THE
MARCH 18, 2014 INSIDE: SCIENCE FAIR P. 3 SWEET TREATS P. 10 SPRING SPORTS P. 12
MODERN AGE, MODERN FAMILY By Lavi Ben-Dor & Mary Mei, Co-Editor-in-Chief & Business Manager
T
he term “One big happy family” has been tweaked to fit the modern age: “One big (straight, gay, multicultural, traditional) happy family,” according to ABC’s comedy, “Modern Family.” That multi cultural, multi racial, interreligious, same- sex and divorced family has found a home in the modern age.
Defining Modernity
Data show that these non-conventional, “modern” families are becoming increasingly more prevalent in today’s society. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Communication Studies Chair Dawn Braithwaite, who studies family communication and relationships, said that the definition of the American family has changed over the past few decades. “We now think about family as not just defined by biology and law but also that families are chosen as well and families ‘define themselves for themselves,’” Braithwaite said. A family is now people who “share their lives over long periods of time bound by ties of marriage, blood, law, or commitment, legal or otherwise, who consider themselves as family and who share a significant history and anticipated future of functioning as a family.” Junior Tara Malloy, who has a stepfather and two stepsiblings, said that she believes the rapidly growing number of non-conventional families, such as those with lesbian or gay parents, parents
of different racial or religious backgrounds and stepparents or stepsiblings, has led to a growing acknowledgment of various family types. “I definitely think that there is an increased acceptance of unique families in our society. In my opinion, the idea of a ‘normal’ family is shifting from the traditional mom, dad and 2.5 children to something less conventional every day,” Malloy said. “I think that because there has been a rise in the types of modern families in our society, the heightened exposure to families
like mine is contributing to a growing acceptance of non-conventional families. Today, a family can fit a wide variety of frames and society as a whole is becoming more accepting of this notion.”
Same-Sex Parents
The image of two mothers or two fathers caring for their children has become a more common sight over the past decade. According to a 2012 study from the Williams Institute at the University of California School of Law, 110,000 same-sex couples nation-
wide are raising children, an increase from 63,000 in 2000. Senior Macy Davis’s lesbian mothers are among the samesex couples. Her and her brother freshman Josh Davis’s mothers were able to get married in August after a Montgomery County register of wills issued several dozen marriage licenses to samesex couples. One of their mothers, their birth mother, has a previous husband who is the father of Davis and her brother.
Continued on p. 4
NEWS
PAGE 2 The Spoke is published seven times per year at Bartash Printing. It consistently receives the Gold Award from the Pennsylvania School Press Association and is a National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker award-winning publication. The Spoke serves as a public forum for student expression. Editors-in-chief: Lavi Ben-Dor, Allison Kozeracki Managing Editor: Simran Singh News Editor: Suproteem Sarkar Opinion Editor: James Redmond Features Editor: Emily Klein Sports Editors: Courtney Kennedy, Navin Zachariah Design Editors: Sophie Bodek, Noah Levine Centerspread Editor: Callum Backstrom Convergence Editor: Yuge Xiao Business Manager: Mary Mei Zoe Au, Andy Backstrom, Maggie Chen, Nour Elkassabany, Michael Hong, Rose Kantorczyk, Gabrielle Kerbel, Camille Kurtz, Liz Lawton, Michael Li, Dhanvin Manoo, Paula Miller, Patrick Nicholson, Meagan O’Rourke, Emma Purinton, Rachit Sabharwal, Shivani Sanghani, Sam Sedor, Matt Soderberg, Victoria Stern, Michael Zhang, Jerry Zhu Faculty Advisers: Susan Houseman, Cynthia Crothers-Hyatt
Submissions Letters to the editor may be submitted to Susan Houseman, Cynthia Hyatt, Lavi Ben-Dor or Allison Kozeracki. Unsigned editorials represent the views of The Spoke editorial board, and not necessarily those of the administration, student body, community or advertisers. The opinions expressed in signed columns are those of the writer and not necessarily the opinion of The Spoke.
Contact Us
Email: spoke@stoga.net Phone: 610-240-1046 The Spoke accepts paid advertisements. Email mmei@stoganews.com Visit The Spoke online at www.stoganews.com Web News Director: Yuge Xiao yxiao@stoganews.com
College Board to change SAT format The College Board announced March 5 that it will make revisions to the SAT Reasoning Test that will be implemented in the spring of 2016. These new revisions include a return to the 1600 scale, an optional essay and combined Reading and Writing sections, and will be part SAT since 2005, when the current 2400 scale and essay portion were introduced. Junior Matt Farrell said that he supports the policy to make test materials available for free, including on the online Khan Academy, and the new focus on practical vocabulary. “The [new] SAT makes it more fair for everyone because everyone, ent prep courses to get the scores that they want, and it’s not really fair that some kids that have more money can pay to do better than others,” Farrell said. “I [also] like the new vocab section because instead applicable.”
THE SPOKE
Student Services holds Career Week
Guidance counselor and SAT coordinator Melissa Boltz said although it is changing, the SAT is still like any other standardized test. “Some of the changes I think are good. Aligning [test content] with curriculum is a good approach and I think they are going to do a lot more interpretation and analyzing, which is going to draw on students’ strengths, especially our students, because our students are so used to that classroom instruction,” Boltz said. Current freshmen will be eased into the SAT’s new format through the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), which will change in the fall of 2015. Though the Class of 2017 will take the revised test, Boltz said that for them.” “They are not going to know any differently because they haven’t taken it yet so I don’t see it as being an impact to the students at all,” Boltz said. -Yuge Xiao, Convergence Editor
Sophie Bodek/The SPOKE
Steve Hartman -
Alumna named Unsung Hero, recognized by Dalai Lama for charity work On Feb. 23 at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco, 1989 ’Stoga graduate Laura Peterson was one of 51 people awarded the title of Unsung Hero of Compassion. The honor is given once every four years to recipients around the world as recognition for their work without expectation of reward. Peterson received the award for her work with Hands to Hearts organization she founded in 2004 dedicated to training caregivers, mainly in developing countries, to better provide for their charges. “The award is tremendous salvation for the work I’ve done and yet I can’t imagine how I was chosen from all the people doing all
Photo courtesy Laura Peterson
The Dalai Lama Laura Peterson for founding a charity that trains caregivers in developing countries. things in the world,” Peterson said. “After 10 years working with The idea for founding the charity children who were harried and began with Peterson’s work experi- pretty profoundly damaged, I ence as a mental health specialist. decided to go to the other side and
Save the date: Upcoming events in community MAR
Junior Cabaret Juniors Martin Dorsey and Ryan Frascella host this year’s cabaret on March 20 at 7 p.m. All proceeds benefit the junior after-prom event.
MAR
Mr. Pioneer March 27 at 7 p.m.: ten senior boys don their best suits, reveal a secret talent and compete for the title of Mr. Pioneer. Tickets cost $3.
20 27
APR
02
APR
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Piodanco Piodanco, Conestoga’s very own dance company, hosts its annual dance recital on April 2 at 6 p.m. in the Conestoga auditorium. College Interview Evening Students may practice for college interviews on April 9 at 7 p.m. Counselors will also give presentations on Naviance and college applications.
work to have them not be damaged,” Peterson said. Peterson said her favorite aspect of her work is the people she has the opportunity to meet. “I’ve met some of the most incredible people from every sphere of life, from tribal villagers to celebrities and the Dalai Lama,” Peterson said. Peterson advises students to follow what they believe. “I didn’t foresee [my life today] when I was back in Conestoga—I didn’t know what I would be when I grew up.” Peterson said. “You don’t have to have your whole life mapped or planned out. Pursue what you’re interested in and new paths will appear.” -Yuge Xiao, Convergence Editor
Stay updated with stoganews.com
Yuge Xiao/The SPOKE
Junior Kylie Johnson sings and dances to “Long as I’m Here with You” at a dress rehearsal for the spring musical on Feb. 28.
More: ‘Stoga Theatre presents “Thoroughly Modern Millie” Girls swimming shatters records at districts, places second
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PAGE 3
Astronomical attainments: Conestoga sweeps county science fair Maggie Chen & Jerry Zhu Staff Reporters
research astronomy was a per-
Senior Sophia Ponte’s interest in astronomy stemmed from a
I’ve recently also become very interested in the international relations aspect of space exploration
MChen@stoganews.com JZhu@stoganews.com
As a child, she had aspirations from a first grade project that
-
-
ancy in one of the data sets led her to the discovery of a new planet
and will receive their specific new candidate for an extrasolar
ing what they’ve learned in their classes and applying it to real life be correlated with other people’s -
Using data collected from the telescope, Ponte observed chang-
other aspiring scientists gathered
-
-
that goal that led me to consider doing astronomy research last
of a binary system (a system in which two objects’ gravitational
were ready to compete in the -
fair participants have shown
“Its size and period highly
to determine the planet’s mass,” gram designed to help paralyzed -
vancement of the science field Suproteem Sarkar
Junior Narahari Bharadwaj explains his science fair project, a way to help people communicate through blinking and chewing. for the project stemmed from his “I’ve been involved in science ways been interested in science in general, and ever since I got into high school, I’ve had an interest “My project allowed me to learn
believes that this year’s science
hitting the tile flooring accom-
down to have their hair braided, Suproteem Sarkar
Senior Aaron Serrano plays double Dutch during African American Culture Day Feb. 28. The AASU also served food and had educational posters. interested in what we’re doing than
-
AASU president senior Mahilee
“hyped vibe” of the participants “It starts from the African stage, and it progresses [to] Africans coming to America and being slaves and this sentiment and said he noticed an increase in attendance in this
ministrator Nancy Adams was in
It was a nice experience overall
CKurtz@stoganews.com
to spread the main message of the -
Ponte said she was inspired by presented their research at the
to express their own ideas and
Camille Kurtz Staff Reporter
-
to meet new people, in addition
spending the time in a science-
AASU honors African American culture
anticipate chowing down on some
honors and accelerated, incorporation of labs, and trying to
in research and science, and are ence in the world, and it’s a good who share my scientific inter-
NEWS
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THE SPOKE
Diverse, unique families reflect on experiences, daily life Continued from p. 1 Despite their different family situation, Davis does not find her life drastically different than those of her peers. Having two mothers “doesn’t change much. The discipline is the same, and so is everything else but it’s just looked on differently because my dad has a wife and my mom also has a wife,” Davis said. According to Davis, there has never been anything “unordinary” in the way people have treated her because of her family, and that the acceptance she has seen is a characteristic of the current era. “Even five or ten years ago, I think the situation would definitely be different,” Davis said. “Now, my family is very involved in the issue of gay rights and the legalization of gay marriage. When we talk about it in class I’m always the first person asked about my opinion.” Davis’s perceptions of public acceptance of gay families correlate with national statistics. A 2013 Pew Research Center study found that the percentage of people saying that more gay and lesbian couples raising children is good for society has increased from 11 percent in 2007 to 21 percent in 2013; the percentage saying it is bad dropped by 15 percent in that timeframe to 35 percent. “I think we are seeing amazing strides, especially toward some more acceptance for [gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender] families although we have a long way to go,” Braithwaite said. LGBT activists face opposition from organizations like the American Family Association (AFA) of Pennsylvania, whose main goals are “standing up
for traditional Judeo-Christian values” including “pro-family values,” as well as advocating for a Pa. Marriage Protection Amendment. Against homosexuals and supporting the traditional family, the AFA states that society “flounders under the scourge of broken families” and that “redefining marriage will further weaken God-ordained marriage and families.” Sophomore Sarah McAlaine, whose uncles got married seven years ago in New Jersey, also believes that progress has been made regarding same-sex marriage rights. McAlaine finds that everyone in her immediate family, including her grandparents, are “completely accepting and fine” with her uncles’ marriage. She attributes her attitude toward same-sex marriage to her home environment. “I think being exposed to it so early and having all my family members be cool with it has definitely made me be a lot more open towards those issues, whereas someone who would be raised in a more conservative family would not feel as open minded as that,” McAlaine said. Even with the shrinking opposition to gay parents and marriages, Davis is still involved in efforts to promote legalization and acceptance, tying in her own interests and passions. “My mom has been to rallies, but I’m not old enough,” Davis said. “But I just did a show with a local theater about the issue of gay marriage. I’m in theater and right now it’s a very big issue in my community, so in the future I will definitely continue to be involved.” Davis noted that her family
Juniors Conor and Tara Malloy and freshman Michael and junior Ryan Dutot became stepsiblings after the Malloys’ mother married the Dutots’ father.
