally, I’ve grown out of the stage where I want and need to fit in. I dress and act how I please, most of the time trying to be as classy as possible.

But then again, I will run into the girls whose desire is to be perceived as a slut — opting for that over the alternative of being considered a prude. If you like to dress and act explicitly, whether it be for the attention you desire from guys or from societal pressure, it is your personal choice. I don’t have the power to stop you or tell you you shouldn’t, nor does anyone else.

However, if women would like to at least diminish the sexual stereotypes and amount of victim blaming, we need to hold offenders more accountable for their actions and not make excuses for them.

Act modest if you want to. Dress provocatively if you want to.

Ultimately, society needs to come to a consensus that women aren’t sexual objects nor are men animals. Women shouldn’t be treated as such in regards to the way we act or dress, just like men shouldn’t be judged on how they “can’t control themselves” and how a pair of short shorts could provoke them into sexually assaulting a woman.

A woman’s desire for a sense of individuality can create a society where inequality and alienation are a thing of the past in order to truly produce sexual freedom and liberation.

8

Features

April 11, 2014

prospectornow.com

Religious plac. . . even for Baha’i House of Worship

BAPS Temple of Greater Chicago

The BAPS (Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) Temple is a remarkable feat of architecture. The limestone and marble materials were hand-carved in India before being shipped to the U.S. in 2004 to be put together like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. The temple took 16 months to construct and was

completed with the help of 2.5 million volunteer hours.

The inside of the temple is mostly carved, including the ceilings and pillars. Although the temple is open to all, visitors are not permitted to wear skirts higher than knee length, shorts or sleeveless tops and must remove shoes while inside the temple as a sign of respect.

Tip:

Check the online calendar for special services

Tips for Vis-

St. Mary’s of the Angels Parish

Where? When?

1850 N Hermitage Ave, Chicago, Ill. 60622

Open weekdays 7 a.m. -5:30 p.m.

About 21 miles away 30-minute drive

The Baha’i House of Worship is unique because it is a place for people of all faiths to gather and worship together, made possible by the doctrine of this monotheistic faith: the unity of God, religion and humanity.

Visitors will see a multitude of religious symbols carved into the exterior columns, including the Christian cross, the Star of David, the swastika representing Buddhism and Hinduism, and the star and crescent representing Islam.

The number nine also makes a prevalent appearance; to the Baha’i, it represents perfection and completion.

Take notice of the nine entrances to the auditorium, nine dome sections and nine fountains in the gardens. This temple is the oldest of the seven Baha’i temples in the world and the only one in the United States.

This Polish Christian cathedral is one of the most beautiful in Chicago and is run by the clergy of the Opus Dei. One the greatest aspects of the church is the 26 angel statues on the rooftop standing at nine feet tall each.

It is a large church, seating 2,000 visitors and housing two large bell towers and a dome. Originally it was founded in 1899 by Polish immigrants to serve as a place of faith for the Polish residents in Bucktown, Chicago, the church celebrates masses in English, Polish and Spanish to appeal to a variety of audiences.

1. Look up! The ceilings may have special carving or artwork.

2. Be attentive to detail. Don’t overlook the carvings or paintings, look at specific features.

3. Take a step back. Appreciate the individual characteristics, but don’t forget to take in the whole picture.

Who Knows You Better?

The subjects

What was her favor- What is her favorite What’s her 7th period What is her favorite ite Vacation? store?

TV show? class

What’s her favorite What is her favorite What is her favorite concert? subject? pair of shoes?

Zach Fyke sophomore

The boyfriend

Hilton Head

Forever XXI

4

World History

One Tree Hill

4

4

Jonas Brothers

World Literature

4

Brianna Kamp sophomore

The subject

Converse

Hilton Head

Charlotte Russe

World History

One Tree Hill

Imagine Dragons

World Literature

Steve Madden combat boots

Hilton Head

Charlotte Russe

World History

One Tree Hill

Imagine Dragons

World Literature

Steve Madden comabat boots

4

4

4

4

4

4

The results

X

Lexi Mussatti sophomore

The best friend

4

Winner

prospectornow.com

April 11, 2014 Opinion

Staff Editorial

9

Mandatory pep assemblies defeat the point “Let me hear you Knights yell!

What’s that you say?” The cheer echoes through the field house every few months when the school comes together to celebrate achievements and promote upcoming events. Recently, though, these assemblies have been seriously lacking pep. To bring back the spirit, the administration has agreed to plan all future assemblies between first and second period, requiring students to attend.

Friday’s pep assembly, the first of its kind, saw the bigger turnout, yet the amount of spirit seemed strangely unchanged. This could have been a result of unwilling and tired students, or simply a lack of Prospect pride. No matter the cause, this is no way to re-pep a student body.

We, the Prospector, believe that by forcing student attendance at pep assemblies, the administration is neglect-

Federal spending per death from terrorist attacks: $500 million

ing the opportunity to foster true school pursuits within Prospect’s walls. spirit in independent young people.

Beyond recognizing achievements, Teenagers often desire to be rebel- simply cultivating an attitude of relious, which is demonstrated in their spect toward peers increases their willhesitation to do what they’re told. ingness to support their school. The Therefore, when the choice of partic- best way to have pride in one’s school as ipating is altogether eliminated, stu- a whole is to be genuinely proud of the dents automatically adopt an aversive individuals of which it is made up.

