The Spoke February 2016

FEBRUARY 9, 2016 CONESTOGA HIGH SCHOOL BERWYN, PENNSYLVANIA WWW.SPOKE.NEWS VOLUME 66 NO. 4

M Betty Ben Dor/The SPOKE

aking headlines across news platforms such as Philly.com and Business Insider, Niche. com’s recently released 2016 rankings for the best school districts in the nation was met with great pride after Tredyffrin Easttown School District (TESD) was ranked first. Within days of the announcement, social media sites like Facebook were flooded with messages by students and parents.

Rankings are “a point of pride,

certainly, for the community, for the students, for the staff, for the community as a whole,” Principal Amy Meisinger said.

Niche.com, founded by Carnegie Mellon alumnus Luke Skurman, provides statistics and reviews on communities, schools and colleges.

Formally known as CollegeProwler. com, the site aims to “transform the way people make big life decisions” with insights from data analysis and

“everyday experts.” The ranking for the best public school districts in the U.S., inaugurated in 2013, ranked TESD highly in the past few years.

In 2015, Niche placed TESD as third in the nation. Considering areas such as academics, healthy and safety, parental/student survey responses and diversity, Niche uses a weighted grading system to rank.

See pages 6 and 7.

Design by Adam Lockett

In addition to Tredyffrin/Easttown School District’s success, Conestoga High School was ranked 31st in the nation and first in Pennsylvania.

Forbes p. 2

Rankings p. 6

Galentine’s Day p. 14

Ableism p. 19

Cure4Cam p. 22

News

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

An idea that stuck: ’Stoga alumna recognized by Forbes Michael Li Managing Editor It’s a “sweet” honor for her role in an equally sweet creation: Conestoga High School alumna Morgan Snyder was recently recognized by Forbes magazine in its annual “30 Under 30” feature for her part in co-founding Sweet Bites, a company designed to promote dental health in poor regions worldwide through the distribution of sugar-free, 100 percent xylitol gum.

The Forbes list, published on Jan. 4, recognizes 600 of the most “important young entrepreneurs, creative leaders and brightest stars” shaping the world — all under the age of 30, of course. There are 30 winners in each of 20 categories, ranging from finance to sports; for Sweet Bites, Snyder was honored under social entrepreneurship.

“The recognition by Forbes is, beyond anything, absolutely humbling,” Snyder said. “I think the thing that excites me the most is just getting the word out and, in turn, having people more excited about our idea and who might want to work with us get in touch.”

The idea for “Sweet Bites” first emerged in late 2013 out of a case competition. Snyder and four of her classmates from the University of Pennsylvania decided to compete for the 2014 Hult Prize, a competition for social entrepreneurship that attracts nearly 10,000 students from around the world, but first they needed an idea to pitch. During its preparation, the team came across a need for dental health solutions in poverty-stricken areas, partially influenced by Snyder’s own experiences in India.

2 The Spoke

During the course of the yearlong contest, Snyder and her peers eventually realized the benefits of xylitol gum, an all-natural sugar substitute proven to reduce cavities.

The idea of distributing 100 percent

your teeth and be endorsed by the ADA is because they include a small percentage of xylitol as a sweetener.”

The team pitched the idea at the Hult Prize regional finals in Boston and was selected as one of only six

Sweetening society: 2011 Conestoga alumna Morgan Snyder and her co-founders meet with children in Bangalore, India where Sweet Bites first piloted and marketed its product. with the kids, she noticed that xylitol gum to combat poor dental tooth decay was an unfortunate, health emerged “sort of serendipitously,” as Snyder put it. recurring theme.

“One of our team members was “Once teeth start falling out or get discolored, it’s very embarrass- an avid gum chewer — so he was ing — especially as a young person, the kind of gum-chewer who would to have this visible mark of poverty, order 100-piece packs of gum — and a visible mark of your lack of re- he knew about xylitol gum; and he sources and your inability to go to a knew that the only reason sugar-free gum can claim to be beneficial to dentist,” Snyder explained.

Sticking it to them: Morgan Snyder pitches for the 2014 Hult Prize.

Sweet Bites was one of six finalists. finalists. Though they didn’t end up winning the $1 million grand prize, the recognition as Hult Prize finalists gave Sweet Bites momentum. The team was given mentorship, training and office space over the summer to turn their idea into reality.

The regional win “really helped us get our feet on the

Snyder had spent nine months in Bangalore, India working for a non-governmental organization, where she had an opportunity to help children in poverty learn life skills. As she built relationships

Photos courtesy Morgan Snyder

ground and give us the green light to say: do whatever you can to create this gum and get it to people who need it,” Snyder said.

Since then, the company has only expanded. After getting feedback on earlier versions of Sweet Bites gum, the company integrated the responses to create a rebranded Sweet Bites, and has also registered as a company in the past year. Now, the company is reaching out to form partnerships with organizations — local and global — that connect to kids lacking access to dental care.

“It’s a really exciting time. We have a good amount of infrastructure set up between the webstore and a lot of partners and mentors who have worked with us in the past,” Snyder said.

Snyder gave credit to her experiences at Conestoga for helping her land where she is now. “’Stoga was the single-most important influence in building my confidence and I was really fortunate — I am really fortunate — to be able to look back on my school experience and have nothing but positive feelings towards the teachers I had, the opportunities I was give, and I think as a result of that, by the time I graduated senior year I really knew myself,” Snyder said.

In particular, Snyder recalled the guidance that Judith Shepherd, her senior year European Literature teacher, gave her.

“She really taught me how to question where motives for decisions were coming from and always have the capital ‘I’ in mind in whatever decision you make for yourself,” Snyder said.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

News

Conestoga graduate among missing in helicopter accident Eric Xue Co-Convergence Editor Twelve Marines went missing on Jan. 14 after two transport helicopters collided over Oahu, Hawaii during a nighttime training mission. After five days of searching, the members of the battalion were declared dead by the Marine Corps. Among the 12 Marines was Conestoga graduate Brian Kennedy.

Brian, or BK as his friends called him, was a member of the Conestoga Class of 2003. During his time at ’Stoga, Brian involved himself in various activities including football and student council and was an AP Scholar and a member of the National Honor Society. According to Sonya Mohamed, a friend of Brian’s, he was an incredible person with a likeable personality.

“Brian was someone I looked up to in high school and continued to marvel at long after. Before any of us, he found a beautiful balance of how to take life seriously and work hard, but maintain his authenticity and exude kindness and warmth. He was also delightfully goofy. I think anyone who knew him would say that with a

Photos courtesy Caitlyn Kennedy

Accomplished pilot: Captain Brian Kennedy stands by his Sea Knight transport helicopter. huge smile across their face, just at the thought of him. He was an outstanding student, strong athlete, great friend and just a beautiful human being,” Mohamed said.

In his senior year, Brian received the Academic Achievement Award, a Service and Leadership Award and the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizenship Award. Among his friends, he was known to be selfless and a natural leader, and to many of

Passion to serve: Brian Kennedy had been on deployment since his graduation from the Naval Academy. He achieved the rank of captain before his disappearance. them, it was no surprise that he was to be certain that he would aljoined the military. ways do the right thing.”

“Brian embodied service, unBrian first thought about joining selfishness and caringness in ways the military because his father was that align with the desire to protect a Vietnam War veteran and served and serve. I can imagine him fly- as one of his inspirations in life. ing, without hesitation, into any After graduating the Naval Acadsituation where he was needed,” emy, Brian was constantly on asfriend Jordan Cattie said. “I can signment. He eventually achieved say that he was a natural leader the rank of captain. Wanting to wherever he went. He had the kind continue serving his country in of rock-solid integrity that makes the field into his later years, Brian a strong impression. To know him chose to become a helicopter pilot,

which would allow him to run missions into his 40s.

However, his life was cut short while pursuing his passion to help others as a member of the Marine Corps, an occupation of which many Americans have forgotten the dangers, according to Debra Ciamacca.

“There aren’t many people today that volunteer to go on to the military and I think people forget how dangerous the military is. We think that because we’re not in a war right now, things are hunky-dory, but a lot of the jobs in the military are really dangerous,” Ciamacca said. “We should be more thankful for the people who do serve.”

In light of the loss of her friend, fellow former student council member, Erin Curry, shares her words of sorrow.

“BK, I hope you know how many lives you made happier just by being you. I know in my heart that I was made a better person by having you as a friend,” Curry said. “I remember thinking even as young kids, that if I ever had a son, I’d want him to turn out just like you. Rest in peace my friend, I will always cherish the happy times we spent together.”

Conestoga alumna nominated as TED-Ed Innovative Educator Jordan Liu Staff Reporter “I think it was a calling, or maybe I was just genetically predisposed to wanting to be an educator, but it was just something I thought I would enjoy,” said 2001 Conestoga alumna Dr. Dylan Ferniany, who was recently chosen as one of 28 educators to head TED-Ed’s first Innovative Educators program.

Launched on Sept. 1, 2015, the Innovative Educators program aims to connect over 250,000 teachers around the world to an elite group of 28 global TED leaders, who lead professional development programs to explore, create and share ideas. In these programs, the Innovative Educators will demonstrate how many of TEDEd’s digital learning tools, such as TED Animated Lessons, can help integrate technology and progressive ideas in the classroom. Within their own communities, the Innovative Educators will launch TED-Ed clubs to promote creativity and leadership in students.

Leaving college with de-

Courtesy Dylan Ferniany

A calling to teach: Dylan Ferniany was chosen to help head TedEd’s Innovative Educators program. grees in Latin American Studies and Environmental Policy, Ferniany did not aspire to become an educator. She found an interest in education after temporarily teaching in a school district her mother had taught in. In 2014, she joined the Gifted and Talented Education program at Birmingham City Schools as the program specialist, supporting 12 gifted specialists who serve over 1,200 students district-wide.

Ferniany first became involved with TED through volunteering with her local TEDxBirmingham event as the K-12 education liaison. Later, as she founded one of the area’s first TED-Ed clubs, she began devoting more of her time to developing the program, eventually earning her a position in the Innovative Educators program.

“The TED-Ed club was one of my favorite experiences as a teacher because it could lead students to what they’re passionate about, find their unique passion and potential and help them grow personally,” Ferniany said.

Basing much of her teaching philosophy on what she experienced at Conestoga, Ferniany advocates for the rigorous courses that she took.

“As an educator, it’s so important to set the bars really high for all students, no matter their background,” Ferniany said. “Kids will rise beyond the expectations you set for them, and at Conestoga the expectation was always set very high.”

As a member of the founding cohort of TED-Ed’s Innovative Educators program, Ferniany

looks forward to joining her fellow educators in launching the initiative.

“There’s a saying, that is ‘we teach the way we were taught’, which in many ways is true,” Ferniany said. “What I know about quality education came from my own experience at Conestoga, and I bring that to the communities I work in.”

Ferniany appreciates the skills that Conestoga allowed her to hone in on.

“I had so many great teachers at Conestoga who taught me to think, and also taught me to question the status quo,” Fern-

iany said. “We had access to a number of AP programs and art programs that I realize now I was very lucky to have.”

Since becoming an educator in 2008, Ferniany finds inspiration in her experiences with students.

“There are these moments as an educator, where you and your students have worked really long to prepare something; you’ve practiced, and you finally get to see the payoff of it all,” Ferniany said. “When you see the payoff of the work you’ve done, it’s a really rewarding experience.”

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News

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

NCLB replacement promises to change public education Cissy Ming Staff Reporter Amidst the political gridlock last December, president Barack Obama reminded the country of what he called an unprecedented “Christmas miracle” in their midst.

On Dec. 10, 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), passed with overwhelming Congressional support from both parties, replacing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

Described as “universally hated” by the Washington Post, NCLB caused controversy with its emphasis on federal oversight in public schools to improve the quality of American education. ESSA returns much of the decision making power in education to state governments, a response to states’ widespread failure to attain student achievement goals established

by NCLB. The legislation will go into effect during the 2017 school year.

Tredyffrin Easttown School District superintendent Richard Gusick celebrates the shift away from “one size fits all” education, but ultimately believes school districts should have the greatest influence over their students.

“If you look across our local area and across the state, it’s hard to come up with one plan that they say is going to be appropriate for all those very varied districts,” Gusick said. “I think the state should see it as an opportunity to allow a lot more flexibility for local districts to make decisions that will benefit their kids.”

State governments create unique academic plans under ESSA to ensure students’ “college and career success” as defined by the states themselves. The outcome for Conestoga relies heavily on the the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s course of action over the next several months. While the state deliberates, Gusick intends to participate in the decision making process.

“As we learn more about what they plan to do, I would like the opportunity to provide feedback

about what would be best for T/E and public schools in Pennsylvania since this could go in a whole lot of directions,” Gusick said.

Gusick adds that ESSA’s scope and recent development make the future of education difficult to predict.

ious points in the school year rather than relying solely on one test.

Special Education teacher Kate McGranaghan hopes the Pennsylvania Department of Education will modify its testing regime to better fit the needs of individual students.

