The Spoke January Issue 2020/2021

Format of high school transcript changes

Carmen Mendez: movie makeup aficionado

Page 2 Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA

Volume 71 No. 3

January 25, 2021

A family legacy: ’Stoga parent coaches daughter through high jump journey

Page 4

Page 10

spoke.news

A rocky start to 2021

Biden inaugurated following months of political turmoil

Val Pucci/The SPOKE

Scenes at the capitol: Pro-Trump rioters scale the Capitol walls flying Trump, Gadsden and American flags. The rioters were riled on by Trump’s unfounded claims about voter fraud which were made in the hopes of overturnung the election. 5 people died as a result of the events and dozens more were injured.

By Ananya Kulkarni, Zakiyah Gaziuddin and Reese Wang Co-Editor-inChief, News Editor and Co-Managing Editor

“We have learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed,” President Joe Biden said during his Jan. 20 inaugural address, which marked the

peaceful transition of power following the proTrump riots at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and months of political turmoil.

While Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman and person of color to take

that seat, were both successfully sworn in on Jan. 20, the potentially-tumultuous transition of power marked by the historic absence of former President Donald Trump came just days after pro-Trump ri-

oters broke into the U.S. Capitol Building the afternoon of Jan. 6. The attack followed Trump’s encouragement of his supporters and the Republican party to “fight” on his behalf in response to allegations of wide-

spread voter fraud. As of Jan. 25, no such fraud has been found.

The morning after the pro-Trump riots at the Capitol, math teacher Kimberly McPhillips attended a voluntary, impromptu staff meet-

ing called by principal Amy Meisinger. There, the staff discussed their own opinions as well as how to approach discussions with students, like making participation optional based on students’ comfort level.

Continued on page 3.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel: We finally have a vaccine Ben Shapiro

Staff Reporter Ten months, 318 days, 96 million cases, 2.1 million deaths.

After one of the arguably most insane years to date, the world finally received a vaccine for COVID-19.

The Main Line Health system (MLH), made up of Paoli, Lankenau, Bryn Mawr and Riddle Hospitals, is administering both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Both being two-part vaccines, the second doses are 21 and 28 days after the first, respectively. The distribution of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine began on Dec. 18 while the Moderna vaccine was put to use on Dec. 26. Lankenau Hospital is currently the sole provider of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in MLH, as it is the only hospital with the freezing capacities to store the vaccine in the -100°F temperatures needed.

Since both are still in the testing process for youth, only people ages 16 and up can receive the vaccine as of now.

“Main Line Health has exceeded my expectations in terms of being able to make

(the vaccine) available for us,” said Summer Paolone, Nurse Practitioner at Paoli Hospital.

“It has rolled out much quicker than I expected.”

As the vaccine is still in the early stages of its administration, the only people to receive it right now are those in the CDC’s Phase 1A: healthcare personnel, residents of long-term care facilities, all individuals over the age of 65 and high-risk individuals aged 16-64. Within its system, MLH broke this down into five categories, receiving the vaccine chronologically: hospital staff who have significant risk of exposure to COVID-19-unknown patients; staff who work with COVID-19-positive patients; other patient-facing staff; in-hospital, non-patient-facing staff; and work-from-home staff.

As a Patient Access Coordinator in Admissions, Angela McCollum is one of the first people to be exposed to incoming patients who have not yet received a COVID-test and is therefore at high-risk.

“I’m just happy that I was one of those people that got the vaccine first. I expected it because I work in the ER and encounter patients in their rooms, but it was a great opportunity for me

Photo Courtesy Summer Paolone

Hope at long last: Summer Paolone, CRNP receiving the COVID-19 vaccine at Lankenau Hospital while simultaneously breastfeeding her 5-month-old. She was pregnant with her daughter during the begining of the pandemic and was with her while being vaccinated. to at least get it,” McCollum said.

Along with McCollum, Paolone was one of the first to be offered the opportunity to receive the vaccine. Identified by MLH as a category two employ-

ee, Paolone’s experience getting the vaccine was very different from others’.

Paolone had planned on leaving her three kids in the car with her husband while receiving the

vaccine. However, the needs of her youngest daughter, who is still breastfed, got in the way.

“It wasn’t planned, but I ended up having to take my 5-month-old in with me; I was

actually actively nursing her while receiving the injection,” Paolone recalls. “A big part of me receiving the vaccine is protecting my family since I have little children at home. It was a milestone for me to be able to share that with my daughter after being pregnant with her throughout the spring.”

Like Paolone, many healthcare professionals are not only getting the vaccine to protect themselves but to protect those around them, especially family. While the vaccine is not yet available for the general public, doctors are reminding people that when it is, getting it is the socially responsible thing to do.

Dr. Jonathan Stallkamp, the Interim Chief Medical Officer for MLH, reflected on how quickly the hospitals are giving out the vaccine as people are becoming increasingly open to receiving it.

“It will be a push to get everyone (in the general public) vaccinated as quickly as possible and offer (the vaccine) to as many people and as many different groups as possible, especially those who are in our African American groups. We want to help them understand how important the vaccine is and how the disease has actually

affected people of color more,” Stallkamp said.

The community is still in the early stages of administering the vaccine, and according to Stallkamp, it may take months, even into the summer, until everyone is vaccinated. Frontline essential workers, those in the CDC’s Phase 1b, are the next group to receive the vaccine.

Teachers and school staff are in this next group, and while it is still unknown when they will begin to receive the vaccine, it is a promising sign for doctors, scientists and the public as a whole.

Acknowledging the stress everyone is facing right now, Stallkamp is appreciative to those who have put themselves out there to help others.

“Our staff has been amazing and have done an amazing job caring for all the residents of our community. They’ve done a great job trying to protect themselves while treating others,” Stallkamp said. “We thank the community for wearing their masks all the time and being socially distanced. We know it’s tough, but we will all get through it and then eventually get closer to normal as things move forward (this) year.”

News

2

A BRIEF LOOK THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN T/E NEWS

tesd families given time frame to switch learning model selection

Families who chose to switch their students’ instructional formats began heading back to school or staying home today. The new selections are set to carry students through the last day of school before spring break, March 26. The district released a detailed infographic outlining how families should go about choosing their learning selection. Families who chose to switch to one of the other models were instructed to log in to PowerSchool and make their selection. district approves preliminary budget showing a $9.3 million deficit and also calling for a 3% raise in taxes

On Jan. 4, the Board of Directors approved a resolution confirming a 3% or less increase in taxes for the district’s 2021-2022 budget. As a result of this, the district does not plan to apply for referendum exceptions to the Act 1 index and will not be following an expedited timeline for the 2021-2020 year. The budget presented at the board meeting also demonstrated a deficit of $9.3 million.

The board said they plan to work towards closing the gap by increasing property tax rates and reducing expenditures. The board also plans to continue conferring and deliberating on the budget until it’s final approval in June.

Monday, January 25, 2021

Snow days replaced with flexible instruction for the school year Trey Phillips and Shreya Vaidhyanathan Staff Reporters

Any other year, Conestoga students would have had a snow day on Dec. 17 because of the three inches of snow that blanketed the area. Despite the weather, virtual school continued with the hybrid model resuming the following day. This allowed teachers to continue with their lessons which would have been put on hold last year.

Flexible Instructional Days (FIDs) have replaced snow days in the district, enabling school on emergency closing days for at least the next three years.

School districts have been able to apply for FIDs since August 2019, and upon receiving approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, TESD secured the FID option for the next three years.

Wendy Towle, Director of Curriculum, presented the option to the school board and expanded on why FIDs were explored this year.

“In March, we had to shut down and begin our virtual instruction. As part of that, the state offered more guidance about what flexible instructional days could be, and opened the window again for

more districts to apply,” Towle said. “We felt like flexible instructional days would be something that we’d like to talk to the school board about applying for, so we put together an application for the school.”

At the time FIDs were unanimously approved by the

board, however the opinions of students, parents and teachers were less consolidated.

Michael Palmatier, a social studies teacher at Conestoga, speaks about why he went from being against FIDs last year to preferring them now.

“In May, I was like ‘Listen,

let’s let snow days be snow days.’ But that was because I thought that teaching from home would be way more difficult than it proved to be. And since I’ve had a better experience teaching from home— including today where my daughter is down the hall—I’m

Trey Phillps/The SPOKE

No days off: Snow exceedes three inches in many parts of Pennsylvania like Chesterbrook Shopping Center from Dec. 16 - 17. A snow day, however, did not follow.

Jui Bhatia and Maya Shah Staff Reporters

Last updated nearly two and a half decades ago, the current transcript format needs a change, according to the school board. Technology has changed drastically since 1996

and the district has had plans to start revising the current format for nearly four years.

This year, after compiling feedback and making changes, the district finally unveiled the new format.

The current transcripts include students’ entrance and graduation dates, school data, instructional levels, at-

tendance, academic records, honors awards and activities.

Feedback from over 200 organizations and many top officials from universities in charge of the admissions process, indicated a need for following the current admissions process and a more streamlined design.

“Whenever we would travel

to a national or state conference, we would talk to different reps from the schools. We’d send information sheets, or emails out to about over 100 schools, and they all got back to us explaining what they liked and didn’t like about our transcripts,” said Jennifer Kratsa, the department chair of Student Services.

NEWS

Local businesses squeezed by pandemic holiday season

In a normal year, T/E businesses bustle with excitement over holiday shopping; however, the COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered the holiday business landscape for small businesses like restaurants, stores and gyms across the nation.

Anticipation soars as extension nears completion

T/E LIFE

Art for hearts: sophomores donate crafts to patients and essential workers

Maya Shah/The SPOKE

A new look: The new transcript format, designed in accordance with feedback from colleges, has a more streamlined and modern design, much like the current application process

Co-Web Content Editor

A day in the life of Santa Claus

Even before he was a professional Santa, Bernard Gasioworski would wear a Santa hat during the Christmas season. Eventually, enough people told him he looked like the fictional character, Santa Claus, which led him to go to a school for Santas to get a professional Santa actor diploma in 2014.

SPORTS

Sports opinion: Committed athletes weigh in on NCAA compensation case

The Supreme Court agreed to take up an appeal from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) about whether federal antitrust laws were violated by not allowing colleges to compensate their athletes on Dec. 16, 2020.

The feedback found that abbreviations used in both the grading scale and course names needed clarification as they were specific to Conestoga and thus resulted in confusion. The teachers compiled this feedback and slowly started drafting out a more concise format for the transcript. The end result is a more aesthetically appealing and practical format that emphasizes user friendliness.

Courses were changed to be organized by department instead of year to emphasize students’ growth. Student activities would no longer be reported on the transcript as students self-report this information. Additionally, the overall look of the transcript was updated, adjusting the style by adding more color and a Conestoga symbol.

“Technology has changed drastically from 1996 to present day so there’s more things you could do with the transcript that you couldn’t before.” said Vice Principal Anthony DiLella, who worked on compiling the changes required.

“Like when you look at the old one, even the font, is an older font, so even the font looks more outdated.”

The honors awards and activities section was completely scrapped from the new format, since the district wanted the format to follow the current admission process’ self-reporting model.

“Today’s students self report information,” Kratsa said.

“Schools are not pulling that information from this document. And we just felt that if

it wasn’t being used, then we should clean it up and make it more user friendly to the people reading it.”

Despite seeming to be insignificant, Kratsa and DiLella stress the larger importance of such minor changes. Both point towards the important symbol the transcripts represent.

“We don’t want (college admissions officers) to feel at all frustrated by reading our transcript. We want them to love what they read and what they see and we want them to be able to read it quickly.” Kratsa said.

