The Spoke October 2017

GOT CAFFEINE? Student coffee habits revealed

See pages 6 and 7.

From Tabloid to Broadsheet The New Look of The

See page 8.

THE Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA

Volume 68 No. 1

October 10, 2017

Spoke.news

CONTRACT STANDSTILL Board and teachers enter fact-finding

By Betty Ben Dor & Audrey Kim Co-Editor-in-Chief & Opinion Editor

W

e are! T/E!” Over 300 assembled teachers chant in unison, waving signs with phrases such as “T/E Teachers Help Make Top Ranked Schools” and “Why is it Taking So Long to Negotiate A New Contract?”

“We are! Worth it!”

The noise builds as more teachers pour in from the parking lot, all in matching white t-shirts bearing the slogan: TEEA, A Proven Investment. They line up in front of the school and across the road, chatting with colleagues from across the district’s eight schools and cheering on passing community members going into Conestoga High School.

They are silent as they file into the auditorium, two by two. The mass of whiteclad teachers sits still, waiting for the start of the Sept. 25 school board meeting.

In this moment, they are united in their goal: a fair contract.

Since January of last year, the Tredyffrin-Easttown Education Association (TEEA) and the Tredyffrin-Easttown School District (TESD) have been negotiating the terms of a new contract. TEEA represents more than 425 teachers, nurses and counselors from across the district. The previous contract expired on June 30, 2017.

Negotiations with the teachers’ union have been conducted through lawyers.

Deb Willig of the Law Offices of Willig, Williams & Davidson is representing TEEA and Jeffrey Sultanik of Fox Rothschild has been hired by the district. Both declined The Spoke’s request for comment.

According to TEEA President and Conestoga High School physics teacher Dr. Robert Desipio, the board and the union have never met in-person for the negotiations. Instead, the union negotiations team and Willig have been meeting with Sultanik.

When asked how many times the board and TEEA have met in person, School Board President Doug Carlson

Betty Ben Dor/The SPOKE

White Out: Teachers from across the district gather for the Sept. 25 regular school board meeting to demand a fair contract. The teachers’ contract expired on July 1, 2017. said that since the start of the negotiations, both parties have been “regularly exchanging ideas and proposals.”

“Sometimes (the negotiations) took the form of in-person meetings between representatives. Other times there were electronic exchanges and phone calls or other discussions. Since both parties agreed to move forward with fact finding at the end of August, both parties have been devoting their efforts to the fact finding process,” Carlson said.

In Desipio’s open letter on the negotiations, which was posted on TEEA’s official webpage, he said that the teachers’ union

is asking for a fair contract that will reflect their dedication to the district.

After the recession of 2008 weakened the economy, Desipio said in his letter that the teachers agreed to break the contract that was in place, accepting a half year salary freeze and giving back one million dollars to the district. He said that the teachers further accepted a total salary freeze from 2012 to 2014 and reduced the quality of their medical benefits, ultimately saving the district roughly $14 million dollars.

“We have continued to give back financially while continuing to provide one

of the best, if not the best, kindergarten through twelfth grade educations anywhere in the country,” Desipio said in his letter. “It is a shame that people who give so much of themselves, have provided so much value to this community, and have given back to the tune of 14 million dollars, are continuing to be asked to subsidize their own raises. The TEEA teachers deserve a fair contract.”

According to Conestoga social studies teacher, chair of TEEA’s legislative/PACE committee and previous TEEA president Debra Ciamacca, to the teachers, “fair” is

Political prowess: Alumnus runs for state office

continued on page 3

Recent hurricanes devastate millions, local community responds Brooke Deasy & Maddie Lamonica

News Editor & Business Manager

Betty Ben Dor

Co-Editor-in-Chief For Conestoga Class of 2005 alumnus Chris Hurst, politics has never been part of the plan.

Graduating from Emerson College with a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism, Hurst has spent the past decade as a reporter, working most recently as an evening anchor for WDBJ7 Roanoke in Virginia.

All of this changed, however, in August 2015, when his girlfriend, a morning reporter for the same station, was fatally shot on live TV. “He just saw that this is a turning point in his life,” said Conestoga social studies teacher Debra Ciamacca, who had Hurst in World Cultures when he was a freshman and in AP Government his senior year. “What I try to preach to students is when you see things that are wrong, and you think they’re wrong, you should take action.”

Now, Hurst has decided to take action. He is currently running for Virginia’s House of Delegates to represent the 12th District, advocating strongly against gun violence.

“I was inspired (to run for office) from the work I did as a journalist in television in the Roanoke area, listening to families and advocating for them on issues that really affected their day to day lives,” Hurst said. “I was trying to figure out how I

defined as “fair to the community and to the teachers.”

“I think the reason you see the teachers feel so upset about the fact that we have not had good negotiations so far, is that when times were tough, back in 2008, 2010, 2012, the teachers feel like they gave back,” Ciamacca said. “A lot of teachers feel that their blood, sweat and tears went into giving that up, and that was not recognized by either the community or the school board.”

Courtesy Chris Hurst

Pioneer on the trail: Class of 2005 alumnus Chris Hurst is running for state representative for Virgina’s 12th district. He had been working as a journalist for the past decade before deciding to run for office. could stay in Southwest Virginia and still give back to a community that gave me so much strength and support when I needed it the most.”

Hurst is also running on a platform of improving the status of education in Virginia schools. He said that the amount of options and resources available to students in the Tredyffrin-Easttown School District greatly shaped his desire to fight for better funding for schools across Virginia.

“I really am amazed at, because I’ve lived in all four corners of the country, how profound of an impact my education in the Tredyffrin-Easttown School District had,” Hurst said. “It’s critical

that we in Virginia invest more in our public education system.”

While at Conestoga, Hurst appeared on Good Morning ’Stoga and ran his own game show and talk show. He credits his successful career in broadcast journalism with the experiences and opportunities that he had at TETV. He was also active in the school musicals and the concert choir.

Hurst did a video call with Ciamacca’s AP Government class in the morning on Oct. 2.

He said that he hopes to impress upon the students that Conestoga students are “doers.”

“We are people who go out and change the world and that

needs to be the continued legacy of anybody who graduates as a Pioneer,” Hurst said.

Ciamacca said she hopes students will look at him as an example of someone who “saw something wrong and tried to right it.”

“I firmly still believe that one person can make a difference and I think he’s making a difference. He’s really changed the conversation in that part of Virginia,” Ciamacca said. “I’m just proud of the fact that someone’s willing to see something wrong and take action.”

Hurst will face off against Republican incumbent Joseph Yost on Nov. 7.

“Everything that people owned just floated away. When the water receded, it was just whatever was left.”

Brooke Hauer, a librarian at Conestoga, lived in New Orleans when the costliest natural disaster in United States’ history – Hurricane Katrina – tore through the southeast. When she returned home after twoweeks of evacuation, there was fuzzy green and black mold clinging to her walls, furniture and clothes, forming rings on her mattress. According to Hauer, the destruction of the storm varied on a street by street basis.

Although her house remained where she left it, others replaced cars on the streets that in turn repositioned to the top of collapsing roofs. Within the past weeks, America has been struck by disaster yet again, as Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria have proven.

The most recent of these storms, Jose and Maria, struck the Caribbean, particularly the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.

Tredyffrin-Easttown School District (TESD) Curriculum Supervisor, Dr. Oscar Torres, was born in the small mountainous town of Orocovis located in the center of Puerto Rico. Many of his relatives still live there today, including his parents. After Hurricane Maria destroyed the area, Torres attempted to contact his family, but due to their loss of electricity, was unable to reach

them for two weeks. Luckily, no one in his family was harmed, but their family farm was destroyed by a mudslide, and they faced other obstacles created by the storm.

In an effort to help his family and others overcome the harsh impacts of the hurricane, Torres and his siblings intend on taking turns visiting Puerto Rico in the near future.

“People are staying positive, therefore we should stay positive too,” Torres said. “We decided that since we have the means to get there, we are going to try to get resources to the people who need them.”

Just before Hurricanes Maria and Jose hit the Atlantic, Hurricane Irma ripped through Cuba and much of the Caribbean as a Category 5 storm before reaching Florida’s eastern coast as a downgraded Category 3 storm.

Conestoga Class of 2016 alumna Bonnie Stright returned to the University of Miami just two weeks before Irma hit to start her sophomore year.

When she first heard news of the storm her initial reaction was excitement.

“I had a lot of homework due that week and hoped classes would be canceled. Everyone initially assumed it would end up like Hurricane Matthew and not actually be a big deal for Miami,” Stright said. “It took about a day or so for most people to realize the severity of the situation and start making plans and taking precautions. Once it hit us how real the hurricane was we were really scared.” continued on page 2

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Recent hurricanes devastate millions, local community responds continued from page 1 Unlike some of her roommates, Stright was able to purchase a last minute flight and return home to Berwyn just before the hurricane arrived.

“I chose to evacuate just for a sense of security that if nothing happened, I got to spend a weekend at home and if something bad did happen, I wasn’t there for it,” Stright said.

Fortunately, Miami was not hit as hard as the forecasts had anticipated. However, thousands of Floridians still lost power and suffered from flooding. Classes at the University of Miami were canceled for two and a half weeks on account of the storm.

Upon returning and seeing Irma’s shocking effects, Stright was astounded to see her beloved city in shambles.

“It was super bizarre. I had read every article and watched every newscast about Irma but actually seeing it in person was very different,” Stright said. “A lot of street signs and lampposts were down and a lot of traffic signals are still out. There are trees and debris everywhere.”

The first of September’s four storms to strike, Hurricane Harvey, hit the Texas coast on Aug. 25 and continued to sweep through much of the southern United States through Sept. 3, devastating Texas, particularly the city of Houston. The vicious storm destroyed countless homes and displaced thousands of Texans, rendering it the most destructive hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. since Wilma in 2005.

Yan Dang and her family moved from TESD to Houston in 2013 just after her oldest son, Kevin, graduated from Devon Elementary School. Severe weather was something they had seen before but nothing like Hurricane Harvey.

“We had two or three severe storms with flood warnings early this year, but nothing happened.

So we thought Harvey may be like that – nothing serious,” Dang said.

Courtesy Bonnie Stright

Stormy aftermath (top): The citizens of Florida continue to clean up from the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

In early September, the storm ripped through the area, tearing down trees , such as the one above, where only a stump remains.

Distant disaster (left): TESD Curriculum Supervisor Dr. Oscar Torres points to his hometown on a map. His family’s farm was destroyed

by Hurricane Maria.

Neil Goldenthal/The SPOKE

The city never issued an evacuation order so Dang and many of her neighbors stayed in Houston during the storm.

“I was woken up by a friend’s phone call on Sunday morning

around 5 a.m. She told me the water got into her house, about waist high. I looked out the window and found the water had covered our front yard and was close to the front door,” Dang said. “Then

I bagged several old clothes and put them outside at both the front door and back door to try to block the water.”

Despite these efforts, Dang, along with the majority of Hous-

tonians, received upwards of five inches of water in her house, ultimately ruining her floors and furniture. However, after the storm had passed, Dang was amazed at the sense of camaraderie she felt within her community.

“The disaster brought people together,” Dang said. “My friend and her neighbors were invited to a neighbor’s house and stayed there until the water was gone. People who had boats or kayaks organized rescue teams for those in the flooded houses. They would transport them to a safer place or shelter.”

