The Spoke February 2012

Sp ke

Snowboarders and skiers hit the slopes

Love Connections are here

See p. 20

See p. 14

THE

CONESTOGA HIGH SCHOOL, BERWYN, PA

VOLUME 62 NO. 4

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

STOGANEWS.COM

Community unites to support crime victim After a local grocer was attacked, his fellow business owners and other local cizitens came together in an effort to help him recover.

Lavi Ben-Dor & K.C. McConnell Convergence Editor & News Editor

A brutal crime

1988 Conestoga graduate Mark Morroney, the general manager at Yang’s Farmers Market in Berwyn and a close personal friend of its owner, remembers the night of Jan. 18 as being particularly chilly. Yong Yang, who has owned the market for 23 years, had parked his truck next to the front door and was closing up for the night at around 6:30 p.m.

Morroney said he warmed up his car in the parking lot and then drove away, leaving Yang to lock the front door—something completely routine. What happened next, however, was completely unexpected.

At first, “Mr. Yang thought it was a joke,” Morroney said. “He was approached by the two when he was already in his van.

It was shut. They actually opened the door and pulled him out of the van.”

Yang recognized one of his attackers as he came toward the truck.

“I said, ‘I know you, get out of here, go home. Please!’” Yang said.

But that night, the two teenagers went on to violently attack and rob Yang.

The police arrived at Yang’s Farmers Market shortly after he called them at around 6:57 p.m. Yang reported that he had been approached by two young men while he was sitting in his van. One of them reportedly got into the van, started waving a knife and then punched Yang in the face, breaking his glasses. The robbers stole Yang’s wallet, including $540.

Yang’s left eye was badly injured during the attack, though he refused treatment at the scene. He later went to the hospital and had surgery on his surgery on his left eye.

Easttown Police Lieutenant Scott Albee used videotape from a security camera in the parking garage attached to Yang’s building to identify suspects18-year-old Octavio Sandoval and 17-year-old Sean Mitten, who is being tried as an adult.

With Morroney’s help, Yang was able to recognize Sandoval as one of the robbers, since he had worked at Yang’s Farmers Market for about a week in the spring of 2011. Sandoval used to be a Conestoga student, but has since transferred to another school.

See YANG ROBBERY, p. 4

Yong Yang, owner of Yang’s Market in Berywn, was robbed by two teens as he was closing the shop on Jan. 18. Two suspects, Octavio Sandaval, 18, and Sean Mitten, 17, were arrested and charged with the crime. A date for the trial has yet to be determined.

Junior Cheryl Liu is co-president of the Sweet Swap club. The club held a joint bake sale with T/E Kids Care to benefit Yang.

Sweet Jazmine’s bakery in Berwyn solicited donations from customers to assist Yang.

They also made a card for people to sign.

Kim Cuthbert, the owner of Sweet Jazmine’s and a 1988 ’Stoga alum, is among several local business owners supporting Yang.

Photos Lavi Ben-Dor and Luke Rafferty/The SPOKE

Yang’s Farmers Market, located in Berwyn, was the site of the Jan. 18 robbery. Yang has owned this location for the last 23 years.

PAGE 2 THE SPOKE

stoganews .com

“Members have improved tremendously since the beginning of the year, and continue to show potential for the future. We are definitely very strong this year, and the district championship tournament proved that.”

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

NEWS

Go online to see Stetson Miller’s report on the Giants parade held in New York on Feb. 8 to celebrate the team’s Super Bowl victory over the Patriots.

Junior Anurag Garikipati on the Voices Speech and Debate Team’s success in the district three-round tournament on Feb. 2; full story on Stoganews.com.

Take a snapshot of this QR code with your smart phone camera to read a feature on students who participate in martial arts training.

Check out photographs of the district band festival, Science Olympiad’s Battle at Valley Forge Invitational, the set of “Titanic” and more.

Find us on Twitter (@thespoke) and Facebook for exclusive online content.

Pioneer posts: Upcoming in community The T/E School Board meets for a regular board meeting on Feb. 27 at the Tredyffrin Easttown Administrative Offices.

Conestoga hosts its annual Career Days assemblies from Feb. 28 to March 1. Speakers will share their experiences in the careers they have chosen and potentially discuss internship opportunities for interested seniors.

Students can sign up from Feb. 22-24.

Conestoga’s production of “Titanic: The Musical” runs from Feb. 29 to March 3. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and senior citizens.

March 2 marks an instructional staff inservice day.

There will be no school for all T/E school district students on that Friday. The next inservice day will be held on March 30.

National Art Honor Society holds its annual induction ceremony on March 27. Members of the society will also hold an art show in the main lobby during that week.

Karolis Panavas/The SPOKE

Freshman Michael Tao and other members of Science Olympiad test a miniature airplane at the team’s annual Battle at Valley Forge Invitational on Jan. 14. Participants from 22 local high schools competed in construction events and knowledge tests.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

PAGE 3 THE SPOKE

NEWS

Tutors help homebound students keep up with schoolwork Shwetha Sudhakar Staff Reporter Senior Danni Heron, a former member of Conestoga’s Marching Pioneers, was moving to the beat of “Avatar’s” score last school year when she suddenly felt the thud of a color guard rifle hitting her head.

After being diagnosed with a concussion, Heron found that she had trouble concentrating in school. As a result, Heron received homebound instruction from November until the end of the school year.

Homebound instruction is an option available for students with an extended illness. The district pays for tutoring from certified instructors who teach students at home. The student must apply with a note from a doctor and reapply to the Pennsylvania Board of Education if the tutoring exceeds three months.

Heron found that her own homebound instruction was constructed to fit her medical needs.

“Everything was sort of modified to what I could do, as I

couldn’t concentrate as much,” Heron said.

Andrea Chipego, T/E School District’s director of individualized student services, said that the district is required to submit all details on homebound instruction to the state, since the state will sometimes help the student pay the cost of the tutoring. She also added that the cost of tutoring varies with the teacher.

“For homebound tutoring, [the cost] would be the same amount we would pay teachers for doing additional work,” Chipego said. “It’s based on [the teacher’s] contract.”

Chipego said that while teachers from district schools can decide to become homebound tutors, the district accepts anyone with a teacher’s qualification for the student’s subject and grade level. This often includes retired and part-time teachers.

While Heron received tutoring from some Conestoga teachers, other tutors taught her as well.

Homebound students are tutored for one hour per week for each subject, something that proved helpful in Heron’s situation.

Karolis Panavas photos/The SPOKE

Due to an extended illness, junior Ruth Wang was tutored at home for a month by multiple tutors, including chemistry teacher Jean Mihelcic. Homebound students are entitled to receive one hour of tutoring per week in each subject.

“It was a lot more one-onone so it was easier to ask questions and it was more my pace,” Heron said. “The teachers had to modify and trim down the material as I had problems with memory, so I wound up doing open book tests.”

Heron said the tutoring prevented her from falling behind in the regular curriculum, and she noticed a lot of differences from regular schooling when she returned this year.

“I’ve noticed how classes get really off topic really quickly if there’s a lot more students,” Heron said. “With homebound, a lesson that was taking [students] an entire week to do in school only took [the tutor and me] two days because there was less distraction.”

Junior Ruth Wang, who spent one month as a homebound student the past school year due to an extended illness, disagrees.

She felt that having only an hour a week to go over the curriculum was slightly difficult.

“I had to do a lot more on my own and I didn’t have as much time to go over the material,” Wang said.

Wang said that she was lucky to have her own teacher, Jean Mihelcic, as her chemistry tutor. Mihelcic emphasized the amount of work students have to complete on their own and said that homebound tutoring

Senior Danni Heron completes schoolwork at home. Last year, Heron was tutored individually since a concussion left her unable to attend school. also posed difficulties for fulfilling lab requirements.

“For a lot of students they can come after school to complete the labs,” Mihelcic said. “Other students, we may have them do paper labs or excuse them.”

German teacher Kevin Nerz also served as one of Wang’s home tutors. Nerz has been a homebound tutor for two years and said that the teaching experience is different as it is more focused on the individual student.

“You really have to try to read more into the individual, try to pick up on things and see how quickly [the student] can learn because the reality of homebound is that you only have an hour for a week’s material,” Nerz said.

Nerz said he does homebound tutoring because he does not

want students to fall behind, but there are some disadvantages.

“If you’re not in class, you miss out on teacher’s discussions, stories, interactions and so forth. The student would miss out from not being [at school,]” Nerz said.

Chipego also said that, while home tutoring is helpful, it does not replace regular schooling.

“It really is just meant to be a very temporary thing to get someone through an acute illness,” Chipego said.

Regardless of the benefits of homebound tutoring, Mihelcic enjoys doing it.

“I do it because I enjoy working one-on-one with the students,” Mihelcic said.

Shwetha Sudhakar can be reached at ssudhakar@stoganews.com.

e

PAGE 4 THE SPOKE

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

NEWS

Local businesses support Yang’s Market owner after robbery

Continued from p. 1

“I’m an ex-’Stoga graduate so I was happy to hear he was going [to Conestoga]. He was cordial, he was a little quiet, but then again he did speak and communicate well.

And I’d have to say I knew him, in a way,” Morroney said. “I knew him by first name. I have his name on the wall in case I needed help. We tried him out for a week. It didn’t work out and we let him go.”

Albee reported that the Easttown Police Force was able to locate the suspects within four days of the robbery.

“Thanks to the community for their participation,” Albee said.

Without them, “we wouldn’t have been able to [find the suspects] in four days.”

Rallying community

Yang’s attack and subsequent hospitalization did not go unnoticed by his fellow Berwyn business owners. Stacey Ballard of Eadeh Enterprises and 1988 Conestoga graduate Kim Cuthbert of Sweet Jazmine’s Bakery heard about the attack and that insurance had not covered all of Yang’s medical bills.

They then decided to raise funds to support Yang because they understood that his medical expenses and absence from work would hurt him financially.

“We knew his business was going to be affected,” Cuthbert said.

“As a small business, we could relate to that, and on top of that, [we asked,] ‘What can we do? How can we try to ease his load a little bit?’”

Ballard and Cuthbert de-

cided to each ask ten area businesses to donate $100 to try to raise $2,000.

Sweet Jazmine’s also contributed by holding bake sales, in which the bakery would sell one special item every day. All of the proceeds from that item would go towards Yang’s recovery. The effort had raised almost $20,000 as of Feb. 9.

“We’ve been thrilled—people are still coming in and dropping off just donations, not really into the bake sale,” Cuthbert said. “It’s just a lot of people coming to help someone who has been done an injustice. We’ve more than exceeded our initial plan for what we were going to do, and the momentum is just continuing.”