Pennsylvania currently administers the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) to students in grades 3-8 and Keystone exams for high school students. For students in the class of 2017 and beyond, the state requires proficiency

Cissy Ming/The SPOKE

Welcome change: Special education teacher Kate McGranaghan favors greater flexibility in standardized testing for the benefit of students with alternative learning styles. The ESSA replaced the NCLB last year, granting states more power in deciding education policies affecting public schools.

“The law is 350 pages long. I don’t think anyone has fully absorbed what the impacts will be,” Gusick said.

One of the most contested aspects of NCLB, standardized testing remains an important aspect of ESSA. While mandatory standardized testing in mathematics and reading will continue for students in grades 3-12, students’ test scores under ESSA factor less into school evaluations. Instead, lawmakers aim to transition into a more holistic evaluation system that takes graduation rate, school climate and college readiness into account.

Provisions in ESSA also give states flexibility to determine the means of testing students in required subjects.

For example, Pennsylvania may now decide to evaluate student performance in reading using a series of smaller tests administered at var-

“State assessments are disruptive to our school schedule, which is hard for students (with disabilities) who have trouble with transitions,” McGranaghan said.

“I wish there was more variety in the assessments so educators can match students with the test that best suits their skills.”

in Algebra I, biology and literature exams to graduate. ESSA comes amid a sudden rise in standardized testing opt-outs in 2015 and a nearly across the board decline in proficiency rates on the PSSA. Principal Dr. Amy Meisinger believes the greatest challenges faced by Conestoga un-

der NCLB were implementing standardized test requirements and remediating underperforming students. As a result, she testified at two panels against the Keystone exams as a high school graduation requirement.

In response to low proficiency on all exams, even after retakes, the Pennsylvania State Legislature and Gov. Tom Wolf approved a bill on Feb. 3 eliminating the Keystones as a graduation requirement until 2018-2019. The state will then re-evaluate the tests’ necessity and create alternative assessments for students unable to perform well on the Keystones.

Though not directly related to ESSA, the measure may factor into the state’s upcoming decisions on standardized testing.

While she finds standardized tests “challenging,” sophomore Naomi Kao prefers to maintain the current state testing requirements.

Taking tests “is good for students who need help in school,” Kao said. “I think students need to be challenged.”

Though he remains reluctant to speculate on the future of educational policy in Pennsylvania, Gusick is optimistic about the outlook for the T/E School District.

“We’ve got such great students and supportive family and a supportive community and terrific teachers and hardworking support-staff and administrators, so I have a very bright outlook for us,” Gusick said. “That will remain in place regardless of what the state decides to do with ESSA.”

FIXING NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND WITH THE

EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT: No Child Left Behind

Every Student Succeeds Act

Main Goals

Close education gaps through nationally required standards

Keep the NCLB’s aim but fix its one-size-fits-all approach

Measuring Student Performance

Unrealistic measures set by federal government and based on test scores alone

Goals are state driven and based on multiple measures

Accountability and Support

Cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all federal identification and interventions

State developed identification and intervention, with dedicated funding for low performing schools

Administering Assessments

States mandated to give tests required by national law at specified times

States have freedom to determine how and when to administer different kinds of tests

Graphic by Michael Zhang

4 The Spoke

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Advertisement

The Spoke 5

News

Editor’s Note:

The Spoke staff wishes to let its readers know that we understand our cover story may seem incomplete now that the professional media is reporting alleged hazing

by Conestoga football players.

While law enforcment officials have acknowledged that an investigation is underway, no charges have been filed. The Spoke will monitor developments and publish any updates on Spoke.news.

Michael Hong, Jerry Zhu, Betty Ben Dor Co-Editor-in-Chief, News Editor, Photography Editor Design by Adam Lockett Continued from p. 1 “A lot of our competitor ranking sites focus pretty solely on being either research based or review based, and we felt that choosing one or the other isn’t

6 The Spoke

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

really a way to figure out what a place is actually like,” said Jessica Hair, Niche’s Marketing Outreach Coordinator. “We try to combine both of those outlets to create a picture of what it’s like to live in a community or go to a school.”

Throughout the district, all the schools were ranked within the top 50 nationally. The five elementary schools — Hillside, New Eagle, Devon, Valley Forge and Beaumont — were ranked fourth, sixth, 11th, 16th and 17th respectively.

In the Best Public Middle Schools category, TESD middle schools Valley Forge and Tredyffrin/Easttown were ranked seventh and 10th respectively. Conestoga High School placed 31st nationally and first in Pennsylvania.

Alex Caffee, Business and Marketing Analyst at Niche, said that compiled data from the 2013-2014 U.S. Department of Education statistics are used to determine things like the diversity factor, which is based on how many ethnicities are represented in the district and how students

and parents review the cultural aspect. They also take into account how many students receive free or reduced-price lunches.

“A unique aspect of Niche is that they’re actually gathering feedback from anecdotal information on various categories.”

-Principal Amy Meisinger The statistics from school districts are combined with reviews from students and parents. To get student responses, Niche offers scholarships that require students to fill out surveys about their

school. A minimum of seven responses are required for a school’s “Overall Experience” category to be considered.

“A unique aspect of Niche is that they’re actually gathering feedback from anecdotal information on various categories, and many of the other surveys are very numbers-driven,” Meisinger said.

Ranking fervor For years, Conestoga was ranked highly by the U.S. News and World Report in the list of Best High Schools in America and Pennsylvania. In 2014, Stoga ranked fifth in the state and 341st nationally, a slight decrease from 2013 when the school was rated 313th nationally. Yet starting in 2015, Conestoga was omitted from the rankings due to a policy change regarding state administered standardized testing.

In a statement released on the TESD website, district administrators cited the decision by the Board Education Committee as

the rationale behind the missing rank. The committee decided not to require students to retake a Keystone Exam unless required as a graduation requirement.

“The decision allowed all students to continue to take course electives per family decision instead of filling their schedules with remediation classes that were not necessary for their own graduation but could possibly have led to improvements in overall school performance,” the statement said. “As a result, any survey that uses Keystone Exam results for students who do not need the test to graduate may show lower results than we had come to expect with the former 11th grade PSSA test.”

Due to the district’s decision to not have the students retake the Keystones, the U.S. News and World Report excluded Conestoga in the 2015 and 2016 rankings.

Continued on p. 7

News

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Continued from p. 6 Newsweek Magazine’s High School Rankings list takes a similar approach to U.S. News and World Report’s methodology in ranking high schools yet is more lenient on requiring detailed data on state standardized assessments.

Looking primarily at the proficiency rate of students on math and language tests, data available through the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s website, Newsweek also considers college enrollment rate, graduation rate, weighted AP/ SAT/ACT scores, student retention and counselor-to-student ratio. However, the rankings differ from those of the U.S. News and World Reports by also considering the poverty level of each school district. In 2015, Conestoga was ranked 51st in the nation with 87.0 in college readiness and five percent poverty.

“I think that if there is a person who either has children or is planning on having children, ranking and the quality of the school are a significant part of the decision making.”

-Marjorie Miller, Fox & Roach Realtor Unlike the rankings provided by Newsweek and U.S.

News and World Report, The Washington Post’s Most Challenging High Schools list primarily looks at one metric termed the “Challenge Index.”

Looking at the number of AP or IB tests given by a public school each year, the Washington Post then divides that number by the total number of graduating seniors in May or June. Conestoga was ranked 530th in the nation and fifth in Pennsylvania in the Washington Post rankings for 2015.

Washington Post Education Columnist Jay Matthews cites the decision to consider the number of tests taken rather than how well students do in part because “research has found that even low-performing students who got a 2 on an AP test did significantly better in college than similar students who did not take AP.” Matthews believes that schools that limit who is permitted to take the AP, IB and AICE courses were not reflective of true results.

“I decided not to count passing rates in this way because I found that many high schools kept those rates artificially high by allowing only top students to take the courses. AP, IB and AICE are important because they give average students a

chance to experience the trauma of heavy college reading lists and long, analytical college examinations,” Matthews said.

The Impact Rankings play an important role in attracting families to the district. In this case, rankings are a way for realtors to quan-

tify the performance of local schools.

“I think that if there is a person who either has children or is planning on having children, ranking and the quality of the school are a significant part of the decision making,” Fox & Roach Realtor Marjorie Miller said.

Junior Michael Fan moved to TESD in 2012 because of its vicinity to his mother’s workplace as well as the ranking of the district’s schools. While he does acknowledge the district’s

myriad opportunities, whether schools gain or lose a few places in the rankings is not very important to Fan. “Our numerical ranking doesn’t mean as much to me as seeing firsthand the number of AP courses offered, the wellstaffed library with modern technology and the spacious courtyards where students can enjoy their time at school,” Fan said.

Sophomore Maggie Cao on the other hand believes that rankings work to show how good a school is.

“I think it’s good to be part of a school that has outstanding ranking because you’re getting a better high school experience,” Cao said.

Rankings can also give a general idea of the quality of education at a certain school, but the actual experience is often a combination of a variety of factors, some of which may not be a part of the ranking criteria.

Many students are encouraged to take full advantage of the opportunities available in a highly ranked school as Conestoga, which sometimes leads to highly packed schedules.

“I think it definitely puts more pressure on the students to do well and maintain the school ranking,” Cao said.

Miller said that the rankings are certainly a key part of home-buyers’ decisions, although she does not believe that this recent ranking will heavily affect current home sales in the T/E area.

“As a realtor, it’s always nice to be able to say, if you have a listing in an area, that depending on the poll, it’s one of the top ranked schools in the nation,” Miller said.

“It just continues to reinforce what great schools we have.”

Assistant Principal Misty Whelan believes that although rankings are a point of pride, they do not have much of an impact on the way the district functions from day to day.

Although they do influence the possible influx of families into the district, rankings do not create any more of a competitive environment than what already exists within the schools.

“It doesn’t really impact us as much as it is for PR. I don’t know that it motivates us to be any different than we are because everybody, from the custodial staff to students to the faculty, strives for excellence,” Whelan said.

Director of Assessment and Accountability Mark Cataldi said that although the district does not work to specifically achieve rankings, the hard work in the district is seen in the results.

“We certainly take a lot of pride in all of the wonderful things our students are doing, the support we get from the community, excellent teaching staff and the other staff that we have here and I think we focus more on those things and let the rankings come as they are,” Cataldi said.

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Tuesday, February 9, 2016

STUDENT LIFE Culture through dance Students connect with roots by participating in Indian dance

Paula Miller and Warren Zhao Managing Web Editor and Staff Reporter Since she was seven years old, junior Akanksha Kalasabail has spent her Sunday mornings learning the precise gestures, poses and expressions of “bharatanatyam,” a classical Indian dance. After months of practice and hours of getting ready — from dressing in the traditional costume to styling her hair in an intricate braid, accented with jewelry — she is ready to take the stage. Although the preparation can be tedious, in these moments, Kalasabail remembers why she dances.

“Once I actually start performing, that’s when I get the feeling like this is what I’m supposed to be doing,” Kalasabail said.

The dance Kalasabail practices, “bharatanatyam,” is one of many Indian classical dances. This particular type of dance comes from Southern India, and like the other dances, it emphasizes storytelling through movement and expression. The dancer must personify the lyrics, often relating to the Hindu religion, and perform accompanying footwork.

Sophomores Riddhi and Siddhi Bhave practice another Indian dance called “kathak,” which is derived from the Sanskrit word for “story.” Originating in Northern India, “kathak” gen-

8 The Spoke

erally tells a story about nature or the Hindu gods. “Kathak” is comparable to the Spanish flamenco dance — both emphasize an upright posture, rhythmic movements and percussive footwork.

Siddhi Bhave sees Indian dance as an opportunity to keep in touch with her culture, which makes it an enjoyable and meaningful experience.

“I think it’s very important to keep in touch because if you lose your roots, then we all become the same, and you don’t have anything that differentiates you from anyone else.”

Though it took time, Riddhi Bhave now sees Indian dance as an important part of her life.

“While my mom made me start it, once I actually got into it, I started to enjoy it,” Riddhi Bhave said.

“I think many people don’t know about Indian dancing ... but when you actually get a chance to see it, it’s really beautiful.”

-Sophomore Riddhi Bhave Like Riddhi and Siddhi Bhave, Kalasabail began taking lessons when her mom forced

her to try dance as a way of connecting with Indian culture. She started lessons in “gujarati,” an Indian folk dance, at the age of six while living in Connecticut.

When she moved to the Main Line at seven years old, she found an opportunity to continue Indian dance lessons with the woman in charge of her Sunday school. However, these lessons focused on “bharatanatyam,” the Indian dance Kalasabail currently practices.

While at first Kalasabail felt that the lessons were more important to her parents than herself, eventually, she began to actually enjoy and appreciate the dance, but more as a hobby and art than a cultural obligation.

“I think it’s really fun because it’s really rhythmic. The entire structure is based on you finding the beats in the actual song and finding a way to match it,” Kalasabail said. “It’s been kind of hard to embrace it as a cultural thing because I consider myself Indian-American. So I don’t want to ever say I’m doing this because I’m Indian.”

