ASA supports AAPI History Inclusion Act
How an animated calf with a budget of $200 unveiled the future of media
Page 4 Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA, 19312
Volume 77 No. 1
October 9, 2026
PagE 9
Alumna represents U18 USWNT at Bulgarian Nations Cup
Page 12
www.spoke.news
Contested Construction
Data center proposals expand, community addresses increase in demand
Courtesy Fudail Ahmed; photo illustration by Tvisha Jani/The SPOKE
Petition for change: Junior Maxx Santiago signs the “No AI Data Centers in King of Prussia, PA” petition to oppose the construction of four new data centers in King of Prussia. Early-stage construction on another data center in East Whiteland began in June before stop-work orders took place.
By Rishika Bhattacharya, Fryashti Mishra and Nolan Talley, Co-Copy Editor, Co-Sports Editor, and Co-News and Opinion Editor In response to MLP Ventures’ proposal to build four data centers spanning 4 million square feet in King of Prussia, resident Laura Rendon started the “No AI Data Centers in
King of Prussia, PA” petition in May. Junior Maxx Santiago signed the petition on Change. org, joining over 18,000 community members in opposing the development. According to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Executive Order 2026-05, there were over 100 data center proposals in Pennsylvania as of mid-August. As data centers continue to expand, community members have raised concerns about their effects on local resources and residents. For Santiago, the potential environmental impact and increased costs for the surrounding community have made the proposed construction a concern.
“There (are) so many things that I think aren’t great about (AI),” Santiago said. “Especially with the data center being built, it would make higher bills and possibly pollute the water. I don’t want that to happen to our area.” Since the mainstream popularization of AI, dating back to the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022, it has become a mainstay in many people’s daily lives through chatbots, new software, social media algorithms or search engines. According to OpenAI, in 2025, the company processed over 2.5 billion ChatGPT queries daily.
To process users’ prompts, AI providers must route their requests through data centers. According to Stanford University, the United States has over 5,000 data centers, the most in the world. As a result, this surge is prompting responses from the state, local government and community regarding data centers’ impact. State Rep. Melissa Shusterman said that the need for data centers is linked to the increase in AI use. “Artificial Intelligence (AI) needs powerful computer systems to run their programs. Data centers are warehouses filled with the machinery necessary to
run these AI programs. With the increasing prevalence of AI use in society, tech companies report a higher demand for data centers to keep up with the growing use of AI,” Shusterman wrote in an email. “They rely on massive amounts of energy and water. While they serve a purpose, I am concerned that the way they operate can be harmful to residents and the environment.” Various data center proposals in nearby townships have been met with ongoing community discontent. Since July, the East Whiteland Board of Supervisors has issued two targeted stop-work orders
over the construction of a 1.5 million square foot facility from Sentinel Data Centers and Green Fig Land LLC. On Aug. 13, the Upper Merion Board of Supervisors rejected the plan from MLP Ventures to build four new data centers near King of Prussia. In light of the recent proposals, the Tredyffrin Board of Supervisors is examining how to regulate data centers within the township. KS Bhaskar, a member of the Board helping with drafting new legislation for the local area said that Tredyffrin does not have a large amount of available land to create data
Measles outbreak affects Chester County Tvisha Jani
Co-News and Opinion Editor As of Sept. 16, the Chester County Health Department confirmed 67 measles cases countywide from a state total of 767 cases. The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) defines measles as an airborne virus that begins with a fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes, before transitioning into a rash that starts on the head and spreads downward. The outbreak has prompted local health officials to track and contain cases through community outreach and vaccination initiatives. “The problem with measles is it’s very contagious. It can remain in the air up to two hours after the contaminated person has left,” school nurse Andrea Brennan said. “As far as deadly, there have been four deaths in Pennsylvania, but it’s primarily people who are immunocompromised or unvaccinated.” According to the DOH, the current statewide outbreak began in Lancaster County around late April. Chester County Health Department Director Jeanne Franklin said the outbreak marks the first recurrence of the disease in Pennsylvania since the early 1990s. According to Franklin, the first two cases in Chester County occurred on June 28, followed by a steady increase in cases throughout July and August before the count ultimately stabilized.
“We started out with a few travel-related cases, meaning people coming from other areas that already had measles. It could even be international,” Franklin said. “Then ours became connected, not because of, but just epidemiologically related to those in Lancaster.” According to Franklin, the Chester County Health Department has implemented four strategies to address the outbreak. The first strategy is disease investigation and contact tracing, meaning the department investigates every contact and case reported, whether it’s suspected, probable or confirmed. “Did they have the vaccine prior to getting measles, who else lives in the home, where do they work, et cetera?” Franklin said. “Then that tells us how to give them guidance. It also tells us — is the spread showing a different pattern?” Franklin said the second strategy is communicating with the public and communities that live near Lancaster through email, phone and in-person meetings about what measles is, how it spreads, prevention steps and how the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine works. According to Franklin, two doses of the MMR vaccine provide 97% protection from the disease. “Some of (the communication) is helping people understand when they should get (the vaccine), where they can get it, who should get
it, and importantly, helping them understand the facts so they’re not fearful by some of the myths about the vaccine,” Franklin said. The department’s third strategy is community engagement, in which it connects with leaders or trusted people in the community, businesses or churches, helps them understand information about the outbreak and then asks them to share that information. “Let’s put real people on the ground having real conversations and answering real questions, so people can feel more comfortable that they’ve been heard and have the information they need,” Franklin said. According to Franklin, the fourth strategy is increasing vaccine availability through advertising and MMR vaccination clinics. The department offers vaccinations at its clinic in West Chester and has also organized four community vaccination sites across the county. Additionally, the department has completed 350 vaccinations at 41 private residences, contributing to a total of 538 vaccinations from its efforts. “There’s a whole lot of political rhetoric around vaccines. So if someone previously decided not to get a vaccine and they want to change their mind now, they would rather do that privately so they’re not fussed at,” Franklin said. “It doesn’t matter to us. We just want them to get vaccinated, and we’ll respect that privacy.”
In addition to its resident-focused strategies, the Chester County Health Department continues to help local physicians and hospitals acclimate to treating a disease they have not encountered before by educating them on identifying and testing for it. “There (are) lots of medical resources we can point
them to if they’ve never seen this and weren’t taught about it in medical school because measles wasn’t a problem,” Franklin said. “They learned really quick.” According to Franklin, while the general public historically thought of measles as a children’s disease, many adults, teens and middle-aged
people are contracting it, emphasizing the need for residents from all age groups to be aware of their susceptibility. “If you’re worried about (measles), there’s a couple steps you can take,” Franklin said. “One is understand if you have been vaccinated in the past. Two, call (your) doctor and not only talk
centers; however, the Board of Supervisors is still considering how to address their construction in the future. “You cannot legally ban data centers from the township because it’s a legal business. You can’t just say, ‘Hey, this is a legal business that we’re going to ban just because we don’t like data centers,’” Bhaskar said. “What you can do is say, ‘This is a legal business, and if you want to run it in the township, here are some rules that you use to run this legal business.’” Continued on page 3.
about (your) risk with them, but also assess if you need the vaccine. Third, check your records very much, like the vaccination records if you’ve already had the measles. If you’ve had measles prior in your life, you’re protected. The biggest risk is people who have not had any doses of the MMR vaccine.”
Tvisha Jani/The SPOKE
Stopping the spread: The Chester County Health Department shares regular updates on the spread of measles and risk factors for residents. The department hosted vaccination clinics for those at risk to protect themselves amidst the outbreak.
News
2 The SPOKE A BRIEF LOOK
Cafeteria undergoes remodeling
THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN T/E AND NATIONAL NEWS
First New cat species discovered in 100 years On Sept. 17, scientists discovered the new cat species, called “Leopardus tilcayo.” Scientists discovered the species in Bolivia’s Yungas cloud forest, and its discovery marks the first new cat species found in over a century. The cat is a part of the tiger cat group, a set of small wild cats found in South America. It measures 18 inches, weighs around 3 pounds and has a light brown coat.
Nor’easter
sweeps across east coast
An intense Nor’easter hit the East Coast on Friday, Sept. 25, and lasted into early Monday morning. Areas near the Chesapeake Bay and the Jersey Shore received minor flooding from Sept. 22. The Nor’easter included winds up to 50 mph.
State unemployment rate hits multi-year low Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.7% in August 2026, the lowest it has been in two years at the state level. Comparatively, the state’s unemployment rate was 4.4% last year and 3.8% the year before.
Feel Good Friday replaces Wellness Wednesday For the 2026-27 school year, Conestoga is retiring “Wellness Wednesday” and replacing it with “Feel Good Friday.” “Wellness Wednesday” first originated during the COVID-19 pandemic as weekly asynchronous half-days to provide students with time to connect with teachers and clubs. Last year, “Wellness Wednesday” included perks like therapy dogs in the atrium, no tests and free stress balls for students. Read more at
SPORTS
Girls soccer defeats Villa Maria Academy 5-2
On Oct. 4, the girls’ soccer team defeated Villa Maria Academy 5-2. Villa Maria Academy opened the match with a strong attack, scoring the match’s first goal to take a 1-0 lead.
Eden Anderson Co-Managing Editor
At the beginning of the school year, the cafeteria underwent several changes, including yogurt parfaits, transformed service and booth seating to relieve crowding that came with the introduction of Lunch and Learn. The cafeteria plans to sell breakfast from the atrium cart in the future and has already added more options to its breakfast menu and limited lunchtime self-service. According to principal Amy Meisinger, the administration had conversations with the Principal’s Council to bring more seating to the cafeteria. “The seating was something that I and the administrative team talked to our students in something called the Principal’s Council. It’s this place where we meet with students once a month to talk about things that are on students’ minds, (such as) what they might like to see at the school (or) what wish items they might have,” Meisinger said. “They had said some different seating in the (cafeteria) would be great, so when we got to the end of the school year, I had some funds that I could allocate towards that.”
According to junior Nico Ramirez, assistant principal Nicole Jolly recommended him to the council, where he helped plan the seating addition. The introduction of new booth seat-
ing came up when the Principal’s Council mentioned crowding in the library and the atrium during Lunch and Learn. Then, the administration turned to the cafeteria for more space.
Girls volleyball dominates Penncrest 3-0
Alynn Kang Webmaster
For residents enjoying a day at the park, mosquitoes are usually just irritating, but recent testing shows they may pose a greater concern at three Tredyffrin parks. According to the Chester County Health Department (CCHD), mosquitoes collected from Strafford, Cedar Hollow and Wilson Farm parks on Aug. 13 tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV). As of Aug. 17, the county recorded 17 positive mosquito pools, with no reported cases among humans or other animals. “CCHD attempts to identify likely mosquito larval habitats in response to high numbers collected in traps or WNV positive detections. When (a) breeding habitat is identified, they are treated with larval control products.” said Chester County Health Department Director Jeanne Franklin. Franklin identified stormwater infrastructure as a major source of mosquito breeding at Wilson Farm Park, which has about 65 catch basins and storm drains, while Strafford Park also
has a drainage area where water can remain for extended periods. She said the virus can spread through mosquito and bird populations, making it difficult to determine where it originated. “The association with the bird population makes it difficult to say where the virus ‘came from,’” Franklin said. “However, knowing that both birds and mosquitoes can fly potentially great distances, WNV can also travel with them.” According to Chester County Health Department Environmental Health Supervisor Andrew Heydt, residents can reduce their risk of mosquito bites by taking precautions when spending time outdoors, especially around dawn and dusk, when Culex mosquitoes, the primary transmitters of (WNV), are most active. “Mosquitoes can lay eggs in volumes of water as small as a bottle cap. Anything that can hold water also can hold mosquito larvae,” Heydt said. “Residents (should) practice good bite prevention strategies such as wearing long sleeves, pants and socks.” Chester County has reported no human cases of WNV in 2026,
compared with two in 2025 and four in 2024. Heydt explained that 80% of people infected with WNV are asymptomatic, meaning they show no symptoms and may not know they have it. “Approximately 20% of people infected with WNV experience mild illness, with symptoms including fever, headache, body aches, joint pains or a rash,” Heydt said. “Less than 1% experience severe illness as the virus can affect the central nervous system.” Franklin said CCHD will continue monitoring mosquito populations and virus activity at the affected parks as the mosquito season comes to an end. The department will also continue identifying nearby larval habitats and treating them when necessary. “As we are nearing the end of September and overnight temperatures are getting cooler, Culex mosquitoes are shifting away from blood-feeding and begin feeding on nectar as they prepare for overwintering,” Franklin said. “At this time, risk is lower as populations are on the decline and they are less likely to bite humans.”
Alynn Kang/The SPOKE
Park under watch: The pond at Wilson Farm Park provides standing water that can attract mosquitoes. The Chester County Health Department looked for areas around the park where mosquitoes could lay their eggs.
Field Hockey defeats Upper Darby 9-1
On Sept. 24, the girls’ field hockey team defeated Upper Darby 9-1. The Pioneers had a strong start as freshman Emily Jarema scored the first two goals. They ended the first quarter with a 2-0 lead. During the second quarter, Conestoga continued its offense, scoring five goals and taking a 7-1 lead into halftime.
Nolan Talley/The SPOKE
New chapters: A mannequin wearing a jersey with the name “Lang Gang” sits in English teacher Ben Smith’s room. Starting this year, the administration added Advanced Placement Language and Composition to the Dual Enrollment Program.
