Brown’s Cookies: Junior launches cookie-decorating business
Satire: why groundhog day rules
Page 5 Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA, 19312
Volume 74 No. 4
February 6, 2024
Athlete with cerebral palsy challenges stereotypes
PagE 8
Page 11
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shifting schedules New mixed-model schedule approved for 2024-25 school year All-School Scholar GPA requirements increased Mareska Chettiar Photography Editor
Lily Chen/The SPOKE
Planning priorities: Junior Manav Patel, member of the scheduling committee, reviews materials from the Chester County Intermediate Unit’s report on focus groups it conducted regarding the current high school schedule. The committee used data collected from the focus groups to inform the creation of a mixed-model schedule, which Conestoga will implement in the 2024-25 school year.
By Lily Chen, Howard Kim and Raima Saha, Design Editor, Co-News Editor and Co-Opinion Editor Since 2022, parents, teachers, administrators and students collaborated on a committee dedicated to creating a new high school schedule. Two years later, the plan is almost a reality. On Jan. 2, the school board approved a new bell schedule for Conestoga High School, which will
go into effect during the 2024-25 school year. Changes include a shift from the current six-day cycle to a weekly cycle, the removal of certain lunch times in the middle of class periods and the implementation of block scheduling with an hour-long “Lunch and Learn” on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The school day will maintain the same start and end times. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, students will move between eight 42-minute periods. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, they will have four 82-minute periods. On Wednesdays, students will attend their odd periods 1, 3, 5 and 7, and on Thursdays, they
will attend even periods 2, 4, 6 and 8. “The classes will be longer, which when you’re teaching cooking courses, can be really helpful,” said family and consumer sciences teacher Grace Hafer. On eight-period days, instead of having the current four lunchtimes, there will only be three. Currently, “B” and “D” lunches are “split lunches,” which occur in the middle of a class, splitting the class into two 21-minute segments. The new schedule will institute three new lunchtimes, none of which will split a class. “A” lunch will start at 10:25 a.m. before fourth period, “B” lunch will
start at 11:12 a.m. before fifth period, and “C” lunch will start at 11:59 a.m. before sixth period. “I love that we’re not going to have split lunch. I just think it’s disruptive,” said Dr. Wendy Towle, TESD director of curriculum, instruction, staff development and planning. “I know we had to do them because we just didn’t have space for a while, but I’m excited about that (going away).” On block days, a single, hourlong Lunch and Learn will replace the three half-hour lunches. Students will be able to spend the hour eating lunch, doing homework, meeting teachers or counselors, attending club meetings, making up
assessments or spending time with friends. Teachers will be available for half of the period, and counselors will be available for the full hour. Senior and member of the scheduling committee Clif Hawkins feels that Lunch and Learn will provide students with time to catch up on work and relax. “From an athletic standpoint, it gives time to slow down,” Hawkins said. “When things are ramping up and you’re kind of flying through everything, it gives a nice portion of time to be able to slow down, relax and make sure all your work is done.” Continued on page 3.
The weighted GPA requirement to qualify for the All-School Scholar Recognition award, the highest academic award a Conestoga student can achieve, has increased from 4.8 to 5.0. The change will take effect starting with the Class of 2028, current eighth graders. Current Conestoga students will not be affected by the changes. “We don’t want to give the Class of ’28 a set of guidelines and then change them when they become sophomores,” said Jennifer Kratsa, student services department chair. Kratsa said that Conestoga administration raised the GPA requirement in response to the increasing overlap of students who qualify for both the National Honor Society and All-School Scholar Award, as well as the inflation of weighted GPAs due to the 29 AP courses Conestoga offers. “I think that this will have zero impact on our student body,” Kratsa said. “The All-School Scholar is awarded at our senior awards program. Students are already finished with their senior year, they’ve already gone out and done their internship. We’re not reporting this to colleges.” 163 students in the Class of 2023 qualified for the All-School Scholar Award. When the GPA change comes into effect, the number of recipients will likely decrease.
Currently, if students take all honors-level classes, they need an average of 93% in every class to maintain a 4.8 GPA. If members of the Class of ’28 and onwards take all honors-level classes, they will need an average of 98% in every class to maintain a 5.0 weighted GPA. More likely, they will need to take AP courses and maintain almost all As to earn a 5.0 weighted GPA. “I feel like it’s just encouraging students to take more AP classes and might put more stress on them,” senior Melissa Fan said. Other requirements to achieve the award include earning at least 20 academic credits, having passing grades in all subjects, taking nine honors or AP courses and attending Conestoga for at least two consecutive semesters immediately before graduation. “Increasing that GPA requirement does, in a sense, equate being smart to how many APs you’re taking and can be unhealthy,” senior Ruijia Yang said. “I think we need to recognize that and not think of this award FIRST LAST/The SPOKE as something to no-matter-what strive for.” Kratsa empasized that the award is simply an honor, not an academic standard. “No award defines your success in high school,” Kratsa said. “All-School Scholar is not the measure of having been a good or successful student at Conestoga.”
Agreement of Sale for potential sixth elementary school location finalized Shrija Krishnan Staff Reporter
Ben Shapiro/The SPOKE
Campaign kickoff: President Joe Biden remembers the anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection at his 2024 presidential campaign kickoff. Biden traveled to Montgomery County Community College where he delivered an almost 30-minute speech in which he urged voters to support him in his reelection.
Biden kicks off 2024 reelection campaign in Montgomery County Ben Shapiro and Shreya Vaidhyanathan Editor-in-Chief and Co-Managing Editor
President Joe Biden opened his 2024 reelection campaign on Jan. 5 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He delivered remarks in advance of the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection. Biden began the address at Montgomery County Community College by highlighting his recent visit to the grounds of Valley Forge National Historical Park. He described the site as a show of the “true patriotism it took to make America.” In his speech, Biden spoke largely about the future of American democracy. “Today we’re here to answer the most important question: Is democracy still
America’s sacred cause?” Biden asked. Biden criticized former President Donald Trump’s lack of response to the Jan. 6 insurrection, calling it “that day we nearly lost America.” “Imagine he had gone out and said ‘stop.’ But still, Trump did nothing. It was among the worst derelictions of duty by a president in American history,” Biden said. Biden declared Trump the “Election-Denier-in-Chief ” and claimed that he is unconcerned about America’s future. “Donald Trump’s campaign is about him, not America, not you. Donald Trump’s campaign is obsessed with the past, not the future. He’s willing to sacrifice our democracy to put himself in power,” Biden said. “Democracy is on the ballot. Your freedom is on the ballot.”
After Biden’s speech, college student and Voters of Tomorrow press secretary Jack Lobel claimed that the rioters on Jan. 6 proved how “the extreme ideology of Donald Trump goes against everything young voters stand for.” Voters of Tomorrow is a nonpartisan and Generation Z-led 501(c)(4) organization with the mission of engaging young Americans in politics. “In a little less than a year, young voters will turn out and defeat Donald Trump,” Lobel said. Newly elected Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas opened the event and welcomed the president to the stage. Gov. Josh Shapiro and Senator John Fetterman were also in attendance. Biden is expected to return to Pennsylvania throughout the year to continue the campaign trail.
The T/E School District entered into an Agreement of Sale on Jan. 17 for the specified purpose of building a sixth elementary school. The proposed project on 1200 West Swedesford Road would mark the district’s first new school building since Beaumont Elementary School was built in 1965. The 15.2-acre, 86,000-squarefoot property is currently on sale for $15.95 million. According to school board president Todd Kantorczyk, the site contains a single three-story corporate building and 80,000 square feet of additional open space for construction. The Agreement of Sale
contract provides the district 60 days to vet the property with a 2% deposit without closing. “You’re taking an office structure originally designed for adults and converting it into something especially designed for young children to spend a good portion of their day learning,” Kantorczyk said. “That’s a challenge.” The school board discussed the elementary school proposal at a special public informational meeting held at Conestoga on Jan. 17. During the meeting, the board presented a total project cost projection of $64.5 million and an expected annual operating cost of $8 million for a new school at the Swedesford location. The board is exploring two other district-owned properties
as possible locations for a sixth elementary school, and plans to open the school in fall 2027. While the spike in elementary enrollment is the primary reason behind constructing another elementary school, the school board identified the increasing number of students receiving special education, the possibility of implementing full-day kindergarten and Pennsylvania’s updated science standards as other factors. Beyond providing additional instructional space, another building would allow for shorter average bus routes, reduced school traffic and minimized future redistricting. The project would also prevent the division of Hillside Elementary School students between Valley Forge Mid-
dle School and T/E Middle school when students transition to middle school. While some public commenters at the Jan. 17 meeting expressed concerns about the project’s financing, many echoed the school board’s support for the proposed location and full-day kindergarten. Conestoga teacher and parent of elementary-age kids Katie Walter expressed her support for both initiatives during the public comment period. “I am in support of the decision to build a sixth elementary school,” Walter said. “It’s clearly needed both because of the projected enrollment and because of the need for full-day kindergarten. I think of the three locations, (Swedesford) is probably the best.”
Shrija Krishnan/The SPOKE
Voicing support: TESD parent and teacher Katie Walter (left) signs up to publicly comment at the school board’s special informational meeting regarding the construction of a sixth elementary school. The school board finalized an Agreement of Sale for a property on 1200 West Swedesford Road on Jan. 17.
News
2 The SPOKE
TESD increases bus drivers’ wages to $24 per hour
A BRIEF LOOK THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN T/E AND NATIONAL NEWS
School
board adopts preliminary 2024-25 school year budget
The TESD school board voted unanimously on Jan. 22 to adopt a preliminary $186 million budget for the 2024-25 school year. Due to insufficient revenue to cover appropriations, the board authorized the district to seek approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to exceed the 5.3% tax increase limit.
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Vaishnavi Sriadibhatla Staff Reporter
In effect for the remainder of the 2023-24 fiscal school year, the TESD school board increased bus drivers’ wages on Nov. 20. The board nego-
tiated new amendments to the current contract it has with third-party bus contractors, the Krapf Group and On The Go Kids, increasing the commercial driver’s license driver hourly pay rate from $21 to $24 per hour.
The school district and the bus contractor companies both agreed to split the costs of the increase. With the new daily rate in effect, the annual cost increase for the district transportation budget will be approximately $310,000.
TESD’s business administration office originally recommended this change to the school board. The office had received requests from the contractors at the beginning of the school year, stating that several bus drivers wanted to drive
Conestoga
to add, courses for 2024-25 school year remove
The 2024-25 Program of Studies included several new courses, such as Journalism Foundations, Asian American Studies, Pre-algebra, Sports and Entertainment Marketing, Robotic Engineering and Studio Session. Starting next school year, Conestoga will no longer offer Geometry and Finite Math and Songwriting.
Tredyffrin
Township receives grant for bike pump track construction On Jan. 17, Pennsylvania Rep. Melissa Shusterman announced that Tredyffrin Township will receive a $112,824 state grant to help fund the construction of a bike pump track first proposed in July 2022 by thenrising-eighth grader Dom Pecora and then-rising-freshman Ronan Lynch. The rest of the project’s funds will come from fundraisers.
Biden, Trump win New Hampshire primaries President Joe Biden won New Hampshire’s Democratic primary election on Jan. 23 through a write-in campaign. In the Republican primary, former President Donald Trump won and looks to win his third consecutive Republican presidential nomination. Read more at
NEWS
SRPRA plans to build new passenger rail service
On Dec. 11, the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority (SRPRA) started planning to update a cargo-only railroad line to accommodate passenger trains from Reading to Philadelphia, with stops in Pottstown and Phoenixville.
T/E LIFE
Weekly WIPs: New Studio Art tradition
When Studio Art teacher Amy Cruz noticed a trend on social media of artists posting their works-in-progress (WIPs), she wanted to make the idea come alive in her classroom. The weekly WIPs, or weekly works-in-progress, are a way for students taking Studio Art 4 and AP Studio Art to highlight their work process.
OPINION
Characters of color: We need more representation in film
Growing up, my favorite fictional characters were almost always the ones that were most like me: Yasmin from “Bratz,” Jasmine from the Disney princess films and Musa from “Winx Club.” I latched onto these characters because they either looked like me or had the same interests as me.
Sports
Girls ice hockey develops new players
The girls’ varsity ice hockey team has been helping players new to skating and the game of hockey by organizing nonleague games with other schools. The hockey team has 33 players but finds it difficult to give every girl play time on the ice.