Having lived through Hurricane Katrina, Hauer has also experienced just how devastating one storm can be.

“The most difficult thing is how the storm will affect each person differently,” Hauer said.

“The effects are long lasting, not only the resources that are destroyed but the emotional impact: it’s life changing.”

Though Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria were very different storms, they were all able to strengthen the country’s sense of community. In the weeks following the storms, millions of dollars in donations were given to organizations that seek to aid those affected by these natural disasters.

Similar efforts have been made within Conestoga. Peer Mediation, for example, hosted a “Hearts for Harvey” drive which raised nearly $300 for Harvey victims.

Stright hopes that those in TESD stay vigilant and informed about the disastrous effects of these hurricanes and are willing to help those in need, even through small contributions.

“People lose everything and have to completely rebuild their lives from absolutely nothing.

Some even lose family members to the hurricane. Those in Houston, the Caribbean, Cuba, the Florida Keys, Puerto Rico, and others had their entire lives uprooted and now don’t know where to start,” Stright said. “Being over a thousand miles away can make it easy to ignore the devastation that hurricanes leave on communities.

I hope those in Tredyffrin who are able to donate money and supplies do so.”

Torres did not allow the 1,706 miles between Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico stop him from contributing to the Maria relief efforts. As a result of his involvement with providing aid, Torres has realized the heart-warming communal conviviality that follows a natural disaster.

“What I have learned is people are resilient and aren’t going to give up. Almost any disaster is going to unify the resiliency in people, unifying those who are going to try and do something to make things better and to help each other,” Torres said. “So somebody might not have water, but that doesn’t matter.

They are still going to give some of their food away to make sure their neighbor is eating. People just end up doing what they have to do to take care of each other.”

Later school start time gains support Reagan Gerrity Staff Reporter

Neil Goldenthal/The SPOKE

Tight Turns: Student enrollment at Conestoga is currently at its highest, with 2,201 students populating the school. This has resulted in less available space in the hallways and classrooms.

Student population reaches all-time high Ananya Kulkarni Staff Reporter

With the bottlenecks in the hallways and packed classrooms, the recent increase in the student population at Conestoga is apparent. Student enrollment peaked this year at an all-time high of 2,201 students. However, this year’s freshmen class is not as large as the one from last year. The current sopho-

Keystones up for elimination Sanjana Sanghani Staff Reporter

On Sept. 15, the Tredyffrin-Easttown School District (TESD) announced that Pennsylvania’s Keystone exams, designed to test proficiency in Algebra I, Biology and American Literature, may be eliminated. This statement was in response to the introduction of Senate Bill 756 this past Spring by Pennsylvania’s state legislature to eradicate the exams. TESD has vocally opposed the tests since 2008, and plans to eliminate them if the bill is passed.

more class remains the largest with 568 students.

According to a district demographic report done by Sundance Associates in May 2017, the enrollment numbers at Conestoga are projected to increase by 8.8 percent in the next five years. There is additional data from the report that suggests that school enrollment will peak at 2,400 in 2023.

Both students and staff members have noted the changes brought about

by the variation in enrollment numbers, including senior Katy Bondi and language teacher Ann Karcewski.

“I would definitely say that in the past few years (the school) has been a lot busier,” Bondi said.

Karcewski observed that last year her average classroom size was 22 students, and this year, it has risen to an average of 28 students. This increase has affected the way that she conducts daily lessons, as well as her ability to communicate individually with those in the class.

“As a language teacher, there is definitely an impact on the teaching style,” Karcewski said. “There is less individual attention I can give out and this is negative in the sense that there is less interaction (with the students).

State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19, and 46 of his fellow senators support the withdrawal of the Keystones as a graduation requirement. Dinniman advocates for a proposal that would replace the Keystones with the SAT. “Using the SAT — a test that many high school students already take — in place of the Keystones is a viable and feasible option that will not only reduce testing-taking and test-prep time and save significant taxpayer funds, but it also already has wide bipartisan support in the legislature,” Dinniman said.

The state mandates that in order for students to graduate high school, they must pass the Keystone at the proficient or advanced level. If the student fails, he or she is required to take a remediation course.

Students enrolled in Academic, Accelerated, Honors and

Advanced Placement (AP) level classes take the same Keystone exam. Jacqueline Gontarek, a biology teacher, believes this system is unfair.

“I think that the teachers can give a better diagnostic because we know what we’ve taught,” Gontarek said. “The test questions on the Keystone are a little vague, and I think it would be better for different levels to receive different versions and for (accelerated-level) students to receive a set of different questions than what the higher level students do.”

In his sophomore year, senior Jack Duffy was enrolled in accelerated Algebra I and accelerated American Literature. However, Duffy believes that course level should not significantly influence Keystone performance.

“I don’t think the level of difficulty impacts your score because

However, it is good because I can create more group oriented lessons.”

There are other factors that indicate the school is slowly reaching its capacity. This year the school sold 50 more parking spaces as compared to last year. In light of this issue, a long-term study is being conducted through the facilities committee to decide if and what changes must be implemented.

Despite the population spike, however, Dr. Amy Meisinger is confident that the school provides adequate space and resources for all students.

“We are continuing to program for all the students in the building,” Meisinger said. “We are able to provide space, classrooms and opportunities the same way that we have in the past.”

I think the teachers prepare students pretty well before the test,” Duffy said.

Gontarek asserts that it would be “awesome if they could get rid of the Keystones,” because adequate class time is “lost” in preparation for the exam. Also, Gontarek believes the school would save money if the Keystones are eliminated.

According to Principal Dr. Amy Meisinger, it is preferable to test students with the SAT rather than the Keystones in order to eliminate the repetition of course material.

“If you think about it, a biology student might take a final exam, a keystone exam and an SAT subject test for the course,” Meisinger said. “They could be tested many times on the same material, so to have the opportunity to eliminate the Keystones is beneficial.”

The Regional Adolescent Sleep Needs Coalition is unifying to advocate for and draw attention to later school start times. As a group of concerned parents and guardians from eight school districts, including Tredyffrin-Easttown (TESD), the RASNC’s goal is to educate the community about sleep needs, like turning off screens before bed, and including sleep education in health curriculum. But ideally, they would like to see districts shift times.

Unionsville-Chadds Ford School District, in Kennett Square, has made the change, pushing their start time back about 30 minutes to 8 a.m. T/E representative and RASNC member Karen Vadner is working to make this a prevalent issue in the district.

“The later start time is really a big emphasis (to the RASNC),” Vadner said. “Several of us have spoken at education committee meetings with the school board and at school board meetings and we have had some people write letters to the school board.”

According to Wendy Towle, the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, Staff Development and Planning at TESD, the district is aware that other schools in the area have been either studying or implementing a change in school start times, but such a change is currently not a district goal.

However, the district is keeping an eye on things: “We are monitoring the issue by continuing to attend informational sessions about sleep and start time research and communicating with those districts who have made a change,” Towle said.

David Earnest, a neuroscience and experimental therapeutics professor at Texas A&M University, explains that students who stay up late and get up early are

not getting the amount of sleep they need to function during school.

“You’re getting sleep deprived and probably shorting yourself as much (as) two to three hours of sleep per night,” Earnest said.

“That has an impact on cognitive function, impacting your alertness in school and your ability to perform academically on exams.”

Kyle Boyer, a candidate for the Tredyffrin-Easttown School Board, teacher at Valley Forge Middle School and Conestoga graduate, believes that a delayed start time needs to be studied. If elected, Boyer wants to be a leading figure in the push for change.

“Health and wellness are more than not getting colds. It’s social and emotional wellness as well,” Boyer said. “Our region is blessed with high-performing rigorous high schools, but the challenge is helping students achieve academically and still looking out for their overall well-being.”

Although a later start time will benefit students, health and fitness teacher Marci Mariani recognizes that challenges will arise if it is implemented.

“Biologically speaking, it would be ideal for high school students to start later, but in reality, there’s a domino effect,” Mariani said.

Mariani notes that with a delay in start times, schools participating in the Central League would have to match the new timing, as well as that students would be getting home even later after sports practices and games.

Regardless of such issues, Vadner firmly advocates for a time switch.

“I don’t think (later start times) needs to be a contentious issue,” Vadner said. “It’s just getting enough people to look at the research and realizing the importance of this both at the administration and school board level and within the community to garner the support for it.”

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Neil Goldenthal/The SPOKE

She said that the teachers also gave back furlough days in a previous negotiations process, meaning that they worked three days and did not receive pay. She also noted that many of the board members that were present during the economic crises are no longer serving and may not fully recognize everything the teachers did to help the district.

The district has created a Negotiations Update webpage to provide updates on the contract negotiations. An update was posted on Sept. 28 with answers to several Frequently Asked Questions about the process.

In response to why they are not using the fund balance to pay teachers, the district explained that “the lack of funds to support capital projects could lead to our schools receiving a lower level of maintenance, program cuts, and greater challenges to support fair wage increases.”

According to the Independent Auditor’s Report for TESD for the 2015-2016 school year, the district had a fund balance of $32.9 million.

A large part of the union’s argument lies on the district’s consistently high rankings.

According to Niche.com, TESD was ranked as the best school district in Pennsylvania and the second best district in the country for 2018. The district’s teachers were ranked first in Pennsylvania and third nationwide.

“Accolades of that magnitude and a number one ranking in the state are not only a reflection of the quality of education at the secondary level, but are also a testament to the dedication of the middle and elementary school teachers who prepare the students in their younger years,” Desipio said in his letter.

Speaking at the school board meeting on Sept. 25, TESD parent Kathleen Mascaro expressed concern that the teachers are not being fairly compensated for all the work that they do, especially given the district’s high rankings. When her son started kindergarten, he was not able to speak.

Now, because of everything his teachers have done, she said that he has become a “fully mainstream(ed) kid who doesn’t stop talking.”

“I truly believe from my own personal experience that the reason for (TESD’s high rankings) is because of the teachers. It’s the teachers that really make the difference and I believe they need to be compensated for what they’re doing,” Mascaro said.

In terms of teacher salaries,TESD was ranked 31st in the state for average teacher salary for 2015-2016, according to openpagov.org. The average salary for a teacher in TESD was $84,841 for the 2015-2016 school year.

Teachers in the district are paid according to a matrix system, where pay is determined based on the number of years spent teaching and the degree that the teacher has received.

According to the recently expired contract, the pay scale starts at $50,250 for teachers with a Bachelor’s degree and in their first year teaching in the district and maxes out at $111,900 for those who have been with the district for 16 years or more and have a PhD. Until the two sides reach a settlement for a new contract, the teachers will remain paid according to the previous one.

Although the average teacher salary in TESD is 31st statewide, the district pointed out on their negotiations updates webpage that hiring new employees places more staff on the lower end of the matrix, bringing down the average. Over the past six years, the district has hired 49 new professional faculty, largely in response to a seven percent enrollment increase over that time. The district also noted that if the school districts in the state were ranked according to the

maximum salary on each district’s scale, then T/E would be ranked eighth.

TEEA responded to the district’s FAQs on their own website, pointing out that only 10 out of over 500 teachers are actually receiving the maximum possible salary on the pay scale. The district also pointed out that because of the salary freezes in recent contracts, teachers are not actually advancing through the pay scale with each additional year of teaching. The current stalled negotiations also mean that teachers have essentially been frozen for another year, as they are still receiving the same pay as they did last year. Essentially, it will now take more than 16 years to get to the top of the salary schedule.