Several other local businesses, including Aneu Bistro in Berwyn are working together to raise money for Yang. Mark Gaines, the general manager at Aneu Bistro, said that the distress felt by the community was what prompted the planning of a charity event.

“Everybody was shocked in disbelief,” Gaines said. “We’re all actually planning a benefit for him as we speak.”

Berwyn Glass owner Douglas Kirschner was one of the local business owners who originally had the idea for the Aneu Bistro benefit dinner. Kirschner, who has owned his shop in Berwyn since 1976, said that he got the idea for the benefit when he heard about Yang’s medical bills.

Fifty percent of the profits from the benefit dinner will go to helping Yang pay off those bills.

Kirschner said that he thought one reason the community took such an interest in Yang’s situation was because of the brutality of the attack. Kirschner also attributes the strong community response to Yang’s positive presence in Berwyn.

“I’m just hap-

more than

$20,000 raised

Graphic: Anisa Tavangar/The SPOKE

$

$540 stolen

py that everybody is coming to the table and who wants to help Mr. Yang,” Kirschner said. “He has just been a real pillar of the community.

He helps everybody who walks in the store. He’s just a wonderful man, and his produce is always first class—he doesn’t skimp anywhere.”

Morroney said that there have not only been charitable responses from local businesses, but from ordinary customers as well.

There’s been a “huge outpouring [from the community]. Everybody’s coming in with checks,” Morroney said. “It’s our clientele, but it’s not just our clientele that’s coming in here. There’s people that haven’t been in [the store] for years or people that have never been to the store that have contributed.”

Conestoga joins effort

Some students at Conestoga took notice of Yang’s ordeal. Senior Stetson Miller, who lives and works near the market, was taken aback by the robbery.

“We sometimes go [to Yang’s Farmers Market] because I live very close,” Miller said. “I was shocked because I never thought that something that awful could happen that close to home.”

Some clubs at Conestoga have responded to the violent robbery by joining the community in helping Yang. ’Stoga baking club Sweet Swap decided to help support Yang after members of the club heard about the attack. The group held a bake sale on Feb. 13, and all proceeds went to help Yang in his recovery.

“We felt bad for Mr. Yang, and we decided to help him out because he’s a local guy,” said junior and club co-president Cheryl Liu. Sweet Swap “mainly bakes food, and T/E Kids Care is helping the community out, so we decided it would be a good opportunity [to join together].”

Liu said that she hopes Conestoga’s contribution to the support effort will greatly benefit Conestoga and the area.

“It’ll bring more awareness to what’s going on around our community, and it’ll also help change the way people are thinking a little,” she said. “It shows we’re all active

Lavi Ben-Dor/The SPOKE

1988 ’Stoga grad Mark Morroney stands with Yong Yang inside Yang’s Market. Morroney helped Yang identify the suspects after the attack. within our community, and we share a lot of care and respect for other members.”

Junior Jenny Liu, a member of ’Stoga club T/E Kids Care, said her club worked with Sweet Swap to increase awareness of the attack and promote the bake sale. She said that she is proud of Conestoga’s effort to help Yang.

“I think it’s good that we are trying to help him, and it’s important, because he really needs people to care about him right now,” Jenny Liu said. “It shows we care.”

Overcoming an attack

Morroney believes that the attack struck an intimate chord with the T/E community. He said that the sheer violence of the attack on Yang may have made citizens of Berwyn and its surrounding areas more wary of their surroundings.

“I think if it struck any paranoia in the community, I don’t blame them.

I’m doing the same thing at night when I’m walking out the door,” Morroney said. “You can’t help but change a little bit [and] get a little more on-guard.”

Jenny Liu said that the incident both serves as an eye-opener for locals and will unite them to support a valued member of the T/E community.

“It opens our eyes to realize that things like this do happen, even though we’re on the Main Line,” Jenny Liu said. “It will bring people together to help someone in need.”

Morroney believes that the tremendous response from the local community illustrates the good values of the place where he grew up.

“It’s just a reminder of what the Main Line’s about and what a nice area we do live in,” Morroney said.

“We’re all really lucky to be living here.”

Yang said that despite being attacked, he still appreciates the care and friendliness of the local community and is grateful that they have responded to his misfortune with charity.

“I love Berwyn. I love my store,” Yang said. “This here is a really good section.”

Lavi Ben-Dor can be reached at lbendor@stoganews.com.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

PAGE 5 THE SPOKE

NEWS

Harlem Wizards work magic for FLITE on ‘Stoga’s home court James Redmond Staff Reporter Next month, the Harlem Wizards will take to the basketball court in a game unlike other any other previously featured in the Conestoga gym.

The Wizards, an exhibition basketball team similar to the Harlem Globetrotters, will play a team of Tredyffrin/Easttown teachers, administrators and students on March 23 at 7 p.m. to raise money for the Foundation for Learning In Tredyffrin Easttown (FLITE).

FLITE is a charitable organization dedicated to helping students in the district achieve their full potential. Athletic director Patrick Boyle said that he is excited about the school’s participation in this charitable cause.

“Any time you have an entertaining group like this come in, it obviously will be a spectacle to see their skills on display,” Boyle said.

Since 1962, the Harlem Wiz-

rg tion, visit flite-pa.o for more informa To buy tickets or

“Any time you have an entertaining group like this come in, it obviously will be a spectacle to see their skills on display.” thle —A tic director Patrick Boyle

HOOL WELCOMES

CONESTOGA HIGH SC

T H E H A R LE M W I Z A R

DS

How to get tickets: $10 online

and

CONESTOGA LARGE

TUESDAY MARCH 23,

ards have employed a kind of exhibition basketball designed to exhibit their skills and amuse the audience. In addition to playing home teams, they perform a series of tricks and sometimes involve the audience in their shows.

Junior Brendan Caine, who is a member of FLITE’s student board, believes that the game will attract a large crowd of students to the event.

“The performers are very talented, and they’ll know a lot

GYM

2012 7:00 p.m.

$12 at the door

Graphic: Anisa Tavangar/The SPOKE

of tricks that will keep it fun for everyone,” Caine said.

The team representing the district will have teachers and administrators from every school, according to Chris Caine, an officer on FLITE’s board of trustees. From ’Stoga, security guard Dante Coles is making an appearance, along with a few varsity basketball players from the boys’ and girls’ teams.

The game has several purposes for FLITE; not only is it

a fundraiser, but it also serves to boost awareness for their programs. According to Sheryl Roche, FLITE communication chair, the number of families in need of support is increasing yearly, so the publicity is especially important.

“We’re trying to help community members to know that there are programs currently in place that can help you,” Roche said. “Really, the families have to identify themselves.”

Roche said that FLITE offers many educational servcies for underprivileged students, including an after school homework club for younger children, SAT prep classes and graphing calculator programs. FLITE has found other ways to help as well.

Junior Brooke Skelly, a member of FLITE’s student board, said that she believes the event will serve as great way to connect the community with the charity as well as a reason to watch T/E community members and athletes work some magic on the basketball courts alongside the Wizards.

“It’s a good cause because we are going to be raising a lot of money for FLITE and the programs that we sponsor,” Skelly said. “It’s also going to be a fun activity, and you can come and watch your friends play basketball and your teachers from all different schools and grades play.”

James Redmond can be reached at jredmond@stoganews.com.

Ads in school: Commercialism or creative fundraising?

Patrick Nicholson Staff Reporter More than just bleachers and scores of shouting fans will greet athletes on Conestoga’s sports fields this spring. Now, students may need to get used to seeing advertisements alongside the big game.

The school board contracted production company Masterpiece Multimedia in December to sell and construct advertisement signs at the school district’s athletics facilities and other non-instructional areas. According to district business manager Art McDonnell, the school board estimates that the ad program will bring in $25,000 annually. McDonnell also said that goal of the program is to reduce the school district’s projected $6.17 million budget deficit for the 2012-13 school year.

Last year “the board looked at revenue enhancement strategies to close the projected budget deficit.

One strategy that the Board asked the administration to pursue was selling advertising,” McDonnell said.

Mike Baskin, the school’s contractor from Masterpiece Multime-

dia, said that changes could start taking place in the coming months.

Baskin said that though the advertising program is going to happen, no advertising space can be sold until the school board policy committee approves some parts of the program.

“The primary goal right now, although it can be expanded, is definitely with all the sports fields around the district,” Baskin said.

McDonnell said that any further decisions on advertisement placement will be made exclusively by the school district.

“According to our approved contract, the district will be determining the location of the ads,” McDonnell said.

Some students, such as sophomore baseball player Andrew Smith, believe that placing ads on the sports fields may benefit ’Stoga teams.

“I think it’s a good step for our school to be making money off of these ads,” Smith said. “I think it’s good for the fans, the teams, trying to get more money for the school.”

However, sophomore track athlete Aaron Schnall believes that ads inside Conestoga could detract from the educaitonal atomsphere.

“It would be kind of annoying,” Schnall said. “If there are some ads, it wouldn’t be that bad, but if the school was filled with ads that would be annoying.”

According to Baskin, the advertising program is designed so that the school does not become “over-commercialized.” Ads will not be placed in instructional areas of the school, such as classrooms.

He said that if ads were put inside the school, they would be similar to motivational posters.

“We do not need for there to be signs for [fast food or pizza places] in the cafeteria,” Baskin said. “If we want to put a sign up that says something like, ‘Healthy lunches make healthy decisions’—some sort of motivational kind of signage that could be sponsored by a family or a company—that would be something more like what we would look for.”

Baskin said that despite student concerns about commercialization, the advertisement program is a winwin situation for the companies, the school district and even clubs at Conestoga. Baskin also said that the advertisements will be useful for student organizations because they may

Berwyn Sporting Goods For all your sports equipment needs!

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Photo Illustration: Mary Turocy/The SPOKE

Above: Will ’Stoga’s gym have ads like this one? The school district’s advertising contractor hopes to have advertisements constructed in district athletic facilities by mid-March. However, the school board must first approve policies governing exactly where and how the ads will be placed. provide revenue for booster sports clubs or service organizations.

Overall, Baskin believes that the program will benefit the school district.

“The nice thing with this is that you could buy a sign and put a sign

up about your company [on school property] and get some added benefit in return by supporting the school district,” Baskin said.

Patrick Nicholson can be reached at pnicholson@stoganews.com.

NEWS

PAGE 6 THE SPOKE

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

Club works to create abundance of hunger awareness

Claire Moran Staff Reporter Several times per year, junior and club president Caroline Donahue and the other members of Stogabundance take a trip down to Philadelphia to work at the Philabundance warehouse, where they will pack and sort boxes of food for the needy.

Stogabundance, a club that works to reduce hunger in Conestoga’s surrounding areas, was founded last year after Donahue saw an advertisement about Shire Pharmaceutical’s “Great Food Fight” a food drive competition between 22 high schools in southeastern Pennsylvania. Stogabundance’s ultimate goal is to win the Great Food Fight.