Friday’s assembly ran behind schedattitude because they are being told they must attend. ule, which cut another game and the To truly raise school spirit, Pros- announcement of a few teams from pect should herald students’ academic the program, effectively ignoring them and extracurricular achievements ev- during an assembly in their honor. If ery day in classes and the purpose of these assemblies is to recognize activities, rather than peers, that should be a just once a month in the higher priority than the fieldhouse. Instead of constantly comparing competitions. our school to others in Had this assembly takAgainst For en place at the end of the the district, we should Voting results of the Prospector staff in day, the time aspect would focus on our own buildregards to this editorial. not have interfered, for ing, encouraging our students would not have fellow students in their

20

1

How we’re losing the War on Terror

We live in a post-9/11 Amer- American public, was being ica. We’re reminded of it ev- done to stop the spread of terValue of a life according to ery time we whine about air- rorism was important to the TIME Magazine: port security, whenever we’re American people in the wake $10.1 million asked to observe a “moment of one of the worst attacks of silence” or “day of respect” we had ever experienced. and every time a Republican However, with more than 12 Value of a life according to argues for increased military years separating us from the the EPA: spending and decreased civil attacks, the GWOT has given $9.1 million rights. the government free reign to Our generation infringe on privacy seems to take this in rights in the interest Value of a life according to stride — we don’t reof national security. member a “pre-9/11 In the aftermath of the FDA: America” and have the 9/11 attacks, Con$7.9 million nothing to compare gress quickly drafted the past 13 years and ratified the first to. Because of this, USA PATRIOT Act, Value of a life according to most of us don’t a clever acronym for the DOT: question the new Uniting and Strength$6 million America, the one ening America by Prothat seems more fo- Chris Kivlahan viding Appropriate cused on defeating Executive Opinion Tools Required to InValue of a life according to invisible enemies Editor tercept and Obstruct insurance companies: than securing the Terrorism. $3.9 million inalienable rights of its peoAs patriotic as it appeared, ple. this act used the terrorist On Sept. 20, 2001, just nine menace as an excuse to careResearch spending per days after the attacks that fully relieve the American breast cancer death: changed America’s worldview, people of their rights to priva$13452 President George W. Bush cy. Whether it be in the form declared a “War on Terror” of unwarranted wiretapping that was later expanded to in- or monitoring online activity, Research spending per clude the international com- the government is able to folstroke death: munity and became known low you in whatever ways they $2000 as the Global War on Terror wish all in the name of “Ob(GWOT). When we ignored the structing Terrorism.”

Another result of the STATISTICAL MURDER : The obvious impossibility of winning a war against an abstract GWOT was the redefinition above graph compares the value concept, the idea seemed good of the infamous National Seof a human life to the spending on paper. curity Agency’s (NSA) responper death from various causes, The message that some- sibilities. Originally created demonstrating American over- thing, albeit something de- during the Cold War to gather spending on anti-terror efforts. signed only to placate the intelligence on the USSR, its

$

The Staff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nabi Dressler MANAGING EDITOR Kelly Schoessling

had classes to get to afterwards.

In addition to logistics, having assemblies at the end of the day allows students the chance to make a good decision. High school is meant to equip students with the tools needed to achieve independence in the coming years, but if kids are not permitted to determine between what they should do and what they want to do in this one instance, how are they to do so when it really matters?

By denying the temptation to ditch an assembly, a student strengthens his or her conviction in his or her ability to do the right thing, contributing to a sense of self-efficacy and morality that will be invaluable in the future.

While the Peppers work hard to put together festivals of Prospect’s achievements, students should attend willingly, yelling “Go Knights!” because they want to, not because they have to.

ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR Jack McDermott NEWS EDITORS Eva Schacht Shreya Thakkar

COPY EDITOR Ellen Siefke

OPINION EDITORS Chris Kivlahan Caroline Binley

ASSOCIATE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Andi Hayes Erin McGovern

FEATURES EDITORS Khrystyna Halatyama Mary Kate Moloney Shannon Smith

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IN-DEPTH EDITORS Aungelina Dahm Abby Sunu SPORTS EDITORS Molly Mueller Devin Prasad Peter Fusilero

BROADCAST EDITORS Meghan Doyle Lauren Miller ONLINE EDITOR Spencer Ball

duties have changed to be a primarily anti-terrorist organization. The NSA was most recently in the news for monitoring phone calls of world leaders, notably German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Clearly, Chancellor Merkel is not and never has been a terrorist. Germany is a strong economic and strategic partner of the United States and has been for decades. Why, then, did this anti-terrorism organization find it necessary to monitor her communication?

Until the NSA made headlines recently on the heels of revelations by former employee Edward Snowden, questions like this would be considered unpatriotic. How dare someone question the government when it’s trying to protect you from the terrorist boogeyman?

Not only has the GWOT made it OK to spy on the American people, it has made it un-American to ask why these measures were necessary.

Widespread NSA criticism has made it easier to attack the agency, but statements against the military or PATRIOT Acts are quickly pointed out by conservatives as patently inappropriate.

It’s not like we’re even winning the so-called war. Terrorism as a concept involves not defeating but disrupting the enemy, making them afraid to act or generally causing chaos.

VISUALS EDITOR Rich Futo ADVISER Jason Block

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

The Prospector is published by students in Journalistic Writing courses Some material is courtesy of MCT

To this end, terrorist groups have been incredibly successful. Americans with a fear of flying are at an all-time high — 6.5 percent according to an ABC news article — and every year, trillions are spent attacking terrorist organizations. All of this is being done, yet, surprisingly, terrorism as a concept hasn’t spoken up to surrender. And why would it?

If anything, it’s become more vicious, with terrorist attacks becoming commonplace in other nations, like Russia and India. Though we may be taking care of the terrorist threat at home, we certainly aren’t holding up our end of the global bargain — so few Americans even know or care about them that there’s no reason for the government to intervene.

