The Spoke March 2019

changing times

spring is in the air

See page 7

See page 2

the Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA

Volume 69 No. 5

March 20, 2019

Spoke.news

Business brilliance: DECA advances to nationals petitors’ marketing skills. “DECA is beneficial club Web Editor for students to participate in because they gain confidence The Conestoga chapter of and experience by presenting the Distributive Education roleplays to business people Clubs of America (DECA) had who work in a variety of in20 members qualify for na- dustries,� club adviser Katie tionals at the state-level com- Walter said. petition, which took place on The organization also hosts Feb. 21. While the club has several challenges throughout been successful the past two the year in order to assess enyears, it has also grown im- trepreneurship skills. mensely in that time, making “As someone who is largely Conestoga the seventh-largest interested in finance, it (DECA) DECA chaphas enhanced ter in the my experience state. at Conestoga “I think by letting me the club has compete in my My hopes for the grown so fast interests not in the past future are that really available years because to students in DECA continues to it gives stucore or elective dents the opclasses,� junior inspire students. portunity to Josh Merrill learn about said.

Suma Moolaveesala something Though stuDECA president dents that isn’t covdonate ered in classtheir time layrooms,� said ing groundsenior Suma work for sucMoolaveesala, who serves as cess, the experience makes it club president and PA District worth the effort.

11 representative. “It’s about “I love DECA because it how you present yourself, your showed me that there’s a place public speaking and creativity.� for someone like me in the To qualify for nationals, business field,� Moolaveesala DECA students have to be in said. “My hopes for the future the top four places at the state are that DECA continues to inlevel competition. DECA com- spire students and helps others petitions consist of a 100-ques- realize there are other paths in tion exam and a business role- life and it is up to you to find play scenario. The roleplays what sparks your interest and model real world situations, explore it without fear.� such as a hotel manager askThe next step for DECA ing a client to determine room is nationals in Orlando from pricing and to evaluate com- April 17-30.

Ananya Kulkarni

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Claire Guo/The SPOKE

Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE

Academic Stress: Senior Katherine Ginter works on her math homework. From the survey results, 60 percent of students across all grade levels responded that homework causes a significant amount of stress in their lives, and 71% confirmed the existence of pressure to take advanced courses.

Stressing relief

Finding solutions to alleviate student stress

The Spoke surveyed 10 homerooms regarding student stress, separated by grade level and chosen randomly. In total, The Spoke collected 168 responses.

Courtesy Aaron Li

Business breakthrough: Seniors Suma Moolaveesala and Hannah Zhou stand with their DECA trophies at the Pennsylvania State competition.

They will participate in nationals in Orlando.

Late at night, while most students are either studying or sleeping, you might find sophomore Paige Cutler wide awake in the kitchen. After a day of diving practice, eight hours of school and more time working at Big Smile Toys, Cutler often enjoys winding down by baking cakes and cookies, a bowl full of buttercream in one hand and a piping bag in the other.

Baking is “a different method of stress relief, but it’s something I’m passionate about and what I want to go into when I’m older,� Cutler said. “I think it’s important to find something that you really like and

something that can relieve your stress.�

Although baking is a less common stress reliever, Cutler believes that a person’s passions, no matter what they may be, will help them relax and worry less about the future. “Seeing the final product come out, especially when it turns out really well and I can share it with my friends, gives me the satisfaction that sometimes I don’t get out of school,� Cutler said.

Instead of satisfaction, students like Cutler sometimes find a worrying amount of stress. In a study conducted by The Spoke on student stress, we qualified stress levels from 1 to 3 as “low stress,� 4 to 6 as “medium stress� and 7 to 10 as “high stress.� Students across all grade levels reported an average stress level of 6.4 out of 10, with the most common response being 8 out of 10. However, just as Cutler bakes to help relax, students have found their own ways of adapting to and alleviating stress.

Roots of stress Local psychologist Dr. Marc Tannenbaum sees stress as a product of various fac-

tors that all trace back to the same sources: academic and social pressures. “There’s a lot of competition and worry about whether you’re good enough in all these areas now. It’s hard to juggle being good enough academically, being good enough socially, being good enough athlet-

ically, or musically, or in some hobby, and being good enough to get into a certain college maybe or to get in a certain relationship,� Tannenbaum said. continued on page 3

Figure 1:Causes of Stress

freshmen sophomores juniors

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seniors

60

Percent Frequency

By Tiffany He, Justin Huang and Richard Li Co-T/E Life Editor, Co-Editor-in-Chief and Staff Reporter

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Homework

College Pressure Parental Pressure

Sports

Causes

Extracurriculars

Other

New parent group Everyone Reads T/E pushes for change Maddie Lamonica News Editor

In response to concerns raised by parents about the district’s reading instruction and reading support program, a parent organization, Everyone Reads T/E formed in the district to advocate for a greater emphasis on the science of reading. “We are working on bringing our entire community together around the topic of literacy instruction,� parent and Everyone Reads T/E co-founder Kate Mayer said. “We want to be a place where everyone has a voice.�

Mayer, along with parents Jamie Lynch and Wendy Brooks formed Everyone Reads T/E in 2017 to advocate for all TESD students to learn to read to the best of their potential and that all teachers have access to professional development and curriculum rooted in the science of reading.

Since its formation, Everyone Reads T/E has drummed up support from not only TESD parents but also neighboring public school districts including Radnor and Council Rock.

The group has an email list of over 400 names and has formal-

ly advised three dozen families during their special education meetings with the district.

In response to parent feedback, one of the district’s goals for the 2018-2019 school year was “to engage in a review of the reading support program in grades K-4 to ensure student needs and learning profiles are being addressed appropriately and that reading goals, objectives and student progress are being effectively measured and communicated with parents,� according to the District Level Goals report.

Because of the efforts made by the community, the Education Committee presented on March 14 a review of currrent reading support in the district.

In addition, the review covered potential improvements to the program, including norm-referenced dyslexia screeners for kindergarten students and new data management tools that can enhance communication of important reading data. “We are always looking for opportunities to enhance our instructional practice,� Director of Curriculum Dr. Wendy Towle said. “Moving forward, our teachers will continue to incorporate phonemic awareness and phonics as part of the five

essential skill sets of reading instruction.�

In considering ways to further support struggling readers, the district is currently partnering with AIM Academy to teach 19

reading specialists and special-education teachers to be trained in the Orton-Gillingham method.

The method is rooted in phonics and multisensory reading instruction. The training requires

35 hours of lecture instruction and 60 practicum hours over nine months.

According to Conestoga reading specialist and English teacher Melissa Pacitti, the Or-

ton-Gillingham method will be an asset to the reading support program. “This program is a great framework and an additional tool for teachers to use to

Maddie Lamonica/The SPOKE

A push for change: TESD parent Kate Mayer addresses a group of Everyone Reads T/E members at the Education Committee meeting on March 14.

The parent group is advocating for the district to form a committee made of parents, students and teachers to evaluate reading instruction in the district.

meet the individual needs of students,� Pacitti said. “It is research-based, so it has been proven to be effective with students who have language-based learning needs like dyslexia.�

While Everyone Reads T/E sees the Orton-Gillingham training as a step in the right direction, the group advocates for the creation of a committee comprised of parents, teachers, administrators and outside experts to create a literacy plan and evaluate reading instruction and support in the district. “The thing about Orton Gillingham that’s great is that when you get that training, you do get some of the foundations in the science of reading,� Mayer said. “But it’s just one way to teach.

And it’s not for everyone.�

In attempt to inform teachers about their goal, Everyone Reads T/E sent an email out to district teachers outlining their platform and research on March 13. “We have the opportunity to take decades of research saying there’s a better way to teach reading and put it into action by addressing this national literacy crisis,� Mayer said. “If our teachers had access to this information and these resources this change would happen.�

News

2 A BRIEF LOOK The latest developments in T/E news. tems students hold book drive

TEMS fifth grade teacher Kathryn McDermott and her reading classes collected over 900 new and used books in collaboration with Chestnut Hill College professor Jessica Kahn to donate to public schools without libraries. hillside gets new principal

Michele Staves, current Curriculum Supervisor of Language Arts, kindergarten, media centers, staff development and summer reading camp, will be Hillside Elementary School’s new principal starting in the 2019-2020 school year. new recycling program implemented in tredyffrin

Curb my Clutter is a new service for Tredyffrin residents to recycle old clothes and electronics. To participate, residents can text “PICKUP” to 610-347-5027 to schedule a collection. speech/debate win at states

On March 15 and 16, ten Speech and Debate Club students traveled to Bloomsburg University to compete in the Pennsylvania State Tournament. No particpating students placed. cs club hosts codefest

The Computer Science Club is hosting ’Stoga’s first Codefest, a month-long coding competition where students can create a project and submit it to be judged. The competition runs through April 8. devon yard to be expanded

Easttown Township is using a $29,500 grant from Chester County to explore the parameters for the Devon Yard concept, including the possible addition of a new hotel, retail, apartment building and parking garage near the Devon Horse Show grounds. students raise money for unity week

From Feb 25 through March 1 different multicultural clubs held bake sales for ’Stoga’s first Unity Week.

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Education Committee survey public opinion on later start times Melinda Xu and Reese Wang

Managing Web Editor and Staff Reporter

After the TESD Education Committee approved a new start times proposal, the school district has taken the next step in adjusting start times by evaluating public opinion on the topic through a public survey.

Three different surveys were given out to parents, students and TESD staff. The school district announced at the school board meeting on Feb. 25 and the public information meeting on Feb. 28 that it would be conducting an online survey to further assess public opinion. Although the district had been hearing public opinion throughout the entire process, the survey will help to give broader feedback on the proposal.

“Once we implemented the starttimes@tesd.net email we got feedback that way and through meetings as well, but it doesn’t necessarily represent the whole community,” said Roberta Hotinski, head of the Education Committee.

“That’s why I’m excited to be doing the survey, especially to be hearing from the students.”

For parents, the survey ran from March 8 to March 18. They received the survey by email and were reminded to take it 24 hours before the survey closing. Students grades 5-12 took the survey during an extended homeroom on March 14 while staff was given time to complete it from March 11 to 14. Both paper and online copies were available.

In particular, the district wanted to ensure the accuracy of results.

“All names are verified to ensure that respondents belong to the target groups of T/E parents, staff members and middle (and) high school students,” said Richard Gusick, superintendent of the T/E school district.

Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE

Taking the time: Junior Harry Borislow takes the online student survey regarding new school start times. The survey was administered to all students in grades 5-12 during homeroom on March 14.

The responses will help the Education Committee decide whether to move on to the next step and recommend the proposal to the schoolboard for consideration.

“Administration will pull those results and put them into a presentation to be discussed at the April 11 Education Committee meeting,” Hotinski said. “At that meeting we will decide whether to recommend to the full board to go ahead with school start times.”

The proposal that is being put into consideration has high school starting at 7:50 a.m. and ending at

2:40 p.m., middle schools starting at 8:27 p.m. and ending at 3:10 p.m., and elementary schools starting at 9:10 a.m. and ending at 3:45 p.m.

This new schedule was first considered during the Education Committee meeting on Jan. 10 and was approved at the meeting on Feb. 14. When choosing a proposal to recommend, the Education Committee focused particularly on being able to implement it by the next school year.

“We decided to look at an option that could be implemented

“I’m not sure a change in start time is the cure all. I see how stressed the girls’ basketball team is during midterms and how much pressure they put on these tests. Maybe we should be looking at the demands we are putting on these students and the work loads they are taking on rather than just what time they start the day?”

AJ Thompson, VFMS 5th Grade teacher and Conestoga Girls Varsity Basketball Coach

““Just sliding everyone out later is not quite the right solution. I’m not in favor of the current plan, but I am in favor of starting high school later.”

Carie Shingleton: 1st, 4th, 8th grade parent

“I think the change will help with my sleep schedule on days I do not have much work, but in the long term, not really, because my sleep schedule will most likely just shift to staying up a half hour later.”

Nathan Stein, 11th grade student

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maintaining current start time order and having standardized start times across level of school.

“The criteria listed on the Education Committee slides were endorsed specifically if the District were to adopt a change in time for the 2019-20 school year. The parameters could be relaxed if we are talking about a longer implementation timeline,” said Gusick.

