THE OCTOBER 15, 2013
DANCING WITH
Molly Suproteem Sarkar Yuge Xiao
Photo Illustration: Noah Levine and Karolis Panavas/The SPOKE
F
or junior Paul Hyneman*, doing Molly is about more than just getting high. Hyneman said he regularly takes Molly, the street name for what drug dealers claim to be pure 3,4-methylenedioxy-Nmethylamphetamine (MDMA), when he goes to electronic concerts. “It makes you a lot happier, much more chipper and alive and more aware of what’s going on around you. Colors are a lot brighter—music is like getting a massage,” Hyneman said. “In my opinion, you have more fun because
your friends will be doing it too, you’ll be with a group of people. Everyone’s partying, having a good time, dancing.” According to Hyneman, MDMA, the main ingredient in Ecstasy, used by adolescents during concerts, is easy to obtain in powdered form. However, according to Carol Krause of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the term “Molly,” short for molecular MDMA, is a misnomer: several of the harmful contaminants found in Ecstasy, amine, can also be found in Molly.
“Those who purchase what they think is pure MDMA as ‘Molly’ may actually be exposing themselves to the same risks [posed by drugs contaminating Ecstasy],” Krause said. “Hundreds of ‘Molly’ capsules tested in two South Florida crime labs in 2012, for example, contained methylone, a dangerous stimulant commonly found in bath salts.” Junior Walter Thompson* attended an electronic music concert, or rave, that featured artists Sebastian Ingrosso and Dirty South at The Fes-
*To protect the privacy of the students interviewed, their names have been changed.
tival Pier at Penns Landing on Sept. 28. He said that he and several other Conestoga students attended the rave and that he noticed people who passed out after overdosing. “It’s just going to happen,” Thompson said. “It’s like bringing a kid to a park and telling them not to go play on the playground. People just do drugs at concerts to have a better time. I actually feel like people do it to have more fun, to be more energetic.”
Continued on p. 4
NEWS
PAGE 2 The Spoke is published seven times per year at Bartash Printing. It consistently receives the Gold Award from the Pennsylvania Scholastic Press Association and is a National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker award-winning publication. The Spoke serves as a public forum for student expression. Editors-in-chief: Lavi BenDor, Allison Kozeracki Managing Editor: Simran Singh News Editor: Suproteem Sarkar Opinion Editor: James Redmond Features Editor: Emily Klein Sports Editors: Courtney Kennedy, Navin Zachariah Design Editors: Sophie Bodek, Noah Levine Photography Editor: Noah Levine Centerspread Editor: Callum Backstrom Convergence Editor: Yuge Xiao Business Manager: Mary Mei Zoe Au, Andy Backstrom, Maggie Chen, Nour Elkassabany, Michael Hong, Rose Kantorczyk, Gabrielle Kerbel, Camille Kurtz, Liz Lawton, Michael Li, Dhanvin Manoo, Paula Miller, Patrick Nicholson, Meagan O’Rourke, Emma Purinton, Rachit Sabharwal, Shivani Sanghani, Sam Sedor, Matt Soderberg, Victoria Stern, Michael Zhang, Jerry Zhu Faculty Advisers: Susan Houseman, Cynthia CrothersHyatt
Submissions Letters to the editor may be submitted to Susan Houseman, Cynthia Hyatt, Lavi Ben-Dor or Allison Kozeracki. Unsigned editorials represent the views of The Spoke editorial board, and not necessarily those of the administration, student body, community or advertisers. The opinions expressed in signed columns are those of the writer and not necessarily the opinion of The Spoke.
Contact Us
Email: spoke@stoga.net Phone: 610-240-1046 The Spoke accepts paid advertisements. Email mmei@stoganews.com Visit The Spoke online at www.stoganews.com Web News Director: Yuge Xiao yxiao@stoganews.com
THE SPOKE
Valley Forge Park closed by government shutdown Liz Lawton & Michael Zhang Staff Reporters
LLawton@stoganews.com MZhang@stoganews.com
Despite numerous preventative measures, a federal government shutdown on Oct. 1. A manifestation of the shutdown can be seen in nearby Valley Forge National Historic Park. As a result of the shutdown, all nonessential government workers were furloughed without pay. While not all government services have been discontinued and suspended, numerous inconveniences have already presented themselves to the local community within the past week. Within the park itself, state roads remain open, while federally funded services including trail maintenance, the visitor center, the Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau and the maintenance or park infrastructure will remain suspended. As the shutdown continues, more than 60 park employees remain at home without pay. Certain locally authorized sections of the park such
as the Schuylkill River Trail will remain open during the shutdown, but several groups and members of the community including Park Rangers, employees, Boy Scouts and other student oriented service groups will continue to be affected as part of the park’s closure. Among the students at Conestoga affected by the recent shutdown is junior Chris Wang, who is completing his Eagle Scout culminating project in the park. A major requirement for all Eagle Scouts, the culminating project must demonstrate leadership and service to any religious institution, school or other sector of the community. For Wang and many other prospective Eagle Scouts choosing to complete their projects at Valley Forge, the shutdown provides an untimely inconvenience. “I’ve already invested quite a bit of time into completing over half of the project, and it’s really frustrating now that I can’t make any further progress,” Wang said. Marlene Concordia, Visitor Use Assistant at Valley Forge National Historic Park, received word to prepare for the potential shutdown, and
Alex Arena for The SPOKE
Valley Forge Park is closed as a result of the national government shutdown. On Oct. 1, after federal lawmakers failed to pass a budget bill, non-essential federal services were discontinued.
on Oct. 1, after the shutdown was announced, was told to expect no pay at least until the shutdown was lifted. “It’s very disappointing to have your job shut down like that without much notice. You don’t know when you’re going to get back to work and you don’t get any pay,” Concordia said.
This is not only the case for Park Rangers, but also for federal government employees across the nation, who, like the public, must rely on the media to learn the state of their job. As the shutdown approaches its Oct. 17 deadline, the future of many of these workers remains uncertain.
Save the date: upcoming events in community PSATs
CPR Certification
The Preliminary SATs (PSATs) will be held at Conestoga on Oct. 19 at 8 a.m. Students should bring No. 2 pencils and an approved calculator.
Freshmen currently taking health will take practical and written exams for CPR certification in the gym from Oct. 22-24.
October Mourning
’Stoga Showcase of Sound
and the ’Stoga Art Department will host a reading of the novel “October Mourning” on Oct. 20.
On Nov. 2, Bands from local and out-ofstate high schools will compete on Teamer Field in ’Stoga’s annual Showcase of Sound.
Tri-M Recital
Blood Drive
The Tri-M Music Honor Society will hold the
The Red Cross Blood Drive will be held on Nov. 12. Students 16 years or older are eligible to donate if they meet health requirements.
22. New and returning members will perform.
NEWS
THE SPOKE
PAGE 3
District implements new state Assistant principal Kevin education policy, adds local standards Fagan heads East
Michael Hong & Yuge Xiao Staff Reporter & Convergence Editor
MHong@stoganews.com YXiao@stoganews.com
This year, freshmen entered Conestoga having to face new classmates, new teachers and a new requirement—passing the Keystones. In a 13-4 decision on Sept. 12, the State Board of Education passed Chapter Four of Pa. Core, an educational policy of the Keystone Exam schedule version of the National Common Core Standards, which set educational recommendations for each grade level. The State Board is issuing the Keystone Exams to assess the achievement of students in meeting the Pa. Core standards. Starting with the Class of 2017, students will be required to pass the Algebra I, Biology and Literature Keystones in order to graduate. Students of the Class of 2019 will also be required to take a Composition Keystone, while students of the Class of 2020 will take a Civics & Government Keystone, depending on state educational funding. Five more Keystone Exams may be implemented in the future depending on funding, although these will only be for voluntary use by schools and not graduation requirements. As a result, curricula of subjects with an assessment test such as biology have been altered to include different emphases on topics and realignment of topic order. Biology teacher Janet Wolfe has altered her curriculum to prepare students for Keystones One change is a decrease in focus on animal biology. “We as biology teachers miss [animal biology],” Wolfe said, “Because we like that, because students like that, and it’s easy to relate [to].” Conestoga’s one-semester U.S. Government course has
been expanded into a full-year U.S. Government/Economics course. The new Government/ Economics course adds economics to the curriculum and provides a more in-depth view into government. U.S. Government/Economics teacher Debra Ciamacca welcomes the new course. “I’m thrilled that we’re spending a full year on government, and I’ve also taught economics before, so I think my passion is that students get involved in their government and that they care to change things,” Ciamacca said. “I think that at the end of the year they will appreciate that they have had a fuller deeper reach, and more in-depth discussion of governmental subjects. They don’t really know it yet, be-
New Education Policy State Requirements The Class of 2017 must take Algebra I, Biology and Literature Keystones to graduate Classes are required to place more emphasis on critical thinking and writing
While it has implemented curriculum changes, the school district opposes requiring students to pass the Keystones to graduate and has passed three resolutions encouraging the state to reconsider its plan. T/E Director of Curriculum Dr. Richard Gusick finds fault in making the Keystones a graduation requirement. “What if [a student’s] diploma was interfered with? What if they applied to [college] and got accepted as seniors, and then weren’t able to graduate because they couldn’t do one of these Keystone ways of graduating? Nobody wants to see that happen,” Gusick said. The consequences of not passing the Keystone Exams
Local Implementation The district’s Essential Skills Framework emphasizes critical and creative thinking, social responsibility and technology skills The US Government & Politics course now includes an economics segment Suproteem Sarkar/The SPOKE
cause they don’t know how things used to be.” Junior Sarah Whelan found the full-year course overwhelming at the start, especially because of the new Civic Engagement project that gives students opportunities to enact change at the local, state and national levels. However, Whelan found the project more manageable after it was broken down into multiple steps, and likes the addition of economics to the curriculum. “I think it’s important for people to have an economic background to understand the government,” Whelan said. “Since we’ll be starting to vote next year, it would be handy to have that understanding of economics that [many] people don’t have so I think it’s really
also include taking a remedial course then retaking the failed exam. If they fail twice, students must complete a project to be submitted to the state for grading. Despite the option of remedial courses, teachers recommend that students pass the Keystones dards, the school district also enacted Essential Skills, a local set of guidelines to promote creativity and comprehension. The skill focus on improving abilities not assessed by the Keystones. critical thinking, creative thinking, social responsibility and technology skills. “We’ve always held our kids to a level beyond what is required,” Gusick said.
