Senior Jeans school undergoes changes to accommodate growing student body
Senior Senior class class displays displays school school pride pride with with decorated decorated jeans jeans
THE Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA
Volume 69 No. 1
Oct. 23, 2018
Spoke.news
PUTTING IT IN PARK
Four-day student parking system implemented for 2018-2019 school year
Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE
Squeezing in: Seniors Emma Susas and Clare Mongeluzi share a ride to school on Thursday Oct. 18. Susus purchased an orange pass, because she wanted to be able to drive to school on Mondays and Fridays.
By Avery Maslowsky Co-Editor-in-Chief
Senior Everly Kase steered her red Volvo into the Conestoga parking lot the morning of Oct. 5. Her eyes spotted flying apple cider corks and flashing cameras angled at seniors atop truck
beds. But as Kase slammed her door and ran into the crowd of tailgating seniors for homecoming weekend, the last thing on her mind was the parking pass left in her cup holder. Following second period, Kase prepared to leave school for her Allied Health class at the Paoli Hospital. Once in the parking lot, she reached
into her backpack to fish out her car keys and looked up to see a yellow “WARNING� label plastered across her driver’s side window. “It said, ‘you are parking in a restricted area. Your license number has been recorded and if you park again we will tow you.’ I didn’t know what it meant until I saw I didn’t have
New CCT course gets mixed reactions
my parking pass on the dashboard,� Kase said. The new plastic student parking pass does not fit around Kase’s rear-view mirror. She said every morning she must remember to put the pass on her dashboard, and on Oct. 5 it slipped her mind. The sticker stuck to Kase’s window is just one of the enforcement
News Editor
Maddie Lamonica/The SPOKE
Sophia Pan
Staff Reporter
In response to the increase of student stress, juniors are now required to take a College and Career Transition (CCT) course aimed at giving students tools to help cope with stress in high school and beyond as well as consider colleges and majors. “I think that the district saw that we weren’t getting enough hands-on time with students to really work through their strengths and their interests and then to look at majors and colleges,� CCT teacher Rachel Reavy said. “They felt like this class will be very helpful for developing a student who’s really ready after high school for their next step.� CCT is a mandatory, one semester course that meets two days a cycle. Students are taught how to manage stress and learn life skills to prepare them for college. Discussions revolve around resilience and wellness, with students participating in stress-relieving activities like
coloring, and learning relaxation techniques like square breathing. “I was very excited about the course because all the topics we are covering are very necessary,� Reavy said. “To have it built into everybody’s schedule is a huge benefit in terms of being able to deliver all of the content and make sure we get to focus on the college and career aspect as well as the resiliency and decision-making and problem solving skills.� Junior Grace Kim believes it’s good that the school is providing students with a means to manage life. “I think it’s cool that the school is enforcing (CCT) instead of, ‘oh, we'll give you all this work to do, but go figure out how to deal with everything yourself.’ I thought it was interesting that the school would do that — take time out of our day and our schedules and actually arrange a whole class around it. I was like, wow, they must really care,� Kim said. However, not all students share Kim’s opinions. One complaint surrounding CCT is the resulting loss of a free period.
Students like junior Allison Lee are frustrated with the course taking up time in their schedules. “I was at first indifferent about it and then later, when I realized that it had to take up my free period, I was really upset,� Lee said. “I’d rather relieve my stress during my free period and finish all my homework and get my work done.� Similarly, junior Alex Caristan believes that while CCT may be beneficial to some, others may not have problems with stress management and should not have to take it. “I definitely think some students would benefit more than others,� Caristan said. “I think it’s a good start to getting students more prepared for college." According to Reavy, life beyond high school will be vastly different and CCT serves as a way to ease students into that reality. “I think that our society is really stressed so we are very much focused on making sure that students have the ability to be resilient when things go wrong,� Reavy said. “I’m just very excited about it. It’s a great opportunity.�
Continued on Page 3
Chinese program transfers to online class Maddie Lamonica
Study to success: CCT teacher Rachel Reavy addresses a class of juniors. CCT is a new mandatory class that focuses on managing stress and preparing students for college and beyond.
measures within the four-day student parking system. Seniors, except those in Allied Health or the Teaching Academy, are now only allowed to park four days a week to accommodate larger numbers of student parkers.
As you walk down the foreign language hallway, you may hear sounds of Spanish, French, German, Italian and Latin. This year however, there is one language you won’t hear: Chinese. This year marks the first in which Chinese is only offered through an online course. As a result of a limited number of certified Chinese language instructors in the area and decreasing student interest at Conestoga, the district opted to place existing Chinese language students into an online course for the new school year. “Although Mrs. Lee, who is an amazing teacher (and) was the first certified teacher in this entire area for Chinese, built and grew the program, unfortunately the program didn’t sustain itself due to student interest,� Curriculum Supervisor of World Language Dr. Oscar Torres said. Former Chinese teacher, Judy Lee, began teaching at Conestoga in 1988. For twenty years, Chinese was a staple in the foreign language department. Lee retired last school year, leaving her position vacant. The transition to online teaching is not new for the language department at Conestoga, as the school’s online learning program, Educere, already includes classes in Arabic, Japanese and American Sign Language. For junior Catherine Hoeffner the new course has been an adjustment, but she said she believes that it still may be valuable to anyone who wants to learn Chinese. “Although the Chinese class online is a bit tougher than the previous class, since it’s a bit harder to communicate with your teacher and
you have to make your own schedule for it, I would still definitely recommend this course,� Hoeffner said. But for junior Jack Hyams, who has taken Chinese alongside Spanish since his freshman year, the transition was noticeable. “We never had to memorize (characters) because our grades didn’t depend on them,� Hyams said. When beginning the online course however, Hyams was frustrated as the teaching style was different than he had been used to. Lee had taught her classes using pinyin, the Romanization of the Chinese language, in order to help students pronounce words correctly. The online course however, places a larger emphasis on characters. “I loved (Chinese) class. It
was a great learning environment, a small-ish class taught by a native speaker, so it was an awesome way to learn a language,� Hyams said. “I really love the language but the change has been so abrupt that it has been really hard to learn the information.� Because of this, Hyams elected to take Chinese at a local Chinese school rather than continue with the online course. According to Torres, Conestoga will continue to offer Chinese as an online course to all students, not just those who have taken it previously. “I think we are very fortunate that we’re in a district where we do allow students choice and passion in taking a language.� Torres said. “The proficiency that our students acquire at Conestoga is really remarkable.�
Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE
Self-taught: Junior Jack Hyams studies Chinese through the online language program, Educere. Hyams has taken Chinese since his freshman year.
News
2
Chris Herren returns to discuss substance abuse and mental health
A BRIEF LOOK The latest developments in T/E news. AP TEST SCORES RELEASED
The Education Committee reported that 882 students took around 1,800 AP tests last year, with an average score of 4.02 and 92 percent of students scoring a 3 or higher. NEW ART DECORATES CAFETERIA
A group of Studio Art students, led by senior Jordan Rosenblum, painted a new mural in the cafeteria over the summer depicting a superhero wearing the Conestoga emblem. GRADUATION FORUMS SCHEDULED
Forums will be held Thursday Oct. 25 for all seniors to discuss changes to graduation including location and new gowns. NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS ANNOUNCED
Conestoga leads Pennsylvania with the highest number of National Merit Semifinalists with 34 students qualifying. 1:1 EXTENDS
This year, Valley Forge and Tredyffrin/Easttown middle school seventh and eighth grade students received their own district-issued computer as a part of the 1:1 Laptop Initiative. STUDENT BODY GROWS
This year’s freshman class marks the largest in Conestoga history with 587 students. STUDENTS CELEBATE READ WEEK
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Sanjana Sanghani Staff Reporter
Former professional basketball player Chris Herren presented on Oct. 3 an assembly titled “Unguarded: A Conversation with Chris Herren” to Conestoga students and staff in hopes of changing “one life.” Herren delivered a second presentation addressing parents in the evening. Both speeches consisted of a short video detailing Herren’s life followed by a Q&A with the audience. The district first brought Herren to Conestoga in 2014. According to Assistant Principal Misty Whelan, this assembly received positive feedback from students and community members. “The idea is that because he was so powerful the last time he was here, we hope that he inspires students to talk openly to adults about their issues and get the help they need,” Whelan said. Herren, previously a guard for the Boston Celtics, struggled with drug addiction for 14 years. In 2011, he launched Project Purple, an initiative that “focuses on preventing substance use disorder, breaking the stigma and guiding individuals and their families through recovery.” In an effort to share his story, Herren speaks to high school and college students nationally about drug prevention. For freshman Hannah McMillen, the specific stories Herren shared and their relatability caused her to question why people start taking drugs or drinking. “I think it’s really important for people to be open and honest,” McMillen said. “If someone is having suicidal thoughts, doing drugs and drinking alcohol, I
Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE
Commanding the stage: Former NBA player Chris Herren speaks to the student body in an all-school assembly on Oct. 3. Herren battled drug addiction for 14 years before launching Project Purple in 2011 to prevent substance abuse and promote mental health awareness. think it’s important to tell someone even if you have to break their trust. I would rather lose a friendship than lose a person.” Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Speak Up and corporate sponsors through Area Residents Caring and Helping (ARCH), worked to-
TEEN
Katherine Lee
COLLEGE FAIR COMES TO 'STOGA
Staff Reporter
On Oct. 15 more than 100 colleges and universities visited ’Stoga during seventh and eighth periods. HARASSMENT POLICY TO BE UPDATED
Policy 5401 regarding transparency and the definition of threats was reviewed based on feedback from parents focus groups held over the summer. A final vote was taken Monday Oct. 22.
Hansen Yi for The SPOKE
Key to relief: Key Club collects donations for the Hurricane Florence Relief Drive in the main lobby. The drive focused on necessities such as bottled water and paper towels and ran from Sept. 24 to Oct. 19.
Key Club hosts relief drive for Hurricane Florence victims
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junior and SADD president Jack Hyams said. According to Whelan, Student Services prepared drop-in rooms for students who experienced stronger emotions during the assembly. She hopes students will understand Herren’s message: “with help, comes hope.”