The Education Committee also considered many additional factors such as transportation, extracurricular activities, impact on families and cost. If the proposed

start times were to be passed, the district would need 11 new buses to accommodate busing to both public and private schools that the district is required to provide transportation for.

“The new start time option for the 2019-20 school year would cost approximately $610,000 (more),” Gusick said.

If the proposal passes through the Education Committee and is recommended to the full school board, it will be voted on at the school board meeting on April 22.

“Practice start times would have to get pushed back due to students getting out later. However, for sports that still need to be played before the sun goes down, start times would still have to relatively stay the same.

Ultimately, I support whatever decision the district makes.”

Matthew Diamond, Conestoga football and baseball coach

12 6

tesd students participate in cciu science fair

On March 12 the Chester County Intermediate Unit hosted its 31st Science Competition, where four TEMS and ’Stoga students competed. Winners were announced on March 16.

for the ’19 to ’20 school year because that was the most time sensitive and we have longer to look at more complicated options,” Hotinski said.

Due to the focus on feasibility by the next school year, the Education Committee made five assumptions while making their proposal. These assumptions were maintaining the current number of instructional minutes per day, defining 7:45 a.m. as the earliest start time and 3:45 p.m. as the latest end time, continuing to have three tiers of busing,

Community Speaks Out

“I’d go even more. These kids need sleep, right? They walk around like zombies.”

Brian Berson, 10th grade parent

“I feel like I would be less stressed because I have to have a number of hours of sleep to function and then I have to be in bed by a certain time and I have to finish all my homework, so it’s all very stressful.”

Julia Roth, 9th grade student Reagan Gerrity/The SPOKE

Read more at

Reading of ‘Persepolis’ in World Lit classes paused this year Richard Li

T/E LIFE

Sean Naimoli makes ceramics

Students vs Admin vs Teachers

Staff Reporter

World Literature students will not be reading the graphic novel “Persepolis” in class this school year as teachers and administrators reconsider its position in the curriculum.

Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian-born French author and illustrator, wrote “Persepolis,” a graphic autobiography which describes her personal experiences as a child during the Iranian Civil War and as a young adult after the war.

The district’s decision to put the book on hold came as a part of a recent Social Studies and Language Arts curriculum review.

“In Language Arts in particu-

lar, we want to ensure that diverse perspectives are presented in a non-biased way in literature so students will have ‘mirrors’ to see themselves and ‘windows’ to learn about others,” said Michele Staves, the district’s curriculum supervisor for Language Arts.

The book came under scrutiny after members of the district’s Muslim population voiced their concerns. This group expressed their opinions regarding the book in a document entitled “Concerns about Curricular Pedagogy in T/E School District: The Case of ‘Persepolis’” which was presented to Principal Dr. Amy Meisinger and the T/E curriculum director Wendy Towle.

“The concerns are centered around the idea that, although the

book is a memoir and therefore represents one person’s perspective, the issues and context of the events presented in the book are very complex and, without a deep understanding, could lead one to believe that the author’s perspective was the only perspective,” Towle said.

During a visit to the University of Pennsylvania on March 14, Satrapi emphasized the importance of teaching the history of Iran through “Persepolis” to prevent history from repeating itself. She said that avoiding discussion of past tragedies would not lead to solutions.

Although the discussion has changed the course of this year’s curriculum, English department chair Tricia Ebarvia said the move to place the book on hold is not unusual.

Junior creates eco-friendly invention

OP/ED

Farewell to an old friend SPORTS

Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE

Crew Club hosts Family Fun Night

A new chapter: While “Persepolis” is not being read in World Literature classes this year, as teachers and administrators review its position in the curriculum, it is still available in the library.

“Books come and go all the time, and I think that our kids change too, so I think that the move to put a pause on ‘Persepolis’, while it is partly in response to students and parents, is also not out of the ordinary for what we might do with other books,” Ebarvia said, “If you look at any of our curriculum, any of our courses, the books in there have changed over time, and for many different reasons.”

“Persepolis” has been a part of the World Literature curriculum since 2010, and with its removal from this year’s reading list, the World Literature teachers will try out different options to fill the gap in the reading schedule.

“Some teachers are doing a bit more writing, and some teachers have alternate texts that we usually don’t get enough time to teach.

For example, most World Literature teachers usually just do one play, but now they might do two plays,” Ebarvia said.

Dr. Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, outreach and education director with the Philadelphia Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) conducted a workshop for the district on Muslim inclusion and equity in schools. As part of his presentation, he provided advice about “Persepolis” from the standpoint of an expert in Islamic studies.

“My recommendation was for the district to listen to student and parent perspectives and carefully review if the book served the educational goals set by the district. We also discussed if Satrapi’s account could be cross-referenced with other accounts from the same time period as well as the themes she explores so that the curriculum does take into account multiple narratives and stories rather than a singular perspective,” Tekelioglu said.

Curriculum for future years will be evaluated in the spring.

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News

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

3

Finding solutions to alleviate student stress continued from page 1

Figure 2: How do students deal with stress?

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Upperclassmen reported less video game activity and more exercise as stress-relievers compared to freshmen and sophomores.

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Percent Frequency

The weight of so many worries on students’ shoulders, Tannenbaum said, creates an unhealthy level of stress.

“No human being could be getting a so-called ‘A-plus’ in all of these areas in life. The assumption is that that’s what you strive to be, and I think it puts a lot of pressure on teens,” Tannenbaum said.

Most of the worry in Conestoga is directed towards high academic achievement, evident from the results of the survey displayed in Figure 1. One possible cause, according to the survey results, could be the pressure to take advanced classes, which 71% of respondents confirmed existed.

“The pressure to take AP classes is enormously high compared to what it’s expected to be because this area has that kind of mentality,” freshman Jared Bundens said. “Without those, it would be a lot less stressful, but since they open up opportunities, a lot of (students) are likely to take (them).”

Psychology teacher David Zimmerman agrees that AP courses generate more stress, and the increased popularity of AP courses over the years — 2.7 million AP test takers last year alone — has historically created larger workloads for students.

“A typical college student takes four college classes a semester. You’re taking six college courses — 50 percent more than college kids take,” Zimmerman said.

Scarsdale High School in New York and Sidwell Friends in Washington D.C, have removed AP classes altogether. While the decisions were partially made due to concern regarding AP’s standardized learning system, the schools sought to address the increasing presence of student stress.

In a statement on their website, Sidwell Friends concedes that “Replacing AP courses will not achieve this goal alone. But it is a meaningful step that, we hope, will continue parent, student, and school dialogue about how we can reduce student stress to healthy levels.”

However, stress goes beyond just pen and paper. After teaching at ’Stoga for over 20 years, Zimmerman suspects that the emergence of technology and social media generate more student stress.

“All the social media creates another layer of stress it didn’t exist before. Believe it or not, research tends to suggest that if people wanted to be less stressed out or more happy they would actually distance themselves or limit their social life online,” Zimmerman said.

Changing times include more than technology and social media, though. Tannenbaum argues that students deal with more complex problems that adults may not immediately consider.

“A lot of scary stuff happens

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20 freshmen sophomores juniors

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Video Games

Exercise

Play Music

Organize

Art

Other

seniors

Methods for Reducing Stress out in the world and (teenagers) are very aware of school shootings, politics and all the other stressors out there. I think adults forget how difficult that is for teens who were just tuning into all that,” Tannenbaum said.

just me versus the weight I’m trying to lift. There’s no one else that I’m comparing myself to, there’s no expectations that I feel like I need to live up to — it’s just the simple, almost primitive act of picking up weights,

mind focus on something else,” Garimidi said.

Besides relaxing individually, students have begun to organize efforts to help each other alleviate some of this stress. This month, junior Bryce Lee found-

Where can I find help?

MIT - Multi-Tiered Intervention Team, assists students with studying and organization strategies.

Guidance Counselors - Individuals that provide academic, emotional and college support/advice.

heard of

heard of

Used Achievement Center - Room 264, where struggling students may find help in schoolwork from teachers or National Honors Society students.

Used Mental Health Specialists - Work with counselors for more serious mental health problems.

heard of

heard of

Used

Used

Other Resources Peer Tutoring - National Honors Society students work with struggling students in subject-specific sessions.

Relieving stress However, students have developed their own strategies to combat stress, either individually — like Cutler’s baking sessions — or as a group.

Survey respondents used exercise as the most common stress reliever, as seen in Figure 2. According to senior Kenny Wang, the simplicity of exercise allows him to concentrate on what’s in front of him.

“When I’m in the gym, it’s

CARE Team - Individuals that provide support for preserving mental health with either stress or more severe issues.

just because it’s fun,” Wang said.

As exercise’s polar opposite, video games was the second most common stress reliever.

Junior Pranav Garimidi sees games as a beneficial method of relaxing as his workload fades out of focus.

“When I’m feeling tired, I go home, load up the computer, play some League of Legends, play some Starcraft, play some Counter Strike, you know, get the anger out. It makes my

ed the Conestoga Anti-Stress Association with the goal of teaching stress management to student body. Club secretary and junior Noah Lanouette signed on for the opportunity to work and learn from others.

Working as a group “helps people deal with stress problems more if they’re in a group of people with similar experiences,” Lanouette said. “In general, people like to be in groups of like-minded individuals, and

that applies here.”

The school does provide institutional resources, but survey results found a wide gap between the total number of students that find them effective versus just the users, as seen in Figure 3. Senior Ally Latoff believes that these resources may simply not reach enough of Conestoga’s student body.

“I think Conestoga is doing their best (to help students),” Latoff said. “I think they are all great resources to have, but maybe not everybody knows about them or takes advantage of them because they might feel like it’s a waste of their time or that it’s just not worth it.”

Even when equipped with tools and resources to help alleviate stress, Tannenbaum suggests that students spend more time enjoying the present rather than worrying about the future.

“Many of us now, at any age, are using our phones and on social media and online, looking at things that are coming up and disconnecting from what we’re doing right at the moment,” Tannenbaum said.

“For a teen in high school, it would be the next test, class, project or college application.

It’s overwhelming, and my suggestion is that people just take a little more time to enjoy and be present in the moment and not forget how important that is.”

Advice from Dr. Marc Tannenbaum, Local Psychologist

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Disconnect every day a little bit from all of your social media and your phone and and let it go.

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Percentage of students that find resource effective

es

10

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23% 51% 44%

72%

“

40 23%

”

Get out into nature a bit, which is something we miss out on if we're indoors and if we're on our phone or playing video games. For many hours, we're not out in the sunlight. And we need that for our mood and to avoid burnout.

”

19%

Sophomores

17%

24%

MIT All Respondents

Manifest

Mental Health Specialists Achievement Center

School Resources

CCT

Users of respective resource only

Student stress has been on the rise, with seven of every ten American teenagers viewing anxiety and depression as a major problem, according to a report by the nonpartisan American fact tank Pew Research Center last month. Junior Bryce Lee hopes to create CASA, the Conestoga Anti-Stress Association, to address this issue.

Lee said that after midterms, he felt stressed, overwhelmed and disappointed with his grades, and realized that other students felt similar levels of overwhelming daily stress from taking classes with a lot of work.

“I thought that starting a club where we’re teaching and helping people to cope with stress management would be better for Conestoga and for our students,” Lee said. “Casa in Spanish means ‘house’ and we want to make (the club) in a sense where when people come to club, they feel safe and they feel comfortable like they are in their own house.”

According to the Pew Research Center’s study, academics are students’ main stressor. Pew found that 61 percent of teens say they feel a lot of pressure to maintain good grades while 29 percent feel pressure to look good and 28 percent feel pressure to fit in socially.

Teens planning to attend a fouryear college after graduating feel more pressure than their peers to get good grades.

At meetings, the club will hold discussions, do stress-relieving activities such as coloring and

It's always good to get support. Academically, to study with a friend, to have a tutor, to maybe see a learning specialist or a counselor if you have a lot of stress in your life. There’s nothing wrong with reaching out for help.

respondents seeking outside help for stress

9%

Staff Reporter

meditation, and teach students to manage their stress. Club leaders plan to have two meetings with the same agenda every week, held once on Tuesday afternoon and once on Thursday morning so members can choose a time that best fits their schedules. Lee said this creates “a sense of continuity where they can continue to grow in their anti-stress,” particularly during stressful times such as midterms, finals, AP exams and tryouts.