Camille Kurtz Staff Reporter
CKurtz@stoganews.com
Student achievement and encouragement have always been important values for junior class assistant principal Kevin Fagan, who is leaving the district this November to become principal at West Chester East High School. Fagan has been in charge of creating and maintaining the master schedule the past few years, pushing students to meet their goals while keeping the schedule current to the continuously changing curriculum. According to a school board meeting agenda, music department chair Anthony DiLella will replace Fagan on Nov. 23. Fagan expressed mixed feelings about leaving the school, saying he would miss Conestoga, after working here since the 2006-07 school year, but is excited to take advantage of
Yuge Xiao/The SPOKE
Junior class assistant principal Kevin Fagan will become principal at West Chester East.
this new opportunity. He hopes to leave the legacy of someone who treated others with respect and fairness. “I would like to be remembered as somebody who worked hard, worked diligently for the best interest of the kids and teachers and as someone who was open and honest with people,” Fagan said. His relationships with coworkers and students during his time in the T/E School District have been highlights of his position.
NEWS
PAGE 4
THE SPOKE
Teens underestimate risks of party drug ‘Molly’ Continued from p.1
Meet Molly
In a phone interview with The Spoke, Dr. Ronald Cowan, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University who has conducted extenMDMA, said that Molly creates a sense of euphoria. “People say they get a sense of energy, a sense of happiness and a sense of closeness to other people,” Cowan said. “They really enjoy being with people and want to get intimate with them like to touch them or to hold them or to dance with them.” According to the NIDA, dehydration, jaw clenching and overheating are common said that rarer and more severe brain and possible death. Hyneman, Thompson and two other students who said they use Molly at concerts said they commonly chew gum to help loosen their jaws and drink water to keep hydrated. Another student who does Molly at concerts said that several other concertgoers, especially girls, also chew on bright-colored pacifiers to avoid teeth clenching. Several venues. Junior Julia Dale* has used Molly several times at summer music festivals. She said the drug made her feel “mellow and fun.” However, once the effelt nauseous and described the experience as “having a hangover but worse,” despite having kept hydrated. Even more severe, longinclude memory loss, depression and psychological addiction, according to the NIDA. Although pure MDMA has which is often cut with methamphetamine or caffeine, is even more harmful. The Electric Zoo Festival, held in New York in the last week of August, cancelled its
two concertgoers died with MDMA in their systems. One of the attendees also tested positive for methylone. emergency room doctor Bernard Lopez said he has seen several severe cases of party drug overdoses, especially during the summer. “Most of the patients that come in are agitated. They’re hyper, they really can’t sit still, their hearts are racing, they talk very quickly,” Lopez said. “They’re often hallucinating. They’re seeing things, they’re feeling things that aren’t really there.” Lopez said that reactions range from moderate to severe. “We had to tie [the most severe cases] down,” Lopez said. “In fact, we had to use restraints to go around the wrists and ankles, tie those patients to the bed so they can’t climb out of the bed, they can’t crash down. We put them in there and give them medication to calm them down.”
A Growing Trend
The 2012 national Monitoring the Future drug survey showed an increase in MDMA usage among eighth, tenth and twelfth graders over usage in past years. The 2011 Pa. Youth Survey, taken by sixth, eighth, tenth and twelfth graders across the state, found that 14.6 percent of Conestoga students had used Ecstasy or its derivatives (including Molly) during their lifetimes, compared to 5.5 percent of students statewide. The percentage of Conestoga seniors that reported using Ecstasy and derivatives in 2011 was almost triple the percentage in 2009. To Thompson, Molly’s growth in popularity is a result of the growth of Electronic Dance Music (EDM). “It’s just with the whole EDM scene growing,” Thompson said. “I was talking to people at work today about the concert. I told them about the overdose and they even knew what methylone and Molly were, and they’re in their 30s. I think people really know about
it and want to try it. I think that a lot of people are under the
On the other hand, junior Joey Warner, who attended the concert at The Festival Pier, did not use drugs and said he enjoyed the concert. “I just don’t do [drugs]. That’s my moral,” Warner said. “I like being aware of my surroundings and I think I’d rather have a good time and remember the night than have a good time and not remember the night.” State trooper Corey Monthei said in a phone interview that MDMA has become popular recently, not just statewide but nationwide as well. A fellow trooper had arrested a 17 year old with possession of Molly several days ago, and Monthei suspects that the police will be hearing more about similar cases in the future. Under the Controlled Substances Act, MDMA is a Schedule 1 drug, meaning that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) found that it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use in the U.S. Sentences in Pa. range from to three years of jail time for
Side effects of MDMA include:
SHORT TERM
LONG TERM
EUPHORIA SERATONIN SYSTEM DAMAGE DEPRESSION MEMORY LOSS DRUG CRAVING CONFUSION ANXIETY PARANOIA
BLURRED VISION DEHYDRATION INCREASED HEART RATE HYPERTHERMIA
BREAKDOWN OF MUSCLE TISSUE
MUSCLE CRAMPING LOSS OF VOLUNTARY CONTROL
H N
MDMA AT ’STOGA 14.6 percent of ’Stoga seniors reported using Ecstasy and derivatives (including Molly) in their lifetimes...
that possible punishments for minors who sell or possess the drug include extended probation, time in a detention-center Health teacher Marcia Mariani said that she discourages students from taking any drug, not just Molly, due to potential for addiction. “So you’ve had a really bad day—a really bad week—and you know that if you take that drug, you’re going to feel euphoria,” Mariani said. “ There’s physiological addiction, and there’s psychological addiction. They all start out as psychological addictions, but they become physiological. If you get that rush of dopamine on a regular basis, you crave it—you want it. It’s the only way to feel happy and everything you do is to get that dopamine reaction. You’re addicted to the need for the substance.”
Continued on p. 5
...Compared to 5.5 percent of seniors statewide
1
Ecstasy in their lifetimes nearly tripled
Michael Zhang/The SPOKE & Marli Markovitz for The SPOKE Sources: NIDA, Drugabuse.org, Pa. Youth Survey
NEWS
THE SPOKE
PAGE 5
Experts, teens discuss alternatives to party drugs Continued from p. 4
Making a Choice
Principal Dr. Amy Meisinger urges students to be careful with their decisions at both school-related and out-of-school events. She said that starting with last year’s dance, the school has stepped up security with Homecoming and the administration visits homerooms to encourage students to make good choices. “I would certainly share the same concern I have for school activities and that is that I hope students are making good choices,” Meisinger said. “When you get to be a high-schooler and you have independence and you have responsibility given to you, that’s your opportunity to demonstrate and make good choices that you have learned about previously. I would hope that that carries over, whether it’s in school or out of school.” Senior Matt Holtzer, who
DJs at parties, said that he is opposed to the use of party drugs at concerts. “Whatever people want to say about them, MDMA and research chemicals—what people are taking at these concerts—are very, very dangerous and potentially life-altering and possibly lethal drugs,” Holtzer said. “So the idea of taking them in general, even if I knew
Holtzer recommends that students avoid drugs altogether, but advises people who are planning on doing them anyway to know the facts, do research, take smart dosages and use testing kits. Testing kits, which are available at pharmacies such as CVS or Rite Aid and specialized outlets such as Dancesafe.org, allow people to test their drugs for contaminants.
“It’s not all fun and games. You can get hurt very severely—you can die from ingesting this kind of stuff. You can get hooked on it and turn to a life of crime to support this habit.” - State Trooper Cory Monthei what I was doing or even if I tested everything or researched them—they’re still very, very dangerous chemicals that you’re putting in your body, and I could never imagine a point when that would be worth it.”
Even without contaminants, however, MDMA is still dangerous. Thompson said that although he realizes that several people take drugs while attending electronic concerts, he stresses the
Non-instructional staff to receive pay cuts Simran Singh & Gabrielle Kerbel Managing Editor & Staff Reporter
SSingh@stoganews.com GKerbel@stoganews.com
Editor’s note: The proposal described in this report is not final until a school board vote on Oct. 14. The Spoke was not able to receive the results of this vote by press time. Every day, non-instructional Tredyffrin- Easttown employees help students and staff across the district: they open the front doors, serve cafeteria meals and clean the classrooms. Custodians, cafeteria workers, maintenance staff and secretaries make up the membership of the T/E Non-Instructional Group
(TENIG). At a school board meeting on Sept. 9, the board Financial Committee issued a proposal that would outsource TENIG members to save costs. However, negotiation teams from both sides drafted a new proposal that would keep non-instructional staff in the district for the next three years, while also reducing custodial employees’ salary by two percent and reducing the salary for Secretarial, Maintenance, Security, Transportation & Food Service Employees by four percent for the 20142015 school year. For the second and third year of the contract, all TENIG employees would receive a salary freeze. Custodial employees would also receive a one week vacation cut. If agreed upon, this
plan will take effect on July 1, 2014, and last until June 30, 2017. Joseph Perkins, a TENIG employee who works at Valley Forge Middle School & Beaumont Elementary as kitchen staff and substitute, said he believes the agreement is “unfair,” since it reduces pay for only noninstructional staff. “When you a build a building, you build it from the foundation up. And the custodians and TENIG are the foundation of the school district,” Perkins said. “Everyone is very pleased that they are keeping their job, but the cost to keep our job is unbearable and unfair.” Convergence Editor Yuge Xiao and Staff Reporter Camille Kurtz contributed to this report.
importance of knowing one’s limits. “I think if you just go to a show and get drugs from a random person, if that’s what you keep doing, you should invest in drug testing kits. Know your limits,” Thompson said. “Don’t try to go too crazy. That’s where people go wrong, they just take too much and overdose and some die. Know what you’re taking and don’t do too much.” After learning more about Molly, Dale feels less inclined to use the drug again. “It’s fun, but also of late I’ve [read] several articles about it and that it’s more dangerous if anything,” Dale said. “I think that made me more hesitant because I found that it can be anything, you don’t really know. It could be bath salts or heroin and people just call it Molly.”