“They want all of the data there easily, so that they can look at it and get it and go. So, in my mind, the most important thing is to remember these college reps are human. It all just goes back to being user friendly.”

The class of 2021 will be the last to use the older format.

Juniors and sophomores will receive the new format over the summer, along with a letter detailing the changes, while freshmen will directly begin use of the new format.

DiLella explains how important transcripts are in the college application process, and serve as a vital part of the school’s image.

“When kids apply to college, we want to make sure that we present the best product possible to the universities for review,” DiLella said. “So it’s significant that we stay up to date with the feedback from colleges and universities on the admissions process to make sure that when we present (the) information to colleges that it is what they’re looking for.”

District substitute teacher shortage heightens during pandemic Aditi Dahagam

Everyone needs a little joy in their life sometimes, especially hospital patients and the front-line workers who care for them during their stay. The community club Art for Hearts tries to bring smiles to the faces of hospital patients and caregivers.

longs for the excitement and nostalgia that used to surround snow days, and misses the spontaneity they’re all about.

“Even though (the school) shouldn’t technically close, we still need a break every so often. (Snow days) are more than just not having school.

It’s being able to be with your family, go outside, and play in the snow like we used to,” Foster said.

Although other arguments were considered when the school board discussed FID’s, they ultimately decided the When the school board was discussing FIDs, other arguments were considered and ultimately had a deciding affect on the outcome. Standardized testing, summer plans and schedule certainty were all positions heard from teachers and parents perhaps overlooked.

“Given that many of our students take the state assessments in spring. Having the opportunity to have as many school days prior to those assessments is beneficial,” Towle said. “What we’ve heard in particular from families is it provides a bit more certainty as to the end of the school year.

As they’re making their plans for their family or just for the students it can give them a bit more certainty.”

Format of high school transcripts changes after 25 years

Read more at

The new construction building at Conestoga High School has taken shape over the last few months, and a rough structure is already present. With a projected record-high number of students exceeding the school’s limit attending Conestoga High School by 2024, construction for a new building was approved in January of 2019.

more in favor of it now than I was in May.” Some students and parents see things from a different perspective. Elizabeth Foster, a junior at ’Stoga, echoed her parents’ concerns that came up during a school board discussion regarding snow days. She

Like many districts nationwide, T/E School District faces a substitute teacher shortage with the recent increase in staff absenteeism and precautionary measures due to the pandemic. TESD substitute coordinator Kim Thomsen explains that although the shortage has been occurring for several years, COVID-19 has added extra challenges and requirements for substitutes.

The need for teachers in Pennsylvania has increased due to a drop in the number of teaching certifications issued by the state Department of Education as a result of fewer students graduating from teaching programs. School districts in the state have been trying to resolve this issue by hiring retired teachers, but since retirees are not allowed to be employed by a public school and receive a Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System pension at the same time (with some exceptions), few retirees from the state returned to substituting. Retirees also face the challenge of navigating the new teaching environments if they return.

“I think some of them chose to not sub this year due to the hybrid model, which can be difficult if you aren’t

accustomed to it or haven’t been doing it consistently over the past few months,” Conestoga daily substitute Helena Ryder said.

According to Thomsen, although the number of registered district substitutes remains close to that of previous years, there are fewer actively working. Strict safety protocols, daily health screenings during hybrid instruction and new technologies make working difficult. In addition, it’s hard to maintain a steady staff because the substitute roster changes frequently.

“The position of substitute teacher(s) is often a transient one. Recent graduates are looking for full-time jobs, and others choose the position for the flexible schedule it offers, creating an ever-changing substitute resource,” Thomsen said.

Unlike the substitute pool, Conestoga’s 60-70 regular education and special education aide count remains constant because aide needs are identified at the start of the school year. Assistant Principal James Bankert says he hasn’t seen a reduction of applicants during the pandemic and that many previous aides returned to teaching at the start of the school year.

“The aides, like teachers and other support staff members, have been incredibly flexible during the pandem-

ic,” Bankert said. “Many that I have spoken to have shared that they know how difficult the situation is for so many students and want to go above and beyond to help.”

Despite the added requirements this year, Ryder continues to serve as a substitute because of her love for teaching. Ryder feels safe teaching in the classroom during hybrid instruction because of masks, social distancing and plexiglass in front of teachers’ desks.

“I think everyone, students and staff alike, knows how important it is to follow the guidelines to ensure we are doing our best to be safe,” Ryder said.

To help substitutes adjust to the new hybrid learning environment, the district assigned teachers to specific schools so they can become familiar with the teachers, staff, resources and students.

Ryder explains that this system is easier than substituting at multiple schools.

“I think it’s a good way for (substitutes) to feel more comfortable since you only have to learn the layout of one school as opposed to many,” Ryder said. “I think it’s also beneficial for students because it’s nice to have a semi-familiar face when your teacher is out.”

Additionally, the district created a substitutes’ Microsoft Teams, an online platform for virtual synchronous in-

struction, teaching guide and offers technical help through the Tech Deck when needed.

“The (Microsoft) Teams Road Map is a helpful guide to accessing and conducting virtual classes using Teams.

It is important that substitutes have the ability to teach students virtually and, in the

classroom, and that they feel technology support is available,” Thomsen said.

For future improvements, the district plans to increase the number of substitutes and continue providing them assistance with technical difficulties. For now, the district continues to work through

staffing and substitute issues as they arise.

“When we are presented with challenges, we do the best we can with the resources we have. The pandemic has revealed our resourcefulness,” Thomsen said. “Each day, we will find solutions to the challenges as they are presented.”

Courtesy of Kim Thomsen

Maintaining a steady staff: TESD substitute coordinator Kim Thomsen plans the upcoming weeks’ substitute coverage in Conestoga’s main office.

News

Monday, January 25, 2021 Continued from page 1.

McPhillips decided to create a separate channel for kids who preferred to complete coursework instead of discussing the riots while she facilitated conversation through discussion questions from PBS’s article “Classroom resource: Three ways to teach the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol” in her class’s main channel. McPhillips tried to remove her opinion from her conversations with her students.

“I wanted them to process those feelings and share those feelings with each other rather than me interjecting my own opinion about the situation,” McPhillips said. “I feel it’s more important for the students to hear each other’s views rather than my view.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Government and Criminal Justice teacher Jonathan Goodman spent class answering questions about the impact of the pro-Trump riots on the government. Before classes, he had tracked what was happening in anticipation of questions students could potentially ask.

Goodman believes that his role as a social studies teacher, in contrast to teachers in other departments, puts him in an unique position to discuss the events with more context.

“My goal is to teach, so I want to make sure that students have their questions answered and they have an accurate sense of what is likely to happen in the next step. But I also want them to be able to evaluate information to learn about what’s real, what’s less real and to think about some of the ongoing questions that we always ask in government,” Goodman said, “and so I always want to circle back to the themes that we are worried about (in U.S. Government).”

Junior Felicia Manful participated in discussions in both her Language and Composition and her U.S. Government classes.

While she discussed her opinion on the contrast between the police’s treatment of people during the pro-Trump riots and the Black

Lives Matter protests, she was surprised that most people chose not to participate in the discussion.

“I really think more students should have said something because this is not something you can just shrug off and go, oh it doesn’t include me, it doesn’t matter. Because if they talk about it, and we know what they’re thinking, maybe we can educate them or something, or we can know what they’re feeling or what their thoughts are,” Manful said.

Sophomore Sven Walsberg’s German and U.S. History classes discussed the events. Although Walsberg appreciates this opportunity for students to come together and share their thoughts, he believes the discussions should’ve only taken place in Social Studies classes.

“I think history should be taught in history class,” Walsberg said. “If it happened in every single class, it would basically be like every single person is a teacher, and they’re memorizing what they have to say for the next class because they’re going to say it in every class. So, to have a place and have a common ground to talk about it in social studies is great, and I feel like that is acceptable, but having that place in any other class, I feel like, is just out of line.”

Following the discussions in class, Goodman received several emails from students thanking him for the opportunity to discuss in class and following up on some of the conversations in class.

Goodman is thankful for the opportunity to discuss the riot with his students.

“I think the endless number of hours that I spent over the last week learning things myself really benefited when I could answer some of those questions that were not easy to answer,” Goodman said. “As a social studies teacher, I live for these conversations. I embrace them. They are opportunities for growth and education, and so I tend to really get excited by having these conversations, and I fed off the energy that I think students brought as well.”

Trump’s second impeachment,

3

Val Pucci/The SPOKE

March turns to riot: Trump supporters can be seen riled up and largely ignoring social distancing and mask mandates as they gather at the capitol steps with flags waving. the aftermath of the capitol attack In the aftermath of the events at the Capitol, members in the House voted 232 to 197 to impeach and charge Trump with “incitement of insurrection” on Jan. 13, a week after the riots.

The occasion, brought on after claims of voter fraud by Trump that were made in an attempt to overturn the election results certifying Biden’s win, marked the first time a president has ever been impeached twice.

The article for impeachment detailed accusations against the former president for inciting the mob that

stormed the Capitol, stating: “Shortly before the Joint Session commenced, former President Trump addressed a

crowd at the Ellipse in Washington, DC. There, he reiterated false claims that ‘we won this election, and we won it by a landslide,’” it said. “He also willfully made statements that, in context, encouraged— and foreseeably resulted in— lawless action at the Capitol, such as: ‘if you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore.’”

The article further criticized Trump, stating that he “gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government” and that he “threatened the integrity of

the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of Government.”

After witnessing the events that unfolded on Jan. 6, junior Will Riggs noted the implication of Trump’s actions leading up to the riots and the role he played in stirring the dissent amongst his supporters that was unleashed.

“What we saw last week with the attack on the Capitol, I think that that’s just a period on the end of the sentence that’s been written for the past four years throughout his presidency,” Riggs said. “It’s unfortunate that he’s going to be

remembered that way, but he incited the whole thing.”

Senior Will Norris agrees with Riggs’ sentiments about Trump’s role in the riots, citing the former president’s and his supporters’ echo chamber of biased information as a source of the anger.

“These people, they treat (Trump) like a god,” Norris said.

“I think that (the biased information) really just catalyzed what was just pent up racism, pent up aggression towards people that aren’t like themselves. So, I’d say, (Trump) was the one who lit the fire, but the oil had already been poured on.”

Violence strikes the capitol design by ananya Kulkarni, co-editor-in-chief and photos by val pucci, staff reporter

Val Pucci/The SPOKE

Val Pucci/The SPOKE

Val Pucci/The SPOKE

Val Pucci/The SPOKE

Maybe the SAT and ACT will just go away??

No, no, that’s just wishful thinking, you’re still going to have to take it. Many schools that are “test optional” this year won’t be next year. So time to start thinking about a plan for getting really, really good at it, even if you really, really hate standardized tests. Find out more at CrimsonReview.com.

Val Pucci/The SPOKE

T/E LIFE Abbie Preston Staff Reporter

World history teacher Aaron Lockard knew he wanted to be a history teacher ever since he was given the book “Lies My Teacher Told Me.” The book discusses the biases that are present in history curricula. After reading this novel, Lockard was inspired to bring new perspectives to his history class.

“You know, every history book has a bias, every history teacher has a bias, and I think that’s okay. I think it’s good to recognize and see that,” Lockard said.

“For me it (the book) was influential in the sense that if I can accept that (bias), see that, and embrace it, then it might give me a better opportunity to engage with history itself and share my passion for history with other people in that way.”

A wrestler and football player in high school, Lockard has always enjoyed sports as a hobby. This mindset drove him to coach winter track and field, and become head coach of the freshman

football team at Conestoga.

“Returning as a coach instead of a player was like something I was really looking forward to,” Lockard said.