As high schoolers, concepts like terrorism and civil liberties are a little heady for us to handle. The fact that most of them don’t even directly affect us doesn’t help, either.

However, it’s important that we become informed even if we aren’t yet involved. In just a few short years, we’ll all be able to vote, and it’s our responsibility to take it seriously. Since privacy rights are more important to our online generation than any before us because of our digital upbringing, the GWOT and its ramifications are something we need to start taking seriously.

Campus High School Newspaper Service.

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

Letters to the Editor Drop off letters to the Prospector in the box in the library, in Rm. 216 or email letters to prospectornow@ gmail.com. All letters must be signed. Limit letters to 400 words.

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

10

Opinion April 11, 2014

prospectornow.com

Introverts comment on curriculum

There’s little I remember from my elementary school education, considering I’ve spent the past three years trying to suppress all memories, including my awkward stage.

However, the memory of my fifth grade teacher taking me into the hallway to give me a stern warning haunts me to this day.

What did I do Kelly Schoessling that required my teacher to speak Managing Editor with me? I didn’t cause a disruption, nor did I speak offensively to anyone. I committed the exact opposite crime: I was yelled at because I didn’t speak at all.

My teacher explained that my lack of class participation had led her to believe I was not paying attention.

I knew I was listening, but I didn’t understand how she misinterpreted my concentration.

In fact, I felt even more self-conscious of my learning process because I was quieter than most students. It wasn’t until I learned the word “introvert” that my mind was put into perspective.

The American Psychological Association defines the term “introvert” as an individual concerned primarily with his or her own thoughts and feelings with a tendency to withdrawal from social contacts.

The contrasting personality term, “extrovert,” is defined to be an individual concerned primarily with physical and social environments with a tendency to make social contacts.

In a school of over 2,100 students, I know I’m not the only introvert. Therefore, I feel confident I’m not the only one to struggle with extroverted-based curricula such as class discussions, So-

THE EXTROVERT WITHIN: An introverted student imagines speaking out during a class discussion but, like most introverted students, doesn’t act. Scan the QR code to find the differences between introverts and extroverts’ brains. (Graphic by Rich Futo) cratic seminars and foreign language speaking tests.

These contrasting lesson plans can sometimes lead teachers to the false assumption that introverted students are zoning out or deliberately not participating. Since certain students do indeed fall asleep, introverts have no way of distinguishing themselves.

Because introverted minds work differently than those of extroverts, quiet-

er students struggle because they view their class participation differently.

Introverts like myself work best through observing, listening, studying and analyzing. Though we’re not speaking, it feels like we are participating through extensive thinking during discussions.

Although class discussions, Socratic seminars and presentations are balanced with curricula appealing to

Are student athletes more student or athlete?

introverted personalities such as note taking, silent reading and individual work, these tasks are not graded as highly as class participation points.

However, it’s important to note discussions and group work are still relevant.

AP Literature teacher Allyson Kreutzer aims for these discussions to assist students in their future interactions and careers.

“The biggest thing I’m hoping they learn is critical thinking skills, deepening their understanding of what they’ve read, the ability to fine-tune questions [and] the ability to be articulate and precise in expressing yourself,” Kreutzer said. “These are all crucial skills for college.”

Kreutzer also explains although her class is largely based off these discussions, the class only has graded discussions from time to time.

Even though there is no consequence for not participating in non-graded discussions, Kreutzer works to create a classroom where students learn from their classmates’ thoughts.

“It is important for the whole environment and class to be benefitting from what everybody is thinking, and sometimes introverts are really bright and interesting people, and their [thoughts] can help other [students] come to a better understanding of what we’re learning,” Kreutzer said.

The problem for introverted students is not that these discussions exist, but that the misconceptions do.

It is imperative for teachers to differentiate between a student who is not paying attention and a student who learns best by staying silent.

In order for introverted students to be comfortable in speaking in more extroverted curricula, these distinctions need to be made. Until then, us introverts will be listening.

A week in the life

Senior Mary Schiavone can tread water through the ocean that is high school, but when you add in her four AP classes, things start to get harder.

Factor in her extracurriculars, and the weight begins to push her down. When you add the pressures of fitting in, it gets hard to breathe. Mix in her devotion to varsity swimming and water polo, and she’s drowning.

Schiavone is not alone in this respect, and though sports started out as a way for high school students to express themselves and stay active, they’ve gotten in the way of other activities and even school itself.

The blame doesn’t lie solely on coaches or athletes but on the overall mentality that sports come first. Social acceptance of these priorities only expands the issue.

If our well-being was a boat, it would be sinking. The waves — lack of sleep, the ACT and whatever activities we have time to cram in — crash over us every day, and no matter how hard we try to bail the w a t e r, we keep drowning in the

stress. the excess hours we spend awake as a In the midst of these stressors, head result of high school athletics can be football coach Mike Sebestyen believes harmful, or even deadly, as found by that sports give students the opportu- the Sleep Foundation. In addition, it nity to practice balancing, a skill we can make us moody and affect our perneed for adulthood, and if we budget formance in both school and sports. our time wisely, lack of time shouldn’t We need the knowledge and experibe a problem. ence we get from school to succeed in While sports do teach life. balance, among other life According to Harvard’s lessons, there is not enough Innovation in Education time in each day to balance Leadership Group director the commitment sports deTony Wagner, the most sucmand with other priorities. cessful people in the world Every one of Schiavone’s are good at critical thinking, days is packed from start to problem solving, collaboratfinish (see “A Week in the ing and communicating — Life”), and the cycle never skills we learn in our core stops. classes.