Support
Jeanne Braun, a board member of Area Residents Caring & Helping, a local organization that aims to reduce alcohol and drug use among youth, recommends that students avoid taking drugs altogether. “While the allure of this dangerous drug is a shortterm feeling of euphoria and connectedness, the long-term effects, of even one dose, can be devastating, even life threatening, as we’ve seen in recent reports,” Braun said. “We would urge anyone considering taking this or any illicit drug to ask, ‘Is this worth risking possible addiction, or worse, my life?’”
Monthei recommends that students engaged in any sort of drug abuse talk to a trusted adult and seek help. He also said that the state provides recovery programs for people who are addicted to drugs. In Chester County, the Intermediate Unit, the Center for Addictive Diseases and the Malvern Institute are three of many recovery programs recognized by the Pa. Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. However, despite these programs, Monthei encourages students to avoid drug use before it hurts their lives. “It’s not all fun and games,” Monthei said. “You can get hurt very severely— you can die from ingesting this kind of stuff. You can get hooked on it and turn to a life of crime to support this habit. My advice, as a police officer and a parent, is don’t get involved in the first place.” Hyneman said that although he goes to several concerts high, he also believes that teens can enjoy EDM without being under the influence of party drugs. “I just think people should know that they can enjoy the music without the drugs—it’s great music in my opinion. It’s sad, but most people go for the drugs and not the music,” Hyneman said. “You don’t need to get high to enjoy the music, and I go to plenty of concerts completely sober, and honestly I think that can be better a lot of the times.”
PAGE 6
THE SPOKE
NEWS
THE SPOKE
Maggie Chen MChen@stoganews.com
Walking into Room 264, one will notice that it is a quiet haven for students looking for a peaceful place to complete tance. Welcome to the Achievement Center. Three aides at the center are available to assist students. Karen Noll helps students with organization, study skills and Spanish, Ann Winfield with math and Katherine Cleveland with writing assignments and college essays. Chemistry teacher Lydia Hallman and physics teacher John Demos are also available for extra help. Students can come in anytime during the school day during free periods or study halls to get help and access textbooks and computers. Vice principal Michelle Staves, who oversaw the creation of the Achievement Cen-
Mary Mei & Nour Elkassabany MMei@stoganews.com NElkassabany@stoganews.com
Students looking to enjoy some outdoor time won’t have to venture much farther than their backyards. The Chester Valley Trail (CVT), currently under construction, will eventually link local trails ship with parts of Montgomery County, Great Valley and King of Prussia. The project, scheduled to be completed in early 2014, is in its second phase. Most of the work to be done on the trail includes paving, pouring concrete bridges and fencing. Phase two is about 85 percent complete, and construction is predicted to stop in mid November as prepping begins for phase three. The Friends of the Chesorganization consisiting of
ter, explained that it provides students an accessible place for support. “The administrative team wanted a place where all our supports could be centralized. We wanted to make just an easier, more essential centralservices we have,” Staves said. “We will do whatever we can to help the students. We just want them to know we want them to be successful.” There are three fundamental questions the Achievement Center encourages students to consider: What help do you need? How can you help yourself? When can you help others? The aides have additional tips for students to be productive. “Stay organized, stay on top of your homework and studydon’t wait till the last minute. Come in when you have a little question before it gets to be overwhelming.”
community members, play the principal role in the maintenance and upkeep of the trail and dealing with plans for future programs. 2013 Conestoga graduate ber of the Friends of the CVT. “We are kind of the cheerleaders of the Chester Valley to spread publicity about the trail, [are] sort of the advocates of the community trail network [and] do some independent advertisement for the trail.” Tim Lander, president of the Friends of the CVT, believes the trail has multiple uses for residents. “The Chester Valley Trail will provide opportunities for bicycle commuting to businesses along the Swedesford Road corridor and the Great Valley area, including Vanguard and Siemens,” Lander said. “It will also provide recreational opportunities for runs by several Tredyffrin parks.”
PAGE 7
The greater purpose of the Achievement Center is to help students achieve success in a comfortable place where there will always be aid. The Achievement Center from other teachers or peers where students can come and feel comfortable. We can help them in various areas and help them be more familiar with their assignments,” Cleveland said. Demos also views the center as a good area to simply complete work. “There’s no stigma attached to come in to the Achievement Center; it’s a place where anyone can get help on anything, or you can just come and work on your homework,” he said. Junior April Huang, who recently visited the Achievement Center, liked the quiet study environment. “It’s a lot more peaceful than the library, and every-
Suproteem Sarkar/The SPOKE
Seniors Haley Wallace and Annie McCarthy work on math homework at the Achievement Center, created this year as a study room with three permanent aides.
one’s really quiet,” Huang said. “I would go there again if I needed to get work done.” For the aides, working at the center has been a positive and exciting experience. “I love it, I think it’s a great place. We are all enjoying it so far. And it’s going well. We have seen a lot of students so far,” Cleveland said. Noll said that the center
provides a rich learning environment for students looking to perform well in school. “The kids that we see take things seriously. They want to do well in their classes, they want to be good students and participate in everything that’s going on in school,” Noll said. “I think there is a great sense of people wanting to learn and to succeed.”
Cross Country team has run on the leg of the trail near the Wegman’s in Malvern. “The team has been there occasionally and it’s pleasant,” sophomore team member Georgia Young-Dahl said. which is nice for everyday use and biking.” In addition to running along the trail, Conestoga students helped clean a segment of it as part of the American Sophie Bodek/The SPOKE Hiking Society’s National The Chester Valley Trail, currently under construction, runs through local counties. Alumnus Michael Bennett helped promote the trail. nett worked with the Chester Patrick Gately, an assistant trails and population centers. County Parks and Recreation principal at Valley Forge It seems like it is away from it Department to organize the Middle School, is no stranger all, even though it runs pretty cleanup. to the trail, and has used it to much parallel to Route 30.” “I really like the idea of commute. For the past two Lander also said that the cleaning up a section of the years when he worked as an trail may bring the commu- trail and I didn’t like seeing English teacher at Conestoga, nity closer together through Gately would bike on the trail “events such as 5K races, The work of the Friends of to or from Conestoga at least and by linking many neigh- the CVT, Conestoga students, once a week. borhoods that are otherwise the Chester County govern“It is one of my favorite hard to reach on bike or foot, ment and local businesses due to a lack of bike lanes and maintained, safe and fast,” sidewalks.” pact. According to Lander, Gately said. “The best thing The trail has already been about the [trail is] the way it home to events such as sport to “ensure a great trail expericonnects so many important practices. The Conestoga ence for everyone.”
PAGE 8
Opinion
THE SPOKE
From the Editor:
Shaping up our schools Improvements to school facilities deserve support, should continue A walk toward the rear entrance of the library brings students into 245B, a room newly equipped with a set of laptops ready for class use. While the restricted access to the library can be a nuisance, the laptop room is a welcome sight. These laptops even include Chrome and Firefox as alternatives to the always-temperamental Internet Explorer. And adjacent to 245B is an extended quiet study area, which better accommodates the demand for peace and quiet. The library isn’t the only place improvements have been made. A number of improvements implemnted for the 2013-14 school year continue to bring Conestoga further into the 21st century. Downstairs, students can find new and more sanitary water bottle dispensers, right outside of a gymnasium with newly finished auditorium, with an upgraded sound and lighting system funded by revenue from Conestoga’s theater productions. some redecorating, and Zimbra, our school email service, has a new and improved look as well (tip: you no longer have to type “@stoga.net” after your username). But there is more than meets the eye to the technological improvements within the district. Beneath the surface brews another advancement that will allow “Bring Your Own a WiFi network. The district is in the process of making school buildings wireless, and students can expect to be able to access the WiFi network by early next school year. While
there are certainly many implications to consider when asking students to bring their devices to school, these devices serve many educational purposes, and students should look forward to being able to use them in school without running data overage charges. While some changes may go unnoticed, they are certainly appreciated by upperclassmen and teachers who have
to waste time on the Internet, and blocking YouTube on student accounts only creates problems whenever someone needs to use a video for a class. And when students do decide to do work, it will probably be created using Word, PowerPoint or Excel. Unfortunately, most of the school computers meaning these programs are literally a decade old. So while there will always be more work to be done, The Spoke congratulates the district for improving the comfort and efficiency of the school environment and hopes to see improvements continue in the future.
with a national priority toward public school modernization, as the Department of Education has reported a clear Maggie Chen/The SPOKE correlation between the quality of school facilities and student achievement. In the American Jobs Act, seen Conestoga’s technological evolu- President Barack Obama protion unfold. Changes like these posed spending $30 billion to modernize at least 35,000 School District remain com- public schools and community petitive, although there are still colleges. As state and local governments have had to slash budgets, it is heartening to see that the lives of students. First, the Internet filters modernization has not slipped can be a bit too restrictive. through the cracks. Despite The software often blocks ac- budget constraints, as it concess to Google Image results tinues to grow, it is clear that and Google Sites, which can T/E stands out as a leader in often be a serious hindrance. education.
Keeping up with current events is key
Lavi Ben-Dor Co-Editor-in-Chief
LBendor@stoganews.com
You probably know that our government has shut down, because of Congressional Republicans’ and Democrats’ inability to compromise on the budget. But did you know that if they don’t get their act together by Oct. 17, our country will hit the debt ceiling, a limit on how much money the government can owe, and thus be forced to default on those debts? Although it may seem that big national issues like the to high school students, many of them have the potential to ignore current events. The rumble in Washington certainly seems far away, but the shutdown, about 800,000 government employees have been furloughed, meaning that they do not get paid until Congress passes a budget. In addition, federal parks and monuments such as Independence Hall in Philadelphia and our local Valley Forge National Park have been shut down. In addition, if the government were to default, we would feel the effects here in Berwyn. It could hurt the global economy and possibly force us into another recession, which could cause devastating job losses. fact that the federal govern-
ment is not a distant castle on a cloud but a force that impacts all of our lives. By keeping on top of current events, we can benefit ourselves. First of all, we can lead more informed lives.This knowledge is also important for later down the road when we become eligible to vote; with all of the controversy in Washington, it’s essential that we know the facts about the issues and base our opinions and decisions on them. The best way for us to become informed voters is by getting in the habit of keeping up with the news, and we can thus base our decisions on facts and not rhetoric. In addition, this awareness helps when discussing issues with others. I’ve seen too many political Facebook battles happen when neither person involved really understands the position they’re supporting or the issue they’re arguing about, and not knowing the topic makes it harder for you to argue your beliefs. And casually bringing up the news can certainly brighten up an awkward conversation. In my Government class, we are required to present about current events throughout the year and can also earn extra credit if we correctly answer current events questions. I personally love reading the news; it’s one of the reasons that I joined The Spoke, so this requirement doesn’t pose a burden for me. But even if you don’t have a class that makes you keep up with current events, it’s still worth it to do so (hint: the Associated Press mobile app gives you access to the latest so it doesn’t require much extra work) so you can keep up in our hyper-informed and hyper-connected world.
