The Spoke Issue 6 2024-2025

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PUSHES TO CLOSE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

TESD responds to directives threatening federal funding, DEI

By Aren Framil and Je rey Heng, CoEditor-in-Chief and Co-Opinion Editor

On March 20, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14242, which outlined major changes to the Department of Education, the federal agency that grants aid to students nationwide and enforces educational policy. e order calls to close the department and “return authority over education to the States and local communities.”

rough programs and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the department allocates funds and money from the federal government to schools and students. It is also responsible for collecting data on education for the public to access and managing student loans.

In its 2024-25 scal year General Fund Budget, the Tredy rin/ Easttown School District listed that it received around 0.5% of its funding from “Federal Sources” — $865,570 of its total budget of more than $181 million.

“We don’t get that much money from the federal government

relative to our budget. at said, the money that we do receive is directed to some important programs within the district,” school board president Todd Kantorczyk said. “We currently believe that all the district programs are in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws, and so we do not believe that our funding is at risk.”

Of the district’s reported $865,570 in federal funding for the 2024-25 scal year, almost $150,000 came from Title I of ESEA for “Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged” and $600,000 came from the School-Based Access Medicaid

Reimbursement Program. e district receives the rest from Titles II, III and IV of ESEA and the Medical Assistance Reimbursement for Administrative Claiming Program. e department also oversees special education programs such as those outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). e act covers a portion of expenses for the district to support students with disabilities. IDEA includes students who have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), legally mandated documents outlining schedules and services to meet a student’s special education needs.

PIAA changes transgender athlete policy

e Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA), the governing body for various school sponsored sports games in Pennsylvania, removed the transgender policy and amended Article XVI of its policy and procedure manual on Mixed Gender Participation. e organization announced the changes “to be in e ect immediately” at the Feb. 19 PIAA board of directors’ meeting. e article cites President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14201, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” signed on Feb. 5 as the reasoning behind the decision.

e organization now references “sex” instead of “gender” and states that the “school” instead of “principal” is in charge of determining if a student can participate in the amended section. It adds that “schools are required to consult with their school solicitors relative to compliance with the Order” 14201.

“ e PIAA board of directors’ position on the executive order is binding to all PIAA member schools that accept federal funding,” said PIAA assistant executive director Lyndsay Barna in a statement to the Beaver County Times. “ e board is following the order.”

e executive order states its purpose is to only allow athletes assigned female at birth to compete in women’s sports through rescinding federal funding from educational programs that do not comply. Written prior to the executive order and PIAA changes, TESD Regulation 6146 states that district schools will follow the PIAA’s By-Law Article XVI of mixed gender participation. It also states that although athletes generally will compete on sports teams that correspond with their birth gender, the district can

make exceptions as long as they align with the PIAA and do not prevent the team from competing with “other teams of the District’s team’s gender designation” n PIAA-sponsored games.

Several Conestoga teams participate in PIAA-sponsored tournaments as part of District 1. Maureen Gregory is the District 1 Women’s O cials Representative for the organization.

“My cousin is transgender, and I love him unconditionally.

It is a years’ long process that involves so much more than most of us will ever know. is decision, carefully and thoughtfully made, is not decided overnight,” Gregory wrote in an email.

“Anyone interested in learning more should do some research. What is a level playing eld? e answer is constantly evolving as more is learned and understood. In the meantime, sports’ governing bodies, i.e., PIAA and the NCAA, set their own policies and procedures.”

In response to Executive Order 14201, the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics also revised its policies to only allow athletes assigned female at birth to participate in women’s sports.

Junior and Conestoga Gender/Sexuality Alliance co-president Celeste Russo competes in wheelchair basketball games. She feels that the executive order and related policy changes fuel claims regarding the LGBTQ+ community that are misinformed, such as that support for transgender athlete participation in women’s sports is “letting quote, unquote men playing in women’s sports.”

“It negatively impacts the (LGBTQ+) community for no reason. And, as an athlete, I know that sports are for everybody,” Russo said. “I really think that it’s a lot of pointing ngers, and it’s a lot of saying things that aren’t true just because we’re the community they’re talking about.”

On March 6, the Women’s Law Project and Education Law Center wrote an open letter condemning the PIAA policy. Representatives from the Philadelphia School District stated that the district would allow transgender students to compete in sports matching their gender identity and that competition participation would be “resolved on a case-by-case basis” as according to Philadelphia School District school board policy 252. Valerie Cunningham, an adviser of the Conestoga Gender/ Sexuality Alliance, said that some

LGBTQ+ students feel nervous regarding legislation a ecting the LGBTQ+ community.

“ ere’s hateful rhetoric that is coming out through that conversation that students are feeling, whether they are a transgender athlete or not,” Cunningham said.

“I think that this conversation is something that is also happening on a broader level, just about the right for transgender people to exist, and sometimes that’s happening under the guise of the conversation around transgender individuals in sports.”

In the 2024-25 school year, the Department of Education issued

$1,002,720 to the district from IDEA through the Chester County Intermediate Unit, marked as local revenue on the budget. According to director of special education Nicole Roy, the amount of funds TESD receives from IDEA is only one part of the district’s special education funding. “ is funding, though important, doesn’t fully cover the costs required to provide the necessary support for students with disabilities,” Roy wrote in an email. “For students who have IEPs, the funding from the Fed-

the federal Department of Education, which oversees federal funding for education. eral (Department of Education) plays a role in ensuring these students have access to the services they need, but the district still relies heavily on state and local resources to meet the full scope of these needs.”

Since taking o ce, Trump has threatened to rescind federal education funding over several issues. On Jan. 29, he signed Executive Order 14190, which aims to end “discriminatory equity ideology” in K-12 schooling. On April 3, the Trump administration sent out a memo to state and local education o cials, including a certi cation for school

o cials to sign within 10 days to a rm the absence of “illegal DEI practices” or lose federal funding.

e Pennsylvania Department of Education sent a letter to school o cials in the Commonwealth on April 9 instructing them not to take action.

“We have programs that have some sort of equity component to them. We believe all these programs are in compliance with applicable state and federal law,” Kantorczyk said. “So, we don’t plan on changing any of these programs at the moment.”

Residents join ‘Tesla Takedown’

On March 29, approximately 430 people gathered on the edge of the Tesla showroom in Devon on Lancaster Avenue from 11 a.m. to noon, according to organizer and Berwyn resident Janet Gilbert. Holding signs, they denounced businessman Elon Musk’s involvement in President Donald Trump’s administration. e protestors called to “defund Musk” and reduce his in uence on U.S. politics through encouraging people to sell their Tesla vehicles and stock. e protest was part of nationwide grassroots movement “Tesla Takedown,” which named March 29 as its “global day of action.” More than 200 protests took place that day in cities nationwide at Tesla showrooms and charging stations. Charles Schermer, a Philadelphia resident, traveled to Devon to attend the protest.

“What I like about this movement: It’s very focused, mainly on Elon Musk, and, in turn, Donald Trump. It’s focused on what Elon Musk and Donald Trump love most, and that’s money. If we can get people to stop buying Teslas, to stop buying Tesla stock and to turn their Teslas in, the stock value will go down,” Schermer

said. “ at’s what we’re trying to do here, as well as send a message against the oligarchy and fascism and authoritarianism that’s coming with it.” Gilbert started her involvement with the movement as a participant. She saw a post about it on Bluesky, a social media app. Gilbert attended what she believes was the rst protest in Devon on Feb. 22. e movement in Devon uses Action Network, a movement organization platform, to schedule and spread the word about the weekly protests.

“I don’t know where (the protestors) came from, and they all had signs, and they were just waiting for the rst person to stand up,” Gilbert said. “And the next week, we had a little protest, also about 10 people, and the (Philadelphia) Inquirer came and interviewed us. Since then, last week, we had about 250 (protestors) or so. is week, 426.”

Gilbert’s motivation to take action and protest against Musk stems from his involvement in the federal government. Particularly, she disapproves of his use of monetary incentives — such as when Musk gave two Wisconsin voters $1 million checks, according to an Associated Press article.

“I think that Elon Musk has a noxious in uence on U.S.

politics, paying money to basically bribe people to vote or to register to vote with millions of dollars, lotteries for people to register to vote,” Gilbert said.

“I don’t think that a billionaire should have that much in uence on our democracy.” Class of 2023 alumna Lily Robinson attended the protest with her mother while she was on spring break from college. To her, the presence of the community at the protest was an active sign of discontent.

“I wasn’t expecting this many people to be here. It’s kind of fun. I think it shows that there’s a lot more (response) towards what’s incumbent,” Robinson said. “I think showing that folks, even Republicans and people that voted for Trump, are disappointed and upset with what’s going on.”

Scan the QR code to watch an accompanying package

Continued

Conestoga High School, Berwyn PA, 19312

Faith Zantua Co-News Editor

The district receives some money from the federal government annually for assorted programs. On March 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to close

Miya Cao Co-Copy Editor

Persistent protestors: Main Line community members gather on the edge of the Devon Tesla showroom with signs and posters as part of the “Tesla Takedown” movement. The movement named March 29 as the “global day of action.”

Miya Cao/The SPOKE

THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

IN T/E AND NATIONAL NEWS

TESD choo SES n E w

ElEmEnTary School namE

At its March 24 meeting, the TESD school board voted unanimously to name the sixth elementary school Bear Hill Elementary. The name refers to the nearby Bear Hill Road and also holds historical significance in the Howellville area, where the new school is located.

PEco conSTrucTion To

laST unTil July

From April to July 2025, PECO will strengthen infrastructure in Tredyffrin with a $345,000 project. It hopes to reduce storm-related outages and support cleaner energy use. PECO will try to minimize direct customer impact and notify residents of planned activities and interruptions.

On April 13, a 38-year-old man was charged with the attempted murder of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Suspect Cody Balmer, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, allegedly broke in and set fire to Shapiro’s home early in the morning. Shapiro and his family evacuated the building safely with the assistance of the Pennsylvania State Police.

harvarD rEfuSES TrumP

aDminiSTraTion’S DEmanDS

The Trump administration announced on April 14 that it would freeze $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard after the school rejected its policy demands, including the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The administration also warned other schools such as Princeton, Cornell, Northwestern and Columbia that federal funding may be pulled if they don’t comply with its requests.

Ranger layoffs inspire protest at Valley Forge National Park

On March 22, more than 300 people gathered in Valley Forge National Historical Park to bring attention to the nationwide layoffs of National Park Service employees and to advocate for the protection of public lands. The layoffs fueled protests in national parks across the nation and united individuals to peacefully speak out for change.

“It’s nice to get together with everyone and fight for a cause,” freshman and protest attendee Maddie Schmaus said. “There’s a lot of separation right now, so the issue of the parks was a good way to bring people together.”