Lauren Miller “I have a gym waiver that When we get wrapped up Broadcast Editor I use everyday, and I still in sports, these skills, along have a couple hours of homework ev- with our grades and social lives, slip ery night,” Schiavone said. “It’s not through the cracks. that I’m not using my time wisely. I Even when athletes manage to cope just don’t have enough time.” with school, sports and sleep, trying to Despite the time we all pour have a social life can be an impossible into high school sports, the over- battle, as the IHSA, coaches and even whelming majority will not we fail to factor it into our daily schedmake a living being a profes- ules. sional athlete. According High school is supposed to be the to Forbes magazine, pro- time to have fun, make mistakes and fessional athletes only form life-long memories. We shouldn’t make up .0056 percent be spending endless hours working or of the American pop- at home on a Friday night, too exhaustulation. ed to go out with friends.

For the other Though it would be absurd to stop 99.9944 percent sports altogether, reducing the time of us destined commitment is entirely reasonable. By for generic, cutting unnecessary drills from long non-famous practices, we could save at least 30 minlives in utes, and in our war for sleep, every the sub- minute counts. urbs, Even scaling back the number of games and competitions could do wonders for our stress levels.

THE CHOICE: Students’ lives have three main parts, school, sleep and exercise, but We may be sinking now, but the floatie is in sight. student-athletes are only able to sucessfully choose two. (Graphic by Rich Futo)

THE COST OF BEING AN ATHLETE: Student-athlete Mary Schiavone recorded a week’s worth of her time spent studying, competing and sleeping and revealed how little spare time students who participate in demanding sports have.

prospectornow.com

April 11, 2014

Frogs, donkeys and ogres, oh my!

Entertainment

11

‘Shrek’ the musical adds creative feel to a well-known childhood favorite

By Erin McGovern

Associate Editor-in-Chief From the soundtrack of “The Wedding Singer” to the walking undead in “Zombie Prom,” Prospect theater has gotten into the habit of experimenting with different engaging musicals.

But when senior Josh Arshonsky found out the musical for this year would be “Shrek,” it was unlike anything he had done in his acting career.

Aside from tackling a Scottish accent, sizing up to portray one of animation’s most beloved green ogres was a slightly formidable task.

“It’s definitely one of the most difficult parts I’ve ever done, and he’s such a big character that the way I’m trying to portray him is more [based on] what we have in common,” Arshonsky said.

From Scottish accents to home sweet home in the swamp, director Jeremy Morton and costume designer Pat Doyle are embracing the challenging script alongside Arshonsky and the other cast members.

According to Morton, the approach to this year’s musical will be similar to the spring 2012 production of “The Wedding Singer,” except with a more intensive set and an army of detailed cos-

tumes to complete the fairytale aura.

“It’s hard because just like with ‘The Wedding Singer,’ people come in with an expectation, but a lot of people don’t know the music,” Morton said. “So when they come in, they are going to be blown away by how fun and colorful everything is.”

Due to the wide variety of settings in the script and the original making of the storyline as an animation, Morton and his team will be adding a projector to the set to cast images like the swamp and castles while adding the familiar touch of animation.

While the backdrop for several scenes will be digital, the intricate costumes required for each fairy tale character are far from computerized.

Powered by Doyle’s creative genius, pieces for all characters from Lord Farquaad to the gingerbread man will be brought to life by a sewing machine.

“I had a lot of fun sitting back and imagining what the actors would look like in the costumes and imagining how it would all come together as one production,” Doyle said.

Although the well-known movie and previous professional productions of “Shrek” gave Morton and Doyle some guidelines for the costumes, they expect the audience to be pleasantly surprised

photo by Rich Futo

BRINGING DOWN THE SWAMP: (from left to right) Senior Britt Johansson , freshman Ben Marshall, senior Lauren Bell and freshman John Zach rehearse for the spring musical production of “Shrek,” which will take place from April 29-May 3. by the little twists they put in the costumes of characters like the ogres and Pinocchio.

According to Morton, “Shrek” the musical is the hottest show being produced and hasn’t yet been done by any theater in the area.

With this in mind, Doyle set out to make the costumes practical for construction. They will do their best to make the costumes similar to those in the movie while allowing room for the audience to use their imaginations.

To achieve this, Doyle dismissed the idea of using prosthetic faces for characters like Shrek and instead combined physical elements like the ears with green makeup. This will allow the audience to understand who the character is without breaking the spell of the show with a peeling piece of prosthetic.

All in all, Doyle has risen to the challenge of creating a fairy tale with its

own Prospect theater touch and looks forward to seeing it all come together on opening night.

“Sometimes it feels like every time I turn around, there’s a piece that needs to be made, but in the end, the finished product will have a magical feel,” Doyle said.

For both Doyle and Morton, the best part about tackling a more unconventional show will be the response it receives on opening night, but Morton warns students to buy their tickets ahead of time because he predicts “Shrek” to be a resounding hit.

“These students were kids when ‘Shrek’ came out, and they have the heart for the story,” Morton said. “If they just take the chance and came out to see it, they’ll have that chance to relive some of those magical childhood memories.”

AirPlay system allows for interactive classroom experience

By Ellen Siefke

Summer plans

Copy Editor

Every once in a while, Spanish teacher Leigh Sapp indicates that her students will be participating in “escuela vieja,” or “old school,” to refer to completing assignments on paper or using the old projector system.

This year, she has iPad classes and is able to take advantage of both the devices themselves as well as the AirPlay system. Now, instead of taking anywhere from two to five minutes to project an assignment or presentation, it takes two seconds.