“The main point of the assembly was to create an open dialogue,” Whelan said. “We want students to understand to not use drugs and drinking as an outlet for everyday stresses, and we want people to understand that they can tell somebody if they need help.”
Growing student body leads to building renovations
During the week of Oct. 8, the library hosted a number of events in celebration of National Teen Read Week such as raffles and book talks to promote reading.
Read more at
gether to organize the assembly. On the morning of the assembly, SADD provided students with purple ribbons to wear during Herren's speech. The ribbons “symbolized support for Project Purple, and serve as a reminder for students to make good choices,”
Packages of bottled water, paper towels, toiletries and other essentials lay piled on a table in the front lobby. The number of items grow each day, spreading to the bottom and sides of the table. This collection is for Key Club’s Hurricane Florence Relief Drive, which collects necessities for victims of Hurricane Florence from Sept. 24 to Oct. 19. “I had heard of a number of people connected to Conestoga that were affected by this and I thought since we have a connection, it’d be great to do something to try and help,” said Leanne Pretz, faculty adviser of Key Club. The club focused on personal care items and items that could be used immediately for the initial clean up. “They probably don’t have the basic necessities and we’re trying to get those just to make it a little bit easier for them,” Key Club president Kavya Singh said. The supplies will be driven down by television teacher Alison Ferriola’s parents Camille and Joe Zambito, whose house was directly impacted by the storm. Currently, they are staying in their primary residence in Pennsylvania. “They have a second home down in North Carolina right directly where the eye went over,” Ferriola said. “Their house is located in a town on the Neuse River (which) flooded really badly.”
The two towns around their area, New Bern and Oriental, were devastated. Oriental “is in Pamlico County, which is the poorest county in the entire state (of North Carolina). There were boats in people’s front yards and homes were completely destroyed,” Ferriola said. However, the Zambito’s house suffered minimal damage in comparison. “Specifically their home is fine (except for) the decorative pieces,” said Ferriola. “Otherwise their home is okay because they’re about 19 feet above sea level.” The Zambitos will continue to go back and forth between Pennsylvania and North Carolina to help with the rebuilding effort. “There’s churches and community organizations that are accepting supplies so they’re going to figure out which one needs which supplies and deliver them themselves and fi x whatever still needs to be fi xed,” Ferriola said. “Then they’re going to come back up after about two weeks and then they’ll probably go back down again in a month.” Hurricane Michael recently hit the southern United States, particularly impacting Florida and Georgia. Key Club is considering hosting a drive during the Stoga Big Give to continue giving to hurricane victims. “The people are going to need help for probably years to come,” Pretz said.
Because of the increasing student population, which is currently at 2,217 students, the school underwent a total of eight renovations over the summer to better accommodate the student body. Assistant Principal Dr. Patrick Boyle said the reason behind these changes was to re-purpose room to accommodate larger classes. “We see what the current needs to the students are and try to match needs up with the available space, and if the available space can be made to accommodate those needs, we will find a way to do it,” Boyle said. One of the most drastic changes is the redesign of the social studies workroom in room 215. This room, previously used as a space for teachers to work, was turned into a classroom. Kathleen Walter, a U.S. History and U.S. Government teacher, previous-
ly traveled to different rooms to teach but now stays in room 215. “I think (the renovations) are great. The school and the district are really putting effort into maximizing the space as best as possible,” Walter said. However, according to Daniel Xu, a sophomore taking U. S. History with Walter, even with the renovations made to the room, spacing is still minimal. “I’m too cramped with people sitting next to me. But people in the middle have it bad, as they have to squeeze past everyone else that’s already sitting down to get to their seat,” Xu said. Other classrooms were changed to maximize use of space. The Achievement Center was moved from room 264 to an unused computer lab in 245B to open up the room for an English classroom. The Multi Intervention Team Support Room moved from room 266 to make space for a special education classroom. Additionally, two offices in the TV Studio were removed.
According to television student and senior Elena Lindquist, the changes made to the studio have greatly helped the classroom atmosphere. “I like the changes because I think it’s easier to move around the classroom,” Lindquist said. “It feels more open concept and way better designed for learning.” According to Boyle, renovations that focus on space use will continue to occur in order to meet the needs of the growing number of students. “This year and next year (the school) will continue to grow. I think the only thing you can do is add to the building. (We are) exploring the possibility of adding on to the building, but, once again, I think that’s just an exploratory phase,” Boyle said. The school board is currently discussing this possibility of creating more space by adding to the building, but whether this will be put into action has not been decided yet.
Courtesy Katrina Stokes
Katherine Lee/The SPOKE
Before and After: Social studies room 215 before the completion of renovations (top). The room was transformed from a teacher workspace to a Social Studies classroom (bottom).
Price originally set at $180 by district in
2010
Number of students allowed 5-day parking
more than 30 for educational programs
Designed by Justin Huang, Co-Editor-in-Chief
PARKING
9
PARKING
70
Current total of parking violations
PARKING
300
Maximum students not allowed to park each day
PARKING
PARKING
PARKING
Number of current parking passes
around
3
News
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Student parking lot size
265 spaces
Source: Dr. Boyle
Four-day student parking system implemented for new school year In a speech made to the senior class on the first day of school, vice principal and head of student parking Dr. Patrick Boyle announced that “stricter monitoring” would come with the new parking system. Just six weeks after the speech, Boyle said he is seeing a dramatic change in student parking habits under the new system. “So far for the school year, we have only had nine violations. Compared to last year by this time we had 50 to 52,” Boyle
said. “Students are holding themselves more accountable now with what days they get to park. I think they are fearful of the (new) repercussions.” Students with registered license plates parking illegally in the lot face new consequences as well. Boyle announced on the first day that no warnings would be given. First-time offenders face one Evening Supervised Study and a loss of privileges for five days, including free periods. Second-time offenders face one Saturday detention and thirty days without privileges
Shortage of drivers poses challenge to busing Richard Li
Staff Reporter
A shortage of bus drivers across the state has created challenges in transporting students. Without spare drivers, morning and afternoon bus schedules are less consistent, and teachers may be unable to find buses for field trips. According to Karen Henry, transportation manager for the school district, these shortages are a result of changing state standards for bus driving certifications. “I think it’s the testing from the state that has created a lot of the shortage. It’s getting harder and harder for individuals to get and maintain their CDL (Commercial Drivers’ License) to drive a school bus. So, for people who used to retire and get their CDL to drive children, it’s just too much trouble to do it anymore,” Henry said. In an effort to combat the present shortage, the transportation department is helping the district’s bus contractor, Krapf, recruit more drivers by providing recruitment ideas and advertising open positions for drivers. Although people have shown interest in these positions, Henry believes that the state regulations deter many prospective bus drivers from committing to the process. “We’re helping them as much as we can to come up with recruiting ideas. Krapf did quite a few recruiting sessions this summer and had a lot of people show up, but I think when they find out all they have to go through, it discourages a lot of them,” Henry said. The shortage has affected the district through complications in the transportation of students to and from school. The school board expressed concerns at Sept. 24 board meeting about bus ride lengths. To compound these concerns, bus drivers may be absent. With a
lack of substitutes, the district must make swift accommodations to ensure that students are picked up, which may cause confusion if buses arrive late to bus stops or school. Such absences are not common, but can affect many students. “One morning, they didn’t have enough drivers for the 72 passenger buses in the morning, so other buses that were in that area had to pick up students from the stops of the missing bus,” Henry said. In addition to affecting the morning and afternoon bus trips, the shortage has also contributed to a lack of transportation for field trips that take place when buses are unavailable. “It’s not a brand new thing, but it’s harder now to get a bus during the sweep the buses do when the fleets go from the high schools to the middle schools to the elementary schools,” said assistant principal Jamie Bankert. “So, it generally is difficult to have field trips that leave before 9 o’clock or extend past 2 o’clock in the afternoon.” However, field trips that plan to leave outside of this time frame will not be affected. “After nine o’clock in the morning, all the buses are free, and so it’s much easier for us to send a field trip from nine to two o’clock,” Bankert said. Likewise, transportation to athletic events and competitions going on during these times will not be jeopardized by the shortage. “If there’s an athletic event or there’s a competition, we find a way to get the students there. There are lots of dates where one can go on a field trip, whereas a competition is likely to only take place on one day. We typically get these requests well ahead of time, which just lets us make sure that we have a bus available for these trips.” Bankert said. Krapf School Bus Group did not respond to The Spoke’s request for comment by press time.
and third time offenders face one Saturday detention and a full marking period without privileges. However, Boyle said no students have passed the firsttime offense. Any unregistered vehicles get the sticker as a warning, but license numbers are recorded. But, Boyle said the stickers are not new at Conestoga. In the fall of 2017, Boyle said administration noticed a significant increase in students wanting parking passes and those parking on a day-to-day basis. Last year by October, Boyle said the school sold around 310 driving passes to the senior class. Despite the student lot only having 265 spaces, Boyle said overselling passes is normal, and usually manageable with absent students. “We oversell because on a given day a good chunk of seniors aren’t here. We wanted to maximize the amount of students who could park. But last year, we noticed that more students were parking consistently each day, which caused students to have to park in the back row of the teacher lot,” Boyle said. “There aren’t words to describe parking last year, but we knew we needed change.” Last November, district administration looked to create a new parking system better fit for more student drivers. Through the spring of 2018, school administration met with parents and students to hear suggestions on new parking systems. Boyle said that by March, three ideas stuck out as possible options: a lottery per semester, marking period parking and a weekly four-day pass. Boyle also said students wanted stricter repercussions for those parking illegally. “After talking with students, we heard that they preferred a four-day driving system as opposed to a semester-based system,” Boyle said. “I actually preferred the semester system at first, because I worried that a four-day system would be too complicated, but now it really isn’t.” While school administration met with the Student Executive Council and hosted drop-in sessions to evaluate student preferences, the district looked into expansion for student parking. “The District administration and the Board are constantly evaluating what is needed at our school buildings. Any proposed construction project takes time to develop. Depending on the scope of the project, it can take several years to complete due to the multiple steps that need to be taken,” said vice president of the School Board and head of the Facilities Committee Michele Burger. Starting Aug. 20, eligible seniors could submit a parking permit application. Within the
application, students indicated which day of the week they would prefer not to park. This system operates under color-coded passes, which symbolize the day a student cannot park in the lot. A blue pass
“
We are always open to students coming in and telling us how they feel.
