The SPOKE Issue 2 2023-2024

Hope4Hoey initiative rallies support for Conestoga alumnus

Page 7 Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA, 19312

Volume 74 No. 2

November 1, 2023

Promote Prostate cancer awareness

Bullseye: Senior competes in Archery Olympic Trials

PagE 8

Page 12

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‘this book is gay’ submitted for review

Parents speak out against library material, allege religious discrimination

Aren Framil/The SPOKE

On the shelf: The Tredyffrin/Easttown School District is currently reviewing Juno Dawson’s “This Book Is Gay.” At both the Sept. 26 and Oct. 23 school board meetings, several parents shared concerns regarding alleged discriminatory language in the book.

By Maya Shah and Juliana Yao, Co-T/E Life Editor and Co-Sports Editor During the Sept. 26 regular school board meeting, a group of nine Tredyffrin/Easttown parents and residents shared their concerns about alleged discriminatory language toward religious groups in a book in the Conestoga library. As a result, the book in question, the first edition of “This Book Is Gay” by Juno Dawson, is currently under review by the school administration.

Three residents furthered their complaints at the Oct. 23 regular school board meeting, again urging the school board to condemn the alleged prejudice contained in the book. At that same meeting, two community members who did not comment at the first meeting spoke in favor of keeping the book in the library, arguing that LGBTQ+ representation in literature can positively impact students.

Published in the U.S. in June 2015, “This Book is Gay’’ is a young adult, nonfiction work about LGBTQ+ identity and exploration.

The book discusses themes such as coming out, LGBTQ+ stereotypes and sexual education.

Dawson includes excerpts from religious texts and explains how to refute their use in arguments against the LGBTQ+ community, most notably in the section “The Gays versus Religion.” Specific contested subsections include “How to Argue with Muslims’’ and “How to Argue with Christians.”

As district resident Dr. Dalia El-Sherif stated at the Oct. 23 school board meeting, “members of the Muslim community have filed a complaint about the religious hate, bias and discrimination in one of the books in the school library” with the school board prior to the Sept. 26 school board meeting.

District resident Bogdan Rosca condemned the “Haterz Gon’ Hate” chapter, in which Dawson describes some religious people as hateful.

“My religious beliefs give credence to the Torah and the Bible, and for this, I am labeled a hater,” Rosca said at the Sept. 26 school board meeting. “The author labels my son a hater, too. (Dawson) calls these parents and their children haters as well because they follow the Quran.”

As outlined in district Regulation 1122, “Complaints Regarding the District,” in the case of resident objections regarding instructional materi-

als, TESD administration first attempts to resolve complaints at the building level.

According to school board president Dr. Roberta Hotinski, Conestoga’s administration is still processing this complaint at the building level.

Should the issue not reach a conclusion, Regulation 1122 says that a select committee will examine the content of the material, ultimately presenting its findings to district Superintendent Dr. Richard Gusick to make a final decision.

El-Sherif, the resident who spoke first at the September board meeting, believes that

Regulation 1122 does not apply in this situation.

“This material promotes hate, bias and discrimination.

Therefore, administrative Regulation 1122 does not apply, as administrative Regulation 1122 does not address hate or discrimination and is focused on complaints against school personnel or instructional material only,” El-Sherif said during the public comment period of the Sept. 26 meeting.

Both Gusick and Hotinski insisted that Regulation 1122 outlined the best method through which to handle the situation and that the book is still under review.

Gusick, Hotinski and Conestoga principal Dr. Amy Meisinger declined The Spoke’s requests for comment due to the ongoing administrative review process.

“As a board, we are concerned about being sensitive to members of every group in our community,” Hotinski said in response to El-Sherif ’s comments at the September meeting.

“We’ve heard your concerns, and we’re taking them seriously.”

El-Sherif and Rosca did not return The Spoke’s requests for comment.

Continued on page 3.

SEPTA plans bus route overhaul Rowan Chetty

Co-Multimedia Editor

Lily Chen/The SPOKE

Changing curriculum: Juniors Ayan Kumar (right) and Raycer Verrecchia (left) research possible ways they could revise the elementary school family life curriculum. They began this initiative in June 2023 after seeing outdated information in their younger siblings’ family life packets.

Juniors reevaluate family life curriculum Lily Chen

Design Editor Juniors Ayan Kumar and Raycer Verrecchia are working with Dr. Patrick Gately, TESD curriculum supervisor for English Language Arts, Health and Physical Education, to consider possible revisions to the district’s elementary-level family life curriculum.

Kumar and Verrecchia both have siblings in fifth grade. Last year, in fourth grade, they participated in the elementary school family life curriculum. In fourth grade family life classes, students learn about HIV and AIDS, which is required by the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, along with human reproductive systems, puberty and hygiene.

While helping his sister with her homework, Verrecchia noticed that some information in the district-issued family life packets was incomplete or inaccurate. The packet stated there are three HIV drug classes despite the National

Institutes of Health (NIH) currently recognizing eight. Verrecchia reached out to Kumar, who noticed similar issues, and the two have been working to resolve the inaccuracies since.

“Something we noticed when (our siblings) were bringing back the family life curriculum of HIV and AIDS was that the statistics were completely inaccurate,” Kumar said. “We decided that we wanted to make a change to make sure that these children are getting accurate statistics and information so that our younger generation can thrive and get the right education that they deserve.”

Kumar and Verrecchia initially had plans for a complete curriculum overhaul. However, Gately said that this was unnecessary. He suggested that they provide a student perspective on the current curriculum and suggest possible revisions.

Gately currently facilitates their research and gathers feedback from teachers.

Gately is grateful for Kumar’s and Verrecchia’s help in providing a new perspective on the current curriculum.

“Beyond revisions, to make a major overhaul or to fundamentally change the curriculum would take a district committee and that would be a major process,” Gately said. “But, (Kumar and Verrecchia) have been really helpful in terms of the student perspective — they’ve also taken a look at the curriculum, gone back and reviewed it and tried to indicate places where, as students, they feel like it could use revising, where information could be more up to date, (where) information could be more engaging for students.”

The information that Kumar and Verrecchia are looking over is not solely statistical.

Inaccurate material includes outdated treatment plans for suppressing the HIV virus, missing symptoms and general gender stereotypes.

“Raycer and I went through the entire curriculum for elementary, middle school and high school health, fitness and family life,” Kumar said. “We believe some teachings could be improved to better (fit) societal norms because they were kind of outdated in the way they displayed stereotypes — it felt like they were enforcing the stereotypes. The way we approached that was offering a different way that can make (the material) more comprehensive.”

Kumar and Verrecchia hope to show that students are passionate about learning up-to-date and accurate material.

“In the future, I hope that the curriculum will be changed and that students will be getting accurate information,” Kumar said.

“Over the next couple of years, I hope that students will continue to do revisions that will make the education be as perfect as possible, and thus, allow students to get the best education.”

Since 1964, SEPTA bus routes largely remained the same. Now, to increase ridership and efficiency, SEPTA is enacting several changes in a plan known as the Bus Revolution.

SEPTA began drafting the plan approximately two years ago, with full implementation expected by early to mid 2024.

SEPTA put this project into action to address the decline in bus ridership in the years leading up to the pandemic.

“We haven’t redesigned the bus network in six decades,” said SEPTA Public Information Manager John Golden.

“When the bus network as we know it was implemented, it was all based on old trolley routes, and so we decided to do (these improvements) based on customer feedback

and (to) just (make) the system much more reliable.”

SEPTA plans to streamline its routes by adding more frequent stops in high demand areas so that buses will pick up passengers every 15 minutes at these locations. It plans to add 10 more of these frequent stops to Philadelphia and the surrounding area’s routes.

“We estimate an additional 1.1 million people throughout the entire Philadelphia network will be within a 10-minute walk of a frequent bus service,” Golden said. “To illustrate it, more than 99% of bus riders within a five-minute walk of a bus route will still be within a five-minute walk of a bus route.”

While SEPTA aims to add more consistency to popular routes, some of the older routes that have low ridership will be removed. To

streamline routes and create a more reliable system for passengers, SEPTA plans to decrease the total number of routes from 125 to 106.

Sophomore Daniel Loza, who often rides SEPTA buses, has experienced some of the current inconsistencies in the bus schedules.

“Often (SEPTA buses) are really delayed, and sometimes they just don’t come and they don’t tell you it’s canceled,” Loza said. “It is a bit frustrating sometimes.”

Although minimal route changes are planned for the T/E area, SEPTA expects passengers to experience an improvement in service. Loza look forward to the changes.

“I don’t have a car,” Loza said. “So if I need to get somewhere, then I can do it without my parents driving me or relying on anyone else.”

Rowan Chetty/The SPOKE

Road to revolution: A SEPTA bus drives along its route to pick up passengers. SEPTA has planned to streamline its routes by removing low traffic stops and increasing the frequency of bus pick-ups at popular stops.

News

2 The SPOKE A BRIEF LOOK THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN T/E AND NATIONAL NEWS

Absence record returns to transcripts

Conestoga’s administration added the absence record back to official student transcripts as of the 2023-24 school year. The absence report lists the number of school days a student has missed for each year, and students can view their transcripts on PowerSchool. In 2021, administration removed the absence report from transcripts.

Drought watches in 14 counties, warning in 1 The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared a drought warning in York County and a drought watch in 14 other, mostly southern, counties. Six more counties, including Chester, were previously on drought watch as well, but as of Oct. 20 the state has announced their return to a normal status. For those in counties still under watch, the department advises residents to reduce water use.

House speaker Kevin McCarthy ousted, Mike Johnson steps in The U.S. House of Representatives ousted its speaker, Republican Kevin McCarthy, on Oct. 3 in a 216-210 vote. Patrick McHenry acted as speaker pro tempore for the three weeks the House was without a speaker. On Oct. 25, Louisiana Representative Mike Johnson won the speakership in a 220-209 vote, with unanimous GOP support.

TESD School Board Elections approaching On Nov. 7, the Tredyffrin/ Easttown School District will hold school board elections.

Democratic candidates Todd Kantorczyk, Roberta Hotinski, Rachel Weil, Kenneth Hong and Sue Tiede will run against Republicans Regina Mauro, Yan Lin, Deana Wang, Bogdan Rosca and Christina Laczko.

Read more at

NEWS

Chester County officials plan major prison updates

In the wake of Danilo Cavalcante’s escape from Chester County Prison and the subsequent two-week search for the missing inmate, Chester County officials set out to update the prison’s security measures in order to prevent similar situations in the future.

Elementary, middle schools implement i-Ready exams Faith Zantua Co-Copy Editor

This year, all third to fifth graders, alongside any sixth to eighth graders attending individualized reading classes, are taking the i-Ready reading diagnostic, a digital adaptive assessment. i-Ready is an online platform providing reading and mathematics assessments and instruction to schools across the nation. Last year, several TESD elementary and middle school classes piloted the i-Ready reading diagnostic assessment, which teachers use to determine students’ strengths and weaknesses in reading comprehension. The goal is to better prepare students for standardized testing in the spring. Michele Houghton, a fourth grade teacher at Devon Elementary School, was part of the original i-Ready piloting phase.

“I like (i-Ready). It’s another way to see how our students are doing,” Houghton said. “It has supplemental materials that can provide next steps and resources for instruction, and I think it’s pretty user-friendly for our teachers.”

The TESD Curriculum Department began looking into i-Ready last year. Each elementary

school had one third grade and one fourth grade class take the assessment. Additionally, fifth grade teachers in both middle schools administered the test to students.

At the elementary level, it served as a reading replacement for 4Sight, the previously used,

now discontinued screening test for reading and mathematics. For math, elementary schools will administer general tests periodically throughout the year.

Students take the i-Ready assessment online using iPads or

Joanna Harris Staff Reporter

The Whole-Home Repairs Program is an initiative that aims to address safety, habitability, energy efficiency and accessibility.

The program, sponsored by the state, offers support for lower income homeowners to make critical repairs such as heating, plumbing, electric and mobility without cost. The goal of the program is to create a safe and healthy community regardless of income.

Senator Nikil Saval introduced it as part of the state budget in 2022, and Chester County approved the initiative on Sept 28.

Any homeowners earning less than 80% of the median area income are eligible for assistance.

“I think it’s a fantastic program to help low to moderateincome families address concerns in their homes. I think it will be a wonderful program for the community, for those to be able to utilize those funds,” said Brooke Seeger, community program director of Habitat for Humanity of Chester County.

The county appropriated almost $3 million to carry out this program. Each household can re-

ceive almost $25,000 of financial assistance. The funding for the program comes from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a plan established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All states received funding from the federal government to assist people disadvantaged as a result of the pandemic, and the state allocated the remaining money to the Whole-Home Repairs Program.