The organization Resistance Rangers, a community of off-duty National Park Service employees, coordinated the nationwide protests. They began the movement to speak out against the ranger layoffs. A press release by the Center for Biological Diversity stated that the Trump administration fired about 1,000 National Park Service employees on Feb. 14. as a part of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s plan to reduce the federal workforce.

The protestors at Valley Forge National Historical Park marched through the park, holding signs and chanting messages of dissent and calls to action.

Chester County residents Aria Middleman and Jaimie Bandur led the protest.

“They (Resistance Rangers) rely on people, on avid nature lovers like myself, wanting to get involved. I organized the rally on their behalf,” Middleman said. “With the conflict of interest of the rangers wanting to stand up for the lands and get involved,

they never know when speaking out about something like this could ultimately endanger their job security as well.”

The protest encouraged members of the public to express their concern on what is happening to the parks to lo -

cal and state representatives.

In addition, attendees signed petitions to protect public lands and shared the history of Valley Forge National Historical Park.

“It (our goal) is to educate people as to how best they

Conestoga increases attention on student parking rules

Traditionally, the privilege of parking on campus has been researved exclusively for seniors, while students in other grades are not permitted to use the parking facilities during school hours. However, since the start of this school year, twelfth grade assistant principal Patrick Boyle — who oversees Conestoga’s facilities and parking — has noticed a significant increase in students breaking the rules by utilizing on-campus parking without a legitimate parking permit.

For some seniors, such as Mayank Dora, it has become harder to get a parking spot in the school due to the rule breaking.

“The juniors parking here have started to take up too many spots, and it’s gotten to the point where getting to school on time is a problem,” Dora said. “With the conges-

tion juniors are causing in the parking lots, it’s started to take ages to get in and out of school.”

To ensure that other grades are not using parking facilities during the day, Conestoga administration has increased the frequency of checks throughout the school day, making sure that every student entering the parking lot has a parking permit.

“We do checks as much as possible, either during lunch or out during the rest of the school day,” Boyle said. “But we can’t be out there physically checking every single day, and there are still students who pull through when we aren’t looking.”

The administration has been monitoring the parking lot throughout lunchtime to make sure students who are leaving campus and parking again are using parking permits. According to Boyle, the school administration has

been conducting checks during different times of the day after noticing students parking without permits this year.

“We’ve started to do checks right in the morning and in the afternoon to further discourage juniors from parking on campus,” Boyle said. “If we catch anyone parking against the rules, they will face consequences expressed from the code of conduct.”

Boyle feels that other students taking advantage of on-campus parking without having parking permits is unfair, especially since seniors have paid to have this service.

“Juniors should absolutely not be parking (at Conestoga), because seniors have paid $180 to have and enjoy that privilege,” Boyle said. “We’ve made sure that anyone who’s gotten caught has faced consequences, either with a loss of parking for this year or even the next year.”

can get involved as to current events regarding our public lands,” Middleman said. “What changed a couple days before the rally was that all of these rangers were offered their jobs back. That’s a fantastic win, of which we did address on the day.”

The Resistance Rangers are also working to protect public lands amid proposed federal changes. The National Resources Defense Council stated that the federal administration hopes to expand oil and gas mining on public lands by ending current protections requiring federal agencies to assess the environmental impacts of their actions before proceeding.

“A lot of people chose to show up that day (March 22) to support public lands greater than just national parks,” Middleman said. “Through all of the negativity within the news, keeping oneself well-rounded and educated as to the current events is a very good thing, as long as you’re aware of what’s going on. Ignorance is what will contribute to lack of action and lack of anything happening in a positive direction.”

ACT makes changes to test format

In July 2024, the ACT announced it would be implementing changes to the test. The ACT made revisions to online testing this April and will make changes to paper testing in September. These modifications include a shorter test in both length and time, an optional science section and fewer answer choices in the math section.

CEO of ACT Janet Godwin said in a blog post from the ACT website that the organization made the changes to continue the ACT’s legacy of innovation and respond to feedback from students and educators.

“With this flexibility, students can focus on their strengths and showcase their abilities in the best possible way,” Godwin wrote in the post. “This change is designed to make the testing experience more manageable for students, enabling them to perform at their best without the fatigue that often accompanies longer exams.”

The ACT is a standardized assessment used in college admissions. It covers English, reading, math and science topics from high school curriculums. Previously, students answered 215 multiple-choice questions in 175 minutes, with an optional writing section afterwards. Students received a final composite score, the average of scores in all required sections.

With the new changes, the science section is now optional and will be reported separately from the composite score for students who choose to take it. In addition, the test will have 44 fewer questions and be shortened to 125 minutes, giving students more time per question. Math questions will have four answer choices instead of the previous five, and reading and English passages have been shortened. Despite the revisions, the ACT scale remains from 1-36, and the scores that students received from previous tests will stay the same.

Junior Leo Brown took the ACT multiple times and feels

that the length and timing changes of the ACT would affect the score distribution.

“I learned how to just skim readings quicker and know what I’m supposed to capture and understand in case I need it for a further question,” Brown said. “I think it’s gonna hurt the skills (I gained), because it’s gonna be easier to get a (higher) score.”

Counselor Justin Beasley-Turner is Conestoga’s assistant ACT administrator and has served as an ACT proctor in the past. According to Beasley-Turner, Conestoga hosts the ACT less often than the SAT and fewer students choose to take the ACT.

“It (the changes) may impact the popularity (of the ACT) due to it being available digitally and making such sweeping changes,” Beasley-Turner wrote in an email. “The SAT going completely digital and shortening its length made it a much more palatable exam for students to take. It may have the same effect for the ACT.”

Developer buys Exton Square Mall, plans town center

On March 18, Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) sold the Exton Square Mall, constructed in 1973, to Abrams Realty and Development for $34 million. Abrams plans to redevelop the mall into a town center with apartments, townhouses and retail. Heather Crowell, executive vice president of investor relations at Gregory FCA, a public relations firm that represents both Abrams and PREIT, believes the developer can turn the mall into a town center.

“The plan is to develop a town center, and that will include tearing down the vast majority of (the stores),” Crowell said. “The idea is to kind of reorient it as a mix of uses, so a main street style, with retail on the bottom and apartments on top.”

The town center will in-

stores, office space, a daycare, entertainment, fitness facilities and the existing Main Line Health

facility and Boscov’s store. Abrams plans to build 376 apartments and 243 townhouses, and the community will feature a drivable “main street” with water features and grass.

“This is not just a redevelopment — it’s the realization of a true town center, designed to enhance quality of life while delivering economic and social benefits to the community. Our approach will ensure a seamless blend of living, wellness, working and gathering spaces,” Peter Abrams, CEO of Abrams Realty, said in a PREIT press release.

Over the past 10 years, the mall experienced a decline in retail tenants and sales. According to the 2022 PREIT annual report, the mall had only a 53% occupancy rate, causing PREIT to reevaluate the viability of the mall following the company’s second bankruptcy. The company ultimately decided to sell the mall.

Capital One Shopping projects that 87% of large shopping malls may close over the next 10 years and states that millennials spend 17.1% less time on retail than Generation X. Along with

these factors, Crowell believes that the mall’s decline is partially due to the abundance of other retail destinations in the area, such as the King of Prussia Mall.

“There’s only room for one major retail destination to serve a certain number of people,” Crowell said. “It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, where King of Prussia (Mall) keeps getting better because the stores want to be there because that’s where the customers are, and so when the stores close in a mall like Exton, there are fewer shoppers and then more stores close.”

Despite the past decline of the Exton Mall, Crowell feels that it has a promising future as a town center.

“Do we have the money and do we have the right returns for the amount of risk we’re taking on? And (PREIT) had concluded that for them, it just wasn’t the right time to take on such a massive redevelopment,” Crowell said. “As the owner of the mall, you know that it doesn’t have a future as a mall, but there’s an opportunity, because it’s really good real estate.”

District, state respond to changes in federal funding, DEI initiatives

Continued from page 1.

Residents, administration comment on federal funding

e April 3 memo from the Department of Education threatened to remove all federal funding, including ESEA, IDEA and other federal programs, for schools that do not comply.

Jose Ibarra, a TESD resident and father of three Conestoga alumni, asked about the e ects of potential federal funding cuts on district programs at the March 24 regular school board meeting. He had concerns about how the potential cuts and loss of federal funding for school programs could a ect district taxpayers and students’ educational experiences.

“As a citizen of the community who appreciates the value of the education and the whole system — how it provides a great education K-12 — the fact that there’s a potential impact (with) the dismantling of the Department Education, I wanted to nd out what the potential impact of a change of funding or lack of funding coming from the revenue stream could be on our school,” Ibarra said.

e district utilizes federal funds primarily for its special ed-

ucation, English language develop-

ment, sta development and health programs. In the event of federal funding cuts, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, Sta Development and Planning Dr. Wendy Towle said that the district would still maintain these programs.

“By law, we have to provide an appropriate education for all of our students, particularly our special education students,” Towle said.

“We have to have the specially designed instruction to meet their needs. Similarly, there are laws governing what we need to provide for our English language learners, so we would need to gure out how we can still meet those needs without that funding.”

District Superintendent Dr. Richard Gusick believes it is too early to make decisions related to changes in federal funding as the district does not have enough information to make an informed plan.

“Ultimately, if we lose funding, one of the things I hope would happen is that the state would pick up whatever di erence happened,” Gusick said. “Our basic choice is we either have to gure out how to replace that funding, whether that’s through taxation or fees or some-

FAFSA to move federal agencies

Mareska Chettiar Co-T/E Life Editor

In a March 21 press conference, President Donald Trump announced his intention to move the student loan portfolio from the Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid o ce to the Small Business Administration.

e Trump administration has not made any further statements regarding the transfer.

Jennifer Kratsa, department chair of Student Services, said that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has remained generally the same so far for current seniors receiving nancial aid packages from universities.

“With the (potential) dismantling of the Department of Ed, (the FAFSA is) being transferred to a much smaller unit. ere is some concern about how that’s going to look, but I am optimistic that for this class, things are going to remain similar to what they’ve

been,” Kratsa said. “While it’s an uncertain time for education, and we feel worried and nervous with what’s going on, I think that the current seniors can rest assured that they should continue to ll out the FAFSA if they haven’t done it yet and that that paperwork will be processed.” e department announced on April 22 that it will begin collecting defaulted student loan debt starting May 5. Kratsa said that the future of the FAFSA for students in upcoming classes is unknown, as the Small Business Administration is smaller than the Department of Education and may not have the facilities to handle the larger student loan portfolio.

“I’m going to be looking at colleges soon, and I want to make sure that my education is still going to stay up to date next year,” junior Paloma Padilla said. “When I go to college I’m going to (need to) be able to pay for it, and I need FAFSA for that.”