Photos Sophie Bodek/The SPOKE
Jessica, Robert, junior Bobby and freshman Cahlin Pragada are members of a mixed-race family. Bobby said that others often don’t realize that he is half-white and half-Indian until they meet both of his parents. has played an important role in shaping her personality. “Without my family, I would not be as open-minded,” Davis said. “I’ve learned that there shouldn’t ever be a problem to accept people as who they are.”
Marrying Across Lines
The increasing diversity of today’s society has been reflected by the increase of interfaith and interracial marriages. An April 2013 Fox News piece by Naomi Schaefer Riley, author of “’Till Faith Do Us Part,” reported that a 2010 survey she conducted found that 42 percent of all marriages are interfaith, or taking place between spouses belonging to different religions. A New York Times piece she wrote in the same month reported that this percentage has more than doubled from what it was before the 1960s. Sophomore Emily Poll is Jewish on her father’s side and Christian on her mother’s side. “Being half Jewish might have felt a little different 20 years ago, but at the same time it’s very common and interreligious marriages are some things that have been happening for a long time now; a lot of kids grow up in homes like that,” Poll said. Poll, who has multiple religions, often needs to make decisions to include or not include different aspects. She celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah but did not have a
coming-of-age ceremony for either of her parents’ religion because she wanted to balance her two faiths. With her Jewish father and Christian mother, Poll has two different sides of her family that are “understanding and accepting” of her parents’ differing beliefs. A 2012 Pew Research study found that 15.1 percent of new marriages in 2010 occurred between spouses of different races or ethnicities, an increase in 4 percent from a decade earlier and more than double the percentage from 1980 (6.7 percent). The study also found that interracial and interethnic marriages made up 8.4 percent of all existing marriages at the time, a significant increase from 3.2 percent in 1980. Junior Bobby Pragada’s mother is white, while his father is Indian, which he said has been a source of misunderstanding for others. “A lot of people are really confused when they meet me,” Pragada said. “Because I look like I’m Indian and my mom is white, I’ve been asked if I was adopted. My dad’s very dark-skinned, so they get really confused. When I explain it, they find it completely normal; sometimes, they jokingly tease me about it.” Sophomore Linda Ashmead, who is Chinese on her mother’s side and white on her father’s, said she also occasionally ends
up in similar situations when she encounters those who are not familiar with her ethnic makeup. “Whenever people first meet me they say, ‘What are you?’ and they realize that sounds rude, so they ask me, ‘What’s your background? Are you Hawaiian?’ and I tell them I get that a lot, and that I’m actually half-Asian,” Ashmead said. Although Pragada and Ashmead both said that their families are rarely perceived as unusual, Pragada understands that the same could not necessarily be said during previous generations. “When my mom and dad got married, it wasn’t the norm; they told me that they received some criticism,” Pragada said. Mixed-race families are “completely acceptable, but it hasn’t always been that way.” Ashmead believes that those who have a mixed-race heritage are not at all at a disadvantage from discrimination but rather at an advantage for the opportunity to explore the different cultures their parents came from. “Having one parent who is Chinese means I get to go to China to visit my family and it also means because of my mom I’ve learned to speak Chinese, something I believe is extremely useful and important,” Ashmead said.
Continued on p. 5
NEWS
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Modern families shape lives of students Continued from p. 5
A Whole New Family
Families formed through divorce and remarriage are another form of unconventional family. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national divorce rate is 3.6 per 1,000 population as of 2011, marking a 0.4 percent decrease over a decade. Data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health show that divorces in Pennsylvania peaked in the 1980s and 1990s and have decreased by around 10 percent since then, although they increased by 6.5 percent between 2009 and 2012. Senior Phoebe Todd, whose parents are divorced and whose father now lives in England, believes divorce has become more prevalent in today’s society. “There are definitely a lot of kids with divorced parents and have to deal with them, as well Todd said. Todd believes the experience of having divorced parents has shaped her, and “the unusual impacted her life in unexpected ways. For Malloy, her parents’ divorce
brought her a whole new family. Malloy’s mother remarried in 2006, meaning that she and her twin brother junior Conor Malloy got two new step siblings, junior Ryan and freshman Michael Dutot, with whom she lives for the majority of the time.
“Without my family, I would not be as openminded. I’ve learned that there shouldn’t ever be a problem to accept people as who they are.” -Senior Macy Davis Malloy said that the change to her family was fairly easy for her to process and over time has taught her that “it is possible to get along with people who are completely The first time she met her stepbrothers, “we stood there utes, not knowing what to do or say, but within the first half an hour we were all playing together and having fun. We realized that although we went to different schools, watched different TV
it didn’t mean we couldn’t live in Malloy said. “It just proves to me that regardless of how a family is built, it can be very ‘normal.’ My stepbrothers have become ‘normal’ brothers to me— like real siblings do, but we also get along with each other like real Malloy said that even though her family is a blended one, it is al“When we all go out to dinner together, our family is sometimes met with confusion. They look at us and wonder how this family could have four children that are about the same age. After a 10 second explanation, everything makes sense, and we are always Malloy said. “Often, our family is so perceivably normal that no one even questions [that] we aren’t all Malloy said that belonging to a non-conventional family has made her view others who are part of similar families with a greater understanding and respect. “Growing up in such a unique family gives me the perspective to say that all other sorts of modern families can work, and be the happiest of environments for kids to
PAGE 5
Modern Families Percent of same-sex couples raising children 2000
17%
2006
19%
2009
16%
42% of marriages in America are inter-faith Children of inter-faith couples are more than t wice as likely to adopt the faith of their mother 25% of couples in same-faith marriages began as couples of different faith
Incre asing popularit y of intermarriage Percent of new marriages that are interracial
Percent of existing interracial marriages
1980
6. 7%
8. 4%
2010
15. 1%
3. 2%
Rate of di vorces and annulments in America per 1,000 total population 2001
4. 0
2006
3. 7
2011
3. 6
Graphic: Sophie Bodek/The SPOKE Sources: University of California School of Law, Pew Research Center, Naomi Schaefer Riley, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Students prepare thought-provoking presentations for TEDxStoga Michael Hong & Michael Zhang Staff Reporters MHong@stoganews.com MZhang@stoganews.com With topics ranging from interpretation of music through emotions to applications of space exploration, students will present estoga curriculum at TEDxStoga on Friday. Organized by seniors Nathaniel Rome and Eric Margolis, TEDxStoga will be modeled after the presentations given at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conferences, which explore potentially life-changing ideas. Fifteen students are scheduled to present during periods 3, 4, 7 and 8 on March 21 in room 268. Rome and Margolis were exposed to these TED talks in their classes, which inspired them to organize the event. They wanted to have a venue in which students could share their skills and passions with their classmates. “We thought there were a lot of passions, extracurricular activities and ideas that they know a lot
Rome and Margolis wanted to provide an opportunity for students to reveal their interests Margolis expressed his intentions in running the event very similarly to how actual TED conferences are organized, stressing the importance of speaker preparation and practice. “It’s more important to us to have a smaller number of excellent talks than just people participating because they’re kind of
The students agreed to attend multiple practice sessions and preconference run-through was held on March 13. Government teacher and TEDxStoga sponsor Deb Ciamacca said she uses TED talks to pique students’ interest and ization and British parliament. “I use [TED talks] in my Comparative Government class and I think that students found a couple of them to be very inter-
esting and it spurred them to Ciamacca said. Senior Brian Greco will be presenting “Perfection on a scribes his 10 years of alternative diet. “Diet is a passion of mine and has become a core part of my While the help of various faculty members was needed for proctoring and approval, the organization of the event was mostly student-run. The speakers “are planning on their own, and then they have to get approval from me before going through the final runMost of the work is done by
Noah Levine/The SPOKE
Senior Nathaniel Rome lays out the TEDxStoga format at an informational meeting last Thursday. Rome and senior Eric Margolis organized the talks, which will be held this Friday.
the speakers, with faculty only helping them by approving their presentations and acting as proctors. As seniors, Margolis and Rome remain hopeful that students will be able to continue TEDxStoga conferences in the future. Margolis and Rome anticipate that junior speakers may continue this event after having a positive experience. this will be continued. Because the date is so close we’re going to focus on getting this actual event that we might try to create an organization that is going to be able to continue in future years, said.
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FEATURES
THE SPOKE
Prank-stars: students, teachers carry on April Fool’s traditions Meagan O’Rourke and Shivani Sanghani Staff Reporters
MORourke@stoganews.com SSanghani@stoganews.com A bag containing plastic cling-wrap, an excessive amount of Post-its, thumbtacks and a Jason mask could only mean two things: either a Staples serial killer is on the loose or it is April Fool’s Day. Historians speculate the celebratory day of shenanigans originated in 16th century France with the pranking tradition, “Poisson de Avril,” or April Fish. Conestoga French teacher Josee Brouard shares the classic prank with her students and encourages them to celebrate. “Sometimes students will invite them to bring in some late,” Brouard said. After the change of New Year’s Day from the end of March to Jan. 1, people in rural France stubbornly clung to the old calendar, so reformers put fish on their backs, declaring the country people “Poisson de Avril,” to embarrass them. These days, the French honor the tradition by sticking paper fish onto the backs of unsuspecting friends and family as themed pastries. Brouard recalls how the joke evolved over the years. [the prank] too… but it is not as popular as 40 years ago. Over time, April Fool’s Day has become more Americanized, where people play pranks on the radio or make up stories,” Brouard said. On April Fool’s Day, Americans pull a wide range of practical jokes to make friends and family look foolish, and are often more creative than sneaking a paper fish onto their back. From extreme pranking feats on shows like “Punk’d” and tricks here at ’Stoga, Americans use many tactics to earn laughs. Junior Oni Kibblewhite recalls the memorable April Fool’s Day when her Valley Forge Middle School science teacher, a presentation exposing the recent discovery of a primitive life form on the planet Mars.