“
Continued from Page 1
Dr. Patrick Boyle
Vice Principal
means no parking on Monday, orange on Tuesday, green on Wednesday, yellow on Thursday and purple on Friday. A special maroon pass was sold to students in Allied Health and Teacher Academy, allowing them to park every day, as part of the requirement for such ed-
ucational programs that require student driving. Boyle said that as of now, parking passes to not park on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays are sold out. Regardless of the color, every parking pass still costs $180, a district-set flat price. “There was a rumor that seniors in the past who parked every day paid a dollar a day to park. But let me emphasize that is a rumor,” Boyle said. “Just like as if you were playing one sport and are charged the $50 activity fee, and someone else plays two and is still charged $50, everyone pays $180 to park.” Burger said the $180 price point was set in 2010 as a result of a district-wide deficit and noted that all proceeds made from student parking go directly into the General Fund of the District budget. But despite the flat price for all students, senior Hailey Speicher sees the one price as unjust, considering she cannot park every week. “My parents are divorced, and I only have a car at my
mom’s house,” Speicher said. “I only can park every other week and then I can only park four times a week, but I still have to pay the same $180 that someone who can park four days a week.” Student reactions to the parking system have been mixed, with most concerns revolving around pricing. “I don’t have any complaints about the parking except the pricing, ” senior Andrew Kese said. Boyle said while no changes can be made for the current school year, he wants students to share their opinions and concerns so they can be taken into consideration for the 2019-2020 student parking policy. “We are always open to students coming in and telling us how they feel,” Boyle said. “Here at Conestoga there is a certain degree of respect between students and teachers. My door is always open for students who have new ideas. And nothing (regarding student parking) is set for next year.”
Claire Guo/The SPOKE
Passing by: Senior Claire MacGibbon hangs her parking pass and her Allied Health parking permit on her rearview mirror. MacGibbon bought a maroon pass because she needs to drive to Allied Health every day.
Richard Li/The SPOKE
Bus-y time: Buses pull into the circle awaiting student pick-up. Busing has changed as a result of a driver shortage due to stricter testing for a Commerical Drivers’ License.
Avery Maslowsky/The SPOKE
Out and open: Within the new four-day parking system, extra spaces are open daily for students to park, as fewer seniors are parking on a day-to-day basis. In October 2017, the student parking lot filled up entirely, leaving seniors to park in the back of the teacher lot.
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Tuesday, October 23, 2018
T/E LIFE
Atlantic crossing: 'Stoga welcomes foreign exchange students
Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE
Looking to the future: Senior Louise Wiart comes to the United States for her final year of high school. Wiart chose the US for her AFS exchange because she wants to improve her English skills to support her interest in business.
Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE
Proud to be a Pioneer: Senior Luca Sabatini sports his Conestoga football hoodie. Sabatini plays for the varsity team, although he plays boys volleyball back home in Italy. He looks forward to mastering this foreign sport.
Christina Lee Staff Reporter
From schools all over Europe, five students were selected by the American Field Service (AFS) to begin an exciting adventure at Conestoga High School.
Luca Sabatini, a senior from Italy, never predicted that he would attend high school in America. “I was sure that I wouldn’t be selected for the program, but I tried and was accepted,” Sabatini said. “There are many differences here with Italy, like the AC is on all the time here.
on rit-
Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE
On the ball: 15-year- old Michel Schirmer, from Germany, poses on the basketball court. Aside from basketball, Schirmer also enjoys mountain biking, longboarding and playing video games.
But back in Italy, we only had fans. I also play volleyball in Italy, but there isn’t a boys’ team here. I think I want to improve my English and make intercultural friendships, which is one of AFS’s goals.” The size of Conestoga comes as a shock to senior Michel Schirmer, a 15-year-old from Germany. “It’s much bigger than my old school,” Schirmer said. “I came here to feel the American spirit and to see how much I could improve my English. I think the main reason I decided to be a part of the exchange (program) was to become fluent.” In his free time, Schirmer enjoys mountain biking and longboarding and is part of the Video Game Club. For senior Louise Wiart, from France, coming to America was a dream come true. “One of the main reasons I chose America was to discover a new culture and speak English,” Wiart said. “I want to go to business school and I need to be fluent. It’s also funny because when I speak to American students, they talk about Paris like it’s a big dream, but that is exactly the opposite in France. If you take any French citizen, it’s their big dream to go to America. But I really miss my home. I am happy to be here, but I also don’t want to spend all my life here either.” Junior Canan Ozsoy, also from Germany, is happy to be a part of the American high school experience. “I like the teachers and I love how they communicate with the students. I also love the language and wanted to see if high school in America was really like how they are in the movies. I wanted to be a part of the AFS exchange program because I wanted to experience the American culture.” Senior Tea Nordvold from Norway came to America, led by her passion for basketball.
“I always knew I wanted to do an exchange program, but I didn’t know what country,” Nordvold said. “I chose America mainly because of basketball. I plan to try out later for the school team. It’s also easier to learn English and German here than anywhere else. The American culture is also a lot different; you guys are more outgoing and we are more closed. But the mix between them has been great. I really like experiencing another culture firsthand."
Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE
Tri-lingual Traveler: Senior Tea Norvold is happy to be immersing herself in American culture. She decided to study in the US to pursue basketball and the study of English and German.
Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE
Starstruck: German exchange student Canan Ozsoy takes a quick photo by the bus circle. She said she was excited to experience America after seeing it portrayed on the big screen.
Safe Harbor Club provides a safe haven Reagan Gerrity Design Editor Providing shelter, food and crucial services to homeless people in Chester County, Safe Harbor seeks to protect and aid the homeless. While it is the largest shelter for single men in the county, it is the only option for single homeless women. The newly introduced Safe Harbor club fundraises for the Chester County chapter of Safe Harbor. The club's main mission is to fundraise and help homeless people as they pursue jobs and rebuild their lives.
Seniors Bella Kese, Sydney Sloan and Bella Prieto are the creators of the school club and together act as presidents. Before starting the club this year, they had been volunteering at the shelter since they were freshmen, preparing and serving meals to the residents. While this volunteer experience prompted them to begin the club, Prieto wants students to gain a new perspective of the homeless. “We want others to realize there is a need very close to home. The club will contribute to Conestoga students’ understanding of homelessness in our area and ways we can support the shelter,” Prieto said.
The young club has already held their first donut sale, where all proceeds directly benefit Safe Harbor. They plan to hold several more fundraisers over the course of the year and, in addition, give students opportunities to actually prepare meals for those in the shelter. The club hopes to build a strong foundation of members this year, since the presidents will be graduate this spring. “The goal is to get enough engagement from younger members so the club can continue when the girls graduate.” said club adviser Kathleen Walter. The Safe Harbor shelter is located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where CEO Judy Jeffords-Homitz works with the homeless residents and raises $850,000 in cash yearly to properly support them. This budget is not easy to reach, so along with strategic planning for visibility within the community, Jeffords-Homitz relies on volunteers and donors. "We couldn't exist without volunteers. We couldn't ex-
ist without donations. People don't pay anything when they're here,” Jeffords-Homitz said. With the help of Conestoga, the nearby shelter can provide
further stability and service to their residents, some of whom are homeless for the first time. “You have to realize that we are all part of one commu-
nity here and sometimes people just need a little help,” Jeffords-Homitz said. “There are folks here that are struggling all the time.”
Claire Guo/The SPOKE
Bunked: Safe Harbor gives shelter for homeless men and women while they are searching for jobs and housing. CEO Judy Jeffords-Homitz raises over $850,000 annually for the organization.
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T/E Life
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Breaking the ice: 'Better Angels' hosts political discussion Justin Huang
Co-Editor-in-Chief
With midterm elections around the corner, social studies teacher and Young Democrats sponsor Debra Ciamacca partnered with the bipartisan group “Better Angels� on Oct. 17 to host a formal political discourse. Young Republicans sponsor Wendy DiRico worked with Ciamacca to set up the event. "Better Angels" moderators Derek Stedman and Cindy
Heck labeled each participant by their political affiliation, with 11 "Reds" and nine "Blues." Participants included parents, graduates, Tredyffrin Township Republican Party Area Chairman Paul Billman and school board member Kyle Boyer. From the sidelines, observers, including students, administration and Easttown Township Supervisor Betsy Fadem, silently listened to the conversation. Before the event, Ciamacca felt “cautiously optimistic� that participants would learn about
how the other side thinks, allowing for future collaboration. “One of the things that a lot of political scientists think have gone wrong with our country right now is that the fabric of our country—the social capital, the bonds between people— have been so pulled apart that we need to reknit them,� Ciamacca said. “The idea behind this whole program is that you reknit the bonds and they start lobbying or talking about problems facing the community in a more productive way.� Each participant had their own motivations for joining, but agreed that a proper dialogue is necessary. “I do think it’s important to model civil behavior and I thought for a long time that discussion and dialogue are really important,� said Class of 2006 graduate Christina Ailor. “You have to do hard work if you want to get results.�
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In the end, we're all American, we all want our country to be the best, we all want our children to do well. Dennis Dong
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District Parent
Justin Huang/The SPOKE
Back to school: Class of 2006 graduate Christina Ailor speaks to the rest of the group about her concerns with political differences. Social Studies teacher Debra Ciamacca taught her when she was in school and invited her to the discussion to share her thoughts.