“On the part of the state, I think it was an innovative, creative way to put their American Rescue Plan money out to address the affordable housing issues that we have in our state and across the country,” said Doloris Colligan, director of the Chester County Department of Community Development.

Good Works Inc., Habitat for Humanity of Chester County and Good Neighbors Home Repair formed a coalition for this initiative. The state assigned them to carry out the program in Chester County. They are in charge of distributing the money and sending workers to complete the various repairs.

Residents can send in applications for assistance on the Whole-

Home Repairs website, and then organizations will evaluate what can be done and provide the services needed.

“We are thrilled to have been selected by the county to execute this program. We’re very pleased that we have the opportunity to affect in a positive way so many homeowners living in poverty, so we really applaud that,” said Bob Beggs, executive director of Good Works.

Based on the amount of money given to the state and the number of households below the poverty line in Chester County, Beggs estimated that this program could impact almost 180 households in Chester County.

The Whole-Home Repairs Program will accept applications until funds run out, but Pennsylvania legislators are working to approve a plan that will continue funding this program in the future using Pennsylvania Commonwealth money.

“There’s a commitment from our state legislature to continue to help homeowners in (a lower) income bracket to be able to stay in a safe, energy efficient, sanitary, affordable home,” Colligan said.

Joanna Harris/The SPOKE

Under construction: A house in Chester County undergoes renovations. County officials recently implemented the Whole-Home Repairs Program, which provides funding for low-income homeowners in making critical home repairs.

Fall film review for the spooky season

As the autumn leaves fall and the chilly weather sets in, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a warm blanket, delicious snacks and a great movie.

Whether you prefer romantic tales or spooky adventures, there’s a film to suit your mood.

Miya Cao/The SPOKE

Evaluating essays: A student writes in a Blue Book packet, which many teachers use to administer timed essay tests in preparation for AP exams. College Board revised the rubrics for the essay portions of three AP history classes this fall.

College Board updates AP rubrics, adds AP Pre-calculus Miya Cao

Staff Reporter With the release of the Fall 2023 Course and Exam Descriptions for Advanced Placement courses on Sept. 12, the College Board revised the essay rubrics that AP World History: Modern, AP U.S. History and AP European History utilize. Additionally, in May, College Board announced a new course which debuted this fall: AP Pre-calculus.

One major change to the history rubrics regards how students can earn “complexity points” in their essay responses. Before the revisions, students could earn the complexity point through having “demonstrated a complex understanding of the historical development that is the focus of the prompt.”

For Document-Based Questions (DBQs), students can now earn a complexity point by using seven documents, sourcing four documents or making a counterargument. For the Long-Essay Question (LEQ), a student can earn the point by using four pieces of evidence or making a counterargument. Both essay questions now do not require

students to interweave complexity throughout the essay.

For the DBQ, College Board reduced the number of documents that students have to use in their argument from six to four, and the number of documents that students have to source from three to two. For the LEQ, the rubric clarified that four pieces of evidence are required to earn the evidence point.

Sophomore Prranit Arora, who took AP World History: Modern freshman year and is currently taking AP U.S. History, has mixed opinions about these changes.

“I really like how (College Board) changed the complexity point. Now, it’s kind of like a checklist. It’s more standardized, more objective,” Arora said. “I don’t like that they decreased the amount of evidence that you need for getting the point. I found (the rubric) to be really well balanced last year, and now it feels like it’s getting a little bit too easy. But I think that overall, (the rubric) is considerably better, mostly because of the complexity.”

Conestoga will not be offering the AP Pre-calculus course or exam in the near future. By cre-

ating the course, College Board aims to increase access to STEM majors and careers while helping students build stronger foundations for higher math classes.

District Curriculum Supervisor for math Dr. John Mull believes AP Pre-calculus does not fit the district’s goals.

“I think (College Board’s) objective is to help districts that have low enrollment in AP courses. That’s part of what AP Pre-calculus is: an opportunity for districts like that,” Mull said.

“Our objectives don’t completely align with the course.”

The current pre-calculus equivalents at Conestoga, Math Analysis AB and BC (MABC), will remain the prerequisites for AP Calculus AB and BC. “Roughly 90% of students in MABC are juniors or younger, so they all have the opportunity to take AP Calculus. In MABC, we’re previewing topics more extensively so that students can go quicker in AP Calculus,” Mull said. “We reviewed as a district, and we thought (that the math analysis courses) do a good job preparing students. If we shifted, we would be doing our students a disservice.”

U.S. Department of Education changes FAFSA Isabelle Emmanuel Staff Reporter

OPINION

ceive class and individual student scores on a 100 to 800 scale, with details on how the students performed in specific reading comprehension categories. Teachers can also see what grade level reading comprehension the students have, and based on the results, teachers adjust their curriculum to better fit students.

All third and fourth grade classes will use the i-Ready assessment going forward. According to Dr. Patrick Gately, curriculum supervisor for English Language Arts and Health and Physical Education, district administration will look into the results from this year’s fifth grade classes, and using community input, determine the extent of i-Ready’s implementation in the middle schools in the future.

Julie Gerstle, mother to a sophomore at Conestoga and a seventh grader at Valley Forge Middle School, has generally positive thoughts regarding digital assessments. Her children used i-Ready in their former elementary and middle schools.

“I think (digital tests are) very helpful as a supplemental tool,” Gerstle said. “My concern would only be if (technology) started to replace the interaction with a live teacher with live students.”

County allocates funding for Whole-Home Repairs Program

T/E LIFE

On Saturday, Oct. 21, T/E residents and Upper Main Line YMCA members gathered at UMLY’s Artisan Village for its annual Great Halloween Festival.

The event was open to all and featured multiple Halloween-themed activities, including a haunted house and inflatable bouncy house.

started seeing all those (features) that i-Ready already supported, I think that piece was kind of not a worry anymore.” i-Ready is adaptive, adjusting the difficulty of the questions based on a student’s answers to the previous questions. Teachers re-

Faith Zantua/The SPOKE

Interact club volunteers at Oktoberfest

Upper Main Line YMCA hosts annual Halloween festival

laptops. This brought up concerns among staff, including reading specialist Kirsten Firestine who works at all of the elementary schools.

“We wanted to make sure (the technology) wasn’t a hurdle,” Firestine said. “Once we

Digital classroom: Valley Forge Elementary School students use iPads during class for instruction. Certain elementary classes piloted the digital i-Ready reading diagnostic assessment last year via iPad, a shift from the previous paper 4Sight exams. All third and fourth grade students will take the i-Ready exams starting this year.

T/E LIFE

On an overcast and gloomy Saturday, clouds crowd in bunches, not letting a single ray of sunshine through. Kids, adults and volunteers alike can be spotted smiling and chattering excitedly amongst themselves. They fill the backyard of Good Samaritan Church, a vast expanse of grassland.

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

In December, millions of high school seniors will be filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as part of their college application process. As outlined by the FAFSA Simplification Act, the U.S. Department of Education implemented changes to the FAFSA in an attempt to streamline the process of applying for financial aid.

The new form features a reduced number of questions to complete, shortening the number of questions from 108 to less than 50. Guidance counselor Rachel Reavy believes the simplified form will benefit students.

“The reduction of the questions was taking out some of the redundancy,” Reavy said. “(The FAFSA) will seem less cumbersome to families and less of an arduous task. Part of the reduced questions is they are automating things. It has more accurate data automatically loaded in.”

The 2024-25 FAFSA will become available in December rather than its usual release in October. The deadline is still June 30, 2025, but some states and colleges set individual deadlines as early as January.

Senior Minseo You feels the date change will not have a significant impact on students.

“I don’t think the date being moved from October to December will affect seniors that much,” You said. “Even though it was pushed back further, they made the FAFSA application a lot shorter and easier to complete.”

The FAFSA is also changing its methodology to calculate aid. What was once the Expected Family Contribution metric is now the Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI comes with a few key changes, such as the fact that the number of college-bound children in a family will no longer be a factor taken into consideration for aid.

“Many people are going to struggle with that. It’s going to make (paying for college) a little more challenging, and par-

ents are going to expect to pay more,” Reavy said.

The SAI will now take into consideration the net worth of small businesses and farms when calculating the amount of aid received, when they previously could go unreported. This may reduce the aid given to families who rely on these assets.

“A lot of families used to hide money through their family businesses, so I think the government is trying to make sure that people are being more honest in their accounting,” Reavy said. “That’s going to be a significant change for lots of families, especially if (they’re) a farming family. They don’t have a lot of extra resources to utilize, and to utilize a house as an asset is going to be very different.”

You believes that the changes to the FAFSA will make it a less overwhelming task for her to complete.

“The changes will definitely make things simpler, especially for parents and students that are completing it,” You said. “It’ll be a much less intimidating process.”

Isabelle Emmanuel/The SPOKE

FAFSA fixes: Senior Minseo You views the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) website. The FAFSA changed its application for 2024-25 award year to shorten and streamline the process for students.

News

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

The SPOKE

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Community members raise concerns about alleged religious prejudice Continued from page 1.

Residents demand action from school board At the September school board meeting, nine residents said that “This Book is Gay” causes harm to the Muslim community and urged the school board to condemn the book’s alleged discriminatory language. Kashif Masood, a parent of two students in the district, said that the book’s place in the Conestoga library should be reevaluated.

“We must acknowledge that there is a fine line between the freedom of expression and promoting hate or division,” Masood said at the September meeting. “As responsible citizens and educators, it is our duty to ensure that the materials available in our school uphold the values of respect toward holy religious scripts.”

In her book, Dawson prefaces the passage “The Gays versus

Religion” by stating that most religious people are socially progressive and have their own interpretations of religious texts and ideas. While quoting the Quran, Dawson writes that it does not explicitly forbid homosexuality.

Ejaz Sabir, an imam at the Islamic Society of Greater Valley Forge, believes that the Quran does not advocate for the mistreatment of the LGBTQ+ community.

“The Quran does not directly state that homosexuals should be punished whether that means through attacks, hangings, or any other form of violence. However, the Quran does say that every individual will eventually be held accountable for their decisions,” Sabir wrote in a text message.

The Muslim Youth Leadership Council, a national program that brings together young Muslims to fight for LGBTQ+ and Muslim rights, supports the ideas that there are multiple interpretations of Islam.

“One of the most holy, beautiful components of our shared

faith is the diversity of our community and our beliefs. We have no single interpretation of our faith; we have varied schools, different sects and hundreds of cultures represented,” the organization wrote in an anti-queerphobia press release on June 29, 2023. “Our very presence affirms the variety of opinions and beliefs held by the Muslim community & Islamic scholarship.”

Rosca found fault in Dawson’s descriptions of some individuals as “clinging to multi-thousandyear-old bits of paper in the name of hate” and aiming to “tear some old religious stuff to shreds.” He identified these quotes as harmful to Muslim students.

“I do ask you to protect the minds, emotional well-being and family values of our children,” Rosca said at the Sept.

26 school board meeting. “You can do that by requiring parental control and parental consent before sharing these books with children.”

Juliana Yao/The SPOKE

Right to read: Gina Arlen, a Jewish community member and advocate for Defense of Democracy, a national organization aimed at protecting civil rights, speaks about the book “This Book is Gay” during the public comment period at the school board meeting on Oct. 23. She spoke in favor of keeping the book in Conestoga’s library.

At the September school board meeting, parent Dr. Rania El-Desoki related the discussion of “This Book is Gay” to her family’s encounters with perceived religious bigotry.

“That’s not (my daughter’s) job to protect herself or her religion in this school,” El-Desoki said at the meeting. “If it were outside of school that would be different, but in school, that’s not her job because she shouldn’t be put in that situation to begin with.”

Paoli resident Muhammad Bilal said that he was concerned about the book’s language and that Conestoga’s library’s content selection process remained ambiguous. He raised his concerns at the September meeting.

“What is the process you go through to select these books?”

Bilal asked the school board during the public comment period. “Why this hatred book was able to reach to that point?”

Conestoga librarians Brooke Hauer and Lydia Lieb select books based on criteria outlined by both the American Library Association (ALA) and the Pennsylvania Library Association.

Hauer and Lieb both affirm the ALA’s assessment that the primary function of books found in school libraries is to “support and enrich the curriculum and/ or students’ personal interests and learning,” as stated on the ALA’s website. The organization outlines other guidelines for school libraries, including a need to “represent differing viewpoints on controversial issues.”

“We’ve always followed our selection criteria. It’s not a new process. That’s something we learn in our coursework as certified librarians, and we’ve learned how to go through the process of selecting resources for a high school library,” Hauer said. “It’s not to say we can’t make mistakes, but we try our best for sure.”