“It’ll provide a safe space where people can come together and talk about their anxiety,” said junior and club vice president Dawson Keyes. “One of the hardest things to do with stress is just to talk about and get it out there, so once it’s out there, that’s the most important piece to relieving it, and so just being able to talk with like-minded people who may even share the same anxiety will reduce stress for Conestoga.”

CASA, sponsored by Spanish teacher Kelly Smart, will officially start this month. The club’s members consist mostly of juniors but Keyes emphasizes the club’s acceptance of “absolutely everyone.”

Lee wants the club to continue even after he and vice presidents Dawson Keyes and Cristina Green graduate in 2020. He hopes that as students learn to fight stress and deal with overwhelming emotions, Conestoga’s atmosphere will become less “cutthroat” and “anxious.”

“If we can teach them how to handle stress themselves, then in their own lives when it comes up, they’re able to take what they learned in the club and apply it in that moment,” Lee said.

”

8%

10

Sophia Pan

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Freshmen

20

Junior creates anti-stress club CASA

Believe it or not, people think teens and their parents are not always on the same page. But the reality is it’s still important to have a positive relationship with your parents and family and spend some good time every week with them as an anchor.

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Guidance Counselors

Video Gam 9

Figure 3: Perceived Effectiveness of School Resources

50

Exercise

Juniors

17%

Seniors

Mi CASA es su CASA: CASA members stand together. Junior Bryce Lee started the club to help students have a place to deal with stress together.

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

4

T/E LIFE Devon chef cooks up a storm on ‘Chopped’

Tiffany He T/E Life Editor Next door to the renowned blue walls of the Devon Horse Show, is Amis Trattoria, a cozy family-styled restaurant oozing with quiet charm and Italian flair. In its kitchen, is executive chef Kristina Wisneski preparing fresh ingredients and cooking up to 400 to 500 dishes per night. But this isn’t the only kitchen she has worked in.

Wisneski won $10,000 after competing in “Chopped,” a TV show cooking contest in New York where professional chefs compete making three-course meals. Each round, the chefs must incorporate four unconventional ingredients into a course from the mystery box or risk being “chopped” by the panel of judges made up of Maneet Chauhan, Chris Santos and Geoffrey Zakarian. Wisneski was featured in the episode “Wonton Wonder” that premiered on the Food Network on Feb. 12.

Wisneski received a call from the show while working at the restaurant Enoteca Tredici in Bryn Mawr.

“I didn’t even actually apply, which is the craziest part. At first, I didn’t even think I was gonna get (the award),” Wisneski said. “I didn’t think anything was going to come of it, but something did and it was really exciting.”

In the first appetizer round, the contestants tackled a mystery basket filled with scallions, water chestnuts, wonton wrappers and hot dog eclairs.

As the competition heated

up, Wisneski felt the pressure of the 20-minute time limit as she crafted her plate of steamed wontons and scallion salad.

“I was trembling,” Wisneski said. “I was terrified I was going to cut one of my fingers off. I had to tell myself to stay calm.”

In the entrée round, the three remaining chefs opened their new baskets to find pheasant; green tomatoes; tepache liqueur, a sweet drink made of fermented pineapples and spices; and trash can nachos. Wisneski impressed the judges with a roasted pheasant with green-tomato salsa verde and a nacho crumble.

“I stayed calm and stuck to what I know in the industry. You just have to keep your cool and not be cocky; be humble about what you do for sure,” Wisneski said.

In the final round, Wisneski and Chef Patrick Carter from Indiana faced head-to-head with a spread of disharmonious flavors: moon drop grapes, apricot paste, bagel chips and the most dreaded ingredient, pickle cupcakes.

“The most difficult round was the dessert in general. I made it work for what it was until they (the judges) had the huge chunk of pickle,” Wisneski said.

Despite her difficulty incorporating all the ingredients into a moon drop grape mousse with an apricot and mint sauce, Wisneski proved herself to be a “Chopped” champion, taking home $10,000.

She hopes to spend the money on traveling to Europe with her niece, who turns 17 years old this year.

Watching the Food Network with her family partially inspired her to become a chef. However, Wisneski’s passion in becoming a chef mainly stems from the time

Tiffany He/The SPOKE

Pressure Cooker: Amis Trattoria executive chef Kristina Wisneski chops up Romanesco broccoli, or green cauliflower, before the dinner rush on a Friday afternoon. she has spent cooking — and eating — with her family.

“I’ve always cooked ever since I was little for holiday dinners. I have a picture of me and my great grandmother peeling horseradish

in our kitchen and my dad used to love saying that ‘everyone in the family except for you would run out of that kitchen,’” Wisneski said.

She pursued her interest at the Pennsylvania College of Technol-

Tiffany He/The SPOKE

Win(e)ding down: Amis Trattoria executive chief Kristina Wineski takes a break from the kitchen near the wine cellar. Wineski said her 60-hour-a-week schedule is worth it but tiring.

ogy in Williamsport, where she learned most of her technical skills.

After graduating in 2013, Wisneski moved to the Philadelphia area to begin her culinary career at Savona in Gulph Mills. She later joined the Zavino Hospitality group, where she was named executive chef of the Enoteca Tredici in Bryn Mawr before taking on her current position at Amis Trattaoria in Devon.

With her busy career, one of her biggest challenges is balancing work and family.

“You’re working holidays, nights, weekends. I don’t see my niece and nephews on their birthday or my goddaughter, but you get used to it. Sometimes we just celebrate Christmas on a different day,” Wisneski said.

But for all the time she spends away from her family, she spends even more with her other family: her kitchen staff.

“It’s something I love to do.

I probably work a minimum of 50 to 60 hours a week which seems like a lot to a lot of people, but the kitchen staff is basically my second family. That’s why we try to build a team of people that we love because we are with them more than anyone else,” Wisneski said.

Courtesy Kristina Wisneski

Horsing Around: Wisneski prepares horseradish with her great -grandmother as a child. When she was younger, Wisneski cooked holiday dinners with her family.

Time to spare: juniors revive Bowling Club Sanjana Sanghani Staff Reporter

Stepping into the bowling alley, cheers and laughter from other Bowling Club members greet Conestoga junior Henry Bailey as he raises his hand and prepares for his first turn. In a moment of stillness he extends his arm

back, just before releasing the 12-pound ball forward and striking the 10 white pins to the ground.

Bailey, along with juniors Jacob Rivers and Henric Orr, were inspired to restart Bowling Club this year because of the memories they had created bowling together this past summer. Rivers serves as the

club president, with Bailey as vice president, Orr as treasurer and math teachr Vincent Russo as club adviser. The club meets twice a month, rotating between Wednesday and Friday, at Devon Lanes after school.

“I think bowling is a good activity to de-stress and this club is a nice way for students to get away from drama and be

with people that you can have a good time with,” Bailey said.

Before Bailey, Orr and Rivers revived the club, Russo — whose family has been bowling for generations — advised the original Bowling club in 2004.

“Previously, the kids would come bowling whenever they were available. This year I think there’s a core team of kids that are enthusiastic and taking the club more seriously,” Russo said.

Russo is dedicated to preserving interest in the sport.

“If there are young students interested in bowling, and if I can do something to further that, then I think it’s an important job for me to do,” Russo said.

Club members pay $9 for three games. Bailey said he constantly looks for ways to refine his fellow bowlers’ techniques, and while members are out bowling on the lanes, he does not hesitate to coach

his fellow members by suggesting to “roll it harder,” or “try and curve it this way.”

“I think what’s fun about this club is not only do you get to see yourself do better but others as well,” Bailey said.

“It’s rewarding for me when I am able to help people out and seeing it pay off in the end.”

According to Bailey, the club does not consider itself to be “competition-based,” since the club only records scores af-

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Junior Tasniem Abadalla also said that even though it may be competitive at times, everyone remains supportive of each other.

“The club fosters a positive environment and even if you only hit one pin or a strike, you’re still having a good time with friends,” Abadalla said.

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Eyes on the Ball: Junior Tasniem Abadalla holds the ball in preparation for a throw down the lane. Abadalla said she joined due to the fun and supportive nature of Bowling Club.

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5

Teacher Feature: Alexandra Solove Andrew Bucko T/E Life Editor

Courtesy Nichole Lee

Practice makes perfect: Junior Nichole Lee sits with her viola. Spending three hours a day practicing, Lee has built a strong dedication to her music.

Fit as a Fiddle: Junior selected for national orchestra Renato DiStefano Staff Reporter

The long hours spent practicing music are paying off for junior Nichole Lee. An accomplished musician, Lee said she found success as a nationally-recognized viola player.

Lee was selected to be a part of the 2019 National Youth Orchestra 2 (NYO2) in February, a prestigious orchestral ensemble that accepts talented musicians ages 14 through 17 from all over

the country. During the summer, she will attend an intensive three-week program that aims to improve student musicians’ abilities through training and performance opportunities.

Lee, a violist since she was 13, auditioned for NYO2 in late 2018 by submitting recordings of herself playing several orchestral excerpts, scales and solo pieces. Lee also wrote an essay and submitted a video essay where she answered questions about herself and provided two teacher

Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE

No Strings Attached: Junior Nichole Lee practices her viola in orchestra. Although she plays viola now, she originally played violin.

recommendations.

“The auditioning process was very stressful but totally worth it,” Lee said. “Because the acceptance rate is very low and very competitive, not even one mistake could be made. I practiced around three hours everyday and I am very glad I put the effort into my application.”

Lee didn’t always play the viola.

“I started the violin in second grade, and in eighth grade I switched (to the viola),” Lee said. “I have a twin. She plays the violin, and I have an older sister. She plays the cello.

So we were like, ‘Oh we could probably make a cool (group) if one of us switched,’ so I changed to viola.’”

Lee’s twin, Allison Lee, is also involved with the ’Stoga music program, while her older sister Jennifer Lee now attends Cornell University after graduating in 2018. The three siblings practice their respective instruments together, and Nichole Lee uses this time to further practice for the various orchestras that she is a part of, especially NYO2.

“It’s like an art. It’s kind of fun to make your own music and make music your own,” Nichole Lee said.

This year, the NYO2 program will take place from July 10-31, where selected musicians are given the opportunity to work with top players from various

American orchestras and conservatories. This program takes place at Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY), in the summer before NYO2’s performances. Later in 2019, Lee will travel with the orchestra to Miami Beach along with conductor Carlos Miguel Pietro to perform at the New World Center in Miami, as well as at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Lee also serves as a member of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, as well as the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and All Eastern Orchestra, two prestigious orchestras that require auditions.

“It’s really about enjoying the music and not just listening to your own (instrument) part. It’s fun to see how your part fits in and complements other parts and getting to know other musicians,” Lee said.

Lee wishes to continue with music in the future, and plans to audition for NYO2 again next year. She credits her time spent with orchestras as a source of tremendous inspiration and growth, preparing her for a potential career in music.

“I believe that working under world class musicians and other great musicians from all over the United States will expose me to new perspectives of music,” Lee said. “I think NYO2 can open more doors for me to be a part of other great opportunities.”

Nestled in room 270 is a labyrinth of images, quotes and words to live by. Almost every square foot is plastered in tape and posters. The woman behind all of this: English teacher Alexandra Solove.

Solove’s room has been a space for the exploration of English Language since 2009.

Currently teaching American and World Literature, Solove said her goal is to keep her students engaged at all times.

The collage that covers her walls is how she ensures her students are always learning.

“I think it makes sense in the classroom because my feeling is that if you’re not paying attention, at least you’re hopefully looking at or reading something worthwhile,” Solove said.

Solove carries her theme of interactivity into her instruction, always aiming to keep her students attentive and participating.

“It’s all through communication. So you’ll never come into Ms. Solove’s classroom and it’s quiet unless it’s test day,” Solove said. “So that, I mean, that’s usually the goal of every period, to get everybody talking.”

Just as her classroom is lively and full of conversation, Solove’s childhood home was exactly the same.