For junior Bharathi Kolluru, who practices “bharatanatyam” with the Three Aksha dance company, the religious aspect is especially important.

The songs, which tell about Vishnu and other demigods, provide “another way to tell these stories and I can learn more about my religion and my culture,” Kolluru said.

While Kolluru also does tap dance, she says that Indian

dance has been a more meaningful, unique experience. Both she and Kalasabail note the great contrast between Western and Indian dance, such as the difference in costume and appearance, as well as the fluidity of many Western dances versus the precision of “bharatanatyam.”

“It’s so different from Western dance,” Kalasabail said.

“It’s not so much regimen as understanding. You have to know the artform, you have to love the artform, you have to understand where the artform is coming from.”

However, these differences have also contributed to a stigma surrounding Indian dance.

Kalasabail hopes that people will look beyond the stereotype.

“I just wish that people saw it as an art form. Dance in gen-

eral is an art form, and no matter where it’s from, it’s pretty cool,” Kalasabail said.

Riddhi Bhave reiterates this sentiment.

“I think many people don’t know about Indian dancing, and when they hear about it they may think it’s weird or different, but when you actually get a chance to see it, it’s really beautiful,” Riddhi Bhave said.

Kolluru has helped her friends realize just that by inviting them to performances.

Kolluru’s friends have come to appreciate and admire Indian dancing.

“When my friends come over to my house to see all my Indian clothes, they love it because it’s so colorful and pretty,” Kolluru said. “Same with dance — it’s just a beautiful thing to watch.”

Photos Courtesy Bharathi Kolluru

Graceful moves: Sophomore Bharathi Kolluru strikes a pose in the “bharatanatyam” style of dance. She has found that Indian dance helps her keep in touch with her roots.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Student Life

Paul Bruno steers students in right direction Ian Ong and Emma Purinton Centerspread Editor and Staff Reporter Paul Bruno is often found on the wooden bench in the lobby, smiling and striking up conversations with students. Despite the fact that he can make or break one of the most nerve-racking tests of any student’s high school career, students often feel comfortable during their driving lessons and tests with him.

“We talked about band and about his grandkids and how he was going to go on vacation in Florida. He’s still doing the driving lessons, so when I walk by the main lobby and see him I say ‘hi,’ just like old friends,” senior Emmy Chen said.

Working for the Chester County Intermediate Unit, Bruno is a behind-the-wheel instructor whose job is to teach students to effectively drive a motor vehicle in accordance with Pennsylvania’s Department of Education and Transportation.

“My mom and dad wanted me to have a driving instructor who wasn’t just them, because they

thought it was just safer if there was someone else teaching me how to drive part of the time,” junior Zack Kathol said.

Though his demeanor and style of teaching, Bruno offers a convenient solution for Conestoga students like Kathol.

“I remind students that I am not a parent, so I don’t get excited, I don’t yell and scream and I don’t beat on the dashboard,” Bruno said.

“I remind students that I am not a parent, so I don’t get excited, I don’t yell and scream and I don’t beat on the dashboard.”

-Driving Instructor Paul Bruno One of the most appealing parts of the CCIU driving program is the opportunity to take the driver’s test with Bruno as opposed to a DMV instructor.

The typical DMV driver’s test includes parallel parking successfully on the student’s first try, parking in a parking space successfully on the student’s first

try and driving a short course on a local road while abiding to all driving rules. However, a typical test with Bruno usually consists of 20 minutes of driving on a set course around the school, a task most students find much less intimidating. Driving sessions with Bruno are also convenient, lasting only for the duration of a free period, allowing students to learn during the school day.

“Many of my friends had already tested with the (DMV), and it just sounded so intimidating and I was not up for the idea,” Chen said. “Then, when I heard about this, and I realized it would be a lot more comfortable and it would be someone I would be continuously meeting up with — that totally sold it for me.”

For most students, passing the driver’s test is a breeze due to the nine-session course that students must take with Bruno prior to the exam.

“My favorite part of the job is meeting new students, especially the ones that do not have a lot of experience, where we can start basically from scratch,” Bruno said. “That way, we can teach them exactly the way they are supposed to drive.”

Students are taught the objectives of driving during “first orientation,” such as starts and stops, two hands on the wheel and using turn signals. Throughout the course, students additionally learn about using the hand-over-hand technique while turning, parking and lane changes, before the final session where students drive on U.S. Route 202.

“By the time we get to the test, these students are ready to be tested,” Bruno said. “I have tested 83 students, and everyone has passed.”

After successfully completing the test, students need a highway safety certificate and a verification form notarized by a parent, verifying that they have had 65 hours of vehicular training.

From there, they will receive their photo license from the Department of Transportation after about three weeks.

Despite how prepared students are when going into the test, problems can and will occur. Bruno recalls one time where he almost had an accident.

“We were going down 252 and we were going to make a left onto Sugartown, but there was a car

Betty Ben Dor/The SPOKE

Green light: Driving instructor Paul Bruno works as a behind-the-wheel instructor for the Chester County Intermediate Unit. Bruno has tested 83 students, who have all passed his test. Due to the intimidation factor of the DMV, more students look to his alternative method of getting on the roads.

making a right also,” Bruno said.

“It was a rainy day, and my student didn’t realize there was a car coming straight ahead, so I had to apply the brake and pull the wheel to the right to stay out of the lane of the oncoming car.”

Bruno comforts students who seem to be struggling or faltering during their exam by giving them positive reinforcement.

“If I see something that they’re not doing correctly, then I just mention it to them,” Bruno said.

“I don’t harp on it, I don’t continue to deal with it, I just ask if they can correct it after one or two times.”

Bruno began teaching under the intermediate unit in Sep-

“I know at the DMV the tester won’t tell you that they feel confident in your abilities before you start.”

-Senior Emmy Chen tember 2014 after serving as a postal worker and a driving instructor in northern Chester County. Now, working as an instructor for Conestoga and as a high school basketball official, Bruno feels that adapting to Conestoga’s schedule has been a learning experience.

“When I first began, I didn’t know anything about Conestoga,” Bruno said. “I knew nothing about the roads, I knew nothing about where I was going, I did not know how to use my time wisely, but then all of a sudden I began to know how far I could get in 40 minutes and get back to school before class change.”

Overall, Bruno’s experience with the student body has been positive, with students benefitting greatly from Bruno’s service.

“Everyone is polite, everyone is willing to learn and it’s a pleasure to come to work everyday,” Bruno said.

“I think if you’re testing with Paul, seriously don’t even worry.

I think the test was actually less stressful than the actual driving lessons because the test was shorter and it was so relaxed, and he told me ahead of time that he was confident (that I would pass) and that definitely made me feel good,” Chen said. “I know at the DMV the tester won’t tell you that they feel confident in your abilities before you start.”

The Spoke 9

Student Life

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Treat time: Chocolate banana cake

Camille Kurtz Copy Editor

Camille Kurtz/The SPOKE

This rich, crumbly treat resembles banana bread but is transformed by the cocoa powder and melted chocolate and elevated by the use of cake flour, which counteracts the density of the banana and chocolate. I crafted this recipe to be served as a sweet snack or as a decadent, chocolatey dessert, served with coconut whipped cream and fresh berries.

10 The Spoke

Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (350 if using convection).

2. Peel and mash the bananas until they reach a smooth consistency and add to the bowl of an electric mixer.

3. Melt the chocolate chips and, once melted, stir in the oil to thin the chocolate and make it easier to pour.

4. Add the chocolate and oil mixture to the bananas in the mixing bowl.

5. Add the applesauce, lemon juice and sugar to the bowl and mix on medium.

6. In a separate bowl, combine the cake flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder and whisk together.

7. About half a cup at a time, add the dry mixture to the wet

Camille Kurtz/The SPOKE

ingredients in the electric mixer. Mix on low in between each addition.

8. Add a few handfuls of chocolate chips to the batter, if desired.

9. Pour the batter into the already-prepared loaf pan and place in the oven.

10. The cake will cook for 45-60 minutes. Check its status after 45 minutes by inserting a wooden skewer into the middle. Once the skewer comes out clean, the cake is cooked.

(Note: watch for uncooked cake batter; don’t worry about melted chocolate.)

11. Let the cake cool for at least 40 minutes, or until it is cool to the touch.

12. Enjoy the cake as either a sugary breakfast treat or pair it with some powdered sugar or fruit to create a rich dessert.

INGREDIENTS: WET 2-3 mashed bananas, preferably overripe ½ cup melted chocolate

DRY 2 cups cake flour (Note: Do not use regular All Purpose flour as a substitute; the product will be dry and too dense.)

¼ coconut or vegetable oil

½ cup cocoa powder

½ cup applesauce

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 loaf pan, greased and floured

Student Life

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Teacher Feature Physics teacher Ryan Roberts discusses his passion for ultimate frisbee, whom he would like to have coffee with and the giant orange monkey in his classroom.

Jahnavi Rao Staff Reporter Why did you choose to become a physics teacher?

I really like working with kids; they’re a lot of fun. Physics is something that we all encounter every day of our lives whether we know it or not.

Being able to explain all of the interactions we have with the physical world around us to the students in our district is something that’s a lot of fun for me. We get to do demonstrations and play with pulleys, ramps and cars — as opposed to chemicals. I feel like (physics) is something really tangible. It’s a lot easier to relate your own interactions with the world.

Did you always want to be a teacher?

No, I didn’t. I remember sitting in my high school history class in 11th grade, thinking it would be really cool to be a teacher, but I wouldn’t want to wear a tie every day. I know; I’m not wearing a tie right now. I actually went to college initially to be an athletic trainer, and I decided that I liked physics a whole lot more than I liked athletic training. I ended up helping my classmates with a physics class we were in, and I was able to get that one-onone interaction with them. I helped them, and then they understood what was going on afterwards.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Downingtown.

I went to Downingtown West when I was in high school. I played recreational soccer my entire childhood, and I got into frisbee when I was a senior in high school.

What kind of student were you?

I was an honors student pretty much for everything.

I always liked school. That’s part of why I’m a teacher.

I never missed a single day of school in high school. I wasn’t sick and never ditched or took senior skip days.

What’s the most rewarding experience you’ve had out of school?

I’m on a club team for ultimate frisbee, and we usually place in the top half of our region. This past summer we were ranked in the top 20 in the country. I’ve been playing almost ten years, since high school.

Who is Studious George, the giant orange monkey in your room?

Ms. Adams had this room before me. I was a floater (a teacher without a room) last year. She didn’t want (the monkey). Who wouldn’t want a giant monkey? They were going to throw it out if no one claimed it.

If you could have three wishes, what would they be?

I would wish for a lifetime supply of chocolate because chocolate is my main guilty pleasure.

I would ask for a fresh pair of cleats for ultimate frisbee every year; I like breaking them in and all that. And my own dog, because I love dogs.

Favorites:

How would you describe your personality?

(I am) definitely quirky and random. I say goofq1y things just to try and get a laugh out of my kids. The personality I have now is very different from the one I had in high school. I was more reserved in high school. I was very shy. It took college to really come out of my shell and to identify my own personality.

What would you do if you had a day to yourself?

I’d cook myself a meal because I normally don’t have time to do that. I’d probably get some exercise and go to the gym. I would definitely watch a movie or two. I like funny movies and thrillers like “Gone Girl” or “Unfriended.”

If you could have coffee with anyone, who would it be?

Wilt Chamberlain because he’s my favorite basketball player of all time. He played for a couple different teams and leagues. And Richard Feynman.

He was a great physicist and he was good at explaining physics really simply. Besides, going with Einstein or Newton would be a cop out.

Have you ever met anyone famous?

(I met) Dick Vermeil, former coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. I was running a cash register at a store a couple years ago and he came through my line, and I got to ring him up. I got his signature on the receipt he had to sign. I hung it up on the corkboard we had there. I played it cool until he paid with his card, and I saw for sure he was Dick Vermeil.

Movie: “Repo Men” Book: “The Firm” by John Grisham Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio Actress: Jennifer Lawrence Song: “Hotel California” by The Eagles Game: “Catchphrase” Physicist: Richard Feynman Movie Character: James Bond Place to visit: The beach

Ryan Roberts The Spoke 11

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12 12The The Spoke Spoke

Tuesday, February 9 , 2016

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Student Life

UnSPOKEn Advice: love edition Mary Mei and Meagan O’Rourke Student Life Editor and Co-Convergence Editor

Dear Waving to no one, It sounds like you and your “bae” are having a major communication problem. It may be your fault, it may be his, but the bottom line is you have to take drastic action. He wants to ignore you? Then how would he like it if you were a mime? But seriously, we are suggesting you act and dress like a mime. Get a beret, a striped shirt and some clown makeup. Approach him in the hallway from the behind and place your hand lightly on his shoulder. Things are bound to get interesting in your relationship.

High school is a tough time for unrequited love, especially during the month of February. The Spoke came up with some entirely candid advice to answer some of those burning question.

Dear The Spoke, There is someone I have liked for a while but I feel like they don’t notice me. How do I get my crush’s attention?