Vaishnavi Sriadibhatla/The SPOKE
Competitive wages: With the institution of a bus drivers’ wage increase, TESD’s bus driver wages are now more competitive as compared with other school districts in Chester County. The district has struggled with a bus driver shortage since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Developers demolish local historic building Faith Zantua Co-Copy Editor
The historic Chase Road Barn was demolished in December 2023. Residents and local historical societies have discussed plans regarding the property for many years, with public requests to stop the demolition. Constructed around 1890, the building’s past as a part of Green Valley Farm, a roughly 800-acre farm that eventually turned into modern-day Chesterbrook, made it eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, according to the 2003 Tredyffrin Township Historic Resource Survey. Chase Road Picket Post Swim & Tennis Club also owned the barn for years as part of the club’s 4.8acre property. After the club’s 2016 closure, developer Finery LLC purchased the property in 2018. Finery LLC applied for a demolition permit for the barn, and the township approved the permit in April 2023. Erin McPherson, township director of zoning and planning, said during the Nov. 13 board of supervisors meeting that the township could not stop the demolition despite some public backlash, as the developer followed the required demolition permit application process. Pattye Benson, president of the Tredyffrin Historic Preser-
routes for other school districts due to their higher wages. The business office then conducted a study in collaboration with the TESD Human Resources Department comparing the district’s wages to those of neighboring school districts. The results found that the contractors’ concerns were legitimate and that T/E had lower bus driver wages than other school districts in Chester County. The business and HR department recommended further review of the issue to the school board’s finance committee, which presented an official proposal at its November meeting. The school board then officially reviewed and approved the proposal on Jan. 22. TESD school board president Todd Kantorczyk hopes that the wage increase will help reduce the effects of the lengthy, ongoing post-pandemic bus driver shortage. With the policy in effect, he envisions a reduction in students’ travel times. “The district would love to have more routes and more bus drivers. They just are not
Former VFMS custodian convicted, sentenced to prison Aren Framil
Co-News Editor
Courtesy Pattye Benson
Historical symbol: The developers are in a court case with Tredyffrin Township regarding the Chase Road Barn property’s zoning. Chase Road Barn was originally part of Green Valley Farm before its demolition in 2023. vation Trust, a local nonprofit tion at the Nov. 13 board of su- she notifies Benson and Rob 501(c)(3) dedicated to preserv- pervisors meeting. Williams, chair of the town“There was a lot of neighbor ship Historical Commission. ing historic buildings, spoke with the property developers in concern about the condition of Benson often uses the notice the barn, and the township did to contact the owner and take hopes of preserving the site. “By itself, (the barn) was prob- have repeated notices of (main- photos of the property before ably not so significant,” Benson tenance) violation,” McPherson its demolition. At the Jan. 16 township board said. “What was significant to me, said. “It’s private property, so was its demolition.” the property owner chose to of supervisors meeting, the In past years, the develop- (demolish it). I guess the re- board approved the Historical ers had plans to preserve the pairs needed for that barn were Commission’s application for a $20,000 Certified Local Governbuilding but eventually were not feasible.” not able to pursue them due to McPherson noted that Tre- ment Project Grant. The comzoning restraints. dyffrin Township does not mission plans to use the funding After years of complaints have any protected proper- to hire a consultant that would about the developers’ handling ties. Whenever she receives advise the township on how to of the property, residents asked a demolition permit applica- update the Historic Overlay Refor a hold on the barn’s demoli- tion for a historic property, source District to better protect historic resources. “Every building, regardless of its historic significance, is at risk to be demolished by either their owners or the heirs to the property,” Benson said. “People move to the Tredyffrin/Easttown area for a variety of reasons — school district being top of the list, I’m sure. But another significant reason is because (of) a sense of history here. And if we’re going to continuously destroy our history, Faith Zantua/The SPOKE we’re not going to be any differDemolition underway: The Tredyffrin Township Historical Commission is looking to hire a consultant to improve protection ent than some kind of suburban of historic resources. The township approved the demolition permit for Chase Road Barn in April admist public backlash. sprawl somewhere else.”
out there at the moment. So, the hope is that the increase will at worst maintain the status quo and hopefully get in some more bus drivers which will impact the T/E community in terms of making sure that the kids are home earlier and the buses are on the roads for less time,” Kantorczyk said. Arthur Ume, a T/E bus driver working under The Krapf Group, is happy about the wage increase. He believes that bus drivers should receive sufficient pay for their efforts and said that being a bus driver is a high-stakes job that comes with a lot of responsibilities. “It is not only about the salary. It has to come from the passion to mentor kids, to mentor students. Most of us are doing this job because of that, not because of the pay,” Ume said. “If someone does not have the passion, they cannot be a school bus driver because this is a huge responsibility. You are carrying kids. Their safety is in your hands. So, it is a big, big responsibility, and takes a lot of nerves to do.”
Chester County Court of Common Pleas Judge Alita Rovito sentenced former Valley Forge Middle School (VFMS) custodian Rushon Drayton to prison on Dec. 11. The conviction followed Drayton’s guilty plea to unlawful contact with minors, corruption of minors, sexual contact with a student and other related charges. Drayton will serve 11.5 to 23 months in Chester County Prison, followed by five years of supervised probation for sex offenders. Tredyffrin Township police arrested Drayton on April 10, 2022 after being contacted by the mother of a VFMS student who became concerned when she found inappropriate text messages sent to her daughter by Drayton. On April 14, 2022, police became aware of a second victim to whom Drayton had sent explicit messages and gifts. “Our detectives worked quickly and diligently on this case to ensure the safety of the children at Valley Forge Middle School,” said Tredyffrin Police Chief Mike Beaty in a statement with the District Attorney’s Office. “We will continue to work with Tredyffrin/Easttown School District to protect all students and other potential victims.” A news release from the Chester County District Attorney’s Office on April 19,
2022 outlined the charges against Drayton and included statements from then-District Attorney Deborah Ryan. “Children deserve to be safe in schools and all adults are responsible to ensure their safety,” Ryan wrote in a statement. “We continue to stress the importance of reporting suspicious behavior knowing that we all must do what we can to protect our most vulnerable. We thank Tredyffrin Twp. Police for their hard work and swift apprehension of the defendant.” Drayton was released on $50,000 bail and did not report any employment between his arrest and conviction. On April 19, 2022, VFMS principal Matt Gibson and TESD Superintendent Dr. Richard Gusick sent an email notifying families and staff that Drayton had been fired and banned from school grounds following his arrest. They specified in the email that the former custodian, whom the district had employed since 2017, underwent procedural background checks and child abuse prevention training prior to employment. “We are deeply troubled whenever any allegations or charges have an impact on minors, and we know you are too. It is particularly upsetting when an adult working in our schools is involved,” Gibson and Gusick wrote in the email. “The safety and well-being of our students is vital.”
Tredyffrin Township board of supervisors approves 2024 budget Rohan Anne Webmaster
On Dec. 18, the Tredyffrin Township board of supervisors approved the township’s 2024 budget 5-1. The budget includes two newly created funds for both stormwater and emergency services within the township. The total cost for the budget this year is $61.9 million. Within the total cost, the board of supervisors allocated around $22 million to police and fire services. The township also prioritized the sanitation and stormwater departments this year with the apportionment of around $10.5 million in total to sewer and stormwater management. To aid in collecting this money, the board of supervisors is implementing raised taxes for both stormwater and emergency services funds. According to David Miller, chair of the township board of supervisors, project grants from the township will fund parts of the budget, such as stormwater management. “The actual stormwater projects are funded through a combination of taxes and then grants,” Miller said. “For example, we have a $2 million grant we’re going to an-
Rohan Anne/The SPOKE
Board budget: The 2024 Tredyffrin Township budget includes funds for both stormwater management and emergency services in the community. The Tredyffrin township board of supervisors approved the budget 5-1 on Dec. 18. nounce as it is a big project in the township.” The township gave $4.1 million to street management and $3.6 million to parks, recreation and recycling. The board of supervisors also allocated a total of $2.6 million
toward stormwater management, which the supervisors believed was necessary given flooding in past years. According to Miller, the township supervisors were unable to implement a fee for stormwater management due to a pending lawsuit.
“We were going to charge a (stormwater management) fee, but we couldn’t do that at the end of the day because there’s a case in progress right now. West Chester University, which is part of the Penn State system, sued West Chester
Borough in order to not pay their stormwater fee, arguing that the fee is a tax and that they don’t have to pay it as a tax exempt entity,” Miller said. “That case is going through the system right now, and we decided we were not going to
charge a stormwater fee and have someone sue us later.” The board of supervisors allocated $2.6 million to help both volunteer-based fire companies and emergency services. The fund aims to add a fire administrator, a management position for both fire and emergency medical services (EMS), to fire companies based in Tredyffrin in the second half of 2024. It also intends to increase income and funding given to fire companies. Michael Baskin, the Berwyn Fire Company’s EMS captain, said that getting funding for fire companies in Tredyffrin Township has been a multi-year effort that required a lot of collaboration. “Because Berwyn Fire Company was based in both the Tredyffrin and Easttown townships, this became a really collaborative process between Tredyffrin and Easttown, and it’s difficult to get these two townships with different sizes and populations to work together,” Baskin said. “The process of getting taxes dedicated toward fire and EMS was a really big accomplishment that took us a couple of years, and I think everybody’s pleased about where we wound up.”
News
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
The SPOKE
3
Scheduling committee conducted research, plans to rollout schedule Continued from page 1. How TESD administration will roll out the new schedule Before implementing Lunch and Learn, Conestoga administrators plan to guide students through an onboarding process in spring 2024. The administration will pilot the schedule with three lunchtimes instead of four in May. Lunch and Learn will not start until three weeks into the 2024-25 school year to ease students into the routine of having a single lunchtime for the entire student body. “I am a little concerned for the amount of people in a concentrated area,” sophomore Fure Abhulimen said. “I feel like it might get chaotic, but I’m hopeful that this will work out.” Scheduling committee members visited Garnet Valley, Harriton, Unionville and Radnor high schools, which all have Lunch and Learn, to see what aspects of their schedules could work best at Conestoga. Patel believes the visits were important because they allowed members to preview various schedules. “We really got to sit down with the administrators,” Patel said. “We just talked about what goes good with their schedule, what they need to work on and things like that. We could see what was happening in real time.” When Aaron Lockard, social studies teacher and member of the scheduling committee, visited
Garnet Valley High School to observe its Lunch and Learn period, he saw firsthand the success its students had with the initiative. “There was essentially zero trash in the hallways, but students all over the place: in the hallways, in different rooms, able to participate in clubs, able to just hang out and decompress from the rest of the day,” Lockard said. Students will only have four periods on Wednesdays and Thursdays as opposed to the eight they will have on the other three days. 1.0-credit classes will meet four times a week instead of the current five, with a longer, block period on either Wednesday or Thursday. English teacher Dori Madigan said that she thinks longer periods on block days will allow students more time to work on the writing process and engage in collaborative reading. “Writing is a difficult skill that doesn’t improve unless you get one-on-one feedback from your instructor,” Madigan said. “If you’re able to have that extra time to talk through what it is that you’re reading in the text, I think it’s going to improve every other aspect of the curriculum.” Math teacher Seth Shore said that, with a new school schedule, he will have to rethink the way he structures his lesson plans to prepare for the AP exam in May. “We still have to get through the same amount of material, even though we’re only going to have four face-to-face meetings a week instead of five,” Shore said. “Even
though the periods are longer, we still need to fit five days of material into four days.” As a result of the shift to a weekly cycle, days will alternate between “Garnet” and “Gray” designations, as opposed to numbers from 1 to 6. Wednesdays and Thursdays, as four-period days, will together count as either one Garnet or one Gray day. Every week, the colors will switch. Certain course offerings will adjust to fit the new schedule. In the current schedule, a class that meets three of the six cycle days is worth 0.25 credits. With the new schedule, students will attend the class on either Garnet or Gray days only. Courses that currently meet twice a cycle and earn 0.2 credits, such as College and Career Transition and physical education classes, will change to meet on either Garnet or Gray days and be worth 0.25 credits. How the committee created the schedule Conestoga introduced the current school schedule in 1992, only reviewing it once in the early 2000s without making any changes. After the COVID-19 pandemic, Principal Dr. Amy Meisinger and other district administrators decided that it was time for another reevaluation of the schedule. To reevaluate the current schedule, the school administration formed a scheduling committee in May 2022 composed
Designed by Lily Chen, Design Editor
of two students from each grade, one Conestoga teacher from each department and two parents of students from each grade. Teachers volunteered to be on the scheduling committee, and administrators chose one to represent each department. There was no public invitation for students and parents to volunteer to serve on the committee. Instead, Meisinger asked TESD
Faith Zantua/The SPOKE
Schedule summary: Principal Dr. Amy Meisinger and 11th grade vice principal Dr. Matthew Sterenczak present the mixed-model schedule at an education committee meeting on Dec. 7. The scheduling committee included administrators, teachers, students and parents. The schedule will take effect during the 2024-25 school year.