“I have three siblings. So I would say it was always a little crazy. Anyone who knows me knows I have a pretty big personality. And I would say all three of my siblings are the same way. So it was very entertaining. It was very loud, it was very competitive. It was

“

“I have always loved reading something, experiencing something that takes me out of my element, especially as it relates to fiction.

Alexandra Solove

“

T/E Life

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

EnglishTeacher

very fun though. You know, it was before cell phones. So we spend a lot of time outside on our bikes and playing games and not on a computer.”

Solove said.

After graduating from Parkland High School in Lehigh, PA, Solove studied to

be a teacher at West Chester, where she still lives today.

Solove said she doesn’t see herself teaching any other class than literature due to its dynamic nature.

“I have always loved reading something, experiencing something that takes me out of my element, that, especially as it relates to fiction,” Solove said. “The irony is that we think we get more information from nonfiction and we do, but I actually think in order to be immersed in someone’s experience, sometimes fiction is almost more effective.”

Solove is so dedicated to literature that she often allows books or movies to inspire her travels. She has been to England, France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Caribbean, Mexico and all over the United States. This summer, she plans to visit Scotland.

“Whenever I pick a spot wherever I’m going, it’s because I saw a movie or read a book or some kind of a piece that took place there,” Solove said. “I just think getting out of your element is so important, no matter how old you are.”

In the meantime, while she’s not travelling, Solove plans on adding to her gallery of quotes and snippets.

“I’m always taking student artwork,” Solove said. “Give

Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE

Writing on the wall: English teacher Alexandra Solove speaks to her class, her quote wall behind her. She designed the wall with her students’ interests in mind.

Andreviews: El Limon Andrew Bucko T/E Life Editor

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El Limon’s warm, pastel walls complement its tropical Mexican roots quite nicely. Combined with massive windows that let in plenty of sunlight, the restaurant is casual and welcoming. Floral papel picado hang throughout, adding even more pops of color. Tables and silverware are simple, yet functional.

But enough about the furniture.

The food is what draws you in.

El Limon’s enchiladas are masterful. The tortilla shell, which wraps either a meat or cheese and beans, are soft and melt in your mouth. The chicken inside has a slight kick but remains flavorful without burning off any taste buds.

Smothered in queso fresco and cheese, the toppings are a bit overwhelming, but they could easily be ordered on the side if preferred.

But its most famous dish, the steak tacos, are worth every penny and every stain on that old t-shirt that you’ll surely acquire from devouring them. They come on either a flour or corn shell, but the corn is more authentic (and delicious.) The steak is succulent and juicy, which can be difficult to find in any diced, grilled meat. If you opt for the traditional tacos, the onions, cilantro and lime complement steak (or any other meat offered) perfectly. But for a mere 25 cents, you can upgrade to the tacos supreme, which throw in pico de gallo, lettuce and cheese. ¡Valor, por favor!

Beyond food, El Limon offers a wide variety of drinks. One of my all-time favorites is Jarritos, which is soda that is flavored like tropical fruit. Common place at most Mexican restaurants, Jarritos are always a wise choice for anyone

that wants to branch out. However, Mexico is known for its horchata, a rice milk beverage with cinnamon, vanilla, and plenty of sugar that tastes quite close to a liquid snickerdoodle. El Limon’s horchata doesn’t quite do the drink justice, however.

In the several times that I’ve had them from El Limon, they’ve been a gamble. Unfortunately, they can come out a little grainy, with small bits of rice still at the bottom of the drink.

El Limon’s nine locations around the Philly area speak volumes for its success as a restaurant. But does the food compare to all the hype this Mexican

restaurant receives? In short, yes. El Limon stands out from the pack of Mexican restaurants not completely because of food, but because of the vibes that it serves up as well. Their recipe for success? A closely-knit staff, playful décor, and authentic energy that all make El Limon Paoli worth a visit.

Andrew Bucko/The SPOKE

Para chuparse los dedos: El Limon’s steak tacos with corn taco shells, fresh onions, cilantro and lime transport diners to Mexico. The restaurant has nine locations in the Philly area alone.

T/E Life

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Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Spreading a little sunshine: Senior and stage crew head of lighting Karen Turocy adjusts a light that hangs above the stage. The lighting crew used three new SolaFrame lights in this year’s production of “Pippin,” allowing for new lighting design patterns.

‘Pippin’ pioneers new theatre technology

by Alex GUrski and Avery Maslowsky staff reporter and co-Editor-in-Chief Photos by Olivia Thompson, Photography Editor

Shining bright: (From left to right) Junior Annalee Condiles, senior Gwen Charles and junior Yunge Xiao dance in the number “Simple Joys.” The lighting crew used the three new SolaFrame lights to cast a circular design on the set while the actors performed.

Electric-blue pinwheels glide across the auditorium ceiling as ensemble dancers dressed in rope shawls and patterned dresses frolic down the aisles. The house lights turn on at the end of the song “No Time at All,” inviting the audience to join in on the magic of Conestoga High School’s production of “Pippin.”

But beyond the music and costumes that sold the show, the stage crew used new lights and audio techniques to bring the story alive.

The production, which was envisioned in a post-modern setting, provided the stage crew “a lot of creative freedom” in both the lighting and special effects departments, said stage crew adviser Michael Starner.

“It was very challenging and very rewarding for all of us to creatively play with such a broad brush,” Starner said. “The set, lighting, costume, make-up and special effects teams were all free to experiment with almost all design aspects of the show.”

Three new SolaFrame lights were added this year to the lighting system, providing new opportunities to create patterned displays. Senior and head of the lighting crew Karen Turocy said the SolaFrames were used in almost every number because of their flexible design and easy maneuverability.

“For lighting, this has been my favorite show. It’s circus-y, so we had a lot of fun lighting, a lot of color in the show, a lot of different patterns with the lights that we can do because of the SolaFrames,” Turocy said. “SolaFrames are really incredible lights. They can move really quickly and smoothly, and because they are LED lights

‘Pippin’ is lit: The “Pippin” logo shines on the curtain during intermission alongside a SolaFrame steel cutout pattern.

The same pattern also shined during the number “Simple Joys.”

they can turn on and off instantly.”

Starner said 90 percent of the show lighting used LED instruments, easing complicated lighting transitions in the show.

“One of the greatest challenges in running ‘Pippin’ was the lack of black outs for scene changes,” Starner said. “All the scenes flowed one into the next. This required tightly focused lighting, choreographed set movement, fast costume changes and spot on mic muting.”

Three new audio effects also worked with the three SolaFrames. Senior and head of the lighting crew Jack Thomas said the audio department used multiple sound effects and a voice modifier, hoping to make the production more realistic.

“We had several sound effects, such as our fire sound effect, sword sound effects for the fighting and farm animal sound effects,” Thomas said. “They added more depth to all those scenes.”

While the drama and musical for next school year have yet to be decided, Starner believes that the technology will keep up with the stage crew’s demands.

“I have worked with the production of theater events at ’Stoga for over 20 years. I am proud to have been part of the evolution of ’Stoga Theatre into the excellent crew team it is today,” Starner said. “It’s the coordination and cooperation of all these crews toward a singular goal of an excellent production that makes ’Stoga Music Theatre so compelling and rewarding. The stage crew are ‘the stars that are never seen’ in every production we do.”

X marks the spot: (From left to right) Seniors and stage crew heads Sean Naimoli and Jack Thomas, along with junior and stage crew member Amelia Thibault, mark audio cue spots on the stage. Stage crew used neon tapes in the production of “Pippin” to cue lights and audio.

T/E Life

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

7

Audrey Kim/The SPOKE

Flower children (left): Visitors at the Philadelphia Flower Show admire works shown at the youth division, which featured five works from TEMS students. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society selected this year’s theme as pop art, a movement during the 1950s and 1960s based on modern popular culture.

Memory tree (above): The piece “Memory Tree� stands in one of the pavilions of the Philadelphia Flower Show.

The work honored those with Alzheimer’s disease with its brain-shaped structure, and reminded visiters of the positive effect of gardening on the brain on a nearby plaque.

Audrey Kim/The SPOKE

At the Philadelphia Convention Center, bright flowers of all colors, shapes and sizes celebrated this year’s theme of pop art at the Philadelphia Flower Show, an annual event which is hosted by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society for the first week in March. From the suspended flower lights to gigantic installations, the wide spaces of the Philadelphia Convention Center become compact when faced with the crowds who hope to see the thousands of works from across the globe, including pieces from five TESD students in its youth division section.

Under the guidance of TEMS art teacher Khara Flint, TEMS students produced 17 works to submit to the event, five of which were selected by the juried panel to be featured.

The project started when Flint invited Jean Cook, a retired TESD teacher who has been practicing the art of flower pressing since 1995, to speak in her art classes in September 2017. During her talk, Cook showed the students how to press flowers between the pages of books and correctly place them on paper using a pin, emphasizing the natural beauty of the flowers.

From then on, students saved flowers from the spring to press in between their books, working from September to December to construct their pieces. “We want more people to enjoy every art form, and since I enjoy flower pressing, as a senior person I want other people to know that it’s there for them too,� Cook said. “There are a lot of other art teachers in the county who are also encouraging young people to participate in this practice.�

Because the theme for the 2019 Philadelphia Flower Show was

pop art, a movement in the 1950s which emphasized imagery from popular and mass culture, students crafted symbols such as the Liberty Bell, women applying lipstick and the famous Philadelphia statue “Clothespin� in their works. “I learned how to be really patient and work better with smaller leaves,� said 8th-grade student Julia Bennett, one of two students who received an honorable mention award at the event for her piece of a U.S. stamp featuring the famous “Love� sculpture in Philadelphia.

Flint, who plans to continue coordinating and submitting student works to the Philadelphia Flower Show next year, said that the practice of flower pressing served as a valuable learning experience. “I think in life we seem to rush through things, so it’s nice to take your time to construct these pieces,� Flint said. “Because you’re dealing with such tiny little mosaics, kids learn fine motor skills, color theory, and craftsmanship while making them, all values which are important for their futures.�

Audrey Kim/The SPOKE

City of Brotherly Love (above): Seventh grader Sarah Bennett’s work featuring the Philadelphia “Love� Sculpture hangs at the youth division in the Philadelphia Flower Show. For her piece, Bennett received an Honorable Mention certificate from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

Maddie Lamonica/The SPOKE

Flower power (left): An installation piece displays in Philadelphia Convention Center at the Philadelphia Flower Show. Over 450,000 people visit the event every year.

Young artists (above): TEMS teacher Khara Flint and students Elsa Burgo, Julia Bennett, Isha Bor Kar, Shravani Bankar and Jacqueline Chow smile in front of the youth division section of the Philadelphia Flower Show. Five out of the seventeen submitted works from TEMS were featured.

Audrey Kim/The SPOKE

8

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

OPINION Consider limiting AP courses

The willingness of the School Board to consider pushing back school start times shows their concern for the well-being of students. But it’s not enough. At Conestoga, students’ stress and mental health struggles come not just from a lack of sleep, but also from a heavy workload. To help limit how heavy this workload can get, the School Board should consider limiting the number of AP classes a student is allowed to take each year.

There’s a school of thought that taking fewer AP courses will make students’ college resumes less competitive. But that’s not true.

Colleges receive a profile from every school and will know what courses are or are not available to students.

They expect students to challenge themselves within the context of their own school. If Conestoga limited the AP courses a sophomore could take to three, colleges would not penalize any

student for “only� taking three AP courses their sophomore year. The Yale Admissions website, for example, says that “We only expect

may restrict what courses you can take. Again, we only expect that you will excel in the opportunities to which you have access.�

Many students take advantage of the variety of AP classes available at ’Stoga not for college, but to challenge themselves. But in a competitive high school like Conestoga, unlimited AP courses also prompt many students to overload on them at the expense of sleep, social lives, hobbies and really, anything that’s not related to schoolwork. Should homework play the central role in the lives of teenagers in high school?

When we look back at our time here, what do we want to remember?

Kaitlyn Chen/The SPOKE It’s easy to tell stuyou to take advantage of such (AP dents that they need to take or IB) courses if your high school responsibility for their own provides them. Different schools schedules and decide what to have different requirements that prioritize. But when many stu-

dents have been raised in a college-focused culture throughout their school career, often comparing themselves with peers, it’s unfair to expect them to now put their well-being and passions first. For all they know, their decision to prioritize health and pursue interests outside of school will make them less appealing in college applications when compared to students who chose to take as many AP courses as possible.