Another part of the issue in finalizing the contract stems from concerns over a potential increase in tax burden on TESD families.

Community member Alex Hartel said that while he believes the teachers do a great job, the district’s success does not come solely from them, but from the parents and students themselves as well. He urged the board to be both fair and fiscally responsible.

District resident Matthew McDonald likewise expressed concern that while he recognizes the importance of the teachers, he does not want funding to be pulled from any student programs to meet their demands.

“

Our mission is that we are committed to keep our message out there, which is, essentially, we deserve a fair contract.

Debra Ciamacca

“

continued from page 1

TEEA Legislative Committee Chair

“If we agree to something beyond our means, we have to make cuts elsewhere, and I don’t want my son to pay the price of a larger salary increase than we can afford,” McDonald said. “We want to be as generous as possible, but I don’t want programs cut back to make room for that.”

Because of limitations imposed by the Pennsylvania state legislature in Act 1 of 2006, the maximum tax increase for TESD for the 2018-2019 school year is 2.4% and the school board addressed this issue on their negotiations web page, saying that “the Board also recognizes that all tax increases have an impact on community members.”

In his speech to the school board at its regular meeting on Sept. 25, Desipio noted that the teachers are taxpayers as well.

“We must survive in the same very expensive world the district and T/E taxpayers survive in,” Desipio said. “All of the TEEA members you see (at the meeting) firmly believe that we have been and continue to be fair and reasonable to the District and Taxpayers of T/E.” TESD is not the only school district involved in ongoing contract negotiations.

The contract for Lower Merion School District’s teachers also expired in June and has yet to be replaced by a new one. Lower Merion has the highest average teacher salary in the state. Methacton School District’s seven schools were closed from Monday, Sept. 18 to Wednesday, Sept. 20 as the teachers went on strike after failing to reach an agreement with the school board. The two sides agreed to enter into non-binding arbitration that Wednesday.

Public comment (top): Members of the school board listen as community members share their opinions regarding the teacher contract negotiations.

Changing lives (far right): Parent Kathleen Mascaro expresses her support for the teachers.

“We do deserve a fair contract” (near right): TEEA President Dr. Robert Desipio addresses the board.

At this stage, the school district and TEEA have entered into the fact-finding process, a procedure in which the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) assigns a neutral third-party person to examine the positions of both sides and make recommendations for a settlement. From the start of the fact-finding process on Sept.

19, the PLRB has 40 days to issue a report with recommendations for a contract. Both sides then have 10 days to notify the PLRB whether they will accept the report in its entirety. Ciamacca said that TEEA plans to vote on the fact-finder’s report on Nov. 7.

If one or both sides reject the report, it will be made public. Each side then has between five and 10 days to vote again on the measure, this time with influence from the community. If the contract is again rejected by one or both parties, they will have to return to the bargaining process. The last time the district used a fact-finder was back in 2012. Although TEEA accepted the fact-finder’s proposal that year, the district rejected it.

The teachers’ union cannot go on strike until the completion of the fact-finding process.

At the Sept. 25 school board meeting, Carlson outlined the district’s goals for negotiations: “to ensure the sustainable success of T/E’s strong educational programs, to provide fair compensation and benefits to T/E’s employees (and) to respect the financial impact on District taxpayers.”

“The District remains committed to bargaining in good faith with the teachers through the fact-finding process, and we hope that the matter is resolved with as little disruption to the students and community as possible,” Carlson said at the school board meeting.

In order to gain community support, the teachers’ union has been engaging in various social media campaigns, from posting informational videos to encouraging people to write letters in support of the teachers to the school board. They have also been distributing yard signs across the community that say “We Support T/E Teachers.” According to Ciamacca, while some teachers’ unions usually hire a public relations person to do this outreach for them, TEEA has been doing all of these efforts on its own.

“The school district supports and appreciates our teachers,” Carlson said. “I would ask the T/E community to be patient and let the fact finding process that the teachers association recommended and the school district agreed to, be completed.”

In the meantime, Ciamacca said that the union will continue to promote its goals as best it can.

“Our mission is that we are committed to keep our message out there, which is, essentially, we deserve a fair contract. If a fair deal is offered to the board from the fact-finder, we expect that the board will approve it,” Ciamacca said. “We will keep harping on this message every single day.”

Eric Xue contributed to this report.

Neil Goldenthal/The SPOKE

We are! T/E!: Previous TEEA President and current chair of TEEA’s legislative/PACE committee Debra Ciamacca leads the chanting.

Teachers gathered to picket outside of Conestoga High School before the School Board meeting on Sept. 25.

Neil Goldenthal/The SPOKE

Neil Goldenthal/The SPOKE

Neil Goldenthal/The SPOKE

Club members’ dilemma: The Game Theory Club meets in the cafeteria. Many teachers have stepped down from their roles as club advisers.

In response to the deadlocked negotiations, many teachers at Conestoga have ended their involvement as club advisers. For most after-school clubs, teachers are not paid for the time they spend after school. Teachers are only paid extra for Extra Duty Responsibilities, or EDRs. These activities generally involve more time and often include travel for various competitions.

The district has confirmed the negotiations process will not impact the submission of college letters of recommendation.

In order for clubs to meet, the school offers spaces such as the cafeteria for clubs. In lieu of an adviser, an administrator supervises all of the clubs in the cafeteria.

“Clubs and activities are essential to the atmosphere at Conestoga,” Assistant Principal Misty Whelan said. “That’s a big part of a positive school climate, and we’re doing our best to keep that going and make sure that (these negotiations) don’t affect the school atmosphere.”

Whelan said that roughly 50 clubs have signed up to use the cafeteria to meet and four to five have been meeting each day.

Junior and UNICEF club president Ciara McCafferty said the new arrangement often leads to a problem of overcrowding.

“It’s much easier to lose focus (as a club) when you’re in the cafeteria,” McCafferty said. “Students come and go, and aren’t as dedicated to the cause.”

While the UNICEF club has been holding meetings in the cafeteria, the board members will meet soon at the local Barnes & Noble for more privacy.

“Many new clubs especially rely on (club advisers’) guidance,” McCafferty said. “They don’t know what kind of forms need to get filled, or what’s the best time and place to hold events during the school year.”

However, McCafferty added that she hopes the situation might also inspire some independence and initiative within clubs as well.

“Students are resilient,” Whelan said. “I love that students are taking the burden, in a sense, to be the organizers, and that’s a positive thing.”

Not only have the negotiations affected how clubs are run, but students have also gotten used to seeing their teachers walking through the Conestoga halls clad in TEEA gear, from polos to vests to pins. In

fact, for the past few weeks, teachers have been gathering outside the main doors of Conestoga every Wednesday morning, waiting to come into the building until 7:10, at which point they are obligated to come inside.

At the most recent school board meeting held on Sept. 25, 323 teachers from across the district showed up to picket and make their demands for a fair contract plainly heard. With so many teachers and community members in attendance, the meeting was held in the Conestoga auditorium as opposed to the usual location in the cafeteria.

“I hope that we showed the community that we are united; we are united in our belief that we deserve a fair contract,” Ciamacca said. “We believe we are positive partners with the students, the administration and the school board in trying to make this the best school district in the country.”

TESD parents, alumni, residents and current students also came to the Sept. 25 board meeting to express their concerns about the ongoing teacher negotiations.

“I came because it’s gotten to the point where it’s no longer acceptable to be silent. It’s no longer acceptable to stay behind the shadows. It’s past the deadline for teachers to have a contract, and that we are no nearer to settlement is disturbing,” Conestoga Class of 2007 alumnus Hans van Mol said. “I’m a teacher, and I would say that it’s the board’s homework to see that the contract is negotiated, and their homework is late.”

Conestoga Class of 2017 graduate Sara Zomorrodian came to thank the teachers for everything they do to ensure the success of their students.

“To be honest, I would not be standing here tonight had it not been for a T/E teacher who helped a painfully shy first-grader come out of her shell and find her voice, and for that, I’m forever grateful,” Zomorrodian said.

Zomorrodian is now studying nursing and Spanish at Villanova. She said that her desire to pursue Spanish came from her experiences with the language department at Conestoga.

“These teachers have had a tremendous impact on my life. They’ve made me whom I am today,” Zomorrodian said.

“They are the most incredible group of people devoted to their students.”

4

Student Life Pianist practices her pianoforte Claire Guo

Co-Student Life Editor Sophomore Angeline Ma still remembers when competitions made her nervous, when walking up to that sleek black piano brought sweat to her fingers and butterflies to her stomach.

But that’s not her now.

No, now Ma is delving into her tenth year playing piano with a score of accolades to her name.

She’s won awards in the International Young Artist Piano Competition, the Chopin International Piano Competition and many more.

She has consistently been accepted to PianoSummer at New Paltz, a prestigious international camp that completely covers the tuition of fewer than 30 kids each year.

Most recently, Ma is one of only 18 students to receive a scholarship from the Chopin Foundation of the United States for the 2017-2018 school year. The national program annually awards scholarships of $1,000 on a competitive basis, rewarding pianists for a distinctive interpretation of famed composer Frédéric Chopin´s work.

But despite all that, Ma believes it was the more local Greenfield Competition of the Philadelphia Orchestra this last March that transformed her approach to piano.

“I realized that there were certain things lacking, like authenticity, in my playing, and that onstage I was more worried about the right note than actually feeling and giving a more genuine interpretation of the music,” Ma said. “I don’t know what it is exactly about that competition that helped me realize that, but after that, I started playing more from the heart.”

Ma typically practices two to three hours every day, polishing about three hours of memorized material—mostly classical pieces from renowned composers like

Chopin. Since she finds piano more tiring than homework, practice takes place soon after coming home and before starting the latter.

Through hours and hours of practice, Ma has learned how to “truly listen” to herself and recognize potential improvements. Unintentionally, that mindful listening has expanded beyond piano.

“It’s helped me become more self-aware in everything that goes around me, like perception of time, and it’s helped refined my senses in a way, especially my ear,” Ma said.

“Also, without having the strong appreciation for music, I wouldn’t really have this appreciation for all the everyday sounds, too. And everyday sounds can be inspiring—it’s like they’re all music.”

Ma is taught by Philadelphian Susan Starr, an accomplished pianist who has performed in recitals and with orchestras worldwide.

Starr says Ma is easy to teach.

“Oh, Angeline is a wonderful student. There’s so much that I don’t have to explain to her and she learns very quickly and she is very talented,” Starr said. “I am expecting great things from her.”

Ma is currently preparing her repertoire for four more competitions. Then applications for summer scholarships will follow—and in the more distant future, applications for music schools like Juilliard and the Curtis Institute.

As she prepares for those future opportunities, Ma intends to remember what she’s learned from the Greenfield competition and perform her craft with the authenticity that music demands. She hopes others will do the same with their own passions.

“So, as with music, the things that you do, they have to come from your heart. You have to will it.” Ma said. “Like it’s not something somebody else tells you to do, or something that’s right—it’s something that makes you happy.”

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Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Claire Guo/The SPOKE

Keyed up: Sophomore Angeline Ma plays from memory on her piano at home. Ma received a Chopin Foundation of the United States scholarship.

Exchange students come to ’Stoga

Courtesy Jenn Weintraub

Exchanging support: Seniors Maria Klammer, Nam Nguyen, Jules Basset, Gonzalez De Ugarte and Rodrigo Lorencin stand together on the back porch of Lorencin’s host family, the Weintraubs. They left their home countries as part of the American Field Service student exchange program to experience what high school is like in the United States.