Dear Invisible, First, like in any blossoming relationship, you have to make sure they know you are interested. Like all of their Facebook posts and Insta pics and add them on Snapchat. Don’t be afraid to go way back in their pictures: anything past 52-weeks-old is golden. If you are feeling especially amorous, comment a kissy face emoji. Cute.

Once you have made your presence known, get a copy of their schedule and walk them to every class. But don’t seem desperate; you have to play hard to get. Walk one step behind them just close enough so they know you are there. But it is up to them to make the first move. Oh, you are so coy. ;)

Dear The Spoke, I hate the month of February because it means it is Presidents’ Day and I love all the presidents so much; I don’t want Babe Lincoln to think I’m unfaithful. I don’t know what to do! Help!

Andy Backstrom/The SPOKE

Dear The Spoke, My crush is two-dimensional and is always doing dumb stuff with his best friend. I love his fun-loving spirit and his unique laugh, but I don’t know if I can deal with his antics anymore. He keeps failing his driver’s test, and he keeps hanging out with another girl named Sandy. He has like 10 restraining orders from his cranky neighbor. What should I do?

Dear Conflicted, I’m sorry, but I think your crush may be SpongeBob Squarepants.

You may want to move on. There are plenty of sponges in the sea.

Valentine’s Day. I really want to impress my date. How can I make our date really special?

Dear Lovestruck, The key to a successful date is going over the top. Restaurants are always classy, but you don’t want to break the bank so make sure the restaurant has a kids menu to order from. Get to the date location first and make a cute T-shirt with their face on it so they can identify you quickly.

You wouldn’t want them accidently going on a date with someone else!

As for winning them over, I have two words for you: magic tricks. Show ‘em the old razzle dazzle and you are set.

Dear The Spoke, Will I ever find love?

Dear I’m going to die alone, No.

Andy Backstrom/The SPOKE

Dear The Spoke, I’m going on my first date on

Dear The Spoke, Lately I feel like my beau and I are drifting apart. We don’t talk as much as we used to, and when I see him in the hallway all I do is wave. How can we keep our relationship fresh and exciting?

Dear Obsessed with Abe, Everyone has that problem, so don’t sweat it! Our founding fathers understand. What you need to do is to prove your love to all the POTUS’s. Forget those Justin Bieber and Danny DeVito posters taped on your ceiling. You’ll want to replace them with cut out pictures of George, Abe and Teddy R. We’re talking full throttle William Howard Taft and his glorious mustache — be still, my heart! Use your U.S. textbook as a last resort for photos!

QUICK FACTS Nevermind, I’ll find someone like you?

Fifty-six percent of surveyed participants said they would not want to reunite wih their first loves...but do not worry if you know you have met the one at Conestoga!

Twenty-five percent said they would, according to Psychology Today.

Can you feel the love?

In a 2013 Gallup Poll, 79 percent of people under the age of 50 said they were in love.

The one and only?

Seventy-four percent of Americans believe in one true love, according to a 2013 Gallup Poll.

Happy Endings?

Andy Backstrom/The SPOKE

Forty to 50 percent of Americans get divorced according to the Encyclopedia of Psychology.

At least 50 percent stay together! Yay?

This advice column will be a recurring piece. Tweet @thespoke questions you would like to have answered in the March issue. The next theme is stress management.

The Spoke 13

Centerspread

The Spoke’s Guide to Galentine’s Day

Story and photos by “Gal Pals” Nour Elkassabany and Allison Reagan Quiz by Lyvia Yan Design by Ian Ong

Valentine’s Day is loved by some, but dreaded by most. A holiday that celebrates romantic love between two people is difficult for those who don’t have someone to share it with. For those without V-Day plans, we’d like to introduce Galentine’s Day! Galentine’s Day originated in season 2, episode 16 of the comedy TV show “Parks and Recreation” as a celebration of female friendship. It is typically held on Feb. 13, the day before Valentine’s Day. Galentine’s Day is a chance to spend time with the important ladies in your life, be it your best friends, mom, grandmother or that neighbor that’s always trying to offer you her homegrown mint. Some of our strongest relationships are with our female friends and family and they seldom get the attention they deserve. No disrespect intended to Valentine’s Day, but it’s time to share the love. Galentine’s Day offers a low stress, high fun alternative. In the words of “Parks and Recreation” character Leslie Knope, “It’s wonderful, and it should be a national holiday.”

In honor of the upcoming event, here is The Spoke’s guide to the perfect Galentine’s Day. It’s simple, cheap and most importantly, involves glitter, crafts and breakfast.

Party Favors To personalize the night, give a few party favors that might seem a little out of the ordinary. Leslie Knope sent her guests off with a bouquet of hand-crocheted flower pens, a mosaic portrait made of glass soda bottles and a personalized five thousand word essay of why they are awesome. For your purposes, a short poem about each guest or a funny newspaper headline from the day they were born should suffice.

Cupid Gift Exchange No Galentine’s Day celebration is complete without the exchange of gifts that highlight the best qualities in your best friends. To fit the occasion, try a Cupid gift exchange. This will require some planning beforehand, but along the same lines as a Secret Santa, each person should be assigned the name of another guest to bring a gift for. Requiring the gifts be homemade adds an endearing touch to the occasion and allows friend’s talents to be showcased and gives everyone some extra appreciation they deserve.

Breakfast To ensure the most authentic Galentine’s party possible, make certain that breakfast foods are on the menu. Bagels, hash browns, frittatas and, most importantly, waffles. Galentine’s day founder Leslie Knope often topped her waffles with mountains of whipped cream. For your guests, try arranging a buffet of toppings like fruit, chocolate chips, peanut butter and maple syrup to maximize the choices.

Glitter Crafts Crafting is a fun way to add a little messiness to the night. Simple canvas bags can be easily decorated with glitter glue and some rhinestones to create the perfect travel bag for the evening’s goodies. The totes are handy and can be reused whenever an outing needs a little sparkle.

Photo Collage As if you’d need another reason to continue the Galentine’s Day tradition, a growing photo collage gives your friends another reason to celebrate year after year. It is a perfect activity for the sentimental gals in your life. Have each guest bring a few photos and begin to post them on a cork board, decorating accordingly. Each following year or special occasion, add a few more pictures, slowly growing your friendship collage!

14 The Spoke

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Playlist The perfect Galentine’s Day is never complete without power ballads and dancey jams to accompany the evening’s festivities.

In the spirit of Galentine’s Day, here are a few songs to celebrate a little girl power.

Still not feeling the love? Find out what to do on this special day with our...

Galentine’s Day Quiz do you feel about Q: How Valentine’s Day?

A B C D

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” Cyndi Lauper “Rich Girls” The Virgins “Single Ladies” Beyoncé “Shake It Out” Florence + the Machine “Run the World” Beyoncé “Obsessed” Mariah Carey “Pretty Girl Rock” Keri Hilson “Wannabe” Spice Girls “Who Says” Selena Gomez “Body Of My Own” Charli XCX

It’s stupid and for hopeless romantics It’s so fun and I always celebrate it every year I only liked it for the candy they gave us in elementary school I love having time to spend with my friends

is your favorite subject Q: What in school?

A B

English and writing courses

is your favorite Q: What pastime?

A B

Watching movies and TV

C

Cooking and baking

D

Playing sports

Crafting and drawing

would you describe Q: How yourself?

Quiet and reserved

Art

A B

C

Lunch

C

Hopeless romantic

D

Gym

D

Active and sporty

is your relationship Q: What status?

A B

Single

Outgoing and talkative

Q: What is your ideal gift?

A good book

In a serious relationship

A B

C

Been on a couple casual dates

C

Dinner date

D

First date

D

Tickets to a sports game

type of chocolate do Q: What you like the most?

A

Milk

B C

Dark

D

Chocolate with nuts or fruit

White

Jewelry

is the most important Q: What quality in a relationship?

A B

Loyalty and trust

C D

Romance

Adventure and spontaneity

Humor and ability to have fun

If you answered the most...

A’s: spend a relaxing night reading your favorite book or watching a rom-com.

B’s: make some festive Galentine’s Day crafts.

C’s: bake some heart cupcakes, pink cookies or red velvet cake. If you are in a serious relationship, then go out on a romantic dinner date.

D’s: spend a fun day at a sports game with your friends or that special someone.

The Spoke 15

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

OPINION O, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven This year, Niche ranked our district as the best school district in the nation. Students and other community members shared articles about the ranking on Facebook and Twitter.

For the community, the ranking was a source of pride.

Yet at the same time, rankings have never been a part of Conestoga culture. At graduation, we don’t name a valedictorian. A unique aspect of Conestoga is the lack of a GPA ranking. Instead, we focus on improving ourselves by exploring our interests in our classes, clubs and sports. At Conestoga, we seek to improve for the sake of improvement, not for the rankings.

Another example of this mentality happened last year, when we were taken off the rankings by U.S. News and World Report. After hearing the negative community feedback after the removal, the district issued a statement explaining the situation: last

year, students weren’t forced to retake the Keystones if they failed, since it wasn’t a graduation requirement. However, because U.S. News and World Report used Keystone statistics in their rankings, Conestoga was removed.

While we aren’t ranked by U.S. News and World Report because of this decision, perhaps it is because of — rather than in spite of — this attitude that we ranked so highly on Niche’s rankings. Niche’s rankings are partially based on community feedback, especially from students. Our exceptionally good reviews from students show that anecdotally, Conestoga provides a great experience for students. We can be proud of our teachers, who dedicate their lives to educate us and help us explore our passions. We can be proud of our students, who spend hours upon hours to excel at athletics, prepare a musical or put together a school newspaper. Students

have unlimited opportunities to pursue, with hundreds of clubs and dozens of sports to offer.

And unlike most other schools, we offer an extended senior internship program for nearly all seniors to get experience in the real world.

None of this can be quantified. Not the vigor of the debaters in the Young Democrats and Young Republicans debate nor the exhaustion from our sleepless nights and our attempts to juggle multiple extracurriculars. Not the generosity and selflessness of our students who tutor, fundraise or volunteer nor the kindness and acceptance of our students who embrace every other member of our diverse student body. Even Niche’s attempts to quantify these aspects of ’Stoga with their review system cannot quantify the greatness of the Big C. Only we, the students, who live the experience every day, can understand just how amazing our school is.

Liz Lawton/The SPOKE

16 The Spoke

From the Editor: variety is the spice of life

Michael Hong Co-Editor-in-Chief People tend to become friends with others who are similar in some way. After all, it’s hard to hold a meaningful conversation with someone completely different. Shared hobbies or interests can become conversation topics.

Thus, groups of friends also tend to have similar characteristics. This phenomenon isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s hard for me to geek out over journalism with my friends from the math team, and vice versa.

Having a group of friends that share an interest allows me to be passionate about it.

However, there’s a distinction to be made. While a group of friends with a similar interest can be good, a group of friends with a similar ideology can be bad. We easily become friends with people who share interests with us, but it’s also easy for us to become friends with people who share similar opinions.

This uniformity can lead to extremism, not only within a small group, but also within the context of the national population.

Until this year, my friends seemed to be mostly liberal. When discussing anything remotely related to politics, only liberal ideas were passed around. Since I didn’t have much of a political background, I inherited my political beliefs from my friends. Consequently, I paraded as a liberal throughout high school, parroting the same ideas my friends talked about in our discussions. From only hearing one side of the argument, I developed an extreme view of politics.

This year, I tried to adopt conservative ideals for the sake

of arguing with a friend. At first, I displayed myself as a hardcore conservative. From this experience, I learned about the other side of the debate I scarcely heard about. While I realized I am not a hardcore conservative, I later came to identify myself as a moderate.

Now, I often voice my opinions on political topics. However, while I’m more informed than I was last year, I still lack knowledge about many topics.

But through these debates and discussions with my friends, I can learn about their opinions while they can learn about mine.

And instead of blindly following their ideas and mimicking what they say, I have become more informed about politics and current events.

“Find someone who doesn’t share the exact same opinion as you and listen to what they have to say.’”

Still, I sometimes talk with a group of just liberals or just conservatives. It’s uncomfortable seeing a group of people drift toward the extreme and antagonize the opposition. In these environments, I find it hard to voice my thoughts, because I don’t want to create a situation where it’s me versus them. But in a group of people with diverse ideas, there is no such group mentality. Instead, I can offer my own opinions and have a healthy discussion of differing thoughts.

So, diversify your friends.

Find someone who doesn’t share the exact same opinions as you, and listen to what they have to say. Instead of inbreeding your beliefs, you can become more knowledgeable and accepting. Try to promote discussion of different opinions, rather than perpetuating the same ideas. Spice up your life with some variety.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Opinion

Conscious Satisficery: why having the best isn’t the best

Rose Kantorcyzk Columnist

Pallavi Aakarapu/The SPOKE

Matt Soderberg Columnist THE CONESTOGA FOUNDATION, EST. 2016 — When freshmen enter Conestoga, they are confronted with the task of choosing which clubs to join. It’s daunting — where shall we dedicate our time and talents?