Maya Shah/The SPOKE

Raising concerns: District resident Dr. Dalia El-Sherif speaks at the school board meeting on Oct. 23. She was concerned about alleged hate speech in the book “This Book Is Gay.” How TESD’s book review relates to national trends According to the ALA’s 2022 list of the top 10 most challenged books in the U.S., “This Book is Gay” was tied as the 10th most challenged book nationally. Major reasons for its controversy included LGBTQ+ content, sexual education and sexually explicit content, as stated by the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.

The T/E parents’ vocalized concerns are with the book’s alleged anti-religious language, not its LGBTQ+ and sexual content.

Rosca criticized how he believes the book approaches the relationship between religious and LGBTQ+ identities. “‘This Book is Gay’ is itself a message of hate,” Rosca said at the September school board meeting.

“It pits two protected classes against each other: sexual orientation and gender identity expressing hate against religion.”

As a parent of an LGBTQ+ child, Lyn McCullen advocated for

keeping the book in the Conestoga library at the Oct. 23 board meeting. McCullen specified that, although she did not agree with some ideas presented in the criticized passages, she believes the book’s inclusion in the library still provides valuable representation to LGBTQ+ youth.

“Books like ‘This Book is Gay’ help children find their voice, increase their confidence and become more comfortable with themselves and speaking up for themselves,” McCullen said. “‘This Book is Gay’ helps even just by being on the library shelves. Representation matters.”

Other members of the T/E community emphasize the importance of maintaining unrestricted access to educational materials.

Junior Mariel Hadjiliadis, co-leader of Conestoga’s Gender/ Sexuality Alliance (GSA), recognizes the potential offense the book could incite but is wary of the precedent that removing library material could set.

“Our main goal is to keep the book in there because the GSA’s biggest fear is that if they take away one thing, they can take (other) things. If you take it away, you will be harming some students by not having access to a resource like that,” Hadjiliadis said. “We do not want to be offending anyone, whatsoever. It might also be harming some students that are religious or even parents who are religious. That risk is obviously not a happy win-win solution.”

Student leaders of the Muslim Student Association declined The Spoke’s requests for comment.

At the October board meeting, Gina Arlen, a Jewish community member and advocate for Defense of Democracy, a national organization aimed at protecting civil rights, spoke out against restricting student access to information regardless of potential prejudice.

“Only by looking hate in the eyes can we hope to defeat it,” Arlen said at the October meeting. “My religion is strong enough to survive mere words on the page. We’ve been doing it for more than 5,000 years after all.”

TESD delays cell signal booster installation Rohan Anne Webmaster

In September, the school board announced that it delayed the renovation plans it initially created in the summer to improve cell reception across select schools.

The district originally planned to work with FreCom Inc., a local communications dealer based in Chester County, over the summer to install cell signal boosters in Conestoga as well as Devon, Hillside and Beaumont elementary schools. These cell signal boosters would use a distributed antenna system that takes cell coverage from outside the building and distributes it back inside to areas where reception is weaker.

However, according to TESD Director of Educational Program Dr. Mike Szymendera, FreCom notified the district in the summer that it would not be able to complete

the work in the summer due to supply chain disruptions.

“Last year, we had (FreCom) come in and identify a few areas throughout the district that could have potential improvement in cell coverage inside the buildings,” Szymendera said. “Unfortunately, over the summer, (FreCom) informed us that they were no longer able to complete the work over the summer. I hope that we can still work with FreCom on this job, but it couldn’t happen in the summer.”

After FreCom notified the district, TESD began looking for another vendor to complete the installation of the signal boosters over the summer. The district had a vendor evaluate the building and put together a plan and a quote for the work to be completed. However, the prices the company put forward were significantly high-

er than what the district had allocated for the project.

Michele Burger, school board facilities committee chair, said the district had to consider many factors when reviewing the bids.

“The bid process we use is designed to allow multiple companies to have the opportunity to create a proposal and complete the work under certain conditions,” Burger said. “The facilities committee and the full (school board) had the responsibility to review the received bids and determine if the bid was a good value or if it should be modified.”

At the regular school board meeting on Sept. 26, the board rejected the proposal and delay ed the installation of the boosters. According to Szymendera, the district will work with another company to come up with a new plan.

“We decided we needed to get another quote to see what the

overall trend was or to see if the first price was too low of a price for the work or if the second price was an unrealistic price,” Szymendera said. “We’re working with a third vendor to try and get a price, and we’ll evaluate what comes out of that.”

Despite the roadblocks, the district remains committed to carrying out the installation of the signal boosters and improving cell reception. Junior Sunil Aiyar hopes that cell reception can become consistent throughout all of Conestoga.

“I think the inconsistency of reception is really annoying.

Sometimes you are able to get service in certain parts of the school, but the reception in the science hallways is almost always awful,” Aiyar said. “If we could improve it, it would be pretty helpful for me, especially when I need to use my phone between classes or review material right before a test.”

Vanessa Chen/The SPOKE

Election efficiency: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation customers are now automatically registered to vote when they get their driver’s licenses and IDs. On Sept. 19, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced the change, joining 23 other states and Washington, D.C. in the adoption of the automatic voter registration system.

Automatic voter registration implemented in Pennsylvania Vanessa Chen Staff Reporter

Rohan Anne/The SPOKE

Signal setback: Currently, TESD gets cell coverage from two Verizon towers placed in different parts of the district: one near the Daylesford Station and the other next to Berwyn Sports Club. Last year, the district planned to use an antenna system to amplify the cell reception inside schools.

On Sept. 19, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced the statewide adoption of automatic voter registration.

The new system automatically guides eligible state residents through the voter registration process when they interact with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, whether it is through obtaining or renewing their driver’s license or getting approved for a new state ID. This allows for more efficiency and accuracy, as the information required to register to vote is the same as what is already provided when working with Pennsylvania DMVs. According to Shapiro, the implementation of this system, which is already in use in 23 other states and Washington, D.C., is a significant step toward streamlining the voting process.

“Pennsylvania is the birthplace of our democracy, and as governor, I’m committed to ensuring free and fair elections that allow every eligible voter to make their voice heard,” Shapiro said in a press release.

While the state’s voter registration system was originally an opt-in to vote process, residents now have to opt out of registering either online or at DMVs. The Shapiro administration said that this improves both the accuracy and security of voting in elections.

The change also includes an increase in the number of available languages in the voting system from 26 to 31, allowing more eligible residents to be involved in the election process.

Senior Cooper Ballard believes that it is important to get as many people registered to vote as possible. As president of the Conestoga New Voters Club, he works to achieve this goal.

“I think most high schoolers aren’t really aware that they can actually vote,” Ballard said.

“When you turn 18, you’re like, ‘I’m an adult now,’ (but) they don’t really have that thought process immediately jumping to the election process.”

New Voters aims to get young people involved in the voting process not just at Conestoga but through-

out the state as well. Ballard communicates with Chester County Democrats and representatives at nearby schools and colleges to expand the club’s mission.

“Our entire goal is to reach out to schools in the area to ensure that young people from ages 18 to 25 get registered (to vote) because nowadays young voices are super important in the election process,” Ballard said.

According to the New Voters website, automatic voting registration of eligible students is a step toward ensuring everyone has a voice in democracy.

Ballard believes that voting is especially important with the upcoming Pennsylvania municipal elections on Nov. 7, as well as in the 2024 presidential election in which Pennsylvania will likely play a crucial role as a swing state.

“These votes in elections serve as a pathway to our future,” Ballard said. “As young people, there’s a big future that lies ahead of us, so getting involved early with the election process and ensuring that we are electing members to Congress and as president (will) ensure that our future can be restored.”

T/E LIFE 4 The SPOKE

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Post-pandemic, Wellness Wednesdays return in new format Lexi Lin

Staff Reporter Conestoga’s administration is implementing monthly Wellness Wednesdays for the 202324 school year. These days originated during the COVID-19 pandemic as weekly asynchronous half days to provide students with time to connect with teachers and clubs. For the past two years, Conestoga held one Wellness Week during the year with the goal of reducing student stress. Now, Conestoga plans to dedicate the last Wednesday of every month to student wellbeing.

“We decided that to just give it that one week wasn’t really doing it justice,” said Dr. Nicole Jolly, ninth grade assistant principal and student activities administrator. “We decided to do a Wellness Wednesday to focus on wellness and different activities that we could do for the students and also the staff.”

There have been two Welness Wednesdays this year, one in September and one in October. On these days, Conestoga created gratitude walls, brought in therapy dogs and showed movies in the auditorium. In the future, the school hopes to

hold raffle giveaways and stopand-read activities.

“We're really just trying to give the culture here at school a break and being okay with taking a break,” Jolly said. “It does not take away from your academics, but it gives you things that you can apply throughout your life in school and outside.”

Some teachers feel that monthly Wellness Wednesdays allow students to take a break from schoolwork and address mental health issues on more than just an annual basis.

Chemistry teacher Kelly Showers took action by lessening the workload and allotting time in class to relax.

“I did not assign homework,” Showers said. “I taught a lighter load that day in class and then gave my students time to do what they needed to do to feel well.”

Other teachers took different approaches and dismissed students from class early to participate in the school’s organized events.

“In one of my classes, we went outside to pet the dogs,

which was awesome. That was probably my favorite,” said math teacher Karen Mull.

However, some students feel that Wellness Wednesday did not affect their school day as their teachers did not alter class plans.

“Recently, the Wellness Wednesday — at least the one I had — wasn’t really a Wellness Wednesday,” said sophomore Chloe Deterick. “We didn’t really have less work than usual.”

With the new changes to Wellness Week, Jolly hopes that Wellness Wednesdays can allow for more opportunities to take breaks and focus on mental health.

“I just think that we need to all be in and be open,” Jolly said.

“I know that sometimes it can be uncomfortable to have those type of conversations and to take those moments to stop and breathe. But I think we need to be open as teachers, students, and the comunity to try new things.”

Scan the QR code to watch an accompanying package

Tanisha Agrawal/The SPOKE

Fluffy friend: Students play with a therapy dog on Sept. 27, the first Wellness Wednesday of the school year. Conestoga's administration brought back the iniative with hopes of reducing stress among students.

Sophomore acknowledged at national art competitions Madeline Pulliam Staff Reporter

Courtesy Angela Wang

Artistic endeavors: Sophomore Angela Wang uses oil paint to recreate David Chapple’s "May Afternoon" painting. Wang first started painting with her older brother's art teacher and has now won national recognition for her art via the Celebrating Art contests.

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peers. Many of them have been making oil paintings for multiple years, so she uses their artwork as motivation to keep painting and getting better with each lesson.

“Every day I go into my class, and I see everyone doing amazing works around me and I get inspired to keep training my skills because I know that one day I can grow and become an artist like that,” Wang said.

Wang said that she has also learned new virtues through her art. The long amount of time involved in oil painting has been a major contributing factor to this development.

"I love what art can do for me,” Wang said. “I became more patient. I learned to be more observant. I became more meticulous in my methods and what I do to be able to achieve something that I want into art that is satisfactory for me.”

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Sophomore Angela Wang’s artistic skills have been acknowledged in three competitions and featured in an art anthology book, which is a collection of the winning artwork from the competitions.

She uses different mediums including pencils, watercolors and oil paints.

“I really liked coloring since I was a kid and when my brother found his art teacher, I joined him and started taking art lessons, and I’ve been doing that for about two years now. I just became more and more interested in art as I went along,” Wang said.

Wang and her family moved from China when she was 10 years old and went looking for an art teacher for her older brother, Jonathan Wang. She began taking lessons with her and her broth-

er’s art teacher, and eventually entered the Celebrating Art Contest for the first time when she was in eighth grade in the spring of 2022.

Celebrating Art is a national contest that aims to provide students with the opportunity to win prizes or get published and teachers with the opportunity to win art supplies for their classrooms. Wang is also waiting to hear back from the Ocean Awareness Contest in November and is planning on entering another contest in December.

“It’s given me a great outlet for my creativity since usually during the week I’m at school which is more like statistics and logic which is not very creativity oriented,” Wang said. “At art lessons, I get to be able to use my imagination and my creativity.”

Wang looks forward to her art lessons with her classmates. She is greatly inspired by her more experienced

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Good ol' Town Center, known for its mouthwatering dining options and cozy fireplaces, is an iconic hub for residents near King of Prussia to enjoy a savory meal. Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar is a fine place to do so.

Upon walking in the entrance, I was instantly greeted by a friendly hostess and the aroma of Latin flavors wafting from the kitchen. Located at 250 Main St., King of Prussia, Paladar offers a variety of Caribbean and South American inspired dishes ranging from house-made salsas to chicken empanadas and pork carnita tacos to traditional mojitos (which, unfortunately, I was not allowed to order).