Dhivya Arasappan and Olivia Thompson Staff Reporters

Five new exchange students from countries around the world walk the hallways at ’Stoga this year as part of the American Field Service (AFS) program. They have left their homes and families to experience what high school is like in the United States.

Jules Basset - Hosted by Jeanne & Don Braun, Kathleen & Chakib Bouhdary For senior Jules Basset, moving to the United States as part of the student exchange program was part of the plan.

When a friend from France recommended the program a few years ago, he knew he wanted to take action.

“For two years I asked my parents and last year they said okay. I always wanted this,” Basset said.

Making the switch was difficult. Basset needs to speak English while doing well in his classes and making friends.

“It’s different for all people, but for most we learn really fast,” Basset said.

Basset is appreciative of his exchange families and his family at home for helping him through a difficult transition.

As for his friends back at home, he recommends everyone try the exchange program.

“It’s a really perfect experience. I think that all people need to do this. It’s really really cool,” Basset said.

Gonzalez De Ugarte - Hosted

by Karen & Bacilio Palomo Senior Gonzalez De Ugarte moved to the US from Chile after learning about the exchange

program through his best friend.

He has realized that coming to the United States was an important decision for him to make.

His main goal at ’Stoga and in the United States is to learn English.

“There (are) a lot of things I know, but not in English,” De Ugarte said. “It is going to help me a lot in the future.”

As far as cultural differences go, the size of the school and number of students is a big one.

It is especially difficult for De Ugarte, whose school in Chile had about 800 students.

“The people are really different. There are all groups inside, it is really hard. They are already started, so it’s hard to get in a group. (In Chile,) we don’t move from that class. We know each other really good. We can always see each other after school. Here, it’s different,” De Ugarte said.

De Ugarte regards his future in America as uncertain, but possible. He would like to go back to Chile for college, but perhaps come to the United States for education after.

Maria Klammer - Hosted by Erin & Michael Shine Unlike De Ugarte or Basset, senior Maria Klammer found out about the exchange program through her school.

She said that she was happy to

move to the United States.

The United States “is big, but the people here are very nice,” Klammer said.

Klammer has enjoyed sports both in the United States and in her home country of Austria.

She was athletic in Austria and noted that there are fewer days to train here in the US. A big difference that Klammer noticed right away is the size of Conestoga. While she said that it was confusing at first, she has since grown accustomed to it.

Klammer came to the United States wanting to learn English while also making friends and having a normal senior life.

She said that for her it wasn’t hard to make friends and having met many people through her involvement on the track team, is looking forward to the rest of the year.

Phuong Nam Nguyen - Hosted

by Judy & Bruce Weintraub For senior Nam Nguyen, an exchange student from Germany, coming to America was a bit of a culture shock.

“I expected it to be very similar, and it came out to be very different actually. It’s still all Western culture. I just say it’s a little bit more colorful because of all the different cultures here. It’s just like amazing. Everything is here. That’s something that I appreciate a lot,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen is a self-taught pianist and has an intrinsic love for music. He taught himself to play at the age of 13 with the aid of his note-reading skills, YouTube videos and a close friend.

“Three and a half years ago, I started to play piano because there was some soundtracks and few little tunes that I wanted to play, nothing more. And then

a friend of mine also started to play. It escalates to a point where we compete against each other who learned the fastest or harder tunes. We’ve put a lot of time and effort and now it’s part of my life,” Nguyen said.

While music is important, Nguyen hopes to be a psychologist in the future and better understand human thought processes.

“I was wondering how our brains work, how do we know what things are right and what things are wrong,” Nguyen said.

Currently, he is taking Psychology at Conestoga to work towards his goal.

Rodrigo Figueiredo Lorencin Hosted by Jenn & Craig Weintraub Staying in America for his senior year as an exchange student is a serious commitment for Rodrigo Lorencin. Maintaining his grades and playing tennis are his main priorities. It is what will ensure his return to the U.S. for college.

Lorencin is taking classes such as Geometry, Anatomy, Physiology and U.S. History.

“When I come back to Brazil I go finish (school), and I need my time here to finish the year in Brazil. So I need good grades here to show the people in Brazil to see if I pass,” Lorencin said.

As for tennis, Lorencin is a competitive player who trains at the YMCA every day. It is not something he does for fun, but something for his future.

“I try to make college here. So I try to make a scholarship here because I play tennis. For my future I would like to play professional (tennis). If I don’t play professional, I have the second option which is to be a doctor,” Lorencin said.

Duty calls: Student volunteers smother smoke Matthew Fan & Scott Hennessy Staff Reporters

’Stoga students volunteer at the Berwyn Fire Company to help respond to the 2,000 EMS calls and 900 fire emergencies it

handles each year.

The fire department was founded in 1894, but the Junior Firefighter and EMS program

Matthew Fan/The SPOKE

Fighting fire: ’Stoga students volunteer at the Berwyn Fire Company through the Junior Firefighter and EMS program. The program started in the 1950s, letting volunteers help respond to the 2,900 emergencies called in each year.

started back in the ’50s.

“There have been about 30 ’Stoga students who have taken part in it since I became an officer five years ago,” Fire Captain Evan Brazunas said.

Currently, junior Scott Meisen and seniors Ashley Kramer, Matt Smith-Tucker, Venul Fernando and others take part in this program. Miesen joined in 2016 while the seniors joined in 2017.

If a student wants to join, he or she has to apply, get interviewed and be voted in by the general membership. Then the students train in-house for about a month.

“They actually need to want to become a fireman,” Miesen said. “It takes time for people to train you and it is very serious.”

They work about 10 hours at the firehouse each week. They assist the firemen by cleaning debris, bringing out the fire hose and getting supplies and tools from the truck.

One of their most important duties is setting up the fire hydrant, which is “the lifeline” ac-

cording to Brazunas, at the scene of an active fire. They must earn the trust of their mentors.

“You have to prove to them that you know what you’re doing.

You have to earn it and show devotion,” Smith-Tucker said.

If there is an accident during the school day, the students are notified.

“I get a text message to come if there is an emergency. It is not required to come—it’s all volunteer,” Miesen said.

Kramer said that she will go if there is an urgent emergency and if all of the volunteers are needed.

Despite the level of commitment, the students enjoy the job.

“The fire department is like a home outside of home,” Kramer said.

The reasons for joining the Junior Firefighter and EMS Program are varied, but the students all have a passion for the job.

“It was a childhood dream since I was four,” Miesen said. “It always interested me.”

“The experience is nice,” Kramer said. “I like seeing what

happens before the hospital.”

Fernando joined because he likes helping people.

“It makes me a better person,” he said.

And for Smith-Tucker, it simply runs in the family.

“My dad was a firefighter in New York City for 27 years,” he said.

Although the students enjoy volunteering, they are not sure whether they want to become firemen in the future.

“As a volunteer? Yes. As a full job? No,” Miesen said.

“I’m not 100% sure I want to do this for my career, but it has afforded me new opportunities,” Smith-Tucker said.

Fernando sees the EMS program as a stepping stone to his goal.

“I want to become a doctor,” he said. “Being a fireman is a good second option.”

Despite their volunteer status, these students carry out their commitments with earnest.

“Don’t think light of what we do. Take us seriously,” Miesen said.

Se is e un

Staff Reporter

Expression of oneself is crucial to the high school experience, as it shows a uniqueness that is very much needed in a school environment. Junior Laura Liu embodies this statement, as she has found an unorthodox but innovative outlet to express herself: creative writing.

“It was a fun hobby when I was younger,” Liu said. “Now that I have started to take it more seriously, I have gained greater insight into my own mind and the world.”

Liu got her first taste of public recognition in eighth grade when she received a Gold Key from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, an annual competition that boasts famous past winners such as Sylvia Plath and Truman Capote. Liu’s poem was one of only five from that competition to also be nominated for an American Voices award, a selection designating her as a representative of the best of the region.

“In poetry, you just want to give a picture, and not explain too much. Laura is very good at finding the picture,” Lit Mag adviser Ben Smith said.

To broaden her writing horizons, Liu briefly branched out to short stories. Adding to her accolades, Liu won the freshman and sophomores divisions of the Central League Writing Contest, a short story competition, and won

two more Gold Keys in her sophomore year.

Liu didn’t stop there. Her most recent and most impressive award came when she achieved first place in the annual high school poetry competition hosted by the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. Her poem “Lunchtime” was published along with the other top poems of the competition in “Encore,” a book comprised of the very best poems from that year, selected from over 8,000 submissions.

“I was honored both to share the same space as professional writers and to have my poem stand out amongst other talented young writers representing the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom,” Liu said. “Before this competition, I had just been writing for myself, but afterwards, I became more aware of what I was writing. I started thinking about my potential audience much more.”

For the future, Liu looks optimistic. Not content with her main goals of winning a national award at the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition as well as continuing her success in the Central League Writing Contest, Liu hopes to contribute even more to the Conestoga literary magazine.

“Creative writing has given me an outlet in which to express my feelings, and also portray and better understand the experiences of others,” Liu said. “Every exposure to writing brings me joy, but most importantly, greater self-awareness.”

Neil Goldenthal/The SPOKE

Well-versed: Junior Laura Liu writes in her personal journal. Liu achieved first place in a national high school poetry competition last year.

Teacher Feature: Alison Ferriola TV teacher Alison Ferriola discusses her experience with television production, her decision to teach, her family’s Italian history and her all-time favorite Halloween costume.

Andrew Bucko Staff Reporter

What did you do before you started teaching?

I was an associate producer with Dateline NBC straight out of college just for about six months.

I decided while I was there that it just wasn’t fulfilling. It wasn’t the job I wanted. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the work I was doing. But my personal life was taking a back seat and I knew that wasn’t what I wanted for my future. I knew I wanted to have children and a life of my own. I also knew I didn’t want to work until four o’clock in the morning. There was something missing and I think that was working with families and children.

Why did you decide teaching would be a better fit for you?

I loved teaching, and everyone was a teacher in my family.

I called my dad one day and I told him, “I think I want to be a teacher,” and he said, “Okay, let’s do it!” At first, I went back to be a math teacher and my old television productions teacher found out that I was getting certified (to teach). He called me and said “No! You have to come and take over for me when I leave.” So, I got certified for television productions and that’s where I started.

How long have you been teaching?

Well, I started my teaching career in New York state, in a town just outside of New York City. It happened to be where I went to high school. I taught there for four to five years. My husband actually went to Conestoga, and he wanted to move back to Pennsylvania. Initially, I got a job in Cheltenham High School right outside of Philadelphia and I taught there for 10 years. Then Conestoga had an opening, so I applied and here I am.

Neil Goldenthal/The SPOKE

Off the air: TV teacher Alison Ferriola sits by the equipment in the TV Studio. Ferriola decided to leave her job as an associate producer with Dateline NBC to teach.

How has working in journalism influenced you?

Journalism helps you to be an effective communicator. I tell my students all the time, you can work with machines all you want but eventually you are going to have to conduct an interview, whether that be for college, for a job, or maybe meeting a future spouse. Journalism is a great tool to improve communication skills.

What hobbies do you have outside of school?