The school offers a wide array of student organizations, from robotics to politics to ballroom dancing.

(This last one is a lie, though a tragic one.) A huge draw for these groups, of course, is how helpful they are with college admissions.

Students who put in the work can become leaders and demonstrate that leadership on their college transcript. Yet, what about the students who don’t want to put in the work?

Should we be discriminated against purely for our apathy? Maybe we don’t care about our community, but we do want to get into college!

We don’t need service groups, we need a solution. That solution is the Conestoga Foundation.

The Conestoga Foundation will be an organization dedicated to the continued support, maintenance and quality of the local community and related boroughs. Do those words mean anything? Absolutely not. But to college admissions officers, yes.

What I propose is that every single student of Conestoga — all 2,150 of us — found this club together. Think

about your transcript saying that you are the co-founder of the Conestoga Foundation. You don’t have to join Peer Mediation to up your resume or write for the newspaper to impress colleges anymore, you can just fake your way to success.

You may be asking what this club will do. That approach is all wrong. The question is what this club will not do. Everyone must meet their service requirements, but sources of this can be, well, diverse.

Maybe you didn’t curse out your mom for making you take the bus.

You’ve earned yourself a few service hours. Showed up to that class, even though you hate it? Good work, champ! Every year, each member will have to show proof of their service to administrators. These checkins have strict Conestoga deadlines, and by that, no deadlines at all. Even if the school won’t accept your work because “you didn’t do it” or “this is literally just a picture of a starving African kid,” don’t fret. If we’ve learned anything from our Main Line upbringing, we don’t have to be right, we just need parents that can write an email.

The Conestoga Foundation will be a revolution for us students. Getting school approval will be a roadblock, as it is known the administration and district care much more about the learning experience than the names of the colleges attended. However, we can be confident that the values of the Conestoga Foundation, including disregarding the process as long as the result appears impressive, fit so well in with the views of student body and their parents that approval is inevitable. I look forward to seeing all of you at our first meeting which, it seems, has been indefinitely postponed. Don’t worry — you’re still getting credit!

Everyone always says there are two types of people in the world: left-handed and right-handed, introverts and extroverts, coffee or tea drinkers.

I’m going to add one more item to this infinite list: maximizers and satisficers.

“Whoa, Rose, why are you throwing big confusing words at us?” Okay, chill, I’ll explain.

A maximizer is someone who strives to make sure they are getting the absolute best. They’ll spend eons camped out at the Wawa touch screen, for example, making sure that their Shorti has the perfect combination of ingredients. Maximizers love the Internet; it allows them to research and compare an infinite number of options to make sure that the one they’re choosing is the best one for them. They spend a lot of time wondering what else is out there, and they don’t want to settle for anything less than the best.

Satisficers, on the other hand, tend to make decisions that make them reasonably happy and stick to them. They tap breezily through the Wawa touch screen, choosing whatever toppings sound good and not worrying about creating that perfect hoagie. They don’t worry about other options or whether what they have is the absolute best that’s out there. Instead of researching all their options, they’ll find the first option they like and be finished with the process.

They’re fine with “settling”; if they know what they want, why even think about what else they could be having?

Though neither of these is necessarily better than the other, there is ample evidence to suggest that satisficers are significantly happier in general than maximizers. Putting significant time and energy into research before taking action can be exhausting, and constantly looking over your shoulder wondering what you could be missing leads to a lot of dissatisfaction.

Though a maximizer might have eaten at that five-star Mexican place for lunch, they’ll be wondering all day whether the Thai place would’ve been better. A satisficer would’ve just said, “I’m craving Wendy’s today,” and gotten themselves a chocolate Frosty with no regrets.

In my observation, a lot of Conestoga students are maximizers, myself included. We tend to stress over decisions big and small, wanting to make sure we’re getting the best possible option. We debate with ourselves endlessly about whether to take Culinary Arts or Ceramics, or what topic to pick for that project in Spanish class, or whether to go to Key Club or Science Olympiad after school.

And then comes the biggest and most pressure-filled decision of our high school careers: college.

We agonize. We cry. We tear our hair out. And once we make a decision, we’re sometimes left wondering: what if I had chosen to go somewhere else? Would it be better?

Here’s my challenge to you, Conestoga: attempt some conscious satisficery. Did I make that word up? Maybe. Just go with it.

The next time you catch yourself agonizing over a decision, saying “I like this, but…,” stop and choose to go with the thing that you like. Make a conscious decision, in that moment, to be a satisficer. Whether it’s the food you eat or the college you end up going to, choosing to be happy with something that makes you happy is healthy and good. These little decisions, in the long run, can make you a much more satisfied (satisficered?) person.

“I would be a maximizer because I think there’s always a little bit of doubt when you make decisions...you always kind of wonder what would’ve happened.”

- Georgia Steigerwald “I’m more of a maximizer. I dwell on decisions more and get to see the assets of everything.”

- Adwait Chafale “I think I’m more like a maximizer. I want to see all the options and think ahead.”

- Kim Byrne “I’m a satisficer because I just take things as they come and I don’t analyze.”

- Matthew Hencken The Spoke 17

Opinion

Small remembrances of our loved ones shape us today

Shivani Sanghani Public Relations Manager Forty-eight hours before my grandfather’s death, I visited his hospital room and remembered the ghost of hope in his tear-filled eyes.

I reached out my hand, feeling the frigid perspiration of his palms.

“We still have to go home and argue over a game of cards. We have some fighting left to get through,” I said to him. His only response was a slight squeeze of my palm. As I turned my head, I caught sight of a tear rolling down his face.

After his passing, I mostly remember my grandfather’s quirks and habits. These small memories

allow me to appreciate a softer dimension of his character, which he hid well from others: his crying during Bollywood movies.

These “little things” enable us to better appreciate those who’ve shaped us. When we become more aware of those who’ve influenced us, we can reconcile our present mind with the past spirits of our loved ones. This helps us learn to live with loss and move toward the place where we can honor them.

When I dwell on the odd, funny facets of his personality, I find myself admiring my grandfather even more. Thinking on a lighter, smaller note enables one to self-reflect and value relationships at the most basic level.

Today, my grandmother wakes up at 2 a.m. every morning to peruse her iPad, trying to keep her thoughts preoccupied. When I observe my grandmother in such a state, I try to facilitate a light-hearted conversation with her. After our talk about my grandfather’s reactions during movies, she goes to bed with differ-

ent, happier thoughts flooding her mind, and she feels lightened.

The true capital we wish to cherish stems from our mindset: When we reflect upon the “smaller” details of our past, we can enhance our own thought process. This positive thinking allows me to understand the value in my relationship with my grandfather. Although dwelling on the smaller memories may fragment the overall image of a person, this thinking can be used to reconcile our own spirits with those of who’ve we lost. When I reflect on my grandfather’s positive attributes, I am able to better understand my own self and progress. I hope that this thinking marks the first step towards introspection and overcoming grief.

By remembering the impact of our loved ones, we can pass on their heritage and honor their overall intentions. I enjoy reminiscing about my grandfather’s insistence on organizing his clothes and cassettes according to the year produced to the extent where I too, find myself trying to emulate his peculiar quirks.

Doses of unorthodox decluttering

Michelle Xu Opinion Editor Since decluttering queen Marie Kondo published “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” her “KonMari method” of chucking away anything that doesn’t “spark joy” has inspired clean freaks and hot messes alike to “join the war on clutter.” Even my Facebook newsfeed has hopped onto the bandwagon — in the past few months, it’s recommended me 22 different commentaries on the subject. The message is loud and clear: minimalism is in and clutter is getting sweeped out.

But why limit the KonMari method to just clearing closets and tidying desktops? The mentality of keeping only “joy-sparking” necessities can extend beyond just physically removing tangible objects.

Simplicity can benefit almost all facets of life in small doses. Here are some aspects to which I’d prescribe some doses of decluttering:

18 The Spoke

1) Our smartphones Apps, apps, apps run amok on our smartphones. Blindly following virtual consumerism, we’re constantly buying gaming and productivity apps alike, only to lose them to our phone’s storage abyss after a few fading months. By now, those apps have served their purpose by creating feelings of pointless frustration over a flapping bird or false productivity through setting a screenful of reminders. You might as well declutter your storage space and uninstall those remnants of another time.

2) Our schedules Between Fear of Missing Out and wanting to stretch our limits ever further, we Conestoga students possess a particular predilection for over-packing our schedules with commitments. While I definitely encourage seeking challenges and pursuing multiple interests, I don’t believe chasing after 10 AP classes, 17 clubs and six sports purely for the sake of participating is healthy. Pretend you’re Maria Kondo and ask if all your activities truly spark joy in your life. If not, it’s better to focus on the things you love than find yourself pulled everywhere and stressed out.

3) Our mindspaces Thoughts are the slipperiest things to control; they jump into our

minds unbidden and sneak out much the same way. Try as we might, we can’t eradicate negative thoughts, and repressing them completely is unhealthy. When panic, stress or fears set in, though, we should still try to declutter and flush away swirling cesspools of pessimism that may worsen the situation. Obsessing over one missed deadline or one college rejection letter adds clutter to your mind that could cause more trouble.

Keep calm, and KonMari.

A decluttering mentality is by no means simple to maintain, but ultimately can be applied to help so many areas of life beyond even the ones above. In the end, doses of decluttering are like vitamins — difficult to swallow at first, but good for you in the long run.

Liz Lawton/The SPOKE

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Fast-fashion at what cost?

Pallavi Aakarapu/The SPOKE

Meagan O’Rourke Co-Convergence Editor The deadliest garment factory atrocity did not happen in the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory.

It did not happen in the midst of the Industrial Revolution in Victorian England.

The deadliest garment factory collapse killed over 1,100 people on April 24, 2013 in the Rana Plaza factory of Bangladesh, according to the New York Times.

The culprits of the collapse?

Brands driving the competitive, tight profit margins in factories like H&M, Primark, Joe Fresh, Gap and the ultimate violator of human rights: fast-fashion.

Brands release new fast-fashion weekly with the ultimate goal to make buyers feel behind on the latest trends so they will buy more clothes. The prices on the tags are cheap, but the real cost of fast-fashion needs to be checked. With the ever expanding King of Prussia mall and online stores, fast-fashion is invading our closets. The industry suppresses the concerns of workers, perpetuates child labor and leaves buildings like Rana Plaza uninspected to the point of collapse and tragedy.

Remember in middle school when we watched “Supersize Me,” and a lot of us — after seeing genetically modified chickens and a gastrointestinal surgery — swore off McDonald’s? Whether or not we still honor that seventh grade commitment, it connected with us because we were putting Big Macs directly into our bodies.

Fast-fashion is harder to com-

bat, however. Where we buy our clothes from does not directly affect our health; it affects people half a world away. The people being hurt are strangers.

Last summer, I met one of these strangers. Her name is Kalpona; she works with my cousin Judy in the human rights field and I stayed with them in the Poconos. She liked to float on the lake. She sometimes napped during the day because she had nightmares about her time in a Bangladesh jail for trying to secure better working conditions for her community. She left school to work in a factory at the age of 13 and taught herself flawless English. She made me realize that the only real “must have” is human rights.

However, I like fashion, and I realize that shopping sustainably is harder than it seems.

Just like anything, doing what’s right isn’t always what is easiest.

For us students wanting to save up for our future, fast-fashion stores are convenient. Also, more expensive clothes are not always more ethically made. Benetton also produced clothes in the Rana Plaza factory.

So what do we do? We cannot jump to the boycott solution. Many of the garment industry workers want their jobs, but they want jobs with more dignity. The Worker’s Rights Consortium calculated that if factories charged about 10 cents more per shirt, factories could be in better condition.

However, brands will continue to keep prices low and conditions poor if there is no awareness. Ask the sales clerk what they know about the factory workers’ rights at check-out. Push them to learn about who they work for. Sign a petition online and go to laborrights.org to connect with amazing “strangers.”

Because until there are nutrition labels for clothes, telling you exactly what sacrifices went into making your $10 dress, the only way to stop fast-fashion is to gain global support — support you can wear on your sleeve.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Opinion

A letter to the social justice movement: stop neglecting ableism

Camille Kurtz Copy Editor Dear Mainstream Social Justice Combatants, You have been working hard.

You’ve logged hundreds of hours fighting for social equality and tolerance. Though there are still many miles to go, you’ve taken a firm stance against sexism, racism, homophobia and classism. Unfortunately, that seems to be where your list of grievances ends.

It seems you, and all others, have forgotten something: ableism.

Despite having been around since the 1980s and the rise of the disability rights movement, ableism still remains unfamiliar and foreign to most — even to conventional social justice proponents like yourselves.

Ableism (noun): the discrimination against mentally or physically disabled people in favor of the able-bodied.

While ableism can range from small aggressions, such as using language and slurs that are offensive to disabled persons, to unlawful practices like discriminatory hiring and termination in the workplace, it is most egregious when it is ignored.