The house-made salsas marked a solid start to the meal, with a mix of crispy plantain, malanga and tortilla chips. Accompanying it was a bowl of salsa fresca, which consisted of a refreshing blend of chopped tomatoes, minced onions and jalapeños that tasted like they had been harvested the same day as they were full of juice. The icing on the cake was that the chips had infinite refills, though the salsa unfortunately did not.

George Zhang/The SPOKE

Busy brunch: Diners at Paladar Latin and Rum Bar enjoy a nice meal during brunch time. The restaurant provided a special brunch menu which included adobo bacon and house-smoked salmon avocado toasts.

Next were the chicken empanadas, which had an outer shell that crunched with each bite and an inner filling of chicken, chihuahua cheese and caramelized onions that melted in my mouth. A slight drizzle of green herb sauce added a nice pang as well.

Finally, the long awaited entrée: pork carnita tacos with a side of yucca fries. With a perfect

SAT prep that’s friendly, not factory You, yes you, are going to have to take a summer SAT course. Our classes are small, fun, and personalized.

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ratio of pork, onions, cilantro and chopped tomatoes, these tacos were some of the best I’ve ever had. The amount of filling was just right, neither too much nor too little. The Yucca Fries were also well seasoned and crispy.

Coming in at a total of $33.80 these dishes were relatively affordable. If you ever feel a craving for Latin American food,

consider making the drive to King of Prussia Town Center and checking out Paladar. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar 250 Main St, King of Prussia, PA 19406 Price: $$ Rating:

HA LLOW E EN COSTUMES T/E Life

Wednesday, November1, 2023

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Twin seniors fight for underprivileged children in Philadelphia Zara Samdani

Co-T/E Life Editor Sorting through heaps of gently-used clothes, seniors and twin sisters Avery and Devin Krebs mobilize at The Giving Factory in Philadelpia. One item goes in the “10-12-year-old dresses” pile, the other goes in the “6-7-yearold boots” pile and a third goes into the “diapers” pile. The vast,

tin-roofed warehouse does not intimidate them, as they spent this past summer sorting clothes, school supplies, shoes and other needed items for underprivileged children through Cradles to Crayons.

Cradles to Crayons is a nonprofit organization that supports children from low-income backgrounds. Through a formulated process, volunteers donate necessities, including coats, dia-

pers, shoes, socks, backpacks and pencils. Then they package and directly deliver the items.

“We have a team that is specifically focused on engaging the community to bring items and donations in. And then in the headquarters, we also have another team that’s just dedicated to recruiting volunteers,” said Katherine Hobson, the outreach director of Cradles to Crayons Philadelphia. “We also will lead

the volunteers to make sure they have a great time and kind of want to stay in touch and help us further our mission.”

Since its inception in Boston in 2002, the organization has branched to multiple cities along the East Coast.

The Philadelphia chapter has served more than 3 million children from low-income backgrounds and mobilized more than 500,000 communi-

Zara Samdani/The SPOKE

Working in a warehouse: Cradles to Crayons Philadelphia organizes its items in The Giving Factory, a warehouse located in Philadelphia. Seniors Avery and Devin Krebs sorted backpacks, shoes and shirts for underprivileged children this past summer.

ty volunteers — including the Krebs sisters.

Already long-time volunteers for the organization, the sisters assumed a greater role through the Teen Leadership Program.

Through a selective application process, the program, which Cradles to Crayons organizes, invites 55 teenagers to a year-long training. Accepted teens serve as ambassadors for Cradles to Crayons and must fulfill certain requirements.

“Starting a club is one of the goals they want us to pursue,” Avery Krebs said. “So we thought, well, obviously, we really like the organization, so (starting a club) is just a good way to further our commitment.”

After acceptance, both sisters took part in a customized, one-week training program taught by Cradles to Crayons executives. During this program, they developed new skills such as team building, public speaking and service.

“Working within the organization was definitely a step outside of both of our comfort zones. By the end of training, you’re expected to be able to lead a volunteer shift because (you) basically work for this organization now,” Devin Krebs said. “We really had to work on our public speaking skills, be able to lead groups of people that we didn’t know and give them information in a way that’s clear. It was definitely a shift.”

As ambassadors, the girls are required to raise $500 for the organization, host school-supply drives and volunteer at the factory for 11 shifts during the year. Currently, both sisters are in the

Zara Samdani/The SPOKE

Strategic sorting: The Philadelphia chapter of Cradles to Crayons sorts its items in multiple bins. The chapter organized the bins based on gender and article of clothing. process of creating a chapter at Conestoga.

“When we decided that we wanted to start a club, we were like, ‘Why don’t we just do it together?’ It would be easy. We work well together.

We’re with each other all the time,” Devin Krebs said. “It’s a good opportunity for us to work on something we’re both passionate for.”

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T/E Life

6 The SPOKE

N G N I G I E E E R G E F O NG FO R AAN

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Headline (wc:Leonita 375)Bajrami, senior Senior

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Bajrami from Shtime, cor am quis sincto blaut quam First Last Kosovo is a foreign quideli quiatest et, utat offi cilis Shtime, Kosovo Position exchange student particidollest fugia voluptiandit ad Aximus vel il id essedis expel et quo qui ra quate nus, pating in the AFS Intercultural Programs, formerly known as the American inctusa sitis aceaqui dolorer con restis magnihi llabore ocField Service, this year. Bajrami said that her first year as an exchange sperupt atiossitae inulparum cus mint pratet ute elit, verum student has been positive due to being able to surround herself with many dolorep eruntem possendae- utem quae nonecum haritiam, new experiences. cae seceaqui ut andam qui as re te nam, sitem et ea net fugit, “It is such a big school, and it has a lot of people. So, I think that doluptatis intiisc imiliqui odis que dipsaeptam dolecti ntiomaking friends and socializing is a big thing,” Bajrami said. molorepero consentint atem rum velita culliatemped que Bajrami’s favorite experiences have been gaining new friends and et accullam imagnimo blatem nos nonsequatem volorerate eictibus eate pore quameni- vollam velit et aped unt ommo socializing, but she still misses elements of home. hil minverum am aut atemque expliatem facestia experum qui “The thing I am most struggling with is missing my friends. Right cullate mporem aut ut quam, volupti omnim ea comnimint now I am supposed to be a senior at my high school. We are going on field ommoluptasi nossequae do- aut ea sedit quo magnis as et trips, and I’m missing out. Also, food — I love American food too, but I luptat aut as dolor ad eatur? quis dit ea voloreptum eum, kind of miss some dishes from home,” Bajrami said. sam fugit adigendae volupta nis Qui velenit ibearion con re el Written by Lauren Pinheiro, Staff Reporter Bajrami believes that teenagers should not miss out on the experience of mod quam fuga. Nam same etur aut quas dolupti atecum Designed

by Lily Chen, Design Editor ant quasperi con reius mintraveling abroad, despite it being daunting for some. solesequibus velles reprorporiam am, quam quiant faccum venda qui quissed isciliq uatiat “Why not experience different cultures and different ideas, different people?” Bajrami said. accuptate et quis aut est, occus aut que qui ut harumLebre, quam ut senior Carmo “You only have one life, and you have to experience it at the maximum.” laccus estore vercitibus, asse- ressus rem sunt, sunt ped ut quo ditatecto cus, iusam, eosa volo et eriam quiaes aut entorro Lisbon, Portugal debis magnient et audiciatur, volut que qui ditasi veremperio volorestCarmo Lebre from Lisbon, Portugal is experiencing her od quid quam repedis quissimi, et que volo inus autSenior sent volum quas nos enienisque laut ea si audip- lab id quatiore first year as a foreign exchange student at Conestoga as part of the AFS et ullitamet sa desti offic to voluptature nos quaeped quidel Intercultural Programs, formerly the American Field Service. imint volorrum doluptur aut reptur aspel et ini doloreptate “It’s a huge school, and (I am) liking it very much. It works so voloressi restiore vel etur sunt dolupta tenditatet adion et ut differently than in Portugal. Here, we can choose the classes and subjects opta sequis que volupienis eo- aut quo electo moluptasi dellacc that wevent. want to take, but in Portugal, we can’t choose,” Lebre said. sseribusam qui doluptam nobis atessit alit optatumquia Despite having to adapt to a school of this size, Lebre said that her Ucias ea duciisq uaspernatia evernate nulluptatque vent. ero eos est, nes Untiore iscitia quat alibe- nis eiunt acero experiences have been positive so far. es untiorriatio. Ut aspelit, sequuntium cuscidita volorrum et “To understand always what the teacher says, because English is not asperest first language, (has made it hard) to keep up with a class,” quam, omnis esequo vent idebis rovid este perum (my)alis powerful eat voluptatur raescit autem quae. Mus expedis quiaepr emLebre said. recepedi nossitae odi odis do- porum eiciis ut la cusanih icijoined the AFS Intercultural Programs in search of new experiences, dolupta lorec aboratu santio te id molo iscius eturenis re, quisLebre theyethave vit eum abo. already become lasting memories. incienim id ut quis aut volupta spissitae volesand “It is an opportunity for life. You gain a lot of things,” Lebre said. “Of course simintiur am harchil inveror Nam, od ellibus simolorum erum to have bad moments, but that’s so normal because you gain so much untionsed qui aborume nien- amus, quatemporem you areresgoing c to cus peliand ditatis apis sandam, apel mo- audis qui offimore than what you were.”

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Seniors fundraise for CHOP Bailey Kreszswick Staff Reporter

Bailey Kreszswick/The SPOKE

Two’s a party: Seniors and twins Angelina and Dylan Pierce pose together. Dylan Pierce had a tumor that was surgically removed over the summer.

With the Helping Hearts Club, the twins will host a 5K on Nov. 5 to raise awareness about brain tumors and support The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Community members can donate, run or walk on Nov. 5 to support the Helping Hearts Club, the Pierce twins and brain tumor research at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

One year ago, senior Dylan Pierce had a tumor that had developed in his brain that was surgically-removed at CHOP. Since then, students in the Helping Hearts Club, Dylan Pierce, his twin sister Angela Pierce and their parents have been organizing the “Ginja Ninja” 5K to raise funds and spread awareness for those in similar situations.

“I wanted to take my negative situation, which was brain surgery last year, and make it into a positive situation by

organizing (and) managing a 5K and fundraiser, as well as getting to have some fun with some people to support the same cause,” Dylan Pierce said.

In 2021, seniors Grace Kuryan and Alice Richards founded the Helping Hearts Club to fundraise for CHOP. Since last year, it undertook one of its biggest projects: the 5K. Alongside the Pierce twins, the Helping Hearts Club has been planning this event for five months. Club members reached out to Dick’s Sporting Goods, FC Europa and Wawa to gain their support. They also reached out to Conestoga sports teams and captains to gain more participants.

“We’re trying to get as many people as we can. Even if people don’t want to run, they can just walk or even hang out. We just want to

have a big turnout,” Angela Pierce said.

Students can sign up by scanning a QR code posted around the school or posted on the Helping Hearts Instagram.

Everyone who signed up before Oct. 15 will receive a free T-shirt at the event.

“You’re not just donating, you’re paying to go with some friends to run and race your competitiveness. The money they’re giving is not only supporting CHOP, but it’s also supporting this event, which we’re organizing to have some fun,” Dylan Pierce said.

The twins aim to raise $20,000. The Helping Hearts Club and Pierce twins wish to gain support from the local community and school to give back to tumor research at CHOP, and raise awareness for patients like Dylan Pierce.

Imagination meets collaboration in DnD Shrija Krishnan Staff Reporter

Amidst what sophomore Daniel Bletsch considers the stressful academic environment of Conestoga, Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) Club allows students to socialize and have fun. DnD, although the world’s premier tabletop roleplaying game, remains a relatively niche interest amongst Conestoga students.

Conestoga’s DnD club, which provides students with the opportunity to explore the game, meets after school on Thursdays in room 250. As president of the club, Bletsch hopes to increase membership by introducing more students to the world of DnD, which features characters from magicians to gothic vampires.

DnD is a collaborative storytelling game in which one player assumes the role of the narrator,

or “dungeon master,” and other players act as characters. The dungeon master is responsible for weaving an engaging narrative and setting the pace of the storyline, while the players, who are responsible for the decisions of their respective characters, supplement the action. DnD players can belong to multiple storylines, or “campaigns,” at once, and many club members have started personal campaigns outside of school.

Shrija Krishnan/The SPOKE

Gauging experience: Freshmen Bailey Mao (left) and Julia Mott (right) fill out a club-wide survey regarding members’ prior exposure to Dungeons and Dragons. The club did not require prior experience to participate.