“I think sharing that same passion with the players is really enjoyable.”

Outside of school, Lockard likes to enjoy the great outdoors. He has especially

Monday, January 25, 2021 with the world around me in a more meaningful way,” Lockard said. “I feel like going on hikes and kayaking is just like a nice easy way to do that.”

During quarantine, Lockard and his wife purchased a new house. He occupied his time by unpacking and arranging their belongings into his new space. He and his

and not spend as much time really enjoying the fruits of our labor.”

Being Lockard’s fifth year of teaching at Conestoga, he has created friendships with many of his fellow teachers around him. Lockard notes how his fellow teachers at Conestoga inspire him to try new, creative ideas.

“I think seeing their passion and seeing their creativity has always been influential,” said Lockard. “They push me to become a better teacher, so that’s inspiring in a sense.”

Lockard notes that even though there can be frustrations with teaching such as grading and conflicts with students, the benefits far outweigh them.

“I think the biggest reason that I History teacher like about teaching is there’s benefits to building relationwife have spent lots of time ships with students, and seein their new home, even con- ing them grow. Especially structing a new garden and because I teach freshmen, I bonfire pit. like seeing them grow as like “I think it’s been a blessing sophomores, juniors, seniors, in disguise,” Lockard said. “I and being able to see them think sometimes we work re- walk across that graduation ally hard on our homes, just stage four years later after to leave and go to work forty, you got a chance to teach fifty, or sixty hours a week, them,” Lockard said.

Teacher Feature: Aaron Lockard

I just like being able to get away from screens and get away from papers and engage with the world around me in a more meaningful way.

Aaron Lockard

enjoyed doing this after long days of staring at the screen.

Some of his favorite outdoor activities include kayaking and hiking. He also loves to take his dog on walks around his neighborhood.

“I just like being able to get away from screens and get away from papers, and engage

Courtesy Aaron Lockard

Gracious gardener: Aaron Lockard poses for a picture. Last spring, Lockard and his wife moved into a new house and spent a large amount of time unpacking and arranging their belongings.

Camryn Mendez: Movie makeup aficionado Anika Basu Staff Reporter

Courtesy Camryn Mendez

Behind the scenes: Freshman Camryn Mendez uses a diverse selection of supplies to give life to her special effects makeup. Mendez was interested in special effects when it became popular in Christmas 2019. She will continue to promote her art through social media accounts.

Grabbing her supplies, freshman Camryn Mendez watches a special effects makeup tutorial. She then pauses after each segment, replicating the image on her face. If Mendez doesn’t get the desired look, she rewinds and reapplies the makeup.

After finishing the video, she studies herself in the mirror, takes a picture, and posts it on her social media.

Mendez recently gained interest in special effects makeup. She saw it gain popularity on social media and received the Mehron Special FX Kit from Amazon for Christmas of 2019. The kit included advanced materials like liquid latex, setting powder, tooth paints, and fake blood. After she watched a few YouTube videos and tutorials, she decided that she wanted to start to create her own looks.

“It’s satisfying to see all of your work come together,” Mendez said.

Before styling without instruction, Mendez references other makeup artists on Instagram or Tik Tok for inspiration. She then creates a specialized look based on the appearance she’s aiming for.

However, she still uses tutorials for more challenging techniques. As she gains experience, support, and enthusiasm for the hobby, Mendez is considering a future career in special effects makeup.

“I think it’s so cool to work in movies and do the liquid latex and all that stuff on your face, like little cuts and scrapes.” Mendez said.

Currently, Mendez takes art classes at school. This year, she’s taking ceramics and 3D sculpt mixed media.

Mendez said these classes teach her to apply her creativity on new platforms.

“3D sculpt mixed media has helped because we learn

about different concepts of sculptures and we get to be hands-on with our projects,” Mendez said.

She is also promoting her art through accounts on Instagram and Tik Tok (@mendez. sfx). She frequently receives collaboration offers and encouraging comments. Mendez hopes to start a special effects makeup club at Conestoga to share her interest with the school community, where she teaches members in-person.

“I talk about it to a lot of my friends and they seem to be really interested, so I let them do it on me, or I do it on them,” Mendez said.

Mendez encourages students to follow their interests in design regardless of their experience with it. She believes the final product is the most valuable asset.

“I remember when I first started, I literally knew nothing,” Mendez said. “It’s such a good feeling being proud of what you have done.”

Artistic entrepreneurs: Juniors create business Hiba Samdani

Photography Editor

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Juniors Maria Connolly and Sophia Brubaker have always had a passion for art from a young age. They frequently crafted gifts for their family members and have taken several art classes to strengthen their interest.

While working on their midterm projects for Studio Art 3, Connolly and Brubaker developed the idea of creating their own art-selling business: BC We Love it.

“We were in art one day and we were working on our midterm and planning,” Connolly said. “We were so interested in making art that we were like, ‘Maybe we can keep doing this (for profit).’”

Connolly and Brubaker started their business last November, and sell custom art pieces through Instagram.

They formed the name of the business by combining the first letters of their last names into the title. Typically, a customer will DM the account and request something to be made by the girls. After confirming with the customer, they hand-paint the desired item using acrylic paint or paint pens. Many of their orders have been paintings made on canvases and wood.

“People can send us inspiration. We had our friend Alyssa tell us that she wanted a butterfly,” Connolly said. “She sent us a couple inspiration photos, and she gave us a color scheme that she wanted,

and then she (said,) ‘Okay then, you can do the rest.’”

One obstacle the girls are facing is figuring out how to price their creations. They want to refrain from overcharging people in their age group while keeping in mind the cost of the materials needed to paint the product.

In addition, they wanted to make sure they maintained comparable or lower prices in comparison to prices on Etsy, an online shopping platform on which hand-made items are sold.

“We’ve compared it to prices for customers on Etsy, and some things that are smaller and more simple than our designs, and that makes us second-guess our pricing for it,” Connolly said.

To combat this obstacle, they are exploring the idea of making digital art to save time and to make their creations reproducible. This idea was proposed by their Studio Art teacher, Leanne Argonish who both girls consider their biggest inspiration to pursuing their art careers.

“It’s really inspiring that they shared with me they were making gifts for family and friends,” Argonish said. “They thought that they were the perfect team to come together and start this business. I think that just shows the connection that Studio Art can create and if you are inspired by each other, you can create something bigger than just one.”

Argonish sees this business being able to adapt to

different circumstances and taking a unique path in the future. She continues to encourage the girls to sell their designs to large companies in the future and explore different ways to become wellknown in the art world.

“This can turn into a lot of different areas it can turn into designing for major com-

panies (or) going off on their own and freelancing for design. They do have to do regular schooling and economics and keep up with their life. So in the meantime they can put their designs out there in a different way,” Argonish said.

Connolly and Brubaker are looking to donate most of their proceeds to a charity or-

ganization in the future. For now, they continue to follow their passion and make art for their community.

“For us, art isn’t a chore,” Brubaker said. “It’s something that’s very fun and a passion of ours, so the fact that we can give it to other people is very fun to make a business out of.”

Courtesy Maria Connolly

Abstract art: Artwork created by juniors Maria Connolly and Sophia Brubaker is displayed on a wall. The business taught the girls to adapt to unique and difficult circumstances.

T/E Life

Monday, January 25, 2021

5

AASU hosts movie night and discussion in virtual environment Umar Samdani Co-T/E Life Editor

Senior Jerry Miller, co-president of the African American Student Union (AASU), has been a part of many club “movie nights” in the past. However, with the new distance learning environment this year, the term takes on a whole new meaning.

A time associated with salty popcorn, reclining seats, and immersive sound is now characterized by thoughtful discussion, individual reflection, and memorable bonding.

Movie nights were not a recent development for the AASU.

In fact, club advisers Leisha Lewis and Keri Phillips have been hosting several of them for the past couple of years. The advisers focused on films that have important themes and can spur engaging discussion. In March 2018, the club traveled to Wayne Theater to see “Black Panther” after school. In February 2019, members watched “The Hate You Give”.

Even with the virtual model of the 2020-2021 school year, the club was determined to keep the movie night tradition. Over the summer, Lewis worked with school librarians Brooke Hauer and Lydia Lieb to cre-

ate a platform for students and their families to watch movies.

It was decided that Swank, a movie streaming service, would be used for students to watch a designated movie on their own time. Members would then convene over Teams to ask questions and have discussions pertaining to the film. So far, the club has held two movie discussions: “Harriet” in November and “The Wiz” in December.

“Harriet,” a 2019 film about Harriet Tubman and the underground railroad, was the choice for the November movie night because of its focus on racial justice

Umar Samdani/The SPOKE

Movie nights: Club adviser Leisha Lewis stands in the Student Services office. Lewis, along with club adviser Keri Phillips, hosted several movie nights for AASU in the past few years.

and women empowerment.

Miller helped to facilitate the Teams discussion held on Nov. 18.

“The conversations were great. Everything that we were talking about was amazing,” Miller said. “There was one part in the movie where there was another black man who was hunting and recapturing other black men and women and ready to renter them into slavery. That was a very interesting point of discussion for us because we were like, well, is that something we see today? And how can we fix this?

For me, that was the best part of the conversation.”

The November discussion lasted about an hour. Lewis started the discussion with a set of questions about the movie, including its historical context, themes, and important scenes.

“My goal is for us to watch the film, recognize the themes in the film, and recognize all the cinematography and sound choices. But I also want us to bring it back to self and ask, ‘how do these things relate to me?’” Lewis said.

After answering these questions, the floor opens up for any member to propose a thought or lead the conversation. Senior Isaiah Willis, also co-president of the club, enjoys the free-flowing structure of the discussion.

“After some structure, it usually just becomes whatever comes to the top of our mind,” Willis said. “Sometimes we start a conversation and it doesn’t end for a while but it’s definitely a good conversation because we’re staying on topic and we’re talking about something that relates to our current situation.”

The AASU leadership feels that hosting these movie nights are important not only to have thoughtful discussions, but also for students’ and parents’ social and mental health.

Willis enjoys seeing members come together and interact in a virtual environment.

“Conestoga may still be in quarantine, but events like

Courtesy Isaiah Willis

Meaningful dicussions: Senior Jerry Miller stands in the main lobby at the end of the school day. As the co-president of the AASU, Miller helped to facilitate the discussion held in November for the movie “Harriet.” these show that we are still together,” Willis said. “I feel like this is especially important for the younger freshman and sophomores so they get the opportunity to experience these types of school events. It’s really amazing to see that we’re trying to make normal out of what is not normal.”

Lewis believes that these movie nights allow people to connect with each other in an environment that is increasingly disconnected.

“As human beings, even if we’re shy or introverted, it’s our nature to be in community with one another. To foster and nurture that is important for our mental health,” Lewis said. “It’s also important that we come together so that we gain multiple perspectives.

Especially in an isolated world, we can be stuck within our own thinking, but when you bring people together you get different perspectives. I think that’s important when

talking about identity and social justice topics.”

In the future, Lewis wants to invite people who are part of the film to be a part of the Teams discussion. She also wants more people of all backgrounds and cultures to come to the movie night.

“We want to be sharing of the African American culture.

It’s not exclusive to people, Lewis said. “It’s very informal, and we laugh a lot. You can really be yourself and let your personality come out.”

Seniors create 3D printing organization to provide personal protective equipment Katherine Lee

Co-T/E Life Editor Senior Diviprakash Kuppusamy watches as his 3D printer finishes making the final piece needed to assemble a face shield. Gathering the 3D printed parts, including a headband, bottom reinforcement and several clips, he fits them together with a sheet of clear plastic to finish the face shield. He then places it into a box with 11 other face shields and tapes the box shut. The following day, he will drop them off at the Paoli Hospital.