I love sports, and I love watching my children play sports. I have two little boys, and keeping up with their games and practice takes up most of my time. They play almost everything: football, lacrosse, basketball, karate and soccer. I’m always at a field, every night. I love Penn State football, so we watch a lot of that. I’m pretty into fitness and I always make an effort to get to the gym a few times a week.

Do you have any hidden talents?

Well, I’m fairly fluent in Italian.

My grandfather was stationed in Italy during World War II, and he met my grandmother there. They fell in love and he brought her back to America. My dad, aunt and I speak pretty well because of our family.

pizza in a café and look up and see the Colosseum, where thousands of years ago gladiators fought to the death. It’s just amazing.

What was your favorite Halloween costume from memory?

You’ve probably never heard of it, but one year I dressed If you had to up as Punky live in any Brewster. She other country, There was something was this litwhich would missing (from my tle girl from you choose? the TV show, It would Dateline NBC job) and “Punky Brewdefinitely be It- I think that was working ster.”

She aly. My family wore different is from Sicily with families and socks and had so I would love pigtails and children. to live near freckles and them. Rome Alison Ferriola all of these is my favorfunky clothes.

TV Teacher ite city by far In kindergarthough. The ten, my mom ruins, the hisdressed me tory, the architecture—it’s all so up like her and it was so cute, a cool. You can be sitting and eating perfect idea.

“

“

Liu .

Published poet crafts creative works Renato DiStefano

5

Student Life

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

6

Center Spread

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Center Spread

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

7

A LATTE CAFFEINE De s i

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HOW DOES ‘STOGA DRINK COFFEE? The Spoke surveyed 162 Conestoga students (2 homerooms per grade) about whether they drank coffee in the past week, what type/brand they preferred,and if there was another caffeinated beverage they enjoyed.

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Walking through the hallways yields coffee-wielding students everywhere — sitting in the cafeteria or wandering through the hallways. Some bring trays of it to first period, while others lug mugs along. We’re all united by the same goal—to stay awake.

Around the world, coffee has become one of the most popular beverages, with its highest total consumption in America. Every day, 1.84 cups of coffee are consumed per capita. On September 29, true lovers celebrated International Coffee Day, in appreciation for all that it does for us. As high schoolers, let’s take the time to think about how much we use it in our everyday lives.

Coffee automatically associates itself with late nights, and late nights are inevitable as a high schooler. Our black gold fills plastic cups sitting next to our books at midnight or warms our hands during the early mornings. It’s our ubiquitous problem-solver and constant companion. Need to stay up late to finish that one English essay you procrastinated on until the last second? Time to hit up Wawa. Not a morning person? Run to Dunkin’ and go from tired to inspired.

Just looking for something nice to drink? Drive down to Starbucks and pick up that pumpkin spice latte. It’ll always be there for you.

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“I drink Dunkin’ every day. Iced coffee with caramel swirl. Every day.�

Once you get over the initial taste of the bitterness and find the flavor that you like, you can see advantages to coffee. It helped me manage being awake and getting good scores as a student whose course load has become heavier.

Zach Miles

I actually don’t sleep, like, ever. I was like off coffee for like six months and I was like, still not sleepin’, so I started again really drinking coffee that summer into this year because I started working a lot. So it’s more that coffee is my crutch rather than the problem.

“I think it tastes good, unlike a lot of people. The caffeine definitely helps in the morning, but I don’t drink it just for the caffeine.�

I don’t think (coffee) should be used to stay up late, but I think it’s great for waking up in the morning. If you can’t wake up like me, you need it.

Anna Tea “is a lot easier to make Donahue than coffee, because you can just get some water and throw it in a bag.�

I think there is definitely a culture that everyone has to drink coffee. As long as you’re not drinking more than three cups a day, I think (coffee) is okay.

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8

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Op/ed Use your voice: Don’t normalize gun violence

The sharp crack splits the Americans, as human beings, festive air. Another one. And we cannot allow gun violence to another one. The rapid pop- become normalized. Ignorance ping of gunshots fills the atmo- will only breed more violence.

Unfortunately, we have sphere. The exit is so close, yet so far. The cheers quickly fade grown up in an era in which gun into screams. And through all violence is increasingly prevathe chaos, the gunshots remain. lent. We have become nearly deA country music festival turned sensitized to each fresh bout of terror, growing accustomed to it slaughterhouse.

At the horrific mass shoot- as just another part of society’s ing in Las Vegas on the evening ills. So sure, we change the filter of Oct. 1, 59 people were mur- on our Facebook profile picture dered. Over 500 were injured. for a week or two, proudly deIn all of modern US history, claring that we “Stand With X.” But what do this is now we really do to considered the make a differdeadliest mass ence? gun shooting.

At which But it was only It’s about our right X will enough a year ago that to feel safe within be enough?

Orlando was At which X considered the our homes, our will we finally same. wake up to the But these communities and our realization that aren’t just num- nation as a whole. if we do not act bers. These are to change the nurses, teachworld around ers, police offius, nothing cers, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, broth- will ever change?

But then, if we really stand ers and sisters. Above all, they’re with the victims of Orlando, fellow Americans.

No one can deny that there’s with Las Vegas, with San Bera gun problem in America. nardino, with Dallas, then it’s But this issue isn’t a problem up to us, the nation’s future genof pro-2nd Amendment versus eration of leaders, to truly make anti-2nd Amendment. This isn’t a change.

As with all things, our vala problem of Democrats versus ues and traditions are passed Republicans.

It’s about our right to feel down to future generations. If safe within our homes, our we do not actively campaign for stricter gun control, for more communities and our nation.

And when people take it thorough background checks, upon themselves to rob us for more intensive vetting, our of these fundamental rights, children and grandchildren will when these monsters take away grow up in an era where massaour lives, our families, our cres are as normal as the daily friends, our fellow Americans, weather report.

And we don’t know what the it is no longer acceptable to sit solution is. But we need to make quietly by.

As the next generation, as it harder.

“

Kaitlyn Chen/The SPOKE

Make it harder for people to get their hands on lethal weapons. Harder for those with criminal records, who have had run-ins with the law, who have been investigated by the FBI. Make it impossible to get military-style semiautomatic assault weapons, which aren’t protected by the 2nd Amendment. The federal government did so for 10 years between 1994 and 2004, and deaths from mass shootings fell drastically.

It’s time to do it again.

And we’re not saying this system will always work. By their very definition, criminals don’t mind breaking the law and never will, regardless of what roadblocks you put in their way.

But by cracking down on gun control, by truly tightening our

nation’s weapons legislation, we send a powerful message to the rest of the world: we will not and will never normalize gun violence. It is not okay now, nor will it ever be, and we will never stop fighting for our unalienable rights as human beings.

As high schoolers, we can often times feel like these matters are out of reach, tied up somewhere far away within the cold walls of Congress. That these shootings are half a country away, affecting a different state, a different community, a different family. But it could have been Philadelphia, it could have been Conestoga, and it could have been you.

The change starts here and it starts now. In four years, all current Conestoga students will have the right to vote. But

for now, everyone can make their voice heard, even those who cannot vote. It doesn’t take much to call or send a letter to your representative and senators to let them know you want something done about gun violence. Don’t underestimate the power of your voice.

We must remain alert, aware of the world around us, engaged with the news that sweeps through our halls. Our action and inaction

will reverberate for decades and centuries to come. What we do, think and say today will define the America of tomorrow.

So as you carry on with your daily lives, do not forget about the people we’ve lost. Do not forget about the mindless murders, the senseless slaughters.

This is our America, whether you like it or not. It shouldn’t take another Las Vegas to open our eyes to the problem.

“

Pure lunacy: The case against holidays Kaitlyn Chen/The SPOKE

From the Editor: Navigating the new design

Ian Ong

Managing Editor As I stood there in the crowded streets of Chinatown, witnessing two boys struggle to make a papier-mâché lion dance like Clifford the Big Red Dog performing vaudeville, I couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed.

I mean, gee whiz. Those boys could be at home studying. They could be having the time of their lives reciting their multiplication tables. Those boys, who had so fragrantly traded their education away for culture, are now parading proudly under the scaly costume equivalent of a dinner at Red Lobster. And for what? A mere celebration?

So when I hear of people pushing for Lunar New Year to be recognized as an actual school holiday (read: an entire half-day spent outside the classroom), I am repulsed to the extent that my entire body seizes up like a cockroach, leaving me physically shaking from disgust.

If you really wanted your offspring to be successful in any capacity, would you let them take a day off of school? I don’t think so! From mental breakdown to the flu, just jam a Tylenol down those jowls and get that child to a classroom, stat!

“Isn’t that a bit harsh?” you may exclaim while balling up your fists, face red and puffy from emotion. “Think of the children’s health!”

But what you really should be asking is, “What about the homework?”

While these boys waste a weekend of their young lives connecting with their culture and having fun, their study guides lie neglected. Their chemistry lab books rot away, and their Spanish audio CDs are forgotten, left to sing el cante fla-

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

The Spoke serves as a public forum for student expression.

Kaitlyn Chen/The SPOKE

menco to the moon.

Not only is the amount of schoolwork forsaken for a day of celebration staggering, but adding Lunar New Year to the calendar simply wouldn’t work in American society.

The lion dance is one Chinese tradition performed during Lunar New Year, a Thanksgiving-esque holiday observed in Asian countries including China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

While practices differ from place to place, in these countries Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations of the year.

But in ’Murica?

Please.

Here, important celebrations involve rushing to the mall to get 20 percent off a pair of sunglasses or hitting 1,000 followers on Instagram. The bottom line is: people don’t really want to understand the viewpoints of others—they like to be entertained! I think I speak for all Asian-Americans when I say we need less Lunar New Year and more National Talk Like Yoda Day. At least that way, I won’t have to suffer through another family reunion.

To reiterate: this is ’Murica. Not Asia. If your last name sounds like the name of a foreign

car manufacturer or falls in the back of the phone book, then your customs and culture are basically moot. Welcome to the big leagues, kiddo. No Monopoly money allowed. Assimilate or perish.

Despite all of this, there have been people that still support Lunar New Year being made a school holiday. It’s almost as if 15 percent of our school has Asian ancestry, or something like that.

These “Lunatics,” as I’ve deemed them, stand for outlandish and bizarre ideas such as reconnecting with relatives and having family dinners.

They want to give their children red envelopes full of cash that they didn’t work for. They would yank their kid out of AP Chinese Language and Culture and dump them into real life Chinese culture! How’s the poor kid going to do their simulated conversation then?

The Lunatics have already staked their claim in New York City. In 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio added Lunar New Year to the public school calendar, a change that has taken a visible toll on the Big Apple.

What once stood as a bustling metropolis has deteriorated

The SPOKE Staff Editors-in-Chief: Betty Ben Dor, Eric Xue Managing Editor: Ian Ong News Editor: Brooke Deasy Student Life Editors: Claire Guo, Justin Huang Opinion Editor: Audrey Kim Sports Editor: Avery Maslowsky Centerspread Editor: Lyvia Yan Managing Web Editors: Elizabeth Billman, Jordan Liu

into slums, rife with degenerates wishing others “good luck and prosperity,” lighting firecrackers, and playing yut nori.

It’s nothing but a slippery slope to allow students to stay home from school to celebrate their culture. Before you know it, they’ll be loafing around at parks and bowling alleys, spending more time with their own family than with those of algebraic functions!