College Board adjusts courses

In summer 2024, College Board announced revisions to the Advanced Placement Computer Science A course starting the 2025-26 school year a er conducting college faculty surveys and syllabus studies. It will also add AP Business Principles/Personal Finance, Cyber: Networking and Cyber: Security starting in the 2026-27 school year.

e revised AP Computer Science A course, based on the programming language Java, will add content on text les and datasets while removing the unit on inheritance. e remaining nine units will be consolidated into four. e College Board made the revisions to re ect developments in the computer science eld and align with current introductory college programming course expectations. William Dewees is the only Conestoga Computer Science A teacher and feels that the changes align with the course’s goals.

“Over the years, I’ve found that the topics (the College Board) suggest that we explore are designed well,” Dewees said. “I enjoy the content of this course, so I think that they will have success matching it to what the college courses are asking for.”

Sophomore and Computer Science A student Purva Girase prefers that the inheritance unit be kept in the curriculum.

“Removing inheritance for me was just kind of unneces-

thing, or you’d have to reduce expenses in some way. at’s why we need to know exactly how much, when (a funding cut) would kick in and what programs it was targeting in order to make any of those decisions.”

Trump administration calls for end of DEI in schools

e Trump administration gave an initial deadline of April 14 for state and local o cials to sign the April 3 memo’s certi cate of compliance for the removal of DEI practices in public schools. e letter stated that the federal government would withdraw funding if schools fail to follow the administration’s interpretation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, stating that “certain DEI practices can violate federal law.” It has since extended the deadline to April 24 a er facing pushback from states.

On April 9, Pennsylvania Executive Deputy Secretary of Education Angela Fitterer said in a letter to the U.S. Department of Education that “All of Pennsylvania’s (local education agencies) have previously certied, on multiple occasions, that they comply and will continue to comply with Title VI.” In a letter to school o cials, the Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education Carrie Rowe instructed o cials to take no action at this time, writing that “ ere are no federal or state laws generally prohibiting e orts relating to diversity, equity, or inclusion.”

of Education rea rmed that commitment that school districts are free to continue to celebrate diversity, promote equity and make public school classrooms safe and inclusive places for students to learn,” Lilienthal said.

Kantorczyk said that the district will follow the state’s direction regarding its response to the federal memo.

“ e state, through (the Pennsylvania Department of Education), essentially responded and basically said that all of our local education agencies and other entities already have to certify for compliance with federal law in order to accept federal monies,” Kantorczyk said. “ ey issued that letter, which basically means that the district doesn’t have to do anything else at this point.”

Towle said that the administration does not plan to change its current equity programs. e district employs equity princi-

“We do not believe that working towards creating a school community where all of our students feel as though they belong, where they can learn in ways that are appropriate for them, where our teachers are supporting students as individuals, constitutes discrimination,” Towle said. “In fact, we believe that by creating an environment where there are a multitude of perspectives that are valued and explored, what we’re doing is actually creating a supportive community and encouraging our students to be critical thinkers.”

The state, through (the Pennsylvania Department of Education), essentially responded and basically said that all of our local education agencies and other entities already have to certify for compliance with federal law in order to accept federal monies. They issued that letter, which basically means that the district doesn’t have to do anything else at this point.

Todd Kantorczyk District school board president

Christopher Lilienthal is the assistant director of communications for the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), a labor union made up of retired, active and prospective teachers. Representing the PSEA, he agreed with the state department’s response.

“PSEA was very pleased to see that the Pennsylvania Department

ples to create a “Safe, Supportive and Inclusive Learning Environment” through the TESD Equity Guiding Principles and the curricular inquiry process. e process encourages teachers to incorporate di erent voices into classroom lessons and materials with the goal of broadening perspectives.

Sophomore Samantha-Jane Lienert, a member of the district’s Diversity Committee and the Student Leaders Anti-Racist Movement club, has worked with Director of Equity and Public Programs Dr. Oscar Torres to discuss improvements to district equity standards and programs.

“I de nitely heard and have talked about this a lot with not only administrators, but also my peers,” Lienert said. “ e biggest thing that stood out to me is college and how education funding is being cut.”

Local responders receive grants

On Feb. 11, the Pennsylvania

O ce of the State Fire Commissioner noti ed the Berwyn and Paoli Fire Companies that they are recipients of funds as part of the Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services Grant. is annual grant program will award a total of $62,242.04 to the two re companies.

Fire companies and emergency medical services (EMS) across Pennsylvania can apply for the grant each year, with the amount of funds that each station receives varying slightly from year to year.

sary,” Girase said. “It’s an essential topic that every Java learner should know, and I feel like College Board should prioritize the content, rather than just making it re ect the college resources, because I feel like learning Java is more important than getting the experience of being in a computer science college class.”

e College Board will also change the exam, increasing the multiple-choice section from 40 to 42 questions and o ering four answer choices instead of ve. e multiple-choice section will account for 55% of the overall score, an increase from 50%. e free-response section will feature four shorter questions worth up to 25 points total, a decrease from 36 points. Question three of the free-response section will only focus on ArrayLists and not arrays, and the section will account for 45% of the overall score, a decrease from 50%. While the course revisions re ect major content changes, Dewees said he will not signicantly alter his current teaching approach. e course’s curriculum is already structured exibly, and the new topics will be integrated into

e Berwyn and Paoli re stations apply for the grant every September or October and receive a noti cation in the spring regarding whether they will receive the funds at the beginning of the next year.

“Any re company and any EMS organizations are eligible to apply. You just have to go on to the State Fire Commissioner’s website, and then you just log

in, create an account,” Paoli Fire Company re chief Andrea Testa said. “ en you just have to answer questions about your re company, your community that you serve and what you want to use the funds for.” is year, the Berwyn Fire Company will receive $16,322.02 for its re company and $15,000 for its EMS department, while the Paoli Fire Company will receive $16,322.02 for its re company and $14,598 for its EMS department. Berwyn re station’s EMS captain Michael Baskin said that compared with a re company’s overall spending, such as Berwyn’s annual budget of $2.7 million, these grants may not seem as impactful. Still, he appreciates the assistance the funds give in decreasing operational costs and aiding rst responders.

e Berwyn re station will use its grants to help pay for gasoline costs. Baskin said that last year, the company chose to use the funds for the same reason due to high prices. A er tearing down the re station last May to be re-

built, the company will also use the re grant to pay for the construction of its new re station.

“ e last three years, and this would be the fourth, the re contribution that we’ve had is going into a savings account to put towards the building,” Baskin said. “At some point in time this year we’ll take all four of those years and take that out of the savings to pay towards the building. You’re talking maybe 60 or so thousand dollars over four years.”

e National Fire Protection Association mandates that re companies replace all protective clothing and equipment every 10 years at the latest. e Paoli Fire Company will combine both its re station and EMS grants this year to pay for the replacement of its rst responders’ helmets and Nomex re-resistant hoods.

“ ey’re super helpful that way we don’t have to use other funds that we either have to fundraise for or it’s taxpayer money,” Testa said. “ ese additional grants, even though they’re small, they de nitely help us.”

Trump administration initiates changes to education funding

Since Trump signed Executive Order 14242, his administration has taken several actions to cut funding and programs from K-12 education. While it has not revoked federal funding speci cally for Pennsylvania schools, the administration has cancelled public funding under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, including $185 million in federal funding owed to Pennsylvania school districts. e relief funding had expanded since the pandemic to support student mental health resources, classroom supplies, reliable high-speed internet and HVAC installations.

On April 10, Gov. Josh Shapiro joined 12 states in a lawsuit challenging the rescindment of the funding from the two acts.

“It’s up to the president of the United States to determine what the bureaucracy should look like in Washington, but they can’t break their commitment to the students in Pennsylvania — and I’m going to be watching real closely to make

sure that they don’t,” Shapiro said a er his March 21 public speech in Pittsburgh. “If anybody tries to take anything from Pennsylvanians, particularly our students, they’ll have to go through me.”

On April 7, the Trump administration moved to cut all $250 million of Maine’s K-12 funding for allegedly violating Title IX of ESEA a er school o cials refused to comply

“Maine

May costing around $3,000. rough the workshop, the district will explore APL as a framework for its development of a full-day kindergarten program.

Paige Vachris Sta Reporter determined that a structure rooted in play-based learning will be the best way to meet the goals we have for the program and the best at supporting all of our youngest learners,” Towle said. e district will pursue a playbased curriculum for its full-day kindergarten program but has not committed to using APL as framework. e district will not introduce the program until Bear Hill Elementary School opens for the fall 2027 school year. John Jones, chair of the health and tness department at Conestoga, has taught elementary school gym. He feels that playbased learning can help young students grow in several ways.

Temple University professor Dr. Kathy Hirsh Pasek created APL, an educational approach that focuses on interactive experiences such as hands-on activities for social and cognitive development. e district’s full-day kindergarten committee and elementary school principals will attend the workshop. Dr. Wendy Towle, director of curriculum, instruction, sta development and planning, is leading the development of the program.

“When developing the foundation for our full-day kindergarten program, the committee

“Children learn how to make friends, compromise,

Rajan Saha Sta Reporter

Du Sta Reporter

Paige Vachris/The SPOKE

Chess Club hosts charity tournament to raise funds for local wildlife center

providing animals with food and shelter. Club members paid $10 to enter and played chess against each other to win prize boxes.

On March 11, the Conestoga Chess Club hosted a charity blitz tournament, raising $130 for the local nonprofit Diamond Rock Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic (DRWRC). The clinic is a rehabilitation center for small injured animals, and will use the donation for their operations, such as

Junior and vice president Bo Phillips decided to hold an event outside of regular club meetings and donate the tournament proceedings to a charity to support a good cause and improve member engagement.

“I thought for engagement and competition, it would be

good to encourage people to come,” Phillips said. “We wanted to have this tournament for purposes of pulling a lot of people who sometimes don’t come to meetings.” Phillips said he, along with junior and president Ratan Konda, chose to raise money for DRWRC to help them cover various expenses involved with managing staff and taking care of animals.

“They (wildlife centers) are all nonprofits, and when you consider people have to volunteer their time here to help these animals out, (the donation) definitely does help them quite a bit to have those resources,” Phillips said.

During the tournament, participants played five three-minute rounds against competitors with similar scores. At the end, senior Mohnish Elangovan, junior Allen Liang and sophomore Matthew Xiong won first, second and third places, respectively. Liang enjoyed playing in the club’s comfortable environment.

“One may see chess as serious business, where only the best prevail in this cutthroat competition. But for me, I was never in it for the money. It was truly for the friends I got to outplay along the way,” Liang said. “Plus, the money was going to a good cause. The chess speaks for itself.”

Konda felt that the tournament was a success, as it created an enjoyable environment and improved club participation. He valued how playing chess created a lively atmosphere and connected members through friendly competition.

“Overall, the tournament was a great experience. The best part about it was seeing everyone come together and having fun,” Konda said. “I’m really glad that we could do this event, and I hope that we can make it better and bigger.”