Inspired by a lack of personal protective equipment in the country, Kuppusamy and senior Arnav Kaushik created united3D, an organization that 3D prints and distributes

personal protective equipment, in order to help hospitals and health care workers in their community.

Initially, before starting united3D, Kaushik and Kuppusamy distributed personal protective equipment on a smaller scale.

“When we got off school in March, I ended up with a lot of extra time, and everywhere you went on the Internet or if you watched any sort of news, you would immediately know that there was a huge lack of PPE across the nation, and, having all that extra time, I decided to look into ways I could actually help,” Kaushik said.

Having 3D printers at home, the two started to help out by printing personal protective equipment from mod-

els available online through a 3D printing company called Prusa. In the following weeks, they printed and donated over 200 mask buckles to Main Line Health.

In late April, Kaushik and Kuppusamy decided to expand their efforts and create an organization dedicated to printing and donating personal protective equipment. “(Kaushik) brought up this idea that we could make this a bigger impact: not just our own community but a bunch of different communities, even outside our own state.

That was pretty much the beginning point of united3D and we registered for 501(c), which is the nonprofit status,” Kuppusamy said.

According to Kaushik, when coming up with a name

for the organization, an important consideration was that they wanted a name that wasn’t directly associated with the pandemic. They wanted it to be pandemic proof in the sense that even after the pandemic passes, they will be able to continue to help the community in other ways with the organization. With this in mind, they decided on the name united3D because it also captured the idea of unity in a difficult and divisive time.

“I thought ‘united’ in the name would convey the whole coming together of a community because at the time, it was close to late April, and there was a ton of division because everyone was freaking out because no one really knew what to do because we never planned for that type of sce-

Courtesy Diviprakash Kuppusamy

Ready to distribute: A batch of freshly printed face shields lies on the table. Seniors Diviprakash Kuppusamy and Arnav Kaushik used models available online to print personal protective equipment such as these face shields.

Courtesy Diviprakash Kuppusamy

Printing prowess: Senior Diviprakash Kuppusamy stands in front of his 3D printer with a face shield in his hands. Kuppusamy and senior Arnav Kaushik founded the united3D organization to create and distribute personal protective equipment to hospitals in the community.

nario so quickly. So I thought ‘united’ would really bring something to the table in the sense of unity and collaboration,” Kaushik said.

In the early stages of united3D, Kaushik and Kuppusamy worked to develop everything from the website to the layout of the organization.

“I made the name, logo, registered the domain and created the website. So that was pretty much the first of a seven-day spike, a giant spree that we had where every single day we were doing a crazy amount of stuff.

We were getting funds ready, we were figuring out the printing logistics and organization structure and everything,” Kaushik said.

As Kaushik and Kuppusamy gathered funds and volunteers joined the effort, united3D rapidly began to grow. Inspired by the support, the two decided to recruit regional managers in

different states including New York, New Jersey and North Carolina in order to help more communities.

“As (united3D) moved along and as we grew, we were inspired by the efforts of our own volunteers and how they were so passionate about doing this. So we just wanted to keep expanding, we wanted to see how far we can get. And that led to some pretty big milestones in a short amount of time,” Kaushik said.

One such milestone was receiving a $16,000 grant from GetUsPPE, an organization that provides personal protective equipment to frontline workers and under-resourced communities, after a 15-minute Zoom call with the director of marketing and their partnership consultant.

“It blew our expectations because we only needed maybe three or four thousand (dollars) for the current orders. So with that extra money, we were

able to increase our production capacity and ask for more orders,” Kaushik said.

According to Kuppusamy, united3D has currently reached nine states, delivered more than 2,000 units, helped more than 50 hospitals and raised about $18,600.

“I feel very proud (of what we’ve accomplished) and I’m very glad that I hopefully have saved a life or two in the process of making face shields, mask buckles and everything,” Kuppusamy said.

In the near future, united3D will continue to focus on creating personal protective equipment to donate to hospitals and health care workers. However, once the pandemic passes, Kaushik and Kuppusamy hope to branch out and take on other community engagement projects with 3D printing, such as developing prosthetics and providing 3D printing services.

T/E Life

6

Monday, January 25, 2021

2021: Hopes for the New Year

By Abby Carella and Brooke Vallin, Multimedia Editor and Staff Reporter Design by Katherine Lee, Co-T/E Life Editor

New Movies

Parties Mandates against in-person gatherings due to COVID-19 have been in effect since mid-March of 2020 but are expected to dissipate once the vaccine is widely distributed and cases drop down. Birthday, holiday and family parties should be back in full swing, with cake-sharing and dancing included. As of right now, the Chester County Health Department still recommends against large gatherings. However,

Highly anticipated films such as Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune,” Marvel’s “Black Widow,” the James Bond installment “No Time to Die” and Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling” are slated for release this year. With the vaccination, there is hope that local theaters will begin reopening and viewers will be able to watch these films on the big screen. As it becomes safe for theaters to reopen, moviegoers can expect a set of guidelines implemented by the theater, such as required mask wearing and socially distanced seating.

if one chooses to participate, they should quarantine for 14 days and receive a negative COVID-19 test.

Summer Olympics lympics have been O o y ok T 0 2 0 2 e h T ly 23 through rescheduled for Ju new events, such Aug. 8. A variety of surfing, baseball g, in rd oa eb at sk as en added this and karate, have be watch American year. Viewers can e Biles and Katie athletes like Simon for gold.

Ledecky compete

Traveling

Concerts/Festivals

Throughout 2020, disapp ointment from students grew as co ncert after concert got canceled. Man y artists, including Harry Styles, Billi e Eilish, The Weeknd and Justin Bieber , have rescheduled their tours for 2021. Made in America, an annual m usic festival held in Philadelphia, is sc heduled to take place over Labor Da y weekend.

Although travel is available right now, most states advise against it. Strict rules are in place, such as Hawaii’s requirement of a nucleic acid amplification test and negative test results within 72 hours of entering the state.

As cases go down with the introduction of the vaccine, easier and safer travel will resume. Students will once again be able to tour colleges and visit family.

Hugs

Devon Horse Show

Widespread Vaccination The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccinations arrived to the Main Line on Dec. 23, and essential workers immediately received their first doses. On par with the CDC’s recommendation, the vaccine is being administered through phases, beginning with health care workers and then moving through people 65 and older, educators, the homeless, people in prison, and eventually healthy adults in non-high risk jobs and older teenagers. Currently, the Pfizer vaccine is not approved for anyone under the age of 16 and the Moderna vaccine for anyone under the age of 18.

Widespread vaccination should be reached by mid-2021.

A Main Line favorite, the Devon Horse Show is returning this year! Students can enjoy competitive horse events, games, carnival food, and shopping. The money raised benefits Bryn Mawr Hospital. The show has been around since 1896 and has only been canceled twice: once because of World War II and once because of COVID-19. The horse show and county fair is scheduled to open on May 27 and last through June 6.

Return of Broadway Broadway was forced to shut down in mid-March. However, theater fans will hopefully be able to see shows such as “Hamilton” and “Hadestown” and shows new to Broadway such as “Six: The Musical” and “Mrs. Doubtfire” starting May 31.

nDue to health reasons and the da gone gers of COVID-19, students have ing relmonths and months without see vaccines atives and friends in-person. If ce roll out successfully, in accordan ll soon with the CDC plans, students wi loved be able to give big hugs to their mended ones. Currently, it is still recom from by the CDC to stay six feet away imall people who do not live in one’s chooses mediate household. But, if one their to give hugs to people outside of pohousehold, it is recommended to s and sition faces in opposite direction g. refrain from talking or sneezin

Online School Store The student council is or ganizing another online school store in the spring.

They first rolled-out the sto re in the fall so students could rep ’Stog a gear and get them shipped right to their door!

Follow @virtualstoga on In stagram for updates on when the store is launching, and new products.

T/E Life

Monday, January 25, 2021

7

Club Hub: Service Clubs at Conestoga By: Ben Reed, Kate Phillips, Katherine Lee and Umar Samdani -

Staff Reporters and T/E Life Editors -

-

Design by Umar Samdani -

Rescuing All Dogs lects different items that dog shelters or veterinarian hospitals will need. The different homes for dogs may be lacking and do not have enough to provide for all of the animals they care for.

Club adviser Merri Gardner explained the different types of pro-

Service clubs don’t only help humans – they can also help animals.

Another one of Conestoga’s many clubs is Rescuing All Dogs club, or R.A.D. This club has the goal of helping dogs and dog shelters in the area. R.A.D. does this by organizing donations and collecting supplies to give to different shelters.

Instead of raising money, R.A.D. col-

even vet animal hospitals like VRC, they need blankets, they need towels, they need play toys, they need food,” Gardner said. “They need any leashes, collars, anything a dog needs.”

visions that the club collects to apply their services.

“A lot of shelters and

-

Greening ’Stoga Task Force The Greening ‘Stoga Task force does handson projects across middle and elementary schools. They also enjoy educating younger students on different ways to be more environmentally conscious.

Currently, the club is planning to host a virtual field trip to Beaumeunt Elementary School. The club plans to use a variety of kahoots, games and activities to educate them about the environment, and what students can do to keep their world

healthy and sustainable.

Senior Hanna Monteith, president of the club, believes the club has adapted well to the new socially-distanced environment on TEAMs. “It’s definitely hard not to be hands on with a lot of our projects.”

But their’s still things we can do to help the enviornment, and I’m really grateful that we were able to adapt so well.

In the future, the Monteith wants to host a district-wide clean-up event. They also want to develop some sort of

school compost. Finally, they would like to partner with TerraCycle, a recycling company, and encourage more students to recycle when they return to school.

Smiles for Autism Smiles for Autism is a club created to raise awareness for autism and help students socialize through art. At meetings, students will do different artistic activities such as making origami. The art functions as a way for the different members to interact and connect with each other. Along with making art, Smiles for Autism also holds different fundraisers and sales.

The money that is raised is then used to promote autism awareness.

This year, Smiles for Autism has continued to hold meetings virtually.

The club still gives members an opportunity to

express themselves creatively with their peers.

Club adviser Michael DeVitis sees sharing art and socializing with each other as very beneficial for students.

“The best part about all of it is when the students are able to share their work with each other and get feedback from their peers,” D e Vi tis said.

“The more

as a school community we can continue to learn about each other and learn about our strengths and our needs and be supportive of and respectful of our differences the better.”

Lemon Club Lemon Club is based off of Alex’s Lemonade Stand, an organization that was founded in memory of Alexander Scott in 2005. At four years old, Scott was going through cancer treatment and wanted to have a lemonade stand to raise money for cancer patients her age. At her first lemonade stand fundraiser, she raised over $2,000 for childhood cancer and raised $1 million by the time of her death. After Scott’s passing, her family started the foundation to continue her mission of supporting patients with cancer.

Like the organization, Lemon Club raises awareness and money for pediatric cancer by selling lemonade. When

the club first started, club members held two lemonade stands and were able to raise over $200. Lemonade stands have been the club’s main focus over the years, but the pandemic has made it difficult for the club to raise money in this way.

“For me, Alex’s Lemonade Stand and the Lemon Club have been really important because I myself am a cancer survivor. So being a part of this club and helping kids who are just like me and going through exactly what I’ve gone through is very important for me,” club executive and senior Halle Middleton said.

Brighten A Day Club Brighten a Day Club has the goal of simply spreading joy and bringing a smile to others’ faces. Founded last year by junior Hita Gupta, the club makes cards and does other activities like holding events at libraries to give back to hospitals and retirement homes. It is also a part of a large non-profit organization, also founded by Gupta, which serves to reach more communities.