Pranking Do’s and Don’ts DO: Plan in advance Make sure the prank is safe Be creative: you know your target best Capture your prank on video
DON’T: Prank strangers Do something offensive or dangerous Give your target any hints: leave no evidence Sam Sedor
period, but at the thought of life on Mars, we were bubbling with excitement and questions,” Kibblewhite said. “He even showed up on the projector as he was explaining it, so it just seemed very legitimate.” Kibblewhite adds that her teacher had gotten the idea from an online article, set up solely for the purpose of April Fool’s pranks. after thinking that we had just for not thinking about the fact white said. Sophomores Carleton and Maarten Monster pulled their own April Fool’s Day prank in school, perhaps the most expected prank for a set of identical twins sharing not only DNA, but the same love for a ruse. On April Fool’s Day, the identical blonde twins switched places in French class, wondering if anyone would notice. Like a scene from the “Parent Trap,” no one realized their swap, and the brothers kept the secret until
the next day. Previously, they had attempted changing classes for the day in kindergarten as a prank, but the swap did not go as planned. said [Maarten’s] teacher’s name wrong,” Carleton said. The Monster twins do not plan to pull the prank this year “because everyone checks” for the switcheroo on April Fool’s Day, Carleton said. er, other students have pulled Freshman Jack Lee recalls unscrewing his sister’s toilet seat “for fun” on April 1 three years ago. His sister “freaked out,” but prank was not really harmful. the classic “whipped cream and tickle” prank as a fourth grader, using peanut butter instead of whipped cream. Boyer’s friend was sleeping over at her house, the prank from watching MTV’s “Pranked.” the peanut butter on my friend’s hand with a knife, and tickled her face. She started touching her face, smearing the peanut butter all across, and then stuck her hand under her head, getting it all in her hair,” Boyer ew!’” For freshman Dylann Duvall, pranking is almost habitual. Last year’s April Fool’s prank stuck out in Duval’s mind as particularly tricky. After stocking up on prank gum that “turned your spit blood red” at a prank store, Duvall and a friend walked up to an “enemy” pretending to be sick and sneezed into a napkin, making it seem like they were regurgitating blood. The hysterically frightened “enemy,” convinced that Duvall and his friend were on the brink of death, rushed Duvall revealed his fake ailment. The victim of the prank took an entire lunch period to recover from the trauma. “There was no idea behind the prank really, we just decided to go for it just to freak out someone that we both are not too fond of,” Duvall said. Addy Nagle, she believes that, “the sentimental pranks have the most meaning.” Nagle vividly remembers a
prank pulled by her grandfather when she was only six years old, as he pretended to swallow a ladybug in front of the whole family. he ‘swallowed’ it but also being nervous because ladybugs aren’t exactly what we might call ‘edible,’” Nagle said. The joke lasted much longer than one April Fool’s Day as Na-
gle’s grandfather did not reveal the truth about swallowing the ladybug until many years later, when she “had then realized her grandfather’s [prank] was obvious.” No matter what country, age or background, people everywhere love to have a good laugh on every prankster’s favorite holiday.
Mostly Safe Practical Pranks For the novice prankster: “The Sink Jinx” What you need: 1-2 rubber bands, a spray nozzle faucet 1.) Wrap a rubber band around the faucet trigger
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2.) Aim the nozzle where the victim would stand 3.) Stand clear of the splash zone 4.) Enjoy the soakage
For the master of mischief: “Paranoia” What you need: a magazine or newspaper 1.) Cut out letters from a magazine or newspaper, arranging them to make several ransom notes 2.) Slip the messages to the victim in question, making sure to remain anonymous 3.) Observe the effects of paranoia as he or she undergoes a nervous breakdown, waiting for a prank that never comes.
For the intermediate imp: “The Saran Scam” What you need: plastic wrap, a doorway 1.) Tightly cover a doorway in plastic wrap, taping it to the sides facing the room
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2.) Yell for a friend to come into the room quickly 3.) Watch as they run into the wrap Alternate Prank: cover an entire car in plastic wrap *Make sure the victim won’t be needing it anytime soon Michael Zhang/The SPOKE
FEATURES
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PAGE 7
It’s all in the name: facility names honor great contributors Michael Li Staff Reporter MLi@stoganews.com At first it may seem odd that Conestoga’s Hobson C. Wagner Auditorium was named after someone who was gone even before the school was built. But the choice of name makes sense because, after all, superintendent Wagner was the for Conestoga High School, even if he didn’t live to see its completion in 1955. By guiding the merging of the area’s smaller school districts post-World War II, he formed a single, large one—the modern Tredyffrin-Easttown School District. Wagner also directed the purchase of the land that Conestoga was built on. Like the Wagner Auditorium, other Conestoga facilities are also named after people who helped to make ’Stoga what it is today. Conestoga’s Zettelmoyer Memorial Library gets its name from Karl A. Zettelmoyer, a principal who was instrumental in organizing the Central League in which ’Stoga plays. Zettelmoyer was responsible for creating the League’s rules and even its constitution. On the academic side, he served on the College Entrance
ter known as the College Board (the same one that administers SAT and gained from his College Board job, Zettelmoyer had a unique advantage in helping students during his time at Conestoga understand and The library was named after him in recognition of his 14-year term, from 1957 up until his passing in 1971.
Gasser “was the best. He was someone you could talk to. His basketball team was his life.” Secretary/Clerk Pat Berry Librarian Lydia Lieb thinks that the timing of new library construction supplemented the decision of naming the library after Zettlemoyer. “There was an addition [to the library] that was put on the building in the 70s,” Lieb said. “I think it was the timing of the renovation coincided with his leaving.” After Zettelmoyer came John Rittenmeyer, principal from 1971 to 1987, the man for whom the Ritten-
meyer Gymnasium (known to stuStudents can thank Rittenmeyer for their free periods, as he was the man along with eliminating tedious hall passes at Conestoga. “Rit’s Corner,” near the main office, was where Rittenmeyer would take the time to greet students and ask how they were doing. Tragically, he became the second consecutive principal to by a fatal car accident. While assistant principal and athletic director Patrick Boyle did not know him personally, he is familiar with Rittenmeyer’s revered legacy in the area. “When you speak to people who knew of him when they were here, like older teachers [who are] no longer here or older people in the community, they all have a great deal of respect and admiration for him,” Boyle said. Lying within the Rittenmeyer gymnasium is Gerry Gasser Court, the most recently named facility, having been named back in 2012. The basketball court of the Pioneers is dedicated to Conestoga alum Gerry Gasser, an athletic director at Conestoga better known for helping to turn the Conestoga basketball program into the Central league
powerhouse it is today. He helped lead the 1977-78 basketball team to Secretary/Clerk Pat Barry knew Gasset personally, and also knew of hispositive presence within the school community. Gasser “was the best. He was just a good guy — a nice athletic director, he had a good basketball team,” Berry said. He was someone you could talk to. His basketball team was his life. Everybody knew Gerry Gasser.” Teamer Field has been the site of many great Conestoga football vic-
“What school facility would you like to bear your name?”
Patrick Boyle, Assistant Principal/ Athletic Director Facility: Track Name: “The Patrick Boyle Track”
after the man who helped to form a strong football tradition in the area, S. Paul Teamer. Over a century ago, graduating class of Conestoga’s early Joint High School, way back in which succeeded the school he had graduated from, he started the football program that is still so dominant in Conestoga’s culture, a century later. Meanwhile, as a teacher and lover of history, Teamer co-founded and presided over the which still actively conducts research into the history of the district.
Suzanne Dickinger, Choral Director Facility: Auditorium Name: “The Suzanne E. Dickinger Auditorium”
Paul Poisez, Math Teacher Facility: Room 150 Name: “The Poisez Mathnasium”
The ’Stoga stigma: school policy works to manage stress Liz Lawton Staff Reporter LLawton@stoganews.com list in the garnet assignment book, you feel a headache coming on. Your stomach starts to ache and you let out a tired sigh because you have been down this path before. You are not sick however; you are stressed. Conestoga, notorious for astronomical SAT scores, myriad AP courses, and the multitude of students clamoring to take them, wears its academic bling cessively stressed. The Manifest Club has introduced programs such as Movie Days, Stress Melts (where students can get treats like hot chocolate before midterms Wednesdays. Some programs were less successful than othdays saw its last strong stand about three years ago, when Manifest vice president senior Olivia Guillocheau was a freshman. “It’s really hard to get the teachers to follow a rule like that; everyone has a syllabus and no wants to stray from that. It used to be more popu-
lar but not anymore,” Guillocheau said. “I think it would be helpful if teachers talked to each other and planned better, so that we don’t have a bunch of tests or papers due on one day.” When school programs are inadequate, students resort to their own devices. Junior Hailey Boyer describes what happens when she feels bogged down by work. “I’ve taken mental health days before. Sometimes it’s impossible to get all of your work done before a certain deadline and the stress just gets to you and a mental health day is necessary,” Boyer said. S t u dents recognize that
Conestoga has a reputation for high achievement , and the rigor makes them feel the need to compete with their peers in course load and level.
“I do feel obligated to take AP classes because of ’Stoga’s competitive atmosphere,” Boyer said. Guillocheau adds that taking on-level courses is considered an anomaly in a school where more than half of the student body takes at least one AP. “I’m in on-level math and I’m where I should be, but it’s just so strange to be in an onlevel math class. It’s a big deal to not be in an
above level math class [at Conestoga],” said Guillocheau. Principal Amy Meisinger believes a degree of moderation in course load should be a goal for students, especially in an academically rigorous school. “We caution [students] about oversubscribing and moving from a place of rigor and challenge to [being] overwhelmed,” Meisinger said. “The highly acaNHS demic environment Care Team d o e s breed Student Services a
Reading/Testing Days No Homework Wednesdays
need to handle stress and stressful situations.” Other schools in the area have policies such as limits on the number of tests and quizzes in a single day, and teacher
Liz Lawton/The SPOKE
Administrators, teachers and guidance counselors urge the use of programs in place at Conestoga to help students manage stress. The reading days before the end of marking periods,
ago, as well as the Core Team, widely used by students to balance workloads. The guidance counselors are especially aware of the intense pressure placed on students, and so they direct them to resources such as Care Team and the mental health counselor. Guidance counselor Melissa Boltz believes that the competitive atmosphere can cause narrow mindedness in students. “We have a very academically driven community and students are striving to be the best and to be successful, without seeing single way,” Boltz said. “There’s a stereotype, or a misperception that if [students] don’t take [high level courses] they’re not going to get into a good college.” Meisinger feels as though this mindset, though it has its downsides, can also serve as a positive motivation. “One of the things that’s unique about Conestoga is that it’s cool to be smart here,” Meisinger said. “We have a proven lence and high achievement. The ratings that we are privileged to receive indicate that we are an outstanding school.”