community and volunteer services coordinator Jeanne Braun to identify specific students and parents whom Braun thought had a “representative experience” of Conestoga. Meisinger invited the identified students and parents to join the scheduling committee. “The admin team talked about who we thought would be a nice selection, a wide variety, and we picked students that way,” Meisinger said. In January 2023, Meisinger and 11th grade assistant principal Dr. Matthew Sterenczak, a member of the scheduling committee, reached out to the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) for help in gathering input from those who would be impacted by the schedule change. Melissa Smith, CCIU assistant director of communications, marketing and engagement, found that the scheduling committee members prioritized reducing stress, improving access to breadth of course selection and increasing collaboration time. Smith put together six focus groups in spring 2023: two with staff, two with parents and guardians and two with students, none of whom were part of the scheduling committee. Meisinger sought volunteers through emails to parents and through group Schoology updates to students. Smith and CCIU members facilitated the focus groups, ask-
ing school board members and administrators not to attend to obtain honest feedback. Focus group participants discussed their thoughts about the current schedule and what improvements could be made. “It was more important for me to focus on what are the aspects of a schedule, your day-to-day that is important to you,” Smith said. “Then, we can help align a schedule that’s going to help meet that.” Using input from the focus groups, Smith developed a survey and administered it to Conestoga students, staff and parents from May 23 to June 9. On Sept. 7, Meisinger, Smith and Sterenczak presented the survey results at a school board education committee meeting. Using these results, the scheduling committee identified the main priorities to consider when creating the schedule: improving student and staff mental health, maintaining breadth of course selection, eliminating split lunches, maintaining privileges and having more time for collaboration. The chosen mixed-model schedule is similar to Radnor High School’s schedule, which it implemented two years ago. The block component of the schedule accommodates a Lunch and Learn period without switching to a full block schedule every day. “I think people were kind of scared of having an hour and
a half of math because people were worried (that) it might suck, but the one-hour lunch period makes up for it,” said Rhea Howard, a junior at Radnor High School. “It staggers the homework workload, which is great.” Social studies teacher John Herd believes that while the new schedule may be an adjustment for students and staff, it will have positive benefits for students and staff as a whole. “It’s going to require me to switch up my typical planning, but I’m looking forward to that new challenge,” Herd said. “I’m interested in making the most of Lunch and Learn, and hopefully the students will enjoy that also. Whenever something changes, there’s always going to be some resistance, so it’s natural for people to question doing this. However, I’m okay with change, and I look forward to the challenge.” Scan the QR code to watch an accompanying package
Q&A with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro Ben Shapiro Editor-in-Chief
The Spoke interviewed Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Jan. 17, the one-year anniversary of his gubernatorial inauguration. His 2023-24 budget provided the largest single-year increase in basic education funding in the state’s history. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Q: I know this has been a record-breaking year in terms of education bills and spending. Has education been one of your top priorities as governor? A: I think education is so important because it’s at the foundation of everything. If we get our education system right, then it’s much easier to create economic opportunity; if we’ve got our education system right, it has a positive impact on public safety. For me, investing in education has always been quite central to the work that we do. I’m really proud that in my first year as governor, we invested the largest amount in public education in the history of Pennsylvania. Q: Last year, the Commonwealth Court ruled that Pennsylvania’s public school funding formula was un-
constitutional, citing the inequality in money distribution among school districts as a driving force in the decision. How have the education spending bills that you passed as governor worked to answer some of the court’s questions and meet its goals? A: We are working on two things in Harrisburg. Number one: a new formula, so that when we spend $1 on our schools, that dollar gets sent out in a more equitable and fair way to the districts that need it most. Number two: increasing the amount of dollars. The good news is that we’ve already begun the process of increasing the investment. We were able to secure a budget where we invested more in public education than at any time in the history of Pennsylvania. We’ll invest more, and we’ll make sure that the dollars are driven out correctly.
Q: There have been a lot of positive responses from students regarding your universal free breakfast program, but what have been the reactions from other people, like the teachers? A: I have heard from a lot of teachers who have said to me that prior to a universal free breakfast, they had kids coming to school hungry, and it was harder for them to learn. Now, students are
coming, they have their bellies full, they’re ready to learn and they’re able to be more effective students. Teachers have seemed to notice that more than I expected. The teachers are really in touch with how their students are feeling — and they’re happy. Q: Within the past month, you signed a bill that would require all public school students in Pennsylvania to take a financial literacy class before graduating high school, among other things. What have been your goals when it comes to changing and updating state curricula? A: Financial literacy is just one important thing: I think folks need to learn how to consume information and media much more effectively. I’m not trying to tell students that you shouldn’t believe the position of the left or the right, but when you see a headline or you see a story, you need to be able to determine the difference between fact and fiction. I think we need to do a better job of teaching our history, whether it’s the history of 9/11 or the Holocaust, you name it. I think financial literacy is one example of the kind of thing that we need to be teaching young people in our schools and preparing them more effectively for the future.
Vivian Peng/The SPOKE
Teaching taxes: Personal finance teacher Jeffrey Conner teaches students about tax forms. The State Senate passed Bill 843 on Dec. 13, making the successful completion of a personal finance course a graduation requirement in Pennsylvania high schools starting in the 2026-27 school year.
Personal finance made graduation requirement Vivian Peng Staff Reporter
Currently, only half of U.S. states require high school students to successfully complete a personal financial class. Pennsylvania is the most recent state to institute this requirement. The State Senate passed Bill 843 on Dec. 13, making Pennsylvania the 25th state to require a stand-alone personal finance course worth at least half a credit in all high schools. The school board education committee is working on implementing the change into Conestoga’s curriculum. The graduation requirement will take effect in the 2026-27 school year and will affect current freshmen and all future graduating classes.
Personal finance teacher Bernadette D’Emilio believes Conestoga’s current personal finance course meets all requirements issued by the law. “I think that we should continue teaching exactly what we’re teaching, and I think that Mr. Pezzano, Mr. Conner and I are perfectly equipped to do it,” D’Emilio said. “We’re just going to add some more kids in here — that’s it.” A personal finance course is currently open to all grades at Conestoga. It covers topics including credit, taxes, bank accounts and insurance. “I think (finance class) is important,” said freshman Soumika Ponugoti, who took personal finance last semester. “I learned a lot about credit scores and bank accounts.”
According to D’Emilio, the school board has not yet determined the specifics of how the bill will be implemented at Conestoga. “I don’t know if the board will say (students) have to take it in ninth grade or have to take it in 10th grade or 11th,” D’Emilio said. Students currently must fulfill a Business/Technology credit by their graduation, which the personal finance course currently fulfills. The school board has not yet determined whether personal finance will still fulfill this credit once it becomes a separate requirement. D’Emilio worries that students will be less likely to take other Business/Technology courses if personal finance meets the new state requirement.
“Although I say I want kids to take (personal finance), I also don’t want it to limit their ability to take other classes,” D’Emilio said. “It fulfills their Business/ Tech credit, and so they might not take an engineering class or a TV class, and maybe they didn’t know that they would have loved to be in TV.” D’Emilio strongly supports the law and believes that having financial knowledge early is important. D’Emilio said that finances are hard to manage and easy to mess up. “I think that we as a country will benefit from this because the more people know about personal finances, the better off we’ll be,” D’Emilio said. “Knowledge is a kind of power, and it’s for the good of society too.”
T/E LIFE 4 The SPOKE
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Sophomore takes astronomical space photos George Zhang
Co-Director of Staff Development It is 2:30 a.m. in the brisk fall twilight. The shutter of sophomore Anthony Zhang’s Sony Alpha 6400 mirrorless camera snaps shut. Gazing up at the night sky, he takes a moment to absorb the beauty of the vast space above him and goes back to work. Zhang first noticed Arizona-based photographer Andrew McCarthy’s astrophotography posts on X, formally known as Twitter, and was impressed by the unique form of photography. Wielding his camera, he sought to recreate these shots. “I saw posts of astrophotography, and I was like, ‘That’s so cool. Can I do that?’ And so I started using my parents’ camera and experimenting with it, looking at YouTube tutorials and figuring out how to use it. Then, I went onto more specific space photography tutorials,” Zhang said. Zhang feels that astrophotography is slightly more challenging than other forms of photography such as landsscape or sports since there is a complete absence
of sunlight while focusing on the night sky. He said a challenge he faces is the need to account for the stars’ movement across the sky. “I take hundreds of short exposure photos because there’s so little light and there’s a lot of noise,” Zhang said. “There is a process called stacking where I reduce the noise and bring out the detail.” Zhang’s favorite part of astrophotography is post-processing in which he utilizes Adobe Photoshop to enhance his images. He views his work as a journey of personal development and hopes to one day share it with the world. “I really like (how) on the editing side I can take these photos and really put life into them. After stacking all of these images where you can barely see anything and doing hours of editing, you can bring out an amazing result,” Zhang said. “Maybe if I get better, I can share this with people, and I think they’ll like it. But for me, it’s a process of self-improvement and looking at my work and taking pride in it.”
Courtesy Anthony Zhang
Starry night: Sophomore Anthony Zhang takes a picture of the Milky Way galaxy from his backyard. Zhang started his astrophotography career in summer 2023 and is self-taught.
NexTrex plastic collection challenge sees success at ’Stoga Rowan Chetty
Co-Multimedia Editor
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Constructed by Will Scheidt, Contributing Game Designer ACROSS
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their goal, they can restart collecting immediately after. Apart from aiming to collect 1,000 pounds of plastic for the challenge, Hawkins also hopes to reduce overall plastic usage in the community. “This (initiative) is great and all, but the main goal would be to reduce the amount of plastics that we’re using,” Hawkins said. “My students will come in, and they’ll be like, ‘Whoa, I can’t believe how much we’ve collected already.’ And I think that’s a statement right there — they realize how much plastic we’re using on a daily basis.”
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“It’s a lot easier (working with Hawkins),” Katie Przybylowski said. “I think having that other person who also has a bunch of other students who help out is a lot of fun, and it’s helpful.” Hawkins collects plastic donations from students in a bin outside of her classroom and drops off the donations at a Wegmans or ACME after weighing and submitting pictures of the bags to NexTrex. Key Club adviser Allison Long reached out to Hawkins asking to provide Key Club members with the opportunity to donate plastic to the NexTrex challenge for volunteer hours. “That was another group of people that were doing something with plastic, but it wasn’t really widely publicized. The more people that know about it, I think we’ll get more plastics,” Hawkins said. The challenge is set to end before Earth Day on April 22, but if participants do not reach
Freshman draws pet portraits
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Inspired to make a difference amidst the growing global concern of pastic pollution, seniors and twin sisters Katie and Madie Przybylowski have collected more than 3,000 pounds of plastic for NexTrex over the last three years. NexTrex, an organization focused on reducing plastic waste in communities, is hosting a plastic collection challenge in which teams that collect at least 1,000 pounds of soft film plastics and packaging in 12 months will win a Trex furniture bench. NexTrex recycles the plastic donations and remakes them into plastic products. The Przybylowski siblings have been working with the NexTrex initiative since eighth grade and hope to make the T/E community greener. “If we see trash on the ground, (we think), ‘That’s awful, let’s pick that up,’” Katie
Przybylowski said. “We also PLOG, which is a mix of jogging and picking up trash.” This year, environmental science teacher Amy Hawkins also expressed interest in helping reduce Conestoga’s plastic waste. An article about plastic pollution inspired Hawkins to reduce her plastic usage, and she joined the NexTrex initiative in November. “It (the article) said there’s going to be more plastic in the ocean by weight than fish, and that kind of just stuck with me,” Hawkins said. “I started thinking about what small steps I could do just as an individual.” When Hawkins went to enter Conestoga as a chapter for the challenge on the NexTrex website, she noticed that the Przybylowski sisters were already registered. After reaching out to them, Hawkins began working with the twins to increase donations from Conestoga students and staff.
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Under the cool lights of her basement, freshman Kylee O’Keeffe sits on the couch, hunched over her sketchpad. With her set of Prismacolor pencils, O’Keeffe meticulously draws another pet portrait for a friend. O’Keeffe started making pet portraits during the COVID-19 pandemic. She began creating commissioned work a year ago when her friends asked her to draw their pets. Now, O’Keefee typically charges $30 to $50 per piece. A year ago, O’Keeffe had her first customer: her friend, then-eighth grader A.J. Nesbitt, who asked her to draw his late dog as a gift to his mom. Originally, O’Keeffe did not charge Nesbitt, but Nesbitt paid her $5 anyway. “It was kind of amazing how she did it because all I needed to do (was send) her a reference photo, and she picture-perfect just completely recreated it,” Nesbitt said. “It was insane. It only took her two days.” O’Keeffe’s parents, Brian and May O’Keeffe, said thatthey let her “do her own thing” when it comes to art. O’Keeffe took drawing and painting summer classes at the Wayne Art Center in sixth grade with her friends and has continued
Rajan Saha/The SPOKE
Pet portraits: Freshman Kylee O’Keeffe hangs up a drawing of her 3-year-old mixed-breed dog Pippa on her wall. She started taking art commissions of pets during the COVID-19 pandemic. attending classes since. Currently, she takes Studio Art 1 at Conestoga. “I think the classes now that she’s taking at Conestoga are giving her a further opportunity to explore different art mediums. It’s something that she’s going to decide herself where it goes (and) whether it’s
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. “Theirs” are big, boring, and repetitive. It’s a pretty easy choice, right? Find out more at CrimsonReview.com
something that becomes more than a hobby or whether it’s something that she can incorporate into her growth as she progresses into a career,” Brian O’Keeffe said. Kylee O’Keeffe plans to further market her business on Instagram and Etsy. As of now, she and her parents wish to
maintain a balance between her life as a student and an artist. “Art is her release,” May O’Keeffe said. “It’s her way of just decompressing so she gets all her work done. (She is) very self-motivated (and) self-driven; it’s her love. I look at it as something that she does just out of passion.”