With plans to install the AirPlay system in the remaining 60 or so classrooms this summer, it is clear that the iPad program and its complementing projecting system are here to stay. Like any technology, it has its share of advantages and disadvantages, but according to Technology Supervisor Rudy Gomez, the pros have vastly outweighed the cons.

Gomez explains the whole point of the AirPlay system

¡APRENDAMOS!: Spanish teacher Leigh Sapp uses her AirPlay system to review vocabulary in her Spanish 2 class. The system has allowed for greater individual learning. (photo by Rich Futo) is to minimize the time spent during previous years to connect teachers’ laptops. In the past, the system could sometimes be faulty, leading to several minutes’ worth of class time spent in transition. Now, according to Gomez, with a mere few seconds needed to connect a mobile device to the system, transitioning is much quicker and flows better.

Sapp sees this in her classes and adds that for her, the change more of an “aggrava-

tion-saver.”

In addition, Sapp says another major benefit from the AirPlay system is student accountability, especially in group projects. With the opportunity to ask anyone to project his/her work on the screen, she can see if her students are staying on task.

As a teacher, she likes the ability to easily share authentic sources, those from another area where Spanish is used in a real-world context, to her students via the system.

Furthermore, instead of having to find an article or video herself, copy it and pass it out, students can now form groups and find their own sources for presentation and discussion, allowing for more direct interac-

According to Technology Supervisor Rudy Gomez, District 214 has mandated that all its schools outfit all classrooms with a new projector system as well as the Apple TV AirPlay system. However, Prospect is going further. The plans are the following: -Install a new projector and Apple TV system in the remaining 60 or so rooms. Each classroom costs around $650.

-Install a Cisco wireless unit, which allows students to connect to the D214 network, in every classroom. Each unit can support 30-40 students and costs around $700. Currently, about half of the classrooms have one.

All work will be done by outside contractors, and Gomez hopes to have the work finished by mid-July in order to have adequate time to test each classroom and be ready for the beginning of the school year. tion with the sources.

“It’s a language teacher’s dream,” Sapp said. “Instead of having one person look for something, you can have five people going in five different directions. You end up coming up with more possible resources, which exponentially broadens our horizons.”

She also enjoys the ease of group projects now that students can use any number of apps for presentations and visuals. Her students have used apps like Explain Everything, Keynote and Educreations.

For her, the “marker-covered hands” days from poster board presentations are long past.

Even better is the system’s reliability. According to Gomez, it was a little faulty last year and wouldn’t always work correctly because it was originally designed for home use, but since Apple came out with updates, it has been “99 percent” better.

Despite the advantages, the system does have a few flaws.

Sapp and fellow Spanish teacher Danielle Ossman have not experienced any inappropriate images projected onto

their screens; rather, the biggest “problem” they’ve had is students sometimes projecting a game or silly picture. For the most part, their students have adhered to the honors’ code.

Sapp thinks the system has led to a little more time spent with faces in a screen and less live interaction, which she will try to lessen, but does not foresee it hindering the classroom learning process.

A final disadvantage is the cost, which Gomez estimates to be around $650 per classroom. He further explains that the process of outfitting a classroom isn’t as simple as thought; it requires installing a new video projector and connecting it to the wifi network.

All in all, it’s easy to see why the plan is to expand the AirPlay systems and give students more wireless access (See “Summer plans”). Gomez is excited to see this happen. “[The AirPlay system is] a simple, little thing, but it’s extremely powerful,” Gomez said. “It’s really revolutionized the learning process here and given students more opportunities than in the past.”

12

Entertainment

April 11, 2014

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In case you missed it...

Family, Career and Community Leaders of America has 21 out of 25 members qualify for state competition

Boys’ baseball plays a double header against Glenbrook North and Lake Park March 31

DANCING QUEENS: (Left) The Orchesis girls perform “Solace,” choreographed by Nick Pupillo of Visceral Dance in Chicago, in their show, “Spectrum.” (Top right) A few take a break while exploring Miami at the National Dance Festival. (Bottom right) The 22 girls who attended the festival pose for a fun group shot. (Photos courtesy of Kristin Burton) Ebooks emerge among students

Orchesis performs in Miami

By Ellen Siefke Copy Editor

Boys’ volleyball wins matches against Conant

Students and staff share their travel experiences

Teachers and students shave heads to participate in St. Baldrick’s fundrasier

Marvel announces the development of a new Black Widow film

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! w Ne

Orchesis director Kristin Burton opened her email Dec. 19 around 7:30 a.m. to find an email from the National Dance Festival Committee saying that Prospect Orchesis had been accepted to perform at this prestigious event. Upon reading this, she promptly burst into tears and cried for a half hour.

“I was so proud of our girls and all the hard work they had done,” Burton said.

She spread the word to a few other girls via text message, including senior Stephanie Kies, who found out during her chemistry class. Kies soon rushed down to the dance room to hug Burton.

Kies also called junior and first-year Orchesis member Aleks Schillmoeller, who was home sick. According to Schillmoeller, the two of them were “almost screaming” as they excitedly chatted for about two minutes, expressing their pride.

Their pride is well-justified, considering Prospect Orchesis was chosen among thousands of applicants for the National High School Dance Festival, held in Miami April 3-6. Last weekend, they performed their chosen pieces, “Off the Axis” and “Solace.”

The process of applying for the contest and submitting DVDs of the two dances as well as a third dance that was not chosen, “In Tandem,” by the Dec. 9 deadline was rushed, according to Burton. However, all three were pieces featured in this year’s show, “Spectrum,” so students had been working on them since the beginning of the year.