Conestoga marching band, music ensembles perform concerts on California trip

“But we also had other stuff to do in rehearsal, so it was hard to balance.”

Usually, the shopping district at California’s Universal CityWalk is filled with everyday tourists. But on March 29, the Conestoga marching band flooded the streets with drums and music. Every year, the music department takes students on various trips, ranging from closer destinations and larger travel experiences. This year, the Conestoga music department arranged a five-day trip to California from March 26 to March 30, with over 200 students attending.

Preparation started last year in May when the music department held informational meetings to help students and parents learn more about the trip. Students from the marching band, concert choir and jazz band practiced and learned new songs to perform on the trip at a rehearsal on March 27.

“We started preparing the songs that we didn’t know maybe three weeks in advance,” said freshman Annica Sugalski, a member of Cantata and Chorale.

After arriving at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and celebrating with a pool party, the students woke up early the next morning to tour Hollywood and Sony Studios. They explored the production sets of famous television shows and movies, including Jeopardy and Spider-Man.

“I really liked touring the Jeopardy set because I really liked watching Jeopardy, so that was really fun,” sophomore and concert choir member Declan MacDonald said.

On March 28, the students visited the San Diego Zoo, where the chorus, orchestra and band performed at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. The ensembles played songs from Hollywood movies and their spring concerts on a stage surrounded by trees. Passersby could sit and listen to the students’ songs on the benches lined around the platform’s edge.

The next day, the marching band performed its Pixar-themed show on the 5 Towers Stage in

Universal CityWalk. The band members played songs from movies like the Incredibles and Toy Story and exited the stage with cadences from their drumline. Once they finished packing up the trailer, students had the rest of the day to explore Universal Studios, where they went on rides like Revenge of the Mummy and Hogwarts Express.

“For the marching band performance, it was literally inside Universal on the CityWalk, which was really cool,” Sugalski said. “A bunch of people stopped to watch us, which was fun.”

The music department returned to Conestoga on March 30 after departing from the Los Angeles airport, concluding their trip to California. Many students valued the unique opportunity to perfom and explore new places with their friends, including sophomore Ava Diep, a member of the orchestra.

“My favorite part was probably Universal. It was really fun,” Diep said. “We just spent the entire day at Universal, so we just walked around all day with our friends.”

El Tio Mexican Restaurant :

Madeline Pulliam Co-Staff Development Director

Who doesn’t love Mexican food? El Tio Mexican Restaurant in Berwyn is a great place to fulfill any craving from chimichangas to churros. Across the street from the Berwyn train station, El Tio is located right down the road from Conestoga. The restaurant has a sunny vibe with bright and colorful walls, tables and decorations such as sombreros and paintings. Customers can choose to eat in or take their food to go. To start, I ordered the El Tio Nachos. The nachos had a large amount of thick tortilla chips topped with melted cheese, refried beans, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, jalapeños and a choice of protein. None of the chips were soggy from the toppings, so there was a satisfying crunch with every bite. From the wide variety of protein options, I chose the ground beef. I found there to be a large serving of meat on the nachos, so the extra charge is definitely worth it.

For my entrée, I tried the burrito and taco salad. The burrito has a choice of meat, rice, cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole wrapped in a flour tortilla. It may also come topped with salsa roja, salsa verde or mole. I got it without any sauces, and it was delicious plain. I felt the guacamole in the burrito should be put on top so it does not get lost in the rice, but nevertheless, it was delectable.

The taco salad was definitely my favorite of the night. It was served in a buttery, flaky tortilla bowl, which was what I was most looking forward to, and it did not disappoint. It came topped with a plentiful serving of savory ground beef and crunchy lettuce.

El Tio also has a variety of traditional Mexican desserts including churros, Mexican flan and tres leches cake. The churros are a favorite of mine, and they have an excellent ratio of cinnamon sugar coating to the dough.

The nachos came in at $12.99, the taco salad $10 and the burrito $11. The large va -

riety of menu items makes El Tio a restaurant that can fit many different budgets. The colorful atmosphere and flavorful food offer an amazing restaurant experience and a delicious meal.

Choir carols: Music teacher Nathan Shughart leads the Conestoga choir, which performed at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park, California on March 28. The music department travelled to California from March 26 to 30, with more than 200 students in attendance.

Mary Wolters /The SPOKE

Vivaan Krishna Ponugoti and Ashley Wang Staff Reporters

Lexi Lin and Sophia Wu Social Media Editor and Staff Reporter

Noteworthy nachos: The El Tio Nachos come piled high with toppings, such as melted cheese, pico de gallo and avocado. The dish’s flavorful crunch was an excellent way to start the meal.

Madeline Pulliam /The SPOKE

Capturing pieces: Junior and vice president Bo Phillips (right) plays a game of chess with senior Ali Wardak (left). Phillips coordinated the Conestoga Chess Club charity tournament held on March 11, with $130 raised from entry tickets donated to the local nonprofit Diamond Rock Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic.

Vivaan Krishna Ponugoti /The SPOKE

Club collaboration: Members of the Chess Club pose with chess pieces during a club meeting. The leadership team coordinated the Chess Club charity tournament on March 11. They will host similar events

Vivaan Krishna Ponugoti /The SPOKE

Mental health clubs come together to form Mental Health Committee

Wanting to bring leaders from various mental health clubs together, junior Venu Dhanabal worked with administrators and Conestoga’s mental health specialists to form a committee to remove the stigma around mental health at Conestoga. e committee is composed of members of various mental health-focused clubs including

Hope and Beyond, Student Aid for Mental Health, Morgan’s Message and the Conestoga Anti-Stress Alliance, works to discuss the mental health environment at Conestoga. e group meets every month in English teacher Karen Gately’s room, where club presidents and a member from each a liated club come together to discuss initiatives and ideas to implement. As president of Hope and Beyond, Dhanabal

helped start the group earlier this year and nds it more e ective to work together.

“I really started this (committee) because there were (four) different clubs all doing the same thing,” Dhanabal said. “You can just get so much more done if you’re together than if you are separated.”

Dhanabal and other Hope and Beyond members worked with the mental health specialists to kickstart the ini-

tiative in the fall. Senior Lexi Patterson, the president of Morgan’s Message, a group focused on eliminating the mental health stigma for athletes, joined the committee and values the additional opportunities it has provided.

“ e mental health specialists and my adviser, Mrs. Gately, have been working together to create this committee because I know the mental health specialists have been talking about doing this for

a couple years,” Patterson said. “It (Hope and Beyond) connected the mental health specialists with Mrs. Gately, and then I was able to be a part of the committee.”

With members across a range of different mental health clubs, meetings consist of discussions and planning for initiatives related to schoolwide mental health. Members of the committee hope to bring their own experiences from their clubs to these discussions at the monthly committee meetings.

“At a typical meeting, we talk about ways that we can spread awareness across the entire school. So we’ve been working on Take Care Tuesday and being a part of that,” Patterson said. “We were also talking about Mini-THON and just different ways that we can promote (mental health).”

In the future, Dhanabal and other mental health club leaders look to expand the committee’s outreach and continue working on new initiatives across the school.

Dhanabal appreciates the added perspective that working with the committee has given him and the collaborative environment it promotes.

“My favorite part is the meetings where we just get together and we just talk for 30 minutes about initiatives we can do. It’s really interactive,” Dhanabal said. “Surrounding yourself with ambitious people is inspiring, and that’s what I feel whenever I go to these committee meetings.”

Rowan Chetty Co-T/E Life Editor

Taking action (from right to le ) : Juniors Venu Dhanabal , Hope and Beyond president, Henry DeHart, co-president of the Conestoga Anti-Stress Alliance, Lucy Weber, president of Student Aid for Mental Health and junior and Hope and Beyond member Krtin Ashok Kumar discuss mental health issues. Dhanabal created the group so Conestoga’s mental health clubs could work together.

Lauren Pinheiro/The SPOKE

A sketch with success: Freshman sells art, gets recognition

ies and World Language teacher

Vanessa Chen Staff Reporter

On Feb. 23, freshman Ayaan Jariwala showcased and sold his artwork at the Annual Ramadan Bazaar hosted by the Islamic Society of Chester County at West Chester University. Conestoga faculty, including Social Stud-

Kevin Nerz, English teacher Melissa Pacitti and guidance counselor Brian Samson, attended the event and purchased art pieces from Jariwala.

“Some of his knowledge of history is incredible, and some of his drawings were based on historical events, so every drawing

has a detailed story behind it,” Pacitti said. “When we went to his art show, that’s when I realized that it wasn’t just (about) his drawings, it’s the stories that he can tell you behind each drawing, which is really impressive.”

Jariwala, who was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) at age 4, discov-

ered his talent for art at a young age. DMD is a rare genetic disorder that prevents the creation of the protein dystrophin, leading to progressive muscle weakness over time.

In Dec. 2021, when he was 11, Jariwala hosted his first art exhibition and auction in India. The event, called “Project Legacy,”

was organized with the help of his classmates and teachers at the Riverside School in Ahmedabad, India. The following year, in 2022, Jariwala entered and won first place in UNESCO’s “The Water We Want” art competition for his drawing “The Rainbow Farm.”

“The topic of this drawing is canals and farming,” Jariwala said. “If you see the art you will find it very colorful. I created this huge farm with a variety of crops, a lot of flowers, a huge dam and a canal. I also represented a couple of facts and events such as the green revolution.”

When he was 12, Jariwala exhibited his art at an event hosted by the organization Raw Collaborative over the course of five to six days. Later that year, he sold his artwork at a charity dinner auction, raising over 10 million Indian rupees. Jariwala’s family uses a large portion of the money to pay for his treatment for DMD, including exon skipping and gene therapy that target mRNA and DNA, respectively.

“We were very shocked to know about his condition, and at that time, the world was completely dark about how our son would live and in what direction because all parents want (is for) their kids to move forward in some field. We were a little taken aback,” said Sandhya Jariwala, Ayaan Jariwala’s mother. “But then slowly and gradually, we saw that (Ayaan was) moving towards art, and his art had been recognized. So we also got motivated, and we feel happy that the world has not ended here in spite of his condition. There (are) positive things coming in his life.”

In 2021, Sandhya Jariwala started an instagram account, @ayaanjariwala, sharing her

son’s journey where he has also been recognized by news outlets in India. The family moved to the U.S. in Oct. 2024 so that Sandhya Jariwala could pursue her master’s degree. According to Ayaan Jariwala, being able to exhibit and sell his art has benefited him greatly, from his first showcase in India to his most recent art sale at the Ramadan Bazaar at West Chester University.