T/E Life
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
The SPOKE
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Alumna aerialist: Taking a Conestoga education to new heights Ben Shapiro Editor-in-Chief
For 20 years, Ashley Zimmerman dedicated her life to dance. Then she switched to musical theater. Then to aerial circus performance. “I have a very vivid memory of my very first dance class when I was 4, and being like, ‘Oh my god, this is amazing,’” the 2011 Conestoga alumna said. “I just felt like this is what I should be doing.” Throughout her time in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District, Zimmerman danced for the Betsy Daily School of Performing Arts in Berwyn. She specialized in contemporary, modern and concert dance and continued her love for the art through college. After graduating from Point Park University, Zimmerman moved to New York City and performed with two companies, BodyStories: Teresa Fellion Dance and CoreDance Contemporary. She then decided to shift her focus to musical theater, and later, circus performance. She recently performed with Cirque Dreams on its Holidaze tour in late December. Zimmerman said that, after more than 20 years of dancing,
the “business of dance” no longer gave her the joy she was hoping for and that she felt like “the juice ain’t worth the squeeze.” “Performers are considered expendable, and it’s really highlighted in performing fields. The audition process could be very grueling — especially in New York City,” Zimmerman said. “I think I hadn’t found work that was fulfilling enough to make all of that worthwhile.” Right before the COVID-19 pandemic, Zimmerman performed on contract with Celebrity Cruises, where she discovered the art of aerial circus performance. Amidst the pandemic shutdowns, she trained with whatever equipment she could find at home under the guidance of personal trainers from Cirque du Soleil. “In my dance training, there was a lot of focus on the intention behind every movement, whereas in circus, there was a need to work on my overall strength,” Zimmerman said. “As a circus artist, you’re treated more like an athlete than dancers are.” Looking back at her teenage years, Zimmerman attributes much of her work ethic to dance training and the academic rigor of Conestoga.
She remembers going right from school to dance practice for multiple hours every day after school. “I remember people being like, ‘Oh it must be so hard.’ People would invite me to the movies, and I would have to say, ‘I can’t. I have rehearsal and then I have class and then I have homework.’ But I don’t really remember many times feeling like I was missing out on the human experience,” Zimmerman said. While she always saw herself as a performer, Zimmerman said that her younger self envisioned that she would have switched career paths by this point in her life. As a kid, she thought that she would become a doctor after dancing for a while. Zimmerman said that she no longer has plans to go back to school or move away from performing and training. “After my first dance class, I remember being like, ‘This is my life trajectory: I’m going to go to college for dance, I’m going to be a professional dancer and then I’m going to go to medical school,’” Zimmerman said. “Well, that is no longer my life plan. I don’t plan on being done performing anytime soon.”
Courtesy Nico Pires
Aerial aerobics: Performing tricks while flying through the air, 2011 Conestoga alumna Ashley Zimmerman molds her extensive background in dance into a career as a circus performer. After studying dance, performing with dance companies and taking a stab at musical theater, she found her true passion: aerial circus performance. She plans to work as a personal trainer while looking for her next gig.
Audrey Kim Staff Reporter
Teacher Feature: Ashley Carter Audrey Kim/The SPOKE
Love for spanish: Spanish teacher Ashley Carter teaches accelerated Spanish 4 and blended accelerated and honors Spanish 5. Carter always wanted to be a teacher but did not realize until her junior year of high school that she wanted to teach Spanish.
Ashley Carter always knew she wanted to be a teacher. In high school, she decided that she would focus on Spanish. At Conestoga, Carter teaches accelerated Spanish 4 and blended accelerated and honors Spanish 5. “Spanish was a hard class for me,” Carter said. “There was a long-term substitute in my junior year that made everything click while also making the class fun and engaging. I wanted to make sure that future students would be able to understand (the language) too.” Carter has been teaching Spanish for five years. After earning her bachelor’s degree in education from Kutztown University, she pursued her master’s degree in education at Rutgers University. During college, she played tennis, participated in the athletic advisory committee
and served as the secretary for the Latino cultural awareness club. Carter is currently working on obtaining her second master’s degree at the Pennsylvania State University in curriculum design. Previously, Carter was a long-term substitute at the Parkland School District in Allentown and a Spanish teacher at Upper Darby High School. She has taught at Conestoga for three years, and said that she appreciated the immense support from her colleagues when she came to Conestoga. “My colleagues really helped me to get accustomed to Conestoga and see what was different at this school based on where I was coming from, how I should be prepared and what activities worked really well for the students,” Carter said. “The students also really helped me at the same time to see what helped them learn.” At the end of 2022, Carter became the new teacher ad-
viser for Conestoga’s chapter of DECA, an organization that prepares high school students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management careers through various competitions. She enjoys seeing the students’ achievements and successes during events. “I know that they work really hard with DECA, so I like to see them go out and compete and do really well,” Carter said. “They seem to enjoy it, and that makes me really happy to be working with them.” Outside of teaching, Carter enjoys baking, playing tennis and going on walks with her dog in national parks. When choosing a career, Carter believes in prioritizing passions and values. “Follow your heart. (Don’t) necessarily go with something that’s easy,” Carter said. “Think about what you enjoy doing in life, and try starting there.”
Junior launches cookie-decorating business, Brown’s Cookies Zara Samdani
Co-T/E Life Editor For most teenagers, baking during the COVID-19 pandemic meant microwaving mug cakes until smoke detectors rang. But for junior Zion Brown, it was an opportunity to launch a lucrative business: Brown’s Cookies. Brown’s Cookies serves homemade, customized sugar cookies for weddings, birthday parties and other large gatherings. Since its inception in 2021, Brown’s business has expanded. As of now, she receives an average of two to three orders per month, designs up to 300 cookies per order and prepares multiple flavors, from vanilla to chocolate to peppermint. She has also launched a website, brownscookies.com, where she displays her cookies and advertises her business. “My process is really, really customized and tuned to the individual,” Brown said. “I have a conversation initially with the client. I first ask them, ‘What’s their vision? What’s their vision for that event? Are they planning something for somebody else? What reaction do they want on their face?’ That level of personalization with what they need (the cookies) for and what (designs) they like to have on them sets me apart from my competition.” Brown, who has experimented with food since she
was 9, crafted her own recipe for chocolate chip cookies during the pandemic. After receiving positive feedback from friends and family, her dad urged her to take her interests to the next level. “My dad proposed to me the idea of having my own business. I began scrolling on Pinterest and saw a set of engagement party cookies,” Brown said. “They were so elaborate and detailed, and I could tell that there was thought behind the design. I was like, ‘Can I do that too?’ I got in my kitchen, made some rudimentary icing and experimented. I was like, ‘Wait — that works.’” Brown employs a meticulous process to decorate her cookies. She begins by sketching the customer’s design on a piece of paper. Using her own recipe, she bakes the desired number of sugar cookies and allows them to cool. She uses royal icing, dyed with food coloring, to create a smooth base layer. She then utilizes pipettes, spreading knives and toothpicks to capture the intricacies of the design. “It is very complex. I have to space out the processing in my cookies because you never want your icing to get too dry. You never want your cookies to dry out either because the cookie is ultimately used,” Brown said. “During the summer, humidity levels are really high, which also has a huge impact on baking.”
Her process has evolved. It now takes her up to several days to create her cookies from start to finish. Brown attributes this not only to the increasing complexity of her designs but also to her desire to maintain a work-life balance. “I (have) a one-woman business which is sometimes a challenge, especially because I’m a student as well. I have other things going on, other projects that I’m working on,” Brown said. “But of course, whenever it’s time to make an order, I go into Brown’s Cookies mode.” In the future, Brown hopes to refurbish her website and increase the number of customers in her business. “I see my (business) growing slowly over time, and I’m okay with it. I’m satisfied. I’m excited for what the future has to come,” Brown said. “I am creative at heart. I love being able to design and take input from my clients. And I really just enjoy experimenting with a new medium of artistic expression because (cookie decorating) truly is an art to me.”
Zara Samdani/The SPOKE
Delectable decorations: Junior Zion Brown decorates a cookie using white and red royal icing. She designed the base layers two days prior.
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First Last/The SPOKE
Zara Samdani/The SPOKE
Zara Samdani/The SPOKE
Sweet enterprise: Junior Zion Brown decorates a ’Stoga-themed cookie. She used thin utensils to capture the intricacies of her designs.
Budding businesswoman: Junior Zion Brown poses with three Conestoga-themed cookies. The entire process took two to three days to complete.
T/E Life
6 The SPOKE
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
CLAY'S BAKE RY Bailey Kreszswick Staff Reporter
Making the main line sweeter day in and day out, Denise Bones turned a bakery into a small family-owned business. Since opening Clay’s Creative Corner Bakery in 1990, the 1982
Conestoga alumna, her husband Bill Bones and her mother Barbara Clark have been running the bakery for 33 years. They serve a variety of sweets from cookies and cupcakes to personally decorated cakes. “I really want everybody who walks in to walk out bet-
Bailey Kreszswick/The SPOKE
Family business: Clay’s Bakery owner Denise Bones decorates a cake. Bones opened the bakery in 1990, named after her late father Clayton Clark, and has been running it with help from her husband, mother and five children ever since.
ter than they came in, feeling better and having a smile,” Denise Bones said. Denise Bones’ father Clayton Clark, passed away a year before the shop’s opening. She decided to name the bakery in his honor. Bones had all five of her children involved in the business, decorating cakes, making pastries and serving customers since the age of 12. In the present, it is still family-run, with the children operating the website as well as continuing to decorate and serve customers. “The best part of it is that I really do get to see my kids all the time, and we’ve been lucky,” Denise Bones said. “I can know them a lot better, and they know me a lot better as another person as opposed to their mom.” Alongside making cupcakes and an assortment of pastries, customers know Clay’s Bakery for its personally decorated cakes. The bakery has a team of 20 employees, including three decorators and five bakers, who are trained to turn customers’ ideas into realities. “We are so custom and so agreeable to change things out and add things in — getting to the point where we could do something for you that might
look $1,500 in a picture, but we do it so that you’re just as happy when it’s affordable,” Denise Bones said. The bakery’s employees enjoy connecting with the community through discussing cake designs and serving customers at the counter. Clay’s Bakery is open on Wednesdays from 10 a.m–6 p.m., Fridays from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. “We take it very seriously what we do here as far as just the connection we might make,” Denise Bones said. “Even if it’s for a minute, even for one cake these people have ordered.”
700 Lancaster Ave, Berwyn
Wed: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Fri: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Sat: 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
Bailey Kreszswick/The SPOKE
Pastries galore: A selection of cookies, cupcakes, brownies, chocolate-covered pretzels and cakes line the insides of the glass display counters at Clay’s Bakery. Owner Denise Bones has run the shop since 1990 and offers both pre-made desserts and custom orders.
spatola's pizza Riddima Pandey Staff Reporter
With limited knowledge of the food industry, local resident Massimo Spatola never envisioned himself opening a restaurant. Now, he is the owner of seven pizza shops named Spatola’s Pizza located across Pennsylvania. Since its inception in 1987, Spatola’s Pizza has branched out to multiple locations in Pennsylvania. Spatola opened the pizza shop in Paoli in 2012. Spatola is from Palermo, Sicily, and when relatives offered his family an opportunity to move to America, they saw their chance to start fresh. “It gave me so much more opportunities than I would ever have over there,” Spatola said. “It allowed me to grow a business that I probably wouldn’t be able to do over there.”
Before Spatola arrived in America at the age of 11 in 1986, his brothers were already working at Stromboli’s Pizza in Queens, New York. Soon his brothers earned enough money to start their own business named Spatola’s Pizza. After Spatola graduated high school, he joined his brothers in helping run the business. After years of growth, Spatola’s Pizza expanded to more locations. Ever since he started running the business, Spatola has learned to love working in the restaurant industry. “I really like what I do, and when somebody walks in the door, they can see that you love what you do, and they can respect it,” Spatola said. Running a small business has come with challenges. Spatola had to figure them out along the way with the help of his siblings. After years of experience, Spato-
32 W Lancaster Ave, Paoli
Riddima Pandey/The SPOKE
Fresh out of the oven: Spatola’s Pizza employee Julio Towrirs takes a pizza out of the oven. He started working at Spatola’s Pizza a year and a half ago. la realized that passion is what learned to love the people in grows the business. the community. “If you believe what you’re “We donate to the church, doing is good, the business will and we donate to the fire comcome, and (the business) actually pany. It’s a beautiful communisuffered for the first couple years,” ty. I love the community here,” Spatola said. Spatola said. “All the shops that Despite the challenges of run- I own are my babies. I love ning a small business, Spatola loves them. I love what I do, so it’s his job. Opening a shop in the my livelihood.” community has given him a chance to meet new people. “People are very warm, and during Christmas, they come in, and they bring gifts for us,” Spatola said. “They’re just very generous, Mon–Thu: 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m. nice people.” Fri–Sat: 10:30 a.m.–10 p.m. Not only has Spatola grown Sun: 11 a.m.–9 p.m. a local business, he has also
Cafe pom Eva Kennedy
Social Media Editor Nestled in the heart of the Paoli Village Shoppes, Cafe Pom first opened its doors on Dec. 18, offering a fusion of Armenian and Middle Eastern flavors. Behind the scenes, the cafe reveals a tale of resilience and a commitment to preserving cultural heritage.