The winning high school receives $10,000.

The Great Food Fight benefits Philabundance, which helps those in need in Delaware County. Donahue said that she admired Philabundance, Stogabundance’s parent organization, because of how it provides relief to all kinds of people.

Philabundance is “pretty wide-

spread so they help every kind of person,” Donahue said. “Most of the people they serve aren’t even homeless people. It’s just a lot of people struggling to put food on their tables when their salary is mostly consumed by their rent and their mortgage.”

Last year, Stogabundance contributed 13,162 pounds of food to the Great Food Fight. Though Conestoga did not win the competition, it placed among the top five most contributing schools. This year, Stogabundance hopes to donate 20,000 pounds through a food drive from Feb. 15 to March 2.

Stogabundance has teamed minor school clubs up with larger service organizations, such as Key Club in order to increase the competition between clubs as to who can donate the most food.

There will also be food drives at both middle schools and Stogabundance members will also ask for donations at local grocery stores, libraries and other public places in order to receive donations from the community.

Junior and club member Ian Wilson said that by increasing awareness of the food drive, there will be a greater response from the students.

“I know that this year, we’re doing a [much] better job with the t-shirts,” Wilson said. “I know we’re doing posters and I think we’re trying to make it a commercial to run on the TV, so I definitely think that were making good strides in raising awareness for our club.”

Junior Maddie Swarr, a co-vice president for Stogabundance, said that the food raised during the drive will be going to areas closer to home than one may think.

“Our goal is to help raise food and awareness for those needy families struggling due to the economic situation,” Swarr said. “You’d be surprised how many families around here [suffer from hunger].”

Wilson also believes that students in Conestoga need to be made more aware of issues of hunger and malnourishment in the surrounding communities.

“It’s definitely a surreal experience in the fact that we are so privi-

Courtesy Kimmy Watmuff

Members of Stogabundance attended a pep rally at Penncrest High School to kick off the Great Food Fight, a food drive competition between local high schools. Stogabundance will be collecting food from Feb. 15 to March 2. leged as kids living on the Main Line going to Conestoga High School,” Wilson said. “We don’t think about where we get our food from and how we’re going to be able to eat our next meal with our family. There are people in Philadelphia that need food constantly.”

Donahue hopes to help spread this awareness through the upcoming food drive and to help unite

Conestoga against hunger in the community through the club’s call to action.

“This year we’re going for the maximum outreach. The more people we can get involved and even just aware about our cause the better,” Donahue said.

Claire Moran can be reached at cmoran@stoganews.com.

PA schools employ tougher laws If a school administrator believes that an employee was arrested or convicted of an offense that the employee has not reported, the employee must consent to a background check. Section 111(e) offenses include felonies such as homicide, assault and rape, as well as any crimes endangering the welfare of children.

House Bill 1352, a larger bill that made several changes to the School Code. The bill was sponsored by a A new piece of legislation may number of state legislators, includprevent felons from working in ing Rep. Warren Kampf.

Pennsylvania schools.

Sen. Jeffrey Piccola, a RepubPrior to the passing of Act 24 lican representing Dauphin and of 2011, school employees were York counties, suggested a change not required to submit background in background check policy based checks beyond those required during on a 2005 investigation involving the application a hall monitor process. Arat Steeltonrests and conHighspire High victions taking School who was place during a fired for having person’s emsexual contact ployment with with students. It the district may was discovered have never been afterward that reported. the hall moniUnder Act tor had been -Colleen Greer, Pa. Sen. Jeffrey Piccola’s 24, all current convicted of school employcocaine districommunication director ees were rebution. quired to com“Sen. Picplete a form reporting prior arrests or Junior Nate Myers feels that the cola stated then and now that this convictions for any offense listed in legislation is reasonable in ensuring individual who had serious crime Section 111(e) of the Pennsylvania the safety of students. convictions on his record should Public School Code and return it to “If [teachers] have nothing to not have been employed by a school their school administrator by Dec. 27 hide, then there shouldn’t be an in the first place,” said Piccola’s of last year. In addition, school em- issue. It’s the school’s right to Communication Director, Colleen ployees are now required to report know about the kind of people they Greer. to the school administrator within 72 [hired],” Myers said. hours of an arrest or conviction for a The change in background checks Allison Kozeracki can be reached at Section 111(e) offense. for school employees was part of akozeracki@stoganews.com.

Allison Kozeracki Copy Editor

“This individual... should not have been employed by a school in the first place.”

Luke Rafferty/The SPOKE

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

PAGE 7 THE SPOKE

NEWS

New program may shrink teen unemployment rate

Suproteem Sarkar Staff Reporter While other students may spend their weekends sleeping in, sophomore John Dwyer does not have that luxury. Instead, he will be operating the cash register at Panera Bread.

Dwyer is one of 25.1 percent of teens in the nation that has a job this school year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In June 2009, the month marking the end of the recession according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, teen unemployment among those seeking jobs hit 27.8 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Though the rate has since decreased to 21.5 percent, it is still higher than it was in 2007, before the recession started. Partnerships between the government and employers have helped create jobs for minors. Dwyer is one such minor lucky to have a job.

The job is “hard work, but it shows you what the real world’s going to be like,” Dwyer said. “It’s a good experience and all the hard work pays off

when you get your paycheck—that makes it all worth it.”

Sophomore Tim Tickner, a cashier at Wegmans, agrees that working during the school year can be challenging.

“I can imagine once you get older and you work on weekdays it would start to compete with schoolwork and make school more difficult,” Tickner said.

While some students such as Dwyer and Tickner are already employed, many others are still seeking work during the school year and summer. One such initiative designed to help more teens gain jobs is Summer Jobs+, announced

by President Barack Obama on Jan. 5. The U.S. Department of Labor has partnered with 37 companies that will open 250,000 positions exclusively for teens this summer, of which at least 100,000 will be paid internships in the public and private sectors.

Summer jobs are “so important for the student population,” economist Jayanta Das said. “If the sitting president says [he is] going to help out, it should help. If the employment

market is too bleak in nature, then a lot of job seekers just drop out. They think, ‘I’m not going to get it, so why even try?’ So creating an environment of communication between the government and the employers saying that there will be dedicated jobs for teens is encouraging.”

Some students, such as senior Jenn Fisher, who works at Rita’s Water Ice, believe that summer jobs may be harder for teens to obtain than jobs during the school year.

“I feel like it is kind of hard to get [summer] jobs anyway, because people are not really interested in hiring teens for just a couple of months during the summer,” Fisher said.

Despite these fears of low employment, Mirilee Vandame, manager of Trattoria San Nicola in Paoli, said her restaurant has increased its employment since 2008. Vandame also said that college students who used to work at San Nicola in their high school years will return in the summer.

“Our numbers have stayed the same for the last four years, moderately going up,” Vandame said.

1

Find a local business that is looking to hire.

2

The Store HELP WANTED

Go to that business and ask for a job application.

Job Application Name:

Steps to employment

5

Phone Number: Hours Available: Skills: Position Sought: Education:

The Store

Congratulations!

Put on your uniform and get to work.

Address:

4

While the economy is still in a slump, there are some signs of improvement. Though teen unemployment is still more than double the national average, Das said that it is projected to decrease this summer.

“This [recession] was really severe,” Das said. “For teens, the un-

At the interview, remember to impress the boss.

3

Fill out that application and wait to see if you get an interview.

Graphic: Anisa Tavangar/The SPOKE

employment rate was actually more than double [the national rate]. But for summer jobs this year, the prediction is that it’s going to be better than the last few years.”

Suproteem Sarkar can be reached at ssarkar@stoganews.com.

The Spoke is published seven times per year at Bartash Printing. It consistently receives the Gold Award from the Pennsylvania School Press Association and is a National School Press Association Pacemaker awardwinning publication. The Spoke serves as a public forum for student expression.

Editors-in-chief: Mary Turocy, Laura Weiss Managing Editor: Luke Rafferty News Editor: K.C. McConnell Assistant News Editor: Jenna Spoont Op-Ed Editor: Haley Xue Features Editor: Natalie West Sports Editors: Maddie Amsterdam, Abby Pioch Copy Editor: Allison Kozeracki Community Relations Editor: Brittany Roker Convergence Editor: Lavi Ben-Dor Business Manager: Heather Ward Photo Editor: Karolis Panavas Photographers: Madeline DeVlieger, Federico Mosconi Cartoonists: Charlotte Clifford, Yuki Hamada Graphic Design: Margot Field, Anisa Tavangar, Sam Winfield Staff: Kelly Benning, Tracy Cook, Isha Damle, Conor Fitzpatrick, Courtney Kennedy, Emily Klein, David Kramer, Noah Levine, Aly Mingione, Claire Moran, Patrick Nicholson, Emily Omrod, Sophia Ponte, James Redmond, Suproteem Sarkar, YingYing Shang, Shwetha Sudhakar

Opinion

Decreasing deficits

The Spoke applauds district efforts to increase revenue While crafting last year’s budget, the Tredyffrin-Easttown school board made some tough choices. The decisions to eliminate the elementary school Spanish program, cut German and Latin classes in the middle schools, reduce some elective classes to three days per cycle and increase teachers’ workloads all sparked heated debate, and were ultimately passed despite widespread opposition. These cost-saving measures were tough to swallow, but looking back on the process, it seems that the board made financially responsible decisions without seriously compromising the quality of our education.

But as the district faces another large projected budget deficit—$6.17 million for 2012-13—the chances of being able to pull off similarly effective yet judicious cost-cutting measures seem even more remote. Accordingly, the school board has proposed several strategies to increase revenue, such as raising rental rates for district facilities and hiring contractors to sell limited advertising on non-instructional district property.

However, the possible benefits of these programs are dwarfed by the income potential from the biggest item of the district’s agenda—petitioning the state for an exemption from the Act 1 limit on residential property tax increases. The proposed plan would raise taxes by 3.3 percent, or about $155 for the average Tredyffrin/Easttown family, generating $3.2 million toward closing the deficit.

The Spoke supports these tax increases as the best strategy to fill a significant portion of the budget gap while still preserving the quality of a T/E

education. As high school students, we understand that it might be too easy for us to ask our parents and neighbors to foot the bill, since many of us don’t directly contribute to our family’s tax obligations. Also, the current economic climate means that, for many families, any additional expense is a cause for concern. Nevertheless, our education is undoubtedly worth the investment.

Conestoga has the eighth best PSSA scores in Pennsylvania, while our district’s tax rate is among the lowest—467th out of 538 school districts. Our Advanced Placement and elective offerings are unmatched by almost any local high school, public or private. Moreover, prospective home buyers value the quality of our district, helping to raise property values for everyone who lives in the area, regardless of whether or not they have school age children.