Dual Enrollment expands to AP Language and Composition Sonja Dziegielewska Staff Reporter This year, Conestoga offers Dual Enrollment for Advanced Placement Language and Composition, a junior year course, expanding opportunities for students. Conestoga runs Dual Enrollment through Gwynedd Mercy University, allowing students to gain three college credits in exchange for a $420 course fee. Conestoga started the program in the 2023-24 academic year by partnering with Gwynedd Mercy University to offer 11 courses including AP Psychology and AP Economics. Dual Enrollment applications for AP Language and Composition start in the beginning of the spring semester and only require signing the necessary forms and paying the course fee. Matthew Sterenczak, assistant principal and the Dual Enrollment coordinator, feels that the program offers a new alternative to the AP exam for gaining college credit.
“There’s no extra tests, there’s no extra research requirements, anything like that,” Sterenczak said. “The only difference in experience is that a student pays to, obviously, earn the credits and get a college transcript.” According to Sterenczak, Dual Enrollment gives students a chance to get guaranteed college credits compared to AP exams, which often limit credit earnings to only students who score a 3, 4 or 5 on the exam. However, Dual Enrollment is dependent on whether the college a student attends accepts transfer credits from Gwynedd Mercy University. When searching for new courses, Sterenczak makes credit transferability to colleges a priority. “We actually put some courses out that were approved by Gwynedd, but when I saw what they actually transferred to, I tried to see, does it go to Penn State? Does it go to Temple? Does it go to West Chester?” Sterenczak said.
Junior and AP Language and Composition student Carolina Pollack plans to take both the AP Language and Composition exam and Dual Enrollment for the course and believes that doing both could increase her chances of receiving college credit. “I thought doing Dual Enrollment as well as taking an AP test would be kind of a good insurance policy, so to speak,” Pollack said. “So if I don’t do well on the AP test, I could still have a possibility at college credit.” Pollack feels that Dual Enrollment allows students more flexibility to choose programs that best fit their goals. According to Sterenczak, administrators continue to search for more courses to offer through Dual Enrollment. “We’re definitely always looking at options for courses that we can offer,” Sterenczak said. “AP (Language and Composition) was a big one this year. I’m excited to see how the conversations go.”
Administration updates Code of Conduct for 2026-27 school year Co-Editor-in-Chief
SPORTS
stuff.’ Seems like people like it, so that’s a good thing.” According to Meisinger, TESD Supervisor of Food and Nutrition Kendall Stokes introduced additional changes to the cafeteria such as breakfast parfaits and to-go salads. Stokes also limited self-serve; this year, cafeteria staff serve students. “We were looking to move to more of a service model to up customer service. We think it offers a more personal feel to have a server at that station. It also helps us stay aligned with food safety standards,” Stokes wrote in an email. “With it being a high-traffic area, it allows us to not only keep the line moving, but also have someone to keep the station clean, keep the food fresh and make sure it’s adequately stocked.” Meisinger said she thinks the cafeteria’s expansion has been well received as students fill the booths during all hours of the school day. Junior Elaina Wang likes most of the new changes, except for the removal of self-serve. “Now, there’s one person serving all the people instead of two people coming on either side, so (the pasta cart) is slower now. There’s definitely a line,” Wang said. “But I feel like in general, the cafeteria is moving faster.”
Mosquitoes at Tredyffrin parks test positive for West Nile virus
Rajan Saha
On Sept. 30, the girls’ volleyball team won 3-0 against Penncrest. In the first set, the girls stayed ahead, with many strong spikes from senior Emory Owens and good saves from junior Isabelle Orchard. They closed the first set with a score of 25-21.
they’re like, ‘Let’s set up a floor plan. Let’s get it done.’ The school year ended, so we didn’t really hear anything about it and we came to school and I was like, ‘Oh, here’s all this
Finding space: Students start filling the cafeteria early in the morning, using new seating the school provided. Principal Amy Meisinger and the Principal’s Council collaborated to introduce new seating, including booths, to the cafeteria this year.
Girls tennis defeats Harriton 4-1
SPORTS
“Not a lot of people are in the cafeteria, especially Learn 2. I know there’s a lot of open spaces. What if we repurposed that?” Ramirez said. “That turned into a discussion and
Eden Anderson/The SPOKE
SPORTS
On Sept. 18, the girls’ tennis team dominated Harriton 4-1. At first singles, sophomore Rylee Estevez lost her match 6-4, 6-1. However, second singles junior Dalia Tsang followed with a 6-0, 6-3 win, while third singles junior Katie He closed out the singles matches with a 6-2, 6-2 win.
Friday, October 9, 2026
For the 2026-27 school year, the school administration updated the Code of Conduct to enforce and clarify specific rules and consequences. It focused on attendance, wearable technology, freshman atrium access and the nicotine education program. “We’ve reviewed what has worked, what has not worked, where there are some areas of concern (and) what’s changing in the state,” said 12th-grade assistant principal Patrick Boyle. “It’s an annual occurrence to review our policy, our regulations (and) our rules for students to make sure that it’s meeting their needs and meeting the changing needs of our community.” Regarding attendance, Boyle said school administration utilized multiple methods to help reduce missed school days. It tied privileges to excess tardies to grades ten through twelve and enforced other policies for all grades. In addition, students on a Student Attendance Improvement Plan, a plan to resolve truancy before
the school makes legal or external referrals, can lose the privilege of attending club trips or activities that include missed class time. For tardies, students in grades 10 through 12 can lose two days of Lunch and Learn for a third unexcused tardy, with a 10th unexcused tardy resulting in a Saturday detention and revoking parking privileges until the student is in good standing. Finally, seniors can only have parking permits if they have fewer than 10 unexcused tardies per semester and fewer than six unexcused absences per year. The school administration also appended wearable technology to the section regarding the usage of electronic devices to capture videos, take photos or record audio in the Code of Conduct. “Wearable technology became more of a thing over the course of last year; the Meta glasses were a big thing, and now there’re other manufacturers making similar glasses or even other devices that can record in a classroom,” Boyle said. “We make sure that it’s not just protecting the teach-
er; it’s also protecting students, because you don’t want a student being recorded, and that recording becoming part of the internet, and suddenly it’s being published out there, and that student can be embarrassed by giving a wrong answer or a right answer or whatever it could be.” Furthermore, the Code of Conduct now states that freshmen in good standing can use the atrium only during Lunch and Learn in the second semester, while sophomores through seniors in good standing have full access. Senior Shreyas Jena believes this new rule will allow the freshmen to have time to understand the expectations of the shared space. “I think especially because they’re freshmen, they don’t really know (what) the kind of dynamic is in the atrium,” Jena said. “So I think holding them off for a semester really helps get them adapted to how the upperclassmen treat the space.” Administration has also adjusted the consequences for nicotine use. In addition to
how a first possession of nicotine offense results in two Saturday detentions, there will be in-person sessions with a Caron counselor, an addiction and mental health treatment professional, in person during
the school day instead of an online course. According to Boyle, the administration is going to continue iterating on the Code of Conduct to foster a safer learning environment for all students.
“We’re not about going out (and) trying to sneak around the corner, seeing what you’re doing,” Boyle said. “We want everyone to have compassion, understanding and kindness towards everyone in the building.”
Rajan Saha/The SPOKE
Shared space: Students eat lunch in the atrium during Lunch and Learn. Conestoga administration limited freshmen to using the atrium during Lunch and Learn starting in the second semester, giving them time to adjust to expectations of the space.
News
Friday, October 9, 2026
The SPOKE
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Data center use sparks debate over development, regulation Continued from page 1. Data centers expand as AI grows, residents raise concerns Since the internet’s inception, data centers have been central to how users receive information. According to IBM, data centers are facilities that store and process digital information through computer and network systems to run online services. Bhaskar explains that data centers are not new developments, though they have evolved. “Data centers are basically something that we’ve been living with for probably 30 years and more. Every time you do a search in a search engine, webmail or anything like that, that’s probably being run in some data center somewhere,” Bhaskar said. “Especially with the AI in the last five years, (the number of data centers) has really grown exponentially.” Considering AI data center expansion, some community members have expressed concerns over how data centers will use water and energy without raising costs. Shusterman is hesitant about the resources that proposed local centers could use. “Residents in my district have told me they have three primary concerns: 1) energy usage and the costs being passed onto customers, 2) water usage, and 3) additional
harmful impacts on our environment, including noise, air and water pollution.” Shusterman wrote. “While our community is not currently directly experiencing the environmental harms of data centers, it is important to understand just how they can impact our area.” As AI becomes more advanced and widely used, the data centers needed to support its growth create a bigger impact than before. According to Bhaskar, the computers used in AI data centers utilize chips that consume more power and generate more heat than those used in traditional facilities, thus requiring more water for cooling. There are two systems of data center cooling. In an open-loop cooling system, data centers use water to cool their components without retaining it. In a closed-loop system, the data center uses water that recirculates, which helps reduce environmental effects and water consumption. The original East Whiteland Township proposal included an open-loop cooling system that would use 3 million gallons of water a day, according to the Inquirer. Among its two stop-work orders, the East Whiteland Township Board of Supervisors’ latest one on Aug. 27 required proof that there is enough water for the project. Bhaskar feels that state and local legislatures should focus on limiting data centers to benefit the community.
“The main thing is to get away from the gut-level reaction and start thinking realistically,” Bhaskar said. “What we need to do is move away from saying no data centers or data centers are bad to kind of saying, ‘Well, data centers are useful, and this is how we want them to coexist with where we live and where we work.’” State, local legislature respond to data centers The growth of data centers has prompted Pennsylvania officials to consider how to accommodate the facilities while managing their economic and environmental effects. Shusterman said the state legislature has attempted to create legislation addressing community worries. “These bills include: reversing tax cuts, safeguarding electric prices, protecting water consumption, providing municipal guidelines for development and pausing data center development applications while municipalities review their zoning ordinances,” Shusterman wrote. “However, there has been no urgency in the Senate to pass bills that would provide substantial consumer nor environmental protections.” In May, Shapiro released the full Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development (GRID) voluntary framework, which describes self-regulation for data center development. In his mid-August Executive Order, Shapiro converted the voluntary requirements into mandatory conditions for state permitting. The state also established new reporting requirements for data centers in July. The Fiscal Code provision requires data centers with a peak demand of over 10 megawatts to report annual water and energy consumption to the Department of Environmental
Protection of the Commonwealth starting in 2027. While lawmakers are addressing data center development at the state level, local governments also determine the presence of data centers in their communities. In April, the Montgomery County Planning Committee and the Chester County Planning Committee created a Data Center Ordinance Guide to help municipalities prepare for any data center development. Tredyffrin Township solicitors are currently working on an ordinance based on the Montgomery County Planning Committee’s guide to establish regulations regarding data centers’ cooling. “The way zoning works is we define land that is used for residential, land that’s used for com-
Nolan Talley/The SPOKE
Fryashti Mishra/The SPOKE
Local data centers: The TierPoint data center operates in Valley Forge. Data Based Systems International launched the center in 2005.
Taking a stand: A sign protests the construction of a 1.5-million-square-foot data center. Construction received two stop-work orders from East Whiteland Township.
mercial, (and) at least half dozen categories of land,” Bhaskar said. “One of the things we’re currently working on is a zoning ordinance for data centers in Tredyffrin; one of the things we’re doing there is (requiring) closed-loop geothermal cooling. Community reacts to data center expansion, takes action The debate regarding local data centers has sparked various opinions and initiatives across communities and organizations in Pennsylvania. One such organization is Better Path Coalition, co-founded by environmental advocate Karen Feridun. According to Feridun, the Better Path Coalition is calling for a moratorium that will put a temporary pause on the development of new data centers while allowing operations at existing ones to continue. Feridun feels that a pause is necessary considering the extent of uncertainty surrounding AI and data centers. “We’re calling for a moratorium because there are so many questions,” Feridun said. “There’s so much that was never really thought through. Is this a responsible thing to be doing? If so, is there a way to regulate it so that you can
keep these AI models from going rogue?” In addition to these grassroots movements, Conestoga students have participated in initiatives against data centers. A survey The Spoke published on Sept. 24 showed that most respondents are against the development of new local data centers. The net promoter score for students’ sentiment on local data centers, which measures support on a scale from -100 to 100, was -89, indicating that those who filled out the survey are strongly against the construction of these centers (see Fig. 2). Senior and board member of climate advocacy group Sunrise Conestoga Karina Shah elaborates on her stance regarding data centers. “I think that data centers have no place in our communities near our homes or in our society,” Shah said. “It is just such a high electricity and water demand for the communities that they’re put in. I am scared of (its) negative impact, especially towards the environment.” The survey showed that most respondents agree with Shah’s point of view regarding the environmental implications of data centers. 58% of respondents ranked water usage/pollution first for the importance of consideration in the development of data centers. Senior and
survey respondent Advay Agrawal acknowledges the environmental impacts of these data centers, but also describes reasons why their development should continue. “While I agree that you shouldn’t build these huge buildings that take up energy and resources from a local community, I think that they are needed,” Agrawal said. “If we don’t develop data centers in some way, shape or form, we will fall behind in the global tech race to countries that have less regulations.” Although there are no data centers in T/E, other local areas’ proposals and developments of new centers have sparked various opinions, community response and legislative action within the district. Shah elaborates on what the future of data centers may entail. “I am not particularly thrilled by the idea of the growth and development of AI, but I do understand that it is something that is going to be inevitable,” Shah said. “We need to continue to focus on the environmental issues and threats that these technologies pose and to not get too wrapped up in accepting new and untested technologies before we understand what impact they have on us and our lives.”