Anita Torcomian, a former accountant, founded Cafe Pom after realizing that she wanted to start her own business. She wanted to avoid working for someone else and break free from the role of a stay-athome mom. Recalling the cafe’s opening, Torcomian cherishes the memory of her friends and family rallying together to set up the store.
“The first week we opened, our entire extended family from the area was here,” Torcomian said. “My father-in-law was washing dishes, my mom was downstairs cooking, our kids were doing the registers and our friends came and helped stock the shelves. Even our cousins were pitching in. It was heartwarming to know that we had so much support.”
Eva Kennedy/The SPOKE
Culinary riches: The Mediterranean market and cafe is stocked with authentic Middle Eastern snacks and flavors, including imported Armenian spring water and Cafe Pom’s well-known teas. Owner Anita Torcomian named the shop after the pomegranate fruit, which holds signifcance in Armenian culture.
The passing of the owner of the store Armenian Delight, where Torcomian had previously worked, became a turning point in her life. Determined to fill the void and introduce diverse flavors of Armenian and Middle Eastern culinary traditions to the local community, Torcomian embarked on her entrepreneurial journey. With the help of former workers from Armenian Delight, Torcomian aimed to bring justice to the recipes of the store. Cafe Pom also serves as a Middle Eastern market that features authentic ingredients such as teas and coffee. One popular standout item is its Armenian spring water, exclusively exported from Armenia itself. “It’s traveled a long way to get here and is very difficult to locate in a 20-mile radius or beyond,” said Steven Keytanjian, a close friend of Torcomian and her family. “Some of the best water in the world comes from Armenia. It’s a commodity that may become more valuable than oil someday.” The shop’s name is derived from the word ‘pomegranate.’ It is not explicitly Armenian but holds cultural significance. “The pomegranate fruit has a lot of significance with Armenian culture and fertility. So, even though it’s not an Arme-
nian word, it’s very symbolic to Armenian culture,” Torcomian said. Torcomian’s initial introduction to the idea of opening her own store was a light-hearted moment with her husband. “The night that I stopped working, we drove past Marple Public House, which was a few doors down from the other Armenian store that shut down,” Torcomian said. “Then my husband made a joke. He said, ‘Oh, maybe you should try to buy that Armenian store.’ He was just joking. But now he says it’s the most expensive joke he’s ever made.”
Eva Kennedy/The SPOKE
Family bonding: Anita Torcomian stands by Cafe Pom’s register with her kids, dressed in matching uniforms, where they help her on busy days. Torcomian opened the business after the community’s previous Armenian store closed.
19 Paoli Plaza, Paoli
Mon–Wed: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Thu–Fri: 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Sat: 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
T/E Life
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
The SPOKE
7
MAI N LI N E FASH ION ISTA Madeline Pulliam Staff Reporter
Main Line Fashionista Boutique gives women a place to find affordable, trendy clothing that does not take six to eight weeks to arrive in the mail. Women in the community can buy clothing for a wide variety of events at the boutique. Main Line Fashionista started as an online store that shipped all over the country. Along with its website and Instagram page, the brick and mortar boutique opened on Nov. 18, 2022, across from the Paoli train station. The boutique’s Instagram page keeps followers up to date on trends and new arrivals. Award-winning stylist Ashley Meyers runs the local boutique. “I love Main Line Fashionista. It is such a cute store with a good atmosphere, friendly employees and plenty of clothes to choose from,” said junior Camden Kramer, frequent Main Line Fashionista shopper and former employee. Meyers began Main Line Fashionista to give women a way to receive styling help and affordable clothes in one place. She has helped find clothing with the right fit for women as well as dressing them for their jobs and TV interviews.
“The reason I opened the store is because I had been a fashion stylist for 10 years and I love helping and dressing people,” Meyers said. “Before the store, I was going into closets or taking women out shopping and helping them solve problems. I love it because it is less about runway fashion and more about everyday problem solving.”
Meyers said that she grew her business backwards. She started the brand online and on Instagram about seven years ago, which is where her following started to grow. She continued building a strong foundation before opening the physical boutique. “A lot of the time people will open a store first and then try to
build the followers, and it’s kind of cool because we worked the other way,” Meyers said. The boutique has clothes for every season, from sweaters and jeans for the colder months to graduation dresses and skirts for the warmer months. Main Line Fashionista also features locally-made jewelry to pair with the outfits.
“My boutique feels special because it is really fashion forward, but the price is really affordable,” Meyers said. “Often, you’ll walk into a small, little boutique, and it’s really expensive, designer stuff that has the vibe that it isn’t for everyone. But I really wanted to create a boutique that could dress grandma to mom to daughter.”
Madeline Pulliam/The SPOKE
Beautiful baubles: Main Line Fashionista not only sells clothing, but it also has many accessories from which shoppers can choose. Meyers stocked the store with locallymade jewelry, as well as stylish bags, hats and shoes.
31 Paoli Plaza, Paoli
Madeline Pulliam/The SPOKE
Trend-setting: Main Line Fashionista offers trendy and affordable clothing for a variety of occasions. Local stylist Ashley Meyers started the boutique on Instagram as a way to help women with fashion styling and expanded to a physical shop in 2022.
Tue–Wed: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Thu–Sat: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Sun: 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
that's sew cool Abbie Preston Staff Reporter
When Kathy Stoeri was managing her daughter’s cheerleading team’s leotard orders, she was faced with the price of $100 per top and a lengthy car ride to Delaware. The next year, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
Mon–Fri: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Sat: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Ever since then, Stoeri has embroidered, printed and rhinestoned for her business, That’s Sew Cool, in Berwyn. Stoeri creates custom designs on outsourced products and items brought in by customers. The intricate process of creating a piece begins with designing vector art on a computer to program stitches for the embroidery machine, requiring a deliberate balance of analytical and creative thinking. “It (embroidery) is such a combination between creativity and math, so I use both the left and right brain all the time,” Stoeri said. “It’s very technical in the
way in which you set up embroidery. There are certain rules you follow, and it is very mathematical in the way you set it up. But it is very creative and artistic in the way of creating something that has some appeal beyond mathematical precision.” After growing up in Michigan, Stoeri came to Pennsylvania to earn a master’s degree at West Chester University. She spent years teaching at local school districts such as Great Valley and Phoenixville. With the help of a mentor she met online who assisted her with learning how to operate embroidery machines, she discovered the fundamentals to run her business. She found that being a teacher and a business owner has more similarities than she expected. “When you’re in your classroom, it really is almost like running your own little business. You have set the rules in that classroom,
and you’re responsible for what goes on in that classroom,” Stoeri said. “I have always liked being responsible for what I was asking myself to do.” While Stoeri enjoys crafting her designs, she said that the most rewarding facet of her job is the people she encounters. “The bottom line is all about meeting and greeting people, listening to them to know what they want and then being creative to bring that vision or what they need to life,” Stoeri said. “The most fun part for me is the combination of meeting people combined with business.” After 25 years, Stoeri continues to find enjoyment in her work. Each day brings a new set of tasks that excites her, which is why she continues to run her business. “I really love it, so I just keep going,” Stoeri said. “I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. I’m having too much fun.”
804 Lancaster Ave, Berwyn
Abbie Preston/The SPOKE
A sew-cessful business: Bags hang around That’s Sew Cool, a custom embroidery shop. Owner Kathy Stoeri opened the business 25 years ago after managing a pricey uniform order for her daughter’s cheerleading team.
kram e r drive
Hannah Simon Co-Copy Editor
Armed with a simple home printer and love for stationery, in 2004, sisters Meg Robertson and Molly Ryan began Kramer Drive: a locally-based stationery business intent on putting personality to paper. After starting out with home shows and local orders, Robertson and Ryan hosted an exhibit at the National Stationery Show, at which 135 stores bought their line. The sisters focused on solidifying their wholesale paper business, but in 2014, due to needing more space and meeting increasing demand, they expanded. Since then, the business has continued to grow, and Kramer Drive currently operates in two
Mon–Fri: 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat: 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Sun: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
locations in Berwyn: an office space designated for stationery design and a storefront where customers can purchase general stationery items along with various clothing pieces, accessories, hostess gifts and knickknack items. “It was interesting because we never stopped and said, ‘Do we want to do this?’ We just kind of responded to what the customers were looking for, and it worked out really well,” Robertson said. Often producing stationery for their customer’s important life events — beginning with weddings and baby showers to birthdays and funerals — Robertson and Ryan have gotten to know the families they work with, an
aspect of their business that they said they love and about which they feel most passionate. “When you’re starting a business, I think you should be passionate about it,” Robertson said. “We really did love it, not just the paper piece and the actual invitation, but we loved the relationships that we formed.” Growing up on a cul-de-sac with 12 other families, Robertson and Ryan experienced foundations of family, friends and community early on. Now as co-business owners, they put these values, and their customers, first. “We want them to feel welcome. We also want them to feel good. We want them to come in and feel like they’re
going to feel happy when they leave,” Robertson said. Robertson and Ryan currently work alongside a team of approximately 30 women, designing fresh items including an in-the-works baby catalog and everyday stationery line which features notepads and thank you notes. No matter the direction the business takes, Robertson and Ryan said they are fortunate for the outpouring support from the T/E community.
“We see the middle school kids come into the store on Friday afternoons when they go to Handel’s to get their ice cream. We like that. It’s like, ‘Yeah, people come in and know the store but also feel comfortable there,’” Robertson said. “It’s not a surprise when you look across the floor and you see three people chatting. And that’s the best feeling because that’s an element of shopping that you really wouldn’t expect, and it means so much to us.”
Hannah Simon/The SPOKE
Shop, share, celebrate: Greeting cards for various celebrations are on display at Kramer Drive in Berwyn. Sisters Meg Robertson and Molly Ryan began the business in 2004 and have since expanded to an in-person and online shop.
575 Lancaster Ave, Berwyn
Hannah Simon/The SPOKE
Blue jean baby: House warming gifts, beauty items and clothes are on display at Kramer Drive in Berywn. Co-owners Meg Robertson and Meg Ryan began by primarily creating stationery, though in recent years have expanded to carrying other knick-knacks.
OPINION 8 The SPOKE
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
SATIRE
Why Groundhog Day rules
Jessica Li/The SPOKE
PIAA probation: ’Stoga needs to do better
Maya Shah
Co-T/E Life Editor As a school that consistently ranks among the top five public high schools in Pennsylvania on platforms such as Niche and U.S. News, Conestoga is used to achieving excellence. Whether in academics, arts or athletics, there are always a plethora of resources and opportunities available to ’Stoga students. That is, until there aren’t. Following the boys’ varsity soccer team’s victory at the 2023 State Championship in
November, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) placed Conestoga on probation for the following three athletic seasons. Athletic director Kevin Pechin cites both fan and team behavior at the game as the driving factor in the PIAA decision. Further misconduct may result in Conestoga’s disqualification from competing in postseason district and state competitions. This is not the first time our school has seen a rowdy game, but it will hopefully be the last. This punishment comes at the end of a long run of unsportsmanlike conduct from our fans and players alike, through which students and administrators have gotten much too comfortable with their reputation for misconduct. Though harsh and perhaps unfair to members of teams completely independent of the incident, the pro-
bation is a rude awakening to the fact that it took PIAA interference to discipline ’Stoga’s own student body. The most alarming part is the reputation our school is cultivating. As a co-captain of the girls’ tennis team, I saw firsthand the high-stakes environment a big game creates. Regardless of the pressure, tennis and numerous other teams at Conestoga have long balanced excellence in both performance and sportsmanship. Now, the actions of a minority of fans and athletes may undermine our ability to compete at the highest levels. Some may argue that this burden falls solely on the students, and the administration bears no responsibility in this case, namely because the fans acted directly against administrative guidelines. While this may seem true, it ignores the fact that fan misconduct at games has been
a long-standing trend prior to the 2023 boys soccer state championship. Administrators had the opportunity to find a solution to the growing toxic fan culture, yet failed to do so. At the end of the day, both students and administrators alike are culpable for the reputation our school presents, meaning we are equally deserving of the consequences. The best thing to do is take this as a lesson: Do better. Our administrators should not be afraid to more harshly punish individual students for their actions at school-sponsored sporting events. Simultaneously, as fans, your actions at this point can only harm the people playing on the very field beside which you are cheering. So, on behalf of all student athletes, next time you’re all bundled up to show your support, show it in a way that makes Conestoga proud.