Last year, Brighten A Day club would have meetings where members would socialize and have fun while making cards together. The club would also work with different elementary schools to encourage the younger students to try

volunteering and cardmaking. In the virtual setting, Brighten a Day club still manages to deliver cards safely while also finding other ways to give back.

“When we turned all virtual we also did something, we collected encouraging video messages and sent those to local retirement homes,” Gupta said.

“They were just short messages of cheer for the residents who actually are isolated from family and friends.”

Rising Stars Club One of Conestoga’s newest clubs is the Rising Stars Club, which pairs high school students and elementary school students as pen pals. The club’s goal is to promote connection between Tredyffrin/Easttown buildings and to help younger kids feel less worried about moving to high school.

Sophomores Zainab Imadulla and Anna Nguyen are co-presidents of the club.

“I was given the idea of the Rising Stars Club because of these programs called Big Brother and Big Sister programs,” Imadulla said.

The Big Brother and Big Sister programs are organizations that pair younger

kids with older kids for a variety of activities, though the Rising Stars Club specifically focuses on penpalling, an activity that is even more enjoyable in the midst of quarantine.

“The idea is that the elementary schoolers are the rising stars and the high schoolers are helping them along the way,” Nguyen said.

“This club means a ʻStoga Student lot to me Cone stoga High because when I was a little kid I never had a

sibling who was a lot older than I was. Ever since elementar y school I have loved working with kids and I believe high school students deserve more opp or tu n i ties to do so.”

School

Justice Club Another one of Conestoga’s service clubs is the Justice Club, which helps victims of domestic abuse, human trafficking, racism and poverty. Hannah Kuryan, the club president, explains that the club was originally started with a sole focus on human trafficking, but due to difficulties with online fundraising, the club decided to work on other issues, too.

“Justice Club members have participated in anti human trafficking conferences, educational livestreams about pover-

ty, phone banking for climate-change action in our government and many more.

“We are currently working on a homelessness project and we have partnered two organizations, Home of the Sparrow and Bethesda Project,” Kuryan said.

The club will collect food, letters and donations for their ongoing homelessness project. They also will be hosting a “meal in the box” program.

OPINION

Monday, January 25, 2021

Unsigned: Bring back bipartisanship

Charity Xu/The SPOKE

It’s no secret that the United States is a divided country.

The past year has been checkered with acts of civil unrest, an increasing amount of hate crimes and intense political clashes that prompted the rioting of The Capitol on Jan. 6. To regain a better sense of unity, politicians must begin to put the good of the country over the good of their party.

Democrats and Republicans have squared off as opponents for too long and constantly point fingers versus solving the root problem, leading to a classic political standoff and leaving the American people to suffer as a result.

However, as divided as we may seem, there is still hope for bipartisanship as shown by the passing of almost $900 billion in coronavirus relief. This achievement grew out of what is almost always necessary in a joint decision: compromise. It was only when Democrats agreed to spend less than they had wanted and

Republicans agreed to provide more aid for state and local governments that the bill came to fruition.

This one act just goes to show how much potential we have to become a more unified nation.

No longer should politicians be working in a rigid, partisan climate where nobody wants to give an inch even if that means doing what is morally correct.

Instead, they should focus on working together to create an environment that is beneficial to both parties.

As Democratic President Joe Biden is welcomed into office this month, there is reason for hope given his long past of working closely across the aisle with Republicans to get things done for the good of the American people.

Biden may be able to provide a sense of unity both as a new president and as a leader who stands for all Americans, including those who did not vote for him. That is what bipartisanship is all about.

The Spoke Editorial Board voted unanimously 14-0 in favor of this article.

The Capitol riots: An American nightmare

Evan Lu

Webmaster

“Trump supporters storm Capitol.”

“Flash grenades, tear gas deployed on exterior Capitol balcony.”

“Four dead, Congress evacuated, National Guard activated after riots.”

Headlines like these may be expected in a third-world country fighting a grueling civil war, but I never imagined reading them about the United States, one of the most established and powerful nations in the world. This country, once a rock in a global sea of constantly-changing nations and governments, now appears to be in a state of tottering instability, about to spontaneously combust into flames.

The storming of the Capitol building by pro-Trump rioters, a desperate attempt to disrupt the counting of electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election, was a disgrace to American values.

The first breach of the U.S. om students, the community Capitol since the War of 1812 over 200 years ago, these riots demonstrated the failure of our electoral system to define and enforce the winner of an election. For the first time in history, the Confederate flag into the Kulkarni heart of the submitted to marched Editors-in-Chief Ananya American nation, a gesture Claire Miller and Allison Ferriola. dishonoring the sacrifices of the Civil War patriots who of The Spokefought editorial board, necessarilyto preso not valiantly ventThethat flagexpressed from inever bety or advertisers. opinions ing raised in the capital. The ssarily the opinion of The Spoke. shocking image of a rioter in

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s chair signifies the rampant disrespect for those with differing views. The stark contrast between the treatment of Black Lives Matter protesters and Capitol rioters highlights the pervasive hypocrisy and willingness of our politicians’ to bend moral consistency in order to satisfy a political agenda and appease a voter base. But beyond the symbolic significance of the riots, five American lives were www.spoke.news lost, government property was defaced and the lives of our country’s leaders were put in danger. @thespoke The blame for the scuffle cannot be attributed to a single person, but former @thespoke President Trump’s refusal to concede defeat after the election, citing unproven ev/thespoke idence of widespread electoral fraud, helped incite the violence. Coupled with his the_spoke unrelenting, childish tweets that only poured fuel into

vertisements. Email hello@spoke.news.

the fire, the former president undoubtedly exacerbated the antagonism between the opposing sides of the political spectrum. Now, Trump must face the consequences of his actions and bear the dreadful weight of his role in dividing a nation.

Not only must the president reevaluate his actions, but the entirety of America must consider how these riots were allowed to happen.

These events are an embarrassment to the global reputation that America holds so dear and threaten to tarnish the public image of strength and integrity that is core to the American identity. How can we claim to be the leaders of the free world when our government neglects to defend our capital against unruly mobs? How can we call ourselves the protectors of democracy when we fail to abide by one of its most fundamental cornerstones: the

From the Editor: Reflecting on 2020

Hyunjin Lee

Co-Editor-in-Chief 2020 was the year when our lives changed in a way we could have never expected. 2020 was the year when schools shut down, businesses closed, and many of us were unable to see friends and family. 2020 was also the year of racial and civil unrest, wildfires, protests, and a monumental election. But 2020 was also a year of greater self-reflection, and for some of us, a time to heal and reset our perspectives.

Regardless of how 2020 turned out, there are a few lessons that I have learned that I wanted to share.

1. Social Media is truly unhealthy, and occasionally, unplugging is essential.

I have always read articles discussing the negatives of social media, and this isn’t the first time I have thought about how detrimental social media can be in our lives. According to the Harvard Medical School affiliated McClean Hospital, social media are inherently designed to be addictive and are associated with anxiety, depression, and even physical ailments. The pandemic made me realize that mental health really does plunge the more time we spend on apps like Instagram. I am sure I am not alone in spending a lot of quarantine online or on social media. During the initial stages of the pandemic, I spent hours “doomscrolling” and endlessly looking through feeds of pandemic news, people’s rants and fears,

as well as picture-perfect quarantine lives. With each post, I felt my own fears worsen, my own anxiety increase and my feelings of discontent arise. After a few months of social media detox, I definitely felt better. We just have to remember the true purpose of social media — to connect with friends and family and to memorialize moments in our lives. We can’t let social media control our happiness.

2. Put everything in perspective: for every negative, there has almost always been a positive.

Concerts, dances, parties, events and conventions: all canceled in a matter of days. Calendars emptied. No more … many things.

We all had something we were

looking forward to doing in 2020: perhaps it was a trip, a get-together, the prom or just meeting up with friends. However, we have all had to deal with disappointments, hardships of all magnitudes and difficulties for the past several months.

But take a moment to reflect back and think of all the positive things that came out of this. Did you reconnect with an old hobby? Were you able to spend more time with your family? More self-care and doing things for fun? For sure, these small positives definitely do not justify or balance all the negatives we had to endure and continue to endure, but 2020 has given us

a lot of little, unexpected gifts, too.

It’s just a matter of stepping back and acknowledging them.

3. Find gratitude, even if it may be difficult at times.

Although it may be hard to find light during such a dark time, I have found that focusing on the things I should be thankful for has helped my mental health tremendously. Whether it be thanking your parents for a good dinner or for your health, turning your attention away from the negatives can brighten your mood. There is research to back this up. A study conducted by psychologist Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman from the University of Pennsylvania found that people who gave thanks and acknowledged gratitude frequently were happier than people who did not.

4. You can’t go through a pandemic alone.

I am honestly not sure if I would have been able to keep my sanity if I didn’t have my sister. Although our relationship was not always the smoothest, being at home with her every day through the pandemic has helped me in more ways than I realized. With the school shut down and all my in-person extracurriculars canceled, the amount of Sophia Pan/The SPOKE human interaction I had available was reduced to almost nothing. Unfortunately, humans require social interactions to thrive and survive. Even an extreme introvert like me found it difficult to be unable to see or talk to people daily outside of my family. But having someone my age to talk to, laugh with, bake with, walk our neighborhood with and to share my worries with benefited me in so many ways. Perhaps for you, this person is a friend, a neighbor, a parent or maybe a pet.

Whoever they may be, however, be sure to be grateful for them. Without others to lean on, the pandemic becomes even more miserable.

Charity Xu/The SPOKE

popular election? The deterioration of the democratic system is a one-way street, slowly winding down towards a highly disfavorable outcome.

At the threshold of significant violence, political affiliations and biases must disappear, and basic human principles of respect, honor and decency must shine through. The riots in Washington, D.C. completely obliterated this threshold, crossing the proverbial line. It is time to realize that violence is not an acceptable response to a disfavorable election result, regardless of residual anger, frustration or disbelief. It is time to reinitiate a civil discussion and reach compromises on the many issues that still face us today. It is time to recognize reality and put aside our differences, no matter how glaring, to rediscover our hidden yet bountiful similarities.

It is time to awake from this American nightmare.

hello@spoke.news

SORRY, WE MISsPoke In the November issue, on page 2 under the news briefs, extracurricular is misspelled. On page 7, the picture of Multiculture Club is from 2017, not 2019. On page 8, the cartoon for “Calling all teens: Keep your masks on” was credited to Katherine Zhang when it should have been credited to Leon Li.

The Spoke is published seven times a year ay School Paper Express. It consistently receives a Gold rating from PSPA and CSPA, and is a National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker award-winning publication. The Spoke serves as a public forum for student exoresssion

The

Staff

Editors-in-Chief: Ananya Kulkarni, Hyunjin Lee Managing Editors: Sophia Pan, Reese Wang News Editor: Zakiyah Gaziuddin T/E Life Editors: Katherine Lee, Umar Samdani Opinion Editor: Devon Rocke Sports Editor: Alexis Costas Assistant Sports Editor: Akshita Joshi Photography Editor: Hiba Samdani Multimedia Editor: Abby Carella Business Manager: Andrew Fessick Webmaster: Evan Lu Web Content Managers: Aishi Debroy, Aditi Dahagam

, Cartoonists: Leon Li, Sophia Pan, John Phillips, Yuting Pu, Charity Xu, Katherine Zhang Staff Reporters: Nishka Avunoori, Abby Bagby, Anika Basu, Jui Bhatia, Kate Emmanuel, Amna Faheem, Melissa Fan, Andrew Franceski, Julia Needladri Harris, Omkar Katkade, Brooke Kennedy, Grace Kuryan, Sally Murphy, Chanelle Ongagna, Kate Phillips, Trey Phillips, Abbie Preston, Val Pucci, Ben Reed, Tashikaa Senthilkumar, Maya Shah, Ben Shapiro, Becky Tang, Michael Tierney, Cosmo Thompson, Shreya Vaidyanathan, Brooke Vallin, Mindy Wang, Ruijia Yang, George Zhang Faculty Advisers: Alison Ferriola, Cyndi Crothers-Hyatt, Claire Miller

Non-staff contributions: Non-staff contributions from students, the community, graduates or other interested parties are welcome. Editors will decide which contributions are publiched based on space and relevance to the community. All contributions must conform to journalistic practices, including accuracy, timeliness, purpose and writing conventions. The Spoke reserves the right to work with the contributor to meet these standards. All outside contributions are bylined.