The Academy of Natural Sciences Museum closes after 200 years Erin Zhang
Co-T/E Life Editor On Sept. 30, the Academy of Natural Sciences Museum of Drexel University closed permanently due to financial pressures, with Sept. 27 being the museum’s last day open to the public. Board of Trustees Chair Suzanne Biemiller and Drexel University president Dr. Antonio Merlo informed community members about the closure in a Sept. 1 statement. Additionally, former-president and CEO of
the Academy Dr. Scott Cooper resigned from his position, and deputy-mayor Patricia Wellenbach agreed to fill in temporarily. “I watch 6ABC when I’m getting ready in the morning, and I heard (that the museum is closing), and I stopped what I was doing because it was so sudden. I was like, ‘oh my gosh,’” science teacher Sabrina Bates said. “There was no warning about it having a lack of funding, and it was sad because again, I just have fond memories of going back when I
was a kid, and it’s just sad that all those museums are there in a cluster, and it’s part of the fabric of Philadelphia.” According to the Academy, the museum’s visitorship had been in decline since the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid funding concerns, the institution cut museum hours from five to three days a week in October 2025. Additionally, Drexel University, which signed an affiliation with the Academy in 2012 to provide funding support, also cited
facing setbacks since the pandemic, including lower enrollment and growing deficits. According to Biemiller and Merlo, the Academy worked to rebuild attendance and engagement at the museum by investing in new exhibitions and creating new educational programs. However, the museum’s operational costs continued to rise, costs that jeopardized its ability to fulfill its mission and made operating the museum unsustainable. The museum’s closure was a
Courtesy Isa Betancourt
Powerful protest: Protesters hold vibrant posters in front of the Academy of Natural Science museum in Philadelphia. The activist organizations Philly Science Action, Green Philly and Skype a Scientist initiated the rally to hold Drexel University accountable for the situation and ask the university to keep the museum open past September.
necessary step in creating a more sustainable operational model in the face of longstanding financial problems. “We know the museum’s closure will be painful for staff and deeply disappointing to many others who care about the Academy. We do not underestimate that loss. This difficult decision was made to protect the collections and scientific mission at the heart of the Academy and represents an important step toward addressing the Academy’s financial challenges,” Biemiller and Merlo wrote in the statement. “The Academy’s board and Drexel leadership are committed to building and funding a sustainable long-term model that in addition to preserving the Academy’s scientific research enterprise, also allows us to create new and meaningful ways for the public to engage with these natural treasures and scientific discoveries.” For over two centuries, the Academy has been a globally recognized institution committed to research and education. Seven naturalists founded the Academy in 1812 to advance scientific discovery, and its collections have grown to more than 19 million specimens, fossils, archives and other resources. People can access the specimens in the Academy’s collections through global online databases. According to Drexel University, the Academy Library and Archives is one of North America’s most extensive repositories of natural science literature,
Courtesy Isa Betancourt
Save science: Protesters rally outside the Academy of Natural Science museum in Philadelphia. On Sept. 8, protestors advocated for the preservation of science. including more than 75,000 titles and volumes, some of which date back to 1529. The Academy’s museum opened in 1828 to share the institution’s discoveries with the community, promoting public engagement, and is the oldest natural history museum in the U.S. According to the Academy, the museum exhibited the world’s first articulated dinosaur skeleton, H. foulkii, drawing international attention. “I always liked nature, so seeing the exhibit setup was really cool. What really stuck out was the dinosaur animatronics,” Bates said. “It was cool to be that immersed in a museum.” Some Philadelphians are discontent with Drexel’s management of the situation. The science grassroots organizations Philly Science Action, Green Philly and Skype a Scientist planned a rally on
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Sept. 8 to hold the university accountable and ask it to keep the museum open past September. According to the activists, the museum’s closure would be detrimental during a time when science remains under attack and climate change continues to be a pressing concern. According to NPR, while the museum saw a surge in attendance last month and revenue was more than 20 times higher than in September 2025, the museum’s closure date did not change. According to the Academy, the museum’s original scientific materials remain preserved in the Academy’s collections. “I just hope that it does kind of stay a museum space for people to enjoy instead of getting developed into real estate or commercial,” Bates said. “I still hope it gets zoned for education and a third space for people to enjoy.”
T/E LIFE 4 The SPOKE
Aanya Gandi Staff Reporter
A keyboard clicks as an Asian Student Alliance (ASA) club member diligently writes a letter to a senator about the importance of cultural recognition in schools. On July 9, the board members of ASA met on a call with Make Us Visible PA (MUVPA) representative and school board vice president Kenneth Hong. MUVPA is part of a nationwide initiative to update school curricula with accurate information about Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history and culture. Hong invited senior and ASA President Jocelyn Huang, who volunteers for MUVPA, to have ASA members participate in a writing campaign to support state Sen. Patty Kim’s AAPI History Inclusion Act. To combat harmful stereotypes, this act aims to educate Pennsylvania students K-12 on AAPI history year-round instead of during a single heritage month. “I’ve worked with (Hong) before, and he’s a really good guy to have meaningful discussions with. He was very attentive while reviewing our letters and making sure that the wording was right,” Huang said. “I’d say that overall the experience was really unique because I’ve done writing campaigns before where I write letters to senators, but I feel like this was more spe-
Friday, October 9, 2026
ASA supports AAPI History Inclusion Act cialized and lined up really well with the club’s priorities.” The meeting with Hong educated ASA board members about the lack of AAPI education in Pennsylvania schools, inspiring them to write letters to Sen. Tracy Pennycuick. ASA wrote letters to Pennycuick because she represents the 24th state Senate District — which includes the region where the MUVPA founder created the organization — and to gain bipartisan support for the act. The meeting also enlightened ASA about the importance of AAPI curricula and inspired members to take the Asian American Studies course at Conestoga. Additionally, the meeting encouraged ASA board members to consider various ways to include AAPI history in schools. “It’s mostly Asian people that sign up for (Asian American Studies), so it’s really just Asian people learning about their own and their family’s history,” said senior and ASA historian Ava Diep. “But if it was incorporated into other history classes, like World History and U.S. History, then everybody would definitely learn more about not only U.S. culture, but also Asian culture and getting rid of stereotypes.” The ASA board members expressed their own feelings regarding a lack of cultural recognition in their letters to
show how Asian students can feel discriminated against. They also included past experiences of participating in events and activities in classes to argue that AAPI History can easily be incorporated in schools. Some board members found it easy to write their letter since it was like a personal story to them; others struggled at the start. Hong gave ideas to the students with writer’s block and prompts to help show them what to focus on, while also providing feedback and edits as the members worked on their letters. “I believe we read ‘Inside Out and Back Again’ in 11th grade, and I really enjoyed how we focused on the Vietnam War, but not from an American side. We focused on it from a Vietnamese (girl’s point of view),” Huang said. “I think seeing that specific perspective was really eye-opening, and I really wanted to highlight that in my letter to show that AAPI history can be integrated into our curriculum very easily, especially in English (class) where you compare different books.” The act, which Kim reintroduced in 2023, needs to gain support to pass in both the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Pennsylvania Senate. A big struggle of passing the act is gaining
support from both the Democratic and Republican parties. Regardless, ASA hopes to try its best to help pass the act. “I know that me not being in the Senate or Pennycuick’s jurisdiction makes it a little bit difficult and a little bit less important to (Pennycuick’s) priorities, but I do hope that we can gain support from not only senators or House
members, but also get our peers and the youth involved,” Huang said. Four ASA board members finished their letters, and Hong sent them to Pennycuick at various times in September. The club hopes to hear back from Pennycuick and to possibly participate in another campaign with MUVPA. With TESD having roughly a 30%
Asian student population according to U.S. News & World Report, ASA feels the need for students to learn about and respect Asian culture. “Speaking from my personal experiences, I’ve gone through a lot of discrimination because I’m Asian, so I just really want everybody to get rid of the Asian stereotypes and racism. We each
have our own identity rather than just being one generalized big group,” Diep said. “It (The AAPI History Act) can help people experience other cultures and really understand how traditions and people are celebrated, and expand (students’) horizons and understand(ing of ) what background (different people) are coming from.”
Aanya Gandi/The SPOKE
Building cultural recognition: Senior and Asian Student Alliance (ASA) historian Ava Diep writes a letter to state Sen. Tracy Pennycuick to support the AAPI History Act. Diep and other ASA board members included their personal experiences in the letters to convey their thoughts effectively.
: Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen Co-Managing Editor My parents and I pushed open the doors to Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen on a breezy Saturday afternoon, looking forward to trying something new. Located in Malvern on Lancaster Avenue, the restaurant takes its name from the tuk tuk, the iconic three-wheeled vehicle common in Thailand.
Two Thai elephant statues greeted us at the door when we entered, along with a tuk tuk statue farther inside, a symbol of Thailand’s local life. The reception area was spacious and welcoming, and a short set of wooden steps led to an elevated seating area lined with tables. The amber ceiling lights and quiet guitar pop playing in the background created a cozy ambiance as we sat down.
We arrived just after the restaurant opened, so there were only a few other customers. The restaurant’s extensive menu features a variety of options, from salads and soups to fried rice noodles and vegetarian entrees. To start our meal, we ordered lettuce wraps and curry puffs as appetizers. We were all hungry, so we appreciated how the appetizers
Emily S. Wang/The SPOKE
Caption: Caption here (2 lines).
Emily S. Wang/The SPOKE
A Thai welcome: Two elephant statues greet guests at the entrance, while Thai-inspired decor brings a touch of Thailand’s culture and character to the space. A tuk tuk statue stood farther inside, hinting at the restaurant’s namesake.
Emily S. Wang/The SPOKE
Crispy curry delight: Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen offers curry puffs as one of its appetizers. Filled with curry-seasoned chicken, potatoes, onions and carrots, these golden delicacies arrived steaming hot.
arrived no more than five minutes after we ordered. The waiter remained attentive throughout our meal, checking in at just the right moments and making sure each dish came out promptly. The curry puffs, filled with curry-seasoned chicken, potatoes, onions and carrots, were especially crispy, their stuffing steaming hot as we bit in. The lettuce wraps were refreshing, with the crisp green leaves balancing the savory sautéed chicken and spicy hot sauce. As none of us were familiar with Thai cuisine, Pad Thai — one of Thailand’s most famous dishes — was an obvious choice for an entrée. The rice noodles arrived immediately after the appetizers, incredibly flavorful and sprinkled with ground peanuts. Their subtle sweetness intertwined harmoniously with the earthy, crisp bean sprouts, a satisfying mix of flavors and textures. Next came the drunken noodles with shrimp, one of the restaurant’s recommended dishes. The noodles were moderately spicy, with a piquant sauce coating each strand and tender shrimp adding a layer of delicate sweet-
ness. The dish had vegetables and Thai basil mixed abundantly throughout, an aromatic addition that helped balance the heat. For dessert, we went with the mango sticky rice. We were pleasantly surprised by the creaminess of the coconut sticky rice, warm out of the pot, which contrasted nicely with the cool, juicy mango pieces. The combination certainly made for a satisfying end to the meal. All of our entrées arrived in generous portions, and we left full and content, holding a leftover container of Pad Thai noodles. Excluding tax and tip, our meal came out to a total of $87. With its welcoming atmosphere, hearty portions and wide selection of Thai dishes, Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen is a place I would recommend to anyone looking to explore Thai cuisine, as it is sure to provide a delightful experience. Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen 309 Lancaster Ave., Ste. A6 Malvern Price: $$ Emily’s Rating: Information from Google
The Crossword
Constructed by Rajan Saha, Co-Editor-in-Chief Answers at spoke.news/games
Advertise with... ACROSS 1 Light hair color that one may choose as a hair dye at the salon 10 Parallel grooves, thin bands or linear markings running along a textured surface 12 A traditional archery bullseye constructed entirely out of timber 13 AOL exchanges; real-time text-based Instant Messenger communications 14 Male elephant seal, in mating season 16 Second most southern capital in Africa 17 “She may __ to France for me”: Burns 18 Frequent sequence of speech found when one is at a loss for words, perhaps? 19 Football-field distances, abbr. 20 Media company with an annual Music Award Show 22 Saul’s uncle and grandfather 23 Rough endoplasmic reticulum, to a biologist 24 Shopper’s aid 29 Abstracts of financial accounts 30 Casual comment DOWN 1 In a state of moving through the water, old-fashioned style 2 Decorative panels that really take the center of the gut? 3 ‘92 upstart candidate 4 What a sharply raised hand might signify at an auction 5 Pull-ups’ target, for short 6 Crosswordese Japenese city near Sapporo 7 Academy Award winner, 1994 “Frankenstein” star Robert De___
Conestoga’s student newspaper! Feature your local business to hundreds of readers across the T/E district and community today!