Eshan Singh Staff Reporter
On Feb. 2, the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil took the stage to inform us of our fate. If he saw his shadow, there would be six more weeks of winter. If he did not, winter would end early. The tension in the room was palpable. All eyes were glued to the TV screen. Everyone was holding their breath in anticipation. You can find scenes like this across the US and Canada. This enthusiasm shows that, without a doubt, Groundhog Day is the best holiday ever. Some simple-minded skeptics say that Phil is not actually magical. Well if that was true, then why, according to the newspaper York Daily Record, was there a massive winter storm in 2022, the year that Phil saw his shadow?
reindeer are not creepy like the Easter Bunny, but they are incredibly boring. Flying has got to be the most basic magical power ever. Being able to predict the weather is infinitely cooler. Waiting for Phil to make his prediction is way more suspenseful than opening presents. There are probably some oddballs who are happier receiving something they have wanted for months than finding out that winter will end early, but I am sure they are a tiny minority. Some people may claim that Halloween or Christmas is better because they are centered around being with your friends and family. Those people are part of the anti-Groundhog Day conspiracy. By calling Halloween and Christmas the best holidays, these people make large sums of money selling decorations and other holiday goods. Christmas is widely considered to be the best holiday, and it is no wonder why: People spend big on both decHannah Gupta/The SPOKE orations and presents. The prevalence of holiday The Easter Bunny gives eggs containing candy and chocolate movies and music shows just how to children, which is just weird. much the conspiracy has been sucWhere do the eggs come from? cessful in pushing the inferior holDoes the bunny lay them? If so, iday of Christmas on us. We must why does it give what are essen- fight against this conspiracy. We all must recognize the indisputable tially its offspring to kids? Next is Christmas. Santa uses fact that Groundhog Day is the magical reindeer that can fly to greatest holiday ever conceived. deliver presents to children. The Groundhog Day truthers unite! In fact, according to meteorologist Joseph Meyer, Phil has gotten 47% of his predictions right from 1900 to 2019. Meyer claims that Phil should theoretically be right 50% of the time since he only has two options, but he is just trying to keep his job. Everyone knows that weathermen are never right, and 0% is a lot less than 47%. No other holiday comes close to Groundhog Day. First, you have to eliminate every major holiday that does not include a magical animal, leaving Groundhog Day, Easter and Christmas.
Start using public transport
Mareska Chettiar Photography Editor
America’s public transportation system has been failing, especially outside of highly populated areas. In the suburbs of Philadelphia, it is nearly impossible to get anywhere without a car, whether it be the grocery store, the gym or a restaurant. According to a 2017 Sage Journals article, attendance can be an issue for students who rely on cars as their main source of transportation. Researchers also state that every one minute increase in commute time creates a 1.3 minute decrease in sleep, showing how longer commute times impact a student’s overall health. Leaving school after hours is increasingly difficult without a car or someone to provide a ride. For example, Chesterbrook has no local train station, making a car the easiest option to get there. Other student hotspots, like the Upper Main Line YMCA, the various libraries in the district
or smaller town squares, have no bus stops close by. Conestoga itself has no public bus stops close by — the nearest being on Lancaster Avenue which is about a 20-minute walk. Having a widespread network of public transit brings numerous advantages to the community: more general accessibility, increased independence, decreased reliance on cars, reduced general carbon emissions with less traffic and decreased travel times. Despite this, in September 2023, the Pennsylvania House Transportation Committee vetoed an initiative to increase funding for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). SEPTA, an entity that provides both bus and train services in the area, has been operating at a loss. It expects to run out of funds in April without the $190 million increase to support transportation in the 2024 state budget. In response, SEPTA may increase the transportation fare or employ service cuts if it does not find other sources of funding, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Transportation budget cuts mean fewer trains and buses and longer waits if you miss your transit. With the transportation system already in bad shape, SEPTA’s potential service cuts
could affect people who use its services to go to work or for general travel. In addition to the lack of public transportation, there is also little understanding of the current system. A survey by PennDOT in 2019 revealed that only 19% of people in Pennsylvania regularly use public transit. Encouraging the use of these vehicles locally will provide a natural push for better services and an increased budget while also being better for the environment. If more people started taking the train to Philadelphia instead of driving there, the rise in train usage would encourage increased investment in improving transportation. While there have been general attempts to decrease traffic on the roads, such as adding more lanes to busy roads and highways, they do not address the root cause of the problem: There is not enough public transport. To combat the issue, we can call our representatives and ask for a bigger transportation budget or a better transportation system with more bus stops and better accessibility. Even though cars seem like the easier, more accessible option, changes to the current public transportation system can lead to trains and buses replacing them as the first choice simply because of availability and decreased travel time. It’s time we started advocating for public transport.
Anjali Chand/The SPOKE
Turn off Turnitin
Miya Cao
Staff Reporter
Eden Liu/The SPOKE
In November 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, an accessible, chatbot-style generative AI technology. The software raised questions for the educational world: How can students learn when they do not even have to write their own essays anymore? Does using AI count as plagiarism? School administrators had to quickly develop policies to regulate the use of AI in schools. Turnitin is most known for its plagiarism detection tool,
The Spoke is published seven times a year by Trumbull Printing. It consistently receives a Gold rating from the Pennsylvania School Press Association and is a National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker award-winning publication. The Spoke serves as a public forum for student expression.
The
Staff
Editor-in-Chief: Ben Shapiro Managing Editors: Abigail Bagby, Shreya Vaidhyanathan News Editors: Aren Framil, Howard Kim T/E Life Editors: Zara Samdani, Maya Shah Opinion Editors: Jui Bhatia, Raima Saha Sports Editors: Tanisha Agrawal, Juliana Yao Copy Editors: Hannah Simon, Faith Zantua Design Editor: Lily Chen Photography Editor: Mareska Chettiar Webmaster: Rohan Anne Multimedia Editors: Rowan Chetty, Grace Kuryan Social Media Editor: Eva Kennedy Directors of Staff Development: Katherine Emmanuel, George Zhang
Business Manager: Michael Tierney Cartoonists: Anjali Chand, Hannah Gupta, Karen Hang, Chiho Jing, Jessica Li, Eden Liu, Lia Piccoli, Katelyn Wang, Mary Wolters Staff Reporters: Prashi Agarwal, Milan Agarwala, Fudail Ahmed, Miya Cao, Alex Carder, Vanessa Chen, Abby Chong, Sadie Chronister, Ryan Ding, Ashley Du, Isabelle Emmanuel, Kapil Gandi, Saktisri Gowrishankar, Joanna Harris, Jeffrey Heng, Audrey Kim, Bailey Kreszswick, Sowmya Krishna, Shrija Krishnan, Kevin Li, Lexi Lin, Riddima Pandey, Lauren Pinheiro, Abbie Preston, Madeline Pulliam, Rajan Saha, Louisa Sandorff, Emily Scheer, Sousanna Sengal, Eshan Singh, Vaishnavi Sriadibhatla, Benjamin Wang, Emily Wang, Alexa Willrich, Mary Wolters, August Zangrilli Faculty Advisers: Alison Ferriola, Laura Howard, Nicole Zakorchemny
but in April 2023, it rolled out its first AI detection feature. Seven weeks later, Turnitin released a report that its AI detection tool churns out false positives 1% of the time with longer texts and 4% of the time with single sentences. These numbers may seem low, but the stakes are high. In an August 2023 announcement, Dartmouth College ceased using Turnitin because of these inconsistencies, citing that even a 1% error rate would falsely flag 750 out of the 75,000 Dartmouth papers that Turnitin analyzed in 2022. Universities can and have kicked out students for plagiarism. It should not be left up to an error-prone platform whether a student earns a degree. In 2023, a Texas A&M University professor entered his students’ essays into ChatGPT and asked the software if it was AI generated. It subsequently claimed almost every paper was written by
AI. However, this is a flimsy strategy since ChatGPT cannot detect AI usage in any capacity. In order for schools to regulate AI use, they must ensure that teachers and administrators understand the technology. There cannot be such a wide margin of error when it comes to students’ academic standings. The reason for Turnitin’s erratic detection can be attributed to the nature of AI-detecting software. According to Edward Tian, the founder of the first ChatGPT detector GPTZero, AI detectors analyze perplexity, unpredictability and burstiness, as well as length and variation in sentences. Turnitin affirms that it uses similar processes. Since AI detectors are based on probability, it is inherently impossible for an AI detector to be 100% accurate. AI detectors are not reliable, especially as the technology is relatively new.
Non-staff contributions: Non-staff contributions from students, the community, graduates or other interested parties are welcome. Editors will decide which contributions are published based on space and relevance to the community. All contributions must conform to journalistic practices, including accuracy, timeliness, purpose and writing conventions. The Spoke reserves the right to work with the contributor to meet these standards. All outside contributions are bylined. Letters to the editor: Letters to the editor may be submitted to Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro at bshapiro@spoke.news, or advisers Alison Ferriola, Laura Howard and Nicole Zakorchemny. Editorials: Unsigned editorials represent the views of The Spoke Editorial Board, not those of the school administration, student body, community or advertisers. The opinions expressed in signed columns are those of the writer and not necessarily the opinion of The Spoke. Paid advertisements: The Spoke accepts paid advertisements. Email hello@spoke.news.
There is a simple way for teachers to combat AI use without using inaccurate technology or exclusionary testing: Asking students about their thought process. AI can be thought of as the calculator for reading and writing. When students are allowed to use calculators, math teachers still ask them to show their work. Teachers can also take advantage of students’ intrinsic motivation and make assignments more meaningful and relevant to in-class content to further deter cheating. Using inaccurate AI detectors will not solve the age-old problem of cheating anytime soon. Turnitin’s mission statement is “to ensure the integrity of global education and meaningfully improve learning outcomes,” but to achieve that, teachers and students must foster trust in the classroom instead of depending on faulty softwares.
www.spoke.news @thespoke the_spoke /thespoke @thespoke hello@spoke.news
Opinion
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
The SPOKE
Don’t bring armed guards into our schools
Jui Bhatia
Co-Opinion Editor Only a month into 2024, there have already been two school shootings across the nation, according to educational news organization EduWeek. This number will continue to rise as the year goes on. It is time for our lawmakers to take action and implement laws that will prevent such shootings from happening in the future. They are, though not in the most effective ways. The Pennsylvania Senate passed a bill on Dec. 13 that would make it mandatory for public school districts to have at least one armed guard on duty during school hours to better protect the
safety of students and staff. While the effort stems from a good place, having an armed presence in schools is antithetical to the purpose of lowering tensions and concerns around a possible shooting. According to a 2021 study from researchers at the University at Albany, the presence of armed guards at school did not decrease gun-related violence. It instead led to more arrests, d is c ipl i nar y actions and referrals that disproportionately targeted students of color, particularly Black students. While the armed guards did not directly instigate such events, their
presence at schools restricts and disrupts the learning environment. Moreover, the presence of armed guards in schools
also increases tensions around gun violence as armed guards serve as a physical reminder of a possible threat.
then caused more misbehavior, such as fights between students and the use of inappropriate language. Guards tended to make students more wary and increased their discomfort in school. Rising anxiety levels in students and an increase in volatile situations due to the presence of armed guards distract students from their academics. Wanting armed guards in school is not a phenomenon unique to Pe n ns y lv an i a . Texas Sen. Ted Cruz proposed the idea after the 2022 school shooting in Karen Hang/The SPOKE Uvalde, Texas, citstudents’ anxiety around pos- ing the extra reassurance armed sible shooter events. Students guards would provide for staff and felt more provoked with the students. According to the propopresence of guards, which nents of the idea, guards would act Similarly, the National Association of School Psychologists found that the presence of arms in schools increased
as a measure of safety in schools, allowing for immediate action to be taken in times of crisis. A better method of ensuring safety would be to ban weapons altogether. According to National Public Radio, an analysis of studies on gun control in the past 25 years found that banning weapons was the most effective at ensuring that young adults do not have access to firearms. If such a policy measure is not enacted, restriction on gun ownership is also quite effective. Regulations and background checks can restrict the number of people who own guns, therefore limiting the number of parents who own guns which is an effective prevention of school shootings. The presence of armed guards is not the solution to preventing school shootings. Instead, legislators need to start considering limiting weapon ownerships and installing checks in the process of acquiring arms. This is a problem that must be solved at the root, and it is important as citizens that we let our representatives know this.
9
Report Card
BB+
Cold front blows through US
+ we finally have snow and got a break from school - freezing temperatures and power outages occurred
D-
Alaskan Airlines plane door falls off mid-flight
+ everyone survived with no serious injuries reported - what happened was unsafe and avoidable
Oscar nominations come out
C+
+ “Oppenheimer” nominated for 13 categories - Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig snubbed by Oscars for “Barbie”
Editor Recs Editors: Kate Emmanuel and Shreya Vaidhyanathan, Co-Director of Staff Development and Co-Managing Editor Album: “Reputation” by Taylor Swift “We’ve always loved ‘Reputation,’ but lately it’s been hitting the spot more than ever. From ‘New Year’s Day’ to ‘Don’t Blame Me,’ ‘Reputation’ is timeless.”