“There are no definitive rules on how you structure a campaign. It’s so open-ended. The players part of the campaign meet in different sessions where they go through the story, fighting monsters, beating dragons (and) casting spells,” Bletsch said. “Stereotypically, (DnD) is portrayed as medieval knights going around with wizards, but it can really be any sort of setting.”

The dungeon master selects and details the campaign’s setting, choosing a genre spanning from gothic horror to tropical adventure. Each player typically creates one character to represent for the duration of the campaign based on the story’s premise, and determine their character’s race, class, abilities and personality, amongst other traits.

Sophomore Maddox Kirk, treasurer of the DnD club, explains that each role in the game presents unique challenges.

“From a dungeon master standpoint, it’s difficult because you have to build the story up from the ground and reel the players back into the main plot (when) they go off track. Players are faced with many difficult decisions that could save or end another character’s life,” Kirk said.

DnD club members pursue their interests as character players or dungeon masters in one of the club’s several ongoing campaigns. Participants are not required to have any exposure to the game to join.

“Join the club. It’s an opportunity to learn DnD, and if you end up being interested, it’s great to continue playing for years to come,” Kirk said.

“I know there is a group of (older people) who still play the game, and I definitely hope that I’ll still be able to play when I’ve reached that point.”

Eva Kennedy/The SPOKE

Meet BSU: The Black Student Union (BSU), formerly known as the African American Student Union (AASU), holds up signs of its new name. It changed its name with hopes of promoting inclusivity and unity.

Broadening inclusivity: AASU transitions to BSU Eva Kennedy

Social Media Editor During the summer, the African American Student Union (AASU) came together not just to change its name, but to embrace a transformation toward greater inclusivity. The decision to transition from AASU to the Black Student Union (BSU) represents a step toward achieving a more comprehensive representation of the diverse identities within the Black community.

Some members of AASU felt that the term “African American” in the club title did not cover all students who identify as Black — for example, those with Caribbean or immigrant heritages. BSU president and senior Zion Puryear brought the club together to initiate the change.

“Being called the AASU does not encompass everything that

we are. Some of our people aren’t African American, or they might not be Black.” Puryear said. “The term ‘African American’ is a little restrictive, so I feel like ‘Black Student Union’ is a broader term that expands and allows more people to feel accepted.”

BSU treasurer and senior Ella Fotzeu feels that the term African American had historical roots, but did not fully represent all Black students.

She believes that the term Black is a simpler and more inclusive term that represents the entire community.

“People don’t want to call other people Black. They just want to say African American because they feel like that is less offensive,” Fotzeu said. “But, I really think that Black is more fitting because, you know, people say white, people can say Black; it’s just

race. And acknowledging Black people as Black validates their identity.”

BSU initiated the decision to change the name prior to its attendance at a Conestoga Equity Leadership Alliance (ELA) meeting over the summer. The discussions centered around promoting unity and fostering inclusivity among the school’s various clubs and members.

BSU updated its name across various social media platforms for consistency. It also wanted to ensure its message and goals remained clear: The BSU remains open and welcoming to all, regardless of racial or ethnic background.

“You don’t have to be Black or African American to be part of the BSU,” Puryear said. “And you don’t have to feel like we will scrutinize you if you want to be a part of the BSU.”

T/E Life

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

The SPOKE

7

Hope4Hoey initiative rallies support for Conestoga alumnus Abigail Bagby

Co-Managing Editor Music, laughter and conversation filled the air of Berwyn’s Boulder Lane cul-de-sac on Oct. 8 at the Hope4Hoey cornhole tournament. The event garnered more than 200 attendees in support of Patrick Hoey, a 2021 Conestoga graduate recovering from a C5 spinal cord injury.

On July 29, Hoey dove into Keuka Lake while vacationing in New York and fractured his C5 vertebrae. Paralyzed, Hoey was immediately transported to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York for emergency surgery. He has since begun the recovery process to regain functional mobility.

Hoey’s family has adapted their home to increase handicap accessibility upon his return from the hospital through ramp installations, bedroom modifications and bathroom renovations. Hoey’s injury created a need for moral and financial support for him and his family, inspiring the Hope4Hoey initiative.

“Fundraising is definitely a top priority,” said junior Ashley Hoey, sister of Patrick Hoey. “But also to educate other people about what a spinal cord injury is and the recovery from one.”

The initiative offers a donation page through social media, which has raised more than $45,000 thus far. Additionally, Hope4Hoey has hosted several community outreach events, including T-shirt and bracelet sales at the Berwyn Farmers Market and a Conestoga football game. The most recent cornhole tournament offered food, merchan-

dise, games and a lively atmosphere to welcome Patrick Hoey home from the hospital.

“I haven’t been home since July, so it’s amazing to see the love and support from everyone pouring in upon my return home,” Patrick Hoey said. “I love my family and friends so much, so I’m glad to be back with them at home.”

Ashley Hoey is appreciative of the community’s support, and feels that it has eased the impacts of Patrick’s injury on the family.

“The community is amazing.

It has made everything so so so much better,” Ashley Hoey said.

“All of Patrick’s friends come by, and they just say, ‘We love you, we’re thinking about you.’

So many people told me that they’ve been praying. It really takes a community to make a difference. Community is just everything to us.”

Patrick Hoey said that he feels similarly regarding the support of family and friends and is empowered to continue his recovery journey.

“The community has made me feel as though it’s still possible to continue with life after an injury of this magnitude,” Patrick Hoey said. “Just recently at the cornhole tournament, seeing everybody made me feel like a celebrity. But more importantly, it made me feel immersed in the community that I love.”

Going forward, Patrick Hoey wants those supporting him to know that he will continue working toward his recovery despite the challenges that lie ahead.

“Job’s not finished,” Hoey said. “I’m putting in the work and appreciate the prayers, and I promise I won’t quit.”

Abigail Bagby/The SPOKE

Toss up (above): Participants in the Hope4Hoey cornhole tournament throw beanbags during the competition. The event garnered over 200 attendees in support of Hoey.

Back home (far right): Community members gather to welcome alumnus Patrick Hoey home from the hospital. Hoey sustained a spinal injury in July during a vacation to New York. ’Stoga support (right): Seniors Ashton (left) and Jake Achenbach (right) sell merchandise at the event. Hope4Hoey hosted several fundraisers in the community, including at the Berwyn Farmers Market and a Conestoga football game.

Abigail Bagby/The SPOKE

Abigail Bagby/The SPOKE

Chester County students seek to protect environment T

Abbie Preston

Environment enthusiasts: Students Protecting the Environment of Chester County hosts a trash cleanup at a local park. The students involved created the organization during the summer and aim to host more events in the future to unite the community to combat climate change.

As part of a leadership conference, a group of students from across the county were tasked with finding ways to make a positive impact on the environment.

Their solution was creating Students Protecting the Environment of Chester County (SPECC), a youth-led organization that combats global climate change.

SPECC specifically focuses on mobilizing the youth in Chester County to take action against climate change.

The students who founded the organization believe that young people tend to be eager to help with issues significantly impacting their future.

“The problems or issues of the world are put on the backs of the newer generations,” said Gabby Edmondson, junior at Downingtown STEM Academy and science writer for SPECC. “Not only that, but they’re easier to influence as they’re able to criticize the things they notice from older generations. And they’re easy

Staff Reporter

TBD

Courtesy Maeve Zeloyle

Mary Wolters Staff Reporter

Before her three-week trip to China in 2006, Advanced Placement Seminar and Honors American Voices teacher Claire Miller had never really considered a career in education. However, on an enlightening trip to China, she found inspiration to not only pursue several degrees in teaching, but also to establish a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering teachers and students: Restorative Practices in Action (RPIA).

“I realized that teaching just made my heart sing,” Miller said. “I light up teaching. It brings me a lot of joy. The idea of partnering with students drew me in and then realizing it lights me up inside is what made me stay and pursue it.”

For the past nine years, Miller has taught at Conestoga while also running RPIA. She assembled a board of directors, built an in-depth program to educate teachers across many different schools and raised money to fund her organization.

Teachers in the greater Philadelphia area heard about the program through community advertisements. Miller trained hundreds of RPIA teachers with monthly meetings on student leadership and empowerment.

“That became challenging while also teaching, but I just could not leave my first love,

which is my heart and soul.

So, I was trying to find that balance,” Miller said. “And Conestoga was amazing, students and staff were like, ‘Hey, pursue this and we’ve got you covered,’ which was great.”

RPIA’s influence quickly expanded as schools started to reach out to partner with Miller’s organization. These schools were known as RPIA cohort schools, which began with just a few RPIA teachers and administrators in the schools, and rapidly grew until a majority of the teachers had joined the organization and received training in restorative practices.

However, Miller knew she would not be able to keep the tenuous balance between operating RPIA and teaching at Conestoga running forever. She had many responsibilities, both in her teaching career and nonprofit work outside of school that were bound to collide.

“Over time, I realized I did have to make a decision,” Miller said. “And I had to double down on (running RPIA) or double down on coming back to my first love.”

Last year, RPIA fully dissolved as a nonprofit organization. RPIA cohort schools implemented their own programs to train their teachers on restorative practices. A team of previous RIPA coaches from each school continues

to give more knowledge to because they’re craving it.”

After seeing local parks littered with trash and a lack of awareness of environmental changes among community members, the members of SPECC knew they needed to tackle climate change in Chester County.

“The way to make a global impact is to have a local impact first,” said Maeve Zeloyle, website designer for SPECC and junior at Downingtown STEM Academy. “You are not going to be able to make any kind of big change without making a small change first. It’s like a domino effect.”

The founders of the organization met at the 2023 Pennsylvania High O’Brian Youth Leadership Program, a threeday series of seminars. The conference grouped the attendees from Chester County together to discuss how they can enact change locally. They shared a passion for addressing the climate change happening in their communities.

“We really bonded over the fact that the parks we grew up

in are really dirty now and aren’t cared for as much as we wish they were,” said Kyle Nguyen, junior at Conestoga and social media manager of SPECC. “The pollution in our community is not what we remembered back when we were kids.”

To spark change in Chester County, SPECC hosts small events such as trash clean-ups and paper making sessions. The organization hopes to use these events as vehicles to raise awareness of global warming.

“The first step in order to take action is to know what the problems are,” Edmondson said. “And so, if we can have the knowledge of how to take care of our environment, we can work on reducing the issues.”

Though only recently started, SPECC has already started to receive positive feedback as it provides community help.

“Some people messaged me about the organization,” Nguyen said. “They felt like they weren’t alone in trying to be more eco-friendly and more aware of their environment.”

Teacher Feature: Claire Miller Mary Wolters/The SPOKE

Nonprofit founder: Claire Miller teaches Honors American Voices and AP Seminar. She founded her nonprofit organization, Restorative Processes in Action, more than 10 years ago. to take advice from Miller, who organizes monthly training meetings.

“It’s been really exciting to see this year that schools that have picked it up, made it their own and are really man-

ifesting our mission, as I’ve made the decision to come back full time to what brings me joy,” Miller said.

In the future, Miller hopes to write a book about her unique experience as a found-

er of a nonprofit spreading awareness of restorative practices. Along with her passion for literature, she has also been interested in running a marathon and traveling to more countries.

Despite all of the elements of teaching that Miller loves, her favorite part has always been lifting up her students.

No matter the method, Miller strives to foster student leadership and empowerment.

“I hope their biggest takeaway (from my class) is that they are valuable, and they have a voice that can create change,” Miller said. “That’s why I’m here. I want students to know they matter.”

OPINION 8 The SPOKE

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Considering collegiate cuisine

Jessica Li/The SPOKE

Promote prostate cancer awareness

Eshan Singh Staff Reporter

You walk into school and your eyes are immediately overwhelmed with one color: pink.

Pink shirts, pink tutus, pink donuts and pink ribbons. The point of all this pink is to raise awareness for breast cancer. By the time Pink Day ends, it’s safe to say that you — along with everyone else in the school — will be more conscious about breast cancer. But I doubt most of these people give prostate cancer a second thought.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) in October has been a huge success, so we should start making as big of a deal about Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in September. Yes, that’s a thing.

A big reason for BCAM’s success was first lady Betty Ford, who underwent a mastectomy to treat her breast cancer in 1974.

Ford’s openness about her experience greatly increased public awareness of breast cancer.

BCAM especially gained popularity in 1993, when cosmetics company Estée Lauder started handing out pink ribbons at makeup counters.

Today, BCAM has completely permeated society; even the NFL started to incorporate pink during October 2009.

There are numerous benefits of increased cancer awareness.

According to Comprehensive Cancer Centers, higher levels of awareness can lead to earlier detection, a better understanding of

treatment options, prevention and more support from loved ones. In addition, fundraisers can help raise money for cancer treatment.