OPINION
THE SPOKE
PAGE 9
Writing the wrongs: reviving cursive handwriting
Sophie Bodek Co-Design Editor
SBodek@stoganews.com
Lines. The page is full of parallel, blue lines with two red ones running perpendicular toward the edges of the page. After all, isn’t writing just very ranged to form symbols, letters, words? Handwriting seems simple, utilitarian almost, yet it is one of the subtlest forms of expression. Sadly, the emphasis that society places on handwriting has grown less and less in recent years, resulting in the slow replacement of personal penmanship with clean, starched typography. We can all hearken back to the days when the blue lines on the page were inches apart and a dotted line hovered betwixt the two, when our letters were massive and shaky and we devoted entire classes to learning print. However, after we were taught cursive in the third grade, penmanship was rarely emphasized in school.
Students Speak
Out
Although handwriting is still tests, cursive reduces the time a fundamental part of our day, needed to form letters and 41 states do not require public leaves more time for planning schools to teach cursive writing or writing. Good penmanship or reading. With the advent not only allows the student to of the Common Core stan- write faster, but also results in dards, which will be taken on an easier time for the grader. the computer and Handwriting is a dying art, are silent on especially when comparing the cursive’s in- elegant, swirling calligraphy clusion on the in the curDeclariculum, ration schools are scalof Ining back and even depeneliminating cursive dence handwriting while increasing to the computer use and keyboardchickening skills. scratch Despite the lack of emphahandsis on cursive handwritwriting Maggie Chen/The SPOKE of many ing in the classroom, many push for its instudents. clusion in the curriculum as Certainly, cursive is fading out cursive lends itself to the im- of everyday life, as college lecture notes are taken by laptop, and inculcation of values such as perseverance and a sense and long distance commuof pride in one’s work. Al- nication carried out through though we view cursive as an various social media. Cursive elementary skill, irrelevant hardly seems necessary in our after the fourth grade when day-to-day writing. After all, any functional form of writing personal reminders on yellow is considered passable, cursive sticky notes can be written in should remain significant in print, and it only truly matters our high school lives. Typed if the writer herself can read papers may seem the standard her own penmanship. Why but when writing timed essays, then, is it important to continue in class or on standardized teaching cursive handwriting
in schools when we seem only to be prolonging another dying relic? Perhaps we try to keep cursive alive to preserve our cultural heritage and hearken back to the romantic days gone by. Looking at documents, we see that people took great pride in their penmanship, drafting letters of extraordinary beauty that is seldom seen today. Instead, we only ever bother with brief emails and abbreviated text messages with a response expected immediately—very few of us have ever had the experience of waiting for a full page of carefully written lines, purposefully thought out and scripted with sincerity. Perhaps the decay of handwriting is the sign of the times. People no longer take the time to write long, drawn out papers full of curving lines; they only bother with abbreviated thoughts and punctured messages. Technology plays an integral part in our everyday lives but handwriting should as well. Lest the elegant lines of penmanship become obsolete with become impersonal with typographical chill, let us continue in the tradition of olden times and of the great men who wrote such lofty letters.
“How often do you use cursive?”
Report Card New Teachers + New faces, new stories - Retirees will be missed
Government Shutdown + Literally, nothing good - Parks closed, jobs furloughed; other countries see how stupid we are
Bottle Fillers + More sanitary...? - Not for long if people keep trying to drink from them
New Library Arrangement + Larger quiet section, more computer space - New door position confounds upperclassmen
Pep Rally + Good to see everyone excited - Two thousand excited kids in one steamy gym. Ew.
-Senior Swetha Vontela
-Junior Maxine Faass
Student Drug Survey
-Sophomore Amy Xiang
-Freshman Michael Jiang
+ Gets important information - Makes me uncomfortable about my Pink Pandora habit
OPINION
PAGE 10
THE SPOKE
Race to recruit: colleges bend rules to get early commits
Patrick Nicholson Columnist
PNicholson@stoganews.com
Another fall season, another year of application frenzy. If you know a current high school senior, then I’m sure you’ve heard all about the essays, the recommendations, the interviews and all the rest of that mumbo jumbo. However, a few high school students complete their “applications” much earlier—as early as their freshman or sophomore years—and these applications aren’t on paper; These early applicants, high school athletes seeking to one day compete in the NCAA’s Division I athletics, are committing to colleges earlier than
ever before. This trend threatens to hurt both colleges and student athletes alike. Apparently there are some extra juicy young athlete “worms” out there, because today’s top sports universities all seem to fancy themselves the early bird. There have always been some excessive aspects to the recruiting proout to their campuses on jets, giving their families prime tickets at the football games, giving them an exclusive tour of the practice facilities—doing everything they can to woo and wow their future stud. None of this is ever bad for the student athlete; if anything, such treatment is well deserved after years of working through all the top tournaments, training sessions and showcases. However, there’s a reason the NCAA restricts colleges from starting this full throttle recruiting until the student’s junior year. How could a stu-
THAT’S SO RACHIT
RSabharwal@stoganews.com
Currently students are drowning in the raging river of college categories vying for their attention. There are the Ivies, the “Public Ivies,” state schools, NCAA division I colleges, liberal arts colleges, pre-professional colleges, religiously affiliated colleges, arts colleges and on and on Obama wants to add just one more category to all of that: the Federally Funded schools. The president plans to tie college ratings all in the name of reducing student debt for
2010, a 13-yearquarterback named David
old Sills committed t o
Callum Backstrom/The SPOKE
play football for USC. In 2012, Haverford School freshman
Forry Smith committed to play lacrosse at Johns Hopkins. And at our own high school, current sophomore Jack Reilly committed to play lacrosse at the University of Virginia last year. Although many of these early recruits are outliers, in some sports they’re becoming the norm. According to ’Stoga counselor and lacrosse coach Brian Samson, the top college lacrosse programs are now seeking high school freshman recruits. And they’re doing so in a way which circumvents NCAA regulations. By giving only verbal commitments and having athletes contact the college coaches— the other way around is not allowed— universities can jump into recruiting much earlier. So here’s the bottom line: when the average age of recruits descends, nobody wins.
For the students, these early offers practically force them into quick commitments. According to Samson, many colleges if they don’t get a quick reply. Furthermore, with the process now earlier in their high school career, students are forced to begin intensive training even earlier if they want a shot being recruited. And for the college, recruiting earlier only means more uncertainty. What if the student burns out before senior year? In a second, four years of commitment could go to waste. Clearly, early recruiting presents an interesting dilemma. The NCAA could probably impose new rules upon colleges to keep it under control, yet such action seems unlikely. As of now, the only answer is for top high school athletes to keep a level head throughout the process. Sure, there’s merit in shooting for the highest levels, but remember to still take in the complete high school athletic experience.
Higher education overdue for a schooling
middle income families. That is bad. If college prices give students sticker shock now, it is going to be a whole lot worse if the the federal college ratings
Rachit Sabharwal Columnist
dent possibly be ready to commit to a college before then? But as per usual, colleges have ignored the intentions of the
This plan aims to grade the performance of all the colleges in the country using a set of “federally prepared” benchmarks—the federal college ratings—and then to give more federal aid to “better” performing schools. This process merely serves to create an entirely unnecessary clique. As Isaac Bowers, the student debt columnist for US News says, “students attending high-performing colleges...receive larger Pell Grants and more affordable student loans.” That means that the students at the colleges receiving less federal aid must cough up more cash from their end. Which is once again giving students the short end of the higher education stick. As if the US News and World Report, Forbes and
Washington Monthly were not already striking panic in the hearts of even the most prepared college students. The question of the hour therefore becomes whether the president’s walk will match the president’s talk. Is this plan to reward the “good” colleges
the president’s Aug. 22 proposal. This plan is not good for students. The problem with this plan is that it drives up costs for the schools that do not perform well on the ratings. What will happen is that President Obama’s plan, as stated on the White House website, will “engage States [in] a Race to the actually going to Top for Higher Education” by “strengthenIn our curing academic progrent sitress requireuation, ments of private student aid college programs, rankings such as Sophie Bodek/The SPOKE requiring have been successful in students to monetizing the complete a certain percentage market of information and of their classes before receiving frightening many innocent continued funding.” high school students in the Maybe, the president’s plan process, thus causing the fed- will do what it is supposed to eral government to intervene. and maybe the middle class Let us journey back in time to will see an easing in the aver-
age amount of student debt. But this report card takes effect in 2015. As of now, and the near future, nothing has changed. College costs are still outrageously high and there are more colleges than ever to muddy the waters of our decision making. Well, what now? Do we “Hail Mary” even more college applications? No. We have to avoid the new obstacles raised by this plan. The average high school senior is enough of a sleep deprived, overly caffeinated, essay writing, pencil chewing, neurotic mess. It’s time that we realized that this new ratings system may not work to our advantage and deal with it thusly, with caution. It is time we started using the resources given to us and differentiating between the colleges we need to apply to and the colleges that want us to apply to them. We need to take back our senior year from excessive college stress and we can. We can take back our lives. Yes we can.