S
NEW
Contact our Business Manager Ella Peng at epeng@spoke.news for any inquiries 8 “To get her poor ___ bone.” 9 Athlete’s high-octane liquid performance booster, colloquially speaking 11 Most reliably balanced or best on the balance beam, perhaps 15 Surroundings of many hotels 21 Leave ___ (require plastic surgery, perhaps) 25 Summer on the Riviera 26 Sleep stage 27 Sumac of song 28 The Once-___ (“The Lorax” character voiced by Ed Helms in 2012)
Spoken in Code Unscramble the ciphertext to reveal a secret message. On Oct. 9, 1941,
O S R L EOTVE
approved funding for the
T ANTM A ANH
project, a secret research program during World War II. Answer: Roosevelt, Manhattan
Emily S. Wang
T/E Life
Friday, October 9, 2026
The SPOKE
5
Food mania: Senior critic reviews food on social media August Zangrilli Media Editor
On a vacation amongst bison and elk, senior Andrew Li posted the first video on his new Instagram account named “andrewlovefood.” The video featured Li going through what he ate in a day during a family vacation at Yellowstone National Park. Since then, Li has posted over 40 videos, amassed almost 700 followers on his account and visited dozens of restaurants. His mission is to recommend food from all around the world to his followers. Li’s passion for food began during the pandemic. His early experiences include cooking with his family. “During (the COVID-19 pandemic), when I was stuck at home with my parents, I would always cook with them, and then that eventually turned into me cooking by myself and becoming passionate about restaurants,” Li said. Li and his family are frequent travelers, and he conceived the idea for his account
while visiting Canada. He has posted food from Italy, the UK and other countries. “I was at a summer program in Toronto, which coincidentally is where I was born, when I got the idea for the food review account,” Li said. Li has curated an interactive map of over 880 food spots around the world on his website “Where Andrew Would Eat — The Guide.” He has been to some of the places on the map, but he found a lot of them with the help of his international friends in Canada and Hong Kong. Shaun Wong, Li’s friend from Hong Kong, helps Li with his videos. “Andrew (Li) has always been super passionate, and it is great to help someone who is just always working on the next thing,” Wong said. “I’m always giving Andrew feedback on video writing and editing, and I also help him with the Asian parts of his restaurant map.” At first, Li’s account was an outlet for him to express his passion for food. Now, he reviews food in order to
recommend unique cuisines from around the world to his followers, many of whom attend Conestoga. “Obviously the starting point was sharing my love for food, but now it is shifting towards encouraging others to try something new,” Li said. “I want everyone to know that there is a food out there for them. Everybody has their tastes.” Wong plans to assist Li by improving his website. He also wants to help increase Li’s social media presence. “I want to greatly expand on the website, as well as making sure a variety of content is being put out,” Wong said. “I also want (Li) to get out here to Hong Kong so that he can try the food and we can make videos.” Li’s interest in food is also visible in other forms. He previously organized a DECA fundraiser where the club packaged food for “Rise Against Hunger,” a nonprofit hunger relief organization that provides nutritious meals to children internationally. Li’s long list of places he has traveled to compliments his passion for food. Visiting
various countries allows him to understand the cuisines and cultures of the world.
“I’ve largely moved away from number ratings and found a new meaning of re-
viewing food,” Li said. “I think it’s so interesting, because every dish and the way the dish
is made represents not only someone’s cultural values but an entire region itself.”
Courtesy Andrew Li
Behind the scenes: Senior Andrew Li (right) documents an exclusive kitchen tour at Eleven Madison Park, a restaurant in New York holding three Michelin stars. Li’s passion for restaurants started during the pandemic. He plans to visit more as he continues to travel with his parents.
Podcast for parents: Teacher hosts ‘MomsWork’ podcast Sophia Cui
Co-T/E Life Editor A cheerful podcast introduction fades out as the host begins to chat amiably with her guest. In August 2025, Beaumont Elementary School teacher Kristin Weinrich recorded the first episode
of her podcast, “MomsWork.” Weinrich’s podcast, a private project that she does outside of her work at TESD, highlights the realistic journeys of parents navigating work, parenting and life. Weinrich aims to support moms, dads and other listeners by giving honest talk in each episode.
“I think sometimes parenthood can be kind of lonely if you don’t have a good group of people, or people aren’t talking about the same things that you are, or they don’t have the same concerns,” Weinrich said. “I try to hit on topics all over, whether it’s house decoration, anxiety
and kids, holiday traditions or changing your career from what you thought you were going to. So I try to get guests, people and topics that cover a wide variety of things that a parent listening could relate to.” A few years ago, Weinrich started listening to a podcast
about parenting and felt that the moms who hosted the podcast were very relatable. Fueled by her dream of becoming a talk show host and with the support of her friends and husband, Weinrich decided to start her own podcast. On the “MomsWork” podcast, Weinrich features a dif-
First Last/The SPOKE
Courtesy Kristin Weinrich
Relatable recording: Beaumont Elementary School teacher Kristin Weinrich chats with her guest about motherhood, identity and community service. She began her “MomsWork” podcast in August 2025, highlighting the realistic journeys of parents navigating work, parenting and life. Weinrich hopes to expand her listenership and meet new guests as she continues to grow her podcast.
ferent guest with a distinct career and parenting background each episode. Most of her guests are mothers, but she tries to talk to a father once a month to expand her listenership. In the past, Weinrich has invited Rachel Farnsworth, a home cook and creator of the “Stay at Home Chef ” blog, to discuss balancing work, family, motherhood and health. She has also recorded an episode in Harrisburg with Pennsylvania first lady Lori Shapiro, in which they discussed motherhood, identity and community service. Weinrich is grateful that her podcast has helped her meet new people. “I think my favorite part (about my podcast) is that I’ve gotten to meet and speak to people that I never would have had a reason to talk to. There’s no reason that (Farnsworth) would have ever known who I was or spoken to me. Or Lori Shapiro, she would have never known who I was, and now she does,” Weinrich said. “I’ve had the chance to meet a lot of interesting people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise.” Weinrich has released over 40 episodes and transitioned into her second season of the podcast in September. She publishes two to three episodes a month, each lasting around one hour. Before recording each episode, Weinrich writes an outline to narrow her focus on a few topics and creates questions to ask her guests. After recording, she makes minor edits before publishing the episodes on Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify and other platforms. She also posts teasers on Insta-
gram and Facebook about upcoming episodes. Kelley Pidhirsky is a mother and longtime friend of Weinrich. Pidhirsky has been a listener of the “MomsWork” podcast since the first episode and recorded a bonus episode with Weinrich. She feels that Weinrich builds genuine connections with her guests by discussing deep topics. “One of the things that (Weinrich) usually does in her podcast is ask for some real advice, like what is something, frankly, very vulnerable about (a guest) to help others that may have struggled with something similar. Real, true advice that people don’t always necessarily want to talk about,” Pidhirsky said. “And I think in addition to the regular topics that she talks about, which are always very interesting, getting that real connection with her guests is just a big bonus.” In her second season, Weinrich hopes to grow her audience and talk to more people with different backgrounds. She wants listeners to gain something from each episode and feel seen and supported through her conversations. “I have had a lot of people that I know and don’t know who have reached out via email or social media or whatever, and say, ‘I felt like I was drinking coffee with you and talking today,’ and I’m like, ‘That’s what I wanted.’ I just wanted (my podcast) to feel like you’re talking to a friend,” Weinrich said. “I feel like no matter who you are and what your job is, being a parent is a pretty universal thing. Pretty much none of us really know what we’re doing at all, so it’s helpful to hear that from another (person).”
Driven to detail: Alumnus runs car-detailing business Charlotte Liao Staff Reporter
What started as an interest in cars has grown into a business for Conestoga 2024 alumnus Jake White, who spends his time polishing and detailing cars until they shine. Since his senior year of high school, White has built and expanded “Mainline Detail Works,” his car detailing business. White’s shop is located on Pennsylvania Avenue off King Street, and he mainly works for clients in Chester County and surrounding counties. He has one full-time employee and a few part-time employees that work together with him. White’s business offers detailing and other services
such as full interior and exterior washes and paint services. As of last year, his team also received a license to work on other vehicles, such as airplanes and boats. For White, having a commitment to quality is an important part of running a business. “You just gotta be efficient on the jobs, but also stay to your standards,” White said. “That’s a big thing for me, standards. If it’s not up to my standard, I’m gonna go above and beyond, even if the client didn’t pay for that.” According to White, he did not originally have a passion to create his own car detailing business. Business and Technology teacher Christopher Pezzano’s entrepreneur-
ship class at Conestoga was the main spark that led to his interest in the entrepreneurship field. “That (class) was definitely the top (inspiration) for me because that’s when it first crossed my mind that it could be cool running a business. He had that one landscaper come in and give us a presentation,” White said. “I like clean things, I’m an OCD freak and I like cars as well. So I just put them together, figured it was a good combination.” Pezzano said that while a lot of students make projects for class, it is uncommon for them to actually start a business. He is proud of White’s progress on his business, and advises him to continue to challenge himself.
“I enjoy seeing kids taking initiative and doing stuff for themselves outside of the classroom,” Pezzano said. “It (my advice) would be to keep doing what he’s doing, but don’t get comfortable, don’t be afraid to try new things. I’m proud of what I see him doing.” White said that advertising was a challenge that he faced in the initial stages of his business. At first, he went door to door, looking for potential clients. Later, he posted short videos of himself at work on his social media accounts, and his schedule is now fully booked. Although building a company is not easy, White believes that staying committed to something he cares about is worthwhile. He encourages
Courtesy Jake White
Beautiful in black: A black car sits in Conestoga 2024 alumnus Jake White’s workshop after getting detailed. Conestoga Business and Technology teacher Christopher Pezzano inspired White to start his car detailing business. students interested in entrepreneurship to pursue their ideas while understanding the challenges.
“I think it’s a great path to go, entrepreneurship. It is a very hard path. There’s gonna be a lot of times where you want
to quit because it’s not looking good,” White said. “But really, if you love it enough, anything could work out.”
Courtesy Jake White
Courtesy Jake White
A polished ride: A freshly washed car shines under the bright lights of alumus Jake White’s workspace at his business, “Mainline Detail Works.” White came up with the idea for his business by combining his interest for cars and appreciation for cleanliness.
A thorough wash: Soap covers a car as alumnus Jake White cleans its exterior. White started his car-detailing business about three years ago and turned his love of cars into a career.
T/E Life
6 The SPOKE
Friday, October 9, 2026
English teacher goes on sabbatical, writes book Anvita Mohile
Co-Staff Development Director
Anvita Mohile/The SPOKE
Writer reading: English teacher Ben Smith reads his latest book “Essays Due Friday: A Conversation on Writing for Students and Teachers.” He wrote the book for both students and teachers to explain the process of writing a piece of literature. Smith hopes to publish it in the coming months.
A teacher sits at his desk, clacking away busily on his laptop. English teacher Ben Smith is in his 26th year at Conestoga and currently teaches Advanced Placement (AP) Language and Composition and Honors Composition and Literature, while also advising The Folio. From August 2025 to June, Smith went on sabbatical to write a book that he felt could impact his community and classroom. The book, titled “Essays Due Friday: A Conversation on Writing for Students and Teachers,” is a nonfiction work with each chapter corresponding to the days of the week and explaining what it takes to write a piece of literature. In the final chapter, called “Friday,” Smith references previous chapters to write a sample essay. Smith hoped to sequentially explain his thought process and emotions along with the decisions he makes while writing, helping readers understand how to approach the writing process themselves.
“I’m looking for ways to slow down the process (of writing) for students and for teachers too, in their instructions, so that students can really process their thoughts,” Smith said. Junior Zoe Oikawa, one of Smith’s AP Language and Composition students, sees how he breaks down writing during class. Going on sabbatical inspired Smith to invite his students to consider who or what they are writing for. Oikawa explains how Smith encourages students to convey these thoughts during discussions, as doing so motivates them to start conversations with one another. “I think (Smith) really goes with the flow and you can see him change course during the class depending on how much time we have or what we’re feeling in the room, just how to best go about the lesson in a way that we as a class will get the most out of,” Oikawa said. In addition to the book he wrote during his sabbatical, Smith previously published a
novel called “Darling Energy” in early 2020, along with other projects in writing and music. He believes that writing a nonfiction book is very different from writing a fiction one. In fiction books, Smith can construct a plot through characters and events, while writing a nonfiction book requires him to sit with his thoughts before starting to write. After spending months working on the book from home, Smith is excited to return to teaching and bring some of the lessons he learned from his writing experience during sabbatical to his students and colleagues. Although “Essays Due Friday: A Conversation on Writing for Students and Teachers” is completed, Smith has not yet published the book but hopes to do so by the end of the year. “What I’m interested in ultimately is how we as writers can take what’s inside our heart, what’s inside our brain, what’s inside our gut and how we can translate that onto a page,” Smith said. “Because if we can do that, it’s really a superpower.”