PAGE 8
THE SPOKE
FEATURES
THE SPOKE
CATHERINE BOND LIBRARIAN
Interview by Emma Purinton Photo and design by Victoria Stern Almost every student in Conestoga knows librarian Catherine Bond—she holds the answer to nearly any work question or dilemma, from how to last-minute printing problems. Often welcome freshmen to the high school, Bond stays with the students until senior year. However, although most students know Bond, they do not know much about the person who saves them from having to look through thousands that science project. THE SPOKE: Where did you live growing up and what was your background? CATHERINE BOND: I grew up in a suburb in Chicago. TS: Was living in Chicago much different from living here? CB: Not really, it was pretty similar to here. One difference, though, was that trees. So it wasn’t nearly as beautiful as it is around here with all the trees and beautiful foliage. TS: What is your family like now? CB: I’m married and I have three children. I have two sons and one daughter and they’re all grown up and out of the house. My two sons are both married, and my oldest grandchildren. My oldest son is an Episcopal priest—he is the rector at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Huntingdon Valley.
TS: Has your family been affected by you being a librarian at all? CB: I know that I’m always suggesting books to my grandchildren. I used to suggest books to my children, but like most kids, they didn’t really pay attention to them at all. But my grandchildren, I’m happy to say, listen to me. But [my children] would always ask me for help in school, and even in college they would be emailing me from school, so I would check their bibliographies or help them advantage of that. TS: Do you have any interesting hobbies outside of school? CB: Well I’m a big reader, but I also volunteer a lot at church, and I mentor an adult study group at my church, and then gardening. I have been a member of the World Future Society since 1978. It’s an international organization of people that write articles and study the future. I’ve been to a bunch of Grateful Dead concerts, probably that we made; we did it ourselves. And we just have this great yard and spend a lot of time out with our families around TS: So do you write anything for the World Future Society? CB: I haven’t written, but I attend the conferences. Every year I go to their annual conference, so I listen to speakers and lots of interesting ideas on where things are going, which is helpful in my job, because the job is so much about new technologies and where things are going. We’re always
know what to do here. TS: What Conestoga clubs and activities do you do outside of being a librarian? CB: I’ve been the co-adviser for the National History Day competition, and I do that with Mrs. Hyatt. But we’re not doing that this year, I’ve done it up until this year. And then a little bit ago I was the freshman class adviser, so those are the two main student activities that I do. TS: If you weren’t a librarian, what would you be? CB: A meteorologist. I took a course one time and I loved it, but I was already a librarian. TS: Did any part of your background have an impact on your career choice? CB: I didn’t plan on being a librarian. I always liked to read, and when I was in college, I was a history major, and my mother always used to tell me that I should be a librarian. And I would look at her and think she was crazy. But she kept saying it and kept saying it, and when I graduated from college with a degree in history, I wasn’t sure what to do, and I remembered what my mother had told me, and I thought, ‘Well, maybe I’ll give it a try.’ And I gave it a try and loved it. TS: Have you personally made any changes to the role of being a librarian? CB: Well, yes, because when I started my career libraries were still tradilibrary, so libraries were quiet places and there were all these catalogue checking out books--the stereotypes. But they don’t obviously apply anymore. But when I was growing up, those stereotypes were the reality. TS: Are there any differences between your experience with librarians in high school and how it is now? CB: I never would have talked to the librarians in high school. I never would have thought to go to the librarian for help. And my hope is that most kids here know that that’s why I’m here—to help, please interrupt me. But while I was in high school, the librarian would just sit at the desk
PAGE 9 and never moved, and I never would have talked to her. I would have been scared—she was scary! But I think kids feel comfortable here, that this is a place they are welcome to come, where we are here to help them, and that this is a positive atmosphere, and I didn’t feel that in high school. I would get my books and run.
“I wrote a grant to Apple in 1989, and the Conestoga library was named an Apple Library of Tomorrow. So I got to go out to Cupertino, to Apple’s headquarters, they flew me out there and I got to tour all of the Apple campus. It was very, very cool.” TS: When you started as a librarian, were you sure you wanted to continue it as a career? CB: I loved it when I was in graduate school, because when I was in graduate school, things were changing. So librarians were no longer stodgy people with buns and telling people to shush. TS: How long have you been a librarian? CB: I’ve been at Conestoga 26 years, but I have been a high school librarian for 38 years, because I used to be a librarian at a high school in a suburb outside of Chicago. TS: Has anything particularly memorable happened during your career? CB: I have had such a wonderful career and have had so much fun. One memorable thing was when I wrote a grant to Apple in 1989, and the Conestoga library was named an Apple Library of me out there and I got to tour all of the Apple campus. It was very, very cool. TS: Do you remember seeing anything at Apple that is now available to us? CB: I remember one of the Apple guys telling us that a computer needed to be
like a pen. If I dropped this [pen] on the street, I wouldn’t be that upset, I would just go buy another one, no big deal. Back in 1989, a computer was big and expensive. So I think of that today, when we’re holding computers in our hands, with our smart phones or our tablets. We’re holding that in our hands doing what that man back in 1989 said we would be doing. And I think today, we don’t want to lose our iPhone or tablet, but if we do, it’s not the end of the world. It’s not quite the cost of a pen, but it’s come down so much. In other words, it’s an ordinary tool to us. And that’s what he was saying. He said that in 1989 a pen is an ordinary tool for us, and someday computers are going to be an ordinary tool for everybody. And in 1989, that was an amazing thought. TS: Do you think you gain something from not being in a standard classroom? CB: Yes, what’s so much fun about that is that I get to work with everybody. A classroom teacher works with 100 or 125 kids, but I get to know all 2000 Conestoga students. And I also get to work with students in all the subjects, not just one. So one minute I’m helping a student with a history project, the next minute they might be asking me how to do a graph in Excel for science class. TS: Other than working outside of the traditional classroom, what do you think is the most unique thing about being a librarian? CB: get to use so many different technologies.Again, it’s that idea that a classroom teacher might just use one type of technology for their classroom. Because I work with all subjects and all students, I get to work with so many different types of technologies, and that’s exciting. In other words, this is not a boring job. Every single day is different, and every single day I learn something new, and to me that’s the best part of the job—I learn something new every day and I get to work with everybody. TS: Do you have a teaching philosophy? CB: I would say it’s that every student can help.
FAVORITES Book: “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” TV Show: “Downton Abbey” Celebrity/Actor: Meryl Streep Movie: “Gone With the Wind” Vacation: Ireland Song: “Eyes of the World” by Grateful Dead Food: Hamburger Quote: “Wheel is turning, and it can’t slow down. You can’t let go and you can’t hold on.”
FEATURES
PAGE 10
Creative
C ho c o!
Root Beer Float Chips Ahoy
It’s a well known fact that cookies and milk go perfect together. But cookies and other beverages? Not always a good idea. So I was a bit skeptical about trying Chips Ahoy’s new Chewy Root Beer Float cookies. They were released in February 2014 as part of Chips Ahoy’s Ice Cream Creations series, along with Dulce de Leche, Mint Chocolate Chip and Mocha Chunk cookies. These cookies smell like a mix between a bakery and an ice cream shop—or in other words, dessert perfection. They feature
Confec tio n C ho c o!
s
Dark Chocolate Raspberry M&Ms
even create that sugary burn in the back of your throat that you get from drinking actual root beer. Thanks to these treats, I may go around dunking my cookies in soda from now on.
Party Cake Peeps Nothing says party like yet another candy company attempting a birthday outside of the Easter season. However, with the holiday right around the corner, grocery stores are stocking their scent of vanilla cake. The classic chick-shaped marshmallows are a bright turquoise and covered in colorful, sparkly, confetti-like dust. However, it’s not their appearance that makes these gooey treats good; it’s what’s
Marshmallow Crispy Oreos
C ho c o!
C Dheoscign C ho c o ! and proBy Rose Ka o! n torczy uct ph Packa dC k ,S ging p h o octoos! by Sophi taff Report hotos Sweet e e Bhod t courte C ooth shelve ecko, Co r o sy com s by s s beware: ! dozen torm a and lim pany w -Design s of ne t i a t Edhitor e C s ebsite C d u pe w and w h o c edition o co ! s hich too ! variet rmarket ne kinds of cl i assic ar you es, it c leave really in th C an be inside o c hard . With the r sugary sna the wr e packh apper. age. Lou!cki to decide elease of s cks are tak o i ly, the C which se rev h o c crazy many new ng the iews a o ! confec flavor s re her ions to e to he tC try – lp reveh o c al whoa ! t’s
ones taste like pure root beer, while the white morsels add a creamy vanilla note. The cookies themselves are delicious—soft, chewy and sweet. To my surprise, I found that the combination of these three very
While it doesn’t taste exactly like actual cake, it bears resemblance to other birthday cake flavored candies. The marshmallow itself is sticky and
THE SPOKE
an overwhelming
Raspberry was released in 2013 along with Dark Chocolate Mint, but for some
As you continue to eat them (because who only eats one M&M?), the potency of the raspberry strangely diminishes, until it seems like you’re just eating large, raspchocolate is as good as ever.
Strawberry Banana Teddy Grahams Almost everyone has fond memories of eating Teddy Grahams as a kid. Not only were the little bear shapes nal, Cinnamon and Chocolatey Chip. In summer 2013, Honey Maid decided to add a fruity branch to the Teddy Grahams family tree with the addition of Apple and Strawberry Banana varieties. These fun bear-shaped snacks continue to be marketed toward children, so it’s no surprise that that the box advertises Real Fruit as an ingredient. What better way to integrate nutrition into the diets of children? However, I think kids might burst into tears when they try this strange combination. The crackers smell sort of like a strawberry-banana smoothie when the box There’s a slight graham-cracker aftertaste, providing a teasing glimpse of the nice, normal Teddy Grahams from childhood, but it’s not enough to they sure aren’t delicious.
ies are widely available in stores nationwide and have received mixed reviews…which is why I was eager to try them
graham crackers and chocolate.