It’s time to expand these benefits to prostate cancer.

According to the American College of Surgeons, prostate cancer affects about one in eight men in their lives and has a mortality rate of about 12%, making prostate cancer the second most deadly cancer for men by volume, behind only lung cancer.

Unlike breast cancer, no one has raised prostate cancer awareness to the level Ford did, and there haven’t been any marketing campaigns celebrating blue, the color of prostate cancer awareness, during September. This means that if we want to treat prostate cancer awareness like the big deal it is, we’ll have to start from the ground up. Thankfully, BCAM provides a template on how to do that.

We can start by having a Blue Day and promote it as much as we do with Pink Day. People affected by prostate cancer can take to social media during September and share their experiences, hopefully inspiring companies and organizations to start putting more emphasis on the disease.

And it doesn’t have to stop with prostate cancer. Increasing awareness of lung cancer, blood cancer and any other cancer can only have positive effects.

However, some might say that putting more focus on other cancers will take the spotlight away from breast cancer, but as we see with the successful trifecta of Black History Month in February, Women’s History Month in March and Pride Month in June, there’s plenty of attention to go around.

So, I hope that one September day, kids will wear all blue and buy blue donuts, increasing awareness of and helping to fight prostate cancer.

Mareska Chettiar Photography Editor

Prestige, popularity, location, major, this college, that dorm, blah blah blah. Who cares? None of that matters if the food — the fuel for life — is terrible.

You eat three meals every day, so why isn’t cuisine taken seriously when considering colleges? There’s so much to account for: location of dining hall; variety of foods, especially if you have cultural preferences; number of meal programs and how much they cost; customization both in food and related expenses; popular local food spots; location of your dorm in relation to the cafeteria; exactly how much time it

ing instant ramen everyday can have larger impacts on your health, affecting you even after college.

The Harvard Health Blog reports that having a diet that is balanced, or adheres to a cultural cuisine, can improve your overall mood and lead to higher energy levels. And who wouldn’t want to be feeling good before having their day ruined with three papers due at 11:59 p.m.?

Though some people have a monetary limit and cannot afford fancy meal programs with a luxurious variety, I urge everyone to at least taste the food while visiting colleges — peep into the menu options and meal programs, and figure out what works best for you.

Most colleges also have lots of information online.

Food has various impacts on every aspect of your health and wellbeing, though most of us tend to Hannah Gupta/The SPOKE overlook it in the good relationship with food. process of college applications.

Access to different kinds of Taste the food, make note of cuisines and cultural foods the variety, visit local spots can enhance your nutrition and see how long it takes for and help you explore and you to travel between eaterdiscover new foods you like. ies. Make sure you love your Avoiding mealtimes and eat- college’s cuisine. takes to get there to the millisecond; and more.

With so much to consider, I find it remarkable that so many people do not think about what they will eat for possibly four years straight!

Since about 88% of freshmen in the U.S. are on meal programs, according to a market data report in the Gitnux Blog, deep consideration into this matter is crucial — not only because it’s a monetary commitment, but an emotional and physical commitment too.

An integral part of your health relies on having a

Cat or devil: Artists are allowed to draw boundaries

Saktisri Gowrishankar Staff Reporter

In a world where social media consumes us more than we consume it, celebrities have become exposed to the harsh sides of their fan bases. Parasocial relationships are the main reason for this.

Oxford Reference defines a parasocial relationship as a one-sided relationship that a person imagines with a figure they don’t know well, such as a celebrity or fictional character.

In late July, we saw the negative effects of such relationships. Doja Cat, a popular rapper, received backlash online because of her response to her fanbase wanting to call themselves “kittenz,” according to Time Magazine. Doja Cat replied to the X thread,

saying the fans who proposed the name need to “get off your phone and get a job.”

Many people argued that Doja Cat was being disrespectful or unappreciative to her loyal fanbase. This incident and other cases of Doja Cat rejecting fans’ support gained traction on social media like X and TikTok. On Aug. 4, Doja Cat released the song “Paint the Town Red,” in which she dismissed fans’ angry responses.

Parasocial relationships are problematic and prominent.

A 2017 study by Thriveworks, a mental health care company, showed that about 51% of Americans have been in a parasocial relationship. Fans often feel as though they have a right to make demands of an artist because of the false closeness they perceive between them and the artist. They have no right to make such demands.

An artist’s primary purpose is to create, which means they have no obligation to meet fans’ requests.

Another detrimental aspect of parasocial relationships is how they can impact the artist.

Through social media, fans are constantly aware of what an

artist does, who they date and when they release their next album or song. According to Lex Wang who writes for the Daily Bruin, this continual insight perpetuates parasocial connections. Fans harass artists online, and sometimes, even in real life. Online users sent Doja Cat thousands of hurtful comments, which translated into the lyrics of “Paint the Town Red” where she sarcastically refers to herself as a “devil” who only cares about fame.

Some may argue that parasocial relationships are not harmful because they are a fan’s coping mechanism or their way of showing appreciation. While someone’s connection with a celebrity can be a way of showing support, there is a thin line between what is or isn’t healthy to both the admirer and the admired.

Artists should not be attacked for drawing boundaries between them and their fanbases. We as fans have an obligation to support an artist, not control them. So the next time you want to attack an artist for not dropping an album fast enough, think about what it means to be a fan.

Mareska Chettiar/The SPOKE

On the agenda: No more paper planners

Jeffrey Heng Staff Reporter

Eden Liu/The SPOKE

Years ago, my elementary teachers would make me use the school agenda book: write down my to-do list, get the teacher’s signature and then repeat every weekday. However, as students grow older, they start recognizing the habits that they must drop to accommodate their schedule best. Now the question arises: Are these agenda books even useful anymore?

Each year, ’Stoga hands out more than 2,000 agenda books

to everyone in the student body. Every copy includes a handbook, map of the school, the bell schedule, administrative contact information and code of conduct. Although these books do have useful information, they can prove to be a real burden.

The agenda books provided by the school don’t have a sufficient amount of space or a well-designed format. This year, agenda books increased the space for jotting down daily assignments but abandoned the period division from the previous year’s design. Because of this, students are better off buying their own agenda book that caters to their preferences.

Moreover, the planners are an inconvenience compared to the digital resources available to students. Alternatives to the book include the Notes app on Apple devices, Notion and Todoist and even

utilizing the Schoology calendar. Unlike agenda books, online planners can sync to multiple devices.

Additionally, the excessive publication of agendas negatively impacts the environment. For each copy published, 72 pages are piled inside, including the “Notes” section at the back of the book with 14 extra sheets of lined paper. For the neglected agenda books, this results in wasted paper as well as plastic from the covers.

An article by The McHenry Messenger, a student newspaper in Illinois, reviewed a 2018 study after McHenry Community High School District 156 stopped providing agendas to students. According to the polled results, the loss of agenda books only affected 41% of the student body in their methods of tracking assignments. In addition, the school saved

$8,000 that it then used to fund student activities.

A solution to the excessive use of materials could be gauging if students actually need agenda books. Creating a Microsoft Form in the spring of the preceding school year would establish an opt-in system where students can state whether they want a paper planner. This way, fewer materials would go to waste, and Conestoga could save money to fund other aspects of the school.

Rather than spending money on the books, ’Stoga could save up funds for more effective uses such as expanding the classroom facilities and maybe even better air conditioning in the atrium. By redirecting agenda book expenses, we can focus on what truly matters — a cool, crisp and healthy environment. It’s time we turn a new leaf and reevaluate our agenda.

Opinion

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

The SPOKE

Unsigned: Looking behind the scenes of front page As many of you — the students, teachers and staff of Conestoga and members of the T/E community — likely realized when you picked up this edition of The Spoke and read the headline printed across page 1, our front page story is an important one. Behind the broadsheets, in our circle of reporters, editors and advisers, it has also been among the most challenging front page to produce.

Concerns about discrimination and censorship alike have long reverberated through our student body and the nation at large; everyone has their beliefs, everyone has their experiences.

One of the triumphs of student journalism is that the people working in our newsroom mirror the community we serve, in identity and in opinion. Many of our editors and reporters are passionate about the issues of Islamophobia, LGBTQ+ representation and censorship, and a good portion of them would like to add their voices to the choir and share their viewpoints.

But, as a newspaper and as a collective, that is not our job — at least not outside of the opin-

ion section. Our job is to investigate, to report and to inform the community about matters of importance.

Our job is to ensure that the people in our community understand the facts so they can form their own opinions and not fall victim to misinformation. It is often hard, with such a passionate and diverse newsroom, to dampen personal interests for the good of the whole but such is the duty we have assigned ourselves.

For this front page, we chose our reporters with care: people who are unconnected, at least on a nominal level, to the topics and demographics discussed to ensure they report in an unbiased manner. We ensured that none of our reporters had perceived bias, the idea that

bias could be assumed based on the writers’ identities. This practice followed this story every step of the way.

Still, this story hit many of us, as journalists, closer to home. As a student publication that has observed and experienced censorship, the idea of removing a

the school holds itself regarding inclusion and censorship, our reporters and editors ensured to represent and treat all sides with fairness.

The main obstacle we faced was simply a lack of response. We contacted school administration, many of the parents who spoke at the school board meeting and multiple student organizations for interviews and information. Few responded, and even fewer agreed to speak to us on the record. This was within their right but it was difficult nonetheless.

For school administration, this barrier arose beAren Framil/The SPOKE cause the book ity. If our reporting becomes too review is still an ongoing discusdetached, our values fall on the sion, but for most, the reasons were harder to pinpoint. pyre along with our partiality.

Our sources’ refusal to speak Since this story called into question the standards to which with The Spoke stems from a book from the library does not settle well. On the other hand, prejudice goes against a moral code that supersedes impartial-

Report Card

deeper trend of distrust in the media, which permeates our society and government and makes it harder for us to report to the populace accurately.

The Spoke does not seek to defame or dethrone, nor do we elevate one position over another.

Our reporting is separate from the whims of administration and government, and we do not participate in prior review or restraint.

The primary result of sharing information and perspective with us is the amplification of the truth.

Despite the challenges, we delivered. What is written on the front page is the amalgamation of the work of people of many backgrounds and many outlooks, shedding their partiality in order to create something bigger than any one person.

If you take issue with what we write, we want to hear it. We invite anyone to share their opinions through letters to the editor or to our email, hello@spoke. news. The news and community are not separate nor opposed.

Our objective, with this story and with all others, is to serve and enlighten our community and further our democracy.

Cricket, flag football, squash in Olympics + more diversity in sports and opportunities

D

Phillies narrowly miss NLCS

+ had a good post-season run, with 23 home runs, the second most of all time - did not qualify for World Series after losing last two games

“Loki” season two is back

C+

+ return of one of Marvel’s most anticipated shows - the multiverse is so confusing to keep track of

Taylor Swift releases 1989 re-record + revisiting her most popular album

Editor Recs

- David Welsh,

freshman

sophomore

STUDENTS SPEAK OUT Q: How do you feel about the emphasis placed on STEM education?

“I think it's good that (STEM) is expanding as much as it is. It's about time that we keep moving because new advancements (are) never a horrible thing.”

- Celine Luo,

Deserves the hype

Raima Saha

Co-Opinion Editor With the advent of 5G networks, new vaccines and ChatGPT, it seems as if science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, is at the forefront of our lives. Education has come to reflect that shift: at Conestoga, there are a plethora of STEM courses available as early as freshman year, from Me ch an i c a l and Electrical Engineering to Coding and much more.

One of the most obvious benefits of STEM is that it promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Whether it be through completing a real-world applications lab or finally debugging your code, students sharpen their ability to troubleshoot errors while deepening their understanding of the material, helping to build resilience and confidence in their abilities that can be used elsewhere.

Furthermore, STEM job prospects have never looked more promising. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, there were 10 million workers in STEM jobs, a figure that is projected to grow by more than 10% in 2031, almost double those of all other occupations. The STEM field is growing, and early exposure gives students an edge if they choose to pursue that field in the future.

Whatever paths students may take post-high school, skills learned from these courses prepare and equip them for the fast-paced, ev-

er-evolving world that awaits them. Innovations are constantly on the rise, meaning the need for education that reflects that same adaptability and applicability has never been greater.

Many argue that a well-balanced subject variety is necessary for the best education possible. While it may feel like STEM may be push-

Movie: “The Dark Knight” “The whole trilogy is great, but this one is my particular favorite. It’s one of Nolan’s best films, and had incredible acting. Heath Ledger redefined the role of Joker.”

- Tony Xu, senior

STEM ing the arts and humanities out of the limelight, it instead incorporates these subjects in ways never seen before. Creativity found in the arts is vital for the innovative thinking that most STEM classes require, and the ability to write and communicate ideas clearly, skills that the humanities call for, are just as necessary in STEM. Instead of having one or the other, schools should look to implement a STREAM curriculum, where the “R” and the “A” for reading and art respectively.