Senior launches app, promotes fitness Priyanka Paxula and Erin Zhang Staff Reporter and Co-T/E Life Editor
Students open the App Store to download an app, its icon a yellow letter B against a dark blue background, ready to post and share pictures of a high-protein meal. In May, senior Ian Choi launched a social fitness app called Bravo, where users can upload and share pictures of their meals, post-workout recovery routines and gym sessions. Bravo has been on the App Store for more than four months and has roughly 500 active users and 25 five-star reviews. The idea for Bravo began in a group chat between Choi and seniors Landon Kosteva, Mason Maneckshaw, Danny Ryan and Wesley White. In the group chat, the five friends send updates about their fitness journey to each other, like their home-cooked meals or early morning runs. Choi felt inspired to create a space where people could make new friends and share their fitness journey with others, similar to the way he and his friends had. “What we did (in the group chat) is send pictures and vid-
eos of us eating high protein foods, going to the gym and just being the healthiest version of ourselves,” Choi said. “What I realized is that seeing my friends do those things made me want to do them as well, and I like the idea of your friends motivating you.” In junior year, Choi began creating his prototype. He started by using the AI platforms Base44, Claude Code and Lovable AI. He used Claude Code and Lovable to create the designs and features of the app and Base44 to secure users’ account credentials. In winter 2025, Maneckshaw was the first person to test the app, downloading a beta version on an online browser. Choi and Maneckshaw worked closely together to conduct a series of trials and updates. Choi finalized the app with the help of Maneckshaw after around six months. “I’ve seen (Bravo) grow because I’ve had the app since before it went on the App Store, and (it has) all the new features Ian’s added and the criticism he’s adapted from. It’s really made a good change,” Maneckshaw said. “Also seeing all the other users log on, join and
start posting, it’s like man, I don’t even know some of these people. The app has grown outside of just our friend group.” Choi originally named the app Grind. Although he
changed it to Bravo in the later version, Choi kept the old concept in current features of the app. Users can post “grinds,” pictures similar to those of social media like Instagram or
Snapchat, and they will appear on users’ profiles. Additionally, users can save others’ posts for inspiration and reference. “Since I started, my first entries were all just jokes
Priyanka Paxula/The SPOKE
Student-run software: A student shows his friend his leaderboard on the fitness app Bravo. This year, senior Ian Choi created and launched Bravo, which has around 500 active users and 25 five-star reviews, with the help of his friends and AI.
Girls in STEM hosts classes at Easttown Library Lea-Karen Ukpere Broadcast Editor
As the slam of bouncy balls clatters against the tables in Easttown Library’s large group room, children from all over the community learn about chemistry with Conestoga’s Girls in STEM club. Since mid-June, Girls in STEM has been partnering with Easttown Library to host introductory STEM classes for children ages 8 to 11. The classes occur biweekly on Tuesdays until the end of 2026. On Sept. 22, Girls in STEM hosted a one-hour class that intro-
duced basic chemistry concepts such as polymers and kinetic energy to the students. The Girls in STEM members rotate leading the lessons for the library program. For each lesson, the members research their lesson topic, create slides, plan an activity and communicate within the club to ensure the lessons run smoothly. After preparations, Girls in STEM meets at Easttown Library and presents to a group of kids interested in STEM. “It’s so good for (the kids) to be introduced and exposed to (STEM) at a young age,” said
about Ian, or posting something funny,” White said. “But as I saw more people posting, it made (Bravo) more serious.” Bravo keeps users honest to their workout routines and
Keerti Jain, sophomore and Girls in STEM vice president of operations. “If you’ve been not necessarily just experiencing but also talking to people who are older than you who have gone through those experiences that you might be going through in the future, learning about all these different STEM topics can really help you figure out what you’re interested in as a younger student.” The members hosted a fiveday summer day camp centered around the library’s summer reading theme, “Unearth a Sto-
ry,” focusing on archaeology and natural sciences. Junior and club member Anam Moinuddin organized a class for the club’s summer session. “It (the summer camp) was five days, and every day it was a different topic, different presentation, different craft activity to do with (the topic),” Moinuddin said. “I did mine on Tuesday and it was on archaeology. My activity, personally, was making fossils with the kids.” To make outreach events possible, Girls in STEM worked
closely with the youth services team at Easttown Library. The library’s youth services team is responsible for all events targeted towards children ages 3 to 17. Many events take place at the library each week, and the team approves each one. “One of the big things that the Easttown Library has been talking about recently has been our impact on the environment as well, which I think is something that Girls in STEM has talked a lot about (through) the content of the programs that (the members have) been having here at the library,” said Shelby Rozell, head of youth services at Easttown Library. Jain enjoys her work with the Girls in STEM library programs and feels that it benefits youth in the community. The lessons create a space where children can exercise not just an understanding of STEM, but also important developmental skills like creativity. “There are so many kids that they just really enjoyed the idea of putting creativity with science and being able to take things away from (the classes) and learn from (them),” Jain said. “As we teach these kids you can see the smiles on their faces, and you can tell that they’re interested and they want to learn. There’s just so much benefit (in) these lessons.” Scan the QR code to watch an accompanying package
Sophia Seyedian/The SPOKE
Chemistry clean-up: A Girls in STEM club member helps a student clean up her workspace. On Sept. 22, Girls in STEM ran a “Build Your Own Bouncy Ball” class at Easttown Library, where club members focused on introducing basic chemistry principles to children ages 8 to 11 through the creation of bouncy balls.
goals by awarding “flexes.” The app awards one flex for every like a user receives on a post, and 10 bonus flexes for every seven days a user posts in a row. Users can build streaks for every day they post, but it resets the moment they skip a day. Bravo categorizes users on different levels based on how many flexes they have, which include In Motion, Dialed, Locked In, Beast, Elite and Dynamo. Bravo also allows users to add others as friends. Friends can compete against each other on a weekly leaderboard based on the number of flexes earned. The leaderboard resets every Sunday, promoting continued activity. Additionally, Choi created a premium version of the app, BravoPlus, which lets users customize their profiles and save posts to their camera rolls. BravoPlus costs $1.99 per month or at a deal of $14.99 a year. “Whenever I would see someone post (on Bravo), and I’m at home on the couch, it’s like, ‘Dang, I’m gonna get up, I’m gonna do something,’” Ryan said. “I’m gonna eat something healthy. I’m gonna go do a hundred pushups.”
T/E Life
Friday, October 9, 2026
The SPOKE
Written and designed by Talia Roth, Co-Design Editor
New Teachers
Conestoga welcomed six new teachers this year as new teaching positions arose. The new teachers cover a variety of subjects, from Italian to U.S. History. Read about their interests and backgrounds below! Q: What do you enjoy about teaching? A: I love working with students, helping them learn and watching them grow in confidence as learners.
Q: What are your hobbies or interests outside of school? A: Going for hikes, playing volleyball, and relaxing with family and friends.
Q: What are your hobbies or interests outside of school? A: Spending time with people, because I don’t have a ton of time to do things myself, but hanging out with friends, trying local restaurants and coffee shops, playing tennis, and crafting, but I haven’t gotten into it as much.
Q: Why did you decide to become a teacher? A: My older cousin was a special education teacher and I always looked up to her, but I loved math so I decided to major in math and then pursue education.
Callie Crowe After graduating from Drexel University with a major in Chemistry and a minor in STEM education, Callie Crowe was not sure what her career path would be. However, after exploring education through student teaching, she decided to pursue it. Crowe teaches Advanced Placement Chemistry.
Q: What led you to teach at Conestoga? A: Last year, I was a reading support teacher at VFES and I really loved the district. I felt like this is a really positive space and everybody I worked with was really encouraging. The school district is really diverse which is rare in the suburbs, so I was happy with being here. Q: What are your hobbies or interests outside of school? A: I like to read, but I also like listening to audiobooks because I’m a mom of two kids so my time is limited, and I usually do that while I’m gardening or going on a walk. I also do a lot of community service as I volunteer for my daughter’s Girl Scout troop.
Lauren Hall Before arriving at Conestoga, Lauren Hall taught at the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr and Downingtown STEM Academy. Hall earned her master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania and studied mathematics for her undergraduate degree at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Hall teaches Algebra 1 Accelerated and Algebra 2 BC.
Q: What led you to teach at Conestoga? A: ’Stoga had a position open covering Mrs. Walter’s Advanced Placement U.S. History and Government class (last year) which seemed exciting for me and opened the door for me to come this year. Q: What are your hobbies or interests outside of school? A: A few things like running, vegan takeout in the Philadelphia area for sure and true crime to a certain extent.
Tom Mullaney Sarah McCafferty Sarah McCafferty previously taught at high schools across Philadelphia for 10 years but also has experience working in museum education, writing curricula and teaching preschool children. At Conestoga, McCafferty teaches Literary Foundations at the Honors and Accelerated levels.
Q: What are your hobbies or interests outside of school? A: I love paddleboarding and kayaking and spending time at the beach and the Poconos. I have been teaching dance classes like acrobatics for over 20 years now and currently teach at two studios during the week. Q: What led you to teach at Conestoga? A: I wanted to share my love of Italian with the students here.
Tom Mullaney earned his bachelor’s degree at George Washington University before going on to pursue a master’s degree in education from Mercy University. After working in educational technology consulting for 10 years, Mullaney realized that the job did not align with his values and decided to return to teaching. At Conestoga, Mullaney teaches U.S. History at the Honors and Accelerated levels.
Q: What led you to teach at Conestoga? A: I was hoping to teach at a big school, and I like Conestoga because the kids really care about being successful but also about (fostering) a community with each other. Q: What are your hobbies or interests outside of school? A: I love to read and write obviously, but I also just love being outside. I like to read any genre but some of my favorites are “The Book Thief” and “Salvage the Bones.”
Jane Dudzinski Sandra Carbonetta Italian 1 teacher Sandra Carbonetta earned her bachelor's degree in Italian Studies from Temple University.
Prior to coming to Conestoga, Jane Dudzinski earned her undergraduate degree at Dickinson College, double majoring in English and educational studies, before attending Vanderbilt University for graduate school. Dudzinski teaches Literary Foundations at the Honors and Accelerated levels.
7
OPINION 8 The SPOKE
Friday, October 9, 2026
Breaking the fourth wall: Speak on ‘Coyote vs. Acme’s’ behalf
Sophia Seyedian Staff Reporter
Delancey Zhao/The SPOKE
Envision this: we live in a society in which financial priorities undermine creative voices, and stories that artists have spent years producing may suddenly disappear consequently. The notion of this version of society is hard to brush aside when we live in a period of media conglomeration and these monopolies suppress films such as “Coyote vs. Acme” that no longer align with their materialistic incentives. The “Looney Tunes” spinoff, “Coyote vs. Acme,” opened in theaters Aug. 28, debuting with approximately $15.9 million across the-
aters. The film follows fan-favorite character Wile E. Coyote, who sues the Acme megacorporation for its countless malfunctioning products and mobilizes other cartoons to fight for his cause. It’s difficult to believe that this film was almost abandoned entirely after the filming and production processes were complete; in 2023, officials from Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) stated in a press release that they would shelve the movie for a $30 million tax write-off. WBD’s initial decision begs the question: prior to the overturned discarding of the movie and the selling of it to a smaller, independent film company, why would a megacorporation like WBD prioritize this financial incentive to the dismay of actors, filmmakers and fans? The decision stems from these megacorporations knowing the power they hold; they disregard those that keep them in business. The attempted burial of “Coyote vs. Acme” is not unique. The studio discarded “Batgirl” and
“Scoob!: Holiday Haunt” in the blink of an eye. As quoted by NPR, Adam B. Vary, a Variety writer who reported on the “Batgirl” saga, “The Warner Bros. Discovery leadership decided that they would essentially write off Batgirl, that instead of releasing it on HBO Max, they could clean up their debt ledger, by writing it off.” After public scrutiny, the company reversed its decision to scrap “Coyote vs. Acme,” selling it to Ketchup Entertainment at a discounted price of $50 million in March 2025. While some may applaud this offer, it’s important to look past these corporations’ gleaming promises to uncover their true intentions. It’s understandable that corporations would resort to corporate strategies and save money by avoiding high marketing costs. Yet, “Coyote vs. Acme” was highly successful, breaking North American opening-weekend records and surpassing the amount for their proposed tax write-off. WBD knew that Loo-
ney Tunes spinoffs were able to gain widespread interest. According to The Numbers’ Looney Tunes franchise box-office history, “Space Jam” earned about $250 million and “Space Jam: A New Legacy” earned nearly $164 million globally. The shelving of this movie, ironically, creates a parallel to the film’s message; similarly to how the Acme corporation values financial incentives over the autonomy of the animated cartoons, on whom the corporation tests its products, leading to the cartoons’ bodily harm, WBD values corporate power, demonstrated by a small difference in revenue, over the labor of filmmakers. It’s especially important today. In a world where creativity and art are taking a backseat to monopolies, local audiences have a moral responsibility to uphold. Amid the existence of megacorporations, it is critical that viewers support films like “Coyote vs. Acme” in theaters to protect artistic expression and appreciate the craftsmanship of filmmakers.