OPINION
THE SPOKE
PAGE 11
Love and Hate: Students must balance social media use
Tom Myers Guest Columnist the worst part of a new technology is, people tend to immediately go into great detail, often with personal anecdotes, about how distracting it can be. Unfortunately, I have the same problem. On the other hand, when asked the benefits of technology, I have never heard of anyone who has hesitated to Skype, today’s trending method of video communication, has been the number one culprit at managing to distract me frequently, and usually for long periods of time, over the past month. With my friends and family living all over the world, Skype provides an indispensable service. However,
with diminishing free time, my time spent on Skype has not been abridged accordingly. As students like myself become increasingly absorbed by college applications and schoolwork, we must find ways to reap the
my dad decided to move back to England. With only a couple of years of high school education remaining, my parents and I found it hard to justify relocating back to England as a family. Consequently, the decision was made for me
and social mewhilst my dad redia without obturned to Engsessing over it. land, two years Skype is a ahead of my prerequisite mom, to befor living in a gin his new foreign counassignment. try. Even with Fortunately, a great netwith the adwork of school vent of modfriends, living ern technology in a foreign counclearing the way try can be daunting for new media, and sometimes a little the months belonely. Luckily, with tween interconthe medium of Skype, tinental visits I can communicate Emmi Dolph for The SPOKE pass with ease. with other people in similar Surprisingly, my situation is situations to myself, avoiding not an isolated case, but rather complete detachment from my the scenario in which many home country. Last year, with families live their day-to-day the promise of a job promotion, lives. Prior to my departure
from a camp in St. Andrews, Scotland, this past summer, participants spent hours recording each others’ Skype addresses. Now, separated by thousands of miles, we are all able to contact each other on a daily basis. In situations like these, I marvel at modern technology. However, this new media has its troubles. A constant link to other people can be good, but it obliges us to remain connected. The potential for buildup of missed calls on Skype can become as troublesome as a buildup of homework and there are few things worse than seeing the number of missed calls increase from one to ten within the hour. Actually, perhaps what is worse are the ensuing days of phone tag, and the scramble for a reason for not answering the call. With such great distances between callers, there is rarely a time that is convenient for both parties to speak for more than ten minutes. In the situation
when two schedules align, there may be no end to a conversation. Inevitably, during the time that you spend on the phone to that available party, someone else will attempt to call you. There is no way out. No way to say that that call is more important than the one in which you are currently participating in. You are stuck. Nevertheless, no matter how time consuming modern technology appears to be, it is indispensable to anyone who uses it. Skype has never failed me, even though, on occasion, it may accentuate my human flaws. Perhaps I’m not able to get to the phone or don’t have enough time to speak, but Skype creates connections that otherwise would not be there. With social media use growing globally in private, and, increasingly, commercial environments, the world is becoming easier to navigate. And as it does so we will continue the struggle to balance our media with our lives.
Snow blindness abounds in the information age James Redmond Opinion Editor
JRedmond@stoganews.com
Exaggerating could be a or a flick of the pen, thirty minutes of some boring task multiply into a million hours. Or, perhaps just as easily a billion. It doesn’t really matter, because they both mean “a lot.” We can’t actually conceive what a million looks like. Funny. We use those same words to discuss lots of important things, and yet we can’t really visualize or conceptualize them. Heck, I can’t even conceptualize the number of staples in my stapler (okay, I’m stupid). Point being, people hold numbers as sacred, despite the fact that they can’t always tell us the whole truth. This world has found itself
in the middle of an information age, and as the growing tide of data beams across civilization, stretching satellites at the seams, we sit in front of our TVs, computers and school desks and just try to keep up. And here at Conestoga, everyone is well informed. So well, in fact, that we’re going blind. I would go so far as to say that our preoccupation with knowing things is preventing us from truly knowing people. Unfortunately, our first example comes from political rhetoric. One downfall of a representative system is that much of what’s out there is written and said and calculated with the prospect of the next election in mind. The fact is, even facts can be biased. How much do we really created thousands of jobs,
while their opponents claim they’ve lost thousands? Both statements can be true. Take, for instance, the Obama/Romney rumble of yesteryear. In calculating their employment
Maggie Chen/The SPOKE
time to achieve numbers that supported their views. Both accurate? Sure. But you can see how information like that is only making us blinder. And instead of demanding that they tell us what they’re actually doing, we’re trained to pick a side and yield to the seemingly overwhelming volume of information. The information age isn’t just making us blind to the true
nature of politicians. It’s impacting the way we think about each other. Every day millions of people feel compelled to post their doings and goings-on on social media sites, leaving an electronic trail; a proof of their existence. We try to prove to other people with events on a timeline that we have a life. There are institutions that rely on this increasingly edge of human lives. The advertising industry, for instance, collects data on practically every citizen of this country and performs analyses on frighteningly large scales. These thousands of people make their livelihoods, and on which companies base their million-dollar marketing budgets. The college admissions process, which weighs so heavily on our definition of success here at Conestoga, is an example that strikes a little closer to home. Our transcripts, our
essays, and our test scores are expected to stand in as representatives of ourselves; our tens of thousands at a time. And this mindset is apparently One day, a teacher of mine decided to tell us about a kid whom he called one of the best students he’d ever had. But before he could get into any explanation of the guy’s personality—his attitude, his way of doing things, and his outlook on life—the pre-programmed query tumbled out from all over the room at once: “how well did he do on the tests?” “Did he get all perfect scores?” This really frightened me. I knew the guy, as a person, and all that these people cared about were the little ones and cil and into the system. Freedom is a blessing. Let’s not trap our minds copying down statistics and start asking culture of numbers, Conestoga.
Features
PAGE 14 THE SPOKE As Halloween rolls around, ‘Stoga students look forward to the one day a year when the halls are filled with someone other than teenagers. Senior Emer Ryle, whose favorite preschool Halloween costume was Cinderella, looks forward to the preschoolers’ tour through the halls. “ The little kids get all dressed up and they look really cute, and even though they are in school, they still get to have fun,” Ryle said. Ryle also notes that the festivities “give the high schoolers a little bit of fun in their day.” Even though Conestoga students are not trick-or-treating themselves, when Conestoga Preschool makes its annual rounds from class to class collecting treats, students are brought back to their own trick-or-treating days and get the chance to see some adorable costumes, too.
As Homecoming has recently passed, ‘Stoga students reminisce on one of the Big C’s most exciting weekends. Last Friday’s pep rally and football game show that ’Stoga’s got school spirit! The Homecoming dance itself is always an event to remember (mostly for the dance guidelines on the back of the ticket). And even weeks after the event, Conestoga students can relive the night through the albums that take over students’ Facebook newsfeeds.
The incoming of fall means a round of festive foods that stave off the chilly weather. Cinnamon, apple and pumpkin flavored foods fill the aisles of the grocery store and the pantries in most ’Stoga students’ homes. Freshman Michael DuTot claims apple pie as his fall seasonal staple. Dutot explained that each year, his family uses fresh apples to make pies, but first,“every fall, I go apple-picking with my mother,” DuTot said. And let’s not forget Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte, a drink that personifies fall in one sweet sip.
By Emily Klein, Features Editor Design by Zoe Au and Sam Sedor As the leaves make their annual change from green to vibrant reds, yellows and oranges, Conestoga also makes the yearly shift into autumn. While the entrance to fall means that warmer weather is gone for good, some aspects of autumn leave ’Stoga students anticipating those cooler days and festive fall nights.
Say hello to vests, boots and cozy sweaters and bid good-bye to flip-flops and shorts. As “sweater weather” invades CHS, From freshmen to seniors, ’Stoga ‘Stoga students undergo a major fashion transformation. football games draw crowds of students to A shift from bright summer shades to the neutrals and Teamer field on Friday nights in the Fall. jewel tones that are more “in” this season spreads Whether the game is a way to catch up with through Conestoga’s halls as fall makes its entrance. This year friends or to watch Conestoga (hopefully) win, classic prints like plaids, as well as the more adventurthe bleachers quickly fill up with Pioneers eager ous animal print are back in fashion. Denim, leather and lots to show some school spirit. Football games also of layers are making a fall statement in the halls of Conestoga as feature performances by the Marching well as in the fashion world, and many stores are capitalizing on this Pioneers, who can be found playing music year’s “color of the year,” emerald green, a favorite fall from “The Lion King” this season. With jewel-tone. Junior Olivia Youman looks forward to the one home game left, every ’Stoga season change as a time to pull out boots and sweaters. As student still has a chance opposed to a summer wardrobe, Youman looks forward to her to experience this fall fall clothes because they are “comfortable tradition. and warm.”
FEATURES
THE SPOKE
PAGE 15
Marching forward: ’Stoga alumnus returns to lead marching band Rose Kantorczyk Staff Reporter
RKantorczyk@stoganews.com
Clutching a large red woodblock and watching with an intense expression, Elisabeth Shertzer watches closely as line after line of Conestoga marching band parking lot. Her voice occasionally rises above the din of chattering students as she points out mistakes and shouts advice. Just a few short years ago, Shertzer was a Marching Pioneer herself. Shertzer graduated in 2010 and now attends Temple University, where she plays tuba and majors in music theory. Shertzer has served as the Conestoga band’s visual instructor for the past two years. During her time at Conestoga, marching band was a major part of Shertzer’s high school experience. Even before joining, she was a fan. “All my friends were in
band, and I was jealous because I thought it was so cool. So I’d come to the football games and watch… and be all obsessed with the band,” she said. As a senior, Shertzer served as a drum major, and led the Marching Pioneers as they performed their memorable Beatles-themed field show. “It was a really fun show, and I had a lot of fun conducting it,” she said. She admitted that there have been some changes in the band since her time at Conestoga—the band has gotten smaller, and there is now more emphasis on visual instruction—but noted that some things have remained the same. “The drum majors [still] dance really weird,” she said, laughing. In addition to working with the ’Stoga marching band, Shertzer is also a member of the Cadets, a competitive, nationally ranked drum and bugle corps. Including listen: Songs with diverse sounds means one can always
Meagan’s
MUSIC Meagan O’Rourke Staff Reporter
MORourke@stoganews.com
Fall is a time of renewal for students. As a new year begins, students come back to school with a refreshed state of mind. However, it is also time to refresh your playlist. Don’t live (or listen) in the past! A new school routine includes new music for studying, getting pumped before a game or even just getting up in the morning. Bastille Sound: Alternative (mixed with pop sound), uplifting lyrics. When to
and time. For Fans of: Imagine Dragons Since the formation of Bastille, the talented group has signed with indie record labels and built a fan base online, according to the United Kingdom’s The Independent. The video for the song “Flaws” launched their commercial success in the United Kingdom. This year, they are gaining popularity in the United States, and they are touring internationally. You have probably heard their hit single, “Pompeii,” which has topped the charts in both countries. Listeners love “Pompeii” for its joyful and energetic sound, despite the lyrics about the tragic collapse of an ancient city. If you are looking for songs similar to “Pompeii,” listen to the entire album, “Bad Blood.” The album is cohe-
Alex Schon for The SPOKE
Elisabeth Shertzer uses her combined experience from the Marching Pioneers and the Cadets to help her in instructing this year’s “The Lion
only percussion and brass instruments, the Cadets devote long hours to rehearsal, performance and competition, and provide an opportunity for students to continue marching band at a more serious level. “It’s definitely made me a harder worker,” she said. “It’s shown me that if you
have the opportunity to be good at something, you should just take it.” Shertzer’s marching experience with the Cadets has
sive, but each song is different. Every song in “Bad Blood” has Smith’s resonating voice, cutting through several instrumental elements. In the music video for “Flaws,” Smith conducts a miniature orchestra while belting out a pitch perfect chorus. If you aren’t already sold, listen to “Laura Palmer” and “Things We Lost in the Fire.” Both of these fast and edgy songs are sure to get you excited before a game or energized before a test. While studying, listen to slower and sentimental songs like “Oblivion” and “Laughter Lines.”