There’s only one rational solution to this growing sentiment of cultural awareness and healthy lifestyles: let’s get rid of holidays altogether. That’s right, better get to selling your Batman Halloween costume on eBay, kids! Without holidays, we wouldn’t have other cultures to distract us from achieving the most compulsive perfection in everything we do. Just imagine how much work we could get done without Labor Day, how efficient our government could be if we nixed the Fourth of July fireworks, how incredibly easily we could get the streets plowed without Christmas carolers spreading love and happiness.

Stopping the Lunatics is only the beginning.

Because what’s a holiday but just another day of slacking off ?

Multimedia Editor: Neil Goldenthal Business Manager: Maddie Lamonica Staff Reporters: Dhivya Arasappan, Andrew Bucko, Aimee Buttenbaum, Emma Clarke, Henry Danon, Renato DiStefano, Matthew Fan, Pranav Garimidi, Reagan Gerrity, Tiffany He, Scott Hennessy, JP Infortuna, Sanjana Sanghani, Olivia Thompson, Melinda Xu Cartoonists: Kaitlyn Chen, Jennifer Lee Faculty Advisers: Susan Gregory, Cyndi Crothers-Hyatt

Dear Reader, The Spoke has been a tabloid newspaper since 1982. Our tabloid format has remained relatively constant for the past decade, with slight adjustments in page numbers, dimensions and styles. For the last few years, this publication featured eight pages of colored content and 20 pages of black-and-white material for a total of 28 pages.

That all changes this year.

In these revisions, we aimed for a more visually driven design. Given the current length of our articles, we felt that incorporating more visuals without compromising the quality of our reporting would be challenging in our former tabloid format.

What you hold in front of you is the new look of The Spoke. The first thing to notice is the increase in size of the paper. For the first time in 35 years, we have decided to change from our previous tabloid format to a more classic broadsheet format in order to incorporate larger, more appealing visuals without sacrificing the quality of our content. Articles can now contain a maximum of six columns, depending on the story. The near doubling in vertical size of the paper and increased options for column number will ultimately improve the overall readability of our articles by providing the Editorial Board with more layout options.

As a result of the change into a broadsheet newspaper, we decided to reduce the total number of pages from 28 to 12, given the now longer individual pages. Six pages are in color and six are in black-and-white.

Because of the vertical shape, Submissions: Letters to the editor may be submitted to Betty Ben Dor or Eric Xue, or advisers Susan Gregory or Cyndi Crothers-Hyatt. 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.

The Spoke accepts paid advertisements.

it is folded in half for easier carrying. The fold essentially divides the front page into two parts. Above the fold we placed the issue’s featured article; below begins the News section, which continues on pages two and three. The Student Life section has four pages, Op/Ed, two and Sports, three. The sections remain in the same order as the previous format.

In addition to the change in size and page layout, we decided to change the fonts of our headlines and body text. We switched our headline font to the serif font Aver to return to a more classical newspaper look. Unlike before, headlines will vary in font-size depending on the story, per the discretion of the Editorial Board.

We also changed the font of our body text from Times to Minion Pro, which is a thinner typeface, in order to improve the legibility of our articles.

As you flip through the pages, you will notice several other design changes. Our pull quotes are redesigned to reduce the discrepancy between the fontsize of the body text and the quote itself, as well as to better separate it from the text through the use of whitespace. Commitment Corner, Scoreline and Students Speak Out are redesigned in a classic broadsheet style so that they integrate into the new format of the paper.

We hope you enjoy the new look of The Spoke. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at hello@ spoke.news.

Sincerely, Betty Ben Dor and Eric Xue Co-Editors-in-Chief

/thespoke @thespoke @thespoke the_spoke www.spoke.news hello@spoke.news

op/ed

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

9

Control AP classes for freshmen

Elizabeth Billman Web Editor

Every afternoon when I come home, my parents ask my sister and I about our day at school.

Several times, the topic of AP classes has come up. Personally, the stress has lessened as I’ve entered my senior year as I’ve been able to organize and deal with the classes more efficiently. But I remember my freshmen year being absolute agony.

Looking back, the earliest record of AP classes from the College Board in 1997 shows that freshmen took 1,829 tests with 1,671 students total from 31 courses. Like others of the older generation, my parents didn’t have a chance to take AP classes because they were barely offered to juniors and seniors, let alone as seniors. But in 2016, the freshmen class took 177,234 tests with 166,953 students na-

tion wide. That’s approximately a 95 percent increase in just 10 years.

At just 14 years old, incoming freshmen are being bombarded with the big college question before they even enter the building. In seventh grade alone, we were prompted to think about our future with a career quiz.

AP classes are supposed to mirror those of college, but 14 year olds are entering high school, not college.

AP classes are just too much to take on in freshman year.

Many students have not been challenged academically in middle school and they need to learn how to study for test days in advance, take useful notes and learn how to work with teachers and their peers before they go around collecting courses to build up their transcript.

In the words of the College Board, students “should instead develop the necessary skills and conceptual understandings in foundation courses prior to enrolling in AP”, before starting with the most academically challenging course. Introductory courses may be a way to initiate prospective AP students to courses of interest, before they

substantially step up the work load.

I am not saying that AP courses are all bad. I did learn some useful skills in those courses I took as a freshman, but those skills weren’t worth staying up until one in the morning every other week for a test, for which I barely received an average score. It was an unnecessary amount of stress for a class I felt pressured to take.

Academically, Conestoga is consistently ranked at the top in the state, with a reputation of having very successful students. But ask any student at Conestoga and they will tell you that in addition to being successful, Conestoga students are consumed by stress. It is good to have a little pressure because that is what drives us to be better, but Conestoga takes academic encouragement to a whole new level.

The fault falls to no individual. Nobody wants students to be so stressed out that they fall apart. Inevitably, though, it happens. Conestoga is an individual and peer driven environment and we are often measure ourselves by others’ performance. Teachers will tell you to not share your test scores with

Report Card New Rules Petition + Our rights!

- Enforcing rules that already exist.

Room 268 + An alternative to the crowded library and cafeteria.

Kaitlyn Chen/The SPOKE

anyone because you are your own measure of progress, but sharing is often the first thing students do.

We need to allow our students to explore and discover their interests before burdening themselves with hours of work after school.

While they’ll be ready for college with the preparation afforded to them by AP classes, students won’t have the chance to discover their passions. Allow them to figure

out if they love being at the pottery wheel, if they have an ear for music, or a talent for softball.

So, let them take as many college courses as they want after their freshmen year in high school. We should be teaching students the skills they’ll need for AP classes instead of throwing them into the gauntlet. We should want to learn for the knowledge and experience, not just amass AP classes.

- Why a large group room?

Stoga Time + Less confusion.

- Trouble for those late stragglers.

Caf Cookies + Sugar cookies are decent (I guess).

Q: What are your thoughts on freshmen taking multiple AP classes?

11

10

09

- Tastes like sawdust.

Turf Breaking

12

+ Fun “home” football game at Harriton.

- Two weeks in and already damaged.

“

As long as you don’t have a ton (of other work) over the weekends and you’re good at time management, then it’s probably fine.

Oriana Riley

“

If you think you can do it, then do it. There’s no harm in not (taking AP classes).

“

In my experience, it’s a lot of work and a lot of stress, but they’re up for the challenge and can handle it, then they should go for it.

Preston Coulter

Hoco Dance

“

If they can handle the workload, and are good at time management, then I think that they should be able to make that decision for themselves.

Kendell McGee

Steven Wang

+ Friends on a Saturday.

- Can’t leave early.

Crowded hallways + More Pioneers!

Revising affirmative action based on income

Audrey Kim

Opinion Editor If you work hard, success is always attainable. This is one of the basic tenets of the American Dream, and it applies to many aspects of our lives, whether at home, work or school.

But this attitude is one of necessity, falling on the backbone of the immigrant experience. It’s the common experience of working hard to achieve success that has defined us as a nation. Coming here, my parents and grandparents gave up their financial safety net or any familial connections to fall back on when they uprooted their lives, language, and culture

in the hopes of a better future in America. They hoped that the path to success for their children was through education.

But recent events have put the presence of Asian-Americans in higher education in the spotlight last August, when Trump’s Justice Department signaled an investigation and a possible lawsuit over “intentional race-based discrimination” in admissions against Asians and whites.

What they are challenging is affirmative action, a policy which states that race can be a factor used in college admissions. The topic has spawned multiple studies and investigations, such as an infamous 2004 Princeton University study, which found that Asians accepted into elite colleges scored an average of 140 points more than whites on the SAT, 270 more than Hispanics, and 450 more than blacks. While this doesn’t account for other factors such as extracurriculars and recommen-

Jennifer Lee/The SPOKE

dations in holistic admissions, I can attest there is an expectation in the Asian-American community to perform high, at least in the region of exam scores and grades for college. Conestoga consistently holds one of the highest, if not the highest, number of National Merit

Semifinalists in the state, which accounts for students who score in the top 1 percent for the PSAT. This year, over half of the 34 Semifinalists were Asian.

When opponents of affirmative action emphasized fairness regardless of race for applicants,

those who disagreed responded with the need for diversity in the classroom instead. But there is a fundamental problem that surfaces when an individual is measured by the performance of their racial group rather than as an applicant in the total pool.

It’s not fair to Asians who feel as though they are held to a higher standard, nor to blacks and Hispanics, when the assumption of their success partly relies on race. But what we neglect in the debate of race’s role in higher education is another factor, one that offers a viable compromise between both options.

We need to rethink affirmative action in terms of income, as well as considering other factors such as family structure and regional poverty as well. These elements fundamentally hold students at different starting lines, and disproportionately affect black and Hispanic children. In a study from the National Equity Atlas, which investigates demograph-

Cartoons by Kaitlyn Chen/The SPOKE

- Too many Pioneers.

ic change through racial and economic growth, most African American and Hispanic students attend schools in US cities where at least 75 percent of all students qualify as poor or low-income under federal guidelines. Poorer students in general have less access to advanced classes and cannot afford to take AP exams, which charge $94 per test.

Education is considered class’s great leveler, an ideal that embodies sentiments of the American dream. But higher education is also much more reachable to those whose parents have had the same privilege and can afford to support their children in sports, academics, and extracurriculars.

It’s these factors that ultimately “win the game,” so to speak, of college admissions, rather than a child who works to support their family without the same kind of resources, and less time to focus on academics.

Yet factors such as class in the field of higher education don’t seem to be discussed to the same degree as race. This year, a study in The New York Times found that some colleges in America have more students from families in the top 1 percent than the bottom 60 percent, among them institutions such as Yale, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania.

The portion of students from the top 1 percent in elite colleges has only increased over the past two decades. While affirmative action has propelled the debate on the role of race in higher education, what we have ignored are the discussions on income inequality and its associations with race, and how it affects students in the game of college admissions.

Colleges need a diverse atmosphere. Students benefit from being in an environment where they can interact and learn from others with different backgrounds. But we also need to keep in mind the dangers of measuring individuals by race. To compare applicants whom may be in vastly different situations by their racial profile gives those from a better-off family a clear advantage. The arguably more meritocratic solution of using income as a factor in admissions offers the possibility of not only having diversity in race in admissions, but also in socio-economic backgrounds.

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Sports

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Orienteering Pioneer: junior never gets lost in the woods James P. Infortuna Staff Reporter

766 million acres of the United States is registered forestry. While this number may frighten those who are afraid of the unknown, it doesn’t panic junior A.J. Riley, an orienteer.