When sorry is just for show
Ashley Du
Co-Editor-in-Chief “That approval should never have happened.” This is how the Callaway Golf CEO described an ad that his own company had signed off on. During the last week of August, both Callaway and Target apologized for major mishaps. Callaway approved an ad, co-branded with the golf media company Good Good, depicting a man forcefully shoving a woman to the ground; Target sold a kids’ Halloween costume that many said evoked blackface, according to Reuters. Add brand controversies from Tarte and Lovesac that occurred around the same time, and it ultimately amounted to one of the most chaotic weeks of corporate public relations in recent memory. Both apologies followed within days of public backlash, with Callaway pulling the ad and Target removing the costume from its website. However, the two statements included dressed-up language that downplayed the truth. The real fault lay in each company’s internal review system. How did these products and ads get
through multiple checkpoints? How can an apology be taken seriously when it paints the situation as a one-off mistake rather than naming the process that failed? Target released the “Circus Clown” costume under its own seasonal Hyde and EEK Boutique brand, not a third-party vendor’s. According to AP News, critics said the design resembled 19th-century racist minstrel caricatures, sharpened by the promotional image showing a Black child modeling it. Target stated it was “looking closely at how this happened and what needs to change,” with no mention of its approval procedures. Such a lack of transparency is harder to excuse given Target’s 2025 termination of its diversity, equity and inclusion programs. As Minneapolis-area business leader Sheletta Brundidge told Reuters, “You rolled back diversity, so who’s in the room, now, to say ‘Hey, this is wrong?’” Target said nothing further, even declining to tell Reuters who designed the product or who greenlit it. The company’s apology starts looking like a bandage meant to ease the backlash, one that falls apart once the company is pressed for specifics. Callaway’s ad received outcry for trivializing violence against women, and its CEO first responded with vague reassurance too, stating the company was “conducting internal and external investigations” and had “already made changes to
approval processes.” Evidence of real corrective measures — ending its partnership with Good Good, donating $1 million to domestic violence prevention groups and admitting its “content review process was not comprehensive enough” — only came three days later. Callaway opened this follow-up statement with an important distinction: the company had “listened and reflected deeply” on continued public reaction before acting. Clearly, Target never reached this stage. Its statement stayed vague, and no follow-up came. Some may argue that speed matters more than disclosure. Retail analyst Bruce Winder says the best move is to “quickly say sorry, quickly take accountability” and “pull the product.” Fair, for the first 48 hours. Yet, it doesn’t explain Target’s pattern of avoiding accountability. After a similar costume controversy in 2020, the company made the same promise to review its processes. Six years later, we’re back where we started. Callaway’s own words prove the point that measurable change only comes because the public keeps pushing. We cannot blindly accept a corporate apology at face value. When a company says “this should never have happened,” the response should be scrutiny, not sympathy. Who approved this, and what’s actually changing? That pressure is what moves companies past a first apology and into a real one.
Nadya Sakr/The SPOKE
Sneha Singh/The SPOKE
Thin is back in
Nikhisha Arjun Staff Reporter
There’s always a new weightloss headline about some celebrity you’ve never heard of before. New face, new hair and always a newer, skinnier body. But nobody asks how she got there, or why we’re applauding it at all. Media outlets call it a marvelous glow-up, as if having muscle mass is a crime. Comment sections praise her for how much better she looks with her body hollow and unhealthy. These “icons” with millions of followers continue to market the message “skinny equals pretty” to youth all across the world. The real problem is that no one in this industry questions it, which ultimately gives way to more girls following in their footsteps. This behavior isn’t new; it’s re-emerging. Thinness has been sold as the biggest beauty standard since the 1990s, when Calvin Klein built an entire ad campaign around Kate Moss’s “heroin chic” look. The only thing that has
changed since then is the mechanism for marketing the standard. Fashion editors are now openly naming why the same “thinness is beauty” obsession is back. British Vogue’s editorial director, Cioma Nnadi, recently said fashion is swinging back towards “skinny” as a trend, and tied it directly to popular media figures’ use of Ozempic. Ozempic belongs to a class of prescription drugs called GLP-1s, used to treat diabetes and obesity Ozempic’s popularity is booming: the share of U.S. adults who have ever taken one rose from 12% in 2024 to 18% in late 2025, according to KFF polling. Unfortunately, less of it is being used as legitimate medicine and more as a cosmetic aid. Big media personalities in each branch of the entertainment industry also use their platforms not to support body positivity, but to flaunt their own figures, achieved with countless surgeries and medications. This is an important shift, as the beauty standard is no longer just genetics or dieting. Instead, it’s become a product people can buy, with GLP-1s available through online telehealth platforms. The “ideal” body type becomes more attainable for the wealthy and unattainable for everyone else. Watching these stars does real damage. In a 2025 study from the journal Appetite by Yangzhou University, researchers found that
Chinese adolescents traced a direct chain: admiring celebrities leads teens to compare their own bodies to famous ones, which leads to dissatisfaction, ending up with disordered eating behavior. A December 2025 Simon Fraser University study found that one in four teens in British Columbia reported disordered eating or serious anxiety about food and body image, and researchers linked those risks to social media use and exposure to celebrity and influencer-driven misinformation. This isn’t just a feeling of insecurity, but a documented pattern. With even more of a push to “feel pretty” in high school, the standards set by those in the media pressure many teen girls struggling with their bodies. It has also gotten worse over time. Body positivity once had real cultural traction, as brands promised size-inclusive campaigns and plus-size influencers gained platforms. Dove launched its Real Beauty campaign in 2004, and in 2014 Aerie promised to stop retouching its models’ photos. However, that momentum didn’t survive against Ozempic and algorithmic feeds. Even when platforms intervene, the content persists: TikTok banned the hashtag #SkinnyTok in June 2025 after regulators flagged it for glorifying extreme thinness, but re-
searchers found that the harmful content simply migrated to different tags rather than disappearing. This type of content is persistently pushed out onto young girls’ feed, being endorsed by their favorite celebrities and constantly reminding them that the size of their body correlates to their beauty. Some will say it’s unfair to expect teens to resist a message designed to be constant and personalized, and that beauty trends always swing back anyway. There’s truth in that, since it is much easier to talk about self-acceptance than to practice it. But young people know that the harm comes from comparison and not just exposure. Those are habits we can question, and that is where change starts. So instead of tapping on the next transformation post, we should ask how it happened and who profits. Instead of measuring ourselves against people who are filtered and sometimes medicated into a look, we should clean up our feeds and follow people who show real range. Rather than chasing whatever body Hollywood is selling this season, we should stop letting an industry set trends for our own bodies at all, and set our own instead. The “thin is back in” cycle isn’t harmless or merely aesthetic. On the contrary, the trend is tied to cashing in on real insecurities in youth, and no marketing campaign is worth that cost.
Opinion
Friday, October 9, 2026
The SPOKE
Our 2026-27 Spoke Policy Each school year, The Spoke editorial board presents the policy that will guide the paper’s direction. We aim to be as transparent as possible as we continue to cover the T/E community. Our Mission The Spoke is Conestoga High School’s student-run newspaper. We are a public forum for student expression. The publication endeavors to objectively cover stories of interest to our school and community. We prioritize our responsibility to report in an ethical and unbiased manner. The Spoke staff strives to represent a diverse range of voices and issues within the paper. While some topics within The Spoke may be considered controversial, our reporters always work to cover them with care, precision and impartiality. Our publication does not allow the use of generative artificial intelligence to produce any of its work. The Spoke follows the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics.
Publication The Spoke publishes seven print issues per school year. School Paper Express prints the paper and copies can be found in Conestoga High School and in select locations around the community. Subscribed readers to The Spoke receive issues mailed directly to their homes. If interested in a subscription, contact our business manager at epeng@spoke. news for more information. Our publication is also available on issuu.com/ stoganews and spoke.news.
and activities of students, faculty and community members. To suggest a story idea, email The Spoke at hello@spoke.
What We Cover Every issue, reporters collect and submit timely story ideas to the editorial board for review. Te Spoke makes an effort to report on the achievements
news. The beliefs represented in signed opinion articles are not reflective of the entire staff ’s opinion. An unsigned editorial reflects the consensus of only the editorial board.
Our Rights Our paper is not subject to administrative prior review nor restraint, meaning that
with the educational process. Advisers serve as educators and consultants only, leaving the editorial board to decide how content is treated. The editorial board considers the journalistic and ethical implications of publication for every story. All editorial, journalistic, and publication disputes are settled by an absolute majority of the editorial board.
Online Presence Spoke.news is a student-run and student-owned website; no district employees are responsible for the content and coverage on Ashley Du/The SPOKE spoke.news nor TESD administration does any of The Spoke’s social menot see the paper before it is dia platforms. The Spoke’s printed and cannot censor social media includes but is content unless it is obscene, not limited to The Spoke’s Inlibelous or would material- stagram, YouTube, X, TikTok ly and substantially interfere and Facebook. The Spoke
does not tolerate comments on these platforms that contain racism, homophobia, transphobia, personal attacks or other discriminatory remarks. The Spoke only removes comments that do not adhere to its policy. Your Voice The editorial board aims to include diverse voices from our school and community. To contribute to The Spoke, contact the editorial board at hello@spoke.news or our Co-Editors-in-Chief Ashley Du and Rajan Saha at adu@ spoke.news and rsaha2@ spoke.news. We welcome Letters to the Editor with commentary on our coverage and current events. Advertising Businesses can support The Spoke and promote themselves by purchasing advertisements in the paper. We reserve the right to reject, edit or cancel any advertisement at any time. Interested parties should contact our business manager Ella Peng at epeng@ spoke.news.
9
Report Card “Primetime” movie releases + gave a nuanced portrayal of Chris Hansen
B
- ambiguous ending
C+
Taylor Swift releases “Life of a Show Girl: The Encore” + new content for fans - corny and repetitive lyrics
Grand Theft Auto VI trailer releases + game looks amazing, with lots of depth
A-
- leaks spoiled the trailer
B+
Minecraft unveils new dimension “The Sift”
+ first new dimension since 2011
“I would say that they promoted somewhat of a negative image because in Hollywood they will add makeup or take away makeup. They put on a standard for boys and girls to look a certain way, act a certain way, or just be a certain way with anything.” Denel Meres,
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“I think Hollywood has promoted both a negative body image, but also positive body image at the same time. They're sort of promoting both extremes in some cases, but not really focusing on what the average person.” Ethan Lane,
-
freshman
STUDENTS SPEAK OUT
-
Editor Recs
sophomore
Editors: Ashley Du and Anvita Mohile, Co-Editor-in-Chief and Co-Staff Development Director
Q: Do you think Hollywood’s standards have affected body image? “I think they promote a negative body image all the time, and I think a lot of females try to be up to these standards by getting surgery done and things that are not good for the body or get put on medicine to look like the other person. I don't think it's right. I think all humans should embrace their natural features.” Niya Lynch,
- not going to be released until 2027
“Yes, I think Hollywood standards have promoted an unrealistic ideal body image, especially for young girls.”
Movie: “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”
- Lola Huang,
“I like the way it referenced the comics and other movies. I also haven’t seen a spiderman movie in a bit so I was pretty excited to watch this. I also liked Sadie Sink’s character and acting as Jean Grey.”
senior
junior
Ragebait Marketing 101: How brands monetize outrage
Alivia Woo
Co-Design Editor You walk by a multitude of ads, all typical smiling models in a variety of poses, when suddenly, a strange image catches your eye. An uncanny g lassy-e yed Asian cyborg stares back at you, mouth pushed open suggestively, all while being impaled on a metal display stand. Notice how that description in particular caught your attention? This isn’t the first time brands have used insensitive imagery for shock value and online debate, and it certainly won’t be the last. On Jan. 5, Equinox, a gym brand based in New York, published its “Question Everything But Yourself ” ad campaign, contrasting AI-generated images with real images of human bodies as a supposedly anti-AI campaign. However, after the company received backlash for its degrading portrayal of Asian
women, the brand took down all its ads and released an official statement to Athletech News claiming it intended no offense to the Asian community. The ad stirred great controversy because it contributed not only to the stereotypes that Asian women are submissive, mindless beings similar to robots, it also portrayed the decapitated cyborg itself as a trophy of violence, which Equinox then sexualized with the erotic thumb in its mouth. Critics,
such as content creator Eila Park Robertson, expressed that the ad reinforced the harmful sexual stereotypes that Asian women have faced for decades, such as being only viewed as commodities for Western consumption. Recently, Novig, a sports betting app, featured Sydney Sweeney in a controversial ad that drew criticism from female athletes. It depicted her in suggestive positions nude while different kinds of sports equipment covered her. Athletes such as Felicity Palmateer, an Aus-
tralian surfer, stated that the ad was “very damaging” for female athletes and young girls looking to get into sports. Many others say that it portrayed female athletes as sexualized figures rather than appreciating the hard work and talent that goes into playing a sport. People debated whether or not Novig’s success jumped because of this ad or the timing with the new NFL season, but there is no doubt about the attention it’s drawn — over 40 million views, proving the value of controversy in marketing. On the flip side, people have pointed out that the creators calling attention to these ads could simply be jumping on the hate train and doing it for attention of their own without any real analysis Vivienne Chen/The SPOKE or critique, and others assert that people are simply overreacting over the slightest provocation. Ultimately, while brands may format their ads to spark discussion and increase attention, they must also consider the cost of that attention and the message it sends. So, the next time you see an ad campaign designed to evoke rage, instead of passing it off as a joke or giving the brand the benefit of the doubt, call out the companies that profit from images designed deliberately to hurt others.