put a new twist on the genre and has been hailed as a modern Bob Dylan by The Independent. His distinct voice, amazing guitar skills and songwriting abilities stand out in all of his songs. Like Bastille, Bugg is from England, and he writes his own songs. Artists like Oasis and Jimi Hendrix inspired young Bugg, and he started playing guitar when he was 12. When he was 17, Mercury Records discovered him, and he signed to the label, according to the BBC. Now, Bugg is 19, and he is rising in the music industry after the release of his self-titled debut album. Gaining fame hasn’t changed Bugg’s music or image. The Telegraph claims Bugg’s ultimate aim is to make music that inspires people to write their own music. Also, he is very vocal about his opinions, so Directioners beware! Bugg has made his anti-One Di-
Jake Bugg Sound: Folk When to Listen: If you are having a bad day, feeling sentimental For Fans of: Rock, Folk, Country Not everyone is a fan of folk music, but Jake Bugg
she works with Conestoga’s band. “Everything I say to the students here is something I got from [the Cadets’] visual
captain head,” she said. “I know a lot more now than I did when I was in the band.” It was this valuable experience that motivated band director Anthony DiLella to contact Shertzer when the Marching Pioneers needed a new visual instructor. “For us to have someone who has that experience and bring it to Conestoga, it’s huge,” DiLella said. Today, DiLella finds Shertzer an irreplaceable addition to the band. “She brings her love of music, her passion for education, and her experience from drum corps to help make our band better,” he said. Current drum major Joey Warner agrees. “She has definitely improved how we look and Warner also views Shertzer as a role model. “She is herself in everything she does. I’ve never met a person who’s as much herself as Liz is,” he said. rection sentiments very clear on Twitter and in interviews with The Daily Record. For some, this makes Bugg more likable. His strong-minded attitude shows in his hit single “Lightning Bolt.” The retro sounding single has catchy erful vocals. “Lightning Bolt” is Bugg’s most popular song in the United States, but there are other catchy songs on the album worth listening to. If you are having a bad day, listen to “Two Fingers” or “Note to Yourself.” Both songs have empowering lyrics. Bugg also writes sentimental songs like “Broken” and “Simple as This.” These guitar skills. His new single “What Doesn’t Kill You” moves more towards rock if you like edgier songs. “Jake Bugg” is Bugg’s only album, but his second album, “Shangri La,” will be released on November 18.
FEATURES
PAGE 16
THE SPOKE
On the road: bus drivers share memories, reflect on experiences Lavi Ben-Dor & Paula Miller Co-Editor-in-Chief & Staff Reporter
LBendor@stoganews.com PMiller@stoganews.com
We see them every morning and afternoon. They greet us, and ask us about our day. But we know very little about the people who drive us to and from school each day. Behind the wheel is a person with stories and experiences waiting to be told. At 4:15 a.3m., most students are still fast asleep, but bus driver Pennie Wray’s day has already begun. By six o’clock, she’s boarded bus 45 stop of the morning. She greets each student cheerfully, from the sleepy high schoolers to the energetic elementary schoolers. Wray has little time to chat, though; she has a strict schedule to follow in order to get from the high school to the middle school—and then from the middle to the elementary school—on time.
Wray alson often devotes her time to community service, helping groups such as Vietnam War veterans. Like Wray, bus driver Steve Holsclaw has spent two decades on the job. After all these years, Holsclaw is still enthusiastic about his career. “It’s a great job. Every driving job I’ve ever had, I’ve loved,” Holsclaw said. “I just love to drive.” Holsclaw’s passion for driving isn’t just exclusive to school buses. He also enjoys driving tractor trailers, a hobby that originally sparked his interest in a driving career. Now, Holsclaw’s time off is best spent going to fairs or playing his guitar and ukulele. Although bus driver Steve Bartkowski has been driving for less time than Wray and Holsclaw, he still has a in the district. Bartkowski drives high school, middle school and elementary school “The high school kids [be-
On the Road Morning routes begin
6:00 AM
Morning routes end
9:20 AM
Afternoon routes begin
1:30 PM
Afternoon routes end
4:15 PM
Wray gets just a few hours to rest, and at around 1 p.m., she returns to the high school, where her students are eagerly awaiting the last bell of the day. Within a matter of minutes, her bus is full once more, and she repeats the cycle all over again. Wray has been doing this for more than twenty years, and also pursues interesting hobbies when she is not working. “Weekends I usually go drive motorcycles—you know, go out and have fun,” she said. “I love riding motorcycles.”
Michael Zhang/The SPOKE
have the best]. I rarely have to scold anyone from the high school. Then the middle school kids—sometimes they misbehave. Elementary school kids, there’s always somebody misbehaving,” Bartkowski said. Prior to becoming a T/E bus driver, Bartkowski did promotional work for a number of clients. Bartkowski recalls a movie promotion in 2007 as one of his most memorable experiences. “I played Spider-Man at
Sophie Bodek/The SPOKE
(From left) Bus drivers Curtis Case, Steve Bartkowski, Pennie Wray and Steve Holsclaw await the return of students for the afternoon bus ride.
Walmart. It was fun—the only thing that was hard was leaving because everyone wanted me to keep signing autographs when it was time for me to go,” he said. Driver Curtis Case juggles two jobs at once; in addition to his work as a bus driver, Case also has a career as an actor and a model. He has acted as an extra in projects such as the movie “Paranoia” and the NBC show “Do No Harm,” and also enjoys doing Case is working on a YouTube web series called “Sisterly Disorder,” the second season of which is expected to launch later this year. Case said that balancing his acting career and his work as a bus driver is “very tough,” sometimes requiring attend weekday production. However, he said that doing both is worthwhile, as being a bus driver gives him “the opportunity to be a positive acting is a very important part of his own life. “I enjoy the ability to play tray something that’s not me,” Case said. “I used to be a very shy person, and me performing caused me to come out of my shell and be
more interactive with a lot outspoken as well.” As with any job, bus drivers occasionally face challenges. Bartkowski remembers an especially memorable incident from when he first started driving school buses in the district. One student decided to wait for the school bus by sitting in the middle of the street, making him an easy target for a moving bus. As a bus driver, Bartkowski knows that safety is no joke. “When [the student] got on, I was saying, ‘Look that’s not funny, if I was going fast I would have run you over,’” Bartkowski said. Case faced a similar incident, in which a student didn’t catch the bus on time and proceeded to chase after the bus as it was leaving. “He jumped on to the bus, and latched on to it, hanging
reprimand him, so I would say that would be the most memorable moment, but it was kind of funny too.” Aside from the occasional mostly enjoyable. In particular, she loves interacting with students every day. “I really enjoy my students,” Wray said. “The kids thank me every day, they say ‘hi’ and ‘bye.’ It’s a really nice community.” Holsclaw agrees, saying that in the end, the kids are one of the best parts of his job. “I like watching you guys grow up—seeing what you get into and what you get out of and how you change. Believe it or not, I miss you when you leave,” Holsclaw said. “If you get a good group, it makes it really enjoyable.”
THE SPOKE
: Over his 18 years of teaching at the school, physics teacher John Kim has surely made his mark on Conestoga. From his story of beginning life in a new country to his memorable jokes and anecdotes, students who have spent time with Mr. Kim learn about more than just velocity and vectors. Interview by Jerry Zhu. Design by Sam Sedor. Photo by Noah Levine. The Spoke: What caused you to pursue science as a career? John Kim: I came to this country without any knowledge of English. I didn’t even know my alphabet. The only thing that I could show that I could do work or demonstrate my intelligence was math. Math was the only subject that I didn’t have to speak any English to show I wasn’t stupid. Fortunately, there was a substitute teacher who saw my potential and recognized I didn’t require any special assistance and put me into a regular class. Because of that, I excelled in math and loved the subject more than anything else until I took physics. I realized how that math I learned previously helped me apply into my understanding of physics. Physics is really the application of math. TS: When did you come to America and what was your background? JK: I came to the United States in 1975 when I was nine years [old]. I couldn’t speak a word of English and lived in north Philadelphia. It was a very scary place, and the image of America I had as a boy was completely shattered through my experiences. My family started from the ground up. My parents came in with two suitcases and around $600 in their pockets. We worked hard to seek the American Dream. It seems like the American Dream is ever elusive. When
it seems like you got it, that dream gets a little bit bigger. I think that’s part of the American Dream. TS: How has science affected your life? JK: Science has always strayed away from science since it’s part of my everyday life. I can’t really say how it’s affected my life since it’s always been part of me but its helped me focus on teaching [science] rather t h a n math. I ’ v e found physics to be much more enjoyable than math. TS: What do you find most rewarding about your job? JK: Paying forward. I went to search for the substitute teacher who recognized my intelligence in math. I couldn’t find her. I didn’t know her name, I couldn’t thank her. After I graduinstead of paying back to her, or thanking her, I would pay forward. I want to be that teacher, who can change one student’s life per year; I’m doing my job paying back to her. That’s why I became a teacher. It’s more of a moral quest rather than a job. TS: What is the most dif-
FEATURES JK: Trying to understand how students learn. Every student learns in different ways. Recognizing a student’s grasp of the concept is the most difficult part. Other than that, there’s always been political pressure, concerns from parents and administrators but that’s minor compared to my goal of making sure every student completely understands the concept. That’s kind of hard when you have 26 individuals and you’re trying to make sure all 26 of them learn the concept completely. TS: What is the most memorable experience in your teaching career? JK: Bonding with students in class. I love conspiring against administrators. One time an administrator
PAGE 17 ence and said, “You may be seated.” The administrator observing the class almost fell TS: If you were able to go back in time and tell your high school self something, what would it be? JK: I don’t know if I would change anything, I enjoyed every moment that I lived. Sure there were some bad times but I learned through my experiences. I went to St. Joseph’s Prep, which is an all boys’ preparatory school, so it was a little different than a normal, public high school. The only thing I would probably change would be the gender diversity in school. It would be nice to have some girls during my high school years.