Orienteering is a combination of racing and navigation. It was developed as a training exercise in 1893 for the Swedish military to sharpen skills. Civilians then got in on the action in 1897.

“It’s basically where you run, through the forest typically, or sometimes, in an urban area with a map. And you read the map in order to find certain checkpoints on the map and you get to each checkpoint in order and come to the finish,” Riley said. “So, it adds another layer of depth to just running.”

This past July, over 4,000 miles away from home, Riley had the experience of a lifetime. He competed in the Junior World Orienteering Championship in Finland representing the United States.

Riley’s father was an orienteer and he began taking his son out with him when he was about threeyears-old. However, what began as a father and son activity soon gave way to a passion.

“As I grew up, it really pulled my interest in as it’s just a much more interesting sport to me than many other options that were available to me as a kid,” Riley said.

His new-found interest compelled him to orienteer more often.

This gave Riley a bit of an edge and allowed him to become good at it rather quickly and to improve.

Over time he began to become better than most who competed at his age, and eventually in 2016, he competed in the North American Orienteering Championships in New Hampshire. Shortly after he decided to try out for the Orienteering USA Junior World Championship team.

Courtesy Wyatt Riley

In the jungle: Junior A.J. Riley searches through the woods of Finland during the July 2017 Junior World Championships. He has been orienteering since the age of three and was one of six men representing the United States, which placed 17th overall. Riley hopes to pursue orienteering throughout the rest of his life.

“There were tryouts several months before the championships and we did a series of three races.

And depending on your placing at those races you were either put on the team or not,” Riley said.

Being just one of six on the team, Riley feels lucky to have made

it and looks forward to returning to its ranks.

“I was one of the top six. I was actually sixth place. But still I’m pretty proud that I made it. I’m kind of young too. I’m only 16, so I’ll still have like five more years where I can try out,” Riley said.

Tomaselli takes 500 wins Avery Maslowsky Sports Editor

Neil Goldenthal/The SPOKE

Reflecting on 41 years: Coach of 41 years Fran Tomaselli describes her time as a coach of the girls’ tennis team coach. Tomaselli celebrated her 500th win on Oct. 2.

COMMITMENT CORNER

Tara Hausker School: West Chester University Grade: 12 Sport: Field Hockey Why West Chester?: “I chose WCU because I loved the field hockey program as well as the location of the school.”

Favorite ’Stoga Field Hockey memory: “Beating Unionville in overtime this year; we have not beaten them in five years. So it was really exciting to finally beat them.”

“It’s certainly not for the money,” said Conestoga girls tennis coach Fran Tomaselli. “It’s just because I love the kids and I love tennis.”

On Monday, Oct. 2, Tomaselli netted her 500th career win in her 41st year of coaching the `Stoga girls’ tennis team, bringing her to a final coaching record of 500127-1.

Tomaselli was not new to the Tredyffrin Easttown School District when she first began coaching in 1977. She was hired in 1976 as a seventh grade math teacher for T/E Junior High School.

In 1977, when the district moved the girls tennis’ season to the fall, instead of the spring, the position for a head coach opened up.

“I saw the opening and I thought ‘ooh this is a chance for me to coach tennis,’ so I immediately applied and I just stayed,” Tomaselli said.

After teaching math at T/E Middle for 35 years and coaching the tennis team on the side, Tomaselli retired decided to stop her teaching career in 2011, but continued to led the tennis team.

“I’ve always loved tennis and I like working with kids. (Coaching) gives me a way to still be around kids and it’s different from teaching,” Tomaselli said.

“They want to be there and it’s a fun thing for them, versus a math class where they’re there because they have to.”

During her coaching career, she has led the tennis team to 17 Central Athletic League Championships and has made 10 appearances in the PIAA Class 3A Tennis Tournament.

“When you have talented players and you have been around as long as I have, you are going to pile up wins,” Tomaselli said.

But the reason Tomaselli has lasted through 41 seasons is not just because of her love of tennis, but her dedication to teaching the skills of cooperation and teamwork to the girls.

“You hope that you help them in their lifetime and you teach them the skills of getting along together and that really is to me what coaching is about,” Tomaselli said.

Even though the future for Tomaselli at Conestoga is unclear regarding retirement, the impact she left on her students will continue to thrive for another 41 years.

“I was at a wedding this summer and I came out of the women’s room and I hear ‘T-Bone!’ and it’s one of my players from years ago who was a guest at the wedding.

And she gives me a big hug and she says ‘I can’t believe it. I’ve been looking for you!’” Tomaselli said.

“It is stuff like that that makes it fun to me.”

The U.S. team traveled to Finland a few weeks early to train before the competition.

“We participated in five races, including a very long race, which is 12 km through the woods (and) middle distance, which is like a shorter, harder race. There (are)

woods where you have to find your way through tough terrain that’s just hard to run on,” Riley said.

The U.S. team placed 17th overall. Riley feels good about his individual performance, even though he was not the fastest on the team.

Initially, he had only wanted to be on the team for the experience, but by the end of his time in Finland, he had made relationships with the coaches and team.

“It was just really fun. So I’m looking forward to doing it more,” Riley said.

New torn turf takes toll on ‘Stoga athletics Lyvia Yan

Centerspread Editor The pounding of cleats across the field signals a fresh season and this year they’re running across a new turf.

Teamer Field’s new turf was completed in July following a three week installation process.

The project was installed by Athletic Fields of America and cost $440,000.

Unfortunately, there were some issues with the seams lining up, which caused scheduling conflicts. Shaw Sports, the leading synthetic turf company in North America, sent workers from New Mexico who drove up on Sept. 16 to fix the field. The process to fix the tears took less than one week.

“Everything right now is still under warranty, so Shaw is the one repairing it,” Athletic Director Kevin Pechin said. “This is their A-Team, the people they sent down here, so they are the best of the best.”

Pechin, along with the rest of the administration concerned with the turf, came to an ultimate decision to re-glue all of the compromised seams instead of repairing each one individually as they became worse.

Conestoga varsity lacrosse and football player and sophomore, Scott Smith, played on Teamer Field throughout his freshman year and recognizes the importance of good turf.

“I thought it was really cool because in lacrosse season the turf was pretty hard and it wasn’t the best, so I was pretty excited to hear we got the turf,” Smith said. “I think it’s pretty influential because it’s soft on your feet, and when you get hit it’s a better cushion.”

Lyvia Yan/The SPOKE

Putting in the hours: Athletic Fields of America employees begin work on re-attaching the seams of the torn turf. The new turf was installed in July and cost $440,000.

Not only did the repair change the scheduled Sept. 15 home football game to be held on Harriton High School’s field, but the project impacted the marching band as well. Senior and marching band trombone section leader Kelsey Bennett recognizes the importance of home games because of the support of the students and the school.

“It looked nice when it first came out, but now we have all these problems and we have one less home game, so I’m pretty upset about it,” Bennett said.

All the athletic directors in the Central League work in collaboration, which alleviated some of the stress of rescheduling.

“We had to adjust the football game. We’ve had to move field hockey from home to away.

We’ve had to move girls and boys soccer to neutral fields, but

again we’re so lucky; Great Valley helped us out, Harriton helped us out, local high schools--we’re all in the same boat together and they’re all helping us out a lot,” Pechin said.

Additionally, many practices were held on Tredyffrin-Easttown School District’s other fields. Senior Katie Chung was one of the girls varsity soccer players who had to practice on the Tredyffrin Easttown Middle School field.

“I just want the turf to stay there. I don’t want to have to go to practice on the T/E middle school field. I don’t want any new upgrades, I just want the turf to be back to normal,” Chung said.

Now, Teamer Field is ready to absorb the march of the ’Stoga games and the roars of the Homecoming Pep Rally.

Lyvia Yan/The SPOKE

Fixing the mania: Athletic Fields of America get down and dirty to fix the Teamer Field turf. The first home football game was relocated because of the seams ripping.

11

Sports

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Life Time Athletics entices TESD fitness community Jordan Liu

Co-Web Editor The thumping tempo of feet on treadmills and the booming clank of barbells and dumbbells echoes throughout the gym. Over to the right, the cheerful chitchat drifts over from the LifeCafe. For many, it’s a relaxing paradise. And for others, it’s exhausting. Welcome to Life Time Fitness.

Life Time, a chain of health clubs based in Minnesota, opened its newest Philly location in King Of Prussia in May 2017 and `Stoga students have been quick to join the new trend.

Sophomore Vanessa Schaefer exercises at Life Time to get away from the pressure at school.

“It’s a really good way for me to relieve stress, and I like feeling like I’m doing something good for my body,” Schaefer said.

Widely known for its state-of-theart facilities, Life Time prides itself on being an upscale gym and athletic resort. The center is equipped with a LifeCafe offering healthy smoothies and sandwiches, indoor and outdoor water slides and whirlpools, and hundreds of classes ranging from “BE Meditation” to “Life Barre”. High-en-

ergy classes such as “AMP Cycle” motivate cyclers using lasers and music—“a party on a bike”, according to Lifetime’s website.

Josh Simon, a squash pro at Life Time and current ’Stoga girl’s squash head coach, believes that Life Time is the ideal gym.

“We try to provide the best equipment, the best classes and the most qualified trainers,” Simon said.

“And with the LifeCafe and outdoor pool, it’s basically everything you could ask for.”

In addition to exercising at Life Time, a number of Conestoga stu-

Neil Goldenthal/The SPOKE

Mind over matter: Sophomore Vanessa Schaefer uses Life Time’s facilities to train. Life Time Athletics opened its doors to the general public in May of 2017.

dents have started working there. Senior Naomi Holt, who works as a lifeguard at Lifetime, credits the center’s popularity to its exceptional facilities for all sorts of exercises, from squash to pilates.

“The reason Life Time is getting so much attention is because of how different it is from all of the other clubs in this area,” Holt said. “With everything the club has to offer, it centralizes activities and makes it easier than belonging to multiple different clubs.”

Life Time KOP, however, has had its struggles. In early August, the fitness center was forced to shut down its indoor pool because of a sinkhole. If you visited today, however, you wouldn’t know that anything had happened.

After redesigning the pool with concrete reinforcements, Life Time reopened its indoor aquatic facilities on Oct. 2. And despite the sinkhole incident, Schaefer enjoys Life Time’s wide variety of equipment and classes and has exercised there several times a week since the fitness center first opened months ago.

“Life Time’s really good for training for sports because they have special classes and workouts,” Schaefer said. “It’s really modern, and the classes are top-notch. The people who work there are really good at what they do and helping out.”

Neil Goldenthal/The SPOKE

Pushing the limits: Sophomore Vanessa Schaefer uses multiple fitness contraptions to work out at Life Time Athletics.

`Stoga triathletes race their way to the top Aimee Buttenbaum Staff Reporter

Aimee Buttenbaum/The SPOKE

Running wild: Junior Nia Goddard competes in a Conestoga cross country event. She has been doing triathlons since the age of eight.

Thrashing through open waters, swiftly transitioning onto a bicycle, and finishing in a sprint as if running for their lives; this is what a normal weekend looks like for juniors Nia Goddard and Michael Gossow during triathlon season.

Both athletes began competing around the age of eight, the time when most kids are just learning how to ride a bike.

Goddard and Gossow have both taken on the challenge of competing in triathlons across the country, sacrificing their free time to pursue their passion.