FEATURES
THE SPOKE
PAGE 11
Cure the winter blues with a dose of spring Paula Miller & Nour Elkassabany Staff Reporters
walk,” Tobias said. Jenkins Arboretum “is meant to be enjoyed by
tors to a flower-filled paradise. Artfully designed gardens are
PMiller@stoganews.com NElkassabany@stoganews.com
the community.” In addition to the outdoor facilities, the new John J. Williman
door displays will remind guests of warmer weather. Through the
Let’s face it: we’re all sick of winter. After winter months consumed by snow (lots and lots of snow), thankfully, a cure is in sight: spring. If you are desperate for a taste of spring, green landscapes and the
houses artwork from the Delaware Valley Art League. From March 30 to May 5, the painting exhibition, “Inspired by Nature’s Beauty,” will be on display for the public. The Jenkins Arboretum has
ing Longwood Gardens’ Orchid
forgotten what grass looks like,
interns in the past. Location: 631 Berwyn Baptist
Jenkins Arboretum is “a gem in our backyard,” as described by arboretum board member Lisa
Price: Free Beginning April 2, nearby Chanticleer Garden, located
acres, 15 of which are open to the
plete with all the delights of spring. What began as the Rosengarten Estate has been transformed into 35 acres of public gardens, along with an additional 12 acres re-
bitter cold and piles of snow. Come spring, the Arboretum bursts into an enchanting garden with windrhododendrons. Walking through the chirping of more than 100 bird species or spot green herons, foxes, owls, turtles and more. “There’s just so much for any-
grounds, each with its own unique atmosphere, from a tennis court of stone sculptures built on the foundation of a 1925 house. One area, the Orchard, is best known
Once the orchids are gone, the spring season brings all new plants
Paula Miller
Jenkins Arboretum is one of the many local, picturesque places to welcome in the springtime weather. that bloom in April. The Cut-Flow- big,” sophomore Sarah McAlaine said. “It feels like a fairytale.” an ethereal image of spring: foxThe gardens are designed and maintained by a year-round horhummingbirds. One of the most recent additions to Chanticleer, Bell’s Woodland, opened in April 2012. It features plants of eastern North American forests, including The path is made of shredded tires Creek, where wetland plants like skunk cabbage and rushes grow.
and unguided tours, as well as horticulture classes, photography workshops and internship opportunities. Location: Wayne Price: General admission is $10 (discounts for members of local arboreta and Radnor Library) Spanning 1,077 acres, Longwood Gardens -
wisteria. Last year, Studio Art III wood to embrace springtime in their art. “We got to relax in the sun while taking pictures and sketching what we wanted. They do such a good ers there healthy and beautiful so it’s a great place to be outside,” appreciate the more than 9,000 Longwoofd’s website offers a what plants are in bloom and creLocation: 1001 Longwood Road in Kennett Square Price:
74
W hat -
Emily Klein Features Editor
EKlein@stoganews.com an all-consuming habit that often to entire seasons of TV shows, it can be so easy to immerse yourself in put down the laptop and get back doing it, shouldn’t we all join in on the fun? Before we can start the what to watch.
For the girls—“Gossip Girl”: While most of us normal high schoolers follow the typical pattern of school, work and hanging out
the luxurious world of credit cards with no limits, gorgeous designer ers in, it is the endless drama that keeps people watching. From drug sabotage, the outrageous situations that main characters Serena, Blair, Nate, Chuck and Dan get ing, “Is it worth it?” And secrets do not stay that way for long with the
binge WATCH binge money-making “Breaking Bad”
appreciating their own family, too. An episode of “Friday Night
critics as well, winning ten Emmy awards in total. As the show progresses,
small, football-dominated town
and a foolproof m e t h o d , attracts not
brings together plots and charac-
he dies. The compelling nature of the plot and the awkward humor
in the series, the always kind and
the latest news nonstop. But who is the mysterious Gossip Girl? That’s For the guys—“Breaking Bad”: As if a story about a chemistry teacher and lung-cancer patient turned meth dealer isn’t enough to catch one’s interest, perhaps the fact that the entire series is now bring on the binge-watchers. With
(the local high school football team) all the while. Characters of
ter White is making an illegal and dangerous drug, he is doing so to earn his needy and growing family
For the whole family— “Friday Night Lights”: Why let binge-watching take away from your family time, when your whole family can take on a new hobby together? “Friday Night Lights”
backgrounds and with different interests all unite around the joys will quickly learn to appreciate the strong community fostered by high school football.
OPINION
PAGE 14 THE SPOKE
From the Editor:
SATisfying progress Revised SAT, new course at ’Stoga promise opportunity for all A long-standing component of students’ high school experience is slated to undergo drastic a decade. On March 5, the College Board announced a major overhaul of the SAT exam, which many Conestoga students take and include in their college applications in order to “expand access to opportunity,” according to a press release by the organization. The new test, which will be rolled out in spring 2016, strives to decrease the inequality between college tutors or SAT programs and those sources to do so, bringing muchneeded change to a currently unequal college admissions process. Lower-income students who qualify will receive four free waivers toward college applications if they take the test. In addition, College Board will partner with Khan Academy, an organization that publishes video solutions to hundreds of practice problems, to create free interactive software which will make it possible for any student with computer access to prepare for the SAT. This, according to Khan Academy founder Salman Khan, is done to “level world-class test-prep materials freely available to all students.” The test itself will also be reformed, making the somewhat cumbersome essay portion optional, combining the reading and writing section (the SAT will now have a maximum score of 1600), and replacing often irrelevant “hard” words with more acces-
sible ones and focusing the math sections on topics most relevant to college courses. Operating under similar principles, Conestoga has added a new course, SAT Strategies, which does not offer any course credit, but has no graded element and allows students to learn the skills needed to do well on the exam in a stressfree environment. In addition, it is cheaper than most SAT prep courses in the area and thus serves as a good alternative for those who In a day and age where standardized testing tends to get a bad reputation for increasing the divide between the haves and have-nots and for forcing students to learn the ways of the test instead of building skills they can use later in life, The Spoke applauds both the College Board and Conestoga for taking a step in the right direction. The changes to the old system make it easier for lower-income students across the country to perform well on the exam, and thus make a quality education more accessible for them despite be facing. In an era of increasing inequality in our country, leveling students could help ensure that future generations can rise and accomplish their goals, regardless getting that quintessential college education that has almost become essential to success. The changes to the test itself help make it more relevant. Critics argue that the problem with tests such as the SAT is that they require students to memorize arcane and
Sophie Bodek/The SPOKE
Tube in for the good stuff
“useless” vocabulary terms and learn tricks to getting the right answers for various types of questions, issues which the new exam will hopefully eliminate to some extent. However, the new SAT is not
from quirky to serious to philosophical, and the two have built a dedicated fanbase known ing into a camera and putting together a short video twice a week. They’re not actors, but their content is interesting and inspiring and funny just the same-
exam, regardless of its content, of time but does not necessarily build skills that could be useful later in life. Furthermore, various studies have suggested that standardized tests are not as good of an indicator of future success as academic performance, so there is still a long way to go for our country equality. The class at Conestoga also Although our area is more afof our country, there are still students at our school who canthe variety of high-quality but expensive SAT prep courses and tutors in our area, and creating a space for them here to get the preparation they need to take the exam and hopefully do well goes a long way toward improving their chances at getting the future they want—and deserve—to get. The Spoke encourages Conestoga’s administration to continue initiatives such as the SAT Strategies, so that all Conestoga alumni in the future can walk out of The Pavillion at Villanova University after graduating and head out into a world they are prepared to face.
Lavi Ben-Dor Co-Editor-in-Chief
LBendor@stoganews.com When people say they spend lots of time watching YouTube videos, they generally refer to something along the lines of soaking in an endless series of homemade videos of cats, crazy music videos or the latest viral trend (remember when the Harlem Shake was a thing? I wish I didn’t). When I say I spend lots of time watching videos on YouTube, I allude to binge-watching the huge variety of original content on the site, which deserves our attention and support. Over the past decade, a new generation of entertainers has grown outside of the traditional media of film and television and are instead building their careers on their own--instead of going from audition to audition hoping for a part that can boost them to celebrity status, they create an account, start making video after video and if ordinary people react well enough, they can become a YouTube star-one of the bigger “YouTubers,” as they’re called. These YouTubers produce quality content monthly, weekly or even daily and directly interact with their audiences, building a network of fans in ways that actors and musicians in the past never imagined. Take, for example, the Vlogbrothers channel, run by brothers musician Hank and author John Green, which boasts almost two million subscribers and features a new video blog entry (“vlog”) every Tuesday and Friday during which one of the brothers discusses a topic of relevance to him, whether lection of several dozen jokes crammed into just under four minutes. These videos can range
for an audience that likes being able to watch content anywhere and anytime for free. Hundreds of other personalities, such as Smosh (the team of Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla), Jenna Marbles and Grace Helbig, build huge audiences and sometimes take their talents beyond the Internet by doing live shows or dition, teams like the Fine Bros. and Pemberley Digital make their own web series, with the latter winning a Creative Arts Emmy for a hugely popular modern adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” called “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.” Web series like that one are often as engaging as shows on television, with the added bonus that they often come out once or twice a week for sometimes up to a year and don’t require access to cable. Musicians on YouTube also create quality videos. Many very talented singers and instrumentalists own YouTube channels and cover popular songs (in my opinion, their covers are often better than the originals) with creative music videos and often write their own music. YouTube musicians such as Lindsey Stirling, Peter Hollens and Kurt Hugo Schneider go through many of the same steps as mainstream artists, but the videos they make and the interactions they have with their online fans creates a strong creator-consumer connection. This makes it possible for them to ask from their audiences when they take on larger projects such as albums or global tours. So the next time you’re bored, skip the videos of cats and dogs and check out the hundreds of YouTubers. They might not be Jennifer Lawrence or Miley Cyrus, but they’re smart, funny, talented, dedicated—and just a few clicks away.
OPINION
THE SPOKE
PAGE 15
Why we need more snow: a short list
James Redmond Opinion Editor JRedmond@stoganews.com Old Man Winter’s had his feelings hurt. After all he’s done to bless us with a season of ten in return is a bunch of measly whining. We won’t recognize his generosity, and worse, we’re working ourselves up into a frantic rage and blaming each other for shifting schedules and deadline disasters when we should be thanking him for the feet of crystal awesomeness bestowed upon us. We should be begging for more snow: another round, straight through spring. Not convinced? Here’s why. 1. To start with, manly men and strong women (modern, dare I say) embrace the cold. Build an igloo and be somebody. More snow is a chance to prove to the universe that the human race still has the ability to survive independent of their smartphones. If we don’t show ‘em our capacity for grit like Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Men in Black before us, who’s
STUDENTS SPEAK
to say what kind of business will come and try to invade our frozen frontier of a planet next winter? 2. Contrary to common complaint, snow days are all good and no bad, senior or not. Spring break is overrated anyway, and as far as I’m concerned, school in the summer would be no great tragedy. If this keeps up the only logical course of action would be to transplant the whole thing
them into sad icy lumps). 3. Snow is beautiful and relaxing. It coats the world in a soundproof blanket of white. When it melts, it’s even prettier. Gray and mud and grit everywhere. How could anyone be stressed out with bleak dead things every place you look? Not to mention the salt. Yum. 4. Since the month of December, I have yet to see a stink bug. I think the snow kills them (a con-
Callum Backstrom/The SPOKE
into winter, and that would be fabulous. Think about it. We’d have the beach all to ourselves. We could all sit by the sea and make snowmen and wait for the tide to wash them away (or turn
OUT
clusion, I will note, that I drew WELL BEFORE the Washington Post called it to the attention of the media at large). So we need more of it, especially with spring around the corner. If they, like
most animals, are busiest in the spring, then we have here a unique opportunity to catch them with their pants down, so to speak. Of course, it can’t snow on anything cute. Like wild kittens. They shall be spared 5. Snow and frosty cold build togetherness. After all, what could be better family bonding than taking a couple of pickaxes to the icy wall in your driveway together? Maybe enjoying some good old-fashioned board games by candlelight while trying to avoid hypothermia. And in these cold times, we show each other our human brotherhood, scrambling out to the store together for all the makings for French toast, and then inviting a couple friends over when the power’s out and all that French toast is insufficient to keep us warm. Snow reminds us that, no matter what’s happening, we still have each other. So why does it feel like we’re so grumpy and impatient with each other all of a sudden? We bemoan our teachers’ attempts to reconcile weeks’ worth of material with a calendar cut tragically short and lament the busy whirlwind that has become our daily existence. This can only mean that we have not learned our lesson. So please, Old Man Winter, give us another round. Snow through spring! And again next year! I await the moral of the story with unsatisfyingly invisible breath.