According Schillmoeller, who collaborated on “Off the Axis” with Kies, the process of choreographing the dances began in September, as all girls were required to prepare and audition at least one dance for their show.

Schillmoeller and Kies took much less time than normal to create their dance; in fact, since they were so busy, they ended up finishing 45 seconds’ worth of movement in 12 minutes the day before the audition. The two were able to quickly bounce ideas off each other and worked together seamlessly, citing each other’s talent as a factor in their success.

According to Kies, the process of choreographing a dance involves taking inspiration from a song. She chose music by Mount Kimbie, a relatively unknown alternative artist.

“For me, music inspires me, so a lot of times I’ll just hear a song, and [the dance] will just come to my head, and [the music] will bring an idea to my mind,” Kies said.

Schillmoeller followed a similar process. For her, choosing a song is often the hardest part, but once done, she “plays with the music and the movement and [tries] to make them click.”

Kies and Schillmoeller decided to combine contemporary dance and classical ballet, an up-and-coming style known as contemporary ballet. Kies believes that this combination of contemporary ballet with such different music was what set the

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dance apart from others and led to it being chosen.

After the dances were finished, Burton worked with the girls to perfect them, suggesting ways to improve aspects such the as dance’s flow and the sharpness of moves.

When looking at pieces to submit, she focused on the technical difficulty. She also looked for ones that showcased the girls’ abilities the best, looking especially for those that exemplified their ballet abilities because this year’s group is particularly strong in this style.

Running on a tight schedule, the girls had to learn all three dances in a short amount of time. They learned “Solace,” choreog raphed

by Nick Pupillo of Visceral Dance in Chicago, in two fourhour sessions at his studio. The other two were learned during rehearsals after school.

When the time for filming came, the girls traveled to Wheeling because the venue there made the piece look better and well-rehearsed. After they submitted the videos, there was nothing to do but wait.

Despite the initial excitement of being accepted, they still had a show to prepare for. After the show, instead of being able to take a break, they now had to prepare for the festival. However, after so much preparation, it was simply a matter of adjusting the dances for the 14 girls performing out of 22 attending and tweaking subtle aspects to perfect each piece.

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Both the girls and Burton were confident in their abilities and looked forward to showcasing their talents at the festival. “[We had] performed so much that [it was] more fun than anything,” Schillmoeller said. “We [felt] so confident because [we had] rehearsed it so many times, so [there was] almost no chance of messing anything up.”

At the festival itself, students had the opportunity to attend classes and scholarship auditions as well as perform in a huge venue. Now, looking back on the festival, both Burton and Schillmoeller cite the performances as their favorite part.

“It was really cool because it was such a completely different level of dancing,” Schillmoeller said. “Even though we’re not a performing arts school, we all acted really professional and did really well.”

Schillmoeller and Kies, as well as sophomores Claire Marzolf and Lauren Alberts, received scholarships and other offers through the auditions held on Thursday. Schillmoeller received scholarships to the Institute of the Arts in Barcelona and Joffrey Ballet Trainee Program in New York City.

Ultimately, Burton is very proud of her girls and their accomplishment.

“They looked so professional, and I felt like they fit right in,” Burton said. “I know they’re talented, but to be displayed at such a high level shows how good the program is and how talented our dancers are to be sharing a stage with these kids that go to performing arts high schools and dance all day long. They just did so well, and I just couldn’t be happier with how they did.”

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April 11, 2014

Sports

13

Spring season brings new changes Boys’ water polo adjusts to staff, player additions

Shallow vs. deep Shallow end goalie: Senior Jack Cooney is this year’s shallow end goalie. That means he only plays the two quarters the Knights are defending in the shallow end. Because the water is shallow, Cooney is allowed to stand on the bottom of the pool during plays. To even the playing field, the shallow end goal is larger than the deep end goal.

Deep end goalie: Junior Michael Gray took over the spot of deep end goalie this year. Unlike Cooney, Gray can’t touch the bottom and has to tread during his two quarters.

By Molly Mueller

Executive Sports Editor The boys’ water polo program has brought a few changes to the team for the new season. The biggest challenge was finding someone to fill the goalie position.

While junior Michael Gray replaced last year’s goalie, ‘13 graduate Billy Savaiano, in the deep-end goal, senior and newcomer to the sport Jack Cooney took the spot of shallow-end goalie.

Cooney had been the varsity soccer goalie for the past two years and decided this spring to leave track to play water polo.

“I wanted to play a sport where I think I could have given more of a contribution to a team,” Cooney said. “I felt like I could give more of the contribution to water polo than track and field, so I switched sports.”

Cooney has been using his skills from soccer to make the crossover easier.

“He is making the transition very well,” head coach Dan Gentry said.

“There is not too much difference in the goals. He has the understanding of angles and is big and strong. Once he gets treading down, he will be an even greater force in goal.”

According to Cooney, although there are many similarities between soccer

RISING STAR: Senior Jack Cooney makes a save against Wheeling March 20, contributing to the 13-6 win. The Knights have experienced change going into the 2014 season, including two new goalies. “He is making the transition very well,” head coach Dan Gentry said of Cooney’s addition to the team. (Photo by Molly Mueller) and water polo, there are differences, too.

One difference is the way he defends the goal.

“In soccer, when you are a goalie, you have to be more active off the ball,” Cooney said. “You kind of have to come off your line and really intervene with the play on the offensive end, but with water polo, you kind of have to let the players come at you and just kind of take whatever they’re doing.”

Another difference is the increased amount of communication from Cooney.

“I am being told to coordinate the offense, like tell the players on our team

where passes might be or we could get a pass and then possibly score a goal,” Cooney said. “Gentry has been a little bit more focused on me to do that.”