Should be rewritten
Shreya Vaidhyanathan Co-Managing Editor
In 1787, our nation’s framers wrote and signed a document that would determine future American policy. Now, in 2024, the U.S. Constitution is becoming less relevant within today’s America. The Constitution is incorrect from its very first words: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union.” The list of 39 signers boasts names such as George Wa s h i n g t o n and Benjamin Franklin — but can a group of white men from before the turn of the 19th century speak for the “People of the United States” now? Since 1780, the demographics of the American population have drastically changed. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, racial categorization in the census began based on Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution, accounting for “Slaves” as a racial group until 1860. If the Census Bureau shifts its categories and language as the population changes, the Constitu-
tion should adapt in the same way to better reflect and serve its people, just as the Founding Fathers imagined it would. The Constitution references slavery and the Three-Fifths Compromise. It is common sense to want to remove terms such as “free persons” and “those bound to Service for a Term of Years,” never mind the usage of “Indians” to refer to Native Americans. The “People” the Constitution referred to are a wildly different group of individuals than exist in the US now; it is time for an update in the Constitution’s language. Twenty-three times, the Constitution refers to the President or a member of Congress as “he.” That is 160 million American women counted out,
discouraged yet again from pursuing a career in politics. This isn’t a new problem: this language has been outdated since 1872, when Victoria Claflin Woodhull became the first woman to run for U.S. presidency. Using only male pronouns to refer to public office might have been understandable in the 18th century when
The Constitution Should not be rewritten
women could not vote, but it does not account for the 151 women currently serving in Congress, as the Pew Research Center recorded last year. Besides the outdated language in the document, there are disconnects between present-day technology and what existed at the time of the Constitution. For example, the Second Amendment cemented “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms” but did not account for the 800,000 handguns that Americans bought just last month, according to independent newsroom The Trace. Rockefeller Institute found that increased firearm availability means higher rates of homicide. The rifles of the late 1700s are incompatible with the semi-automatics and pistols of 2024, and American legislation must be amended to reflect that. Also, in an age of digital data collection and mass surveillance by governments, the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures is insufficient in terms of specLia Piccoli/The SPOKE ificity and its lack of addressing technology. Yes, our Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution to outlive them and with the intention to accommodate America for decades to come, but the harsh reality is that both the Constitution’s language and content needs revamping. America in 1787 is not America in 2024, and our foundation of government should reflect that.
Abby Bagby
Co-Managing Editor
Mary Wolters/The SPOKE
We the People of the United States are fortunate enough to live in a nation governed by one of the greatest documents ever written. The principles set forth in the U.S. Constitution have been replicated by nearly every major democratic power since its enactment. The lack of diversity among the Founding Fathers, while an unfortunate product of their time, is not reflected in the framework they developed which has allowed progress toward one of the most inclusive governments in the history of mankind. While the Constitution’s age does not detract from its greatness, it has caused some to suggest that the document should be rewritten. The fact is that the Constitution is being reinterpreted, and thus “rewritten,” every single day. The preeminence of the Constitution lies not exclusively in the text that was written in 1787 but also in its implications as the nation developed. It is a living, breathing document, which the courts inter-
pret each day in the context of a modern America. Consider the Second Amendment, which was ratified in 1791, before present-day firearms and modifications had been developed. The Supreme Court has consistently upheld federal arms restrictions such as those on short-barreled shotguns, machine guns and silencers. Interpretation of the Fourth Amendment has similarly progressed in its restriction on “search and seizure” to limit governmental intrusion through technological advancements in the digital age. Though not everyone can be appeased by the Supreme Court’s decisions on various issues, the Constitution has and will continue to draw lines which are appropriate in present-day contexts.
The document is adaptable by its own provisions, which serve to keep it relevant. Although the Constitution initially permitted slavery, the implications of the Three-Fifths Compromise were nullified upon the ratification of the 13th and 14th Amendments. Similarly, the use of male pronouns in referring to the president and members of
Congress does not impose an exclusion of women from these positions. Regarding the value of male pronouns in the Constitution, Duke Law School Professor Darrell Miller stated that “too close a parsing, too much logic-chopping turns the Constitution from a legal structure for government into a symbolist poem.” The lack of modern, gender-inclusive language in the original document is simply irrelevant, as demonstrated by the 151 women who currently sit in Congress and the four who sit on the Supreme Court — not to mention the vice president of the United States. The Constitution, through its amendment process, allows for substantive adaptation. Amendments must undergo a rigorous proposal and ratification process, which ensures that any alterations align with the will of the people. Its slow, tedious nature, albeit frustrating for some, is necessary to prevent tyranny. More than a million of Americans have fought and died defending the principles enChiho Jing/The SPOKE shrined by the Constitution. The American Dream, which has been and continues to be sought after by many, began with that very document. The sacrifices made by people of all backgrounds over hundreds of years serve as reminders of its value. The Constitution is the backbone of the greatest nation on Earth. Without it, what is America?
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Sports
10 The SPOKE
Tuesday, Feburary 6, 2024
Track and field program welcomes new head coach Ryan Ding
Staff Reporter
Juliana Yao/The SPOKE
Running along: Head coach Alexander Foulke summarizes the lineups for the track team’s upcoming relays. Foulke was previously the assistant coach of the sprints team. He will still coach the sprint runners this year along with rest of the team.
Following the retirement of previous track and field head coach Mark Carberry, Alexander Foulke took over the position as the track and field head coach this year. Foulke started track in his junior year of high school and sprinted throughout college at West Chester University, competing in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. In 2017, Foulke joined Conestoga’s track and field program as the assistant sprints coach. As the new head coach, Foulke aims to make a few small but effective changes to the program. “I’m not trying to change a whole lot,” Foulke said. “When I got in, one of the things I noticed was the team really felt like it was broken up. In the past couple of years, we’ve been moving toward that idea of
collectiveness and that we are a track team together, so that’s what I want to keep encouraging and pushing.” Track and field athletes started their winter season in November. Many choose to continue until May through competing in spring track, resulting in tough seasons both physically and mentally. Foulke said that developing team unity will help with both sides of the sport. “The more you have togetherness and the more you have athletes start to feel like they are part of something bigger than just their individual events, (the more) that’s going to give them a better mental state for them to compete in,” Foulke said. Senior and distance runner Shane Walsh feels similarly, supporting Foulke’s approach and looking forward to a more unified team dynamic. “Right now, I feel like sprints is their own team, dis-
tance is their own team, jumps is their own team,” Walsh said. “And I think his idea is he wants to bring everyone together into one inclusive group, making it an actual team sport, rather than just everyone go off and score their own points. I like that.” Foulke aims to use the indoor winter track season as preparation for the outdoor spring season and avoid injuries as best as possible. Staying healthy is an important part of development, and Foulke plans to minimize damage by tailoring individual training and practices. “The words we always use for indoor is to get them through ‘happy and healthy,’” Foulke said. “Our team is pretty big, so all of our kids have goals all over the place. But the big thing I would say is that we want our athletes to go through the indoor season happy and healthy and feeling like they had a successful season.”
Ski Club plans winter trips Sadie Chronister Staff Reporter
In March, the Conestoga Ski Club will travel to Killington Resort in Vermont and Gore Mountain in New York. Both trips are overnight as the locations are more than five hours away. Overnight trips require transportation, lodging and chaperones, leading to an extensive planning process. Senior Nathan Horvath enjoys being a member of the Ski Club as he is able to travel to new places at an affordable cost. “Being part of the Ski Club is really nice because you are surrounded by fellow ski and snowboard enthusiasts that love the same thing you do, making it
super easy to strike up a conversation,” Horvath said. Science teacher and club sponsor Michael Kane began preparations for the annual club trips in September. He books the trips through the Classic Ski Tours company to help determine further logistics and costs. Horvath looks forward to attending this year’s trips. “My favorite part of the ski trip is definitely the bus ride. Last year, we blasted music all the way down, watched movies on the televisions and even had NBA 2k tournaments,” Horvath said. A challenge for some students is that all permission slips must be signed by a parent in front of a notary
or district employee. To help students coordinate the signatures, the club held a fundraiser at Chipotle Mexican Grill on Feb. 3. “Last year I got the idea that I’ll sit at Chipotle on fundraiser night, and as parents come in, I can be the witness and they can sign the paperwork. This way, the club gets some money which allows us to have some extra funds in reserve,” Kane said. After the planning is complete, Kane said the best part of the process comes: the trips itself. “I love doing it (because) I’m the only one in my family that skis,” Kane said. “So it allows me to take a long weekend while still working.”
Courtesy Goldia Kiteck
Row-row-row your boat: Rowers practice during the Learn and Row program. Head coach Goldia Kiteck said this year’s group of aspiring rowers are energetic.
Freshmen gear up for crew tryouts August Zangrilli Staff Reporter
Courtesy Michael Kane
Making memories: Chaperones gather together during the 2020 Ski Club’s ski trip. They are planning for this year’s trips.
Conestoga has offered crew as a club sport at ’Stoga for 25 years. Tryouts begin in January, but the season unofficially starts in the fall with the Learn to Row program, a series of training sessions to teach novice crew members the basics of rowing in time for tryouts. Freshman Aarush Kumar saw an advertisement for the program that piqued his interest. “The program was helpful in warming up new rowers for the season. It imitated how real
practice sessions are held,” Kumar said. Crew interest meetings during the 2022-23 school year introduced then-eight grader Serafina Ameche to the program before she entered high school. “Some of the JV and varsity kids came down during eighth grade and did an interest meeting for anyone who wanted to go,” Ameche said. “That was the main thing that stuck with me.” Ameche and Kumar aim to find a community and improve their grasp on rowing skills. They look forward to building a strong team and friendships.
“I am joining for the bonds I will form with my teammates,” Serafina said. “Long friendships can be made from the comradery of rowing and everything.” Both freshmen had no crew experience before joining the team, but had been involved in other sports. Kumar plays tennis, and Ameche had experience with softball, basketball and sprinting. During the tryouts, there is a certain process and traits that head coach Goldia Kiteck looks for in potential athletes. “We are mainly looking for coachability on top of fitness. Are they responding to instruction?
Are they communicating with the coaches? Attitude is another aspect. Are they bringing energy to the team and bringing others up?” Kiteck said. “So, it’s not necessarily just the physical aspect but also seeing if they are a good fit for the team overall.” Kiteck said students trying out formed a distinct group. “We have a very large, energetic group that is naturally competitive, even if they aren’t all natural athletes,” Kiteck said. “This is something that we do not get every year. What I have seen definitely embodies what we want to see in novices.”
Senior plays on Philadelphia Union Development Squad Louisa Sandorff Staff Reporter Senior Diego Ramirez is currently playing on the developing team for Philadelphia’s Union soccer team. Ramirez started playing for the Union Development Squad (UDS) in mid-March last year and said has been enjoying his time on the team ever since. UDS plays in the United Premier Soccer League, the largest and most competitive pro-development league in North America. This season, UDS has five wins, three losses and one tie. The team qualified for the MLS Next Cup playoffs and is hoping to play its best
throughout the upcoming playoff games. “We play at a semi-pro level against some really good teams, and I am really enjoying it,” Ramirez said. “We had a rough start to the season but have turned it around and qualified for playoffs.” Ramirez has been playing soccer ever since he was 5 years old. He has gained experience from his time on multiple teams before. For UDS, he primarily plays as an attacking midfielder but can play multiple positions. “I feel as if I’m a versatile player. I can play up top as a striker or drop into the midfield and play there. I’m anywhere my coach needs me to
be and can adapt easily to any situation,” Ramirez said. In the fall season, Ramirez and his UDS teammates practiced about four to five times a week and played games on the weekends. Along with long hours at practiced and the commute to and from Philadelphia, balancing both school and soccer has been a challenge for Ramirez. “It’s definitely not easy: I get home around 12:45 am,” Ramirez said. “I make sure to get my work done before practice, and if I have anything else to do, I get it done after practice.” After high school, Ramirez hopes to continue with soccer and take his per-
sonal goals further. Playing soccer in college is one of his main goals, as well as possibly playing professionally after college. He also aims to earn a degree in finance or economics and potentially a minor in marketing. Ramirez said he gets a lot of his motivation for working hard from his family and childhood dreams. “My family is a big reason. I want to make them proud because they have sacrificed so much for me,” Ramirez said. “Another reason is it’s been my dream since I was a little kid to play pro, and God is another reason I stay so motivated. He has helped me achieve so much.”
First Last/The SPOKE
Courtesy Julio Ramirez
Running forward: Diego Ramirez goes after the ball as a midfielder for Philadelphia’s Union soccer team. Ramirez has been playing soccer ever since he was 5 years old. Playing soccer in college is one of his main goals.
Commitment Corner Melissa Gao WILLIAM & MARY SPORT: GYMNASTICS HEADSHOT HERE
GRADE: 12 Why William & Mary: “I chose William & Mary because it has the perfect blend of academics and athletics. When I visited, the girls on the team were so sweet and welcoming, and I loved the team dynamic. I’m excited to continue my gymnastics career in college while receiving amazing education opportunities.”
Sports
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
The SPOKE
Athlete with cerebral palsy challenges stereotypes
HIGHLIGHT REEL The latest developments in sports.
Abby Chong Staff Reporter
Senior Riley Bosler, a Conestoga varsity swimmer with cerebral palsy, challenges stereotypes, pushes boundaries and redefines expectations for adaptive athletes. At birth, Bosler was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a condition that affects a person’s range of motion and ability to maintain posture. She began swimming at the Upper Main Line YMCA in fifth grade under former Paralympic swimming coach Lou Petto. Realizing her potential at a young age, Petto encouraged Bosler to pursue swimming. Bosler continued to swim at the Upper Main Line YMCA and eventually made the Conestoga swim team her freshman year. “That opened up a whole new world for me with swimming honestly because (there are) so many opportunities for kids with disabilities that people don’t realize — that I didn’t realize,” Bosler said. Bosler represented UMLY at the U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships in Orlando, Florida in December. Although she has faced setbacks and challenges as an athlete with cerebral palsy, Bosler appreciates how the Conestoga and UMLY coaches have helped nurture her skills. “I actually had coaches that were willing to support me and willing to go the extra step,” Bosler said. “They actually take the time (out) of each practice to help me adjust sets if I need. Having a supportive coach has been amazing.” Robert Kirkby, the girls’ varsity swim coach, has instructed Bosler throughout her time at Conestoga. Kirkby said that Bosler encourages the team through her determination. “Having her around helps everyone respect and under-
11
Dribbles The boys’ varsity basketball team sucessfully held a Paoli Wildcat Night on Jan. 25, at which elementary and middle school basketball players supported the high school athletes during and after the game.