This combines aspects of STEM and humanities to provide a well-rounded curriculum.

According to Dr. Michael Daugherty, a professor of STEM Education at the University of Arkansas, the arts, which use the right side of the brain, can improve cognition in the left side of the brain and bring about more innovative thinking Jui Bhatia/The SPOKE and creativity.

It is clear that STEM is not going anywhere, so instead of resisting the change, embrace the widespread influence of STEM with open arms. As such, schools should continue to expand STEM curriculum as students today will become the innovators of tomorrow, making the world a better and brighter place one creation at a time.

Editor: Abby Bagby, Co-Managing Editor

“Recently, I feel like there's a pretty good balance between my STEM classes and my humanity classes, but I feel like a continued increase in STEM classes will be a little overkill.”

junior

Suppresses the humanities

Jui Bhatia

Co-Opinion Editor

Mary Wolters/The SPOKE

B-

- releasing a summer themed album in October

“I think STEM research in general is important.

I think it's good to learn more than just STEM. I think it's good to learn a variety of different things, especially relating to STEM.”

- Allie Shuford,

A+

- these sports don’t have much of a fanbase in the Olympics yet

The Spoke Editorial Board voted 18-2 in favor of this editorial, with 2 people abstaining.

“I definitely think (STEM) is super important, especially in our curriculum and education. I think it broadens our horizons as students, and it's important to know about STEM and everything that goes into it. ”

9

When I first came to high school, the prospect of Advanced Placement classes excited me; I couldn’t wait to take higher level classes in the humanities. But, to my disappointment, I couldn’t take an AP English class until my junior year, even though I could take AP Biology, AP Computer Science and high level math and engineering courses right away.

This is unfortunately not just a Conestoga-specific issue. Overall, the attention given to humanities has been dropping, along with people’s preference for it. A study by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences found that the rate of people studying the humanities has been going down steadily and is around 10% lower than three years ago.

The reason for this comes from how people treat the humanities. For example, a study by the National Bureau of Economic

Research found that on average, universities spend more money on their science, engineering, technology and math, or STEM, programs than on their humanities programs. While this is usually justified by the need for better facilities, many colleges often end up with modern, redesigned STEM buildings and decrepit humanities buildings even though the departments could use the funding for better facilities, classrooms and resources. This lack of care makes the humanities seem unimportant, prompting students to choose not to study it.

This, coupled with an emphasis on STEM fields in school and

ities are nowhere near as bad as public perception makes them out to be.

In fact, this perception then leads to the humanities being seen as inferior, whether that be through the internet’s relentless jokes on gender studies and poetry majors or through annoying relatives’ relentless nagging about choosing a more so-called lucrative career. Beyond just jokes, humanities impact every major field, whether that be through the design of any popular tech company’s website or product all the way to understanding complicated historical situations that affect the present day.

To ensure that the public’s perceptions around the humanities change, institutions must reform their treatment of the humanities.

Colleges and universities n ia ar ultracrepid must take “cold hear obfuscate apop t” steps to keep lec t lachry i c mose y tidsoptimist their humantor di ab ities programs funded and up to date. Educators and institutions need Raima Saha/The SPOKE to emphasize social situations, has led to people the humanities’ roles in careers considering the humanities fields and the contribution they’ve low-paying. Not only is this inac- made to modern advancements. curate, it is also actively harmful.

By actively dismissing the According to the National Center humanities’ importance and relfor Education Statistics, unem- evance to society, we are underployment for humanities majors valuing wildly important fields is only one point less than that that factor into our development of STEM majors, and the differ- daily. The humanities hold a valuences in their incomes average able stake in today’s society, and around only $5,000. While these to dismiss their importance is dostatistics do favor STEM, human- ing a disservice to our future.

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Sports

10 The SPOKE

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Sailing team finishes record-breaking season Louisa Sandorff and Sousanna Sengal Staff Reporters

Riding the waves of the Delaware River, the Conestoga sailing team has swiftly conquered waters and opponents alike.

Established in 2011, Conestoga’s sailing team has become one of the top teams in Pennsylvania. Competing in the Main Line Scholastic Sailing Association (MLSSA) and the Interscholastic Sailing Association, the co-ed team won several regattas against public and private schools.

Coached by Conrad Volle and Julia Williams-Portland, the team practices twice a week at Corinthian Yacht Club on the waters of the Delaware River. During practice, the team holds meetings, runs drills and practices to prepare for competitions.

In 2022, the team completed one of its most successful seasons, winning its fourth consecutive MLSSA Bell Cup and qualifying for the Mallory Cup, a prestigious sailing competition, for the first time.

“I would consider us very successful. We are four-time MLSSA champions. We have won those four times in a row these past few years and those are all up against really good schools, both private and public,” said sophomore Piper Jackson, who has been on Conestoga’s team for two years now.

According to senior and captain Bella Cremer, the team’s talent does not stop with the upperclassmen. She said that not only the underclassmen, but the incoming high schoolers as well bring a lot to the team.

“I think we have a lot of talent. We have people that have been sailing their whole lives, and people who we get to teach sailing for the first time,” Cremer said.

The team has only nine representatives out on the water. It is always looking for new recruits, no matter previous skill level. The team helps new sailors learn the ropes and assists them in improving their skills. Sophomore Henry DeHart said that the team’s bond helps the sailers out on the water.

“We bond a lot during carpool and practices,” DeHart said. “We hang out between races and see each other at ceremonies and parties.”

DeHart said that the team’s bond enables the sailers to work together effectively.

Through bonding events and team dinners, the sailors have developed a strong connection that Jackson feels contributes to their success.

“I think the thing that makes us so successful is mostly the teamwork,” Jackson said. “We’re such a small team so we’re very tight knit.

I think it’s so key to work together as one.”

Bailey Kreszswick/The SPOKE

Leaning in: Sophomores Grace Hummel (left) and Piper Jackson (right) hike out to flatten their boat. The sailing team won the Main Line Scholastic Sailing Association Bell Cup for the fourth time last year.

Boys soccer goes undefeated, hopes for state title Emily Scheer Staff Reporter

Emily Scheer/The SPOKE

Emily Scheer/The SPOKE

Scoring Goals: Freshman Daniel Poltaraus (#18) plays left central defensive midfield. The boys’ soccer team went 16-0-1 this season. The team hopes to win the state title again this year.

The Conestoga varsity boys’ soccer team is currently undefeated. It holds the No. 1 spot in the Central League and No. 10 spot in the country.

This year’s team is composed of 17 seniors, a Major League Soccer (MLS) Next player and two freshmen.

“I think that the key quality of the team this season is the competitiveness and the work ethic of the players,” said head coach David Zimmerman.

“The team works incredibly hard, particularly in practice, and that’s essential because when you have a high-quality practice against good opponents, that really prepares you for the game.”

Daniel Poltaraus and Justin Maxwell are the two freshmen on the team this year. With

17 seniors, the team is mostly comprised of upperclassmen.

“I’ve learned a lot from (the upperclassmen) on the field and off. Everyone’s nice, welcoming, and it’s a good environment. (We’re) really close with each other, more like family than a team,” Poltaraus said. “It’s a lot higher level, but it feels good to win. It’s a good experience so far, but we have to keep winning.”

The team has won the state title four times since 2011 and is vying for a fifth. With his sights set on the Central League, District 1 and state championship titles, Zimmerman said that the team’s continual growth has improved game technique throughout the season.

“The team, in terms of style of play, has improved a lot. There’s stuff we work on constantly in practice. You’d

be surprised even though we’re undefeated how much as coaches we are constantly trying to get the team to play better,” Zimmerman said. “So we are constantly evolving as a team.”

A week before every game, the team studies its opponent and their key players. This allows ’Stoga’s platers to set forth for the game. The team meets before the match to prepare mentally as well. Junior Cole Frederick said that the pressure of maintaining an undefeated season has led to better performance.

“We always have a target on our back no matter who we play. So, everybody plays up to the level that we play at and always has their best game against us,” Frederick said. “It’s always difficult, but we always manage to get a good result”.

According to Zimmerman, the positive relationships be-

tween the teammates add to the team dynamic on and off the field.

“We have good chemistry, so the players generally get along with each other. They spend time together — some of them are in my classroom just hanging out. One of the things I really like about coaching these players is that they’re nice guys and they get along,” Zimmerman said, “It’s a pleasure to be around them.”

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From tee to triumph: Girls golf dominates season Michael Tierney Business Manager

This season, the girls’ golf team swung its way into the spotlight. Senior and captain Brynne Mushlin led the team to not only clinch the Central League Championship, but also the team’s first-ever PIAA District 1 title. With these accomplishments, the team represented Conestoga at the PIAA Golf State Championships on Wednesday, Oct. 18.

Despite it being only 3 years old, the team is performing exceptionally. With a 8-1 record, it won the Central League.

From there, it won the district championship, earning a ticket to the state championships.

The format of high school team golf is different than that of the Professional Golf Association Tour. Teams consist of around eight players, but only the three or four lowest scores count, depending on the size of the school it competes against. The team with the lowest combined score takes home the victory.

Mushlin is proud of the team’s accomplishments this year, considering the competition and relatively young age of the program.

“Winning the district was one of the biggest accomplishments of our program since the start,” Mushlin said. “This year we have a lot of depth, which other teams lacked. This means most of our team is able to put up low scores. We have an ex-

tremely talented team this year and we are all excited to win the district and go to states.”

Freshman Jillian Burks emphasized that the team’s success on the golf course is not just about the numbers, but about the camaraderie among teammates. Even as a first-year, she said that she felt welcomed to the team right away.

“As a freshman, I befriended the upperclassmen who were supportive of me on and off the course. Golf is an individual sport, but our team was truly a family this year,” Burks said.

Coach James Moran is proud of the girls for their accomplishments this season.

“It’s been a really cool experience to see how far the

program has come in three years,” Moran said. “The girls performed very well throughout the season and we’re hoping to be back at states next year again.”

At the state championships, the team placed third overall, with Mushlin and Burks placing 26th and 16th, respectively. According to Mushlin, the team’s record- breaking accomplishments this season speak for themselves and demonstrate the bright future of the program.

“I am really lucky to play on such an amazing team,” Mushlin said. “Going to states my senior year was a dream come true and I know that after I graduate, the team will be in good hands.”

Courtesy Jamie Mushlin

Swinging to victory: The girls’ golf team poses for a photo after clinching the PIAA District 1 3A Championships.

The team proceeded to states after this victory, where it came in third place overall.

Commitment Corner ALEX LEPORE TEMPLE UNIVERSITY SPORT: FIELD HOCKEY GRADE: 12

First Last Last/The Last/ The SPOKE

Why Temple University: “I chose Temple because it has an amazing team culture. I loved the coaches who presented such an amazing environment. They had good aspirations for the future of the program.

Temple is also such a great educational school. I am so excited to study there.”

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Sports

The SPOKE

HIGHLIGHT REEL

Ice hockey team remembers beloved coach Hannah Simon Co-Copy Editor

Loving, grateful and dedicated are just some of the words that friends and family use to describe the late ice hockey coach Robert Anderson. However, they only just begin to break the surface of the kind of man Anderson was and will be remembered as.

Anderson passed away in late September due to complications from an injury that occurred at a practice.

“He was someone you only meet once in your life,” said senior and assistant captain Lily Jiang. “Irreplaceable.”

The legacy of Anderson has left a lasting impression on many people in the Conestoga community and beyond.

Anderson became not only a commendable ice hockey player and valuable coach, but a friend to the program.

“You can’t replace Bob,” said senior and captain Isa Thompson.

In 2022, Anderson was selected for induction into the Conestoga High School Hall of Fame in recognition for his significant achievements and meaningful contribution to the program. Tremendously impactful and furtively committed to the team and his players, Anderson was the first hall of fame inductee from the ice hockey team.

Anderson’s energy for the game was palpable. He was famous for his words: words of advice, words of constructive criticism, words against the opponent. It was Anderson’s voice that made up his gritty, can-do attitude that he would eventually become known.

His fireside chats with seniors were a right of passage for the soon-to-be graduates, almost like the moment when a player receives their first

stick. Senior and captain Giada Liberato said that his ability to conjure the right word for any moment, sharpen every player’s skate and teach through an activity will never be forgotten.

“You’re not going to find another Bob Anderson,” Liberato said.

Anderson did not only coach ice hockey. Rather, he used the sport to develop players to be the best versions of themselves that they could be. A clinician of the game, Anderson had high expectations of his players both on the ice and throughout life.