“If it could somehow snow a bunch more, would you like that?”
Report Card Spring is on the way + Slowly getting reacquainted with my yard - Retreating glacier has left scarred landscape of potholes in its wake
College decision time + You’ll go somewhere - Sea bears have been known to attack collegebound seniors refreshing their inboxes
Prom planning + Internet sites have diminished dress drama - Shopping for ties is still some downright vicious business
Teacher contracts renewed + I guess our teachers are okay... let’s keep ‘em - Nothing in the contract guarantees them a spring break :(
Paralympics
“
“ ”
- It’s a shame that they’re not more widely viewed
” -Sophomore Dan Bove
-Senior Sonali Dhawan
“
+ Very inspiring to watch
“ ”
-
”
Daylight Savings + Maybe you like time-change migraines - I don’t
OPINION
PAGE 16
THE SPOKE
In college admissions process, leadership is overrated
Allison Kozeracki Co-Editor-in-Chief
AKozeracki@stoganews.com In four short years, American high school students will have a lot of information drilled into their heads about “what colleges look for.” GPA and SAT scores are fairly selfexplanatory, but leadership always makes its way near the top of the list, which is bad news for a lot of very smart people. Not everyone is a leader. And that’s a good thing. But for some reason, American colleges are convinced that leadership is one of the most important qualities to have in all students. Colleges like to ask questions like, “What will you contribute to our campus community?” This is usually the part
where you rattle off all your leadership positions and how you can’t wait to get involved with those same activities at said campus community. But it is insulting to suggest that someone who is not a leader does not contribute to a college campus. Does someone who spends their time doing research in a lab or producing works of art not contribute to their campus—and to the world? I specify American colleges because this is not a worldwide phenomenon, even at the world’s most elite universities. University of Oxford graduate and writer Tara Isabella Burton wrote that this fascination with leadership is uniquely American in an article for The Atlantic titled “Why are American Colleges So Obsessed with Leadership?” The ideal Oxford student, by contrast, is “not a leader but a lone wolf,” Burton said. “‘Leadership,’ and the qualities it is meant to entail, hardly enters into the equation. What is valued is not the contribution I make ‘to the world’ at large, nor even
the contribution I make to the life of the campus or to my fellow students. Rather, it’s the quality of the work I do on the course [and] the contribution I make to my tiny, somewhat esoteric field.”
“leadership” on that perfectly crafted resume. The dozens of clubs offered at Conestoga are evidence of the pressure from colleges to take
Rather than enhancing the quality of work in their courses, too many students stress over demonstrating
up leadership positions. Many students—even underclassmen—opt to start their own clubs, rather than join one
Sophie Bodek/The SPOKE
of the more than 100 that are available, so they can automatically be president. At a school as competitive as Conestoga, elections can be brutal. This is not the fault of Conestoga nor its students, but rather a system that puts undue pressure on kids to show a quality that not everyone possesses. Of course, every school needs leaders, and leadership is a good quality to have in some people, but a society of leaders wouldn’t be able to function. After all, what is a leader without followers? (And would you really want to go to a school with all those kids?) There are plenty of brilliant people who I have no doubt will be successful in whatever they choose to pursue. And it doesn’t mean they have to be directing other people to do it. As a second-semester senior committed to college, there’s a lot of advice I wish I could give my younger self. In this case, I have some advice I wish I could tell underclassmen everywhere. You don’t always have to be the president. Sometimes it’s OK to just be a club member. And sometimes it’s OK to be a lone wolf.
R.S.V.P. ‘no’ to pity parties: negativity bogs us down
Camille Kurtz Staff Reporter
CKurtz@stoganews.com It was nine o’clock and I was making a desperate wish. Tired of feeling invisible, watching kids get their casts signed, I yearned for the limelight. It may sound silly, but as an attention-starved nine-year-old, my wish seemed reasonable. Something cool should happen to me for once; maybe a cast, crutches, or a sprained ankle with a bandage. Why couldn’t my life be as interesting as everyone else’s? Days after I made that illfated wish, I discovered that I absolutely did not want my life to be as “cool” as everyone else’s. I accidentally tore open my knee, got stitches and was forced to wear a brace; interestingly, it wasn’t so cool to limp around during the field
trip to the Franklin Institute. So why did I think it would be? The answer: pity, attention, sympathy. These words fuel an increasingly popular trend whereby people feign depression, pessimism and modesty in pursuit of what they think is a more interesting identity to garner sympathizers. But, why are people theatrically posing as unhappy, tragic, preferring to be seen as “broken, but mending,” not perfectly intact? Isn’t this disrespectful and insensitive to individuals who actually suffer with these conditions? After all, there are those who are truly depressed and upset, not shamelessly publicizing fictitious feelings. It’s difficult to imagine why someone would proclaim that he failed his math test when this statement is unfounded. Yet, this negativity is common at ’Stoga; it is practically the norm. To distinguish ourselves in a student-eat-student world, we invent sob stories, glamorous in our head, but, realistically, the experience of the drama is not as fun as imagined (recall my joyous field trip). While it may be tempting to pretend to think your hair looks horrible (after
Victoria Stern/The SPOKE
hours of primping), or to say that you are misunderstood and alone in the world, the realities of these proclamations are dreadful (maybe one worse than the other…). Making such comments may evoke empathy and attract supporters who make us feel worthwhile and distinctive. However, what about those who actually feel alone or who actually failed that test? So, what encourages our pity-mongering? Social media sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr afford people the opportu-
nity to create a virtual persona. So, if I could be anyone, why be boring Camille when I could be the virtual girl, who posts a few sad quotes and pictures, laments her existence and accumulates supporters who tell my virtual me to “stay strong.” Meanwhile the real me plays Just Dance and eats ice cream. We’ve answered what and why, but how do we quell this inane desire? There is a solution: positivity and honesty. Instead of assuming the worst, we should believe that our spring softball tryout went well, or, if it didn’t, that it
isn’t the apocalypse. As this practice becomes habitual, we will view life with a happier, more optimistic outlook. This change in perception will not only fend off this negativity fad, but teach us that we can still receive the acknowledgment we crave through more positive means. Also important is honesty about how we feel (maybe I do have friends; maybe I am good at ceramics). We can eliminate the need to “one-up” (or actually “one-down”) each other with our artificial negativity. With honesty, we will see that we didn’t “break then heal,” but rather, we thrived and perhaps accomplished something that honestly distinguishes us from others. We cannot condone fauxnegativity because we only hurt ourselves. Instead of competing to have the worst life, the most shortcomings, why don’t we feel good about who we are, help our friends do likewise, and direct our energy towards those who are truly troubled? We should be thankful for what we have and defy the adage, “misery loves company.” Acceptance, positivity and honesty are much better companions.
S on car
OPINION
THE SPOKE
PAGE 17
Students should weigh use of protein supplements carefully
Dhanvin Manoo Staff Reporter
DManoo@stoganews.com In response to the growing demands of school sports and a general increase in the desire to be fit, teen use of supplements has risen over the past few years. Stores like GNC and even Costco jump at the opportunity to supply teen athletes with an abundance of unregulated supplements and performance-enhancing drugs. However, high school athletes may not fully understand the long-term impacts of these supplements, let alone the appropriate quantity and duration of their use. Supplement manufacturers have called upon the discretion of these aspiring athletes to prevent injuries and negative repercussions while exempting themselves from nearly all
liabilities. So however legal they might be, some of these supplements have serious long-term drawbacks that can outweigh promised gains. Conestoga athletes must be careful in today’s marketplace, which may not be as safe as we’d like to think. Probably some of the more dangerous options now available to the public are hormonal supplements. Health complications can easily await athletes who turn to these more serious and risky performanceenhancing products, such as Human Growth Hormone (HGH), among others. While they will absolutely boost performance exactly as promised, hormonal supplements simply have too many drawbacks to warrant usage in high school athletics. I cannot say that I have had personal experience with HGH. However, the main reason to steer clear of it is the high chance of cardiac damage and skin swelling due to fluid retention in the skin after usage, along with many other side effects. Previously, HGH was only given as a prescription to treat growth deficiencies in children and teens. Now, HGH and
other harmful supplements are readily available to the general public and the FDA doesn’t regulate them. The only say it has in the industry is with the banning of prohibited
like guinea pigs. There are many less extreme options than hormonal supplements, although the effects of these must also be weighed carefully. Creatine and whey
substances. This is where the main problem lies: by the time certain substances are deemed dangerous and prohibited, athletes have already consumed them in large quantities. Consumers should never be treated
protein isolates are two such options. Creatine works by supplying an athlete’s body with creatine phosphate that, in turn, forms an excess of ATP molecules, the body’s basic energy source, while
Emmi Dolph for The SPOKE
whey protein is basically just a highly concentrated protein derivative from milk. Both diet supplements do significantly increase muscle mass and maximum strength output without sacrificing the athlete’s long-term health for short term gains. However, it would be false to assume usage of either is entirely risk free as the industries are fairly new. Regardless of the risks, though, these supplements do work. Provided that the athlete is well versed in the effects, risk, and requirements for taking creatine or whey isolates, these diet supplements can be much safer alternatives to their hormonal counterparts. Of course, even diet supplements may simply not be for everyone as a lot has to be taken into consideration when using them. With so many companies and athletes pushing supplements on the new generation, it’s important to remember that the best kinds of gains are natural ones. One thing, however, is certain. Athletes who value their long term health should stay far away from anything with a price tag over $100 at GNC.