That is not to say that students cannot take a lot of AP courses and maintain good grades. But with a cap on APs, maybe these students would be more well-rested and have more free time to pursue interests independently.

Earlier this month, the School Board launched a survey to gauge student, teacher and parent support for a later start time. Why not do the same for limiting AP courses? When a cap may mean healthier and happier students, it’s worth considering.

From the Editor: The game was rigged from the start Coco Kambayashi/The SPOKE

The Spoke Editorial Board voted 10-5 in favor of this editorial.

Beware of the dangers technology brings

Justin Huang

ments. When I dived into the Common Application, the only thing I had fighting for me was my high school work, and I made my peace with the fact that there would be people with a leg up above me.

My peace didn’t cover the situation of parents organizing a plot to admit their children into a competitive college’s crew team, though. Or, more importantly, the parents who legally donate millions or even billions of dollars to colleges and automatically guarantee acceptance for their progeny, otherwise called “development cases.�

What’s the logical reasoning thebehind faith isn’t a true Appleist. colleges giving these A common misconception is development cases priority? that need Why to be have loaded to buy It’syou simple. a student from which isn’twhen true. they All payApple, $70,000 a year it means that same your year’s worth can payisthat amount plus of millions part-timemore Target paychecks is through outside going to a nobleWhile cause. donations Our trildonations? lion-dollar cap does need guaranteemarket future acceptanca little support now and then from es, acceptances guarantee futhese In turemodern-day donations.indulgences.

But by doing return, you’ll ascendstudents to a higher so, you displace who havestatus, worked harder, fought social free from the brimharder, and might deserve the spot more than and maybe you’ll goatowalking heaven. pile ofTwo: money. become one with your Cornell’s AirPods.

When Legal you buyInformathem, tion defines and I doInstitute mean when, wearbribery them as “corrupt solicitation, aceverywhere.

Wear them during ceptance, transfer of value your morningordrives, in class, in exchange for official acthein shower, in bed.

No matter tion.� have what, youVarsity have to Blues remindmay the Airpointed out a fair amount of parents of such crimes, gone so far guilty as to have my AirPods but tothere’s nothing about the glued my ears.

“corrupt transfer of value� that has occurred for years through these development cases. It’s bribery with extra steps and unfortunately, the lack of “official action� exempts it from court.

I’m not asking for college students to be judged solely by their work and merits, as so many opinions about college have done in the past. I’ve come to realize that the idea of a meritocracy both supports and contradicts the idea of the American Dream. Education is “the great equalizer� — with higher education, people in different circumstances are given the tools to achieve sition and assert your superiority. economic mobility.

However, giving the rich the opportunails 95 theses our doors, nitytheir to game theon system ultiwe’ll be there to teardevelopment them down. mately stagnates Ininfact, I’veeconomy, seen Appleists faithour andsofor all ful they think Samsung’scases the thethat money development only phone brand. giveother to colleges, what brilliant But hey, we still a free young minds dobelieve they in lose in market. exchange?

You may to have If we’re takeheard awaysome anyharbingers of the the recent end spouting thing from college admissionsabout scandal, it’s the reblasphemies the impending lationship of money to college acceptances. loses its Cook’s decisionBefore to stopit releasing “I think fifteensales minutes of fame, let’s it’s a gre Apple as a sign that their stop and consider what role business is deteriorating.

But look idea that no one the rich and wealthy should around—hallways are full of Air-believe should playusers in admissions Pod and iPhones(hint: take the an because answers should be ofnone).

As such an overwhelming chunk the marwe look at illegal fraud in the such isn’t ket share in school. Our zealous, always system,followers let’s remember tosure exfaithful will make considered a fun amine the that has Appleism willlegal neverfraud die. mental right to a undermined equality of opporIf you’re still skeptical and -John activists. � tunity for wonder whyyears. the stock price has senio fallen by as much as it has, it’ll make sense if you don’t think about it. tion. Welcome to the ranks of the enlightened.

Wait a minute. Have you seen my AirPods case?

Co-Editor-in-Chief phone. Or when you reached hours, every week. Not only does ing “together� but all on their for a book, rather than for your this deprive our generation of phones at the same time? phone. I think it’s safe to say that face-to-face encounters, it also And yet the effects of the Last week, the FBI charged for most of us, distraction-less hinders our abilities to clearly amount of time we spend on 33 parents, mostly made up of lives ended a very long time ago. articulate our thoughts. Jennifer our devices has led to symptoms wealth and status, of spending Smart devices play a key role French, a former English teacher, similar to drug use. Findings an aggregated amount of $25 in ruining our attention spans. conducted a study in 2018 and from Michigan State Univer- million to help ensure their In a 2018 study from De Mont- found that the average student, sity in 2019 showed a connec- children’s acceptance into nofort University with 630 partic- ages 13-17, tion between toriously competitive colleges ipants, researchers found that sends about heavy usage through sports, or cheating on “I think a great the frustrations and experiences and risky de- it’sstandardized tests. “I think it’s 3,400 a greattexts idea that no one Christina Lee of digital technology have a deta month. cision-ma k My classmates kept discussStaff Reporter idea that no one should believe because such and rimental effect on productivity Even worse, ing, similar to ing it, pointing out the admisisn’t always a With the rise of smarter de- and performance. Butsuch it doesn’t Frenchconsidered rethose should who arebelieve sion seats that these children because vices, our lives become more take a genius to figurefundamental rightthat to all activists.� out that ported dependent on such take and while other more qualiaccessible, easier and more discovery. Notice the crazy because studrugs. fied, perhaps lower-income, such isn’t always -John Hancock, school in order connected. But its benefits are amount of time it takes to get dents’ pri-to celebrate their With new- students a funda-could have taken senior holiday. myconsidered own on Muslim holidays.

Overall, not without a price. After every something done? How long it maryIt isn’t modefair how we have wanted to take this into er and smarter them.

A new convert, eh? Been getmental to all hands because there technologies, is a lack of right Muslim students whosomething celebrate and of commurelease of a new phone model takes you to read But is any of that really Muslim or Middle Eastern rep- to � new? or a new device entirely, thouEid al-Fitr and Eidit?al-Adha activists. fully understand The facts are n i c a t i o n we need -John Hancock, Christmas. lost I sands of people flock to nearby for Muslim holidays. Every year, resentation in my school, and I to AirPods shouldn’t have to miss staring right at usschool every in day at is texting, remember I’mfrom an Asian male. O When lamb, we welcome you to the fold senior stores, happily surrendering students have to miss feel obligated to do put something orderschool to celebrate their holiday. Muslim and at home. “textspeak� time aside was born, my race and my sex be your spiritual their money to the greedy techIt is notSmarter equitable, and also we all devices pose celebrating a showedtheir up holiday so they about this issue. for reading of Appleism. denouncedI’llme in the eyes of during your religious nology giants. Yet the three or don’tinfallstudents’ behind in class. Many should try tothreat maketo a change. serious our social skills. books, pur- guide college admissions. Myconparfour-digit price tags are not the Now that instant messaging and teachers assignat tests on MusI am a proud Middle Eastern writing suing hobbies version. ents went to college in China As you may or may not know, only things that cost us: new Tosocial lim holidays as well, so missing American, and I want are the preferred school. Furor to talking have to (no legacy preference there) makemedia it understandable, we worship Steve Jobs and our technology is decreasing our of communication, texting t h e r m o r e , our friends in and my mom obtained her equal opportunities as my other they ways are basically the Islamic Coco Kambayashi/The SPOKE current popedegree is Tim Cook.

While attention spans and degrading slangs and abbreviations have due to the person.

Othmaster’s from a small a major issue for many Musstudents. version of Christmas.

Eid al-Fitr I have always been“I taking think it’s a great idea that no one should believe “I think it’s a great idea that no our social skills. replaced solid conversation. inherently in addictive nature of erwise, devices may take their school near Toronto that- I lim-Americans our country. tests or just studying on my holty would and innovative because and suchRamadan always considered a devices, it is very difficult No should believe Try to remember the such last Ofcom, aisn’t telecommunications smart toll one onone our ability be human, never gomind, to. praise Neither wants to to miss thebecause of Ramadan. is where idays;time Eid al-Fitr and able Eid al-AdCookever takes that message and you were to read an company inactivists.

UK,sunrise reported thatit’sMuslims to fully engage in social converand we will become more and be,have worked for a univerfundamental right to all � “I think a such and such isn’t always shouldn’t have to opportunity to learn.

Because Muslims fast from to ha. Imagine not even chapter being able mangles it so badly that it’s unentire textbook without the average person now spends sations.

How many times have more a product of the technolosity.

I have no athletic achievemake a choice between school of this, Iconsidered have attended school sunsetnofor a whole idea that one shouldmonth. believeEidbecause a fundamental right to focus while taking glance agreat test berecognizable—but you didn’t hear taking a single at your more than a full day online, in you seen a table of people din-meetings, gies themselves. clubs and given cause all you can thinksuch aboutand is such isn’t always considered a fundato all activists.� that Hancock, from me. pilgrimage to Mecca, and it is should be equality towards all speeches to some of my class- -John and heathens. If you ever spot how you’re not celebrating your Remember, all Appleists must mental right to all activists. � religions. es to raise awareness about this senior done once in a lifetime. During a non-Apple device, don’t hesi-John Hancock, issue. When I was getting sig- follow the three tenets to reach en- tate to remind the user just how Eid, Muslims spend time with senior Recently, I have been getting natures for the petition, I gave lightenment. worthless they, and their poor is on June 3 and June 4, and this their families and celebrate. TypOne: spend a ridiculous speeches to my classes on why ically, parents give presents to decisions, are. If the Physics group amount of money for technology. the Muslim holidays.

Personally, their kids and younger relatives.

Victoria’s Law aims to end dition of the facility. However, need to be educated about the I’m talking about buying $1,200 chat is invaded by green, abanstudying instead of celebrating I received signatures. total majority students Eid ispuppy an extremely important mills in two ways. First, puppy92mill owners In will likelythe plight of of puppy millsagreed. in Penn- phones, $160 headphones, $2,300 don ship and start anew. If some with my family. time the for law Muslim families, and will prevent the sale of find a way to hide their facil- sylvania and realize that they laptops. Any Appleist who hasn’t poor, misguided soul even tries to shows how the even majority of the are not recognizing that. justify why Android is better, you commercially bred dogs in pet ities.

Also, if puppy mills should not buy dogs from unMany schools, including schools student body supports this issue.will credible breeders . Puppy mills contributed more than $5,000 to have the right to launch an inquistores, causing puppy mills to close down, consumers Conestoga High School, do not I hear my to classmates say how it holiday, and for peo lose their primary source of have pay a premium pricetheir will be forced outyears of business recognize Muslim holidays. isn’t fair that Muslims don’t have Conestoga who have to miss income.

Second, the law will for dogs from higher-quality if consumers stop buying from In the past month, I have been prevent breeders from selling breeders, causing consumers them. For this reason, state unsocialized and disease-rid- to search for dogs from out-of- funding and support need to be den dogs to unsuspecting con- state breeders that are not sub- given to shelters and non-profit sumers by requiring breeders to ject to Victoria’s Law. organizations who educate peoput their identification number, So, how can PA end puppy ple about puppy mills.

Takshil Chittuluru name, and address on every ad- mills? The best solution is moIn addition to shelters and Guest Columnist vertisement they have. bilizing consumers to adopt non-profits, it is important for However, if Victoria’s Law or purchase from responsible average citizens like you and me Last month, a new law was is passed, the question still re- breeders. Up until now, legis- to take an active role in helping introduced to the Pennsylvania mains: will it be enough to stop lation has focused solely on the fight this problem. Volunteer State Legislature prohibiting the puppy mills at a local sale of commercially bred dogs, once and for SPCA (Socats and rabbits in pet stores. This all? Unlikeciety for the law was dubbed “Victoria’s Law� ly. Although Prevention after a German Shepherd named the law will of CruelKaitlyn Chen/The SPOKE Victoria who was rescued from a reduce the ty to Anipuppy mill. Victoria is paralyzed avenues pupmals) ordue to a genetic disease, which py mills have ganization has now been passed to her 150- to sell their like Main 200 offspring. The law hopes to puppies, it Line Aniruin puppy mills, which house does not mal Rescue. dogs like Victoria who are kept in stop breeders In the February issue, on page 4 in “Lesson in love,� we referred to physics teacher “Bryan Contact crowded cages and not properly from selling your state Roberts.� His name is actually Ryan Roberts.