TS: What is the root of your faith? JK: The root of my faith is Catholicism. One day, my sister and I were invited to a church and a priest splashed water on our foreheads, and we got baptized. We had no idea what that was because my parents were Protestants and my grandparents were Buddhists. My parents sent my sister and I to a Catholic school and we had no idea what Catholicism was but because of the Catholic schooling, the nuns felt like we were ready to be baptized, and they baptized us without our parents. My parents converted to Catholicism because they wanted our family to be united under one religion. TS: enced the decision you make in your everyday life? JK: I think all religion helps
doesn’t matter what religion it is, it’s usually used to help human civilization. The fundamental thing about religion should be “being nice to one another.” That should be the fundamental law, and I think if that happens, there wouldn’t be any problems in the world. So be a good person and show that you’re a good person by being nice to each other. I live by that no matter what church I go to or what religion I am. I think that should be the fundamental thing. TS: How do you feel about the public perception of religion in school? Movie: “Matrix,” Book: “Inferno” by Dan Brown, Song: “The Rain Song” by Led Zeppelin, JK: They [the pubFood: Cheesesteak, Season: Summer, Super Villain: Brain from “Pinky and the Brain,” lic] want religion out of Vacation Spot: Sunny beach, changes seasonally public schools. I could see why, because there came in to observe my class TS: Who is your role modare some religious faand a student conspired with el? natics who want certain reme to make that observaJK: I would say Jesus ligions to dominate their tion “very memorable.” The Christ. He was an inspira- education system in their particular student got up, tional teacher. local area. I believe religion banged on the gong, and all TS: If you were able to should be more of a personal the students stood. When I travel back to any time peri- thing, a family issue, rather walked into the classroom, od, what would it be and why? than a public one. I strongly everybody bowed down to me JK: I would go 2,030 years believe that in public school and in unison, said, “Good back when Jesus was still systems, religion should stay morning, Master John Kim.” around. I would love to have out. Religion should be more I acknowledged their pres- met him in person. of a family or personal value.
FAVORITES
PAGE 18
THE SPOKE
features
THE SPOKE Senior Franco Cangemi (Argentina) Hosted by the Mintz family (AFS)
Senior Noah Levine Went to Argentina
Cangemi loves to hang out with his friends, have barbeques and listen to music. His hobbies include playing the guitar, playing tennis, running and America follow the laws. “When there’s a [stop sign], people stop. If there’s nobody in the street, people stop all the same,” Cangemi explained.
Senior Andrea Zanaroli (Italy) America lay in the schools. In his school, Zanaroli would stay in one classroom for the whole day, while the teachers switched between classes. Zanaroli has enjoyed his time in America so far, having gone to the “Made in America” concert in Philadelphia in August with the other foreign exchange students. He has experienced a change in his eating habits as well. In Italy, “we eat pasta every day,” Zanaroli said.
Neumayr has found a way to expand her list of musical hobbies through the color guard for marching band, which she considers her favorite part of Conestoga so far. Neumayr says that overall, her experience in America has been positive, especially because of the new people she has met in Conestoga. “I made friends in the toilet! That was really funny—that wouldn’t happen to me in Austria,” Neumayr said.
Since starting school in America,
I chose to study abroad in Argentina because I wanted to improve my Spanish and expose myself to an entirely new culture. Though I knew very little about the country upon submitting my application, having chosen Argentina somewhat at random over other Spanishspeaking countries, I now consider it like a second home. Though I sometimes missed my family and friends in the United States, with time I grew close to my host family and made new friends at my school, an arts-focused high school.
Junior Jessica Reindel Went to India I decided to take a semester at the school because my mom grew up there and I visited it a few times on vacation and really loved it. The new friends, learning a new culture, and having a great time. The people I met there have become some of my best friends, and I will never forget them or my experience.
Junior Klara Neumayr (Austria) Hosted by the Warner family (AFS)
L A B O GL E G N A H C X E Fro m
Written by Emma Purinton & Michael Li Design by Victoria Stern
F
Senior Raphaelle Storme (Belgium) Hosted by the Macedo family (AFS)
PAGE 19
people and students. “The thing that surprised me in the U.S. is how people can be really nice with strangers. I mean in Europe some people are like this, but here wherever you go there will always be someone ready to help you if you are lost,” she said.
Abroad
Junior Milo Rosenberg Went to Germany Not only did I learn a new language and get to be part of a new culture, but I also met some amazing people along the way, and created long lasting friendships with people from all around the world. Personally, I chose to do an exchange because I wanted to try something new, and experience a new way of life. I never knew that anything could have changed my life quite as much as my year abroad did.
Returning Home
Senior Pedro Eguia (Chile) Coming from Chile, a country located on the other side of the equator, Eguia has grown up with a tradition “We have Christmas in summer!” Eguia said. Eguia loves going to parties and the beach with his friends. Along with playing tennis and volleyball. Eguia is also learning to surf.
Junior Johanna Kastensson (Sweden) Hosted by the Rosenburg, Ballard and Kirk families (Rotary) Kastensson, who will be staying with three host families during her visit, took a liking to her new life very quickly after she arrived in America. “I loved meeting all the exchange students, and just going to high school, because it is just like from the movies and it is so cool, minus homework,” Kastensson said.
Senior Laeticia Mabilais Went to Germany I decided to go because I knew that I would regret it if I didn't. It was very hard to leave my family and friends behind worth it. I loved going to Oktoberfest, the Christmas Markets and all of the Bavarian festivals. Southern Germany is full of culture and the Germans where I lived were very proud to be Bavarian - it was incredible to see how proud they were of their culture.
Sports
PAGE 20 THE SPOKE
’STOGA STAYING ‘ SONNY ‘
‘
“Sonny DiMartini is clearly the heart and soul of this football team.” -Junior Eddie Jean Senior Scott Hirshman (left) and Sonny DiMartini (right) enjoy a moment during Conestoga’s win against Strath Haven on Sept. 30. Alex Schon for The SPOKE
Navin Zachariah Co-Sports Editor NZachariah@stoganews.com “Energetic. Passionate. Loyal.” Senior football co-captain Scott Hirshman chose these three words when asked to describe Sonny DiMartini. Sonny DiMartini has formed a strong bond with the Conestoga football team over the years. He has clearly left his mark on ’Stoga football as he is known as the “heart and soul” of the team. A 2013 Conestoga graduate, DiMartini is commonly known around school as just “Sonny.” Sonny, who has Down Syndrome, is now attending the Coatesville Career Development Center. Although he has moved on from his education at Conestoga, one feeling that will never leave him is his love for ’Stoga football. Sonny is continuing his relationship with the football team as he has returned as a graduate assistant coach His mother Pam DiMartini remembers how Sonny’s close relationship with the ’Stoga football team began.
“He would go to the games when game he would go and stand by the They would always just start talking to him and he enjoyed that,” Pam DiMartini said. “Over the years, these relationships with the players have just grown stronger and stronger.” Hirshman appreciates the commitment that Sonny shows to the football team despite him not attending Conestoga anymore. “The passion he shows us each and every day we clearly see,” Hirshman said. “He’s dedicated to ’Stoga football. I mean, he’s not even a student at Conestoga anymore, and he is still all in for ’Stoga football.” Pam DiMartini says that the football players immediately befriended for him to leave the football family after graduation. “These players just really took him in and invited them into their family,” Pam DiMartini said. “They were always so kind to him and always made him happy. Whenever he wore a Conestoga football uniform, Sonny was really very happy.”
This season as an assistant coach, Sonny plays an important role on the football team. Pam DiMartini says that Sonny is enjoying every minute that he gets to coach on the team. “Oh, he likes coaching, he really likes coaching. It’s the highlight of his day. He can’t wait to come home and go over there,” Pam DiMartini said. “I think sometimes he decides to be a little hard on the boys, but I think he’s just teasing them.” Hirshman agrees that Sonny is tough on them, but adds that it only makes the team work harder. “The thing with Sonny is that he’s the biggest yeller on the team. But the way he yells is not the type where you would get annoyed, but it’s the type that makes you want to become better,” Hirshman said. Senior co-captain Stephen Cox sees Sonny as an instant energy source for the team. “I mean every day he sprints Not many people have the type of commitment that Sonny does to our team,” Cox said. Junior Chris Brady, an avid ’Stoga football fan, says football games are
more exciting with Sonny on the sidelines. “When Sonny is at a ’Stoga football game, it’s a completely different experience than when he isn’t,” Brady said. “The crowd is always so pumped up when he is there, and [there’s] much more hype.” Pam DiMartini says that Sonny has had an instant connection with the team that will never fade. “I think it was the excitement the game brought to him and that feeling will never leave him wherever life may take him. He will always have Conestoga football in his heart,” Pam DiMartini said. Head coach John Vogan is not surprised at the commitment that Sonny has consistently displayed to the football team. “I think it’s his undying loyalty to this team, this ’Stoga football family. No matter the success of our team, how bad we play, Sonny will always be there for us on the other side. He’s always going to be our pump-up man who starts and ends our practices and always going to be our energy on the sidelines,” Vogan said. “He’s Sonny DiMartini, that’s who he is and that’s who he’ll always be.”