Students and teachers have already felt the very concrete effects of the ongoing budget crisis, but for the most part, the Conestoga community has borne the burden with grace. We applaud the district for recognizing that, this year, the community must again step up and do its part to relieve some of the strain. We hope that students and teachers will continue to set an example and put taxpayers’ dollars to good use, while appreciating the contributions and sacrifices the community has made on our behalf.

Finally, we urge the school board to continue to fill the remainder of the deficit by investigating other creative fundraising strategies as alternatives to further cuts, because our education is too important to waste.

Submissions

The Spoke will print letters of general interest to the student body and community. Signed letters under 200 words may be submitted to Susan Houseman, Cynthia Hyatt, Mary Turocy or Laura Weiss. Unsigned editorials represent the views of The Spoke editorial board, and not necessarily those of the administration, student body, community or advertisers.

The opinions expressed in signed columns are those of the writer and not necessarily the opinion of The Spoke.

Contact Us

Email: spoke@stoga.net Phone: 610-240-1046 The Spoke accepts paid advertisements.

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Visit The Spoke online at www.stoganews.com News Director: Lavi Ben-Dor lbendor@stoganews.com

Yuki Hamada/The SPOKE

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012 From the Editor:

‘Tebowing’ time

Laura Weiss Co-editor-in-chief

From “planking” to “owling,” there is no shortage of confusing posing trends that have popped up on the Internet lately, but my favorite hails from the best sport in the world, football.

As the Denver Broncos struggled early in the season, fan favorite Tim Tebow took over as starting quarterback from Kyle Orton in October, despite having worse statistics. The team bounced back from a 1-4 start to finish the season 8-8 and made the playoffs, though losing in the divisional round to end their unbelievable comeback season. Tebow would kneel on one knee and bring his fist to his forehead in prayer after a touchdown or win, which has led to a new Internet photo trend: “Tebowing.”

There are pictures circulating of mayors, mascots, toddlers, dogs, Katy Perry and Rick Santorum “Tebowing” for the camera, some respectfully though some in jest. And as entertaining as it is to watch Tebow teaching Alec Baldwin to “Tebow,” what strikes me is the belief and support that built a losing team into a sensation. Although I don’t share the same religious beliefs as Tebow, what he has proved is something different.

A spark can go a long way. For the Broncos, changing their quarterback became the fuel for so much more. Each player on the team believing that more was possible and that they had a fresh start to succeed is what changed the Broncos from a team at the bottom of the National Football League to a team that proved every doubter’s predictions wrong.

At this point in the school year, waiting for college decisions, studying to take the SATs another time or weathering a rough start to the third marking period can seem exhausting. But give it a spark. 1-4 does not count you out.

Whether it is senioritis, stress or a bug that has got you down, just “Tebow.” Not necessarily by snapping a shot of yourself in his pose, but rather by knowing that a little change can make everything different. Studying a bit more vocabulary could be the boost you need to get your SATs up, or taking time to enjoy the warm winter weather in the park could bring things back into focus. It’s never too late to “Tebow.”

Laura Weiss can be reached at lweiss@stoganews.com.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

PAGE 9 THE SPOKE

OP/ED

Report Card Rose Sale + A way to express love for a friend or significant other

r “Saint’s” about you . I don’t ts in la p m o ays fc be a list o ake out in the hallw price for ld u o w is rmal ple m ou, th riting to y mind watching peo paying twice the no w n a m o le w ind on’t bitter sing . I don’t m ’s Day. I d of you.

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5 en too hars o hooting ra awful aim You have e. That may have be has reached almost ou go back to the s that red is the color y iz te w n g o ra e n lo h s k o s I ap ! But, w target. I ge succe the league would nter of the our marria decided it baring you. Y You’d be the best in ellow circle at the ce etter. e h e d ra g b y rst em at!

That’s gre ember to aim for the bull’s eye is actually y dad. You see, in fi y teacher. I was so m m m w e s, that’s o re d p m , ll n o e e a la c O y s practi y clas et, the rwear. fault. B e m y rg d , n ta m e u a ’t m y n n e o m re d ut na the time just ay a holiday, b ds me of “ t the holid to my school to sere ow up to school in in u o m b re a s e h s lm My qua a quartet where I sh de teacher ea to send ne of those dreams e I see my first gra id d ty of the o o g a o be like poor quali ind. I ery tim lt e v e fe th t t It u u .

B o id . b p u a in n’t m rassed, Cu uchy subject for yo ow compla ped boxes. But I do n ld u o to .” w a s I probably heart-sha sang for u g to you, Day t came and gle woman writin hy it has to come in e rt a u q e Valentine’s ers th in w s w o r k h s te t a u it o b d a ge of oth in a jab ab e’s Day an yway.

If I were e to throw pany taking advanta having it d Valentin from Christmas an v n a u h ro ld a u o te and ,Iw kies com chocola ftover coo oman writing to you with an ambitious re in opening a card by promotle g n ti a e asu le w And rong prefer bitter sing you rst grade). lly take ple nothing w If I were a liday. But there is s holiday. I persona bout the matter in fi “in a relationship,” a o a t’ h is y n s in tl n tu ark Sa rati g is a Hallm what used to be a ould have felt differe whose Facebook sta maybe I’m exagge g , w se in ay by exploit (although I probably gifts targeted to tho g world peace. Ok n r e ti e a m th ary since re e o c d d a d n n n a sere sion a cards d for Febru hearts s f e le o c u d e re s e a e h h c th s rc y y, ending ing the pu sting dates red Valentine’s Da ny SAT te the econom e a a lot of s g e o g in v th a in lp h e e ll e h a ’t s n e h s b e it are o W ly d e . s it rd n a test score llege Bo s. s, I’ll defi little bit. that the Co memory skills and rt-shaped chocolate itely help with SAT t te a n u rt fo e n a n v e fi is the mos e h ro y d f p a It’s u o ld D s im u e ’s o x to e o w n b ti id d a n d s re s le re e Va th e la t nd red is red roses a ncentration from all lk about how I think grades are posted, th the color , s y a w ll a eh ld ta d co day adorning th rease in memory an riting to you, I wou idterms, finals, the w c m n in re a a e m h o re le w The red. T ers. bitter sing s not true. ht me flow g u If I were a f the year. But that’ ool. o b y d d day o of sch t bitter. Da depressing er and the first day ne. I’m no fi m I’ . id m p day of sum worry about me, Cu So don’t

- Not many people recieve roses

The Great Food Fight + Helps donate food to local food pantries and families in need - The bar is set high since we raised 13,162 lbs last year

Warm Winter Weather + Allows students to eat outside during lunch - Lack of snow means no snow days or two-hour delays

Course Selection + ‘Stoga has many interesting elective opportunities - Those pesky lab periods make it hard to fit in extra classes

President’s Day + A three-day weekend and a four-day week - Honors two presidents on the same day instead of separately

Career Week + Discover dozens of career possibilities

Page Design: Haley Xue/The SPOKE Cartoons: Yuki Hamada/The SPOKE

- Hard to balance attending interesting presentations with missing class

PAGE 10 THE SPOKE

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

OP/ED

Reading entertains, inspires

YingYing Shang Staff Reporter

“Put them down and they’ll wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you back,” New York Times bestselling author John Green once said. No, unfortunately he wasn’t talking about boyfriends—he was talking about books.

For ten years, I have been in a serious, passionate, committed relationship with reading books.

Ever since I learned to read, books have been my comfort, my companion and my inspiration—and a busy high school schedule has not dampened my ardor.

Growing up in Maine, where winters were long and neighbors were scarce, I found refuge and inspiration in a world of literature. From “A Little Princess” by Frances Burnett, which taught

me to keep my head high when the weather was cold and the going was bad, to the “Magic Tree House” series, which showed me the power of knowledge and imagination, books irrevocably shaped my childhood and are my comfort, companionship and inspiration.

In hardship, I think of Scarlett O’Hara from “Gone with the Wind,” whose spirit and determination inspire me to strive for tomorrow. I am consoled by Jay Gatsby from “The Great Gatsby,” whose green light and pursuit of the American Dream remind me of the futility of unrequited love.

On a lighter note, literary romantic interests surpass real ones any day. Whether you prefer Edward Cullen of “Twilight” or Fitzwilliam Darcy from “Pride and Prejudice,” the idealized protagonists of love stories convey the simultaneous joy and agony of being in love without the hassle of buying gifts or messy break-ups.

In the age of computers and television, stressed out high schoolers scarcely read for entertainment anymore. Many cannot fi nd a book they enjoy, or lack

motivation and time, so they restrict their reading to the pages assigned in class.

But the secret is that the best reading is for pleasure. You read to soothe the growing pains of high school, to escape the constricting boundaries of real life and to soar toward the sun on wings of words.

Every genre holds its own appeal, whether it’s memoir, fantasy, science fiction or biography. Visit a library, step through the wardrobe door and reenter that magical world of books you left behind. As C.S. Lewis proclaimed, “Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia.”

Even if you decide against sleeping with a book under your pillow like Guy Montag of “Fahrenheit 451,” you can still rediscover the joy of reading.

This Valentine’s Day, if you’re like me and don’t have a special someone to bring you roses, why not settle for a good book? Who knows, you might even fall in love.

YingYing Shang can be reached at yshang@stoganews.com.

“What is your favorite book?”

“

The ‘Ranger’s Apprentice’ because it has a lot of action.”

-Freshman Sai Sriraman

“ The fourth book of ‘Harry Potter’ because I like the Triwizard Tournament.”

-Sophomore Cody Clouser

“ ‘Evermore’ because I like the plot, and it’s suspenseful and different.”

-Junior Natasha Bhave

“I like the ‘Hunger Games’ be-

cause it’s such an amazing book.”

-Senior Kathryn Walsh

Journalists’ false start penalized by national reaction

Tracy Cook Senior Staff Reporter

Charlotte Clifford/The SPOKE

Onward State, Penn State University’s student news blog, was whistled for a false start on Jan. 21 for prematurely announcing the death of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.

The mistake started with a tweet, but then fell victim to the snowball effect so characteristic of our modernday technology, where anyone can copy, paste and retweet faster than a football referee can call a penalty.

The misinformation, which stated Paterno died that Saturday night, spread rapidly through Twitter updates and Facebook statuses. A few nationally recognized news corporations, including CBS, picked up the story and published online articles without attribution to Onward State.

It wasn’t until Joe Pa’s son, Scott

Paterno, said in a tweet, “CBS report is wrong—Dad is alive but in serious condition,” that I, and many other shocked viewers, realized the major news corporation’s embarrassing and thoughtless blunder.