Kaitlyn Chen/The SPOKE cared for, while allowing respon- online direpresentasible breeders to continue selling rectly to the tive to adOn page 11 in the highlight reel, we said that the Eagles lost to the Chicago Bears. They actually out of their house. Victoria’s Law consumer. Proponents of Victo- sellers of puppies. But in any vocate for stronger regulations. is a major step towards animal ria’s Law argue that consumers economy, consumers drive the Above all, do not forget about lost to the New Orleans Saints. We also said that senior and varsity basketball player Zach Lezanic rights; however, it will not be will not buy from puppy mills market, and it’s no different in the thousands of dogs that are reached his personal record of 1000 points during the team game against Lower Merion on Feb. 5. enough to stop negligent breeders. because they will see the con- the sale of puppies. Consumers suffering in Pennsylvania.

Stand-alone cartoon

STUDENTS SPEAK OUT

Q: Should students have their driver licenses before college?

Puppy mills: Victoria’s Law is not enough

SORRY, WE MISSPOKE

He actually reached this personal record during the team game against Upper Darby on Feb. 7.

The Spoke is published seven times per year at Bartash printing. It consistently receives a Gold rating from PSPA and CSPA, and is a National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker award-winning publication.

The Spoke serves as a public forum for student expression.

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Staff

Editors-in-Chief: Justin Huang, Avery Maslowsky Managing Editor: Brooke Deasy News Editor: Maddie Lamonica T/E Life Editors: Andrew Bucko, Tiffany He Opinion Editor: Claire Guo Sports Editor: Aimee Buttenbaum Design Editor: Reagan Gerrity Copy Editor: Audrey Kim Photography Editor: Olivia Thompson Business Manager: Emma Clarke

Cartoonists: Kaitlyn Chen, Coco Kambayashi, Paige Sredenschek Staff Reporters: Renato DiStefano, Matthew Fan, Alex Gurski, Christina Lee, Katherine Lee, Richard Li, Sophia Pan, Sanjana Sanghani, Reese Wang Managing Web Editor: Melinda Xu Web Editors: Dhivya Arasappan, Ananya Kulkarni Faculty Advisers: Cyndi Crothers-Hyatt, Susan Gregory

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Op/Ed

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

9

Report Report Report Support proposal to push back TESD start times Report Report Card Card Card Card Card Super Super Bowl Bowl D Super D Bowl D-

happy to hear that our School Board is seriously considering moving back school times by a half hour for the next school year.

Juniors, that means we might get to reap the sweet, sweet pleasure of more sleep. (See you, suckers.

Sorry, seniors.) + Double in the In Doink the proposal, everyone would start school later: ’Stoga would shift from 7:20 a.m. to Claire Guo 7:50 a.m., middle schools - Lowest score the in hisOpinion Editor from a.m. to 8:27 a.m., and tory, bad7:50 commercials, the Levine, elementary schools from Adam and look Do you get eight to ten hours 8:45 a.m. to 9:10 a.m. The diswho won of sleep every night? I sure don’t. trict would maintain a “3-tier” But it is what I should get. Not busing system, meaning that only because I absolutely deserve buses will have three shifts, enit, but because I am undergoingLunar suring that middle-schoolers puberty. Eight to ten hours is will not be piled into the same the recommended amount ofNew bus asYear high-schoolers. sleep for teenagers according to To gauge how the commuan (inservice) the CDC, Mayo Clinic, Nation-+ We nitygot feels, a survey went out to al Sleep Foundation, American teachers, parents and students.

Academy of Pediatrics and just Soon, the School Board will wasn’t Lunar everybody, okay? Sure, Web-- Wait, decide whether or not to impleMD recommends eight to nineNew Yearit.onHere’s Tuesday? ment why you should hours, but WebMD also told me support the new proposal.

I had swine flu. So. Teenagers tend to stay up late.

Sadly, there’s only so much But it’s not just because we procaffeine can do (before one’s crastinate, spending the night body starts to shake at what I am texting friends then rushing sure is an unhealthy and alarm- to do homework (though the ing velocity). That’s why I am problem may be exacerbated by + C’mon, it’s kind of cool

such behavior). There is strong puberty. (Yes, there are rat and woke up later, boosting their averThe most worrying impact evidence to suggest that our ten- monkey teenagers, too.) age sleep per night from 6 hours will be on elementary-schoolers, dency to sleep later has more to In 2014, the American Acade- and 50 minutes to 7 hours and 24 whose school day would shift do with puberty and “circadian my of Pediatrics urged middle and minutes. A CDC-sponsored study to 9:10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Part of rhythms”— our biological sleep/ high schools to move their Year ofstart the observed over 9,000 students in the year, elementary students wake cycles, which explain why times to 8:30 a.m. or later. Schools eight public high schools in three would arrive home in the dark. we feel drowsy sometimes and across the nation 2-hour have donedelay it, states over the course of three A Child’s Place, which provides wake up naturally on days off. and with success. A University of years. Researchers found that before and after school care in + Double in the Studies have shown that as Washington study observed stu- shifting to later start times resultall ofDoink the elementary schools, we move into puberty, our circa- dents’ sleep schedules at two Se- ed in significant increases in GPAs may need to consider an earlier playoffs + More sleep + Double dian phases ex- Doink in the and standard- drop off option for parents on playoffs perience a deized test scores, their score way toin work.

- Lowest history, lay. Researchers drops in abHowever, student safety - But not more sleep bad commercials from -the Uni- score in history, sences and won’t really be jeopardized. Busthan if we’d had no Lowest versity of Mutardiness, de- es bring students close to their school bad commercials nich found that clines in local homes, and students who walk girls’ pattern car crashes and home don’t walk far. The Main of sleeping latfewer reports Line community is generally a er starts one of symptoms safe one — many kids of all ages year earlier of depression. wander and play outside unsu+ Double Doink than boys, corThe School pervised — and we have crossin the responding to Board has not ingplayoffs guards for the roads with their +younger delayed this more traffic. An earlier drop Double Doink in the induction into bell schedule off option - Lowest score for A Child’s Place playoffs + Brie-emphasizing puberty. Unidelay for no would bad curb damage to working in history, the importance of versity of Michreason. TESD parents’ schedules, and buses, as commercials Lowest score in history, female igan -researchis required by always, will provide transportaPaige protagonists Sredenschek/The SPOKE commercials ers bad observed law to pro- tion if needed. What will change the sleep cycles of five mam- attle high schools during one year vide transportation to students is that when elementary school- A for Aggressively malian species besides humans, when they started school at 7:50 at 88 private and independent ers graduate to TEMS and Valley Average including rhesus macaque mon- a.m. and the next year when they schools. It is estimated that the Forge, then to ’Stoga, they will keys and lab rats. All five experi- started at 8:45 a.m. They found increase in buses, vans and fuel not experience the steep decline enced a similar delay in their cir- that bedtimes stayed relatively needed for the recommended in sleep that we did. That’s worth + Double Doink in the cadian phase around the time of constant, and teenagers simply plan would cost $610,000. the tax dollars.

B+

B

Snow squall

Super Bowl

C-

B

Super Bowl

C-

A

Super Bowl

Prom prep

+ Double Doink in the playoffs

- Just enough for more - Lowest score in history, school, but not enough a snow day would want it, then I feel bad commercials “If a lot of for people say they like the school should do it. But I feel like school times are great the way they are now.”

Positive Psychology

- Parth Patel, Super freshman Bowl

STUDENTS SPEAK OUT + Z helped design it, bruh

A

bad commercials

- Harisankar Radhakrishna,

playoffs

- Lowest score in history, bad commercials

Super Bowl

+ Double Doink in the playoffs

“Yeah, because it’s a lot of pressure to do all the homework that Conestoga gives us and sleep early, and then wake up earlier. I feel like it’s not healthy at our age.”

B-

C-

+ Suzie’s wearing red, you say? Interesting.

“No, because if they get pushed back, then school will end later and make it harder to have more time at night. If we were to start school - too proactive for me later, then we should have no homework or something, because then it would be harder to have time at night to finish it.”

Q: Should school start times be pushed - Lowest score in history,

- Which psych class do I take now?

Super Bowl

Captain Marvel

Unity Week back? food

A

- Olivia Bové,+ Double Doink in the sophomore

playoffs

- Lowest score in history, bad commercials

“No matter when school starts, it’s going to feel like it’s too early, so + fried chicken, fried I’m always going to be tired in the morning. I’d rather have time at rice, fried churrooos the end of the day, so I don’t think we should push it back.”

- Too slow, suckers; - Kiran Rebholz, no churros for you senior

junior

Year of the 2-hour delay

+ More sleep

B+

- But not more sleep than if we’d had no school

Captain Marvel + Re-emphasizing the importance of female protagonists - A for Aggressively Average

Prom prep

B-

+ Suzie’s wearing red, you say? Interesting.

- Too proactive for me

Unity Week food

A

+ Fried chicken, fried rice, fried churros - You snooze, you lose; no churros for you

Green New Deal: Step in right direction, but a pipe dream Another drawback of the Green New Deal is the timeline.

Proponents, including the Green Party, hope to accomplish their lofty goals (i.e. net-zero global emissions) within the next two decades. However, according to research conducted by the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences of the United States of America, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, the U.S. won’t even be able to achieve complete wind, water, and solar energy by 2050, so it is unreasonable to expect that the world will be able to do so as well.

Moreover, if the Green New Deal were to be passed, the extended “It’s would always dark it’s retimeline most out, likely I sleep a quirevery eventiring. more than $1 at trillion.

Some mightbut sayI always that the fact set time, that feel the like Green Deal repit’s New way too resents a dream actually early when I wake up.bene” fits the nation, citing the reason

Additionally, the Green New Deal is an inconspicuous and deceptive way for political figures to gain recognition. For example, Ocasio-Cortez is a newcomer in Congress. By taking a strong stance with the Green New Deal, she attracts media attention and thus makes a name for herself in Congress, but more importantly, the Democratic Party. Therefore, not only does she Matthew Fan widen the partisan divide, but she Staff Reporter also derives personal gain from the Stirring up memories of announcement of the Green New Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal, showing that the plan doesn’t Deal, U.S. Representative Alexanjust benefit the American people; it technology used, we are lucky. and extracurricular success, and dria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and directly helps her.