Yuting Pu/The SPOKE

www.spoke.news @thespoke @thespoke

Letters to the editor: Letters to the editor may be submitted to Editors-in-Chief Ananya Kulkarni and Hyunjin Lee, or advisers Cyndi Crothers-Hyattt, Claire Miller and Allison Ferriola.

Editorials: Unsigned editorials represent the views of The Spoke editorial board, not necessarily those of the administration, student body, community or advertisers. The opinions expressed in signed columns are those of the writer and not necessarily the opinion of The Spoke.

Paid advertisements: The Spoke accepts paid advertisements. Email hello@spoke.news.

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OP/ED

Monday, January 25, 2021

9

SATIRE

Why I absolutely will not be getting the COVID-19 vaccine

Sophia Pan

Co-Managing Editor Wake up, sheeple: COVID-19 isn’t real.

The New York Times will tell you that, as of Jan. 13, over 382,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, but I say it’s all hogwash. All these lizard-people will tell you that it’s all about the health of “The Puhblick,” but I don’t know who that is, and I don’t care.

No one I know personally has died from COVID-19, so it simply can’t be real!

Recently, I heard through a clickbait article that my Uncle Nick posted on Facebook that some weird little druggy company — what was it again?

P-visor? Must be some sketchy little indie company — made a vaccine for COVID-19. Even if

you mindless riffraff believe the hoax, I, an unqualified naysayer, am here to tell you why that vaccine is no good.

For starters, you have no idea what’s in it! Disregard how the Michigan Health Lab says the first two vaccines to hit the market contain only “snippets of genetic material, salt, sugar and fat” and that the other vaccines in development will contain “weakened or inactive forms of ‘common cold’ viruses, and substances commonly found in many vaccines.” I won’t be getting the vaccine because I only allow the purest of materials, like Kraft singles and hot dogs and Red Bull and Twinkies and day-old French fries that I dropped on the pavement behind McDonald’s, to enter my body.

My cousin Ricky said that the vac-

cines have got itty-bitty little microchips in them (because microchips that are small enough to fit into vaccine in-

jection needles definitely exist) and that the government will use them to track us. That’s an outrage! The government

should only be allowed to track me through Facebook, Google, my smartphone, my web browser, my social security number and my computer that is protected by the uber-secure password “Password123.”

See, I don’t trust these phoney “medical experts” with their “actual degrees” over my own bonafide, 20/200 eyeballs. I’m anti-vax, not anti-facts! That 10-minute Bing search I did makes me way more qualified to speak on the vaccine than some dingy old doctor or researcher.

After all, it’s not like the COVID-19 vaccines have gone through multiple rounds of careful evaluation in clinical trials spanning tens of thousands of participants, and they certainly haven’t been authorized by actual regulators who know what they’re talking about.

Just weigh the pros and cons of getting the Yuting Pu/The SPOKE

COVID-19 vaccine.

Pro: prompting an immune system response to COVID-19 without having to experience sickness (which doesn’t matter because it’s all a hoax).

Pro: greatly reducing the chances of getting COVID-19 and greatly reducing the odds of becoming seriously ill if you do catch COVID-19 (which doesn’t matter, again, because it’s all a hoax).

Pro: protecting the people around me, especially those who might be at risk (which still doesn’t matter because I don’t care about them, and it’s all a hoax).

Pro: flattening the curve and safely ending this pandemic once and for all (which doesn’t matter because I haven’t been taking any precautions to begin with since it’s all a hoax).

Con: becoming a member of the rabble who believe that COVID-19 is actually real and worth taking seriously.

Clearly, getting the vaccine is a bad idea.

Open your eyes, pleb.

Don’t get the COVID-19 vaccine. It’s all a hoax anyway…

I’m positive.

“I think they should be relatively safe. The efficacy is more than 90 percent...so I’m pretty hopeful (and) I think it’s safe and viable for the time being.”

“If I could take it, I don’t know if I’d take the risk because I’m not really going anywhere right now. I’d rather just stay home and stay quarantined.”

- Jennifer He,

- Neeladri Nag,

freshman

sophomore

Report Card

F

Riots in Washington D.C.

- People just waltzed into The Capitol, caused damage to public property and injured others with very few consequences

Soul + Beautiful animation, good plotline

A-

- Very similar to Inside Out

B+

Evermore Album + Gives off exquisite energy as Taylor heads in a different direction - Not the pop some may be used to

Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo

A+

+ Emotional and heart-wrenching with an amazing bridge and melody - None.

Snow Days

C

STUDENTS SPEAK OUT

+ Seeing a blanket of white outside of my window is nice

Q: What do you think about COVID-19 vaccines?

- There’s still school and I don’t get enough time to play in the snow

“I still think that we need to do some more testing... before my community can actually use the vaccine.”

- Roy Wu,

“I think the vaccine is a really good thing and I think that it’s really important for as many people who are able to, to get the vaccine. That’s really the fastest and safest way for this whole crazy coronavirus pandemic to be over ”

The Queen’s Gambit

+ It’s great to see chess portrayed in such an interesting manner

- Julie Walters,

junior

A

senior

- I can’t mindlessly watch episodes without getting confused

Student burnout is real

Devon Rocke Opinion Editor

Just 10 minutes before class begins, my alarm goes off, beeping for a little longer each day as I contemplate just how important it is for me to attend school. In the end, my conscience always wins, but just barely. I shuffle out of bed and brush my hair to make it look manageable before slipping into an old sweatshirt.

Then, I head straight for my computer and sigh before signing into Microsoft Teams as another gray tile. Instead of being excited to learn, I feel like a ton of bricks wishing to do nothing all day long.

The cause of my change in demeanor? Burnout.

According to Helpguide.org, burnout is characterized by “a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.”

Today, I slog through the day in a constant state of exhaustion, and I know that I am not the only one. The constant pressure to earn good grades in the midst of a pandemic that is so emo-

tionally and mentally taxing really does take a toll. Add that pressure to the preexisting pressure at Conestoga to be involved in as many clubs and extracurriculars as possible and it’s a recipe for disaster.

Students spend hours on their computers, devoid of any social interaction they would normally receive on a normal school day prior to COVID-19, all while being handed mountains of work to finish by midnight. In fact, so many students are failing and have so many missing assignments that it’s become a running joke that spans over countless social platforms. Kids confess to sleeping through classes, cheating on tests, becoming practically sedentary and feeling like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, all because they are struggling with burnout.

While I myself do not cheat on my tests, I do spend about 98% of my time in my room, and I have taken a catnap or two between classes. One of my worst symptoms of burnout, though, is constantly saying “Just one more week,” hoping that maybe

Why the age of Trumpism isn’t over

Aishi Debroy

Co-Web Content Manager

Katherine Zhang/The SPOKE

next week I’ll get that spurt of motivation to finally clean my room or that my teachers won’t assign me as much work.

To put it simply, burnout feels like the movie “Groundhog Day.” The only difference is there is no Sonny and Cher on my radio in the morning, and the world is still turning when it feels like it should have stopped. Students feel frozen, like zombies repeating the same tasks over and over again, just waiting, praying that someday we will be able to come up for air. And who knows, maybe just maybe, if we can find a way to hit the reset button and break the cycle, we just might.

To the millions of progressives who opposed Donald Trump’s presidency, do not get too comfortable celebrating President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Trump lost the 2020 election, but that does not mean he lost the movement he has cultivated for four years. Although the former president will leave office on Jan. 20, his legacy has notoriously stained the White House so that Trumpism will outlive and outlast Trump.

In this case, Trumpism refers to the political movement ushered in by the 45th president of the United States, introducing a new wave of authoritarian, xenophobic and anti-science politics. In fact, what historians are calling the “Age of Trump” can be broken down into three categories that explain why his rhetoric and policies will leave a long-lasting effect: distrust, distaste and a damaged democracy.

A large part of Trump’s support base holds distrust of everything, from scholars to scientists, which has led to what I like to call a “fake news epidemic.” In the minds of many Trump supporters, the me-

dia wants to spread fake information and is inherently against the public. According to a Reuters Institute poll, the trust in media fell from 25% to 13% among conservative-leaning respondents from 2015 to 2020. However, news outlets have not been the only sources subject to intense skepticism.

Trump’s “fake news” slogan has decreased the trust in science and even the government among his supporters.

Minimizing the magnitude of and making a mockery of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as dismissing scientists’ concerns on climate change are just a few of Trump’s attacks on science.

In fact, the Union of Concerned Scientists found that the Trump administration took only 2 1/2 years to make the same number of attacks as George W. Bush’s infamously anti-science administration, which lasted eight years.

Trump’s own government agencies were not exempt from his critiques either, as he “jokingly” labeled them “the Deep State Department.” He also refused to read daily briefs, one of which contained warnings of the pandemic.

His negligence leaves the American public in an extremely vulnerable situation, seeing as deaths continue to skyrocket and many of his supporters still refuse to take

pandemic precautions.

Second, “distaste” is a gross generalization of the rise in prejudice and violence seen in the past four years, with a direct correlation between Trump campaign events and hate crimes. In fact, FBI data shows a 17% rise in hate crimes during Trump’s first year in office, with the second-largest spike (first being post-9/11) over the past 25 years in counties where Trump won by

large margins. These crimes are motivated by antisemitic, racist, anti-LGBTQ or xenophobic groups with intent to maim or kill.

Lastly, the most alarming and long-lasting effect of Trumpism is a rise in authoritarianism and facism, leading to a truly damaged American democracy. Trump’s legacy has redefined the narrative on the political right, walking a fine line between conservatism and authoritarianism. The sheer number of the “14 Defining Characteristics of Fascism’’ that coincide

with Trump’s America is startling, becoming a constant conversation among experts and historians.

The attempted coup that occurred on Jan. 6, as Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building is a critical example of the effects of Trumpism. As his staunch supporters reach to defend his actions that have embolden these domestic terrorists, the administration continues to deepen inequality.

Trump and most billionaires relish in the money taken from marginalized American’s tears.

The economic, environmental and ethical losses we have faced as a country under Trumpism will always outweigh any good that might have happened. What we have left moving forward into 2021 are the remnants of a polarized public, a notso-united United States.

If we want to shake the effects of Trumpism, we Leon Li/The SPOKE need to start reevaluating “patriotism” and realize that no politician should be idolized.

To ameliorate the effects, we need to explore diversity and increase intergroup contact, listen to different perspectives while forming our own, approach issues with objectivity and vote on policies without a party loyalty mindset. Most Americans want a better life for all, and those with the sole intention to spread hatred and violence should not be emboldened, especially by the highest office in the country.

Katherine Zhang/The SPOKE

Sports

Monday, January 25, 2021

10

Washed up: What went wrong with the Philadelphia Eagles George Zhang Staff Reporter

It was a grim Sunday on O“Wentz throwing, and there’s the interception in the endzone!”