Along with two new starting goalies for the Knights, the team also has a new assistant coach.

Italian teacher Antonino Bondi took over for Tim O’Grady, who was the JV coach for the past four years. According to Gentry, O’Grady left the team to become the head water polo coach at St. Charles East High School.

Gentry believes Bondi’s background in soccer will help him guide and improve the JV team.

“Many things from soccer relate to

water polo,” Gentry said. “We just use our hands instead of our feet.”

With Bondi’s soccer experience and Cooney’s goalie abilities, the Knights hope to win the MSL East.

Already having defeated Wheeling and Buffalo Grove, the two toughest teams in the East, and with a 5-0 record, the boys have set themselves up for success.

The team is counting on lead scorers senior Nathanael Ginnodo, senior Cam Mauer, junior Sam Gabriel and junior Michael Morikado to run the offense along with junior Tyler Culliton, who took the offensive hole position for ‘13 graduate Liam Hansen. “[The loss of Hansen] has made us a better team,” Gentry said. “We now cannot depend on one person to make all of the shots. Everyone has to contribute and become better to make up for that loss in our offense.”

Female athletes deserve proper recognition for their talent

An event as prestigious as the McDonald’s All American game features alumni such as LeBron James, Derrick Rose and Jabari Parker.

For three days, all eyes are on the nation’s top high school talent. There’s only one problem.

No one has really said it

publicly, but it’s something everyone knows. While all the male players get constant media attention, the girls are sidelined just waiting for a single interview.

Last year, when I covered the McDonald’s game, it really touched me.

These women are the future Candace Parkers and Maya Moores, so why are they just ignored during media day? I decided to take a stand and do a story about the issue.

When I talked to each girl on the team at media day April 3, I immediately brought up the topics of media attention, money and the future for women’s sports.

All of them said it was hard to see the guys get glamorous highlight tapes and big inter-

Total Earnings of Male vs Female Athletes (Salary and Endorsements)

Info courtesy of forbes.com

views but acknowledged the sport for women is growing and hope that the income gap will eventually become even.

For the 2013 season, the minimum starting salary for a WNBA player was $37,950 while the minimum starting NBA salary was $490,180. Just a slight difference.

The establishment of Title IX in 1972 started the slow, uphill climb towards female equality and has broken through many barriers.

Here at Prospect, we have a solid respect for all our female sports. When our girls’ golf team won state, The Underground waited for them at 10 p.m. to celebrate their accomplishment.

However, there is always a lingering question: would we still be at our girls’ basketball games and golf matches if they weren’t good?

The student section is full at our boys’ football games regardless of the record.

According to former boys’ and girls’ volleyball coach Daria Schaffeld, it takes a long time for culture to change.

“Each generation of the female athlete has its battle,” Schaffeld said. “I think the battle now is the equality in terms of recognition. It’s the battle to show the female athlete is powerful and exciting.”

She’s right. Why can’t the women’s game be intriguing in its own right? I think that mindset needs to be implemented early on in a girl’s life.

They need to be told it’s OK to have female role models in the sports world.

“Is a family with daughters

EQUAL PLAYING FIELD: The McDonald’s All American game last Wednesday featured 24 of the top female basketball players in the nation. Despite their talent, they received much less attention than the male players. (Photo courtesy of Chicago Tribune/MCT) taking them to see the professional women’s game, or are they going to take them to see the Chicago Bulls?” Schaffeld said. “I think little girls are still nurtured into dance and other stereotypical female things.”

Once that stereotype changes, the gap between the recognition of male and female sports will close.

When we come back 10 years from now for homecoming, it would be kind of cool to see everybody watching the girls’ volleyball game or

tennis match and cheering on the athletes.

Hearing this now, most of you would think it’s stupid and just breaking tradition. That’s OK because change is gradual. Maybe one day, boys will be proud to say, “I play ball like a girl.”

Friday, April 11, 2014

SPORTS

The boys’ volleyball team takes on Conant April 3. The team was able to bring change to their rough start winning 2 games. The Knights had 22 kills in the match.

Flipping towards success New athletes, coaches bring positive change to boys’ gymnastics

By Peter Fusilero Sports Editor

Freshman Max Andryushchenko is no ordinary high school gymnast.

“He’s ridiculous,” junior Mark Larock said. “You should probably come out to a meet just to see him.”

Andryushchenko’s father, Arkadi, was a club coach for Lakeshore Academy of Artistic Gymnastics in the city until recently moving the club out to the Northwest suburbs. According to head coach Randy Smith, the move was to give Max the real high school experience. “[Max] grew up under his dad, who had him thinking gymnastics 24/7,” Smith said. “A lot of the elite gymnasts don’t normally represent a school.

They consider it a waste of time or not beneficial. Both Max and his dad wanted him to do [high school] gymnastics, so now he’s a game changer.”

The addition of Max has now given the boys’ gymnastics team an edge in competing for titles, but his presence alone has motivated his teammates in the early season.

“He’s almost flawless with the stuff he does,” junior Patrick Backus said.

“He’s ahead of everybody in the gym.

We just want everybody in the gym to be motivated by him, especially the younger kids.”

Smith also sees the drive to work harder in his gymnasts team because of Andryushchenko joining the program.

HANGING OUT: Freshman Greg Bersh participates in the rings at a home meet. The freshmen, led by Max Andryushchenko, have shown promise for the future of the program. (Photo courtesy of The Crest) “The guys on the team can’t wait for him to come in the gym,” Smith said.

“Max is that guy you want to out work harder just because he’s standing next to you.”