The teachers here are exception- the underlying idea holds that Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) inAs a nation, if we hope to solve al, and I feel confident that I am colleges want students who are troduced a policy package called the problems posed by climate ready for college, both person- “involved,” and therefore it is “School (would) end later and the Green New Deal on Feb. 7. change, we must come together ally and academically. This is in desirable to fill one’s transcript This new “New Deal” aims to atinstead of moving farther to make the it harder to have more time large part thanks to ’Stoga. with responsibility and activity. at night. If we were to start school tain “net-zero global emissions,” left or right. In today’s political However, this isn’t the whole There’s also the issue of as stated in Ocasio-Cortez’s House later, then we should have no climate, the strategy of one parpicture. mental health. Five of my close of Representatives resolution. ty proposing something extreme Due to the competitive at- friends have experienced menhomework or something, because Net-zero carbon emissions. to make its other proposals then ap- it would be harder to have mosphere and emphasis on tal health issues during their Deasy Just the word “zero” is William Huang, pear moderate time no at night toBrooke getting involved in school and time at ’Stoga. I’m not sayfinish it.”Editor Managing an immediate indicator freshman longer works—rathextracurricular activities as ing all are directly related to Olivia Bové, that this plan is more of er than causing the much as possible, I, among oth- the school, but three certainly sophomore a dream than an impleintended effect, this “So, Conestoga huh? How do er students, have overextended have to do with academics and mentable reality. tactic increases po- you like it?” myself. Being a member of The taking on more than they can It is simply impractical larization because the A few weeks ago, a college Spoke and a competitive dance handle. Staying up past 12 a.m. to think that the United other party takes its interviewer asked me that very team is enough to pack one’s is unfortunately the norm for States government has own extreme stance question. The poor woman likely schedule. But, I also decided to many, especially those who are enough money to allocate in response. A more expected a simple remark. Per- create my own club, join three involved in afterschool activito this plan. According to practical solution en- haps along the lines of “Oh it’s or four others, and participate ties. And some people pull all the U.S. Green Party, the tails that members of a great school. The teachers are in a community service organi- nighters left and right. This is plan will cost $700 bilCongress accept that great, lots of opportunity.” Or, if zation outside of school. Then, clearly unhealthy. A high grade lion to $1 trillion to imclimate change is ac- one was feeling bold, “It’s school, there’s the honors and AP cours- in Schoology makes the student plement. $400 billion of tually occurring. They you know, the norm.” But, no. es I enrolled in which consumed feel that their lack of sleep was this will go towards a jobs then must compro- For the first time in my life, I gave hours of my time in work on a worth it and their relationship program that supporters mise to come up with the full answer. I made clear that nightly basis. I’m not saying this with that teacher is preserved. hope will create 20 mila solution that has im- ‘Stoga has faults too. is true for everyone, but I cerAnd finally, there is too Coco Kambayashi/The SPOKE lion new jobs. Additionplementable compoOf course, I first covered the tainly experienced a high dose much pressure on getting into ally, at least $200 billion will be that the Green New Deal brings nents and makes sense financially. positives. of stress during my Conestoga a top-notch school (one of high used to complete a 100 percent back efforts to solve the problems Ultimately, the Green New I can comfortably say that years. While some of this comes rank that often sports comparaswitch to renewable energy. created by climate change to the Deal represents a righteous almost, if not all, Conestoga stu- from personal ambition, I con- tively low acceptance rates). Or, The current divided Congress forefront of political discussion. goal—to switch to renewable dents feel blessed by the oppor- tribute a lot of it to the high- really, college in general. Stustruggled to pass a budget bill Indeed, it is important that solu- energy—but until its supporters, tunities they have here. From a strung ’Stoga atmosphere: This dents constantly feel the “colthat, according to Politico, only tions are brought about quickly. mostly the more liberal Demo- plethora of classes to choose type of schedule is applauded. lege heat” breathing down their gave $1.37 billion to Trump’s bor- However, the aforementioned crats, recognize that it is imprac- from to hundreds of clubs to Students categorize individuals necks. If they do poorly on an der wall. What will happen when unrealistic propositions that the tical, it will simply be an illusion partake in and the means to cre- with this type of ambition as exam—no matter how much it tries to give 100,000% percent Green New Deal do not help ac- of success during a time in which ate new ones, from the field trips hard workers, guidance coun- they studied—they automatiof that to the Green New Deal? complish this goal. real change is needed. offered to the equipment and selors commend this academic cally fear it will jeopardize their “No matter when school starts, it’s going to feel like it’s too early, so I’m “Yeah, because it’s a lot of pressure to do all the homework always going to be tired in the morning. I’d rather have time at the end that Conestoga gives us and sleep early, and then wake up of the day, so I don’t think we should push it back.” earlier. I feel like it’s not healthy at our age.”

STUDENTS SPEAK OUT

-

Why I can’t say ’Stoga is great

-

Q: Should school start times be pushed back?

- Branden Veale, junior

Paige Sredenschek/The SPOKE

placement at a “good” university. I can’t say this is true for everyone, but from experience it is a viable reality for many.

It all starts with the type of student Conestoga breeds, and the area in which it is situated.

The average ‘Stoga student does well academically, especially when placed on a national scale, and wants, even expects, to attend a highly-regarded university. Although it may be stereotypical, it’s largely true: the Main Line is a wealthy area, and parents are willing to pull out their checkbooks to send their children to the “school of their dreams.” It then becomes a matter of getting the grades and doing the activities that meet the college’s expectations.

Sure, high school is a time for academic growth and an extension of responsibility, providing much needed maturity.

But students shouldn’t sacrifice personal and social development. High school should, and can, be a source of fun. Enforcing a limit on the number of AP courses students can take would certainly be a step in the right direction.

More can be done to shift the “norms” of the student body and alleviate student stress. Conestoga isn’t perfect. It shows.

- Kiran Rebholz, senior

Coco Kambayashi/The SPOKE Coco Kambayashi/The SPOKE

Sports

10

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Aimee Buttenbaum/The SPOKE

Fighting for the puck: Junior Bobby Albertson and senior Will Schnorr skate swiftly towards the puck to claim possession for Conestoga. The team made it to the State Championship semi-finals this year before a loss on March 13, but they look to make it to the Flyers Cup Tournament next season.

Mike Graves skates into final season of coaching boys ice hockey onship. The team came together a lot quicker than I thought this year and we are happy with where we The boys’ hockey team tri- are.” umphantly clutches the Central Graves is more than familiar League Championship trophy with the Flyers Cup, as he won high above its head, showing off it when he was senior captain their accomplishment to fans in of the Conestoga boys’ hockey the bleachers. Behind the team, team in 1997. He won again in players will find some of their 2008 with Conestoga as head biggest supportvarsity coach. ers in the rink: Graves said that the coaches. In while both wins particular, Coach were fulfilling, The team came Michael “Mike” the win in 2008 Graves feels acis his biggest actogether a lot complished and complishment quicker than I determined to end because coachhis 17th and final ing was more thought this year season coaching nerve-wracking. the hockey team “Before playMike Graves ing, I used to be with success on the ice.

Head Coach an absolute nerGraves, a forvous mess, probmer Conestoga ably leading up varsity boys’ hockey player from to the game and then I’d get on ’93 to ’97, had hoped to repeat a the ice and be fine. As a player win in the Flyers Cup Tournament, you can just go out on the ice but the season was cut short at the and do it, but as a coach it feels semi-finals. a little more out of your control,” “We weren’t totally sure what to Graves said. expect with the new (players) this It is for this reason that Graves year,” Graves said. “In the coach- declares his biggest personal es’ heads, we wanted to win the success to be coaching the 2008 Central League Championship, team to victory at the Flyers Cup which we got done, and hopefully Championship, with this year’s the Flyers Cup and State Champi- Central League Champs title as

Olivia Thompson Photo Editor

“

runner-up. He credits his success to the players and support system that the team has grown.

“The players have to believe in their coach as their leader and apply those things on the ice. I also have a great group of parents, a great support group through the years. I am lucky to have been doing this as long as I have. It’s not possible without the players and parents, and the school. The school has been more than supportive and helpful too. Everything that goes into it makes it work,” Graves said.

Although he will not coach at the high school level next year, Graves will continue coaching at the elementary school level. He said that he will miss the varsity boys he has coached throughout the years.

“You see the whole picture of what’s going on in these kids’ lives, and some are more complicated than others, and you get to be there and be a part of that,” Graves said.

Senior Malcolm Roeder said he is thankful for the support that Graves showed him.

“He brought in a goalie coach for me when I was in fourth grade and that was the first of many kind favors he’s done for me over the years, and he’s continued with those supporting actions all the way until my senior year in high

school,” Roeder said.

Junior Bobby Albertson, has known him since middle school and believes that Graves has impacted him beyond the rink.

“He knows how to make playing hockey enjoyable, like

it should be, while imbedding important lessons that translate beyond the rink and into my life. Coach Mike never hesitates to encourage us and get us believing in ourselves to overcome adversity, ” Albertson said.

This year marks the 24th year that Graves has been involved with the Conestoga boys’ hockey program as both a coach and player. He said he is grateful of all experiences he has had with the program and

will fondly remember his time with the team.

“I played for the high school, I played through college, I played on travel teams, but my favorite memories are playing for the high school team,” Graves said.

Alex Gurski/The SPOKE

Courtesy 1997 Conestoga Yearbook

Leading the team: Mike Graves coaches from the sidelines on March 6. In his retiring year, the boys’ ice hockey team made it into the State Championship tournamnet, losing in the semi-finals.

Standing in uniform: Coach Mike Graves poses with his 1997 Conestoga varsity ice hockey team. He has been involved with Conestoga boys’ hockey for 24 years and will retire from high school coaching this year.

“

Fast-paced: How running gets my life on track Grace Manion Guest Columnist

Jaw drops, sudden gasps, shocked faces. I’ve received it all when I say I love running.

Many people in our world would say they’re “bad at running” or that they “hate” running in a heartbeat. I, however, love my sport which happens to be your sport’s punishment.

I have been running for as long as I can remember. I come from a family that has generations of not only runners, but fast runners. As Shawn Mendes would say, “It is(n’t) in my blood!” When high school rolled around though, I found an even greater love for running on the cross country

team. Because it is my heart, my soul, my passion, here are a few reasons why everyone should run for fun.

First, running is a great overall workout to improve physical health. It is important that we take care of our bodies and running keeps us healthy in many ways. Running mainly improves cardiovascular health and increases bone density which can even add a few years on to your life. We all want to live as long as possible, right? Start running now.

Second, running is great for your mental health. Mental health is just as important, if not even more important than your physical health. You hear most people talk about a “runner’s high” and that is not a myth. Running releases endorphins, and endorphins can help improve your mood and overall outlook on life for the better. Trust me, running highs are something special

that you cannot get anywhere else. Take it from the girl who was injured for a year and a half and could not run. I missed those running highs like one misses their ex.

Third, running is a social sport. Running can get boring if you do it all alone. Finding a group of people to run with is key. Some of my best friends are because I joined the cross country and track teams at school. Runners pass the time of short and long runs by chit-chatting and connecting with one another.

Fourth, running is basically free therapy. Because endorphins are being released, you feel better no matter what mood you were in before the run began. Also, most runners say “what happens on a run, stays on a run.” This is said because lots of runners end up “spilling the tea” while running with friends. It is a sacred time to rant, complain, connect, and even cry.

Last, runners are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Take a time I ran on my local trail. Passing by runners is a breath of fresh air. We smile, say hi, and encourage each other on our runs. Passing by a biker, for example, well technically a rider as they like to be called, is just the opposite. They yell at you to move out of the way or better yet blow a loud horn right in your ear just as they pass by with no warning at all.

All in all, everyone should run. You will see dramatic changes physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. guaranteed.

Kaitlyn Chen/The SPOKE

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Sports

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

11

Track and field shot put team of two creates dynamic duo Sports Editor

A part of the modern Olympics since 1896, shot put has been around for centuries, but during the 2018-19 winter track season, the shot put team consisted of only two people, freshman Johnny Papadopoulos and sophomore captain Ethan Ostroff.

The winter track and field shot put enrollment this year was low, but these two athletes weren’t always alone.

“At first we were a team of four and it was definitely weird going from being a team of four to becoming a team of two because we lost literally half of the team,” Ostroff said.

While Ostroff and Papadopoulos are unsure why the team was so small this season after having two members drop out, one reason might be due to the difficulty level, as ESPN calls it one of the “toughest spring sports.”

“Shot put is a field event in which a metal ball, about the size of a softball, is pushed off

one’s shoulder as far as possible,” Papadopoulos said.

When facing off against other teams, junior sprinter Vidya Patel found it odd to watch the boys compete.

“

Johnny and I definitely did form a bond being the only two doing the event.

Ethan Ostroff

“

Aimee Buttenbaum

Sophomore

“It’s a unique situation for sure,” Patel said. “It’s different especially when the team competes and other schools bring many more people.”

Starting their shot put careers was more of an afterthought.

“I first started shot put in the seventh grade just as a sport to do in the spring to stay in shape for football, but I stopped playing football

Aimee Buttenbaum/The SPOKE

Smiling together: (From left to right) Freshman Johnny Papadopoulus and sophomore Ethan Ostroff are the shot put team of two. The boys competed during the winter season without any other shot put throwers.

freshman year,” Ostroff said.

Papadopoulos also picked up the sport in middle school.

He began throwing shot put in eighth grade, “for the fun of it.”

As the two joined together this winter track season, this afterthought turned into a love for the sport, as well as what Ostroff believes to be a special relationship with his teammate.