This marks just one of Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz’s 15 interceptions this season, tied for the most in the NFL. Wentz also leads the league for most number of times sacked at 50.

Just two years after winning the 2018 Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles finished their season in last place in the often joked-about NFC East Division.

Many fans believe the Eagles had an extremely disappointing season, with a record of 4-11-1.

Since narrowly making the playoffs last year and getting eliminated in the first round because of a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Eagles have made some roster changes in the offseason such as acquiring cornerback Darius Slay. For Freshman Elsa Burgo, the Eagles did not live up to her expectations “I didn’t think they were going to do amazing because they’re just not the best team.

But I did not think that they were going to do this terribly,” Burgo said. “After five losses, it was kind of clear that we weren’t going to do so well.

For many fans such as Senior Jack Susanin, Wentz’s horrible playing throughout the season disappointed him and left him in shock. “(The most disappointing part of the season is) 100% Carson Wentz. I mean you were talking about a guy who was going to win the MVP in 2017 if he didn’t get injured.” Said Susanin.

“And to see him go from that level to the level he’s at now, it’s honestly shocking and really disappointing.”

After many weeks of Wentz underperforming, Eagles head coach Doug Peterson finally decided to put rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts in the starting position. Hurts played incredibly in his first start against the New Orleans Saints and was able to lead the Eagles to a win. This puts Wentz’s spot on the Eagles in jeopardy. Freshman Ryan Hughes predicts that Hurts will remain as starting quarterback while Wentz will get dealt to the Indianapolis Colts during the offseason. Hughes believes this trade would most likely be one-sided, as Wentz has a massive contract.

“I think they’ll try to trade (Wentz). Indianapolis will probably want to take him. I don’t

think (the Eagles will) get much in return for him because it’s a lot of money,” Hughes said.

Susanin believes that the Eagles have made many mistakes that have been detrimental to the team. Susanin speculates that some of the main errors the Eagles made recently were bad coaching and terrible draft decisions.

“I think there are a lot of things going wrong. Player evaluations in the draft have been terrible for so long, coaching has been average at best and play-calling has been iffy. It all just comes down to not having the players and staff that you would hope they have, and it’s not going to be an easy fix.

That’s the problem,” Susanin said. “It’s going to take some time to get the team to where it should be.”

But who is to blame for all of these mistakes? For Susanin, it is Eagle’s general manager Howie Roseman and Peterson.

“Howie Roseman’s never been a good drafter. I’m not on the fire Howie train, I’m more on the repositioning of him in which he doesn’t have anything to do with player evaluation.”

Susanin said.

For Burgo, it isn’t one person that should be on the scapegoat.

Courtesy Benner Miller

Courtesy Ryan Hughes

Stacking up the losses: Freshman Ryan Hughes watches the Eagles team in the NFC East.

She believes the entire team er.” Burgo said. should take responsibility The Eagles will now have “I think it’s everyone (that roughly eight months to preshould take the blame) be- pare for the start of the next cause you can’t just put blame NFL season as they did not on one person. There’s no “I” make the playoffs. Susanin bein team. It’s the whole team lieves the Eagles need to make that’s not working well togeth- many changes during this pe-

in disapointment. The Eagles lost yet another game and are the worst riod. One of these changes is to get a new head in the front office immediately.

“The main priority I think should be getting a new front office head in quickly. This shouldn’t be something that should be debated over for a

long time. It should be done within the first two or three weeks of the offseason. Just get it done quickly, get a plan going for what you want to do and then you can be a viable contender in the NFC East next year.”

A family legacy: ’Stoga parent coaches daughter through high jump journey Julia Harris Staff Reporter For high jumpers, everyone, even the first place finisher, ends their event with three failures. Whenever a jumper clears the bar during a competition, it is raised up until they fail three consecutive times. That’s a fact Conestoga high jump coach Paul Lavallee constantly reminds all of his athletes, including his daughter Kristen Lavallee, an eleventh grader at Conestoga.

“I always tell the kids: even the person that wins the gold medal at the Olympics finishes their day with three failures.

It’s a little bit like baseball. If you strike out two times out of three in baseball, you are considered a good hitter, and in high jump, if you knock the crossbar off two out of three times, you’re still considered a good high jumper because that means you cleared it your third attempt.”

Paul Lavallee began competing in track and field in third grade. Winning his first high jump event in elementary school encouraged him to continue with the sport, all the way through high school and into college.

In the spring of 2019, Conestoga’s track and field team needed a new pole vault coach. Excited about the opportunity, Paul Lavallee took the job. In winter 2020, he was asked to switch to high jump for the indoor track season.

He has been coaching high

Courtesy Amy Billman

High jump competition: Junior Kristen Lavallee competes in high jump at Urinus College for the Urinus High School Invitational. The meet took place during the indoor track season of Winter 2020.

jump for around a year.

“I like the kind of acrobatic part of (high jumping),” Paul Lavallee said. “It’s a lot of power and agility and coordination. I also like the feeling when you clear the bar and you land in the pit. It’s kind of hard to describe, but it’s a really satisfying feeling when you clear the height.”

Some may think having your dad as your coach wouldn’t be ideal, but Kristen Lavallee doesn’t mind. Although it can be difficult at times, she appreciates the personal connection and its benefits.

“Starting off, I didn’t necessarily like it, but I think over the years, I really love him being

my coach,” Kristen Lavallee said.

“I feel like he pushes me harder than other coaches might, so that’s made me a better jumper.”

Growing up outside of Baltimore, Paul Lavallee didn’t grow up with a formal youth track program. However, he looked forward to an annual competition at his elemen-

tary school organized by his school’s gym teacher, a former track and field coach. When he moved to the Tredyffrin/ Easttown area, he found out about the CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) youth track league, which includes kindergarteners through eighth graders.

Kristen Lavallee, eager to participate in the high jump event, joined the league in fourth grade. Due to his love of the sport, Paul Lavallee was also eager to take part in the organization, coaching multiple events.

Kristen Lavallee’s most memorable high jump mo-

ment occurred in eighth grade during her last year of CYO, when she placed second in the Archdiocese Championship at the University of Pennsylvania Stadium.

“That’s where the Penn relays are, and I feel like that’s just such an amazing place to run, and do track meets, so it’s really stressful but it’s also really cool,” Kristen Lavellee said.

Both Kristen and Paul Lavallee agree that anyone with the right determination and mindset could be a successful high jumper, and they encourage those interested in the sport to try it out (though jumping into the pit right away is discouraged). They suggest starting with video tutorials or talking to an experienced high jumper to learn more.

“I would say the qualities of a good high jumper are short memory and persistence,” Paul Lavallee said.

“I say that because a lot of the time you’re knocked off the crossbar and it can be really frustrating. But you have to get over that, because in a couple of minutes you’re going to have your second or third attempt at that height.”

These qualities, among others, are what make Kristen Lavallee so successful at high jump. Another contributing factor is her love for the sport.

“I feel like it’s a lot different than a lot of the other events and it just takes so much work and consistency,” she said. “It’s just so fun. I really love it.”

Intrasquad meets: Track looks to continue racing opportunities

Hiba Samdani/The SPOKE

Practice makes perfect: Charlie Miller runs in preparation for the upcoming track season. Runners have been practicing independently to continue improving in the pandemic environment

Abby Bagby Staff Reporter

The winter track team looks to implement intrasquad meets into this year’s season, as they have been a staple of the program in the past.

Intrasquad meets, in which athletes on the same team compete against each other, provide competition for those who don’t get the chance to race of-

ten against other schools. With about 100 runners on the roster, these meets are an important way of offering performance opportunities to all athletes on the winter track team. Head coach Mark Carberry wants to continue the meets in the 2021 season and believes that they would be familiar to returning runners despite the safety modifications that would be in place.

“My hopes are that I will be able to continue (intrasquad meets) into this year and this weird season that we’re going to undertake pretty soon,” Carberry said. “My hope is that it’s not gonna be all that awkward for them because they were already pretty accustomed to doing it last year.”

While coaches are looking into ways to host intrasquad meets, they are aware that the

events will have to be significantly adapted to comply with COVID-19 regulations, according to Carberry.

“As much as you’re going to try and emulate exactly what you’ve done in the past, there’s no way you can really do that.

For example, you can’t hold relay events currently because of any potential transmission,” Carberry said. “It’s a decision that my coaching staff and I will have to make.”

Senior Charlie Miller, a member of the varsity team, is looking forward to the possibility of intrasquad meets and the racing opportunities that would come with them. “(Intrasquad meets give) a lot of other kids who don’t really get to race that often the chance to race, and it’s a pretty fun environment as well,” Miller said.

With runners spaced apart leaving as little chance for contact and/or transmission as possible, Miller believes that intrasquad meets would be a very safe option for the runners.

“We definitely do a good job at maintaining social distance and not getting too close, and wearing masks all the time, so I think it is safe, especially in an outdoor environment,” Miller said.

In previous years, the meets have been relatively informal compared to official interscholastic races, with athletes com-

peting against fellow teammates rather than strangers.

Miller enjoys the ability to run alongside friends.

“It’s not a very serious competitive environment compared to a regular race against other schools because we already know each other,” Miller said. “We’re a little bit competitive but also it’s on the fun side as well, so it’s a combination of both.”

Runners such as senior Katie Sung have been time tri-

aling on their own in preparation for the season. Sung has been running for the track team since her freshman year and is also hoping to have the chance to race for her final season at ’Stoga.

“My goals for the new year are to hopefully get a couple racing opportunities to hit new (personal records). If not possible, I’d like to continue improving on my independent time trials,” Sung said. “(The team has) followed Coach

Mark’s detailed plan and I am excited that we are all doing so well.”

Although track competitions are uncertain, Carberry wants his athletes to remain optimistic throughout their training.

“If (the athletes are) gonna take anything away from it, it is patience,” Carberry said. “Just be patient with the process. It’s gonna be weird, and it’s weird for everybody, so let’s just all figure it out to-

Sports

Monday, January 25, 2021

11

Teachers and teammates: ’Stoga staff recall school sports stories Michael Tierney Staff Reporter

Against an undefeated rival in a memorable game, PE teacher James Moran recalls when his high school baseball team pulled off an unbelievable upset. “(The rival team) got off the bus carrying a boombox on their shoulders and thought they were going to dominate us. And I remember looking at my teammates and saying, ‘we’re not going to let this happen, we’re not going to let this team come out all macho and destroy us,’” Moran said. “(Beating them) was probably the greatest feeling I’ve ever had with baseball. They were all in tears getting back on the bus and I was like, that’s why we play baseball.”

While Conestoga teachers are known for their academic excellence, several teachers such as Moran also excelled in athletics during their high school and college years. Some were team captains, All-Americans and award winners, and are now current Conestoga coaches.

Moran hit baseballs off a tee at his house every day in high school and was captain of the baseball team in his senior year at Haverford High School. PE and health teacher Mark Tirone swam yearround for his high school team, which he captained his senior year.

In addition, English teacher Karen Gately, who played lacrosse and field hockey, went to camps in the summer and participated in sports clinics. These teachers worked very hard at their sports throughout high school, but college brought new challenges.

Although college lacrosse and field hockey were a big step up from high school, Gately adjusted and received all-conference awards and All-American recognition in lacrosse in her senior year at Shippensburg University. Gately was also captain of both her field hockey and lacrosse teams at Shippensburg.

“My coach put a lot of responsibility on the captains’ shoulders and some things were not always popular with my teammates,” Gately said. “However, being a captain was an honor.”

Similar to Gately, Tirone found college athletics a significant transition from high school.