Stedman and Heck separated the groups by political affiliation and asked them to list common stereotypes of their view—Reds would generate conservative stereotypes, for example—and then came back together to discuss. Topics included gun control, social welfare and fiscal responsibility, with each participant opening up about their position without trying to prove that the other side is wrong. “I think this was amazingly well done by all of the people here and all of the observers, because there was a huge level of trust that was
Justin Huang/The SPOKE
Red, blue and purple: "Better Angels" moderator Derek Stedman stands and listens to the participants discuss their thoughts and reservations across the political spectrum. After the 2016 election, the national organization was created to advance the goal of better political discourse in the community. developed,� Stedman said. “People felt like they could talk, and they could say whatever they wanted." In the future, Ciamacca and DiRico hopes to bring the moderators back to facilitate the same discussion between students. "I would love to see our students participate in something like
that and learn how to express their strong opinions that a lot of them have on both sides, but in a respectful way that they can end the night as friends, shaking hands and walking out together," DiRico said. Ciamacca thinks that the discourse helps participants effectively communicate their
thoughts to the other side, and participant Dennis Dong agreed. “In the end, we’re all American, we all want our country to be the best, we all want our children to do well,� Dong said. “We need to bring those two parties, those two views, together to have an opportunity like (tonight).�
Teacher Feature: Nathan Shughart debuts as the music man Conestoga’s music department welcomed Nathan Shughart as the new Choir and Theater Director. He replaced Suzanne Dickinger, who retired after 28 years of musical instruction. “Applying for this position, I knew I had very large shoes to fill from Mrs. Dickinger,� Shughart said. “But I know that the students have been responding really well.� Shughart, who recently received his master’s degree in music education from Lebanon Valley College, has six years of experience teaching music in elementary school. Here, some of his responsibilities include instructing all four choirs and teaching theater and Piano Lab classes. He also sponsors the ’Stoga Breakers. Shughart will also direct and choreograph the spring musical, a role he has played for the past three years. He said he is fortunate to have worked in the 'Stoga theatre department prior to assuming the full-time position.
“I’m also very fortunate to have Miss Hesse and Mr. Nation here as great resources for me,� Shughart said. “I know this is such a high-performing overall high school and music department. I think there’s a bright future in front of us.�
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The music community is a very supportive and welcoming community. It makes you want to get involved. Nathan Shughart
Choir and theater director
Shughart grew up with a band director as a father and two older sisters involved in music. His father’s job, he said, gave him a sort of “behind-the-scenes pass� into the workings of school
music during his childhood. “The music community is a very supportive and welcoming community. It makes you want to get involved,� Shughart said. Shughart picked up the trombone in third grade and joined the chorus in fourth. He never stopped with either. When it comes to music preferences, Shughart is hardpressed to identify his favorite genres. However, like any theater instructor, he is a big fan of many musicals—"Ragtime," "West Side Story," and "The Book of Mormon," to name a few. Shughart and his wife, who love dogs, own a rescue dog that they named Adelaide after the "Guys and Dolls" character. Shughart also enjoys spending his time outdoors, whether he is running, swimming, hunting or fishing. If it’s a rainy day, he enjoys binging a Netflix show. Looking back on his high school and college careers, Shughart said he is happy he got involved with different areas of music. “I know you need to balance
Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE
Vocal gymnastics: Choir and theater director Nathan Shughart warms up the choir with piano scales. Shughart was hired in the fall to replace Suzanne Dickinger, who retired after 28 years of teaching. how much you get involved to make sure you put your best effort in everything,� Shughart
said. “But you don’t want to look back and feel like you missed out on something. Get
involved, be active, and make everything you do a meaningful and enjoyable experience.�
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Danny Marshall
* facebook.com/huntingtonkop king-of-prussia.huntingtonhelps.com
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T/E Life
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
In the hive by Andrew Bucko, T/E Editor
With the help of a little smoke and patience, junior Vivaan Mahtab reaches into his swarming hive of bees barehanded and without a single sting. Despite the mammal-insect divide between Mahtab and his beloved pets, he has developed a peculiar bond with them. “I sort of feel like they’re with me now. Sometimes I talk to the bees and I feel like they’re part of me,” Mahtab said. “I often address them as ‘ladies’ since bee hives are almost entirely female. Other beekeepers have told me they feel the exact same way, so I can’t be that crazy.” Among a niche group of suburban beekeepers, Mahtab’s unique passion began as a daydream. “I honestly could not tell you what got me thinking about it,” Mahtab said. “I just got up one morning and couldn’t stop thinking about them. There was no logic behind it—just curiosity.”
With no knowledge on how to properly tend to a bustling hive of honey bees, Mahtab searched the internet to develop a basic understanding of care for the black-and-yellow insects. Mahtab first had to construct a hive box in order to
Andrew Bucko/The SPOKE
Framed in honey: Junior Vivaan Mahtab showcases a frame filled with honeycombs. His bees worked all summer to gather enough honey to survive winter. house the bees and protect them from the elements. “I was completely unwilling to pay $100 or more for entry-level hive boxes, so I decided to build one myself,” Mahtab said. “After looking up some dimensions online, I got wood from Home Depot in the specific measurements and fid-
dled around with some power tools until I was happy with the finished boxes.” After constructing a home for the winged creatures, Mahtab found little difficulty in propagating his hives. “They’re very independent creatures,” Mahtab said. “I ordered two three-pound container of bees from a local enthusiast and put them in the hive boxes. After that, nature did most of the work.” Despite their independence, caring for the pollinators is not all roses. “There’s still some maintenance from my end,” Mahtab said. “One disease or pest can destroy an entire hive. I check regularly to look for signs of disease and take measures to prevent raccoons from wreaking havoc.” As secretary of the Bee Aware Club, Mahtab seeks to break the stigma of bees as a dangerous animal. “We are planning field trips to my house soon which is an excellent way to show people first-hand that bees mean no harm,” Mahtab said. “People can only appreciate how harmless they are once they see a hive in person and survive to tell about it.” Mahtab is excited to turn his passion into a bit of a side business when the spring honey harvest rolls around. “I’m expecting to end up with around 300 pounds of honey, and I have no doubt about selling some.” Mahtab said. “I never got into this for any profit but there’s nothing else for me to do with a
Andrew Bucko/The SPOKE
Hijacking the hive: Junior Vivaan Mahtab cracks the propolis off the lid of his hive box. Mahtab began his beekeeping career last spring and is excited to harvest his first batch of honey. that much honey, so I guess the extra cash won’t hurt.” As a believer of the farm-totable process, junior Jake Mullen also treasures the liquid gold that his hives churn out in spring. “I like to know where my food comes from and the entire
process that gets it to my table,” Mullen said. “There’s nothing more rewarding than producing food from your own hands.” Although he’s raised chickens and grown vegetables in the past, Mullen quickly realized that bees pose a much greater risk than hens or tomato vines. “I make sure to wear a bee suit because I am slightly al-
lergic and tend to get bad swelling and itching,” Mullen said. “Stings are bound to happen, but I think it's better to be safe.” Despite the time and pain required to rear bees, both boys agree their hobby is worth a few stings. “There’s simply no other animal like them,” Mahtab said. “Their behaviors, collaboration, ability to fly and food production all fascinate me.”
y
Design by Reaga nG erri t
National Art Honor Society students plow ahead Tiffany He
T/E Life Editor
The National Art Honor Society students are no strangers to expressing their creativity through different mediums including, strangely enough, snow plows. For an entire day, nine artists armed themselves with paints and brushes to create their new mas-
terpiece as part of the Paint the Plow contest on Oct 2. Every year, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, or PennDOT, organizes this contest, inviting school districts to paint the blades of snow plows. In hopes of promoting driving safety on icy roads, the plows will be used in Pennsylvania communities this winter. This is the first year that Chester County has
ever participated in this contest. NAHS presidents James Naser and Jordan Rosenblum helped oversee this process. “I never really thought we would get the opportunity to design the front of a plow, but it’s really cool,” Rosenblum said.“It’s definitely an obscure canvas, but it’s a good one.” For this year’s theme, “Go Slow in the Snow,” Naser used Adobe
Illustrator to design a stencil of a sloth wrapped up in a warm winter scarf and hat. “We thought about sloths and turtles, you know the usual (slow) stuff, and we made a digital pattern out of it and personalized it so it is Conestoga themed,” Naser said. Afterwards, participants spent a day outside hand drawing and painting the leisurely animal onto the arched plow blade. Junior Juliet Gottlieb was relieved to spend an entire day immersed in the task. “It was relaxing, kind of like coloring a coloring book. You didn’t have to put much thought into it. You just paint,” Gottlieb said.
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It was relaxing, kind of like coloring a coloring book. You didn’t have to put much thought into it. You just paint. Juliet Gottlieb
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Junior
Courtesy Leanne Argonish
Snow Safety: National Art Honor Society students sit before their finished plow design, which seeks to enourage careful driving in snowy weather. It features snowflakes, a sloth, and and a message to "Go Slow In the Snow!"
After evaluation by a panel of judges and a voting period on the PennDOT Facebook page, a “Best in Show” will be chosen. But it’s not just about the competition
Courtesy Leanne Argonish
Plow Picassos: Members of the National Art Honor Society apply fine brushstrokes to fill in their design. They stenciled the design to ensure precision and contrast of the various colors. for these students. Although NAHS members have displayed their artwork at the Easttown Library and for the Chester County Art Society in the past, they hope to expand the canvas for student artists to work with this event. NAHS adviser Leanne Argonish believes this is a step forward for Conestoga artists.
“I think it’s really extraordinary when students can get their art and designs into the community. We have so many other outlets to see shows, musicals, dramas, plays, sporting events, but it’s difficult for the community to see our art program,” Argonish said. “It’s a wonderful way to get our students’ work out in our community in a fun way.”
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T/E Life
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Jeans on display (left): Seniors Kyla Weil, Katie Martin, Maddi McQuaid, Abby Pacca, Maya Sauder and Colleen Homan sit in the stands of Teamer Field during the annual pep rally. Over 100 seniors decorated jeans with school symbols and colors to show school spirit during homecoming weekend. Musical jeans (below): Senior Lily Zhou conducts marching band during their pep rally performance as drum major. Other pep rally performances included mock wrestling, challenges between athletic teams and a performance by the cheerleading team.
Claire Guo/The SPOKE
Audrey Kim/The SPOKE
Artistic jean-ius (left): Senior Abby Frantz decorates her senior jeans at Wilson Park on Oct. 3. Frantz made a Facebook group where students posted messages and events regarding the project. Group celebration (below): Seniors Ann Drennan and Katelyn Benzinger hug at the tailgate organized in the school parking lot on Oct. 5. The tailgate kicked off homecoming weekend, which included the pep rally, dance, and homecoming game.