Max has not only impacted his teammates but the new coaching staff as well.

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“I think as coaches you become a fan again,” Smith said. “Just to watch someone like that who has dedicated their life to [gymnastics], you sit back and say, ‘Wow.’ It’s going to be hard not to know who Max is.”

Along with the addition of Max, Smith has added two assistants in Ben Kessler and Chris Arnold.

According to Backus, both have unique specialties that help the team in a big way.

“Ben is a life coach and is very inspirational,” Backus said. “He has really good [ab and shoulder] workouts that we haven’t done before. Chris is a teacher in the district and was a former gymnast at NIU. His experience means a lot to the team.”

With Smith, Kessler and Arnold, the varsity team has been working really hard, according to Larock and Backus.

“We’ve been putting in a lot more in the offseason,” Larock said. “We kept going to the gym to get our tricks together and be prepared for our routines we would have to do for the season.”

Along with Larock, Smith has taken notice to the three-plus hours of work his team has put in. each practice.

The boys have performed well this season, but as an entire program, they believe a state qualification is more likely next year.

“They just want to rise to the next level,” Smith said. “I think this year there is a slim chance, but I think next year, there is a great chance.”

Backus agrees with Smith’s vision.

“We’re already preparing for next year,” Backus said. “Next season, we’ll have varsity conference in our own fieldhouse, and it would be very special to win that my senior year and go even further. Next year, we just want to put on a show.”

Who is Max Andryushcenko?

This student belongs to one of the top gym clubs in the nation, he has traveled to Brazil to compete and is looking to be in the Olympics one day.

In the gymnastics world, it is unheard of for a club gymnast to join his or her high school team because of the huge talent gap, but for freshman Max Andryushchenko, the expectation didn’t matter. “[Joining the Prospect gymnastics program] was important to me because I wanted to get to know more people and help my team,” Andryushchenko said.

“I felt like it would be a great experience and a lot of fun.”

Andryushchenko’s father, Arkadi, a club coach at Lakeshore Academy of Artistic Gymnastics, played a supporting role in the decision and has made a big impact on Max’s life.

“He has helped a lot throughout the process,” Max said. “He plays an important factor in my career. He’s just a great coach and dad.”

Max’s career is pretty hectic. From 5:30 to 9:00 every night, he is in the gym working.

Now competing on the high school stage, he feels there is pressure to be flawless.

“I feel if I do mess up, people are going to say, ‘Oh, he’s not as good as we thought he was,’” Max said.

“I kind of like the pressure. It pushes me.”

Moving forward, Max hopes to someday reach the elite level.

“That’s my dream,” Max said. “I want to make the Olympic games, but right now I’m just focusing on the moment.”

Popularity of girls’ badminton remains consistent

By Devin Prasad

Executive Sports Editor This year the girls badminton team carried on their tradition of having numerous girls try out. The team had 93 girls go out for the team and numbers like this are becoming the norm. According to head coach Jean Rezny, between 80 and 90 girls usually try out.

Many new girls hear about badminton from players and coaches and have begun to try it for themselves.

Girls who play other sports have also tried badminton after hearing about it from their teammates. Rezny has seen many girls golfers as well as tennis players make the transition very smoothly.

According to golfer and badminton player senior Noreen Caporusso, playing two sports helps to break up the seasons, and each sport can also help the other.

For example, both badminton and golf require hand-eye coordination, so having two sports to work on that is very beneficial. Senior Kiley Walsh believes that playing both golf and badminton helps develop muscles that are helpful in both.

evenly spread out team, having nearly equal numbers of girls from each grade level, the team looks to take advantage of the even distribution.

Having an equal number of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors allows the team to prepare for the future as well as being successful in the present.

“There are some very experienced players and some players with no experience at all,” Caporusso said. “Having the distribution be even makes it easier to help everyone learn how to play.”

Talent-wise, this team has SMASH: The girls’ badminton team scrimmages one another in a recent practice. With 93 girls trying shown it is one of the best in out, the team was able to continue a popularity trend. (Photo by Rich Futo) years according to Rezny.

Mental as well as physical ability to learn and become bet- you for having no experience The freshmen are already and just want to help you is competing at a high level which characteristics carry over be- ter.

According to Rezny, many what really is a key to our pos- can be seen already in practice. tween the two sports. According to Rezny, badminton re- of the girls come into the pro- itivity.”

Every week the girls have Fun The team’s consistent pos- Friday practice and the team quires a lot of dedication and gram on the same experience commitment, which is also nec- level, having played in PE class itive attitude is what has kept is already able to successfully essary in girls’ golf and other but never competitively. She girls coming back. scrimmage one another which believes it is competitiveness “I think with anything, if puts them ahead of previous sports like tennis.

Both golf and badminton re- at Prospect that allows them to you enjoy doing it, you’re going teams. quire a lot of mental toughness become better and grow accus- to be successful at it, and you “These girls are really pickare going to put more time in,” ing it up it quick,” Walsh said. and preparation as well, from tomed to the sport.

“When you get a sport like Rezny said. “There’s no reason “I see the freshmen and sophocoming back after a tough loss to getting ready for a big tour- badminton where you don’t to come into a gym every day mores sometimes and they are have to have touched a rac- and be miserable, so we try to just watching and observing so nament.

Another reason why many quet until your freshman year, keep practices fun and at the well. It’s really fun to see them girls are drawn to badminton I think that’s very inviting,” same time competitive.” learning how to play the game This season the team expects of badminton.” is the coaches’ acceptance of Walsh said. “To have coaches anyone who is able to show the that would never look down on to be very successful. With an