Girls in STEM conducts outreach program to TEMS

“I got a chance to express my knowledge, and of course (art is) the reason why I got so much recognition. It actually helped me socialize, it helped me get some support, it helped me create my own identity, even in such difficult hardships,” Ayaan Jariwala said. “When I first started, I did this just for fun, (and) it came out to be pretty unique. People started loving it, and that’s how I found my own identity.”

and

while introducing them to topics and careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Junior and club vice president Zaina Sohail aims to promote an encouraging environment that motivates young

are underrepresented and draws attention to opportunities available for aspiring STEM students at Conestoga.

“The reason why we established Girls in STEM was that we noticed a lot of girls told us that in middle school, they didn’t have these opportunities (and) many clubs,” Sohail said. “I think a reason

why a lot of girls tend to join our club is that we tend to be as active as possible in having these events for the girls, and we’ve mostly gotten positive feedback so far.”

On the club’s first trip on Feb. 11, junior and president Miya Cao and senior and officer Juliana Yao presented to the rising freshmen about STEM-related courses and clubs that are available at Conestoga. They encouraged students to take engineering classes and join clubs like Science Olympiad, Robotics and computer science.

On other trips, club members have performed labs with the students, such as a popping boba lab, where middle school students learned how to make edible popping boba using fruit juices and molecular gastronomy. Freshman Sana Bhattacharyya enjoys interacting with the middle school students and talking to them about her high school experience.

“We got to make popping boba, and we had an initial presentation where our president walked through the experiment and explained a little bit more about the chemistry of the experiment. It was really fun overall,” Bhattacharyya said. “We got to hang out with the middle schoolers and talk to them and do the experiment.”

Math teacher Seth Shore has taught at Conestoga for the past 26 years, but becoming a teacher was not his original career plan. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989 with Bachelors of Arts in Economics and French, Shore coached tennis and managed a local racquet club while earning his master’s degree in education at Widener University. He began teaching at The Haverford School until becoming a teacher at Conestoga in the fall of 1999. He currently teaches Algebra I and Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus and became the head coach of the girls’ varsity tennis team in 2023.

Q : How did you get into teaching initially?

A : When I graduated college, I was teaching tennis for a number of years. At the ripe age of 28, my entire body ached, so I figured I had to do

something differently. I talked to some people and decided I enjoyed the teaching part of coaching, so the next thing to do was go into education.

Q : What is your favorite class to teach?

A: I like teaching AP Calculus AB. I like the challenge of the material, and it’s great to see students when they’re trying to solve a problem and their brains are really working.

Q : What is the best part about being a teacher?

A : Making connections with the students and seeing them get through something that’s challenging and difficult. Whenever they have something that poses a challenge for them, and you can see them work hard and fight through it, and then at the end, be successful. That’s the most rewarding thing to see.

Q : Do you prefer to play tennis or coach?

A : A couple of years ago, I had a problem with my back, so I haven’t played competitively because I’m afraid

that I’m going to think I’m 20-something and can still do the things I could do in college. At this point, I enjoy coaching more because I’m just not playing as much as I used to.

Q : What does a perfect day for you look like?

A : Being with my wife on the beach somewhere warm, like the southwest coast of Florida. We could hang out, enjoy the warm weather and see dolphins and manatees.

Q: What location would you want to visit in the future?

A : I’ve never been to Hawaii, so I’d like to travel there. I think I’d like to go to Portugal. I visited Europe last spring, which was great. I don’t ski, so I wouldn’t want to go somewhere really cold. I like the warm weather.

Q : What’s a fun fact about you that your students might not know?

A : My first name is not Seth. I save it for my students to try and guess at the end of the year.

To prepare, the officers and club members host a meeting prior to the visit to share ideas about what to teach the middle school students and create a presentation based on these ideas. All members are encouraged to contribute ideas during these brainstorming sessions.

There’s not one person deciding everything,” Bhattacharya said. “It’s a very open environment where we can all discuss and find what would be the most fun and informative.”

outreach trips to be effective, noting a consistent number of participants at every event they hosted so far.

“The meetings that we do are very open, and we get to just discuss it as a group.

The club will continue taking trips to TEMS and hosting meetings to prepare activities for the middle school students. Sohail has found the

“We’ve always had at least 20 people at our events,” Sohail said. “There’s always good turnout, and the girls always end up bringing more people the next time. I would say that it’s been pretty successful.”

Isabelle Emmanuel Staff Reporter

Jeffrey Heng/The SPOKE

Famous frame: Freshman Ayaan Jariwala’s award winning drawing “The Rainbow Farm” sits on display. Jariwala won first place for “The Rainbow Farm” in UNESCO’s “The Water We Want” art competition in 2022.

Amazing artist: Freshman Ayaan Jariwala examines a brochure of his artwork collection. Jariwala hosted his first art exhibition and auction in India when he was 11 years old.

Vanessa Chen/The SPOKE

Vanessa Chen/The SPOKE

“After my mom and I talked to my friend, who had type 1 diabetes, we realized that we don’t know much about it. I thought that it might be the same for many people around us, and I saw the opportunity to start doing this advocacy project.”

courts for change

M oved by the rundown basketball courts he experienced in Philadelphia, sophomore and Conestoga JV basketball player Jefferson Lin founded a nonprofit called Courts for Change. in early 2025. The organization is dedicated to rebuilding and revitalizing children’s basketball courts, particularly those in Philadelphia that were previously neglected.

Since Courts for Change is new, it has not completed any projects to rebuild courts yet. Lin is currently looking for additional board members for the organization and to build a larger team.

The organization plans to implement smaller renovations for nets and backboards in basketball courts before obtaining permission to completely rebuild them later. Sophomore and secretary of Courts for Change Iniyan Ignaci has been working with Lin to recruit new members and begin their fundraising efforts.

“Our idea was to start with fundraisers, such as bake sales, and branch out to bigger fundraisers for sponsors,” Ignaci said.

Lin believes that restoring basketball courts not only enhances the playing experience, but can also benefit kids’ physical and mental health. He feels that these areas can provide a comfortable space for students to relax by playing a game of basketball with their friends.

“The overall goal is to try to kind of revitalize these courts and make these courts into a better place for the youth of Philadelphia because we're really just trying to target

drivento make changes

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a lot since when I was around 10. My

was that I was

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that's been something that I've seen many issues around Philly, especially around basketball courts. So with my love for basketball, it just kind of made sense.”

Philadelphia and just have a safe, a good place for the kids of Philadelphia to play,” Lin said.

Lin hopes to make an impact in Philadelphia through Courts for Change.

“I wouldn't say it's an easy thing to manage, but I'm truly passionate abot the nonprofit,” Lin said. “So if it's something I'm passionate about, I'll do it. Even if that means having to stay up a little bit later.”

With the realization that type 1 diabetes often goes undetected until serious complications arise, juniors Navami Muglurmath and Vivian Peng founded Type 1 Diagnoses, Education, and Screening (T1DES) in June 2024.

T1DES is a nonprofit organization that spreads awareness about type 1 diabetes and promotes early diagnosis. Muglurmath and Peng were first inspired when they noticed in conversations with friends and family that most people could not differentiate type 1 diabetes from other kinds of diabetes.

Before launching the nonprofit, Muglurmath and Peng focused on extensive research, dedicating time to understand the medical, social and emotional aspects of type 1 diabetes.

“We needed to understand for ourselves what it was,” Muglurmath said. “We used a lot of websites like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Health.” Muglurmath and Peng’s research led them to a research and advocacy nonprofit, Breakthrough T1D, that focuses on advancing treatments and improving patients’ access to them. Ultimately, they hope to find a method to cure type 1 diabetes in the future.

In Dec. 2024, T1DES and Breakthrough T1D collaborated to host a guest speaker event at the Tredyffrin Public Library, where type 1 diabetes patients shared their experiences.

Besides engaging in offline events, T1DES regularly updates its website and Instagram, where it reposts helpful tips about type 1 diabetes and makes announcements on upcoming activities. T1DES has accumulated thousands of views on its Instagram video introducing type 1 diabetes awareness.

The two cofounders have run into challenges in growing the organization. One of them is communicating T1DES’ mission and goals to the larger community and encouraging involvement.

“We struggled in finding community participation,” Muglurmath said. “I think what helped us through that process was an Instagram account, where we were able to follow a lot of people from our school who were seeing the post and interacting below it.”

Currently, Muglurmath and Peng are the only members of T1DES and manage all aspects of the nonprofit. However, they hope to see the organization expand into a larger student-driven network.

Student artists win awards at Chester County High School Art Exhibition

of professional artists and artisans assessed the student entries and granted awards for each category, and artworks were also considered in Rep. Chrissy Houlahan’s Congressional Art Competition. Members of the public had the option to offer to purchase artworks, though students could choose to keep their pieces.

At the reception for the exhibition on April 10, four Conestoga entrants received awards for their art. Senior Ethan Barker won third place in the collage category for

his artwork “13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” made from layered paper and mixed media clippings.

Senior Anya Walheim received an honorable mention in ceramics for “Beneath the Blue,” which features blue glazed sea creatures and bubbles. Senior Emily Lin won third place and senior Anjali Chand earned an honorable mention in the computer art category for the digital pieces “Cat Nap” and “Museum Visit,” respectively.

Art teachers Leanne Argonish, Amy Cruz and Joanne Wagner encouraged students to submit both class assignments and independent artwork to the exhibition. Barker was initially hesitant to submit his art to the showcase, but was surprised by the experience after submitting.

“A lot of the students in my class were really reluctant to submit a piece, but I think once they were convinced and got to submitting something, it made them realize how much of a fun thing (submitting art) is to do,” Barker said. “I was one of the students that actually didn’t want to submit something, but I’m very glad that I did. I think more people should be willing to put their stuff out there, even if they feel like it’s not something that was super deep or meaningful.”

Throughout the year, Advanced Placement Studio Art

students work on a Sustained Investigation where they choose a research question and aim to answer it through their art pieces. At the end of the year, they submit their artwork in a portfolio to the College Board.

Some of the students submitting to the showcase chose to use work from their portfolios, while others like Barker elected to submit art outside of their Sustained Investigation.

“I chose the piece that I submitted because it had a piece of poetry to go with it,” Barker said. “I felt like it had more of a deeper meaning behind it than some of my other pieces. I felt I had put a different spin on the way that I usually create art. The piece that I submitted was a collage, instead of a more typical media, like a painting.”

Reflecting on the results from the contest, Chand was surprised by the results and enjoyed the experience of submitting art to the exhibition.

“It (winning an award) has definitely made me more confident to put myself out there, as far as contests are concerned, or any kind of professional space that I put my art into,” Chand said. “I feel like if I’m capable of winning that kind of award for this kind of piece, it’s very much an ego boost to me.”

Shooting high: Sophomore Je erson Lin plays basketball for the ‘Stoga JV team. Lin started his nonpro t Courts for Change to raise money and organize rennovations for basketball courts in Philadelphia.

