It’s in the details: Sophomore starts car cleaning company
it’s time to rethink “summer homework”
Page 5 Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA
Volume 72 No. 1
October 11, 2021
fans coming back to football
Page 8
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spoke.news
By car, by bus, by foot: a traffic trifecta How a 10-minute commute can last an hour
Ben Shapiro/The SPOKE
Stuck in traffic: Cars on Irish Road wait in stand-still traffic as they arrive to school in the morning. Since the beginning of the school year, the roads leading in and out of Conestoga have experienced overwhelming traffic due in part to the effects of the nation-wide bus driver shortage.
By Ben Shapiro and Evan Lu, Co-Copy Editor and News Editor Senior Mark Robertson parks at his friend’s house in the morning and walks the remaining 0.4 miles to school. He finds that he arrives at school earlier than if he were to drive the entire way. All three main roads that lead to the school — Conestoga Road, Irish Road and Old Lancaster Road — experience standstill traffic between 7:20 a.m. and
7:45 a.m. During both arrival and dismissal times, the nearly-half-mile radius around the school sees a surplus of walkers, drivers and bus riders. According to Arthur McDonnell, TESD business manager and school board secretary in charge of transportation, the district encouraged parents to consider driving their children to school this school year. The intended goal was to relieve some bus routes of students. “We requested that parents consider driving their children to school to alleviate some of the need for buses,” McDonnell said. “At some schools, this has
led to more traffic at drop-off and pick-up windows, which in turn creates some delays in getting the buses in and out of the school property.” Michelle Major, police traffic sergeant for the Tredyffrin Township traffic committee, has seen an influx of complaints regarding the blockage of major roads near the school. “The arrival and dismissal times cause congestion and major backups at the intersections in and around the school. We get complaints about the roads adjoining or near the school (because) the parents come and stack up as they wait for their kids
to get out (of school); it annoys the residents,” Major said. While the traffic committee and police officers are doing their best to maintain safety during the rush hours, Major believes that because of the number of parents picking students up, there is not much they can do to alleviate the problem altogether. “What we do is monitor (the roads) the best we can. There’s nowhere for (us police) to go, and movement is very difficult because of how congested it is. We kind of just let it take its course: it’s about 30 minutes of mayhem in the morning and 30 minutes of mayhem in the afternoon. We do
the best we can, but there’s not a whole lot we can do,” Major said. The increase in traffic has students worried about arriving late to school. Senior Julia Roth finds the rush of getting to school every day stressful. “I drive my sister (to school), so I don’t leave until 7:30 because she’s slow (to get ready) in the morning. I usually get to school at 7:48 because the traffic isn’t (any better) after those big rushes calm down,” Roth said. “I get to (my first-period class) usually right as the bell rings. It’s alright, but definitely anxiety-inducing.” With hopes of getting around the worst of the traffic, many
parents and student drivers started arriving at school extra early. For the first three weeks of school, these students congregated outside from 7 a.m. until 7:30 a.m., when the doors would open and allow students inside. They were not allowed to walk around the building until 7:30 a.m., due to a lack of adult supervision in the building before 7:25 a.m. With the change of the seasons, the district announced on Sept. 17 that they would allow students to enter the building at 7:15 a.m., staying in the cafeteria and atrium until 7:30 a.m., when students could walk around the rest of the school.
Those who get a ride from their parents at the end of the school day notice the long lines of traffic as well. When sophomore Julia Mailey and her sister get picked up by their dad at the end of the day, it can take them up to 45 minutes to arrive home. “Getting home became a big production because there would be so much traffic and we wouldn’t even get out of school for 30 minutes,” Mailey said. “Also, getting out of that dropoff circle became a whole other situation because of how many cars were there.” Continued on page 3.
Science and technology teachers welcome new facilities Becky Tang Staff Reporter
For many teachers, the new science and technology wing is a welcome addition and source of newfound excitement. The new facilities and supplies enable many to adapt their teaching styles and improve their students’ experiences. In the past, some teachers lacked their own classrooms and were forced to migrate between up to three different rooms every day. The addition of the new wing provided many of these teachers with the opportunity to settle down in a single, upgraded classroom of their own. Unlike other sections of the building where classrooms are purely grouped by subject area, the newly-constructed wing mixes together classes in computer
science, business and technology and science. This unique hallway layout allows teachers of various subjects to converse, which science department chair Scott Best views as a positive aspect. “I’m excited that I’m able to be closer to some colleagues that I have not been near or had not interacted much with because of previous locations,” Best said. Moreover, the addition of height-adjustable standing desks and extra power outlets in classrooms, as well as special cabinets in science labs, allows students and teachers to perform and focus better. For Best, the upgraded technology in the labs is more efficient for classroom use. “It’s all state-of-the-art materials that (the labs) have,” Best said. “It’s like moving into a new house.”
Becky Tang/The SPOKE
“Fab Lab”: Business and Technology department chair Noah Austin oversees a class of students in the newly constructed Fabrication and Materials Lab. The increased space has allowed students more room while working on projects.
Although a few teachers worried about being farther away from main gathering spaces like the cafeteria and main lobby, chemistry teacher Derrick Wood welcomes the relocation. “Walking from my car up to (my classroom) feels like actual exercise. But it’s not a bad thing, because I get to see a lot more of the building and a lot more people. It’s just so refreshing to walk past the atrium, it’s such a neat space and there’s so much energy,” Wood said. The transition to new classrooms is even more dramatic for engineering courses that require the use of the new Fabrication and Materials Lab, affectionately dubbed the “Fab Lab” for short. Although the lab is still waiting on select supplies like chairs, cabinets and countertops, department
chair of business and technology Noah Austin feels enthusiastic about teaching in the better-furnished classroom. “I feel very blessed to be in the space,” Austin said. “The workspace being as big as it is shows me that what I’m doing is important here.” Other teachers agree that the new wing adds much more space and freedom to the learning environments of students. While the transition process may take time for some, business and technology teacher Bernadette D’Emilio believes that the classrooms and labs have been a great change for all. “It seems like (students) are really enjoying the classroom and space,” D’Emilio said. “It makes me feel good about the school and the community, and I’m just happy to be here.”