Zahra Hassan/The SPOKE
How an animated calf with a budget of $200 unveiled the future of media
Kimberly Wang Staff Reporter
A full movie theater of people watch as a bird flies across the screen. For two minutes. The audience continues to witness a calf grow up over the course of an hour and a half, at the end of which they discover that the same calf — Niu Lai, the movie’s namesake — was dreaming all along. As a well-known social media comment put it, “You’ll regret it for 86 minutes if you watch it, but you’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you don’t.” For a film made using SketchUp, an architectural design program, the heights that Niu Lai reached can seem surprising, but this phenomenon actually reveals
an important truth about our values and how art may continue to develop in the future. Niu Lai made its debut on Aug. 5 in China, gaining only 300 viewers in the first week, but after a social media post about the film grew unexpectedly popular, tickets quickly piled up. With a budget of less than $500 and earnings over $7 million, according to an article on The Atlantic, Niu Lai is now the most profitable movie of all time, beating out the indie horror movie “Obsession” that also emerged in the summer. But why would hordes of people pay hard-earned money to see a film that features, as described by the New York Times, “crudely made animation?” The simple answer is that it’s a funny, lighthearted story that brings audiences together. The longer and perhaps more important answer is its lack of artificial intelligence. Slowly but surely, AI is taking over a wide variety of industries, threatening art, literature
and other media forms, especially films. When computers are replacing people in the area that always reflected human spirit and soul, our very humanity is endangered. Whether or not everyone realizes that on a conscious level, Niu Lai’s box-office success is solid proof that we are still prioritizing the right thing — originality. Many of us find Niu Lai so endearing precisely because of its flaws: the unexpectedness of the plot, the clumsy animation, the excruciatingly slow pacing, the posters that theaters drew by hand. The movie, however unpolished, is the culmination of five years of dedication by the first-time producers, a 34-yearold man and his mother, who personally built Niu Lai frame by frame, down to its soundtrack, script and voiceovers. We are, and have always been, drawn to relatability and hard work — a phenomenon known as “effort moralization,” where we typically “praise the individuals who exert effort even when the efforts pro-
duce no discernible outcomes,” according to a study published by Springer Nature in 2024. Of course, critics are having their say about the matter, with The Guardian quoting a film industry professional who called the movie “bad in every aspect imaginable.” But I’d argue that Niu Lai is a type of rare occurrence that appears once in a while to remind us of our values. This time, the film is a sign that we are tired of AI slop and that, now more than ever, we appreciate things that are “human.” Instead of a perfect piece made by a machine, real success lies in the ones with blemishes, stutters and heart, all the elements that make humans human. So stop writing your essays with Claude and handing your worksheets to ChatGPT. We have been and always will be praised more for the creativity and uniqueness we bring to the table than for what seems like the “right answer.” Don’t believe me? Just look at Niu Lai.
Joely Lin/The SPOKE
Sports
10 The SPOKE
Friday, October 9, 2026
Conestoga welcomes new coaches for fall season Girls field hockey Boys soccer Raymond Wu Co-Copy Editor
Replacing former coach Megan Smyth, the girls’ varsity field hockey team welcomed Emily Arnot as the team’s new head coach. Arnot began playing field hockey in second grade, and continued playing through college at the University of Delaware. After graduating, Arnot served as a coach for OSIVE and XCALIBUR, club teams from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, respectively. “I like coaching field hockey because I loved how much my coaches had an impact on the way that I viewed myself,” Arnot said. “So I think it’s really important to me to be able to do that for players who are currently playing, to be able to inspire that confidence.” Arnot currently teaches second grade at New Eagle Elementary. She served on Conestoga’s field hockey staff for four seasons as an assistant coach before stepping up to head coach. “Something that I love about Conestoga field hockey is (that) the girls are so supportive of each other. It is just an enjoyable thing to be at every single day, and I think this year the girls are feeling that a lot as well,” Arnot said. Arnot observes strengths in the team’s ball movement and coordination. However, she emphasizes the importance of continuing to foster
a growth mindset within the team in order to continue the team’s legacy of success through her coaching. “My big focus is that idea of the growth mindset. That understanding (that) it’s never a bad thing to fail as long as we (are) truly trying our best because we can learn from that. I think that’s the message the girls are hearing a lot this year,” Arnot said. Sophomore Brynn Wozniak has played for the varsity team for two years and currently plays as varsity midfielder. She appreciates Arnot’s approach to coaching and expresses a sense of unity within the team. “She (Arnot) was the assistant coach last year, so (we’re) very familiar with her coaching style,” Wozniak said. “We play as a team, very unified, connected on and off the field, (with) great communication and everything.” Having won the PIAA 3A State Championship in 2024 and produced a number of national-level field hockey players, the team has established a strong standing. Arnot aims to continue the team’s legacy of success through promoting an environment of team play, accountability and positive mentality. “For the future (our goal is) to continue being a really competitive program,” Arnot said. “We’ve made it pretty far in both district and state playoffs the past few years (and we hope) to be able to continue that legacy of being competitive.”
Elizabeth Lu, Grace Lu and Rajan Saha/The SPOKE
Ready to lead: Emily Arnot (left) and Angelo Capetola (right) step into their roles as head coaches for the 2026 fall season for girls field hockey and boys soccer, respectively. Both previously served as assistant coaches and look forward to continuing their teams’ legacy of success.
This school year, Angelo Capetola replaced David Zimmerman as the head coach for the boys’ varsity soccer team. Having contributed to the Conestoga soccer program for 22 years as an assistant coach, Capetola is excited to take on his role as head coach. Prior to coaching Conestoga soccer, Capetola played for his high school soccer team, before continuing his commitment to the sport during college at Penn State. After graduating college, Capetola joined the United German Hungarians as a part of the men’s team. In addition to playing, he also has extensive experience with coaching, having led a U14 soccer team as well as coaching on the sidelines with FC Europa for seven to eight years. “I use the analogy of using the players’ faces as a way to look at myself in the mirror,” Capetola said. “If I see (the players) joyful and wanting to express that they enjoy playing, that’s all you need as a coach with the recognition that you’ve made a difference. That gives you a good feeling from a coaching perspective, and it’s something very addictive.” For many years, the boys’ varsity soccer team has boasted a strong track record, winning five PIAA 4A State Championships and consistently placing amongst the top high school soccer programs in the state. Capetola recognizes the team’s talent and achievements, but also plans to prioritize developing strong personal skills through soccer. “My style is to coach with love, to let the players know that they’re
loved,” Capetola said. “That doesn’t mean I’m making things easier on them — we want to win for sure. But, what type of human beings are we developing? Are you a good brother? (That) is really important to me, developing good human beings.” According to Capetola, the soccer team witnessed a record level of tryouts this year, with over 130 players at varsity and JV tryouts and over 50 at freshman team tryouts. Although the team consists of strong players, Capetola believes that the most important component of a high school sports team is for the players to connect with each other. Sophomore and varsity player Ewan Abhulimen values Capetola’s emphasis on building a team community. “One of the things that (Capetola) thinks is very important for a soccer team is togetherness and being a family,” Abhulimen said. “Getting along with your teammates is very important for a well-performing soccer team, so I think Coach Angs (Capetola) is making sure that we’re a family and we’re always on the same page.” Scan the QR code to watch an accompanying package!
Oar-some victory: Conestoga rowers excel at rowing regatta Corey Han
Staff Reporter Junior William Simon and senior Aidan Roberts spent their summer on the water, training for hours each day in preparation for one of the biggest crew com-
petitions in North America. From Aug. 4-9, the two Conestoga rowers competed with Black Sheep Junior Racing at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catharines, Ontario. Simon and Roberts began rowing through Conestoga’s
Learn-to-Row program. Simon first tried the sport after eighth grade and rowed for Conestoga for his freshman and sophomore years, while Roberts began rowing for the team during his freshman year. “I immediately fell in love with the sport,” Roberts said.
Courtesy Henry Davis
Solo stroke: Senior Aidan Roberts rows in a single for Black Sheep Junior Racing. Roberts competed in the Men’s U19 Single, Double and Quad at the 2026 Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.
“I knew I wanted to find ways to develop myself more, so I joined a local rowing team called Whitemarsh Boat Club.” At Whitemarsh, Roberts met coach Arthur Post, whom he credits as pivotal to his development. Roberts followed Post to Black Sheep Junior Racing this summer. Since Conestoga does not offer a summer racing team, Simon also joined the organization to continue competing during the offseason. “I wanted to compete because I felt like I had a lackluster spring season, and I knew I was capable and willing to put in the work to win more races and be more competitive,” Simon said. In preparation for the regatta, Simon trained at least four hours a day, six days a week, often adding an additional hour of cardio. Roberts followed a similar intensive summer schedule, spending about four hours a day, six days a week on water while also lifting. Simon learned that he would compete at the Royal Canadian Henley only a
few weeks before the event. On race day, he and his boat had 30 minutes to familiarize themselves with the course. “I was definitely pretty nervous before the final,” Simon said. “But once I got up to the start, I just tried to calm down and talk to my competitors a little bit and realize that at the end of the day, all I can do is try my hardest.” Simon competed in the Men’s Under 17 Quad alongside three teammates, Zach Robbins, Alex Roefling and William Taylor. As the bow seat, Simon steered the boat and made calls to help coordinate the team throughout the race. After advancing through the first heat and semifinals against 26 other boats, Simon’s quad faced five others in the final round. The group entered the final stretch behind the leader before making a late push. Simon rowed hard, knowing that only first place received a medal. “I just closed my eyes and I just pushed as hard as I could,” Simon said. “I was just relieved that the race was over, and then I opened my eyes and I realized we had won.”
Courtesy Emi Nakazato
Trophy triumph: Junior William Simon (far right) and his Black Sheep Junior Racing teammates pose with their medals and trophies. The team won the Men’s U17 Quad at the 2026 Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. Simon’s quad finished the 2000m course first with a time of 6:16 and received the John H. Newman Trophy. Roberts also competed in multiple events at the regatta, including the Men’s U19 Single, Double and Quad. For Roberts, his time at Conestoga helped shape how he approaches races outside of the school team.
“It (Conestoga Crew) made me realize that in rowing, it’s okay to fail, but it’s how you get back up and move forward and get better (that matter),” Roberts said. “It’s a learning experience — you’re having fun in the process, hanging out with your friends (and) winning races — so I definitely learned a lot from the program.”
New athletic director finds footing at Conestoga, brings changes Teagan Penny
Social Media Editor After 22 years of teaching, Rick Mattison settles in as Conestoga’s athletic director. Mattison stepped into this role after Kevin Pechin, who acted as athletic director for 10 years, retired. Though this is Mattison’s first year at ’Stoga, he previously taught social studies at TEMS, coached JV baseball and advised several clubs
such as the TV studio at TEMS. Mattison studied at Ithaca College and The University of Edinburgh, earning a degree in Sport Management. Currently, he is adjusting to switching from teaching to his role as athletic director. To ease this process, Mattison is keeping up communication with Pechin. “The nice thing is that I’m still in communications with (Pechin),” Mattison said. “I’ll probably talk to him a couple
times a week. If I have a question, I can call or email him, and he stops in every once in a while.” This role has prompted many new challenges for Mattison, like constant changes to his daily schedule. As a teacher, Mattison was able to have a clear plan with few interruptions, but his new job poses unexpected occurrences. “In teaching, you plan out your week, you plan out your day and you know which lessons you
are going to teach, what you’re going to cover,” Mattison said. “With this job, you never know if you might get a phone call from a parent, or if a coach is looking for a field or if a player has an issue with something.” Additionally, Mattison hopes to bridge the gap between high school and middle school sports programs. Currently, he has scheduled for a few fall middle school sports teams, including
volleyball, field hockey and soccer, to play at Conestoga’s sports facilities. He also hopes to encourage a larger sense of community for all sports teams. Through Good Morning ’Stoga, Mattison plans to increase promotion of games to students. Additionally, he plans to pair different sports teams together to support each other. “I think one of the things that I didn’t get around to doing yet is having teams support teams,” Mattison said. “For example, an off-season team is partnered up with an in-season team, and the coach can encourage the players to
support the in-season team by going to some games.” Mattison started as athletic director alongside Rebecca Seefeldt, Conestoga’s new administrative assistant. Seefeldt previously worked as part of Haverford High School’s administrative board. Mattison feels that Seefeldt has played a significant role in figuring out his job as athletic director. She helps Mattison with budgeting, organization and communications with other schools’ sports teams. Seefeldt thinks there are challenges in adjusting to her role. “We don’t know what’s coming until we go through it,” Seefeldt
said. “I don’t think we fully anticipated how much we were going to learn on the fly together, but it’s been great.” Mattison applied for the athletic director position due to his love for sports and thinks his organization and management skills are helpful for the job. He feels that his new role is a chance to experience different aspects of sports. “I taught for 22 years, and I felt I was ready for a change,” Mattison said. “I thought it would be a way to start something new outside of the classroom, and it will probably be the way that I finish out my career in education.”
Commitment Corner Zoe legGette University of Rhode Island SPORT: Lacrosse GRADE: 11
Teagan Penny/The SPOKE
Navigating the new role: New athletic director Rick Mattison works on his computer, working through the challenges of his position. Mattison’s first year began this fall, and he has been in the process of adjusting to the challenges and nuances of this position.
“I chose the University of Rhode Island because I really wanted to go northeast, and the lacrosse program’s really good. It really just turned out to be my dream school. I hope that I end up being successful in my university life.”
Sports
Friday, October 9, 2026
The SPOKE
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HIGHLIGHT REEL The latest developments in sports. Gowri Nair, junior: Q: What are the main differences between watching in person and watching on TV? A: Watching in person, you're kind of a little bit lost, because it's a fixed position. It's just whatever you can see that's happening. But it's a lot more fun to be there in person, because the atmosphere is different.