Courtesy Je erson Lin

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Je rey Heng / The SPOKE

United impact: Juniors Navami Muglurmath (le ) and Vivian Peng (right) hold up a sign promoting their nonpro t T1DES before their presentation at the Tredy rin Easttown Library on Dec. 1. They partnered with local nonpro t Breakthrough T1D to spread awareness about type 1 diabetes.

Written by Nishta Subramanian and Emily Wang, Staff Reporters Designed by Emily Wang, Staff Reporter

Junior Navami Muglurmath

Sophomore Jefferson Lin

Jeff’s Gist: Censor injustice, not activists

At the Oscars on March 2, Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal won Best Documentary Feature Film for “No Other Land,” a film that tells the story of Palestinians’ fight to protect Masafer Yatta, a collection of villages in the Hebron Hills of the West Bank. But violence — and a murder attempt — challenged that victory. On March 24, a group of Israeli settlers beat and kidnapped Ballal in his village of Susya, where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later detained him. After the IDF released him, he reported in a March 27 interview with the news organization Middle East Eye that, from hearing the settlers shouting his name and “Oscars,”

he concluded that the attack was in response to his Academy Award for the politically-charged film. This day and age is no stranger to the censorship of people who challenge injustice. Haing S. Ngor, a Khmer actor who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1985, played the role of a journalist named Dith Pran in “The Killing Fields,” a biographical film titled after the mass execution sites amidst five years of genocide under the Khmer Rouge regime that buried more than 1.3 million bodies in Kampuchea Province, Cambodia. A survivor of the regime, Ngor participated in the filming process seeking to expose Pol Pot, the leader

Rouge assassinated Ngor outside his San Francisco home because of his involvement in the film.

their people. Yet in return, they received severe backlash, and their resistance ultimatley led to deadly consequences.

may remember my

Sowmya Krishna Appmaster

When I first came across the show “Common

Rating:

mushroom that has the ability to cure any illness or injury.

the fictional show from Adult Swim has garnered much critical acclaim, achieving a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The show follows the story of Marcello, a man who finds a miracle

While he aims to spread his discovery to the world, Reutical Pharmaceuticals, a big pharma company, pushes back on the discovery by trying to stop the mushroom’s existence from being known due to their belief that it will disrupt their profit. The ten-episode season highlights Marcello and his friend Frances’ journey to fight back against Reutical and heal the public using their mushrooms. Although the animation format took some time to get used to, this show proved to be incredibly entertaining and thought-provoking. It stands as a satirical social critique of American healthcare, exposing the corruption behind healthcare privatization. The exaggerated plotline of a magical mushroom aims to prove how deeply rooted the profit-making

scheme is — insinuating that even if there was an opportunity to help everyone in this country, American healthcare would pass up on it due to its detrimental impact on business.

Despite the animation adding a unique element to the show, the style could have been a little more expressive, such as giving characters more emotion and body language clues to give them more depth. It’s a small area for improvement and something that could be considered for the upcoming second season.

Overall, the hero’s journey of Marcello offers hope to viewers, showing that change can be made by just about anyone — as long as we take a stand and fight for what we believe in. From the empowering message to the unique storytelling style, “Common Side Effects” is a must-watch.

where I delved into my parents’ own traumatic stories of escaping the genocide and the concerning trend of disparities that many Cambodians experience, one of them being censorship. As much as I find myself passionate about journalism and bringing their stories to light, my parents still hesitate encouraging me to do so — and for valid reasons.

Reporting the news — and especially writing opinions on sensitive topics — poses risks compared to pursuing a safer field like computer science in the comfort of my home. I recognize that my parents’ main goal in life was to raise a family, and being one of their only

two children, I know that the thought of losing me is one of their biggest fears.

However, it is what Ngor and Ballal have done that inspires me to break boundaries in journalism because the experience for a 17-year old at Conestoga High School is completely different. Our resources and connections to the global sphere have never been more accessible with the technology we have now.

These two Oscar-winning activists are the reason I pay homage to those who remain fearless in telling untold stories, because the more people who are scared to speak louder about significant issues, the more prone we are to censorship — especially when it feels as though telling the truth is like asking for a death sentence.

Journalism gave me the platform to tell the story of my parents, injustice, turmoil and heartbreak. Regardless of what your relationship is with storytelling, our voices are the most important factor in ensuring our grievances don’t become our only takeaways from history. Never let your voice be silenced.

Tapping into the multipotentialite

I am an oxymoron. Or rather, my interests are — I love the logic of math and computer science but also the creativity in art class or writing articles. My differing passions have led me to opportunities that I never would have experienced, but as a high school senior at a crossroads, the pressure to specialize in one thing, whether that be a major or a career, is greater than ever.

Like many others, I am a multipotentialite, someone with a lot of interests and creative pursuits. Coined by Emilie Wapnick in 2015, a fellow multipotentialite committed to helping others embrace their many interests, the word stems from the psychological term “multipotentiality,” meaning showing skill across many areas. In a world that encourages specialization, fellow multipotentialites must break free of the mold to pursue and accept their various facets. Consider the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none.” It’s possible that you have heard this phrase numerous times, but it is incomplete. The full quote is: “Jack of all trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than a master of one.” Though the origins of the quote are debated, it highlights the benefits of being well-

versed in many topics, even if they are seemingly unrelated.

In her 2015 TED Talk “Why some of us don’t have one true calling,” Wapnick refers to three superpowers of multipotentialites: idea synthesis, adaptability and rapid learning. I have seen these in my life, finding that my proficiency in Photoshop has often come in handy, from creating posters for clubs to fixing closed eyes in photos. Digital art is just one of the many art disciplines I’ve learned, the process of which has also helped me pick up new skills quickly and effectively.

Some may argue that pursuing various interests causes incompetency, leading to “wasted potential.” If you are so good at learning, why not commit to one passion, one career?

To ask a multipotentialite to specialize would be going

against their intrinsic programming. The term “Renaissance person” describes people during the Renaissance who developed and pursued various passions as widely and deeply as possible. Take a look at Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, who made essential contributions as artists, scientists, mathematicians, philosophers, writers and more, that are still discussed today. Multipotentialites can pivot and offer fresh solutions to complex problems through innovation and creative thinking, just like da Vinci and Michelangelo did. I believe we are all multipotentialites at heart. All the experiences you gain from the passions you follow form the nuanced person you are today — a one-of-a-kind individual with so many unique perspectives to offer.

Both Ballal and Ngor spoke out against their governments and set examples to shed light on the cruelty inflicted on

Readers

op-ed last April titled “Why I won’t celebrate the Cambodian New Year the way I used to,”

Jeffrey Heng Co-Opinion Editor and Columnist

Anjali Chand/The SPOKE

Raima Saha/The SPOKE

Raima Saha Co-Managing Editor

Unsigned: Our rights are in danger, don’t remain silent

The current sociopolitical climate of our country is scary to be living in — one where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are snatching people off the street and where the Trump administration sends an innocent person to a Salvadoran prison with no way of returning home. It’s a lot to take in. The actions of the current administration present the possibility of an even scarier reality: one where due process doesn’t exist. Enshrined in the Fifth Amendment, the right to due process gives people legal protections, like a court hearing, appeals or similar formal processes, against any governmental action that takes away “life, liberty and property.”

But the Trump administration has fired federal employees en masse in what the American Civil Liberties Union claims is a violation of their constitutional rights. The administration has refused to take action to return Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the federal government deported to a Salvadoran prison in a “screwup,” in

over on his way home and, on March 15, sent him to El Salvador despite a 2019 court order

had no opportunity to contest his unlawful deportation — in other words, the Trump ad-

ministration violated his right to due process, leaving him in

a Salvadoran prison due to an “administrative error.”

Furthermore, the Trump administration has taken no action to fix its mistake, claiming that the facilitation of Abrego Garcia’s return is up to the president of El Salvador, despite the Supreme Court ordering the administration to act. The absence of clear action to return a resident of the United States who was deported without having been found guilty of a crime sets a dangerous precedent.

This due process violation highlights the Trump administration’s unwillingness to comply with the rule of law — the same rule of law that protects us and our rights. As a democratic society, this notion threatens the very fabric of our community.

It’s time to take action. Educate yourself on issues you care about and engage with your local and state governments. Protect the most vulnerable.

Call your representatives and demand that the administration uphold the rule of law. It’s our duty to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for not only ourselves, but for all Americans.

The Spoke seniors’ words of wisdom

“Don’t measure yourself against others. Academics, extracurriculars and college applications have become a horse race, and it’s important to keep your real ambitions and passions in mind when deciding how you spend your time at ’Stoga. Don’t take a class or EC just because everyone else is; spend your precious hours on things that actually matter to you. Above all, take care of yourself.” Aren Framil,

Co-Editor-in-Chief

“Four years go by a lot faster than you think. I know better than anyone that there are parts of high school, like pulling countless all-nighters, that nobody really enjoys, but try to take it all in. If you don’t appreciate what you have now, whatever comes next will never be enough. As for what will come next for you, if you put in the work, it’ll all work out. Just hang in there.”

— Howard Kim,

Co-Editor-in-Chief

“Take chances (within reason, of course)! You might be surprised with what the outcome is and be better off because of it. I know that my high school experience would have been completely different if I hadn’t taken those chances, meaning that I wouldn’t have the friends and lessons that I gained as a result. High school is short, so make the most of it!”

— Raima Saha,

Co-Managing Editor

“High school goes by really fast, so make these years count. Step outside your comfort zone, connect with new people and be open to different perspectives. Most important-

ly, prioritize what truly makes you happy.”

— Zara Samdani, Co-Managing Editor

“While being on the academic grind is important, our current social and political climate is not easy to live in. Make sure you’re taking the time to center yourself and what’s important to you, focus on your personal goals and improve yourself as a person. Achievements don’t mean anything without character to back them up!”

Mareska Chettiar, Co-T/E Life Editor

“Do the things that scare you because they challenge you in a way you haven’t experienced before. Do the things that you aren’t good at because now is the time to explore and fail, and do them all with a smile on your face.”

— Juliana Yao, Co-Opinion Editor

“A lot of people are going to tell you that you should spend your four years in high school pursuing what you love, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Try what you hate, embrace what is uncomfortable, and discover what is mysterious. Only by being open to truly everything will you find the places and things you truly belong to.”

— Rohan Anne, Webmaster

“Live in the moment. Appreciate what you have right now, without dwelling in the past or worrying too much about the future. Truly embrace these four years because they’ll be over before you know it.”

Sowmya Krishna, Appmaster

“As you navigate high school, remember that success often results from skills that require zero talent, such as being on time, having a strong work ethic and maintaining a positive attitude. Focus on cultivating passion, being coachable and consistently going the extra mile; these habits will set you apart.”

— Bailey Kreszswick, Co-Multimedia Editor

“Take in every moment, and get excited for the future! It’s so easy to take advantage of the opportunities we’re given, so make sure to do it. Also, nothing is that deep. Have fun, work hard, and the rest will come!”