“Johnny and I definitely did form a bond being the only two doing the event because some of our track meets would go on for the entire day, and because the event only takes about 20 minutes, we would end up spending the entire day together waiting for the other events to end,” Ostroff said.

Papadopoulos also attributes their friendship to the team of two.

“Ethan and I have become very close over the past few months,” Papadopoulos said.

“It’s crazy to think how last year, he and I practiced at the same (shot put) ring and didn’t know who each other were.”

Not only did this team create a bond, but it also helped to improve the boys’ skills.

“I would say it did help me a lot because being on a team that small and having a coach for just the two of us, it was like having our own personal trainer,” Ostroff said.

With possible new members joining for the spring season, Ostroff will continue to cherish the time he had with Papadopoulos.

“My favorite memory was probably one of our invitationals in New York where it was actually just Johnny and I because our coach couldn’t make it, so we both helped each other with things we can do to throw further on our throws,” Ostroff said.

HIGHLIGHT REEL The latest developments in Sports. rows

The crew team raced March 17 at its first regatta on the Schuylkill River. For the women’s team, the lightweight double and the varsity quad placed first. shoots

The boys’ varsity basketball team won the District Championship after a 58-56 overtime win against Plymouth Whitemarsh High School on Feb. 22. loses

The boys’ varsity ice hockey team lost 8-5 in the semi-finals round of the Flyers Cup to Dowingtown West on March 13. plunges

The boys’ and girls’ varsity swim teams won the Central League Championship, finishing their seasons with 11-1 and 12-0 records, respectively. lobs

The boys’ squash B-team traveled to Connecticut on Feb 2. for the National Championship. They finished first in the fifth division of the competition. signs

Aimee Buttenbaum/The SPOKE

Winding up: Freshman Johnny Papadopoulos shoves the metal ball off of his shoulder, launching it into the air, and watches it land within legal boundaries. Papadopoulos and his teammate Ethan Ostroff began throwing shot back when they were in middle school.

As the winter season comes to a close, the boys look onto the spring which will have five more athletes joining the shot put team, one of them being a

returning spring member, junior Justin Demilio.

“I’m excited to be on the team again and hopefully be able to be more competitive with a bigger

team,” Demilio said.

Ostroff and Papadopoulos share the same sentiments as the team transitions to the next season.

The Phillies took on baseball’s best new face, Bryce Harper, in a 13-year, $300 million contract. departs

After seven years of playing for the Eagles, Nick Foles signed a four-year, $88 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars this month.

Boys lacrosse shoots for another year of success on the field Reagan Gerrity Design Editor

Adjusting to any sport is difficult when missing players, whether due to injury or illness, but for boys’ varsity lacrosse, adapting went to a new level after losing the 19 players that graduated in 2018.

The class of 2018 defined itself with their numerous successes over the past three years. Last season the boys were Central League champions and co-champions the previous two years. In 2017, they were District One Champions

and lost the state final in double overtime. And in 2018, the boys made it to the state semifinals.

“It’s the culture that we have at Conestoga. The guys are very competitive and sort of over the years have built a culture of success and a culture of accountability. I think it helps our guys want to achieve those goals every year,” coach Brody Bush said.

Bush, who has been coaching lacrosse at Conestoga since 2009 and teaching health at T/E Middle Schoxol for 15 years, has kept the same goal for this season: winning the league, but now

without the athletic talent of the 19 graduated players.

Senior Michael Jameison said he admires the dedication of those that graduated and their contribution to these past season victories.

“The most notable part of last year’s class was their tenacity and work ethic. They would never take a rep off and it would show during the games,” Jameison said.

Despite this loss, Bush said he still has great faith in his returning players and those that are new to the team.

“I think we’re going to surprise a few opponents and hav-

ing 12 returning varsity players gives a good base. Then we need the younger players to fill in their spots. It’ll be challenging for them,” Bush said. “It will be a good mix between the younger guys and the old ones. We’re looking for different upperclassmen to step up and be leaders.”

For senior Will Schnorr, this is a time when new players can display their talent.

“When you lose those players, you have to reload. Fortunately, our team has a good amount of depth when it comes to talent so although those 19 players will be

missed, we have younger players with the talent to replace them for this season,” Schnorr said.

The season is never predictable but with returning talent and new players stepping up to fill old positions, Schnorr said he is hopeful the team will go far.

“I’m looking forward to one more year battling to win the state championship. In my years playing with the varsity team, we have lost in the finals, and semifinals,” Schnorr said. This is the seniors’ last chance to win a state championship so we are all looking forward to it.”

Sharp pass (right): Junior Scott Smith passes the ball to a teammate during practice. Smith was on varsity for the 2017 and 2018 seasons and played alongside the 19 graduating seniors.

Obtaining possession (left): The boys’ lacrosse team practices in the weeks leading up to their first game. The team held tryouts in early March.

Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE

Olivia Thompson/The SPOKE

The debate of electronic exercise: eSports will be sports Justin Huang

Co-Editor in Chief

Paige Sredenschek/The SPOKE

According to CBS, Super Bowl LIII attracted 98.2 million viewers two months ago, not including those who streamed the game. In contrast, the League of Legends World Championship Finals drew a crowd of 99.6 million unique viewers, including those who filled every seat in Beijing’s Bird Nest and those who streamed it.

That number may be tiny compared to the World Cup’s 3.5 billion viewers from last year, but when a video game draws around the same amount of views as the Super Bowl, it means something. The growing popularity of eSports makes it hard to ignore, and we’ll find ourselves revisiting the question of whether they may be classified as sports.

For this argument, I’ll reference League of Legends mostly, since it’s the largest eSport and the one I’m most familiar with.

In the game, two teams of five face each other on a digital battlefield, and the main objective is to destroy each other’s base of operations, where players return to buy items and heal.

To start, League of Legends has a lot of similarities with main-

stream sports. Several teams across five regions compete against each other, and each year kicks off with drafts and trades between teams.

Viewers and fans excitedly watch their favorite team’s ascension up the brackets to the final match of the season while arguing against other teams’ fans over the winner of a game. The last two sentences could apply to any sport, and they apply to League, too.

The general definition of sports defines them as requiring physical activity, and although League doesn’t have that, the game still requires skill and fast mechanics. While competing, one wrong keystroke during a fight between the two teams could ruin one side, and if a right one comes a second too late, it could be a

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Paige Sredenschek/The SPOKE

missed opportunity. Teamwork remains a constant requirement in the game, as in any sport, and professional teams devote hours in scrimmages and practices to develop that bond.

Despite those similarities, it’s still hard for people to accept a sport without any exhausting physical activity. That’s fine. I don’t expect to see eSports played at the Olympics, and I don’t want to, but other factors give it a right to being called a sport — something other organizations have realized as well.

Last July, the International Olympics Committee and the Global Association of International Sports Federation hosted a forum about future collaboration with eSports and whether they should be considered a sport. The

question’s been raised before, and it’s possible that the Committee will give formal recognition in the near future.

The United States has also recognized the explosive growth of eSports and officially gave international League professionals the same visas as other professional athletes, giving League players the same treatment as other sports athletes. It’s not complete, formal recognition of the game as a sport, but it’s a step in the right direction.

As viewership and general interest in mainstream sports hover around their current peak, eSports continues to grow in popularity. Eventually, that popularity will inevitably give them the well-deserved formal qualification as a sport.

SPORTS

The SPOKE

Commitment Corner Page 10

Shot put team of two takes on winter season Page 11

Boys’ ice hockey coach completes final season Page 10

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Boys lacrosse shoots for another year of success Page 11

Guest columnist Grace Manion on running Page 10

Emma Clarke/The SPOKE

Taking the plunge: Senior Julie McFadden leads the 200-yard freestyle relay at Districts. The swimmers held on to their Central League champions status after Centrals at Radnor on Feb. 12-16.

swimmers end the season with the challenge of states Avery Maslowsky Co-Editor-in-Chief

The girls’ and boys’ swim teams ended their seasons at the state championship, ranking in the Pennsylvania top 10.

From March 13 to March 16, seven boys and eight girls represented ’Stoga swim at Bucknell University for the state championship. The boys’ team ranked eighth overall and the girls’ team ranked tenth overall.

Senior Brendan Burns broke his own 2018 state record in the 100-yard Butterfly, winning the event for the third year in a row and the Swimmer of the Meet Award for the second year in a row.

The relay team of Burns, Aidan McKendrick, Steven Graver and Raymond Welgosh placed seventh overall in the 400-yard Freestyle.

And in the 200-yard Freestyle relay, the team of Burns, Gary Wang, McKendrick and James Hughes placed ninth.

Two girls on the swim team took home individual medals in the 100yard Backstroke: junior Caroline Famous and senior Sophia Poeta, placing third and fifth, respectively.

The girls’ relay of Poeta, Famous, senior Alex Marlow and junior Allison Yuan also finished seventh, but in the 200-yard Medley, breaking a school record.

Before the meet, girls’ coach Rob Kirkby said that through the states’ training sessions, he sought to maintain the joy of just swimming.

“We have eight girls going, the most in a long time. States are a reward for a successful season. I want the girls to enjoy the meet and not put too much pressure on themselves. It is an exciting meet with the best swimmers in the state represented,” Kirkby said.

The swimmers’ successful season wasn’t only from their awards at states, as both teams placed first at the 2019 Central League Championships held at

Radnor High School from Feb. 12 through Feb. 16.

Famous said she attributes the power of the team to its bond and suspects the team will be able to reach similar success next season because of its supportive nature.

“The team as a whole has a great bond and everyone is really great about coming together and cheering. Everyone wants you to do your best which is great motivation and creates a family-like atmosphere,” Famous said.

Ball and all: girls rugby elated with high numbers Staff Reporter

It’s difficult to play a team sport when there aren’t enough players to be full-sized. For as long as rugby has been at ’Stoga, the girls’ team has been lacking players — until now. For the first time, with 17 girls enrolled, they are able to meet the standard size of 15.

Last season, the girls formed a team with the girls’ rugby team from West Chester Rustin, who were also lacking in numbers.

According to junior Deavion Perry, this gave them enough girls to play, but it was not a team that they could call their own.

In past years, the girls often had to forfeit most games, meaning they would automatically lose because of their small team size.

“We didn’t have actually scheduled games and just tried to get pick up games which can also be very difficult to organize,” junior Olivia Snyder said.

And for the games that the team were able to play, they were at a significant disadvantage.

“We had one game where the

other team played up three players, then went down to even number after they scored a bunch of tries. Once we had even numbers, we quickly got a few tries, and to protect their win, they put their extra three players back on the field,” senior captain Jordan Roe said. “It was annoying to see that we could have beat them if the playing field was even, but it just all came down to numbers.”

“

We have a really strong team this year and a lot of new girls who are eager to play.

Jessica Woodward

“

Katherine Lee

Junior

This year however, the team is hopeful in playing equally and competitively, equipped with not only a large enough team, but a new coach — Jenna Ponto. Ponto

played rugby for both West Chester University and the Brandywine Women’s Rugby Club.

“I’m looking forward to having these girls experience a real game where they’re a full team and not having to play with other teams.

With them being able to have their own team, it’s a more solidified opportunity for them,” Ponto said.

Perry, who is standing in as the team manager while recovering from a leg injury, said she believes that the following seasons will be more successful, now that they will not be forced to forfeit or play numbers down.

“Soon enough, before I graduate hopefully, I think we’ll make it to the championships. It’s been a goal since like freshman year of mine,” Perry said.

With new freshmen recruits gracing their numbers, the girls are looking forward to a rewarding season.

“We have a really strong team this year and lot of new girls who are eager to play. We are all pumped for this season,” junior player Jessica Woodward said.

Katherine Lee/The SPOKE

Practice makes perfect: Freshman Izzy Deltergo and junior Olivia Snyder practices on the fields at Valley Forge Middle School. Last year, the girls’ rugby team did not have enough people enrolled to make up an entire team.

SCORELINE B Basketball

scores as of 3/13

G Basketball

B Ice Hockey

G Ice Hockey

B Squash

G Squash

B Swimming

G Swimming

Wrestling

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16

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2

23

9

11

12

17

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16

3

13

11

13

1

0

3

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