Seniors show school spirit during homecoming week by Audrey Kim, Managing Web Editor Photos by Claire Guo, Opinion Editor, Audrey Kim, Managing Web Editor and Olivia Thompson, Photography Editor For the first known time at Conestoga, over 100 seniors personally decorated jeans with school emblems and uplifting slogans. Commonly known as “senior jeans,” students wore these throughout homecoming weekend to display school pride. Senior Tara Moon, who co-organized the annual pep rally as a member of student council, believes that senior jeans promoted school unity. Decorating "gives people room for individuality, but seeing someone else wear senior jeans definitely instills a sort of school pride for me," Moon said. "It made me a lot more excited for the football game and other school events." Senior Maddie Inserra first suggested the idea in a group chat after seeing girls from other high schools wear their own senior jeans at her internship at Paoli Hospital. “It’s a good boost for school spirit. Since our classes are so large, it’s hard to get to know everyone, but this is a great way to do that,” Inserra said. “Conestoga is really academically-focused, but I think senior jeans
Audrey Kim/The SPOKE
is a way for people to realize that school can be fun too.” Students spread the idea through social media and word of mouth. After Inserra mentioned the idea, senior Abby Frantz created a Facebook group for the project, which contains 121 members. Senior Maddie Engelman, who decorated her jeans at Wilson Park with friends, considered the project as a show of unity for the school. Several students gathered under the pavilions of Wilson Park to decorate jeans on Sept. 29 and Oct. 3 using fabric paint and other supplies. “School spirit brings everyone together. In the past years, it used to be a really big thing to participate on spirit days and Halloween. But I don’t feel like I see a lot of freshman going to football games or doing Pink Out and Black Out anymore,” Engelman said. “I hope that with (senior jeans) we can instill that sort of school unity again.” In the future, Inserra and Frantz said that they hope that incoming seniors will adopt the project. Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE
Teen spirit (right): Seniors Suma Moolaveesala, Rose Shui, Maddie Inserra, Caroline Pawlow, Lily Park, Sadie Kantorczyk and Gabi Miko wear their senior jeans on Teamer Field during the pep rally. All seven seniors were involved with the pep rally as performers or members of Homecoming Committee.
Audrey Kim/The SPOKE
Audrey Kim/The SPOKE
Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE
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Tuesday, October 23, 2018
OP/ED Our 2018-2019 Spoke Policy
Each school year, the editorial board of The Spoke presents the policy that will guide the paper’s direction. We hope to be as transparent as possible as we continue to cover the T/E community. Our Mission The Spoke serves as a public forum for student expression. We strive to objectively cover stories of interest within our school and community. We understand our responsibility to report in an unbiased and ethical manner. The Spoke staff aims to include a diverse range of issues and voices within the paper and appreciates suggested story ideas. While some of the stories included within the pages of The Spoke may be considered “controversial,” our reporters work to investigate the issues with appropriate care, precision and impartiality. Publication Dates The Spoke releases seven issues a year in October, November, December, February, March, May and June. The paper is printed by Bartash Printing and copies can be found in the school on publication days, as well as in select locations around the community. Readers who subscribe to The Spoke will receive issues mailed directly to their homes. Our paper is also available on issuu.com and Spoke.news. What We Cover Each issue, staff members collect and suggest timely story ideas to submit to the editorial board for review. The Spoke makes an effort to report the achievements and activities of students, faculty and community members. To suggest a story idea, email The Spoke at hello@ spoke.news. The views represented in signed opinion articles are not reflective of the opinions of
From the Editor: The zeros and ones of the future
the staff as a whole. An unsigned editorial represents the consensus of the editorial board. Our Rights Our paper is not subject to prior review, meaning the administration does not see the paper before it is printed and cannot censor content unless it is obscene, libelous or would cause a substantial disruption to school activities. Advisers serve as educators and consultants only, leaving the editorial board with decisions on content and how that content will be treated. With all stories, the editorial board considers the journalistic and ethical implications of publishing them.
Justin Huang
Co-Editor in Chief
Mark Zuckerberg said that “in fifteen years we’ll be teaching programming like reading and writing ... and wondering why we didn’t do it sooner.” With each passing year, his words ring louder. We live in an era where we can talk to our refrigerators, Online Presence Spoke.news is a student-run open garage doors from our and student-owned website; no phones and construct playlist district employees are consulted recommendations with proon the content and coverage of grams. The Internet of Things Spoke.news or any of its social me- isn’t stopping, and the next gendia platforms. Content decisions eration needs to be prepared. As we move forward, it’ll are made by the editorial board, specifically our web editors. Social become increasingly important media platforms include Spoke. for people to learn how to code. news and The Spoke’s Twitter, The Bureau of Labor Statistics Instagram account, Snapchat and reported last year that STEM jobs grew two times as quickly Facebook page. as other jobs, and half of those are computing-related. It’s no Your Voice This year’s editorial board surprise, given how companies hopes to include more voices gobble up buzzwords like “infrom our school and community. novation” and need people with To contribute to The Spoke, con- the skills to make it happen. If computer science isn’t your tact our editorial board at hello@ spoke.news. We also welcome dream, I don’t blame you. Proletters to the editor with com- gramming, however, is more mentary on or concerns about than computer science’s dull arcoverage. A letter to the editor ad- guments over efficiency; it’s the dressing content in a Spoke issue creation of tools to assist in our will be published in the next issue. everyday routines. A Georgetown study conBusinesses can support The Spoke by buying advertisements in the cluded that 67% of computthink like it’s a great ideaexist thatinnonon-technical one ing jobs paper or sponsoring“Ifeatures should believe because such and fi elds. Th e popularity of big Commitment Corner or Teacher data,considered where companies collect Feature. We reservesuch the right isn’t to always a extensive statistics about their reject, edit or cancel any advertisefundamental right to all activists.” operations and users, creatment at any time. -John Hancock, senior
ed a need for machine learning—computer programs that can analyze data and generate predictions based on observed patterns. In business, consultants and management base decisions on gathered user data or company statistics. In finance, investors check a stock’s value based on computer-calculated numbers. In manufacturing, engineers model designs through code to check how plausible they are. Those careers all have something to do with math, which computer science deals heavily with, but there are less obvious
sort through medical records to identify patterns. Even journalists need programming experience after the transition to the internet—maintaining websites, updating widgets, or more creative ventures, like sending news flashes to Amazon Alexa—and that’s why The Spoke has web editors. Behind every interaction is a creator and a user, and coding is important to both to fully understand how each part works. As more tools are created and discovered each year, the need for programming experience in every field increases. Ultimately,
emy, a friendly interactive website with lessons for many programming languages, but that’s only one of many. The internet is littered with tutorials, and most questions are one Google search away from an answer. Our school also provides education through the traditional classroom environment. Although Computer Science A is for more hardcore enthusiasts, Computer Science Principles is a friendlier introduction into the world of zeros and ones. Along with providing an introduction to Python, a popular programming language, the class teaches
Paige Sredenschek/The SPOKE
examples of widespread com- these are tools to make our work puting tasks. Lawyers can use more efficient, and we need to “I think teach people how to make and AI to dig through their it’s filesa great idea that no one use them. before heading to court. Doctors employ machine learning should believe Educational resources are already widely available online. algorithms to quickly identify because such and tumors from patient scans and My roots come from Codeacad-
such isn’t always considered a fundamental right to all activists.”
students about important concepts in our connected world. To move in the direction that our society is heading, I hope to see more students take advantage of these resources to learn how to code.
'Crazy RichSPEAK Asians':OUT The right way to introduce Asian stories STUDENTS -John Hancock, senior
Q: Should students have their driver licenses before college? “I think it’s a great idea that no one should believe because such and such isn’t always considered a fundamental right to all activists.”“I think it’s a great idea that no one should believe because such and such isn’t always considered a fundaClairemental Guo right to all activists.”
senior
-John Hancock, senior
Opinion Editor
“Crazy Rich Asians” entered theaters with a bang in August, making over $35 million in its five-day opening and maintaining the number one rank in theaters for three weeks after. To many Asian-American kids like me, that success felt personal. After a childhood watching Asian characters like lewd lunatic Leslie Chow from “The Hangover” and can’t-talkto-women-sober-in-the-firstsix-seasons Raj Koothrappali from the “Big Bang Theory,” too often, I felt like a foreign, awkward geek was how America saw me. Now, with the massive scale of a successful cinematic blockbuster, I feel like America sees how relatable we Asians and Asian-Americans actually are. Despite its fervent commendations as a diversity milestone, “Crazy Rich Asians” has also faced intense criticism for “westernizing” Asian culture to appeal to American audiences and for ignoring social problems in Singapore, where the movie takes place. But considering the movie’s plot and purpose, that westernization was appropriate, even necessary, and the avoidance of Singapore’s social problems makes sense.