Last December a young model and celebrity, Kylie Jenner,

released an extremely ableist magazine photoshoot with Interview Magazine. In several of the pictures Jenner was seated in a wheelchair, although she is able-bodied, solely for the “creative” and “symbolic” elements of the shoot. Jenner used the wheelchair as a fashionable accessory and prop and later claimed that its role in the photos was to represent the hardships of “vast media scrutiny.”

Jenner’s magazine spread perfectly exemplifies why ableism must be publicized and incorporated into mainstream social justice. Her ignorance shines through not only as she finds it acceptable to pose with a wheelchair when she does not require one, but also as she relates wheelchairs to adversity, rather than the liberation they grant to disabled people. And yet as heinous as Jenner’s actions are, her naiveté is only reflective of a worldwide misunderstanding of ableism, due to its absence in social justice coverage.

When we fail to include disabled women in our feminism, disabled couples in our LGBT+ activism, disabled people of color in the Black Lives Matter movement, we propagate the ignorance of people like Kylie Jenner. And we send the message to our disabled community members that we do not care enough about them to include them and to fight for them.

Over 15 percent of the world’s population has a physical or mental disability, meaning 785 million people are affected by ableism in society every day. Whenever a speech is given without sign lan-

guage or handouts are distributed without braille or buildings with steps don’t have ramps for wheelchairs, we exclude 15 percent of our world community.

Yet still, despite affecting hundreds of millions of people, ableism is not a part of the mainstream push for social equality and respect. That’s not to say that no one is campaigning for greater inclusion or consideration of disabled persons; there are plenty of ableism-focused organizations and “radical” justice groups aiming for change, but they are overlooked by the popularly-established social justice movement.

If our cries for tolerance and equality cannot broaden to welcome all marginalized groups, who are we fighting for? Ableism

doesn’t stand alone; it has deep roots in all forms of discrimination. When a person with a disability faces sexism, racism or any other display of intolerance, prejudice becomes even more likely and dangerous because the victim is disabled.

Please, don’t forget our disabled friends and family members. Don’t let ableism run free as we attempt to clamp down on the more advertised issues — instead let us recognize how all discrimination and all intolerance intertwine. We cannot stand up for justice while leaving 15 percent of our allies alone and in the dark.

Sincerely, A New Perspective

Report Card Iowa Caucus +Convenient procrastination excuse for a lazy Monday night - Our country’s future could be resting on coin flips

New year, new Barbies +More diversity and figure variation: a Barbie for all shapes and sizes -Can we make it not about appearance for once?

“The Revenant” +Leo + Oscar = <3 -Just < 3 hours of trudging through the forest

B.o.B. believes world is flat +Neil deGrasse Tyson showcases proper use of gravity by dropping the mic -Don’t know “How U Do That” B.o.B.

Super Bowl 50 +Peyton Manning, in John Elway fashion, ends career with a Super Bowl victory -It was a sloppy, turnover-heavy contest; no dabbing from Cam Pallavi Aakarapu/The SPOKE

Connie Stoga

Pallavi Aakarapu/The SPOKE

The Spoke 19

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

SPORTS

Starting Olympians instead of mathematicians Ashley Greenberg Staff Reporter Paul Poiesz has another passion besides teaching multivariable calculus and fulfilling his role as the head of the math department. Poiesz will be a starter for track and field during the Olympic Trials this summer, when athletes will be competing to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Although he grew up playing basketball and baseball, Poiesz fell in love with track. He started running track at age 13 and has been participating in track and field related activities ever since. Little did he know when he was running track as a kid that he would eventually become an Olympic Trials starter.

A starter, in terms of track and field, is the official who gives the commands to start the race. For most races, they tell the athletes, “On your mark, set,” and then fire the gun. The main goal of the starter is to make a split-second decision that ensures everyone

Neil Goldenthal Staff Reporter Most students go to a team practice or band rehearsal when the bell rings at 2:20 p.m. But for a select few kids at Conestoga, that means it’s time to grab their colored belt and hit the dojo.

These students practice the ancient tradition of martial arts: a vast umbrella that includes karate, judo, kickboxing, taekwondo and dozens of other kinds. Many popular

a fair start. Without starters, recorded times would be arbitrary and, more importantly, the “playing field” would not be level.

“You want the athletes to trust that the person next to them is not going to get any advantage,” Poiesz said.

Poiesz began his career as a starter at Bishop McDevitt High School in 1981. He ran track there when he was in high school and taught there before he came to teach at ’Stoga.

“I got started by showing up my first year of coaching and being handed a starter’s pistol and told I was going to be a starter because they needed somebody to do that,” Poiesz said.

Over the past 35 years, Poiesz dedicated himself to starting. He became a starter at the Penn Relays in 1993 and started for three National Championships.

“Once you’re a starter at the Penn Relays, other people get to know your name and see you doing the job and that leads to moving further up,” Poiesz said.

Another starter named Lou

Kicking butt in and out of class forms of martial arts use a system of colored belts to signify their level of skill. New students are given a white belt and progress through various colors of belts (depending on the style), eventually to a brown belt and finally a black belt. Junior Katie Fleischer, now a first-degree black belt in karate, remembers how she began as a child.

“I started when I was seven.

I wasn’t really good at any other sports. I tried soccer and it was terrible, and I tried basketball and it

Neil Goldenthal/The SPOKE

Self defense: Junior Katie Fleischer spars during karate class at the Upper Main Line YMCA. Fleischer is a first-degree black belt, and has been practicing martial arts since she was seven.

20 The Spoke

Courtesy Paul Poiesz

Get running: Math Department Chair Paul Poiesz starts off the race at a Conestoga meet. He looks forward to seeing many potential Olympians run this summer in the Olympic Trials.

Nicastro was also a key figure Poiesz’s experiences as a in Poiesz’s progression. Nicast- starter became significant when ro started in the 1984 and 1996 Poiesz decided to apply to be an Olympics and he helped Poiesz Olympic Trials starter. His appliby taking him under his wing and cation consisted of nothing more bringing him to college meets to than the track meets he started get experience at a higher level. at over the past four years. The “He saw me working at a cou- Selection Committee, which is ple meets and took an interest made up of the heads of USA in helping me advance,” Poiesz Track and Field and a few athsaid. letes, would decide his fate.

“I was hoping that I would be one of the six selected, but you can’t be sure because politics can certainly play into it as well,” Poiesz said.

The committee saw Poiesz as a strong applicant and he was selected to be an Olympic Trials starter. Poiesz will travel to Eugene, Ore. in June to participate in the Olympic Trials. He is looking forward to every bit of the experience, especially spending time with fellow starters.

“Spending time with other people that have the same passion and interest for that amount of time is pretty cool,” Poiesz said.

Poiesz plans to stick with his passion as a starter for a long time. Being a starter allows him to stay connected with the sport that he has loved since he was a kid.

“I really enjoy it. You could call it a hobby, but it’s more than that. I’ve become passionate and it gives me a chance to stay involved with track and field as I get older,” Poiesz said.

was terrible. And one day I was just looking through the YMCA catalog, and I was like ‘oh that looks cool,’ and my mom said I should try it. So I went to a session for six weeks and just stuck with it. It was the one sport that actually stuck,” Fleischer said.

Though it wasn’t initially his choice, Junior Jameswell Zhang also began as a child and came to love karate and earn his black belt.

“My parents kind of just threw me into a class one day, and I develNeil Goldenthal/The SPOKE oped an interest and I just stuck with Learning forms: A group of martial artists practice their forms in it,” Zhang said.

Karate students go to a dojo, unison at their dojo on Jan. 17. Martial arts have become a popuwhich is their practice space, and lar way for ’Stoga students to exercise their bodies and minds. wear a “gi,” which is an outfit with a sparring, which is actual fighting,” crazy stuff. Karate and Taekwondo white robe-like jacket and matching Fleischer said. “In the adult class, have forms, so you combine several pants. To advance, one must learn we do pretty much the same thing. different moves into one thing. It’s various forms, which are sequences We start with basics and stretching, kind of like a dance. And when you of motions. Fleischer broke down a and then we split up into groups and put it together and have an entire normal day at the dojo for her. do our forms, and then we usually form it’s really relaxing.”

“I teach the kids class, so we do do sparring, which is fighting with Martial arts stand out from constretches and warm ups for about no contact.” ventional sports because the goals 20 minutes, and then we split up Senior Melanie Dernoga, an ad- are very different. As opposed into groups based on belt levels and vanced brown belt student of both to teams trying to win a game or we teach them their forms, which Taekwondo and Jujitsu, explained match, martial arts are a never-endare the moves that you memorize. the difference between a few of the ing progression of oneself.

And then we do one-steps, which different forms of martial arts.

“You can keep going and always is basically like self-defense, but “They all have different styles; learn new things,” Fleischer said. “It it’s memorized so it’s very script- Jujitsu is more self defense orient- is a real combination of the mind ed. The kids don’t really get to do ed with pressure points and all that and body.”

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Sports

’Stoga alumnus goes live on Lax Sports Network people excited about the sport by covering lacrosse at all levels: high school, college and professional. According to the network’s 2007 Conestoga alumnus Travis website, Lax Sports delivers Eldridge went from anchoring on “thousands of hours of original Good Morning ’Stoga and editing programming development, inThe Spoke’s sports section, to an- cluding live professional, collechoring for the brand new all-digi- giate and amateur games; news tal Lax Sports Network. and information; developmental Eldridge studied broadcast videos and customized content.” journalism at Syracuse University There is a show dedicated to high and, right out of college, landed at school recruitment, in addition to Fox 40 in Binghamton, N.Y. as a many skill development shows, weekend sports anchor. He then led including “Face Off Academy,” a the sports network at the number program that teaches face off techone sports station in Binghamton, niques.

WBNG, for three years. Last year, Eldridge anchors “Lacrosse while Eldridge was negotiating his Now,” a nightly hour-long news contract, the upstarting Lax Sports and highlights show. This new Network found his video resume broadcast format marked a shift online and offered him an opportu- for Eldridge, who at his last two nity to try something different from broadcasting jobs would anchor the traditional local newscast. for just three minutes at 6 p.m.

“You don’t get very many op- and four minutes at 11 p.m. In that portunities to really break outside local news format, nearly everythe box, and I thought this was a thing was scripted and already in rare opportunity for me to break out the teleprompter. of the normal local news box and “In this format, especially on get into something that is digitally Saturday nights when there are a on the cutting edge,” Eldridge said. lot of shows going on, you don’t The Lax Sports Network know what’s coming at you. This 2015_HS_Newspapers (10.312 5.843).2_Layout 1 8/11/15 4:32 PM about Page 1 launched on Jan. 5 with the xgoal past Saturday for instance, of growing the game and getting 60 percent of the show wasn’t in

Caleigh Sturgeon Co-Sports Editor

Courtesy Travis Eldridge

On air: 2007 Conestoga alumnus Travis Eldridge began his job as a sports anchor for the Lax Sports Network on Jan. 5, when the station launched. He anchors an hour-long highlights and news show called Lax Nation each night for the 24-hour network. the teleprompter,” Eldridge said. changes to the show.

Eldridge writes his own script, “Everything is very much on the with some help from producers and fly and changing so it’s been a chalproduction assistants. But even so, lenge for me,” Eldridge said. “But he has to think on his feet if the it’s nice to be challenged again bestation is receiving updates on a cause I feel like I haven’t had that game or decides to make real- time type of challenge in a while.”

Ashley Greenberg Staff Reporter

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In the weeks before the network launched, Eldridge worked with staff planning the content to fill 24 hours of lacrosse coverage a day. He had to research the hottest teams and best players, narrow down the focus of “Lacrosse Now” and plan the show’s graphics, set and content.

“The team we have is a lot of young people who are all kind of at the same point in their careers.

We’ve all worked in the industry before but for most of us this is a new adventure,” Eldridge said. “So I think the most (enjoyable) part about it is that we’re all in this together because we’ve been working our tails off for the last month to put this network together.”

Now, Eldridge looks towards the capabilities of the network to make an impact in the lacrosse community. But before looking to the future, Eldridge reflected on the capabilities ’Stoga gave him to realize this career.

“If it wasn’t for my experience back at ’Stoga I probably wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today,” Eldridge said. “The teachers I had and my parents encouraging me to try this out were invaluable to me becoming a sports journalist.”

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The Spoke 21

Sports

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Pushing a rivalry off the block Avery Maslowsky Staff Reporter Design by Adam Lockett Conestoga and Radnor are known rivals. Whether it’s on the field, on the court or in the pool, the stakes are always high. But on Dec. 28, 2015, Conestoga and Radnor went head to head, not just for sake of competition, but to raise money for a cancer organization.

The swim event wasn’t any regular meet; it was a combination of swimming and raising money for the organization Cure4Cam. Cure4Cam is a foundation that raises money for childhood cancer research and treatment, in memory of Cameron Evans, a former student at Downingtown High School. Evans was an UMLY swimmer for most of his life who was diagnosed with cancer in late 2011 and died a few months later. Before he became terminally ill, he made relationships with his swim team friends and left his legacy in the pool and in the minds of those around him.