Future college students, you are not a-loan in your debt
Simran Singh Managing Editor
SSingh@stoganews.com Ninety-six percent of the students in your grade will go on to attend a college or university after graduating. You are likely one of them. Not everyone is so lucky, however. For many students, certainly some Pioneers included, high tuition costs student may receive play a critical role in the decision making process. Most prospective college students do not have tens of thousands of dollars stashed away, and that is where student loans come in. Students in need of loans to pay for college have the option to borrow from a private bank or the federal government. However, student debt has been characterized by Businessweek, Forbes, and Time Magazine as
ing the U.S economy, with debt crossing the 1 trillion dollar mark and the rate of individuals defaulting on their student loans steadily rising. The job of the federal government is to care and to provide for its citizens, and this includes providing their people with a basic quality of higher education. With interest rates continuing to skyrocket, the federal government has a responsibility to keep its interest rates low and enable a greater number of students to attend college. Not only has the percentage of graduates with debt increased to a record high of 71 percent in 2012, but the amount of average debt they are graduating with has also crept up by 6 percent over the same period to around $30,000. Many students feel discouraged from attending college due to the cost the fact that college degrees are still incredibly valuable as
the unemployment rate for college graduates is less than half the unemployment rate among those with just high school diplomas. Surprisingly, unlike private lending for auto, home and personal loans, reasonable lending rates and borrower protection
poses a hazard to the entire economy, but also threatens the very foundation of our progress through opportunities created by higher education. If we are to stay competitive among other countries around the world, our students need to be equipped with the knowledge to innovate and create. This can only happen if educational opportunities are more accessible. As we students take AP classes, join clubs, and
the best possible applicant to prestigious universities and colleges, recognize that we often take the stability of our economic situation for granted. For some students across the nation, Maggie Chen/The SPOKE aspirations against bankruptcy are not available to student borrowers who opt to borrow from the means. Elizabeth Warren, a Demoprivate market. For this reason, 80 percent of students resort to cratic senator from Massachuborrowing from federal agen- setts, has proposed numerous cies. As further debt burdens pieces of legislation, all towards a growing percentage of the population, this growing crisis education. Most recently, on
a coalition called “Higher Ed Not Debt,” a group dedicated to reducing student debt and The issue is that in today’s Congress, despite how loud a few voices of reason may be, they are still drowned out by the to compromise that plagues Washington. While increasing access to a college education seems like a no brainer, it is unlikely to be passed due to stagnant debate on the issue. Pieces of legislation authored by Warren on the topic have often been introduced but haven’t been taken to a vote on endorsements and support. So where do we come in? It is our responsibility to continually nudge our representatives and senators to call bills like Warren’s to a vote, and to ensure that everyone has access to higher education. It is understandable that polarizing issues like same sex marriage to legislate on, but when it is a matter of a fundamental human right, Congress has no excuse.
Sports
PAGE 18 THE SPOKE
Time Flies From Little League to Senior Year Navin Zachariah Co-Sports Editor
NZachariah@stoganews.com
It was a run for the ages. In 2008, the local Devon-Strafford Little League team was one win away from qualifying for the Little League World Series. Six years later, nine of the players that made up that special team are still teammates-however, this time in their senior year of high school. “I think it’s just amazing that we are all in our senior year already. I still can’t believe that we have been playing for a whole decade together. It has been an incredible run,” senior Max Dolente said. For the past 10 years many of the seniors on this year’s varsity baseball team have been teammates. As it is now senior year for this special group of players, Seniors Andrew Born, Stephen Born, Max Dolente, Alec Gagne, Chris MacGibbon, John Miller, Tommy Richter, Austin Shirley and Kyle Stefanic have all been playing baseball with each other since they were on the same Devon-Strafford Little League team. A very special moment that this core group has shared with
each other is the run they made at the Little League World Series in 2008. That year, the team made it to the Mid-Atlantic Region Championship in Bristol, Conn. against Hagerstown Federal Little League, but lost 8-3. The team was one game away from reaching the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. Stefanic believes the DevonStrafford team was so special because of how they were just playing each game like it was their last. “Each game we would just go out and play our hearts out. We didn’t go into it expecting much, but we just went on this amazing run and continued winning,” Stefanic said. “The effort that we gave was the reason that we were able to accomplish what we did.” The Devon-Strafford run in the summer of 2008 was a magical one for the team. MacGibbon says that the team’s success that season made it his best summer yet. “That was a really magical run that our team made in 2008. I remember how we were just so excited to keep advancing each round. Still to this day, the most fun I have had with
Photo Courtesy Tommy Richter
Top: Bottom:
best summer I have ever had,” MacGibbon said. Richter says the experience the team shared in 2008 allowed the team to become best friends both on and off the diamond. “Nothing could break us brothers apart after that year. We had been playing together for some time before 2008, but that year allowed us to become closer than ever,” Richter said. Throughout the course of that 2008 summer, the team had many special moments. One of those incredible moments was Andrew Born’s home run
Noah Levine/The SPOKE
being the number one play on Sportscenter’s daily Top 10 plays. Andrew says that seeing his home run on Sportscenter that day was an i in his baseball career. “It was a great moment for not just me, but also for the whole team. Every athlete dreams of being on Sportscenter’s Top 10 and luckily for me I got number one. It was an awesome moment,” Andrew said. Gagne remembers how the players were treated like celebrities when they were at the complex in Bristol, Conn, competing for the Mid-Atlantic Region Championship. “There was a time where we were asked for autographs from some fans. I think at that moment I realized how truly special the team’s run that year was,” Gagne said. Shirley says that the 2008 run that Devon-Strafford made will be something he will reminisce about for the rest of his life. “That year will always be a happy memory for me and nobody can take it away. I can always look back at that experience and think about the good old days,” Shirley said. Miller still can’t believe that the group is aready in its senior year. “Wow it’s crazy. It’s really senior year. Time really does
The chemistry the group has had over the years will carry into this year’s ’Stoga team Stephen Born says. “Just like the last couple of years at ’Stoga we are all used to playing with each other, the chemistry is there and the way we just gel as a team will show phen said. Shirley considers playing baseball this season with the same teammates since Little League an honor, especially because it is the group’s senior season. “It has been an honor to have such a great run with this core group of guys and the camaraderie we have here is second to none. When we leave high school after this [year], I will always remember these special teammates, the friendships that have been formed and all the memories we have shared together from little league through high school. It would be great to cap it all off with a State Championship this season. But more importantly, this core group will have a connection with each other forever, wherever we may end up after high school,” Shirley said. “With these teammates, we’ll have memories that will last a lifetime. I wouldn’t want to share these special memories with any other group of guys.”
SPORTS
THE SPOKE Matt Soderberg Staff Reporter
MSoderberg@stoganews.com It’s not often that students in the Conestoga community are put in a position of authority over their peers. However, many students at ’Stoga have umpired and refereed intramural youth sports for a source of income. A number of ’Stoga students work as soccer referees for TEYSA and YSC Sports, as well as baseball umpires in both the Berwyn-Paoli and DevonStrafford Little Leagues in the area. Senior Tony Bae got into refereeing for the Tredyffrin Easttown Youth Soccer Assosciation (TEYSA) at the suggestion of a friend. At one point, Bae was officiating up to three games a week, including TEYSA tournaments. Bae thinks that students gain valuable lessons from officiating. “Soccer is one of my favorite sports, and I just love kids, and that’s like two [of] my favorite things combined together. I think it is a positive-positive
relationship. I get paid. I like kids. I like soccer,” Bae said. “I think it really taught me a good lesson about responsibility. I was also able to become more mature and resilient by accomplishing my role as a
PROS: -Money provides a good source of income -Stay involved in your favorite sport -Good learning experiences
CONS: -Dealing with whining kids, complaining coaches, and pushy parents
Sam Sedor for The SPOKE
referee in front of the players who are younger than I was. It was a good learning experience for me.” Cooper Arnott, a sophomore baseball umpire, agreed that he has enjoyed the ex-
perience he has gained from umpiring. “I gained a lot from this experience. I learned how to work through problems and how to manage different personalities,” Arnott said. “It was also nice to give back to the league.” One of the benefits to working as a student official is the financial compensation. TEYSA referees are paid $14 per game, though some coaches round up to $15 for a more regular number. “One time, a coach said ‘Hey, that number 14 really bothers me. Here you go, I’ll give you a tip’ and he paid me $15,” Bae said. “[Another time], one said ‘Hey, I’m paying you an extra dollar,” jokingly implying bribing the referee, with nothing unfair intended.” Officials of sports, at any level, have always been an enigma. Gaining a unique perspective, New York Times reporter Bruce Weber, the author of “As They See ’Em: A Fan’s Travels in the Land of Umpires,” spent almost three years living and working among Major League Baseball
PAGE 19 Umpires. Though he may have focused more on higher levels of umpiring, his first umpiring job was in Little League Baseball and having later worked at higher levels of officiating, he noticed some basic similarities between the two.
“If you think of the baseball game as a company, the umpire is the CEO.” “It’s up to the umpires to make sure that the pace of the game doesn’t get out of control, that the kids aren’t whining too much, coaches aren’t complaining too much, and the game goes along at its proper pace,” Weber said. “Getting the calls right is really only one part of the job, the main part of the job. If you think of the baseball game as a company, the umpire is the CEO.” As officials, students are put at a new level of authority, higher than their peers and even the coaches. With this newfound authority comes consequences like negative feedback from players, parents
and coaches. Freshman Jack Davis, who started umpiring baseball in middle school, tries to put those moments aside. “You have to understand that no ump or ref can call a perfect game, so you can’t let that get to you,” Davis said. When moments came up that did require dealing with hostile coaches, players or parents, junior Conor Malloy believes it is up to the official to make things run smoothly. “You just have to tell them that the decision was already made and that they have to move on to the next play. If that doesn’t work, you have to kind of ignore them in order to keep play going,” Malloy said. In the end, no official can call a perfect game. Therefore, most umpires and referees focus on controlling what they can. Malloy says that one of the most important aspects of officiating is maintaining an enjoyable atmosphere for the players. “As officials you realize that you have to keep the game, moving, regardless of whatever call was made on the last play,” Malloy said. “When the game is active and constantly in motion it allows the players to have more fun.”
PAGE 20
THE SPOKE
SPORTS
THE SPOKE
PAGE 21
’Stoga Ball run pumps up Pioneer Pit Swimming stays strong Navin Zachariah Co-Sports Editor
- Courtney Kennedy bury, ’Stoga had a date with Co-Sports Editor
NZachariah@stoganews.com
-
CKennedy@stoganews.com
The team bounced back from - at the PIAA State Swim-
exciting game where Cones-
- fourth quarter, some tenacious The district tournament began for the one-seeded Pion-
the fourth quarter of the game, -
The state meet ended anGrace Wydeven and Abby other strong season for the ga’s comeback victory against the two teams went head-toMack and junior Amber head, with the Aces defeating Zimmerman finished in 9th the Pioneers both times before. “I thought that tonight we The biggest Pioner Pit turnout game. We wanted to show our fourteenth consecutive seaonds. win. ’Stoga started the game out is not what we are about. We the PIAA District One AAA
at the District meet.
’Stoga 68, Lower Merion 60. Dorsey says that this game was the most exciting game he “What a game,” Dorsey said.
In the second round of districts ’Stoga faced the Meth-
was amazing and the crowd
of the game was dominated by the Pioneers, as they went into
game ever.”
trict One, the team was chosen
Throughout the game, senior Zack Yonda carried the scoring Yonda in the fourth quarter, the
quarter, the Warriors made a
-
ment, made the State tournament
make some noise in states,” rough for ’Stoga as missed Dorsey said. As of this win against Meththat it is now over. acton, the Pioneers were cer“As my favorite author Dr. Seuss once said, ‘Don’t cry bePIAA State tournament.
KE
at a meet against Radnor to win its 14th consecutive
-
Grace Wydeven and junior Amber Zimmerman made
’Stoga defeated Lower Mer-
make strong run in districts and
-
with the Lower Merion Aces.
dominated the game. Yonda, -
were going into districts.