When reflecting about Anderson’s memory, players, other coaches and friends alike are sincerely honored to have had Anderson a part of the program for so long. His praise made the players’ relationships with hockey stronger.

“He had a big personality.

He would talk to everybody.

He would just spend time with you and wasn’t somebody who’s distracted when he was talking to you. (He) gave me his full attention,” said head coach Tony Parisi. “He had an understanding of how hard it was to be in high school. He remembered. He cared. He was rough around the edges, but he really loved the people he was around, including all these young women. And he made no mystery of how he cared for (them).”

For more than 50 years, Anderson coached with love and meaningful intention in his own exponential way. He coached hundreds of players who have taken what they learned from him and used it in hundreds of different ways throughout sports and their careers.

In this way, in the words of Parisi, Anderson has influenced millions.

The latest developments in sports.

Soars The Philadelphia Eagles won 31-17 against the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 22. Quarterback Jalen Hurts wore a knee brace during the game, worrying fans. While Hurts admitted he was injured, he assured media that he would be fine.

Sweeps The field hockey team is ranked fourth in the nation.

After going undefeated in the Central League, they became Central League champions on Oct. 18. The team is currently competing in the district championships.

Sprints The girls’ cross country team is ranked fifth in the state and is the Central League Champion. The girls are undefeated in the tri-state area after winning meets such as the Oakbourne Relays, Six Flags Wild Safari Invitational and the Salesianum Invitational.

Bunts

Courtesy Tony Parisi

Remembering a legend: Former ice hockey coach Bob Anderson poses with (from left to right) then-juniors Giada Liberato, Monica LaTorraca and Abbie Pancoast, and then-senior Abby Hill after the 2022-23 season banquet. Anderson was a part of the ice hockey program first as a player, and then as a goalie coach.

Dynamic duo: Sisters play soccer side by side Alexa Willrich Staff Reporter

Vanessa Chen/The SPOKE

Soccer sisters: Junior Keira Kemmerley moves the ball forward during Conestoga’s game against Ridley High School on Sep. 19. She has been playing for Conestoga with her sister, sophomore Kate Kemmerley, this year.

In a house with two sisters playing together on the same soccer team, getting ready for practice is a flurry of jerseys, cleats and equipment.

Junior Keira Kemmerley and her sister, sophomore Kate Kemmerley, both play for the girls’ varsity soccer team. Keira normally plays either striker or center midfield, while Kate is always a striker.

Both girls have played for many clubs, including FC Delco, also known as Continental, and both currently play for Penn Fusion.

The sisters have had a close bond since they were kids and have continued to stay close throughout their high school years. As they rarely get the chance to play on a team together, this gives them a unique opportunity to play with a teammate with whom they share a special bond.

“It’s just nice to have someone at all times that you know you can go to and talk to and play with.

She gets how I want to play, and I get how she wants to play. So it’s

Junior completes 175-mile bike race Ryan Ding

Staff Reporter For many bike riders, an enjoyable ride means an hour or two in a scenic setting at a steady pace. For Junior Alex Cuevas, however, biking hundreds of miles across New Jersey to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis (MS), meant much more than leisure.

Cuevas, a dedicated member of the Conestoga crew team, competed at the end of September in the City to Shore ride organized by the National MS Society. The ride was named one of USA Today’s top ten road cycling events for 2023 and raised almost $3,750,000 toward MS research so far. Cuevas was inspired by his father, who has competed in the City to Shore ride, as well as a similar ride held in Wisconsin since before Cuevas was born.

“Freshman year, I asked if I could go with him because I thought it’d be really fun,” Cuevas said. “This year, I decided to do the century ride, which is 100 miles on the first day and 75 miles on the next day. The energy was really good, it was really fun and I just enjoyed (performing) some physical activity.”

Biking also provides an opportunity for Cuevas and his father to bond. During the race, which lasted two days, the father-son duo rode together for a large part of the course. When Cuevas finally crossed the finish line, he cried tears of joy.

“It felt insanely good. When you’re in the middle, at the darkest part of the ride, it’s depressing,” Cuevas said. “You still have so much to go and your legs are numb. But when you cross that finish line, there (are) people cheering, and it’s such a good feeling.”

Cuevas was also motivated by the ride’s great cause. His great-uncle has Multiple Sclerosis, and Cuevas has seen firsthand the disease’s impact on people’s lives. By participating in the ride, Cuevas was able to help raise money and awareness for the cause.

“I really am proud to be part of this effort, because it helps raise awareness for people with MS and the fight to cure it,” Cuevas said. “I know that the cure might not come in their (his relative’s) lifetime, but I know that they would want the cure for other people with MS because of how big the struggle is. I’m definitely proud to be a part of this cause.”

11

Courtesy Neal Cuevas

Test of endurance: Junior Alex Cuevas holds up the bike that he used in the City to Shore ride. Cuevas said that his dad inspired him to compete in the race that raised money for Multiple Sclerosis research.

nice to know someone closely on the field,” Kate Kemmerley said.

As sisters, arguments inevitably start, but the two try to keep those arguments separate from the team, not letting them affect how they play. Playing together has had some positives for the team as the two know each other better than most teammates do.

“We don’t need as much communication between each other as much as I probably would need with another person. It’s actually nice because I’ve seen her play so much, and I understand how she does play; whereas, maybe some other people aren’t as comfortable with that kind of stuff. I can pretty much tell what she’s going to do by her body positioning and everything,” Keira Kemmerley said.

This year, both sisters have excelled, scoring 38 goals combined and contributing 19 assists for the team. Their bond benefits not only themselves, but the rest of the team as well.

“There is this sister-sister knowledge on the field,” said girls varsity head coach Deane Mariotti. “I think that it created something pretty special.”

The Philadelphia Phillies played its first National League Championship Series Game 7 in the team’s history on Oct. 24. The team lost the game 4-2, putting the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 World Series. Fans attributed the loss to the lackluster offense and pitching, leaving disappointed after the game which could have qualified the team for the World Series.

Goals The girls’ and boys’ soccer teams are both Central League champions, and both are currently ranked first in the PIAA 4A District 1. Both received a bye for the first round of districts.

They started their district runs on Oct. 26.

Swings The girls’ tennis team qualified for the state tournament after placing second in the district championships.

Sophomore Isabelle Emmanuel is the Central League Singles Champion, ranking third in the district. Seniors and doubles partners Kate Emmanuel and Jennifer He similarly hold the Central League doubles Champion title and are ranked second in the district.

Rallies The varsity girls’ crew quad took home gold at the Navy Day regatta. Senior Guinevere Reaume placed second in the varsity girls’ single.

SPORTS

The SPOKE

Sailing team finishes record-breaking season Page 10

Boys soccer goes undefeated, hoping for state title Page 10

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Ice hockey team remembers beloved coach Page 11

Junior completes 175mile bike race Page 11

Courtesy Christina Li

Aiming for victory: Senior Jimmy Zhao pulls back an arrow to shoot a target at the Upper Main Line YMCA during practice. He won the 2023 Pennsylvania State Championships, which qualified him for the 2024 Olympic Trials.

Bullseye: Senior competes in Archery Olympic Trials Tanisha Agrawal Co-Sports Editor

In a sport that typically demands years of dedication and practice, senior Jimmy Zhao has proven himself a rising star in archery by competing in the prestigious Archery Olympic Trials held in early September.

Since he shot his first arrow five years ago, Zhao has been guided by David Lee, a certified Archery National Training coach, to exponentially grow and secure a spot in the Olympic trials.

“He is young for the Olympic competition stage, but he does show this promise. Normally, archers need eight to 10 years of training before reaching the

Olympic stage, but he’s already there in just five years,” Lee said.

Earning a spot in the Olympic trials requires a ranking in one’s home state, winning outof-state competitions, participating in national tournaments and gaining international experience. Zhao fulfilled these criteria by winning the 2023 Pennsylvania State Championship, competing in Massachusetts and even in France.

Archery is renowned as a sport that relies heavily on mental focus as well as physical prowess. Zhao’s daily routine includes two hours of shooting practice, morning workouts, jogs and a diet rich in protein.

However, to maintain mental stability while competing, Zhao

also simulates competition scenarios during practice.

“To mentally prepare yourself for a competition, the most important thing is to practice and rehearse it a lot of times beforehand,” Zhao said. “So you should try to replicate exactly how the competition is going to play out.”

Straddling between academics and archery required extensive time management, but Zhao’s discipline has rewarded him.

“He is very, very dedicated to it. His determination really moves me. He is willing to spend the time and put the effort into it. That’s why he can do this within a five-years time frame,” Lee said.

Zhao attributes his success to his support system, including his

family, who covered the costs of his archery journey, and Lee, who patiently guided him throughout his training. He has now started working a part-time job at the Upper Main Line YMCA as the lead instructor for the Youth Archery Program to raise money for archery equipment.

Zhao is also keen on teaching archery. Senior Tony Tong and Zhao founded Conestoga’s Archery Club in October 2021, which now has 30 members.

Zhao’s accomplishments inspired the team as they gear up to start competing more. Tong, who practices with Zhao and has been a longtime friend, expressed immense pride.

“For Jimmy’s journey into the Olympic trials, I have just the most

proud and happy feelings. He has worked so hard for this; he 100% deserves it. We have been inspired, just completely inspired, by his performance,” Tong said. “And if anything, he showed the school community that we archers are a force to be reckoned with.”

As Zhao prepares for college, he intends to continue pursuing his archery dreams. He has set his eyes on the 2028 Olympic Games and hopes to maintain the balance with his future education to achieve greater feats.

“I want to go to the 2028 Olympics. I also want to participate in other big archery tournaments, such as the Archery World Cup, and win some medals,” Zhao said.

“However, I also have college to focus on for my future career.”

Assistant football coach to be inducted into Conestoga Hall of Fame Abby Chong Staff Reporter

George Zhang/The SPOKE

Positive influence: Assistant coach Sonny DiMartini directs the crowd at a game against Owen J. Roberts High School. DiMartini joined Conestoga football 25 years ago and inspired many students that went through the program.

Under the vibrant glow of stadium lights, the crowd erupts as the football team storms onto the field. Bursting through a banner, Sonny DiMartini paves the way for Conestoga football and a lasting legacy.

DiMartini has been a part of Conestoga football for 25 years. He began his career at Conestoga as a spectator, then as a player, and now an assistant coach. Helping run drills and support players, he has been an integral part of the coaching staff. In only a month’s time, DiMartini will forever be remembered as he is inducted into the Conestoga Hall of Fame.

“I love it. (I’m) so happy it’s almost here,” DiMartini said.

Varisty football head coach Matt Diamond continues to see the effect that DiMartini leaves on Conestoga players. DiMartini inspires many on and off the field by bringing his positive attitude to every practice.

“He is one of the most influential people I’ve ever met in his ability to have a positive

influence on others,” Diamond said. “He comes to practice with a positive attitude (and) brings everybody around him up. (He) just does a terrific job of really helping our team create a great atmosphere.”

No matter the game’s outcome, DiMartini remains a constant area of support for the team. His positive relationships with players and the community remind the team why Conestoga football is so great.

“Everybody loves Sonny. It’s been going on for generations of so many graduating classes.

Whenever they come back to games, or they think back on their time with ’Stoga football, Sonny’s a big part of what made it so special,” Diamond said.

Senior Robby Whann has been a part of Conestoga’s football program since he was a freshman.

Whann’s close bond with DiMartini has left a permanent mark on his life. Whann remembers when Di Martini was first announced to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“I just remember giving him a hug for like 25 seconds, and he was just so happy about it. That was just a great moment that I’ll always remember with him,” Whann said.

Pam DiMartini, Sonny DiMartini’s mother, reminisces on Sonny DiMartini’s journey with Conestoga athletics.

Growing up, the football team provided Sonny DiMartini with a reliable support system, even when he was too young to play. Now, Sonny DiMartini is able to give that same support to a new set of players as the community surrounding Conestoga football continues to grow.

“They have always given Sonny a place to fit in, and we feel very blessed (with) the way they’ve accepted him and befriended him,” Pam DiMartini said. “They’re just being great guys, (and) they just really care.

What more could I ask for?”

The Conestoga community continues to flourish under DiMartini’s influence. His legacy extends farther than the football field and will be remembered forever as his name is permanently etched into the Conestoga Hall of Fame.

“We’re so proud to have him be a part of our program,” Diamond said. “We’re really thrilled for him and his induction into the Conestoga football Hall of Fame.”

SCORELINE

scores as of 10/25

Football

B Soccer

G Soccer

G Tennis

B XC

G XC

B Golf

G Golf

Volleyball

Field Hockey

W

4

16

15

14

5

6

9

7

10

18

L

4

0

2

0

1

0

2

1

8

0

T

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0