“I think it’s a great idea that no one should believe because such and such isn’t always considered a fundamental right to all activists.” -John Hancock,
Coco Kambayashi/The SPOKE
I can see why “Crazy Rich Asians” faces accusations of westernization. The plot feels familiar—it’s the classic ragsto-riches Cinderella story—as does the soundtrack—extremely American tunes and genres revamped with Mandarin lyrics. Heck, the wedding song isn’t even in Mandarin—it’s just an Asian-American singing “Can’t Help Falling In Love With You.” The thing is, I don’t think these fundamentally American tropes make the movie any less “authentic.” Rather, what “Crazy Rich Asians” does really well is to both showcase protagonist Rachel Chu’s Asian heritage and make it clear that she is
The Spoke is published seven times per year at Bartash printing. It consistently receives a Gold rating from PSPA and CSPA, and it is a National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker award-winning publication. The Spoke serves as a public forum for student expression.
still definitively American. The movie is an American story at heart, and by presenting audiences with Western-friendly themes and values, it eases them into the lives of people perhaps previously thought foreign and incomprehensible. Additionally, I’m skeptical that an effort to address Singapore’s social issues in “Crazy Rich Asians” would have resulted in anything other than their insufficient screen time and weight, as well as an uncomfortable audience. Sure, an uncomfortable audience is what producers want with hard-hitting documentaries and heavier movies like “Blue
characters are non-speaking, Jasmine,” but it’s exactly what population is another ethnicdeferential roles. Considering “Crazy Rich Asians” should ity. Yet the majority group of the analogous ethnic power avoid. As the first blockbuster Chinese Singaporeans, like imbalances in Singapore and starring a majority Asian cast white Americans in the U.S., America, the lack of Southeast since “The Joy Luck Club” in enjoys significant political or South Asians in “Crazy Rich 1993, the movie's job is to make and social advantages. As SinAsians” is disappointing. non-Asian American audienc- gaporean journalist Kirsten But I will say this: “Crazy es comfortable with Asianness. Han puts it, “Chinese SingaIn the can October issue, we said Slskdfjf and Slskdfjsdf seniors. They are Rich Asians” is juniors. not the be-all, poreans—especially the su- were To show them that Asians end-all. It is, in fact, the opbe funny, can be sexy, and can perrich ones—are the ‘white posite. It isThey a step towards expeople’” be relatable human beings In the just November issue,there. we said Slskdfjf and Slskdfjsdf were seniors. are juniors. ploring Asian stories and Asian Unfortunately, the movie like anyone else. people in American cinema. The most valid criticism of revolves around Chinese Sin“Crazy Rich Asians” is molded the movie is its lack of diversity gaporean characters and an to its audience—as it should be, within the Asian spectrum. In East Asian cast. Even the halfand as most blockbusters are— modern-day Singapore, where white, half-Malaysian male and it is, I think, key to openthe movie is set, 74 percent lead Henry Golding and Maing the door to a host of varied of the population is Chinese, laysian actress Michelle Yeoh minority stories, not just crazy 13 percent is Malay, 9 percent play Chinese Singaporeans; rich ones. is Indian, and the remaining the Southeast and South Asian
The SPOKE Staff
Cartoonists: Kaitlyn Chen, Coco Kambayashi, Paige Sredenschek
Editors-in-Chief: Justin Huang, Avery Maslowsky Managing Editor: Brooke Deasy News Editor: Maddie Lamonica T/E Life Editors: Andrew Bucko, Tiffany He Opinion Editor: Claire Guo Sports Editor: Aimee Buttenbaum Design Editor: Reagan Gerrity Copy Editor: Renato DiStefano Photography Editor: Olivia Thompson Business Manager: Emma Clarke
Staff Reporters: Matthew Fan, Alex Gurski, Christina Lee, Katherine Lee, Richard Li, Danny Marshall, Sophia Pan, Sanjana Sanghani, Reese Wang Managing Web Editor: Audrey Kim Web Editors: Dhivya Arasappan, Ananya Kulkarni, Melinda Xu Faculty Advisers: Cyndi Crothers-Hyatt, Susan Gregory
SORRY, WE MISSPOKE
Submissions: Letters to the editor may be submitted to Editors-in-Chief Justin Huang and Avery Maslowsky, or advisers Cyndi Crothers-Hyatt and Susan Gregory. Unsigned editorials represent the views of The Spoke editorial board, 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. The Spoke accepts paid advertisements. Email hello@spoke.news.
www.spoke.news @thespoke @thespoke /thespoke the_spoke hello@spoke.news
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Op/Ed
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Keeping perspective on Kavanaugh allegations
Brooke Deasy
Managing Editor
Another political appointment process has come to a close, and with it another sexual assault claim that has plastered the headlines of every major news organization, every newspaper on a local or national scale. Such occurrences have become quite normalized in the societal eye, haven't they? I can’t say I was surprised to hear that Democratic National Committee Deputy Chairman Rep. Keith Ellison was accused of domestic abuse by a former girlfriend in early August. And I surely wasn’t surprised when I walked into my living room on Sept. 27 where my father was watching the opening statements of Supreme Court nomi-
nee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing , leaning forward in his lounge chair to get closer to the screen. One of the first things I noticed during both of their personal testimonies was how emotionally wrenching the whole process had become. Kavanaugh openly teared up during his statement and Ford was clearly terrified in hers. I would have to say that I agree with Kavanaugh when he said what should have been advise and consent had been replaced with “search and destroy.” When we’re talking about a sexual assault presumably occurring 36-years ago, it is going to take time and superb investigation to reveal the truth of what happened on one night in the summer of 1982. One night during which a spontaneous, small party occurred in a house that cannot be identified. What I don’t understand is why people are always so eager to jump to the woman’s defense, the “victim” in the case. Until sufficient evidence is presented to support the woman’s argument, the man should be
treated with the same respect. For all we know, he could be the true victim of the situation. Therefore, in my eyes, no one should denounce Kavanaugh’s position as invalid simply on the basis of gender.
rather ridiculous that the nation’s attention was transfixed on Kavanaugh’s past rather than on his merits, or other national and worldly issues of significance (what about the 7.5-magnitude earthquake
Kaitlyn Chen/The SPOKE
In no way am I trying to downplay the importance of the #MeToo movement or argue that Blasey’s claims are unsubstantiated, but I find it
and subsequent tsunami killing thousands in Indonesia, for example?). Kavanaugh served as the White House Staff Secretary under the Bush
administration and has spent over 12 years on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Before recent allegations, his record was crystal clear on all fronts. This is a man who worked hard to create a name for him and his family to be proud of. We must not overlook that. I do find it quite interesting and not slightly surprising that Ford stopped pursuing her sexual misconduct allegations after Kavanaugh was appointed. Enough said. Sure, American conservative political commentator and former television host Tomi Lahren is a rather controversial figure at the moment, but she makes some valid points. I wholeheartedly agree with her tweet on Oct. 1 that said the following: “We know more about a 36-year-old high school yearbook than we do what happened in Las Vegas last year. Priorities?” The truth of the matter is we know a whole lot more about that high school yearbook than we do about many items of national concern. That in itself troubles me.
“I think that it’s wrong that a woman can accuse a man who’s worked so hard to come all this way when she doesn’t remember where the party was, she doesn’t even remember who(se) friends were there, so I’m okay with it.”
“Personally, I think that it’s okay for him to be Supreme Court justice, because the claims against him don’t have much proof behind them.”
- Audrey Cui, freshman
- Skylar Carey,
STUDENTS SPEAK OUT
sophomore
Q: How do you feel about Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court? “Not great. A lot of people are dumb when they’re younger, but then a guy like this comes out and lies through his teeth. That isn’t necessarily a good look for the country when they elect that person for the highest judicial position in the entire country. There should be a higher standard for people like that.”
“It’s just one more in kind of a laundry list of things that make me pessimistic. I try not be, but this, Kavanaugh getting sworn in, doesn’t help my thoughts on the future.”
- Sebastian Castro, junior
- Hope Napier, senior
Report Card Pep Rally + Senior jeans!
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- No rapping or breakdancing :(
D
Photo ID mishap
+ Second chance to look decent - Passports for PSATs
Chris Herren assembly
A
+ Moment of school unity - What about his story?
Shane Dawson mini-docs
B+
+ The tea is real - Overabundance of gasps
B-
Chinese course gone digital
+ Hey, it's still alive - We miss Mrs. Lee
Keeping the spirit of Halloween
Lara Briggs
Guest Columnist
For many, fall can be a thrilling season. As soon as the first leaves fall from trees, we rush to Starbucks for our pumpkin spice lattes and throw on our comfy knit sweaters. There’s no day more emblematic of the season than Halloween, adored by children as a chance to get free candy, and by adults who (for reasons beyond my understanding) love paying to be scared. But last year, when I went to school on Halloween, I noticed that most people were not wearing a costume. I thought to myself, When did we all become so jaded? I think that Halloween is a fantastic holiday. On no other day is it socially acceptable to come to school dressed like Batman or Eleven from “Stranger Things” or paint your face to look like a zombie. Halloween is a day for fun. Ask anyone in the halls, and I can guarantee you that they enjoy having fun.
we transition to adulthood, that seems to be frowned upon more and more. Less play, the adults tell us. More work. But here’s where the magic comes in—we’re not adults yet. In our desire to become more mature and serious, we push away things that we think are “childish,” like dressing up for Halloween. For students and teachers, here’s my advice: if you are adamantly against dressing up, that’s fine with me. The last thing I want to do is pressure you. But if you don’t want to wear a costume for fear of being embarrassed, for fear of being “childish,” you should absolutely wear one. The creativity involved with play is essential to the world we live in. After all, with only workers and no one to create or innovate, many parts of our lives today would be missing. Embrace this one day where it’s okay to break the mold. Rebel against adulthood. Stay a kid for a little Paige Sredenschek/The SPOKE longer, if you the importance of play. By play, I want. Don’t be afraid to show your don’t mean playing with dolls or creativity and have fun, because in stuffed animals like little kids, but stressful times like these, fun is the more in the broader sense of the number one thing we can’t, by any word. To play is to explore, to cre- means, afford to lose. Happy Halloween, Conestoga. ate, to push the boundaries. As Yet more and more, we teenagers push ourselves to become adults faster, and let the childish sides of ourselves go. Sure, there are lots of positives about being an adult: more responsibility, freedoms and opportunities. But I fear that in our quest for adulthood, we’re pushing away some of the magic of childhood. That childish sense of creativity is truly something special, and that’s exactly why Halloween is so important. Our days are filled with work, whether it be school work, rehearsals and practices, part-time jobs or other activities. Especially in this hectic part of our lives, it’s important to not forget
Coco Kambayashi/The SPOKE
Believe in America: Why voting matters
Audrey Kim
Managing Web Editor
Elections, Abraham Lincoln once declared, belong to the people. But if they decide “to turn their back on the people and burn their behinds,” he noted, “then they will have to sit on their blisters.” Yet 150 years later, only 55 percent of eligible voters practiced their civic right in the 2016 presidential election. Even fewer practiced in the
2016 primaries, which accounted for only a fifth of eligible voters. And while participation in government has decreased (as well as approval ratings in Congress), political tensions have rocketed. But it is precisely because of the current political climate that it is more important than ever we vote. The disillusion with government isn’t new: eligible voters frequently distrust politicians. With increased participation in voting, we can change that attitude, and in extension our country, for the better. Neither are these midterm elections the same as previous years: more women than ever are running for office, and more minorities and younger people are planning to vote, according to political research organization Latino Decisions. “Your vote counts!” may be the cliche sung during elec-
tion time, but each individual vote matters, especially in areas where elections are hotly contested. But more importantly, we owe it to the thousands of women, people of color, and soldiers who sacrificed to attain that right, and we owe it to the those who will come after us. To not vote is not just giving up a voice: we give it to those whose concerns we might disagree with, creating an even more dissatisfied environment in the country. As a junior, I am not yet eligible to vote for this year’s midterm elections. But I have watched older family and friends who are planning to, and the time for change is now. Whatever your views on gun control or abortion, the current tariffs or immigration, the only way for us to create an America we can all believe in is to vote.