-
SPORTS
PAGE 22
THE SPOKE
No Change At All: NCAA’s ridiculous rules need reform
Patrick Nicholson Sports Columnist
PNicholson@stoganews.com Show me the money! So goes the catchphrase of the sports film “Jerry Maguire,” though it might as well be the catchphrase of all of professional sports. But despite such prosperity at the top, “the money” is still pretty hard to come by for college athletes. Now you’ve all heard the old arguments regarding treatment of college athletes, but a new page has just been turned in the debate; in February, the NCAA suspended Oregon State baseball player Ben Wetzler after he was accused of using an agent in contract negotiations—accusations brought to you courtesy of your friendly local baseball team, the Philadelphia Phillies. Yes, the Phillies have fi-
nally snuck back into the headlines, thanks to a sneaky little scheme they’ve sprung upon Wetzler. Wetzler was drafted by the Phillies last year, but after contract negotiations fell through, he decided to return to college for his senior year. This is perfectly normal. He also opted to use a sports agent during his contract negotiations. This, too, is perfectly normal. It is also against NCAA rules. See, the NCAA states that once a student athlete brings an agent to contract negotiations, they lose their NCAA eligibility. It’s a ridiculous rule, and had not been used in 22 years until the Phillies decided to dust it off last month. How could an 18-year-old kid be expected to effectively negotiate a big league contract by himself? Yet apparently once the Phillies realized that Wetzler would not sign with them, they decided that if he would not play in Philly, then he should not play anywhere. While the Phillies are drawing the media heat for these accusations, one should not ignore the major culprit
here: the NCAA. The mere existence of rules like this “no-agent” rule should be a major red flag, and unfortunately, such irrational rules are not uncommon. Focused on “preserving eligibility,” the NCAA has in the past barred at h l e t e s f ro m getting rides from coaches, winning p r i z e money in open athletic events, and even drinking teamissued chocolate milk. You heard me; the NCAA once actually called out a rowing c o a c h f o r servi n g chocolate milk to rowers rather than NCAAsponsor GatoMaggie Chen/The SPOKE
rade, calling it an “improper benefit.” Fortunately, the silly chocolate milk charge was eventually dropped. However, if the NCAA wants to truly help student athletes, it ought to act similarly with the many other unrealistic regulations still in existence. These regulations are nothing but dinosaurs, remnants of a lost age when true amateur athletics actually existed. Yet in the modern college sports scene, with its under-the-table “incentives,” recruiting violations and straight up bribes, there’s no room for creatures of the past. Unfortunately, there are few individuals pushing for change other than the college athletes themselves. The various professional players’ unions, with their millions in contracts, tend to support measures which hurt rookies while helping veterans. And the NCAA, with its monopoly on amateur athletics, has no desire to change. If anyone can force the NCAA to evolve, it may have to be the professional leagues. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, a man always seeking contro-
versy, recently commented that the NBA’s D-League provides a better path to the pros than college basketball. While that’s certainly not true now, it could be in a few years if the NBA starts truly marketing the D-League to high school athletes. Heck, the Euro leagues are already drawing American high school athletes away from the NCAA (See: Jennings, Brandon), so who says the D-League could not? It would be within the pro leagues’ best interests to introduce competitors into the college-age athlete market, and perhaps such competition would finally force the NCAA to change. Ultimately, I would like to one day see college athletes receiving some compensation. Yet such a move would be a bit drastic, so for now I willsettle for some rule reforms. Student athletes need to have access to agents, they need to be allowed to receive these so-called “improper” benefits from their schools and they need more freedom in general. See, the NCAA may have started a century ago, but it was never supposed to stand for “No Change At All.”
Phillies attempt to recharge from press box
Andy Backstrom Sports Columnist
ABackstrom@stoganews.com 2008. This is a memorable year for Philadelphia sports, mainly because it was the year the Phillies brought the “City of Brotherly Love” its first World Series title since 1980. It is unfathomable that this was almost six years ago. Since then, the franchise headed slowly into a downward spiral. After winning the World Series in 2008, the Phillies lost in the 2009 World Series. Each year after 2008, the Phillies have appeared to degrade just a little bit more, even starting the 2014-15 season without a winning mark in two years. Deprived of even a post-season, the Phightin’ Phils have become a play-byplay announcer’s challenge. Coming off a 73-89 season, the Phillies are actually not far from a serious run at the post-
season once again, and the organization appears ready to make its own excitement before the season begins. The Phillies broadcasting team is undergoing some revolutionary revisions this spring. Gary Matthews (“Sarge”) and Chris Wheeler (“Wheels”) will be stepping down from their roles in the Phillies’ broadcast booth. Matthews played with the Phillies from 1981-83, and was the 1983 NLCS MVP. Wheeler began broadcasting with the Phillies in 1977, leading to 37 years of telling the story of the Phillies’ seasons. Tom McCarthy will remain as the Phillies’ play-by-play announcer. During the Phillies’ glorious stre tch of four se asons with at least 90 wins, I watched a large percentage of the games, listening to McCarthy, Matthews and Wheeler. I fondly remember hearing their voices calling out the contestant of the McDonalds’ homerun jackpot each game. I can clearly picture what the booth looked like, as these guys have been the only ones I have listened to for the Phillies in my lifetime. The innings where Matthews would refer back to his playing
days with the Phillies just enthralled me. Almost always wearing a newsboy hat, Matthews’ presence was unforgettable in the booth. The nostalgia of Wheeler and Kalas calling the final outs of the 2008 World Series victory is still clear in my mind. Even though some thought that Wheeler and Matthews were not the greatest, they h a v e pretty much b e e n the only ones I have known for Phillies broadcasting, and they have given me too many memories to count. Who could replace these legendary broadcasters that
made Phillies baseball so intriguing to watch throughout the 162-game seasons? Who else but Matt Stairs, Jamie Moyer and Mike Schmidt. All three have contributed something special to Philadelphia and the Phillies. It was Stairs who hit the memorable pinch-hit home run to give the Phillies the lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the 2008 NLCS, en route to their World Series title. Moyer pitched in the majors for 25 seasons, including five years as a Phillie, where he won 56 games. Moyer created Camp Erin , which is the largest system of retreats dedicated to grieving young people. Schmidt is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Phillies’ third baseman hit 548 home runs in his 18-year career with the team and was a
three-time NL MVP. These three players all played a pivotal role in the Phillies’ franchise, and I think they will continue to do so in broadcasting. Stairs and Moyer will join McCarthy in the booth for the first time this season, with Schmidt joining the team for Sunday home games. Together, they bring 62 years of Major League Baseball experience to Phillies broadcasting. They all have extensive knowledge of the game as well as an obvious passion for it. The only major question may be their chemistry. It will be interesting to see how they progress and interact. No doubt it will be entertaining. Schmidt alone was known to say plenty as a player. Maybe a change in a department of the Phillies’ organization that brings back three players who gave the team World Series magic in 1980 and 2008 will bring luck to today’s Phil’s. Every long-time Phillies fan recalls Harry Kalas’ famous call of Mike Schmidt’s 500th home run. It would be cool, indeed, to hear Schmidt make a call like that himself.
Andy Backstrom/The SPOKE
SPORTS
THE SPOKE
Game Schedule Baseball: March 19: Downingtown East March 24: Upper Darby
Squash team nationally ranked
Softball: March 24: @ Upper Darby March 26: Hatboro Horsham
U.S. High School Team Squash Championships in Philadelphia in February, both the Conestoga boys’ and girls’ squash teams, the only district-sponsored public high school interscholastic squash programs in the
Crew: March 23: Manny Flick 2 March 30: Manny Flick 3
seasons nationally ranked. The girls’ squash team, coached by Georgina Stoker, finished their season ranked
Boys Lacrosse: March 21: v. Central Bucks East March 25: @ Upper Darby
junior varsity team ended the
Girls Lacrosse: March 20: @ Notre Dame March 22: @Agnes Irwin
category. The boys’ team, coached
Boys Tennis: March 19: @ Episcopal March 20: @ Lower Merion
States. The Conestoga B boys’ team also competed at nation-
Track & Field: April 3: Home meet against Haverford/Strath Haven April 6: Ford Invitational
PAGE 23
Winter track competes at states, New Balance Nationals
ranking. Senior Lauren Banner
these team rankings, the ’Stoga boys’ squash team also had two nationally ranked players for country, while junior Richard
Photo Courtesy Ryan Comstock
Senior Rita Concannon, sophomore Brittany Coleman, junior Paige Kozlowski and sophomore Annamarie Schultz Fourteen members of the ’Stoga winter track team traveled to competed in the New Balance Penn State University on March Indoor National Championships. 1 to compete in the Pennsylvania The girls medley relay team of Track and Field Coaches Associa- seniors Concannon and Maggie tion Indoor State Championship. Friel, junior Anna Tellefsen, and In the Girls’ Distance Medley sophomore Maddie Herman Relay, senior Rita Concannon, junior Paige Kozlowski and sophomores Brittany Coleman and and juniors Jimmy Carter, Damir Jackson, and Justin Eger finConcannon ran a personal record
ranked 126th in the nation.
mile run.
Spring sports forced indoors
With snow lingering on the fields after record snowstorms hit the area, ’Stoga spring sports were forced to start their seasons indoors at Conestoga and other local athletic venues. Softball and baseball opened their practice season at Conestoga, alternating between the large and small gyms depending on whether they were practicing hitting or fielding. Girls lacrosse headed to YSC Sports in Wayne to practice on indoor fields, while boys lacrosse practiced in the Valley Forge Middle School gym. The track team was also impacted by the snowy weather. The start of the track season was pushed back a week, and several runners spent an afternoon shoveling snow off of the track to clear a lane for a running path. The boys’ tennis team practiced indoors at the Upper Main Line YMCA for the first two weeks of their season. Crew was not severely impacted by the weather. Reporting by Co-Sports Editor Courtney Kennedy
COMMITMENT CORNER Kaitlin Benjamin School: Rice University Sport: Swimming Grade: 12 Why Rice University? “[Rice] has a perfect combination of good academics along with a strong Division One swim team. Rice is a unique school and I knew on my
Zack Yonda School: Swarthmore College Sport: Basketball Grade: 12 Why Swarthmore College? “I wanted to experience a high-level education while continuing to play the sport I love. Swarthmore gave that to me and allowed me to play with teammates that I really liked and a
INSIDE:
Time Flies: From little league to senior year pg.18
WRESTLING
SWIMMING
GIRLS
SWIMMING
BOYS
HOCKEY
GIRLS
HOCKEY
BOYS
SQUASH
GIRLS
SQUASH
BOYS
BASKETBALL
Top Left: Seniors Blaise Toroni and Sam Regan enjoy the Pennsbury game. Top Right: Senior Scott Hirshman energizes fans during the Lower Merion game. Bottom: The Pioneer Pit storms the court after a victory against Lower Merion. Check out stoganews.com for more.
GIRLS
BASKETBALL
*ALL UPDATES AS OF 3/13
Navin Zachariah/The SPOKE
BOYS
SCOREBOARD
STORMING THE COURT
WINS
24
13
14
5
3
10
11
11
12
LOSSES
6
8
14
2
11
7
1
1
4
TIES
0
0
0
0
2
1
0
0
0