SPORTS
THE SPOKE
PAGE 21
Teams turn to techno during warmups after lyrics ban
Courtney Kennedy Co-Sports Editor
CKennedy@stoganews.com
As Conestoga athletes began their fall seasons, there was something noticeably missing from pregame warmups. The songs of pop artists like Beyonce and Ellie Goulding had been replaced with techno songs from artists like David Guetta and Avicii, thanks to a policy banning lyrics from all warm-up music. Beginning this fall, ’Stoga teams were expected to follow a policy prohibiting any music that contains lyrics for team pre-game warmups. Although the rule has been in place at Conestoga since Teamer Field was built, the athletic department has at times allowed for music with lyrics if the song had been previously approved by the department. “Last year, we were asked by a couple of students if
they could use lyrics, and we [said yes]. Not every team followed the rules they were supposed to follow and so this year we just went back to the former policy,” athletic director Patrick Boyle said. “It makes sense in some areas that it allows at least the music to not have lyrics to it
switching from more popular, radio-friendly music to techno, a genre that is permitted under the policy, it became harder for teams to focus and get in the zone. “During our first few home games, it was hard to get everyone focused and excited during warmups,”
Although teams do not listen to music during practices, music does play a large role in pre-game warmups. By
Meghan Connors said. “We, as captains, had to really keep talking to the team and keep everyone’s thoughts on the game because the music
Techno Tunes
Tilt Mode by Gramatik Subvert by Au5 and Fractal (Haywire Remix) Frainbreeze by Pegboard Nerds Liz Lawton/ The SPOKE
wasn’t really helping. We still played well and didn’t let it interfere with our game
get that intense start to the game we always try to do.” As a result, team captains, given the responsibility of selecting music for their teams, have had to look for new alternatives to keep their teammates pumped up for a big game. “We’re so used to having the music we love to listen to pump us up before the game,” Connors said. “Without the music we know well it’s harder to get excited right from the start of warm-ups.” However, ’Stoga teams have still found ways to get their pre-game music fix in, even with the musical restrictions, often choosing techno and instrumental music over no music at all. “It’s always fun to just sing along to a song as you warm up, which we can’t do anymore. Whenever we
go to another school whose warm-up playlist has lyrics we are always jealous,” senior volleyball player Rebecca Simonetti said. “Honestly, it kind of just makes us all look like we are hard-core techno fans because all we are allowed to play is techno.” Although it has been an adjustment for many teams, Boyle believes that the rule does have positive qualities and will benefit teams in the long run. “Right now, the coaches are more in tune with what is happening with the game and making sure everyone is ready to go mentally and physically,” Boyle said.“I think it’s important that the kids have something that they feel can help motivate them, maybe not to the extent they wanted to be, but it still allows them to have music played for warm ups and be focused a little bit more and it’s a good opportunity for them.”
Soccer scores younger players Dhanvin Manoo Staff Reporter
DManoo@stoganews.com
While varsity positions are typically reserved for upperclassmen, this year’s ’Stoga boys’ soccer team took a different route. Almost half of the boys’ varsity soccer team is made up of underclassmen this year. The 24-player roster includes three freshmen and seven sophomores, a large number on a team generally dominated by upperclassmen. Even after coaching soccer for 12 years, Coach David
of the team this year quite unusual. However, he is not doubtful of the players’ abilities. On the contrary, he holds these players in high regard, as making the varsity team is no easy feat for any athlete, let alone a freshman soccer player. “The main reason they made it was because of their outstanding ability,” Zimmerman said. “They are just really good soccer players.” Upperclassmen on the team agree with Zimmerman. Senior David Zipkin believes that the players work well together to ing unit.
“The team chemistry is good and we all get along well,” Zipkin said. “The freshmen work really hard.” In order to prepare for tryouts, the athletes spent hours training before summer preseason began. Most have been playing soccer from a young age, making them comfortable Freshman Mason Miller says that all the underclassmen are generally accepted and that older players give the younger players no problems about being on the team. “Everyone is great,” Miller said. “They are really funny, welcoming, and there is no negative feedback [towards the freshmen].” Sophomore Mason Sellig says that he enjoys working with his teammates and looks forward to the future, no matter what challenges this young team will face. “We are all willing to work hard,” Sellig said. “I look forward to getting to play with these guys more.”
SPORTS
PAGE 22
THE SPOKE
Be careful what you wish for, Eagles fans
Andy Backstrom Sports Columnist
ABackstrom@stoganews.com
Throughout last year’s struggles, Philadelphia Eagles fans constantly complained about Andy Reid and carped for a change in the head coaching position. Well, Eagles fans, you got your wish. Chip Kelly is a change indeed, but after the Eagles have started the 2013 season with a 3-3 record, Eagles fans are starting to have regrets. Maybe Kelly’s fast-paced collegiatestyle offense does not fit in the NFL after all. It sure will
not bode well in Philadelphia if Kelly does not start winning games soon, because the fans in “The City of Brotherly Love” enjoy a national notoriety for their impatience. Meanwhile, Andy Reid is redeemed in Kansas City, where he has happily coached his Chiefs to an impressive (6-0) start. Reid took over a Chiefs team that was 2-14 last year. Eagles fans are beginning to wonder if maybe they should have kept the old “walrus.” Despite the Eagles’ exhilarating offense, their defense has been far less impressive. Defensive coordinator Bill Davis has not been able to get Eagles appear unable to stop opposing teams on third down. Conestoga students need to appreciate Reid’s accomplishments in his 14 years in Philadelphia. After all, he led pionships and one Super Bowl.
Eagles fans owe Reid grudging gratitude for his coaching skill and knowledge of the game of football, although he never seemed too talented with the
Reid last season might have been a big mistake for Conestoga students and Eagles fans. Not only is Reid currently undefeated, but he also has been winning decisively. There is no In week three, the Eagles telling if or when his team will faced Reid’s Chiefs on lose momentum. the stage of “ThursThe organization’s deterday Night F o o t mination for a change in the ball.” Reid head coaching position could had the end up being detrimenchance tal to the franchise. to prove All teams struggle to Eagles at times fans that he is a n d not done successquite a fully coaching few have in the NFL. had sea He did just sons they that. In fact, wish to Reid’s conforget alventional oftogether. fense defeated One exKelly’s regime ample is without much the New York Giants , Jumping on the bandwho have startwagon for removing Andy Backstrom/The SPOKE ed off
2013 with great embarrassment (0-6). In the past ten years, the Giants have won the Super Bowl twice. Reid’s last two disappointing seasons were criticized frequently, and eventually resulted in change. Be careful for what you wish for, Eagles fans. Change is great, but should we replace a trusted NFL veteran with a collegiate phenomenon who does not seem to be adapting to the NFL’s style of play? In 1982, the Eagles fired head coach Dick Vermeil. Like Reid, Vermeil led the Eagles to a Suloss. Vermeil went on to coach the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl victory in 1999. Most Conestoga students were too young to remember the pain Eagles fans felt as they watched their former coach lift up the Lombardi Trophy. It is not hard to imagine a similar reversal of fortune for Andy Reid.
Football
Boys Soccer
Girls Soccer
Boys XC
Girls XC
Girls Tennis
Volleyball
Field Hockey
Golf
SCOREBOARD Wins
4
10
12
11
6
16
8
12
15
Losses
2
4
2
0
2
0
12
3
0
Ties
0
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
1
*All updates as of *All updates as of May 28Oct. 9.
SPORTS
THE SPOKE
Recruitment
Corner
Jake Scott
PAGE 23
Sport: Lacrosse Position: Attack School: Harvard University How Long He’s Been Playing Lacrosse:
“I’ve been playing since I was born. Lacrosse has been a part of me my whole life.”
Role Models:
“My parents are definitely my role models. Both of them have been there for me every step of the way and I really appreciate it.”
Why Harvard?
“I was really excited for the opportunity to learn and play with the best in the country. When I went down there for a visit, I really liked what I saw and it made me realize that this is where I wanted to be.”
Matt Soderberg MSoderberg@stoganews.com
If one were to attend a match of Conestoga’s undefeated girls’ tennis team this year, they would see senior Robyn Ferraro and sophomore Julia Herman out on the court looking and feeling right at home. What they wouldn’t know is that these two girls are new to ’Stoga this year, and are already helping the team durLeague Championship season. The already strong ’Stoga girls’ tennis team was further improved this season by the addition of Ferraro and Herman. Ferraro, a transfer student from Southern Lehigh Senior High School, has shot up the Conestoga ranks and is coveted spot on the team, and won the Central League Girls’ Singles Championship this year. Herman, who like Ferraro moved into the district this year, transferred from nearby Episcopal Academy and is now
playing third doubles with senior Sage Krombolz. Coach Fran Tomaselli, in her 37th year as Conestoga head coach, said that the addition of new players is always a positive for the team. Ferraro has strengthened the singles lineup, while Herman has been a valuable asset in doubles. “It’s always nice when you get new players that are pretty good and move right into play,” Tomaselli said. “It’s great for the team, and it makes the team much stronger, when you have a player of Robyn’s abilities at the top.” ’Stoga’s sheer size has been an adjustment, although tennis has been a great gateway for both girls coming into the school. Tennis season started early in August, and the girls enjoyed the opportunity to meet people before the actual academic year began, which made the transition into ’Stoga much easier. “Conestoga is double the size [of my old school]. It’s a lit-
the adjustment’s been good,” of school, you see [the girls on the team] and feel a little bit more comfortable.” For both girls, tennis has been present from an early age, so it made sense that they would play at their new school. In Herman’s case, journey throughout her life. “I’ve been playing forever,” Herman said. “My mom plays, so when I was younger I played and then I didn’t for awhile, and then played again, and then didn’t, and then I started playing again.” For Ferraro, the idea of playing collegiate tennis has been around for a while. Conestoga’s top ranked singles player, she is ranked 39th in the United States Tennis Association’s Middle States 18-and-under combined rankings and has committed to playing Division 1 tennis at St. Joe’s University in Philadelphia. A St. Joe’s Recruiter “started looking at me
Yuge Xiao/The SPOKE (From left) Sophomore Julia Herman and senior Robyn Ferraro are new additions to the ’Stoga girls’ tennis team.
freshman year,” Ferraro said. “Swarthmore was interested, and Drexel and a lot of Philly schools I wanted to go to, but St. Joe’s had the best qualities, I thought, and I really like it there.” With the addition of two strong athletes in Herman and Ferraro, the Conestoga team
League title, and now moves on to the District tournament. After making it to the state tournament semifinals last tory, the team has high hopes for the state tournament again this year. “I think if any year we are going to win, it would be this year,” Herman said.
SPOKE SPORTS
INSIDE: HE’S BACK!
Sonny DiMartini returns to ’Stoga football as a coach
Kickin’ it into Gear The Conestoga girls’ soccer team races past its opponents. See the extended photo gallery at Stoganews.com.
Junior Grace Edgarton dribbles the soccer ball during a game against Strath Haven on Sept.30, which ended in a 2-2 tie. The team has a 12-2-3 record as of Oct. 9.
Alex Schon for The SPOKE