— Madeline Pulliam, Co-Staff Development Director

“Believe in yourself!”

Hannah Simon, Co-Staff Development Director

“Explore your interests, try new things, and make memories — time flies by!”

Shrija Krishnan, Business Manager

“There are many things I wish I knew earlier in high school but just as many lessons I’d never take back. Embrace the awkward conversations and bold project ideas. Raise your hand even when you’re unsure, and give everything at least one try. Welcome the failures — there’s no better place to stumble than high school.”

Milan Agarwala, Staff Reporter

“Be proactive. You don’t have to get everything perfect the first time. Ask lots of questions.”

Gabe Eisenberg, Staff Reporter

Aren Framil and Howard Kim Co-Editors-in-Chief

Dear readers,

This year feels like it has passed by in the blink of an eye. Our time as editors-in-chief has gone by too quickly, but we’re proud of the wonderful memories we’ve made and the tremendous successes the Spoke family has achieved this past year.

From our initial meet-andgreet party in August to our senior

speeches this April, we’ve gotten to see our 15 new Spokies grow from rookie reporters to AP Style gods. Our returning staffers and editors have grown leaps and bounds as well, pushing themselves out of their comfort zones to cover local protests and national politics. As for us, we’ve strengthened friendships, burned through liters of caffeinated beverages and put pen to paper to push out each new issue, upholding The Spoke’s tradition of strong journalism throughout our paper’s 75th year.

All our hard work has garnered state and national recognition, from having three 2025 Pennsylvania School Press Association state champions and 22 Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Keystone Media Awards to earning seventh for Best in Show Newspaper at the Journalism Ed-

ucation Association’s fall convention and six winners of Quill and Scroll awards. Our amazing staff works hard each and every day to make The Spoke into the paper you hold in your hands today, and we could not be prouder.

Beyond the plaques and certificates, it’s your continued support that we truly value.

During our tenure, we’ve made an effort to focus on community perspectives and issues that matter to you, our readership. And while our goal is always to report on and share the news, we’ve often found ourselves also learning something new along the way. From talking with administrators at late-night school board meetings to sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Eagles fans on 6 a.m. train rides to Philly, The Spoke has allowed

us to step into the worlds of people we likely never would have met otherwise.

We’re confident that incoming Editors-in-Chief Lily Chen and Rowan Chetty will continue to lead The Spoke and its 76th editorial board into the future while honoring the legacy of the newspaper that our decades of alumni have built it to be today. One last time, thank you to everybody who made this incredible fouryear journey possible. To the readers who made this all happen, we would not be here without you. To the advertisers who

Abrego Garcia

Editors: Madeline Pulliam and Hannah Simon,

The Spoke Editorial Board voted 16-4 in favor of this editorial, with 4 people abstaining.

The boys’ and girls’ volleyball teams welcomed new head coach Alex Weaver. Currently instructing the boys’ club team in their spring season, Weaver will lead the girls in the fall.

Weaver’s experience with volleyball began as a freshman in high school. He later played Division I at Penn State for four years. Weaver then played on a club team for one year. Aside from youth volunteer coaching, this will be Weaver’s first time as a head coach.

“That’s part of why I’m excited to do it. I’ve never done something like this. I’ve been around the game a lot, but not as a coach,” Weaver said. “So I think this is, for me, a great learning opportunity as well.”

Along with coaching the boys’ club team this season, Weaver also ran Kahoots, a program that helps middle school players develop their volleyball skills. This year was the first year a separate boys Kahoots was held.

Junior Aiden Lin helped Weaver to organize boys Kahoots. Lin was a manager for the Conestoga girls’ team last season and is currently a co-captain for the boys’ team, which has been playing in its varsity pilot season since the beginning of March. He believes that this season is instrumental in preparing the team for next year, when boys vol-

New head coach leads boys, girls volleyball

leyball will officially become a school varsity team.

“We’ve seen some promising growth among our members in the matches that we’ve had. We’ve been keeping up with the other teams and with more improvement (and) passion. I think we will be at the level of varsity sport next year, and we’ll be competing at a high level,” Lin said. “He’s (Weaver’s) going to help us improve in the way that he knows how to.”

Weaver is eager to see the team’s progress and is motivated by the establishment of a boys’ team at Conestoga. He encourages anyone interested in playing to participate this year to get a sense of what the boys team will be like.

“We’ll take everyone who wants to give it a shot, because now’s the best time to do it, before we’re varsity, and see what it’s about,” Weaver said.

Sophomore Katie Gelber was a member of the girls’ varsity team last fall. Gelber believes Weaver will bring a fresh outlook to the team as well as continue long-standing team traditions.

“He’ll definitely contribute new things, but he’s going to involve some old ideas and traditions,” Gelber said.

Weaver’s focus for the girls’ team is to win the Central League Championship. Along the way, he wants to help the team improve to work their way up.

Serving up fun: Students create pickleball club

After their season ended in March, members of the girls’ ice hockey team received an email from their head coach, Tony Parisi, announcing his retirement from coaching.

Parisi coached the girls’ hockey team for seven years starting when Sophia Parisi, his daughter and Class of 2023 alumna, joined the team.

Tony Parisi played hockey for Conestoga when he was in high school and was on the team when they won the 1985 Flyers Cup. He coached the Conestoga boys’ ice hockey team from 1991 to 2000 and holds a Level 4 Coaching Certification from USA Hockey.

“I’ve always wanted to coach, like I said in my retirement letter,” Parisi said. “The things I always wanted in life were to be a husband, a father and a coach.”

Tony Parisi, along with the rest of the coaching staff and

Alex Carder Staff Reporter

According to a Sports and Fitness Industry Association report, pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States for the third year in a row across every age group. Pickleball is a racquet sport that is played with a paddle, a plastic ball and a low net on a court about half the size of a tennis court.

As its popularity rose around the community, sophomores Isabel Laroque and Chelsea Bachman created a pickleball club at Conestoga to get more people, especially teenagers, involved in the sport and grow its popularity. After their parents introduced them to pickleball, they wanted to bring the sport and its popularity to Conestoga.

Advised by chemistry teacher Amy Alvarez, the club plans to meet weekly on Wednesdays after school in the small gym and use the school’s pickleball equipment.

Laroque and Bachman aim to provide students a place to play the sport and have fun with their friends. To grow the club, they began with recruiting members and spreading the word.

“We first handed out flyers all over the school, and then we also had our advisor, Mrs. Alvarez, put a picture of the flyers on Schoology for everyone to see.” “And we had a segment on Good Morning ’Stoga,” Laroque said. The club had its first meeting on April 10 to introduce the rules of pickleball to its members, with around 20 students in attendance.

To increase the accessibility of the sport, Bachman plans to allow for multiple levels of play to appeal to various levels of competitiveness.

“We plan to do a competitive friendly style. Depending on the type of person and whether they want to play competitive or friendly, we can do either,” Bachman said.

“Like a round robin, a tournament, anything like that, and

Girls ice hockey coach retires

board, built the team up to have a full JV and varsity schedule. They also helped advertise and spread awareness about the team, which helped increase the team’s total to 30 players. All of their efforts ultimately resulted in the team making it to the second round of the Flyers Cup this year.

“JV is a great experience for lower level players to get so much more ice time,” junior and swing player Ava Choe said. “It’s a great experience also for newer players to get more comfortable with other people.”

As part of his coaching philosophy, Tony Parisi emphasized how well the team members were playing relative to their past performances instead of by the scoreboards of games and league rankings.

“He was a really great coach, and every practice he was so positive and he really gave it his all at every practice,” junior and assistant captain Charlotte

anything that (the members) really want to do.”

The latest meeting took place on April 23 after school in the small gym. Laroque and Bachman introduced playing and pickleball skills as well. Laroque invites younger students to take part in the sport.

“This club is really fun because it’s bringing friends and support together,” Laroque said. “It brings (pickleball) to younger generations and gives it more popularity with younger people instead of just older generations.”

It just mattered that you tried and gave

Play ball: Sophomores Chelsea Bachman (left) and Isabel Laroque (right) pose for a photo after planning for future pickleball events. They started the club this year to involve more students in the growing sport. They will meet on Wednesdays in the gym.

Eshan Singh/The SPOKE

Alexa Willrich Staff Reporter

Celebrating success: The girls’ ice hockey team celebrates after a 7-2 win against

s P h t g r a p h y S r p o

Many Conestoga students create businesses to pursue their passions. While some focus on selling products, other students started photography business accounts on social media. Their talents attracted followers online, along with Conestoga sports teams.

Tim Chen

Playing around with his father’s camera, freshman Tim Chen learned how to use it and found a passion for photography. Chen began posting pictures on social media, which led to sports teams recognizing his talent. Chen started attending Conestoga sports games and was eventually commissioned to take pictures for athletes and their teams. Chen mainly focuses on taking photos for Conestoga basketball and football, but he also enjoys taking solo and team shots of anyone interested.

Sophomore Jordan Gri el took up photography as a hobby last year. He began with his brother Tyler Gri el, taking pictures of cars together, but slowly started photographing sports teams. Jordan Gri el takes pictures for multiple Conestoga sports teams, but started his passion while capturing the football team at games. Jordan Gri el spends hours editing his pictures after each game

PA Rugby makes changes for 2025 season

Rugby Pennsylvania, the non-profit that acts as Pennsylvania’s youth rugby association, mandated changes for all member high school rugby teams across Pennsylvania. For the 2025 spring season, which began in March, new levels of teams were introduced for girls’ rugby teams. There is a U19 team for high school students and a coed U14 team for those who have not yet entered high school. In addition, two new rule changes have been added around scrum, which are a means of restarting play after a stoppage, and a clearer definition of high tackles. From the 2025 season on, eighth graders will not be permitted to play on the high school teams. In the past, girls’ rugby teams could recruit students from eighth through 12th grade to play on their teams. With the new rules, all players who have not yet reached high school will play for the U14 team. The U14 team mostly consists of eighth graders but also has some seventh grade players, while the U19 teams consist of high school players. Advertising rugby to young girls in the community has been a goal for the rugby team, especially in previous years. Organized trips to the

middle schools to advertise rugby to girls were frequent, but recruitment was still hard for the team according to junior and girls rugby player

Maggie Barnes.

“Before, if you were in seventh (grade) you would have had to be on the youth team.

In years past before the new rules it has always been super hard for us to get any middle school girls, even eighth graders,” Barnes said.

We are just taking each practice at a time. It is great because we have so many new players, so to them these rules are not new.

Maggie Barnes Junior and girls rugby player

In addition, the new rules also include a change in the definition of a high tackle. In years prior, tackles only had to be below the shoulders. Now, tackles must be made below the sternum of the player being tackled. If the player makes a tackle above the sternum, it will result in a foul or punishment.