Lily Fotezu, sophomore: Q: What was your favorite moment or game from the tournament, and why? A: My favorite was the Cabo Verde and Argentina game. (Vozinha) was so good, and especially against Argentina. Even though they didn't win, it felt like they won to me.
Max Tomlinson, junior: Q: What was your favorite moment from the tournament and why? A: My favorite moment was when Jude Bellingham scored two goals against Mexico back to back. We saw him score the first goal and everyone was super happy. But as they were showing the replay, they quickly switched it back because he had just scored a second one.
On Oct. 1, senior Corinne McReynolds won the individual title at the Central League Qualifier for girls golf. On Oct. 6, McReynolds and senior Jill Burks qualified for the PIAA State Championship as individuals, with Burks winning the District 1 Championship. Additionally, on Oct. 5, the girls defended their District 1 title and won first. On Oct. 21, the team will advance to the PIAA 3A Team State Championship.
Dribbles On Sept. 29, the boys’ soccer team tied Lower Merion 1-1, keeping the Pioneers unbeaten at 10-0-1. Under a new PIAA rule, regular-season games tied after 80 minutes end in a draw rather than going to overtime.
Spikes
FIFA held its 23rd World Cup from June 11 to July 19. For the first time, three countries hosted soccer’s biggest tournament together: the United States, Canada and Mexico. The United States had not hosted since 1994. This year's tournament was also the largest in World Cup history, expanding from 32 teams to 48 and filling 104 matches across 16 stadiums. According to the FIFA website, Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field hosted six matches, recorded five straight sellouts and drew about 410,000 fans from more than 190 countries.
On Oct. 2, the girls’ volleyball team beat Penncrest 3-0, extending its undefeated Central League season at 7-0. The girls recently beat Garnet Valley for the first time in over fifty years.
Goals On Sept. 29, senior and varsity field hockey player Peyton Esposito scored her 100th goal in a game against Lower Merion. Esposito has verbally committed to Stanford University for field hockey.
The U.S. men's national team won its group for the first time since 2010, then lost 4-1 to Belgium in the round of 16 on July 6. On July 19, in the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Spain's Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute, securing his team's win against Argentina in overtime. It was Spain's second World Cup title, after its first in 2010. Nearly 63 million Americans watched the final across television and streaming, making it the most-watched soccer telecast in U.S. history.
Watching the
Swings
Pars Written by Viktor Wang, Staff Reporter Designed by Alivia Woo, Co-Design Editor
On Sept. 24, the boys' golf team defeated Paxon Hallow 190-192 to become Central League Champions. This season, the boys team went undefeated 11-0 in the Central League.
WORLD CUP
Touchdowns On Sept. 11, the boys' football team won against Radnor in a blackout game, which marks its first season victory in over a year.
Nike x Inside Lacrosse Women recognition list highlights ’Stoga lacrosse Ella Peng
Business Manager
Grace Lu/The SPOKE
Representing Conestoga: Junior Price Orcutt leads on the field after training with both Conestoga and Philly Blast. Oructt recently committed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she will continue to play lacrosse.
This fall, Conestoga girls lacrosse players received national recognition. On Sept. 1, Nike x Inside Lacrosse ranked juniors Brooke Bickel, Julia Cowgill and Price Orcutt as four-star recruits. Additionally, Orcutt ranked 45th nationally in her recruiting class. Nike x Inside Lacrosse Women also ranked juniors Molly McCarthy, Lia Messina and Reese Nepereny as three-star recruits. The rankings place them among the top players of their age group. “We had a couple of girls be four-star, and then a few girls be three-star,” said girls lacrosse coach Jacklyn Collins. "I think it's just how athletic they are, how hardworking they are. I mean, they do so much lacrosse all the time. They are fast. They stand out on the field. Their stickwork is incredible. They are just allaround really good athletes, really good lacrosse player.” In early September, Orcutt committed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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She credited her recruitment to a UNC prospect camp, where UNC lacrosse coaches scouted her and she was able to highlight her lacrosse talents. “I have the opportunity to play lacrosse at my dream school that I’ve wanted to go to since I was a kid,” Orcutt said. “I think UNC has always played a large role in my life because both of my parents went there, and my mom played lacrosse for the school. My brother is a freshman there playing lacrosse as well, so I am really excited.” However, recruiting can be difficult for student athletes. Cowgill, who is committed to play lacrosse at the University of Richmond, had a hard time balancing recruitment with her school life and extracurriculars. She noted that making decisions was pressure-inducing, as the decision period to commit to a certain school can range from two to seven days. “I was definitely indecisive because you really just have to piece it all together. You have to consider what
you want (in) a lacrosse team — if you like the coach, team, what you want as a college experience, distance — all that plays into it,” Cowgill said. “You kind of just have to have an idea of what you want so you can make your decision. Then I found my way to Richmond, so I’m super happy about it.” For players training to be collegiate athletes, injuries can be anxiety-inducing. In the spring of her sophomore year, Orcutt tore her hamstring and injured her ankle, forcing her to work and recover from her injuries the summer before her junior year. “The most stressful part was playing all summer through all of my injuries and having to keep thinking positively and pushing forward even on days when I didn’t play my best,” Orcutt said. “In the beginning, coming back from the injury was really hard because I felt behind. I worried about the injuries a lot and playing on grass definitely freaked me out, but I was able to play through them.” According to Collins, Conestoga can help with re-
cruitment, but most recruiting takes place through club teams because college and high school seasons overlap. “So we might have players get seen in our playoff games, in our state games, but most of recruiting is done through tournaments and through their club team,” Collins said. “Then through their club coaches too, they work with them to get recruited, and then I help as needed. So if players are reaching out to me, looking at a specific school, I can help them as well.” As they look toward future seasons and college opportunities, the players continue to build and learn from their experiences playing for Conestoga. Cowgill credits the program with building her self-esteem and looks forward to the upcoming season. “Conestoga girls lacrosse has helped me with my confidence as a player and person,” Cowgill said. “I’m so grateful to be surrounded by great coaches and teammates who are always encouraging me to do my best.”
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Oar-some victory: Conestoga rowers find success at prestigious rowing regatta Page 10
Conestoga welcomes new coaches for fall season Page 10
Friday, October 9, 2026
Watching the World Cup Page 11
Nike x Inside Lacrosse Women recognition list highlights ’Stoga lacrosse players Page 11
Courtesy Evima Football
Scoring sensation: 2026 alumna Kate Kemmerley strikes the ball as part of the U18 U.S. Women’s National Team during a game against the U19 Ukraine National Team at the Bulgarian Nations Cup. Kemmerly has competed in competitve soccer for over a decade and has played for the U.S. National Team seven times. She hopes to earn her degree at the University of Notre Dame and pursue a professional career in soccer either in the U.S. or in Europe to join her sister.
Grace Lu
Alumna represents U18 USWNT at Bulgarian Nations Cup small international round-robin style tournament. Kemmerly’s sister inspired her to begin playing when she was five years old. After a few years, she started playing travel soccer at Penn Fusion Soccer Academy, a local youth soccer club known for its elite youth developmental program for girls. “A few years after joining Penn Fusion, I was like ‘okay, I’m really into this’,” Kemmerley said. “My sister, who is a year older than me, was also really into it, and she kind of inspired me to reach for the next level.”
Photography Editor Most high school graduation ceremonies take place in a school auditorium or on a home field. But for 2026 Conestoga alumna Kate Kemmerley, the milestone was marked miles away from home, in the mountains of Bulgaria with her soccer teammates. From June 1-10, Kemmerley joined 19 of the best players nationwide in her age group to represent the U18 United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) at the Bulgarian Nations Cup, a
Before entering high school, Kemmerly was named captain of her Penn Fusion Elite Club National League (ECNL) team. In 2024, her team became the ECNL national champions, she earned the title of U16 ECNL Player of the Year in the North Atlantic Conference and she got her first call-up to a United States Women’s Youth National Team training camp. The next year, ECNL once again named her U17 ECNL Player of the Year in the North Atlantic Conference for her impactful performance on her team. She continued to showcase her tal-
ent as she received more opportunities to play at the highest national level. According to her Penn Fusion coach Craig Scangarella, Kemmerley stood out not only for her technical ability, but also for her leadership and humility as a teammate. “On the field and in practice, she was a role model because she pushed the level of practice sessions and games up,” Scangarella said. “She was powerful. She would take charge of games and was very strong as a central attacker. But, more importantly, she was a very selfless teammate. She cheered for them
more when they scored than when she did.” In early May, Kemmerley received a notification that she had made the final roster for the U18 USWNT’s June training camp and Bulgaria trip. The selection, a goal of hers for months, proved her hard work to be worth it. “It felt great to be called up. It’s always an honor to represent the USA and represent something bigger than yourself and your club,” Kemmerley said. “There was a cycle where I didn’t get called up for pretty much a whole year. I felt down about it, but I just had to tell myself, ‘You can
do this. This is achievable. Keep working and following your own path, and it’ll all work out.’” The USWNT originally planned to play both Ukraine’s U19 team and Benin’s U20 team as part of the round-robin tournament. However, Benin was unable to participate at the last minute and the team played Ukraine twice instead. Kemmerley’s team won the matches 7-0 and 5-0 respectively, with the first match featuring a goal of her own. “It obviously felt really good being able to get a goal when representing. Overall as a team, we played really well together. I think
that was the highlight and that team glory was what led to my individual success,” Kemmerley said. Kemmerley is currently continuing her soccer journey at the University of Notre Dame. Looking forward, she hopes to obtain her degree and make use of future opportunities, with the USWNT or elsewhere. “Soccer has always been and will always be such a huge component of my life,” Kemmerly said. “My goal is to go professional and play in the U.S or maybe over in Europe with my sister Keira. That would be a dream come true.”
Junior handles the reins, participates in horseback riding Grace Hu and Sophia Wu Co-Sports Editor and Co-Staff Development Director
Hooves drum softly against the dirt as junior Mia Hyon and her horse canter across the riding course, leaping over obstacles in a display of elegance and skill. Hyon began horseback riding with her mother’s encouragement seven years ago. Currently, she rides at Royal Ridge in East Greenville, Pennsylvania and owns two horses, Ruffi and Stella. “I got into (horseback riding) because my mother used to ride when she was younger and she couldn’t really get into the sport too much, so she wanted me to try it out,” Hyon said. “From there, I just fell in love with the horses, the people that were around and the partnership in the sport.” Hyon competes in the equitation event in horseback riding competitions, in which judges score riders out of 100 points based on their form rather than their speed. Equitation competitions are divided by riding style,
age and medal classes, or the height of fences. “I think (horseback riding is) definitely a lot different (than other sports) because some people don’t think it’s a real sport,” Hyon said. “It’s definitely interesting: the muscle groups that it works, the way you have to carry yourself, the way you have to think to do certain things or get to a certain jump.” Horse trainer and riding instructor Alicia Lynam has been Hyon’s main coach for the past year. Hyon trains four to five days a week through lessons or practicing by herself. Lynam provides feedback on Hyon’s performance on her horse as she rides through a course. “After each lesson or horse show competition, (Hyon) receives direct feedback about her daily riding and how we can always be improving for the next day or the next competition,” Lynam said. “We strive to be better each day. We try to prepare her and her horse to be able to walk into each new arena and feel confident. I believe
very strongly in the phrase, ‘you can never be overprepared,’ and (Hyon) practices that every day she comes to the farm.” Student-athletes often need to balance academics with athletics, and Hyon is no different. She feels that prioritization and stability are the best way to maintain the sport in tandem with school. “You have to balance it out,” Hyon said. “If there’s a big project, I’ll tone it down on how many days I go out and practice or how many days I work out.” Hyon has competed in numerous competitions in the past, including the Devon Horse Show where her team placed fourth and the World Equestrian Center Ohio Winter Classic where she won the United States Hunter Jumper Association Jumping Seat Medal. Over the summer, Hyon competed at the Princeton Summer Classic from July 22-26, winning a Jumping Seat Medal, Hunt Seat Medal and National Collegiate Equestrian Association Medal. In early September, she placed fourth
in the Marshall and Sterling 3 feet 3 inches Junior Horsemanship Medal Final in Saugerties, New York. Hyon feels that her horseback riding experience has given her friendships with other riders, and hopes to continue riding in the future. “I’ve grown a lot, being trained by different trainers and meeting different people along the way and watching them,” Hyon said. “In the future, I’m not sure if I want to ride in college or do it professionally, but if I have the opportunity to do that, and ride at a D1 or D2 college, that would be amazing.” Hyon feels that her favorite part about horseback riding is the collaboration with her horse. She reflects that her improvement is fulfilling. “There are a lot of components that make (horseback riding) interesting and fun,” Hyon said. “But the best part about it is having that partnership with your horse and being able to see your accomplishments and how far you’ve come from your starting point.”
Courtesy Paws and Rewind
Rambunctious riding: Junior Mia Hyon and her horse, Ruffi, jump over a fence at the Princeton Summer Classic this summer. Hyon started riding seven years ago and trains at Royal Ridge in East Greenville, Pennsylvania.
SCORELINE
scores as of 10/03
Football
B Soccer
G Soccer
G Tennis
B XC
G XC
B Golf
G Golf
Volleyball
Field Hockey
W
2
10
3
10
8
10
11
6
9
6
L
3
0
4
1
3
1
0
0
4
1
T
0
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0