In honor of Cameron, Conestoga and Radnor went head to head to raise money for childhood diseases and sicknesses.

If Evans was still alive, “he would really like how the swim event was all about helping charity and having fun, two things he really cared

about,” senior Kevin Jay said.

Planning for the Cure4Cam event started as early as May 29, 2012, the day Cameron died. Some of his friends who were on the ’Stoga swim team or would be in the future began this planning. Just about three years later, the idea of the collaboration with the organization and team was presented to the swim coaches, Mark Tirone and Robert Kirkby. The idea was accepted instantly, and the preparation work began. Because Evans was friends with UMLY members who attended Radnor, getting their team to be part of the event was easy and beneficial for both schools.

“My favorite part of the event was having ’Stoga come together as one for the event for a cause that just means so much to me and other swimmers on the team,” senior Emily Booz said.

Conestoga took lanes 1, 3 and 5 while Radnor took 2, 4 and 6 on the day of the meet. The event started off with an introduction of Evans and his story and, with him in mind, the races began. Numerous relays of regular and fun events were set up. Swimmers could participate in backstroke, butterfly, freestyle, doggie paddle, cork screws, sculling and even more. At the end of the night, the last of the collected money was counted and the final check was given to Cure4Cam.

The fans and supporters were able to donate money in exchange for prizes and merchandise provided by the organization. A $50 donation was rewarded with a hard plastic water bottle and a $100 donation was rewarded with a bottle and a T-shirt. Coins were exchangeable for the signature Cure4Cam swim cap. At the end of the night, Conestoga and Radnor raised a grand total of $2,942.83 for the organizations.

“In all honesty, (my favorite part of the event) was presenting the big check, because it was just so cool to see and know that we gave like $3000,” junior Brian McKenrick said.

This isn’t the end for the collaboration of Cure4Cam and Conestoga. Junior Anna Mack is in the process of creating Conestoga’s own Cure4Cam club, which will lead the legacy of Evans and his life throughout Conestoga. Booz, McKenrick and Jay promise to make sure the Cure4Cam event will continue for years to come.

“The main reason I really wanted to start (the club) was because I wanted Cameron’s name and legacy to be seen even when (his old friends) are not at ’Stoga. I want the younger grades to know what an impact he had,” Mack said.

Celebrating the cause: The Conestoga and Radnor swimming teams pose together in celebration of the sucessful fundraising.

Check it: Student coordinators of Cure4Cam, senior Emily Booz and junior Brian McKenrick, present the charity its check.

All smiles: Captains, seniors Linda Ashmead and Emily Booz, pose for a quick shot during warm up before the relays began.

Both Ashmead and Booz participated in every relay of the night.

Photos courtesy Theresa Booz

6 ft

10 ft

22 The Spoke

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Sports

Ellie Mack on track to D1 ball Matt Paolizzi Co-Sports Editor

ter struck. Ellie tore her ACL and had to endure a long nine month recovery process that cost her the entirety of her junior season. Ellie In life, it is common for one to was heartbroken. hit roadblocks: obstacles on the “It was really devastating to path to dreams. It takes a special go through that. And basketball is type of person to make their way just such a huge part of my life. through the tough times to keep Having that taken away was realdoing what they love to do. Senior ly hard for me,” Ellie said. “But girls basketball player Ellie Mack it made me a lot mentally tougher is one of those people. just going through that experience Ellie has played basketball her and having to come out the other entire life, ever since the fourth side.” grade. Her father, Randy Mack, Those months were tough for played in high school and made the Macks. Ellie’s mother, Janice the University of Nebraska bas- Mack, found it hard to watch her ketball team as a walk-on. He had daughter go through it all. a large role in mentoring her at an “It was very difficult to see early age. her go through the surgery and “We are a basketball family post-op recovery. There was a so it was easy for Ellie to pick up lot of pain and it took a couple of the ball. She and I began playing months to get past it. After that, on the driveway or in the base- we tried to focus on the positives ment when the weather was bad. and took it one day at a time,” She got started playing organized Janice Mack said. basketball in third grade and ever The injury took away a lot of since then she has played on a her strength, but Ellie used her recouple of teams each year,” Ran- covery time to work on her game, dy Mack said. especially her ball-handling and Ellie started out with Paoli foul-shooting. She had physical Wildcats and her profile has grown therapy three times a week and since then. She was an honorable began lifting weights four months mention to the All-Main Line into her recovery. Mack started team her freshman year. Her soph- seeing a shooting coach a couomore season seemed to be her ple times a week to make sure breakout one though, as she was her core skills did not get dulled. named All-Main Line as well as ’Stoga practices were not out of being included on the All-Central the question, as Mack would parLeague First team. She even com- ticipate in foul shooting and other mitted to Bucknell University, less strenuous drills. earning a full ride scholarship in Chris Jeffries, the new head her sophomore year. But the sum- coach of the Conestoga girls’ basmer before her junior year, disas- ketball team, was impressed by Ellie’s dedication and passion in overcoming her injury.

“The girls are all really good about rallying around an injured player. Being injured is an emotional rollercoaster as well as a physical problem. Ellie came to every practice, knowing she would never play in a game last Neil Goldenthal/The SPOKE year. Being Looking up: Ellie Mack bypasses two defenders to around the make a basket in the girls’ game against Haverford on team was Feb. 4. Mack contributed 24 points to the 53-34 victory. good for her,”

Meagan O’Rourke/The SPOKE

Happy to be back: Senior Ellie Mack poses before girls basketball’s game against Garnet Valley. Mack dropped 19 on the Jaguars, but the Pioneers lost a close battle 50-56.

“As a captain she helps us stay focused, she is consistently reminding the team of the potential we have this year together which helps us with energy in practice and in games,” Mascioli said.

Ellie considers the team a family and appreciates all the support she got from everyone around her.

“We’re all very close. Most of us have been playing together for a large part of our lives so we all know each other very well,” Ellie said. “I got a lot of support. Especially from former teammates and present teammates. They texted me, got me gift baskets and stuff.

The support was just overwhelming.”

While her journey to recovery was rough, Ellie is showing herself to be a much improved player. Currently averaging a double-double with a stat sheet of 18 points per game and 12 rebounds along with being recently named a Main Line Girls Athlete of the Week and having a Philly. com piece written about her, Ellie has proven that the injury was just a passing fancy. The game that earned her the Athlete of the Week nod saw her go 14-14 from the free throw line, something that can be attributed to her long days in the gym shooting foul shots.

Jeffries said. outgoing. I mean, I’m really comAaron Roussell is the head fortable with all the girls on the coach for the Bucknell girls’ team and stuff but (I) just (lead) basketball team. He was bent on by example and bring intensity to signing Ellie before other colleges practice and games,” Ellie said. could and approached her while Ellie’s teammates rallied she was still in treatment. around her during her recovery “I actually wanted to make it and consider her a large part of a point to offer the scholarship while she was still recovering because I wanted her to understand how much I believed in her,” Roussell said.

Roussell also came away very impressed with Mack’s composure and maturity.

“She has a maturity that isn't always seen in every recruit I talk to. She handled herself very well in each phone call and visit and carried a conversation very well.

I also loved that she took the initiative in much of her recruiting instead of hiding behind coaches or her parents,” Roussell said.

Leadership is a quality that has been associated with Ellie. JefCaleigh Sturgeon/The SPOKE fries considers her a crucial voice Sharing the wealth: Ellie Mack looks to pass the ball in the Pioin the locker room.

“She is, without a doubt, a neers’ matchup versus Garnet Valley on Jan. 29. The girls lost 50-56.

Roussell, her future coach at leader on our team. As a senior what makes the team tick. Junior and voted captain she has a lot of Sarah Mascioli was upset last Bucknell has a good feeling about responsibility on her shoulders, year when she heard about Ellie’s Ellie. He seems to see Ellie as not only an excellent basketball playand she has been fantastic. Most injury.

“Ellie's injury was very upset- er, but as an incredible person as people that know her would say that she is a bit quiet. But in a ting to everyone but we tried to well.

“She is incredibly driven; I locker room and on the floor she keep a positive outlook and keepis very vocal. She also sets a great ing the focus on when she would think everyone saw that in how example for others to follow,” Jef- be coming back, to help her. We she was able to come back from put together a little (gift) basket her injury. She used that adversity fries said.

Ellie describes her own style of and visited after surgery,” Masc- to go to work and make herself a ioli said. better player than she was pre-inleadership very similarly.

Mascioli praises Ellie’s leader- jury — as well as a stronger per“I’m more of a person who son,” Roussell said. leads by example; I’m not very ship qualities.

The Spoke 23

Sports

Tuesday, Febuary 9, 2016

They have the floor again; popular elective returns Elizabeth Billman Staff Reporter Course selection is just around the corner and in addition to having a team sport or extended experience as physical education credit opportunities, students will have the choice of a floor hockey elective. This course, similar to a regular gym class, will be two days out of the six day cycle but will differ greatly in the content of the course.

Physical education teachers Mike Cangi and John Jones plan to run the class as it was run more than five years ago when the elective last existed. The course will consist of a series of hockey games with pick-your-own teams every two cycle days throughout a semester. Toward the end of the semester, playoffs and championships will be played to determine the top team, but all of these games are simply for fun. Jones is extremely excited to bring this elective back to the physical education department after it was taken away five years ago due to district-wide budget cuts.

“We’re thrilled — extremely excited. We were crushed when it was taken away. When something

like that happens you don’t know if you’ll ever get it back,” Jones said.

No current student at Conestoga has participated in this elective but Jones explains that when it was available, the students couldn’t wait to get down to the gym and play.

“I considered it a part of the fiber of the school. The students signed up for it and it was so popular, it was one of the more popular electives that we had in the building,” Jones said.

Cangi, though not a teacher of the previous course, could observe the genuine happiness and desire to participate in the hockey elective.

“There was never any concern about students’ preparation or students trying to beg out of class for whatever reason. They wanted to be here. You didn’t have to ask them to get dressed and come out here; they hustled in and got dressed,” Cangi said.

In addition to teachers, students are also looking forward to this renewed elective. Junior Collin Speicher is interested in the floor hockey elective.

“I think that there are enough people that enjoy the idea a lot and

Elizabeth Billman/The SPOKE

Ready to go again: Physical education teachers Mike Cangi, John Jones and Mark Tirone pose with floor hockey equipment. All three are excited for floor hockey’s return and look forward to teaching the class. it’s very creative. It includes team- hockey elective’s popularity, when of 2004, took the floor hockey work and visions and I think it re- students would take the course mul- elective multiple time while he ally helps with those key skills and tiple times. Hyatt himself even took was in high school. Since the elechand-eye coordination,” Speicher the elective a couple of times with tive was very popular when he said.

Jones as his instructor. was in school, he hopes the next According to Speicher, the only “It’s definitely the best course wave of students will enjoy it as con for this elective is that he thinks Conestoga has ever had, just be- much as he will. students will see the course as tak- ing able to get away from the con“I can only imagine that they ing away free periods or other time ventional gym class. I think it was are going to love it. Mr. Jones has in school, but he thinks that the definitely one of the students’ favor- a passion for the class, he really course will be successful overall. ites,” Hyatt said. loved the class and he made it fun Junior Sarah Brock plays on the Hyatt was also an ice hockey for all of us. I can only imagine Conestoga ice hockey team, so she player at Conestoga, like Brock, that he will do the same for everyis already a fan of the sport. Brock is and was extremely disappointed body else,” Moeller said. interested in taking the elective next when the elective was taken away Since finding out about the year instead of a physical education due to budget cuts. news of the course’s return, Hyatt class because it sounds more excit“It was definitely heartbreaking is happy and excited for current ing than the classic gym class. to hear that, especially because I students to experience what the “Yeah absolutely I think it is stayed in touch with Mr. Jones after fiber of the school was in 2006. definitely better than paddle ten- graduating and I know he was dev“I’m ecstatic about it. I ran nis,” Brock said. astated by it too. I know especially into Mr. Jones maybe mid-OctoRoss Hyatt, son of teacher the guys I play hockey with — they ber and we were just joking about Cynthia Hyatt, is a 2006 alum- were quite angry about it,” Hyatt starting a petition to get it back nus of Conestoga. Hyatt attended said. and to hear that it is back is aweConestoga at the height of the floor Paul Moeller, a Conestoga grad some,” Hyatt said.

“It’s a gym course so it would involve working out in school, changing into gym uniforms and not having a free period.”

- Lagann Nagi “I think floor hockey will be a fun elective and it will be a popular class. I just haven’t decided if I want to take it yet.”

- Abby Branov “My brothers would always talk about floor hockey, so I’m glad it’s back. I really don’t care if I come to the following class awkwardly sweaty.” - Will Marshall “Personally, after completely dominating my phys ed. floor hockey unit, I am ecstatic for this course to return.”

- Scott Lambert

24 The Spoke

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

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The Spoke 25

Sports

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

All Chips aside...

The Eagles released head coach Chip Kelly on Tuesday, Dec. 29 after just three seasons with the team. Co-Sports Editors Caleigh Sturgeon and Matt Paolizi answer the question running through Eagles fans minds: did Kelly deserve to be fired?