Kaitlyn Chen/The SPOKE
Sports
10
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Trail blazing: Alumnus writes, runs and reflects Alex Gurski
Staff Reporter
’Stoga alumna and life-long athlete Megan Roche tells the story of her trail-running lifestyle in her first book, “The Happy Runner.”
With the mission of spreading a running philosophy and psychology, Roche worked alongside her husband David to write a running book hoping to reveal the secrets and beauty of running. “We included things such as the power of embracing the
running process, understanding why you run, and harnessing kindness and enthusiasm for running performance,” Roche said. Roche had only nine months to write the book. “Our situation was unique because we had a very short
Courtesy Megan Roche
On the trail: 'Stoga alumna Megan Roche performs one of her favorite hobbies, trail running. She first got involved with running during her time on the Conestoga track team and continued to pursue her passion at Duke and Stanford. Roche's new book "The Happy Runner" on balancing the effort and the joy in running is set to release on Nov. 15.
period of time to get our book finished,” Roche said. “This was due to publishing constraints and our own time constraints. In some sense this helped because we had to get words down on paper, so we embraced a ‘don’t think, just write’ philosophy and then did heavy editing from there.” The book promotes learning to love running, instead of thinking about it as a chore. The book tells the stories of professional athletes who have personal breakthroughs as they learn to enjoy the process of running. It also teaches people how to stay healthy with proven training methods. An athlete from the age of four, fitness has always consumed Roche’s life. She played field hockey for Conestoga from 2004 to 2008, and during that time discovered her love for running. “Whenever we had wind sprints at the end of practice, I got excited to challenge myself,” Roche said. “I started entering some local races and ran the 4 x 800 and the mile for Conestoga track when meets did not conflict with field hockey.” Despite her passion for running, Roche chose to focus on field hockey in high school and college. “With (my) late start, I avoided burnout and let my body develop and get strong before starting to (gain) more mileage,” Roche said. Roche graduated from Conestoga in 2008 and went on to attend Duke University, where she played field hockey and participated in coordinated runs. After her years at Duke, Roche studied medicine at Stanford. She followed through with
Courtesy Megan Roche
Leading the pack: Sprinting after the ball, Megan Roche plays field hockey for the Conestoga girls' varsity team. Roche went on to attend Duke University where she continued to compete on the field. running during her years at medical school, using it as a way to keep her grounded during the chaotic application process. “By having things in my life outside of medicine, I was able to avoid engaging in the competitive pre-medical culture and I think that enabled me to keep a genuine love of learning and passion for medicine.” Roche hopes that her book “The Happy Runner” will inspire other runners to achieve
their personal best, and to embrace the positives and negatives of their runs. Her advice for Conestoga students looking to pursue their passions in the future is to do what brings them joy. “You will make the most difference in the world doing what makes you happy and so it’s important to listen to your heart as opposed to defaulting to a conventional or prestigious path," Roche said.
Deathly shallows of the Schuylkill cramps crew's cruisin'
Emma Clarke/The SPOKE
Emma Clarke/The SPOKE
Roll in two, that's one, two!: The 'Stoga girls quad prepares to put their boat in the water for practice at Bachelor's Barge Boathouse on the Schuylkill River. The water level of the river has steadily decreased due to sediment buildup. However, there are currently no plans to move this year's Stotesbury Cup Regatta from the Schuylkill River.
Emma Clarke
Business Manager
Throughout practices and races, ’Stoga rowers typically focus on what they’re doing on the water, not what is going on underneath it. Underneath the home of the
'Stoga rowers, the Schuylkill River, there lies a century of sediment buildup, causing low water levels and having negative effects on practices and races, senior Brenton Molsbergen said. “Whenever we launch our boats out into the river, it seems like there are two inches of water.
Commitment Corner School: University of Florida Grade: 11th Sport: Lacrosse
Why University of Florida?
“It was the perfect combination of academics and athletics at a large state school which I knew I always wanted. Plus the weather helps.”
Our blades (of the oars) are hitting the dirt,” Molsbergen said. Molsbergen’s experience is one that has been years in the making. The cumulative sediment levels in the Schuylkill have caused more problems for Philadelphia rowers year after year. According to Commodore Paul Horvat of the Schuylkill Navy, an association of the rowing clubs of Philadelphia, in 2000, the water level surrounding Boathouse Row was 8 feet, but in 2017, with the sediment build-up, the water was about a foot deep. However, action to dredge, or remove sediment from the river, has not been taken.
The Philadelphia Rowing Association has been trying to receive funding from the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the river since 2014, but the Corps rejected funding the estimated $3 million dollar project. This past summer, the Schuylkill Navy asked University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Temple University, St. Joe’s University, La Salle University and Jefferson University to fund the dredging instead, since these universities have rowing teams that use the Schuylkill to practice and race. No action has been taken, ac-
cording to Laskow, chair of the River Restoration Committee of the Schuylkill Navy. This past year, the Stotesbury Regatta was moved to the nearby Cooper River for better water-level conditions. However, junior Maggie Gosnear saw this change as creating worse conditions in other aspects of the regatta. “Stotesbury is huge and there was not enough space for the boat trailers to go at the Cooper River. It was super congested,” Gosnear said. ’Stoga rowers may have to find new territory to row in if this issue escalates, according to Bonnie Mueller, secretary
of the Schuylkill Navy, but they would not be the only ones affected. The collegiate rowing teams would lose their homes as well would the economy of Philadelphia be damaged due to lack of rowing competitions on the Schuylkill, which bring in $25 million each year, according to Laskow. Laskow sees a loss of tradition and treasure if the teams of Boathouse Row are no longer able to use the Schuylkill. “The pretty lights might be on the outside but there’ll be no lights on in the inside because there won’t be any rowing,” Laskow said.
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Sports
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Field hockey Olympian flicks his way to Teamer Aimee Buttenbaum Sports Editor
For the fall 2018 season, a new coach joined the varsity girls field hockey team and led them to win the Central League Championship. Coach JaJa Kentwell has helped develop all of the team members in the eyes of captain Anna Mayock. Kentwell "takes his job seriously and is determined to help us succeed, which is exactly what we need going into districts,” Mayock said. Despite losing 13 seniors from the past season, Mayock believes Kentwell’s coaching has helped the team with their success this season. “With JaJa’s coaching and his ability to develop the younger players, we are proving to be as strong as last year,” Mayock said. Kentwell also believes his ‘tough love’ is helping the team improve. “I yell at them a lot,” Kentwell said. “I don’t let them get complacent and always stay on top of them on the littlest details.” An accomplished player in his own right, Kentwell plays field hockey on the U.S. Men's National Team. “My schedule with the USMNT worked out pretty well this year with our last tour ending in July and starting up again in December traveling to Chile,” Kentwell said. “Surprisingly there weren’t any conflicts which has allowed me to coach Conestoga this season.”
Varsity girls tennis is currently playing in the semi-final round of the Districts Championship. REPEATS
Boys soccer wins Central League Championship twotimes in a row and hope for a three-peat this year. WINS
The football team won their first game of the season against Penncrest with a score of 20-19. SHOOTS
The varsity girls' soccer team won the Central League Championship on Teamer Field the night of Oct. 16. Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE
Coaching the team: The new varsity girls field hockey coach, JaJa Kentwell (fourth from the left), coaches from the sideline during the game on Oct. 16. The girls flicked their way to victory, winning the Central League Championship game with a score of 10-0. Junior Sarah Rogalski believes that Kentwell playing while coaching is a large part of why he is so helpful. “I think that since he is a current player, rather than a retired coach, we can really use him as a demonstration of something we work towards and want to accomplish ourselves,” Rogalski said. They also use his intelligence to their advantage.
“JaJa’s knowledge of the sport really helps myself and the other girls to understand what is going on and it allows us to ask him questions about plays or what is happening on the field,” Rogalski said. Kentwell, currently 27, began his field hockey journey back when he was only 15. His parents started the WC Eagles, a club team in Pottstown.
“I don’t know where I would be without you. When I stumbled or felt like retreating, you pointed me to the right route, when I found myself on the wrong one,” said Dante Coles of his siblings in his induction speech. Coles, Conestoga class of 1997, was one of six individual inductees selected for the Conestoga Athletic Hall of Fame. For the 2018 induction, Conestoga High School selected five individual players, one coach and one team who demonstrated athletic excellence. Nominations for the Athletic Hall of Fame came from community member’s recommendations. After Conestoga received each recommendation,
the athletic department crafted profiles for each candidate. Athletic Director Kevin Pechin said a selection committee then viewed the profiles and voted on candidates with outstanding accomplishments, records, titles and successes after their time at Conestoga ended. Pechin emphasized that the nominees were not solely inducted for their athletic accomplishments, they were also chosen for their character. “All nominees exhibited sound educational and personal values and have demonstrated high standards of integrity and character,” Pechin said. In August, funds were raised for the ceremony that took place on Oct. 6 at Waynesborough Country Club. Inductees shed tears while hearing various
people that nominated them recall heartwarming stories and while giving speeches to thank their families.
“
All nominees exhibited sound educational and personal values.