“In college you must have self-discipline and motivation. You don’t have anyone waking you up to go to practice in the morning, you must maintain grades, because professors don’t send notices about grades or missing work, and you are responsible for eating a balanced diet as well as getting adequate sleep,” Tirone said.

Tirone picked an alternate college path, choosing to join the military for eight years before going to West Chester University. He wasn’t considering rejoining competitive swimming until he ran into a swimmer on campus.

“In college, I walked on (the swim team). I was a non-traditional student, meaning I went to college after being in the military rather than most that attend college right out of high school. I had eight years off from competitive swimming, but I was swimming as part of my triathlon training and was also lifeguarding at the beach. I met a swimmer on campus, and he asked

Courtesy James Moran

Captain to coach: PE teacher and coach James Moran strategizes with the Spring 2020 junior varsity baseball team at D’Ambrosia Park. Moran was the captain of his high school baseball team in his senior year, and played the sport for Penn State Altoona through college. if I had any interest in joining the Division II or III prospect which deciding on Division III at Penn school where you’re going to play ships are when you do anything I was fine with. I started talking to State Altoona because I knew that I every inning?” in life. Everything boils down to team, and I did,” Tirone said.

In contrast, Moran was imme- coaches and I would go to showcase could transfer to main campus and These three teachers also what your relationships are in diately sure he wanted to continue clinics, and they would evaluate me get my major with health and Phys learned several valuable life lessons any venture. So much of what I playing baseball as a college student. and give me feedback. I was trying Ed and also play baseball,” Moran during their times as student ath- do as a teacher relies on the re“I knew I could play in college, to identify if I wanted to actually go said. “Don’t let the label ‘Division letes, some of which Gately applies lationships I have with my students. Trust and respect are keys but I was told by a few coaches it to certain schools or if I just wanted I’ highlight your decision. Would to her career as a teacher. would be challenging for me to to play baseball there because they you rather go Division I and sit on “(From being a student athlete,) to making anything work in this play Division I, so I was more of a were giving me an offer. I ended up the bench or go Division III at a I learned how important relation- world,” Gately said.

WINTER ATHLETES’ SPORTS GOALS

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Story and graphic by Akshita Joshi

ELLIE LUTZ Isa Thompson

GRADE: 9 SPORT: Ice hockey SPORTS GOALS: Find more time on the rink and get more practicing time in ADDITIONAL GOALS: Find more motivation for school and learn something new and get good at it

“This year I want to be mentally stronger than last year and hopefully the hard work in my swim practices will help me do that. I am always pushed to become a stronger and better swimmer from my friends, family, and competition from other teams.”

MITCH BAKER

katie sung

GRADE: 11 SPORT: Swimming SPORTS GOALS: Make PIAA states if there is a competition and improve times ADDITIONAL GOALS: Keep all grades above a 90 and have more motivation

GRADE: 11 SPORT: Wrestling SPORTS GOALS: Qualify for wrestling competitions if any and talk to coaches about collegiate level wrestling ADDITIONAL GOALS: Getting a high SAT score and visiting church more frequently

“I’ve always been a very competitive person, so the thought of being the best always pushes me to work harder and achieve the goals. I always feel more inclined to reach my goals when I think about what life would be like without them.”

“I love the difficulty of my sport, which is trying to keep the puck. I’ve always enjoyed the difficult parts of every sport that I’ve played and still play because it brings challenge and it teaches me how to play better every game.”

“To reach my goals this year I remind myself of the fact that I know, in my own mind, that there is more yet to be done and accomplished which drives me to practice harder and dedicate myself more to the sport.”

GRADE: 11 SPORT: Basketball SPORTS GOALS: Qualify for districts and score more points each game than last year ADDITIONAL GOALS: Limit screen time on phone and stay active in case winter season is delayed further

GRADE: 12 SPORT: Track and field SPORTS GOALS: Improve independent time trials and earn some racing opportunities this season ADDITIONAL GOALS: Finish the year with good grades and have a succesful first semester at college

Noel park

mARISA WELLS

“I’m pushed to reach my goals just because I’ve put so much time and effort in that it only makes sense that I’d try hard to finish the year well. But I hope the new year brings some heightened motivation to finish out the winter and spring season strong.”

SPORTS

The SPOKE

Commitment Corner Page 10

Father and daughter share love of high jump Page 10

Graphic: Student athlete goals for 2021 Page 11

Monday, January 25, 2021

Teachers reflect on school sports experiences Page 11

Courtesy Elizabeth Billman

No pandemic parades: Crowds of cheering people pack closely together in Philadelphia to celebrate the Eagles’ victory in the 2018 Super Bowl. This year, COVID-19 raised the question if such a large, social event can occur safely.

OPINION: It’s TIme for the super bowl to be virtual Andrew Franceski Staff Reporter

The crunch of players hitting each other, cheers from a massive crowd and expensive but cheesy commercials accompany the biggest day in American sports: the Super Bowl. This year, it is time to change the way we celebrate Super Bowl week.

The 2021 Super Bowl is being held at Raymond James stadium in Tampa, Fla. and the NFL has recently announced that fans will be allowed to attend at a limited capacity. This is disastrous for a few reasons, but foremost is the health of the workers and those attending. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he will allow 5,000 fans to be present and require a full staff to be working, bring-

ing the stadium total to around 8,000 people.

A gathering of this size goes against the CDC’s recommendations and creates extreme risk for a super spreader event, especially with concession stands operating during the game.

DeSantis has thankfully mandated masks, except for while eating and drinking, but anyone who has been to a professional sports game knows food and drink are an integral part of the experience and something that will put many at risk while others eat around them.

The allowance of fans also sends a dangerous message to the viewers. According to a study done by Pew Research, 25% of Americans believe COVID-19 is either a hoax or wildly blown out of proportion.

Advertising fans in a stadium at the single most watched televised event in America sends a message: the NFL does not believe in the restrictions we are under for our own safety.

The argument has been made that the Super Bowl won’t feel the same without fans, but this holds no water. Millions of Americans watch from home each year while only 50,000 are able to attend the game. What we all miss is going to parties, and seeing people, but that is not an excuse to endanger people’s lives to make one day feel more “normal”. Americans will still watch the game, still laugh at the bad commercials, and still take Monday off like every other year, the only difference is we wouldn’t see fans at the stadium cheering with them.

The NFL also has another weapon in their arsenal of entertainment: cartoons. During Wild Card Weekend, the NFL aired one game on Nickelodeon, with fake slime, cartoons, and Young Sheldon. This was the most watched game of this season, and incorporation of similar ideas could add an exciting new dimension, and demographic to the biggest game of the year.

The NFL also needs to disallow the winning team to have a parade. Up to this point, the NFL has said it will leave the decision to have a parade to the winning city.

Five potential playoff teams have already said they would hold parades, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins have said they

would like to have a normal parade if possible.

The championship parade would be a super spreader on a scale we have not seen to date and would endanger the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. NFL parades typically have throngs of fans in attendance squeezed tightly together for hours on end, the perfect conditions for a massive outbreak of COVID-19. The NFL’s unwillingness to stop its teams from participating is going to put many people at significant risk.

The year has been terrible, and sports have been one of the few bright spots, but it is time for the NFL to step in and make the Super Bowl and related activities virtual to protect all of us. We are close to the end; it isn’t worth it.

NFL: do your job.

Three week time-out: students react to Gov. Wolf’s sports shutdown Alexis Costas Sports Editor

Andrew Fessick/The SPOKE

COVID-19 cautions: Hand sanitizer stations and “wear a mask” signs are located in the large gym to remind athletes to stay safe. Like last season, all players and coaches playing indoors will be required to wear masks and complete daily health screenings.

Thousands of student athletes across Pennsylvania were barred from participating in organized sports following Gov. Tom Wolf ’s call for a three-week ban of all youth and high school athletic activities on Dec. 10.

The ban, which lasted from Dec. 12 to Jan. 4, was put into place in an effort to keep residents safe in the face of Pennsylvania’s rising COVID-19 cases, especially in consideration of the holiday season.

In-person dining, gyms and fitness facilities, theaters and indoor gatherings of 10 or more people were also prohibited for the three-week period. This decision was announced the same day as the state’s highest daily count of confirmed cases yet, with a record-breaking 12,788 positive test results.

According to an official press release, the governor enacted the bans with three main goals in mind: to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the commonwealth, to prevent healthcare staff from being overworked, and to help Pennsylvanians navigate the holiday season safely.

“This (decision) is a bridge to a better future in Pennsylvania,” Wolf said in a statement on his official website.

For most students, the ban was predictable but upsetting nonetheless. Sophomore Jake Allred, who played varsity football in the fall and plans

to wrestle for ’Stoga this coming season, believes the ban on school sports wasn’t needed considering the safety precautions put into place by the athletics department and the Central League.

“I’m not going to say I was surprised (by the ban), but I was definitely disappointed.

I was really looking forward to getting started with winter sports as early as possible and with football, I don’t think we had any cases on our team.

We took proper precautions, and I think when you take the proper precautions, you can play sports smoothly. It’s not always easy, but it’s possible,” Allred said.

These safety precautions referenced include daily health screenings as well as strictly limited spectators at games and practices. Face shields were attached to players’ helmets specifically for football, in consideration of the sport’s close-contact nature.

Freshman volleyball player Bella Gillis also credits the league’s safety precautions and their effectiveness in keeping student athletes protected.

“I felt safe while playing, it honestly couldn’t have been any safer. We got asked questions, took our temperatures every day, wore masks…it was definitely the best we could do, and I definitely felt safe,” Gillis said.

In accordance with league safety precautions regarding indoor sports, Gillis and her teammates were required to wear masks at all times while

playing and to stay socially distanced whenever possible.

Gillis was also upset by the ban’s effect on youth sport programs separate from school, which caused the temporary closure of her club volleyball organization.

“I love volleyball, and I really wanted to keep playing, but it wasn’t considered safe. I had to take a month off, and it was definitely a boring month because I didn’t want to get out of the house anymore, and I felt like I couldn’t see my friends anymore. It was really dull,” Gillis said.

While ’Stoga teams were able to complete their scheduled fall seasons before the sports shutdown began, the ban forced a delay of the 20202021 winter sports season, which was planned to commence on Dec. 14. Ice hockey, basketball, indoor track, swim/dive, wrestling and varsity cheerleading schedules have all been restructured as a result.

The fact that Wolf ’s decision did not impact professional or collegiate sports has been a major point of controversy among critics of the policy, with many arguing that the experience and enjoyment student athletes get out of playing is just as important as that of older players and the profits professional sports produce.

Allred believes that for some students, sports are imperative to a positive and enriching high school experience, particularly during the turbulence COVID-19 has brought.

“I can’t speak for everyone but personally, I believe (sports) are super important.

I know some kids basically depend on school sports to get through the year, it’s what they prioritize and it’s what they look forward to after school. This is a gateway to college for lots of people and when their seasons are ended early or cut short, scouting gets difficult and stressful.

If other organizations have a way to play sports, I think our schools can too,” Allred said.

Gillis agrees, provided the school continues to operate sports with the level of caution seen during the fall season. “(Whether or not) we should reopen sports, that depends, but I think we can.

In fall it was mostly outdoor sports, and for winter we’ll have a lot of teams playing and practicing in the same gym. That one gym affects everything if we aren’t being careful. But I think it’s safe for school sports to reopen, because we’ve been very careful and I know that we’re serious about keeping people safe,” Gillis said.

On Jan. 5, the school board approved the commencement of the 2021 winter sports season starting Jan. 9. The Central League has scheduled its first competitions for Jan. 22 and will be strictly enforcing the safety protocols and spectator limits used in the fall while monitoring state health department recommendations to keep athletes and coaches as safe as possible.