Caleigh Prior to the 2015 season Chip Kelly quoted Phil Jackson, saying that if you want to be liked, don’t get into coaching. Kelly succeeded: it’s clear to see that Philly lost faith in him. And with good reason.

It’s difficult, sometimes even treacherous, for any coach to move from the NCAA to the NFL, but Kelly took this treachery to a new level with his offseason woes.

Let’s begin with his affinity for Oregon Ducks.

The man traded away LeSean McCoy for a quite underproductive Kiko Alonso, who consistently lost track of his coverage and altogether missed tackles. Alonso allowed for a seemingly uncountable number of unearned yards despite his 30 tackles this season. There also might be a problem that the eight other Ducks on the Eagles roster have done nearly nothing notable.

And let’s not forget about the Mar-

iota mayhem of last spring…

But besides getting blindsided by his disposition for Oregon players, Kelly set up an offensive system that would leave him blindsided all season. He underestimated the importance of the wide receiver position, refusing to re-sign Jeremy Maclin and expecting too much from Nelson Agholor in his rookie season. And of course if we’re going to talk about Kelly expecting too much out of a player, we have to talk about DeMarco Murray.

Murray’s mere seven touchdowns and 702 rushing yards weren’t solely Murray’s lack of performance. Kelly signed Murray into an offense that did not and was not going to work with his skill set.

This unique offense also didn’t cater to Kelly’s other prized trade, Sam Bradford, a natural pocket passer, yet not the scrambler the Eagle’s offense needed. So Kelly failed in his general manager duties, but did he fail as a coach?

Kelly simply couldn’t motivate the Eagles. He yelled at his team before their matchup versus New England — the Eagles’ most successful effort of the season (they won 35-28). Two losses later, in his postgame press conference, when

asked why he wouldn’t fire up his team again, Kelly answered that they needn’t be yelled at, professing, “They’re grown men. They know exactly what’s going on.”

I’m not sure if the Eagles’ players knew exactly what was going on, but Kelly definitely did not.

And, thankfully, now chairman Jeffrey Lurie has made the right decision in letting Kelly bring his unique talents elsewhere.

Matt Firing Chip Kelly was a mistake. I will admit that giving Kelly reins as the practical general manager (GM) of the Philadelphia Eagles was a massive blunder on owner Jeffery Lurie’s part. But when you consider his successes, especially his first two seasons, it’s baffling as to why the decision was made. The Eagles finished in the top 10 in almost all offensive categories.

They did finish among the bottom in offensive possession, but with Kelly’s speedy offense that should be expected. The record the Eagles had at the end of both seasons, 10-6, is by no means a mediocre record.

So why did last season go so wrong? Giving Kelly the title of both head coach and head of foot-

ball operations was where it all went wrong. The normally patient Lurie canned Kelly instead of working with him. If you need any proof for Lurie’s patience, recall former head coach Andy Reid’s 14-year Super Bowl-less tenure in Philly.

Kelly brought in great players but could not utilize them to their full potential. Signing DeMarco Murray and Sam Bradford addressed two legitimate position issues on the team.

Kenjon Barner, who played under Kelly at Oregon, was a huge fan of him.

He tells a story in a Philly.com article about how Kelly helped him grow as a person in college: calling up his professors to make sure he was in class, waiting outside said classes to make sure he actually went. Barner cites Kelly as a huge reason as to why he succeeded at Oregon academically.

“I met Chip when I was 18.

He’s been the same guy since then. He hasn’t changed. He doesn’t deal with guys any differently now than he did then,” Barner said. It is quite obvious

Liz Lawton/The SPOKE

what went wrong with the Chip Kelly regime in Philadelphia.

Kelly the GM failed Kelly the coach. To say that Kelly did not have the potential to be one of the best coaches in the NFL is ridiculous. One only has to look at those outstanding offensive numbers from his first two years. The Eagles have wasted their chance at the Kelly lottery. The fact that he didn’t have to wait long for his new job as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers shows how respected he is around the league.

Why the NCAA is better than the NBA

Kyle Kennedy Staff Reporter As I walked into the stadium, I was hit with a wall of noise. I had just entered Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke University, where cheering volume has been recorded at up to 121.3 decibels, and the notorious Cameron Crazies, inventors of the “air ball” chant, were living up to their name. Duke was taking on Florida Southern (I hadn’t heard of them either, don’t worry) and it was an exhibition match (it actually looked more like a massacre, the final score being 112-68 for the Blue Devils). Even with the unimportance of this game, the crowd intensity was still incredibly high and their cheers were still deafening. The Cameron Crazies make the Pioneer Pit sound like a very small mouse whispering to an ant. I have never seen anything

26 The Spoke

Liz Lawton/The SPOKE

quite like that level of cheering — and that was at an exhibition game.

The reason that this environment was so energetic is that the NCAA format of basketball is the most efficient, economic and attractive way to present the spectacle of incredibly gifted athletes playing the game they love to the fans who love to watch it. The NCAA format of basketball compares favorably to its NBA equivalent by gaining greater fan loyalty, reducing the number of distractions from the actual game and having a more inclusive playoff structure.

To be blunt, college fans just care

more. The average NCAA fan is a student at the university whose team he supports, which obviously helps to foster loyalty and spirit, but that is not the only explanation for NCAA fans’ greater team loyalty. Almost all NCAA basketball players stay with one team for their entire college basketball career, as opposed to the average NBA player, who is traded several times throughout his career.

Also, the large number of extreme rivalries in college basketball (DukeUNC, for instance) leads to greater fan loyalty. The NBA could improve their fan loyalty and fan intensity level in two ways. First, they could run

more advertisements in their cities to foster loyal emotions and advertise games with rivals. Second, they could prolong player contracts and reduce the number of trades within the league. Although this seems like it would not help and make the game more boring, it would actually allow low-budget teams a greater opportunity to succeed, increase fan loyalty and increase teamwork within the teams, due to playing with the same team for longer periods of time.

Another change the NBA should make to make their games more entertaining is, surprisingly, to reduce the amount of entertainment. Most modern NBA games contain a ridiculous amount of these “side-shows,” such as break dancing groups, toddler layup contests and even trampoline squads. (Yes, I know trampoline squads sound amazing and you think I’m completely wrong because what could possibly be wrong with a trampoline squad, but hear me out.)

These extra entertainment items, which were added in order to stretch out television ad time, distract in-stadium viewers from the game, and the excessive ads they cause make television users change the channel.

Ever heard of March Madness?

Of course you have. The NCAA

Division I men’s basketball playoffs have the most ubiquitous name of any poly-team sports event in the world, except maybe the Olympics.

Also, the massive number of teams, and therefore games, means that the NCAA makes huge amounts of money on the television rights for the games. Even though the NBA only has 30 teams, and would not be able to create a playoff system quite as inclusive, making a 16 or 24 team bracket, rather than the eight team bracket they have now, would cause fans to be more involved in their teams (now playoff-bound) and would cause profit through television sales for the league.

If the NBA can implement some of these changes, and make an effort to encourage fan loyalty and enthusiasm, the league will be changed for the better. Although shorter ad length would initially cause revenue losses, the increased fan loyalty would increase ratings, and a reformed playoff structure would allow more television rights to be sold, which would more than make up for the lost revenue. The NBA needs to look to its collegiate counterpart if it wants to stay relevant as a basketball league, and not decompose into a fake, gaudy joke of what used to be a sport.

Sports

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

SportsLine: as one reaches the peak, the other climbs

Andy Backstrom Co-Editor-in-Chief In sports, at all levels, timing is critical; no team is exempt from this principle.

Winning is built over time. When a force of dominance ends, another must begin to grow. The same is true for high school sports, and, in Conestoga’s case, for squash.

Boys: After losing only one varsity senior last year, the boys’ squash team acknowledged that they had the chance to do something special this season.

“We knew going into the season

that we were arguably the best squash team Conestoga has ever had. After rebuilding our team for the most part of my sophomore and junior year seasons, we knew that it would all come together for this year,” senior Arun Balaji said.

With experience at hand, captains Alex Lee and Tommy Brennan, both seniors, understood the magnitude of the situation. They held captains’ practices in the offseason, in which players hit together and worked to improve their stamina for the upcoming season.

So far, they have lived up to expectations. On Jan. 28, the team defeated Haverford 7-2 — a milestone, as ’Stoga had never emerged victo-

Andy Backstrom/The SPOKE

Awaiting the moment: Senior captains Alex Lee and Tommy Brennan anticipate the U.S. High School Team Squash Championships on Feb. 12-14. The boys have achieved several milestones this year, including defeating Haverford for the first time in program history.

Peter Jean ’16

rious versus Haverford in a varsity contest.

Despite the team’s performance and lofty goals, they retain their focus and try not to get ahead of themselves .

“Everyone on our team keeps their goals and expectations high, but nobody loses their humility: after losses, nobody points fingers at other guys.

Everyone just takes responsibility for themselves. We win and lose as a team and nobody is ever singled out, which I think is a direct result of our close friendship and respect for each other,” Brennan said.

The boys are prepared to make their mark in Conestoga squash history when they compete in the U.S. High School Team Squash Championships on Feb. 12-14 in Philadelphia, Pa. Brennan says that the team looks to finish in the top 20 in the nation and earn honors as the country’s best public high school squash team.

Girls: Unlike the boys’ team, the girls lost a majority of their previous season’s varsity lineup. However, senior Julia Bevan sees this course of events as something positive.

“I think the loss of so many seniors actually gave the team a fresh start.

We all love the girls that left, but, with a new team this year, there’s a real chance for everyone to bond together rather than a few new people working to fit in with an already formed team,” Bevan said.

Andy Backstrom/The SPOKE

Grooming the future: Senior captains (from left to right) Julia Herman, Julia Hess and Julia Bevan provide leadership for the underclassmen-heavy team. The Pioneers have turned a roster turnover into an opportunity to shape the program for coming years.

Due to the roster turnover and the abundance of underclassman who joined the team this year, the JV and varsity teams have blended together.

Like the boys, Conestoga’s girls participated in the Poly Prep Interscholastic Invitational and the MASA tournament. They will travel with the boys to the U.S. High School Team Squash Championships to cap off the season.

The Pioneers are starting their climb back to success. And most importantly, they have accomplished their goal.

“We’ve focused a lot on making sure that everyone gains strong fundamental skills and creates a foundation to build on throughout their time in the

COMMITMENT CORNER

program. I’d say that as a team we’ve met that goal. Everyone, especially the newer players, have come so far since the beginning of November,” Bevan said.

As the newcomers improve, respect is earned.

“I think our team right now does a fantastic job of focusing and really giving their best effort at every single practice and match. I have never seen so many players learn and improve as quickly as our team has this year, and I am extremely proud to call them my teammates,” junior Amelia Quazi said.

In a few years, the girls’ team could very well reach the peak where their counterpart, the boys’ team, stands.

Hannah Ashton ’16

School: Ursinus College Grade: 12 Sport: Football Position: Outside Linebacker

School: Rollins College Grade: 12 Sport: Lacrosse Position: Attack

Why Ursinus?

“I like the coach, I like the campus.

It has a good football program and a good position I can play there.

It’s a good school and I had a really good feeling as soon as I got there.”

Why Rollins?

“I fell in love with the beautiful campus and the town of Winter Park, Fla. I love the coaches’ philosophy of making the team work really hard, but also having a lot of fun. Rollins also offers me several great programs that I’m interested in studying.”

What ’Stoga Football taught him: “It taught me a lot. It taught me a lot about responsibility, about brotherhood, and taking things seriously.”

Favorite ’Stoga Football Memory: “During my junior year, beating Marple Newtown at Marple Newtown.”

What ’Stoga Lacrosse taught her: “How to play as a team and work as one until to reach a common goal.”

Favorite ‘Stoga Lacrosse Memory: “Beating Radnor in the semifinals of states to advance to the State Championship game in Hershey last year.”

The Spoke 27

INSIDE: INSIDE: Olympic PoieszTrack to theCoach Trialsp. p.20 20 BoysCure4Cam Ice Hockeyp.p.2224

December 22, 2015 Tuesday, Febuary 9, 2016

Driving ahead Girls basketball is off to a 4-1 start. The team has only lost to Garnet Valley, a team two years undefeated in the Central League.

Following through Conestoga boys basketball heads into playoffs ranking third in the Central League, only trailing Strath Haven and Ridley.

Caleigh Sturgeon/The SPOKE Andy Backstrom/The SPOKE

Senior Sondra Dickey drives the ball inside in girls’ basketball game against Ridley High School on Dec. 15. Dickey scored four points to contribute Senior Darryl Caldwell launches a jump shot against Lower and Merion Jan. 29. each Twoscoring weeks five, earlier, Caldwell to the 52-33 win, with junior Sarah Mascioli, sophomore Maria Koblish senioronEllie Mack 13 andon23Jan. points12, respectively. became just the fifth boys basketball player at ’Stoga to reach 1,000 career points in the Pioneers’ victory over Marple Newtown.