After word got out about the false statement, CBS edited their original article, pointing the finger at Onward State, the website that initially posted the news, and acknowledged that the blog was the source of the report.

Onward State is to blame for the original misprint, but the professionals at CBS committed an even greater lapse of judgment. They published an unattributed story to a following of millions of people without verification by family sources.

Jan. 21 was undoubtedly a sad day for Penn State fans, but it was also a sad day for journalists across the country, because CBS demonstrated one of the pitfalls of journalism, focusing on being first rather than being right.

The overly reactionary society that we have today thrives on mistakes like this one. Even though both Onward State and CBS retracted the original reports and corrected their errors, the initial impact remains. With

one erroneous report, CBS has tainted its reputation as a completely reliable news source. Stories published online can easily be deleted with a simple click of a computer mouse, but the consequences and raw and uncensored emotion cannot.

Let’s journey back to the days of elementary school, where those red octagon-shaped stop signs were posted on the doors and walls of classrooms with the message “Stop and Think” inscribed on each one.

Let’s consider the consequences of our actions, including the seemingly meaningless reactionary Facebook statuses and Twitter updates we post just hoping to contribute to a dialogue, no matter what the issue.

With a reputation as one of the nation’s most credible news sources, CBS should have resisted publishing the story until the network had confirmation of the facts from Paterno’s family.

They may have retracted the report that night, but the story’s impact on Joe Pa’s fans, family and friends will undoubtedly survive.

Tracy Cook can be reached at tcook@stoganews.com.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

PAGE 11 THE SPOKE

OP/ED

Profanity curses English language

Haley Xue Op-Ed Editor

Charlotte Clifford/The SPOKE

To t h e Ed i to r Dear Editor,

Letters Policy

What are you agitated about? Do you have an opinion about something we’ve published? The Spoke will print letters of general interest to the student body and community. Signed letters under 200 words may be submitted to the editorial board. Email us at spoke@stoga.net.

stoganews

.com

Go online to comment on our articles

I read your article in the last issue of The Spoke on teachers incorporating cellphones into classes (“Teachers call on cell phones to connect in classroom,” pg. 5) and was surprised by all the positive support it has received. Although this new technique does not conflict with ’Stoga’s cell phone policy and has the support of Lisa Lukens, a teacher on a special assignment for technology, I am not completely sold on this program. Even though the use of cellphones has increased participation in class and provided more verbal practice in foreign languages, the support of cellphone usage in class for practical purposes may lead to unjustified uses, such as texting friends. Furthermore, some students may not own a cellphone or may not have texting, and are unable to participate.

Although I see this program’s practical applications, I fear that it may lead to other distractions. Hopefully, the advantages of this technique will continue and no problems will arise.

Allison Chiang Junior

Dear Editor,

I read the SOPA/PIPA article in the last issue of The Spoke (“Censored: Congress members propose new internet bill,” pg. 3) and found it very informative and helpful in understanding the bill. I was able to reference the day that Wikipedia blacked out their site in protest of the bill. However, I was hoping to find more information in the article on sites that students use most often, such as Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Those are the sites that students use more frequently, but they were not mentioned in the article. I understand that the sites mentioned in the article would have been affected more by the bill, but I would have appreciated more information on the sites that did participate in the blackout protest and the sites that I use most often.

Megan Moyer Junior

While flipping through the channels on TV, I came across an episode of “True Life.” A man angrily cursed at the camera, his profane language lost in the successive chain of bleeps censoring his violent outburst. He ended his tirade with an arrogant “D’you know what I’m saying?”

Unfortunately, no viewer was able to understand what he was saying, since the bleeps obliterated any trace of meaning.

Profanity on television shows reflects the increasing use of swear words in everyday life. Although occasional cursing is acceptable, gratuitous profanity damages the English language and American society.

In the past, using swear words in conversation was inexcusable (the punishment was a mouthful of soap), but recently, it seems that curse words are becoming more acceptable in social decorum.

The prevalence of profanity in the media and during various awards shows or sporting events has increased in recent years. For instance, Chase Utley used the “f-word” on live TV at the during the Phillies’ 2008 World Series Championship celebration, upsetting parents whose children who were watching the parade from their couches.

Profane content on award shows and other programs sparked the recent Supreme Court case Federal Communications Commission v. Fox Television Studios (2012). The justices ultimately agreed to uphold the current system of government regulation, including subjecting broadcasters to fines for vulgar content on TV and the Internet.

Yet even with the Supreme Court decision, regulating profane content is still difficult. Just last week, rapper M.I.A.’s rude gesture wasn’t censored during the live broadcast of the Super Bowl’s halftime show.

Although obscenities can be bleeped out and regulated on TV, we don’t have that ability in everyday life.

It’s not uncommon to hear a plethora

of profanities while walking down the halls of Conestoga. A study conducted by psychology professor Dr. Francis Compton found that 87 percent of American children between the ages of 12 and 19 use curse words or foul language.

Gratuitous profanity hurts conversational vocabulary and the English language itself. Unfortunately, curse words are versatile enough to take on any part of speech in the English language—noun, verb, adjective or adverb. This allows people to employ swear words instead of using more varied and creative language in everyday conversation.

People choose to use curse words as an insult or for cathartic purposes. However, overusing certain profanities causes the words to lose their sting, and their inherent vulgar meaning.

If you want to insult someone, you don’t need to rely on curse words to make your point clear. Take, for example, the language of William Shakespeare. “Thou art a base, proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited, hundred-pound, filthy worsted-stocking knave; a lily-liver’d, action-taking, whoreson, glass-gazing, superserviceable, finical rogue; one-trunkinheriting slave; one that wouldst be a bawd in way,” cries Kent, a character from Shakespeare’s play “King Lear.”

His words are more imaginative than using the “f-word” and “s-word” multiple times in an single sentence.

This isn’t to say that curse words shouldn’t be used at all. In fact, a study in the scientific journal NeuroReport showed that swearing can help relieve pain and stress. However, psychologists warn that excessive swearing negates these effects—the more we swear, the less emotionally potent the words become.

Because profanity is difficult to regulate in media and near impossible in every life, it’s our job to ensure that our language isn’t confined to a couple of curse words. We can learn to expand our vocabulary in conversation by resisting the tendency to swear and use more creative words to express our point.

If you really need to insult someone, take a leaf from Shakespeare’s book and consider using the line “thy vile canker-blossom’d countenance curdles milk and sours beer” instead.

Haley Xue can be reached at hxue@stoganews.com.

Tracy, I love your outfit!

-Anonymous

Features TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

To Nic Graessar, Dear Pickle, Prom?

Thank God love is blind. <3 J Mad Love, To the girls without a “special Bailey, you are so pretty.

Honeypuff someone,” Love, Dear Brian Jay, No need to worry! The Future Casey McCullough I really like you.

K.C. McConnell, Cat Ladies of America is here <3 Kristen The highlight of my day is for you! Yes, we’re a real Claire, seeing you. The days and group. The FCLA’s mission 12 o’clock is happiness are forever.

Claire Moran, this Valentine’s Day is to HUG. my favorite With love, Carl: Roses are red, violets are blue, I’m time of day.

ALL. CATS. That is all!

Austin Shupe I just want you to know not good at poetry, but I sure love With love, <3 Betsy that you looked gr8 you.

The FCLA O Captain my captainin your Speedo at the Love, I still love you even meet! You are good at Your secret admirer , a m m though you crashed the swimming and I really Dear E re a My ship! like you!!

You a us, Dearest o <3 Cordoza Jordan Sticklin, -Kristen XOXO wondr and Michael, l u f i t Jordan, your hair shines orange as . n beau o s I’m sorry I r e ible p bright as Snooki’s skin after a long didn’t dance with incred ove, L day at endless tans. you at prom. Will cial Hey Boo (Austin), A Spe e - Sage Krombolz n you ever forgive me? o e Thank you for being the best Som I still love you. Shall I friend and boyfriend anyone Kristen, XOXO, compare thee to could ask for, especially You are actually the chillest Your Prom Date a summer’s day? considering everything. I will girl I know... hanging out No?... Oh, okay... never forget you.

My dearest Emma, with you makes me so but Sarah, you’re Forever yours, You shine brighter than all of happy! I can’t wait for Ling, still the best thing K.C. the stars in Orion’s Belt. You prom!!

Your eyes sparkle like a that ever happened are a beautiful orchid in a field -Carl vampire. I like your hair that to me! of scraggly weeds. Bbz will u E, way.

-Geoffrey Hegg Katie, Ch luv me 4evr? nnot speak, elsey and -Anonymous ca I ow N Ashleigh: -Anonymous “Whatchu ice. mean??!?

I’ve lost my vo ” LOVE YO and U GUYS!!

I’m speechless ause “I A’Kyra C redundant. ’C arroll ot enough. love you” is n ords.

Jay I secretly love you I’m lost for w forever <3 Anonymous -S The moments we had I’ll never forget, Hey Boo (Kristen Misialek), the days spent I’ll I just wanted to let you know how much never regret.

I love you. You are the fire in my heart Us two, let’s leave this and the reason I wake up every morning. world behind, You are the most athletic, strong, forget amazing positive, loving woman I have ever met. because Utter has been You will always be my shawty. defined.

-Anonymous From your short orange hair to your toned calves, Hey Sunshine (Dana Misialek), our relationship is one Last year we became really close and and we are two halves. you are my rock. Cuddling at track You make me a lucky is so much fun and I love looking into man. your eyes. You will always be my little ’Stoga students express their love for I am sublime. monkey. each other on Valentine’s Day. Please take this poem -Anonymous to heart, rhyme for Page design by Margot Field rhyme.

Luke Turanski *The Spoke regrets that not every submission could be published.

LOVE in BLOO M

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

FEATURES

Actors sail historically accurate journey

PAGE 15 THE SPOKE

Some leap to celebrate true birthday

Karolis Panavas/The SPOKE

Sophomore Grace Gosnear and English teacher Tricia Ebarvia are both able to celebrate their true birthday on Leap Day, Feb. 29.

Courtes y Andre w McK eough

Middle left: Seniors Geoffrey Hegg and Chrissy Bradley as Isidor and Ida Straus. The Strausses were actual passengers on the 1912 voyage.

Middle right: Junior Fritz Fischer as Captain Edward John Smith. Smith captained the Titanic on its maiden voyage and perished on the ship.

Aly Mingione Staff Reporter Don’t look for Rose and Jack on board this Titanic. Unlike the 1997 blockbuster film, Conestoga’s spring musical “Titanic: The Musical” is not the romantic tale starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. Instead, it tells the true story of the 1912 sinking of the luxury ocean liner.