“
Staff Reporter
“I was moving boxes in a warehouse one day and my mom had 5 players and needed an extra person to make it even,” Kentwell said. “She asked me to hop in as a body.” So far, Kentwell said he has enjoyed his time here at "The Big C" as well as working with the girls on the team. “They are eager to learn and always work hard during practice,”
Kevin Pechin Athletic Director
The 2018 induction class includes Coles, class of 1997; Robert Ford, class of 1971; Jane Kleiderlein Condi, class of 1987; Dan Lehman, class of 1990; Dan Reichert, swim coach; Lori
Havrilla Messina, class of 2002; and the 2002 girls’ lacrosse team. Ford, recognized for his performance in golf during high school and as a professional, said he takes pride in being a ’Stoga alumni. The ceremony also honored Reichert, a retired Navy Seal, who coached both ’Stoga and Martin’s Dam swim for 48 years. Reichert said he never saw coaching as a job. “As I say, I never worked for a living, I just coached and taught. It’s just an honor to be here,” Reichert said. Lehman was also recognized for his achievements in tennis, and said he often wishes he could go back to his high school days. “Nothing was more fun than the time I spent playing here at Conestoga. I cherish the memories that I have here
Reese Wang/The SPOKE
Standing proud: The 2018 Hall of Fame inductees pose for a photo at the ceremony, taking place at Waynesborough Country Club. The members were chosen for their high standard of integrity and character by a selection committee who viewed their profiles based on reccomendations from throughout the community.
Additions to the Coaches' Handbook reflect student-athlete concerns Matthew Fan Staff Reporter
The Conestoga athletic department addressed the concern of student-athletes having to miss major school events for sports in its annual review of the coaches’ handbook. Athletic Director Kevin Pechin said the new edition now emphasizes the importance of high school ceremonial events, like graduation, for students and the effort sports teams should make in minimizing these absences. We “placed language regarding graduation stating that graduation is a valued culmination
The latest developments in Sports. SERVES
Kentwell said. “They have a lot to learn but slowly we’ll get there.” Looking forward, Kentwell wants to evaluate this season with the team, and go from there. “We have to get through this season first and evaluate where we stand as a team and what our goals are moving forward,” Kentwell said. “If we’re all on the same page, I would love to stay and develop this team.”
Hall of Fame inductees recognized for achievment Reese Wang
HIGHLIGHT REEL
of a students’ journey (in the school district),” Pechin said. “If there’s a sporting event that coincides, every effort will be made to have the student do both.” This change to the handbook mirrors PIAA’s guidelines. “The PIAA moves State Championship games so that students don’t miss graduation,” Pechin said. “We are following suit.” Student athletes are hopeful with the new policies, as missing graduation was once expected for certain sports teams. Last spring, seniors of the Conestoga crew team had to miss graduation in order to compete in the national championship, which was held in
Sacramento. The date of graduation originally did not coincide with the championship, but after the procession was moved as a result of inclement weather, rowers missed graduation to compete. “There may be instances where the graduation date coincides with an athletic event,” the Athletic Department Coaches' Handbook reads. “In such cases, coaches will work collaboratively with the athletic office to make arrangements allowing our students to participate in commencement whenever possible.” Because of this new guideline and the location of this
year’s national championship—it will be held in Florida for the next three years instead of California—the seniors who qualify will be able to attend the graduation ceremony at Conestoga. Senior captain of the girls’ crew team Abigail Lewis said she commends the athletic department for prioritizing student sentiments over attendance procedures. “The school is making an effort to allow student-athletes to be able to attend school functions without having to sacrifice practice or game time,” Lewis said.
at Conestoga,” Lehman said. Individual inductee Lori Havrilla Messinga received recognition for her success on the 2002 girls’ lacrosse program alongside the rest of her team. “I am extremely honored to be receiving this recognition but I know I wouldn’t be standing here without so many people,” Messina said. The ceremony also recognized the induction of Jane Kleiderlein Condi, who passed away in 2015 after battling cancer. Her presence is said to still felt around the community as she is remembered for her character and athletic ability as she was named a High School All-American for swimming. As the night came to a close, a sense of pride filled the air as the 'Stoga alumni and community members waved each other goodbye outside Waynesborough Country Club, honoring the 2018 Hall of Fame inductees.
STROKES
Crew places 2nd and 3rd in both men's and women's doubles race at the Navy Day Regatta, the regatta of the fall season. EXITS
Girls basketball coach, Chris Jeffries, steps down after four years. SWINGS
Senior Samantha Yao wins the Central League girls golf tournament. SCORES
The field hockey game against Henderson on Sept. 25 wins Phila Field Hockey Game of the Week with the Pioneers triumphing 2-0. SAILS
The sailing team is currently ranked first, with Malvern Prep in second after five regattas so far this season, all taking place at the Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia. SPRINTS
Junior Michael Prestipino scored a touchdown after catching the ball from a kickoff return and ran it down the entire field as the crowd went wild during the football teams' game against Marple Newtown on Oct. 5.
SPORTS
The SPOKE
Girls soccer scores Central League title
Chodaczeck sets personal, school records Maddie Lamonica News Editor
Eyes on the volleyball, senior Katherine Chodaczek hits the ball to a teammate who scores, making her 1000th assist. Going into senior year, Chodaczek had already made 980 hits breaking the previous school record of 950. “I just wanted to get it the first game (of the season) because my mom made a poster, and I didn’t want her to bring the poster and then I didn’t make it,” Chodaczek said. On Sept. 4, however, Chodaczek did make her 1000th assist in a home game against Henderson High School where friends and family gathered to celebrate the achievement. In order to reach her goal, Chodaczek had to have a consistent amount of assists per game.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
“It’s normally 20-30 depending on who we play,” Chodaczek said. Chodaczek has played varsity volleyball since her freshman year. “I remember the ultimate goal was to make varsity. Because they needed someone from my position on the center, I was like okay this is what I want and I wasn’t going to settle,” Chodaczek said. Chodaczek contributes her accomplishment to the environment of ’Stoga volleyball. “Everyone has a different role on the team,” Chodaczek said. “Without one person, the chemistry would be so different. Conestoga volleyball is such a great atmosphere, and we all get along really well.” Chodaczek continues to strive to meet personal goals as she expects to reach 1,500 assists by the end of the season.
Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE
Renato DiStefano/The SPOKE
Serves the ball: Senior Katherine Chodaczek competes for the girls’ volleyball team against Upper Darby. Chodaczek has played for the varisty team during all four years of her high school career.
The 2018 varsity girls’ soccer team started off the year strong with a 3-1 win against Upper Dublin on Aug. 31, foreshadowing the success to follow later in the season. Coming off of a winning season last year with a record of 10-1 and making it to the second round of Districts, the girls hoped to continue the trend. Captains Emily Wertz and Jordan Roe have helped the team achieve this goal, as they have a current record of 13-1-2. Due to their performance during the season, the team will get a bye into the first round of Districts, automatically guaranteeing that they move on to the second round. The team won the Central League Championship on Oct. 16.
Alumnus’s big hit: Ogren called up to Mariners’ minor league team “I worked really hard on getting stronger and getting faster,” Ogren said. “Then in high school I started to try and refine my skills and everything just kind of went from there.” During his time as a Pioneer, Ogren played on the freshman team and then on varsity his sophomore year as a forward. He started every game his junior year and the team soared to the State Championships. That summer, Ogren committed to Elon to play Division I baseball. “I’ve always wanted to play baseball in the south because that’s where baseball is the best,” Ogren said. “I wanted to do something in business, and (Elon) has a great business school and the campus is beautiful, you can’t beat it.”
that is a plus,” Moreno said. As Ogren continues his MLB journey, he is looking forward to getting out on the field and seeing where the game takes him. “You can go anywhere with (this game) and I’m excited for just working hard and keeping my head down and just trying to make everyone proud,” Ogren said.
While only around 10 percent of players from Minor League Baseball get pulled up to the MLB, Moreno believes some more learning and hard work can push Ogren to the top. “He is a student of the game and wants to learn every little detail. Nobody knows how far he can go, but he has the desire to reach the highest level and
“
Some kids want to be astronauts and all that jazz, but I just wanted to be a baseball player Ryne Ogren
Courtesy photo caption
Courtesy Ryne Ogren
“
Batter up: Ryne Ogren takes a stance as he prepares to hit the ball. The ‘Stoga alumnus was on the freshman team during his first of high school and made the varsity team for the next three years.
Aimee Buttenbaum Sports Editor
2015 Alumnus Ryne Ogren was a student playing baseball at Elon University, but one phone call from the Seattle Mariners changed all that in a matter of seconds. During his sophomore year of college, Ogren began receiving envelopes with information from different MLB teams, and later began to meet with the teams during the fall of his junior year. In the spring, when the season was over and the
draft began, he waited for phone calls. On draft day, Ogren was selected by the Seattle Mariners, and his childhood dream of being in the MLB came true. “It was really cool because it happens so fast. My phone froze from all the (congratulatory) texts and calls,” Ogren said. “After that I hugged my mom, kissed my dog, and the first thing we did after that was we went to the mall and got a Seattle Mariners hat.” Ogren’s love for baseball goes way back, as he has a line of family members involved in the sport.
“My great grandfather pitched for the (Cleveland) Indians and my grandfather played for the (St. Louis) Cardinals so it’s kind of like a baseball family,” Ogren said. Ogren himself was named after the baseball player Ryne Sandberg who played for the Cubs and the Phillies. “Some kids want to be astronauts and all that jazz, but I just wanted to be a baseball player,” Ogren said. As he played throughout middle school and high school, Ogren became more serious about the sport.
Alumnus
Ogren is playing for a Seattle Mariners’ farm team called the Everett Aquasox who are a part of Minor League Baseball and are based out of Washington. He is paid to play during the season, but his goal is to be moved up to the Mariners. The Aquasox 2018 Manager, Jose Moreno, watched Ogren play during his first season on the farm team. Ogren “was able to play different positions, and that added value of having a player who can do it all,” Moreno said.
Courtesy Ryne Ogren
Up to bat: Ryne Ogren bats for the Everret Aquasox as part of Minor League Baseball. Ogren was drafted to the Seattle Mariners organization during his junior year of college at Elon University. He hopes to be pulled up to the MLB from the farm system.
SCORELINE
scores as of 10/15
Football
B Soccer
G Soccer
G Tennis
B XC
G XC
Volleyball
Golf
Field Hockey
W
2
18
13
10
5
5
15
11
6
L
6
1
1
1
1
1
6
2
2
T
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
0