“Anything above that (the sternum) is considered high and results in a penalty. The referee

can issue a yellow or red card if they feel a tackle was dangerous,” girls’ rugby team coach Steve Bugh said.

In addition, as established by the new rules, the scrumhalf on the opposing team must be behind the tunnel. This change in ruling allows members of the offense to have the ability to put pressure on the defense, helping them become more aggressive in their plays.

“The (tackle) rule has been evolving for several years. The rule change just makes it easier for referees to make the right call,” Bugh said. “The scrum change is forcing us to think about new tactics on defense to increase pressure on the offense.”

The team is gradually learning to adapt to these recent changes by dedicating time during weekly practices to develop new techniques and strategies, improve understanding of the updated guidelines and build a better sense of coordination among players.

“We are just taking each practice at a time,” Barnes said. “It is great because we have so many new players, so to them these rules are not new.”

Students participate in local taekwondo championship

On March 29, several Conestoga students participated in the SKY Taekwondo Championship. The competition started at 8 a.m. and took place all day in the Montgomery County Community College gymnasium. Competitors in the tournament, ranging from kids to teens to adults, came together from various regions of Pennsylvania to represent their respective SKY Martial Arts schools. The competition involved four other martial arts dojos and hosted more than 100 competitors in total.

“They (the SKY branches) found that (the competition) would be necessary to keep a student motivated and to have a more active interaction between the three locations,” said SKY Martial Arts Wayne branch instructor and master Dan Yang. “So, they decided to try a championship and competition event so that they can maintain the cooperation between the different branches and build a bigger community as a taekwondo institution.”

The championship featured four main events: breaking, speed breaking, form and pair form. In the breaking category, competitors showcased a martial arts skill by breaking a set of boards. In the speed breaking category, the scoring system was based off of how fast they could break a set of boards. For the form and pair form categories, competitors demonstrated a specific set of moves either on their own or with a partner. Contestants were evaluated based on the quality and flow of their techniques and skills.

“A lot of people would think martial arts usually means fighting, but this is less about fighting, and it’s more about actual technique,” freshman and SKY Martial Arts student Virat Ram Ponugoti said.

Conestoga students who participated in this tournament represented the SKY Martial Arts Wayne branch. They also took on several other roles including being performers, referees and volunteers.

Performers were part of a demonstration team where students came together to show off their skills and represent their

respective martial arts school in the opening ceremony. Referees coordinated and oversaw the various matches, and volunteers ensured the competition and concession stands ran smoothly. The volunteers also directed all spectators.

“We’re very grateful for all the helpers and volunteers, many of whom are some of our instructors or assistants who help lead the class. They spend their own time to help their own students, cheering them on and helping score the students, giving the fair score so that they get the placement that they deserve,” Yang said.

A panel of masters and instructors from the various martial arts centers judged the competitors. The competitors were split into four groups: Little Tigers (for kids ages 4 to 6), Junior Tigers (for kids ages 7 to 12), teens and adults. The panel ensured that every participant earned an award to encourage growth and development of their skills.

“They make sure that even if you put in your best effort, you still get an award,” Ponugoti said. “Because you did put in the effort, and everybody needs to be recognized for that.”

Practice makes perfect: Sophomore Bryn Brader (left) and junior Shea Brader (right) run a drill during practice. In the past, the team was allowed to include eighth grade players on their roster. Instead, the team will now shift its efforts towards recruiting more freshmen players.

Sosi Sengal/The SPOKE

Sosi Sengal Staff Reporter

Taking on taekwondo: Freshman Virat Ram Ponugoti practices with instructor Dan Yang for the SKY Martial Arts tournament. Ponugoti was a contestant, performer, volunteer and referee at the tournament.

Vaishnavi Sriadibhatla Co-Sports Editor

Courtesy Virat Ram Ponugoti

Lined up: The Pioneers crouch at the line of scrimmage during their game against Marple Newtown. Sophomore Jordan Gri el captured the photo from the sidelines.

“I saw these cool photos on Instagram, and I thought it was pretty inspiring. So I got a camera and started taking photos,” Jordan Gri el said.

“I instantly fell in love, knowing that I had to get a camera of my own. It’s been almost eight months now, focusing mainly on sports photography, and posting consistently on TikTok and Instagram,” Tim Chen said.

Written by Abby Chong and Anvita Mohile, Co-Sports Editor and Staff Reporter Designed by Sophia Cui, Staff Reporter

Courtesy Jordan Gri el

Courtesy Jordan Gri el Close touchdown: The Pioneers score a touchdown during their game against Upper Darby. Sophomore Jordan Gri el took the photo.

Courtesy Tim Chen On the court: Junior Rowan Miller adjusts his shirt during a Conestoga basketball game. Freshman Tim Chen took many photos for the team throughout the season.

Courtesy Tim Chen

Courtesy Jordan Griffel In action: Freshman Tim Chen takes pictures during a football game. Chen traveled to Radnor to photograph the team’s game against Lower Merion.

Courtesy Tim Chen

before he sends them back to the team.

Jordan Griffel

New head coach leads boys, girls volleyball Page 10

Serving up fun: Students create pickleball club

Page 10

Sports Photography Page 11 PA Rugby makes changes for 2025 season Page 11

Senior wins second consecutive state diving championship

Positioned on the springboard and hovering 1 meter over the water, senior and Duke University diving commit Avery Hillier was ready to defend her state title. At the 2025 PIAA 3A Swimming and Diving Championships on March 14, Hillier tallied 480.35 points and a score of 20, winning the women’s 1-meter diving event for the second consecutive time in her high school career.

“The anticipation for the meet was really stressful as I had a title to defend, and states is just overwhelming with all of the good divers that are there,” Hillier said.

In the 1-meter diving event, athletes perform 11 dives in front of judges, gaining points based on di culty and judges’ overall scores. While Hillier’s specialty is the 10-meter platform, only the 1-meter dive is o ered at the high school level for PIAA. Hillier’s state win, following her district win three weeks prior, le her satis ed at the end of her high school career.

“It felt really good to end my diving career with a win. I felt really proud of my performance and was really happy to get the win,” Hillier said. “Immediately following the win, I went over and hugged my coach, who is my mother.”

Avery Hillier’s mother Megan Hillier is the diving coach for Conestoga. Megan Hillier was also a diver for Conestoga.

Balancing the roles of coach and mother, Megan Hillier felt anxious about Avery Hillier’s performance during the competition, but toward the last dive, her emotions shifted.

“My emotions were crazy because as her coach, I have to be serious and I have to be focused, and I have to think of her as a diver and not my daughter. But as a mother, I was super nervous. I can’t even describe the feeling,” Megan Hillier said. “As she was going into the last dive, I had this feeling of just pure joy, because I knew that nobody could catch her. That was an awesome feeling, to know that she had worked so hard and this was going to be her title again.”

Although Avery Hillier’s main focus is diving, she oc-

casionally swam the 50-meter freestyle and butterfly in high school. Nominated by her teammates and confirmed by the coaches, she served as a captain of the swim and dive team. Her continued presence and support of her teammates at meets, even after competing her event, demonstrates her commitment to the team.

“She (Avery Hillier) is the biggest cheerleader. Because diving happens at the beginning of a meet, not many divers stay to watch their teammates swim, but she stayed the whole time,” Megan Hillier said. “She was really honored to be (chosen as) a captain and really proud of the team.”

Freshman and swimmer

Lauren Goelz describes Avery Hillier’s wins as an inspiring and remarkable accomplish-

ment. Goelz believes Avery Hillier will leave a lasting impression on the Conestoga swim and dive team.

“It was really cool to see her on the podium,” Goelz said. “She (will have) the legacy as one of the best divers for ’Stoga and as one of the best divers in the state for the Class of 2025.”

For Avery Hillier, the experience of being part of Conestoga’s swim and dive team shaped both her growth and outlook, and she values the experiences that the team gave her.

“’Stoga diving has impacted my life because it has shown me how to be resilient in the face of a challenge,” Avery Hillier said. “But, it has also introduced me to some amazing people that will always have an impact on my life.”

Sports opinon: Sports leagues should stop using lottery dra s

In 2024, the Tennessee Titans tied for the worst record in the NFL, a dismal 3-14. Because they had an easier schedule than the other 3-14 teams, they received the rst overall pick in the 2025 dra , giving them the opportunity to select a player who could li them from the bottom of the NFL. In a di erent league, the Titans may not have gotten that chance.

Out of MLB, the NBA, the NHL and the NFL, the NFL is the only league that doesn’t use a lottery system to determine the order of the rst few picks in the dra . e other leagues should follow the NFL’s example and stop using lottery systems. MLB, the NBA and the NHL lottery systems are all slightly different, but in all three, each team that isn’t in the playo s enters a lottery. ere are then six selections for MLB, four selections for the NBA and two selections for the NHL, with the rst selection being for the rst overall pick, the second selection being for the

second and so on. Teams’ chances of being selected are in reverse order of their record in the previous season. Under this system, it is possible that the worst teams do not receive the rst picks. In contrast, the NFL orders dra picks of nonplayo teams solely in reverse order of record. e NFL’s system results in parity, which is when there are not signicant gaps in skill levels between teams. An excellent example of this is when the Washington Commanders dra ed quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second pick of the 2024 dra . In Daniels’ rookie year, he led the Commanders to the NFC championship game, catapulting the team from one of the NFL’s worst to one of its best. Parity is essential for a sport to be entertaining because it’s di cult to become invested if most games have obvious outcomes. e reason leagues sacri ce parity by using lottery dra s is to prevent teams not in playo contention from purposefully losing games to guarantee a higher dra position, also

known as tanking. However, because teams with worse records have better chances of being selected in the lottery, there is still an incentive to tank, which a 2019 simulation by the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective con rmed.

To combat this, MLB and the NBA give the three teams with the worst records an equal chance of being selected. However, this only discourages tanking for those three teams.

e only way for a lottery system to eliminate tanking is by giving every team the same chance of being selected, which would destroy parity. Still, lottery systems do offer less of an incentive to tank, and some believe that they are the only way to help the tanking problem. However, punishments like taking away dra picks would be e ective. Hopefully, MLB, the NBA and the NHL will soon realize the inferiority of lottery systems. In the meantime, sit back, relax and enjoy the NFL. Who knows? Maybe the Titans will win the next Super Bowl.

Golden smile: Senior and diving captain Avery Hillier stands on the podium with a gold medal a er winning her second consecutive PIAA 3A state title in the 1-meter diving event, garnering

total of 480.35 points. This year, she served as a captain of the girls’ swim and dive team, nominated by her teammates and con rmed by the coaches. Hillier will continue her diving career at Duke University next year.

Courtesy Jill Semmer

Gabe Eisenberg and William Simon Sta Reporters

Eshan Singh Co-Copy Editor

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