Splashes Junior Avery Hillier broke the 11 dive Conestoga record on Jan. 27 with a score of 489.15.
Rallies Senior Rishi Srivastava won the 2023 U.S. Junior Open Squash Championships in the Boys U19 Division on Dec. 19 at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.
Shots The archery team participated in the 55th USA Archery Indoor Nationals in Lancaster on Jan. 13. Senior Jimmy Zhao ranked fifth in the Recurve U21 Men Division.
Tackles The boys’ varsity wrestling team competed in the Central League Championships on Jan. 20, with sophomore Ryan Kramer and junior Miles Warkentine reaching the finals.
Rows Juliana Yao/The SPOKE
Swimming across boundaries: Senior Riley Bosler steps up to the block to compete in the 100 meter freestyle at the Conestoga vs. Haverford swim meet on Jan. 25. Bosler has been on the girls’ varsity swim and dive team since her freshman year. She will continue to swim for both Conestoga and UMLY for the remainder of high school. stand that even though you can face some physical challenges, you still can desire to be a better swimmer and athlete,” Kirkby said. “Everyone on the team wants to be better and get a better time the next meet. There is no difference there. When the girls see Riley, they are encour-
aging and welcoming not just to her but to everyone.” There are many misconceptions surrounding the Paralympics, including the difference between it and the Special Olympics. The two are distinct organizations: the Paralympics focuses on high-
lighting individuals with physical disabilities, and the Special Olympics centers its competition on individuals with intellectual disabilities. “I understand people don’t know, but (the Paralympics) is basically just the same thing as the Olympics but for people
with physical disabilities. You don’t have to be born with it. You could get an injury (or) have an acquired disability,” Bosler said. Bosler encourages other athletes with similar disabilities to branch out and experiment with different sports.
“My advice would be to just look out for those opportunities. Do some research. See what connections you can find, and just start doing it,” Bosler said. “It’s a lot of fun, and I’m very grateful that I get to bring something unique to both the teams that I’m on.”
The Conestoga Crew Club will celebrate the 25th aniversary of its creation on Feb. 10. The spring season will begin in March.
Bowls Junior Marty Snyder qualified for the PIAA State Bowling Championships and will compete in March.
Girls’ basketball coach gets 100th win, team reaches milestones Alexa Willrich Staff Reporter
Ashley Du/The SPOKE
Words of advice: Coach AJ Thompson talks with the girls’ varsity basketball team during its Senior Night game against Harriton High School on Jan. 18. The team celebrated its four seniors and won 60-17. The athletes will prepare for the upcoming playoffs to qualify for the Central League Championship.
With a margin of more than 30 points, the girls’ varsity basketball team handed head coach AJ Thompson his 100th coaching win and added another victory to its strong record. Thompson has been coaching the team since 2018 and reached the 100th win of his career during the Dec. 29 game against Conwell-Egan Catholic High School. Thompson has an extensive coaching history, overseeing basketball at Kutztown High School, Newman University, Phoenixville Area High School and Valley Forge Middle School. A majority of his wins came from his time at ’Stoga, and parents and team members celebrated the achievement with balloons and a poster. “It was really special to spend it with this great group
because they’re a group that you come in every day and just have fun coaching,” Thompson said. The team currently has an overall record of 16-1 and 10-1 in the Central League as of Feb. 1, and the girls had ranked first in the state before their loss. Thompson believes that the team’s focus on being honest about athletes’ strengths and weaknesses helps members improve. Additionally, a greater proportion of this year’s team members call basketball their primary sport. “A lot of our girls play yearround or at least mostly yearround, so you can tell they are trying to improve and really competitive when they are trying to win,” Thompson said. To stay connected off the court, the girls hold team building activities, including pasta dinners and staying together when participating in overnight
tournaments. According to senior and captain Marisa Francione, the team’s leadership and honesty have helped the girls build strong relationships as they go into playoffs hoping to win a championship. “I think we’ve been so good because we have a really good connection on and off the court,” Francione said. “We just love being around each other, and I feel like that translated to our play on the court.”
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Sports opinion: Eagles flew high, flew low Alex Carder Staff Reporter
Quarterback Jalen Hurts loses the ball, and the Philadelphia Eagles lose their third straight game. The Eagles needed a bounce-back game after losing to the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys, but they could not beat the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15. The Eagles’ season’s poor end undermined its good start. It does not matter if you start the season well, because if you have no momentum going into the playoffs, you will not win a single game. The Eagles started strong, going undefeated through the first five games before dropping an embarrassing 20-14 loss to the New York Jets in Week 6. After the loss, the Eagles won their next five games, defeating four future playoff teams: the Miami Dolphins, Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. The 49ers then obliterated the Eagles 42-19 in Week 13, which marked the beginning of their three-game skid that included subsequent losses to both the Cowboys and Seahawks. Despite the losing streak, the Eagles were still in
control of their playoff seeding. The Eagles went out the next week with the offense leading the way and scored 33 points in a win over the New York Giants. All the Eagles had to do was beat the 3-12 Arizona Cardinals in order to win the division. They lost 35-31, which meant that the only way for the Eagles to win the division was if the Cowboys lost. The Cowboys did not lose, but it would not have made a difference, as the Giants blew out the Eagles in Week 17. By the end of the season, the Eagles looked tired and could have lost to any team in the league. Fans had high expectations going into the season because the Birds made it to the Super Bowl last year. The Eagles responded to the hype well at the beginning, but once the team started to lose momentum, they completely crashed. The rough end to the season led to fans questioning the job security of the team’s head coach Nick Sirianni next season. With the pressure on the Eagles as they faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of playoffs, the team did not live up to expecta-
tions. The team seemed exhausted from the start of the game, and it showed in the players’ tackling and offensive production. They could not handle the Buccaneers’ offense because they missed so many tackles. The offense during the game consisted of one player, DeVonta Smith, and the defense was nonexistent in the second half. Tight end Dallas Goedert and running back D’Andre Swift had practically no effect on the game. Due to the lack of tackling and offense after the first half, the Eagles lost the game 32-9. The Eagles are in desperate need of new coaches on the sideline. Their defense needs to take a course on how to tackle before next season. While the defense is doing that, the offense must take a bonding trip to get back on the same page. They should also go back and look at their film from this season compared to the 2022-23 season to reflect on what went wrong. Fans are hoping for a better result next season after the Eagles have had time to rest and hopefully restore the broken armor that covered them in the last season.
Photo illustration by Juliana Yao/The SPOKE
SPORTS
The SPOKE
Track and field program welcomes new head coach Page 10
Ski Club plans winter trips Page 10
Tuesday, Feburary 6, 2024
Athlete with cerebral palsy challenges stereotypes Page 11
Sports opinion: Eagles flew high, flew low Page 11
SPOKE file photos
Adding on: Flag football, lacrosse, squash, baseball/softball and cricket will join the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Some Conestoga athletes look forward to how the inclusion of these sports will impact their futures.
athletes Look forward to newly added Olympic sports Tanisha Agrawal Co-Sports Editor
In a groundbreaking decision, the International Olympic Committee approved the inclusion of five additional sports in the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. “The choice of these five new sports is in line with the American sports culture and will showcase iconic American sports to the world while bringing international sports to the United States,” said International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach in a press statement in August. Flag football, lacrosse, squash, baseball/softball and cricket will appear in the Olympics with the 2028 games. Flag football is a non-contact format of American football played by teams of five. The 1932
Los Angeles Olympic Games last featured American football, but the 2028 games will mark flag football’s first appearance. Junior Arjun Narang, a tight end for the Conestoga boys’ varsity football team, has been playing football for eight years. He is excited for flag football’s inclusion and dreams of representing the United States in the 2028 Olympics. He also acknowledged the potential of the sport to attract international fans. “Flag football getting added means that it’s growing as a sport, and the Olympics will give it a global platform for more viewers to watch and get interested in it,” Narang said. “It gives future players from all around the world a chance to get their names in the spotlight and opportunities to play in the NFL or other places.”
Senior Kiki Liebezeit, a midfielder on the girls’ varsity lacrosse team, echoed similar sentiments. Liebezeit has played lacrosse since second grade and represented the USA Select U16 Team in fall 2022. She sees the Olympics as a game-changer for the sport. “It will transform fan-following heavily as it will now be a part of the biggest stages of sports and bring in more watchers and people eager to learn more about the competitive sport,” Liebzeit said. “I definitely strive to someday be playing in the Olympics and putting on the USA jersey again.” Squash will also make its Olympic debut in 2028. For more than two decades, players have been campaigning for its inclusion. Sophomore and boys varsity squash player Kyle Wu sees the squash’s inclusion in the games as a turning point for the sport.
“I just think it’s a revolutionary moment in squash. Squash is such an old sport, it’s been around for more than 200 years. I think that the 200-year drought is broken now. Finally, I guess the world has recognized it,” Wu said. Cricket, a historic sport with a growing global fanbase, will also regain its place in the Olympics after nearly a century. The last Olympic cricket game was played in 1900. Senior Pankaj Jalluri, a local cricket player with 10 years of experience, believes that the Olympics will significantly boost the sport’s popularity. “Cricket players will get better funding, and more importantly, will get a chance to compete at a higher level against the best teams,” Jalluri said. “I would certainly love to watch the competition. This
should greatly increase the fan-following for cricket in the U.S. as the Olympics is a global spectacle.” The 2028 Olympics will also include baseball and softball. The 2000, 2004 and 2008 games featured softball, but the Olympic Comittee removed the sport in 2012. The comittee similarly removed baseball from the games in 2008. The committee cited the absence of the sport’s best players as the main reason for excluding baseball. “Being in the Olympics makes future players work even harder and (be) more committed to the sport,” Liebezeit said. “Future players will be impacted by having such a special opportunity to participate in the Olympic Games and seek dreams their little selves never imagined.”
Former football coach Matt Diamond bids farewell Michael Tierney Business Manager
Head varsity football coach Matt Diamond announced his decision to step down after 19 seasons with the team. Diamond delivered the news to the team at a meeting in late December. Diamond, a 1998 Conestoga alumnus, graduated as a team captain in both football and baseball. His dedication and leadership eventually earned him a spot in the T/E Conestoga Football Association’s Hall of Fame. Now, he is stepping away from the gridiron. “It was emotional for all of us,” Diamond said. “We have a very close-knit football culture where we care for one another. But ultimately, (the team) understood my decision and they know I am still here in the district to support them and help them in any way I can.” Senior Landon Ross, a player under Diamond’s guidance, expressed his respect for Diamond and the legacy he left on the program. He said Diamond impacted him as a person because he pushed him
to work hard and challenged him to grow. “Coach Diamond is a great guy who cares about his players and their growth on and off the field,” Ross said. “He challenged the seniors every year to create a hard working culture and to leave an impact on the program.” Senior and captain Tommy Costigan played under Diamond for four years. He said that Diamond transformed the meaning of “Conestoga Football” and pushed the team to its limits every day while also creating memories that will stay with the players for life. “One memorable moment with coach Diamond was after our big win against Ridley, who we had not beaten in five years. He gave a great postgame speech, and on the bus ride home, he started blasting ‘Revival’ by Zach Bryan,” Costigan said. “We were all singing along, and it was a memorable experience for all the players, especially the seniors.” Diamond said that the decision to step away from the team was difficult, but he knew that
he had to turn his attention to his family at home. “Stepping away was not an easy decision,” Diamond said. “Conestoga football has been a huge part of my life over the years and is something I care about deeply. I chose to step down though because the time was right for my family. We are in a window of our life that won’t last forever, and I wanted to make sure I was able to be there to enjoy and support them as a proud parent.” Diamond feels that coaching the team has had a significant impact on his life. He said that he is grateful to have made a positive impact on the atheletes. “I feel so blessed to have been a part of Conestoga football for so long. It truly has been one of the most special parts of my life, and I appreciate all the wonderful people, families and the players who have made it so special,” Diamond said. “I hope I was able to have a positive impact on the lives of the players who have come through our program. I know they had a positive impact on mine.”
Courtesy Sukie Carpenter
Celebratory success: Coach Matt Diamond embraces senior Matthew O’Brien after a successful offensive drive against Radnor in the 2023 regular season. Diamond has coached the boys’ football team for 19 seasons and retired this season.
SCORELINE
scores as of 2/1
B Basketball
G Basketball
B Ice Hockey
G Ice Hockey
B Squash
G Squash
B Swimming
G Swimming
Wrestling
W
12
18
3
6
9
5
9
8
5
L
6
1
8
8
3
2
0
1
10
T
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0