“Titanic: The Musical” incorporates many characters who actually sailed on the Titanic during its maiden voyage 100 years ago. From the set builders to the musicians, everyone involved in ’Stoga’s “Titanic” is working to make this production as historically accurate as possible.

“There’s not much of a love story in this musical,” junior Stephen Christner said. In “the movie ‘Titanic,’ the story line is completely different and they get a lot of the historical facts wrong.”

Some of the cast members said that portraying their characters is a challenge, but it is important to them to transform the Conestoga stage into an accurate portrayal of the 1912 ocean liner.

“We are not just playing a character who was made up out of [someone’s] imagination,” said freshman Noah Berkowitz, who plays the character John Jacob Astor, one of the richest men on the ship. “We’re real people, so we want to try to convey them as realistically as [possible].”

The historical accuracy of “Titanic: The Musical” distinguishes this show from others director Nicole Gerenyi has produced at Conestoga.

This aspect of the musical also makes the production more challenging for

many of the student actors and actresses involved.

“It’s hard to find historical accuracy in something that happened 100 years ago,” Gerenyi said. “Even the news headlines [historians] find contradict each other.”

Nevertheless, Gerenyi is working with the cast and crew to realistically recreate the tragedy.

“It’s a real historical event, so all of these people existed,” Gerenyi said. “It’s cool to build a character off of a photo that you can find online.”

The makeup crew works with photographs of the real passengers to transform the actors into those characters. Senior Geoffrey Hegg must spend hours in the makeup chair to better portray his 67-yearold character, Isidor Straus.

“We’re going to try [to] make me look like [Straus],” Hegg said. “I’ll probably be given a fake beard and fake glasses.”

In addition to their appearances, the actors also attempt to imitate their characters’ various accents. From German to old English, many cast members have to learn an entirely new way of speaking.

“It was 1912, so even if [my character] had an American accent, it would be different from the one we speak with today,” Berkowitz said.

In order to help the show stay true to the facts, freshman Andrew McKeough has volunteered to be the show’s historian.

McKeough, who has studied the history of the Titanic since first grade, helps Gerenyi and the cast convey historical information about the Titanic.

Considering all “the information that we have, it’s going to be as historically accurate as we can [make it],” McKeough said. “It’s going to be one of the best interpretations.”

Although straying from historical accuracy is sometimes necessary to adapt the story into a musical, Gerenyi hopes to adapt the show to ’Stoga without bypassing the true story.

Overall, we want to “pay [our] respects to the people that were on that ship,” Gerenyi said.

Aly Mingione can be reached at amingione@stoganews.com.

Karolis Panavas/The SPOKE

Freshman Andrew McKeough contributes to producing “Titanic: The Musical” by serving as the crew’s historian. He has been studying the history of the Titanic since first grade.

Kelly Benning Staff Reporter Students usually do not celebrate their fourth birthdays during their sophomore year of high school, but Grace Gosnear is not a typical sophomore.

Gosnear is one member of a very small, exclusive club of “Leap Day Babies,” people who were born on Feb. 29. A Leap Day occurs only once every four years, so people born on leap day are few and far between. In fact, Gosnear is the only student at Conestoga with a Leap Day birthday.

Gosnear usually has to celebrate her birthday on Feb. 28. This year, she said that she is excited to celebrate on her actual birthday.

“It’s like a regular birthday like everyone celebrates, but I’m turning four instead of 16,” Gosnear said.

Having a leap day birthday has some drawbacks. Most organizations that require online registration, such as Facebook, do not recognize Feb. 29 as a valid birthday. Gosnear said that her date of birth is rejected from websites “all the time.”

English teacher Tricia Ebarvia is a fellow “Leap Day Baby,” and all of her students are excited to join in on the celebration.

“The kids are all bringing something in,” Ebarvia said. “They asked for a party so I said we could have [one] on my birthday.”

Ebarvia is willing to treat her birthday with extra enthusiasm because Feb. 29 is so special to her. She has never been satisfied with substituting any other day for her actual birthday.

“When I was little I used to celebrate on the first [of March] because that’s when Feb. 29 would be, but I don’t like March,” Ebarvia said. “I’ve always been conflicted about when I should celebrate it.”

The minor annoyances that come with such an uncommon birthday do not detract from Gosnear’s excitement and anticipation that accompany a quadrennial celebration. She plans to spend her extra-special Sweet Four going to New York City with her friends.

Kelly Benning can be reached at kbenning@stoganews.com.

PAGE 16 THE SPOKE

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

FEATURES

New Political Spectrum club sparks colorful discussion

Karolis Panavas/The SPOKE

Seniors Benji Rolotti, Alex Martinez and Pedro McCaskill share their political viewpoints at a Political Spectrum meeting on Thursday, Feb. 1.

Isha Damle Staff Reporter Change has come to Conestoga political clubs in the form of a new club called Political Spectrum.

The club joins together the four already established political clubs to discuss issues that affect people on a nation-wide scale as well as internationally.

Political Spectrum began meeting in December, and usually

meets on every other Thursday.

According to its president, senior Andrew Metz, the club considers all political ideologies and looks to create compromise on different issues.

“I called a meeting between the presidents of the other four clubs and we thought it would be a good idea to create this club,” Metz said. “We thought the existing political clubs as they were kind of alienated people, and people wouldn’t want to show

up to a meeting because they wouldn’t want to be labeled as a Socialist, Republican, Democrat or Libertarian.”

Metz and senior Benji Rolotti, co-presidents of Young Socialists Club, joined with senior Sam Allon, president of Young Democrats Club, senior Stephen Beckett, president of Young Libertarians Club, and senior Kelsey Pailet, president of Young Republicans Club, to plan bake sales to raise funds for “Pizza and Politics,” where all students are invited to eat pizza and discuss various topics.

Providing the opportunity for better discussions without pressuring students to select a party is an important component of the club, which is sponsored by social studies teacher Emma Lefkowitz.

“Nobody is necessarily pigeonholed into one perspective. Therefore, the result would hopefully be a richer discussion where people are not hemmed in by party platforms,” Lefkowitz said. “The point of it is [to create] a conversation, sharing different points of view. It’s not about one

group defeating or out-arguing another group.”

Rolotti hopes the club will encourage students not involved in any of the other four political clubs to immerse themselves in a wide range of differing viewpoints.

“Political Spectrum is much more appealing to those who are new to politics, because you have people of every political ideology [in the club], and so [students] are likely to find somebody who believes the same things [they do],” Rolotti said.

Rolotti believes Political Spectrum will help spread awareness about the Young Socialists Club.

“It was necessary to make the Political Spectrum because we saw a steady drop in the attendance of Young Socialists Club,” Rolotti said. “We figured more people would come if we had more interesting conversations, and more interesting conversations arise between people who think differently.”

Though Political Spectrum unites various political clubs, the topic of political polarization at

Conestoga strikes a debate. Some students, like Beckett, believe that there is, to an extent, polarization among the student body.

“I think the reason for this [polarization] is because many kids at this age don’t base their political beliefs off their own learning, they base it off what their parents think,” Beckett said.

“The whole point of the club is to throw that out the window and allow students to study the issue from every side and generate their own conclusions. We like to believe that what we’re doing may start a domino effect to lessen the impact of bias and polarization at the high school level.”

Allon is confident that the best way to encourage political awareness in the student body is to partake in the Political Spectrum.

“If we, the students, are to become the next generation of American leaders, we must learn to reconcile our beliefs to solve problems. Students can take a step towards doing that in Political Spectrum,” Allon said.

Isha Damle can be reached at idamle@stoganews.com.

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

PAGE 17 THE SPOKE

FEATURES

Karen Mull The Spoke: How many years have you been teaching at Conestoga?

Karen Mull: This is my 11th year at Conestoga.

T.S.: What is your favorite mathematical symbol and why?

K.M.: Pi of course, who doesn’t love Pi? It’s fun to write and features prevalently in one of my favorite math things: the Unit Circle.

T.S.: What is your new baby’s name, and how old is he now?

K.M.: Ryan is my youngest and he will be one year old on the 29th of January. Kathryn, my daughter, will be sad if I don’t give her a shout out too.

She will be five in March.

T.S.: What is the most surprising or difficult thing about being a mother?

Algebra 2 & Calculus

K.M.: The lack of time and sleep. Kids are fun but really exhausting. They don’t care if you are tired and feel like taking a nap. It’s always time to play.

So naturally, I would say I am left-handed.

T.S.: What is a memorable teaching moment of yours?

K.M.: Calculus Carols are T.S.: What is your favorite something I look forward to thing about being a mother? each year. Singing the joys K.M.: The smiles my kids of Calculus with my students give me when I walk through right before the holidays always the door. It’s the best feeling warms my heart. ever when someone is always excited to see you. My kids T.S.: If you could be any fadrive me to the brink of insanity mous mathematician, who some days, but they are also the would you be and why? greatest joys of my life.

K.M.: Joanie Brier. She used to teach at Conestoga and retired T.S.: I understand you are in 2005. She taught Calculus ambidextrous. How does this for many, many years, since affect your daily life, and what the start of the AP Calculus things does it make easier? Do program. you classify yourself as righthanded or left-handed?

T.S.: If you didn’t teach math, K.M.: Well, I’m not really what could you see yourself ambidextrous. I can only write doing? on the board and erase it at the K.M.: I would probably be a same time. If I try to write with stay-at-home mom, but I would my right hand, it looks terrible. also love to do something cre-

ative like party-planning or interior design. I’m currently obsessing over Ryan’s first birthday party. Managing all the little details like the decorations and menu and invitations is just so much fun for me.

T.S.: What were you involved in in high school?

K.M.: Choir, National Honor Society, student council, a program like REACH and I played the handbells and sang in the choir in my church.

T.S.: What are your hobbies?

K.M.: I love to run and read and cook. I think I’m a pretty decent cook, although my daughter cries most days when I tell her what’s for dinner.

Interview by Natalie West, Features Editor.

Bottom right: Math teacher Karen Mull is known for her ambidexterous talents. During class, Mull frequently erases the whiteboard with her right hand while simultaneously writing with her left hand.

Favorites

Book “Charlotte’s Web.”

Such a sweet and magical story made all the more poignant after reading it to my daughter.

Quote

“Don’t count the days. Make the days count.”—Muhammad Ali

Movie

Mind”

“A Beautiful

Food My Grandma’s Thanksgiving stuffing. I just recently acquired the recipe.

Beverage

Starbucks skinny cinnamon dolce latte

Song “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds. It’s the song my husband and I danced to at our wedding.

environment will ultimately help him achieve more with his life and build his leadership skills.