These athletes compete in Draft Legal races, triathlons where competitors can bike in a pack and work together, which usually consist of a 750 meter swim, a 20 kilometer bike and a 5 kilometer run. They also race in sprint-distance triathlons which are the shortest of all triathlons.

Both athletes began their journey by training with Superkids Multisport, an association created

by Gossow’s Father, Richard Gossow, about five years ago.

“At the time it was just me, my brother and my friend, and from there it has grown to 50 kids,” Michael said. “I’ve always found it hard to stay motivated when training alone, when I’m with other people it pushes me harder.”

While Gossow and Goddard believe triathlons are enjoyable and exciting, the training that accompanies them is intense.

After school, both Goddard and Gossow try to do at least two of the three sports every day. In

addition, they both run cross country for Conestoga in the fall and are on the Upper Main Line YMCA swim team. But the athletes never have just a set weekly routine, especially around the time of a triathlon. As the competition nears, they frequently partake in six-mile runs as well as indoor bike workouts.

“Occasionally we will go out to a lake or river where we can practice open water swimming,” Goddard said.

While a number of the triathlons are held in nearby states, the athletes must also travel across the country, to places such as Virginia and Iowa, in order to qualify for the Youth and Junior National Championship. Competing in the 16-19 year-old age division, Goddard and Gossow have to place in the top 16 of that age group to be eligible to race.

Both athletes achieved their goal of qualifying and were able to compete in the national competition this past August in Ohio. Goddard finished 22nd in the girls event and Gossow ranked 64th in the boys division.

Even though this event is held over the summer, the athletes work year-round to stay at the top of their division.

“It’s the summer sport that never ends,” Goddard said.

Competing in triathlons has created positive experiences for both Goddard and Gossow, and they hope to continue with the event, and all three sports, in the future. But, only a few colleges offer NCAA triathlon programs.

“I hope that by the time I go to college there are more options as it is a growing sport,” Goddard said.

Aimee Buttenbaum/The SPOKE

Making his mark: Junior Michael Gossow competes in a cross country competition with Conestoga High School.

SPORTS

The SPOKE

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Conestoga grad takes to the Chicago Cubs Avery Maslowsky Sports Editor

“We all just started screaming and jumping around,” said 21-yearold Brendon Little, recollecting the moment he found out he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs.

“It was all a sense of relief, just because literally a year ago before the draft, I was at UNC just sitting on the bench. To go from there to being drafted by the Cubs in the first round, it all came full circle all at once. Those riskier decisions all paid off, it was really cool.” Little said.

On June 12, in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft, Conestoga Class of 2015 alumnus, Little, was selected 27th overall in the first round of the draft by the Chicago Cubs. The draft took place just weeks after Little finished his sophomore year at the State College of Florida, leading the team and the season with 133 strikeouts and a 2.53 ERA in 85 1/3 innings. But Little’s passion for baseball dates back to even before he initially suited up for the Manatees or even the Pioneers. His baseball path all started when his father enrolled him into a local Tee Ball League when he was 6 years old.

“I have two older brothers, and they got started way before I did, so I was just the third one in line to play baseball,” Little said.

Despite baseball being another one of three sports, next to basketball and soccer, something stuck out to him about the game itself and the way it made him feel, even from such a young age.

“I have always had more fun playing baseball,” Little said.

Towards the end of middle school, Little decided that he would have to put away his soccer and basketball jerseys once and for all to be able to put all of his effort and emphasis on baseball. In doing so, Little joined a travel team, named Legion Baseball. On the team, he pitched, played outfield and a little of first base, but it wasn’t until sophomore year at Conestoga that Little became a full time pitcher, the position he would eventually get drafted for.

“Pitching was never really my main focus until sophomore year at Conestoga and that was just because our team was so good, the only real way I was going to get some playing time was if I pitched,” Little said.

In high school, Little tested out different travel teams to find where he would best belong. During freshman and sophomore year, Little played with the Philadelphia Reds, but eventually switched once again and finished out his high school career with All-Star Baseball in West Chester.

In 2015, Little lead the Pioneers to their first Central League title since 2008, earning a 1.24 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 38 innings. He had one of the greatest fastballs in

’Stoga history, reaching 97 mph.

In 2015, Little was drafted 36th by the San Francisco Giants, but at the same time, he had a commitment in place with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The decision came down to what Little felt would be best for him as a player and for his future in the sport.

“The 36th round wasn’t as alluring as college baseball at that point,” Little said. “After things didn’t really work out for the draft, just 100% of my focus shifted to college.”

Little went into his freshman year of summer school at UNC with high hopes for his academics and athletics, due to the fact that ever since his freshman year at ’Stoga he had dreamed of once being a Tar Heel. But as the 2014-2015 season progressed, Little realized things at UNC weren’t going to work out. The hard-throwing lefthander only played in four innings of the entire season.

“After my freshman year, I told my coaches at our end of the year meeting that I was going to transfer and I wasn’t going to be back in the fall,” Little said. “But luckily that didn’t affect my spot up in Cape Cod.” The Cape Cod Baseball League runs every summer for college athletes to compete against the country’s top players. Little was able to keep his spot on the Bourne Braves for the 2016 summer season and it was during that summer that his life as a baseball player and a young adult changed the most.

“I was able to go up there and really develop and really find who I was as a pitcher. And I ended up being a fastball/curveball pitcher,” Little said. “That was when my pitches really began to grow and I gained attention for them and for myself as a pitcher. That summer was the biggest summer for me, just gaining recognition and competing against the country’s top talent.”

As the summer season ended, Little finalized his decisions on where to continue his educational and athletic career for his sophomore year of college, and that was at the State College of Florida.

“When I called the head coach down there, he just really stuck out from the rest. He just wasn’t trying to over recruit or oversell, you could tell he cared for you more as a player and as a person rather than a pawn to promote the school,” Little said.

And everything fell into place for Little. After a successful season with the Manatees, he took part in a few pre-draft workouts, some in Florida and one in Chicago with the Cubs. After the workout in Chicago, Little flew back home to Pa. and began waiting for the longest night of his life, June 12.

“Two picks before, I got a call from my adviser saying that they had a deal in place to go to the Chicago cubs. I was just staying super quiet because you never know until your name is literally called on TV, no matter what anyone really says,”

Elizabeth Billman/The SPOKE

Ready to tackle: Conestoga Varsity Football currently has a record of one win, five losses and no ties. The team played Upper Darby High School on Friday Sept. 29 and lost with a score of 49 to 13. The team has four games left with the next one being away at Penncrest High School.

ThefightforFridaynightlights Warren Zhao Staff Reporter

A crowd of white and maroon-clad players move into view. As they jog to the sideline with a swaggering confidence, cheers of “Woo `Stoga!” ring from the stands. The Pioneer Pit is dressed all in black tonight. It’s Friday night, and Conestoga football commences another battle on the gridiron.

After a 2-8 losing record in the 2016 season, marked with a humiliating five shutouts, the Pioneers looked to change some things up about the team in order to improve for this season.

“We’ve tightened up in practice, and pretty much made it harder.

People aren’t messing around on the sidelines, they’re taking a knee and watching practice. If we’re talking, people are going to run (as a punLittle said. “On the 27th (pick) on the TV, that was when it all settled in. I was watching it with my family and my girlfriend and we just all went crazy after that. My phone blew up. I ended up calling a lot of my family members and friends.”

But according to Little, the most exciting part of being drafted by the Cubs, the 2016 World Series winners, was what his future was going to have in store for him.

Susan Gregory/The SPOKE

Moving on up: Brendan Little pitches in a game for Conestoga back in 2015. Little led the Pioneers to the Central Championship title in 2015 after seven years of not reaching that goal.

ishment),” senior captain Jackson Niness said.

A typical training session begins with the punters, kickers and receivers practicing kicks and snapping the ball back and forth. Then, the team converges for warmups which lasts for 10-15 minutes. After that, the Pioneers run for 15 minutes for conditioning. Practices are split into either offensive or defensive days, and depending on the day, players will do exercises like tackling circuits or individual periods of exercise. Up next are the inside runs, where players run plays used during games, and seven-on-sevens, which are passing activities. The Pioneers usually end the day by running a combination of both inside runs and seven-on-sevens together to combine skills used.

For some members of the team, training began in the winter of 20162017. Players started working out together in places like the Conesto“The players who (the Cubs) won (the 2016 World Series) with are just young, homegrown talent, so a lot of them were drafted in 2015, 2014, 2013 and they are already up in the majors, so it was just excited to know (the Cubs) are very progressive thinking,” Little said.

As of right now, Little is full time with the Cubs and no longer a student of the State College of Florida.

He graduated with an AA degree at the end of the 2017 school year and is looking into possibly taking online classes during the offseason.

But while it is certain that Little will have a place on the Chicago Cubs, he is not sure what the future will hold for him.

“It will all come down to spring training next year, and how all the development comes into place,” Little said. “It’s been a lot of changes this year, a lot of adjustments, more than I’d like at times, but that’s just kind of the nature it. Once spring training comes around next year, I’ll have a much better idea of how the progression will go.”

Despite loving the sport since such a young age, Little never dreamed his journey would have occurred the way it did.

“When you say your dream is to be a professional baseball player, they are like ‘alright that’s kind of cool, but focus on school’. But if you have a dream stick to it, don’t let anyone deter you from what you definitely want to do. My time at being a huge example, there are definitely going to be some low points, but as long as you stay focused on what you want to do and don’t get easily deterred, it will usually end up working out. Just keep your head down and stay focused on what you need to do,” Little said.

The team has told players “No hard feelings, but is what you’ve got to do. If you want that spot (on the starting squad) back, then you’re going to have to change yourself,” according to Niness.

Despite a losing record so far in the season, the Pioneers are not going to stop. According to head coach Marquis Weeks, the team is focused and determined to finish this season with their heads held high, for its more about the lesson learned on the field than the numbers on the scoreboard.

“One of the greatest lessons you can learn in life is how to persevere, how to keep grinding everyday even if things aren’t going your way,” Weeks said. “In life, failure is not an option, you can’t quit, you have to wake up everyday with a renewed passion and say to yourself, ‘this is the day my hard work will pay off ’.”

ga weight room. Come springtime, team members were running drills together and continuously building their fitness. However, a large portion of the team plays other sports like rugby or lacrosse.

A large component of the changes that have been made for this year is the attitude of the team.

The five captains, seniors Nick Braendel, Roshaun Christopher, Matt Dempsey, Matt McClintock and Jackson Niness find that the players’ attitudes start with them.

“As a captain, I make sure everyone’s paying attention during practice. If it’s a rainy day, and no one really feels like they want to be there, my job is to make sure everyone’s giving their full effort all the time and keeping the intensity up,” Dempsey said.

“My job is to lead by example and really make other guys try harder at practice. If the captains slack off, then the whole team’s going to slack off.”

Courtesy Brendan Little

Winding up: Conestoga Class of 2015 alumnus Brendan Little throws a pitch. Little went to the State College of Florida before leaving in his sophomore year to sign with the Chicago Cubs.

SCORELINE Football

W L T

• • •

1 5 0

B Soccer

• • •

12 0 1

Scores as of 10/5

G Soccer

• • •

10 1 1

G Tennis

• • •

17 0 0

B XC

• • •

10 1 0

G XC

• • •

11 0 0

Golf

• • •

12 0 0

Volleyball

• • •

10 3 0

Field Hockey

• • •

11 2 0