PAGE 18 THE SPOKE

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

FEATURES

Photographers find their focus in elective classes, club

Alumnus photographs cover of Time Magazine; teens pursue digital hobby Noah Levine Staff Reporter When 2003 Conestoga graduate Jamie Chung was asked to photograph a military commissioned spy drone for Time magazine, he eagerly accepted. His photograph of the Hummingbird Spy Drone, developed for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, was featured on the cover of Time’s November “Invention Issue.”

“It was a challenge. Time is a weekly [publication] so there was a lot of pressure to get things done very quickly and turn it in very quickly,” Chung said. “It’s very intense.”

After graduating from Conestoga, Chung went on to pursue a career in photography and attended Parsons School of Design in New York City. He first developed an interest in photography during high school and especially enjoyed the process of developing photos in the dark room.

“I fell in love with the dark room, really, that magic process of having the blank paper and seeing the image just slowly appear on it,” Chung said.

As a freelance photographer, Chung has had the freedom and opportunity to work for several major publications. However, as a high school student, he wasn’t completely sure what he wanted to study.

“To be perfectly honest, I picked [photography] not really knowing its practical application,” Chung said. “I really liked it, but I could have just as easily have gotten into ceramics.

I had a lot of artistic passions.”

Besides the Time cover, Chung’s work has also appeared in ESPN Magazine, GQ and New York Magazine.

Chung urges the next generation of student photographers not to ignore the film process and to learn how to develop their own film.

“Really learning how to develop a piece of film correctly [and] exposing a piece of film correctly is just a good foundation,” Chung said.

Sophomore Alex Schon is one member of this new generation of photographers. He, like Chung, developed a strong interest in photography after taking the photography elective courses.

“I notice, looking back at my photographs, before and after I took the two photography classes offered

Courtesy Jamie Chung

Conestoga graduate Jamie Chung’s photo of a military commissioned Nano Hummingbird Spy Drone was published on the cover of Time Magazine’s Invention Issue in Nov. 2011. Chung works as a freelance photographer.

Federico Mosconi/The SPOKE

Junior Alex Tewnion examines a film strip in the dark room. Tewnion started the Conestoga Photography Club after discovering his passion for nature photography during a trip to the Amazon rainforest. at Conestoga, a huge change in the quality of the photographs,” Schon said. “It really made me think about what pictures I take and what needs to be going on in them.”

Schon, currently in the process of starting a photography business with his brother, hopes to continue to take photographs in the future and to perfect his art.

“I think it will always be a part of me as a hobby,” Schon said. “I don’t know if I would want to make it a profession, though I’ll definitely want to continue it later into my life.”

Senior Olivia Arico has also benefitted from the opportunities at Conestoga. She has been taking pictures for five years, and improved her skills through the Studio Art program.

“Throughout my four years of Studio Art I have definitely worked with other mediums but I like photography the best because of the flexibilty of it,” Arico said. “You can take an extremely realistic photograph, or a photograph that is very abstract with just colors and shapes but both represent reality.”

Junior Alex Tewnion discovered his passion for nature photography two years ago, when he asked to borrow a friend’s camera while on a service trip in the Amazon rainforest.

He decided to create a photography club at Conestoga upon his return.

The goal in founding the club was “to get people’s photos out there,” Tewnion said. “Everyone enjoys

showing off their photos, but it’s a place not only to show them, but to critique them as well.”

Junior Jake Buly is also interested in photography, though his focus differs greatly from that of Tewnion.

Because he is an experienced dirt bike rider, Buly enjoys shooting what interests him most—motocross events.

“I just do local stuff, usually practices,” Buly said. “They let you on the track as long as you’re 18 or as long as you have a permission form signed.”

After shooting an event, Buly

spends hours editing the approximately 600 photographs he has taken. The goal is to weed out any undesirable shots before uploading the best to a website where the images can be purchased.

Regardless of their professional aspirations, Chung has one piece of advice to give to student photographers.

“Look at a lot of things,” Chung said. “Look at a lot of things and just shoot a lot.”

Noah Levine can be reached at nlevine@stoganews.com.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

FEATURES

PAGE 19 THE SPOKE

Spoke Sudoku

Emily’s

PICKS Go see a scary movie

Emily Omrod Senior Staff Reporter Valentine’s Day, the holiday of love and overpriced chocolate, is widely considered the most romantic day of the year.

Couples give valentines, go out to fancy restaurants and stare into each other’s eyes in loving admiration. Still, most students don’t have a valentine to spend this romantic holiday with. Here are four things for a single person to do on Valentine’s Day.

Go go-karting

Nothing says “hard to get” like racing around a track at 30 to 40 miles per hour. Located in Oaks, Arnold’s Family Fun Center is a great place to spend Valentine’s Day, and it costs only $15 to race.

Get together with some friends and spend your Feb. 14 as Conestoga’s next speed demon. What could be more empowering than speeding along a track, feeling the wind in your hair? Arnold’s is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Valentine’s Day. One time around the track and you’ll completely forget that you’re feeling lonely this February.

Cost: $15

Vampires and werewolves are a perfect cure for the lonely, single heart. And no, I’m not talking about making your friends watch “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part One” again. I’m talking terror. Either by yourself or with your friends, Valentine’s Day is sure to be much more enjoyable in a dark theater, surrounded by strangers, with only a large soda and medium popcorn to comfort you.

Not sure what to see? “Underworld Awakening,” starring Kate Beckinsale, is a movie about a vampire princess looking to save her clan from eradication by humans. America’s “Boy Who Lived,” Daniel Radcliffe himself, is starring in the “The Woman in Black,” where Radcliffe battles the presence of a woman who previously lived in his house. The movies are only $11, and both are playing at the King of Prussia movie theater.

Within an hour of plopping yourself down in the red cushioned seats, you’ll be so scared that you’ll forget about your Valentine’s Day woes.

Cost: $11 for the movie and $10 for food

Take a friend out to a Valentine’s Day special

What better way to confront Valentine’s Day head-on than embracing the silly Hallmark traditions? Pick a friend, put on your church finest (or not), and

head on down to the Melting Pot, the fondue restaurant located in King of Prussia, for a nice dinner without the sappiness of Valentine’s Day. The meal is four courses, complete with salad, cheese fondue, an entrée and dessert. While pricy, it’s well worth it to be the only platonic couple dining there on Valentine’s Day. The peoplewatching alone will satisfy you long before the waiter lights up your fondue pot.

Cost: $75 per person

Have a dance party

Beat the Valentine’s Day blues by kicking back to some Katy Perry and Ke$ha with your buddies. Clear out all the furniture from your basement, plug in your iPod speakers and have all of your closest single friends come over for dinner. Order a pizza from Mario’s, which is only $10.25 for a large cheese, and eat and drink with your favorite single friends.

Not sure what music will work for you? Besides the standard Rihanna, Drake and Flo Rida beats, try out some more alternative music, like some upbeat Vampire Weekend. That way you and your friends won’t be dancing to the same music you hear at every homecoming dance.

Cost: Prices may vary depending on food intake Emily Omrod can be reached at eomrod@stoganews.com.

stoga stoganews .com Go to Stoganews.com to read a story about Conestoga graduate Mark Herzlich winning a Super Bowl ring.

Luke Rafferty/The SPOKE

Stumped? Find the solutions at Stoganews.com.

Sports TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

Students take to slopes in pursuit of ultimate thrill During the winter months, many athletes participate in skiing and snowboarding competitions, despite the looming threat of injury.

Pa

Photo Illustration: Luke Rafferty/The SPOKE

Sophomore Annie Berg competes in the Eastern Snowboard League competition at Big Boulder on Feb. 4. She came in second place in the competition. Berg, who has suffered concussions and a collarbone injury while snowboarding, said that she hopes to continue with competitive snowboarding, despite the potential for danger that the sport poses.

Sophia Ponte Staff Reporter Skiing in the Poconos after a day of heavy snow, sophomore Lucas Herbert was getting bored and decided to put his skiing skills to the test on an off-trail route.

“I thought there was enough snow off-trail for there to be a good enough base to ski on,” Herbert said. “There was one section that looked kind of fun, and I went down and there was no packed snow at all. I just hit rocks. Next thing I know, I was sideways in the air, and I literally hit a tree.”

Competitive and non-competitive skiers and snowboarders like Herbert constantly face potential dangers. The recent death of professional freestyle skier Sarah Burke in a skiing accident has brought these possible perils into light. Some of the most common injuries for skiers and snowboarders to the head or knees, and

according to Sportsinjuryclinic.net, 45 percent of skiing accidents involve knee injuries. Some, like Herbert’s, resulted in greater severity.

“I felt like I couldn’t move for a few minutes,” Herbert said. “I broke my back and I had a concussion that I didn’t know about [at the time].

I looked at the X-ray recently, and one of the vertebrae just looks like it had a giant dent.”

Right after the accident occurred, Herbert did not think that much more was wrong than a bit of bruising. However, when he visited the doctor, Herbert found out that he had received a fracture in his lumbar vertebrae and had to wear a brace for several months.

“It’s a very dangerous sport,” Herbert said.

“There are a lot of risks that are always there, you just kind of have to put them in the back of your mind.”

Sophomore and competitive snowboarder Annie Berg said that despite the fact that they participate in different sports, she still under-

stands how significant Burke’s death was for the skiing community.

Since “I don’t ski, I didn’t really know her.”

Berg said. “But she was the person that pretty much made women’s skiing, so I feel pretty sad because she’s dead.”

Berg has also received several injuries on the snow, including a broken collarbone and two concussions. Berg said she loves the numerous advantages of being a competitive snowboarder, but she recognizes the potential for danger.

“It’s very dangerous,” Berg said. “And it’s risky. I don’t like going fast—people can always hit you, and there is a greater chance of badly hurting yourself a lot in jumps and rails than regular snowboarding.”

Competitive skier and sophomore Rob Squitieri was also in an accident, but his was at the national ski-cross competition. During ski-cross competitions, five people race down a hill with obstacles in their path such as turns and jumps,

and the first person to reach the bottom of the slope is the winner. Skiers are allowed to push one another out of the way.

“It gets a little chaotic,” Squitieri said. “You can nudge people and take them out. People crash all the time. I only fell on my thumb once, but my friend got a broken rib from it, and people get concussions a lot.”

Despite the dangers of skiing and snowboarding, snowboarders like Berg and skiers like Herbert and Squitieri continue to participate and compete in the sports they love.

“You feel like you can go and conquer anything,” Herbert said “You can go to the top of a mountain and get down that in 30 seconds, or jump off 40 foot cliffs with just pieces of plastic on your feet. You feel like you achieve so much.”

Sophia Ponte can be reached at sponte@stoganews.com.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

PAGE 21 THE SPOKE

SPORTS

Basketball captain excels, dribbles around shortcomings Abby Pioch Co-Sports Editor

Senior Ali Grundy is a three-year girls’ varsity basketball starter and one of the two captains for the 20112012 season. She has led the team to a current record of 12-10, and has been described as the “most valuable player” on the team by coach John Jones. But what may make her most remarkable is her height—she is barely more than five feet tall.

Though it may seem that there are only disadvantages that come with being a smaller basketball player, Grundy said that she is determined to capitalize on the advantages.

“A lot of the other players are a lot taller than me, but I try not to let that discourage me,” Grundy said. “I have some advantages that they do not have like speed, quickness and ball-handling.”

Jones said that Grundy is a crucial part of the team this year and that she has improved her play, mainly because of offseason training. However, Jones also said that Grundy still faces some disadvantages while playing.

“On the defensive end we’ve run into some teams that have tried to exploit her height by trying to post up [Grundy] with taller guards, but she’s physical, she’s scrappy and she’s tough. It’s not as easy as it looks,” Jones said.

Grundy, who was inspired to take up basketball after watching her brother play, said that many people are surprised when they learn what

said that Grundy has never let her height stop her from being successful and playing to the best of her ability.

Grundy “is the fire that ignites the whole team,” Weishaar said. “When we’re losing or it’s a tie game, some of her moves—like getting a layup between six-foot girls—no one can understand. She’s a huge part of our team.”

Grundy is currently unsure of her future in basketball, since she is considering but has not yet committed to playing in college. Though her height may seem like a roadblock, Grundy said that she is looking forward to seeing what opportunities basketball will bring her in the future.

“I’ve definitely contemplated not playing in college because of my height,” Grundy said. “I’m probably not what they’ll expect for recruiting, but I love the game so much that I want to pursue it and see how far it will take me.”

Grundy “is the fire that ignites the whole team.”

Luke Rafferty/The SPOKE

-Sophomore Liana Weishaar sport she plays because she does not fit the definition of a typical basketball player.

“Actually, a lot of people are shocked when I tell them I play basketball,” Grundy said. “A lot of people see me as a gymnast because I’m small, and it surprises a lot of people, but once they see me play, they get to see why I play.”

Sophomore and fellow varsity basketball player Liana Weishaar

Abby Pioch can be reached at apioch@stoganews.com.

Boys squash players improve, succeed at Nationals Maddie Amsterdam Co-Sports Editor When head coach Cameron Hopkins helped to start the squash team in 2007, he firmly believed that ’Stoga had the potential to become one of the top programs in the country. Five years later, the varsity club team boasts a top 26 national ranking.

“The growth of the squash program, boys and girls, at Conestoga has been amazing over the last five years,” Hopkins said. “The success has been in large part to the dedicated efforts of the players.”

Playing in the strongest squash high school league in the country, the team faces quality competition on a weekly basis. On Feb. 2, athletes traveled to Yale University to compete against the best players in the country at the U.S. High School Team Squash Championships. Two teams of seven players each competed in the Division II and Division V tournaments.

The A team was able to move up a division due to their improved ranking.

Going into the tournament, Calligan said that the team was excited to prove itself among the nation’s elite.

“This year the competition is going to be tougher,” Calligan said. “We’re definitely going to rise up there and show them what a public school and what our program can do.”

At the tournament, the team was very successful. The B team won the national title in Division V, beating St. Mark’s School from Massachusetts by a score of 4-3.

Senior captain Zack Gregory won the deciding match for the team with the score tied three matches each. This is the second national title in three years, making Conestoga the only public school team to win a national title in interscholastic squash.

The boys’ A team earned tenth place in Division II, beating the Groton School. This win makes Conestoga the third ranked public school team nationally.

“We did a really great job, everything just worked out really well for us,” Gregory said. “We

had a lot of good matches, and a lot of tough matches, but we were able to pull through in the end.”

This year, the team implemented several changes to move up in the rankings. Squash players participate in a specialized cardio workout run by TopSpeed, a personal training company, during their training.

“Before we would be on the court all the time, now we just have a day where we’re dedicated to training our bodies and being able to last longer on the court,” senior Chris Calligan said.

In addition to working on their flexibility and conditioning, the team has tried to play together as a unit. Senior captain Marc Rademaker said that the improved teamwork has made a difference to the program this year.

“This is our best season yet,” Rademaker said. “I feel like we’re playing more as a team, we don’t try to play as individuals anymore.”

Luke Rafferty/The SPOKE

Maddie Amsterdam can be reached at mamsterdam@stoganews.com.

Senior Kyle Lojek practices at the Berwyn Squash Club. The team is currently ranked as the third best public high school team in the nation.

PAGE 22 THE SPOKE

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

SPORTS

The Fitz Factor: Andre Igoudala needs to step up, lead Sixers

Conor Fitzpatrick Staff Reporter

After the Miami Heat beat the 76ers last season in the first round of the 2010-11 playoffs, Philadelphia was seen as a team that would become very competitive in future seasons. Although the Sixers lost four out of five games in that series, they were tenacious in most of the games. Losing in the first round has unfortunately been the Sixers’ trend recently, as it has happened in three out of the past four years. The blame falls squarely on the shoulders of one man, Sixers veteran forward Andre Iguodala.

In 2008, Iguodala signed a sixyear, $80 million contract with the Sixers, and with it came high

expectations from the fans. So far, Iguodala has been a huge disappointment and has led his team to nothing but three first round playoff series losses in the last four years.

Since his rookie year in 2004, Iguodala’s averages have been similar to those of a mediocre player. His 13.2 points per game average and single-digit rebounds and assists are not averages that are good enough

for a player making $13 million this season.

If the Sixers want to win a championship, they need a player that can make the “big shot,” like Kobe Bryant does for the Los Angeles Lakers or like Kevin Durant does for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Last year when the game was on the line and the Sixers needed to make a big shot, no one knew who was going

Margot Field/The SPOKE

to get the ball. In the playoffs, it was not Iguodala who stepped up and made the game winning three-point shot versus the Heat before time expired. It was shooting guard Lou Williams, a player making less than half of Iguodala’s current salary.

Iguodala does bring great defensive skills to the Sixers. He is able to control scoring powerhouses to keep the Sixers in the game when

teams like the Lakers or the Heat come to town. This is why Iguodala has been selected as one of 20 finalists for the USA Olympic Team roster. If Iguodala does go to the Olympics, it will be mainly for his defensive skills because the Olympic team roster already has enough scorers and doesn’t need Iguodala to contribute on the offensive end of the court. The Sixers, however, are not an Olympic team—they do not have enough scorers for Iguodala to play defense.

This season, the Sixers are experiencing their most success in many years and look like they could win at least one playoff series. For the team to live up to Philadelphia’s expectations, though, Iguodala needs to improve his 13.2 points per game. Iguodala needs to step up and have a career year—not only on the court, but also by showing the younger players how a professional should act.

Conor Fitzpatrick can be reached at cfitzpatrick@stoganews.com.

15

12

14

12

12

4

15

1

11

2

10

6

0

0

6

6

11

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

*All updates as of Feb. 8.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

PAGE 23 THE SPOKE

SPORTS

Player Profiles

1

I’ve been playing hockey for about ten years now. All of my friends back in Sweden played so they dragged me into it.

Six things you didn’t know about...

1

My favorite part about the Conestoga basketball team is that we all are friends outside of the team, too. It’s more than a team; it’s a group of friends.

2

2

I recently scored my 100th point for Conestoga. It means a lot to me that I can contribute offensively and help the team win games.

I try to be a team player, and I don’t always play to have the most points.

I look to pass and look to help my teammates out.

My favorite part about hockey is the speed of the game and being able to be creative on the ice.

I always listen to my iPod and pump-up music before a game. Right now my favorite pump-up song is probably “The Motto” by Drake.

3

3 4

I’m usually pretty relaxed before games. I try to focus in on what I want to accomplish during the game to help the team.

4 5

Other than basketball, I used to play lacrosse and field hockey for school.

When I was younger, I used to tell my family that I was going outside to play basketball with Michael Jordan.

5

My favorite part about the team this year is the depth we have. We are all confident in each other’s ability, which is a major reason for our success.

6

After graduation I plan to play junior hockey somewhere out West or in Canada. That will hopefully give me a chance to play college hockey in the future.

Taylor Kenan Varsity Basketball

Tim Quinn Varsity Ice Hockey

x

x

6

I was injured once when I was playing for Paoli Wildcats against one of my good friends. I had the ball, tripped over her foot, fell and broke my elbow. My dad was the coach, and when I started crying he thought I was just being afraid, and he made me play again.

Athletes swim for two teams

Luke Rafferty/The SPOKE

On Jan. 27, the swim team beat Haverford in a home meet. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams are currently undefeated in the Central League.

Courtney Kennedy Staff Reporter Conestoga’s athletes are used to balancing a tight schedule. Between school, practice, games and homework, it can be hard to find a spare moment.

However, some members of the swim team are not only swimming for Conestoga, but have the added pressure of swimming for a club team, such as Malvern Swimming Association, Suburban Swim Club or the Upper Main Line YMCA. Some of these swimmers are nationally ranked, and many are on national and regional teams.

These dedicated athletes have to find a balance in order to achieve

for both Conestoga and an outside swim team.

“It can be hard sometimes,” junior Brian Jay said. “Sometimes there’s just not enough time in the day for you to get everything done.”

Swimming on two teams can be hectic. However, ’Stoga has a special relationship with club teams that makes it easier for swimmers to manage both teams at once.

Each week, a swimmer must attend at least six practices, whether they are practices for a club team or for Conestoga.

“As long as you’re getting the same amount of practice time each week from your club team that you would have gotten by going to each ’Stoga practice, then you are

counted as going to the practices,” freshman Laura McClintick said.

“Coaches understand if you were at a high school meet or a club team practice.”

In addition, the swimmers do not have to worry about conflicting meets. For many outside teams, the club meets tend to occur on the weekends, while many of the ’Stoga meets happen during the school week.

“It’s not really hard to swim for both teams,” freshman Nikita Rao said. “The only hard part is when there are sometimes three or four meets per week.”

With such a busy schedule, swimmers have to find a healthy balance that allows them to excel on both of their swimming teams and in their school and home lives. Staying healthy and having efficient time management skills are a necessity during the season.

“You get used to how much work it is, but it takes a lot of time,” junior Allison Kirkby said. “Sometimes it can be pretty hard, but you get used to it.”

Courtney Kennedy can be reached at ckennedy@stoganews.com.

Volume 62, No. 4

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

INSIDE

Squash team Swimmers compete travels to Nationals for multiple teams See p. 21 See p. 23

Reaching new heights Basketball captain defeats size barrier, drives team to success See p. 21

Abby Pioch/The SPOKE

Junior Ali Grundy dribbles up to the basket during a game against Lower Merion on Jan. 27. The girls won the game 33-32 and currently have a record of 12-10.